#he kinda reminds me of buggy like how he talk and screams at same time

[melo68]

the way is nobody is talking about his eyes is proving that ppl skipped this scene btw i didn’t skip it the first time i watched it but the second time i rewatched the ep i did skip it tbh

[bunwritesstuff]

Creepy Crawlies

hello !! this is my first official writing piece for this blog :0 exciting. this is kinda like a test piece to see how i feel posting on here, but i hope yall read it and enjoy either way! fic is under the banner :]

fandom: omori

word count: 1,317

content warning(s): brief mentions of a bug, nothing graphic

characters included: mari, sunny, and aubrey (kel and hero are mentioned but not present)

synopsis: mari, sunny and aubrey are walking to school, and sunny gets distracted by a bug. it gives mari a silly little idea. (small spoiler ->) this is a fic based off when mari admits that she used to put bugs in hero's desk! this is just the first part, i might publish the second part in a post after this !! also i got like halfway through writing this and realized basil is just not there, so say this takes place during a time before basil was properly introduced to the group :]

“Sunny, be careful! You shouldn't touch an icky thing like that!”

Mari was torn from her thoughts at the sound of Aubrey’s distressed squeals a few feet ahead. Pulling her attention to her brother and their friend, Mari noted how Sunny was crouched to the ground, facing her. He must’ve turned back around to get a better look at whatever caught his attention. His expression was drawn into one of interest, mouth slightly agape and eyes widened in awe. There, almost directly under his gaze, was a bug. That's what Mari assumed anyways, it was hard to tell given how far away he and Aubrey were. Aubrey was standing even further back, nose scrunched up in disgust with hands balled into small fists at her sides. It was almost like she was ready for the bug to lunge at Sunny, that way she’d have an excuse to stomp on it. Or something to that degree, anyways.

The older girl quickened her pace a bit to catch up with the kids. Hero and Kel would have normally been walking with them, but when Mari and Sunny showed up at their house to get them, Hero had to inform them that Kel was having stomach issues. He reassured them that they'd catch up later, and that he was going to try and talk his parents into letting Kel just stay home for today. Hero didn't want to risk making everyone late by having them all wait, so he ushered them off. Today it was just Mari, Sunny, and Aubrey. 

It didn’t take long for Mari to slow down in front of Sunny and his newfound fascination, which was in fact, a bug: a beetle of some kind, walking around in almost dizzying circles. It was pretty amusing how interested Sunny was in the creature, as if bugs like this weren’t fairly common. Sunny wasn't a very expressive kid, so moments where he managed to convey clearly how he was feeling were wonderful, whether it was intentional or not.

“Is everything okay?” Mari asked, her tone gentle as she brought her gaze up from Sunny and the beetle to the shorter girl in pink.

“It… it's so big and ugly! Sunny’s sitting so close to it, what if it bites him or something? He could get hurt!” Aubrey immediately expressed, bouncing on her toes to get some of her concerned and worked up energy out. The brunette was never one to really hold back how she was feeling, it was honestly pretty admirable of her to be able to get it all out. Then again, It would be pretty easy to envy an elementary schooler for their lack of filter, wouldn’t it? 

“You make some very compelling points, Aubrey,” Mari started, shooting the younger a soft smile as she knelt down across from Sunny. “However, I don’t think this bug is very big, ugly, or aggressive. If it was an aggressive bug, surely it would’ve tried to attack us by now, don’t you think?”

The silence that followed was enough to answer that question.

“While you may think this bug is big and scary, could you imagine being this little guy? We must be even bigger, louder creatures.”

“Well, yeah! But…”

“But?”

“I…” Aubrey brought her bouncing to a slow stop as she took in Mari’s words. With some hesitance, she took a few steps forward, peeking over Sunny’s shoulder to get a better look at the beetle. Just as Mari said, it was much smaller than she initially made it out to be, and it hadn’t made any moves to attack. It was just a little guy taking a buggy stroll. Aubrey felt her fists begin to unclench as she relaxed, and eventually let out a quiet sigh. “I guess it isn’t so bad… it’s kinda cute, actually.” 

The other girls in her class would’ve screamed and made a fuss like she did, so she wondered why Mari didn’t react that way. Mari always knew just the right things to say, always so calm and collected. It was something Aubrey really liked about her. With her and Sunny both more curious about the bug rather than fearing it, it helped sway Aubrey’s opinion on it to be a more positive one. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mari starting to stand up, brushing off her skirt.

“I agree! It is pretty cute. But if this is settled, what do you say we finish making our way to school, okay? If you guys make it in time, you might be able to have a few minutes of free time before class starts.”

At the idea of having some extra free time, Aubrey perked back up and nodded eagerly. “Okay, Mari!” Leaning down a little, she put her hand on Sunny’s shoulder to get his attention. “C’mon, Sunny! We’ve gotta get going!”

It took a moment, but Sunny quietly stood up at the second reminder. He took one last moment to watch the beetle before stepping back from it and looked up at Mari and Aubrey. Aubrey took her hand off of his shoulder and instead reached down to take his hand, hoping he didn’t mind. He didn't offer much of a reaction, so she decided she was in the clear. “C’mon!” She giggled again, turning around and starting to pull him along with her down the sidewalk. 

“Don’t go too far ahead without me,” Mari reminded the kids as they started to wander off, but the request fell upon ears that were not listening anymore. Ah, well… at least she could still see them. Not that Mari didn’t trust them, Aubrey knew better than to go too far, and if Sunny felt unsafe he’d turn around and come back to Mari. Everything would be okay. Despite this, Mari still wished that Hero were here. He always knew how to keep everyone in the group together. He could get through to Aubrey in a way that not even Mari seemed to be able to, even if he doubted that he could.

