#like think about it oda i cracked the code

[hauntingblue]

Sometimes I think about how luffy just wanted to sail and make friends and have fun and the world always finds a way to make him miserable like damn why does he have to be the strongest man in the world to have fun with his friends??? Well actually that is how the real world kinda works sometimes. Shit I guess

[ivoryratdoggerythethird]

dazai making up a whole language with fyodor that no one else can understand is amazing but imagine him using codes that, very objectively speaking, you could crack, it's just that no normal person would ever make the insane leaps in logic that it requires. except for someone familiar with dazai's weird thinking patterns, that is.

i just love the idea of dazai's unhinged antics being dialed up to an eleven when he was in the port mafia, and oda being the only one who simply wouldn't bat an eye at it but chuuya was the only one who would actually get it.

like imagine ango at the end of the jailbreak, his boss saying he should allow himself to sigh and lean back and maybe indulge himself, pat him on the shoulder, tell him what he pulled off reading heart rates wasn't easy and he should be proud for being able to keep up with such a plan

but ango i-drank-with-teenage-dazai-and-also-had-the-records-for-every-soukoku-mission sakaguchi can only remember the time dazai was like using greek sign language through his breathing patterns to communicate from a submarine from beneath the pacific ocean or something, and chuuya could not fathom how no one else could understand him.

and that was the day mori signed off on skk being exclusive partners because every subordinate in the room was crying tears of blood by the time chuuya finished explaining which blood pressure level was warning them about a bomb, which blinking sequence was him conveying the vault password and which series of inhales was just him calling mori a bitch.

(ango also pointedly did not want to think about how smug dazai had looked after the mission when mori confirmed skk would only be each others' partners for efficiency and to maintain everyone else's sanity

or about how when he called chuuya to tell him about dazai's prison break scheme he could only get like 3 out of 276 steps into the plan before chuuya rolled his eyes, said "got it" then hung up and pulled the whole thing off without a hitch.)

[zombie-eats-world]

Crocodad Theory: The not-so-Crack-pot Theory.

Making this post in order to replace my old Crocodad thesis since I think I can do better now. Plus I was still using the old theory name then and I dislike seeing it pinned on my tumblr now. You can find that older post HERE if you desire to!

Crocodad theory, chances are you have heard about this theory if you are even slightly invested in the One Piece fandom. But despite its infamy, and outside its stanch believers like myself, it's mostly considered a crack theory and used for a laugh.

Now let's be clear, Crocodad theory is not a crack theory. A crack or crack-pot theory is more of a headcanon built on vibes, it's a fun idea made up out of thin air and isn't really serious. If the Crocodad theory was a crack theory it would have evaporated into the nether by now. It's over a decade old, after all, and yet it persists to this day! That is because the Crocodad theory has real evidence from the canon, the One Piece offshoots, and maybe even Oda himself.

If you weren't aware of the Crocodad theory, sometimes lovingly called Dadodile, let me summarize it very succinctly. The theory is that Crocodile is a transgender man and gave birth to Luffy. Crocodile is Luffy's other father and his birthing parent. If you think that sounds ridiculous or even hilarious, let me walk you through it because I assure you- that is intentional.

Let us begin where the theory began... Impel Down.

The possibility for this theory was born in 2009 with these panels:

The simple fact that Ivankov exists and that he knows Crocodile, from "when he was just starting out" mind you, makes this not only possible but probable.

What other "secret" could Ivakov be speaking of here? It's definitely not his weakness to water, that would just be bad storytelling. It could be that Crocodile is the child of Rocks which is possible considering we now know Ivankov was at the Gods Valley incident. But if I could speak as a writer for a moment, it would really be a waste for an author to introduce a character that can change genders and then bring back one of the first big villains like Crocodile, AND THEN connect the two with the mention of weakness but not make that secret that Crocodile had once been a woman. Or even at least a part of the reason.

But if that reasoning falls through for you, here is some in-canon evidence for the idea that Crocodile is transgender:

First of all, the agents' code names are so gendered: Every single digit agent is Mr with a Mrs, or Ms partner.

Crocodile’s name. His moniker is different from almost every other powerful pirate the story introduces to us. He isn’t just Desert King Crocodile, he is Desert King Sir Crocodile. Again it is oddly pronoun-centered. As if he is trying to remind people that he’s a guy.

The introduction of Bon Clay. Bon Clay is our first canon queer character in One Piece. He makes mention of being a girl many times and feels like a joke character when we first meet him. But as we know in One Piece, a pirate crew is a reflection of the Captain. Crocodile isn’t prejudiced to queer people like Bon Clay alludes to others being a few times. Crocodile even allowed Bon Clay to be both the male and female of his team!

Next up was the reveal of Baby Crocodile and how it’s deliberating ambiguous what gender Crocodile is. In every other Warlord's childhood look reveal, their gender is obvious, so why was Crocodile left out of that?

Then of course we have Gold Roger's execution, and how almost everyone got a reaction panel. But not Crocodile. No, we only see the back of his head. Oda has shown that he loves to get every single character's reaction to major events, sometimes to a fault. So why is he trying so hard to hide Crocodile from us? It just isn’t Oda’s style to leave someone out unless there is some kind of secret he wants to build up too. Now be sure to keep this in mind for later.

Last but certainly not least is just how much of an absolute troll Oda is. This will not be the last time I bring this up, Oda is a HUGE troll. He loves to play to his favorite fan theories and he decides most everything on how funny it is. And wouldn't it be funny if the first antagonist in the Grandline was secretly the birth parent of Luffy?

I mean just look at this! Oda, you absolute troll.

Bottom line: Trans Crocodile is more likely than not.

But this is where a lot of people decide the rest of this theory is crack, they take Trans!Crocodile and leave Crocodad out for reasons I honestly can't understand. Despite that, Cracodad has just as much if not more evidence than the Transgender part of this theory.

Before I begin I would like everyone reading to keep a few things in mind. All throughout the Impel down arc and the journey to Marineford, and even the first few chapters into Marineford, Crocodile could not have given a shit about Luffy, Ace, or the war at all. He did not care who won the war or if everyone involved died. He came to the battlefield for the sole purpose of killing Whitebeard. PERIOD. He was never once shown reacting with any concern when Luffy began facing down anyone strong. Not even Magellan. Crocodile had been around Luffy, seeing him do inspiring things for a massive amount of chapters by the time we get to Marineford, and yet Crocodile literally didn't care if Luffy lived or died, he just wanted to fight Whitebeard.

With that clear let's move on to what happened after Luffy's father was revealed to the world in Marineford. This moment is where the most obvious evidence first came about:

When Sengoku announces Luffy's father to the world we get many reaction shots, but once again Crocodile is conveniently missing from the lineup. He even disappears for a whole chapter! The young man who took down his decade-long plan to take over Alabasta just got announced to be the most wanted man in the world son, and we get no reaction from Crocodile... its suspicious.

Crocodile stopped Ace’s execution: Now Crocodile explains this by saying he ‘didn’t want to let Sengoku have the pleasure of victory’ but seriously? What kind of petty ass BS reasoning is that?! Crocodile has dreams and ambitions, and yet he gives up trying to be the one to take down Whitebeard to randomly save someone he canonly mocks in Impel Down? Someone he doesn’t care about. Some people will tell you it’s because Luffy inspired him like Luffy does many others, but what exactly is Luffy doing in Marineford that he didn’t in Impel Down or even Alabasta? Nothing. That means Crocodile has an entire about-face for no believable reason while completely off-screen. Which we've already said isn't Oda's style.

Daz and Crocodile face Mihawk to help Luffy: When Daz blocks Mihawk’s strike, Luffy questions it. Daz answers: It’s an order from above! That means Crocodile ordered Daz to specifically protect Luffy. Again, why? What reason did he have to do that? If this was some latent Crocodile has been inspired™️ moment, why wouldn’t Oda show it? Oda loves to hype up those moments, and loves to detail it all to the smallest piece. But Crocodile just randomly decided to have his main man Daz look out for this person that he COULDN’T HAVE GIVEN A CRAP ABOUT JUST TEN EPISODES BEFORE does not fit within the story. Then, right after Daz blocks Mihawk, Crocodile appears out of the woodwork to block another attack.

When Mihawk questions why he’d protect Luffy, Crocodile’s only response is “I’m not in the best mood now, Mihawk, you better watch yourself.” It’s interesting that he has no reason, none, he just comments that he’s in a shit mood. Maybe because he just found out he once stabbed his own child in the gut and left him to die?!

Crocodile vs Akainu: The brother killing Lava Man™️ is probably the most dangerous person in the war. He has no mercy, no morals, no restraint. So the fact that as Luffy is lying comatose and weak, with Jimbe slumped over him, Akainu about to deliver the final blow, Crocodile coming out of nowhere once again is so telling.

The fact is: Crocodile went above and beyond to save Luffy. That final stand against Akainu is so powerful. Crocodile doesn’t just save Luffy, he rushes to Luffy's aid, slicing through Akainu and reassembles to stand protectively between them. He did not need to do this at all. Oda didn’t need to have him do this either!

There were plenty of other characters that could have essentially done the same exact thing, but Oda chose to have Crocodile, someone who shouldn’t have been on Luffy’s side at all, save his life in the final moment.

Lastly, without a word, Crocodile uses Sables to get Luffy to Law’s ship. He risked his life, faced down the one person who could kill him without a second thought, and sweeps Luffy away to safety without any stated reason at all. In fact, everything he says is deliberately vague. Crocodile doesn’t believe in loyalty, he dumps people if they are weak (see; Alabasta Crocodile vs Luffy desert fight) so his line of “you gotta protect the one you wanna protect! Don’t let them have their way!” Feels so out of character. Crocodile has to have a reason for this odd behavior. And no, it doesn’t end there! In the defense of Luffy, Crocodile has an awesome and powerful moment where he stands in unity with all the Whitebeard commanders. HIS ENEMIES. Crocodile stands in unity with the people, he himself stated he hated more than anything, for Luffy!

These are the moments that alerted people to what would soon be called the Crocomom theory, now called Crocodad. But just because it began there doesn't mean there wasn't foreshadowing from before Marineford.

Let's go over all of that now:

First to talk about is once again Crocodile's crew. Miss Father's Day debuted in episode 124 of the anime and chapter 205 of the manga. She has a green amphibian theme to her, which is interesting because she is a woman with the moniker Father's Day while also having a theme of an animal that is famous for being able to change its gender. Her debut episode even has her introduced along with the reveal that Luffy's using his blood to fight Crocodile.

The next point is something Oda has never explained. Crocodile has strange relationships with children. From hiring a sixteen-year-old Miss Goldenweek, leaving her out of the Mr. 3 assassination order, and her history of actually sinking Crocodile's ships before getting hired, all the way to how Crocodile lectured Luffy in their fight. It just had the cadence of a parent. Not even Luffy's parent, just a parent. He lectures like someone who has experience with children.

Next, Luffy does not look like Dragon. That is a direct quote from Luffy in the manga. But you know who he does look like?

That's right! Luffy looks a lot like Crocodile. If you need more convincing on this, there is a great post by Dashevacotton that puts together many of the best canon pictures of Luffy dressed up like Crocodile. That post is here!

Crocodile and Luffy are incredibly similar. Not just in looks, but in personality, and in their general life.

These two have so much in common. From having a way with animals, to the amount of unadulterated loyalty they've inspired in their crews, all the way to the cadence of their speech.

Crocodile and Luffy even have a similarly goofy reaction to seeing the underground passage to the Alabasta Poneglyph.

Episode 123, episode time 13:16 Crocodile spots the entrance and laughs, "Ha, now I see secret stairs." Also in episode 123, episode time 20:47 Luffy looks around and spots the secret stairs. "That hole... it looks gator-ish."

Even what we know of Crocodile's backstory is that he had a rapid rise to fame just like Luffy by being a rookie who came in and beat down non-canon characters like Douglas Bullet to the shock of the world.

Next, let's bring up an earlier point: Oda-sensei is a mega troll.

This isn't exactly new information, Oda once deflected to bringing up a dick fight instead of answering if Zoro or Sanji was stronger. He is a Troll. He loves wordplay, and he likes to hint hint nudge nudge us all day long. Just look at Oda having Sanji call himself a prince in Alabasta as a joke, only to realize years later that he actually was a prince.

It's because of Oda's tendency to play around and make knowing jokes we've gotten some pretty compelling evidence for the Crocodad theory.

First would be the wordplay!

-Crocodile is closely linked to a Bananawani-> Monkeys like Banana -> Monkey D. Dragon is a reptilian Monkey attracted to Banana reptile. Fight me - A 'crocodile smile' is a term most often used to mean a fake or ingenuine smile. Crocodile's scar has been liked to look like a 'crocodile smile', which would mean Crocodile is the only character that always has a smile on his face. What a fun bit of wordplay to foreshadow the birth parent of Joyboy!

Then there is this SBS alongside the One Piece School spin-off manga by Sohei Koj.

What a great way to get out of revealing Luffy's parentage without actually revealing it!

And of course, we have the One Piece Mafia Theatre episode of the anime.

Oda would certainly make this canon just because of his troll tendencies. This is a hilarious theory because the story supports it yet only a fringe group believes in it. It's hilarious and therefore it's probably true.

Lastly, the symbolism makes this theory truly great.

I've already mentioned how Crocodile's scar being a 'crocodile smile' and thus giving him a permanent smile on his face would make him the most meaningful candidate for Luffy's birth parent. Joyboy, our Sun God Nika, was born from a man with a permanent fake smile; who is also named after an animal with the world's biggest smile.

It's just such a perfect setup, it makes my writer's heart swell.

Since Oda has stated a mother in One Piece would stop the adventure, it would fit that the first major villain in the Grandline to try and stop Luffy's adventure ended up being the man who gave birth to Luffy.

If we are going to speak of symbolism, I'd be remiss not to mention what a crocodile spiritually symbolizes. I really don't think I need to explain why adaptability, creation, ambiguity, and duality mean so much to this theory.

This theory could die or be confirmed any day now that we've entered a God's Valley flashback. I will love it either way but truly, honestly, I believe this. I hope I convinced a few of you to. If you are interested in the succinct list of Crocodad evidence that post is Here!

So in conclusion...

Crocodad is canon!

[salteytakesonmanga]

Your explanation about retconing made me think Oda's way of writing is exactly what bring people to think he has every single thing planed down from the start, even if he didn't.

The story has been going on for 20 years, and Oda himself has admitedly had ideas along the way that he added. But the fact he's still able to connect every new idea instead of having to retcon things is what makes one piece feel so perfectly planned and tied.

Anon, you innocently sent me this ask to share your thoughts and unknowingly triggered one of my rants. I’m sorry/thank you.

Anon is referring to this post.

Oda is just a good writer! He is good at the craft of writing! Even if you don’t like the story (I’m assuming you do, but for people who don’t…) it’s just WELL WRITTEN. People really aren’t used to seeing good writing anymore, to seeing tropes deployed effectively and having plot lines actually connect. This isn’t just me being cranky and old, it’s just truth. People are talking about this in film, TV, books… One Piece has been around so long that it comes from a generation of storytelling that is vastly different from our modern media landscape.

I think people are burned out on the way modern storytelling never delivers (looking at you, JJ Abrams) or constantly jerks people around to elicit a reaction, all for the sake of nabbing that viral moment. When they see Oda deploy a trope or a storytelling device they’re immediately suspicious and fearful that it’ll turn into another unsatisfying gotcha. They rush to look for proof that it’s either all part of a detailed master plan, or it’s just a cheap trick to sell more issues.

In both cases, people are looking for a reason to be LESS INVESTED in the story. If he has a master plan, they don’t need to get worried or excited because it’s all heading to some inevitable conclusion that’s been clearly telegraphed and once you’ve cracked the code then you can already tell what the ending will be, so you don’t actually have to care. If he’s winging it, then the story is just a sequence of loosely connected meaningless scenes whose only purpose is to get you hype about a plot leading nowhere, so you don’t actually have to care.

And it breaks my fucking heart.

When it comes to One Piece, so many people are insistent that One Piece is EITHER 100% planned in advance down to every minute detail, or Oda is completely winging the whole thing. But the real answer is somewhere in between, in some muddy grey area that people find really unsatisfying. They want one clear answer that they can hold up as “The Right One,” but life is not made up of black and white answers.

Honestly it makes me really sad that people can read ALL THIS - pirates are evil except actually pirates are good and the Marines are evil except the Marines are trying to protect civilians by keeping countries stable so that's good except the rulers are evil tyrants so that's bad except when they’re not and then they’re good but only sometimes and… - and what they come away with from it is, “Okay but what’s the RIGHT answer.”

