#on the same day at the same time is so so. unlikely....

[grvait]

old art again!! this time a rough animation of sawyer and yarnaby 😎 (looks better if u click to view 😭)

im working on a short ppt animation rn. im thinking i should post it to my youtube channel, though im not sure if people here would see it. i think i can link videos on here?? idk

okay I'm gonna talk abt more chapter 4 stuff.. this time about prototype's previous identity.. ch4 spoilers and also a theory below..

hiding the solo yarnaby under here LOL

people theorized 1006 was elliot, which was recently disproven in the chapter 4 tape where poppy refers to elliot as her dad and wishes he were there. in the same tape she addresses prototype as a completely different person. also recall that elliot died in the 90s, meanwhile prototype met theo in 1989. so yeah, they aren't the same person

I've also seen people say rich is prototype, which cannot be true either. in a ch4 tape he speaks to one of the boys who eventually got turned into doey. the kid mentions his coworkers joking about him going missing. before the bbi, it would not make sense for this to be a common rumor at the company, which means this tape had to happen after harley was hired in 1990; at a time when the company would have a reason to silence people

prototype existed in 1989 at the minimum, but considering he says "it's always been about you and me" to poppy, he's likely the prototype of HER. she's elliots daughter, she died in the 60s, meaning prototype was probably created around that time as well.

this means that rich can't be the prototype because he was human long after prototype was made

if you want my take on who prototype truly is, i'd say his identity doesn't necessarily matter. i don't mean to say his origins aren't important, just that his name and specific role in the past probably doesn't mean anything in the long run. i've never believed he was elliot or rich, and maybe in the future i'll be proven wrong but for now i'll tell you the theory i've had since june of last year

elliot's daughter dies in the 60s. he divorced his wife in 1930, so his daughter is probably in her 30s when she dies. she gets sick or injured, maybe she's actively dying or already dead by the time elliot begins his research. he looks for ways to bring her back, but it doesn't work on the rats (as he mentioned a note in the 2nd chapter)

so what does he do? he tries it on something bigger as he said he would: a human. of course he's not going to try this experimental method on his own daughter, even if she's already dead, so he finds someone else to use it on. we know that elliot wasn't evil or anything, so it's unlikely he killed anybody to use for the experiment. considering the orphanage isn't open yet (it opened in the 70s, not the 60s), prototype probably wasn't an orphan child either. if i run with my simple version of the theory, elliot may have dug up a body in a graveyard and used that. maybe a fresh one, who knows. he tried it, it worked, then he revived his daughter with the same method.

this is likely what harley wanted to know about in the chapter 3 tape (the "i learn something new about you every day" one), and also what prototype is asking harley to figure out in the ch4 tape they're both in. in that case, sawyer never actually figured out how to revive people with the poppy substance. sure, he can transfer people into the toys, but he can't bring anybody back to life

more reason to believe prototype and poppy are of the same "batch" is because it seems they are the only two who don't need food. it's outright stated about him in the ch1 trailer, and insinuated with her saying the "toys will starve otherwise" when she's talking about how nasty them eating humans is. she refers to them, not herself. her and prototype are probably the only 2 who were ever brought back from the dead, which circles back around to his monologue and gives meaning to the "it's always been about you and me, poppy. what we are". when i heard him say that i felt like my theory was lowk confirmed 😭😭

no guarantee this is right, but it's been my guess for a long time

[bet-on-me-13]

Undead Galaxy

So! Within the Ghost Zone, there exists a Lair unlike any other.

To a Ghost, a Lair is supposed to be an integral part of their Existence. When a Ghost Builds their Lair, they take a part of the Ghost Zone Itself and mold it into a Realm of their own, transforming it into a reflection of their Core.

As such, a Lair usually matches the personality, and more importantly the Obsessions, of the Ghost it was created by. It is meant to be the Eternal Home of the one who built it, a place to spend the rest of their eternal unlife, and as such it needs to be able to fulfill the Ghosts Obsessions.

Think of Skulkers Lair, an Island Jungle filled to the brim with Monsters and Beasts of all sorts, ready and waiting to be hunted down and skinned. The perfect home for a ghost with an Obsession based on Hunting.

Some take this a step farther, like the Ancients (which is just another name used for Gods in the Zone), who transform their Lairs into Entirely Seperate Afterlives for others to inhabit. Hades, Osiris, the Demon Lords of the various Hells, they all took this approach.

But there is a problem. For beings like God's, who are sustained by Worship, what would happen if their world were to die? If the planet their people resided on were to be hit by an asteroid, or blown up by an Alien warlord?

A God without its worship would Fade, and as such the Afterlife they used to maintain would fall apart as well. The Millions of Souls who trusted that God to protect them in death would be left to the mercy of the Void between Afterlives. Somebody decided that they didn't like that, and stepped in.

Within the Ghost Zone exists a Galaxy.

A Galaxy where all the souls and Afterlives of worlds that have died continue to exist. Worlds that were destroyed by a cataclysmic War that resulted in both sides dying, by unstable Mining Practices destabilize the Core, by a Psychic Virus that wiped out all life on Planet leaving a baren husk.

When their populations died, and the Gods who maintained their afterlives would have faded, they were saved by another and brought into his Lair.

The Ghost King, Phantom.

He was a spirit with two simple Obsessions. The Protection of others, and the Majesty of Space.

But there was no Space in the Ghost Zone, only the Infinite void. So he made his own. He constructed a Lair of incredible size, decorating it with Stars and Planets and Supernova and Nebula. He recreated the Majesty of the Space he adored, and the invited the wandering souls of dead worlds to enjoy it with him.

He gave them planets of their own within the Unliving Galaxy. All the souls of crumpled afterlives wandering the Ghost Zone were allowed to recreate it again, to find eachother and build their communities again.

With this he could fulfill both of his Obsessions at the same time, and he would he doing his duty as their king by helping his subjects.

He saw it as an absolute win.

...

They had been trapped in this strange dimension for days now.

Nobody had any idea how they ended up there. Clark had just fallen asleep, Diana was training, Hal was on patrol. Even J'onn himself was on Moniter Duty, when the next thing he knew they were all waking up on a floating purple rock in a Lazarus green void.

Thankfully Constantine that had been dragged alongside him when J'onn when he was taken, and managed to explain that they were in some kind of void in-between the afterlives.

"The Ghost Zone" "The Unending End" "The Collective Dead", it went by many names apparently. The most famous name for it was "The Infinite Realms", named for the way the infinite souls residing there would build their own personal Realms, or Lairs, to spend eternity in.

Not even he knew how they had ended up there. Constantine was confident that they hadn't died recently (the fact they needed to use "recently" was a sad thought), so it wasn't the old fashioned way at the very least.

Still, they needed to get moving. This place was dangerous and they didn't want to stay in one place for too long.

After days of traveling across the strange void (had they even eaten since they arrived there?) Constantine finally caught a hint of something. There was a draw on them, pulling them towards a specific direction. They had been unconsciously following it for days now, and now that they knew what they were doing they soldiered on even faster. If there were answers wherever they were being drawn, they would find them.

Once it came into view, it was obvious what had been calling to them this entire time. It was massive.

Spanning across the endless horizon, they could see something that looked like a Galaxy spanning in front of them. From their position on a floating island, they could see it in all its glory. Contrasting the green they had become accustomed to, the Galaxy swirled in a variety of Bright Blues and Deep Purples, with multicolored stars shining so brightly they stood out even as far as they were from it.

It took all their breaths away, and J'onn would admit to having stood there staring for longer than he should have. It was just so starkly different than anything he had seen thus far in this dimension of greens and purples.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

In an Instant their weapons were drawn and fighting stances set, facing the person who had appeared in their midst.

