#before the ships all decide to sail to places I can't reach

[life-is-lifeing-hard]

It really has been a rough patch these last few days.

Oh well.

We keep living!

[jeonginsleftcheek]

The sun to me

Chapter XIV. Wither.

pairing: hwang hyunjin x afab!reader

word count: 2.2k

chapter summary: as the volcano errupts, some things must come to an end before the ship can set sail.

warnings: a character gets punched, brief mentions of blood, angsty

~ Masterlist for the series

~ next part

🖤 Black dahlia - pain and sorrow.

When Hyunjin had woken up the morning after arriving to the city, at first he was confused.

His hands automatically searched for you, reaching around his king sized bed only for it to be empty.

Then, it dawned on him, he was 'home', if he could even call it that. Deep inside his heart, he knows home is where you are.

Hyunjin unpacks the paintings he brought, the flowers with all the symbolisms you had taught him and your beautiful figure in many shapes and poses he admired.

He smiles at the thought of you, wishing you were here with him to make his cold apartment warmer.

As he looks around, he can't even connect his current self to his past one, the rich famous artist who spent thousands of dollars on furniture only; the modern apartment is gray and depressing, a complete opposite of your sunlit house full of colorful flowers, art and knick-knacks, a place that is lived in unlike this toneless place.

Charlie arrives to his apartment at 10am sharp.

"Look who decided to fucking show up."- Charlie says, but still wears a grin on his face.

"Me."- Hyunjin shrugs with a small smile, knowing Charlie is probably pissed at him but he has always been good with keeping his emotions at bay; otherwise he wouldn't be able to do the work he does.

"I should beat you up right now, but your face is too pretty so I don't wanna ruin that."- his manager shakes his head. "But, don't ever pull this shit again."- he adds menacingly.

"I have new material."- Hyunjin ignores the threat, his guess was right.

"You do know that almost everything sold out in your gallery? I had to pull some of your older paintings out of my ass. People have been asking about you."

"Yeah, what people?"- Hyunjin scoffs. "People who don't even know shit about me."

"Listen, I don't know what kind of spiritual awakening you had wherever you ran off to, and honestly I don't care. All I need is for you to be back for good and run your own gallery, Hyunjin. It's your responsibility and you left it to me. You have certain duties, you're under a contract, might I add."

"Will you stop talking for a fucking second?"- Hyunjin's face turns into a scowl and Charlie's lips part in surprise.

"Let me say one goddamn thing without interrupting me. I know I left all of my responsibilities to you and I'm sorry about that. I admit it wasn't the best move. But, I'm glad I took a break because I have found my love for art again, I have a whole new collection of paintings for an exhibition I would like to dedicate to someone important to me."- Hyunjin says.

"Okay, let's see them."- Charlie shrugs.

"After this though, I don't want to work with you anymore."- Hyunjin shakes his head.

"What?"- Charlie looks shocked.

"I'm moving. And I want to have someone who can tend to my gallery when I'm not here, but that someone needs to be someone I can trust."

"I thought we were friends."

"What kind of friends are we, Charlie? You don't really care about me at all, let's face it."- Hyunjin says. "Let's not make this dramatic."- he adds quickly as he starts unwraping the paintings.

He can see that Charlie is seething but in this moment he doesn't care, all he wants to do is get everything done as quickly as possible so he can come back to you soon.

"We'll see about that, Hwang."- Charlie says coldly as Hyunjin lays the paintings down on the counter.

"Here."- he says, ignoring Charlie's threats again.

Charlie leans over them and inspects them.

Suddenly, he starts laughing and Hyunjin looks at him confusedly.

"What the fuck is this, Hyunjin?"- he asks.

"W-what do you mean?"

"This is such a downgrade from what you usually do. This is like a child's painting, not a professional's. Aren't you supposed to be a professional artist, hm?"

Hyunjin hears his mother through Charlie's venomous words.

"What am I supposed to do with these? For fucks sake, you've been gone for months and this is the shit you came back with? Some flowers and some random girl?"

"Don't call her a random girl. She's not just a random girl."- Hyunjin's blood boils.

"I don't care who she is. I can't sell these. This doesn't belong in the museum. You have ruined everything. Have you fallen in love, is that it? You know that's just a bunch of crap, you can't trust women. All they want is your money."- Charlie is getting angrier.

"Like you do?"- Hyunjin spits out, the anger he buried deep inside him bubbling up, all the years of listening to his mother yelling insults at him are culminating and the volcano that is his heart is about to burst and overflow, burning everything in its wake.

"I'm your manager for fucks sake! This is my job! I can't do shit with these! These won't make us any money, Hyunjin. Do better."

Do better. Do better. Do better.

His mother's voice echoes inside his head, needles pricking the skin where it hurts the most, digging up old wounds with sharp nails.

Hyunjin doesn't even realize what he's doing but his fist clenches and he lifts it up, his knuckles colliding with Charlie's face.

It's nothing like the movies, it doesn't make you feel better, only makes the beast called rage grow bigger inside him, his hand throbs with pain, his skin red.

There's an uncomfortable crack that he heard when he hit Charlie's face and his manager gasps, hand flying to his nose to catch the drops of blood that started flowing out of his nostrils.

Hyunjin has no idea what came over him, it all happened in what seems less than a second and he knows he's a lover, not a fighter, regret and disappointment in his own actions overflow him instantly.

"For this, I will see you in court, Hwang Hyunjin."- Charlie waves his finger, pressing the sleeve on his other arm to his nose.

He spits on the floor next to Hyunjin's shoe and turns around quickly, leaving the apartment with hurried steps, his shoulders tensed in anger.

Hyunjin had gotten himself in trouble, and his career was now at stake.

He had immediately found the best lawyer he could, the battle he was going into with his now ex manager, was going to be a huge one.

He's not sure if it was Charlie, but his number got leaked to the media, resulting in so much harassment that he had to go out and change it.

The only light in Hyunjin's life was the letter he had received from you.

The only thing that kept him going was the thought of going back to you, to your warm love that made him grow and that made his heart blossom.

As he held the paper in his hands and read it, tears formed in his eyes, a smile on his face creating a rainbow of feelings he only had for you.

Hyunjin cherished the letter more than any expensive thing he ever owned as there wasn't a price he could put on your love.

He kept it together with the sketchbook you have filled together, memories of the island and the day Luna was drawing with you filling the papers, and between the colorful pages a withered petal of a red gardenia, one that got stuck in your hair, one that Hyunjin had kept in a moment he wished he could taste your lips.

So, with a pen in his hand he sat down and looked at the foggy city before him, and began to write a letter for you.

My beautiful muse,

you've no idea how much I miss you. A piece of you may have left with me, but my whole heart stayed on the island with you. I wish I could see our petunias blossom and paint them together with you, but I can't. I'll try to be back as soon as possible. The city isn't treating me too well, I have some things I need to take care of and it is exhausting. Not having you next to me is making it even harder. I need your love and support more than ever. I will tell you everything once I come back, do not worry about me, my love.

And you should put up the paintings, they will go nicely with your other decor. Looking forward to seeing that.

I'm thinking of you and your embrace every day too.

I love you more than you can imagine.

Forever yours, Hyunjin.

The letter traveled all the way to the hands of the ship's crew member, tucked into his jacket pocket.

The man had taken his jacket off, putting it aside and forgetting about it as the wind started wilding, the faster the ship sailed, picking the letter up and whirling it in the air until it landed into the blue sea, to be forgotten and never to arrive where it was supposed to.

Hyunjin's days were long and exhausting, the debates he had with his lawyer were mind-numbing and tiring to his soul.

Charlie tried every possible slimy way to bring Hyunjin down, trying to make up scandals where there were none, trying to dig up secrets that never existed, trying to scratch at wounds Hyunjin thought had healed.

Hyunjin felt worn out, and you never answering to his letter got him worried at first.

He was scared that something had happened to you, but he didn't want his mind to go to dark places immediately.

As the days went by, Hyunjin couldn't help but feel progressively more sad and hopeless.

There was no rest for him as everything rained down on him, his manager, the constant back and forth, the media harassing him to the point he had to close his gallery for the time being, scared that he would never be able to reopen it.

Rumours were going around tainting his name and Hyunjin wished you had reached out to him.

He wished you were there, with your sweet smile, your kind hands, your loving heart, your saccharine kisses.

But, as the summer was coming to an end and he has never heard back from you, his heart started to wither even worse than before he had felt your love.

Had you stopped loving him? The thought of losing you broke his heart into pieces, the emptiness threatening to consume him.

Life had no meaning if he didn't have you in it.

And as he finally managed to win with only a minor amount of money he had to pay to Charlie, and he was free of the rumours, the media found someone else to torture and make their victim, leaving Hyunjin alone, he felt part of the weight lift off of his shoulders.

He opened up his gallery with the intention he had before, to tell your love story through his paintings, even though his heart was heavy, filled with doubt and fear.

When the dust completely settled, Hyunjin tried calling Isaac's house but Isaac never answered.

He knew that Isaac would contact him any way he could, so there was definitely something going on, Hyunjin could feel it.

And he got his confirmation when a letter had arrived to his new studio apartment.

At first, his heart leaped out of his chest when he saw it was coming from the island, thinking you had finally answered him.

He ripped it open only to find out that Isaac has died and has left his estate to Hyunjin.

Sitting in shock, Hyunjin couldn't even cry.

And while he packed his suitcase, he wondered what will await for him when he arrives there.

But, there was one more thing Hyunjin had to do before leaving the city behind.

He picked his phone up, dialing the number of his mother's phone, the house he grew up in but could never call a home.

"Hello?"- she picks up with an indifferent voice.

"It's me, Hyunjin."

"Oh, Hyunjin!"- she says, her voice becoming a little squeaky. "How's it going?"

"Look, there is something I have to say."- Hyunjin swallows, the lump in his throat threatening to choke him.

"Yes?"

"I forgive you."- he lets out a shaky breath. "For every time you put me down and made me feel worthless. For every time you made me cry and called me good for nothing. For never being a good mother, never telling me you love me or holding me close. I forgive you."- a weight slowly lifts off of his chest, as hot tears race down his warm cheeks.

He hears an inhale and then a scoff.

"I don't need your forgiveness. I did what I had to do."- cold to the very end, it's like his mother hadn't even listened to a word he said.

"Me too, mother. Goodbye."- Hyunjin hangs up before she can retaliate, letting himself cry for a few more moments before he gathers all his courage and leaves with his suitcase behind him.

Once again, stepping foot on the faithful ship that had brought him to you, a turmoil of emotions inside him now where once he was numb, fear being the most prominent emotion that reflects in the sea around him.

Fear that you have moved on, and that he has no one left in this world who would truly love him.

Taglist: @moonchild9350 @janepg @velvetmoonlght @hwanghyunjinismybae @jehhskz @laylasbunbunny @porangporangmeong @jeonginslefthand @sapphirewaves @simpforleeknaur @laughatdanger @lixies-favorite-cookie @linavc @quokkacidal @thisaintredwine @m00gyu @yaorzu-blog @skzfelixlove @tajannah-price1 @puccaaak @aft2rsexs @xxkissesforchanniexx @aprilmaejune77 @lilmeowneow @stayjinnie @astrobebba @danihwang882 @kaysungshine @nchhuhi @1810cl @chartrucewhore @babigriin @jisuperboard @alisonyus @minluvly @instantsoulnight @kkamismom12 @its-stayville-forever @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @painterhyunjin @lemonadeboun @eastjonowhere

[somethingsomethingdrawing]

omg lore drop

Ssooo

Bout abunch if centuries ago, before Captain Jasper Cookie became a captain he was just a wee lad following around his father. Course he mostly swabbed the deck n' hosted the sail (Though he was quite frail at the time so it was quite difficult and someone else had to help him). Throughout the time being out at sea he's met quite a few cookies ofcourse, he eventually meets this odd octopus (Cough Cough LARIMAR COUGH) who offered to give him a prize "This little thing will be worth your while young sailor! All you gotta do is win my simple game!" Course it was a riddle game, though not too smart, Jasper Cookie managed to guess the right answer! "Well well well, looks like someone's finally won my game for once, that's a first.. Oh well! As promised, ya get your prize, now scram and enjoy the rest of your life" She said as she handed him the locket before slithering back to the black of the ocean. Course, Jasper wears the locket thinking nothing of it.