Mari adjusted the straps of her backpack and was about to start walking again when that silly beetle caught her attention once again. With Hero on her mind, she was reminded of how bugs made him squeamish. If he and Kel were here, and the group got sidetracked by this beetle, Hero would be quite a ways ahead of the group, not wanting to give the little guy a second glance. The association bridging this bug to Hero did leave Mari to wonder: would it be mean to play a small, harmless prank on him?

Was it cruel of her to even consider pulling a prank on her friend? To lean back down, quickly scoop up the beetle, and tuck it away in her sweatshirt pocket? Was it cruel that she was kind of looking forward to Hero’s expression going from confusion, to processing, to fear all within the same moment? Well, maybe it was! He didn’t have to know it was her who did it, after all. It’ll just be her little secret. She wouldn’t do it every day, that’d be too sudden and suspicious! But every now and then wouldn’t hurt, right? 

His fear of bugs was understandable, but surely he’d grow out of it eventually. They were already in middle school after all! Most kids grew out of their bug fearing phase by then, didn't they? Mari decided that having to face an occasional bug would help him overcome his fear… right? Well, she wasn’t sure it would definitely work, but until it either worked or she got bored of doing it, his reactions would surely be priceless.

With that in mind, and her hand still in her pocket to keep the beetle from escaping, she hurried along to try and catch up with Aubrey and Sunny. This morning would surely be an interesting one.

part 1/2 (end)

[oriigami]

we’re running against the wind

[Part two of my One Piece Wing AU, this time focusing on the Strawhats and their histories. Read it on AO3 here!] [Part One]

“I can’t fly,” Kuina told him, one warm and dusky night, sitting on the porch step and staring down at the grass. Arms wrapped around bony knees, bruised and grass-stained. “Did you know that?” 

Zoro blinked, and sat down beside her, baffled for a moment. “What do you mean? Cause your wings haven’t grown out yet?” 

She sighed, heavy and tired, and stretched one wing out at her side. It was simple, plain black, small for her age. “You know what a rail is?” 

“A rail?” 

“It’s a kind of bird. The kind I am. They live on the ground,” Kuina said, staring down at the grass between her scuffed shoes. “They don’t fly. They’re no good for it. Their wings are too small. Even if they try, they can never get too far off the ground.” 

She shot him a sideways look, and halfheartedly tugged on one of his feathers. His wings were still growing, but already much larger than hers, big and brown, almost gold in the sunlight. Eagle wings. Wings meant to soar. 

“You’re lucky, Zoro,” she said, looking up at him with a terribly sad half-smile on her face that he never, ever wanted to see again. “Someday, you’re going to fly.” 

Zoro woke up with her voice still ringing in her head. 

Consciousness hit him with an unpleasant jolt, and he had half a second to process the dusty courtyard- not Shimotsuki dojo- before a half-dozen different varieties of discomfort hit him all at once. 

The hunger pains were practically screaming in the back of his mind, and he was parched from dehydration. He was half-numb from the ropes digging into his skin, cutting off blood circulation. He shifted, trying to prop himself up as best he could, and grit his teeth against the sharp, stabbing pain of blood starting to flow again.

As soon as he moved, his wings pulsed with pain, and he had to bite back a yell. They’d been lashed roughly to the pole at his back at an uncomfortable angle that had started as barely tolerable and progressed, over the course of the days, to maddening. The dusty ground all around him was scattered with fallen dusty gold feathers, both those that had been pulled loose by the ropes and those that had shed on their own as starvation had taken its toll. 

It was fine, though. What was a few feathers lost? It wasn’t like he was going to die here. It wasn’t like he could.

He had a promise to keep, after all. 

-

Arlong never clipped Nami’s wings. They were too useful for quick getaways. To him, they were just some of the features that made her such a valuable tool, such a clever, profitable little thief. So, no, he never damaged her wings.

But he loved to remind her that he could. 

If she disobeyed, if she tried to run away- well, fishmen were so strong, and wings were so fragile. She learned to bear the fear, though she always kept her wings folded close and tight to her back whenever she walked through Arlong Park. If there was one thing she could be grateful for, at least, it was that he never thought to threaten to hurt Nojiko’s wings instead. 

She could still hear the crunch of Bellemere’s wingbones when Arlong had stomped on them.

Fishmen didn’t have wings. It made sense- what sure would undersea creatures have for them? But she couldn’t help but suspect, every now and then, that Arlong was envious. He could rule their towns and beat them into the ground and proclaim himself and his brethren superior over humans in every way- but he would never, ever fly. That was something Nami would always hold over him.

Nami’s wings were simple at first glance- black, with splotches of bright white at the shoulders and tips- but under the sunlight, the black glittered, turning to dark iridescent bluish-green. They looked nothing like Bellemere’s wide, long-feathered osprey wings had. 

“Would you cut it out?” she snapped, one wing stretching out to swat Luffy’s curious hands away from the straw hat resting in her lap.

She’d known him for more than a day now, but she still couldn’t really make up her mind on her temporary captain. He was annoying, but good-hearted, but stupid, but honest- and she’d never seen wings like his either. They were bright red and featherless, looking more bat than bird. Overall, he was a frustrating enigma, for how open he was. 

Not that it mattered, really. She’d be parting ways with them soon enough. 

“Are you done yet?” he asked insistently, leaning around her shoulder to peer at the mostly-repaired hat cradled in her hands. The wide, ugly knife cuts Buggy had left in the golden straw were mostly hidden now, though you could still see the scars if you knew to look- the replacement straw she’d had to use in places was brighter and cleaner than the worn, aged material of the rest of the hat. 

She wondered idly just how old this stupid hat was. There were other repairs worked into the straw here and there, some more recent and some much older, hand-stitched with varying levels of neatness and expertise. 

