#but I say hags with the most affection!!!!

[swordmaid]

i loooove your art! i missed why you call them hags tho, what does that mean??

I call them hags because they’re both 200+ year old elves…. they’re old!!! hags!!! and bc I ship them it’s called hag romance..!!!

[cheemscakecat]

Bucket Scene Analysis pt. 2

Now that I’ve talked about the rest of RED, I want to look at how the Bucket Scene affected Spy; because doing everyone’s wish meant more than his teammates realize.

First of all, he came up with the idea of writing down everyone’s last wish and then working as a team to fulfill them. Spy is usually cynical and tries not to show how much he cares about the rest of RED. Scout and Pauling are the exceptions because one is his son, and one is young, naive and hopelessly devoted to that old hag Helen. Pauling doesn’t usually get positive reenforcement for working so hard, but in the comics we get to see Spy complimenting her.

[WOW they made him pale] Anyways, gathering the last wishes is a sign that when it comes down to it, Spy cares about the rest of RED team, and he wants them to die feeling fulfilled instead of downtrodden.

It’s also important to remember that Scout knows they’re all going to die. Spy’s going out of his way to make the most of these last hours, and he’s assuming that Scout will do the same since dying changes things. And, as stated in Part one, Scout was equally upset when Medic announced that they had three days. That’s why Spy trusted his son to collect everyone’s last wish. Here’s what Spy said before his day was ruined with the prank cards:

”This is a bucket.[..] It contains the dying wish of every man here. […]Gentlemen, synchronize your death watches. We have seventy hours to live. For most men no time at all. We are not most men. We are mercenaries. We have the resources. The will. To make these hours count! The clock is ticking gentlemen. Let’s begin.”

This is in stark contrast to how BLU Spy talked to his teammates in Meet the Spy, especially Scout. RED is complimenting his team and trying to uplift them before they die, not talking down to them. Which leads me to believe that he’s being sincere, not trying to make himself look good before he dies. Unfortunately, Scout decided to prank him instead of helping with this, and we see his reaction in real time.

First card- Spy is disappointed that Scout drew a joke card instead of writing his last wish.

”I have something radiating off of me.”

“Yeah, those are stink lines. That’s why the car hit him. Cause he smells!” [Heavy smiles at Scout.]

Spy is visibly upset but decides to just read the next card, hoping it’s a real one even if Scout’s is not. But it’s another more offensive insult.

Third card is yet another insult, and he’s realized that there’s probably only one useful card in the bucket. Presumably it’ll say where the real wishes are, or be a gotcha for Scout to hand him the real cards. Spy is trying to just get through them and not react to the jokes so he can get back to the task at hand. But you can tell that it’s taking the wind out of his sails.

Four cards, there’s only one left after this. Three have been sexual, which is extremely awkward coming from his son whether he realizes or not. At least two teammates at the table know this.

Card five is not in fact real, and it’s the last straw because that means Scout didn’t bother to get the real dying wishes from anybody. So Spy outright asks the others as confirmation that they were never asked. If that’s the case then they’ve wasted time and they’re back at square one. But maybe somebody will side with him because they had their time wasted.

But they don’t, do they? They smile at Scout, which means nobody is going to chastise him for being so immature. Spy doesn’t even get a verbal reply or someone shaking their head “no”. This is how he realizes that nobody else cared about this in the first place, and he’s on his own. Even the two people that know his relation to Scout don’t come to his defense.

And now he’s demoralized. His last three days on earth, he wanted to help his team fulfill their dying wishes and die with some peace. But they didn’t reciprocate. And what’s worse, they didn’t just tell him no from the start; they gathered around and let him think they might care, then reacted with indifference. And approval of his son’s cruel prank.

Imagine being in the middle of nowhere with your coworkers, knowing you’re all going to die. So you try to do one last good deed for all of them, because you care for them even if you’re bad at showing it. But they don’t respond in kind, they respond with apathy. Now you know that when all the cards are down and you’re all running out of time, they don’t care for you like you thought.

And the people you trusted with a secret, that you have an estranged son? In hearty agreement with him mocking you, even though you have three days left to live.

“See you all in hell!”

He was left standing alone. No wonder he holed up in the smoking room denying visitors. They let him down.

[mochatsin]

WHEN THEY FEEL THEIR SINS ON MC

You’re a human, a vessel of various emotions and feelings. You’re far different from the brother’s who’s more affected by their own respective sins that dominate their emotions and personality. But being the avatars of their own sins, that means they can sense it on other demons and humans. You're no exception.

this is just a silly little thing stuck in my head. so just imagine if gluttony demons can feel other people's hunger or if a wrath demon can feel other's anger. enjoy !!

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

Lucifer

As much as you try to hide it, Lucifer knows very well when he can feel the pride from you. At first it irritated him, especially when pride is imminent whenever you successfully forge a pact with his brothers. He saw that sense of pride as a threat to his loved ones when he had no clue why you needed to forge pacts. 

But when he gets to know you and your intentions better, he knows that this kind of pride comes from a good place like trying to fix his family. Afterall he can’t blame you for feeling that way when you’re able to bring the seven rulers to their knees. He’s thankful you never abused this power though or he would regret his decision of making a pact with you. 

Whenever you get a good grade in class, cast a powerful spell all on your own, or do a simple task any demon would see as small and easy, he feels how proud and happy you are when you accomplish anything that he could do with a single snap.

He has to remember that you’re a human, and doing what demons can normally do is something you’re allowed to take pride in. 

Feeling pride means he can also tell if it gets damaged. There was a time you were excited to show one of the brothers this spell you worked hard in practicing, but when Mammon said “Eh? That’s such a basic level though.” He didn’t mean to sound insensitive, but words slipped and Lucifer could tell you were hurt deeply. 

Lucifer immediately intervenes and scolds his brothers who undermine your efforts. “They’re a human who had little to no knowledge about magic until coming here to Devildom. Don’t speak to them that way or else.”

He would then turn to you with a gentle look in his eyes “MC, trust me when I say I was very impressed. I know you will become a powerful sorcerer. My brothers could use you as a role model to work harder themselves.” And you do become great with magic… really fast that it’s kind of scary.

When you show him a test you did well in, you were nervous at first since you know that Lucifer probably had perfect marks in it. Though he looks at you with a smile before congratulating you. He even offered to take you out for a treat as a reward.

He adores feeling the pride grow whenever he, the most powerful of the seven rulers, would compliment you and your hard work. He makes an effort to acknowledge you afterwards. Whether it’s pitching a good idea or doing well in a subject you struggled in. 

Absolutely loves knowing that you take pride when you see the brothers are getting along well. Lucifer knows that things have been less chaotic now that he has you by his side as war-level arguments are not as frequent these days. He knows things wouldn’t be like this without you around and he likes the influence you have on his brothers. You deserve to be proud of that.

Mammon

He is the embodiment of Greed and no one can ever compare to him, not when his sin has completely taken over him and his actions as everything he wants to do involves around the concept of getting rich regardless of the method. 

He was willing to bribe, hag, and steal if it meant he got his hands on what he wanted. It’s how his Greed works and he can’t control it.

The surprise he feels whenever there’s a sudden strong aura of sin coming from you, he’s never prepared for it at all. It happened the first time when he and Asmo took you to the mall, and he felt the greed from you.

You didn’t seem like the kind of person who would want material things, but maybe it’s fair when you’re surrounded by all these new and foreign products you can’t find in the human realm. 

You were staring at this well-crafted piece of jewelry, it was unlike anything you’ve seen in the human world and it was enchanting the way it glistens. Its glitters would dance inside like a galaxy of stars encapsulated in such a beautiful glass of your favorite color. You’re drawn to it. You want it. 

Though when Mammon asks you “something caught yer eye over there?” You turn to him with a small smile before shaking your head. You know you can’t afford it yet and you try to move on to forget about it.

It astonishes him that you don’t succumb to this greed despite how strong he can feel it from you. The self-control is admirable but he knows how sometimes it can eat him up inside, he can hardly imagine how you can walk away from it. 

Mammon tries to drag you and Asmo in the store where he feels your greed is strongest. He basically uses this sixth sense of his like a detector, where he keeps an eye on you whenever that sudden desire rises up and he inspects which one it is.

You wondered where he’s been off to whenever classes end until Beel tells you that he spotted him working in Hell’s kitchen once. Maybe he was trying to pay off some debt, since you saw Levi chasing him around the house the other day. 

Much to your surprise, you find Mammon by your door with the jewelry you were admiring the other day at hand as a gift. To Mammon, the big smile on your face was worth the blackhole in his pockets. 

You asked him why he would buy you something so expensive, but most importantly how would he have known you wanted this. You never told anyone after all. Mammon starts turning red, because there’s no way he can admit that he felt your Greed. So he’ll keep that secret for himself. 

He starts taking note whenever you start feeling Greed. They don’t happen as often but when it does, he’d want to see what caught your attention. It’s through these that he learns what were the things you like. It’s an upper hand he has against his brothers to know what's the perfect gift to you, but of course most of the time he can’t afford it anyways. 

Levi

Levi’s envy is the most evident when it involves his interests. If his brothers do better in school? Sports? Style? He wouldn’t really care about such things because it’s just not his thing. But whenever there’s a new wave of Ruri-chan merchandise and he doesn’t get it first, you can expect him to be sulking and throwing a fit on the group chat. 

He’s caught off guard when you were out in the mall one day and while you were trying to buy the latest album of your favorite band, you saw that some other demon already got the last copy.

The aura of envy was gradual and faint, but when that demon who got the copy gave you a nasty look, the spike of emotions was overwhelming for the otaku. 

He knows how envy is something he can feel from other demons, he always felt that when Asmo can’t get his hands on a new beauty product, or even with Beel when any of the brothers have the last extra cookie. But this is the first time in ages that he felt it’s been that strong coming from you. 

You were the last person he expected to feel this way, especially when you turned back to him with a smile. You tell him that you’ll just get a copy when the new batch releases but he definitely knows it's not okay. You waited for this for so long after all. 

Perhaps he could get you what you wanted on Akuzon? With the help of Satan’s connections of course. Levi never wants you to sit with such an uncomfortable feeling, he knows well how it’s hard to hold envy in. You indulge in his interests, he might as well do the same for you.

When that envy is directed towards another person, whether it's a demon or anyone else, he’d try to be comforting since none of his brothers can feel what you do. Unlike demons, humans are better at suppressing these sorts of emotions. 

Some demon is taller and has a better build than you? The other has better grades or better hair? It irritates you often and Levi can feel it. But when that envy starts turning into a form of insecurity then you best bet that he’s the first one to notice and try to do something about it. 

“M-MC um… I know I don't say this a lot but, I'm glad you’re my player two. T-the… best one I could ask for and— AGH DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!!!”

Giving you compliments is hard for him, and trying to not stutter with every word proved to be more difficult. But feeling the envy slowly disappear and seeing that smile on your face was worth it. He reminds himself that it’s for the sake of your self-esteem, he won’t allow you to look down on yourself!!

Satan

It took him many years and human lifespans to be able to master this kind of calm. For a demon that only knew rage, it was difficult for him to be able to control it. The amount of work it took for him to be the calm and respectable person that he is today, you can’t even imagine.

Though most of the time, that well built persona of his slips out and that monster gets unleashed. When that does happen, it’s very hard for him to control himself. Up to the point you or the brothers would have to intervene to stop him from ripping someone apart.

He’s calm, but inside he could feel the burning rage all the time. The wrath cannot compare to other demons, but there was one time that it did and it shocked him to feel such intensity radiating from someone else.

You were in the middle of doing a project that involves drawing a summoning circle for class. Satan was your partner and you were in charge of drawing the outlines for now while he studied the symbols needed for the summoning. 

It was going great until one of your classmates bumped onto your table, making your steady hand accidentally draw against the whole circle. You’re gonna have to redraw the outlines again just when you are about to finish. The demon saw the irritated look on your face and scoffed. 

“Not my fault you were in the way.” the demon would reply and leave. Satan was irritated of course, but he felt the sudden surge of rage from you. Like a match tossed onto gasoline, it burns through your soul. Though you were still calm on the outside because the last thing you need is to pick a fight.

He would pat your shoulder “MC, are you feeling… alright?” you would turn to him with such a gentle smile and say that everything is fine, but the rage was still there that your smile and words was kind of unsettling to him. 

Your wrath does not compare to him of course, but you were the last person he’d expect to feel this kind of burning fire since you’re so sweet and patient all the time. He wonders if this is why you were able to empathize with him whenever he struggles controlling his rage. Maybe you two are more alike than he realizes. So he helps you calm down and redo everything. 

A few minutes after what happened, you could see that the demon from earlier accidentally summoned a colony of fire ants instead of what was actually assigned, and he was punished by getting rid of every ant with his bare hands. No magic. 

Satan just smiles, maybe a certain someone must’ve written their symbols all wrong. He doesn’t play dirty tricks like this in class often, but he wouldn’t mind if it would help quench your wrath down. Though he reminds you to be more honest to him if you’re feeling upset about anything. 

He becomes more observant on your wrath levels, taking note of what ticks you off and when he should take you away from the situation or if he should intervene. Insensitive jokes? Bad day? Mammon stealing your things again? Satan is there to make sure you don’t tear something apart (as tempting as that image may be). 

Asmo

What frustrated Asmo at first was that his charms never seemed to work on you. Regardless of his magic or dashing looks, you remain unfazed and he wonders why. Demons or humans, all would be dancing at the palm of his fingers by now!

That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to keep trying though, it just fuels his excitement when he thinks about what he can do just to see that flustered look on your face. 

Sometimes he’s in a slump when one of his advances fails again. None of his brothers offered useful advice and he’s the Avatar of Lust! He should know every play in the book because one of them is bound to work. 

One day while you and the brothers were watching a movie in the living room, he was able to sense a waft of lust in the room and his eyes frantically searched for the source. Oh to his surprise to see that it was coming from you. 

The Lust comes from attraction, and a certain scene from this movie stirred up some feelings. You’re quiet about it and focused on the film, unaware that Asmo now has his eyes on you.

