#rosinante | relevant

[imitormusa]

this how how the Donquixotes work right?

[moonbaby26]

Ever have such a crack dream you must document it immediately not to forget it? I have to leave for work or I’d draw something right now to make this post more interesting. But in real life I live 12 hours from my hometown. So when I visit home it’s a multiday event, sometimes with pool parties of everyone I haven’t seen in forever because my parents have a pool.

Why relevant? Because apparently I fell into a One Piece modern!au on my way home this time. And my parents invited too many damn people. The Donquixote brothers were there and having some big argument in my mom’s kitchen. In swim trunks, flip flops, and rich boy polo shirts.

I, being the idiot I am, went immediately for the aggressor to break it up and hugged/pushed Doflamingo into the counter. BUT his shirt was so soft and his body so warm it was instant brain break for me of not wanting to let go after.

So I didn’t! And he let me! Because he is a drama bitch and wanted the attention. He was still running his mouth to Rosinante. The only thing that freed me is that I remembered that before they’d distracted me, I’d been on my way to go find Luffy. He was at the party too and hadn’t been seen in a bit so I KNEW he would somehow destroy the whole house if left unchecked.

So I said something about Luffy and took off, and Doffy got pissed. Because I had already touched god body rich boy and how could I possibly have my brain on anyone else after that?

I will be writing a modern!au oneshot about this. It was too much drama not to. Thank you for tolerating my rambling 🤣

[starlightbelle]

what's your favorite devil fruit, and *who's* your favorite op antagonist for the ask meme!!

This reply is gonna be a long one! 😅 Apologies in advance for rambling

Favorite Fruit:

My favorite fruit is either Flame-Flame Fruit or Calm-Calm Fruit. Which I guess doesn't come as much of a surprise.

For whatever reason, I've always been drawn to characters with fire powers or connected to fire in some way. So naturally I think the powers of the Flame-Flame Fruit are fun! Plus they make for awesome visuals!

The Calm-Calm Fruit is different. I think what draws me to that one is its potential. Strictly speaking, we only see Rosinante use it in two distinct ways: Silent and Calm. But I'm betting there's much more to it than that. I'm convinced there are other possible applications of this power. (It's interesting to note that this fruit has yet to pop up in the story again or be shown to be used by any other user since Corazon…hmm…)

Favorite Antagonist:

Oooh the antagonist one…that's such a good question.

Doflamingo does come to mind. Interesting character, massive threat, and showcased in one of my very favorite arcs in One Piece. I'd be lying if I said he wasn't compelling.

Katakuri and King have also both caught my interest. Both powerful and with interesting stories. I'd be happy if either of them show up again (especially King bc he's fascinating and Lunarian lore is almost certainly going to become relevant again 👀)

Wait, Kaku! I cannot forget about Kaku! 🦒I liked him before he was revealed as an antagonist, and overall I find him to be really interesting and funny. I just think he's neat. 🥔

Thanks for asking these! I enjoyed answering them! (Faves ask!)

[enruiinas]

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐒: a full, mobile-friendly write up of Law's verses. As a general rule, I love exploring AUs and canon-divergent "what if" based verses and am more than happy to write ALL the verses with ALL the muns. [If there's one thing to never be shy about when approaching me, it's talking verses.] I also love collaborative verse stuff so all of these are open if you see anything you want to jump in on. Relevant TW/CWs listed after each verse. [If blacklisting a tag, please note that everything within the parenthesis is part of the tag, including the semi-colons.)

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐒:

♥ CANON ➜ Events taking place at any point throughout the timeline we've seen explored or alluded to in the manga. One day I'll break this down into pre and post-time skip subverses, but basically when I say canon it's anything from Law's childhood to the current arc. I will generally default to this unless an ask / prompt specifically requests another (OR I find something in your open verses I think it would fit.) ♥ MODERN ➜ Modern verses or spin-offs are usually developmental works in progress, but Law is generally 26, several years into a surgical residency (default: works for Kureha, completed undergrad and med school in 3 years each). Unless otherwise discussed/arranged, modern verse iterations are written with the assumption that Rosinante is alive and took Law in after he lost his family to an accident around the same age as canon. They deserve to be happy and I love the thought of Cora-san being a part of Law's day to day life. ♥ POST-CANON ➜ I haven't had a chance to explore this yet so title and details will be updated in time. This would entail anything taking place after the end of the manga/presumably after Luffy is pirate king. I've explored notions of Law & the Hearts continuing their travels, Law just being a traveling doctor, or returning to Swallow Island and essentially retiring or at least lying low for a while. I always love screaming about "what do you think happens after" possibilities.

𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐒:

[verses that were established/created with specific muns but both/all muns welcome others jumping in! feel free to direct memes or starters at any of these if there's something you see and want to play in. all muns involved in the verses listed here love collaborative verse shenanigans.]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄:

A (sometimes) canon-divergent "What If" AU built with @climatact. Explores the ideas of Bellemere living, Nami following in her footsteps to become a marine, Law & Cora-san having more time to travel together, and their search for a cure bringing them briefly to the East Blue.

TIMELINE / HIGHLIGHTS:

♥ Law & Nami first meet at ages 12 & 6 respectively, when the former's travels with Donquixote Rosinante bring them to the East in search of a cure for Law. ♥ Law's story goes on to be mostly canon-compliant. Cora-san still dies when Law is 13, he still finds his way to Swallow Island and becomes a pirate, etc. ♥ Diverges again when his path crosses with Nami's in the Grand Line 11 years down the line. ♥ Unsatisfied with her career and quickly caught up in a mutual attraction turned whirlwind romance with the captain of the Heart pirates, Nami leaves marine life behind to join Law's crew. In light of the unplanned addition of a much smaller Heart, the two trek back to Nami's island for the birth and safe delivery of Trafalgar Cora. (occurs during the canonical two-year timeskip) ♥ Six months after Cora-chan's birth, the two return to the Grand Line to head for Punk Hazard, leaving their daughter in Bellemere's care while they're gone. Becomes mostly canon-compliant again once Nami joins the Straw Hats after Punk Hazard.

T/CWs: pregnancy (#tw: pregnancy) & law x nami ship (#♡ // ship: law x nami ;)

𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐒:

A spin-off of Heartverse, also written with @climatact. Explores the same "What If"s and general timeline - only instead of leaving the Marines, Nami focuses on furthering her career to become one of the rare "good" marines, climbing the ranks while carrying out a secret romance with the Surgeon of Death. Sometime around the Dressrosa arc, Nami becomes a member of SWORD, and the two give up on efforts to hide their involvement.

T/CWs: law x nami ship (#♡ // ship: law x nami ;)

𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄:

A "from scratch" AU with @climatact based on a shared love of Greek mythology (and specifically the story of Hades & Persephone). Ft. Law as the god of the Underworld and Nami as the unfortunate mortal who ate a tangerine from the wrong grove. Foregoing the option of re-entering the cycle of life and rebirth, Nami sticks around to remain a thorn in the god's side. In time, the two put aside their initial differences and grow increasingly closer, resulting in a marriage of convenience in Law's attempts to make amends and (somewhat) reunite the mortal with her sister.

T/CWs: pregnancy (#tw: pregnancy) & law x nami ship (#♡ // ship: law x nami ;)

𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒:

Spin-off of Godverse, also written with @climatact. Taking the same starting point of the love of Hades/Persephone but applying it in a more Victorian setting. A much newer god of the Underworld, Law befriends a kind mortal woman on a rare detour to the surface. Drawn to her sunny disposition, Law finds himself making regular trips to the mortal realm to see her, explaining his long absences away as a side effect of his job as a traveling doctor.