“Nearly,” she said, not for the first time. “Be patient.” 

The sun caught on the mended straw, and all of a sudden she remembered a question she’d wanted to ask. “Hey, Luffy,” she said before his attention could drift. “What’s with this feather?” 

She’d noticed it when they’d first met, and wondered at it. It was tucked into the red ribbon that ran around the hat, and when she’d taken the hat to repair it and gotten a closer look, she’d noticed that it was carefully stitched into place. It was striped black and sapphire blue, with a tiny splash of white at the tip. 

“Oh!” Luffy said. “That’s Sabo’s!” 

Nami blinked. “Sabo?” she repeated. 

“My brother!” Luffy said. 

Zoro blinked one eye open from where he’d been napping on one of the little boat’s benches, lifting his head. “You’ve got a brother?” he asked. 

“There’s more of you?” Nami said at the same time. 

Luffy snickered. “I’ve got two big brothers!” he explained. “They both set out to sea before me, though. Sabo first, and then Ace second. Sabo had bluejay wings. Yours kinda remind me of them, Nami!”

Had, Nami thought, and thought of Nojiko- solid blue wings, tipped with black. Thought about the osprey feather tucked away in the very back of her dresser in Cocoyashi. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah!” Luffy said. “They’re really pretty! And glittery and blue, like the ocean!” 

“Oh,” Nami said. “...Thanks.”

...So maybe she liked her temporary captain, just a little. It wouldn’t change anything, in the end. 

-

Usopp lied about his wings. He kept them tucked close to his back, and whenever someone asked, he’d come up with a new species, something big and intimidating. Hawk, eagle, falcon- something flashy, impressive, worthy of a brave warrior of the sea. 

Of course, none of those were true. (Nothing he said ever was.) Everyone in the village knew it, too- they’d known him since he was a kid, after all. The truth he never wanted to admit was that his wings were unremarkable, just like him. Plain black, medium size, with a thick stripe of white running through the middle of each. He only ever opened them when he was with his friends, or with Kaya. 

The first time she’d seen his wings was when he threw his arms open too wide when telling a story, caught up in the fantasy inside his head, and unbalanced himself from his perch on the tree outside her window. They’d snapped open on instinct to break his fall and let him catch himself midair, and he’d flapped back up to her window to see her beaming. 

“Look,” she’d said, and stretched her own wings open- big beautiful crane wings, wide and white but with a thick band of black on the inside of each. Just the opposite of his. “We match!” 

Over time, Kaya’s sickness had taken its toll on her wings, just as on the rest of her. She was always shedding drifts of feathers, leaving her wings looking scrawny and patchy. They were beautiful nonetheless, though, wide and graceful, the surviving feathers bright white. 

“Someday,” he told her, “We’ll go flying, once you’re better and your feathers grow back. And I’ll show you the island where everything is made out of candy, and the trees talk to you!”

She laughed into her hands, wings curling around her. “Do they?” 

“They do!” Usopp confirmed, nodding emphatically. “And they sing, too. But only for kind-hearted girls with white wings. So if we went there, they’d sing for you for sure!” 

She smiled, big and warm and honest. “That sounds lovely, Usopp!” 

Usopp grinned back. 

A couple days later, the pirates came. 

And it was sudden and violent and terrifying, and Klahadore’s massive black vulture wings seemed to block out the sky, and Usopp was sure a dozen times over that he was going to die, but- 

But he didn’t.

By the time it was all over and it was time to set sail, Kaya’s wings were already looking healthier. 

-

“Kid,” the old man had said, the first day on the rock, voice gruff and thick from coughing up seawater. “You still alive?” 

Sanji didn’t say anything, pulling skinny knees to his chest and glaring over the top of them at the old man’s back. The old man had a long piece of driftwood balanced over his knees, and was methodically shredding his shirt into long strips. One of his wings was awkwardly bent in a way that made Sanji cringe to look at. The pain must have been terrible, but the old man’s voice didn’t even shake.

“C’mere. I need your help with something.”

Sanji didn’t move. “What?” he asked, and almost winced at the croak of his own voice. 

“Can’t reach my wing. Busted it against the rocks, and if I don’t set it now it won’t heal right.”

“So?” Sanji muttered sullenly. “What do I care?” 

“You stupid, brat?” the old man asked tiredly, and didn’t even give Sanji time to bristle before he continued, “Your wings ain’t big enough to reach land yet, but you’re little enough to carry. If my wing heals right, I can get us both off this rock. Hopefully before we starve to death.” 

“...How do I know you won’t leave me?” Sanji had asked suspiciously.

The old man looked at him askance over his shoulder, holding himself stiffly so as not to jar his injured wing. “Shit, kid, I might be a pirate, but I’m not a monster. You think I’d just ditch a little kid to die?” 

Sani blinked. Oh.

(It had made Judge so, so angry, that Sanji was the only one of his brothers with wings. It was an embarrassment, an infuriation, that the failure could fly unassisted when the perfect sons could not. It was why he’d been locked away, in a cell where he could never see the sky, where there was no hope at all of flight.)

He inched his way across the craggy stone to the old man, lips pressed tight. He took the stick of driftwood and makeshift bandages and quietly set to work, following the old man’s terse instructions. He wasn’t used to being on this end of it. Normally it was Reiju bandaging his injuries, setting his sprains and broken bones. 

(“You deserve to fly,” she’d said through desperate tears as she shoved him towards the ship, grey-and-violet wings pulled close to her back. “Go!”)

One he had the last clumsy knot tied, the old man gave him some of the food- so little- and they split to wait. For the old man’s broken bones to heal, or for a ship to come. Whichever came first.