He started becoming more observant to the times he feels that faint aura. When this character in the film said some sweet romantic words, or maybe even something bold and daring, Asmo would pick up on those cues. 

From then on he would mimic the moves that would make you swoon and there is a devious smirk on his face whenever they work. He knows what are the right buttons to push and he’s loving every single reaction he gets from you. 

As fun as this is, he does love how he learns more about the new things you like. He finds out what pet names you like just and which love language you prefer, all by observing how strong your aura gets. Sometimes when he just does something sweet for you, he would feel the butterflies.

Given the kind demons he’s surrounded himself with, he only found out his senses aren’t just limited to sexual desire. It counts for attraction and he feels that more often when he’s around you. It’s a new and strange sensation, but it was welcomed. 

“You look absolutely stunning today sweetheart” he would always tell you every morning to feel those butterflies again. It’s a good mood booster for the both of you. 

If you’re at that point where you’re comfortable being intimate with him, Asmo would definitely use this sense like a meter to know when’s the best time to ask for kisses and… maybe something more. 

Beel 

It’s an understatement to say that Beel is just “hungry all the time.” He’s famished, with a never ending appetite and constant demand for food. 

When he goes too long without it, you can say that for a moment, he becomes Wrath. Though it doesn’t compare to Satan’s rampages, it still does quite a lot of property damage accompanied with a large bill and a 3 hour lecture from Lucifer. 

He never really pays attention when he feels the hunger from other demons whenever he would eat a meal meant for 5 people. Though he wondered why he never felt that from you when you first came down here in Devildom. 

It was only when you both visited purgatory hall did he feel the hunger from you when you saw all the baked goods Luke made for a taste testing session. It was the kind of hunger where he could say that your mouth would've been watering if you let it. 

He practices some restraint and lets you take the first few cupcakes and sugar cookies. As hungry as he was, he wanted you to enjoy it first because he knows that the moment he picks up a tray of sweets, it’s gone in a matter of seconds. 

Despite your hunger, you noticed how he’s staring at you (or the food) so intently and decided to offer him a cupcake. That made him look at you confusingly, why would you offer him the food you seem to be craving for so much?

“MC… do you not like the food in Devildom?” He asks since your Gluttony has never been this strong before “I guess it’s just that I haven't seen you enjoy food like this when we eat our dinners at the house.”

After you explained, it’s only then that he realized that because a lot of the food and ingredients were so foreign (and unsafe), it never triggered your appetite. 

He can’t really blame you when the menu consists of bat wings, bufo toads, and more creatures that would sound unappealing for a human. He never noticed the loss of appetite since he was too busy stuffing his own mouth with food. 

Beel took note whenever your hunger is satiated so he’d know what kind of food you’d want to eat. He also finds out which ones aren’t your fancy. Sweets treats? Savory things? Spicy ones? Beel will know which one you’re a glutton for. Would probably inform Lucifer to make sure some of your meals accommodate your tastes while staying here. 

Whenever he notices that you’re hungry, Beel would take you to certain restaurants (which is safe for humans) that he thinks you might like once he knows what your tastes are. He likes seeing the happy smile on your face when you eat something delicious. 

Beel tries to avoid eating the things that you like since he can really just eat anything else. You deserve to eat your comfort foods after all! But in the event that he does, accident or not, he’ll apologize to you nonstop.

Belphie

You would say that he could sense any sort of laziness radiating from demons, but he’s always asleep in the attic to even notice it. He’s aware of it regardless but it’s never really useful. 

Belphie felt it the most in this house whenever he would pass by Lucifer’s office. Always radiating with fatigue it’s almost infectious, though Belphie doesn’t really care much. It’s what he gets for working with Diavolo. 

However, there was one time he went down the kitchen to get some water and found you by the living room staying up to study. The coffee that Satan made for you wasn’t really working anymore and you’re the only one left in the living room trying to study. 

He felt how sluggish and heavy your aura was as you desperately tried to stay awake. There was a test upcoming and you wanted to learn all that you could, but it’s not working anymore and Belphie knew that when he walked up to you. 

“You know you’re not gonna get anything done at this point… it’s late, come on let's go to bed” normally you would decline his offer to sleep, but since you were so tired you agreed. You both slept peacefully in your room and he could tell that you were more energized than last night. 

Belphie started taking note of the times you’re feeling a little sleepy or lazy. Most of which happens in one of the classes you’re not really interested in. If not that, then it’s the amount of work you have to do as a human exchange representative or as someone babysitting seven demons. You need a break. 

He would be the one to remind you to rest if the sluggish aura around you was getting stronger. Belphie would always be the first to know that you’re tired before you could even realize it yourself, and in the end he’s always right. 

Whenever you have chores to do but are too tired, Belphie would ask (or nag) one of the brothers to do it for you. They have a hard time saying no if Belphie says it's for your sake. Most of the time it’s true, though he would sometimes use it as an excuse to get out of his own chores too. 

He noticed that you don’t really decline when you’re tired every time he asks you to nap with him. It’s a window of opportunity and he’s going to exploit it if that means you both get to cuddle up together in the attic or in your room. It’s a win for the both of you.  

[envy-of-the-apple]

My affection for older!reader actually comes from the other direction!

I'm still pretty young by modern standards but the march of time is relentless, you know? I'm hitting these birthday milestones and it's like "damn I once thought people this age were OLD"

Especially in the context of a yandere, I WANT to relate to the nearly-40 reader who is still so desirable that hot young Gojo is literally going insane for her. Part of the fantasy of a yandere IS being so desirable that it's actually a problem. Feels awesome to think Gojo would see me so many years older and still get heart eyes.

It's one thing if the reader and the character are BOTH young, I don't mind that, but 28 year old Gojo and 18 year old reader just has me feeling the same way I felt about Leonardo Dicaprio and his 25 year thing. Like damn. I guess only teen girls are desirable and all women should fantasize about being teenagers haha :')

Don't get me wrong, teen girls get so much shit, and I want them to live their dreams in fic, but like. No reason it has to be set when Gojo is 28.

thats a part of the reason too! ages 16-25 (ew) are the beauty standard for women and once you're past that age you're sorta....trash. its so refreshing when older women are finally being sought after for the beautiful creatures they are (granted I write that not in the most healthy way but its the thought that counts). Like i'd rather read a story about two mid-aged office workers falling in love rather than a college romance. but we rarely ever get that. if anything its always a sick mix up where a middle-aged office guy falls for a 20 year old intern and his old hag of a co-worker (shes the same age as him) keeps getting in the way ughhh disgusting.

also, ive seen a lot of 30+ readers say they enjoy my content because they can relate to being that age instead of trying to picture themselves as still in college. For all my lovely older readers im gonna try my hardest to accommodate yall too!

[jasmine326]

Hello and thank you for coming to my Tedtalk.

Okay, how in the Hell is Lloyd Garmadon's son??

I am about to go off about this because it's honestly bothering me. There are many pieces of evidence pointing against Lloyd being Garmadon's son but there is nothing. NOTHING. Solid enough to really mean anything and it really makes me angry.

Me and my friend just recently got back into Ninjago from originally being into it when we were kids and we have proposed the idea that Lloyd is not in fact Garmadon's son.

Evidence 1:

This man, Lloyd, has blond hair. BLOND. You know what color hair misako had before she became an old hag? and Garmadon before he was fully evil? Brown. They both had brown hair.

You see this?? You see this shit!!? There is clearly some fowl play here.

Evidence 2:

There is no noticeably evil influence over Lloyd. Garmadon was bitten by the great devourer when he was very young and it almost immediately began to take effect in him. This venom took hold in every aspect of his being, mental, emotional, and physical. This is more speculation than anything admittedly but if it was powerful enough to change his entire completion it would have affected his DNA and therefore would have affected his child.

Evidence 3:

The timeline doesn't fit. Garmadon had left for the underworld a while ago, how old was Lloyd when we first see him? Like 12 maybe, at most. Wu and misako are young adults in the picture above and that picture is from right before Garmadon left for the underworld. Misako I guess could have greyed that much in a little over a decade, but Wu?? No. Absolutely not. Completely impossible for that amount of aging to happen in 13 years at most. This amount of time is a generous estimate.

The Theory

Garmadon is not the father. You know who is? Wu. Lloyd has to be Wu's kid. Wu has blond hair, the same hair color as Lloyd. Misako always seemed more affectionate towards Wu than she did towards Garmadon, even after the second season when he became good again. Wu was there when Garmadon had left and misako had no one. Wu wanted to take Lloyd in off the street and give him a loving family when the serpentine had all left him to fend for himself and when the ninja couldn't care less for him. He went to the entire underworld to fetch his brother, the downfall of Ninjago itself, so that Lloyd could be saved from the snakes.

The Flaw:

Basically the only flaw in this argument is the fact that recessive genes exist. This argument, however, IS BULLSHIT BECAUSE GUESS WHAT FUCKERS THAT'S NOT HOW STORYTELLING WORKS. You don't make a character blond with two brunet parents when the blond is actually from those two parents. And recessive genes also do not account for the timeline of when garmadon left and when Lloyd was born.

The only question we're left with is why. Why did this happen? Why doesn't Garmadon know? Why doesn't Wu say anything?

Honestly, couldn't tell you. My friend and I have some thoughts though. They think that Misako sleeps around a lot and they don't know that Lloyd is Wu's kid. That or they told Garmadon that Lloyd is his son in order to give the dark Lord an emotional attachment to something and therefore a weakness of sorts. Really I'm not sure what to think, I think maybe Misako knows who's kid he is but it's possible Wu doesn't. Potentially Misako was with Wu and she received the letter that was from Garmadon that actually turned out to be from Wu and she decided to dump Wu for Garmadon even though she had already gotten pretty close to him, close enough to make Lloyd even. This theory doesn't go with the timeline but you know it's whatever, that's just a theory after all.

[praise-suns-and-chill]

On another post a few comments, mine included, had a little chat about what Mashita's thought proccess could have been, during the Confession in the second game.

So I decided to write a little One Shot about it!

This includes Spoilers for Case 7 in Death Mark 2, as well as the DLC of Death Mark 1.

THIS? 

"I'm not gonna be surprised by anything that comes out of his damn mouth." 

Well. 

Fuck. 

He was really eating those words now, huh. 

He could only stare with eyes ripped open as Yashiki explained, his words as trembling as his hands, his eyes avoiding everyone else. 

In fear of judgement? 

Probably. 

Shame? 

Definitely. 

This was wrong. 

This was wrong on every level. 

He was never one to stick to rules but this? 

MURDER??? 

Mashita couldn't even speak at first as Yashiki just continued explaining. No, there had to be something else, every second now he would mention that they did find that girl again alive, there had to be more, there had to be. 

This was wrong. 

But there wasn't. 

There wasn't and he looked as guilty as ever. Having just confessed. 

To murder. 

"You must be kidding me." 

Words uttered in pure disbelief. 

This wasn’t happening. 

There is no way. 

"To think you'd kill someone..." 

Actually, he didn't want to think about that. Not a single bit.  

Yes, everyone had the potential to murder, he knew that better than most, but this was Yashiki. Compassionate to a stupid, suicidal degree Yashiki. 

"Don't blame him for that! He was controlled by the Departed!" 

Oh great, the brat was talking. Mashita glared at her out of reflex alone. 

Why the fuck was she so defensive anyways? Nobody would react like that after their best friend just got killed, what kind of weirdo was this girl??

"Insanity or not, murder is still murder", he snapped back, before his eyes stared back at Yashiki. 

He felt more like he was the one going insane, his mind completely elsewhere as old training just kicked in. 

It was the only thing that made sense right now. 

"Article 199, a person who kills another person is punished by the death penalty or life imprisonment or for a definite term of no less than five years." 

He felt sick of even thinking of this as an option. He rattled down those words out of pure habit, as he had many times before, in the Academy back in the day and his job later. 

"I'd slap the cuffs on you myself if I had them with me." 

He should, but he wouldn't. Why was he saying that, he wouldn't, because Yashiki would never kill anyone. 

God fucking damnit. 

His heart was racing as fast as his mind, his entire body tense, ready to spring at the threat and yet violently rejecting the very notion that there was a threat to begin with. 

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong, wrong, fuck! 

But Yashiki? 

Everyone else, maybe. 

He'd believe Shou, not planned but in affect, too impulsive. Ai too, stronger than she looked, against a stalking fan maybe. Daimon? Doctor, there was always a chance of malpractice. Yasuoka? That old hag definitely had a skeleton in her closet somewhere, if only because she dug it up once because the bones had some weird powers. 

The man who watched the only friends he had get attacked? 

The man who watched his friends get controlled to attack him? 

The man who watched half his friends get cursed into a coma and nearly die. 

The man who was nearly killed himself by the same goddamn spirit.  

The same man who after ALL THAT, still trembling in shock and trauma, barely aware of his own body, STILL refused to think about himself, just for fucking ONCE. 

The same man who looked at a dead spider, the remains of that goddamn spirit and still decided to show compassion to it before ANYTHING else-! 

...

Oh. 

Of course. 

And his body instantly relaxed, as did his mind.  

It didn't make any sense, possession or not. He would never do it. So he didn't. 

"...Let me just say one thing." 

It wasn't like him to get distracted. He had nearly forgotten what case they were even working on. 

"The law only applies if the victim is human." 

[mrsalwayswrite]

What Words Can't Say - Chapter 3

A/N: I had too much fun with this chapter. It was entirely self-indulgent.

Warnings: language, boys being dorks

Words: 6300

Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

June 1943

“Who's coming with me to the Officer's Club tonight?” The shout echoed through the women's hut louder than the door slamming shut behind the disturber.  

Several of the Red Cross nurses voiced their agreements with varying enthusiasm while others lamented their inability too. 

Leaning back against the headboard of her army cot, Abby embraced a rare moment of not being needed at the mechanic's hut or the various hardstands. She had been silently reading a letter from home, ignoring the chatter of the nurses around her and those already getting primped for a night out. 

