#damn that was my first ship and I didn't even draw it once?

[bread-is-my-life]

GUYS GUYS GUYS

IT'S AN ANNIVERSARY OF THE "SOMETHING STUPID" ANIMATIC BY @seagiri OMG GUYS LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!!!

(this animatic literally was the reason why I got into tf2 so GO WATCH IT IT'S BEAUTIFUL I PROMISE!!!)

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

congrats on 100 followers! :) id like to request kidd + his so getting hurt while protecting him

Hello Anon!! Thank you so much for this wonderful request! I am so deeply in love with Kid and this little drabble almost wrote itself. I love my chaotic Captain! Also, since you didn't specify gender, I kept it gender neutral, I hope it's alright! And I hope you like this, I had a blast writting it! ❤️

Source for pic

My Personal Hell

Word Count: 2093

Tags: gn!reader; Cursing; LOTS of cursing; SFW; Frustration; Care; Comfort; Love; Fluff; Annoyance; one use of the word cock! Tiny angst?

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: You protect Kid during a Marine attack and end up pretty hurt. He has a very weird way to show his concern and affection towards you.

Tag List: @rosidaze @beachaddict48 @armiliadawn

Notes: Gosh, anyone knows who's the doctor for the Kid's Pirates? Damn this information eluded me!! 😓 I'm sorry!

|Masterlist|

“Fucking reckless idiot! Stupid irresponsible! Fuck!”

You could hear the loud crashes and breaking sounds coming from just outside the infirmary door. Even though it was closed. 

“Could've gotten killed! What the fuck’s wrong with that fucking head?!”

More crashes, wood splintering, metal bending, glass shattering. You were still bordering between consciousness and the sweet limbo of unconsciousness, but his voice was unmistakable. 

And if it wasn't, all the swearing gave him away. 

“How long has he been at it?” Your voice sounds hoarse and raspy, scratching and itching against your throat. Grunting you open and close your eyelids, trying to adjust your vision to the brightness of the white lights. “Fuck, that's bright.”

“Since he brought you in, sweetheart. Now lay still or you'll open up the stitches. And they were a bitch to close, too.”

You stay still, chewing on your lower lip hard enough to draw blood so you can stifle your pained grunts as the Doc finishes up the last stitches. 

“Like, what the fuck! Who am I?” More crashing noises can be heard and the unmistakable creak of more metal bending. “I'm Eustass Fucking Kid! The fucking Captain of this fucking ship, with a fucking 3 billion berry bounty! I don't fucking die!”

You sigh, exasperation adding to your growing pain. “Any chance I can get more drugs, Doc?” You ask, a slight edge to your voice as the vein in your forehead trembles and pops with stress. 

“No can do. You’ve already had enough. Maybe if Heat brings you some of his stash, though, but no chemicals!” The Doc sternly advises and you huff, puffing your cheeks and prolonging the breath to try and distract yourself from the sounds of chaos and apocalypse that are happening just outside the door. 

“I fucking know what I'm fucking doing!” Kid yells. 

You keep nodding your head, counting from one to ten, from ten to one, odd numbers only, even numbers next… Until you've had enough. 

“Fuck this, I’m gonna yell at him.” You let out through your clenched teeth. 

“Don't yell at him, honey.” The Doc advises in a singsong voice. 

“I don't jump straight into fucking danger! I'm not a fucking idiot!” Kid's roar is unmistakable. The man's pissed. 

“Weeeell… I don't know about that. Agree to disagree?” Only Killer would have the balls to answer that savagely to a disgruntled Kid. 

“Piss off ya fucking wanker!”

“I'm gonna yell at him.” You repeat, taking a deep breath and getting ready for it. 

“Don't do it.” The Doc says again, eyes already closing and scrunching in anticipation. 

“I'm gonna!” Arching your torso to try and raise yourself up sends an unbearable jolt of pain through your sternum, chest, belly and back, all at once, and you plop back down, arms hugging your form as you grunt, moan and sob in pain and desperation. Your hands punch the mattress a few times and you bite hard on your lower lip, chewing away the pain to stop sobs and moans of agony. 

“I told ya, honey. Bullet wounds are fucking painful.”

The door doesn't just open: it crashes open, almost falling out of its hinges with the force it was thrown open. 

“What the fuck is going on here?”

“Who here saw this coming?” The Doc asks, a big open smile and hand raised in the air, looking over the shoulder at Killer, whose muffled snickers can be heard behind his mask.

“Oh, fuck you, Kid!” You sputter with another grunt and moan. “Shove your fucking Haki up your ass! You can hear me groan and moan but you can't hear me yell: ‘Watch out, the fucking bullets are made of fucking seastone?’ You fucking blockhead, I-... OUCH!”

You cry out as a sharp pain travels all over your torso, leaving you breathless and panting. 

“Brat, I could hear ya moaning with my head underwater and corks in my ears.” His voice lowers in tone, but not in arrogance. “My fucking cock twitches every time you make that sound!”

A vicious grunt leaves your lips as you're more annoyed that you actually found his retort both funny and endearing, than at himself. 

“Fucking pig!” You mumble between pursed lips. 

“Doc, ya done?” He asks gruffly. 

“Yeah, all patched up. Unless something opens up the stitches again. Like screaming, or trying to forcefully get up! Which I don't recommend!” You roll your eyes to the back of your head at the accusations and, though you're itching to cross your arms over your chest in a defiant gesture, you don't, because you know it'll hurt like a bitch. 

“Good. Leave then.” Kid scratches the chair against the floor purposefully - because he knows it pisses you off - until it's right next to your head, flips it and sits with his legs spread, his arms resting on the back of the chair, a terrifying smile pulling his lips back and revealing a sharp set of canines. “I need to have a few words with my brat.”

It's not quite fear you're feeling. You respect Kid as your captain. Very much. But you don't fear him. He huffs and puffs and barks and growls but very rarely bites. 

Fear is what you felt when he was almost hit by a hail of bullets. When those Marines got cocky and thought they could take down the great Eustass Captain Kid. They weren't counting on you jumping in the way to protect your man at all costs. 

Yes, even at the expense of your life. 

You love Kid more than life itself. Even if he's as stubborn as a mule, as edged as a knife and, as hot-headed as a raging fire. So you regret nothing. 

Lies. Perhaps you regret trying to yell at him just now. You could've avoided this conversation. 

Killer and the Doc leave the infirmary and close the door behind them - after Killer places it back or its hinges - and you look at the ceiling, trying to avoid Kid’s intense, piercing gaze. 

When he speaks, his voice is levelled - which is very rare for him. “This is the last time ya-...”

“Don't tell me what to do!” You snap, your head whipping towards him, and wince to hide the pain. 

“Tough shit! I'm yar fucking captain! Don't like it? Jump overboard!” His hands grip the chair so hard that the metal bends and the indents of his fingers are permanently marked on it. “This was your last field mission.” His words are laced with authority and leave no room for contest. 

“You can't do that!” Your voice turns into a whine, accompanied by a pout and a trembling of your lower lip, and you can only blame this childish behaviour on the drugs. 

“Fucking watch me!” Kid growls as his canines appear, giving him a very feral look as his orange eyes pierce yours, daring you to defy his orders. 

The silence that envelops you both is stifling and suffocating. It weighs down on you and presses harder than the sting of bullets. You love exploring new islands. You thrive on the joy and exhilaration of a fight. Kid knows that. And that's why this is your punishment. 

After some moments of intense, fiery gazing, you break. Your eyes downcast as a stubborn tear escapes the corner of your eye, leaving a shiny trail of wetness on your skin. “Fuck you, Kid.” Your voice is barely a whisper. “I saved your fucking life.”

You can almost feel the tension in the room dissipate. The lights seem brighter and the air stops being charged with intense magnetism as Kid relaxes his posture. His shoulders sag and his head falls forward in a defeated position he wouldn't let just anyone see. 

“I know ya did. And ya almost died. So if I can do anything to avoid that, I will. Because there's no way ya’ll die before I do. No fucking way.” 

You fight but there's no way to stop the tears from flowing now. You know how he felt. Like his heart was out of his chest, being ripped to shreds in front of him and a feeling of dread and helplessness suffocating him. You felt that as well. Before you made the split-second decision to jump. 

And, fuck, you'd do it again. 

“They were seastone bullets, Kid. You'd never have made it out alive. I don't regret anything.”

The way his smile turned cocky in an instant made you weak in the knees. This unhinged side of Kid aroused you to no end. “I would've survived, brat. I can't get killed. Much less by wimpy fucking Marines.”

His laugh roars around the room but you don't find it amusing at all. This cockiness of his, although fucking sexy, will get him killed someday. 

“Go to hell, Kid.”

You reply, eyes closing, trying to dry the flood of tears. Fists clenched against the sheets to stop the trembling and lips pursed to keep the sobs at bay. 

Until his big, calloused hand finds yours and he squeezes it, showing a very rare gentleness. 

“Already been, brat. When ya were bleeding out in my arms, unresponsive and dying. That was my hell. And I'll relive it ‘till the day I fucking die.”

You finally look up to meet his gaze. His eyes look shiny - though still dry - and there's no hint of his cocky grin anymore. In its stead, there's a pained grimace. An ugly twist of his usual scowl that you find you hate. You never want to see him look like this again. 

“I'm sorry.” You finally utter. “Not for doing what I did - I would do it again! - but for the way my actions made you feel.” Turning your hand up, you entwine your fingers with his, your hand much smaller against his. 

Kid lets out a deep sigh and as his chest deflates you notice he's still wearing blood-stained clothes. He must've been pacing in front of the infirmary door since you were brought in, just like the Doc said. “Scoot.” He tells you while getting up. 

“I can't.” You whine. “If I move, everything hurts. I was shot five times, Kid.”

“Five fucking times? Fucking Killer! He said it was only two shots! Fucker!” You stifle a chuckle and hold back your comment about how he could have easily spotted the five bullet holes in your shirt because you're pretty sure he was too busy trying to keep you alive to worry about counting bullet holes. 

He keeps cursing as he gets up, gently lifting you as he settles in the bed, curling you into his lap against his chest, making sure you're comfortable and not straining any wounds. 

You're pretty sure the Doc is going to bite Kid's head off if they see both of you in this position, even if he's the captain, but you feel so safe, comfortable and secure that you couldn't care less. 

“Kid, you can't forbid me to go out of the ship.” Your tone is almost pleading as you don't know for sure if he was being serious or not with his earlier threats. 

“I know, brat. Ya love to create chaos, don't ya?”

Turning your head slowly up, you bury your nose against his neck, your fingers digging into his shirt, bringing him closer. Inhaling deeply, you take in his scent. Sweat, sea salt, rust and metal. It brings as many tears to your eyes as it brings serenity and peace. Kid's your home. 

“You know I do.”

“But ya can't be jumping in front of bullets anymore. Or I'll strap ya to my back with those baby fabric things and ya have to be dangling on my back for the whole outing.”

The image brings tears to your eyes as you burst out laughing. Kid laughs with you, the sound of your laugh as sweet on his ears as his is on yours. 

“That's a deal, Cap. But you need to listen to me. And stop being a foolish daredevil! You're not invincible, Kid. Don't act like you are.”

He reaches down and plants a soft peck against your head. “Aye, aye. It's a deal, brat.”

The soft rise and fall of his chest make the perfect lullaby and the drugs the Doc gave you are the perfect concoction to bring sleep to your tired bones as your eyes start to close and flutter. 

“I'm glad you're alive, Kid.” You whisper, words slurred and dragged between sleepy breaths.

“I'm glad you're alive, brat. I wouldn't know how to live without you.”

[snarky-wallflower]

Coin Flip: A Ship Name Study

Otherwise known as: yes, hi, I am coping with the end of Searcher by focusing on this hot mess of a couple. I did one for Radiant Words, might as well again!

So, first off, I can't take credit for the name! That goes to my friend @amethystunarmed, a genius as always. I just wanna dive a little deeper into it, to convince others to start using it! So, why Coin Flip? Well, obviously it pulls on their titular song Two Sides of a Coin (god, I still think it's beautiful that the entire chat started shipping them at that.) The fascinating thing about Dakkar and Kal is that they truly seem to be just that! Two sides of the same coin! Neither of them can ever fully keep a victory, always struggling against each other. A flip of a coin - who wins? Who loses? Will there ever be an end to this fight, this relationship, that clearly has them both in a grip? They always fight to a draw, it's cosmic law.

What would you do without me, I'm not certain...

It's pretty clear that Kal respects Dakkar in a way he hasn't done so for any other character so far - Samuel, and AJ, for example. He spends time actually talking to Dakkar, negotiating with him. He doesn't see it as a joke, like Dakkar is beneath him. He didn't do that for anyone else!

Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Dak!

Everyone else has been boring.

Dakkar is the main event.

Meanwhile, Dakkar has kept on moving. He never even says Kal's name throughout the whole show. Mobilis in mobili, right? But he also knows where to dig when he needs to, insulting Kal with ease. Dakkar is furious here, practically brimming with rage. Kal brings out a side of him we haven't seen yet, and it's delightful to listen to.

I will stand, and you will falter! I'll be the rock of Gibraltar!

I will float and watch you sink, and it eats you up inside!

What is so interesting about this ship is the amount of history we can tell is there from a song that is only a couple of minutes! There's bitterness, there's knowing - these two go right for the THROAT when it comes to each other. Kal's jabs at Dakkar are a lot more personal than his to Sia ever were. (He went STRAIGHT for the daddy issues with Dakkar, damn.) Their strikes aim true, while they get in each other's heads.

They know each other like their other half--because maybe they were, once. Like the palm of their hand. Like the other side of a coin.

How well did they know each other?

Two sides of a coin.

The coin flips. Which side will it turn up on this time?

[ril-sillyart1st]

BATMM FF AU: "Understand my ship in 5 mintunes" meme!

My own version of this meme! Full credits to gibbarts for the template and inspired by @dead-cat-batmm, @ask-the-blasher-fam, @meliskindachildishlol and more. (Sorry for the tags, just let me know if you don't want to be tagged so I could remove"@")

Drawings itself:

And yeah I didn't fully render instead because I thought it would look too much for an god-damned little work lol.

Chibi Blaze Flarelyn and Crusher Flarelyn:

Going to make their reference sheet and exes version next! :3

Just a heads-up: this will have both SFW and NSFW parts!

Their bar thingy information:

"who's the big spoon and little spoon?"

They're both a big and little spoon (they switch), though Crusher was at first the big spoon when their relationship started and Blaze was still kinda short but after Blaze's 26 birthday she grown older and taller than his boyfriend making them also the big spoon.

Crusher was the clingy one when it comes to waking up.

SLIGHT SUGGESTIVE/NSFW PART AHEAD!

Blaze just loves to use Crusher's chest as his pillow sometimes (same goes to Crusher) but this mostly happened when they were boyfriends at that time.

And Crusher likes to use Blaze's belly and sometimes his ass as his pillow.

SLIGHT SUGGESTIVE/NSFW PART ENDS!

"Who borrows and lends their clothes?"