And they’d waited, and waited, and waited. 

After the third week, Sanji had started to lose feathers. After the makeshift shelter he’d managed to scrounge together fell apart, his wings provided the only protection from the elements. He huddled behind their shade as the weeks crawled by, agonizingly slowly. 

Fallen black and white feathers littered the stone around him by the time desperation drove him to curl shaking fingers around a knife, and drag himself to the other side of the island, and discover the terrible truth. The knife clattered to the stone, and Sanji collapsed along with it.

It was twenty more days before the old man was well enough to fly. Sanji was half-unconscious with delirium by then, and all he knew of the flight was hunger, and wind, and endless, endless blue. The ocean below, and the cloudless sky above, and nothing at all between.

It never did quite leave his mind. 

“Have you ever heard,” he said, leaning against the railing and turning to look at the idiot in the straw hat, “of the All Blue?”

-

Chopper had never had wings. 

It was just another reason he knew he’d never fit in. No matter how human he could make himself look, he would never have wings, and that would always give him away.

He did know how to treat them, though. Of course he did. A great doctor needed to know those sorts of things. Doctorine had taught him- about wing breaks and sprains, the sort of injuries that could be crippling and the ones where the patient might fly again, her own grey parrot wings flaring dramatically whenever she made a point. 

At the moment, Doctorine was leaning over the unconscious bodies of their three newest patients- the blonde man with the back injury, the girl with the fever, and the black-haired boy. 

“Let’s see here,” she hummed. “Secretarybird, common magpie, and- hm.”

Chopper blinked up at her, intrigued by her sudden silence. Her expression was hard to read. “Doctorine? Is it about that boy’s wings? I saw they were different, and he hasn’t got feathers, is that normal for humans? Is he sick?”

“Not normal,” she agreed absently. “But not unprecedented, either.” She chuckled. “It’s been some time since I last met a D.”

“A… huh?” 

Doctorine waved it off. “Oh, nothing. Get him to a warm room and then prep Mr. Secretarybird there for surgery, will you? I need to find the antibiotics for Miss Magpie, she’s the most urgent of the three.”

“Ah- yes, Doctorine!” Chopper agreed, and bounced into action, and questions about feathers and wings and Ds were quickly forgotten. 

-

Franky didn’t have wings. 

He had had, at one point, though he’d never really cared much about them either way. After all, Tom-san hadn’t had wings, and neither had Kokoro. And it wasn’t like they were any use for shipbuilding, and he didn’t have many places to fly to, anyways. 

Iceberg had taught him how to fly, even though he’d always insisted he didn’t need Iceberg to teach him anything. But it had been useful for getting up to high places that needed construction, or making a quick getaway after breaking something, and- yeah, okay, he could admit it. It was fun. Flying had been fun. 

And then there had been the sea train. And wings were so very fragile. 

By the time he hauled himself aboard the scrap ship with broken hands, he already knew he wouldn’t fly ever again. His wings were wrecked beyond any dream of repair, skin shredded and bones shattered into fragments. Even if he had the ability to create prosthetics lightweight and detailed enough to replace them- which, not to sell himself short, he probably could, given time and materials that he didn’t have- he never would have been able to attach them to the nerves properly, not at that angle. 

No, better just to amputate, and cauterize, and focus on the things he did need: his hands, his eyes, his organs.

And he’d gone on, and it had been fine, and most of the time he barely missed flying at all. 

“Look,” he said, as the Agua Laguna raged outside and the dumb pirate kid refused to listen to reason. “Listen to me, bro. I’m serious. You listening?” 

The kid didn’t answer, but he did pause in hammering away at his dead ship for a moment, which Franky decided to take as a yes. 

“Your ship’s crippled,” Franky said bluntly. “She can’t sail anymore. It’s like- okay, you saw my wings are gone, right?” 

“...Yeah.” 

“Taking that ship to sea,” Franky said, “would be like pushing me off a cliff. There was a time I could’ve survived that just fine, but now it’d smash me to pieces. Your ship’s lost her wings. And no matter what, you can’t fix that.”

The kid stared at him, biting his lip so hard it looked like it might bleed, something cracking in his eyes, black and white wings curling protectively around his shoulders. Franky felt for him, he really did- he knew better than most what it felt like to fight something you couldn’t possibly win to try and save something you loved- but truth was truth, even when it hurt. 

He was just starting to hope he might have finally gotten through when the door crashed open and suddenly, they all had bigger problems to worry about. 

-

Robin’s wings were nondescript. It was useful, in its way, when it came to living in hiding. From the slanderous stories told about her and the people of Ohara, people expected crow, raven, rook- something dark and threatening. Or even featherless demon wings, much like those of her new captain. 

Instead, her wings were simple, uniform dark grey with tawny orange-brown patches spreading from the shoulders. Robin wings. 

Her mother’s had looked much the same, she remembered. It was one of the only details that had stuck in her head about Nico Olvia, as the long years had worn away at the few memories of her mother she had. Most of her mother’s face was a blur, now, but she still remembered a few things: white hair, sad eyes, wings of a mourning dove.

As Spandam dragged her down the Bridge of Hesitation, hands and powers bound, she flapped her wings frantically as hard as she could, even as the chains around her shoulders to weigh her down and stop her flying broke feathers and gouged at skin with every movement. She didn’t even need lift, just to push herself backwards a meter, a foot, an inch- 

If she could buy even a minute, even a second-

Spandam spat an ugly word at her as he was jerked backwards, stumbling for a moment and nearly face-planting onto the bridge before he managed to find his balance. He snarled, grabbed her by the shoulder and hurled her to the ground, driving the air from her lungs with a painful gasp. 

He stomped down hard between her shoulder blades, pinning her down. 

