#i feel like i'm stuck in an island surrounded by a sea of my own insecurities and fears

[ceridescent]

carribean summer heat — m., wanda

wanda maximoff x female!reader

summary: it's a lovely sight to see wanda maximoff sweating and blushing due to the tropical heat. sometimes it's tricky, because one moment she looks like a baby, and the next, well...you could ask the particular group of people who...but you suppose not. it's impossible they could have seen the hot flush on her cheeks as she handled you then and there, out in the open.

warning/s: top!wanda, bottom!f!reader, dom/sub dynamics, thigh riding, dirty talk, semi-public, mommy kink, use of strap-on, creampie, & teasing.

word count: 4, 300

author’s note: hiiiiii hiiii hiiii i'm so happy i finally have some content to post on my rotting account. ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶ (i did have multiple drafts but i forgot tumblr existed 'cause i had off notifs the whole time since may.) it was a giddy, high school girl crush feeling of me to write this filthy fic. (/▽＼*)｡o○♡ i hope everyone's having a wonderful Hot Girl summer!! or a Hot Slutty summer, whichever you prefer. o(>ω<;)o

18+ only. men and minors do NOT interact.

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the sun rays barely strike your tanning skin, serving only as an illumination toward the breathtaking view of the caribbean sea as you situate on the patio.  

three ivory-colored recliner beach chairs are included in the rental villa, wherein you occupy one whilst the woman who flew a helicopter in saint-barthélemy island, makes piña coladas in the kitchen. a few hours ago you woke up earlier than her, and it was a relieving feeling, of hearing the rise and fall of her breath. a pink blush coated her entire face, unused to the tropical weather. hair stuck on the oval of her face, grinning at how baby-ish she looked. you didn’t bother rousing her though, as you were both selfish for being the sole witness of the rising sun behind the full glass window of the villa, and considerate to allow her more time to rest. 

not long after though, she woke up moaning your name, rubbing a whole limb on the empty space you left behind. 

“you left me,” wanda whined, her eyes glazed and her red lips pouty.

“they gave us fresh coconuts,” you purred, showing her the fruit. helping her sit up on the white mattress, you plant a chaste kiss on her cheekbone. this feels like a true vacation, you thought to yourself, appreciating the beach elements surrounding the entire villa, and the hard-to-miss view of the sea outside. although, the other thing that left you breathless was wanda’s bare breasts, the only clothing clinging onto her body was the thong she changed into right after she showered last night. 

you rested the open edge of the coconut in between her lips, “here,” tipping it upward so she could drink the coconut juice. wanda’s eyes fluttered close, a long and pronounced moan gracing your ears. she covered your hands with her own to hold the fruit, gulping the liquid into her parched mouth. she sighed as she finished, looking at you with a twinkle in her eyes. 

she suggested, “we can eat the insides for breakfast, honey,” bending low toward the bedside to fetch her matching bra. you blushed at the recollection of last night. “i’m sure they have some honey in the kitchen somewhere…” you added, watching the tips of her peaks disappear into view. 

wanda teased, “you like what you see?”, lightly slapping your face in the process in a playful manner. you tried to forget how her plump breasts felt in your hands as you suckled her dry, returning into the present moment of the beautiful day. 

“i would like to eat,” you diverted the topic back into the fruit in your hands, which wasn’t successful as wanda raised an amused brow, pursing her lips together to fight back a smile. you pointed to the coconut to counter her silent reproach, giving her a light blush. “get your head outta gutter, ma’am,” you said and retreated to the kitchen before she could come up with a witty remark, which you’d most likely shut her up with a kiss. 

wanda hums the tune from maroon 5’s sunday morning as she exits the indoor, clutching a wooden tray filled with food and replenishments. a board of charcuterie sits in the middle of the two piña coladas. you gasp at the precise detailing, “i’m not done,” blinking your eyes in anticipation, revealing a coconut with a straw strapped to the side. wanda caresses your hair, gives you a kiss on the forehead as you look up at her adoringly. “help yourself, angel,” she said before pecking your cheek. you mewl and melt at her service, appreciating the beautiful woman even more. 

the drinks are astounding, satisfying your thirst for something cool in this caribbean summer heat, as well as your insufferable stomach—literal paradise—blinding your attention away from the oval-rimmed eyeglasses, but most especially, her gorgeousness in a bikini. “is that-“

wanda maximoff grins like a cheshire cat, “yes, angel, it’s the one you picked for me!” sometimes wanda does it, she sends you a fitting room pic of her in bikinis—and if you were blessed enough—lingeries—needing a different perspective of what looks flattering on her.  

this particular bikini that clings onto her glistening skin is a green tie-front bandeau matched with a thin-string bikini bottom that leaves little to no imagination; highlighting the fullness of her hips down her voluminous thigh. her exposed tight stomach that has a small bruise on the side of her belly button, the heavy cups of her chest. you love how wanda never fails to wear something as if she was born with it and that it never leaves her skin. 

you don’t realize until later that your mouth hangs open watching wanda cozy herself onto the beach chair next to you, laying it all out for the sea to see. 

“oh,” you choke on your own spit, sight glued onto her cleavage. and if temptation could get any worse, sweat trickles down on the valley of it, getting envious (and more) of how close it is to where you want to be. stammering “you look-l-look-so look so marvelous, w-wan,” you gulp down your insistent saliva and grab the cool piña colada, biting hard on the straw as you sip in the flavor to replace the volcano on your tongue, before saying another that would jeopardize this peaceful, sunny day. (although it isn’t bad if it heads toward that direction.)

“you’re sucking so hard on it, princess,” wanda chuckles, “is it that tasty?” facing you now, leaning her weight against her right arm. her cleavage sag toward gravity, you fear it might actually fall off. short-circuiting for a moment, registering her question, her intention, and her innuendo. trying to calculate and rethink your response as you now, gently, sip the straw, sensing the coolness of your throat and skin, staring at the vast sea. 

you turn your gaze on her nose, so wanda would think that you are brave enough to have a staredown with her striking olive green eyes. then you take another hard sip, hollowing your cheeks in the process, at the same time moaning loudly, rolling your eyes back. “oh yes,” you sigh, “it tastes so good, wan! would you like some?”

she grins like a proud mother, “yeah,” reaching for the other glass but you swat her hand away. “nuh-uh,” you spurn, shaking your index finger whilst you stand up from the chair. you take three slow, deliberate steps sipping on the cocktail, not breaking eye contact with her. wanda watches every move in a relaxed position, however, her eyes carry primacy and eagerness—she’s like a hawk with it. 

you bat your eyes at her as you lower yourself down, dipping one knee on the beach chair in the open space of her glistening legs, at the same time resting the piña colada on the wooden tray. wanda scoots facing you, realizing what is up your sleeve. a shiver runs down your spine when she holds your love handles, positioning you in place. you swear to not have done anything but sit, like a moan, when she plops you down against her lap, her grip on your knees reluctant as if she’s trying not to clench on you too hard. 

wanda’s specs tumble out of place for a second ‘cause you clip the loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear, taking your time. she whines, “i’m getting so thirsty!” jerking your body up and down, making your legs quiver, the friction of your cores heating your bundle of nerves. 

sticking an index finger against her complaining lips only to pinch her jawbone to force an opening, without saying a word, you connect your mouth with hers, slowly pushing out the piña colada into her “parched” throat. 

wanda flutters her eyes close and hums at the sensation, gulping it down, caressing your back in the process. sluggish and soft, fingertips against your shoulder blades. upward your hair, combing through them. and finally, your neck, massaging your nape in circular motions. 

when you pull away you return a soft smile, giddy and grateful, reaching for the glass to give her some more. wanda’s wandering hands begin to become playful, toying with your bikini strap, stretching the fabric just to let it strike your skin. you hiss, slapping her hands away, yet she reprimands you with a smack on the ass. you sigh in relief for not having anything in your mouth. 

more perspiration covers her milk skin, moaning at the liquid tantalizing her throat, and you who cannot help but bounce against her, the heat crawling through your body caused by not only the tropical heat of the island. 

“princess, wanda whines, pushing your hips hard to stop you from bouncing like a bitch in heat, “what is it?” acting as if she doesn’t know what you’re asking for. “do you want to ride my thigh?”

or maybe she does. 

nodding eagerly, you slide your hands over wanda’s arms to intertwine fingers, descending to land on her thigh. “don’t let me go,”

wanda shakes her head, relaxed, rubbing her thumb over, “how am i going to play with your nipples then, honey?”

that particular sentence made you grind hard on her, your pussy throbbing in anticipation. it’s all up to you though, so you begin to feel her voluptuous thigh at home between your legs, at home to be used by your needy pussy. “let me play with them, yeah?”

you allow wanda to let go of your hands, although it doesn’t stay dangling and out of place. she puts them around her waist, “there. so you have something to hold on to,” gathering your hair around her grip. “get on it, little girl. give me a great view.”

you do as told. 

somehow, you always need wanda’s approval and permission before doing something that includes her, because it’s different with her. you utterly have faith that she would keep you safe, because most exciting things are dangerous. you become your truest, unapologetic self with her, dependent and clueless. wanda adores it, serving you, treating you like a princess. 

hoarsely, “there we go, nice and slow for now, huh?” wanda stares at your whole frame, your legs automatically spreading wider, draping over the chair. she bites her lip, dragging her fingers over your thighs, as you increase your pace. you squeal, pressing your clad pussy against her thigh, “that’s what i’m talking about, baby. make yourself feel good for me,” whilst wanda encourages you with hunger. 

you whimper, watching her watch you. blood rushes into your cheeks, bowing down to relieve the tension of being under wanda’s gaze, still unused to the pierce of her green eyes. you only look back when she begins fiddling with your top straps, teasing you with her next move. 

you believe you know what’s about to happen and yet she lets them go, cupping your tits with her hands, kneading them into her calloused palms. you topple over at the pleasure, and she holds you up with your breasts, almost crushing them. the action causes you to let out a high-pitched whimper, casually rubbing yourself to take off the insufferable itch in your clit. 

“oh god,” you sob when wanda pries the cups open without taking the top off, only setting them aside, as if she’s washing off sand from a seashell with her slender hands. “oh, oh!” feverishly you buck your hips, and “wanda!” a scream follows as she steps on her heel, her thigh going on a slope. 

“that’s my pretty girl,” wanda husks, “keep moaning for me,” encouraging you. a simultaneous long moan erupts from both of you as she pinches your peaks, rolling them in between her fingers. a hungry grunt vibrates through her before diving into your tit, sucking it full with her mouth. your hand goes straight through her blonde hair, gripping it through the scalp, and then her shoulder where you find better leverage. 

“that’s it-“ wanda huffs, “g-good, good, my good girl,” lost in the pleasure of sucking your chest. “yeah baby come for me-“ 

wanda guides your hips, setting a quick, solid rhythm. she pulses her heel up and down, and then it hits you,

“come for me, pretty girl. come for mommy-“

screaming and thrashing on top of her. 

you crash against her chest, quivering all over, moan after moan tumbling out of your mouth, your hips still moving but at their own accord, with wanda’s hands resting on your buttcheeks. wanda hums when you quiet down, the vibration reaching your nipples, grazing you with a scream, cum dripping out of you. “dirty,” you mewl, referring to your soaked and sticky bikini bottom 

wanda groans, “all mine,” palming your pussy through it, shoving her lips onto yours. you happily obliged, probing your tongue in her mouth, which she gladly accepted. massaging them together, suckling, and then nipping her lower lip, brushing your noses together. 

“mhm!” you squeal as you pull away, giving wanda a radiant smile. she pinches your cheeks and pecks your nose. “okay then!” she claps her hands together, an eager woman with a plan. she kisses the side of your neck just below your ear. she pulls you away from her, settling you down in between her legs.

she gets up, get cozy, princess, mommy’s just gonna take something inside, okay?”

“mommy,” you whine, “can i come with?”

