#it astounds me that more people dont ship them!!!
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cyb00gie · 8 months ago
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caption can be about either one of them if you believe !!!!
higher-quality version with no caption :-)
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zan0tix · 2 years ago
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Do you have thoughts about Dirk and Jake's relationship in canon? I am not anti dirkjake but I do have a hard time understanding the ship and why it's so massively popular. /gen (I have not yet read the epilogues so I'm just working off of whats in the comic)
Oh boy. DO I. Im currently working on a powerpoint presentation thatll be a little guide/recap/compilation.. thing about them whilst im reading act 6 and ill post it whenever i finish rereading the comic and writing all my notes! It will go into all the little bits of dialogue about eachother or narrative ties to certain things and such and such. (Will probably post this some time in the next two months or three. no guarantees)
But! The portrayal of their relationship and who they are and their struggles felt so real to me and it constantly astounds me that theres a fictional character who accurately displayed my own struggles in such a sincere way i feel like im getting put on blast when people psychoanalyise jake english orz
Homestucks character writing and thematic paralleling are some of its best assets and dirkjake are FULL of some of homestucks greatest moments of both. I would say that this post from @/tomatograter goes more into detail about those said moments and also alot of the other reasons i like them! And what they said in this post was true!-
-Theres just so much you can explore in homestuck through their relationship and aaaguh i love it i love it and theyre so important to the overall narrative and its just so nice to see openly gay rep that is as realistic and honest as them in a story like homestuck.
Being a teenager myself coming of age stories are the stories i relate to and find captivating the most right now and i dont think ive seen another piece of media go about its teen characters the way homestuck did. Its got problems on the handling of said characters but i dont think ive read anything else as raw and honest about personal issues teens face growing up and how they affect relationships (of all kinds!) and dirkjake are a big part of that for me!
I dont really like majority of fanon interpretations of dirkjake i wont lie (alot of.. flanderisation and blatant mischaracterisation) i dont really keep track of fandom stuff or ship popularity i just like enjoying what i enjoy and drawing things and talking about it with friends haha
And i have not read the epilogues either! i know the gist of the events in each timeline and i read a couple chapters but that was like years ago at this point and i dont think i will ever attempt to read them or homestuck^2. Some of the ideas that were present couldve been interesting but i honestly have no interest in going anywhere near it from what ive read about it. It sounds like a total shitshow and its not required to enjoy homestuck proper anyway so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
But!! if youd like to hear more about dirkjake in canon id totally reccomend tomatograter's other posts on them!!! his analysis was the thing that made me Really interested homestuck and hehe im grateful because now im here. This post has alot more of his meta commentary about them and theyre all really interesting reads :D
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chigirisprincess · 1 year ago
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my thoughts on the aot finale down below. don't click if you dont want to be spoiled!
this was a beautifully harrowing finale. the animation and the cinematography was astounding. truly i was blown away. mappa truly outdid themselves with some of the sequences and absolutely nailed isayama's usage of shifting appearances depending on whos perspective we were seeing and how eren's personhood and identity matched the eren we meet in s1 and not the eren we meet in s4 (will elaborate further down). the music and voice acting were superb. the agony in their voices sent chills down my spine and armin's harrowed screams as he sees eren's decapitated head will forever haunt me.
now onto the actual plot. I loved the original scenes that were incorporated (that line up with the volume 35 cover imo). i think it was far more cohesive to show levi, gabi, falco, yelena, and onyankopon with the newly created encampments, planting trees, and helping rebuild the world beyond paradis. in my opinion it did not make sense to jump so far ahead to where the cities were rebuilt and it was frankly too idealistic when the scene before that was the peace ambassadors discussing the state of paradis. additionally, i really enjoyed seeing historia's life and more of post-war paradis. it is heartbreaking to see how lifeless she is as queen though it makes sense considering she has no real power and is a pawn. seeing her and her daughter together was sweet and i'm glad she at least has the farm and a family to go home to.
i know seeing hitch yawn during the yeagerists rally was meant to be comedic but it is really sort of sad if you think about it. she clearly has no interest in the new military but has stuck with them for her own personal safety. seeing sasha's family and niccolo give dirty looks was golden and perfectly surmises the hypocrisy of the new military. sasha's family lost sasha, they knew of pain and hardship, they knew all that sasha sacrificed as a scout and now paradis is being led by a group of bozos who have never actually engaged in combat? yeah they deserved more than dirty looks. it's actually very sweet though that niccolo stayed with them, whilst i don't like the ship, i think its a very beautiful display of found family.
whew okay. now ... the plot. i wish we could have seen the others (reiner, jean, connie, annie, levi (?)) speak with eren in paths. that disappointed me. i know it isn't as relevant as mikasa and armin with eren in paths however i feel there is so much missing and seeing what he said to them could have filled in those blanks. paradoxically, i am glad we didn't see anything more since fans are still confused and disappointed in eren's death even though i felt his speech with armin made it very clear. it was ymir the founder's will to do the rumbling, it was her twisted bastardization of freedom that forced eren to do what he did because she was attached to him and mikasa. this perversion of freedom took away eren's choice because he was bound by destiny no matter what he did, so he blames himself due to the anger he felt for marley (and the rest of the worlds) hatred for paradis, eldia, and eldian's. armin takes partial ownership of eren's mistake because of their share childhood dreams, he gave eren his first taste of freedom, showed him a world beyond the walls with no violence, and no one else so ergo, the disappointment he felt was due to armin. and while the semantics do not matter when it was ymir the founder who caused the rumbling, this moment was meant to show how deep eren and armin's love for one another goes. they will be together, always, even if that means meeting each other again in hell. they have done everything together, they have shaped each other since childhood, idea's and beliefs don't exist in a vacuum and if that means armin blaming himself too so that eren can rest peacefully, then he'll do it.
i think a lot of people don't realize at the end of the day eren was powerless to ymir's will. and that is the point of the show. you cannot fight destiny, and you cannot have want you want (eren wants to be free, live, and be with mikasa//he dies an unwilling soldier to ymir's will.) (mikasa wants a life with eren//he dies before they could truly ever begin something) (ymir wanted to build a real life with historia but she sacrificed herself because she was living on borrowed time anyway).
speaking of ymir. i love the parallels to armin that we see. they both recognize that they have stolen someone else's life and power. ymir didn't feel the guilt until she realized there were things worth living for and that marcel had so much to live for. armin, however, spends five years filled with such guilt over stealing bertholdt's live, power, memories, wants, desires etc. i thought this was interesting. i think the idea of living on borrowed time is also why eren was willing to sacrifice himself in spite of how badly he wanted to live. he didn't want anyone to be burdened with living on borrowed time (realizing this after he saved armin, however, he'd save armin over and over again because he loves him).
i became very emotional seeing connie and jean wrap their arms around one another as they become titans and then connie joking one last time saying, "it was all your fault jean we joined because of you" knowing that his drive would have always led him to the scouts anyway. i also loved that they kept reaffirming their identity as scouts, it was very heartfilled and shows that their beliefs will never die even after the regiment collapses. erwin and hange's wishes will never die because they will keep living and fighting to fulfil them (arguably they did fulfil them by killing eren and eradicating the titans however, its sort of unspoken that there was so much more to do but the torch needed to be passed for armin for that to happen). now onto their clothing. eren grows his hair out in s4 and begins to look a lot like his father. he used to have his mother's eye shape and in spite of having his fathers colouring, he was carla's son. he was never grisha's son, that was her boy not his. but as he aged he turned into his father. symbolically i would say its because he mirrored his fathers previous desires to rise against marley however i do think this change is occurred because eren didn't recognize himself. when he appears to mikasa in the cabin, his hair his short, his eyes are softer, and he's wearing the same kind of clothing he used to. he became himself once more, he became the person they both knew. mikasa wears the clothing she wore as a child and continued to wear even after eren died. i think this was done to symbolize that they will always be connected to one another because their are parts of them that will always belong to one another. later we see eren and armin as children again, they talk for a while and grow up together. this image is a strong one. i think it was done to remind the audience and armin that the eren he grew up with was still there, he just had to hide himself literally and figuratively. armin says he can't believe eren would say something so pathetic and it takes him a moment to remind himself that eren hasn't changed, he is still the idiot hot head he loved so dearly. and while they've both changed, and cannot go back to the boys they once were, those boys will always exist inside of them. and that is beautiful :( also! the fight against the titans ymir was controlling! i think that reaffirms that how the eldian's in a way are slaves to ymir's will. their titans and likeness are being manipulated to fight by ymir the founder while they exist in paths watching it happen and being unable to stop it. she makes them complicit in her crimes until zeke uses his royal blood to stop it. its a very interesting dynamic that i still need to think on. while i don't blame ymir for acting out it is very gut wrenching. all she knows is violence despite craving connection (hence how all eldian's are connected in paths). it was very touching seeing ymir, porco, marcel, eren kruger, grisha, and bertoldt fight alongside the scouts. pieck crying because poroco was fighting alongside her, god my heart melted. she hardly got to mourn him before having to fight against his likeness, feeling betrayed even though it wasn't him. in a way it was one last act of freedom.
oh ... and levi's face when he finally killed zeke. he spent five years waiting to avenge erwin, spent five years having to play nice, his body was torn apart because of zeke. finally killing zeke didn't make levi feel better, he knew it wasn't going to bring erwin back but it could have felt satisfying but it wasn't. it was sad, and unfulfilling not because zeke allowed it to happen but because senseless violence will never make grief go away.
overall i think while this was a very gut wrenching end, it was beautiful and there will always be something new to discuss about this show. i will never stop talking about how truly amazing aot is!!!! but i wish i could rewatch it again for the first time and have that same feeling of wonderment all over again.
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lizard-shifter-noms · 1 year ago
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Wayward Waters Chapter 9
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Hello everyone! Chapter 9!
time to explore more of the world!
this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.
have fun reading!
and as always Reblogs are appreciated! (Also ASK’s are open so feel free to bother me!)
AO3 Link for those that prefer the layout there;
AO3 Wayward waters
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After surely not enough hours of sleep I was woken up again, 
by Jamie once again having no regard for the stability of my spine and literally walking over me.
“Yo! Wake up! We managed to toast bread! If you're fast it might even not be soggy!”
With that they jumped off and walked out,  leaving the door open as I grumbled miserably into the pillow.
Maan i felt miserable, and not in the way that my body got battered around, instead just, plain miserable.
Instead of getting up I just continued to lay there, I didn't need to eat anyway and I didn't want to get potentially soggy bread again anyway.
After not getting up and instead moping miserably for what had to be at least an hour of just laying there and doing nothing, Akeem walked in through the door I hadn't even bothered to close after Jamie left.
“Are you alright? 
Jamie told me you were already awake but not doing anything”
I just turned my head away and grumbled into the pillow, not even words just sounds at this point.
I heard the wooden floor creak as Akeem walked next to me.
“Do you not feel well? Did you get seasick after all?”
I shook my head, still burying my face in the pillow.
“No, i just feel miserable, i don't wanna do anything today”
Apparently Akeem didn't care about that as I was picked up by the scruff and set back onto the bed in a sitting position.
“Things still have to be done even if you don't want to, imagine where we would be if we never did anything we didn't want to?
Now what's the reason you feel so down?”
“...dunno, i just feel miserable, maybe i need to get better sleep”
Akeem just stared at me, and for the first time since I set foot on the ship actually blinked.
“I do not think that is it, i remember when Yamet was new on the ship he also had a bout of ‘being miserable’ as it turned out he was simply homesick”
Homesick? The very fact I could get that was astounding,  but I wasn't really Missing Kamerasca itself.
“I- uh, I guess? Maybe? But to be honest i never really cared about Kamerasca aside from the fact i was living there”
“Ah it is not the place you miss but the people living there”
That would make more sense.
“Uh, well, yes? I miss my friends, and even some of the Guards from the castle, and i worry because i don't know if they're okay or not”
I had no way of knowing anything right now, 
not if they were okay or even still alive after the storm.
"I am sure that they're alright, they must worry about you just as much as you worry about them"
Fair point, and moping wouldn't help anyone so might as well get up.
"You're right, and laying on the bed all day won't do anything, is there any toast left?"
Akeem nodded and strangely enough actually blinked for once.
"There is, but it is cold by now"
Well that was still better than soggy 
"Fine by me, let's go before Imugi makes everything soggy again"
Akeem had already walked out the door, only stopping for a second. 
"I doubt she can squeeze her head into the kitchen, not that she hasn't tried"
Oh so this time they actually ate in the kitchen, why they didn't do that sooner was beyond me though. 
I followed Akeem to the kitchen and he handed me a piece of cold toast that I ate in a few bites.
Meanwhile I noticed that the windows had a bunch of scratches around it, a new one being added as Imugi’s beak nibbled on the wood.
More of her didn't fit anyway.
Akeem grabbed the intruding beak and shoved it out so he could close the window. 
"We ought to get a better window lock in here, 
Imugi will chew on the wood if she doesn't get a treat,  But we can't give her one as we don't to reward that sort of behaviour but she keeps doing it”
Looking at the beak marks in the wood I did have to agree with him, though a Sea monster like Imugi probably liked the smell.
“Good luck, or try putting something in here she doesn't like”
Maybe if she saw something she wasn't fond of she'd stop chewing on the ship.
“The only thing i know that she does not like is Dolphins,  and we are not putting that in the kitchen”
Fair, also the bread really was starting to get stale,  no wonder they tried to toast it.
“Mhm, that would take up like half the kitchen anyway,  how far till we reach the Island you mentioned?”
Akeem motioned for me to follow him to the deck, which I did, still munching on the stale Toast.
Not like I hadn't eaten worse as a bastard street rat.
Up on the deck I could see that the sail was bunched up at the top and that a very old looking anchor was tossed over the side of the boat.
We were still in the middle of the ocean though, why did we stop?
Confusedly I turned to Akeem who had gotten some sort of ladder and rope from who knew where.
“We are stopping here for a few hours so Imugi can properly rest, there even is some seagrass for her to sleep in this reef”
Oh, right, in the hurry to get Home as fast as possible Imugi probably hadn't gotten all that much sleep.
Poor thing, and now I felt guilty.
Akeem tossed me a towel as well as Shorts that seemed to be made out of a weird silk like substance.
“Wh-”
“Those are specifically made for swimming, since Imugi has to rest you might as well enjoy the ocean for once”
Ah, that made sense, probably?
Before I could say anything else Akeem had tossed the Rope which appeared to have a weight at one end overboard and jumped after it.
Considering he was stone he didn't resurface,  but he also didn't have lungs so he couldn't drown.
Oh so the rope was that he could climb out later, smart.
Taking a look at the swimming shorts again, I decided to join Akeem.
Not like we could go anywhere with Imugi sleeping.
Going inside the ship again for a short moment I changed into the shorts Akeem had given me, they mostly fit at least even if they had to be tightly bound together at the waist with a string.
Putting my clothes in the empty box next to the door I walked over the deck again and looked over the railing.
Huh, the water didn't seem that deep here, and there were corals and fish.
A Reef then, and judging by the looks of it a big one.
Suddenly I was glad that this ship wasn't all that big,  and had a serpent maneuvering it.
With the way the rocks were positioned everywhere they could very well cut open a boat.
Being so absorbed in watching the reef under the boat that I didn't notice a figure sneaking up behind me.
Well I didn't notice until my arm got grabbed by a clawed foot.
“What's up you wuss!? Scared of the water?”
Came the cheerful voice from a blue clad maniac right into my left ear.
“Jamie! You don't have to be so loud! I'm not deaf, though,   keep yelling and I might be, also I'm not scared of the water! 
I wanted to see if i could spot Akeem or something cool”
“The water itself is cool enough already, also aren't those Ronan’s?”
They pointed at the swim shorts Akeem had given me.
Oh so those belonged to Ronan, hopefully he didn't mind.
“Akeem gave them to me, also considering you never seem to get out of that Blue sweater you're not gonna swim at all”
They shrugged.
“My legs are so fucking inefficient at treading water that i really should just stay on the boat unless i want to sink after five minutes.
Really though, with how thin my legs are i need to move them so fast to not go under it sucks”
Huh, hadn't considered that, of course thin, almost stilt like legs with thin toes would not help with swimming.
“So I guess you're just gonna have an eye on the ship then? Nice of you.
“You gonna swim or not? Also, don't you ever take that Bracelet off?”
The bracelet? Well, Since I had gotten it the only time I took it off was when I met Oakley.
“Not really, just like you and that blue sweater, also I am going to swim! I just didn't want to jump into a jellyfish or whatever!”
With that i swung myself over the railing and landed with a splash in the water below.
Fuck! As a human the salt stung terribly in my eyes,  which made me realize that I did not have that Problem as Ardua.
Strange, well that demanded to be tested!
Twisting the gem it was barely a second later that instead of a two legged man a big and green beast emerged.
Carefully opening one eye under water it really didn't sting anymore!
Though everything was still blurred by the water.
How weird! But also useful! 
And as Ardua swimming was faster too, the broad paws apparently not only good for digging in dirt.
Now that my life wasn't in danger or anything else needed to be done swimming through the reef was actually fun!
There were lots of fish and coral!
And swimming on the opposite side of the Boat was where Imugi had made a temporary nest out of seagrass.
It looked like actual grass just under water, it was moving slowly with the gentle waves, well at least the parts Imugi wasn't using as Mattress.
Imugi herself was sleeping on the seagrass so I left her alone and instead went to see if I could find Akeem.
Considering he was stone he had to be walking on the ocean floor.
That sounded kinda awesome actually.
Getting a deep breath of air I dived down again, seeing something blue and yellow dart past me.