Pretty much they kinda also both lend each other's clothes swap because both are plus size though Crusher is way bigger than Blaze so it's more rare for Crusher to borrow their partner's shirt because it's too fitted on them. That one cat shirt ended being Crusher's shirt instead because it was bigger than his size (the one that has a cat with pizza everywhere on space), they really, really loved that shirt so much that they never gotten to give it back to Blaze every again lol but Blaze wasn't mad at all because she actually didn't like that shirt that much if they're being quite honest.

After their third date, Crusher has once again stole another cat shirt from his boyfriend that also fits perfectly on them. (It was two shirts this time!)

"who doesn't and does use pet names?"

Blaze and Crusher actually kind of rarely use pet names (ex: love, smarty-pants, etc) when mostly flirting! When they're having a normal conversation or fighting they'll use their real names.

Though this stops when they got married as it got more fewer for them to call each other pet names. This is where they start calling each other "daddy" and supposedly "dad" (parental role names).

SLIGHT NSFW PART AHEAD!

When it was their first time making love, they started to call each other pet names again (ex: sexy, love, etc).

Though Crusher was kind of shy to call Blaze "sexy" while getting all the fun he gets from his husband.

NSFW PART ENDS HERE!

Does this part even still about pet names? Prob not but I'll add this little lore anyways.

After Crusher was tested as "positive" in his pregnancy test he was in full joy to have his own child after being a former child psychologist, child therapist and taking care of children in his younger adulthood (aka babysitting).

Crusher was hoping for the best for his future daughter (Fiar) to say "daddy" as her first word. 👀

But it was "dada"!? Fiar's first word was "dada" instead of "dad" which Blaze wasn't expecting her to say the least. Blaze tried so many types to get his daughter to say "dad" instead but "dada" was his official parental name.

"who's introverted and extroverted?"

Both are socialized trucks (aka extroverts).

"who's affectionate through words and who's affectionate through actions?"

Blaze's way of flirt is being affectionate through her words more than his actions. Even few words would make Crusher's engine explodes from overheating due to easily get fluttered.

Crusher's flirting is through actions instead. Though Blaze isn't the type of truck who would easily be so giggly and fluttered like them but that doesn't mean Blaze can't get fluttered at times sometimes.

"who confesses first?"

Crusher always wanted to confess first but his weak ass was too shy to say it to Blaze so they waited for him instead which didn't last too long for Blaze to say what his confidence ass want to say to his love.

Blaze was having butterflies in his stomach when he confesses to them, which Crusher felt the same as well.

"who's a scary cat and who isn't for a bug?" (TW: mentioned about bugs and k🫧lling a r🌊ach!)

Crusher happens to have a love-hate relationship towards non-pest bugs, they do still find some bugs cool! Their favorite bug would be a dragonfly! And speaking of dragonfly, Crusher have a little dragonfly friend named "hasty", they met them when they where in the garden watering their plants.

Blaze in the other hand loves non-pest bugs as they find them delightful.

Though the only bug both would obviously kill will be a roach and any pest bugs that are harmful to anyone.

"who can and cannot cook and bake?"

Both can cook and bake but Blaze only knows a few recipes from other sweets but isn't a afraid to get out of her comfort zone when it comes to new stuff which same goes to Crusher themselves.

When it comes to Blaze making pancakes, it always tasted weird because some parts of the pancake are still dough and uncooked and this is why Blaze can only make waffles and other breakfast food instead.

"Who likes and dislikes PDA?"

Both Blaze and Crusher likes PDA, Blaze does it more confident and Crusher gets a little bashful. (though that could reverse)

"who's overprotective and who's chill?"

Both are quite overprotective to one another especially Blaze. But it got a little chiller when they got married.

When they have Fiar (their daughter), the two were protective but not overprotective towards her and one another.

"who has more relationship experience?"

Crusher used to date someone in senior collage life who just used them for live streaming and videos but good thing Pickle helped them try to break up with thier ex girlfriend, Maritime aka Gas Guzzler.

Blaze didn't dated anyone in her life not until Crusher themselves. Blaze has been asking advises from his parents when he was 15 years old.

when Blaze finally dated Crusher, his parents were worried and was having second opinions on dating someone who's his frenemies but she told them that Crusher was slowly turning good that they don't need to be worried about, Blaze could handle this one his own. (which he was right, Crusher was now a good truck and he handle it properly in his own).

NSFW PART AHEAD!

"Their horny level"

Like I mentioned earlier about their first time making love, both where really ready to not just have a baby but also wanted to get the fun started in their marriage.

Blaze was patiently waiting for this to happen for some time now. This man was ready to have a blast with his spouse, Crusher.

Both are getting to enjoy the fun, as both are equally giving each other the love. (They're basically doing the "ho-ho-ha-ha" funny number position 👀)

Blaze was mostly the top when she was 😻 her husband so goodly, Crusher was way louder than Blaze though good thing that the neighborhood didn't heard them (somehow lol 👀).

Both Blaze and Crusher gave each other 💕 marks which Crusher looks more obvious than Blaze.

END OF NSFW PART!

"Awkwardness level"

Crusher is way more to get the awkwardness level than Blaze despite being extrovert.

"Jealousy level"

Crusher pretty much can still get easily jealous at his own boyfriend and future husband at time especially on race though he's trying to not get insecure about it and enjoy the race instead.

And I didn't put their relationship lore here because it would take me forever to think and I want it to separate the lore somewhere else.

[windsweptinred]

Shipper tag game

Thank you for the tag @marvagon, you glorious human 💖💖💖.

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

None. I may not be as passionate about them as I once was. But I still hold all my past ships near and dear to my heart. I'll even occasionally nip into their tags on A03 and have a dip into newer fics.

What ship would you consider your first one?

Daiken/Kensuke from Digimon 02. I remember watching it on Saturday morning and wondering if anyone else was seeing what I was seeing. That led me to discover Fanfiction.net. And the rest is history...

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

My very first full length fic was Corinthiel, posted here on Tumblr. My first fic posted on AO3 was Dreamling, and I wrote both last year. I am a very, very, very late comer to fanfic 😅. I'm honestly much more at home drawing fanart then writing. But will occasionally give into temptation, when an idea obbsessively hounds me to the point of insanity.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

I genuinely can't. 😅 I remember it was probably on deviantart.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

I try desperately to stay out of ship discourse. To me people's ships are their joy... And I've got no interest in being a theif of joy. If there's something I want to see more of in the fandom, like a rare pair I'm fond of, I just try and create content and hope someone else joins in (@bobbole loves you 💚🤍😅) . If it's not for me, I just keep scrolling on by.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

Again, no. I've always been happy to pick and mix my ships. I have my favorites ofcourse. But I've never outright refused to dip my toe into any ship. Maybe if it ventured into an area I personally deemed problematic. But mostly, I'm happy to try anything once.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

I'm currently reading Remy Lebeau x Logan fanfic from Xmen. 😅 What sent me in that direction, I do not know. But I've found some amazing new fics in and amongst revisiting some old favourites.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I can proudly say until recently I've never had an OTP. Being a multishipper makes that kind of hard. But I don't know, I may be in too deep with Corinthiel. I'm not sure I could picture Danny and the Second Corinthian with anyone else but each other now. (Curse you @ibrithir-was-here. See what you have wraught! 😆). Them and Charmes (Charon x Hermes) from Hades. Because why would you split up the professional associates like that?! (Again very much your fault @mashumaru 😆) , Damn, I guess I've got OTPs now. If there's an established, happy couple in canon, most of the time I'll respect that and leave them be. So I guess that kind of counts too.

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Again no. If the juggernaut ship of a fandom doesn't really tickle my fancy, I'll sometimes stare forlornly at it. And sigh like a sad bohemian poet. But that's all content envy and I know it. 😆

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

🤔 I didn't dislike it, but I never really ventured near Corintheus until I started shipping Corinthiel. That made me backtrack and consider Morpheus and the original Corinthian's relationship from an entirely different perspective.

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

No I don't think so. As far as know they're all still alive, well and for the most part, living in peace and harmony in their respective fandoms.

What is your favorite crack ship?

Bookend, Destiny and his Book. The old book and chain. Living their best, grumpy old married couple, life together. @jazzy-a 🤜🤛🤣.

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Most recently was Dreamling. I'm a bit of fandom butterfly at the moment, fluttering between multiple fandoms, waiting for the next all consuming passion to strike me down. I read, and reread ANYTHING Corinthiel 😅. But of all time?..... I couldn't say. I revisit so many of my ships so often.

What do most of your ships have in common?

Two bastards in love will always be my favourite. I'd love to boldly claim it's all about two morally dubious rogues, being despicable in the kinkiest ways together. 😅 But I know it's more about two people, often misunderstood and maligned... Finding a deep sense of belonging with each other. But I'm an eclectic sort and I've got a lot ships that don't fit that category I still love dearly.

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Absolutely nothing outright. I'll sometimes go off a ship a little once it reaches that point where fanon locks in too tight around it. But I think that's a very me problem, as I crave variation/new experiences/ideas. I'll still love the ship, I'll just know that's just my time to move onto something new and come back and visit every so often.

I'm tagging @martybaker @thelostkelpie @missingrache @thirrith @zigzag-wanderer @lucienne-thee-librarian and @tickldpnk8 and anyone mentioned above. If you want to have a go. 😁

[hollister-mc]

A rant/dump about my current MHA project, I avoid spoilers for the current arcs

Yall I'm literally ill, I've never had a show impact me this much, I've never had characters affect me this much. I stopped watching mha during the Eri arc due to personal shit, like me moving and just losing motivation to watch. I still consumed the media, like fanfics, or honestly chat bots, but I just didn't watch the show anymore. (still havnt but I'm working on it)

I have a long-term fanfic that I've been working on for like... years at this point. It's longer than The Great Gatsby currently. I flip-flopped forever on the main ship, and even if it was going to be an x reader. I think I've ultimately decided that it's going to be Bakudeku/OC. And I need yall to understand why.

I originally started this fanfiction years ago as kinda a crack fic. It was a self insert of me and my best friend at the time. We were twins I put us into the series. Of course, we started it cause we simped for the characters. I wrote it, and she would give me input and ideas, but I ultimately did the main work, which was fine, I was the writer. Our friendship slowly faded, and so I slowly stopped writing. I was hurt for a long time, we were best friends for like 8 years, and she gradually stopped talking to me after she got into her first relationship.

The fic was abandoned for a long time, until during a trip to go see my other best friend across country. We talked about what happened with my old friend. At one point I told her about the abandoned fic I had, how I had started the fic for fun for us, and we had sort of a plot line for our characters, but of course nothing serious, as my ex friend just stopped giving me input and ideas for everything. I told her it made me sad, but overall, I was just bitter from what my ex friend had done. My long-distance friend looked at me and said, "Why don't you just turn it into your own? Redo it. Consider it like a personal revenge." And that my friends, is what sparked a flame in me. I reformed everything, I actually developed lore, I made characters, storylines. In doing so, I realized the main characters were no longer me and my ex friend, but two completely new characters. I won't bullshit you, the main character used to be me, but she, Iris, has completely transformed into this new character. That's why I decided to make it an OC fanfic instead of reader. I put too much work and soul into her, there was no way to portray her in a vague light, enough for anyone to put themselves in her shoes. I worried for a bit, cause I know a lot of people don't like OC stories. But I personally never turned away from OC fics unless the characters personality was too much for me to focus on and insert myself into. Cause I won't lie. I read to escape my reality, most of the time, I put myself into the main characters' shoes. So I figured, I probably wasn't the only one. In the end, I'm doing this for me. If people enjoy it too, then damn that's a plus.

Another thing I want to be clear, yeah I started rewriting this story as a way to express my upset at my ex friend, but truthfully, it's no longer like that. When I think about what happened with my friend, sure, I'm still bitter sometimes. But for the most part, it's become a part of my past, theres nothing I can do to change anything. I've worked for the past few years writing, drawing, and just daydreaming about this story. Im not lying to you when I say there isn't a day that I don't think about it at least once. I haven't been able to write lately, and it's been killing me. I moved out for the first time in my life months ago, and before that I was so busy and worked to the bone I had no motivation to write, even when the thing I wanted to write about consumed my waking moments. I'm still exhausted, but goddamn if the new episodes and Manga chapters haven't grabbed me by the metaphorical balls and twisted. I won't go into detail for anyone who isn't caught up, I gave up on trying to avoid spoilers.

I think my biggest hesitation is the fandom, and potentially backlash. Is that I'm no longer the teenager that started this fic. A lot of people don't like that, and will probably see it as weird that I'm making a fanfiction based around teenagers, especially the romance part. But honestly, I don't care. I started loving these characters when I was their age in show, and I'm sorry that they don't age like I do, but unfortunately, for us all, I still have an unhealthy attachment to it. So we're just gonna deal with it. The other side was the question of ships. I bounced back and forth for a long time on if my OC was going to be with Deku or Bakugo. It was hard, cause my initial thought was 'fuck it, both' but I hesitated cause poly ships, especially like that, aren't common or popular in fandoms, or taken seriously like I want this fic to be. Recently in the fandom I've seen how much popular the Bakudeku ship has gotten, and I finally decided to say fuck it, and just go with my original idea. So this fic will not be a love triangle, well- honestly it'll have juicy dramatic parts, but I'm going agaisnt the norm and saying fuck it, they all love eachother. I myself am not poly, (at least I think? Idk I'm unlabeled, the only poly relationships I've ever thought about being a part of are with fictional characters lol) So it won't be perfect and maybe not entirely accurate. If anyone who is poly wants to give me advice I'd be open and appreciative of it. Now that, that's all out of the way...

I'm going to give a summary of my plot, and i want to know if you guys find it interesting.

In a world where humans are given superhuman abilities, the norm, quickly changes. This world is not black and white. Prejudice and discrimination never truly leave humans, if it's not one thing, it's another. And in this world, if you don't have a quirk, or if your quirk is seen as undesirable or... potentially dark in nature, then you are immediately singled out and ostracized.

Our main characters, Iris and Ivy Blackwood, are born into an unfair world, where they are ultimately dealt with a hand that is hard to burden. Being the children of famous pro heroes is one thing, it's another when said pro heroes are constantly in the eye of the public. A scandal happens every week, it seems. You can't go far in research without seeing someone question the pro heroes' motives. Forsythe and Natalia Aphelion-Blackwood are powerful people, with powerful quirks to match. What sets them aside is the nature of their powers, powers that aren't normally seen as heroic. In fact, the whole blood line is filled with ominous powers, shadey actions, and downright morally questionable choices. When these two families married together, the media burst. Obviously, it was a quirk marriage. The only thing was they just couldn't prove it. When the twins were born, everyone waited in baited unease. Just what the hell could these bloodlines produce in power? Surely it couldn't be that bad...