Her moment of solitude was violently disrupted by someone dropping onto the end of her cot, making the entire bed shake. 

“Are you finally going to come out with us?” 

“No, thank you.” Abby softly replied, never looking up from her letter. 

“Whyyyy??” Ada whined, flopping onto the bed dramatically, her dark hair splayed across the drab, army issued blanket. “You've been here for how long now and you've only come out with us once. Once! Honestly, when was the last time you even wore a dress?” 

Abby shrugged, not nearly as affected by this perceived predicament. 

“Abby, please…”

“Come on, you know it'll be fun!” Mary echoed from across the aisle. “These new flyboys take handsome to a new level.”

“They've been here almost three weeks and how many of them have you slept with?” Dottie slyly asked Mary from a few cots over.  

Unperturbed, Mary flipped her lovely, strawberry-blonde tresses and winked. “I don't keep count, but I've seen the inside of almost every single fort.”

The women in the hut laughed and giggled at the nurse's flippantry. A few called out their own thoughts on certain forts and the men that flew them, when they had their own visits. A casual comment from Ruthie about how quiet Clear-Up Tower is at midnight drew gasps and giggles and demands to know more. 

A loud scoff interrupted the girlish amusement, dampening the mood. 

Abby did not even have to look toward the cot closest to the bathroom to know who it was. While most of the nurses got along, there was one who seemed to get pleasure from destroying everyone's joy. 

“Grace? Something you want to add?” Ada overly-sweet inquired, still reclined on Abby’s cot. 

“It's unbecoming of you ladies to flirt and dance with any man who walks in front of you.” Grace sneered, her brown eyes narrowed as she surveyed those in the hut. “Especially those of you who seduce those pilots and take away their focus. You may be a plaything for them now but none of them will want to marry you.”

“You've been saying this same shit since the beginning,” Mary snarked back, hands on her hips and a fire in her eyes that she claimed came from growing up in Chicago, “and how's this working out for you? Find that superior husband you're always talking about? Hmm? Or perhaps they all see you for the hag you are.”

Grace jumped to her feet, clutching the magazine she had been reading to her chest, even as her face reddened in a mix of embarrassment and anger. “You'll see! You'll all be jealous when he turns you all down for one as virtuous as me!” Sounding like a herd of horses, she stomped out of the hut, still muttering under her breath. 

“She'll meet this supposed husband the same day that Hitler kisses my ass.” Ada huffed, her blue eyes glaring at the door as it slammed shut in Grace's wake. 

“Ada!” Abby admonished but without real heat. She personally was sick of listening to Grace preach about virtuous women and their benefits. Although Abby did not have any dalliances with the men, that did not mean the others could not. There was an unspoken understanding that most of the pilots would not make it back home, so if flirting and the occasional secret fling in dark corners kept up their moral, who could turn them down?

“What?” Ada shrugged before smirking and lowering her voice. “I might argue with her, but you are the one who put engine grease in her night lotion months ago.”

“She made the new girl cry.” The female mechanic whispered, defending her actions. 

Ada reached over and patted her hand as she quietly spoke. “I know and it made my year to hear Grace shrieking like the banshee she is.”

The two shared a secret smile, Abby's revenge was a secret between them. Truthfully, she had no intentions of telling others what she did until Ada cornered her about a week after the incident. After that, Ada befriended Abby, with or without her permission. 

“I'm hoping to dance with Brady tonight.” Elizabeth sighed, slipping into a navy dress that made her blue eyes pop. 

“Do you think Bucky will be there?” Charlotte asked hesitantly, touching up her Victory Red lipstick. 

“He better be.” Hazel rolled her eyes, painting her nails on the cot next to Ada and Abby. “He owes me a dance and a drink after he ditched me for that typist last night.”

“Well, I'm going to try my luck with getting Buck on the dance floor tonight.” Ada announced, flashing her gorgeous smile with those dimples that made pilots melt into puddles at her feet. 

“He never dances.” Hazel matter-of-factly stated, glancing at her friend. 

Ada scoffed. “I know. Somehow I'll get that cowboy to dance with me at least once.”

“Cowboy?” Abby muttered, gaze bouncing between the women as they talked. 

Ada leaned closer as if sharing a secret. “I heard he's from Wyoming. All that open space and big sky, I bet he rode horses.”

“He can ride me any time he wants!” Mary exclaimed, making the other women laugh. “He can be my cowboy!”

“Only if he knows how to seat a filly as wild as you!” 

“See! You gotta come out with us!” Ada urged Abby, ignoring the teasing around them. 

A smile graced her face at the nurses’ antics but Abby shook her head. “I need to write my Father back. I think my last letter didn't get to him, must have gotten lost so I need to send this before he sends the calvary after me. I promise I'll go out soon.”

“Ugh, fine, I'm going to hold you to that!” Ada pointed her finger at the mechanic before getting up and heading to her own cot. “Anyone know what Buck's favorite color is?”

“Why the hell would we know that?” Hazel rolled her eyes. 

“I was just asking a question, geeze!”

The chatter of the nurses became background noise as Abby reread the letter from her father she had received that day. Fondness and a hint of melancholy encased her heart as she read the words in her father's chicken scratch, hearing his voice and feeling his love with each written word. 

Dearest Abby,

I understand a war is going on and I am certain Ken is keeping you busy since you are his best mechanic but could you not spare a few minutes to write to your father? It has been two months, three weeks and five days since I last received a letter from you. I worried an accident 

Work continues to keep me occupied. Do you remember that scrawny boy with buck teeth from down the street? His name is Joshua and he helps around the shop when he isn't in school. He claims he is twelve but he looks seven to me. 

Both of your brothers have written twice since I last heard from you.

Charles is still on some damn tropical island in the Pacific. The little shit won't tell me where. He doesn't say much about the combat he's facing. He does talk about those in his platoon and their crazy antics. And he says it's hot. I may not have finished primary school but even I can guess that. That little shit

The other pain in my ass is supposed to ship out soon for more training in North Carolina. Why George signed up to be a damn paratrooper, I'll never know. What's wrong with infantry? That's what your old man was. George says he met a local girl…I'll always claim him as my boy, but that little shit would look at a dog in a skirt and chase after it. Your mother is thrilled and is hearing wedding bells. 

Your mother sends her regards. 

Damn dogs are barking so I better check on them. Write soon, at least let me know you're still in England and not trying to fight the Nazis yourself. 

You're still my favorite. Don't tell your brothers. 

Your father

The last line made Abigail smile. It was something her father had said to her since she was a little girl. While Thomas Lemmons loved all three of his children, she knew she held a special place in his heart. Being his youngest and his only daughter, he doted on her more than her older brothers, but it was more than that. She had idolized him as she grew up, spending as much time as she possibly could with him in the auto garage and watching him work on cars and trucks for those in town. Even on the bad days when his memories of The Great War were too much and he drank himself into a stupor and cried, she would sit on the outside step and listen, hoping he knew she was nearby, even if he could not see her. 

She also knew it broke his heart when he sent her away to live in Arkansas with his brother and his family. It was not supposed to be a permanent move but as the years passed, it felt that way and just as she was thinking it was safe to move back, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. All thoughts of returning to Tennessee went up in smoke. 

With a sigh, she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, willing the wayward tears to go away. One day, after this damn war, she would return home, she promised herself. 

Reemerging from the letter and her turbulent feelings, she listened to the chatter of the women around her and gave her opinion when asked on a dress or hair style or lipstick, not that they sought her opinion much. It was fairly well known by now that she never wore makeup and her typical attire was coveralls with her hair in a bun and covered by her red handkerchief. 

When those planning on going to the Officer's Club left, she followed the crowd to the entrance of the hut. As they turned right, arm-in-arm and giggling, she turned left towards solitude. She wandered past the buildings and towards the small field behind the military base. 

Under the light of the setting sun, she wrote her letter, telling her father about her work with the forts and thanking him for the update about her older brothers. She shared a few humorous stories of things the pilots or nurses had said or did. She wrote about Meatball and how it made her miss their dogs at home. She told him that she missed him and to drink a cold root beer for her. 

After tucking the finished letter into the envelope, she set it to the side and turned her face upward, soaking in the last rays of the sun and the first light of the stars. This was her favorite time of day. When night and day were both still visible in the sky. It felt magical to her, like anything could happen. She loved the warmth of the sun and how it felt on her skin, but she also loved the stars, their twinkling lights and all the constellations to gaze upon. Her eldest brother had teased her once, saying she was a flower who always had to have her face turned towards the light, either of the sun or moon. In this hazy twilight, the last dying breath of the day and the first awakening of the night, she tried to soak up all the light and serenity she could. 

A whoosh sound startled her from her thoughts. Her eyes sprang open, a visible shockwave coursing through her. She turned her head in time to see a dark shape cease its run and stand guard, tail wagging and a gentle woof escape its mouth. 

She chuckled before softly calling out, “Meatball.”

The husky looked around at hearing its name, once seeing her, he immediately left the ball to come practically crawl into her lap with tongue hanging out and tail wagging enough to power a small boat.  

She laughed at his antics but happily loved on him, with all the pets and kisses he deserved. She missed her family dogs back home, so the sudden appearance of Meatball along with the 100th was a boon she had not been expecting and hoped never left. She wondered if DeMarco would let her keep him if they got transferred somewhere else. 

“Meatball? MEATBALL?!” 

The husky woofed in answer, as if half-heartedly responding, punctuated by his refusal to leave her lap.  

“Where's that mutt?” 

“We just heard him, he's around here.”

Hearing the two voices coming from behind her, Abby decided to speak up. “He's over here!”

“Who's that?” 

From the shadows, two figures walked closer until they almost stumbled upon her if Meatball had not thumped his tail on the ground in jubilee at the prospect of more human attention. 

“Slugger?”

“Good evening, Major Egan.” She replied, still running her hand over Meatball's head repetitively. 

“Bucky…it's Bucky.” He groaned, dropping to sit on the ground close by. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Hey, Slugger.”

“Hello, Major Cleven.”

The man chuckled before lowering himself down to the ground also. 

The three of them formed some kind of triangle in their positions and both men seemed to settle into their spots as if this encounter was planned ahead. A strange thought for she barely talked to either of them. 

“Why don't you call us by our nicknames?” Egan disrupted her musings on their sudden presence. 

“Huh? Oh, well, you deserve respect for your positions.” Cleven snorted but she continued on bashfully, “And…well, I guess I don't know you two enough to feel like I can use a nickname. I don't know…” 

She did know, although she felt awful to speak it aloud. For once she started using nicknames, that meant she was friendly with them and if she was friendly with them, then she inevitably cared about them and if she cared about them, it hurt tremendously more when their forts did not come back from a mission. 

Cleven propped his arm over his bent leg, watching her. “Makes sense to me.”

“We're good with you using our nicknames.” Egan argued, “we'd prefer it.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“What are you doing out here?” Cleven asked, those beautiful blue eyes still on her. 

Why did he have to be so handsome?

No, she had to stop thinking like that. He was just another pilot. 

“I was writing a letter.” She could see Cleven start to get up, ready to leave but she quickly waved him off. “I finished it and was just sitting enjoying the sun and stars. It's not raining or cloudy so I figured I should take advantage of it.”

“Ooo…a letter to a lover?” Egan wiggled his eyebrows. 

Abby blushed and hoped it was not visible with the dim light. “No, just my father.”

“Where's he at?”

“Home in Tennessee.” She replied to Cleven and then hesitated. “If you don't mind my asking, why are you two out here and not in the Officer's Club?”

Egan snorted and pointed an accusatory finger at his friend. “Ask that dodo. There's whiskey and beautiful women in the club and he wants to go on a midnight stroll.”

Cleven shook his head, lips quirked up in a hint of a smile. “I told you, you didn't have to come with me. I was fine taking Meatball alone.”

“And leave you to get lost!” Egan scoffed, then quickly turned his attention back to Abby and winked. “At least there's still a beautiful woman to look at.”

She tipped her head down, feeling the flush of warmth on her cheeks. No one called her beautiful. At least not anymore. “Well, I know several nurses who will be disappointed that the two of you left.”

“Who wouldn't miss me?” Egan opened his arms wide and gestured to himself, that trademark smirk on his face. 

“Especially Major Cleven.”

Instead of deflating at her quip or feigning shock, it appeared her statement drew the polar opposite reaction from the cocky airman. His eyes widened for a brief moment, but then a devious grin grew on Egan's face that was so full of mischief and boyish glee, it was a bit concerning. 

“Now you have to tell us. What are the nurses saying about our dear ole Buck here?” 

“Bucky–”

“Marge isn't holding you back anymore.” Egan not-so-gently shoved Cleven. They maintained eye contact, some sort of meaning behind the major's statement, that she was not privy to. With the silent conversation reaching a resolution, Egan's gleeful gaze turned back to her. “Come on, Slugger. What are they saying? This is vital information.”

“I don't– I mean, if it makes…” 

Cleven took pity on her attempt at backtracking, not wanting to offend either Major with her careless comment. He reached over and scratched Meatball's head, who was still in her lap. “It's alright. Go ahead.”

Sitting in a field at dusk with Majors Egan and Cleven was not how she planned on spending her evening, especially now that she was put on the spot to spill what her bunkmates were saying. She was not the most shy person, per se, but she was not as bold as others, especially in regards to what the nurses were so candidly speaking of earlier. 

Tipping her head back, she stared up at the stars, attempting in vain to figure out what to say. Well, maybe it would not hurt to double check Ada's information to start with. 

“Are you really from Wyoming?”

“Yes, ma'am.” He drawled, leaning back on one arm. “Born and raised.”

Well, Ada was one-for-one right now, Abby figured it would not hurt to ask the follow up question. Perhaps she could pass along the answer to her friend. 

“Did you ride horses?”

“No, why?” He fully looked at her, head tilted to the side like a confused golden retriever. 

“Oh,” and there went her ability to properly speak. His eyes were so earnest, trying to understand her question. Even in the dim light, she could see those vibrant blues. 

