#i love seeing luffy through others peoples eyes because this story is mostly about ace and seeing luffy as a secondary character is so....

[hauntingblue]

I think this flashback episode is very cruel to show us luffy as a child suffering because of the same thing current luffy is going thru. Enough

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Skypiea

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

the bar scene in jaya is one i didn’t really get the first time i read it- like nami, i mostly found luffy and zoro’s refusal to fight back frustrating more than anything else. i didn’t realize the connection to shanks in the prologue until someone else pointed it out awhile later, but when i did, it made me appreciate the entire sequence and luffy’s choices a lot more. 

honestly, i know this is one of the pages that gets the most attention from jaya, and it absolutely deserves it. blackbeard here is effectively dropping one of the biggest main themes of the series- people’s dreams don’t end!!- and how interesting that we get that delivered by the antagonist to the protagonist, instead of the other way around? how often do you see a series do that? 

and the line hits. look at the emphasis. there’s absolutely nothing on these two pages except for the three strawhats, blackbeard, and blackbeard’s line, bigger than anything else. 

chapter 232, with luffy punching out bellamy in one hit is still, to this day, probably my favorite one piece chapter. it opens with the drunk pirate seeing the newspaper with luffy’s hundred million bounty and realizing just who bellamy was kicking around, and it hits on one of my favorite plot threads of one piece- the growing infamy of the strawhats and luffy in particular, and their rise in the world. 

the atmosphere of the whole scene is so good, the tension in their air, the way all the bar patrons jump when luffy yells for bellamy to come out- and when the hit comes, the satisfaction is visceral. 

i’ve talked about it before, but god, i LOVE the way one piece defines “romance”- the arthurian kind of romance, the adventurous kind, that romanticizes the world and its wonders- romance dawn. in an arc as thematically heavy as jaya, it makes sense that it, too, is explicitly brought up. can you think of a more romantic, impossible adventure than traveling to the sky?

nami’s confidence when faced with the task of navigating into the sky is so fantastic. 

the expressions, and the art in general, in skypiea, are really so lovely. look at the variety between the strawhats when they first emerge from the white-white sea to lay eyes on angel island. look how expressive they all are!! i have such a soft place in my heart for the art in these earlier arcs, honestly.

somewhat related to the above: there are so many little moments in skypiea where the strawhats just get to have FUN, and be stupid, and get fleshed out more as characters, and honestly it’s such a delight. also, everyone’s skypiea outfits were just really really good. cowboy hat robin... i miss u every day 

i really like the whole scene where robin is exploring the ruins, and these panels in particular have such a lovely sort of ethereal look to them. i love seeing robin doing archeology, i think for the same reason i love to see sanji cooking- the strawhats are all such cool and passionate people, and it’s really really nice to see them doing and talking about the things they love and excel at most. 

i’m sure i’ve said it before but i LOVE how logia powers are depicted, especially when used to avoid an attack. it’s so cool. ace’s cover story runs through most of this arc, and we get some great examples of it there as well. 

1. wife 

2. skypiea is SUCH a good character-building arc for robin- which is good, because the next saga is almost entirely predicated on how much both the audience and the strawhats care about her. it’s here where we learn about her passion for archeology, her reverence for history, and get a much better look at the softer sides of her personality and her fast-growing admiration and affection for the strawhats. 

man, enel has so many huge, terrifyingly powerful shows of force throughout this arc, but this right here, this little sequence where he appears behind raki between panels without warning and we see him reflected in her eye, communicates better than absolutely anything else just why he’s a nightmare.

“jonny you sure are posting a lot of panels of zoro being cool without any real commentary” yeah. he kicks ass in this arc 

conis is a very underrated character, i think. she’s pretty easy to overlook, but she also manages to completely break the indoctrination she’s been raised into and gambles her own life to save most of the population of angel island from complete extermination. she yells that she doesn’t recognize enel as god, an instant death sentence at any other time, just to get them to listen to her. 

there’s a moment, in this scene, where a boy throws a rock at her for insulting enel, and she just stands there, and lets the blood trickle down her face, and keeps making her case. honestly, i really like her.

look at this page. look how it’s framed. luffy in the foreground, taking up most of the page- enel in the background, tiny, inconsequential. 

now that’s how you draw god’s natural enemy. 

this is one of my favorite nami character moments in the whole manga. nami is a greedy person. she has a lot of things she wants. it’s one of her defining traits. 

but when faced with someone with godlike power, offering her absolutely anything she wants if she’ll just abandon her friends and come with him- she doesn’t want anything, for that price, even with her life on the line if she declines. she knows exactly what her treasure is. 

obviously this is an awesome panel, but sanji’s little smile just before enel strikes him is what really, really makes it for me. he’s about to get slammed with several thousand volts of lightning, but more importantly, nami and usopp are going to be safe. 

the skypiea flashback is one of my very favorites, and also the first time one piece ever made me cry. i nearly cried just flipping through it again for this post. it’s just so fucking devastating.

noland never stopped looking, and calgara never stopped waiting, and neither of them ever lost faith in each other despite how badly they fell out at the end, and wow, that just kills me. but at the same time, it makes the way the flashback and the main story come together at the end so satisfying and cathartic.

i do think skypiea has one of the best climaxes of any arc. the way all the disparate elements and plot threads- enel, the story of noland and calgara, the war between the skypieans and shandians, cricket’s search down on jaya- come together and tie up so perfectly that the entire arc can be ended by the ringing of a single massive bell is nothing less than genius writing. 

i really love the establishment of roger’s poneglyph message and all the things it implies here. it raises so many questions, most of which we’ve only now gotten answered, in wano. oda’s capacity for long-term storytelling is one of his greatest strengths, and this is probably one of my favorite examples of it. (see also, in jaya when sanji mentions offhand that he was born in north blue.)

i just really love seeing them all smiling, and i love the parallels to calgara and noland’s sendoff here. feels like a wound finally healing, after four hundred years. 

and, of course, it ends with cricket, asking what crazy, romantic dream they’re going to chase down next. because this is one piece!! just because you find the end of one rainbow doesn’t mean you stop looking for the next one. 

[yukipri]

On Koala and Fishman Karate - a One Piece Mermaid AU Story

Not an ask response, but here with another story which was posted last month on Patreon!

