#like an adventure crew story is fine but the idea that they need all the digidestined help they can get and they have 4 local friends

[fandomsandfears]

just watched the first part of tri and boy am i trying so hard to like it i want to like it and not be biased becaues of all the hate ive seen. theres a lot of fun stuff here but MAN theres a lot of decisions im questioning,,, part two eventually please explain

[thatmaxcontent]

East Blue Polycule, yeah? Let me headcanon-dump onto you, stranger who didn't ask for it!

They overall love one another equally (in their own unique ways), but they do have favorites (keep it a secret though 🤭🤫🫡).

Luffy doesn't favor anyone in particular, but he has the most fun with Usopp and the most 'emotional' (big quotes on that) times with Zoro.

Speaking of the Lettuce Demon, his favorite is obviously Luffy, I need not elaborate on this point. He was the first and he will be the last.

Sanji's favorites are Nami and Usopp, Nami in the more silly yet beloving sense. She'll often tease him for being such a simpy simp, but will happily give him some love every now and then. Usopp is constantly around, not just Sanji but the whole crew, and through that Nicotine Kicker kind of just got used to him being THE first one he'd go to (aside captainly stuff and such). They behave more like married folks who've been together for around 10 years most of the time, but this doesn't take away from Sanji's simpyness. Sanji simps for all his partners, but he only visibly does it with Nami and semi-visibly with Usopp. The other two are far more casual.

Nami's favorite is Vivi (surprise! I got this idea from another post, I don't remember the poster, but aaaugh I love it!!!), but out of the crew it's Usopp. Vivi and Nami are one-to-one, the blue gurl isn't dating anyone else. They keep in contact by constantly sending each other letters and SNÄILIN'!!! Usopp is Nami's crew-favorite because... well... they're besties. They bond over so much, and they're the most open in the relationship with one another (close second being Luffy and Zoro tied with Sanji and Usopp, followed by Luffy and Nami, ect ect).

Usopp's favorites are Nami (because of stated bonding) and Sanji (because of their incredible connection), but Luffy deserves an honorable mention as Usopp spends a lot of time and has a blast with him!! Sometimes they also take two-on-two time, rarely it can turn into a little bit of a quiet session, but usually they rave about future adventures and plans. Sometimes Luffy makes Usopp come up with a 'bedtime story', but it's just an excuse to see the sniper get so passionate and think about another adventure!

(This is also from that other poster, aaaaa thank you for infecting my brain with this incredible rot) Aside Vivi, Kaya is dating both Nami and Usopp! They rarely manage to talk, but when they do their sessions are long and if someone disturbs them it's game over for them!

Now onto the funsy headcanons!

Nami and Usopp browse magazines together on a daily basis (sometimes Robin joins them as the cool mother of the group), and they plan some cool and absolutely ✨️SLAY✨️ outfits none of them can ever wear.

Zoro and Sanji have a little bit of a play-competition going on constantly. They get genuinely pissed off by the other often times, but sometimes they make something a competition as an excuse to angrily make out against the kitchen wall (they definitely 'sword'fight about who tops)

Luffy doesn't completely process the relationship as a, well, romantic relationship. He's more in it for the good times, and because he loves the peeps! He's overall fine with more strictly romantically-viewed things, but sometimes he just doesn't want to. One second he will say "Zoro, crush me with your arms", the next he sees Franky and Robin (the cool parents) kissing and he goes "BLEUGH I'm going to need a shovel to transport this bullshit out of my mouth BLEHHHHHH"

Usopp is the most insecure and unstable in the relationship. He's very people-pleasery, while also trying to keep up a persona. If he ever emotionally talks it's usually to Nami, sometimes to Sanji within the relationship, but outside of it he confides in Franky (the awesome dadster) and Jinbe (the ultimately best grandpops). He tries to get better, but fails to realise how. He has fun with everyone, seeks to be around them at all times, but sometimes he can't help but disappear. If you don't see him at breakfast give him until lunch, at that point it's suitable to check-in. Who knows what the thoughts in his head have made him do.

Sanji has a dedicated notebook/ramblebook about each one of the peeps. Sometimes when he can't sleep, or someone just did something he found notable, he whips out a book and starts going "September 1st, 1989, dear diary-" oh shit, wrong fandom.

Zoro is the one that has to be dragged into things the most, he does go willingly as well but his solitude is important to him. This being said he usually doesn't mind Luffy or Usopp chilling around if he's laying back, sometimes they can ramble and do their own thing as well. A lot of the time it's just sitting and silently contemplating on things, with Usopp at least. If Luffy doesn't have stimulation for five seconds he'll gomu-gomu the ship.

Nami absolutely loves physical contact, but sometimes feels bad that she can't see her girlfriends and feel them around. In these cases she'll request some physical space until things have settled, but sometimes that can make her even more clingy. She usually seeks out Usopp, but will cling onto someone else if he isn't to be seen.

Luffy found a new appreciation for various relationship through the polycule. This also helped him think more healthily about his past, those who are gone and those who are alive. He's managed to settle some feelings, but a lot of experiences still hinder his head. He doesn't think about those things that much, and besides if he feels down he will quite literally start deflating. A quick munch of food, mention of stories or a good song will always cheer him right up.

Usopp actively leaves gifts for everyone around the ship (to the ones outside the relationship as well, but extra for the peeps). They're handmade, and they range from silly notes/drawings with cheesy jokes to actual equipment/tools and sometimes even clothing and jewelry.

I COULD GO ON FOR SO LONG, BUT IF YOU READ THIS FAR THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ENJOYER!!!! And drink some water, you're dehydrated you fucking amazing dewdrop angel baby

HAVE A GOOD TIMEZONE!!!

[homunculus-argument]

One of my story ideas that'll get around to working on One Day is a western that is not a western - a historical adventure that's set in the time and location of the "wild west", but instead of western tropes, it's chock full of historical stuff that was actually very much a thing back then, but is generally left out of the generic classic spaghetti westerns. All sorts of odd random things that make history nerds poke their friends like "that's actually real btw. That was a real thing back then." Naturally this would take a shit ton of research and that's one of the reasons why this is on the backburner.

One of the characters is Annikki Härmänranta, the protagonists' finnish laundress and housekeeper, who is altogether pretty much only respectfully addressed as "ma'am". Her name is unpronounceable to practically everyone and she adamantly refuses to tolerate any kind of nicknames because they are against her religion. As a devout protestant, she was given her first name when she was christened and got her last name when she married, and as far as she is concerned, christian people don't change names or aquire new ones unless a priest is involved.

The other characters receive this explanation through an equally confused translator, as Annikki herself mainly communicates her disapproval of things by either a whack of her broom, or threatening to whack people with it. She speaks fluent german and while she understands english perfectly fine, she refuses to speak it.

She came to the US along with her husband, who came there to work and died in a mining accident. Though she has no family or other ties to keep her from it, Annikki refuses to return to Europe, having concluded that living in this land is her personal punishment from God. As she is in no way a person who would meekly submit to tolerateing anything that she does not want, the other characters do pierce together that she does genuinely prefer her life here. She is nowhere near as bitter or genuinely resentful as she lets out, but by some finnish logic that makes sense to no-one else, she would find it embarrassing to admit that she is actually genuinely happy, or God forbit admit that she'd do anything purely because she likes it.

The rest of the gang, being a motley crew, are no strangers to otherwise sensible people living by strange codes of honour, so they accept her strange convictions with a shrug. She is loyal to a fault, has no respect whatsoever to the local law and government, and genuinely loves and cares for the gang of outlaws she cooks and cleans for - even if she exclusively expresses her love by aggressively making sure that they are as clean and healthy as she can keep them.

While she mainly communicates with tapping, pointing and occasionally whacking with a broom, ladle or whatever is at hand, she's not exactly silent, and can and will burst into finnish. She talks to herself mainly by talking to the animals - the gang jokes that their goat probably understands finnish by now - and can and will curse out people when they frustrate her. When someone's brought in limping and wounded, the others don't need to understand a word to pierce together that she's scolding them for getting hurt in some stupid-ass way when she just got done nursing the last patient back to passable health.

When a character who's unfamiliar with her tries to meekly explain her that he doesn't understand her, she answers - in finnish - that she knows and doesn't care. It's not like any of them would listen to her any more than the goat does. While none of her rants are translated into english, the readers who do understand finnish get to enjoy the bonus comedy of her laments, which are peppered with remarkably creative cursing and all delivered in a strong and very distinct ostrobothnian dialect.

At the end side of the story she ends up marrying another side character - a chinese man. This comes as a surprise to most of the crew and those of the readers who didn't pick up on the background foreshadowing, and everyone considers them somewhat of an odd couple. He is a more reserved, poetic soul and a sensitive man, and though the other men are baffled as to why he would choose her out of all the women in the world, he's more amused than insulted by their confusion. Things like having rather little in the means of a mutual language, or the fact that she's almost 15 years older than him, are irrelevant to him - a woman who can keep her household in check without needing to say a word is worth far more than one who can't do it with all the talking in the world.

She might look like a mule, but she's as strong as one, too, and a woman who can face down a bear, wrangle drunk men to behave, suture a wound or butcher a chicken without flinching, and somehow out-stubborn a goat, and still be gentle to newborn kittens is exactly the kind of a woman his father told him to marry.

They find a priest who speaks german to marry them, and the priest asks her whether she's not bothered or concerned by the fact that he is not a christian. He did, in fact, offer to convert to christianity, but she tells him that if he would only be doing it for her sake, and not because he genuinely believed in the same God in the same way she does, he should not, because she would rather marry a man who is not christian at all than a false christian. He respected this, and decided not to convert.

Irate at the question, she replies to the priest that there are plenty of perfectly good reasons why she's probably going to Hell, and if the one damn thing would bar her from there is this man, then she's not fucking going. Her first husband was a good man, but not a godly one, and a man not worth going to Hell for is not a man worth marrying. Besides, he is the only one in this cursed land (the german conversations do get translated to english, and while she does not curse as fluently in german, she refers to the US as "this cursed land" in both languages she speaks) who ever made the effort to learn how to pronounce her name.

While the officiating of their relationship is very close to the end of the story, and most of their happily ever after is left to carry on after the story itself has ended, it's still shown that she takes up the task of learning chinese - and despite of her atrociously bad grammar and pronunciation, is willing to actually also speak it. It's also shown that besides her name, he has learned two words in finnish: "Vaimo. Rauhoitu." While this, too, is never translated, the words seem to have the almost supernatural power to stop Annikki from needlessly tearing into whoever she was ripping into, and getting her to calm down - something that no force on earth could do otherwise.

Though he's willing to explain that those are words that she taught her, and something her first husband also used to say to, he refuses to tell anyone what they mean, and not only because knowing secrets amuses him - something that everyone knows about him. She does not wish to be known or understood, and he respects her privacy.

[ladyluscinia]

Draft clearing. I think I had more of a point on the topic of Jenkins and genre I wanted to make when I gathered these, but I'm not feeling it anymore. However, I need spread awareness of his absolutely baffling ideas about pirate media and how he sounds half-convinced it must be a formulaic action/adventure. I only picked up on this by reading way too many interviews back to back so I'm not surprised I've never seen anyone else mention it, but like. It's wild. And he's SO additionally weird about how showrunning a piece of media about pirates relates to whatever concept he has of pirate media in his head.

Here's the link to my interview compilation if you want to check my sources on these.

Jenkins Quotes on "Pirate Genre"

"I think actual pirate stuff is fine, but it's not necessarily my cup of tea. And I think Taika [Waititi] felt similarly.

[...]

Showrunner Jenkins sees Our Flag Means Death as having "joy. A lot of joy. I like Stede because Stede is, to me, the outsider artist of pirates. And I think in designing the show, I was conscious [of the fact that it's] a hard genre to do anything to. It's a very stubborn genre because it's been done so well and so often. So I kind of tried to look at, like New York, like Alphabet City in the '80s via a pirate genre via Mad Max and try to throw all these different things at it. So I think you'll get a different feel than you'd get on a normal pirate thing. I think we achieved that with our amazing crew." - (Gizmodo, 2/22/22)

"I guess I really… I get kind of bored. How much pirate can you do? They're going to rob stuff. They're going to steal ships. There's only so many pirate stories you can do." - (Collider, 3/24/22)

Despite creating a pirate show, he himself says he's not a huge fan of pirate movies. - (EW.com, 12/13/22)

"I don't want to see a bunch of pirate things that I've seen in other things, I'll just go watch another thing if I want to see that. That's not really my thing. I like the genre, but it's a very hard genre to budge. I want to see relationships in a pirate world." - (TV Guide, 10/5/23)

"The pirate genre is fun, but I wasn't dying to make a pirate show. Taika wasn't dying to make a pirate show. But the thing that was interesting to me was that Stede finds love, and he finds it with Blackbeard." - (Variety, 10/13/23)

"I think there is something in the show about how piracy is a brutal way of life. It's essentially Mad Max, this world. There's no law, there's just strong and weak." - (Polygon, 10/21/23)

"And it’s also a pirate show, so he’s got to die." - (Vanity Fair, 10/26/23)

"Another thing I love is what I call shaggy stories, stories about people navigating each other. When you plug them into different genres, you get this great engine that comes with it. I'm not particularly dying to write a pirate thing, but I want to write a bunch of characters trying to navigate each other in a pirate thing." - (Vulture, 10/28/23)

"But I'm like you. I'm not a big pirate person. In general, it's a big creaky genre that's hard to budge, but I think the show benefits from we can pull pirate stuff out when we need it. Ultimately, yeah, I want to see these different relationships and perspectives on different relationships. Then it's fun to plug it into an overwrought genre.

[...]

Pirates of the Caribbean, those movies are great. That's not necessarily what I hunger to see, but in that genre, it's great. You're not going to beat that, especially on something that's lower budget. We've seen a lot of this stuff, so it's fun to take it then and don't do any of that stuff." - (Metro Weekly, 11/1/23)

"I think it's more interesting to me that I've never seen a love story like this in this genre, and you dream for that. Really, pirates, what can you do that's different with pirates?

[...]

To me, to tell the story about these two men in this very hetero action genre, falling for each other..." - (Metro Weekly, 11/1/23)

---

...This is the same guy who just ended a season on the British Navy blowing up Nassau for symbolism reasons that I'm pretty sure have nothing to do with the love story. 🤨

[synintheraven]

Okay let's clear some things out; 1) I don't write smut bc I suck at it 2) this is part of a bigger story where the main character/reader gets to know Sihtric throughout several situations, so this is perfect if you want to read about Sihtric & reader's little made-up adventures but not so much if you're only here to read naughty stuff 😅 3) I have no idea what I'm doing :p

pic credits to myself, feel free to use them too/ask for originals (:

✵pairing: sihtric kjartansson x fem!reader

✵summary/small introduction: reader (she/her) is a Norse, Sihtric is a (actual, as in born there) Dane. Sihtric & reader meet each other for the very first time, but I kept it simple and kinda short so you'll have to keep on reading to find out how this goes (; [Side note: Yggr is one of my ocs and the Jarl/Chief of the group, but will not be a current character other than to accompany/give orders to Sihtric and reader]

✵tw: mentions of violence

✵word count: 1,5k

characters info | part two

We were near; the tall cliffs once casting shadows over the sea were far behind us and the fog was getting thicker over the marshes. East Anglia was a land of fishermen huts, distant trees and bad weather: yet somewhere in this muddy land, a band of fiery fighters were hiding and getting ready to fight for their lord.

