#its also the same with one of them and my spelling

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

First of all, Happy Birthday!!! I adore your writing, the meet cute series is such a fun idea and I read each chapter as soon as I get the notif 😆

I also have to say I love the way you write Kid, he’s a tough character to “get” if you know what I mean 🤣

Now for bday event! If I might request:

Sanji ❤️

SFW

"You make it hard to focus when you’re this close."

Fem!reader

🫶

@jessterofthecourt Thank you so much for the birthday wishes and for your kind words! ❤️ I'm really happy you like my series and my obsession with Kid 🤣 And thank you for requesting Sanji, he really is one of my favs and I only wrote one chapter for him for the meet-cute introduction! I missed him. I hope you enjoy this and thank you again! ❤️

Source for Pic

Focus

Word Count: 1470

Tags: fem!reader; meant to be set in modern world AU; teacher/student moment;

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: You're a rookie chef and the mastering of the julienne cut is making you doubt your worth. Sanji helps.

Tag List: @rosidaze @beachaddict48 @armiliadawn @jintaka-hane @sprinkklz @baby5555 @hopelesslover06 @mars-mizuko @sleepykittycx @nerium-lil @eustasscapitankid

|Masterlist|

“I can never get this right! Ugh, how do you get your julienne slices so even, Sanji? I’m so envious!”

The blond sous-chef next to you chuckles as his fingers move with fluid gestures. His hands make the knife glide easily over the vegetables. It’s as if he isn’t even guiding it, and the object has a life of its own. 

“Well, chérie, it’s easy.” You drop the knife gently next to the cutting board and the butchered chops of carrots and stare at him. There’s a small smile curving his lips upwards. The eye that isn’t hidden behind his bangs is fixed on the job he’s performing, but you feel as if you hold all of his attention.

Sanji has a way of making you feel like that, as if you are the only person in the room or the most important thing happening around him. You have a feeling that even if the world were burning, his eyes would still be on you. 

“Practice.” He finishes with a chuckle at the same time as he sets the vegetable aside and fishes another carrot from the vegetable pile. You raise an eyebrow as your eyes scan the perfectly sliced vegetables on his side, and the pig-lunch scraps on your side. 

A heavy sigh escapes your lips as you bury your face in your hands, hoping to hide your shame, your frustration, and the tiniest bit of doubt creeping in. “I have been practising, Sanji! You know that! But this is all I have to give…” Reaching for the uneven vegetables, you show him the only thing you were able to accomplish: a big pile of nothing. 

Yet he doesn’t make fun of you, nor does he yell at you as some of the other seasoned chefs do when you screw up. He wipes his hands on the rag hanging by his apron and approaches you gently. 

Your breath hitches, and your throat feels tight. He’s intoxicating. Not just his scent - tobacco, spices, and something sweet - but his presence. It’s like he commands the space around you, drawing you into him like a gravitational pull. 

“These are not half-bad.” He selects some of the straighter pieces and sets them aside. Then he takes some of his pieces and places them next to your pile. “See, chérie, they’re not that different.”

“They’re insurmountably different.”

And you show your disbelief by crossing your arms and staring at his face, deadpan. Another chuckle graces you, and now that you’re closer, you notice that there’s a spark in his blue eye whenever he chuckles. It’s beautiful. 

“D’accord. Okay, they’re slightly different.” He raises his hand to his chin and scratches it before staring back at you. “See it like this: these are the ultimate goal.” He points to his slices. “These are the stepping stones to achieve said goal.” He points to the wonky slices and then to the ones that are straighter. “You stepped on this stone, and then this one, and now it’s just another small step to this one! Voilà.”

“It’s not as simple as that, Sanji. I’ve been staying late and practising every day this week, you know that! I should be better by now! Maybe not perfect, but better!” Frustration seeps into your pores, and you slam your palm on the steel surface. “I suck at this. Maybe I should just quit.”

Sanji suddenly becomes very quiet. His eyes take you in, absorbing every bit of discouragement and disappointment showing in your features. “Don’t say that.”

“What? That I should quit?” You bite your lower lip, trying very hard to keep the tears of resentment inside your tear ducts, where they belong. 

“No. Well, that too, but no.” His hand reaches out and he caresses the side of your face, slowly arranging a stray lock of hair. “Don’t say that you suck. Have a little bit more faith in yourself.”

“It’s hard, Sanji.”

“I know, chérie, I know.” His smile is understanding, and you get the feeling that his life story might not have been the easy, breezy, happy, and entitled life you thought he had at first sight. “But I’ll help. Grab the knife.”

It’s hard to take back the knife again, knowing you’re about to fail once more, but you decide that it’s even harder to keep looking at his piercing gaze. So you do as he says, taking a deep breath and making a mental note of giving this just one more shot. Then you can quit with a clean conscience and the satisfaction that you tried and gave it your all. 

As soon as your hand touches the knife, Sanji walks behind you, his figure towering over yours, enveloping you in a dizzying fog. Suddenly, he’s all there is. There’s no kitchen, there are no vegetables, there are no knives. It’s just you, him, and his strong arms protecting you from the world.

Then the illusion shatters, and you’re brought back to reality by a sudden shudder as he presses his chest against your back, his hand grabbing yours, and you have to bite your lip again, almost to the point of drawing blood just to ground yourself in reality. 

