#i ship the way they're allies

[starry-bi-sky]

Blood Blossom lore for the Blood Blossom Au

Blood Blossoms -- otherwise scientifically known as rosa hemato -- are an extinct genus of flower from the rosaceae family that disappeared from the mortal plane in the late 1600s due to over-foraging from settlers during the Witch Trials. Prior to their extinction, they were already a rare breed of rose because of an evolutionary trait resulting in their main source of energy being ambient ectoplasm.

This means that blood blossoms only grow in areas where there are unusual levels of ectoplasm present. Regardless, however, only one or two bushes of blood blossoms can grow, as too many of them results in the ectoplasm being sucked out with no room of replenishing back to its original levels. This kills the blood blossoms in return. So a balance has to be met.

Blood blossoms have a mildly unsettling appearance. Their namesake, "blood blossom", comes from the blood red appearance of their petals, which start out as a vibrant red but steadily grows darker with age similar to blood drying on a page. Their stems, leaves, and thorns are, rather than green, a rich black-purple color. The center where the pistil sits is the typical yellow, however, it takes on the appearance of a yellow eye peering through the petals.

Blood blossoms emit a sweet, fragrant scent that allows them to not only attract bees, but also break down ectoplasm for consumption. See, what it does is that it discharges some of its pollen into the air, which then "latches on" to ecto. As the pollen begins to float down to the ground, the ectoplasm then sinks into the soil for the blood blossom to then draw into its roots. It gives the ectoplasm a physical body to latch onto, which it then uses to consume it.

Despite having a symbiotic relationship with ambient ectoplasm in it's natural habitat, the interactions it has with ghosts is an entirely different story. To ghosts, Blood Blossoms are terrifying, opportunistic parasitoids capable of consuming spirits whole if given the chance. Ghosts give off significantly more ectoplasm and when the blood blossoms sense that, they emit more pollen in order to consume it. Which is where the whole "blood blossoms are natural ghost shields" thing comes from.

Their sweet scents and vibrant colors made them popular upon discovery for perfumes and dyes, and when eaten taste sweet and slightly bitter, almost irony. Which is another reason for their namesake. During the Salem Witch Trials it was theorized that blood blossoms could expel the sins/demons from someone's body when consumed and prevent possession, or when surrounded by the roses, would trap the demons inside it's host body which would then be burned to banish it back to Hell along with the soul of it's host.

Which made them incredibly popular in executions, exorcisms, and Mass.

They could grow anywhere in the world so long as there was an adequate amount of ecto present.

Surprisingly enough, they do not commonly grow in or around gravesites due to a competitor flower nicknamed "rest in peace lilies" which, despite their name, are actually from the asparagaceae family and have more in common with bluebells. They're more modernly known as everlast bells. Ghosts prefer them over blood blossoms because they have a similar effect on ghosts as poppies do on the living where it sends them into a restful slumber. Hence their nickname "rest in peace lilies". The dead loove them.

In the Ghost Zone, their effects on the dead are far more potent than when they grew in the living realm due to the excessive amount of ectoplasm. They also grow much faster, so ghosts treat their appearances on islands similar to how one treats mint or kudzhu after finding it growing in their lawn: with extreme prejudice. And a lot of terror. Ghosts tend to rip them out when the flowers are not in bloom, or burn them when they are.

Their appearances in the Zone aren't much different than what they looked like in the living realm, with only a few mild changes like their thorns being sharper, their petals being more angular, and their eye-like center actually looking more like an eye. It's theorized that the Infinite Realm versions of blood blossoms gained very mild sentience, just enough that it almost feels like their eyes follow you when you pass by them, like a painting. Nobody is willing to test that theory.

To a ghost, getting caught in the hooks of a blood blossom means a slow, agonizing death akin to thousands of needle-sized mouths eating you all at once. The pollen doesn't stop until the ectoplasm is all broken down. Blood blossoms in the Ghost Zone are very much capable of eradicating a ghost entirely, core and all, with no chance of return. No passing go, no reconstruction, just complete oblivion.

Danny, prior to his poisoning, had severe allergic reactions when in physical contact with blood blossom in his human form. Rashes, blistering, hives wherever the blossom had physical contact with, inflammation, you name it. Luckily that hadn't been something he needed to worry about since they're, well, extinct.

[aleatoryw]

why is it so hard to express your frustration with fandom's extreme bias towards male characters without sounding like you think het ships are discriminated against. like some of you don't dislike het ships bc you're gay, you dislike het ships bc you can't conceive of female characters having depth and growth and messy emotions

[postmanlinksbootyshorts]

THE WAY EVERY FUCKING JONAWAGON(ERI) SHIPPER IN THE NOTES IS PROVING THE PROPAGANDA RIGHT LMFAO 💀

Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Erina Pendleton

Erina is SO MUCH MORE than just a "Generic Love Interest" that was brought in the story to continue the bloodline after everything that happens (and it's made abundantly clear time and time and TIME AGAIN that she means everything to Jonathan, to a point that she was his exact reason to standing up against Dio for the first time) but without fail she's only ever allowed to be the supportive best friend. Or a wingman for Jonathan and whoever he's being shipped with. Or simply supposed to sit there and allow her husband to have a male lover (the amount of posts I've seen of ppl using the excuse that 'it was very common back in the Victorian Era for men to keep male lovers that their wives were aware of and quietly accepted so it isn't a stretch to say that Erina and Jonathan wouldn't be the same--especially given how progressive she's written". Or of course my favorite when they completely erase her from the narrative and pretends she doesn't exist Jonathan's got their son for some reason, but nope she ain't there! 

a lot of times ppl who ship her CANON HUSBAND jonathan joestar with speedwagon will put her on the back burner of HER OWN CANON RELATIONSHIP in favor of propping up jonawagon, to the point where 90% of the archive for jonawagon/jonawagon(eri) is either erina giving jonathan and speedwagon consent to be happy together while she acts like a #LoveIsLove wingman OR they'll have the audacity to write fics where erina comforts speedwagon at HER HUSBAND'S FUNERAL

Our hero’s hot wife who was the first (and arguably) only person to give him the emotional support he needed. She’s the only person who never expects him to fulfill some mythical role, she just loves him for who he is. She’s been his best friend and the love of his life since he was 12 years old. When it comes to hero/sidekick ship, she’s forced to be a wing woman for her own husband, either nobly letting him go or peacefully agreeing to an open relationship but only for him!!! She gets nothing out of it, she’s just a good Victorian wife who is “ahead of her time”. Usually, just so she can provide a womb so that the hero/sidekick can be dads and she can conveniently be offscreen. OR she’s written as a lesbian in order to completely and “justifiably” take her out of the equation but there’s a.) no other woman in her vicinity to even ship her with b.) there’s vaguely some faceless, nameless woman we’re meant to assume she’s pursuing, not even a real OC for her.

Suzi Q

This article is incomplete; you can help by expanding it

All she's literally ever done is have a few cute exchanges with Joseph and be a sweetheart in the short time we get to see her following her minor introduction, clearly cementing some sort of playful attraction between the two and without fail she's consistently bombarded with extreme mischaracterization to make her seem vapid and cruel (and occasionally homophobic but like in a Completely Oblivious Dumb Blonde way), that she's nothing more than a gold digger who wanted to marry rich, that Joseph only married her because "he lost his actual soulmate and had to settle for her", and that it was HER fault that Joseph cheated on her decades into their marriage. Frankly, everyone who makes jokes at Suzi Q's expense regarding the cheating scandal aren't as funny as they think they are!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Literally all she’s ever done is be adorable and marry the hero and people either dismiss her completely or demonize her. She’s often ignored or made to play wing woman for the hero/sidekick ship OR she’s a horrible gold digger who only wants the hero for his money and/or she was only ever just a consolation prize for him when he couldn’t be with his sidekick. She also gets blamed for her husband having an affair. People like to say that she wasn’t good enough for him and could never replace his sidekick and that clearly he never REALLY loved her and it’s her fault for never measuring up. Her husband’s infidelity aside, she stayed married to that man for at least 60 years and canonically says she always believes in him and trusts him to save the day and yet people wanna say she doesn’t care about him. Or call her stupid for never imagining that her husband would cheat on her. The victim blaming gets really gross.

[rennalaqotfm]

𖤓 DRAGONSPEAR | J.V (PART I)

Pairing: Prince Jacaerys Velaryon x Martell Princess! Reader

Synopsys: Upon discovering Aemond Targaryen's alliance with the Triarchy, the Blacks are pushed to the point of desperation. With the war looming over the horizon, they have no choice but to turn to an unlikely ally: House Martell.

Content Warning: Swearing and a lot of 'fucking politicking,' as King Viserys said.

WC: 3.9k

Series Masterlist

(A/N at the end of the chapter)

The cold castle of Dragonstone stirred back to life in the early evening as the Black Council was hastily reunited after receiving news from an unknown sender, most likely one of Lady Mysaria's informants. The hall was silent as the members of the council cocked their brows in confusion.

"An alliance with the Triarchy?" Rhaenyra Targaryen shook her head in disbelief.

Daemon took the message from her, not believing what she had just said. He tossed the piece of parchment on the table, letting everyone have a look.

"An alliance with the Free Cities is a risk, but a necessary one nonetheless. Their hold on power currently hinges heavily on Vhagar. Aemond knows that the city will be defenceless once Vhagar leaves King's Landing and we could easily overtake it. That is when the Triarchy will come in, to break the blockade of the Gullet," Daemon said, adding a ship figurine to the Table Map.

"We should have enough ships—" Lord Corlys said.

"Forgive me, Lord Corlys, but I do not think they will be enough. The Triarchy can muster a much larger naval power than any house in Westeros, including House Velaryon." 

"Are you underestimating my fleet, my King Consort?" Lord Corlys said through his teeth.

"I am just being realistic. It is not just the Triarchy we might end up encountering," Daemon countered, adding two more ship figurines to the Table Map. "The Greens know that we will solely be relying on the Velaryon fleet, and with enough luck, we would be able to defend ourselves against the Triarchy. Which is why they would also want to send Hightower and Lannister fleets."

"We would be outnumbered," Rhaenyra muttered. 

Daemon shook his head as his eyes scanned the map, realising that the Greens had managed to amass a larger number of allies, from the Crownlands, all the way to the Westerlands. He raised a brow in a particular spot in the South, a place the Targaryens haven't been able to tame after centuries of their rule.  

"Not if we make an alliance with the Dornishmen," he finally said.

After a brief moment of silence, everyone in the Black Council but Daemon erupted in laughter. 

"I don't know which is worse, the Greens making an alliance with the Triarchy or us with those goatfuckers," Ulf laughed. 

"Do we really have no choice?" Rhaenyra muttered, staring at the map. "The Hightower and Lannister navies would need to sail around Dorne before reaching the blockade, after all."

"My Queen, you cannot possibly be considering this," Jacaerys stepped forward. "We cannot make a deal with those barbarians. Our houses have been at each other's throats for generations... What makes you think that they would want to help us? There is a reason why the Greens would rather turn to the Triarchy instead of House Martell."

"The Prince is right, my Queen," Lord Corlys said. "We do not know how those Dornishmen operate, where their loyalties lie. What if they withdraw their support after making a deal, or demand more than we agreed upon? I should not be reminding you of this, my Queen, but the Dornishmen... Well, they are known for being unpredictable. They might even end up switching sides and joining the Greens."

"That will not be happening, Lord Corlys. After all, the Greens are still Targaryens. At present, the Dornishmen have a neutral stance. They do not wish to partake in this war—"

"Because they're just watching everything from afar and placing bets on who's gonna win," Ulf sniggered, earning a glare from Rhaenyra.

"As I was saying, they do not wish to partake in this war," Rhaenyra paused, watching as Daemon picked up another ship figurine and placed it strategically in front of the Hightower and Lannister ships. "But if we manage to convince them to join us, then we could eliminate the Triarchy and block the Summer Sea, preventing the Lannister and Hightower fleets from crossing it."

