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thesleepyfable · 3 months ago

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~ SWTD: Still Here AU Part 14: ~

Operation Spy Part 3:

The finale of Operation Spy. Yes, this is a short arc. It's a bridge into the next, much longer chapters.

Part 15:

As the minutes ticked by, things seemed to calm down. The dock crew were quick to realise the infected were harmless. Seeing the Beria crew talk to them as if nothing happened helped wash away their nerves. It was just a lot of them to take in as a third party. Still, Brodie and Finlay lingered by the only phone you could use to contact the outside before reaching Bernard's office because they weren't going to risk having police or military find them. Archie soon made his appearance. Loyal to the core, he waited here the entire time. The scream from earlier woke him from a nap he was taking somewhere else in the building.

Someone found the courage to ask Addair about the album he carried under his arm, which he returned in kind by showing off his wife and sons, going into great detail for each picture. From what they were doing to location. Whether it was just for attention or because he somehow turned over a new leaf in the span of 24 hours was anyone's guess. The same went for Gibbo. They wanted to know about Eleanor after seeing the chain, which he obliged, but when it got too much, with everyone sharing their own stories of their wives, eventually talking over each other, he literally retreated his head into the mass. Douglas and Dobbie were quick to vouch for him, and it was taken well. 'I wish I could do that,' one commented. Yes, Gibbo can somehow breathe. No, he didn't know how he was doing that. He just subconsciously knew.

Trots, for once, didn't go on about a Union and instead told his side of the story with Archie listening because he was the last to learn about anything surrounding yesterday's events. Muir, Caz, and a few others from Beria stood to the side.

'Are you sure your ma and pa will be okay with this?' Caz asked.

'They should be,' Muir answered. 'I cannae think of anywhere else we can go. I want to go home anyway and it's got the most room for us.'

'No harm in trying then.'

As for Rennick, it was clear there was a history between himself and Bernard. Roper could feel it as he awkwardly sat beside his manager in the makeshift office they made, which was just the trio sitting further away between the maze of containers.

'Is this necessary, Davey? Aren't we friends?' His voice perfectly matched the description of a weasel-bodied, rat-faced, snake.

'That ship sailed a long time ago. So long in fact, it's done three laps of the world by now.'

Roper took out the documents O'Connor gav to him and handed them to Bernard, who was trying his best to control his shakey hands. Not because of fear, but anger.

'This should help you close the investigation. We made sure to collect everything.' No answer. Bernard took the time to scan over everything. All the medical and financial records, the payslips, food intakes, orders that never arrived, and a list of crew. A red mark against those who were gone. He wanted to find one mistake. Something. Anything to make sure he won. Not because he wanted the crew to still work for him, even if the infected would be good for heavy lifting. It was out of pride. Bernard Cunningham can never be wrong.

'And, just so you know, we're all quitting.'

'Yeah, I fuckin' got that.' He caught a glimpse of Rennick smiling. Seems Bernard wasn't above keeping up appearances. 'Have you got something to say, David?'

'Not really. I'm just enjoying this.'

'Enjoying what? Watching you toss away your career? Everything I gave you? You've got some fuckin' nerve to be smiling right now. Just look at yourself.' The sickly sweet office attitude Bernard carried himself with had long gone. This was the real him. 'You're disgusting.'

Roper's eyes went wide as saucers. He glanced between the men, having never heard anyone talk to Rennick like that. He was at a loss for words. Rennick remained strong. The words cut deep, but he wasn't going to let Bernard know he had any effect on him. The bastard wasn't going to win.

'So, you know we all need Severance pay?' A pause. Bernard couldn't believe Rennick was telling him how to do his job. 'And we're also going to need to borrow a couple of the trucks.'

'Why?!' Bernard's voice was exasperated.

'We're not walking all the way to-'

'I don't care where you go, you prick!' Bernard's voice bounced off the metal. 'You've already taken my rig. You lot can go fuck yourselves if you really think I'm gonna let you take more from me!' The chairman was red in the face and looked like a fish gasping for air.

'My rig,' Rennick corrected with an eerily calm manner. 'Don't worry about it, we'll return them. I can speak for everyone here, that we don't want anything from you.'

'Except for the dosh,' Roper interjected. Rennick ignored him.

'Don't worry about it, big man. The sooner we're out of your hair, the better.'

Bernard huffed, rubbed the temple of his nose. Rennick has clearly said something right because in less than a few seconds, he snapped with a 'fine.'

'But, I better not see any of you again.'

Maybe he was petty. Maybe he wanted to play into how Bernard saw him, but Rennick, without warning, shook his hand. If he thought he was disgusting, then he'll want to leave a metaphorical mark on Bernard. How? By wrapping a tendril completely up and around his arm and holding it for a few seconds too long. He used that fake yet convincing smile to the untrained eye. Bernard saw right through it but was more distracted by the obvious. He tried to pull away, but with no luck. 'It's been a pleasure doing business with you.'

The tendril retreated back into Rennick's body. He turned away, and Roper followed. The pair had never been on good terms, but Roper would be lying if he said he didn't feel bad. Bernard's words were cruel, but it certainly explained why Rennick managed the Beria the way he did for years. With a 'friend' like that, who needs enemies? Apparently, Rennick, because he seemed to make that his mission. Still...

'Are you okay?'

'Should I not be?'

'Well, what he said was terrible and-'

'For fuck sake, Roper, I'm fine.' He didn't sound fine. 'I don't-' Rennick caught a quick glimpse of his reflection and looked away. His jaw tensed and he looked to the floor. He just wanted to leave. 'I don't need one of your therapy sessions. Give it to Gibbo.' Roper let him pass. Rennick knew he heard the pained tone, but he won't let that get the best of him. He pushed the feelings to the back of his mind and continued forward. 'Attention crew of The Beria!' Everyone turned. 'Grab your stuff, we're getting out of here.'

Thankfully, it was smooth sailing for everyone. Bernard gave them two trucks, but on the conditions that a member of the dock crew drove them. He didn't care if they were driving to Glasgow or to Cornwall, just as long as they were gone.

Sadly, this is where most of the crew would be parting ways. Many could and have made it home from here. This included Roper, Sunil, Dobbie, McLurg, Scooby, Douglas, Archie, and...

'Be sure to stay out of trouble.' Finlay. This was her goodbye. At least for now. She lived in Glasgow, as did most of the crew. Easy to meet up and travel together for a visit.

'Nae promises,' Caz laughed. 'But, are you sure you don't want to come with us?'

'Nah. I've got me boy to get back to. He came home last week, and I wanna see him.' She chuckled. 'I have a story to tell him, eh?'

The pair shared a hug. Finlay had always been there for Caz, and not just because she was a fan of him during the boxing years, but because she cared. It might be because she was the only woman on board, but she really was like a mother to most. A strict mother, but one none the less.

'Safe journey.' Caz slipped a piece of paper that had a home number. He made sure everyone got one. 'Call us whenever.'

'Aye. Now, go on ya blighter before you make an old biddy like me cry.'

Muir and Rennick took one truck. Caz sat beside the driver, followed by Roy, then O'Connor. Innes stayed in the back. Gibbo, Addair, and Trots took the other, with Trots being able to sit in one of the passenger seats. Brodie and Raffs accompanied them.

Why were Brodie, Raffs, and O'Connor staying? They needed to plan their trips home. All three lived off the mainland, and they weren't going to plan another long treck home now. Especially O'Connor. Bad enough, he was on the east side of Scotland. He needed a few days of rest.

'Okay, that's everyone!' Raffs called from the passenger window, to which Roy returned a thumbs up. The trucks roared to life and slowly made their ways out of the docks. The crew members who stayed behind waved until they were out of sight. Raffs took advantage of being the closest to the door and rolled his window down to rest his head and elbows out. Seeing the sea vanish from view for the endless countryside with patched fields of snow was like whiplash. A well-deserved whiplash. The smell of the sea air was replaced with an Earthy aroma.

The infected and Innes couldn't see the outside, but just knowing they were on a road was something they never knew how much they needed until now. A sense of calm overcame them. Finally, they were back in Scotland. Even if they'll never be human again, it was good to be back on the mainland. Rennick felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Never again will he have to deal with oil rigs that made him lose sleep and cause so much stress, he refused to eat. Even if Roy saved him leftovers.

A small window divided them and the seating. Rennick tapped on it for Caz to slide open.

'So, where are we going?'

'Braemar.'

'Where?'

'Home,' Muir answered. 'We're going home.'

#Still Wakes the Deep #Still Wakes the Deep: Still Here AU #My Writing

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badass-queer-couples-battle · 1 year ago

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Propaganda:

For Orufrey: "They're tragic wlw who have devoted their lives to each other since they were kids. They live together, they cook together, they're raising four girls together and they're doing the best they can. Olruggio would do anything for Qifrey if Qifrey would just Let Him 😭 but Qifrey is dead-set on protecting Olruggio and keeping him safe and in the dark no matter what it costs... i cant 😭..."

"Man I don't know they just have the vibes. They have toxic yuri energy but they are two grown men. They've known each other since their apprentice days and have stuck together ever since. Qifrey's main magic type was something he took up because Olruggio proposed that he learned to control the water he feared. They live together away from most of society with Qifrey's four apprentices, living the sapphic cottagecore (ateliercore???) dream. Qifrey, due to the fact that his eyesight is very much failing, something which is very problematic when it comes to witches, who need their eyesight more than most, is getting very desperate to get all he lost to the Brimhats, the witches who took one of his eyes and his memories, and Olruggio ends up noticing this pursuit and is implied to have done this more than once. Qifrey does not want Olruggio to know about both his failing eyesight and his goals, so he ends up completely wiping Olruggio's memory of those things, and laments that Olruggio is a kind person, and one who would most likely forgive him again, but also one who would try to save him, even when he didn't want to be saved. He also apologized right up until the moment Olruggio's memories of his secret were gone. In general I think chapter 40 is the somewhat toxic guy yuri chapter ever. I'm very tired so I do not know how to explain any of this, I just thought "wow Orufrey reminds me of this one poll I saw on Tumblr" and then spent three days straight hunting for your blog before completely forgetting my reasoning for Orufrey being yuri right before I submitted this."

For Joongdok: "Well first of all Yoo Joonghyuk has a whole arc that is transfem coded as hell (has a power/technique that can technically only be used by women but somehow he can also use it, for a time he even turns into a woman to wield it and it's. Actually just let me get the quote "The ines of the face had changed but it was clearly Yoo Joonghyuk. No, it was even more than before.") that just kinda happens,, and doesn't get brought up again but anyway. Second of all just look at them. You see the vision. Also a bonus observation is that these two often get shipped in a poly ship with Han Sooyoung and whenever I see people make a "regular couple, yaoi couple, yuri couple, I see no difference love is love" meme with them the combination of which pair among these three is which of the categories is always different"

Note: This submission also mentions Han Sooyoung, but I decided to count this polyship submission as guy yuri as well.