I never actually intended on writing this, because this was originally supposed to just be exposition leading up to Marco's Bauble 2, and kinda explaining why Luffy's being tutored in Fishman Karate. But, it ended up being too long and going off on WAY too many unrelated tangents, so I chopped it off and made it its own thing ^ ^;

Mostly introspective, with Koala x Luffy, mention of Sabo x Luffy, and some thoughts on Nami from Koala's perspective as well.

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~~

Koala gently nudges Luffy's hand a little higher, and the mermaid makes a tiny whine of frustration as she sways on her tail, trying her best to maintain the posture she's been taught. Luffy glares at her own fist with such adorable determined ferocity that Koala doesn't have the heart to tell her that she doesn't need to try so hard, and that if anything, staying relaxed is the point.

Koala's been trying to teach Luffy Fishman Karate during the few lulls between their adventures. She knows that the disciplined martial art is probably not Luffy's style, but Fishman Karate focusses fishmen and merfolks' innate sensitivity to water. It's honed for combat in this case, but it can be applied to daily life as well, which is why fishman karate is a regular part of grade school curriculum on Fishman Isand. When one lives surrounded entirely by water, ten thousand meters below sea level, it's remarkably beneficial to be in tune with it.

Even if Luffy never fully masters it, Koala's sure she can gain something of value to apply to her regular fighting style, and even if not, it's part of her heritage. It's why Koala had insisted on teaching her, and Sabo had grudgingly agreed (Koala knows the grudging part mostly comes from Sabo still being petty about being terrible at it himself. Which, shouldn't come as a surprise since fishmen arts are difficult for non fishmen and merfolk, but it gives Koala something to rub in his face, which is always wonderful).

It's nice, Koala thinks as she sings praises in Luffy's ear while fixing her posture once again. It's nice because even though Koala'll do any assignment thrown her way, and will do anything to further her primary goal of achieving justice for fishmen and merfolk, being an assistant Fishman Karate instructor is her actual formal position in the Revolutionary Army. It's so easy to forget, with the number of missions she's been on with her acting support for Sabo and others, and the increasing amount of time she spends away from Baltigo and her students. But suddenly, she's given an unexpected opportunity to actually practice and share her passion, and to someone who could really benefit from it too. It would be an utter waste for Luffy to not learn from Koala while they travel together.

(Even if it means Sabo sulks and stews with pathetically transparent jealousy over losing sibling bonding time. He can deal. He'll have plenty of time later.)

And well, Luffy's honestly a joy as a student too. Even if explanations mostly go over her head, she's got amazing physical intuition and picks things up fast. And she's so dedicated, staring at Koala with wide eyes like she holds the secrets to the universe when Koala shows her something new, always blurting out her awe exactly as she feels it and--it's endearing.

Luffy, everything about her, is honestly endearing.

The fishman karate tutoring sessions are honestly the only times Koala can have alone with the mermaid (or as alone as one can be, on the deck of a small vessel like Merry), especially without Mr. Nosy Possessive Big Bro butting in between them. So yes, maybe Koala enjoys spending time with Luffy for reasons other than just getting to do karate together, but she'll confess that to Sabo over her own dead body.

Not that Koala thinks it really matters; Sabo's already giving her the Suspicious Stink Eye (though to be fair, he gives that to everyone other than Ace). And yeah, in hindsight she honestly should have expected his suspicion, given how well her partner knows knows her dating history.

I'm warning you, Koala, Sabo'd grouched when they were alone, dropping his Cool Big Bro act to reveal the Shitty Little Dumpster Brat that Koala knows and grew up with. Don't even think about it with Luffy. Even if she's infinitely cuter than what were their names...Marinara and Cartwheels.

Their names were Marina and Kara. And I don't date every mermaid I meet!

Koala's honestly offended, but decides to let it go; Sabo's overwhelmed by his sudden wave of previously repressed Brotherly Love, and he's still not entirely rational (not that rational's a particularly good word to apply to him at any time). And she doesn't have a thing for fishgals and mermaids, she swears. She just happens to spend a disproportionate amount of time working with them, given her specific focus in the Revolutionary Army. It just makes sense.

Or fine, maybe she has a slight thing for them. And, well, maybe Luffy's her type. Just a little bit. On top of being, well, a super cute pupil. But Koala's not going to do anything, other than enjoy spending time together! Is she not allowed even that?

But, the point is, Sabo's being ridiculous! Koala's been his partner for years! Doesn't he trust Koala enough to know that she'd treasure Luffy, in the very hypothetical situation they ever dated?

(Koala knows the answer to that, knew it the moment she saw Sabo's expression melt as he cupped Luffy's face, and sighs. She never imagined she'd be love rivals against Sabo of all people, but well, shit happens.)

Anyway, Fishman Karate times are Koala's times with Luffy, and if Sabo comes poking his snooty little nose into their sessions, well, Koala's happy to volunteer him as a punching bag. Which he knows, hence why he's not here.

In fact, the deck is mostly empty, the other members of their limited crew occupying themselves elsewhere. Their sole observer is the navigator, sitting by the rail and marking up some maps, seemingly not paying attention.

But Koala knows that Nami's very much attuned to their lesson, her head jerking every time a particularly hard smack lands.

Koala doesn't blame her. She's aware of what Arlong did, had had to swallow bile when she accessed the full report when it came through, days before their fateful meeting with Luffy and the ASL pirates. She knows what Nami must think of fishmen, and to know that her impression came from former Sun Pirates leaves Koala feeling a special kind of numb.

Because that isn't what they're like at all, she wants to say. The Sun Pirates, to Koala, are a gleaming example of why fishmen deserve better, and are victims of human prejudice and ignorance. It's terrible that they mean the opposite to Nami. But given her experiences, Koala knows she has no right to preach at her. If anything, she just feels sad, and bitter, knowing that the cycle of hatred can come back to hurt those so very far away from where it started.

Koala guides Luffy's arms into position again, and despite Luffy struggling to remember everything mentally, the young mermaid's body easily accepts the form. It's an art designed for her kind after all, unlike the marine martial arts that Sabo said their grandfather had beaten into them. Koala's sure Luffy struggled with those, unable to fully copy moves that require certain feet positions, and an assumption of a more human perception of the world. But this, Fishman Karate, was made for her.

Nami twitches again, and Koala makes a note of it. She knows Nami has likely seen the form before; there were several martial artists in Arlong's group.