He returns to Abalone's ship and does his regular duty of swabbing the deck. And insert the mermaid's tale event happening, Abalone's ship is now SINKING thanks to black pearl (as she should) Jasper is still on the ship, hanging on whatever he can to not get soggy. Abalone is yelling for his son to help him (cuz why not) Of course it's his dad, Jasper wants to help him but something pulls him back, telling him to climb to the highest point of the sinking ship, he listens to whatever is filling his head and leaves his father to die. He gets to the highest point the ship of the ship and jumps, getting away from Black Pearl's raging vortex that swallows the ship (I can't remember if it was a vortex or not). Jasper swims away, looking back at the wails from the sinking ship. He feels guilty for leaving his father to die, but he kept swimming to shore.

After reaching shore, he plops onto the sand and processes the near death experience he went through. And after a long hard thought, he decided from that day forth he'd go on more dangerous adventures and eventually became a captain. During the adventures he found many a treasures, met new cookies and gained their trust, who which became part of his crew. Ofcourse over time he went on a CERTAIN journey with his crew, visiting the duskloom sea. Foolish sailors! People thought, watching as his ship and crew went sailing towards that deadly ocean. Eventually days go by, no sight of their return. Days turn into weeks, still no sign of ship. Weeks turn into months, months into a year. After twenty years of that ship going missing into the duskloom sea, everyone thought that the ship had sank and everyone abroad became soggy and succumb to their fate.

But- What in the world!? What's that blinding light coming from the darkness of that deadly sea!? Why it's a sturdy ship shining bright with crystallized armor! Shining so bright almost as if it were the sun itself! Once the ship made it back to the docks, Captain Jasper Cookie hopped off and gave a hearty hello to the curious cookies who nearly surrounded the entire ship! They were amazed how Jasper hadn't aged a single bit since he left! Course, they also wondered where has he been for the past two decades? How did he survive? Why such a blinding ship? And where was his crew!? Before any of those were answered, he simple dropped a large chest full of precious treasures! Golds, jewelry, emeralds, you name it! Everyone simply became too distracted by the treasures and thanking him they forgot they're questions!

Course, even hundreds years later no one knows the answers except for him! Some rumors spread about, some saying he never went to the duskloom sea in the first place! Some say he abandoned his crew! Even some think he's a ghost due to the ships very pale colors! And the eerie shine it has at night.. Spooky! Though he found himself with a whole new crew! Some of which sharing the eerie shine with the ship! People thought this whole new crew were all ghosts of his previous crew! Such a silly rumor. There was a rumor of a shining cookie helping the sailors escape. What nonsense! A mere cooking saving a whole boat from the wraith of black pearl cookie? Now that's just silly! Some speculate it was the Shining Knight who's rarely ever seen, yet there's hardly any proof of their existence! Only a single carving on some stone of a shimmering light floating between the sea and sky!

Besides that  w e e  ramble

That silly locket Jasper carries with him everywhere seems to be getting eyed at more frequently.. Many of greedy cookies have tried to offer him many things for that locket. But he's declined every offer ever given to him. Quite a few cookies tried to threaten him to give it up, but he simply laughs at their faces and walks off! They've tried to snatch the locket, only to be met with a face plant into the wall or floor! He only laughs at their pathetic attempts to steal the locket and goes on with his day! After a day of threats and fights, he goes back to his ship and sails out with his glimmering crew. No one knows where he goes next, nor when he leaves. He and his crew are quite the mystery! Yet Jasper never aging always baffles cookies! Leaving them to ponder how he does it!

I am NOT good at writing stuff shdkd

I'm still drawing bros crew cuz I decided to make em look COMPLICATED cries

YA GET A P E E K at two of em u3u ✨

[teezersfics]

Journey To Wonderland

˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚masterlist˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚

Genere : Fantasy, Royalty, Pirate

Pairing : Secret

Ch.2 / Ch.3 / Ch.4

Chapter 3 : The Journey

Admist all the stares, you fix yourself a little and stride a to reach till the railing near the waist of the ship. Basically where the newly hired crew is standing. It is so akward because you see almost all the men from the moment you have stepped on the ship and the stares you are receiving from every crew passing by, might be because you are the only woman who got picked up in the crew today Thought its been said that there are some women working on Destiny, you haven't seen a single woman yet. Maybe you will come across them soon, you think. The fact that sailors say that the Women should not be on the ship as they bring bad luck, as far as everyone's experience, many say its just a myth.

But, one thing is for sure, not a myth, its the fact that many people said that the Destiny is a huge ship. But now that you look at it by your own eyes, its not just huge, it's 'Humongous'. You are literally standing at the waist, but you still can't see the start or end of the ship clearly. This ship is literally 3 times bigger than any normal merchant ship that you have ever seen in your life.

(Info) :

[ To describe the ship a little, the ship has two floor above its main deck and three floors below, two floors of 3 rooms each, at the Forecastle and two floors at the stern, there are also small 4 interconnected rooms in the middle of the waist of the ship, mostlyfor storage of goods. Three masts holds the sails also containing crows nest on all three of them. The opening of stairs near the Forecastle, Stern and Waist of the ship leads you to the vast hallway below the ship. First and Second floor below contains rooms for all the crew with kitchen at the start of the First. The third floor contains mostly storage, Sickbay, Orlop Deck, etc, where main functions of the ship takes place. Basically, a ship that never feels boring and is full of surprises. ]

You have just stepped on the ship, but you already feel like running adventure of discovering the secrets in the ship. As you are eyeing the ship your eyes fall on the bright red flag with black design on it that you can't quiet figure out, because it is on top of the main-mast and momentarily you zone out in distance. You think about what your role will be on this ship. Will they keep you on the ship or not? Will they really let you guide? What will happen once they reach Wonderland? The more you think, the more questions cross your mind and you force yourself to stop thinking. Waiting is only option.

As you are waiting with the other crew you see a man approaching you. He is tall and muscular, walking with much confidence than any other crew. The way it is so easy to tell that he might be any Senior Rank holder. For an unknown reason you feel goosebumps on your body. He stands in front of the crew. To your surprise, a small smile forms on his face making his eyes dissappear. That eases your nervousness a little.

"Hello Crewmates. I am Combatant, Song Mingi. And for now I am going to give you a brief introduction about the ship and tell you all about the various roles on ship. Afterwards you can decide whether you want to stay on the ship or not."

After hearing the latest sentence you including some crew frown. Before asking any questions, he answers.

"Above everything, the most important thing is that no matter what your job is on the ship, no matter which role you assign for, when we are under attack, you have to fight for the ship." There is a short pause. "Including Women" He says shortly eyeing you. You quickly avert your gaze feeling kind of inferior. But his gaze lingers a moment longer, as if he is examining you. When your eyes meet, he looks away with a stern expression on his face, back to the crew.

"Come on everyone, follow me" He says and starts walking.

"So, as we are at the waist of the ship, the first thing we see are these rooms. These are 4 connected rooms and each room contains different storage, like, newly installed stock, cleaning supplies, sails and ropes, and weapons. As we go ahead-"

As he is giving you the instructions, you are tailing the crew, walking slowly and observing.

But as you all are walking, the man from before, who was recruiting the crew, pierces the the group of crew ignoring Combatant Mingi, halting the ongoing instructions. Soon you realise he is heading straight towards you making you conscious. He stops in front of you, eyeing you with his dragon eyes.

"I will need this girl for some business. Captain's call." He says and starts walking. Not knowing what to do, you just start following him.

"But what about the instructions?" Combatant Mingi asks, with a dumbfounded expression. The man leading me just gives a flat stare to Mingi as he passes by, while you just awkwardly bow to him before jogging behind your guide.

As you are walking behind him you notice an armband on his right arm, the same that you noticed on Combatant Mingi's arm. You guess that it might be to tell that he can be holding a higher position on the ship unlike other crew who do not have armbands. As if he senses your gaze on him he turns his head back to look at you, just in time when you are looking at the back of his head. His eyes now staring into yours. As if he is studying your face.

But for some reason you don't feel like tearing your gaze from him, you just keep looking at him. Some seconds later he clears his throat looking away, which makes you look away too. Still his face lingers on the back of your mind. You don't know why, but, his eyes seem oddly familiar to you. Not only his eyes, but his face, as if you have seen him, met him before.

You shrug the thought as you enter the stairs leading below the deck. You sense that your heartbeats are growing faster, the closer you get to the Captain's Cabin. As you enter the Captain's Cabin, there are already some crew, who are having some business with him. You can't properly see him because of the crew covering the sight. But, he is sitting at the head of a long table and many sheets and maps scattered in front of him. As the other crew are dismissed, it's your time to face him now.

As you step ahead,you keep your head low, not daring to face him directly. Unlike any other person on the ship, he is dressed so heavily and is wearing a big brown leather hat.

"So, is this the girl Seonghwa."

Seonghwa, so it is the name of this grumpy man.

"Yes." Seonghwa answers.

You see the Captain from corner of your eye but only his lips and nose are visible. Eyes, covered in shadow of the hat.

"Ok so, fill me up with the information."

They both are waiting for you to speak.

"Umm... I will be guiding you to Wonderland."

There is a pause.

"Tell us something that we don't know?" You curse under your breathe, your brain is malfunctioning at the point.

"I mean I know the route, the most convenient way to reach till Wonderland."

"Okay, so from today, your job is to tell the further route."

"NO" You instantly reply as soon as you hear that.

And there is just silence.

"What do you mean by 'No'?" Seonghwa asks.

"I mean not yet."

You can hear two, loud and clear scowls.

Captain starts speaking in a serious and intimidating voice, "Listen Girl, if you are hear just for wasting our time, or if you are spy of any Kingdom or navy or....if you have any other ill intentions, and we find out, then..."

There's a sinister smirk on Seonghwa's face, as if he knows what captain is talking about.

"Then, we will make you work mercilessly on then ship without water or food, then you will be put into brig and tortured until you die and then will be fed to sharks. Does that sounds appealing to you? Or you can decide to tell the truth about you and get off the ship next time we stop on an island. Get it?"

You are completely shocked by hearing the threat. No, this can't be happening.

In attempts of remembering the route, you shut your eyes close. As expected, those images and moments pass in your mind again. You can't figure out anyone's faces but those ships, islands, stars, maps, gates. Its as if you have lived those moments before. You open your eyes, more confident than before. And you answer:

"No, I know the route, but I will be able to guide you from the Sapphire Sea."

"Why?" He asks.

"Because I know the route from there. I promise."

"But according to the information we have, the route goes from Brown Sea, which is opposite of Sapphire Sea."

"Then we are going in wrong direction Captain." You insist.

"How can you be so confident."

"It's- it's because I know. I know where I went through. I know each and every island and all the constellations that lead us there. Because I have seen those doors, appearing in middle of the sea, out of no where, I have seen that...magic."

You let it out all at once, as if you were dying to tell them this. It was as if you are in trance, as if you desperately want to prove that you are only one who can lead them correctly. You try so hard to run your brain to remember when did all of this happen, but you recall nothing. With whom you went to Wonderland with, or when. Nothing comes to your mind. You only get flashbacks of little little moments.

You breathe out realising that the room is dead quiet. The Captain rises from his seat, you see him removing his hat before walking towards your direction. Still, you didn't dare to look up at him.

But you get nervous when he keeps walking closer to you.

When he stops, there is not even one hand distance between you two.

"Look at me."

He commands and you follow without a word. You look up at him, directly meeting his eyes, and you never expected the captain to be this gorgeous man.

Now, he speaks in unexpectedly soft voice.

"What was your name again?"

"Park Jaehwa....."

Chapter 4 : New Life

[yujo-nishimura]

The Escape - Part 36

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 - Part 26 - Part 27 - Part 28 - Part 29 - Part 30 - Part 31 - Part 32 - Part 33 - Part 34 - Part 35

As you wake up from another slumber, you notice a tray of soup and bread placed beside your bed. Hunger suddenly surges through you, and you sit up slowly, beginning to sip the soup. It's one of the most delicious meals you've had in a while, and to your surprise, it's still warm. You savor each spoonful of this heaven-like meal.

Shortly after finishing the soup, the cook, Sanji, enters the room to check on you. He rushes over eagerly, addressing you with a touch of chivalry that you can't quite decipher—whether it's a playful act or a genuine aspect of his character.

"Y/n-swaaaan, did you enjoy the soup I just made for you?" he asks, his enthusiasm palpable. You hand him the tray, and as your fingers accidentally brush against his, you notice a hint of melting in his expression. Compared to the other men you've encountered on the Grand Line, at least he doesn't hold back his feelings, which adds a certain charm to his demeanor.

