#bout to join the crew guys

[deatmat]

Gonna start reading All The Young Dudes now that I don’t have tests that I can’t be distracted from.

[chris-hallelujah]

Have You Ever Tried This One? | m.s.

Summary: The triplets attend singer!reader's concert and Matt gets catches her eye from the crowd.

Part 2 Here!!

Warnings: insinuating sexual acts, talks of sex positions

Word Count: 640 words

My Master List

Join my tag list : @matthewsroses

Divider by: @anitalenia

A/N: This is inspired by this post by @delilahsturniolo . Thank you for letting me use your work as inspiration! Also thank you to @chestersturniolo for helping me find her piece. I do not give consent for my work to be reposted, rewritten, or shared on this platform or any other.

<3 - Billie

The lights in the arena darkened around the group standing at the barricade. Matt, Nick, Chris, and Chris' girlfriend cheered along with everyone else as you appeared in a spotlight on the stage. "Boston! It's so good to see you!" you exclaimed into the microphone causing the crowd to roar. Matt practically had hearts for eyes as you sauntered around the stage in small, sparkly outfits. Sure, he had heard your music and seen you in photos before, but there was something different about seeing you in front of him. Chris and Nick quickly took notice of Matt's in awe state and chuckled.

After a few numbers you had reached the interactive section of your concert. Oftentimes you chose a person in the crowd who was dancing the most or seemed to be having the best time. It was never actually based on your physical attraction to someone, until this time. You had been eyeing the three identical boys in the front row. One specifically caught your eye. You'd seen these boys online before and while you didn't know much about them, you knew which one you wanted. He seemed a bit more quiet than the other two and was staring at you like you were glowing. "Girls, girls, come here!" you spoke into the mic, gesturing for two of your dancers to come over. "Do you see that guy right there? Yes, the triplet but that one, with the pink t shirt," you pointed in Matt's direction. He froze as the camera panned to him for the crowd to see on the big screen. Everyone went wild causing Nick and Chris to bust out laughing. The lights throughout the arena flashed red and blue as a siren sound played throughout the stadium. You knelt down in front of him, "hey there, what's your name?" You cooed into the microphone, batting your eyelashes.

"M-Matthew!" he stammered nervously as Nick filmed the interaction.

"Oh Matthew, I'm afraid you're under arrest. You are just way too hot!" You giggled into the microphone, "Will you take these sweetie?" The security guard took the fuzzy pink handcuffs from your hand and held them over the barricade for Matt to grab. His blush was iminent as he took them with a smile and a nod. You stood back up, winking at him. "There are so many thoughts running through my head, Matthew. Dirty, dirty - oh! my clothes are falling off for you, Matthew!" You laughed stepping out of your dress revealing a shiny pink body suit. The intro of the song began and you danced and sang with your crew. "Whole package, babe, I like the way you fit. God bless your dad's genetics," You sang, gesturing to the triplets with a giggle. Every once in a while throughout the song you'd shoot Matt a look or a wink. "You make me wanna make you fall in love. Oh, late at night, I'm thinking 'bout you, ah-ah. Wanna try out some freaky positions? Hey Matthew, have you ever tried this one?" You sat on your knees with one arm in the air doing a lasso motion to represent cowgirl. Matt about fell over and Chris was a laughing mess next to him. His brothers could not believe what they were witnessing.

That song ended and the show continued. A few songs later, the triplets and Chris' girlfriend were approached by someone from your team. "Matt?" Your manager asked, "You've all been requested backstage after the show." She smiled handing them all passes and getting back to work.

"No way!" Chris' girlfriend jumped up and down.

"Dude, your charm got us connections!" Nick laughed patting Matt on the shoulder. Matt stood staring at the backstage passes in awe. He couldn't believe that you had noticed him in the first place but also to invite him backstage??

[somanyratsinthewalls]

Kinktober Special Part 4

Mo’s Kinktober Special 

The Crew’s Whore (Part 4) (+18)

Summary: You are the former owner of the Grand Line’s most popular brothel. Your power fighting abilities got the attention of the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He had asked you to join their crew but what would you bring to the team? Your battle skills were hardly comparable to many of the other Straw Hats… but you actually had a great skill. Your years working as a high end escort had prepared you to become the private plaything for this pirate crew. You joined the Straw Hats as their personal sex toy.

Pairing: Usopp x afab!reader

WC: 3200 ehehehe

TW's: Alcohol consumption, cowgirl, face sitting, oral sex m receiving, blowjob, a little exhibitionism, virginity loss, virgin usopp :( , oral sex f receiving, pet names, begging, submissive usopp :(

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4: The Liar

——

Earlier in the Day…

Zoro, Sanji and Usopp sat side by side on the railing of the deck watching their fishing poles in the water. The stores of meat were getting a little on the low side, and the whole crew knew what a nightmare their captain would be if there was a shortage of food, so it was all hands on deck for fishing duty. 

“So I had y/n in the bathroom the other day, it was insane.” Zoro starts after several long minutes of silence and no bites on the hooks.

“Yeah, I KNOW.” Usopp snaps back at the mention of what he walked in on a few days ago. 

“Haha oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Zoro chuckled and leaned back on his arm. “Sorry I’m not sorry, you were bound to see it some time. I don’t know why you don’t just have her for yourself for once, you’d understand it then. Oh wait, you’re too chicken shit.” 

“Chicken shit? Oh sorry I RESPECT women, and whatever configuration you had her in was NOT respectful.” Usopp shot back at the swordsman. 

“Oh yeah? Then why was she cummin’ all over the floor? Seemed pretty respectful to me.” Zoro smirked.

“He has a point, moss head. You obviously have no idea how to truly, romantically, pleasure a woman.” Sanji didn’t even turn his head to insult Zoro. 

“At least I’m not in there whimpering and begging! You think you’re quiet? It’s gross, shitcook, be a real man.”

Sanji stood up, abandoning his fishing pole, his right ankle beginning to flame. 

“Oh you want to fucking go, asshole?”

Zoro stands up to unsheathe a single sword. 

“Anytime, curly fuckface.”

“You guys really suck, man, I hope y’all know that.” Usopp sighed and grabbed his fishing pole to move it to the opposite side of the ship. He plants his pole against the railing as he lets Sanji and Zoro’s yelling fade into the background.

“HEY BROS? I SPECIFICALLY SAID NO DIABLÉ ON THE SHIP! CUT IT OUT!” Franky’s booming voice came from the top deck as he interrupted the idiots’ argument. 

Usopp thought about what Zoro said… he wasn’t chicken shit…

— —-

That Same Day, Much Later

This evening aboard the Thousand Sunny, the weather was warm and quite breezy. As per usual there was a large spread for dinner that Sanji had expertly prepared, and the alcohol was certainly flowing. You sat in between Luffy and Usopp, your ear drums basically exploded from the decibel of their laughing and story telling. 

“-And if I wasn’t there, that old lady AND her cat would have DIED!” Usopp was regaling the crew with some ridiculous story about a walnut tree that had been set on fire back in Syrup Village. Was it true? Absolutely not. Was he adorable? Of course. 

Luffy was laughing his ass off, believing every word. 

“Wow Usopp! You’re a real hero! I bet Mr. Snuggles owes you his life!” Luffy said between bouts of laughter. 

You giggled before you leaned in and poked the tip of Usopp’s nose, teasingly.

“You’re so cute, you know that?” You chuckled at him. 

“I.. uh…” Usopp stuttered out before quieting down, his cheeks flushed a dark red. Luffy, oblivious, picked the conversation up again, telling a story about a cat he accidentally tried to eat during his childhood with the bandits. 

After everyone had their fill of food and drink, the crew each returned to their own respective tasks and business. You hung in the galley for awhile, drinking another glass of wine and drying dishes for Sanji. He was always such a good boy for you, why not help him out?

One finishing your task, you gave Sanji a peck on the cheek, to which he fussed and fawned over you briefly, and you grabbed another glass of wine before heading down the stairs towards your room. With airy steps and chardonnay in your hand, you treaded down the hall towards the bedrooms. Before you turned the corner you heard something. A beautiful melody was being played somewhere nearby and it caught your ear. You decided to follow the enchanting sound to the door of the lounge and you pushed it open. 

Inside, Brook was playing a gorgeous tune on the piano alone. You smiled seeing him so happy and in his element. You sauntered over to the piano bench and sat down next to the large skeletal man. He notices you next to him and slows his playing to a softer volume. 

“Oh beautiful y/n! How nice of you to join me! Any requests?” 

“No, this is great. What you’re playing is lovely, please continue.” You sip your wine and close your eyes, enjoying the soft notes from the piano keys. Brook finishes his song and you clap your other hand to the wine glass gently to mimic applause. 

“Bravo, Bone Daddy.” You smile. You continue, “You know… I am sorry that you can’t… you know…” 

“Oh, don’t worry sweet y/n. It’s quite alright, it’s the thought that counts, right? Yohoohoho!”

“Hmm… I guess you’re right… Here.” You stand up from the piano bench and slide out. You hike your thumbs underneath your short, black pleated skirt. You grab the edge of your pink lace panties and pull them down to your ankles and step out of them. You grab your panties and fold them up nicely. You grab one of Brook’s skeletal hands and place the panties in them and close it up. “Keep em. My treat.”  You wink and you turn to walk out of the lounge. As you leave you hear unintelligible thanks spill from Brook’s bony mouth, saying he would cherish them as long as he lived (too bad he was already dead). 

You chuckled to yourself as you closed the door to the lounge behind you. You realize your glass was once again empty, so you returned to the galley to fill it. You poured another full glass of wine before heading out to the deck again. It was quiet, but you notice Usopp sitting on the deck fiddling with his slingshot and some sort of supplies from his bag. 

“Well hey there,” You holler at him from across the deck and begin to saunter towards him. 

“Oh, hey y/n. What are you doing out here?” Usopp doesn’t look up from his project. 

“Just hanging out. Though I’d enjoy this nice weather.” You walk towards the railing of the ship and lean forward on it. 

“Yeah it is nice out, hey if you go back in for another drink could you grab me a-“ Usopp looks up towards you facing outwards towards the sea. You were leaned over the railing and the wind was blowing your skirt up over your ass. Having taken off your panties, your bare cunt and cheeks were on full display for him. 

Usopp instinctively jumped up and moved his body behind yours to cover you. Although there was no one else on the deck, he thought to immediately shelter your most intimate bits from any prying eyes.  You felt him behind you and shot up. 

“Usopp…” You ask as you turn yourself around to face him, chests almost touching. 

“Y/n! What the hell are you doing? You…” He whispers and looks around, “you don’t have any panties on!” He very quietly but very harshly breaths out at you. 

You giggle. 

“Oh, that? Yeah. Does it bother you, Usopp? You don’t like seeing my pussy on the deck like this?” You tease him as you step closer to him, bringing your breasts to press against his torso. 

“No I mean I never said- I mean no! Wait yes I mean yes! Hold on, no, no I don’t dislike it I just-…” His brain was fried as if he just stuck his finger in an electrical socket. He could feel your nipples through your tight crop top. 

“Ohhh… so you DO like it?” You purr at him.

“YES obviously, yes it’s great I mean-“ He stutters as you wrap your hands around his neck. You pull him closer to you and you gently press your lips against his to shut up him. He freezes. It took at least a full 30 seconds for him to start kissing you back. Usopp finally gathers the courage to place his hands on your waist as you kiss him deeply. You pull back, holding the side of his face with one hand, looking into his nervous eyes. 

“Would you like to take me back to your room, Usopp?” You seductively ask. He blinks blankly at you. He wasn't chicken shit. He grabs your hand and pulls you quickly through the ship to his room. 

Closing the door behind you, you wrap your arms around him again, consuming him in another heavy make out session. You could feel his hands on your body shaking. 

“Nervous, sweetheart?” You pull back and coo at him. 

“Ha, nervous? Nah, no never. I do this all the time! You know I used to have a girlfriend back in Syrup Village, she was basically a princess and she and I-“ You press your finger to his lips. 

“We both know that’s bullshit.” You smirk at him. You trace your finger along his lips. “You’ve never touched a woman in your life. Never felt the hot, wet mouth of a woman on your cock. You’ve never tasted the sweet release of a pretty girl on your tongue. You’ve never felt the tight squeeze of a cunt while you’re deep inside of it.” 

Usopp whimpers at your filthy words. You snake your left hand in between your bodies to palm him over his overalls. 

“Shit- okay fine. You got me. I have no idea what I’m doing. I want to make you feel good but I.. I don’t know how…” 

“Then let me show you…” You push his body back towards the bed making him flop onto it. You slunk in between his knees  and removed his clothes. You slipped out of your shirt over your head and your skirts down your legs, not needing to remove your panties since you had already gifted them to your Bone Daddy earlier. His cock was so painfully hard already, it bobbed angrily in front of your face as you pulled down his coveralls. 

“Are you gonna… what are you gonna do?” Usopp asks you anxiously. “well… nothing you don’t want, okay sweetheart? I was going to take you in my mouth… if that’s alright my sweet boy?” You settle yourself between his thighs and start to stroke his cock slowly. 

“Yes… I-I want to be in your mouth please…” He stares intently down at you, hypnotized by your beauty and eagerness. 

“Hmm…” You hum as you slowly lave your tongue over the hot mushroom tip of his cock. 

“Holy shit y/n-!” 

You felt your cunt grow wet at the desperate sounds of pleasure that came from his mouth. You wanted to ruin him so bad. A loud whine escaped Usopp’s mouth as you took his full length down your throat. You brought your right hand up to cup his tight, heavy balls in your palm. 

Usopp’s thighs and abs tense as you continue to work him in your mouth and your hands. Nothing but moans and heavy breaths left his lips. He had never felt anything like this before, cursing himself for being too… well chicken shit, to ask for your services before now. 

“Y/n wait stop I’m going to-“

You used your left hand to grab his hip and press his body further into you as you took his cock in your mouth so far that your nose met him pelvis. Usopp whined as he released his heavy load down your throat. After several more ropes shot into your mouth, you pulled off Usopp’s dick as he flopped down back on the bed. 

“Woah… I kinda get what Sanji’s been talking about now…” Usopp uttered as he stared at the ceiling. You chuckled as you snaked your body up his chest to give him a peck on the nose. 

“What can I say? I’m a professional.” You cupped his face in your hand and winked at him. His expression changed. 

“Wait… What about you?” Usopp looked up at you with concerned eyes. “Oh sweetie don’t you worry about that!.” You stroked his cheek. 

“No… I said I wanted to make you feel good… can you… can you help me? Show me?” He desperately grabbed at your hips, grinding you down onto his cock that was already starting to harden again. 

“Hm… If you insist…” You smiled devilishly and sat up on your knees and moved to hover over Usopp’s face, leaving your sopping cunt mere inches above his drooling lips. His eyes bugged wide out of his head, the sight of your gorgeous bare pussy so close to his face was too much for him to handle. 

“Do you want to taste it, Usopp?” You teased at him, being barely out of his reach, not sitting down fully just yet. 