He was a young man, seemingly in his early 20's, with snow white hair and Lazarus green eyes. Above his head sat a crown glowing the same color as the galaxy spanning in front of them. They all knew instantly that this man was connected to it on a deep level.

"Who are you" Asked Diana. Her thoughts were filled with theat assessments and carefulness. She thought he was strong.

"Oh, my name is Phantom." He replied, "Sorry for startling you, this is one of my favorite spots to stargaze and I forgot that normal people usually can't see me when I zone out like that."

"What is that?" Clark asked, pointing to the Galactic Structure on the horizon. He was curious. The man before they didn't act hostile, so he had decided to match his energy.

"Oh, that's my Galaxy. Like it?" He asked excitedly, "Took me ages to get it looking just right, but I'm so proud of the results."

"Do you know why we are here?" Asked Hal, his mind was swimming with worry over his Sector of space. He had been taken while patrolling it. He wanted to get back quickly.

"I didn't bring you here, if that's what you're asking." He replied evenly, "But I know who did. They wanted to see you again, but with their Realms crumbled and their people scattered, they never had the chance. Now they do, and they wanted to say hello again. Sorry about the long journey, they messed up the Summoning process and you ended up a bit farther than intended."

"Who summoned us?" Asked Constantine warily. His thoughts were full of the various demons and gods he knew inhabited these Realms. He was worried.

"Well, You, accidently got dragged along through proximity, sorry." He apologized to the magician, "But as for the rest of you? Well, you'll just have to wait and see for yourselves. Trust me, it'll be a welcome surprise."

"Can you tell us where can we find the ones who summoned us?" Asked J'onn finally. He was curious, and wary, of who had decided to pull them into this dimension. But if the man before them was being truthful, then he wanted to meet them.

"Just keep following that pulling sensation that brought you here, you'll find them." He said, "I'll stay here for a while longer though. Just want to stargaze a bit more."

They left him on the island and kept going.

As the approached the Galaxy, it dawned on them how truly massive the realm in front of them was. Hal confirmed that it wasn't as big as a real one, but even he was in awe at its size.

As they drew closer is quickly became apparent that they were being drawn in different directions. After a quick discussion they decided it was best to split up.

J'onn approached the Planet he was being drawn to, and realized very quickly that it very closely resembled his old homeworld, Mars. The Red Sands, the Rocky Terrain, the two Moons that could be seen orbiting the planet, all of it seemed tailor made to resurface memories of his destroyed home.

It took all of a second for all of it to come together in his head.

The allusions Phantom had made to his summoners missing him. The resemblance to his old Homeworld. The fact he was currently in a version of the Afterlife.

As he made the connection in his head, he felt another two connections form. Ones he had not felt in the the Centuries since he had lost them.

"Hello, J'onn."

"...M'yri'ah..." His wife.

"Hi dad."

"...K'hym..." His Daughter.

It took nearly a full minute before his mind calmed enough to send them a response. It was a Whirlwind of wild thoughts, fear of this being a trick, and above all hope that it was real.

Eventually, he finally managed a response.

"I missed you."

[epiceneandroid]

this is an old post but i'd like to list my favorite fat characters in media, some of them "problematic" to some but to me, they're comforting!

-charlotte lola from one piece! she does look a little odd because of oda's style, but she's a very well written, relatable character who just wants to get married and experience an independent life on her own terms because she's traumatized by her mom forcing her into an arranged marriage with someone she did NOT want to be with (so her marriage obsession is not "hurr hurr she's fat and ugly and wants a boyfriend/girlfriend" it's "she had no independence or freedom as a child and was constantly abused for existing so she became a BADASS PIRATE to escape") and she's a BIT of a bisexual/pansexual, as she loves nami both in her "namizou" disguise AND as just regular old nami. also nami's scene where she talks about how her mom would always be there for lola if she needed her and her mom shouted "I DON'T CARE ABOUT LOLA I DISOWNED HER!" especially with the english dub where she has the most southern baptist voice a woman could have is SUCH a huge metaphor for biphobia and lesbiphobia. if lola ended up with nami (i don't think she would've because apparently the one piece pirates can't have romance but other pirates can) she would've uhauled with her AND her husband gotti, who's another fat man who saw her for who she was instead of the Perfect Princess of chocolateland or whatever that her mom made her out to be to pawn her off to a man she never met

-from the same series, charlotte chiffon! she is MARRIED, unlike lola for a long time, and she is a GIRLBOSS with a beautiful fat mafia MALEWIFE! she can kick ass and she chooses to be with her chosen family, the firetank pirates, because she realizes that it's better to be with people she loves than to be surrounded by abuse every day, and THAT in my opinion is what makes a badass fat QUEEN. she'd rather be with her family and happy and kick ass as a firetank pirate than have her mom suck up to her so she can get back into her family and i love that for her. it's very personal that i love the charlotte twins because my grandfather is a lot like big mom in behavior and the fact he was emotionally stunted at childhood so that caused the brunt of his abuse, so like. yeah. that's why the charlotte twins are important fat women to me.

-e honda from street fighter! he's a badass fat guy who knows how to kick ass and take names and LOVES his fat body, and he's a cheerful dude who loves to eat food and loves to be essentially a father figure to characters like chun-li, ken masters, and even manga exclusive characters! he's not really that deep of a character (unless i've missed something because i've not gotten to his portion in street fighter 6), but he's a really sweet guy who makes me feel comforted by his presence.

-ava from only this beautiful moment! her first introduction is LITERALLY her walking into the room in a curve hugging, fat hugging sweater and jeans while wearing a hijab while getting her phone that was playing britney spears' "work bitch" and from the VERY minute she was introduced i KNEW i was gonna love her. she's a queer ally who equally as much loves iranian culture AND american culture alike, loves the iranian partying scene, and supports her friends queerness and transness without ANY hesitation. she is so campy and fun. she literally has "character who's played by a drag queen" vibes she's so amazing. AND she makes sassy comebacks against her mom who fatshames her which, wish i could do that too without getting yelled at! she is BASED. wish i could eat bread coated in cheese and herbs too without having diarrhea. love her.

-hades from the hades calculus! she is, from the outset, described as essentially a fat, imposing, yet athletic figure, and i LOVE fat athletic characters despite my fat ass' only athletic achievements being "can swim across underwater a 4 foot deep pool without drowning" and "can lift heavy objects". her body is described as a large, looming, heavy presence, and that fits her personality as the undertaker of the gods, and she basically is a depressed, gloomy woman who has trouble moving on from her human partner, leuke's, death, and only involves herself in the gods she considers moral, like hephaestus, who i ALSO headcanon as fat but i'm not sure if ze's actually fat or if it's just me wishing a nonbinary character with the body i want is also fat like i am and wish to be for the rest of my life. she's a stone butch top trans lesbian, which fat characters are RARELY any of those in combination, she gains another love interest in persephone, a demigod built essentially as an adult at birth and built to destroy and basically has a freakish, red eyed, overly skinny yet freakishly muscular, nonhuman appearance (for ONCE the FAT CHARACTER IS NOT THE ONE WHO LOOKS LIKE A FREAK), and she falls in LOVE with persephone slowly. i am not finished with the book because i am horribly slow at reading books with any sort of substance but hades is so cool and powerful and sexy and i LOVE her.

Post your personal favorite fat fictional characters! Here are some of mine 💘

Left to right: Sam (Somebody Somewhere), Oluwande Boodhari (Our Flag Means Death), Lazlo Cravensworth (What We Do In The Shadows), Nina (Dinosaur), Fran (Shrill), Del Griffith (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles), Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson (Orange is The New Black), Bobby Hill (King of the Hill), Gary (Wolf Like Me), and Titus Andromedon (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt).

