#i don't know WHY but that thought just just dumped itself in my head or smth

[l-in-the-light]

The most embarrassing series of posts about Lawlu you will ever read: edition Wano (part 13)

Sorry for the long wait, not only I needed a break (Silent Hill 2 remake came out <3), I also had troubles in general writing notes on tumblr for a while, for some unknown reason! But we're back to our Lawlu's love tale, now finally making it into Wano my beloved.

We start on the ship heading to Wano. Luffy is getting depressed over his bounty for the first time. We know he cares a lot about his bounty poster, apparently he always wanted to be on one ever since he was a child and Shanks told him stories about pirates. He also wants to impress Shanks, so there's also that.

But it's possible part of the reason why Luffy is depressed is because... his bounty would be now lower than Law's. LOL. Dressrosa ended with same amount of cash placed on their heads ;) I dunno if it's reallly part of Luffy's reason, but he did see Zoro and Sanji fight over their bounties before multiple times, so it's probably not a stretch that it might have rubbed on him a little, haha. Just throwing this as possible food for thought :D

Kin'emon is not picking up? Who cares, Luffy has enough of waiting. Which is understandable, but also... we know already that he can't get to Wano fast enough, he was in this speedruning mode ever since they left Zou. He's so close to seeing his crew and Law again, waiting even few hours more is simply killing him in those circumenstances.

Luffy immediately got immersed into roleplaying a samurai, but besides using "gozaru/verily" speech pattern, he mostly just focuses on his sword he practically snatched from the Tengu guy. He's so happy that not only he has a sword, but it's even one of the cooler ones. He holds it up like he wants to show it off, and then throws away the scabbard and claims he can slice people too.

I don't really want to doubt Luffy here, but he spent so much time with Zoro, practically since the beginning of the manga, and he never got interested in any swords before. Not even once. He seemed to interact with any only twice: when he found it for Zoro before freeing him in East Blue (he wasn't particularly interested in them yet, but he did get impressed with Zoro's skills), and when he held it for Law for half of Dressrosa.

So what do you think caused Luffy's sudden interest in swords? If your guess is Luffy's first ally, you're probably scoring a jackpot. Luffy wanted to feel cool and show off with his sword, because he kept looking at Law doing cool stuff with his own one, and Luffy decided he suddenly wants to do the same. Luffy usually has simple reasons for stuff, after all. Maybe he even imagines how it's like for Law to hold and fight with the sword, while he's at it.

It's also worth noting how Luffy is shamelessly admitting that what they're about to do will destroy Kin'emon's plans (Law's, actually, as we will see in a few moments) and declares he will just apologize for it later. It's funny for multiple reasons in retrospection, because: 1. Luffy never actually apologized, lol. 2. He indeed got away with it easily (waaaay too easily) 3. Luffy totally knew at this moment he will get away with it. Cheeky brat! And yes, he was right about that. He knows his Torao well and he knows he will be forgiven. If anything, it seems Luffy upon returning from Whole Cake Island decided to be openly cheeky when he knows a certain someone can handle it.

The action itself though will end up having very terrible consequences overall, but that's something Luffy couldn't have known yet.

"But you didn't even use it", indeed. Just simply carrying the sword around might be reminding Luffy of Law already. But also samurais (and ninjas) are just cool and it would be a waste not to have a sword like everyone else.

Also I'm always curious what Law does with his scabbard when he fights. It would be kinda funny if he throws it away too, lol (probably not up in the air like Luffy did, but he has to dump it somewhere, right? He doesn't carry his scabbard at his waist like Zoro, or on his back).

Law and Luffy's reunion! Yeah I know, at surface level it seems very bleak in comparison, after all Zoro got a glomping hug, just like Sabo did in Dressrosa. We actually don't see Luffy hugging people this way very often. Luffy also never attempts to hug or touch Law, not counting grabbing his clothes (which counts only as indirect touch).

But when we take a closer look at how they react about seeing each other, it does show they care and are happy to meet again.

Let's start from Law. He's resting (it's his last resting moment in Wano lol), his crew make a commotion, screaming "Captain, trouble! Strawhat and Roronoa are going to Bakura town!". But what Law picks up on is only this part: "Strawhat is in Wano?!" That selective focus in this scene says more than any expression or words could have shown us, it's like he didn't hear any other part, as soon as his brain connected the dots "they're talking about Luffy in Bakura town" but "Luffy isn't in Wano yet" which concludes in his deduction of "Luffy's finally here!". It's kinda cute, really.

Anime even emphasized this moment. At first Law asks "why are you so upset/making noise" but then picks up again only on the part about Luffy arriving in Wano, and even adds a line that wasn't in the manga: "So he's finally here", which only further shows he was indeed missing him, it's like it slips from his mouth before he can stop himself. He even gets up, his crew suddenly having all of his attention, just because Luffy's name was mentioned.

Indeed, Law, he is in Wano finally. You will regret feeling a tad bit happy in just a moment though.

And the blissful moment is over, Law is back to worrying 24/7, always about Luffy (and I guess, the raid's plan as well. But mostly about Luffy). Haha. It's okay, he likes to suffer this way, despite the stress.

Luffy got really personal very fast here. "Why is the food only for them?!". After experiencing his own childhood in Goa, seeing Rebecca starving herself and despite that Luffy was still firmly sticking to plan, and then witnessing Big Mom's sugar rampage, and finally the situation in Wano with people constantly poisoning themselves by drinking water from polluted rivers and being able to afford rice only few times a year (or less), Luffy snapped immediately.

That's the result of his experiences in Whole Cake Island, struggling to find things he could do (besides beating the Big Bad Guy) and facing Katakuri who was holding back for the sake of his family. Luffy rediscovered that he doesn't have to hold back what he truly wants to do anymore, as long as he keeps wellbeing of his dearest people in mind at all times. It's a good conclusion he reached here, but it's still not enough if Luffy wants to keep his promise of "making Wano a country in which his friends can eat as much as they want", Law will point it out to him later.

"He'll probably get mad" says Zoro, and one page later we have Law thinking "Roronoa knows the plan". Proving to us that Zoro meant actually Law there, not Kin.

"This is the worst possible thing that could have happened" thinks Law, and this will be important later for us to understand why Luffy had to land in Udon as the result of that. This is our strategy mastermind Law we're talking about here, he must have came up with a plan to deal even with "worst case scenario" (after all the raid plan didn't fail as the result!). He just really wished he could avoid it.

And funny thing, Law is *instantly* mad at Zoro for this outcome. "You swore that you wouldn't make waves!". Law knows everything that was going on with Zoro already when he's talking with him here. He knows he's a wanted man now, he knows Jack has been called up (thanks to Hawkins), and he of course put one and one together: Zoro chose not to stop Luffy from beating up Holdem. In Law's mind this is all Zoro's responsibility here, heh. Also just to show us his petty nature Law took the occassion to vent about every single little thing that he could think of, together with "you were supposed to be in the capital, not in Kuri!!". He had to get off his steam somewhere and Zoro happened to be the best target. Though everything Law said here is true and he has the right to be annoyed about it.

One thing worth noting is this: Law never blamed Luffy for this situation. Luffy didn't know about the plan, he just arrived and couldn't contact Kin'emon, and Law might vent sometimes, but he's not an asshole who would blame people for doing something wrong, while they had no chance to hear about the plan yet. It's simply not their fault then.

The anime emphasized my point as well, actually! Zoro puts the blame on Luffy (lol, Zoro, how could you do that to your captain!!) and as soon as he does that, Law's tone and expression changes. He understands now the situation differently, he thinks Zoro *tried* to stop Luffy, but Luffy was the one to push for what he wanted anyway. And yet... and yet Law is not mad at Luffy. He takes it as a fact and accepts, even if he dislikes the outcome.

He knows this will lead to bad stuff, but he even stops being angry soon after. And do you know why? Yes, of course it's because he likes Luffy a lot and cares for him, but he would scold him (even if not as openly as Zoro) if he thought Luffy is being unreasonable. He does scold Luffy when he later goes directly for Kaido, after all!

So why not now? The answer might be surprising, but it's the only one that truly makes sense. That's because Law has faith in Luffy. He might think he acts unreasonably at times, that he destroys plans, but he does not doubt him, ever. And it's not just a Wano thing either, it was like that already in Dressrosa. He was surprised and tried to push Luffy away when he came to his rescue, but as soon as Luffy declared he's not gonna leave Dressrosa to it's own fate, Law shuts up and accepts it. He doesn't doubt him or his decisions, even if he thinks they might lead to undesirable outcomes.

I can't tell you when exactly Law gained his faith in Luffy. Punk Hazard? But he already waited with Luffy for the rest of Strawhats crew there when they were supposed to escape, even if he complained about it. He didn't leave on his own, he stayed, and he couldn't know if they escape safely or not, they were risking their lives by staying and waiting. But if Law didn't develop his trust in Luffy on Punk Hazard, then the answer can be only one: it happened already on Sabaody. And personally, that kinda blows my mind. Upon first meeting with Luffy, Law started to have deep faith in him. Of course, it doesn't mean he won't *worry* for him, that's a different matter altogether, lol.

Back to being a worry cat Law. "Where's Strawhat-ya?" he can be so one-track minded sometimes haha.

Finally, a reunion! Look at Luffy here, he's basically crying out his excitement at seeing Torao again. "It's been so long!!" it was two weeks indeed and he already told similar line to Zoro before, which is also quite curious. But the moment he spots Law, Luffy's full attention is on him, and he spots him almost immediately too.

Let's think about this reunion from Luffy's point of view, okay? He arrived at Wano and is pretty much alone. He's thrilled to see Zoro, but meeting Zoro was by pure chance, Zoro had no idea where Luffy is (nor where he himself is as well, probably, lol. It is Zoro after all). But Law? It's clear as day he seeked out Luffy (with his own initiative! not simply sending his crew after him! despite Bepo's little incident coming in the way too!) and he indeed found him. From Luffy's POV, Law was the one who searched for him to see him again, to reunite and probably to talk (it is Law, he does talk a lot - when it comes to plans xD). And to achieve that so quickly, it's clear he was waiting and observing, to show up and fetch Luffy as soon as he arrives anywhere near the centre of Wano.

And yeah, sure, Law doesn't say anything upon their reunion there, but Law never says any greetings, like ever, so this is in-character. But his eyes, the way he looks there at Luffy, seem to reflect the exact same sentiment Luffy has. Remember his "finally" line from before? Yep, it's been a long time, and not just for Luffy. They clearly both missed each other.

And then Law drops the bomb "This is rebellion". Wait, but where's the scolding for ruining all the plan?! Well, there's none.

Just a moment later Law just lets Luffy do whatever he wants and doesn't comment on anything anymore.

In anime he only sighs to himself. (also bonus points for sharing sweatdropping moment with Zoro, the guy who was with Luffy practically from the start, haha).