"They love each other, they pretend they don't care for each other but all their actions prove they care too much, if you remove someone from the trio then the resulting duo is extremely dysfunctional, as evidenced by more than a million words of canon. Is it technically guy yuri? Well, Han Sooyoung is a woman, but in a way she's one of the guys. Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are men, but the text heavily hints that Yoo Joonghyuk is a trans woman who's just too busy and stressed out to transition yet, and Kim Dokja has just never thought about his own gender a single day in his life. They made the world for each other, they went back in time countless times and waged countless wars for each other, they wrote and read and lived a story, their story, for each other and that's what saved them all. The way Han Sooyoung writes Yoo Joonghyuk's story to save Kim Dokja and loses herself in the process, the way Yoo Joonghyuk voluntarily lives the story to the point of losing himself too and even forgetting why he originally decided to do it, the way Kim Dokja read Han Sooyoung's story which was Yoo Joonghyuk's life and that's how he found himself, they all took so much from each other and gave so much of themselves to each other, this is all very yuri."

"they're so yuri you have no idea. they have every staple of a yuri ship. unwavering devotion. waiting dozens or thousands of years for each other. dooming themselves and the world for each other. so much yearning. i also see them genderbent a lot (including inn canon in the case of yjh) and they're right both of these people are women. i genuinely can't even see them strictly as men at this point they're just yjh and kdj and they are yuri do you understand."

"they're so yuri. the abscense of yuri is the presence of yuri etc etc. these two guys are all ABOUT abscenses. also one of them is a part time woman. the other guy is a guy but like in the same way a square is a rectangle. anyway they're so guyyuri to me. bonus points also because they have a mutual girlfriend and when she's present they're girlyaoi but that's not relevant to this specifically"

#guy yuri round 2 #orufrey #joongdok #witch hat atelier #omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv #wha #olruggio #qifrey #yoo joonghyuk #kim dokja

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the-real-treasure · 5 months ago

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Treasure Treasure!

An anime Sanji x Reader

Master List Here

Chapter One: A Game in the Courtyard

Summary: You and your Sanji abandon the nation that raised you after it tries to do away with it's only saving grace. They may never realise how long you'll hold that grudge for them.

SPOILERS FOR ASPECTS THE WHOLE CAKE ARC OF THE ANIME/MANGA AND SANJI'S BACKSTORY Trigger Warnings: Threats and descriptions of violence, mentions of major character death, yelling, Reader's Devil Fruit power is overwhelming and overstimulating Word Count: 4645

(Author's Notes: This is more of a prologue than a chapter 1, sorry it's not exactly what anyone was probably expecting. I'm still doing planning for the main body of this fic and I just wanted to get something in here properly.)

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You had never wanted to fight a man as hard as you wanted to fight King-sama, even if the fear normally kept you frozen. You could see him on the walkways on the walls above you all as you stood resolute on the large, diamond shaped tile emblazoned with a bright yellow '3', watching as the Vinsmoke children fought before they would race across the castle, again, you thought about how you'd do it.

Maybe a big hammer. You pondered, letting your eyes fall closed as the wind ruffled your long hair. Or maybe if I wished hard enough the entire palace would explode! They opened again, as you heard laughter beside you.

Rage rattled through you as you watch the smallest boy get beaten and beaten and beaten, red, blue and green brothers throwing everything they have at destroying him.

(Pleasepleaseplease)

Your siblings hover at your sides, Denki cackling to your left, Hikaru beside him and Doku beside him watching as listlessly as the pink haired sister just ahead of you. Kuranku leaned in from your right.

(IwantIwantIwant)

"Maybe they'll finally kill him and we'll be rid of the two of you."

(Getmeoutgetmeoutgetmeout)

You scowled, teeth gritting together.

You scratch your hand. The brands seared onto your skin, a '66' for Germa and a scored out '3' for Sanji-kun, itched.

The boys were only a year or so older than you, but Creata-sensei always reminded you that although they were also children, they were above you in everyway possible. Even though you knew Sanji-kun wasn't as strong as his brothers and sister, they were all still stronger than all of you put together. You felt vindicated as the boy pulled his bruised and battered body upright while the other three boys take off, Reiju following behind them.

"Just because he's less developed than the others, does not mean he is some weakling to push around no matter what Queen-sama said, Y/n-Tomo." Creata-sensei was hovering at your side, filling a long needle with a clear fluid that you just knew was going to burn. "They are going to be the strongest in the world when Vinsmoke-heika and I are done with them, and you are going to be his closest confidant. But not his partner and never his equal."

As you watch the boy disappear from your view, you pout at the remembered words. Creata-sensei doesn't know anything about Sanji-kun, or Sora-sama. Compared to the rest of his brothers, Sanji-kun is sweet and good. And you know he gets that from his mother, just like his sister secretly did. Your brothers were no better than his, too be fair.

Doku was probably the best of them. Your oldest brother was born on an island in the North Blue, just like all the rest of you, and taken by Germa when he was two years old. His ginger hair was streaked with pink to match him to Reiju, just as your hair was streaked with matching bright true blonde like Sanji-kun's. They were redyed every few weeks to ensure the colour remains vibrant, the persona of Germa 66's royalty not allowed to falter for a moment, not even for so much as faded hair dye. Doku was three years older than you and your other brothers, a year younger than his Reiju-sama. Hikaru, Denki and Kuranku were the bain of your existence, the trio obsessed with their Vinsmokes, just like you and Doku, but where you two were deeply lucky having Sanji-kun and Reiju-sama, the other three Vinsmoke brothers were terrible terrible creatures that made your life a living hell.

If you weren't in Creata-sensei's lab, being subjected to his mad experiments revolving around some line factor that he and King-sama were obsessed with, you were tailing your Sanji as his brothers and yours make him miserable.

You miss Sora-sama. You miss her happy smile, and the kindness she gave your Sanji-kun.

"Oooooi. Hikaru-Tomo!" Ichiji-sama's voice echoes through the courtyard, making your dark-haired and dark-skinned brother turn to him, face bored.

"You won again, Ichiji-sama?" The red-haired boy grinned smugly at his second, the large 1 plastered on his shirt matching the scored out version on Hikaru's.

"Obviously!" Niji-sama, Yonji-sama and Reiju-sama follow into the courtyard, coming to collect their own seconds. You sign softly as you peer around for Sanji, though you know he won't be here for a while. You ignore the sniggering around you.

"Don't worry, Y/n-chaaaaaaan." Niji-sama's voice is grating as his mocks his younger brother's way of calling you. Yonji-sama chitters a laugh with his brother before continuing

"Yeah, Tomo-baka! You won't be left here all night again. Probably."

They leave you in solitude in the courtyard, the echo of their laughter still bouncing off the walls around you. Doku is the last one to return to the castle, lingering at the archway looking back at you.

"I'll bring out dinner."

"No thanks." His eyebrows furrow at your answer. "Not unless Sanji-kun made it. I promised." He scoffs an eye-roll and turns away, leaving you to the silence of the fading light.

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Night had fallen and faint starlight was your only reprieve from the crawling dark that hung in the air. Your stomach rumbled, the late hour eating away at your appetite. You could see the guards rotating out and more of the lights in the castle snuffing out the later the hour got. Your eyes were going together and you were swaying on your spot. Yonji-sama's jest wasn't accurate, you had never been left outside all night. Even on his worst days in comparison to his siblings, Sanji had never been this late to finish his training exercises.

The sound of footsteps approaching jolted you back to consciousness. It was even darker now, the moon higher in the sky and your eyes fell on King-sama as he moved towards you, Doku at his side. You blink at the pair, and your eyes flicker above them to the castle and they widen. A matching pair of images hang either side of the large doors, Sanji's smiling face staring back at you.

"Y/n-Tomo." Your eyes don't waver from the beaming pictures, even as the torso of King-sama fills your vision. "Come along. You will return to Sanji's room."

"What happened?" Your voice was a whisper, and Doku shot a glare at you for not addressing him correctly. "Where is he?!"

"He has died in a very sad accident." Your eyes shot up to his face as he turned away, "You will return to his room and wait there. We will find you a new position when the funeral proceedings are over."

Your eyes fill with tears as you whirl on your older brother who was already looking down at you.

"What does he mean? WHERE IS SANJI?!" Your face whips to the side. Moments later the sound of the slap actually registered in your ears. You lift your hand to your stinging cheek and look up at your brother.

"Don't be so stupid as to talk about the Vinsmokes so disrespectfully. Follow King-sama, you dull fool." Your tears burn as they trail down your cheeks and he points to King-sama's retreating figure. "Move."

The three of you march through the empty halls of the castle, footsteps muffled by the immaculate carpet. Your face was streaked with drying tear tracks and you kept your head down as you approached the Vinsmoke's bedrooms. Each door, numbered and coloured appropriately, had a bed nook carved next to it into the wall. That was where the Tomos slept, your brothers all asleep in their own, only yours and Doku's empty.

King-sama opened the black door marked with the yellow '3' and pushed you in, sending you stumbling into the barren room, devoid of all the life Sanji crammed into it. You look back at them as the door closes behind you, Doku's blank face finding yours as you're sealed into the room with nothing but rats and silence for company.

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It had been two days. You knew that by the number of plates on the floor in front of you and the colour of the sky outside the window. The cuts of jerky and plain bread were brought in in the regular breakfast, lunch and dinner hours, leaving six plates to be picked at by Sanji's beloved rats. Several of them peruse them now, and you think they must be disappointed by the drop in standard compared to his cooking. There's plenty for them to scrounge in here from you at least. You won't be touching the food.

You had lain down in front of the bed when King-sama had herded you in, and you hadn't moved since, choosing instead to stare unwavering at the light outside the window. You ignore the opening of the door each time a guard walked in, depositing the plate in front of you before walking out again. In the otherwise still room, a rat scampers up to you, a small chunk of jerky grasped in their little claws as they offer it to you. As you stare in to the little eyes trying to be kind to you, your mind flashes back to Sora-sama's room.

The rain had been torrential on your walk over, and poor Sanji-sama had slipped in a puddle and fallen. You had only been given to the boy a few days ago, and with the order to follow him always, of course you would accompany him on his trip to see his mother, even in the relentless downpour.

Now you stood a few steps behind him, light shirt and training bottoms marked with his yellow '3' ringing with rainwater and dripping on to the pristine floor, your long hair drenched and water dribbling down your face and into your eyes. You don't dare move to wipe it as Époni serves the queen a beautifully made bento box, the one Sanji had prepared ruined on the trip over.

"Your majesty, this is from Sanji-sama." The queen smiled down at her son, his soaked hood still up and covering his eyes as he fiddled with his hands.

"Did you make this for me?"

"Mm. Mm-hmm." Your eyes flicked from him to her in confusion, and you accidentally caught her eye as she watched her nervous son. Her head snapped to the maid instantly.