“First things first, always check your equipment. A dull knife is a chef’s nightmare.” He turns your hand to check your knife, and you gasp at the gentleness of his touch. His face hovers over your shoulder, breathing down your neck and making all the hairs on your body bristle. “Perfect blade. See? You’re already doing great.”

Focus, focus, focus!

“Now we cut the ends of the carrot to get a stable base to work on.” He guides your other hand, and you do as he told you by holding the carrot and slicing the end. His hand helps you guide the knife, and it glides smoothly, making a perfect cut. Then the other end of the carrot. The thuds of the knife hitting the board are almost in tune with the thrumming of your heart, and you’re positive he can feel it.

“Now let’s slice the carrot evenly into planks, like this.” He commands you. His gentle voice hazes your senses as he guides the knife easily. You’re barely doing anything more than trying to keep your legs from wobbling. “Now we stack the planks like this.” He’s whispering in your ear, and since when have carrots become so sexy?

Focus, damn it! Focus on the damn carrot!

“And we slice into thin strips for the julienne.” Your hands are burning. No, not just your hands, your whole body seems like it came right out of the furnaces of hell itself. You’re scalding! Feverishly hot. And you have no idea how to put out this fire. “See? Do it yourself now.” Your hand moves automatically, but your mind is somewhere else. You have no idea what you’re doing. 

“Chérie?” His words lick your ear and daze your senses. The sensuality of the syllables coming out of his lips makes you crave more. More words, more whispers, more touches… just more! “Are you alright?” Your name coming out of his lips jolts you, and you squeal. 

Fuck.

“I… I… yes… I…” You close your eyes tightly, your hand gripping the knife so hard that the handle almost groans in protest. “It’s just… You make it hard to focus when you’re this close.” You breathe out, embarrassment turning your ears red.

“Oh!” He seems regretful and is about to pull away, but you move the hand that’s not holding the knife and grasp his forearm to keep him in place. It takes every ounce of control in you not to squeal again when your fingers clutch the taut muscles in his arm.

“Don’t.” Don’t what, genius?

“Don’t?” He asks.

“Don’t let go…” Your eyes are still shut tight, and you’re too scared to open them. You don’t want to face him, you don’t want to face the strips of carrot you julienned, you just don’t want to face disappointment.

“I won’t. I promise.” There’s a hint of something else in his voice, something you can’t quite place… affection? Regard? “But you must also do me a favour.”

Anything…

“What is it?”

“Open your eyes for me, chérie.” His voice is like velvet. He’s happy and… pleased? “Look.”

When you finally open your eyes, Sanji is holding the slices of julienne you just cut. They’re nearly perfect. “Are those mine?”

He chuckles again near your ear, and goosebumps prickle your skin. There’s something fluttering in your belly, but you’re not quite ready to acknowledge it yet. 

“They are. And they’re perfect.” Oh… it’s pride. That’s the ‘something else’ in his voice. You turn to him in wonder as he leans closer, his whisper leaving your lips tingling, craving the brush of his. “Perfect, just like you.”

Oh…!

[jttw-oc-maiden-of-the-water]

Sparks and Showers Part 1

//My first attempt at writing for @tunadunanana ‘s OC, the Phoenix Maiden, affectionately named Birdie. Tuna, this story turned out so much longer than I was expecting and planning, I really hope I did your Birdie correctly because this is a lot of writing for her to be completely out of character 🤣🤣 if she is I do apologize.

This is a SFW story, no warnings, not proofread to do forgive any spelling errors; MOD//

Summary;

The Journey has been complete, Battles won, and Memories restored. Birdie and the Newly Awaken & Reincarnated Sun Wukong are making their way back to their home mountain of flowers and fruit. But when they stop to rest, the creatures of the forest make it hard to relax.

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🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜

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Time can be a beautiful thing when it runs in your favor. And it can be painful when it is against you.

That was a world defining truth that Birdie had come to know incredibly intimately.

Matters of the heart usually fought with Time you see, clashing in the worst of ways. Days seem to stretch for far too long with the Heart was grieving, and when the heart was at its happiest time flew faster than any falcon.

During the final battle the Destined One had had with the stone shell of the king who had once unknowingly held her heart, Birdie wished time could fly faster, to get past this awful moment.

The irony wasn’t lost upon the Phoenix Maiden that not even hours earlier, when they were bantering back and forth, she had wished time could slow… just a bit. The maiden setting aside her pain at seeing her dear friend in the face of this stranger who had become her friend as well,

But there were also occasions when time seemed to slow in the good moments as well.

After that previously mentioned battle for example; When the dust had settled, when that radiant light that was oh so familiar faded, when the elderly monkey that held that awful awful headband took a step back, when she saw her friend’s own head still free of that golden chain….

When he stood up…

When he turned to look at her when she took a hesitant step forward… and recognition flashed.

“Birdie?” His eyes widened and he smiled.

Birdie felt her breath catch in her lungs as - for the first time in hundreds of years - she allowed herself to hope…

Because that smile - oh that smile - that was His…

Time slowed as she took a few steps closer. The wings of hope spreading ever wider in her chest. The pair took each other in.