The thing that makes One Piece feel like it’s so cohesive despite Oda constantly changing his mind and making shit up is that he has a very strong and clear idea about what’s actually important to the story and what’s flexible. Because he has that as a guide, he can add the Shichibukai and change Vivi from a villain to a princess and make up who Ace’s parent is without diluting what he wants to say.

That’s what it MEANS to be a writer. Foreshadowing isn’t “boring,” it’s good writing. A plot twist you didn’t see isn’t “cheap,” it’s good writing. Fleshing out a backstory isn’t “reconning,” it’s good writing.

[l-in-the-light]

Advice for One Piece theoretists about the upcoming Strawhat crew members

I watched this vid so you all don't have to. The only thing Ohara got right is Law tbh (but the arguments he listed for him are so-so, he could have fished out so much more). I saw lately a post with big advice for One Piece theoretists to go back to their roots (early sagas), so now here's my piece of advice for all of you who want to crack the mystery of who the last Strawhats are gonna be:

crewmate (nakama) =/= friend (tomodachi). The word nakama appears in manga only when Luffy means "crewmate", it's been always consistent, because that word is clearly a big deal for Luffy. Someone who travels with Strawhats isn't automatically a crewmate. Not every friend will end up becoming a new crewmate either. Remember Water 7? Being a crewmate is a serious business, it's not just regular friends we snatched on our way. Once you're a crewmate, you're part of the family, basically. Family yakuza-style, might I add. Once you join you can't just quit because you feel like it, it's a commitment. So friends like Rebecca, Viola, Stussy, Lilith, Carrot, Bon Clay, Koby are not gonna become actual crewmates. They will always remain friends with Strawhats though!

not every crewmate will choose to take the journey with Strawhats. Take Vivi, Kin'emon or Momonosuke for example. They have their own responsibilities. That being said, if their duties ever get fullfilled, they're hopping on the crew 100%. I can see that happen with Vivi, not so much with Kin and Momo though, Wano is not gonna go anywhere, right? (or is it? :D)

Luffy made promise to Yamato. It's a promise he wants to keep in Ace's stead. This is important for him. People should start taking this seriously and I'm not sure why they don't.

plot convenience isn't enough of an argument for someone joining or not. That would be kinda bad storytelling ngl. Just because someone has "no other place to go" or "would be so useful on the crew" doesn't mean they will become a Strawhat. Being a crewmate ain't so cheap.

potential crewmate doesn't even have to be a friend at first to become a crewmate. Remember Franky's or Robin's case? Luffy was hostile towards Franky for the whole arc, not counting the very final chapters when Franky build them a new ship for free, which is The Moment when Luffy finally started liking him. At the literal end of the arc.

Luffy's final word is the most important one. Try to think of his own criteria, instead of trying to guess what's in Oda's head. Luffy is a simple boy, his criteria are also pretty simple and every Strawhat fits those. It's not about long, tragic and satisfying flashbacks (Zoro's flashback is short, for example), bonding over food, or stuff like that. You want to find Luffy's criteria, go all the way back to the beginning when Luffy meets Koby and then Zoro.

the last Strawhats do not have to be people from early sagas! Early sagas are important, but ignoring the later ones is a huge mistake. There are a few really nice theories that help you narrow it down: for example the theory of 13 Strawhats. Since as early as first OP chapters Luffy's crew is called Mugiwara Ichimi (which means Strawhat crew, but ichimi can be read as a pun: ichi means one, san means 3, Oda loves puns and number plays like that and uses them all the time, also in chapter titles). People also noticed this helpful pattern: there are always four Strawhats joining from each sea Luffy adventures in (Nami, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp from East Blue; Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook from Paradise; that leaves us with Jimbei and three others from the New World).

Yes, I'm a believer in 13 Strawhats theory, just like most Japanese fans. Oda likes giving obscure hints for that theory scattered around. But the actual answer lies in this image:

You have all 13 Strawhats here, disguised as cats. All you need to do is crack the code and figure it out. Have fun!

My hint is: start from who Luffy considers and called a nakama. You need to search through the whole story for it :D

[wakanai]

i know oda is the blorbo of all time if im remembering correctly, but what's your top 5 bungo favs?

AAAAAA

omygosh!! An ask from you??

Sure!! Hmm.. tbh besides Oda, I haven't really thought about it that much. But I'll think hold on

******************** (pending) *******

5 bungo favs (besides Oda 🤭)

BEAST Atsushi

: ugh. something about how he is literally how Atsushi would be like if Atsushi was in the PM. There's just something that attracts me to him. Like most characters in BSD, he isn't evil and doesn't enjoy the things he does. He's deeply traumatized. He has a shy-kind personality but is placed in the PM where he's made to be a murderer. Interestingly, he isn't as obsessed with BEAST Dazai's approval as Akutagawa was with Canon Dazai (maybe bc Dazai liked Atsushi more? idk..) But BEAST Atsushi has sm going for him and I'm curious about his life after BEAST. I'd like to see more of it ❤️ (don't even get me started on the fanarts of BEAST Atsushi meeting lit. anyone in the Canon world).

2. Verlaine

: This bad boy can fit so much trauma inside him. What makes humans human? What makes him worthy of human dignity when he's just a bunch of codes? Honestly his thoughts and existential crisis is tragic. The fact that he wanted to raise chuuya in the countryside too 😭 and how he helped Chuuya save the world because deep down he knew one person who he thought deserved to live. How he hasn't moved on from said person. How he trains PM assasins to become weapons for the Port Mafia even though he's gone through the same thing. How he (both metaphorically and physically) isn't in the light because he's literally been rotting in a basement for 6 years. No friends. No family. Nothing outside that interests him. With no purpose other than teaching because Rimbaud used to teach too. No one in the mafia can reach him emotionally. He could be like BEAST Dazai tbh. I can see it. Except rimbaud is dead so Verlaine just decided to.. stay in a basement and rot. Someone bring him out of there please 😭😭

(also in another version of BSD I thought of in my head, I gave him a sort of backstory so that increased my personal attachment lol)

And speaking of the guy Verlaine misses...

3. Rimbaud

: This guy... has so much love to give. Idk much about his past but he was a government spy. As I've seen others mention, He may have had to abandon family members for his job. By the time he met Verlaine, he must have been so lonely that he decided to pour all his love into this one partner whom he intended to be with forever. So. Dang. Selfless. Got betrayed by Verlaine. Still went to hell and back for him. Also Verlaine disliked him while he was still alive so there must have been so many moments where he got hurt by Verlaine (like that one birthday gift 😭) but he still kept trying to be a good friend and doing everything to make Verlaine happy. Even when he got amnesia, Verlaine was the one thing he remembered. He didn't even expect Verlaine to apologize!!! Like?? Instead HE was the one who apologized for not understanding Verlaine. He held no grudges whatsoever. My gosh. That's true love right there. He gave Verlaine his all and expected nothing in return. Even when Verlaine betrayed him or didn't appreciate him or was mean to him, he cared sm. Even in his dying moments, his main concern was Verlaine. ouch.

Besides that, he's VERY cool. His ability slays (literally) and his long black hair is just 😫✨

Rimbaud should've picked me instead. I would've treated him much better than Verlaine did 🤭🙄 /j

4: Mori Ogai

OHHHH~ controversial character alert ‼️

Hehe alright. *cracks knuckles*

I initially didn't have much feelings for Mori. I thought he was a pedo and hated him as a villain (cause of how much of a threat he was and what he did to the characters) but I also didn't think about him a lot. And it was hard for me to grasp his character.

Thankfully though, the BSD fandom made me change my mind after a while 🤭

@the-boss-of-the-port-mafia made this amazing compilation of Mori analyses that made me appreciate him more.

also my tumblr bestie @plinko-mori helped me understand him <3

Long story short, tumblr made me realize 2 things:

a. Mori may not actually be a pedo

b. He's more emotional than he lets on

^^ This description was made by Asagiri himself 😶

anyways onto my rambling abt Mori 😭

I like him. I think he's badass. He's giving anti-hero vibes ✨ and he's also tragic in a way because he's doing what he thinks is best for Yokohama and the PM even if he has to be ruthless about it. At heart, he has good intentions. He hates war. He hates needless violence (he disliked the previous bloodthirsty boss; suggested that his death would leave to even more violence during the guild arc; has not once been shown to enjoy committing violence for kicks and giggles; etc). He manipulated Yosano because he thought it was the optimal solution and would result in them winning. He planned Oda's death because again, it was the optimal solution and would result in the mafia winning + less casualties. If there's a conflict, Mori is the guy who will pick the fastest, most convenient solution even if it means getting his hands dirty. He'll always pick the lesser evil with no hesitation.

While characters like Fitzgerald/Dazai/Junichiro would sacrifice the world to save their loved ones, Mori would sacrifice his feelings/loved ones to save the world (not that he's extremely attached to anyone. this guy is very lonely lol. His face when he told Koyou that she could leave the PM and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it shows just how much he's resigned to losing people.)

That being said, it does hurt him when he loses people.

This post by @hina-has-no-life explains very well his regret towards Dazai and Yosano 😭

In BEAST, he didn't have to play the role of the mafia boss hence, he showed his softer sides and treated Atsushi like a son, even admitting that he regrets not being able to help Dazai.

so..yeah. There's something interesting about a villain who forces himself to ignore his emotions for the sake of doing 'the greater good.'

Yes, Mori is manipulative, makes millions from exploiting people via the PM, has done many bad things, will continue to do bad things --but he does have a heart (even if he constantly ignores it lol).

It's also worth mentioning that apparently the management in Yokohama is so bad, the Port Mafia (a literal criminal org) is the one responsible for keeping the crime rate in check (considering bsd Yokohama gets bombed like every month tho, Ig that checks out 😭)

Anywy. Mori. yeah, he's shades of grey (the darker side). Like Dazai, he can act like a silly uncle sometimes. His backstory is so cool with lots of potential.

From military doctor (holy hell. military doctors in history are usually involved in a LOT of shady things) to an underground doctor (uhm. how and why?) to finally, the boss of the Port Mafia.

so interesting. and so much potential.

The quote, "I must be cruel to be kind" suits him quite well.

About the mafia though - I do wonder what he does being filthy rich 🤭 besides the constant ignoring of emotions, I'm sure he must have some greed or ambition in there. That makes him even more nuanced imo.

Ahhhh

and last but not the least:

Mr. Bungou himself

this man, I-

***if I had to insert every single analysis of this guy that I like, my PC would crash LOL***

I won't elaborate too much since Ikyk hehe 🤭

hmm..

I hated Dazai at first cause I felt he was overrated. While watching the anime, I was annoyed that Dazai seemed to be able to solve everything and that no one could defeat him and that he was presented as this 'untouchable figure' of sorts. I'm like, 'WHY DOES HE KEEP WINNING' as if he's omniscient or something like a deus ex machina 😭

overtime, I grew to like him tho (mostly because of Oda LOL 😂)

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT

his character is interesting (especially in the LNs. I think he's more nuanced in there than in the anime).

I like how he's clearly hiding his heart from everyone around him. He doesn't open up to anyone. Doesn't reveal his plans unless he deems it necessary. manipulates team mates in certain situations (ex: what he did to aku and atsushi). continues to act like a jerk (messes kunikida's plans for fun; belittles akutagawa, etc.)

He's a manipulative jerk with little empathy for strangers but he's trying to fight for the good side. he's trying to save people. he's trying to be better. (and he is actually being better).

Reminds me a lot like Jouno tbh haha.

he's also a little menace with a dark but goofy side to him.

In the BSD rewrite fic I have in my little head, I like to imagine PM Dazai as somewhat like Mahito from jjk. (In the sense that he's an absolute nightmate, truly the "Demon prodigy" whose "blood is blacker than the mafia" but who also has a very childish feel to him).

Ik it's implied that Dazai did in fact commit atrocities like killing innocent people, killing mafia suboordinates who were subpar, torturing people, etc. but I'd like to see more of that. I'd like to see PM Dazai actually hurting someone the audience cares for and being evil instead of it just being told to us by the narrator/other characters.

Like yes, we got bits of his 'evilness' in SB, Dark Era and BEAST but Ig I just want more of that on focus 🤭

like, don't just tell me 'His blood is blacker than the mafia.'

Make me FEEL chills from reading him; make me think, 'oh this kid is really a devil spawn. I hate him' before moving onto dark era and making me surprised that 'dang. i never thought i could feel bad for this dude.'

idk it's prob just a preference I have. 😅

Same with the PM too. I wish we got to see them doing more of their exploitative work to better understand it when characters describe them as 'the demons of Yokohama' or something along those lines. Cause from season 1-3 (of the anime), they kind of...felt less threatening? Season 4-5 was quite a ride though.

ANYWAY MOVING BACK TO DAZAI

The face of BSD. Mr. Bungou 🤭🤭 I think he's a very cool and interesting character. I want him to cry lol.

I want him to LOSE IT in the main manga before the series ends and see what happens.

RN, he's bottling up a lot and is using different masks. It would be interesting to see him being himself more.

aand that's all hehe 🤭😄

Honourable mentions:

✨Adam ✨

"N" <- interesting because despite being who he is, he apparently genuinely cared for his younger brother, Murase. I just find those kinds of things interesting ig..

******

Also it is with great shame that I confess..

I haven't finished reading Stormbringer yet LOL 🤪🤡🤡

(but I did read some spoilers 😂😭)

so if there are any inaccuracies regarding that, please feel free to correct me <33

******* end ******

RANDOM:

Idk I just wanted to share this cause it's funny and (kind of) related.

But a bsd tiktok account I follow used to be named

Ngh~Chuuya~H-Harder~

(yes the fandom is insane 😂😭)

but recently, they changed it to

Ngh~Beast Atsushi~H-Harder~

and I found that funny for some reason lol.

****

anywy thank you for the ask!!! I hope you liked it hehe 🤭❤️❤️❤️❤️

[vanilladove]

⁀➷⊹ ࣪ ˖ valentines with the bsd men!

divider creds plutism

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ pairing: various bsd men x gn!reader [dazai, atsushi, ranpo, fukuzawa, nikolai, fyodor, sigma, bram, chuuya, akutagawa, oda, ango, jouno, tecchou]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ genre: fluffy headcanons (some crack hehe)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ content warnings: none! i also imagine all of them wearing suits🙈

⁠❥ 武装探偵社 armed detective agency

⊹ ࣪ ˖ osamu dazai

planned out your valentines day date at work (got yelled at by kunikida)

buys you a nice outfit to match his suit and styles his hair like how it was in the dead apple movie o////o

after dinner, you both go on a moonlit walk around yokohama and stop by the bridge overlooking the river dazai asks you to commit a double suicide

you mostly enjoy each other's company in silence, and dazai just admires you (secretly taking pictures of you under the moonlight)

he whispers sweet nothings into your ear and you find yourselves at the Lupin bar

you both drink too much and show too much pda, giggling through the taxi ride home

you're awaited by a bed covered in rose petals, lingerie/boxers and more sake...🤭

⊹ ࣪ ˖ atsushi nakajima

SUCH A FREAKING SWEETHEART

definitely didn't sleep at all the night before bc he was nervous about preparations (i'd like to think you're his first partner :3)

called akutagawa for help but he's also just as single...

ends up making you glitter roses (there's glitter all over his dorm now) and a valentines box filled with your favorite things ♡

he definitely has a cute speech for you about why he fell in love with you and how much he cares for you (one/both of you ends up in tears lol)

you guys end the night with a movie + lots of cuddles!