Turning my head I saw it was Imik, who had ditched his shirt and revealed that his entire torso was dotted with blue scales that had yellow spots in some parts.
On his back there was also a thin and short fin which fit with his webbed hands and feet.
I briefly wondered what type of Merling he was, 
considering he had no fishtail it definitely wasn't merman.
Needing fresh air I resurfaced, Imik following right behind.
“Hey! Nice to see you swimming! Why'd you change back to the green form? Just because it's got bigger lungs?”
Bigger lungs? Hadn't thought about that but he was correct.
“Well i found out saltwater doesn't sting my eyes like this, 
also less risk of having some fish bite me while i'm fuzzy”
Imik laughed at that.
“Fair! Hey, I think I spotted a shipwreck that got washed up in a cave!”
A shipwreck? Well that sounded interesting!
“Really? Where? I've never seen one!”
“I'll show you! I think i'll need your help anyway cuz i want to explore it!
And if something goes wrong you could probably just smash it!”
Ah, there was the unhinged in his case.
“Uh, sure, where is it? I'll follow you, but i'm not a fast swimmer”
Imik nodded and then darted forward a few meters,  waiting for me to catch up.
That pattern repeated until he led me to a deeper part of the reef with weird rock formations.
They looked like natural long columns had fallen over to create some sort of irregular net pattern over sandy grooves.
Kinda pretty still, especially with the coral.
“Okay see that one groove that's bigger and deeper than the others? 
The ship is in the cave to the side of it!
Oh and don't forget to check the time while you dive! 
You don't have gills!”
With that he dived down, leaving me to follow.
Taking a deep breath I dived down after him,  seeing the cave he mentioned and swimming inside.
Luckily the cave entrance was very large,  which it had to be considering an entire ship fit through.
The floor was sandy and the small gaps in the stone roof let plenty of light in, almost like the pattern leaves made on a sunny day.
Huh, pretty.
Swimming around a bit I caught sight of Imik waving at me and pointing at the side of the old looking wooden ship, making a punching motion.
He really did want me to hit the thing huh?
Considering he was a treasure diver it was no surprise he wanted an easy way in.
Not knowing if that even worked underwater I swam to the sandy bottom right next to it and tried to get a good stance.
Considering it was sand it was rather ineffective but I managed to punch a good sized hole in the wall anyway.
Then I had a better idea and started ripping entire boards away so I could get a look inside too.
There were crates, and the ship had another hole on the bottom where some sand covered stone was visible.
No wonder that thing sank!
Getting low on air I motioned to Imik that I was heading out,  who in turn nodded and swam into the wreck.
No doubt he'd examine the crates for any treasure.
On the way out I saw a piece of wood stick out of the sand, looking like the corner of a crate.
Eh, I still had enough air for that.
Making a slight detour I hooked a claw into the crate and pulled it out of the sand.
Well, half of it, the crate was already broken and then spilled its contents.
The crate had contained a variety of shiny gold coins and some jewelry with gems, though not much, and-
My brain stopped for a second,  not comprehending what I saw for a moment.
What the hell?
There in the sand was another Bracelet,  though this one possessed Blue gems instead of green ones.
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It was currently human sized so hooking it onto a claw didn't work,  and I didn't dare shift as I was currently holding my breath.
So taking it into my mouth was probably the only way to take it with me right now, even though it would give me a mouthful of sand as well.
Grimacing, I swam closer and opened my mouth above it, 
taking the Bracelet, and a ton of sand as expected, into my mouth.
Tilting my head down I let as much of the sand trickle out as possible.
Despite that there still was some stuck in my teeth as I swam out of the cave and back to the surface.
Breaching the water I swam closer to the ship,  the Bracelet still in my mouth as the Ardua lacked opposable thumbs.
Nearing the ship, and the ladder they had put out to get back up,  I tried to put the bracelet on one of the steps of the ladder.
That proved to be stupidly difficult as doing that with my mouth was challenging, not to mention the ladder swayed with the waves.
“Need help kitty cat?”
I glanced up to see Jamie perch on the railing next to the ladder.
I gave them a deadpan stare before nodding.
They ignored gravity and instead used their claws to walk on the side of the ship,  stretching one bird-like leg out and then walking on top of my snout.
“I'm guessing whatever you got is bigger than your human mouth and you can't shift?”
Instead of nodding, which I couldn't do as Jamie was literally standing on my head and I didn't want to throw them off, I gave an affirmative huff.
They nodded and used their claws to grip tightly to my snout, leaning over the side and fishing for the bracelet.
First off, Ouch those claws hurt, secondly i could feel them find the Bracelet and yank it out, immediately jumping back on the boat.
“Hey this looks like yours!, well almost it's more blue”
I twisted the gem and climbed up the ladder, seeing Jamie inspect the outer side of the bracelet.
“I think it might be something similar, no idea what it was doing in the shipwreck though, also you shouldn't wear it”
They tossed it to me and I barely managed to catch it.
“Why?
Also if Imik found the ship he's gonna want all the treasure out of it”
I looked at the bracelet and compared it to the one I had,  they looked pretty much the same aside from some scratches and the different gems.
“Oakley told me that people can only wear this if some weird gene got passed down, apparently everybody else just dies”
“Well that's stupid, I want to be tall too!”
They hopped from the railing on my shoulders, making me feel the sharp claws again but this time also the full weight of them.
They were pretty light at least.
“I believe that, but i don't think you should test it, i have no idea How you would die, it might curse you or some shit”
They looked pretty disappointed and jumped to the ground.
“Well you better put it somewhere safe then,  I'm sure we got an empty lockable box for you somewhere.
Hey what do you think would happen if Akeem wore it? 
He's stone, he doesn't have Genes!”
That was certainly a thought.
“Not willing to risk that, he seems the only one with common sense here, but i gladly take the box”
Jamie seemed disappointed but still showed me one of the lockable boxes on the deck, though this one was literally just a hatch in the wall with a small hollow space behind it.
It didn't stand out at all, perfect!
Stowing the new bracelet away I turned to the ladder once more,  hearing someone climb up.
Judging by the yellow mess it was Imik,  and he was carrying a bunch of gold coins.
“Look what i found! We can repair the kitchen window Imugi chewed on now! And there's more! Akeem is putting everything in bags right now!”
Oh so they did find the gold, nice.
“Want me to help? I can carry a lot more at once than you do”
Imik looked up from where he was shoving treasure into a chute I had previously overlooked.
“Sure! That's gonna be one fast treasure hunt!
Oh and you'll get some of it too! For helping!”
With that he Jumped back in,  and not wanting to lose sight and not find the cave anymore, 
I jumped over the railing after him, turning back into the Ardua form.
Imik was pretty fast at swimming but I managed to see where he dived into the cave again, and after taking a deep breath went after him again.
Akeem was indeed walking along the bottom of the sea, just like one would on land,  and was neatly tying up some bags and crates into nets with rope.
When he saw me he waved and used even more rope to tie a big sling, attaching every bag he could before holding out the sling to me.
Oh smart! Without thumbs I couldn't hold it, and I needed my limbs to swim anyway so that I could just carry the rope with my teeth.
Gently gripping the rope he held out, and trying not to bite it,  I turned around and swam out of the weird cave again.
Pretty heavy though, they must have found lots of good stuff in there.
Resurfacing I quickly realized they did not have their crane anymore, how would all this stuff get on the ship?
Imik breached the water shortly after me, apparently coming to the same realization.
“Ah fuck, were missing equipment, well if we do manage to get the gold up there we can use it to get a new crane at least”
Great, but how to get it on the deck now?
Suddenly Even more rope was tossed straight onto my head.
Jamie, of course.
“Yo fuckers! If you tie it to that we can use the winch of the second anchor to tow it up here!”
Well, that could work.
I tried to keep steady as Imik tied a variety of complicated looking knots to secure everything before climbing up the ladder and helping Jamie with the winch.
Not sure if i could let go now or not i just stayed as i was, hearing both of them work to use the winch.
After not too long there was a tug and the weirdly packaged treasure was heaved out and halfway onto the deck.
Swimming back to the ladder I changed back to the more human form so I could climb it before immediately switching back to the Ardua form as soon as I was on the deck.
I walked over to where they struggled to heave the mishmash of rope and treasure onto the boat and leaned over the railing.
Grabbing the tied together chaos I dragged it completely onto the deck, hearing at least two of the crew cheer at that.
“HEAVE HO KITTY CAT! HAHA”
At least one was Jamie.
Shaking the water out of my fur like a dog,  and drenching all of them again, I shifted back.
After shifting i immediately got a stick thrown at my head and turning around it was Jamie,  who due to me shaking the water out had gotten wet after all.
“Dumbass!”
“Sorry, forgot”
They let out an annoyed chirp and walked up the mast,  wringing the blue sweater out as they went.
Imik had meanwhile detangled the winch from the crate mess and tied another rope to it instead.
Oh right, Akeem was still underwater and due to being a statue couldn't swim upwards.
“Should I shift again and drag him up?”
“Nah, not sure if the Boat likes that, but you can help pull since Ronan is distracted, well he shouldn't anyway with the injuries”
Fair, so I grabbed part of the rope and helped Imik to drag Akeem up from the ocean floor.
It wasn't that bad until Akeem was actually heaved out of the water and still had some meters to go to get him on the deck.
Apparently him being out of the water made him heavier?
Whatever, letting go now would undo all the work we had to get him up, not to mention embarrassing.
Powering through it he was on the deck pretty fast and I could literally watch as the water just flowed off him till he was mostly dry.
Living statues were weird.
“Thank you for your help, without the crane getting me out is quite difficult”
Before I could respond a big blue head with a bony beak bonked into the railing, making whistling and chirping sounds.
Ronan immediately appeared from who knew where and hugged Imugi.
“Imugi! Hey there! Have a nice nap?”
The Sea Serpent click-whistled in response and gummed on his hair.
Despite being gently gnawed on Ronan immediately went to coddle her as she clicked happily.
“Hey what's in those crates? 
Did you go diving after Jamie knocked me out?”
Jamie knocked him out? Was that a good idea? He was still injured.
Then again he had been walking around and doing stuff when he shouldn't, so maybe it wasn't that bad? 
Aside from the possible brain damage.
Though according to Jamie he didn't have a brain to damage anyway.
Also Imugi was careful with him,  only gumming on his head instead of his bandaged limbs so at least she wouldn't open any of the strange electric burn marks.
Imik immediately interjected the inane nonsense though.
“If Imugi is fit again maybe we should go back on route? 
The treasure is nice and all and we're gonna have to use most of it to get a new crane but we really should aim for the harbor now!”
Imugi stopped gumming on Ronan’s head and made a clicking sound at Imik before diving into the water again.
The two of them walked to the front of the ship,  probably to toss the towing gear to Imugi again,  leaving me on deck with a living statue trying to sort the rope and crate chaos and a bird legged maniac that sat up in their nest and apparently had no desire to help.
Well to be fair they seemed to basically never use their hands and i doubted untying rope could be done with those stick thin bird legs.
There was a tug on the boat that confirmed that Imugi was back to towing the boat.
Not really knowing what to do now I went over to Akeem and started helping to untie the ropes from the mess of crates,  and earning, what was probably? An affirming look.
It was hard to tell considering his eyes were made out of some orange gemstone but he seemed to appreciate it and started instructing me on what to do.
After not too long Imik came back and helped until everything was untied, and promptly started to drag the crates to the door at the back of the ship.
Oh right, he was stowing the treasure he found there.
Helping to move the heavier crates the day went by fast until the sky, and ocean, was painted a purple and magenta shade by the setting sun.
Apparently time went faster if you had something to do, huh.
Suddenly I got a piece of stale bread tossed at me,  just barely managing to catch it before it fell on the floor.
The one that had thrown it was Jamie, who seemed to have lost all respect for gravity and was standing sidewards on the mast.
“Good catch!”
Jamie Immediately got whacked by Imik.
“Don't throw food like that! Especially on a boat!”
I did have to agree with Imik on that, it seemed rather wasteful, especially if i hadn't caught it.
While I bit into the stale bread the two started squabbling again,  with one of Jamie's bird claws straight up gripping Imiks face.
Apparently that happened a lot so I ignored it and sat next to Ronan on the stairs to the top part of the deck.
“How many times does that happen?” Ronan shrugged, and then winced as his skin moved the bandages.
“No idea, stopped counting, but they never do it for real and like this Jamie doesn't go after me for dumb stuff at least”
“Fair, but you really do dumb stuff sometimes”
Ronan grinned sheepishly and tugged at his own ear.
“I know, but sometimes i get excited about new stuff and then forget the stuff around me”
Well that sounded familiar.
“I know someone with a similar issue,  he keeps spacing out and not paying attention to things that don't interest him, his name is Robin and he's my best friend”
Fuck how i missed all of them, i couldn't wait to get to the Harbor and then home.
“Your best friend? What's he like? Oh and does he have any tips on how to deal with the scatter brainedness?” “i don't think so, as for what he's like, well first off he's ginger” That earned a laugh from Ronan.
“As for what he's like, hmm, well he's the first person to not just see some street bastard halfbreed.
My mother died eight years ago and since then he was the first to be nice to me, for no reason too.
Our meeting was, uhh, Chaotic and he would have had every reason to hate me and fear me but after a bit he didn't.
He loves plants and the Cat that walks around the garden. 
He randomly helps the people near us out even if he doesn't get anything for it.
He loves to make flower crowns for people, 
He even tries to match the colors of them too.
Also he's easily excitable and can hyperfocus on things he likes”
“Sounds like a good guy, maybe if we visit your place, Kamerasca was it? One day we could throw a big party and let everyone meet!”
A big Party to introduce everyone to each other, huh.
“Sure, why not? You gotta keep an eye out for Nea then,  she can, and will, throw someone out a window, 
I'm also pretty sure she already did that at least once.
But i think that would be fun, i don't think Rikaad would mind, 
and Arthur won't either as long as he doesn't have to go on a Boat”
Ronan smiled widely,  showing off his fangs that were a little smaller than mine.
“Sounds like a plan then! 
Wait, who are Rikaad and Arthur? More friends?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, they are Rikaad kinda owns the place we live at and Arthur had really bad Motion sickness”
“Ouh motion sickness sucks, I got it once, Imugi grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me at high speed through the water,  making lots of curves all the while! 
I nearly puked!”
Just hearing that was horrifying.
“Yeah that sounds like something that would make you throw up, why did she do that anyway?”
“Oh yeah! So Imugi used to be really tiny and that was basically the first time she realized she could actually drag me! 
I guess she was excited, haha!”
Oh right Jamie had mentioned that Imugi used to fit in a mug.
Ronan kept on rambling though, apparently I had struck an interest.
“Imugi did all sorts of wild things around that time! 
And also kept bringing me raw fish so i'm pretty used to that now,  Yamet actually combined it with rice and sauce. It's very good.
Oh! One time Imugi fell off the boat and managed to get back on deck on her own for the first time! She was really happy about that! 
And then kept going on and off for like two hours,  but at least we didn't need the crane to get her on anymore!
Then there also was the one time she got something stuck in her gills, I think it was a fishhook? 
It was definitely bent metal though, so I had to reach in and get it out!
I'll tell you fish gills are already weird but because Imugi was already so big and the hook so deep I had to fit my entire arm down her throat!
Heh, so i guess the reason i had no fear when looking at your teeth was because i had to stick my arm into a sea serpent already!
Wait! I forgot! Fuck! Why didn't you say anything?”
Much to my chagrin I knew exactly what he was talking about.
I did tell him i would let him look at the pouch firsthand after all,  he was probably going to cash in on that sooner rather than later.
“Yeah I was kinda hoping you would so I kept quiet about it”
He looked at me with a deadpan stare.
“Well, we still have time till we reach the harbor, and I'm still curious!”
My eyes nervously darted to where Jamie and Imik were still wrangling with each other, how they had not drawn blood was a miracle.
Ronan seemed to catch on for once luckily.
“Oh yeah, don't want to freak Jamie out,  normally someone ends up losing an eye or finger”
Well that was horrifying.
“Well then, uhm, let's wait till they sleep,  minus Akeem because he never sleeps anyway”
I sighed and ate the last piece of stale bread.
“Well, i did say i would, and id rather Jamie doesn't take out my eye so waiting till its night is fine by me”
I also didn't want to freak them out, again, seeing as i had no idea if anyone told them it was fine considering the chaos at the time.
So we talked about nonsense till Akeem dragged both Iik and Jamie inside for sleep.
“Wait, doesn't Jamie sleep in the nest thing normally?” Ronan waved it off.
“Nah not all the time, and if Akeem drags them Inside they actually sleep inside, though that might be due to laziness”
Ah yeah, made sense, so now that everyone was gone I was surely expected to shift into the Ardua form again.
NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT
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nekucreates · 2 years ago
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I finished watching the Angels of Death / Satsuriku no Tenshi anime y’all… AND IT WAS SO DAMN GOOD OMG??????????? I also gotta finish reading the manga and finish watching a game playthrough still! I kept behind the episodes I was watching as the anime is how I wanted to experience the story! And ah I’m so happy I finally got into this series! Truth be told, when the game came out I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was cringy and like Creepypasta, that was my impression of Zack especially (thought he was like a rip off Jeff the Killer and I’ve always thought Jeff wasn’t a compelling character and had a weak story). Buuuuut of course my mind is changed! I still don’t think much of the game as some of the dialogue is just meh (maybe an English translation issue), but I can see aspects of it that are enjoyable. And of course I think the anime and manga are both great adaptations! I prefer them over the original game. The manga gives a lot more depth to each character that even the anime didn’t do, so I do recommend reading and watching both! To get the full story and content! And the art and animation in both is beautiful! Zack is especially cool in the manga!!! Ahhhh. So much pretty Zack art!