“Wukong?” Her voice, usually so melodic and sweet, cracked under the force of the emotions that were cascading through her. Part of her was scared to make a noise, to break this fragile moment in fear that it was just some cruel illusion, another dirty trick from the gods.

This Wukong, who carried himself the same, still standing in that familiar way that favored the hip opposite of his Staff… the familiar way his tail barely moved as he was taking something in… it was all Him… but there was a look in his eye that was a bit… unfamiliar… Older, wiser? Only that capricious Time would be able to tell….

But, this Wukong took a slow step forward, Helping the Phoenix Maiden close the distance just a bit more… and let out a soft Hooting Chirp, a curious sound… a question?

It was such a little sound…

But it caused the Phoenix Maiden to drop her Bow, Arrows and her Bag into the water uncaringly as her brought her hands to her mouth to cover the Sobs that shook her body. Every dam within her breaking as emotions surged forward, overtaking her in an overwhelming force.

He was back! It was Him! He was Back!

She ran to close that distance as he reached forward to receive her. And they shared an embrace so tight that no force on heaven or earth could’ve separated them in that moment.

They clung to each other desperately, afraid to let the other go in fear that this was all a perfect dream.

But Wukong was the first to feel relief course through him as he felt her tears soaking his fur on the side of neck… because never, not even in his unconscious and hibernative state, had he ever imagined her crying in such a way. And he knew this was real.

He held her tighter to him, wrapping his arms around her in a force that tried to shield her from everything, to keep her secure even as she fell apart.

As for the Phoenix Maiden,

The sweet woman with such joyful colors that mocked her ever mourning being, the woman who wore loyalty on her skin and her heart on her sleeve even as the world around her crumbled, the woman who began this journey to give herself closure and possibly make peace knowing her dearest friend had gone before she could tell him how she felt and the feelings she held - Because why rush to spill your heart when you were supposed to have eternity?

For the first time in Hundreds of years… the Tears she were shedding, the sobs that were making her tremble…

They weren’t of grief.

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🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜

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The next couple days were a joyful blur for the Phoenix Maiden, reconnecting with her dear monkey, speaking the words in her heart that she never had a chance to say before. The absolute joy at hearing him accept her feelings and validate them by matching them with his own.

There were many talks of expectations, of what they desired from one another, the fears they carried, the love they had, the future they wanted… but alas those stories cannot be told here, for they were private and for each others ears only.

And of course, not all moments were good. You see, the trauma they had gone through didn’t magically disappear with the presence of the other.

Poor Birdie was reminded of this first hand when she had a nightmare of her world being over again. Dreamed of blood on her hands, desperately reaching for a body that was always just out of reach. No one responding as she screamed for help.

When Wukong had finally able to shake her awake from that unconscious horror, she had clung to him for hours, her cheek against his chest, her ears focused on the steady beating of his heart. The pair holding each other until her trembles faded and a dreamless sleep swept her up once more.

Sun Wukong wasn’t spared either. (Though one could argue seeing his dear friend be tormented so was torture enough.)

No, the immortal monkey king too had bad dreams, though his weren’t always at night. As he settled into this new body and the memories it held before he returned, the Great Sage now found himself plagued with visions and hallucinations as past and future clashed in his mind.

Both the present body and his past mind struggling to find their equilibrium, his Yin and Yang out of balance.

Visions of being defeated, his body being torn apart, Phantom Pains leaving him resting his head in the Phoenix Maiden’s lap as she attempted to sing away the pain that had long since passed, past battles with modern foes, voices on the wind that mimicked his people but were wrong, illusions of a weapon or claw about to strike his side before fading before the hit could land. He would turn and snarl at the sound of an enemy to find it was only empty air.

He had forced himself back into his meditations and his more Buddhist mindset in an attempt to force the Equilibrium to settle when he went to go attack an enemy only for that enemy to turn into his precious Birdie before his Cudgel had a chance to land its hit.

That moment had been a reality check for both of them. Wukong may be back… but he was still very much not at his 100 just yet…

It helped that Birdie was so supportive of him, gently taking his hands when he flinched away from her, telling him in that melodic voice of hers that, They just needed to take it slow, these things take time. Besides, they finally had forever. Wounds would heal, the nightmares would fade.

It was that night that they decided to start making their journey back to Mount Huaguo, that beautiful Paradise of Flowers and Fruit. “After all!” Sun Wukong had spoken, his fur puffed in joy and anticipation. “What better place to heal the mind than my paradise on earth! Besides, I believe their handsome king has been absent for long enough.”

He felt himself puff up more with pride when his words brought a smile to his Birdie’s lips.

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🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜

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This is how we find ourselves where we currently are at within the story my dear readers.

As both Sun Wukong and the Phoenix Maiden are beings capable of flight, the pair crossed an impressive distance of land in a relatively short amount of time. Neither had any doubt that if Birdie had clung to Wukong on his jīndǒu yún cloud, (筋斗云) they could make it back to Mount Huaguo in a day, if not a handful of hours.

However they both came to an agreement that with it being as long as it had been, it’d be wise to move at a more leisurely pace - even if from the air - so that Wukong could familiarize himself with how the land had changed. At the pace they were going, the trip would take 3 days and 2 nights back to their beloved mountain.