"Convince them to join us? How are we going to do that?" Lord Corlys shook his head, growing irritated as Rhaenyra seemed to have decided to carry on with the plan. "This is another reason why Aemond has not even bothered negotiating with those barbarians in the first place. Those Dornishmen—House Martell... they would not easily accept any deal. They are too proud. And in this case, we need them more than they need us. We cannot show our desperation or else they will bleed us out—"

"But we are growing desperate, Lord Corlys, and we are running out of options," Rhaenyra raised her voice, causing everyone in the Council to flinch. "The Velaryon fleet alone does not stand a chance against all of them." 

"This is absolutely—" Lord Corlys burst out, clenching his fists as he tried to hold his ire.

"Making a deal with them would be the hardest part, but I am certain they would be satisfied if we offered them a dragon," Daemon suggested. "Ulf, how do you feel about flying to Sunspear with Silverwing and spending the rest of your days with those... goatfuckers?" 

"I don't really have a choice do I?" He grimaced. "But it wouldn't be all too bad, I s'ppose. I've yet to taste a beautiful Dornishwoman and—"

"Looks like it is sorted," Daemon waved his hand, cutting him off. 

"Send a raven to Sunspear," Rhaenyra ordered Maester Gerardys.

"My Queen, please listen to me," Jacaerys raised his voice, catching everybody's attention. "This risk that we are taking is completely unnecessary. We do not even know whether the Greens would be sending the Hightower and Lannister fleets. If they do not, then we would have wasted our time in trying to reason with those savages. Besides, how would that make us look? To think that you are even considering trading Silverwing for a handful of ships..."

The Black Council grew quiet, letting Jacearys' words hang in the air, and they hummed in agreement.

"Listen, boy," Daemon cut him off. "Aemond just burned Sharp Point out of anger. Do you think he is the type to hold back? He is going to want to strike with everything he has, and House Lannister and Hightower would not want to miss a single chance to appease him."

"But House Martell—?" Jacaerys snapped.

"It will not just be House Martell, Jacaerys. If we somehow manage to convince them, then other Dornish houses will follow. Think about House Allyrion, Blackmont, Dayne..." Rhaenyra tried to reason with her son. "Maester Gerardys, send a raven to Sunspear. Now. We have no time to spare." 

The room was filled with exasperation. Some were nodding their heads, murmuring and pointing at the map, whilst others shook their heads yet kept their mouths shut nonetheless. The maester himself began to hesitate as he began to write the message:

To the Honourable Prince Qoren Martell of Sunspear,

In these dire times, as the fleets of the Triarchy, Hightower, and Lannister press upon us, Her Grace, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, seeks the aid of House Martell to join forces with our Velaryon allies at sea. In return for your assistance, we offer the protection of our dragon, Silverwing, as a symbol of our alliance and mutual respect. We acknowledge the history between our houses, but now, unity is essential more than ever. We hope to set aside past tensions and forge a partnership that will benefit both our realms.

From Maester Gerardys, in service to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.

To Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen,

House Martell has long stood apart from the conflicts of the rest of the realm, and we see no benefit in entangling our house in this war. Our independence is our strength, and we will not risk it, even for the promise of a dragon. Dorne will continue to walk its own path.

Prince Qoren Martell of Sunspear.

Three weeks have already passed, only to receive a cold rejection from the Martells. Their enemies were already making their move, as according to one of Lady Mysaria's informants within the Red Keep, the Green Council had agreed to send Tyland Lannister as an envoy and were soon going to start preparing the ship for the lengthy journey to the Free Cities. 

After reading the message, Rhaenyra scoffed and threw the note in the fireplace, watching as the paper shrivelled into ashes. The Council needn't ask what the Martells had replied since the indignation from the rejection was written all over her face. 

"I told you they were too proud, my Queen. Making a deal with those savages... it was never going to work," Lord Corlys said.

"Do not give up so easily Lord Corlys. That just meant our deal was not good enough," Daemon said.

"You cannot be serious. They have already refused to help, even with the promise of a dragon," Jacaerys snapped. Baela placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"What else could they possibly want?" Rhaenyra inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes.

Daemon paced back and forth as his eyes wandered on everyone present in the hall. 

"Maester Gerardys, remind us again of the children Prince Qoren has sired,"  Daemon asked.

"Don't name the bastards, though. We'd be stuck 'ere forever," Ulf joked, only to be met by an awkward silence and glares from those in the council.

"His eldest is a daughter of two-and-twenty, Princess Y/n Martell; Prince Elyas Martell, of nine-and-ten; and Prince Farien Martell, of seven, my King Consort," Maester Gerardys said.

"And is Princess Y/n betrothed?" Daemon asked.

"Not that I am aware of, my King Consort."

"It seems that securing an heir is not her main priority," Rhaenyra muttered. "I wonder why she remains unwed..."

"Well, with the number of bastards Prince Qoren has sired, they would never run out of heirs," Lord Corlys muttered under his breath. 

"I do not know, my Queen. I am not entirely familiar with Dornish customs, but I have heard that Prince Qoren has yet to find a suitable match for his daughter," Maester Gerardys said.

"If I may speak, my Queen," Addam bowed his head, waiting for Rhaenyra's nod of approval. "Some of the men who've sailed in Dornish waters have shared stories about why Princess Y/n Martell remains unwed. It's not that Prince Qoren hasn't found a suitable match for his daughter; rather, many of those suitors have met... untimely ends. Their bodies have been discovered in the desert, feasted upon by scorpions. Of course, I can't say how much of this is true and how much is mere sailor's tale."

"Fuckin' hell..." Ulf exclaimed in amusement at Addam's story. "Hopefully that princess was worth dying for."

The Council grimaced, their prejudice somehow convincing them that everything they'd just heard was true. Jacaerys was starting to grow uneasy, feeling Daemon's gaze piercing his as Addam of Hull told the story. He didn't like where the conversation was going, and even if he knew what Daemon was going to say, he still wasn't prepared to hear those words.

"We present Jacaerys as a suitor for Prince Qoren's daughter," Daemon declared, silencing the council.

"No. No. Absolutely not," Jacaerys clenched his fists, his voice trembling with anger as he shook his head furiously. "I am to wed Princess Baela," his gaze darted to Rhaenyra, desperation in his eyes. "The Queen would never agree to such a preposterous match," he said, searching his mother's face for reassurance. But Rhaenyra's gaze was cast downward, and fear gripped his heart. "Mother... you would not marry me off to a savage, would you?"

Rhaenyra felt her son's pressing gaze upon her, yet she refused to look him in the eye. She turned away from the table and stared at the fireplace illuminating the room, trying to find answers in the dancing embers. At first, she found Daemon's proposal outrageous, but his unconventional thinking often led to surprisingly effective strategies. The fire seemed to whisper to her, telling her it was the right thing to do. The Martells. Dorne. She slowly began to realise that if they managed to secure the support of House Martell, and most importantly, the hand of Princess Y/n, then the whole realm would be united.

However, as everyone in the Black Council had already warned her, it wouldn't be an easy feat. House Martell despised the Targaryens after the mass destruction Aegon the Conqueror had caused during the First Dornish War in his attempt to bring Dorne under Targaryen rule. Cities were burned to the ground, leaving much of Dorne a barren waste of sand and ashes. But even then, the Dornish resisted. Led by House Martell, Dorne fought fiercely for their independence at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. Yet it was all worth it in the end, as they remained free from the binds of Westeros.

Then she thought of her father, Viserys, and his dream of The Song of Ice and Fire, and how he urged her to unite the realm for what was to come. The alliance with Dorne was necessary, and though they were in dire times of war, there was no better time to unite the two realms.

With a heavy heart, she turned to face her son, Prince Jacaerys, whose eyes were full of desperation. As a mother, she had hoped she could've spared the heavy burden of her duties from her beloved son, but it couldn't be helped. He was going to be the Crown, and sooner or later, he was bound to carry the burden one way or another.

Rhaenyra exhaled and slowly nodded her head, mustering the courage to speak her final decision. If there was one thing she could handle, it was the hatred from her enemies and the smallfolk, but being despised by her own son was something she wasn't sure she could bear.

"Maester Gerardys," Rhaenyra spoke, trying to ignore how her son's eyes widened in disbelief at her words. "Send another raven to Sunspear for a marriage proposal between Prince Jacaerys and Princess Y/n."

Jacaerys stormed out of the room, and Baela looked at Rhaenyra for permission to go after him. 

As Rhaenyra looked at the Table Map, she felt a hand momentarily ghost at the small of her back.

"You made the right call, my Queen," Daemon whispered, his lips lightly brushing against her ear, causing a chill to run down her spine.

To the Honourable Prince Qoren Martell of Sunspear,

I write to you once more on behalf of Her Grace, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, about the proposal concerning an alliance between our houses. While we understand and respect your initial decision, the urgency of our situation compels us to make another appeal. In light of the escalating threat posed by the combined forces of the Greens, we recognise that the need for strong allies has never been more critical. As such, we wish to renew our proposal.

Her Grace is prepared to betroth her son, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, who eagerly seeks the hand of your daughter, Princess Y/n Martell. We believe that this union will not only strengthen our positions but also signify an enduring alliance between House Targaryen and House Martell.

From Maester Gerardys, in service to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Rhaenyra's footsteps echoed in the stone hallways of the castle as she made her way to her son's chambers. The night was quiet, nothing but the flickering sounds of the torches and the distant waves crashing against the shore could be heard. A few days had passed since she ordered Maester Gerardys to send the raven to Sunspear, and she decided that it was best to give Jacaerys some space so he could come to terms with his future betrothal to Princess Y/n.

Jacaerys refused to speak to anyone, not even Baela, and Rhaenyra's concern for her son was beginning to keep her awake at night to the point she began to question her decisions. However, the raven had already been set, and there was no turning back.

Rhaenyra knocked on the door, only to get no answer. After the second and third try, she sighed, debating whether she should just give up and leave her son. But she knew how Jacaerys felt, and she couldn't bear to see him so distant, losing himself at the thought of marrying a foreign princess they all knew little to none of. Rhaenyra thought Jacaerys was justified to feel the way he did.

She was pleased the marriage proposal between Jacaerys and Baela was approved by her father Viserys. She thought she could give her son the gift of betrothing someone close to him, someone familiar, someone he could eventually grow to love, just as she had been lucky to have been married to Laenor first, and though they weren't each other's preferences, they managed to come to an agreement.

"Jace, let me in," she said one last time. "We need to talk."

Jacaerys still refused to reply, and she expected as much. Rhaenyra slowly opened the door, only to find her son looking through the windows, watching how the waves violently crashed against the cliffs. She couldn't believe how much her son had grown over those past few years, the babe she used to carry in her arms had turned into a man of eight-and-ten, with sharp, handsome features and dark brown curls framing his face. Her heart was full of pride knowing that the Crown would be in good hands with her son, as not only he excelled in politics and affairs of the realm, but he possessed the kindness and compassion her father Viserys did. 

"Jace..." She slowly approached her son, placing a hand on his broad shoulder.

He flinched at her touch and stepped away, refusing to look at her.

"I wish to be alone, Mother."

Rhaenyra closed her eyes and sighed, leaning forward as she also gazed at how the ocean infinitely stretched before her eyes, not knowing how to address the situation. 

"I cannot even imagine how you must feel, Jace. If your grandsire had put me in the same position as you, my feelings would not be any different from yours... Though I still recall how your grandsire had me sit down and meet a never-ending line of suitors," she smiled sadly, feeling the soft breeze of the sea blow gently on her face.

Although Jacaerys remained silent, she still listened to his mother. They rarely had the opportunity to talk so casually about matters he deemed trivial, but he always appreciated those few times they got to talk about anything but war and politics.

"My grandsire already approved of my betrothal with Baela," he mumbled. "I wonder what he would think if he found out you wanted to wed me to a savage."

The sound of the sea seemed to have carried the whispers of her father's wish, as she heard distant voices murmuring The Song of Ice and Fire.

"Your grandsire would be proud," she smiled.

Jacaerys turned to look at her with furrowed brows, wondering if what she had just said was nothing more than a jest. But when his gaze met hers, he could see the love her mother carried for his grandsire Viserys reflected in her eyes.

