#;oh archipelago take me

[every-sanji]

[wolfy1298]

Don’t you ever wonder what kind of secrets and plot points Venti keeps hidden? He claims to be the weakest amongst the Seven-and that could be true given his whole 500 year slumber and poison and all- but he’s still a god. AND one of the original Seven. You gotta be good at SOMETHING to survive for this long…

He’s also the only archon so far that doesn’t have a second story quest so what is he hiding?! We have accounts of him literally shaping the land with ease from both the Golden Apple Archipelago events and his character stories. We know that he has close relationships with the Hexenzirkel and somehow managed to avoid conflict with them??? And there’s also the fact from the skyward sword series that he was originally a catalyst user before picking up the bow in honor of Amos. He’s pulling a Childe when it comes to weapons he currently uses and the ones he’s proficient in.

And don’t even get me started on his connection with Istharoth and Celestia! Mondstadt already has the Thousands Winds Temple AND the nameless island where both Venti and Istharoth were once worshipped. And from Before Sun and Moon, we know that the Thousand Winds (which Venti IS A PART OF) were once called the Thousand Winds of TIME, all of whom were created and controlled by Istharoth. AND THEN you have Venti suspiciously appearing in the right place at the right time again and again and again. He even self proclaimed knowing every song: past, present, and future. Hell he’s probably one of the only few beings in Teyvat who can naturally bypass Irminsul because of his songs: Nahida already shown it’s possible to save deleted info if rearranged into fiction so the same should work for songs and poetry. And there’s also what the hydro fungus in Nahida’s second story quest said about changing forms. That you need time for growth to occur. And Nahida - an ARCHON- had trouble maintaining her fungus form for even the short period of time. She was even told that to do so for longer, one would need to bypass time itself which is near impossible. AND YET VENTI CHANGED INTO THE FORM OF HIS FRIEND IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECEIVING HIS GNOSIS AND HAS YET TO CHANGE BACK OR TIRE FROM FATIGUE (as we know it). HOW STRONG IS HE. Sure, the yokai in Inazuma and Adepti in Liyue can all change into a human form, but we know in game that it takes a long time and steady energy to take on a human shape, and the Adepti all seem to have that ability naturally: there’s no bending the laws of nature if it’s already natural to them. So what’s Venti’s excuse?!

As for Celestia: there’s already written in the statue of Barbatos “the gateway to Celestia” and what not. And Khanreia! In the chasm AND in the Caribert quest, Barbatos and Mondstadt keep getting named dropped. According to Dainself, the city in the chasm is supposedly OLDER than Khanreia and possibly the Seven, yet BARBATOS of all beings is mentioned in the records you find??? And in Caribert, it’s a Mondstadtian woman who that one bloke had a child with. Never mind that Mondstadt is where Kaeya and Albedo - the two characters with confirmed Khanreian origins- end up! There’s also the fact that Khanreia seems to base its gods and names and whatever around Norse mythology….which has strong ties to GERMANIC HISTORY. WHICH MONDSTADT IS BASED OFF OF. And Enkanomiya, which was once ruled by Istaroth, is Greek origin. Suspicious considering all the connections to HERMES Venti keeps portraying. (And then there’s also a connection to all three places with the hexenzerkel with their Chinese names? Like I think I read somewhere that Alice is Aries(?)/Eris(?) and Nicole is actually Nike in the Chinese version? Which are very much based in Roman/Greek origins)

Oh and something I forgot to mention earlier with the whole Istharoth connection. Mondstadt’s saying “seeds of stories, brought by the wind, and cultivated through time”. SUSPICIOUS

Anyways, this has been my nonsensical Venti theory rant

And you’re stuck with me @worldsokayestmagicalgirl

[licorice-tea]

The Bane of My Existence

Pairing:Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: some spoilers for Sabaody arc (nothing major), enemies to lovers! strawhat reader, reader and law are both stubborn and argumentative smh, reader is more optimistic though, law is awkward and not great at understanding his own feelings <3

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: part 1/2 for a little enemies to lovers fic! one of my favorite tropes but I almost never write about it... also I've been rewatching bridgerton and was very inspired by the relationship between Kate and Anthony, which is where the title comes from too! (can you guess what part 2 will be called?) anyway, enjoy and lmk your thoughts! :)

Part 2

Sabaody Archipelago is easily one of the coolest places you’ve visited so far. Not that Alabasta, Skypiea, Water 7, Thriller Bark weren’t cool too… but you’re a people person! And to get to see such a diverse mix of groups from all over the world converging here, on one island Archipelago, brings a genuine smile to your face. It truly does remind you of a theme park: from the attractions to the oversized trees and bubbles.

In fact, you’re so caught up in all the splendors of the carnival-esque grove that you don’t realize you’re being watched. Or, followed, rather.

The Heart Pirates, yet another crew from some vague corner of the world, have been tracking you for the better part of an hour now. Except, they’re only following their captain, who happens to be following you.

Hes not entirely discreet about it though, because at one point Bepo asks, “Um… Captain, why are we following them?”

Shachi responds unprompted, “Yeah, I’ve never seen their bounty poster so… what’s up?”

Law scowls, “I’m not following anyone.”

Though he is low-key following you, Law couldn’t give a good reason as to why. You walked past him and his crew on your way to meet up with the rest of your crew- the Strawhat Pirates- and he’d just sort of trailed after you once you’d gotten a safe distance ahead.

“Really? Because every time they stop for directions, we slow down. And we’ve turned at all the same spots, too… So it really does seem like we’re follo-“

“I am NOT following them.” He lies through (literally) gritted teeth.

Now, Trafalgar Law is in now way shape or form a believer in love at first sight. He’s never been in love period… but the feeling he gets from seeing you is something new and foreign. Like, he really wants to talk to you… he just doesn’t know what for. Law is still trying his best to come up with reasons to stop you and ask for your name when you overhear the brief argument between him and his friends.

With a quick glance over your shoulder, you spot a group of at least 10 on your trail. They’re in the middle of conversation, so they don’t notice you taking notice of them.

Your first instinct is to look around for your crew; but of course, they’re scattered across the groves of Sabaody Archipelago by now - as are you. “Sigh. I might just have to handle this in my own.” But, wait- who said they wanted to fight you? Maybe you should just approach them first, wouldn’t that give you the upper hand in some way? (It wouldn’t, but you can’t think of anything better than to try and charm your way out of a possible jumping with your friendliness and perfect smile.) So, you roll back your shoulders and take a breath before strolling back over the grass to your pursuers.

“Why would I be following some rand-“

“Because you have a crush on them!”

“Oh they’re cute, Captain, you should ask them to join!”

“Gasp! Yeah, then you can get to know-“

They all go silent (save for some quiet gasps) as you step toward the semi circle they’ve formed around one man- the only one not wearing a white uniform, who they call “Captain.” You tap him on the shoulder and he whips his head around.

“Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me?”

The man just stares at you for a moment with a frown. You fear that you might’ve been wrong about his intentions, until he blinks and mumbles, “Uh… Sure.”

Your smile returns- of course you weren’t wrong! Plus, he’s kind of hot, but you’d catalog that thought and come back to it on some lonely night in the future. “Great! I’m looking for grove 41, it’s where some of my friends are.”

You’d learned back in Water 7 that sometimes, it was best not to disclose who exactly you’re traveling with, nor the location of your ship. (At least, not when you’re infamous pirates.)

“Grove 41? I’m headed there too.”

The polar bear wearing who is also wearing a white uniform clears his throat.

“I thought we were heading to Grove 1, Captain?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to get in y’all’s way then-“

“Nah, I think Captain would love to show you the way.”

“Shachi!” The captain sneers. “We’ll meet back up at Grove 1 after I show them the way." Then, he looks you up and down. It's quick and analytical rather than flirtatious or intimidating. "Don’t cause me any trouble.”

You smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m y/n, by the way.”

“Trafalgar Law, and this is my crew, the Heart Pirates.” He gestures around the semi circle, then turns to face them, “You guys go take a break or something. I’ll be back shortly.”

“But Captain, we want to go with you!”

One of the men with red hair- Shachi, you’re pretty sure, elbows the polar bear.

“Hey!…” He looks down at Shachi then gasps like he suddenly had a revelation; “Ohhh. Sorry Captain, we’ll see you later!”

Law rolls his eyes. “See you soon.”

There's something about his dark hair and grey eyes that charms you, right off the bat. Or maybe it's his relaxed, confident demeanor. Possibly even his idiosyncratic style of clothing, and how he (and all of his crew) wore the same logo; so very organized and professional. But no matter the exact reason as to why, you find yourself quite happy to be in his company.

Alas, he’s not a very talkative man, so you make up most of the conversation with questions and your own introductory information. “-and that’s how I got here, to Sabaody!”

“Uh huh. And who did you say your crew was again?”

“I, ahem, I don’t travel with a crew.”

“Right.” He laughs dryly.

“What is it?”

“You’re a bad liar.”

“I- I’m not lying!”

“Look, you don’t have to tell me what crew you’re a part of,” Law explains, “but don’t lie and say you’re not a pirate at all.”

“Well… it’s generally not a good idea to tell strangers that you’re a pirate. Not even nice ones, like you."

Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach that unexpectedly appear when you call him nice, Law's burning curiosity is fed by your roundabout half-answer. “Ah, so you are one? What’s your bounty?”

“That’s not really any of your business.” Though you believe his intentions to be purely based in curiosity, you're second guessing allowing this man to lead you away on an island grove that you have never visited, nor know anything about. Still, your crew is nowhere in sight or hearing range, which worries you given just how loud they usually are.

“I’m paying you a favor by leaving my crew to escort you to where I’m assuming your ship is located- it’s the least you could do.” Law’s tone is more prickly than before.

“Well, I don’t need an escort, and you’ve already walked me halfway there and pointed me in the right direction.”

“Fine- then I’ll leave.”

His sudden change in mood from what you interpreted as shy to borderline aggressive throws you off. And so, having a similar moody temperament and stubbornness (though you’d never admit it after seeing it so clearly in him), you return the sentiment. “Fine by me.”