While the people in Okobore town are eating and celebrating, Luffy is talking with Tama, and Law is just there at the side, facing away. Why? He's guarding against the possible enemies approaching, it's his swordsman's instinct. And that's his response to Luffy's actions in the end. It's an alliance, they're in this together, if Luffy does something, Law actually follows through and he doesn't need any prompt for doing that. He falls into this role naturally, because... because he worries so much xD

And again, in the manga Law only ever scolds Zoro, and not Luffy. Luffy doesn't even have to apologize to Law, heh.

In anime they played this scene a bit differently, Luffy is mockingly roleplaying Law there, pretending to be scolding them and making a serious face (yes, this is Luffy mimicking Law's usual face and tone and words, lol. Ain't he cute? Luffy does it a lot to his crewmates actually, we saw him do that quite a number of times: he pretended to be Sanji, Zoro, Usopp and Chopper. Usopp often joins him, he pretended to be Robin before, for example. Luffy probably would have pretended to be Nami too if he wasn't afraid of her. Yet, he's not afraid of Law in the slightest, lol). Actually, it seems he made this impersonation of Law just because he wanted to get a reaction out of him, acting like a spoiled kid... or a spoiled younger sibling, in fact.

Law gets annoyed at the call out, but besides this one line "you don't get to scold anyone!" he still doesn't scold Luffy for what he did, at all. The scolding is only about "how dare you steal my line and use it inadequately!". In the anime he does get a small petty payback on him for this later, lol.

This is an interesting scene. Law asks why Kiku is tagging along and Luffy reassures him it's fine. After that Law doesn't question her anymore.

The anime even shows us that Law is seeking Luffy's opinion in particular, asking him to make sure "is it really okay?". He wants to know if Luffy trusts her. Upon hearing that he indeed does, he accepts it as good enough reason and neither asks again nor worries about Kiku's presence at all. Just because Luffy said it's okay.

That's Law's level of faith in Luffy, like I said before, he never doubts him and even seeks out his opinion. Someone (who by all means is smarter than Luffy himself) *seeks out* Luffy's opinion in particular, trusting it, despite the fact that most people think Luffy is just carefree and doesn't think about anything too deeply.

Even Luffy's own crew tends to doubt Luffy in smallest things (Robin warning Luffy about betrayals in alliances instead of trusting in his faith about Law, Usopp and Nami always protesting about dangerous stuff, Zoro doesn't trust Luffy handling a sword, Sanji thought Luffy can't beat Big Mom and also doesn't need him anymore despite Luffy saying otherwise etc.), but so far I didn't see even one moment in which Law doubted Luffy in any way. The closest to it would be on their trip to Dressrosa when he scolds him "we can't go there without a plan!" but literally one moment later he agrees to eat breakfast with them, just because Luffy declares it's meal time. He complained but still went on with it.

Let this sink in :)

This vid doesn't have the original voice lines since it's a music video (borrowed with permission from @lutorao ❤), but it's fine because I want you to pay attention to the dynamics here, which can't really be captured in screenshots.

Luffy is getting impatient and wants to know what Law and Zoro mean by the "ghosts of Wano". Zoro quickly dismissed him so Luffy moves on to pester Law about it and he acts totally spoiled about it. Frowning he leans to him from one side but noticing that Law looked at him, he moves away to his other side instead, and Law's eyes follow him there immediately. Luffy's frown turns into a playful expression instead, he's totally doing it on purpose because he enjoys when Law is looking at him.

Law is lost in his own thoughts, but as soon as Luffy approaches him, he gives him full attention, and he can't help but follow him with his eyes too. He catches himself falling for Luffy's little game, so he stops and answers him "you will see it soon enough when we arrive". Law totally got played here, he allowed it to happen actually, if anything he enjoyed it as much as Luffy did, but he feels like he can't lose his face so he puts an end to it with firm but also not dismissive words. After all he can blame only himself and his own affection for Luffy for falling for that little "attention seeking" game. This is yet another proof to me that Law likes to watch Luffy, likes to spoil him, likes to give him attention too. He doesn't do it all the time only because he wants to maintain his "face".

At the end of this scene Luffy gives up and calls Law "kechi" which is probably the most awful nickname Luffy have given anyone so far in the series (together with "four swords style" name-calling for Zoro lol). It's often translated as "mean", but we know Luffy better than that already, he would never call Law mean, not even while joking. Literally the Japanese word means something like "cheapskate", emphasizing Law's refusal to tell Luffy immediately, so Luffy thinks Law is holding out on him (he's just a bit bored and impatient though). I guess Luffy isn't used to be told to wait, not coming from Law at least. Law spoiled him too much heh.

Personally this is my second favourite Lawlu moment from Wano, besides the ghost story. And this one is anime-only ❤ great job, Wano's anime arc!

This is also Law and Luffy's moment. Luffy's surprise that there's no castle and Law reminding him "I told you it's ruins". In anime Luffy adds afterwards "oh, right!". It's just a cute conversation those two have. Also another moment showing us Law doesn't leave Luffy hanging, even if he has to repeat himself.

The same happens just a moment later, when they're walking around, and Luffy comments that this place is kinda creepy. Law also immediately replies to him, providing an explanation. Luffy really doesn't even have to ask for attention anymore, he's always getting it anyway. Law would never ignore him.

And here comes the fan favourite (mine as well hehe): Law tricking Luffy that Kin'emon and the rest of the samurais were ghosts all along. Yet another example of Law's teasing and deadpan sense of humour, btw.

Let's analyze it step by step. It's neccessary to point out that Luffy is actually the first one to arrive at the idea that "they're dead", without any sort of prompt from Law. Luffy immediately jumps on that idea "they have graves, are they actually dead, that's why I couldn't contact them" and then in his panic he asks Law "Where's Kin, wasn't he supposed to be here??". Law didn't really have to do much for Luffy to believe they're ghosts. All he had to do was to not deny it openly.

Now let's try to see it from Law's point of view. He simply showed Luffy the graves, witnessed him panic and then seeking confirmation or denial from him, because he would believe whatever Law would tell him, that much is clear. And Law couldn't stop himself from leading him on a bit more. He didn't actually lie to him in any way or actively tried to trick him, he just decided to say things that don't exactly deny or confirm openly the ghosts idea. His only responses are "it's not just Kin, look at other graves", and then "he might come up in the middle of the night, like yesterday", and finally "It's not my place to tell you". He's not lying, he's just slightly leading Luffy to spiral more into his own doubts, lol. Such a troll.

He's also super pleased about it, look at his shining eyes there. We never see Law's eyes shining like that, it's a proof of how amused he is despite his deadpanned face. Luffy on that other hand believes Law immediately and even lets go of him (anime-only extension of the scene), devastated. He got successfully trolled, lol.

We know Law is saying bullshit here, because his eyes are hidden, heh. Luffy gets so agitated he grabs Law by his clothes (first time he ever did that, Law gets his payback for that in raid on Onigashima). He's not doubting Law, not really, he's just really confused, because so far Law always gave him a clear answer, every time Luffy asked about something (and often even when he didn't ask). Law's reluctance to answer here clearly makes Luffy so worried, he is ready to kick ass of whoever caused Law to behave in this way, because he thinks it's just too painful for Law to properly say what's going on (the same way it took Law a while to share about his true reason why he's after Doflamingo!). Luffy's reaction is very understandable, but Law's? He's totally playing with him, lol. This all takes place in same episode in the anime, in which their playful interaction from above also happens.

Law probably thought it's cute how Luffy immediately jumped to the "they're ghosts!" conclusion. He wanted to see how far he can push him and how scared he can actually get. If you wanted proof of how much Law missed Luffy, this is actually it. Despite usually distancing himself so much, here he literally couldn't stop himself from playing a trick on Luffy, just so he can see a new face expression on his face. Law in Dressrosa wouldn't allow himself that, but Law after the two weeks of seperation does. Seperation makes the heart grow fonder.

It's worth noting that despite trolling him and getting grabbed, he still doesn't want to outright lie to Luffy :)

Law plays along when Kin'emon shows up. Law can be such a little shit sometimes, lol. Luffy is quickly getting more distressed.

And his surprise reaches it's peak here and he screams, terrified. Meanwhile Law just stands there, enjoying the show quietly.

Luffy is so relieved that Kin'emon is alright and isn't a ghost. And then he immediately complains to Law, accusing him of lying, to which Law calmly denies "I didn't say he was dead, did I?". This is literally the first time Law played a trick/joke on Luffy, and the bottom line is, Luffy isn't even fully aware of it. He just thinks Law was saying things in unclear way and tells him not to do that, lol. He suspects Law probably did it on purpose (after all he never did that to Luffy before! always providing clear explanations), but he still doesn't understand why ;)

Law turns away in the anime, probably with the intention to smile or snicker to himself without being noticed, but when Luffy makes an angry face at him, he can't help but look at him anyway. His eyes just always wander towards Luffy.

This is it, the in-depth analysis of the joke Law played on Luffy. Did it destroy it for you or made it even funnier ;)?

This is a fun little whimsical moment between them. Again, Luffy wonders outloud whether Kiku knows Kin'emon, and Law, completely unprompted, provides his own insight to clear Luffy's confusion. "It looks like more than just knowing each other" (implying: they're kinda close). Luffy doesn't get it immediately, but observes their interaction for a bit longer, and few moments later realization dawns on him.

And that's all thanks to Law, of course. He pointed it out to him as soon as Luffy voiced his confusion. This shows that not only Law always pays attention to Luffy and answers his questions, never ignoring him, but also helps him comprehend stuff Luffy never could before. Like a good older brother would.

It's the same in the manga, though it's a shorter version.

And then we have another reunion. Luffy gets hugged by Chopper and Carrot, and it seems Law is staring at them. Taking into account the scene before (him commenting on Kiku and Kin knowing each other very closely), it's likely he thinks the same way here about Luffy, Carrot and Chopper. He also might be a bit jealous actually, after all it seems Strawhats hug each other, but Law didn't get a reunion hug (not that he could handle it, seeing how poorly he handles most touches and closeness, but doesn't mean he can't wish or yearn a bit for one anyway). Also after observing Strawhats closeness with each other on multiple occassions, he tries to act more affectionately with his own crew as well. He's a good observer and learns a lot just from watching from the side.

And I ran out of space already in this part, haha (I thought I would at least make it till the scene when Luffy runs off to fight Kaido, lol). Including anime kinda affected the pace and made the post even longer! But I think all those additional scenes are really worth it, they're pure gems :3

Tbc in future parts about Wano :D

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

How You Turn My World; Chapter 4

You finally find your way into the labyrinth, coming across some new and old faces; both friendly and malicious.

Character; Lilia Vanrouge

Content; Gender-neutral reader, reader is getting tired of being stuck here and smelling like a bog

Content Warnings; Swearing, some talk of death, reader passes out

Word Count; 2.2 K

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 |

As per usual, don't put my work into AI.

You were finally making some decent progress, what, with not being stuck in some bog and knowing somewhat of where you were going. A vast improvement really! Well, it would be, but unfortunately, you still reeked of rotten eggs and skunk — apparently the bog stench only got worse the longer it stayed on.

“Why did it have to dump me into the swamp,” you huffed, rounding yet another corner. “Like, it could have dumped me beside the water, but, no, no, let’s dump the magicless human right into the putrid bog water! A good guffaw, don’t you think? Ha ha ha HA!”