Oh and I watched the English anime dub! As I heard it was good AND IT IS.
Another fun fact: when the anime came out, I saw a compilation of Zack’s Japanese laugh which made me think the anime was bad??? Again I WAS WRONG. About the anime being bad! Uh but *whispers* I still think his Japanese laugh is…silly. His English laugh though! I liked that! The English cast did such a good job with EVERY character! I usually prefer watching in Japanese but I think the English cast was stronger (again ZACK). That’s my personal opinion! The English crazy Zack laugh was cool!
Anyway, I bet y’all can guess that Zack ended up being my fav. Astounding considering all my first impressions of him was so negative! Isn’t that fascinating?! He’s so cool! His design is top tier! DUDE USES A SCYTHE HELLO?! He made me feel bad for him! Uhh whenever he openly calls himself ‘dumb’ I was mentally like ‘NO ZACK DONT SAY THAT HUN’. :( dude never went to school, it isn’t his fault.
Rachel was a very compelling protagonist! Though I guess she and Zack were duo protagonists! Anyway, I loved how much mystery there was to her. I couldn’t figure her out fully until it was all revealed. There’s still some things about her that are unclear buuuut I think the manga will patch all the holes!
The best aspect of this series is the dynamic between Rachel and Zack. Brains and brawn. They depend on each other for selfish reasons, at first. Which was interesting to watch! It gave me heavy found family/sibling vibes. Uh I definitely avoid the fans that ship them…because gross. Rachel is 13 and Zack is in his 20s… so can people just not??? It’s like Ib and Garry all over again I swear. So yeah stay away from me if you’re into gross stuff like that.
ANYWAY I’m excited to finish the other Angels of Death media soon too! And am already drawing some art (and purchasing merch)!
<3
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greyeyedmonster-18 · 2 years ago
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hello dr grey
i must confess- i joined this fandom as a jily shipper, i absolutely love jily but i came across your blog and i hope you know you're the only wolfstar blog i follow because somehow you write them so well that i love reading your dribbles
I've always thought of sirius as aromantic so the idea of wolfstar never appealed to me but your short fics and sirius harry Saturdays and bum smacking james potter headcanons have grown on me so much!!
will you ever write more jily? i would love it if you did !!
anon!!! You know--of the nice things people say re: my writing/my work, hearing "i dont ship wolfstar but i love your work" or "i dont like romance but i love your work" is quite possibly the nicest and the most flattering. Im, blown away and so so so so astounded and blushing and a thousand hearts to you, anon.
And--i am steadily working on writing more jily! i am part of the june jily challenge, so look for that and have a greys anatomy x jily crossover in process at the moment. im hoping one day i can find it in me to do a proper full jily fics thats brings both those characters justice but, we shall see!
(I will say, they are my favorite to draw so uh...look forward to that?)
💗💗💗
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maybanksslut · 4 years ago
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Amelia's 400 followers mutual appreciation
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okay what??? There's 400 of you?? I cannot believe it 🤯🤯 I'm so thankful for everyone that is following me and enjoys my content <3 I'm seriously so lucky to have all of you! For this milestone, I decided to make a post where I appreciate my lovely mutuals, because THEY ARE MY FAMILY AND I LOVE THEM <3 sooo enjoy lovelies mwah mwah
@amrtxntias - Heather, you're so sweet and beautiful, I love you! You always support me and your name is BEAUTIFUL <3 Your writing is gorgeous (just like you) and you seriously remind me of Lily Evans so much !
@amourtentiaa - Liane, words cannot describe how much I love and appreciate you ! You're a funny, inspiring and supportive person, and I'm so glad we're friends <3 Even though you put noses on your smileys. I love talking to you babe :-)
@anchoeritic - Kells, istg I would be bored on this site without you. The amount of humour and bullshit you put on my dash is ASTOUNDING. I seriously love seeing you on my dash and the asks you send me are ✨amazing✨
@coffee--writes - Bri, you're a tease and you're mean as well. Still, I love you and your writing gives me GOOSEBUMPS <3 I hope we never stop interacting because I'm in love with you and I don't know what I'd do without you !
@destourtereaux - Rosie, bestie, lovely human I absolutely adore you! You are so amazing, your vibes are ✨immaculate✨ and you are literally the nicest person ever <3 I hope you enjoy my company as much as I enjoy yours ! Ilyy
@fangirlings-things - Bia !!! You're so full of happiness and sunshine, I love your positivity <3 you're one of the first people I ever interacted with on this site, and I'm so glad we became friends !! I still ship u with John B have i mentioned ur smile is heartstopping??
@musicallisto - Clara, you are an aesthetic istg. Your love for history and fashion is so inspiring <3 I know we haven't interacted SUPER much but I love talking to you ! (Have I ever mentioned that you share both your name AND ethnicity (Spanish and French, right?) With one of my closest friends irl?)
@phuvioqhile - Naves, you are the sweetest person ever. You're so nice end supportive and I love you with all my heart. Being your mutual was seriously the best choice I ever made <3 I hope you appreciate our friendship, because J sure as hell do.
@rorysreallyrandom - Rory, you are the loml and I will SIRIUSLY always love you. Your vibe is just 💘🥺💘🥺💘🥺 like bitch marry me <3 we both simp for Tommy and Aaron and honestly, i wouldn't trade this friendship for anything !
@siriusmydeer - Gia WIFEYYY you are amazing and I hope we're friends forever <3 I sometimes feel like I'm super annoying to you, becaus som very clingy, but it's just cause I love u ! Also, we NEED to interact more bubs we haven't talked too much lately :(
@thescarrletwitch - Lizzie you absolute hoe, I love you so much <3 I'm so glad we're friends, even tho you dont like Ben Barnes and ins tarting to think you have issues. You radiate really badass vibes and I'm proud to say we're besties (because we ARE you have no say in the matter). ily bitch
@voidmalfoy - Danae, you are so nice and living and I absolutely adore you <3 I love being you mutual and sending you asks, you've got this thing about you that makes me feel like I can tell you anything. I trust you with my life (but not with my candy cause you'd eat it) lots of love!
@accioweaslcy - rose, your taste in men is EVERYTHING <3 you are such a vibe and I'm honestly proud of being your mutual. I hope we can interact even more in the future (and talk about Ben Barnes and how we'd eat him if we could)
@reguluscore - sorin babe we are married and I love you <3 you write so good angst (you're sadistic, I said what I said) and even tho it hurts to read, I'll let you break my heart because it's yours to break. Ily bestie can't wait to get to know you better <3
Other mutuals I absolutely adore and love because they're amazing and deserving of all the love: @adoresobs @always-imagine-a-dream @acosmis-t @awritingtree @the-gazette-of-tea @bohemianpages @captainshazamerica @cheriechalamet @drewstarkeysbitchh @darthwheezely @hannaswritingblog @imaginesbymk @jorjawrites @lxncelot @littlemissjaffa @maggiescarborough @myriadimagines @m4r13l3y @pansydaisy @daltonacademia @regulusslut @swanimagines @tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar @thereagles @vanilla-sun @weasleyyy @whizboyhalo @amortensie @canibeoneofthepogues @moonvicake @eunoniaa @lunalovecroft @chokemepansy @pad-foots @pens-and-roses @lunamooney2406 + anyone I've forgotten I've forgotten <3
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Text
Band of Brothers-
Cute/charming things they say when they walk into a room and see you/you walk into a room and they see you:
Babe: 
“oh SHIIIIIT! There’s my BABY! Do you see her, fellas? GodDAMN, I’m a lucky sonofabitch!” 
(you blush so hard and are just like Babe, we���re at work stahp it but he dgaf).
It’s embarrassing and always makes Martin glare so imploringly at you that you’ll go over to Babe just to make him be quiet. Because, you know, YOU’RE AT WORK. 
This bitch is shameless when it comes to loving on you, having once come to stand next to you when Sink was giving an important announcement and straight-up PINCHED. YOUR. ASS. 
how you didn’t yelp is a miracle, and how no one else seemed to notice was equally astounding 
(oh, the boys noticed. They kinda shipped it tho, so it was more a matter of hiding their joy). 
Needless to say, it only happened the once, something you made Babe swear after you pulled him aside and punched him in the arm. 
Don’t worry, you kissed it better.
Roe: 
bb boy doesn’t say anything at first, 
the smile he saves just for you is playing at his lips as you walk up to meet him, tho.
The moment you’re close enough that he can smell the  sweet mint of your gum, he’ll whisper something sweet like “hey you” or “mon amor”, or maybe just your name 
(bc let’s be honest, his accent is 10 out of 10 and he could read me the dictionary and I’d still rock an ugly giggle/snort combo). 
If it’s a more serious situation, like if you’re hurt oh lordy
he will literally shout your name until either you shout back or someone tells him where you are. 
I could see him being a face holder, in the sense that he does it to reassure himself that you’re okay and make sure he has your undivided attention. 
Since getting injured in Carentan, you hadn’t been as close to the frontlines as you had been, so when you were needed you are REALLY NEEDED, 
and even if he didn’t like it Gene knew you were the best at what you did. 
Gene also feels better if he knows where you are.
 Even when you eventually return to Easy, he will feel better knowing which Foxhole you’re in, and knowing he’s seen to it your first aid kit was fully stocked.
Liebgott: 
THAT FUCKER’S SMIRKING AT YOU SO OPENLY that whoever he had been talking to instantly goes 
*sigh* y/n’s just came in, didn’t she? 
And he won’t even ANSWER because he’s already shoving past them to walk up and eye you with obvious satisfaction. 
“Bout time you showed up,” he’d say casually, hands finding your hips giving them a quick squeeze. 
“Sooner we get briefed, sooner we can get outta here.” 
(You’re not fully sure what ‘getting outta here’ entails, but if the way he looked at you was any indication, you had a feeling it didn’t involve anything less than PG-13 sexy times.)
Bull: 
“Hey, little lady.”
He’ll say it no matter how tall or short you are, how wide or how narrow.
He will always say it to you that when you first see each other in the morning 
(sometimes, you wake up to Hey, little lady being kissed into the soft skin behind your ear.) 
(Once while on a 48 hour pass, he’d woken you up that way in a REAL bed and the two of you had nearly gotten him sent up Curahee for being late coming back because you’d ended up spending more time in that bed than either of you anticipated Whoops)
(Even if he had been late, he definitely wouldnt have minded, tbh. He fully considered going AWOL if it mean neither of you had to leave the bed)
but throughout the day he’s more concerned about getting his hands on some part of you whenever the two of you had been apart- 
even if it was for like five minutes. 
Nothing over the top- holding his arm up and out so you can step into his side, a press of his lips to your temple. 
Idk guys i just feel like he’d just love you so much that everyone would be able to see, which they do and they all think it’s fucking cute
Buck: 
He doesn’t always call out when he sees you, mostly because your eyes always seem to find his. 
The two of you could be across a field from one another with a thousand angry Germans between you, guns blazing, and the two of you would always spot each other like two honing beacons. 
If its downtime and you guys don’t have to be on your guard he’ll ABSOLUTELY wolf whistle in at you, 
You’ll see a stupid grin lighting up his face as he nods in your direction. 
“Take a look, boys. I think we’ve got ourselves a…” 
and he always waits until you’re close enough that he can wrap a quick arm around your waist and pat your hip. 
“Certified babe-asaurus!” 
(in a foxhole somewhere, a wild Babe’s head pokes up in confusion). 
You groan and boo him, and whoever he was with inevitably ends up booing him too.
But he doesn’t care because seeing you smile makes him so happy you guys.
Lipton: 
If you’re in public, he will quietly step up beside you and place his hand gently between your shoulder blades.
He’s not super into PDA, which you didn’t mind because what he didn’t show in physical touch he more than made up for in open admiration. 
He is in awe of you 
sometimes he worries you forget how highly he thinks of you, how highly everybody thinks of you 
(you don’t forget, but he’s just one of those people who will get intrusive thoughts like that and sometimes has a hard time shaking them so plz just let him say it ok?)
so he always whispers some praise with his greeting 
(Hey, beautiful...Doin’ okay, love?...What’re you thinking, brilliant girl?). 
It’d probably seem like overkill if anyone else did it but Carwood is just so goddamn sincere that you can’t help but duck a quick kiss to his shoulder. 
HOWEVER! 
If you two kids are alone….
OH BOI. 
He is handsy, coming up and caging you with his arms, 
probably pulling you close quickly so you lose your balance and he can hold you a lil bit.
(He likes to sweep you off your feet im so sorry)
 That’s when his praises are hushed and sighed between long slow kisses. 
Nixon: 
Like Liebgott, he’s a snarky motherfucker who will get the most self-satisfied grin on his face the moment he sees you, instantly turning on the famous Lewis Nixon charm ( something he’d long since decided belonged to you and you alone.)
“Uh oh,” he’d say, looking you up and down before raising an eyebrow.
(bc your hot but also he doesn’t want to get all flirty if you’re hurt or sick or something’s up bc ur not just something to flirt with- YOU ARE A BADASS WITH BADASS RESPONSIBILITIES AND THAT WAS SOMETHING HE very often and sometimes FOUND SO HOT THAT IT MADE HIM THINK HE MAY HAVE AN AUTHORITY FETISH this has been a PSA) 
“Here comes trouble.”
you roll your eyes, the behavior you once found cocky and arrogant having becoming endearing somewhere between Toccoa and England. 
He has absolutely no qualms about PDA (verbal or physical), so it’s up to you to reign him in 
(especially if he’s a lil tipsy, poor Luz didn’t need to hear Lewis’s sloppy and shameless plea for you to let him eat you out on top of piano he’d found in the attic of the billet he’d been assigned. You weren’t able to look at George for a week without wanting to die of embarrassment and Lewis Nixon didn’t get any for two weeks. He was sure to never make such a mistake ever again) 
And Dick had probably grown blind to how Lewis liked to pull you his lap and run his hands up and down your thighs while you played with his hair. 
Also, like Lipton, he probably saves the more explicit acts of PDA for when the company has scheduled downtime 
(but only bc you told him he needed to keep it in his pants any other time he tried to get cute with you)
but you can bet your ass his hand will always try to tap it (your ass, that is.)at least once
a day when he isn’t supposed to.
That’s when you get to punish him whoopsies
Dick: 
since the day you were introduced to Dick in Georgia, the boy always made sure to stand when you entered a room and will call you “ma’am”,
(you know, LIKE HE DOES ONLY BECAUSE HE HAS TO FOR SOBEL BC RANKS. I feel like he has a “we salute the woman, not the rank” speech queued up for anyone who tried to give him shit for it BUT THAT’s JUST ME)
but he has a knowing look in his eye that makes the term ‘ma’am’ feel anything but impersonal.
It confused the shit out of replacements, who would automatically stand because their superior officer (that would be Big Dick Winters) did- only to see you standing there in your fatigues with a coffee in each hand with a look of mutual confusion on your face. 
(bc while they like you, but they’re confused still bc while you’re a boss ass bitch,  you didn’t outrank him...or at least they theink you dont?) 
Babe had been the one to ask you about the longing looks and lingering glances, and when you didn’t know how to answer him you’d gone to Nixon, 
He’d burst into tearful laughter and was unable to get it together enough to explain anything.
Dick had been the one to bring it up the next time they were alone, weirdly enough, as she proofread his report for errors that didn’t exist. 
Because you warrant it, he’d said when pressed for a reason why he greeted her like a ranking officer, looking down at his boots as they both blushed like teenagers at a school dance. 
After that, he still stood wherever you walked in
but now he made a point to brush his fingers against yours at some point during the time you were together. 
He’s the definition of a slow burn friends-to-lovers story, and boi can get spicy LEMME TELL YOU.
(this is my first writing thing ever plz let a sister know if there are any glaring typos. Also i’m roughly 97 years late to fandom but I brought y’all some starbucks so plz let me in thank you)
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vemuabhi · 4 years ago
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GHOST CONTRACT
Pairing : Eustass Kidd X Captain! Ghost! Reader
Requested by PalmTV (wattpad)
Warnings : A slight bit of Angst but mostly fluff, mention of blood and needle
Summary : Kidd tries to summon a sprit on an island very popular for its hauntings. As nothing happens he just calls it bull and continues his journey. But on verge of death, the sprit comes and saves him. Turns out, the sprit is a very powerful Captain when they were alive. Slowly Kidd and Reader fall in love but, will they be able to stay together?
A/N : I hope you like it. Eustass is one of my favourite and this is a new concept.
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"So, if we just do what you said, we could summon the sprit. Am i right?", Kidd asked his first mate who just finished his explanation on how to summon the ghost captain.
Kidd Pirates docked on a very well known island which was apparently haunted by sprits of a deadly pirate crew who died in a battle on the island. Its been many years since that incident and its famous to perform contracts with the sprits. Its considered a myth and no one truly knows if its true or not.
"Kidd, I don't know of its true or not, but its really famous for people trying to summon sprits. But it needs to be precise. Even a second difference can make the complete thing not work itseems", said the masked man to his red head captain as everyone drank booze in the bar.
"Seems interesting. Rven though I don't believe in that kind of sprits and stuff", scoffed Kidd as he chugged the remaining booze from his glass.
At sharp 3 am, the captain and his firstmate went to the lake where the summoning should be taken place. Kidd stood close to the water and Killer kept close look at the pocket watch. Kidd took a needle from his metallic arm and slowly pierced it on his index finger till he saw a drop of his blood.