Everything went smooth the first day and night. The second day say they were forced to slow because of winds that were blowing against them. Birdie beating her wings twice as hard to move forward against the breeze. Wukong stayed a bit behind her to catch if it was needed.

But Birdie took it with good humor, giggling that that flight had been the best workout she’s had in years!

That brings us to where we are tonight:

“It is good that we arrive back at the Mountain tomorrow,” Birdie hummed as she opened her bag and took out two generously sized Mangos and a bag of tree nuts from a cashe Zhu Baije had gifted to them before they departed. “This is the last of it, we may need to forage for lunch tomorrow…”

Sun Wukong nodded as he grabbed the mango and stoking the fire they sat by to warm themselves and their clothes before they went to rest in the trees for the night.. “Hmm… unless we want to agree that taking it at a leisure pace was a silly notion and we just use my jīndǒu yún to cross that meager distance before our bellies have a chance to complain?”

“Sun Wukong!” Birdie gasped, a playful gleam in her eyes, “Am I to hear that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven can’t handle roughing it any longer? What does the Handsome Monkey King miss his pillows?”

“Blasphemous! You dare to insinuate that This great King can’t handle a bit of dirt?! Better to wish to avoid dirt than be dragged back to the earth like a waterlogged pigeon because of some wind!” Sun Wukong leaned forward as he accepted her invitation to play, a relief warming his chest to have confirmation once again that the years didn’t take this game of theirs away.

“Even Pigeons can keep themselves pristine and well groomed! How many pebbles and rock clumps have I had to untangle from your fur since your return you wretched Stone Monkey! Perhaps we should go ahead so the denizens of the mountain can run you a bath and line up to groom you properly!” She narrowed her eyes with a grin, but also carefully watching for his reaction, remembering how important troop grooming sessions were for his kind.

But there was no insult in his eyes, only mirth as he matched her grin. “Brave woman! Brave indeed! You voice so easily on my stone nature but tease me for wanting to stay away from the floor in which entangles those clumps in my fur! Dare I say you are contradicting yourself?”

The Phoenix Maiden leans in close and settles herself against him in a motion Sun Wukong doesn’t trust one bit, not while they’re within the game, but he enjoys her proximity too much to push her away. That’s before Birdie leans her head against his shoulder and innocently entangles her fingers in his fur at the base of his neck, taking care not to snag the fur.

“Oh Wukong…. Should I gather some soft moss for you to rest your royal head? I’d hate for you to crimp your neck at your impressive age.” From where she sits, Wukong can’t see her face, but he doesn’t have see it to know she’s holding in laughter from the way her shoulder shook, to how her tone is pitched.

Wukong made an aghast sound from his chest as he playfully grabbed the woman beside him making her finally release her laughter as she squealed and attempted to get away from his tickling hands.

The Phoenix Maiden didn’t realize until too late Wukong’s dastardly plan as he took them to the forest floor as they tumbled around each other in their game.

That was, until Birdie’s hand brushed against something in her hair….

Was that… a twig? Leaves?

Realization dawned as she shoved a Cackling Wukong away to take stock of her appearance.

“Oh you didn’t! WUKONG!” She was covered in Leaves, Twigs, Dirt… and those Rock Clumps. She looked a right mess, and thoroughly tumbled.

The smug Monkey King laughed even harder, the force of it making him loose his footing and nearly causing him to fall into the fire. “Don’t worry! Don’t worry! I’m sure once we get back to the mountain, the denizens will run you a bath and line up to groom you!”

He laughed harder as he threw her words back at her.

She succeeded in untangling a stick from her hair and proceeded to throw it at the furry Stone Menace, causing him to wheeze as he gripped his sides.

Birdie attempted to pretend to be stern before she fell into laughter as well. What could she do? Sun Wukong’s joy had always been infectious.

——————

The joy and mirth of the moment came to an abrupt end when Wukong froze and was suddenly on his feet, staring unblinkingly into the forest, his stance tense.

“Do you hear that my Birdie?” His voice was softer now, barely above a whisper.

Birdie felt her heart sink in her chest a bit as she slowly got to her feet and took a step back, running on the assumption it was another invisible enemy that often plagued his mind, and readying herself to jump into the trees should a one-sided battle commence.

“Wukong, I don’t-“ the snap of a branch cut her off as she froze as well, turning her head to look in the direction the sound came from… and it was only then she realized how silent the woods had become. “Yes. Yes I heard that.”

She grabbed her bow and notched an arrow, flexing her wings to become airborne at the first sense of true danger.

More rustling and the sounds of large trunks snapping made them both tense further in readiness for whatever they were about to face.

Just when the Stone Monkey was about to activate his gold vision, a blast of fire and molten rock shot at him as a horrible screech shot through the trees. Officially breaking the otherwise eerie silence. He only barely moved out of the way in time, the smell of singed fur quickly filling the air.

Birdie yelped as the molten rock landed next to her foot as she jumped into the air with a single beat of her wings and took a shot in the direction of where the attack had come from.

Another awful screech rang out, letting Birdie know her blind shot had landed.