T/CWs: law x nami ship (#♡ // ship: law x nami ;)

𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐓𝐄 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄:

A canon-divergent "What If" AU explored with @cptnslog. Explores the ideas of a young Nico Robin finding her way to the Donquixote Family, befriending a disgruntled Trafalgar Law when he joins several years later. The two become fast friends - until the day Robin wakes up to find Law presumably kidnapped by Corazon. With Rosinante's death, all plans of returning for Robin fall through, and the two go about their lives without any closure. Several years later, Robin escapes the Donquixote family, wandering for a while until she eventually finds her way to a second sinister Warlord. (Becomes mostly canon-compliant here; explores feelings of abandonment and strained relations when the two cross paths on Sabaody many years later).

Features @mingos as Donquixote Doflamingo.

Food break/still a work in progress. Still need to sit down and write-up several other verses with @cptnslog / @gumpistol, Cora-lived verses with @cptnslog / @belovedcorvid / @code01746. (Please forgive me/yell if I'm missing anything else - headache making it difficult to think right now! To add: Boa and Law arranged marriage verse with @lightinsonder, Holidate w @climatact)

[starlightbelle]

👀.

First of all you make great points about Law and Cora’s relationship not being totally akin to father&son. The jokes and memes are funny but like, I always thought that wasn’t just the case. A case could be made for big bro&little bro but it’s not just that either. I really don’t know if it can be defined, teetering between familial and platonic.

Secondly, I wonder if we’ll see more to the story too! My musings usually follow the thought that we haven’t seen the Calm-Calm Fruit pop up again, we don’t even know all of its applications! Oda hasn’t drawn it so we don’t know what it looks like. Why? If it wasn’t going to become relevant again, why wouldn’t he just show us what it looks like. (We’ve had other fruits’ designs revealed canonically recently so why omit Rosinante’s?) Or someone else could have gotten the fruit in 13 years…but we haven’t seen that.

Interesting thoughts!

Im going to say what some OP fans don't have the courage to say! It's strange how Law is more touched by Cora's death more than his own parents (which in itself brings a very different depth to their relationship, which as I said several times, far from father and son).

"But Cora died to save him!" alright, he could be grateful but not spend the rest of his life worshipping that man.

Besides, before their 6 months together, i must remind you, he hated him.

How does he accept the death of his parents who died thanks to the government so well but directs all his anger at Doflamingo because of that one man.

The fact that Corazon himself was in the navy should be at least astounding, a shock. But that doesn't change Law's love for him at all.

Having said all that, there is this air of unresolved issues around them.

- Law couldn't say he loved him

- He still talks to Cora

- "bring Cora back" (you honestly really wanted that).

- these "WHAT IF he was alive" parallels

Is it possible that more will come from Cora and Law in this final stretch of One Piece? Of course, that doesn't mean he'll come back to life but maybe there will be more memories? anything to close this chapter? Or will Law carry Cora's memory alive and well forever? (I hope so)

[mingos]

Portrayal Notes/Headcanon Masterpost

(updated periodically/as necessary).

**highly relevant context for my portrayal

PSYCHOLOGY/WORLDVIEW

**[ re: his views on "love" ] (transaction vs. reciprocation)

**[ re: his hatred of humiliation ]

**[ re: psychological impacts of his childhood ]

**[ re: the will of d. (his secret biggest fear) ]

**[ re: abandonment issues ]

**[ re: relationship with food ] (cw: disordered eating)

**[ re: the importance he places on his hands ]

HEALTH/BODY

**[ re: eyes (1) (2) ] (photophobia, myopia, ocular migraines)

[ re: chronic shoulder pain ]

[ re: physical scars ]

[ re: addiction issues ]

RELATIONSHIPS

**about: [ rosinante ] // **[ reunion as adults ]

about: [ law ]

about: [ mother ]

about: [ extended family ] (cousin mjosgard & grandfather henning)

about: [ trebol ]

about: [ vergo ]

about: [ baby 5 ]

about: [ crocodile ]

about: [ tba ]

about: [ tba ]

about: [ tba ]

about: [ tba ]

MISC.

**about: [ first bounty ]

**about: [ awakening ]

**about: [ sign language ]

about: [ november 12th ]

about: [ rosinante's birthday ]

about: [ valentine's day ]

about: [ coat ]

about: [ reading ]

about: [ music ]

about: [ tba ]

about: [ tba ]

about: [ tba ]

about: [ tba ]

AUs

[ marine au: (1) (2) ]

[ modern au: (1) (2) ]

NSFW

about: [ preferences ]

about: [ bdsm test ]

about: kinks; ( [ x. ] [ x. ] [ x. ] [ x. ] )

DASH GAMES

**[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 ]

**[ ☾ character questions ☽ ]

[ things your muse will notice about mine ]

[ 𝟑-𝟓 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘 ]

**[ ー 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ]

[ 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬. ]

[ seven deadly sins ]

[ 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃 ]

[ 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄  𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒 ]

[ who is your pokemon partner? ]

[ tba ]

[ tba ]

[zirobitches]

i am tipsy and thinking about OP so here are my people

if i only i had kept drawing out of high school and could draw them..... i could but if it's not Perfect I'll pull a kafka

anyways here's my list of my OP self-inserts/OCS

LORE ACCURATE ZIRO:

Emo bitch with a kabatt (a cat bat named Ciabatta) whose sad edginess rivals Law

CROCODILE’S FIRST MATE (AKA RUNAWAY):

A gender ambiguous Mary Jane “I’m so relevant and yet super weak but it makes sense when you consider Buggy’s everything” THEY’VE GOT IT ALL:

Sad childhood!!!!

Adopted by Roger Pirates and sees Rayliegh as their dad and Buggy and Shanks as their brothers

Became Croc’s first mate after Roger’s execution!!!

It goes poorly bc, ya know, Crocodile

Then fucks around doing nothing up until post marineford where they go “Huh I kinda miss his broke ass”

OBLIGATORY MARINE OC

Akainu’s younger sister by like 10/15 years

“I looked up to him until I realized he was the fucking worst”

Tsuru’s student and the dynamic?: “Mom, I fucked up” “Now suffer the consequences”

Rosinante’s friend

She found his body but she had to keep it secret. Worst day of her life

Adopted Drei (X Drake) to cope

She did not react well when he announced he was going undercover as a pirate

OBLIGATORY KID PIRATES OC

A bitch who goes by “Ghost” because OF COURSE HE DOES THE STUPIDASS

Wears a mask and Killer goes “Oh?” then he takes it off when he gets comfy and Killer does not know how to Feel

“I just met Quincey but if anything ever happened to her I will kill everyone in this room and then myself”

On his first anniversary of being with the crew, they gift him a mask with the Jolly Roger on it

He cried under the mask

[greeneyedsigma]

Modern AU (What About Us?) backstory/info stuff that probably won’t be relevant

Crocodile and Doflamingo were married young. In their early twenties. Crocodile would be hard-pressed to give a reason as to why she agreed to marry him but she'll be the first to admit she spent the years of 18-22 high as hell and by the time she sobered up she was ready to slit Doffy's throat.

Sakazuki and Crocodile got together after Sakazuki, an Interpol agent, was assigned to bring Doflamingo down. Throughout the investigation, Sakazuki had to interview Crocodile several times to compile as much evidence against Doffy as possible. Eventually, although inappropriate, their relationship became romantic.