"Époni!" She immediately began to sweat.

"Y-yes, your majesty?"

"Don't be presumptuous! Bring what Sanji really made for me."

"Well, yes. But it was damaged on his way here so I threw it in the bin..."

"...still good."

"Hm?" You flinch as both mother and son turn to look at you and you stutter a response, standing up straight and accidentally flicking water across the floor.

"I-it'll still be good. Sanji-sama is very good at food!" She smiled down at you.

"Oh? How do you know?"

"H-he made me fish the first night I was assigned to follow him because we Tomos have to wait for your majesty's to finish eating before we do! And he, uh-" Your eyes shift to his, the blue-grey full of happy sparkles at your words, "-uh Sanji-sama is very kind to me and wanted to make sure I was fed, Queen Sora-sama! Your majesty!"

In your panic to finish talking and to get the attention off of you, you drop into a bow on the floor, though you underestimate your strength and send a crack gaping across the tile, which startles a yell out of the prince.

"Époni, bring me Sanji's food."

"Yes ma'am!" When the maid skitters off to retrieve the demolished bento, Sora-sama calls you closer.

"Tomo-chan, you think Sanji's good at making food." You lift your head and stand awkwardly, scooting past Sanji who was still staring at you with bright excited eyes.

"Yes, Queen Sora-sama. He's the best! I'll eat anything he makes me!"

"Then would you try his bento with me?" You peer back at the prince who is suddenly looking aghast at the thought of you both trying the ruined bento. Your brows furrowed and you steeled yourself.

"YES I WILL."

You stood next to her bed as Époni placed the bento in front of Sora-sama.

"Wow, nice! Omelette rolls, fish and a banana?" Sanji clutched the sides of his hood and tugged it further over his head.

"I'm so sorry! I messed it up! I tripped over and dropped it on the way here. It's been crushed and got wet in the rain."

"It was the rain's fault, Sanji-sama! If that puddle wasn't there you never would have slipped! You worked really hard on it." You assured him as you looked over the demolished bento, missing the smile Sora sent you at your kindness for her son, or the way Sanji's eyes sparked at your words.

"Let's try it, huh Tomo-chan?"

"Yeah!" With a start you looked back at the prince, "Thank you for the meal!" You both scooped some up on a fork and chewed thoughtfully. Swallowing the food, you looked up at her as she looked down at you and you both turned as one to Sanji-sama.

"It's good!"

"DELICIOUS!" Sora-sama giggled at your enthusiasm as you bounced over to Sanji-sama, clapping excitedly beside him as he beamed and Époni flew back in shock.

"Really?!"

"Yes!" He cheered and hopped up onto the bed with her, tucking in close to her chest as she cooed at him.

"Sanji, will you cook for me again?" He beamed up at her.

"Uh-huh!" She smiled down at him, holding him close and rocking gently, the walk and upset leaving him so exhausted he began to snooze against her chest. As she rocked him, she pushed down his hood and stroked his hair and looked over at you.

"What's your name?" You blinked in confusion as Époni cleared away the bento.

"Tomo-"

"No. Not that title, just your name. What do your parents call you?" You stare up at her, but quickly drop your eyes back to the floor.

"I don't know. Creata-sensei calls me Y/n."

When you look back up at her, Sora is smiling down at you, though there’s sadness in it and she reaches a hand out for you. “You can read wishes right Y/n-chan?”

Your voice caught in your throat. You didn't know she knew you, you were only there because Sanji was. “Y-yes.” Her eyes closed in satisfaction as she squeezed you hand. It was warm and love pulsed through your Devil Fruit powers as her truest desire sang through you.

(Save him.)

“Then I need you to make me a promise.”

(Keep him safe.)

“A very very important one.”

(Please.)

“I need you to stay with Sanji.”

(Pleasepleaseplease)

“Don’t let him be alone. Stay with him and protect him.”

(PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE)

“Look after him for me. Can you try that for me?”

Your eyes filled with tears and clogged your throat and nose. Her fear and worry for her children burns through you as you look up at her. You couldn’t breathe.

“I’ll try! I promise I’ll try Sora-sama!!”

That shocked a laugh from her but tears filled her water line and she squeezes your hand tightly in hers. She ignores the pierce of your sharp clawed nails in her skin when you squeeze back.

“Thank you.”

(Thankyouthankyouthankyou)

You don't lift your head when the door opens again, though dinner had already been delivered. The darkness of the sky was pinpricked by silver stars, and the entire kingdom that had been silent since the announcement of Sanji's death, was rallying to attack another island so the din of movement and preparation had returned. It was suffocating, like someone had hidden the sun then plonked the entire moon on your chest and told you, live with it we have work to do.

Someone kicked your foot.

From the corner of your eye, you spot a head of orange hair.

"Get up Tomo-baka." Doku stares down at you, face blank but eyes shining with something unfamiliar. You turn your eyes forward again, going back to staring at the sky. "I said-" He grabs a hold of your arm and yanks you upright with little effort, "-GET UP TOMO-BAKA."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" You rip your arm free of him and stumble back staring confused as Doku pushes you back towards the door. You drop your head to look at the floor. "Just leave me alone, Doku. King-sama says I'll be leaving soon, if I'm bothering you so much." The ginger boy scoffs at you.

"No matter, Tomo-baka. Reiju-sama told me to come grab you, so I've come. To grab you." With a yelp from you Doku, who has several inches on your six-year-old frame, heaves you up under your armpits and shucks you over his shoulder. You screech and smack and claw at his back as he carries you through the castle corridors, the rest of your brothers watching from their nooks in confusion.

The guards didn't turn their heads as he carries you down the stairs into the dungeons, ignoring your wailing and shrieks, the already dim castle halls going darker as you descended. Tall thin windows allow streams of silver light to fall into the hallway and you continued your fruitless escape attempts against your older brother's grip. As the stairway begins to level out, your voice quietens as others echo from the darkness, ones that makes you freeze completely.

"You never learn..." Reiju-sama's voice rings out from beside the cell, wrapping a bandage around a small figure's arm. As Doku walks up behind her, you see the figure pull their arm from her grasp, bandages winding around them left loose and falling free of her grip. They're behind the bars of the cell, head obscured by a large metal helmet that completely covers their entire face except for the eyes. From the mask you can hear their stuttering breaths.

"Reiju, I..." Doku drops you to the ground and you stare wide-eyed as the figure turns, blonde hair obscuring one eye even under the helmet. "...I want to be a cook!"

You rush to the bars as tears begin to fall from his eyes, quiet sobs echoing against the barren walls and metal helmet hiding his face from you.

"Sanji-sama! Sanji!" Your eyes fill with tears as well as you grab on to his hands through the bars. "King-sama said you were dead! He said there was an accident-" Reiju's furious voice cuts you off and you flinch away from her, but not enough to break your grip on your Sanji.

"What did I say? Don't tell me that!" His head drops and his tears soak your joined hands as he pulls them closer to his chest. Your chest throbbed as his wish burned through you.

(Pleasepleaseplease)

"If I can... run away..."

(IwantIwantIwant)

"...here in the East Blue... I'll never..." his hiccupping breaths catch in his throat

(Getmeoutgetmeoutgetmeout)

"...have to see...Dad's face again, right?"

Reiju's eyes fill with tears as well and she grabs a hold of the bars, screaming in both your faces.

"STEP BACK!" You drop Sanji's hands just long enough for her to pry the bars apart, leaving enough room for Sanji to squeeze through. "You only have one chance! Don't ruin it!"

You grab Sanji's hands again and haul him through the gap, and you all take off running up the stairs.

"Y/n-chan, you don't need to come, you can stay here with you-"

"No!" You cut Sanji off before he can even get the full sentence out. I made a promise. "I've already left you alone for too long! I'm not leaving you again, Sanji-sama! Not now, not ever again!! I'm coming with you, and I'll stay with you for as long as you'll let me!" The shrunken pupils in the centre of his eyes wobble as tears fill them again.

"O-Okay Y/n-chan.." The entire castle shakes as a barrage of cannon fire rains down on the Germa Kingdom.

"It's just begun! The key to your iron mask is in Father-sama's room! Go get it!"

"What?"

"You can't send him ther-"

"Then go with him Tomo-baka if you're so worried!" Doku snaps, cutting you off, "We'll go see what it's like outside, now shoo!"

"Got it."

"O-okay!"

"When you get into his room, look for a skull symbol on the wall! You'll find a secret door there!"

As you both run into King-sama's room, you spot the huge skull emblem on the wall, though it is too high for either of you to reach. With Sanji's help you drag one of the chairs up to the wall and help him up on to it. Pulling open the wall, you can see the four sets of keys hanging, and you think they still might be too high, but Sanji just manages to grab a pair with a whisper of "I got it!" Your attention is pulled away by thudding footsteps behind you, and you spin to find King-sama standing and watching.

"What are you doing over there?" You grit your teeth, sharp canines digging into your lips and raise your hands, claw nails curved dangerously. "Sanji... why are you here?!" With a scream, Sanji slips and you scramble to catch him before he falls to the ground, making him land heavily on top of you as he panics and apologises. You help each other up and Sanji faces his father.

"We're gonna get out of this kingdom! Don't get in our way!" You throw a hand out in front of Sanji, shuffling slightly to create a barrier between him and his father. He sneers down at the pair of you.

"You got quite a sharp tongue while you were imprisoned. And Tomo, I told you to stay put!" Your body instinctivly freezes at the command but you don't drop your arm, the images of escape floating at the edge of your mind along with giant fish and crystal blue waters. "There is no easy sea where a normal kid like you can survive on your own! You'll die!" You both glare up at the man as he stares you down, your clawed hands quivering in rage as Sanji pulls free a small sword from his belt.

"SO WHAT?! You can't stop me!" Sanji screamed at his father, eyes full of rage as he aimed the tip of the blade at his father.

"WE'RE LEAVING! And you're never gonna hurt Sanji-sama ever again! Or I'll kill you!" You joined in, eyes wild with anger as you spat the words at the man who had terrorised the pair of you for so long.

"That's a relief." His words confused both of you, his imposing figure towering above you both as he continued. "I guess I'm human after all. Even though you're useless, I couldn't kill my own son. Too bad your Tomo is so loyal to you, they would have been useful to Creata-san's continued experiments. Oh well. You'll both leave voluntarily?" Sanji's blade began to shake as small sobs forced his frame to wobble. "I'm not gonna stop you. You can take the key to the iron mask." Tears dribbled down the sides of said mask, saturating his sleeves and the carpet at his feet. "But can I ask just one last favour as your father, Sanji? Don't ever admit that I'm your father..." Your hands slowly drift back down to your sides as you stare up at the King in bewilderment, Sanji still sobbing beside you. "...in front of other people! It's a shame that I don't want anyone to know! You realize that, don't you?" As Sanji's blade drops in defeat and his sobbing begins again in earnest, a snarl escapes your lips before you can stop it and you step forward, again blocking Sanji from his father.

