#I’ve had this idea marinating in my brain for so long

[the-au-collector]

Sora keeps collecting father figures

[yandere-writer-momo]

Yandere Head Canons:

Hypnotic Affection

Yandere Merman x Mermaid Reader x Merman

TW: manipulation, hypnotism/ drugging, tentacles, kidnapping, yandere themes, delusional behavior, etc.

Since you were young, you had been betrothed to a shark merman named Marin. Marin was a cantankerous individual and was quite rude to you since you weren’t a shark mermaid. The only reason the two of you were even betrothed was so your clans would stopped fighting… yet you knew you’d be miserable with Marin.

You often attempted to court him with various shells you’d find but he’d always rebuff you. “These shells are too small, you’ll need something better than some measly clams to have me look your way longer than a few minutes.”

His words were always as sharp as his teeth. His clawed hands would always chuck your clam shells away no matter how pretty they were, it broke your heart. You really wanted to make this marriage work… maybe he’d budge if you found a conch shell?

You bowed your head to your fiancè before you headed off back toward the sea. Marin had no idea this would be the last time he’d see you in awhile…

You swam farther and farther from home until you spotted a conch. You were on the edge of deep sea territory, so it was best to be careful or else you’d get swept up in the current… but it would be worth it if you’d gift the conch to Marin and he’d finally accept you, right?

Your eyes lit up as you slowly swam towards it but you were quickly snatched up in large tentacles, a screech left your lips when the tentacles tighter around you.

A different merman quirked their head at you as they shimmied out from their hiding spot in the coral. “A-a mermaid? I’m sorry.”

The coral colored tentacles quickly released you before ghostly pale hands began to examine your body in worry. “I just thought you were a fish… I hadn’t meant to lunge at you.”

You were surprised by how shy this merman was, his hands trembled as he shakily checked your arms to make sure there were no marks.

“I’m perfectly okay, I’m (your name). What’s your name?” The octopus merman’s cheeks went aflame when you asked him for his name.

“I-I’m Ren! I’m an octopus.” Ren’s tentacles folded into one another as if they were comforting his nerves. “I still apologize for scaring you… I’ve never seen another mermaid before.”

You smiled at Ren and offered him your hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ren. I hadn’t meant to trespass your area… it seems I wandered a bit too far.”

“I-it’s no issue at all!” Ren beamed, his dark eyes filled with stars while his tentacles flailed in excitement. “If you want, you can stay in my burrow with me! It’s quite comfy in here.”

“That’s so sweet of you.” (Your name) beamed at Ren who ushered her inside. The merman began to become a bit jittery when she accepted so easily. He’s been wanting a mate for so long… and now she was finally here!

Ren sealed his den shut as soon as she swam in. His tentacles blocked the exit watch a large boulder. “It’s to keep predators out!” Ren reassured her as he lead her around his small home. She marveled at the various jars and vegetation he kept. “I’m a sea witch.”

“Wow! That’s really fascinating!” Ren blushed again when you didn’t mock him for being a sea witch. It made his heart flutter. You were so sweet and that made him even happier… the only issue was that you were a different species than him…

“How about I show you a few tricks?” Ren was so happy when you accepted. The octopus merman showed you a very simple spell that made his home brighter. He was thrilled when you clapped your hands and smiled. Ren was so happy to no longer be alone… and he would never let you go.

Ren offered you a meal and you happily ate with him. The vegetation made your brain a bit foggy, but the taste was delightful. Had Ren always been so attractive?

Ren smiled at your sleepy form as you yawned. “Here, how about you spend the night? It’ll be so much safer for you that way.”

You nodded and allowed him to lead you into his den. His tentacles pulled you into an embrace as he smiled. This was just too easy…

You didn’t know how much time had passed since you entered Ren’s burrow since Ren would often feed you every time you tried to leave. Ren made you such lovely meals that you slowly began to forget what even brought you to this end of the sea. You really liked Ren, so why did you have to leave again? You felt as if there was some strange phenomenon happening around you and yet you didn’t care anymore… you liked being with Ren!

Meanwhile, Marin was in shambles. You had been missing for a week now. You always showed up every other day with your stupid smile as you held up some shells you found to him… you were never away from him for long. Marin searched your home in the anemones and he searched all the reefs around yet you were nowhere to be found… were you okay? You didn’t try to go find a bigger shell for him, did you?

You didn’t know it, but Marin always gathered up all the shells he’d throw. He just wanted to look tough in front of you… but now he knew it was a mistake. You wouldn’t risk your life for a shell when you were already engaged to him, right? You were already enough… you were always enough.

A month had went by and you were still missing. Marin now took more desperate measures of swimming out farther and farther… until he spotted a conch. The shark merman rushed towards the shell and began to examine the ocean floor until he spotted a sealed off den. The merman quickly swam toward the rock and searched for a crack until he could peek in there. The sight before him horrified him.

Ren’s purple appendages slid up and down your delicate tail as his hands grasped at your hips. “Would you like to be my mate, (your name)?” Your head felt so dizzy and you could only nuzzle into him. Ren smiled down at your obedient form. What a perfect mate you’d be! It was just so easy to ensnare you and to hypnotize you with his potions… it was all so easy-

Ren was shocked when the boulder to the den was shoved open and a shark merman lunged at him. Ren screamed when one of his appendages were bitten off by the shark. Marin’s large gray form quickly scooped you up and made a swim for it. Ren tried to snatch you back, but Marin easily evaded the tentacles. Ren began to scream as he tried to give chase, but the blood gushing from his missing arm would attract more sharks… he’d have to come back for you another day…

Marin didn’t look back once until the two of you were an hour away. The shark set you down on a rock as he began to examine your body for any wounds. “You’re okay now… we’re going home.”

You tilt your head to the side in confusion at Marin’s words. Who was this merman and why did he seem so familiar? “But I was home? I live with Ren.”

Marin felt a sob rack through him before he bent down and pulled you into a hug. What had that octopus done to you? Marin would protect you this time, he’d help you get back to normal. “You’re safe now… you’re safe.”

You often sat in a trance in Marin’s den. It was as if you were in a whole other world despite being next to him, a world where Marin could no longer reach you.

“Look! I have all the shells you gave me on the walls.” Marin gestured to the various colorful clamshells with a smile. “I’m sorry I was mean before, but that didn’t mean I didn’t like you! I really do care for you, I swear.”

Marin was filled with hope each day when you’d glance at the shells but his hopes would always be dashed when you’d tilt your head off to the side. “Do I know you?”

“I’m Marin... I’m your fiance.” Marin was so frustrated that you couldn’t remember him. He had tried everything… from taking you to every spot you two grew up together to your old den, yet nothing clicked. You only ever wanted to ask about that damned octopus merman.

Marin often cuddled beside you when it was time to sleep. His muscular arms felt so strange around you compared to Ren’s slender ones. You really missed Ren…

“Psst, (your name).” You perked up when you heard Ren’s voice. You gave him a big smile before you slinked out of Marin’s arms. “Let’s go home.”

You quickly swam towards the octopus merman who scooped you into a tight hug. A big smile on his face when you accepted him. He almost felt bad for Marin if it wasn’t for the fact that the shark merman was the entire reason the two of you met! What a sucker…

[nicksolemnlyswears]

WELCOME HOME

MASTERLIST

pairing: opla!mihawk x reader

word count: 3.2k

warnings: 18+, swearing, smut, slight knife play, oral (female receiving), p in v, slight breeding kink

a/n: i got carried away with the fluff at the end. as much as i love smut i also love some domestic ass fluff which is very clear here lol.

i started this a while ago but got busy and only managed to finish it today! next up i’ve got buggy. i actually have two ideas for him. both have smut but the premise is so different lol. let’s just say one has a prominent daddy kink.

this might be very ooc! mihawk, again i’ve only watched the live action. i would like to start the anime but those 1,000 episodes are intimidating to say the least.

Working for the Marines proved to be useful for Mihawk. His bounty was canceled, and he got to travel and get up to shenanigans that would otherwise bring him trouble.

Mihawk gets to strike pirate after pirate, which benefits him greatly. It gives him the opportunity to search for the one meant to surpass him while getting paid. No one has come close to beating him yet.

After another tedious mission, Mihawk returns home. He opens the grand doors of his castle and leaves his hat and coat by the door. He silently goes deep into the castle and into his bedroom, unhooking Yoru from his back and placing it by the bed.

He removes his boots and pants while keeping his eyes on the figure sprawled on the bed. His dear wife sleeps peacefully on her stomach, her hair casting a halo on the white pillows.

He tries his hardest not to wake you, but you groggily open your eyes as he lays on the bed. He stares back at you apologetically, kissing the back of your head.

"You're back," you sigh, closing your eyes again. Your muscles relax when you see it's your husband who has returned from his latest mission.

Normally, you'd greet him much more enthusiastically. However, the sky outside is still a deep shade of blue, the stars twinkling brightly to shine some light on the otherwise dark room. And you have had a long, exhausting day that is pulling you back to sleep.

"Just got back," he responds softly. His eyes trace over your exposed figure. It's a warm summer night if the sheets crumpled by the end of the bed are any indication.

He was away longer than he expected. It's times like these that he resents his agreement with the Marines. He will resent anything that keeps you away from him. He would take you with him if your circumstances were different, but it's too dangerous. 

You suddenly feel his touch on your back, but pay him no mind as sleep threatens to take you away once more. Mihawk traces your exposed skin with his small blade Kogatana. He likes seeing two of his priced possessions in his grasp.

He'd never dare cut you with it. That's reserved for his enemies. Enemies who would be scared by the mere sight of Mihawk, but you simply melt under his gaze without a worry in the world. The touch of the cold blade familiar and comforting.

"Don't you dare cut through my clothes again, Mihawk," you suddenly threaten when he glides the blade over your night dress. You might be safe from the sharpness of his blades, but your clothes never are.

"Or what?" he asks, lifting your silky nightgown with the blade. Just a bit more tension, and it will cut through the fabric. There's an unmistakable smile on his handsome face.

"Fuck around and find out," you groan, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows. Deep down, you know you're not getting any rest anytime soon. Mihawk is clearly in a particular mood.

"Is this how you receive me? With empty threats?" Mihawk teases you. He follows it with a "Tsk, I expected more from you."

"My love, it's four in the morning. My brain isn't working properly, but rest assured it'll come up with something by morning," you huff, burying your face on the pillow.

"I'm dying to find out what you come up with. In the meantime, I'll fuck around." Mihawk says with a tone that warns you he's up to no good.

In an instant, you hear the blade ripping through the material of your nightgown. The cut is clean and precise, exposing your skin to the room's humid air.

"Mihawk!" You groan, annoyed but far from surprised. Another piece of clothing ruined by Kogatana. Add it to the tally.

"Screaming my name already? I've barely touched you," Mihawk chuckles, amused at his joke. He traces his lips down your spine, pressing kisses along the curve of your back.

"Idiot…" you mumble with a small grin. You prop yourself up on your elbows, still on your stomach, looking at your husband over your shoulder.

"All yours, darling," he responds cheekily, biting down on your exposed ass cheek.

"Hey!" You giggle, wiggling under his hold. Mihawk pins you down with his body as he comes back up.

Mihawk brushes your hair over one of your shoulders to dig his head into the crook of your neck, kissing your pulse point. You smile at this, having missed his touch like the familiar scrape of his beard on your skin.

Mihawk gives you enough space to turn around in his grasp. You cup his face and say, "I missed you. A few more days and I would've gone out in search of you." Your thumbs mindlessly rub over his jaw. No matter how much he cuts through your clothes, you love him.

Your actions bring him comfort as he leans into your touch, "My apologies. Will you allow me to make it up to you?"

You pretend to think as he stares you down. His gaze is soft and loving and filled with playfulness. Playfulness that is reserved only for you. "It's the least you can do," you finally respond, touching his lips.

Mihawk closes the gap in an instant, kissing you senseless. He groans into the kiss as he deepens it, his tongue swiping your lips to gain entrance. He grabs your thigh, wrapping it around his waist to have you closer.

Your arms wrap around his back, scratching his skin with your nails as you pull yourself closer. Mihawk's hand comes up to your chest, pulling on the tattered fabric of your nightgown, successfully throwing it somewhere in the room.

"Don't forget you owe me another nightgown," you breathe as Mihawk kisses down your body.

"And a blouse, a skirt, a dress, and many the undergarments. But who is keeping track?" Mihawk says. He's settled between your thighs, placing open-mouthed kisses down your soft stomach.

You prop yourself up to watch him delve lower and lower down your body. He searches for your gaze when he reaches your mound, where he places a small kiss. "I'd much prefer you sleep naked. We can sleep skin to skin."

You smile and shake your head at him, biting your lip in anticipation. "What of the nights you're gone?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.

Mihawk's strong hands grasp your thighs, pulling them open. Maintaining eye contact, he traces his lips over the inside of your thighs, not quite kissing them. His facial hair tickles you and leaves goosebumps in its wake.

Not one to lose an argument, he responds, "More of a reason to stay naked. Makes it easier to touch yourself while you think of me," he purrs. You feel his breath where you need him most.

As you open your mouth to reply with a snarky comment, Mihawk takes his chance. His tongue licks up your slit, tasting you for the first time in weeks.

"Ohh."

Mihawk eats you out like a starved man lost at sea for months. His tongue licks and flicks over your clit repeatedly as his lips wrap around it to suck. You fall back on the bed with your fingers digging into his curls, pulling on them. It only spurs him on as his hips involuntarily thrust into the mattress. Pleasing you turns him on.

"I missed this cunt," he lewdly moans as he kisses the inside of your thigh, lightly biting the area.

"Mihawk," you whine, turning red-faced by his crude words.

He mimics your tone, saying your name. Your ankle digs into his back in response. He's far from hurt as he laughs into your thigh. Having had a taste, he slows it down, taking his time. Enjoying everything about you.