“Why were you asking if he could ride a horse?” Egan butted in, leaning forward, seemingly fully invested in the conversation he was a third-party in. 

“Well some of them…shit…” She bit her bottom lip, as her heart was hammering away within her chest so rapidly she was certain it would break her ribs. At this point, her face had to resemble the color of a ripe tomato, which hopefully neither man would be able to notice in the dusk lighting. Hopefully. 

“Come on, Slugger. It can't be that bad.” Egan prompted. 

“Ugh, fine. Some of the nurses were calling you ‘cowboy' and hoping you'd take them for a ride…but, you know…not on a horse.” She rushed out at the end, immediately covering her mouth with her hand as if that could undo the damage done and willing the ground to swallow her whole. 

Egan threw his head back laughing uproariously, his guffaws echoing in the otherwise quiet air with the impact of an unrelenting siren. 

Cleven scratched the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. “Sorry to disappoint.” He muttered quietly. 

“Get'em, cowboy!” Egan shouted in the worst Southern accent possible, still clutching his sides as snorts and laughter continued to erupt from him. 

“Shut it, Bucky.” Cleven grumbled, reaching over to smack his friend, not that it did much good. 

Once Egan was able to mostly contain his amusement, still wiping tears from his eyes, he flopped onto the ground. “I take it back. This was worth leaving the club for.”

Cleven and Abby's gazes met as if summoned by one another. 

“I'm so sorry.” She mouthed to him, truly embarrassed for herself and for him. With Egan's reaction, she felt like she had given him potential ammunition to tease Cleven endlessly. 

“It's alright.” He shrugged, his slow drawl caressing each word as it left his mouth. “He knows better than to start something with me. I always win.”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME! And we were in basic…and what you did was mean!” 

“But did you learn your lesson?”

Egan grumbled. “Yes.”

“What did you do?” Abby hesitantly asked, unsure if they even remembered she was still sitting with them. 

“Ah, it's nothing.”

Egan snorted. “Nothing? You drew a huge pair of knockers on the back of my flight jacket! I had to pay the laundress an extra $3 to get the damn thing off and even then you could still see an outline.”

“And now you have that white abomination.”

“One day you'll realize you're jealous.”

“If you say so.” Cleven smirked. 

To say Abby was amused was an understatement. She felt like she was watching a ping pong match with the way the two majors threw quips at each other but the underlying current of affection overrode any true discourse of competition. With the way the men spoke about Egan and Cleven, it was obvious they were well respected and admired amongst the 100th, almost to a hero-like state. Sometimes she forgot that behind the titles and reputation, they were still young men just trying to survive. 

Her hand still repetitively running over the husky's head and back, she asked the only logical follow-up question. “So…what did Major Egan do to start this feud?”

“It wasn't anything bad.”

Cleven huffed. “It was humiliating.”

Egan waved him off dismissively, a smile on his face. “Some of us trainees decided to go swimming on a hot afternoon–”

“-and Bucky stole my clothes.”

“Like I said, it wasn't that bad.”

“I had to walk across the base naked!” 

“The receptionist appreciated the view.”

Cleven groaned, running a hand down his face. “Christ, Bucky. She was in her sixties! Most likely gave her a heart attack.”

“I highly doubt that was the sensation she was feeling.” Egan said with an exaggerated wink at Abby. “And somehow through all of that, we ended up best friends.”

“Goddamn stone in my shoe.” Cleven muttered. 

“See? He loves me.”

Abby laughed, lightness filling up her chest. Meatball, assuming he brought forth such joy, sat up and began enthusiastically licking her face. Through chuckles and cooing praises to the loveable fluff, she got him settled back in her lap. 

To her surprise, a comfortable silence descended over the three of them. Everyone lost to their own thoughts and under the twinkling stars. 

She lost track of time, unsure if it was mere minutes or an hour they sat together. If she could not hear their breathing and the occasional shifting of positions, she would have thought she was alone. A part of her was unnerved with how comfortable she felt in their presence. Not that they ever gave her concern for her safety. No, it was more of an ease, a familiarity, in the silence surrounding the three of them. As if they had done this before. It made her twitchy, trying to piece together what this feeling was. Yet even as the notion of leaving on her own accord drifted across her mind, she thrust it away without a second thought. Maybe in the morning, she could decipher what it meant. 

So she stared up at the few twinkling stars gracing the sky, awaiting their companions. The silent companionship covered the small group like a handmade blanket, something precious and comforting. 

“Bucky?” The call disrupted the tranquility. “Buck?”

“Here!” Bucky shouted back, still laying on the ground. 

Meatball startled at the shout, lifting his head with a growl. 

“Shhh…it's okay.” Abby hushed the dog, running her hand over his head in a soothing pattern. 

“Where's here?” The bodiless voice yelled. 

“Here, DeMarco!” 

The crunch of footfalls on the hard ground grew louder amongst the gloom. 

“There you are! Thought we were playing a game of hide and seek or something.” DeMarco joined the group on the ground, dropping between Egan and Cleven and across from Abby. 

A second body settled between the newly seated DeMarco and Cleven, making the major scoot closer towards her for space. “What ya doing here fellas?” Biddick lazily questioned. 

“And lady.” Buck said. 

“Lady?” DeMarco leaned forward, peering through the faint light. “That Slugger?”

“Hi.” She said, still running her hand over the husky. 

“I meant to find you yesterday. On our next mission, can you watch Meatball for me? I asked Lemmons but he said you usually end up doing it so I figured I'd ask you.”

“Of course!” She gave the dog a hug around the neck. “I love watching him.”

“The feeling appears mutual.” The group chuckled since Meatball had stayed in her lap instead of getting up to greet DeMarco, although his tail wagged whenever his owner spoke. 

“So what are we interrupting? Having a party without me?” Biddick teased.  

“Just discussing how the nurses want to take Buck for a ride…” Egan casually answered, the amusement in his voice unmistakable. 

“WHAT?” Echoed from the two newcomers. 

Abby covered her face, lamenting opening her mouth at all. She should have let Egan be his cocky self instead of trying to take him down a peg or two with the private information. 

“Shut it, Bucky.” Cleven reached across the circle to smack his friend who just laughed. 

“What did we miss?” Biddick looked around the small group. 

“Nothing, Curt.” Cleven answered. “Bucky's mad he isn't dancing with the nurses.”

“One of them was askin’ if Bucky was coming back.”

“Which one?” Egan asked seriously.  

“Uhhh, Mary?”

DeMarco corrected. “No, it was Hazel. Said he owed her one.”

“Eh, she can wait.” Egan shrugged unapologetically. 

“So, Slugger,” Biddick changed the topic, “how did you end up in merry ole England fixing our forts?”

She startled a bit with the conversation directed at her, having enjoyed just listening to the men tease each other. It was unnerving having their sudden attention solely on her. “Oh…It's not an exciting story.” 

“Gotta be more exciting than mine. I just signed up. Thought it'd be fun to fly a plane.” Biddick joked. “My friend tried to get me to join the paratroopers with him but I'd rather fly the plane than jump out of them.”

She smiled. “One of my brothers is in paratrooper training right now.”

“No shit.” Biddick laughed. “What's he like? He's gotta be crazy to do that.”

She thought about George and chuckled quietly. He truly was the daredevil of the family, maybe that was why he joined the paratroopers. He also wore a devil-may-care attitude like a second skin that quickly reminded her of someone else in the group. “He kind of reminds me of Major Egan in some regards.”

Aforementioned pilot perked up at the sound of his name. “Is it because he's devilishly handsome and everyone's favorite?”

“No…” She giggled, thinking about how her brother would have said something similar. “My dad says George will chase anything in a skirt…even if it was a dog.”

Laughter erupted from the men like bubbles from a champagne bottle. It was light and sweet but genuine. Egan pretended to be upset at first, only to join in the laughter. 

“Sounds about right.” Cleven finally agreed after his chuckles ceased. 

DeMarco teased, “better not touch my dog.”

“You're just mad cause Meatball is prettier than you!” Egan shot right back. 

The two smacked each other good-naturedly, in that way that boys did when it looked aggressive but was actually friendly, and throwing quips and heckling like it was a sport. 

By this point, it was completely dark out, making the moon and stars glow even brighter. Although England's blackout restrictions due to the night time raids was unfortunate, at least it made seeing the stars easier, in Abby's opinion. It did make navigating the airbase tricky. Thankfully by now, she knew how to find her hut in the dark. Enough late nights (or all-nighters) working on forts forced her to learn the airbase quickly. 

With a reluctant sigh, Abby scooted out from under Meatball, making sure to give him extra ear scratches before she stood up. 

“Are you leaving?” Biddick asked, interrupting the men's conversation about the best place to buy a drink back home. 

“Yes, it's late. I should probably head back.” She answered, brushing off any lingering grass or dog hair off her coveralls. The nurses gave her enough grief about the grease she accidently brought into the hut. She picked up her letters and pencil, the original purpose for her being here, holding them in front of her. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”

“Good night, Slugger!” Egan sang out with far more enthusiasm than was necessary for the environment. 

A form rose in the darkness beside her. “I'll walk you back.”

“Major Cleven, that's not necessary. I can–” She started, a blend of shock and surprise that he would even offer. 

“I know, but I'd feel better.” Cleven drawled out, sticking his hands in his trousers pockets. “Besides, if I leave now then I don't have to help carry Bucky to the hut when he inevitably falls asleep.”

“It's fine, Buck. I've got my little spoon to keep me company!” 

“I'm the big spoon!” Biddick retorted playfully. 

Smiling, even though no one else could see it, she started walking through the small field. 

“Night, fellas.” Cleven said before easily catching up to her with his longer strides. 

That same comfortable silence settled between the two of them, only the sound of their feet moving through the grass was heard and the muffled sound of the men's conversation they left behind. Abby could not help but notice how in the darkness Major Cleven appeared so much taller than her, an illusion really. Walking beside him, the top of her head just barely reached his chin. Amidst the darkness, she found solace in the major's presence beside her. She knew that she was safe with him, that no one would even think of confronting her, drunk or otherwise, with their superior officer escorting her. 

As their feet hit the gravel, moving between the buildings, Cleven spoke in a hush, as if keeping the conversation solely between the two of them. “You know, you never answered Curt's question.”

“What?” 

“How did you end up in England?”

“Oh, well, I guess….Ken was recruited in his home town.” She replied just as softly, even as there was no one else around to overhear them. “He was known for his skills with machinery and mechanics. I was living with my aunt and uncle for some time at this point. Ken and I have always been close, even though we are almost three years apart. My aunt always says that ‘we're cut from the same cloth’. Well, he finally agrees to be a chief mechanic but his only demand was that wherever he is stationed, that I join him as a mechanic. There was some pushback, of course, but he told them he would not go unless he had me because he already knew my abilities and we work well together. See? Not a very exciting story.”

“Mmm…Why did you follow him? You could have stayed back in the States.”

“I guess, but there wasn't anything keeping me there…and if this was how I could do my part to help, then I was happy to do it.”

“We're lucky to have you.” He said confidently, then after a pause, his following words rushed out as if stumbling over each other. “Both you and Lemmons. We're…you're both great mechanics.”

“Um…Thank you. And you?” She asked, before the silence could fully wrap around them. “Why did you join?”

He huffed, shaking his head as if to dislodge memories. “I've always loved the idea of flying. The freedom and open sky I thought it would have.” He swallowed thickly, his voice barely coming out in a whisper. “But being up there, nothing could…you can't prepare for that.”

She stopped as they reached her destination and turned to face him. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. It's war. It's not supposed to be pretty.”

“Yeah, doesn't mean– it still takes a toll. This might be forward of me, but from what I can see and hear, you're a natural, and all the men look up to you. Your confidence helps them.” Where the words came from to speak to him so openly about such an emotional topic, she was unsure but she had no desire to take them back once they left her lips. If her words even marginally helped him, then it was worth it. 

Slowly his head tilted, hands still stuck in his pockets and highlighted by the light peeking out from under the surrounding huts like a misbehaving child. Abby could not help it as she stared at him, gaze drawn to the enigma of the man before her and how damn handsome he looked right now. No wonder all the women on the base sighed as he walked by. He looked like he should be in films, not in a war. 

“What's your name?”

“What?” She blurted, mind snapping back to reality like a broken rubber band. A flush of embarrassment raced through her at being caught ogling him when he was being so nice to her. 

He chuckled as he rocked back on his heels. “Your real name. I'm certain your parents didn't name you ‘Slugger’.”

“Oh, ohhh. Right.” She shook her head at her own foolishness, a smile teasing her lips. “It's Abigail. Abigail Lemmons. But you can call me ‘Abby’.”

To her complete shock, he stuck his hand out between the two of them, crossing that no-man's land, and bridging the gap. “Gale Cleven. Pleasure to meet you, Abby.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” She moved her letter and pencil to the side and shook his hand, savoring the warmth of his hand around hers. Once they let go, she clasped her hands back in front of her body, overly aware of those extremities now. 

He tucked his own hand back into his pocket, a lightness in his voice. “Now you can call me ‘Gale’ or ‘Buck’ since we're friends.”

“Oh? We're friends now?” 

“I reckon so.” He shrugged, rocking back on his heels again. “You said I could call you ‘Abby’ and that's clearly a nickname.”

“I–ohhh.” Her mind instantly recalled the earlier conversation when she admitted to not using his or Egan's nicknames because she did not know them well enough. How had he–? “Have you been planning this conversation so I'd use your nickname instead of calling your Major?”

He openly laughed. “No, ma'am…well, maybe a little. I saw an opportunity and took it.”

God, his laugh! It rivaled the feeling of warm, spring sunshine on her skin. Butterflies suddenly swooped in her stomach, disarming her for a moment. Then she recognized the feeling. What was this? She was not allowed to catch feelings for a pretty flyboy. Not. Allowed. She could admire the painting but she was not allowed to purchase it. 

She deeply sighed in resignation. “Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to be your friend. Meatball clearly likes you and his opinion is highly sought after.”

“Glad to know I pass the test.”