"It was wonderful, thank you so much!" you reply gratefully. Amusement dances in your eyes as he bombards you with offers. "Can I get you anything else, my dear? Coffee? Tea? More soup? Perhaps a healing and reassuring embrace?"

You laugh, realizing that if you were to accept any further offers, you'd need to send him off to fetch some coffee to avoid eventually landing in his arms. He appears content with simply being able to do anything for you, and he practically floats upstairs to fulfill your heart's desires. You find solace in this unconditional kindness, a gesture you hadn't encountered for a while on the Grand Line. 

After several days of enjoying Sanji's delicious cooking and receiving excellent care from Chopper, your strength returns, and the swelling on your hip nearly vanishes. Stepping onto the deck, you finally meet the rest of Luffy's crew. Zoro, the always sleepy swordsman, catches your eye, while Usopp, the skilled sniper with an exaggerated nose and inflated ego, stands nearby. You also have the opportunity to meet with Nami again, confirming your suspicion that she had been the one to notice your distress and discover your note.

"As soon as we had proof that you needed help, I asked these two monsters to bring you back," Nami shares, smiling as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In that moment, you feel an overwhelming desire to hug her, but you understand that your friendship is not yet at a point where such displays can be shown publicly.

Luffy descends from the ship's second level, casually draping his arm around your shoulder in an intimate gesture. You can't help but feel relieved that it was Luffy who found you.

"So, I heard we're going to beat up a clown again?" Zoro remarks from his seated position near the mast.

"No," you reply quietly, a determined glint in your eyes. "I will be the one to take down the clown. You all just sit back and watch."

After several days of sailing and following the logpose you reach another island which looks deserted but at least not as hot and dry as Alabasta. Nami decides to take a stop at the island until the logpose is stored again, also trying to encourage everyone to come up with a plan to find the Buggy pirates. “We cannot continue our adventure on the Grand Line before Y/n didn't have her revenge!” Usopp shouts, he had completely taken your side after he learned that you were not only a fellow pirate but a strong fighter as well.

“Don't you think we can somehow lure Buggy to this island and beat him up here?” Sanji asks. “We don't even know how to reach him..”, Nami remarks. “I know he has a transponder snail.”, you look at your friends hoping this new knowledge about the clown pirate would help to find a feasible solution. 

“We can also just wait here and hope he eventually comes to get you.” Luffy laughs.

“I am sure Crocodile has informed him that you have escaped. If it is true what you said about them seeming to be friends Buggy might be already on his way to get you back.”

"Why would he...?" you begin to question, your shoulders slumping. Deep down, a part of you still yearns for Buggy to come for you, to rescue you, to engage in a fierce battle, even if it means being abducted again. It's difficult to fathom that, in your own despair and longing for his attention, any scenario could satisfy you at this point. Nami senses your conflicting emotions and the sadness in your voice. She reaches out to you, attempting to offer solace and lift your spirits. "Y/n, I'm sure he'll come for you. After evading Crocodile, he now has the chance to claim your bounty."

As Nami's words sink in, a mixture of emotions swirls within you. Her attempt to offer encouragement and lift your spirits is evident, but the underlying truth hits you with a wave of sadness. Buggy's perception of you solely as a bounty, a means to claim rewards, weighs heavily on your heart.

[bigfootsboytoy]

Partly inspired by This Post, but here is my vision for the start of OFMD season 2. 

We open with Stede trying to sqeeze the crew of the revenge onto his tiny little rowboat, our first title card spelled out in rocks on the shore of the tiny island they were marooned on They make their way to try and find the revenge, while the crew fill Stede in on Eds descent into heartbroken madness. Meanwhile, back on the revenge, Izzy has managed to convince Ed that they should find the toughest pirate ship around and wage war. He needs to assert dominance and reclaim his place as the most fearsome pirate out there. Jim and Frenchie are forced to watch and assist as they plan what is surely a suicide mission. The rest of the episode is a comedy of errors, where the crew finally reach the revenge in the middle of a grand battle. People reunite, some hilarious battles go down, and yet Stede and Ed keep barely missing eachother, never quite coming face to face. 

At the height of the battle, the mast of the revenge has been hit by canon-fire and is going down. Just before it crashes to the deck, right onto Ed, Stede pushes him out of the way. They made eye contact as they’re sprawled on the deck, chaos around them, and we cut to credits.* 

Then, episode 2 opens with Ed and Stede together in bed. Discarded clothes are all around the captains cabin, and they’re clearly very naked and very satisfied. Izzy opens the door only to back away slowly when he catches sight of him. The titlecard is spelled out on Stedes discarded robe. 

The rest of the episode is told in a backwards format, showing the reuinion between Ed and Stede, as well as the crew of the revenge trying to fix the mast of the ship so that they can sail again. The ship can’t sail without a working mast, and the crew can’t function without captains who are happy together again. During this time we watch Izzy losing himself to his rage, and Jim finding Lucius who had locked himself in the same trunk that Jim locked him in before.    Ed and Stede talk, finally admitting their feelings fully and explaining what happened while the other was gone. There’s bumps in the road, of course. Stede isn’t happy that Ed threw Lucius overboard and marooned his crew. Ed is still reeling from beliveing he had been abandoned. Luckily Lucius is able to provide some group therapy. 

The final scene shows that the mast has been repaired, and this whole backwards story has been Lucius relaying the events to Frenchie, who was knocked unconcious when the mast fell. When asked why the story is out of order Lucius says he mixed up the pages, but “I prefer the drama of telling it backwards, so I just left them like that.” 

We see our co-captains, happily watching the crew while they sit around the new mast. It's a little messy, kinda lopsided, but it works again. Doesn't have to be perfect to sail the ship.                                                                                        Stede has his head leaned on Ed's shoulder but then he pauses.                    "Oh, wait. There's one more thing I think we have to talk about."                    "And what would that be mate?"                                                                              "The way you decided to throw out perfectly beautiful fabric like this. I'm a little mad to be honest. Furious even."                                                                      Except despite claiming anger, he's smiling at Ed when he pulls out the red cloth.                                                                                                                      "You found it."                                                                                                  "Blew right in my face while I was trying to find you. Might have some blood on it now but it blends right in, can't even see it."                                                        And he puts it back into his pocket. Then Ed gives him a sly littke grin.                  "Waste of time. You're just gonna pull it out again when you tear my clothes off." "I will NOT I gave you those clothes!" And they walk inside together, bickering about clothes, feeling at peace for the first time in a very long time. 

The final shot of the episode is the red cloth, now flying alongside the flag of the revenge.

*My partner @raspberryjerry is of the opinion that in this moment, when they lock eyes, the song that should be playing is Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) by Looking Glass. So please feel free to envision that song specifically with this scene 

[rainbows-fanfics]

Help Unwanted (Chapter 7)

Summary: After losing the Pirate, Deacon is unwillingly paired with a partner to help with his job. The only problem is - they can't stand each other, and time is dwindling until he can re-capture all his lost prisoners.

Human AU of the Armada from Pirate101.

Pairings: Deacon/Queen!Deacon, Deacon/OC

--

Deacon traversed the ship in a relatively good mood - easily forgiving one of the marines when they accidentally bumped into him. Speaking with Rooke lifted his spirits. He desperately needed reassurance in a time like this. He made a mental note to have a drink as soon as he could. He needed to unwind in a way that strayed from his cigarette pack. He felt bothered by how much he’d been smoking lately…

He boarded the Executioner and supervised the remaining sailors. Once all the cargo was onboard, they thanked Rooke and his temporary crew before sailing away. They moved towards the nearest stormgate that would take them to Cool Ranch. As soon as he was positioned at the captain’s wheel, Dea casually slipped to his side.

“You must know each other pretty well.” He turned his masked face in her direction. She clarified. ��-General Rooke, I mean.” 

“I’m not giving him your number, if that’s what you want.” He scoffed comically. She turned her head sharply at the comment. 

"Very funny. Is it so bad to admire a man like him?”

He snorted. “You and all the other women in the Spiral.” 

This wasn't the first time he witnessed Rooke getting flirted with. He was usually swarmed when he was off-duty, which sometimes made their leisure together a little difficult. His brother took the attention well, but he never really knew what to do about it. His physique earned an adoration from various women - but none that the General asked for. Rooke didn’t * want * to date anyone, since his job was demanding, and he didn’t like the idea of having to leave his partner alone while he was risking his life in the line of duty. 

Deacon related to him. His schedule had him visiting several islands in the span of a day, which meant he was rarely ever home. He was always taking refuge in temporary places. Constantly on his feet, ready to leave into the next scene. There wasn’t a woman out there that could possibly keep up with him - not one he could spare much attention and time for. 

Not unless… 

He shook off these thoughts and decided to toy with her, just to keep himself preoccupied until they reached land. "I wouldn't worry about it, anyway, because he's mad at you."

She started, thinking she had misstepped somewhere in her introduction. "What? Why?"

"'The Executioner' was unique to his battleship. And you took her name."

She began sputtering. He got a kick out of her reaction. "How was I supposed to * know* that!? I've only been in the Armada for–"

He perked up. She paused before crossing her arms. "...Nice try, espía."

He sighed through his nose, a smile tugging at his hidden lips. The sound of the waves hitting the boat became hypnotizing after some time. He hadn't realized he'd been spacing out until Dea's voice snapped him out of it. 

"It would be stupid to assume the Elite don't know each other. You all work together, don't you?" 

"Yes." He leaned on the wheel. "But we usually don't meet face-to-face on duty like that."

"-Then how do you all keep in touch..?"

He lifted up his sleeve to reveal the communicator on his wrist. "With these."

"Oh!" She marveled at it. He promptly moved it out of her sight. "The technology in Valencia amazes me..."

He was going to speak more, but had his focus shift as they reached the familiar mountains of Cool Ranch. He moved to take the indirect route in order to avoid early detection. He'd use this time to calmly spell out their objective to his companion.

"Our next target is not going to be easy," He began quietly. "A masked vigilante protects Santo Pollo, and I would rather not have his interference in this."

"..A masked vigilante..?" She repeated, intrigued. 

"To avoid his attention, we'll have to go undercover while tracking our convict there. In the meantime, we’ll stay in a room above a saloon in Cooper's Roost."

"Hold on - we have to stay in Cool Ranch? How long will we be here?"

"As long as it takes to find and track our runaway down. I have a suspicion they're part of a group of marauders. We’ll have to get to them before that 'hero' does." 

She placed a hand on her hip, rolling her head to the side. “And who exactly is this ‘hero’..?” 

He paused. “...I would rather not say his name.” 

“Why not?” 

“For a good reason.” He responded, not bothering to elaborate. He turned the wheel until they were facing Cooper’s Roost. He motioned to the crew to prepare for docking and summoned his cane when they were situated. “Let’s go.” 

Dea followed him off their ship and winced when they stepped off the dock. Her boots had been dirtied seconds after stepping on the barren ground. It was awfully hot in this region. The sun burned just above the mountains in the pink-and-yellow-hued sky above them, clouds nonexistent no matter where she looked. She could feel the sweat forming underneath her clothes as they walked through the old-styled town. 

The western buildings were charming, as were the tumbleweeds that skittered across the grounds before them. Vegetation was scarce as they stepped through weeds and dead plants. The people around them wore traditional clothing, and she was somewhat surprised that their appearance wasn’t too highly-scrutinized here. She caught a man chewing a piece of grain who eyed them suspiciously, but others paid no mind. 

Deacon led them to the desired saloon. It wasn’t any better than the outside - crammed to capacity with cowboys, vendors, and saloon girls. All the commotion inside made it hot and humid. She peeled off her cape and removed her hat while Deacon audibly sighed with relief. It was almost funny with how quickly he rushed over to the bar - taking a seat at one of the unoccupied stools and ordering himself a vodka-orange juice cocktail. She followed after and sat a space away from him, asking for a cosmopolitan.

When they were handed their drinks, she looked at him in amusement. “A screwdriver? Really?” 

“Best way to prevent scurvy,” He answered, taking a swig. She tapped her mask thoughtfully as she looked at her own drink. 

“That’s…pretty smart.”

The bartender came over and brought Dea the straw she asked for. She thanked him and took a drink as discreetly as she could. He turned to hand Deacon two pairs of keys to their room upstairs. The spymaster pocketed his, then offered her the other pair without a word. She took them and the server left to keep an eye on the two inebriated cowhands at the end of the bar. 