[gayspacepiratesss]

TL; DR: Saving Minrathous allows Neve to hope.

(Saving Treviso allows Lucanis to forgive, but that's another story for another day.)

***

Every companion in DATV hits a character crux during the game, but Neve's and Lucanis's characters -- being linked to the cities they love -- are especially interesting to me.

In particular I think Neve's character is a brilliant navigation of the issues the devs faced in representing the Tevinter Imperium. In previous games, Tevinter is an ancient shadow empire of blood mages and oligarchy; if Ferelden is roughly medieval Britain and Orlais is roughly medieval France, Tevinter is the remnants of the ancient Roman empire, with a hefty number of Nero-like rulers (sadistic, debauched, unchecked) still in residence.

So: how do you make that a place the player can root for? You write the story of the resistance. The anti-slavery Shadow Dragons make sense as Rook's allies, and their work is important. But Neve is how DATV tells the story of Tevinter's losers: the vast majority of regular people, who aren't mages or oligarchs or magisters, but still have to get by in this violent, corrupt place.

Neve has been manipulated and disappointed by institutions her whole life (like, let's be real, most poc and women and lqgbtq+ folks irl). She has enough privilege to protect herself: she's a mage born in a world that prizes magic. But she's not rich, and she's too fiercely ethical to take the shortcuts that would allow her to accumulate power. If you travel with her long enough, she'll tell you about the relatives who were only kind to her because they wanted to use her status as mage, and the uncle who was different. When she's in Lucanis's family home in Antiva, he complains about decorating, and she tells him her entire Minrathous apartment could fit in one room. Her clothes are well-tailored because she knows that looking good is a kind of power, but she'll explain to Bellara that it's not because she actually HAS rich patrons; she just dresses to look as if she might. She knows how to use the theater of wealth, but at the end of the day she's firmly working class, surviving off street food and bad coffee above a second-rate bookshop.

Neve loves Dock Town, sees how badly Tevinter's institutions have failed her community, and is deeply, fiercely protective of the weak and the vulnerable. If you drop a coin in a beggar's plate, she'll drop one too, and ask if they have shelter for the night. Hal insists he owes her free fish, but notice: every time, she says "Sure, next time, Hal," and pays him anyway. She knows he can't afford to give away business, but she'll never embarrass him by pointing this out. This is the same instinct that makes her so sweet to Bellara back at the Lighthouse: her elvhen fangirl is an open book, completely emotionally vulnerable, and Neve is immediately ready to look after her.

(It's also the instinct, I think that keeps her from confronting Rook about [redacted for spoilers] -- how terrifying would it be to fall for someone with that much of a blind spot?? But she's not going to kick Rook while they're down, and she can't help being drawn to them. Like, her fear is justified. It's not a great start to a relationship.)

But Neve is also a realist: she knows she CAN'T protect everyone, no matter how hard she fights. Over and over she's seen bad actors like Aelia slip through the cracks, and good guys like Brom (who ... maybe she had a thing for? some of her notes, idk) get killed trying to make it right. So when Rook meets Neve, this is the open question for her: CAN you make the world a better place? Can you illuminate the dark corners, and lift up the downtrodden, without compromising your own values? Or is it always already a hopeless proposition?

If Rook saves Treviso, and lets Minrathous burn, that's Neve's last straw. She stops looking. There's no way to be better than the Archon or the magisters, and so she'll join the Red Threads to beat them at their own game. Unlike Lucanis, she's still romanceable in this state, because ultimately she's still fighting for the things she loves; she just doesn't really believe in the future anymore. There's a pretty sad version of Neve's story in here, especially if you choose her to dismantle the wards in endgame. It's possible for her to lose everything she ever believed in. I've seen a lot of angry people complaining on the internet that her line at the end of her last companion quest -- "This is MY city now" -- is aggressive and cliché, but these people seem mainly to have saved Treviso and to not understand, as a result, how Neve's character is limited by the circumstances they've engineered. The complaint that her voice acting is hard, guarded, or flat is missing the point: her PERSONALITY is hard, guarded, and flat unless and until you help her believe that gentleness can be rewarded.

If you SAVE Minrathous, I think, Neve's character can have the most beautiful arc -- and her romance makes the most sense here, because as she begins to hope that her efforts in Dock Town might actually make a difference, she also begins to let her guard down. Both these things scare her shitless. Being visible (letting the citizens of Dock Town SEE her fight for them, letting Rook show her some risks are worth taking) is really scary. But if you save Minrathous, Neve begins to hope that there's a future for the soft, sweet, and vulnerable creatures of the world -- and that includes herself.

When her voice starts to crack in the later romance scenes, when her brow crinkles with anxiety and her eyes go wide and soft -- that's the reward for saving Minrathous. That's Neve Gallus with a future.

[imsadstuff]

A Royal Romance - Teaser 2

Author Note: So, the second teaser is here and I promise I will post the fic soon and it's going to be a LONG one. comment if you want to be added to the tag list. Let me know of all of your thoughts, feelings and even suggestions. Please note that this is just a small part of the fic, if it looks like it's a normal meet cute romance, it is not, it's a twisted royal romance.

Genre: Romance, Angst, Love Triangle, lots and lots of romance

Warnings: Mentions of smoking and drinking

Link to my masterlist if you want to check out my other stuff : here

In no time they’re pulling closer to the property and Jungkook has definitely been selling them short because theirs is a massive modern home with gardens all around, it’s gorgeous even in this evening light.

“Is there lipstick on my teeth?” ___ asks as Jungkook comes around to open the door for her, she flashes her a toothy smile but he just nods as he smiles. ___ can’t help but think back on the day Jungkook meet her parents, an event that happened over a month ago but still very clearly on her mind.

Unlike her family, his are waiting right by the door and warmly greet them as they walk closer, hand in hand. She’s a bit glad to see Nari and Jin, at least some familiar faces. There are hugs and more hugs even before they go in and all this warmness is unfamiliar to her.

“So glad to finally meet you your royal highness” Mrs Kim finally greets her properly as they find their way into the living room. “Please, call me ___” ___ asks and Mrs Kim chuckles as she looks at Jungkook.

“Jungkook called us to make sure we understood the greeting protocol, he was so insistent on it” She shares and ___ glares at Jungkook who immediately walks closer to them.

“I messed up the royal protocol the way we met your family, I didn’t want to make the same mistake again” he explains. “That’s because the royal family is just a bunch of jackasses who take pleasure in teasing people on messing up the royal protocol” ___ jokes and the room erupts into laughter.

“Now, ___ lets make our way to the dining room before my husband starts talking to you about politics on an empty stomach” Mrs Kim jokes as she leads the entire family and ___ definitely hears Jungkook tell his father to abstain from anything political.

The large wooden table is beautifully set, but unlike the extravagant, meticulously arranged state dinners she’s used to, this feels… lived-in. A few mismatched serving dishes, a folded napkin slightly out of place—it’s warm, inviting, and utterly unfamiliar to her.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Mrs. Kim says as she starts passing around dishes. “I wanted to make something fancy, but Jungkook told me that you enjoy homemade Korean food more” she shares and ___ turns to look at Jungkook with a sweet smile, he truly is so observant.

“Eat up, dear,” Mrs. Kim tells ___, nudging a plate of japchae toward her. “I have a feeling you’re also someone who forgets to eat when things get busy.” She says as she pointedly looks at Jungkook, there is clearly some back story there.

Jungkook smiles as he takes a small sip of his soup. “She is.” ___ blinks, surprised he even knows that about her. She clears her throat, focusing on serving herself. “You’re not wrong,” she admits. “My assistant practically schedules my meals into my day.”