Ivy's quirk manifested shortly after her twin, sprouting fox ears and tail(s) her quirk was Kitsune. Similar to her father's shape-shifting quirk, but of course had stark differences. Iris, on the other hand? Well, let's just say she won't be stepping into churches anytime soon... At the ripe age of 5, Iris Blackwood sprouted, wings, horns, a tail, claws, and red eyes to match. This girl was given powers seemingly from the devil himself. Her quirk? Demon. The nature of her power is unknown, the extent? unknown. No quirk specialist stuck around to figure out just what the hell she could do, but from the brief research done, it's believed the girl is able to do whatever a demon can do... What an odd analysis, considering no one really knows what that can entell.

Iris was forced to keep her abilities under lock and key, with great luck she's able to hide her physical features. The rest of her powers, she doesn't know, and she honestly doesn't want to find out. She's trying to become a hero, what kind of hero has a power like that? The twins' parents put them on a path, one that was built and prepped long before they were even born, what a burden to put on children. Iris wants to defy all odds, to show the world that she's not her quirk. It doesn't matter if no one believes in her, not even her own parents. She has her sister, her twin, someone who's been by her side since birth. Someone who will always have her back, that will never change... right?

This story is one of betrayal, manipulation, all kinds of abuse, moral questioning, and even questioning of one's sanity... but it's also a story of friendship, trust, found family, love, and the indomitable human spirit. This is the very definition that sometimes, your family can end up being the ones you share no blood with.

Okay, so tell me, does that sound interesting? I hope so, cause these characters, this plot, has been on my mind for years nonstop, it's something that needs to be told. And I feel like a lot of people can relate to some of the things in this fic. I'm currently rewriting the first 6 or so chapters, cause once I picked up the story again long ago, I just kept writing from where I left off, so the first chapters aren't adjusted to the new direction the fanfiction is now going. It's going to be Canon compliant but not perfectly, it will have its own arcs and storyline, and of course, depending on how the show finishes, I'll have to adjust. But overall, I love the plot of MHA, so I don't want to change too much. I appreciate anyone who supports me with this. Thank you guys a lot. Stay tuned.

[whitneys-puppyslut]

desperate & obsessed (M!Kylar x M!Whitney part 1)

18+ / Minors DNI

How Kylar's obsession with Whitney would start Includes: sub!M!kylar who likes to be manhandled and degraded, dom!M!Whitney, no actual smut but we're getting there, stalker behavior, whitney is aggressive and a bit violent, gn!PC mentioned, bullying, kylar's weird-ass drawings

Does anyone else ship Kylar and Whitney? Maybe it's the fact that I project onto Kylar and am IN LOVE with Whitney (okay it definitely IS that) but I just feel like their dynamic could be so good. Imagine, if you will, a Kylar who never paid any mind to Whitney. He never really paid any mind to anybody, the loner that he is... and Whitney avoided the little gremlin that is Kylar like the plague. Kylar was on loser status like no one else, even being in the general vicinity of him would tarnish Whitney's reputation. It didn't matter if he was bullying him or not, that's - - - Status right there. So Whitney focused on bullying other people, like PC! And the day that Kylar sees Whitney slam PC up against the lockers and breathe hot against their ear... that's when the obsession began. Not with PC, but with Whitney. DAMN if Kylar didn't want to be manhandled like that...

From then on, Kylar would try a little harder every day to get Whitney's attention. It started out with innocent stuff, y'know like figuring out Whitney's entire schedule while in school... where he hung out before school or at lunch, when he was alone versus with groups, what classes he did seldom attend and when... typical stalker Kylar stuff. Easy for him, really. But stalking him wasn't enough apparently, because either Whitney was stupid, or he was purposefully ignoring the pair of eyes boring into the back of his head that he felt most of each school day.

So, Kylar began to rip out pages from his sketchbook and leave them at Whitney's locker, his desk in math class, in his... bag? Whitney does not leave his bag unattended, so how that happened, he had no idea. And those sketchbook pages, obviously, where drawings of Whitney. Innocent, at first. Then a little provocative. Then it became drawings of Whitney and Kylar together, depicting all the nasty things Kylar wanted the bully to do to him–

Eventually, Whitney had had enough. He knew that uneasy feeling was from the freak being around the corner, he knew the face in those drawings (if it wasn't obvious by the "Kylar <3" signature on each piece), and he knew that if he didn't act now, his reputation would be RUINED.

So naturally, he had to give the freak what he wanted.

And he winced when, as he slammed Kylar against the wall just as he did to PC, the little rat fucking moaned.

"I know what you're fucking doing, freak."

Kylar whimpered, the fear going up his spine and the arousal he felt in his groin was everything he had been hoping for, he just prayed that Whitney would do this all the time, manhandle him, choke him, fuck him, breed him, make him his–

Whitney yanked the smaller boy up by the his collar and snarled, inches away from his face,

"I'm not. Fucking. Interested."

Kylar didn't hear any of that, instead hyper-focused on the fact that their lips were so close... he could just..!!

So he did, he leaned in and gave Whitney a peck on the lips, who promptly threw him to the ground.

Kylar's body collided with the hard flooring. He ignored the searing pain in his back, instead sitting up and looking at Whitney with that stupid, obsessed smile.

Whitney looked the freak in the eyes for the first time... uh, ever.

He had never realized how strikingly, enchantingly green they were.

And honestly, if Kylar just washed his hair once in a while, he might not look that bad... after all, Whitney could tell even under that baggy hoodie, that he had cute, small, frame of a body...

...

He probably had an even cuter dick–

NO! BAD WHITNEY!

"Don't get in my way again," he spat out. He walked away.

But he felt those green eyes in the back of his skull as he did so.

What he didn't see, was his wide, unhinged grin.

[rockybloo]

I'm curious, who would Jack end up with if Nana didn't exist? It's kinda cursed imagining the red beans with anyone except each other

Aight so when I started Beanstalked and was fleshing out Jack, I just KNEW I wanted him to end up with somebody. He had the vibes of a character who needed somebody to be in love with. I dunno how to explain it but that farm boy was the most "bonded pair-do not separate" coded fella but he didn't have another half to be bonded with

This is gonna be a long one

SO I tried to play match maker with some Beanstalked characters. I'mma just put a list and explain each character listed and why it didn't work:

Goldilocks: Very simple reasoning which was just "She's cute and dense-he is also cute and dense". However, because it was so simple it didn't have any meat to it and I just settled on them being pals. Goldilocks eventually became Maple and Maple winded up with her girlfriend Amelia instead.

Unnamed male Red Riding Hood: I went through two designs for Little Red Riding Hood before settling on Nana on a whim, who eventually stuck. The first little red was a little girl who very much fit the expectations of the fairy tale character. Obviously-she was a child so she was never in line for romance because...ew. But the second Red was an antagonist and a wolf boy. He had very Kisshu vibes to him and was obsessed with Jack...I should state this was a character I drafted up in my early teens during my peak time of discovering yaoi so...once again no meat to it. I also just didn't like the bitch because he had no personality other than bully Jack. I eventually scrapped him. Thank god too because just thinking back to him makes me cringe.

Cinderella: So...I was basically like "Well Cinderella is a fairy tale about a peasant who winds up becoming royalty after hardship. And Jack and the Beanstalk is about a peasant who winds up becoming rich after hardship...THAT'S LIKE A PERFECT MATCH FOR SOMETHING RIGHT?" I was fuckin' wrong. I can't even remember if I had any cute interactions planned between them. I scrapped the romance for friendship. Cinderella eventually became Ashe who eventually winded up with Pinokuni and Kai. Speaking Of Pinokuni...

Pinokuni: This puppet got super fuckin' close to becoming Jack's love interest. They literally had the fun dynamic of friendship and the banter and them risking it all to keep the other happy and safe. But the thing that sunk this ship was the simple fact that Pinokuni was and still is an asshole. And Jack is a guy who needs someone who isn't so hard due to him being a sensitive fella. The dynamic of their friendship ultimately would have been healthier for the two. Plus two masculine characters having a close friendship and being comfortable with it instead of questioning their sexualities is always a breath of fresh air. Eventually, Pinokuni winded up with Ashe. I winded up discovering that Kai had a similar relationship dynamic like Jack has with Pinokuni and realized he would work romantically with Pinokuni as well and even better than Jack because Kai, while he is sensitive, isn't afraid to bully Pinokuni back. And rather than ditching Ashe x Pinokuni for Pinokuni x Kai-I just tossed Kai into the mix because Pinokuni has two hands. So does Ashe. Now all three of them are in a happy polyamorous relationship together.

Odette: I dare say her and Pinokuni tied for the closest any Beanstalked character got to holding hands with Jack. SHE WAS SO DAMN CLOSE AS WELL! She was a princess and Jack was a peasant so it was practically a fairy tale romance writing itself. Plus, she is basically a swan and Jack had and still has duck energy to him. And one of the first drawings I've ever drawn and posted of Jack was with a character who is meant to be the Ugly Ducking, who is basically Odette's little duck friend that follows her around everywhere. So there's that cute concept of him being a little wing man. But it didn't work out for the simple reason that around that time, I had gotten around to working on a new Little Red Riding Hood who was more unique and not the same Red we've seen again and again. And what was just a random shot in the dark for a design winded up becoming a character who would eventually be the Nana we all know and love. Odette eventually became Anatina. Unlike the others on this list-she didn't wind up with anyone else romantically. She got pretty close to Kai being the one but it never worked out in my head. Currently she is close friends with Charming because girl and guy best buds is another underrated thing.

I think the major reason Nana won in the end over Odette is because she was just more fun to write for when it came to interactions with Jack. Princess x Peasant is a cute dynamic but it's also very common. Which isn't a bad thing but because it's so common all the possible interactions between Jack and Odette kinda wrote themselves.

For Jack and Nana, it was free range. Especially when I realized I really liked monsters during the early days of shipping them which lead to Nana becoming a Lupine. And that made their potential interactions even more fun for me to write. There's also the added cuteness of neither of them being royalty so they didn't gain anything from being together. And over the course of developing Beanstalked, it actually winded up becoming a point of potential conflict over what they lose ending up together since they aren't part of the same story.

So I am very happy picking Red Beans in the end. I don't know where I'd be without them and I love drawing them together.

I also think it's very funny that Nana is one of the strongest Beanstalked characters AND she literally beat everyone else when it came to holding Jack's hand. She truly is powerful.

[hungersauce]

need more on that monster attracted to death benry au STAT. it's so good actually

Firefox fucking crashed while I was typing this the first time im going to kill god. Tysm but god typing all this out again WOOF.

Okay so it starts here with “I use au's and shipping to explore concepts/characterization that I feel is overlooked/unexplored in canon” and Benry already has a lot of associations with death to me (the skeletons, his explicit dying whereas everyone else has other explanations, his 'song of death', “there are no predetermined deaths”, him being a inscrutable and inevitable force that is only your enemy if you make him so)

this is a horror-aligned thing so uh body horror and other violence under the cut

I have other stories with benry that explore his relationship with death as well, this is just the one where Benry understands how fucking bad it is for Gordon in the first place and it's more of an interpersonal conflict than one of misunderstandings. They still do misunderstand each other but like.

Anyways most of the basic stuff also goes for how I generally interpret Benry; he's a simulacrum of human life basically. He's always been dead, he's never been dead, he's always been alive and he's currently living. I made a thing a while back out of cut up wiki pages to try and explain what I think of him better but never got around to prettying it up.

Anyways. He's something like that one interpretation of a changeling to me; something that's usurped the body and eaten it from the inside out, until all that's left is him. Partially this is a plural thing to me. Old host chipped away over time until it's something else entirely. Whoever he was before doesn't exist anymore. There is only Benry. (what is benry? well, he is.)

And so uh, Deathry specifically is the horse edition of this. He actually looks human most of the time but it's fun to draw him as silly little beasts. Deathry as established is drawn to death; he feeds from this somehow (the horror hunger enjoyer in me said so) but i'm not sure yet if it's a physical sort of eating or more of an energy-based one. Leaning to both, like a vampire.

I tried making him as compatible with canon as possible on the mechanical level at first. Something that's drawn to the doomed and the damned? Well, we all know what the rescas was like. I think he's just so desensitized to death that he does understand the gravity of it on a deeper level but nobody cared when HE died so why bother.

The story itself isn't compatible though because I was listening to my fucked up and evil music and thought to myself “well if two guys were out hiking alone in the woods and one tried to kill the other with an axe would that be fucked up or what” and now that's thoroughly lodged in my head. and uhhhh the personal drama of it all.

Listen. I am a gay man. I think about frenrey and think about them choking each other to death and I giggle and swing my feet. I love when they are violence and killing.

But also I am a gay man and thinking about a literal embodiment of the condition of death sitting in a tent as the guy he personally cut the arm off of (yes, him, personally!) is slowly succumbing to the cold; wrapping Gordon in his jacket, quietly laying on top of Gordon as the weather gets worse through the night, unsure of what else he can do... comparing Gordon's blackened frostbitten fingers interlaced with his own skeletal black hands, Gordon's slowly crawling pulse to his maybe one heartbeat a minute, Gordon's once loud and comprehensive speech slowly descending to confused muttering, becoming more like him. More like dead. The rituals are intricate okay.

And uh something that makes me crazy is that Benry in canon was explicitly the thing that was holding the rift between worlds open and he didn't even. Notice. With Deathry that sheer power manifests as freak weather events, flocks of birds dropping dead mid-flight, interrupting radio signals, making compasses go crazy. That sort of shit.

Deathry also takes pictures in places he ends up. Gordon is fucking flabbergasted at the underwater caves, dive bells from the outside, impossible angles on known landmarks, but it makes sense to him later. Gordon's probably more riled up by all the random shit Benry's collected over the years - what do you mean you don't want this coat covered in decomp?? aren't you cold??

Anyway. Au is also a fun excuse to think about frenrey shenanigans. Turns up in a hospital after being missing for 3 months raving about a guy who defies all physics with wounds that are only a few days old. Thinks about him for the next month until he randomly shows the fuck up with photos of Gordon bleeding in the snow with benry posed with the axe in front of him like they're having a fun girls night out

[naffeclipse]

Naff! Naff! I finally read the last chapter of Song Fish!! Let me just start with saying that I am not normal about this chapter, not at all. There's so many things happening here that make me go INSANE in the BEST WAY!!!

Enjoy my essay!! XD

(Sorry, it gets a little gory at one point)

I HATE (hate-love you know~) how Circus forcefully gives y/n air and then drag them underwater again. She's so insanely cruel. Treating y/n like they're nothing more than a tool. I love how you made her into just a villain. Part of me for some reason thought that she would be some kind of anti-villian who didn't wanna just straight up kill you for personal gain, but man I was so wrong! Djfkfjhfjr

The dread and hopelessness we're immediately thrusted into and have to endure through the first half of the chapter is so well done and sets the tone so well! The glimpses of hope through the living nightmare y/n is going through keeps both y/n and the reader hoping for all this to end, it was hard to breathe sometimes and I could imagine the absolute darkness so vividly.

The absolute terror of being stuck in a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea.. that's the most terrifying place to be. It's like being stranded in space. Y/n really got the iron lung experience huh..

The visual I got whenever Circus was in the air pocket was striking. The way she lights up the entire space and water below in red is terrifying and in ways beautiful. Her giant green eyes have been seared into my mind and retinas somehow, I can visualize them so clearly against the red glow of her body.