At least your au de Bog of Eternal Stench kept any would-be assailants away since you hadn’t run into anything (besides a rose bush, ouch) since you started making your way through the labyrinth. So maybe it wasn’t all that bad… damn, maybe your sense of smell was just used to it… hey, if stink helps you not die, then you would gladly stay stinky! Well, bitterly stay stinky is more like it.

“Assholes,” you muttered, rounding another corner. 

But it wasn’t a corner; it was a crossroad. Three paths merged off of the one you were on.

… aren’t labyrinths just one long line? THIS IS A FUCKING MAZE?! You groaned, looking at your possible options which all looked exactly the same.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Of course nothing is easy here, no no no! Gotta make things difficult now.

The hedge behind you rustled, and you whipped around, getting into a stance where you could either land a pretty good sucker punch to the hedge-stalker or make a mad dash away. But out of the hedge crawled out a small, fuzzy, caterpillar. And back at home you would have thought it was cute, but you learned your lesson from the doors; don’t trust it, or anyone for that matter.

You looked down at the caterpillar, and the caterpillar looked up at you, blinking slowly. 

What are the chances… 

“Do you know a way out,” you asked the caterpillar, crouching down so that you didn’t tower over it.

The caterpillar blinked at you again (apparently caterpillars in the Underground have eyelids, which isn’t the weirdest thing considering everything). “No,” it chirped and continued crawling on its merry way, wherever that may be. “But you’ll find the way.” And it disappeared into the growth of the maze, humming a little tune to itself.

You sighed, and pushed yourself back up, straightening out your shoulders and looking up to the sky. “I’ll find a way,” you breathed, looking up at the cloudless sky which was starting to turn a brilliant amber with the setting sun. “I might want to find a way is more like it.”

You looked back down to the ground, looking at the three paths in front of you. They all look the same, save for the ground making up paths themselves, with the middle and right paths looking well worn with travel. And while they may be well worn, there was a voice at the back of your head that was whispering caution. The left-most path was not as well travelled, with dead vines covering parts of it.

“Hopefully you’re right, little buddy since I could use all the luck I can get.” And you made your way down the path, hoping that it was the correct one and didn’t lead you to your death or some other unpleasant thing.

…

…

Lilia was at the entrance of the labyrinth, in front of the two doors.

“Have you seen a human, about this tall, a bit of a temper, and smelling foul,” he asked the doors.

The doors looked at each other before looking at Lilia. “And what’s it to you,” they said in unison.

Lilia smiled, but it was one of mild annoyance, not joy or amusement. “Royal orders I fear. You wouldn’t want the mistress finding out about you both tampering with a royal matter, would you?” The smile turned cat-like since Lilia had backed them into a corner.

The doors paled, with the blue door speaking up. “No no, sir! We would never dream of such a thing!!! Yes, there was a human, a wretched one at that, horribly rude!”

Lilia hummed, cocking a brow at the door. “I do think wretched is a bit of an overstatement now,” he whispered to himself. “Well, tell me where about they are then. The sooner I can collect them, the better for you lot.”

The red door sighed, “Near the heart of it, they took the left path.”

Left path? Why the left path leads to… Shit. Lilia mentally groaned, knowing that regardless of the path you took, you would end up having to deal with them eventually. “Your cooperation has been noted,” is what he said though, giving the doors both a nod before turning into a bat and flying over the labyrinth, trying to find you before you ran into whoever them was.

“Please be clever enough not to die,” he whispered to no one, hoping that he didn’t have to deliver your body to the Queen.

…

…

The left path brought you to what looked like a forest; with old-growth trees, ferns and moss covering the ground, and a list mist hanging in the air. It was peaceful and beautiful, with the setting sun illuminating the mist without burning it away.

But that would not last, night was fast approaching and you had nothing to protect you this time; no rowan tree to haul your ass up, and no sort of weapon to protect yourself besides the oh-so-lovely smell of the bog to deter something from eating you. You were pretty sure it would also keep away anything that wanted to otherwise snatch you up.

“AH!” Something jumped out from a tree, and you couldn’t fully register what it was since you were also screeching, much like the creature was at you; you with fright, the creature with amusement and joy.

Two other creatures jumped out from behind the trees and startled cackling, jumping, and clapping. Together, they surrounded you, with no way to really escape them without fighting through.

… you really should have read about fae species, since you didn’t know what they exactly were, or how dangerous they were either. 

One pulled you near a pit and lit a fire, cackling in glee and dancing, trying to get you to join them. “Ah come on, human, have some fun! DANCE BABEY!!!!”

But you stayed still as more creatures came out of the shadows, dancing around the fire, giggling, cackling, and pulling a bit at your clothes to prompt you to join them. You didn’t know, cementing your feet down, your eyes watching their movements with caution.

‘Should you dance with the fae, you shall not stop dancing until you exhaust yourself. And once you wake up, you will continue dancing. This cycle will repeat itself until you dance to death.’ 

At least that was what the book said, and so you stayed still, regardless of how much the creatures pulled at you. While it looked like a grand old time, you remained where you were.

“I don’t have time for dancing,” you answered coldly, flinching from pinching fingers. You were also a bit shocked that Eau de Bog of Eternal Stench wasn’t keeping them away. Either, they couldn’t smell, or, they didn’t care that you smelled downright awful. “So this ‘baby’ won’t dance.”

And should I be offended by you calling me ‘baby’ or am I reading too much into it?

The main creature just shrugged and spun its dancing partner around. “Your loss human! More fun for us then! YIPPEE!!!” And it threw something in the fire to where you could feel the heat on your face.

What now? You were just standing there awkwardly as the creatures danced about, singing something that you couldn’t really make out. All you knew was that the heat, noise, and the dizzying dance of them was making your head pound, and throat scream in thirst. You hadn’t drank anything for over a day(?) — no, bog water did not count — and the heat from the fire made the thirst only worse. Shit.

“Ah, you don’t look too… hot there human,” one of the creatures snickered at its own joke at your expense. “Maybe if you dance with us, loosen up and have a bit of fun, then you can have a drink? Hmm? Dancing won’t kill you!” But its failed attempts at covering up its own malicious giggles were more than enough to stand your ground… which was coming at you quite fast since you practically collapsed.

Was it the thirst? The pounding migraine that wanted nothing more than to crawl into some dark hole and hide? Or your exhaustion from making that tiring trek, crawling yourself out of the bog and making the trek again, or the hours you had spent wandering around the maze with no real idea of where you were going? All you really knew was that you were now on the ground with the creatures poking at you to see if you were still alive.

“Aw, man! Are they already dead? That’s no fun!” One of the creatures pouted, raising up your arm, and you let it plop back to the ground. “Come on human! Get up! You’re not a party pooper are you?”

Scre you buddy! Can’t you read the situation?!

You were trying your best to stay quiet, which wasn’t all that hard, since all of your energy was gone. 

“They best not be,” a familiar voice called out.

From your position, you couldn’t see who it was, but you could make out the creatures jumping away from you like you were the hot fire instead of the fire pit. But someone else was approaching until you could make out a pair of shoes in front of your face.

They crouched down beside you, placing their fingers gently at the base of your throat; taking your pulse. “Hmph, playing dead, are we, Beastie?”

That irritating chuckle. The annoying nickname. Those mischievous magenta eyes that now looked at you with curiosity and amusement.

It was him — Mr. Sparkles.

And he had just blown your act of playing possum (well, not really, since you had actually collapsed).

But you didn’t say anything, instead favouring to give him a dirty look. Yet he just shook his head in jest, and proceeded to pick you up and wrap you around his shoulders and neck like some sort of bizarre ermine pelt; better than being carried like a sack of potatoes or the bridal carry you supposed.

“Her majesty sends her regards for not turning or killing her guest,” Lilia offered the creatures. It would be such a waste and pity to see such an entertaining Beastie leave us too soon now. “But do know she won’t take to their condition lightly.”

My condition? I’m not some Victorian child with some unknown illness wreaking havoc on their body you know?! But all that you did was groan and cough. You couldn’t even cough in Mr. Sparkles’ (Lilia’s) face, since you had a lovely view of the moss-covered ground and the fae’s shoes.

He patted the back of your calves, and you would have kicked him if you had more energy, but you didn’t. “Now, we really should be off, since Beastie has… an hour to get out of this maze before they turn into some sort of worm, or a hedge; never know what this old labyrinth will decide on really.” Lilia chuckled at the thought (was it merriment, or was he happy that you weren’t joining the caterpillar you met earlier?).

“No,” you wheezed. “WoRm!”

“See! They said it themself! No worm! How lovely that we are on a similar wavelength, Beastie! Marvellous even!” Lilia exclaimed, and the both of you started levitating off of the ground. “Now, do enjoy your party, Fireys!”

The creatures (Fireys apparently) groaned but got back to their party, dancing around the fire like they didn’t just try to lure you to your death mere minutes before.

“Tsk tsk, Beastie,” Lilia’s tutting brought your attention back to him and you grumbled. “You owe me two favours now, you know. Lucky that I found you… although that part wasn’t hard. I thought you learned your lesson the first time you decided to take a dip into the Bog of Eternal Stench?”

You lightly kicked him, letting your irritation be known, but Lilia just hummed. “Now now, no need to be like that! Do you want to smell like a bog when you meet the mistress? She wouldn’t take kindly to your… unique aroma.”

You hissed out a breath since he decided to pinch at your ear rather harshly — prompting for you to answer. “No,” you whispered hoarsely.

“Also, do read up on that book, since you will want to know about the government and fae species etiquette!”

From a smelly bog and fumbling around a maze for hours on end, to finding yourself being taken to fae high society… was it too late to become some worm in the maze? I think being a worm actually has a better chance of me living.

But sadly, you were saved from an eternity of being a worm. Hopefully, Mr. Sparkles (Lilia) would cover for your blunders a little for when you found yourself in front of ‘the mistress’.

...

...

...

...