Nari leans forward, intrigued. “That sounds exhausting. Do you ever just… sneak away?”

Jungkook laughs. “Oh, she does. Her security team nearly lost their minds the last time she snuck out between royal duties to get a snack”

___ shakes her head, feeling an odd mix of amusement and something else she can’t quite name. “It’s not that dramatic.” “You were nearly tackled outside a convenience store” Jungkook shares with a raised eyebrow.

Mrs. Kim smiles warmly. “Well, when you’re here, you don’t have to disappear at all. You can just be.”

___ looks up, caught off guard by the kindness in those words. It’s a simple thing to offer, but it’s rare—so rare that she doesn’t quite know what to do with it. She exhales softly, then nods. “That… means a lot. Thank you.”

The conversation moves along, the moment slipping away from one topic to another. Jungkook effortlessly redirects the attention, nudging the conversation toward a light hearted debate about his teenage years. Jin insists he was a handful, while Jungkook adamantly denies any wrongdoing.

Laughter spills through the room, warmth pressing in from all sides. The food is rich, the company richer, and for once, she’s not a princess, not a figurehead, not a symbol.

She’s just… ___, sitting at a dinner table, surrounded by people who don’t expect anything from her other than to simply be.

___ lets out a deep sigh as she takes a seat on the bed. It’s been a long night of lots of food and one too many desserts. Jungkook does the same as her as he takes a seat on a chair across her. Jungkook was so wrapped up with her meeting his family that he didn’t have the time to dwell on the fact that they have to stay in the same room and sleep on the same bed. He only realised that when she fell back on the bed with exhaustion.

“Do you think they liked me?” ___ asks as she focuses on the ceiling. “My father was showing you his collection of vintage books, he only does that with people he likes” Jungkook comments as he leans back in the chair, it’s been a particularly tough week at work, he still has some work to get done.

“And your mother?” “She asked you to be just you, that’s a good sign?” Jungkook isn’t enterly sure himself, his mother is always warm and welcoming to new people, plus none of his girlfriends have met her before so he isn’t sure what a good sign is.

“That was her being polite, god this dress is suffocating me” ___ complaints as she stands up and starts rummaging through her duffle bag.

“So, about the sleeping situation,” Jungkook interrupts as she’s taking out multiple pouches of god knows what, all he notices is how they all match.

“I can take the floor, it’s better for my back anyway” Jungkook offers and ___ scoffs as she takes her pouch of skincare to the bathroom. “That is ridiculous, we can just share the bed, it’s massive”

“Are you sure?” “Yes, now help me with this zipper because all designers make dresses with these impossible zips and I’m going to twist my arm one of these days” Jungkook stands awkwardly by the bed, unsure of how to proceed. The tension from earlier still lingers, but now it's mixed with the absurdity of the situation. He watches as ___ struggles with the zipper, twisting her body in weird angles to get a grip.

“Here,” Jungkook says, clearing his throat, and steps closer. He gently pulls the zipper down, careful not to catch her skin. ___ watches him through the mirror as she holds the dress tight. The playfulness from the dinner now long gone and the awkwardness back.

“I’ll just take a quick shower then you can, um” “Yes of course, take your time” Jungkook breaks away, taking a few steps back and closing the door behind him.

Jungkook doesn’t look up immediately, pretending to focus on the screen in front of him, though his mind is clearly elsewhere. The sound of the bathroom door creaking open catches his attention, and he glances over just as ___ walks back in. The scent of her skincare products and the lingering fragrance of her shower fill the air, and he swears for a moment, he forgets how to breathe.

She moves to the bed with quiet steps, slipping under the covers without saying a word. Her back is to him, the soft rustle of the sheets the only sound between them.

He’s fascinated with all the skincare products that she left, products that read weird. He forces himself to take a quick shower, brush his teeth and steal some of her moisturizer, hoping she won’t mind.

The room’s dark now, all the blinds drawn as Jungkook finally slips into bed. Work can wait for tomorrow. He gingerly slips into the bed, trying his best to not the duvet too much, not wanting to disturb an already asleep ___.

For a few moments, he simply lies there, staring at the ceiling in the dim light that filters in from outside. His mind races, though he knows he should be focusing on sleep. He can’t help but think of how unusual this whole situation is—sharing a bed with someone who isn’t just a colleague or a friend, but someone he’s been thrust into this strange dynamic with. A royal. And now, in this quiet, intimate space, he’s more aware of her than ever.

He shifts slightly, trying to find a comfortable position without disturbing her. The bed is far too big for just one person, but the closeness is still jarring. He can feel the weight of her presence even with the distance between them.

He wonders if she’s asleep, truly asleep, or if she’s just pretending to be, maybe just as self-conscious as he is. He’s facing her back and somewhere during staring at her navy-blue pyjamas, sleep catches up with him.

Light is softly filtering into the room as the cotton curtains move with the motion of wind. ___ flutters her eyes open and she’s surprised by Jungkook’s face a mere inches away from hers. Her breath catches in her throat as she blinks, her still-sleepy mind struggling to process the sight before her. Jungkook, completely at ease in sleep, his dark lashes resting against his cheek, his breathing slow and steady. She hadn’t expected them to drift this close overnight.

Their arms faintly touched each other yet it felt awfully intimate. ___’s focused on the moles oh his face, this may be the first time she’s noticed them.

Carefully, she slips out the bed, hoping he sleeps a little bit longer because just can’t take the suffocating awkwardness that comes in when it’s just two of them. The sound of shower doesn’t wake Jungkook up, neither the time ___ curses out loud when he almost drops her concealer, but the sound of the door shutting behind her does wake him up.

“Oh my god these are beautiful, how did you pick up this skill?” Jungkook hears his mothers voice as he walks down the stairs. “I used to work as a barista in college, my mother wanted us to work in service jobs because she thinks it’s an essential skill” ___ answers and Jungkook leans against the kitchen counter as he watches ___ show her how to make beautiful latte art.

“Plus back then, we were just a normal family living in New York and I was Sarah and not ___” she turns away to place the cup of coffee on the table, it’s then when she notices Jungkook looking at her very intently, a very toned, no shirt wearing Jungkook with all his tattoos showing.

Her breath catches for a split second before she quickly looks away, focusing on anything—anything—other than the fact that Jungkook is standing there like that.

Mrs. Kim, completely unfazed, takes a sip of her coffee and hums in delight. “Well, Sarah,” she teases lightly, “you have a real talent. If you ever get tired of being royal, you can open a café”

“I’ve always wanted to open a café, and have an entire wall dedicated to the cups I collect” ___ turns away to clean the machine, but also because she can’t look at Jungkook right now.

“And have a pottery studio in there too, or a library? A place people come to not just for coffee” ___ shares as she rinses the milk pitcher and Jungkook goes around the kitchen looking for some fruit. He stops right by ___ as he peels himself a banana.

“Where are those cups, I didn’t see them at your place?” Jungkook asks with curiosity and ___ looks up, focusing on looking at him and just his face, and not his very intricate sleeve of tattoo.

“They’re still in storage” ___ answers and Jungkook nods with a mouthful of fruit. “Is that my shirt?” Jungkook mumbles quietly and Mrs Kim watches the two of them from the breakfast nook.

“Yes, I forgot to pack a top and I checked to see that there was still a shirt for your suit later” ___ had a mini panic attack when the realisation struck her this morning, she should never pack in a rush.

Jungkook chews thoughtfully, his gaze flickering to the oversized shirt that’s tucked into her jeans. First the jacket and now the shirt, his clothes look better on her.

“I usually go for a run in the mornings, but if you—” he gestures vaguely, “—want me to stick around, I can.” She chuckles, stirring her coffee lazily. “I think I’ll survive without you for an hour.”