“no no, princess. it’s a surprise for you, okay? i’ll be back before you know it!” and then she’s gone. 

you probably should have added “please” then she would’ve surely brought you in with her. but you do entertain yourself with the little time alone: rearranging glasses back in place, disregarding your wet bottom because wanda would take it off as usual, and finish the cocktail. you also spooned a bit of the coconut’s inside. 

a loud chatter pulls you away from your little bubble, a group of people jet skiing echoing through the space. multiple arms wave in your direction, a booming “HELLO” as you wave back, blush coating your cheeks. you push your legs tight together. realizing the openness of the patio, you make a double take behind the place wanda has disappeared off, knowing that there’s more to come out of after your stunt, and most especially that you have brought her dominant side out here. 

you drink wanda’s piña colada to pacify your nerves. 

wanda isn’t scary, per se, she just gets super duper mega hot and towering—sometimes to the point of la petite mort—but this time the possibility of somebody else kayaking their way into your location makes you palpitate.

kayaking, the deliberate effort of rowing through this calm ocean—the agonizing trail of the canoes—it is something worse than a damn jet ski. this is driving you crazy!

“i’m sorry for the long wait, my darling. mommy couldn’t find it for a while ‘cause she’s thinking about you…”

you take a huge gulp, refusing to look at what's behind you. a hand ghosts on top of the beach chair. “it’s okay, wanda, i like the view here…”

“i know, princess. but it’ll look nicer if you see what mommy packed for you!”

this is her cue to come forward, blocking the peaceful view of the sea, showing her thick strap. you roll your eyes back, trembling all over, making her chuckle at the expected reaction, taking your hand to stroke her cock. 

“i love the sound of your whimpers, baby. shows how much effect i have on you,” wanda husks, her desire of giving it to you palpable, because she dirty talks her way into your pussy as she does so. you gasp, “it’s big,” gripping the tip, feeling the faux veins coating the shaft. “you can take it, princess. i know it.”

“i don’t think so…” you dissent, shaking your head, at the same time anticipating it. but surely you can’t take it in you, it’ll hurt so bad. wanda shakes her head and palms your drenched clothed pussy before setting it aside. 

she puts a finger in without warning, making you arch your back, a cry “mommy!” leaving your shocked mouth. 

“now you’re calling me mommy,” she gives you a disapproving look, but urges you on smiling at the motion of you sucking her middle finger in fully without resistance. “i knew you’d be so wet, so i didn’t bring any lube.”

wanda takes her finger out and puts it in her mouth, moaning at the sweet taste of your cum. “mmm, i might just have to eat you out instead. would you want that, my princess?”

you nod your head rather aggressively, your face contorted in desperation. anything not to take her monster dick. however, wanda must’ve noticed your not-so-subtle calculation because she changes her mind, shaking her head, trying to hide her cheshire smirk. 

“no,” she hum, “i think my tongue can wait for this sweet pussy. ‘cause then what’s gonna keep my baby girl’s boobs occupied?”

a squeal leaves your mouth as wanda drags your legs to the edge until it’s draping off the chair. you stick your legs together in the wind, your cum glistening on your pussy. wanda traces the slick that coats your inner thigh, just to get a rise out of you. she bites her lip in anticipation as she lubes her cock with your pussy juice, rubbing the tip over your clit. 

“fuck,” she moans, “listen to it,” slapping it the toy against your pussy. “mommy,” you could only respond, already over the whole teasing fit. “please!”

“please what, princess?”

“plea-pl-“

she chuckles. wanda groans as she lines her cock in your opening, “use your words, darling. makes it easier for us,” waiting for you to vocalize. 

you fling your hand forward to intertwine them with hers. “please fuck me, mommy. pleaseplease fill meplease!”

wanda whimpers.

“that’s my good girl.”

she enters you slowly, encouraging you to take deep breaths as she spreads your hole, tearing you open to get used to the size. your brows knit together at the sharp pain, mewling at the sensation. wanda peppers kisses all over your neck and jaw, distracting you from the initial process, “hey, hey, baby. it’s okay, mommy’s here–mommy will take care of you.”

your “thank you” gets swallowed by her lips, capturing yours in a languid tango, firm and warm in the tropical heat. your eyes flutter close alike battling sleep as, fighting the urge to just stay open because if you stare long enough at wanda’s eyelashes, you would be able to count them, but you settle with feeling it caressing your cheekbone. she breathes you in with each inhale, her hands coming to your cheeks to get a hold of you even more. you let out a keen for the numerous times she bites your lip, sliding her tongue in when you moan at the first thrust. 

you break the kiss, “mommy,” giving her a pleading look. “please.”

she presents you a peck and nods her head, “oh yes,” beginning a pace. “is that okay, princess? does it hurt?”

“little only now, mommy. i like it,” you reply, taking her tongue in yours again. 

“yeah?” she pulls away from the kiss, “you like mommy grinding down on you?” pushing in her length harder, her pace controlled. you hear the beach chair thud against the movement. your tits bounce at the same time, whimpering, tugging her hand, “faster please-“

“no, no. mommy’s gonna take her time, my love. i need to feel every inch of you before we get back. fuck! i’ve never fucked you in a bikini! it’s been in my bucket list for months now and i could finally-!”

wanda finds her pace, a grunt leaving her, pumping deeper into you, “-do this!” a cry leaving your swelling lips as your back arches in the process, her cock stuffing you full. “thank you, feels so good,” you slur, eyes rolling back, seeing the blue of cloudy skies. you think you begin to drool. 

wanda makes an incoherent statement, her lower lip bitten to hold back her moans. a bucket of sweat forms on her forehead, little bubbles that slide down through her forehead and blushing face. her hair tangles in knots like a wet mop, clinging against her back. 

her hands slither through your body, tracing patterns on your stomach, playing with your belly button. “you’re welcome,” she sighs, “anything for my favorite lady,” whispering over your ear, her hot puffs making your spine quiver. she nibbles your earlobe. 

and your neck, sinking her teeth into flesh, planting a bruise, gripping your waist tight to pull you forward to meet her pounding. “ah fuck, wanda!” you yelp, as she stretches your pussy hole open and full. bucking her hips with no abandon, chasing that high that belongs in between your legs, her primal urge to please you—to hear you scream her name in your favorite vacation spot—to make you come apart only for her to build you back up. 

“oh baby, uh,” wanda keens, clipping her hair out of the way of seeing you fucked out, “play with your tits, y/n. come on, please! show me your pretty bits,”

a high-pitched moan sounds out of you from wanda’s desperation, mimicking her movement a sex ago, setting your cups to the side. your fingers shake as you pinch and roll your nipples, your moans getting higher and prolonged the more you tug at them. your whole body spasms, thrashing under wanda who makes it her life’s mission to make you come around her cock. 

you hear her chuckle close to your ear, licking a column of your neck, peppering kisses down onto your chest, replacing your fingers with her lips and tongue. 

“so hard, so ha-“

“harder!” you sob, jackhammering your hips to meet hers, every snap ending with the sound of your juices thwacking around wanda’s big dick. 

“hey, hey, princess look,” wanda slaps your face lightly to catch your attention, at the brink of tapping out, your brain unable to cope up with the situation anymore. you push your hoods open—screaming at the shock—the sight of wanda’s bare breasts bouncing up and down, looking so supple and fresh. 

“mommy,” you whine, “i wanna suck you,”

how you managed to let that out you don’t know. 

wanda whimpers, “oh baby,” purring as she downs her pace, “here princess,” taking one tit and holding in front of your mouth, “suck mommy good yeah?”

you only nod your head, speaking less to more. your mouth envelops in the hard peaks of the older woman, flicking it with your tongue before you actually suck it. wanda lets out a shaky breath, “y-yeah princess. be a good girl for mommy-“ driving her cock in your wet cunt in one swift thrust, frantic to hear you once more. 

“y/n!” wanda writhes, the only leverage she has over you is her hands clenching your sides, “fuck fuckfuck me- mommy’s so close princess-!” screaming along with you.  

“mommy, mommy,” you slur, attempting to wrap your legs around her waist but it’s too imposible with the energy you have. although wanda takes notice, helping you, wrapping one leg around her, whilst the other takes your hand the way you intended to in the first place. “yes, princess. mommy’s clo–come with me, please? come with me m’kay?” 

repetitive words tumble out of wanda’s lips with the way her mind untangles as well, lost in the pleasure of having you fucked brainless. her tit falls off your mouth when you fling your head back, nearing into your climax. one more thrust—

a familiar loud chatter enters your hearing, pointing toward your direction, wanda noticing the same thing as she pauses for a beat, and before shame could creep into your head, she jolts her hips recklessly, fucking you with a few visitors. 

“fuck yeah? we got an audience, baby. better give them our best sho-“

wanda chokes out a sob the same time as you, convulsing and trembling together at the climax. multiple expletives grunts out of her filthy mouth, complementing your sputtering. 

wanda screams the same time as you do, crashing together. multiple expletives come out of her filthy mouth, complementing your whiny sounds. 

“m-mommy!” you whine, drool dripping out of your mouth, “please–“ wanda grinning down at you, the loud chatter that once was powerful now weak and non-existent. “yes princess?” she purrs, washing the orgasm out of you. “i think you made them shut up, baby,” she chuckles breathlessly, her face red and wet. “but…we’re not done yet.”

you whine, exhaustion already painted all over you. “nope,” wanda pops the p and fixes your disheveled hair. you look so fucked out, not even a workout excuse is going to hide that. 

“i just…” wanda takes her time to come up with something, a sugarcoated truth, maybe? or a white lie?

“…i wanna put all my cum inside you,” she lets out quietly, batting her eyes at you. 

you cry with your legs spread open and shaking, ropes of cum filling your pussy hole. wanda giggles and moves her cock in a sensual pace, making sure nothing goes to waste. 

“i’m so full mommy!”

“so full of my cum! how does it feel being filled with cum, huh, princess?”

you can barely open your eyes at this point, but wanda insists, slapping your face lightly to catch your short attention span. “you like it?”

“yes, mommy. makes me wanna suck you,” you whimper as wanda moans. “i’ll fuck my cum in you some more and then i’ll get to fuck your face?”

“yes, you offer breathlessly, drifting off. she takes your chin so you could face her, “no, no,” giving you a demanding look, “yes what?”

she puts her thumb in your mouth and you automatically suck. “yes, mommy.”

[cosmicatta]

An analysis of Portgas D. Ace through the light novels

Yes, I'm here again with my bullshit. After reading the Law novel, I was very excited to get my hands on the Ace ones too. And because I feel very intensely about him, I couldn't help turning my reading experience into a character analysis essay. Again.

So here we go!

Some notes before I start:

The edition I've read of this novel is the official Spanish translation by Planeta. When quoting and mentioning numbered pages, I'm referencing that edition.

I originally posted this on Twitter as a thread! If it sounds familiar, that might be why.

I've also posted an essay/thingie about Law's novel here!

These are just my personal impressions, I'm not trying to tell anyone how they should interpret the novel or Ace's character. I'm just doing this for fun!

Much like the Law novel, these are kind of a “prequel” to the source material. The story starts with Ace getting stuck in Sixis Island, where he meets Deuce, and follows their journey as Ace builds his own crew and later ends up joining Whitebeard.

The difference is that Ace’s novels, unlike Law’s, rely a lot more on canon events that we already know happened, because they’re mentioned or briefly shown in the manga (especially in the second volume). I’ll go a bit more into detail about this later, but either way, we can say that the novels are very canon-compliant at the very least.

Also, it’s important to point out that volumes 1 and 2 are written by different authors. I do think this has an impact in the way the narrative flows from one part to another, but it still reads like a cohesive story as a whole.

Overall, it offers a very different reading experience from Law’s novel. I guess the biggest contrast here is that we already know what’s going to be Ace’s tragic destiny, so the narration can’t really feel too hopeful.

Even if the story is lighthearted and adventurous most of the time, the tone that surrounds it all is bittersweet. And the core points of Ace’s journey are always marked by his fatal wounds: love, identity and the concept of deserving.

There is no real resolution for any of these themes throughout the novels; there can’t be, because we know Ace will only reach true understanding right before his death.

In this sense, I think the first volume does a better job at capturing that feeling of “tragic hero” that the story seems to go for, without necessarily getting too grim about it. And there’s a few things about it that get lost in the second part:

Volume 1 is written in first person, but it’s not Ace, the protagonist, who narrates the story. It’s Deuce. I think this is an interesting decision because it allows us to see Ace from the outside, through the eyes of someone who loves him.

And what we see from Deuce’s perspective contrasts with the image that we know Ace has of himself. This is especially interesting for 2 reasons:

He shows what Ace craved for all his life but didn’t know he already had until the end: love and respect.

He’s offering the readers a version of Ace’s identity crafted by an outside viewer, which is also what Ace keeps doing all the time: defining himself in relation to others.