You continue walking forward while Law turns back, until he calls over his shoulder. “And by the way; you’ll need to find your way through the lawless zone up ahead if you want to get to Grove 41.” If condescending was a person, it would be him. You’re sure of it. “That, or I could’ve shown you a much safer shortcut.”

You pause, turn to face him, roll your eyes, and continue walking.

“What, you’re still not going to ask for my help?”

“Don’t need it!” Which, you really don’t. You’re plenty strong, but your bounty is small enough to not be worried. “I’m not scared of a law-less zone, if anything I think I’d welcome it.”

Your mocking words hurt his ego in a way he hasn't felt in years, taking him down several pegs.

You don't even stick around long enough to listen to him rebuke everything about you, from your high and mighty tone to your vain attempts at lying, ending his one sided argument with a very classy middle finger your way. So, Law grumbles all the way back to Grove 1 to find his crew, and hopes to never see you again. Meanwhile, you find your way to the other Strawhats. Your adventure with them continues, and you don’t have much time to think of your earlier encounter with a handsome pirate and possible-friend turned enemy (if you could even call him that.)

Law doesn't know if his ego (or wildly beating heart) could take another second in your presence- it just might burst if it had to endure any more of your witty comments or sly looks. It would, however, be an interesting theory to test further, should you ever meet again.

The prospect is both horrifying and thrilling to him at the same time.

[ooffmlsorry]

Law Bends the Rules for You

A/N: This is my first time writing "Law x reader" or "x reader" in general. Takes place before Dressrosa. Oh! and have fun reading!

To a planner like Law, you had an invaluable devil fruit: the spy-spy fruit. The ability to touch any item and know everything about it instantly.

Moments ago, you had taken off one of your gloves and touched his hat. You were able to tell him what kind of animal it was made out of, who made it, from what store it came from, that it belonged to him and how long he'd had it. You were even able to tell him when he had modified the brim.

"If the item has been around a person long enough, I can even tell a little bit about them," you said, casually, even though your heart was pounding. Law could probably see the pulse throbbing in your neck. You came across pirates all the time but none from the Worst Generation. He was taller than you expected, handsomer, and more composed than his exploits at Sabaody Archipelago two years ago would've let on.

"I know this hat has been through a lot." You chose your next words carefully, "and it's owner has too."

Laws golden eyes flashed for a moment.

Something about that caused a flutter from your heart to your stomach. The wanted poster truly didn't do him justice.

"I-I'll help you. I'll join your crew," you stuttered. "Under two conditions."

Law smirked roguishly and raised an eyebrow. He remembered you saying you wouldn't make for a good pirate but from where Law was sitting he could see the makings of one already. Making a deal with him was bold.

"What makes you think I'll agree?" He rested his hand lazily on Kikoku, a wordless threat. His eyes drifted over your body back up to your face. "Or I could just make you, you don't look all that strong."

As much as that shouldn't have been hot it was, and that was almost as concerning as the implied threat in his words.

You rolled your eyes and looked away from him to hide the heat creeping up your face. "Why don't hear them before you say no," you snap.

Law scoffed, but his hand left Kikoku. He leaned his elbows on his thighs and laced his fingers together, ready to listen to you. "Out with it then, [Name]."

"Please don't make me wear one of those suits the rest of your crew has on," you said.

It was almost enough to make you burst out laughing the way Law's hands dropped as well as his jaw, eyes wide in a mix of shock and disturbance. You managed to stifle it just enough to continue. "I'll wear the insignia, make my own clothes if I have to, but I've spent enough time looking how someone else wanted me." You left it at that.

Law composed himself. Was it just your imagination or was he embarrassed you managed to catch him off guard. He cleared his throat and looked away from you. "Ridiculous, but fine," he said. "Is you're second just as stupid?"

You grinned. "Yeah," you said and carried on in the same breath without giving him time to interrupt. "You have to let me bring my cat!"

Law had no clue by agreeing to your conditions he was doomed to repeating himself on why Y/N got to wear whatever she wanted. Most of the time his answer included: "Because I said so" in true tired grump fashion.

A/N: welp, that's it. Hope you liked my first foray into writing "x reader." I guess stay tuned for more? Idk? I hope you have a good day <3

Part 2

[dreamcatcheratdawn]

Can you write something about Shanks x reader? Like, the reader was teleported by Kuma, now she's on Shanks's ship and he offered himself to train her. (Can be fluffy with a little bit of angst. And slightly of age gap)

I loved the idea✨. Shanks is one of my favorite OP characters (after Luffy, Kid and Zoro, of course). And I wrote this while marathoning One Piece (I'm still in the Punk Hazard arc 😭) one eye was on the caption and the other eye was on the writing.

"Let me help you"

Pairing: Shanks x gn!reader

Warning: slight angst, fluff most of the time.

W/C: 18.1k

You, as a resident of the Sabaody Archipelago since birth, are good friends with Rayleigh and Shakky. Ever since you were 7 years old, you would sneak out of your house to visit Shakky's Rip-off Bar just so you could listen to Rayleigh tell several of his adventure stories from when he was still a pirate while Shakky prepared his favorite juice. It was like a hobby, and you loved it.

You just didn't expect that on another calm, sunny day, a seriously injured fish-man, a mermaid, a talking starfish and a group of very strange pirates would show up at Shakky's bar.

At the bar, as you sipped a beer, you watched the scene unfold in front of you, seeing what looked like a pet bandaging the fish-man.

"A raccoon?" You said, tilting your head to the side. The animal in question looked furious and turned its head towards you. "I AM NOT A RACCOON, I AM A REINDEER!" the reindeer exclaimed, blowing smoke out of its nostrils. He went back to what he was doing, muttering quietly.

Rayleigh, smiling, came to his side, taking a seat in front of the counter.

"What happened while you were out?" You asked Rayleigh, as Shakky offered him a glass of beer.

"Oh, I was almost sold into slavery," Rayleigh said, as calmly as if this happened to him often. "EHHHH?" You were shocked, not that enslaving humans shocked you, as much as you found it disgusting, but who in the world could capture Silvers Rayleigh to be sold! That didn't fit at all.

"How did they catch you? And how did you escape?" You kind of already knew the answer, just the use of the King's Haki was enough for Rayleigh to get away.

"I had the help of that little guy over there" He pointed his chin at the boy with a straw hat on his head who ate like a pig, if not worse. Rayleigh was now talking to Shakky, while you brought the glass of beer to your lips, feeling the bitter taste of the cheap drink. "Ah, did you know that he faced a Tenryuubito?"

Immediately, you choked on that information, beer coming out of your nose.

"Ahhhh, a lady!" A blond man came up to you with hearts in his eyes, offering you a handkerchief. "How could I not see you there? With this beauty that blinds a man, forgive me miss, you don't deserve such disgrace." You ignored the chatter of the blond man with the strange eyebrows and walked over to the boy in the straw hat.

"EI" You caught his eye and that of the rest of the people present. "Are you crazy? Do you want to attract the attention of the navy by taking on a Tenryuubito?" You snorted next to the boy. You, in your thirties, had never heard such an appalling event.

Swallowing the piece of meat he was eating, the straw hat said, "I'm not crazy! And I only did it because that idiot shot Hachi, so of course I'm going to fight back!" He exclaimed, looking at you with a kind of determination. That shocked you to some extent. You sighed heavily "Still, who are you to stand up to a protégé of the World Government?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed once again, taking the large piece of meat into his mouth and swallowing.

"Ah, so you're that pirate with a 300 million berry bounty," you said, leaning against the counter. "But that won't solve anything, the navy will surely strike back."

"Actually, it's likely that they're already on their way here" Rayleigh said "Hey Shakky, I want some more beer" He said, indignant that his drink had run out.

You sighed once more, feeling the pangs of a headache when too many bad things were happening at once. After a while, the Straw Hat pirates left the bar, saying they were going to stay in the archipelago for another three days to throw off the Navy. The place was now silent, leaving only you, Shakky, Rayleigh, Hachi and his friends, whom you knew as Camie and Pappag. In your mind, the events of now were running wild.

A few hours later, Rayleigh stood up, heading for the door of the bar.

"Where are you going?" You asked, crossing your arms.

"I'm going to help Luffy" He left before you could say anything else. "Tch, what a stubborn old man" You exclaimed.

"Come on, he can take care of himself, you know that" Shakky said smiling as he cleaned the counter

Hours and hours passed and no news about Rayleigh or the Gang of Straw Hats.

You paced back and forth, anxiety running through your mind as you bit your nails. You stopped, looking at the door. Making up your mind, you headed for the exit, ignoring Shakky's protests for you to stay.

Running through the mangroves, you followed the sound of explosions, the smoke filling your lungs every time you got close. Arriving at your destination, you saw that the place was a zone, pirates everywhere, navy soldiers firing into the wind. Scanning around, you found Rayleigh fighting Kizaru, a navy admiral you knew only by face. Before you could get to Rayleigh, a familiar shout made you stop, turning in the direction of the sound. It was Luffy shouting, while his companions were fighting Kuma, one of the Navy's seven Shichibukais. When Kuma's hand touched one of Luffy's companions, one with orange hair, she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

On impulse, you went over to them, wondering if you could help them. You barely knew Luffy, but the short time you spent together was enough for you to judge him as a man of good intentions.

As you ran towards them, you saw that some of Luffy's companions were missing. You guessed that they had been defeated, probably by Kuma.

"Luffy!" you shouted, pulling him out of the way of Kuma's hands, but this only resulted in one thing: you tripping over something you didn't identify and falling to the ground. You turned to Kuma, pulling a gun from your waistband as you fired wildly at him, but it had no effect.

"A friend of Luffy from Straw Hat?" The Shichibukai said, staring at you for a few seconds before his giant hand touched you, the power of his Akuma no Mi taking effect, his body disappearing. You felt an enormous pressure in the room, causing you to faint immediately afterwards.

You felt trapped in something soft while you were lying down. It was as if you were lying on a pile of clouds. Opening your eyes slowly, small pains spread through your body. On closer inspection, you were flying in the sky, but you couldn't feel the breeze and, incredibly, you didn't feel short of breath because you were wrapped in a kind of bubble. Dramatically, the memories returned to your mind, making you feel pathetic.