She knows it's difficult to watch, but admires Nami's stubborn determination in doing so. Koala's sure that part of Nami's reason for watching is to make sure Koala doesn't teach anything unsavory to Luffy, and she respects that wariness, because they haven't known each other long enough for Nami to open up to Koala and her history of friendship with fishmen.

But, and it's only a guess, but Koala thinks Nami also watches to try to learn and accept this part of her captain as well. Koala might not be important, but Luffy is the captain Nami's pledged to follow, for all that Ace is also her captain. And whether she likes it or not, Luffy's a mermaid, which, while not the exact same as fishmen, has plenty of things in common.

Now that she's no longer isolated on an island in East Blue, heading closer to Fishman Island which they'll inevitably have to cross in order to enter the New World, Luffy's learning more about herself. Specifically, the mer part of herself. And she'd be doing that, regardless of whether Koala's there to help her along.

Koala thinks it wise that Nami's forcing herself to learn alongside Luffy, so that there are no surprises, and that one day, she doesn't wake up and realize that her captain shares far too much with her tormentors for her to handle. Koala hopes that Nami's love and acceptance for Luffy will plant a seed of hope that eventually helps her accept other fishmen and merfolk, to see that they're not all Arlong--but Koala can wait.

~~

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Thanks so much for reading if you got through this~! <3 As always any comments/thoughts are super appreciated!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

[onepdumpsterfire]

Disclaimer: These stories are based ‘loosely’ on the game Obey me shall we date. The major stuff will be the same, but here and there the story will be changed or embellished. It is just an AU and I do not own the game the characters, from both One Piece or Obey Me, nor do I own One Piece in general. It would be cool though…

Warning: The characters will mostly be ooc and for the most part will not have the same background as in the anime/manga. The reader’s age will be above consent; the exact number is up to you.

Seven Heavenly Virtues

Devildom!AU

(pt9/?)

Various Characters X Reader

The boys were homesick. Three days away and more than a hundred human lifetimes in the house of lamentation goes down the drain. They all moaned their loss as soon as they walked in through the door. Imploring the unknown future to let them rest in their safe haven. 

Gathering in the kitchen, the first thing they did was prepare a nice lunch, having left before they could eat anything. Inviting you to join in with them, you all laughed and played in the newly finished kitchen that none of you have yet to test out. Reminiscing on your stay in the palace. Poking fun at the small fights and the constant visits to the underground labyrinth. Law sniveled over his lost pet while Sanji proudly pronounced the new pact he’d made.

All throughout the meal, the chatter continued. Even as it ended and the table was cleared, the conversation didn’t end. It just moved on to the living room, all sitting around each other to better listen. The stories didn’t stop at the retreat. Bringing up past stories, and mementos that they’ve all kept. Your shenanigans with the siblings being a popular topic of conversation. Sabo leading the cheerful atmosphere to a more subdued one. 

“Y/n, you’ve already made pacts with four of my brothers, what’s your end goal?” He didn’t beat around the bush. He needed to know the truth and so did his brothers. All of them deserved to know.

“A-ah well you see…” There was a pressure in the room that was palpable, different from when the demon brothers showed their true forms. It wasn’t suffocating, so to say, but it was dizzying having to think of a lie. You were doing this for Zoro, so he could make up with Sabo. At first, when you first told him you’d do it, it was because you pitied him. He seemed so desolate. Then you got closer to the brothers. There was this undeniably human urge to help them. You wanted to make their family whole like it was before the war. Before the protest. Before the heartbreak of losing someone they loved. It was a human cliche to want to fix a broken person, but this was more than one single person. It was a whole family being held together by lies and deceit. They were grief-stricken. Grasping at whatever they could so that their last remaining strands of normalcy stayed. It wasn’t a lie you wanted to help them all. It wasn’t just for Zoro anymore. So you told the truth, for the first time. Albeit, leaving out a few details.

“I’ve seen how well you all seem to get along… but there’s this underlying… how should I put this…” You put a balled hand up to your chin, thinking of a way to say this without being rude. “I don’t mean to step out of line…. But you all seem sad. There are times where you all seclude yourselves and I don’t know.” You ran your hand through your hair. Looking anywhere but them, you distracted yourself from the embarrassing statement. “Maybe it’s because I’m human, but I want to see you all get along.” The brothers were confused, they thought they had been getting along. Sure they had their sad days, but who didn’t? “I know that you guys have your times when you do, but there are other times when you all can barely hang out together?” you knew how this was sounding. You didn’t mean it like that! Waving your hands in front of you, you tried to fix your mistake. “I-i mean there’s just a coldness in the room… I uh….” Blood rushed to your face, you were making a fool of yourself. You should just wrap it up. “I just wanna see you guys hang out comfortably all the time because even if you don’t I see you all as friends!” Your face was hot, and your hands shook. It was embarrassing to admit this, but you needed to say something. “Oh Y/n, I love how much you care for us!” Sanji swooned over to you, taking your hand in his, he leaned in close. Dropping his voice lower, he murmured in your ear, “and It’s so cute how flustered you got.”

Law and Luffy thanked you for looking out for their family while Kid fought with Sanji. He wanted him to let go of you, but the other didn’t relent. You all lost yourselves in your own little bubble; maybe if you had paid more attention you would have noticed the suspicious look Sabo sent you. He was skeptical of your intentions. He believed you wanted to help. He just didn’t think that what you said was the whole truth. Ace noticed it too. He might be tempestuous and distant, but he was also smart. He too knew you were hiding something. And he knew how much it irked Sabo to not know the full truth. Ace liked to irritate Sabo, and if you were hell-bent on getting them to grow closer. The answer was one in the same. Out of the spite he had, he’d make an offer. One you couldn’t refuse. 

“Y/n.” You pulled away from Kid and Sanji who were still grumbling about not letting the other lay a hand on you. “Yeah?” 

“You’ll need my pact too, right? I’m willing.” He seemed smug. He knew how mad Sabo would get if he offered himself without a thought. They argued back and forth, about how he wasn’t doing this because he wanted to make a pact. Ace was doing it because he liked to rile him up. Back and forth they went. It was close to physical at some point, but the others separated them. Telling them to go to their rooms to cool off.

