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boygirlmeetsworld · 3 years ago

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Nightmares.

ONE-SHOT(Maybe)

Word Count: 1414

Disclaimer: One Piece and all it’s characters belong to Eiichiro Oda, I just like to write about them.

Warnings: None.

Rating: T

Author’s Notes: I was thinking about how luffy absolutely for sure has ptsd from his insane childhood & how he probably deals with nightmares from time to time bc of it. i like to hc that he goes to cuddle with various crew mates when he’s having a really hard night; and that he started doing it bc of the very first night he and zoro spent in the boat together so I wrote about it, lol.

this is mostly from zoro’s pov & honestly now that I’m writing this post I might make this a series alternating between luffy’s pov and the rest of the straw hats when he comes to them for comfort bc I love writing cuddle fics. we’ll seeeeee.

Summary: Zoro’s not used to comforting people, but for his captain? He could learn to be.

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Lost somewhere in a foggy dream land, Zoro woke when he was startled by what sounded like soft cries drifting into his left ear. ‘What the hell?’

Cracking one groggy eye open, the swordsman turned his head in Luffy’s direction to find him thrashing side to side with his arms thrown over his face like he was defending himself.

Were they under attack? He sat up to get a better look but he didn’t see anyone else in their boat. ‘So Luffy… Was still asleep? Should he try to wake him up?’

“Oi, Luffy! Wake up, you’re just dreaming.”

He must not have spoken loud enough because Luffy didn’t react. Instead, he started twisting even more violently to the point that the boat rocked with him. It sounded like he was mumbling the phrase, “I won’t tell you,” over and over again but Zoro hadn’t the faintest clue why.

“Luffy! Wake UP!” Zoro tried again, this time louder, and when that didn’t work he swore. ‘The hell else was he supposed to do?!’ He had to put a stop to this before Luffy capsized the both of them.

Without many other ideas, or options really, he decided to plant one of his knees on either side of Luffy’s thighs, trapping them. Then he reached down and grabbed one of the rubber boy’s wrists in each of his hands, pinning them to his chest and pressing his whole torso against the bottom of the boat.

“Snap out of it Luffy, you’re havin’ a nightmare!” To his great relief, Luffy’s eyes finally fluttered open but his pupils were like pinpricks, his breathing erratic, head whipping around like he wasn’t sure where he was.

When his eyes landed back on his first mate, Zoro noticed how his pupils dilated back to their normal size. “Zoro..?” He managed to slow his breathing as he looked up at him, slightly confused but considerably less scared. It was almost like recognizing Zoro’s face had been what calmed him down.

The pirate hunter heaved a quiet sigh, releasing Luffy’s wrists and sitting back on his heels a little, regarding the boy lying beneath him with something in his expression akin to sympathy. “Does that happen a lot?”

Luffy was quiet for a while, gaze sweeping off to the side like he was remembering something he didn’t want to. Stuck to his eyes were a layer of tears that made them sparkle like the stars above their heads. His voice was quiet when he finally did answer. “Sorta.”

That was troubling for more than one reason. Zoro furrowed his brows, concerned, arms moving to cross over his chest before he realized that he was still straddling the captain’s thighs. ‘Shit, fuck, whoops.’

Blood threatened to burn his cheeks as he quickly moved off to kneel next to him instead. This time he knotted his arms together because he was self-conscious.

Luffy didn’t seem to think anything of it as he sat up and hugged his shins to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. He looked so… Tired, and small.

A stark contrast from the fearless captain that had leapt in front of a flurry of bullets to save him from execution without thinking once. It hurt his heart to see Luffy like this. ‘But what could he possibly do to help?’

“Is there… Anything that’ll make them stop?”

“Well…” Luffy knit his brows together as he thought for a moment, looking in Zoro’s direction. “It never happens when I sleep with someone.”

Zoro stared back at him with slightly narrowed eyes for several seconds.

‘He couldn’t possibly be talking about sex, right? There was no way. Did -- Luffy even know what sex was? Never mind - he must have meant literally sleeping next to somebody else.’

“What, so like… Cuddling?”

“I guess, yeah.”

He was blinking so innocently over at Zoro that the swordsman felt his heart wrench like he’d been stabbed. “…Why cuddling?”

“Dunno. Just makes me feel more safe.”

There was no reason that he couldn’t do that for his captain. None that weren’t rooted in machismo ideals about when/how it was appropriate to comfort or be affectionate with other men, at least.

“I…” He began and then hesitated, glancing anywhere but directly at Luffy. ‘Why was his pulse spiking like this? What the hell was he so nervous about? Knock it off, idiot.’

Zoro bit the inside of his cheek to punish himself for being so out of control of his own body. Hard as he tried he just couldn’t keep his face from turning red as he spoke. “I’ll sleep with you, Luffy. If it’ll make you feel better.”

If he noticed him blushing his captain didn’t comment, but he did lift his head into a slight tilt. “Are you sure? You don’t have to, you know.”

“Of course I know that, dumbass,” Zoro dragged a hand through his hair, his face burning even hotter than he thought it could. He started to chastise himself for being so stupid and embarrassing but then Luffy smiled at him.

Not the wide grin he tended to give out during the day, though. This one was smaller, less in his mouth and more in his eyes. Zoro calmed almost instantly, the tension leaving his shoulders and untying his knotted stomach. ‘Why did Luffy’s smile make him feel so light and sunny every single time?’

“Okay,” he seemed relieved, like the offer had been exactly what he needed, “Thanks Zoro.”

Zoro heaved a heavy sigh when he was sure that most of the blood had drained from his cheeks, looking back at his captain with feigned irritation. “Shut your mouth.”

Luffy giggled, beaming with both eyes scrunched up as Zoro stretched out beside him, placing both hands behind his head. Then he moved to join his first mate, draping an arm across his torso and tangling one of his legs with his. His head settled onto Zoro’s chest, cheek pressed right over the space where his heart pounded quicker than its owner would like to admit.

“Night Zoro.” Luffy mumbled fondly, eyelids slipping closed as he nuzzled his forehead against one of Zoro’s collarbones.

‘Damnit. He was too goddamn cute for his own good.’ Zoro bit the inside of his cheek again, gazing silently up at the dark clouds shifting above his head and wondering why on earth he’d just referred to Luffy as cute. That wasn’t a word men were supposed to use to describe each other...

But for fuck’s sake, he was cute. He was fucking adorable. He was like a little kid that needed Zoro to protect him -- and he could do that. He would do that. He would do anything if it meant keeping Luffy safe.

“Yeah,” Zoro murmured after a while, folding one of his arms securely around Luffy’s waist and pulling him in till the top of his head was nestled under his chin, “Night, captain.”

Luffy hummed back softly. A few minutes later he was snoring peacefully while the swordsman’s eyes remained trained on the rapidly thinning clouds.

Somehow in the span of just a day this.. kid had become the most important person in his life and Zoro refused to let death take him like it had taken Kuina. He hadn’t been there to catch her when she fell -- but he would be there for his captain. He vowed to himself and the stars winking down at him that he would always protect Luffy.

If he fell Zoro would catch him. If he was thrown into the sea, Zoro would dive after him without even thinking once. If he was captured Zoro would break him free or he would die trying.

He felt Luffy shifting against his side and at first Zoro thought he might be having another nightmare -- but then he just snuggled closer and buried his face in his neck. ‘So fucking precious.’ A small smile pulled at his mouth that he didn’t fight off.

Holding Luffy felt nice. No, it felt really nice. It gave him a sense of purpose and made him feel needed, wanted. The only other time he felt something remotely similar to this was when he got his hands on expensive sake -- but this feeling was so much better. Maybe... It was okay to relish in it for a while.

If only under the cover of night where it was just him, his captain, and the nearly endless sea.

#one piece #one piece fanfiction #roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #hurt/comfort #zolu #platonic love #zoro #luffy

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unmaskedagain · 5 years ago

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Marinette: Crazy Rich

So in this fic,. If you’ve seen Crazy Rich Asians, you’ll know why as the fic goes on. Also, I totally ripped a few lines from Girl Meets World; fans of the show will recognize them instantly!!!

They met when they were young; younger than either of them remember. The first time, Marinette and Ali had both in babes in their cribs when their grandmothers’ introduced them. The second time, they just learn to walk and or run, and seemed love making a mess of everything; again not something they could remember but had plenty of pictures of.

The third time, and the one they both remembered, Marinette had been just six-years-old. Ali had been seven. They each were the apple of their grandmother’s eyes. Their grandmothers were best friends having known each other since they were little girls.

It had been a playdate at one of the Young family homes. Ali had worn a dapper grey suit that would look ridiculously expensive on an adult man, let alone a child that just barely learned to tie his shoes. Marinette had worn a darling silvery purple dress that was closer to a ball gown than any dress any other four-year-old girl would wear to a playdate.

Both kids shyly hid their faces behind their grandmother’s skirts and had to be coaxed softly to greet each other.

Prince Ali bowed regally as he had been taught, “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Young.” He was a handsome boy with dark-skin, olive-green eyes, and black hair. Ali always wore a charming smile on his face as expected of him. He was a Prince, and while it wasn’t easy, he did what of expected of him.

“It is an honor, Prince Ali,” Marinette curtseyed gracefully. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair and bluebell eyes. She was the essence of a perfect little lady. “We have a wonderful playroom that I would like to show you if you able?”

Prince Ali looked to his grandmother for an answered. She nodded silently, an amused smile on his face. The young prince grinned, “Yes, please.” He held his arm out for Marinette. She took it, a pink blush on her face, and they walked side by side out of the foyer, their perspective bodyguards trailing after them, while their grandmothers’ cooed in the background before departing to have tea.

The playroom was larger than three apartments combined; it had specific areas dedicated to art, sports, video games, tea parties, a jungle gym built to look like a castle, and even an area just for snacks. In order to get around, there were trampoline paths.

Prince Ali blinked in awe.

“You get used to it,” Marinette giggled. “Come on!” She grabbed his hand and ran across the trampoline path to the jungle gym. They jumped the entire way, their bodyguard watching from the distance ready to act if something went wrong.

“Call me Marinette,” Marinette said when they made it to the top. She pulled out two foams swords and handed him one. “Or Mari.

“Ali,” He said as he took the sword.

“I’m Pirate Captain Sparkle,” She yelled and pointed her sword. “And you my dreaded rival have come to steal my treasure… Captain.”

“Tiger Eye,” Ali nodded seriously. “Captain Tiger Eye. Engarde!”

The two pirate captains dueled all over the jungle gym before teaming up to defeat the evil space monsters that came to steal all the ice cream and candy in the world.

Ali laughed as he jumped into the foam ball pit after a giggling Marinette. They both laid there for a moment trying to catch their breaths as they stared at the ceiling painted to look like the night, each constellation connected.

“You’re not how I imagined,” Ali said.

Marinette hummed, “Spoiled rotten, uptight, crazy rich brat who only like tea parties and princess things; who’d cry the second I don’t get what I want?”

“Well… yes.”

She shrugged, “I get that a lot. I don’t know why. If I so much as considered for a moment of throwing a tantrum in public, my grandmother would have me shipped boarding school in Sweden. No matter what my parents said.”

Ali nodded, “Same. Though, mine would be in Scotland. My mother has a strong fascination with Harry Potter.”

“You’re not what I imagined either.”

“Stuffy prince, that always had his nose in the air,” Prince Ali started, “So he can look down on everyone; that expects everyone to bow and cater to his every whim?”

“That about covers it.”

He snorted, “My grandmother would have me scrubbing bedpans at one her hospitals the moment I ever said was better than anyone.”

Both laughed.

“Do you ever get tired of it?” Ali suddenly asked. “Always been told to do this, or that you can’t do that. Always being on your best behavior because of what people would think. I never get to do anything I want.”

Ali was the first grandchild and took after his grandmother Queen Aishwarya with his kind, fun-loving nature, as well as his ability to recognize authenticity in people. Like Aishwarya, Ali would later become a philanthropist who dedicated his time to volunteering at and donating money to child hospitals and leading the go-green initiative in his country. He wasn’t allowed to behave like most kids; never allow himself to be as free as them.

“Shoulders back and stand up straight,” Marinette recited. “Mind your manners, smile for the cameras. Always be clean and orderly. It’s like I’m a trophy. Don’t make a mess. Watch what you say but never let anyone think you can’t say it. Sometimes it sucks. But what I can I do. Can I really cry about it? I’m a rich, only child that gets everything I want… as long as I behave. There are expectations of me, and if I stay, I get shut down.” Hard.

Marinette spent her childhood split between France and Singapore. In Paris, she was able to relax as Marinette Dupain-Cheng the daughter of a pair of rather well-known bakers. In Singapore, she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young or just Marinette Young for short; the granddaughter of Eleanor and Phillip Young, an heir of the wealthiest family in all of Singapore and most of the world. And people, her family mostly, and the paparazzi had expectations of Marinette Young.

Marinette Young was a Singaporean child socialite. The media referred to her as “The Princess” for her beauty and the impeccable fashion sense she distributed from a young age. She followed her older cousin Astrid to all the fashions, taking her cues from her.

“Yeah…”

Marinette lift her head to look at Ali, “What do you like to do?”

“I like to help people,” Ali murmured. “I like helping my grandmother at the hospitals and making sick kids feel better. Maybe be a doctor!”

“I like fashion, my cousin Astrid likes it too,” Marinette said. “So let’s make a deal. You help kids. I’ll work in fashion. That’s what we want to do so we’re going to do it. Okay?”

“Deal,” Ali nodded firmly and then looked thoughtful. “Are we friends?”

Marinette smiled, “Best friends.”

And so there were. Over the next few years, the two would meet up for playdates frequently. Eventually, Prince Ali would come to know Marinette Dupain-Cheng well too.

When the playdate ended, Marinette waved goodbye sadly as her new friend left.

That night, while her grandmother brushed her hair before bed, she asked. “Did you like Prince Ali?”

Marinette nodded, “Yes. He was very polite and played pretend really well.” She left off the part where he was a dreaded pirate captain because of details.

“Aishwarya and I thought you would like each other,” Eleanor nodded. “I’m glad to see you get along well. Hopefully, you will grow closer as you get older.”

“Why?” Marinette asked curiously. Her grandmother had never cared about whether she would still be friends with her playdates in the future. Normally, the playdates were a way to have a business meeting with it being obvious to the outside world that it was, in fact, a business meeting.

Eleanor smiled softly down at Marinette, looking less like the elegant scary Dragon-lady the media claimed she was, and more like any loving grandmother.

Eleanor knew she always favored Marinette, her first grandchild; even if she had severely frowned on her oldest daughter Sabine marrying a baker. Though she had frowned less once their bakery became a successful international chain, akin to Gordon Ramsey restaurants. Their headquarters in Singapore. In Eleanor’s defense, they came from a rather wealthy family and with roots of nobility. Who wouldn’t be a little upset if their heir and beloved daughter running off to marry a baker she met in France? Sabine had even gotten Nick and Astrid to help with her elopement.

It would be years before Eleanor manages to quell the snickers and rumors that persisted after Sabine’s departure, and just as long until she was willing to speak with her oldest child again. However, that was mostly because she learned Sabine was pregnant.

Eleanor was in France for the duration of the pregnancy and had loved Marinette instantly the second she was born. Her beautiful granddaughter with hair so black it looks blue in the right light, and bright blue eyes bluer than anyone could even imagine. It’s a wonder, Eleanor, ever let go of her. (But apparently, Tom had the right to hold his child too, or some nonsense like that.)

Because of her grandmother, Marinette’s childhood was… odder than most. While her parents preferred a more modest lifestyle despite their wealth, her mother’s side of the family… did not.

“Do you know how your grandfather and I met?” The older woman asked. Marinette shook her head no. “We met when we were really young, about you and Prince Ali’s age. Our parents were business partners who believed marriage was the best solidify the partnership, and bring up both of our families statuses. So we were betrothed.”

Marinette blinked, slowly understanding hit her. “It means engaged right?”

“In a way,” Eleanor nodded. “It meant we were promised to each other and that one day we would marry; uniting our families as one. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

“The playdate,” Marinette said. “It was a test to see if Ali and could get along. We are to be promised to each other.”

Eleanor put the hairbrush down. “No. You are promised to each other. We finalized the arrangement today. The official betrothal will be announced after your thirteenth birthday. One day, you will marry Prince Ali. Prince Ali is the oldest child of Queen Aishwarya’s oldest son. Do you know what that means when you marry him?”

Marinette nodded, not fully understand what being married meant. Or what being betrothed meant but knew it was important. She thought of Snow White and Cinderella, and what marry a prince meant for them. “If I marry Ali, it means one day, I’ll be Queen.”

“You’ll be a princess,” Eleanor correct gently. “Queen Aishwarya’s steps down, which will not be for quite some time, her son and heir will take her place, and then one day Prince Ali will take his father’s place. Then you will be Queen.”

Marinette grew up dealing with the fact that she would one day be Queen the best way she could; she put it of mind. It wasn’t like her life changed all that much; she just attended more lessons than usual. Heck, her life changed more when she became Ladybug. So she was engaged to be engaged, so what? All that meant was that she couldn’t date anyone seriously. She could date though, which was what counted.

She and Prince Ali were still best friends and what girl didn’t want to marry her best friend?

When Marinette was thirteen, Prince Ali had a surprise visit to Paris under the guise of visiting the local children’s hospital. It was the first time he came to visit without his grandmother with him. And it was the first time Marinette met him without her grandmother there.

They met at a secluded rooftop restaurant. Prince Ali wore a dark suit. Marinette wore a stylish, elegant red dress, that coincidently matched Prince Ali’s tie. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. When they sat down for dinner and a violin started to play, it took Marinette all but five seconds to realize what was going down.

“This is quite romantic. You could’ve had just asked me on a date, you know?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “I might’ve said yes.”

Ali gave her a devilish smirk, “As if there was ever a chance you’d say no.”

His bodyguard huffed a laugh, “He was too chicken to ask.”

“Really, Kalil! Really!” Prince Ali face-palmed in the face of Marinette’s giggles. “It’s not funny,” He told her.

“Yes, it is.”

Ali sighed but gave a low chuckle, “It’s a little funny.”

It went silent as each tried to think of what to say.

“I just wanted to-” Ali started.

“I know that this-” Marinette said at the same time.

They both gave small laughs. Marinette nodded, “Please, go ahead.”

“We’re older now,” Ali swallowed hard. “You’re thirteen now. And I just wanted to… I wanted to know if it was still alright. If you were still open to marrying me? If not, we should be mature about it. We should let our grandparents know before the announcement. Then we’ll go our separate ways and never talk or see each other again if you want.”

“Save yourselves and our families the embarrassment,” She nodded. Marinette fought now to glance down; to not show weakness, as her grandmother taught her, as her mother taught her like Astrid taught her. She was a Young. Youngs’ were not weak. “Do you want to marry me?”

“I asked you first!” Ali whined, making his bodyguard snort.

“How old are you? Six?”

He stuck his tongue out, “Six and a half for your information.” Ali shook his head. “When we were little we made a deal. You’d go into fashion, and I’d help sick kids, help people all over the world because it’s what we wanted to do; not what anyone wants us to do. You’re a fashion designer. I’m a philanthropist. Pretty brave of us considering if Nick ever decides to run for the hills, you’d be shipped off to Harvard business school before you managed to make a protest. And if something, gods forbid, ever happen to my father; my grandmother would have me sworn in as the next king before I even buried him. Medical school or not. So let’s be brave again. Let’s only marry each other if that’s what we want. Deal.”

“Deal!” Marinette nodded. “So do you want to marry me?”

“Mari!” Ali groaned. “I asked first!”

“What point being?” Marinette said innocently. “Fine, let’s start with an easier question. Do you like me… like that?”

“Do you like me?”

Marinette’s bodyguard, Torivana, snickered in the background. Marinette glared. “I… like you, Ali.” Other than Ali, she had only ever had a crush on two other guys; both crushes were short-lived. Adrien, who was regulated to being the brother she always wanted after she learned he was Chat Noir and her parents all but adopted him. And Luka, she realized quickly, with his dyed hair, rock band, and future tattoos was the type of guy her grandmother would have assassinated before she’d let Marinette seen in a romantic relationship with. Plus, it didn’t help that Luka asked her if Adrien was single.