To be continued!

~~~~~~~

Tags; @afunkyfreshblog @cheezy-moon @eynnwwyjth @identity-theft-101 @ithseem @lucid-stories @ryker-writes @twistwonderlanddevotee @xxoomiii

Link to Masterlist

[short-honey-badger]

Peppermint Tea 3

Another part already! Enjoy!

Masterlist

Warnings! Some kissing! Dracule isn't shy about what he wants.

You don't remember falling asleep, but wherever you are, you're warm and cozy, just a little confused as to why your bed is moving. Up and down you go, and it's enough to pull your sluggish brain to wakefulness and crack your eyes open. The sight that greets you is one that you could definitely get used to.

Ringed yellow eyes stare down at you, a fond, but exasperated look adorning Dracule's handsome features. He shifts under you, and you realize that he's probably uncomfortable with you draped all over him like this, “How long was I asleep for?”

“Only a couple of hours,” Mihawk murmurs and taps the side of your leg, “Move for me, Dear.”

He watches as you carefully remove yourself from his lap, not touching him more than you need to. Mihawk stands and sighs in relief when his back pops. He steps by you, stopping for half a second to press a sleepy kiss to your forehead before he slips off to the bathroom.

You make yourself useful and go to the storage room to dig up a shirt that would most likely fit Dracule and that pair of socks you'd forgotten about. He has emerged from the bathroom by the time you come out of the back room, and you hand over the things you had gathered.

“I checked your jacket. It's still pretty damp,” you inform him and turn away from the well-groomed man as he slips the white shirt over his shoulder. Mihawk only bothers to button the bottom four buttons, leaving his chest exposed.

“Nothing to worry about, Darling. I have others on my ship,” he rumbles and then steps towards the kitchen, “I'll put the kettle on, if you don't mind?”

It makes your heart flutter to see him so comfortable in your home, so you nod quickly, “Absolutely. Like I said, Darcule. Make yourself at home,” you assure him, and he slips you a tiny smirk before disappearing around the corner.

Hank flops down beside you, giving you big pitiful eyes, and you crouch to pet his shaggy head, “I know, Buddy. I don't really know what I'm doing, either.”

Which is terribly true. You've never had a man treat you like this before, as if you were his equal, and it made you feel comfortable and safe in his presence.

“Darling, how do you like yours?” Mihawk's voice pulls you from your thoughts, and you stand to meander to the kitchen.

“I'll show you,” You step close and pull your sugar tin close and proceed to dump an obscene amount of sugar into the mug. When you glance at him, Mihawk is giving you a look as if you've suddenly grown a second head, “What?”

The warlord huffs, “No wonder you're so sweet,” he quips with a twist of his lips, and you gasp in mock outrage. You watch as he proceeds to put nothing in his tea and simply sips the blend itself.

“Well, no wonder you're so bitter,” you tease back and sputter when Mihawk flicks you in the forehead. It doesn't hurt, but it's enough to have you glaring up at him, lips curling in a mischievous smile.

“Don't call me bitter. I like plenty of sweet things,” Dracule rumbles, and you flush as you recall his words from the first time the two of you met.

Mihawk enjoys the red that tints your cheeks. Likes the way your eyes go all half lidded when he whispers honeyed words to you. A cruel smirk plays across his lips and he steps close, one hand curling around your hip, and you can feel his breath against your skin, “Things like deserts, and candies,” his lips ghost over the shell of your ear, “Things like you.”

The room grows cold, but Mihawk does not move despite the rising chill. That same tension is back from earlier, and it makes you tremble and not from your devil fruit. His hand flexes against your hip, tugging you a tiny bit closer to his furnace of a body, and you gasp when you stumble forward.

Your hands are freezing against his chest, and Dracule lifts his free hand to gently grasp both of your, squeezing softly.

“I don't know what I'm doing,” you admit quietly and stare at the way this beautiful man holds your hands like you are something precious.

Mihawk stares down at the top of this young woman's head. He doesn't know why, and he doesn't know when, maybe when she had offered him tea the first time, but a connection had formed between the two of you. One that he didn't want to shy away from. You were something special in this world, hidden away from the drama and evil that tainted the Grand Line. Dracule has always gotten the things that he wants. This would be no different.

“I won't lead you astray, Little One,” Mihawk murmurs, voice rough, and he smooths his hand up from your hip to cradle your jaw. He lifts your face up, and you can't help but stare into his ringed eyes. His lips curl into a soft smile so small that you wouldn't have caught it if you hadn't been paying attention. His thumb smooths over your cheek, “Do you trust me?”

You search his gaze and see nothing but fondness for you in the yellow depths, and you find that you do trust this man.

“Yes.”

The smile widens on Dracule's face, “Good,” he whispers, and then he is leaning down to close the distance. He tightens his grip on your hand when you whimper against his lips, eyes falling shut so that he can focus on the way you feel against him.

Your lips slot against his perfectly, but it's your first kiss, so it's enough to take your breath away and have you flushed to the roots of your hair when Dracule breaks the kiss. You breathe deeply through your nose, and he lets go of your hands to wrap his arm around your waist and press you close to his chest. His lips find your brow and rest there before he speaks up.

“Was that okay, Darling?” He asks softly, and you are quick to nod your head. You feel him leave one last kiss to your forehead, and then he is letting you go to stare down at you, “Verbally, please.”

You grin up at him, “That was my first kiss,” you say and giggle when you watch Mihawk's eyes darken a shade at the information. He knew that you were sheltered, innocent even, but knowing this about you only makes Mihawk want to keep you hidden away even more. Dracule knows that he is selfish.

“I'm honored to be the one to take it,” He quips, and you roll your eyes at him and carefully step away.

“My books didn't do it justice,” You mention off handedly and gesture to a stack of said books, “I don't have a lot of romantic ones though, only the ones that have washed up on shore.”

Mihawk huffs, “I can assure you that your books will not hold a candle to me,” pride in himself drips from his voice and you can't decide if what he says worries you or not.

The rest of the day is spent in one another company. You show him your garden this time and explain which plant is which. Mihawk learns that you have become an excellent fisherman since that was your main source of protein and agrees to stay for dinner when the sun begins to set.

It's disgustingly domestic watching you dither around the kitchen of your small home, but Dracule is more content than he has been in a very long time. The smell of baking bread and grilled fish fills the cottage, and he can't help the small smile that plays along his lips. This was the start of a new chapter in his life, one that he would gladly share with you.

@writingmysanity @kenkenmaaa @foggyturtleknightangel @browneyedhufflepuff @goth-mami-writer @djbumblebee

[piescornerstore]

yknow i really like the headcanon where addisons, when they're tired or otherwise out of energy, can plug into some sort of cable and recharge at the end of a long day. but i also like the headcanon where their main source of energy is money. while they can eat anything, from regular human food to magic food to shoes, usually the most important nutrients an addison can get is from any type of currency. and i thought, why not both? humans do the same. addisons use food as the main source of energy, and connect themselves to a cable so they can clear their caches and be more ready than ever to be able to sell and work, which is all that they're supposed to be able to do.

and that made me think a little more about addispam's place in all that.

you guys know about the right to repair, right? that ever-looming fact that as consumerism becomes more and more dominant in our lives, and as corporations strive to make more and more money, the things we buy are reaching new levels of craptastic that they're basically made to break, and that older tech, while durable as hell, is basically totally accommodated for in the modern day.

and what about addispam in that context? in my fanon, he's a much older model of addison that accidentally rebooted, meant for the dump but is now roaming cyber city trying to fulfill the one purpose he was made for. but of course, the world isn't made for him anymore. maybe it never was

i'd think it'd really click for him once he tried to plug into a cable to recharge. it's practically necessary for any addison these days: if you want to sell properly, you need to clear your cache, or else your head will be swimming with endless noise that'll just fuck you up the longer it's allowed to accumulate. so, spamton bought itself a charging cable with the little money it had, after asking around to figure out what it was supposed to do (cause no one ever gave it a rulebook). but as soon as he tried to do it, the charger wouldn't fit. it went back to the store. tried another cable. didn't fit. turns out they don't sell chargers that fit its model anymore. nobody does. so addispam has to deal with a cache that keeps building and building.

and what about other things? updates are crucial to addisons. you HAVE to keep up with the styles, you HAVE to keep up with the trends, and you NEED to mimic every single little thing a lightner does but not TOO much or it might be too uncanny. so when a new update comes out, everyone's getting it.

except spamton. its model's far too old to receive such updates. it's not even on the table anymore. the last update for a model of his kind was probably a decade ago, and of course, there's no way to modify him to receive one in a way that won't kill him.

and modifications are another thing. as lines of code compressed to form sentient artificial organisms, cyber citizens can modify themselves in any way they want. tall, short, thin, fat, long hair, short hair, eye color, fingernails, even down to the way your voice sounds, you can modify yourself in any way you want. isn't that the dream? and hey, they still have modifications available for spamton's type of model? isn't that fantastic?

except they cost money. way too much money. these are the types of mods that if spamton had them, he'd probably be able to make a few sales, but he can't, because he doesn't have MONEY. and that's the thing that's fueling all of this.

everyone needs their cache cleared so they can make sales. everybody needs to update right away so they can make sales. everyone needs to modify themselves in just the right way so they can make sales. keeping everyone on their toes, their nerves ready to explode once the right mistake is made, is just the way an addison's world works. you wouldn't want to fail at your one and only purpose, would you? you wouldn't want to end up like that guy, you know him, everyone knows him, and everyone knows how much they DON'T want to be him. because they'd be failures if they were anything like him.

anyway i hate consumerism bye <3

[vi-trying-to-survive]

We Can Share

Anthony Lockwood x f!Reader

Warnings: None this pretty much fluff only :) 💖💖💖

Summary: Lockwood and Y/N have to stay overnight in a hotel for a case, which is not the biggest problem until the room only has one bed

A/N: I hope you guys like it :) 💖💖💖 I wasn't sure how to feel about it and it is a little cliche but I couldn't get it out of my mind also :') 💖💖💖 Also sorry if updates are slow :') 💖💖💖 Hope you have a great day :) 💖💖💖

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"So you're telling me they didn't have a cheaper room", she frowned, chasing after him.

He didn't look back, crumpling the receipt into his pocket, "Yes".

The straps of her bag weighed down on her shoulders, pulling her down close to the ground, as they walked up yet another flight of stairs. Her feet ached. If this hotel was so brilliant why were all the elevators broken ? It was probably because the location of their next job was far out of London, next to the middle of nowhere. She probably should have seen it coming when the train station was just a misshapen shack that was barely standing. George and Lucy had rather conveniently decided to sit this one out, something about providing assistance remotely. She rolled her eyes.

"Remind me again why we took this case", she groaned, finally catching up to him.

He chuckled, shaking his head, "They are paying us highly for our services".

"Mmhm", she closed her eyes, leaning against the wall. Money. It was the denominator of every fraction in their lives. She longed for a time when they wouldn’t be so dependent on it, to the point where they put their lives on the line just for it. It was a harsh reality, one they were used to, but if anything she could at least thank it for the people that had come into her life, for him.

"Oh come on it's not that bad", he grinned widely, readjusting the bag on his shoulder before handing her a dull looking iron key.

She gave him a pointed look, “That's what you always say"