“Are you sure?” He tilts his head, smirking. “What if your latte art fails without my moral support?” “Then I’ll suffer in silence.”

Jungkook chuckles, taking a few steps away, “Alright, your highness, don’t miss me too much.” “I won’t,” she deadpans, taking another sip.

But as she watches him stretch, his toned arms flexing, tattoos shifting with every movement, she suddenly wonders if she should’ve told him to stay. Not because she needs him around—definitely not—but because the house feels just a little too big, a little too unfamiliar, without him in it.

The decorators as busy setting up the lawn for the party, a tasteful decoration of flowers and lights, everything has silver themes, it’s a silver anniversary celebration after all. ___ and Nari follow around Mr Kim as he points out a few things that need changing, how the tables should be set up, how the floral arrangements should have more white roses, and how the lighting needs to be slightly dimmer to create a warmer ambiance.

“I swear he’s more stressed about this party than mom,” Nari whispers to ___, and she stifles a laugh. Mr. Kim is meticulously adjusting a centrepiece himself now, unsatisfied with the way the flowers are arranged.

“It has to be perfect,” he mutters, stepping back to observe the table setting. “Twenty-five years isn’t a small thing.” As she trails behind, watching Mr. Kim continue his inspection, she feels a familiar presence beside her.

“Having fun listening to my father bitch and moan about table setting” Jungkook whispers painfully close to her ear as he hands her a glass of something, also one to Nari.

“Is this going to make me throw up?” ___ asks with genuine concern and Jungkook chuckles remembering the events from a few days ago. “It’s coconut water” Jungkook answers as his father walks away to discuss some things with the people setting up the lights, he might just go up the ladder and do things his way.

“He had a whole presentation made for my 12th birthday, it was so intense, there were several briefings” Jungkook shares and ___ is starting to understand this very loving family, they do actually care.

“For your wedding, make sure he never gets the number of your wedding planner, mine was in tears and snots by the ceremony because of him” Nari comments casually and the two of them tense up immediately.

Jungkook awkwardly, and ___ nearly chokes on her drink. “Oh, I—uh—” ___ starts, glancing at Jungkook, who looks equally blindsided.

Nari blinks at their reactions before realization dawns on her face. “Oh. Right. You two aren’t—” She waves a hand. “Forget I said anything.”

There’s a brief, tense silence. Then Jungkook, ever the professional deflector, clears his throat. “Well, now I have to know. What did he do to your wedding planner?” “How do you not know that, you slept with that wedding planner?” Nari speaks with an accusatory tone and Jungkook is regretting this deflection.

“Let’s get you girls inside, the heat is making the pregnant lady say stupid things” Jungkook glares at Nari who’s clearly showing now as he somehow dodges this.

“So, I met my husband in college, we were college sweethearts and god was it wonderful to be young, broke and in college” Mrs speaks into the mic as she addresses the entire party.

Jungkook’s mother smiles fondly, looking toward her husband as she continues, “We had nothing but cheap takeout, late-night library dates, and dreams bigger than our wallets.”

The crowd chuckles, and Mrs Kim continues talking, “She was the smart one. I was just the guy who carried her books” Mr Kim chimes in and the crowd erupts into laughter.

Onstage, Mrs Kim’s voice softens. “We got married 25 years ago, and everyone tend to focus on the wedding, but we have always focused on our marriage and god has it been a ride. We got years of partnership, love, support and plenty of arguments about the right way to wash dishes”

“But through every argument, every challenge, and every change life threw at us, there was never a moment I doubted us. Because we built something real. Something strong.” She stops talking for a second as she places a hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“Something worth fighting for” The room quiets for a beat, the weight of their words settling in.

___ shifts slightly, suddenly hyperaware of Jungkook’s presence beside her. She sneaks a glance at him, but his gaze is locked on his parents, his expression unreadable.

“The marriage has given us a lifetime of joy and happiness, our two wonderful sons, who are so impossibly in love with their partners and god did they learn the right things from their father” The crowd chuckles warmly at Mrs Kim’s words, and Jungkook’s expression softens, his eyes flickering briefly toward ___.

“This morning, I really noticed my sons, my eldest, who has a kid on the way won’t even let her wife pick up a spoon, his eyes are fixed on her pregnant wife, and that is exactly how my husband was with me” she shares and Jin is red with a blush and Nari reaches over to peck his cheeks.

“And my youngest, he went on a run this morning and picked flowers for her on his way back, completely butchered my flower bushes but they’re in love, I can’t be mad” The room falls into a warm, affectionate silence as Mrs. Kim’s words sink in. Jungkook’s face goes a shade darker, and he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, clearly trying to hide the embarrassment.

“You know, I really didn’t mean to mess up the bushes,” he mumbles, his voice sheepish. "They looked perfect in the moment..."

A ripple of laughter runs through the crowd, and ___ can’t help but smile. ___ looks over at him, his disarming charm now tempered by the soft blush on his cheeks. It’s a side of him she hadn’t quite seen before—vulnerable, a little unsure, but still endearing.

Mrs. Kim beams at him. “And that’s exactly how you know it’s real love. When you do something ridiculous but it still counts because it’s for the person you care about. That is what my husband has been with me for the last wonderful 25 years”

“So, to our wonderful years and to many more to come, cheers!”

The party simmers down as the night goes on, the music switching from classic jazz to romantic ballads. Jin and Nari left a long time ago, something about nausea and the parents are off talking to some guests so once again, it’s ___ and Jungkook by themselves.

“I saw you getting cornered by my aunt, I hope there weren’t any invasive questions” Jungkook speaks up as he takes a sip of his wine, ___ chuckles as she takes a long sip herself.

“Lots, but she still wasn’t impressed, she thinks you can do better” ___ isn’t entirely joking as she leans back in her chair, feeling his arm around her chair. “There is no universe where there is a possibility of me doing better than you, if it was not for your father intervening, I would have fumbled you, horribly”

It’s when Jungkook says things like this when her heart truly aches, the reality of the situation hits her right in the face, no matter how in love they act, at the end of the day, it’s an act.

“I really should get going, Namjoon will drive me back to the city” Jungkook’s smile falters at her words, and he straightens up slightly, his arm still lingering on the back of her chair. The playful tone he had moments ago fades into something more uncertain, more cautious. "You don’t have to leave yet, I can drive you in the morning”

“I am a member of the royal advisory board that is planning the funeral service for Eugene, Yuri and the late king and queen, it’s been five years already” Jungkook’s expression shifts as he processes her words, his brow furrowing.

“Let me walk you out at least, say good bye to my parents, shield you from any other invasive questions from my aunt” Jungkook offers as he stands up, he also offers his hand while ___ takes gladly.

Namjoon is waiting right by the car, all ready for her to leave. “You did amazing by the way, better than I did with your parents” Jungkook says in an attempt to cheer her up, but he also means it, very deeply.

“Thank you, I had a full-blown panic attack about this in my apartment before you picked me up” ___ shares and Jungkook laughs, the kind where the smile reaches his eyes. “The remnants of which were seen in my car, you definitely need to cut back on your candy intake”

___ laughs as she crosses her arms, leaning against the car, “Why should I listen to you?” “Well, I am your pretend boyfriend after all, I’m just looking out for you. Your health, your candy intake, and all that” his tone is joking but this is all too heavy to him.

___ raises an eyebrow, not missing the subtle shift in his tone. She knows exactly what he's trying to do—keep things casual, keep the distance. "Your pretend boyfriend, huh? Then why does it feel like you're starting to sound a little too invested?"

Jungkook gives a tight smile, trying to shake off any thought that strays too far from the boundaries of their arrangement. "Nope, no confusion here. Just doing my job."