Ali was different though. Marinette had set out in the very beginning to not like Ali romantically, figuring she could break off the promise between the families if it was seen that there was no romantic feeling between the two. However, the more she fought not to like-like her best friend, the more she did.

“It’s you I like, Ali,” Marinette admitted, her heart beating wildly.

Ali looked at her for a moment, just really staring at her. “I like you too.” And he did. He fell for the blue-eyed badass that was his best friend. He’d known he liked her for the longest of times but was too afraid to tell her. “And I’d never want you to not be a part of my life. If you don’t know if you want to marry me, that’s fine. We can wait. I can wait. If you want to play the long game and see what happens. Okay. I’ll play the long game. Live your life, I'll live my life, I know you're out there... and I'm out there, too.

“That's your deal?”

“That's my deal.”

“Someday?”

“Someday.”

Marinette leaned forward, “I have a counteroffer.”

“You are definitely Eleanor Young’s granddaughter.”

“That’s a compliment,” Marinette shrugged. She took a deep breath and said, “I want to marry you; not just because of our families but because of our friendship. I think we’d be good together. We are good together. Maybe, I’m not in love with you now but maybe after some dates, whenever you buck up and ask me on a real one, and being girlfriend and boyfriend for a while, maybe I will be. If sometime in the future, when we get older, we change our minds, we’ll figure it out then. You fight my grandma, I’ll take on yours.”

“I want to marry you too,” Ali admitted, a small smile on his face. “You know you can ask me out too, right?”

“I could,” She stressed the second word.

They laughed and just looked at each other, olive-green eyes getting lost in blue and vice versa.

It was the sound of a throat clearing that made them jump out of it. Each blushed red as the waiter looked at them expectantly with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face.

“We should order,” Marinette said, opening up her menu quickly.

“Totally!”

They ignored their bodyguards chuckling in the background.

Outside of the Marinette Young universe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng found it a lot harder to be nice and amicable all the time. For starters, Lila had come back to school. She didn’t mind most of the lies she told. They were annoying, however, after years of dealing with faux-faced people, she could ignore most of them. She could even ignore that al her so-called friends believed them.

However, Marinette hated, absolutely hated when Lila lied about Prince Ali. The lies were utterly ridiculous but Marinette was overprotective and had half a mind to use every resource to have the Italian Embassy look into all of Lila’s travel claims. But she was better than that. She would not stoop to Lila’s level.

…

It took three months for Marinette to lose all her friends in class. They had simpered after Lila and her lies and believed Marinette to be a bully. They stopped hanging out with her, stopped inviting her places, and sent mean texts to her phone causing her to change her number. They openly declared they weren’t her friends anymore.

Again, this wasn’t something Marinette batted a lie at. She didn’t care what they did. Or said. As they long as they didn’t go too far, Marinette was fine with ignoring their existence. Should they step the line, Marinette would use everything in her power to destroy them.

It was a good thing after all. Her mother, Grandmother, Nick, Astrid, and everyone else in her family always taught her to be wary of fame-seekers and gold diggers.

It was clear that the class wasn’t really interested in what Lila did but the promises of what she could do for them. And if they had to toss aside a childhood friend to get into her good graces then so be it.

The class was getting ready to depart for winter break.

“Prince Ali and I are going to winter in Switzerland, you know.” Lila lied, causing Marinette’s eyes to narrow. “Every year since we were children. It snows all the time in Zurich. And he just loves it.”

First of all, Ali hated the cold. It was why Marinette insisted one of their playdates be in the Alps after he broke her favorite china doll; spite, pure spite. Second of all, it didn’t snow all the time in Zurich; barely at all.

Anyone could fact check the second one. But no one bothers. Not even the journalist of the class, Alya.

“We go with the Young family,” Lila continued. “One of the richest families in the world. I am friends with Lady Eleanor’s granddaughter.”

Marinette nearly fell down laughing right then and there.

At the end of class, her ex-best friend and the class’s new class president, stood up, “Don’t forget everyone, class party at my house,” Alya cast a quick glare at Marinette and Chloe who sat in the back. “At least for those of you invited.” Their other classmates snickered and threw vicious smiles at the girls.

“As if we’d want to go,” Chloe said. “We have plans for Winter break that doesn’t involve going to a last-minute, obviously poor planed party. That never happened in the last class president’s watch.”

Marinette smirked. “She’s right. We have plans. Chloe’s coming with me to visit my grandmother in Singapore. My family can’t wait to meet my best friend. Luka and Adrien will be attending as well.

Alya huffed at not getting the reaction she wanted. Also because she never got invited to go to Singapore with Marinette before, and they had been best friends for the longest time. Shows what kind of friend Marinette was! Lila would never do that to her.

Chloe, Adrien, Luka, Kagami, Ondine, Aurore, Claude, Mirielle, Nathanial, and Marc would all join Marinette for Winter Break. They were surprised when Marinette had offered to pay. Even more so when it was on a private plane.

Trust Chloe to be the first to say something.

“So you’re rich,” The blond asked.

Marinette hummed as she reads her magazine, “We’re comfortable.”

“That is exactly what a super-rich person would say,” Claude laughed.

When they got to Marinette’s home, that was less of a home and more of a palace, they realized just how right they were. Particularly when they saw the dolphins.

“So you’re crazy rich,” Claude correct.

During Winter break, once they got to Singapore, Marinette officially introduced her best friend, Prince Ali, to her other friends. They got along well, though he was a bit wary of Chloe at first.

At the Young Family New Years’ Eve celebration; which was closer to a giant festival, it was announced that Prince Ali and Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young, the only grandchild of Phillip and Eleanor Young, would marry after Marinette’s 21st birthday. The new article was released shortly after; it was filled with pictures of them as children growing up together, depicting their friendship, each family’s wealth, and it told the agreed-upon lie that Prince Ali asked for her hand, as traditional in his country. The media went wild.

Marinette knew the moment it was announced and her picture was released that things would change. She wouldn’t just be Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of bakers. At least she couldn’t pretend anymore. Marinette would be a princess; people talking about her, Ali, and the future royal wedding for years to come.

Once the celebrations had died down, her friends ganged up on her.

“A prince!” Chloe shrieked. “You’re marrying Prince Ali. How could you not tell me! I get to be the maid of honor to a Princess!”

Adrien glared, “Why are you the maid of honor. I’m practically her brother.”

“Exactly!” Chloe hissed. “Maid of Honor!”

“Oh, this is not over!”

That night Marinette, with her grandmother’s blessing, gave Aurore the exclusive scoop on the engagement via an interview and an article. Overnight, her blog became internally famous. Magazines and newspapers citing her as a source.

Returning to Paris had been wild. The moment they stepped off the plane, they were met with the flashes of cameras from the paparazzi; each one screaming her name.

“Marinette! How does it feel to be marrying Prince Ali?”

“DO you think you’re too young?”

“Are you ready to be a princess?”

Marinette ignored them all as she got into the limousine with her friends. “So that was pleasant.”

“That was insane!” Aurore laughed. “Is it always this bad?”

“No, Singaporean paparazzi are a bit tamer.”

The limo didn’t head to the bakery. Marinette nor her parents would be living there from then on. Instead, they bought the empty mansion across the street from Adrien’s home. They purchased it when her grandmother let them know the announcement would happen soon; giving them plenty of time to decorate. The gates were heavily lined with security.

“Oh we are so having our next sleepover here,” Mirielle said brightly when they got into the house.

“Are you going to miss living at the bakery?”

“Yes,” Both Marinette and Adrien said, causing Marinette to glare at her friend, “We talked about this; just because I had a bunk bed, did not make it your room too!”

Adrien huffed but clearly looked like he disagreed.

Luka chuckled and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Aww, babe. Did the mean girl hurt your feelings?”

“You were my friend first,” Marinette pinched her nose. “Where’s the loyalty?”

When school started back up again, Marinette’s limo literally went straight across the street to pick up Adrien.

Gabriel opened the door before Marinette even had the chance to knock. “Miss Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young, an honor.”

Marinette eyed the man. He, while always polite, seemed nicer than she’d ever seen him before. Normally Marinette would fill the urge to fix her casual outfit. But today Marinette didn’t do casual. She wore a tan Cashmere sweater dress, stockings, with black Burberry heals, and a look of boredom on her face. Gone were the pigtails, instead Marinette’s hair flowed down her back. “Is Adrien ready for school, Mr. Agreste?”

“He will be down in one moment,” Gabriel answered. “Congratulations on your engagement. You and Prince Ali make a lovely couple.”

“Thank you.”

“I was unaware there was a Young in Paris,” Gabriel chimed. “I would have loved to arrange a few playdates between you and Adrien.”

Marinette smiled coldly, “Adrien is one of my dearest friends now. And while an official date hasn’t been set, I do hope I can count your attendance at my wedding. Despite recent… difficulties.”

Gabriel stiffened, “Difficulties? With Adrien?”

“With Lila Rossi,” Marinette corrected. “A model of yours. She has made several outlandish claims both towards the Young family, Prince Ali, as well as several celebrities. I fear the actions that would need to be taken to… rectify this. I sincerely hope the Agreste brand isn’t hurt in the process.”

Despite the subtly of her words, the threat was loud and clear. Fix Lila, ditch Lila, or we’ll destroy you.

Adrien came down the stairs in a rush, not noticing his father’s pale face. He and Marinette, and Gorilla left the older man still standing stunned.

Gabriel called for Nathalie, “Fire Miss Rossi immediately. Sever all connections, now!”

After Adrien, they picked up Kagami, whose mother was an old friend of Sabine’s as they had grown up together. Kagami had always known that Marinette was actually Marinette Young.

The next stop was Chloe who seemed more at home in Marinette’s limo that Marinette did.

When the got to school the paparazzi were still waiting. The bodyguards Gorilla and Torivana held guarded the children as they entered the school. Damocles was waiting at the door, a simpering smile on his face, and a greedy look in his eyes at the potential donations he could get from Marinette and her family.

Marinette cut him off before he could even open his mouth, “You expelled me without a proper investigation. Or going through the proper channel because of an ambassador’s daughter threw a hissy fit. You’ll be hearing my lawyers.”

The man paled so white Marinette thought he had died right then and there. Until she saw him shaking.

The bodyguards escorted the kids through the halls, where students stopped to watch the future princess pass.

When they got to class, they saw most of the students waiting.

The four ignored them and joined Nathaniel in back where they had been sentenced for not believing Lila.

“Girl!” Alya yelled with a grin on her face. “I can’t believe you’re marrying a prince! You should’ve invited me to your family’s party. I’d have loved to come.”

The others in class nodded. Though Rose did look a bit teary-eyed. That was when Marinette remembered her ex-friends crush on Ali.

“That party was dope, dudette!” Nino added. “How’d you get Beyonce to perform?”

Marinette smiled, “Shouldn’t you be hanging of Lila’s coattails somewhere. Where is Miss Rossi anyway?”

Alya shrugged, “She’s a liar, you were right. Best friends with the Young Heir, yeah right. You should’ve just told me you and Prince Ali were a thing, and I’d have believed you.”

“You should’ve fact-checked,” Chloe glared. “It was obvious she was a liar.”

“No one’s talking to you,” Alya glared from where she sat in her seat. “I’m talking to my bestie.”

“Again, Lila isn’t here,” Marinette said. “And last I checked we are not friends.”

Alya rolled over what Marinette said, “How could you give Aurore the inside scoop? I totally needed that. Ladybug had been ignoring me for months.”

“Aurore’s my friend,” Marinette said easily. “Which is more than I can say for most of you. How was the class party by the way?”

A few of the students had the grace to blush and look away. Alya wasn’t one of them, “I’m sorry, okay. I shouldn’t have believed Lila.” Alya shrugged. “You don’t have to sit back there anymore. Me and Nino can make room.”

Marinette blinked. How could she not be getting this? “I wouldn’t sit with you if that seat was only one in school not on fire.”

It was at that moment Bustier and Lila walked into class. Bustier seemed oblivious to the tension that seemed the classroom; though she did know all about Marinette being engaged to a prince.

To Lila’s credit, she didn’t blink at the few glares she received. Her eyes on Marinette, half full of greed, half full of jealously. She knew all about the Young family; insanely rich socialites who were the It family in all of Asia. She cursed herself for not researching into Marinette more before declaring the girl her enemy and doing her best to maker her life hell. And now Marinette was marrying a prince.

Lila frowned. No wonder the bluenette always glared at me, She thought, she knew first hand that I was lying.

“Marinette,” Lila said sweetly. “I was so happy and that you and Ali finally revealed your betrothal. I wish you would’ve told me.”

Most of the class looked at the girl like she was crazy.

“I don’ t like you,” Marinette stated easily. “You do not know Ali. You were not childhood friends. You do not know the Young family. Astrid did not ever come to you for fashion advice. She does not know you exist. As Eleanor’s only grandchild, I can happily say that we are not friends. Leave alone.” She cast a cold look to the rest of the room. “That goes for the rest of you. You happily declared we weren’t friends anymore. Well, we’re not friends anymore.”

Her declaration rang through the classroom.

No one said anything to her for the rest of the morning, apart from her friends in class.

When lunch came, just before the bell rang, there was a knock on the door. Prince Ali stood there, looking as regal and as handsome as ever. “It seemed, I am a bit too early.” He said with a polite smile, though he had been long aware of the inhabitants bullying way.

The bell rang.

Marinette smiled, “Just in time actually.” She got up and walked to the front of the class, most of the students too stunned to move.

Lila jumped at her chance to actually meet the prince, “Oh Prince Ali; it’s wonderful to see you again. My mother spent some time in your country. She worked was an ambassador.”

“And you are?” Ali asked, causing Lila to flush red as another of her lies were exposed.

She knew she could’ve easily spun to the class that Marinette was just jealous of her. They’d believe anything. It was a lot harder with the prince there to deny everything.

Neither him nor Marinette waited for a response.

They long since vowed to only ever wait for each other.

#ml fic #ml salt #marinette dupen chang #Marinette deserves better #class salt #alya salt

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chaseatinydream · 4 years ago

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pirate king (64) || atz

“Let’s go onto land!” You cheer excitedly, grabbing onto Jongho’s arm and he looks at you with wide eyes, surprised. You’re practically bouncing up and down in anticipation, waving your new arm about, and Yeosang smiles at you fondly from the side. It’s the most energetic he’s seen you for days. “Come on! Let’s go and buy Yunho some grilled squid or something to cheer him up!” Your grin is radiant.

“I’m glad you’re so excited about it.” Your captain’s voice comes from the door and Jongho whirls around to see Hongjoong standing there, wiping the tiredness from his face with a damp cloth, wearing a small smile. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he sees your face go ashen for a second at the sight of your captain before your smile returns, although it seems a little forced. He frowns. “If you want to go onto land, remember to bring Jongho with you.”

“Alright.” You say quietly, suddenly so much more subdued than you were prior. Jongho and Yeosang exchange looks. What is that all about?

“I heard you helped design the arm.” Jongho hears you add on, and your smile is... difficult to say the least, tender but brittle, cracking at the edges. But the gratefulness is your voice is genuine and true. “Thank you, captain.”

“I told you, call me Hongjoong.” His captain corrects with a fond smile, and Jongho finds himself frowning at the sight of it, wondering if... perhaps... but before he can think too much into it, Hongjoong is already stumbling across the cabin and clambering into his hammock. He must be exhausted from the recent events and steering the ship almost the entire way. The three of you watch him as he yanks his red jacket off to cover himself, before he makes a noise of annoyance when his fingers slip through a couple of gaping holes and slashes in the sleeves and sides. “This thing is falling apart.”

“It’ll become more holes than fabric soon.” Yeosang mutters under his breath sympathetically and Hongjoong groans, burying his face in his hammock so you can see the outline of his features against the rough fabric. “It’s going to be so cold soon.” He laments.

“We could start a fire on board.” Jongho pipes up and Hongjoong scrambles to sit upright, waving his fist at him.

“Are you trying to burn the Treasure like a piece of matchwood? No, Jongho, you shall not-” He nearly falls out of the hammock and you rush to flip his hammock back upright, the suspending ropes swinging dangerously. “That’s it, Jongho, you’re on bilge bailing duty for the next week-”

“I’m joking, I’m joking.” Jongho reassures him and Hongjoong gives him a glare out of the corner of his eye, as if not quite convinced. “We’ll be leaving you to your nap in peace now, captain.”

“Nighty night.” Yeosang whispers, as if he’s talking to a little baby and the three of you tiptoe out of the cabin, leaving your captain sulking in the hammock behind you.

>>>

It’s a good three hours of more negotiations and steering the ship into the docks before you, Yeosang and Jongho are strolling through the port marketplace, a cluster of white makeshift stalls set up with canvas awnings, selling brightly colored trinkets made from a rainbow of elegantly carved seashells.

“These are pretty!” You exclaim to Jongho, picking up a hair clip made of iridescent blue and green shells, while Yeosang heads down a few stalls to peruse a few maps. Jongho manages a smile, patting you on the head lightly. “Yeah, they are. You want one?”

“Nah, I have one already.” You say, patting the silver hairpin Wooyoung had given you resting subtly in your belt, the aquamarine inlaid in the middle still shining clear, the light rippling through the stone like sunlight through the ocean. “It’s the only one I need.”

“But you don’t wear it.” Jongho reminds you with a frown and you puff out your cheeks, a little sad. “Yeah, because the last time I did it nearly got stolen. Now, I only wear it on board the Treasure, but sometimes I forget.” You shrug, moving back to pick through the trinkets. “It’s fine though. I’m not really bothered.”

Jongho nods in understanding, moving over to check out some oddly curved daggers, tracing the tip of his finger along the edges. How did people find sheaths for them?

Glancing back at you, he’s about to see what you’re up to when he sees a group of local children standing behind you, chattering loudly in a foreign language and gesturing to your wooden hand. With a frown, Jongho picks through the crowd back to your side, where you’re still looking through the accessories, and takes your wooden hand in his very clearly, before pulling you away from the stall.

“Hey!” You protest, looking at him in surprise as he tugs at you lightly, leading you away from the eyes of the children. “I wasn’t done looking at those-”

“Let’s go eat some grilled squid.” Jongho suggests quietly, pointing to another makeshift stall. There’s a man standing over a charcoal pit, turning sticks of squid over the fire and the delicious aroma of spices waft over to you. Seonghwa would love to try these out, he thinks, and you turn to him excitedly, earlier annoyance forgotten. “Yeah, it looks delicious!”

Jongho smiles and follows after you as you hurry towards the stalls, pulling out his money bag. A few minutes later, the two of you are sitting next to the stall, chewing on the springy treat side by side. “This tastes amazing.” You tell Jongho happily, and he nods, glad to see that you’re smiling once again. “You remember the first time you brought me out?”

For some reason, out of the entire trip the two of you had had, the incident in which you called him cute comes to mind. “Oh, god, don’t remind me.” He groans, putting his hands on his cheeks and you laugh in delight, clearly remembering the very same incident.

“Don’t worry.” You beam brightly, ruffling his hair gently with your real hand and he smacks your hand away lightly, taking another bite to hide the colour rising to his cheeks. “You’re still cute.”

He chokes on his squid. “Hey!”

Your laughter rings out as you lean backwards, enjoying the feeling on the sun’s warmth on your face, eyes sliding shut. Jongho takes a moment to look at you, eyebrows furrowed slightly, the same question rolling around on his tongue since this morning.

What’s wrong?

He just wants you to be able to answer this question with an honest “I’m okay.” Or at the very least, be able to tell him that you’re not, and tell him what’s wrong so he can help you fix it. He waits, waits and waits, but you don’t say anything to break the silence, too preoccupied with finishing your snack and counting the sticks left in the paper bag for Yunho and the rest of the crew.

“Hey, Jongho...” You ask suddenly, and he raises his eyebrow to look at you in curiosity. “Hypothetically... very, very hypothetically... if one of our crew members die, what would you do?”

Jongho’s taken aback for a second, before he frowns, trying to read your face but your expression is unreadable, still carefully counting through the sticks of grilled squid and avoiding his eye. Then he turns back to look at the ground, counting the tiny stones underneath the soles of his boots.

“I guess...” His voice is softer than he’d intended to. “I’d mourn, I’d miss them. Then I’d keep them here,” he points at his chest, “and move on and live well for them.”

You smile, for some reason he can’t quite understand. “And if I die? Would you cry?”