"You're despicable! A pathetical useless nothing of a person! You don't deserve Sanji-sama, just like you didn't deserve Queen Sora-sama! You're evil! I'll never let you anywhere near Sanji again, not so long as I live! And when we're grown and strong, you'll realise how badly you messed up! I HOPE YOU DIE AND THIS KINGDOM EXPLODES!" Your face is red and your chest heaving from your yells, and you miss the wide bewildered eyes of the two Vinsmoke children and your brother staring at you as you refuse to drop your eyes from Vinsmoke Judge. You reach back an open hand, and Sanji takes it immediately. You keep eye contact with the King until you pass by his the edge of his long coat, tugging a still weeping Sanji along behind you as he unlocks and drops the iron mask to the ground.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Sanji is still shaking with sobs as Reiju points to the large cruise ship with the wine bottle figurehead.

"Get onboard that ship!" You, your brother and the two Vinsmoke children are all crouched behind a large rock formation on the beach as the Germa Kingdom soldiers raided the island you had landed on. Sanji's blonde hair was tousled and messy as he crouched beside you, tears still running down his face. "Sanji! You're a boy! Stop crying already!" Your eyes snap to her and a snarl leaves your grit teeth. She glares back as Sanji rubs at his eyes to try and stop the tears and she grabs a hold of his shoulders. "Listen! Don't ever come back here!"

"Uh-huh!" Doku watches you as your eyes glance up to him, his face carefully blank.

"You've already managed to make an enemy out of King-sama, so don't think you'd be welcome back. Just assume from now on we'll be out to kill you if we ever spot you again."

"Thanks ani-san. I won't miss you."

"I won't miss you either, Tomo-baka."

"Ew, stop calling me that." Doku sniggers at you, but his face falls flat again.

"Maybe you shouldn't be called Tomo at all anymore. You're not exactly loyal to Vinsmoke anymore." Your eyes drift back to Sanji, Reiju ignoring your muttered conversations as tears filled her eyes.

"The sea is broad! You'll...You'll definitely meet kind people someday!!" With that she pushed him up the beach and he stumbled into a run. You abandon Doku to follow him immediately, giving a gentle nod to her as you pass. "Run! Don't look back! RUN SANJI!"

You both dash along the beach to the cruise ship, the name 'Orbit' resplendent across the side as a wave of desire rushes over you, the wood creaking under it's own weight as whisper rattle from it depths.

(adventure)

You scramble up the gangplank with a large group of other crewmembers, met with confused stares and mutters as the adults around you rush to their stations for a speedy departure from the ravaging of the island.

"OI!" A voice hollers from behind you, the captain making his way down the stairs of the aft castle towards you both. "Who're you?!" You can barely hear as Sanji begs to be allowed passage aboard, offering help in anyway possible, and the wood under your feet pulses and throbs with a desperate wish that may never be fulfilled. "-as your name?" Everything sounds like it's underwater as the wishes, dreams and desires of the boat you stand on and the people around you wash over you like a tsunami of want, something you had never experienced before. Did no one but Sanji and Sora-sama want anything in Germa? What is all this? "-SAID, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"

The screaming of the captain in your face brings you back to present, and you blink as spittle rains over your face. The title of Tomo nearly leaves your mouth, but you don't know this man, or if he knows Germa, and Doku was right, you weren't accompanying a Vinsmoke, you were going with Sanji, you were escaping with him, with your friend, your best friend. Your Sanji...

"Nakayoshi." Your voice was certain, more than your brain was anyway, "Nakayoshi Y/n."

Next Chapter: (Nothing yet)

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in-g-major · 1 year ago

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ATLA Unpacked: Ty Lee's Potential

One of the many things we missed out on from ATLA Book 3 was a Ty Lee character arc. Of Azula's trio she's ultimately the least explored and most auxiliary, which is sad. The possibilities were certainly there: a girl who seems too good-natured for the ruthlessness of the Fire Nation, coerced into helping Azula, seemingly naive about what her nation is doing or perhaps too timid to voice her concerns. Gee, all that sure rings a bell doesn't it? So, here are some things that I think could have been done w/ Ty Lee given what we know about her. 1. Friendship with Zuko and eventual Redemption Arc Canon screwed this one up during "The Beach," but there's no reason it had to be that way. Ty Lee should have been the person Zuko warmed up to the most given that they're both more caring people than Mai and Azula. With Ty Lee and Zuko, you have two sheltered and privileged teenagers who don't quite fit the mold of what Fire Nation children are *supposed* to be. As a result, Zuko is banished and Ty Lee leaves her aristocratic home life behind. Zuko's banishment and journey across the world helps him realize that the Fire Nation's war is wrong. Ty Lee, who was part of a traveling Fire Nation circus and eventually traveled the Earth Kingdom with Azula, could have easily come to the same realization. We never even get her perspective on the war in canon! Just imagine Ty Lee and Zuko bonding over martial arts, theater, and collecting pretty sea shells. They bring out each other's best qualities and motivate each other's redemption. 2. Standing up to Azula This has been commented on before, but Mai being the one who defies Azula instead of Ty Lee during "The Boiling Rock" is not a satisfying emotional climax. Mai happily left her boring life behind in "Return to Omashu" as soon as Azula gave her an opportunity, and she openly defied Azula's orders with no fear of retribution at least once. What Azula represented for Mai wasn't fear. Azula was the metaphorical "devil" on Mai's shoulder, distracting her from her lack of emotional fulfillment with fun and thrills. The one who was genuinely afraid of Azula, and abandoned her passion out of that fear, was Ty Lee. Ty Lee standing up to Azula and emerging victorious is far more emotionally and narratively satisfying given their dynamic. It also gives Mai a more character appropriate choice to make in the situation. Which leads me to my third point 3. Mai and Ty Lee marsreds made a fantastic commentary I read years ago. I'll link it in the comments, but her point was that throwing Mai into an awkward and uninteresting relationship with Zuko took the focus away from her relationships with Azula and Ty Lee and made her character arc about a boy. It's a pretty damning commentary on the sexism that seeped into the way ATLA's female characters were written, and how that became the norm for the franchise by the time of the comics. Anyway, a hugely missed opportunity for Ty Lee and Mai was their relationship with each other. Even though I am pro MaiLee, I won't make this ship heavy. Ultimately the writing has to come first, but Mai and Ty Lee do have a fun and touching dynamic. Ty Lee is even more playful and affectionate with Mai than she usually is, and Mai shows genuine care and empathy for Ty Lee. When they reunite in Omashu, Mai asks Ty Lee what happened with her joining the circus. Then, during "The Beach," Mai is the only one who stands up for Ty Lee, telling Zuko to back off and figuring out the root of Ty Lee's desire for attention. We never see Mai this invested in someone else's feelings and well-being with anyone else. The character appropriate choice for Mai in "The Boiling Rock" wasn't betraying Azula for teen love. It was choosing between the friend who encouraged her better self (Ty Lee) or the friend who kept her from growing as a person (Azula).

#atla meta #ty lee #mai #azula #anti maiko #mailee #g major writes #g major meta

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myfandomprompts · 1 year ago

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Is there anything left for us? || Will (Salad Days) || (1/2)

Will x Reader

Warnings: nsfw, swearing, angst, mention of alcohol, smut Summary: You've been struggling with your feelings for Will for years. Then he calls you after the worst mistake of his life and you feel the world crumble around you. A/N: I'm trying something that has been going around in my mind for quite sometimes. Please see it more as an essay about Salad Days and my vision of Will. Sorry for the length... I just wanted to share my love for this short that I find very good, story wise, many included arcs so it give Will reasons and depth for his actions. It was just so good. I realise that my writing are not for everyone. In any case, part one is more to be seen as an "essay" about the character, but part 2 is more story inclined.

You missed him, but over the years, you had learned to get used to it.

Will had always been a lone wolf kind of guy, and when he disappeared like that you knew that it was because he didn't want to be bothered, or to be found. You tried to respect that at most of your capacities, to give him the space he needed to deal with whatever he had going on.

Even back in high school when you watched him from afar, the cocky guy at the back of the class with his group of troublesome friends, you could see how much he felt rejected, out of place. It was no secret that he had complicated family issues and he hated it when people brought it up. So no one dared to. Only when you befriended him during the last year of high school did you realise how complicated it truly was.

He didn't know his father, and what happened with his mum was a mystery to everyone. Ever since that time, he had lived with his grandmother and you had never seen Will care for someone as much as he cared for her. It was touching and sweet, making you wonder if his nan was the only family affection he had ever known. If he were to lose her, he would be alone.

There was that eagerness within him, the one that craved affection, the one that longed to erase this feeling of loneliness that weighed inside of him. You witnessed it with the girls he fell for every once in a while, in the fleeting relationships and obsessions he experienced with the occasional gal, and each time it ended badly, because Will was Will: wild, hot-blooded and strong-willed.

But he was the most resourceful man you've ever encountered, always finding solutions, always taking advantage of what he thought he could, and always taking the lead when needed to. You admired that in him, this raw strength smothering his weaknesses, heightening his confidence, but sometimes you feared that his habit to always act with his head down first would play to his disadvantage one day. Because where he could be shy at times, often keeping to himself when he felt he did not have the upper hand, he could also be as keen to make rash decisions, his pride and stubbornness taking the better of him. And sometimes it affected the people around him.

And that included Leah. And you.

In high school you have always regarded Will, Matt, and Tom as the troublesome trio, so in the last year when Leah, your best friend, got close to Matt, all that was left for you to do was to follow. You became the added part of the group, doomed to see how all the boys would find Leah endearing and sweet, whereas you tried to remain unimpressed by them and wary of their actions because you were “stubborn as hell”, as Leah often put it. But the more Matt and your friend grew close over the years, the more you warmed up to them, finding them sympathetic, nice and caring. And definitely funny. And you liked to believe that they liked you as well.

It was around that time that you came to know Will better and realise everything he was carrying on his shoulders, too heavy for him to handle for someone so young. You could see it in the way he avoided some topics in conversations, how he sometimes paced around a room without paying any mind to his friends, or how sulky he seemed to become every time you all talked about the future or how a member of your family had reacted to this or that.

It attracted you somehow, this double side of his. The strong, tall, and proud man he was versus the reserved one with anguish, hidden behind the boiling rage he displayed at times. So you opened up to him, more than to the others, your heart desperate to know his, to see if you could do anything to help him, to make him feel like he didn't need to prove anything to anyone. At first he was surprised that a girl like you, all serious and phlegmatic, would take an interest in him, but you had some humour in you and he did find you funny. Besides, you didn't take any shit from anyone, especially from the guys, and neither did Leah, shutting down each time they teased both of you or made gruesome jokes you were not very fond of. But each time, Will or Matt would stop, seeing that you were not very receptive and proceed to do something you liked, right before you would tease them back, surprising them and making them laugh as well. Your coldness toward them slowly thawed within months.