There was a burst of movement as the awful beast finally revealed itself. A giant Róngyán xīyì (熔岩蜥蜴) ((Lava Lizard)) at least 16 heads long burst forward. It’s wide mouth open, attempting to swallow one or both of the travelers but missing them both.

Its movements were heavy, clumsy and uncoordinated. Its large and burning eyes nictated as it moved its head around looking for where its prey had gone. It’s fat Tail lashing and trying to rid itself of the arrow sticking out of it. Rumbling with dissatisfaction.

Both Wukong - from his place hiding in the brush, and Birdie - from her spot in the trees stayed quiet, hoping the beast would move on. The Lizard was larger than the xīyì usually came. They were supposed to grow no larger than a forearm.

And they usually stuck to the Volcanes of the North. It was a long way from home and clearly was a successful hunter if its size was anything to go by. Though, despite its size, it clearly wasn’t a wise creature, clearly it wasn’t capable of speech or hadn’t any power to achieve transformations. It was simply another predator like a tiger or an alligator.

The xīyì curled its head back as it curled its tail up, almost making itself into a ball before its blackened charcoaled scales began to rattle and steam and the pink of its belly glow before its golden throat and cheeks bulged. And it just so happened to be in the direction Wukong was hiding.

“WUKONG! GO HIGH!” Birdie shouted as she took another shot. It found its home in the xīyì’s Shoulder as the creature screeched once more. Spewing a torrent of fire and molten rock out of its gullet. The spray going a considerable distance as Wukong shot upwards with his cudgel to avoid the attack

The xīyì twisted its body around rapidly as it continued to empty its gullet. The area quickly becoming encased in flame as the thick slag stuck to the tree and ignited them.

The Phoenix maiden felt her eyes begin to burn and her throat itch as smoke blew in her face. She began to cough as she beat her wings to move the smoke away and push herself higher into the air.

Wukong snarled and bared his teeth. “Bothersome Beast! I shall make your hide into an armored Tunic! Watch as I end this!”

Twisting around, he brought up his cudgel and flipped it so it was above him, using his strength to bring it down with a force that cracked the earth. Flattening the creatures head, the Róngyán xīyì’s body going still.

He landed on the ground next to it, and kicked it in irritation. “A good armored Tunic indeed! I should’ve left your eyes! Gave you a last look at the mess you caused!”

“Wukong,” Birdie raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think that poor creature is hearing you anymore.” She then looks around as anxiety starts to build within her chest. “This forest is going to burn, what do we do?”

Indeed the fire was spreading fast. The dryness of the wood combined with the strong winds working in tandem to turn the steady blaze into a raging inferno.

“Bah!” Wukong shrugged away her worries as he finished skinning the beast and folding away the pelt carefully to be turned into its tunic later. “We can fly above it Birdie. It won’t harm us.”

Birdie scowled. “Wukong, the denizens of the forest can’t all fly. We can’t just leave them to burn.” She points at a bird nest in the distance with three far-too-young chicks to prove her point.

Wukong thinks for a bit. “Very well, grab the nest with the babes, we will take them with-“

“Wukong!”

“Fine! I’ll go have the dragons send a-ACK!” He flinched and turned his head down as a raindrop found its place in his eye. A few more raindrops fell against Birdie’s cheeks and Wukong’s head before the rain steadily became heavier and heavier.

The rain felt warm, and to Birdie, incredibly familiar as the sweet smell of fresh water, ozone and flowers filled the area.

Raising a hand to protect her eyes she looked up at the rain cloud that had snuck up on them and saw the vague outlined shape of a woman in the clouds, her hair fading and falling as the rain that was now smothering the flames.

Birdie feels herself start to smile and her emotions rise into her throat as she’s almost sure that the woman - Her dear sister who had stood by her through everything - looks at her with a reassuring smile before her head turns away, her body sways, and she fades into a cloud once more… vanishing with the gentle sound of a distant rolling thunder.

“Wukong… did you see her?” Her voice soft and gentle. Still shielding her eyes as she looked up at the clouds to see if She was still up there, but she was gone. Moved on, giving her sister the privacy she had promised her so long ago when Birdie had first left for this journey.

Wukong was rubbing his eye from the liquid smack he had undeservingly received, and gave his body a good shake to rid himself of water that was soaking him. Taking one of his hairs, transforming it into a large umbrella, he grabbed Birdie and dragged her closer to him to join him in his jīndǒu yúnas to relieve her wings the stress of flying in the rain.

He shook his head as he felt her settle next to him. “No… I didn’t see her. Who? The Pearl Girl?”

Birdie rolled her eyes and gave his chest a weak smack even as she got closer to warm herself with his heat. “Wukong be respectful, she’s our sworn sister. She has been truly a support for me these past couple hundred years.”

Wukong grumbled but adjusted his body to hold her. “I don’t know how she has still fooled heaven into thinking she’s some peaceful ‘Tranquil Lady’. She’s peacefully shoved water up my nose and in my ear for a innocent prank more times than I care to remember!”

Birdie laughs as his words bring up multiple memories of the various ways Wukong would try to elicit some emotional reaction out of her otherwise non-reactive friend when they were still on their great journey to retrieve the Tripitaka Scriptures. And only succeeded in getting a physical response instead.