Crocodile was pregnant with Ace and Sabo before her divorce was finalized and before Doflamingo was ever officially charged with anything. She was about 38 weeks pregnant when testifying in court. against her ex. (Had to look that up, because in a lot of cases Spouses cannot testify against spouses about things that happened during their marriage, but Canada changed that in 2015, and since I'm Canadian, I'm going with the more recent versions of the law. A spouse can testify if they want, but they still can't be forced.) And you can bet Doflamingo's lawyers tried to use the inappropriateness of Crocodile and Sakazuki's relationship as a reason to dismiss her testimony. But Akadile didn't hide their relationship and kept Interpol in the loop to avoid any complications with the trial.

In the present, Akadile has been together for 34 years, married for 32. Ace and Sabo were already a year old by the time Akadile tied the knot.

Non-Akadile facts:

Glory and Cancer are married; Kid actually likes his stepdad a lot. It helped that he had no frame of reference since his bio-dad died before he was born.

Sabo and Lucci live in (Not) Italy where they run a successful private security firm.

Rosinante never knew her brother (I'm mean to her often enough and feel kind of bad about it) and was adopted as an infant by Sengoku and Umi. She adopted Law soon after graduating from university. Her son was already a teen when they met. She and King have not, at the time of 'What About Us?', met. Happily single.

Ace is in the middle of a five-year journey across the country on a motorcycle. Recently, shortly before Luffy declared her desire to separate from Law, he met Killer working at a bar in Vegas (or a fictional equivalent). He'll be rushing home to make sure Luffy's okay but will be returning to see Killer after everything's settled.

[ladeaeveld]

I see!!

And I am actually starting to feel quite stupid because, you see, there is EXACTLY THE SAME kind of confusion with my native language, and I just ... ignored it …

My native language is Russian, and following the format you suggested, the ranks would be "…, 10, Валет, Дама, Король, Туз, 2, …", which translates to "Valet, Dame/Lady, King, Ace" with the initials В, Д, К, Т, and the letter Д stands for (almost) the same sound as D and being hand-written, a capital letter Д has a form very close to a hand-written capital letter D. The similarity between block letters is less evident due to differences between Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. Still, nevertheless, my partner asked me several times why I made Law into a Queen 🙈🙈🙈 I just kind of decided it wouldn't be important since I am making them in English. The thought of maybe checking other languages that have Latin alphabets didn't even cross my mind! It's super cringe because I started learning Deutsch not so long ago!! So thanks for the very relevant piece of information, and sorry about the confusion! <(＿ ＿)>

Or I can just say that Law is Dame because he is one of the Damsels in Distress of this arc xD

We have almost finished Dressrosa, and now I am confident I should have used three Kings for the goals I mentioned because of how many heart-related symbols Law uses (Heart Pirates, tattoos, jacket with "corazón" written on the back) and how much all of that pisses Doflamingo off (this is the bit I learnt in the recently watched episodes). So choosing the King (of Hearts) would be perfect in this sense! And there would be no confusion… Sometimes first ideas are actually the best ones. Maybe I will post a corrected version later :D But I am glad I messed this up because it led to having this conversation, and I am enjoying it very much!!

I love your thoughts on the possible ranks for the set; both make a lot of sense!

Regarding Jack, I have the same associations with the card, part of the upper class but a servant position. So I agree that Doffy being the King, Rosinante the Queen and Law the Jack are very reasonable from an "if Dressrosa would have worked out" point of view.

Ace for Vergo makes sense in my head too! I assume it's related to the fact that he was there from the beginning of the creation of the Donquixote family and had his special mission outside the family? So definitely a high-ranking and significant card, but not exactly with, umm, a title?

And I really love the idea of Law and Doffy both being Jokers!! Since they are seen as parallels sometimes in the series, it is particularly interesting. And I think their designs' colour palettes in Dressrosa really help this vision 🤔 Just as there are two Jokers in the deck, one for red suits and one for black suits, with red suits' design usually leaning towards lighter, brighter, reddish colours (bright pinks/magenta are the main colours for Doffy and there was even a solid red in the flashback) and black suits leaning towards darker and bluish colours (the colours often present in Law's clothes design); also, as a fun observation, both suits often use different yellows, which are seen in both Doflamingo and Law designs, but more in their outfits from other arcs.

(ง •_•)ง

[imitormusa]

corazon smokes newport menthol kings beckman hand rolls his cigarettes but will smoke camel non filters paulie is a cigar guy but smokes marlboros when he can’t get his brand of cigars mallt was a virginia slim 120s kind of gal until she quit

[physicalturian]

[18+] Words of pleasure - Law x F!Reader - Part 10 (Last)

[No spoilers] [Modern AU - College AU] [She/her pronouns used for the reader, no physical description; Everyone +18] Words : 8634 Archive of our own

Warning : Power play / Dom/sub Dynamics / Control / Oral / Discipline / Voyeurism / Brat / Shibari / Impact play / Tears (from dick uh) / Protected sex / Aftercare / Edging / Pet names The voyeurism part is only for part of it. For those who do not know what 'voyeurism' is, it means someone is watching - It's done with everyone's consent.; The tears are purely deep dick in throat; Don’t forget there are oral protections for when you give head to someone, or receive it tbh, to avoid STD’s.

If you feel like I should add more warnings, send me a dm or and ask

– Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9

There stood Rosinante. And clearly, Law was not expecting him to come by. I hurriedly covered myself, but it was too late, and the blond man seemed to have enjoyed the sight as he looked at my hands gripping the lapel tight before looking at me with a grin. “I see you’ve got company Traffy,”

“I’m guessing the date went well-“ “I asked you a question Cora, what do you want?” I felt the tension between the two men, clearly Law was annoyed by the interruption which was not the most welcomed right now. I was about to sneak out of sight when I saw the delivery girl in the back, she looked at the device in her hand, confused. I nudged Law’s side to get his attention and he told Rosinante to get out of the way so he could get the takeout.

 When he did, I walked past him and exchanged the money Law had handed me, for the bag of food in her hand. I saw her glimpse at my chest and quickly bid her goodbye before shuffling back inside and putting everything back on the table. When I joined the black-haired man’s side, he told me to go on and start eating without him, he had to talk with the blond. I half-heartedly accepted and went back to the dining room where I unpacked everything. While I did so, I paid attention to what was being said in the corridor.

 “-It wouldn’t be the first time, I don’t see why you don’t want to Law,” I heard the blond almost whine.

“Did you really think that coming all the way here would make me accept the offer? This is different than the other times,” Law replied, his tone stern and still laced with annoyance. I made sure to not seem like I was listening as I started eating.

“I’m just saying, if that’s what she’s into, I’m the man for the job-“ “I didn’t ask, and we’re taking things slow,” Law’s answer made Rosinante laugh, it quickly turned into a gasp as I heard a thud before their conversation resumed.

 “That’s not what the rope around her breasts says,” I turned around to look at them in shock, and quickly turned back to face my food when both of them looked my way. Fuck, be discrete, you haven’t heard anything.

 Law sighed and I heard the door lock, it was followed by shoes hitting the parquet. “I’m not taking a decision without her, first we eat, then we talk,”

“It’s alright I’ve already eaten,” I heard Rosinante’s deep voice getting closer, and Law’s reply even more, “I didn’t ask, there is none for you, sit down and don’t talk,”

 From the interactions between the two, I felt like there was bad blood between the two of them which clashed with the man now sitting right next to Law in front of me. Law was sitting at the end of the table, Rosinante on his right and me on his left. I wrapped the bathrobe tighter around me, throwing a glance at Law and fidgeted on my seat. Was it his way of playing with my appreciation of ‘giving a show’ as he put it? “Don’t mind him, eat,”

 “It’s kind of hard not to, he’s staring right at me and he’s pretty big,” Facing the blond, I quirked a brow, going back to be in control. “Why are you here? Do you need something? We were a bit busy until you arrived, and while I respect that you’re his colleague, I think he’s not on shift right now.” I stated with as much professionalism as I could. I was not going to speak in Law’s stead, but I was frustrated by the interruption, if it had just been the delivery girl, we could have gone back to our little game once the door was closed. But here, I felt myself run cold… And burning at the same time, I was very aware of the restrictions around my form, after all, how could I not?