These are going to be the main ideas that shape Ace’s journey from the start and what both novels try to explore.

Although Deuce and Ace’s relationship doesn’t start off in the best way, from the beginning Deuce sees a light in him that he has never known in anyone before. This even reflects in the way he describes Ace physically:

(Quotes roughly translated from Spanish):

P. 27: “He played with his radiant black hair.”

P. 129: “His pupils glowed with the colors of the sea floor.”

But what is most emphasized about Ace throughout the narration is his kindness and gentleness—he shares his fruit with Deuce while he’s starving too, he has a place for all kinds of rejected outlaws in his crew, he helps Isuka even though they’re supposed to be enemies, he gives the rice crackers he’d just bought to some children in Sabaody, etc.

Ace just goes around giving away his endless love without thinking too much about it. It’s in his nature. And people love him in return.

P. 66: “What does it mean to be a captain? To me, it means people love you. […] Ace was born to be a captain.”

There’s a small episode that I find very interesting in this sense—right before attacking him, a bounty hunter declares:

P. 67: “Ace! I love you!”

Ace assumes the guy only said that because his head would have granted him a ton of money. But it’s still a weird way to word it. It’s as if Ace was a shooting star that everyone couldn’t help but admire in awe, friends and enemies alike.

But, as I said before, Ace seems to be completely unaware of this, despite the very explicit ways in which people show him appreciation.

It’s at this point that we start to see the conflict between Ace’s “goals” that he set for himself and his true desires (though this will be explored in more detail in volume 2).

Although he keeps claiming to be in search of fame, he doesn’t really seem to be that interested in it. He only reacts to his own popularity when his loved ones do, because that is what he actually wants: acceptance, validation.  

P. 82: “Whenever the number increased [Ace’s bounty], we celebrated it. And him, in seeing us all so happy, celebrated too.”

What Ace is doing is just constantly looking for the answer to that dreadful question he asked Garp as a child: “Did I deserve to be born?” And he tries to find clues in his crewmates’ faces, in his enemies’ words, in the way the whole world around him reacts to his existence.

But what’s interesting is that he’s not just passively contemplating, he very actively tries to earn that right to live, in his own twisted way.

Yes, the world had already decided who Ace was even before he was born, but now it’s his turn. Now he can try and recreate his own image for them to see. And if he has to be a monster, it will be in his own terms.

It’s not about fame, it’s about identity. Because Ace’s identity has never been truly his own.

This is a very delicate subject for him, especially when he realizes that his bounty is growing at an abnormal speed, indicating that the government probably knows who he really is. And so, he is tormented by the idea that, despite all his efforts, he can’t escape the portrait that others have painted of him without permission.

Even those who don’t know the truth about his origins feel free to decide Ace’s worth as a human being. In this regard, his fight with Vice Admiral Draw is notable—he judges Ace not as Roger’s son, but as a regular pirate, and yet he still reaches the same conclusion and says the words that Ace fears so much:

P. 148: “You don’t deserve one more second in this world. It is because of you that so many people live in fear. […] If you didn’t exist, no one would be unhappy.”

Ace wins this fight, but he leaves with an open wound that never closes and only seems to get bigger with time.

And with this, the first volume closes in a very bittersweet tone:

P. 159: “Ace didn’t believe he deserved anyone’s love. […] But Isuka didn’t think the same, and she wasn’t the only one. The problem was that Ace wouldn’t realize. […] He was like the Sun. Everyone adored him, his enemies respected him. Ace was the center of everything. But, like the Sun, way too bright, he was always alone. […] Ace had created a home for us. But what about him? Could we find a home for him, where he’d be able to smile in peace from the bottom of his heart?”

The second volume starts where the first left it, with Ace and his crew entering the New World.

I have to say that I didn’t like this one as much as the first because, for a book that’s supposed to be about Ace’s relationship with others, it kind of falls flat at some points in that sense. Sometimes the novel seems more concerned with describing action scenes that aren’t really that interesting, or events that we already know from the manga without adding much to them.

Also, I feel like I have to mention that some scenes and description choices were a bit questionable (casual misogyny, etc.), but overall the book was still enjoyable to me.

The style and structure is a bit different from the first volume too—for starters, it’s written in third person, although the perspective is a bit all over the place sometimes. The POV keeps switching back and forth between different characters, which could a useful and interesting approach, but you need to know how to do it right, and I’d say it was a bit messy here.

But there is a good side to this, which is that we get a peek into Ace’s thoughts too sometimes.

And we see, as volume 1 already hinted, that his motivations are unclear even to himself. He insists that he wants to surpass his father’s fame, but he isn’t interested in titles or riches.

P. 61: “I don’t aspire to be the King of Pirates or anything of the sort.”

P. 74-75: [In response to “What brought you to the sea?”] “I guess I expected to find out at the sea… Though there’s something I do want to achieve. […] I’ll make sure everyone knows my name.”

Part of the reason why Ace despises the title of “Pirate King” is very obvious—it was his father’s title. But this disinterest also reveals the true reason why Ace thinks he wants the fame: it’s not ambition or vanity; it’s, again, his way of crafting his own identity.

In reality, although he directs his resentment towards his father, it’s not him he really hates, but the world that built a monstrous myth around his figure, a myth that Ace inherited.

P. 80: “This world killed Sabo. Unless you’re someone like Roger, whose execution brought a new era, it doesn’t matter if you live or die. […] Even if I can’t win their recognition, even if they hate me, I’ll become a pirate and take revenge on them all. […] One day, people won’t say ‘Ace, Roger’s son,’ but ‘Roger, Ace’s father.’”

Again, if he must be a monster, he’ll be one he’s created himself.

But it becomes clear in this volume that he has no idea how to do that. He wants to change the world, but has no plan to do so, and doesn’t even understand what that means exactly.

And here’s where Whitebeard is key, as we already know. He sees through Ace, and eventually makes him reevaluate his own ambitions, until he ends up admitting that he has no idea what he’s doing.

P. 159: [Thatch asks him] “You want your reputation to surpass that of the Pirate King, but you’re not interested in the One Piece. You don’t want to break the code either. What the hell does your flag even represent?” [And Ace answers] “I don’t know. Honestly, I thought I did, but not anymore.”

P. 224-225: “Whitebeard inviting him to be his son had seemed to him like another ‘father’ attempting to take control of his life. But […] now he understood the word ‘son’ a little differently.”

Though there’s no real resolution to Ace’s big questions in life, he slowly starts finding his own place and learning to accept the kindness he’s given, even if he doesn’t fully understand it yet.

P. 229: [Deuce asks him] “Do you think you’ll find what you’re looking for with Whitebeard?” [And Ace answers] “Yes. […] Because here I feel at peace.”

The book finishes with Ace offering his back to get Whitebeard’s Jolly Roger tattooed. With this, he’s constructing his image around the figure of a different father, one that he’s proud of. He still builds himself in relation to others, but is now more benevolent in doing so.

This is the first step of a healing project that we know will never be fully complete. And because of this, despite the ending having a hopeful and gentle tone, it’s still a bit heartbreaking. Like the first act of a tragedy.

There's a lot more interesting stuff to talk about in the novels, like the way Ace talks about Luffy and Sabo, and how it becomes clear that they are what really made him want to live and keep fighting. But this is already way longer than I originally intended, so I'll leave it here.

So, if you read this far, thank you! ♥ I hope you enjoyed it or at least found it somewhat interesting.

[keytogala716]

i know i made a post way in the past about my different worlds, but I wanted to update it with a bit more details (and add one more because I forgot)

Gala

Gala was my first ever world, it's a area surrounded by a thick fog that is full of magic crystals, strange animal hybrids, and spontaneous fires. Most of the residents are super friendly, and Gala as a whole has a philosophy of helping others so that everyone can live the best life they can ^^

Lorenfall

Lorenfall is Gala’s ‘Sister Dimension’ (basically a dimension of the same exact world but with one event in history being different enough that things don't turn out the same). Instead of settling the landmass that Gala had after The Years Of The Floating City, Lorenfall was founded after the inhabitants of the floating city crashed into an island in the middle of The Misted Sea, aiming to settle there instead. The main thing the change led to was more distrust between the different sections, but at the same time… it was an island, they couldn't exactly easily get away from each other, so the set up a Ringed District system, making sure that people can leave each other alone if need be. (there's a lot of more details, but I wanna move on, feel free to ask any questions tho ^^)

Dieer

I'm going to be completely honest, Dieer came about because of a Warrior Cats apocalypse AU that I made up shortly after discovering the fandom through animations on youtube. The lore of that original AU is that everything was the same until a bit before- something- (can't remember if it was Rusty finding the clans or something else-), but instead of that event happening, the world suddenly gets swarmed with these weird one-dimensional beings, and the clans have to scatter in order to survive, with new clans eventually being formed and settled a few years later. I've started working on it where each clan has their own different lore, and isn't just Shadowclan but not Shadowclan… idk, it's a work in progress.

Conifer Glen

This world came about after I needed to make a short story for a fiction writing class. I made a story of this human being summoned to a magical world just to be hunted down by The Big Bad unless they find *Insert Mcguffin Here*. Idk, it honestly was kind of a last minute thing, but the story kinda stuck with me, and I've been trying to make a world from it when I have time. What I have so far is that, the citizens of Cornifer Glen evolved from trees, and their currently being ruled over by The False Acacia (also known as The Locust).

Cardinal

This world started out as just a place for my Spidersona, Spider-Ink, but I really wanna plan it out more. Only detail I have is that people with superpowers have their powers because of a parasite.

The Island

As I said in the post above… it's literally just the Tomodatchi Life island controlled by an inhuman being (not a demon anymore, still developing her). In the worlds lore, its a pocket dimension made by Alter (the being) in order to trap people there and live off of the energy of their memories :)

Carnyveil(?)

IDK if i like the name, but this is Serv's world! its basically a pocket dimension meant to house this species of shapeshifters that work kind like an ant colony. the Monarch (the first shapeshifter of a colony) makes their own pocket dimension with a theme of their choice, and the Veils theme is more carnival/funhouse/children's play-place type vibes :> I have more details laid out, but I'm thinking of changing stuff up, so I need to have a research day FINALLY GOT THIS DONE AFTER IT DELETED ITSELF, YIPPEE!!!

[blondrenjun]

.

[batfamily14]

An: Jason Todd x Reader!70s chick. The reader meets a mysterious bad boy at party. Barley knowing each other more than a day the two fall in love. Will they last or is it too good to be?

Rating: Explicit

———————————————————————

Chapter 2

A thick white sweater hung loosely off the girl’s frame paired with low cut blue bell bottom jeans and black platforms. Her hair stuck out on either side of her wool knitted cap. Her full, pursed lips frowned as she could barely breathe, the fumes of marijuana invaded her nostrils. Her freshly wet shoes from snowfall sank into the shagged carpet inside the packed unfashionable cheap sorority home. She left a dark trail as she navigated through the crowd holding Barbra’s hand like a life line. Barbra’s fiery hair like a red river flowing behind the beautiful young woman as she squeezed through the guest.

The girl cursed under her breath as the drink she was holding sloshed around in her red plastic cup, the liquid dampening the sleeves. Slowing a moment Barbra glanced back. Her green eyes greeted Y/n’s own, a sly smile pulled at Barbra lips. “Great turn out, huh?” Barbra commented loudly over the droning of the music. Which had just changed from The Beatles to a more electrifying melody of Jimi Hendrix. Y/n only nodded , not bothering to waste her breath to yell over the sea of people. Barbra only offered a knowing smile, before she tugged Y/n’s again until the two eventually settled in the back. The red haired woman smiled gleefully as they approached a group swarmed in a tight huddle, deep in conversation.

“Hey, Richard!”Barbra chimes, sauntering up to

a handsome man who looked up from a small blonde. His eyes a brilliant mesmerising blue, they remind Y/n of gazing up at the sky on a cloudless day. He groomed a lazy hand through his tousled black hair, sweeping it from his tanned face. “Hey baby.” He smiled earnest, pecking a kiss to Barbra’s cheek. “Richard, I’d like you to meet Y/n.” Barbra gestured to the girl behind her. Richard gave another charming smile Y/n’s way, tilting his head playfully. “Hey, I remember you from the theater program, the fall showcase of Romeo and Juliet.” He beamed and offered his hand. “My name is Richard but I prefer Dick. It’s nice to see you outside college.” Y/n takes his hand shaking it. “You too.” She replied shortly and dropped his hand. She tasted her drink and grimaces trying not to gag at the distasteful mixture of different alcohols.