“Mmm Yes! Yes just sit! Mmm please just sit down I’ll do whatever you  want, just use me, please!” His speech was almost slurred due to him trying to reach his tongue out of his mouth to taste you already. You gave into his pleas and fully lowered your body onto his face. A breathy sigh of pleasure escaped your lips as his tongue prodded your weeping hole. 

“Mmmprhh so-mrrph good!” Usopp whined out against your sex. He bucked his hips up shamelessly, already fully erect again. You leaned forward to grind your clit against the base of his nose while his tongue fucked your hole. You threw your head back in pleasure and moaned loudly. 

“Ohhh, sweetie that’s so good! You’re so perfect for letting me use your pretty face like this. Such a good boy for eating me so well!” You praised him as you continued to ride his face, bringing yourself to orgasm. 

“I’m going to cum on your face now, Usopp. You’re going to lay there and take it, right sweetheart?”

“Mhmm! Mhmm” He nodded his head as you finally pushed over the edge. Your slick juices sprayed his face and neck as you cried out. Usopp moaned underneath you as his tongue darted out of your hole to lap up any remaining release from your folds. 

You collected yourself and slid your body back down his chest, your pussy dragged a wet trail down his torso as you moved. You hovered over his weeping cock, leaking a puddle of precum onto his toned abdomen. 

“Would you like to fuck me now, Usopp?” You looked him square in the eye. He was so drunk on your body and pleasure. 

“Yes! Yes, Please, I’d like to fuck you now! Please let me inside of you!” Once again he was begging beneath you. You could definitely get used to his. “Ok sweetheart, you can fuck me now. You’ve done so good.” You coo at him as you line his cock up with your soaked entrance and slide down. He wasn’t as long as Sanji or Zoro, but it was thick and hit your spot just right as you took him to the base inside yourself. 

“Fuck-!” Usopp cries out as his hands fly to your hips to ground himself, so lost in the pleasure of your tight cunt. 

“Sweetie you fill me up so nice, doing such a good job-“ You moaned out dreamily as you began to grind yourself back and forth on Usopp’s cock. 

“Fuck y/n… I can’t… I just gotta…” 

All of a sudden Usopp plants his feet and slams his hips up into yours making you almost jolt off his dick in the process. He hit you so deep. 

“Usopp!” You cry out in both surprise and pleasure. You shudder forward and lose your balance, hands landing on his firm chest to hold yourself up. Usopp continues to piston his length inside of you at an animalistic pace as you felt that familiar tightness in your belly begin to form again. 

“Shit, Usopp I- I think I’m gonna- AH!” He was bouncing you so forcefully on his cock, the soft, shy Usopp you knew was long gone as soon as he sunk balls deep into your filthy cunt. Your body was being tossed in the air with every thrust, your full breasts bouncing lewdly in his face.  “Gotta feel you cum again… Fucking do it… Cum on me again…” Usopp growled out at you as he took your right nipple in his teeth. You cried out in pain and pleasure as his grip tightened on your hips, holding you so hard you knew you’d be left with black and blue marks where his fingers were now. You screamed out his name as you let your orgasm wash over your body and you released all over his lower half. 

“Y/n, fuck, where should I-?” Usopp gasps out. 

“Inside… Need… inside…” You choke out between gasps, your body still recovering from your orgasm.

Usopp groaned loudly as he pulled your hips down so far into his that you felt his cock kiss your cervix harshly. You whined as he shuddered and came deep inside of your still spasming pussy. 

His body went limp. You leaned forward while he was still seated within you to place a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose. You tried to as gently as possible remove yourself from his overly sensitive cock. He still groaned as you pulled yourself off of him, feeling his cum drip out of you onto his hip bone in the process. You laid down next to him and wrapped him in your arms. You pulled his down comforter over both of your naked bodies. You scratched his scalp as he nuzzled his face into your shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around your lower back. 

“SooOOOooo… What’dya think?” You giggled as you asked him how his first time was, already knowing the answer. 

“Y/n it was-“

“GLAD YOU FINALLY GET IT, LOSER!” You both heard Zoro’s drunk, booming voice from outside Usopp’s bedroom door. 

“FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!” Usopp shouted, briefly rising from his resting place in the crook of your neck. 

You both laughed. You pecked him on the lips. “Goodnight, Usopp.”

“Goodnight, y/n.” 

You both quickly fell asleep in each others arms. 

[demonpiratehuntress]

hurt for long

OPLA!Zoro x Reader

Summary - Every time you go to a certain island, you're used by a guy you think genuinely likes you. This time you go with Zoro, and when that guy hurts you yet again, the green-haired swordsman is there to pick up the pieces.

Warning - cussing, violence (a little, but it's Zoro), he may be OOC a little but it fits the plot

****************************

"Don't you think for a minute he's irreplaceable

I know he hurt you, but it won't hurt for long

Hurt for long

He thinks you're out of options

You're 'bout to prove him wrong

'Cause I'm right here making sure you don't hurt for long

Hurt for long"

****************************

"What's so nice about this island?"

You looked at the dark-haired sharpshooter next to you as leaned against the railing of the ship, your gaze previously on the upcoming stretch of land. You let out a sigh, trying to calm your nerves which were clearly showing. But you felt too excited.

"I'm just excited to see someone."

"Oooooh," Usopp teased, "(Name)'s got a boyfriend."

The timing could not have been worse, because your closest crewmate - and secret crush, but that's a long story - was about to join you and Usopp. However, when those words met his ears, he changed his mind. He was not going to stand and listen to you gush about the nobody you liked, because it wasn't him.

You didn't notice, your cheeks reddening, "He's not my boyfriend! Just a...friend with benefits, of sorts."

Zoro's annoyance quickly grew, and he almost accidentally shoved a passing Sanji overboard while storming away from the deck. He didn't know why he felt so protective, so possessive, because it was clear you weren't into him (at least in his mind), but he couldn't help it. He'd tried so hard to stop these feelings, unsuccessfully. And now he had to deal with your affections lying elsewhere, with some stupid guy on some stupid island and-

"We're here!"

You were bounding off the ship as soon as it was moored, and already running into the village without waiting for anyone. Nami and Sanji - the only two who were aware of Zoro's feelings, much to his irritation - looked at him. He turned away, trying to appear unaffected, but none of them missed the way his fists clenched.

By the time the rest of the crew had caught up with you, however, Zoro's anger and frustration was immediately replaced with heartbreak and concern.

You were dejectedly walking back the way you came, hugging yourself with tears streaming down your face. Your quiet sniffles were not as quiet as you intended them to be, and upon hearing them Zoro's heart sunk.

"(Name), what happened?!" Nami was the first to reach you, grabbing your arms and pulling you aside.

"I don't want to talk about it," you replied quietly, a fresh round of tears slipping down your face. "Can we just go?"

"What did he do?"

All eyes turned to the green-haired swordsman, anger burning in his eyes. One hand was on his swords, as if he was preparing to slide one out and slice whoever hurt you into ribbons.

"How did you-" You looked up at him, but he cut you off.

"What. Did. He. Do?"

"Please don't do anything stupid," you pleaded, but told him anyway. Out of everyone on the crew, you were closest to Zoro. You couldn't stop yourself from telling him anything and everything, even if you tried.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No, Zoro!"

Before you could lunge at him to stop him, he was gone. You cursed yourself for mentioning which house it was, and the rest of you ran as fast as you could to chase down your aggressive crewmate.

But when Zoro was out for blood, he usually got it.

By the time you all reached the house, Zoro was standing over the guy with his boot pressed down hard on the coward's chest, with him whimpering and begging to be freed. One of Zoro's katanas was pointed directly at his nose, and he was going squint trying to keep his eyes on it. You were about to say something, when you heard the words spilling from the swordsman's mouth.

"You dumb fuck," he hissed, "Do you even realise what you have done? You had all of her attention, all of her affection, and you go and fuck it up? How could you settle for that whore upstairs when you had the prettiest woman already? Bastard."

Your heart fluttered at those words - some of them, anyway. He thought you were the prettiest? He yearned for your love and attention? You had been so busy trying to ignore your feelings for him and project them onto someone else, that you had never made room for the possibility he might like you back. Now you felt guilty, and started to cry all over again.

"Zoro," Nami warned. "Let's go."

He looked up to see you standing there with Nami, all the fire in his eyes extinguishing at the sight of you. His expression softened, and within seconds he had his sword sheathed and you in his arms. You tried to protest, saying you could walk, but his next words made you melt.

"I want to carry you."

A while later, you were back on the seas with your crew. A blanket had been slung across your shoulders, and you were sitting out on the deck with a hot drink in your hand - courtesy of Sanji who had been in no way threatened by Zoro to make it.

"Thank you," you finally spoke, turning to the silent swordsman beside you.

"What for?" He asked, his deep voice comforting you.

"For beating him up," you managed a small laugh.

He cracked a smile at that, turning to look at you, "Who says I did it for you? Maybe I just wanted an excuse to hit something."

"Uh huh, tough guy," you laughed, then leaned against him. "Did you mean all those things you said?"

"What things?" He hummed, trying to feign confusion.

You rolled your eyes, but smiled and let him be. You just sat there, leaning against him, and watched the ocean in silence. Until he decided to speak up.

"I did mean them."

You smiled, and looked up at him as he continued.

"I'm not...I'm not very good at showing how I feel, especially when it comes to something like this." He paused. "I don't know how to...navigate this, because I have never let myself think about anything other than training. Than becoming the world's greatest swordsman. Romance was the last thing I ever expected to find, but..." He gave you a rare, unguarded and genuinely happy smile, "I'm glad I found it with you."

His confession made your eyes widen, and you had to set the drink down from how shaky your hands got.

"And I know..." He took a deep breath, "I know you liked that guy, but-"

You giggled, and he stopped talking, his face turning red.

"Your naivety towards some things is adorable, you know that?" You stopped him before he could protest about being called adorable. "I only diverted my attention to him because I didn't think I would ever have a chance with you, the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, quietly sweet, and extremely protective former pirate hunter."

Your words caused an unfamiliar feeling to overcome him. He felt heat rise to his cheeks, an effect only you had ever had on him. He couldn't describe how he felt hearing you say that, but it was definitely a good feeling and he was starting to enjoy the way you made him feel.

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you right against him. You hummed in satisfaction and curled into his side, head resting on his shoulder as his chin found the top of your head. You felt a soft, barely-there kiss being placed on top of your head, and smiled to yourself.

"Well I guess I should be thankful that idiot messed up," he spoke again, "He didn't deserve you anyway." He looked at you. "You deserve so much better than that, and I'm going to show you that."

You smiled, tilting your head up to meet his warm eyes, "I know."

He let himself smile again, satisfaction bubbling within him at the fact that he was the cause of your smile this time. He held you just a bit tighter, not wanting to let go, and wanting to keep you from further harm, emotional or physical. He wanted to shield you from all the hurtful things you might encounter, because he would be damned if he had to go through the pain of seeing your face so broken and upset again. He didn't ever want to see you cry again, not because of him, or anyone else.

"You know, that didn't hurt for long," you finally spoke up again after a few quiet minutes. "Thanks to you."

"Glad I can be of service."

You rolled your eyes, lightly smacking his chest at his remark. He laughed, the sound like audible honey, and leaned in to softly press his lips against yours.

"Get some rest. I'll be here for as long as you need me to."

***************************

[1way2mars]

Pazuribe Event Translation - “Happy gameathlon!! ～Kisaki and Hanma edition～”

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☆ Please give credit in case of use!

☆ I'm not a professional translator and I'm still learning Japanese. That's why some things might not match exactly/could have been better translated/there might be mistakes. This is a great way for me to learn. I put a lot of effort into making the translation as good as they can be!

☆ Find more pazuribe translations here!

☆ If you have any comment, question, correction or suggestion, please let me know! Interactions are appreciated (^^ゞ

OPENING STORY

羽宮 一虎：おいマイキー！急に呼び出してなんだよ

Kazutora: Hey Mikey! What’s up with this sudden call?

佐野 万次郎：おせぇよ一虎～オレが呼んだら5分で来いよ

Mikey: You’re laaate Kazutora～ When I call you, you gotta show up in five minutes.

羽宮 一虎：無茶言うなよー

Kazutora: Don’t be ridiculous. 

河田 ナホヤ：一虎も来たしこれで全員か？

Smiley: Since Kazutora is here, is this everyone?

羽宮 一虎：おれ？そうなん？珍しいメンツだな…

Kazutora: Eh? Wait, what? This is a weird group…

羽宮 一虎：ドラケンとか他のヤツらは？

Kazutora: What ‘bout Draken and the others?

佐野 万次郎：....今回はオマエらにしか頼めねぇことなんだ

Mikey: I can only count on you guys this time…

武藤 泰宏：なんだどうした

Muto: What’s wrong?

河田 ソウヤ：オレら力になるよ！

Angry: We can help!

佐野 万次郎：これなんだけど....

Mikey: The thing is…

河田 ナホヤ：ん？これいつものゲーセンにある格ゲーじゃん

Smiley: Mh? Isn’t this the usual arcade with fighting games?

羽宮 一虎：これがどうかしたのかよ？

Kazutora: So what’s the deal with this?

佐野 万次郎：これでこの間ケンチンたちにボコボコにされたんだよ…！

Mikey: The other day Kenchin and the crew totally beat me to a pulp…!

羽宮 一虎：…は？

Kazutora: …Huh?

佐野 万次郎：次戦う時にぜってぇ全員ボコボコにしてやりてぇ

Mikey: So next time we fight, I gotta be the one to take them down.

佐野 万次郎：ってことで！オレの秘密の特訓に付き合え！！

Mikey: So! Come join my secret training!!

河田 ナホヤ：…マジかよ　そんなことのためにこんな大人数呼んだん？マイキー

Smiley: No way… Ya really hit us up for somethin’ like that, Mikey?

佐野 万次郎：ああ　オレは大真面目だ

Mikey: Yeah. Deadass.

羽宮 一虎：マイキー　このメンツでゲームの特訓やんの？できると思う？

Kazutora: Mikey, you gonna do game training with these guys? You think so?

三途 春千夜：おい、テメェ　マイキーが言うことに口答えすんじゃねぇよ

Sanzu: Hey, you bastard. Don’t talk like that to Mikey.

三途 春千夜：マイキーが特訓するって言ってんだから黙って付き会え

Sanzu: He said we’re training so shut up and join. 

羽宮 一虎：は？オマエ急に口出してきて何？喧嘩売ってんのか？

Kazutora: Hah? Why ya suddenly butting in? Ya tryna pick up a fight?

武藤 泰宏：落ち着け、オマエら

Muto: Calm down, you two.

河田 ナホヤ：まぁどうせヒマだしな　オレらは特訓付き合うか

Smiley: Alright we got nothin’ to do. We’ll go train. 

河田 ソウヤ：うん、そうしよう兄ちゃん

Angry: Yeah, that’s right big bro.

三途 春千夜：オレも付き合う

Sanzu: I’ll join too. 