 I felt Law’s hand on my thigh after my question and had to muster all my strength not to move in startlement. I hope the blond hadn’t seen my reaction, after all I knew he had caught a glimpse of the rope work under my robe, but he did not show any sign of awkwardness. “It’s not work related, don’t you worry, actually it’s more of a leisurely visit,” The blond rolled up his sleeves and leaned back on his chair, almost tumbling back before grabbing the edge of the table and catching himself. Ignoring his almost-accident, I kept eating and did not ask any more question. I exchanged a few glances with Law when his hand traveled higher on my thigh.

 I didn’t know what games he was playing, and I didn’t know why he was being so daring when his colleague was there… but I liked it. To make him understand I was on board, I spread my legs wider and as I made it so it looked like I was seating back properly, I moved his hand even higher.

 I heard a huff coming from him as he continued eating. While his eyes were on his plate, his nails dug themselves inside my skin ever so lightly before going up and down my thigh. My attention being solely on his touch under the table, I almost forgot the man right in front of us who was silent up until now, “You know, Law, I understand you telling me to wait until you’re done eating and all that, but you can’t say that and then start the fun right under my nose,”

 Confused, and thinking he knew, I grabbed Law’s hand from going any higher, but he deftly moved my hand from his and held my thigh tightly. He was rubbing my inner thigh, letting his hand graze my crotch many times without even reacting. I had to put everything down when I was getting too excited to finish my plate, thinking I’d finish the rest after the eventful night I was promised those past few nights by HandSurgeon. “Then ask her, see how it goes,” Law almost spat, giving Rosinante a glare that I wouldn’t have wanted to be the receiving end of.

 ‘Cora’ however was unbothered, his grin only widening as he leaned further on the table. I felt a foot bump against mine under the able but did not say anything. “See, with Law here, we sometimes have interesting nights-“ “It was two times, Cora,”

“Actually, it was three, don’t you remember the one a few months ago who really wanted-“ Law interrupted him by standing up and taking our two plates from the table, leaving me exposed as I quickly covered my thigh with the robe.

 Looking at me with a smug smile, the blond whispered, “It’s actually three times like this, but we sometimes do other things- not like we fuck, but-“ Surprised by his words, I did not let it show on my face and made a gesture with my hand to tell him to go on, “Just, stop beating around the bush, I really don’t care what he, or you, used to do,” I shrugged, still curious about what they used to do. I was not going to be nosy and ask but part of me hoped he wouldn’t keep doing whatever they used to do when we’ll really be together… Unless we’ve talked about it.

 “Right, I feel like you kinda like showing off, am I wrong?” I couldn’t blame him for going straight to the point as I asked, but his question caught me off guard and I threw a glance at Law who was coming back from the kitchen with a neutral expression on his face.

 Looking at Law, embarrassed, I said, “Did you tell him about-“ “I didn’t tell him anything, I’d live better if he did not meddle with my shit, believe me,” Law replied before I could finish my sentence. I looked back at the blond and shrugged, “I don’t really know why it’s relevant,” I started, my face heating up. What was one supposed to do in this situation? I was not about to tell that stranger what turned me on, even though he seemed to have pinpointed the right thing. Denying sounded like a nice option though.

 “You’re not making it easier on me,” The blond glanced at Law, asking him to help out without words. He had seemed cocky enough to preach what he did many times with Law but was starting to get cold feet. Law quirked a brow and asked me to get up, which I did with him, my eyes still riveted on Rosinante. I was then brought to the bedroom, feeling Rosinante’s intense gaze following us. Once we were inside the room, Law left the door open and approached me.

 “The offer is simple, do you want to hear it?” He pulled me closer, sliding his hands inside the bathrobe to rest them on my hips, his thumbs brushing over the skin oh so delicately. “Go ahead, I’m really curious of what you might offer that won’t be ruined by your great colleague-“ “The attitude stays outside the bedroom, let’s start again. Do you want to hear the offer?” He breathed right next to my ear more sternly, his grip on my hips was tighter.

 I held his forearm and held back a huff, mumbled, “Yes sir” I don’t believe I had said it in front of him, ever, since we learnt about one another. And it felt ten times worse than saying it to a stranger online, this time I could see the smirk on his face when he looked at me with a certain pride, my body was burning up from simply folding, submitting, over nothing. And I was enjoying it.

 “He likes to watch, you like to be looked at, you like being the center of attention,” he explained slowly. His hands were now gripping the lapel of the bathrobe, I held his hands to stop them from removing the item just yet. “I don’t know… it seemed like you didn’t want to do any of this, earlier. You seemed angry at him, maybe we shouldn’t have him here,” I said softly, earning an earnest smile from the man in front of me as he cradled my face in his hands.

 “Because he is wasting my time while I could be having you on your knees, your mouth eager to do your best to please me…” My eyes widened, his action was tender, but his words were salacious, and yet it mixed so well together. “Or maybe tonight could be all about you, I believe I promised I’d tie you up to the bedpost, or maybe we could work on more discipline, I remember you enjoyed it greatly,” He paused and gauged my reactions. I was breathing more heavily than moments ago, recalling his promises.

 The more he talked, the more I felt this need to prove I could take whatever he gave me. I wanted him to praise me like he did so many times before, I wanted him to be able to flaunt me, and what better way to do so than to give him a show, to him and his friend. “He doesn’t join, he just watches, right?” I asked in a low tone, my eyes darting at the blond who was watching us from the dining table. He had his elbow resting on the table, his head leaning on his fist while smiling lazily. “That’s the plan, it’s purely sexual,” Law forced me to look at him, his fingers on my chin, “Just because he’s there doesn’t mean I won’t be taking care of you, it’s sexual for him, but it’s something different for us, understood?”

 “I just ignore him, then?”

“No, no, you better be fully aware of him, know you’re being watched…” He slowly helped me shrug off the bathrobe, placing himself in front of me to block the sight to Rosinante. “And I’d expect my girl to give us a show I know she’s capable of, so do you agree?” This was exciting, I never expected to be part of something like this. And with or without the blond man in the other room, I would have still felt over the moon knowing what Law was about to do to me. “Yes, do we still use the colours? In case I want to stop, for any specific reason- not that I think I will use it, I trust you-“

 “Colours, yes. But remember that even if you trust me, you can stop everything. The moment it’s too much, not that I aim for it to be, you tell me. Are we clear?” There was real worry in his eyes, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes playfully but nodded. Wanting to get started, I looked at him with a widening smile and let my hand wander to the knot of his sweatpants.

“I do remember our conversations you know, no need to repeat yourself,” I started, “And you haven’t fucked my brains out enough for me to forget it, just yet. Maybe it was an empty promise,” I was stopped dead in my tracks by his hand gripping mine.

 “Then you remember I said to be patient, and to leave the attitude out of the bedroom,” He said in faux-politeness as he pulled me closer, his hand let go of mine to pull at the leash-like rope around my neck. I huffed a chuckle and looked at him, satisfied.

“The door’s open, it came back rushing in,” I breathed out, talking about the attitude I supposedly left outside the room.

 Law watched me a moment before humming, a dark smile on his lips, “You want to play it like that, let’s,” he stepped away from me and I felt a shiver run down my spine, I wanted to get things heated because it had started quieting down, but now I had a price to pay. I had barely done anything, but Law jumped on the occasion to take the attitude down a notch. He grinned mischievously and told me to follow him as he sat at the edge of the bed and told me to kneel in front of him.