“...Do we have to share a bed?” 

He noticed her tone and waved it off. “There are two separate beds. Nothing too different from our current situation.” 

“Beyond the lack of privacy , you mean.” She pointed at him.

“We’ll only be here for a few days. I’m a returning guest, so don’t complain about anything. It’s just convenient since we’re in the area.” 

“Fine.” She swirled her drink around. “So…why won’t you say the name of that vigilante? Is it a secret?” 

“Far from it. It’s just that…when you say his name, *something* tends to happen.” 

“...What? A group of thugs come out of nowhere and beat the crap out of you?” She asked sarcastically. 

“Worse than that.” 

“Then what?” 

Deacon stared at her for a minute. Then he set down his glass and took a deep breath. Before she could ask, he muttered the name. “...El Toro.”

Without warning, a group of trumpets played right beside her ear. 

“HIJO DE PUTA! ” She screamed. She whipped around to smack the culprit - only to find that no one was there. She turned back and noticed Deacon with his head in his hands, trying to contain his laughter. 

“You think that was funny!?” She snapped, clearly embarrassed. The people nearby looked away from the scene, apparently used to it. Her temper calmed down a bit. “What *was* that?” 

He had to catch his breath before replying. “Non lo so. But it gets annoying pretty quickly, so I’ve stopped saying it.” 

“You’re telling me that, somehow, a group of trumpets randomly start playing whenever someone says the name El T-”

Deacon quickly held up a hand to silence her. She got the message at the last second. She froze in her seat, blinking before shaking her head.

“...’The Bull’..? So that’s what he’s called?” 

“Yes, and it’s likely that he’s on our criminal’s tail already. We might be playing a game of who can catch them first .” 

Conversation died off as they worked on finishing their drinks. There was the pleasant sound of chatter around them - people engaged in card games while watching the girls dance. After a minute, the spymaster realized something was missing. Usually, in a scene like this, he’d be hearing the ragtime melody of a nearby tack piano. He moved his head in search of the instrument and found it sitting on the back of the further wall. 

He caught the bartender’s attention. “Is the piano out of commission?” 

“Naw. ‘Fraid our usual pianist couldn’t make it t’day. Bad case of hay fever.” He nodded to him while polishing a glass. “You can knock yerself out, if ya’ want.” 

Deacon downed the rest of his screwdriver and left payment for his and Dea’s drinks. He picked up his cane and made his way to the end of the room, taking a seat in front of the piano. His co-captain quickly finished the rest of her cosmo and unceremoniously left her stool to follow after him. She caught him right as he was inspecting the keys. 

“Wait! You can play the piano..?” She asked breathlessly. He didn’t acknowledge her as he pressed the keys, listening closely to check if they were tuned. He soon let out a pleased hum. 

“I was given lessons when I was a child,” He soon answered. “I tickle the ivories whenever I can.” 

His gloved fingers flexed as they hovered over the keys. He flinched when he remembered a long ruler smacking his knuckles every time he pressed the wrong note. The bruises it left were painful. His instructor was a harsh and impatient one, and although he learned to play quicker than most, he didn’t like reminiscing on those times. He recalled the long hours he’d spent at that old piano, repeatedly playing chopsticks while Kane watched intently in the background. He held his breath at the memory. Dea joined his side on the bench. 

“Show me.” She challenged him.

He played on a couple of tack pianos before - but ultimately preferred the grand piano back at Kane’s mansion, or even his personal upright. He mostly learned classical pieces to play during his father’s formal parties. Within his time in Cool Ranch, he had picked up on a few ragtime songs to appease his company there. He could never play anything like that in Valencia. In a way, it was a little freeing compared to his usual requests. 

Getting into position, he decided to play The Entertainer, the most popular piece in saloons and a favorite in Cooper’s Roost. The moment the song made it to their ears, there was a collection of whooping and hollering. Dea looked up in time as several cowboys grabbed the nearest damsel and began dancing in the middle of the saloon. A crowd soon surrounded the piano and clapped along as Deacon played - grins spreading on their faces as they stomped their boots. 

It was… exhilarating, to say at the least. 

One of the cowpunchers attempted to tug Dea into a dance - only for her to reject him with a slap to his hand. Deacon caught this action and chuckled. She was too mesmerized watching his hands work the keys to really move anywhere. It took a few minutes until he was done - and a great applause sounded from around them when he finished. 

Her look was judgmental behind her mask, but she couldn’t stop the small giggle that left her lips. “How many saloons have you been to?” 

“It’s a classic.” Deacon responded, tugging at his sleeves. He looked up when a few began placing down pieces of gold on top of the piano. “-And a crowd pleaser.” 

The people around them retreated to their games and entertainment, leaving the two alone. Her partner mindlessly began pressing the notes, playing a small melody that blessed her ears. Her eyes were transfixed on his fingers, trying to memorize where they went. After a minute, he noticed her interest and paused in his movements. It forced her green eyes to meet his blue ones. 

“What?” He asked. It was then she realized she’d been staring at him. The heat climbed to her face. 

“...Nothing! I just…didn’t expect this from you. I thought the only thing you knew how to do was shoot a gun.” He ‘hmphed’  as he went back to pressing the keys. She fidgeted with her gloves. “...What else do you play?”

“The violin,” He replied, his tone lifting. She lit up at this information.

“Really? That’s amazing!” 

“You’re complimenting me right now,” He commented suspiciously, looking at her as if she had grown two heads.

She grew offended. “What? I can’t admire what you do? I love music! Why do you think I wanted to sing when I was little?” 

Interest momentarily flashed in his eyes. He stopped playing to look at her properly. “Do you have any special requests?” 

She responded instantly. “No.” 

“Come on. You sing all the time when we’re sailing.” 

“In front of everybody?” She squeaked, motioning to the people around them. He arched a concealed eyebrow at her tone and she shrunk into herself. “I’ll….pass.” 

He observed her a little more before turning back to the piano. He resumed playing and didn’t miss the way she relaxed when he did. It made a little sense - they didn’t have a big crew, and were sort of in their own world while out at sea. Singing a few heartfelt shanties with your team was different from entertaining a full saloon with expecting patrons. 

He ignored the intense beating in his chest. “For the record, I think you have a beautiful voice. You shouldn’t be embarrassed of it.” 

She let out an airy laugh, flattered at his words. She went quiet for a moment before sighing. “Maybe next time. But only if you’ll play for me, espía.” 

He smiled under his mask. “It's a deal.”

[bouncehousedemons]

Comfort

My entry for day five of @vikingsevents Valentine's week prompts. Day five is best friend.

Pairing: Ubbe x OFC (slots between parts 2 and 4 of Salt of the Earth and Sea, but can be read as a standalone) Warnings: Angst, talk of pregnancy. Word count: ~800

Casja sits on the beach. The wind whips at her long, fiery curls and makes the sting of the tears in her eyes feel sharper as she angrily swipes them away.

Usually looking out to sea relaxes her, but today the movements of the babe in her belly are just as tempestuous as the weather that rages around her. Her body is uncomfortable and her mind will not settle.

She wonders when Ubbe started seeing her as merely the vessel for his child instead of who she really is. At least that's all it feels like she is to him anymore.

His constant insistence that she rest makes her feel helpless and without purpose. She used to sail one of the biggest ships on the ocean. She was fierce and independent. Now she is great with child and at the mercy of whatever fate the birth has in store for her.

Where Ubbe used to tangle his fingers into her hair and kiss her fiercely as a means of greeting, he now stoops to press his forehead to the swell of her stomach. She feels invisible to him.

He hasn't tried to be intimate with her since her pregnancy started to show. She misses him. With every day that passes her bump grows larger and so does the chasm between them.

So when he had returned home earlier that day and stooped to place his hands upon her stomach, Casja had angrily shoved him away and stormed down to the shoreline - a little more inelegantly than she'd have liked under the weight of her unborn baby. This is where she has has whiled away the last couple of hours, her anger slowly giving way to sadness.

She feels Ubbe's presence before she sees him. The crunch of his boots across the sand an instant give away, before he stops behind her, placing a fur around her shoulders.

"You look cold." He says simply, before moving to sit beside her.

"I am surprised you noticed." She responds flatly, not shifting her gaze from the roll of the ocean waves in the distance.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" He sighs, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"It doesn't matter." She rebuffs.

She is taken aback by the suddenness with which he grabs her hand. His blue eyes pierce into hers as she looks at him.

"Talk to me."

It is then that Casja's resolve crumbles and she hiccups a sob. "I have given up everything for you and you don't want me anymore!"

Ubbe's heart clenches painfully at the sight of her tears. His first instinct is to pull her close, but he knows in times of anguish that Casja prefers space. He settles for keeping a hold of her hand and rubbing soothing circles onto the back of it with his thumb.

"And what is it that makes you believe that?" He asks softly.

She sniffles. The urge to wrench her hand from his is strong, but she fights it, allowing herself to accept the small act of comfort.

"You don't see me for me anymore. I am just the mother of your child. I can't remember the last time you touched me."

Confusion and disbelief wash over Ubbe's features, his brow furrows as he narrows his eyes at her, shaking his head. "Casja...you are everything to me."

"Am I?!" She retorts. "Then why are we no longer intimate?"

Ubbe swallows thickly, his eyes are glossy with emotion as he speaks. "You are already putting your body through so much to bring our child into the world. I cannot ask more of you. Casja...I just want to make sure that you are safe and comfortable."

"I am not some fragile, breakable thing, Ubbe." She whispers bitterly.

He grabs both of her shoulders then, turning her body to face his, his expression is serious. Casja is sure she recognises slight fear in his face.

"Women die in childbirth. You are my best friend. I do not know what I would do should the Gods decide to take you from me."

Casja's expression softens, she reaches out a hand to stroke Ubbe's cheek and he leans into her touch.

"It will take more than childbirth to part me from you. I am not going anywhere."

Ubbe pulls Casja into a tight embrace and she allows him to. It is the first time he has held her like this in a long while and her body relishes the contact.

As his fingers wind themselves into the curls at the back of her head, her heart skips a beat at the familiarity of the gesture, before his lips descend upon hers. Ubbe and Casja have found their own sense of calm amidst the gale that blows around them.

[69fever]

hey guys! i finally got a chance to listen to Rob Grant's first album☺️ i decided to rate it whilst i listened to it, so here's my ratings!

_

🎵

-

Lost at Sea by Rob Grant

• Moon Rises Over The Ocean - Perfect

10/10, So calming, beautiful intro to the album, needed to be longer.

• Setting Sail On A Distant Horizon - Perfect

9/10, The piano is so gorgeous, such a magical and soulful feeling, sounds similar to the album title track and the next track 'Lost at Sea", this is me predicting that it will transition into it, (knocked a point off because it did not transition🙁).

• Lost At Sea - Perfect

🥈10/10, This is an obvious one, Lana's voice is so beautiful, she fits this genre so incredibly and i think it's so sweet that her and her dad are making music together. The violins are incredible.

• The Texture Of Dreams - Great

7/10, The build is lovely, all this music is so soothing, this song just didn't stand out to me as much as the previous ones but does that mean it is bad? Absolutely not.

• The Poetry Of Wind And Waves - Perfect

🥇10/10, I love the intro, this song truly radiates poetry and the atmosphere of a love poem, I feel like this song emits the feeling of realising that you love someone, omg it's so perfect. 1:15 is a delight for my ears. The waves in the outro?!?! Amazing.

• A Beautiful Delirium - Great

8/10, Ooo this song is a bit louder and more powerful sounding, I like. And then being beautiful contrasted by a soft piano?!?! I'm astounded.

• Deep Ocean Swells - Amazing

10/10, It's very clear that this album is telling a story. I love the sea theme, and the concept of being "lost at sea" opens so many doors for so much creativity and freedom. This song really captures the title well, the chime heard close to the ending reminds me of a navigation system in a submarine, I think that's a very cool detail!

• My Deep Blue Dream - Amazing

8/10, Felt a bit short and didn't build up much momentum, still a beautiful song nonetheless and I think the placement was smart, it's like a nice, calm song, separating one half of the album to the other.

• Reflections Of Light On Water - Perfect

🥉10/10, Feels like I'm on a little row boat, cruising down a peaceful river with my lover, watching the sunset on a warm, Summer's night. Love.

• In The Dying Light Of Day: Requiem For Mother Earth - Amazing

9/10, Instantly loved the beginning, love the song name, actually I love all the names to all these songs. They reflect the song itself and embodies the title. The talent to do such is amazing.