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ranpo edogawa

valentines day is his second favorite holiday after halloween bc of all the candy + sweet treats associated with it

buys enough chocolate and snacks to feed yokohama (most of it is just for his secret snack collection...)

organizes a small at-home date where you both make chocolate-covered strawberries + heart-shaped treats

tried to prepare a romantic speech but it ended up being a 'why you're lucky to have me' speech...

gives you those cheesy 'i love you' candies + candy necklaces

you both get insane sugar crashes and don't even make it to dinner or the special valentines book scene he made poe write for you😔

⊹ ࣪ ˖ yukichi fukuzawa

secretly very romantic

he takes you on a private picnic in a sakura tree field (it's literally perfect); you have bentos, plum sake, and daifuku. the cherry blossoms fall peacefully over you two ♡

would write a sweet poem/haiku for you and gift you a lavish yukata

you reminisce about the cute moments in your relationship and stay until sunset

you surprise him by taking him to a cat cafe on the way home hehe

⁠❥ 天人五衰 decay of angels

⊹ ࣪ ˖ nikolai gogol

thinks the traditional valentines day norms (chocolate, roses, and dinner) are boring

takes you to an amusement park (bonus if it's valentines-themed) instead

drags you with him on every ride--hopefully, you don't have motion sickness or a fear of heights

you eat so much fair food, and he never misses the chance to lick powdered sugar or cotton candy off your lips

takes you to the games section and laughs at your failed attempts. once you're frustrated enough, he wins even though the games are rigged and gets you a giant stuffed animal

you get matching face tattoos and braided hairstyles (he ends up doing it himself bc he's better than the employees lol)

on the ferris wheel, you both share an intimate kiss and he pulls out some roses (they end up being the clown ones though and splashing water all over your face :0)

⊹ ࣪ ˖ fyodor dostoevsky

asked you to be his valentine with one of those cheesy coding things (iykyk)

plans a romantic tea date for you both with lots of russian treats

composes a piece for you and plays it on his cello (forces nikolai and sigma to provide instrumental support in the background)

spends most of his time talking with you, since he's usually always busy

buys a matching ushanka for you, along with european chocolates, and your favorite flowers

you end up falling asleep in his arms reading together

⊹ ࣪ ˖ sigma

this is probably his first valentines day ever so he spent a lot of time on social media to find out what people usually get for their partners

definitely uses the sky casino's amenities to put on an extravagant display for you--dancers/live music, a fancy bubble bath with rose petals + candles, couple's massage

has an intimate dinner with you in his office with the sunset in the background

he gifts you lego flowers that you end up building together and gets flustered if you gave him a gift, too♡

⊹ ࣪ ˖ bram stoker

GOTHIC VALENTINES!!!!

takes you to his castle and prepares a fancy royal dinner for you

plays instrumental music from his radio but he didn't pay for spotify premium so you awkwardly listen to ads every few songs...😔

gives you pretty jewelry and black roses encased in glass (beauty in the beast style!)

takes you to the balcony and you both have an intimate night chat, which draws some rare smiles and chuckles from him

softly hugs and kisses you, grateful for your warmth and company will suck your blood if you let him

⁠❥ ポートマフィアport mafia

⊹ ࣪ ˖ chuuya nakahara

the definition of a romantic bf...pls

first of all, you wake up with those gigantic boxes of roses that celebs always get, accompanied by a sweet handwritten letter and a custom outfit for the day

he then picks you up in his helicopter and flies you to a vineyard where you make your own wine and drink one he secretly made for you when you both started dating

at the vineyard, a PRIVATE CHEF cooks a fancy 5-course meal for you both to enjoy, and chuuya insists on feeding you the first bite

expect a lot of heartfelt, drunken speeches and passionate french kisses out of nowhere...

on the ride home, chuuya almost crashes the helicopter bc he's so drunk, but his ability saves you both hehe

he ballroom dances with you until you both fall asleep in each other's arms🥹

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ryunosuke akutagawa

like atsushi and sigma, this is his first valentines. he asks chuuya for advice but thinks all his suggestions are corny

he ends up settling on making you some red baked goods with gin's help and dark chocolate candies

writes you love letters since he's secretly embarrassed to tell you outright how he feels

takes you on a beach date and lends you his coat if you're cold (he's secretly colder than you after he dips his feet in the water)

you hold hands and talk for a bit under the moonlight until he musters up the confidence to give you his letters and gifts

your happy reaction is worth it and makes him blush ^o^ he hugs you for a long time after you point it out, partly in embarrassment and partly because he loves you so much

chuuya and gin interrogate him about the date after he comes back lol

⊹ ࣪ ˖ oda sakunosuke

picks you up from work with flowers, handmade chocolates, and a cute teddy bear

car makeout sesh before going home while you still have some time alone to yourselves

cooks your favorite meal for you and buys you your favorite alcohol

he and the kids bake + decorate a romantic cake for you (it's lowkey ugly but it's the thought that counts!!!) and decorate the house with heart balloons, cute drawings, and candles

you both eat with all the kiddos and sleep together on the same bed ♡

⊹ ࣪ ˖ ango sakaguchi

almost forgot it was valentines day bc he was too absorbed in his work...his assistant had to remind him lol

takes you to a classic fancy dinner & buys you your favorite flowers

gifts you your favorite books and some sexy lingerie/boxers (his assistant probably snuck in some toys

your little date helps him relax for once and takes his stress away

gets clingy the next day and keeps trying to call/text you because he misses your presence (dazai and his coworkers tease him nonstop about it)

⁠❥ 猟犬 hunting dogs

⊹ ࣪ ˖ jouno saigiku

guys why are there no valentines day cards for these mfs does no one like them or what

takes you to a secluded place away from his annoying coworkers the noisy city

cooks you dinner and gifts you gold jewelry (likely a matching rope bell earring) and some soft sweaters :)

you try to play some board and card games together, but he wins everytime because he can guess your next move based on your heartbeat and movements

after you give up, you both just end up cuddling, and he rambles about his recent missions and office stories

showers you with kisses and caresses; purposely teases your pulse points to get a reaction from you

although you give him gifts (i think he would really like noise-cancelling headphones), his favorite one is your praise. he can't stop blushing when you list off all the reasons you love him hehe

⊹ ࣪ ˖ tecchou suehiro

tecchou would take you on a romantic cabin getaway!

you go on a cute couple's hike (it's supposed to be along a heart shaped trail)

he's kind of directionally challenged and gets lost along the way...

as an apology, he gives you the chocolates he bought for you (they melted from the heat though)

he eventually finds his way through the surrounding landscape and you find a secret waterfall connected to a beautiful lake

you both go swimming to cool off and end up laughing off the whole situation

when you get back to the cabin, you order takeout (do not let this man cook) and look through the pictures you took on your hike

he gifts you some plum blossoms he picked on the hike ♡

[megashadowdragon]

whats the point of yamato

comments on youtube

Here's my take: the Wano Arc is about the "burden of inherited will." By this I mean something like, the burden of upholding the promises and dreams of those who came before. We've seen inherited will as an unambiguously good thing in the series so far, but the Wano Arc is trying to complicate the narrative, by showing what a burden it can be to take on the dreams of those who came before. And this theme isn't just in one storyline, it's laced throughout the Wano Arc, in the motivations of so many characters: * We have Momo struggling with the burden of living up to his father's legacy as a leader, and the burden of the throne of Wano. He's anguished over this, he weeps, because it's a burden to live up to someone as great as his father. * In Oden's flashback, we seem him struggle with the burden of his own father's dreams (that he become the Shogun, settle down, etc), only for him to eventually return and take on the burden of the country (literally, he puts his followers on his back!). * We have the Scabbards struggling with the burden of achieving Oden's dream of opening Wano's borders. They spend twenty years waiting and suffering, or travel across the sea and suffer, all for the sake of their leader's dream. We see Ashura-doji grow bitter under this burden, we see Denjiro mentally break, we see Kine'mon refuse to have a joyful reunion with his wife, all because they suffer under the burden of an inherited dream. * Orochi felt compelled to uphold the will of his ancestors and depose the Kozukis and throw the country into ruin. There's a reason we see his ancestors basically manipulate him into pursuing his path. They pass on their dream to him. * So obviously we have Luffy also taking on the dream of Oden, to defeat Kaido and Orochi, etc. But it's not a coincidence that in this arc we have two characters to whom Ace made promises: Tama and Yamato. They've become part of Luffy's burden, because he inherited Ace's will. (That's one way Yamato fits in) * But we also have Yamato struggling under the burden of a will she does not want to inherit, her father's. He wants her to be imprisoned, literally chained to a will that is not her own. That's quite the burden, I'd say. But there's another will she would prefer to inherit, obviously: Oden's. I think in the conclusion of this arc, we'll see characters (Luffy, probably) say something about inherited will being something chosen, it has to be a burden you choose to bear, not one forced on you. Yamato will probably feature in this conclusion in a few ways: (1) as a character foil to Momonosuke. It's not a coincidence that they're the exact same age and each want to take on the will that was forced on the other. Momo was swept across the world and travelled with Luffy in order to fulfill his role as Oden's son, but he wants to be Shogun. He takes on Kaido's appearance (via his Devil Fruit). Yamato was chained to Onigashima, and wanted nothing more to escape and travel the world with Luffy, but Kaido wants her to become the Shogun. She takes on Oden's appearance. The arc will conclude with something about Yamato and Momo freely entrusting each other with the dreams of their fathers, or something. (2) as a feature in Luffy choosing to uphold Ace's will. By taking her with him and reaffirming a promise with Tama, we'll see Luffy choose to take on Ace's will. In this way, we'll see that what makes a will truly inherited isn't a bond of blood or destiny, it's a bond of friendship, trust, et cetera. Yamato's storyline will be used to punctuate that theme for Luffy and Momo, the actual central characters of this arc.

I feel like Yamato’s storyline is learning about inherited will and not having to actually be someone (Oden) to carry on their will/dreams.

Hannya, which Yamato’s mask is based on, are well known in Japanese theatrical stage culture for representing characters who are the physical manifestation of twisted female souls.

Yamato seems to be inspired by Oscar François de Jarjayes, from the shōjo manga The Rose of Versailles, who is a woman raised by her father as if she were a boy in order to succeed him as the commander of the Royal Guard at the Palace of Versailles. 

an authors comment for chapter 945 oda talked about how he read rose of versailles and was surprised oscar was a woman 

The Shogun must be a male of Seiwa Genji lineage according to Japanese history so this explains why she is referred to as son.  Oda based Yamato on 2 people.  1) Yamato Takeru a crossdressing Japanese prince and 2) Oscar from Rose of Versailles.  Yamato Takeru being the son of Emperor Keiko who crossdressed to kill his enemies.  Oscar being a girl raised as a boy to succeed the throne.  Oda is mixing Japanese folklore with Rose of Versailles to tell a story of Kaido trying to force his daughter to be the Shogun/a boy.  Do you think I rip this from nowhere?  Chapter 945 if I recall correctly on VIZ Oda is on the authors comments speaking on Rose of Versailles.  Yamato wears a Hannya mask which originates from Noh theater and represents female obsession (Oden obsession) and I bet this arc has a theme of deliverance.  Not just deliverance from physical chains but familial bonds as well.  The people who refer to her as “he” miss the underlying themes the Shogun must be male and Kaido is probably upset he has no actual son.  Yamato does not want to be the Shogun and referring to the last chapter Kaido is trying to tell her what her fate is.  The Vivre Cards will not say (Male Heart) like in close reference to Kiku’s card and she will not come out and say “I am a man at heart!”  She uses the pronoun boku which is ambiguous and abnormal which is in reference to the “Oden” funny delusional act she has going on.  Coming chapters will reveal this more and more.  Since the combination of the title card saying daughter -> the Hannya mask -> explosive cuffs and the Shogun theme it was clear she was being bruteforced into something.

Not trying to speak for everyone here, but to say people use "he" because they don't pick up on themes is simply not the case. People use "he/him" pronouns because so far in the story, that is how Yamato has made clear that he would like to be referred to and so people use he/him pronouns out of respect for those desires. I'm not trying to say at all that I disagree with the themes/connections you've mentioned, but to say that you've "cracked the code" and you know better than Yamato on how they should be gendered is disrespectful to them. It may well be the case that everything you said is true and that by the end of the arc Yamato will wish to be referred to with she/her pronouns, but like I said to just assume this before it actually happens is disrespectful. Imagine refusing to use he/him pronouns for a trans-man because you know that their father always wanted a son and assuming their desire to use these pronouns only exists to validate their fathers wishes. I'm not trying to draw a one to one equivalence with this example, I get that One Piece is a story where information does just exist but is introduced with a specific purpose, I just hope I can better explain why many people believe he/him are the correct pronouns to use for Yamato at this time. Frankly, I think the presence of Kiku as a trans-women in this arc might be odas way of setting up the exact scenario you mentioned with yamato while still making sure he doesn't come across as invalidating trans identities. Hopefully that makes sense. Again I'm not trying to be argumentative, only trying explain why many people believe it is more respectful to use he/him pronouns at this time for yamato DESPITE the themes you've mentioned.

Quick fact check: Oscar wasn't raised as a boy to succeed the throne, she was a raised as a boy to become commander of the royal guards

This might not be accurate as I'm just saying off the top of my head but in a way, Yamato might represent wano itself. She was chained up and abused by Kaido like he does to wano in a sense.

Yamato is literally old name of Japan, lol

  Yamato by taking Oden legacy she is impersonating the man who's the main representation of wano to the world 

On a larger scale we are fighting to save wano from kaido

On a individual scale Yamato who disguises as Oden who represents wano is fighting to save herself from kaido 

It's like NAMI all over again 

A girl who is representing an entire population and territory is fighting to save herself and the people and territory she represents from a fish that keeps her and her territory enslaved

Her not being part of the mainland is symbolic to Wano exactly lol, isolated from the other world and chained there by Kaido for decades. She, like the people of Wano, has this black and white perception of Oden that they blindly follow without looking into why he did what he did. Even now people are putting Momo on some pedestal worth dying for without understanding who he is, similar to their past expectations of Oden for his dad. Yamato is doing the same with her declaration of dying for him based solely on his dad and the stuff in the journal.

Yamato's development seems to fall in parallel to Momo. Momo had to deal with the expectations of being Oden's son and his people want him to be just like Oden they don't see Momonosuke Kozuki. 

On the other hand Yamato similarly was thrust with a path set by Kaido her father but wants to be Oden this person who inspired Yamato to the point of worship that every action is posed with the question "what would Oden do."

The climax of both their arcs might be to just choose to be who they are and act as they would do not as their predecessors as they both could never be Oden for instance.

I sort of dislike how some people act like Yamato realizing not to “be oden” and Yamato joining the strawhats are mutually exclusive

if yamato does join the strawhats and is the 11th that would confirm the idea that yamato isnt trans  she just cosplays as oden due to idolizing him if you believe the MFMM theory due to people noticing that in east blue  the recruitment went zoro, nami, usopp, and sanji  in grand line it was chopper, robin, franky and brook a male female male male .

jinbe is the 10th who joined in new world  ( the male ) and it fits for him to be followed by the 11th a woman . ( so if yamato joins the strawhats and is the 11th ( meaning carrot doesnt join)  yamato isnt trans 

if yamato and carrot both join then yamato really is a transman

both okiku and yamato wore hannya masks

after okiku put on a hannya mask she revealed that she was a man in body but a woman in heart and a hannya mask represents female demon 

yamato was introduced as kaidos son while in a hannya mask but after she took it off revealed she was his daughter

"Yamato" (大和やまと?), meaning "Great Harmony", is an ancient name for Japan (originating from the Yamato Province) and can can also refer to the Yamato period of Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. Relating to that, Yamato is the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan and further refers to the dominant ethnic group of Japan, the Yamato people. Otherwise:

Yamato Takeru is a legendary Japanese prince of the Yamato dynasty, prominent in mythology.

Yamato is the name of a prominent WWII-era Japanese battleship.

Yamato nadeshiko is a phrase that refers to the idealized image of a Japanese female.

[deathvsthemaiden]

Anime Tag Game

Tagged by: @bluyuki (thank you! 🤗✨)

1. Last anime you watched?

BNA (Brand New Animal) still in the middle of it! 🐺

2. Last anime you binged watched? 

Beastars! (last one I binged in full anyway) 🐰

3. Recommend an anime and state your reason? 

Noragami! A lot of fun, pretty animation, and I’ve been feeling nostalgic for it recently I might... ignore the tons of anime I’m in the middle of and rewatch it soon🤭😐

4. Anime you have not finished watching yet? 

BNA, Mushishi, Steins Gate 0, Bungou Stray Dogs (s3), Kimi ni todoke, Vinland saga, BNA, Gekkan Shouko Nozaki Kun, Keep your hands off Eizouken, March comes in like a lion, Fate extra last encore— definitely more I’m just not able to remember everything ahxjsndn 😐

5. An anime you do NOT recommend and state your reason? 

Shoukoku no Altair BECAUSE it was massively dissastifying I love love love the manga and honestly most of the time I like to pretend it was never adapted that’s how not good it was :/

6. List your top 5 favourite anime?

1. Death Parade

2. Megalobox

3. Emiya San Chi no Kyou no gohan

4. Vinland Saga (OK I haven’t finished it yet but I’m a die hard fan of the manga and from what I have seen of the anime, it’s very faithful!)