“Are there anymore shows this year?” He continued seeming to not notice. “ Not sure.” She croaked, her throat and mouth burning from the aftertaste. “The spring showcase maybe? That is if the school can afford it.” She shrugs. Dick nodded understandably.

“Yeah, I heard Romeo and Juliet was a bit of a bust.” he replied mindlessly. Barbra gasped and elbowed his side making him jump. “B-But I digged it.” He stuttered quick and flustered, his face tinted with blush. He slumped an arm around Y/n’s neck leaning forward, and she could smell his expensive cologne. The delicate scent somehow overpowered the musky heat of the party. “Well, i'm glad you...liked it.” She faltered , her voice small as she held her drink close to her chest like a safeguard. “How’s football?” She inquired. Dick rolled his eyes to the ceiling leaning away, he awkwardly pulled at the collar of his shirt. “We are definitely not making the playoffs. We only won one game this season, but there’s always a next time, right?” He shrugged. “And you know what? Hopefully there is another show, I know you’ll kill it.”

Y/n's smiled, but she shakes her head brushing off the compliment.

“I don’t know about that. I didn’t even get the part of Juliet, I played her mother.”

“Well, every role is important right?’ He chirped. He held her eyes smiling, leaving Y/n disorientated again. Barbra interjected, “You know there’s a lot of people I want you to know tonight, Y/n.” She steps between the two, separating them. “Let me finish showing you around.” She takes Y/n hand rougher than before nearly yanking her off into the crowd. Dick waved goodbye and shouted after them, “And a happy New Year to you Y/n!”

Barbra pushed passed the guest, and practically dragged Y/n along. “Since you met the oldest Wayne, it can’t hurt to meet the others.” She said, looking around. “There’s Tim.” Barbra points to a young long dark haired teen in a band tee and baggy jeans much too big for his smaller body. He sat on the stairs surrounded by a group of people. The same blonde girl from earlier is draped around his side. Her purple sheer dress flows down the steps where they sat. “He’s the youngest of the adopted brothers and that’s his girlfriend Stephaine.” She points to the girl. She and Y/n walk again into the kitchen, there they find themselves near the speakers. Marvin Gaye sings a soulful melody.

“It’s a great night.” Barbra commented as she rested against the kitchen’s island. Y/n agreed, and sipped her drink growing used to the acidic taste. Barbra nudged her, until she gave in looking at the red head . “Oh come on I know parties aren’t your thing.” She chuckled, causing Y/n to squint her eyes at her curiously.

“Then why invite me?” She puzzled.

“Because I missed having you around.” Barbra admittedly truthfully, shrugging her shoulders. Y/n frowns remembering just how much time had passed between the two. “I missed you too.” She said sincerely , and Barbra half smiled at the sentiment.

“So,...” Barbra began, leaning up. “Are there any guys who you're interested in? Ya know besides Richard.” Y/n cringed, letting her drink sit abandoned on the counter top. “Sorry about that, I didn’t know what to do.” She apologized. “ It’s not your fault. Dick flirts with everyone, it’s just his personality.” Barbra huffed. Y/n gives her a long look but she avoids her gaze. “I'm just hoping you get laid tonight.” Barbra changes the subject casually leaving Y/n dumbfounded.

“What?” Y/n coughed . Barbra laughed, sweeping her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know.” She sighs, looking off into the crowd in thought. “You’ve been a virgin ever since we met, haven’t you thought about it?”

Y/n scoffs, crossing her arms defensively. “Of course I have. Who hasn’t?” She retorted.

Barbra smirks, side eyeing her suspiciously but Y/n scowled at her and then breathed a breath of annoyance.

“Look, I’m fine with not losing it at the moment, especially to some drunken idiot.” She nodded towards the party goers. Picking up her drink she tossed it aside into a trash bin. “Too bad all the best of the Waynes are taken.” The red haired girl remarked. Y/n was about to agree but stopped for a moment thinking. “Wait...” She began. “Aren’t there like three of them?” Barbra’s face fell and she grits her teeth in annoyance. “Oh yeah, you mean-”

She’s interrupted by a loud voice calling her name. Barbra turned on her heels finding Dick waving her over. She shoots Y/n an apologetic look before hurrying off towards him. Y/n can’t help but to watch as Barbra's face lights up and Dick leans to kiss her, his hand entangled in her hair. He held her close, whispering in her ear, and the girl laughed full heartedly. Y/n forced herself to turn away.

Sometime passed and Barbra had yet to reappear, alone in the kitchen Y/n steals a bottle of alcohol, with its company in her hand she wanders through the crowd aimlessly. Her eyes observed the guest surrounding her, watching them in their own worlds and suddenly she felt small.

It wasn’t like Y/n didn’t want to go to parties, she just figured she didn’t belong in places like this. She wasn’t like Barbra, she didn't have an overflowing amount of friends or the perfect boyfriend. They were polar opposite, always had been, and Y/n constantly found herself on the outside looking in. Deep in thought she’s startled when a hand pressed firmly against her back. She whipped her head only catching a glance of Dick as he smiled at her, rushing out the front door with other boys. She wandered, sipping from the bottle carelessly until she found Barbra again slumping onto the stairs next to Tim. As she made her way over, the room seemed to spin and found herself feeling warm and light. Pink Floyd played drowning the house in drum and bass.

“Sorry, I left you.” Barbra groaned as Y/n plopped down next to her. “Dick needed to go practice with the guys late again.” She sighed. “It’s like all he does nowadays.” Tim offered her his beer, and she took it from him drinking. After nearly downing the entire bottle Barbra attempted to stand wobbly, using shoulder Y/n for balance. “I should really stop drinking when I'm upset.” She says aloud but more to herself. She shook her head angrily before taking a few deep breaths. When she glanced back at Y/n and Tim’s worried expressions her eyes shifted quickly before the two.

“ I almost forgot,” she said suddenly. “ Tim, this is Y/n and Y/n this is Tim.” Tim and Y/n shared an odd look before greeting another. “You like Pink Floyd?” Tim questioned. Y/n bobbed her head. “I like all music.” She responded. “Well, how about we dance?” He suggested. He reached down and gripped her by the arm, pulling her up and away before she could answer. Y/n looked back at Barbra who talked with Stephanie now, her head in hands as she spoke. Tim ushered Y/n to a space on the floor and Y/n pardoned herself as she bumped into the other dancers. Tim gripped her waist and Y/n followed in example by wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“So, It’s been a hell of a night.” He said. Pressing his body up to hers. “I heard from Barbra you're looking for some fun tonight!” He whispered loudly in her ear. Y/n rolled her eyes, pulling back. “I wish she’d stop telling people that.” She sighed. Tim laughed drunkenly and began. swinging himself to the music very unrhythmically. “Well, half of the people are too drunk to see straight, ‘tis not a good idea.” He warned. Y/n shook her head unfazed. “Trust me I wasn’t looking.” She grunted. Tim nodded as they began dancing again.

“So, it must be kind of crazy being Bruce Wayne’s son?” Y/n inquired. Tim gives her a strange look. “Probably more than you can imagine but I’m not different from anyone else here.” he says finally. The two slow down their movement as the song switches to a softer tune, Y/n sucks in her cheek before continuing. “Why is it crazier than I think?” Y/n questioned and Tim stiffen for a moment. He sighed and twirled her around before pulling her close again. “He’s.. not as he seems.” He hesitated.

Tim leaned in close, his breath immersed with beer. “Have you met him?” He asked. Y/n tried not to show her discomfort as his breath invaded her air. “No.” She answered quickly. “It’s just so interesting, your dad practically owns our school.”

He cocked his head, giving her a wicked grin.

“What about me? Aren’t I interesting?” He said slurring his words, coming dangerously close to her face. “I’m not boring you am I?”

Y/n‘s turned her head. “No.” She backs away putting some distance between them, but Tim flushed them close again. This time Y/n pushed him away, he nearly fell as he fumbled back. He looked at her bewildered and Y/n‘s eyes widened. “I’m sorry.” She said flustered. “I think I need a moment.” Y/n pushed through people, she breathed quickly, her anxiety setting in as she needed to escape or she’d suffocate in the tight room. She fled to the balcony doors, she struggled with the lock before finally stepping out and taking a deep breath. She hastily closed it again, the cold fogging across the glass. She barely noticed the man facing away from her as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself for warmth. The man smoked looking over the rail to the city below them. “Fuck.” she mumbled, rubbing her face frantically. “The Wanye are so weird.” She thought to herself. Her and the mysterious stranger stood silently for a moment, the distant explosions of fireworks the only sound between them. Now and then, someone near lit a firework that made the sky glow in brilliant colors above them.

Finally breaking the silence the stranger said “You don’t look like you’re enjoying the party.” She glanced over at him, only to meet the back of his head. She tilted her head, curling her lips in a thin line, his face was barely visible in the dim lighting. “Neither do you.” She retorted. The dark haired man continued to stare out at the city wordless. Y/n rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly before speaking again,“I’ve never seen you around before.” She continued.

The stranger huffed, “That’s not surprising.”

He took a small box from his pocket, pulling out a cigarette before he offered the box to her. She shook her head no, and the man chuckled before sliding the box away, lighting his cig. “Worried about your health, huh? While drinking a bottle of vodka?” He said pointedly. She looked down at the bottle in her hand, it was half empty. Y/n snapped her head at him.

“I don’t always drink.” She countered defensively.

“I don’t care.” He responded dryly. Y/n pulled a face at him, rolling her eyes to herself. “Look, perhaps we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.” She said and shifted until she was fully facing the back of him. “I’m Y/n.” She pulled her best smile offering her hand but the stranger didn't comply. In fact he took a long drag of his cigarette, purposely blowing it up into the air above them. Y/n let’s her hand drop feeling uncomfortable. She held the bottle closed to her chest and rocked on her heels.

“Well, can I at least know your name?” She insisted. “What would be the point of that?” He questioned. “You probably won’t remember by morning anyway.” His head nodded towards the bottle again. She felt herself beginning to fume from his rudeness. She became enraged and the bitterness of it churned inside her. Perhaps, it was the alcohol that made her suddenly brave or rather stupid but either way she strided over, poking the stranger in his back.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think are but you can’t just talk to me like that!” She exploded. The stranger suddenly dropped his cigarette onto the concert floor smashing it under his boot. He turned and rounded on her slow and menacing like a hunter on to its prey. The girl backed away now fully aware of what she just did and afraid.

The stranger stopped short remaining in the shadows as he glared at her. Her blood drained from her face and her heart hammered erratically in her chest. Finally his eyes met hers in darkness and she saw they were a piercing blue, narrowed, rigid, and cold. The fury inside them burned like hell’s fire. The sight caused the girl to stand frozen in place, her mouth dry as she tried to speak. All her words suddenly caught in her throat. The bottle of vodka hung loosely forgotten between her fingers before accidentally being dropped and shattering messily on the ground. The girl yelps loudly, gaining the attention of a few other guests as she tripped almost toppling over. The man suddenly moved again gripping her arm so she wouldn’t fall but she snatched it back. Struggling to inhale as she stepped away, her foot crunching on the glass

Before anything more could happen the balcony door flew open and Barbra glared at the man in dark. That's when Y/n remembered how to breathe, but was still unable to speak and she watched as Barbra and the man stood each other down and she looked dumbly between the two. Barbra glanced at Y/n and asked, “Are you okay, what happened ?” Y/n was speechless as her and Barbra’s eyes trailed down, looking at the broken bottle and Barbra shot an enraged look at the man again.

“What’d you do?” She bellowed, her brows creased and face tense. Y/n stared at her wide eyed and mouth open. She quickly latched a hand on Barbra’s shoulder turning the girl towards her . “It’s m-my fault, I d-drank too much tonight.” She stuttered. “I think I should go home.”

Barbra looked at her stunned, her eyes filled with worry. “A-are you sure?” She questioned holding Y/n hand. Y/n nodded, pushing passed her going back inside where everyone watched her unsettled and whispered in low murmurs before going back to the party. Y/n felt warm from embarrassment but didn’t stop walking until she reached the front door. Barbra closed the balcony door harshly before moving fast to catch up with her. Y/n walked quick and numbly, her head heavy from drinking. Barbra walked next to her as they both headed downstairs. She shoved herself through the door. Noticing a cluster of motorcycles on the lawn.