武藤 泰宏：オマエはどうするんだ？羽宮

Muto: What about you, Hanemiya?

羽宮 一虎：手伝わねぇとは言ってねぇじゃん！！

Kazutora: I never said I ain’t gonna help!!

武藤 泰宏：…だそうだマイキー

Muto: So that’s it, Mikey…

佐野 万次郎：よし！じゃあゲーセン行こうぜ！！

Mikey: Alright! Let’s go to the arcade!!

STORY AFTER EASY LEVEL

ーゲームセンター

–At the arcade– 

佐野 万次郎：なんかいつもと違くね？

Mikey: Doesn’t something look different from usual?

羽宮 一虎：確かにいつもより女の子が多いかも

Kazutora: For sure there’s more girls around. 

河田 ナホヤ：スゲェファンシーな飾り付けだな　これが理由か？

Smiley: That’s some fancy decoration… What’s the occasion?

河田 ソウヤ：「サンリオキャラクターズフェア実施中！」だって

Angry: ‘Cause the “Ongoing Sanrio Character Fair!”

武藤 泰宏：サンリオキャラクターズフェア？

Muto: Sanrio Character Fair?

三途 春千夜：フェア中はサンリオキャラクターの景品が取りやすくなってるみたいです

Sanzu: Looks like it’s easier to get Sanrio character’s prizes during the fair.

武藤 泰宏：…なるほど

Muto: I see…

羽宮 一虎：へ～他にも色々やってんだな

Kazutora: Wow～ There’s a lot of other stuff going on too.

佐野 万次郎：まぁ、オレたちには関係ないな　格ゲーのコーナー行こうぜ

Mikey: Well, it has nothing to do with us. Let’s go to the fighting games corner.

武藤 泰宏：そうだな

Muto: Sure.

河田 ソウヤ：ねぇマイキー

Angry: Hey, Mikey.

佐野 万次郎：どうした？アングリー

Mikey: What’s wrong, Angry?

河田 ソウヤ：格ゲーって1対1だよね？

Angry: Games are one-on-one, right?

河田 ソウヤ：プレイしてない間スマイリーとUFOキャッチャーのコーナー行っててもいい？

Angry: Is it okay if Smiley and I go to the claw machines corner while we don’t play?

佐野 万次郎：オッケー　その代わりオレが呼んだらすぐ来いよな～

Mikey: Okaay. In exchange, you’ll come immediately if I call you～

河田 ソウヤ：わかった！スマイリー！UFOキャッチャー行こ！

Angry: Got it! Smiley! Let’s go to the claw machines!

河田 ナホヤ：おう！

Smiley: Lets! 

・・・

河田 ソウヤ：兄ちゃん！頑張って！

Angry: Big bro! Good luck!

河田 ナホヤ：まかせとけ！

Smiley: Leave it to me!

ポロッ

Thud

河田 ナホヤ：うわっ落ちた　結構デケェから上手く行かねぇな　両替してくっか～

Smiley: Ohhh, it fell. They’re pretty big so it’s not working out. I’ll go for change～

河田 ソウヤ：うん…　…！ねぇ、兄ちゃんアイツら

Angry: Okay… …! Hey big bro, those two.

半間 修二：ほら、稀咲～♪　これやるよ

Hanma: Look, Kisaki～♪ I got this.

稀咲 鉄太：いらねぇよ

Kisaki: No thanks.

稀咲 鉄太：あ、おい！無理やり持たせようどするな！！

Kisaki: H-hey! Don’t force me to carry this!!

河田 ナホヤ：げ、半間と稀咲

Smiley: Ugh, Hanma and Kisaki. 

半間 修二：ん～？なんだぁ？だれかと思えば東卍の双子じゃねーか♡

Hanma: Mhhh～? What’s this? Now that I think about it, if it isn’t the Toman twins♡

河田 ナホヤ：ああ？テメェ何か用かよ？

Smiley: Hah? What the hell do ya want? 

半間 修二：後から来たのオマエらじゃん　おれらただ遊びに来ただけだぜ？

Hanma: Aren’t you the ones that arrived after us? We were just playing around?

半間 修二：なぁ？稀咲♡

Hanma: Riiight? Kisaki♡

稀咲 鉄太：オレはコイツに付き合うわされてるだけだ

Kisaki: I’m only tagging along. 

河田 ソウヤ：兄ちゃん、遊んでるだけならほっとこ

Angry: Big bro, if they’re only playing, let’s leave them alone.

河田 ナホヤ：…そうだな

Smiley: Right…

半間 修二：ところで…　オマエらそのぬいぐるみ取るのか？

Hanma: By the way… Are ya gonna catch that plushie?

河田 ナホヤ：あ～？テメェに関係ねぇだろうが

Smiley: Hah～? None of your business.

半間 修二：オレが手本を見せてやるよ♪

Hanma: I’ll show ya how it’s done♪

STORY AFTER MIDDLE LEVEL

半間 修二：ほらゲット♪

Hanma: Got it♪

河田 ナホヤ：悔しいけどコイツ上手ぇ・・・

Smiley: Hate to admit it, but you’re good…

河田 ソウヤ：そうだね・・・

Angry: Yeah…

稀咲 鉄太：半間、もう遊びは終わりでいいか？

Kisaki: Hanma, are you done playing?

半間 修二：稀咲～　コイツらに格の違いを見せてつけてやったのにそのいう草かよ

Hanma: Kisaki～ I proved we’re ahead of them, but now they’ve got the guts to talk like that.

稀咲 鉄太：クレーンゲームで格の違いを見せてつけてなんの意味がある

Kisaki: What’s the point of showing off who is the best at claw machines?

半間 修二：う～ん、なんも意味ねーかも

Hanma: Mhhhh～ You might be right.

稀咲 鉄太：だろうな

Kisaki: See?

佐野 万次郎：おい、オマエら何スマイリー達に絡んでんだよ

Mikey: Hey, why you giving Smiley and Angry a hard time?

半間 修二：げ～面倒なやつが来ちゃった

Hanma: Eehh～ And the pain in the ass shows up. 

三途 春千夜：は？テメェマイキーにそんな口聞いてんじゃねぇ

Sanzu: Hah? Don’t talk to Mikey like that, asshole.

半間 修二：こいつら相手にするのダリィ　稀咲～あっち行こうぜ

Hanma: Dealing with you guys is such a drag. Kisaki～ Let’s go there.

稀咲 鉄太：オレはそろそろ帰りたいんだが…

Kisaki: I just wanna go home…

半間 修二：まだ遊ぼ～ぜ♡稀咲

Hanma: Let’s still plaaay～♡ Kisaki

稀咲 鉄太：…チッいい加減にしろ

Kisaki: Tch… I’ve had enough. 

羽宮 一虎：アイツらなんだったんだ？

Kazutora: What was all about?

河田 ナホヤ：半間がいうには遊んでるだけらしいけど

Smiley: Hanma said they’re just playing.

羽宮 一虎：ふ～ん　そういえばぬいぐるみは？とれた？

Kazutora: Mhhh～ What about the plushie? Ya got it?

河田 ソウヤ：まだだよ　でも半間の取った方法真以すれば取れる気がする

Angry: Not yet. But if I try Hanma’s method I might be able to get it. 

佐野 万次郎：へー　アイツらそんなすごかったんだ

Mikey: Eeeeh. Was he that good?

河田 ソウヤ：うん、ちょっと半間のテクニック使って取ってみるからさ、みててよ！マイキー

Angry: Yeah, I’m gonna use Hanma’s technique and get it, just watch, Mikey!

・・・

佐野 万次郎：スゲェな…アングリー　めっちゃ簡単にぬいぐるみ取るじゃん

Mikey: Amazing, Angry… You got them so easily.

武藤 泰宏：これは…すごい量だな…

Muto: Those are… a lot…

河田 ソウヤ：すごい簡単に取れるようになって楽しくなっちゃって…

Angry: It’s extremely easy to get them and even more exciting…

武藤 泰宏：おい、この量どうするんだ

Muto: Hey, what are you gonna do with all that?

河田 ソウヤ：みんな一個ずつ持ってってよ　仲良くしてあげて！

Angry: Everyone get one! Please be friendly with them!

佐野 万次郎：とりあえずこのキキララっていうのはスマイリーとアングリーが持っとけよ

Mikey: For now, Smiley and Angry should take Kiki and Lala. 

佐野 万次郎：双子らしいしピッタリだろ

Mikey: They look like twins, so it fits. 

羽宮 一虎：じゃあおれクロミにしよ

Kazutora: Then I’ll get Kuromi.

羽宮 一虎：オレがクロミならマイキーマイメロディだよな！

Kazutora: If I have Kuromi, Mikey needs My melody!

佐野 万次郎：あんでもいいよ　エマにやるし

Mikey: That’s fine with me. I’ll give it to Emma.

武藤 泰宏：じゃあオレらはこの２つか　どっちがいいとかあるか？三途

Muto: Then we get these two? Which one do you want, Sanzu?

三途 春千夜：オレはどっちでもいいです

Sanzu: I’m okay with either. 

武藤 泰宏：だよな　じゃあこっちのワィッシュミーメル？ってやつ持ってけ

Muto: Alright. Then this Wish me mell? You’ll take it.

三途 春千夜：はい

Sanzu: Yes.

STORY AFTER ADVANCED LEVEL

羽宮 一虎：なぁ、マイキー　オレもUFOキャッチャーやりたくなってきちゃった

Kazutora: Hey, Mikey. I wanna give the crane machines a shot too.

羽宮 一虎：やりに行ってもいい？

Kazutora: Is it okay if I go?

佐野 万次郎：そうだな　特訓は一旦休憩にして一緒に回るか

Mikey: Sure. Why don’t we take a short break from training and go together?

武藤 泰宏：マイキー、特訓休憩ならオレと三途はあそこのベンチで休んでるぞ

Muto: Mikey, while you have a break Sanzu and I will go to that bench and rest.

佐野 万次郎：オッケー

Mikey: Okaay.

羽宮 一虎：あっち行こうぜ！マイキー！

Kazutora: Let’s go there! Mikey!

・・・

羽宮 一虎：じゃーん！見ろよマイキー！マイメロディとクロミのカチューシャとれた！

Kazutora: Ta-daaa! Look Mikey! I got My melody and Kuromi headbands!

佐野 万次郎：やるじゃん一虎　UFOキャッチャーうめーな

Mikey: Way to go, Kazutora. You’re good at crane machines.

羽宮 一虎：だろ？マイキーにマイメロディやるよ

Kazutora: Right? I’ll give you My melody one. 

羽宮 一虎：せっかく取ったし一緒に付けよーぜ

Kazutora: Now that I finally got it, let's wear them.

佐野 万次郎：え～

Mikey: Eeh～

羽宮 一虎：もったいないじゃん？ほら

Kazutora: Why are ya wasting time? Here.

スッ

Fwump

佐野 万次郎：…これ女がつけるやつだろ

Mikey: This is something a girl would wear…

羽宮 一虎：そんなことねぇよ　こういうのつけてると女の子にウケいいらしいし

Kazutora: That’s not true at all. Apparently girls dig it when you wear this kinda stuff. 

半間 修二：ん？マイキー　随分おもしれーカッコしてんじゃん

Hanma: Mh? Mikey. Don’t ya look extremely funny and cool. 

羽宮 一虎：あ、半間まだいたのかよ

Kazutora: Ah, Hanma you’re still here?

佐野 万次郎：稀咲はどうしたんだ？

Mikey: What about Kisaki?

半間 修二：あっちでUFOキャッチャー頑張ってるぜ

Hanma: He’s giving it his all with that claw machine. 

羽宮 一虎：オマエ上手いんだからついててやれよ

Kazutora: You’re great at it so go be at his side. 

半間 修二：オレから助言もらわねぇって　意地になってんの

Hanma: But he doesn’t wanna get advice from me. Isn’t he stubborn?

羽宮 一虎：ふ～んまぁどうでもいいや　マイキー特訓戻ろうぜ

Kazutora: Mhhh～ Well I don’t care. Mikey, let's go back to the special training.

佐野 万次郎：そうするか

Mikey: Let’s do that.

半間 修二：特訓～？ゲーセンでなんの特訓してんの？

Hanma: Special training～? What kinda training do you do at an arcade?

佐野 万次郎：格ゲー

Mikey: Fighting games.

半間 修二：へえ〜もしかしてマイキー弱ぇの？

Hanma: Heeeh～ Could it be that Mikey is weak?

佐野 万次郎：あ？弱くねーよ

Mikey: Hah? I ain’t weak. 

半間 修二：稀咲相手にしてみれば？

Hanma: Why don’t you try against Kisaki?

羽宮 一虎：は？どういうことだよ？

Kazutora: Hah? What do ya mean?

半間 修二：稀咲はあんま格ゲーとかやんなそうだし、いい練習相手になんじゃね？

Hanma: Kisaki barely plays fighting games and such, so he might be a good practice partner?

半間 修二：貸し１ってことで♪どう？

Hanma: You owe me one ♪ So? 

佐野 万次郎：いいぜ、素人に負けるかよ

Mikey: Fine by me, I ain’t gonna lose against an amateur. 

STORY AFTER EXTREME LEVEL

羽宮 一虎：おぉ～いい勝負

Kazutora: Oooh～ It’s a good match.

武藤 泰宏：今までで一番拮抗してるな

Muto: This is the most neck and neck I've ever seen until now. 

佐野 万次郎：よし！いける！！

Mikey: Yes! It’s going well!!

-YOU WIN-

佐野 万次郎：よっしゃあ！オレの勝ち！

Mikey: Hell yeah! This is my win!

河田 ソウヤ：おめでと！マイキー！

Angry: Congrats! Mikey!

稀咲 鉄太：……チッ

Kisaki: Tch…

半間 修二：残念だったな～♡稀咲

Hanma: That sucks～♡ Kisaki

稀咲 鉄太：おい、マイキー　この勝負は貸し１ってことでいいんだよな？

Kisaki: Hey, Mikey. I’m sure this match means I owe you one?

佐野 万次郎：いいよ練習になったし

Mikey: It was just some good practice.

稀咲 鉄太：…オレらは帰る　行くぞ、半間

Kisaki: We’ll be leaving... Let’s go, Hanma.

半間 修二：りょ～じゃあな～オマエら♡

Hanma: Yes sir～ See yaaa～ you guys ♡

佐野 万次郎：さて、アイツには勝てたけどまだオマエらには勝ってねぇんだ

Mikey: Then, I’ve beaten him but I haven’t won against you guys yet. 

佐野 万次郎：今日はオレが連戦連勝できるようになるまで付き合ってもらうからな！

Mikey: You’ll stay here with me today until I’m on a winning streak!

羽宮 一虎：マジかよマイキー無理だって諦めな？

Kazutora: For real Mikey there’s no way you’ll give up?

佐野 万次郎：いや！さっきのでコツ掴んだからいける！

Mikey: No! I got the hang of it earlier so I can do it! 