Killer kept looking at the pocket watch and as soon as he saw it was 3:13 he exclaimed, "Now!", then Kidd shook his finger making the blood fall into the lake.
They waited curiously for a minute. 'Anytime from now', kidd thought as he waited for another 5 minutes... and another..... and another.
Its been more than 15 minutes and Kidd was already getting irritated. "Bogus bull, Lets go Killer", he walked as his masked mate followed him behind.
"Tsk... even though I didn't believe it, I wanted something to happen", Kidd whined as Killer just sighed in response.
The next day Kidd Pirates continued their journey to another island. The weather was good and the path was clear. Just when the crew thought they won't be having any obstacles, suddenly they felt a yellow beam shoot their ship.
Kidd and Killer looked in the direction from where the beam came and saw that there was a big Marine boat with the Navy Admiral Kizaru on it. They were really far away from the marine ship but how accurately Kizaru shot the beam made the crew tense a bit, but that wasn't the case with the captain.
Kidd smiled widely and was ready to tackle and fight Kizaru. Soon everyone began to fight with the marines and Kidd started to fight with Kizaru. He was more stronger now but, Kizaru wasn't the Navy Admiral for nothing. After fighting for a while, Kizaru shot Kidd near his heart, making the latter feel immense pain. His Blood was all around him.
"KIDDD!!", shouted the masked mate as he saw his captain so hurt.
Just when Kizaru was about to step on Kidd, he felt a strong force hold him back, he wasn't able to move.
Within seconds all the marines were thrown off the Victoria Punk. Kizaru tried really hard to stop the force but... he couldn't. It was immensely powerful. Atlast after trying so much to not fall into the sea, Kizaru's efforts ended in vain. He was thrown. A marine soldier caught Kizaru when he was drowning. The admiral gasped for air then a fellow marine said "What did just happen? It was incredible power". To which Kizaru answered, "It definitely... wasn't one of the Kidd Pirates. They were really injured and there wasn't anyone who was like that on the pirate ship", he took a deep breath then continued, "Anyway, lets retreat for now". With that the marines went back.
Kidd was treated as some of the other members repaired the ship and some cleaned the place.
"What exactly happened?", heat asked Killer who was also thinking the same as they waited for their captain wake up. "I honestly don't know. Not to sound silly but...It was as if... magic?", replied Killer. Then it hit him. The summoning of the sprit. Then his captain woke up bringing the blond out of his thoughts. Kidd sat with the help of Killer and then he saw an unfamiliar person, in the corner of the room. He noticed that you had (hair colour) hair and had (eye colour) sharp eyes.
"Who the hell are you?", Kidd asked you as he looked straight into your eyes.
"Firstly introduce yourself", you replied stearnly making him girt his teeth.
"Whats wrong Kidd?", Killer asked Kid with worry.
"Huh?", Kidd questioned and said, "That person right there", he said making Heat and Killer confused.
"Oh, by the way, you can only see me. No one else", you said, now making Kidd confused.
You raised your eyebrow and asked him, "Don't tell me you forgot the fight with the marines and your near death experience".
After you mentioned it, Kidd's thoughts became more clear. Yes, there was something wrong with that battle. He knew it was not normal.
"That was by me", you said making your way towards the red head. You passed through Heat while you came towards the captain. He was shocked to see you do that.
Heat gasped making Killer hold the latters shoulder.
"What's wrong Heat?", tbe blond asked as he held Heats shoulder evenmore tightly.
"I... i don't know... I... just felt like a very cold shiver ran through my body for a second", he admitted.
"What did you do to him?", Kidd asked you making the other two give him puzzled expression.
"He is fine. Just tell him to sleep for now and ask them to leave if you wanna talk to me", you said to Kidd as you sat on a chair beside Kidd.
"You both, leave for now. Heat take rest.", Kidd ordered and the two men left the room. He turned towards you and asked, "Now tell me who are you? Im Eustass Kidd, the captain of this pirate group".
"Oh, Kidd, I am Y/N, I'm the captain of the (crew name) pirates", you said.
"But... I heard that",
"We died", you finished his sentence as you looked down. You sighed and said, "We died during a fight near an island and... I... was the only one who didn't find... peace. I guess I... am being punished", you said as you fake chuckled and looked at him.
"So, you are here and are visible to me, because I summoned you?", he asked and you nodded. He smirked and said, "So now you are to submit to me".
"Over my body", you said.
"You are already dead", he wined
"I don't care. I won't submit. Its not how I am", you straightened your back.
"Tch... how arrogant", he sighed then continued, "So... how about an alliance?"
"An alliance... thats sounds good", you smiled at him making his heart skip a beat.
'What the hell was that', Kidd thought then said, "Dont.. Dont betray me!"
You stood up and came closer to him, making him gulp. "I will never betray you Kidd", you said seriously as you looked deep into his eyes. He got a warm feeling when you said it and then he averted his eyes from you.
"Okay", he said with his cheeks turned pink.
"Awww, are you blushing. So adorable", you started to tease him as he shouted at you to stop doing that.
Its been a very long time since someone talked to you or looked at you. So that emotion hit you suddenly. "Hey.. hey.. what.. what happened?", he asked you.
Then you noticed that were crying. This was a pleasant feeling for you.
"Nothing to worry about", you wiped your tears and continued, "its just that... its been a very, very long time since someone talked to me".
He didn't make fun of you. He just stared at you silently. You regained your composture and smiled at him.
Kidd confessed everything to Killer and given everything which happened before, and also with his analysis, he believed every word of Kidd.
You said and did funny things while Kid was with everyone making it hard for him to hold his laughter. Sometimes you teased him and made him super embarrassed. You got yourself a... friend, who you could talk to now. So you were really happy.
When Kidd was with Killer, he was more free when talking to you or laughing out loud. Because Killer knew about you and he sometimes joined in the conversation. Kid would repeat your lines to Killer and in that way, sometimes you and Killer talked using Kidd. For which he would get pissed off a lot. You slowly fell in love with Kidd but didn't confess. Because he was a human and you were a sprit. You wanted him to be with someone, who can touch him, whom he can show to other people, with whom he could laugh out loudly without any obstacles and mostly a person who could become old with him. So you tried to avoid it as much as possible. Little did you know, Kidd was also in love with you and every time he saw a shooting star he wished you to be able to touch you. Not in a perverted way ofcourse. He really wanted to hug you and protect you. But he didn't say his feelings. He wanted to achieve his goal before doing that.
With you being invisible, had so many advantages. If anyone was plotting against Kidd, you'd tell it to him first and let him and Killer take action. You didnt need to sleep, so took the night shift every night and let everyone sleep peacefully, as you took care of the ship.
After some years and the end of the journey of Kidd pirates, he confessed that be liked you. His cheeks turned into his hair colour when he did it. You became so happy and said you felt the same making his smile widen. You then felt something in your body. As if something was changing.
"Y/N you are glowing. What is happening?", he asked you.
"I... i don't know", you said with a worried expression. He came towards you and tried to touch you. Your eyes widened as he was astounded. He was able to touch you. You were able to feel his warm hand on your skin. He was as amazed as you were. He pulled you into his embrace as he held you close. You could hear his heart beating fast. You could feel him. You could touch him. He then kissed you on your lips and you returned his love. Then your body stopped glowing. But you were still in his arms. You both were scared to let go, as if you won't be able to touch him after you let him go. Then you both heard a sound. You both looked at the source and it was none other than Killer. He dropped his weapon on the ground. His mask didn't show what expression he was having.
So you said to Kidd, "Ask him, what happened".
"I can see you, Y/N", the blond replied.
"What? Are you? Serious?", you asked him. Killer came closer to you and placed his hand on your head. He... he was also able to touch you. Your eyes widened as his hand made contact with your hair.
"Y/N, are you now alive? You are even breathing", he said making you realise that indeed. You were breathing now. Like a normal human being. Your eyes welled up and you hugged Kidd. He was so excited to just touch you and now you were... alive somehow. What miracle was that.
Killer joined you two and you three gave a group hug. "I can become old with Kidd and lead a simple life. Atlast you are able to see me Killer. I wanted to talk to you without involving Kidd everytime", you said as you squeezed them two tightly.
"Apparently... your strength is the... same", Killer said making you laugh. You were now alive again. Another chance at life was given to you. So you were very grateful. You appreciated and loved every single moment with Kidd. You treasured all the moments deeply. And for the first time, you could talk directly to Killer. So you thanked every moring you woke up from the sleep you missed. You smiled more brightly and were more happy than before.
XOXOXOXO
I hope you Liked it.
If you want to support me please Like, Comment and Reblog / tag people. Thankyou for reading.
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hello-yue-here · 4 years ago
Note
Yuetara, zukka, and maiko
yuetara
ship
1) its not one of my main ships. i dont rlly read fanfic for them but if i see a cute fanart of them ill enjoy it and i think i first started shipping it because of good fanarts for them.
2) i like yuetara because of how similar they are. theyre both women from the water tribe. they both understand the misogyny that they have faced. and they both said f sexism im gonna be a strong woman. i also love the tui and la parallel. moon spirit and ocean spirit parallel COME ON. YUE IS THE MOON. KATARA IS THE MOST POWERFUL WATERBENDER. THEY ARE THE OCEAN AND THE MOON. the push and pull they could give eachother. that dynamic ftw.
3) i guess if i didnt like something about this ship would be the fact that if i read a fic or see a fanart w yuetara then than means in that particular au i wont get any yuekka and yuekka is probably my second favorite ship. but then again if i get yuetara than i could get a plethora of other sokka ships to go with it so my sadness disappears in like two seconds. gosh shipping is hard sometimes until you remember ‘hey i have like fifty different universes in my head. all ur ships can coexist in ur brain olivia’ other than that i really see no downsides to this ship. maybe i wish it had more content. maybe if it had more content id ship it a lot more but its not one of the more popular ships so the content is kinda few n far between on my feed.
zukka:
SHIPPP
1) my boys. my babies. my loves. i watched this show for the first time when it came out on netflix and when it ended i really didnt ship anything other than kataang. i came onto tumblr to find fun atla content and one of the very first things i saw under the atla tag was zukka content. i was like oh? whats this? zukka? interesting... i was intrigued so i found a list of fic recs and i fell in love with the ship. the rest is history. its probably my number one ship because it was my very first ship here and im nostalgic
2) oh boy there is so much i like about this ship. i relate to a shit ton of characters in atla. but sokka and zuko may be the ones i relate to most. i relate to sokka because i tend to feel second best a lot to my friends. i try to stay positive but things rarely go the way i plan or hope for them too and while im happy for my friends and their achievements i oftentimes find myself thinking why cant that be me? and i see this a lot in sokka especially in sokkas master. i dont feel special a lot and idk seeing sokka feel the same way and then realizing he is special kinda helped me realize that im special too. on the flipside i relate to zuko because i have wild anger issues and difficulty dealing w my emotions a lot as well. i get broody and short tempered and insecure very often and i tend to push people away and i refuse to ask for help (the amount of teachers and adults and therapists who have told me its okay to ask for help ur not any weaker because of it is astounding. do i listen to them? .....im working on it.) and i saw a shit ton of this in zuko. book one and two zuko rarely asks for help as seen in the blue spirit and zuko alone and he pushes away uncle so many times and even when the gaang iffers to help him in i think its the chase he tells them to leave. when he finally has his redemption and joins the gaang and lets them kinda become a better person i was so happy. i want that for myself yk. seeing him finally win the agni kai and overcome his family that always told him he was nothing was such a win. my sister and i get along but when we were children we were very much like zuko and azula. it was extremely competitive all the time and there was so much toxicity and sibling drama to a concerning extent. we get along great now which im very happy about but yeah their sibling relationship hit a lil too on the nose for me. seeing as i relate to these character so much and want them ti be happy i want to live vicariously through them so seeing them together is amazing for me to project into them. i love projecting onto fictional characters and with them i can project onto BOTH so its a winwin. plus so many zukka fics are so well written and heartwarming and heartbreaking and emotional and fluffy anf UGH the talent here us astounding.
3) what do i not like about the ship? again the list is long. oops. mainly the toxic shippers. there are so many toxic zukka stans that sometimes make it hard for me to enjoy this ship but hey! thats what the block button is for:) i despise how often people infantilize zuko and completely ruin his character for the sake of making him a soft weak lil boy who needs protecting. thats just not zuko for me. and ive seen many many accounts even state that this kind of portrayal of zuko is rooted in racist stereotypes about asian men (now i am white so i personally have never experiences racism but i feel the need to bring that up because it is wrong and attention needs to be brought to it because a lot of poc fans have criticised this) and the same for sokka. some ppl rlly skew his character and make him a big strong brute and hypermasculine and once again poc fans have said that this take is rooted in racist stereotypes. again! these are just my opinions! this is my favorite ship! but i think its important to acknowledge some of the bad parts of our ships as well and be critical where criticism is needed :))
maiko
ship
1) I LOVE MAIKO. “i dont hate you” “i dont hate you too” BRUH. my little heart just burst into flames. im sorry guys but maiko is so cute. they hate everything except eachother. BRUH that is one of the cutest tropes. i shipped them the moment i saw them together onscreen and i was so happy when zukos face lit up in the finale when mai came back.
2) “i hate everything but i have a soft spot for you” TAKE MY MONEY I AM A SUCKER FOR THIS. they are so cute together. like zuko is rarely happy in a majority of atla but mai makes him happy and i- 🥺🥺 HE DESERVES IT. and mai is always so supportive of him. when hes stressing out about the war meeting she tries her best to comfort him. and zuko cares about her too. he may not be the best at showing it but oh my god hes TRYING HIS BEST. i think its a very accurate portrayal of teenage relationships because they arent perfect and they do fight but like,, every teenage relationship does that. and even after everything and how he left her in the fire nation she still had his back at boiling rock. she still risked her life against azula to save his butt.
3) the thing i hate about maiko isnt even about maiko. its about antis who think mai is toxic and that zuko deserves better. that has got to be the worst take ive ever heard. they had a fight in ember island. that is NORMAL. they are teenagers. they are not perfect. but underneath all the rough edges and things they need to work out they still care about eachother so freaking much. i genuinelt believe that neither of them would do anything to intentionally hurt the other and i think thats what matters the most. if anything mai is the best girlfriend in the entire world because zuko fucked up like,, quite a few times. he got rlly jealous and dumped her thru a letter and ppl always say that mai was toxic for being mad at him for those two things. umm she had every right to be mad at him for both of those. and while zuko is allowed to feel his emotions and be angry sometimes as well sometimes he needs to think things thru and realize that hey maybe some if this jealousy is unfounded. BUT EVEN THEN. HE RESPECTED HER FEELINGS AND DIDNT TOUCH HER WHEN SHE SAID DONT TOUCH ME. HE RESPECTED HER. so i hate toxic maiko takes because they are literally so wrong in my opinion.
again all of these are just my opinions!! feel free to agree or disagree but please be respectful!! i will respect whatever u think as well because this is all just for fun :)
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salvatoreren · 3 years ago
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Girl I'm warning to not go to aot reddit or particularly yeagerbomb. They are so toxic and have an IQ of 0. Its no wonder why eren/eren stans are hated and generalized like this. They are so racist and actually support Natzis and pring politics in to convo. They have this hate/love relationship with eren they love that he did the rumbling but they hate him for not killing his friends and not being Chad eren. That's why characters like mikasa and armin are hated by them. They hate pretty much everyone except for:
Floch
Eren
Historia
The rest of the yeagerists.
They say that they hate onypancun (sorry don't remember how to spell his name) and that he is a dumb n***r & hopes that eren kill all the black people in his 80% of genocide. & don't get me started how much they hate mikasa. They literally see historia as a baby machine maker.
They are putting us in a bad light 😭😭 like not all of us are like that. Plz don't tag this in the aot or snk tag.