___ laughs, more for herself than for him. "Right. Your job." She pulls herself off the car, the air between them thick with the kind of unsaid things that neither of them dares to voice. "Well, you should get back to that job then, since I’m good to go now."

Jungkook nods, his expression neutral, even though something about the way she says it makes the conversation feel more real than it should. "Yeah. Of course."

The moment hangs there, the weight of their unspoken understanding heavy in the air. This is just an arrangement. Nothing more. Neither of them can afford to forget that.

Tag List - @soblavk @livingkoalaface @solastica @futuristicenemychaos @yooforeaa @11thenightwemet11 @rkivestation

[whetstonefires]

#4 please !

Now see this could be tricky, because generally if I don't get some key elements written down very quickly the idea flows away again and the 'yet' disappears, even if I remember generally what it was about, but I have one this time! I am still just enough plagued by this vision that it's not out of the question I'll go for the capture, but so far nada.

Idea was basically a Jiang family character study by way of modern au. (So tw canonical abuse.) I started from the reflection, in a modern au very high chance the Jiangs are divorced, because being a divorcee wouldn't necessarily ruin Yu Ziyuan in the modern world, as long as she was allowed to control the narrative enough that she didn’t look at fault, so it might be on the table.

Especially because modern views on child abuse are such that while she'd hold back more than she already does in terms of physical chastisement, Jiang Fengmian would also be under less societal pressure to not interfere in her disciplinary system too much, and both these factors mean he’s more likely to put his foot down.

So, concept: Jiang Fengmian, when his son is eight and his daughter thirteen, forces the issue of taking in his best friends' abused orphan child whom he’s just managed to track down in a nightmarish group home, probably leveraging the fact that wherever their money comes from it's mostly his, something he usually doesn't do, but she has always known he could, and been fucked up about it (reasonable) and hated him a little (less so) and hates him so much more now (understandable but still fucked up).

They were obviously still both pressured into this marriage by their families, because I literally cannot imagine them choosing one another of their own free will, and if they did that would be an au in an even more dramatic way than being modern, and no longer work as a character or relationship study as far as I'm concerned. I mean or it’s a cql-based au, but that’s not the version of this toxic marriage I find compelling.

Situation subsequently deteriorates to the point that when the boys are around twelve some outside party observes and is repulsed or otherwise upset by Yu Ziyuan's treatment of Wei Wuxian specifically--she's emotionally abusive to everyone in the family, canonically, and it harms Jiang Cheng significantly more than Wei Wuxian, which I think is also pretty explicit on the page, but she's more openly antagonistic about going after wwx because he's basically a proxy for her husband, whom she doesn't consider to be someone she's capable of harming.

And ofc in a modern family scenario, being abusive to your foster kid is more plainly personal misconduct than being unfair in how you discipline one of your husband's many students, even if it is his favorite. Which means she's very unlikely to chase him around with a whip, but whatever she does do will sting that much more emotionally.

Anyway the outside judgement provokes a more explicit confrontation than the last four years of maneuver and attempting to balance all the competing needs according to two very different standards. And the upshot is that by the time wwx is 13, the Jiangs are divorced. To avoid making a humiliating spectacle of themselves they present a weirdly united front in court and have a very smooth uncontested proceding, although the closed meetings with their respective lawyers involved a lot of vitriol.

Yu Ziyuan, despite having a smallish trust fund and probably a job of some kind, though one that's more prestigious than profitable like uh. Olympic fencing coach. Idk what they make but it's probably not enormous. She and Cangse Sanren probably competed in the same events back in the day.

Anyway she gets a solid chunk of alimony, the house, and primary custody of both her children, although Jiang Yanli is almost 18 at this point so mostly she just gets Jiang Cheng. Everyone thinks Jiang Cheng wants it that way, including sort of Jiang Cheng; he has this idea that if he has his mom to himself they'll finally have a good relationship, even though he's also terrified of being left all alone with her. He's complicated. Families are complicated.

Also she would never have forgiven him if he hadn't concurred that he wanted to stay with his mother because she was the only one On His Side.

Jiang Yanli ofc does not move out right away when she comes of age, in part because her brother needs her, but she probably does go to college, so she's only around part-time.

Jiang Fengmian, meanwhile, keeps most of his financial assets and Wei Wuxian, and gets his kids on the weekends.

So that's all setup for how you have this situation where Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are entering high school--probably the same school, together, but no longer sharing the commute except maybe Monday mornings--and Wei Wuxian's primary residence is Jiang Cheng's dad's apartment.

It’s really chill. They get a cleaning service in once a week and eat a lot of delivery food, but they do cook at least once a week. The canonical thing where they largely agree about what’s funny and what’s right-or-wrong, and so forth, on the one hand really pops when there’s mostly no external conflict disrupting it, but also probably gains more complexity now that it’s not a thread of positivity fighting for its life against a background of drama. They get to know each other better than they ever had a chance to in canon.

Some of that isn't all that positive, because now they have the space to discover the places where they do actually have the capacity for friction, but both of them are very good at dispersing tension (I do tend to suspect jfm's dad was abusive he sure acts like it), and on the whole it's a good thing.

Jiang Cheng is going to have such a mental health crisis, and Jiang Fengmian is going to handle it so badly. Because of course when his son starts replicating his ex-wife's toxic attitudes and behaviors more now that she has primary custody, he’s going to feel guilty and like it’s His Fault, but he’s going to feel like it’s his fault that Jiang Cheng is growing up to be a shitty abusive person.

And even if he’d never say that the subtext would come through, in the assumptions he made when framing communications and so forth, as in canon, so the thing where Jiang Cheng’s father loves Wei Wuxian more than him, or at any rate likes him better and thinks he’s a better person and prefers his company, would wind up feeding into a self-reinforcing loop.

(Jin Zixuan's nasty public remark about Jiang Fengmian treating Wei Wuxian better than his own children hits Jiang Cheng significantly harder in this scenario, where he's being Tormented by the feeling that all his peers know his dad walked out on him for another son. Wei Wuxian's punch is therefore even more clearly primarily for Jiang Cheng's sake, although Jiang Cheng is probably more inclined to see it as being for his dad's. Jin Zixuan is about halfway between the Jiang kids' ages here, so he's a senior saying this shit to a sophomore.)

So that cycle builds to the point where Jiang Cheng would eventually have one of those rare moments where he resorts to actual violence, because his poisoned feelings are choking him so bad his rationality deserts him.

He’s not going to be nearly as close to actually murdering Wei Wuxian as he was in canon the night the Jiang Sect was massacred, because it’s a less extreme situation, but he still goes for the neck. So Jiang Fengmian is in his home office one Saturday about a year and a half into this new normal, and realizes the boys are fighting. He hears through the wall the accusation you stole my dad. He says to himself, well that’s terrible but interjecting myself into this situation would definitely make it worse.

Then he hears sounds of violence, and then an ominous abrupt silence, and updates that analysis.

And when he opens the door to the boys’ room, Wei Wuxian is being strangled. He’s not really resisting, which is because he’s made the call that that’s way more likely to get Jiang Cheng to snap out of it, and thinks it might make Jiang Cheng feel better to get it out of his system (because he does sort of feel like what Jiang Cheng is going through is all his fault, or at any rate is much worse as a result of decisions made for his sake) and is severely underestimating the dangers of choking, but looks to a third party like he’s already passed out and Jiang Cheng is still at it. Which is to say, it looks like a serious murder attempt on the brink of success.

So that sure made that situation worse!

So yeah that's my idea that I probably won't write but it sure has its teeth in me.

[maviescafe]

THOUGHTS ON CALEB

We have him for a while now and I've been thinking…

The memories aren't release in chronological order but with Caleb I think we have a detail that the others LIs doesn't have: the bionic arm. I wonder if Infold will divide the memories in before and after it like we see in Painful Signal.