"Before your grandsire made me heir, he said that I must unite the realm, and this alliance with House Martell is the key to that. This is not just about the ships and this war, Jace. It is beyond that. There are things you will come to understand in time. If this betrothal between you Princess Y/n comes forth, the two of you would finally be uniting the Seven Kingdoms," Rhaenyra said, with a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes, something Jacaerys hadn't seen in a long time.

"I know my duty as the Crown Prince, Mother," Jacaerys said, his voice heavy with resignation. "I understand that there is no undoing the proposal," he sighed. "But it pains me deeply, how you all discussed it as if I were nothing more than a pawn in a game, moved around as you see fit. Baela and I have known each other since childhood; it feels only natural that we should marry. We were just talking about the ceremony we would have once the war is over, imagining weeks of feasting and celebration... only to have it all snatched away from us."

"I am not saying you should, but if worst comes to worst, you could always make an... arrangement with Princess Y/n," Rhaenyra said. 

"An arrangement?" Jacaerys scoffed, shaking his head. "What for? So I can sire more bastards like me?"

Rhaenyra's features hardened as she glared at her son, a flare of anger igniting within her as he brought up those bitter rumours she had buried deeply in her memories.

"Do not speak of yourself that way," Rhaenyra snapped, her voice shaking as she spoke. "You are a true Targaryen, born of fire and blood, and of salt and sea. Let no one, not even yourself, suggest otherwise."

Jacaerys shook his head, growing tired of hearing the same words of denial coming from his mother. 

"I will do what I must for the realm and I will do my best to win the hand of Princess Y/n," Jacaerys muttered in defeat with his gaze cast downwards. "But I will not repeat your mistakes, Mother. I swear I will not sire any bastards, for I will not condemn my future children to face the same humiliation and torment that has haunted me all these years."

To Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen,

How amusing it is, to send a mere bird in place of a prince, when seeking the hand of my beloved daughter. Mayhaps you are unaware of our customs, or mayhaps you believe a Targaryen name is worth more than the effort or courtesy. Here in Dorne, we value actions over titles. The hand of my daughter is not something to be bargained for in letters.

Prince Qoren Martell of Sunspear.

"My Queen, Ser Tyland Lannister has been reported to depart to the Free Cities on the morrow," Lady Mysaria spoke before the council. 

Rhaenyra clenched her jaw in irritation, not taking House Martell's second rejection well. Daemon read the message over her shoulder, amused at the words of Prince Qoren. Jacaerys hoped that his mother would give up the negotiations, but after the discussion they had weeks ago, he knew that she was going to do everything in her power to secure the deal with House Martell. 

"Calling us cravens for sending a raven..." Daemon sneered. "What, were they expecting us to march to Sunspear in person, just to deliver the message?"

"We are running out of time, my Queen. It's only a matter of weeks before Ser Tyland reaches the Free Cities if the winds are in their favour," Lady Mysaria said. 

"That is not all, my Queen," Maester Gerardys intervened, concerned. "Just as the King Consort predicted, we have just received various ravens from our allies reporting that they have sighted an alarming number of fleets departing from Lannisport and Oldtown a fortnight ago."

The Queen breathed in, feeling the pressure to make a decision as the enemy took another step. Reading Qoren Martell's letter one final time, she crumpled the parchment in her fist and turned to her council.

"Value actions over titles..." Rhaenyra muttered at the boldness of his words. "If what he desires are actions, that is what he shall get. Daemon, Jacaerys and I shall depart for Sunspear on the morrow on dragonback."

A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed the first part of this series. This chapter was basically the Targaryens and the Martells sending emails at each other lol. I don't wanna spoil anything but this story will kinda go from 0-100 hehe. Chapter 2 is like 90% finished, but still needs a lot of editing. Anyway, would you guys prefer if I have a regular updating schedule (once a week), or if I just upload whenever a chapter is finished (obviously there will be times when I won't be able to update as much but I sometimes get random bursts of energy)? I would love to know what you think.

If you wish to be added to the taglist, please fill out this form for easier management.

Until next time ;)

[hearts-are-connected]

Dang it, I love this ship and I love the enemies to lovers trope. I get that a lot of people see them as a surrogate father and daughter relationship, but it feels like a been there/done that kinda thing.

As much as I love that trope, I'm also a little tired of it. There's only so much Last of Us style found family I take after seeing it for so many years.

The thing I love about VaultGhoul or Ghoulcy is the idea of Lucy breaking down of Cooper's walls while he helps build hers up.

Is he incredibly cruel to her and those around him in the first season? Yes, extremely

Does he need to chill out and find some of his humanity that's been buried under 200+ years of wasteland survival and bitterness? Yes

Who can bring that needed direction to his life while learning the ways of the new world she finds herself in? Lucy MacLean

I know that the canon ship of the show at this moment is Lucy and Maximus, and as much as I love him, I find the pairing obvious and kind of boring from a story telling perspective. I loved it on my first viewing, but upon re-watching the series, I wasn't as behind it as before. I see their relationship, kiss and all, as a kind of first fling for the both of them.

While it doesn't diminish the care they show one another, there's not a lot behind them as a couple. Now I know that some people might turn around to say how she and Cooper spent less time together than her and Max, but I guess the thing I look forward to is seeing what their relationship brings with the second season.

I feel like Max and Lucy will have a great friendship and I'm interested to see where the Brotherhood fits into their dynamic as well.

With Cooper though, I find his story so tragic, as it's supposed to be. He's your standard hardened survivor who only looks out for himself that's now stuck with the happy-go-lucky main character, however, she's not that character anymore by the end. She's still going to be the Lucy we love, but she's changed by the end. While not losing her compassion and some optimism, I think Cooper is going to bring out a harsher side to her as we saw when she bit off his finger.

I want to see her building up her walls and learning when to let them down. How to truly survive while still bringing her own energy to the wasteland and people around her. I want to see Cooper regaining some lost humanity while learning to truly care for another person again. To see the two of them as eventual equals in one another's eyes as they continue on their journey as reluctant allies.

I also want to say that I'm personally kind of tired of the 'age gap' argument. We have stories of teenagers falling in love with hundred year old vampires. So can we just drop the age gap thing?

As long as they're both consenting adults who understand what they're getting themselves into, who cares about an age gap.

Does it truly matter in the scheme of things when we're talking about a world with cryo-stasis and super mutants?

I personally don't think so.

I don't know if anyone will even bother reading this entire thing, and I know I went on a little long, but I wanted to write down my thoughts on the whole shipping situation with the Fallout TV show fandom at this moment.

I'm a VaultGhoul shipper and I can't wait to see where the second season takes our main trio of characters.

[leidensygdom]

The ways in which being asexual feels isolating

I've been pondering whether to post this or not, but I figured out I wanted to explain a bit of this experience.

So, I could go on a very long tangent on how being asexual is usually a lonely experience, and how much I've been otherized here and there- Specially in real life. How the same people that claimed to be queer (or allies) had been much weirder about my asexuality than they were about me being bi/pan or whatever.

But I think I wanna talk about how something like that bleeds in every aspect of socializing, even down to something like fandom. I stay away from fandom usually- I like to look at cool fanart and that's about it. I hate discourse, I hate drama, I hate reading people getting worked up because they're treating fanon as canon. But there's one thing I've noticed, over and over, that just sends me off my rails.

And it's how fandom tends to treat asexuality (or aromanticism). So, you get a character in some piece of media that explicitly, unequivocally, states they're either ace, aro, or both. "I do not have interest in a partner", "I don't desire to have sex nor do I enjoy the topic", whatever. And as an ace person, I do appreciate being able to see myself in media- There isn't many chases where something is established that bluntly.

Now, you decide you want to check some fanart for that. Fandoms have this tendency to make absolutely everything about shipping, even when the media they're basing it in does not revolve about that (and it's annoying, because a lot of times people aren't interested in the actual themes- It's all reduced to shipping). Suddenly, you notice people treating the aforementioned character as anything but aro or ace. It's all about shipping. "This person interacted with this other person in a way two friends would, but we gotta make this their entire personality now". Some people may instead go for "well, maybe the character is not having sex, but they're probably an absolute freak about it, studies it extensively, has encyclopedic knowledge about it-"

Now, there's of course sex-favourable aces, and that's completely valid, but it's already straying from what, canonically, the character had mentioned. Asexual or aromantic characters aren't really allowed to exist as themselves. People often see them as a blank slate to fill, to change, to fix. I could talk forever about how people react to real life aces like that. I've had people asking me incredibly invasive questions because they saw my lack of sexual attraction as something broken, something they could fix.

And I hate that! I think I'm allowed to say that I hate that! It's hard and unusual for media to cement an aro/ace character, because they're defined by the lack of interest for something, which is often hard to show. But when it does- No one seems to care. It's all shipping, it's all "well, he's gay in denial", "well, she's probably super repressed". If you took a canonically gay character and made them straight on a fanfic, you'd get angry people. Which is bound to happen when you erase representation that people identify with. But aro/ace characters are NOT even seen as queer, they're not even seen as "representation" by most people. You can erase that bit of it, put some god awful shipping on top, and people will applaud you. And it sucks!

I wish people would see being aro or ace as an identity worth respecting, not an identity that needs overwriting. It feels a bit too close to how people often treat aro/aces irl, and it sucks. It reeks of this sort of exclusionism, where "aro/aces are technically queer but it's queer lite at best, it's less interesting than being gay, and we kinda don't want them near us anyhow". Again, I've had far worse experiences about being ace than I have about not being straight.

Sorry if the post got long, but I hope this experience may at least resonate with other people who have been struggling with this, too. It has always felt just kind of lonely to be ace, and see how little people do even consider it an identity, even when it comes down to something like fandom.

[roosterforme]

In the Line of Duty | Rooster x Reader

Summary: During preparations for a dangerous mission, Bradley finds comfort in writing his thoughts down for his unborn child to eventually read. There's always a chance that he won't make it back, and his final plans involve safeguarding the most important item he brought on his deployment with him.

Warnings: Angst, deployment, pregnancy topics

Length: 2800 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Bradley was in the same tiny room with the same seven people for the nineteenth day in a row. He was sweating, too aware of his surroundings. He could hear Reuben breathing next to him. He could hear Admiral Turner's wristwatch counting off every second. He could hear the plans being laid out, but he could barely focus on them.

"The political climate is rapidly changing," the admiral said. "This bombing run is essential, however it will undoubtedly lead to a hostile environment for our allies. Getting the timing just right is essential to a successful mission."

He'd been telling the aviators the same things for days, and while Bradley knew somebody's best interest was at heart, he wasn't really sure it was his. Or Reuben's. Or anybody's in this fucking claustrophobic room. But what choice did he have but to sit here in his flight suit, reeking of jet fuel until he was released?

"Also," Admiral Turner said, his voice laced with exhaustion, "we'll be keeping a close watch on the weather. If you fly this mission, it's going to be a rough takeoff and an even rougher landing. And that's not even mentioning the elements you'll encounter in the air."

Bradley could feel it. The aircraft carrier was a massive vessel, nothing like a cruise ship or anything smaller. It was built to withstand typhoons and hurricanes, but he could still feel it. The movement was getting worse by the hour now. There were deckhands and petty officers walking around with seasickness bags. People were running from the mess hall left and right. The only thing that could be said of this small group of aviators in this tiny ass room was that professional fighter pilots had all traces of motion sickness eliminated from their bodies during flight training, never to be heard from again. He wasn't uncomfortable, but he could still feel it.

"And with that final precaution, I've made my selection for the three pilots who will fly when I say it's time to go." Bradley knew it in his bones even before he heard the admiral say, "Vandal. Patches. Rooster. Everyone else will remain on standby. You're all dismissed."

As he stood, Reuben stuck his fist out. "Congrats, man," he said, and Bradley reached out as well to bump fists. Being chosen was an accomplishment; Bradley always wanted to be chosen. He always wanted to perform to the best of his ability. But his thoughts were so heavy now, filled with new hopes and fears. 