There it was again. A constricting force in the room. Ace and Sabo fought all the time, usually it was yelling. If it leads to anything more physical one of the brothers would tell them to go to their corners. It made you wonder what could have happened to turn their relationship so sour. Right now wasn’t a good time, you’ll wait for later that night and ask one of the brothers you had a pact with. Kid or Law, they were the most likely to give out information. 

After everyone left for their rooms for the night you felt it safe to poke at the conflict the two brothers seemed to share. You texted the group chat you had with Kid and Law, asking if they could provide some answers or if it would be best to speak to Ace in person. They both spammed you with messages saying that you shouldn’t bring it up to him, ESPECIALLY not in person. Law offered to fill you in on what happened at the cost that you come over. It was a small risk, but a risk nonetheless. Sabo didn’t like you wandering around late at night. Though you wanted to know the truth more than you feared the reprimand you would get if you were caught. So you went over with Kid tagging along. Obviously he would, for ‘help with the storytelling,’ as he put it.

Law’s room hadn’t changed since the last time you were here. Papers were still strewn around on his desk; comic books and books alike were still piled high on the coffee table, the floor, his bed, any surface really. His beloved series is still center stage in this whole mess. It was probably the only thing that looked like it wasn’t in disarray, Law included. He had dark bags under his eyes and seemed to only change between the same three outfits. Always adorning it with his beloved long coat. 

“Can’t believe you live in this mess.” It looks like Sabo wasn’t the only one scolding Law for the state of his room. Kid pushed books off of Law’s bed to make way for himself, all the while continuing to grumble about the mess. “At least it’s not a scrap pile like yours.” Angrily, Law collected the books from the floor and stacked them in a pile by the bed. “I have them organized! And I use them, unlike you who reads the book once and never picks it up again.” Kid grabbed a book of the pile next to him, “I mean, come on. Med books? Who’d read these in the first place!” Kid tossed it back onto the floor. “I read them! And study them! If you’ve forgotten I’m a licensed surgeon.”

“Surgeon my ass. The only reason that you’re allowed to do any of your sadistic testings on people is that the people at the hospitals are too afraid to tell you to fuck off!” sparks were flying between the both of them, you needed to end this now. “Will you both stop! Two brothers fighting in one night is enough!” Law turns to you, still simmering in the heat of the moment, “Is that an order, master? Gonna keep telling us what to do?” How could he think that! You would never abuse your power over them. “No, it’s not. But the fighting is getting us nowhere.” The tension in the room is thick, both of them not wanting to let the other have the last word. It soon dissipated as Law decided it was time to get the point of this meeting. “Well… about why Ace hates Sabo. He doesn’t really hate him per se.” Law kept his eye on Kid, who continued to move his things around. “How should I put this… the more alike two people are the more they hate each other?” Kid scoffed, “why don’t you start from the beginning. You’re just gonna confuse her.”

Law crossed his arms, “if you’re so great at telling stories, why don’t you?” Still fighting, really? “Fine, I will. Sit down pee-squeak, I’ll try to make it short.” he patted the spot next to him. Making himself right at home, isn’t he. “You know what we are, right? The seven deadly sins,” He answers his own question, classy. “We only became that after we started to revolt against our father, god”

“Before we became that we were the seven heavenly virtues. Chastity, abstinence, liberality, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility.” Law noticed Kid settling down, deciding that he wasn’t gonna move anymore of his stuff, he sat at his desk. “Ace was the first of us to fully change,” Law continued the story from his new spot, “the civil war in Heaven fueled his anger. It was like a punishment from falling from Heaven. Straying from the path of righteousness,” 

“Ace was all rage and frustration when we first got here.”Kid breathed out heavily from beside you. He remembered the bout of anger his brother had. It wasn’t easy to see one’s own family be consumed by such an emotion. There was the hate for the war and towards his brothers. Hate towards himself. Ace couldn’t help it, he was just so angry all the time now. They all had to go through that with him. “We had to keep reassuring him. Teaching him how to cope.” Law rubbed at his face, insomnia finally letting his shoulder droop in tiredness. “Sabo doted on him. He felt guilty for making us fall out of grace.”

“But it wasn’t his fault,” Kid interjected, “we CHOSE to follow. We saw how corrupted it was getting in Heaven too.” you’ve heard from Luffy that it was, but just what was it that made Heaven corrupted? “If you don’t mind me asking, how was it corrupted?”

“That’s a whole other story, sweetheart.” Law said, “short version, there was gonna be a war between Heaven and Hell. Demons were amassing an army, but it’s so hard to be good these days.” Law’s eyes widen as he raises his hands, feigning shock. “Heaven didn’t have many soldiers so they had to get some.”

“A war between Heaven and Hell?”

“Yes, that was with the old king, but rules around here are different. If you can defeat the king you get to rule.” That’s why Shanks is in office right now… erm palace. That also explains why after all this time and fighting, Hell wanted the three realms to get along.

“Ahem,” Kid clears his throat, “back to the story, Sabo doted on Ace. They got close for a while, but soon after we found out Sabo swore his loyalty to Shanks.” Law followed him up, “It wasn’t just that he swore his loyalty to brand new king. It was that he tried to hide it.” That must have made Ace feel betrayed. His loyalty to his father was terminated in such a disastrous way. He wouldn’t have wanted to pledge his loyalty so soon, nor would he have wanted his brothers too. After Ace and Sabo had gotten close, to have the newfound avatar of pride throw his dignity away and swear his loyalty. It must have been a hard blow. One that must have broken Ace’s trust even more. Cracking their bond as brothers. Sabo didn’t just put his pride away for this, he put doubt in the strength the brothers held. This thought must have festered until Ace just found himself hating Sabo.

*Author’s note: I changed how wrath got was birthed or whatever to this to go into more depth. (In truth I forgot about the circumstances of his birth so I decided to just roll with this.) (Later I did find out but decided to keep it this way.) Also, I changed the scene to only envy and avarice because too many characters in one scene make me stressed out.😓*

[wordsdrippinginink]

You had a soulmate au before, where whatever your soulmate most loved was tattooed on your skin. And like Luffy had a ferris wheel lami had loved to represent laws love for his little sister. In that you really heavily implied that whitebeards mark was on aces back, so maybe like. the reveal of that. where ace agrees to join the crew and reveals his tattoo and everyone finds out that. he had the jolly roger the whole time. //thank you for your writing! i think it's really lovely.