“You’re surprisingly morbid today.” He remarks and you laugh, poking him in the side and dispelling his fears. “And I don’t even want to think about it.” You poke him in the side again, and keep staring at him. Something tells him you’re not going to let up until he gives you an answer, so he sighs and replies. “Perhaps I’d mourn? But cry? I don’t think so. I haven’t cried in a long while since my parents’ deaths.”

You beam back at him, eyes soft. “That’s good to hear.” You say quietly, one hand reaching up to ruffle his hair again and for some reason, this time, he doesn’t want to push your hand away and a feeling akin to fear strikes deep in his heart.

Frowning, Jongho opens his mouth to ask a question.

“Why are you asking these kind of questions-”

“Whoa, look at that!” You’re already rising to your feet and moving to another stall before he can finish his question and he sighs, shaking his head. You pick up something red and furry, holding it up to him. “This looks so cool!”

“That’s fox pelt.” He tells you, running a hand along the fur just to make sure. It’s soft, of high quality. “It’s used to make scarves and other things.”

“It’d be warm, wouldn’t it?” You muse, picking up the fabric and weighing it in your hands with a tilt of the head, and Jongho raises an eyebrow to look at you curiously. “I guess it would.”

“Okay!” You grin, reaching over to pick up a few and comparing them. “I’m going to get a few.” Jongho frowns.

“What for?” He asks, and you chew on your bottom lip as you shake each pelt out and check them for holes. “I want to make captain something.” You tell him absentmindedly. “It’s getting cold and captain’s jacket is full of holes, I don’t want him to fall sick. And besides,” your voice trails off as you look down quietly at the fox fur in your hands. “I want something for him to remember me by.”

“You’ll always be with us.” Jongho says, suddenly feeling a desperate urge in him to make sure he speaks it into existence, a painful feeling clenching in his chest. You smile at him fondly, open your mouth to speak, and Jongho leans in closer, he needs you to reassure him that you’ll always be there, be part of the crew, but before you can say anything, there’s a grumpy call from behind you.

“I see the two of you have eloped together.”

You and Jongho both whip around to see Yeosang stand there, looking remarkably put out, and then it finally hits; the two of you abandoned him at his map stall.

“I’m sorry!” You squeak, running over to squeeze Yeosang’s hand and he turns his nose up, refusing to look you in the eye. “Hmpf!”

But Jongho can see the tiny smile playing on Yeosang’s lips even as you whine and pull at his sleeves, and what scares him the most is that he can’t help but feel like all of this is going to vanish like a good dream in the morning light.

>>>

Back on the ship late into the wee hours of the night, as the voyage to Tortuga continues, you take your pile of furs, a pair of scissors you had borrowed from Seonghwa and your sewing needles in one hand to the main deck, nudging open the hatch to the storage hold.

You pause, wait for the sound of the crunching of apples, but there’s nothing except for the silence of the night, the sounds of water rushing against the hull of the ship and wood creaking. You’re not sure which you would have preferred, but wordlessly pull your things down into the storage hold with you, hang your lamp from the hook in the ceiling and close the hatch behind you.

The flame of the lamp casts flickering light against the wooden beams and shadows that slip into the darkness before your eyes can catch them, but you only find yourself looking at one place; the tiny corner behind the barrels you had first hidden in when you had first come aboard this ship.

You see it in your mind’s eye all over again, how you’d seen Mingi’s face for the first time, how you’d broken his nose, how Seonghwa had led you up the stairs with your broken ankle, all of it. You remember how Yunho had watched the sunrise with you, the story of the rings in his hair. You remember every little thing all too well, and perhaps that’s the greatest gift of all.

How much had changed since, you muse to yourself, picking up a piece of sacking that has fallen onto the ground with your wooden hand, and yet how nothing has changed at all. Who you are, and who you were before, and who you were before that, you’re no closer to any of these answers, and yet, all you know is that you want to stay with the crew that have become your family, to be with them always as the Treasure sails to the end of the world and even beyond that.

“I hope I won’t forget that.” You tell yourself quietly, even as you settle into the little corner just like how they’d found you, pulling the furs into your lap. “Even if I die, I hope I don’t forget all of them.”

You place the needle between your lips and work the screw of your prosthetic hand until the silver instrument is lodged firmly between the two prongs. You remember Yeosang’s smile of triumph and pure happiness for you when he realised that the prosthetic had worked, remember how the very hand you had lost had held his as you fought to bring him back to life.

You pull out the thread with shaking fingers, remember the way your master’s hands held yours gently as he guided the tip of your needle through the fabric, teaching you how to sew stuffed toys made with scraps of old sail to practice stitching. You remember the way you had hurt him and closed the door in his face, how you had reduced him to tears and left him to watch you die.

You don’t have time to cry. You have to hurry and finish this coat, before it’s too late. You pull the needle from the prosthetic, press it into the fabric. Before you know it, tears are slipping down your eyes as you push the tip of needle into the fur and start pulling the thread through, and the fox fur soaks in all of it, all your pain, sadness and happiness, trapping them within.

“I don’t want to just be a memory.” You whisper softly into the silence of the hold.

The night is dark, and silent.

#ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #ateez pirate king #w; ot8 #w; pirate king #w; fanfiction

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tricewithaz · 4 years ago

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THOTS ON SHADOW AND BONE

Hello everyone! it is I, Trice, and i come with my thoughts on the Shadow and Bone show cause ive got many

I'm gonna divide this in what i liked, what i disliked, and what i think could have been better but didn't really bother me. Feel free to send your opinions too!

As a whole, I really liked the show and I think it's a great adaptation that both fans and newcomers will enjoy. It's super well done! and every episode had me glued to the tv even though I knew what was going to happen.

Beware this is long

To start,

What i liked

Mal and Alina

I never really liked Mal in the books, mainly cause he had like, nothing going on for him, and not having his pov made him no favors whatsoever. Alina's perception of him was everychanging, two factors that didn't make him unlikeable necessarily, but that made me not want to read about him. In the show he's way more likeable and even though he still doesn't have a lot going on for him, you can see that he's always trying to protect alina, and you also see a bit of his demeanor through Archie's acting. I think he made a great job at portraying him. And Alina! Alina who in the books was essentially a y/n sort of character (although she did get better over time), her character, likes, dislikes, her DRIVE was incredibly portrayed in the show. Also Jessie (loml, marry me) and Archie have incredible chemistry together and they sold their yearning SO WELL (and so did the kid actors portraying them as children oh my GOD)...yall...i cried when they held hands. My favourite scene was definitely when Alina took care of Mal's wounds (a favorite trope of mine). And the HURT in their eyes whenever they thought the other was in danger....i saw the show dubbed but I'm sure their voices made it beyond incredible as well, their face acting was just on. point. Overall the show rEALLY makes me root for them both individually and together which is something the books didn't manage to do.

The Darkling

AAAAA i really enjoyed the Darkling omg, incredible charisma, Ben does such a great job (and so did his voice actor in Spanish oh my GOD). His acting was just as I imagined it in the books and i loved how he could be as sweet and mysterious as he could be menacing. In fact! i liked him more than i did in the book, and i think it was a great choice to make him more human. I'm not sure if this was Ben or the writing, but i could really see his yearning for an equal, for Alina, his loneliness and his thirst for power and control too. Great love interest, even greater villain. And his wardrobe was phenomenal. I also really liked how they implied that The Darkling was a name given by other people, it was very believable that people would call someone who literally controls shade something akin to "son of the dark" or something of the sort, instead of it being a name he gives himself or his job title (both if which are incredibly pathetic and cringy to think about).

Jesper

No comments. He was just great. I love Kit.

Nina

Omg Danielle did SUCH a great job at portraying Nina, it's exactly how i imagined her in Six of Crows.

Helnik

THE. YEARNING. THE. CHEMISTRY. I didn't love their scenes at the boat but once that was over I was practically screaming at the screen to jUST KISS ALREADY. Calahan and Daniell have such good chemistry together and the few changes they made only served the story better. I did wish they had development over more time cause Matthias' change of mind felt too quick, but i get why they had to rush. Because of how good their chemistry was, their fallout also was incredibly painful.

Inej's fear of the Menagerie and her morals

Amita's portrayal of Inej's hurt, devotion and her refusal to kill (and later hurt cause she has killed) is incredibly subtle but so SO effective. She's so talented really and truly sold Inej's feelings throughout the show.

VFX

Man.....the fold, the volcra, the grisha powers.....kudos to the animators and overall artistic team cause they were incredible. Also seeing the different title animations in each episode was such a tiny detail that made me so excited and they all looked so good.

Ketterdam

Again, kudos to the artistic team, everything about Ketterdam felt so alive (and weirdly moist), truly sold a kind of aesthetic and life that is so characteristic if the Barrel, even when i didn't imagine it that way in the books.

David

He appeared like, twice, and both times were so cute and charming I can't wait to see more of him both on his own and with Genya.

The Wardrobe

So, at first i hated the keftas. I thought the looked tacky and costume, but when you see them on screen they're just perfect (although i have to say the patterns on some of the keftas were kind of...cheap looking? and the training keftas were just kinda boring. My favourite was the Darkling's. Aside from that, i really liked Kaz's and inej's clothes too. Very distinctive and recognizable (although it was kind of weird seeing Inej in teal instead of purple lmao).

And the queen's dresses. Chefs kiss.

It's...so cheesy (affectionate)

The whole show felt like the kind of movies I would watch as a kid like Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. The writing was stylized enough to make it incredibly dramatic and overall there was just so much heart behind all of it. Definetely a show to watch again and again and feel all of it, cause that's what it being so cheesy managed, to make me actually feel for it. It feels like something to watch on a rainy afternoon after a bad day....it's great okay i really enjoyed it, even (specially) the most unbelievable parts of it. And here's the thing, it's something that i think a lot of newer tv and film have lost, so this is good.

What i didn't like

Zoya

Mostly cause of the writing. Originally, in the first book, i didn't like her, neither as a character (stereotypical mean girl with no other motivation than to bang the love interests....all three of them....what's new i still think it's an incredibly sexist trope) or a person (hey at least this was intentional), but over time i grew to LOVE her (mean girl turns out to have a good heart and actually respects the mc and decides to fight alongside her cause it's what's right, without necessarily liking her or giving up her character??? AND she has strong motivations??? now THAT'S new). In the show, i hoped they would keep her mean girl nature while foreshadowing her depth, but all they did was turn her into a petty seductress with barely any screentime, and that only makes her not even a bad antagonist but just a boring character to watch. Not only that but they took away a big part of her character that needed to be developed in the next books. I wanted to watch her rivalry with Alina, her unjustified venomous tongue too, I wanted to be entertained by her and I wasn't. This was also a problem cause when she finally changed teams, and when she hugged Alina, it was incredibly unsatisfying, it would have had a way stronger effect if we had seen her being Ruthless Zoya with a big ambition. I also didn't like how we were told that she didn't like alina, or that she had a family, instead of it being shown on screen. Just from the show, all i can tell you about her is that she likes to bang people and she has a good moral code i guess. Yall, I'm so petty about this.

Kaz

So, I didn't hate him, in fact i think I would have enjoyed him if I hadn't read the books first, cause the two things that bother me about him were two essential characteristics of him in the books. FIrstly, he seems so strained, instead of the seemingly laid back, almost chill looking (even though we know he's not chill at all) Kaz we see in the books, the Kaz that always knows something that you don't. Show Kaz doesn't seem to always be in control, to always have the last word, the last laugh. Instead he seems strained, all the damn time. And I think this is mainly a writing and directing issue. And he also seems weak, something Book Kaz would never do. This is also an issue cause because he doesn't have the same presence he has in the books, the times where he is weak, don't seem as effective. Sure, Pekka Rollins has essentially reduced him and humiliated him, but I haven't seen enough of Kaz being actually dangerous for this to be shocking and for Pekka to seem even more hateable (and, i really liked Pekka, loved him as an antagonist more than i did in the books). Idk, Kaz was so charismatic and just fun and engaging to read in the books that his portrayal in the show felt lacking.

Alina's power's VFX

The little suns were cute and all but the light coming from within her was just ugly I'm sorry.

SFX

A lot of the sound design was just too stylized for the tone of the show i think. I particularly remember the sound of Mal's punches....what's that about.

What i think could have been better, but didn't particularly dislike

The Crows' storyline

And i think part of this is a consequence of Kaz not being as witty as he was in the books. Where's the incredibly complicated heist moves? the even more unbelievable C and D plans when something goes wrong? I didn't like that them getting Alina was essentially just luck, cause i didn't see enough of them being smart and quick on their feet. I also think it was unnecessary to have their storyline mixed with Alina's, i would have enjoyed watching a different heist, maybe in Ravka as well, and them incidentally crossing paths with Alina, more than i liked this storyline. ironically enough, the heist was the part i was least interested in

Genya and Alina

I just feel like her relationship with Alina wasn't strong enough, and i think it's because the show tried to make us believe they were much closer than they were without spending the necessary time in them.

Overall, I really really enjoyed the show, i will be watching it again (particularly cause i want to watch it in English) and i cannot wait for the second season omg (although i have to say, I'm scared for Nikolai)

I think that's all! I would also love to read yall's opinions and have a conversation.

#Shadow and Bone #Shadow and Bone spoilers #sab #sab spoilers #grishaverse #the grisha trilogy #six of crows #malina #helnik #shadow and bone series #sab review

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im-the-punk-who · 4 years ago

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Can you explain how a slave revolt in the Bahamas could have changed the history of America?

HELLO ANON FROM LIKE FOUR MONTHS AGO! I kept meaning to go back to this and then uhhh forgetting to do that. (Also thank you for indulging me and sending this sort-of-directly-asked-for-question lmao)

So. Here’s a brief overview of how a successful slave revolt like in Black Sails could have changed the history of not just America, but the entire world. And quite, well - easily - had the circumstances in Black Sails presented themselves.

First off, standard disclaimer that this is all conjecture based on my own research and knowledge of both history and Black Sails. It isn’t meant as a takedown of anyone else’s views, or the character’s actions. The strongest I would call this is a wishful critique of the choices the writers made to include the things they did in the way they were included, and the way those same writers chose to end the story they chose to tell. And maybe, a little bit, a frustration of how the inevitability of american history is used as a given in fandom to defend certain character’s actions - but it is not meant to invalidate the reasons behind those actions. Just to point out that those reasons were more emotionally than factually driven (Which is cool! And very real to the kinds of tragedies that play out in real life revolutions! Vive le realismé!)

Also quite obviously I’m not a professional in any way. I was eating soup from a can as I wrote this. I am now eating cookies for dinner. I am writing this because it’s fun for me. It’s fun!! If deep thought-experiment type analysis of media isn’t your cuppa, that’s fine - you can keep scrolling.

I’ve included major historical events from 1700-1740 since that is the general time period that Black Sails draws its history from. In particular, most of the later seasons’ historical references come from the 1730s. While I’ve tried to be as thorough as possible...there are so many ways history could have been changed by a tiny action that it would be impossible to cover them all. For brevity, I’m focusing on the history of the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Colonial America. I’ll touch on other places as is relevant but like......it’s world history for a reason.

Okay, here goes.

So first and foremost, to understand how it’s destruction could have changed America, you really need to understand just how much economic power chattel slavery gave colonial empires and England in particular.

Slavery was the most important economic force in Colonial England, and not just in what the slaves produced. The slave trade itself was the most lucrative business in existence at the time. If you want to learn more about that, I highly recommend listening to this podcast, which does an excellent job of explaining how the economic buying and selling and bonding of slaves was of such value to colonial empires. This is important because the most powerful contemporary argument for the continuation of slavery was that it “could not be ended in the Americas until there was certainty that it wouldn’t create social or economic irritation.” (Thomas Jefferson, 1783.)

(Slavery in itself is not something that was unique to the british empire or even the Imperialist governments that created it. Most cultures have had some form of slavery. However, this was not the type of generational slavery that colonial empires employed. In most cases before the 1400s, slaves were not kept slaves solely based on the color of their skin - they were war prisoners, criminals, or debtors. In most cases, slaves could work to buy their freedom, and most importantly, slavery was not an inherited state that passed from parent to child.

What we think of in terms of colonial slavery is chattel slavery - which is the kind of slavery Europeans imposed on Africans starting in the fifteenth century. These slaves could not buy their freedom. They were viewed as property instead of human beings based on their race and their children were automatically enslaved in the same way they were. They were mistreated, and viewed as subhuman, without any chance of escaping the bonds which had been forced upon them.

Because of this new type of slavery that started in the colonial era, Europeans needed to justify why they were entitled to own other people as slaves. They needed to convince themselves and other people that there was some moral justification for chattel slavery. This is what led to all the myths of ‘happy’ servitude, racial inferiority, and any ‘benefits’ slavery imparted to slaves. These were all lies created by philosophical thinkers and plantation owners and politicians that let settlers convince themselves they were not committing crimes of immense magnitude against other human beings. For much of the colonial era, these were the norm in thinking and their vestiges still linger today. But these were used to justify slavery because of how important it was economically.

And of course there were always dissenters. Since slavery was first introduced to the colonies there were people who knew that this sort of treatment was just not very gucci. These people argued that slavery went against the very nature of a ‘just’ society. That benefitting off the mistreatment of other human beings was akin to spiritual robbery, and that “European colonies should be destroyed rather than create so many unfortunates!” (Louis Jaucourt, 1754). With your goddamn motherfucking chest Jaucourt. The Quakers of Pennsylvania were strong proponents of abolition since the 1670’s! James Oglethorpe(yes, that Oglethorpe) himself was a staunch abolitionist who went as far as to make slavery illegal in Georgia when he formed the colony in 1733.

The economic power of slavery was used as a justification to keep it intact for hundreds of years and many colonists were happy with this, but it’s important to remember that not everyone was. England and the colonists were far from unanimously in support of the practice. This becomes important later! Like, this is the basis for the whole argument of how a drawn out war in the Bahamas could have ended slavery and changed colonial imperialism.)

OKAY NOW THAT WE’VE GOT THAT COVERED.

Now let’s go to the people it affected. Enslaved black people have been fighting against their enslavement since they were taken from their homes and brought across the Atlantic in the 15th century. Starting in the 1700s, slave revolts started to see more and more success in these efforts, until in the late 1700s and early 1800s public opinion of slavery finally dropped enough that it was outlawed in the colonial empires of England and France. In the years of 1700-1740, there were several rebellions in the North American area including:

1712 New York Slave Revolt (British Province of New York)

1730 Chesapeake rebellion (British Chesapeake Colonies)

1733 St. John Slave Revolt (Danish Saint John)

1739 Stono Rebellion ((British Province of South Carolina)

1741 New York Conspiracy (British Province of New York)

And of course,

1728-1739 First Maroon War (British Jamaica)

This is the war which the war in Black Sails is based on. The treaty that was offered by Woodes Rogers in Black Sails is almost word for word(minus the pirates bit) the treaty offered to the Leeward Maroons in this war. There are references to the factions in this war and even some of the historical people involved in it. The major difference? The Maroon war was successful. The Maroons were so good at warfare on their turf that the British were unable to sustain any major victories against them. After ten years they offered the Maroons a treaty granting them governmental agency(although not independence). In return, the Maroons agreed to return any escaped slaves back to the British, and to help the British fight off “invaders”. The Leeward maroons led by Cudjoe(Julius, in Black Sails) took this offer to avoid more fighting because he believed in an honorable peace with the enemy. Queen Nanny and her Windward Maroons(The Maroon Queen and Madi in Black Sails) refused because like....bruh those terms suck. After a year she was pressured into relenting by Cudjoe, but within thirty years the Maroons had started another war, dissatisfied with how the treaty was being carried out.

(This is Queen Nanny. And yes, she is better than you.)

I also need to mention that Africans were not the only ones in North America hurt by British Colonialism, nor the only ones for whom abolition and an end to colonial empire was attractive. The Native Americans were also a constant frustration to the colonies, and, because it’s relevant to later things, I want to mention one incident in particular:

The Yamasee War (1715-1717)

The Yamasee were a Lower Creek tribe that lived in what is today Georgia/Florida. The war was fought over a bunch of different things, including trading systems and colonists depleting the game in the area, but also because of the colonists’ nasty habit of trying to enslave Native American people. Bummer. So a bunch of tribes(and I mean a bunch - there were Shawnee and Cherokee factions, as well as about half a dozen other distinct nations that joined in the fight in sort of that loose ‘hey you hate these guys? we hate these guys!’ way.)