"Thanks, Payback," he replied, following his friend from the room and into the noisy reprieve of the cool hallway. There were people rushing around as the two of them made their way to the mess hall. "But if I have to sit in that room for another day, I'm going to lose my mind."

Reuben laughed as he started to load a tray with food. "I love how the weather is too bad for us to do any training runs, but in the same sentence, we're told to be ready to fly a mission in this. It's like they're steering us right into the worst of the storm."

They were. Bradley could tell they were. There was something strategic about the open water location, but they were absolutely heading into the worst of it. He just hoped it would clear up before he was called out on deck to fly. 

"It's a good thing I haven't barfed in a Super Hornet since that very first time," he said, also piling food that he knew would taste like cardboard onto a plate.

"This shit sucks," Reuben muttered, biting into a roll once they reached an empty table. "We got any more of your wife's cookies back in the bunk?"

Bradley smiled as he looked at the questionable meal in front of him. "A few." He bit into the steak and grimaced. Everything you cooked at home was better than this. He'd trade his whole plate of food right now for half of a grilled cheese sandwich made by your hands. Just thinking about it had his stomach growling louder. "You already ate most of them."

Reuben popped another roll into his mouth and chewed it up before saying, "Rooster, you've got a hot lieutenant commander who can cook for a wife. And a baby on the way. Come on, man. The least you can do is spare some more of those cookies."

Once he let his thoughts drift, Bradley knew it would take hours to get focused on his job again, but he couldn't help it. When he left home, you looked the same as you always did. You'd been complaining about your weight gain and bloating for weeks, but you looked just perfect to him. He wanted to get back home to see if you had a bump yet. He wanted to get home and talk to the Nugget. But he'd already been gone for three weeks, and he hadn't been given a single chance to call or FaceTime with you. 

He hated having no idea how your most recent doctor's appointment went. There were probably new ultrasound photos sitting right on the kitchen counter, but it could be weeks before he got to see how much the Nugget grew since last time. He should be a home, catering to your every whim and building the massive jungle gym for the backyard.

"Are you excited?" Reuben asked, breaking through his thoughts. "You've got what, like five more months to go before you're a dad?"

"One hundred and eighty-six days until the due date," Bradley replied with a grin. "And yeah, I'm pretty fucking excited. It's all I can think about." He tried to finish all of the food, but he set his plate aside and said, "Let's go eat some of those cookies."

An hour later, Bradley was sitting in his bunk, nibbling on the rationed baked goods while Reuben snored across the room. He took this opportunity to get out the pink and blue striped notebook which he affectionately referred to as the Nugget notebook. He'd filled half of it with his musings, and he figured it would be full by your due date. It was silly, just his random thoughts and some sporadic story telling, but he liked the idea of his kid having all of this to look at later. He uncapped his pen, jotted down the date, and started writing what was on his mind. 

You'll never guess where I am right now. No really. It would be impossible, because even I don't really know where I am! But it's somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, I know that for sure. And while I'm really, really far away from you and your mom right now, the two of you are all I can think about....

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

The weather was so bad a few days later that the gym was closed. Bradley and Reuben stood in front of the locked door in their gym clothes looking at each other. 

"This is fucking wild," Bradley muttered, deprived of the only activity he could think of to keep himself busy. The hallways were pretty empty at this time of night, but everything still felt more deserted than usual. The dining menus had been pared down, presumably because half of the kitchen staff was too seasick to make everything. He was starting to feel anxious. "Let's go workout in the bunk and then finish the cookies."

"Sounds good," Reuben replied. They took turns churning out sets of fifty push ups while the other ate a cookie. They did this until they were both sweating and all of the cookies were officially gone.

"Now what the fuck are we supposed to do?" Bradley asked, but any response was cut off by a knocking on the door. He jumped up, glanced at Reuben, and then opened the door for a petty officer. 

"Bradshaw?"

"Yeah?"

"You requested a FaceTime call? Report to the lounge in thirty minutes."

"Thanks," he said, heart beating wildly as he closed the door. He rushed around the room, grinning and grabbing everything he'd need to take a quick shower.

Reuben just laughed and said, "Please thank her again for the cookies."

"Will do," Bradley replied, making a mad dash for the showers. If he did the math correctly, he figured it was between four and five o'clock in the morning back home in San Diego. He hated calling you in the middle of the night, especially when you were pregnant and exhausted, but he knew you'd forgive him. And he desperately needed to see your face and hear your voice.

His hair was still damp when he jogged along the quiet corridors toward the lounge and took a seat in front of one of the computers. He quickly entered his credentials followed by your phone number, and then he waited and waited. "Shit," he muttered, gripping the edge of the table, afraid the call was going to ring through and then cut off. But then he heard you screech his name and saw you as you reached for your glasses while the light from the lamp on your nightstand illuminated your face. 

"Bradley!" you practically screamed again, your voice scratchy from sleep. "Roo! Are you okay?"

"Hey, Baby Girl," he said, feeling calmer than he had in weeks as you juggled your phone around and tried to sit up fully in bed. "I'm fine. Sorry it's so late."

"No, no, no, this is perfect!" you insisted, rubbing your eye behind your glasses as you tried to stifle a yawn. "This is great."

Bradley laughed and said, "I miss you so fucking much. Wish I was in bed right there with you."

"Me too," you insisted, and he could see the sincerity on your face. "It got chilly here tonight, and Tramp isn't as snuggly as you are."

He wanted to kiss you. He wished he could somehow dive through the screen and end up next to you where you'd pull him right into your arms. His voice was just a whisper as he said, "Tell me about the Nugget."

Your smile was soft, and you bit your lip. "Dr. Morris said the Nugget looked great when I was there two weeks ago."

"Two weeks ago," he groaned, rubbing his rough hands along his face. "Sweetheart... I already missed so much." When he looked at the screen again, you were out of bed and on the move. "Where are you going?"

You flipped on the hallway light and said, "To get the ultrasounds to show you. I left them on the kitchen counter."

The fact that he knew that's where they would be made him smile. When you propped your phone up next to the stove and turned on the light, he felt tears stinging his eyes. You held up one of the photos so he could see the baby, and he had to blink past his blurry vision. "There's my Nugget," he said, voice thick with emotion as you held up a second image. "Fucking cutest baby I've ever seen."

Your laughter sounded beautiful as you showed him a third one. "I liked this one the best. I think it looks like the baby is waving hello."

"Shit," he gasped. "You're right. I can't wait to wallpaper our bedroom with copies of these."

You pulled the baby picture away, and he could see your face again as you said, "You're probably not even joking."

"I'm definitely not even joking."

You leaned on the counter and got a little closer to your phone as you said, "Another week or so, and I can go in for an anatomy scan."

Now Bradley felt like crying for a totally different reason. "You get to find out if the Nugget is a boy or a girl."

"Yeah," you said with a nod. "But I don't really want to do that without you there too."

Bradley looked at your beautiful face and the perfect curve of your cheek. He imagined a little baby in your arms with the same flawless features. "I wish I could get home in time to hold your hand and find out in person. But you know I don't care one way or the other. The only nice thing is that we can start narrowing down baby names soon. I actually wrote down a few that I kind of like in the Nugget notebook earlier."

Your smile was brilliant as you told him, "I can't wait to read all of your notebook entries. And if you're not home for my next appointment, I'll be practically vibrating with anticipation until I get to tell you if it's a boy Nugget or a girl Nugget."

Bradley opened his mouth to say he couldn't wait to come home and spend a full day curled up with both of you. He was about to ask you to pull his UVA shirt up and let him see what your belly looked like now. But the lounge door swung open so hard, it sounded like it was going to fall off the hinges.

"Bradshaw!" barked Admiral Turner. "It's time. Get into your flight suit."

"Yes, Sir," he said before glancing back down to see your face as you started to cry.

"You have to go," you sobbed.

"I do," he said quickly. "Right now. Listen, I love you. More than anything. You and the baby both, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too," you sobbed as your lips trembled. "So much."

"I'll be home soon," he promised, even though he knew he couldn't guarantee anything of the sort. "I love you."

After he ended the call, he ran back to the bunk where Reuben was already in his flight suit and pulling on his boots. It was late enough now that it had to be dark outside, so he was either about to fly another mission without the use of one of his senses, or they were sending him out at first light. Either way, he knew what he had to do, so he pulled his own flight suit on with shaky hands.

The call with you had calmed his nerves right up until the point when he had to abruptly end it. What he wouldn't give to be back home within a week. He'd drive you to the appointment in his Bronco and hold your hand the whole time. Dr. Morris would let you know if he was going to be the dad to a daughter or a son. His little Nugget.

"You ready?" Reuben asked as Bradley finished lacing up his boots. 

He looked up at his friend as he stood. "Actually, no," he said, pulling his duffle out from under his bed. He started rooting through it as he said, "I need you to potentially do me a favor."

"Sure," Reuben replied, "but we gotta get to the meeting room now, Rooster."

"I know," he mumbled in response as his hands connected with the most important thing he had with him. He held up the pink and blue notebook, his voice calm in spite of his nerves as he said, "Just real quick, you see this? I need you to take this back to my wife if anything happens to me."

His friend was silent for a beat before he said, "Alright. I can do that."

Bradley's fingers tightened around the spiral binding holding together all of his thoughts about fatherhood and how much he loved his unborn child. And now his voice shook a bit as he said, "This is very important to me."

Reuben nodded and said, "Understood. I promise I'll take care of it if the need arises."

"Thank you." Bradley kissed the striped cover and propped the notebook up against his pillow, giving it one last look before he followed Reuben from the bunk.

At first light, Bradley made his way out onto the carrier deck through the rain and whistling wind. The mission was on. The weather was miserable, but the plethora of Naval officers deemed this the best opportunity they were going to get to help their allies. 

It was time. Time for Bradley to trust himself. And if he failed, he trusted Reuben to take the notebook back to San Diego and get it into the hands of his wife. Then you'd take care of the notebook for the Nugget. Because if there was one person who was never going to let him down, it was you.

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

I can't deal with how much I've been hurting my own feelings with these two. Should we start a new series? Would that be okay? A tragic, new series? Thank you for reading about and loving them! Please stay tuned. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

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[utilitycaster]

I like that the Raven Queen, who made the decision to take on an immense and (at least to her understanding at the time) unending responsibility is the one who calls Bells Hells out on their endless indecision.

It's been...interesting, shall we say, tracking this "party of NPCs," and tracking the fandom response throughout. The initial reception to "party of NPCs" was actually a rather cold one. This took place early in the campaign, prior to the Gnarlrock fight, and at the time a lot of people who shipped Imogen and Laudna were actually extremely resistant to the idea that Imogen was the "main character" of the campaign (as seen in the fallout from the gnarlrock fight, in which the bulk of attacks from the fandom were on Imogen). I've had complicated feelings on Taliesin's reads of this campaign specifically - he tends to have a very good understanding of his own characters that doesn't necessarily expand beyond them - but that phrase was indeed pretty valid. I think about the WBN interludes, in fact, in which the cast plays using NPC statblocks, and what a true party of NPCs for Bells Hells would look like, since it would be quite simple to draw up.

Allied NPCs in TTRPGs rarely act without guidance from the PCs. I've cast a critical eye in the past towards certain meta (particularly romantic in nature, regarding Yeza or Essek or Gilmore not making moves) for this reason, because while villains and antagonists move throughout the world generating obstacles, allies exist to be directed. They have their limits, of course; they have their own priorities and motivations and cannot be persuaded against their nature, but they can be guided at oblique angles from the GMs initial intent given enough work from the PCs. They're still people with thoughts and feelings and dreams, to an extent, but rarely do they make decisions that would conflict with those of the PCs.

That's the problem with a party of NPCs. NPCs take direction. They serve as support, but they're not in the driver's seat. And the Raven Queen has noticed.

The attitude within the fandom towards "Party of NPCs" became far more positive over time, and I wonder if it should have. People began to lean perhaps too heavily on how Bells Hells were people from nothing and nowhere, discarded. This is of course objectively false when comparing across parties (can we really say Imogen had a worse childhood than Vex? Chetney to Caleb? Even Ashton to Fjord?) but were it true, that in and of itself wouldn't be a problem. D&D backstories are often tear-stained and blood-soaked, full of unjust accusations, dead or neglectful parents, failure and regret. D&D is a game about coming from very little but a disproportionately good stat block for a commoner. It is unavoidably about amassing power. Starting off as a party of NPCs is fine. You should not still be a party of NPCs at the endgame.