"But is it ever a lie", he raised a brow. She couldn’t help but smile. It was never awful, not even subpar, not if she was with him. He just knew all the right buttons to press with her, granted he also knew the wrong ones but it didn’t happen often enough to be a concern. He was reckless and overconfident, but he was also sweet and funny. It was hard for her to not have a good time when they were together.

"No, but I am allowed to miss the comfort of home", she grinned. She twisted the key through the lock, swinging the door open.

"Well, you'll be there soon enough", he laughed.

"Oh", her smile faltered. The room itself was relatively normal, no expensive sheets or fantastic views. It was clean and tidy, the covers folded in neatly under the mattress. The only problem was that there was only one bed. She thought this only happened in books, but the universe decided to prove her wrong this one time and of course it had to be with him. She chewed her thumbnail. It was already too late for them to request another room. She wondered what to say. Who would even know what to say ? No one, because no one ever ends up in these kinds of situations, except her apparently.

"Right, this is fine, you take the bed, I'll take the floor", he dumped the bags haphazardly at the foot of the bed. He was already gathering some pillows off the bed.

She felt a twinge of sympathy and maybe something more. Call it a careless decision. In the moment she felt brave, or maybe she was just desperate, she wasn’t sure. Yet she was aware of the consequences, even as the words spilled out, “Don't be ridiculous, we can share".

"I- Only if you're alright with it", he was surprised. She couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad one. If she was being honest she was surprised too. It would have been easier to let him stay on the floor, kept a solid barrier between them. What had she gotten herself into ?

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

It was dark when all the lights were turned out. Fortunately, she was quite accustomed to the dark. It didn't scare her. What scared her was the fact that she was lying in a bed with a boy next to her, a boy that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about for the past 6 months. It was not the most ideal situation, but she figured they'd been stuck in more compromising positions. Yet, her heart was still pounding like she'd run a marathon and she was working a little too hard to keep her breathing quiet. They had always been close, even from when she had first joined the agency. She had always summed it up to them being a good team. That was until it developed into something more elaborate. When had things changed ? When had they become complicated ?

"Are you comfortable ?", he turned towards her, whispering.

"Very", she hoped she sounded confident. Her hands were clasped together tightly over her chest as she stared at the ceiling. She refused to look at him. She just might explode from anticipation alone.

"You're practically falling off the mattress", he scoffed. So maybe she had forced herself to be at as close to the edge as she could without falling off. It was only to put a respectable amount of distance between them, so she could manage the night with some semblance of relaxation. She had been hoping that he would be ignorant enough for her plan to work, but he seemed to be the exact opposite. She sighed. This was going to be one of those long nights.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, "Come on".

"No I-", she pressed her lips together. Her body went rigid as he tugged her closer to the middle of the bed, closer to him. She felt overtly self-conscious, choosing to concentrate on breathing in and out, instead of the fact that her back was pressed tightly against his chest. It was a more difficult task than what she had anticipated, especially when the warmth from his body spread to her. Her confidence faltered, and she felt herself relax into him, “This is nice, actually".

"Surprising isn't it ?", his tone was sarcastic, but his hand still rested comfortably over hers.

She was confused to say the least. They were always close, but sharing near-death experiences could do that to a person. Still, the last few months had been different. His touch would linger a little longer before he pulled away hurriedly. She would feel his stare in a crowded room, but he never met her eyes. Maybe it would have been simpler if she had been more forward with him, but she hadn't, and it put her in a vulnerable position. She could have gone to sleep, but she didn't, "Lockwood ?".

"Yes ?", his hot breath left the hairs on the back her neck standing.

She pushed herself to sit up, "I can't keep doing this".

"Doing what ?", he mimicked her position. His brows were furrowed and he sounded unconvinced.

"This", she groaned, throwing her head onto her knees. Why was this so hard for him to understand ? Why was it so hard for her to tell him ? Why wouldn't her heart stop pounding ?

She took a breath in, "We always act like a couple but somehow we're just friends, I just- I need- I-". He watched her closely, eyes dropping to her lips, before pressing his against them. He tasted faintly of honey and tea. She was quick to respond, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and tugging him closer to her. Her racing heart finally seemed to slow. She felt relieved and desperate all at once. She hoped he felt the same too, and to some extent he must be, seeing as he was kissing her like she might disappear if he didn't.

"Was that a good enough answer for you ?", he chuckled, pulling away.

She was breathless, but stood by a nonchalant facade, "Well you didn't really say anything".

"What? I was trying to make a romantic gesture?", he pressed his lips together, falling back onto the bed. The springs creaked under the sudden weight.

She giggled, smoothing his hair and patting down the stray strands that were sticking out, “Just kidding".

She lay down on the bed, settling into his side. She wondered if this was just a dream, and that she would eventually wake to a version of him that was unaware. The thought alone made her eyes grow wide. Well, it wouldn't hurt to check she thought. She poked him harshly in the side, "Just so you know, I really like you".

He only grinned, "Thanks, I really like me too".

She hit him across the chest, "I hate you". Only Anthony Lockwood could be that big-headed. At least she could be sure that this was reality. Where he had gotten his ego, she would never know, but at least she could go to sleep in peace.

"Don't worry I really like you too", he laughed, softly pressing a kiss against her temple. Though, she thought, when he wanted to, he could also be sweet.

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

Invite Me In

Author's note: More of Nanael in Husbandry.

Summary: So- how did Nanael go from being a tragic boy to Cedric's Body dumping buddy?

Warnings: LMK if I need to add anything.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams

Tagged: @sleepyfan-blog, @ms--lobotomy , @thevoidscreams, @i-am-a-dragon34, @gra93fruit-blog

Tagged: @felinisnoctis, @undeaddream

Nanael was glad that he had some rations, both hydration, food and... other fluid rations on him. It helped his healing factor charge up as he carefully poked at his body parts, took off his helmet and grabbed a stick from the ground to bite into as he set his own bones.

Not wanting to bite through his own tongue or make too much noise as he patched himself up as best he could and just wait for his body to stitch itself back together. After the pain tapered off a bit he thought of calling for help.

No- there's no one to help him. His Company is dead- he's the last survivor of his company. Tears fall down his cheeks at he recalls that and he shakes his head, carefully as he closes his eyes and wrestles with his emotions in order to stop crying.

He needs to conserve resources- the time for tears and grief will happen after he's found some semblance of safety. He opens his eyes and carefully looks around- this place- this planet. This is not the planet that he was on before, when he had died- where his brothers had died.

He remembers the voice- the hands the words of his Primarch Father, 'Live, my son.' And part of him feels great joy and pride, while another part of him wonders 'why me?' He's no one special, he's not an Officer of many years, he's not a Librarian of great power.

He's just a freak with wings. Most brothers who gain the wings also get Psykery powers to activate. Unfortunately for Nanael, he just has the wings- but no Psykery to use as well. At least his wings aren't broken and he slowly gets up, and put his helmet back on.

He doesn't know where he is- but as he takes in a deep breath- he has noticed that there is pollution in the air- which means a civilization of some kind must exist on this planet. Whether the civilization is Human or Xeno, he won't know until he finds them.

He checks his vox- and tries to call out- no dice, it's busted. Which, is par for the course, really. He heaves a sigh and tries to find a source of water- a flowing source, like a river is ideal. Most peoples have their places of civilization near a source of water.

He finds a stream and follows it downwards. At just watches this lovely biodiverse planet as he walks. For hours in silence, slowly- he starts to hear noise, of people nearby.

He slows down and lifts his head- he recognizes the language that's spoken. It's High Gothic- and as he carefully approaches, his hearts fall to his stomach. The colors and iconography of the brothers- well cousins, who speak are that of the Black Tempars.

Black Templars tend to be a rather... intense chapter- and are very good at killing. They don't tolerate those they find as Other. And with his golden armor and wings upon his back.

He will be lucky if they don't try and kill him. Maybe... maybe he can ask for direction from them and leave? He makes sure to make noise as he approaches their camp.

"Halt!" one of the Black Templars on guard duty calls out sharply, "Identify yourself."

"Nanael of the Lamenters," Nanael reports dutifully.

"What are you doing here?" The Black Templar says as he approaches the Lamenter suspiciously as he glares at the larger space marine.

"Looking for help," Nanael replies honestly.

The Black Templar spots the black and white Checkerboard, the bleeding heart- and hears his name and chapter and, Nanael's hearts sink as the Black Templar pulls out his weapon.

"Foul Mutant- begone from here." The Black Templar barks out- he had spotted Nanael's wings. "If you come closer I shall strike you down!"

"What's going on brother?" One of the other Black Templars calls out- noticing that his fellow Templar has drawn a weapon.

"A Mutant dares to approach our campsite." The first Black Templar says with an angry growl.

"I am not a mutant!" Nanael protests, "I'm a fellow Astartes."

"Oh- it's one of that, Chapter," The second Black Templar says in disgust and recoiling a little, "You- bad luck magnet. Begone! Before your presence curses us."

"But I," Nanael tries to say.

"Leave or else!" A Third Black Templar barks out- this one is in Terminator plates. "We don't want your kind to taint us with your cursed luck. Try and stay and death is what you'll get."

"... I'm leaving." Nanael says, with no other choice, still badly hurt and aching.

Another voice calls out, "What is going on here, brothers?" While Nanael limps away.

"A foul Mutant freak, that dares to call itself an Astartes has approached our camp, Chaplain Petras." The second Black Templar says, as he spits towards Nanael.

"That sounds concerning," The Chaplain says sounding concerned as the Chaplain of the Black Templar approaches the group. "Oh- a Lamenter."

The Chaplain looks him over, the skull mask of his Specialty glaring at Nanael as he shifts away from the other's judgmental gaze. The Chaplain gently pats the shoulders of each of his Crusade.

"Why don't you three go and get something to eat, hm? I shall speak to this one." The Chaplain says.

They protest, the Black Templars not wanting their Chaplain to be near the foul abomination. "I can handle myself brothers, besides- I can guide That One to a place of rest, where it- he, shall not bother us."

"Yes Chaplain Petras," The line brothers say with polite nods as they head off back deeper into the camp.

Nanael has a really bad feeling about this as the Chaplain turn towards him. He braces himself, wondering what is going to happen next.

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Rafe w/

“I guess I didn’t realize I was such a nuisance.”

Bonus points if you injure someone 😫🐈

YOU KNOW IT BABE.

"Man, she's all fucking over me, all the damn time." My heart cracks and aches in my chest as I listen to Rafe in the weight room, chatting with Kelce and Topper and apparently not working out, instead talking shit about me.

"I don't know why you don't just dump her." Kelce laughs stupidly and the sound- the offer itself- sends shivers down my spine at the thought of Rafe not liking me that much, after two years, and finding me that annoying that he would just cut me off completely.

"She's a really good lay man- like fuck." Wow.

"Jesus, Rafe. She's your girlfriend, put a little respect on her name." Though Topper stands up for me, and though I appreciate it, why does this even need to be said? Rafe and I have been dating for nearly two years, how on earth does it go on for this long and we've never had a conversation about this.

"I love her to death, she just annoys the fuck out of me sometimes." He sounds frustrated, as if he's not lying, as if I actually bother him this much and, without thinking, I step into the weight room, folding my arms across my chest.