“You know,” he said, sounding almost gleeful, “the Tenryuubito cut off the wings of their slaves. To be sure they’ll never escape. Maybe I’ll recommend that, as part of your judgement. Or…” 

He moved his shoe from the center of her back to press lightly down on one of the delicate wing-joints in her right wing, and her breath caught. 

“Or maybe I’ll just do it myself,” he said. “What do you think, Nico Robin?”

Nico Olvia, with white hair and sad eyes and mourning-dove wings that had been bloodied, perforated by rifle-shots, ruined to stop her from flying away-

They’d aimed for the wings, first. They’d wanted to be sure that not a single scholar could escape. Not one was left uncrippled by the time the marines evacuated the burning wreck of Ohara. 

(Except Robin.)

“It’s not like you’ll be flying ever again, where you’re going,” Spandam continued, starting to press down, and Robin closed her eyes and grit her teeth against the pain and the rising plea for mercy alike. She refused to beg. Her mother had fought to the end, and so would she. 

Then there was a blaze of light, and a crash, and a fireball caught Spandam perfectly in the head, and Robin was saved. 

(Though, perhaps, if she was honest with herself, she’d been saved a very long time ago.)

-

When Brook had been alive, his wings had been soft, plain uniform brown. 

Nightingale, Yorki had laughed, one late night when they were sorting through a wing glossary one of the crewmen had picked up on the latest island, trying to place everyone’s wings. Oi, Brook, no wonder you’ve got the best singing voice on the ship.

Brook had warbled out a few notes in response, as horrifically flat and off-pitch as he could physically manage, and Yorki had nearly cracked a rib laughing. 

But wings rotted away just like all other flesh, and by the time Brook crawled his way back to the world of the living, they were nothing but bones and a drift of soft brown feathers, shed on the rotting planks. He tucked a few of the feathers away in an inside pocket of his coat, just in case they helped Laboon to recognize him, someday. 

Catching the remnants of his wings in the corners of his eyes (ah, but he didn’t have those anymore-), grasping and skeletal, always caught him off guard, almost worse than catching sight of his reflection. The bare, bright white stood in such contrast to the soft brown he was so used to seeing that he thought he would never truly get used to it. He couldn’t imagine anyone else would, either. 

And then- 

“Your wings are awesome, Brook!” Luffy said, bright and enthusiastic and entirely sincere, sprawled on his back on the piano. His wings were splayed out beneath him- featherless and red, entirely unlike any Brook had never seen before. “They’re so cool!”

For a moment, Brook couldn’t find words. (How unsuiting, for a songsmith.) And then he said, “Why, thank you, Luffy-san. I should tell you, though… I’m afraid they’re not good for much. I can no longer fly.”

Luffy blinked, and then said, “So? I can’t, neither.” 

“...You can’t?”

Luffy snickered, grinning. “Nah! My wings only sorta work. Something ‘bout my devil fruit and my bones or something. I don’t really get it. But it doesn’t matter! I mean, I can just rocket to places. And you too, right? You can run on water! That’s so cool!”

Brook looked at Luffy’s beaming grin for a long moment, and couldn’t stop the urge to smile back, even though he had no lips with which to do so. 

And then he said, “May I join your crew?” 

Luffy laughed like the best song Brook had ever heard. “Sure!”

[kokotaro]

could i request something? reader is the paladins' best friend (around pidge's age if that's okay) who they see as a younger sibling. platonic things like how would they react if reader gets hurt, how would reader comfort them if they were upset (and vice versa), etc.. nothing romantic, just bestfriend/sibling things

sorry this is so late! but i love this suggestion, platonic stuff is always so cute

Keith:

> He would be way too protective over them honestly. Like, he wouldn’t let them do something he deemed dangerous but he knows when he goes overboard and apologizes afterwards. 

> Without having too much family for himself, he would do anything to keep the best friend he sees as a sibling as happy and healthy as possible. He would help them with a good diet and force get them to exercise regularly as well.

> Most of the time Keith goes to them for some advice since they always know what to say but leaves certain problems for himself to take care of. He wouldn’t want them to feel burdened by his stress. 

> They are the only person who can tease him and he’s always been 100% okay with it. The other paladin’s do it rarely as they grow closer as a team but get surprised to see this kid letting loose like this.

> He would absolutely cherish every moment he has with them because the friendship (and family-like bond) is extremely important to him. 

> If they were to get hurt, physically or emotionally, he’d beat the shit out of whoever did it without hesitation. And when they need comforting, he tries his best to make them feel better by making the worst jokes he can think of and if that doesn’t work then he’ll play with their hair and give them lots of kinda awkward but meaningful hugs.

Lance:

> Since he already has so many siblings he’s more than happy to add another one to the family! They’re like childhood friends so they’ve already been accepted by him as well as the rest of his large family. 

> When he’s feeling homesick he’ll always go to them because he knows they feel the same. They would talk about his family, their family, and old memories that make them both cry with laughter to feel better.

> One time they scraped their knee from falling and all hell broke loose for him. He literally carried his friend over his shoulder back to the castle and wouldn’t let them walk until it was cleaned with a band aid over it. This happens with every minor (and major) injury that happens.

> Lance knows that growing up is hard and would offer some wise words to his friend if they ever needed it. He’s been through a lot given his fairly young age as well and wouldn’t want anyone to feel the same hurt he’s been through.

> Every other night they switch from doing skin care and hair care. One night they’ll be walking around with face masks, robes, fuzzy slippers, and a drink while other nights their hair is all wrapped up and they’re in the shower for about 2hrs. 

> He would do everything in his power to take care of his friend. They grew up together and have been through too much (and know too much) to be separated. They’re probably the only person he knows so well that isn’t blood related and it’s meaningful to him.