I mentioned the gnarlrock, and I've mentioned an emphasis (or overemphasis) on this party's lack of agency and I think that remains the problem. Ludinus's villainy is rich, complex, and multifaceted, but a consistent element of it is his eternal false insistence that he - Martinet, founder and head of the Cerberus Assembly, Archmage - is just a little guy, chaff in the wind of the will of the gods, without free will of his own (he says, as he places his thread outside the reach of the Matron). That too is a theme in fandom discourse: free will and intent. Is Imogen justified in being angry at Laudna for breaking the rock if that wasn't Laudna's intent? (yes.) Is Orym on a quest of vengeance, with a death wish? (no, but if he were it wouldn't matter.) Was it wrong to pressure Fearne to take the shard instead of letting her make her own choices? (yes.)

Did any of you, perhaps in preschool or kindergarten, since that's about the age when this happens, have someone pull your hair and for adults to say "it's because they like you?" I find this is a good way to convey the importance, or unimportance, or intent. Because when your hair is being pulled, at least if that is the extent of the problem, it doesn't matter if it comes from the misguided affections of a four-year-old admirer who doesn't know how to use their words, or a six-year-old who just grabbed the most obvious material with which to test the limits of the safety scissors, or an eleven-year-old bully. Your hair is being pulled and you want it to stop. It doesn't matter if the person secretly likes you or if they want to hurt you; it matters that no matter the intent behind it, they are doing so. And if you reject the affections of your fellow preschool classmate because you think they might pull your hair, that's a fair consequence.

Bells Hells' indecision is some sort of cosmic hair pulling. They have reasons for faltering, and some of those reasons are understandable balking at an immense weight placed upon them and some of those reasons come from a deeply self-centered place in which their individual pain is used to blot out the suffering of countless others. But in the end, even that doesn't matter. Their histories don't matter. We don't need another series of introductions of where they come from and what they've done. We need people who can make decisions and who will act.

The Raven Queen seems to have been convinced they will. I'm not sure. But I think we are in agreement that inaction is, regardless of the intent behind it, no different than active harm. It would be irresponsible to continue to be a party of NPCs; if they truly are lost and forgotten fuck-ups, they have a responsibility (as the god of death once did) to abdicate and find a replacement.

[goingsunnythousandmerry]

I'm always a slut for Law x readers... literally and metaphorically 😂

Honestly we would all love anything you write, they're all perfect 👌

Law X Strawhat Pirate Reader

On the way to Dressrosa...

Authors Note: As you requested some Law x reader. Hope you enjoy!

MDNI. Law Smut. friends to lovers i guess?

Like, comment, request below. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks for reading, friends!

Warnings: MDNI, oral (f/receiving), Vaginal penetration, sexual tension, fluff, NSFW, Public sex?, getting caught in the act, praise kink, i do not own these characters, railing/pounding

Summary: You, a member of the Strawhat Pirates, had met Trafalgar Law at Sabaody Archipelago two years ago. You had wandered off from the crew to explore the island on your own and bumped into him in a coffee shop. The two of you chatted awhile, mostly about medicine, but a bit about your adventures. Later that day, you ran back into him, and he saved you during the battle at the auction house. 2 years later, You and your crew bumped into him in the New World and formed an alliance with him at Punk Hazard. You were paired with him for a large portion of your time at Punk Hazard. You even chose to spend some of your down time after escaping the lab facility catching up with him. Now, after leaving Punk Hazard, you, your crewmates, Kinemon, Momonosuke, and Law, headed for Dressrosa to take on Doflamingo. The only issue, you found Law insanely attractive, had developed feelings for him, and were now headed for another adventure with him in your new found alliance.

You stood against the railing of the top deck of the Sunny and stared out at the ocean. Your hair billowed in the wind  behind you. You listened to the antics of your crew as your crewmates gave Law (who they were now calling “Traffy” thanks to your captain) Kinemon, and Momo a tour of the ship. You laughed as you heard Law get angry at Luffy’s suggested changes to his plans for Dressrosa. 

Your hands gripped tighter to the railing as you stared more intensely at the sparkling waves of the ocean before you. You took a deep inhale of the salty air and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. Your thoughts turned to wondering what else the New World could hold for you and your crew as you looked to take on another Warlord and beyond to an Emperor of the Sea. It had already begun with an unlikely ally. An ally, you couldn’t help, but feel butterflies around. His hat had changed and something else was different about him too. He was more serious than he had been on the other side of the Red Line. This mission, something about it, seemed extremely personal to him.

Law, was so mysterious. Why was he without his crew? Why was he willing to ask for help? Why your crew? Why had the thought of his tattooed fingers been stuck in your mind for 2 years? Why could you not stop thinking about his dark messy hair that stuck out from his furry cap and his yellow-gray eyes? Footsteps began to approach from behind you, but you were too lost in your thoughts to notice.

“Y/N.” Law called as he stopped behind you.

“Hmm…?” You asked as you quickly swung your head around to look at him.

Noticing who it was, you stepped back from the rail to turn your body to face him. The dark circles under his eyes were very prominent. His expression was blank as he stared at you. A soft smile formed across your lips as you grabbed the railing behind you.

“Heard you signed up for guard duty tonight, mind if I join you?” He questioned.

“Oh, uh, sure.” 

He nodded at you, then began to walk away. You took a deep breath hesitating before deciding to speak again. The rest of your crew found your mother hen nature charming, annoying, but charming, they were thankful for it. You weren’t sure how a guest would handle it.

“Law.” You started to call. “How long has it been since you got some rest?”

“A few days, I’m fine.” He replied as a breath visibly caught in his chest.

You took a step towards him. The deck creaked beneath your feet causing Law’s body to stiffen. You looked up at the sky hesitating about your actions. 

“Maybe Law’s crew never encouraged him to get rest, or maybe without them, there was no one to encourage him.” You thought to yourself as you returned your gaze to him stopped in his tracks.

“Law, you look exhausted, you should head to the men's dorm and try to take a nap.”

“I’m fine. Besides, You guys have spent one day in the New World and that room already smells like ass. I wouldn’t be able to sleep there. This crew is so loud I don’t know how any of you get any rest.” He replied.

“Law…” You hesitated again. “What if I could get Nami and Robin to stay out of the girls' dorm? Think you could get some rest there? I promise it doesn’t smell like ass. You could use my bed and I could ask the crew to steer clear of the area for a few hours. I just… I just want everyone at their best for tomorrow.”

“Fine.” He said as he looked back over his shoulder at you, then walked away towards the main deck. You watched him go and returned your gaze to the ocean for a brief moment.

“Okay great, but where are you going to nap before guard duty, you idiot?” You said to yourself with a sigh. “Once again your putting others before yourself has got you into a jam… Oh well. It’s Law’s plan, he needs the rest more than I do.” 

You walked down the steps of the top deck to the main deck in search of Nami and Robin. You found them sitting at a table sipping specialty drinks from Sanji. They also agreed to help keep the rest of the crew away from that part of the ship. Nami laughed deviously when you asked and charged you a ridiculous amount of berries. Robin had smiled suspiciously while you and Nami haggled. Ultimately, both agreed to stay out of the girls dorm for a few hours. They also both agreed to babysit the rest of the crew and keep them away from that part of the ship, so Traffy could rest. You thanked them, but found Robin a bit too encouraging when she sent you off to go find Traffy. You warned the rest of your crewmates of Traffy napping and asked them not to disturb him. They agreed, then returned to their shenanigans. 

You found Law, as you preferred to refer to him, back on the top deck of the ship. He was looking out at the ocean lost in thought. You smiled at how peaceful he looked, but it faded as you noticed the intense expression on his face. His elbows rested on the ship's rail as he leaned over it. He looked like he was carrying a tremendous burden he wasn’t sharing. You trusted him, you felt like at this point, now in an alliance with him, you could call him a friend. Would he go that far? Probably not, but you and your captain trusted Law. 

“Law.” You called.

“-tch”. You heard his lips escape, as his jaw tightened and he broke out of his train of thought.

He stood up tall and turned to face you. His arms rested wide on the rails beside him. His body remained tense as his gaze met yours. A smile grew across your lips as he looked at you.

“Come on, the crew isn’t going to bug you. I’ll show you where you can get some rest for a few hours.”

“Fine.” He replied, letting go of the rails.

You walked towards the girls dormitory and he followed. Nami smiled at you devilishly from across the ship as you walked past her. You rolled your eyes at her and continued forward. Law didn’t say anything as you walked. You reached the door of the girls dorm and grabbed the handle.

“Here we are. Hopefully, you can sleep here a few hours, or at least close your eyes for a bit.” You said as you opened the door. 

You flipped on the lights revealing a room with three beds, a pink one, a purple one, and a blue one. In Between each bed was a small side table. Next to the purple bed were books, next to the pink bed were a mixture of trinkets and books, and next to the blue bed there were trinkets, a book, and a beat up journal. Yours was the bed with the puffy blue comforter against the furthest wall. Atop it lay a soft plush blanket and several pillows of varying plumpness. You walked towards it and pointed.

“This one's mine. Feel free to use any of the pillows or blankets or throw anything off.”

Law sat down on the bed and put his finger tips together. He looked down at his feet on the floor and rested his sword against the table next to the bed. 

“I would’ve guessed this one was yours. Thanks.” He said flatly.

He didn’t look you in the eye to thank you. You were giving up your rest before your next adventure and he hadn’t even looked at you. Sure you could’ve tried to nap somewhere else on the ship, but you were a light sleeper and Law was right, this crew was loud. You couldn’t believe you considered him cute. At that moment, you were beyond angry at yourself. You gave him a half smile and turned around to head for the door. 

“Y/N.” Law called out to you.

“Yeah?”” You asked as you turned back mid-step to face him.

“You’re on guard duty tonight, where are you going to sleep beforehand?” He questioned as he looked you in the eye.

“I don’t need to rest, I’m good. You look exhausted, Law, get some rest, please.” You begged.

“You need rest too, things in Dressrosa aren’t going to be easy…” He said as his gaze looked back down at the floor in front of him.

“A nap does sound great.” You said with a yawn. “I’ll find somewhere else. Unless… well it is my bed… or I can probably crash on...” You started as you nervously raised a hand to the back of your head and shifted in place.

“Fine.” He replied.

You stood wide eyed staring at him as he sat up straighter on your bed and peeled his sweater off. You hadn’t realized his chest was tattooed. You felt butterflies in your stomach swirl faster and faster. Your cheeks heated up as a pink hue fell across them. You tried to close your mouth, but all you could do was watch as he peeled back the covers and scooted to the far side of the bed. He faced the far wall and laid on his side, his back to you. You turned to close the door and gulped hard. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath as you flipped off the lights and kicked off your shoes. Hesitantly, you made your way toward your bed where the attractive man laid. Your hand shaking slightly, you lifted the covers and climbed in next to him. 

You were wearing a cropped t-shirt and short-shorts that you had changed into after leaving the cold side of Punk Hazard. Suddenly, your clothes felt very small as electricity tingled between the space of your two bodies on the bed. You felt far from him and yet, so close. Your heartbeat quickened as your thoughts raced. You wanted to scoot closer to him, but knew he was here to nap, not to frolic in your fantasies. You couldn’t help, but think about it though, the feeling of his skin against yours. You quietly gulped as you turned from your back, to lay on your side, facing the door, and away from Law. You shifted a bit against your pillow and tried to get comfortable. You’d never slept beside someone like this before. It was intimate and meaningless to him, you were sure. You tucked your ponytail up and away from your neck and you shut your eyes. The deafening silence filled the air as you tried to clear your mind and drift off to sleep. Then, the mattress squeaked as Law turned to lay on his side, now facing you. Your eyes flicked open, chest froze mid-rise. 