The quiet night creeped in, swallowing their comfortability and replacing it with an uncertain awkwardness for the first time. Neither spoke as if waiting for the other, yet neither moving away, stuck in a strange dance that neither knew the moves to but unwilling to bow out of. 

It was not until the high-pitched laughter of some of the returning nurses drifted over the breeze to them which broke their stalemate. 

“Thank you for walking me back.” She said, taking a step back away from him. 

“You're welcome. Good night, Abby.”

“Good night…Gale.”

She entered the nurses’ hut and closed the door as quietly as possible behind her. Her chest felt constrained like a toolbox was sitting on her chest. Silently, she pressed a hand over her heart and took several slow, deep breaths until she felt semi-normal again. 

Thankfully most of the nurses were still out and those that were in the hut were already asleep. With care, she tiptoed to her cot, placing her letters on the small nightstand. Without thinking, she followed her nightly routine, changing out of the coveralls and brushing her teeth. All the while she wondered how she had gotten herself into this mess of befriending Major Cleven. She had specifically made a rule to not befriend pilots. She could be friendly towards them but that was it! And yet, somehow, he snuck past her guard and got her to share her own nickname. 

She could admit to herself, it was a heady feeling having his full attention on her. His gaze was a juxtaposition of intensity that precariously balanced the warmth of the sun and the coolness of winter's first frost. It pulled you in while the door to his own thoughts remained securely locked. 

As she laid down on her cot and closed her eyes, she replayed the evening's events in her mind…and what it was about Major Gale Cleven that affected her so strongly. Tomorrow, tomorrow she would do better. She had to protect her heart after all. 

Tag List: @beebeechaos

[lesfir]

Congratulations to me, a new Tav has been born. Tav the frog. Partner in crime Tav with the Ascended Astarion. Who turns into a frog if Astarion starts making clearly more than a partner in crime. Thank to this post

Gosh, that Lord sure is still afraid of frogs.

In these animations (1,2), Laezel gets scared and shakes so-- That's all bit of an exaggeration ofc. But Astarion most likely doesn't like frogs. So he'd probably say: "Uh, all right, I understand, end it now".

But the big Lords should not fear the frogs, especially the ones who gave them everything and their friend. Isn't that right?

Lord Astarion literally decides not to be terrified of frogs anymore.

Tav the frog.

Character: -- Inquisitive, but very cautious. -- Fun. Hears a rule - thinks there's a good way to break it. Restrains herself. -- This Tav thought about eternal life because she wanted to be on earth among beautiful, beloved places forever. -- Prone to evil - selfish, greedy, bloodthirsty in battle (ferocious, very angry frog) Chaotic evil in her.

Tav the druid frog is neutral to both good and evil. There is a hags, various spirits good and evil, monsters, creatures as long as they are reasonable and careful with the world - it is only nature. Astarion was immediately perceived by her as a predator in nature. He was undead, druids don't like that. Her whole family would hate him. And would be very unhappy that Tav was with him... That Tav would even think about him. Since she was a child, Tav had always been taught what was right for balance, but she had always been surprised by predators, the most dangerous creatures in Faerun. She wanted to study them, but it was too dangerous.

Tav had a knack for connecting with animals... (people not so much, but she always tried) which made her empathic, but shy and fragile.

Astarion corrupted her in no time and gave her freedom to think where she was afraid to. The ritual was complete. Astarion was the first living vampire. An ascended vampire. She was willing to go along with it, she wasn't afraid. Tav was too cautious for that. The step of becoming undead when your family are druids is too much to ask.

Three days later when this fella was sulking for refusing. He suggested “partners in crime” and Tav accepted. She wanted to be close to him.

Predators need affection and care, too. Even if they are so dangerous. Only together with Ascended Astarion could she visit the Dragon's lair.

Line of play, the Frog and the Peacock.

After Tav turned into a frog about a hundred times. Woobie attitudes to frogs, oh, no. That's okay, we also have snails, teardrops...

[silent-sanctum]

✧ Polaris ✧ - Jotaro x Reader

PART 7: LOVERS

— The previous parts of the fic can be found in the pinned post of my profile. Hope you enjoy! —

Exams are over! Which means I have more time for myself and writing! ^^ So imma drop this first before doing some more miscellaneous fics ^^ But quick disclaimer: This part delves into non-con elements so please proceed with caution. If you're fine with that, then I hope you enjoy ♡

word count: 6.3k

tw: sexual harassment

An unconventional road trip led to yet another inconvenient Stand encounter because life has a way of introducing the most sudden circumstances in this already bizarre trip.

One second you hang with the guys in a small jeepney to a small town, the next your group gets attacked by a vengeful witch user and her fog Stand who bore the same tarot as yours. As soon as she’s incapacitated and the old lady is brought out to an actually-populated town, she dies as tendrils of DIO’s cells wriggle out of every orifice she had with blood leaking from where they surfaced.

And it was all because of this one pretentious asshole.

He didn’t look anything out-of-the-ordinary. Just a guy in his late 20s with the locals’ skin complexion, sweeping black hair, and muted outfit. Though what made him infuriating was the smugness he wore as he sat on a café table as if he hadn’t triggered that hag’s death.

It didn’t help either when his relaxed, cocky smirk reminded of the lingering stranger’s smile invading the peripherals of your sight. You just wanted to step forward and wipe that expression off that man’s face, your knuckles already cracking from where they were at your sides, your Stand ready to strike.

However, Jotaro beat you to it. With one solid punch, he flew back crashing into the glass window of the café.

But he wasn’t the only one that got affected by the hit.

“Mr. Joestar!” You exclaimed, witnessing the old man fly back the opposite direction. The delinquent snapped his head to his grandfather’s direction with surprise. Fabrics shot out of you to catch him mid-air before he could crash onto the ground.

A strained cough prompted all of you to turn back to the still-smug enemy user rising up from the broken window frame. “You’re an utter fool. Just as I was about to explain my skill, you hit me.” He scoffed. “That impatience almost killed your grandfather.”

The man who called himself “Steely Dan” stood, staring at the Crusaders as if he didn’t collide with the glass pane behind him. With a spit of blood, he continued. “You really think I just showed myself just to kill Enyaba?”

“You…,” you turned to Mr. Joestar beside you who’s still in shock though with some level of anger and confusion mixed with it. “You damn bastard. You told us that your Stand is ‘The Lovers’, right?” Dan cocked a brow. “Just tell us what it does!”

“Now what’s the point when the battle’s already begun, Mr. Joestar?”

You focused on him with furrowed brows. Already begun? What’s he saying? You looked at the other guys if they knew, but they were just as clueless as you. “Simpletons. All of you.” He cast his attention on the child sweeping the ground without a care in the world. “Hey half pint, want cash?”

The boy gaped at the tempting bill in Dan’s hand. “It’s all yours if you can hit me in the leg with that broom as hard as you can.” With a simple instruction said, the paper bill flew out of his fingers and onto the eager hands of the boy.

Why would he ask to get hurt? Minutes ago, he made no attempt to shield himself from Star Platinum’s punch. You couldn’t sense his Stand coming out to do something as response even after he crashed. It was as if… he was asking to be hit.

“W-What? But why would he?”’

Putting that together with the mirrored sight of the old man copying the impact of the enemy user-

It clicked and you widened your eyes at the result.

With a fast turn of your head to Steely Dan, the child was more than eager to oblige as he rose his broomstick back, ready to strike a heavy blow. “Hit me!”

Without further thinking, Silent Sanctuary’s cloth zipped out of you and snagged itself around the stick a second before the boy could swing. To his confusion, the kid tried to move the broom despite the invisible force holding him back. Though with the fabric in place, it wouldn’t budge.

Steely Dan scowled at the sight of the interrupting spirit.

“Kid! Over here!” You called out to him, reaching in your skirt pocket to pull out three paper bills for him to see. “I’ll pay you double if you leave the masochistic man alone and head home, alright?”

The boy beamed, letting go of his cleaning tool and happily skipping to your direction. Dan had the idea of grabbing the child’s wrist out of irritation, but with the strip of fabric snapping itself against his wrist, the man gritted his teeth in pain, retracted his hand back, and shared his own glare with yours. “Tch.”

However, by doing so, Mr. Joestar let out a pained grunt wherein, from your peripherals, he held his own wrist as a reflection of what your Stand did to the enemy.

As the child reached you, you spared him a sweet smile and lent him the promised cash and with a ruffle of his hair, you sent him off before he could get further involved in this mess.

Steely Dan forced a smile, albeit with that underlying annoyance present. “Looks like not all of you are as dumb as I thought,” he said. “Since you’re so smart, care to explain my Stand power for me, princess?”

“Any pain you receive will reflect onto Mr. Joestar,” you responded for everyone to hear, to which they reacted clearly with Mr. Joestar held his face with genuine panic, while Jotaro balled his hands into fists. “And don’t call me that, shitbag.”

Dan couldn’t care less as he smirked. “Not only that, the pain will be several times worse for the old geezer because how else would I control my Stand when it goes berserk with every hit in that head of his.”

“Head?” Kakyoin said. “No… your Stand couldn’t be that small for it to enter Mr. Joestar’s ear to reach his-“

The enemy user snapped his fingers. “Exactly. Plus. The Lovers has taken one of lord DIO’s flesh buds into his body, now growing as we speak. Just like it did to that hag, it’ll devour you from the inside out.”

“Say something unfortunate happens, maybe an accident or a simple fall down the stairs, how do you think that would affect you Mr. Joestar?” The old man let in a quivered breath, his head still in his hands. “I might get banged up some but your body would suffer far greater pain than mine.”

“You got 10 minutes old man, then your brain will be eaten through, leaving you a corpse like that hag Enyaba.”

Your lips tightened as you kept a firm stare at him, scanning for something that could be of use. A loophole. There must be some sort of loophole to fight this guy- Your train of thoughts came to an abrupt halt when out of the blue, Steel Dan’s body is on its tiptoes as the delinquent grabbed him by his collar with a fist ready for him.

“No wait!” You threw yourself in between Jotaro and Dan, reaching up to hold his wrist back from swinging. “Think about Mr. Joestar! Are you asking him to get punched too?!”

“Don’t do anything rash!” Kakyoin added, joining you in the attempt to pull him away with an arm splayed against the raven-haired’s chest.

“Sorry but,” he tightened his hold. “I’m gonna kill this damn tool so quick he won’t have enough time to feel the pain.”

“I know you want to. Trust me I do,” you said, firm and sure as you locked eyes with him, knowing his subtle affinity towards his family. You cocked your head, continuing. “But we can’t risk it.”

Jotaro gritted his teeth, unrelenting as he always was, but with a strained choke from the elderly alerting him from behind, he sucked in a sharp breath and eased his hold on the enemy Stand user. You let out a sigh of momentary relief and backed away to give him his space.

And the nerve for Dan to smirk as he fixed his shirt. “Kill me before I feel it huh? Sounds interesting.” He chuckled. “What are you waiting for? Do it then. I’m curious.”

“Where were you planning to strike? My face?” He poked his cheek, trailing it down until he dragged his thumb across his neck. “Or throat?”

Under favorable circumstances, you wanted to ruin his face, wipe that cockiness off of his confident stance with a couple of deep bruising and cuts all over his head. Your Stand writhed within you, itching to fulfill her user’s wishes. You didn’t have to look at your companion to know he had the same idea.

“What? You mad? Here, let me offer you some suggestions.” Steely Dan puffed his chest out. “Why don’t you try busting a hole through here? Or…” He walked over to the nearby rock. “Give up using your Stand and crack my head open with this?”

He lifted it off the ground and gave it one good toss in the air. “Looks big enough for the job-!”

He yelped as Jotaro fisted his collar again, lifting him closer towards him with a fixed icy glare. “You don’t wanna underestimate me, pretty boy. When I say I’m gonna do something…” He growled his next words to prove his brute honesty. “I do it.”

The severity of his statement, along with the shimmer of Star Platinum’s fist manifesting, were sufficient indicators telling you to summon Silent Sanctuary to come out as well to grasp the muscular fist in its resisting fabrics while her user pushed against the solid wall that was the pissed teenager.

“J-Jotaro, stop it! Remember the consequences!” You said midst your struggling. “Calm down!” 

Somewhere in-between, green tendrils overlapped the rose-gold cloths. “Get a grip! Are you trying to kill your grandfather?!” You turned to see the cherry-haired student grab hold of Jotaro’s bicep, pulling him back.

“Uhh… this is Jotaro we’re talking about. He might be?”

“Pol!” You snapped at the Frenchman, shutting him up immediately.

Though in a second, you returned your attention to the steaming teenager still intending to pummel Dan into oblivion. “Hey,” you tried speaking in a softer tone in hopes a soothing tone would ease him even by a bit. “If we can figure something out and get that shitty Stand out of Mr. Joestar, we’ll let you beat him all you want.”

“For now, let him go. For your old man’s sake.”  

The delinquent’s fist trembled in sync with his conflicted expression. He was always so impulsive, more so when it came to ending troubling issues as soon as possible, but he possessed a caring heart deep down for those close to him, even if it was his near-obnoxious grandfather.

With a semblance of rationality returned, Jotaro loosened his hold again and let the enemy down with hesitation.

“You dumb, good-for-nothing punk.” Before you could process the insults, Steely Dan landed a solid punch aimed at the raven-haired student’s abdomen, causing the latter to heave a dry cough, falling to his knees.

“HEY!” You exclaimed, kneeling after him to help him up.

“Don’t toy with me, you bastard.” Dan said, looking down at him with a disgusting curl of his lip. To watch your close friend find his bearings on the dirt while this cocky asshole feign arrogance sent a seething emotion bubbling deep in your guts. This petty act… right after sparing him from a brutal beatdown. And to do it again? The sheer audacity-

This time, your hands balled into fists.    

“After the geezer kicks the bucket,” he rose his hand still holding the large rock. “You’re next!”

With newfound anger, you stood in an instant and let Sanctuary out, using her fabrics to shove Steely Dan back a couple feet with significant force. He staggered back with a look of surprise and tripped, dropping the rock along the way. Behind you, you heard Mr. Joestar fall back as well.