You liked to believe Will admired that in you too, how you were able to put them off this easily.

High school ended and everybody stuck around; none of you were willing to venture out and all of you had a project of your own. You knew the guys were applying for several jobs, Leah had found one in a fish and chips for a while, whereas you would take online classes and tutoring students on the side.

And as your group grew forever closer, trying for your part to see through Will as much as you could over time, slowly but surely, you were doomed to see how his eyes shifted whenever he would look at your best friend.

It was so obvious you wondered why Matt hadn't noticed it before, even back in high school. Matt and Leah had got together right after the end of the year, and you believed that only Will’s well-hidden insecurities had prevented him from going after Leah first. Or maybe he knew that his friend had liked her for a long time and chose not to interfere, you didn't know. Still, you could see how Will would look away or look too intensely when Matt and Leah were together, holding hands or kissing, and only you and Tom would joke about it. Not Will. Never Will.

More often than not, it would only be you and Will; Matt and Leah would be off together, having some alone time, and Tom would be off with his family. You would go to his place, talk with his nan, give her news about Leah and your friends, about your family, and then spend time with Will, reminiscing about high school or talking about your lives. You had a lot in common, from playing video games you both like to make fun of the dumb British celebrities on reality shows, even sometimes organising a contest of darts in his basement. You, always so confident that you would win, versus Will, being exactly the same. It always ended similarly, a tied game, as you both were equally stubborn.

When you were still at your parent’s, he would often ditch your group when you invited the whole of them but did not come, and you wondered if it was too hard for Will to be inside of a happy home, one he did not have. But you quickly abandoned this theory, because when you invited Will to come over when the rest was not around, he always came, spending whole afternoons and evenings with you, for the greatest pleasure of your little sister that adored him. And you could not blame her. At nine years old, she would always come to him and he would always joke with her and carry her around, with a blush on her cheeks, and you would watch, their laughter warming your heart.

Now that you had your own flat, he still came, but less often. You and Leah knew the guys were always hanging out together, doing who knows what, but it didn’t prevent you from missing them dearly. Recently, Matt and Leah had gone through a rough patch, and you had to admit that you had feared for their relationship more than once in the past couple of weeks. You didn’t want your friend to be miserable, and you would do what you could to prevent that.

This is why the bonfire party from three weeks ago had been a relief to you, happy to finally see all of your group together again at the rim of the forest outside of the city, perched on the hills where you could watch the stars and make as much noise as you wanted. But as the night went on and the alcohol claimed your blood, you hadn’t expected Leah and Matt to argue again in the middle of it all, and more importantly, you hadn’t expected for yourself to have an argument with him, for the first time of your life.

The words he had shot at you still rang in your ears, as yours felt like poison, something not of your own but that you have uttered nonetheless. He had come to you with worries about Leah again, about how unhappy she seemed to be, and you couldn’t help it. All you heard in his worries was his own hope that they would grow apart, and this time you had been unable to hide your jealousy, ignoring him and growling in annoyance. When he asked what was wrong with you, you only lied to him and assured him that you were fine. But he didn’t like that.

“You always fucking do that, try to pretend like nothing bothers you but it’s bullshit,” he had suddenly shouted, crushing his cigarette under his shoe. “What are you fucking afraid of exactly Y/N, hm? Maybe you should grow some and start telling me!”

You had turned around in shock, the alcohol and the weight in your heart heightening your frustration and anger.

“I’m not afraid of telling you anything! And you’re the one to talk, always hiding things, closing off to me. You hide more from me than I have ever hidden from you, don’t you dare think I don’t know that.”

You earned an annoyed from from Will, lined with guilt, his tongue running across his teeth while you waited for him to respond, to say anything.

“I get it, you don’t need to tell me anything, but don’t blame me for keeping things from you that hurts, because it does Will!” you had confessed with tears threatening to appear at the rim of your eyes. “Just… Just don’t even bother.”

And with that you had turned around toward the cars, clearly remembering the way Will’s arm had caught yours in an attempt to stop you, but you only ignored it and left the field, the party, and your friends behind.

The day after that, you learned everything from your phone call to Leah as she recounted this painful night to you in more detail, telling you how Matt had ignored her for most of the night before leaving, making her feel abandoned and alone. Then she told you that Will had been the one to come to her, to comfort her, and the knot in your stomach tightened. When you pressed a little, she shamefully confessed Will had kissed her.

You couldn’t say that you weren’t surprised, but you made a great effort not to let anything appear in your voice. She continued, telling you that she had pushed Will away as nicely as she could, that she felt awfully guilty, that Matt was all she cared about and that it all seemed like a blur to her. You tried to reassure her, telling her that it was not her fault, that it meant nothing along as apologising for not being there for her when it happened. In your upset state, you hadn’t been able to stay, and you now regretted that you hadn’t. You would make it up to her, bury those feelings that clung to your heart and tried to ignore the pain you felt for Will at his rejection. Or was it your pain? You didn’t know.

Whatever happened seemed to have awoken something within Leah because two days later she was back with Matt, stronger than ever. Now it has been three weeks, and you have started a very busy week with work, three weeks without a word from Will. When you popped by Leah’s work when you could she would tell you that she had seen the three of your friends, and you tried not to ask about Will.

Two days later, Leah called and told you that she was pregnant. You congratulated her but you heard the anguish in her voice, so you tried to sooth her as much as you could. She would be all right, you knew it.

You wondered how Will had reacted.

Then it all escalated.

One minute you were working at home, trying to focus, the next you received a text from Will, breaking these three weeks of silence between the two of you:“Can you come get me Y/N please.”

You frown, heart beating because it was him, and because it was the last message you would have expected.

Where are you? you typed black.

Idk, somewhere near the bonfire’s place.

Memories of that night float back in your mind, anguish taking hold of you but you gathered yourself.

What are you doing there? you reply, heart beating.

I walked… just come Y/N please.

Will, what’s going on?

He didn’t answer. It was beginning to get dark outside, and you wondered what the hell he was doing, walking all the way up there. Part of you did not want to find out, but it was Will, and he never asked for anything, or very rarely. It did not matter how you felt, or how you two had left things off. All that mattered was that he was your friend and he was asking for your help.

So you shot up from your chair, grabbed your keys and left your apartment.

When you arrived in the area, having called Will three times during your drive there, unanswered, it was almost dark and you could not see very far. But like drawn to something you could not see, you found him on the first path you turned to, ahead, near the trees, not far from where you both had that argument, near a fallen log. He was on the ground, head in his knees and you tried not to feel the uneasiness overtaking you. You see him acknowledge your car as you hesitate to turn the engine off, leaving your lights on and stopping right next to him, exiting the vehicle as you carefully watch him.

“Will? What the hell? What is going on?” you call, levelling with him. “Will?”

He didn’t answer, his nose buried in his sleeve and watching the void, glancing so briefly at you. You crouch down, raising a hand to cautiously put on his shoulder. You could sense the sorrow and the anguish from where you stood, and you grew worried for your friend. You never wanted to see him like this, never. Whatever it was, you would do anything to make it okay.

You lower your voice. “Will… talk to me.”

He meets your gaze, his blue eyes reddened by sorrow or anger. Unable to look at you more he withdraws his gaze at once, cracking under your eyes as he buries his head in his arms once more, a deep trembling sigh coming from him. You put both of your hands on his, coming closer, desperate to sooth him.

“Hey, it’s okay. Just breathe.”

You hear him taking deep shaky breaths, steeling himself. You put your chin on his elbow that was supported by his knee, waiting for him, close enough now to notice the red marks that scorched his knuckles, the marks of a fight, something ugly, violent. What happened?

From your position you can feel how cold his hands are and you wonder how long he had been out there. You watch him through your eyelashes, breathing with him, stroking his skin with your thumb as you think fast, his hair tickling your face.

“Come on, let’s get you out of the cold,” you timidly suggest, not moving as you observe the way his chest heaves. Then he silently moves to get up and you give him space, leading him carefully to the passenger seat.

You had to swallow the worry in your throat. His gaze was less hooded, firmer, but still miles away from where you were. You open the door for him and take your place behind the wheel, watching him look miserable beside you.

“Ok, let’s get you home, then we’ll talk about this, yeah?”

You release the handbrake before he talks for the first time, his voice hoarse with his evident turmoil. “No, not there, not home. Anywhere else... Your place,” he said, and you stopped your movements, looking at him expectantly. “I just… I can’t go to her right now.”

You watched him for a moment longer before nodding silently, driving away. His cheeks were reddened by the biting cold outside and the warmth of his skin, riled up from his sorrow.

“Are you hurt?” you ask, eyes on the road.

You hear him click his tongue, shaking his head as he grabs his knuckles. “Nah…”

He takes his head in his hands again, passing his fingers in his hair before starting to rock his knee anxiously. He would do that when something was on his mind, but never with a shaking sigh.

“Why were you there?” you ask softly,taking the opportunity now that he seemed more responsive, even if it was just barely.

“I just walked… I didn’t care where. Didn’t want to be found.”

His last words were only whispered, and as you turned a corner to enter the city again, he dug himself back into the seat, putting his hood up and stilled, although his leg continued to bounce up and down.

You pulled onto your street and turned off the engine. “What happened Will…? You can talk to me. Please talk to me.”

He lowers his head, looking at the inside of his palms. You could not see his face, hidden by the hood. “I did sumethin’… I can’t take back.”

You swallow, turning to him. “Whatever it is, we’ll make it right. We’ve always handled ourselves. You and the guys always managed.”

Your words seemed to aggravate him, because he looked briefly in pain before getting out of the car, eager to get away.

When you reach your flat door without a word exchanged between you, trying to catch up with his agitated pace, he goes straight inside, going to the couch to sit in it, hood off and head entrapped in his hands again.

You were eager to take away his sorrow, but you can’t think of anything to say. You go grab some things in the bathroom and come back to sit on the couch next to him and take his bloodied hand. He doesn’t flinch at your touch at all, it seems to even ground him, his gaze now on how you disinfect the wounds and bandage each of his hands. His lips are drawn in a thin line, his breath heavy but less rattled.

It looks like it hurt, maybe he had fractured a bone you wondered, but he didn’t wince, didn’t make a sound. You do not let go of his hand at first, your way of telling him that you would take anything he was willing to give you. He caressed your hand back absent-mindedly in return, gaze lost at the motion before he sank into the couch.

“Don’t tell anyone I’m here,” he whispers.

“Why?”

He doesn’t respond at once, still looking miserable. “Just don’t Y/N, alright?” he snaps, his blue eyes reaching right through your soul, raising the fear in you.

“You’re gonna give me more than that, I want to help you.”

“You can’t help me.”

“Then why did you call me?"