Your heart began to race again. Every inch between you felt too far. You took a deep breath and sat up a bit to fluff your pillow. You couldn’t take it, it was like a magnet was pulling you to him. You used the pillow fluffing as an opportunity to scoot your body further into the bed towards Law. Your back still to him, you shimmied your lower back and rear end in front of him. His arm was laying on the mattress near your lower back. The two of you weren’t touching, but you could feel the weight of his arm sunken into the mattress behind you. A small shift or the adjustment of his hand and you would be touching. You were being driven mad by the sparks flying between your bodies at the need to be connected. Having just moved, you were too afraid to scoot closer. You closed your eyes again and pretended to try to sleep. Hoping, he would close the gap between you or you’d fall asleep and the need to be closer to him would disappear.

 A few minutes passed in silence. Then, the weight of the mattress shifted behind you once more causing your heart to race. Lightning shot through your body as the side of his hand and his pinky adjusted to lay against your lower back. Your breath caught in your chest and a smile grew across your cheeks. You shifted your hips backwards, closer to his. His fingertips slowly slid up your back causing fireworks to shoot through your body as his entire hand moved to rest upon your waist. You took a deep breath, then turned your head over your shoulder and looked for him in the dark.

Law raised his head from his pillow as you turned. Your eyes met. The bed squeaked as you rolled entirely on your back to look up at him. Your shoulder against his chest, his head towering over you, his hand had moved from your hip closest to him to the one farthest from him. His soft and chapped lips found yours in the darkness. They were gentle and unsure at first. Your hands left the bed and wrapped around his neck, finding his dark locks to twirl into. His kiss began to build  passionately as you parted your lips allowing your tongues to intertwine. 

His Death tattooed fingers flipped the hem of your shirt as they wandered across your waist. You pulled him deeper into the kiss as his hands traveled further up your shirt. His thumbs gently brushed and toyed at the base of your breasts, before fully being enveloped and squeezed by his large thin hands. His lips never stopped their dance with yours as his hands slid from under your shirt back to your waist. In one quick motion, Law pulled you onto himself on the bed. Your legs straddled his pelvis as he pulled away from your kiss with a nibble at your lower lip. A string of saliva still attaching you to one another, he laid his head on the pillow behind him. You panted as you stared at one another in the darkness.

“Y/N. Do you want to..?” He muttered between pants.

“Yes.” You said as you attacked his lips with yours again.

His hands wrapped around your neck and jaw, pulling you deeper into his kiss. Your fingers intertwined with his hair. As you continued to kiss, his fingers traced down your body to the hem of your t-shirt. Your lips parted as he pulled your shirt over your head. His lips moved to nibble at your ear lobe. You moaned against his cheek as his hands slid up your spine to find the clasp of your bra. Your hands fell from his hair to his chest, where you began studying his toned muscles with your fingertips. Your mouth moved to his ear as he planted kisses down your neck.

“Traffy, I’ve wanted you since that cafe.” You whispered in his ear.

You felt a smile form across his lips, as he kissed the tops of your breasts, just above your bra cups. His hands met in the middle of your back and undid the clasp to your bra. You lifted your arms from his chest as he pulled it down your arms. Your breasts softly bounced as they were released from their fabric holder.

“Had I known that, I would’ve taken you there on a table or at the auction house.” He said as his slight grin flattened.

You sat up allowing him to admire the site of your bare chest. His eyes widened and his tattooed fingers lifted from his sides to play with your breasts and thumb at your nipples. He paused his play to pull your waist closer to him. While one hand held your waist, he kissed and nibbled his way down your collar bone to your breasts. You moaned as he bit at your sensitive buds. Your hands fingered through his dark locks as he licked at your buds. After another nibble of your nipple, Law grabbed your waist and fell backwards on the bed. He pulled you further on top of him. 

His lips found yours once more. His hands roaming your waist and chest, you sat up on your hands. You let one of your hands trace down his chiseled chest until it found the zipper of his spotted jeans. You rubbed his hardening member through the fabric. His hands traveled from your chest to your waist where he fingered at the waistline of your shorts. You unzipped his jeans, pulling away from his kiss as you did. You rolled off of him a moment, to pull off your shorts and panties and tossed them on the floor beside the bed. Law pulled off his jeans and briefs and threw them in the same direction of yours.

Once both fully undressed, you rolled back on top of him, straddling your naked hips against his. He pulled the blanket over your waists and brought your lips back to his. Your hands over his shoulders, pinning him to the bed, his hands exploring your body. His hardened length poking into your abdomen. 

A loud noise came from outside the door and suddenly, the door to the girls dormitory swung open and a beam of light filled the room. Luffy barrel rolled in, landing on his head with his back facing you. Usop followed closely behind Luffy and gasped as he stood in the doorway. Blood spurted out of Usop’s nose and his jaw hung open. You gasped as your lips pulled from Law’s and your head turned to the ruckus at the doorway. Nami and Robin appeared at the doorway behind Usop as you looked on. Their expression was confused as they looked at Usop. Once they looked through the doorway they smiled. Law’s teeth clenched and he growled. Your breasts were blocked by your arms and Law had fortunately just covered your naked waists. Your crew couldn’t see everything, but they knew what was up.

In one fluid motion, Law rolled you off him and sat up. Protecting your naked form by sitting up in front of you. You gripped onto his waist and scooted closer to him, hoping his body was fully covering you. Law’s hand rested on your waist behind him, keeping you in place.

“Strawhat!” Law yelled.

Luffy turned his head to look at you and Law. A big grin formed on his face. His expression was innocent. You closed your eyes and blushed.

“Hey Traffy! Hey Y/N! Heard you were taking a nap, sorry to interrupt. Usop and I were playing tag and well… I thought I could hide in here and trick him by pretending I was taking a nap too.” Luffy said as he rubbed his head and looked at the clothes laying next to the bed. “Wait… why are your clothes on the floor?” Luffy asked.

“Luffy, I told you to stay away from here! Leave Y/N and Traffy alone. They are strategizing about how to take down Doflamingo.” Nami said.

Nami walked into the room and grabbed Luffy by the ear. Usop continued to stand frozen in the doorway. Robin smiled as Nami dragged Luffy by the ear back to the entrance of the room. You gripped Law tighter hoping it would help recenter him and keep him from getting out of bed to kill Luffy and the rest of your crewmates.

“Ow Ow Ow!” Luffy screamed. 

“Strategizing?” Robin questioned with a soft laugh as her hand raised to her mouth.

“Hey what’s all the ruckus?” Franky questioned as he appeared in the doorway behind Nami, Luffy, Robin, and Usop.

Franky blushed and his eyes widened. Luffy sat at Nami’s feet clawing at her hand. As you looked on in horror, Zoro and Sanji appeared behind the group at the door. Zoro looked in the door and closed his eye, as he did a smirk grew on his face. Sanji looked in the doorway and blood shot out of his nose as he saw your clothes on the floor. His eyes filled with rage as he looked up to see Traffy. Law’s body tensed against yours as he looked on at the group in the doorway.

“Can’t a guy take a nap in peace around here?!” Law yelled.

Nami and the rest laughed.

“Good for you Traffy, you could use some stress relief.” Zoro said.

“TRAFFY! We leave you alone to nap and this is what you do?! Y/N-SWAN!...” Sanji started to yell, but was interrupted by Nami’s fist hitting him in the head.

“Well I think it’s super. Sorry we interrupted.” Franky replied.

“Come on boys. Shows over.” Robin said as she pulled Usop and Zoro from the doorway.

Nami dragged Sanji and Luffy away from the room. Franky gave a thumbs up and shut the door. You sighed and put your forehead against Law’s back. He panted as he stared at the closed door.

“I’m going to kill them. Every last one.” Law said sternly.

“Law it’s fine. Thankfully it wasn’t all of them and they didn’t see anything.” You replied with a sigh.

“How can you be so calm about this, how do you survive with this band of lunatics?”

You laughed as you placed your chin on his shoulder and traced the tattoos on his arm. Law’s hand moved to your thigh. He continued to stare at the doorway as you started to kiss his shoulder. 

“The good news is, now we can be as loud as we want.” You replied with a chuckle as you stopped kissing his arm to give him a cheesy grin. “I would like to get back to strategizing.”

Law looked over his shoulder at you and a small grin formed on his face. Law turned and grabbed your wrists, lying you back against the mattress, and pinning you to the bed. Your breath caught in your chest as you looked up at him. A large grin formed on his face.

“Want me to fuck you loud enough for your whole crew to hear… you naughty girl… I think that can be arranged.” 

Law pressed his lips against briefly.  His lips then began interspersing kisses and bites down your body. Some were soft and other bites were hard, you knew the hard ones would leave a mark. Law certainly didn’t care anymore, the crew already knew what was going on, now he was laying claim to you. He pulled the blanket over his head as his kisses and bites traveled down your abdomen to your hips. At your hips, he paused, adjusting to nestle his head between your thighs. His lips slowly brushed against your inner thighs. He occasionally bit down as his lips trailed from your mid-thigh to your core. At your core, he brought his lips close and let you feel his warm breath upon your wet folds. His teasing made your hips buck with need. Then, he lifted the cover from over his head, and his golden eyes met yours. 

Law grabbed your legs and tossed them over his shoulders. Your knees bent over his arms, causing your feet to rest on the bed. Law rested his head at your entrance, you felt a shiver run up your spine as Law let out another exhale at your entrance. He grinned as he gazed up at you. Your pants grew longer as you stared at him sitting in front of your entrance. Your hands gripped the sheets beneath you as you watched Law lick his lips.

“So needy for me and so wet all for me.  What a good girl.” Law praised. “Maybe you deserve a reward?” Law questioned.

“Yes.” You replied weekly.

You nodded aggressively. Your tits bounced as you did His eyes remained locked on yours as his tongue finally swiped at your entrance. Your legs tightened over his shoulders at the feeling of his tongue against you. One of your hands lifted from the sheet beneath you to reach for his hair. He laughed against your folds as your finger began clutching at his dark messy locks. His tongue trailed up your folds and swiped at your clit. Your feet came together behind Law’s head as he started drawing shapes with his tongue against your clit. 

“Law.”

His arms clenched harder around your thighs as he pulled your hips closer to his lips. His tongue trailed back to your entrance doing a few swipes up and down your slick folds before entering you. His tongue entered you,  exploring your depths as you clenched around him. Your hips bucked against his face, resulting in Law gripping your thighs tighter still. His tongue dove deeper into you before returning to dance upon your g-spot. You moaned as you felt ecstasy begin to build in your stomach. Both your hands tangled in Law’s hair as your hips tried to fight his hold.

“Law. I’m close.” You moaned.

Law removed his tongue from your folds, placing a kiss upon them as he did. His eyes met yours as you started to pant harder and harder. His lips moved to your clit, he kissed it gently, then sucked and batted at it with his tongue. You moaned needily as  Law returned to taking vertical licks between your folds ending with swipes upon your clit. After a few of these he fervently began to suck and swipe at your clit, sending you over the edge.

“LAWWW.” You screamed loudly as your pelvis bucked against his face and fingers clenched tighter in his hair.

Your juices dripped out of your entrance and Law greedily lapped them up. You panted hard, closing your eyes as you came down from your high. Your fingers loosened their grip in Law’s hair as you tried to catch your breath. You stroked his head as he planted kisses back up your belly and chest until he reached your lips. As he moved up your skin your fingers fell from his head to his back. Once face to face with you, he tenderly kissed you and gently rested one hand upon your waist and the other next to your head, on the bed. You lazily opened your eyes and looked at him as he pulled his lips from yours. 

“Such a good girl for me.” Law whispered.

Your hands slid down his back to the hardened member that now rested against your abdomen. You stroked up and down his member a few times, stopping to thumb at his tip that was covered in pre-cum. He grunted as you did. 

“Need to feel you inside me.” You said as your eyes darted from his length to his golden/gray eyes.

“So needy for me.” Law praised. 