河田 ナホヤ：どっから来るんだ？その自信はよぉ

Smiley: Where’s this coming from? That confidence of yours.

[randomsufff]

Ok idk how to start this but, DBH fandom- there should be more Connor and Simon friendship fics.

Like- don’t get me wrong I love all the fics where Connor joins the Jeri-crew but, for some reason, I feel like Post-Deviant Connor would really get along with Simon specifically . I tried to think of a reason why (other than bc they’re my two favorite characters) and I think it’s because they’re so similar- but also like… ever so slightly diffrent.

They both (again- thinking Deviant Connor) care about others and are nice, and have a placid, intentional innocent look about them (Simon cause he’s a caretaker android and Connor cause he said it was to appeal to others) and yet they’re both incredibly stubborn and very much capable of violence. However, I think Simon tends to see violence as a very, very last resort while I feel like Connor would be a little more quick to resorting to violence if the situation warrants it.

And Simon is capable of violence! He’s a stubborn piece of shit about his ideals! Side rant bout Simon’s fandom characterization; despite how he’s sometimes depicted- Simon is not some “soft UwU boy who stumbles over his words constantly (EspEciAlly if MARKUS is around hu hu hu *wink wink*) and likes to take care of everyone ✨ by being an overbearing, smothering mother ” (I hate when he’s reduced down to that) Just because he’s nice and empathetic doesn’t mean he’s a weak, push over. I mean, hell, dude kept Jericho standing for who knows how many years. He had to insist AND UPHOLD the rule that they don’t leave the ship. Dude straight up wields a gun and kills people if you go the violent route. He obviously doesn’t like it- and any times he promoted to hurt people it usually fails (Thinking of trying to attack the first 2 guards at Stanford or taking the L during the March) but he does it if he’s pushed into it! And he’s headstrong too! Not some weakling who can’t think for himself. Just because he follows Markus’ ruling- dosent mean he’s some pathetic simp who’s only doing it cause it Markus the one who saying it (ok maybe it’s a little bit that- but he’s their leader! He calls the big shots. No duh he’s going to do as he says because he’s the one who gets final say!) I’m pretty sure if you choice the violent route he’ll push back at every turn and he’s soooooooo snappy to the others if Markus is kicked off cause he really thought he would help them. And while I know there are some great , 3D interpretations of Simon- there are quite a bit that, while not to the extreme that I said, tend to flatten Simon to either being just “caring” or “anxious”. And while a lot of his character is caring and anxious, it’s not ALL of it, and there’s that whole other side to him that you’re missing!!! Give him a mf backbone!

Anyway rant over, why Simon specifically as a friend and not the others- well I feel like Simon’s the type of guy who is so easy to befriend and get along with. He’s also, as I mentioned before this long rant, very similar to Connor in personality. Being split between his Machine coding and new Deviancy- I feel like Simon’s also the perfect middle to comfort him and be the friend that man desperately needs.

I don’t know how to explain why I feel this, genuinely! In my opinion/hc, I feel like after the revelation and everything, if Connor were to go back up to the Jeri-crew and try to befriend them: North might try to make niceties since he helped them in the end, but it’ll take a whillllleeee and a lot of effort to break down her defenses. Josh and Markus will try harder to be friendly, but ultimately treat it very businesslike and orderly- cause to them, Connor was more like an ally they gained in the heat of battle then a friend they made. Contrary to belief I feel like Markus wouldn’t extent an offer for Connor to join their crew as one of the leaders. He’s literally an outsider who BROKE in. He had to talk him through breaking his deviancy so he wouldn’t shoot him. He joined the cause at the very, very end. If anything, he’d see Connor as one among the many of their people who helped fight for their freedom (similar to the guy you turn in the Cyberlife supply run)- not a personal, close friend. And Josh, though not thinking of Connor as “one of his people” cause he’s not the head leader, still wouldn’t exactly be eager to befriend Connor. I feel like Josh’s pacifism and Connor’s ruthlessness would clash too much? Sure they’d hang out- but it more of a surface level friendship where’d the offer to grab a metaphorical drink or something is made but never really followed up on. But Simon- if anything I feel like Simon would be the one to check up on Connor and see how he’s doing. Having being deviant the longest, and therefore the wisest and more in tune with his feelings, I think Simon would emphasize and understand the chaotic circumstances of his awakening and try to befriend him genuinely.

All this to say- I need more Connor and Simon being friends. I need Simon to be friends with Connor separately from the group (Cause let’s be honest- he’s so sick of North and Joshs content fighting on that ship bro needs a not of a break). I need them to be kind to each other but also have a snarky, sarcastic relationship, where they both can give as much as they can take. I needed this so bad, I’ve actually come up with a little fic idea for how this supposed friendship would start.

And because this post is already so long- I’m putting it under the cut- but here’s the tagline- Connor and Simon befriend each other but the whole world thinks they’re dating (and they’re really, really not)

So it’s set after the Pacifist and Deviant Connor ending. The Jericho 4 has spread out to tackle the post- revolution issues. Markus and North head to DC to tackle the law making side, Josh travels out around the state/ to nearby cities to set up and help other Deviants while Simon stays in Detroit to help those there.

Simon- being lowkey sad and lost that his teammates spread out, head out for a walk in the snowy dark at like 3am. He’s not exactly a leader in the way Markus is, so he’s struggling with all the attention and pressure it takes to essentially govern a whole city of people. Of course he’s also feeling a bit lonely since everyone there treats him like a god or celebrity. Sure the little gang that he “lead” before Markus is close with him but they’re all out exploring their new freedom. And of the few new androids friends that he’s made, there’s always that feeling of never being able to truly connect with him- some wall he can’t quite break.

While he’s walking he stumbles upon Connor- sitting in the park, Sumo in hand, very lost in thought. Having never interacted much during or even after the whole revolution (since there was so much to do immediately) Simon tentatively walks up and says hi, asks what he’s doing out here at 3am. Gets asked the same thing, and eventually said be needed to clear his head with Connor relating. Eventually it’s revealed that Connor’s also feeling lost and lonely, being the only deviant to stay with the police department. Took a lot of fighting in between Hank and Fowler but eventually he was able to join as a consultant? Some other volunteer position cause he can’t technically get paid (and if he did- what would he spend it on? The food he dosent need to eat? At the abandoned Cyberlife store whose supplied are already being ransacked and distributed?) for now. He generally just hangs around the department with Hank for lack of anything better to do (for those of y’all who watched it- think of Psych with Connor as Shawn Spencer [now isn’t THAT a fic idea]). Not everyone is exactly friendly to him there, and it’s awkward to him to try to be friends with those who saw him as his machine, deviant-hunting self. Also Deviant Connor is socially aware and thus socially awkward so he’s not great at making friends- deviant or human wise.

Bla bla bla- after passing back and forth woes- Simon’s like: “you know what- you’re cool, let’s be friends- it’ll solve both our loner problems.” Very straightforward. Connor’s agrees agreeing stating the mutual benefits (getting to rant about android related problems/ general frustrations and being able to go out somewhere with someone when bored.)

They exchange com-links or numbers or whatever and it’s the start of a great friendship as they get into situations. The media eventually think Simon and Connor are dating cause they hang out so much and it’s the talk of all the media sources. They aren’t and never will (in my head at least- Connor my aroace icon. But this could also be a perfect Connor/Simon fic if that’s your thing) but despite that they keep getting into situations that make it look like they are. It’s very funny. Like Hank will be like “CONNOR! Are you dating…. one of the brutal leaders… of Jericho???” And Connor will be like- “No, Hank wtf” but then immediately accidentally fall into Simon’s arms after stumbling and they’re both like “Fucking RA9, we’re never beating these dating allegations huh.”

This could be a Gen Connor and Simon character study that’s disguised as a fic- but as a Markus/Simon girlie- to make it Markus/Simon- throw in Markus being lowkey jealous as he gets word of this- eventually deciding to come back to Detroit while North stays in DC after the biggest laws are finished being drafted. Cue funny ha ha situations and such. Personally- I don’t see Markus as being an outwardly, possessive jealous-type (as in- he’s not a guy who likes to admit and show he’s jealous) so his reactions to every new SituationTM Connor and Simon end up in is him going “oh… 😀🧍🫠” which I personally find really funny

Anyways- ending this off by saying I expect nothing by shouting all these fic ideas (and there will probably be more for other fandoms lol) and thoughts into the void- I just like sharing these specific scenarios that I make up cause I think other would like them. So maybe you too can also rotate these situations in your brain before you go to bed 😀👍

[effy-writes]

Addict (Blitz x Reader)

(link above this is chapter’s)

5- Loo Loo Land: Best Frens 4 ever

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Can you lift your feet up please?" You leaned against the broom.

Loona rolled her eyes then lifted up her legs. You swept underneath her and then turned to get the other side of the room.

"Y/n! Come here!" Blitz sounded annoyed. You sat the broom down and dusted yourself off before entering Blitz's office.

"Yeah?"

Blitz put the phone on speaker, "Alright Stolas, she’s here."

Oh jeez.

"Why hello Y/n, haven't heard from you in a while. How come you're not picking up my texts?"

"Y/n lost her phone privileges, now what do you want?" Blitz said impatiently.

"Why did she lose her privileges?"

"Stolas, why the fuck did you call?" Blitz got closer to the phone.

You let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm taking my daughter to Loo Loo Land, and I was hoping you brave little Imps would accompany us!"

"We're assassins, not bodyguards, 'kay? Don't invite us to shit unless someone's gonna die."

"I'm a janitor." You groaned.

"Trust them on this one, she got hurt trying to run away from a woman with big tits and a shotgun."

"Because I'm a janitor!"

"Don't fight darlings. But i'll pay you-"

"Pay me what?" Blitz interrupted.

"Moneyyy-"

"Done!" Blitz happily slammed his phone down and grabbed out a megaphone.

"Blitz I don't know how to fight."

"I doubt he needs us but hey, money!" He started talking through the megaphone.

"M&M get in here! We're going to Loo Loo Land!"

Moxxie opened the door, "Loo Loo Land?"

Millie practically threw herself in the office, "Loo Loo Land!"

"Loo Loo Land!" Blitz harshly grabbed your shoulders and shook you.

~~

Everyone somehow managed to fit in Blitz's van. They all got out and stretched since it was so cramped in there.

Blitz walked over to Stolas, "Now, remember: this is work and work only. Me and my crew are not here to satisfy your perverted bird needs, alright?"

Octavia tried to get her dad's attention but Blitz interrupted her. "If you try fuckin' my little ass and make Y/n watch in that park, I swear to--"

"You are so cute when you are serious!"

Blitz huffed and watched you tap your foot up and down.

"Nervous?"

"What? No. Last time I joined you guys I got hurt."

"I told you I didn't mean to choke you until you passed out-"

"Not that you retar-... dumbass. I twisted my ankle and couldn't walk for two weeks."

"Oh right. Well try not to hurt your weak wittle ankles." He teased.

Millie was excitedly telling Moxxie about this place. She was jumping up and down and pointed at the things she remembers when she was a kid.

You smiled at Millie before turning your attention to Octavia and Loo Loo the mascot.

"This place reeks of insecure corporate shame." Octavia gagged.

Loo Loo turned to Blitz, "That chick's creepy, huh?"

"Eh, wait till her dad tries to diddle your holes, and then make you watch him diddle your best friend's hole."

You pinched the bridge of your nose out of annoyance. M&M was looking at some crazy expensive merch from this place.

"That much for a novelty cup that you use one time?"

"Cause it's Loo Loo Land!" Millie cheered.

"Listen to your hoe, Mox." Blitz took a swig from the novelty cup.

"When did you get that?" You pointed.

"When you weren't looking. How 'bout Y/n and I take the first watch while you two have a little fun." He winked.

Millie jumped up and down. "We gotta do my favorite ride!" She picked up Moxxie and started running to "The Lawsuit" roller coaster. You cringed at the sight before looking over at Blitz.

"Stop staring." He tossed the cup. "Now let's go protect this horny owl."

The two walked with Stolas and his daughter. Blitz had his gun ready while you were walking in front of the royal family.

Should've brought my broom. You laughed to yourself.

"It's quite thrilling to see you two on the job. Especially you Blitzy~"

"Why not Y/n?"

"Weapons turns me on." He whispered to Blitz, but you and Octavia could hear him.

Stolas gasped, "Look Via! You used to cry such tears of joy at this show!"

"Oh no." She panicked.

"Fizz is a robot?" You asked, with a confuse look on your face.

"Not exactly." Blitz scoffed.

You know nothing about the discord between Blitz and Fizz. You knew that Fizz got hurt real bad because of the news, but doesn't know the drama between the two.

"Oh Blitzy! I need my bodyguard please!"

Annoyed, Blitz shoots the imps that was trying to take him and he carried Stolas inside the tent. You were in front of Octavia to "protect" her since you have no idea on what you're doing.

Blitz groaned as he saw Robo Fizz enter onto the stage, but you were smiling ear to ear.

"Why do you look so eager?"

"I haven't seen him since...my addiction got bad." You whispered.

"That's not him, you do know that right? Did the meth make your brain smooth?"

"Shut the fuck up Blitz." You gritted through your teeth. "I know it's not him, but...he was like a brother to me." You frowned.

Blitz was going to bring it up again about your past addiction because he's upset and got hurt by you. He knows that you know this, but for some reason he wants to keep reminding you even though it hurts him to do so, but he doesn't know that he's indeed hurting you.

"Oh how delightful!" Stolas clapped at the end of the song.

Another imp tried to stab Stolas, but Blitz quickly shot him.

"Oh, my! What aim you have, Blitzy!" He flirted.

"Ugh! I can't do this anymore!" Octavia shouted before running away, Stolas followed her and kept calling her name.

You were feeling weird about this situationship although you agreed to partake in Blitz and Stolas' fucking, but it seems as if Stolas is liking Blitz more. You're actually fine by that, but you can't keep your head around it. You've been best friends with Blitz for the longest time and even grew up with each other. You left him for your own selfish desires, haven't called him/checked up on him since the days before the fire. Then 15 years later you're living with him, as well as having to fuck an owl prince.

You snapped back into reality whenever you saw Blitz shooting Robo Fizz.

"Oohoohoo! Someone's salty! Real or not, though, people lo-o-ove me! Does anybody love you... Blitzo?"

You looked at him, waiting on his answer.

"No. But, I'm really good with guns now. Dance, bitch!"

You knew that was going to be the answer. You huffed then abruptly got up and left the tent, dying to get your hands onto some stimulants.

A loud explosion was heard as you felt heat rising. You quickly turned your head. "Oh shit."

The fire spread to all corners of the park. "Blitz!" You shouted out of fear and not out of anger this time.

You saw Blitz and Robo Fizz fighting and relaxed a bit before shrugging. I'm sure he can handle this on his own.

You started walking towards the van to drive it a tad bit further away so it won't get caught on fire. Instead of leaving, you just stayed in his van, rummaging through the trash and looking in the dash board.

"Come on Blitz...you gotta have something."