OOF LAST YEAR I WENT TO TITANFOLK AND YIKES IM NOT SURE HOW I WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE THERE, I ALSO GOT A GLIMPSE OF YEAGERBOMB BACK THEN, THEY JUST-THEY JUST LEFT ME SPEECHLESS LIKE NOT ASTOUNDED SPEECHLESW MORE LIKE SPEECHLESS FROM THEIR STUPIDITY, BRO I CANT
And what???? ONYANKOPON GETS HATED WHY? THE FUCK DID MY BOY DO TO YOU, WHAT THE FUCK DID BLACK PPL DO TO YOU, JESUS, THATS SO, THATS SO RACIST WOW I CANT
Hays, its always going to like this huh? Like i said we eren stans cant win or be left alone, apparently being an eren stan means suffering just like eren, which fucking sucks, id say dont mind those shitholes, theyre just slaves to the ships and story sjdjdjdjdj
But really lets not mind them and just stan eren because hes great
Thanks for informing me abt this, I thought id seen just about aot bullshit last year and now but turns out i was wrong
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impactrueno · 4 years ago
Note
this a specific question triggered by your tweet regarding rocky cringe phase, so you don’t have to answer if it’s too personal but what was the experience actually like as one of the big mods back in the hall pa$$ days?
it must be such a unique thing to have so many random internet people, (predominantly young teenagers ig as a result of the transferrance of the lorax target audience? ik i was a cringe 13 y/o during the heyday lol) invested in the mythos of you and your pals ocs and cosplaying them and stuff? i mean hell, people still think of them now which is why i’m asking this question!
but i always wondered if askblogs are kinda a weird, niche sort of “internet celebrity” in a sense that the audience can interact directly with rocky or whoever which is part of the fun appeal but, again like e-celebs, did it ever get a bit invasive because the audience boundaries aren’t super clear?
are u still pals w the other big mods? i hope you think of it fondly and that you know you brought so much fun to a lotta people but it must have been a very one-of-a-kind experience? and it’s astounding the knockon effect the 2012 lorax film had wow
oh boy......looking back yeah, it was really weird. but fun nonetheless, and i still miss the very unique dynamic of the audience being able to interact with the characters through asks and all the plot happening in real time (for the most part.) it was truly a one of a kind experience and ive never seen anything else like it online...granted my scope is limited and i dont know how other fandom askblogs operated but i do feel like our "system" evolved into its own thing somehow. interactivity is great for keeping people engaged in whatever youre doing. however (and i dont want to speak for anyone else here) i feel like its possible that the askblog """"big mod"""" experience mightve twisted our expectations a bit re: feedback and engagement from followers....because creators usually struggle a lot to keep people interested in their ocs, but we had people cosplaying them from the get-go due to them evolving from something that was already popular (for better or for worse lmao) so people were already invested in them. and the best part is that a lot of them remained invested even after they became their own thing!! thats very cool. but we might never reach that point again unfortunately. it was just something very unique to that phenomenon
im honestly very grateful for all the people who stuck around and still stick around to this day. rocky being as influential on people as he is is just fucking wild to me man. ive met people who based nearly their whole identity and/or music taste when they were younger around rocky and years later you can still see the influence there. to see that and be aware that youre partially responsible for that is a really weird feeling haha especially because rocky himself has a lot of me in him (conscious choice, i wanted him to be fun and easy to play because i didnt think he would get as far as he did)
but yeah people did get invasive, not just with rocky but with me as well. in so...so many ways. they often treated me like a character too and shipped me with other characters/people and arghhhh bad. just to talk about one example, the reason why i dont really show my face in photos is because back in the day someone saved a few of my (already rare) webcam selfies from back then and made a blog dedicated to my face as a joke but all it did was make me extremely uncomfortable so after asking them to take it down (and yes they apologized and felt pretty bad about it), i decided to simply not show my face and go through something like that again. call it an overreaction but im already a private person by nature, so it felt pretty damn invasive.
i also got hate in rockys inbox that went way beyond in-character 'anonymous voices' when he got in a fight with one. like i was starting to feel that the asks meant for rocky were more directed at me or people were just sort of forgetting that there was still a real person behind the character. the stuff going down behind the scenes on that day wasnt pretty either. for me at least. rough times lmao
also this didnt apply to me but the mods who ran female characters would get an unjustified amount of shit for whatever the characters did, it was insane. the audience was lovely sometimes, yes, but other times they really didnt know how to act and this was the biggest example of it i think. granted, like you said, it was mostly teenagers so thats to be expected i guess
as for me still being pals with the other big mods......ehhhhhhhhh lets not go there.
despite all the bad stuff (that i wont elaborate), i still see the experience as a whole as positive and look forward to taking part in something just like it one day. there was a bit of a trufflu revival via discord servers in 2019 but it just wasnt the same and it went south pretty fast so i dipped. these days id rather not think about trufflu at all if im honest.
ANYWAY yeah.........truly a one of a kind experience and i learned a lot from and during it. 8/10 would not recommend
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lilacandladybugs · 4 years ago
Note
The substantial amount of softness that leaks from recent skep and bad interaction kinda astounds me, just a month ago all i really knew of them was the griefing/trolls but theyve really grown past that
dude i knoww they actually used to stress me out a little bit because most of skeppys videos with bbh revolved around him tricking trolling him and then acting like nothing happened or whatever and i was like o.o
their streams have been fun to watch even though they fight like siblings it’s more clear to me that its all in good fun c:
oh guys im going to take this opportunity to remind yall that i dont ship people here i just appreciate their friendship in the same way i appreciate wilbur and phil and techno’s c:
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troped-fanfic-challenge · 5 years ago
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Chopped Madness Masterlist
To say we are overwhelmed would be the understatement of the year for sure. This challenge was so incredible, the fics we received were spectacular and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the positive and supportive space that we were able to create with your help. During such a crazy time in the world, we hope that this was able to distract you, even just a little, from the harshness of reality, and bring you some level of joy. We received an astounding forty-seven (47!!!!!!) fics in our anonymous collection, that were submitted for voting, as well as four (4) amazing fics that were added to our non anonymous collection following prompts from this event, bringing our fic total to a mind blowing FIFTY ONE (51!!!!!) fics! We honestly cannot even begin to express our thanks to all of you for putting in the time and hard work to share such creative, exciting, well written pieces of fan fiction for this event, and we hope that you all enjoyed it as much as we did! If you haven’t had a chance to read all of the brilliant fics shared with us for Chopped Madness, you can find them all below, or in our AO3 collections, which will be linked at the bottom of this post.
To all of our writers, for Chopped Madness and all other Chopped events, Chopped would not be what it is without you. You take our ideas and turn them into beautiful stories that we are privileged to read and share with this fandom, and we owe you all a huge thanks for everything you do.
We hope you all (and all your loved ones) are staying safe during this uncertain time. Keep being creative, positive, and sharing your art with the world. And dont forget to keep your eyes pealed for the next Chopped events ;)
And obviously, a huge congratulations to our CHOPPED CHAMPION, the lovely @the-most-beautiful-broom​!
We love you all,
Sara & Bailey <3
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The image above is not an entirely accurate representation of how each writer was paired up, it was the best we could do considering we shifted the order each round based on the rankings. The number next to the authors name in each bracket is their rank for that round!
———
Qualifying Round
Character Focus: Bellamy Blake
Theme: Canonverse
Tropes:
Fairy Tale AU
Write a Good Guy as a Villain or a Villain as a Good Guy
When the party’s over (Rated T) [Bellamy & Octavia] by safeandsound13 @captaindaddykru​
Summary: Bellamy goes into the anomaly to save Octavia. What he finds, is a trail of bodies. {Or: a canonverse take on Hansel & Gretel}
don’t be who you were (Rated T) [Bellamy & Diyoza] by sapphictomaz @iexasheart​
Summary: Bellamy’s forced to stay in the bunker, alone, for six years. Diyoza trapped alone on her ship. They find a way to help each other survive, because that’s what they know how to do.
Straight On Until Morning (Rated G) [Bellamy & Kane] by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold​
Summary: Bellamy and his unruly band of Delinquents have been living life as they wish. Their days are filled with games and exploring while their nights are spent coordinating attacks against the dreaded Wanheda and her Mountain Men. It’s all fun and games in a world where no one gets older. But then a strange man appears one day and Marcus Kane provides a reality check to Bellamy that he’s not prepared to accept.
Where is the path to Wonderland? (Rated T) [Bellamy x Clarke] by myonetruelove @justwalkedaway​
Summary: Separated from their friends in the Anomaly, Clarke and Bellamy find themselves lost in a world so different from their own.
The Sixth Bride (Rated M) [Bellamy x Roan] by Shen_Gong_Oops @shen-gong-oops​
Summary: For their wedding, Roan gifted him an antique skeleton key attached to a thin, leather cord. Rough, callous fingertips grazed the base of his neck as they secured the necklace in place. While his husband allowed him full reign of the tower, the key provided access to the only room he barred Bellamy from entering. He was never to set foot in the sole room on the highest floor. Into Roan’s private reprieve from the world. And to be fair, Bellamy respected Roan’s right to privacy - for a while.
Gunning for Glory (Rated T) [Bellamy x Gina] by teeandrainbows @teeandsnowflakes​
Summary: While on a routine mission for Kane, Bellamy comes across a mystery girl who points him towards a treasure trove that might prove useful for Arkadia, but danger lurks up every spiraling staircase. It may just be the distraction he needs, though, to get over Clarke leaving.
On the Ground and What Bellamy Found There (Rated G) [General] by elle_stone @kinetic-elaboration​
Summary: Bellamy has a prophetic dream. An Alice in Wonderland AU.
to dream about a life (where you’re the shining star) (Rated T) [Bellamy x Murphy] by ProbablyVoldemort @probably-voldemort​
Summary: Bellamy has been dreaming about going to the coalition’s annual Camp Rock since he was a kid. The chance to escape his life and his step-father and spend his days travelling between clans and singing. This year, he finally has a chance to go–as a chef. Murphy hated what came of Clarke’s treaty with the Grounders, but even he knew it could’ve been worse. But that didn’t mean he wanted to spend his time performing for the people who had kidnapped and tortured him. He could do it, though. He could sing at whatever the fuck Camp Rock was, and he could help pick whichever winner the Grounders wanted him to pick. He could play nice. That didn’t mean he had to like it.
There’s Gonna Be a Party When the Wolf Comes Home (Rated T) [General] by kuklash @kuklash​
Summary: “Dante?” she asks, her voice a mixture of confusion and surprise. Bellamy straightens the nameplate on his desk, and the gold plaque reflects the dim fluorescent lights above him. He taps it twice, drawing her attention to the words “Dante Wallace” written in a fancy script. “That’s what they call me.” A Canon Divergent Fairy Tale AU staring Bellamy Blake
No Ordinary Apple (Rated T) [Bellamy & Josephine] by andthelightbulbclicks @andthelightbulbclicks​
Summary: When Josephine awakens in Clarke Griffin’s body, she has no reason to believe anything about her reincarnation is anything out of the ordinary. Then she learns that Clarke was far from a willing host and meets Bellamy Blake. She doesn’t expect to become invested in their love story, and she certainly doesn’t plan on risking her own like to make things right. And yet, here she is. All in the name of true love.
Brother Knows Best (Rated G) [Bellamy & Octavia] by Dylanobrienisbatman @dylanobrienisbatman​
Summary: Octavia grew up in a cave, hidden from the world, with only her brother to care for her. He kept her safe, safe from a world where people like her, where nightbloods, were hunted and slaughtered. But even with so much danger, she longs to see the world, so when a handsome stranger stumbles into their cave, she makes her escape to spend one night out under the stars. But in just one night, she begins to wonder if everything she’d grown up believing was true after all.
seeds in silence (exploded in riot) (Rated T) [Bellamy & Clarke] by justbecauseyoubelievesomething @justbecauseyoubelievesomething 
Summary: Seeds. Not the modified seeds Farm Station constantly churns out in unending batches. Genuine seeds. Earth seeds. The kind of seeds that the scientists from Alpha will sell their souls for. Doctor Griffin talks a lot about genetics and lost patterns, but Bellamy’s mind is a million miles away. He can get anything he wants for Octavia and his mom. He can make it so Octavia doesn’t have to live in hiding. He can bring the chancellor himself to his knees, if he’s careful enough.
i’ve got a heart in me (i swear) (Rating T) [Bellamy x Murphy] by hopskipaway @hopskipaway​
Summary: Belonging was not a familiar word in the Book of John Murphy. That was a fact that seemed grounded in concrete; what he wouldn’t give to stumble upon a sledgehammer someday and be reunited with his bruised and feeble, but still beating, heart.
2199 Nights (Rated M) [Bellamy x Clarke] by Mobi_On_A_Mission @mobi-on-a-mission​
Summary: Every day, the Commander Bellamy took a new wife and executed her the next morning, until one day his fleimkepa’s daughter volunteered. She kept him entertained with tales of far-off places, sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise…
we’d up and fly (if there were wings for flying) (Rated G) [Bellamy x Clarke] by the-most-beautiful-broom @the-most-beautiful-broom​
Summary: Bellamy and Wells are held captive and interrogated by the Grounders, and when he returns to Arkadia, Bellamy finds some things have changed.
The Storyteller (Rated T) [Bellamy x Clarke] by thelittlefanpire @thelittlefanpire​
Summary: A heartbroken Commander, betrayed by her beloved, vows to slay each and every one of her future lovers after they’ve spent their first night together. Bellamy Blake, the latest to be taken into the Commander of Death’s chambers, will try to save his life by weaving a succession of tales to the woman that lasts for one thousand and one nights.
How to Kill a Two-Headed Turkey (Rated T) [Bellamy & Octavia] by vmreed @vmreed​
Summary: After everyone at camp collapses from a mysterious illness (thanks Murphy), Bellamy and Octavia are sent to hunt enough food for 100 sick teenagers. When they find themselves lost, far from camp, what else can they do but move forward? Thankfully, a kind woman took them in, but all is not as it seems. Anya’s been waiting to meet these Skaikru…
simmer, simmer, simmer (Rated M) [Bellamy x Clarke] by Pawprinter @pawprinterfanfic​
Summary: When Sanctum falls to starvation, it is up to Bellamy and Clarke to find a solution. They aren’t prepared for the horrors beyond the Sanctum barrier.
So Familiar a Gleam (Rated T) [Bellamy x Clarke, Bellamy & Octavia] by Anonymous
Summary: When the dropship first lands, Bellamy is hopeful. It doesn't last. After all, the humans who were left behind, they've been on there own for a while. Things have changed. (Maleficent meets The 100 meets the author's glaring ignorance about either franchise.)
———
Round 1
Character Focus: Harper McIntyre
Theme: Angst
Tropes:
Strangers to Lovers
Road Trip AU
into a cloven pine (Rated T) [Harper/Maya] by justbecauseyoubelievesomething @justbecauseyoubelievesomething
Summary: Maya starts sitting with her at meals, shrugging aside the judgmental looks of delinquents and Mountain Men alike. When Harper tries to delicately suggest that she sit somewhere else for her own good, Maya levels her with an icy glare and threatens to kick her under the table. For some reason, that makes Harper giggle and she figures that someone who makes her giggle must be alright to sit with. So, she ignores Miller’s warning head shakes and Fox’s teary-eyed frowns and she plays footsie with Maya Vie. Life is weird. She might as well just go with it.
I Need You (Like I Need a Gaping Head Wound) (Rated T) [Harper/Echo] *Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death* by kuklash @kuklash​
Summary: “And that was the new track from Lou Bega: ‘Mambo No. 5’ off his new album ‘A Little Bit of Mambo’. Stay tuned for Backstreet, Britney Spears, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers comin’ at’cha in the next hour.” Harper shuts off the radio and leans back in the driver’s seat, taking her hands off the wheel and rubbing her temples. Traffic is worse than normal today, meaning she’s gonna be late. She’s already 45 minutes late getting back from lunch, meaning that Roan will probably call her into his office. That’s the last thing she needs today. Harper nearly jumps out of her skin when the passenger door opens and a tall, brunette woman vaults into the car. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU D–” “Drive,” the woman says, voice barely above a whisper.
venus, planet of love was destroyed by global warming (Rated G) [Harper/Monty] by safeandsound13 @captaindaddykru​
Summary: In a world tainted by darkness, Harper meets Monty.
Take back my life (Prove I’m alright) (Rated T) [Harper/Monty] by myonetruelove @justwalkedaway​
Summary: Harper and Monty have been married for ten years and she is beginning to notice the cracks in their marriage. Will a road trip for a job interview be able to save their marriage?
Like dust behind the wagon (Rated T) [Harper/Monre] *Major Character Death* by teeandrainbows @teeandsnowflakes​
Summary: Harper and her family were in search of a better life in Oregon when tragedy struck. She didn’t think she would ever recover, and then she met Monroe, a lone traveler looking for a ride to Fort Bridger.
you can bloom again (Rated T) [Harper/Clarke] by sapphictomaz @iexasheart​
Summary: Harper’s always been a survivor. She’s survived an orphaned childhood, kidnapping, and torture. When a wave of fire stretches across the sky, she knows that she’ll survive this, too - but when she meets a girl with a smile brighter than the sun, Harper wonders if surviving alone is what she really wants.
The Hardest Thing (Rated T) [Harper/Emori] by Mobi_On_A_Mission @mobi-on-a-mission​
Summary: After shooting Baylis and escaping to the woods, Emori was utterly alone. She travelled through the lands of the Coalition, stealing from anyone and everyone. All of that changed when she met the last sky girl after the Mountain Men wiped out the rest of her people. Harper had a map to a peaceful village across the sea, and Emori had nothing to lose.
Release (Rated T) [Harper/Murphy] by elle_stone @kinetic-elaboration​
Summary: Her whole body is still tense, but this long habit of distrust has been formed in her, is not native to her, and his lazy, laconic air tempts her to put herself at ease. And she is curious. Behind them, the Detention Center is teeming, yet the desolation of the dim light and barren highway makes Harper feel as if they were the only two on the wide Earth. Upon being released from the Arkadia Juvenile Detention Center, Harper takes a road trip to California with an old friend, his boyfriend, and another recently released delinquent.
What the Hell is a Pulmonary Embolism? (Rated T) [Harper & Clarke/Murphy] by vmreed @vmreed​
Summary: Harper McIntyre wasn’t trained for this. She was just a tour guide, how was she supposed to deal with the bus crashing in the middle of nowhere?
something more than momentary (Rated T) [Harper/Murphy] by ProbablyVoldemort @probably-voldemort​
Summary: The first rule of working for the Princess Protection Program was, well, keep your princess safe no matter the cost. The second rule was don’t get attached. Agent Murphy had followed that rule to the letter for years and never had an issue. But now he’s stuck in a car for the foreseeable future with a princess and a gunshot wound, and everything he’s ever believed in just might be changing.
and the road gets tough (Rated M) [Harper/Monty] by she-who-the-river-could-not-hold​ @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold
Summary: It’s the end of the world and Harper McIntyre is done running. She’s done fighting against a life that relentlessly keeps pushing her down. But she has her son to worry about and she desperately wants him to have a new life and to experience it all. When they hit the road, she’s helped by a kind stranger who changes the course of things. Monty Green represents a life she wished she had been able to have, but it might still be too late.
everyone’s a different flower (Rated T) [Harper/Monty] by andthelightbulbclicks @andthelightbulbclicks​
Summary: Harper McIntyre’s life on Earth has been a simple one, and she’s always been happy with that. But with a single diagnosis, her simple life is completely upended. Her best friends think that an intergalactic trip across the universe is just what she needs to get her mind off of things. Raven thinks the change in scenery will do Harper some good. Clarke thinks the girl time will help. (Harper thinks the cute space-botanist she meets might just do the trick.)