• A Delicate Mist Surrounds Me - Great

7/10, Very short one, the piano is gorgeous as expected, would be a lovely song to fall asleep to.

• The Mermaids Lullaby - Perfect

9/10 I love the intro, very ominous which I think perfectly reflects a mermaid. The whole song gives a very ominous feeling, it's almost unnerving, it's like being on a old and grand, wooden ship, in the middle of the sea and staring off into the foggy distance to see rocks and faint figures that you can't quite make out. Those figures being mermaids. It's very mysterious and magical.

• Song Of The Eternal Sea - Perfect

10/10, The violins are so beautiful in this. The piano transfers a calming atmosphere, representing that the sea can be just that. But then the violins resemble this state of panic and a omnipotent strength, reminding us that, as beautiful as the sea is, it is also hauntingly dangerous. Relating back to the song title. I love how music can take you to these places and make you think of these things, Rob Grant has perfectly nailed creating an atmosphere.

• Hollywood Bowl - Perfect

10/10, I am a sucker for Lana's voice. Anything that she is in, I love. This is the only song that doesn't have a something sea related in the title but, as it's the final track on the album, I think that's really nice because it's like we've reached a destination. Whoever was lost at sea in this album has made it out! They've got to where they needed to be, better than before. They've survived. And in this case, they made it to the Hollywood Bowl!

-

->🥇My 1st favourite

->🥈My 2nd favourite

->🥉My 3rd favourite

oh and i am so incredibly excited for mitski's new album!!!

[malottie]

this is more of a personnal rant, but anyone is free to interact, and give insight. i know this is not the right place to ask this, but i've been struggling with this for too long, and i just don't know who to go to. trying to find out if your mother was bad at being a parent, if yes was it mere incompetency or was there some maliciousness in it, how you should interact with her, how to stop feeling chained by the situation, how to be. i won't get an answer, i know it, but at this point i dont have the luxury not to ask anymore

Mother

one day you found out

that i had been staring at the abyss

and the abyss had stared back

beckoning to jump in.

i remember, you told me

of how sad it made you, how unfathomable it was to you

how unthinkable and dreadfull it was to imagine seing your child go like that

it seemed very thinkable to me. i remember staring at you, wondering how i would explain it. the struggle, the crisis, the numb grey days, the how and why. i wouldn't have to. you didn't ask the question.

did you know already? that you were part of the problem, and that i could have never said that? that i didn't want you to know, because to me you were almost like a stranger, because i knew you couldn't, or maybe wouldn't help?

did you know that deep inside, something, from a time long forgotten, perhaps, or from instinct, had decided - or was it realized? - that you were not a safe place?

i remember of that time you told me that i was the primary topic of your therapy sessions without any other explanation.

i remember of that time, as a toddler, when you were worried about me and the glass shard between my fingers, and not the vase i had broken and was trying to pick up.

i remember of that time you enjoined me to communicate better, and nothing followed. of how as i realized how bad you were at this, how bad i was, too, that the gap between us only grew bigger.

i remember of the bountifull christmas days, of the yearly vacations, of the backyard full of the trees and the vegetable garden and the tool shed big as two cars.

i remember of that day you told me, unprompted, of a childhood anecdote that did nothing for any of us except hurt me.

i remember of the distance, of the silence, or rather i can't recall the time we were close. i'm sure it existed

i remember of that time you implied i did all of this as a form of vengeance. of how clumsy and half-hearted an accusation it was, of how you had never done it before and would never do it again.

i remember your kind face and your "i care about you"

i remember of those unvolontary lessons, of how adults and others and the world worked, and when one starts to see the cruel in the kind, when one sees all their fears reflected in their mother's eyes, what hope is there left for them?

i remember of that time i tried to call you out. silence was followed by crying, and i lost the control of the ship. we arrived tired and sobbing, on shores grimy and familiar, having forgotten why we took the sea and where we were going. never again would i sail.

we have now reached a status quo. to make a move would be to break that fragile equilibrium. what shall i do? what will you do? we stare at each other, waiting for something to happen, and we have forgotten what love and hate mean.

but we don't need those, we have what we need, don't we? were we ever more to each other than our role of parent and child?

[neondomino]

Day Ten: Confined - For the @wolfstarmicrofic

Remus barely moves as he listens to the sounds of fighting on deck. It’s not the first time the ship has been attacked, and it won’t be the last. He almost feels sorry for anyone brave or stupid enough to attempt to attack Greyback’s ship.

He’s been confined in this tiny cell for… well, he’s lost count of the days. He knows it’s more than six months. He expects to die in here. He cares little for what happens on deck.

Until there are footsteps on the stairs. Light, but they’re there, and Remus’ head turns slightly.

He doesn’t see anyone, and when there’s a jingle of keys, he doesn’t see them either. Maybe he’s going mad, having been alone for so long.

When the door opens, he knows he’s not imagining things. Hands pull him up, and whispers tell him not to speak. Suddenly a cloak is wrapped around him and arms push him.

He knows this cloak. No. It can’t be… it has to be another enchanted cloak. It can’t be… them. It just can’t.

But no-one looks at him as he stumbles from the ship, across a gang-plank and onto another.

A bell rings and Remus glances back at the other ship. It’s chaos. There are things exploding, lots of smoke and heavy fog. Just utter chaos.

Pirates rush from the smoke and board the ship he’s now on. The hooks connecting the ships together are unbound and they start to sail away.

He’s led into a room, pushed towards a bed, but he’s a mess and the sofa seems a better option, so he drops down, exhausted. A blanket is placed over him and he feels like he imagines the feel of lips on his forehead, before he gives in to that exhaustion.

~0~

It’s dark when he wakes. He sits up, realising it’s the smell of food that roused him. His eyes move around the room, to a man setting things up at a small table in the corner.

Remus says nothing though. This must be the captain and he must be in the captain’s quarters. The room is too grand for the crew, and there are rolled up maps on the table along with some gold. Fine clothes hang from the back of the door, and the windows take up most of the wall, showing where they’re heading. It’s beautiful. In all the time Remus has been at sea, he’s never gotten to see it like this.

Finally the man turns, and Remus’ eyes widen at the sight. The years have changed so much. It’s been… four years, maybe five since he last laid eyes on this man. The son of the Lord who’d sneak away with his friend’s magical cloak just to share Remus’ bed back when they were sixteen, until Sirius was sent away.

Remus never thought he’d see Sirius Black ever again. Especially not out here.

“What are you doing here?” he whispers.

Sirius grins, his gaze moving over Remus, though his eyes are soft and full of concern.

“I told you I’d come back for you,” he murmurs. “I arrived a little too late, but… I finally caught you up.”

“You’ve been following me for six months?” Remus croaks out in disbelief.

“Eight,” Sirius corrects him. “When I heard who had you… well, I'd come for you, no matter the risk, because you're my Moony. Come and eat. You’re too skinny. But don’t worry, you’re safe now. I can bring you somewhere, if you want. Or…” his gaze moves past Remus, flicking around the room. “My home is always your home.” He sounds nervous as he rambles, and Remus can't help but smile a little.

If anyone had asked Remus even a day ago if he’d choose to stay at sea, he’d have thought them mad. But… it’s an offer that’s too tempting to pass up. He’s dreamt about this man for years.

“I don’t know much about being a pirate,” Remus comments, reaching for the bread on the table and trying to restrain himself as he takes a small bite of it. His hands are shaking. The food smells amazing.

“I’ll teach you anything you need,” Sirius says, reaching out and clasping Remus’ free hand. “And the crew are good guys. When I explained what you mean to me... well... yeah. So... we reach the next port in about two months. You have that long to decide. If you want to go, I’ll find you safe passage home. But… if you...” he trails off. "I'm not normally this awkward."

"And if I want to stay?” Remus asks, glancing down at their joined hands. "And I love the rambling. Reminds me of when we were younger."

Sirius smiles.

“Then I’ll have everything I ever wanted,” Sirius replies softly. “But whatever you choose, I’ll be happy that you’re safe.”

Remus smiles and relaxes in the chair as he reaches out to fill his plate. He already knows what he’s going to choose.

“And will I sleep in here if I choose to stay?” he asks, trying to sound innocent. His heart is pounding against his chest. Will it be that easy to fall back into things with Sirius?

Sirius’ smile turns into a smirk. “If that’s what you desire, my love.”

Remus shivers at the words. He’s not heard them since he was sixteen.

[youareunbearable]

I decided to expand on the idea I had in this Post (Maedhros is a student of Nienna) and wrote a little fic that goes into more details I felt were left out in the original concept

Warnings for: Depression, Suicide, Canonical Death, Self Deprecation, and other Maedhros related triggers

(there is also implied Russingon cause I can't help myself)

You can read it on A03 here, with other ideas I've written or expanded on

-------------

A practice that was once held under the light of the Two Trees, especially amongst the Royalty of the Elves, was one of apprenticeship. Once an Elf reached the age of fifty, they were considered old enough to begin learning an artform. From the ages of fifty to one hundred, they would live with their master of choice, learning their craft or art until they became adults. They were, of course, allowed to visit their families and Houses on occasion and during holidays, but it was considered proper if they didn’t spend too much time away from their masters.

After they reached of age, for the Elves one hundred was considered an adult by their standards, they were given the choice of continuing to work with their master, start their own practice, continue to live with and contribute to their House, or begin to start their own House.

With the royalty, this practice is still seen, however, their masters become a little bit more…. Important. For when a young prince or princess, young lord or lady reaches fifty, their House holds a grand party where one Maiar of each of the Valar will attend. Here, the child will talk with each of the Maiar, gather information about what they could learn under their tutelage, and by the end of the party they will announce to which Valar they will call master.

Now typically, the Valar in question doesn’t only teach that young Elf, for they are still very busy themselves. The young one will generally learn under Maiar, older Elves that continue to work within the House of the Valar, and on occasion, the Valar themselves.

Some Valar are more of a popular choice amongst certain groups of Elves. Aule, of course, was very popular amongst the Noldor, for they loved to craft just as much as Aule’s own children. Tulkas was another popular choice for the Noldor. For many were very brash, and loved to test out their arms and armour just as much as they liked to create them.

For the Vanyar, it was another given that their young tended to flock to the service of Manwe and Varda. However, many also picked Yavanna and Nessa, for one created the Trees they so adored and the other taught them joy and happiness of life.

Finally, with the Teleri they love Ulmo for he was the Lord of the waters they thrived on as well as Vaire for she was the weaver that taught them to create their sails. Under them they learned how to craft their large ships, and their sails which were so finely woven that they looked like art upon the water.

This, of course, isn’t to say that the Elves choose to work under Valar of different arts. Findekano, the eldest son of Nolofinwe, was the prized pupil of Manwe, and Earwen, the princess daughter of Olwe, studied under Vana’s loving gaze.

These were seen as abnormal, but nothing to cause more than an extra blink of surprise before moving on to congratulating the young one.

One Elf that made all of Tirion come to a screeching halt at their choice was Nelyafinwe, the eldest son of Crown Prince Feanor, and the eldest grandson of High King Finwe.

When it became his time to pick, many had bets in place for who he would study under. The choice of Aule was a sucker’s bet, for both his father and mother were some of his prized students, and his grandfather Mahtan still worked in his Halls. Some bet that he would work under Vana, for anyone named Maitimo would surely thrive under the tutelage of the Ever Young and Beautiful of the Valar. Others tuted, for have they seen the lad spar? With his skill he would definitely work under Tulkas and become the best champion of the Noldor.

Any of those choices would have been welcome. But as his father, Feanor knew his eldest son was too soft at heart for Tulkas and too clumsy in the forge for Aule. He, personally, had bet his wife that Nelyafinwe would choose to work under someone like Este. With his kind heart and nack for diffusing any arguments between his father and uncle, he would do well learning how to be a healer. Nerdanel called him a fool and placed a bet on the Vala’s husband, Irmo. For she had seen that her son would become someone that the weary would flock to, and uphold their greatest dreams and visions of a bright future, as any King should. That is why she called him Maitimo, for he was well formed both in hora, but also in fea. At the time, Feanor had laughed merrily at his wife’s surefire belief, for who was he to argue against a mother’s vision?