 “Are you serious-“ “Color?”

I huffed, “Green.”

“Then I’m deadly serious, on your knees.” His tone was stern, but his face showed something else. His half-lidded eyes watched me make way towards him and stop right in front of him. I threw a quick glance at the blond through the doorway and saw him with the seat fully facing the room and his hands on his lap for now. He gestured for me to go on. My eyes widened at that, does he expect me to listen to him? I looked back at Law and instead of kneeling in front of him, I placed my hands on his shoulders and moved one of my leg over his to straddle him.

 He gripped the back of my legs tight to get me off of him, “Are you acting out on purpose, to give Cora a show? Is this what’s going on?” He asked, while standing up, power dripping off his voice. I wanted to tell him no, but I think I did. It felt weird to submit in front of someone other than Law, and I wanted to put it off as long as I could. I looked to the side once more, this time Law gripped my chin forcefully to make me look at him, “Is my girl getting shy?” He asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his lips grazing my lobe. “I’ll say it only once: when I ask you a question, you answer, go,” He slid his hand to the back of my neck and made me look at him.

 “I’m not shy, I’m just not used to this- and you surprised me with asking me to get on my knees,” I whispered back, noticing the grin that spread on his face.

“Don’t play the innocent act, I recall you were very eager to suck your toy off when it was just you and me, correct?” He breathed against my neck as his fingers slipped over the rope to grab my ass and bring my leg over his, still standing up. His other hand grazed over my ass, then I felt his fingers brush between my legs and gasped. I gripped his hand before trying to have his fingers touch my clit, but it had the opposite effect.

 Grunting, he slapped my hand off his and held me in place, “Look at you, grinding against my fingers already. Don’t tell me you’re that desperate yet?”

“I’m not, you’re talking more than you’re doing, right now,” I regretted it instantly when a scowl formed on his forehead, quickly turning into an expression that said he accepted the challenge.

 “That needy look of yours says something else. Here, I’ll help you out, but first,” He stepped away from me and sat on the bed, his legs open wide, “First we’ll put you back in your place. I have the perfect gag for that pretty mouth of yours,”

 I was about to kneel when I noticed he was still fully dressed, when I reached for his shirt, he gripped my wrists tight. “That’s one too many, if you’re in a bratty mood then all I’ll have to do is discipline you, don’t you agree?” I agree, whispering a ‘yes sir’ which made him laugh as he told me to get on my knees, hands behind my back. He then stood up and went to the drawer behind me. I did as he told me, knowing I had crossed the limit but couldn’t help but feel excited.

 “We’re going to test that patience of yours, look at me,” When I did, a smirk pulled the corner of his lips. I followed his form until he was sitting in front of me, I could see the bulge in his pants that at this point demanded to be freed, when I glanced at it, Law’s smirk only widened. “Let me tell you how good you look on your knees like that,” He praised as he leaned back only slightly on one of his hand as the other held what I believe was a riding crop. The latter placed itself under my chin to raise it up, “Here’s what’s going to happen: you use that mouth for something good, no touching, if I see you trying to move your hands….” He trailed off and looked at the riding crop.

 “Then I strike you.”

 He paused, gauging my reaction. And from the way my breath hitched in my throat, he had guessed I would enjoy it. “If you want to stop, you make a peace sign with your hand behind your back, understood?” I nodded, and he told me to do one right now to make sure I understood. Once I did, he smiled genuinely and pulled out his cock from his sweatpants. It was now fully erected and while I had seen it through different pictures, I wanted it more now. He stroked his cock lazily a few times, then beckoned me to come closer, “Open your mouth,” he slid it in slowly, praising me as he did so, “There we go, good girl,”

 Instinctively, I was about to move my hands to grab the base of his cock but was struck before I could do so. I moaned at the stinging pain, breathing through my nose before starting to bob my head the best I could without the balance of my hand. I started licking him slowly, making sure to let my tongue press the tip of his cock more than the rest, suckling on the tip from time to time. I relished in the groans it elated from him. His free hand slid to the base of my neck, maybe he was unsure of how I’d react if he did more.

 Dragging my lips back and forth on his length, making sure to use my tongue around it, I twirled my tongue around his tip, looking him dead in the eyes. “Grab my hair, are you the one feeling shy now, doc?” I licked my lips when he grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled my head back to have me look at him from a different angle. I gasped at the pain, my mouth open yet smiling, so was he. He was smiling smugly as he looked down at me, enjoying the sight a lot more than he was showing it. I moved a bit to use my heel to get some friction and was struck down to stop.

 Chuckling breathlessly, I quirked a brow, it only unnerved him more, “You’re being a lot more disobedient when we have company, I can’t have him think you’re untamed now, can I?” He breathed against my lips, I closed my eyes, expecting a kiss from him but was met with a leathery texture. Opening my eyes, I realized Law was brushing the riding crop over my lips, I opened my mouth once more, he did not wait to brush it over my tongue. Giving it a little tap, startling me before bringing his hand that was holding it, over my shoulder.

 “So desperate for it, so eager… But so, fucking, insubordinate- if you want it so bad you better start taking it,” He breathed, “And it’s: yes sir, not doc,” Without further warning, he shoved my head over his cock, and I moaned around it when I felt it hit the back of my throat. It made him laugh breathlessly, groaning at the same time as he kept guiding my head onto his cock. When I hollowed my cheeks around it, a sigh escaped his lips and he paused for a moment, leaning in. Before he could speak, I uttered, “Did I say you could stop?”

 His brows raised and all playfulness was gone from his eyes, mine widened and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Fuck, I shouldn’t have done that, I thought as I straightened my back, about to move my hands to hold his thighs, I was struck down before I could do anything. The moan that escaped my lips was more embarrassing than anything, I could feel a rush of heat coursing through my body. He let go of my hair and instead gripped my jaw tightly, “I can’t praise you when you’re being anything but good,” He said sternly,

 “From what I’m seeing, you want it rough, and I’m ready to give it...” He trailed off, his eyes traveling over my form while his finger brushed over my drooling lips, “Unless you make it up to me, and stop fighting me,” I averted my eyes, thinking, but quickly looked back at Law when he tutted me, saying “Eyes over here,”

 “Keep that little game up and I promise, I’ll have you tied up in the middle of the bed with a toy inside you and no fucking relief,” He said loud enough for Rosinante to hear it, I tried to glance at him but had Law’s leg in the way and huffed, “Or you give up the reins, and let me lead the dance,” He continued, his finger pulling my lip down before opening my mouth, his thumb on my teeth. I licked it without answering, hands still behind my back.

 “So, what do you say, are you going to be good now?” I nodded. He struck me down, I gasped in pleasure feeling the new spot on my back sting more than the other times, “What did I say? Words.”

With his finger still in my mouth, I articulated the best I could, “I’ll be good, sir. I’m sorry-“ “You will be, let’s have you apologize properly hm? Open wide,” Once again, I took him in, I did not waste time to try and take him deeper than I had before, making him moan out of breath as his hand settled under my chin on my throat. He wasn’t gripping it tightly; If anything, I believe he was feeling the bulge of his cock in my throat and getting off on knowing he did that.

 I saw his composure slip as he leaned back and started bucking his hips in my mouth, “That’s it, take it- all- like a good- little- pet-“ Each words were emphasized by a thrust, I tried to meet them all and could feel tears streaming down my face at the effort it took fort me not to gag. Sounds of our heavy breathings and moans, mixed with groans of pleasure, echoed on the walls until he pulled out. He had stopped himself before reaching climax and was still very hard, I licked his cock clean before wiping my mouth and chin on his pants.