I recognized the stranded ship half covered in sand, which Yggr had described to me, surrounded by muddy rocks and a small spot of land untouched by the sea waters. Near the rocks, among tall reeds, the camp was set and a handful of men were sat around the bonfire in an attempt to fight the cold wind.

Except for one man.

A tall, dark haired man, covered in a fur cloak; his left hand was resting over the hilt of his sword as he stood near the coast, staring cautiously at our ship as if he was trying to tell who we were. But, as we approached the small island and the fog revealed Yggr’s wild hair, the mysterious man prepared to greet us.

The sail was taken down and the crew started to row against the current, sliding through the rather calm waves to take the ship towards the land. It didn’t take long for the prow to reach the sand and before we were fully beached, Yggr jumped off our ship to meet with the dark haired stranger.

He had a concerned expression and his hand remained over the hilt of his sword, ready to fight should the need arise. Yet, unlike him, Yggr was quick to smile and open his arms, embracing the now smirking Dane like a brother.

The man was Sihtric Kjartansson, a warrior that served the long haired blonde, though he treated him like a big stupid brother rather than as his lord and jarl. Both Danes had grew up together, sticking to each other as their parents seemed to care little next to nothing for the young boys, making it no surprise the concerned stranger was in command during the jarl’s absence.

I didn’t know much about him back then, only that he was a fine warrior and a loyal man; but I had also been told he was rather friendly and welcoming, yet Sihtric looked at me with wary eyes. I stared back at him, almost trying to decipher what was going on inside his mind: studying his gaze, the storm brewing inside his blue eye and the dancing flames around the pupil of his brown eye.

He had the face of a warrior, with scars running down from his forehead and marking the flesh over his deep cheekbones, making me wonder if he was hiding any other under the strands of hair over his temple or under the scarce beard around his rather full lips.

I had jumped on the wet sand of the island shortly after Yggr, however being the only woman among all those men, suddenly the warriors resting around the fire seemed eager to welcome our crew. Everyone but Sihtric, who embraced his lord for a while but pushed him away as his men came along with curious looks.

Unfortunately for everyone else, I was not to be touched or harmed: for I was there merely to help build the camp and eventually, should the strings of my destiny allow it, find the man that killed my family.

The first birds of the day were singing their songs and the sun was setting, the land slowly revealing itself from the fog. It was a cold morning and it got worse as we had to get our feet wet in order to cross from shore to shore, but we were to stay unnoticed and therefore not to use our ship.

We were scouting the surrounding area, following the shore in hopes to find a bigger place to set a new camp. I was walking beside Yggr, with Sihtric a few paces before us to guide our way around; the rest of our group were either guarding our current camp or exploring other areas, though all of us were after the same goal.

The best hiding spots were among reeds, trees and muddy rocks, but those often surrounded water and the rising tides could be treacherous.

We saw stone ruins, abandoned churches and half burnt farms, all a consequence of folk escaping their homes in order to keep their lives, to escape the horrors brought by the monsters from across the sea.

Danes like us were plundering all of Britain; they came with the promise of riches and vengeance but stayed to become kings and killed anyone who opposed them. They had come here to do what that mad man had done to my family, my people.

 I trusted Yggr’s words when he said he didn’t care about a title. He lost his chance to be king and decided to embrace a simple life, only hoping to find a nice place to thrive and stay unbothered by Saxons. Or so it was until the Great Heathen Army decided to terrorize the country, turning our heads into targets for anyone who caught us, Danes and Norse alike, wandering around.

We had stopped, suddenly. We were standing atop a small hill that went deeper in land, hoping to get a better view; the wind was blowing hard and the sun shone upon the land, easily revealing all areas of the territory.

Yggr remained silent, his mind lost somewhere in the dark blue waters from the ocean as the cold wind blew on his hair and beard. Sihtric stood next to me, his eyes narrowed because of the sun while he pointed his finger towards the tall roman ruins to the north.

—That looks like a good spot. —He said to Yggr then quickly looked my way, noticing I was the only one truly listening to him. It was, probably, the very first time he wasn’t eyeing me as if expecting me to take a knife to their throats. —I saw it before, but rain soaked the mud. It will take some work to stop that from happening again.

He had a very calming voice and explained all the work that had to be done for that old ruin to be a proper camp, though in truth all I could think about was the scars on his face: suggesting the man had been in many battles, despite being only a few winters older than Halfdan’s son.

—You two can go. —The blonde man interrupted, resting a hand on mine and Sihtric’s shoulder. —Find some horses and secure the camp, I’ll go find the men and meet you there with the ship.

—Just the two of us? —Sihtric sighed, despite trying to hide his discomfort. —What if the place has been taken? I can’t fight them with, no offense, a woman. —He glanced at me for a split second then stared back at Yggr, hoping to be released of my company.

—I am Norse. And my father raised a warrior, not a weak girl that needs some Dane’s protection. —I snarled back, watching as my words damaged his pride and brought a wide smile to our Jarl.

The only horses we could find belonged to a group of Danes camping in Theotford, a small town with thatched roofs and a run-down church that once sheltered Saxons.

There was about twenty of them, maybe more, standing watch in every corner and every small gap they could find.

—I am not “some Dane”, I’m a warrior too. —He finally added, remembering our earlier conversation.

—You’re the son of Kjartan, right? —I let out and he gave me a grim look then proceeded to avoid my glance, still walking between the tall grasses.

—We’re never going to make it out alive if we try to take one of their horses. There’s too many of them. —And he was right, those were trained warriors and we were merely a pair of lost dogs to them. —The ruins are not too far, we should get there before Yggr if we walk in a straight line and avoid following main roads.

And just like that, our short journey through the autumnal forests of East Anglia began. We walked through shrubs, trees, short walls made of stone and saw a few deer, but there was no sight of other people anywhere. We avoided getting too close to farms or church ruins, trying to remain silent whenever our surroundings were suspiciously quiet.

—So tell me, Dane, how did you end up in Norway? —I interrupted, getting a judging stare from him when he caught me walking closely by his side.

—He told you we should get to know each other, right? —He asked dismissively, moving a few steps ahead of me.

—He suggested we should get along if we’re to live together in the same camp, but you’re not as friendly as he promised.

A hint of a smirk showed on his face, though it didn’t last long. —My father sold information to Halfdan and left me in Alrekstad to either die or be raised by the king’s servants. —He admitted after a while, looking troubled as he spoke.

—There are worst destinies than to be raised with Yggr, I suppose. —I said and saw him grinning at my comment, finally showing some sort of emotion in my presence.

—What about you, Stavanger? —He taunted, making it obvious that our fool of a Jarl told him about my homeland and, therefore, my newly acquired nickname.

—That’s my homeland, yes. But I come from the Isle of Ikke, a once thriving city to the north of Stavanger.

—Then what brought you to Alrekstad?

—Vengeance. —I said cheerfully, but he gave me a concerned look in return.

Some bonus fun facts:

✯Yggr is the son of Halfdan, King of Alrekstad (modern Årstad, in Norway). He's not inspired by any TLK character, though he has a similar personality and looks to Ragnar The Younger, with some of Cnut's silly sense of humour. Yggr was to inherit his father's throne, but has no issue embracing a simpler life - even though his former position as a prince and charisma turned him into his Clan's Jarl (basically an english Earl, but a Jarl can also be someone trusted by its people and chosen as a chief).

✯Reader was born in a small island in Norway (Ikke, which is totally made up hehe) but her family was massacred when she was a baby, so she grew up seeking vengeance.

✯Sihtric isn't a bastard but his mother died giving birth to him and so Kjartan despises him/never properly treated him as his son (nor did he to Sven but he grew up to be just as his father and so Kjartan eventually accepted him as his son).

✯As this story is unrelated to what happens in TLK, I had Kjartan vanished from Denmark; though he became wealthy again by playing the pirate in other territories and selling information to kings as Halfdan, Harald Fairhair and few more across the sea...

[rorywritesjunk]

I can’t tell where the journey will end But I know where to start

Prequel to my Kid Buggy fic, set about 11-ish years before that story.

Buggy meets you by chance when he needs his buttons sewn back onto his jacket. He’s young, up and coming, and he thinks everyone should cower before him wherever he goes, but all you do is smile at him.

Rating: PG-13ish just for some swearing.

Warning: Buggy’s in his early 20s. He’s an asshole. He just is because I wanted to write him loud, demanding, everything. This is still a bit of fluff, honestly. Also Buggy gets drunk near the end of the chapter. He's also just a bit clingy but we kind of knew that at this point.

A/N: I have no idea when Buggy became a Captain, so he’s a fresh faced captain in this. No clue how long this fic will be.

Title comes from “Wake Me Up” by Avicii.

TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @ane5e @kingofthemfingpirates @the-angriest-angel @tiredemomama @valen-yamyam16 @i-reblog-fics-i-like @plethora-of-fickleness @uhnanix

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13 + Chapter 14 + Chapter 15 + Chapter 16 + Chapter 17 + Chapter 18 + Epilogue

Chapter 12

He didn't want to wait.

Buggy was impatient. You told him it was another two months until you were officially done with your apprenticeship. That was 8 weeks. 60 days. Could he wait that long to ask you to marry him? It wasn't like the two of you were going to get married minutes after he asked, right? So he could ask, give you a ring, and seal the deal. That's all he had to do.

Right now he was sitting in the kitchen after dinner while you fixed his gloves. You said there was something wrong with the stitching with one of them, something you had noticed earlier in the day, and he wasn't going to argue with you since you were the professional with this kind of stuff, not him.

So while you fixed his gloves, he told you about some of his adventures on the sea in recent years, about fighting off more vicious crews, claiming victory, and all the treasure he found. You listened intently as you ran your fingers over the seams of one his gloves while your sewing kit sat untouched on the table.

He didn't need to know it was a little lie to spend more time with him.

“That's amazing, Buggy!” You told him as he finished his latest tale. A small part of you wondered about how true some of what he told you was, but you didn't really care. You liked seeing how animated he became when he spoke, hands gesturing wildly and his expressive face. It was a nice sight to see. “I'm almost done with your gloves.”

“Take your time, babe.” He grinned as he leaned back in his seat, watching as you looked over the gloves. They were both inside out while you checked over the seams of one of them. “Everything okay?”

“Mhm, just wanted to make sure the seams were strong, that's all.” You replied as you finished up. “They should be fine now.”

“What do I owe for this?” Buggy asked, watching as you worked. 

You shrugged as you handed them back to him, watching him slide them back onto his hands. “I take lunch dates for payment.”

“Tomorrow then?”

“Don't you have the seas to conquer?” You chuckled. “Aren't you tired of me yet?”

He reached across the table, taking your hands in his own. “Never. I'll never be tired of you. I'm going to marry you so I want to start getting used to seeing you every day.”

You smiled and shook your head as you leaned back in your seat. “Yea, but you still have things to do.”

“I can stick around for another week.” Buggy insisted. 

“You're sweet.” You said as you stood up from the table. “If you're sure, I imagine my boss can find more things for you to do around the shop.”

“Do I get paid at least?” Buggy frowned. You went over and gave him a kiss.

“You can share my bed, how about that?” You suggested as you ran your fingers through his hair, nails scraping against his scalp gently. He closed his eyes, leaning into your touch, nodding in agreement. “Good. I know Miss Pins already made a list. She'll appreciate the help.”

Wait, what. He opened his eyes and frowned. “She already has a list? Was this your plan, woo me to stay here and then put me to work?”

“No, no, not at all.” You chuckled. “But if it was, it seemed to work. Now, I’ll let you stay the night again if you want, but if you need to return to your ship I understand.”

He probably should return to his ship, but he didn’t want to be away from you. Now that he knew he was going to marry you, even if he had to wait (he really didn’t want to wait), it was harder for him to spend even an hour away from you. There was still that thought of someone better coming along who would steal you away from him, and he didn’t want to risk that.

“Oh, Buggy, can I ask you something?” 

Buggy looked up at you, still leaning against you as you stroked his hair. “Anything.”

“Well, after I’m done here, I’m planning on heading back to visit my parents for a bit. There’s usually a big family reunion.” You told him, twirling locks of his hair around your fingers. “Is that something you’d want to come with me for? I have a big family, so if it’s too much, I understand.”

Wait, meet the family? Was that something he would have to do? “How… big of a family?”

“Big.” You chuckled. “I can’t even count how many cousins I have.”

Honestly, no, it didn't sound like a good time to him but he should at least meet your parents, right? That's what people did. So he nodded, agreeing to this, even if he may end up regretting it.

“Thank you.” You smiled as you leaned down to kiss him. “I'll let you know when it happens.”

~

He begrudgingly did the list of things Miss Pins wanted over the course of a few days before he had to head back to his ship. The only good thing about doing those things was spending more time with you. He needed to do some kind of piracy after being away from the ship for a few days, so you kissed him before saying goodbye, which he was fine with.

Buggy was planning on finding the perfect ring. He didn't want to wait. He would come back with the perfect ring, a bouquet of flowers, and propose, even if you weren't done yet. 

~

It was about three weeks before you saw Buggy again. He came bursting into the shop, throwing the door open before hunching over, panting heavily. You looked up from your work with Benji while Miss Pins stood at the counter. She raised an eyebrow as she gave him a look over.

“Where's the fire, Captain?” She asked as he slumped against the door frame. He managed to glare at her as he started to recover, but you got up and hurried over to him to help him to a chair.

“Buggy, what's wrong?” You asked as Miss Pins went to shut the door. “Why are you running?”

He held up a bouquet of petalless flowers for you, no doubt having been knocked around in the running. You took them from him with a smile while Benji pretended to gag. Then Buggy reached into his pocket and slid down onto his knees in front of you while taking your hand in his.

This was it. He had rehearsed what he had wanted to say as he ran to the shop, but it all left his brain as he looked up at you, feeling the gaze of Miss Pins and Benji on him as you just watched him. He stiffened up, sweating bullets as he stared up at you nervously. Were you going to say yes or was this just a lead up to a cruel joke from you?

“Wait, is he actually proposing to you, Sunny?!” Benji exclaimed. “Ew! Why?”

“Oh shush.” Miss Pins said, crossing her arms as she watched the scene in front of her. “He hasn't actually said anything yet. Sunny, you don't have to say or agree to anything, you know.”

“Just ignore them, Buggy.” You said, shaking your head. “You know my answer, you don't have to actually ask.”

“Y-Yea, but I can't just assume!” Buggy stammered as he held the ring up and you managed not to laugh. The stone on the ring was honestly as big as his nose, but bright blue in color and very, very impractical for you to wear on a daily basis since you used your hands for everything. He cleared his throat and tried to slide the ring onto your finger but it was unfortunately too small for your finger.  Buggy looked defeated but you took the ring and pulled him up to his feet.

“The ring is too small.” Benji whispered to Miss Pins.