5. Houseki no Kuni

7. Of your top 5 anime, list 2 of your favourite ships from each show?

I rlly don’t ship much, but Medea/Kuzuki from Emiya San is sweet. And so is Thorfinn/Gudrid from Vinland Saga. I have more manga ships tbh

8. Of your top 5 anime, list 1 ship that you do not like? 

Joe/Yuuri from Meglaobox ig. Oof or Achaea/Cairngorm from HNK but that’s part of the manga hasn’t been adapted yet (s2 when....💎)

9. Of your top 5 anime, list 1 crack ship? 

Ventricosus/Adamant from HNK 🤭

10. Of your top 5 anime, list your favourite character from each show?

1. Onna 💟⛸

2. Megalo Joe 🥊❤️

3. Shirou probably. That episode of him as a little kid watching cooking shows and taking meticulous notes is one of my favoritesss 🥺🤧💛 but also. Every scene with Kojirou was excellent I got a major kick out of him 💜

4. Thorfinn Son of Thors 💝🗡

5. Adamant 🥺👉🏽👈🏽

11. List 3 of your husbando/waifu and what anime they are from?

A Certain Ruler class character 🐝 from the Fate franchise and umm. I can’t think of anyone else rn. One track mind antics 😐 I’ll play fast and loose with the definition of “husbando” and say Adamant and Oda (Bungou Stray Dogs) v_v

12. Favourite anime genre? 

Action/adventure/slice of life? I can’t decide tbh

13. Weirdest anime you have seen? 

Shinsekai Yori

14. Subbed or dubbed? 

Dubbed so I can multitask/look away as I watch but both are good

15. Fanart or Fanfic? 

I really like both but I’ve “consumed” way more fanart over time, I’m pickier about fanfic

16. Protagonist or antagonist?

Usually I’d say antagonist but most of my favorite animes are my favorites because I love the protagonists a lot so!

17. Funniest anime you have seen? 

Nichijou or Daily Lives of High School Boys probably

18. Saddest anime you have seen? 

Code Geass left me feeling empty but I was in middle school so I don’t know if it would have the same effect on me now. Your Lie in April was heavy at times too🎻

19. Anime character you dislike the most? 

The dad from Michiko to Hatchin.... Hatchin’s dad, the one Michiko and Hatchin are searching for for a majority of the show.... Him..... 😑 Astolfo’s master from Fate/Apocrypha too 🥴

20. Recommend an anime movie?

A Silent Voice 🥖 but even more than that, the manga 📖

Tagging: @pinkafropuffs @howaboutswords @adorakeys @makruh @iwaizuml @natalya-romanova @sestet @snuflowr @holmesianhive @hotgirlswehaveproblemstoo @fruit6at @ayuumaku @oudh @kashilascorner @k-amui @sjouno @kandraswithhats @elfenana

[eirist]

Hi! How are you? Hope you are really good! I really love your fics (but the first time writing to you :3). So, I have this prompt: Late night, a drunk Zoro and a drunk Nami meet unexpectedly in the kitchen, looking for some water. Thanks so much! Looking foward for more fics!

LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF HEAVEN

DRINK YOU SOBER

One-shot #: 17

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei. Title is from Bitter:Sweet’s steamy song.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: T

Note: For @marafuego. Hope you enjoy this!

And… I apologize for the delay as I haven’t been able to get around the prompt requests for some time. Truth is I kinda got stuck. But reassured I will deliver the other ZoNa requests as soon as I can.

Summary: “I’m drunk… and you’re drunk as well right? Can we just leave it at that?”

“Well, hello stranger.”

Zoro flinched at voice and immediately drew back from the Sunny’s fridge, knocking his head on the overhead tray in the process.

Frowning, he swiveled around and found Nami leaning against the far end of the counter separating the kitchen and dining area, with a cheeky smile on her face.

“What do we have here?” She asked in a singsong tone. When he didn’t answer, she propped her chin on the palm of her hand. “Looks like someone’s stealing from the supposedly locked fridge.”

Zoro cursed under his breath while rubbing his head. “Shut it witch. I’m just getting some water.” He stuck his hand back inside the fridge and grabbed the pitcher.

“I’m surprised you know the code.”

He smirked as he slammed door shut and snatched a glass from the counter rack. “Ero-cook’s THAT predictable.”

Nami’s lips formed a perfect ‘o’ at his remark.

“Why are you still awake?” He asked as he poured himself a drink.

“Why are you lurking in the dark?”

They both asked at the same time. Nami grinned while Zoro cocked an eyebrow at her.

In the silvery moonlight streaming in from the galley’s portholes; they stared at each other, both waiting for an answer.

When neither one replied, Nami then straightened up and was about to make her way towards him when she blindly bumped the corner of the counter.

“Ouch!” She whined. “Why the hell didn’t you switch the lights on Zoro?” She made a clicking sound with her tongue to show her disapproval at his decision to skulk inside the galley in the dark.

“Don’t need it,” the swordsman grunted.

“Well some of us do!”

“Not my fault you can’t find your way in the dark cat burglar.” She didn’t miss the way he emphasized her epithet.

Nami made a face as he downed his water in one gulp.

“Slow down with the water idiot! You’re not the only one who wants to drink some!”

"Not so loud Nami!” Zoro hissed. “You’ll wake the others up!”

“Ooops. Sorry,” she mock-whispered. Then she giggled. “I’ll shush.” She placed her forefinger on her lips.

The tall swordsman raised both of his eyebrows at her reaction. He scrutinized her curiously, wondering why she was still up and about… and boisterous.

He silently observed her as she approached him. And he noticed that she seemed unsteady; her stride was careful but he can see that she was tilting a bit and her hand never left the kitchen counter.

“Are you drunk Nami?”

She stiffened at his question. “Excuse me?”

“You’re staggering,” Zoro pointed out.

“No I’m not!” She vehemently denied. “Just had a feeew drinks is all…” She stuck her tongue out at him. “You of all people should know that I don’t get drunk that easily.”

He looked unconvinced. Few for Nami usually means almost ALL the liquor stock available. “Uh-huh. Is that why you’re using the counter for support?”

Nami puffed her cheeks. She was now near enough for him to note that her face was flushed and her eyes, a bit unfocused.

Not drunk my ass alright. He thought with a scoff.

“I am not drunk Zoro!” She poutily declared when she heard the unbelieving sound he made. She let go of the counter to place her hands on her hips—the way she usually does when she was about to chastise him. However, the sudden defiant movement made her wobble a bit and Zoro automatically reached for her arm to steady her.

“Not drunk my ass,” he voiced his earlier thought.

“You’re the one to talk.” Nami grumbled while holding on to him. She drew closer and sniffed. “You reek of alcohol swordsman.” She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Her insult didn’t even faze him. With a shit-eating grin he said, “I should say the same to you.”

Her brown eyes widened in horror. She looked offended and mortified at the same time. True, he can smell the liquor on her, enough for him to deduce that she probably drank more than just a feeew (to quote her) drinks as she was claiming.

Nami smacked him on the arm lightly. “Not as much as you do baka! Did you take a bath with sake or something?”

Zoro just chuckled at her attempt to drag him in a midnight banter. As much as he wants to engage in their usual verbal play, his head is already buzzing from all the liquor he drank.

He was already following her down the road to inebriation and ready to pass out anywhere.

He was done with this night.

Nami must’ve sensed it given the way a sly smile appeared on her lips.

Grabbing his shoulders for support, she tiptoed so they were almost face to face. “You are drunk too, aren’t you Zoro?” The mapmaker whispered in his ear.

"And what if I am?” Zoro drawled.

She threw her head back and laughed. “So you do get drunk!”

“You wish witch.” She laughed again and his arm instantly went around her, just in case she topple-over from dipping her head back too much. He can just imagine the havoc it will cause when she falls and crack her skull on the floor of the Sunny’s kitchen while with him.

Ero-cook will definitely murder him before dying from a broken heart if that happens.

All of a sudden, Nami grabbed his face.

“Oi!”

The orange-haired girl huffed. “Don’t deny it Zoro. You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet.”

“Hnnn…”

A mischievous smile appeared on her face, as her thumbs gently rubbed at the corners of his eyes. “You know, your eyes slant more when you had too much alcohol,” Nami told him in a soft voice. Then a frown marred her features, as she traced the scar running over his left eye. “Or in this matter… your eye…”

His breath got stuck in his throat. He had no idea that she actually paid any attention to him. He can feel his face heating up and it’s definitely not because of the booze in his system.

She proceeded to cup his face in the palm of her hands. “And you would smile more. Probably because all that liquor you chugged down help loosen your stoic smiling muscles.” Nami daringly use her thumbs to push the corners of his lips up in a lame attempt to make him smile.

Zoro just stood there staring at her, completely perplexed.

Then Nami clapped her hands with his face between them.

“DAMN IT NAMI!”

“Hahaha! Oooops you still felt that!”

“Temee…” With a growl he grabbed her wrists, in case she decides to repeat the action again. “Of course I did!”

“Oh alright,” she said in a condescending tone. “I guess you’re not really drunk… just supeeer close to it.” She mimicked Franky’s voice while patting his arm with her free hand to appease him.

“Why would you even think that?!” Zoro snarled at her.

“Why else would you be here in the middle of night, in your sleeping trousers and raiding the fridge?”

“I just wanted some water!” Zoro explained through gritted teeth. The one damn bad thing about this feisty cat thief is that she can really be insufferable… sober or not. “I’m gonna go nap,” he mumbled before their conversation turn into a squabble. He doesn’t have the energy for it to be honest.

“Hah!” Nami snickered. “There it is. Your own version of ‘I’m drunk’.”

His good eye narrowed.

“Your eye is slanting so much more now Zoro!” She chirped. “Getting drunker by the minute?”

“Shut it witch or I’ll pour all the remaining ice cold water on you to sober you up.” He threatened.

He was rewarded with a snigger and she took a step back. It was then that he realized that he was still holding her.

Zoro let her go and made a grab for the pitcher to refill his glass. He ignored the fluttering feeling in his chest from their exchange earlier.

“Hey. Why didn’t you join me tonight Zoro?” Nami nudged him with her shoulder to get his attention.

It was his turn to be startled by her question.

“We could’ve have drunk the whole bar under the table you know,” she continued on. “And I could’ve taken home more berries from the bets if you were there.”

Of course she would be interested in money more than anything, as usual.

“I know you’d just find a way to get your hands on my winnings if I drank with you,” he muttered glumly.

“Damn right of course!” Nami beamed at him. “Though you should be thankful it’s just your money I want to get my hands on.” She said rather suggestively, poking him on the chest.

Zoro nearly choked at her statement. What the hell did she mean by that?!

He coughed to clear his throat. Turning away from her, he seized his glass and drank the water in one gulp. He decided to just ignore what she had just dropped on him. “Good thing I decided to drink in another bar then.”

She feigned a sad look at that. “Ouch. I’m hurt Zoro. You’d choose isolation over a friend?”

“Nice of you to think I drank alone.”

Silence suddenly enveloped them.

Nami quirked an eyebrow at him. “The lone wolf finally learned how to make friends?”

Zoro snorted.

“Oh,” she looked a bit astounded. “You mean you… you like… went somewhere where you can…”

They blinked at each other for almost a full minute before her implication dawned into Zoro. “What?! No!” He looked just as stunned as her. “Of course I wouldn’t… it’s not…” he stuttered, unable to give her an explanation.

Well that suddenly sobered both of them up a bit.

The former pirate hunter felt all his blood rushed up to his face. This is embarrassing.

He rubbed a hand on his face before clearing his throat. “Usopp and Luffy joined me for a while. Then Franky, before he headed back here. Then Brook. That’s what I meant by I’m not alone.”

It’s not like he owed her an explanation but he didn’t want her to think that he actually hang-out in bars to pick women up…

… Or that he deliberately goes in brothels to get laid.

Nami worried her lower lip looking deep in thought. “Oh okay…”

Damn it!

“For a moment I thought you’d rather spend time with a stranger than with me.”

A disgruntled sound escaped his lips and he swiftly averted his eyes to avoid her gaze. How do one respond to that? What should he say?

Should he tell her that he actually wanted to spend time with her? That he wanted to accompany her at the bar where she went earlier and spend all night sitting beside her as they drink the stocks empty and win every single drinking competition thrown their way?

But that he didn’t? Instead he forced himself to look for another pub or tavern far away from her.

Because recently, he realized that being with Nami… was a bit disconcerting.

She stirs up certain emotions inside him that he was not too familiar with.

And it was throwing him off. Because he had no idea how to deal with it or how to handle it.

He shook his head to brush all the thoughts in his mind away.

This should be dealt with some other time. When they are both sober and in their right minds.

Tonight was not the night for this.

Nami suddenly pressed into him.

“Hey!” He glanced down, his lone eye meeting her half-lidded ones.

Great. The alcohol already took its toll on her. Nami looks like she’s about to pass out.

“I could use some water too Zoro,” she murmured, resting her forehead against his chest.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt the familiar, warm sensation crept slowly all over his body. She was too close for comfort now.

“Go get your own glass then.” He grumbled.

He felt her pout as her lips touched his bare skin. “We can just share.” She suggested in a tone that he knows so well. He recognized it as the one she constantly uses whenever she wants a favor from the cook or any other man she wants to twist around those devious fingers of hers.

He scowled. Like that would work on him…

Then he felt his resolve crumble a bit when she shifted closer and the scent of mikans mixed with alcohol assaulted his nose.

It was enticing. It makes him want to try and see if she tasted like she smelled.

His thoughts were cut off when she suddenly grabbed the glass in his hand.

Ever alert, Zoro held on to it.

She lifted her head up and their eyes locked. Nami tugged at the glass and he tugged back. She was no match against his grip of course. But he had to give her points for bravely trying.

Then she did the unthinkable. She wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed him back so she was now essentially pinning him between her body and the kitchen counter.

“Nami!” He rumbled the moment he felt her bountiful chest against him.

Nami smiled cheekily at him and she quickly snatched the glass out of his hand. “See it’s not bad to share Zoro.” She tossed back the glass’s content before placing it back down the counter.

He answered her with a glare. She has yet to get herself off him.

Nami was gazing up at his face, smirking at her victory. Then he watched as it slowly disappeared as she blinked up at him. Nami looked like she was pondering about something.

“Zoro,” she called his name in a way that it set off every single nerve in his body, sending it into overdrive.

“What now?” He asked in a raspy tone.

She was silent for a few seconds. But there was a gleam in her eye that he wasn’t sure he liked. “I’m drunk… and you’re drunk as well right? Can we just leave it at that?”

His eyebrows drew close to each other. “What are you even say—”

And she cut him off by capturing his lips with hers.

Just a fun suggestion. Try listening to Bitter Sweet’s Drink You Sober. The music is perfect for a ZoNa sexy time. It will help you imagine what possibly took place after the last scene. Unless I’m able to write it as a bonus one-shot. Hahaha!

[breathless-darkness]

Plotted Chaos with @diverse-hearts​

The best plans were the ones that took place under the noses of everyone. Not even Ranpo would be able to crack this, he had spent years upon this plan--- like hell would he just let it go down so easily. Even his time trapped here... it was all for a reason. Not even the one who was in the cell next to him would be able to realize just whom he had been chatting with this whole time--- even if Fyodor was smart-- he wouldn't out him if he had realized it by now. Sigma and Gogol were still out and about, and then there was his secret member.

Brown locks rested against the cold metal wall. It had begun shortly before everything having to do with Mimic. At least this plan being plotted out. He had been careful in choosing those who would follow him, never giving his face away nor his true voice. Kamui was like a ghost. Not really a ghost but a God. It was just a simple concept that he had come up , slowly building everything up. No one was the wiser. Mori was an idiot really. To think he thought he saw himself in his younger form. It was amusing, Mori would never be like he was even in his dreams. Fukuzawa was even an idiot , thinking that someone could be good just because he claimed he wanted to. Just because of a supposed death.

All that was left of this plan was for this break out to be complete. Did they really think they could hold two demons in this prison for ability users. They might have tamed Fyodor, but no one knew how No Longer Human worked. They could poke him full of holes and even then it still wouldn't help them. That was the glory of his ability and of the masks that he had had his disposal.

---------------------------------

A yawn left the brunette as he walked along the corridors, it was clear he was comfortable here. He opened a door by entering some code and it gave a small beep before he entered and closed it quickly behind him. "Copycats truly are amazing~" He hummed and went to the turned around chair and planted himself down into the male's lap that was seated there. "Isn't that right, Odasaku~" His arms went to wrap around the other's neck and he leaned up to plant a soft kiss upon his lips.