 With a lazy smile, he leaned in and grabbed the rope to pull me closer, his lips ghosting over mine, “Are you going to behave, now?”

Raised on my knees, I tried to meet his lips, but he struck me without thinking twice about it, “A question, an answer, is it so hard?” I shook my head, gulping and replied in a sore voice, “I’ll behave, sir.” He then whispered, “Good girl,” before bringing me into a kiss, tender at first but it quickly turned more hungry, more needy. I wanted to bring him closer, taking his face in my hands to feel him but focused on keeping my hands behind my back.

 He must have sensed my struggle since he broke the kiss to look at me intently, “While you do look good on your knees…” He let go of the rope and stood up, making sure to take the riding crop with him. I tensed when I felt it touch my back, knowing how raw my skin was, and how it still felt like it was burning. Yet, I wanted to lean in, and I was ready to beg for more. But instead, I looked straight ahead, and waited. “When I say good, I mean, exquisite…” I moved my hands to my lap, thinking it’d be better for him.

 I was wrong. “I didn’t say you could do that,” Another hit, this time at the juncture of my shoulder blade and my neck, another breathless moan, another quick move as I brought my hands back in my back. I was startled once more when I felt his presence over me, his lips brushing over my ear, “I knew you’d make the most sinful sounds,” His teeth grazed the shell of my ear, biting it just enough to feel them.

 ���But I think seeing the tears rolling down your face,” he started, gripping my chin tightly to make me look up at him, my jaw clenched, “… and your pretty mouth fucked out, unable to talk back, that’s how I want it,” He continued, his eyes riveted on the drying tears on my cheeks as his thumb brushed over them. He then leaned over and placed a kiss on my forehead, “You did good. Now, let’s get my girl in a more comfortable position, what do you say?” I didn’t move but whispered back in agreement. It made him laugh as he let go of my face and told me that I could move.

 I had to hold onto his arm when I stood up and wobbled. Having stayed on my knees too long made my articulations hurt but it felt good to finally be standing, it did not last long when Law had me lay down on my back after making sure I was alright. “I’m alright, in fact I could have taken it a bit longer, if you want to know,” I told him teasingly, talking about his thrusts in my throat. He stopped mid-way, a knee on the bed, still wearing his pants. “Your sore voice says otherwise,” he replied in a tone just as light, he gave me a once over before leaning to the side and getting an unopened bottle of water from the side of the bed.

 “If you’re still that eager, we better take care of you before any more fun, mh?” Opening it, he told me to drink some more before continuing, I reached out for the bottle and saw that my hands were slightly shaking. I thought it wasn’t noticeable until Law scooted closer and was ready to help me drink. I simply took the bottle from his hand, brought a pillow to cover my front and took large gulps, maybe letting some spill down my chin and over my throat.

 Law watched me carefully, an interested smile on his face, “It’s funny how you’re trying to act decent by covering yourself, and yet, intentionally bring my attention to you,” He took the bottle from my hand and put it on the nightstand before pushing me down and throwing the pillow away. His lips latched onto my throat as he licked the trickling drop away, starting from the bottom to finally reach my chin where he kissed my lips softly. “Let’s ruin that made-up sense of decency and make it as debauched as we can,”

 Kissing him back, I chuckled at how promising it sounded and suggested enthusiastically, “Then let’s start by taking those pants off,” When I slithered my hands to the string of his pants, he quickly pinned them over my head making me yelp in surprise, and excitement once more. I wrapped my hands the best I could around his, or at least touched the back of his hand with the tip of my fingers, “Let’s make something clear, because you seem to forget I’m the one who’s leading this dance,” He started, his free hand hovering right above my breast as he very delicately ghosted his finger over my nipple, making me gasp when I felt the wetness from his skin.

 I looked at him more carefully and saw him dip his finger inside the water bottle to just have me even more sensitive as he brushed it against my skin. All the while playing with my nipples, he spoke, “That mouth of yours is allowed to do four things. One, answer when I ask a question, two, beg, three, moan, four, scream my fucking name. Is that understood?” Although he asked it in a stern tone, making sure I was going to obey and not act out, I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I nodded, “Yes, sir,” I was thoroughly enjoying the sight of him with his lips, mere breaths away from my nipple.

 Looking at him expectantly, I bit the inside of my lips as he approached closer and closer, his breath cooling the wetness on my skin. I let out a satisfied sigh when I felt his warm tongue balancing the coldness of my hardened nipple. Thinking he was solely focused on my breasts; I was surprised when I felt his hand slowly travel down my stomach and to my thighs. He paused there and drummed his fingers there a moment before starting to draw little patterns with the tip of his fingers. I wasn’t getting anything. His tongue was working on my breasts, but that was it. I wanted more, I needed more.

So, I threw a glance at the door, but I couldn’t see anything from this angle. Casting my pride aside, I mumbled Law’s name, followed by, “Please…” He stopped everything, and quirked a brow, a smug smile on his lips, “I didn’t quite catch that, pet. A bit louder, go ahead,” His tongue resumed its work on my nipples, this time his hands joining. I was trying to arch my back to feel him more, my breathing getting only heavier, it made it impossible to not feel the ropes around my form. “I’m not hearing anything, maybe I should stop-“ “Please, sir… Please, more, everything,”

 “Good girl,” He breathed against my lips before pressing his against mine very slowly, his tongue prying my mouth open as he deepened the kiss. It heated up quickly, I threaded my hands through his hair to pull him closer only to have him laugh breathlessly as he broke the kiss. “Show me how bad you want it,” He sat back on the bed, still between my legs and wrapped my legs around his hips, he started kissing my inner thigh softly as he spoke, “I’ll be right there, and you will be touching yourself for me,”

 Sitting up, I quickly moved my hands behind my back to show him I wasn’t doing anything with them, and saw the grin displayed on his lips. I continued, “Law- really? No, please, I don’t want to wait any longer, please?” Pulling me closer by my thighs, I gasped and almost lost balance but gripped his forearms tightly. “You’ll wait, because I told you to. You want to be good, don’t you?” A shiver ran down my spine, I looked off to the side but didn’t reply. He continued, “You think I forgot, all that we talked about those past few nights?” He whispered against my ear.

 “How desperate you were for me to guide you, obeying each of my command…” He left a kiss behind my ear, trailing to the side of my neck, the hair on my body rose, I was thrilled. I felt his hand travel up my body, to one of my arms, down to my hand were the held me a moment, “And how little time it took for you to show off,” He brought my hand between our body, I reached for his pants but he tutted me, “to spread those legs,” He spread his, spreading mine in the process, “and to touch yourself to the sound of my voice?” I wasn’t looking at him, instead my eyes were focused on his body, on how his hand felt around mine.

 “Not with your friend here, please,” I whispered hesitantly. It felt more intimate like this, to touch yourself in front of someone, than being literally fucked in front of someone, I was afraid Law would find it annoying but instead he chuckled. “He left a moment ago, when I brought you on the bed, I told him to leave,” He explained. I rose to my knees to look behind Law’s back and indeed saw that no one was on the chair, I felt more comfortable to do as Law suggested, but wanted to hear more of him. When I sat back, my legs still around his hips, he looked at me with a look of almost-hunger.

 I chuckled nervously, never leaving his gaze. With a smug smile, his free hand caressed my throat slowly. “That doesn’t mean we’re done, I believe I was reminding you of how obedient you were before and how much you misbehaved tonight, mh?” “I’m good now, I promise,” I said clearly, not wanting to let it transpire that I kind of enjoyed how he handled the attitude.