Silence again, just him clenching his jaw and you searching his face thoroughly, for anything that he would let you see, to indicate what he needed. You knew him. Better than you would admit, and better than he realised. You just thought that he refused to acknowledge it.

“Because you would know where to find me. And that you wouldn’t judge me, or fucking push me away like everyone else did. At least that’s what I thought…”

“I won’t, okay? I won’t tell anyone you’re here, and I won’t push you away, never again,” you promise, your argument lingering between the two of you. “But I don’t want to see you like this, Will. It’s terrifying. Please talk to me.”

He looks at you with sorry eyes, almost desperate. “That’s exactly why I can’t tell you. Because you would be fucking terrified of me if I did. And I can’t have that. I fucking can’t have that.”

You frown again, parting your lips in dismay. You could never be afraid of him, it was Will, and you knew perfectly well what he was capable of. You have been ready for anything, all those years.

“Not a chance, Will. Look at me,” you ask, forcing him to level eyes with you by tugging on his arm, one side of your face resting on the back of the couch as he turned his own, inches apart from each other. “I just want to help you.”

He observes you for a painfully long time, wide blue eyes digging into yours, but he still seemed unconvinced, making your heart ache a bit. He sighs, a stressful grunt coming out of him. “I don’t know what to do right now. I shouldn’t even have fucking called you. It just fucked up so bad.”

“What went bad?” you quickly press.

His tone drastically changes, like he was hesitant to even talk. “I fucked up, Y/N. I really did.”

“Ok, let’s just… Take a breath, think about it,” you gesture, hoping that he would calm himself and see more clearly. You knew him, and right now, he would blame the world as well as himself, too proud to admit anything. He needed to see that he was safe with you.

He only straightened up and ran his fingers through his hair again, putting distance between the both of you in the process. The night had settled outside, and it felt like you had not progressed at all with him. You settled on the idea of allowing him space, to wait.

“You can spend the night here Will okay? Just… take a step back. Gather your thoughts”

He doesn’t answer you, so you decide it safe enough to go to the kitchen, maybe bring him back a glass of water and let him come to you, like he did before. Once alone near the sink you take a look at your phone and you widen your eyes at the three missed calls from Leah and seven of her texts, all roughly the same content.

“Y/N, where are you? Tom is in detention, he got arrested for robbery or something.”

“What?” you instantly reply, eyes glued to the screen as you await her response.

“Yeah, the post office thing. Y/N I’m freaking out, I’ve not heard from Matt in hours and he is not answering. I don’t know what to do.”

You thought about calling her for a minute, but you chose not to, not trusting that you would be able to remain calm, and something about a post office rang a bell in your mind.

“Do you know where Will is?” came another text while you tried to gather your thoughts, hearing Will shuffle in your living room. “I’ve tried Jonno but he knows nothing, and the police won’t tell me anything. They asked me to come in.”

You bit your lip. You promised Will you wouldn't tell. Damn, you were not making smart decisions right now, knowing the police were involved, but you were desperate to sort it out yourself first. To understand. You owed it to him.

“I’m sure he’ll come around, I’ll try to reach out for him. Don’t say anything, go to your parents. I’ll keep you updated if anything happens, yeah?”

You lock your phone after that written lie, and reach for a glass before filling it up with water.

You had suspected for a while that the guys were a little too cunning about doing illegal things, and even if they never talked to you about it, they didn’t try to really hide it either. They had the occasional jobs, but they never discussed it, they knew fishy people, fishy places and hung out God knew where for days. Matt was able to pay rent despite those shitty jobs, Will had his nan to take care of and Tom… was Tom. You believed you were unnecessarily worrying, especially since Leah didn't seemed bothered by any of it, so you let it go. But it seemed that she was even more clueless than you were.

You noticed how hard you were squeezing the glass of water in your hand and wondered for how long you had stayed like this, lost in your thoughts. But you decide that you had to know.

You unlock your phone again and search about that post office story you’re sure you’ve heard of before. It was too recent and too local for it to have been related in length, but you found some information nonetheless.

Three men robbed a post office with a firearm, and kidnapped one of the workers. The car has been found and leads are currently followed. Nothing more, the article was dated from yesterday.

You leaned into the counter and sighed, feeling the weight of all of this on your shoulders. Why, Will, why did he inflict that on himself? Where did they find a fucking gun? Why would they kidnap someone?

And why did you have this uneasy feeling that Will’s recent breakdown had something to do with Matt?

You stayed in the kitchen like this for a while, lost in thought. Your phone had several new panicked messages from Leah and you felt like a shitty friend for not calling her or even going to her. But somehow you felt that Will needed you the most. And he was wrong, you were not terrified of him, Never.

You gathered yourself and entered the living room, seeing Will fiddle with the bandages on his hands and he only seemed to notice your presence when you sat down beside him.

You handed him the water that he barely drank, analysing him and processing all of the information you had learned in the last minutes. You just had to try.

“Will… Where’s Matt?”

A/N: Thank you to @babyblue711, @enchantingcupcakecollectionfan & @arcielee for beta reading. They have been of incredible help and support. Part 2 is written and ready to go.

Part 2

#salad days #fic #will salad days #will #ewan mitchell #smut #angst #os #oneshot #usermyfandomprompts

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indigodiskmybeloved · 5 months ago

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May I please have your Mochi Desires AU trio? Do you have headcannons or ideas on how they act?

Casually dumps info on ye

So, Pechakeen's mochi not only draws out desires and capabilities, but who's to say it can't change personalities as well?

Nemona:

Due to Florian/Juliana not existing in this AU, the Paldea Trio never got their proper arcs. Nemona never found anyone to match her skill set,and because of that, she grew more and more desperate, even trying to convince Arven and Penny to join competitive just to help her, even when they don't want to.

If Penny or Arven speak up about it, Nemona's confidence easily gets shattered, her self image of being the best destroyed with a few words, and it can be difficult to get her feeling like herself again. So, the two agreed not to speak about it, of fear they may hurt Nemona more devastating than before.

So Pechakeen gifted him with a team straight from smogon, and due to Kieran and Carmine working to save them, Nemona gets to battle them all she wants, even if they are scared and terrified

However, the longer Nemona is possessed, the more she loses herself. The battles turn from somewhat friendly to harsh and controlling, essentially molding Kieran into competitive. All of Nemona's energy go into her battles, so when she isn't battle, she sways and staggers quite a bit, often dragging out her words. Okidogi frequently prevents her from collapsing and hurting herself.

When Geeta learns of what had happened to Nemona, she is devastated, and overcome with guilt and the need to fix things, and be the champion Nemona always aspired to be.

Penny:

Team Star got disbanded, and Penny wasn't allowed to have contact with them, as the school and Director Clavell had deemed them a "bad influence; disturbance to the learning environment," etc.

Their behavior gradually slipped, becoming more quiet and depressed, not having the energy or social life to do anything. And when Carmine yells at them, it triggers the similar response that Penny had with bullies: covering your head and running away.

So now what does mean for Penny, when Pechakeen offers to help? Well, they become more assertive, not taking shit from anyone. However, that quickly evolved into Penny becoming more snappy and bitter, and then eventually becoming a bully themself, yelling at Nemona for literally anything, berating them if they stepped out of line.

When Nemona breaks free, her first instinct isn't to battle, or look for a new rival.

It's to save the ones she loves most, and apologize for hurting them.

And right now, that is Penny and Arven.

Oh, and speaking of which....

Arven:

He had the most drastic change out of the trio. His wish was mainly to be in a world where his father was there and loved him, something that Professor Turo was not capable of doing. Not only that, it was a world where Mabosstiff was alive as well, so everything is peachy!

Except.... Not really. Unlike the others, Arven has no connection to Penny and Nemona through the toxic chain. His thoughts are more muddled, and distant, and memories of them fade away, as Pechakeen doesn't want them interfering with the paradise Arven is living in.

Because his physical body is deteriorating. Since Pechakeen is a decayed Glimmora, it needs a new host to survive, as the peach body is decaying and rotting after all this time. So, what's better than a human?

So Arven's body is currently a host for Pechakeen and Glimmet to survive and use to get around, able to withstand attacks from Paradox monsters that destroyed the body of Glimmora in the first place.

Of course, they take advantage and have a bit of fun, as they become more dramatic and theatric, basically removing all of Arven's blunt and assertive personality.

And the dramatic movements don't last for long, as flowers and glimmet start sprouting, basically using Arven as a host to live off of, until they can detach and live elsewhere. However, Arven has no idea this is happening, and gets paranoid when he feels something is tearing from his body; he just doesn't know what.

Wow, that got dark. But yea. Mochi Desires AU is fucked up. Happy Mochi Day :3

#mochi desires au #mochi mayhem #arven #nemona #penny #pokemon #professor turo #pokemon violet #glimmora #pecharunt #pechakeen #dokutaro #glimmet

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bestnarutoduo · 4 months ago

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Propaganda

Ame Trio

singlehandedly created the most feared and recognizable anti establishment organization in the Naruto world.

have the most iconic design presence irl

Kakashi, Gai, & Tsunade

Because they are amazing!

hot and really smart. I mean, tell me that combination isn’t incredible.

Tsunade is badass, the entire pain arc proves it. Guy (not counting his resurrection) has pure worthy scenes, he is so impressive and good. Kashi, it’s kashi.

#Best Trio poll #Ame Trio #Nagato #Yahiko #Konan #Hatake Kakashi #Maito Gai #Tsunade

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codenamesazanka · 7 months ago

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Yeah I had my doubts about Deku from the moment Uraraka was like "I've been pondering what Toga said, the things that made her who she is today, her actions against society but also the way society let her down to begin with, our role as heroes, if the way we're handling this is really the correct way just because we call her a villain" and all Deku could say to her was "yeah, when the plot shoved an image of Shigaraki crying as a child in my mind I suddenly realized that the person who has been pointing out the obvious flaws in our society from day on might be a victim if I pretend he's still a crying child"

I'm not saying that Uraraka is the best or anything but she's really coming in clutch by... doing the bare minimum, especially compared to other characters

Uraraka did the best out of any of the saving 'trio'!!!! (quartet if we want to count Shoji???) Even from the very start, when Toga ambushed Uraraka during the PLF War Arc, Uraraka is the only one to feel unforced, natural sympathy for Toga. She had no family ties or blood connection to Toga; she wasn't given a psychic vision of an innocent and hurt child; their clash wasn't demanded by fate; and she wasn't put on the other side of an 'Issue' like Quirk Counseling. Uraraka really just took a good look at Toga, noticed she was crying, and that started her journey in questioning the dynamics between Hero and Villain.

None of those connections are bad per se, but they do create an obligation Heroes have towards the Villain and gives them an incentive to help. Shouto needs to help Dabi because they're brothers; Shoji needed to stop the heteromorphs because their group reputation is at stake; and Deku had the convoluted AFOFA business. Uraraka had no incentive. She did not need to even think about Toga after their encounter, but she did! She went out of her way to do so.