You found a wadded up piece of paper in his dashboard before unfolding it and slouched in the drivers seat.

It was a poorly drawn drawing you gave to him whenever you first joined the circus. You drew Blitz on a tight rope that was holding you up with one hand. The words at the top was written in crayon and said "Best frens 4 ever!"

Tears welded in your eyes. "He still kept it?" The van doors abruptly opened.

"Drive!" Blitz yelled as he got in the passenger seat. Moxxie and Millie quickly jumped in the back and slammed the doors shut.

"Where's Stolas and Via?"

"Going to some store I said drive, bitch drive!"

You balled up the paper and stuffed it down your shirt, slamming on the gas to get out of this park.

Why did he keep it?

[thou-babbling-brook]

Cold Feet

AO3

Rating: G

Word Count: 2216

Tags: Davenport Homestead, Assassin's Creed III, American Revolution, Canon Compliant, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, "The Wedding" Mission

Summary: Connor convinces Myriam to start her new life with Norris. Set during "The Wedding" Homestead mission between the chase sequence and the wedding scene. Hope you guys enjoy!

Connor would be the first to admit that he knew little to nothing about colonial wedding customs. Aside from a few comprehensive history and culture lessons from his teen years when he first traveled to Achilles, Connor knew nothing about the complexities of colonial weddings. Father Timothy had been kind enough to explain a few key details, such as “giving” Myriam away at the altar (which Connor was more than happy to do for his old friend), but details slipped Connor’s mind from time to time over the next several days of intense planning and preparation.

But there was one thing that Connor was sure they did not include: chasing the bride in question through the snow-covered trees minutes before her wedding.

The day began with as much chaos as one would expect. Before the roosters began to crow, nearly every member of the Homestead bustled about preparing for the joyous celebration. Oliver and Corrine worked hard preparing their finest wines for the occasion while preparing the livestock meat and crops gathered by Warren and Prudence – and of course, little baby Hunter, who cooed excitedly against his mother’s back. Once finished organizing the food, Prudence and Corrine joined the ladies in adorning Myriam in fine, comfortable fabrics suitable for the huntress. Ellen poked needles into the sides to ensure the stitching was up to par, while Diana and Catherine squawked at Connor and Norris for accidentally stepping near the bride’s suite (which Connor did not dare remind the ladies was his home). 

In the meantime, Big Dave and Lance worked tirelessly to adorn both the inn and the church with banners and decor fit for the Homestead’s very first wedding. Big Dave lifted the chubby woodworker up to pin the wooden posts on the side of the inn, waving to Terry and Godfrey as the lumberers warned Norris of the horrors of marriage to come.

“You’ll ne’er be right ‘bout anythin’ again, ya hear me, boy?” Godfrey teased as he slapped his palm against Norris’s back.

“Aye, and forget about havin’ the covers to yerself! You’ll be shiverin’ like a leaf!” Terry explained. Norris merely laughed and shook his head.

In the church, Dr. White and Achilles aided Father Timothy in preparing his short sermon, arranging the pews, and finishing the final touches hours before the wedding. Even the Assassin recruits were more than happy to help with the preparations. Stephane set to work in the kitchen alongside Oliver to cater the large meal ahead. Duncan, ever the Catholic, assisted Father Timothy in rehearsing his sermon. Jacob offered his wisdom for marriage while he straightened Norris’s hair, while Dobby stood guard outside Myriam’s dressing room in case of wandering eyes from stray men. Clipper and Jamie helped Mr. Faulkner and the crew of the Aquila find their drunken ways to the church, all while Connor wandered about and assisted where he could.

So, given the day’s chaotic events, it was not surprising to Connor as he announced happily to the pacing Norris that all was in order that Myriam was “missing.” After all, the ladies had only just left her room. How much trouble could the huntress find herself in?

Apparently, thought Connor as he raced through the trees and leapt through the branches, quite a lot. 

“Leave me be!” Myriam shouted as she jumped to the next branch, a stray branch slowing her down as it caught on her white dress. It was not enough to stop her, but it was enough for Connor to come within speaking distance.

“Why do you run?!” Connor replied, his voice echoing through the forest with concern lacing his tone. He swung to the next branch, careful not to slip and even more careful to ensure Myriam did not.

“Leave me be!” Myriam exclaimed. She crossed over to the next tree in an attempt to throw Connor off her trail. “I’m no housewife!”

Connor’s brow furrowed. While he could not necessarily speak for the entire Homestead, “housewife” would be one of the last descriptors attributed to Myriam. She was a huntress, and a respectable one at that. Through his confusion, Connor quickly ducked through another tree and sprinted across the large, sturdy branch. “No one thinks you are one!”

Myriam slid down a fallen tree, stumbling into the snow before whirling around to face Connor. “That’s what all of this means!”

A silence passed between the two as flurries of snow cascaded around them. Myriam sighed, grabbing her crown of flowers and tossing it to the ground. She sunk to the snowy ground and hid her face in her knees.

Quietly, Connor knelt beside Myriam. Lifting the flower crown into his hands, he joined her in the blanket of snow. He said nothing, only silently thumbing the daffodils adorning her crown. The two sat for a moment while gazing over the rushing river, watching as it cascaded over weathered rocks. Myriam reached forward and threw one into the water. When it sank to the bottom of the river, she huffed angrily through her nose.

“I don’t want to be some housewife that sits around waiting for her husband to come home,” she explained, tossing her hands into the air in frustration. “That’s not who I am. I’m not… I’m not some lady wanting to be kept pregnant and barefoot!”

“No one thinks you are one,” Connor repeated gently. Myriam shot a glare at the hulking man, Connor shrinking in on himself in response despite his size. 

“That’s what this means! This whole wedding! Shoving me into this stuffy dress, preparing me to take vows, giving me away!” She stood, pacing by the riverside. She gave Connor an apologetic look. “No offense. If I want anyone to give me away, it would be you.”

Connor rose and nodded his head. “None taken. But what is it that causes you to believe that you will become a housewife?”

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Myriam groaned before settling her hands on her hips and staring out into the river. “I… I don’t know!” She tossed her hands in the air again, rustling her hair and pacing back and forth. “I don’t belong inside a house cooking and cleaning and caring for a husband and an entire brood of children. I belong in the open air, in my hunting blinds, with my rifle in my hands!” Her hands formed the gesture of her weapon in question. Then, they fell to her sides. “If I marry Norris… I’ll be leaving behind all of my freedom that I worked so hard to gain.”

Stepping closer, Connor laid a hand on Myriam’s back. “That is not true,” he murmured quietly. “You know that better than I. Norris wants only for you to be happy.”

“Do I?” Myriam asked. Her voice faltered and she turned her nose to the rushing river. “What if, when we get married, all he wants is for me to sit at home and… I don’t know, wash his feet?”

Connor unintentionally wrinkled his nose. At the very least, the gesture provided a quick laugh for the two hunters. The uncomfortable silence returned soon after, broken only by the sounds of quiet chirping and rustling bushes.

“Norris did not fall in love with a housewife,” Connor finally spoke up. He met Myriam’s gaze with his own, gentle eyes. “Why would he expect such?”

“All men do,” Myriam sighed. 

“I do not.”

“You are not all men.”

Connor glanced down at the flower crown in his hands, thumbing over the white petals. “Perhaps I am not.”

Myriam pinched her nose again. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to offend–”

“No, it is alright,” Connor assured her. His brows furrowed in thought while Myriam squinted into the horizon. Then, a candle sparked in his mind. “How much do you know of my people, Myriam?”

“I don’t see the point of your question,” Myriam remarked tersely. When Connor gave a serious expression, she sighed. “But to answer it, not much.”

He moved in front of Myriam. “I think you would like it very much. For my people, it is the women who lead. We may have chiefs and war councils, but these men are voted upon by our women. Clan Mothers lead the village. We trace our ancestry through our mothers. For women, marriage is not just a union of the husband and wife, but of the village to the couple.”

Myriam raised a brow. “Your point?”

Placing the flower crown upon her head, Connor continued. “You are not a housewife, but even if you were, it would not change who you are. You are a skillful leader and hunter. Norris knows this. He marries you because of it, not in spite of it. He admires you for who you are. You need be nothing else. And by marrying Norris, you unite our friends as a whole, too.”

Silently, Myriam adjusted the crown and tucked stray strands of hair behind her ears. “Do you really think so?”

“I know so.” He cracked a rare smile. “Besides, you are a better shot than Norris. If anyone will be the housewife, it will be him.”

Myriam snorted. “The bad part is that I think he would enjoy being a housewife.” Her shoulders shook as she began to laugh. “Could you imagine? Me, coming home with a pipe of tobacco sticking out of my mouth, my rifle on my back, and hares in my hands while Norris cooks and cleans?”

Connor chuckled, then gently led Myriam towards the path leading to the church. “But you cannot imagine such a fate until you are wed.”

“No,” Myriam smiled, “I suppose I can’t.” As they reached the church, Myriam turned to Connor with a mixture of fear and excitement.

“I’m scared.”

Connor nodded. “I know.”

“What do I do?”

“What do you do when you face a cougar?”

“I shoot it. Are you suggesting I shoot Norris?”

“No, but I am suggesting that you face him like you would any animal.” He laid his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. “You are a strong, cunning woman, Myriam. He loves you deeply. He would not be marrying you if he had no intention of respecting you.”

Myriam inhaled sharply. “How do I get over it?”

“The fear?”

“No, the weather – what else would there be?”

“You won’t,” chimed a gentle, soft voice. Prudence and Ellen emerged from behind the church. Ellen offered Myriam her bouquet of flowers while Prudence wrapped a white shawl around her shivering shoulders. Prudence patted her cheek. “When I married Warren years ago, I was terrified of our future. But you learn, in marriage, that you are both equally frightened.” She giggled along with Ellen and Myriam.

Ellen took Myriam’s hands in her own. “My marriage was an unhappy one,” she confessed. Connor looked on solemnly, catching Ellen’s somber gaze for a mere second before Ellen mustered a smile. “But I can offer this wisdom: a good husband will cherish his wife for her talents, her wit, her love, her devotion, and her faith. Norris practically worships the ground you walk on. He will make a fine husband.”

Myriam sniffled. “Fuck,” she cursed. “I can’t believe I’m crying like some… some old hag!” Prudence and Ellen laughed, rubbing Myriam’s shoulders before holding her tightly.

“Besides,” Prudence cooed, staring over Myriam’s shoulder into Connor’s watchful gaze, “once we have you and Norris married, we can finally focus our attention on finding Connor a wife.”

Cheeks flushing, Connor brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. “That will not be necessary.”

“Oh, hush, Prudence,” Ellen giggled. “We mustn't scare him from the prospect yet.” She turned back to Myriam, kissing her cheek. “We have to go back inside, but we will support you no matter what.” Prudence nodded in agreement before waving goodbye, giggling alongside Ellen as they hurried into the church.

Myriam rubbed her arms and faced Connor, walking with him up the steps. “You will be there every step of the way?”

“Every step,” Connor assured.

“Okay.”

“How do you feel?”

“Terrified. Like I want to run away again,” Myriam chuckled breathlessly. Connor hummed and looped his arm with hers.

“I will be there regardless. I am sure Norris will be as well.”

Myriam smiled. “Thank you, Connor.”

“You do not need to thank me. You are my friend.”

She stood on her tiptoes, pressing her frigid lips to Connor’s freckled cheek. “No, but I will. Thank you.”

Blushing, Connor cleared his throat and led Myriam to the entrance of the church, where the guests began to rise as they spotted the bridge.

“Prudence and Ellen are right, though. We must find you a bride,” she whispered, doing her best to ignore the endless amount of eyes upon her and Connor. 

Connor chuckled, patting her hand. “I can only hope she is not as fast nor agile as you.”

“Ha, ha. Who knew you had such a sense of humor?”

Years later, when Connor would find himself fidgeting in front of his betrothed’s longhouse, Myriam would loop her arm with his, kiss his flustered cheek, and walk him into the longhouse with the same kindness he had shown her before.

Luckily for Connor, his wife did not run into the trees. How fortunate he was indeed. 

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1129 - Initial Thoughts

A little late in the evening but the latest One Piece chapter made it on a Thursday

We know we're in a makeshift world made by a giant posing as a 'Sun God' but now we've pissed them off and we're riding a cat outta here

Just your regular shenaniganry, let's see what comes next

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too

Nice to see Tama still training, but the cover story still feels stop/start, people are going missing, Inu is concerned, we aren't gonna do anything about that?

The villagers try to calm the 'Sun God' but it's no use

They're not so good with the facade either, calling them the titular 'living dolls'

Their 'temple' is their room, and their pets are their 'servants'

The crew wanna get away though, still riding on the Iskat

Luffy though shows some light appreciation for all the work taken into building this place...so ofc Iskat breaks a bit of it

The mirrors around the room create an illusion, but there's nothing behind the 'Yggdrasil' tree, meaning they're halfway

Nami tosses the blueprints, mainly because she memorized them

Even Luffy is now seeing the deception, that's when you know you're had

The big sun staff though is actually a net! What are you trying to catch Fairy God Parents?

They call the place a 'Giant Detention Center', so is it like a prison?

Huh, a prison for giants, which means they're confident the crew can't escape as they trap them in the net

Dehehe seems to be their unique laugh too

The net however is no match for Sanji and Zoro, even with metal wire

The 'Sun God' remains confident though, feeling they would be intercepted by the Ear God

Unfortunately now they get told that the Ear God has been wiped out and god we saw the bones

Luffy you picked this guy's pet clean!

They call it their 'Gult Bunny', could be a reference to Glut but there's not really a bunny reference there

Instead of anger though, the 'Sun God' marvels at the chaos, going full immersion to how the Straw Hats are influencing their miniature world

Oh, it seems some locals are aware that they're living in a ruse, seeking an opportunity to leave

This 'Sun God' knows Hajrudin, but doesn't seem to approve of Luffy like he does

Usopp shoots out a massive Skull Bombgrass, it breaks the mirror but there's still a wall behind

'Setbacks and Disappointment, that's the core of Character Development' - don't forget trauma and angst

The 'Sun God' addresses the crew with the suffix '-Taso', but even the crew don't know what it means

Uh huuuuuh, that Gear Fourth 'mistake' a few chapters back was actually not a mistake, it seems that Luffy can gauge Gear Fourth in smaller bursts and areas, as he preps a Kong Gun

Nami asks Usopp if nobody's to blame over a natural disaster and we already know what she's thinking

Of course Sanji supports this idea, mainly because of jealousy for being able to dress her

We flash back now, Muginn seemed to pick up the Sunny

The 'Sun God' is actually a face you might know, Road the Navigator from Hajrudin's crew

Your current getup is better than your regular though bud

He was also surprised to see that his Raven has picked up the Straw Hats, and wonders why they're sleeping

Seems that there is a 'Sleeping Mist Belt', causing the bout of unconsciousness

Road didn't appreciate Hajrudin joining the Grand Fleet on his own volition, seems Road has a bit of stigma towards humans, thinking them frail

But the casual lusting of Nami continues, she stirs but he seems to put them to sleep again

Road continues to brag, wanting them to stay and run wild, but they are blind to the massive black cloud overhead

'Sun God' meet Lightning God

The lightning bolt hits but doesn't knock Road down, hella durable these giants

Luffy laments leaving legoland, but ends the chapter bursting through the wall

Another fun chapter there, a bit more context and lore going on

bit odd the giants didn't know about a sleeping mist area, maybe too busy partying?