"Thanks Rafe." I call out and all of the men turn to look at me with wide, fearful eyes. Rafe's eyes widen in a horrified look and his lips part in silent shock. Got you. "Really happy to know how much you care about me." I try to stay strong but it doesn't last long, my bottom lip wobbling pathetically and I turn to rush away from the room, hearing Rafe call out for me and chase after me, feet thumping loudly against the floor.

"Fuck- Y/n, wait- no, no, no." He's running through the halls, trying to catch up to me and eventually his hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me back into him. I shove him into the wall with all of my might, looking at him with hatred and nothing but it.

"Fuck off Rafe- I don't want to annoy you anymore than I already do." The tears flow freely down my cheeks as I try to bat them away to no avail, my body shaking in anger as I look at the man I once loved. He goes to wrap his arms around me but I bat him away with a sob. "Get the fuck off of me."

"Don't leave, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry." He begs, falling to his knees so he can wrap his arms around my legs, pressing his cheek into my stomach as I stand, speechless, glaring down at him. How pathetic.

"I guess I never realized I was such a nuisance." I hiss, shoving him off of me as I hesitant step away from him, shaking my head in disappointment as he cries.

"You're not, you're everything." He whimpers, rising to his feet and I can spot the way his hands are shaking at his side in fear. Good

"Well, apparently everything is a little annoying."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi @crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the heart @vampviolets@haylee-e @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife

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[agatharkn3ss]

Thoughts on Teen's story (spoilers)

This is not a formed theory of any kind, I am still trying to make sense about Teen, so this is just a brain-dump of things I've noted so far.

I still think he's some form of Billy/Wiccan and that his parents died in that car crash mentioned in ep.1. Maybe even the body that is being investigated was Billy's mom and not Wanda, as we were made to believe. But what happened next? Why only release Agatha from her spell in 2026 if the crash was in 2023? How is he connected to Rio because I think they are working together? What triggered Nosey-Agnes to become Detective-Agnes?

The detail that has caught my eye is Agatha's house when she finally wakes up from the curse. Agatha still lives in the house she "borrowed" from Ralph Bohner (fake Pietro) in Wandavision. Surely, the house content and decor would largely stay the same as what she made it when she still had her purple powers? Wanda wouldn't change the house itself - even her own house plot didn't physically change.

But in the opening of ep.2 Agatha seems confused by things - e.g. she dislikes the coffee, then exclaims "whose shoes are these?!". But I brushed it off thinking maybe she's just finding items from her "Agnes" persona and still recovering from the spell. Or her neighbours got her wrong items (and someone must have built her that "car"!). But what if they really do belong to someone else?

We are made to believe that maybe Agatha kidnapped Teen, but what if he lived with her since the crash (or at least for a while)? And that's how he's learnt about Agatha and magic? Only she doesn't remember because she was in her Agnes-the-nosey-neighbour persona? Or because of the sigil?

The house is absolutely littered with books (and rabbit images - which is interesting, since in her detective reality rabbit was somehow linked to Nicholas Scratch items) and there are symbols and sketches everywhere - someone has been very busy looking for magic for sure. It couldn't be Agatha if she's trapped as Agnes? I imagine this is how Teen managed to create his spell book and fill with lots of info he found.

There are also lots of police files boxes and random photos are stuck to doors and walls etc. This could be because Agatha was in her "Agnes O'Connor" role and was hanging up what she thought was evidence. And I do think that to certain extent that might be the case - we see the same flower photos that Agatha originally thought were photos of the victim's body. But where would the boxes come from? There are so many of them and they look like the real deal and not made up. So was someone really investigating something?

And finally, there is this little detail... A kid's drawing?! Or maybe someone was trying to badly draw a vision of what they saw? Looks like a woman with rays coming out of her head?

This is not making any sense, somehow I can't see Nosey-Agnes and Teen playing happy family... But then again, it would explain the connection they have. When Teen wakes up from being injured on the Road, the very first thing he says is he asks Agatha if she was the one who put the sigil on him. I wonder if this is Teen testing Agatha how much she remembers from before. It feels like he wants to have a heart-to-heart with her, but doesn't know how much he can say yet.

Then there is the link to Rio. And the mystery of the locket. Rio was clearly very interested in it - she questioned "Agnes" about it - "Are you hiding evidence?". This was briefly followed by Teen breaking into the house and stealing the locket. I don't think that's a coincidence and Rio was probably trying to create distraction for Teen. There are soooo many possibilities, but I wonder if the locket was the one item that Teen needed to break Agatha from the spell - something that was her one connection to reality (as it remains so during the trials too) and close to her heart, because it contained her son's hair, and only Rio would know that. How did the locket get to the puddle in the "crime scene" in the first place though? Did Agatha have something to do with the crash?

As for the sigil, I wonder if it was Rio who placed it on Teen, knowing Agatha can't know too much about him because she wouldn't help Wanda's kid. Or she simply knew that keeping the mystery will intrigue Agatha enough to keep Teen close to her. The question is, why?

Oh, and another side-note - no matter who cast the sigil, it would hide Teen's identity from all witch-folk, including the witch who cast it. So when Rio says "That boy is not yours", it raises even more questions. Is Rio not a witchy person (because she's Death) so she's not affected by the sigil? I think unlikely, since she had to obey magic to join the coven after Sharon died. Or, she is affected by the sigil but she knows Agatha's son is dead (or somewhere else) so it can't be Teen? Or, she's lying. Either way - why?

Anyway... just a collection of random thoughts, because I am getting stir crazy waiting for the next episode! I hope they will answer at least some of these questions soon! (probably not until ep.6 though...)

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hihi! Hope you're doing well.

I just wanna ask some headcanons where Marnie dumps Lewis in favor of Marlon (the better guy she deserves), because I feel bad for her man. And Lewis is too sketchy and weird and Marnie deserves someone who loves her <3

Also, I hope I'm not clogging up your asks. I know how full asks blogs inboxes can get, I just wanna say take your time answering them and don't stress.

Stay hydrated! (Seriously, we're roasting over here in the equator).

Hewwo, dear anon :3 And don't worry about it, you're not clogging up my inbox! Thanks for the wishes, and I hope you're escaping the heat too (we have +20⁰C at the moment, but summer is coming soon and it will be unbearably hot 🥲). Have a good day! 💕

_________________________________________

Yoba witness, Marnie had the patience of a saint and could understand many things. She waited and endured. She waited. And waited some more. And then some more, more, and some more, truly believing Lewis' words of true love for her.

But to be honest.... it wasn't how she'd envisioned "true love".

Hiding in the shadows, pretending nothing was going on between them (even though rumors of their relationship were flying around the Pelican Town)? Watching the mayor come through her window at night so they wouldn't be caught by the locals during the day? Lying to her own niece and nephew that they've heard nothing and there's no one else in the house but the three of them? Justify the dates with business meetings at her ranch?

How long will this last? How much longer do they have to hide each other for fear of "public judgment" (when really everyone has known everything for a long time and they don't give a damn!)

It's spring now - the time of flowers and love, and Marnie has to stand apart from it all. Immersed in sad thoughts of wasted youth and wishing in the past that she could find the one person she would be happy with. Really happy with.

Marnie calculates how much chance she, an old nag, has of finding someone, and sighs conciliatingly, realizing the dire result. Lewis had good qualities and flaws, like every human being, but why he acted like he really are embarrassed by her presence? And why was she herself afraid to say everything she thought about it? Why can't she-

"You look beautiful today, Marnie."

Those words brought her out of the fog of confused thoughts and bad memories. She didn’t realize that she was now at one of the most beautiful festivals in the Stardew Valley - the Flower Dance.

"Huh?...."

Marlon, whose compliment had helped Marnie out of her trance, was a little worried that he'd said the wrong thing. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah...," Marnie added a little uncertainly. "Just... I got a little dizzy from the smell of the flowers." Marlon's emerald eye was perceptive, but still didn't probe his old friend further. 'You look beautiful today, Marnie...' it had been so long since she'd heard those words....

Why should she keep waiting...?

"Say...," Marnie began cautiously, turning her head toward Marlon, "would you like to dance with me?"

Normally the old adventurer's face was stingy with emotion, but Marnie's question caught him off guard. "Are you sure? I haven't danced in over twenty years..." "Neither have I." Marnie was more sure of her own words than ever. "And don't worry, I don't remember much of the moves either. But who knows what will happen tomorrow? Maybe tonight will be the last chance to have some fun?" Why is she lashing out at him? Why is she even trying? How silly of her-

Marlon stood in front of her and extended his hand to her, asking her to dance. "Then I ask for your hand, and let's go have some fun. Just like old times."

To the smooth music, gathering surprised but approving glances from the other dancers and one indignant glance from Lewis, Marnie held Marlon's hands, letting her forget all her problems and troubles. It was as if time itself had stopped. Just him, her, and their dance.

[fractualized]

hi I sent that last ask and I appreciate you so much. I love how chill you are. I love that you speak up and aren't afraid of others people's opinions of you -- because you talking about that helps me realize exactly what you were talking about about.

my critical online space that shaped my brain was Tumblr growing up, much in the same way reddit or 4chan or anything else was for others, and as positive as it was and as much as I stay here, there were some HEAVY years of thought policing and performing perfectly at all times and I really think it fucked with my head!

not to trauma dump, but the way it related to starting off by policing each other in fandom just happened to spill into every other aspect of my life too. every thing is black and white. every interaction is perfect or you are flawed and not worth anything at all. people literally judging you off stupid fandom shit behind a fake name dressed up in sparkles and curiosity was enough to call you a monster who deserved to be alone. the fuck??

from fandom cops telling me that portrayals of fictional characters in my head were an actual meter that we can base if we're deserving of human connection made me think about what ELSE could be important. aren't there things a little more pressing than fictional characters?? the words I use. the way I behave. move my face. micro express, leave pauses in sentences, judged by everything! I've been taught that the LITTLEST OF INDICATIONS OF HUMANITY were going to be the death of me. I couldn't exist. all because of fictional themes that creators are allowed to make, but fans are not allowed to enjoy unless it's the "right way". even though the people CREATING it are also exploring it. rules for thee but not for me.

it's gross. I felt like a monster and when the only other people who are kind to you are monsters, it really makes you wonder why fandom cops find themselves so much morally superior to others 👹

People have told me I'm chill before and I'm always like, "excellent, they can't tell I'm yelling on the inside." 😂

Sometimes I wonder if I would be different if the show Heroes hadn't ended as such a clusterfuck. And by that I mean that my experience with that show ended on such a sour note, I wound up drifting away from fandom for 5-ish years. And it wasn't because of the Heroes fandom itself! It was because by the end I was hate-watching the show, and that kind of headspace is just no good. I wasted too much energy being mad at something that wasn't going to improve, and my other fandom interests weren't strong enough for fic, etc. I still lurked here and there, but otherwise I focused on life stuff.