And the resolution was on point! It actually solved Toga's problem. Toga feared that she wasn't seen as human, that her blood drinking will never be accepted, that no one will ever return her affections because they're unnatural. So here's Uraraka saying that, no, she is human, she will give blood, she accepts Toga's method of affections. Through Uraraka's journey, it's consistent - she said at the beginning she didn't know what was normal for Toga, that she didn't realize Toga was a person.

Her origin of smiles fitted with Toga's smiling too - Ochako wanted to be a hero because she wanted people to be happy; she became Toga's hero when she made Toga happy by accepting that happiness can look different to Toga, due to her quirk and background and it doesn't necessarily mean it's evil.

She even later says that 'all the signs were there from the beginning' but she didn't noticed them, so she acknowledge her role in all this!

I mean, I still have issues with how quirk counseling and abuse wasn't addressed. And Uraraka did actually wait until the last minute to address Toga - she only started to tell Toga she wanted to talk about love when Toga was in danger of warping away from her. It is the bare minimum. But the primary issue of 'Toga wasn't seen as human' was indeed addressed with 'Uraraka said her smile was cute (human)'. It worked.

Meanwhile, Deku's saving of Tenko is a mess. At first it seemed like Tenko's problem was 'my family and people on the streets were bystanders to my pain, what the fuck. why did no one help me," and the story made hints towards having civilians be more pro-active and stop relying on Heroes so much; but then nvm. That gripe Tenko had is never addressed by Deku. The Walk apparently never happened and never left a scar on Tenko's psyche. No problem there!

Instead, Tenko's problem became 'I think I'm evil because I was born with Decay, who could validate my existence the way I am, wow I'm full of self-loathing and all my anger is actually me projecting it out.' and Deku was able to swoop in to solve part of the problem by, true, validating Tenko's existence by holding his hands, but never actually saying anything about Decay or the accident or anger. Guess Tenko just has to live with the fact that maybe he is evil, but it's nice of Deku to still accept him. But then it doesn't matter anyways because AFO was behind everything.

Just. Deku-Shigaraki/Tenko storyline was so long and so convoluted and so bizarre and never felt sincere. And so we ended up with 'I just saved The Crying Child but now I will pummel the body the Crying Child inhabits without care for what happens afterwards because AFO took it over and I'm over the saving thing and so if Tenko/Shigaraki dies because I smashed his body to pieces, well, he was unforgivable anyways. see ya."

#nalslastworkingbraincell

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3-2-whump · 19 days ago

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New Character Profiles

Hi all,

It’s been a while. It'll still be a while yet until I start the sequel, but until then, I see no harm in dropping some details about our newest OCs that we'll meet next year. So, here they are!

Vikash Gill is a resident doctor in his late twenties whom you may remember from this chapter. He is not involved in any of the gang business, but he entangles himself and his roommates when he removes Khaled’s chip and takes Khaled home to care for him. He’s a tall and broad-shouldered South Asian man with the beginnings of a receding hairline and glasses, though he’s still objectively good looking. He lives with roommates Eric Moon and Cade Heller, who help him support Khaled during recovery arc. He does not have his license due to a traumatic car accident when he was younger, but he’s working through his fear of driving to overcome it. Vik can come across as blunt and grumpy, taking a more heavy-handed approach to caretaking, but he takes his job seriously and will do what is best for his patients, even if that means implementing some tough love. He likes bodybuilding as a hobby and as a practical means of taking care of patients, and his music taste is all over the place (emo songs, bhangra, rap, etc).

Eric Moon is the Korean American anesthesiologist and gamer who rents a house with Vikash Gill and Cade Heller. He’s the shortest of the Roommate Trio, though he and Cade are almost indistinguishable in height even if they stand back to back. Eric likes to bleach his hair, but that’s about it when it comes to interesting looks. He seems like an airhead, and in many ways, he is, but he is great with people and reading between the lines to find what deeper problems may be at play. He streams semi-regularly on his Twitch channel ‘Light �� Moon,’ and he can throw together a decent meal using whatever they have in the kitchen within half an hour’s time. He and Vik met and roomed together in their undergraduate days, and now they’re just besties who live together. He used to date Cade in high school, before Cade became Cade, but they broke it off amicably when Cade came out. Eric then extended a hand to his ex when Cade was in a rough spot, and now he thinks of him as his best friend, never holding their past relationship against him.

Cade Heller is the German-American veterinary technician, musician, and pothead who rents a house with Vikash Gill and Eric Moon. He has light brown, curly hair that falls slightly past his shoulders, freckles, and a set of spider bite piercings at the lower right side of his mouth. He has a few tattoos: one big pentagram on his upper left arm and a series of Nordic runes on his inner right forearm. He is an old friend and ex of Eric’s who needed a place to stay after having nowhere else to go. He is trans, but that’s not the only cool thing about him: he’s pagan, he’s an on-and-off vegan, he plays the guitar in a small local band, he owns an aquarium with six angelfish and a bristle-nosed pleco, etc. Cade is the most cautious and pragmatic of the Roommate Trio, but he's only looking out for his friends. He can sometimes be obtuse, but he never intends to offend (if he did intend, you would know). He is tired of correcting people who inadvertently abuse of neglect their exotic pets due to misinformation that still sticks around.

Le Tag List (lmk if you want to be added or subtracted, it’s totally fine either way!): @kabie-whump @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter @skittles-the-whumpee @generic-whumperz

@bamber344 @there-will-always-be-blood @morning-star-whump @a-la-whump @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

@defire @phoenixpromptsandstuff @scumashling

#whump writing #OC profiles #my ocs <3 #caretakers profiles #recovery arc

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yumedoca · 20 days ago

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I've finally caught up with Frieren!! Have some highlights from my read:

And as a bonus have my top 3 double page spreads:

Ok, now I want to ramble about this series cuz like omg I love it so much, but I'll be limiting it to just 11 points or else I might be unable to stop..

First of all, a moment of silence for all the sculptors who had to deal with Himmel.

I think one of the series' greatest strengths is it's characters. Everytime I find myself wanting to watch the next episode/read the next chapter ASAP, not because of the action but because of the characters: I want to know more about them and that feeling can only be invoked in the viewer/reader if the writer has put that much thought into it. I don't think I dislike any of the characters really.. Stark or Himmel might be my favorite thou..

The worldbuilding, pacing, story are all great and it manages to also keep me interested so much that I can't wait for the next chapter to come already (about a couple more days it seems)

Now I'll just talk about random characters, plot points, just stuff I like..

I like the series' take on the concept of fear and bravery, idk, it never fails to amaze me whenever it comes up.

Also Heiter and Eisen are the best foster dads PERIOD.

I know in the first image I talked about Fern's gigantic borger, but actually the entire trio just have one hell of an appetite, LORD.

Also, huge fan of Frieren alternating between being the granny and the baby of the group lmao

The Goddess's monument arc is the best arc so far BTW. Just everything about it is chef's kiss X3

I also love the dynamics in the series as well, both romantic and platonic ones!!

The anime adaptation is fantastic btw, it truly understood the assignment. Can't wait for season 2!! The mini anime is very cute :3

And finally, the current ongoing arc in the manga is just so engaging, I'm a huge fan of stories where a large group of people have to work together, not to mention me literally screaming when Sein came back lol. I'm thinking of making 'new chapter thoughts' kind of posts everytime a chapter comes out. Who knows? Maybe I will :)

#i have watched the anime the mini anime read the manga the spinoff and the short novella #👍#yucareads #sousou no frieren #frieren: beyond journeys end #frieren at the funeral #frieren the slayer #frieren #stark #fern #himmel #heiter #eisen #sein #denken #ubel #land #god i love them sm #its a new style for the yucareads posts btw its good to use for long reads read quickly

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themaeve · 1 year ago

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AHHHHH! Memoire 61.5 of the Case Study of Vanitas just dropped! I'm loving everything about where we are going with this dham arc!

We are finally getting more on the whole business with where dhampirs stand in this society. Feared by humans as being too close to vampires, looked down on and at one point hunted(!) by vampires. And wow are the Count's people prejudiced as fuck. The only reason Dhampirs have "the right to exist" is because they are under the eccentric Marquis Machina's protection.

Watching Johann and Riche broke my heart this chapter. The way they both reached for their glasses when it was mentioned how dhams are revealed by their eyes. Riche was visibly scared the entire time and Johann was trying his best to comfort her. It really characterizes Dante, the member of the Dham trio who doesn't wear glasses, and is also almost always the most loud and proud of the three. Dante doesn't give a single fuck to "hide" his eyes.

Bless Noe, calling bullshit on everyone with "Isn't it just less confusing to just call people by their name?" Love that man so much. Vanitas stifling his laughter at Noe's wholesome honesty. Perfect.

I also really appreciate Domi's bits this chapter. My girl thinks she is so progressive with her whole "Being prejudiced in this day and age? How unattractive." And then only minutes later getting somewhat called out by Noe for never even learning Dante's name. Domi learning that she ain't above being prejudiced and that she needs to do better. Not being outwardly hateful is the bare fucking minimum. I love that last panel of her, that mix of embarrassment, panic, and palpable shame she feels with herself. The way she got really quiet and shut down. It hurt to watch in a good way. I've been there Domi. You gotta collect yourself, learn from your mistakes, identify and overcome your personal biases. Don't fall back into more self-hatred, you can do it girl! God I love her so much.

Also, I love that last panel of pissed off Dante! Dude is so over this conversation. Staring daggers at Noe like "Is this some kind of fucking White Knight routine of yours or are you genuinely this naive and friendly?" Good sir I eagerly await your angry rant next chapter. Fucking go off my dude.

This chapter had so much emotion from everyone. Hate, anger, fear, shame, love. All of it on display. As much as I have really started to hate the "fantasy racism" cliche, I'll give this one credit for some realism in displays of prejudice and the subtle effects it has on its targets. While I don't have experience being the target of racist prejudice, I do have experience being the target of queerphobic prejudice. The dhams really hit with me, especially the lines calling them "half-formed things, neither fish nor fowl." Like, yep I'm trans and non-binary, I've heard and seen that type of shit said before.

The way Riche and Johann reached instinctively for their glasses when it was mentioned how the uncontrollable gold flashes of their eyes give them away to humans. I felt that, being "revealed" by features of your body and being instinctually self conscious about them. Trying to hide the things that "give you away". I still remember when Jeanne was trying to figure out if Johann was human or vampire, watching the anime, hearing the tired and thorny contempt in Johann's voice with the delivery of "Nope, I'm a dham." Shivers. Same fucking energy of delivering "I'm nonbinary" to random people for fuckteenth flippin time watching the fucking look in their eye change as they realize what I am. Then, Johann catches himself after saying it, realizing Jeanne didn't mean any offense, that his tone was too prickly. She just genuinely didn't know. You can feel how Johann is always on guard. Always having to be prepared for people who think he doesn't have "the right to exist." I felt that.