Oda was in on it the whole time, naturally he would tell the other male. Why would he not? He ended up opening up most to him then anyone else , naturally he would be behind everything. "Did ya capture the prisoner like I asked" he nipped playfully at the other's neck. By prisoner he meant his old partner. Chuuya was simply the one who had the worse luck when it came down to it all. He had drawn Dazai's attention naturally and to be in the brunette's attention wasn't always the best thing.

-----

Chuuya would naturally have been confined to the darkest dungeon that was in Dazai's possession. It was no wonder why Dazai had a warehouse during his time with the mafia, it was all a set up for something much darker. He would rewarded with cuffs that dug into his wrists to force a drug made from Dazai's own blood into the red head's bloodstream. Hat would have long been taken from him. 

[willows-horde]

I’m actually really proud of this. I hadn’t touched this in years apparently and I’d been wanting to finish it for a while and I finally did. Basically, this is the first chapter of the game. Written out. So... if you’ve played it you know what to expect. I’ve been wanting to practice writing different types of writing, and still do, so I guess this was practice in writing horror and an overly creepy atmosphere.

the Evil Within: chapter one (literally) word count: 6623

______________________________

It was raining hard when Officer Oscar Connelly picked up the three detectives. There wasn't any thunder or lightning just a heavy rain. Sebastian Castellanos, the lead detective of the three, sat up front in the passenger’s seat. Behind him sat his partner, Joseph Oda, who was currently looking through his notes from their latest case. Next to Joseph, and behind the driver’s seat, was Juli Kidman who sat in silence with her arms crossed. Then someone spoke through the police radio. “All units, all units; 11-99, expedite cover code 3. Beacon Mental Hospital.”

Oscar picked up the comm device and, bringing it to his mouth, pressed the button on the side and said, “184 copy; code 3. ETA 3 minutes.” He replaced the comm unit, than switched on both the police siren and lights.

“Copy 184,” came the response.

After he turned onto the road leading to the hospital, he stated, “Sorry detectives,” as he glanced in the rear-view at the two in the back. Then, as he continued, he turned to the man next to him. “I know you just comin' off a case but I'm afraid we're gonna have to make a detour.”

Joseph, having been listening, closed and rested his notepad on his lap. Turning his attention to Oscar he said, “Sounds serious. Is it a riot?”

“Call went out just before I picked you up. Said it was 'multiple homicides.' Half a dozen units already on-scene,” he informed them. The woman spoke over the police radio again, though, since the message was to a someone else, they didn't respond. Oscar looked in the rearview to Joseph. “Hey, maybe it's the ghost of that doctor who went schizo and chopped up all those patients.”

Joseph sat up straight in his seat and turned to Oscar. “That's not what happened. Some patients disappeared. Some kind of scandal?”

“Still, gives ya the creeps, doesn't it?” Oscar stated. The detective leaned back into his seat again.

Then from the police radio, “127, 124, please respond...”

Sebastian twisted around in his seat to look back at his partner. “Joseph, you think there's a connection?”

“It's a possibility,” he told him. He then lifted his notepad holding it from the bottom and waved it slightly as he continued. “I believe the records were sealed.”

The woman from the radio spoke again. “Anyone on-scene, respond...”

Reaching over, Sebastian picked up the comm device. “Dispatch this is Detective Castellanos in 184, what's the situation, over?”

“184 be advised, some problem...” At this point there was static and she began to cut out. Sebastian started to ask dispatch something when there was suddenly a high-pitched sound emitted from the speaker of the police radio.

Both Sebastian and Connelly cursed at the noise. Connelly accidentally swerved the vehicle as he lifted a hand to her ear to try to block out the noise. Despite that he quickly regained control and kept driving. Joseph removed his glasses and brought a hand to his head. Juli Kidman, who had been quite during the entirety of the trip, showed no response to the noise. “Junior Detective Kidman, any thoughts?” Sebastian asked as he looked back at her in the rearview.

“Nothing yet,” she told him as she looked back at him. Then, as she turned her attention back out the window, she stated, “I'm sure we'll know everything once we get there.”

Connelly hadn't even fully stopped the car in front of the gate to the hospital when both Kidman and Sebastian opened their doors. Joseph waited until they had completely stopped before he exited the vehicle. Closing his door, Sebastian stepped up to the open gate. The other two detectives followed suit. “What do you make of it?” Joseph asked him as he stepped up behind him.

He looked back to the police car. “Connelly.” Connelly pushed open his door and stepped out of the vehicle. “Contact Dispatch and let them know what's happening. Joseph, Kidman,” he turned back to the open gate in front of him as he continued. “You're with me. We're going to have a look around.”

“Right...” Kidman stated as she followed them inside.

Just inside the gate there was a round-about; and all along it were police cars. A few had there lights flashing but all of them were empty. There wasn't a person in sight. Joseph walked around the left side while Sebastian, with Kidman following him, went along the right. “There are no weapons left in their cars.” Sebastian heard Joseph say from the the other side.

With a glance over at Kidman, Sebastian asked, “What do you see Kidman?”

“Rain is gonna wash away any evidence,” she stated without much hesitation. Well, she wasn't wrong.

Sebastian was the first to reach the double doors of the hospital. Cracking open the left door, he flinched away from the smell. “Smells like blood,” Joseph commented as he stepped up next to him.

“All right, stay sharp,” Sebastian told him. With a nod, Joseph removed his handgun from its holster at his side. He pushed the right door open slightly at first, than quickly open the rest of the way as he then gripped his gun with both hands. Cautiously, he stepped inside and, glancing in all directions made his way in. As Kidman, who already had her gun drawn, stepped up to the doorway, Sebastian turned to her. “We're going to check it out. Don't let anyone else through this door.”

“I can be an extra set of eyes,” she told him.

“We don't know what's happening here. You're our backup.” And with that he turned away from her and stepped inside the lobby.

Just from the entryway Sebastian could already see half a dozen bodies. There was blood everywhere and pools of it where some of the bodies lay. On the other side of the lobby, across from the entrance, was the front desk. On the wall above the desk was the words 'Beacon Mental Hospital' with their insignia. As he looked around he spotted a set of double doors on both sides of the room. There were eight benches divided in sets of two. With each set was a circular table sitting between them. Lastly, for decoration, there were some pictures on the walls and a collection of plants around the room with the largest one in the direct center or the room.

They made it about half way through the lobby when they heard a clatter. “Did you hear something?” Joseph asked as he walked around the plant. Not a moment later he spotted an open door next the the front desk and, while keeping his guard up, jogged over. “Someone alive in here,” he called back out to his partner.

Joseph waited at the door as Sebastian hurried over and stepped back and out of the way when he arrived. They were in the security room. Most of the monitors were on and supplying feed from the countless cameras throughout the building. The man that Joseph had found looked to be a doctor. He was slumped down on the floor against a door. Sebastian knelt next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Are you injured? What happened here?” Joseph stepped over near the doctors other side.

As the doctor started to answer, Sebastian removed his hand from his shoulder. “...can't be real...” After a pause he continued. “Impossible. Ruvik, is...” It was all he could manage before he passed out.

Kneeling down, Joseph put a hand on his shoulder. “I've got him.” Looking to Sebastian, he told him. “The security cameras might tell us something.” Sebastian, with a nod, got to his feet.

Stepping over to the monitors, the sound of gunfire sounded from the one directly in front of him. Sebastian leaned forward on the counter and watched as people ran into view. They were cops, three of them. They stopped and turned around to fire their guns in the direction they had come. Suddenly, a figure all but appeared and struck at the officer furthest from the other two. And before he even hit the floor the figure in white seemingly teleported to the others and killed them as well. Sebastian was so shocked by what he saw he whispered, “What the hell?” The figure in white looked up at the camera and it zoomed in on his face for just a moment before he fazed out and disappeared. “What...?” A chill ran up his back and he turned slightly when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. As he turned all he managed was a 'huh' as he could have sworn he saw the figure from the video feed standing behind him, before he blacked out as the man in white lashed out at him.

- ~ - ~ -

As Sebastian came to, the first thing his senses picked up was music. Next came a faint dripping sound. He groggily opened his eyes. Slowly, he was starting to regain his bearings. He was... hanging upside-down, and there was something running down his arm and hand. He moved his hand so he could get see what it was. Blood. Was he injured..? Without moving much, he looked around. There was a lot of blood on the floor and he thought he saw someone else hanging close by. Than, with what strength he had, pulled himself up to see how exactly how he was hung. By a rope it seemed. He let himself drop back down and instantly tensed up. A man was approaching him from another room. Did he know he was awake?

The man was bald and wore a strange med-evil looking headpiece that looked more like a torture device than a mask. The only other thing he could tell about him was that he was a big guy. Thankfully, however, he only paused in front of him momentary before he walked past. Now that he was much more aware of his situation he noticed a blade stuck in the body he had noticed hanging close by. Suddenly, he heard a sickening sound. Sebastian wasn't sure he wanted to know what was happening; but even so, he risked a glance in the direction of the sound, and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the arm of big man swinging what could be a machete. Turning away, he hoped he didn't find out he was awake, all the while being forced to listen to whatever was happening.

When it was over, the butcher started walking back to the other room that was in front of him. As he stepped into his line of sight he carried with him the upper half of a man. Blood gushed from where his waist used to be. Sebastian knew in that instant, with obsolete certainty, that he needed to get out of there. Or he'd end up like that. Once the sadistic man stepped into the other room, Sebastian attempted to reach for the knife. It was his only chance of getting free and he couldn't reach it. Desperate, he swung his arm out and tried to grab for the knife again. Though despite not reaching it, he did realize that he was now swinging on the rope. That's good. Maybe if he could get enough momentum he could get close enough to grab it. He sent a quick glace past the body to the man in the other room. The sadist was... preoccupied, with the body that he had dropped onto a table.

After a couple minutes, Sebastian finally managed to get enough momentum in his swing to grab the blade. Immediately after he had it, he curled up and swung at the rope cutting himself free. He groaned as he landed on his back; than quickly pushed himself up into a crouch and looked to the other room. The music must have masked his fall since the man showed no sign of hearing him. The headache started as soon as he got to his feet. He felt for his gun, even though he didn't think he'd have it, and he was right. His trench coat was also gone, he'd noticed. That... was his most distressing loss. He'd gotten that from his wife before his life went to shit. Unfortunately, he didn't have the liberty to worry about that. He had to get out of here.

Sebastian took a quick survey of the area. From just a glance there were about five more bodies strung up, most of which were there a lot longer than he was. Then there was that other room, which he had absolutely no plan of going into. It was a room of death and that was putting it lightly. There was a wide doorway with no doors and a handful of high windows on either side of the doorway. And the smell that came from there; it hung so heavily in the air. Here he thought the smell of blood was bad as he entered the hospital. This was a lot worse.

Crouching down he crept to the left and past the windows towards what he thought was a door. When he past out of sight of the windows, he stood back up and, after only taking a couple steps, the mechanism to his left rumbled. The hatch in the wall opened and a body tumbled out. He paused for a moment suddenly extremely wary. Sebastian was thankful that there actually was a door. Unfortunately, it was locked. “Shit, it's locked,” he muttered under his breath. Well, where the hell would the keys be..? He hardly finished the thought, when realization hit him. They had to be in that room. “...Fuck.”

As Sebastian crept back past the window, he glanced inside. The sadistic butcher was still distracted. When he reached the doorway, Sebastian rested his left hand on the wall and peered around the corner and into the room. Things were strung up from the ceiling, which he assumed were more bodies, though they looked more like slabs of meat than people. There were dozens of bottles, the contents of which he had no idea, stored on countless shelves. But where were the keys? There was another area that lead behind the shelves. Could they be back there? There was no way he'd be able to get back there though. Looking back to the big man, he grew tense as he stopped his 'work' and started to walk around the concrete table to the area behind the shelves. Then suddenly, something caught his eye, hanging off a hook above the table. With a quick glance to the man, Sebastian carefully crept out into the room as the other man walked into the back room. He had to hurry before he came back.

To protect against the nauseating smell, Sebastian covered his nose and mouth with his hand as he made his way forward. He tried not to look at the body at the table, so instead rotated his attention to the keys to looking through the shelves to keep an eyes on the other man. Carefully, he lifted the keys off of the hook all the while hoping the one for the door was on the key ring. Quickly, but quietly he headed back out of the room. He had to hurry, before he realized the keys were missing. As he past the windows he glanced inside again but didn't see the man. After he got back to the door it didn't take him long to find the right key, and, as it clicked and he pushed open the door, he looked back to the towards the other room for a moment before he stepped inside and up the stairs on the other side.

Sebastian followed the pathway. To his right, he noticed he was walking along an overhang of the room he had seen the sadist in. He kept walking intent on getting out of there. When he was just a few paces away from the door he thought he felt something hit his ankle and immediately after an alarm went off somewhere. Startled, he took a couple steps back and looked around for its source. It was the sound of a chainsaw getting revved to life that got his attention. Sebastian spun around. Behind him stood the sadist with a chainsaw. “Shit!” He swung back around and slammed open the door and dashed down the hall. As he approached the door at the opposite end, he glanced back. How could such a big man keep up as well as he was. Especially while carrying a chainsaw.

Throwing open the door he came into a long area with an open door at the other end. Sebastian barely made it six feet in when he felt a sharp, burning pain in his lower right leg. He let out a cry of pain as he fell and hit the floor and curled in clenching his leg. Looking up the man loomed over him for just a moment before he turned to a sort of machine against the wall. Frantically, Sebastian pulled himself along the floor in an attempt to get away. The big man stepped on the pedal on the machine and a steel gate dropped down from the ceiling behind him, just barely a foot away from Sebastian's feet. As he scrambled to his feet, the lights switched on one by one illuminating the rest of the hall as well as the rotating blades that whirred to life on both sides of the room.

With the rotating blades closing in on him, Sebastian hobbled as fast as he could while staying as close to the center of the hallway as possible. Suddenly, a wall of steel bars dropped down blocking his way. Quickly, he glanced around the area between himself and the bars. There had to be another way out... there. A grate in the floor. Where ever it led would be better than the certain death that awaited him up here. As he opened the grate, he glanced behind him and saw the sadist watching him. Just watching. Turning back around, he dropped down into the hole in the floor with only seconds to spare, as the blades were mere inches away.

Unfortunately where he ended up wasn't much better. The floor was at such a downward slant that it was pretty much a slide. There was a lot of blood, most of it was dried on the floor and on the walls. There were body parts and innards clumped up against the wall at a couple points. Also, there were two more sets of the rotatory blades, both of which Sebastian barely evaded before the flooring beneath him suddenly came to an end and he slid down into a pool of blood. Resurfacing, he gagged and sputtered and tried to wipe the blood from his face though it didn't help much. As he started towards the ladder, Sebastian had a sickening feeling rise up in his stomach. The blood was literally dripping off of him as he wadded waist deep in it, as well as a random assortment of guts and dismembered limbs. He seriously thought he was going to be sick as he climbed with difficulty up the few steps. And the squish sound every time he stepped didn't help.

There was some piping on the wall and ceiling that led who knew where with the only exit from this circular room was a closed door on the opposite side of the pit of bloody death. Water dripped from some of the piping at the walls looked run down. He hobbled around the pit and leaned heavily against the door as he pushed it open. There was an open ended hall in front of him that was about twenty feet in length. He could see a large fan slowly spinning on the wall in the other area and more piping ran along the wall below it. Sebastian barely glanced to the left, which led to a dead end, before heading to the right. A sewer. Of course there's a sewer underneath a freakin' mental hospital. Then again, assuming everything he's gone through so far was in the basement, none of this was normal for the lower levels of any hospital. Once he reached the end of the walkway he was on he stopped. Leaning against the railing he looked around. There was no bridge to cross over all the sewage and to the walkway on the other side. He might have been able to jump it but his injured leg made that possibility all but impossible. Which left his only option to drop down into the sewage and trudge the few feet to get to the ladder that led to the other walkway.

With no other choices he dropped down into the water. A fleeting thought passed; made him wonder if he should try to scrub at his clothes to get the blood out. Instead he hurried out of the mucky water and started limping down the walkway with his hand on the railing to help keep the weight off of his leg. The piping continued on the wall next to him and, a short distance ahead of him, there was a path leading off of the walkway and to a door. He couldn't make out what was on the opposite end since, for some reason, it was misty down there. Though despite the mist, he thought he saw someone slouched down in a chair. After checking the door the path led to Sebastian muttered, “Where's the exit?” as he continued on.