“What do you think is on your soulmate?” Ace asks, collapsed between two barrels to avoid Thatch and Haruta’s attempts to hand off their shitty warm beer. They both knew Ace always finished almost anything handed to him, even if he didn’t like it. “I mean, since what you love if printed on them?”

Marco hums, low and quiet, “I think that they must have something for my siblings. What about you?”

“My brother,” Ace mutters into his mug, glancing at Marco. “It’s probably something shitty for him too.”

“Shitty?”

Ace nods, “Two things that you learn quickly about my brother, he loves his hat and he loves meat. I figure that it’s one or both of them. And his hat is this old as fuck straw nonsense with a red ribbon.”

“That doesn’t sound shitty. Simple, perhaps, but there’s nothing wrong with simple,” Marco leans back against the railing. “Something for Pops. I would like to think that legends about the size of the mark meant something, but it’s all false.”

“Gramps said the bigger the mark, the more that person loved what it represented.”

Marco shakes his head, “Izou,” he gestures with his drink to where Izou is playing cards, and fleecing a number of the crew. “Has a mark, it’s on the side of his knee, it’s one of the things that Thatch loves most.”

“I think that one of mine is both.”

“Both?” Marco asks slowly.

Ace hums, spinning his drink in his hands, “I think they love something very much and it, it takes up the most space of any of my marks,” he sighs. “Honestly all of my marks are in the most inconvenient places, Gramps always said we were suppose to hide them.”

“Hide them,” Marco says slowly. “How are you suppose to find them if you keep them hidden?”

Ace doesn’t answer, finishing his drink and standing, “I think I need another drink.Would you like one too?”

“Please.”

Marco watches him slip through the crowd, careful to keep from being pulled into arguments or the dancing that’s taken over a good portion of the deck. Most people want their soulmates, the person that would match them best, be important to them in some way-

“Do you want to meet your soulmate?” Ace asks interrupting his thoughts, back faster. “Sorry, I took the long way around, turned out it was even faster.”

“Thank you,” Marco says slowly, taking his drink. “I would like to meet them, when I was younger, before I started to get marks, I was sad that I didn’t get a best friend.”

Ace chokes, covering his mouth quickly, “Best friend?”

“I thought soulmates were best friends,” Marco says easily. “I mean, they sound like them. Wasn’t until two decades back that I got one.”

“Best friend?”

Marco shakes his head, “You’re still stuck on that? I would hear stories about soulmates, always important, from best friends, to lovers, to worst enemies. They can be anything, but I wanted a friend.”

“Most people talk about soulmates like you’re going to marry them.”

“Marrying your best friend isn’t an issue, but forcing someone to think that’s all you want from them? A friend is a start, but it doesn’t have to ever be romantic. What about you, did you not want to meet your soulmate?”

“I didn’t think I deserved one,” Ace says quietly, before standing up. “I’m going to bed.”

“Good night,” Marco says slowly, watching him leave. “Now why would he think that?”

“This is my bed,” Deuce states tiredly, ignoring Kotatsu, because Kotatsu did as he pleased and stole beds whenever they looked comfy. “You have a perfectly good bed. More than one should you want them, if I’m hearing rumors correctly.”

“Shut up,” Ace mutters, mostly covered in the sprawl of Kotatsu. “Shut up and tell me to stop drinking.”

Deuce sighs, dropping onto the small space left on his bed, “Why?”

“I asked Marco about his marks.”

“You’re an idiot. Come on, you hate soulmates and you haven’t even told me why. Just that they wouldn’t-,” he pauses. “This isn’t about your dad is it? Ace, so help me, if you’ve decided that you can’t have a soulmate because of a man that you never met-”

“I’m a monster.”

Deuce punches him, he knows that it’s not hard enough to hurt Ace, but it makes him feel better, “You’re a person. Just because you’re dad was the Pirate King, doesn’t mean that you are a monster. He wasn’t a monster.”

“Everyone-”

“Everyone is wrong. Monsters don’t let giant cats use them as beds and allow those cats to position them as the cat likes,” Deuce states, yawning. “Why does this soulmate thing bother you so much?”

Ace hums, tired and sad, “One of my marks, it’s-,” he swallows. “It takes up my entire back almost.”

“Explains why you don’t go around shirtless.”

“Yeah,” he pauses. “It’s their jolly roger.”

Deuce raises an eyebrow, “Whitebeard’s?” he doesn’t wait for a response. “Well, that would be awkward if you wanted to murder him. You figured out who it is, haven’t you?”

“Maybe?”

“Ace.”

“Marco,” Ace answers, throwing his arm over his face. “I think it’s Marco. There, are you happy?”

Deuce hums softly, quiet for a long moment, “You know, I think that if you took off your shirt, no one would notice. Just think it was a tattoo, since the rest of them have them.”

“Would figure it out soon enough. I’ve got other marks.”

“Fine, but only because I’m tired. I’m going to sleep and then I’m going to fight you on this because you’re a fucking moron. Even if you’re my friend.”

Ace laughs, “Alright, let me go.”

“No, it’s too late. Kotatsu isn’t moving and this room is cold. You’re staying here and you’re going to suffer,” Deuce yawns, burying his face in a pillow. “Night.”

“Sleep well?” Ace says slowly.

“Aw man,” Ace mutters prodding a hole in the front of his shirt, holding it up to his face to stare through it. “I liked this shirt! I can’t believe that I couldn’t turn it into fire fast enough!”

“Ace?” 

Ace turns, freezing when he spots the rest of the crew watching him, even if Marco’s the look who looks the most confused, “Yes?”

“That is so detailed!” Haruta shouts, bouncing close and forcing him to turn around. “When did you do this? It’s the best work that I’ve ever seen!”

“Not to mention the lines are so straight and the color so solid,” Izou agrees and Ace can feel his fan on his back. “You haven’t shown us this tattoo before. That’s a bit rude, Ace.”

Ace flinches, jerking away from Izou’s touch, “It’s not.”

“Not?” Haruta repeats.

“A tattoo. It’s a mark,” Ace bites the inside of his cheek when they both go silent, already shifting his shirt back on because at least it would be covered. “It’s been there for as long as I can remember. What does it matter?”

“That’s a soul mark,” Izou repeats slowly and Ace can’t see him, but he knows that his eyebrows are raised. “I didn’t know you had a soulmate.”