Hunk:

> Bakes for them 25/8 because he loves the way their face lights up with his cooking and he knows how to make something delicious with just about anything. And, like Lance, he’s used to having a large family so it’s like having a piece of home with him with his best friend!

> They often bake together, more so him teaching them all his tips and tricks on certain things that no one else knows about. They are sworn to secrecy over it but end up forgetting about it the next time they’re in the kitchen. 

> He has a lot of playful banter and inside jokes with his best friend and sometimes they range from a simple look to some weirdly elaborate dance move. Whatever it is, it sets them off into a huge laughing fit.

> He would be very worried whenever they’re hurt and constantly ask if they’re okay. It usually results in them reassuring him that they’re 100% A-Okay.

> Hunk hates seeing them sad and whenever they are he makes their favorite dessert no matter what time it is. If he isn’t able to make it to the kitchen he makes up stories about things they love. They’re long and very detailed and they fall asleep to it every time. He’s an amazing storyteller.

> He wouldn’t take his friendship with granted whatsoever and would express how he feels towards them all the time (especially in situations where they may not see each other again, as much as it pains the two). He hates having to fight constantly but does it because he wants to keep his friend, his family, safe and sound. 

Pidge:

> She feels greatly comforted by having a friend that’s like family after all the things she’s been through with her brother, father, and even her mother. It tears her apart inside sometimes even though she keeps fairly silent about it.

> She goes to them when she feels completely desperate to go back home and leave Voltron entirely. They talk her through it and remind her that one day it will happen. 

> The two would see who could outhack the other first and it’s become a game for them since they were little kids. Sometimes it amazes the team, other times it’s irritating when they wanna do something but can’t because these babies are screaming at their laptops.

> Pidge would hate seeing her friend hurt and tend to them with great care while making sure they are most definitely one hundred percent okay. 

> She would come up with a punch buggie sort of game but in space so sometimes you see one of them scream then punch the shit out of the other and everyone gets s o c o n f u s e d. Eventually they explain the game to the others but it brings absolute chaos among them.

> She values the family like bond she has with her friend and would do anything in the damn galaxy to keep them happy (vice versa too) because she feels like this is the only family she has left until either find her brother/father or go back to Earth to visit her mother. If she lost them she would lost a piece of herself as well and she tells them this often, they say they will always feel the same. One or both of them always cries and they hug it out.

Shiro:

> Honestly, after being lost and found multiple times he would feel terrible about leaving this person, who’s like his own flesh and blood, behind without a say. He knows it wasn’t his fault each time but he can’t help it.

> Whenever he has an episode due to PTSD they’re always the first one to try and help him calm back down. It doesn’t always work which troubles the team but they know he’s in good care with his best friend. 

> He would go batshit crazy like Keith whenever they get hurt because why the hell would you hurt his baby there is a price to pay. Afterwards his mood takes a total 180 and he gets so worried over them. 

> When they feel upset over something he lets them come into his room for a cry and offers them advice if it’s needed or rubs their back. He sings them a lullaby or two as well until they feel better.

> Shiro is used to his nickname so much that he gets a little surprised at the fact that they call him Takashi still but ya know he thinks it’s too cute to not correct them.

> Everyone calls him Space Dad and he found it weird at first but decided to roll with it after all. With his best friend at his side he feels a little less like an honorary parent though which he deeply appreciates because now it doesn’t make him feel so old (lol) but in all seriousness he’s happy that they’re with him through all this craziness because he finds them to be the most sane of the younger bunch.

( this gif has me in TEARS )

[calliecat93]

RWBY V6 CH7 Review: The Grimm Reaper

(Note: This was orignally posted on my backup blog due to a series of events that was due to this blog being flagged and me unable to post until now. This is a repost from said blog.)

We are at the halfway point! Yay! God, it has been one Hell of a first half so far. Unlocked secrets, evil plotting, a wintry forest, and zombie Grimm. It has been a dark, tense, emotionally breaking journey so far and we’re only halfway through. I can only imagine what the rest of the volume is going to be like. But first, we have to get this chapter out of the way. So lets do this!

Overview

We begin in, of all places, the Haven Vault. I wonder if they ever got Vernal’s body out of there… anyways, Cinder has brought Neo there, having apparently explained to her the Maidens, Relics, and of Salem. IDK how much detail she went into, but hey it sounds like the basics were covered. The door to the dimension where the lamp was is now sealed off completely. Heck it’s not even a door anymore, just a giant stone wall. So why has Cinder told Neo all of this? Well Cinder has been forbidden form killing Ruby via Salem, which makes sense since she also forbade Tyrian form killing her back in V4. Why? No clue, but it’s probably bad. But while Cinder can’t kill our hooded heroine, Neo is under no such obligation. So if Neo helps Cinder get to Atlas so that she can reclaim the Relic and redeem herself to her mistress, then Neo can get her revenge for them both and it can be played off as an unfortunate accident. Neo seems to be on board with this plan as the two villainesses shake hands. This is not going to end well…

Speaking of not ending well, we suddenly cut to a foggy area where a woman in a blue cloak is waking along a rope-bridge. It reminds me of V1, CH8 tbh. This woman, clad in blue and wearing a skeleton mask, is the Grimm Reaper. Or, more relevant to us, a younger Maria Calavera. Yes my friends, we are in a flashback now. And it’s one Hell of an impressive one as Maria is faced with a giant Nevermore, leading to a badass fight sequence. We also get to see Maria’s weapons,  pair of sickles powered by Gravity Dust, allowing her to maneuver them at will. They are awesome! Its really hard to talk about a fight scene, but you know how the girls struggled against one Nevermore back in Volume 1? Maria handles it single-handed here, ending it via a blast of her Silver Eyes. It turns the Grimm to stone and it promptly shatters. This indicates that, when controlled, the Silver Eyes can merely petrify a Grimm and not outright obliterate it, which would explain how Ruby froze the Dragon back in V3, but didn’t kill it.