“He didn't actually say anything.” She muttered. You rolled your eyes at their comments.

“Yes, Buggy, I'll marry you.” You told him; his eyes widened and he stood up straight, glancing over at your boss and associate with a smug look on his face. 

“Ha! I didn't even have to ask her.” He said rather proudly. “She accepted without hesitation.” 

The two of them rolled their eyes, of course he would say that. You stuck your tongue out at them before turning back to give Buggy a kiss. He wrapped his arms around you, hugging you tightly before lifting you up and spinning you around excitedly. 

“We’re getting married!” He cheered. 

“Yes, yes, we are.” You laughed, patting him on the chest to put you down. “I only have a few more weeks, Buggy, then we need to visit my family.”

Oh, right, the family. Your massive family you mentioned. He was going to meet them. No, it would be fine. He wouldn’t let that worry him. He was a pirate captain, that had to impress some of them, right? It would be fine. Just fine. He didn’t need to worry.

~

You stayed the night with him on the ship. His crew wanted to celebrate their captain’s engagement with a loud party. While Buggy had been shy and flustered back in the shop when he asked, it was different when he was with his crew. He was showing you off, embellishing the story of your engagement, saying how you cried (you didn’t), how his speech wooed you (he didn’t say a word), and that you said you couldn’t wait to marry him (you didn’t say that but you did want to marry him). He was proud of the ring he stole and found a chain to string it on so you could wear it so it would deter others from chasing after you in the coming weeks.

It was fun, you had just one drink while Buggy got himself pretty drunk. It was past midnight when you finally convinced him to go to bed, and you ignored how red in the face he got when you said that, his drunken brain misinterpreting your words again when you led him to his room and helped him take his coat and shoes off. 

“D-Dontcha wanna wait til the h-honeymoon?” He slurred. You rolled your eyes before draping his coat over the back of a chair and setting his shoes beside it. “I-I mean, I’m good, I’m up for anything.”

“You need to sleep, Captain Buggy.” You told him as you took his bandana off next, helping shake his hair loose from being tucked under it for most of the day. “We aren’t having sex, okay?”

“Oh.” He frowned up at you, swaying a bit as he sat on the bed. “You wanna though, right? I don’t… my body doesn’t gross you out, does it?”

“It doesn’t, Buggy.” You assured him as you pulled the covers back on his bed. He rubbed his face and squinted in your direction.

“Are… are you staying the night?” Buggy asked. You sighed softly and nodded, smiling at him as you took your own shoes off before climbing into bed. His eyes lit up when you did that and he scrambled under the covers to latch onto you once you were under the blankets. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” You told him, kissing him on the forehead as he snuggled up against you, his head resting on your chest as your arms went around him. “I need to get used to it since I’m marrying you.”

He glanced up at you, face red as he smiled brightly. “You are, aren’t you! I’m marrying you and you’re gonna marry me and I’m gonna be the happiest man ever!”

This was a different drunk Buggy from the one you encountered on his birthday, and it was nice seeing him so happy, even if it was influenced by alcohol. You just stroked his cheek, smiling as he nestled his face against you as he closed his eyes. It didn’t take long before he was asleep, snoring loudly. And tomorrow you would wake up before him, fix him breakfast, and start your day back at the shop. It was only a few more weeks before you would be done, and it was a little sad and kind of scary, but you were excited to be moving onto a new chapter of your life with Buggy.

[danyvhell-writes]

Hi hi hi !! Idk if ur TS headcanons asks are still open (I am, so so sorry if not) but if they are I was wondering if you could do some Pirate Ais Au? >:3 I saw that idea in one of ur other posts and i think the idea is just MUAH MUAH

It could just be general Ais headcanons or X Mc :0 anything with him just being a pirate because bro I just love pirates so much 😭 they are SO COOL and Ais as a pirate captain is just ??? Even better ???

Anyway, I hope you have the best rlly good day 🫶

Pirate Ais AU 🏴‍☠️ Touchstarved

GN reader - no warnings | Yes my asks are still open !!! So happy you liked my idea :') OMG OMG OMG WHERE DO I EVEN START ?!!!!? The brainrot is real and fueling eachother with ideas like that is making it even better (or worse u choose uefgzifguz). As a kid who was obsessed with pirates and a current One Piece fan, your ask is exactly what I needed, thank you so much ♥ This AU is more joyful than what's seen of his canon life so yeah, hope you'll like it ! Okay, ready to sail ? Let's go !

• First : the ✨fashion✨. Ais could be at sea for weeks but would still make sure to look good, real good. I mean look at him ! He even has a pretty hat he wears on special occasions ✧.

• In this AU, Ais has his crew but is still affiliated to Ocudeus. Instead of being the spirit of the Seaspring, Ocudeus is literally the incarnation of the sea depths, a whole big Kraken ! Its energy, force and magic are linked to the abyss.

↑ Ais powers manifest differently here. Instead of seeing through the eyes of others, Ocudeus gave him some sort of marine omniscience. He can use the kraken's senses to a certain limit, a real advantage for navigation. Bro can literally listen through the sea itself if he wills enough :') He must have seen a lot...

• Ocudeus isn't the only spirit of his kind but is genuinely intrigued by mortals. It's not his first time forming a pact with 'lower beings' but Ais is actually one of his favourite holders/vessels so far lmaoezoihf. He kinda cares about the pirate, who's the closest thing he has to a friend.

• His ship is his second home, he takes absolute care of it. If his whole crew has to stay up all night to tidy & wash everything from top to bottom, they will ! And of course, the ship has a japanese name ! Ais named it "Hayai" [速] cause she's the fastest boat you'll ever see (his words not mine). First time you hear him talk about her you're like "...Wait who's Hayai ?" "This big girl over here >:)" and he shows you his amazing ship with a proud smile, which you really weren't expecting !

• Loves, loves, loves to travel ! Any new destination in his adventures is a reason to explore more, search for information and mysteries. He's just so curious about everything :')

• He picks up expressions, phrases and languages from his previous trips ! If he can remember as much as possible, he'll note everything in his log.

→ After every daily island/town tour, he makes sure to write a little about what happened so far. How much they traveled, how much they visited, how much they learned from passengers and citizens.

• Ais originally comes from a village on a small island, lots of yokais live in there as a community.

• He moves a lot but always comes back to his hometown when he can ! He's someone who gets attached and I just know he'd never abandon his little village.

• As a captain, his main role is to make sure everyone's fine. He checks up on his mates whenever he feels something might be wrong. He's got a sort of sixth sense for that... wonder how he got it hm 👀

→ Being the big softie he is, he actually really likes sleeping in the same room as his whole crew instead of his own cabin, he knows they're safe with him so he feels way less stressed. (Would 100% read bedtime stories to the youngest members.)

• His goal isn't even to find treasures or anything, he simply enjoys the freedom of being a pirate, the message behind it and especially the sailor fights !

• Knows how to sword fight and is pretty talented at it ! If you want to learn one or two tricks, he'll teach you >:)

• That man already had the smell of blood, smoke and metal well... in this AU it's even worse ! His smell is so distinctive and strong, anyone could recognize it from miles away.

• Our boy enjoys a good drink, we know that. Almost every night all his gang gather around and share some booze together in a comforting atmosphere, around a small fire. They enjoy the night together while chatting, playing games and much more !

→ Of course they also share tea in daytime when they're not busy navigating or whatsoever.

• Could also fit in general hcs but, his tattoos move or/and glow at specific moments. Sometimes it's like he's bioluminescent, when he goes in water at night, completely in the dark, his skin starts to glow under the moonlight. First time it happened he was so confused zegbkzuhf.

• After his pact with Ocudeus, he started to feel even more at peace when closer to the ocean. If he stays away from shores or marine areas for too long, little oni starts feeling homesick.

• He really appreciates collecting small objects from his travels. His room is full of souvenirs, strange artefacts found in the sand, small treasures, sea shells, cards from around the lands, old books in foreign languages, cultural jewelries offered by locals etc...

• Never really sets up a specific destination, except if he needs to. He loves the adrenaline of finding new places by complete hazard.

• Ais being a pirate who doesn't like seafood, the most accessible food at seas, is well... ironic.

• The sound of seagull chants and waves soothes him. He usually falls asleep on the deck, sunshine on his skin with the sea rocking him gently.

• First time you come to see him, it's one of his crewmate that tells you about him but you don't even know he's a captain ! You see him for the first time and you're just "Helloooo sailor ! How can I join your pirate gang handsome?"🥴

• Every single member is attractive. That's it. It's not the biggest crew really (around 20 people) but the diversity is here. Young ones, old ones, skinny ones, fat ones, pale skin, dark skin, humans, monsters, all the types really. And yes, some tried to woo you (how could they not, MC is 10/10).

• Kids on the ship view you as the cool unty (is that the gn term ?). Ais thinks it's cute except when you start spending more time with them when he originally invited you over…

• And yes, Princess & all his other soulless are here !!! Now they're more some sorta semi marine creatures. They really like to swim and it's the cutest thing :') Like, Ais and his pets swimming in the sea while some are playing in the sand ??? Too cute for me I-

• Talking about our favourite girl, she's the mascot of the crew ! Everyone is so in love with her, she's everyone's precious lil baby (even tho she can and will bite). They'll sometimes try to dress her up to fit their aesthetic and surprisingly she doesn't seem to mind. Also, the sounds she makes are…a mystery !

• Okay but just picture it : Ais hair flowing into the wind while he's watching the horizon, hues of the sea reflecting on his skin looking so peaceful.

• Thinking about his jolly roger, it would be a oni skull surrounded by red eyes with two teal sabers behind (I did a lil sketch hehe) :

• His favourite thing to find are old maps ! Especially if they lead to ancient locations with unchanged names. He has a lot of them and it also might be why he gets into a lot of fights (maps are a treasure themselves so of course people are gonna take risks).

• Even if he's young, he has a big reputation among other pirates. Rule number one : Don't mess with him or his crew. Number two : If you want information there's always a price to pay ! He's nice and generous but hey you know : don't except mercy.

→ Known for his loyalty tho ! If you show that you're worthy of his trust, he'll be your best ally for the rest of your life. He's intimidating but full of qualities.

[vulnonapix1234]

I might actually have a coherent story for my mermaid au.

Art comes first though

Basically, Hobie saves Miles from an blackmarked when he was 12 and Miles was 10.

He was a really poor kid that just wanted to steal some food when he came across a really fucked up fish in a fish bowl.

(Mermaids that haven't gone through puberty are more fish than person)

When said fucked up fish pleaded for his help, he couldn't say no.

No one deserved to be chained up and locked away.

So he stole the fish, threw him into the ocean and was the most wanted person on his island for a few weeks.

10 years later and Hobie is in a bit of a prickle.

He had been separated from his crewmates after some marine idiots destroyed their ship.

Somehow he made it to the next island and he also got the signal of where his other crewmembers are.

The problem?

He had no idea how to reach it.

Hobie could, of course, always steal a ship, but he wasn't stupid enough to travel the seas alone.

So he was most likely stuck.

Then walks in the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

(Don't tell pav that)

Their eyes met and the pretty boy walked towards him with fast steps.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

His words where carful as he starred at him and Hobie could only shake his head.

Hed remember such pretty eyes.

"It's fine. After all, it had been a long time. Let me just say that you have one good by me"

It sounded like an extremely obvious trap.

A beautiful man comes up to the pirate in need and offers him his help.

And yet. Hobies gut instincts told him that the guy was save.

So they steal a small boat and travel a few days to the signaled meet up point.

It was then that hobie truly saw that Miles was a great navigator and a delight to be around.

He never thought that he would learn so much about art than he did on the time they where on the boat together.

He really wanted Miles to be apart of his crew, but he also didn't want to force him to become a criminal.

So he was ready to say goodbye to him when he reunited with his crew.

Exept that some of them actually knew them.

Apparently, he was in an adventure with Peter, Ham, Noir, Penny and Gwen a few years back.

(Funnily, it had started out similar to theirs. Exept that he punched an admiral in the face)

So Peter made him join their crew, as it had to be fate, and Miles seemed to be delighted about it.

(Hobie had made sure that he didn't feel pressured into it)

So, everything worked out fine, right?

Their ship finally had someone that was good at navigation and Margo could finally concentrate on her machines.

Wrong. Because their Captain hated Miles guts for some reasons.

Miguel might be an ashole and all, but he usually treated his crew with care.

(The truth is that Miguel could bear the look of Miles. Of a mermaid standing on his deck and claiming someone on his crew. After all. The love of a mermaid was possessive and ruinous and he wouldn't let that monster hurt those who are his.)

(The real truth is that Miguel once was a mermaid, before his scales where robbed from him. Seeing Miles made him remember of his live bellow the ocean. Memories of a better time with his family. )

(Miles had been unsure what he did to anger the older mermaid. No matter how often he signaled that he didn't mean harm, the older still reacted as if he would rip out his throat. )

(That was till Miles learned about the robbery. Then he reacted in violence)

[beanghostprincess]

My thoughts on Sanuso's children!!

I recently got a Tumblr ask (I'll edit this later and write the link) that talked about Sanuso adopting a child, and it has opened my eyes to make this whole post about the three children I think they'd have!! (Also shout out to @latinokokonoi for the idea of Zolu's daughter).

The Strawhats are still together after finding the One Piece, being together still and enjoying their own dreams for a while without separating yet (honestly, with how fast this story is going they're gonna find the One Piece quickly af, just pretend they've already found it). Sanji and Usopp are 25/23 when they have their two twin daughters (accidentally. Because they are idiots and did NOT listen to Chopper's talk about protection). Even if they weren't planned they're still extremely excited to form a family together! They're a bit worried about what will happen from now on, but they've taken care of children before on their adventures, so how hard can it be? The answer is pretty fucking hard but, you know, it's not like they don't have other children in the crew (Zoro and Luffy found a 2 y/o in a treasure chest when they were 23/21 and they've been taking care of her for two years now. Called her Kuina!). They believe they'll be just fine.

The girls are named after their moms, Sora and Banchina, and they're Usopp and Sanji's little princesses. They instantly get along with Kuina, by the way, as they grow up together. She kind of acts like an older sister to them, being 4 years older and all. If anybody asks, they're cousins! I won't go into much detail about Kuina here because this is about Sanuso's children, but I love the idea I have of her already.

The thing is, the girls grow up to be brilliant and also a menace. They're twins but you can easily tell who's who when they're not together!

Sora: Oldest sister for, like, two seconds and she's always reminding everyone about that (in a good way. She takes pride in protecting her sister). She has Sanji's morals and ambition. She's passionate and pretty intense when it comes to protecting the ones she loves. But also she's an adventurer like Usopp! She loves getting into trouble, too, and she's strategic enough to know how to come out of them (most of the time. Well- Sometimes. Most of the time Kuina is the one saving her ass. But, you know, at the end of the day Kuina gets lost and Sora is the one to find her... They make a pretty good team). She dreams of being a pirate and having her own crew someday with Banchina. She's a natural dreamer. A bit idealistic. She has Sanji's smile and Usopp's skills. She wants to learn how to fight in every damn way. She asks Sanji to teach her how to fight with her legs and Usopp to use the slingshot (prefers Sanji's method, tho). She often trains with Kuina, too! She reminds people of Nami (that's, like, her favorite crew member if you ask her. That's her auntie!) because of her mischievous personality and ability to steal. She's also very impulsive because she has Usopp's sense of adventure but Sanji's inability to back down. So... Yeah. Luffy fucking loves her. But at least she's good at strategies! She would do anything for her sister and has been by her side forever. Often asks her to join her shenanigans and schemes and that's when Banchina is a bit more playful! Loves Sanji's cooking and eats almost just as much as Luffy. She talks about Usopp's stories, being so so proud of being his daughter! Her favorite aunt is Nami and her favorite uncles are Luffy and Zoro.