Long story short, this war was a pretty significant factor in the colonists in the South not enslaving(outright) Native Americans anymore, and instead increasing the import of African slaves to the south. After this war the Yamasee split into two factions, one anti-colonist and one pro-colonist. The pro-colonist people called themselves the Yamacraw, and it was these people who granted Oglethorpe(yes, that Oglethorpe) the land which he used to found Georgia. Moral of the story, alliances between abolitionists and indigenous tribes were already in place in the colonies. Just waiting for a chance to be used.

(Tomochichi, the leader of the Yamacraw and very cool accessorizor)

(Yet ANOTHER thing to keep in mind is that before the end of the 18th century, both Haiti and Grenada would see major revolutions against their colonial empires. Slaves in all provinces and colonies were continually fighting for their freedom. What they lacked was a unifying force that supplied them enough power and cohesion to fight the empire man-to-man, so to speak.)

SO. INTO THIS SCENE, ENTER JAMES FLINT - ANGRIEST OF MLM SCALLYWAGS AND TACTICIAN EXTRAORDINAIRE.

(So cute.)

Anyway, the Golden Age of Piracy was largely over by the early 1720 - most of the pirates of Nassau took Rogers’ pardon and reintegrated as citizens of society. That or they like....died. A lot of them died. Gruesomely. Nasty business, piratry. So, if we assume that in Black Sails’ history that Flint and Silver managed to convince the Maroons to rebel ten years earlier, join with the pirates who did not want to assimilate, and start a revolution; now instead of two separate wars Britain is now fighting one much bigger, nastier, more expensive one.

Backed by people with a good deal of money at their disposal. Cha-ching.

Keep in mind that Britain had already been at war for almost thirty years with first the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite risings(1688-forever) and the War of Spanish Succession(1701-1714). Their resources had already been depleted. And this was why the American colonies(and India) had become so important to them. Remember what I said about the economic importance of slavery? It’s because Brtitain was using the slave trade to refill its coffers after an extensive and costly military campaign.

So now, this new war is not only putting an additional drain on the empire’s resources before Britain has had a chance to replenish itself but it is also taking away the very source of income needed to replenish itself. (Since the war would target places heavy with slave trading.) In addition, the pirates handed a significant defeat to the British Navy that ended with the Navy retreating - turning tail and running from the island. This was actually a huge victory and one that was sort of downplayed in the show but would be incredibly significant in the event of a long campaign.

Rogers is not taking Nassau with the full support of Britain. He is only fighting with the traitors who did not return when the Navy withdrew. That is why he has to go to Spain in the first place.

The show has also told us that this rebellion is already starting to be widely known - pirates and slaves from Barbados, the Bahamas, as far as Massachusetts are coming to aid the rebellion in the hopes of freedom. This is not a small thing.

Even with the loss of the Walrus and most of the Walrus crew, there are still thousands of fighters on the Maroon Island. Slaves, mainland pirates - the defeat of the Walrus was a personal defeat but in the grand scheme of a larger war it was a small loss in what was ultimately a huge victory.

Rogers has been squarely defeated. Because of that, they now have Nassau as a base. The war now has two strongholds - one protected by the forest and one protected by a fort - into which they can store supplies, retreat, and organize attacks from. If they can free the rest of the slaves on the island of Nassau and either oust or convert the puritans, all the better.

The war at the point Rogers is defeated was far from a never-ending thing. In fact I would say that Flint is absolutely right - they are incredibly close to a decisive victory. England cannot afford to muster a large enough force to defeat two entrenched enemies working together - especially ones as well financed as we’re led to believe the chest would make the Maroons and Pirates. Even if Britain could somehow convince Spain and/or France to join them, both of those nations have also been severely depleted by wars of their own. And again, the more nations that Britain brings in, the more potentially disaffected people could be brought in to join the pirates(see, Haiti and Grenada specifically, both of which were French colonies at the time, and the Spanish colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc).

So from here, the smartest thing for the rebellion to do would be to hit large plantations: to both free the slaves and cripple Britain’s economy. Make slavery more costly to enforce than it is profitable to sustain, and build their numbers for the war as well, as well as like, you know, freeing slaves. Make it so that Britain could not sustain the cost of trying to fight it - as James said all the way back in 1705. Force a surrender on economic grounds.

So now, the power behind the empire has been broken. Even assuming a modest victory, the course of the entire world - not just the Americas - has changed. In victory, let’s say the Bahama/Caribbean islands are freed from British rule. Slavery in the americas will also never be able to get the foothold it does, historically.

With a free nation actively willing to target slave plantations and ships sitting between it and Africa, the colonial slave trade is finished. Now sure, they could use the existing slaves, but it would be oh-so-easy for the Pirates and Maroons, alongside their hopeful new Native and abolitionist allies, to target large plantations and cripple them.

If slavery never gets a foothold in the south, northern colonies never build the banks and mills and economic powerhouses that profit from the cheap produce, and most find another way to survive. Perhaps, if we’re going really all out, they start working with the native americans - learning ways to cultivate and grow crops with the land and in balance, rather than clearing thousands of acres for damaging cash crops.

I want to be really, really clear about this because it is incredibly important. Without slavery, the British empire would not have bee able to sustain itself. It would not have the power. And the more it tried to tax the colonists to recoup its losses, the angrier those people were likely to get, and perhaps join the Maroons and Pirates, or perhaps evens start the american revolution early - maybe even with the help of the newly independent Jamaican/Bahaman island nations.

This break in the power of colonial empires would shift world history into something unrecognizable as we know it. The empires would still exist, of course, but they would be set on their heels - France and Spain would see what happened to Britain and be less inclined to keep slavery legal in their own colonies. Power is split more evenly among the world, and indigenous and black/African nations are not wiped out in genocidal bids for power.

Which brings me to India. If the Indian rebellions learned of what happened in America and the Bahamas, or if america had drained enough of britain’s resources that the British East India Trading Company was not able to be as controlling of the area, this could have meant independence centuries earlier, as well as a much easier path to independence. Think about what could have been if the Indian people had been able to oust a struggling empire from its shores an entire century before it historically did.

(This bad boy is Mangal Pandey, who led the first major Indian revolution in the mid 1800s. In the movie adaptation his boyfriend best friend is played by Toby Stephens so I’m connecting the dots.)

Once the colonies of America and India are gone, Britain loses almost the entirety of its colonial power. (And this isn’t even including all the smaller colonies which could cloak their own independence in these big revolutions and the lack of (as much) of an indigenous genocide in many of these places. The economic disparity that defines Black experience in places that the British colonial system touched never gets a hold, and they are able to build their own economies in ways that benefit them and the places they live.

Think about the wealth of culture in ALL nations that would not have been destroyed, had Britain not been allowed to swallow whole swaths of land whole.

And, look. I know this is fiction. I know that of course, none of this happened, and that Black Sails is a fictional landscape. I know that so many things could go differently than I imagine them. I know that to extrapolate like this relies heavily on actually caring about a world that is completely different from ours and envisioning how that could come about.

I also know, that it is just as important to tell these sorts of stories as telling stories about how small acts could have changed things immensely, as it is to tell them about how society must stay the same. It is just as important to tell stories about ‘what if colonialism were able to be stopped’ as it is to tell dystopian stories about the end of the world. It may not be as much fun, but it is important to remember that our power doesn’t lie an indiscernible amount of time in the future, after the world has already gone to shit. It lies with us, right now. And that even if it is hard to see, our actions have the power to shape history.

#annyway have a BUNCH OF FEELINGS AND HISTORICAL FACTS BUNDLED TOGETHER AS FANDOM META #black sails #milos black sails meta #black sails and colonialism #james mcgraw #madi scott #uhhhhhhhh #historical meta #IDK MAN WHAT TO TAG THIS JUST INDULGE ME AND READ IT LMAO #long post #god i hope the readmore works lmao #Anonymous #black sails meta

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notchesandbullets · 4 years ago

Text

Ryokuryuu’s Lifeline

Part 2: Unresolved Fury From the Past

Read Part 1: Here

Jae-ha had situated the two of you behind one of the trees, giving you a clear view of the setting sun from the cliff side. You stayed tangled together for a while, until your eyelids started to feel heavy. Surrounded by Jae-ha's warmth, it was all too easy to fall asleep. But even still, you fought silently against the urge to drift off into unconsciousness.

As you squirmed in his arms fighting your silent battle, Jae-ha gently rubbed your skin soothingly, looking down at you in concern. Blinking your eyes open slowly, you focused in on the frown that had settled on his face.

"I'm sorry..." You apologized quietly, hiding your face in your hands.

Jae-ha shook his head quickly, expression echoing disbelief but before he could say anything, Yona burst through the trees, hands tightly pressed to her chest as she ran. Your eyes snapped open and you were up on your feet in an instant, startling the princess as she nearly knocked you over.

"Y/N!" She exclaimed in surprise, turning her attention to the green dragon as he stepped up behind you. "Jae-ha!"

"Hello, Yona dear." He replied with a signature smirk on his face. "What are you running away from?"

"N-Nothing!" Yona denied hurriedly. You raised an eyebrow at her, and she turned her face away but you caught a glimpse of it. She was blushing.

Actually, that was an understatement.

Her entire face was bright red, and you had a feeling that it wasn't just from running.

"Girl time!" You announced loudly, taking Yona's hand, not hesitating as you felt something sticky and pulled her towards the path leading back to the ship. Jae-ha moved to follow the two of you, but you stopped him. "Whoa there, big guy. Girls only."

You grinned cheekily at him as towered over you with his broad frame.

"You beautiful ladies need protection, and I am inclined to provide it." He said charmingly, flipping his green ponytail over his shoulder. Yona refused to look at either of you at this point, and Jae-ha didn't miss the way you stiffened at his words.

Meeting his gaze, you offered him a small smile, but Jae-ha didn't feel all that reassured as he felt the guilt creep in.

"Later," You mouthed to him, pressing two fingers to the inside of his wrist in assurance.

Jae-ha relaxed slightly.

You were okay.

But that didn't ease his guilt.

As you and Yona continued in the direction of the docks, Jae-ha kept his eye on both of you until you disappeared from his sight. He thought about following you, but you probably wouldn't be too happy about it when you found out.

Her safety is worth the consequence. He decided, readying himself to spring up into the air.

Then a very distressed Hak came exploding from the thicket, causing Jae-ha to very nearly jump out of his skin. The Thunder Beast and the Ryokuryuu stared at each other in silence for several moments.

Then Hak groaned, tossing his weapon down to the ground and sliding down the trunk of the tree behind him. His head lolled back, landing on the bark with a resounding 'thump'.

Jae-ha strolled over to the visibly conflicted ex-general, standing adjacent to him against the tree.

"Go away Droopy-Eyes." Hak's voice was muffled by his hand, the other running through his tousled hair.

The green dragon looked up at the sky, slyly smirking. "Did something happen between you and Yona dear?" He teased.

Hak growled, "You're asking for it." He threatened darkly, slapping a hand against his head incredulously as Jae-ha grinned knowingly, spinning around on his heel to face him, robes fluttering.

"What did you do?" Jae-ha pressed, leaning forward. "Yona dear looked so embarrassed. Though, she looked so cute like that, all fluster-"

He raised his right leg to block Hak's strike as he brought down his spear, preventing the Thunder Beast from doing any real damage.

"Ah..." Jae-ha sighed, "Careful, if you don't make a move on her soon, I just might."

Hak froze.

Then, Jae-ha held up his hand, a smug grin on his face.

"Kidding."

The teasing smirk faded as he identified the pain flickering across the man's face.

"I'm sorry for hurting her." Jae-ha looked carefully at the Thunder Beast whose eyes were downcast, as if he couldn't believe that he had hurt you.

Jae-ha's jaw hardened as he recalled the blood that marred your face and didn't respond.

They sat in silence for a moment before Hak broke it. "What happened to Y/N?"

The green dragon's face quickly became guarded. "What do you mean?"

Hak almost smiled at Jae-ha's protective streak, but the Thunder Beast had noticed your quiet resolve to fight, he just didn't know why. You were never like that back at the palace. You were just as childish as the princess at the time, not aware of the world outside the castle walls. By being sheltered for so many years, Hak was worried when he noticed your childish streak was not quite the same as it was before.

You had grown up.

But there was more to it than that, wasn't there?

"Y/N is different than I remember." Hak explained carefully, not wanting to unintentionally evoke the wrath of the dragon. "I expected that much, but it seems as though she's been through some difficult times."

Jae-ha exhaled heavily. "That's an understatement." He muttered. Hak shot him a curious glance.

The Ryokuryuu settled on the ground across from the Thunder Beast, leaning back on his hands. His green fringe almost covered his eyes, but Hak could distinguish the unresolved fury barely restrained beneath.

"I don't know everything that has happened." Jae-ha started, brushing hair from his eyes to study Hak closely. "I don't think she fully knows what happened either."

Steel glinted dangerously in the moonlight as Hak's grip tightened on his spear.

How bad was it that you unconsciously blocked it from your memory?

After a heavy pause, Jae-ha continued, "I don't know how she got to Awa, I was the one to find her. She was chained to a back alley on the far side of town, near the forest."

Hak's eyes widened in shock.

"I had been scouting the area, I had just recently joined Captain Gi-gan's crew back then, and was trying to prove myself and be useful." He gritted his teeth. "When I first found her, huddled in a ball on the corner of an alleyway, dressed in almost nothing, I ran away."

Jae-ha left out the part where the reason for that was because he was so traumatized at such a familiar sight that he couldn't take it, so he fled.

The Thunder Beast didn't need to know that.

Jae-ha leaned forward, resting his arms on his criss-crossed legs. "I didn't get more than a few feet away before I went back as fast as I could." He shook his head. "I broke her chains with my leg and brought her to the captain. She's been with us ever since."

Hak fixated on the grass on the ground, deep in thought. "Is that why you're so set on taking down Yang Kum-ji?"

A scoff came from the green dragon in front of him. "He needs to be taken down." Jae-ha sneered, violet eyes akin with fire. "The fact that he was most likely the one who allowed her to be treated like that goes against my views of beauty."

The inferno blazed.

"He's not walking away from this alive."

Hak jaw locked. "I want to help."

Jae-ha shot him a familiar charismatic smirk. "You are already going to be."

He straightened when Hak shook his head in response, cobalt eyes flashing with fury. "I want to kill him." He snarled.

Hak looked up at the slightly confused Ryokuryuu. "Growing up, she looked out for me at the castle. She was so much like the princess; innocent but precious. I'm going to kill whoever touched her."

Jae-ha's mouth pressed in a thin line. "I'm sure not sure she would appreciate the gesture, but either way, that's my job."

"Hey!" Hak interjected as Jae-ha stood up. "Wha-"

"It's my job to keep her safe." Jae-ha interrupted. "Just like you protect Yona."

The Thunder Beast's mouth snapped shut at that.

"I love her." Jae-ha admitted, no hint of his usual sarcasm or teasing. "She is for me, what Yona is for you. She's my entire world."

His eyes shone with whirling fear and fierce determination. "Let me protect her."

Hak looked down, before nodding reluctantly. Jae-ha started to walk away.

"But," He heard Hak remark, halting him in his tracks. "I'll help, in any way that I can."

Jae-ha dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I know." He studied the former general. "I'll look out for Yona too."

He heard Hak whisper a 'thank you' under his breath, and he grinned. "Of course, I can always ask Yona dear if she needs help with other things..."

Jae-ha sidestepped the blade as Hak swung his spear at him, easy laughter echoing in the night as an infuriated Thunder Beast chased him all the way back to the docks.

///

You arrived with Yona on the bustling ship, alive with the pirates' excited chatter. Yoon was in the center of it all, having whipped up dinner for the hungry crew.

Quickly pulling Yona behind you, you led her to your room below the deck. As you closed the door, you noticed the princess relaxed a bit. You grabbed some water and bandages from off the table on the far side, making your way back to Yona who was shuffling her feet awkwardly in the center of the room.

"Come sit," You called, patting to your side as you situated yourself on the bed. "I don't bite."

Your grin put Yona at ease and she sat down beside you. "I'm sorry about your father..."

You saw her stiffen from the corner of your eye. You gazed at her sympathetically, but Yona wouldn't meet your gaze as she trained in on her hands resting in her lap.

"Before we made it to Awa, we passed through an abandoned Fire Tribe village."

You looked up at her in surprise and then closed your eyes in sadness, already knowing where this was going.

She told you about the state it was in, and that the people left behind were dying. Yona was silent after she finished, and you could only imagine the suffering she had gone through when she left the castle and finally learned about the reality her kingdom was in.

You gently inspected her hands, taking notice of the many scratches and dripping honey on it. Gesturing for her to let you see them, you raised your eyebrow questioningly, "Do you want to talk about what happened? I'm assuming Hak played a part in this." You said, pointing out the amber liquid.

Yona sighed shakily. "He said it would help take the thorns out."

You nodded as you dipped her hands in the water, noticing her wince as you cleaned the cuts. "That's true." You mused.

The princess' eyes squeezed shut. "Then..." You looked up. "It started to overflow..."

You narrowed your eyes, beginning to bandage her hands.

"What happened?" You inquired after she failed to continue for a few beats.

Yona hesitated, an unknown emotion flickering across her delicate features. "....H-He l-licked it off..."

Staring at her in shock, silence enveloped the two of you until you couldn't hold it back anymore. You laughed heartily, clutching your sides as you rolled back in your bed.

"Y/N!" Yona cried out, "It's not funny! He's always teasing me, and making me feel-"

"What?" You paused your laughter as you inspected her closely. "Making you feel what exactly?

Her purple eyes darted around in confusion. "I-I don't know..."

You softly encouraged, "Try to describe it."

The princess drew her bandaged hands tightly to her chest, bringing her knees up to rest her chin on. The sight before you was nostalgic as you remembered how Yona used to do this years ago when she was scared.

Even back then, Hak was always the one to look out for his princess above all else.

"My h-heart," Yona mumbled, sniffling, "It hurts when h-he does things like that. W-when he teases me, it beats really fast, and I feel like I-I might c-cry when he pulls a-away..."

You watched as she burst into tears, hiding her face in her hands as her small body racked with sobs.

Gathering her in your arms, you patted her head soothingly, the other going to rub her back comfortingly until she eventually quieted.

"Yona," You spoke softly as you pulled back, looking her in the eye. "I know you're scared by what you're feeling," A finger came up to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "Do you want to know what it is?"

The princess didn't miss the underlying warning. There was a chance she wouldn't like what she would hear, but Yona braced herself and nodded.

You smiled comfortingly, "Know that even with what I say next, it's up to you to decide what you want to do with it, okay? You can choose to acknowledge it or not, both have its own set of consequences." After receiving another dip of the head from the trembling girl across from you, you started.

"Your heart beats faster, right? Almost like it has a mind of its own when you're with him and you can't control it.You feel especially emotional, sometimes you can't even explain it. It's like you're drawn to their side without reason, and you want to protect them and see them happy."

Yona looked at you in wonder.

Looking closely at the princess who had opened her eyes in realization, you finished, "You don't feel this way around anyone else, like you feel incredibly sick if you envision the future without them and it's baffling. Am I right?"

"...How?" Yona asked, uncertainty lingering in the depths of her eyes.

You placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's how I feel around Jae-ha." A blush made its way onto your cheeks, and you resisted the urge to cover your face. "He makes me feel safe around him. I love him."

Yona froze. "You, love him?"

You nodded. "I do." You whispered.

"But that's not," Yona stumbled over her words. "You, he... That's not... Hak couldn't possibly..."

You shook your head, ignoring her earlier words, chalking it up to astonishment at all the information you had just revealed to her. "It's not whether he does or doesn't, those feelings usually indicate something deeper than just friendship is all I meant. For me, I know what they are. For you, how much you acknowledge it will determine how much of it you allow to be true."

Leaning back on your hands, you studied the princess who began to fiddle with her hands. "And if anything, I think he does feel that way about you." You said softly. Yona's head shot up, bewilderment crossing her face. "But you'll only ever know for sure if you talk to him about it."

The worn look in her eyes made you pause.

"There's more to this, isn't there?"

That was all the prompting Yona needed.