He spreads your lips apart, exposing your pink center to him. Strings of arousal cover you, giving your cunt a pretty sheen. You're easily embarrassed by Mihawk's actions, but your whines do nothing to stop him.

"Fucking beautiful," he purrs, thumb circling over your exposed clit.

Your fingers card through his curls, pulling them back to watch his lustful expression. No one has ever made you feel as desired as Mihawk has.

Soft breaths fall from you as you feel Mihawk's warm tongue gather the slick from your entrance. He gets lost in his pleasure as his fingers dig into your thighs. Obscene wet noises coming from his mouth, mixing with the staccato of your moans.

Each flick of his tongue gets you higher and higher, your tummy tensing under the weight of the pleasure. You whine as you get closer to your peak, small warnings Mihawk doesn't need as he's learned what each of your tells are. He's adamant about making you cum on his tongue.

It's a matter of time until he feels your legs squeezing his head and your hips bucking into him. Your back arching follows soon after as a loud cry escapes your lips.

Mihawk licks his lips, satisfied, as he pulls slightly away from you. The twitching of your cunt is not missed by his hawk eyes. He presses his palm against your center, easing you down from your high.

He crawls back up your body, kissing your nipples on his way up. You swat him away gently, feeling sensitive.

"My beautiful wife," he says once he's face to face. In his eyes, you're the most beautiful woman in the world. Your skin shines prettily with the afterglow of an orgasm.

"What's gotten into you?" You giggle, giving him exactly what he was looking for. Your smile.

"Can't a man miss his wife?" He asks, nudging your cheek with his nose as he sporadically leaves kisses on your face.

He did miss you, but he's also extremely pussydrunk. Going down on you does as much to him as it does to you, judging by the hard on pressing against your lower stomach.

"He can..." You smile, wrapping your arms around him to caress his back. "Just how much did you miss me?"

You feel his laugh in your ear as he catches your suggestive tone. Nonetheless, he whispers, "I missed you like the sun and moon miss each other."

"You're cheesy," you say, wrapping your legs around his waist to pull him flush against you. His cock is between the two of you, a bead of pre dripping onto your skin.

"Don't tell anyone. Or else my reputation be ruined." Mihawk says, pressing his forehead against yours.

"It's our secret," you whisper in response with a kiss on his waiting lips.

Hiking your leg further up his body Mihawk lines himself up and pushes his cock into you. You gasp into the kiss as he fills you up until he bottoms out.

He always starts slow. The drag of your walls against his cock is a memory he never wishes to forget. He swears your cunt feels better each time he has the pleasure of being buried inside you.

His thrusts are slow but deep. He keeps a hand on your leg that's hiked up around his waist while he holds himself up with the other. The way you look up at him with wide, pleading eyes is his favorite sight in the whole wide world. Your soft gasps and cries are a symphony of their own, especially mixed with his own.

His slower pace only lasts so long as he gets lost in the way your cunt chokes his cock. He wants more. He needs more.

His resolve quickly disappears as he picks himself up to kneel on the bed. He easily pulls you closer as you slide down the bed with a yelp. His cock always inside of you.

Mihawk presses your legs up to your chest, grabbing a discarded pillow to place under your ass.

"Much better," he mutters as his hips buck against you tentatively.

"Yeah, 'cause you're not the one folded in half," you begin saying as he snaps his hips, which turns into a moan. The new angle brings tears to your eyes. The tip of his cock hitting that spot that makes you see stars.

"Don't deny it. You like when I manhandle you," he gruffs, picking up the pace of his thrusts. He further presses against the back of your thighs as he looks down when you both meet. His cock wet with both of your juices.

"I'm. Not." You pant between each one of his jerks. You leave it at that, closing your eyes to focus on the sparks of pleasure.

This is Mihawk's favorite position just because of the visual standpoint. He's in total control and gets to gauge your body's reactions.

Your scrunched up eyes as you concentrate on following your release. The biting of your lips to try and remain quiet, yet whimpers betray you. Your chest bouncing pulls him into another trance as he watches your skin blushing and your nipples hardening.

Your eyes squint open as you bring your hand down to your lower abdomen, where you say, "Feel you right here, Mihawk."

Mihawk mutters a curse under his breath. He places his hand on top of yours and asks, "Want me to cum right here too, darling?"

His moves become sharper and more precise as he bullies that spot inside you. "yes. yes. yes. Fill me up, my love," you cry out.

It's all becoming too much for you. You bring your arm up to bite on it and muffle your moans, but he still manages to coax out your voice. Your moans remain a secret in the night, heard only by Mihawk.

It's fucking glorious the way your cunt squeezes his cock when you reach your climax. The rhythmic pulses of your high urging him to continue pushing into you. You try to push him away to get him to go slower, your hands only managing to caress his abdomen before he pins them down.

He is in total control. He just needs a bit more from you. You can take it. You've done it before. Your legs shake both in exhaustion and rapture. His pace is steady as he feeds into that feeling that tightens his balls.

His hands turn to lace his fingers through yours. The sound of skin slapping echoed through the room. With hooded eyes, you watch your husband in all his glory. Trickles of sweat fall down his strong chest, and his curls are a mess atop his head. It all makes him look like a work of art.

Once more, the familiar sensation of pure euphoria washes over you, and it's enough to push Mihawk to reach that place as well. He stills inside you, his hands squeezing yours as he empties himself inside you, just like he promised.

With your hands on his hold, he brings them to his lips to kiss your palms. He follows the path down your arm until he buries his head on your shoulder. He lies there, almost crushing you under his weight, breathing you in. You wrap your arms around him, enjoying the closeness and rubbing your hands up and down his muscular back, rubbing the spots with the most tension from carrying Yoru around.

You talk in hushed whispers as you gain back your energy. It's a hard task, considering you were woken up in the middle of the night, and Mihawk probably hasn't slept in more than 24 hours.

Hours later, you feel the hard patter of footsteps nearing your bedroom. You sit up, preparing yourself despite Mihawk's heavy arm threatening to pull you back down into his embrace.

The door to your bedroom is slammed open with a bang barely second after you manage to slip on your robe.

"Wake up, wake up, it's morning!" Your loud, curly-haired boys scream as they run around the room with wooden swords.

"What's all this ruckus about?" Mihawk groans. Both boys freeze, noticing the other figure sitting up on the bed, "Papa!"

"There are my brats," Mihawk huffs as they let the swords clatter to the ground to climb the bed and throw themselves at him, "I missed the two of you," he says, hugging them and kissing their heads.

You stare lovingly at the scene in front of you. The twins were a result of your honeymoon with Mihawk. Fruits of your love, if you will.

The five-year-olds are the spitting image of their father. Kind reminders of him whenever Mihawk has to go out on a mission.

"Missed you too, Papa."

"I want some snuggles, too!" You exclaim, grabbing the twin closest to you and placing him on your lap to kiss and snuggle. He squirms and laughs as you tickle his belly.

The twins celebrate their dad's back as they cling and climb over him. You let them do as they please, considering it has been you who they've clung to for the past couple of weeks.

"Mama is sick," one of them blurts out to Mihawk, causing you to freeze.

"Mhm, Mama called the doctor to make her better!" The other echoes as you pull him to your lap to shush him.

Mihawk narrows his eyes at you as he listens to the twins ramble. You throw him a sheepish smile and quickly look down at your son, brushing his unruly curls to avoid his gaze.

"Well, Papa is home now. I'll take good care of Mama," Mihawk reassures them. "Why don't the two of you go to the kitchen and gather the ingredients for your favorite?'

"Really?" They ask in unison with excited smiles.

"Absolutely," Mihawk says just as excited, ushering the boys out of the room. As soon as they run out, he turns to you with a raised eyebrow, "Not that I'm a doctor, but you didn't seem sick a while ago."

"I didn't?" You ask incredulously, standing from the bed to sit on the vanity.

Mihawk follows you, knowing you're trying to avoid the conversation. He calls your name, kneeling down on the floor by your seat. "Why did you call the doctor?"

You sigh, mustering the courage to tell him the news. You face him as he settles between your legs. He grabs your hand and places a kiss on the back of it, giving you the courage to tell him.

"We're having another baby," you smile at him, squeezing his hand.

"You're happy?" Mihawk is ecstatic, to say the least, but he recognizes how hard your pregnancy with the twins had been. So, he toned it down for the moment.

"I'm happy," you nod, allowing him the joy of having another kid. It's been six years, and you're ready for another baby. Besides, the boys are growing up so fast that they aren't babies anymore.

Mihawk hugs you from his kneeling position, digging his head into your stomach, "You think we'll have a girl?"

"I have my fingers crossed. There's too much testosterone in this castle. One thing is for sure though, it's the last one," you tell him, kissing his head.

"Come on, darling. We have more space for two or three more..."

You roll your eyes at him and gently push him away, reminding him he has two hyperactive boys downstairs waiting for him.

[base0h]

HELLO MY GORGEOUS EVOU DEAR <333

imma say this with no shame, i’ve never submitted a single request before 💀 yes, not a single one even tho i’ve been here for almost 2 years now -

so as you’ve submitted an amazing request for me before, i’m here to submit one ;)))

can we please get our beautiful doctor law, lost in the woods zoro and for the sake of august 6, our favourite rubber ball luffy with an S/O who looks absolutely perfect, but can’t seem to understand that she’s flawless and still gets self conscious all the time because she thought that people were staring at her and complementing her to make fun of her? like she thought that all those words were fake and people were being sarcastic.

i’m nowhere near flawless but i thought that a guy back in high school were making fun of me for all the compliments 💀 when we talked for the first time in a while a few weeks ago, i talked about that and he was offended af like ‘i literally told you i tho j you’re beautiful and cute everyday, how am i making fun of you you little-‘ 💀

so yeah, thought it’d be a fun little scenario <33

hope you’re doing good!! in case you haven’t heard it from someone today, ily <33

-leah

a/n - HI MY DEAREST LEAH 💜💜 AHHH TY FOR REQUESTING! I loved the request you did for me omg I still have it saved and I keep going back to it :)) ilysm and i love this idea 😭 and yes that guy from your high school is right, you’re literally amazing and gorgeous and I will make a point to tell you that (this is a threat)

Warnings ⚠️ - g/n reader, kinda crack (I’m sorry I can’t ever be serious)

- this guy has no shame and will tell you everyday that you look awesome

- “Oooo! That outfit looks badass y/n!”

- “WHOAA YOU LOOK LIKE SHANKS!” He had sparkles in his eyes, I mean- he just thought you looked so cool because you were wearing a super long coat! And colorful- pants.. (Just take it as a compliment I know it’s not a compliment but it is to Luffy) shanks has horrible fashion sense

- btw you changed out of your outfit that day 💀

- In public, you’re literally so perfect that even marines don’t want to capture you. They’re too dumbfounded that you’re so gorgeous, their brains literally explode, and they become dumb asf just looking at you

- but- you happened to think that they’re staring at you because they think you look weird or ugly

- So you cover up most of the time, all the staring has made you even more self conscious than before. Even when people compliment you, it seemed fake even though they were telling you the truth

- Luffy noticed you got uncomfortable with all the staring so he literally started growling and hissing at them (he’s feral) and acted as your little rubber guard dog

- “hey don’t look at y/n!”

- he didn’t know that they were looking at you because you were pretty, he thought they were admiring how strong and cool you looked

- so before that, he was all proud and showing you off in public

- “Isn’t y/n cool?! Yeah shishishi~ I know!”

- “Literally no one asked.” -random civilian

- luffy beat them up, no one talks smack about his gorgeous, beautiful, awesome y/n

- one day you got the courage to tell Luffy what you’d been feeling, and asked him if he really thought you were as cool and beautiful as he said you were

- “Huh?”

- man was confused. Like what? Are you joking right now? Because it’s not a very funny joke 💀

- “What do you mean?? I thought I told you yesterday that you looked as cool as shanks?”

- luffy that’s not a compliment when it comes to clothes

- “Yeah but- are you sure? I don’t think I look that cool.”

- he was so confused, how could you not think you looked cool??? His brain wasn’t working right, it just didn’t- make sense!

- “Y/n, you’re awesome! I don’t lie like Usopp! BELIEVE ME! YOU’RE AWESOME AND COOL!”

- he started shaking you around and wrapping his arms around you about 6 times, choking you and preventing you from breathing

- “OK- LET ME GO PLEASE I CANT BREATHE.”

- “NOT UNTIL YOU SAY YOU’RE COOL!”

- “OKOK I’M COOL!”

- “Shishi!! Ok!”

- it was a traumatic wake up call. Let’s just say that now you believe what Luffy says 😭

- he might not say it that often, but he thinks you’re a literal angel sent from heaven (has never said that to you because he’s a shy guy)

- but if you’re perceptive enough, you can catch him staring at you wherever, and whenever

- you could be tidying up the submarine, and he just can’t help but stare at you, his work can wait

- his eyes are blessed every time he sees you, I mean- how could you be so perfect? When you turn around to look at him, he’ll look back down at his work at the speed of light, trying to hide his red ears with his hat

- you swore you could’ve seen him staring, but whenever you ask, he just ignores you, “I don’t know what you’re talking about y/n. I’ve been working.”

- “you were staring at me.”

- “No I wasn’t.”

- “Yeah you were!”

- “Yeah because you look pretty in that shirt!”

- a silence echoed throughout the submarine, and both of your cheeks started to turn pink

- “You think I look pretty? Really??”

- man wanted to run away, but he didn’t want to make you feel bad, so he just awkwardly hid behind his hat in a cheap effort to make it seem like he wasn’t turning as red as a tomato

- “Yeah.. You’re pretty.”

- That right there is probably the biggest and most meaningful compliment you’ve ever received

- But still, even with a lot of other people saying you were pretty in public, it still felt like you just didn’t believe them

- all the staring actually made you even more self conscious, were their compliments just fake? They didn’t really mean their words?

- you weren’t THAT gorgeous right? (YES YOU ARE)

- “Law do you think I’m pretty?”