“What happened back there? Are sure you’re alright?” Barbra pressed on. “It's nothing, I’m fine.” Y/n brushed her off and shivered as they walled outside back into the bitterly cold streets of Gotham. “Thanks for inviting me, it was good to catch up again.” She sniffed, before she could turn away Barbra developed her in a warm embrace and Y/n closed her eyes savoring it. The two girls gave each other weak smiles as Barbra let her go.

“Hey, Barbra?” Y/n asked. “Why did you react the way you did back there?” Barbra cocked her head oddly surprised. “I thought you were in trouble.” She answered bluntly. “Yeah but I wasn’t.” Y/n blurted. “I’ve never seen you that way before.”

Barbra shrugged. “Well, I’m sorry you had to see me that way at all, he just has a way of getting under my skin ya know?” Y/n raised her eyebrows curiously. “He who?” Before Barbra was able to speak she was interrupted yet again by the entrance door flying open with a loud bang. Y/n and her whip around to two men standing in the doorway. A rugged dark haired man with familiar blue eyes glared at them. Behind him was a red haired hair man who just peered at the two.

The man in front pushed through the door and out into the snow nearly knocking himself in y/n his leather jacket brushes harshly against her. The red haired man follows quickly behind uttering a small sorry. The two leap onto the motorcycles and with the sound of the engine roars loudly making her slightly jump causing her to nearly fall over. Her eyes wide when the blue eyed man gave her a challenging look. She blinked back at him. Standing tensely. He drove away wordlessly with the red haired man on his tail. When Y/n turned around she found Barbra attention transfixed on the two, an unreadable look on her face.

“Barbra?” Y/n called. “Are you alright?”

“That was him.” She only said, still staring in the direction they rode.

“Who?” Y/n asked. Barbra turned to her. “What do you mean who? It was the guy from the balcony.”

Y/n heart stills. “ Which one?”

“The dark haired one ”

“And the other?”

“That was friend Roy.”

Y/n looked after the two as they vanished down the street.

“What’s his name?” Y/n asked almost cautiously, a feeling of dread sinking in her stomach.

“Jason...” Barbara started.

“Jason Todd, The last of the Wayne’s Boys.”

[musicallisto]

Hi! May I please have a marauders, MCU and blades of light and shadow match-up? I'm straight, she/her. I'm a ravenclaw and an INFP, I'm introverted but pretty friendly and outgoing once you get to know me. I love reading,my favorite genres are fantasy and poetry. I tend to daydream quite a lot and have a tendency to overthink stuff, I can also be a tad melodramatic at times. People often come to me for advice or to vent! (1/2)

I Ship You With...

Remus Lupin

okay you two would be the cutest and most affectionate couple - also the most blushy one

it wouldn’t help that the others (James and Sirius, especially) would spend the first days teasing the hell out of Moony for finding himself a girlfriend

“oh, he’s all grown up now” “Sirius” “look at our baby, James! can you believe how fast time flies?” “Sirius Black” “shh. let me pretend you’re still a little boy” “SIRIUS”

(they’re obviously incredibly happy for the both of you. you deserve & love each other so much, and you’re a pair of nerds that they love to watch snuggle together by the fire when you think no one else is looking)

you’d exchange books that you love and have the other read them, then discuss them - most of the time it would end up in frenzied conversations until two and a half in the morning where you gush about the characters and the worldbuilding and you sigh dreamily at the romance and the magic of it all, until he slyly reminds you that nothing is imaginary in the magic world

you’d shyly come to him one day and ask if he knows any reliable and truthful books about his... furry little problem (as you’ve learned to call it with the other boys, but really you don’t like that denomination because it implies that Remus is problematic), because you want to learn more about how to deal with it when it arises and how to keep him and everyone around safe, and you mostly trust books to give you this kind of knowledge. he’s deeply touched by your request, and although he tries to keep his composure and give you a list of works that resonated with him (though he doesn’t read too much about werewolves. it’s still difficult to handle the reality of it all), you can tell by his reddened cheeks and his fumbling words that it’s the most thoughtful sign of affection anyone has ever shown towards him

dates in Hogsmeade! what was at first strictly a friendly gathering for the entire group in the period preceding christmas remained a friendly escapade when you got together with Remus... but also the rest of the Marauders learned to give you a little space every time you go down to the village and leave you to frolick, as Sirius abjectly calls it, in the colorfully-lit streets.

you grab butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks (it will invariably be way too sugary for your liking, but seeing Remus’s white, creamy mustache after he dipped his lips in the drink is always worth it), as many sweets as you can carry in Honeydukes (most times it requires more than one bag and a few magic tricks to be able to transport them all), and end the day walking hand in hand in the main streets of the village, snow gently covering your hair and shoulders and engulfing the two of you in a winter wonder. his fingers and yours always tense when your steps bring you closer to the Shrieking Shack; but you press his hand, and when he’s more restless than usual or the full moon approaches you press a few feather-light kisses to his knuckles. you’re here and you’re not going anywhere. for that day and for that night, at least, everything is going to be okay.

Bruce Banner

it takes him more than ages to ask you out. decades. centuries! MILLENIA

and meanwhile absolutely everyone with a pair of eyes can see how dumbstruck he gets whenever you walk in the room, and how his every internal organ stops when you talk to him. in his eyes, you’re a paragon of confidence and coolness (which actually you’re convinced you aren’t, because you’re also a blabbering mess whenever you have to talk to him), and he’s... well, he’s only himself. some kind of STEM nerd. also, on occasion, the Incredible Hulk. no big deal? YES VERY BIG DEAL

but in reality, it is not big deal for you. he seems to forget every so often that he is a doctor and that someone with several PhD’s doesn’t exactly qualify as a STEM nerd in your mind (maybe at least its most powerful form). and even beyond that, he is an incredibly caring soul who’s constantly putting others before him, and it’s mesmerizing and refreshing to just sit on a chair in his lab, reading a novel, with him working on some new solutions, listening to the buzz of the kilns and the lapping of distilled water and peroxides in their testing tubes. you get a sense of peace when you watch him work that you never seem to find anywhere else, and in no one else’s presence.

now obviously Tony (it always has to be Tony) can’t BEAR anymore all this tension between his two best associates (that’s how he calls his friends when he’s not drunk enough), and is practically begging the both of you to make a move or at least talk it out and resolve all of this electricity. which you’d rather die than do, because he’s Tony Stark, he can’t imagine the immensity of the humiliation that would slap you in the face if you attempted to confess your feelings to anyone (especially Bruce!), but you can and you know.

after a few more failed attempts, Tony decides to take the matter in his own hands. nothing in this world will ever get done without his help, he swears!

at first he tries to convince the both of you, separately, to go to a mystery blind date at Luna Park, on Coney Island. you both vigorously decline. Tony has had brillian ideas in the past, but putting yourselves out there to spend a day with a stranger and possibly find love with them? ridiculous. that’s when Tony changes plans: now he’s inviting the both of you (still separately, without mentioning anything jointly) to spend the day with him at the fun fair. it will be fun, he says, just an afternoon eating cotton candy and rifle shooting with his friend. that sounds fishy enough coming from him. it’s a miracle (or maybe a consequence of Tony’s incessant supplications) that you both accept.

when you see Bruce, and Bruce sees you, arrive from both sides of the street to the meeting point you both agreed on with Tony, you start to smell the con-trick. obviously, you shouldn’t have put this past Tony Stark. now you’re both stuck with the other and you have nowhere to look at to distract yourself from his shy, adorable eyes and timid smile. of course.

well. now that you’re here, standing like idiots, not daring to say anything to the other, in front of the entrance of Luna Park, you’d rather make the most of it. chase the butterflies that pierce your throat whenever you catch a glimpse of his excited voice, extinguish the flames that arise through all your body when he puts his hand on the small of your back - then promptly moves it.

the ferris wheel seems to call you. tugging on bruce’s arm, you lead him to the attraction with more enthusiasm than you imagined you would have when the day started. New York City is always a wonder to look at from the heights. Bruce lets out a nervous laugh, but follows you anyway. it’s not like anything is bound to go wrong, right?

but of course. you both were carefree enough to forget that the entire ordeal had been orchestrated by none other than Tony Stark. when your cabin reaches the top of the wheel, and your face lights up at the sight of the sea, Tony’s voice rings out from the speakers at the exact same moment as your cabin comes to an abrupt halt.

“your attention please. due to regrettable circumstances, the ride will be stopping for approximatively thirty minutes. please enjoy the view, whether it is the bay or the person in front of you. later.”

suddenly you want to grab him by the collar and throw his smug little smile out the cabin, headfirst into the Atlantic.

“I’m so sorry,” rings out Bruce’s voice in the tightness of the cabin, his embarrassment true. “I shouldn’t have agreed to this and now I got you in this mess...”

“You didn’t get me in any mess. I agreed too. I guess...” you swallow hard, the faintest of smiles coming to rest on your lips. “I guess we’ll have to make good use of this time, then.”

Tyril

it takes a lot for him to open up to you: patience, efforts, gentle smiles and light touches on his shoulder, good manners, and respect of his past, privacy, and boundaries. a little like approaching a wounded animal in the woods. you have to gain his trust, first. it’s not the easiest task you’ve ever had to tackle, but hey, it can’t be harder than recollecting the evil shadow shards to stop the harmful influence of the murderous, evil, shadow court over your world, right?

(it’s almost harder, actually! you never would have guessed. but that elf has so many walls around his soul, and you have to scale every one of them with your bare hands.)

it’s worth it, though. it’s always worth it to see his smile light up the forest like a thousand fairly lights, and the tenderness of such a beautiful soul, that has lost so much, come alive every time you embrace him.

you see the blue flame of sadness in his eyes when he looks at you, and he sees the image of Kaya, the one he cared for so deeply and he lost so much time ago. it still pains him because he feels like it might be his fault, that he didn’t work hard enough to save her from the evil of the shadow court. his worst fear, although he will never admit it, is that another of the innocent people he loves most will succumb to the darkness and he will watch it unravel, powerless. but you assure him that it will not happen. you are too strong-minded to be corrupted.

he teaches you how to fight, and it’s an unexpected moment of intimacy between the two of you, getting to know each other better than ever, with each other’s strengths and weaknesses

you only ever see him be truly happy when he’s surrounded by the lights of the fae, that you randomly stumble upon in the middle of the deadwood, and that reflect a thousand colors on his beautiful, upturned face. at that precise moment, you can swear you’ve never seen someone more radiant, and someone more in love

when his eyes finally fall onto yours, his look of utter adoration does not disminish, quite the opposite actually; and he holds your gaze as if you were much more of a wonder than anything that’s happening in this kaleidoscopic clearing. your breath hitches in your throat, and a pink fire blossoms in your chest; it is here, in the most desolated of places in the entire country, that you discover love and love discovers you for the first time

[goldishlock]

Emerald Seas Chapter 7 (Pirates of the Caribbean Fanfiction)

A seamstress was measuring Kate's sizes while she stared at herself in the large mirror. It was the day of the ceremony and the ball. Her father made sure she'd be wearing the finest clothes and had already shipped some of the best fabrics from London. Every time her father brought her a gift from her hometown she felt sentimental, missing the city of her birth. The people, the markets and even the rainy days. Just so much of her childhood left back there. And her mother's grave, one of the reasons that made everything that came to her from England feel special, even the smallest and most impeccable things. Her hands reached for the silk and Kate couldn't help herself but to stuck her nose between the fabric. Like she could smell the English air or her mother's scent. The fabric smelled like roses, the scent that reminded her of her mother. She still missed her very much every day.

Katherina woke from her daydreaming as the seamstress took a few steps back to behold her creation as she finished. She took Kate by her small shoulders and made her look into the mirror again. Kate beheld her own reflection, she was wearing the most beautiful gown she'd ever seen. It was a silken green dress with a gorgeous corset with pretty stitched flowers all around the front of her waist. Her hair was tied up but one single curl was left out and curled in front of her shoulder. A beautiful but modest crystal necklace decorated her thin long neck. Once finished Kate moved down the stairs, where her father was waiting for her in the hallway of the mansion. He looked at her with a grand smile. The servant handed Kate her bergère hat, an ivory lace ribbon tied behind her red curls made it secure. It would protect her pale complexion from the burning Caribbean sun at the ceremony outside.