She told you about that night in Hiryuu Castle, her father's murder, Soo-won's betrayal, her feelings for him and how she was starting to realize for what she felt for Hak. She explained her quest and how she met her new friends and what the priest said was going to happen to Hak if she didn't. Yona even broke to you the death of the young boy as her reason for partaking in the upcoming mission to take down Yang Kum-ji. The rumors that had circulated painted Hak as the king's murderer, but you knew he would never do that. He was far too loyal to King Il, and Yona. You were shocked to find out that Soo-won was behind this, he was such a sweet kid growing up, but you concealed it well for Yona's sake.

You clenched your fists, curling the sheets on your bed tightly in your hands. "The officers killed the boy?"

Yona nodded, the regret and guilt in her eyes mirrored your own.

"I want to fight with you."

You looked directly at her, eyes widening in astonishment as you saw foreign fire simmering in a sea of violet. The once young, innocent and ignorant princess you remembered was no more. In her place was a girl who had the heart of a warrior.

You smirked, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Your Highness, I'd be honored." You playfully mocked, almost falling off the bed as she pushed you, giggling.

The easy atmosphere grew tense with your next words. "Yona, can you kill someone?"

Her mouth gaped open. "Wha-"

"We're going to take him down." Your eyes flashed with determination. "We're going to make sure Kum-ji never gets the chance to hurt anyone else ever again."

The princess didn't miss the implication behind your words. She hesitated for a split second. "What's your reason for fighting?"

"To protect the people I love." Your eyes softened. "The captain, the other pirates, Jae-ha, the civilians of this town and the ones who are innocent, the ones who never asked for any part of this; I'm doing it for them."

"Did..." Yona paused, conflicted, "Did something happen to you at his hands?"

You froze. "Ah..." Rubbing the back of your neck, you smiled sheepishly. "You are sharper than I gave you credit for."

Despite the obviously uncomfortable topic, Yona beamed at the praise, knowing it was well intended by the genuine admiration on your face.

"Yeah, but that's a story for another day, okay?" You patted the red-haired princess on the head gently as she opened her mouth in protest. "I promise to tell you one day."

Yona nodded. Tilting your head, you grinned widely.

"What?" The princess asked, curious.

"They're back," You replied as Jae-ha's teasing laughter and Hak's irritated shouting reached your ears. "Let's go get some dinner."

Extending your hand to Yona, she grasped it, squeezing it tightly once. "Thank you, for everything."

"Anytime, Your Highness."

A cheeky grin spread across your face, and she puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance, causing the two of you to head out on deck with bright smiles on your faces, hearts a little lighter than they were before.

You're not alone, Yona...

You watched as Kija and Yoon ran out to greet the princess, the latter shoving a bowl of pirate stew in her hands and scolding her hotly for running off on her own without telling anyone.

Your friends will be there to share your burden, just like you do for them.

Kija wailed as he noticed the bandages wrapped around Yona's hands, with the princess frantically reassuring him that she was alright. Hak eyed his princess from the edge of the boat, positioned next to Shin-ah who was rapidly stuffing his face with food; his fluffy squirrel perched on his arm to sneak in bites of food.

You heard movement from behind you, slyly smirking as you heard the tell-tale whistling of Jae-ha soaring through the air. He landed on top of the cabin gracefully, green hair flowing out from behind him.

And you don't need to worry,

You directed towards Yona silently as Ryokuryuu made his way over to you. The last bit the princess had clued you in on was about was how Jae-ha adamantly refused to join her on her travels.

I have a feeling he'll come around. After all...

You smiled as you studied Jae-ha, observing the way his eyes flickered over to Yona and her group, tension unconsciously easing from his body as he watched them eat heartily, interacting easily with the rest of the crew.

He's started to care about all of you, too.

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crepuscular-gloom · 5 years ago

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Poptropica Island Ratings

okay I saw a post on here a while ago and someone rated the Poptropica islands. I remember agreeing with a lot of them, but they only went so far so a lot of the newer islands were missed out. I came across it again recently and got hit by a wave of nostalgia so I’m gonna do my own now. Unoriginal content very good. i’ll put a keep reading link to stop it from taking up too much space

Early Poptropica - mega nostalgia but kinda boring. I like the original Poptropicans being pixely and there is a goth gf in the sewers however the giant green spider scared the shit out of me as a kid and the idea of an aircraft graveyard made me sad so 6/10

Shark Tooth Island - also nostalgic but I didn’t complete it for a long time for some reason.. very short. it has a story but its there is nasty shark and people stuck on an island so make a calming potion. the medicine man looks like he is from viva pinata so 6/10

Time Tangled Island - VERY GOOD AND FUN AND HISTORICAL FUCK THAT AZTEC THO DICKHEAD. quite lengthy for an island but this is good because that means more time periods to explore. it’s also educational but i just care about restoring time. very legendary the iconic just jumped out - 10/10

24 Carrot Island - stupid pun point taken off. introduces Dr Hare and people are THIRSTY. you can dye your hair with milkshakes. i thought it was creepy as a kid honestly. i think its mind control or something. but i like it, it still has nostalgia value 8/10

Super Power Island - very legend like. i loooove the antagonists, especially copy cat but i think i had to look up a guide to beat her because i was dumb af. you need a licence to be a superhero but you are a superhero!!! very fun i like this one a lot 10/10

Spy Island - i remember sucking at this one as well as a kid. i think it fucks with peoples hair and i only remember because my character looks fresh 100% of the time and this island fucked it up i think. i don't really remember it tho. 5/10

Nabooti Island - it’s based on a Choose Your Own Adventure book so good premise. go around the world is also good. you have to get jewels i think. ngl i didn’t finish this one because i sucked at it so i’m just going off the wiki and how far i got into it. fuck the animal puzzle 7/10

Big Nate Island - who the fuck is Big Nate. i only remember the school climbing frame and a stink bomb. fuck you big nate we don’t have your comics in England 1/10

Astro-Knights Island - medieval knights.... IN SPACE?!?! COUNT ME IN. crazy jester bard guy antagonist. people are thirsty for him too. i’m pretty sure you end up in another dimension or something. cyborgs and shit 9/10

Counterfeit Island - bruh i loved this island. pretty sure antagonist is also making people thirsty. you have to go back to Early Poptropica Island to complete it, very cool. investigating crime is cool idea it’s l.a. noire in poptropica. the wiki says there is a glitch called anti-social clown and i have to say relatable 9/10

Reality TV Island - i think i completed this like twice and i remember jackshit. you get to see past characters tho so very good. it’s just doing challenges. 4/10

Mythology Island - VERY GOOD. LEARN ABOUT MYTHOLOGY. you can fight hydra and other creatures, you meet Zeus you meet Hades, Aphrodite is a bitch. 9/10

Skullduggery Island - pirates are always good no matter what. apparently it is one of the hardest islands which explains why i never completed it but you fight other pirates and sea monsters for doubloons or some shit sounds cool to me 8/10

Steamworks Island - steampunk is good. i remember completing this and thinking it was interesting and weird to look at. i think the atmosphere is was lonely tho. there’s a boss battle against a plant i think. otherwise i don’t fuckin remember 7/10

Great Pumpkin Island - it’s Peanuts so it’s nice. very nice and simple. it’s just about the great pumpkin except you’re there. 6/10

Cryptids Island - GOD TIER. CRYPTIDS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA. some of it is scary tho. the jersey devil just fucking staring at you from the window was a shit the bed moment for a kids game. also before the islands got rebooted, it was one of the only islands to have sound effects, i.e. when the chupacabra bursts out the box. honestly because of the balls on this kids game to scare children and also being good island 10/10

Wild West Island - the only thing better than pirates is cowboys. i don’t really remember it but you do go against an outlaw gang. i like cowboys 10/10

Wimpy Wonderland Island - Jeff I know you made doawk and poptropica but did you have to show it. ngl i liked it because i like doawk. but it’s kinda... creatively bankrupt i guess. 3/10 2 points because Rodrick is there

Red Dragon Island - i think more time travel but just to old Japan. you have to save a girl. that’s all i remember. also i think there is a nasty samurai guy. but also evil dragon. i can’t remember because for the longest time this was a premium account only island so i never got to finish it for the longest time. that was a dick move 7/10 for that alone.

Shrink Ray Island - cool premise but this island expects me to learn morse code 3/10

Mystery Train Island - detectives? on a train? very nice. basically murder on the orient express except no murder and thomas edison is there and also various other 1700/1800 nerds

Game Show Island - basically Reality TV except it’s to save the world from robots. 5/10

Ghost Story Island - wow iconic. this is the only island with voice acting and it’s to fucking jumpscare you i shat myself. ghost hunting, very cool 10/10

S.O.S Island - it’s basically Titanic mixed with Moby Dick. it’s ok 6/10

Vampire’s Curse Island - i reaaaally like this one. i like vampires. it has a vampire daddy in it so. he kidnaps a teenage girl tho because he thinks its the love of his life who is dead. kinda weird. he does stop being insane at the end tho and says sorry and dies. the girls bf is a dickhead tho. 9/10

Twisted Thicket Island - i think you’re saving a forest from becoming housing. i really like it because it introduces various folkloric creatures like the nokken. i only remember the nokken because i went on akinator to see if he knew what it was and i don’t think he did so i added it and it’s photo to his database. or maybe it was just his photo but i remember uploading something to akinator. 8/10

Poptropolis Games Island - i don’t think i liked this one 3/10

Wimpy Boardwalk Island - Jeff. 2/10 1 point added because Rodrick is also there

Lunar Colony Island - space is good. do i remember this island tho? no. i think theres aliens tho. 5/10 because i like space and aliens.

Super Villain Island - it brings back the most memorable villains like binary bard and black widow. you find out why they are evil. pretty chill 8/10

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Island - what do you expect 5/10

Zomberry Island - the last of us except i think people are just eating nasty berries really. i like it it’s spooky 7/10

Night Watch Island - Paul Blart Mall Cop 6/10

Back Lot Island - you make a film. i can’t remeber it like at all. 6/10 because it sounds ok

Poptropolis Games Island Part 2 - fuck off 2/10

Virus Hunter Island - i don’t think i completed this one either. however it is one of those inside the human body things which is always cool if cliche. 8/10

Mocktropica Island - very satirical what if about if poptropica was run by assholes. ironic since a bunch of islands were made premium only for a while. pretty sure the bonus missions still are too which is why i’m not mentioning them. funny tho 7/10

Monster Carnival Island - spooky yes. people thirst over the ringmaster raven guy too. theres a spooky clown on the ferris wheel. i don’t remember much other than i liked it because it was about monsters in a theme park. 9/10 i remember it was surprisingly short tho

Survival Island - castaway except it’s you. i don’t remember it either lmao. i got out of touch with old poptropica real bad by this time so my next ratings might be unfair sorry. pretty sure it also becomes the most dangerous game tho and some guy wants to actually fucking kill you. ballsy. 7/10 because it sounds ok i should maybe play it.

Mission Atlantis Island - i like atlantis but i didn’t play this one either. you see deepsea creatures which are spooky so extra points 8/10

PoptropiCon Island - poptropica’s answer to comicon. now i did play this one for some reason but i don’t remember it too well either. i was 14 when it came out so. sounds like yu-gi-oh so good. 7/10

Arabian Nights Island - didn’t play it i think it’s just telling the story. it’s a cool story so 7/10

Galactic Hotdogs Island - what the fuck 1/10

Mystery of The Map Island - vikings are cool. island seems very short tho. 5/10

Timmy Failure Island - who the fuck. this would be more impactful if i read these fucking things but i don’t. who the fuck are you timmy. i guess it’s called failure for a reason. (that was mean sorry) 1/10

Escape from Pelican Rock Island - prison break, nice idea. you have like a twin in this one. seems a bit repetitive sometimes tho. theres like 7 days of doing similar things. 6/10

Monkey Wrench Island - it was created to be the new tutorial, i.e. an actual tutorial rather than Early Poptropica. very fast and boring, especially if you already know everything. 2/10

Crisis Caverns Island - i know nothing about this. even the wiki is incomplete. maybe that means its shit then. 1/10 the wiki doesn’t even care too much about this one.

Greek Sea Odyssey - more ancient greece is always good. you get to beat the shit out of zeus this time 8/10

Snagglemast Island - all you do is collect coins. another tutorial one. 1/10.

bonus: home island. legit just a hub. points added because you can do a lot of customisation here and pick up a pet that doesn’t cost credits. 4/10

DOUBLE BONUS: the little haunted house mini thing. very good because spooky costumes, spooky house fun little monster party. 10/10

#poptropica #feel free to add your opinions #do you agree #or disagree #i get unfair because i stopped playing a loooong time ago #tho i sometimes jump on #if you see me i'm called chilly skull #edgy i know but i made it when i was 7 #poptropica islands #this felt like writing a goddamn essay enjoy

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 5 years ago

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Michael After Midnight: Hellboy

I really love Guillermo Del Toro’s work. I really do. His first Hellboy movie was the first film I ever saw from him and was a gateway drug to the rest of his filmography, Ron Perlman, and Hellboy himself. Because of the film and Teen Titans, Perlman became one of my favorite actors, and because of the film, I checked out the sequel and all the animated movies. I never got into the comics unfortunately, but it’s safe to say that Hellboy had an impact on me.

But, like… I really think people hold it and its sequel in too high of a regard. GDT’s Hellboy movies are good movies, don’t misunderstand me, but I wouldn’t really say they’re some of GDT’s best. The first film has a lot of great ideas but is bogged down by the fact it has a stupid, pointless love triangle with a bland everyman character and doesn’t let Doug Jones do Abe’s voice, and the second film can get a bit too silly to the point where there is a phantom Seth MacFarlane in a diving suit doing a bad German accent. It’s a testament to Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, and the effects that they can carry these films on the force of their personalities and spectacle alone. They’re fun action movies, but I think they lack a lot of the depth of GDT’s films like Pan’s Labyrinth and especially The Shape of Water or even the sheer awesome value of something like Pacific Rim. They’re worthy films in the man’s filmography, but they aren’t his artistic masterpieces.

Which made it so weird to me when this movie was announced, this reboot of a property anyone with any sense knew was long dead, and people started treating GDT’s movies like cinema’s Holy Grail. I love the combination of GDT and Perlman as much as anyone else guys, but come on, I’d rather have more Hellboy and have GDT finally take us to the Mountains of madness than have him fight an uphill battle to get a third Hellboy film made. And it’s not like this movie was rushed out immediately, this franchise got the reboot ten years later. People were seriously getting mad because a dead film series was getting rebooted just because of nostalgia. Again, can’t stress enough that I love Del Toro, I love Perlman, and the Hellboy movies they made together kick ass… but at some point you have to let go and move on, and hope for better things. Frankly, as I alluded to before, Del Toro’s Lovecraft adaptation is something I’m far more excited to see than I would be another Hellboy film from him.

God, what a detour that was, huh? I haven’t even talked about the actual movie I’m reviewing yet… well, despite everything, despite it being a reboot of a beloved but very dead franchise, despite suffering a lot of executive meddling and behind-the-scenes drama, despite it bombing at the box office due to poor release scheduling which leaves any sequels in doubt… it’s actually a pretty good film. Like, genuinely good, I wouldn’t even say “so bad it’s good,” though it really, really pushes it at times.

For instance, the plot is utter hogwash. It’s a bunch of mystical bullshit that just happens to get Hellboy from scene to scene and show us some cool magical shit, because while the story itself is dumb, the background and lore of the world is most certainly not. It’s an absolute mish-mash of all sorts of fantasy tropes, with the devil, King Arthur, Baba Yaga, giants, Mexican vampires, werecats, and fairies all thrown into the mix, with sprinklings of the Bible, Rasputin, Atlantis, Nazis, and whatnot thrown in for good measure. It’s the exact sort of crazy crossover fairytale madness I love about Hellboy. Baba Yaga in particular is fantastic and horrifying, with her one major scene really stealing the show, and the demons from Hell that pop in towards the end likewise leave an impression with their fantastically creative designs and gory methods of murder. Ah yes, there’s the biggest plus this movie has: the gore. The sheer levels of bloody violence this movie delivers in its fight scenes is nothing short of hilariously beautiful. Special mention has to go to the demon attack sequence at the end, which is like a highlight reel of blood and guts.

The movie definitely crammed a lot in to try and build up the world for a sequel, which is a risky thing for these big comic book universe films, and ultimately I don’t think it truly paid off well for it, sadly. I did like a lot of the backstory given to us, but a lot of the time it felt like it was bogging down the pacing. It’s like every time we have a new character, they have to spend five minutes detailing this time Hellboy pissed in their Cheerios and that’s why they hate monsters or whatever. Heck, even in a flashback a character kind of pauses to kind of explain what they’re about. It adds to the silliness, sure, but I feel like they should have slowed down and kind of eased into the worldbuilding instead of getting overexcited and blowing their load so quick.

The characters are mostly okay. Ian McShane is literally incapable of being bad, and getting to hear him say “fuck” with alarming regularity is great, and David Harbour is definitely a worthy succesor to Perlman in taking up the big red fist. The rest of the cast, though? They’re mostly just okay, and even the better ones like Hellboy’s sidekicks for the journey Alice and Ben are kind of thrown at us, show off their powers, and then get sidelined for a lot of the movie so Hellboy can punch everything, though Ben at least gets to help in the climactic fight and everyone shares a cool action scene at the end. Speaking of the climactic battle though, the climax as a whole is simultaneously cool and underwhelming, with Milla Jovovich’s big bad Nimue going down like a Milla Jovobitch. Nimue is not an awful protagonist, and she does have some good backstory to her, but ultimately she’s a bit underwhelming as an antagonist, though this is pretty standard for Hellboy movies after the first one. If nothing else, she gets defeated with the most amazingly bad pun imaginable, so she’s not on my shit list.

Frankly it’s really hard to quantify why I like this film; most would argue my criticism of the film would make it bad at worst, “so bad it’s good” at best, but I don’t think either criteria fits it, I think it’s a genuinely good film, just not a great one. It’s fun, it’s goofy, it’s cheesy, it’s gory, and even if it is a little dumb it has lot of good lore and absurd amounts of backstory for every character. This will be a weird comparison, but I feel like the comic book movie I’d say it most reminds me of is Suicide Squad, mainly because both films are dumb plots filled with interesting characters and lore, but where Suicide Squad is an entertaining hot mess, Hellboy is more akin to a very gory cheesy 80s/90s fantasy film.

I’d recommend this movie. It’s the sort of film you want to watch if you don’t want to think to hard and just want to have some gory fun. I think more open minded Hellboy fans will like it, and anyone who just likes big dumb action movies or cheesy dark fantasy films will get a kick out of this. It’s really not a completely bad movie by any means, but it certainly is a bit more bloated and less polished than it could have been, kind of like a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel.

I’m no oracle or anything, but I kind of see this film eventually developing a cult following, a sentiment Milla Jovovovich shares. It certainly has the makings of one – bad box office, critical revilement, rejection by audiences at first, lots of cheese, good ideas buried under the lack of polish, great ideas sticking out in the mix – but only time will tell. Frankly I don’t think it’s any worse than the other Hellboy films, and is an enjoyable take on the character in its own right. I hope it manages to finds its audience eventually, and while I don’t think it will ever be as big or beloved as fellow critically reviled campy superhero film Venom, I think it deserves at least a fraction of the respect that movie got.

#Michael After Midnight #Review #Movie review #Hellboy #Hellboy 2019 #David Harbour #Ian McShane #comic book movie #fantasy #dark fantasy #demons and shit

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greyias · 5 years ago

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SO. Apparently Tumblr is being an utter jerk today, and is not letting me put "Read More”s at all in asks today. SO. I improvise! *ahem* I think I might have something for this already written what would work perfectly! 😉

The automated search that Theron had set up on the HoloNet and Rishi comm hubs regarding the Red Hulls pinged with a few new results. He had set up a connection between his datapad and his implants so that he could know the instant any new information arrived, without alerting the rest of his companions in their hideout.

It was partially to preserve the fragile peace of their cohabitation from one more thing to argue about (Jakarro wasn’t fond of shrill noises, despite the droid that he hauled around with him everywhere) — but it was also to restrict the flow of information. Lana may have been his longest running partner, mostly out of necessity, but she was still a Sith. She may have done nothing but earn his trust over the past few months, but old habits were hard to shake.