- He almost choked on his tea, he was literally shocked that you’d ask that dumb of a question. He looked mad at you, but then quickly wiped that expression off his face

- “Y/n. Bepo has made fun of me for WEEKS about how I keep staring at you. I don’t know how else to say it-? You’re pretty! Ok?”

- you’d never seen law so flustered before, his cheeks were literally bright red, his ears flushed the same color

- the great surgeon of death was at a loss of words because he couldn’t express in words just how beautiful and amazing you were. But law being as red as a tomato was kinda funny 😭

- “Law… You look like a tomato..”

- “Don’t make fun of me! And don’t tell the crew.”

- sorry law, but they were watching the whole time 💀

- with the way zoro is, he’s kinda bad at giving compliments, and he’s better at insulting people (mostly sanji)

- but when he first met you, he almost dropped his beer. He was amazed at how perfect and gorgeous someone could look

- he questioned whether he had died or not because wtf you looked like an angel

- since he was drunk, he swore he could’ve seen wings and a halo on top of your head 😭

- little did he know, you’d be joining the crew, and he’d be able to spend all the time in the world with you :)

- Zoro truly did believe you were some angel, all throughout your time together, he was still confused whether or not he had died and gone straight to heaven

- “Zoro?? Hello? Are you sleeping with your eyes open?!”

- he hadn’t realized that he’d been staring at you for so long that he looked like he had just been sleeping with his eyes open 💀💀💀

- “Uh no? I’m awake.”

- “You’re staring through my soul.”

- “Huh? I can’t help it if you’re so pretty! It’s your fault!”

- “WHA-??”

- zoro then paused, he had just admitted outwardly and quite loudly that you’re pretty. And bro just blamed it on you 😭

- “Why is it my fault?! And- I’m pretty?”

- marimo didn’t answer because he was so embarrassed

- “DON’T START STARING AGAIN PLEASE.”

- “I’M NOT STARING.”

- “YOU’RE LOOKING AT ME!”

- “YOU’RE LOOKING AT ME!”

- this argument continued for a while before Nami told you two to shut the fuck up so she could get her beauty sleep :’)

- but still, did zoro really think you were that pretty?? A lot of people told you that, but it felt more meaningful coming from him

- so a little while after your argument, you went up to him and just blatantly asked him

- “Zoro, do you think I’m pretty?”

- “I literally told you that an hour ago.”

- “yeah I know but do you really think so?”

- “Y/n why tf would I say it if I didn’t mean it?”

- Welp. There’s your answer, but your question kinda made him pissed 💀

- “Zoro I was just asking!”

- “Why though?! You don’t make any sense!”

- yeah don’t start with him- he just doesn’t get it, but you managed to get him to say you’re pretty about 30 times in that same argument so 👍

a/n - damn zoro 💀

[minniiaa]

Silly little hc I came up with:

Law doesn't use pet names/nicknames. He hates them. But it's for a reason. He thinks they're super embarrassing and kinda unlock a new level of intimacy he does not want with Luffy cuz he's scared of getting too close to him.

One day, while Luffy is absolutely fucking his brains out, he calls him beautiful and then baby on accident. He's so lost he he doesn't even notice until Luffy points it out. He withers away internally and gives into his own mind as he spirals. Luffy, being amazing at reading him, is immediately like "wtf?" And Law pretends everything's fine.

And then I dont know how else to continue it lmao. Just a thought.

This HC has me tearing things with my teeth I swear I started writing a one shot about it (I wrote plot somehow) I just need to grab it from where it’s been marinating and finish it. In the meantime, have this post.

I’ve always had this same idea about Law, like he’ll call Luffy “Strawhat” or “Lu-ya” which aren’t even really nicknames but pet names are horrifying to him. Calling someone “baby” or “honey” is just TOO MUCH for his emotionally unavailable brain to handle. He’s not heartless, he still compliments Luffy and gives him the affection he desires, he’s just more reserved with his words.

But Luffy LOVES pet names. He calls Law everything in the entire book honey, baby, sweetheart, my love, kitty, princess, beautiful, pretty, and Law simultaneously loves and hates it because it makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside and has his heart jumping out of his chest. He tells him to knock it off at first but when he sees how happy it makes Luffy he gives up because he’s weak to that cute smile.

After Law’s been with Luffy for long enough, after he’s steamrolled down the concrete walls Law has built around himself, he eventually caves. When they’re having sex one day and the praises and pet names come tumbling out of Law’s mouth, Luffy is SHOCKED. Did Law just call him baby? It’s like a dream come true for him. Like he’s finally knocked down that last piece of glass that was between him and Law.

After that, Law calls him nicknames but he’s Law and he has to make them extra stupid like “my pretty idiot” when he’s doing something dumb, “insatiable bunny” when he’s pushed him a little too hard in bed or “little squirrel” when he’s stuffing his face again. Luffy doesn’t care, he just likes it when Law calls him something other than Luffy and the shit he comes up with always makes him laugh.

[wannabepapa]

I see you’ve been reboggling a lot of old asks from me which has also gotten my brain juice flowin like

Lately I’ve been thinking about roommates who bond over a pregnancy. A one night stand or a surrogacy, doesn’t really matter, all we care about are the roomies who are now stuck in this fun situation of finding a new groove. Bonus points if the pregnant one gets big and uncomfy quick, leading to far far more late night rendezvouses.

The way I picture it, it starts with your typical incredibly awkward “I gotta come clean about something” scenario, with roomie B expecting a broken appliance or a forgetting power bill, but certainly not a pregnancy! Then as roomie A grows, they get needy, which sends roomie B into overdrive. Late night pizza runs become a regular occurrence, waking up way too early to hold their roommates hair, sitting up at night cause roomie A thinks they felt a kick and wants witnesses.

Then break happens, they go home, and when roomie A comes back they’re HUGE, which changes everything. Suddenly they need so much more to be comfy, and roomie B begins to realize just how much they like being there for their pal. They spend all afternoon at school just to come home and both collapse into the same twin bed, using the other bedroom as storage because who needs it? Sharing is caring after all. Roomie B is there to hold roomie A when they’re sobbing at a ghibli film or some advertisement about sad animals, they’re there to help with anything academic or physical, they’re driving their expectant buddy to and from appointments now that they’ve outgrown the drivers seat.

Bajshxjhshxhs it is 5 am and this ask is ridiculously long winded but I am tired and sappy and obsessed with this idea and thought you’d like it okie bye

uh hello???????? you have left this beauty of an ask in my inbox?????? Marin i am kissing your forehead right now.

roommate B has had nothing but terrible experiences with past roommates so when A comes to confess something they brace themselves for a problem. it's expected, especially when A looks anxious and worried before spilling the secret. the last thing that B would have ever expected was to be living with someone who was going to have a baby. they don't hate babies but they never hung out with people who had children of their own. it was going to be a learning curve to say the least.

the roommates were never close in the beginning, keeping to themselves as they had only recently roomed together but now they find themselves in each other's space. A has asked for help in the morning because the nausea makes it tough to function early in the morning so B is on kitchen duty. B tends to do a lot of the clean up now to give their roomie a break in the first trimester. it's only fair that someone does the bulk of the housework when A is creating a whole person over the course of nine months!

B is also in this weird "I'm not the parent of this child but I feel responsible for A and this child" state of mind that is confusing to them. they don't know why their brain has latched onto being the caretaker for a pregnant person but whatever A asks for, they get. A is feeling cold and wants to borrow a blanket? it's put in the dryer so it's extra warm. it's two am and they have an intense craving for pizza, but only the pizza at this shop that is an hour away? yeah just let B get dressed and get coffee in them before they take the drive. they don't want to be sitting alone at their doctor's appointment and want moral support? of course B will be driving them to and from every appointment now so they don't have to be alone. A meekly knocks on the bedroom door and says the baby needs a cuddle? get in under the covers and pick a movie! it's this perfectly platonic relationship that both just don't acknowledge but now all of their family and friends wonder if they're dating.

when they have to go home for their respective holidays there are definitely tears shed by A. it's seventy-five percent hormones and twenty-five percent not wanting to be away from B for weeks on end. they're ending their second trimester right now and terribly needy. the roomies have forgone sticking to each other's rooms to alternating every few days—it's become their routine. A also worries that something catastrophic will happen and B will force them to move out which B shuts down immediately. they're stuck with each other now whether they liked it or not. this comfortable thing the roomies have with each other is too precious to B for it to ever cross their mind to end it. A has become more than a friend, they've become a companion that has made their days more exciting ever since they got close. it isn't long after A is dropped off at the airport (with more tears shed) and B not even out of the parking structure that a text is sent that reads "we already miss you :c"

they talk every day of the break. A leaves no details of the crazy antics sprinkle (the baby has a thing for funfetti cake and B said they were probably a sprinkle now so it stuck) has been up to and complaining how cold it was where their family lives. they've sent many a selfie where they were hidden under piles of blankets or bundled up in multiple layers of warm clothes with a pouty lip and silly quip about how nobody does the dryer trick here like B does. it's too cute for B to handle. the weeks drag on for eternity to their dismay, their mind straying to how their gravid friend was doing.

to make matters worse A was stuck for an extra week due to a surprise blizzard that grounded all planes going in and out of the state. that was nearly a month apart and it drove B mad. too much time has been spent away from A and there was going to be hell to pay if this new flight would be canceled. if they were stuck any longer with their parents A wouldn't be cleared to fly, leaving them with no other choice but driving hours back down. B would have gone up there themselves to bring A back if it was necessary but to their happiness there were no cancelations and A was in route back home. B couldn't pick them up—work had switched schedules without asking—so they sent a friend to go to the airport for pick up. luckily A would already be home by the time B was off work so they wouldn't be alone in the house for long.

B never considered how fast someone grew in their final months of pregnancy. A's clothes still hide the bump before they left. now, walking into the apartment, B could do nothing except stare at their roommate. A hadn't grown, but popped in the last month since they were apart! there was an undeniable swell that tented A's shirt, their stance wider as they waddled to the door to greet B with a watery grin. the bump is pressed between them which makes it impossible to really hug while making it hard for B to not plaster their hands on the belly. the baby takes the opportune moment to shift between them as they were clearly unhappy about being squished. A chuckles at the movement but B is completely losing it.

after that they don't really stay apart for long. they're very, very close to one another at every second of the day just to revel in the fact that the baby will be born soon. A likes to complain about the pains from the movements of the nugget but they will actually miss it. B, however, has made it loud and clear how they'll miss being able to cuddle up with the belly and feel the nugget move. though both are equally excited to meet the little kicker that they've been waiting nearly ten months to hold.

[asexual-spongebob]

you've been suddenly making some mermaid/siren stories lately, and I needs ask;

What got you into the mermaid/siren thing?

Sorry about how lengthy this answer is lmao- and also kinda a dive into my creative process lmao.

I’ve always had a soft spot for merfolk and siren’s ever since I was a kid, I’ve always found them fascinating. Not to mention I’ve always had a love for marine biology and the ocean (blame octonauts) so the fact they were underwater creatures made me love them even more.

when I got into fanfiction was I was a tween I always adored merfolk and siren au’s, I’d eat them up every time. I loved reading merfolk AU fics.

When I started watching H2O, a show I never saw as a kid but I know i would’ve loved, I just became obsessed with merfolk and sirens all over again.

So, when I got into Octonauts, I wondered if there was any mermaid/merfolk AU’s, and then I stumbled across my friend @/c-midori ‘s Reclaimed By Nature fic, and wondered “Huh. What if I made a Octonauts x H2O: Just Add Water AU?” So I did, and that’s how TWTLTS was born.

When I first started getting into IZ, I wondered if there were any merfolk and or siren AU’s and I found just what I was looking for. I then read this really good fic called Look Out On The Day Of Another Dream by PsychoLimbo on AO3, it was one of the first ZaDr fics I ever read it still holds a special place in my heart. It was an AU where Zim was a siren and Dib was a selkie. I loved it so much.

So, I went to go find more merfolk iz fics, and I loved them so much. But I noticed there wasn’t a whole lot of merm or siren Dib fics and I was like “huh. maybe I should make my own siren Dib fic?” So I did. I decided to also include Gaz because I had never seen a siren!gaz! fic before and I thought it could be interesting.

And I thought it’d also be funny considering Irken’s are allergic to water, and Dib and Gaz are sirens, aka creatures who live in water. So I began to think of ideas, one of the first was Zim and Tak being dock workers of some sort and Dib and Gaz being sirens who lurk around said dock. But, I decided to scrap this idea because I had an AU similar to it for Octonauts. (Which I still haven’t shared here lmao-) So I decided to think of something different.

Aka the plot of WotS we have today.

I asked myself, “How would Dib and Gaz become sirens?” And my brain went, Chemical Spill. So, I decided that the chemical spill would turn them into sirens when they were in salt water.

I choose salt water specifically because I didn’t want it to be to much like TWTLTS (which works the same way as H2O).

I decided that them being sirens may make them a bit more… feral. (Which is why Dib is described as eating aggressively raw fish in the first chapter and later on) As, I always saw sirens as more feral then the typical mermaid, I also thought that they’d look a bit more scaly looking. (Hence why I always draw Dib and Gaz with scaly, webbed hands.)

I took some inspiration from the clips of Freeform’s Siren had seen on the internet as well.

And that’s how Wail of the Siren was born. Sorry about how long this answer was, I just love answering asks like this.

[rowanul-tyr]

So. Dawntrail.

I finished the 7.0 MSQ roughly a week ago, during the early access period, and overall I had a great time with it! My thoughts on the expansion as a whole have been marinating in the brain pot since then, and I wanted to touch on some of those thoughts and why I think this has been such a great expansion so far, at least story-wise. All under a cut for spoilers, and I’ll honestly be talking mostly vaguely about plot stuff anyway. And I’ll mark anything specific that is spoilers, and dividing things zone by zone.

Anyway.

First and foremost, since I feel like this will help put my overall opinion into perspective, is my ranking of expansions so far.