First let's understand Caleb as a person, we now know that he is the typical popular guy wherever he goes, smart good looking and social but he doesn't care about reputation, he focus on being a reliable person and have the skills necessary to escape whatever traumatized him and MC, keeping they both safe from what hurt them. His mentality is not great for someone perceived as perfect, never been and we can't pinpoint when this started but we know that he was an experiment when he was 9 or 10, maybe Josephine took him later? If the nickname Donor 002 appears in his anecdote refers to him, maybe it is possible that he was left in the lab, there is no information about his parents and if they were alive at the time. MC entering his life is also unknown but the fact that he knows she forgets, and remembers her every time makes it possible that his protectiness comes from this, and the Chip makes it 100x worse/intense. He struggles with nightmares to a point he can't even sleep, aside from a candy and soda it doesn't seem he eats like never, he is a great cook but doesn't seem like he eats, he is a buffy dude he should be eating a lot. If he goes through the day only eating Apples....

He is lonely, doesn't share anything with anyone and it's not a liked figure in the Fleet despite him being a Colonel. He knows he is just a weapon and plans to stay like this, if he can make EVER only focus on him, even if it means to be hated by everyone he will do it. But I wonder how much he knows about MC's Core and if the Spatium Core will be used to modify him. At the same time he is ready to drop everything and fly her anywhere, maybe even another planet, if she admits to only wanting to be with him!

His relationship with MC is complex, he is a complex person as much as her and with so many secrets. but one of the things he is sure about is his feelings, through the cards he is constantly saying he knows what he is doing and he is sure about his feelings but he struggles to make the move they both are waiting for (kiss counting: 2, throughout the memories we have available). It hurts seem him stuck and unable to make a move or even address feelings when they clearly have feeling for each other!

The nickname doesn't help, I know it's from a lovely place but he keeps calling Her pipsqueak (it's cute, I'll admite but he need to let it go of this name) because MC thinks he still sees her as a child, unless he changes the nickname or stop calling her that and acknowledge her as a adult she won't step forward and won't allow him to approach either. Maybe he can't let go because he doesn't want to walk away from the time he perceives as the best of their lives, when he "could" protect her if anything happens. Who knows...

Unfortunately here is where we in the Global side will loose some nuances about Caleb and MC, since English doesn't have a direct translations or transliterations for the world Gege BUT we have a reference that allow us to understand what it means. Gege (Mandarim) is translated as older guy in a respectful way and flattering way that also happens to be a form to call your older male sibling, the same works for Oppa (Korean) and Nii-chan (Japanese) but what is it for? So, we know that in Asian languages there is a word called Honorific, a noun that is used to imply and express respect for another person. It's common to refer to someone they know as Gege (older guy friend) or Jiejie (older girl friend) and it's doesn't mean the one expressing and the one receiving are related by blood, in fact it's common to address anyone older like this because it's a respectful way to refer to them. . Unlike us that don't speak Mandarin, we only use honorific in a formal environment rather than day to day life, for us using the person name in any occasion is enough.

The Colonel is a persona, he need this hat to achieve his goals! He is willing to became the villain and do anything he judges necessary to protect her, doesn't matter if she agree or not he is ok if it's to keep her safe. Kevin, Viper, Professor Lucien and the mysterious girl (Evil twin? Where this girl come from?) all know he is protecting her so maybe MC isn't the only target EVER has eyes on… unlikely. Maybe they're waiting to get something or someone (I'm deeply worried about Sylus after knowing they're after the Fountain of Atei and they're heading to the N109 zone)

Skyhaven isn't the incredible place that seemed to be, it's dangerous and EVER controls the place, the Torino Chip seems more than just a modification or enhancement, could it be Lemurian technology or something that Onych was working on, Protocore doesn't seem to be involved in this particularly. But the Farspace Fleet now has the last piece of the Spacium Core, what is stoping them to go to the Hunters Association and get the others pieces…

[scrambled-eggsed]

.

[qoldenskies]

there are a lot of parallels/lines/moments in cc that completely rely on it being in the written word (and a lot of parts that couldnt even be translated to art/animation or anything, like almost the entirety of ME) but goddddd the amount of visual parallels i could do if i ever drew it .... maybe i could fuck around for funsies anyway. get my ideas down onto the paper. i absolutely love visual storytelling man

[eternalshewolf]

You're welcome! I love the idea of Ace still being called Firefist, and Luffy (and everyone else) getting extremely overprotective

I stole "bootleg Marineford" from one of my favourite fics featuring some excellent Ace&Luffy as well as quite a lot of ASL, Ace & Marco and Ace &Whitebeard pirates, Defenders Without Fear by FawntheFox (on AO3 & ffnet). It's an AU and to quote their author note on chapter 74 (this is one loooong baby, but the payoff is worth it): "don't worry guys, no one dies at bootleg Marineford, some people just like to salsa dance a bit with death". I guess it stuck XD

A few additional headcanons:

Random WBP: how the hell did you guys get so good at throwing and catching

Ace, only half-joking: I always wanted a dog and Luffy kept following me around so I taught him to fetch

Luffy will skid the entire length of a field, end up under a pile-up of six guys and once released spring back up like a bouncy ball "I'm okay!"

Ace definitely has a Mom voice which will make Luffy stop whatever he's doing and pay attention, but the first time he pulled it out the entire team sat straighter on instinct, even Whitebeard and Marco, and Ace will not let them forget that.

Sabo played soccer in high school and definitely thinks of himself as the sane member of the family.

Most of Ace's first paychecks went to paying Luffy's last couple of years of school fees, living expenses, etc. so unlike a lot of new players who splurge at first (I assume, again I know nothing about sports), Ace kept showing up at practice with the same ratty old clothing, on a rusty old bike, until Thatch and Izou shanghaied him into getting at least a couple of new outfits so he wouldn't ruin the team's image entirely. For the first weeks Ace and Luffy were both on the team, Luffy rode on Ace's handlebars to come to pratice, which sent half the team into cardiac arrest from the cuteness and the other half from the unsafeness. With them being both more financially stable, Ace is delighted to upgrade to an actual motorbike (*wink*) but they both refuse to let go of the tiny, cramped apartment they've lived in ever since they moved out from Dadan's.

Feeding Ace and Luffy is a sisyphean task that keeps the team's trainers in despair. No diet makes any change on muscle gain, weight gain or anything else. It doesn't matter if it's chicken nuggets every day or protein shakes. However, if they do not have something to snack on every couple of hours they WILL start chewing on the furniture and biting fingers. I'm guessing Ace doesn't have narcolepsy in this AU as that would interfere with his playing.

Whitebeard hasn't had this much fun in years. Especially watching Marco trying to run herd on his "baby husky with the zoomies" (stellar description, I love it) quarterback without getting distracted by the freckles, the fluffy hair or the big dark eyes full of secrets. Once Luffy joins, Marco officially gives up on sanity and starts to enjoy himself shamelessly.

I do not care at all about sports and the sum total of my knowledge about American football is what I remember from reading Eyeshield 21 fifteen plus years ago, BUT. I am now invested in the football AU. Ace and Luffy are the mascots of the team and everyone loves them. They can do no wrong in Oyaji's eyes and he will let them get away with murder. In return, both of them are seriously devoted to making the team The Best EverTM. The first time the Whitebeards saw Ace throw a hail mary pass they swore it was going way too wide until Luffy tore down the whole length of the field, leapt like the monkey he is higher than anyone thought possible and slammed that ball down. Now the Whitebeards know to expect anything.