The phantom sounds of him cussing and sputtering and hacking while Zhu Baije laughed filled her ears. The Yín zhēnzhū gōngzhǔ’s only emotional reaction would be the slightest of a glare and eyebrow twitch before she went back to drinking her tea and the conversation she usually had with Birdie or Sha Wujing on the occasions she was summoned to assist the pilgrims.

Birdie leaned her cheek against his shoulder. “You usually deserved it, you were awful. Constantly poking and prodding at her when she had taken to time to come and help us.”

Wukong huffed out a laugh. “She always had this calm demeanor even when she was angry or irritated underneath. I was simply helping her express her emotions.” He remembered the one time he had seen her punish and execute the Bā tuófēng yěmán rén, that sort of calm rage wasn’t healthy for anyone. Especially not for a woman with the power to inadvertently make it everyone else’s problem.

Yes, Wukong thought to himself. He was justified in his needling and pranks towards the princess. Because he knew he’d been awful and annoying. Usually ever on his worst behavior when that pearl maiden was around, going just far enough to not have his master punish him with that blasted headband.

Because it allowed her to release those emotions she usually kept so bottled up, giving them an outlet that wasn’t a violent storm or a deadly riptide.

Truly, he deserved more appreciation. The great and handsome monkey king didn’t have to go out of his way, but he did for the sake of his friends.

Birdie laughed at his pouting face as she gave him a kiss on the cheek to sooth him. “Well you could’ve told her that rather than being so… You about the whole thing.”

Wukong pouted then chuckled in agreement. Indeed he had been awful. But it was fun. He began to have his jīndǒu yúnas take them out of the storm’s path and to a dryer area to listen to the rain from a distance and get some rest before they finished their journey at sunrise.

The Phoenix Maiden sighed as she watched the rain and distant thunder. It had grown to become her favorite sound when she was at the sea side palace. “It will be good to get back… I miss her. We have so many stories we have to share with our sister.”

It was a murmured statement, perhaps not something she realized she spoke aloud. But Wukong heard her all the same. She looked up at him and said in a more clear voice. “When we get back we need to come up with a ‘thank you’ gift for her. She made sure the mountain stayed protected and the damage was healed, along with keeping your citizens safe after… you…” her voice trails off and her face falls a bit before she hugs Wukong again.

“Never do that again…” It was an order.

“It’s okay Birdie… I don’t plan to go anywhere. I’m back for good this time.” He promised as he held her closer.

They stayed like that until the last of the distant glows of the fire went out, the forest safe and protected once more.

Wukong thinking all the while.

He had been gone for a while, and his Birdie - Because she was his now, she had given her heart to him and he had no intentions of returning it - had clearly become attached to their sworn sister, that infuriating pearl maiden. And now he learns she had also kept his home and people safe in his absence?

He nodded, pleased. His sworn younger sister was infuriating, but he would never say she wasn’t driven and loyal. He would think of a reward for her. And Birdie wanted to see her…

Then a thought struck him as he jumped up with the startled Phoenix Maiden in his arms. The poor woman letting out a yelp at sudden movement.

“An Idea! I’ve been struck with a great idea!” Wukong hooted as he jumped down onto a tree and carefully sat Birdie down, wrapping the fresh pelt around her shoulders to keep her warm. “Make up a camp! I shall be back soon!” Transforming a couple of his furs to make them into camping supplies, replacing what they had lost to the flames.

“Wha-Wukong!? Where are you going!?” Birdie sputtered as she fumbled with the objects that were shoved in her arms.

“A surprise Birdie! I go to grab a surprise!” Wukong beamed down at her before speeding off. Going to greet his infuriating Sworn Sister of the waters.

When we next meet, we shall see how that interaction goes.

———

Taglist;

@tunadunanana @szynkaaa @bottyshaker-900o @marcu-bug

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! 😁

[crazylittlejester]

i'd love to hear all your head canons on Warriors! and the others too if you have any. :)

i'm trying to get into writing fanfiction but its difficult when the canon version of Link is just "blank stare and sometimes arson" /j. Warriors is one of the Links i have the most difficulty with characterization lol (Legend, Hyrule, and Four or also giving me trouble /lh)

aight this is definitely gonna be so much more than you asked for but im not havin a great day and you asked about my special guy and gave me permission to yap about him, so here are a lot of headcanons + the way that I write/characterize him in my own fics! (my bad for spelling errors or if this is incoherent)

- I hc he came from a rather large family out in the country, so he had a lot of sisters growing up and a lot more space than the city but he moved to the city and has stayed there since he joined the army at 15/16

- I know most people hc all the Link’s parents are dead but NOT ME, Wars still has his mom, but he hasn’t been home since he left. I hc he hasn’t been able to bring himself to go home because he feels like the war changed him so much as a person that he won’t belong there and nothing will be the same, and that his family won’t take him back because they’re expecting the same kid who left and he just isnt that person anymore

- I will die on the hill that this man is a fake blond (and that he also straightens his hair). I hc he started dying his hair because he was so desperate to fit in and also to look like the other heroes because his image is incredibly important to him. A whole war was started over him because Cia wanted him, he feels like he needs to at least LOOK like that classic image of the hero. Tied in with this i think he has a lot of insecurity about himself and how he looks because he forces himself to look such a particular way and he’s created this character of himself and acts it out so thoroughly he’s forgotten who HE actually is