It's funny now how many thought Road was a girl simply because of heels, Brook has worn heels after all. It being a member of Hajrudin's crew is an interesting wrinkle, it shows that there is some cultural stigma towards humans, maybe some that disagree with not just Hajrudin but Dorry and Brogy.

Luffy's appreciation for the block world does feel like it'll come back around, but still you ate his rabbit! Road himself does have that One Piece-esque kookiness, bit too invested in storytelling maybe? Elbaf is Fable backwards after all.

Speaking of, the end of the chapter has the crew hoping that they're in Elbaf, I'm not so sure, feels like it could be a misdirect. Road called it a 'Giant Detention Center' so maybe it's on the outskirts, if he's the only one manning it too it might've been abandoned.

We shall see how close and how far we are to Elbaf yet.

[fast-moon]

DS9 Season 3 Thoughts

On to Season 3! Last time, the crew made contact with members of the Dominion who told them to stay off their lawn in the Gamma Quadrant. Will Sisko comply?

Probably not, so here we go.

1-2. The Search: Sisko gets a new ship to play with that's better than those wimpy runabouts. All simulations show them losing if the Dominion attacks them, so Sisko figures they can't fare any worse if he just takes the entire senior staff with him to go face the Dominion on their own turf. They all promptly get captured, while Odo has some slime time with his own people, only to discover that they're the Dominion's founders.

3. The House of Quark: Quark kills a guy, is sentenced to marriage.

4. Equilibrium: Dax gets a song stuck in her head, but unfortunately the Shazam servers in the future take a week to return a result. Also, when did they get the Defiant back? Two episodes ago it was trashed and adrift in the Gamma Quadrant. Did the Dominion really let them go back to get it?

5. Second Skin: Kira gets gaslit like a pilot light, ends up with a Car-dad-ssian.

6. The Abandoned: Odo adopts a baby Jem'Hadar, who quickly becomes a violent, angsty teenage Jem'Hadar with an enzyme addiction who runs off to join a gang. Also, is the series trying to set up an Odo/Kira relationship? Almost every episode this season has given them a "moment", and now she's bringing him flowers. Like, it's cute, but I'm still all for Ace Odo and the ability for a female and male-identifying character to have a platonic friendship (I don't count Sisko/Dax because Sisko has made clear that Dax being Curzon is all that's keeping him from hitting on her).

7. Civil Defense: O'Brien decides he wants to try out that "killing everyone by accidentally tripping a hidden deadly security protocol" bit from "Armageddon Game" for real. Gul Dukat tries to gloat, but ends up getting stuck there with them. We still cool, guys?

8. Meridian: An extremely creepy guy pursues Kira in order to make the moderately creepy guy pursuing Dax come across as less creepy by comparison.

9. Defiant: Holy crap, it's Riker! But not that Riker, the cheap transporter accident knockoff Riker from TNG. He's still got a complex about that and thinks stealing the Defiant and blowing up some Cardassians will make everything better.

10. Fascination: This season's bout of crazypox breaks out around the station, this time making everyone fall madly in love with each other. Odo is once again immune, but they seem to be setting up a love triangle between Odo, Kira, and Bareil, which is a damn shame because love triangle stories tend to be terrible and make me hate every character involved, which is extra sucky because Odo and Kira are my two favorites (just not together).

11-12. Past Tense: Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally get transported to... (checks calendar) ... three weeks ago, and are forced to participate in a homeless riot in order to maintain the timeline. Unfortunately, someone had already messed up the timeline, which resulted in there being bulky CRT monitor computers, giant bricks of flip-phones, and shotguns being the terrorist weapon of choice in 2024 (though, to be fair, if they can just keep that last change and stop the proliferation of military-grade semi-automatic rifles to civilians, that would be great).

13. Life Support: Winn wanted to be Kai for the perks, not the responsibility, and literally works a mortally wounded Bareil to death in order to get a peace treaty she can take credit for. Otherwise a fairly poignant episode about when to stop treatment and just let someone go.

14. Heart of Stone: After the death of the hypotenuse of their love triangle last episode, Odo and Kira confess their feelings for each other. But, of course, since Odo is never allowed to have nice things, Kira turns out to be a Changeling who's just here to troll him. #JusticeForOdo.

15. Destiny: Goddamn I hate "prophecy" stories that end with, "Well, if you redefine the meaning of literally every word in that word salad, it ends up vaguely resembling what happened, therefore there must be something to it." No, it was not as the prophecy foretold. Shit just happens and you just twist your vague predictions to accommodate it and then give yourself a pat on the back and demand people take you seriously. Go away.

16. Prophet Motive: The wormhole entities turn the Grand Nagus into a communist, so Quark threatens to annoy them for eternity unless they turn him back.

17. Visionary: O'Brien starts jumping through time, and they figure out every component of his time-skips to the point they can trigger them at will and see the future. And then will likely never utilize this knowledge again. Though the episode really should have ended on O'Brien going to bed, yet another O'Brien popping up, and him just lamenting, "Oh god, NOW what?"

18. Distant Voices: Deep Space Nine presents Inside Out, starring Bashir as Sadness, Dax as Joy, O'Brien as Fear, Kira as Anger, Odo as Disgust, and Garak as Bing-Bong.

19. Through the Looking Glass: Mirror!O'Brien shows up and kidnaps Sisko and takes him back to the universe where everyone is horny all the time. Really hope this doesn't become a recurring thing, since "multiverse" stories that are merely "it's the same people, but they're different!" are rarely compelling.

20. Improbable Cause: Bashir's boyfriend is in trouble again, and this time it's Odo to the rescue. They track down Garak's old boss who offers to let them join a war against the Dominion, and Garak... accepts?

21. The Die is Cast: The Cardassians and Romulans launch an attack on the Dominion, but it was all a trap thanks to a Changeling replacing the Romulan commander. Makes me wonder how many other characters have or will become replaced by Changelings, or if they're going to even bother trying to come up with a way to detect it, since even Odo can't tell and has been fooled twice now.

22. Explorers: A pleasantly low-stakes episode in which Sisko can somehow build an entire functioning spaceship by hand in only three weeks, the flies it to Cardassia just to prove that he can.

23. Family Business: Quark goes home to teach us that the only thing a Ferengi values more than profit is oppressing women, even if doing so causes a massive loss of profit. Also, glad they finally gave a shout-out to how many runabouts they've trashed and the need to get new ones.

24: Shakaar: Winn continues to fail upwards by becoming the presumptive next president due to having no viable opponents and the Bajoran populace getting all their information from BOX News and not realizing she's a piece of shit. So Kira nominates a popular upstart last minute to run against her and actually make her work for it, and Winn cries "coup" and "rigged election" and good fucking god this episode is too prescient. They may have gotten the state of affairs of 2024 wrong in the episode that was literally about 2024, but then accurately predicted them in pretty much all of their Winn episodes.

25. Facets: Dax asks the people closest to her to host her previous lives so that she can talk to them. Including... random girl who had two lines a couple episodes ago who's now acting like she's part of the inner circle. And Odo, who has historically been immune to psychic shenanigans. But the episode continues to exemplify that Curzon was a piece of shit, and that Dax-centric episodes still manage to have nothing to do with Dax herself, but rather her previous incarnations or Trill customs, leaving Dax with still no solid personality or motives three seasons in.

26: The Adversary: Sisko gets promoted to Captain and decides to celebrate by almost starting a war and blowing up the entire senior staff due to bad intel from a Changeling imposter.

Three seasons down, four to go! Bashir is doing a lot better this season, since his womanizing and bragging have been toned way down and he can actually focus on being a doctor. Dax is still just a cardboard cutout there to remind people of the opinions and actions of her previous incarnations, but still have no identity of her own.

And then towards the end of the season they just awkwardly brought in a couple of women simply to be love interests to our crew members who are still lacking a heterosexual partner. At least, I'm assuming what's-her-face who had two lines and hit on Bashir at the beginning of one episode and then was suddenly chummy enough with the senior staff to participate in Dax's memory roulette ritual a few episodes later is supposed to be a love interest for Bashir. Go away, random lady, he already has Garak.

The choice of crew of the Defiant also reminds me of a really, really old Star Trek joke I read as a kid about the "Kirk Maneuver", which is "Kirk knows this is the most dangerous planet in the universe so takes his entire senior staff with him when he beams down". Like, shouldn't there be a separate operations crew for the Defiant so that you don't suddenly lose your entire station leadership if something were to go wrong? But, nope, The Main Characters Do Everything.

[moghraidhs]

jackbucky pt vi

The letter arrives on a Monday.

Bucky’s sitting on his cot, reading Guys and Dolls for the tenth time, when Curt comes in with a couple of letters in his hand.

“Those from your folks?” Bucky asks. He’d stopped joining in on mail calls a long time ago. The sting of not getting any letters has (mostly) faded by now.

Curt smiles. “Not all of them. One’s for you.” He tosses Bucky the slim white envelope with a wink.

Bucky almost drops his book in his haste to catch it. “For me? Really?” He looks down at the letter. Sure enough, his name is scrawled across the front in bold, black ink.

“Well, open it then,” Curt pokes him in the shoulder, eyes alive with curiosity.

Bucky obeys automatically. Tearing open the envelope takes little more than a couple of seconds, and then…

It’s a photo of Jack. There’s a note attached.

Dear Major Egan,

Consider this a gift. I wish you both the best of luck.

Sincerely,

Raymond Bryan

“Who’s Raymond Bryan?” Curt asks, because of course he’s still there.

Bucky swallows. “One of the journalist guys who was here a couple of weeks ago.” He looks back at the photo, his hands trembling a little.

Jack isn’t looking at the camera, his attention focused on someone standing next to him out of frame. His hair’s a little rumpled, mouth curled in a small smile. He looks…well, stunning.

Curt whistles softly. “Well, how ‘bout that?”

Bucky skims his thumb across the photo almost reverently. He’s never had anything like this: a picture to take to the skies with him. Practically everyone else in the 100th has something; hell, even the ground crew carry pictures from wives or sweethearts. It had hurt at first, until Bucky had made peace with the idea that something like that wasn’t meant for him. And now he has this. He’s not sure whether to laugh or cry.

He does neither, though. “Where’s Jack?”

Curt shrugs. “Probably in the Air Exec’s office, like usual.”

“Thanks.” He’s out the door before Curt can say anything else, long legs eating up the ground.

True to Curt’s word, Jack is in his office, his head bent over some papers. Bucky watches him momentarily through the window. His heart feels like it’s about to beat right out of his chest, his whole body light and giddy.

Not even in the air and he feels like he's flying. It’s stupid, really, but he can’t stop it.

“Hey, Jack,” he says as he enters the office.

Jack looks up, the lines of his face relaxing briefly. “John? Everything alright?”

“Yeah. Um…” Bucky shifts on his feet from side to side. “I wanted to show you something.” Before he can lose his nerve, he slides the photo across the desk towards Jack.

“One of the journalists from London sent it earlier. I asked him for a photo, but I thought he’d forgotten until today.” Bucky grins. “Now I’ll be able to have my man with me wherever I go.” He doesn’t intend for the words to come out, but they do anyway, and they actually sound…right.

It’s a rare thing for Jack Kidd to blush, but he does so then, colour flooding his cheeks. “Oh,” he says, quiet, and Bucky’s heart beats even faster.

“You don’t mind, right?” A sudden, insidious thought spears its way into his mind. “I can send it back–”

“John.” Jack’s hands land on his, warm and solid, and Bucky stops mid-sentence.

“I love it,” Jack says. He’s smiling, more with his eyes than his mouth, and there’s nothing but sincerity in his voice. Bucky stares at him, and his chest feels full to bursting.

“Can I get a kiss?” The words come out almost of their own volition.

Jack shakes his head, properly smiling now. “You’re something else, you know that?”

Bucky has heard the words a million times before. As a taunt, out of frustration or anger. Only a few have said it with affection. When Jack says it, though, it feels…special.

Bucky tilts his head, putting on his best puppy eyes. “Please, Jack?”

“Someone might walk in,” Jack mutters, but his eyes flick down to Bucky’s mouth regardless.

Gotcha.

“Just one,” the Air Exec says finally, and Bucky beams.

Jack cups Bucky’s face in his hands and kisses him. He’s good. Bucky melts into the touch, chasing Jack’s mouth with his own, his hands tugging the other man closer.

Good, good, good…He never wants this to end.

Someone knocks on the door, and Jack pulls away “One minute,” he calls, sounding infuriatingly calm in spite of his previous occupation. Bucky watches him, dazed and out of breath and happy.

“Guess that means I’ve gotta go, huh?”

Jack smiles at him. “For now.”

And there’s the mischievous streak that Bucky loves. Heat flares in his stomach and he smirks back. “That a promise?”

Jack ducks his head and kisses him again, somehow quick and lingering at the same time. “You can count on it.”

[h4unt3rr]

racing against gojo

It was Ki’s favourite day of the week. Friday usually meant night rides with her friends, and this Friday was no exception. Everyone gathered at Geto’s, the whole crew eager to hit the road.

“Everyone’s here already? Let’s go then.” Geto put off his cigarette, got in his Supra and took off, followed by Gojo in his prized Honda NSX, but not before shouting at Ki: “Don’t you dare rear end me.”

The engines cut through the night. The houses got left behind waving goodbye and the dark sky greeted them. They’d planned to go to a meetup and soon got there. Hordes of people and cars welcomed them and the air smelled of rubber, exhaust gases and cigarettes. Everyone parked their car and mingled with the crowd.

“Sweet.”

“Woah, that’s a nice one.”

“Good work on it.”

Although Ki’s Silvia S13 wasn’t the most outstanding car at the meet, her chest inflated with every small compliment or lingering look at it.

“There he is!” A group of girls screamed.

But there was no doubt that the star of the night was Gojo’s Honda. Ki actually wasn’t completely sure who stole the most looks - the car or its owner. Both of them were constantly surrounded and frequently shot their flashy smiles at the cameras.

She searched for Shoko and joined her conversation. She could faintly see Gojo’s white hair from where she was. He was very protective of his car and there was no way he’d let any stranger touch it. It was in pristine condition and the only thing that would ever separate them would be death.

“Poor him, he’s stuck looking after his car.” Shoko said.

“I don’t pity him at all. If he didn’t like the attention he wouldn’t have brought it here.”

Every once in a while, she’d spare a look at him and, given how frequently it happened, she shouldn’t feel surprised to notice he was already looking at her. Sometimes he’d just divert his gaze, others he’d wink or even show her a smile.