He paused momentarily to check on the man in the wheelchair. Unfortunately, as he suspected, the man was dead. There was a scrap sheet of paper at the mans' feet, which Sebastian picked up and quickly read over.

Beside the locked gate at the far end of the sewer, there is a ladder which would take you to the old ward. If you could make it through there, you would find an elevator leading outside. You would be the one who escaped. You might be the one who survived. -R

So, just keep going in the direction he was heading. A loud noise sounded back from the direction he had come from. Looking back, he didn't see anything. Dropping the note he limped past the man in the chair. At the end of the path there were two locked gates. One to his left and one in front of him. To his right, an open pathway, which he shuffled through to find a few storage units and a ladder. So far the letter has been accurate, so with some luck he'd be out of this hell-hole soon.

Slowly, he started to pull himself up the ladder. It was an exhausting task seeing as he only had use of one of his legs. He was breathing heavy when he finally made it to the top. Leaning against the bars, which were the wall of another room, he took a moment to catch his breath. As he recovered, Sebastian looked around. The room he leaned on the wall of only had a desk with a computer and some paper work as well as a metal book shelf. Thankfully the area he was in had a way out. Limping over to the door, he hit the button next to it and instantly the door slid open. He hobbled down the L shaped hallway and pushed open the door at the end.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped through the door was the large window that he can see another room on the other side of. In the room he was in there was a bed with a mattress and a couple carts. Similar to a hospital room. The only light in the room came from the large window and the open door at his right. Beyond it was a short hallway lined with filing cabinets on one side and an old mattress and bed frame were leaned against the wall on the other. Pushing open the door on the other end, Sebastian found himself in the room he saw through the window earlier.

There was a collection of boxes, a filing cabinet and some lockers. Sebastian was barely in the room when he heard that sadistic man crashing into the room on the other side of the window. Quickly he pushed the door closed behind him and hurried to the other door in the room... only to find it locked. “Gotta hide,” he practically whispered as he glanced around the room searching for a place he could likely hide at. There was only one liable place that he could fit in and at first he didn't want to, but seeing as he had no other options, since he couldn't go back the way he came, he pulled open the door to the full sized locker next to the locked door and ducked inside.

Sebastian leaned all his weight on his left leg as he stood, essentially trapped, listening to the crazed man crash about in the hallway before he banged against the door. For just a second he thought, maybe he couldn't break through. Maybe he was safe. Those thoughts were all but thrown from his mind as the door crashed in the room hitting the light hanging from the ceiling. Jerking back, Sebastian bumped the back of the locker than clamped a hand over his mouth. He watched him stalk about the room, chainsaw revving, through the vent in the locker. This lasted maybe a minute before the sadist swung the chainsaw in a fit of rage breaking stuff in the room before barreling through the locked door next to Sebastian's hiding spot.

Slowly, he moved his hand from his mouth and clambered out of the locker. He did a quick once over the room. The boxes that were stacked in the corner were now broken as well as the hefty dent in one of the filing cabinets. Going back wouldn't get him to an exit. No matter how much he didn't want to follow after the sadistic man, it was the only direction he could go. Turning, Sebastian hobbled through the doorway.

The door lay on the floor a couple feet in front of the doorway. In front of him a hallway laid before him. At the far end there were more lockers and the hall turned to the left. Next to him were windows looking into the room the sadist was in, slowly walking away from him as he looked about the room, likely looking for him. Cautiously, he made his way forward looking through the window, both to keep an eye on the man as well as trying to find an exit. Just as Sebastian reached the entryway, the man turned around.

He slouched down and leaned against the wall hoping he was out of sight. There were different options laid out in front of him and he had to think fast. Which way was he going to go? Either way was a risk. Should he chance the hallway and hope that didn't lead him to a dead-end? Or should he attempt going through the room to the one beyond it? There was a stack of boxes he could hide behind if he decided on that option but he would still have to find a way past the sadist. He grew tense as he heard him come closer. A decision had to be made. Risking a glance around the corner showed the sadist slowly making his way back to the other side of the room. It was now or never.

With one final glance down the hall, Sebastian, with a hand bracing him against the wall, hobbled into the room. Ducking behind the stack of boxes he almost kicked a glass bottle. Resting his hand against one of the boxes, he bent down to pick it up. It was a slim chance but if he could use it to divert attention away from him he might be able to get away. He could hear him on the other side of the boxes. Taking a deep breath, Sebastian threw the bottle out into the hallway and watched it shatter. And to his relief, and surprise, the sadist turned and charged into the hall.

Quickly, Sebastian hobbled out from behind his hiding spot and towards the other room. He didn't dare look back. There were windows looking in this room as well so he had to try to maneuver his way through the medical clutter and boxes while ducking and slouching to stay out of sight. Just as he was exiting the room on the other side he heard the sound of the chainsaw getting closer. As he entered the short hall he could hear boxes being broken inside the room. He had to hurry. With some luck he'd waste time searching for him.

Pushing open the door he found, Sebastian winced hoping the whine of the door wouldn't be heard. He took a second to close it behind him. The room wasn't large and seeing as it had a desk with paperwork scattered across it, it could have been a type of office. He made his way to the door across from him. The revving of the chainsaw could barely be heard. Even so he grimaced as the door creaked as he pushed it open. The hallway was a cluttered mess of wheelchairs with a stretcher or two. Sebastian tried to keep quiet as he hobbled down the hall. He didn't get very far when the door behind him was suddenly kicked open and clear off its hinges.

Sebastian didn't dare look back as he was filled with panic. “Oh shit!” He pushed past one of the wheelchairs and staggered onward. The sound of the teeth of the chainsaw slamming into the metal on the wheelchairs gave him the tiniest bit of hope that he'd make it. There was only a stretcher blocking his path which he attempted to climb over top of only to topple off the other side. The elevator door slid open as he managed to scramble to his feet and hurried those last few yards to the elevator.

Just as he reached the doorway of the elevator, he practically threw himself inside. He pushed himself against the wall furthest from the door and held his breathe was he watched the big man swing his chainsaw... only to crash its roaring teeth into the steel bars of the elevators door that closed mere seconds before. As the elevator rose the sounds from the man and his chainsaw disappeared, and only then did Sebastian release the breathe he held.

He'd seen and experienced some messed up things during his career, but this, this was seriously fucked up. Who was the psycho-path? But more importantly, what the hell was going on around here. Sebastian pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket but crumpled and discarded it with a scoff when he realized it was empty. This stress was going to kill him, if his lifestyle didn't first.

As he sat there, he finally noticed the droplets of blood on the floor. That was probably how the sadist was able to find him. Though maybe that was giving him too much credit. At this point he didn't really care too much. He was in pain and just wanted to get out of this hellhole and to a hospital.

The elevator seemed to go on forever. After he recouped a bit, he looked up at the bar above his head and, reaching up with his left hand, struggled as he got to his feet. He leaned back against the bar once he was standing while putting as little weight on his right leg as possible. Finally, the elevator stopped with a ding. As the door slid open, Sebastian noticed he was back to something normal. Before him lay a hallway of the hospital. The only light came from the series of windows on the wall to his right. There were a couple abandoned wheelchairs and from the look of it three bodies. Slowly, he made his way down the hall towards the double doors that sat ajar at the opposite side. As he got a bit closer to the first body he realized they wore the KPD uniform. Wait, was... was this the same hall he saw on the live feed monitor? He looked around for a security camera when suddenly the ground shook beneath him and he had to fight to keep his balance. Dust and bits of dry wall fell from the ceiling. What ever it was that caused that, whether it was an earthquake or something else, Sebastian knew he had to get out of here.

He hurried to the door only to stumble and almost biffed it into the wall as the building shook again. Instead he caught himself on the wall before he made a beeline for the door hitting it open with his left shoulder. Sebastian found himself back in the lobby and shot a quick glance to his right and spotted the front door. He grimaced as he ran for the door, pausing only to pull them open, before he stepped outside and stopped in his tracks. Despite the rain stopping, there was smoke and fire rising from the a few buildings. There was a loud rumble to his left and he turned only to watch in shock as one of the buildings started to collapse. He was too shocked to truly process a coherent thought on the matter.

Suddenly, the siren from an ambulance belonging to the hospital sounded. It was brief, it's sole purpose was probably to just get his attention. Sebastian took a couple hobbled steps forward. The ambulance backed up hitting, and pushing a police car out of the way, and coming to a stop just before the deep crater in the road. “Detective!” Recognition and relieve crossed his face as he recognized Connellys' voice over the loud speaker. “Get in! Get in!”

The ground shook again and he looked up just in time to see all the windows above him shatter. He spun back around and bounded down the stairs pushing off with his left leg... and almost toppled down the remaining few steps when he dropped all his weight on his injured leg. With a sharp breath he continued towards the ambulance, this time however, much more aware of how much pressure he put on his leg. The ground shook again, though not bad enough to throw him off his feet. The crater, however, was only growing in size. Connelly slammed his foot on the gas pedal in his attempt to free the vehicles back tires from the couple inch drop that that part of the road fell.

Sebastian barely managed to grab hold of the door via the opened window as the ambulance freed itself. After running a few steps along side it, he managed to heave himself inside the moving vehicle and fell into the passenger seat in a disheveled mess. He righted himself just moments before Connelly slammed through the gate leading back out onto the main road. Sebastian braced himself on the dashboard as he was roughly bounced around. The people in the back seemed to have it worse than he did as he heard them cry out. Glancing back through the window to see who was back there, be spotted three people. Kidman, the doctor Joseph found disoriented in the control room and lastly a patient from the hospital. “Hey,” Sebastian turned back to Connelly. “Where's Joseph?”

“Man, I'm sorry but he never came out. I'da waited but...” Connelly was stressed, that was obvious enough, and just focused on the road in front of him. 'Joseph...' Sebastian glanced down at his leg. It throbbed and hurt like hell. He was going to have to get that checked out and soon. There was a loud rumbling. “Shit... There's no going back...” Looking behind them out the window, Sebastian saw the road falling out behind them. That wasn't good. Looking back out though the windshield, he braced himself against the dash again as he saw some construction equipment collapsing.

With a couple quick minute decisions, Connelly managed to keep them alive and turned onto another road. Finally, both Sebastian and Connelly relaxed a bit. And Sebastian even leaned back into his seat a bit and sighed with relief. ...Wait a minute. Were... the buildings shifting? Like the ground on one side was moving while it stayed stationary on theirs. “Shit...” he muttered with disbelief. This was getting ridiculous. But Connelly didn't stop, if anything he picked up speed. They barely made it in time as they sped through the gap that was just big enough for them to fit. Once through, Connelly glanced back and, turned back to the road, sighed and visually relaxed. After a couple minutes, he slowed down to a more reasonable speed.

When they put some distance between them and the craziness they just experienced, Sebastian attempted to contact dispatch. But all he got was some static. “Dammit,” he muttered, as he replaced the transmission radio. “Are we cut off from everyone?”

“Everyone must be dead...” Sebastian looked over at Connelly. That was a pretty pessimistic of him. Though realized soon enough that with all the chaos that's been going on he might not be far off with his statement.

Whatever the case, the best thing he could do right now was focus on what was in front of him. Focus on what he could do. Sebastian pressed the button for the speaker and looked to the back. “Everyone alright back there?”

Kidman, who was crouched down by the other two, turned to face the front. “Just a few bumps, we're fine.”

The patient was staring down to the floor, while the doctor had his hands on the younger mans shoulders. Turning to face Sebastian as well, the doctor told him, “We will be once we're far away...” While he said this the young patient was repeating the word 'fine'.

Turning back to face the front, Sebastian told them, “A little further and we'll be fine...” A moment later he glanced back at them in the rearview and saw a man in a dirty white cloak looming over them. Startled and concerned, he twisted around to look back through the window but the man was gone. A bit of static sounded from the transmission radio and the vehicle swerved and grazed the wall of the tunnel they were driving through. Sebastian grunted as he barely stopped his head from hitting the dash. Looking over at Connelly, he jerked back away from him. He watched in shocked horror as boils appeared all over his face. His veins became more prominent and deep red. Blood dripped from his nose. And the sounds he made... groans and wheezes, like he had difficulty breathing.

Suddenly, Kidman slammed her hands on the window startling Sebastian. Quickly, he looked over. “Look out!” she shouted. Looking back out the windshield, he saw the end of the road. The last thing he heard was the mental patient's muffled voice saying 'fall' before the ambulance plummeted over the cliffs edge.

[joeys-piano]

For the ask: Fyodor, Gogol and Dazai and #5 :3c

Damn Feu, did you literally have to send me the hardest number on the entire ask list? And with this cast of characters…good heavens…

Send a number + three characters

Kill: DazaiI’d ask him if it’s what he wants. I’d ask if he’d have any regrets dying at my hand. I’d ask if he wants it to be painless and quick, or slow and agonizing. I’d ask if he has a preference on how to die, and he’d give me a gun and three bullets to seal the deal. I’d ask if he’d want to see me do it, and he’d face me with that whimsical smile that reveals so little and yet so much about what he’s thinking inside. I’ve never been a good shot, never actually shot. The weight of the firearm in my hands feels like the weight of every unsaid thing that Dazai is holding back inside. He’s gentle, smiling softly, and guiding me along how everything works.

We both know it’s a distraction. Just one pull and everything is over. If he’s particularly stubborn, there are two more bullets after the first. But with the way Dazai is guiding me for this, one bullet is all it’ll take.

I’d ask him why he wants me to do this. His silence is his only answer. Great. I lower the gun. It’s not in my moral code to just shoot someone because they asked for it. Even if this is what Dazai wants, I can’t be the one that delivers him to his end. Three steps back are all it takes before Dazai takes three steps forward. Reaching out for the first time and points the end of the gun at his chest. His finger over mine, barely grazing the trigger. He wants me to to do this. I refuse.

I ask him if this is what Oda would’ve wanted. Dazai is still. Unbeknownst to me, I had already killed Dazai as soon as those words left my mouth. I left him with a wound that no bullet could’ve given him.

Betray: FyodorThe thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. Fyodor is intimately aware of this. He knew this from the beginning when he organized the Rats of the House of the Dead and the Decay of Angels. He knew this when he found someone willing enough to play double-agent against the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia. He knew this as soon as I stopped responding to his calls from the burner phone he gave me, as soon as I started selling information about him to his enemies in exchange for protection, and as soon as I found a group of people that I felt comfortable enough to refer to as my friends. He knew all of this and yet, I wonder if he still feels that bitter sting of betrayal every time we meet again on opposite sides.

Is he going to kill me? I knew I was dead the moment I consciously decided to betray him. I knew there was no turning back, and I still did it. Whether he’ll torture me first or kill me with his hands, with his ability, I don’t know. In a strange way, that comforts me. Not knowing how I’ll actually die. It gets me to believe that I’ll actually survive this ordeal. Wouldn’t that be something?

I don’t have an ability of my own. I don’t know how to use firearms or a sword or grenades or how to talk myself out of trouble. The only thing that is keeping me alive right now was knowing when to choose sides and knowing when to switch to another one. I am a walking liability to whichever front that chooses to have me and in a sense, that puts me in the most dangerous yet safest position in this entire war. Fyodor already knows that. He’s probably outlined when I’ll come back from the Port Mafia and from the Agency after betraying them, too. He’s probably outlined the anxious nights where I’m trying to pull together an utterly bullshit excuse as to why I betrayed him and now I’m coming back. He knows that my will to survive trumps everything else. He’ll use that to his advantage, try to coax me back.

The thought of Fyodor trying to coax anyone is both laughable and terrifying at the same time. What the Hell was I thinking when I agreed to all of this?

Have on my apocalypse team: NikolaiAgainst a legion of zombies and hellbent individuals hungering for blood lust, I thought I would’ve died a long time ago. Either as a perishable to nourish the growing hoard or to have my head mounted on a stick, a grim reminder of what happens to the weak and pacifists of this shitty world. Speaking of which, you kind of need the weak and pacifists to reestablish peace and society back into the world. I guess people didn’t care about it at the time.

And here I am, mulling these thoughts over as I lick a packet of mayonnaise within a crack in the wall. From what I’m aware of, this is the last packet of condiments in the area. Good gosh, food is going to be bland for a while. Slowly squeezing out more mayo, I rest my head against a bed of crumbled bricks and try to grasp at what little imagination I have left. What happened to all of those stories and ideas I used to have? What used to come so easily to me felt more and more like a stranger these days. It’s hard to think about stories and fictional characters when you’re constantly fearing for your life. It’s hard to do anything that has some semblance of normalcy when your life is anything but normal. But lest, I try.