I wanna shoot the whole day down (Rated T) [Harper/Monty] *Major Character Death* by hopskipaway @hopskipaway​
Summary: Tell me why I don’t like Mondays...Or Tuesdays, or Wednesdays, or any day since you left us.
Never Gonna Give You Up (Rated T) [Harper/Raven] by Shen_Gong_Oops @shen-gong-oops​
Summary: Unknown: Hey, Monty guilted me into a road trip with those damned puppy dog eyes and seeing as neither of you can be in the same car, I am your road trip Uber. Name’s Raven. Harper: Rookie mistake, you never look Monty in the eyes. That’s how you lose. A road trip, huh?
Macushla (Rated T) [Harper/Monty] by the-most-beautiful-broom @the-most-beautiful-broom​
Summary: Harper Noelle Margaret McIntyre, Countess of Rothes, must survive the unthinkable, when the unsinkable ship hits an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic // aka the Titanic AU that isn’t Jack and Rose
Both (Rated T) [Harper/Monty] by the-most-beautiful-broom @the-most-beautiful-broom​
Summary: “Emori doesn’t understand why I’d want to go back up.” Their backs are against the wicker, just waiting now, as the balloon floats downward. “Emori’s my sister,” Harper clarifies. “She thinks I should be scared, and just leave it behind. But if I left, if I never went up again, then everything I’ve lost would be for nothing.” It hovers in the air, like the snow, like a balloon. “All my life,” Monty says, “I’ve found certainty in science. In numbers, quantifying things. But...this has shown me. You have, I mean. There’s a beauty in the most barren of science, and my equipment and notes cannot account for it. And I thought it was science, logic, before, but now I see: the only person that could’ve taken me to the stars was you.” {a marper Aeronauts AU based heavily off the 2019 movie}
———
Round 2
Character Focus: John Murphy
Theme: Dystopia
Tropes:
Partners In Crime
Bed Sharing
poison but tasty (Rated M) [Murphy & Josephine, Murphy/Emori] by safeandsound13 @captaindaddykru​
Summary: In a world where genetics and individual resilience decide who gets to procreate and who doesn’t, babies are a rare breed. That’s why Murphy gets the lucrative idea to steal one, and sell it. In comes Josie, who kind of, sort of? Maybe? Has the same idea? He figures, what the hell. Might as well combine their efforts and split the profits. or, Two Psychopaths and a Baby.
even heroes have the right to dream (Rated M) [Muprhy/Emori] by justbecauseyoubelievesomething @justbecauseyoubelievesomething
Summary: He doesn’t deal with people one-on-one anymore. He works his shift at the factory. He comes home. Takes his pills. Drinks himself to sleep. He doesn’t go on road trips. Or smuggle little girls under the cover of darkness. Or make small talk with his ex.
don’t mess with the flow, oh no (stick to the status quo) (Rated T) [Murphy/Clarke] by ProbablyVoldemort @probably-voldemort​
Summary: Harper and Monty tried out for the spring musical, and now everything is going to shit. Jocks think they can bake. Nerds think they can dance. Stoners think they can play cello. And Harper and Monty, Jock and Nerd respectively, think they can get callbacks for Murphy’s part. This is not what he wants. This is not what he planned. And, he’s just gotta say, he does not understand.
Good to be Back (Rated G) [Murphy/Emori] by the-most-beautiful-broom @the-most-beautiful-broom​
Summary: Murphy has been out of the wet work game for years now, but when someone from the past shows up at his bar, he doesn’t think twice before diving back in.
make a wish (count to three) (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] by teeandrainbows @teeandsnowflakes​
Summary: In Alpha City, anyone who isn’t a Prime, the top tier of society, is claimed by a factory to work for a meager living at the age of 18. When Murphy is selected for the factory overseen by the mysterious Alie, he thinks life might finally be getting better…
The Taste of Hope (Rated T) [Murphy/Raven] by elle_stone @kinetic-elaboration​
Summary: Murphy has lived his whole life on Factory 6, stripping the planet of its resources for the benefit of the elite ruling class on The Jewel. His existence has never been more than work, sleep, and the mindless distractions of gossip, drinking, and parties. Until he and his girlfriend, Raven, start to wonder: could there be more?
Survivor’s Move (Rated G) [Muprhy/Emori] by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold​
Summary: In a dying society ruled by an iron fist, it’s crucial to stay low. John Murphy has mastered that, an ex-thief doing what he can to stay out of trouble. But trouble finds him with the arrival of another ex-thief, and more importantly, his ex-girlfriend. Emori needs his help and he finds himself confronting their breakup while also trying to express to her the importance she has in his heart.
Complex Wiring (Rated T) [Murphy/Raven] by andthelightbulbclicks @andthelightbulbclicks​
Summary: According to the Commonwealth of Arkadian, cyborgs have been wiped out from the nation for years, any scientists willing to do the surgeries arrested or worse. John Murphy, whose primary goal in life is to be a general nuisance to the guards in his crummy village, has no reason to believe otherwise. That is, until he unexpectedly meets a group of cyborgs in hiding who are looking for “the Cockroach” to do a job for them.
———
Round 3
Character Focus: Raven Reyes
Theme: Modern
Tropes:
Superpowers
Found Family
if you choose to fly (Rated M) [Raven/Bellamy/Echo] by teeandrainbows @teeandsnowflakes​
Summary: It’s always been the three of them, for as long as she can remember, and she’s happy. Bellamy kisses her forehead and Echo raises a hand to her cheek, reaching across and pressing a featherlight kiss to her lips. A week later, she finds herself missing the tranquility of the moment. or the origin story of Raven Reyes
Hands That Burn (Rated T) [Raven/Clarke] by elle_stone @kinetic-elaboration​
Summary: WELCOME, reads a large banner, hung up between two poles in front of her, TO FLOUKRU RETREAT. The font on the banner matches the font on the invitation Raven received two months ago. Why she decided to attend this particular event, she cannot entirely explain, even to herself. Six ex-superheroes, and ex-best friends, meet for a weekend retreat, ready to confront their feelings and the past tragedy that tore them apart.
Into the Blue (Rated G) [Raven/Zeke] by the-most-beautiful-broom @the-most-beautiful-broom​
Summary: Her name is Raven Reyes. She was bitten by a radioactive spider her senior year of college; for the last two years, she’s been the one and only Spider-Woman. She joined a band, saved her dad, couldn’t save her best friend, so now she saves everyone else. She doesn’t really do the friends thing, not since her last best friend was turned into a giant lizard and she had to kill him, but things are mostly fine, going solo. Until a kaleidoscope opens in the ceiling. She’s suddenly in Times Square, but it’s not, it’s like some Other Times Square. There’s a billboard for Cocoa Kola (what even?) and there’s a Spider-Man (typical) here, and on the Other Times Square screens, she watches Zeke die again, this time as Spider-Man. // or a zaven!into the spiderverse AU
the color of truth is gray (Rated T) [Raven/Murphy] by andthelightbulbclicks @andthelightbulbclicks​
Summary: Raven’s firm beliefs on super villains have held true for as long as she can remember. And she prides herself in being a part of the Spacekru team, protecting their territory in Polis and bringing those villains to justice. But slowly, she comes to realize that maybe their super-powered world isn’t as black and white as she’s always chosen to believe. And maybe a certain villain isn’t really a villain at all. (Or: Three times Raven fights a villain, and one time she saves him.)
And It May Sound Absurd, But Don't Be Naive (Rated T) [Raven/Zeke] by Anonymous 
Summary: "Yeah, well, if life were to suddenly get fair, I doubt it would happen in high school." A Sky High AU where Raven just wants to sit there and do her Mad Science homework in peace, but life has a funny habit of removing that as an option.
———
Round 4
Character Focus: Luna kom Floukru
Theme: Thriller
Tropes:
Parallel Universe
Doppelgängers
Excuse me, where are the dinosaurs? (Rating M) [Luna/Raven/Roan] *Graphic Depictions of Violence* by ​andthelightbulbclicks @andthelightbulbclicks​
Summary: Luna is living her life on the island of Floukru with two goals in mind. 1. Keep her animal rescue up and running. 2. (Somehow) turn her relationship with her two roommates into a romantic one. When the three of them find themselves on a very different version of Floukru where living, breathing dinosaurs still exist, she supposes she should add two more to the list: 3. Avoid the psychopaths who inexplicably look exactly like them. 4. Make sure no one gets eaten by a T-Rex.
we cross our bridges and burn them behind us (Rating T) [Luna/Lincoln] by the-most-beautiful-broom @the-most-beautiful-broom​
Summary: When SHRDR powers up and tears a hole in the world, Luna watches Lincoln die. Three years later, he steps out of thin air and asks for her help. So yeah, that's how her day is going. It's fine. Everything is fine.
Promise (Rated M) [Lincoln & Luna] *Graphic Depictions Of Violence Major Character Death* by teeandrainbows @teeandsnowflakes​
Summary: During the Conclave, Luna and Octavia find themselves in another version of Polis where vampires have been terrorizing what's left of humanity.
Please take a read of all these incredible fics! Leave the authors some kudos/comments! They worked so hard this whole event. Thanks so much!
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luccislegs · 5 years ago
Note
im living for the poly hcs ;^; makes me so happy to see them. Its okay if you dont wanna but can I ask for RogerxReaderxRouge hcs with a male/or gender netural s/o? set in the OP universe?
The only real problem with some pairings is that i don’t have fleshed out headcanons for them. Like with lawxkidxreader i have actual ideas already going on. I’ll still write them and i don’t half-ass them, but i don’t want you to be disappointed if they aren’t as filled out as some others are.
you’re with rouge first, in a happily committed relationship. it’s open between the two of you, but very rarely do either of you go to anyone else.
when roger shows up, it’s instant attraction from both of you and you both recognize it. there’s some mild trepidation given roger’s reputation, but it doesn’t stop you from stepping into the pub and maybe dropping some not-so-subtle hints.
roger isn’t one to turn down a party and takes you both back to the ship and it’s over from there. he’s a very generous lover, and isn’t afraid of what anyone else thinks about getting involved with an established couple, let alone a man, and he proves it to you that night.
the roger pirates are docked on your island for a week and you don’t think he’s been in the company of anyone else the whole time. on the last night that he’s there, you admit you don’t want him to leave, speaking for both you and rouge, who’s nodding in agreement. roger laughs and promises he’ll come back to see you, ending it with a wink. he kisses you and tastes of nothing but rum, and you almost can’t let go.
you both see him off, hand in hand, and roger watches you grow smaller, wishing he could have stayed just a little longer. rouge turns to you with a small, sad smile, and you recognize in it that the two of you won’t ever be enough again.
but just because you miss roger doesn’t mean that your relationship with rouge is any less. if anything, you feel refreshed in it because…well, just because. roger was like a breath of fresh air, and you and rouge are just happier for it. both of you continue on the way you always have, secretly waiting for roger’s return. late at night, when you’re both on the verge of sleep and rouge’s head is resting on your chest, the two of you reminisce about him, and it often leads to something more passionate.
upon roger’s return, the two of you immediately drag him away from his crew, and by the time you’re done, it’s dark. roger has no desire to go anywhere, though, and stays the night. it’s a pleasant surprise, given that he usually insists on returning to the ship, just to protect the two of you, and you wonder what’s changed.
it’s made clear to you, though, when you wake in the middle of the night and find roger watching rouge with a serene, warm smile. when he catches you staring at him, he gives you the same, and you can feel your heart speed up at the same time that your stomach curls. you recognize that look. it’s the same one rouge gives you when she thinks you aren’t looking, and the same one you think you give her too.
roger comes back a few more times before finally telling you it’ll be the last you see of him for a while. he’s going to travel to the end of the new world, and he knows it’s going to be a long time before he can make it back. you and rouge are naturally sad, but also support roger to the fullest extent, and encourage him to make his dream come true. 
his last night with you is slow and sweet and lasts all night. rouge gives out before either of you, and you continue for a while before she wakes up again to join in. seeing him off that morning is bittersweet, and you can feel rouge’s hand tremble in yours. he’s a speck on the horizon when she turns and cries into your chest.
this kiss tastes once more of rum, and freedom.
true to his word, it’s years before he returns and, when he does, you know something is wrong. he seems happy enough, but he’s alone. his stories of the new world and laugh tel are spectacular and astounding, but there’s some spark missing from his words. unable to find the proper moment to bring it up, you let it go and allow him to carry on like normal. 
even though he seems less enormous than he did before, he’s just as much a warm and caring lover as ever, if not more so since he spent so much time away. there isn’t a day where he isn’t helping rouge in the garden or you with cooking, and not a night passes where the three of you aren’t a mix of arms and legs and passion.
before you know it, roger is leaving and this time, says nothing of when he’ll be back. with a pounding heart, you finally question what’s been wrong this whole time. it breaks when he answers, telling you and rouge of his illness and his plans. it’s the first and only time you beg him not to leave, rouge almost screaming at him to stay with you. but he resists, saying that he doesn’t want the two of you in anymore danger than you already are with his presence. if he leaves now and turns himself in, before the world government finds out about the two of you, then there’s less chance of you being hunted.
there’s no stopping him, and your last kiss with him tastes of salt and misery.
the news of roger’s death is punctuated by rouge’s sobs, her hands wrapped around her stomach. you’re barely containing your own, but you put your hands to her shoulders, encouraging her to breathe. her heaving comes to stop, but it comes at the cost of tears, and your shirt is soaked within minutes
you aren’t sure who the baby belongs to, but a large portion of you hopes it’s his. even though you know it’ll be in danger, knowing that the world government will be on the hunt for any remaining link to gol d. roger, you can’t help that selfish wish. rouge won’t say it, but you know she feels the same. 
shortly before his death, roger received a letter detailing the pregnancy of a dear friend of his, and his heart constricted with fear in his chest even as he felt overwhelming adoration for this child he would never meet. his next action was to beg vice admiral garp for help protecting him. he couldn’t even be sure the child was his, but it was as good as and the last thing he wanted was for it to be hurt because it shared his blood.
you’re absolutely stricken when marines show up on the island, tearing through the villages looking for pregnant women. you hurry home, gathering rouge up in your arms, terrified of them finding out your secret. rouge assures you, though, promising that they aren’t going anywhere, and you swear to protect them with your life.
it’s almost 2 years before the marines leave and, in that time, rouge has yet to give birth. the two of you had discussed it and, even though you didn’t think they would connect you two to them, rouge wasn’t willing to risk it. it killed you to agree with her, but she wouldn’t hear anything else.
everyday, you can see it putting more and more strain on her, killing her a little more, and every part of you wants to beg her to stop, but the stronger part of you knows she wouldn’t and that you couldn’t ask her to. so instead you give her everything you can, knowing that it’ll come to an end soon.
when he’s born, you can see rouge in him, in his freckles and his cute button nose. but you hold your breath when you recognize roger in him, in the mop of hair on the top of his head, but mostly in his deep brown, almost black eyes. you want to cry when you see him, knowing you and rouge made the right decision.
rouge passes him to you, and ace smiles up at you, all gums, and you smile back even as the tears finally fall. you’re the one to pass him to garp, because rouge collapses backwards on the bed. with one arm around her back, you hold her to you, whispering promises you know you can’t keep.
she gives you a soft smile, tears clinging to her lashes, knowing your words are lies, but she’s content to believe them in her dying moments.
when you turn to garp, he’s looking at ace with a mix of trepidation and sadness, and you want to take him back, but can’t, knowing he would be far safer wherever garp is taking him. watching garp walk away with your son is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do, because he’s the last connection you have to the two people you loved most. 
you aren’t sure, as you watch the ship disappear on the horizon, whether you regret roger coming into your lives. he turned everything upside down in a lot of ways, but you simply can’t figure it out. you don’t know if you ever will.
i just happened to write this this way. if you want, i can write it where it’s rogerxreader and they meet rouge. i was already ¾ through it when i had another idea for it.
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imnotcameraready · 5 years ago
Text
chivalry is dead (12)
A/N: WE’VE REACHED!!!!!!!!!!!!! KISSES!!!! HELL YEAH—
there are also So many characters in this one y’all im so sorry to do this to you but also Suffer — since they’re not gonna be reoccurring, i’m adding a characters tag so y’all know what you’re getting into. also, i felt a liiiiittle bad with all the angst i was giving, so since chapters 12 and 13 happen simultaneously, y’all are getting the Softs for now :) 
what, angst on the horizon? says who? ;)
Characters: Deceit, Patton, the Playwright, the Artist, the Bard, Sleep (Remy), Dad Guy, Teacher Guy
WARNINGS: bruises and black eyes, references to imprisonment, food/food mention — i dont think there's much in this chapter, but if i missed anything, please let me know!!
Words: 6961
Pairings: i’m so. so proud to announce. welcome to some Roceit, some Royality, a sliver of Moceit, and Dad Guy x Teacher Guy (the best ship, imho)
AO3 link!