“Then, show me how good you are, pet,” He guided my hand between my legs, and pressed my fingers with his, right behind my hand. “I’m sure you know what to do from there,” I nodded, and did exactly as he wanted, to help I rested my forehead on his shoulder and closed my eyes to focus more but was quickly stopped.

 “That won’t do, show me your pretty face,” When I did, he smiled and pressed his lips on my throat, “That’s it, a lot better, good girl,” I let out a shaky breath upon hearing the words, and had to hold myself back from leaning back on his shoulder. It became harder when his tongue trailed down my neck, leaving hickeys all over it, but he was still talking between as he busied himself,

 Isn’t it easier like that? To do exactly as I tell you. I find it easier to praise my girl when she is acting like the good girl, I know she is. Not when she’s bratting out. Needy for my cock. Eager to get fucked. Desperately clinging onto the power. Not letting go of it. But we both know you relish in being powerless, don’t you? Being told what to do. I can see how much you enjoy it. Look at you, fucking yourself on my lap. If you keep making those sounds, I won’t be able to hold back, doll.

 Meeting his gaze once more, I said his name in the most desperate way I could. I didn’t want him to hold back, I wanted him to fuck me. Feeling myself getting close, I stopped and held onto Law’s shoulders before starting to roll my hips over his. He groaned and stopped talking, instead he gripped my hips forcefully to hold me in place. “Such a needy little thing, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for my answer to throw me on my back and take off his pants. He reached out for the drawer in his nightstand and pulled out a condom before kneeling back between my legs and rolling the condom on.

 “Seeing how fucking needy you are, I would be tempted to see how many times I can make you cum until you’re finally satiated,” He looked me up and down before smirking, “But I think you’ve had quite a ride tonight,” I nodded, arching my back at the feeling of the sheets brushing against my pained back. Grinning, Law slid a hand between my leg and hovered there a moment, “Did you go a good job, or do I need to finger you myself?” It wasn’t a need more than a want, I would never say no to feeling his hands in me, on me, touching me, playing me like a toy.

 I wanted to tell him, “Law, just fuck me,” but I knew he wouldn’t like that, there was a power dynamic at play right now, I had to remember that. Yet I was also tempted to taunt him, get him more riled up but thought against it. It took some restraint, but I said, “I’m good-“ “Oh, I know you are, you are being very good, and I’m sure you’ll feel just as,” his elbows hooked under my knees, he did not waste time and started sheathing himself slowly, groaning in the process.

 A satisfied smile made its way on my lips, it felt so good, feeling him stretching me out, his hands gripping my legs with so much force it made the experience only more ecstatic. I pulled myself closer to him, making him hiss as he tried to hold back more sounds of pleasure from escaping his lips. Once he was fully in, he leaned in a moment, the muscles in my thighs were stretching but I was loving it. “What if I kept you like this?” I looked at him wide-eyed, about to refuse, but he continued, “That expression on your face, I’ll be sure to do it another time, but I want to make good use of my fucktoy tonight.”

 Pressing a kiss to my cheek, he trailed down and nibble the skin of my neck, “That’s what you are, mm? A good girl, but also my pretty little fucktoy,” He wanted me to say it, it felt weird to say it out loud, it didn’t want to roll of my tongue.

 Bucking his hips inside me, Law grunted, “I asked you a question,” I let out a breathless pant, my head diving in the pillows, “Sure, yes, I’m your fucktoy,” I huffed, trying to meet his hips once more, but he held me in place and pinned my hands over my head once more, his free hand turning my face to look at him. “Try again, without the attitude, I want to see your embarrassed face, I did say I’d ruin that silly pride of yours, did I not?” He asked rhetorically as he started thrusting very slowly inside me.

 Meeting his gaze, I felt my body heat up and stared at him the best I could, my mouth gasping soundlessly at each of his thrusts. When I closed my eyes to enjoy it more, he stopped, “You’re not going to get it, if you don’t say it, I am a patient man,” The way my name rolled of his tongue, made it a lot more sinful than I thought it could be. The staring contest lasted a few moments before I let it leave my mouth in a low tone, when I looked off to the side, I was tutted again and forced myself to look at him, jaw clenched, “I am your fucktoy, sir.”

 The smug smile on his face made me believe I was done with this, but his grip on my hands tightened when he leaned in and kissed me softly. It felt warm, and reassuring, unlike the grin that was now displayed on his lips, “Guess I’ll have to make you say it with more enthusiasm,” The pace of his thrusts quickened and deepened, each followed by a grunt. The expression on his face didn’t change, he was looking at me as if challenging me, I did not even try to match it, I was enjoying it too much.

 Mouth wide open, moans escaping my throat, back arched to meet each of his thrusts, my legs wrapped tighter around him to try and keep him deep inside me. My heels were digging his back, soon his thrusting was accompanied by soft praises, telling me how good I made him feel, how much he was enjoying the sight of me splayed out for him like that. My breath was erratic, I had a harder time to breath with the ropes, but I could still breathe well enough. It felt so good. I hadn’t realized I had begged for more until I heard his chuckle, “You’re taking me so well, let’s see how good you’ll do when you’re on your knees,” He pulled out and told me to turn around.

 With shaky limbs, I did as he gestured and pressed my chest on the bed, my hands on each side of my head, my ass up. As his hands caressed my ass, his cock teasing me, he leaned over and in a gentle voice asked my color, “Green, green,” I repeated it in case he hadn’t heard me with my head pressed against the mattress. One of his hand gently placed itself on my head and brushed my hair softly, before tracing his hand on my back, grazing his nails on my skin on the way. I whimpered at the sudden feeling, feeling even more elated.

 Without further warning, he slid his cock back in and started fucking me senseless, he did not take his time. He was going in wildly, slamming hips against his without ever stopping. I was moaning loudly, my hands gripping the sheets, when I tried to move one of my hand to touch my clit, he laughed and told me to not move them. I whined, thinking I wouldn’t get any of that heaven sent pleasure, but was caught off guard when one of his hand did exactly what I needed. His finger was playing with my clit, all the while his cock was being rammed mercilessly inside me.

 When my teeth clenched around the sheet to try to hold back my loud moaning, Law only went harder but more erratically, “I believe I said your mouth could do four things, mind reminding them to me?” I nodded against the mattress, but didn’t go ahead, I felt him move and felt the sudden stinging pain of the riding crop hitting my ass. A half-pain, half-pleasure gasp left my lips, as I obeyed, “Answer your- questions,” I breathed, wanting to cover my mouth when I interrupted myself by panting more groans. “Beg,” a strong thrust, a moan, “moan,” and again. “Scream your name-“ I felt his lips pressed against my neck as he whispered a praise, “That’s my girl,”

 “Now, since you’re being so good, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, yes?” I nodded, he lazily played with my clit as his thrusts slowed down while he talked, “If by the time you’re going to cum, you haven’t admitted you’re my pretty little fucktoy,” he threaded his fingers through my hair and lifted my head to have me look at him, “And mean it, then I’ll stop, understood?” I looked at him through tired eyes, and yet with surprise. He wouldn’t do that, would he? As he if heard my thought, he smiled at me, a smile that told me he was entirely willing to do so. “Yes, sir.”

 The fingers that were threaded through my hair slid to my cheek and caressed it gently, “You’re so beautiful like that, let’s have you even more fucked out, mh?” Just like that, he resumed his thrusting. It wasn’t as consistent as before, making it harder to get used to the pace. When he hit the spot, I panted out his name and regretted right away, “Right- there?-“ he bucked his hips each time, making me let out high-pitched whimpers. He leaned over, and whispered, out of breath, “Time’s running out, pretty girl,” I couldn’t look at him.