Her tentacles snatching up y/n, squeezing and tossing them around in this already claustrophobic space sounds like literal hell and how y/n tries desperately to wipe the slick slime from Circus' tentacles away after she's let them go makes me cry :'0

It's terrifying how she can manipulate and control y/n so easily. Mers have all the control over their humans, knowing that fact makes me melt more over how sweet and caring Sun, Moon and Freddy are (and also Eclipse♥️). Just thinking back to Vanessa now and how Glitch controlled her like a puppet... I'm glad Circus never got that far with y/n..

Freddy saves the day!!! Aw Freddy, he's so sweet c': and oh my god Gregory what the hell are you doing out there with so many broken bones! I appreciate your help immensely but DAMN!!

Oh man and here's the fight! HERE'S THE FIGHT!!!

No no!! It's not fair, Sun stands no chance even when fighting back! Circus is a coward for forcing y/n to tell Sun not to fight,, she has the power to make it easier for herself yes and it's smart of her to use that power, but man it's cruel...

I feel like I say the same thing every time, but the way you write fight scenes between monsters is always so spectacular, bloody and filled with so much anger and heavy emotions. I'm blown away every time!!

When Circus's jaws opened up and her face pealed back I had to stop and celebrate! I'm so happy you kept that terrifying feature of hers and used it exactly like I did with my drawings of her! I'm just over the moon that my weird design turned out to be accurate to the fic! XD

She's terrifying! I love her! And hate her!

The tearing and slashing and biting AAAAA!!!! Oh god poor y/n having to feel what ALL THREE are feeling,,

Thank god for Freddy being there to stop Circus. The glimpses of fright finally being felt from her is SO SATISFYING! She screwed up majorly by messing with this group of mers and humans, and finally she's feeling that regret and fear for what she's brought upon herself.

They tore her head off!!?!!? Absolute BEASTS!!!!

I try to imagine how much that'd hurt but it's impossible. To Circus the pain stopped once her neck broke apart, but for y/n it persists. To feel every nerve snap, the skin tear, muscles rip and spine break and then the fading of consciousness on top of it all. And have all that pain stay after you're supposed to have died from it.. yeah I have no way to describe it and no way of imagining how that must feel. ....I'm not surprised y/n fainted.. though I do believe it was something more than just a faint..

*Deep inhale*

THEM!!!! FISHER AND ECLIPSE!!! IT'S THEM!!!!!!!

Oh I am not normal over our two y/ns meeting each other!! I screamed and cheered and nearly cried I was so happy to see those two again!!!

The way fisher is there to greet y/n and help guide them is PERFECT! And Eclipse being there too in his full glory, his beautiful red and orange colors against the bright white sky and dark star dotted ocean is striking. Absolute eye candy (which is funny to say cause it's writing, but you paint everything up so well so I can visualize it without any problems!)

I love this afterlife, or in-between life and death you've created, it sounds so peaceful and otherworldly.

Excuse me for a second as I scream into my pillow. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THEY TURNED INTO YOUNG VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES BEFORE THEY LEFT!!!! AAAAAAA MY HEART!!!!! I'M CRYING!!!!!! I love them so much,, fisher and Eclipse are so precious to me and I'm SO HAPPY TO SEE THEM AGAIN!!!

I love how you've tied these two stories together and how one of them even effects the other. I really wanna reread Deep Dreams, it's soon been a whole year since I first read it!

Fisher and mer Eclipse hold a special place in my heart. I'm so happy you brought them back for this conclusion, it's a beautiful conclusion to their story too ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

I wonder how much Sun and Moon could feel when y/n was under. Could they sense the presence of another great mer near their human or see what y/n was seeing? Or did they feel nothing, nothing at all, and for a moment thought they had lost the person they live for? My brain goes brrrrrrrrrr when I think about it~

They're like cats! Since when were they like cats!? They're licking each other's wounds!! AAAAA SWEETIES!!!

Can I ask again what kind of sailboat this new one is?? Aaaa they're painting it so prettyyyy!!! :'D

YES GO TO THE ABANDONED SHACK!! YEEES FIND THE SEASHELL!!! YEEEEES PUT IT WITH THE OTHERS WHERE IT BELONGS!!!! I'm not normal pdkdjdkd

Naff oh my god!! I loved this so much!!! NAFF I'M RATTLING YOU!!!! Thank you for this wonderful story, I enjoyed it immensely all the way through♥️

I hope you enjoyed my many thoughts pdjddskdj and I hope you're doing well! Remember to take care of yourself a little extra now when you're stretched thin between responsibilities and school stuff. Remember to stretch, hydrate and get plenty of rest~

Until next time I scream in your inbox, take care! I love you! ♥️♥️♥️

Meep, I am enjoying your essay wholeheartedly, you have no idea!!!

Oh my gosh, Y/N is getting the iron lung experience ;-; Too many terrifying situations under the oceans these days!

Yup, that's what poor Vanessa went through! Fisher Y/N thankfully never had to find out what a terrible mer could do with such a bond, but I wanted to explore that concept more, and who better than our fearful little Y/N trying to do their best?

BABE I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKE THE RETURN OF ECLIPSE AND FISHER Y/N!!! It was one of my favorite scenes to write!

As for what the boys felt when Y/N was gone, it was a stark emptiness. The strict feeling of something needing to be there but wasn't. It was so out of place and terrifying. The boys were truly scared that they had lost their little seashell.

The next sailboat is a sloop as well! Y/N got pretty attached to that type hehe

Ahhh, I'm rattling you in return!!! I'm so glad you'll tell me your thoughts on it and I'm even happier that you enjoyed it all!!!

I'm doing good, thank you! I hope you are, too, and make sure you take it easy on yourself ♥ I love you, too!!!

[mamamittens]

Head empty, no thoughts

Just marine Nikia going through the rough patch of being held hostage by WBPs

Can't quite recall my last musings on the subject, but I do remember a few notes.

Mainly that her wings are smaller than... 'canon'. About a bit bigger than Shanandoans(??) where the wings go from above her head to about calves. Not flight capable but able to glide. And her hair is curly, very short asymmetrical bob. Tips about cheek level and a very short undercut.

I think I last imagined her as like, very low rank.

Anyway! Her crew and herself are captured! They ended up in WBP territory by accident on an unrelated mission and got intercepted by a contingent ship. Then transferred to the Moby for secure holding while they figure out what they wanted to do. At the time, Whitebeard didn't want any direct conflict with the Marines. Mainly a "I respect your space if you respect mine" deal, perhaps a holiday was drawing near and Whitebeard liked to keep the fuss to a minimum around that time.

Did I have her being sick at the time? I think I did??? But maybe she wasn't.

Maybe she was in the fight, doing decently well for an ensign (maybe trainee navigator while the Marines were trying to find her niche for Optimal Duty Assignment). Probably with batons cause she's still new to fighting and her wings are big enough to be a hazard if she fucks up with her blades. That and she prefers it this way.

Anyway, one of her crew mates is getting their ass beat and she clears house well enough to assist. Using Baby Armament Haki on her wings to shield them but it's not held very well and she ends up going down cause her wing is fucking broke. The main issue that she didn't have enough of the haki on her wings, so only part of it was shielded.

She's never injured a wing before, and even if she had, there's a LOT GOING ON IN THERE. It's all she can do to not scream, ashen pale and drenched in cold sweat as she tries to keep her wings pinned to her back.

She's still covering her crewmate though, and that's one of the reasons the WBP contingent didn't just sink the whole damn crew. Feeling kinda bad about it all (and curious about this ensign who seemingly just manifested armament well enough to not lose her whole wing). She does pass out before learning of their fate, her crew mate mistakenly touching her injured wing doing her in.

She comes to a few days later lightly sedated and wings tightly bandages up with splints. Doctors and nurses hovering over x-rays in fascination as they tell her she's bed bound for a few weeks, and her wings restrained for probably a couple of months until they heal. No haki until then, either.

Once the contingent returns to the Moby, she's transfered to the official med bay. Very awkward and uncomfortable being surrounded by pirate strangers as a marine. Her crew mates, after being checked over, are put in holding cells. They protested the separation pretty hard, which Whitebeard respected, but informed them it was happening anyway.

Marco is pretty intrigued and has all sorts of questions about her wings. Probably the first person she relaxes around enough to even mention her home islands.

As someone stuck in the med bay, eventually Thatch comes by (nosy) to personally deliver food. He surprises her as she attempts to groom her wings. The bandages very thorough but several feathers are very uncomfortable settled and its been driving her nuts.

"I'm pretty sure Marco will be pissed if he saw you messing with the bandages like that."

Nikia freezes, face flushed with embarrassment.

"...my feathers itch. I think I'm molting..."

"Oh! You molt, angel?" Thatch eagerly asks, carrying the tray of food closer. Trying not to laugh at the subtly displeased face she makes.

"Not an angel--please don't start with that. I've had to argue with several Marines about that already." She huffs, carefully picking at the bandages to tug her feathers into better place.

They end up in light conversation about how she handles her feathers.

"So, why are you a marine anyway?" He asks, watching as she gives up and gingerly flops back onto the bed with a pout. "I mean, you clearly don't have a high pain tolerance. Or a burning hatred of pirates."

"Only thing I hate is slavers." She admits softly. "They hit my home a lot when I was young... Mom never came back. Then the Marines found my home and thought it made a good retirement place. I wanted to get away. Or make sure it couldn't happen again... Seemed as good as anything else at the time." She mused softly.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. How old..."

"I was six. And then fourteen when I unofficially joined the Marines." She huffed with a shrug.

"I see... So, what's your favorite food?" He steers the conversation away to something lighter. When Marco does turn up, he's a bit confused about why Thatch is there. Usually someone else in his division does food deliveries. And for a bit, Marco assumes Thatch would be satisfied with one visit, but no. He keeps coming back.

And Izou ends up dropping by, curious about the marine that caught Thatch's attention. Before long, most of the commanders were visiting her, including Whitebeard.

And Nikia just assumes they're all super fucking bored or interested in her wings.

They're almost completely healed when Marco brings up an interesting point.

"... They've grown."

"Huh?" Nikia looks at Marco from her wing, fingers buried in messy feathers.

"Your wings. They've grown several inches."

"... That's weird. Usually my people's wings stop growing in their teens. It's a little late for growth spurts --but that does explain the aching." Nikia mused. "Ugh, another molt--another sign of growth spurts I guess. Can you look over the other side? I swear I feel a few pin feathers growing in..." She curses under her breath, breaking a sheathed feather between her fingers.

Not one to turn down the opportunity to play with such massive, soft feathers, Marco does so.

"... Yep. And a few are growing in darker too."

"... Super weird. Color changes are also not supposed to happen at this stage."

Marco narrows his eyes but says nothing.

He also narrows his eyes at the next Commander Meeting when Thatch brings up their 'prisoners'

"So, are we keeping them or...?"

"You mean her?" Haruta asks dryly with a side eye. Thatch sputters but fails to deny it clearly. Whitebeard chuckling to himself.

"We can hardly keep them forever... Unless they abandon the Marines themselves." Whitebeard points out. Thatch gets a devious look and Izou takes the time to shake his head and sigh.

"Oh, shut up! Like you weren't thinking the same thing!" Thatch grumbles, glaring at Izou.

"Shouldn't be too hard. At least for her. She mostly feels indebted to the Marines because they saved her island from perpetual slave trade threats. And even then, they just did it to make her home a retirement spot." Marco pointed out. "But some offers to help hone her haki would probably be a good opener." He mused.

Thatch immediately sits up.

"I can do that!"

"Haven't you been neglecting haki yourself?"

"It'll be a good reminder!"

"You could at least pretend to not be desperately crushing on the marine, Thatch. In front of your partner, no less... Shameless."

"He! Also wants to try!"

"Well, then we know which divisions she won't be assigned to, don't we?" Someone muttered dryly.

"You better treat her with respect then, son. I won't have you recruit her just to abandon her soon after." Whitebeard warns softly. "She'll be my daughter too, then, and you know the rules." He reminds Thatch and Izou, referring to the long established rules of dating crew members.

Something that was a necessity with a crew this large and so often referring to each other as some version of 'family'.

"Of course, Pops!" Thatch agrees firmly. "Would never dream of it otherwise!"

I imagine the rules is something along the lines of requiring open communication. No seducing only to have a one night stand and never intend to talk again. Total agreement on both sides. No getting in the way of duties. Commanders cannot date their own subordinates. No secret relationships, if you want it casual that's fine, but if something happens it needs to be out in the open so everyone can react accordingly in an emergency. Keep it between yourselves, no sex in the open or around others.

Shit like that.

And Nikia has no idea of the shit storm brewing, still assuming the life of piracy is currently boring as shit. More concerned with how fucking itchy her wings are, just recently freed from bondage and bigger, fluffier than ever.

[blacklegsanjiii]

North Blue Language CH 10

“The hell are you two doing?” Zoro snaps, making them both look at him.

(woops it's been a minute, Tumblr gets 3 chapters today)

The cook doesn't let Zoro touch him again. At least, not like that. They still fight, train. Touching the cook with any sort of kindness is out of the question. Actually the cook isn't touching anyone on his own accord, Luffy will tackle or climb him when he's hungry and Robin will lay a hand on his shoulder when they pass but the cook’s hands do not wander.

Punk Hazard has them forming an alliance with Law and the Heart Pirates. Law is just about as touchy as a cactus but he sticks close to the cook in a way that makes Zoro’s skin crawl. The cook can handle himself and by the looks he and Robin pass each other it’s fine with how close Traffy is.

“I’m worried about Sanji.” Nami tells him with a huff.

“Why?” Zoro asks, he's not. Cook’s fine. “He seems fine.”

“It's just, when we switched bodies he didn't even try to peek!” Nami exclaims and Zoro cocks a brow at her.

“You're angry he’s not perving on you?” Zoro asks in disbelief.

“It's just not like him! He's been so different since he got back. He's not hugging anyone, he's smoking way more, whatever is happening is concerning.” Nami explains drawing a shape in the snow. “He hates the cold and hasn't complained once.”

“If Luffy isn't concerned then we shouldn't be.” Zoro shrugs and Nami looks at him with anger.

“He's not okay! You're Luffy's voice of reason and you know it! He's part of our crew, he's Luffy's left hand like you're his right! You're the monster trio not duo!” Nami exclaims, giving him a look of rage.

“He's a cook.” Zoro shrugs so Nami huffs at him and walks away. If the Cook wants to be different, let him. Mihawk and Sora won't be disappointed in him at all. But he's not the cook’s parents, he's nakama, sure. If the Cook wants to act like this then let him. He wonders about phoning them real quick on a denden mushi to make sure they know.

Law also saves Sanji, haphazardly but he does. Zoro fixes him with a look that doesn't waver the warlord. Law fixes him with one of his own and then follows Sanji. Luffy doesn't seem bothered at all still so Zoro shrugs it off. Zoro heads into the galley about a half hour later in search of sake and freezes.