Law removed his length from your grasp and lowered it to your entrance. With one hand still above your head, his gaze locked on your eyes. His other hand rubbed his length up and down your folds. As it moved, you started to pant, your feet slid your hips wider across the mattress, waiting for him to enter you. You moaned as Law began to tease your entrance with pressure from his tip. You tightened your grip on his back as he gently pushed into you. Law started to pant as clenched around his length. Once you relaxed, he began to push further into you. You closed your eyes tightly as he pushed further and further into you, he was big, so it was a lot at first, but he paused between pushes to allow you to adjust. Once fully in you, your walls clenched around him and his teeth clenched at the sweet sensation. 

“You okay, Y/N?” Law asked.

“Yeah. I’ve never felt this full. Feels good.” You replied as your hips squirmed under him wanting to feel more.. 

You nodded as your eyes flicked open to meet his gaze. His lips sloppily slammed against yours as he began thrusting in and out of you. Law’s lips trailed to nibble at your ear, causing you to moan as his thrusting pace quickened. 

“So tight for me. You take me so well.” 

“Law.” You moaned as his lips moved to catch your nipple between his teeth. 

Your hands clawed at his back as he got on his knees and lifted your hips with his tattooed hands. Your hips bucked as Law continued to thrust into you, the new position allowing Law’s length to dive deeper into you. You started to drool and your eyes rolled back in your head as Law pounded you harder. Another pound and you clenched around him, feeling his length twitch within your walls. Your hand reaches down to your belly to feel Law’s length deep inside you as he dove into you again. You moaned as you felt the heat building in your belly once again.

“Law going to…”

“Me too. Just hang on. Almost there.”

“LAWW...” You moaned with a gulp.

Law pounded into you faster and harder than before. The bed shook against the wall as you took him. You reached for the headboard behind you and held on for dear life. You moaned loudly, not afraid of who heard you because you were near ecstasy.

“Law!” You yelled, grip tightening around the headboard as your back arched.

“Now.” Law yelled through a grunt.

“LAWWWWW!” You moaned as he bottomed out in you.

Law slammed into you once more causing your heat to burst into ecstasy, your juices dripped down your thighs as he continued to pound into you through your climax. Your eyes hung half-lidded as he grunted and his length twitched harder within you. You clenched down again and felt a heat burst within your walls. He grunted through it.

“Y/N.” He moaned softly.

The two of you panted, bodies still interlocked. Law gently pulled his length from you and set your hips back on the bed. You reached for him and he fell on the bed next to you. You scooted across the bed closer to him until your nose rested beside his and your lips were parted between his, close, but not touching. With your hand on his chest, the two of you laid side by side trying to catch your breath. Once his heart stopped beating so fast, Law wrapped an arm around your waist and put his tattooed hand over the one that laid on his chest. Your eyes fluttered open and met his gray-gold orbs. 

“Hopefully, that will help you sleep.” You whispered breathily.

“Sleep? Oh yeah… guard duty tonight. Dressrosa tomorrow.” Law said. “I think Strawhat owes us another “nap” on guard duty tonight.”

“Agreed.” You replied with a smile. 

Law kissed you and pulled you deeper into his chest. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the top of yours. The two of you slowly drifted to sleep.

[medicinemane]

Hey listen, this is something important to me so I'm just gonna ask you to consider doing this

I just spent however long writing something custom (which I'll put after a read more) cause I actually had things I want to say, but you don't need to do that, they've got a preset message you can use if you want

I've been following this invasion since day 1, and I've been actually asking for exactly this for a while now... just with no one to say it to

If you've got questions about what this is even about, ask me

If you've got concerns, tell em to me, I got answers

I'm not asking you to just blindly do this (though I won't tell you no if you want to), this is important to me, I know a fair bit about the subject, I am more than happy to talk to you about it

You want the summary of things though, it's that russian planes bomb Ukrainian civilians (like just today there was a story about a literal playground being bombed, along with the usual apartments) and our current policies won't allow them to use US missiles to strike russian airfields (and NATO allies won't either because we basically get to make this call)

People are dying, changing this policy will help with that, that's why I'm asking you to ask the White House to change this

Anyway, what I wrote below the break

I am grateful for the supplemental aid package President Biden provided Ukraine in April, but restrictions on US weapons use against valid military targets in Russia is hampering Ukraine's ability to defend both it's military and civilians (and let's be blunt, NATO allies like the UK or Germany are not going to authorize their long range munitions to be used unless the US does, we clearly set the rules here)

I've been following this invasion since day 1, every day I check what's been happening in Ukraine. I've followed through the Kharkiv offensive, followed as NATO crossed "red line" after "red line" (Stingers were a red line, then tanks were a red line, and of course F-16s were a major red line… yet Russia never acted once we sent them), followed as Speaker Johnson delayed military aid for months with partisan politics, up to today where I continue to follow Ukraine (for instance just today a 14 year old girl was killed by Russian bombs, fired from planes that took off from airfields we refuse to let Ukraine fire upon)

I understand escalation management, I'm not oblivious to why this administration has taken a cautious course, but between permitting Ukraine to fire US short range munitions shortly after Russia's attempts to move towards Kharkiv (a good choice which blunted that offensive and, again, resulted in no reprisals aside from more attacks on Ukrainian civilians… which happen no matter what); as well as Ukraine's counter offensive into the Kursk region of Russia (which invasion of Russian territory is one of the places Russian doctrine explicitly allows the use of nuclear weapons… and yet… again, nothing), there's been a strong demonstration that the White House's hesitancy to permit the use of long range weapons only serves to get Ukrainian civilians killed

This isn't just my opinion as an American citizen either, the retired Gen. Ben Hodges has repeatedly called for this. Every time I listen to him speak these days without fail he says not to "shoot the arrows, but to shoot the archer", which he explicitly states that he means that striking Russian airbases deep in Russian territory with long range missiles like ATACMS is preferable by far to forcing Ukraine to attempt to intercept incoming drones, missiles, and guided bombs

Ukraine has show itself to be a clever and steadfast ally. They have done so much not only to defend themselves, but to also achieve a major win for US and NATO security, the weakening of Putin's Russia

Thanks to Ukraine, Russia's ability to wage war on NATO neighbors has been decimated, and Russia's geopolitical influence around the world has been severely decreased, and thanks to US and EU cooperation the EU's dependence on Russian gas has dropped to almost nothing. Yet nothing is set in stone, we aren't over the finish line and Ukraine still needs our support, and currently the single best piece of support we can offer is a simple policy change, to let Ukraine strike valid military targets in Russia

This war goes beyond securing Europe against the single greatest threat to them, Russia; our actions here will also strongly impact China and Taiwan in the coming years. There's no way that this administration isn't just as aware as I am (or likely more so) that China is paying very close attention to how we treat our allies… do we support them or leave them to invaders for fear of escalation?

We as NATO truthfully have done a middling job, oscillating between staunch support and then starving Ukraine of the resources and policies they need to win (often because of partisan politics in the US and EU from politicians who seem a little too friendly towards Putin, and far too disdainful for Ukraine)

It's time to finish strong. The past is past, we can't change it, but we get to choose who we are now. I want to be part of an America who stands up for freedom, who supports our allies, and who refuses to let Russia continue their attacks on civilians

Let Ukraine use our weapons on all military targets in Russia! The only range restriction I want in place is the range of the system in question. Let our ally use our military aid to decimate Russian airbases and Russian aircraft, which are the single greatest threat to Ukrainian civilians!

Do the right thing, do what military men like retired Gen. Ben Hodges keep asking this administration to. Every red line has been crossed, both by NATO and Ukraine and we've seen that Russia's most powerful weapon is their saber rattling

Had I known where to write, I would have written much sooner, but now that I know I'm tempted to write every week till this changes (though don't delay like that, every day puts more Ukrainian lives at our feet, our fault that these civilians were killed due to our failure to give the permission so desperately needed to destroy the aircraft killing them). This is a deeply important issue to me, and based off this administration's actions up till now I know that everyone must understand it's importance even beyond Ukraine (Iranian drones, North Korean artillery… this isn't happening in isolation)

I understand this policy comes from a place of good intentions, to keep the world from facing nuclear annihilation. This is the first war of it's kind with a nuclear power fighting it, I understand the caution… but regions of Kursk are controlled by Ukraine and Putin barely acknowledges it, or weapons were used to strike military targets in Belgorod in order to protect Kharkiv and they were only met with more empty bluster

Give Ukraine permission to strike military targets in Russia with our weapons

Razom For Ukraine has made a website to help people in the US contact their government to let them know that Ukraine should be able to strike back.

[callmelyc]

Keith leaving Lance with engagement rings hidden in their home thinking "I'll ask him when I get back"

Only...Keith's mission goes wrong. So wrong that everyone thinks he's dead, and lance? Well, he finds those rings

At first he's heartbroken over them. The delicate but intricately carved bands with blue and red gems. How pretty they look on his hand, how pretty they'd have been on Keiths–its too much to think about at first.

Then, that sorrow burns itself into rage. The audacity this man had to leave such a thing behind so poorly hidden! To have left them here while he himself is no longer. It pisses Lance off for the longest, yet none will see him a second without both bands on a chain round his neck.

The thing is, Lance never actually stops looking for Keith. None of them do even when all the evidence points to the worst case scenario and all the Garrison believe he's gone as well as their allies.

So Lance gathers himself. He marches right into that damned ship–the Atlas– and he makes himself a spot right at the top of the food chain bc he'll be damned if he's too low to search for his stupid fiance. He didn't ask for a position, didn't apply, didn't let the earth team think for even a second they could talk down to him. Lance simply made his place known and very apparent from day one.

Shiro supported him full throttle, as did the rest of his team, Vera, Adam and Curtis. Which made it all the easier.

Now, did Lance tell them he was doing this just to find Keith? No, but only because they'd throw him back into grief counseling and that's not at all what he needs right now.

Little does Lance know it's not him that finds Keith...it's Keith that finds Lance. And he does so by landing the worst he's ever had into the barracks of the Atlas, throwing himself through the halls and right into the meeting Lance was 10seconds away from arguing in.

He's point two second away from opening his mouth before he's got an arm full of Keith squishing the living daylights out of him. Lance is shaking from the emotions that overwhelm him in that moment. Tears running down his face of their own free will, his hands tremor as they come up to clutch onto Keith like a lifeline.

And through everything is a rush of relief at the knowledge he's alive

Keith alive! He's alive he's alive he's alive.

And when Keith pulls back just enough to rest their foreheads together he's stopped in his tracks because Keith is apologizing a million miles a minute but all lance can focus on is the sound of his voice. All up until Keith says those two magical words

"Marry me..."

It comes out so hopelessly breathless, so hopeful, so dreadfully delicate and that rage from before fires back full force.

"How dare you?!" He grits out, stepping back to point his finger right into Keith's chest "you go missing and leave rings for me to find in our house!"

"I–"

"Then! You get pronounced dead, have us all grive for you and think you can come in here and ask me to marry you?"

"Lance, I–"

"And you have the audacity to think I'd say anything but yes? To think I didn't already consider you my fiance?! My dead fiance?!"

"What the fuck did you want me to say then?!"

Lance flails his hands "literally anything else!"

"Well?!"

"Well what?!"

"Your response dip shit! I never actually got to ask you it's not my fault you found the rings!"

"It's not my fault you hid them so poorly!" Lance snaps and now they're back to being chest to chest, centimeters apart "yes."

Keith's face consorts, confused, and lance laughs "yes you idiot, I'll marry you...."

The sighs of relief are short lived as Lance declared Keith has to ask in an actual way now "the proper way Keith! I deserve that much"

And from now on? Keith's trackers are updated. He will never go missing again if Lance has anything to say about it, he's got a husband to keep track of afterall.

[leafyduckwebs]

Being a traveler multishipper is so fun because there's always something for any trope you want no matter what mood you're in.

Xiaother/Xiaolumi? They're so soft. Canonically they're very close friends who care for each other a lot. Xiao's pain lessens in the traveler's presence. He wants to protect them and tells them to call his name whenever they're in danger. He's so shy and afraid of hurting people, but attends events because of the traveler. He was ready to die to save them. They got him to write poetry. They're both old and hurting and in need of a break and so many hugs.