1: SHB will forever be king to me in a ton of ways; part of it is this was the expansion I started with, but I also just love the story it tells so much and even if I have little gripes, they’re all so minor that it doesn’t really matter

2: a tie between HW and EW, actually--both are excellent, and while I have some issues with parts of them, the positives for the most part outweigh my issues

3: another tie between STB and ARR--I think both of these are good, but have some issues that really can’t be ignored. And they’re only at the bottom because that’s how lists work.

DT is not perfect in my eyes (not by a long shot), but it is giving SHB a true run for its money in terms of how much I liked it. Like I said initially, I don’t think it’s without its problems (no expansion is, even SHB no matter how much I love it), but overall there is just SO much good stuff here that I am 100% willing to forgive it.

Before I get into the details, I want to say: making it clear from the pre-order stuff and Viper and all that this is the FF9 expansion really is important. FF9 begins fairly bright and cheery and its aesthetic lends itself well to hiding what subject matter it tackles, but then it eventually starts dealing with a LOT of heavy topics--and Dawntrail is very much living up to that in my book.

Expansion Start

Going into this expansion I really had no idea what to expect. I admit that the 6.X patch cycle really threw me for a loop once DT was announced, and it felt kind of pointless to be doing so much with the void? I was like, “Why are we spending so much time on this, when we should be looking at things that are relevant to Dawntrail??” because none of it made sense to me.

One of the issues I had with STB for a long time was Lyse. Don’t worry, I’ve come around on her, but it took a while. The biggest issue I had was that the devs tried to take an existing character and turn her into something other than what we knew, and it threw me entirely. I think they learned the lesson from that, which is why the focus is on Wuk Lamat, a new character, and on Krile, an older character we know so that we feel more invested in what is to come.

Another aspect of STB that kind of threw me off was…how little focus it got after the HW story ended? Like we get two patches worth fo story to lead into it, and I 100% think the Ga Bu stuff is important, and obviously the Warriors of Darkness story is important to set up part of SHB, but…everything to set up STB felt…not there? And we meet Lyse properly during 3.55/3.56, just like Wuk Lamat. We don’t have time to get to know her as this new person before we’re dropped into STB proper. And that didn’t help me when it came to bonding with Lyse--it took until the Lakshmi trial before I realized how I was supposed to feel about her my second time playing through Stormblood.

Wuk Lamat won me over really fast, thankfully--she has a certain kind of charm to her that endeared me to her pretty quickly (she’s very Sora from Kingdom Hearts coded in my eyes), and I was quietly interested to see what would happen with her character arc going forward. To be frank, I was more excited about how much better my character looked in game than in the updated benchmark than what little of the story we knew! I also was more invested in Krile than anything else story-wise; she’s always been a low key fave of the Scions for me so it’s nice to see her be much more involved in MSQ this time around.

But then we hit the first city and actually got into the story. Tulliyollal is such a lovely city, and its inn room was the first to make me go “wow” since the Pendants (since the Baldesion Annex was fun but still feels way too cluttered for me). I loved meeting Gulool Ja Ja, and his vibe as a character was excellent. I was surprised by what the rite of succession was shaping up to be, but once you see the Saga monuments and hear the story behind them it pretty quickly clicks as to what the Dawnservant wants the claimants to the throne to learn about during the rite. That was when I rsaw the mentor-type role my character would play, and once I knew what role the WOL plays for Wuk Lamat and in at least the start of Dawntrail’s story, I was in. I was determined to embrace that role in a way I had issues doing when I played through STB initially for Lyse.

One other thing: I was super surprised by Zoraal Ja being the one Wuk Lamat was prioritizing as a threat, and that he was the one who couldn’t be allowed to be Dawnservant. I guess I’d been anticipating the aloof/stern but decent older brother from him based on what I assumed was one of his lines in the launch trailer, so that was a fun surprise.

Zones 1 and 2, first visit

Urqopacha absolutely blows Kozama’uka out of the water for me, but I think both zones do a pretty good job with their first of two feats.

I started with Kozama’uka. The HanuHanu felt straightforward enough, and their feat set Koana up really nicely for what exactly his views are. I was glad to hear that he and Wuk Lamat were on friendly terms right before we left Tulliyollal to start the rite. One of my first thoughts when seeing how he and Wuk Lamat both handled the feat was, “He’s not going to win the rite, but I want him to either be advisor to his sister or for her to invite him to rule together.”

Bakool Ja Ja was fine as the zone’s antagonist, the writers did a good job of setting up his rivalry with Wuk Lamat in the intro so I wasn’t surprised by him trying to cheat his way through things. Wuk Evu was also…um. Not my favorite. I wasn’t super into the “behead me for being rude to the Third Promise” joke being reused over and over and over again…but maybe that’s just me.

As I said, Urqopacha was by far my favorite intro zone for the views, the music, and the overall aetshetic. I really love FF10, so getting to spend so much time with the Pelupelu was excellent. I also loved the zone music and this part really was what got me hooked on this expansion. Working with Mablu to make trades for the saddle was such a great showcase of what exactly the player character is to Wuk Lamat, and really solidified how much I enjoyed her. She is SUCH an orange cat (meaning she is “no thoughts, head empty” in a lot of ways but also just impulsive and can be unpredictable) and I mean that in a very kind way.

This was also where we got to see so much more of what Zoraal Ja’s whole deal was, and once I spent more time hearing him speak I totally understood why Wuk Lamat didn’t want him to be Dawnservant. Also, Mablu is the best and my roommate/best friend who is the biggest FF10/FF10-2 fan I know cried when she saw Tobli (since he’s from 10-2 himself) and the music is so good. So yeah, 10/10 zone.

Zones 1 and 2, second visit, and First Trial

Jumping ahead a teeny bit (since you go back to the capital between these visits). I liked this second set of feats overall! It felt like we were finally making some good progress with Krile’s goals to find out more about the city of gold in addition to moving forward with the rite. I also liked jumping right back into zones we’d already seen instead of waiting for 5+ levels to go back.

I liked how the Moblin feat incorporated the Elezen goldsmith from the boat, and seeing once again just how charismatic and magnetic a personality Wuk Lamat is. Her ability to show so much empathy for people is absolutely her biggest strength, and her desire to understand things--something those helping her with the rite have helped her discover--really start to shine, at least for me. That’s what makes her such a great fit for Dawnservant.

Koana also really was a star in this zone, and I really adore his character archetype and the love he so clearly has for his sister. Working together to rescue Wuk Lamat after Bakool Ja Ja snatches her was a nice change of pace from what we’d had so far from the rite, and that was when my initial impression of what would happen with Koana gained a bit more strength behind it. I was about 90% certain at this point that he wouldn’t win, but would stay at Wuk Lamat’s side to help guide her when she needed it.

I LOVED seeing the Yok Huy and honestly just getting to go back to Urqopacha was a delight. It felt like SO much progress was being made for both the rite and Krile’s goals, and the dungeon was excellent. No notes.

As a quick aside, though, I loved that we got to hear the Yok Huy’s take on death--that those who have died will always live in our memory, and so long as that memory remains, they are not truly gone. I loved this because it fits so well with the lore I have for Rowan regarding the way the Echo manifests for him, and how he cherishes the memories of people he’s lost but has come to move on with his own life. It just…is a very good thing to nail home some of FF14’s broader conversations about remembering and honoring the past, but still turning your focus to the future.

I have gripes with the Valigarmanda trial (I wiped twice on Duty Support :( ) but I appreciated that Wuk Lamat, Koana, and Zoraal Ja ALL came together for the good of their nation. I also liked that Zoraal Ja was cooperating because people dying because Valigarmanda would be bad for his own goals in the end if he won the rite, and also it’s good to see more of him before Things Happen (™).

Zone 3

Basically from here on out I loved every zone.

As a person who loves food and specifically enjoys making food for others, the feat in Iq Braax was a delight. Given that we find out the clan’s leader is Wuk Lamat’s father, it is VERY fitting that the people of the village are much more on the nose about not directly helping the team-up between Wuk Lamat and Koana. In addition, the cooperation between the Second and Third Promises was very clearly there to show 1. how well they work together and 2. what it is that Koana still has to learn, which he very much does by the end of the zone.

I’ve seen in the Disc Horse (™) around DT that Bakool Ja Ja turn in the second half of the zone was weird, but I don’t think it was, not really. By the end of the instanced duty after the X’braal feat, he’s a humiliated mess. Seeing the added context for why the Mamool Ja are the way that they are in the second half of the zone and learning the true cost of the blessed siblings among them, you actually have a reason to offer empathy to a person whose whole life has probably not been great. Wuk Lamat putting aside her anger with Bakool Ja Ja to truly help his people is yet more proof of the things that truly make her a good leader and why she really is the best choice to be Gulool Ja Ja’s heir.

The end of Koana’s arc here is excellent. Wuk Lamat reaching out to him when she needs help finding a way for the Mamool Ja to find ways to thrive outside of the blessed siblings--knowing that he can succeed in an area that is not her forte--is yet MORE proof of her ability to see the best in others and understand their worth. And Koana is genuinely a great brother and partner to work with for her, as his generally calm demeanor evens out her boisterousness very well. The instanced fight against the shade of their father where both groups come together was EXCELLENT.

The end of the Skydeep Cenote and actually finding the city of gold is such a good way to close out the first half of the expansion. We’re left on more intrigue for what is to come in the second half of the expansion, and this was when I got the deep sense of “Okay. But when is the other shoe gonna drop”.

Midpoint, and thoughts on the first half of the expansion

I was so happy with Wuk Lamat’s coronation, and how she outright asked Koana to join her on the throne. Finding a way to truly be their father’s successors by embodying both reason and resolve works out so well in Tural’s favor in the end.

I think the only somewhat negative thing I can say here is that…I was totally thrown by the song that played when the stone monument was revealed, haha. The song is fine on its own, but it was SO weird for me to hear that it did actually kinda take me out of it. But otherwise this turning point for the latter half of the expansion was good. I wasn’t sure how to feel about MSQ going forward, though, because I was like “Wait, where’s the rest of it?”

In terms of my overall thoughts on the first half of this expansion… It���s very good as a way to decompress following the end of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga that ended in 6.0, and even a good way to relax after everything that happens with Zero and the void.

I know there’s a ton of Disc Horse (™) around this expansion, particularly about Wuk Lamat and the rite and how “slow” the first part is. I have two things that come to mind about it all: this isn’t the Shadowbringers or Endwalker of this next story arc. This is the Realm Reborn to the next arc. Things are definitely going to be a bit slow.

In addition…the WOL may not be the protagonist of this particular part of the story, but that doesn’t mean the first half and dealing with the rite is worthless? The WOL knows by now that they were Azem, the Traveler. Remember, the Traveler part of that convocation title? My BFF/roommate Sarria put it best:

“DT really feels like it's back to our "roots" and I mean like AZEM roots. Being The Traveler, visiting new places and meeting new people and learning about places outside of our known bubble. Listening to people's stories and desires and then being asked to help specifically *because* we listened to and learned from the locals. And I for one really really am loving it. The story doesn't have to be about us - just being there means we have a role. (Also the first half of DT isn't supposed to be about us anyway.)”

I find it so funny that people have such a problem with it--and I won’t lie, I do agree that some of it had slow pacing. But like…I don’t know, this really feels in line for what Azem would do. We are Azem now, we have the crystal and everything. We’re not known in this continent because it’s only been 70 years since the world we know made contact with it--to the point of the guy credited with discovering this “New World” IS STILL ALIVE. There is ample reason why your character is not the focus of the first half of the expansion, and it’s so disheartening to see people just…not get that?

It could be that my overall excitement to explore the new zones laid out before us led me to be much more forgiving of this section, but getting to know the people of Yok Tural was such a treat. I can’t wait for NG+ to come around for 7.0 so I get to explore all of this again.

Okay, back to going zone by zone.

Zone 4, part 1

So as someone who knows the Southwest US fairly well this zone was excellent, I loved the vibes. The overworld music is great.

I will say outright here that I’ve kind of been an Erenville disliker since his introduction in EW. He’s been overhyped for a character who up to DT basically had no personality in my eyes, so I was apprehensive about how this zone would go with him as our only companion. But, credit where it’s due, the writers actually got me to come around on him a little with the background we finally get for him. Not entirely, I still have issues with him, but he’s now more well-rounded.

Seeing the railyard workers actually made me cry, specifically seeing Not!Magnus’ wife. I’m so glad that 1: they were included and 2: explicitly shown to be the exact same as the people we know from the first. My roommate Sarria and I joked several times that this was SHB/Trolleys 2 and it was such a delight getting to laugh about it.

The end point for this visit to the zone was excellent. The dread had been building for me the whole time, knowing that something was around the corner, but no idea what. So the dome appearing and then the aftermath in Tulliyollal was anticipated, but about as brutal as I was expecting.

Tulliyollal revisit and Zone 4, part 2

The destruction of Tulliyollal and trying to aid those we could was done well, to me anyway. The devs handled that sort of thing pretty well in EW, so was glad to see it done again just as well.

Then comes the “cat”valry as I’d like to call it. Honestly, the moment I heard G’raha’s voice and heard Eternal Wind, it was like I could finally breathe. I think that’s the point of him and Y’shtola showing up to give you help for the rest of the expansion--they give a sense of release to all the tension and anxiety players might feel after the attack on Tulliyollal. A mini version of what the low-stakes rite of succession is to the story overall. You have to have a release for tension before building it up again, because building tension with no release just doesn’t work.

The truth of what the golden door is threw me for a loop, because I was NOT expecting it. I imagine it’s what people felt when the SHB launch trailer dropped and the truth about Hydaelyn and Zodiark was given--you’re so shocked that it’s a bit much to process. But I liked the revelations about the golden city and Krile and everything.