"Damn, I couldn't do anything useful" you thought to yourself, mulling it over as the bubble carried you across the vast sky. You still had the gun in your hand, so you put it in your waistband, not that it was any use without bullets. You didn't know how many hours or days you had slept, but you wanted to know what your fate would be. Before you could think of anything else, the bubble protecting you landed, startling you. What if it fell into the open sea? You knew how to swim, but sea monsters could appear anywhere.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you fell into a ship, hitting your back on the wooden floor.

"Damn…" you cursed, then got up and opened your eyes, only to find a bunch of men around you. A pirate ship, your senses alerted you, making your hand go towards the gun you always carried, pointing it at several of the men.

"Boss, come and see this." A portly man with a piece of meat in his hand spoke up. As the men around you moved away, you could immediately feel an overwhelming presence. Turning in the direction of the presence, you could see a man with red hair and a scar on his face coming towards you. Immediately, you recognized the man. It was impossible not to recognize the pirate in question, given the fact that both his person and his deeds were notorious and circulated widely on people's lips. It was Shanks, The Redhead, a name that made many people shudder just to hear it.

Your body trembled, the gun in your hand wavering as you pointed it in the Redhead's direction, bitterly regretting your decision, but you were too proud to turn back.

"Well well, looks like we've got a scared kitten here," Shanks laughed, looking over at you. He crouched down very close to you, leaning his forehead against the barrel of the gun. "Aren't you going to shoot?" A faint smile appeared on the pirate's face as he stared into your soul.

"Don't play games with me," you said, with great difficulty, trying to sound strong, but coming out more like a cry for help.

Shanks stared at you for what seemed like an eternity, before bursting into laughter, his body tilting backwards, his men doing the same. You, not understanding anything, blushed intensely with embarrassment. "Ouch, scaredy-cat, how the hell did you get here out of nowhere, huh?" Shanks asked after wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

You, seeing no point in hiding the truth, (not as if you could, Shanks would get the truth out anyway) told him the truth. He understood, saying that he knew Luffy, then smiling, saying that the boy only got into trouble.

"Well, what if I taught you how to fight for real?" He came up with the idea out of the blue, while sipping sake sitting on one of the ship's barrels.

You looked at him, surprised by his proposal. You looked at the ground, remembering how pathetic you were to try to fight a Shichibukai when you didn't even know the basics of anything. You looked at Shanks again, determination shining in your eyes.

"Please teach me how to fight!"

Shanks smiled, setting the sake aside as he stood up. "Looks like the scared little kitten has guts. I like that about you."

You blushed slightly at his words, standing up too. "Well, I'll teach you everything I know."

Days and days went by as Shanks taught you the most varied fighting techniques. Months later, he saw that you were strong enough to learn how to use Weapons Haki and Observation Haki. A year and a half flew by and you didn't even notice. Along with fighting and teaching, you developed feelings for Shanks.

It started with the nicknames; kitten, shawty, cutie. Then there were touches here and there. As well as the time you spent together without fighting or learning the theory of anything. Just the moments Shanks spent recounting his adventures with a twinkle in his eye in the dead of night when most of the pirates were too drunk to sober up. And you listened to every word that came out of his mouth with admiration, secretly happy for the adventures he had been through. There were also the times when he and the crew tried your sweets, from the first day you started making them, with the excuse that it was payment for his teaching and temporary hospitality. But you couldn't deny to yourself that the reason was just to please him as much as possible, so that you could receive a pat on the head or a mess of hair, followed by compliments from the redhead.

Oh, and let's not forget the flirting. The damned flirting that he would give you with that mischievous little smile, to which you would respond back with rosy cheeks, not wanting to be left behind in any way, especially when it came to Shanks.

And on this night in question, it seems he was loaded with flirting to try and embarrass you while everyone drank and ate outdoors, partying for nothing.

"Hey Y/N." The sound of the redhead's sweet voice caught her attention, her head turning in the direction of the melody that called her name. Seeing him sitting next to Benn, sipping a sake, you smiled, putting your hands on your waist. "Yes, Shanks?" You answered the man, already preparing yourself for what was to come.

"If I happen to drown, do I get a mouth to mouth breath from you?" he asked, his damn winning smile opening the door for your heart to skip a beat.

Her legs turned to jelly for a moment, never getting used to the feeling of receiving the slightest bit of attention from Shanks.

"Well, try your luck and I'll be happy to do it," you replied, putting a false smile on your face, but you didn't know whether to throw yourself into the sea out of embarrassment or kiss Shanks in front of everyone.

Shanks, being the flirt he was - very professional, so to speak - didn't expect you to be able to respond to his flirting, or even better than that, which caused the man to have a total meltdown, leaving him speechless.

"HAHA, Y/N dismantled the boss" Lucky laughed out loud, his companions laughing next, bringing Shanks to attention, his cheeks slightly flushed. He hid his smile as he turned over the sake bottle.

After an hour or so, the crew of the Redhead Pirates were too drunk to even stand up. Some went to sleep in their rooms, others blacked out in whatever corner of the ship was considered "comfortable".

You were washing the dishes that the men had soiled during the party. Living with men wasn't easy, since Benn was one of the few who cared at all about the cleanliness of the ship. So you did the cleaning, since you couldn't stand living in the mess and dirt.

You started thinking about your home in Sabaody, missing Rayleigh's stories, Shakky's cheap booze, the cotton candy from the Archipelago that tasted special. You felt a pang in your chest from nostalgia. You were so absorbed in your thoughts that you didn't feel the presence of Shanks behind you, only sensing when his arms were wrapped around your waist, his chin resting on your shoulder. The man's sudden movement made your body shudder. "Shanks?" You looked at him, confused.

He looked at you, while smiling faintly. "Yes, kitten?" he purred softly, his nose sinking into your clothes, his eyes closing as he inhaled your perfume deeply.

In that situation, you felt stagnant, not knowing what to do. Your heart was pounding like crazy, your hair was standing on end, and the desire to kiss him right then and there was greater than anything in the world.

You swallowed dryly, dropping the dishes from your hands as you wiped your hands on the cloth on your other shoulder. "Are you even sober?" You asked, apprehensive of his answer.

Shanks opened his eyes, squinting at you for a few seconds, then immediately turned his body so that you were facing him. Shanks' muscular body pressed against yours, making you breathless. "Enough to answer for my actions." Shanks said, their faces very close together, Shanks' lips almost touching yours as his eyes roamed over your lips, without any shame in facing them.

You were losing your sanity and along with it, your patience. "Kiss," you said, drawing his attention instantly to your eyes. "If you have the courage, of course." You challenged, your breathing pausing for a moment to see what he was going to do.

"You asked for it," Shanks said before attacking your lips, and what began as a sloppy kiss, saliva spilling out, continued with a kiss of dominance from both of you, tongues and teeth clashing, making you both lose your breath, while his hands circled your waist, squeezing lightly from time to time, and you snaked your arms around his neck, stroking his soft hair. You separated so you could breathe.

That didn't stop Shanks from sprinkling wet kisses all over your face, which you gladly accepted, not letting any opportunity pass you by. "Be part of my crew" he said breathlessly "I like you. I like you a lot. I can't let you get away from me." The redhead's statement made your heart leap, longing for this moment since the day you realized you liked that man. "Please?" He asked, his pleading eyes looking at you while his face was a pure mess, and you were probably on the same level. It stirred you, a chill in your stomach settling in.

"Yeah," you didn't have to think long. God, it was Shanks over there, begging you like a puppy to stay by his side. "And I like you too." Both the statement and the quick acceptance surprised Shanks, making him blink a few times. "That easy? I thought women played hard to get at times like this." His arms encircled your body even more, bringing you closer to him.

"Well, I'm a straightforward woman. But I need you to stop by the Sabaody Archipelago. I need to know how Shakky and Rayleigh are doing after all that mess with the Navy," you said, your hands on Shanks' bare chest. Shanks' eyebrows rose. "You know Silvers Rayleigh?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes… he's like a father to me" You said, tilting your head to the side. "You've never said that to me," the redhead uttered, indignantly.

Instead of just replying with a simple "sorry", you decided to be mischievous. "Do I have to?" you said, a little smile playing across your face. Shanks sighed in shock, then smiled and pinched your nose. "You little brat, respect me, I'm older than you"

"It's only nine years apart," you smiled, joining in the fun as you enjoyed your evening, knowing that you had made the right choice from the start.

If you've made it this far, I take off my straw hat. Jokes aside, but I got too carried away writing this, sorry if it's too long. And I hope you enjoyed it, I really do.

[expectiations]

I can't believe it's been four months since we've been given the absolute gift that is the NineRiver audios. I remember weeping at 1 am over them and just melting at the way Nine became the most protective, most gentle, caring person after understanding River. Oh to be able to listen to Star-Crossed again for the first time!

On one note, I have seen people claim that for this particular regeneration, they're in a QPR. I object, but that's not what I started this post for.

Just like what is said in this post, the Doctor and River constantly fall in love with each other because River is River and the Doctor is the Doctor. They just click. It's evidenced by this specific pairing too. Sure, Nine may have been brash and rude to her at first but it changes once he processed the fact that apparently, he'd open up enough to marry someone in the future.

I may have said this before but one of the things I love about Archipelago is how it dispels any notion that the Doctor is forced to have sex with River. I have seen too often enough the (loudly incorrect) takes over that idea which irks me out because frankly, which version of Doctor Who did they watch? Cause it was clear af that the Doctor's very much into her and is always the one who instigates physical affection—cheek kisses, nose bump bops, see-you-next-adventure kisses, etc. Their marriage isn't built around sex. There is mutual trust and respect (and steamy, hot sparks) between these two. While some have chosen to gleefully point out that they're in a QPR, once again I respectfully disagree. If you insist, just scroll away.