Banchina: The sweetest of the two sisters. She's pretty much like their mothers, personality wise. She's a cutie pie. She loves cooking and drawing because she grew up watching her fathers doing these mundane, more domestic and calm activities. If Sora is the clumsy more adventurous one, Banchina is the caretaker who's just done with her sister's bullshit but loves her a lot. She has Sanji's need to help and Usopp's anxiety (but not in a really nervous way. More in a careful, thoughtful way). It's not that she doesn't know how to defend herself, but she uses her slingshot only when needed and to back up her sister. She's more of a support person! She loves to cook but prefers to draw. Spends the day drawing. Kuina and Sora are very protective of her but she's usually the one who ends up rolling her eyes and taking care of them when they get injured somehow. However, she can be very playful too when Sora manages to get her in her schemes and shenanigans. She's a sweetheart but she protects her family when she needs to do so. She prefers more calm spaces but she appreciates the company of her sister and Kuina, finds them amusing. Basically, calm and helpful, very done with the chaos but secretly loves it, and ends up playing around when she finds it funny. Her favorite aunt is Robin (they spend time together reading and drawing) and her favorite uncles are Jinbe and Brook.

They grow up together and somehow they're not only the crew's most precious treasure, but also they're very helpful when they fight. I mean, they don't usually let them fight, but they always end up helping without being asked.

They're 10 and 14 when they find Takumi (Sanuso is 35/33, if you're curious) on a boat, fainted, and very very injured. The kid appears to be around 7 and he has chains on his arms and a metal collar around his neck. That doesn't sit right with any of them, so the kids call Luffy and the others and they instantly help him to get into the ship.

Long story short, they take care of him for a day or so, extremely worried about his well-being. Sanji and Chopper look after him until he wakes up. The thing is, the kid wakes up when he's alone with Sanji, and he's instantly frightened. Sanji promises they're not going to do anything to him, but the kid is only begging him to not bring him back to where he was. Anything but that. Sanji is- Well, saying he's worried would be an understatement. When everyone goes to see him, he doesn't want to tell them anything. For some reason he grows attached to Sanji and won't let go of him, apparently, and he refuses to tell anybody what happened to him. However, Luffy offers him to break his chains and Takumi hesitates but obviously says yes. When Luffy does so, he just smiles widely at the sight of Takumi's relief and says: "See? Much better now, isn't it?" And Takumi stares at him and whispers "You look..." Luffy only tilts his head, confused, and Takumi blushes shyly. "I just- You look like someone I know." And he tightens his grip inside the pockets of his hoodie, holding something they can't see but don't ask about either.

Basically, they take care of the kid but he isn't quite ready to socialize yet and his injuries are still bad. The only ones allowed to spend a long time with him are Chopper (he's looking after his wounds) and Sanji (brings him food and, well, he's apparently the only one Takumi is comfortable with enough to talk. Besides, Takumi apparently won't eat any meat or fish and he doesn't explain why, but Sanji makes new dishes for him gladly). The three girls want to know him better, but they're forbidden from bothering him (although they definitely sneak out to talk to him for a few seconds when the adults are busy).

Sanji sees a lot of himself in him. The scared eyes. The trembling voice. He's even blond, for God's sake. He spends a lot of time with the kid, and Takumi even asks him to sleep next to him most of the time. Usopp sees this and he just knows they're keeping him because now there's no way they can say goodbye to him. One day, Takumi has a very nasty panic attack and Sanji has to help him through it. When the kid asks how he knows to deal with this, Sanji thinks it's only fair to open up to him about some stuff about his own past. This makes Takumi open up too, finally explaining what happened to him:

Takumi's mom is a celestial dragon that cheated on her husband with a slave. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed and she died in an "accident" while the slave was brutally murdered (when you think Celestial Dragons can be worse, they- They just get worse). The man didn't even give Takumi a name, he just took the kid and made him a slave the second he could start working. That's all he's ever known. Long story short, he's locked in a cell for a while as a punishment along with some other slaves, thinking there's no hope. But there's always hope, because the revolutionary army suddenly shows up! Sabo frees all of the slaves from that cell, Koala leading them to their respective boats. But... There's a kid who won't move. Chained. Injured. It shatters Sabo's heart into a million pieces. Sabo tries to help him with reassuring words but the kid is visibly shaking. Sabo asks him his name, but the kid won't answer, to which Sabo just smiles and says: "Well! Isn't that just great? Now you can choose your own name!" and the little guy is all confused, but it's the first time there's true excitement in his eyes. "Really?" / "Really! Is there something you like a ton? A name you want to make yours?" The kid seems to think about it, a bit shy about his answer. "I want- I want to go to the sea." / "Oh! I come from there, actually. Is there something you want to do there?" / "It's dumb-" / "No dreams are dumb. Now tell me." / "I want to build things. Things that can help people! Like- Like machines but- But good ones. I dunno how to explain it..." / "Umm. Well. How about Takumi? You can write it however you want it can mean both sea and craftsman. Also an outstanding person. The person you'll become once you get out of here. How does that sound?" Takumi nods and takes the name as his, as long with Sabo's glasses. He says Takumi will use them way more than him one day.

However, there's a lot of chaos and Takumi gets lost in his boat. All alone. And ends up fainting in the middle of the sea until the Straw hats find him.

Sanji knows it will be too much for the little guy to tell him all he knows about this story, so he just comforts him and lets him rest for a few days until he's ready to come out of the room. He has dinner with the rest of them, finally, one day. And even though the three girls are curious about him they have a very calm dinner, respecting his space. That's when the crew does their presentations, Luffy being the last one... And of course, he says: "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Captain of this ship and the king of the pirates!". Something inside of Takumi switches, a huge surprised smile decorating his face. "You are Sabo's brother! That's why you reminded me of him!" / "You know Sabo?". Takumi tells them about his story and shows them the glasses, saying he's worried about Sabo because he promised to take care of him and he's sure the blond blames himself for this. He tells them, also, about Sabo talking about Luffy ("The world is scary out there, but pirates aren't all so bad, all right? Monkey D. Luffy is my brother! The king of the pirates! And he's the best man I've ever met.") and Takumi couldn't be happier to have found him.

Basically, Takumi stays with them for a long time and grows closer and closer with everyone. The girls and he get along, even if he's still very overwhelmed by everything and has to take things slow. They protect him when there's a fight and they spend time with him, playing and teaching him everything there's to know. He also sleeps with Sanji and Usopp most of the time, also growing very fond of the sniper and his stories late at night when he has nightmares and refuses to wake up Sanji. Usopp is always there to distract him from bad thoughts and Sanji is always there to hug the anxiousness away. Sora and Banchina love him like a brother, so much that they even start calling him that. Sanji and Usopp don't say a word about it, but it hurts to know that there's a possibility of him not staying with them. Sanji says it's fine. That the kid deserves a better life. But Usopp knows Sanji wants the kid to stay with them.

Sabo appears one day with the intention to see Takumi again. They catch up and have a fun day together until Sabo offers Takumi the option of going away with him. However, Takumi says he prefers to stay here. With his new family, if they accept him. And so Takumi stays with them!

That's when his personality starts to form a little bit more with the passage of time. He loves spending time with Franky and Usopp, building things. Little machines and inventions. Turns out Sabo's glasses do end up being useful to him! He's still a bit shy. A very anxious kid. But he's so, so smart... A brilliant, outstanding kid who wants to make the world a better place with his inventions. He keeps being reserved and he isn't very fond of fighting, but he supports the whole crew with his inventions! Usopp couldn't be more proud. He also likes the revolutionary's ideology and lets Robin talk to him about it for hours and hours. Cooking is just like science, in his opinion, and once he says it Sanji's heart melts because that's exactly what Usopp told him once.

They end up figuring out that he ate a devil fruit, one that helps him talk to animals. That's why he refuses to eat them. Sanji tells him that it's amazing. One of the best powers in the world. Fascinating, even. He's his special boy and Sanji's just so jealous he has a power like that but he's glad Takumi is the one to have it and not some horrible pirate out there. Usopp and he grow closer talking about bugs and different types of beetles and arachnids! Sanji loves to see it, but can only talk about Takumi about it when it comes to regular animals.

They're so, so similar in a lot of things... Even if they are not his real parents. Yet. He hasn't called them that yet.

Until one morning Takumi calls Sanji dad and he has a whole crisis about it, the kid thinks he has killed his father but Usopp calms both of them down. Sanji asks the kid if he truly wants to be part of his family. Because if he does, he'd be glad to call him his son. And Takumi couldn't be happier. Do you know who's even happier? Sora and Banchina. They are THRILLED to have a little brother.

I've made these picrews based on the idea I have of them (if you like the idea I'll post more information about them):

Sora

Age: 10 (Older twin for literally seconds of difference)

MBTI: ENTP

-> She's an adventurer, hence the bandages and band-aids. Prefers long hair because she refuses to cut it, mostly. Uses Usopp's overalls and Sanji's shirts because they're comfortable and they don't fit her dads anymore, so she gets to keep them!!! She likes nature (the bees and her leaf earring) and loves stealing Zoro's money at poker (Nami taught her).

Banchina

Age: 10

MBTI: INFP

-> Usually has a ponytail or buns to keep them from bothering her while she draws. Lil' toad on her head (Wano Usopp reference, he kept that toad). She likes butterflies and bugs, too!! Big comfy clothes and a calmer, comfier energy.

Takumi

Age: 7

MBTI: INFJ

-> Lil' crown of leaves his sisters gift him. Animals around him all the time. He likes big clothes but usually just wears a synthetic leather jacket Usopp gave him and never takes off Sabo's goggles. Big sweaters, too. He's very tiny even for his age.

Kuina

Age: 14

MBTI: ESTP

-> Long hair for the same reason as Sora: Refuses to cut it. Bold of you to assume she showers, honestly. Lil' ponytail to see better. She has one of Zoro's earrings and a necklace with a sun (iykyk). She also has a bandana around her neck (Zoro moment). Have you seen her clothes? She wants to go to Wano so fucking bad.

Picrew

[xxizombiexx]

Y/n the Vampire Pirate has a crush on Zoro!

Summery-In which Y/n agrees to join the Straw Hat Pirates because she saw a certain green haired man.

Warnings-cursing, blood, VAMPIRE!PIRATE!Reader, Fluff

A/n- this is my first time writing on tumblr, so please be kind! Also if you want to check out my other stories, my Wattpad is GirlWhoWrites09, thanks for reading!

Blood ran down her chin, as she sucked the blood of the enemy who tried to attack her. She groaned in satisfaction, as she throws her head back, with closed eyes. "I haven't eaten in days" she thought to herself. She honestly couldn't remember when the last time she ate was.

"Hey!" A voiced yelled out, causing her eyebrows to fur together in confusion. "Hey you!" Whoever it was again. The girl let out sort of a angry growl as she looked up at the boy who was shouting at her. "Who are you?" She asked, quite angerly. Y/n let go of the, now dead, man, and stood up, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" 'Luffy' yelled once more. Y/n tilted her head and looked at Luffy.

"'King of the Pirates'? Kid, I don't wanna burst your bubble, and no offense, but that's nearly impossible." She stated. Luffy just laughed, causing Y/n to have a ick mark on her face. "I'm serious kid!" Y/n shouted. "I've been searching for the one piece for years!" Obviously this kid doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. I've been around for hundreds of years and yet I've never found that stupid One Piece yet! "Anyways, what the hell did you need me for? To get on my nerves?"

Luffy, who had tears in his eyes, now calmed down from his laughing fit. "I want you to join my crew!" He exclaimed. "I saw your moves and I got to say they're pretty cool!" Luffy said with a big smile on his face. Suddenly, four other people walked up behind the Straw Hat Pirate. A girl with orange hair, a guy with yellow hair, a guy with brow hair, and--a man with green hair. Y/n blushed at the sight of him. He's--so handsome! Y/n thought as she practically drooled over him. He carried three swords with him, and had a dark green band tired around his head.

Unfortunately, Y/n had to decline this offer. "Uh, no thanks." Y/n said, a she began to walk away. Not like she wanted to join anyways. She had her own adventures that needed to be taken care of. "Hey! Wait!" Luffy yelled chasing after her. "Come on! Just think about it!"

"I said no!" Y/n said, slapping the pirate upside the head. "You don't even know who I am!" She crossed her arms in anger, stopping herself from attacking this poor boy. "Oww" luffy mumbled, rubbing his head. "What if we treated her to a drink instead of begging?" The green haired man suggested. "And you can talk about it there." He said. Luffy then smiled his big smile again. "Hey! Great idea Zoro!" So his name is Zoro? And he's in this boy's crew, huh? "Hm, Fine." Y/n agreed.

Y/n couldn't help but to stare at the green haired man named Zoro. Especially how much hotter he was when he took off that dark green band off. There was just something about him. "Who are you staring at?" Luffy asked, taking a bite of his apple. "Wait- are you staring at Zoro?" He asked a little too loudly. Y/n clenched her teeth together, causing her fangs to stick out. She shoved the rest of the boy's apple in his mouth, in attempts to shut him up. "Oh!" Exclaimed the orange haired girl name Nami. "We've been meaning to ask--Who are you?" Y/n smiled to herself and stood up from her seat.

"I'm Y/n L/n, the Vampire Pirate!" She exclaimed, placing a booted foot on her chair. Luffy eyes widened when he heard the word 'Pirate'. Zoro scoffed saying "There's no such thing as a vampire." Y/n blushed at his words--more like at him..? "Well there is! And that's me!"

"That's perfect!" Shouted Luffy. "Please join my crew!" He was practically begging at this point. Y/n bit her lip thinking to herself. "Hm, are all of you in this 'crew'?" And by 'all of you' she meant Zoro. Everyone nodded their heads. "He's our captain." Zoro said. "F-Fine." She muttered, sitting back down. Luffy cheered out of happiness. Another member of his crew!

Y/n watched as Zoro sat on the edge of the boat, looking out to the waters. She she fidgeted with her fingers, debating on wether or not she wanted to go out and talk to him. "Are you just going to stand there? Or do you want to join me?" He asked. Y/n looked around, seeing if he was talking to someone else, but there wasn't anyone else there. Y/n gave a shakey sigh and walked up to the ledge he sat on. "Hi." She chuckled, looking at up him. He looked so handsome looking out into the sea like that. "I-I like your hair. I've never seen anyone with green hair. And I've been around for a long time." She said, after a minute of silence. Zoro chuckled and looked towards her. "Thanks." He said, looking into her eyes. "I like your eyes. Never seen anyone with red eyes."