“The fuck!” He exclaimed, getting up in a minute with a familiar look of being pissed. Not that you cared as you took a couple of steps forward until you stood before him. Dan let out a menacing chuckle and pointed a finger at you with disdain. “I’ve heard gossip of a meddling chick making our job more difficult.”

You cocked your head with one brow raised. “Maybe I’d be less meddling if you’d decided to not to hit my friend. Have you thought about that?”

“And you’re as annoying as they say.” He leaned down and muttered into your ear. “You must be desperate for validation for you to hang out with a bunch of men on a dangerous trip.”

A scoff as you fisted his collar, keeping his ear close to you. “Says the person accepting payment from a random man with a stubborn ego, desperate to earn his validation to get some cash.” You whispered, pushing him back with one solid shove and a nonchalant smirk on your face. “I’d shut up if I were you.”

Dan glowered, his teeth bared at you. You pouted back as your returned to stand by Jotaro’s side. “Am I wrong?” 

“We can’t just stand here doing nothing. Polnareff, Kakyoin,” Avdol spoke up, alerting the two. “Let’s bring Mr. Joestar away from here and we’ll figure something out.” No one objected to the offer and with no further need of instructions, the Crusaders left the scene running. “Jotaro! Y/N! Don’t let Steely Dan hurt himself!”

“Got it.”

Leaving only the three of you, Steely Dan chuckled as he watched them run off. “Fools for them to think my Stand could be affected by long distances. No matter how far they go, The Lover’s range makes up for its lack of strength.”

“You know…” He stared at the both of you with ill intent. “I also heard from my friends that you’re the closest companion to the geezer’s grandson. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“So?” The delinquent said, arms crossed.

“So~” Steely Dan reached into his pocket and drew out a small pocket knife. You had the impulse to snatch the blade right away but as he aimed it in front of his chest in a second, you stopped. He cackled. “Remember! One move and the old man’s dead.”

Crap. There’s no point in talking- You glanced at Jotaro, who remained still with closed fists by his sides. -or doing shit against him. Not with that threat posed against us.

A displeasing smugness grew on Dan’s face at your hesitation and knew how to use that to his advantage. “You there,” he crooked his fingers, gesturing you to come. “Or else…”

You eyed the knife poised towards his heart and shivered at the image of Mr. Joestar, dying on the ground with his hands clutching his chest from agony, just because you didn’t listen. With a sigh, you stepped forward.

The second you were within his reach, Steely Dan pulled you close to him and laid an arm around your shoulders. You cringed at the contact but instead of a grimace, you scowled at the guy. Across you, the delinquent couldn’t be more ticked-off than he already was.

“Under this circumstance, I can actually do some progress with you two troublemakers. You don’t have to irritate me anymore,” he said, clipping a strand of hair behind your ear. You flinched from it.

He looked at Jotaro next, his knife still situated on his body. “And I can also use your pretty little friend here as additional leverage for you to do whatever I want.” To play with him, he moved his harm to your waist and tugged you close to him. You recoiled from the touch, stomach twisting by itself as your mind started to fuck with your surfacing memories.

Why do I feel sick? These unwanted touches on me-

“Bastard.” A deep growling voice snapped you from your thoughts and you drew your focus to the raven-haired student glaring at Dan.

“Bark at me all you want punk but as long as I got her here and my Stand in the old man, you can’t do shit,” he said. “Now princess, while most of my deeds will be for your friend, the only rule I got for you is to not use your Stand while I’m doing business.”

No response came out from your mouth but he took the silence as approval.

You looked at Jotaro just to see how he’s adjusting to these conditions, and for a moment, he looked back at you with a flash of genuine concern, cogwheels turning in his head trying to come up with something to get you out of this, before masking his face with scowled stoicism towards your captor. 

Steely Dan got the upper hand for now and you couldn’t wait until you found the opportunity to snag it back.

“This is gonna be fun,” he said, looking at the delinquent. “Let’s start things off by giving me your valuables. I’m gonna need a lot of cash for my shopping spree after all.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

He was insufferable. True and through.

Steely Dan never let you out of his grasp not even once as he toured around the town with Jotaro following close behind. Every time, he had his slimy hands on you, often caressing your waist or rubbing your arms and pressing you close to him when you managed to scoot some inch away.

And while the gesture alone was disgusting on a surface level, you didn’t quite understand why you were reacting to his touches with sheer revulsion, that every time he laid a palm on you, your stomach curls in on itself and a wave of tiny goosebumps crawled up your limbs.

You wanted to puke but why? You should be able to tolerate this and ignore his blackmailing act as nothing but a petty threat, but you couldn’t remember way back then that would’ve made you react this way.

You swallowed your moment of pondering and focused on the present where you sat with Steely Dan on a bench while he ordered the delinquent to wipe his shoes clean after telling him to scratch his back and lay across a canal to serve as his glorified bridge to step on.

Out of nowhere, Steely Dan broke into a grin and cackled. “Come on!” As you were about to question him, he abruptly rose his leg to kick Jotaro onto the ground, before crossing it on the other leg. “What are you doing? Shine those shoes right!”

“I’m in such a good mood right now so I need you to shine my shoes until they’re as bright as I feel right now,” he said. “I want the sunny sky to reflect right off of them.”

You watched your friend get on one knee, unwilling to comply to more of Dan’s bullshit when he remained where he was on the dirt. Rightfully so.

“Are you deaf? I said I want my shoes to be shined to its best, and what you did for the past few minutes was shit work.” Still, the delinquent didn’t respond and Steel Dan scoffed. “Still stubborn huh?”

Just then, you yelped as he forcefully pulled you over to sit on his lap and he grinned, his one hand stroking the length of your back- up to your nape and down to the garter of your skirt. You froze, your pulse spiking and breathing growing fast. You struggled to get off but his arm kept you from escaping. Too close. Need to get away.

To make everything worse, the familiar music of a piano began playing faintly in the back of your mind as vague imagery surfaced with every stroke. Make it stop. Make it stop!

Instinctively, Sanctuary was a second away from appearing as a response to her user’s sudden distress, but the enemy brought out the knife he carried the entire time and aimed it at the side of his neck. “Don’t forget! I still have Joseph Joestar’s life within my control! You better behave.”

You spat at his face with pure disdain, having to will your Stand away to avoid Mr. Joestar from dying and be pliant for his lowly ass. Dan frowned at what you did, only for him to smirk and tug your hair with considerable force. Making things worse, he leaned forward to press his nose on your throat and placed his hand to creep up your thigh under your skirt.

The sting of your roots being pulled and the invasive touches made you gasp and without conscious thought, you began punching his chest as if that would let you go. The music grew louder in your ears as you felt your guts writhe and adrenaline course a marathon throughout your body.

Mingled with the cursed tune of that damn piano, you could hear the faint chuckles of unfamiliar men accompanying phantom sensations of hands all over your body. You wanted to cry, the tears already forming, but for the love of all things holy, you wouldn’t break down in front of this cuck. You kept yourself together the best you can.

Jotaro wasn’t doing any better either. From your peripherals, he was furious- veins clear from where his fists were at the ground and his whole stance rigid and ready to snap in any moment with Star waiting to be unleashed.

Both of you wanted this man gone but what could you do? When someone else is on the line?

After a few more seconds, Dan pushed you off him and back to your previous seat with a hand still gripping your wrist. Some relief came to you in the form of a gasp, but it wasn’t enough to completely forget what had happened. “Now that you’ve been reminded of who’s in charge, I want to get something expensive.”

He stood and pulled you up. “Come princess, let’s go shopping.”

“Fuck you.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Jotaro wanted to make this man suffer with agonizing pain for what he did.

More so when you displayed the complete desperation to get away- Your furrowed brows, a flash of panic in your eyes, your attempted punches against his chest, the miniscule whimpers he could hear in the stream of frustrated grunts. He never released the closed fists he kept in his pockets, instead tightening them due to his current thought. That motherfucker.

If he wasn’t taunted enough with Steely Dan’s harassment towards you, he decided to push it further when his moral code was brought onto the table upon entry in a jewelry shop.

“My my~” He narrowed his eyes at the guy, watching him eye the shining accessories in their glass cases with you still trapped in his grip. “Would you look at these beauties. Don’t you think it would make any girl happy?”

“You’re eyeing me as if I am,” you scowled. “You must be so shallow for you to think I’d buy into vanity.”

But Dan paid no attention to your statement as he focused on one specific necklace that’s so happen to be in front of Jotaro. “Say… how about you steal that expensive-looking jewelry there for me using that Stand of yours?”

He didn’t look at him nor did he move to do what he said. He’s very much aware of who he is and that he’s a rebellious teenager who couldn’t care about strict adherence to rules and pleasantries, but he knew better than to be too indulgent with his self-given freedom.

He wasn’t a bad person. He wouldn’t take advantage of others and he most certainly wouldn’t steal something so meaningless to him.

“Hey! Did you hear me?!” Steely Dan hissed. “I said get that for me deaf punk!” Jotaro remained still and so the man approached him to whisper, “If you don’t do what I say, then I’ll have to steal it myself. But that would mean I’d have to break the glass with my hands.”

“Plus, they don’t take theft kindly here. They’d pummel me to no ends and it would hurt as hell,” he huffed. “Old man Joseph wouldn’t like to feel those hits, would he?”

Jotaro hated when he’d flaunt his upper hand for favors because it left him with no other choice to- “Hurry up, will you?!” Dan gritted out. “While the store keeper’s not looking!”

To hell with this. With hesitation, he reached forward and let Star’s hand out to slip past the glass and lift the golden accessory through the gap and into his hand.

And Steel Dan grinned. “Hey! That kid’s stealing!”

Both you and Jotaro froze in spot with surprise. Though that didn’t last long when shock got replaced with irritable anger in a second. Of course, he’d do shit like that.

It didn’t take much for the store owner to fetch his guards and bring them out- all massive and threatening with their bats and knuckles. “Where’s this thief we’ve heard about?”

“Is it that Asian kid over there?”

“From where we’re from, we’d break the thief’s fingers as punishment for doing what they did!”

He wanted to speak out that he didn’t want to steal and he was forced to do this by the one who reported the “crime”, and you wanted to reason out as well, but again… you two had to make sure the bastard wouldn’t get hurt.

“By the way,” Dan said from a distance. “You wouldn’t use your Stand against civilians, would you?” Jotaro considered simply knocking them out with one blow, but he didn’t want to get himself into trouble in a foreign country and delay their trip further with his intervention.

You both kept your mouth shut and Jotaro braced himself for what was to come. Just as what’s expected, the first fist landed straight at his cheek, followed by the next in his abdomen, and another at his face, forcing him to crouch on the floor and raise his arms in an attempt to cover his face from the series of hard-hitting kicks that were sent his way.

He can tolerate the pain of the blows he received, it wasn’t his first tango with fist fights like this after all, but what made it hurt in this scenario were not his bruises, but the way you cried out for them to stop assaulting him with the same level of desperation as before. “Remember,” he picked up on Dan’s sickening words. “No Stands in my business, princess.”

“Make them stop then, you asshole! You sick fuck!” Just as the next punch threw the raven-haired student to the ground, you yelped as he caught glimpse of Steely Dan forcing you to face him with his hand under your chin.

“But I don’t want to watch this by myself.”

“Let go!”

Jotaro gritted his teeth and tried to get up and reach you two, rip his hands off of you, but the guards were relentless and he was thrown back to the ground with one kick to the chest. A couple of kicks in and someone lifted him off the floor and next, he landed onto the dirt pavement outside the establishment with a grunt.

He hacked out a spit of blood as he got onto his elbows with slight struggle. At least they’re done with me. “Jotaro!” He lifted his head to see you hurrying over to kneel at his level, soft hands helping him up in an instant. “How bad are you feeling?”

He heaved out a groan from the bruises growing on his torso. “I’ve had worse before,” he said with strain. “I’ll get over it in a minute.”

“What a spectacle! Thanks to you, I managed to snatch myself a more glamorous prize while everyone was distracted.” At the sound of his voice, he kept his sights fixed on the ground, his anger simmering. “What’s this? Why is my pretty friend not with me?”

Beside him, your hold on his shoulders tightened as you glared at him with so much hate. “You can go fuck yourself if you think I’ll join you again.”

“Still got a big mouth for a bit-“

He couldn’t help it. A low laugh left the delinquent’s lips that gradually increased in volume, catching both you and Steely Dan off guard. “Why are you laughing?” The latter asked, nervous. “What’s so funny?!”

What was funny? Was it because of sheer anger that tipped him to laugh similar to a villain cackling into the void with every defeat before revealing their secret weapon? Or maybe it was because- “Nothing. I just can’t wait for you to repay the debt you owe both of us when they’re done dealing with your Stand.”

You didn’t say anything, looking solemn as if you had thoughts running in your head regarding what he said. “You punk ass-“

Another kick was what he expected, but with you out of Dan’s grasp, you gained back some control of the situation as Sanctuary tied itself around his ankle, before lifting it high enough for him to fall back with a loud thud.

Jotaro stared at your Stand’s face that focused on the enemy while its user remained facing the ground, deep in thought.

“That’s it!” He exclaimed, standing abruptly to grab your arm with his knife back in the other hand, pointed at him. You yelped, hands clawing at his wrist. “I’ve had enough of you, you bitch! Always butting into my business when I told you not to!”

Jotaro immediately got onto one knee, ready to charge at him but paused when you turned to spit at him again, though Steely Dan let out a maniacal laugh, pressing you harder against him. “Still bold are we?” He gripped your hair hard. “How about I teach you a lesson?”

“Do your worst you egotistic fuck.”

He could feel his veins popping at the sight, his body aching to run this piece of shit through the ground. To hell with this. He’s had enough of holding back, serving this asshole. The second he begins to touch you in inappropriate places, he will act.

Though before Dan could do his worst, he widened his eyes and staggered back. Loosening his grip, you buckled and fell onto your knees along with the knife he had. In the next second, he cried out with pain as blood gushed out of his forehead.