Maria may have killed the birdie, but she soon is faced with other problems. She gets ambushed by a group of bandits, who are led by a cocky Crocodile Faunus woman named Tock. She is based off the crocodile from Peter Pan, and man her design is freakin’ great. She’s a rather confident woman, already knowing who Maria is and bragging that these next sixty seconds will be the Grimm Reaper’s lasts. As she says this, she turns on a clock as her aura glows. It was revealed by one of the animators on Twitter that Tock’s Semblance is, for sixty seconds, she is completely invincible. This is demonstrated as the fight begins, the seconds ticking in the background, as while Maria can handle the other bandits, Tock gives her quite the challenge. Weapons break when they hit her and not even minor damage can be done. It’s pretty much regular aura, but multiplied by 100.

Maria gives it her all, even combining her weapons in a dual-wielding form. But Tock is able to bite it in half and knock the Grimm Reaper’s mask off. This leaves Maria’s Silver Eyes wide open, and Tock promptly slashes them. Maria is left blinded and outright screaming in pin as Tock’s Aura breaks, a consequence of using her Semblance. She mockingly offers Maria mercy since the whole reason that her ‘master’ wanted her dead was due to her eyes. I am going to assume that the 'master’ is Salem. Maria tosses one of her sickles at Tock and as the Faunus prepares for the killing blow, Maria uses the Gravity  Dust to force the one weapon into Tock’s back. This causes Tock to meet her final fate as she is pulled towards Maria, who proceeds to behead her as the flashback comes to an end.

In present day, the group is surprised by this new information. Qrow is especially stunned, having admired the Grimm Reaper and he even based his weapon off of hers. Everyone assumed that she had died at some point despite her being a legend, but she had never given away her name or shown her face. Qrow had aspired to be as good as the Grimm Reaper… to which Maria says that hes well on his way with how much of a disappointment he’s been so far. Ouch But… yeah after last chapter, Qrow had that blow coming. Maria goes on to explain how despite surgery giving hr back her vision, after the attack she chose to go into hiding and look after herself. Since a Huntress’ duty is to protect and serve others, she feels that she is a failure and not someone that another should aspire to be like. She even points out how some are already stronger than she was, looking at Yang as she does so. But the former Huntress feels guilty for hiding away, unable to help make the world a better place for the next generation.

Ruby, however, points out that Maria CAN still help make things better now. How? She can train Ruby to use the Silver Eyes. That way, Ruby can use the power to help in the fight and therefore help others the way that Maria once aspired to. Maria doesn’t give an answer to if she’ll accept this offer, but it does look like she’s considering the younger girl’s words. But that will have to wait another day as Ruby’s Scroll goes off… an to her shock, it’s Vomit Bo.. ugh, I mean Jaune! This can only mean one thing. Yes my friends, after a train crash, a demoralizing revelation, an abandoned farm, and literally losing their wills to live, our heroes have arrived at Argus safe and sound. Once in the city, they are found by JNR, with Nora giving poor Oscar a glomp for good measure. There are hugs all around, the most emotional being between Jaune and Ruby. Jaune is clearly emotional that his friends made it back safely as Ruby assures him that she had promised, and she kept it. It’s such a beautiful moment signifying that, at least, our heroes are safe and together again. After these past few chapters, it is a VERY welcome sight.

Argus itself seems to be based off San Francisco, and it looks gorgeous. The settings are beautiful, the people are actually animated and not a still frame like with Mistral, and it really feels like a major city. It’s explained that Argus, being the man trading port between Mistral and Atlas, had help from Atlas to settle a firm establishment. SO while Atlas DOES maintain a military presence until recently, the city falls under Mistral domain and is one of the largest locations outside the main kingdom. And now that everyone’s together, there is the matter of living arrangements. As it turns out, Jaune already has this covered as we soon see a young blonde haired, blue eyed woman. This is Saphron Cotta-Arc. That’s right folks, this is one of Jaune’s long-awaited sisters. I believe that Ruby’s reaction speaks for all of us XD

When at the house, Saphron explains that she moved out of the Arc household as soon as she could as she teases her baby brother. It leads to some cute, funny banter as Jaune insists that he’s not a baby, but there IS an actual baby. Saphron’s infant son, Adrian, who pouts at his uncle’s implication. Which… OMG Jaune is an uncle… JAUNE IS AN UNCLE!!! Also Adrian is an absolute cutie patootie and I will let Weiss and Yang’s reactions speak for me. But yeah, it turns out that Jaune was inspired by Saphron setting out on her own to do the same, which she has no problems rubbing in his face. It leads to more cute banter before they are interrupted by the arrival of a young woman named Terra. And she is Saphron’s wife. Yes my friends, you read that right. Wife. IDK if they’re both lesbian or one or both is bi or whatever, but yes my friends, we have a married LGBT couple in the show at long last! I’ll go more into this in the review portion, bUT OMG YES! SO MUCH YES!!!

The lovebirds are more than happy with housing the group due to how Huntsmen and Huntresses give so much to protect people like them that they feel that it’s the least that they can do. Terra does question the use of students though, which Qrow does a.. meh job at passing off. But it’s okay, they have sandwiches! During this, Terra has to answer a call as Saphron explains that Terra works as a technician at the main radar tower. But it’s also where the military’s systems are housed, so things are buggy and poor Terra is getting the blame. Welt hat sucks. Int he meantime, the gang pan their next move. They intend to go to the military the next day and discuss getting transport to Atlas. But… well Jaune explains that they already tried… and the episode ends with the military base doors closing right into Team RWBYs faces. And no one was surprised.