Kikoku is a long cursed sword that's home is on Law's shoulder, it's almost as tall as the man who carries it and Sanji is holding Kikoku and inspecting it like he's held swords everyday of his damned life. Law is leaning against the counter watching with the barest hint of amusement. Sanji unsheathes it and inspects the blade closer.

“The hell are you two doing?” Zoro snaps, making them both look at him.

“Fuck off, Mosshead. This sword won't try to kill me, it's well behaved unlike Kitetsu.” Sanji snaps back. “Damn, my old man would've loved this thing.”

“A collector?” Law asks.

“Of sorts.” Sanji answers as he sheathes the sword and gives it back.

“A pity for swords to never be used.” Law said as Kikoku finds its home again.

“They were all used plenty. Had a display room where we'd go through and pick apart each one.” Sanji grins as he starts making onigiri. “No umeboshi, right?”

“Thank you, Blackleg-ya.” Law nods.

“You two are awfully chummy.” Zoro says as he grabs a bottle of sake to drink. Sanji doesn't even say anything, he just makes onigiri and doesn't look at him. Law tilts his head at the first mate though, interest wafting off him in waves that makes Zoro scowl.

“Dressrosa next then, and after?” Sanji asks Law.

“I don't plan on leaving Dressrosa.” Law says and Zoro watches Sanji stiffen slightly but doesn't stop.

“You better think of a backup plan for if you do.” Is all Sanji says.

“Tch, rich coming from you.” Zoro mutters and Sanji glares at him.

“Get the fuck out my galley and don't come back until dinner.” The cook orders.

“Ain't your ship, Cook.” Zoro mutters and he’s kicked off his chair and then out of the galley. The door is slammed shut and locked as Zoro stares at it.

“Quit pissing him off!” Nami yelled at him.

“What's going on?” Usopp asked.

“Sanji has been different since he came back.” Nami explains as she looks at Zoro. “And he's been pissing him off endlessly.”

“But we all came back different.” Luffy points out.

“Luffy, he's not okay.” Nami points to the galley. “This is the most normal he's been and it's over a warlord who would kill us all if it came to it.”

“Traffy won't do that.” Luffy says focusing on the second half.

“Nami, I assure you Cook-san is doing his best given his circumstances. We're all different now.” Robin assures her.

“I want him to be happy again.” Nami sighs.

“You could show us your panties.” Brook suggests only to be hit with her Climattack staff and fly into the mast. The samurai, the kid with him, and the clown painter watch with wide eyes. Zoro doesn't think about the cook for the rest of the day, even during dinner he drinks more than he thinks. If Sanji isn't happy, why does it matter?

~*~

One night before Dressrosa Law and the cook are on deck. Dishes done for the night as Zoro prepares for watch. Everyone is on deck still and Cook and Law are talking in a different language Zoro has only ever heard the cook sing in. It sounds more natural than the Common Blue they all spoke and encountered on the Grand Line and in the New World. It catches Luffy's attention and Zoro watches the captain bound over.

“Traffy, you know the moon song too, right?” Luffy asks eagerly. Law blinks at the man as Cook laughs and says something in the other language. Law nods slowly as a frown forms on his face. “Will you sing with Sanji?”

“I don't sing, Strawhat-ya.” Law glowers at the younger.

“Live a little, Law.” Cook grins and elbows Law in the ribs lightly.

“Now isn't appropriate-” Law starts but is cut off by the cook in the other language. Law sighs and they start singing, albeit Law sings so softly and seems to be hating it, himself, and the cook the whole time. Even when Brook joins in with his violin. Everyone is watching and Law looks ready to throw himself overboard by the end. Everyone claps and cheers and Luffy is the loudest.

The cook says something else to Law before waving and leaving the deck to sleep. The next day when they make landfall Zoro corners the Cook, they're alone. No Law or anyone else around even if they've been practically inseparable.

“When Hawkeye came back from Marineford I heard her scream and cry.” Zoro says and the Cook looks at him with sunken eyes.

“Shitty Moss, leave it.” He says as he goes to leave.

“Does Law know?” Zoro asks and the Cook shrugs before he dodges past to leave. When Zoro rejoins Law tilts his head at him but doesn't say anything. No one does. They say their goodbyes and the Cook is off with the Thousand Sunny.

“Have I upset you, Zoro-ya?” Law asks later before they split to take on the Donquixote family.

“What exactly is your plan with the cook?” He asks.

“There's no plan.” Law answers. “He's your cook.”

“A pretty shit one at that.” Zoro grouses and Law tilts his head.

“He caters to your every need without the expectation of repayment. He doesn't ask for anything or begrudges you in any way. If you were on my crew I would use you as spare parts.” Law says.

“The hell? You barely know the guy!” Zoro yells at him.

“I would argue he's an open book.” Law shrugs. “Blackleg-ya is a far better man to deal with you as much as he does than I.”

“Enough, both of you. Let's go.” Robin interrupts them with a glare at Zoro. Law nods and follows, they all do. At some point the Sunny starts getting attacked so Sanji leaves to protect it. He was part of the ship's protection crew so Zoro doesn't begrudge him much but he still does. It's Chopper who shocks him as he answers the snail transponder call.

“We're leaving! We have to if we don't want Caesar to get caught by Doflamingo and Sanji is too injured to fight right now.” Chopper explains. Right, Zoro has forgotten about the gas clown and he was integral to this whole thing.

“What, Shit-Cook got injured so Law is sending you ahead?” Zoro asks as he looks to the sea with furrowed brows.

“Doflamingo and his strings. They sliced him up pretty good. You guys focus on your parts! We'll meet you at Zou!” Chopper says to them and then the call is over and Zoro growls as he shoves it in his pocket.

Everything that happens, it all goes well. It's going well, all things considered. Even after the cook leaves and fires on Big Mom's ship with permission. The birdcage, Law cutting off his own arm.

They're all alive and sailing to Zou. They're bounties have been raised again and Bartolomeo is crushing hard on all the Strawhats. Their voluntary army that Luffy doesn't care for, doesn't think is necessary really, promises to be with them for anything and everything and Zoro knows that's a good thing.

“I've noticed something weird.” Bartolomeo says to Zoro since Luffy is distracted.

“Huh? What's that?” Zoro asks him.

“Blackleg’s poster says to bring him in alive. Only alive. The rest of you are dead or alive.” Bartolomeo says as he shows Zoro the bounty and even Robin is concerned. Maybe it's to announce an execution like Ace or something, Zoro thinks. No one says anything more about it as they head for the ancient elephant.

[mirror-to-the-past]

More (Apparently) KH3:Remind and Melody of Memory Stuff

Spiritually pounding on the windows of the Square Enix building- what do you MEAN I find out via YouTube that there's story cutscenes locked behind those egregious Data fights?? (That I'll personally beat... someday...)

(I also just went ahead and watched all the cutscenes for Melody of Memory, because I didn't want to play through a $60 rhythm game, sorryyy)

But first, Re:Mind and its sneaky, sneaky cutscenes...

Everything with Yozora has me Bonkers. I can't believe they've done this. Echoing Sora's first line in the series "I've been having these weird thoughts lately" through his own side of the story, him saying that he doesn't look like how he appears, the 'why do you know that name,' the "save Sora" while immediately drawing a gun on the man in question?? I'm just... *screaming noises* They're bringing everything together with the fiction versus reality stuff they have going on, and guys, I get SO excited when some games go meta. I'm squealing like a little girl; I'm ecstatic. Despite Sora being in (what I now know as Quadratum) and the background of the Yozora fight reflecting that, I can't help but wonder if it was another internal fight due to the arena switching to Sora's Heart Station for a second, akin to Roxas' fight in KH2.

And the music was so pretty... Yozora has a gorgeous theme. The prettier the battle theme, the more insane the KH fight, I say.

Also Riku was dreaming of Sora for a year. Lmao. He just... didn't say anything about it, while everyone was busting their asses. I'll be honest, literally the only way I could take that is that he dismissed his dreams as irrelevant- ah yes, dreaming of Sora? Nothing crazy to see here. Oh, Riku.

Also more importantly than Riku's angst deal- KAIRI WAS LAUNCHED INTO SPACE WHEN SHE WAS A PRESCHOOLER TO ACT AS A KEYBLADE WIELDER HOMING DEVICE, JESUS CHRIST. Kairi 🤝 Megamind 🤝 potentially Superman (I'm not a comics guy):

Getting launched out of their home planets into space in order to escape the destruction of their worlds, given vague and confusing scenarios and instructions to adapt to once they find a new planet, but they really just wanna chill and be loved and keep people safe.

And she's gonna train with Aqua! :D Another professional at getting launched into other worlds (realms). I hope she bonds with Ventus, as I've recently been made aware of their similarities in disposition, and how they are treated by others (hearts of pure light, designated by their groups as "the one who should stay home/be protected", wavering self confidence in their own abilities and self worth). Additionally, the hilarious potential scenarios of Kairi being like "yeah, and my favorite color's actually-" and Ventus interrupts with "Purple. I know," because the man essentially vicariously lived Sora's childhood. I'm super stoked for future Kairi screentime! Loved when she saw Xehanort in her memories and was like 'I don't care if you're a memory, data, manifestation of my heart or any other thing- I hate you, get out of my life forever. Hugs and kisses, die.' Like, 10/10, girl. Fair. Kairi's a volcano wrapped in a sweet package ready to snap at someone.

Riku's like "Y'know Ansem, I'm gonna miss you... 🥺"

And Sora's like "Xemnas, stooop all the violence. How can you take advantage of people with hearts? You should feel your feelings. You're valid, bestie. ☺️"

Kairi's no bleeding heart for baddies, she just wants everyone to get off her damn case, lol!

Also LOL at the fairy godmother of all people being the one to ship Riku off to Quadratum after Sora. My Cinderiku jokes (as well as my previous KH3 post's blurb about Riku determinedly walking into the ocean to find Sora) may not be completely unwarranted, now. Like, Miss 'specialty in dreams?' Miss "If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am." Not even to mention "a dream is a wish your heart makes," a very relevant lyric for this set of circumstances, if I do say so myself. I guess that's just gonna be another song I love and sing to myself that now makes me think of KH. 🤷 There's worse things I suppose, for example, like Buddy Holly being stuck in my head for three days straight and making me feel like I'm trapped listening to my uncle's records (thanks, Good Omens).

I ended up re-watching "Cinderella" for the first time in a while because of that part of Re:Mind and MoM. The KH association of the part with Fairy Godmother's appearance is now semi-heartwrenching, given the context of her appearance in "Cinderella," as well:

You have the vocalizing chorus throughout the opening of the scene acting as a callback to Cinderella's "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" song as well as reflecting her inner thoughts, and she has a dialogue with it while she sobs alone in the garden:

Chorus: Whatever you wish for, you keep...

Cinderella: "Oh, no... no, it isn't true."

Chorus: Have faith in your dreams and someday... your rainbow will come smiling through!

Cinderella: "It's just no use. No use at all."

Chorus: No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing...

Cinderella: "I can't believe! Not anymore..."

Chorus: The dream that you wish... *lyric trails off, unfinished*

Cinderella: "There's nothing left to believe in... nothing..."

[Fairy Godmother materializes next to her]

FG: "Nothing my dear? Oh, now you don't really mean that."

Cinderella: "Oh, but I do-"

FG: "Nonsense, child! If you lost all your faith, I couldn't be here, and here I am!"

[the violin and cello come in to finish the last part of the lyric] "...will come true."

Beautiful scene, really. The chorus assisting the animation is delightful... I watched Bambi and Lady and the Tramp (Bella Notte <3) a lot growing up because I loved that old-timey choral work. So dreamy...

Additional funny/sweet bit: I like how Mickey was freaking out to the point of being pinned down over Riku being unceremoniously dropped into Quadratum via Fairy Godmother's spontaneity and enabling.

'You sent my son to the big city ALONE?! He could get mugged, he could get lost, he could get hate-crimed, he could-'

*jump cut to Riku, and he's trying to gauge the value of Earth Money by spying on hot dog stands. He sheds his first known tear of the series by trying to figure out public transit routes*

Anyway, in the words of Cid:

"But what happens next?!"

[thistleation]

I’m so obsessed with your eldritch space fic, I just can’t get it out of my head! I swear I catch myself thinking about it at least once per day. It’s got me really wanting to finally get into sci-fi media again and I’m wondering if you happen to have any recommendations?

Oh wow.

Damn.

Okay well first of all, holy shit, thank you!

I knew BoSaS was well liked by a handful of people, but until now I didn't think anyone besides me belonged in the "thinks about it daily category" 😭💖

As for sci-fi recs... well this is going to be a bit scattershot.

I've honestly not really kept up with recent sci-fi due to over a decade of major depression and not having my shit together, and I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the sci-fi that comes out these days in visual media, so I'm trying to make some time to read some of the sci-fi stories of recent years, but again, that's a work in progress, so can't really rec much in that regard.

First things first though, if you like Beyond our Space and Starlight, I absolutely have to rec luminous beings by @daisychainsandbowties .

It's warrior nun, it's star wars, it's got the suffering and the crying and the patented Cas poetic beauty amid the despair. It's SO fucking good and if you've not read it (and its companion pieces in the same setting) you absolutely gotta.

And also before I go any further, shouting out the Bifrost Incident which @the-darkness-does-not-bargain so kindly introduced me to. (don't look up anything about it, just listen). I assume that the main motivation behind you asking is something along the lines of "what kind of sci-fi was the inspiration behind this?" To which I'd have to say it's a mix that's a little eclectic and mainly old.

But let's talk about them because why not:

First off, the biggest influence is probably the original Star Wars trilogy, with dashes of the prequel trilogy.

I could write an essay about this, but I guess I could condense my opinion on Star Wars (and its relation to BoSaS) very simplified into something like: "Yes! You SHOULD bring swords and myth/magic into sci-fi... no, not quite like that!"

Rogue One brought it back and did it pretty well. (Only truly good recent Star Wars movie) I'd also draw from other sci-fi classics like the original Alien movies, the first two Terminators and Blade Runner.

Not to be all "the original is always better," but I feel like an issue with a lot of modern sci-fi is that the setting is too effaced, it lacks story and it's just a vehicle for spectacle. I like sci-fi stories where space is BIG and scary, and being on a ship surrounded by millions upon millions of miles of vacuum, utterly hostile to life? That should feel a little claustrophobic! Or at least occasionally unsettling.

If you hit the original movies, you're more likely to catch more of the vibe of the setting itself being an important character in the story, which to me is an essential aspect of my favourite kind of sci-fi content.

Okay this is getting long, let's go over the rest faster.

Ghost in the Shell

The original movie and the Stand Alone Complex (second season especially).

This is probably one of my biggest formative experiences on my "didn't realize they were trans at the time" adolescent brain.

High concept, transhumanism, guns, fast action, and enough of a spiritual/philosophical vibe to keep it from getting bland.

Then in a similar vein of physical dissociation and occasional body horror, but you want it to be even more fucked up?

Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm

The original run in particular. This along with Ghost in the Shell was what shaped my interest in sci-fi around my adolescence. I liked how both weren't afraid to introduce philosophical, almost spiritual and mythological elements to their futuristic stories.

Ghost in the Shell especially is like, the powers of mythical creatures, achieved through technology, and it leans into that and so you get an almost spiritual experience as an end result.

This story gets fucked up at times, but it's beautiful and heart wrenching all the same.

Prey

In contrast to my "watch the originals" statement of earlier, this is a recent predator movie that's actually good.

Thorgal

Okay this one isn't sci-fi, but I'm adding it to the list because this takes my love of adding magical/fantasy elements to sci-fi, but from the other direction: a story of a viking outcast, featuring gods and mythical creatures, but ALSO sci-fi elements as the lead character is of a race of spacefaring human(oids?)

Again, the first 20-odd books especially.

A powerhouse of the classic Franco-Belgian comics, nothing quite like it.

It's getting late and this is getting long, if any mutuals wanna tag on their recs for weird and not-so-weird sci-fi, please feel free.

[cosmicjoke]

i am so sorry u had to deal with that anon, i hope you are feeling ok! :’) it sucks how shippers make their own reputation bad by not accepting another perspective/opinion :/ and to go to this extent over a fictional ship is just… something else😭 i’ll never understand how some can’t just enjoy their ship in peace and always have to prove it is canon and fight everyone else who doesn’t think like them, as if you can’t enjoy a ship otherwise?

anon just reminded me why i never took an interest in any levi ship, and i probably never will. i sooo wanted to say that i didn’t understand why anon suddenly started to hate on levi x oc shippers, but it’s obvious bc most oc’s are depicted as women and that is against their ‘canon’ ship and beliefs about levi😭 why care so much, levi can be whatever sexuality you want seeing as nothing was confirmed, so just take a step back, touch some grass and let people enjoy whatever they like :’)

anyways, once again im sorry u had to deal with all of that i can’t even imagine how tiring or frustrating it must be to always be attacked/asked about the same things constantly. i love your levi posts and i feel like you really analyze him very well! happy holidays :’)

Thank you so much, truly.

I've said again and again that I have nothing against any ship or shipping group. People can ship Levi with whoever they want. But these people who harass me over it, then accuse me of "talking" about it all the time, but the only reason I talk about it is because they're the ones asking me about it.

The thing is, is I just want to talk about what's in the actual story. Levi has no love interest in the story, either directly acknowledged or even implied. Everything this person sited as evidence or "proof" of Levi being romantically interested in Erwin, I addressed to the best of my abilities. They didn't want to accept it, and then they accuse me of being a hypocrite, trying to claim that all of my analysis posts are based on the same, speculative, inconclusive and flimsy material they base their beliefs on. As if breaking down text, expression, sequential order of panels, and patterns in the text and past character behavior is the same as taking an off-handed comment from Isayama in an interview from ten years ago or whatever and using it as proof of some super secret hidden romantic interest between Levi and Erwin. You can literally look at every post of mine analyzing AoT and find evidence supporting, pretty damn concretely, my conclusions in the actual text. And I'm hardly alone in that. There's many, many great AoT fans who write brilliant analysis posts about the manga/anime, using only the source material. But these people can never point to a single panel or word bubble or piece of text that supports this notion that Levi was in love with Erwin, or anyone, for that matter. They need to site promotional material to try and back up their claims, and extrapolate meaning from the panels and texts which isn't, in any discernible, concrete way actually supported by the text and panels. They literally need to twist Levi's words and actions in the most absurd, nonsensical, illogical manner in order to make it fit. That isn't how Isayama operates as a writer. Even when there's subtext, there's a clear, undeniable line between it and the action on the page. That's what analysis is based on, after all. There has to be a viable, evident reason for drawing certain conclusions.

Levi holding the serum against his chest, or touching Erwin's hand when he took the serum from him, or him thinking of Erwin when wondering who he could revive, none of that is enough proof in and of itself to support a romantic interest between them. I tried explaining to this person what those things actually indicate within the story. The last two don't mean anything. It's just how the panels were drawn. But the first, if this person had paid any kind of attention to Levi's actual relationship with Erwin, and how Levi regarded Erwin, and the reasons he was so loyal to Erwin, would understand that he thought of Erwin in that moment because he regarded Erwin as the leader that humanity needed, and that humanity's future was dependent on Erwin's survival. It's the entire reason Levi tried to stop Erwin from going to Shinganshina in the first place. I come to all of those conclusions based on the actual text and what we know about the characters leading up to that point.

I explained all of this to this fool in my initial reply to them, and they accused me of "brushing them off", lol.

Anyway, whatever. But thank you so much again for your support. I just can't seem to get away from these people, haha.

[stargazer-liz]

Serendipity (Poe Dameron x Original Female Character) Chapter II: The Resistance

Masterlist

The Planet D'Qar, Outer Rim, 34 ABY

They hadn't been long in hyperspace when the questions started. Apparently, Poe couldn't keep his mouth shut for long. 

"So, you said you had lots of piloting experience. What exactly did you do?"

Sora supposed it wouldn't hurt giving him some answers. After all, they kind of were on the same side. Whilst she might not have been a Resistance member, she certainly didn't support the First Order either. Heck, if they knew she was alive, she'd probably get a bounty put on her head. 

"I am...was a smuggler," she said, leaning back into her chair. Poe kept his gaze locked on her, the ship navigating on auto-pilot during their hyperspace journey to D'Qar. He had turned his seat towards her and made himself comfortable. "We were a tiny crew of two and had a nice ship. We traveled all around the galaxy to look for jobs and it kept us pretty busy."

Poe raised one brow. "A smuggler, huh? Didn't expect that. But I guess that's how you learned to fight."

"It comes with the job." She shrugged her shoulders, fingers drawing imaginary patterns on her trousers. "A smuggler who can't land a good punch or knows how to fire a blaster is as good as dead."

"Can't disagree. But how did you end up on Jakku then? What happened to your crew and ship?"

Sora didn't want to go into detail, not yet. Besides, they were on a mission and would part ways again afterwards. He didn't have to know everything about her. "Two years ago, our last job...escalated and we were forced to split up. My crewmate managed to escape but I wasn't so lucky. Honestly, I don't know how I ended up on Jakku. One second, I was unconscious and suddenly, I woke up in the desert of Jakku in an escape pod where Rey found me. That's all I know."

A look of sympathy flashed across the pilot's face. "I'm sorry. And out of all the places you could have landed, it just had to be Jakku."

She huffed. "Yeah, I guess someone out there really hates me. Do you know how hard it was to look at Unkar's ugly face everyday and not being able to punch him? Everyone on that planet depends on him and it made me sick."

"Saw him for the first time today and all I wanted to do was punch him. So I get your feelings, princess." 

There it was again, that damned nickname leaving his tongue so easily. Maybe this was just the way he talked to every woman. The name should annoy her way more than it actually did. Somehow, it made it easier for her to converse with him. It was more like talking to a long lost friend than a total stranger, something she appreciated after two years of basically speaking to no other human apart from Rey. 

"Why didn't you steal this ship earlier though?" Poe sounded genuinely baffled, as if he really couldn't believe why she had stayed so long when she could have left at any moment.

"And leave Rey behind, after everything she did for me?" Sora shook her head, knowing that she had never even been tempted. "No way. Never. I knew I had to wait until she was ready to leave her home."

Poe hummed, smiling at her. "A loyal friend. You know, we could use someone like you. The Resistance, I mean. You're a pilot, you can fight and you're loyal to your cause. The general would be honored to have you on her team."

"Look, all I want is to make sure Rey is safe and gets back home unharmed. That's it." Deep down, she knew it was only partly true.

"Alright, I understand," the pilot responded, though not quite believing her, and leaned forward in his seat, elbows pressing into his thighs as he rested his chin on his hands. "Just...just know the offer still stands, in case you change your mind."

Sora nodded and raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn. "And what about you? Have you always been a pilot for the Resistance?"

Poe chuckled. "Believe it or not, I once was a smuggler too. A part of the Spice Runners on Kijimi, actually." He looked and feigned anger when she laughed at him. "Hey, that's not funny."

"Wait! Don't tell me you're the man Zorri hates so much."

Straightening his back again, the pilot looked at her in disbelief. "You know Zorri?"

Sora nodded, letting out another laugh. "Met her once or twice during a job. One time, we got drunk and she was raging about a man who had abandoned her and the gang. Let me give you an advise: You better not step foot on Kijimi ever again. She seemed ready to tear you to shreds."

"Thanks for the heads up. Not that I plan on ever going back there again anyways." 

"How did you manage to escape the First Order? Beebee-Ate told me that you had been captured by them, so how did you make it back to Jakku?" The question had bothered Sora the whole day. Surely, they wouldn't have let a Resistance member walk out of their front door.

"Now, that's a crazy story. A stormtrooper helped me escape. We stole a TIE Fighter together and were shot down before we could land safely."

For someone who knew a former stormtrooper herself, it wasn't actually that crazy. A rare coincidence but not entirely unbelievable. But the story was piercing itself together in her mind like a solved puzzle. "So he was the Finn you were looking for when I found you?"

Poe nodded, smiling sadly. "He was a great guy."

Sora felt the need to give him some hope. The sad look just didn't fit him. "You know, there's a chance he's with Rey and BeeBee-Ate. I mean, I can't think of any man on Jakku that she would willingly leave with. Logically, it has to be an outsider. And if you survived the crash, so could he."

Her words seemed to work. Poe's sad smile vanished slowly, turning into a hopeful expression. "You're right. It makes sense. We'll meet him again soon then," he said before he changed the topic when he caught her yawning again. "Am I that boring, princess?" The grin on his lips told her he was only joking.

"Sorry," she chuckled weakly, rubbing her eyes. "Ever since I've landed on Jakku, I'm basically always tired. Guess all of that sun and sand really gets to me."

"We won't reach D'Qar in hours." He nodded towards the tiny sleeping quarter behind them. "I could really use some sleep as well. Let's lay down for a bit."

He did indeed look exhausted. Dark rings were prominent underneath his eyes and his skin had grown paler since she had found him. The brown in his eyes was less vibrant and she wondered when he had last slept peacefully. There was no doubt he had endured some kind of torture on the First Order's fleet but since there were no major wounds, she assumed it had been Kylo Ren who had led the interrogation. Invisible to the outside, the wounds in his mind were likely agonizing.

"Sounds fine to me." Pushing herself to her feet and watching him do the same, Sora dragged her body to the sleeping quarters and pressed the button to open the door. Although she really didn't have the energy to climb up the short ladder to lay down, she figured Poe's body deserved some rest. She just hoped the ship would keep flying smoothly because the upper bed had no safety railing and she really didn't want to tumble to the hard ground. 

The smuggler left her shoes next to the door and slid out of her jacket, letting it slide to the floor carelessly. Poe slipped off his shoes as well and instantly laid his battered body on the mattress. Sora almost slipped on the ladder when he let out a loud moan. "Oh, this feels amazing. So soft."

Shaking her head to erase the memory of the sound, she had to agree with him. The mattress was much more comfortable than it looked. There were no blankets, not that they needed them anyways. "This is definitely better than my bed on Jakku," she mumbled, her eyes already closing as her heartbeat slowed down to a calm, steady rhythm. "Good night, Poe." Her voice was barely audible and she doubted he had even heard it. 

"Good night, princess." Poe's whisper was met with no response for Sora was already fast asleep. 

It was the best rest she had had in two years.

*****

Poe had woken up first, rattled awake as the ship left hyperspace. They had slept for a whole night and day, the longest sleep he had had in years. Maker, their bodies and minds had to have been extremely tired, he assumed.  

Running a hand through his hair to tame the locks, he quickly walked towards the cockpit to shut off the alarm before it could even ring. Through the front window, he could see the green round mass of D'Qar in front of them, its planetary ring casting shadows on the surface.

Poe couldn't really believe how lucky he had gotten to be able to see it again. If he hadn't met Finn, he'd be dead by now. And if Sora hadn't found him, who knew how long it would have taken him to find a way to reach the Resistance's base. Thanks to Sora and her friend, BeeBee-Ate was safe and sound as well. Not currently within his reach, but still safe which was all that mattered. Well, hopefully. If what she had said was right, they were on their way to D'Qar as well. 

Thinking of her, Poe went back to the sleeping quarters where Sora was still resting. The pilot took a moment to admire her. Asleep and relaxed, she looked at peace, a foreign look on her. It suited her, he noted. There was a gentle rose-coloured shine on her cheeks, as if her body regained all of the energy life on Jakku had stolen from her in the last two years at once. Her braid had become partly undone, long strands of black hair framing her face. 

She was beautiful, he had already noticed that the moment his eyes had opened back on Jakku. Her delicate face had been the first thing he had looked at, framed by the glazing sun behind her. It had made her look almost otherworldly, the smooth, blemish free skin and the rosy lips a stark contrast against the ruth planet. 

Poe wasn't lying when he had told her the Resistance needed people like her. In fact, she would be a perfect addition, with her past and her abilities. However, a tiny (okay, a big), selfish part of his brain wanted her to stay just so he could get to know her better. He liked talking to her, liked their small banter. She was easy to be around and it felt as if he had known her far longer than just a day. 

Before he could feel like a creep, Poe stepped closer to the bed to put his hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake. "Sora, wake up. We've made it."

She stirred awake slowly, her eyes taking a moment to get used to the light again. Even though her appearance was clearly screaming 'I just woke up, give me a moment', she seemed wide awake. "I feel like a whole new being," she said, hopping out of bed to stretch her arms and legs. Her bones protested with a couple of popping noises. "You know what would be perfect now? A shower and fresh clothes."

Poe watched her with a smile, the skin under his eyes creasing slightly. Truthfully, he couldn't wait to do the same. "Your wish is my command, princess. I'll make sure that's the first thing you get as soon as we're at the base."

"Please tell me you have running water down there."

The pilot looked almost offended. "Of course. And guess what, it's hot water."

At the thought of the first hot shower she would have in two years, Sora grinned widely. "I could kiss you right now, Poe."

For a second, his eyes widened and he inhaled sharply, lips pulling into a grin. Then he saw the look on her face and his shoulders sacked instantly, the corners of his mouth lowering again. "You're joking, aren't you?"

"Obviously."

*****

D'Qar was a beautiful planet. Instead of beige and grey, everywhere she looked she saw nothing but green as the jungle drew closer, spreading all around them. They flew over waterfalls and lush fields of flowers. Sora struggled to take it all in. The sun was slowly setting, turning the sky into a beautiful canvas of  various colors. Compared to the lackluster scenery of Jakku, this was sensory overload. The only planet she had visited that was even more beautiful was Naboo. 

"It's stunning, isn't it?" Poe's attention was focused on safely landing the ship, yet he couldn't resist letting his eyes wander over to her every now and then. She looked so excited and for a brief moment, he thought that maybe his not so successful mission had gone way better than he had thought. Would she have ever left Jakku if it hadn't been for BeeBee-Ate and him? He didn't know her well-enough to guess the answer.