'You look most beautiful my dear' Lord Florence offered her his arm and they made way to the carriage waiting for them outside.

Moments later Kate and Lord Florence made their way to Fort Augusta at the front of the island of Nassau, where the ceremony would take place. Her father was surprisingly quiet about this special day, as he called it himself. Normally he wouldn't stop talking about her next suitor, he'd ramble on about these gentlemen and their amiable qualities. But today was different, almost like he was hiding something. He had only spoken of how Lord Ashwood, her father's closest friend and business companion whom he shared his Company with, was the one that by chance arranged the East India Company's new director's ceremony to be held here, on the island of Nassau. Kate knew her father was searching for new allies and the East India Trading Company was, of course, a great one to be working with, especially since the Company was moving its headquarters to the Caribbean. But Kate was surprised her father was the one that stayed in the background, as if his name was something that could work against him, he was being too secretive about this alliance. Even though her head was full of questions Kate held to the promise she made with herself not to interfere with these suitors before meeting them, and to her surprise, her father seemed rather content with that.

Soon they arrived. The fort was surrounded by many guards, making sure no one uninvited was to enter. Getting out of the carriage while being escorted by her father she had to block the sun from blinding her with her hand. Kate remembered the tremendous fort from when she was younger, it always made her think back to the time when she tried to sneak in when it was almost dark, just to see the sunset from of the high walls of the fort. Holding back a laugh remembering the times her father caught her.

Kate quickly removed her amused sight while almost smirking as the wife of her father's companion, Lady Ashwood watched her in surprise.

'Are you well my dear?' her always concerned tone whispered quickly but soft as she moved her hand down Kate's forehead. Lady Ashwood had always been sort of a mother to Kate, but she always seemed nervous and overanxious about everything. Kate didn't like the way she'd still behave as if she was a little girl.

'I am very well Milady, thank you for your concern' Kate spoke politely, feeling as if she had spoken that line to her already a million times. Kate discovered both her father and Lord Ashwood smiling brightly.

'You should be proud Charles, of the woman she has become. I'm sure he will admire her just as much as we all do, Lord..' just before Lord Ashwood could finish his line Lord Florence slapped his hand onto the back of Lord Ashwood's shoulder as in a friendly gesture and turned him away from their conversation. Kate noticed her father behaving rather unusual and she wondered what was going on as he was whispering with Lord Ashwood a few steps away from her place in the courtyard.

Ignoring Lady Ashwood still going on about her concerns Kate's eyes went through the courtyard of the fort. Her eyes caught an unfamiliar sight as she noticed large light blue flags waving in the wind, carrying a logo with the letters EICo. The drums started playing as a sign the ceremony was to begin. Kate noticed nerves that she had tried to hide, but they had made her stomach turn for some time now. Her curiosity arose as well and she caught herself standing on her toes to see who was about to enter the fort, the line of the naval officers was waiting. But it was hard to see and she couldn't block the sunlight from her sight. Suddenly she felt her arm being pulled and she noticed Lady Ashwood dragged her along to a less crowded place. Her large body made it impossible for Kate to keep standing and before she knew it she was placed just behind her father and Lord Ashwood proudly watching. From their place inside the inlet of the fort, the crowd down below almost looked like small ants from where they were standing.

'I've heard he's a very headstrong and determined man' Lord Ashwood spoke as he raised his thick small figure upon his toes to see. Kate felt the nerves race through her body as she heard him speak. It almost felt like she didn't want to hear anything they had to say about this man, it was not making it any better. Kate felt the heat of the sun touch her skin. Lady Ashwood quickly raised a fan, as she always seemed to carry one with her, to Kate's face. She accepted it gladly, hoping she wouldn't notice her nerves.

'Oh Katherina change of plans my dear, after the ceremony we will meet him at once' Kate watched at her father in surprise who hadn't even bothered to look over his shoulder to his daughter almost fainting now.

'But.. I thought we would meet him tonight, at the ball?' Kate stumbled over her words. She didn't want to meet him so soon. It always felt a lot less formal when being introduced to someone at a ball, she had planned it all out. But now her father once again had a change of mind.

'Katherina, don't be so stubborn' Lord Florence spoke without looking at her, staring into the courtyard of the fort without giving her a single glance.

'I've heard he is very picky with women ' Lord Ashwood was known to be very fond of rumors and gossip. Both men still staring into the courtyard didn't look back at Kate what so ever. Her chest was falling and raising and she didn't know if it was the weather that made her breath heavily or everything her ears wanted to block. She wasn't sure if she could handle this meeting so soon. Her small fan was moving hard to get some fresh air, but it was all in vain. The humidity made it impossible to catch some fresh air. Feeling her waist tighten within her corset. She was used to wearing corsets but suddenly felt ill. It might have been the heat of mid-summer but she knew it was the tension she could not handle any longer.

The drums now played a fast rhythm as the ceremony began. Kate couldn't see the figure entering the courtyard what so ever, her blurry vision was blocking her sight together with the bright sun. It was then she decided to ignore her father's wishes. Kate took the hem of her dress and as soon as Lady Ashwood was distracted by some of the noble women starting a conversation with her Kate saw her chance to get away.

Kate made her way through the halls of the fort trying to escape the burning sun. Lifting her dress as high as possible she tried to prevent herself from tripping, her heels echoed on the cobblestones. Some of the redcoats marching along watched her in question, seeing a young woman making her way through the empty halls alone while the party was inside the fort must have been a strange sight, but luckily they did not interfere.

Once reaching the back entrance Kate opened the large iron doors, she remembered from sneaking in at night, at the backside of the fort with all her strength. It was quiet and she could hear the crowd applause in the distance and music started playing again. Kate could smell the salt air of the ocean and once she reached outside of the fort completely she walked right in onto the beach. The fresh air of the ocean entered her nostrils. On her face was a permanent smirk and she felt quite rebellious. Removing her shoes and stockings without thinking of what formality was going on inside or if anyone could see her from up the fort she made way to the water. She lifted her dress again and her toes touched the cold sea. A soft sigh escaped her lips by the touch of refreshing water. This was just what she needed. Not thinking about what her father would be saying once she would return. This was her moment now.

After spending all afternoon on the beach Kate noticed the dusk setting in already. Time had flown by. She figured the ceremony would be ending by now and decided to head back to the fort. Sneaking around the brick walls of the fort like she was some sort of criminal, trying not to get caught. Holding her shoes and stocking in one hand, her bare feet on the hot cobblestones made her move quickly. In the distance, she saw their carriage and made her way to it. The servant looked surprised to see her alone but bowed his head and helped her into the carriage. Kate moved down onto the soft couch of the carriage and suddenly looked straight into the eyes of Lady Ashwood, she and her husband would accompany them to the ball. Kate smiled faintly as she quickly returned her stockings and heels. Before she could explain herself Lord Florence and Lord Ashwood entered the carriage as well.

'There you are my dear, where have you been?' Lord Florence spoke rather quickly. Kate opened her mouth once again but soon got interrupted by Lady Ashwood.

'My poor Katherina couldn't handle the sun any longer, with her pale skin. I decided to take her back for some shading' Lady Ashwood lied. Kate felt her jaw drop but quickly closed her mouth which made her teeth collapse. Kate innocently watched both her father and Lord Ashwood and shrugged her shoulders without saying a word.

'I hope you feel better now my dear' Lord Florence spoke smiling softly. It seemed that Kate managed to get away with her spontaneous adventure and she watched Lady Ashwood gratefully as she winked at her when the carriage started moving.

It didn't take long for them to arrive and once close to the mansion, on walking distance from the fort, it was clear there was a grand party going on inside. Kate felt a spark of excitement, watching from the small window of the carriage her hand had moved the fabric of the curtain aside to look at all the people dressed beautifully, making their way into the party. She was forgetting about the suitor for just a moment.

Welcomed by servants at the entrance Kate was guided by Lord Ashwood that rambled on about the history of this building for what felt like the hundredth time. The servants took her coat and hat. Lord Florence escorting Lady Ashwood inside was surrounded by some noblemen and women already. Lady Ashwood was laughing loud together with some of the wives of the other Lords whom just arrived. Kate had to admit, her father was a charming man and always knew how to get the attention of the ladies, and not only the single women. Kate had more than often remarked her father why he wouldn't remarry or at least try and meet some of the willing bachelorettes. He always managed to explain how his love for her mother had never died. His answers were sort on the matter but to Kate's amusement, he always joked about how she was enough 'women' in his life.

Kate managed to let Lord Ashwood go of her arm once he engaged himself into one of the conversations. Her eyes moved through the large hall where the music from inside was heard already. Lifting the hem of her green silken dress Kate tiptoed through the crowd. Not being tall at all she always had a hard time searching through the crowd of people.

'Katie!' shrieked an enthusiastic voice that echoed through the hallway and made a few heads turn. Kate watched a tall dark haired girl, wearing a large violet dress making her way as her long arms embraced her shorter figure.

'Emma' Kate spoke up and watched her smiling as she released her. Moving down to her heels from standing on her toes Kate met with her large white teeth and grey staring eyes.

'I'm so happy you are here. This will be an extraordinary night!' Emma spoke not being able to wipe away the grin on her face. She was one of Kate's closest friends and always brightened her day with her big smile and always cheerful personality. She was with her family, her four sisters and parents. Kate had always admired her large family and sometimes wished she had at least one sister, let alone four. Emma always said she would love to trade all of them for at least half the fortune of Kate's family. The grass is always greener on the other side, as they say.

'You look amazing. On a mission?' Emma's cheeky smile made Kate laugh.

'You know I'm not the one on a mission' Kate pointed to her father behind her in the hall further away, still surrounded by the other noblemen and women. Kate noticed her father looking for her and as Emma chuckled once again Kate signed her to enter the ballroom. Emma agreed and her voice let out a high pitched sound when she had taken Kate's wrist and pulled her through the crowd. They made their way through the grand hall, the decorations were astonishing to behold. But their jaws dropped once they entered the main ballroom. It was decorated perfectly in a tasteful way, some balls were too much and kitschy, but this time Kate liked the splendor and beauty. The atmosphere was pleasant. They made their way down the large staircase in the middle of the ballroom.

There was loud joyful music playing, as the formal part of the ball had not begun yet. Kate enjoyed this part of the evening the most, no one cared who was who and danced with anyone they could find. As a young woman, you ought to be careful as a lot of bold men would take this time of the evening to ask to court you or even worse, but Kate and Emma always laughed at this. They blamed it on the lot of wine and brandy that was already spilled in the early hours of the ball.

Emma pushed Kate towards the dancefloor gently, but Emma's over excitement sometimes got them in trouble. Kate almost lost balance and tripped forward over the skirt of her dress. Two strong arms caught her mid-air. Emma had let out a scream but laughed when Kate was standing tall again, helped by the gentleman who caught her.

'Lieutenant Greitzer?!' Emma called out his name and he made sure Kate was standing on her feet again.

'Ladies, what a pleasure to meet you here this evening' Kate smiled and recognized their friend she had not seen in a long time. He was wearing a blue and yellow marine uniform that made his tall appearance even taller.

'Care for a dance Miss Florence? Now that you already threw yourself into my arms' Lieutenant Greitzer joked and offered her his hand. Kate laughed softly and nodded. Emma soon had found herself a dancing partner as well, she never failed at that with her quick but charming tongue, they were standing in line for her. The joyful music continued and Kate had taken the hand of Lieutenant Greitzer to guide her to the dancefloor.

'I see you've made yourself quite a life?' Kate was curious about his adventures at sea, the last time she had seen him he was much younger and was being sent away by his father, to find himself a job at sea.

'I did Katherina. They have given me an opportunity that I simply could not resist' Lieutenant Greitzer spoke proudly while the corners of his mouth rose. He guided her into the beginning of the dance.

'They being who?' Kate did not recognize his uniform, it was much different from the Royal Navy ones.

'The East India Trading Company, I got promoted to Lieutenant some weeks ago' Kate recalled Emma indeed calling him Lieutenant. She bowed her head in a teasing manner.

'Well Lieutenant, it's an honor to have this dance with you' Kate smiled at her old friend after chuckling softly.

Emma moved next to them together with her dancing partner so she was close enough to start a conversation while dancing. Kate was impressed how she managed to stay close in between their movement, without accidentally crashing into each other.