Ace shrugs, turning to face them because it’s worse having them at his back, “Yeah well, I have one. Didn’t think it was important.”

“But that’s our crew’s symbol!” Thatch says, eyes wide. “And you-?”

“I don’t regret it. Trying to kill him, Pops. I did it and I would have done it no matter if there was a mark on my back or not,” Ace says calmly. “But Pops still accepted me and he knows about this,” he gestures, unable to say the words. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“And that’s his choice,” Marco says before anyone else can. “If Ace wants to avoid his soulmate, that’s for him to decide. Stop hounding him about it.”

Ace can hear them grumbling, but is grateful when they don’t ask more, even if Izou looks like he’s willing to fight Ace to get more answers, leaving Ace alone-

“You know,” Marco says slowly, startling him. “The straw hat doesn’t have any meat, I was sure that I was going to after you talked about him, but it’s a strawhat and a crown.”

“A crown?”

Marco nods, rolling his sleeve up slightly, the mark just above the crease of his elbow, “I never got it, who would wear a straw hat with a crown.”

“Luffy would wear them both,” Ace says slowly. “You knew?”

“No, not until,” he doesn’t have to say it, but Ace knows what he means. “But I like you. Liked you before that,” Marco smiles. “I’ve been trying to see if you were interested, but I wasn’t sure since you were avoiding talks about-”

Ace snorts, cutting him off, “You could have said it.”

“Well some of us,” Marco says slowly, stepping closer. “Are willing to avoid saying things straight out so that the rest of their family doesn’t end up teasing them about failing to flirt.”

“And you don’t mind, that I didn’t tell you?”

Marco raises an eyebrow slowly, “I don’t own you. Ace, soulmates are suppose to be important to you, but that doesn’t mean that they start off that way. You’re still strangers when you meet, for all that I have marks of things you love, it doesn’t mean that I know what they mean or who you are. I know that because I wanted to know you.”

“You’re,” Ace ducks his head, feeling too warm. “I like you.”

“That’s good to know,” Marco says softly. “Can I interest you in dinner? I think we can even call it a date, if you’re comfortable with that.”

Ace nods quickly, “You- this isn’t just because I’m your soulmate?”

“Considering I found out about that today?” Marco teases. “No, I like you. I liked you when you were an idiot trying to kill Pops and I liked you more when you were an idiot on our crew. Being my soulmate isn’t changing that.”

[bearxclaws-archive-blog]

Arc Headcanons // PRE-SKIP PT.4

It’s been two weeks since I did one of these ‘cause I was on vacation, but here we go again! Sorry for being repetitive, but there will most likely be mentions of Sanji x Anita.

DUVAL / SABAODY ARCHIPELAGO

— ARC OUTFIT

— After almost watching Sanji’s upper half disappear on Thriller Bark, it’s going to become a habit for her to touch a bit more. Not that she was why about it before because she’s just a physical person, but she’ll touch his arm, chest and anything from the neck up as a weird way of making sure he’s there. Totally brushes it off as just making sure he’s still mostly intact.

— She doesn’t know him, but Anita is worried about Ace too. She doesn’t like that his Vivre Card is burning. Still, she trusts Luffy’s judgement and doesn’t insist that he go after his brother. By the sounds of it, Ace is perfectly capable of defending himself.

— While Chopper and Usopp are relaxing and the rest of the crew is dealing with the submarine, Anita is in the kitchen pouting because she wanted to go underwater. With her Devil Fruit, she can’t. Oh, well, it’s sort of given her the chance to indulge in her stupid crush and watch Sanji work.

— Him getting decked by Keimi’s whole body when she lands on him cracks her up, though. She really needs to stop laughing at other peoples suffering. Not really sure why she does, but I feel like she just would.

— Having not been there during the Arlong Park chaos, she isn’t sure who Hachi is. Learning about it infuriates her, and so does learning that mermaids are sold.

— A thing I am realizing; when her island was taken over, her and her troupe were basically turned into slaves. They were a little cleaner and happier looking, but it was part of the act to lure pirates in. If they disobeyed, they were beaten or even put to death. They were scared of the man that had put himself in the position of master. So the entirety of this arc, Anita will likely be pissed and slightly afraid in a ‘ does he realize I’m gone and has he told other Marines so they recognize me’ way. She doesn’t want to be dragged back home yet when she can’t help. Didn’t have the smarts to think that it might happen until now. Whoops~

— Anita goes with the flow, so she doesn’t care who they’re saving as long as Luffy’s the one that ordered it. Although a large part of her wants to meet a talking octopus-man.

— Duval’s existence almost kills Anita. She will be doubled over despite being attacked with poisonous harpoons, holding her stomach and wheezing for breath.

— Because she’s stupid and obvious, I feel like the ones that know she has a crush on Sanji would be Nami, Robin and Usopp. At least one of them is going to be a shit and make a joke about her liking Duval because what’s the difference between him and Sanji? Rude as fuck, but it only makes her start laughing again.

— Flips her shit when they trap him in the water and announce they’re going to drown him. God, sometimes she hates that she has a Devil Fruit. When he does get rescued and has his dumb little nosebleed, Anita will poke him with her foot. Moron.

— Luffy and Anita have a contest to see who can put the most takoyaki in their mouth at once. Anita loses, obviously, and ends up almost choking. Sanji goes to help but Luffy smacks her hard on the back and ends up coughing it up. Ew.

— I’m wondering if Anita would know who the Celestial Dragons are. What I’m thinking is that their conditions at the circus were a lot worse than I first made them out to be. That they were treated like slaves, and that because the corrupt part of the government turns a blind eye ( and sometimes encourages ) the buying and selling of people. So if they were treated and seen as slaves, then I wonder if Celestial Dragons visited the island to be entertained and buy some of the troupe members. 

One day she will have noticed that a certain member has gone missing and not come back. Would destroy her to see them being treated poorly years later while visiting Sabaody. Not sure if that’s giving her too much personal involvement in the arc, though. But, honestly, I’m liking this idea because she’s not going to get a major arc of her own like the canon Straw Hats to. This is the only personal things I can think of to make up for her lack of an arc and a slight foreshadowing that she won’t have a home to come back to.

— Anita debates being a love-struck idiot and staying on the ship with Sanji while it’s getting repaired by Franky and Usopp. Decides against it because she knows she’s being stupid and doesn’t want to look at his dumb, handsome face. Stupid cook.