Lana was currently listening to the latest in the long line of grand adventures of Onderon’s royal badass, Queen Lina. The glazed look in her eyes indicated that she had gone to whatever the Sith equivalent of a happy place was to survive the ordeal. Theron slipped away from the remnants of the party they had set up in their main communal area and off to a secluded corner so he could look at the datapad in relative privacy.

He was expecting some delayed reports on the ‘Red Hulls’ last raid on the Nova Blades, or maybe some general chatter on the exploits of their feared captain. Like anything else she seemed to do, Theron’s favorite Jedi Knight left quite the impression in her wake — even when she was pretending to be a pirate. As he scanned through the few short results that had been fed to his datapad, he frowned. Well, the part about her leaving an impression hadn’t changed.

After the fourth report he put the datapad down and kneaded his forehead in frustration. This woman was going to be the death of him. Despite having some privacy in this area, it wasn’t sound proof, and he didn’t really want Lana eavesdropping on what he hoped would be a quick conversation. As quietly as possible, Theron slipped outside into the alleyway, checking his surroundings even as he had his implants hail the Jedi’s comm frequency using his private channel.

“Um, hello?” She sounded confused—and distracted.

“Why hello to you too.”

“Theron?”

“How you doing?” he asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from leaking into his voice.

Apparently she didn’t pick up on it. “Fine… hey, Teeseven, there’s another one over there, could you…?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable now, “did I interrupt something important?”

“What do you want, Theron?”

“I just thought I would check in, see how things were going.”

He heard a long sigh on the other end of the line. “I’m detecting some insincerity in your tone.”

“And here I thought I was being so subtle.”

“You called me.”

“That I did.”

“You mind telling me why?” she asked, a hint of annoyance leaking across the line.

“I wanted to ask about the scenery over there on Torch’s private little island,” he tossed back sarcastically.

“I’ll let you know about their interior decorating choices when I get there,” she said, biting back irritation. “Something came up.”

“Something that would say, have you going around passing out free medical care to people on the streets, repairing all of the monsoon baffles, volunteering for trash duty, and in general ruin the carefully crafted cover story of a fearsome pirate cannibal that I spent so much time on?”

“How do you even know about… wait… you came up with the cannibal thing?”

“Um—“ he was briefly taken off-guard, “no. That was one-hundred percent—“

“I knew it!” He wasn’t sure if she sounded scandalized or vindicated, and was suddenly happy for the distance between them. “Lana would never come up with something so ridiculous!”

“It’s not ridiculous,” he protested.

“Oh, then what is it?”

“It’s…” He almost decided to defend its necessity to the mission, but she’d already gotten him to admit his part in it, so what was the point in trying to talk himself out of the hole he’d already dug? “Honestly? It was funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yeah, the thought of the sweet, perfect little Jedi having to pretend to be a fearsome, literally bloodthirsty pirate was too good to pass up,” he snickered.

“I’m not perfect.”

He ignored the warning in her tone, and pressed on. “I really wish I’d had a holo of your face when someone asked you about your dietary preferences. It had to have been classic.”

He thought he heard her mutter something about “there is no emotion, there is peace”, but he wasn’t sure. After a few more moments of muttering, she grumbled so he could hear, “It was not funny. Everyone’s afraid of me.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“No, it’s not!” For the briefest moment, he thought he heard something more in her tone, but since he couldn’t actually see any facial cues, he was probably imagining it. “That’s not who I am…”

“That’s kind of the point of a cover identity, you not being recognized as yourself,” he said, sobering, “and by the way, you’re kind of undoing the whole fearsome pirate image with all of your sudden, inexplicable acts of kindness.”

“I’m a Jedi,” she said, as if that explained everything.

“Yes, in real life, but for the sake of the argument of, say, us trying to unravel a giant conspiracy, let’s pretend that you’re the cannibalistic pirate captain of the Red Hulls who doesn’t get a thrill out of rescuing nexu kittens from trees.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I need to do this.”

“But why?”

“It’s…” Her voice dropped a few decibels, and now he was sure he could hear some irrepressible emotion color her tone. Something almost like sadness. “It’s personal, all right?”

He tried to ignore the sudden needle-sharp stab of guilt and focus on the larger picture. The one about him and his merry band of n’er-do-wells (and one stubborn, guilt-inducing Jedi Knight) saving the galaxy from the machinations of an evil cult lead by his former Sith/Jedi ancestor come back from the dead — if only certain Jedi Knights would stop trying to run for mayor of Raider’s Cove and focus on harassing some Mandalorian retirees like they had all agreed on. And when he thought about it like that, he had to briefly wonder when insanity took over his life.

Oh, right. Shortly after he met said Jedi Knight.

The effort for him to focus past his own emotions took a little more effort than he cared to admit, which may have made him come across a bit more gruff than intended. “Fine. How long is this going to take?”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly.

The comm remained silent for a long few moments as Theron tried to reign in the flare of impatience that non-answer ignited. He lightly paced the alleyway, unable to ignore the gnawing sense of guilt at her quiet, chastened tone. Finally, he managed to swallow his annoyance enough so he could talk like a normal person. How she had managed to key him up so quickly was beyond him. Even Lana couldn’t push his buttons quite so efficiently, and he was pretty sure his Sith partner put in more effort to intentionally annoy him than his Jedi one. “Look, just try to keep a low profile, okay?”

“I haven’t been—“

“If you blow your cover, the Revanites might catch wind, and they might clam up and run. And we’ll be back to square one.”

“I know…”

“They don’t take kindly to people meddling in their business,” he said seriously, the bulk of his annoyance evaporating away into a fine misting of exasperation. “Look what happened to me, Lana, and Jakarro.”

“I’ll be fine, Theron,” she insisted, her tone warming to something something akin to fondness. “I appreciate the concern, though.”

“Well… good,” he said lamely. He thought he heard a quiet huff of laughter, but it could have been something else as her comm wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up quieter noises. “I better get back inside before they notice I’m gone.”

“You didn’t say anything to them?” she asked surprised. “About… this?”

“Nah,” he said softly, “figured it could be our little secret. If that’s what you wanted.”

“Thank you,” she said, almost so quiet the comm didn’t pick it up, before adding, “something tells me Lana wouldn’t approve of me getting ‘distracted’.”

“She’s terribly practical like that,” he agreed.

“That can be a good and a bad thing.”

“Tell me about it. That’s been my roommate for the past several months.” He made his way back towards the door, pausing before he keyed in the sequence to let him in. “Since you’re… otherwise occupied, I’ll see if I can’t get Jakarro to find you some transportation out to the local Mandalorian retirement community. Lana will probably appreciate the save so much she won’t realize you haven’t left yet.”

“Deefour?” Grey asked knowingly.

“If I never have to hear about another member of the Onderan royal house again, it’ll be too soon.”

This time the laugh came through the comm loud and clear. “You sure you won’t need rescuing soon?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I plan on curling up on the couch and sorting through the rest of this lovely cache of data this fearsome pirate got for me. Should be boring enough to send Jakarro running for the hills, taking the royal storyteller with him.”

“You sound like you have this all figured out.”

“I have a good idea every now and then.”

“I might have heard one or two, I’ll admit.” The undercurrent of fondness in her tone caught him off guard, and he wasn’t sure what he had done to warrant that. Nor was he sure what to make of the sudden ball of warmth that had flared to life in his gut.

“Don’t have too much fun doing… whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’ll try,” she sounded amused. “I’ll check in after I have that chat with Torch and her crew.”

“I meant what I said earlier,” he reminded her quietly, “be careful out there, okay?”

“I will,” she promised, and to her credit, she only sounded half like she was humoring him before she cut the call.

He shook his head, trying to banish the little warm ball of emotion in his gut before slipping back inside. If he wasn’t careful, that Jedi was going to get him in a lot more trouble than a Revanite cult. That was for sure.

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xeno-odyssey · 6 years ago

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Top 10 (Slightly Revised) Smash Ultimate - Fighters Pass Predictions

Keep in mind, these are fighters I personally want in Smash Ultimate. With the surprise reveal of Joker, and that he’ll be joining the roster soon with only a month away, anything is possible at this point. Also, Mii Costumes and Spirits usually does not mean a fighter is de-confirmed. For example, Mario is a fighter and he has multiple Spirits of himself from other Mario games. This will be a slightly lengthy list, so I’ll put a cut underneath.

Rex & Pyra/Mythra - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Unfortunately they did not make it into the final roster as Smash Ultimate’s development period was around the time Xenoblade 2 released in December 2017, and Smash Ultimate released the next year. As compensation, we got a Mii Fighter costume of Rex if we pre-purchased the Fighters Pass DLC for free. I still have hope for Rex being in Smash. Some people say they want Pyra & Mythra as solo fighters, I have to disagree on that. They share their life-force with Rex, and without him as the Driver, they’re not at full strength, even if they are the Aegises. I COULD see Mythra as a solo fighter, should Sakurai and his team choose to use her Torna iteration. For their special attacks and Final Smash, here’s what I got: Sword Bash in Neutral-B, Rolling Smash is Side-B, Double Spinning Edge is Up-B akin to Link’s Spin Attack, and Down-B can be Blade Switch by changing between Pyra or Mythra respectively. For Rex’s Grab, it can be Anchor Shot akin to Young/Toon Link’s Hookshot, and it can also work as a tether-grab on ledges. For their Final Smash, it can be something like how Ryu and Ken have a 2-in-one Final Smash; Chain Attack - Burning Sword (Pyra), and Chain Attack - Sacred Arrow (Mythra). Rex call upon either Nia & Dromarch, Tora & Poppi, Mòrag & Brighid, and/or Zeke & Pandoria. They let their Blades go all out with the Special Attacks, and Rex deals the finishing blow with Pyra or Mythra using either of their respective Level 4 Special Attack.

Elma - Xenoblade Chronicles X Elma is one of many highly requested fighters to be in Smash, especially during the Fighter Ballot back in 2016 for Smash 4. Even if Elma doesn’t make, I can see the avatar, Cross, be in it. Elma’s moveset can be directly pulled from her origin game, and from Xenoblade 2: Neutral-B is Stream Edge, Side-B is Sliding Slinger, Up-B is Shadow Strike, and Down-B is Ghost Factory as counter akin to Lucario’s Double Team. For her Final Smash, it can be call Full Metal Jaguar Overdrive: This can be similar to Shulk’s Chain Attack in a way. Elma activates Overdrive, then splits clones of herself with Ghost Factory like in her boss fight from Xenoblade 2. Elma and her clones then go all out using moves like Violent Streak, Executioner, Electric Surge, Hundred Shells, and the original Elma finishes the attack with her signature Art being Shadow Strike. For a special aesthetic, one of Elma’s alternate costumes can be her True Form, where she’s actually one of the mysterious peaceful aliens trying to protect humanity from the Ganglion Alliance.

Kazuma Kiryu - Yakuza series I know what some of you might be thinking; “But Kiryu has never been on a Nintendo console before!” This is where I say, not true! The first two Yakuza games had HD ports on the Wii U. Sales didn’t do so well though.... But that’s okay! If we can get characters like Bayonetta and Joker, why not Kiryu? For Kiryu’s fighting style taken straight from 0 and Kiwami 1 & 2, he has Brawler, Rush, Beast, and Dragon of Dojima. For most of his standard and aerial attacks, Kiryu can use both Brawler and DoD styles. When dodging, that’s where Rush Style comes in. For his grab attacks and throws, Beast Style is in play. So all in all, Kiryu will mainly be using Dragon of Dojima with hints of his other 3 fighting styles mixed into one, just like in Kiwami 2 and onward. I’m not entirely sure what his B-specials can be like, but they’ll be something straight out of his DoD style. For example, his Down-B can be the Tiger Drop as a counterattack, where Kiryu gut-punches foes causing them to be stunned, similar to Ryu & Ken’s Focus Attack. For his Final Smash, Kiryu goes into Extreme Heat, unleashing powerful Heat Action attacks on anyone that gets in his way. The finisher is using his signature high kick, causing foes to be sent flying. A Kiwami symbol (極) will appear as an aesthetic when the Final Smash is finished.

Byleth - Fire Emblem: Three Houses With FE: 3 Houses recently announced and coming to Nintendo Switch soon, it won’t be a surprise if yet another FE avatar makes it into the roster alongside Robin and Corrin. Corrin especially since both them and Roy were originally put into Smash to promote both of their respective origin games. Roy being The Binding Blade, and Corrin being Fates of course. Robin, Corrin, and Byleth. Wouldn’t that be amazing? As of making this list, we don’t know much of Byleth other than they can use swords and have mysterious powers in Three Houses and how that’ll be incorporated into Smash Ultimate, but I have a feeling they’ll be an original FE fighter much like Robin & Corrin. Robin using their tomes & Levin Sword, Corrin wielding the Omega Yato & using their Dragon Fang ability, so I’m curious and I’d like to see what Byleth could bring to the table.

Shantae - Shantae series Reminder once again, Spirits don’t usually de-confirm fighters. In Smash Ultimate, Shantae & Risky’s Spirits are represented in their Half-Genie Hero appearances & design. So what I’m thinking is that we can bring in the “recent” Shantae iteration from one of her more popular games being The Pirate’s Curse. Shantae’s Smash design can be a mix of all of her past and present iterations, like her vest from PC. All of Shantae’s attacks can derive from all of her games. She can use her magic, and use other means of weapons & attacks from Pirate’s Curse. Shantae can be slightly similar to Robin, and how they use swords & magic. Like she can use her signature Hair Whip attack on the ground, shoot magic fireballs or use a flintlock pistol for projectile attacks, and use a pirate cutlass for her aerial attacks. She can even use moves like Power, Drill & Uppercut Kicks. Her dodge can even come from her notable Backdash. Her most iconic magical bellydances can be her special attacks, and her taunts. Shantae’s Final Smash can be something like unleashing powerful Genie Magic via her magic bellydancing.

Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney series & VS. Capcom series I mean, c’mon now. We gotta have another joke-fighter in Smash. Nick works as a joke fighter in the VS. Capcom games because most of his moves are taken from his games and from Project X Zone 2. Shouting an “Objection!” can be a forward-Smash attack, his Up-B can be a powerful sneeze, and other attacks can involve his partners such as Maya & Pearl Fey (with the Steel Samurai), Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes. For his Final Smash, the name can be something like “Final Evidence Presentation” A.K.A., “TAKE THAT!” Phoenix presents the final key evidence on the “suspect”, belittling them even further that they were at the crime scene with no alibi and hope left, with the finisher being a powerful “TAKE THAT!” shout sending the suspects flying. For this, both Apollo and Athena join Nick like they both did in Dual Destinies.

Neku Sakuraba - The World Ends With You I was one of the people that voted for Neku to be in Smash during the Fighter Ballot. If you’ve played TWEWY, you probably already know how Neku can fight. Most of Neku’s powers come from pins, allowing him to use pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, shockwaves, energy projectiles, quakes, soundwaves, and more. If he were to be a fighter, Neku can be similar to Robin. In his game, the pins’ powers have a limit use and time limit. After a certain amount of use, Neku must wait to use the pin again until it reboots. This goes for all of his special attacks. Neutral-B can be Energy/Force Rounds, Side-B can be Shockwave akin to Marth/Lucina/Roy’s Dancing Blade, Up-B is Vulcan Uppercut or Teleport, and his Down-B is Pyrokinesis which is controllable. Neku’s Final Smash will be Final Fusion. He summons Shiki, Joshua and Beat where they put all of their power in the Harmonizer Pin with Neku dealing the finishing blow. If Final Fusion manages to KO opponents, this fully reboots all of Neku’s pins.

Monster Hunter - Monster Hunter series Smash Ultimate feels nearly complete as it already has the armor as Mii Costumes and Rathalos as a boss & Assist Trophy. I know very little of the Monster Hunter games, but they can work as a fighter with their various weapons.

Ruby Rose - RWBY series Ruby seems very unlikely for a fighting game like Smash Ultimate, but she already has her own game which is RWBY: Grimm Eclipse, and stars in another crossover fighting game being BLAZBLUE: Cross Tag Battle. But what she can bring to the table is that she’s the most unique fighter out of everyone in Smash. Ruby wields her favorite weapon, Crescent Rose, a high-impact sniper-rifle scythe hybrid weapon. Most of her attacks from the show involve using her Speed Semblance, and attacking from a distance thanks to the rifle part. In a way, she can be similar to Bayonetta as both characters uses guns and attack from far away. Her speed can even match Sonic’s and Shulk’s Monado Speed. For Ruby’s Final Smash, it can be similar to Shulk’s Chain Attack, where she summons the rest of Team RWBY; Weiss, Blake, and Yang. All four girls use their unique team attacks, and the finishing blow is all four of them attacking together with their respective weapons.

Sora - Kingdom Hearts series Sora is on the very bottom for this list because I feel he’s highly unlikely to be the next DLC fighter. He’s technically a Disney character, and Square-Enix is usually careful with their IPs, though some producers seem to be okay with his inclusion in Smash Ultimate. Anyway, should Sora become a fighter, of course he would bring his Keyblade, the Kingdom Key to the battle. All of his attacks can derive from his origin games, like moves from Limit & Second Form. Sliding Dash is his Dash-Attack, Ripple Drive can be his Up-Smash, Stun Impact can be his Down-Smash akin to Zero Suit Samus’s, and Magnet Burst can be a Neutral-Air as an example. I’m not sure what his Neutral-B will be like though for the rest of the Special Attacks; Side-B will be Strike Raid akin to Link’s boomerang, Up-B is Aeroga, and Down-B is a Counterattack being Zantetzuken (or even his latest reprisals from KH3). Sora’s Final Smash is a bit tricky as he has a lot of powerful finishers and attacks. They can be either Ragnarok, Sonic Blade, Ars Arcanum, Union χ, Ancient Light, or Trinity where he teams up with Donald & Goofy to unleash a powerful attack.

#nintendo #nintendo switch #super smash bros.#super smash bros ultimate #predictions #top 10 list #xenoblade chronicles 2 #xenoblade chronicles x #yakuza #yakuza kiwami #fire emblem #fire emblem: three houses #shantae #phoenix wright #ace attorney #the world ends with you #monster hunter #rwby #kingdom hearts

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crown-yonkou · 6 years ago

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Heartache Reform

I feel like Law is a crowd Favorite. I like him. I just know alot of people don’t? Bamboozling isn’t it? Here ya go Nonny! I hope this is okay! I added a little twist.

Lets begin:

“Room--“

Law was not amused, not in the slightest;

Okay maybe he was just a little. She stood in the middle of the straw hats with a dramatic twirl as she held a stick. Lifting a hand to cover her face as she had

L i v e s painted on her hand, an opposite to his edgy tattoos. “And Shamble!“ She called out, swinging the stick as Luffy dropped and Chopper landed on his stomach pretending to be his new legs. Her laughter echoed throughout the thousand sunny as the cyborg even joined in. He came jumping off the second floor with his signature, ‘SUPER‘ pose. “Ora ora! [Y/N] Do it again!“

She held up her hands with a grin as she chuckled. [Y/N] didn’t think it was so funny only because she was trying to mimic his mean voice but it was so deep, so she had to strain herself. But as long as they were having fun, then that’s all that mattered! “Okay okay! Once more.“

She steadied herself, to stop herself from laughing again. “Now, Room!“ She opened her hand over Franky in a mock version of Laws barrier before she swung the stick and he flopped on the ground as Luffy cackled stretching on his arms ready. “Don’t worry guys, this won’t hurt a bit~“ She teased mockingly as she waved her hands in a comical fashion. Law could feel the tension rising in his forehead, why were they making his abilities into a game? She was only getting away with this because they knew each other well, long enough for her to follow him anywhere he went.

“And Sha---“ Her heart pulsated heavily, once,

Twice.

She could hear it in her ears;

before she coughed into her hand. Looking down at the sight, her face paled, blood? How could that be? What was happening to her? Everything seemed to slow down as she dropped to her knees and the crews laughter ceased before she fell over to the side. Their yells of her name were all she could hear before she succumbed to the darkness, and sank deep within it. -- “TRA-GUY! What happened to [Y/N]!?“ Luffy yelled. Law wished he knew, before she was up laughing with everyone and then she was on the grass, bleeding from her mouth as she hacked up blood in her unconscious state. Chopper had moved her to their clinic within the ship before hooking her up to the machines needed to check her vitals. They needed to identify the problem before they could even start. “Mugiwara-ya, you have to go, we’ll take care of her.“ Chopper was inclined to agree. Luffy would hover and be in the way, and that wasn’t good for [Y/N]. But it seemed Luffy wouldn’t budge. “Room.“ Law lifted his hand and encased him in the bubble. “We’ll take care of her.“ Flipping his hand--”Shambles.“ Luffy then vanished with some loud yelling, replaced with a leaf from the ship.