'Katherina, have you seen the East India Company's new Lord yet?' Emma twirled around her partner with her hands held high, the gentleman's eyes couldn't leave Emma's happy radiation, there was a big smile on his face and Kate couldn't hold back a grin, but soon her eyes shifted to Emma when she asked.

'No I did not, we haven't been introduced yet and I'm quite alright with that' Kate spoke quickly as she watched Emma's surprised look.

'Besides these ceremonies are getting quite dull once you've attended what feels like hundreds' Kate spoke to Emma with a loud voice, trying to get above the joyful music. She got reminded of her little escape this afternoon.

'But Kate you must know who you will be meeting later. After all, he might be your future husband' Emma's face stared at her when the dance allowed them next to each other.

'My father decided that we should meet him right after the ceremony, even though he promised it would be tonight. I simply couldn't yet Emma' Kate looked at her friend with worried eyes.

'It will be alright my Katie. And besides, if you haven't met him yet, it might be love at first sight. How romantic!' Emma exaggerated with a dramatic tone in her voice, closing her eyes like she was picturing it in her mind. Kate rolled her eyes in amusement.

'I've heard he is very handsome! Oh if only I could marry a Lord' Emma threw her hand dramatically upon her forehead. The officer she was dancing with looked up at her offended and Kate had to hold herself from bursting out in laughter at his face.

'Well, you can have him' Kate spoke sarcastically at Emma daydreaming.

'He is doing a great job at running the Company so far' Lieutenant Greitzer interfered the ladies conversation and Kate had forgotten it was his boss they were speaking of.

'Well good for him' Kate spoke stubbornly at her friend. She quickly removed her annoyed face as she realized she had become emotionless and prejudice when it came to meeting new men. But she truly felt it wasn't the right way to meet someone you might spend the rest of your life with.

Kate squeezed Greitzer's arm just before releasing him after the dance had ended and they bowed to each other to end it formally.

'Come, I'm in need of the good company of a glass of fine wine. Besides, I can't feel my toes' Emma pulled Kate away from Lieutenant Greitzer and Kate's lips mumbled a thank you his way, he smiled and bowed his head when the ladies moved along, away from the dance floor.

Reaching through the crowd to the part of the ballroom where people were having conversations instead of dancing Emma paused their pursuit and pulled a servant at his sleeve, he apologized fast and moved his tray filled with glasses of wine to the ladies.

'Let's make a toast. To find ourselves some true love tonight' Emma lifted her glass to Kate's whose face was holding back a laugh and the sound of the crystal glass filled the room as suddenly the joyful music replaced itself for a slower and harmonious music. The ladies looked each other and understood it was the host of the evening who had arrived. This was the time everything formal started again and Kate's eyes suddenly noticed Lord Florence standing at the large stairs that were attached to the hall they had entered through earlier. He was obviously looking for his daughter that had run off once again. He seemed quite nervous, something Kate hadn't seen yet.

'I can't wait for the dancing to start again later this evening' Emma remarked the formal music. Her energetic mood had switched to a more calm one like the music had. Later in the night, most people would start dancing again as the business and most formal part of the evening would be over.

'I hope you will catch a dance with the Lord' Emma pushed her shoulder against Kate's gently and she let out a soft chuckle. Kate rolled her eyes, after that signing Emma that her father was looking for her and she needed to leave.

'I will see you later sweet Kate. Keep your head up. If you don't like him it will be alright. You only have to dance with him once for formality' Emma wished her luck and kissed her cheek softly, something she always did when they parted, to show her affection for her friend. Kate lifted the skirt of her dress and made her way to Lord Florence now asking around for her.

'Ah, my dear! I've been searching for you all over' Lord Florence offered her his arm. Kate smiled weakly and felt her nerves return to her stomach. It was the time she would meet the next suitor, and that made her nervous. But it also had to do something with the fact she remembered Lord Ashwood's words, how this Lord was a confident, headstrong and determined man. Kate wondered how she was going to shake him off once he liked her.

'Now, Katherina I want you to listen clearly' Lord Florence escorted her toward one of the inlets of the ballroom where the highest, richest and most powerful men were enjoying their evening. Kate saw Lord Ashwood in conversation with some of the East India Company's men. He must have been among them, but their backs towards her and the great distance made it impossible to see their faces.

'He doesn't know we, as in you and I, are present at this ball or that we will address him' Kate winded her eyes. And there it was, she had known there was something dubious going on here and her father was hiding something. This Lord didn't even know Lord Florence was present. Kate wondered if it was one of her father's rivals that he needed to make it up to only for the profit of his Company. She wanted to open her mouth and ask but as he had taken her to the side and laid his finger upon her lips before she could speak.

'Hush, let me finish. I know this is all very unusual. But this Lord does not go in on marriage proposals' Lord Florence tried to bring out his words carefully. Kate was swallowing loudly, her breathing started to quicken. She was certain now, her father was going to marry her off to one of his business enemies as some sort of peace offer. Her cheeks started to turn reddish.

'Unusual? You are trying to match this man without him even wanting to. What if you'll anger him? You'll shame me!' Kate wanted to shout but didn't want anyone to hear their discussion. She didn't understand why he wanted to embraces her so much. This man had to be insanely rich or extremely powerful for her father to push her into this, it seemed almost desperate. Kate worried he had finally gone insane from all the attempts of marrying her off.

'I have my reasons for it Katherina and it will soon all be clear to you' Lord Florence almost had to drag her towards the group of men talking as soon as he hooked his elbow into hers. Kate tried to act like she didn't get forced, determined not to look like a foolish woman, but she realized her father would probably do the job for her.

They strolled towards the backs of the men discussing business, enjoying their drinks and occasionally laughing. Even though from the outside Kate looked like the confident woman always presented herself as, on the inside she felt like a little girl being dragged along by her father. Her heartbeat was rising and she felt the air get stuck in her lungs.

Before reaching the group of men her father stopped her and signed he wanted to speak to the men first. Of course, Kate thought as she rolled her eyes. He needed to beg for forgiveness first if he indeed was his rival.

Her father stood tall and ignored his daughter almost fainting from the tension, leaving her behind for a moment. Kate grabbed her fan moving it quickly before her face to get some air and hide her heavily blushing cheeks. Her sight was becoming vague. Kate had never felt this way before and she wouldn't be surprised if she'd faint within the minute. Her legs were shaking underneath her skirt.

Her father entered the conversation. Next to him what must have been the Lord, wearing a white wig, one curl on both sides, with a slightly short figure turned his head, noticing his arrival. Lord Florence and the man were exchanging words and he moved a few steps back like he was surprised by his sudden arrival. It indeed was obvious they'd met before and the Lord didn't seem very happy with his arrival. That or he was just very surprised by her father's insane forced proposal.

Kate decided she couldn't wait any longer and wanted this torture to be over quickly. She placed her fan on the table, trying to pull it together. It took a lot to take the first steps toward the men. Her chest was rising and falling as the air got stuck in her throat. Walking towards the men she tried to do it as gracefully as possible, still trying not to faint, she refused to be embarrassed that way.

Kate almost reaching them could hear them talking. One of the voices caught her attention and seemed so familiar. Lord Florence's sight moved to Kate's direction while still talking. It was clear Lord Florence was surprised Kate ignored him asking her to wait and as Kate almost arrived right behind the Lord he quickly started introducing her. As Lord Florence had laid his eyes on his daughter, still almost fainting, the man did too. His head turned to her so she could finally see him, now standing face to face.

'Lord Cutler Beckett, my daughter, Katherina Florence. You have met before' Lord Florence spoke. Kate taking the last few steps suddenly came to a halt when hearing her father's words and she almost stopped breathing. Looking into the blue-grayish eyes she had met years ago, the only eyes she ever truly trusted, loved and missed. Even though she had pushed these feelings away a long time ago. It all came back to her within seconds. Like the nerves couldn't be worse they now rushed through her body.

'Katherina..' Cutler's face looked even more surprised than hers and he stepped into her direction but keeping an appropriate distance as he seemed in shock. He gazed into her eyes with his jaw dropped, but had closed it when speaking her name carefully, like he was afraid to break it.

'Cutler..' Kate had to push his name from her lips, she had been too heartbroken to speak it for years. She felt weak on her legs again, but this time for an entirely different reason.

Calling him by only his first name must have looked strange to the other people present in this conversation and not proper according to the right ways to introduce yourself, but Kate was forgetting about everyone and everything around them in the room. It was quiet for some time. The other noblemen looked confused about what happened but did not interfere.

Cutler didn't say a word and made the impression he wanted to reach for Kate's hands, that were placed upon the lower part of her corset, her bosom rising and falling even quicker as her lungs reached for air, her body frozen. But Cutler came out of his trans and coughed once. His face turning to the other men.

'Gentlemen, will you excuse us?' Cutler sounded strict towards the other men, but they nodded politely. Kate didn't realize what happened and it wouldn't take long before it turned black before her eyes. After he spoke Cutler suddenly presented her his arm in a comforting way without saying anything, she took it without hesitance, still in shock. He started walking, away from the gentlemen, quickly like he was in a hurry. Still, in silence, he guided her toward the gardens outside in a rather fast phase. Kate could hardly breathe and if she wasn't going to have fresh air or remove her corset soon, as she randomly asked herself whether the maid had tightened it to tightly, she'd lose consciousness. Her feet followed Cutler's quickly as he helped her outside. Some people had turned their heads to them while they made way outside. Kate heard a woman say something that sounded like 'did he finally court someone?'. But she was far to busy to not stop breathing.

At one point Cutler moved behind Kate to get them safely through the busy crowd, his hand reached for her waist and pushed her gently into the right direction as some people were too distracted to move out of their way. Kate's heartbeat was drumming in her ears.

Once reaching the large doors opened by the servants Kate, once outside, took a large breath feeling her lungs getting filled with fresh air to prevent her sight from going black. After a few seconds, Kate returned her calm breathing and realized what had happened as she watched two concerned familiar eyes that hadn't changed stare at her. Cutler had noticed she almost became unwell and, while no one else did, he made sure she was alright by taking her outside quickly. Ignoring all the formality rules to make sure she was alright. As she remembered he was putting her well being above anything else.

'Are you alright?' Cutler reached for her arm and took it softly, making her sit down on one of the stones benches alongside the rose fields. Kate didn't know if his touch was making her almost losing her conscious any better, but she was much better than a few minutes ago.

'I apologize for my hasty actions. I wanted to escort you out into the fresh air as soon as possible' Cutler's voice sounded so familiar, but was much deeper and more formal. Kate suddenly felt happy they were alone. With her calm breathing in the background her eyes traveled across his face, a face she had wondered about a thousand times if she'd ever see it again. He was wearing a beautiful uniform and a powdered white wig. Cutler wasn't a boy anymore but a grown man, still very handsome, even more than she could remember. Her heartbeat raised when her eyes finished their journey and ended at his again, staring back in silence.

[me4gumi-moved]

Radiance | Kingdom Hearts

next

[Name] sat on the beach watching the line where heaven touched earth. Her wide eyes witnessed the resounding glowing collision. Sparks lit the sky and blood poured, as the glory of paradise descended further behind the seam of the destiny islands. [Name] felt small as she glanced over her shoulder and saw her shadow slowly shrinking towards her bottom. She looked back to the line, only a few bright streaks remained to signal heaven's passing. The sun had set.

Voices called her name out in the distance.

A boy with bright ocean eyes and spiky brown hair waved at [Name] by the docks, standing next to another boy with silver hair and aquamarine eyes looking at her with his arms crossed. She stood up, dusting sand off of her legs before plodding over to them, not quite ready to turn in for the night. She had promised them, though, that they could head home after watching the sunset from beginning to end.

"Hurry up, [Nickname]. We don't have all night." The silver haired boy urged with fake annoyance.

"Oh, hush, Riku. I'm walking as fast as I can here." She grumbled.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment, "You know, you've been acting real weird lately. What's up with that?"

"Yeah," Sora piped in. "Are you okay?"

She'd been acting weird? [Name] hadn't noticed anything different with her behavior, but Sora and Riku did know her better than she knew herself a majority of the time.

"What do you mean? I thought I wasn't acting any different than I usually do."

The two boys shared eye contact for a second.