They did it.

And Dan knew it too because complete fear washed over him in an instant. Jotaro was on him before he could make an escape, grabbing fistful of his hair painfully tight. Steely Dan whimpered and desperately tried to shrug himself out of his hold but the delinquent had other intentions.

Recalling all the abuse he received minutes ago alongside the memory of him gripping your hair, he maintained a firm hold on him as he delivered Dan a harsh kick on the back with Star Platinum’s power, resulting in the man cowering on the ground with his head bleeding from where the scalp nearly got ripped off.

“P-Please Jotaro! Spare me! I’ll do whatever you want me to do!” He recoiled at the full sight of the purple Stand hovering before him with violent intent. “Please! I’ll clean your shoes with my tongue! I’ll pay you and your friend all the money he gave me!” Dan bowed with his head planted on the dirt.

In different circumstances, Jotaro would taunt him a bit and play into humiliating him further. However, all his mind thought of at the moment was of him treating you as his plaything. You being afraid of his gestures underneath that brave face.

He sexually harassed you and Jotaro found that disgusting. Evil.

He deserved to get punished with brutal judgement.

No words were said in return and Steely Dan wouldn’t be able to either as Star Platinum lifted him off the ground and sent arrays of barrages onto the adult. He continued to watch his body get beaten and broken by the countless punches landed on him, never satisfied with the amount of hits.

He could hear the break of his bones and the blood that gurgled out of him, but he felt compelled to continue. Jotaro tightened his fists as he willed Star to send more punches, more pain. For his cocky attitude, the slavery, the mistreatment-

Dan grinned. Jotaro caught it midst the blitz and he furrowed his brows with brief confusion. What is he- His Stand. Aside from the gushing of his head, no further damage was dealt by the other Crusaders, implying that tiny bastard fled.

It was on its way to its user… or to someone near him.

The delinquent widened his eyes and snapped his attention to you, still on the ground reeling from what happened. Star abandoned its violence on Steely Dan and turned to you. Though as one syllable left him, a flash of rose-gold appeared in front of your ear, its edge curled around an object the size of a bug.

The Lovers.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You said as you got up, expression blank and shaded except for the wicked curl of your lips. “Even after you get beaten up, still… STILL…” You gritted out, approaching the enemy user. “You continued being a cocky motherfucker and tried to get that thing in my head.”

The fabric holding the miniscule Stand closed in on itself, eliciting a loud scream from Steely Dan as his joints continued to dislocate. “Stubborn until the end.” Jotaro stood by and watched you walk past him and towards the crying adult with apathy.

You tilted your head as you said with a eerily calm voice. “Do you know how much I loathed what you did to me?” Without letting go of Lovers, Sanctuary wrapped another set of fabrics around Steely Dan and lifted him of the ground.

“Do you know how much bullshit I remembered when you fucking touched me?!”

In an instant, the delinquent gaped at the velocity Silent Sanctuary whipped the adult onto the nearby building to the point of nearly breaking the wall. “I told you to let go and you wouldn’t!” He was whipped onto another building, this time with the wall crumbling upon impact.

“You know how insufferable it was to be your toy?!” Another whip, destroying the pavement.

“To remain compliant while you watch everyone you care get beaten in front of your eyes?!” And another.

“And now you still think you got the upper hand and tried to take advantage of me again?! AGAIN?!” The fabrics smashed the adult’s body onto the road. Again and again with each word. “How fucking dare you?!”

Jotaro couldn’t do anything but watch how the scene unraveled before him. He knew your Stand had immense durability and that you had an air of assertion, but what he saw before him was just… pure unbridled rage out in the open.

How you yelled at Avdol and Polnareff was merely a sliver of what you were capable of in terms of expressing anger. Before all this, he never would have thought you could have the same amount, if not more, violent intent as Star Platinum had.

Back in school, the most you showed to him was passive-aggression, but nothing more. All he saw were your smiles and awe casted to him and the other Crusaders. Not an inkling of complete malice.

Until now.

Silent Sanctuary tossed a barely conscious Dan onto the road one more time and you walked up to him with Jotaro cautiously following a few steps behind.

“You know…” You said, calm. “You remind me of him.”

A shot of fabric zipped past you and wrapped themselves around the enemy’s throat, making him gag further as you raised a foot to step on the broken adult's chest. “Maybe that’s why I hate you so much.”

He should intervene. At this rate, you won’t be satisfied with Dan’s total beat down. You’d want something worse.

The cloth tightened and the adult spurted out more blood from his lips, though you remained unbothered as you cocked your head with an empty gaze and snarl. Jotaro drew closer as you muttered:

“Don’t you fucking dare harm me and Jotaro again you worthless cuck-“

The delinquent reached to touch your shoulder. “You’re going to kill him Y/N… that’s enou-“ At the slight touch, a loud snap could be heard and his cheek burned out of nowhere, followed by something wet trailing down it.

It was then did Jotaro process that Sanctuary slapped him, hard enough for a cut to form on his cheek where it bled a thin line of red, and fast enough that Star couldn’t react.

You turned around, fury still present as you did, but the second you saw him holding his injured cheek, you blinked back to reality and gasped, tears already forming as you cupped your mouth. “Oh my god…”

All your anger dissipated and it was only when it disappeared you quivered. You rose a shaky hand to him, only for it to pull back to your chest. You also realized what you had done to the other man with one glance. “Oh god… w-what…”

Despite the hit that caused him to bleed, Jotaro wasn’t mad at you. If anything, he grew concerned and confused on what was happening to you. “Y/N…?”

You whimpered, tears trailing down your cheeks. “I-I’m sorry… Oh god I’m so sorry…”

Before he could say anything more, you ran past him with your head ducked and your mouth still hidden behind your hands.

Jotaro didn’t chase after you. It was useless since he wouldn’t know what to do nor what to say if he did. Instead, he remained where he was in the aftermath of your chaos, brows furrowed trying to figure out what exactly happened to you that caused you to behave like this.

“Y/N…”

He gave his surroundings one last scan- the wrecked walls and streets and an unconscious Steely Dan on the dirt- before shoving his hands into his pockets and turning away, hopefully he’d at least see you with the others.

Though he heavily doubted you’d return to your usual state after this. And to that, Jotaro hoped you would recover even by a bit.

He could only hope.

[sacred-algae]

WIP Wednesday: 1/24 - Geraskier

(It's not Passing Through. Sorry...)

       “Geralt?” Jaskier asks out of nowhere, breaking the silence Geralt had become so blissfully accustomed to. 

       “I’m not stopping,” he answers, sensing the bard’s eyes on his leg. 

       “Now, I wasn’t going to say that,” Jaskier replies. “I was going to ask if maybe you could make your squirrel stew for dinner.”

       It’s not a complete lie. Jaskier had been craving the way the meat fell apart at the simplest touch of the spoon, the thought of it made his mouth water. If he can make Geralt think he’s doing something for Jaskier rather than himself, maybe he’ll take the bait and rest up. 

       “No.”

       “Please?” Jaskier whines.

       “It takes hours,” Geralt answers. 

       “I know, I know,” he sighs, sulking a bit more than he would naturally.

       Silent moments pass. And then:

       “It’s just that—” Geralt rolls his eyes and grunts when Jaskier’s voice returns. “You know—it’s been forever since we’ve actually traveled together, and I’ve missed your cooking.”

        “You say its shit.”

        “Affectionately, Geralt. It’s shit affectionately.”

        “How can something be shit affectionately?”

        Jaskier doesn’t answer his question. Geralt doubts he heard it. 

       “And you know what’s particularly ‘shit’?”

       “My squirrel st—”

       “Your squirrel stew. Now, that’s not to say some of—most of—your recipes are not actually shit.”

        “It’s because your courtly arse is used used to spices,” says Geralt. Jaskier ignores him still. 

        “Like your rabbit. Your rabbit is as dry as the lips of a hag.”  

        “I’m really feeling the affection,” Geralt grumbles.

        Jaskier bumps his horse into Geralt’s and Geralt closes his eyes, pressing his lips together. He briefly considers making his horse sprint off, leaving him here. 

[celestial--sapphic]

I thought it would be fun to create graphic versions of all the signs, letters, notes, newspaper clippings and other documents which feature in my Poppy Sweeting x f!MC fic Kiss me (like you wanna be loved) 🎨

This letter appears in the fourth chapter and is opened by Poppy during breakfast.

You can read a snippet of the scene where it features below the cut ⬇️

“I think it’s her latest recipe.” Poppy says before she has even unfolded the note, obviously recognising the handwriting. She scans the parchment quickly and then unexpectedly offers it to Evelyn, who takes it gingerly. The Hufflepuff opens up the feed bag to inspect the treats, as the Slytherin reads.

My dearest granddaughter, Poppy’s grandmother’s writing curves elegantly against the parchment.

I am very excited to inform you that my rhubarb has finally come into season and I have been treated to a bumper crop. There was more than enough for the beasts and for me to make several tartlets (they are frozen and await your return). 

Please do let me know the reaction to my latest infusion, as the holly one was such a hit. 

In other news: 

I recently discovered our resident fairy population has laid a fresh clutch of eggs, they are likely to hatch before you are home.  

The Winthropes are still suffering with their gnome infestation, I daresay they do not make it easy for themselves. 

When Mr Chopra’s son delivered my shrivelfigs on Wednesday he was quite insistent that he saw a quintaped on one of his deliveries. I attempted to explain to him – as you well know – that firstly, such beasts are not native to Sussex and secondly, that if he saw such a beast he would not have lived to tell the tale. I am not sure I changed his mind though, he was quite convinced. 

I hope Highwing is well and you are both staying out of trouble. I am pleased to hear you are spending more time with friends at Hogwarts though, both in your house and otherwise. I might be a biased old hag but they are very lucky to have you. 

Do make sure you are looking after yourself and focus on your studies, even if that means spending less time near the pens, your O.W.Ls are important.  

All my love and affection,  

Gran

It feels odd to read a letter directly from Poppy’s gran, almost like an invasion of privacy despite the Hufflepuff willingly handing it over. It doesn’t escape Evelyn how easily, how absolutely unconsciously, Poppy did pass the parchment over to her. At one time, Poppy’s family was a secret which she clung close to her chest, hardly revealing anything to anyone – not that there was anyone she was close enough with anyway. For a long while her gran was, in many ways, the only real person in her life and her parents a source of sadness, shame and unresolved anger – emotions which Evelyn had been privy to on only a couple of occasions; Horntail Hall being one. 

No doubt letters from her gran would be read and closed with no second set of eyes seeing them; no one to discuss the content with. But Poppy has opened up more and more since they entered this strange more-than-friends space they find themselves in. She has shared a menagerie of details, stories and funny little facts. Everything from her gran’s research (past and present), to places they have gone on holiday (Whitby, Llandudno), and what it's like at their house at Christmas (cinnamon cider warming on the stove in the morning and games in the evening). The simple act of her handing Evelyn a letter from the most important person in her life is perhaps the most significant thing to date in their burgeoning courtship; more than the private, intense kisses, more than the murmured confirmation of feelings, more than the increasingly courageous touches over their respective uniforms. 

It feels personal – deeply intimate, even. 

[mincedpeaches]

Transformers One post

Okay FIRST off I have to say. Sentinel Prime. He was everything. Blue and gold color scheme, with gorgeous gold WINGS. The most obvious villain in existence, but still kind of charms with his first overly friendly reaction to Megs and OP. The scene were he killed Alpha Trion: SERVING. Arachnid being his fag hag. I'm kind of obsessed.

Anyway. I just got back. Walked into the movie theater at 7pm in business casual since I came from work (after a quick detour to pick up dinner to sneak in). I say I want a ticket for Transformers. The teller goes "just one?" with a just barely perceptible bit of puzzlement. I say yup and proceed to have the entire theater to myself. Because no one is taking their kids to see Transformers One on a school night at 7:15pm. And I came alone. 👍

Of course I had fun. The humor I'd say was like 75/25 for me. I had some chuckles and laughs. For kid humor I thought it was really good.

Once again I kind of struggle to conceptualize what it would be like to be watching it as a fresh face though, and someone NOT well versed in transformers canon and lore. Like of course I (metaphorically) barked and clapped my hands like a seal when I saw Transformers I recognized but had no real lines. But a normal kid isn't really gonna care about that.

Anyway, again. It's late for me and I'm trying to get thoughts down now. What else. Let's try rapid fire all over the place.

Loved Elita's whole career woman thing and REALLY loved her "I'm better than you" bit because A) woman after my own heart and B) we love some unironic "girls rule boys drool" style feminism in this house. and I'm so serious.

I don't want to reduce Arachnid to just Sentinel's fag hag either because she also ruled. Her helicopter design looked siiick. The extra eyes on the front of her face and they way they moved independently was also sick. The way she was always yelling when she was stabbing guys was also kinda funny. (The way they used her eyes "seeing everything" to expose video of Sentinel, SOMEHOW, was actually kinda dumb. But don't worry about it.)

The way the trains and roads appeared in front of the train/driver looked really cool.

The scene where Optimus was dead and was floating into the heart of Cybertron, conversely, looked bad.

When it was first revealed in the movie promo content that Optimus was also going to be a miner alongside Megatron, while I wasn't as disappointed as the average tfp simp, I did think it was kinda of a bummer. That being said, it actually fucking RULED how Optimus was a miner. Ever since the introduction of oppressed bots into the tf canon, it was always this post. But in THIS canon Optimus is right there with Megs being oppressed and Optimus is the one that's fighting for social change, while Megatron is towing the line until he learns its all a lie. And once they learn its a lie, Optimus is still advocating for that change, and meanwhile Megatron is just really pissed off and down to get revenge and murder. I remember when I watched Siege and my conclusion was "hey guys, you can just do Autobots Good Deceptions Bad"! Well guess what. they DID that here, to great affect.

That being said..... it did make the megop slightly less tasty. 😔 Autobots Good Deceptions Bad generally requires a goofier, more G1 style favoring of megop. The scene were Megatron drops Optimus into the pit is very befitting of him being evil but if he's already willing to genuinely kill Optimus this early? It does not bode well for the homoeroticism.