I try because I want to tell a story to a good friend I made in the apocalypse. Can you believe that? Making friends in the apocalypse? I guess there are some normal and decent people left in this world. Unlike me, my friend actually has a sense of humor and he’s pretty imaginative on the spot. Not only that, he’s got this incredible ability. Able to teleport you anywhere you want to be, able to incapacitate zombies and gung-ho individuals that can last an hour without blood lust, and his whimsical yet dark humor has been a hope spot during these trying and difficult times. I have no clue where he is, but he mentioned he’d come back before sundown. I’d just have to think a little harder to entertain myself until he comes back.

Having humor, having someone that you can crack jokes with when the world is bleak and over the deep end, and just having someone that can alleviate the stress on your shoulders and help you feel normal again is highly undervalued in these kinds of situations when it’s the most invaluable thing you could possibly have. Every now and then, I like to be distracted from zombies and the prospects of dying. It’s not much, but it means a lot to know that not everyone is out to kill you or make your life miserable or a living Hell.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

630-631: "Explore! A Kingdom of Love and Passion - Dressrosa!" and "Full of Enthusiasm! The Corrida Colosseum!"

Zoro in therapy, thinking about all the times Sanji called him “Moss Head.”

Well, episodes 630 and 631 were a great start to the longest arc in OP history so far. 

Oda has done a good job at creating a sense of place and hinting at the unique culture of the island (toys, anyone?) A new, mysterious and intimidating character has appeared. There is an old, local legend about thieving fairies (I am sure there is more to this than meets the eye). Plus the Temptation of Luffy plot is up and running!

Brook Gently Suggests Assaulting Minors Maybe Isn’t the Best Idea

Sunny has laid anchor! The Strawhats have finally set foot on the island! Well, some of them have.

The first scene in episode 630 was where Oda took time to split up the group. He always does it but in the past it hasn’t been organised with such clinical precision. Usually, something awful happens, or a plot point needs investigated, and they are broken up into teams. This time, Law had a master plan.

Luffy wanted to head straight into town. Law was all for that but warned everyone to remain on guard. If they failed to destroy the SMILE factory, it would ruin their plans. Law tore his vivre card in half and handed a piece to Nami. He warned her if anything happened to them, she had to sail straight for Zou. The vivre card would point there.

He then unveiled a hilarious map that looked like it’d been drawn by a kid with some crayons. One of Law’s crewmates designed it. (I hope it’s not his navigator, lmao.) Courtesy of said map, we now have the lie of the land. Doflamingo’s palace is at the centre of Dressrosa. Law guessed the SMILE factory might be nearby. The Caesar Handover Team - consisting of Law, Robin and Usopp - will travel on foot through Dressrosa and cross the Very Long Bridge north to Green Bit. They cannot travel on foot because Law heard it’s impossible to reach Green Bit by water. (Maybe it’s a rocky cliff coastline all the way round?)

As I have watched other shounen anime before, I have a sneaking suspicion it might take them a Very Long Time to cross the Very Long Bridge. (I am also happy to be proven wrong.)

Staying behind on Sunny to ensure news of whatever happens arrives in Zou are: Nami, Brook, Chopper and Momonosuke. Chopper was not exactly happy about not having Sanji around to protect them. This is it, Chopper! It’s your time to shine. Plus, you have Brook there. You forget how badass he can be.

There was a weird little moment when Luffy got into a funny argument with Momonosuke because Momo wouldn’t fly Luffy into Dressrosa. Luffy (and everyone who watched Punk Hazard) recalled that Momo almost flew out of the garbage dump in a sort of trance. But Momo does not remember that happening at all. And even if he did, he would never do such a dreadful thing again!

Then there was a tiny flashback of a guy with a deep, booming voice reaching out to grab Momonosuke. His only words: “What’s your name?”

I wonder why Momo has a fear of flying? Did this happen to him at Punk Hazard? It can’t have happened in Wano because he wasn’t a dragon then. Who grabbed him? Or who hurt him? Hmmm...

Not sure if it’ll be resolved any time soon because the focus for the rest of 630 and 631 was on the Factory Destroying Team! AKA Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky and Kinemon.

BARCEROMA!

Before the plot marched on, the Narrator appeared to give us a handy-dandy summary of Dressrosa: the Kingdom of Love and Passion. 

@meheartonepiece You were right about the Spanish connections here. More specifically, Acacia Port Town gives me Barcelona vibes. The buildings are definitely Gaudi-inspired. There was a ton of seafood dishes on offer. Acoustic guitarists accompanied flamenco dancers in street performances. Even the warren of streets reminded me of the Gothic Quarter. It’s pretty cool. Oda has taken a bit of time to really build a strong sense of place.

And did I mention there is a sizable population of sentient puppets and toys living alongside humans?

Dressrosa: the Kingdom of Love, Passion and Toys.

I get the feeling Perona would love this place. Then again, the toys here can talk back, so maybe not.

Luffy and Franky Don’t Do Dress Codes

Meanwhile, the Factory Destruction Team had made it to Acacia Port Town. Kinemon had come good with extremely sophisticated disguises. Shades, suits and ‘staches. Classic.

They were initially weirded out by the toy population of Dressrosa (a serious-looking teddybear sat reading a newspaper at a pavement cafe, lmao). But Luffy recovered quickly and was like, “Let’s eat!”

As they dived into a nearby bar, Zoro sensed the approach of another. An old, blind dude with wicked facial scars who wore clacky, traditional wooden shoes (geta?) and walked with the aid of a stick. As soon as I saw this guy I thought, “Yup. Here comes a badass.”

Zoro almost drew his sword, but the guy slowly walked past Zoro, then turned and said, “Excuse me, I heard there is a gambling house around here. Do you know where it is?”

Zoro apologised, said this was his first time on the island but that the guy might try the bar across the street.

Inside, the Destruction Team were waiting for their food order. Foxfire was impatient. He did not like all this waiting around! Franky, who is sensible, reminded him they needed intel before making a move. Sanji noticed all the people were oddly calm for a state whose king just abdicated without warning.

“Maybe these people don’t know yet,” Zoro suggested.

Hmm... not sure about that. Maybe they all know he’s up to something. So far, his people are pretty confidence in Doflamingo’s competence as a ruler.

Then the food arrived, along with a strange little local legend. Since it was mentioned twice by Oda, I’m thinking it’ll be important to take note of it.

Sanji asked why one of the dishes was called “Fairy Pumpkin.” The toy waiter who brought it explained that it comes from the Dressrosa legend of the fairy guardians, who used to watch over Dressrosa for years. No one, however, has seen them in years. But that doesn’t stop them pilfering stuff.

Stealing stuff? That is definitely suspicious. Would not be surprised if a real, non-fairy thief is later unmasked in a Scooby Doo moment.

“Y U STEAL MY SWORD??”

“Would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddlin’ Strawhats!”

Or, you know, there is a chance it *could* be fairies.

Might be an Underpants Gnomes type situation.

Step 1: Steal Stuff Step 2: ??? Step 3: Profit

But I had no time to dwell on the puzzle of the supposed fairy guardians, as the old guy Zoro encountered swanned back into the action and was the centre of a Really Cool Scene.

This. Guy.

While Luffy and co were tucking into their amazing food (seriously, I am hungry just thinking abouit the lovely food you can buy in Dressrosa), there was a commotion at another table.

The Old Dude had found the gambling table and was running an amazing streak of luck. At roulette, every time he placed a bet, his colour would come up. He had guessed right fourteen times in a row.

Of course, some dodgy characters entered the scene. I knew as soon as I saw them that they existed to have their asses kicked by this guy. A shambling bunch of hype fodders.

They challenged Old Dude to a game and basically cheated him out of the win every single time. If Old Dude guessed white, they’d lie and say it was black. Because Old Dude couldn’t see. So it was alright to cheat him, right?

As Old Dude placed all his chips on a final mega wager, the Fodders were about to cheat. Then a familiar voice piped up, “It’s white.”

Exposed as cheaters, the Fodders snapped, “It’s black, idiot!”

Luffy, monching away on his squid ink spaghetti, repeated himself. “It’s white. Old man, you win!”

Old Dude thanked Luffy for his kindness. Luffy was like, “No bother. I just said what I saw. But why are you even bother with these losers? You look strong.”

When the Fodders attacked, Old Dude tripped one easily. Then a fantastic beatdown commenced.

“It’s no good. Young man, could you stand aside for a moment? I’m going to send these people to hell.”

Ohhhhh, man. 

It was beautiful.

I’m still not entirely sure what actually happened, but Old Dude appeared to slash up the Fodders. Except he didn’t. There wasn’t a mark on them. But as he walked, a mysterious pressure forced them downwards, with such intensity it cracked the floor and they plummeted into a huge hole.

Zoro wondered if Old Dude was a Devil Fruit eater.

I’m wondering if that alone was the power of his haki.

At any rate, Old Dude made a swift exit, handed the maitre-d’ a card to where he could send the repair bills (nice guy). He seems to be Mega Famous, as the maitre-d’ recognised his name instantly. Sanji spotted it too. “Is this guy Extraordinarily Infamous, or something?”

Alas, his name was not revealed. But I have a suspicion Old Dude has seen through Luffy’s disguise, as he said it wouldn’t be a good idea to let slip his identity, “For the sake of both of us.”

Is he friends with Rayleigh, or something? Maybe a pirate? I actually have no idea. Maybe he’s just looking into events on Dressrosa and will be a temporary arc ally (like Vivi in Alabasta).

The Temptation of Luffy

Again, I did not have time to dwell on the mystery of Old Dude, as the Fairies had been hard at work during the chaos of the fight.

Everyone in the place had been robbed blind. Their reactions were quite strange. “Oh, well. If the Fairies did it, we’ll just have to forget about all your valuable stuff.” 

Are you serious? I’d be charging straight after them!

And Zoro agreed with me because Shusui had been taken. Luckily, he spotted it tied to a sack that was halfway out the window. Of course, Zoro took off. Kinemon ran after him, “RETURN THE PRECIOUS NATIONAL TREASURE OF WANO KINGDOM!” and Sanji tore after both of them because they DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO LET ZORO WANDER (lmao).

Within minutes, Kinemon lost Zoro and Sanji but was being watched from a dark alleyway by a guy with a gold, spiky helmet.

Luffy was inches away from joining the chaos, but Franky held him back. He had an idea. I’m not sure if it turned out to be the best one, or not, but it certainly moved the plot along (thanks, Franky!)

Luffy and Franky grabbed one of the Fodders and dragged him down another dark alleyway for an... informational interview.

“You’re working under Doflamingo, yeah?” Franky demanded.

“So what? You think you can mess with the Young Master on Dressrosa and get away with it?”

Franky punched the wall above him with just enough force for the guy’s life to flash before his eyes (probably).

He spilled what he knew. He remembered going after a few Samurai but had no knowledge of SMILE. He’d never even heard of it. Franky and Luffy guessed this guy was such a Fodder he wasn’t high-ranked enough to be in the know. So the next step was finding a few who did occupy such high office.

It turned out the Corrida Colosseum (where Diamante is the local hero) was having a special event. All the high-rankers, the great and the good would be there. Doflamingo had offered up a special prize. Everyone wanted it.

I knew even before the Colosseum commentator revealed it that the prize was Ace’s fruit.

This is cool.

Doflamingo is laying the bait, knowing Luffy won’t be able to resist.

And Law isn’t there to guard Luffy against temptation. 

He’s going straight for that apple in paradise, isn’t he?

We all know that look. That is not a good look.

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Temptation pt9

Warnings: Mob Styling Warlords

Masterlist

---

Chapter 9 – Ghost

The sound of purring filtered through the air of the room. [Name] lay on the bed stroking the cat while watching as the clock on the wall slowly marched forward. This was exactly how she felt back home. The Princess in the ivory tower surrounded by everything but bored out of her mind as she waited for someone else to make a move. To think I would willingly put myself back in a situation like this. If things weren’t like this would I have made the same choice?

The door opened without so much as a knock causing the cat at her side to jump and disappear under a chair in the corner of the room.

“We’re going out” Takahiro announced with as much consideration as a tornado making its path through the world. Seriously he was taught manners just like me and yet he manages to act like that.

“The royal we?” [Name] calmly enquired as she altered herself from laying on the bed to sitting on the edge of it instead.

“The we as in you and me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Asking too many questions has a way of being unappealing. Just be a good girl and get ready. Here’s a dress put it on and meet me downstairs.” Takahiro threw a hanger with a clothes cover on it on the mattress next to her and swung back out of the room as quickly as he had entered it. Of course, why not? Not as if I had anything else to do anyway. But I wonder Takahiro if it would kill you to attempt to be a little more considerate?

---

Takahiro slid into his home office letting out a small sigh as he realised, he was not alone. It was inevitable that in their shared home that the other person should be present but right now he wanted to just sit alone for a few minutes and try to ignore the world around him.

“Who do you think called it in?” Shin was waving around some paperwork that was a couple of different copies of the same article they had managed to intercept and prevent going to print. “CEO Fake news propaganda plot.” The boldly printed title flashed around like a red rag before his eyes and Takahiro could only see one person pulling this stunt.

“Do you really have to ask?” His stony expression was not lost on Shin as he looked over and watched as Takahiro took one of the printouts. Lowering himself into his leather desk chair before slouching.

“Would Azuchi Corp., would Oda risk a lawsuit for deformation though? It seems highly unlikely its too much of a risk however calculated.” Shin enquired attempting to stay level headed about this. He had never seen his partner so visibly shaken before. Is it because of her or is it Oda?

“Who knows what he would do?” Takahiro ran his thumb over the edge of the paper before tossing it on the desk in frustration. “He is the only one to approach me with deals and issue warnings since arriving in this city. I can feel his eyes on me, that silent tug on each plot of land we acquired telling me he is still there.” He spoke as he gazed out of the window at the horizon line that was starting to fade into twilight.

“Well, he was the one that brought all of it together under one banner.”

“Yes. Nobunaga Oda the man with the impossible dream.” There was a wistful tone in Takahiro’s voice. His charcoal eyes reflecting the smokey lavender tinted ebbing clouds in the sky.

“You admire him.” Shin muttered slightly as he watched. He was not what you would classify a jealous man, but when it came to Takahiro something riled up the monster within him. How many heads must you turn? How many must you turn to? Am I not enough?

“I admire the idea. The man himself … not so much. You’ve seen him. He is self-righteous, imperialistic and infuriating.” Takahiro’s cold gaze turned from the horizon to look at the piercing blue eyes that were looking at him so fervently.

“Mm, all good qualities in a leader who gets the job done.” Shin was a master of self-control even at times like this. But the little telltales were there. The light in the eyes that miss very little. The way he tensed as he brought his natural impulses under control.

“Are you trying to tell me that I am like him?” Takahiro smirked as he gave a deep throaty chuckle.

“Like him? No. But there are times you appear cut from the same cloth. Your passion and drive were something that attracted everyone to follow you. Your ideas and mind were something that made them want to be closer to you.” Shin masked his uneasy feelings as he mentally worked his way down a list of observations. It was something of a mantra he did over the years. Detachment from a situation when you thought your emotions might override your training. It could get you killed. No remain calm. Cool, Calculated, efficient… that is how it is done no other way works.

“And what about you?” Takahiro playfully dragged his hand over the armrest of his chair in a suggestive manner. Those long dexterous fingers moving languidly as if they were caressing something lovingly.

“You know the answer to that question already. I see no benefit in answering.” Shin suppressed the gulp he felt rising in his throat.

“How about I want to hear it.” Takahiro smiled smugly as he rose from the chair and painfully slowly approached like a prowling lion.

“I fell in love with you. You. Not the son of a cartel, not the CEO of a large company. You Takahiro, just you. For all your faults and flaws You were the man I fell for.” Shin sighed knowing it was a pointless argument to waste energy on. You always were the skilful hunter you even caught the assassin sent to kill you by your own brother.

“You’re a sentimental idiot.” Takahiro forcefully grabbed Shin’s chin gently guiding him closer.

“And you aren’t playing fair.” Shin rolled his eyes lightly. He felt the thrill of the game of push and pull. It was familiar to him, to them.

“Perhaps. But I do know one thing about this failed press release.” Takahiro took the papers Shin still had a hold on barely glancing at them as he tossed them to the desk to join the others.

“Someone is rattled?”

“Precisely.”