Review

Guys… I can’t believe. We actually got a happy episode! Nothing bad, at least outside the flashback, happened whatsoever! The characters were… happy and laughing and cooing at cute babies! MILES AND KERRY HAVE FINALLY GRANTED US MERCY! HALELLUJAH!!!

Okay in all seriousness, this episode was great. We were in desperate need for a breather episode, and Thank God we got one. It feels kinda like Chapter 7 form last volume when RWY and JNR were catching up. But I feel like this one did a much better job since it both had some nice action, buildup for what’s coming next, and the build-up to this felt much more natural. But yeah… God IDK where to start with this one…

As I said, Argus looks absolutely stunning. It is probably the best-designed location in the series so far. And this time it felt alive and animated, unlike with Mistral where it used stills and then we spent mos to four time in a house. We actually got to explore a little bit this time, and it made the city feel all the more like… well, a city, as a result. The San Francisco vibes with the tram car and the theater were also super well done and made the city feel unique compared to previous settings. Major kudos to the art and compositing team here, they nailed it.

This was an excellent follow-up to the Brunswick Farms storyline. We get to see what Cinder is up to and set up for her and Neo’s next move. Enough to remind us that something is coming our heroes way, but it doesn’t drag or feel forced in. It presented us what we needed to know and look forward to their next move. On the good guys side, after all the Hell that they went through these past six volumes, they FINALLY got to catch a break. They made it to Argus safely, their moods have greatly improved, and they are once more focused on the task at hand. Hard to say if they feel any better about Ozpin yet, and considering we still haven’t seen Jaune man-handle Oscar, I assume that it’s gonna come up soon. But for right now, it’s just good to see our heroes happy and laughing again. Heck I got close to chocking up when Jaune and Ruby hugged and just seeing the pure relief on the paladin’s face. He’s earned it. They all have more than earned it.

The flashback, and in turn the deeper insight into Maria’s character, were also absolutely fantastic. Maria was a pure badass in her younger days and, while I wish that there was more foreshadowing (like mentioning the Grimm Reaper in passing or something), I absolutely can see why she was a legend. Once more CRWBY shows us a fast-paced, badass fight sequence and they all look so good. They’ve been striving much harder with the fights, which makes sense since it was one of the biggest complaints about V5, and it is very much appreciated. They are doing Monty proud. And Tock is such a fun one-time antagonist. Wicked design, awesome Semblance, a cocky but fun personality, her screentime was short but she made sure to own every second of it. And gotta say this, she had one Hell of a death scene!

It also served to help make Maria feel all that well-rounded of a character. I’ve loved her since the moment that she first introduced herself, and I’ve been loving her more and more with each new chapter. She’s sassy and independent, but wise and considering she stowed away on the train as all the chaos was brewing, has a noble spirit. And when you think about it, her stowing away makes sense. She feels guilty for hiding away after losing her eyes and being unable to move forward after it. She doesn’t come off as a weakling or a coward, she comes off as a sympathetic old woman who knows that she’s made missteps, and feels guilty because she failed to do her part to make things better. Hopefully she will agree to train Ruby and be the guiding light that the girl needs to master her powers and continue to help make people’s lives better. But yeah, so far Maria is the best new character in the show, and this episode truly solidified that.

But speaking of new characters, let us talk about the Cotta-Arc’s. First, I love Saphron. She’s bubbly, energetic, and super charming. The way that she teases Jaune is so silly, but you can tell that she loves her little brother and how affectionate she is. Getting to meet one of Jaune’s sisters at long last was a real treat and her and Jaune’s interactions were a major highlight for me. As for Terra, she also seems like a friendly lady, more than happy to house Huntsmen for all the good that they do for others. And Adrian I a total cutie and I still can’t believe that Jaune is a freakin uncle. I love it so much!

But of course, let us talk about the importance of these characters. They r 4our first LGBT couple in the series. We have Ilia, who I adore and she was a good first step, but now we have an actual married couple in the series. This is EXACTLY how you do representation. RT’s had a couple of examples of LGBT at this point (The Millers in Camp Camp, Agent Ohio (lesbian) and Sister (bi) in RvB, Skout in Nomad, Grimmons (RvB) in my own dreamworld) and so far they’ve done a good job. But aside form The Millers, this is the first blatant married couple that they’ve put into the show. And it was done beautifully. Saphron and Terra are portrayed as friendly young women with no stereotypes or cliches attached. They come across as regular people who are in love and just happen to both be women. Terra calls Saphron 'hon’, Saph goes to help her with groceries, they hold hands while sitting together, Saph is understanding when Terra has to answer a work call, it’s super sweet and, well… normal. And no one questions it or even addresses it when Terra comes in. They’re treated like any other couple, ad THIS is how you do proper representation. You portray your characters as people first and foremost, and then just let them be a couple. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it or put it under a spotlight. Let it be normal. Let it not be questioned. It is a VERY positive portrayal of LGBT characters and it made me cry in happiness when I watched it the first time. Thank you CRWBY. Thank you so much for this.

Final Thoughts

What more can I say? This episode was fantastic! A new setting, enjoyable new characters, a badass fight sequence, and plenty of build-up for what’s to come. But most of all, it was a positive episode. The characters got to be happy, and as such I was happy. Of course it makes me worry for what evil Miles and Kerry are going to unleash next, but hey at least they know when to finally let us breathe. This episode was very much welcomed, and I loved every second of it! Th first half of V6 has been a lot of things, but the one thing that it hasn’t been is disappointing. I eagerly await the second half for what is currently a strong contender for the best volume since V3! Great job CRWBY!