I also love how he tries to understand, to *know* her. He reads her diary and tries to fathom the timey-wimey life they lead. He is basically acting the way any other regeneration of the Doctor would when they meet River, except this one is fresh out of the Time War and the wounds are still too raw and the loathing still too loud. Not that it got better by the time they met in the Library but relatively and all that.

Have I mentioned that I melt over how he's also *reaaally soft* with River? When River cries out of disappointment, he asks her what's wrong. She tries to 'hide the damage' but he shushes her and tells her to tell him what is wrong. When River tells him he should have left her in the time storm, he quietly tells her that that was never going to happen. And mind you, that was even *before* he read her diary.

For an endless moment, they had their happily ever after. They got to grow 'old' together. They got to exchange secrets no other version of the Doctor or River will *ever* know. And while there are conflicting interpretations of the part where River says 'they finally lay again together', I choose to believe they somehow found a way to have sex. Although I wouldn't be able to comprehend how considering they had crystals all over their bodies but unless I'm taking things literally, it's River and it's the Doctor and between the two of them, they're very much likely able to work it out lol

The penultimate part for me was right before they reset the timeline. When River told him that it's *the most romantic thing* he's ever done, that he's not just doing it for the timelines but he's doing it for them. He's giving up everything they had for everything they will have. And he responds that if it works, he'll have a lifetime to prove otherwise.

Oh and did I mention that I started sobbing uncontrollably AT ONE AM IN THE MORNING when I realized that their time together has left an indelible imprint in the universe??

Literally peak soulmate-ism.

[evilwriter37]

I need more feral Hiccup. Where he has an older brother to take over as Chief of Berk instead so Hiccup can go in all his adventures with Toothless. Maybe being known as "Stoick the Vasts' strange son." He is almost never seen around the village, and when he is, its usually just to work on more crazy inventions or an important family related thing. But even then, he is fidgety because he's not moving around near constantly. He can hang from trees, or anything he can grip onto. He lost his foot in the same way, and brought piece between Berk and the dragons. But he's still hard to control. Once he gets to about 18-19 he is finally allowed to leave the archipelago. He only followed the rule of no leaving the archipelago until a certain age. Once he leaves he finds the ship grave yard and the reaper. He explores it and finds the dragon eye. Keeping it, then making himself a target too Viggo Grimborn. They meet one night while Hiccup is just hanging out in the trees on Viggo's island. Viggo had been on a walk trying to calm down because Ryker is stupid and can't find "The dragon riding pest" who has something that belongs to them, and messes up their plans of capturing, killing and selling dragons. Hiccup was just fidgeting with something on his suit that had come loose, hanging upsidedown from a branch, back facing Viggo, who is rightfully confused. Why was this person hanging upsidedown on a tree branch for starters. And why was he on his island? Who is he?

Viggo realizes who he is once a night fury comes into view, said dragon having noticed Viggo just staring. Hiccup finishes what he was fixing and bends backwards (You know, cause hes flexible, Viggo is a little frightened by the position) to see who was behind him. He knew someone was there, he was just busy fixing something on his suit.

"So, you're the one who has been messing with my hunters." Viggo would start the conversation with. Hiccup would end up just leaving because he didn't (he did) have time for a conversation. They would keep running into each other until Viggo finally gets to see him without a mask covering his face. Viggo is taken back by how green Hiccups eyes are. And the freckles that are all over the boys face.

Obviously, Viggo isn't able to keep the feral dragon boy for long, Hiccup slips away and isn't seen for a couple weeks. In that time, Dagur joins the hunters, claiming to know Hiccup. The next time Hiccup is, somehow, captured, both Viggo and Dagur are there. He looks Dagur up and down and just says:

"Did you get uglier?" Viggo almost instantly falls in love with the way his voice sounds. He begins to become a bit, "a bit", obsessed with Hiccup. (We can go ahead and throw in some whump with this.) He then later learns that he can't keep Hiccup grounded if he wishes to get his love. Slowly, Viggo gets to know Hiccup and slowly stops hunting, killing and selling dragons. More interested in Hiccup. Obviously others are pissed about this, but Viggo doesn't care. Hiccup and Viggo start a romantic relationship over some time, Hiccup being allowed to go on his adventures when ever he wants. Not being grounded and refused the chance to be free, because thats not what Viggo wants. Hiccup always returns covered in mud, leaves, twigs in his hair, and cuts and scrapes. Viggo always help a with those, gives him the whole "You should be more careful out there" talk while doing so.

Oh, that reminds me of this post! I think when you sent this we as a fandom were discussing how Hiccup is more of an adventurer than a chief? This definitely plays into that! Him having an older brother would be super interesting. Wondering how that dynamic would work, and what would happen when others find out about Viggo.

Love their first “meeting”, by the way. Just… Hiccup hanging upside down from a tree and leaving once he’s spotted. Love how Viggo instantly clocks him as the one who’s been upending his operations.

It could be fun if something really bad happened to Hiccup on one of his adventures and Viggo has to go rescue him. The torment of worrying about him, of hoping he gets to him in time, of just not knowing.

Juicy ideas, my friend. Very juicy.

[lokh]

#maybe laios has to have his own awakening <-- I'd be very much interested in hearing what that might look like to you 👀 Shuro pining and stressing over it is the easiest thing to imagine, but I struggle a bit with imagining what Laios' perspective on romance is and his romantic interest in general

OK SO....... realistically i think his view on romance in canon is probably closer to how even though we know his passion is monsters we KNOW he wants to eat monsters So Fucking bad...... his favorite food is still cheesecake. yknow?????? but it's not his Passion.... he mentions having a fiance (somewhat as a point of pride iirc?) but having to break it off when he left his hometown. if he Does experience romantic/sexual attraction then it's kind of secondary to everything else going on with him (see also the succubus thing)... ive always kind of assumed that for him, at the very least before ditching town, that getting married was just a thing you did (were supposed to do) and while he wasn't opposed to it, maybe even interested in it, clearly he doesn't seem to care enough to seek it out afterwards. AS an aroace person i want to believe he's on the aroace spectrum adfvccvvbhb..... aro spec non ace laios is interesting too though.....

BASICALLY it's not a huge concern of his BUT. the question of marriage and succession WILL come up post canon. unfortunately he might not be able to take such a lackadaisical attitude about Who he gets with now that he's such a big deal.... but then again, he's got that rebellious streak and seems pretty good at making situations work in his favor. like who's Really gonna be able to stop him if he decides he wants to marry some guy from the eastern archipelago......

I think he might need an awakening in the sense that taking the view that he's kind of assumed that marriage is just a thing that'll happen to him at some point, he's probably never considered getting with a guy. it's just never crossed his mind. but we know he's open minded and willing to take on-board new ideas...... its less a huge awakening than an Oh! i see i get it moment wjnshdhxbx. actually i can imagine the idea being floated to him and he kinda goes hmmmmmm i don't really get it (for me) but ok i guess. then someone going (perhaps out of pity for an already pining shuro) ok but now imagine you and shuro being that close and him going AH! now I get it.

we know that laios cares deeply about the people close to him but it's hard for us to imagine him romantically and that's probably true for the people around him also tbh. i think no matter how you spin it (that he's aroace but decides to have a relationship anyway, or that he does experience any attraction) that perception will always hold and there might be the concern of does he Really get it though irt a relationship (in this case laishuro). I also think that if he does decide on a relationship with someone he cares about that he WILL care deeply he just might not show it in like. any overtly romantic way...

i will say that part of that perception of him being incapable of romance and sexual attraction, im concerned is because of him also being well. pretty autistic lmao. which is obviously not fair. but romance has never been a huge focal point in dungeon meshi much the same way it isn't really for laios, but it's still there nonetheless....

it's possible also that he has a bigger interest in romance and sex than is apparent but because of how Social it is that he simply won't pursue it. he's aware of his lack of social ability and is pretty insular with his social group (iirc this is kabrus perception of him?) so I dont think it's unreasonable to believe he might have decided it wasn't worth the effort to seek it out. but with someone who's Already a friend and you've already made all the possible social gaffes with and they haven't left despite that..........

[fictional-at-heart]

Last Line Tag

SOMEONE, we won’t mention any names because Abby would be embarrassed, forgot to tag me, so I’m doing it MYSELF🤭

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you like).

I have quite a few, so buckle up!!

Untitled Hiccup whump one shot:

“If you don’t improve by tomorrow night, I’m getting Mala,” she said decidedly, hoping he wouldn’t argue. He weakly nodded his head. Whether he was falling asleep or his feverish brain didn’t quite comprehend what she said, she wasn’t sure. But at least he wasn’t disagreeing with her this time.

Journey to the Archipelago:

“Probably been eaten by a dragon,” Eugene muttered goodnaturedly. Piglard stifled a laugh, giving his brother a look that said yeah, probably. Hiccup smiled, then walked back to Astrid, putting his arm on her shoulders. 

Untitled Reid one shot that’s- you guessed it!- WHUMP:

JJ nodded, taking her phone out and walking to the opposite end of the waiting room.

An untitled HTTYD/Musketeers AU:

“Oh, also we told Tuff to charge you for it,” Snotlout called out as they exited the tavern.

“I have GOT to be better about my word choicing,” Damien muttered, sitting back down.

Justice Served:

“Such praise,” d’Artagnan replied. Despite not being able to see him, Francis could tell he was rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I better go before Rochefort sends someone to kick my door down. See you later.”

Aaaand an untitled TJ and Olive one shot:

“Well, good,” she said, shifting her attention back to the magazine. “Because that’s what you’re getting.”