The night went too smoothly and soon it was time to leave. The crowd dispersed and Gojo was at last freed. Ki was now standing against her car’s door, finishing her cigarette. He stopped by her side.

“Busy night. You have quite the fan base.” she said. He only shrugged his shoulders.

“You didn’t come to talk to me, though.”

“All that praise wasn’t enough?”

“You know no one does it like a pretty girl.” Ki laughed sarcastically and put out the cigarette. “So-” He continued. “When you’re gonna let me take you on a date?”

“Forget it, man. The thing I like the most about you is your car.”

“Ouch! Let’s make it interesting then. I’ll race you. If I win, we’re going on a date.”

Ki pondered. Shortly after, she drafted a mischievous smile and agreed. “If I win, you’ll let me drive your car.” His eyes widened but his ego grew bigger and they shook hands. “We’ll start from that roundabout and finish by the abandoned factory.”

Some of those words found their way to Shoko, who didn’t hesitate in joining the pair and cheering on her girlfriend. Suddenly, a small crowd of their friends circled them and jokingly started betting.

All things ready, the drivers stood side by side at the end of the roundabout.

“Start thinking ‘bout what you gonna wear.” Gojo winked.

Two guys lent their shirts too willingly to serve as flags and Shoko, between the cars, held them up. The engines were hot and, as soon as Shoko’s hands dropped, thunder roared and they took off. Ki was confident in her ability to drive, but she lacked pure acceleration. The course was well balanced and each of them knew it well enough to not be at a disadvantage. For the most part, the leadership was constantly being disputed. Finally, they entered Ki’s most favourable stretch. So many hours spent practising on these roads would be put to test. She easily flowed through each curve. This put her considerably ahead of Gojo, although he still persisted and followed closely. The last curve was near. She lost a bit of momentum in the meantime and the distance between them shortened.

She could see it - the factory - it was almost the end. She left the last curve and pressed on the gas. All she could see was ahead. Gojo’s lights blinded her rear view. Suddenly, it got darker - the NSX appeared at her side.

“Shit.” There was nothing she could do now. The speedometer counted almost eighty kilometres per hour, the motor’s rotations were in the five thousand. But Gojo reached further and left her behind. The race finished with an indisputable winner. Behind them, some cars approached them, probably curious friends, but they didn’t wait and proceeded to town. They eventually came to a stop side by side at a red light, where Gojo signalled for Ki to roll her window down.

“I’ll pick ya up tomorrow, eleven sharp in the morning.” He wasted no time and swiftly took off just as the light turned green.

[kotomori]

Okay here's another one! (Steddie Parallels to Lumax in season 2 after the party finally manage to convince Steve to join a Hellfire campaign. This parallel comes from the scenes where the party (Mike) continuously ostracize Max from joining their gang despite claiming they want her to join) TW: This ones kinda angsty....might do a part 2 ;)

Despite all of his complaints and utmost refusals to ever actually play Dustin's nerdy Dungeons and Dragons game, Steve was, much to his own disbelief, pleasantly surprised when the Dungeon Master/newly cleared Eddie Munson 'formally invited' him to tag along for their next session.

Steve liked to believe that he and Eddie had become good friends ever since the whole Vecna/End of the world thing. They hung out pretty often now that he and his uncle had been given a new place to live as a sorta 'Sorry your town tried to hunt you for sport after accusing you of mass murder/keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you', kind of deal. It had been a tad awkward to be around eachother with nobody else the first couple of times yet as the weeks went by, Steve was about as comfortable opening up to the guy as he was to Robin. Almost. Robin would always be his number one. But if Eddie had shown him anything over the last few months or so since the first time he came over to his place, it was that he would never look down on anybody for being different. Hence why Steve found it easy to be so vulnerable with him. Eddie was a damn good listener and while not exactly one for giving advice, he always seemed to know how to make him feel calmer. Steve would try to do the same, resulting in a pretty solid bond between the two polar opposites. That label reminding Steve of the phrase 'Opposites attract' which after many long insightful conversations with Robin led Steve to believing that it was true. It wasnt as though he wasnt aware that what he felt for Eddie was a little more than a normal friendship and he knew what being attracted to another person felt like. Hell, Eddie wasnt even the first guy he'd had a crush on. Yet there was never another guy in Steve's life that had ever made him feel so accepted that he allowed attraction to develop into a full blown crush. He liked Eddie. He really did.

So when Eddie invited him to tag along for his latest campaign, not the first since he was released from the hospital but the first since Will and El had officially moved back to Hawkins, Steve found himself actually wanting to go. It sounded like fun with everyone being there. Yet the meaning behind the word 'everyone' suddenly made him hesitate. Everyone would involve not only the kids, himself, Robin, Johnathan, Nancy and Argyle. It also meant that the rest of the Hellfire club, Eddie's friends would also be there too. And it didn't take a genius to work out that they wouldn't really be happy with former jock King Steve hanging out with the nerds, if Eddie had told them at all. Why else would he have refused back before Spring break when Dustin called him asking him to sub for Lucas? Well....aside from the fact that there was no way he was missing Lucas's championship game after all the practice they'd put in during the semester. He was damn proud of that kid. And he wanted to show him that he supported him. He'd been so invested that he'd hardly said two words to his date all night.

Eddie had told him that he didn't have to play, that he was fine to sit with Robin and the rest of the crew and watch. They'd been playing in the Wheeler's basement since the club had been banned from the school, hence why Nancy was there to greet him when he knocked on the door with Robin at his side. Her sunny smile at the sight of him did alot to warm the chill of his anxiety.

That was another thing that he couldn't regret about what happened over spring break. Following their first bout with Vecna, he and Nancy finally had the chance to properly talk about what happened between them and while he may have regretted coming on as strong as he did, nothing would make him regret the friendship he had with her now. If anything they were closer to eachother now than when they were dating. It felt good to be allowed to love her again, even if it was a different kind of love than before. She had also apologised for the way things ended between them and she had grown alot since then. Steve had tried to tell her she didn't need to apologise, which Nancy had fiercely disagreed with, telling him that no matter what she was going through he never deserved to be treated like that. At the time Steve hadn't felt like there was anything to forgive, but she had looked so relieved when he told her he did. It had made him think alot about who he used to be, how much he had suffered as a result, how much he felt like he deserved most of it. But as Nancy, Eddie and Robin, most of the group would vehemently remind him, they saw him as a good person deserving of good things. Steve was really trying to believe that himself.

Nancy led them down to the basement, laughing lightly at something he said on the way down before he was faced with the rest of the group. Everyone else was already there. Dustin, Lucas, Will and El all rushing to give him a hug while Mike as someone not overly keen on physical affection gave him a half smile and wave. Max greeted him from the corner where she was sitting in her wheelchair, gesturing for him and Robin to come and sit on the empty seats on either side of her. Steve smiled impossibly wide as he and Robin followed the redhead's orders, forgetting for all of a few seconds why he was so worried. Then that chill in his spine returned with a vengeance when his eyes landed on the no so concealed glares Eddie's friends were casting his way whilst the man himself seemed blissfully unaware, shooting Steve a soft smile that Robin had not so helpfully dubbed as his Steve smile. It put him a little more at ease in any case as he smiled back. Within the next few minutes the campaign began, prompting Eddie to slide right into his alter ego of Dungeon Master Extraordinaire.

It didn't escape his notice when he caught one of them, Gareth? He'd never really actually met any of them before tonight but he'd heard Eddie talk about them plenty. Anyhow, Steve watched as the younger teen's eyes remained fixed on him as he leaned over to his friend sitting next to him, Steve knew his name was Jeff, to whisper something in his ear. The other boy's eyes flickered back to him for a millisecond before looking away and releasing a snicker. Steve's anxiety came crashing down on him once more, worsening the longer the game continued as the rest of the group seemed fully invested in their game. Their other friend, Steve was sure his name was Grant, was sitting the second closest to Eddie with Will being the only one between the two. Steve wasnt sure how much time had passed since he realised that the three had been whispering to eachother and sniggering about him, but just before the club decided to stop for a break, Grant muttered something towards the other two boys. Steve obviously couldn't hear it being as far away as he was, but it seemed that whatever it was Will had caught the jist of it if the look of surprise followed by the guilty look he sent towards Steve was anything to go by. Ever the one to keep a close eye on his brother, Johnathan seemed to notice Will's sudden change in demeanor too, turning a suspicious glance to the Hellfire boys before looking back to Will, the two seeming to have a silent conversation with eachother from across the room. Steve tried to wave it off with a smile when Will looked back at him but the upset frown remained fixed on the boy's face. It looked as though El had also caught on that something was wrong, looking at her brother curiously as though she was trying to read his mind.

It set off a chain reaction with the rest of the kids as Max and Mike noticed something was wrong with El, causing Lucas to notice Max, and Erica and Dustin catching on to the tension that had made it's way into the room. The moment Eddie called for a break, it appeared as though he had also noticed their seven youngest members weren't really paying a great deal of attention. Will practically leapt to his feet claiming he was going to grab something to drink. El was quick to follow after him with Mike in tow. Johnathan paused for a moment before following them as well. Steve's stomach clenched with the realisation that Will was likely going to tell them both what he'd heard. Argyle seemed to take Jonathan's absence as a reason to come and take Robin's chair as she excused herself to go upstairs and get a drink with Nancy. Steve tried to listen to whatever it was the man was saying, he really did though he was clearly already high enough for him and Johnathan as he continued saying whatever was on his mind. Steve could still feel the three pairs of eyes still burning into his skull as he continued to ignore them. They didn't like him. Whatever. They didn't need to act like children about it. The better question on Steve's mind was how the hell Eddie hadn't noticed what they were doing. Should he say something? Maybe go over and break the ice. Let them know he wanted to make an effort to know Eddie's friends. That he wasn't the same person he used to be, if he was ever really that person.

"So, Stevie. How are you enjoying your first encounter into the satanic nightmare that is DnD?" Eddie piped up startling the man in question.

It was sat that moment that Steve realised he hadn't said a word since they had started. His mind drew a blank at the question, not anticipating for anyone here to actually talk to him until the had to drop them off at home. He knew first hand how seriously his children took this game.

Shit. Eddie was still waiting for an answer.

"Its good." He replied a little too quickly. "I-Its really cool."

Not his most eloquent response, he knew. But still, who could blame him for not paying attention when the force of the stares he was receiving was making him feel like his head was about to explode!

It seemed that whatever he said was the wrong thing to say from the way the smile slipped from Eddie's face.

"You know if it's really not your thing, you don't have to stay for the rest. We're probably gonna call it soon anyway, looks like your children aren't really invested either."

Shit he sounded upset. What did he say? What could he have done wrong? He was just sitting here.

"No-No! It's not that, its-" Steve started to say until the sound of one of the boys snorting at any attempt he made plucked on his nerves. Eddie glanced at Gareth confused as the rest of the party glared at him.

"Something funny?" Max bit at the boy causing him to promptly wipe the grin off his face.

The rest of the group started filing back in. Jonathan was the first back in the room, footsteps heavy against the wooden stairs, almost angry sounding. That was nothing compared to the cold expression on his face aimed solely at the three boys that had been making fun of Steve all night.

"Woah! Byers, man! Wheres the fire?" Argyle asked catching on to Jonathan's bad mood almost immediately. The man said nothing but gestured for Argyle to scooch back over to his seat as Robin and Nancy came back down the stairs with the same tension filled entrance. Robin took her seat back next to Max crossing her arms over her chest and shooting daggers at the three with the same intensity they'd been giving him since they arrived here causing them to wither under her gaze as any human would. Steve swallowed thickly suddenly feeling very put on the spot. It was pretty safe to say that Will had told them what he heard. Case in point, Mike and El came down th stairs hand in hand with Will behind them almost as though they were creating a barrier as he pointedly refused to look anywhere but his feet. Meanwhile Nancy grabbed hold of her chair that was previously placed beside Johnathan and dragged it over next to Steve, who looked over at Johnathan questionably. The younger man merely met his eye before nodding at him. Steve looked over at Eddie, who was following her every move as his frown drew deeper and deeper right until she sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked him placing her hand delicately over his. It was a simple question. One that would've been much easier to answer if he wasn't painfully aware of the fact that Eddie was staring at him. No. He wasnt okay. He felt completely out of place. He was uncomfortable. The only reason hed agreed to come here was looking at him like he'd ran over his dog for some reason and he could feel people whispering about him all over the room. He just wanted to go home.

He watched as Eddie looked a little further to his right and followed his gaze to land on Robin, who's eyes quickly locked onto Eddie's. It looked as though they were trying to communicate something to eachother with Eddie's pointed look of hurt before Robin shook her head. Steve was just about reaching the end of his patience. Why wouldn't someone please tell him what he had done wrong?

But then one of the boys mumbled something else under his breath which then prompted the other two to snicker loudly. He could tell from how quickly he turned his head that Eddie had heard whatever they said. By this point El, Max and Erica looked as though they wanted to blow their heads up with how hard they were glaring at them. But then Steve looked at the four boys sitting around the table with the other members of Hellfire and, Oh God, every single one of them looked betrayed, pissed off and hurt.

But then he looked back at Eddie. There was no way he hadn't heard what they just said. He needed to see what he would do about it. His already plummeting hope was rapidly sinking lower and lower the longer it took the man to react. He watched as Eddie's eyes wandered back over to him and Nancy, right to the point where her hand was resting on top of his and then...

He smirked.

Hell he looked like he was trying not to laugh right along with them.

And fuck if that didn't sting.

But with how shitty this night had made him feel, Steve didn't even have it in him to process how hurt he was.

He was pissed.

Scoffing loudly Steve launched himself out of his chair almost toppling it over in the process.

"Seriously?!" He yelled, voice cracking at the last syllable.

And just like that, any trace of contempt was erased from Eddie's face, turning swiftly into shock.

"Steve-" Robin reached out to him but he quickly brushed her off.

"Screw this. I'll be in the car." And with that he stormed out of the basement.

It was only then that the three who started all this became all too aware of the death glares being shot at them from all directions.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?!" Dustin exclaimed, sending a particularly wounded look at Eddie, whom had gone from smug in the sense of hiding his jealousy to remorseful in a matter of seconds as he quickly realised his mistake.

He barely paid any mind to the question however as he quickly shot up from his seat and ran after Steve. The man was already halfway up the street heading towards his car when Eddie spotted him.

"Steve!" Eddie called out to him.

The younger man didn't stop walking to his call as he spoke without looking back.

"Leave me alone, Munson. I've had my fair share of playground insults for one day."

Munson. Not Eds or Eddie. Back to Munson because of one stupid mistake.

"Steve, please just hear me out, man. I'm so-"

"Why the hell should I? Are you gonna pull my pigtails now too?" Steve cut him off, finally stopping to look at him.

"Steve-" Eddie tried again.

"I thought you wanted me to play your game! I thought you wanted me in your group! God I can't believe I fell for that." Steve cackled. "Did you even tell your band I was coming tonight?"