Y/n blushed at his complement, and looked down at her hands. Zoro slid over, and patted the spot next to him, inviting the vampire to sit next to him. She looked at him with her mouth opened a little before climbing onto the ledge. He then put an arm around her shoulder. Her blush didn't go away, infact she got even more redder. Zoro chuckled once more at the state the girl was in.

The Straw Hat Pirates had now set sail out in the ocean! With another member, they set off to the grand line looking for the One Piece!

[revserrayyu]

2.3 Penacony thoughts [part 4]

***SPOILER WARNING*** for the ending of the 2.3 story update for everything after the Charmony Festival. This should be the last part of the story so if you haven’t finished it for yourself yet, please do return once you have.

Despite the dreammaster “forcing” Acheron out of Penacony, I was still patiently for her to show up at some point during the festival. While she didn’t make a guest appearance upon the grand ship in the sky, she did manage to get a whole scene to herself, but unfortunately, it starts right at the gravesite and I already know I’m in for an emotional ride..

I’m so happy that out of all the experiences and people she may have forgotten about, that Acheron remembers Tiernan so clearly and delivered flowers like he originally wanted: 

“What I do know is that one day, I too will pass away, and when I bid farewell to this world… Someone will stand at my grave and place a bouquet of flowers on it.” 

Also, we might not presently know who voices Tiernan, but props to them because they were a joy to listen to in the previous few patches.

I’m glad someone is smiling because I sure as fudge ain’t.

We haven’t even met these trailblazers personally and most likely never will, but to still get emotional for them despite that is truly an amazing feeling, even if it’s a highly upsetting one. You can really feel the respect the crew has for all three of them.

It’s hard for me to grasp that Gallagher “died” as well, considering he wasn’t truly alive? I don’t know what to feel for him, honestly. I kinda enjoyed that twist at the end of 2.1 where we were lead to think he was a villain, but then 2.2 happened and tossed that idea aside. I’m at least glad March and I shared the same wondering mind about what he meant by saying he was only 13. I know people have theorized it to mean he’s “death” as that number of a tarot card, but a confirmation would’ve been nice.

It was at this moment where I started to realize that each one of our faithful cremates were taking turns saying goodbye to everyone, so leaving Himeko last to speak with Mikhail was perfect.

Our lovely navigator begins with “This entire adventure started because of you, and should naturally end with you.”  Oof, talk about going full circle. That’s beautiful.

I can’t really put into words what about this moment with March made me feel. I’m certain it was also due to whatever sad, slow music was playing in the background at this point of the story too, but even I started feeling this sort of strange regret. Their lives had to be so similar as they trailblazed through space, experiencing all kinds of people, places and feelings, and you would hope and pray their lives had a good ending, but you could never be sure, so this lingering sort of emptiness fills up inside you as your words of wonder and thanks fall of deaf ears.

Man.. no matter how often I hear it, but knowing that our lives are indeed short lived compared to all the time in the world will never be easy for me to accept. I can’t even begin to tell you how frequently people tell me I’m still young and capable of doing so much with my life but knowing deep down that so much time has already passed and I had missed so many opportunities to enjoy what I have, create everlasting memories and experience a life I’d be proud of living. Even now I’m sitting here wondering if this life has been worth it and if I’ve ever been truly happy with everything that’s going on or simply finding sporadic moments of peace where I’m content enough to embrace that one feeling and ignore everything else to fool myself in thinking I’m fine with it all. Sorry, I’m delving far too deep into my own mind with this.

Seriously, we need some good jokes right about now. Get to work, Dan Heng! Why March decided to ask him instead of grandpa Welt I’ll never understand, but his dry humor is certainly great.

All those trailers, cutscenes and memorable moments.. and we’re still learning more about this woman. I truly love how deep her character is. They did a lovely job with her.

I swear if we don’t meet Acheron again at all during the rest of our journey on this sparkling silver star rail I will be heartbroken. She’s too good to simply forget!

You know a conversation is serious when we’re the ones speaking in red text! 

I’m personally lying here, by the way. I’ve never played Impact or Genshin long enough to encounter any of the other Raiden Mei lookalikes, but who cares! She shall never know! (nor will she even remember *sob*)

I believe that deja vu is such a wild feeling, to experience a scenario that seems so familiar to a moment in your past is crazy. I dunno how it is for everyone, but whenever I feel it, I always wonder if what I’m feeling in this moment is a sort of warning from my past telling me that there’s something strange or memorable about the present moment in time. I dunno how to explain it, but if our mind has to remind us that a specific moment like this has happened already, then surely it would have to be for a good reason or important in some way, right? It’s interesting to think about anyways.

Okay now, this scene.. this gorgeous image that I had to no doubt choose for the cover photo is fantastic. She’s beautiful and that gentle smile on her face makes you feel so safe and thankful that you embarked on this journey. At least, that’s what I’m personally feeling. That sense of deja vu is also coming back to me here, but I believe it’s solely because of certain words she’s speaking and Allegra’s tone of voice with them that make this all feel so familiar to me.

She continues on to say “All those things, beautiful before, are still so now. And I believe… It will still bloom at the end of Nihility, until we meet again beneath the sun’s rays,” and y’all I wanna cry with how beautiful this entire moment is. Look at our girl! Aaaahh.. I seriously don’t wanna say goodbye to her! Everything with the previous trailblazers was upsetting, of course, but saying our farewell to Acheron, someone who has been at our side (sorta kinda) since the beginning of our Penacony journey and stayed close assisting us with all the dangers we faced up until this moment.. oohh my heart hurts. It may be because I experienced these updates as they released, thus spanning over several months of time, so it feels as if Acheron has been in my life longer compared to those I met during both Belobog and Luofu stories as I zoomed through them without pause since I started playing towards the end of 1.4 and therefore didn’t have to wait for updates, but yeah. Wonderful character. Allegra deserves the upmost praise with her performance and I seriously need to pull for her next time.

Ah, you can always count on the Express family to lighten up the mood just a little bit.. just not too much since Pom-Pom is literally sobbing upon learning the status of their dearly departed friends.

Hey, it’s not our fault chaos just so happens to follow us around everywhere like we’re some kind of protagonist in a well written, engaging and exciting story! 

Nothing makes me happier when we’re given the option to can crack a couple jokes during a serious conversation.

Once again, I’m not even gonna question how or why she’s here. At this point, Black Swan seems like the perfect plot convenience that needs no explanation. 

“Charming little dragon” indeed.

Our next stop I assume? And how shall we get there if it’s “hidden away” and “only revealed by the light from the mirror of the Garden of Recollection?” Surely Black Swan would assist us, yes? At least I hope so, if it’ll mean she’s still around for a bit longer. She also mentions it’s a world “fettered by three paths” and I’m curious are to which three she’s referring to.

As per usual with ending scenes, 2.3 gives us one more surprise that also leaves me with many questions because what on earth is happening here and why and how?

Apparently this is a hard place to get into.. and yet here Jade is. She comes on the behalf of Robin’s wishes, which I pretty much assumed it would’ve been saving Sunday’s life, but the one who has to pay the heavy price is not Robin, but Sunday himself? That is if I’m understanding what’s happening here correctly. Instead of ranting about being equal to a god, he has to live as a normal citizen? It seems fine enough to us, but for him it’s probably out of his mind to even consider acting in such a way, even denying her “charity” at first.

As we learned, Jade is a very patient woman so she doesn’t expect an answer right away. She then instead leaves some parting words in the form of a warning “from someone who’s been in your shoes before” and judging by all the chains, I can’t help but think of Aventurine when she gives the following advice:

And with that.. 2.3 is finished. I know there’s a handful of side quests to do now and perhaps they might fill in some random questions I have about this entire story, but presently, I’ll say Penacony was at least a very enjoyable yet wild ride. There were many times were I was so lost in what was happening and I feel like there were too many characters, motives and ideals to keep track of, yet on the flip side there were other characters we didn’t get much information about at all and were just kinda there. Penacony did have a fantastic vibe though from all the great music, challenging bosses, and an endless amount of memorable moments whether they were emotional, jaw dropping or straight up hilarious. Was it truly “heartwarming and wholesome” like they said? Perhaps a little bit, but it was truly an exciting experience and well worth the wait and hype. Is it my favorite story arc so far? Hhmm, debatable. I still have very strong feelings for Belobog.. so that's probably it.

[mosthuggableffxiv]

As Promised: The Ardbert Essay

(specifically the one that didn't come from a wiki)

Full text below

Alright, fine, 8 paragraphs? Honestly, I should've seen this coming. But here's the thing, mod. My original Ardbert submission was just his Wikipedia article copied and pasted. I mean, what more could I say? His story and pain speaks for itself, and for that reason, I thought there was no better propaganda for Ardbert than who he is. But I see that is not enough, and so, I am responding with a fully fleshed out essay of at least 10 paragraphs.I hope it goes to show the lengths to which I, @teridani, believe that Ardbert Hylfyst needs a hug. (Or, depending on your interpretation, "is the most huggable". More on that later.)

When Ardbert first appeared in patch 3.1, it was a mysterious hook meant to drawn us players in. Who is this guy? Why is he speaking with the Ascians? The Warriors of Darkness appear as a threat. When Ardbert first introduces his group, dear mods, I laughed. I was playing through the game with a friend and I found it hilarious that they would be called "warriors of darkness". It's not really any sillier than "warriors of light", but the idea that our enemies, our RIVALS, would just use that name was... so silly. I did like their style, though.

I was a bit frustrated at the return of the Ascians once again. You must remember, dear mods, that I was playing through the entirely of ARR just recently! I was binging the story! And the early Ascian characterization left a lot to be desired. So, here I was, believing Ardbert and his crew were nothing more than Sunday cartoon villians-of-the-week, here to end the world just because. This initial reaction is important for you to understand how big of a switch first impressions were to where I'm at now.

Ardbert himself seemed to relish in this role early-on. He fell into the role of a villain easily, casting aside any doubts towards his goal. He had to. Look what being a hero had brought him and his friends. Still, a degree of hesitation persisted. Ardbert didn't really want to hurt anyone. He never did. He says himself, "We were just adventurers trying to make our way. An odd job here, a favor there—we never aspired to be Warriors of Light." His feelings towards being a hero, I believe, mirror his feelings towards being a villain. Swept up in the tides of fate and tragedy, there were no other paths left for him.

Urianger was the one who brought up the idea of luring out the Warrior of Light, casting the realm into chaos with their death. Of course we have the blessing of hindsight to understand that Urianger never wanted them to come to harm, but Ardbert steeled his resolve and set forth. All he said was that he would make it quick. A mercy in its own right. There is no way Ardbert didn't see a reflection of himself in the WoL, an echo of the same unsundured soul. Through his eyes, eventually any hero who espouses the virtues of *one* element, be it Light or Dark, would doom their world. It seemed a choice between two paths with the same end: doom the Source now, or later. The only difference is how many he could save by doing the former.

Over the course of the finale to his Heavensward arc, Ardbert reveals the missing pieces to the puzzle to us. How he and his friends took their lives just to have a chance at saving their world. As heroes to their world to the very last, they participated in the ultimate sacrifice. I believe I do not need to remind readers of this line. "We did everything right, everything that was asked of us, and still—still it came to this!" How could you not want to give this man a hug? When you think of the pain, regret, grief, and anger he must be feeling? When you see the blind unfairness of the world rest entirely upon him?

In the end, the most heartbreaking thing was when the Warriors of Darkness placed their trust in Minfilia and Ardbert simply asked if she could take them home. They had failed, it was all up to someone else, and at the very end without any other choice... They chose to go back to their home that they destroyed. If only Ardbert could've passed on with his friends, at the very time, perhaps he would have felt some degree of finality. Some measure of redemption. But instead, they were gone along with Minfilia, and he was left for a hundred years alone.

Whether he whispered or screamed, not a soul could hear his voice. His body and mind were barely held together by the time the WoL came to the First. Devoid of hope, he still followed the WoL and watched as piece by piece, sky by sky, night returned to the Norvrandt that he alone beared as his mistake. Ardbert was denied, again and again, any chance of redemption. The only person who could bring hope and joy back to him was the WoL. Of course he was more than willing to sacrifice himself once again at the end of it all—for such a person, he would be willing to do that and more.

I also promised to speak more on his huggability, so I will do so here. First, we look at his height. As an average height Hume, Ardbert comes in around 5ft 9in, or 175cm. I can't attached a picture here, I don't think, but if you find a height comparison tracker and input the 50% height data of each race, I believe it will be of use to you. I used the Male 50% sliders because I'm nonbinary and I get to make the rules here. Au'Ra: Ardbert comes up to shoulder height, a perfect height to rest his head upon your clavicle and wrap his arms around your waist. Roegadyn: Oh baby! How couldn't you hug him? Ardbert comes up to a Roegadyn's tit- I mean chest. There's a reaction image somewhere on the internet about this very thing. I'll leave it up to you to find. Miqo'te: At 5ft 5, Ardbert is slightly taller than the average Miqo'te, and you can rest your head extremely easily on his shoulders. As he wears traditionally Warrior attire, this means nice, high quality leathers and soft furs. Of course, he'd take off his shoulder pauldrons for you. Elezen: The average Elezen can rest their chin perfectly atop his head. I believe that says all I need to say. Viera: A Viera is slightly taller than Ardbert, and but not overtly so. At this height, neither person would have to bend or stretch too far: they would fit like puzzle pieces. Lalafell: For this, not only will I note that a Lalafell could be completely wrapped up in Ardbert's arms, but I ask you to remember one of the other best characters of Shadowbringers. Lamitt wouldn't fall for ANY person who wasn't extremely huggable. Her endorsement says it all. Hrothgar: A Hrothgar and Au'ra are only 2 inches apart, but ther's something more I would like to note. Ardbert has both scruffy hair and facial hair! Like whiskers and fur of his own, he would be a perfect nuzzling companion.

So! For the true hero of the First, for one who gave us the push we needed at the end, who has suffered more than any person should ever have to, I believe we owe it to Ardbert to give him a hug. And also, we owe it to ourselves to hug him, regardless of our height, because as proven time and time again in the story... Ardbert loves you. Thank you for reading.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Behind Closed Doors: Part 1

Intro:

How's this for a cover picture? It's AI generated lol - I asked ChatGPT for ideas for what sorts of things could be included for a cover picture that gives of the vibe that suits the story (I was originally going to make a cover by myself using some pics off of Pinterest or something), and it generated a mockup image of the Renaud Records building. I had no idea it could even do that! I'm not even paying to use the plus version... I didn't do much... just cropped it a little, and did some colour grading on it. I think it looks alright!

Anyways, I was going to wait a little while before embarking on this new adventure, but I've been feeling like I've been putting stuff off for a while, and I don't know that is a positive thing for me anymore. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's necessary to take breaks, but there's a difference between that and stalling because of fear or uncertainty. I don't want to do the latter, so here I am!

It's so cool to be able to do this again with a new writing project. I really hope you guys enjoy it! I love these new characters with all my heart, and I hope their journeys throughout the story entertain, inspire and move you as much as they have with me. Here is where it all begins...