I'm optimistic for how the story handles this arc. I'm praying it's good and doesn't fall for the problematic elements of "fantasy racism" tropes. The way this chapter handled Domi makes me hopeful. That and anymore material we get on Dante, Johann, and Riche is a win in my book.

#vnc #vnc spoilers #vnc 61.5 #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #memoire 61.5 #manga

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yanderes-galore · 8 months ago

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Oh, Can I ask for a general concept for Carolina from Halo RvB? Thank you!

Sure! I had to watch a summary to remind me of her so I hope I get things right. I say this as I already know my Texas one is out of date/butchered so I hope I get Carolina right.

Sorry this took so long, this is a concept that talks about her behavior based on events and wiki. I appreciate constructive feedback. It's been a long time since I've seen RvB so I'm rusty. Sorry if I rambled or wasn't intense enough, I ran out of steam suddenly :(

Yandere Agent Carolina Concept

(Freelancer! Reader/Darling)

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Jealousy, Inferiority complex, Manipulation, Violence, Fear of loss, Stalking, Dubious companionship/relationship.

Carolina is described as ambitious, determined, and serious for the most part.

She's caring to those around her, although that falters when Tex is around.

For this concept I think the easiest way to have you two have a connection is making you part of the Freelancer program.

That would allow you to know not only Carolina, but the other Freelancers such as York and Washington.

Considering how close she becomes with Washington later on, a fellow Freelancer would mean a lot to her.

Before Texas is introduced into the program, you're acquainted with Carolina and York.

She comes off as confident, caring, cocky, and determined.

In training sessions she often looks out for you and you know about her relationship with York.

Speaking of which, a romantic obsession with her would kick in sometime after York is confirmed to be dead during The Meta arc.

For now you two just seem to be friends, perhaps even acting as family to one another.

Although her behavior would change to be more serious and cold when seeing Tex as her rival.

Imagine how mad she'd be if she realized Texas got along with you?

Her jealousy and inferiority complex would be deadly.

While she is usually caring with you, you notice her lose herself around Tex.

Which often leads to you and York reigning her in.

You both help her when she gets a bit too competitive, she often thanks you when you reassure her you still care for her and trust her abilities.

What might be a sign of her obsession is her rivalry with Texas.

She worries a bit you'll like Texas more for her strength.

Carolina also feels irritation when she watches you get annihilated by Texas in training.

York notices her fist clench when you yelp in surprise and pain.

Luckily Texas knows when to stop.

If she didn't, Carolina would just tackle her.

She's often concerned about you and likes to check in with you, similar to what she did with South in the series.

Just like how you support her with York, she tries her best to return the favor by making sure you're doing okay.

Especially when they start passing around AI's and you comfort Carolina after she takes two instead of one.

You two were nearly inseparable, just like how Carolina was with York.

You were often considered a trio.

The Freelancer program was where you first met and where Carolina's obsession began.

Later on after the Freelancer program, the remaining Freelancers went their separate ways.

Including you.

You had no idea York had passed away until you were tracked and found by Carolina.

Eventually when you meet her again it's because she wants revenge on the Director.

You originally want to talk her out of it, to tell her she doesn't have to fight anymore.

But when Carolina brings up York's death and mentions how she may have found Washington, you reluctantly go along with it.

Carolina is scared of attachment based on what she's gone through.

However, she remembers you from her Freelancer days.

She can't just cut you off, although part of her still fears the thought of losing you like she lost so many others.

As a result, she may appear more attentive towards you.

She doesn't even seem open anymore until in the Chorus arc.

Now that I've created some background, I think I can focus on some overall behavior.

Carolina has moments where she can be serious and intimidating.

However, she is very caring and attentive to those close to her.

She views her obsession as family in one way or another.

She's always wanted your attention and always wants to protect you.

She's definitely one of the more intense yanderes, not as much as Texas, Meta, or others but she's similar.

That drive to protect those she cares for is shown when she's frustrated over Texas training with you.

That and being overly relieved when she finds out you're alive and not hunted by The Meta.

Carolina, like most Freelancers, isn't afraid to kill.

I also imagine she's good at tracking, be it enemies or you.

If anything happened to you, Carolina may lose her cool.

That's how she found you again in the first place.

The idea of being stalked by a Freelancer is terrifying.

Out of everyone they'd be the worst.

Especially Carolina.

Washington will notice this since they become close after The Meta situation.

He always knew you were someone who supported her, you two are nearly intertwined.

Which is why Carolina gets scary when you're hurt, taken, or something worse.

She becomes an emotional mess... punching walls (or people) and overall having a mental breakdown.

If someone took you from her, she may just break.

Not even Washington can help without her pushing him away.

She's only ever at ease when you're by her side, if someone took you or hurt you in anyway, she'll kill them.

She's another emotionally driven yandere, often keeping you close and manipulating you into staying beside her.

She may even admit to you that she hasn't been the same since she lost York.

When she says she doesn't want to lose you too, that could be her way of manipulating you in a subtle manner.

You may even willingly listen to her due to what you've been through.

Carolina, Washington, and the Reds/Blues are your family too.

You trust Carolina as a partner, be that in the friend way or romantic way.

Oblivious to the things she does to keep you.

She starts as not very affectionate.

Although, when you give her affection, she reciprocates slowly.

For example, if you hug her she may hug back after the initial shock.

She doesn't really want to force you into anything... so she's happy if you're the one giving affection.

If she likes you romantically she'd definitely steal your helmet off your head and kiss you.

She's playful when you get to know her away from all the stress.

Her bad traits is her Inferiority complex, her fears, and jealousy.

Most likely all caused due to the Freelancer program.

But... she has you now, after all this time.

She wouldn't give you up even if she was held at gun point.

She wouldn't let Locus or Felix take you, she wouldn't let Temple have you...

She'll be by your side until the very end.

Overall, Carolina can be intimidating but is very caring to those she loves just like her mother.

She's used to blood spilling across her armor and threatening others.

If it means you're safe, happy, and by her side... doing it a little more can't hurt, right?

#yandere halo rvb #yandere rvb #yandere red vs blue #yandere halo red vs blue #yandere agent carolina

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wesleysniperking · 7 months ago

Text

Usopp and Conqueror’s Haki | part 2 (TL;DR)

previously;continuing on...

Sad backstory

Usopp’s mother died when he was very young. His dad left him and his mother prior, leaving Usopp alone to fend for himself. That’s how he developed his knack for lying.

The ability and gift to lead others

Despite how small, Usopp did create his own pirate crew and lead three little boys who wholeheartedly admired and respected Usopp. But let’s not forget to mention Enies Lobby and Dressrosa. Kashii and Oimo followed Usopp after he told them their former superiors were free, alive, and still kicking. The Tontatta kingdom were more than willing to follow him when planning their attack on Trebol and Sugar. Which lead to his ‘God Usopp’ moment.

Out of everyone in the crew besides one or two (Luffy and maybe Zoro), people have at many points in the story wanted to follow Usopp and be led by him. No matter the situation and pretense.

Take that as you will and must.

People gravitate to them naturally and want to follow them (Charisma)

Same as above. But to be more precise in this instance, Usopp is a great storyteller and through this skill alone, he really does attract others. Heck, he got the Romance Dawn trio involved in saving Syrup Village when they necessarily didn’t have a reason to.

And there are the giants. They always gravitate towards Usopp, and converse with him. He always keeps them going.

Had a moment where they hit rock bottom

Water 7, baby. That was probably one of the worst moments in his life. Like, he deserved a hug during that period. Usopp was isolated, reeling, and filled with so much grief. He was walking around in bandages (from being jumped and punched right in the gut), he and his best friend weren’t talking, and he was under the impression that he was inadequate. It was a true “Young, Dumb, and Broke” moment for him.

Kingly ambition

This is probably one of the most disputed things when it comes to Usopp and Conqueror’s Haki speculation. But it’s easy to squash the doubt when you realize that Usopp does indeed have that “kingly ambition” baby.

First of all, when Usopp read about Ace’s death in the newspaper and started crying over the fact that he couldn’t be there for Luffy, bro promised himself (and Luffy, in spirit) that he’d become the king of shooters for his captain. That’s what he said. Heck some argue that the Sniper King alter ego supports this bit as well.

Secondly, Usopp does have something he needs to “conquer”. And what that is, is his fear. His natural cowardice continuously puts him at odds with his dream to become a brave warrior of the sea, yet his low confidence and anxiety work against it.

Knock people out to the point where form is coming out their mouth (seen in the manga)

Perona and Sugar. He left both women passed out with foam coming out of their mouths.

He knocked both girls out.

Courage

Despite Usopp’s ongoing bouts with cowardice and pushing for bravery. He’s shown it in spurts, bravery that is. But you know what? I sound like a hypocrite. I truly do. Because what is courage? Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. And he continues to do this, gag or not (in terms of the corwardice).

It took courage to want to defend Syrup Village and declare to do so despite having to do it alone.

It took courage staying to fight when facing off Chew in the Arlong Park arc, and Miss Merry Christmas and Mr 4 in Alabasta.

It took courage to fight Luffy and be willing to go at it alone when leaving the crew (not expecting anyone to follow him), it took courage to put on a mask and fight alongside friends you left after a nasty dispute, it took courage apologizing to the crew (when there was also some reasons not to) and asking to re-join, it took courage to fight ghosts, it took courage having to rely on faith and determination alone when making a snipe shot with very little to go on.

Empathy

Usopp showcases this well given where he’s come from and how he helps others. If there’s one thing people really don’t highlight about Usopp, and do actively look over, is the fact that he lies to make people feel better and find hope. He never does it to cause bodily harm to anyone. Usopp is a very misunderstood individual but naturally possesses the ability to encourage people in his own way. Like when Luffy was down and out when Lucci had him in the first half and he encouraged Luffy to get up and fight, or making Nami the climatact because she felt inadequate when fighting alongside the crew, or when he gave the giants (Oimo and Kashii) the push and courage to stop working for the World Government, or when he took care of the Going Merry, or when he told Robin to trust in Luffy, or when he helped the little girl perfect (or was it make?) that firecracker that her late parents failed to finish, or when he indirectly gave Chopper the courage to keep going when fighting Miss Merry Christmas and Mr. 4, or when he always ran around the village and woke the villagers up by running around early in the morning shouting the PIRATES ARE COMING! to make their lives worthwhile…you see where I’m going with all of this?

Note: Usopp tells his stories to make people feel better.

As a sniper he offers that backup, that backing and support during battle to make sure the crew is safe (like with Robin on the Tower of Justice, or in Stampede when Luffy is fighting the Big Bad)…and how he fought Perona? How could he have fought her without being in tune with his emotions and self-perception?

Then how devastated he was when he found out Ace died and could understand how affected Luffy was by that, declaring he’d become The King of Shooters for him.

continue here

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