Also what this movie loses in not having the Megatron be a liberator is how he gets followers. The Deceptions being the old high council is such a odd thing. Sure they'd want to get rid of Sentinel now, but it's odd to think of them with their whole "the strongest bot rules" thing (or whatever it was, I forget the exact line but you get the gist) but wouldn't they have been working for the other Primes before Sentinel? Who were ostensibly the good guys? Why would they all join up with Megs after getting rid of Sentinel, when Megs goals are seemingly going to shape up to be "just killin everyone". Where would the Council's bloodlust be coming from? Maybe its a political party thing, the Prime Left vs the Council Right lol. Or maybe I missed something. Also side note is funny how Starscream had them all languishing in cowardice when I all I could think the same thoughts I had when a very similar thing happened in IDW's Spotlight Megatron, which was: "come on, it can't all be Starscream's fault. the other guys like Soundwave are competent right. why aren't guys like Soundwave doing shit."

Also may I say. HUGE ups to the timescale in this movie. It's been "50 cycles" since the quint war and if Megs and Optimus were born after it then they're 50 "cycles" old at most. And I missed it but I think Alpha Trion says the war went on for "hundreds and hundreds" of cycles. Four millions year naps? We don't know her!

Bumblebee was the kid appeal guy of course, but it wasn't too grating to me. What I think also helped is alot of the slightly awkward-to-me humor was already in the trailers. So I was prepared for it.

Finally, when Megatron generates his canon. Oooo big sexy.

I enjoyed myself alot! Of course its for kids but that at least wasn't to it's detriment. And it made me want to go look up some toys so. A SUCCESS on the only front Hasbro really cares about, lol.

[greatwyrmgold]

Reading the Amazon Lily arc gave me some thoughts about how One Piece handles women.

I'll start with something positive: The Kuja tribe proves that Eiichiro Oda can draw women who aren't either fat hags or supermodels with I-cups and waists too thin for their intestines. The background characters show almost as much variety in visual design as One Piece's male characters.

On the other hand, this kinda draws attention to the fact that most of One Piece's female characters (especially the named ones) are supermodels with different wigs and sometimes fish tails, while most of the rest are oval-shaped and often have jokes made about how ugly and undesirable they are. (Poor Kokoro.) And to be clear, Oda still defaults to the supermodel shape for lots of the Kuja.

While I'm talking about character design, I'm not a fan of the Kuja tribe's clothes. Most of them wear as little clothing as possible, either a bikini with accessories or unusually skimpy variations on other outfits, like that one Kuja pirate who wears a jacket that leaves her midriff and the middle of her chest bare.

Also, they give Luffy clothes after he arrives, and they're flowery and frilly. Few of the Kuja wear floral clothes and IIRC none have frilly ones; the flowers and frills are just added because they're stereotypically girly, and Oda thought it would be funny to put Luffy in emasculating clothes.

The scene where Luffy accidentally smashes into Boa Hancock's bath was...I'd ask why it had to be her bath and not Hancock doing literally anything else, but I think we know the reason.

Not sure how to feel about Luffy beating up the warrior-women tribe's best warriors without significant effort, even though they're proficient with Haki and he thinks it's that ice sport.* On one hand, it feels awfully close to that stupid trope where women are treated as automatically weaker than men.

On the other hand, the man in question is Monkey D. Luffy, who has fought multiple Warlords of the Sea and usually come out ahead. Also, the Kuja tribe's best warrior, Boa Hancock, doesn't actually fight him. If that status doesn't just come from the Devil Fruit that can't affect Luffy's aroace ass (or any other aroace part of him), maybe a fight between them would have been more even.

*This joke was not made in the actual manga. It should have been, though.

Speaking of Boa Hancock and Luffy, though...the absolute worst part of Kuja Tribe lore is fucking Love Sickness. Apparently some Kuja women suffer literal lovesickness when they fall in love with a guy. It's fatal, unless they leave the island to be with the man they love. Gross.

If Boa Hancock had fallen in love with Luffy after he beat up his sisters, that would have been dumb but tolerable. But making it an actual physiological ailment that's common among the Kuja when they meet men...that feels way too close to saying women need a man to be healthy. I mean, that is literally true for these women who live among other women. And it's apparently a leading cause of death among their empresses. I hate it. Love Sickness should have been damned to editorial hell.

Revealing that the Boa sisters used to be slaves wasn't a big problem. But having that revealed a few chapters apart from Robin getting enslaved on the island she landed on (long story), when that didn't happen to any of the other Straw Hats, when Robin is one of only two women in the Straw Hats...petty, but I mostly want to complain about Robin getting enslaved. I don't think they even put seastone cuffs on her. Why is she just accepting this.

The general tropes about a land of woman being fascinated by the first man they see are a bit irksome, but on reflection, I think they only bother me because of all the other stuff. The Kuja tribe's reactions are mostly expressions of ignorance rather than innately feminine attributes, as expressed in the running gag where they keep assuming that the weird Luffy things Luffy does are what all men must be like. So mark that as another positive.

[fairyhagmother]

Hiya! It's the Gaulnon from your friend's/mutual's askbox, the same one that sent in the ask calling Gaul a peculiar woman with murder in her eyes, i hope you don't mind me hopping onto YOUR askbox as well? Not many tbosas/thg blogs ever talk about her so not many places one can go for discussion surrounding her, lmao.

Either way, apparently, her appearance in the movie suggests self experimentation? I don't remember who said it, or where, but i remember reading about her on articles online that said it was a conscious decision to make her have eyes like that for that reason(she is also always wearing gloves and high neckpieces to hide that too, apparently?)

Which, in itself, begs the question as to... how? And why her eye specifically? Did she mess around with herself and the eye was affected as a result? Did she purposefully drop something on it? Can she see well with it, and if not, how affected has her vision become? Are the lack of eyebrows a related incident or a different one? (Funniest case scenario, she just shaves them off for fun). Many questions that i need the team to answer... Anyways, have a good day! ^^

Funny you say that gaulnon bc I have been thinking abt this exactly!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so first of all. Disclaimer: I kind of resent the fact that the film went on to use physical difference as a visual cue for. evil? Like what is this. the 1200s? Come on man…….

However what I have been thinking abt in the fic I’m writing and will never finish probably rip is that she has genetic mosaicism? This is pure speculation and basically something I made up lol but the heterochromia and the streak of white hair at the top of the head is characteristic of something called piebaldism? And thematically (the themes. In my head) this makes a lot of sense bc genetic mosaicism is what happens when the dominant / recessive pattern of genetic inheritance breaks down and like somehow the characteristics that are produced by this breakdown are not an either / or. they’re somehow both. This is something I figured out yesterday so Uhm. Idk if this is what ur talking abt I’m just excited

I’ve been thinking a lot abt how the political philosophy of Hobbes and Locke sort of anticipates Darwinism and social Darwinism in particular. If the whole world is at war, then can the characteristics that make one a ‘victor’ be considered inherently superior to other characteristics? Is the world truly just ‘supplant or be supplanted’? And is war good bc it ensures the survival of the fittest? Like to me that feels like a very logical continuation to the thinking abt the social contract etc that we see in tbosas and in my head. gaul is like I love how science backs up my worldview bc even genes are at war with each other ehehehe meanwhile she’s literally living with the physical manifestation of genes. not actually working that way ? She is very tunnel visioned I fear.

I do like the idea that she leans into that slightly uncanny aura tho. she is doing performance art. Vibing. In her evil lab doing whatever the fuck. Being a hag.

Thank you for this ask 🩷🩷 I love talking abt volumnia most thematically relevant girl of all times and I think abt the phrase ‘a peculiar woman with murder in her eyes’ at least once daily. With those words you’ve made her irresistible to me unfortunately

[exoticalmonde]

Arknights Chapter XIII - The Whirlpool That Is Passion (Part IV)

Wow, relishing the Logos art while also staying tuned to what happens in the chapters for REAL this time? Well, all I can say before we continue is a reminder:

WARNING: This post is going to contain a lot of yapping from me about Hoederer and how much I love him and will also have a LOT of spoilers.

This kind of reminds me of 'The Lion's Song' because there was a person there, I think, who wanted to commemorate all the soldiers' lives in paintings I think. Those who passed away in the war he'd send to their families. But I don't remember how that ended honestly...

---

Sometimes I forget their dynamic and because I don't usually use W and don't pay attention to her that much (considering she is Pinkie's crazy wife to deal with), she ends up saying something so out of the left field I get vertigo.

"GOOD NEWS THOUGH-" **Insert explosion**

W: [Hard to say. There's an old hag kind of keeping me at arm's length from their beloved 'Doctor'.]

Yes, and boy do I feel safe with her.

W.

I will learn to use the word lollapalooza unironically.

HAVE ANY OF YOU HEARD OF A WAY TO KILL A LITCH?

YEAH? IS IT BECOMING PROBLEMATIC NOW?

This is terrible to say and at the meantime gosh has it been since chapter 9 that we have been crying and suffering from litches.

13-2 Before: The Injury At Hand

...

Oh... Oh god what is that?

---

In the following story, we're in the POV of Guard who we know from a couple chapters before, but I forgot about him as a whole. Which I am sorry for, because he's turning out pretty cool. He took part in saving the Doctor from Ursus initially, but after staying behind and being a little affected by the situation and the worsening of the situation leads to the death of Ace and Scout.

Now we are reminded that he's part of Nine's gang - Reunion, or what was left of it, being picked up again after Talula... Who didn't even stay at Rhodes for long enough, she got kidnapped again and is basically being used as some type of glue for the group even though she is falling apart herself, not willing to off herself but not wanting to continue the same path she was forced to take.

We met him in chapter 7 again before Lungmen and Chernobog were about to crash.

I've also forgotten what is reunion doing here out of all places. They are putting themselves between a rock and a hard place while also saving lives... Since, apparently, Victorians are very openly against the infected and the presence of Litches, Sarkaz and originium in general is going to lead to many, many infected.

---

Not to mention having to leave their homes. I know I will lose my soul if I actually have to abandon my house for any reason. They just get what they can use, not just something they find precious that should be carried, and they have to leave. Marauders could be in any corner, you can't really take valuables, so you just have your life, some clothes, perhaps enough food until you HOPE you find somebody who can help.

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I love the hair gel detail, why is everybody talking about this now? What does it matter if your hair looks good or not, you are half-dead 63% of the time! We all have depression and look after each other only because it's easier than to allow yourself to affect the mentality of someone else by being allowed to slack off.

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Oh no, he has a headache. You have been assigned the Ebenholz disease.

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Also, imagine having rock cancer and suddenly the place where you work is like 'No, you don't actually get insurance for *checks list* dying, so it would be best if you get fired and maybe go home to see your kids for like 2 days before perishing because we have NOTHING to help with.'

That's the type of health-ism we are talking about.

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Unfortunately, Guard decided that just searching for medicine, meddling in politics, meeting people, going on operations, saving people, treating people for free most of the time, hiring operators and ALL WE ARE TRYING TO DO. Is not enough. Infected need the aggression, to put themselves out there and...

We see how different the Sarkaz and general Infected are, and both sides take different approaches with the same outcome. It's tragic and useless, and it creates even more problems that are hard to mend in the hearts of people who are afraid.

[alistairssock]

Tumbleweed | Tiefling | Wizard | he/him | 37

Started writing this in the middle of the night, but do believe it was @the-eldritch-it-gay who had one of these, so I wanted to give it shot too Favourite weapon: His staff. Boy is not proficent in anything else #justwizardthings

Most prized possession: he's not really a sentimental guy in that regard, nor very materialistic, but he is very fond of the frog can he got from the hag's house. It's a special little trinket he's attached to and brings him great joy

Deepest desire: Just get some peace and quiet, maybe even open his own little magic shoppe one day. ALSO going to the beach, he's never been to one

Guilty pleasure: gay mindflayer sex jk, pleasure is nothing he ever feels guilty about, but he is guilty of being secretly prideful over how easy he can use magic

Best-kept secret: Probably his past. It wasn't horrendous, but he doesn't like talking about it much, only sharing snippets of the good memories here and there, keeping things vague enough that people are still interested (this is just me saying I haven't really figured out his backstop just yet but sh)

Greatest strength: It takes a lot for him to really judge anyone for their actions, he's good at seeing people's perspectives and will only judge based once he's sure of that (or if they're already too far out on the moral side of things ofc)

Fatal flaw: Conjoined with his strength is that he can be a little too open-minded, at times verging on naivety, and it doesn't always play out in his or everyone's favour

Favourite smell: Gale (on a more serious note, he loves the smell of the earth in the morning, also the smell of the sea)

Favourite spell or cantrip: Magic missile, knock, banish Pet peeve: Tiefling prejudice, one of the few things that can really get him riled up

Bad habit: Avoiding difficult situations by going into gaseous form (it's his comfort place and a way to decompress, but he has a tendency to use it a lot to just go 😶‍🌫️ for hours, nobody speak to him he's cloud). Do have a very minor drinking problem as well, but it's to cope after stressful situations

Hidden talent: Not really a hidden talent, but he's pretty decent at cooking and often teams up with Gale, teaching him new recipes (he has a little recipie book along with his diary where he writes down what the other's have made or told him about)

Leisure activity: Lounging around and reading books for hours (magic is his special intrerest, so he can be emerged and entertained for a log time)

Favourite drink: Fond of most wines, will only drink water if it's a certian temprature

Comfort food: cinnamon buns, if it was up to him he'd live on those

Favourite person(s): Gale, Lae'zel, Astarion (honorary mention of the Emperor, but like...their relationship is utterly undefinable)

Favoured display of affection (platonic and/or romantic): Just being around the people he love, partaking in their interests and simply spending time with them (he's like a cat in that regard). Romantically he's very affectionate both physically, and verbally

Fondest childhood memory: The time he discovered he could do magic, it was a light in the dark for him and he conciders it one of the greatest things that's ever happened to him