The Gala

(Setting: A lavish charity gala in late September. The venue is an upscale hotel ballroom decorated with crystal chandeliers and elaborate floral arrangements. Elena Crewe, wearing a simple black dress, nervously adjusts her name tag while scanning the crowd of wealthy attendees.)

Angie: (approaching Elena with two glasses of champagne) Hey, girl. You look like you could use this.

Elena: Oh gosh, yes. Thanks. (takes a glass) I feel so out of place here.

Angie: You'll be fine! Just remember - you're here for a good cause. Besides, most of these people are way less intimidating than they look.

Elena: Easy for you to say. You work with them.

Angie: Well, I don't work one-on-one with them or anything... not really. But I see them all the time where I work. Trust me, once you get past all the designer labels and fake smiles, you realise that at the end of the day, they're just people. (notices someone across the room) Oh! Speaking of people... Vincent Renaud just walked in with his brother Lewis and his wife. I forget her name. But I know it begins with an "S." Sarah, perhaps? Wait, that's not right...

Elena: Where?

Angie: By the entrance. Tall guy in the navy suit, talking to that other tall guy in grey who's holding hands with that blonde woman in red. Ugh, what is her name again? Susan?

Elena: (nervous laugh) Oh wow. He's... not what I expected.

Angie: What did you expect?

Elena: I don't know. Someone older? More... corporate looking? He looks like he belongs in a magazine or something.

Angie: Yeah, the Renauds won the genetic lottery AND the money lottery. Life's not fair sometimes. (checking her phone) Shoot, I need to go handle something. You gonna be okay by yourself for a while?

Elena: (shifts nervously, but nods) Yeah, I think so. Thanks again, girl. Wish me luck!

Angie: (smiles) Go get 'em, tiger. And remember - they're all just people.

(Angie leaves. Elena takes a deep breath and makes her way toward Vincent, who is now alone checking his phone.)

Elena: Uh, hey! Hey, Sir. Can I talk to you for a sec?

Vincent: (looking up from his phone, slight surprise in his expression) Yes?

(Elena is briefly taken aback for a moment. He is a lot more striking in appearance in person than he is online and in pictures. His piercing blue eyes are particularly striking, and leave her momentarily in a bit of a stupor that she brushes off once she realises that they've been standing in silence looking at each other for a little too long)

Elena: You're Mr. Renaud of Renaud Records, aren't you?

Vincent: (locks his phone and puts it away) Yes, I am. How can I help you?

Elena: Oh, I'm Elena Crewe. I work in New Horizons, and I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time? I don't know if you know anything about it... it's a non-profit organisation that helps at-risk young people.

Vincent: New Horizons... the one with the youth outreach program?

Elena: You've heard of us?

Vincent: (small smile) I make it my business to know about interesting local initiatives.

Elena: Cool! So, you are familiar with some of our work, then. That's really great to hear. And it makes things a little easier for me.

Vincent: Well, I think it's just really good to keep yourself informed on things. Especially things that show a lot of promise. Is there anything specific you wanted to discuss about New Horizons?

Elena: Uh... (gets a bit nervous again upon becoming aware of the intense eye contact between them at this point. Tries her best to push through the conversation) I was wondering if I could talk to you about all the other things we do to support kids in need, and their families as well. It would be great to get some extra support, especially from someone like you.

Vincent: Someone like me?

Elena: Y-yeah. You know…

Vincent: Or me?

Elena: Well, I mean I'm here talking to you, aren't I?

(Something like intrigue or amusement flashes in Vincent's eyes for a moment, but when he talks again, it is in the same polite but detached business-like tone as before)

Vincent: (looks around the increasingly busy room) You know what? I think we should go somewhere a little more quiet. Come with me, Miss Crewe.

(They make their way to the more private terrace outside, away from the loud crowds of people in the venue. There, they continue their conversation)

Elena: So, how much do you know about what we do?

Vincent: (leaning against the wall) Enlighten me.

Elena: (gaining confidence) Well, we work with at-risk youth, providing everything from after-school programs to career counselling. Last year alone, we helped over five hundred kids stay in school and off the streets.

Vincent: Wow...

Elena: (smiles) Yeah! It's great to be able to make such a difference.

Vincent: May I ask why you're here?

Elena: (smile falters slightly) What?

Vincent: What are you looking for, exactly?

Elena: Support. Financial support, specifically. But also potentially partnerships. Your influence could-

Vincent: (interrupting) My influence?

Elena: (standing her ground) Yes, your influence. The Renaud name carries weight in this city. Having you publicly support our cause could make a real impact.

Vincent: (smiles, amused) You're very direct, Miss Crewe.

Elena: (shrugs, trying to push past her nerves) Is that a problem?

Vincent: No, no. (chuckling) Actually, it's refreshing. I'm used to most people spending twenty minutes kissing up before getting to the point.

Elena: Well, I figured your time is valuable. And honestly, so is mine.

Vincent: (raising an eyebrow) Is that so?

Elena: Yeah. Every minute I waste on social niceties is a minute I could be doing my actual job. Protecting and supporting those in need of my help.

Vincent: Huh.

Elena: What?

Vincent: (incredulous) You actually enjoy working?

Elena: (laughs) Yeah, I do. Weird, right?

(Both of them laugh a bit at this)

Vincent: Alright, alright. Let's focus on the matter at hand... tell me more about your little project.

Elena: Okay. With all due respect, Mr. Renaud, this is so much more than just a "little project." We're changing lives at New Horizons... I mean, the decrease in gang activity alone this past year has been incredible.

Vincent: Really?

Elena: Yeah. And we've supported so many people through complex family issues and seemingly impossible situations. Last year, I worked with a seventeen-year-old named Mateo. It was his last year of high school and he was on the verge of dropping out, caught up in the wrong crowd and falling behind on his schoolwork. But through our mentorship program, he not only was able to stay in school but also landed a scholarship to study engineering.

Vincent: (nodding slowly) Impressive.

Elena: Yeah... he's on track to getting his dream job. He's so excited about that. Oh, and there's Layla...

Vincent: Who's that?

Elena: Layla Young. A young single mother who was struggling to make ends meet. She took one of our vocational training courses, and now she’s running her own small but successful catering business. She recently got engaged, I believe. She's doing really well right now.

Vincent: That's amazing.

Elena: Yep! And that's just two out of hundreds of cases. What we’re doing really works. But to keep it going, we need support. That's why I'm here.

Vincent: (studying her with newfound interest) You really believe in this, don't you?

Elena: I do. Because I've seen the difference it makes. These aren't just statistics, Mr. Renaud. These are real kids with real potential.

Vincent: Hmm. Well, this is a lot of interesting information. And it is clear that you care a lot about your cause, which is great. Why should Renaud Entertainment care, though?

Elena: Because helping those in need is a good thing.

Vincent: Uh-huh…

Elena: What? That's not good enough of a reason for you?

Vincent: Miss Crewe, you're trying to negotiate with me here. Correct?

Elena: I guess.

Vincent: You should really get the other party interested in what you have to offer. That's the whole point of negotiating. Give me a compelling business case.

Elena: ...Fine. I have other reasons why you should care, too. Aside from the obvious moral imperative, I believe partnering with New Horizons would be good for your company's image and reputation. Consumers often value brands that give back to the community. This could be excellent PR for the company. So this partnership would be mutually beneficial as a whole.

Vincent: (nods slowly, taking it in) Okay...

Elena: (gaining confidence upon realising that he seems genuinely interested) And think about it - these kids are the future. The next generation of writers, producers, singers, actors… the very backbone of your industry. Your future talent pool. By supporting them now, you're investing in the future of your business. You need to help them so that they can help you. You know?

Vincent: Mhm.

Elena: Young people are your biggest audience, too. Investing in them now isn't just charity - it's smart. Business-wise. And well, considering your company profits largely from youth culture and entertainment, wouldn't it make sense to invest in the next generation?

Vincent: You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?

Elena: Yeah. (pauses) Wait, what's that supposed to mean?

Vincent: (chuckles) Nothing, Miss Crewe. It was just an observation. But this has been a really interesting talk. You've certainly given me a lot to think about.

(Vincent's phone chimes in his pocket. He takes it out and looks at the notification before looking up to face Elena again)

Vincent: Unfortunately, I can't stay much longer. Family commitments, you know how it is.

Elena: (tries to hide the disappointment in her voice) Oh. Is everything alright?

Vincent: (nods, puts his phone away again) Yeah, yeah. That was just my brother. He's taking Sable home early because she was feeling under the weather. But he also reminded me to meet up at Cam's for our weekly dinner get-together. Can't miss it.

Elena: I understand. Thank you for your time, anyways.

Vincent: Tell you what, though... I don't mind continuing this conversation. We can arrange a meeting for next week and finish things up then?

(Vincent hands her his business card)

Elena: (eyes widening) Oh!

Vincent: Yeah. Call this number, my assistant will work something out for you. This conversation has been fun. I'm looking forward to continuing it.

Elena: (taking the card, a smile spreading across her face) Oh, me too! Thank you so much for this.

Vincent: Of course. (turns to leave, then pauses) Oh, and one more piece of advice - next time, you might want to consider dressing a bit more... appropriately for these kinds of events.

Elena: (looks down at her dress. It was a hand-me-down from her mother, and the nicest, most expensive thing she owned) O-oh. Ok.

(With a final chuckle, Vincent departs, leaving Elena momentarily flustered and unsure how to feel about his parting comment. She stands alone on the terrace, staring at the card in her hand. Her emotions are a swirl—part excitement, part indignation, part something else she doesn't want to closely focus on. She exhales sharply, trying to shake off his final remark)

Angie: (pops up from behind her) Hey! There you are.

Elena: Oh, gosh. Where were you?

Angie: It's a long story... to give you the CliffsNotes version, my boyfriend's band has finally booked a gig. All thanks to moi.

Elena: Ah, that's awesome! Tell him I said congrats.

Angie: Will do. Also, I bumped into some fans of the pod.

Elena: That's cool. But speaking of the pod, have you finished editing the latest episode?

Angie: ...I'm getting to that.

Elena: Angie! We're already two weeks behind schedule!

Angie: I know, I know. It'll be done by the end of the week, I swear. How has the networking been going for you?

Elena: Uh... good. Better than I thought it would go, anyways.

Angie: Yeah?

Elena: I got somebody's business card.

Angie: Really? That's great!

Elena: Do I look okay?

Angie: ...What?

Elena: My dress. Somebody said it was inappropriate.

Angie: Who?

Elena: It doesn't matter, Ang. He's already left.

Angie: It was Vincent, wasn't it?

Elena: Uh... yeah. How'd you know?

Angie: I don't see him anywhere. Or Lewis. Or his wife. Whatever her name is... Stacie? Sophie?

Elena: ...Sable?

Angie: (gasps) THAT'S IT! I knew it was an "S" name...

Elena: (chuckles) Yeah, he made a comment about the fit. Didn't appreciate that... but talking to him wasn't all bad. He and I had a long and interesting conversation.

Angie: Ugh, the nerve of him. Then again, maybe I shouldn't be all that surprised...

Elena: What do you mean?

Angie: He's just like that sometimes, you know. Cold, stern business guy. It's easy to find him intimidating.

Elena: Gosh, yeah. I was freaking out the whole time I was talking to him. I tried not to make that too obvious.

Angie: Still, I thought he'd actually be decent. Especially since this is a charity gala and you are a complete stranger he's meeting for the very first time. Like, it's different from people he works with on a regular basis.

Elena: (shrugs, her tone resigned) It's fine. He probably didn’t mean anything by it. I mean, look at everyone here—they’re all dripping in designer labels. I guess I stood out.

Angie: (crossing her arms) Yeah, well, standing out isn’t a bad thing, Elena. You’re not like them, and that’s why you’re here — to shake things up. You're good at that.

Elena: (smiling faintly) Thanks, Angie.

Angie: Come on. (extends her hand) Let's go celebrate our evening of success with some more champagne.

Elena: Great idea. (takes her hand. The two friends head back inside together and have fun for the rest of the night. On her way home after the event was finished, Elena’s mind lingers on Vincent’s words and the way he looked at her during their conversation — sharp, assessing, but not unkind. She promises herself to focus on making sure she is well prepared for the next time she meets Vincent Renaud. She is determined to impress him and secure this deal with him)

Outro:

That's it for part 1. More or less how the story starts.

I have fully outlined this story, but I have no idea how many parts I will end up splitting these dialogue plans into... we'll see how it goes, I guess.

BTW, about Angie... she is meant to be Elena's closest friend in the story. And in past posts, I have called her "Angel." I like that name a lot (especially for a character that is a close and loyal friend or protector... makes me think of guardian angels), but I decided to change that here. Partially because I've already got a character named Angel in another story lol (not that these two stories can't be connected, but still). I decided to call this specific character "Angelina" because it is a pretty name (as well as one of my favourite Lizzy McAlpine songs haha), and it also happens to have the word "angel" in it. And I have the characters of this story refer to her as "Angie" for short.

Anyways, that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed the very first part of this brand new story. Let me know your thoughts.

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1102 review

This unseasonably cold and wet Christmas morning, Oda gifts us with yet another heartbreaker of a flashback chapter to close out the year, but also a promise of a return to the present, and maybe some clues about what will happen when we get there. It's a more relaxed easing into the present than I'd expected - I've been predicting for weeks there'd be one last secret tragedy as a stinger to close things out, and maybe the self-destruct switch would qualify, but maybe I should just be happy that Kuma isn't being made to suffer more.

We pick up where the last chapter left off with Bonney on her adventure. I have to say, this is the most I've liked her character up to this point. She's never been unlikable, but the spirit of getting out there and adventuring and seeing the world while hunting for her lost dad really comes through now that we have the full story. The childlike quality of her ideas of piracy and ways of compromising them echoes Luffy's own energy. She feels like the main character of her own story here, one with enough substance that it'd be enjoyable even removed from the wider context of One Piece. The vibe of her crew is infectious, and I'm happy to see them living their best lives out in the world. Uh, hope those guys are alright after the encounters with Blackbeard and Sakazuki before the timeskip…

I'm looking forward to paying more attention to Bonney with also info on hand on my next reread.

There was a theory I read a few chapters ago that suggested Bonney's bounty shot up to Supernova levels because of the need to get her back to control Kuma. This chapter instead suggests a misconception that her crew targets children and the elderly because of her power. Which is funny, but far less interesting. I think I would have liked this more if we'd learned is much sooner. Like in her original introduction she's talked up as a ruthless attacker of the vulnerable, and it leads toward the first reveal of her Devil Fruit and the joke lands that way. Maybe an idea for The One Piece, right? That's just going to be my go to for anything that might have worked better with earlier setup now. It's fine though. We can even still assume that control of Kuma remained a factor for the World Government behind the scenes while also satisfying all the bad PR she has for leaving injured children and old people in her wake.