I don’t know who to tag, so writers?? Have at it!!🩷

[weirdmageddon]

ur davejade posting has me Remembering and goddddd. theyre so good. thank u

i want to make a davejade analysis masterpost but the funniest thing with these asks is that theyre the ones that really prompt me to put my thoughts together in some direction and i ALWAYS find a new implication or connection to talk about. like while i’m writing the connections will just make themselves known. if i made a masterpost i’d have to update it every time i think of something new which defeats the purpose of a masterpost because it’d never be finished. so i just like to spitball into separate posts and just shove them in my davejade tag. i was NOT expecting to get back into homestuck with davejade at the forefront but i can see things now i didnt then

im gonna go off again because it’s so obvious to me on this jumpy scrambled “reread” that dave has a fat fucking heart-on / affection erection for jade. hes tryin soo hard to be cool but hes like this with jade actually behind the screen and she knows it

words and deeds of a court jester dude who totally has a crush on his childhood internet friend and doesnt acknowledge it (btw this is woefully incomplete for the sake of brevity but i could elaborate in another post. i actually have a draft (edit: posted) with a shit ton of more analysis stuff in it on why he acts differently with her than other characters):

the next day (chronologically) when jade messages him:

hussie commentary: “Dave's one-pixel-smile there means that there are literally more than ten thousand drawings on the internet of Dave and Jade kissing. That pixel literally made that happen.”

i mean … it sure is easy to assume how he feels about jade based on the way he talks to her and when his sprite only ever smiles one other time in the entire fucking comic and the reality of that other one was arguable since it was during [S] Karkat: Mental breakdown and its likely karkat was hallucinating it based on the content and context of the flash

nah this one was real. and it was from the first conversation we saw between dave and jade in the comic and thus set the standard for their dynamic. and remember old school 2009 dave was kind of a menace so it says a lot

this girl was special enough to him to warrant that pixel

jade calling dave a “huge baby” for him getting nervous about a piss while she’s his server player. he makes such a big deal about it while shes like oh my god just go:

and the absurdity of the situation being one of his favorite memories

i know pesterquest isn’t “canon” canon but it passes my character essence check and still contributes something of substance to my argument. like i can say this is not at all out of place if these characters were plopped into these scenarios. remember this takes place on the same day as the above, 4/13/2009. theyre the same age as above and have the same relationship as they did above, just in a different scenario that wasn’t possible in canon wherein they didn’t play sburb

Jade wanders away from that window and toward another one, whose view is exclusively centered on the rolling blue. She presses a hand against the misty pane and sighs. JADE: you know, dave talks a lot about coming to visit me here. i mean, all of my friends do but dave especially JADE: in his usual davey way of course, which means making lots of jokes and not sounding very serious about it JADE: "yeah im itching to put on my safari hat and come traipsing down to doomdeath archipelago to get my ass murdered by infinidog the eldritch retriever," stuff like that JADE: i know he really means it though! he wants to see me, just like i want to see him JADE: but its just wishful thinking

anyway daves reaction to seeing his isolated online friend for the first time irl cry because she has guests. its even better with the character sprites

JADE: we can play with all my toys and jam out to some music and stay up all night chatting with each other and oh my god oh my god youre here youre all here this is really happening!!!!! Jade's next laugh verges on hysterical and she's got tears streaked down her cheeks. Dave looks a little perturbed. DAVE: wow holy shit uh DAVE: its cool jade no need to get so DAVE: like this DAVE: kind of fucks me up seeing you cry DAVE: not that im trying to make this all about me DAVE: i mean uh

and so after mspa reader’s intervention, who do we see with jade the next time we see her?

dave. and hes goofing with her squiddles while grinning

DAVE: okay so lets see what we got here Jade's room is bright and cheery, fresh flowers in the hanging pots, curtains pulled open wide to let in the afternoon sunlight. Jade sits on her bed while Dave paces in front of a line of squiddle toys, carefully assembled in neat ranks. DAVE: this blue one is clearly in charge look at his dominant posture DAVE: also hes the only motherfucker not tentacle deep in his homie DAVE: hes an untangled buddy that is some shit really cuts to the core of like DAVE: DAVE: emotions JADE: its actually because the magnets in him are messed up, and always have been!! DAVE: harley you are ruining the magic come on

basically what im putting together is that dave was REALLY fixin to spend some time with jade. extending into her sphere of interests that he doesnt express much with anyone else; you can tell he really wanted to engage with her in a less irony poisoned way. he’s softer with her than his other friends and god forbid the trolls, he is much less skeptical about things when talking to her (he even questions why he just seems to go along with her eccentric precognitive statements but he doesnt change his attitude about it), he showers her with his music and raps to the point where jade is expectant of getting poetry from him. rap IS poetry. please realize that dave is sending her his poetry, regardless of how goofy it may be. this is the level on which im viewing this at and once you realize this theres no going back. there comes a time in every homestuck’s life where they have to see how dave interacted jade and conclude that he had a cute little puppy crush on her unbeknownst to either of them. and it was adorable. and now, in the year 2023, it’s your time to realize this too. no going back.

and btw it all came back around…………………nimblest son of a bitch who had the gumption to glue a nasty pair of latex cat lips to his face

for a reason that wasnt a joke anymore

don’t think ive seen anyone talk about this parallel at the end to one of their first conversations in the comic. maybe somebody did back in the day but i never saw it

[fictionalnormalcy]

So, I'd very much like people's headcanons of this. Because I can never quite come to a solid solution.

But I'm still on about this: did other people in the Archipelago or at least those we meet in the HTTYD-verse know what a Night Fury looked like?

There's so little canon-proof. All we pretty much hear is the same. It's a Night Fury, thought they were all gone. Then there was HTTYD 1 with "No one's ever seen one and lived to tell the tale." So that provides us a Berk perspective. But for the Archipelago and the Great Beyond, we don't know how well someone else knew a Night Fury.

And with what we saw from Hiccup and Toothless' interaction, the Night Fury is practically invisible in the darkness of a night sky. The black-scaled species is of the fastest flyers. You can't take a Night Fury by surprise, they know you're there before you're revealed.

The movies, provided us a tell-tale sign of a Night Fury. When Toothless saves Hiccup in the arena, Gobber cries NIGHT FURY. Because of the shriek his wings make in a stark descent. HTTYD 2 also had the same when they swooped in to rescue Stormfly. Eret recognized the shriek, which alerted him to the arrival of a Night Fury, yet not as much evidence as to him ever having seen one before.

Dagur however, knew a Night Fury from the moment Toothless swooped into the arena. Viggo, at the very least knew that Toothless was of a rare species. And the closest we get is Grimmel, saying he saw one, and killed it where it slept. Then entered his life-long goal of hunting every single one down. (Which admittedly is still fragile to me)

I guess where I wish there was more, is someone else describing, oh I had never seen one before, or just one from a distance, or even something where it was a Night Fury that caused a traumatizing event.

[i-eat-candles]

What's the twin bigwings' backstory?

OH BOY AN ASK ABOUT MY CHARACTERS??? I feel so honored

To answer this question I feel like I’m gonna have to explain a bit of the lore and world building of my au so bear with me for a sec if you would.

Also there will be some mentions of death so just a warning for that

Also this is kinda long

The twins were born on the island of Hollyhock, which is one of the so called “pure islands” of the archipelago. A pure island just means that it’s an island inhabited by mainly one tribe that keeps to the old traditions of said tribe, and Hollyhock is the “pure island” of the mudwings. They hatched with a rather small group of siblings, having only two younger siblings, Lilypad (or just Lily) and Bullhead. They knew who there parents were, but they all tended to keep to their own groups.

When they turned 7 they all moved to the island of Arca, known as the island of knowledge and trade. Many dragons travel to Arca because of its amount of schools and academy’s where you could be taught and learn about essentially anything, and you could also find, buy, and trade anything and everything here with the amount of merchants and traders that set up shop. It is also the island where they hold Kairos, a day that celebrates the day that the archipelago was discovered. The siblings loved this celebration and would go every year until the incident.

After a few months of living on the Arca, Lily had decided to split from the group, as she wanted to go out and explore other places and meet new dragons and not be stuck with the same dragons for the rest of her life. She did agree to meet up with them every Kairos though, just to catch up with them.

On their 4th year of living on Arca, when the sibs were all 11, Bullhead died in an incident. It was on the day of Kairos, when Bullhead and Cygnus were getting some nice brother bonding time and a huge bomb suddenly went off where they were. Bullhead had died in the explosion, and Cygnus now blames himself for not being able to save his little brother. They did not attend Kairos again after that.

From that point on Cyperus had started training how to fight to try and protect Cygnus, but she was usually gone for so long that Cygnus never really got the emotional support from his sister that he really needed. Cygnus had also started to study medicine and how to help others so that he could prevent anyone else from experiencing what he had. Cyperus also now treated her brother as more of a little sibling rather than her twin, and tried to take on more of a big wings role.

They lived on Arca for about 2 more years until they joined Fools Gold and became the crews boatswain and medic.

Wow this took really long

If you have anymore questions about my ocs or actually questions FOR my ocs that would also be awesome!!

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: neteyam x metkayina gn reader

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Even as a member of a clan of Ocean folk, on an island within a huge archipelago, you have found a special place in the forest. You decide Neteyam is worthy enough to know about it.

ᴀɴᴏɴ: i'd like to request a neteyam x reader where reader shows him some secret spot beautiful part of the ocean or the reef or the jungle and he's mesmerized and they have a soft moment <3

ʀᴇ𝐐: yes ~ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1592

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: swearing

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: this is cute

☾⋆☆⋆☽

"Nete."

"Hm?"

When Neteyam turns, he finds your smile first. Then, he takes the rest of you in. You've got your hands behind your back and you're bouncing on the balls of your feet. It's cute, but... he raises a browbone, "What is it?"

"I've got something to show you." You declare excitedly.

"Something?"

"Well, a place."

"Hm," He thinks about it, "that sound suspicious."

"Trust me." You swing your hands forward, crossing them before swishing them away from each other, "It's something good. I'm not up to anything bad."

He's still not convinced. "Right."

"Come onnn!" You whine, bouncing more furiously on your feet. "It's really great, I promise."

"Okay." He replies, which brightens your grin that much more. "Let's go."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

He expected something within the sea, not within the jungle. Though he had been curious ever since he'd step foot on Awa'atlu, his father stated that it was important to focus on the sea and its way. He didn't mention the idea of the jungle at all, but he knew that his children had taken notice of it. It was implied in his speech that they mustn't explore the Jungle.

But something else implied was a not yet.

"You know, I don't think we're allowed here."

Neteyam followed close behind you. Though he was used to forests and jungles, he wasn't used to this one. It was beautiful still, and most importantly, different from the Hallelujah Mountains and the jungles below. Plus, a lot more humid.