---

The shadows of the day were starting to lengthen their grasp on the world around them. The street lamps in the newly renovated area of the city flickered into life illuminating the area in pools of light. Mitsuhide had parked his black salon in the shadow of one of the old factory buildings. It had taken very little time to locate the address he had wanted. I suppose if you are claiming to be an innocent businessman you have no need to hide the location of your residence. Then again there is always the chance this is a fake and you are actually living somewhere else.

It had been a few hours. The rage he felt inside had become a slow burning pain generating a smokescreen in his mind. The more he tried to push through it in search of some semblance of clarity the more he felt lost in the swirling emotional nightmare.  

Movement from the building he was watching called his attention back to the present. A set of men dressed as they had been outside that hotel emerged followed by the man of the hour, Takahiro Yasui. Clearly, it is dangerous to make assumptions. Oh, little boy. To think I nearly gave you credit for creating a false location. But you make this… child’s play.

As Mitsuhide watched his hand twitching near the gun he had hidden beneath the folded newspaper he had left of the passenger seat next to him, [Name] left the building and joined Takahiro’s side. It was like magic, just the sight of her seemed to be enough to blow away the fog clogging up his mind. 

He pulled his hand back, he would not risk a gunfight around her. He was a crack shot but there was no telling how skilled the other men were. He had thought that if she looked happy, he would leave. But her downcast face resembled that of the one she showed at his funeral all those years before. She wasn’t happy. She was standing at another man’s side and she was far from happy. No this is not happening.

---

The limonene was ostentatious. Looking back on it [Name] felt sure the only time she had ever been in such a position was at her graduation formal and when she was being kept by Nobunaga. The memory of that time sent an old pain surging through her chest again. Time doesn’t heal like they tell you it does.

“So, I presume this “date” is a set up then?” She asked after the door was closed and the car had started to move.

“What makes you assume such a thing? I might have wanted to take out my beautiful fiancé and show the world how happy we are.” Takahiro joked as he poured himself a glass of bourbon from the decanter in the back of the vehicle.

“Uhuh. And that is why you got me this dress and hired a limo and tipped off a lot of paparazzi before we left the apartment.” [Name] raised an eyebrow sceptically as she looked at her “fiancé”. Do you think I don’t know this has something to do with rumours?

“Naturally. Remember… Dear. If you want extra power in business you must harness every resource and let people see you.” The way Takahiro called her dear sent shivers up her spine. How on earth am I going to prevent my face from showing the fact that this guy makes my skin crawl so that the photographers get a good shot?

“You mean see what you want them to see?” She leaned back in the seat watching the scenery outside flit by the window.

“Smart girl” Takahiro chuckled thoroughly amused at the keen-witted woman sitting next to him.

---

The route they were to take to the arranged destination involved travelling through a tunnel. City lights that flashed past in a stream of colours in the darkness like a neon morse code suddenly changed to longer strips of pure white light as they entered the tunnel. The dark sky replaced with concrete as they zipped through the man-made passageway. The once quieter sound of the engine now roared with the acoustics of the tunnel.

“In just a little while we’ll be at the restaurant and I expect you to play your part perfectly.” Takahiro who had been quiet for a lot of the trip now focused on [Name].

“Yeah, I know. Loving, devoted fiancé right?” [Name] straightened in the seat and returned his look coolly. Honestly, if anyone believes this “act” it will be a miracle. You don’t love me, I don’t love you. This whole thing is a big joke!

“Exactly” Takahiro smirked in agreement tilting his glass in a mock cheers gesture.

– Rumble, Screech, BANG, BANG!! –

The limo felt as if it had fishtailed on the road as it came to a halt causing Takahiro and [Name] to be jostled around in the back so hard that they fell together in a tangled mess.

“Ouch…”

“Are you ok?” Takahiro’s voice was right in [Name]’s ear when he spoke. The sensation of his breath was enough to make her tense without the realisation that they were so close that she could feel his body heat through their clothes.

“Think so…. What the hell was that?” [Name] recoiled from him and pulled herself free from him as she tried to look around but the lights in the tunnel were flickering ominously plunging the world around the car into intermittent darkness.

“No idea.” Takahiro righted himself and pushed a button on the car console to speak to the driver. “Go and see what is wrong.”

“Yes, Sir.”

– Bang, Bang, B-Bang –

“Was that gunfire?” Her eyes went wide as the all too familiar sound reached her ears. Memories of a not too distant past flashing through her mind like a badly edited movie. Her chest tightened as the memories surged. Keep it together…

“Sounds like it. Grr… How annoying. Stay here and don’t move.” Takahiro flipped a cushion on one of the seats and retrieved a couple of handguns, pushing one into his belt and clicking the other out of safety position, holding it in his hand as he left the protection of the car.

The gunfire outside echoed all the louder without the sound of anything else to disrupt it. Sitting in the back of the car it felt like time was slowing down. Seconds turned into minutes that felt like hours. I can’t just sit here. Come on legs time to go. [Name] opened the door slowly realising just how much protection must have been put on the vehicle as the sounds outside were now so loud it felt like her ears were popping with each gunshot.

Whatever had been used to cause the disruption had produced a lot of smoke. It swirled around her feet as she stood on the road, reminding her of a smoke machine you see used on stage or in a music video. The metallic smell in the air mingled with the smell of gun powder leaving a nasty taste in her mouth. But there was no time to worry about that. If I am going to get out now is a perfect time for it. I’m sorry Dad… I just… I can’t do this…

Willing herself forward she pushed through the fear of the noise behind her. The lighting was not helping to alleviate her growing anxiety. If I keep moving away from the guns, I’ll find the entrance and then I can…

– BANG! –

Sparks sprung up like firecrackers on the wall next to her as a stray bullet scrapped past her and collided with the concrete.

“Eek!”

“We always seem to meet when it’s raining bullets.”

[Name]’s head jerked violently in the direction of a voice that should not have been there. The swirling smoke and flickering lights shrouded a figure that was moving towards her. It… It isn’t possible…

As the air cleared a little a pair of luminous golden yellow eyes and a shock of white hair came into view. That was the last thing she saw before her vision went black. Spinning…. the air is… no, the whole world is… what? She was floating in the dark, it was warm. It can’t be…

---

[honeygokko]

Guys! Surprise! This is a Keiji mini story~

When a little french person wants to attack Shakespeare’s language... *knife emoji*

First of all, I just want to thanks @pseudofaux again because she was patient enough to fix all my mistakes <3 and I think she pulled her hair off while reading what I wrote ^^”

A big thanks to @cherryfizzle because she also proposed me her help <3

And @randomhomosapiens @nathygilmour @ieyasu-tacogawa and @apassingangel who encouraged me to write it x3 Also @shiranata @nobuswifey @atroniascreamsube <3

And how could I forget? Who’s fault was it already? Ah @wingcinna ! That’s right! Because she drew amazing fanarts for Keiji (this one inspired me~) and my heart went all doki doki <3

Hoping I won’t disappoint you... Here you go fam!

AU where Mc is a ninja for the Oda clan.

A new victory had just been added to the long list for the Oda Clan. And to celebrate this, everyone gathered in the hall in which lavish feasting was a requirement and alcohol flowed like a river. And maybe a little too much…

“Ah, careful!!” shouted Toshiie.

But it was too late. Lips were leaning a bit too dangerously toward yours, and under the influence of alcohol you only narrowly managed to dodge them. But the young man simply adjusted himself quickly after being denied and instead he wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his head against your breasts.

“Hey Keiji!!” you exclaimed while shaking him to make him move.

However, it didn’t seem to work. You tried to repel him, but you were wasting your time faced with this pile of muscles that was Maeda Keiji. Within this bustle, the top layers of your kimono were slightly opened and you could feel his hot breath on your visible skin. Obviously, Keiji had immediately noticed it since his mouth seized a piece of flesh and sucked at it. Panic grew into you and you started to hit him. But it didn’t affect him in any way. When he finished leaving his mark on your skin, he put his head back on you chest.

“Hm~ so soft~…” was the only answer you got from him.

You sighed. Once drunk, nobody could do anything for him. So you let him rest against you, stroking his hair hoping he will fall asleep and reduce the damages he could had done. Like this, he looked like an innocent child and you couldn’t help but giving a faint smile.

“I can’t believe he managed to make you smile” whispered Toshiie.

“He hasn’t done any harm, look” you retorted, lowering your voice not to disturb Keiji who seemed to finally sleep under your caresses.

“Hmph, you’ve already forgotten what he did to you?!”

“Oh and you did well when you tried to help me” you shot back, giving him a death stare.

“He hadn’t done any harm as you said.”

You sighed again. With Toshiie, it was double or quits: he could be very adorable when he wanted, or really annoying. But he was right. It wasn’t easy to handle this big child. But he wasn’t mean and getting mad at him seemed impossible. So you just kept on drinking and chatting with the others until it was your turn to fall asleep.

After what felt like a few hours, you felt your body fall backward. Normally you should have hit the ground with full force, but someone caught you during your drop and gently laid you down.

“Hm… ?” you mumbled.

Your mind was still clouded but you quickly recovered consciousness and noticed that Keiji hadn’t moved seats. But still, he was heavy! So you made him roll on your side, trying not to break the embrace he had around your body and took him in your arms before getting back to sleep.

The following day, you were the first to wake up. You took advantage of Keiji’s relaxed sleep to slip away from the samurai’s grasp and assessed the state of everyone in the room. Obviously, all were heavy-handed on the alcohol and you couldn’t help but chuckle as discreetly as possible in front of those madcap postures made by the sleeping retainers.

“Joyful as soon as you’re awake I see” pointed out a man behind you.

You turned over, smile still on your lips.

“Why wouldn’t I be, Saku?”

He gave you a smirk and invited you to follow him outside of the room.

“I just thought it wasn’t only the fact that the others were dead drunk that made you in a good mood.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” you asked as you didn’t have any clue.

Then, he pointed out the reddish mark in the top of your breast and you hastened to put your kimono back in its place.

“I… No way! He was drunk and did that thoughtlessly. I don’t see how it could have made me happy!”

Sakuya looked at you from the corner of his eye and sighed, exasperated.

“In my opinion, he was perfectly aware of his actions.”

“Of course… We are talking about Keiji, the one who kisses everyone as soon as a drop of alcohol mixes with his blood.”

“I know, but who does he kiss recently?”

“I’m not the only victim, Hideyoshi was too not so long ago!”

“And since that day, you were the only one.”

That night, alcohol was the evening’s master again and you didn’t bother continuing to drink to your liking. This was noticed, and one of the young samurais slipped to your sides and undertook the conversation while being rather... tactile. But you didn’t mind. Because the man beside you was the great Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a proud samourai also called the man of thousand lovers after all. And the truth is that he really was a seducer so not succumbing to his charms seemed impossible. And the more the night went on, the more he had wandering hands and the closer his lips got to yours… Until they finally met. At this moment, you could feel a threatening look on you. Probably Mitsunari you thought, wondering how Hideyoshi could had been seduced by a succubus like you. This thought made you crack a smile and the young man took advantage of the opportunity to plunge his tongue inside your mouth, looking for yours fervently. His investigation was brief since you kissed him back languorously, putting your arms around his neck.

But as intense as the kiss could have been, this was nothing compared to the strength which Keiji grabbed Hideyoshi’s lips with his after pulling you apart bluntly from each other. You were used to this kind of show. Keiji could kiss literally everyone if nobody stopped him and this made you laugh each time. But your laughter was short cut because it was your turn to be the target of the berserker's kisses.

You shudder. Where did Sakuya want to go with this?

“I’m just saying that the fact that Keiji separated you, then kissed you both wasn’t a mistake. He never did that before.”

“And what is your conclusion?”

“He’s in love.”

Your brain took some time to puzzle over his words. In love? Keiji? With you?

“What are you talking about Saku? He kissed Hideyoshi too, don’t forget!” you exclaimed, nervously laughing out, hoping the ninja would give up his analysis and let you be right.

“Maybe he didn’t want Hideyoshi to keep the taste of your lips? Maybe he wanted to take back what he desired to be only his?”

You attempted to retort, to prove to him he was wrong. But nothing came to your mind, it was blank space. He carried on:

“Why did he leave his mark on you? He has been acting jealous since that night.”

You wanted to tell him that it could only had been a coincidence. That with Keiji you couldn’t take everything seriously. But you weren’t capable to say anything. Maybe because deep down inside you wanted Sakuya to be right. But what if your hopes shattered because the truth was something else?

“I observed both of you. Trust me. He likes you. And you like him back.”

He was asking you to trust him? Really? You knew Sakuya and the world of shadows and believing in people wasn’t part of the ninjas’ code.

So, you started to avoid Keiji childishly. Why exactly, you didn’t even know, but it unfolded for few days before you decided to check on him discreetly. You had heard rumors as he wasn’t acting like himself. He had stopped going to the kitchen to steal food, and didn’t drink when there were parties.

Your steps guided you quickly to the retainers’ housing estates. And you saw him in the distance, on the porch in front of his room. He was laying and you moved forward carefully to see that his eyes were closed. Was he sleeping? You bent over him to verify his breathing. At least, he seemed to be well and wasn’t just dead on his veranda. This eased your conscience but you couldn’t help wanting to stay by his side to know why he acted strangely. Should you wait for him to wake and ask him? What was your purpose in coming?

You watched him sleep, moved. Sakuya was right, you were undeniably in love with this dork. You kept moving forward until you sat astride Keiji, then finally laid down on him, the breadth of his body keeping yours totally off the floor. You buried your nose in the crook of his neck and inhales his scent. He smelled terribly good once the alcohol’s odor left, you thought. Then suddenly you felt arms wrapping around you. Your only reaction was to smile and nestle even more against him. His thumbs were skimming in semicircle on the small of your back and you felt safe there.

A few minutes passed like this, then you decided to raised your head to look at him right in the eyes.

“Did something happen?” you asked him apprehensively.

He looked back at you, first surprised by your question, then he answered, shaking his head slowly from right to left.

“Hm hm~, everything’s alright now.”

His expression was soft, you had never seen him like that. He seemed frail, as if you could lose him at any minute.

“Maybe now you’re fine but-”

“Shh~”

One of his hand ended up between the two of you and he put his forefinger on your lips to keep them quiet. No! You would not let him be that way, not now. You had to know what tormented him. You grabbed his wrist and pinned it against the ground next to his head.

“Keiji! I’m serious! What happened?” you pressed him, panic getting the upper hand of you.

Why did that occur to you? You were supposed to be in control of yourself, of your feelings. Panic didn’t exist with you. And yet. Yet, all your world could collapse if this man underneath you decided it. Because he had an hold strong enough on your heart to break you in the blink of an eye. Before you had realized it, a tear dripped along your cheek and crashed onto Keiji’s face. Others took the same path and you couldn’t stop the flood. You straightened up on your knees and Keiji sat up  with you.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, attempting to clumsily wipe your tears, which were falling tirelessly.

“Because I’m worried sick for you, you moron!!” you shot while giving him punches to his chest.

He caught your wrists, preventing you from hitting him even though you knew perfectly well that your hits wouldn’t do any damage, and kissed you. Your tears immediately ceased to flow under the influence of surprise. This kiss was so different from all those he gave you before. This kiss was sober, and this kiss was genuinely desired. You knew, you felt it, and you deepened the kiss. He released your wrists and took the opportunity to bring you closer to him while you wrapped your arms around his neck. Once out of breath, he broke the kiss, laid his forehead against yours and looked at you intensely. That wasn’t the same look he gave you earlier. Now, his gaze was deep, full of desire.

“I love you”  he whispered quietly.

But it was loud enough for you to hear it. His eyes were filled with determination and you knew he wouldn’t take “no” as an answer to his feelings. All the strain left you, you could finally breathe after all those days. And this was with a beam on your face that you replied:

“I love you too Keiji. Don’t do that to me ever again ok?” you requested of him, taking his face into your hands.

“Then never leave my side” he declared in a serious tone.

“I… It was because of my absence you were in that state?”

He looked away. He was blushing and you thought it was absolutely adorable, even though a guilty feeling arose inside you.

“What else then…?” he muttered, becoming even redder than he was.

You couldn’t help but being moved. Your absence had rendered him this vulnerable that he even ceased to do what he liked because he was depressed.

“I’m sorry, that won’t ever happen” you promised, pulling his head down to you, where he buried it against your breasts.

You wanted to reassure him and you fondled his hair with one hand and his back with the other.

“Hey…” he called out after a while.

“Yes?”

“I’m hungry...”

Keiji was back.