At the point I left, tumblr was popular but I was still a livejournal (and journalfen) holdout. As a result, I was simply absent during the most intense tumblr years. I have a general idea of what it was like from everyone's descriptions, but from my point of view, five years passed, Telltale Batman: the Enemy Within came a-calling, I started writing fic again, and uhhhhh things sure were different.

Not entirely for the worse. For one thing, as someone who unavoidably grew older, yeah, I do keep in mind that there are children running around these parts. The increased focus on tagging your work is also good, so people can avoid what they don't want to see. And it's just always been a good general rule to be mindful when getting into sensitive topics, and I was seeing more of that.

Buuuuuuuut yeah, with that it seemed like "don't like; don't read" was out, and witch hunting was in. Some slight mistake might indicate you were actually one of the Bad Ones all the long! And everyone must know! I mean, there's always been fandom police, but fandom's mainstreamification definitely made it worse for a host of reasons. And I actually was unnerved by it for a while, even though the Enemy Within finale had me indulging in fluff. I was probably safe-- but then again who knows what blunder or improper deference to a sensitive subject could bring a swarm of strangers!

But eventually I was fluffed out, and chatting batjokes with people was giving me new ideas that would have me explore and indulge in (gasp) darker ideas. And by that point I was just like, I'm a freaking adult. I tag my shit. I'm here to have a good time with people I like, not worry about a bunch of randos who probably get as much anxiety making a cold call as I do. And yeah, why are fans supposed to be judged on a different metric than the creators?? I'm going to do what I want!

And with that rallying cry… I mean, nothing ever happened. 😂 Not the first time I've built up worries in my head for nothing.

I can see it taking me longer to get to that point if I'd fully marinated in the thought policing, though. I think people get that instinct because of the age-old lack of control elsewhere in life (especially nowadays, with all the… everything). Surely if someone can get everyone in their orbit to behave in just this way, then at least things there will be okay. Nothing bad will happen! (It's not as if rigid mindsets hurt people and their relationships, or performatively good people still do atrocious things. No, surely not.)

I don't have a good closing, so here's an Reno 911 icon from the old days:

[the-fiction-witch]

A Father

Media IRL

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Cute

I stood doing the dishes humming to myself in my little apartment when I heard the door open and close, "Hi thomas, how'd it go at the supermarket?" I smiled, "uhhhh… Fine, the price of cheese is terrifying me, they had no eggs again, I was given a baby and I think a lady tried to slap my butt." He explained, "… What?" "What?" "Say that again." "The price of cheese is extortionate, they didn't have eggs, I got a baby, and some lady tried to touch my butt in the queue," "What about a-" I dried off my hands and actually looked at him to see him stood in his jeans, triumph shirt, loose button down the shopping bag dumped on the sofa and a baby in his arms. A LITERAL BABY! "AHHH! Thomas why do you have a baby!" "I found it," "Found- okay… slowly and calmly before I have a freaking heart attack. How did you get a baby?" "I was walking down the corridor, a lady came up to me handed me the baby and walked off." "Did you not ask her why she was giving it to you?" "she didn't answer she had headphones in," "Did you not try and go after her," "I did but she left and got in her car," "So…. someone just gave you a baby," "Yeah. I thought it was weird," he said his panic actually revealing itself, "I don't think I'm ready for a baby, I wasn't expecting it no one gave me a heads up about it or anything, I don't even have milk to give it, or anything to change it with and it… REALLY needs changing," He explained starting to spiral as he looked at the child in his arms, "I admit I wasn't listening in health class I didn't know this is how I'd become a father!" "Thomas. You're not a father. Someone must have just made a mistake likely low on sleep after a newborn," I explained, "just give me the baby and we'll see if we can find their parents," "No," "Thomas give me the baby!" "No. and don't shout around my baby," he said cradling the child closer, "It's not your baby thomas." I sighed, The door then knocked so I went and got it seeing a very panicked crying woman, "You handed him your baby?" "Yes…" she whined, "I'm so sorry, I've been having postpartum depression hit me so hard, and she hasn't been sleeping, and everything just-" "It's okay, it's fine no problem." I smiled, "At least we could give you a couple of minutes," I explained, "Thank you so much for keeping her safe," "It's no problem, you scared him. you made him think he was suddenly a father." I laughed, "Here you go," I smiled taking the baby from thomas and handing her over to her mother, "If you need a hand let us know we are just down the hall," "Thank you so so much," she smiled, "Bye," "Bye," I smiled, "Bye little baby," thomas waves as she heads down the corridor to her own apartment, I shut the door and sighed, "Well that was an event," I chuckled going back to the dishes, for a while it was merely quiet until thomas wrapped his arms around my waist, his head on my shoulder, cuddling me tightly as I did the dishes his hand settling on my stomach, "Can we have a baby?" "You're only asking because you got to hold a cute baby." I laughed, "You wanna do the changing? the vomit? the crying? the screaming? the sleepless nights? and the nine hundred pounds worth of required baby products." "…Good point," He nodded, "Can we get a dog?" "You wanna pick up dog poop? clean up pee on the rug? Have a dog jump in our bed? and stomp on your dick?" "…a cat?" "Litter box? ripped up sofa?" "…A fish?" "You wanna make the space for a fish tank?" "A………Plant?" "You wanna remember to water it? or let it die like that succulent in the bedroom." "Ohh my god the succulent!" "It's fine I loved it to the bathroom window he's fine." "Ohh… good." He nodded, "……. A plush toy," "Yes, thomas we can get a plushie."

[ochrearia]

I've breached containment I'm drabbling without an inbox ask provoking me first. Mystery prompt

In PoPr Universe, so BF -> Keith, GF -> Cherry

"He just stole more of the chocolate chips! Ban him from the kitchen!" Keith pointed an accusing finger at his boyfriend, currently knocking back chocolate chips like pills.

"Fuck you, you did it first!" Pico retorted. "This is my Pico tax, thanks."

"Both of you will be banned from the kitchen if you keep garbage mouthing the ingredients." Huffed Cherry as she finished off dumping batter into the two muffin tins. "Thievery is frowned upon."

"We already added chocolate chips, I don't see why picking off the remaining pieces is a crime."

"I still might add some more!" She insisted. "And you will both ruin your appetite if you fill up on little pieces of chocolate. You can wait like, 20 minutes, can't you?"

Handling the both of them was like handling two overgrown toddlers when it came to sweets. The trio had decided to attempt baking something together as a stay-at-home date, and it had gone about as well as you'd expect. Well, at least there was actual batter in the baking sheets. Now they just had to bake them without blowing up the oven.

"Do you think if we turn up the temperature it will bake faster?" Keith suggested, fiddling with the oven controls. "Like, 700 degrees for 5 minutes."

"You are going to fucking burn our apartment down if you do that you absolute dumbass."

"Alright Mr smartypants, how are we cooking these things then?"

"Follow the recipe, like normal people." The hitman deadpanned. "It says 400 for 20 minutes. And none of us are at all qualified to be experimenting with baking temperatures so we're doing exactly that."

"You're no fun." Keith pouted. "Why do we even need to wait that long if we pre-heated it?"

"The pre-heat is why it's only 20 minutes instead of longer- ack!" Pico cut himself of as he opened the oven door and a giant, billowing cloud of hot steam smacked him in the face. He snapped back with a scrunched expression, thoroughly unamused while his partners giggled at his misfortune behind him. "Very funny. You wouldn't be laughing if that had actually burned me."

"I would've healed you instantly, don't be such a baby." Cherry said in between her giggles. "You've got such a cute scrunchy face, how are we supposed to not laugh?"

"Now is not the time to be flirting at me when I could just start eating the batter out of the tin."

"You were literally complaining about how we haven't died of food poisoning five minutes ago and now you're about to risk food poisoning?" Keith snorted. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Shit, Cherry, our dumbass disease is infecting him."

"At least you know who's to blame!" Pico stuck out his tongue, popping the sheets into the oven and setting everything correctly. "Also, I'm not the one who thought egg shells were how crunchy cookies were made."

"It was a valid thought!" Came the indignant cry from the demoness. "You know! Crunchy thing goes in to make more crunch!"

"Have you ever seen any food or recipe that calls for leaving the eggshell in with the egg itself?"

"Well, no... but I still stand by my thought process!"

"You're both dumbasses." Pico sighed. "I don't know how either of you lived long enough to get to this point without me protecting you. Fucking hell."

"Aww, you care about us." Keith teased, ignoring everything else he said. "Pico cares about ussss! Gee, he cares about us!"

"I am LITERALLY-" He faltered, shaking his head and pushing through. "I am literally in love with the both of you."

"Awww, he admits it!"

20 minutes could not pass by quick enough, in Pico's opinion. Maybe he could get away with garbage mouthing more chocolate chips, anything to escape the tag-team teasing that made his cheeks flush more than any billowing steam from the oven.

[profchamomile]

a childhood memory for the memory asks?

(@purriors)

//Assume all these writing bits are like. Off-screen stuff.

//This might be sloppy; I didn't really take time to proof-read it much

//heed the tags

"You got your toy all muddy AGAIN?"

"I'm sorry, mom; I was trying to be careful, but I fell..."

"I swear, Kate, you'd lose your head in the mud if it wasn't attached to your body! At this point, we're better off gettin' you a new one. I don't know HOW many more washes that thing can take."

"NO, I don't WANT a new one!! She's been with me forever; she's my best friend!"

"Kate, it's JUST a toy! We can get you one that looks exactly the same! Now come on, throw it away. You have to learn to let GO of such trivial things!"

These words echoed in the mind of a small, red-haired child, who staggered through the junkyard in the dead of night, tears running own their face. She tried her best to rummage through what they could lift, but they weren't sure where to start. The dump was so much bigger than they thought it would be, and it consisted of much, MUCH more than just their family's trash.

They were exhausted from having walked the whole way. Their legs were just barely holding them up. Yet still they searched. They searched for their best friend - their one item of comfort.

"Arceus, please..." The child whimpered to themself. "Please help me find Belle..."

Suddenly, some of the the trash behind them moved on its own. The child startled, jumping and turning around, but unable to make out anything more than a vague figure scurrying about.

They started running. They ran as fast as they could, but they could hear the creature give chase as it let out a piercing cry.

As determined as the child was to get away, one wrong step was all it took for their leg to hyper-extend, causing them to fall to the ground, holding their leg in pain as their kneecap felt indescribably out-of-place.

They turned around, seeing the figure's glowing eyes and eerie smile hidden in the shadows, and attempted to scoot back.

"I- I'm sorry... I d-d-didn't mean to enter your home, I just-... I just wanted to find my toy," the child choked out, "P- please, just let me find her and- and I'll go home, I promise!"

The figure didn't seem to heed the child's pleas, however. It let out a low, menacing chuckle as it stepped out into the moonlight, and revealed itself to be a Banette, wearing a muddy and faded jester's outfit. It notably rang with every movement, with bells attached to the pokemon's satin bracelets, collar, and jester's hat.

"Belle...?"

The Banette raised her arms and let out a menacing cry, though the small size and the bells ringing did nothing to help the affect.

The child slowly stood up. "Belle... It's really you!" A smile grew on their face as they clumsily ran towards the Pokemon, and fell to their knees once again to scoop the Banette up in their arms.

"You're alive... You're alive, you're alive!" the child repeated. "I'm so sorry I threw you away... Mom wouldn't let me keep you."

"I'm sorry I dropped you so much," they continued, "I- I didn't mean to... I don't know why I always trip, or why my knees bend the wrong way, or why my legs get so tired easily... I wish I could keep you clean so mom wouldn't get so mad..."

The Banette simply let herself be hugged, absolutely confused and astonished on how to react. Eventually however, she lifted her small plush arms in an attempt to hug the child back.