The revisit to Shaaloani was a delight, and deciding to blow up the train was exactly the kind of crazy I’d expect from the Source version of the trolley guys from Twine. The song that played during the coronation came back and it felt just as cheesy as before, but I think I’d accepted it by this point? I just let it happen even though it doesn’t really work for me.

And the Vanguard dungeon is SO good. I loved the music--honestly Soken popped off this expansion for the most part.

Zone 5/Second Trial

So I love the aesthetic of this zone in general--thank you for giving us FF10’s Thunder Plains properly this time!!!--but there was a zone where I ever felt like the story was loosing me, it was this one. I wasn’t sure what to make of the time bubble nor the regulators, so it took some time for Heritage Found to find its footing for me.

Sphene also was slightly unsettling, in a way? It was hard to put my finger on whether she was sympathetic or playing you, which I guess is the point.

Solution Nine kind of just…added to my sense of confusion. I was a bit lost on it all, and trying to wrap my head around it. It is also way to big and spread out for my tastes…but oh well.

With all the talk of souls, though, I finally understood why all the Void stuff with Zero in the 6.X patches was actually good to spend so much time with, since it was basically a primer for ALL of this stuff in the latter half of DT. So once NG+ is here for Dawntrail, I may actually start with 6.1 and see how it all flows together.

What finally got me back on loving the plot again was seeing baby Gulool Ja and Otis in the other half of the map, where the ruins of Alexandria are. I haven’t even played FF9 myself, only watched a very abridged playthrough, but the way I instantly knew who Otis was a stand in for made me feel so warm and comforted. Steiner is just so goofy and endearing, and Otis is exactly like him.

Was not surprised by Zoraal Ja making his move, but the cutscene for the defense of Tulliyollal was very good. I was surprised by Sphene both in and out of Solution Nine for that instanced duty, and I think here is where I really started to see the parallels between what I know of FF9 and DT. Sphene is Wuk Lamat’s mirror, at least in a way--loving and compassionate and charismatic (because I’d come to like her quite a bit by the point she outright says she was playing you). She exemplifies the extreme end of Wuk Lamat’s desire for peace, and the need to protect and preserve her people.

The fight against Zoraal Ja is a satisfying one. I am not the person to ask to talk about fight design or anything so will leave that to others. But I thought it was good.

Also liked the revelations after the trial, where Sphene turns on you for real. It did feel like downing Vauthry just to have Emet steal the Exarch again, though maybe not in the same way. Similar dramatic stakes, I guess I’m trying to say.

Zone 6, and the Finale

This zone will always have an interesting flavor to it for me, since I use the Living Memory title for personal WOL lore reasons. But the zone is, I think, such an excellent one for what the expansion as a whole is trying to say.

As I mentioned at the beginning, despite its cheerful colors and friendly looking character design, FF9 is a darker story. It deals with death and the existential. The perfect word to sum up FF9, from what I know, is bittersweet. And I think this zone--and in a way both zones and the city that comprise Alexandria--PERFECTLY handles that bittersweet feeling.

The weather is Reminiscence, bathing everything in this beautiful golden color. It’s full of areas referencing FF9--I recognized Alexandria and the Iifa Tree, but each zone is a call back to 9. The music is this soft, comforting piece that just triggered my nostalgia for a game I haven’t even played. Seeing Otis in his prime again, the tour of the Gardens with Cachuia, letting Krile meet her parents and learn her real name--it’s all so bittersweet.

Every time you turn off a terminal, you get that message of how nothing will go back to what it was. And the part of Living Memory that you shut down is then forever less colorful and lively, and there’s no music (at least when you’re there during this part of MSQ). You’re left with silence. We can always remember it like it was before (or use NG+ to bring it back if you were a dummy like me and didn't gpose there before it went away), but it won't ever be the same now.

I took my time in Living Memory before moving from area to area, and did all aether currents and quests as I could/they became available which only happened AFTER the zone was gone for the quests. So I was doing all this in silence. Left alone with my thoughts on it all and trying to understand what the point was.

Sphene is clinging so much to that nostalgia for a time gone by because of her programming, and it’s sad to have to end it. But to me, she is eerily similar to Emet-Selch: she was clinging to the memory of the dead, desperate to bring them back and keep them alive. But in the end, it was only an imitation that would lead to untold amounts of suffering to others.

All of Living Memory reminded me so much of Amaurot. Sphene letting the Endless explore as they pleased was I think a much kinder version of Emet's magic working on Amaurot, but I couldn't help but see the similarity there.

I did cry in this zone, during G’raha’s talk with the player in the gondola and all the interactions Krile had with her parents. And it’s just…sad. You might feel awful about destroying the Endless once you understand them and their ways, but in the end…they’re only memories of people who died long ago. Their lives continuing are coming at the cost of the future for everyone on the Source and the reflections. It just can’t be sustained as Sphene’s realm continues to grow and more and more is needed to keep things running.

Sphene wanted the best for her people, going as far as she did for them. And I like that she is clearly kind but does a lot of bad things out of love for her people, and the desire to preserve them. But in the end, she had to accept why death is an important part of life.

I loved the Alexandria dungeon, and the trial was excellent. I will say that the intermission was maybe a bit long, but I still liked it tremendously. I’m excited to see what the relic has in store for us, and where the new arc of the story will take us.

Overall thoughts

DT has two very distinct sections, and there are parts I think could be refined to maybe make things go smoother overall, but honestly? I am totally willing to overlook those things because I enjoyed myself as much as I did.

DT, to me, managed to deliver on the summer vacation aspect that was so heavily advertised while also keeping with FF14’s larger ideas about hope persisting in even the hardest of times, and why the connections between people are so important. It also continues to show why it is not just important but also good to remember the past fondly, but it is just as important to keep moving forward in the best interests of all people.

I said it in the part about Living Memory and the finale for DT, but Sphene is very similar to Emet-Selch, and while some of the Heritage Found stuff lost me for a bit, the story did hit its mark where it needed to. The ending zone was not what the Tempest or Ultima Thule were, and I’m glad that it’s not. I’m sad that I’ll have to replay on an alt or when we get DT NG+ to take the pictures I wanted there, but that’s the point. You’re supposed to feel a longing for something that you can never truly get back, and that’s one of the best parts about it. You’re left with this bittersweet feeling as you let go of the past, and these people who are long gone.

DT drove home Venat’s point from EW even more for me. To use Ardbert’s words from SHB, “Joy and sorrow walk hand in hand.” There is joy and sorrow all over the place in Tural’s story and in its peoples, and I loved how every minute went even if sometimes it did feel a bit slow. But not everything needs to be so fast paced, either.

And even in the slower-paced parts, the WOL is really embodying the adventurer spirit we’ve returned to. We’re embracing our Azem roots, and travelling to new lands and meeting new people and coming to enjoy their cultures and presence. That sort of thing is what Venat, the previous Azem, loved so much about the world. And getting to understand her sentiments a bit more was excellent.

All in all, while DT has its faults, I 100% think this a great expansion. I’m excited again to see what is to come from this story, when I was apprehensive at best after 6.X patch story.

[thekinkyleopard]

Revenge Turned Spicy

Kanai x Draeko x Alistar

A Non-Canon One-Shot Snz Fic

⚠️Content Warning ⚠️

Denial, Snz, Mess, Teasing

Author’s Notes: What’s this?! A fic so soon after the last release of a fic? Is Kezzi…unblocked?! This is a request Geezie made a LONG while ago and I’ve spent far too long putting it off and must tackle the task! Art and both Kanai & Draeko owned and created by @aller-geez 🥰

Description: This fic is mostly inspired by the prompt below! With Kezzi Flair!

Snz Color Index:

Kanai

Draeko

Alistar pranked Kanai pretty unfairly, it was the first time it actually made the hound feel almost slightly…embarrassed? That wouldn’t do. He’s been letting the idea marinate but he’s found the perfect in. He knows Al has a raging Fetish for sneezing, as well as an insatiable sexual appetite. He decides to recruit Draeko for his revenge.

Almost in a panic, like he was in the rush of his life, Kanai came barreling into his bedroom. Like he suspected, Draeko was sitting on the bed, playing his switch, but quickly looked up when the door swung open. “Hi Nai!” The mutt smiled happily setting his console down, wiggling in his seat as his little tail swayed back and forth. “What’s up?” His ears flickered.

Kanai stood there for a second, lifeless, emotionless, the usual. “Luciftias…” he spoke, tone flat but clearly something was on his mind.

“Yes..?” He cocked his head, a mint brow raised as he braced himself for the incoming wave of whatever confusion weighed heavy on Nai’s brain.

“I have a favor,” their heterochromia eyes stared deeply into one another, paused for a second before Draeko eventually opened his mouth to respond.

“A favor?” Though he was slightly apprehensive, he trusted Kanai far more than Alistar when it came to favors, so more or less, there was intrigue.

“Yes,” Kanai spoke again, still cold and lifeless as he started.

“Okay???” Draeko raised his brows as if waiting for the demon to continue, but was met with a few more seconds of silence.

“Would you like to help?” He finally asked, taking him a while to process how asking a favor should go, so he was checking all his boxes before just getting on with the subject.

“Oh my god! Yes! Out with it!” Draeko giggled impatiently now rolling his eyes as he swayed back and forth in the criss cross position.

“I wish to prank Alistar….he told me there was this creature, that the humans could never catch called a ‘Snipe’ so he sent me on a ‘Snipe hunt’….” Draeko’s face winced, he already knew where this was going. He’d had the same prank done on him as a child, so this was only ever going to go in one direction already.

“Oh…Nai…” he bit his lip, honestly trying his best not to laugh.

“They don’t exist, Drae…” Kanai’s flat face turned into that of what could only be described as irritation. Possibly a mix of visceral annoyance.

“No…no they don’t…” Drae shook his head in response, and disbelief. He couldn’t imagine his poor hell hound out there for hours calling for an animal that didn’t exist where he was looking. Or let alone the specific one he was probably searching for.

“Well, they do, they’re birds…not a small rodent that answers the world’s most impossible questions…point is..I was out there for 4 hours…” the hound now pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes closed with sheer embarrassment. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he didn’t tell him to look in the middle of Time Square NYC. Sewer dwellers. He figured he would save that half of the terrible crime to himself. He was experiencing shame for the first time, because how could he have fallen for something for so long??

“Yeah…okay, I’ll help you, what are we doing?” Immediately, Draeko was on board. Al was mean, but this was too far. Having him out there for longer than 10 minutes is just cruel.

“Okay wonderful..Now…I figured, Al really likes that thing we do, when our body has a mini explosion,” he was rolling his open hand trying to find the right word for what he was trying to describe. He knew it but, it escaped him.

“Sneezing,” The mutt nodded once, holding onto his feet as he rocked, to patiently listen, and hang on to the rest of Kanai’s plan.

“Yes, that…we would have a competition, me and you, while he’s home,” the hound explained further, his eyes searching over Drae’s to observe his reactions. Already seeing a disconnect behind the other’s gaze.

“Ok…ay?” The mutt thought, he knew what the other was trying to say but, if they make Al horny, he’s just going to fuck them. He doesn’t see how that’s a prank.

“But we don’t let him have consent,” Kanai now lifts his index in a finger gun, something he’d seen Al do when he gets to a punchline. He figured it felt appropriate here.

“Oh?” Drae’s tail waggled again, back and forth. The two of them knew that Alistar couldn’t fuck someone if they told him no, and meant it.

“Yes. No consent. You have to remain strong,” Kanai pointed his finger sternly in the hybrid’s direction.

“Hey! I can resist!” Lifting both his hands up defensively while pleading with his softened grey and mint duo colored eyes.

Kanai looked at him with a look that clearly said, he didn’t believe him. “Can you?” Head tilted slightly and his eyes narrowed.

“I can!” Again he spoke up but confidently, slamming his fists on each side of him on the mattress.

“Okay, it’s imperative you can, Luciftias,” the hound responded, starting to feel more confident in Drae’s determination.

“Promise! You can rely on me, NaiNai!” The mutt raised his hand up in a salut, causing the hound to actually lift his lips into a small side smile.

“Okay, good, what do we have in the house that can easily induce?” The smile fell as fast as it showed, back into his game plan they both mulled over it silently. Draeko being the first to speak up.

“Ooo we have some black pepper??” Lifting his index like a light bulb.

“That should do just fine,” Kanai nodded in agreement as they both settled with this means of induction.

“Okay, I’ll go get it, where should we do this?” Quickly, Drae got off the bed and put his hands to his hips ready for action.

“Living room, it’s right by the front door, we should start before he gets in so it doesn’t seem planned,” the hound explained to the small hybrid as he too got up from the bed and they both started making their way out of the bedroom and into the main part of the apartment.

“Good idea!” Draeko trailed behind the larger, and while Nai stopped in the living room, the mutt continued all the way into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets. It wasn’t a hard find, the pepper. One of their most used spices, but he paused. Would this have negative consequences later? Possibly…however, if he just slept in Kanai’s room….forever! Things should be just fine.

Meanwhile in the living room, Kanai is sitting on the couch, contemplating the ways this plan might possibly go south. If Al isn’t in a good mood, perhaps this may be pointless altogether. However, if Al is in a good mood all WILL go according to plan. Which is about a 80/20 probability so it today, Kanai is hoping statistically, should go in his favor.

“Okay I got the pepper…maybe we should be shirtless?” Draeko toddled back into the living room, setting the seasoning down onto the coffee table before coming back to a full stand. Kanai broke out of his mental math gymnastics long enough to look the mutt up and down curiously.

“Why?” Sincere in his questioning, he wasn’t sure what taking their shirts off would do to improve the plan but he was a willing partner in this, he could be open minded.

“I don’t know, makes us look more irresistible?” Drae shrugged his shoulders once over but Kanai nodded, agreeing with the hybrid male.

“…Good idea,” Already the two of them began to strip themselves of their shirts, taking a seat side by side on the couch directly behind the coffee table. They sat there…eyeing the bottle of pepper. Then they both turned to look at each other and in unison, closed their eyes, gripped their fists tightly and took three deep breaths.