The bits with Luffy, Dragon, Smoker, Ace and Jinbei are partly fanservice, but they do also serve to keep the timeline in check. They're synchronising moments. The translation of Sabo's line in the scans indicated that Dragon was going to Loguetown alone, which would have killed the theory that Sabo had been spotted in the crowd there (pictured below), but the official release makes it ambiguous enough that Sabo might have gone. To be honest I was never big on that theory, even if it would make things more interconnected and foreshadowed. I figure seeing Luffy that close, particularly his apparent execution, would have triggered Sabo's memories returning.

I'm a little disappointed that the return to the Thriller Bark doesn't give us anything new about Kuma's actual intentions should Luffy's allies have failed what now know to obviously have been a test. Seriously, was the plan to zip him off to Dragon, or just let him go and tell him he needs to find better friends, or given the previous scene with Vegapunk, would it just said to Kuma that Luffy didn't really have the Nika qualities he'd thought.

But that brings me to something I do like about the montage of Kuma learning about Luffy's life in the chapter. The rubber power is acknowledged, but only as a footnote. Even having seen a power that matches the myth, Nika can only be assumed to be a myth. Luffy's actions - declaring war on the World Government, earning the loyalty of the Thriller Bark victims, assaulting the unjust rulers of the world to save a single enslaved friend - are what make him stand out to Kuma. And while I'm sure we'll see something specific to Luffy, such as the D, the voice of all things, or yes, the fruit, become important to the plot eventually, but it's good that Oda is laying a foundation now that Luffy acts like Nika just by being himself, regardless of whatever other ways he's been made into the legendary figure by the narrative.

The next scene gives us two possible paths for things playing out in the present. The first is Kuma's self-destruct mechanism. Given that I've already put money down on Kuma's death, my immediate thought about this development is that it will be used to fight Saturn in a tragic heroic sacrifice. How ironic for Saturn to be destroyed by the mechanism he insisted Vegapunk install.

(But why wasn't it activated sooner, like when Kuma was rescued by the Revolutionaries, to keep them from reverse engineering his tech, or when he was rampaging in Marie Geoise? You have to assume there's a limited number of remotes for the thing, since the Celestial Dragons who've been using him can't be trusted with their impulses, and/or a limited range on the activation symbol.)

But the other curious thing is Vegapunk suggsting a personality switch. Which is odd, considering how impossible a reversion was said to be in previous chapters. And if Saturn really could detect it so reliably and keep it from being installed, why mention it in the first place? This feels like Oda giving himself an out - a way to save Kuma at the last moment just by saying 'oh, Vegapunk found a way to conceal it after all.' Which would be lame. The only way I'll accept this thing's use in the present is in tandem with the self-destruct so Kuma can go out as himself, and maybe exchange some words with Saturn on the way out.

And it's especially weird when you put it next to the revelation that viewing Kuma's extracted memories will consume them, taking off the board popular theories that Kuma would be restored by passing the bubble on to him. In one chapter, Kuma is twice doomed, once saved. Anyone's guess which way Oda will take it in the present.

The final sequence is the cherry on top of a fantastic One Piece flashback, one that will certainly be remembered as one of Oda's best. The life affirming message rings true to the broader themes of the series, bringing to mind scenes like Tom and Ace's deaths. Even the lab assistants are moved (oof, didn't Saturn order these guys' escape ship sunk? That's rougher knowing they were all on team Kuma all along), as the montage of Kuma's life and loved ones proves Vegapunk correct in calling Kuma a hero. And even in his final moments Kuma thinks first of his daughter. Beautiful stuff.

This is also very strongly framed like a death scene. It's not hard evidence, but I'm taking it as half a point toward Kuma's mind being unrecoverable and/or his destruction assured in the present.

And the flashback really does seem to be over. Never in the series' past have we cut from black panel gutters at the end of one chapter to the normal white ones in the first page of the next one. There's always a transitional page within the chapter, be it at the start or at the end. (At least for the full, multi-chapter flashbacks, I think one of the small, segmented Zou ones went straight from black to white over a chapter break.) I'm not sure where the fade to grey on the last page here leaves us. It's not quite the present, but with only a day left to cover, I can't imagine there being anything else worth showing. Maybe Bonney's view of the offscreen battle with York? A shorthand version only, though.

Either way, it's been a hell of a year for One Piece, and with Egghead's momentum going into its climax, I think the next one could be even better.

[askthechronoverse]

This is the third supplemental story out of four. It's a good idea to read everything in order, but at least have read "A Call to a Different Kind of Adventure" first.

A light breeze caressed Rex's face as he watched the calm water out into the soft late afternoon horizon. This place was advertised to him as the most perfect spot on the Unikingdom coast and he could understand why. The view from the path he took to get here was picturesque and it only got better when his feet hit the sand. Behind him, his raptor crew was setting everything up with the help of some very frazzled caterers in suits. Each raptor had a bowtie around their large necks to match. One headed over to her captain and growled something softly.

"Yogurt, tell him he probably looks fine. He needs to stop worrying. Remind him that it isn't too late to go to Syspocalypstar and just get a marriage certificate. Pretty sure we can refund the whole thing and take a year long honeymoon with the cash." He stroked the raptor's snout and took a deep breath as the large lizard left.

The clouds blocked out the sun, but it was more of a blessing than a curse in the middle of summer. The whole event was going to be outdoors, on a beach far removed from the rest of the tourist laden coastline. The most they were going to have were tents, which the raptors were building behind him. He heard a shout and turned to face it's source.

Unikitty flew over to her friend, her dress billowing around her. She rushed to give the man a hug. "Hey, Rex! Are you as nervous as Richard is right now, because I think he swallowed a whole butterfly hatchery."

"Can't say I'm not a little nervous. But-"

"You just pick a direction and act like you're sure, right?" A voice came from the sandy path. From the path came Emmet, dressed like he fell out of a romantic Victorian period piece. "This is the one time I gotta agree that's the right call.”

"Yeah. I have no reason not to in this case, though. After all we've been through, he's the only person on this planet I could see myself with. And you can tell him that, Yogurt." The raptor was breathing down Rex's neck by the time she was referred to. The raptor growled some more and Rex laughed. "He went with what that pushy saleslady said and went for a smaller size, right? Get Brock or Doctor Fox to lace it like I showed you. That should fix it. Tell him I can't love him any more than I do. I know this is his dream wedding, but we could go. I'd be happy to just have a paper saying we got this done."

"You'd deprive us of seeing the two of you get married, RJ?" Unikitty moaned playfully. "Your best man and his family flew all the way over here!"

"I'm just letting him know I'll marry him no matter what. I know he's nervous. He keeps sending Gerty to make sure I love him every five minutes. It's both endearing and slightly annoying. But I'll say it again: he's my missing piece and I'm going through this."

"We're all just glad you're willing to take that next step with someone, RJ!" Emmet pulled Rex in for a crushing bear hug. Lucy came up the path behind Emmet and hugged Rex as well, but more gently.

"Looks like you can stop pining over me. You're going to be a taken man in a few hours." Lucy said teasingly, smirking as she took a step back.

"Oh, I think you've been pining for me." Rex winked. "But yeah. I'm seein' someone else. Someone who needs to be reminded that I am still here and I'm not gonna just run out on him on his wedding day." He shook his head, feeling the hot breath of his raptor down his back once again. The raptor growled a long rant, which caused Rex to laugh. "He knows I can't come over there and kiss him. He's the one who decided he wanted to do the whole "can't see your bride on the day of the wedding" thing. Let him know I love him every time he asks. I want to be with him. Also, remind him that we still needed to find something borrowed and something blue. He won't take my old vest because it's "against his aesthetic"." Rex turned around and adjusted Yogurt's bowtie. He stroked the raptor's snout tenderly. "Tell him I can't wait until I can hold him in my arms and I can tell him all of this in person."

"I never pegged you as the type to get this sentimental." Lucy adjusted her tie. "Why are we dressed like we're on the set of a black and white movie in the middle of July, anyway?"

"Compromise. He wanted a large destination wedding, I wanted something smaller and more private. I got the guest size, he got the theme." Rex shrugged. "We've got plenty of water so people don't pass out."

"Is there anyone else coming, RJ? I didn't really see anyone else come through that pathway on the way up here." Emmet sounded a little concerned. He looked around, counting the miniscule number of guests within his head. It alarmed him slightly that the only other person besides the people around him now he really recognized was Benny, who was looking out at the ocean.

"Honestly, there shouldn't be that many people at a wedding. I'm not doing this to show off. Besides, if I had my way, he and I would be married by now and on a beach somewhere with a bottle of wine between us." Rex shouted over to a raptor to move a large white arch a little closer to the now set up chairs.

Just beyond the path, out of the way from the actual venue, sat a decent sized white tent. It had no windows or any way to see through it, but it looked like it fell out of a children's fantasy popup book. Doctor Fox stood inside it with her back to the entryway, folding her arms. She looked at the lacing of a stubborn corset and shook her head. She looked over to Brock, who shrugged.

"I don't think this is going to work, Richard. We may need to try taking some of the less essential seams out or maybe some of the boning. You do plan on keeping this dress, right?" She moved a straight pin she had in her mouth with her tongue from one side to the other.

"But the saleswoman on Syspocalypstar said it would fit without issue." Richard's monotone quivered as he adjusted the hem of his dress. "Why did I let her talk me into this?"

"I have no idea, but I can find out with a brain scan after this is over." Doctor Fox moved as Yogurt rushed into the tent and over to Richard. She growled low and softly, like she would her own mate. Richard's eyes became watery.

"He does? Oh, but I said I wanted to take this role and I need to do it right. He knows that. We discussed this. He's respectful of it..." He began to cry a little, stroking the muzzle of the raptor gently. "He needs to stop insisting I wear his old vest. It clashes with everything in this wedding." He adjusted the corset, undoing the work Doctor Fox and Brock had done in the back. Brock groaned and went back to lacing the corset. "Is everything set up? Has Emmet and Lucy arrived? Does Rex realize that he and I are getting married and that he can't take it back during the ceremony?" The raptor almost purred the replies, trying her best to mimic how his captain would answer. "Good. Good." Doctor Fox looked down at the sparkle matter that had fallen from her friend, which looked like a bag of mixed gems had fallen in the sand.

The raptor moved away for a moment, standing next to Richard. Doctor Fox also took a step back when she was finally done. "I'm a scientist and this is beyond me. What do you think, Yogurt?" The dinosaur's throat rumbled, but the fox gave no response.

"Do we even have time to do that? What time even is it?" Richard floated over to a box that was resting on a decent sized vanity, the dress long enough that it still scraped the sand. He opened the box and his eyebrows furrowed. He pulled out the contents: a small crown worn by a young Puppycorn, long before the dawn of the New Unikingdom, a necklace with a small heart shaped gem that seemed to glow in the dim light... and Rex's infamous vest. It was blue. He did borrow it. But it looked so wrong next to all the white and lace he was wearing. "Would Rex be mad if you did that?" The raptor seemed to almost laugh as she took the vest and handed it to Brock, pointing at a pair of scissors.

"Does she want me to do something with that?" Brock picked the scissors up, lifting an eyebrow.

"She wants you to craft a shawl out of it. I still think it would clash with the dress, but if we do this right, it won't look too bad. It should also hide how terrible the corset looks from the back if it's cut long enough." Richard floated down so his feet touched the ground. "I'm not going to get used to this."

"Then why do it? You can float and that's clearly more natural for you." Doctor Fox questioned as Brock kept Richard steady.

"It's symbolic. We are on equal footing in this relationship." Richard tapped his foot, though it was impossible to see this because of the dress. "I'm not ready for this. This... There isn't a step much larger than this."

"I would say you weren't this nervous with the comet ball, but I recall that you were. There is a step that's higher than this, if my knowledge of domestic science is correct: being a parent." Doctor Fox said the last sentence offhandedly, which didn't help Richard's nerves.

"Oh, yes. Sharing our love with a child would be the biggest step we could take together. It's doubtful that's in the cards for us, however. My beloved and I have a lot to work on together." Richard put the necklace and crown on, adjusting the headpiece so it was on his head just right. Yogurt growled calmingly. "Thank you. I needed the reminder, and I'll probably need it again." The raptor glanced over to Doctor Fox, shaking her head. She simply shrugged and began to get ready herself.

Emmet tried to map out the guests once more in his head. There was a flamingo with a turtle shell and a creature similar to Hawkodile, but beyond them, the people he already knew about, and Unikitty's friends, it seemed like this event was overly exclusive. He guessed he couldn't blame Rex for not including Batman or Metalbeard in the event, since he wasn't all that close to them. But the dozen or so guests made him wonder how well Rex actually adjusted to his life out here. He then looked over to Rex, who was talking to the two strange creatures. He was animated, speaking fast and gesturing wildly. There was an aura about him that screamed out his happiness.

He turned his attention to Unikitty. Considering what she had been through, she looked overjoyed. She also looked so regal. She stood at the archway, speaking to Queen Wa'nabi's butler. What was he doing here, Emmet wondered to himself. He was startled out of his concentration by Rex, who put his hand on his shoulder. When he jumped, Rex laughed.

"Bro, you're way too jumpy." He adjusted his tie, the only outward sign of his nervousness. "It's almost showtime. Ya ready?"

"I should be asking you that. It's your wedding." Emmet's face softened. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm gonna be. I'm sure seeing Rich for the first time all day is gonna help the heavy feeling I have in my stomach." Rex shook his head.

"Why is Watevra's butler here, by the way?"

"He's here to make the whole thing officially recognized by the Systar System. Rich wouldn't let Unikitty do it because it felt too… nepotistic, I guess? I dunno if that's the word I'm lookin' for. I swear the ice cream man keeps glarin' at me, but I… can't blame the guy."

"Most of us have forgiven you. You know that, right?" Emmet's voice was softer now.

"Not the queen or her court. Ya know how many times PC had tried to get an official pardon for me? Too many." There was a resignation in Rex's tone.

"RJ, she just hasn't officially said anything. That doesn't mean anything." As the two spoke, a slightly older Puppycorn wandered over to the two. "Oh! Hi, Puppycorn!"

"Hey, Emmet! Did you bring me a present?" The young dog's tail started wagging.

"Sorry. I didn't. Maybe next time?" This didn't disappoint the dog for too long.

"Hey, RJ. Do you know where the rings are? I'm supposed to have them, right?" Puppycorn rubbed his neck, moving the bowtie he was wearing to one side.

"Pretty sure Rich has 'em. Don't think he'd trust me with something that important." Rex laughed, which seemed to hold some nervousness.

"You know you can do this. You're strong and brave." Puppycorn smiled, picking up on his closest friend's worry. "Besides, you and Rick are inseparable at this point. Isn't this just a formality for you or something?"

"Yeah, but it's important to him. I can't be the one who messes this up for him." He felt a tap on his shoulder and almost jumped. He turned to see a rather impatient ice cream cone, who cleared his throat.

"Are you ready? We need to start soon." His voice was clearly holding back some annoyance, but he wasn't sure if this was his normal state or if it was some disdain from the last wedding he officiated that Rex was involved in.

"Yeah... I think."

"You can't just think. You need to know. Are you actually ready to take this step? I won't tolerate uncertainty at this stage. Especially not from you." The butler's eyes looked right through Rex, the words spoken came out curtly and sharply.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Rex's voice held less nervousness, but that could be an act to get the sentient ice cream cone to stop glaring at him.