Also in my head Ace is the canon 2-3 years older than Luffy, and while he only became his legal guardian upon turning 18, he has helped raised him and the Whitebeards do a double-take every time responsible Ace comes out. Before Luffy joins the team Ace has to beg early off practice to go to a parent-teacher conference. After they're both on the team Ace still makes him PB&J sandwiches after practice, unruffled by doing it in front of everyone in the locker room.

Bootleg Marineford is a game where everyone (and especially Ace, under a lot of pressure) has been physically and mentally wrung out. The Marines team keep trying to sack Ace and get closer and closer, but Marco digs in his heels and makes an impassable barrier of himself. Until there's a crack in the line... And a small opening forms where Teach, who has been fighting with everyone recently, but especially Whitebeard and Ace, stands. Offensive player Akainu, who probably weighs twice what Ace does, hits him like an avalanche. Ace goes down. When Akainu is finally dragged off him, he stays down.

Luffy and Whitebeard are sprinting across the field toward Ace, but Marco's mind has hit the blue screen of death. There's nothing but static behind his eyes as he stares at his fallen quarterback.

The game is suspended and put up for a rematch. Neither Ace nor Marco, who did his level best to murder Akainu right there on the field, play.

(Ace is eventually fine, but now knows up front and personal the effects of a long-term concussion).

Claims not to know that much about American football, proceeds to clearly and accurately describe the exact plot I was also imagining—

YES! Are you KIDDING ME? This is perfect, I’ve got more

They don’t call him ‘Fire Fist’ for nothing, the kid throws missiles. The way Ace and Luffy find each other across an entire football field drops most people’s jaws.

Luffy will track the ball wherever Aces throws it. If Luffy get’s hurt in a collision catching the ball, Ace firmly believes that’s his fault.

That being said, Luffy is notoriously indestructible.

Bootleg Marineford: (That’s a hilarious thing to call it btw)

There was a flag thrown the second Ace got hit. Yes, it was Teach’s fault for leaving an open window. And. Akainu was needlessly brutal. Whitebeard was cursing him out before they even hit the ground.

Luffy was incredibly protective over Ace while he was unconscious. There were cameras everywhere.

Marco needed three people to pull him off Akainu. Instead of apologizing, he later told the media he’d gladly do it again.

Ace is out for the rest of the season. He’s absolutely devastated. That being said, he stood on the sidelines for every game.

Physical and neurological therapy were a bitch. Lots of ‘long talks’ with Pops.

Of course, Ace comes back to the field as soon as he’s better. Now, playing with the most overprotective offensive line you’ve ever seen in your life.

Thank you for writing this, it was so much fun to read!! And there’s a lot I didn't even mention like the adjusted age gap (perfect for this) and parent teacher conferences— I love it all!

[liquidstar]

sleepovers save money on hotel rooms while on missions 👍

[somecunttookmyurl]

all the while society conflates "being an adult" with "having a proper job" and "having money to make arbitrary Adult Purchases" disabled people who can't work - or can only work part time or can only do entry level baby jobs - will never be 'allowed' to be adults

you can say "being an adult is looking after yourself you don't have to have a job!!!" all you want but most people who say that will still assume anybody who doesn't either can't or won't 'look after themselves' actually. and every 'marker' of 'adulthood' that's observable and thus actually counts or whatever loops back around to... having a job and 'contributing' something

[transmascutena]

saw the akio car again

[mukipookie]

this is mostly a reflection for myself, you don't have to read this.

but fyi: i picked complicated lol.

but like tbh i genuinely find ajaw hilarious, i have since the moment we met him and that opinion hasn't changed.

this is a bit long, be warned,

I usually am not a fan of characters who are mean for the sake of being mean (ahem. fuckass. yae miko.), but Ajaw is portrayed in a comedic manner: he's rude as shit but you immediately get the deal that he's just a loud-mouthed, cocky little thing that you can bitch slap to celestia with a flick of the wrist, and that, personally, is the only way to write a bitch-character and that will make me enjoy them. cartoonish over-exaggeration to the point it's funny.

he's an absolute asshole but he frequently gets what's coming for him AND he is, in general, the embodiment of Gen Z's spirit animals smh: he behaves just like about 80% of my friends: death wishes and all. it's literally like watching a part of myself and my entire friend group be stuffed into a character and that is genuinely hilarious imo.

I think tho, since i believe u mentioned (if you, OP, are reading this) in the comments that you like kinich, but don't like the way ajaw talks to him: it would probably be interesting to dive a bit into their lore, because, at face value, they hate each other but once you read it, their duo becomes much more complicated. There is mutual respect for the other, but it's not obvious at all, especially with how they act.

And that, again is also probably why I find Ajaw so fucking hilarious: just like my friends/me fr. We have LORE, good lore, and we care about each other very very much, but the way we talk to each other: you'd think we're #1 opps out for each other's blood deadass. the sheer amount of "kill yourselves" and other violent death wishes we throw at each other has become numb to our ears to the point when someone says that to me and actually means it (like in the hell comments of my pinterest posts), I start cackling because I'VE PLAYED THESE GAMES BEFORE.

I'm completely unphased by Ajaw, if anything, say, for sake of explanation, I was kinich and I had that contract with Ajaw instead, we would get along splendidly. Solely because I would literally lose my shit with laughter every time he says something. We would bond over a shared sense of humour.

so maybe my liking for ajaw comes from the fact that he is literally the embodiment of my friends/myself. He's mean but in the same mean as when me and my friends jokingly are mean to each other so I'm not nearly as bothered by it in comparison to when a character like YAE MIKO is just a bitch in general, has no comedic effect, does not have any reliability, and has no memorable "that's actually wild" moments-

unlike ajaw who's middle name is "comedic effect" (this mf is literally natlan's comedic relief atp, ifa might be joining soon but right now it's ajaw), he can immediately be related to the average friend group of this day and age, and has multiple "that's actually wild" moments:

"kinich? have you ever wondered why you don't have any friends?"

"anemic flying ant"

"HE'S not even a real doctor!! he's a quack!! a charlatan!!"

"were you not given toys to play with as a child? is that it?"

"go bungee jumping without the rope,"

"this is a quartet !!"

*insert literally every time he get's bitchslapped by the back of kinich's hand*

and that list will only get longer as more content is released..

you get my point im sure.

i love ajaw i need to put him in a hydraulic press and watch him bleed as he gets smushed into a meat patty.

he's such a fucking bitch.

[sakamoto-gays]

The way Shin totally lost it as soon as Hana and Aoi were mentioned omfg! I'm so scared for next chapter..........

[cathymee]

maybe it's to maintain a sense of tension & turmoil that would eventually reach an explosive peak, a sense of tug-of-war, a back-and-forth to hammer home the ideals they want to deliver and for the viewers to chew on, but although these arguments regarding hiroshi & his stance as a man torn between his loyalty for his country & the loyalty for his Filipino friends and lover is of course important, how they write these scenes & the points they present from this week alone is getting too repetitive...? literally the argument scenes from last night & tonight between adelina & hiroshi is basically the same; the ideas were the same, the dynamics were the same: the aggressive, radical adelina, bristling rage and fear over the injustices she's seen thus far, and the cautious, inspiriting hiroshi, all hopefulness and reassurance one moment as a lover, defensiveness and sternness as a japanese soldier in another. this debate will be ever-present ofc, it is one of the series' biggest conflicts, but it is unfortunately so easy to tell when it is a.) being pulled up as a main topic to move the plot along / be a necessary conflict for character development/introspection / be the conflict to deliver the morals & messages the writers want to send to their viewers, or b.) when it is being pulled up only for the drama and filler to pass the time. like watching the characters sit down to argue for 10 minutes, do other things for the plot for 2 minutes, then sit down again to argue for the next 20 minutes. lol.