"Of course I did. But...Gareth, Jeff, Grant, they're weird about this kinda thing. It's just their way of being protective."

Steve barked an incredulous laugh, "Yeah, that's one word for it."

Eddie sighed, "Steve, you don't understand-"

"No, you're right, Eddie! I don't! I've been sitting there all night while this has been going on. It's been miserable. You invite me to watch you play your game the you all start whispering and giggling and talking shit like we're in the seventh grade or some shit! I don't need that kind of bullshit, Eddie!"

Eddie fumbled for words for a moment before replying, "They're just not used to it, you know. I've never had a friend like you before. They just want to make sure that..." Eddie quickly cut himself off before he said the wrong thing.

"That what?" Steve asked brokenly. And, oh...there it was. The look of complete hopelessness. The glassy tint to his eyes was a kick straight to Eddie's ribcage.

"That what, Eddie? That I'm not gonna hurt you? Lure you into a false sense of security and then jump you? After all we went through back there, all we're still going through, you can't even bring yourself to tell them that won't happen? Why? Because I played sports in high school suddenly that means I'm as bad as Jason Carver and all those other assholes? Is it because of who I used to be? Or is it because you all still think I am that person?"

Eddie winced as he was reminded of the gruesome fate he'd been told Jason received for all the shit he caused all those months ago.

"Steve.....Steve, no that's not true! I...." Why the hell was it so hard to get his words out? Why couldn't he say exactly what he wanted to say? Why was it so hard for him to tell Steve the very thing he'd wanted to tell him for months? He knew exactly what he wanted to say to Steve, what he wanted to do and be with him. But everytime it looked as though they were getting somewhere, something had to go and crash right through it. Tonight along with his friends, the fault lied with his own jealousy.

Steve laughed wetly under his breath.

"See? You can't even say it. I know that for some people my past will never die. Somehow the asshole I was will always find his way back to the surface for the people I've hurt no matter how deep I bury him. King Steve, mister funny, mister cool, grade A douchebag who peaked in high school, doomed to spend the rest of his life working dead end jobs and forcing himself through loveless relationships pointless in the inevitable truth he's destined to be alone. Because God forbid he ever tries and change so that he feels a little more like a human and less like a dead shell of a man so that he doesn't end up back in that box his parents tried so damn hard to place him in before they just gave up and left without a word mere months before the literal earth started collapsing beneath his feet!"

Throughout his outburst, Steve let the unshed tears fall, unless he merely hadn't bothered to notice them. He couldn't look at Eddie anymore. He didn't want to see the look of pity he was almost certainly giving him right now. If hed only looked back, he would've seen how wrong he was.

"Stevie...." Eddie whispered brokenly, making one final attempt to reach for him.

"Just! Just forget it. Okay? It was stupid of me to think that I could be something I'm not. Why did I even bother?" Steve turned away, getting into his car and closing the door. In a split second, Eddie was bypassed by Robin and not really to his surprise, Lucas and Erica. The two siblings didn't say a word to him as they climbed into the back seats of Steve's car. Steve waited for another moment, probably waiting to see if anyone else needed a lift before starting the car and driving away.

Eddie wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there but by the time he turned to go back into the Wheeler house, Steve's car was long out of sight. He just wanted to grab his shit and leave. He didn't care if he left something behind. He just wanted to leave.

Yet by the time he got back to the basement, it didn't look as though he would be getting his way anytime soon. Dustin was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, eyes hard and arms crossed over his chest. The only others remaining besides the two who actually lived there were the ones he was supposed to be driving home, Gareth, Jeff, Grant, and Max. Nancy was sitting beside the redhead now. It was only then that he noticed said three boys sitting at the table looking thoroughly chastised and honestly a little scared.

"Eddie," Dustin began, his pained expression from earlier gone, now something much more serious.

"I think we need to talk about Steve."

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Jean-Luc Picard

By Ames

Since you all enjoyed our spotlighting of all the characters from The Original Series, we’re going to continue onward by spotlighting all our mains from Star Trek: The Next Generation as well! Of course, we were going to do it anyway because we’re having a blast going officer by officer and reminiscing on their high and low points, but I wanted you to feel special.

And what better way to start things off than with one of the fandom’s favorite and most ethical characters, and the one who sparked his own [deeply flawed] spinoff series, Captain Jean-Luc Picard! So join us on this week’s A Star to Steer Her By as we put on our captain’s bomber jacket, whip out our Ressikan flutes, and drape our Mintakan tapestries over the backs of chairs. Read on below for when Picard was at his best, and subsequently at his worst, and listen to the banter over on this week’s podcast episode (jump to 1:08:49 if you're not here for Enterprise chat). Make it so!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Not now, Doctor. Please. I already foresee talking about “The Naked Now” quite a lot over the next couple of weeks because everyone’s character ends up exaggerated by the polywater syndrome. And Picard is no exception. We do admit that it is good of him to fight his intoxication and also Bev’s advances, and it also gives us that little horny chuckle and skip that are just so endearing.

Prove to the court that I am sentient Picard becomes known throughout the series for his excellent ethical and philosophical speeches, and the first really big one comes in “The Measure of a Man” and it’s a doozy. It’s no small feat determining sentience (really, sapience) of a being, and Picard standing up to Bruce Maddox to fight for Data’s rights is something to take pride in and aspire to.

The time cops would be proud Picard’s relationship with Guinan is intriguing throughout all of TNG, and his trust in her abilities is enough for him to believe that it is best to send the Enterprise-C back to their rightful place in history in “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” As his alternate-timeline ship is crashing down around him and his crew is dying all over the bridge, he heroically gives the C their best shot.

Sarek <3 Spock In our Top 5 TNG Episodes list, “Sarek” ended up being the only episode that made all four of your hosts’ lists. And for good reason! Picard compassionately helps Sarek through a bout of Bendii syndrome by mindmelding with him so he can get back to his ambassadorial work, and we end up with some of the best Patrick Stewart acting in the whole show for it!

Bedtime for Borgo Picard has a rough time throughout all of “The Best of Both Worlds,” spending most of the two-parter as Locutus, as you’ll see in just a moment. But at the end of Part II, he’s able to fight through the Borg programming just enough to give Data the one-word cue “Sleep,” which turns out to be the undoing of the Borg in that Battle of Wolf-359.

Mev yap! I’m always a big fan of watching Picard speaking Klingon in their ceremonies. It shows how seriously he takes their customs. And in “Reunion,” when he breaks out the ja’chuq while arbitrating the Rite of Succession and also looking into K’mpec’s murder, it’s so ballsy that you’ve got to respect the guy. Or, at least anyone who isn’t as dishonorable as Duras has got to respect the guy.

With the first link, the chain is forged Yet another in a long line of great Picard speeches comes in “The Drumhead.” Admiral Satie gets more and more power hungry to convict people throughout her Red Scare hearings, even through unscrupulous means. Picard rightly puts her in her place by throwing the just words of her own father in her face. No wonder she’s on Jake’s Evil Admirals listicle.

Sokath, his eyes uncovered! Picard befriending Captain Dathon in “Darmok” is so Picardy that I’m swapping it in for that great line from “Peak Performance” I mentioned on the podcast (which is still great, but the screengrab was more boring). And I’m just so impressed with Picard’s patience in learning the seemingly nonsensical Tamarian language and his willingness to trust another being who just wants to communicate with him.

Resistance is not futile While it could be debated that this moment be prime fodder for Picard’s Worst Moments list for not getting rid of the Borg when he had the chance in “I, Borg,” we’ve got to admit it’s such a good moment for Picard to connect with Hugh and save his life. After having been forced into the role of Locutus, Picard has got to feel some small triumph that he didn’t commit genocide this day.

There! Are! Four! Lights!  More absolutely stellar Patrick Stewart acting comes in “Chain of Command, Part II.” Say what you will about Part I (Picard had no reason to be on this mission, there, I said it), watching Picard retain his humanity and resolution while being tortured by Gul Madred is riveting stuff. And no matter how many times I see it, I get goosebumps at his “four lights” defiance every time.

Yippee-ki-yay Here’s another kinda late addition to this list but how can one not include all the sabotaging of the ship he does in “Starship Mine”? It’s clear that Picard knows his ship like the back of his hand (the one that wasn’t briefly a Borg hand, more likely) when you watch him outsmart a bunch of terrorists as he John McClanes all over the Enterprise-D.

How many people does it take, Admiral, before it becomes wrong? Insurrection may not be anyone’s favorite of the Star Trek movies (here’s ours, for reference!), but Picard’s ethical debate feels so immensely right. Between standing up to Dougherty (another evil admiral!), to fighting for the rights of the Ba’ku, to his great line to Gallatin, “I’m not pleading for my life; I’m pleading for yours,” this is the most Picard has ever Picarded. Period.

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Worst moments

Shut up, Wesley While we were tempted to also include this moment in our Best Moments list, it’s true that no matter how obnoxious Wesley is being (and he so often is; just wait until our Wesley spotlight), it’s never right to tell him to shut up. Even less so when he is literally the only member of the crew who is actually giving you pertinent information to save the day, as he was in “Datalore.”

Breaking the cycle Since we first watched it, we’ve been simply perplexed by “Time Squared.” There’s a reason it made so many of our Worst Time Travel Episode lists. Picard, at an entire loss for ideas, decides to kill the other him who’s been bonking around to see if that stops the time loops, and then leaves the corpse there for Pulaski to find without telling anyone which him it is! WTF?

I don't know if I want to be Eve I’ve also got to give Picard some guff for making the Bringloidi breeding stock for the Mariposans in “Up the Long Ladder.” Brenna even chastises Picard in the final scene for deciding this with only the male leaders of each society without consulting the women, who will have to basically become baby incubators, and even more annoyingly, she ends up being into it!

Resistance IS futile! While we can’t exactly blame Picard himself for being turned into Locutus in “The Best of Both Worlds,” resulting in huge losses for the Federation, we do have to admit it’s one of his lowest points as a human being. There’s a reason why Picard actually needs to take a mental health vacation in “Family,” something we tended to never see in Star Trek of that era.

Another orphan for the Rozhenkos You could tell by the look on Picard’s face after he accidentally killed Junior’s mother in “Galaxy’s Child” that he knows he screwed up. Couldn’t they have just left her alone in space instead of provoking her to attack them and then finding it necessary to shoot her dead? And now poor Junior has to be raised by his asshole aunts and uncles, thank you very much.

Now now now now! I mean, we were bound to dislike “Rascals” regardless because of its terrible child actors and obnoxious plot, but when you think about it, Picard was also entirely out of character. And it’s not just because he was supposed to be prepubescent: it was because he suddenly couldn’t lead his crew, and being smaller and whinier is no excuse for ignoring all his past experiences!

Mystery solved: Picard did it! If we picked on Kirk back in one of our earlier character spotlights for never checking in on Khan when he marooned him on Ceti Alpha V, then you’re damn right we’re going to pick on Picard for not checking in on Moriarty between “Elementary, Dear Data” and “Ship in a Bottle.” In that time, the holographic mastermind got rightly impatient and took matters into his own hands.

Play dom-jot, human “Tapestry” portrays how brash and short-sighted and tail-chasing Picard was in his years at Starfleet Academy, and how his willingness to get into scrapes got him into a fight with Nausicaans that really should have killed him if it weren’t for future technology. Thank the Continuum for JL’s artificial heart that allowed him to become the man we saw him become.

So it was gik'tal after all While we get that Sito Jaxa had a lot to atone for after the incident in “The First Duty,” we are still uncomfortable with how much Jean-Luc guilted her into going on the very dangerous mission that got her killed in “Lower Decks.” Picard definitely abused his power over her in this instance because he knew how badly she wanted to save face and he exploited it.

Kill the Dorvan V native, save the man Indeed, one of the worst decisions we see Picard make is when he just acts on Necheyev’s orders (hey, another of Jake’s Evil Admirals!) like a little sheep and coordinates moving the inhabitants of Dorvan V in “Journey’s End.” It’s shameful to watch Picard go the route of the Trail of Tears, and then only come around when he’s shown who his ancestor was. 

I think it’s time to try some unsafe velocities We talk a lot about how the Prime Directive isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but that’s still no excuse for all the dunebuggying antics Picard performed in Nemesis. Especially in front of all the natives of the planet (or what we assumed were natives). What a pathetic scene in a pathetic movie. It’s so clear they just wanted to race around in an ATV for a little excitement, but it was absolutely stupid and out of character.

The triumph of the echo over the voice Fittingly, we have even more Nemesis moments to lament since it was such a detestable movie. All movie long, I don’t understand why Picard is so conflicted about the clone situation, as if Shinzon is literally Picard himself and it would reflect poorly on him somehow. That’s not how clones work, dude! There’s no saving this asshole. And unrelatedly, but here we are: stop ordering Worf to go naked to the wedding on Betazed; that’s just gross!!!

—

Well, our Earl Grey tea has gotten lukewarm, and that means we’ve got to wrap things up. Make sure you join us next week for more character spotlights, this one of the bearded variety, and also keep following along with our watchthrough of Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast. You can also discuss diplomatic relations with us on Facebook and Twitter, and let Worf keep his clothes on if he wants!

[soundcrusher]

If you don't mind me askin, can I make a neutral zone oc?? been thinking 'bout it for a while and I just want my oc to be part of the cool crew 👉👈

Oh my, you want to make a Neutral Zone Oc?!

You want to put one of yours with my boys?! Like, for real?! FOR REAL!? 🥺🥹

Sure! Go ahead! I don't mind others putting their funky little dudes on Record's ship! Guy's got a crew of roughly 200 or more! Your little buddy sure enough can fit on there!

So hit me up in the DM's and let me know about your ideas! I would love to hear them!😁

----

And just so you know, Important questions that need to be answered are:

Part of the Crew or a Passanger?

What kind of job are they doing? (Crew)

What's their payment for traveling on the Neutral Zone? (Passanger)

How are they in general?

What faction? (If they even joined anything.)

Cybertronian or Organic?

Did they kill anyone? (It only matters if they're a guy like Overlord. Buuuuut... Record can make excemptions... sometimes.)

[im-goofball]

In a scale, if the Rocks crew did a drinking competition, who do you think would last longer?

The longest would be obviously John. The man is 1# alocholic. He even drinks booz after he was revived from dead.

The second longest would be Newgate, and I think I don't need to explain why.

The third would be probably Rocks, but I am unsure whether I should choose him or Linlin.

Then at the fourth place we have Linlin. But I am still unsure about it. She looks like she has good alcohol tolerance.

Even tho Kaido was a teenager, he definitely started drinking in young age, so he would last quite long.

We can't say the same about Shiki as he is the sixth place due to having very low alcohol tolerance. And it provably is due to him being one of the guys with lung cancer due to smoking 24/7.

Strausen and Miss Buckin wouldn't join the contest because they would loose instantly and they know it. They just bet on whoever think would win.

I am not sure 'bout Ochoku nor Silver Axe, so I am assuming they wouldn't participate thinking the game is idiotic. (But they would still ber like the rest of the crewamtes, cause money is money )