"Good. I'm doing this as a favor to your fiance, so try to take this seriously. Take your places, all of you. We should be ready to start." The butler hopped away to his place at the center of the now flower laden archway.

"Guess this is it. Let's not keep that butler waiting. I think he's gonna throw down if I wait any longer." Rex and Emmet made their way to the archway, Rex trying to ground himself so he didn't just run. Emmet took his hand and the act seemed to calm him. He took a breath and took his place in front of the arch

Somewhere in the distance, music began to play. Something about it felt grand and elegant, like a royal march from a time and place that was lost.. Rex chose to looked everywhere but the center aisle until he heard the sound of silk softly scraping the sand. The nerves were coming back with a vengeance and no amount of breathing was making that go away. His heart was invading his throat by the time Richard, who was escorted by Unikitty, stood in front of him. The two looked into each other's eyes and the pounding in Rex's throat became louder and harsher.

"It's not too late to run out of here and-" Rex whispered this, but Richard put a finger on his lip, almost in tears. He shook his head and glanced over to the butler, who rolled his eyes.

"Are both of you ready, Richard?" Richard nodded in response to the butler, flashing Rex a reassuring and excited grin. "Good. Now then..."

It was hard for Rex to pay attention at this point. He just kept staring at his fiance, lost in the sparkle in the other man's eyes and just wanting to kiss him right then and there. He leaned over to Richard and whispered softly.

"You look beautiful, babe." This caused Richard to start crying again. "You always do, but today? It's extra special." He couldn't help but notice that, overtop of the beautiful lace dress was a shawl that was cut from his old vest. It didn't really hide what it once was, but it was definitely transformed. "Thought you said you weren't gonna wear that." The two heard a throat clear behind them and Rex straightened up.

"Can you please keep him from interrupting the proceedings, Richard? You're clearly the more responsible one here." Another nod from Richard, who took a few breaths to gain his composure. Rex adjusted the crown on his lover's head and took the opportunity to whisper in his ear.

"I love you, R." Richard mouthed that he loved Rex and sniffled.

Charles simply rolled his eyes again and continued to talk.

"The union of two souls is a sacred and serious task that can only be undertaken in perfect love and trust. In order to make sure you two are ready to take on this task..." He took a breath, burying some disgust. "Richard. Do you take Rex to be the one you spend your life with as your partner, to remain by his side forevermore?"

Through tears, Richard nodded. "I do."

"Rex... Do you take-" The butler paused when a loud hum filled the air. Everyone gathered looked up to see a large black ship hover over them, blocking out the sun. Rex could swear that Charles seemed less surprised, but waved it off quickly. Richard's pupils shrank as he grabbed Rex's hand, dropping a bouquet of beautiful crystalline flowers that sparkled as they hit the ground. He buried his head in Rex's chest, Rex putting his arms around him. Hawkodile, Flamurtle, and Eaglator got up and took up fighting stances, ready to take down the invaders. A few shots were fired from the ship, making sand fly everywhere.

"Hey... Hey now... Don't cry, babe." Rex held Richard close, slowly pulling a Lazer gun out of his pocket. This made the stoic ice cream cone butler lift an eyebrow. He looked up saw two figures drop from the low flying ship.

Hawkodile and Flamurtle flanked the two crashers and stopped when they got close. Hawkodile bowed and Flamurtle got out of the way.

"Hey! I don't care who you are! You're scaring my husband." Rex tried to point the gun at the two, but Charles grabbed the weapon out of his hand. "Hey!"

"I thought we agreed on not having weapons at this wedding." Charles threw the gun aside. Rex just held Richard close and swayed a little, humming a caling song while the two wedding crashers rushed up the aisle. One of the two was a woman made of many colors who wore a familiar dark blue safety vest. She had a wide, wild grin on her face as she hugged the two grooms.

"Hello, boys." The woman was suppressing laughter, something Rex would have done himself if his partner wasn't on the verge of tears and he wasn't in a complete state of shock. A

"Wait... Is that Queen Wa'nabi?" Richard looked up at the large woman, eyes wide.

"You look like an angel in that dress, Ricky!" Queen Wa'nabi's words and smile were warm enough to disarm Rex and loosen Richard's grip on him. She let go of the two of them, while the other crasher laughed.

"We're never gonna be even, Dangervest, but this feel great!" He continued to laugh. Rex groaned when he saw who it was: Batman.

"No, we won't. You traumatized Richard. Look." Richard's eyes were still wide and his left eye was twitching. "It's okay. Babe, it's okay."

"It isn't, but I can't tell the Queen of the Systar System off." Richard took Rex's hand while Queen Wa'nabi gave him the bouquet that was still on the platform. "Nor can I punch Batman's face."

"Oh, you wouldn't be able to touch me, Unikitty's Alfred." Batman smirked cockily. "You probably have the upper body strength of a soft pillow."

"I keep telling you: his name is Richard, Batman!" Unikitty chimed in. "And he's my dad slash advisor!"

"Yeah, whatever. I don't care slash- HEY!" Batman lifted his arms instinctively as a bundle of flowers went flying towards his face. No matter how fast he was at blocking, the bouquet still managed to find its target.

"Don't talk to the princess like that." Richard hit Batman a few more times with the bouquet. His monotone held a fury Rex never thought he'd hear from his lover. "You crash my dream wedding and disrespect my princess... How dare you."

"Rich, relax. He's not worth ruining your beautiful bouquet over... Or losing your beautiful smile." Rex held Richard close again, partially to comfort him and partially to break the two up before someone ended up in the hospital… and his money would have been on Batman. He looked over to Charles, who seemed to have a smirk on his face. Queen Wa'nabi had taken a place in one of the chairs in the crowd, patting a seat next to her for Batman to have a seat. Once Batman finally started down, Charles cleared his throat and the small wedding party took their places once again.

"Now that the queen has joined us... Rex, do you take Richard as your life partner, to remain by his side forevermore?" Charles said Rex's name like there was something stuck in his throat.

"I do, and always will." Rex took Richard's hand softly, trying to keep from crying to not set Richard off.

"Alright. Where are the rings?" Charles asked almost impatiently, watching as Puppycorn rushed down the aisle, two rings on a soft white pillow in his paws. The rings looked like golden snakes, the eyes were inlaid emeralds and sapphires. The rings look like they came together, the two serpents coiling in opposite directions and could conceivably wrap around each other. He sat between Rex and Richard, just happy to have done his job well enough to get the rings over to them.

"Take the rings. Once you're ready, you can say your vows." Charles put his hands behind his back now. He focused his gaze at Rex, who felt that look deep in his creative spark.

Richard picked up the ring on his side of the pillow and Rex did the same. Richard opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Rex took his free hand and spoke.

"This ring is an outward symbol of my love to you and my desire to always be there when you need me. You're the sun to my moon, the star I navigate with to find my heart's north. I can't promise the road in front of us will be smooth and idyllic, but I'll continue to be in your corner when things get scary. I put this ring on your finger to remind you of this whenever you look at it." He slid the ring on his partner's finger, who looked like he was going to melt in a puddle at this point.

"This ring is an outward symbol of my love to you and the path we're on together. You have grown so much since we first met. You went from an unreliable stranger to my unconditional support, someone who saw me at my darkest and didn't give up on the man you knew I could be. You are my soulmate, someone I would give everything I care about to be with. I put this ring on your finger as... as a reminder of this undeniable fact." With shaking hands, Richard attempted to put the ring on Rex's finger. Rex put his free hand on the one Richard was using to put on the ring and helped keep his hand steady. When it was finally put on, Rex smiled softly.

"Now, with the blessing of the Empress of the Systar System and the Princess of the Unikingdom, this union of souls has been concluded and you are now together forevermore. You may now kiss for the first time as life partners." Charles remained stoic as he spoke.

Rex pulled Richard close, aware of the height difference between the two of them. The two fell into a deep kiss, twin heart shaped pieces of sparkle matter forming above their heads. They glowed softly as they fell next to each other in the sand.

When the wedding concluded, the guests were ushered away from the main part of the beach so the raptors could set up for the reception. When the guests were allowed to return, the whole area was set up in a way that was elegant and lit with twinkling lights. Two sparking haired vampires set up turntables in a corner close to the woods while Yogert finished her work setting up the dance floor. The tables were a simple wooden design, clearly made to be set up and hauled away quickly. Each table had an ivory name card and a vase with hydrangea and fern in the center. The wedding party was seated in the center of the tables with the wedding cake at the center of that. The raptor watched the guests take their seats as he moved to stand guard over the wedding gifts.

The wedding party was introduced and led to their places. It wasn't a large party, but the table was filled out with plus ones and the royal families of Syspocalypstar and the Unikingdom. After all were seated and settled with drinks, one of the vampires gestured to the other to set up some lights around the dancefloor.

"Hello there, ladies and gentlemen." The vampire spoke into the mic in front of him with a smooth, almost hypnotizing voice. "The guests of honor are still getting ready, so I'm going to spin something to set the mood and give them time." He began to play soft instrumental music while he had his partner check a small tent behind them.

While the wedding party waited, money began to be thrown around over the song for the first dance. It had to be something old and grand for the grooms to get ready for it. This started out as a joke, but soon, money was pooled in one of the vases.

After what felt like an eternity, the vampire returned. In the now twilight, two silhouettes faced each other from opposite sides of the dancefloor. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen." As he spoke, the area became silent. "For the first time as a couple, please put your hands together for RJ..."

As he said the first name, a green spotlight fell on the side of the dancefloor closest to the forest. Rex wore a white sweatshirt and faded blue jeans. His head was down, but one could swear he was grinning with a toothpick in his teeth.

"... And Richard Brickowski!"

Now, a blue spotlight shone on a blonde wigged Richard. He adjusted his forest green leg warmers, slowly straightening his back as the two men looked at each other from across the dance floor. The gathered party gave an admittedly lukewarm applause, but the chosen attire of both grooms was unexpected.

"And now, the moment we've all been waiting for: their first dance as a married couple!"

As the music started to blast, Rex threw off his sweatshirt to reveal a white sleeveless undershirt. He grinned as he and Richard rushed to meet at the middle of the floor, just in time for the lyrics to start.

The two men danced with no regard or concern for the audience watching in awe. The song was an 80's synth rock song, one that felt nostalgic somehow. There was something almost magical and mesmerizing in their dance moves. They seemed almost in sync with one another, not taking their eyes off each other as they moved. It almost felt like they could become one being if they got close enough.

When the refrain was sung for the last time, a small amount of glittery and shiny star shaped confetti fell over them. Rex grabbed Richard and spun him before kissing him passionately. By this point, the party had gathered around the dancefloor and started clapping to the drum beat.

When the song ended, the applause was far more enthusiastic. From the wedding party's table, Puppycorn counted his winnings.

[pb-loves-owls]

thinking abt how to get gil and harvey in the old hexsquad shenanigans without uprooting them or putting them conveniently into a dangerous situation but im afraid they’re just gonna have to be put into a dangerous situation

was trying to find info about st epiderm and saw a crew-story about sword magic

maybe it could be one of the many adventures outside of bonesborough?

they all go up the knee for Odalia’s birthday party and naturally, she and alador are fighting. They’ve been fighting the whole way there and it’s making everyone miserable and awkward. most of them didn’t even wanna come but got dragged up by Darius who didnt wanna be alone with them and the other populars (he got a taste of non-toxic friendships and now he’s having a tough time).

Odalia’s is being a jerk so she practically forces everyone who weren’t specifically her friends to sleep in the same room. which… tbh would be kinda fair if it’s something she needed to book in advance. buut she didn’t and it’s her family’s vacation home with a bajillion rooms. enough for everyone and their guardians to have their own room.

so Lily, Eda, and Raine are basically roomies. which is still fine for them since the room itself is huge anyway, and the bed is so big it could fit five.

Eda wants to go have an adventure. since Raine used to live up there, they offer to give the squad a rundown of all the local lore. They didn’t really think anyone would wanna act on it since the magic up on the knee is so much more potent and the beasts are more dangerous. so they tell them about the secret stacks of St. Ep’s library and how it’s said that in there holds secrets of magic that are so ancient and so dangerous that not even the bravest of wild witches dare try.

so obviously, Eda wants to learn it.

Lilith tries to talk her out of it but is p much ignored after Raine says they have a man in the inside who would sneak his bf in all the time.

Man of course is Gilbert, who coincidentally is accompanied with Harvey who claims they’re just friends who sometimes hold hands and cuddle.

This’ll be before Eda and Raine start dating too.

Raine is all “really dude”

and Eda replies with “hey, we do that all the time and we’re best friends too!”

Darius does a check in with Raine to check if they’re good. Eda has no idea why they’re taking so long to follow, so she checks back, and sees them laughing with each other. basically she thinks she’s about to lose her best friend.

some time after finding the secret stacks entrance and entering it, the squad accidentally unleash an eldritch horror onto the school and have to slay it before anybody catches them.

cue barging into Gil’s room for that classic “walking in on an almost kiss” scene

Eda goes “woah what’re you doing?” “dude obviously they were about to ki—”

and then Harvey yells “KICKBOX”. pause for effect. then he gets kicked by Gilbert, who is done with the games, and asks what they’re doing in his room. Cue the low guttural growl of the monster.

After running a lot, the squad makes it outside, but Raine gets cornered by the monster. This triggers the owl beast, which turns out is now bigger than the monster. by a lot.

It eats the monster.

but now Raine is confronted with the Owl Beast. Lilith is trying to stop everyone from hurting Eda, but all anyone sees is the beast. Lilith is crying and apologizing to Eda.

but Raine isn’t all that scared. They know Eda and they know she wouldn’t hurt them if she knew what was going on. She was just afraid. using bard magic, they place a calming effect on her and talk her back down. Eda is exhausted to say the least.

In the end, Harvey apologizes to Gil and says that he was just afraid of them not being friends anymore if they start dating. Gil disuades those fears by saying that the reason he likes him so much is because they’re such good friends. and that as long as they communicate, they’ll always be friends first. they agree to go slow. Gilbert tells Raine that they’re welcome anytime but to maybe keep it chill next time.

while everyone is walking back, Eda stops Raine to talk to them. she thanks them for not attacking her or letting people attack her, to which they reply that she should thank Lily for the latter. as for the former, they could never be scared of her. because they’ve seen what a huge dork she is.

Eda still looks down in the dumps though, prompting Raine to ask what’s up. like. Is it the part where she almost attacked them because they can hold her off on their own too. then Eda tells them that she saw how close they and Darius have been getting. and they and Lilith, and Alador, and that she’s just afraid that they’re seeing she’s not all that cool of a person to hang out with.

Raine throws a snowball at her and tells her to stop talking about their best friend like that. They didn’t have many friends at St. Eps. Even Gilbert was a lot more social and didn’t actually hang out with them all that much. Not that they minded. but Eda was the first person ever that they felt really connected with. “you’re special to me, okay? nobody else comes close.”

they give her a kiss on the cheek and tell her to hurry up because everyone else is probably back at Odalia’s family manor already.

When they turn around to catch up to everyone, they don’t see Eda blushing all “oh no I have a crush”.