"They're probably on high alert. The ship's communication system is broken, so I can't inform them it's me. It's better to let them see me first, then they'll know you're not a threat." 

Sora agreed without a complaint. "Sure." 

She wondered whether Rey had already arrived before them. What if she was already on her way back to Jakku? What if something had happened to her?

The Starfighter began its descend onto one of the landing platforms. Sora could see different X-Wings and hangers lined up along a long runway, tucked away underneath the greenery. Grass and bushes covered everything, effectively hiding them from curious eyes on the horizon. Smaller and bigger Satellites were scattered on the grass, crates of various sizes were tugged into every corner. 

Quite a few people were running around, some wearing bright orange pilot suits. And every single one of them was gazing at their spacecraft, weapons ready to be fired, making Sora feel a bit uncomfortable. 

"Feels good to be back," Poe admitted happily, his smile so bright it almost blinded her. 

Their landing was incredibly soft, further proof of his outstanding flying abilities. The impact was nothing but a gentle tap against her feet. Poe was out of his chair before she could even blink, the ramp of the ship already lowering as she joined his side.

Sora knew she looked like a mess. Her braid wasn't really a braid anymore with multiple strands of hair now framing her face. The clothes she wore were dirty and wrinkled and probably reeked of sweat. Well, at least it would show these people that she had gone through some trouble to bring their beloved pilot back to them. But she really wanted that shower as soon as possible. 

"Guys, don't shot! It's me," Poe announced, jogging down the ramp and jumping down the last bit. The Resistance members lowered their guns, immediately breaking into a cheer as they swarmed around the pilot. Hugs and friendly pats on the back were exchanged. 

It was obvious the pilot was very well liked and respected. No one had even noticed her leaving the ship. Everyone was too preoccupied with Poe, wanting to hear his story. She used the time to let her gaze wander over the base. She ship's hanger seemed to be the only part above ground. Everything else was located underground where it was less likely to be detected, she supposed. 

"And who might you be, my dear?" 

The question brought her out of her daze and her eyes snapped to where it had come from. An elderly woman was smiling at her, grey hair braided and tied in a circle on top of her head. She wore a loose beige bodysuit, fastened with a golden belt underneath her chest and a burgundy colored vest on top. 

"You must be general Leia Organa," Sora thought out loud, realizing it too late. 

But Leia only laughed softly. "Leia is just fine." She took one look towards Poe who was still busy catching up with his friends and colleagues, then she pointed her hand towards the path leading away from the hangar.  "Would you mind taking a walk with me?" 

Sora knew if there was one person she could trust here, apart from Poe, it was Leia. "Of course not." Side by side, they walked away from the mass of people, leaving the loud chatter behind. "I'm Sora Park, by the way." 

"Thank you for bringing our best pilot back, Sora. We really appreciate it." Leia replied and led her through one of the hangers. A few people stared at the smuggler in curiosity, some even nodded at her in greetings. No one seemed to view her as a threat, causing her body and mind to relax. "May I ask, how did you meet him?"

"I found him in the desert on Jakku. Well, actually I found his droid first"

"And yet Beebee-Ate is not with you?" Leia send her a questioning look but if there was any judgement or disappointment towards her, it was well hidden.

Sora shook her head, her eyes taking in as much as they could. "No, but he is with a friend who I'm sure will bring him back safely as well."

"Very well. If Poe trusts you, then I trust you as well," the general responded, leading her down a staircase. "You should be aware now that you know the location of our base, I expect you to keep it a secret. It is our top priority that the First Order stays in the dark, for the safety of our people and the whole operation."

"Trust me, I wouldn't dream of telling the First Order anything. In fact, I plan on staying out of their radar for as long as I can." Sora huffed, remembering the incident on Atrisia two years ago. 

Leia could see right through her, a necessary ability required by her position as the leader of the Resistance. Even if she did trust the young woman, she still had to make sure the wasn't a danger to the Resistance in any way. "I suppose you have history with them?"

The smuggler winced, grimacing when the past events played out inside her head like a movie. "You could say that. I was a smuggler. Freed one of their prisoners during a job, a former stormtrooper who was about to be executed. Guess they didn't like that. Oh, and stabbing general Hux probably didn't help either."

Leia's loud laughter startled both her and the workers they walked past. Sora didn't know where exactly they were going but they were somewhere underground. According to the signs on the wall, they had already passed a cafeteria, a kitchen,  a conference and a security room. "Oh Maker, how did you manage to get out of that alive?"

"Well, I almost didn't. And they actually think I'm dead. But a stormtrooper saved me and brought me to Jakku. I have no idea who it was but I own them my life. It was Rey who then found me. She's the one who's with BeeBee-Ate."

Leia hummed, processing the information. "It's only further proof that so much more people are willing to stand up against the First Order than they think, even their supposed own members. Most people only need a small push in the right direction to stand up for what they truly think is right."

They stopped in front of one of the doors in the sleeping quarters. Leia entered a code and the door slid open, revealing a small room with a queen sized bed, a tiny desk and a wardrobe. There was another door inside which likely led to the refresher. 

"This is yours for however long you like, Sora. You are welcome to stay here. The Resistance could use your help."

"You know, Poe said the same."

A strange glint flashed through Leia's eyes, the corners of her mouth turning up into a knowing smile. "Did he now? Interesting. You can freshen up a bit in here. You look like you need it, dear. In the meantime, I will look for some suitable clothes for you and have them brought to you whilst I speak with Poe."

Sora was thankful for the kindness Leia was showing her. After all, she was just a stranger and had come barging into the Resistance, yet she was welcomed with open arms. And seeing as Rey wasn't here yet, she would gladly take the offer. "Thank you for everything, General."

"No, I am the one who has to thank you, Sora," Leia smiled kindly and walked towards the door. "I'll see you later." The door shut behind her with a soft hiss. 

Taking a deep breath, Sora closed her eyes for a whole minute. So much had changed over the course of the last two days. It was almost like her life was once again totally turned around. And this time, she couldn't help but admit that she liked it. It was a good change. 

When she stripped herself off her clothes, a tiny pile of sand gathered on the ground. That was definitely something she wouldn't miss as long as she stayed here. After only having seen sand for two years, she was sick of it.

Sora sighed happily as the first drops of warm water hit her head. She took her time in the shower, making sure her hair and skin felt and smelt as good as new. Her muscles were soothed entirely, any small aches she previously had were gone. 

Stepping out of a shower, she wrapped one of the surprisingly fluffy towels around her body and used another one to pat her long hair so it wouldn't drip any water. Once she was done, she ran a hand over the mirror above the sink to get rid of the condensed water. 

The unusual natural blush on her cheeks surprised her greatly. Fingers gently brushing against them, she took a deep breath. Sora felt good. She felt strangely calm and...hopeful. And she couldn't explain why. It was probably best to simply enjoy it. Who knew how long this feeling would last. 

A knock on the door caused her to flinch out of her trance. "Coming," she said, voice loud enough to be heard through the walls. Barefoot, she tip toed to the entrance and opened it. In front of her stood a golden protocol droid who was taller than her. In his hands, he was holding a stack of clothes.

"Hello Miss Park, my name is See-Threepio. General Organa send me to-" The droid cut himself off and promptly turned around. "Oh my, she didn't mention you would be naked. I'm terribly sorry for intruding. I can assure you, I was programmed for etiquette and won't look at you until you're decent."

Sora laughed at the droid's antics. "It's okay, I'm not naked." The towel was indeed a little short but it covered all of the essentials, reaching to the middle of her thighs. "I'm guessing those clothes are for me?" 

The droid nodded but refused to look at her. "You're right. General Organa selected them herself. She also told me to wait for you to get dressed and escort you to the cafeteria. I will shut myself down so you can take these clothes from me. I ask you to power me up again once you are ready to go."

Before she could speak up, See-Threepio had already put himself in energy saving mode. Sora stared at the droid, blinking rapidly. Then, she shook her head and quickly grabbed the stacked clothes, laughing quietly.

The protocol droid was not left alone for long. Only seconds after the door had closed behind Sora, Poe walked around the corner. At the sight of a shut-down See-Threepio, his brows creased in confusion. "What the heck," he mumbled to himself, gazing at the silent droid. Whilst it was a nice change to not hear him talk, the pilot was curious, so he powered him back on.

The yellow glow returned to the droid's eyes as he came back to life. And instantly started talking. "Miss Park, I must apologize again. I-...Oh, it's you Master Dameron. I'm terribly sorry but I'm waiting for Miss Park. I was told to escort her to the cafeteria and then-"

"No need, I'll do it," Poe waved him off impatiently. "But why were you shut down?"

See-Threepio was just about to reply when Sora stepped out of her room, eying both the droid and the pilot with a big question mark on her face. "Oh Miss Park, thankfully you're dressed this time. Don't worry, I'll make sure to erase the picture from my memory. Commander Dameron will take over my assignment. I must leave. Should we meet each other again, please make sure to not open the door naked."

"I was not naked," Sora emphasized but the droid was already gone. Embarrassed, she felt warmth spreading across her cheeks. See-Threepio definitely talked too much. And he needed a filter. 

Poe crossed his arms on his chest, grinning teasingly at her, one eyebrow raised. "Naked, huh?" 

The pilot couldn't resist letting his gaze travel across her body. Freshly showered, her damp hair flowed down to just over her chest in gentle waves. Leia had given her a pair of tight, black trousers, a white top and a dark blue-grayish leather jacket. The outfit suited her incredibly well, hugging her body in just the right places. Poe tried to ignore the hint of jealousy he felt towards the protocol droid who had apparently seen her in much less. 

A sigh of annoyance left Sora's mouth. "I was wearing a towel. Not my fault he's so uptight."

Poe laughed. "I think you traumatized him a bit."

"Agreed. He'll probably never talk to me again."

"Hah, trust me, that's impossible. That droid never misses an opportunity to talk."

"Guess I just have to show him more skin then."

Once again, laughter escaped Poe's mouth, trembling through his whole body. "Go ahead, princess. I like seeing him so flustered. And quiet." 

He had showered as well, his curls still dripping water. His beige trousers and white button up shirt were clean, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. There were no traces of blood left on him but he had put a small plaster over the cut on his temple. 

Suddenly, the pilot closed the distance between them and threw his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into his side. "Come on, I'm starving. Bet you haven't eaten anything good in years. The Resistance has some awesome chefs. You need to try those jogan-fruit cookies. Trust me, you'll get addicted." 

At first, Sora's body stiffened at the sudden contact. But Poe's body felt warm and inviting. Besides, it was a friendly gesture and she found herself wanting to enjoy it. So she relaxed against him and let the pilot lead her through the underground base. The smuggler made sure to remember the turns they had made in order to find her way back on her own. 

Upon entering the cafeteria through a grand archway, the lack of people sitting at the various tables didn't surprise her. After all, it was already late in the evening and most people were likely about to retire for the night. Quiet chatter could be heard from the tables they walked past, but no one paid them any attention. 

"Thank the Maker, there are still leftovers," Poe mumbled, pulling her towards the small buffet. A few friendly faces greeted them before vanishing into the kitchen behind it again, cleaning up for the day. Releasing the hold he had on her, the pilot grabbed them both a plate. "Take whatever you want. And don't forget those cookies."

She didn't. When the two of them sat down facing each other at one of the corner tables, each plate was overflowing with all kinds of delicious fruits, vegetables, meat and pastries. Sora ate slowly, making sure to savor her first taste of real meal in years. 

They ate in comfortable silence until she finally bit into the jogan-fruit cookie and moaned softly. "Kriff, you weren't lying. This is the best desert I've ever had."

Munching on his own cookie, Poe winked at her. "Don't tell anyone but there's a secret stash of 'em in the kitchen. It's in the cabinet under the sink. In case you ever need a midnight snack." 

"Sharing highly confidential secrets with me already?" She teasingly raised a brow, swallowing the last crumbs of cookie. "I'm flattered and will take it with me to the grave."

"You better." Poe put his forearms on the table and leaned closer to her, clasping his hands together. "You don't want to deal with Kalara's wrath. That kitchen is her kingdom and those cookies she makes are her most prized possession." 

"Sounds like you've experienced her anger before," Sora replied, chuckling softly. 

The pilot winced. "Let's just say getting spanked with a wooden spoon hurts a lot more than you'd expect."

Sora burst into laughter, imaging the scene inside her head. "I'd pay thousands to see that."

"By the way, that better stay between us as well. I'd never hear the end of it if my squadron members found out." It was an empty threat and Poe was smiling at her, seemingly content with being the reason behind her laugh. 

"Can't promise anything," she said, letting her gaze wander around the cafeteria. Everyone had left the room, the clattering of plates and pots from the kitchen the only remaining hint at another presence. 

Noticing how late it was as well, Poe pushed his chair back, looking down at her as he took both empty plates in his hands. "Think it's time to go. Do you know the way back to your room? I need to fill out some reports."

Sora nodded. "Sure. See you tomorrow?" The question filled with undeniable hope was out before she could stop it. She could only hope Poe interpreted it as a casual way to say good night.

"As if you'd get rid of me now, princess," the pilot scoffed and winked at her one last time, disposing of the dirty plates before he left the cafeteria.

After having slept throughout their whole hyperspace journey, the smuggler wasn't ready to lay in bed again just yet. She knew her sleep rhythm would be all over the place but there was so much to see on D'Qar. So much that wasn't sand. A little exploring wouldn't hurt. 

Which is why instead of retracing their steps, Sora found her way upstairs again. Except for a few select workers, likely acting as guards to ensure no enemies were near, the hangars and landing platforms were empty. The air had become rather chilly and she was thankful for the jacket Leia had provided her with.

Just like on Jakku, the nights on D'Qar were mostly silent. But where the desert planet lacked wildlife, D'Qar had plenty to offer. Insects she had never seen before were chirping somewhere in the jungle around her, plants she couldn't name were gently rustling in the wind. The lush greenery felt soft against her skin as she let her hands brush against it. Up high above her, one of the two moons shone fully, reflecting enough light to show her a path through the vegetation. 

Sora made sure not to wander off too far. She had no idea whether there were any dangerous predators on this planet. Moreover, she would have to navigate her way back later. 

After what she guessed must have been around half an hour, a beautiful sight welcomed her. Crystal clear water rushed down from a cliff to her right, forming a small lake at the bottom and spreading out into a narrow river that disappeared somewhere in the thick greenery. Tiny glowing orbs were slowly floating through the air, a species of animals she couldn't name. 

Sora gasped softly at the sheer beauty of nature presented to her. Yet, as her body sunk onto the soft ground and her fingers touched the wet surface in front of her, she suddenly found herself overwhelmed with all of the feelings she had pushed back for so long.

Everything felt so unreal, like a fever dream. That fateful day on Atrisia, her life had ended. The life she had known for 24 years had been erased and the only person left alive she had loved like a brother had to watch her die. For two years, she had managed to survive on Jakku. But surviving wasn't living. 

And now. Now she felt like she could truly begin to hope again. Hope to find a way back to her old life. Hope to experience life again. 