Feanor had shattered his crystal wine glass in his grip when his eldest son, standing beside the Maiar Olorin, proudly proclaimed he was going to study under Nienna. The sound echoed loudly in the silence of Finwe’s party hall. Beside him, he saw his wife stifle a gasp and grip Celegorm, their infant son, tighter to her chest. From the corner of his eye, he saw Finwe himself recoil in horror and grip at Indis as if she was the only reason he was standing. Nolofinwe, beside their father, had paled as well and made an aborted motion to stop his eldest son Findekano from cheering for his favourite cousin. His clapping had kickstarted the rest of the crowd into following his lead, moving on from their collective shock to come up and congratulate the young Prince.

Feanor felt sick. It had been years since he felt the cold claw of grief try to drag his heart down to his stomach, as it often did when he was a child and sat for hours staring at his mother’s portrait, the First High Queen of the Noldor and Finwe’s first wife, Miriel. He wished his son had picked Tulkas now, for even the Champion would be better then She Who Weeps.

He felt his heart stutter in his chest as he watched his eldest son, the son that shared so many of his grandmother Miriel’s fine features, who Feanor was told countless times had the same cadence of voice and temperament that reminded so many of the First Queen of the Noldor before they all sailed to Valinor.

The boy who was Feanor’s own living connection to his own dead mother. His mother, who killed herself in overwhelming grief at the thought of living forever after the horrors she lived through in the East.

And here that same boy was, ready to throw himself into the Lady of Grief’s open arms.

He hugged his son tightly at that party. Shakingly told him how proud he was of him. He shared a horrified look with Nerdanel over the boy’s shoulder and then sent him off to go mingle with the other guests. Once his son was distracted with his young half-cousins and siblings, Feanor silently excused himself from the hall, ignoring the look of pity from the Maiar Olorin, found a nice empty room in his Father’s palace, and cried and cried as his heart broke for a second time in his life.

Ages later, Finwe found his eldest son and sat with him. Rubbing his strong son on the back as Feanor clutched his father’s robes in a way he hasn’t since he was a child himself and cried even harder.

“Did I miss any signs? He seemed like such a happy child, someone so full of life. How can he choose to walk with the Lady of Mourning? Who is he mourning? Who does he need to grieve for? What has he suffered so deeply that he chooses to walk in the halls of the Queen of the Dark?” Feanor gasped out, his voice rough and raw from his wailing.

Finwe just hugged his son tighter. “There were no signs to miss, so there is no need to blame yourself, my brightest flame, and if you must blame someone, blame me for I did not see anything to worry about either.” He patted his son's hair as more sobs escaped him. “This may not be the Doom as it seems. For Nienna is not only the Lady of Sorrow, but also of compassion, and you yourself had said how soft hearted the boy is. Goodness, just look at how he already tries to mend the broken bridges in our House, he has compassion a plenty! Maybe, maybe studying under the Lady would be good for him. Maybe this is the path he needs to take as a future ruler of our people.”

While the words did ring true in Feanor’s heart, it didn’t stop him from weeping that night.

He had one month to help his son pack for the years away from home, one month to spend as much time with Nelyafinwe, for who knew when the boy would come back, if he ever did. The time he didn’t spend with his son, the times where he was out playing with his siblings and half-cousins, Feanor threw himself into his workshop, tirelessly trying to invent something that would keep Nelyafinwe with him forever.

When that month was over, and all the things had been packed and a small goodbye party was held, Feanor had nothing to keep his son here with him, nothing to stop him from leaving. All he had was a small signet ring. The ring was made of mithril, with a golden eight pointed star on its face, with a diamond in the center and a small ruby at the base of the northern point of the star. It was a ring that was enchanted to grow with Nelyafinwe, and hopefully enough of a reminder that the boy was a part of this House and family, and would always be welcomed back.

Nelyafinwe reverently placed the ring on his right ring finger, then smiled widely as he threw his arms around his father. Feanor tried not to cry as he gripped his son back even tighter, before letting him go to say goodbye to his mother and siblings. Then he went to the cart where all his things were packed, where Olorin gave them a pleasant tip of his pointed, large brimmed hat, and then rode away towards Nienna’s Halls.

In the end, there was no need to worry. When Nelyafinwe came back on visits, he would talk all about the wonderful things he was learning. About pity, about compassion, about forgiveness. He said that lesson was the hardest for him, for forgiving one who deeply wronged you seemed too hard of a thing to do, especially for one so young as himself. But he promised he would keep studying hard so he can be someone that their family can look at in pride. Someone who will lead their people with a kind hand.

By the time his lessons were over and Nelyafinwe was an adult, he decided to come home and help his father and grandfather in court, and to help his mother raise his younger siblings.

He was patient, and he was kind. He would listen to grievances and place a sympathetic hand on their shoulder, telling them he heard their words and would try to help them. He would create great speeches that moved the lords and ladies of the court, and helped create wonderful festivals that brought all the Elves of Aman together.

He would swing Celegorm and young Caranthir onto his back and go tromping around the streets of Tirion, laughing and whooping with Maglor, and their half cousins young Findekano, Turgon, and Finrod. He would kiss their scraped knees and tell them how brave they were, he would step in between their childish arguments and mediate until all parties forgave each other and all little grievances were pardoned.

Feanor was proud of his eldest son. He grew up into a proper prince of their people, and he supposed that Nienna’s teachings weren’t all that bad.

He did come back, after all.

Years later, those same teachings stayed with Nelyafinwe. He had begged his father to turn back the ships for the rest of their kin, to have compassion for his half-brother and his followers. He had decided to look past the treachery of Melkor and meet with his emissaries, with a larger host than he promised, Nelyafinwe was forgiving not a fool. He never gave up hoping for rescue while hanging off the cliffs of the Thangorodrim, whether it was the freedom from chains or hora. He had pity for young Findekano, who had travelled all this distance and through such deep peril only to end up aiming an arrow at the one he wished to save.

He also had endurance. No matter what terrible things life and the Doom of Feanor threw at him, Nelyafinwe- now Maedhros- would always endure.

He endured the ridicule from his subject for abdicating the crown to his half-uncle. He endured the cold of his Northern realm of Himring. He endured the countless battles and skirmishes with the enemy's forces, as the first and final line of defence towards protecting the rest of Beleriand. He endured the fuck ups of his siblings that made political nagvation hard or non-existant. He endured the long years and months away from his heart’s joy, longing always to spend his days in Findekano’s warm and welcoming arms. He endured throughout the horror that was Dagor Bragollach, where he stood alone to protect the north and hold back the enemy.

He endured through the planning and creation of the Union of Maedhros. He put all his teachings towards the battle plans for the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. All his hope, all his compassion, all his pity and forgiveness. All his love for the free peoples of Beleriand and knew that they would come out successful.

When he was betrayed by the weakness and greed of Men, and was forced to flee the battlefield where his love was slain and left crumpled brokenly on the doomed battlefield. In the aftermath of all that, something inside of him broke.

He had screamed into the sky, he raved and wept and pleaded and begged. He demanded answers, swore to cut them from the tongues of the Valar themselves. Why was he forced to endure so much, for there is only so much one can endure before they can’t anymore.

There was only silence in return, but he could hear the sound of Maglor weeping behind him, begging him to come out of the cold and to rest.

“Fine,” Maedhros spat, “I will forsake your teachings Nienna, for in this life, I cannot bear their heavy burdens any longer.”

With that Maedhros, Eldest Son of Fëanor, the one who has grief and world ending sorrow embedded into his very bone marrow twisted it until it became the strongest armour ever crafted. So strong it was, that blows and deep cuts that would wreck others hardly made him stumble. He agreed to Celegorm and Curufin’s plan to raze Doriath to the ground and steal back their Silmaril. His heart was empty to the slaughter of the people that refused to join his Union, who’s help could have allowed Fingon’s survival. He looked at the corpses of his three brothers and felt nothing but that all encompassing grief that had become his norm. He listened to Maglor and Ambarussa weep on their cold bodies and instead turned his head to look for the young princes of Doriath.

(He couldn’t name the feeling in his chest as he spent that night running through the woods, it almost felt like compassion, like pity, like hope that he would find them alive. But his heart was too broken to properly feel those emotions, so when Maglor found him in the woods the next morning weeping brokenly, without hide nor hair of those lost princes, he didn’t know why his chest and heart hurt so deeply. He didn’t know that his body could still cry.)

It seemed to him that after that night in the woods, his body would never cry again. He just stared listlessly, allowing Maglor and Ambarussa to move him where they pleased. His life felt like it was a series of moving pictures that he was observing, not living himself. The all encompassing grief that burrowed and ripped at his fea burned him from the inside out. It allowed him to turn the burning of tears that would not fall and the fire of a throat scraped raw from wailing and used it to rend whole cities into ash and ruin.

When the Ambarussa twins laid with the slaughtered in Sirion, Maedhros vowed to just lie down with their corpses and never get up again. He would follow the path of his grandmother Miriel, the same grandmother he was often told he was just like when he was a child, and voluntarily separate his fea from his hora.

Maglor had dragged him back onto his feet, shoved a wailing and wriggling half-Elven child into his arms and forced them to flee the city.

The child, he found out later that there were actually two of them, was Elros the elder twin of Elrond, who clutched at Maglor’s chest. A set of twins gained for the set of twins lost.

Maedhros laughed so wildly and so manickly that he didn’t even know when they turned into heaving sobs. Elros stopped trying to throw himself off the horse sometime during the fit. Maglor and Elrond would just glance at him with pity and horror.

(He didn’t need pity anymore, he didn’t even know if he was an Elf anymore or the monster Sauron and Melkor had promised to twist him into all those centuries ago. Maybe he was a monster, because Elves would feel sorrow at the deaths of their baby brothers, would feel guilt for stealing children after they chased their mother to her death, would feel anything at all besides the never ending grief. A monster would laugh and scare their loved ones and children, monsters weren’t deserving of love, and they were meant to hurt and be in pain. He couldn’t even remember the last time he felt joy, so he must be a monster.)

One night, for it must have been night for how dark it was, he heard the muffled sound of tiny crying. His brain was still foggy, it didn’t feel like his fea was connected to his hora when he found it standing up and walking to the next room. He didn’t realize he had bundled up tiny little half-Elven children in his arms, rocking and murruring phrases he hasn’t said in so long.

“It will all be ok. Things will look better with the dawn of a new day. These pains might hurt for now but they will lessen, you just need to be brave and keep moving forward.”

After that night, when Maglor found him asleep sitting up against the wall, with two curled up children in his lap, he helped Maglor raise the foundling twins. He tried to do good by them, even if he didn’t know how anymore. He taught them their letters and numbers, taught them how to swing a sword and mend a stitch. He found himself telling them in low tones about the teachings of Nienna, about compassion and pity, about hope and endurance.

(He barked a laugh when Elros confronted him about the irony of Kinslayers teaching him about compassion and pity. It sounded just as broken to his ears as it must have to Elros and Elrond. He bared his teeth in a facsimile of a smile. “I’m what happens when pity and compassion and hope run dry and all that is left is endurance. So heed me as a cautionary tale, for you will turn into the monster I am when you live without these teachings.”)

Yes, Maedhros, Eldest Son of Fëanor, Oath Taker, Kinslayer, and former High King of the Noldor knew Grief well. He worked and labored and suffered under Her for most of his life, was reunited with Her frequently and with great intensity many times both on the shores of Valinor and off.

And in the end, after he held a sobbing Maglor as they gave up the twins back to their people, after the War of Wrath destroyed everything they knew of in the past five hundred odd years, he was still a student of Nienna deep down.

For only a student of the Weeping Lady would embrace her so fully and willingly. He clutched the burning Silmaril to his chest, where let her curl up and seep into his heart and mind so deeply that he still didn’t know where he began and the Grief ended.

As he threw himself into the Mistress of Death’s open and waiting arms, he whispered one last prayer. Not for himself, but for Maglor and for Elros and Elrond. With his last breath, he asked for compassion that he had run out of, but knew his master still had in abundance.

With that, Meadhros, a favoured student of Nienna, fell into her fiery embrace.

Perhaps Feanor had reason to worry, all those long long years ago. For Nelyafinwe did end up following Miriel’s path, it was just the signs were far, far too early.