- This is a popular hc for him because in his game soldiers turn against him, and you have to fight them in game so a lot of people hc there have been assassination attempts against him and that these include poison. So I hc he has a very intense fear of food that sometimes prevents him from being able to eat all together because he can’t trust where it comes from. Some days he has to watch it be made, some days he has to make it himself, and rarely he just can’t do it. This is all based on my own food allergies and fear of cross contamination, and I also gave him a safe food: oranges! My thinking behind this is that when I get like this eating prepackaged foods are the most comforting to me because it makes me feel like it couldn’t have touched something I’m allergic to, and oranges have a peel which is just a barrier between them and the world. Can they still be poisoned? Absolutely, and Wars knows this, but he’s irrationally dependent on them because in his mind they’re safe because he NEEDS them to be, otherwise he just can’t eat. Like deep down he knows it’s stupid and they’re not guaranteed safe for him, but when he’s panicking he’ll grab those because he’s convinced himself they’re safe and he’s yet to be wrong

- Purely self indulgent hc but I also gave him my blood sugar issues, which is truly just an angst source for me because he’s caught in a trap of having an issue where he HAS to eat semi frequently or bad things will happen but his deep rooted fear of all his food being contaminated makes it really really hard for him to do so

- I hc he’s got a journal that has so so much in it that’s a mix between a diary, battle plans, history book in the making, sketchbook, and more. To me he’s got such a big big brain and a thirst for knowledge and he absorbs history like a SPONGE. He met all these people from other eras during the war and he learned so much about them and their cultures and times, and now he’s going through time to some of these places??? He’s writing that shit DOWN. He’s absolutely the first one to figure out where everyone is on the timeline. He also got used to observing soldiers during battle and noting their strengths and weaknesses so he could plan where to put them in battle and thats just somethin he cannot turn off, so he analyzes the chain and all his notes on them are in this book too. He TELLS them these things, with the intent to help them grow stronger, and he absolutely offers to help them work things out and because of this the group has really become a solid unit. Also the whole thing is written in his native language that NONE of the others can read (I hc he’s brazilian/scottish and his native language is the equivalent of portuguese)

- He’s a very touch oriented person, though the war and his trust issues kinda messed that up for him, but he IS getting better with it. He does much better if he’s the one initiating contact, and he’s definitely a shoulder to lean on for the others and his hugs are very nice

- I hc he HATES shit rubbing against his neck, which is one of the reasons why that scarf is so thoroughly pinned down

- I also hc he came from a family of tailors, so he’s definitely one of the people the chain goes to if they need sewing help

- He’s the one who gives the others haircuts, and he taught Wind how to properly care for his curly hair

- I hc he has temperature regulation issues because of the severe burn scarring Volga left him with, so he and Wild are ALWAYS the first two to overheat

i have more, i could talk about him for hours, but my brain is getting fuzzy so i’ll stop here for now lmao sorry for yapping so much 😭

[theclosetedskeleton]

I mean this in no disrespect to any of my irls but oh my god sometimes i just really cant fucking stand any of my irl friends/people ik in a old school server im in

[yumedoca]

So yeah, 'Ranma 0.5' or something like that..

[toytulini]

if you draw enough monster ocs, when you go back to drawing a human character, it feels like "sameface syndrome" everytime, by virtue of their face being. human.

[smax-maxs]

i have to get this shit out before i explode

you can't blame people for viewing chara in a negative light when the game only really gives them chara content in form of the genocide route and what asriel says about them.

both in which depict them as ether an unstoppable destroyer or "not that great of a person".

plus given the fact that it was their plan to have asriel kill humans when they didn't want to, shades in their character (haha funne joke) as a bitter and lost kid who desperately needs better guidance than the dreammers (as much as it kinda hurts to say-) had given them if any.

plus the whole thing about chara being the narrator is a theory and not actually cannon otherwise the true pacifist run would have revealed as such- and i don't believe toby would do that because chara is not meant to be a real character in the story but simple there to add to asriels arc.

the bits we get about them are only there so that they given enough of a reason as to why they were important to him.

also i think the reason why gender discourse for the humans in particular is so toxic is because of how badly people were burnt by gendered depictions of them and wanting to over correct to them having no gender to the point where people dox each other over the genders of fictional characters that we don't really know how they'd react to being called a certain pronoun because they aren't real.

[toxooz]

maybe im projecting but i feel like Ollie would have a FUCKING HUGE monstera plant in his house thats taking over his living room

[barnabybrainrot]

—-

[aaravos-answers]

(same anon here with the touchy guy best friend) Don't get me wrong, Aaravos, I never reciprocated his romantic feelings...I always knew they were there, but I didn't want our friendship to get awkward because of it

What I didn't know was he'd been alienating me from the other guys for MONTHS, and I'd always feel left out and lonely in groups, and he'd be the person i'd turn to, the person i thought I could trust

So when i found out he was the cause of all my misery, my heart just absolutely shattered, you know? Because I didn't know this was the sheer extent of his feelings for me...and it creeped me out, because he was the kind of guy who didn't take no for an answer

my sixth sense would always scream at me whenever he'd touch me in a way I wouldn't like...like the one time he put his hand on my waist, and honest to god, I was not only creeped out, but I was also scared. i don't know why, and i didn't know how to tell him to stop touching me, but it scared me...i was thirteen years old, and i still remember my heart pounding-

and i do hate him, but honestly, i feel like its my fault too...the signs were all there from the start and i chose to ignore them in a desperate bid to revive a friendship and a person i knew was too adamant to change

and i think this is the first time i'm really, genuinely talking about this, since i don't think i have any friends at all anymore

Oh, goodness, little one, you've been carrying this around for quite some time, haven't you?