"I don't care if she'll get mad at me again," said the child, "You're my best friend. And you're alive, now! She can't make me get rid of you! A- and if she does, I'll just find you again!"

The child finally pulled away to smile at the Banette. "C'mon, Belle. Let's get to a Pokemon center. Maybe they'll help clean us up before we get home."

"I gotta... Get you a Pokeball, anyway-" The child struggled to stand, though due the pain in their knee, they fell again. They grabbed their knee, squeezing their eyes tightly shut and trying their best not to cry out in pain. "O-ow..."

They felt an invisible force pick them up, and looked down to realize that they were back on their feet, yet they felt almost... Weightless.

The Banette climbed onto the child's shoulder and let out a cheerful "Ba-nette!". The glow in her eyes were slightly more intense than it was a few seconds ago.

"Huh?" The child looked over at their Banette. "Belle... Do you know psychic?"

"Ba-NETTE!" the Pokemon happily confirmed.

"Wow, Belle, you're amazing!" The kid flapped their hands excitedly. "Thanks so much, this'll make walking so much easier! Now let's go!"

While walking carefully, still in pain from their dislocated knee, they made their way to a Pokemon center, where the Banette officially became registered as the child's first Pokemon.

[plutonium-sky]

Sky lore/headcannons dump part two boogaloo. This one is about spirits, and maybe a little about skids and winged light

part one in link below

So I like to put spirits into a hierarchy: Elder spirits, Season guides, and Regular/Seasonal spirits. So. What are they?

Spirits are beings of pure light, just like winged lights are. I'm not talking about those btw because idk what they are in my head... yet. But! that's not exactly it. Here, spirits are more like the... vessels, of light. In order to function, and be aware, they gotta be supplied with light. Otherwise! They will enter a dormant state.

And, of course, not everyone gets the same amount of light- Elders get it directly from skids (cutsceeeeenes~), Season guides get it from you finishing their quests (yay), and Regular spirits.... get it from season guides or Eden itself (last one is only when they come as ts or something). This would explain why we see some spirits out and about, while others aren't (e.g. performance spirits compared to... I don't know, Abyss)

Also this would mean that Hopeful Steward takes care of it for the regular spirits in aviary lmao

Anyways! Regular spirits CAN be woken up by skids. just give them a little light like skids do to elders (unfortunately this isn't part of the game), and then they're out and about until the light you gave them fades out- takes about an hour or so, depending on how active they will be. and here's where we go into the headcannons zone, returning to winged light even though I can't explain those.

If regular spirits want to be out and about for MORE than an hour, they would have to take a winged light- filling up their "vessel" in a self-filling loop. OFC, after having taken one, they can fly but beware- never let them use the last star on their cape. they'll just dissipate and you'll have to wake them up again :T

also, if you want to make things more interesting, make it so that it would be inadvisable to wake them up for the first time by yourself- wait for them to have come as a ts at least once. that way, you don't have to deal with them violently reliving their death by Eden shattering for the first time.

also, I like to think that season guides have at least some control over their seasonal area (if they have one), while elders are stuck in their statues (rip), can oversee the entirety of their realms, and have limited control over them. Also! they can meet each other in an in-between if needed (aka vault elder scene)

anyways onto skids. They're literally just fallen stars given form. We all knew that. And if they give up their light, they become ancestors/elders depending on how much they gave up (check part one). they're here to make sure that the balance of the realms won't tip over to darkness.... and here to also clean the mess that SOMEONE made (looking at you, Resh. naughty little skid you are, exploding eden)

aaaaand that's it for now. if I think of something I'll add more parts. otherwise! only headcannons from me from this point on.

[hopeful-puffin]

Thoughts on 164

Guess I'm continuing this weird habit of rambling thoughts after giving myself time to process. Apologies as, again, one of these is a major stretch.

Kappa:

God. Where do I even begin? I think it's safe to assume we are all worried for this little guy. Heck, maybe some of you are like me and really upset about him leaving Siren on his own after upsetting him? But I don't necessarily blame Kappa for reacting that way either. Trauma makes us all rract in strange ways. Speaking from experience, some tend to revert back to the person they were when the trauma hit us. Assuming Kappa was 8-10 at the time of the Vaquita prophecy, running away isn't as extreme of a reaction. I touched on this as a comment on Webtoon itself (Psycho Koneko), but they have a strict character limit I was previously unaware of.

This is not a stretch to me for Kappa’s brain to revert to being a child. This struck me because his tail IS THE SAME COLOR. Even in his horrified vision on Siren’s lap in the present, his hair is also good and the background is back to being gray. I'm positive Ms. Martin did this on purpose. To really dig in how Kappa’s reverted mentally back to being a terrified child. I believe she said Worm didn't come into Kappa’s life until after this, but Worm was Kappa’s only source of comfort as a child.

I'm with everyone (and Kappa) that he should have said something sooner. But talking about trauma is difficult. Love the little dude, but you've GOT to talk to somebody, Kaps. I don't care if it's any of the witches or Siren. Just talk to one of them about what's going through your head. Yes, I would prefer it to be Siren (just like most everyone else I'm sure), but Mucku and Neth are also safe places for Kappa.

2. "Prophecy" Stretch:

I strongly believe the Flyfin screwed around and made a prophecy. What confuses me regarding that is the prophecies come from the Surface God, right? If they're not talking to Kappa or the Whales, why did they answer the Flyfin? My initial thoughts were it's an automatic system, which means the negligent Surface God ain't running these through a critical thinking filter before accepting those prayers, or this prophecy was granted by someone other than the Surface God. This in of itself is a stretch.

Not to mention the scroll states:

What constitutes a castle anyway? Fizz made it sound like they were the only Flyfin left in the Kelp Forest. But Fean made it out like Fizz had to return to their colony. Ignoring that (since I can't trust a word she says), Fizz implies it's just the three of them waiting for the Whales. Are three mers e ough to constitute a castle? Or are three mers gathered enough to garner the Surface God’s attention. I don't know.

Regardless, what if I had a theory so stretched it might just snap?

What if the prophecy has been there this entire time, but Kappa just didn't realize it? Not until the witch's heart inside of him accepted Kappa as its new vessel that is.

If it has accepted him, what if it stopped suppressing his ability to perceive the prophecy for the Whales?

Why then though? Because Kappa accepted that he has messed up and "the person I love most," was hurt as a result of his actions. I'm not saying Nethimir has not ever forgiven herself for something. But, since she's never viewed someone the way Kappa views Siren, she's never had to forgive herself for hurting the one she romantically loves.

What does that imply? That Kappa's heart has accepted him? That he's suddenly going to have a lot of potent magic he can't control? I don't know. Again, this theory is a MASSIVE stretch.

Just quickly dumping this here. Might come back and rewrite some sections if people are interested and want my disconnected mind to try stringing thoughts together like some unhinged axolotl on drugs.

Send help.

[maramirror11]

Neon Wings

These are just my thoughts on this AMAZING series and I don't have someone to dump this so here we go.

Spoiler warning for both The Neon Barbarian and Neon Wings.

I've never done this and English grammar isn't my strong point.

I wasn't expecting a sequel for TNB. But the world was too interesting to not make more. So, I was surprised that NW went in a different direction. It's Raven's story and it SHOWS.

I love how the audience is able to witness Raven's past and compare it with the present.

I enjoy making the backstories of Listeners based on the little information we have. However, it feels different to just hear about their past from BE THERE to understand what they went through.

Because for me the two series are one big story. Of course, you can see one and not the other. Still, it hits different when you see both.

I like the idea of Crow not going back. It'll defeat the purpose of the story. (Don't get me wrong I LOVE CROW, I MISS HIM). Yet, if he comes back, it'll be awkward since Raven is different. Time has moved on and he will be stuck in the past again.

For me, Raven changes from being someone open to knowing new people to becoming this person with emotional walls. In both she's still kind and a badass, but it's different.

It took her TWO days to give Ivan the pie unlike with Crow that it took a few hours to invite him to her house.

One of my favorite parts of this series were the moments Raven had a panic attack. Sure, almost every video has loud banging or shooting noises.

But with these ones, you can FEEL how UNCOMFORTABLE she is. How there is nowhere to run, no way to get the sound quiet down. How the sirens and shooting noises never left her head as she just stayed there, incapable to do something.

The way music is used is another favorite part. Out of Touch means so much for her, both good and bad. I forgot the music was playing WHILE Crow was being shot.

That's why in her nightmare, after Ivan gets shot, it sounds a distorted version. It's the story repenting itself all over again.

Just for her to claim the song while they fight against Luke. Love the detail. The final song Chicago was *chef kiss*. It's a new song for a new life and it fits PERFECTLY.

ALSO, THE FIGHTING AND SOLO SCENES OMGGG. You KNOW what Raven does and what they do to her, from hand to hand combat to guns.

Also, there are many scenes where she doesn't interact with anyone and still understand what happened. Like when she goes back home from the incident and just drops to her couch/bed.

Lemme talk about Ivan. I was surprised with Ivan's attitude. He is always calm and never actually cursed. I thought that his reaction to Raven's old job was something he was OK with but couldn't participate.

He's so kind with everyone and his struggle NOT TO drop facts about the things he likes is relatable. HE'S SO AFFECTIONATE WITH RAVEN AND PALOMA, I LOVE HIM.

At the end, he curses and gives effective strategies to kill the other mercenaries. On top of that, he ended up shooting someone, so I think I didn’t give Ivan enough credit.

The fact that he has a kind heart, doesn't mean he's not brave enough to protect the ones he cares about. They became The Power Couple. Relationship Goals indeed.

It was a hard task to give Raven another love interest since Crow is so loved by the fans. And I admit it was handled very well. For both Crow and Michelle.

I appreciate how Michelle is not a competition. For me, she had the right to be upset at the beginning. It was a dangerous and new situation. She just wanted to protect her family.

Probably Ivan talked to her and explained the situation better, since Michelle doesn't blame Raven again at the end.

My question right now is, WHY Raven took Ivan with her??? He can't run and doesn't have that much experience in combat.

Maybe they felt safe with each other. I mean, Raven IS a mercenary and fought 3 armed guys alone. Also, why was she so open to listen to Luke? He knows most about Para M and would benefit from her death. I still need to give it more thought.

There are still some things that kept me thinking about the other stuff that weren't shown. One is that Danny is never brought up again. I understand that she was not as important as Crow in the story but STILL.

She died saving her identity from Louis and now Raven takes care of her cat. I just wonder if Danny was for Raven, another victim of the circumstances or they were friends.

Also, the disaster that created the super genits (i'm sorry if I wrote it wrong) is never brought up again. But I think it's because it takes place far away from the original incident. Something that is never stated as well, are Danny and Crow buried somewhere?.

Lastly, I always keep this writing advice in mind. Characters of a story can't be the same at the beginning and at the end. The scene that brought me that thought was when Raven got shot. I'm pretty sure she couldn't hear Crow's words before this moment.

Seeing him one last time and being in the situation she wanted for so long, it shows how much she grew. Raven from the beginning would've accepted to die.

But she couldn't, there was something worth living for. Raven had her closure with her past and now it's ready for the future. IT MADE ME EMOTIONAL 😭.

Now Raven can live her life again the way she wants. She leaves her old name and life behind. Not seeing the next sunrise but to enjoy it as well.

It's like those stories even if you get spoilers, it's not the same as experience it.

That's all.