"You'd be right about that." You chuckled. "But hey, what's the fun if you don't break any rules?"

Neteyam purses his lips and slows down, something you take notice of. You turn back to him, inquisitive look on your face. "Nete? Something wrong?"

Breaking the rules. It was getting close to curfew, his father had (though implied) prohibited him from entering the jungle, and who knows what the Metkayina thought about this place.

But what was the harm in it? He was just exploring. The shame builds in his shoulders, but he shakes if off. You were going to show him something. He'll be damned if he doesn't at least indulge you. "Nothing."

Your lips grow into a smile, and with the wave of your hand you beckon him forward.

There's a pond ahead, cutting through the trees. It doesn't have much of a shore at all, only small rocks about the size of Na'vi feet in order to cross.

You jump across the rocks quick and nimble, as if you'd done it a thousand times before. He doesn't doubt that you have. He follows along behind you, though the pond catches his eyes. It was extremely bioluminescent, glowing light purple at the edges and baby blue around the center. Water plants grew anywhere and everywhere, as reeds around the rim and big leafy pads with flowers around the middle. They added a nice green to compliment the other colors.

Distracted by the pond, Neteyam almost slips. Almost.

Before he can even dip so much as a toe in the water, you grab a hold of his wrist and successfully stop him from falling in. "Careful. This pond is poisonous."

"What?!" Neteyam exclaims, quick to move his foot onto the rock pathway.

"Looks harmless, right?" You chuckle at his reaction, turning forward again. "Don't fall in. I don't want your blood on my hands."

He huffs, "You underestimate me."

"Oh?" You begin, your tone condescending. "Says the one who almost fell in."

He hisses playfully.

Once you cross to the other side safely, you turn around. Neteyam's gaze follows you curiously.

He doesn't have the time, nor the reflexes fast enough to stop you as you dip your toe in the water. "What the fuck, (y/n)?" He shouts, "You just told me–"

"Ta-da!" You bring your foot out of the water and demonstrate it with pride. "I'm poisoned!"

Neteyam knew poison when he saw it (probably) and he knew this was not poison. Instead, your toe was covered with a mysterious dark green plant he couldn't name. "(y/n)..." He groans.

"Not poisonous, clearly." You snicker, bringing your foot in the air and flicking the plant off your toe. "Just mucky."

He rolls his eyes.

The glow of the surface did well to hide the mucky web of plants below. If he had fallen in, it'd be like getting mud all over him, and then you'd have to take a detour to the lake. That required time you didn't have.

"Let's just keep going."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

You had picked up light conversation as you headed to your promised place. He didn't know much about it, though he asked you plenty. You wanted to keep it a surprise. Him being in the dark meant he didn't know where it was, or where it began; but when he steps into the clearing, he knows this is the place.

He takes slow, cautious steps. His head turns this way and that way every time something new catches his eye and something new happens every second.

It is so beautiful.

Two more steps forward, and he stops entirely. It's just his head, his eyes, and they move constantly. He takes it all in.

It is amazing.

It is a menagerie of bioluminescence, natural glows, every color he could even name, all clashing yet all mixing wonderfully. When you take him by the hand to a log so that you may sit down, he hardly registers the movement.

Ahead of the log, ahead of you, is a small waterfall. The heart of the island held a set of multiple waterfalls, all leading into lakes, all leading into other waterfalls, until they reached the lake at the very bottom.

This place, this clearing, had its own waterfall. The heart of the island wouldn't be a very ideal place to hang out. The waterfalls were so very loud, and there were so very many of them.

Here, however, it is just far enough and just small enough that Neteyam can hear everything.

And everything mesmerizes him.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it."

You smile at that. It was a sight you had grown used to, yet a sight you loved. It was beautiful, the way each glow of a differing color shined on his face. It was beautiful, how his big eyes were blown even wider as he strived to see everything. It was beautiful, the smile trained on his lips.

"See, I don't know anything about the Omatikaya." He doesn't look at you, too entranced with everything else, but you can tell by the perk of his ear that he's listening. "And I'd like to learn about them, about you. But I do know... I do know that they–you lived in a forest. And I thought, well, maybe you would enjoy this."

"Enjoy is..." He lets out a breath that turns into a laugh, "an understatement."

"Yeah." You say, grin growing as wide as his. "I can see that now."

"The ocean is beautiful. The wildlife there, is wide and diverse. I don't see animals here, not often. I only see small things that run when they see me too. I see bugs that, in a second, escape my sight. The big things, the predators that the Olo'eyktan warns us about, I never see.

"We Metkayina, and possibly every animal around us, have adapted to the ocean. The sea, the water, the fish, the Tulkun, we have in abundance.

"So we often forget this is here."

"The plants are here." Neteyam points out the obvious, because it is what is at the forefront of his mind. He doesn't notice how dumb it may be.

"Yes," You chuckle, "the plants remembered. The plants, these ones, they stayed here. And they looked at this place, this little waterfall, and decided this is where they wanted to thrive."

"It's a beautiful place." He remarks.

A silence... then, "Maybe not as beautiful as you."

Neteyam turns to you, finally, for the first time he set foot here. Shock is written all over his face, but the compliment doesn't draw his features into a sour picture. "What?"

"Sorry, I–Well, I thought, you know..." You sputter for an excuse, but then realize you don't need one because fuck it. "Okay, you know what? You're beautiful."

"I–You, uh, th–um..." He, too, sputters for something to say. Anything at all. He only finds three words, only three little words that were suitable enough. "I see you."

Your brow bones raise, along with everything else on your face, with surprise. "In the midst of all of this?"

"Yes." He nods his head, scooting closer to you. Your knees touch. "I see you. Because this place is everything to me, a piece of my home in the Metkayina jungle, but you're the one who showed it to me, and you're the one I truly care about."

"A couple seconds ago," You begin, your exhale coming out a shocked laugh, "you wouldn't even look at me."

"(y/n)." His voice gives off the tiniest whine when you point it out.

"Okay, sorry." You shake your head with closed eyes. When you open them back up, his eyes are still trained on you, fully attentive. They're big and round and golden, unlike your blue ones, and they look perfect. "I see you."

In the midst of it all, where everything glowed, where everything was beautiful, where everything was colorful, where everything called for your attention, you saw each other.

He saw you, and you could only see him.

[high-fantasy-sw]

Also!

When the clones go out to war on land, does their cavalry have any particular animal upon which they ride, or is it still mostly machinery?

What do the Kaminoans look like? The Weequayans? The Rodians? The Twi'leks? I take it they're all turned into humans, so -

Oh! Are those life-forms that can survive underwater like Kit Fisto now mer-creatures or selkie-like creatures? What of Plo Koon requiring a special mask - does that change as well?

And our beloved droids? Are they inanimate objects given life via magic or manufactured as normal?

Echo! How does he survive?

And the inhibitor chips - how are they translated here? Are they - gasp - are the rings-

The part-human beings like Pantorans and Mirialans, are they the same?

Okay, I think that's all for now, and I seem to have given you enough to handle, so until the next nagging doubt!

I RETURN. LORE PART 2 BE UPON YE

@whyoneartheven @majorproblems77 @anime-obsessed I am tagging you here too because I know you'll want to see this too. By the way I've been working on answering this for like. The past three weeks so I hope you all enjoy :D

Mounted Cavalry

Horses do actually exist here. Like you correctly guessed (somewhere, I think it's in the next ask I'm due to answer), the AU has a healthy mix of established Star Wars lore, other mythos sprinkled in, and real-world additions; horses happen to be one of those. However, in very sandy, snowy, or otherwise difficult terrain, other creatures (tauntauns, banthas, varactyls, et cetera) are used; these are mostly the same as their canon counterparts, just with a bit of a fantasy flourish to help them fit in better with the rest of the AU. There are also, in addition to sea-worthy warships, smaller, more agile vessels that can be transported into inland bodies of water for combat (especially on watery islands such as Naboo, which has a network of canals rather than streets, like Venice) and semi-mechanized transportation like chariots and carriages. (These examples are less military than the others but I felt the need to add them anyway, for the sake of completeness.)

Kaminoans

I'm going to be super honest here. The Kaminoans are one of the few peoples I barely changed. They seemed delightfully odd as they are, so most of the changes there are to their history. They have always been renowned for their advanced knowledge of alchemy, but for many centuries they were thought little more than a myth; legend has it that, in the infancy of the Old Republic, they dared to use their great knowledge to attempt to create life, and for their hubris their entire island was sunken into the sea. What is not known by the vast majority of the peoples of the Galactic Archipelago is that these legends are actually true, and rather than dying out, the Kaminoans began a new and hidden life under the waves (having used enchantments to place a protective barrier around what remains of their island and thus allow them to survive)- a life in which they perfected their craft, and passed this forbidden knowledge down through the generations, until they were discovered and called upon to create the Clone Army. (This is only marginally related, but one essential thing to learn about the world of HFSW is the difference between alchemy and magic proper; I am still working on fully explaining it, especially as it relates to the Clones, but the post you need to read can be found here.)

Alien Cultures (i lumped them all into one answer)

Weequayans: Weequayans are, yes, a human culture. This is what I did for the vast majority of near-human races, which has been amazing because I love cultural worldbuilding. I need to do a bit more deep-digging on them first but I am very excited to get into their culture and write about it :D

Rodians: I am going to be completely honest with you. I have not been able to figure out what to do with Rodians yet. And I assure you, I have been thinking about it. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Twi'leks: Twi'leks are a human culture, and what's distinguishing about them is their lekku headwraps. I haven't had the chance to go into it yet fully (and eventually I'm going to have an entire post dedicated to this), but essentially these are extraordinarily long strips of fabric, intricately hand-detailed, and tied about the head to give the appearance of the canonical lekku. They are often fastened with ornate pins or headbands or the like, and underneath, the hair is done up in elaborate braids.