[atiny-piratequeen]

Character Analysis: Song Mingi, the ‘Wind Whisperer’

Languages: English, Japanese (Post Transformation), Korean (Modern Day), French (Modern Day), Spanish, Sign Language (ESL, JSL, KSL, LSL, LSE-Modern Day)

Crew Position: Boatswain

Powers: Aerokinesis/Air (Inherited from Japanese God, Fujin)

Compass Position + Arrowpoint Stone: South Eastern, located under his collarbone, Crystal Opal

Eye Color: Brown (Natural)/ Violet (Demonic Form)

Hair Color:  Brunette (Natural)/ Crimson (Demonic Form)

Piercings: Prince Albert (Modern Day)

Likes: Praise, Successful Snatches, Orange Juice, Crafting Presents for Friends and Family, Reading Stories With the Crew

Dislikes: Bella Rose, Manipulative People, Mean-Spirited People, Being Left Alone

*The above image of Demonic Mingi is a commissioned piece from @seonghwea and is not to be taken out of this moodboard. Reposting isn’t cute, if I find this piece anywhere besides on Atlas’ blog and here in this moodboard, we WILL file a dmca. Don’t be an asshole :)

Mingi. 

An unfortunate child, with a heart of gold. Raised amongst a poor band of thieves, but still finding a family worth more than even the finest diamonds. A child raised around the honey and warmth of a found family. 

Until the day poison began to seep into his life in the form of a little girl with a wicked smile. 

Not even the smiles of his precious baby sister can stave off the looming force of negativity known as Bella Rose.

Boatswain Song Mingi.

The sails fly high above the heads of the members of the formidable Utopia. Reliable, sturdy, innocent, and strong. Despite his inexperience, the crew looks towards him for guidance on affairs regarding cargo and other crew members. 

A loyal and hard worker, none of the crew members are opposed to following behind their boatswain. They sing a hearty shanty together, passing barrels to and fro under his leadership. 

Something about orange juice, but no one seems to mind too much, as long as their boatswain keeps that smile on his face. 

-Mythology-

Feared and respected are the brothers of the storm. The lightning, Raijin, and the wind, Fujin. 

Fujin, an unruly force of nature, is often depicted with messy, wind swept curls and an intimidating snarl. Upon his back is a bag of winds, which is the source of his power. He rides upon a nimbus cloud and can devastate the lands below just as easily as he can aid humanity. 

For all of the lost life that comes from typhoons, at times, the wind is on the side of Fujin’s people. Such a case would be an instance in the 1200s, when the invading Mongol fleet was devastated by a horrible wind storm. Sometimes, the helpful storm is attributed to Fujin’s divine intervention. 

From a gentle summer breeze to a volatile tornado, Fujin is the god behind it all. 

-Power Applications/Demon Transformation-

Upon fully using his powers, Mingi’s hair bleeds into a deep crimson color. His eyes shift into a dark violet tone and a shining, glittering cloud-like mark appears on his cheek. The mark glitters in the light, and the more Mingi uses his powers, the more you can see the hues of color within the gem swirl around within the mark. 

Despite being a Boatswain, not a Navigator or Sailing Master, Mingi still uses his powers for the crew’s ocean exploration. Alongside Hongjoong pushing Utopia with strong waves, Mingi puts the wind in her sails, speeding up their journey and cutting their trips down to over half the time it would take for them to sail places. 

The force of Mingi’s wind can change, from a light breeze to vicious typhoon or tornado force winds. Though he is one of the more combative of the men when it comes to using his powers, Mingi doesn’t have a particularly organized style of fighting. 

What he lacks combative style, he makes up for it in sheer force and power. Mingi plays strong offensive support in group fights and will use his winds to either push or pull enemies closer to the others. Out of the eight of them, sans Hongjoong, Mingi has the farthest reach with his powers. 

He is also one of the mobile members, using the force of his winds to fly through the air and close the distance on long-range enemies. His powers work better when there is some space between them, as it does take a bit for him to muster up the winds for them to be useful in attacks. If he’s interrupted when gathering the winds-specifically before a wind storm-he’ll have to start all over again, but if he manages to stop one, him summoning more or being attacked won’t detract away from the first initial storm. 

Ideally, Mingi fights better with an even, level field to fight on, as too many obstacles on a battlefield will break some of the force of the winds and lessen the damage he can cause. Mingi may not be a trained fighter like Seonghwa, Jongho, or Yunho, but he knows how to use his size to his advantage, and can hold his own fairly well in a hand to hand fight.

-Character Song Breakdown-

All of the main boys have a song assigned to them in the AtT playlist to go alongside their origin chapters. Mingi’s character song is Never Be Like You by Crywolf. He also has another song that strongly relates to him so I’ll share some lyrics from the other song as well, Masochist by Matt Van.

Both songs feal with Mingi’s near suffocating anxiety and his loss of self-worth as a result of Bella Rose’s constant torment. 

‘What I would do to take away this fear of being loved

Allegiance to the pain

Now I'm fucked up and I'm missing you

I swear she'll never be like you

I would give anything to change this fickle-minded heart

That loves fake shiny things

Now I'm fucked up and I'm missing you

I swear she'll never be like you’

Originally this song is intended to be for a man pleading for forgiveness from an ex-lover, but I decided to use the hurt from the lyrics to change the meaning to apply to Mingi. His fear of being loved, stemming from Bella’s verbal and emotional abuse, is something we follow throughout his time with the pirates aboard the utopia. 

Mingi was raised to be a pickpocket, and that ties in for his love for ‘fake shiny things’. While with the crew and battling with himself, Mingi has to convince himself to accept the good feelings he receives from the others around him and how they’ll never be like Bella Rose. She, though deceased at the time of him joining the crew, will never be like them, either.

‘Stop looking at me with those eyes

Like I could disappear and you wouldn't care why

Now I'm fucked up and I'm missing you’

Throughout their time together, Bella Rose makes it abundantly clear she only ‘cares’ for Mingi during the times she needs or wants his aid for something. Mingi also has issues making and keeping eye contact from time to time, as a result of his trauma. 

‘I'm only human. Can't you see?

I made, I made a mistake

Please just look me in my face

Tell me everything's okay

I'm only human. Can't you see?’

To wrap this up, I’ll share some lines from Masochist that share the same sentiment and message as the song we’ve just gone over.

‘As long as I'm not myself

I think I'll be safe, yeah

What am I looking for

In this state between love and war

Am I chasing a chemical

That just leaves me wanting more

And is there a difference

Between truth and happiness

If ignorance is bliss

To the emotional masochist’

‘We can go pretty far

If you wanted

'Cause I know it's not your thing

To stay in one place, yeah

I can be what you want

I can be anything

As long as I'm not in love

I think I'll be safe’

-Character Blurb-

“Slowly.”

“I can’t-”

“If you say you can’t one more time, I’ll tell Yeosang to never give you any oranges ever again.” 

Mingi sat up straighter, frowning as he looked down at the paper in his hands. Seonghwa sat across from him. His long legs crossed as he watched Mingi. It was his turn to tutor the boatswain for the week and Mingi felt small under his steel gaze. With a shaky breath, he scanned the paper. 

“Read it.”

“I am, I swear-”

“Aloud.”

Mingi pursed his lips, startling when Seonghwa crossed the room, leaning into his space. Mingi shied away, but Seonghwa followed, catching his chin between his fingers. He tilted his head and smiled, and Mingi felt his heart stutter.

“You can do it, and I promise it’ll be worth it when you do. Read it, please.” 

Mingi blushed and smiled as Seonghwa placed an encouraging kiss to his nose before pulling him away, giving him some space. 

“O-one cup…” he squinted at the page before perking. He knew that word. He’d seen it before in the galley while working with Yeosang.

“Sugar! It’s sugar!” Seonghwa smiled from beside him, carding long fingers through tousled brunette hair before nodding. 

“Excellent.” He placed a rewarding kiss on his lips. “Continue.”

One by one, Mingi slowly read the list of things on the paper, each time encouraged by Seonghwa’s gentle purred praises or a small compliment in that accent they all loved so much. 

Milk. Cinnamon. Nutmeg. Vanilla. Coconut.

When he finished, he tilted his head, blinking. 

“Is...this a recipe?” 

Seonghwa’s lips quirked before he nodded. 

“It sure is, meu amado. Yeosang picked up a book on Caribbean desserts at the last port and he wanted to make you something. Toto, I believe it was?” 

Mingi’s eyes lit up as he perked, looking at Seonghwa like an overgrown puppy. If he squinted, the ex prince could swear he could see a tail wagging back there. He chuckled and kissed him, nodding towards the door. 

“Let’s get you something to eat to celebrate.” he hummed. Mingi nodded and took off like a shot, smiling ear to ear as he raced down to the galley, joy erupting in his chest at the scent of vanilla and coconut that flooded the inside of the ship. 

He’s never felt so at home.

-M.List-

[frankenfic]

prompt #4

fandom(s): avatar: the last airbender and boku no hero academia

main character: todoroki shōto, and sorta zuko

other characters: all atla characters except zuko (it'll be explained), and also i'm combining zuko and todoroki's moms into one super mom.

setting: atla universe, with some changes to "zuko's" backstory.

basically i love zuko and todoroki and while i was watching bnha amvs i was thinking about them when i got the sudden thought—what if we replaced zuko in the atla universe with todoroki, and kept todoroki's waterbending ice ability??!?!?

basically, i imagined todoroki as zuko wandering the earth kingdom or whatever while pretending to just be an ordinary waterbender.

like, maybe zuko/todoroki's mom secretly had some waterbending ancestry and by some miracle (curse) zukoroki ended up with both firebending and waterbending.

like, he's still got the same thing where he grew to resent his father for what he did to him and his mother and refuses to use his left side firebend bc he doesn't want to be like his father and shit. except now with the bonus of banishment?

the hard part is figuring out which parts of either of the backstories to keep. for example: who gave him the scar? his mother? or his father?

idea: they both did. now, bear with me here—what i'm thinking, is maybe we keep the incident with todoroki's mom burning him with boiling water from a teapot (maybe iroh's there, idk—or, maybe that's why he always gets so angry when uncle tries to offer him tea, bc everytime he sees it or smells it it triggers his fucking ptsd of the person he trusted most in the world betraying him and causing him unimaginable pain, but like no one knows that bc it was kept so hush-hush that only zuko, ozai, super-mom, and maybe azula know) bc he reminds her of his father—

oh my god sorry for the intermission but what if she burned azula instead bc she's so much more like ozai and then ozai burned zuko bc he's too much like his mother and then we just have both of the royal fire children with burned and scarred faces, one with a burn from boiling hot water and the other from a searing roaring flame and just...both each have burns from one of their parents oh my gOD the ANGST

—and for a couple of years he goes around the palace with this horrible burn and people always stare bc like...that's the crown prince and shit. and idk ozai's probably not happy with it, but the point is:

when it comes to the agni kai, ozai decides to be extra cruel and burns zukoroki in the same spot his super-mum did, except harder and hotter so the burn is ever larger and more painful, so much so that it even reaches his ear and he can no longer open his eye all the way and his eyesight is probably damaged and maybe his hearing as well and—

and then he gets banished and he decides, you know what. fuck it.

his mom's gone, ozai's an asshole, his face burns, he can't see or hear right, and ozai still never found out he could waterbend. so.

todozuko is done with the fire nation. he's had fucking enough. he's decided he doesn't wanna go back, and no uncle i'm never changing my mind.

what would happen if i found the avatar? well i'd help him if if meant defeating my father—and go ahead, tell everyone how much of a traitor i am, i don't care. i'm already banished anyway.

you...what? you're—proud of me?? uncle, what—

and so zhōto and iroh end up traveling together (and maybe the crew, too? idk) zhōto eventually works up the courage to tell iroh about his waterbending and at first he's really terrified about uncle's reaction but

uncle looks at him like he's a fucking miracle or something, he looks at him with wonder and amazement and—

come, zhouto!!!! where are we going???? to get waterbending scrolls, of course!!!!! pick your jaw off the ground, there's no time to waste!!!! think about everything you're going to learn, everything you should've been taught years ago!!!! you're going to be a master waterbender, i just know it!!!!!!

and bc they never ditched the ship or told the fire nation of their treachery (for conviences sake) it's surprisingly easy for them to obtain waterbending scrolls—

—and also the only person who knew about his waterbending before iroh was his mother who he accidentally bent in front of and who, immediately realizing her own "tainted" bloodline was the cause, swore zhouto to secrecy and made him promise to never use it—

—and so zhōto and iroh secretly practice waterbending below deck in their rooms, and they keep practicing with it until they feel they're "ready," and then—with the help of their now loyal-to-the-death-crew (they at some point came to the unanimous decision that zhōto is way better than ozai, and he's surprisingly not a spoilered brat—bc unlike original-zuko he already despises his father and consciously makes an effort to be different) who go along with some made up lie that zhōto and iroh both died—

maybe zhōto fell in artic water during a storm and iroh jumped in to save him against the captain's warnings and refused to return to safety until he found zhōto, but before he could a wave cracked zhōto's head against the boat and he went under and iroh dived and dived and dived into colder and colder water until he was so so cold and he couldn't hold his breath any longer but the surface was too far away and he was too tired from the cold in his bones to swim and with his body empty of its last bit of air he just—

sank.