— Like Zoro, she wasn’t there for the briefing about not dealing with Celestial Dragons. She’s off on her own thing, probably notices someone that used to be in her troupe but sees they have a collar and are being treated like an animal rather than a person. Follows after them, tries to call their name and get their attention. Might get a small, frantic look as the only warning not to say anything else! Gets confused and ends up losing them before she realizes that she’s where the rest of the Straw Hats are. Is yanked down onto her knees by one of them and doesn’t get why. Learns real quick and decides just as swiftly that she doesn’t like this place.

— Doesn’t care about Law’s crew, except for Bepo. Bear! Walking, talking bear! If they weren’t trying so hard to get Keimi back, she would have scrambled over to talk to Bepo. Wants so badly to be his bear-buddy.

— Adds a kick of her own when Sanji asks if they can buy the dancing girl. Come on, Sanji.  .  . Really? You’re my most beloved muse and I wanna kick your ass for that.

— Anita doesn’t get why people are reacting so badly to Hatchi. She isn’t the least bit against other races because there were too many different kinds of people that worked for the circus, so she only sees them all as people.

— She’s secretly enjoying learning about all these old pirates because she never met Crocus, and she doesn’t hear about Roger much. Always a sucker for good stories.

— The idea of splitting up doesn’t appeal to her. She has a bad feeling in her gut that she blames her animal-like instinct on. Assume Chopper can feel it too even though they’ve got got human in them too. Doesn’t mention it and almost approaches Sanji to ask if she can tag along with him wherever he plans on going.

— Anita can be incredibly dumb sometimes, but I feel like she would quickly notice that it wasn’t Kuma they were fighting. Or, at least, notice that he doesn’t have the paw-pads. Kind of hard for her to forget those when she’s so closely associated with bears.

— Probably tried to bite at the Pacifista’s and only managed to get through the ‘skin.’ I know Brook couldn’t get through it, but she’s a gigantic bear, come on. They’re supposed to be able to bite through iron, so she’s going to get her jaw into PX-4 and shed some of that outside layer.

— Running would be so easy for her in her bear form, but she doesn’t flee like she’s told. She’s taking on too much responsibility as a tank and trying to protect the groups that look like they’re under attack the most. 

— Because of that, I feel like she would end up being the first one ‘erased’ because she would make every attempt to lunge in front of Zoro when the real Kuma comes. I know Zoro disappearing first was important, but she’s the one that jumps out first to do her job. She won’t get to see what happens to Chopper while he’s rampaging again, and doesn’t get to see what happens to everyone else. I wanted to be more despair inducing for her, but she would be one of the first gone and won’t have time to see them vanish.

URSA ISLAND / TWO YEAR SEPARATION

— Anita crash-lands on an island inhabited entirely by large, beastly bears. They’re all larger and stronger than she is, and they aren’t the least bit welcoming to find a human on their island. Unlike actual wild bears, these ones are barely smart enough to have a system of roles, the most important being tribe leader.

— The tribe leader, Anita dubbed King. He was a large, black, monstrous bear with nasty scars and gnarly teeth. He looks like a cruel leader, but he’s actually as kind as they come. He only wants to frighten her away because they can’t stand humans. He seeks only to protect his people. That’s what she’s come to understand, at least.

— There’s only one place that’s safe on the island, and it’s the largest tree in the entire place. They can’t climb to the top, and she can in her human form. Discovers, however, that she’s not the only human stuck on that island. A young girl is also trapped there. She doesn’t know herself very well and is nameless. She lives in the trees to avoid the bears and has lived there so long that she smells like them. Eventually, they agree that she will be called Ylde. Pronounced like ‘wild’ but Anita can’t spell and just went based on the sound.

— Ylde: Isn’t it spelled w-i-l-d?     Anita: ...How the fuck does a two-year-old stuck on a bear island know how to spell better than me?     Ylde: I’m thirteen.     Anita: Silence, small baby.

— Ylde attempts to convince Anita that there’s no point in trying to integrate herself into the tribe. Even as a bear, they’ll know she doesn’t belong from her scent and size. Anita corrects her and says she only wants to get off the damned island so she can get back to her friends.

— Because it will be a while before she gets the paper and she’s determined to leave, she gets into her bear form and readies herself to fight through the swarm of bears just to get to shore and find one of the many boats Ylde says have washed up over the years.

— End up coming back to Ylde’s tree because she gets her ass kicked. Tries this every single day until the moment the News Coo comes with the paper saying. She understands the hint given by Luffy and is immediately relieved to see he’s still alive. Doesn’t know if the rest are, but she’s hoping so. Didn’t even occur to her that they might be dead because she managed to survive the crash.

— Spends the next to years fighting and learning on her own. Ylde doesn’t stick around when, during the first year and a half, an intact ship is discovered. She insists Anita come with her, but she refuses. Ylde, having gotten attached to her, promises to come back to that exact spot in two years to pick her up and take her where she wants to go.

— Anita’s goal, like everyone else, is to get stronger. She realizes after being beaten again and again that she’s too weak in her bear form. Seeing as how that’s the part she wants to strengthen most, she dedicates herself to staying a bear as long as she possibly can. Day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, she wants to stay a bear. She does this and does get stronger, but doesn’t realize that in the process she was inching closer to becoming the tribe leader herself.

— Over the two year separation, the following happens; she learns armament haki that she uses only on her teeth and claws, gets even larger than before, earns more devastating-looking scars, gets even greedier with food because of how unfair the tribe was to her before she became leader, eventually becomes the leader and earns the respect of the entire island.

— But because the rest of the tribe refuses to fight her, she becomes lazy and antsy. She will absolutely crave a fight whenever it feels like one is brewing now.

— New moves:           Mighty Roar: Can either a. instill fear in an enemy and send them fleeing or b. temporarily disable them because the intensity of the sound is mind-numbing. Not to be confused with Conqueror's Haki ;;

          Bear Trap: Bites through any part of an enemy that she can and fuses her jaws together with her Armament Haki as long as the teeth are touching, leaving it nearly impossible to shake her off.

          Bearrel Roll: Yes, it’s a pun to barrel roll. Doesn’t actually suit the move because she’s not doing a barrel roll, but she does curl up and roll into her target to catch them off guard. Is a good move to use with people she trusts to throw / kick her.