Aquatic Races: So funny story, actually, this was one of the first questions I actually got an ask about. In short, you are correct; they're all merfolk of some kind, although the specific species do actually have variations (I'll link you to this post here for a more comprehensive overview; it contains some other worldbuilding things, the droid part of which is no longer canon to the AU. everything else is though). The Selkie idea though is NOT something I'd ever considered and I don't know WHY because it's super cool and I'm stealing it. Specifically for Nautolans, since we see Kit walking around and stuff in the Temple. I just haven't… decided what that item or thing would be yet though.

Kel Dor: Plo does still wear his helmet, but it's more of a cultural honor thing than a "he literally needs it to live" situation. Kel Dor helmets are passed down through the generations and serve as a tie to the past. (I haven't… written in detail about Kel Dor yet but trust me when I do I will be tagging you in that post. Actually I'm tagging you in all future posts. There is no escape muahahaha)

Near-Human Races: Yes, Mirialans and Pantorans and other near-human races are pretty much the same, obviously with new cultural traditions and stuff to make sense of their uniqueness. For example, Pantorans wear elaborate blue-and-gold body paint as a mark of status (because. they're blue), and it all has to be done by hand to actually count. Again, I haven't done a ton of exploring this yet, but again, I promise I'm getting to it and you are getting tagged.

Droids

OHOHOHOHO DROIDS. Okay so. We're gonna start at the beginning.

Most protocol droids are actually just regular people who have joined an elite corps of butlery (literally there's like. an academy they go to on some islet just off of coruscant), usually the children of less-fortunate families who want to try getting ahead in the world. They wear an elaborate and entirely ornamental suit of armor to denote their station, and any noble worth their wig has at least one protocol butler.

Threepio is slightly different from other Protocol droids. Hundreds of years before Anakin Skywalker was born, a Republic knight named Sir Anthony Threepio was stationed on the island of Tatooine with his platoon to deal with a band of pirates that had been terrorizing the surrounding waters. In a stroke of misfortune, he was killed- not by the pirates themselves, but in a freak accident- and became a ghost, obsessed with the fact that his death was preventable and completely neurotic as a result. Centuries later, he meets and befriends young Anakin down at the Mos Espa docks, and Anakin starts collecting armor out of the dumpster to give him a physical way to interact with the world again. In gratitude, Threepio settles down with the Skywalkers and attempts to assist them with their household, something they can't often attend to due to them being slaves.

Astromechs are subterranean creatures, master craftsmen, shipbuilders, and navigators, who are not well-adapted to sunlight and thus build themselves little self-contained cells so that they can travel to the surface and ply their trades safely. (It seems a bit contrived but you know what. I made it up.) They communicate through a series of tweets and bird-like vocalizations, though they understand Basic perfectly.

Battle Droids are necromanced skeletons. How the Trade Federation first got their hands on the undead during the Naboo Crisis is a question no one really knows the answer to, but by the time the Clone Wars break out the majority of Necromancy is being done by Count Dooku (secretly- to the public at least; the Jedi and at least Padme know all about it), General Grievous (the outward face of the undead army, and himself an undead lich warlord), and the Necro Union (the in-world equivalent of the Techno Union, they claim to the public that Necromancy isn't inherently evil and that the undead can have many benefits for society; in reality, they're more interested in supplying Dooku and Grievous with enough skeletal soldiers to keep their pockets comfortably lined, whether or not their means of obtaining said soldiers are ethical). In the beginning, most of the Clankers are reanimated from very very old skeletons- this is preferable, at least from the commanding standpoint, because they're so old that they have no recollection of who they were in life, and thus make perfect, mindless soldiers. However, their age also makes them more brittle, and in the early days of the war it's very easy for the Jedi and the Clone soldiers to plow through battalion after battalion of skeletons in a few hours. But as the war drags on, and the old skeletons are depleted, rumors begin to circulate that the Separatists are using fresher dead to stock their new armies. There are even whispers that some of the new soldiers might even be sourced from the corpses of fallen Clones. Whether or not this information is true or just baseless fearmongering is never fully revealed. However, this is a perfect segue into our next topic:

Echo, Post-Citadel

Echo shouldn't have survived the Citadel explosion. In fact, the Necro Union agents who found his body thought he hadn't. It wasn't until halfway though the ritual that they realized he was still alive. Their shock quickly turned to delight, however, when they realized they now had an unlimited source of Republic military strategy at their fingertips. Now, Echo's only half-necromanced. He's still alive, really; the only parts that had to be reanimated were his right arm, his lower legs, and his spine. And, in order that the Separatists could actually use the information he possessed, that arm of his? Is specially enchanted to give him access to necrotic abilities. After he's rescued… he has a lot of feelings about this. It's not just that something was taken from him, it's that he was turned into the very thing he'd spent literally his whole life training to fight. At least, in his mind. And the fact that he still sometimes has to use his necrotic powers to help his brothers (specifically thinking of Anaxes and various times in TBB here) REALLY twists his insides. Someday I'll write something more about this.

Oh, one more thing.

The Inhibitor Chips

evil_palpatine_cackle.mp3

[margindoodles2407]

heyyy margin I was wondering

for the sw high fantasy au, how are you planning to make the story go down? Will it be pretty similar to the movies, or will you be making any changes? Also, are you gonna be doing anything with all the crazy creatures found on every planet connect? Like, some of them are dragons and so on? Or there being different families all the creatures fit into? and finally, are you gonna include any ships that aren’t canon?

Ok that’s it XD

HI EVIE THANKS FOR CHECKING IN ON ME!!!

Okay SO. Let me answer these one at a time :D

(this is over a thousand words so it's going to be below the cut)

In terms of story, everything from the Prequels through the Original Trilogy is going to be pretty much the same. What I can tell you is that although I haven’t actually put that much thought into the Sequels yet, they are going to be markedly different from the current Disney canon in that they will combine elements from both the Disney canon and Legends, including Mara Jade and the other Organa-Solo kids (Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin as well as Ben) because they live rent-free in my mind. 

However, a few things in the Prequels especially are going to be markedly different because the way they are executed in canon doesn’t fit into a High Fantasy world, and I’ll put these as bulletpoints:

Kamino is going to be introduced very differently. While Dooku destroying all evidence of its existence works in canon, because it’s in the outer rim and canon Star Wars is a digital, data-based world, in a fantasy setting it would be extremely difficult to cover up all the evidence of an entire island- especially in regards to its references (or lack thereof) in the Jedi Archives, because these would obviously now be a paper-and-pen, books and scrolls and tapestries library, instead of a digital archive where data can just be erased. (Though, the mental image of Dooku checking out all the books on Kamino and then burning them is very funny to me. Especially if Jocasta Nu walked in on him. “Master Dooku… what are you doing?” “Oh, nothing, dear Jocasta.” *book makes a FWOOSH sound as it goes up in flames*) Instead, in the AU Kamino is an Atlantis-esque legend to the people of the Galactic Archipelago: in the days of the Old Republic, it was sunk in divine retribution for the unnatural genetic alchemy practiced by the Kaminoans. After leaving the Jedi, Dooku discovers that Kamino is, in fact, real, and that the Kaminoans preserved their ancient fortress undersea by way of a magic barrier. When Obi-Wan learns about the Kaminoan dart from Dex, his problem in looking for Kamino is now that no one takes him seriously because at every turn, it’s dismissed as just a children’s tale.

This isn’t necessarily a story thing, but the map is slightly different; the most obvious example of this is the changing of Mustafar’s location, because it and Coruscant are part of the same chain of volcanic islands- Coruscant just happens to be dormant. In fact, Coruscant’s underworld is built into the caldera of the volcano, because it hasn’t erupted since the early days of the Old Republic and is widely thought to be extinct.

C-3PO has his own new lore now. He’s the ghost of a knight- Sir Anthony Threepio, so I can keep it phonetically similar (C-3PO = Sir Threepio) and also give a little reference to Anthony Daniels- who died in a surprise pirate ambush on Tatooine centuries ago, and the stress he retains from the events surrounding his death has made him neurotically obsessed with being prepared for absolutely every possible situation. In life, he was also incredibly intelligent, and spoke almost every language in the Galactic Archipelago. When Anakin is a little boy, he meets and befriends Threepio’s ghost, and, being the kind soul he is, offers to build him a suit of armor so Threepio can be in the world again. In gratitude, Threepio swears a knightly oath to serve Anakin’s family for as long as he is able.

R2-D2 (and, actually, all astromechs) ALSO has his own lore. Astromech Gnomes are a race that lives far below the surface of the Galactic Archipelago, and have for so long that sunlight is actually toxic to them. They are gifted with a masterful knowledge of machinery- an art lost to the rest of the Archipelago- and can build and/or fix almost anything, including ships. In addition, because they live in near-total darkness, they have an excellent internal compass, so they often work as navigators. However, because they can only ply their trades on the surface, and sunlight will kill them, they use their mechanical genius to build themselves small dome-like suits from which they can safely practice their craft without endangering themselves. In addition, they can understand but cannot speak basic, due to the fact that they have avian-like mouth structures and can only speak in whistles and chirps. 

On a similar note, let’s talk about Battle Droids. I’ll try to breeze through this pretty quickly. Regular Battle Droids are necromanced skeletons (General Grievous is an ancient, undead Lich Warlord and necromances all of them), Super Battle Droids are centaur-esque automatons (in the classic sense, like in Greek and Roman mythology), and Droidekas I… haven’t actually figured out yet (if you have any ideas let me know!). 

Creatures! Well, obviously I just talked about Astromechs and Battle Droids. But yes, I have thought about this! I have a few ideas which I actually came up with while I was designing Padme’s area outfit from Attack of the Clones, and then obviously I’ve been thinking about the alien races that are too bizarre to just put into my system of “There Are Many And Diverse Human Cultures In The Galactic Archipelago”. And anyway, this is a fantasy world, we need fantasy creatures. I’ll put these in bulletpoints, too. In regards to all of these, I’m trying to keep their in-canon appearances as much as possible while just amping up the fantasy vibe, so- for example- Admiral Ackbar will still look like Admiral Ackbar, but with lobster legs. And such.

Nexu are manticore-esque

Acklays are something like a Cockatrice

The Rhino Thing whose name I can never remember? The thing Anakin fights? That’s a Tarasque now.