MASTERPOST! <– look here!! for some of the series long warnings!! including sympathetic Deceit and cursing/swearing, both of which are heavily present here!
chivalry taglist: @starlightvirgil​ @forrestwyrm​ @daflangstlairde​ @marshmallow-the-panda​ @askthesnake​ @k9cat​ @patromlogil​
general tag: @jemthebookworm​
enjoy!!!! sorry for the long intro, and ilysm !! <3 <3 <3 
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This was very much not Deceit’s forte. He ran his hand through the Bard’s hair for the umpteenth time, shooting Patton a terrified expression. Patton was on the Bard’s other side, arms wrapped around his waist, head resting on his shoulder.
“You’re okay, Roman,” he whispered, again, “You’re okay.”
The trio had been standing in a weird multi-hug for nearly ten minutes, ever since the Thief absconded. Patton figured it’d be safer to stay with Deceit and the Bard; he was more accustomed to seeing Roman cry, sad to say, but it was still only a handful of times. He did know that Deceit was very much not equipped to handle situations like this, though, and, well. He didn’t exactly trust Deceit to not make things worse.
He wasn’t, though, so Patton was pretty happy. The Bard had even finished crying a few minutes ago. That wasn’t the issue. He just refused to let up from where he was pressed into Deceit’s chest, breathing slow and quiet.
It wasn’t like Deceit minded too much. It was a little annoying. Just a little. But it was also comforting. He tried his best to not look at Patton’s little glances, but Deceit knew his face was a little red. He didn’t want to let go of Roman. Not when he was this close, also comforted in his hold.
Despite Deceit’s strategy of letting go of his crush, he was almost falling faster. He pressed his lips to the Bard’s head and flicked his eyes up at Patton when he began talking again.
“You’re gonna be okay. We’ve just gotta get goin’ now.”
In all honesty?
The Bard had long since calmed down. He was now drunk on happiness. Yeah, sure, he was still really pissed off at the Thief, he’d ruined his make up, punched him in the face, made the Child cry, generally put a damper on the whole situation, but that was to be a problem for another day. The arms wrapped around his waist, the body he was snuggled into, the hand that was running through his hair, it all made him feel so secure. So loved.
He didn’t think Deceit was much of a physical person, but after this? The Bard would have to remember to go to the snake more often for cuddles.
He closed his eyes again and inhaled slowly.
Patton always smelt like cookies. Chocolate chip cookies and occasionally chai, depending on what he’d baked recently. Sometimes of just sugar.
Deceit smelt a little more just like a person, yeah, but the scent was carefully interlaced with hints of lavender and jasmine. Did Deceit wear cologne or something? Maybe he had a self-care routine. The Bard would also have to remember to have Roman ask Deceit if he wanted to do masks and manicures together.
The could just not follow the Thief. The Bard could invite Patton and Deceit to his home, hidden away amongst the pages of this story they’d written, watch a movie and bundle under some blankets together. He could just take the time and space to be content. He could take in the pleasures of life!
But, alas, it was curtains for those dreams.
“Alright, Padre, I’m good. I’m gucci,” the Bard murmured, “It’s just so nice to be held. King Cobra, honey, were you always this warm. And you’re so lovely, Patt-puff, I could fall asleep right here.”
Patton snorted, catching the briefest glimpse of Deceit’s bright red face. “You can have all the snuggles you want later, kiddo,” he patted the Bard’s chest again, “You just gotta—”
“Wait.”
The change was immediate. The Bard stood upright, pulling his face out of Deceit’s chest and turning his head around. “Someone’s singing.”
Patton and Deceit shared a confused frown. Faintly, they could hear a voice, far, far away, but growing louder.
“For years, I’ve roamed these empty halls~!”
“Yeah,” the Bard tapped Deceit’s back and pulled away, both other Sides letting go finally.
There was still mascara dried around his face, and the eye that’d been punched was swelling and angry red, but the Bard didn’t seem to care. Patton rubbed his arms, missing the warmth and scolding himself internally for wanting something so unrealistic. He nudged Deceit, who was grumbling and stretching his arms, and both looked up.
In the Bard’s hands was the ukulele, forgotten in the earlier argument, and he twirled it before lifting it to his chest. Strumming a few precise chords, he continued the song, like a bird returning a call.
“Why have a ballroom with no balls~!” he twirled in place and sprang toward the sound.
He sure seemed happier now. Patton smiled, watching him perform, and rested one of his hands on his cheek.
Roman was just so full of life, always. It was astounding.
Wait, the Bard was moving. Patton blinked, looking up to find Deceit watching the Bard, mesmerized as well.
….Ah.
So Deceit liked him, too?
That’d complicate things. Deceit and Roman were a little friendlier, and Patton definitely didn’t want to get in the way of anything, if it made them both happy. If there was anything. Of course there was something. Deceit and Roman were both so charming, how couldn’t there be something? That’d be like giving someone chocolate without the flowers on Valentines day!
“Finally they’re opening up the ga~ates~!”
Distantly, they heard someone echo the same line, getting closer. It was the Roman version of echolocation.
Oh. What if Deceit’s story about Roman and the pit was just a cover up for him being in Roman’s room? What if they’d been together?
Patton shook his head. Imagining worries like that was just gonna get his head spun in a tizzy. He chuckled to himself at his pun, though gained no mirth from it, and tugged Deceit’s hand.
“C’mon, we’ve gotta follow,” he said.
Deceit blinked, looking at Patton, then back at the Bard, who’d already dance-walked his way halfway down the street. “Ah, of course,” he hurried after the Bard, faster.
He didn’t want Patton to say anything about the staring and, frankly, Patton didn’t want to say anything either. Nor his own disappointment of missing them both.
“There’ll be actual, real-life people~”
The Bard strummed, twisting down a road, and Deceit and Patton followed.
They were probably being led to another Roman, since they could make out his voice as it grew louder. Were there any more Romans, though? Or, well, any new ones.
“It’ll be totally strange!”
The other singer was just behind a corner.
“Wow, am I so ready for this change~!”
“Will you cut it out! It’s bad enough we’re out in public,” the Artist grumbled, fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie, “And now you’re drawing everyone’s attention.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, is my voice bothering you?” the Playwright shot back, bumping his hip against the Artist’s as he shouted, “‘Cause for the first time in forever~! There’ll be music, there’ll be light!”
Deceit and Patton blinked, watching the two bicker as they walked closer. Neither of them seemed very scared of the world around them; in fact, both were looking around at the scenery, as though noticing it for the first time. While the Artist was trying to hide, his hood up and everything, the Playwright was walking around with a coat slung over his shoulders and otherwise in the same outfit they’d seen him in the other day.
The Bard had stopped just around the bend, standing in the pathway and bouncing on his feet with an excited grin, as though waiting for them to notice him.
“Uh, yeah, a little. Shut up.”
“I, wh—” the Playwright’s singing screeched to a halt as he glared at the Artist. “How?!”
“Sounds too much like my voice.”
“We are the same person, you dunce, how—wait,” the Playwright looked up and squinted, “Oh, it’s Bard.”
The Bard struck a pose, pointing his ukulele into the sky like a sword. “It sure is! It’s been so long, Playwright, Artist!” he dashed forward, ignoring the Artist’s shouts of “NO” and the Playwright’s confused spluttering as he hugged both with his arms, “I’ve missed you both so dearly!”
He spun in a circle once before pulling away, smoothing their sides down with a hand. He then leaned forward and pecked their cheeks, one after another, shocking them both just enough that neither pointed out his black eye.
This again? It was much too high energy for Deceit, not as he had to study this...what, fifth Roman? Fourth? How many had he met, by now? Jesus, how many were there. He slunk back, behind Patton, letting the moral side do the talking.
“Good to see you again, Playwright! You too, Artist,” Patton smiled at the Artist, who flinched back and tugged the side of his hood.
Patton wasn’t about to bring up the fight from earlier that morning. The Child said, on their way out, that the Artist didn’t have much outside his art. Maybe it wasn’t good for him to be yelling at them, it was definitely upsetting. And Patton was definitely hurt. A little betrayed. A little confused. But that didn’t mean Patton would be angry. He didn’t hold grudges very well.
“Um,” the Artist looked down, twisting his foot against the cobblestone path. He couldn’t, in his right conscious, not apologize immediately. “Yeah. Dad, I just–I’m really sorry about this morning. I over reacted, and I shouldn’t have snapped at you and Logan and Child. I’m, uh, it was dumb. I’m sorry.”
There it was. Out in the open.
The Artist didn’t want his perfection at the expense of love.
A hand rested on his shoulder and he twitched. It felt almost numb, like television static. He looked up to see Patton smiling widely at him, almost beaming. “You’re not dumb for having your own boundaries and caring about what you make. Yeah, it was….” his smile faltered slightly, reminded of how terrified he’d been that the Artist would actually stab them with a palette knife, “I can’t say it’s okay. But thank you for apologizing, and I’m sorry Logan and I made you uncomfortable.”
….The Artist really hadn’t expected that. His cheeks tinged with a bit of a blush as he looked down again, still fiddling with his hood.
Patton always knew what to say.
“I don’t wanna just brush over this issue.”
The Artist closed his eyes and exhaled. Patton chuckled to himself, but watched the Artist closer. Um. Maybe he didn’t understand?
Patton didn’t want to actually offend him, not right after that apology.
“Get it? Like a paint br—”
“Patton. Darling. While I appreciate the sentiment, I must admit that our relationship is a,” the Artist opened one eye, a tiny smile growing, “Work in progress.”
The Bard and Patton both hooted, the Bard plucking his ukulele once. “Good one!” Patton patted the Artist’s shoulder, “Thought I was gonna start crying there for a second, but I’m glad that was a pun, too!”
“They’re ridiculous,” the Playwright murmured.
“He’s you,” Deceit gestured to the Artist, then to the Bard. “And so’s he.”
“My cross to bear, I suppose,” the Playwright said with a tired shrug.
They’d both stepped back when the Artist apologized, leaning on a wall and watching the scene. It felt like a personal moment of reflection, in all honesty. And they didn’t have the lack of apprehension that the Bard displayed, listening in and looking between the two.
Deceit exhaled, leaning back. So Patton was bonding with yet another figment. Big whoop. No water off his scales, no sir. He turned his head, lazily looking around
Hang on. Those men were guards.
Alarms blared in his head as he reached over to the Playwright. “Guards,” he hissed.
A quiet tongue click signified that the Playwright saw them. “Patton, Artist, Bard, we need to go,” he moved toward the group.
The Bard looked back, eyes widening as the guards began marching towards them. “Son of Hephaestus.”
The ukulele disappeared from his hands as he grabbed Patton with and the Artist with the other, tugging them along. The street was populated enough, characters and people walking around, but they were parting for the guards like a predator through a school of fish. Where were they supposed to run to? The Bard knew the city well enough, but all of the maneuvers he used to escape danger wouldn’t work with such a long procession. Not to mention that the Playwright and Artist had never been in the town. In an altercation, none of them would stand a chance; all the real fighters had left.
Patton winced. What were they gonna—
“Hey, babes, lookie here!”
“Oh, thank fucking Pollock,” the Artist breathed. “It’s our idiot.”
Patton and Deceit both snapped around, looking forward. There was Thomas. Not. Not Thomas. No, it was one of his characters, wearing a black leather jacket and a messenger bag, holding a half-full Starbucks venti cup with some unknown iced drink within. Somehow, the paper labeling him as “Sleep” was still firmly taped to his chest despite being held up by a single, half-inch piece of scotch tape. But, you know. Big mood.
He waved them forward again from the doorway he was standing in. “C’mon already, we don’t have all day,” Sleep chirped again, waving a little faster.
You know what? Deceit was going to question this one. He’d been through a lot, this past day. Roman wanted to play a medieval theme, but had random modern appliances strewn about? Yeah, he’d accept that. Virgil throttled him? Sure, yeah, that would happen, that was still within the last 24 hours.
But this?
“Hey, Sleepytime Tea,” the Bard hummed, pecking Sleep’s cheek as he ducked past. “Thank you for the rescue!”
Deceit pointed at Sleep. “That. Is. One of our characters.”
Patton grinned, holding his other hand and pulling him along. “Mhm! Child said they’re all around the Imagination. Ooh, I’m excited to meet him!”
Oh, yeah, that was super explanatory! That solved ALL of Deceit’s problems! That made total and complete sense!
“Sleep,” the Playwright greeted, nodding to him as he slipped past.
Deceit was going to go absolutely feral one of these days.
Sleep tilted his sunglasses and grabbed Deceit’s back. “Let’s go, girls, into the lil’ house.”
“Remy,” the Artist murmured, pulling Patton in.
Sleep nodded to him as well, shoving Deceit into the room and closing the door. He threw two locks, then spun around to lean his back against it.
All five of them watched, varying levels of panic on their faces, while Sleep took a long sip of his coffee. They could definitely hear the guards interrogating someone outside, so it wouldn’t be long until they were approached.
“Are we gonna—” the Bard began, only to be silenced by Sleep raising his hand.
He pulled the straw away from his lips and exhaled.
“Oh my God,” Deceit mumbled, “And I thought Roman was dramatic. Holy shit, you’re a character.”
“Oh, honey, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Sleep lowered his sunglasses and winked.
He fixed them, raising his drink to behind the group, further into the building. “Alright, lets go. You all, like, super do not want to run into those guys.”
Sleep led the way. The room they’d entered into was a large foyer, to a house but not. He led them down the hall, up some stairs, up some more stairs, and then out into a bridge connecting this building to the next.
The Playwright nudged the Bard, once they were out on the bridge, and pointed silently at his eye.
That was right, the black eye and smudged make up was still clear as day. He couldn’t be having that. The Bard nodded and pressed a hand to his face. The make up vanished, reappearing as though it’d never been smudged with his tears. Carefully, he also pressed onto the bruise, and the skin all sank back in and flattened out into regularity.
It was best to not show his damage. Bad enough that he’d cried in front of the other Sides. He wasn’t about to walk around with an actual wound. It would bruise over regardless, there wasn’t anything he could do about that, but Roman didn’t want them to see him as anything other than, well. That depended on the Roman. The Bard didn’t want them to see him as anything other than beautiful.
Patton and Deceit didn’t notice. That was fine, perfect on all three Romans’ accounts. They followed right behind Sleep, the other three trailing at the rear. They’d already seen most of the Imagination, having been there when it was built (though building and navigating were two different skills); for the other two, everything was starkly new, even Sleep.
The Imagination did have more structure than they’d seen the other day. Arches, bridges, buildings that looked more defined.
Something certainly changed in the world. Maybe it was the same thing that caused the Imagination to have a regular day/night cycle? Deceit pursed his lips and summoned his notebook again, jotting down some notes. A curious world indeed.
Meanwhile, Patton was just getting excited. It was Sleep! He was an older character than, well, Patton! Granted, Patton wasn’t exactly a character, that was more so the length of time he’d been in front of the camera. But he could still remember the day when Roman pitched him — a sassy Sue, dressed to the sassy nines and going out to fun sassy parties while getting no sleep whatsoever. Logan might have thought it was on the nose to just tape a piece of paper to his shirt, but, hey, it worked!
“You’re Sleep, right? It’s really nice to meet you,” Patton said, bounding a little closer.
Sleep glanced back at him with a small smile and waved two fingers, a lazy salute. “Right back at you, Patton. Heard you’re a ball of punny sunshine — that’s the Morali-tea, sis.”
Ah, well, his reputation precedes him. Patton laughed, holding the wall, and Sleep grinned. “That’s a good one!” he covered his mouth and rubbed his cheeks a little, continuing. “Where’re we headed? Ooh, and also, do you….have any other name? Than Sleep?”
“Nah, nowhere in particular,” Sleep waved his hand dismissively, “And kinda? Emile calls me Remy. So does the fandom.”
“I think the fandom coined that one,” Deceit said, “A pleasure as well, Remy.”
Sleep put up a peace sign in greetings. “Yep. If you wanna go by names, then it’s, like, definitely all good to call me Remy,” he shrugged. “Either works. What can ya do.”
What can you do indeed. “Alrighty, Remy, you didn’t answer my first question though! I don’t think we’re just going to nowhere,” Patton picked up the conversation again.
“Oh, that. Right now we’re just walking around until I get the all clear.”
“The all clear,” the Playwright repeated, eyebrow raised.
“Mhm,” Remy took another sip of his drink and shrugged, “There’s a Starbucks down the hall if you nerds wanna get drinks, too.”
He pointed down a hall and — wait, where in the blazes were they?! Deceit stopped focusing on Remy’s back and looked around.
At the moment, they were in what looked like it could be a church, with stained glass windows and a high vaulted ceiling, save for the fact that it had no pews and was more like a crossroads. Some people walked past, shuffling around in the sides. Some of them looked like Thomas, actually. Possibly characters from other vines? Not all of them were marked with signs so clear as Remy’s.
It seemed that the Starbucks idea had been shot down, because Remy shrugged and led them to the left. As soon as they turned, though, his phone buzzed.
“You’re in my world now, not your world~ And I’ve got friends on the o—” Remy held the phone up to his ear, “Hey, girl, what’s up?”
He held up his drink, stopping the rest of the entourage, and nodded his head. “Mhm. Sounds gucci, I’ll bring these bitches back ‘round. See you in five,” he hung up quick and slid his phone back into his pocket.
Remy pivoted on his heel, facing the group once more with a broad smile. All his dramatics really reminded Patton of Roman, which was making him kind of sad. He missed his energy.
The Bard’s hand nudged Patton’s subtly, and they laced their hands together while Remy began explaining. “That’s the signal, back around this way!”
“Wait, are we walking all the way back?” the Artist asked, anger mounting in his tone, “Remy, you can’t be serious. Can’t we go to Emile’s office or something?”
“Nah, nah, I’m dropping you all off somewhere else. Emile’s got appointments all day today, anyway,” Remy shrugged, “If you wanted to hang with him so bad, you shoulda left your house.”