and so with a cover in place, zhōto and iroh said a tearful goodbye to their deathly loyal crew and then set off to live their new lives.

then skip foward a few years and they run into the fucking avatar and friends and wait shit is that—

—not long into his banishment, just after zhōto confessed to iroh about his waterbending, they set sail for the southern water tribe, figuring that it would be a good start for their search for waterbending scrolls, since the north would be too much of a risk and they figure: there's no waterbenders in the southern tribe anyway not after what we did to them so it's not like they need the scrolls...besides, we were gunna give them back as soon as we're done with them so if any waterbender babies end up being born we'll have returned the scrolls before they're even old enough to need them—

—but alas, when they make port they are told by a very angry boy about zhōto's age—

(i'm aging him down a year or two bc shōta was only like 14 in bnha while zuko was 16 i think in atla, about one year older than sokka—so he's about 11-12 when this happens, and katara and sokka are 11 and 12 respectively)

—that the fire nation burned any scrolls they had, when they killed his mother—

(oof)

—and so, to the great surprise of all the villagers present, and all who hear about it after, they leave immediately without harming or threatening anyone, without even searching any of the (huts? igloos?) for potentially hidden scrolls. they just...leave.

and the scarred one—the one with the golden trim on his collar who the other men defer to as if he's in charge—

—which is ridiculous, he's so tiny, he can't be much older than sokka, how could he be their leader, shouldn't it be that old guy—

—actually thanks sokka for his assistance before apologizing for taking up his time, and then leaves. what the fuck—

—then cut to three years later and now that boy (sokka of the southern water tribe, son of the chief, he had introduced himself as) and his sister (katara of the southern water tribe, daughter of the chief) were apparently traveling with the AVATAR. and that girl, katara? she's a waterbender. a fucking waterbender.

what the fu—

[mimisempai]

I love you more than words can say

Summary:

5 times where TK failed to say I love you and one time where he succeeded

I just finished watching the first season of 911 Lone star and I fell in love with these two. I've been gorging on gifs and meta on tumblr so here I am, with my first fanfic on this ship. It's nice to write about a ship which sails... I hope I didn't write them too OOC.

🌈 Happy Pride month ! 🌈

To celebrate, 1 day, 1 story.Be ready for smiles, laugh, fluff, tooth rotthing fluff, positive vibes and a lot of love!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31861114

2230 words - Rating G

1

While Carlos was in the kitchen,TK was desperately trying to concentrate on what he was reading. But after reading the same paragraph for the third time, distracted by Carlos softly humming, he decided to stop. He listened idly for a few seconds before getting up to see him. Like a sailor attracted by the song of the sirens.

Arriving in the kitchen, he stopped, the breath cut by the show which offered itself to him. Carlos moved to the rhythm of the melody he was humming, completely oblivious of the effect these movements had on TK.

He must have heard him coming, because he turned to TK, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"I made you some coffee," he said, handing him the cup. TK looked at Carlos and then contemplated the bottom of his cup, trying to control himself because if he looked up at Carlos he was going to jump on him.

He took a slight breath to give himself some composure and stammered a thank you.

"You looked focused, so I didn't say anything and was going to bring it to you." Carlos smiled slightly and TK had the words at the edges of his lips

"Carlos, I really... I... I don't deserve you."

Carlos looked at him a little oddly but did nothing but smile softly at him before leaning in and giving him a light kiss.

He whispered, "You're welcome." before leaving the room, unaware that he was leaving behind a completely smitten TK.

2

The next time, TK decided to take a different approach. Carlos liked flowers judging from the first time he invited TK, who in retrospect was ashamed of the way he had behaved this time. He had a lot to make up for.

He looked for a florist on the internet and a few minutes later he walked through the door of a store and ordered a bouquet of white flowers.

"How mad is she?" the florist asked, "Should I put a little card in it for you?"

TK smiled with a confidence he was far from feeling and shaking his head, he replied, "I'm just not good with words so I want to try to make him understand in other ways."

He paid, took the flowers and left the store under the fond gaze of the florist.

Back home, TK carefully placed the flowers in a vase and put them on the living room table. He was a little nervous, after all it was the first time he had given flowers to a lover in his life.

He waited and stood up suddenly when he heard the keys in the door, he tried to take a natural pose and waited to see Carlos' reaction.

"Hey handsome! Oh wow, pretty flowers!"

He walked over to TK, kissed him then hugged him for a moment before sighing sighing with contentment,  "Haaa... work day finally over. Anyway it's nice to come home and see these flowers. It's really nice of you to take the trouble to decorate! It makes a big difference."

TK stared at him and opened his mouth. "Yeah, I think it does too. Actually I... I." and once again the words didn't come out.

He forced himself to continue "Yes, I thought it would brighten up the room, I like... well I love..."

Carlos looked at him with the same slightly strange look but simply said, "Thank you!" before adding, "I've been sweating like crazy today, I'm going to take a shower."

Once Carlos exited the room, TK slumped onto the couch, and sighed, "It won't be for this time..."

3

Carlos arrived at the scene of the fire at full speed, flashing his lights, and drove right up to the fire truck.

He ran to TK who was sitting on the side of the road as the rest of the crew finished putting out the fire.

"TK!"

Tk looked up at him, looking completely defeated.

Carlos sat down next to him, "Hey, you okay, are you hurt?"

TK whispered, "We didn't get everyone out."

"Oh babe, I'm so sorry." Carlos put an arm around his shoulders.

"Why didn't you save him!" a voice shouted from behind them.

They stood up and turned to face the voice owner, Carlos still had his arm around TK's shoulders.

"I-I'm sorry, I did everything I could to get your husband out, but it was too late."

"Ah you're sorry! But you'll be able to go home with the one you love! You'll be able to sleep peacefully in the same bed tonight."

Tk didn't know what to say in response and Carlos tightened his arm around his shoulders before saying in a gentle yet firm tone, "Ma'am I'm sorry for your pain, you have my deepest sympathy, but I'm sure TK and his team gave it their all. And I can assure you that tonight the guilt will keep him awake, because for TK and his colleagues, losing someone in the line of duty is an ordeal they don't forget once they get home."

The woman just nodded before turning on her heels.

TK leant even more into the arm around him. He turned to Carlos to tell him when Carlos whispered, "TK, I don't know if you need me to tell you this, but don't take what she said to heart, it was grief talking and you couldn't have prevented what happened, ok sweetheart? "

After a few seconds of silence TK, his throat tight, replied, "Yes, I know that, but thank you for saying it."

Carlos smiled at him and hugged him for a moment before leaving and walking away.

Tk called out to him, the words at the edges of his lips.

"Carlos!"

Carlos turned and looked at him.

TK couldn't do it. Once again.

"No, it's okay, I'll be there soon."

Carlos nodded and went on his way.

Maybe next time he'll be able to say the words...

4

It was a Sunday morning, peaceful, neither of them had to work.

They were having breakfast together, and Carlos still looked half asleep and TK couldn't help but stare at him as usual.

His boyfriend was too cute for the sake of TK's heart rate, and when he stretched, his shirt riding up over his perfectly shaped abs, TK thought he was going to have to bring his dad in to be reanimated.

"What's the matter, I have a pimple on my nose?" asked Carlos, having caught the look on TK's face.

TK thought, the matter is I love you, I love you, I love you .

But the words didn't pass his mouth.

Carlos waved his hand in front of TK's eyes, snapped his fingers and said, "Hello Moon, this is Earth, someone's here?"

"Sorry," TK bit into a piece of toast to give himself some composure.

Carlos brushed his cheek before asking, "Well, you seemed lost far away in thought, care to share?"

TK shook his head, the moment had passed, it was a dead end again.

"Nothing. Nothing important. It's about work, sorry..." TK took on a sheepish look.

"TK, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes Babe, don't worry, everything is fine."

He gently kissed Carlos to prove to him what he just said and they continued their breakfast with a relaxed conversation..

5

"I swear to you Paul, I am cursed, cursed, cursed! Every time I want to tell him, Bam! I get stuck and the words don't come out of my mouth."

Back at the fire station, in the break room, TK was circling.

"Don't worry TK, I'm sure he knows that actually, and just let it happen, if you push too hard it's sure to get stuck."

"What the hell!" continued TK, following the same path, to the point that Carlos thought he was going to dig grooves in the ground. "It's not hard to say three words!"

Paul stood up and stopped TK, holding him by the wrist. "TK, calm down, okay? When was the last time you said those words to someone else?"

TK took a deep breath before answering, "Alex, my ex. The one I proposed to and who told me he was with someone else. He's actually the only one of my exes I've said those words to."

Paul took him by the shoulder, "I understand better... I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself and subconsciously blocking because the one person you said those words to, betrayed you. Just calm down, and before you try one more time, take the time to think about your relationship, about Carlos, about why you love him."

"... okay..."

Before leaving, Paul added, "And you know TK, if you can't tell him, I'm sure you've already made it clear without the words. Anyone can see that."

He winked at him before leaving.

TK went home and sat on the couch with his head in his hands and began to think, to remember.

Carlos always there for him, always caring, how could he not love him. He loved his eyes when he smiled. No matter what he did he was sexy, even when he was doing the laundry. He loved the look in Carlos' eyes when he laid eyes on TK, like he was the most important person in the world. He loved his sense of family and his dedication to those he loved. Carlos had never judged TK for his past and present mistakes and always tried to understand him. They were never bored together. With Carlos, it was the first time that TK wanted to be a better person every day, to excel and to get out of his father's shadow. In fact it was simple, if he compared it to Alex and God knows he didn't like to compare his exes, but what he had felt for Alex was not a quarter of a third of the love he felt for Carlos."

He had reached this point in his thoughts when the door opened, he quickly got up and ran to the entrance, he wanted to tell him right away, now.

Carlos stepped through the door and TK was stopped in his tracks. His lover looked exhausted and sad.

"Hey babe, what's wrong?"

Carlos moved forward and sighed, "It's been a hell of a day." So TK simply took him in his arms.

"Come on, let me take care of you."

He pulled Carlos along with him, he told himself that the next time would be the time and for now he was going to take care of his lover. If he couldn't say the words, he was going to prove it with his actions.

+1

The next morning, TK woke up with the feeling of being watched.

He opened his eyes to find himself facing Carlos who was smiling tenderly at him.

"So the sleeping beauty is awake?"

TK stretched and replied with a smile, "Hm, I don't know, his prince hasn't kissed him yet."

Carlos leaned over him and getting closer, he whispered, "I definitely have to fix this mistake" before kissing him.

TK made a sound of surprise before clinging to Carlos' shoulders and responding to the kiss.  He chest heaved, his breath coming in gasps as Carlos finally released him and took a moment to look at him.

TK's legs automatically spread as Carlos climbed on top of him and pressed his body against his.

"Wow," TK gasped. "I think the Sleeping Beauty is awake."

Carlos smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, more gently this time.

When they separated again to catch their breath, with what little sense of clarity he had left, TK forcefully pushed Carlos and reversed positions. Then he took Carlos' surprised face in his hands and said simply, his lips against his, "I love you."

Carlos immediately replied, "I love you TK, I-"

"Shhh'' TK put a finger over his mouth, and continued, "If I stop, I won't be able to continue, I've been thinking a lot lately, about how to tell you I love you and how and why, and the list is so long. So let me tell you the most important points. I love you because life is so fun by your side. You encourage me to be the best version of myself. I feel strong with you by my side. I love you because whenever I am in your arms, I feel true happiness. I love it when you dance like nobody's watching. I love you for everything you have made me discover about myself. You share your strength with me when I am weak. You let me sing even if I'm terrible at it. You are always ready to defend me and stand by my side. I love you because when we are together, silence is never uncomfortable. But most of all, I love you because you are you, Carlos, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you."

Carlos smiled amidst the tears he made no attempt to hide and then drew TK's face to his neck and whispered over and over again how much he loved him.

They stayed a long time like that, tasting the happiness of shared feelings, because if it was true that actions often said more than words, sometimes words were necessary as much for those who heard them as those who said them.

__________

Not beta'd (as always) I hope you enjoyed it 🥰