The Aquatic races are all types of merfolk: Nautolans are your classic mermaids, and still have their head tentacles (for reference, I’ll upload a picture of Heroforge!Kit Fisto at the end of this list); Mon Calamari are crustacean-legged; Quarren are squid-people; and the other fish-people (like the one who steals Ahsoka’s lightsabers in that one episode) are. Well. They’re fish mermaids. 

Heroforge!Kit Fisto:

Thisspiasians are like Nagas, but with four arms. 

Besalisks are centaurs. But with four arms. (There’s a lot of four-armed creatures in star wars.)

Yoda is a delightful little imp-creature. 

Kaminoans are. Well. Kaminoans. I think they’re weird enough to just leave alone.

Geonosians are malicious insect-like pixies (in the classic sense)

Darth Maul specifically is a Drider- a spider-legs person. The Clone Wars writers were cowards (affectionate), but I am not, so he keeps the spider legs.

If you have any more ideas for creatures to fantasy-ify, I’d LOVE to hear them!

Ships. Both in the boat sense and the romance sense. But I suspect you’re talking about the romance sense here :) So here’s the thing, most of my Star Wars ships are. Already canon. (A few I think might just be widely-accepted fanon, but that could just be because I’m not quite done with TCW and I haven’t started TBB yet, so that remains to be seen). HOWEVER. There is, in fact, Mara Jade, and as she is no longer Disney canon, I think it’s safe to say that she and Luke are no longer canon, so yes, there will be at least ONE non-canonical ship in this AU- that being the aforementioned Luke and Mara Jade. There might be others, which I will get back to you on upon completion of TCW and TBB. (Oh, and there’s also pre-Sith Dooku and Jocasta Nu, because old people in love is near and dear to my heart, and I don’t know if this counts as non-canon or not, but that will be at least briefly touched upon.)

I hope you found this enjoyable and enlightening. And also, you know me, if you have any follow-ups, I will be DELIGHTED to scream about those with you :D

[professor-amaryllis]

:{ A Video file is embedded. Valencia Island, Orange Archipelago. 7/18/24 12:24 pm. }:

The spare room that the two have been inhabiting for just over three months now feels smaller somehow, the already cramped space now crowded with both of the professors’ pokemon. Most doze on the bed or the floor, happy to escape the burning midday heat of the humid tropical island. There’s a coziness to the scene, a rare true calm in the storm of their lives.

We catch just the last word or so of some conversation as the video starts, some kind of joke or story causes the two professors in view to laugh, an air of affection between them. Despite the lightness of their tone and smile Amy looks like they’re about three steps from the grave- deep circles under their eyes and an exhausted aura about them.

Casi, sitting in a desk chair, inhales sharply as Amy, sitting on the bed in front of her, gently applies what looks like aloe to her chest and shoulders. The sunburn is beginning to fade now, the puzzle piece marks slowly seeming to fade away, though from the reaction it still causes quite a bit of discomfort. 

“Hey, I know you're excited to touch my chest or whatever but be careful there that hurts!” There's a joking tone behind the harsh words, and Amy snorts, shaking their head as they both laugh gently. 

“This is gentle, aho. I’ll show you rough if you want me to.” 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

“Tenshi, you would crumble to dust and blow away on the wind.” To illustrate their point they poke him in the shoulder, causing Casi to hiss through his teeth before laughing himself.  

“Alright alright, point taken.”

Casi winces in pain as Amy applies more aloe vera to his reddened arms. His fingers linger gently over the light marks silhouetted in her skin, the angles and curves making oddly familiar shapes. “What happened to you to mark you like this, anyway? I can’t imagine it was the sun on its own.”

“I think these were from some sea shells. I sat up and everything scattered all over the place, so I’m not entirely sure.“

“What, were you collecting them in your sleep?” There’s a teasing tone to the question, and they trace a suspiciously staryu-shaped mark in her skin, causing her to laugh and pull away. 

“You mean it wasn’t you?” There seems to be some genuine disbelief in her voice, but after studying Amy’s expression for a moment she seems to believe it. “Well someone must have done it. Maybe it was one of Ivy’s creepy little minions. Who knows what she's been spewing about me while I'm not in the room.” Casi wiggles her fingers dramatically, as if to accentuate the creepiness.

“Her students, you mean. I doubt that she is putting that much thought into making you miserable, Casimir. That’s far too much credit to give her.”

“Not the kids, though they’re bad enough. I meant the other ones, the assistants. Something just isn't right about those two-” “Three.” “Three?? I swear that there were only- oh?”

The houndoom, who had been sitting nearby and watching the two, drops her toy teddiursa in Casi’s lap, her large tails slowly flowing… is that how she wags her tails? It’s hard to tell really. It takes only a moment for her attention to shift back to Bellamy however, attempting to jump up into their lap. She only gets her front paws up before Amy presses a hand to her chest, easing her back to the floor. 

“Dame, tomare.” The professor speaks to the pokemon in a surprisingly gentle kantonian, seemingly at odds with the cold way they’ve referred to her to others. “Fuse.” The houndoom returns to the floor, laying down exactly where she stood and staring attentively up at them. Amy sighs, rubbing their temples, a little bit of clear gel rubbing off on them. “I don't know what to do about you… stop staring at me.” The houndoom looks away, or at least turns her nose away, clearly still staring out of the corner of her eye, prompting an even deeper sigh from the professor.

Casi seems to be watching this situation carefully, an off, unreadable expression on her face. She takes just a moment, and when she speaks she seems to be carefully choosing the words she uses. “She really needs a name, I think.”

Amy glances over at him, looking.. Tired maybe? There's something there that’s hard to put a finger on. “She responds to Houndoom just fine.”

“She’s your only Pokemon without some sort of nickname. You don’t find that a little sad?”

“She’s not my…” Amy shakes their head, a soft grumble under their breath as they seem to reconsider rehashing the ever-present argument they've been having for months. “Is it really so terrible? She didn’t have a name before… I think. I think I would have known.” There’s a small uncertainty in their tone, barely there as they look down at their hands.

There's a pause, a silence that hangs sad in the air as Casi raises a hand, reaching for them before looking at the red, burnt skin of his hand and reluctantly lowering it, sighing. He makes a small noise under his breath and looks away for a moment, deep in thought. It seems difficult to say the next few words, each said with a deliberateness of someone that doesn't want to say them but needs to know regardless.

“...Do you think that you wanted to replace Dahlia? I don't… I don’t know exactly what happened to her. I just- you don't have to tell me I'm not saying that you do I just mean..” She trails off at the end, not even really sure herself where she was actually trying to go with that trainwreck of a sentence.

“I- hm…” Amy seems to move for the first time in a few moments, taking their time to adjust themselves and pull their legs underneath them in a cross position. They’re quiet for a few moments, thinking, their softly shaking hands tracing odd patterns into the orange sheets. 

“I don’t think that she wanted to. I can’t… hm. I can't be sure. But it feels different. It isn’t the same. Even with everything else some part of me knew the others. Some part of her recognized them, she must have. That one, it was different. She wasn't… loved. Known. Something.” Amy finally looks back at Casi, their face hiding their true feelings behind the mask of exhaustion. “It wasn’t hers. Not in a real way. There was… distance. Resentment maybe, I don’t know. It’s.. hard to know much more.”

Casi almost winces, a lot of emotions playing over her expression as she takes a breath and looks away. Something about that seems painful to her, and she rubs her arm in a thoughtless nervous gesture before hissing softly at the pain from her burn. It does seem to bring her back to herself though, a soft shake of the head and an exhale as she looks up again at her… boyfriend? Have they talked about that? I don’t know. 

She opens her mouth, the very start of a word on her lips before she seems to think better of it. She taps a few times on the arm of the chair and makes a thoughtful, if troubled, noise before starting again.

“Well… How do you feel about it now? That, all of that, it was years ago.” She sits up a bit, adjusting restlessly in her seat. “You’ve had her for thirteen years. Maybe not the entire time, but it has to mean something…” She taps again a moment, seeming to try to reorganize her thoughts. Her voice is gentler when she speaks again. “At some point you have to let go of the past and decide what you feel now, in this moment, in this space. You don’t…mm. Don’t have to feel the way you did then.”

“I- hm.” It didn't seem possible for Amy to look more tired, more weighed down than they had been, but this was a new level. They couldn’t seem to look at Casi, and through that neutral mask some kind of discomfort leaked, their fingers tracing shapes on the sheets as they seemed to shrink away from their own thoughts. “I don’t know. I haven't thought that way. I just tried to keep my distance. I was meant to. I wasn't supposed to feel…” their voice trails off as they seem unable to follow that thought.

The silence is heavy between them, both unsure exactly how to continue. Amy glances around the room, almost methodically, the way someone might look for escape routes or hiding places, but they don’t move. As their eyes settle back on the pokemon that started all of this- the houndoom still staring not-so-subtly at them from the corner of her eye- it seems to take the attention as a permission, standing just to lay her head in their lap.

“She’s been loyal to you. She’s obviously affectionate, She wants your attention. She has barely even looked anywhere else since we have gotten here. Don’t you think she deserves to be more than just the houndoom?” Casi’s voice is soft, quiet, but there’s a firmness behind the words that hasn’t been there before. An earnestness. 

They hesitate, a stillness that can be seen as they don't look at their partner but rather the pokemon in their lap. There’s something forced about the way that they do finally move, setting their hand gently between her horns, a deliberateness that seems so at odds with the simplicity of the movement. They both stay there a moment, quiet and perhaps… thoughtful. 

“I’ve been unfair, haven’t I?” the soft words are barely able to be made out, talking more to themselves than anyone else. “I guess I haven't been in my right mind. Maybe I never have been, not really.” Amy laughs under their breath, a short, almost dark laugh. “Maybe that should be your name, hm? It could be fitting for both of us.”

“Wait, what name?” Casi’s curious words seem to startle them out of their own mind, and they blink over at her for a second before letting out one more tired laugh, though this time with a slight smile.

“Delirium.”

:{ Transcription Ends. What are they even talking about...}: