#but I did kill a lot of innocents with raiding and things!

[recuira]

after hours

after hours : a live action buggy x fem!reader fanfiction

for some odd reason, you have no idea who he is. and he fucking loved that.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

chapter one chapter two chapter three

chapter four | suede. stalking. silly.

his pov;

"Your wanted poster."

Those three words settled in my mind as I stared at the distraught girl in front of me, watching as she fumbled with her hands, a nervous exterior brushing over her. She seemed to be so horrified with the fact that I was once a pirate sought after by thousands- wanted dead or alive, though much preferred dead. Many still wanted me dead but due to my brilliant idea of hiding out here, the chance of anyone getting my bounty was thin. I, however, didn't see it being as much of a big deal as she deemed it so. The real issue I found was tucked away in one of the books within the nightstand which I was so fucking thankful she didn't find. I'd rather her not have been looking around but if she were to find one of the two? I was glad she found the poster.

I tossed another slice of apple into my mouth then set the knife down on the cutting board. I approached Y/N but instantly halted when I noticed how nervous and uneasy she was. "What's wrong?"

"H-How many people did you kill?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Does that really matter?" I asked, waving my hands up in the air to hopefully exaggerate my point. "It was almost a year ago."

"That doesn't change the fact that it happened!"

"I know, I know." Despite her discomfort, I took a seat next to her anyway. She tightened her arms around herself, almost to make sure there was as much distance between us without her actually moving. Clenching my jaw, I patted my hands upon my thighs. "I know it's a terrible thing, and there's nothing I can do to change that. It's in the past and if I could go back and alter things, I would. Being a pirate was all I knew. My old friend was one, too. Then we separated onto different things and-"

"Did he kill people?"

"Lots of pirates kill people. It's part of the hype, ya know? It's very unlikely to raid another ship without there being any casualties. But I stopped because I got tired of it. I wanted something more."

"It's a pretty big bounty. I mean- come on, fifteen million berries?"

"Don't think about turning me in now," I chuckled, wanting to add a bit of lightheartedness to this unfortunate predicament.

"I'm not like that. I know I'm in need of money but-"

"I didn't mean it like that, Y/N, come on. Give me some slack."

"Well, why exactly did you stop? Did you lose the thrill of stealing from others? O-Or did you get bored of killing innocent people?"

I rolled my eyes, scoffing. "We've all done some shit we're ashamed of. We're humans. I did a lot of fucked up shit," I said as I pointed at myself. "But I changed that. I moved and let all that go. I left my crew, made someone else the captain, and abandoned ship. I left all of that shit behind and came here."

"But why?"

"If I say this, I'll probably make things worse but I don't want to lie anymore," I said as I laid back, folding my hands over my chest. I stared up at the ceiling. "You've obviously heard of the One Piece, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, I was one of those pirates absolutely obsessed with finding it. Fuck, I even dreamt about it. It was the only thing I truly desired in life. It was the only thing I thought about. Not riches, women, alcohol- just the One Piece. I was making somewhat decent progress but then I heard that a group of Straw Hats-" I grimaced at the thought. "-made off with the map which they stole from one of the Marine bases. I happened to track them down and I managed to steal the map from some kid named Monkey D. Luffy. But all good things must come to an end and I lost it. I was back to square one. And then I discovered his bounty was thirty million berries." I frowned then sat up, turning to face Y/N. "Can you believe that? Some newby pirate-wannabe received a bounty double my own! Seeing that brought me back to reality. So I dropped everything then came here."

"All because of him?"

I nodded my head. Just the thought of that kid irked me. There was no one, other than Shanks, who I despised more than my own self.

"So, yeah, I know what I did was fucked up. But there's a reason I'm here now. There's a reason I've given you so much. It's because I want to be a better person, maybe redeem myself for what I've done. And I can do that by helping you, by making your life a little less miserable."

"Do you pity me?" The girl asked, finally meeting my gaze.

"What?" I laughed, almost obnoxiously. "Of course not. If anything, I envy you."

"Me?" Y/N pointed at herself. "You envy me?"

"You have no bad conscience. You've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to make up for. You have a clean slate."

She shrugged, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "Thank you."

"So, uh, do you hate me now?" I asked, forcing a frown to mimic a pouting child. She giggled at this and shook her head. I sighed in relief, wiping 'sweat' from my forehead. "Thank god. I don't know what I'd do with myself if you hated me."

"I knew you were a pirate but it's still shocking to learn about your past. It'll take me a bit to get used to it but I don't hate you."

"So, we're good?" I extended my hand.

"We're good." She shook it.

I felt as if a huge relief was lifted off my shoulders. And as long as she stayed out of the nightstand, there would be no more issues. But if I hid the book, then I would be even more safe. I pondered the possibilities before I watched as she rose from the confines of the bed and approached the counter. My eyes trailed down. The backs of her thighs were exposed and the shorts clung to her ass so divinely. I bit my lip and crossed my leg over my lap.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me," She mumbled as she started to chew on an apple, then began to cut into an orange. "I do have a question for you, though."

"Go ahead, shoot." As soon as she turned around, my eyes met hers and I smiled.

"Are devil fruits real? Or is that just an old tale? I've never seen one up close and I heard they cost a fortune, even for just one alone."

"They're real," I said with a small laugh. "I would know, I've eaten one."

Y/N nearly jumped before she darted over toward me, her hands grabbing at my shoulders. She still had a slice of half-chewed apple in her mouth which made her struggle to properly speak. "WHAT? You- NO! You didn't?!" She let go of my arms and instead planted her hands on my chest, shoving me back. I collapsed back against the bed, laughing. "You ate one?!"

"Years ago, when I was fifteen."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not. It was a mistake actually."

"What happened?"

I chuckled and pushed myself back up. "Give me an orange and I'll tell you."

If my reflexes weren't so quick, the fruit would've hit me in the face with how quick she threw it. But I caught it and began to pick apart the peel. "Easy, next time," I smirked and took a bite from it. "Well, when I was younger and was a pirate-in-training, the crew I was in raided this ginormous ship and hit the motherload. Not only gold and jewels and anything you could think of, but there was also a devil fruit. I found out how much they were worth and tried to steal it but I was caught in a predicament and I tried to hide it in my mouth."

"And?"

"I swallowed it whole."

She gasped, "And you're alive?"

"It doesn't kill you. It just takes your ability to swim when you're in the ocean, in salt water. It's like the sea turned its back on you."

"Did you get a power from it?"

I shrugged and winked at her, taking another bite. I licked the juices from my hand. "Guess."

"You can fly?"

"Ha! Nope."

"Read minds?"

"It's body-altering."

"Wait," The lovely maiden smirked, taking a seat on the bed. "Did it give you that red nose?" She snickered.

"Guess again," I said flatly, my expression turning cold as I stared at her. She gulped, clenching her jaw. I laughed and looked down at my lap, now using one hand to hold the orange. I continued to chew on it. But while she was distracted with her numerous attempts to guess what kind of body-altering power I had, I detached my left hand at the wrist. It floated behind the both of us and tapped on her right shoulder. Y/N jumped up, her head shooting to look at her side. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed together before she spotted my floating hand waving at her. She gasped and slapped it away. I broke out into a fit of laughter, my hand reconnecting to my wrist. "Impressive, huh?"

"You- what?" She was still flabbergasted.

"I ate the chop-chop fruit. It allows me to pretty much chop any part of my body. Like I can-" To avoid grossing her out, I chopped my left leg from my thigh instead of my head from my neck. She watched in amazement. I smiled at this. "I can disconnect anything from my body from my toes to my ears to my-"

"Even... ya know?"

I winked. "Oh, yeah. That, too."

"That's so cool. How come you haven't done it before around me?"

"I don't know. I just never found a reason to." Shrugging my shoulders, I allowed my leg to snap back. I continued to chew on the orange before finishing it and tossing the peel into a small bin to the left of the bedside table. Y/N finished hers as well. She wiped her hands down on her shirt.

"So, uh," I chewed on my bottom lip. "Do you think you and your mother will be okay?"

"Yeah. We fight all the time. Her drinking doesn't help."

I cringed. "Really?"

"Yeah, she's one of the reasons I hate it so much."

I pursed my lips and nodded my head. I knew I needed to cut back on it but it was something I've done for well over more than half my life. Though, I was destined to do it. Not only for myself, but for her, too. I'd do anything for Y/N. "So," I began, "what do you want to do today?"

"I need to go make up with my mother. That's a big to-do. I can't stand her ever being upset with me." The girl said as she stood up, slipping her shoes back onto her feet. "We can have dinner tonight if you want. Maybe you could meet her."

"Meet your mom?"

"Yeah, why not? She was wondering where all that money came from. She thought I stole it."

"Hell, I don't know. I'm not good with meeting new people."

"Will you, at least, consider it?"

"Sure," I smirked.

"Thank you." Y/N reached for the doorknob, giving it a strong and firm tug before it yanked open. A gush of cold wind washed over her, almost knocking her back. I tossed her my coat to which she whispered another 'thank you' then slipped it on. "I'll see you, Buggy."

"Bye," I murmured with a smile.

As soon as the door shut, I jumped down from the bed and pulled the drawer out from the nightstand, dropping it on the stone floor. I sorted through the numerous books and grabbed the novel I was so fucking thankful she didn't look through. As I opened the cover, the hollowed book had contents that almost spilled out. Papers among papers, among sketches fell out, wafting along the floor. Several notes about Y/N puddled on the floor. One, which was my favorite, was a letter I wrote to her- well, I refused to send it. If I sent it, any last fiber of my confidence would be crushed like a scrambled egg. My fingers lined the rigid edges as I unfolded it.

Messy paragraphs lined both the front and back of the page.

I smiled. How long ago did I write this? I haven't looked at it in so long. I usually added a sentence to it each time I saw Y/N, which is why it was so long. But I stopped pouring my thoughts and desires into it when I actually had the pleasure of speaking to her.

If she saw this, I would kill myself.

I'd purposely jump into the ocean with two anchors attached to my feet.

I looked over the first paragraph,

'I've never wanted something so badly in my life. To say I yearned for her would be a complete understatement. I longed for her, I yearned, I desired- In simple terms, I wanted her. I mean, how could I not? She was an angel. She was a siren. I would purposely listen to her enchanting song, allowing my boat to crash, just if it meant I could be graced by her presence, by her beauty. I was obsessed with her. If she found out my thoughts, my desires, she would never let herself be seen with me. I wouldn't blame her, though. I was obsessive. It was unhealthy, I knew that. But I didn't care. I wouldn't say I loved her because I didn't know what that felt like. I've never experienced it. But perhaps I did love her. I didn't know, I couldn't tell. All I knew was that she was the only treasure I wanted. Not the One Piece, no. Not even that could match up to her alluring person. If I had to travel every sea in order to find her, battle every sea snake in order to touch her, I would. I would in a heartbeat.'

I grimaced, cringing at what I was reading. Thank god, she didn't see this. I didn't even want to see this.

I tucked the papers back into the hollowed-out book, closing it. I slipped the other novels into the drawer then slid it into the nightstand. With the book of secrets, I needed to hide it somewhere she could never find it- where even I struggled to find it. I didn't want to throw it out for I would be completely discarding all of those moments we had together, although she couldn't reconcile them with me because at that time, I was nonexistent to her.

Maybe I could follow my own idea and form my own message in a bottle. I never mentioned her name, nor my own. To an outsider's perspective, it was anonymous.

I shook my head and slipped the book back into the bedside table. She wouldn't be back anytime soon so I had enough time to properly execute a fool-proof plan.

But right now?

I needed to go get another coat.

-=-

her pov;

My mother and I resolved things, just like always. And when she caught wind of a pirate suddenly becoming very fond of me, she begged me to invite him over for dinner. I didn’t think that was the best of ideas. Going out to dinner? Sure! But to have him over? At our house? I cringed at the idea.

She fell ill months ago. Nothing too major, but ever since she’s gotten better, she despises leaving the house and even made me bring her bed downstairs so she could sleep next to the kitchen just in case she had a hankering for something to eat. It was ridiculous, I knew that. But I couldn’t just tell her no. She was my own mother. While I was old enough, I definitely wasn't going to willingly disobey her.

She persisted that I go and grab Buggy so we could have him over for dinner, while I insisted we all go out to eat. She hated the idea and told me that it was her house, her rules.

I grimaced at the thought.

Now, I was just outside Buggy's home, knocking on the stone door. I hoped he was home, though there was no possibility of me being able to ask him prior to my arrival. I knew he was busy. He was a very busy man. I was surprised he made time for me.

With another knock, another silence fell. I groaned and backed up.

My eyes trailing down, I stared at the doorknob and chewed on my bottom lip. He wouldn't care if I waited inside, right? We trusted each other. He knew where I lived and I knew where he lived. As far as I knew, he never crossed any of my boundaries and I definitely didn't cross any of his- well, except for maybe 'snooping' through his nightstand.

Without thinking too much more about it, I grabbed the rusted doorknob, gave it a firm twist, then shoved it open. I almost fell through the doorway.

I caught my balance and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. Without the lantern being lit, it was rather dark, but the bright blue sky helped to illuminate the small room. He must've not been home since I left.

I looked around, admiring everything.

As I took a seat on the edge of the bed, I noticed a piece of paper laying on the floor. It wasn't there before.

I raised an eyebrow and reached to grab it but before I could, the door flung open, a certain blue-haired pirate standing in the entrance. When he noticed me, he smirked. I gulped.

"So, we're breaking and entering, are we?" The man grinned as he took a few paces forward.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, scratching the back of my neck. "I came over to ask you about dinner but you weren't here so I figured I would wait."

"No worries, I'm only teasing."

"So?" I folded my arms, leaning forwards.

"So what?" Buggy questioned as he slipped his coat off. Since when did he get a new coat? And why? I was only borrowing the one he lent me. I didn't plan on keeping it. But I guess now it was okay if I did.

"Dinner? Are you available?"

"Hmm, it depends. What time?"

"I don't know, sometime tonight? Only for two hours or so. My mother wanted to meet you. I told her about you."

"What did you tell her?"

"That you've been a friend of mine for a few weeks now and you've been fortunate enough to treat me and help me out," I said with a smile. "She thought you were my boyfriend." I chuckled.

"Heh, that's rich," Buggy said as he turned around to close the door.

"So? Can you?"

"I guess so. Just don't leave me alone with her. I really don't want to be bombarded with questions." The man said as he folded the jacket over his arm then slung it on the countertop. "Did you tell her about my nose?"

I laughed, confused. "No? Why would I?"

"It's my defining feature. It's hard not to notice it when you see me."

"I didn't tell her. I didn't think it was important. I even forget it's there."

The clown burst out in laughter, his eyes closing as he clutched his stomach and nearly fell back with his fit of giggles. I pursed my lips. "What's so funny?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"It's cute how you're trying to be nice to me. With a nose like mine, how can you forget it's there?" He replied while wiping a tear from his eye.

I felt flustered with the first part of his monologue but I ignored it and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, I just do. It's not all I see whenever I look at you, ya know. It's not my main focus point when we speak. I look at your eyes, not your nose."

"And yet again, you prove to me that you're different than others."

I smiled. "Hope that's a good thing."

Buggy smirked, winking his left eye. "Of course it is."

The pirated approached me before he knelt down and picked up the piece of paper. He examined it for a moment then laughed to himself. "Grocery list," He explained as he shoved the paper into his pocket.

I paid no attention to the paper. It wasn't any of my business. "Speaking of groceries, want to go help me get food for dinner?"

"What's on the menu?"

"No idea, but let's just grab something so she won't be bitching later."

"Guess I'll be needing this again," The blue-haired man said as he reached to grab his jacket. He slipped his arms through and adjusted the collar. "We match now."

"Mine's more vintage than yours." I winked.

"Oh, so it's yours now?"

"No?" I gulped.

Buggy giggled. "It is. I got my own now so no worries about giving it back. Unless you'd like to trade from time to time."

"No, I like this one."

The man looked at me, an eyebrow cocked upward.

I paid his look no attention and instead looked down at the tattered suede coat I wore. I inhaled softly. It smelled like him.

A soft odor mixed with whiskey, coconut, and cinnamon. And while I hated the stench of alcohol, it worked for him.

I couldn't imagine him without it.

[etaleah]

I think a lot about how Shadow probably started out very similar to Sonic in his worldview but then the trauma surrounding Maria’s death changed that forever. It opened his eyes to a darker side of life that he can’t un-know, and he can’t ever be as optimistic and innocent as Sonic again.

Shadow didn’t attack the G.U.N. soldiers raiding the Ark because he likely believed, as Sonic does, that hurting people is wrong even if they deserve it and even if they hurt you first. He likely believed, as Sonic does, that you should always opt for the most moral, non-hurtful path, and he tried to take that path by escaping with Maria.

And then she was killed anyway. She and him did the right thing and the moral thing and she was killed anyway. Because it turns out the good guys don’t always win no matter what, and sometimes the bad guys don’t see the error of their ways. Sometimes you do have to get violent and dirty your hands if you want to protect what matters to you. Shadow had to learn those lessons the hard way and it changed him.

Now he’s trying so hard to make sure Sonic doesn’t have to learn this lesson the same way he did. He’s trying so hard to spare Sonic the pain and trauma and loss that he went through because he knows that Sonic loves his friends as much as he loved Maria. He warns him, over and over. Nine can’t be trusted, Mr. Tinker will turn back into Eggman, Cosmo can’t be left alive. He tries to tell him.

But Sonic doesn’t listen. Not only that, he mocks Shadow for it. He makes dickish jokes about “Lol your trust issues are why you have no friends” and “Well you lost your memory too sweetie, so shut ya face!” =)

And every single time, Shadow is proven right. He warns Sonic to try and spare him, Sonic ignores/is snarky to him, the exact problem Shadow predicted would happen does, and the cycle repeats again. And again. And again. No matter how many times Shadow is proven right, Sonic still won’t listen because he’s been lucky enough to never have experienced that level of trauma and unconsciously assumes, a little arrogantly, that what happened to Maria and Shadow could never happen to him or his friends.

I love Sonic and I understand his worldview too, but man do I get why Shadow wants to beat the fuck out of him sometimes.

[thewrothode-if]

I am very confused and have so many questions. What exactly *happened* in the scene where MC sees some monster as their mother somehow? What did MC do that their father didn't like? Why did Raud leave? Why does MC hate Gungir? Why doesn't MC want to obey their father, and why do they anyway even after starting with such clear intent that they won't? Why is MC so shocked by Anne knowing that MC was in the very same settlement in which Anne met and spoke to to the MC directly? Why does Anne desperately want to go to the place where she already was? Why does MC say that Anne wants to meet the King when that is not even close to what Anne said?

If any of you haven't read the first chapter and don't want any spoilers, I'll hide my answers.

What exactly happened in the scene where MC sees some monster as their mother somehow?

I presume you're talking about the prologue scene where the mother goes crazy. In that scene, it is actually your mother. She just went crazy. As to what happened in the scene, I'm gonna be blunt here: your father strangled her, thus killing her.

What did MC do that their father didn't like?

I've talked a lot about this in other asks like this one. Basically, your father hates you because you remind him of your mother. Your very presence is a reminder of the fact that he killed her so that guilt evolves into a toxic hatred for you.

Why did Raud leave?

Honestly, I couldn't really find a place to put why he left, and there is a reason the readers don't know. So I might need to come back to this.

Why does MC hate Gungir?

The MC hates Gungir because, as I wrote in the pinned post and in the IF itself, he's the son your father always wanted. He treats him better than he treats you, but it's not really shown so I might add scenes where his favoritism is show.

I was planning on improving the first chapter and adding an entire new scene where you actually go on a raid (i love changing my mind about the first chapter right after releasing it) so things might change slightly.

Why doesn't MC want to obey their father, and why do they anyway even after starting with such clear intent that they won't?

There is actually a choice where you can willingly choose to go. But the many choices where you don't want to go overshadow it because the hatred for your father is something that makes his order easy to decline.

You have the choice to not go to the docks in the morning, therefore refusing to go, but you still get dragged over there by Gungir because the Jarl wants you out. And if you selected the choice where you agreed to go, you will not get the option to think about it the next day.

Why is MC so shocked by Anne knowing that MC was in the very same settlement in which Anne met and spoke to to the MC directly?

You do not meet Anne at the destroyed settlement, you meet her at another settlement/town/village. She is shocked because she heard of a settlement that has been destroyed and as a soft-hearted gal, she feels sympathy for the settlement.

Why does Anne desperately want to go to the place where she already was?

This is something I'm confused about. I'm not sure if it's because I coded it wrongly so it led to another scene, or if what I wrote was just a little confusing. But as I said above, you do not meet her at the destroyed settlement.

As to why she wants to go along with you, in her own words, "I cannot stand by while innocent are butchered."

Why does MC say that Anne wants to meet the King when that is not even close to what Anne said?

I might change that wording since Anne doesn't really know the plans yet, but it was supposed to be the MC getting ahead of themselves and all that.

I hope some of your questions are answered!

[obsessive-valentine]

Are your request open? Can I request a sequel to Barbarian?

I know he's kind and everything but I don't think I could give in to him 100%, like yes, probably return the kindness but never love him. Reader feels a lot of guilt about the attack and I think that after the event and realizing that they didn't have much to do in the situation, they just felt numb about everything, living on autopilot except when they are with their dog.

This is just my interpretation and basically a self insertion sorry haha.

I would love to know about their daily lives! Does the barbarian take reader to war with him? (If you delve deeper into my idea) Would he realize that reader doesn't talk to him much? Would he be jealous of the dog?

Requests are always open, I love to hear about people’s thoughts on my silly little characters lol.

I did focus more on the barbarians perspective on the relationship rather the actual complexity of the whole thing and psychological depth of it all, it was a rather shallow Drabble but I’d love to expand more on his character. I’ll see if I come up with any domestic short stories for him in the coming weeks, love that idea thanks :)

Yandere!Barbarian X GN!Reader Headcanons

The barbarian himself isn’t a good person, morally or in any other way, and he knows that. He understands what he’s done to you -pulled you away from everything you’ve ever known or loved leaving it all in tatters- he understands he’s killed innocent and guilty all the same and will continue to do so for the clan to thrive. And he doesn’t feel bad about any of it.

He definitely tries to sympathise with how his greed effects you, but, he doesn’t regret his actions but does understand to an extent how hard this is for you. This is why he tries to over compensate by gift giving and finding it within himself to be gentle and patient, so as not to damage you further (despite that being the polar opposite of how he was raised).

He’s not super emotionally intelligent so doesn’t really know what to do aside from the above. Anyone with common sense will learn fast that they can’t fight him off so it’s very possible to become numb and retreat into the mind. If you wont retreat into his arms he will try make it so you feel comfort in his tent that way you’re not always on autopilot but enjoying a craft or something in your quiet tent if even just for a hour.

Honestly though he doesn’t really mind if you’re on autopilot but does expect you to tolerate him, so if you are adamant on distance or fighting him you might trigger his temper. Like pulling and tugging you around, making you sleep in the same bed no exceptions, raising his voice to remind you who you’re trying to challenge etc.

A very tearful darling is a whole other situation, he cant stand seeing you cry, he’d be sobbing, crying, throwing up on the inside while trying to maintain a poker face and think up a solution.

Onto a lighter topic, the barbarians do move camp every few weeks and that includes reader (dont worry he never makes you walk) they don’t have a permanent home just their tents though our barbarian does intend to settle down at some point once the fighting becomes to much hassle for his ageing bones. But never once does he imagine bringing you into one of his raids, rebellions or battles.

He leaves you at camp with the members that aren’t participating that particular day (like the few women, elders or barbarians that just didn’t go-nobody’s forced to fight every battle, just to pull their weight). And of course your beloved wolf dog who he doesn’t regret, he doesn’t get jealous easily especially of the dog he got you for the soul purpose of cheering you up, if he can’t cheer you up at least the dog can and that’s a win in his books.

He’s really not high maintenance, as long as at the end of the day he load up your plate with his finest hunt and sit near you while you both eat, watching whatever fight breaks out in the clan from a safe distance before he has to eventually step in. There’s not much entertainment in the middle of the woods during the evening so you both take what you can get even if it’s drunken fight.

Maybe he takes you and the dog out for walks or fetch if it gets really boring at camp. Will bring you the best stick he finds for you to play fetch with the dog, he sees how much the dog means to you so he treats it with utmost respect. He’ll let you have control over this one little thing in your life for your own sakes.

Therefore while he would prefer you to love him truly, he doesn’t expect it (mostly because half the time he can’t tell the difference between your compliance and you showing affection), doesn’t stop him from trying though. He’s a saint compared to the barbarians before him... only for you though.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Rewatching atla and realized iroh is not a morally good like he's not the kind, wise person he is. I know his past actions doesn't represent him know but it does, he canonically in the show's contexts & clues has terrorized the earth kingdom and it's citizen, led his man to pillage and raid wars onto the earth kingdom territories but when his son died is when he realized war is bad? Not the horrors war can bring to people's livelihood? that made me see iroh in a different light and his character leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I don't think anything else COULD make Iroh see the horrors of war. The whole point of indoctrination, propaganda and war training is to make the soldiers forget that the enemy is human. They NEED to be desensitized to violence otherwise they simply wouldn't go battle people. That's essentially what happened to Iroh. The enemies he was fighting were not people, they were obstacles on the path towards his goals of achieving personal glory, honoring his father and obtaining a major victory for his nation.

But when Lu Ten died it was the brutal reminder that all that shit comes at a cost. And once he feels that pain, he doesn't want to fight anymore because all those goals don't mean shit compared to his son's life.

For most of season one, Iroh is just going along with the flow. Zuko needs to capture the Avatar? Fine, he'll help. The siege of the North will help his nephew? Fine, he'll do it.

It's when Zhao kills the moon and Ozai sends Azula after them that Iroh gets back in "battle mode", that's another reason he and Zuko argue A LOT more in season two - Iroh is realizing all this shit is pointless and he doesn't feel like losing another child to something he no longer believes in.

And because he no longer believes it, he can finally look at all the innocents around him and finally see them as PEOPLE.

Now, the show obviously dropped the ball on a few aspects - mainly Iroh's compassion and understanding somehow not extending to his 14-year-old niece (something even the voice actor acknowledges was fucked up), or the nonsense that was the White Lotus plot, or absurd shit like him refusing to even try to fight Ozai because "history will see it as just kinslaying for power" and then immediately sending Zuko to fight, and potentially kill, his own sibling for a crown. But for the most part, Iroh was still a largely coherent, mostly sympathetic and likeable character.

And then the writers bought into the fandom hype for "uncle that can do no wrong" and started doing bullshit like pretending Iroh was NEVER an ambitious general that did very much kill people without giving a fuck. THAT is what leaves a bad taste in my mouth because, if you watch season one and even early season two, it is VERY clear the writers KNEW Iroh was no saint. He was kind and wise in a lot of ways, but he was still a bad guy doing bad guy things. For fuck's sake, they considered making him eventually BETRAY ZUKO, that's how aware they were of his moral ambiguity and how it could push his character to either become a cautionary tale or an inspiring one.

The problem with Iroh is not his backstory, or his mistakes, or his redemption and happy ending. "Everyone has potential for great good and great evil" and all that. Nothing wrong with a formely evil person becoming good. The problem is the writers, and the fandom, bending over-backwards to pretend he was never evil in the first place.

[hyperactively-me]

on the run

“Ah, it's fine, I’ll just need some bacta patches and it’ll be fine. Besides, it's just a bruise” you say quietly, your face flushing. “I’m going to kill him” Din rasped, taking your hands in a movement to pull you to standing. 

just wanted to ask you guys to please read this

(asks are open)

happy reading

warnings: canon typical violence

You were uneasy about this job from when it was first proposed. You felt a pit in the depths of your stomach that signaled that something did not feel right. Although you understood why Din was so eager about accepting the job. He wanted more credits to upgrade parts of his ship and armor. You tried everything you could to push these feelings of doubt away but to no avail. Approaching Din about the job only turned into a heated argument about how it was necessary to ensure a few weeks worth of credits. 

Things got a little dicey. Okay, more than a little dicey. You were currently fending for yourself against two cronies employed by a prominent spice lord on Nar Shaddaa. Nar Shaddaa, of all places. Din could have picked any other planet, but no, there’s too many commissions on Nar Shaddaa to turn this down, besides, with this mission, I could earn a lot of credits. I’ll be fine, I’ve probably encountered worse before. 

Nar Shaddaa is a cosmopolitan planet practically owned by the Hutts, crime and lawlessness was bursting from every sidewalk, market, and building. An overabundance of illegal activity permeated the streets, every nook and cranny of the metropolitan planet corrupt. 

Din took on a job hunting down the leader of a high profile crime ring in the heart of the city. He took on the assignment knowing the risks and dangers, but, who was Din if he ever turned down an opportunity like this? An opportunity to return to the company after taking down a criminal that no one else could take down. Coming back to the guild and earning an even higher degree of respect? Oh, he said it was just too good to turn down, we’ll be fine, I can handle it. You decided to help him on his mission because the more muscle he had, the higher his chances of success were.

So of course, he managed to infiltrate the ring and blow it up from the inside out, creating pandemonium in the streets.

In the midst of the chaos that arose from the raid, you both managed to get separated, desperately fighting for each of your survival, focused on coming out alive. 

So here we are now, you’re shaken to your core as you play a lethal game of tag. Your heart threatens to beat out of its chest as you snap your head backwards only to see how hot on your tail the two bounty hunters were to you.

You touch your earpiece connecting you to Din and cry out “Din! I’m being tailed by two guys, where the kriff are you?”

A tall and burly Trandoshan was gaining on you whilst an orange-skinned Twi’lek dodged the crowded street. Deep and heavy breaths escape your dry throat as you focus all your brain power on formulating a plan and escaping without getting yourself killed, or worse, taken.  

“Din, I don’t know if you can hear me, but so help me Maker, I need a little assistance right now so it would be wonderful if you showed up.” You tried to make yourself sound angry and demanding, but in truth, you were scared for your life. 

Continuously dodging innocent bystanders and merchant stands take a toll on your stamina, slowing you down as you concentrate on where your feet are landing. The ringing noise of blaster shots rang out from behind you, causing you to duck your head in an attempt to protect yourself, just for precaution. You start heaving, trying to gulp air into your lungs like it's the last thing you can do to save yourself from collapsing from exhaustion. You look back once more and let out a loud yelp as the Trandoshan’s grubby hands were barely grazing the back of your shirt. You felt your blood run cold and your heart stopped beating for a split second, the adrenaline pumping through you fading. 

It was too late before you realized you lost sight of the Twi’lek when an orange blur came hurtling into your side, effectively ending the pursuit and toppling you over onto the uneven stones. 

Your vision goes hazy and you realize you can’t breathe. Your breaths are shallow and labored and your eyes struggle to focus. 

No no no please no I can’t stop now you panic, trying to set your brain straight after the impact.

A haze of orange and a mass of an alien face clouds your vision before you feel rough hands yanking your arms up in an attempt to set you up straight. Your head lurches forward and you screw your eyes shut in an attempt to focus your vision. The Trandoshan is manhandling you, and as a final attempt to break free, you resort to a classic self-defense trick. You knee him right in the groin.

He drops your arms quickly and doubles over, groaning in pain, and before he can stop you, you take off running. Or at least you think you’re running. Your head is pounding and your vision is streaked with black dots. You only get so far before the Twi’lek tackles you again, this time effectively taking you down. 

Everything is too much, the scene around you is too much. Everything hurts. Everything is too bright, too loud, too rough. The Twi’lek lets out a cruel snicker and slaps binders on your wrists before dragging you standing upwards. You falter, not capable of standing on your feet after the two collisions by two men who are much larger in stature than you. 

“Well well, you thought you could do that and just get away with it?” the Trandoshan sneers as he stalks over to you and the Twi’lek. As your vision begins to clear, you take note of the large, shiny knife in his possession. Your face pales a bit as you look up at the angry Trandoshan’s face. 

He raises his hand, and without hesitation, slaps you straight across the face. You falter from the contact as the Twi’lek catches you before you crumple over completely. He laughs maniacally before throwing your body over his shoulder. Tears flood your vision, your face stinging like a million wasps stung your face. 

Well that’s gonna leave a lovely mark. You winced at the thought of Din seeing the hand print on your face, not because you were scared of him, but because you were scared for the well-being of the Trandoshan. 

Your world bobs up and down as your two captors navigate back to their base. You catch bits of the mens’ conversation, trying your best to piece together any useful information you could. You send out a silent prayer that Din is alright, and that he’ll show up and you’ll both be fine, because right now, you were panicking. Usually you both had each other's backs in strenuous situations like this, and more often than not, you were both able to withstand more hits and blows. But being carried back to a now dead crime lord’s haven led by Maker knows who was a new low for you. 

You start to thrash in your captor’s grip, smacking your bound wrists against his stiff back with all your might. 

“What the- hey, cut that out” he grumbles, not amused with your poor attempts to stop him. 

“Kriff you” you bite out angrily, upset that you’re now their hostage, upset that you weren’t capable enough of defending yourself in this situation, and torn over the fact that you haven’t heard anything from Din in a while. You hadn’t heard anything from him in a while…

Maybe he was captured? you thought. Yeah, a guy like Din, a man notorious for his elusiveness and strategic logic is definitely captured right now. But he wouldn’t leave me, right? Right? Unless…he probably did leave you, like how everyone else you cared about in the past did. Maker, I really thought we had something. You hold back a sob as it builds up in your throat. You had hope that Din saw you as something more, after everything you’ve been through. Or maybe he was captured. Or even worse…don't even think about that. 

The side of your cheek where you were slapped begins to throb, swelling from the harsh impact of the greasy slimeball’s burly hand. A bruise was bound to erupt from the site of damage. 

All of a sudden you hear the Trandoshan scream out, followed by a crunch and a thud. The Twi’lek becomes rigid, fingernails digging harshly into the back of your knees as he slowly backs away from whatever or whoever attacked the Trandoshan. You tense under his grip, unaware of what is presenting the danger, and you begin to squirm under his grip. 

Next thing you know, the Twi’lek body slams you onto the cold ground, knocking the wind out of your lungs, leaving you dizzy and disoriented from the sudden aggression. He digs his steel-toed boot deep into your chest, pressing against your abdomen with enough force to cause potential bruising. You glance upward at the Twi’lek hovering over you and a glint of metal catches your eye. He has a blaster pointed right at your chest. Your breath catches in your throat and your mouth dries. 

“I suggest you don’t take another step towards me, otherwise I’ll shoot her” the Twi’lek calls out to the mystery person in front of you. 

Your heart halts in your chest, breath slows as you realize the gravity of the situation. You were practically helpless, incapable of making any move without potentially ending your life. You still under his boot, attempting to assess the situation. 

The air around you stills, a chill runs up your spine. 

“I think you’ve got someone that doesn’t belong to you. If you return her to me unharmed, I might just let you live” a gravelly and husky voice calls out lazily. That voice. Din’s voice. 

He came you practically cried out of desperation and relief. You strain your neck backwards to look at him. As soon as you make eye contact with his visor you flash him a weak smile to let him know that you’re relieved and glad to see him.

His form relaxes slightly as you hope you make eye contact with him through the dark visor of his helmet. Something seems to flash over his demeanor, but the moment is gone within a second. He turns back to the Twi’lek, who still has the blaster trained at your chest.

“Oh, you might just let me live. How wonderful. But I’m afraid I can’t let that happen, so either let me get through or the girl dies” the Twi’lek shouts out as he shoves the blaster closer to your chest. 

“Alright, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you” Din calls out quickly before whipping out his own blaster. Before the Twi’lek can even register what’s happening, Din shoots the man straight in the chest. 

The Twi’lek crumples, folding in on himself before falling over onto his side, lifeless. You scramble on the stones, pushing yourself away from the body as fast as you can while still restrained.

You hear Din call out your name as he rushes to your side, dropping to his knees without hesitation.

“Are you hurt?” his hands roam up and down your body, assessing it for any damage before sighing with relief that there were no broken bones or blood. 

You let your head rest on the ground, taking gulps of air as your anxiety lessened. 

“I- I guess I’m fine. Just shaken up a bit” you croak out, pulling at the metal cuffs rubbing away at the skin around your wrists.

He gently grabs hold of your wrists, his eyes narrowing as he inspects the cuffs. 

“Give me a sec” he says distractedly, rummaging through his utility belt for a tool that could free you from your confinements. A moment goes by before he whips out a lock-picker of some sort. He slots the gadget into the small keyhole on your cuffs, jiggling it around before a small click rang through the air. The cuffs dropped to the ground and you let out a hiss at the raw skin. 

“Thanks” you whisper before gently sitting up, grimacing as you go.

“Your face…” Din points out, his voice hushed and severe. “What did they do to you?” He sounds ready to pounce, prepared to tear apart anyone who hurt you. 

His hand reaches up to touch the mark that’s now flourishing into a bruise on your cheek, and you wince as he applies a slight pressure to the mark. 

“Ah, it's fine, I’ll just need some bacta patches and it’ll be fine. Besides, it's just a bruise” you say  quietly, your face flushing.

“I’m going to kill him” Din rasped, taking your hands in a movement to pull you to standing. 

“I think you already did…” you grimace as you look over to the Trandoshan laying face down lifeless on the ground.

“Oh…less work for me then” he huffed out. 

You slightly falter when he pulls you completely up, head still spinning from the hits you took while trying to fight them off. Din catches you with a quick inhale, wrapping his strong arms around your back and under your arm to support you as you both walk back to the ship. 

As you continue to walk in silence, you can almost feel the anger rolling off Din, his helmet set straight ahead. 

As your adrenaline wears off from the scuffle, you remember how you even got in this situation to begin with: Din was nowhere to be found and unresponsive.

“Din, where the kriff were you? I needed you back there” you implored, your mind was racing and hot tears began to prick the corners of your eyes.

“I was-” he starts quietly before you relentlessly cut him off.

“Where? I really needed you back there, I was so scared and I thought you died! What happened?” you cry out, a wave of emotion crashing down on you. You try to pull yourself away from his grip, slightly thrashing in his arms. 

“Stop, you’re only going to worsen your injuries” he says slowly, eyes looking everywhere but yours. 

“No, I thought you left me. I really thought you felt nothing between us, thought you were using me for your own benefit! Don’t you understand?” you successfully free yourself from his stronghold on you and you begin hitting his chest with your hands fisted. 

Din stares you down, unmoving from his position. He sighs as he grabs hold of your fists, pulling them away and holding them to stop your attacks.

“Listen, I did what I had to do back there. If I hadn’t diverged from where you were going, neither of us would be alive” his jaw ticked as he seethed. 

You stopped and gazed up into the darkness of his visor, the strong grip he had on your fists loosen until he dropped them completely.

“Okay…but don’t pull stupid stunts like that without telling me first. I really thought you left me” a watery voice replaces your anger like whiplash.

Din relaxes, and pulls you tight against his chest in a reassuring hug.

“I would never leave you. Ever. I have a responsibility to protect you, and I didn’t fulfill that responsibility. I’m sorry” he reassured, arms tightening around your torso. 

Your arms wrap around his own torso, and you turn your un-bruised cheek against his chest, eyes overflowing with tears. 

His right hand comes up to rest in your hair, pressing his chest more firmly into it.

“You swear?” you question through a sniffle.

“I promise.”

[shininglamp]

What he couldn’t remember.

While Beacon Hills was dealing with Ghost Riders

Derek was unsuccessfully hunting Kate Argent. He knew a lot was happening in Beacon Hills, and he vaguely remembered stopping by once or twice in the last few months, but he couldn’t remember why.

Derek knew there was something important, it kept nagging at his mind and tugging at his heart, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  He had been working alone for months now. It never really bothered him, except in the last few weeks.

Needing a night off, he stops into a bar. The bartender there has light brown hair, subtly curving lips, mischievous eyes. Shamelessly he starts to flirt with her.  “Are you sure we’ve never met? You seem so familiar.” Derek wasn’t lying about this. He just couldn’t remember who she reminded him of. 

“Believe me, hot stuff, I’d remember an ass that cute.” Clearly she is into the flirting.

“Derek.”

“Stella.” The name also feels close to something, an important something that he wants to remember.  The frustration of it and the loneliness drives him to get closer to Stella. It very easily leads to a one night stand. 

Weeks later Derek bolts awake. “Stiles!!” He gasps. Scrambling for his phone he looks for Stiles’ number but it’s not there. He calls Scott. “What. The. Hell! What happened to Stiles?”

“Oh, we were dealing with Ghost Riders. But everything is okay now. Stiles is back, Peter is back…”

“I don’t give a rats ass about Peter!” He hears Peter grumble ‘I heard that’ in the background. “Is Stiles there?” He asked.

“Well, yeah… He’s a little busy.”

“What?”

Peter takes the phone from Scott. “First of all, I can’t believe you forgot your own family! Secondly, while Stiles and Lydia may have saved the day with their undying love for each other, I want it noted that I put my skin on the line, literally. Without me…”

Derek hangs up on his uncle, the words undying love echoing in his head.

Days go by. Derek attends their graduation, politely congratulating all of them, pretending he wasn’t there just for Stiles.

“Derek! I got in. The FBI internship!”

“What? You?”

“Yes, me.”

“That’s… really amazing!” Derek uses this as an excuse to hug Stiles. He loves the responding smile. Stiles runs over to Lydia, and Derek leaves Beacon Hills.

Derek decides to double down on his hunt for Kate. This leads him to the scenes of mass murders of entire packs. Misunderstood as being a suspect, he continues to investigate on his own.

Stiles calls. “Derek. What’s going on?”

“Wish I knew.”

“You’re our prime suspect!”

“Well I didn’t do it. I’m hunting the thing that did.”

“You mean Kate?”

“It’s different. Bigger. Like She’s working with others. The killing, it’s not random anymore. It’s strategic.”

“I need you to keep your head down.”

“I can’t. It’s all pointing back to Beacon Hills.”

“Derek…!” Stiles is frustrated, but he sighs and calms his tone. “What do you want to bet that Scott is still there? Damn it! I told him to get out.”

“I’ll stay in the shadows, but unless we can prove who’s really behind these massacres you can’t prove my innocence.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Stiles hangs up.

Lay low. Huh. Loping back into his wolf form, Derek continues his hunt.

Eventually Stiles coordinates with him on an FBI raid, making sure to showcase the true conspirators behind the string of deaths.

During which one of the hunters aims his gun at Derek and Stiles kicks the gun out of the man’s hands in his naturally uncoordinated reckless way, causing the gun to go off and him to lose a toe.

“Idiot, I can heal, you can’t! What were you thinking?” Derek scolds him as he picks up Stiles in his arms.

“They shot my toe!” He yells, then passes out at the sight of his bloody shoe. “Idiot.” Derek stays with him in the ambulance.

Derek waits for Stiles in the hospital. Peter calls. “What is it?” As he gets the run down, Stiles is signing release forms. Surprisingly he’s not limping. “I’m heading to you now.”

“Ready for more?” Derek asks. They swing by Styles’ house for a change of clothes. “You… have my size here?”

“Yeah. You know, last time you wore that striped thing and you looked ridiculous, so…”

Derek quietly growls at the humiliating memory, but pulls on the black shirt, happy that Stiles thought of him.

They take the jeep and meet up with the pack. The battle against the Annuk’Ite doesn’t last long. In the ensuing days, everyone leaves town, Scott heading up the fight against Monroe.

Autumn was quickly turning to winter.

Kate was gone, so Derek made himself available to be called into help Scott. In the meantime, he tried to content himself that Stiles cared enough to take a bullet for him. He needed to let his feelings go so he could be happy for Stiles and Lydia. It wasn’t easy.

That’s when he came across the old bar. He was going to just drive by, then remembered the cute bartender Stella. Her features, down to the freckles, were quite similar to Stiles. Her comments and jokes were just as quirky as Stiles. Even though Derek didn’t remember Stiles at the time, his heart was looking for him. Derek quickly parks the car and goes in.

Stella turns around, her belly big. “Wondered when you’d be back, hot stuff.”

That night Derek calls Stiles. “I’m going to have a son.”

“Whoa! When did this happen? I mean, congratulations!”

Derek, wanting to explain how he couldn’t remember Stiles and inadvertently looked for a replacement, wanting Stiles to get jealous maybe, not able to deny his own excitement about becoming a father, could only answer “Thanks.”

Stella was sweet, but she didn’t want Derek or Eli. She wanted her freedom, and so was happy to let Derek be the sole parent.

Stiles and the pack come over to see the new baby. “Oh my gosh! He’s so cute!” Lydia gushes.

“He looks so much like you.” Scott says, not knowing what to say.

“Huh.” Stiles glances back at Derek then at Eli. He narrows his eyes.

Sheriff Stalinski looks over his son’s shoulder. “Huh.” The Sheriff looks between his son and Derek then back at Eli. “You’ll have your hands full with this one.”

Derek smiles knowingly and picks up his son adoringly.

[flightfoot]

Just finished "A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking" by T. Kingfisher. It's the one about a baker wizard who has a sourdough starter familiar that was mentioned on that one popular tumblr post, though honestly this one gingerbread man she made acts more like a familiar to her than Bob does.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I like how it showcased the ways people could make use of even fairly specific talents. A lot of wizards in this world could only really make one specific type of "thing" do what they want, whether it's bread (or really, anything created from dough) like Mona, or making dead horses walk, like Molly. So there's a lot of emphasis on working with what you can do, rather than worrying about what you can't, and not underestimating your abilities just because they seem silly and minor at first blush.

Anyway, basically, a dead girl's found in the bakery, Mona's called up to the palace as a suspect (she found the body), and is quickly found innocent and sent home. But over the next few days the magical folks in the city are all spooked, and there's efforts to make all mages register, and propaganda about how magical folks could be spies and traitors...

I don't want to go too much further into that so I don't spoil the rest of the story.

There's also this theme that crops up a lot during the second half of the book about "heroes", and how that term's often used to kind of make it okay that people had to suffer and die when, if other people had done their jobs properly, they wouldn't have had to. That it's great for Mona to have been able to accomplish what she did during this book, but that it shouldn't have been on a fourteen-year-old girl to begin with. I saw that sort of thing pop up a lot back in 2020 and 2021 with how nurses, doctors, and other essential staff were being hailed as "heroes" for working during such dangerous times, often with inadequate equipment, and then have it noted that afterwards, many of those same staff who were being hailed as heroes were still being underpaid.

There is one thing about the book that I really didn't like though. One of the main threats to the city Mona lives in is this group of mercenaries from some far away place, that apparently is cold and inhospitable. They got hired to help one city-state take out another, then decided they like these lands much better, and have just stuck around burning down fields, raiding and pillaging cities and taking all their stuff, and even eating people because apparently they're cannibals for some reason. At no point are they characterized as being more than some horrifically violent, evil, foreign mob who only exist to cause pain and suffering. Heck, even with their only job seemingly being fighting and killing, they're still characterized as selfish and unwilling to commit to battlefield tactics like overwhelming an enemy, when it would put the first few people at the front of the charge at risk, because they don't have the discipline of a regular army I guess.

I can see why it's useful to have some major threat like this, but whom you don't have to show any sympathy for or feel bad about being killed or injured, and who you don't have to try and have the leader negotiate with because they're so cruel and enjoy spreading pain and suffering so much, that there's no point. But the only reason it doesn't ping most people's "racism" radar is that their appearances are never described. But using this depiction of this group of people... honestly, it reminds me of "indigenous cannibals" and how that stereotype has been used in many movies, books, and tv shows to have the (white) protagonists be menaced by some group that's depicted as being ready to chop them up and eat them if caught, no questions asked. It's the same sort of narrative convenience being taken advantage of here, where you don't need to ask about negotiating or worry about the ethics of killing the invading army, because they're dehumanized to such an extent that you just don't worry about it.

[superemeralds]

How do you tend to go about writing fanfiction? Like do you have a lot of outline or any other interesting things about your processed you could share?

my process is kinda all over the place, just like my brain haha. what i do to help myself not get lost in all that is having a strict rule where before i start writing teh actual prose, i need to have at least a bulletpoint outline of the major events that need to happen in the story. this helps me know what i'm working towards, instead of being lost and eventually paralyzed when I run out of ideas of how to proceed OR (and that happens way more often than having no ideas) i have TOO MANY ideas and i can't decide where to go.

for my black arms maria fic for example i had a rough outline that looked a little like this: (under cut for spoilers, click here if u want to read it first; warning for body horror and blood and gross things (tho very mild if im honest))

5 chapters, each about a stage of a star CH1: how maria gets to go on the ark, roots of her issues, basically where the seeds are sown for the inevitable explosion in the end, how the aliens come into play CH2: the introduction of shadow and the black arms DNA, maria's loathing, innocent little girl corruption arc, she pushes shadow away VS he is taken away and she wants him back, her mental state starts to crack CH3: how it came to the ark raid: maria hides her mutations, parallels to her relationship with shadow, her mental state corrupting with the mutaions, "bloody nose" by the used, black arms hivemind link: black doom talks to her, superiority inferiority complex: she plans to kill shadow CH4: her alone with her mutations, many years spent plotting, biolizard, how gerald is involved and how it fits into sa2 plot CH5: sa2 rewritten to fit the premise, lots of shadows perspective

(as u see i have mentioned a song; making a playlist also helps me a ton bc i vibe a lot to music and it inspires me a lot! It helps that i naturally always arrange playlists in chronological order of a story...)

after i have somehting like that i can start doing more detailed outlines. i dont have the ones for the early chapters anymore but this is what ch4 looked like (i use colored text to make it stand out next to written paragraphs that i will do right above the notes):

This chapter maria wakes up and realizes shes not dead.  shes in despair, trying to move but she CANT. at least not much. the stress knocking her out for a few months. she can at least crawl closer to the core reactor. spends 7 years just lying there and regenerating > when she finally can get up she frantically looks for info on the ark. and gerald and shadow (After a few months she finally managed to find a rhythm for physical activity in between studying notes and files, and heading to the dark chamber for a new lizard's tail. Her condition improved with more nutrition, but she did feel herself becoming unstable, nose bleeds increased.

[Maria gets visions of black arms as she mutates more and more] she trashes the place Her hivemind link is what makes her grow increasingly craving murder and total destruction. I mean she already does bc of finding out dirty dirty secrets about the ark it just increases to 9000)

(She starts growing a long tail and she despairs when she sees herself in the mirror, looking exactly as she saw in her vision years and years ago, turning into the monster she feared (She plots her ultimate plan. Understanding how the ark works, how chaos energy works. Finishing the eclipse canon. [Thinking about how to get shadow to do what she wants. Knowing he was in cryo shortly after his trauma it would be impossible to reason with him, not immediately at least. Not if it was her. Knowing she herself was deeply fueled by rage, hatred, disappointment and despair…. The same emotions would fuel shadow greatly. She saw what he was capable of, she knew what *she* was capable of. Geralds message would only need slight alterations since her own plans came pretty close (???) Some boffoon that shared their family name was wreaking havok on the planet, trying to turn it into metal. She had to admit it was a more noble plan of destruction than her own. (???) Maybe. Cut? When gerald is interogated by gun on the weapon he made bc they found it, he puts on a show, saying shadow is dangerous and needs to be contained. He is the only one who knows how to, before it is too late. This is how shadow ends up in cryo and why the password is maria. Why would gun use maria as password like cmon. Anyway this is also how he smuggled a small video into shadows pod where when he wakes up he will be introduced to the plan. During his execution he choses his last words carefully, leaving an encoded message for maria when she wakes up. Maria, at first, doesn't get the code. Shes just confused and spends a long while just learning more abt the ark. But ahe watches the video often just to have like. Company? She herself grows more and more angry with everything so when she notices the code and learns abt the plan. Shes on board. Sure. Lets fucking go. ] she studies the ark, she studies geralds notes on shadow, she studies all data on black arms she can get her hands on all while doing that she STILL gets that stupid dream. she still gets visions, especially when reading their language She makes her plans to kill the world. chapter ends with her sending eggman an encoded message that he won’t be able to resist cracking

as u can tell not all of it made it into the chapter but that was just me thinking "aloud" about all the stuff that had to do w the chapters main premise. the original outline was short and vague enough to give me freedom to think but constricted enough to not let me wander off into making up completely random new stuff!

idk if this helps, but this is how i write nowadays and it works well for me :] im finally finishing things instead of abandoning them!

[llynwen]

Oh don't worry about the ask getting eaten, tumblr has killed 2 of my blogs in the last damn month this website is held together through sheer collective willpower. Soooooo about hoodie-stealing gf Rust: something about his clothes seemed weird to me when they went to Carcosa, and during a rewatch I realized that crisp white shirt is rather too big for him. He threw out all his 'professional' attire years ago when he quit being a cop but something about this work--not the job of police officer, I mean the work of seeking justice for the innocent--demands a certain ceremonial importance in what he wears. And rather than go buy a shirt he seems to have raided Marty's closet like he did in 95. Thoughts???

Hi! First of all I am so so very sorry for how long it’s taken me to answer this and also for the. Let's call them technical difficulties. I actually have soooo many thoughts about the costumes on this show. 

Let's start with the shirts. Every time we see rusty wear a dress shirt in 2012 it is slightly too big. Now, I totally agree with your take about him having thrown away all of his work clothes before the move. I don’t think he cares about appearances all that much anymore (I mean. As much as I adore the hair, it is not very professional). I like to think he only dresses up when they go to question people to fit into the part of a PI, to be more believable. 

As far as I know he wears two different shirts in episode 7

and one in 8

In both of these they are kinda loose on him, the waist is tucked in but it’s all bunched up in the back, even the collars seem a bit too wide. 

I also love this fit

At first glance I was convinced these were the same suits, but they are not, though they are eerily similar. The jacket looks too big for rusty, too, and maybe a bit tight on marty. I really want to believe that rust is wearing marty’s hand me downs the entire time.

All this thinking about the clothes had me looking at other outfits we see throughout the show, and what I noticed were the flannels. Prior to 2012, we almost exclusively see rust in formal wear. He wears work clothes seemingly 24/7. He will occasionally take his shirt off and run around in the famous wifebeater, but even that is just a stripped down version of his work clothes. He mows the lawn dressed like that. Even during The Event with maggie he is still in his work clothes, even though he just got suspended and has been drinking for hours.

There are very few exceptions of him wearing something different. If we ignore crash, prior to 2012 we see him out of his work clothes exactly twice.

First time is when he talks to maggie at the diner. He’s wearing a blue flannel in this scene, and I was like, this shirt looks familiar. Then I had me a closer looksie, and lo and behold, i found this.

Again, for a second I was sure it was the same damn shirt. It isn't, but it's close. Both of them wear a blue flannel when they go to talk to maggie, which is very interesting to me. Additionally, since we've established that rusty doesn't own any casual clothes, I think it is fair to assume the flannel he is wearing at the diner is actually marty’s. This isn't so far fetched, since at the time marty is staying at rust’s house, so they probably have a shared laundry pile.

The other time we see rust wear a flannel is during the parking lot fight. I don't think marty wears anything similar at any point (but if I'm wrong please come let me know), but it is definitely something he would wear.

The parking lot fight takes place the morning after The Event, we know that rust is not in the best of mindsets. 

(I actually think he came over to the station that day precisely because of what happened the night before. I don't think he came to pick up his things, since we know he had all the files at his apartment, and I don't believe him to be the kind of man that keeps personal belongings at his desk. No, I think he went there to punish himself. He knew that marty would react badly, and he knew he would probably attempt to beat him up. This could be why rust doesn't really fight back, and lets marty tackle him and land a few good punches.) 

The shirt he wears could be something that marty left behind. I think he might have worn it as a kind of armor, something with positive emotions attached to it. He knows that marty and him are done, no going back, so he wraps himself in the comfort of their friendship. 

If you have any other observations, please let me know! I’ll have another look at the clothes during my next rewatch, but I’m sure I'll miss something anyways, this show is so jam packed with detail. Thank you again for sending me this ask!

Let me leave you with this, though.

Why is rusty’s ass wet in carcosa? If he was just sweaty, wouldn't his shirt be wet too? Did he piss himself? What is going on. 

Love you bestie xx

[gamerbearmira]

hi ( sorry I finally found the ask lol) I love your work and I have a few questions for the giant siren au.

1.what are the giant sirens opinions on humans. Do they lure humans to eat them or like steal their stuff. Maybe that’s how they got the things they wear like chains head bands and tops.

2.what were each one of the families first experience with humans

3.are they’re ages the same as humans or do they live a lot longer in order to develope such growth.

4.what are the sirens biggest rivals? Still humans?

Not a question but I’d like to see or read more about the encanto sea community and other sirens

hehe that’s it for now love your work, def should be a story. I also saw the latest chap with Abuela and the guppies so amazing and wholesome, they’re like Abuelas remedies. Thx again for this story I’m very glad I found it. have a good day /night

WHAT'S UO AND WELCOME❓❗ Glad you could find it. Anyway of course I have answers. Ya girls been into world building lately, lucky for you.

Sirens, at least with the Encanto Island community, do not like humans. It is a well-known and stated fact among the people that humans are dangerous creatures and are out for them.

Guppies are told to never go near ships, it's hammered into their heads. Of course, if a swarm of guppies gets ahold of the ship, the humans should probably stay away from them. They are very smart, and very cunning, and will feign innocence. As for grown sirens, yes, they will lure humans, but nine times out of ten, it's away from the islands. Despite it being covered in thick fog, they still don't let anyone through. And yeah, the chains, flags, anchors, even glass are used by the sirens. They will take them, especially since it's such a rare thing to find.

Alma is very against humans. Her first 'real' experience interacting with them was when Pedro was killed. So.

The triplets were sheltered from humans as guppies, and didn't even really see them until they got older. They had gotten to help scavenge a shipwreck, and a survivor kimda sorta tried to attack them, not even out of malice, it was out of fear. Felíx, when he was first out of his shell, accidentally capsized a boat, and did his best to fix it. Keywords, 'did his best'. Agustin was on the land of the island, and he tried to talk to them, but due to his size ended up scaring them off. Isabela and Dolores ties in with Luisa, they were with a school and they were kind of on like. A field trip with the caretakers of the Grotto and ended up getting to see a fishing ship. Isabela and Dolores didn't like the humans. Luisa didn't see how they were dangerous. Camilo and Mirabel's ties in as well. This was the first guppy incident that implemented the rule of guppy schools not being able to out ratio the caretakers (the ratio is 1 caretaker for every 15 guppies. This was latter changed after the second incident.). They, and the other guppies within the school, raided a ship for all the food they had. This also implemented the feeding schedule for them lmao. Antonio's encounter was similar to Camilo and Mirabel's, just not nearly as severe.

So. They age about the same as humans until they grow out their shells. So like, maybe between 5-9.

They don't stop aging, just age slower. Alma is probably older than you might think. Same with other elders. It's not entirely known how they age, but they stop aging like humans after they leave the shell. They develop similarly I wanna say, especially as guppies considering they're most human-like. Grown sirens biology is like humans, but there are differences.

Yes. It's still humans. It will likely stay humans too.

To humans, giant sirens are considered sea beasts. They think they're meant to be hunted and out down. Hence why sirens live on giant inhabited islands in pods/communities. Their biggest ally are jellyfish. Giant sirens and jellyfish go way back. So poisonous and defensive jellyfish will defend against humans, by instinct. Most the guppy grotto and most shells have some kind of jellyfish near them, typically box jellyfish and moon jellyfish, both for different purposes of course.

And I can most definitely supply more content❗❗ feel free to ask for specific stuff, but here's some stuff I currently have <33

Some drawings RAHHHHH 🦅🦅 First one is the caretakers and their shifts lmao <33 Ignacio and Maria were specifically set to night shift because. They can glow in the dark/provide self sustaining light.

Second is basically what the island would look like. It's far bigger than pictured, and the community itself stretches far beneath the ocean and across the ocean floor. Part of it goes to a trench below the island, for deep sea sirens like Ignacio.

This one is really just a joke but. It guppies are not fed they will eat inanimate objects. Things that aren't meant to be eaten. Whoever's watchin them gotta pull it out of their mouths, because they won't listen if you ask them to spit it out.

Second one is. Just sleeping, because growing out of their shells is surprisingly very tiring, and takes a few weeks.

Dies

No but. The harpoon is freaking huge. Bigger than pretty much any ship

I'll see about writing more once school ends❗❗❗ hope I answered your questions <33

EDIT I FORGOT TO TAG 💀 @cookydray2

[aita-blorbos]

(AU of canon background lore)

AITA for dethroning and trying to kill my twin brother?

My preemptive apologies. This is going to be quite lengthy, as there are many things to cover.

My brother and I (both 20M) jointly rule our region. We took power a while ago after leading a rebellion against the previous king D (50sM), who was extremely cruel; some of the things he did include laws to execute and/or torture dissenters, sending soldiers to raid and destroy poor villages and killing most of his family in an effort to protect his position.

Our rebellion was popular among the people, in part because we, or rather I, swore to change things and end the suffering of the people - between myself and my brother, I was the recruiter, as I'm a better public speaker. Also, we had the help of a dragon god who descended from the heavens to aid our cause, so people actually believed we had a chance.

Anyway, we overthrew D and became the new kings - we agreed to rule together, given we're twins and had always worked best as a team. I thought that now we were in charge, we could cast away the old, oppressive practices that D had set in place and create a kinder world. But my brother is the main lawmaker, and he continued with the exact same set of laws even after we took the throne - nothing had changed for the people. This was a betrayal to all the innocent people who joined and fought for us and our cause. I told him that, but he waved me off and said it was to maintain law and order. Not only that, but I found out multiple things he had been keeping from me all this while:

I had always assumed we were simply orphans whose parents, like so many others, were killed by D. I don't remember them because of an old head injury, but my brother does. As it turns out, we're also D's nephews. I only found out after we jailed D and he told me, even showed me proof of our heritage. My brother never once told me. And here I had been, telling people that our reign was a new era free from D's legacy, only to find out we have the same blood anyway.

In addition, and more horrifyingly, I found out that during our time leading the rebellion, my brother had been killing people within our ranks who could potentially pose a threat to our leadership. He says it was to maintain a united front, but these were brilliant people on our side who were executed just for having different ideas from us.

Thinking about it, my brother is not so different from D. He maintains the same cruel status quo that I had promised to destroy. If I am to change things for the better to make an ideal world, I have to remove him. The more I see the brutal way he treats others besides me, the easier it is to steel my resolve.

When we last held court, I denounced his inaction and cruelty publicly, making it clear that I was rebelling against him. It's a long story, but after a whole lot of fighting, it was clear that the bulk of the populace also hates him, and he fled with a few of his loyalists. The dragon god who had helped us was apparently so torn between which of us to support that They divided Themself into two dragons, R and Z, each one taking a side. Now, my brother is effectively exiled, but still keeps fighting back alongside his dragon, R, trying to retake his position.

Our region is embroiled in civil war yet again, only shortly after we thought we had achieved peace. The fighting between the dragons has scorched the earth, and soldiers clash in the streets. Our region is no better off than before we overthrew D. And, of course, I might have to kill my brother to quash this faction of people so intent on preserving the old status quo which has caused so much harm.

Suffice to say, I am not as certain of my actions as I should be. My brother has always been my protector and best friend, and I know he sacrificed a lot for me. And here I am, repaying his care by rising against him and killing him. But for the sake of an ideal world for our people, I have to oppose him. I cannot betray the other people who fought and died for our - or, as it turns out, my - vision of a better world.

AITA?

[ipsen]

EtoKen Mini-Fic

inspired by @tatatatatara's tags. been sitting on this one for a LONG time LOL Root A-esque narrative. Some time during the timeskip after the 11th ward raid.

"Sneaking into Tatara's room now, are we?" Eto giggled.

Kaneki would have flinched had he not heard her flitting down the hall seconds before. He held up his excuse in his hand— Sen Takatsuki's The Black Goat's Egg— as a meager defense for his trespass.

"It's still wrapped," he half-explained.

It reminded him of more innocent days, when he was ignorant to the whims of the world and all the things distorting it. The fact that he was drawn to it because of that was an unfortunate affliction, one that he had to squash.

"So it is." She leaned on the doorway, arms crossed. "You know Takatsuki, then?"

He pursed his lips, hesitating for a second. "I'm familiar."

He gave away some, but not all. A bond with a fellow executive, especially one who knew more than she let on, was vital, but he had to keep his distance lest he lose focus. Still, as long as they weren’t trying to kill each other, it couldn’t hurt to indulge so long as he kept himself in check.

"Oho..." Eto stepped into the room, browsing the rest of Tatara's stack. "There aren't a lot of readers here in Aogiri, you know."

"So I noticed." Ayato didn't care. Naki was curious, but lacked the vocabulary. "Seeing something like Takatsuki was... surprising, was all."

“He has a strange fixation with her, for whatever reason,” Eto said, fingers brushing against the book spines. “Yet he can barely read kanji.”

Kaneki hummed. “He's from China, right?”

“Yep. He claims kanji gives him a headache.” She took one from the middle, letting the ones above it topple onto the table. “Oh, I was looking for this!”

He raised a brow. “Hakushuu?”

“You know him! But of course you do.” She held up the cover to show him. “This is actually my copy, did you know that? Turns out Tatara’s a bit of a thief too!” She cackled.

Upon closer inspection, he saw the black of ink staining the edges of the pages, much like all of the books in his satchel that she, apparently similar to Tatara, had stolen. “You like to annotate your books?”

“It enhances a reread.” She stowed it away into her cloak. “You prefer scribbling them in a notebook.”

“To preserve the original experience,” he explained. “And if someone else wants to read it, there won’t be spoilers.”

“Such foresight.”

Kaneki got the feeling Eto was mocking him. Or maybe she was complimenting his consideration. Either way, he didn't like it; he'd had enough of being toyed with to last a lifetime.

And yet... something stirred within him. Something like... relief. Yes, relief was the word. Relief that, at the very least, someone might actually be able to keep up with him. Relief that, inside this beast's belly, there was a fire to warm himself by before he journeyed to its heart.

However, there was still a beast to slay. Weeds to uproot. And it was his responsibility, as the one who knew, to be the one to dirty his hands with blood and dirt. He couldn't always waste his time whiling away the hours at the fire-- no matter how much he wanted to.

He made to leave, but before he got to the hall, he felt something get pushed into his hands. When he looked at what it was, it was Eto's ink-stained book of Hakushuu poetry.

"Tell me your thoughts when you have the time," she said, expression a mystery behind her bandages. "A reread always offers a new perspective."

Kaneki thought out all sorts of responses, many of them outright rejections, but ultimately settled for, "Maybe."

"Hmph. Half-ass," was all she said before trotting past him and leaving, unusually quiet.

Not only that, but the room was colder than when he entered.

[thewistlingbadger]

Did adar kill finrod?

In the rings of power, Galadriel's main motive for finding and destroying Sauron is the death of her brother, Finrod. In the show, Finrod dies in a war, trying to defeat Morgoth/Sauron. When his body is brought back home, there's a mark on his deltoid region. As Galadriel progresses through her journey, she realizes that the mark represents a plan of action, in case morgoth is defeated. It is revealed that the mark is no ordinary mark, but rather a mark indicating the Southlands on a map.

However as I rewatch the show, I find a more compelling argument to be made that Adar killed Finrod, not Sauron. Let's review the key pieces of evidence:

1. Finrod dies trying to stop an evil Morgoth started

2. The mark indicates the Southlands

3. The mark is used by orcs to find their master

4. It is a symbol that evil lives on in middle Earth.

When you review the evidence like this, imo, it doesn't make a lot of sense for Sauron to be finrod's killer. Sauron was a part of morgoth's army, but in a way so was adar. Both Adar and Sauron are evil and share some of morgoth's beliefs, even if they currently don't stand with morgoth. Now that we've discussed the similarities, let's discuss the differences. Sauron is NOT in the Southlands in ROP. In fact, he actively avoids going there as long as he can. Sauron is NOT controlling, leading, or has any affiliation with orcs in ROP. He tells Galadriel that orcs are the reason he no longer has a home and when he and Galadriel go to Middle Earth orcs attack him with no problem (however it could be possible he's lying about the first bit). In ROP, Adar is most affiliated with orcs. He commands them to raid human villages and he refers to them as his children.

If the mark left on finrod's body is sauron's, then why would it indicate the Southlands, a place that he has not attachment to? And who would it be guiding, because it's definitely not the orcs? When it comes to this point, I think it makes more sense that Adar is the one behind the mark, not Sauron.

Lastly, there's another, much more weaker point I will add to this argument. Another element to inspect is sauron's motivations and intentions. Sauron's desire is to have Galadriel on his side. In the show it's unclear when he decides this is what he wants. Is it when he's manipulating her in numenor? Does he decide before then and that's why he was at sea in the first place, waiting for her to come? If it is even before this? Why would Sauron kill galadriel's brother if his end goal is for her to join him?

Conclusion: I'm not saying Sauron is innocent or that Adar truly killed finrod, I'm saying it's remarkable how some things in the show really just don't add up/POS. Take everything I said with the hugest grain of salt because I've only seen all the Lord of the Rings film adaptations once and I've never consumed any other Lord of the Rings piece of media that was not a film adaptations. All evidence for this theory comes straight from ROP.

[blimbo-buddy]

If smudge was a leader and joined clan. What cat would give him his 9 lives on your interpretation?

The ideal version of leader Smudge to me is one where he doesn't get his nine lives, but if we're just going off of everybody prominent in his life who has then since passed;

Princess: The life of tranquility. Princess was always a super calm and down-to-earth cat, her voice was always the same monotone sound, never changing. She went through a lot to finally reach a point in her life where tranquility for herself was possible. Princess knows how much Smudge worries over many things, he's incredibly anxious and his mind always races, so to gift him a life of tranquility is to ensure that he can find calmness and peace in his life, and to give such a tranquil life to future generations of cats in the Clan

Bone: The life of ferocity. Life as a stray cat for so long has taught Bone so much, you must find the fire buried deep within you to truly live a life of ferocity. But what Bone had realized later in life is that ferocity should not always be about hurting others, it should be about defending yourself and finding that ferocious passion and drive to defend those in need of it most. Whenever Smudge feels that fire deep within his heart to defend cats in need, that is Bone cheering and encouraging him, every claw strike he does to defend a cat from an attacker will be guided by Bone's own paw

Henry*: The life of immortalizing. Henry lived through so much blood and death, lived through a war of destruction caused by an insecure leader finally finding an excuse to maim and kill innocent lives. Many of the cats who actually lived from the Raids were either driven out of Chelford or went into hiding somewhere, besides that, Henry was one of the only cats who could properly inform the future generations about the raids. With this life, Henry wants Smudge to do the same, but he regrets that in his old age, he didn't realize that spreading hate and fear of the Clans would only halt progression of Chelford, the Clans weren't a monolith during the raids, but they are not innocent either. Henry wants to make sure that Smudge ensures that the history of Chelford is immortalized through his stories and lessons, to make sure that the future is safe for everyone through historical teachings

*Originally I would have loved to have had Crystal give this life to Smudge, but I don't think that Smudge grew very close to Crystal to really have this life be given some deep meaning, she was already on death's door

CloudStar*: The life of mercy. This is CloudStar's way of saying Sorry after… haunting Smudge as a Demonio for all those years. CloudStar's clan was not given mercy, horribly thrown out with little to no empathy from the other leaders. CloudStar begs Smudge, no matter where the cat may be from, show mercy in any form possible. Mercy in the form of letting them go, mercy in the form of a mercy killing, it does not matter, show empathy towards his fellow felines *Ancient Skyclan's afterlife is separate from Starclan. Also it's possible that CloudStar could give Smudge the life of immortalization instead of Henry, generally CloudStar's life giving probably needs some rework done to it but this is a start y'know

Smudge's Parent: The life of commemoration. Honor the dead for a life has been lost. But do not cry because they are gone, laugh and smile because of the memories you've made with them, or the life that they've lived. Cry not because they have died, but because they were alive

Gremlin: The life of perseverance. No matter how hard everything may seem to be getting, it'll get better, you just need to push your way through it. Gremlin will be there for Smudge if he feels he cannot push through a situation any longer, Gremlin gave up on herself in that hoarding house and died because she did not want to persist in hope any longer. Things will always take a turn for the best, you just need to persist, you will get help and you will reach your goal

Can't think of any other dead people so what if I just. Took some alive cats for this

Hattie: The life of acceptance. Accept your flaws and mishaps, accept who you are and who you were, no matter what you had done or what mistakes you had made, accept that they happened and attempt to improve yourself from those mistakes. Change is possible. It took a long time for Hattie to accept herself for who she was, but it'll come to Smudge eventually, it's never too late to accept and improve, it'll never be too late

I honest to god have no clue who would give Smudge the rest of his lives, Hattie's the only prominent cat in his life to have given him a life while not being dead

Barley was not a prominent figure in Smudge's life lol

[avereage]

The doctors, who have recently returned from volunteering at Gaza’s besieged hospitals, are expected to meet White House officials and senior members of Congress this week to warn that pledges of increased aid to Palestinians under bombardment are largely meaningless without an immediate ceasefire to allow safe distribution of food and the revival of healthcare services.

Professor Nick Maynard, the former director for cancer services at Oxford University who worked at the al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza at the beginning of the year, accused the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of “appalling atrocities”.

“The IDF are systematically targeting healthcare facilities, healthcare personnel and really dismantling the whole healthcare system,” he said.

“It’s not just about targeting the buildings, it’s about systematically destroying the infrastructure of the hospitals. Destroying the oxygen tanks at the al-Shifa hospital, deliberately destroying the CT scanners and making it much more difficult to rebuild that infrastructure. If it was just targeting Hamas militants, why are they deliberately destroying the infrastructure of these institutions?”

The UN says none of Gaza’s 36 hospitals is fully functional. A dozen are partially working and the others are destroyed. On Monday, the Israeli military again raided the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Medical staff said the IDF killed and arrested Palestinians inside the hospital.

Maynard said he believed the closure and damage to the hospitals was part of a strategy to force Palestinians out of their homes.

“It persuades the local population to leave. If a hospital has been dismantled, if the locals see there is no medical care available and see the disrupted infrastructure, it’s yet another factor that drives them south,” he said.

The Gaza health ministry estimates Israel has killed about 32,000 people, the majority women and children, in response to the 7 October Hamas attack in which about 1,200 Israelis and others were killed. But the doctors said that with most hospitals closed or overwhelmed, there are tens of thousands more Palestinians with severe wounds that are not being adequately treated beyond immediate emergency care and many of those will die or be left with disabilities.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now at risk of starvation, because Israel has blocked adequate food supplies to Gaza. The UN has warned that Israeli restrictions may amount to the war crime of deliberate starvation, and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has accused Israel of “provoking famine” and using starvation “as a weapon of war”.

Maynard, who has volunteered in Gaza repeatedly over the past decade as chief clinician for Medical Aid for Palestinians, said he travelled to the US because he does not believe Americans are hearing the full story.

“I felt a real desperation to counter some of the false narratives coming out of Israel, but also out of a lot of the western media and governments. The particular thing, which so many people believe because it keeps being repeated, is that the Israelis are protecting civilians. What we witnessed refutes that completely,” he said.

“We’ve witnessed appalling atrocities in Gaza and we’re desperately keen that people know about it. I witnessed indiscriminate killing of vast numbers of innocent civilians. I spent two weeks operating all the time. I operated on far more women than I did men. This notion that they’re targeting Hamas militants – I saw the most appalling injuries in children. Awful burns, traumatic amputations in children.”

The doctors fear worse to come after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, this week again rejected an appeal from Biden to call off a ground assault on Rafah in southern Gaza, which is crammed with more than one million displaced Palestinians.

Ahmad said that an assault on the area “will be catastrophic”.

“It’ll be a bloodbath. You have a place that already didn’t have the infrastructure for the one million who are there. Now they’re talking about a ground invasion with people not being able to go anywhere else. Everywhere is devastated,” he said.