Turning back to face her, she was breathing; albeit shallowly but there was oxygen, good sign. He took a pair of scissors before he began to cut up her shirt, opening it, he slit the bra. He could hear her screaming now. “LAW, YOU DID WHAT? TO SAVE MY LIFE? THOSE ARE EXPENSIVE, ID RATHER DIE. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL MY GIRLS?“

“.....Girls?“

“MY GIRLS!? MY BOOBS, LAW. MY GIRLS.“

Honestly Law would take it, if it meant having her back. Using an X ray, he could see the problem. She had something lodged in her heart. How did she not notice? Could she not feel it? Or could she and didn’t tell anyone cause she’s the self sacrificing girl. Law knew that, he knew it well. Always taking hits for him too, anything to make sure he wasn’t hurt ever.

“Law-san, I’m thinking this is from the battle.“ His head nodded just a bit as he continued to pull the shrapnel carefully from her heart, so he wouldn’t kill her.

”I’m gonna have to agree.” --

“SHATTERED HEARTACHE REFORM!” She called out as she let the sharp prisms around her float before they shot at their opponent, she jumped as did he. He swung his blade before she felt her chest become warm, with liquid as she blocked the returned attack. Now was not the time to worry about her injuries, landing and rolling before turning ready to fight again. She engaged in hand to hand combat with him before she stopped and pushed off the ground flipping back and over Luffy as he slammed his fist into that pirates face.

Her hands opened as she formed shattered shrapnel from the buildings around her before directing them at their opponent. Luffy jumped out of the way as they pinned him to the ground. She could only chuckle as Nami nicked his treasure and they booked it out of there, back to the ship where Law, Chopper and Franky were. Looking down at her hand, she tugged the smaller piece of shrapnel from her chest a sigh leaving her lips.

She could fix this herself.

No need to bother Chopper or Law, no matter how much she wanted to see him.

As he pulled the last bit from her heart that he held in his hand, he looked at Chopper who nodded before he returned it to her. He addressed her other wounds as Chopper bandaged her wounds.

“I wanna get more supplies from the closet just in case, will you watch her?“ Law nodded his head as he removed his gloves and washed his hands. Did he even have to ask? No. He would absolutely watch over her. No question about it. He had to admit he was worried, when she dropped to the ground, it was like experiencing something akin to Corazon’s fate again. He pulled a chair to her side before hesitating to take her hand. His hand slid under her smaller one, as he gripped it. “[Y/N] you’ll wake up, won’t you?” He asked quietly as he leaned up and pressed his lips to her temple. His lips lingered there, as she fidgeted and her [Y/E/C] eyes opened. “Mhmm...Gmorning.“ She greeted with that smile he loved so much as she placed her hand against his cheek. L i v e.

Yeah for her.

#Law x reader #trafalagar law x reader #one piece drabble #crown writes #nami #franky #luffy #straw hat pirates #mugiwaras #heart pirates #romance #writing request #anonymous

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wakraya · 7 years ago

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Alright, let me put a few points of stuff I’ve seen on the tags to rest here.

1) Jades Are A Rare Caste.

They are implied to be less plentiful than other castes, yeah, I believe Seadwellers are also rare? But here’s the thing- We have six Jades. When someone says “There’s twice as many Jades as we have Rusts or Bronzes”, it sounds like, shit, yeah weren’t they supposed to be less abundant? Except. They’re still, in total, just Six. Alternia is a planet. Lore-wise, they may be a less plentiful Caste, but they’re not even... In the double digits. This is not even the population of a neighborhood, Xefros’ suburban area likely had more Trolls in total than there are Trolls in this Troll Call, and besides it’s likely all Jades are in the same place for some reason- Jadeblood School is the biggest headcanon right now, for example, so... Why wouldn’t you have a bunch of Jades there?

2) Jades Are All Female.

This is a straight-up misconception, yeah they’re mostly girls, but canon still leaves room for Jadeblood boys. So Male Jadeblood? Yeah, can happen, and there’s nothing going against the canon here.

3) Trolls Have No Concept Of Gender.

This one is honestly baffling to me because I haven’t heard about this until the discourse today. I am assuming this comes from the fact Troll Reproduction doesn’t care who provides the genetic material? Their reproduction is not tied to gender, which has made people assume Troll junk is the same for both guys and gals. Except... That’s about it. Even though it’s silly because they’re bugs and implied to be hermaphroditic, they still show sexual dimorphism. And even if they didn’t, they still have a concept of Gender, merely based on the fact there’s Troll Boys and Troll Girls? He/She divide? With Hiveswap expanding on it and showing us there are, indeed, NB Trolls that prefer They/Them. This Gender Divide is actually talked about by Porrim, who also implies that while Fuchsia-down Alternia seemed a Matriarchy, Purple-down it was actually a Patriarchy, informing us that not ONLY is there sexual dimorphism, but also, a cultural divide. By saying that Lanque can’t be Trans because Trolls have no concept of Gender, you’re either mistaking headcanons for actual canon... Or being transphobic by equating genitalia to gender. In which case, fuck off.

4) Trolls Don’t Care About Fashion.

This is something Karkat says, and I believe Kanaya also implies she cares about it more than it’s usual? But Fashion in Troll Culture, seems to be exactly like Mail. Karkat mentions there’s no Mail they do not get a Mailbox with a Flag, yet we see Xefros get mail! Except it’s not Mail. It’s parachuted delivery straight from a website. There’s no standarized Mail system on Alternia, but that doesn’t mean companies can’t deliver things themselves, directly to their Hives. Similarly, Trolls have no concept of Fashion- They don’t care about things such as trends, variety, being dressed properly. And... Hiveswap doesn’t break this. They have more colorful clothes, and some look pretty good! But. Look at Cirava. They’re an absolute fashion disaster. Diemen is just dressed like a hot dog. The Jades all seem to wear uniforms of some sort. Fozzer and Marsti, Skylla, they are more akin to work clothes. The Soleil Twins and Marvus are more flashy, because they’re likely part of a spectacle. Most of them are either a sort of uniform or outfit that’ll fit whatever they’re doing, or a basic color with their symbol somewhere. And you can go from Bright Pink Bathrobe Stelsa, to Pirate-Clad Remele, and back to Punk Denim Elwurd. Not being Fashionable can be about trends, they may simply dress however they want, because of their interests, or their jobs.

But let’s think about this another way. Let’s say that, yeah, they did retcon Troll Fashion- Would... Would you really be mad if they retconned Troll Fashion. Like... Would you be happier if every Troll shown was wearing a plain black shirt with their Symbol, and pants or a skirt, with slight variations of a jacket or a tank top. I don’t think there’s a single Hiveswap design I dislike, and they’re all visibly varied and easily recognizable, and tell a lot about the character, which is like. Character Design 101? So I honestly don’t know what the complaint here is exactly, except Canon Purity.

5) Hiveswap Ruined Fantroll Variety

How. First of all, the entire previous point. Just, expanding upon basic Troll Clothes, showing us the extent of how Trolls dress. But also like... What did they limit exactly? We’re going to learn more about Trolls and Troll Culture and Biology, of course headcanons are going to clash with canon, but so far, what have they limited? I’ve heard about Horns, but like... These horns have all been so varied, and sure there’s stuff like hooks with Ceruleans and Jades, and Four Horns with Golds but... This pattern is also broken, with Azdaja having three, for example. We’ve seen new Psionic colors, we’ve seen stuff like Horn Piercing, we’ve seen Troll Twins, we have seen horns where the orange part starts at different heights than you’d expect and even some of the parts jutting out having their own red-orange-yellow coloration separate of the main shaft of the horn. If anything, until now, there’s always been headcanons for Horns, like, “Oh this is their symbol so it’ll be like this”, or “this is their caste, so, they’ll have big horns”, but no, we have Purples with small horns, we have Bronzes with curly horns downwards, we have a cerulean with super uneven horns, we have a gold with three horns, we have a teal with flat horns, we have rounded horns, we have hotdog horns. I’ve heard people wonder about some Horn Shapes in the prior weeks, about how they didn’t match their restrictive headcanons, and NOW you tell me they’re restrictive? There’s also been complaints about caste roles and stereotypes, and I feel people really forget that Alternia is a Tyranny that forces the inhabitants in roles they are most likely not happy with, specially for the lower castes. Like... Rusts are disposable, and likely to be bound to a life of servitude. Because they’re the lowest of the low, society treats them as such, and there’s stereotypes like Indigos being strong, but that’s not any more restrictive than Psionics being a Gold-only thing, and much like we see Zebede not having Psionics or Elwurd and Mallek having normal eyes to every other cerulean’s messed-up ones... There’s exceptions to the rule everywhere. There have always been.

I’ve also seen complaints about no mutant bloods or things like Albinism and such? And like... The fact they didn’t include it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We actually got Freckles with Zebede, so it already implies skin conditions are a thing, so Albinism could happen, if anything we have more PROOF that it may be a thing! Complaining about a lack of Limebloods and Violets, too, is just nitpicking, we know there will be Violets eventually, but either we haven’t been shown right now, or they’re just. In the sea. And we’re in the land. And Limes are likely to be a plot point, I’m expecting at least ONE Lime (Fiamet), if not more to show up at some point, and if there’s NO Limebloods I’m sure there will be at least talk OF Limebloods and their whole, you know, extermination, which is a canon thing that happened.

6) The Game’s Representation Is Bad Representation

Listen... Listen. I have friends ecstatic that there’s at LEAST three non-cis characters in Hiveswap (One trans boy, two NBs), without counting the possibility of other characters being Trans (Pretty much anyone could be), or NB (Like, I think about half of the characters don’t have pronouns on their bullet points?), not to mention, further acts with new characters. Hell, even Xefros or Dammek or Joey could be Trans. We. Literally know nothing about these characters, our information is so limited, and yet there’s already people cheering about it and super happy to see representation and I’ve seen one person in the tag encouraged to come out because Lanque is Trans. There’s also at least two Jewish Trolls, plus the possibility of Kanaya being Jewish as well, either her, Rose, or both. And yet, even though they have simply said this, in good faith, respectfully, and trying to add diversity to their roster, and even though we literally know NOTHING of how it’ll be handled yet, you... Bash them for it?

Like, okay. Lanque. The big topic today. He’s not particularly masculine, but as has surely been repeated over and over and over again, not all trans men are masculine, and not all trans people suffer dysphoria. And yeah, it’s true! It would be nice if there was a more masculine trans man! It would be great if there were trans girls! It would be great if there were more diversely coded NB characters! And there may be?? There’s going to be more characters, if not in this Act, in future Acts, and of the ones we’ve seen, many of them could still be NB or Trans. Like... Again. We’ve got three bullet points from each character. Like, I’m sorry you didn’t get a trans character that you could identify better with yet? But that doesn’t mean you have to bash the one we got? When there are people genuinely happy and encouraged about it? You’re not being progressive. You’re being an elitist asshole, if you only accept 100% perfect representation suited to your tastes, and everything else is garbage, or god help me, ‘fetishization’ or ‘disgusting’ (I have heard both on the Tags), like seriously. You’re being the oppressive one. You’re the one making representation harder than it should be.

Oh and if you’re on the OPPOSITE side of the spectrum and simply being Transphobic or saying how all of this is ‘pandering’ to the audience, really I have nothing to say, if you cannot have basic empathy for a group of people finding representation in a game which source material is extremely queer, and have to resort to bashing it down, screw you.

7) WhatPumpkin Are Doing A Bad Job

This is your subjective opinion, and I’d dare to say, a wrong opinion, but let’s not go there for now. WP has suffered a lot of hate for some reason? There have been lies and slander and bashing for absolutely no reason. People hate Cohen for some reason, and have demonized him, when so far what I’ve seen about him is that he’s a pretty chill dude. The writing of Hiveswap wasn’t like, a masterpiece? But it was fun and it got a good bunch of chuckles out of me and made me care for the characters, and even got me a bit scared and sad at some points during the game! It has that Homestuck Spark, and if you say ‘it’s not like Homestuck’, you’re... I’m sorry, you’re just an elitist, or simply don’t like the style anymore? But it carries a very similar charm.

I’ve heard complaints about Hussie not being involved in the project- Which is false, he did write the entire story FIRST THING, and is overseeing the whole project with the rest of the team. There’s also been criticism towards WP ‘failing’ at representation (Before actually seeing the representation apparently, again, we know NOTHING about the game and how it’ll handle stuff so far), and also accusing WP and Cohen specifically of adding representation because of Woke Points and like... WP are Queer as Heck? I don’t know all of them, I don’t even know how many people are working at WP. But they’re not all straight 100% for sure, and I believe they’re not all cis- And even if they ARE all cis, I also doubt a group working on such a Queer game would NOT hear out from Trans friends. What I’m trying to say, is that they haven’t shown at any point disrespect of ignorance regarding the diversity they want to tackle, they’re not doing things out of bad faith, and we haven’t seen how they handle it yet. Even if they didn’t handle it ideally! Does it need to be absolutely perfect, there can be missteps on the way there, god dammit if someone’s trying to better themselves but not quite getting it right you don’t insult them and tear them down! You show them what to do better next time or where they are mistaken, by pessimistically ignoring what they’re trying to do out of spite you’re discouraging good will and being an asshole! Which leads me to my last point for now.

8) They Could Have Told Us We Were Misgendering Lanque

This one is... Really, a bit ridiculous. Okay, let me explain. If someone is Trans and you misgender them accidentally, they’ll tell you quickly and you’ll, hopefully, correct yourself. Obviously. When the Trolls leaked, everyone latched onto Lanque as ‘Butch Lesbian’, and clung to that hope, and now that they were proven wrong, there was salt, at first, and THEN came the talk about Misgendering Lanque. And let me tell you, I think this is very selfish of everyone saying it.

What WP likely thought would happen is that they’d reveal Lanque to be a Trans boy, and people would be like “Oh! Nice, Trans Rep!”. Sure they could’ve told us back then but... Why? Lanque is not. A real person. He’s a fictional character, he’s not going to be offended because you thought he was a butch woman for a few months, in fact the SILHOUETTE alone ALREADY had people clinging to him as a butch woman. If he were a real person? Of course there’d be a quick correction. But he’s. A character. He’s just a god damn character. Who is Trans, out of good faith by a very Queer company, showing us a Trans man, who is a character, and expecting that, like NORMAL PEOPLE, we would not do something like THIS.

When you criticize WP for not telling us Lanque was a Trans Man, all I’m seeing is a shift of blame, not wanting to simply admit you were wrong and jumped to conclusions, and like- Even if there was Fanart or Fanfic of Lanque calling him a woman briefly, shipping him around mistakenly, who cares? You just. Go. “Okay, I’ll change it” or “Whoops haha this was from when we didn’t know he was a Trans boy!” Why the militant hatred? Why the absolute disgust shown today? I can’t understand, I simply cannot understand why your first reaction to “Trans boy Jadeblood” is “WELL I THOUGHT HE WAS A BUTCH LESBIAN!! I WASN’T WRONG BY ASSUMING THIS, WHATPUMPKIN WERE FOR TRYING TO MAKE THEIR GAME MORE DIVERSE”. It’s like... You just. Correct it? You just correct yourself? And yeah you can want more masculine Trans boys, that’s fair! But dismissing what we got, entirely, and insulting it, and getting like THIS, and blaming the team, it just seems.

Narcissistic. It seems narcissistic and extremely self-centered, and perfectionist to the extreme of not wanting anything other than a complete and absolute ideal, that may fit you but may also not fit others.

In conclusion?

People are happy about representation. This isn’t destroying diversity or representation, this is not reducing customization of Fantrolls, this is only building MORE on the already expansive system, and giving us representation and hope for MORE representation in the future, and if you cannot be happy for a genuine, good natured, and honestly, perfectly fine attempt, if you cannot feel empathy for the people who did feel for this representation, if you can only want to find reasons to bash something down and demonize something good and point out how BAD and NOT GOOD things are and how MUCH BETTER they could be, then honestly, you’re a deeply unpleasant person.

Give things time. Give people with good intentions chances. Learn to backpedal and learn from mistakes and simply correct yourself when you’re wrong instead of going down a hateful spiral. Learn to separate fiction and reality. Just like... Think, for a moment, when you’re writing something down- Is it a jaded opinion, or an objective fact? Will it hurt and discourage people who’re genuinely happy or trying to make others happy? Why do more harm than good when there are good intentions paving the way?

I just simply cannot understand the basic lack of critical thought and empathy of some people I have seen today, and hopefully with this I can make my opinion on the whole absurd Discourse that transpired today clear.

#Hiveswap #Homestuck #Lanque #WhatPumpkin #Discourse #Long Post #Longpost

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iwillwakeherinthemorning · 7 years ago

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Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

A Leonard McCoy x Reader fic

Word Count: 1200+

Summary: So this is purely a self indulgent fic. If you can't tell from the title, P.O.T.S. or Dysautonomia , as it is so named is a rare heart condition that affects mostly women between ages 15-50. I happen to be one of them. I’ve really been struggling with it lately and hoped that maybe writing about it could help.

Warnings: really shitty writing, medical triggers.

You were in the med bay now for your 13th consecutive hour on extra shift duty. Being a nurse on the starship Enterprise had been one of the most exhilarating adventures of your lifetime. The captain had a sense of adventure unmatched by many in the fleet. And ever since you had graduated from the academy you knew that you had wanted to be apart of his crew. Doctor Leonard McCoy’s med bay might have had something to do with your wanderlust for this “tin can” as well.

All of your love for this life you were living couldn't account for the level of pure exhaustion you were feeling after your current shift. The aforementioned captain had received a false distress signal to lure the Enterprise and her crew in to awaiting enemy hands. What the captain and commander had intended to find was a distressed colony of the federation but what met them was a band of space pirates. Injuries were received and lives were lost. Thankfully none too serious on your side of the battle, but what did come back from the away mission had been something that had kept you and the good doctor in the med bay for longer than usual. 13 hours longer than the regulation 12 hour shift.

Usually, you and Leonard could be akin to passing ships in the night. One would be leaving and the other entering. Tonight was no different. Until the frantic call of “Nurse Y/L/N I need you in the med bay stat!” came through your personal comm and “All available medical personnel to med bay” came through the ship wide comm in Dr. McCoy’s “take no shit” voice. You had just laid down for a much needed rest and were already being called back.

And now here you were. Attending to one of the red shirts who first came in. The hullabaloo of the initial emergency had finally calmed to a steady roar and you could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully so because now you had room to breathe, and think, and hear the heartbeat pounding in your head. And now that you thought about it, hadn't that been going on for a while now? Like hours long? Leonard was one bed over and he could see the gears turning in your head. Adept at seeing someone in pain like a sixth sense, he had been able to see that you were hurting since hour three on this hectic emergency. He was also one of the only people on the Enterprise, hell the whole of Star Fleet, who knew of your condition. He also knew that you were the only nurse that he trusted besides Chapel to know what the hell was going on. Which is why he allowed you to stay on shift. Much to his and Chapel’ own consternation. Now that the med bay was slowing to a manageable position he was ready to “hypo your ass” in to a well deserved sleep.

“Y/N, Darlin were fine here now. Why don't you go get some rest?” He said after he had pulled you over to the nurses station in lieu of you walking to the next bed. His hand on your shoulder had been a welcomed distraction from the constant bass drum of your heart. And as he looked at you he regretted not ordering you out earlier. Your face was pale. The bags under your eyes had bags and he wasn't sure but it looked as though you were concealing a shallow breath and shaky hands. “On second thought, you're gonna sit down. And were gonna get some fluids in you.” He assessed quite quickly seating you in a nearby chair.

“I’m fine, Len. I promise.” You said full well knowing that your weren't. And if you weren't careful you would need to be in one of those beds next.

“Shut it, darlin’. You're not gettin’ out of this.” He began grabbing you a water from the replicator. “When was the last time you drank anything?” He asked and immediately regretted it.