“Ready?” Kanai now opened his eyes, released his fists and turned to look at Drae, who was reluctantly opening his own, the moment he felt Kanai’s presence on him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be to purposefully induce myself…” breaking a nervous smile across his blushing cheeks. He hated sneezing, especially since once he got started, it was almost like it was never going to end. Draeko took a deep breath.

“Fair,” Kanai nodded once, he understood all too well. However, it was a small price to pay in order to send Alistar into the world’s most painful discomfort without any tension relief. The hound grabbed the shaker, and twisted the cap off the glass container, particles of spice trickled off the lid through his fingers before setting the piece onto the table. Now just holding the shaker itself, lidless. He turned it on it’s side, dumping a bit too much of the substance into his palm. Neither of them needed to snort it, as just while Kanai wafted the seasoning across their smelling range, they both began to hitch, and gasp.

“H-…H..” Kanai started first, his nose itching as he thrashed it around in circles his eyes squinting and he immediately wanted to cover his face but realized it was still full of pepper. “Dr-…Hah’ The…hIh’…PeehhEh’kkssshuuh!” Immediately he sneezed into the open palm of pepper causing it to puff outward in the air all around them, only resulting in the inhalation of even more spice than they had originally anticipated. Their eyes widened in horror, a calculation Kanai had not considered a possibility. At the same moment the front door swung open and in came Al right before the kick off.

“A—Hh’NDKT’ih! H’GXTSH’UE! K’GNSH! H’NDK’IH!” The sudden eruption that greeted the demon, completely off set his entrance and he stood in the open doorway with his mouth slightly agape. Then Nai popped off.

“Oh n-Hh’KSHHh’hieww! Eh’KGSSH..!” Trying to make it into his inner elbow but missed entirely, both of them openly spraying all over the coffee table to leave behind a fine, speckled mess of saliva flecks across the wooden surface. Al’s jaw unhinged even further, stunned silent almost mentally you could picture him crying cartoonishly with his heart beating rabidly and unrealistically out of his chest.

“Is it my birthday already?! You guys!” Snibbling softly almost overwhelmed with emotions, he dabbed at his fake tears and clapped his hands together. “Who’s turn first???”

“No-…IHH’GXXNT’iiew!! Ih’GNXT! H’KXNT!” Draeko tried began to interject but the peppery air was infinitely way overdosed. Shaking his head rapidly, his eyes welled in tears, and his nose was redder than a cherry. He hicked and hitched, trying his best to speak, but finding every time he opened his mouth, another session of sneeze escaped. “Hihh’GXXTsh’iiew! Ehh’GXTCH! K’GNSHH!!” Drae’s hands flailed wildly as he tried to interject and explain their situation but it was useless, he was in way too deep as spit and snot came hurdling out of his itching face.

“We are h-HaAh..ving aaHh~ …Coohhaa’Ahntest…” Kanai sniffled and huffed as best as he could through the urges but not much context could come out before he too found himself stuck in a cycle. “Hh’KGGSSHh’IH! HH’KTisSh! HEH’KSSHUH!” His arm flung over his face as he tried to cover the amount of mess they were making amongst their living space. Alistar shook his head trying to clear himself into a coherent thought as all of this sudden treasure was bestowed upon him. Did he do something good today? Did he earn a treat? What was this momentous occasion he stumbled into!?

“Please…don’t mind me…” he went to pull out his phone before Kanai furrowed his brows. Draeko was trying his best to clean his face up before he found himself being pulled back almost frozen into a prequel. “H’HGXNF!” It escaped him despite clasping his open palm over his maw.

Before Al could get the camera rolling, the hell hound tossed a couch pillow at the device knocking it across the room. “Hey!” Al yelled out with disappointment and frustration, Nai could only shake his head.

“N-NO, Donnie! H’h…” by this point, the hound’s eyes were uncontrollably pouring with tears, his nose dripping as he tried to keep up with the amount of drippage by rubbing his nose across his hand.

“But…you guys are shirtless…and sneezing…! At least let me…” reaching toward his belt buckle Draeko now managed to cry out between struggling.

“No Al!” The demon frowned and stood there before tossing his arms up. “Well.. what the fuck!”

“Ehh’GxxTCHH’iew! H’GXTSH’UE! HihhhTSH!” The continued secession of kitten like sneezes were driving Al straight into madness as he fell to his knees and clawed at the carpet below.

“Please!! Just…let me do something!” His head quickly snapping back and forth between the two. This sudden gift, feeling a lot more like a punishment now. This was absurd! No filming? No touching? No fucking?! The two of his house mates and sexual partners/best friends continued to blow sneeze after sneeze with bushels of clouds of misted saliva rolling past his crimson eyes. This was a CRIME! “No seriously, what the fuck!” He shouted again with disdain.

“Hh’KTisshh’yuu! S-Sorry..Al..bu..Huh’GXXTsh’IIEW!” Kanai sneezed into his open palms, his hands now feeling much warmer from the fresh spray, but then suddenly cold as he lowered them to the rest of the surrounding air. Soaked on both sides. “Ju-jus..t pick a w-winner..HIh’KSHHh’hiew!!” The spice burned as it came shooting out from their nostrils in each series of fits. Both Draeko and Kanai were starting to feel like maybe this prank was a little under considered through Kanai’s specific lense of understanding. This was sort of a disaster. Why did Drae agree to this? Sure Al was suffering clearly as he sobbed and ripped at the fabric of the floor, foaming from the mouth. However, they also were suffering greatly.

Each time they sneezed, it felt like a thousand needles shooting from their brains, their noses dripped, and eyes watered without break. At this point they were 90% swollen and it felt more or less like they’d been attacked by a swarm of bees. This was a complete failure in most senses of the word. This did not turn exactly how Kanai wanted but he was satisfied to see his best friend weeping on the floor practically throwing a fit.

“Just let me…just let me at least catch the debris…?” Alistar whimpered pathetically reaching outward with a grasping hand.

“N-No…Al,” Draeko’s glassy eyes looked quickly over from the pleasing red head to his Navy haired partner in crime. Winking playfully toward him to signify he was still remaining steadfast in his decision to deny Al anything. Kanai nodded in return. “Hh’NDKT!ih!” Draeko pinched the bridge of his nose and exploded into his other hand before another crept up to follow “Hihh’GXTSH!” Alistar bit his lower lip and whimpered loudly, sadly shaking his head back and forth as his eyes switched between Draeko sneezing and Kanai hitching and hawing.

“So…so..far Drae, is uh…is uh…winning?” The crimson eyed demon tried to remain impartial, tried to swallow the growing need inside his pants but he couldn’t. Jeans suddenly much tighter than they were when he walked in, and he just wanted one of them to say yes.

“O-oh..Hih…n-o…H’KTSHh’iew!” The hound made disappointed eye contact with the other hellion, tears streaming downward his otherwise emotionless and swollen face. Al almost felt a small tinge of guilt for having said what he did just now. Would it effect his chances?

“W-Wait no…Kanai..is?” Alistar looked helpless, like his first born was dangling off a cliff and if he made the wrong move, poof, there would go baby, cradle and all. He was on his knees, body slumped and defeated, a dog begging for a bone.

Kanai would feel accomplished if he wasn’t feeling pretty defeated himself with a face stuffed full of pepper dust. This was probably the worst plan he’d ever had. They should have done this with something more controlled, because neither he nor Draeko, we’re certain they’d ever escape this. “HEH’Kkssshuuh! Hh’KSH! D-Don’t try to buUhUh-.. tter me up!” The hound snorted with offense as he fought off the sneeze long enough to speak. Alistar folded his arms across his chest and sat criss cross, almost like a pouting child.

“Well…Uncle Fucking Christ! I hate this game!” Snorting angrily through his nostrils as he glared at the two shirtless traitors. How dare they? How dare they do this in THEIR SHARED HOME, knowing damn well they’re doing his FAVORITE thing and he can’t even PLAY? What the fuck? “Did I die? Is this my hell? Did my dad kidnap me again?” He asked seriously now.

“N-No! Th-this is Hh’NDKT! KSS’SHU! Payback!” Draeko shouted with a sneezy snicker wishing he could gloat a bit better but was unfortunately too busy wiping his face and trying to free himself of this terrible plan now. Kanai, however, feeling a bit snubbed of his personal call out and victory, still managed a mischevious grin across his face. One Al knew all too well, the only emotion Nai ever showed in hell. His prank grin. That FUCKER.

“You son of a bitch!” Alistar shouted pointed an accusatory finger at the hissing and hucking hound. “You did this on purpose?!” Kanai grinned harder, before his sensitive sinuses betrayed him once more.

“I-HH’Ktissh! Eh’Khgsshuuh! Did, yes,” Wiping his nose yet again across his already soiled hand, not doing himself any favors really, and Al shook his head.

“That’s really fucked up…so I can’t fuck either of you?” Alistar looked between the two of them, his head stayed pointed to face Kanai, but his eyes each ghosted back and forth to examine any sliver of an in.

Both of them shook their heads as they each now grabbed their disguarded shirts to blow their noses, wipe their faces and relieve themselves of the peppery disease that tormented them.

“Wow…IS THIS CAUSE OF THE SNIPE HUNT?” The demon raised his voice with the sudden realization of the most recent act he had pulled against his best friend.

“Ye-s….hEh’KgTSs! Snnddfff it is,” the hound snuffled loudly, rubbing his nose in circles against the fabric of his tshirt.

“WOOOOOOOOW, man, it wasn’t that serious!” The redhead tried to plead his case throwing his hands up with disbelief.

“Four hours, Al, I was…SNDF..out there for FOUR hours,” the grey haired demon narrowed his eyes with slight irritation that this detail was being blown over.

“….That’s NOT my fault,” the ruby orbed menace squinted and his gaze shifted to the side avoiding eye contact now.

“How?” Kanai asked flatly, still staring directly at the avoidant hellion.

“I thought you would figure it out in like….twenty minutes tops,” Still avoiding the other’s stern and ice cold gaze, he shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes in a casual way.

“Four hours, snndff,” the hound sniffled again, softer, as he stared blankly ahead at his target.

“SnDFf..” Draeko snuffed, doing the same as Kanai, clearing his nose with the fabric of his tee.

“Okay, hear me out…I’ll buy dinner..and take you to that boring ass dead people drawing showcase place….” Al now forced himself to look at the other, blushing lightly as he willed his way to try and bargain with the hound.

“The Metropolitan Museum of Art,” Kanai interrupted to correct him.

“Yeah that, I’ll take you there tomorrow….ifyouletmesmash….” Trailing off at the end of his sentence with a conniving grin, his ruby reds squinted with mischief and hope.

“….” Kanai paused…silent for far longer than a man earlier determined to make the redhead suffer should. Draeko’s duo colored eyes shifted to look at the hound. They squinted.

“Don’t do it Nai…sssnnnnddfffff…HICK…” Draeko tried to interject, clearing his nose as best he could to speak clearly, hoping to talk sense into his tall companion.

“…..Come on buddy…..” Al squinted harder, grinning wider as he could tell the hound was getting closer to his breaking point.

“…..” Kanai hesitated longer, really considering the deal in front of him. Was it worth it? Dinner…and the Museum he’d been asking everyone to go with him for weeks…

“Nai….” Draeko pitched in one more time hoping to snap the hellion out of his innate urges to always choose knowledge. History. Human information.

“Okay,” The demon broke, he couldn’t resist the offer, TOMORROW? Worth it. He’d make them go right now if it wasn’t far too late in the evening for that. Draeko sighed, slapping his palm to his sweaty forehead.

“YES! LETS GO BOYS! Both of you. Bedroom. Now.” Alistar shot to his feet in one fluid motion, pumping his arms up in victory before shooting a single index between the two men.

“What the fuck, Nai?” The mint and pink haired mutt looked over at the larger with disbelief. Seriously? This whole thing was for nothing. All they did was get the demon riled up to defile them now. In the end, the damn red head wins again!

“Let’s be honest, Luciftias…it was always going to end here anyway,” Kanai shrugs his shoulders matter of factly, his face flat again, emotionless but inside jumping for joy knowing that tomorrow would be a full day of immersive learning.

“….I suppose you’re right….” The hybrid sighed with defeat, shaking his head back and forth as the two of them followed their insatiable partner into his bedroom, once again, to give into his desires.

The End

Author’s Notes: Huehuehuehue Okay I’m sorry it’s less sexy and more funny/chaotic but like it flowed so well and I literally wrote this in 8 hours. It’s also easily my FAVORITE fic I’ve ever written. Which is the first fic I’ve been able to crank out in such amount of time. 🥹 I was so INSPIRED! Plus I got to Whump Al and it felt so good. SUFFER 😈😈😈 But unfortunately I just love the idea that Kanai can’t resist the Museum of Art 🤣 Hope you guys enjoyed! 🫶🏻🫶🏻 (Feedback is super recommended cause I’m pretty sure the validation is what’s got me flowing again 🫨🫣)

[smokeybrandreviews]

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I feel like I've been super negative on this blog lately so let me straight up gush about something I've recently loved. Alien: Romulus was amazing. I’ve spoken at length about this before, but I am a massive fan of the franchise. It’s not part of my Pillars, but it’s definitely a support strut. Alien, to me, is as perfect as a film can get, and Aliens is a perfect example of Eighties excess. Go big or go home. The Queen Xenomorph is one of my all-time creature designs but my zeal for that universe was solidified with the Dark Horse comics. Some of the first comics I bought myself, with my own money, were Alien books. I ended up getting the first issue of Aliens: Earth War (before it was called Earth War) and the initial AvP run. That sh*t ended up taking a ton of space in my head, rent free, for years. Machiko Noguchi is the second best protagonist, after Ripley, herself. I had all of the Kenner figures and their little mini comics, too. Just the Xenos, though. I didn’t give a sh*t about the Marines. I remember lamenting I never got that “good” Queen Xeno, just the flying one. I love this franchise. So imagine my utter desperation for a competent big screen outing, after literally four goddamn decades of sh*t. The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 was pretty decent but everything after that was just awful. All of it. Including the prequels. I really f*cking hate the prequels. That resentment is actually a boon for Romulus because the way they incorporated that part of the mythos into this film, went a long way toward my acceptance of those ill-conceived and wholly convoluted, ego strokes. Romulus is so good, they make all of this cats-for-brains ideas in the Prequels, tolerable.