The Playwright snickered behind a hand, and the Artist elbowed him in the side. “Now, now, no fighting,” Patton said, eager to break up another dispute before it began, “I’m glad you’re out now.”
To that, though, the Artist just pulled his hood tighter around his head and mumbled incoherently. That was okay, it diffused the tension! Better awkward silences and mumblings than any actual physical fighting.
He didn’t even want to think of the implications of the Thief punching the Bard. What was that, Roman punching himself? Why would he be so okay with that?
Like, Patton knew. He’d been upset with himself since they met with the Playwright at the very, very, very beginning. He should have known Roman was self-conscious. It wasn’t the best kept secret.
Agh, he promised himself that he wouldn’t think about it! They were going to get Roman back! It was going to be okay, gosh darned it!
“Patton,” Deceit’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, “Come now.”
Deceit carefully touched Patton’s free hand, wrapping his fingers around Patton’s.
The Bard was right, Patton decided right then and there. Deceit was surprisingly warm.
Patton gave his hand a squeeze, turning to him with a smile. “Thanks,” his voice was quiet, just for the two of them.
Deceit, human-side-of-face lightly flushed, returned the smile. But why would Deceit be blushing at him? Patton’s mind trailed off, just as Remy stopped the group yet again.
“Alright, we’re he~ere!” he sang out the word “here,” throwing open a door.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Patton lifted a hand, pointing fingers directly with the man standing in the opposite doorway, holding two pizza boxes and wearing the same blue polo, grey sweater, and khaki pants that he usually donned. The man dropped the pizzas onto the table besides himself and pointed as well.
“Oh, fucking hell,” Deceit groaned.
“Oh, fuck yeah,” the Bard fist pumped into the air.
Dad Guy smiled first. “I think I need new prescriptions! You’ve got me seeing double!”
A laugh from the kitchen indicated that he wasn’t alone. Patton grinned back, shooting Dad Guy some finger guns. “You can try mine! My prescriptions are Patton-edly perfect!”
“Awh, c’mere kiddo, great to meet you!”
“‘Kiddo?’ Haven’t you felt my shirt? It’s all Dad material right here.”
“The only material you’re gonna need is some new material! Can’t go around reusing old jokes!”
“Well, an old man’s gotta have old jokes! Double the puns and double the Dad!”
Remy patted Deceit’s back and gave him a sympathetic shrug. “I’ve gotta dip, gotta meet with some other people around the town. You know, midday naps and all that. Good luck with that,” he gestured to the two dads, who were exchanging one liners back and forth.
Deceit only responded with a glare that begged for mercy.
Remy laughed.
The Playwright walked past Patton and Dad Guy, into where Teacher Guy was sitting at another table, a stack of papers beside him that needed hypothetical grading. There’d been too many people, too much going on in the past day. He needed someone who he could trust to be quiet if needed and, thankfully, Teacher Guy asked much fewer questions than Logan.
The Artist motioned for Deceit to follow him to the other table with the Bard, who was already opening the top-most pizza box and stealing a few slices. The trio actually stole the entire top box and slunk away to another room, just up some stairs, while the other four traded silence and puns. There was a balcony opposite of two doors, presumably bedrooms, and they sat outside on the ground, huddled around the large box of pizza.
It was probably lunch time. They didn’t have Logan to tell them that eating on a schedule was a vital part of setting one’s internal clock, so the only indicator that it was “lunch time” was the tinge of hunger in each of their stomachs.  
“If this hasn’t been a day,” the Artist sighed.
“Oh, definitely. The Thief punched me earlier,” the Bard laughed a little before biting into a slice, talking through the food. “Y’ kn’w, ah d’n’t e’he’ i’.”
Deceit snorted, looking away and laughing into a hand while the Artist reprimanded him. “Oh my God, chew your fucking food.”
The Bard rolled his eyes and swallowed. “I mean, I didn’t expect it. To be honest, I always forget that the Thief’s a violent one.”
“I always remember. Ever since he glared at me ‘first time we formed, I’ve been a little iffy about him,” the Artist waved his third slice in a lazy shrug. “You’re lucky he doesn’t hate your guts.’
“Oh, you’re lucky that absolutely no one hates yours.”
“Really? Thief and Playwright always seem two strokes away from stabbing me.”
“That’s because they don’t understand art. I know they love you! And that’s why WE love each other, remember?” the Bard took a bite out of the Artist’s slice and ignored his offended huffs, “And Deceit! How are you feeling?”
Deceit blinked. He’d been taking in the conversation, trying to dissect the differences between every iteration of Roman.
The Artist and the Bard were an interesting pair. They seemed to be so similar, yet so distinctly different, what with the Artist being an introvert and the Bard more extroverted. The Artist working with physical mediums whereas the Bard performed. But those glaring differences seemed to mask differences in desire, intent — that’s what Deceit had to focus on.
“Hey, Bruce Banner, come back. We miss you,” the Bard patted his knee with a smile. “Are you feeling okay? This has probably been quite the journey, especially with how fast things’ve been happening.”
“Well,” Deceit should indulge the Romans, if only for a little, “It has been. I haven’t spent this much time with….any other. Sides. In a while.”
The Artist nodded sympathetically while the Bard blinked. He tilted his head. “Oh. I thought you and the Dark Sides...? You know? Worked together more.”
Deceit shrugged. He wasn’t revealing anything. “Perhaps we do. In that case, then, it’s the longest I’ve spent with such good company,” he smiled coyly at the Bard.
It took a few seconds, but once the Bard fully interpreted what he said, he flushed almost as bright as his waist sash. He giggled, running his hands through his hair and swaying from side to side.
The Artist beside him also turned red, but just squinted tiredly at Deceit. “C’mon, you don’t have to play us,” he grumbled quietly, “The Prince isn’t here.”
“I know Roman’s not just a prince, he’s much, much more,” Deceit leaned on his hand, resting his chin on it as he watched the Artist.
“Anyone’d know that. He’s an artist. A bard. Playwright, thief, dragon, damsel, child, he’s all of us. But he’s all still a big dumbass,” the Artist ran a hand through his hair, pursing his lips in frustration, “You don’t have to pretend to love us or anything.”
It was Deceit’s turn to be confused. He frowned, leaning back a little in contemplation. Here he thought he was being obvious. And while staying behind the guise of secrecy benefited him greatly, if it was upsetting Roman this much….“Do you really think everything that I say is insincere?”
“Well….” The Artist looked away, staring down the Bard, who was still a bubbly and flustered mess, “Yeah. ‘Course.”
….That did make a little sense. Deceit scooted closer to the Artist. “May I touch your face?” he asked, voice soft.
The Artist’s eyes flicked back up to him quickly before he looked down at the pizza box. There wasn’t any harm. And….he couldn’t say he didn’t want to be touched more. “Sure.”
Deceit lifted a hand to cup the Artist’s cheek, cradling his head as gently as he could. Unconsciously, the Artist leaned into it, exhaling slow as to not lose his self control.
This was….a dream. It had to be. Because Deceit had wished for this for so long, and he was very used to not getting what he wanted. He just had to keep it together.
“Roman, darling,” to that, even the Bard stopped swaying, listening to what Deceit said, “I can’t say I’m the most honest person, but I can promise you this is no lie.”
With that, he pressed a careful kiss to the Artist’s left temple. The Artist’s eyes went wide as saucers as he realized, with an incredible start, that Deceit. Had just kissed him. Deceit had just kissed him, one of the saddest versions of Roman in this miserable little game.
The Bard covered his mouth with both hands, but even that couldn’t hide his elation.
“Holy fuck.”
He fell backwards, laying on the ground with his arms splayed out. It felt like he….was whole.
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The Damsel looked out the small window of his room, squinting into the bright light between the bars.
What had just happened? He reached up to his head and ran his hand slowly through his hair, grazing over his left temple.
It felt like someone had just….
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Deceit smiled a tiny bit, watching the two Romans collectively lose their minds. He was adorable when flustered. “You’re beautiful. Every bit of you,” he said, trying to force the Artist, force Roman, to understand that he was being truthful.
Even if it was a part of Roman, it still meant the world for Deceit to know that Roman knew. They could write this off later, write it off as some —
Deceit wanted to scream. Hang the fuck on. Oh, holy shit. He’d just admitted it.
He leaned back, trying to keep his movements as slow and deliberate and not-panicked as they were before, but holy shit. He’d just said it. He was in love. It was a round-about statement, series of movements and signals, but of course it was, with him.
He was in love with Roman — was it just Roman? It was a different feeling, but the same feeling across the board. God, Deceit didn’t want to deal with this, not on top of everything he was learning about the Imagination and the other Sides. He lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his scaled forehead, tugging his hat down just a tiny bit more. At least the Romans didn’t notice his sudden and extreme change in posture.
Their collective stupor was disturbed by a shout from below, and then the Playwright calling them downstairs.
“ARTIST! WE FUCKING FORGOT TO TELL THEM!” he snapped, “GET DOWN HERE, HURRY!”
The Artist swore, clearing his throat and standing up. “We, uh, we need to go downstairs, go ahead,” he motioned for Deceit and the Bard to leave, “Ah, fuck, I’m sorry.”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” the Bard picked up the empty pizza box and looped his other arm around Deceit’s, much to the snake’s chagrin. “And we’ll let you tell the others later, okay? We don’t want you to feel uncomfortable at all.”
That was….kind. Deceit didn’t know how to respond, he’d kind of expected the Bard to excitedly blurt it out at some point. Perhaps he would. Deceit couldn’t trust that.
He nodded, and the Bard grinned. He led the way down the stairs, barreling through the kitchen and setting the box down before entering the main room again.
The Playwright, Patton, Dad Guy, and Teacher Guy were all sitting around in a circle. The second couch was empty, so the Bard pulled Deceit onto it, paying the utmost attention. The Artist just sank into the couch on Deceit’s other side, eyes locked onto some papers on the table. Two of them were open, letters that had been opened and were now folded back into the envelopes they’d come from. Only the letter’s receiver’s name was visible, but that gave quite a bit of backstory by themselves.
Cordial invitation of Dad Guy to the Entry Gala — in celebration of Morality, Logic, Anxiety, and Deceit’s welcome to the Imagination.
Cordial invitation of Teacher Guy to the Entry Gala — in celebration of Morality, Logic, Anxiety, and Deceit’s welcome to the Imagination.
On the stack’s top was another letter, with a red kiss mark where the stamp would typically go.
Honorable invitation of Patton ‘Morality’ Sanders to the Entry Gala — in celebration of your welcome to the Imagination.
“Ew, he kissed it,” the Bard bit his lip and looked up, scanning the Playwright’s face. “What is it? I’m guessing it’s from Dragon?”
The Playwright nodded to Patton, and he picked up his invitation and cut it open. Quickly, his eyes scanned it over, and a frown overtook his features. “This’ so weird, a gala? Like a party?”
“That’s my suspicion,” the Playwright said, then rubbed the back of his neck. “We all know, er….”
“Roman’s got a flair for the dramatics,” the Artist continued, voice soft, “Dragon got a lot of that.”
“But not all!” the Bard raised his hands up in Roman’s typical princely pose, grinning cheekily.
The Playwright and the Artist both rolled their eyes. “Yes,” the Playwright said. “It looks as though Dragon is trying to lure us all to the castle.”
“....Gosh,” Patton breathed, setting the invitation down on the table, so everyone could read it.
His hand was shaking a little. He did want to see the Dragon, of course, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous about the implications of the letter. And a part of him hoped that….it hadn’t been the Dragon who sent it. Maybe the other Romans were wrong. Maybe the Prince, HIS prince, was there.
To Patton,
Roman ‘Dragon’ Sanders invites you to a masquerade gala celebrating your entrance into the Imagination, as well as Logan, Virgil, and Deceit’s. Please provide your own costume and mask, as this will be a masquerade ball.
It will be a grand evening of food, dance, and excitement, made all the better with your attendance. Entry at the Drawbridge gate tonight, gates open at sundown.
No RSVP required.
See you soon, my love.
Prince Roman
“Oh, fuck him, he’s just gonna sign it like that? What a lilly-livered jackass!” the Bard’s nose scrunched up.
He leaned back again and turned up his head, repulsed by the Dragon’s blatant arrogance.  And the gall, calling Patton his love! It was like he got all the pride and none of the brains! What the hell! The Bard almost wanted to trade him one bit of self-indulgence.
Oh, he might have to throw some of his own punches, once he came face to face with the Dragon. What a disgrace to the Prince’s memory!
“It’s not somethin’ to celebrate,” Dad Guy said, a small smile on his face. The way his brows pinched definitely betrayed his worry.
Teacher Guy still patted his shoulder and shook his head. “Not the time, Dad.”
“Sorry, you know I goof when I’m nervous.”
“Hang on,” the Artist said, rereading the note, “Playwright and my invitations were different.”
He reached into his hoodie pocket and took out his own invitation, spreading it out on the table.
To Roman ‘Artist’ Sanders,
Roman ‘Dragon’ Sanders invites you to a masquerade gala celebrating Morality, Logic, Anxiety, and Deceit’s entrance into the Imagination. Please provide your own costume and mask, as this will be a masquerade ball.
It will be a grand evening of food, dance, and excitement — with a very special and very familiar guest. Entry at the Drawbridge gate tonight, gates open at sundown.
No RSVP required.
Come prepared.
“He’s….so he’s pretending to be Prince,” Deceit bit his tongue. “That has got to be who the guest is, in your invitation.”
He picked up both letters, turning them around to face himself as he turned over the phrasing in his mind. This was almost his area of expertise. The minute changes of word, the different references to the Prince, everything was catered to the recipient of the letter. Probably as a means to get whoever the letter was sent to do go.
Him and Patton both couldn’t hide their disappointment, but….it did make sense, in his world. The Dragon was manipulating them into attending, offering whatever he could.
“I don’t get it,” the Bard said, crossing his arms, “What’s the point of this? A ball? Like, that sounds flipping sweet, but for what?”
The Playwright responded. “My hypothesis is that it’s to get us all in one place. Every one of us figments, and every Side, but I don’t understand why he would—”
“Okay, so he’s gonna kill us on the dance floor,” the Artist said, pulling his knees up to his chest.
“Why do you think he’s inviting us, then?” Teacher Guy asked, “I mean, we’re probably going? Not much danger for us, and, well….”
“I wanna dance with you,” Dad Guy declared, throwing his arm around Teacher Guy’s shoulders.
Teacher Guy smiled, patting Dad Guy’s shoulder fondly as he turned to the Playwright again with more questions on his tongue. “It’s a free party. Knowing that we’re all Thomas, there’ll probably be pizza. Why do you think he’s throwing it all like a party? And what’s the point of having the costumes?”
“Dramatics?” the Playwright offered, voice weak in confusion. “The Dragon would have to figure out which costumed Thomas-esque people are the Sides, are us, and are, well, characters.”
The Artist exhaled sharply. “This is a long way to go for aesthetics. That can’t be all he wants.”
“Either way, we should go,” Patton said, voice soft, “We….Deceit, we were all talking about this. We’ve gotta talk to the Dragon.”
Deceit looked up from the letters, meeting Patton’s eyes with understanding. He nodded slowly. “I agree. No doubt it’s a trap. Of course, of course it’s a trap,” his brain was working at the speed of light, trying to figure out the smartest passage through this, “But we do need to meet him.”
A beat of silence followed that declaration.
Patton was afraid. They couldn’t not meet the Dragon — he was a part of Roman! And every part was valuable and loved and he needed to hug — but the way that the Artist curled in on himself, the way that the Playwright was squeezing his knees with his fists, the way that the Bard was trying to smile, as though it could cover up all of their fears…. It was going to be okay. It was all going to be okay. He was going to talk to the Dragon and give him a scolding. And, if he managed to get through to the Dragon, then it might help the other Romans not be afraid of that part of him. That was what mattered most.
Of course this would be difficult. Deceit would have to tread carefully. He didn’t want to risk any more damage to Roman’s psyche. He almost wanted to forget that kiss, that stupid kiss, because now it was dwelling too heavily on his mind for him to focus on the task at hand. This gala, this party that the Dragon was throwing….did he have the Prince? None of the Romans knew where Prince had gone. The way they talked about him made it sound like he was dead.
There was no way he was dead. And there was no way Deceit was going to let any of them get hurt, either.
At least the other Romans weren’t arguing back this time around. Hopefully they’d been convinced of this turn’s necessity.
God, he was so happy he didn’t have to talk in circles around this topic.
“Well, um,” Dad Guy fidgeted with the sleeve of his cardigan, “I don’t know what you all wanna do now. I’ve got cookies in—”
A sharp knock at the door shut him up. They all froze, huddled in their seats and couches. Deceit actually drew one of his daggers, poised to fight if need be. This was poor timing for the guards to have found them.
The door flung open.
There was Remy, glasses slipping down his nose, panting. He fixed his glasses and waved an arm across his body.
“Guys. You’re gonna wanna come with me, pronto,” he pointed at Dad Guy and Teacher Guy, “Emile needs them. You’re good.”
“Awh, but I just made cookies,” Dad Guy said.
“We can bring them the cookies later,” Teacher Guy offered, to which Dad Guy immediately brightened up, clapping.
“You’re right! We’ll bring you cookies later!”
“What happened?” the Playwright asked, fixing his glasses.
Remy usually didn’t run. He liked to take his time, make things easy for himself. What might have caused this sudden conundrum?
“Can’t answer that right now, we’ve gotta get going,” Remy wasn’t even holding a Starbucks cup as he fixed his glasses and motioned to them again, “You really need to see this.”
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