[maisstories]

Tagged by @fanfiction-by-abalisk

Rules: List the first lines of your last 15 stories (or chapters). See if there are any patterns. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

(I’ve added the beginning of three as of yet unpublished things, two for OP and the other for FMA :D)

1.     Marco was flying towards one of the closed windows of Albus’ office when he froze mid-flight. There was someone else inside the office with Albus, and it wasn’t a professor, one of the headmasters from the other schools or even a tournament judge. (Recreated Fire, chapter 42)

2.     Sometimes Thatch liked to bring Ace’s new stroller into the kitchen at odd hours, when the place was calm and Thatch could focus on an experiment or whatever he felt like cooking, and tell him about random things. (Born to be a Pirate, chapter 4)

3.     Roy received his berating with stoic serenity. Molly Weasley had the kind of terrifying air that came with being the mother of seven children, some of which were truly unruly, and this air served her well in dealing with anyone she believed had stepped out of line. Roy, however, was used to having Riza Hawkeye looking over his shoulder, with her disapproving glares, words and gun ready for whenever he did something she didn’t like —which was often enough. Molly’s scolding over the reckless move that had been Roy’s fake date with Tonks tonight —and she was all the more horrified because they had run into Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy— was positively refreshing in comparison. (The Colours of the World, chapter 14)

4.     “That’s it, that’s our destination!” Vivi announced, pointing towards the coast of what remained of Erumalu. She had been trying hard not to think about crossing through this destroyed city since her arrival at Alabasta, and so far she had managed it thanks mostly to Luffy and Ace’s constant chatter as they caught up. Now, however, seeing the dried-up land and the silhouettes of the abandoned buildings… (A Sibling’s Love, chapter 8)

5.     Marco accepted the room key from the lady at the reception with a smile and a ‘thank you’ and headed towards the row of elevators in the hallway. Contrary to his previous times here, he didn’t cross paths with anyone. Then again, Sunday evening was probably too late for many people to arrive and too early for those already here to leave. There was some noise coming from the restaurant, but that was it. (In Your Hands, chapter 1)

6.     The meal passes as smoothly as Gracia hoped it would. Alphonse tries everything on the table. He is careful about how much he eats, mindful of the doctors’ orders, but his eyes shine with happiness and childish delight the entire time, and he keeps constantly complimenting Gracia on the food. Elicia is happy to help Alphonse decide what to try next, offering input on her favorite foods, while Edward and Roy mostly watch the scene unfold. It’s hilarious, because Edward is trying to pretend he isn’t as emotional over this moment as Alphonse is and Roy has put a calm mask on, as though he hasn’t been waiting for years to see Alphonse retrieve his body. Somehow, despite staying mostly silent, they manage to end up bickering more than once, and watching then trying to keep their bickering child-friendly has Gracia snickering into her napkin every time. (As the World Turns, chapter 7)

7.     Hermione had walked into Professor Mustang’s office with a full speech and a long list of arguments to defend her case of why that array wasn’t theirs ready in her mind. Her speech died before she could even open her mouth upon hearing Professor Mustang’s admission. (The Colours of the World, chapter 13)

8.     Roy went motionless the moment he snapped awake, his battle instincts coming to life at the feel of the hard ground —a sidewalk, it felt like a sidewalk— under his body. He listened attentively, but there was nothing to be heard aside from some distant traffic and the soft rustle of leaves. There was no sound that would signal the presence of people around him. (FMA Big Bang Story)

9.     When Elicia learns that they will have guests for dinner tonight, she insists on helping to get everything ready. Gracia doesn’t trust her anywhere near the kitchen appliances or the food, of course, but she is more than willing to sacrifice a bowl of pie dough to make Elicia happy. (As the World Turns, chapter 6)

10.  Law groaned and turned around in bed again, the pillow firmly covering his head. The party had been going on for hours. Law had stayed for a while, had even enjoyed himself at first, but there was only so much time he could stand boisterous drunkards doing increasingly stupid and embarrassing antics. Law had quit the party the moment the lewd jokes moved from jokes to actual groping between people that felt no real attraction to one another while sober. (Paper Monsters, chapter 6)

11.  Marco is the first one awake that morning. It’s not odd, given how he rolled away from the position he settled in on deck last night and the sun hit him straight on the face at dawn. (Being Human, chapter 33)

12.  The World Government liked to handle most of the Shichibukai-related affairs at their base on Mariejois. Tsuru had no doubt that it was meant as a show of the government’s might for the Shichibukai, even if no one used such words to describe it. Personally, Tsuru thought it had no effect, at least not the desired one. No Shichibukai she had met had ever been impressed or awed by the Holy Land. Doflamingo found his visits hilarious, Mihawk was utterly indifferent to the place and what it represented, Jinbe had hated it… and right now… well, it was clear that Law was no more impressed by Mariejois than Mihawk was. (The Shichibukai, chapter 2)

13.  When Marco wakes up, he can immediately tell that this is not the room in which he has been sleeping lately. He doesn’t need any light to know where he is, but he raises a hand and calls his fire anyway. The sight of his cabin greets his eyes. The cabin that was destroyed alongside the rest of the Moby Dick over two years ago. (Living Dreams)

14.  Harry walked into the Alchemy classroom with his notes tucked under his arm. Next to him, Hermione was reviewing her own notes and Ron had an exasperated expression on his face, as though he hadn’t spent last night desperately going through his alchemy notes in an attempt to make up for the fact that he had been so focused on quidditch he hadn’t looked at them all week. Honestly, Harry hadn’t studied that much himself, what with Umbridge’s horrid detentions taking up so much of his time. (The Colours of the World, chapter 12)

15.  “I’m thinking I should tell Diggory about the dragons,” Harry told Marco on Sunday morning during a break from their risky flying training. “Hagrid took Maxime there, too, and I’m sure she’ll tell Delacour.” Hagrid probably hadn’t even thought of that possibility; knowing him, he most likely believed seeing dragons was an amazing plan for a date. “And I saw Karkaroff when I was leaving, so Krum has to know about the dragons by now.” (Recreated Fire, chapter 41)

The only pattern I could say I see here is that I tend to start chapters and stories using narration. In fact, the only two examples that start with dialogue are because I couldn’t get the narration to work properly.

I’m not tagging anybody, whoever wants to fill it go ahead. I’m curious to see what you guys write like :D