I don’t care for Prometheus because it came at the cost of Blomkamp’s Alien 5. I’ve seen a bit of that concept art and listened to Weaver just absolutely gush about the plot. Sh*t sounded exceptional, very Aliens, very much in the vein of that narrative. In all honesty, I think that’s why it was killed. It skewed more Cameron than Scott, and Mr. Ridley took offense. He made Fox kill the Oates effort and ran wild with Prometheus; an unwieldy, up-it’s-own-ass, creation myth, that was too convoluted to execute such an existential narrative with any decorum, and was too pretentious to be accessible to the common man. We wanted an Alien part Deux. We got Chariot of the Gods. Sh*t was pretty, though. After what Scott hoped to pivot the franchise to, imploded critically, he got a second shot at it, delivering an origin story to the Xenos no one asked for. While STILL pivoting toward his weird AI fetish super hard. Somehow, Covenant was worse than Prometheus in almost every way. Sh*t didn’t “fix” anything. David is still the architect to the Xenomorphs as we know them. He’s still the thing which set up the events of LV-426. The Black Goo is still a primary fixture of the franchise. Both Prometheus and Covenant are still canon. That’s dumb. However, the way Romulus addresses those things, really allowed me to accept those really, really, dumb, situations.

Mild spoilers, but the Aliens in Romulus are not the same Aliens from LV-246. They are reversed engineered by Rook, an Ash model android, from the remains of Big Chap. Rook was able to synthesize a strain of the black goo, I think it was called the Prometheus Strain, and even referenced Waylan’s death. What this told me was that, while the black goo was a really dumb addition to the overall narrative, I couldn’t be all that upset about it because Fede Alvares was able to make it feel legit. This strain of the Black Goo was different than the one the Engineers had. It produced subtly different versions of the Xenos. The facehuggers, for example, were larger, more mobile, and had barbs on their tendrils to grip faces better. The Xenos were larger and had a digitigrade stance, something that wasn’t solidified until Resurrection which, like Romulus, saw their Xenomorphs forged through genetic manipulation, not the natural processes or life cycle for the creatures. I was able to connect all of the threads and genuinely accept that Xenos can exist in an infinite number of forms, that the goo is hard coded to “create” a version of that creature. David's stupid f*cking experiments, explaining some sh*t that needed no explanation, can just be the version HE developed. His iteration to these random horrors, is the Queen. I imagine his version is the first version to have the egg. That is how HIS Xenomorph develops. I get that. I understand that. That's why the Big Chap in Alien is slightly different than the ones in Romulus. Different strain, but engineered from David's attempt. It's still dumb, but it makes it easier to accept whatever the f*ck is going on in the comics.

What really hammered it home for me was the Xeno-baby at the end of the film. Seeing that thing basically grow into a cross between a Xenomorph and Engineer was wild, all thanks to the nu-goo. It really threw me back to all those Kenner alien variations and, just like that, I got it. I got Prometheus. I got Covenant. I got Alien as a macro franchise and not just one of my favorite two films. It was a rough, four decade journey, but we got back to zero. Romulus does not work without the soft canonization of the prequels and I am okay with that because of how good it is. This is an Alien film, through and through, course-correcting the franchise in a similar way Prey did with Predator. It feels like Fede gets it and I can’t wait to see what the sequel has in store because this thing pretty much doubled its budget. It’s definitely getting another one. Unless the show is balls. If Aliens: Earth tanks, I might have another four decades of bullsh*t ahead of me because I kind of hate what Marvel is doing on the comic end of things. The games are dope at least.

[h0rnyv01d]

0: Height

1: Virgin?

2: Shoe size

3: Do you smoke?

4: Do you drink?

5: Do you take drugs?

6: Age you get mistaken for

7: Have tattoos?

8: Want any tattoos?

9: Got any piercings?

10: Want any piercings?

11: Best friend?

12: Relationship status

13: Biggest turn ons

14: Biggest turn offs

15: Favorite movie

16: I’ll love you if

17: Someone you miss

18: Most traumatic experience

19: A fact about your personality

20: What I hate most about myself

21: What I love most about myself

22: What I want to be when I get older

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)

24: My relationship with my parent(s)

25: My idea of a perfect date

26: My biggest pet peeves

27: A description of the girl/boy I like

28: A description of the person I dislike the most

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend

30: What I hate the most about work/school

31: What your last text message says

32: What words upset me the most

33: What words make me feel the best about myself

34: What I find attractive in women

35: What I find attractive in men

36: Where I would like to live

37: One of my insecurities

38: My childhood career choice

39: My favorite ice cream flavor

40: Who wish I could be

41: Where I want to be right now

42: The last thing I ate

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately

44: A random fact about anything

oop this is long so

1: yeah lol

2: 6

3: nope, gotta keep them lungs healthy to stay slutty

4: nopity nope, i’m so scared of saying something i’ll regret while drunk

5: again, nope 😭😭

6: recently people have been offering me kids menus at restaurants? it’s odd, idk how old they think i am but

7: no :(

8: i wanna get a star pattern on my collarbone at some point, and maybe a jellyfish on my upper arm

9: yep! regular lobe, and a cartilage piercing on my right ear

10: i wanna get a bunch of piercings, but just on my ears, i’m getting a conch piercing on my left soon

11: probs my friend sophia but you wouldn’t know her obv lol

12: it’s complicated- we’re both into each other, and weve dated in the past, but neither of us is willing to b like “let’s get back together”

13: men just casually hinting at something they’re into. it just makes my brain go WILD with possibilities

14: being mean outside of sex

15: cinderella (1950)

16: i’ll love you if you’re sweet (my standards are so low i’m sorry)

17: my friends i don’t talk to anymore

18: i’ve had two seizures, and those were probably the worst moments of my life

19: i’m clingy but i won’t admit it

20: my chin and my need for attention

21: i got that hourglass figure <3

22: i wanna be an author!!

23: i have one little sister, i love her, but she’s nuts sometimes

24: no father, and my mom is more like a big sister than a mother to me

25: any date is perfect as long as i’m with someone i love. but if i had to pick, watching fireworks together

26: people pronouncing my city name wrong, idk why

27: he’s a lil short, he’s got curly blonde hair, and he’s so sweet, he wants to be lawyer someday

28: the person i dislike most has greasy brown hair, is 5’6, and looks like he doesn’t shower

29: protecting feelings, and also i’ve lied if i thought it’d help repair friendships

30: waking up early!! i hate getting up at 6

31: “will you wake up if i send you more pictures of cats i like, or should i wait until tomorrow?”

32: ‘we need to talk’

33: i’ve gotten told i look like cinderella twice today :)) that made me feel so amazing

34: i’m more attracted to men than women, but i’ve noticed that whenever i’m into women, they tend to be really strong

35: brunettes for some reason

36: tbh i’m perfectly fine in florida

37: my laugh

38: i used to want to be a marine biologist, and while that field is still incredibly interesting to me, i think i’d rather write

39: vanilla, i’m a basic bitch <3

40: adelaide kane, shes dropdead gorgeous i’d love to be her

41: greece, because apparently there’s a ton of cats!!

42: i had a banana a few hours ago

43: chris hemsworth. on his poster for thor: ragnarok, he literally fits leonardo da vinci’s idea of perfection, so i will unapologetically be saying this

44: the blue whale is the largest animal to have ever lived

[daiziesssart]

Hey, @daiziesssart

I just want to say that I’m in LOVE with the way you draw Lily. Honestly, you have such incredible talent and the amount of details that you put into each drawing, it always leaves me speechless! I’m so happy that you share your talent, I hope you know that you have such a beautiful talent. 🥺

If you don’t mind me asking, how long does each drawing take? Not just time-wise, but also do you have an idea in mind when you begin the drawing? Or do you get ideas in the middle and switch up the piece you are currently working on?

I hope you are doing well ❤️

OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO SWEET??? this message was like the writing equivalent of a warm hug i’m going to be thinking about it forever

gonna put this under a read more because honestly this got so long and i do not know how that happened i am so sorry?????? omg

i absolutely don’t mind!! to be honest, my art process is SO chaotic and unorganized, which is a direct reflection of my brain, lol. sometimes i get ideas and i’ll be drawing them in the same day, and other times what i post is an idea that i’ve had cooking in my noggin for awhile and finally managed to draw it (although it seems like the ones that i draw immediately when they come to mind perform a lot better, so maybe there’s something to be said about not overthinking an idea and just draw it pfff) just as an example, these ones are ideas i drew in the same day, whereas this one was Marinating in my noggin for awhile

i’m also a HUGE perfectionist, to the point where me tweaking and overcorrecting is a majority of my time spent on my art, lol. like i’ll be 90% of the way finished with an art piece, find something i suddenly Hate and then i redraw that entire thing. and then usually i end up realizing that i was just imagining things from staring at my own art for too long and then change it back to how it was originally LOLOL (i do this almost every time) that being said, i feel like i’m a pretty slow artist bc of that which is something i’m trying to work on!! sometimes i’ll even finish something, hate how it looks and start it completely from scratch lol

i do tend to switch sometimes! i have crazy adhd so i’m usually Super Focused on whatever i’m currently working on, but if i’m not liking how it’s turning out, i’ll start a new idea and come back to that one later (maybe) (i have so many unfinished jily wips) (help me)

(most of my jily wips are wips because most of my ideas are definitely suited better for writing and i have not written a fanfic since i was 14 and writing fanfiction for victorious and icarly)

THANK U SO MUCH FOR BEING SO SWEET MWAH

[dokidokitsuna]

I’ve been thinking about this experience a lot lately, so I’m going to write a cathartic little blurb about it and hopefully just get it out of my head:

So a year or two ago, on this forum I belong to that’s mostly populated by other comic artists and writers, I started a thread to ask for suggestions about writing a character with no friends. Because I wanted to write this MC more like a normal girl, without “using my own art-obsessed life as a blueprint”-- basically, being an artist means I always have something to do alone, which makes being alone matter less, and I know it wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t ‘like this’. But I don’t know any other way to live, so I wanted some outside perspectives.

What I didn’t anticipate was the appalling things people were willing to say to me about the mere idea of writing about a character with no friends...I’m not going to quote any of those comments directly, because the worst ones were actually pretty long and complex, and maybe I’m just being optimistic, but I believe they were mainly emotional reactions based on the hurt that they had felt during similar times in their lives (basically, the people who were MOST adamant that such a character should not exist were those who had also been friendless before, as backwards as it sounds).

But, uh...that emotion did not come out in good ways. o_O And just in general, being hurt is not an excuse to dehumanize others...which is exactly what happened. I got people telling me things like “forming friendships is a fundamental part of the human experience, why would you take that away” and “isn’t there enough sadness in the world without writing something so depressing” and “how do you expect to progress her story in any compelling way without relationships to base it on”...

Like, stuff so narrow-minded and unexpected (I’d been in that forum for over 4 years at that point) I was too shocked to even get angry.

Fortunately, most of the people who replied decided to be normal about it, but the fact that multiple people genuinely thought those things were okay to say, as if they carried no real-world implications whatsoever...that stuck with me. :/ It was genuinely upsetting that they apparently looked at that topic and went “Gee, I wonder why this clearly neurodivergent, introverted, seasoned writer wants to explore the concept of not having friends...it couldn’t possibly be a lived experience that they want to express through a fictional character...no, it MUST be because they just don’t understand how people or stories work, and I have to warn them before they make a terrible mistake!!”

And even if it wasn’t personal to me, and I was just writing it to explore a different worldview (as writers often do)...why the taboo?? Why is this, of all things, a character/story that ‘no one wants to read’?? So many threads started in that forum (some of them also by me) about stories starring murderers and abusers and actual supervillains go uncontested, but a story about a cute magical girl who just doesn’t happen to have friends crosses the line...? 

Even now I can’t understand why the reaction was so severe...generally, I think ‘social skill issues’ tend to hit people really close to home, but the idea of responding to such a thing with disgust and revulsion rather than kindness and understanding (or y’know, encouragement to portray a commonly stigmatized life experience in a non-negative light)...that escapes me. Even if I didn’t feel emotionally ready (?) to read about such an MC, I would never have the gall to try to guilt someone out of writing them.

Anyway, I don’t really have a snappy conclusion to make here...it’ll probably take a few more years of marinating in my brain for me to fully process what happened there. ._. I guess if anything I just wanna say that people without any friends or just people without any close friends exist in real life, we’re not all depressed and suicidal (in fact, some of us are-- dare I say it-- HAPPY regardless) and we still have lives and goals and thoughts and futures. Our stories matter, and other people don’t need to be ‘protected’ from them. That’s all.

[sky-squido]

For the ask game: Q, X, and, Y?

HI YES THIS ASK IS FROM SEPTEMBER—ANYWAY MOVING ON

Q: Do you have any discarded scenes/storylines/projects?