Scaraether/Scaralumi? He tried to kill them when they first met. He destroyed their friend's clan. He mocked Teppei's death and likely would've killed them if Miko didn't trade the gnosis. The traveler had to fight him 168 times before they were able to defeat him for real. They then became allies and held hands. When he erased himself, they freaked out and went out of their way to bring him back. They're still not friends, but they aren't as hostile to each other as before. The part of my brain that craves enemies-to-lovers eats this ship up.

Albether/Albelumi? When the traveler met Albedo, he instantly wanted to study them, and they let him. At the end of his story quest he makes it clear that he wants to rely on them (If one day, I lose control… destroy Mondstadt… destroy everything..Can I rely on you to stop me?) They looked at him and memorized his appearance enough to notice that susbedo was missing the gold star marking, and they didn't judge him for being a homunculus. They're so sweet to each other when they meet during events. He probably studies them off screen. I like to think that he made a bunch of portraits of them, too. He literally says that he's interested in them in his teapot voicelines. This ship opened my eyes to scientist x test subject.

[vershl]

Okay I think I made y'all wait long enough LOL

SORRY THEY'RE ALL UNCLOTHED BTW, I HAVENT FIGURED OUT OUTFITS YET- 💀

I don't really have a lot to share tbh in terms of lore/plans. This AU is very VERY fresh in my brain atm. But I will fill in some details for you guys so you somewhat/mostly understand the current characters I have for now.

---

Shadow

He is a red diamond (ultimate lifeform yada yada), and as stated, a "blood" diamond. I mean this somewhat in modern terms, but not entirely. In real life, diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to fund the costs, hence "blood". In this case; Shadow was created by the other diamonds (primarily white) as a weapon, the plan was to have a gem on equal footing in terms of strength and power that they could order around to do their bidding and do their dirty work.

Clearly, that didn't work out the way they wanted. Shadow pretended to be obedient, following white, and the other diamond's orders. He shattered other gems for whatever reason the diamonds deemed fit (among other things I haven't decided on yet), only doing so to avoid the risk of being deemed defective and shattered himself, or the gem being shattered regardless by someone else.. he at least knew he could give them a swift end without pain.

Once Shadow gained the diamonds trust to wander around as he pleased, the moment no one was looking, he stole a ship and left Homeworld. Going as far as he could into the universe until he found Mobius and crash landed there. It wasn't very long before Sonic found him, and eventually became allies, inviting Shadow into the Crystal Gems, to which he accepted, and chose the name 'Shadow'. He didn't want to be called 'Red' or 'Red Diamond' anymore. He was free now. (This is as far as I got with him, sorry y'all HAHA)

Sonic

Sonic is a yellow prism in the shape of an isotoxal star (the yellow is a nod to super Sonic). In my AU, because offical SU lore with gems is relatively limited, different colored gems even if of the same type, give different abilities/powers. In Sonic's case, yellow prisms give the ability of super speed, because of course, and he chose his name based on that fact as well.

Lore wise with Sonic-- He's the leader of the Crystal Gems (makes more sense considering the CG's signature symbol is a yellow star, so I just ran with that but changed the normal star to the isotoxal). But that's all I have for him.

the rest of these characters have 0 lore at all, i will just try to explain their gems a bit- sorry

Amy

Amy is a Mimetite, a heart stone which helps with emotional stability, inner balance, serenity, joy, and adventure (according to google). Because Amy is basically canonically that 'therapy' friend, mimetite fits perfectly with her personality. As you can see, there are only a few designs that have weapons currently, Amy's being obvious because it's her signature weapon and just works here in the AU as well.

Tails

Tails is a yellow peridot, it's obvious why, and I don't need to elaborate LOL. There isn't much different between peridot colors, it's more-so personality traits than abilities. Green peridots are quite egotistical and arrogant in themselves, while yellow peridots are more adventurous and selfless.

Knuckles

Sorry for his naked hands btw. Honestly, I don't think I have to explain why Knuckles is a garnet. It just tracks. (Reminder that in the show, Garnet isn't a real garnet, it's just what she decided to call herself. In this case, Knuckles IS a real garnet.) Is his signature gem weapon gauntlets/gloves, yes. Did I steal the idea from Garnet? Shut up. :] Besides, Knuckles needed his usual gloves somehow, and he fights by punching shit anyway, so why not? Star on the back of the gloves ofc for obvious reasons.

Rouge

GOD this stupid bat bitch, aaaanyway, ahem. In my AU beryls are information gatherers, either by stealing it or manipulating their way into obtaining it. Beryls are generally under diamond control and report back to their assigned diamond with information they demand for, obviously Rouge is part of the Crystal Gems, so she gathers information for them. And more often than not...is her usual self, and snoops around, digging up dirty secrets/information about her comrades and teases them to no end with it (Shadow being her favorite to torment for... reasons.)

Silver

I chose Silver to be a sapphire simply because of the fact that in the Sonic universe, he can time travel. So instead of time travel in this Steven Universe AU, he gets future vision. I mean it works, right?

Blaze

We can talk about her gem right.. right? It's really tasty and I want to eat it. So; opals are very, VERY rare (which fits with her whole being a princess thing or whatever). She was originally going to be a fire opal... that is until I found out about dragon's breath opals and changed my mind. Blaze is an absurdly rare gem, who knows, maybe even the only one of her cut. :]

Her gem gives her the ability to control fire as a weapon, and her unique cut gives her fire more power as well as makes the flames an unusual pinkish hue.

---

And that's everyone for now! I'm doing some little doodles that I might post a bit later on to compile together, but you can have the two I made of Shadow for now. eats him

[still-a-morosexual-help]

(romantic or platonic;)

Ok yes mammon x mc is amazing and has that ride or die best friends who are in love soulmate energy

But lucifer x mc is so...compelling???

Specially S1 om! & S1 nightbringer lucifer x mc

It's enemies to reluctant allies to friends to more

It's the straight laced grumpy one x the sunny chaotic one determined to annoy him to hell and back

It's "I don't trust you, hell sometimes I don't even like you, but I need you"

It's caring deeply about each other but being annoying about it because they're both in this stubborn competition to see who can go the longest without admitting they like the other

It's "we don't trust each other, we don't get along but we understand each other and we're working towards the same goal (keeping our family safe) so we have to work together" only to find out they work well together

It's "I'm going to push all your buttons but I'm also going to be so protective of you"

It's "no one has ever spoken to me like this and that's frustrating but interesting"

It's "the day has been long and taxing and we're tired but we're going to find each other, sit with each other in companionable silence, exist next to each other for a moment and rest our bones"

It's the formation of unconditional loyalty and devotion without either even realising it

It's bullying him into healthy self care

It's teaching them a skill, running them through drills over & over and being proud when they use it, when he sees how much they've grown

It's "I'll kill for you" & "I'll die for you" and it goes both ways

It's a little bit unhealthy but by god is it interesting and intriguing and by god do you want to see where it goes

It's literally all my favourite ship dynamics all squished together

Love mammon x mc to death, and they just make sense but lucifer x mc feels like something that was catered to fit all my shipping tastes

Edit:

the way i see lucifer & mc's relationship:

[polyamorousmood]

Okay so I'm super aro but also shaking hands with polyam people like YES technically in a way they're opposites (lack of romo love vs multiple romo loves) but like! We're all vibing in a denying ananormanitvity in our own ways! I adore y'all!!

Also shakes this blog around like a rag doll /affectionate positive etc

- Loveless aro who stares at your blog from time to time but has to stop because I smile to the point of my face being sore + WAYYY too emotional and cries sometimes aahzgzhs- In a good way to be clear!!

Also very less important thing but holds polyam ships very gently they're all so neat aough shakes them around /affectionate

YESSSSSS!

We are siblings-in-arms 🤝, we are friends🫂, we are partners in crime🦹, we are locking eyes and giving each other a single firm nod of understanding and comradery, we are allies fighting literally the same fight⚔️.

My rights to choose the family I want is the same as your right to choose the family you want. The more we say "any relationship can be as important as --or more important than!-- romance" the sillier it becomes to champion a single romantic connection as one's life purpose.

Our fates and our fingers are twined, my aro friend. We will lift the other up when one stumbles, and we trek to the brighter world together. 🫴 Take my hand

[iamnmbr3]

Can we do multiples for this? If so, #8 and #12 for Drarry please 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Sure!

8. Unpopular opinion about them

I am not a fan of drarry being depicted in canon universes as either 'cool masculine action hero harry'/'damsel in distress fragile draco' or 'sweet but kinda dumb and blundering harry'/'calm cool and collected ice prince draco' or 'enemies who still loathe and distrust each other postwar to very reluctant openly hostile allies to lovers.' All these dynamics are fine if you want to read/write them but the thing is...at least to me...they aren't drarry. And by reducing the characters to those dynamics you end up missing out on a lot of the nuance that makes the characters special and the ship interesting and you kinda flatten them into something pretty generic.

Contrary to popular fanon Harry is not dumb. He was supposed to be in Slytherin for a reason. He's very clever and observant and resourceful. And while he can be very kind and compassionate he also can be deadly when he needs to be and has a real temper that many people, even those close to him (though interestingly not Draco), can find intimidating at times. Draco also is a very good Occlumens and definitely matures a lot, but he's also not someone who is innately cold and dignified, much as he might wish to be. He's hot and firey and emotional too - just like Harry - but presents that in different ways. And yes in later books Draco often overcomes and masters his fears and emotions - because he has to - but it's not easy for him, and sometimes it all comes bursting out. And that makes him interesting and complex and human.

However Draco is also not a fragile damsel in distress. By the end of the series he is no longer the sheltered boy who once dramatically claimed to be "dying" because Buckbeak scratched him. He's been branded with the Dark Mark, been tortured by Voldemort himself, and used Unforgivables on others in turn - even if under duress. He's had to survive living with Voldemort and his followers in his house while he and his family were out of favor and virtually defenseless. He showed himself to be far more clever and resourceful than many would have given him credit for during book 6. In book 7 despite knowing intimately the terrible fate he was likely condemning himself and his family to if Harry & Co escaped, he didn't reveal the fact that he saw Ron & Harry had freed themselves from their bonds in the cell and didn't identify Harry and his friends, which bought them the time they needed to get away. He also held his own in a duel against Harry - who is extremely skilled - due to his quick reflexes, powerful magic, and strong ability to use nonverbal spells. Draco is tough and powerful in his own right, especially after the war and wouldn't just collapse into frightened hysterics at the slightest danger or find himself unable to fend off an angry group of younger students during 8th year.

He and Harry are equals and foils and parallels and opposites all at once. That's what makes their dynamic so interesting. They can stand up to each other and they never are afraid of each other - even when logic says they should be - and their skills and abilities and temperaments are extremely complimentary.

Also I love a good 'toxic dark bitterest of foes to lovers' fic but again, that doesn't feel like postwar drarry. They couldn't bring themselves to hate each other at the height of the war. Harry spent most of book 7 worrying about Draco. Draco risked everything for Harry at the Manor. They're not going to suddenly start a bitter feud after all the pressures pitting them against each other are gone. Postwar Draco would feel guilt and regret over his actions. And Harry, who lied for Draco after the Astronomy Tower Incident in book 6, is unlikely to suddenly decide he's angry Draco didn't end up in Azkaban. (Which is not to say he might not be suspicious of or curious about Draco's activities - but it wouldn't come from a place of hatred or openly vicious aggression.)

What's so fascinating and unique about this ship is that for all they are rivals and later enemies on the opposite sides of a war they don't hate and distrust each other the way you'd expect. Yes there's enmity and hostility. Yes they have to fight each other sometimes. But they also understand each other so deeply. And whenever one of them is actually in danger they always, always save each other.

It is this complex and contradictory relationship that makes them so interesting to me. And so unique compared to a lot of other ships and ship dynamics.

(I also wrote about an unpopular opinion for Draco here.)

12. Crack headcanon

There was a 7 year long 'will they or won't they' betting pool among an ever widening circle of students traumatized by having been subjected to their shenanigans.

Send me a character/ship from any fandom and a number.