“Oh I don't know. Last night as I was getting ready to go to sleep. I’ve been busy, Len.” You bit back with as much grit as possible.

“I’m sorry.” He began. Looking well and truly chastised. “I know I called you but I don't want you potentially hurting yourself if I can help it. Dysautonomia is serious and I just wanna make sure you're okay.”

“It’s fine, Len. I know you're just trying to help.” You said, finishing the water, feeling much better. But as soon as you said it and in concert attempted to stand up, you ended up on the floor passed out cold.

30 minutes later...

“Len she’s gonna be fine.” You heard the voice of your best friend, Christine Chapel say under the fog of sleep. “She’s strong. She just needs sleep and plenty of fluids.”

“I know, Chris.” You heard the voice you most wanted say. “I just feel like I could have prevented this. I could have made her stand down. Made her rest. Hell I should have never comm’d her in the first place.” He finished his rant at a muffled and frustrated volume.

“Doctor you know just as well as I do that this is not your fault. You didn't cause this. Y/N’s a big girl. She would have rested if she needed to.” Christine attempted. “But you saw that mess out there. And you damn well know that she is the most talented and head strong nurse we have. She likely didn't know what was going on until it happened.” She finished and you wanted to smile wide at how well your best friend knew you and Leonard cared. “You stay here with her and I’ll notify you if we have anything major.” And Christine was gone.

As soon as the automated doors to your private room closed your eyes opened to see your boyfriend scrubbing his face in the chair by your bed. He looked nearly as bad as you felt. Blood shot eyes. Extreme fatigue. And the look of someone who didn't know what to do.

“Len.” You whispered reaching the short distance to grasp his hand.

“Hey, sugar. How’re ya feelin’?” He asked gripping your hands with both of his.

“To be honest like I’ve been hit in the chest with a phaser.” You said slightly joking. The joke wasn't taken well and you were being fussed over by a very worried Leonard McCoy. “Babe it was just a joke. I’m fine I promise.” You said trying to get him to settle. “I probably will want to sleep for a few days but I’m fine.”

“Well that’s good darlin’ ‘cause I’ve just signed off for 3 days medical leave. And ordered bed rest.” He said with a pointed look. “Don't even try to fight me on this. You could have done some serious damage today, baby. I don't want to see you like that. I don't want you working yourself that hard.” He continued after sitting down again.

“We’ll figure this out, Y/N. I promise you that.” He said pressing a tender kiss to your forehead. “Please just try to pay attention to how you feel yeah?”

“Sure, Len. I promise.” You said pulling him up to lay on the bed with you.

Christine found you both there fifteen minutes later. Fast asleep. And immediately put the sound proof barrier on the room and shutting off the lights on her way out.

#p.o.t.s #postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome #leonard mccoy x reader #leonard mccoy fanfiction

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alittleimagine · 7 years ago

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Nate Heywood x Reader

Anonymous requested “Could you please do an imagine with Nate Heywood where the team goes to the late 1800s to find who Jack the Ripper was and to stop him from killing and along the way they meet young H.G wells who is instantly attracted to the reader. The reader later starts to fall in love with the young wells .Nate gets jealous and starts to act cold and distant towards the reader because he likes the reader a lot . The reader wants to know why he is acting that way so tells her how he feels.”

Note: I know there’s now an episode about vampires in Victorian London, but I actually started writing this on March 12th and just took forever to get back to it.

“H. G. Wells isn’t even supposed to be in London at this time.”

“Sure, Nate, focus on that and not that fact that Jack the Ripper is a vampire.”

Most of you shared amused looks at Sara’s comment while Nate frowned. He had originally been excited to be in 1888, thrilled to help stop Jack the Ripper from killing more than the five victims he had in history. He seemed less excited now.

You couldn’t understand why. Meeting H. G. had just meant an additional historical figure you’d all run into. You hadn’t been the biggest fan of his works, but you could appreciate meeting him. And he’d been very charming.

“The truth is that the virus only simulates the symptoms of what we would recognize as, well, as the pop culture symptoms of vampirism.” Stein said, reading over the display Gideon had pulled up with Ray over his shoulder.

Mick grunted. “Does he drink blood?” He asked.

Stein hesitated before sighing and nodding.

“Then he’s a vampire.”

“We might also want to talk about the Waverider.” Jax said.

You all turned to look at him. Sara tilted her head at him. “I thought you said that you’d have it fixed by tomorrow.”

Futuristic viruses didn’t just land in 1888 by accident. Space Pirates were a consistent problem in your lives and a nonstop pain in Jax’s Chief Engineer butt.

He grimaced. “Yeah, it might take a little longer than that.”

“I’m pleased we’ve run into each other again Miss Y/N. You left in such a hurry the last time.”

H.G. Wells was an attractive young man, in that particular Victorian way. The facial hair was different than what you were used to, but it was a very common thing on the streets of 1888 London. He was kind at least, funny and attentive.

At least, to you.

You weren’t blind (you didn’t think) and you could tell well enough that he was flirting with you, or had been the last time you’d talked.

“I’m sorry.” You said. “We had business to take care of.”

“Ah, yes. Your eclectic group of friends.” He held an arm out, gesturing toward a less crowded area of the parlor.

According to Gideon the Ripper would be moving on from low-risk targets like prostitutes to the sort of ladies that would be found in a society party like this one. You’d all either secured invitations or snuck into the event. You had only been a little surprised to find H.G. there and reasonably pleased.

He was cute, after all, and his attention was inoffensive. Plus, he provided someone to talk to while undercover wearing a stupid corset that wasn’t a complete stranger.

“Can I get you a drink?” He asked.

“Yes, please.” You smiled pleasantly while H.G. went to get you both a drink.

The idea of a vampire Jack the Ripper set you on edge, having no idea what he looked like was terrifying, and when Nate walked up close behind you and began speaking you nearly had a heart attack.

“We’re supposed to be looking out for Jack the Ripper. Not flirting.” He said sharply.

You held your hand to your pounding heart then spun and smacked him in the chest. “Don’t. Do. That.” You hissed, emphasizing each word with a hit. “And I am.” You smacked his chest once more for good measure, though you were sure it was hurting you more than him.

“Oh really?” He said, unfazed by your hits. “Because it looks like you’ve been flirting with H.G. Wells who is not even supposed to be here and you could be causing all kinds of havoc in the timeline. You know he marries his cousin, right?”

You glared at Nate. No, you hadn’t known that and it wasn’t relevant right now and you were pretty sure if Sara could sleep with the Queen of France and the timeline remain intact then you could flirt with H.G. Wells.

Nate and you had always gotten along just fine. You’d been friends, close even. Maybe sometimes you had flirted with him, maybe sometimes you thought he had flirted back. Maybe you had some softer, mushy feelings for him. But right now Nate was acting like a child.

And the more it annoyed Nate the more you were inclined to keep doing it.

“Go away, Nate. If you’re going to be rude then go keep watch outside.”

You could see H.G. approaching with two drinks in hand and a smile on his face and you were quick to smile back.

A scream broke from the next room and H.G. was no longer your main concern.

“Do you mean to tell me that Stein is a vampire?”

“Well…”

Your groan was more akin to a yell in your frustration. Ray ducked his head apologetically, unhappy to be delivering the news to the crew.

“He’s not yet a vampire, I don’t think. But he got bit and I think that’s how this virus transmits. Not so much like the Buffy vampires where they swap blood back and forth.”

“So how long until Grey starts wanting to drain us?” Jax’s worry was palpable and you put a hand on his shoulder in your best effort to comfort him. He patted it, gave it a squeeze, but his mind was elsewhere.

Ray shrugged. “I can’t say. He would have known better.” He said.

“Gideon,” Sara called to the ship, “I need you to make sure that Stein stays in stasis. No matter what.”

“Yes, Captain Lance.” The AI replied.

You kicked at the ends of your stupid Victorian skirt, frustration filling every corner of you. Another woman had died, Stein had been bitten, a vampire had made fools of you all, and you were wearing a stupid corset that you were ready to set on fire.

When your eyes drifted up to Nate you found him glaring at you. Instinctively you glared back.

And Nate. He had not been helping your mood.

“Can I help you, Nathaniel?” You snapped.

Several pairs of eyes turned to look between the two of you.

“Actually, yeah.” He crossed his arms. “Let’s talk about how maybe if you weren’t so busy flirting with your new boyfriend Stein might not have gotten bit.”

Your jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

You vaguely registered the looks the crew shared, ranging from confused to intrigued. Mostly you saw red.

“Yeah, you were so busy protecting H.G. Wells that you forgot to take care of your team.”

Ray smacked Nate’s arm lightly, muttering his name in warning. Nate paid it no mind.

You were going to wring his neck. You didn’t care if he was made of steel or if he was a hell of a lot stronger than you, you were going to wring his stupid little neck.

“How. Dare. You.” Before he could open his mouth you continued. “I was under the impression that we were here to help people. To protect the timeline. Like say, I don’t know, making sure that influential author H.G. Wells doesn’t die before he writes all his important works?”

“Oh yeah, that’s what it was about. Not because you want to make googly eyes at him.”

“You are unbelievable.”

“I’m unbelievable? At least I know not to worry about making out with some mustachioed writer when there is a vampire on the loose.”

You took a sudden step forward, ready to throw down, and Sara blocked your path.

“Alright you two, I don’t know what’s going on but it stops now.” She said.

Mick shrugged. “Oh come on, I want to see her beat his ass.”

Sara pointed a warning finger at him, then pointed it at Nate. At least, you thought, she seemed to be on your side. “This blame game is getting us nowhere. Get your acts together.”

You winced as Ray dabbed antiseptic on your forehead.

“Sorry.” He smiled apologetically. He secured a bandage over the cut and gave your arm a squeeze. “How’s that feel?”

“As good as a head wound can?” You said, smiling at him. You were sore all over, but Amaya looked a good deal worse for wear than you so you couldn’t complain. Ray himself had only just escaped a bite.

Amaya huffed from across the room. “How do we keep getting outsmarted by a Victorian era psychopath?” She hopped off the bed and paced.

It was a good question. A frustrating one, but a good question. At least now you knew who to look for.

“Don’t bother asking Nate,” you said with a tone of bitterness, “he’ll just say it’s because I dared flirt with H.G.”

Amaya smiled sympathetically and Ray tucked his chin into his chest.

You knew you should have been far more focused on the fact that Stein was still in stasis and there was still a damn vampire running around and people were being hurt, but your mind was stubbornly fixated on one Nathaniel Heywood and his piss poor attitude. He had never acted this way before and it circled round and round your head. It hurt, if you were being honest with yourself.

“Maybe go easy on him.” Ray said as he packed the medical supplies away.

Amaya met your eyes from the other side of the room and shrugged.

“Go easy on him?” You asked in mild disbelief. “He’s the one being rude all the damn time. I haven’t done anything. Or do you think I’m flirting with H.G. Wells at the expense of the team too?”

“No. No. Of course not.” Ray was quick to shake his head and appease you. “It’s just, well, he’s being like this because he’s upset about something kind of unrelated and he’s taking it out on you.” At your raised eyebrow he rushed on. “Not that that’s okay or alright, but you should just try and talk to him and maybe he’ll apologize and you guys can move right past it.”

You weren’t surprised that Ray would go to bat for Nate and Ray’s natural loyalty almost made his words less impactful, but it was hard to say no to his earnest puppy dog face. Amaya smiled at you over his shoulder, looking a little like she was in on some private joke.

You narrowed your eyes at both of them for a moment. Then sighed. “Fine.” You said. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Astonishing.”

All three heads snapped toward the doorway. You cursed loudly.

There stood H.G. Wells, taking in the whole of the room with fascination.

You shared wide-eyed looks with Ray and Amaya, none of you moving from your spots. In your head you cursed again. Nate was going to blame you for this, you were sure of it.

“What sort of vessel is this?” H.G. asked, stepping closer to a cabinet on the wall and peeking in without touching.

That snapped you all out of it. “What are you doing here? How did you even get here. You should not be here.” You said in a rush, jumping off the bed and hurrying to him.

“Does it fly?” He asked, unworried by your questions. “It looks like it might. Is it a star ship?” He looked at you now with open curiosity. “Are you not from Earth?”

“We’re not aliens.” Ray said, moving around you both to look out the door. He checked both sides of the hall. “We have to get him out of here.”

“Agreed.” You took H.G.’s arm and tugged. “You can’t be here.”

He didn’t exactly put up a fight, but he wasn’t eager to move either. His movements were slow as you pulled him toward the door and out into the hall.

Amaya moved behind him to help encourage him in your direction. Still he took his time, eagerly taking in as much of the ship as he could.

“You being here could be very bad.” Ray said, peeking around a corner as you approached.

H.G. gasped softly. “If not space,” he began, “then, the future.”

You pulled harder.

“You are.” There was a level of wonder in his voice and he turned in your grasp to take hold of your hands.

You wanted to curse again. You were all so bad about keeping the time travelling thing a secret. “You have to go. You shouldn’t have been here to start with.” You insisted.

“Seriously!”

You jolted where you stood and groaned, squeezing your eyes shut for a moment. Of course he would catch you. It couldn’t be anyone else. Just had to be Nate.

“Nate.” Ray said with a tone of warning.

“No! Are you serious?” His tone had bordered on shrill before falling to just pissed. When you finally looked up you were met with a glare. “You brought H.G. Wells onto the Waverider? I thought you were being irresponsible, but this is just stupid!”

You didn’t appreciate being yelled at on the best of days and right now you could feel the blood boiling in your veins. Steel or no, you were going to kick his ass.

You opened your mouth to argue back, but H.G. beat you to the punch.

“Actually, I followed you and your bald friend.”

Never in your whole life had you felt so vindicated. The smile that spread on your face was the clearest “eat crow” in the history of mankind.

Nate sputtered, some of the bluster leaving him.

You weren’t satisfied. You wanted to have it out- shout at Nate, push him, have the big fight Sara had interrupted. And to think you had let Ray talk you into being reasonable.

As if sensing the buildup of righteous anger in you Ray stepped between you two. “Hey, not now.” He gestured to H.G. “We need to get him off the ship.”

Amaya put a hand on your shoulder. “Come on. We still have to find Jack the Ripper too.”

Against your pettier side you let her pull you away with H.G. in tow.

Your shoulder was still sore from where you’d been tossed against a brick wall and you nursed it with a grumble.

Ray, Jax, and Sara had returned to the Waverider with what they believed to be the cure for Stein, leaving you behind to clean up with Nate, Mick, and Amaya. Clean up mostly consisted of collecting Jack the Ripper’s fully “vamped” body and gathering anything else the time pirate may have left behind. And H.G.

He looked exhausted, sitting on the ground against the steps of a building. Still he looked over you and gestured to your arm. “Are you well?”

You nodded, gesturing casually with your other arm. “All in a day’s work.”

“Remarkable.” He said. He pushed himself off from the wall and closed the distance between you.

Briefly you saw him glance over your shoulder and turned to look. You caught Nate’s glare before he turned away to stomp over to where Amaya was helping Mick gather up the Ripper.

You hadn’t spoken since his little explosion on the Waverider. As much as you wanted to just have it out and figure out what his problem was, you were a reluctant to be the first to speak. He could come to you, you figured.

H.G. cleared his throat and you turned back to look at him, almost embarrassed at being caught staring at Nate’s back. You cleared your own throat in response. “Right. Now, you understand you can’t tell anyone about any of this, right?”

He gave a little chuckle. “And who would believe such a fantastical tale?”

“Good point.”

He was a handsome man when he smiled. He grasped both your arms lightly, careful of your stinging shoulder. “I will never forget you, though. Of that you can be certain.”

“Hard to forget all the crazy.” You joked.

“Hard to forget you.” He smiled once more and then kissed you. It was over before you’d really processed what was happening, punctuated by a loud thump behind you.

Rather than react to the kiss you turned to look for the noise. Mick was crouched over the Ripper’s body, grumbling angrily and glaring from time to time at Nate’s retreating back. Amaya sighed.

“When are you going to speak with him?”

On instinct you turned to glare at Amaya. You had every intention of enjoying your bowl of cereal and zero intention of going to speak with a certain dumb steel-plated historian. You pointedly took a bite from your spoon.

“Just go talk to him.” Amaya’s sighs always had an air of world weariness to them. They were very effective. “This isn’t going to get better until you do.”

“I did nothing wrong.” You muttered.

“I didn’t say you did. But, you could be the bigger person and just go talk to him.” When you ate another spoonful she continued. “Aren’t you curious about what’s going on with him?”

You were. Of course you were.

You cared for Nate and he was being an ass and, frankly, it hurt. But, because it hurt, you weren’t exactly eager to have another go around with him.

“Please.” She insisted. “He’s in the library. He’s alone. Go talk to him. Get it over with.”

With an unhappy huff you pushed your half finished bowl away and stood. “Fine. I’m going. You happy?” You didn’t wait for her response.

You stomped and grumbled to yourself the whole short trip to the library. If he continued to be a jerk you were going to throw books at him.

His back was turned to you when you entered and you took a moment to glare at it. He looked tense. You knew him, you could see he was upset. Well, so were you. And it was his fault.

For a second you hovered in the entrance and debated just turning around and leaving. Instead you cleared your throat and relished a little at his startled jump. When he turned to face you there was a moment where his face seemed to cycle through several emotions before settling on the sourpuss look he’d been wearing the past few days.

He said nothing.

“Do you want to explain what the hell your deal has been?” So maybe you weren’t feeling up to being super polite.

He scoffed and stormed over to the table at the center. Still he said nothing.

“Really? Now you decide to be silent? Because you’ve had zero problem going on and on. Y/N this. Y/N that. ‘Y/N, look at all the ways you’re failing the team even when you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong’.” You mocked.

“Just let it go.”

You almost missed it, he spoke so quietly. Another time you might have done just that when you saw the way his shoulders drooped. Not today.

“Let it go? Let it go? I don’t think so, Elsa. You have been an ass, rude as hell, over and over again for days. And I did nothing wrong and I don’t deserve it.” You could feel yourself getting more worked up with each word. “So now you’re going to explain to me exactly what the hell your problem with me is because if not, we’re going to fight. Right here. Right now.”

He ignored you, staring hard at an open book in front of him.

Your temper kept rising. You stormed over to the table and slammed the book shut. He grit his teeth, but didn’t look up.

“And while you’re at it,” you said, “you can explain what your beef with H.G. is as well.”

That did it. He shot up straight, towering over you now. “Oh yeah. Perfect H.G. Wells with his perfect mustache and perfect stupid vest.”

“Seriously!? What the hell did he ever do to you? He was nothing but nice.”

“So nice. The nicest. That’s what it was. It’s not like he was just flirting with you.” He’d started matching your volume, the both of you shouting now, chest puffing out with the same outrage you were feeling.

“So what?” You threw your hands up. Unbelievable.

He plowed on. “And you just lapped it up. Just kept flirting right back.”

“What the hell do you care if he flirted? If I flirted?”

“Because I like you!”

It felt a little like the air had been knocked out of you and your expression must have shown it. Your eyes were wide, jaw slack, looking dumb at the revelation.

Nate looked terrified.

There was a solid minute of silence and stillness.

“What?” You finally managed.

He said nothing, only sighed. You could practically see the tension roll off his body.

“What?” You repeated. “You like me? Like, in a romantic way?”

Though he still hadn’t said anything the little shrug, resigned and heavy, said enough.

Your eyes ran over him- the tired slump of his shoulders and worried knit in his brow, his dumb handsome face.

“You’re an idiot.”

He was taller than you, but with a tug on his shirt you brought him down to your level and pressed your lips against his. You thought you felt him start, just a little jump, but you were otherwise preoccupied.

You pulled back just a moment later to get a good look at him.

He was hunched over, your hand still gripping his shirt, eyes closed, hands out as if to hold you. He blinked his eyes opened.

“I’m an idiot.” He confirmed.

Before you could nod he’d pulled you back. A hand went to your waist, the other cupped the base of your neck, and he pulled you flush against him as his lips moved over yours. You didn’t know how long you stayed like that.

“Finally!” Mick’s booming voice caused you both to jump and pull apart. “It’s about damn time.”

#nate heywood x reader #nate heywood imagine #nate heywood #legends of tomorrow #steel x reader #nathaniel heywood x reader

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