"Well," Sora started. "You've been wanting to watch the sunset everyday. Usually you want to hurry up and go to bed the second it starts to go down."

"And you've been walking all over the island back and forth non-stop" Riku added.

I shifted my weight onto my other foot in thought, "I guess I've had a feeling lately. Not necessarily a bad one but it's not exactly a good one either. I dunno. Let's just go home, guys. I'm tired."

~~~

[Name] didn't understand why she couldn't sleep. She'd fluffed her pillow to perfection, the temperature was just right, and even her favorite nightlight was on— though she'd never tell Riku and Sora about that— but no matter how hard she'd tried she couldn't get to sleep. Her eyes were wide open like the entrance to a tunnel just staring at the ceiling. Out of frustration, she flipped her duvet off her body and walked out of her room and out the front door, being careful as to not wake her parents.

She had walked down to the beach in the uncomfortable heat— despite the sun having gone down— that left a sheen of sweat on her body and sat under a grove of palm trees for a few minutes before a feeling of uneasiness crept in. It was oddly silent out. There wasn't a single cricket chirping away or owl going 'Hoo'. Something darkened in the sky and caught the [color] eyed girls attention. She looked upwards and observed the starlit sky losing its light.

What looked like black clouds were swirling in the sky and thunder boomed through the air like the prelude to a great song, impetuous rumbling permeating the air every bit as much as the sudden rain. At first it was a crack, violent to the ears, but after came a rolling sound that dissipated into the surrounding hills. Even under the foliage, rain poured down on the teenager, soaking her to the bone. Raindrops felt like rock shards against her skin, painfully beating into her flesh.

"What the hell is going on?" She muttered.

[Name] pushed herself off of the tree she was sitting against, stumbling over the loose terrain beneath her feet. She tripped over a rock jutting out of the ground and fell onto the wet sand in front of her. The mixture of rain and sweat stuck her hair to her face as she looked up at the sky seeing the ominous black clouds getting bigger and bigger through strands of wet hair. The wind picked up, howling, crying, warning, baying like a wolf into the night. A crack of lightning lit up the sky and within seconds another rolling boom of thunder reverberated overhead.

"[Name]!" A voice called out from behind her.

"Sora?" When she turned around to face the boy, she took a step forward, only to be flung back by an invisible force, darkness completely surrounding her.

The last thing she remembers after that is a warm, bright light enveloping her.

~~~

So much to do... So little time... Don't be afraid...

[Name]'s bright [color] eyes gazed at the sky in wonder. Hues of pink and orange mixed together like an oil painting peeked through dark blue clouds; reflecting onto the water beneath her feet. Choir-like singing filled her ears, a calm settling within her. She felt truly at peace wherever she was. Something in the distance caught her eye, sitting on a white platform hovering 10 feet above the water.

The door is still shut. Now step forward. Can you do it?

Slowly, the young girl walked towards it with uncertainty, her slow footsteps echoing in the watery landscape. A set of white stairs faded into existence when she got closer to the platform. She hesitantly walked up; sitting there was a beautiful blue and gold chest with fuchsia lining it in all its glory and practically begging [Name] to open it. She crouched in front of it and slowly pushed the top up, flinching when it fully opened, a bright light enveloping her vision before quickly dying out.

She opened her eyes and peered into the chest, spotting the most beautiful (although odd) weapon she'd ever seen. She picked it up and it seemed to fit almost perfectly in her hand. Gold vines with roses extended from the grip and curled around the periwinkle guard that faded into lilac as it reached the blue tinted blade.  The weapon had wings at the hilt, spread out as if they were about to take flight and the blade itself seemed to resemble two blades intertwining that fused at the point.

"What kind of weapon is this?" She wondered, standing up from her crouched position. A single word seemed to echo in the air.

Keyblade.

The teenager hummed, "A keyblade? I guess it does look like a key in some weird way."

Are you ready to learn of your true self?

"My true self? Who am I besides who I am now?"

Another bright light followed by a series of feelings and flashes of memories that couldn't possibly be her own.

She felt curiosity, loss, happiness, loneliness, friendship, grief, courage, fear, betrayal, pain, coldness, warmth, familiarity, confusion, and a sadness so strong she couldn't stop the tears streaming from her eyes. She saw darkness, light, animal masks, keyblades, horrifying creatures, anthropomorphic animals, forests, mines, castles, deserts, princesses, princes, fountains, waterways, friendly faces, silver hair and blue eyes, black hair and gold eyes, a battlefield, a heart shaped moon, and one last bright light.

When it was over, [Name] found herself in a grassy meadow dotted by petite dandelions. Their fluffy spheres dispersing themselves in the wind. A purple and cream colored clock tower sat off in the distance, surrounded by houses and buildings with the same color scheme. The sky's a deep blue, fading into a stunning orange and a few stars sat up high in the sky with the occasional purple-pink cloud bouncing across the heavens.

[Name] was wistfully staring at the sky when she heard a voice behind her.

"So, what brings you up here this fine morning, [Name]?"

The girl turned around and grinned, "———-! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working with the other —————-?"

"What? Are you not happy to see me? And I thought we were friends." They sat down beside her.

She playfully slapped their shoulder, "Of course we're friends and I'm always excited to see you— even more now that we don't get to see each other as often."

"Relax, I'm kidding. To make up for not being able to hang out as much, I brought some ice cream!" They handed [Name] a sea-salt ice cream.

They munched peacefully on the sweet— yet salty — treats before the [color] haired girl spoke up.

"Do you think we'll always be like this?" They hummed, "Well, I doubt we can be like this forever. But isn't that what growing up is all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other, right?"

"'Guess it's a good thing the first thing I think about when I get out of bed is 'Hm I wonder if ———- is still sleeping like the lazy bum they are or if they even went to sleep to begin with?'" [Name] giggled.

"First thing I think is 'I wonder if that boneheaded little girl is out there slacking off at the beach when she should be working?'" They lightly shoved her shoulder.

They went back into a peaceful silence as they finished off their ice cream.

"Hate to leave now but this 'boneheaded little girl' has work to do." The girl stood up and brushed off any grass on her clothes.

"Yeah, yeah, this 'lazy bum' is getting bored of you anyways." They waved her off with feigned annoyance.

[Name] laughed, "I'll see you later, ———-. If you've got time, how about we meet up at the fountain later?"

"I think I can clear up my schedule just a bit for you... only a bit, though." They grinned.

[Name] gave them one last smile before summoning their keyblade and running off.

We may never meet again, and you may not remember me, but I could never forget you, [Name].

next

[lightswcrn]

😴😨 BOTH AGAIN BECAUSE >:3 for Riley obvi (xsprxsso)

DREAM/NIGHTMARE MEME

send me 😴 to see how your muse appears in my muse’s GOOD DREAMS

tried to steer is heart, he did. the sea is crystalline, not a shore in sight. it stretched for miles and miles. he was not even paying attention to all of the eyes, staring down at him and judging him...he could only see ahead. he wanted to find it. whatever it was only he k n e w and he wanted to destroy it, the thing that took it from him, he searched island to island for it and wanted to s c r e a m for it, take it back take take take it back.

he was enormous. he was marvelous. fear him. he'll whip his hair into the ocean and instantly kill whatever tried to drag him through. fear him. he'll make himself the god who has forsaken you. the fog was thick and the light was dim. it resembled smoke, twisting and turning in the wind. it could have been anything. it was all one.

pink pink. eyes. the eyes were red. round. sweet. her smile. she stood there like a shard in his mind. take her hand. she was still here.

the sun was hot on his back, skin of coal. the blue sky was cloudless...the entire world seemed oblivious to the approaching storm.

and yet...

before he knew it, he fell through. he fell through and he couldn't stop it could N E V E R NEVER STOP IT - he could be pierced, could have bled - but he found himself slipping through all the cracks, slipping through all the splinters and holding back a scream as he feels the icy cold water slap against his b a c k -

blood spilt. his throat is dry. he feels himself being pulled back. red eyes. round. they blink. curious. she watches. closely.

it's not until he feels himself sinking, that he let loose that s c r e a m.

it's dark. fear it because it's going to e a t you alive again. fear it - because you could never escape the jaws of death. f e a r i t y o u ' r e n e v e r g o i n g h o m e.

and yet - there was a voice.

oh aether, her voice. it sounded so close, yet so distant at the same time. he could f e e l it.

be still, deep in the ocean.

it's a gentle breeze.

it's a gale.

he was surrounded by pure and dazzling colors that he had never seen before. the fish swam around him, bright silvery fish with emerald scales. his eyes slip open and before him was another form, another b o d y that fell further into the depths along with him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close so close t o o close.

he could feel her whisper. hear her whisper.

...

"arthuuuur.....it will be all right. it's all right. i'm here."

...

soothing - shaky tone, only trying to c a l m, only trying to pull him in and keep him safe, warm - even as the spears and daggers were piercing her own back and he knew because they stuck out like light against shadow. it filled the water and there was no red - just white , everything b u r n e d - staring above only meant staring at the sun and he couldn't go b a c k, no, that was where she belonged.....

from hot black coal of skin - to crystalline - he took the shape of these oceans - engulfed - engorged.

fear him. he was s c a r e d. he wanted to be feared.

she wasn't.

he saw her face. how her bubble gum pink hair surrounded her face, the beautiful shade of her skin g l o w i n g against the sunlight, carmine eyes filled with love, filled with so much care - how it makes his chest feels hot and his eyes blur, before the pink tears spill and his skin returned to it's pale state , g l o w i n g.

"arthuuuur....i'm still here. i'm still here."

lips slightly parted - he barely noticed he was on shore. hot sand against his back. body still, hair wet against the surface, and he b r e a t h e s.

and she laid next to him to sing him to sleep.

and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her as if she was the only thing left in this world.

he opens his eyes.

he was still in bed, arms tight around the empty, cold sheets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

send me 😨 to see how your muse appears in my muse’s NIGHTMARES

too long.

t o o l o n g.

"Can't really die on you, can I? You'd lecture my ghost till the end of time if I did."

her breaths are heavy. wet. r a g g e d.

he searched for her symphony, indescribable. his feet hurt, b u r n from running, eyes too many eyes they were all watching waiting w a t c h i n g watching h e r wherever s h e w a s - the hall was too long. there was no way out. fear it. fear the long trail. love her. she's sweet. take her back. she could be safer. his eyes are too wide. he couldn't feel them. his mouth is too wide open. is his jaw broken?

WHERE IS SHE?!

too m u c h please please TOO MUCH.

they laid together - one night. she was warm around him. her laughter was like the sun. her joy was the rainbows. her sarcasm welcoming - she stayed close to him , lips locked, lips opened - she could sing into him - remove those terrors. but he wanted her to be safe. she deserved so much. he could remove the thorns and spears from her body and hold her and keep her away from it all and he could not h e a r a thing could not H E A R a T H I N G -

bones s n a p like wood. the sound of blood against walls like water. there was no song. it's hoarse, guttural - somewhere in her chest that he didn't even k n o w she could r e a c h.

a single note.

this monster was disgusting and he could not stop it , too slow too slow. he tried running - he tried to stop it he tried so hard but it was big and the claws were like razors and the teeth too l a r g e -

the door breaks easily. he stares and his eyes are so wide they start b l e e d i n g - he could feel the wetness all over him and the stench of flesh, the scent of hot metal and the sounds of hair ripped from the r o o t s -

he wanted to g e t c l o s e

STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER.

. . .

he stares down. with many of his eyes.

it stained his c l a w s h a n d s.

r o b e s.

as red as her eyes, deep and cold.

hues dulled - lips apart -

no song came out.

it got to her first.

you. got to her first.

y o u d i d t h i s.

you wanted to try so hard to protect her but in the end it was you - it was YOU IT WAS YOU-

he's s h a k i n g. irises small. he stares down as the pink and black tears spill from his eyes too thick too t h i c k - hard to s e e -

under him was she, mangled like a doll - how her body was contorted , and he could barely hold back the sheer horrible disgusting awful s c r e a m that rips through his throat and how he was too late and it go to her and HE WAS TOO LATE TOO L A T E -

her eyes were almost behind the sockets and blood poured from her mouth like a waterfall - her complexion s o p a l e -

"D'you think if I die we can be ghost buddies...? You can show me how to go through walls 'n I can go with you on missions or somethin'. Do something useful."

he wakes up screaming.

.................

i beg you.

stay away.

i will only be the death of you.