Rey would understand. Sora was sure of it. Heck, she'd probably encourage the smuggler to stay here or take the spaceship Poe and her had stolen to find Elijah. Even though the latter seemed entirely impossible, considering she had no idea where to even start. Elijah and her had lived an almost anonymous life. Sure, she could ask some of their old contacts whether they had seen him again, but the crew of the Phoenix had never told anyone of their whereabouts or plans. Not that they ever had any. Back then, their decision on which planet to look for a job next had been totally random. 

Maybe there was a chance the Resistance could help her. Surely, they had contacts all across the galaxy. Perhaps someone had come across her partner in crime. She supposed she shouldn't even try looking for Revan and Nyra. With the former being a wanted ex-stormtrooper, they had to have gone into total hiding. 

For Elijah's sake, shouldn't she at least try to find him? She was sure that if he knew she was alive, he would do the same for her. However, accompanying Rey back to Jakku would mean she'd loose her chance at seeing him again. She didn't want to leave her friend alone on that sad planet but she couldn't force her to leave her home behind either. 

Deep in thoughts, Sora raised her arm, slowly holding out her hand and watching as one of the glowing orbs landed on her palm. Tiny pairs of wings tickled against her pale skin but the animal was shy and flew off again before she could even blink. 

Rey would understand. 

And the decision had been made. 

Sora spent the walk back to the base feeling lighter than before. The heavy weight on her shoulders she had been unaware of until today had been lifted, leaving her with a clear consciousness. 

When the smuggler stepped out of the jungle and onto the concrete of the landing platforms, she noticed a silhouette next to a black X-Wing. 

Poe was leaning against one of its wings, arms crossed over his chest and eyebrows drawn together in thought. 

He couldn't shake off his concern for BeeBee-Ate and the vital information he was currently carrying around somewhere in the galaxy. What if the First Order had already caught his droid? 

All the pilot really wanted to do was jump into his X-Wings and search for the droid himself. The knowledge that he had no idea where to start looking was what kept him on the ground. Besides, Poe knew BeeBee-Ate was smart enough to make it back to the base on his own. Or with the help of Sora's friend Rey. He just had to have hope. Wasn't that was Leia always told them?

The sounds of nearby footsteps caused him to abandon his train of thoughts. When the person stepped closer and he was able to recognize her, he pushed his body back to its full height, moving to step in front of her. "Not that I am not happy to see you again, but aren't you supposed to be in your room?" 

He watched as she rolled her eyes, the tiny smile on her face betraying her. "And aren't you supposed to write reports?" Her hair had dried fully and the black waves cascading down her back looked so soft he barely managed to restrain himself from reaching out to touch them. 

Instead, Poe simply stepped even closer, content when she didn't move back. "Took me ten minutes to finish them. So where have you been this whole time? It's already way past midnight." He hoped he didn't sound too worried.

Sora hadn't realized she'd spent that much time by the waterfall. "I just needed to clear my head. Can't do that trapped under ground. And it's beautiful out there." 

That, the pilot could understand very well. Except when he needed to clear his mind, he usually jumped into his X-Wing and fly around. He'd always felt more confident up in the stars. "At least take a weapon with you next time. D'Qar has some wildlife you don't want to meet alone, especially at night." He had noticed the lack of blaster on her belt. Whilst there were no other intelligent lifeforms on this planet, the jungle was a refugee for some pretty big and venomous predators. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Will do. Is that your X-Wing?" 

Poe nodded proudly. "Black One is a beauty, isn't she?"

"The name's a bit uncreative but yeah, she looks awesome." 

"I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that." Poe gave his spacecraft one last longing stare, looking at BeeBee-Ate's empty spot behind the cockpit. Then, he turned his gaze towards the woman who had caught his interest. "Let me walk you back to your room."

"Why not," was Sora's only response as they walked side by side.

Although she didn't look tired, Poe was sure she could use some more hours of sleep. He knew that there was more to her story than she had told him. Whatever had happened prior to her miraculously stranding on Jakku had obviously had a big impact on her life. 

But he could also see that the last couple of hours had awakened something inside her that had previously been dormant. He recognized that look of determination in her eyes. 

When they stopped in front of her door, Poe watched her putting in the numbers to open it. She had already stepped into her room when he turned back towards him, sending him a gentle smile he happily returned. "Good night, Poe."

"Good night, Sora." 

*****

At sunrise, she found herself strolling through the hangars. Her belly was still filled with everything she had eaten the evening before, so she decided to skip breakfast. The members of the Resistance were starting their work day one after another, slowly filling up the base. She saw mechanics inspecting and repairing the X-Wings, their pilots not far away from the action either. Some people were jogging rummaging through crates, sorting supplies into storage rooms. Everyone had a role here and each of them mattered, that much was obvious. In a rebellion, working together was essential to the cause. 

"No, no. I told you I'm not setting a single foot on Tatooine again. Ever. You'd have to sedate me and drag my body there yourself."

"Oh, that can be arranged."

"And who would fly the ship? Newsflash, you're the worst pilot in the galaxy and you know it. You'd crash before you can even leave the planet."

"At least I'd no longer have to listen to you then."

"Just a little reminder: You literally paid to get me back."

"And I've regretted it every single day so far!"

Sora's heartbeat stopped before it continued to race inside her chest, catapulting her pulse into unhealthy dimensions. She couldn't believe her eyes. Couldn't believe that what she was seeing, that what she was hearing was real. 

Because there, in the middle of the hangar, were the last people she had expected to meet on this planet. Maybe she was still dreaming? Surely, such a crazy coincidence couldn't exist. 

"Revan? Nyra?" Her voice was weak. She hadn't meant to say it out loud. For the first time in her life, Sora was starstruck. 

The man she had first met in a prison cell on Atrisia two years ago turned his head instantly, a pair of blue eyes meeting her wide, brown ones. The beautiful woman next to him did the same, her brown locks whipping around her head at her fast motion. 

Similar to her reaction, Revan looked like he had seen a ghost. Lips parted in disbelief, he blinked nonstop as if making sure she wouldn't disappear at some point and prove his theory. "Nyra, please tell me you see her as well."

Much more composed than both of them, Nyra grinned widely, jabbing her elbow into his side. "I told you she wasn't dead. You owe me five thousand credits."

That managed to pull both Revan and Sora out of their trance. In an instant, she was pulled into a brief hug. Strong, muscled arms wrapped around her middle, squeezing her against his chest. He kept her at arms length when he let her go again, letting his eyes roam over her body. "I don't understand...how? How are you here?"

"Long story. One I'd rather not tell right now and not here." Too many curious eyes were watching the trio's exchange. The people around them made sure to act nonchalant but Sora knew they were all listening, even if it was just out of instinct. 

"You're right. C'mon, let's find a quiet place. There's so much we need to catch up on."

*****

"So, let me get this right. You're here because a stormtrooper saved your life and dumped you on Jakku, only to be picked up by the best pilot of the Resistance two years later."

"Well, it was me who picked him up actually."

"Kriff Sora, if we had known you had survived, we would have searched for you," Revan said, leaning back in his chair. "After what you've done for me, I owe you one."

They had retreated into what Nyra had called the smuggler's den which usually functioned as their personal meeting room. Supply boxes were piled up by the walls, a round table with four chairs occupying the rest of the tiny room. Thankfully, being one of the very few rooms above ground, the air was fresh and clean inside. 

"It's okay," Sora waved him off. "Even I was convinced I was dead. I don't blame you and you owe me nothing. I willingly took the risk when I decided to get you out of there despite the problematic situation."

Nyra shook her head and leaned forward to lay her hand atop of Sora's, the surface of the table cold against their skin. "I should have told you about who Revan was. Should have made you aware of the First Orders role in it. If anything, it was my fault."

The smuggler didn't like that they were obviously riddled with guilt. Truly, if there was one party to blame, it was definitely the First Order. Especially general Hux. Maker, she despised that guy. "No, it wasn't," Sora emphasized. Sighing, she freed her hand and folded her arms across her chest. "Let's just keep it in the past. I'm here now, mostly fine, and that's enough."

"If that's what you want, okay." Shrugging his shoulders, Revan stretched out his arm behind Nyra, putting it atop the back of her chair. The beautiful woman barely acknowledged it with a role of her eyes.

Nodding in confirmation, the young woman opted to change the topic. "So, you two are smugglers for the Resistance now?"

"Yeah. The Resistance was pretty much the only place we could go to and they were looking for people to smuggle resources, spare parts for the fleet and other stuff. Leia trusted me, despite my past."

It was time for the question she dreaded to ask. Swallowing, Sora gathered all of her courage and tried to suppress her fear of the possible answer. "So...what happened to Elijah?"

Revan grimaced, a distant look of sorrow etched onto his face. "After he dropped me off on Bardotta, he gave me your ship and disappeared. Didn't tell me where he wanted to go and didn't even take the reward for saving me. I haven't heard from him ever since. I'm sorry, Sora."

Not the answer she wanted to hear and certainly not the one she was expecting. "He gave you the Phoenix? Just like that?" Kriff, if he didn't have a spacecraft, where did he go and how did he manage to leave the planet with no credits?

It was Nyra who answered. "He said there were too many memories attached to it. He practically threw the remote controls at us."

That actually sounded quite like Elijah. He'd always had a hard time acknowledging the past, opting to run away from it rather than embrace it. All of this information had only pushed her further away from finding him. Where could she ever start looking for him?

Stopping herself from letting her thoughts go further down this sad, dark path, she decided to focus on the positive. "So the Phoenix is on D'Qar?"

Lips pulled into a grin, Revan slapped his thigh and stood up. "You wanna see her? She's still yours, captain."

Sora's mood brightened considerably the moment her gaze laid upon her beloved spaceship, tucked away into a hangar she hadn't visited yet. The familiar silver and red modified Ghtroc 720 freighter with its turtle like shape beckoned her to come closer. Revan had given her the remote control wristband and with a press of a tiny button, the ramp lowered itself slowly.

Nyra and Revan kept quiet as she investigated the interior. Everything had been left untouched, the only indication anyone other than her and Elijah had ever been on the ship was the fact that the third bedroom had been used, clothes that weren't hers chaotically thrown on the bed. 

Sora instantly felt at home again.

When she sunk into the pilot's seat and ran her finger over the controls, Nyra made herself comfortable in the only other seat next to her which was meant for the co-pilot. She pointedly ignored the offended look Revan send her when she stole his spot. "What do you say, you wanna be our captain? Because we need a leader and that guy here is basically useless in that department." 

How could she decline now that the Phoenix was back in her possession? In addition, it would offer her a good opportunity to search for Elijah during their missions. Smiling to herself, she took one last deep breath before she announced her decision. "I guess we will make a good crew, won't we?" 

"Thank the Maker, I missed a smart, female companion." Nyra clapped her hands in anticipation, sending Revan a halfhearted glare.

"Keep denying that you love my presence, sweetheart," Revan replied, the corners of his mouth pulled into a smug grin. 

"Whatever." Was that a blush on her tan skin?

Eyes traveling between the bickering duo, Sora raised her brows. She smiled teasingly and tilted her head to lock eyes with Revan, remembering their talk in the forest of Atrisia. "It's complicated, right?

"See, now you get what I meant."

*****

"I told you we would go to Tatooine, whether you like it or not," Nyra cheered triumphly as soon they had left the conference room. 

Leia had been delighted when Sora had told her she accepted her offer to stay under the condition that she would form a team with Nyra and Revan. The general had agreed without hesitation, hugging the younger woman whilst whispering something in her ear. "I know I won't be the only one happy about your decision."

Albeit confused, Sora wrote it off as a hint towards the Resistance gaining a new member which would surely make everyone on D'Qar happy. After all, they needed as many people as they could find.

The general had also given them the green light for their new mission on Tatooine, much to Revan's disdain. They were to leave today.

"Why does everyone want to go to that dumpster of a planet?" He groaned, one hand running over his face in pure annoyance. "Sora, help me out here. There's nothing there but heat, crime, sand, even more sand and Jawas. Maker, I hate Jawas." He was full out whining like a toddler now, so unlike his age and former profession. 

Sora had to agree with him. Tatooine was definitely at the bottom of planets she had liked during their travels. Nothing good ever happened there and the heat was almost unbearable, thanks to the two suns the planet orbited around. "Hate to discourage you even more but for what we're looking for, we will need to trade with the Jawas."

"This mission is going to be a pain in my ass, I just know it."

"Quit acting like a child," Nyra scolded him, hitting his arm. "Let's get ready for take-off. The faster we leave, the earlier we can get back."

"You're right, let's get this over and done with asap." Squeezing his body between the two women, he wrapped one arm around Nyra's shoulders and his other around Sora's, pulling them both against him. Although the former tried to protest at first, he wouldn't let her go, ignoring her ramming her elbow against his ribs. Sora only smiled, content with what this morning had revealed and caused.

They received quite some stares from their peers. The sight must have been unusual, especially because no one knew about the past the trio shared, apart from Leia of course. And here they were, acting as if they were best friends when to anyone else, the duo had just met the newest member of the Resistance an hour ago.

Handing her a blaster and a new comlink which Sora quickly fastened around her wrist, Nyra looked her up and down. "Looking good, hotshot. Might want to leave that jacket here though. Leather will make you sweat to death on Tatooine."

"I know." Slipping out of the clothing item, she carefully draped it over some of the crates and devices belonging to the team. Nyra followed her suit. No one would steal the clothes anyways. 

"C'mon ladies, we don't have all day." Sticking his head out of the ship, Revan beckoned them inside. The ramp closed behind the trio as they made their way to the cockpit. "I call shotgun." He was in the copilot's seat before Nyra could protest. 

Instead, she only rolled her eyes, wordlessly choosing the seat behind the two of them. Fingers fumbling with the controls, Sora switched on the engine and activated all necessary systems. No words could describe how good it felt to be in control of the Phoenix again. She found herself slipping into the role she grew up with easily. 

"Phoenix to control centre, ready for take-off. Waiting for permission." Revan's voice was serious now, all switched into professional mode. 

"Control Centre to Phoenix. Permission granted. Communications will be disabled until you re-enter D'Qar's atmosphere."

"Copy that. Oh, and safe some supper for us for when we get back." The communication line went dead.

The Phoenix hovered above ground, the Resistance's workers pausing their duty to clear the hangar. Sora carefully maneuvered the ship onto the landing platforms before pulling it up into the air. Clouds drawing closer around them, Sora switched on the thrusters and gradually increased the speed of the spacecraft. 

"Preparing to jump into hyperspace. If all goes well, we'll be back somewhen after midnight," Revan announced. Tatooine was relatively close to D'Qar, so it would only take them a couple of hours to reach it. "That is if the Jawas will cooperate. If they don't, I'm just saying I wouldn't mind stealing from them."

Sora tilted her head, giving him a look that clearly stated you're stupid. "Stealing from Jawas is basically impossible. They're guarding their goods like hawks and unless we kill all of them we'd never make it. Which we won't because they aren't our enemies by the way."

"Alright, alright." Raising his hands in surrender, the defector actually pouted. "We could still knock them out though, right?"