Starling, breaking away from such a thing with little to no support is incredibly difficult, and I am so, so proud of you for it. <3

...Do let me know if you ever see him again. I have a blade you can borrow, if you'd like.

[arolesbianism]

Ok so I need to rework my Wendy skilltree concept because klei heard ppl complain abt the combat and went alright then time to completely rework combat but very slowly one update at a time so no one realizes until we straight up give Willow spells

[moodr1ng]

basically im gonna start just putting 'dni if you define gender categories as men and non-men' and move on lol. like just be open and proud that you do not respect multigender people and, more importantly, people whose genders sit outside of the western colonial gender binary entirely, and stop pretending. like just decide whether im a man or a woman to you personally and sit on one side of the fence. if you are unwilling to conceptualize gender without a binary in there - even a reinvented binary that makes just enough space for you but not me lol - then fit me in the binary. im serious. if you think "everyone is either a man, or a not-man" is anything but a reinvention of "everyone is either a man or a woman" but awkwardly shifted to try and add nonbinary people to one side, then put that framework into use and misgender me. i am actively asking you to. you do not get to handwave me away as just an exception to your good new gender binary, or to try and say i fit into both groups when you are literally defining them by being mutually exclusive.

decide if im a man or a woman to you, treat me accordingly. ONLY treat me as one or the other, and do not switch it up when its convenient for you. just misgender me. i think its kinder.

[falinscloaca]

cat hacker reintroduces mspec lesbian discourse into my life my brain obliterates itself in ocd-fueled recursive self-argumentation

[get-more-bald]

one thing I dislike about the extended edition is that the added characters are voice-acted in english and no other translation as far as I know

[cy-cyborg]

So, there's a lot I want to say about the paralypics, but every time I try I just... can't articulate what I want to say without it turning into a monster of a post that puts my writing advice posts to shame lol. This includes in response to the anonymous asks I got on the topic btw. So I'm going to try and summarise my thoughts here.

As someone who was working towards the Rio paralympics - who was basically one of the people they were actively training to be the next paralympians and who got to go if their choice first athletes had to drop out, the Olympics and paralympics are a... touchy subject for me. I loved playing. I loved my sport. I loved the people I played with. I loved the people I played against. But the way the public and people in power treats disabled athletes sucks. It Really really sucks. and it hurts to talk about.

The vast, vast majority of us aren't paid. We are expected to train at the same intensity as the Olympians with none of the breaks and none of the support to do so, resulting in injuries that are disabling in and of themselves, while juggling normal jobs. many of the paralympians are also in school or at university as well. both schools and jobs see these elite athletes as dedicated hobbiests at best.

I had a friend who were fired from their job because they were denied time off to compete at the paralypics and well, if i had to choose between the paralympics or stay at a shit job paying minimum wage, I know which one I'd pick, and so she didnt have a job when she came back. I have friends who are still in the closet because their sponsors would drop them if they came out as gay, who ended years-long relationships to keep the funding that allowed them and their teams to compete - funding that just covered the costs of travel by the way. They never saw a cent of it themselves, but it was the difference between us having to pay $50 each for our plane tickets and accommodation and having to pay $2,000Aud + for every away game. I have friends who were supposed to go to Tokeyo but were kicked off the teams weeks before the games because of a rule change that decided they weren't disabled enough anymore, wasting years of work with absolutely no warning. They weren't even given the decency of an appology from the people who made the call. Several went through terrifying mental health spirals over it. It was their life's work, gone. I saw so many friends just give up because their disabilities were "too hard to classify" into the International Paralympic Commity's boxes and who were made to feel they weren't welcome by the system spouting off about its diversity and inclusion and empowerment of disabled people.

And then with all that, the best we can hope for is for the social media teams to turn us into a joke for ableds to laugh at or into inspiration porn to make them feel good about themselves - because at least theyre not us. Because obviously, there are no other options in how to show us/sarcasm.

My phone doesn't even have "paralympics" as a recognised word. I have a Samsung. The company that is currently at the paralympics using them as a marketing opertunity. We aren't even recognised as a word in the phones made by the company that is currently using the paralympics as a marketing opportunity. The phones they're giving the athletes won't even recognise the name of the event that they got it at. If I've spelt it wrong, it's because it autocorrects it every time I try to spell it right, and im dyslexic and can't see the difference until I stare at it for a minute or so.

I just... this isn't even scratching the surface of my thoughts. But I wanted to say at least some of it. It will be the last I'm going to talk about it, at least until the event is over.

[sinecosinewheel]

urgh. im gonna vent about smth stupid to avoid my actual problems