Yeah, actually! I never post anything to Ao3 unless I’m 100% sure I’m going to finish it (even if it takes me literal years). That means both that I’ve never gonna perma-hiatus/abandon a fic if it’s on Ao3 and also that there are a lot of things floating around that I’ve actually put some legwork into that haven’t really gotten anywhere and I doubt I’ll get around to, so they've never really seen the light of day.

i was gonna permadeath hyrule and then i didn’t, details here

i did some light drafting and outlining of a story where the Four Sword splits Sky. it’d have to be long to do it justice and i didn’t wanna commit to that with two active WIPS on Ao3 at the time. i have just finished To Isolate, but i have 30k words of celestial navigation nonsense to now balance with hey four so i doubt i’ll get around to this one

i’ve got 4k words of legend slowly opening up to sky and telling him things and growing much closer and then very belatedly realizing that he knows next to nothing about sky himself. i started it in someone’s discord dms, but it wasn’t really going anywhere that excited me so i dropped it. if people want me to slap what i do have of discarded sketches-but-writing like this one on tumblr, let me know, though i warn you that they’ll all cut off partway through and be deeply unsatisfying

i’ve got 2.5k words of outline for something that’s kind of the same idea i mentioned in bullet 3 but it pulls wind into the mix and instead of being an i-just-dove-in-and-started-writing, it’s a pretty solid outline of something i just didn’t feel like fleshing out. the working fic title was “don’t look at me, i won’t be able to smile for you.”

i have another doc titled “haha lol legend is a punching bag.” this is a very apt title. legend gets nabbed by a baddie, puts up a heck of a fight tryna get away, almost manages, and then gets caught for real, bonked with malice, and unleashed onto his friends because we love to see link v link combat and the old i-know-you’re-in-there-somewhere fight. kind of an extension of that Malice!Legend ficlet i slapped on here a long while ago, but it does way more things. this one’s just an outline.

i’ve got 1k words of legend on koholint talking to marin after realizing the island was fake. had a cool take on marin, but wasn't really the vibe

i have this vague, very fluid concept that’s just “five times legend was helpless and one time he refused to be again.” what those five times are vary every time i try outlining it, but it’s just a lot of legend running into different kinds of The One Problem He Can’t Solve and struggling to cope with not being omnipotent. might actually revisit this one cuz i still like it a lot and i think there were some good ideas in here. my biggest problem with it is the “and one time he refused to be again” because i don’t like the implication that the solution to not being omnipotent is just to Try Harder but “five times legend was helpless and one time he accepted it” just sounds depressing. i’m very open to suggestions on this one!

i’ve got 2k words (written, not an outline) of four coming back to camp one night with red Very Much In Charge so his eyes are very red and then hyrule thinks he’s possessed and draws his sword on him and red freaks out and ditches and the other three have to figure out what’s going on. i didn’t really think it was going anywhere interesting but what really stopped me from continuing was that i started writing four Very Much Like A System and it was cool but then i started researching the neuroscience behind it and psychologist brain went wheeeeeee and now thinking about the fic just makes me want to do research instead of working on it oop

this one venty thing of hyrule just having no energy whatsoever and not wanting to talk to anyone. then he climbs a tree and feels a bit better. that’s literally it, and this one is actually complete, i just didn’t feel like posting it anywhere, though i can plop it here if y’all want.

then i have a silly AU outlined where all of the LU boys are either students or instructors at a flight school (like for airplanes and pilots n stuff). it would have to be really infodumpy though and i’m doing enough of that with my celestial navigation fic. the characters and world are fun but i also didn’t really have a storyline i liked so this hasn’t gone anywhere

there are probably more kicking around but i can’t find them right now

as for discarded scenes and storylines within fics i have actually written, there definitely are some, but i don’t really have any way of keeping track of them. the one i remember most vividly is that there was gonna be a part in to isolate ch.8 where sky overhears legend playing ballad of the wind fish and wind asks him about it and legend says he was hoping this was all some bad dream he could wake up from, but it didn’t really fit in the flow of the narrative we ended up with. there are actually a lot of deleted scenes from chapters 8 onwards because the outline and the actual thing are virtually unrecognizable as being part of the same fic.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer. All of them, obviously, but Wind and Four have been climbing that particular ladder! we need more content of them being deep and interesting and mature together (and wind especially, solo) and what better way to explore that than through strategically deployed angst and suffering!! this bodes well for Hey Four >:3

Y: A character you want to protect. all of them, believe it or not, but right now it’s mostly Legend, shockingly! he’s been my favorite punching bag for a while, but i’ve also noticed myself growing increasingly gentle with what i put him through and how i have him take it lately because these days it's actually way more interesting for me to be kind to him than to bully him

thank you for the ask and i hope you don't miss my reply considering it's been several months sfkghskghsdlfgjsdkl take care!!

[smokeybrand]

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I feel like I've been super negative on this blog lately so let me straight up gush about something I've recently loved. Alien: Romulus was amazing. I’ve spoken at length about this before, but I am a massive fan of the franchise. It’s not part of my Pillars, but it’s definitely a support strut. Alien, to me, is as perfect as a film can get, and Aliens is a perfect example of Eighties excess. Go big or go home. The Queen Xenomorph is one of my all-time creature designs but my zeal for that universe was solidified with the Dark Horse comics. Some of the first comics I bought myself, with my own money, were Alien books. I ended up getting the first issue of Aliens: Earth War (before it was called Earth War) and the initial AvP run. That sh*t ended up taking a ton of space in my head, rent free, for years. Machiko Noguchi is the second best protagonist, after Ripley, herself. I had all of the Kenner figures and their little mini comics, too. Just the Xenos, though. I didn’t give a sh*t about the Marines. I remember lamenting I never got that “good” Queen Xeno, just the flying one. I love this franchise. So imagine my utter desperation for a competent big screen outing, after literally four goddamn decades of sh*t. The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 was pretty decent but everything after that was just awful. All of it. Including the prequels. I really f*cking hate the prequels. That resentment is actually a boon for Romulus because the way they incorporated that part of the mythos into this film, went a long way toward my acceptance of those ill-conceived and wholly convoluted, ego strokes. Romulus is so good, they make all of this cats-for-brains ideas in the Prequels, tolerable.

I don’t care for Prometheus because it came at the cost of Blomkamp’s Alien 5. I’ve seen a bit of that concept art and listened to Weaver just absolutely gush about the plot. Sh*t sounded exceptional, very Aliens, very much in the vein of that narrative. In all honesty, I think that’s why it was killed. It skewed more Cameron than Scott, and Mr. Ridley took offense. He made Fox kill the Oates effort and ran wild with Prometheus; an unwieldy, up-it’s-own-ass, creation myth, that was too convoluted to execute such an existential narrative with any decorum, and was too pretentious to be accessible to the common man. We wanted an Alien part Deux. We got Chariot of the Gods. Sh*t was pretty, though. After what Scott hoped to pivot the franchise to, imploded critically, he got a second shot at it, delivering an origin story to the Xenos no one asked for. While STILL pivoting toward his weird AI fetish super hard. Somehow, Covenant was worse than Prometheus in almost every way. Sh*t didn’t “fix” anything. David is still the architect to the Xenomorphs as we know them. He’s still the thing which set up the events of LV-426. The Black Goo is still a primary fixture of the franchise. Both Prometheus and Covenant are still canon. That’s dumb. However, the way Romulus addresses those things, really allowed me to accept those really, really, dumb, situations.

Mild spoilers, but the Aliens in Romulus are not the same Aliens from LV-246. They are reversed engineered by Rook, an Ash model android, from the remains of Big Chap. Rook was able to synthesize a strain of the black goo, I think it was called the Prometheus Strain, and even referenced Waylan’s death. What this told me was that, while the black goo was a really dumb addition to the overall narrative, I couldn’t be all that upset about it because Fede Alvares was able to make it feel legit. This strain of the Black Goo was different than the one the Engineers had. It produced subtly different versions of the Xenos. The facehuggers, for example, were larger, more mobile, and had barbs on their tendrils to grip faces better. The Xenos were larger and had a digitigrade stance, something that wasn’t solidified until Resurrection which, like Romulus, saw their Xenomorphs forged through genetic manipulation, not the natural processes or life cycle for the creatures. I was able to connect all of the threads and genuinely accept that Xenos can exist in an infinite number of forms, that the goo is hard coded to “create” a version of that creature. David's stupid f*cking experiments, explaining some sh*t that needed no explanation, can just be the version HE developed. His iteration to these random horrors, is the Queen. I imagine his version is the first version to have the egg. That is how HIS Xenomorph develops. I get that. I understand that. That's why the Big Chap in Alien is slightly different than the ones in Romulus. Different strain, but engineered from David's attempt. It's still dumb, but it makes it easier to accept whatever the f*ck is going on in the comics.

What really hammered it home for me was the Xeno-baby at the end of the film. Seeing that thing basically grow into a cross between a Xenomorph and Engineer was wild, all thanks to the nu-goo. It really threw me back to all those Kenner alien variations and, just like that, I got it. I got Prometheus. I got Covenant. I got Alien as a macro franchise and not just one of my favorite two films. It was a rough, four decade journey, but we got back to zero. Romulus does not work without the soft canonization of the prequels and I am okay with that because of how good it is. This is an Alien film, through and through, course-correcting the franchise in a similar way Prey did with Predator. It feels like Fede gets it and I can’t wait to see what the sequel has in store because this thing pretty much doubled its budget. It’s definitely getting another one. Unless the show is balls. If Aliens: Earth tanks, I might have another four decades of bullsh*t ahead of me because I kind of hate what Marvel is doing on the comic end of things. The games are dope at least.

[unfoldingmoments]

Life and Death and the Quantum Wave Function

I have met others like us,’ Hugo said. ‘You see, I have been in the in-between state for a long time. I have encountered a few other sliders. That’s what I call them. Us. We are sliders. We have a root life in which we are lying somewhere, unconscious, suspended between life and death, and then we arrive in a place. And it is always something different. A library, a video store, an art gallery, a casino, a restaurant . . . What does that tell you?’ Nora shrugged. And thought. Listening to the hum of the central heating. ‘That it’s all bullshit? That none of this is real?’ ‘No. Because the template is always the same. For instance: there is always someone else there – a guide. Only ever one person. They are always someone who has helped the person at a significant time in their life. The setting is always somewhere with emotional significance. And there is usually talk of root lives or branches.”

And there is always an infinite range of choices,’ Hugo went on. ‘An infinite number of video tapes, or books, or paintings, or meals . . . Now, I am a scientist. And I have lived many scientific lives. In my original root life, I have a degree in Biology. I have also, in another life, been a Nobel Prize-winning chemist. I have been a marine biologist trying to protect the Great Barrier Reef. But my weakness was always physics. At first I had no idea of how to find out what was happening to me. Until I met a woman in one life who was going through what we are going through, and in her root life she was a quantum physicist. Professor Dominique Bisset at Montpellier University. She explained it all to me. The many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics.

Erwin Schrödinger . . .’ ‘He of the cat.’ ‘Yes. The cat guy. He said that in quantum physics every alternative possibility happens simultaneously. All at once. In the same place. Quantum superposition. The cat in the box is both alive and dead. You could open the box and see that it was alive or dead, that’s how it goes, but in one sense, even after the box is open, the cat is still both alive and dead. Every universe exists over every other universe. Like a million pictures on tracing paper, all with slight variations within the same frame. The many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics suggests there are an infinite number of divergent parallel universes. Every moment of your life you enter a new universe. With every decision you make. And traditionally it was thought that there could be no communication or transference between those worlds, even though they happen in the same space, even though they happen literally millimetres away from us.

But the point is, there are others like us. I have lived so many lives, I have come across a few of them. Sometimes just to say your own truth out loud is enough to find others like you.’ ‘It’s crazy to think that there are other people who could be . . . what did you call us? ‘Sliders?’ ‘Yep. That.’ ‘Well, it’s possible of course, but I think we’re rare. One thing I’ve noticed is that the other people I’ve met – the dozen or so – have all been around our age. All thirties or forties or fifties. One was twenty-nine, en fait. All have had a deep desire to have done things differently. They had regrets. Some contemplated that they may be better off dead but also had a desire to live as another version of themselves.’ ‘Schrödinger’s life. Both dead and alive in your own mind.’ ‘Exactement! And whatever those regrets did to our brain, whatever – how would you say? – neurochemical event happened, that confused yearning for death-and-life was somehow just enough to send us into this state of total in-between.’ Why is it always just one person that we see? In the place. The library. Whatever.’ Hugo shrugged. ‘If I was religious, I’d say it was God. And as God is probably someone we can’t see or comprehend then He – or She – or whichever pronoun God is – becomes an image of someone good we have known in our lives. And if I wasn’t religious – which I’m not – I would think that the human brain can’t handle the complexity of an open quantum wave function and so it organises or translates this complexity into something it understands. A librarian in a library. A friendly uncle in a video store. Et cetera.”

“So,’ Nora said, ‘whatever exists between universes is most likely not a library, but that is the easiest way for me to understand it. That would be my hypothesis. I see a simplified version of the truth. The librarian is just a kind of mental metaphor. The whole thing is.”

“But what if one day there is no video store?’ Nora thought about Mrs Elm, panicking at the computer, and the flickering lights in the library. ‘What if one day you disappear for good? Before you have found a life to settle in?’ He shrugged. ‘Then I will die. And it means I would have died anyway. In the life I lived before. I kind of like being a slider. I like imperfection. I like keeping death as an option. I like never having to settle.’ ‘I think my situation is different. I think my death is more imminent. If I don’t find a life to live in pretty soon, I think I’ll be gone for good.’

She explained the problem she’d had last time, with transferring back.

Oh. Yeah, well, that might be bad. But it might not be. You do realise there are infinite possibilities here? I mean, the multiverse isn’t about just some universes. It’s not about a handful of universes. It’s not even about a lot of universes. It’s not about a million or a billion or a trillion universes. It’s about an infinite number of universes. Even with you in them. You could be you in any version of the world, however unlikely that world would be. You are only limited by your imagination. You can be very creative with the regrets you want to undo. I once undid a regret about not doing something I’d contemplated as a teenager – doing aerospace engineering and becoming an astronaut – and so in one life I became an astronaut. I haven’t been to space. But I became someone who had been there, for a little while. The thing you have to remember is that this is an opportunity and it is rare and we can undo any mistake we made, live any life we want. Any life. Dream big . . . You can be anything you want to be. Because in one life, you are.

'But you will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life,’ he said, wisely. ‘You’re quoting Camus.

Excerpt From: Matt Haig. “The Midnight Library.”