 I was getting closer and closer at each thrust, my ability to speak getting lost on the way but it couldn’t let it happen. I had to tell him, but I was getting a bit foggy and out of it from how good I felt, yet I managed to utter between the melody of pleasure leaving my mouth, “Please- let me cum- I’m- fuck, your fucktoy- Law-“ A very satisfied grunt left his throat, while my face burnt hotter than fire, it was embarrassing to say so out loud, “Turn around, I want to see that pretty face of yours when I make you cum,”

 When I did, I tried to cover my face, but he moved my hands away, pining them over my head once more. “There, was it that hard? Look at you, you can’t be shy when moments ago you were practically begging for my cock,” “Law, fuck me, please,” I breathed out tiredly, needily, his expression lost its arrogance for a moment and was filled with surprise before returning to the cocky one. Without another word, he fucked me senseless as promised. It was wild, rough, I tried to bring his hand to my neck, but he only shook his head and told me not tonight before focusing back on the sensation of my walls around his cock.

 At this pace, we were both reaching our peak in no time. His thrusts were erratic, I was being loud but didn’t try to cover it, I knew he was enjoying it a lot and wanted him to feel as good as he made me feel. The mix of his cock hitting the perfect spot, his fingers stimulating my clit along the constricted feeling of the ropes around my chest brought me closer to release. I felt my toes curl as my back arched, the praising that flooded from Law’s mouth made me break, the knot inside my stomach snapped and I felt myself go limp. Law joined me soon, finishing off before pulling out.

 I was a bit dazed, but at some point, I saw Law kneel on the side of the bed with a washcloth and ointment. He first undid the ropes around my form, it took some time. I looked at him through tired eyes the entire time, he was focused but when he looked at me, a small smile was painted on his face. “You did good, we’ll talk more about that later-“ “I’m good right now, what do we talk about?” I slurred, was I that tired?

 “First, let’s take care of you. It was a bit rougher than I expected,” He said softly, when he was done with the ropes, he helped me lay on my stomach and covered my butt with a blanket as he put some ointment on my back. Maybe it was because I was only half-awake, or perhaps it was because I was dozing off even more with the massage I was receiving as he spread the ointment on my back, but I spoke, “I want to do this again… not right now, not all the time, because I think I’d like to just have casual sex with you along sessions like this too,”

 With my head resting on my arms, I glanced at Law, “But also go on a date, or more than one,” I mumbled against my arms. Law hadn’t answered yet and was now drying his hands as he handed me a shirt. For a moment, I thought I had fucked up once again. That I should have just left after the sex, but not only was I physically unable to do so at this instant, but I also did not want to. “You are aware my schedule is fucked up?”

 “That didn’t stop you from sexting a stranger from your office, did it?” I asked teasingly, making a blush appear on his cheeks as he stood up and put everything away. I only now realized he had dressed up once more. “What I’m saying is that, we can make it work if we want to, and… I don’t mind having online… fun if we’re both a bit busy but horny, you know?” a snort escaped his lips as he left the room and came back just as quickly with a plate in hand.

 “Would you be willing to go to charity galas? Because if we’re dating, there will be a lot of those,” He said softly, his cheeks still tainted with pink. I looked up at him curiously as I put on the shirt and sat up, groaning as I felt the soreness that was settling. “Would I have to wear a fancy outfit and look super hot?” I asked half-jokingly while taking the food he handed me. It felt so fucking good to eat after such an intense effort.

 Smiling genuinely, he nodded, “Yes, and maybe even add a little accessory, I think you’ve heard of it, it’s called a vibrating egg-“ “Law! Fuck off- it was- no, you know what? Let’s! I think it could be fun, but you can’t blame me if I pull you to the side when it’s too much- plus we were talking casually, did you have to bring that up?” I asked rhetorically, this time my cheeks were aflame. But we were both smiling, and when he placed a hand on my knee reassuringly and I placed mine on his.

 “It’s a strange situation but I think something good can come out of it, do we give it a try?” We had both talked about being willing to do this, but this time asking it like that felt a bit frightening. I feel like he could still refuse, and I was afraid of it, but still waited. “I’ll try my best to keep you entertained, Edelweiss,” He put an emphasis on my username before leaning in and kissing me softly. We both smiled into the kiss, feeling a lot better than we did when it started, almost content.

 Boredom makes you do crazy things, lack of free time too… but I think boredom won’t be a concern of mine no more, and no matter how busy I’ll be I’ll surely find some entertainment with the prettiest surgeon I would soon call partner, of more than research purposes.

[The end]

[goingsunnies-moved]

a day or two ago i posted sth quick about how much i love this particular flashback,, and a few ppl asked me to elaborate so here you go!! (@iamastrawhatpirate @queerhummingbird )

a few of the reasons why law's backstory is, in my opinion, the best in one piece

i mean..

first, you've got the character focus and increasingly complex objective.

with most backstories (not just from one piece but in general), the main focus is a singular character. there can be multiple others involved, but it generally seeks to deepen the motivations and inner-workings of one, maybe two individuals.

law's flashback, however, doesn't.

yes, it is still about him. he is the central character, and it explores him specifically. but it's also about doffy, and ties together many of his multilayered motivations. and rosi, with his conflicted sense of morality and stubborn compassion. and it provides not only a welcome window to the inner workings of the entire donquixote family, but to the future of dressrosa as a nation. it's more than just an explanation for why law is the way he is, it's relevant and integral to every part of the arc surrounding it (thematically, development-wise, in terms of histories, motivations, and environments...)

it's not so much an isolated piece of narrative to explore an individual, as a continuation of the dressrosan story and a naturally functioning part of the one piece world.

second, the narrative construction.

the entire flashback was what,, seven chapters?? and yet it told a complete, well-realised, raw story that made me cry my eyes out and fall in love with this series even more. donquixote rosinante was introduced at the beginning of those seven chapters, during those seven chapters experienced a profound and incredible character arc, and within those seven chapters died. he had real emotions and dynamic development and this fandom loves him with our whole heart- and all it took was seven chapters, where he wasn't even the central character.

if that isn't a perfect testament to oda's character building, i really don't know what is.

on top of that, the storytelling is effective - the bits-and-pieces style of exposition makes perfect sense and is executed really thoroughly and meticulously. and as we progress into the developing plotlines and personal emotional developments (specifically between law and rosinante), i'm quite impressed with oda's ability to express such emotion and character building in such short time. there's not much else to be said about the story structure here- it's just Really Good.

third, the crushing emotional execution.

oh boy, yall knew this one was coming.

one piece excels in the realm of emotional realization. in terms of flashbacks, famously so. i don't think i'm pointing out anything surprising when i say that law's backstory was really, really sad, seeing as that's a characteristic of every flashback in this series. but there are sequences here that far surpassed my expectations in terms of raw emotion, and character depth.

law's backstory is, in my opinion, the saddest in one piece:

"see, law? there's no need to despair. there will always be a merciful hand of salvation."

that is the line that echoes through his head as he stands over the bleeding corpses of his family. as a ten-year-old.

holy fuck.

the details of his expression, the sequence of events that occur directly before and after the realization that his parents are dead, the promise of an escape slowly draining through his fingertips. the crushing dread. guys, i was absolutely sobbing, and it wasn't even the most emotional scene in this flashback.

for me, the worst part is that the nun who spoke that line to law was right - but the minute he finally got that second chance, that salvation, doflamimgo shot it to death in front of him. for just a minute there, fate was kind. before it simply wasn't.

and the way oda chose to execute that scene was goddamn powerful. every expression, every word of dialogue or aspect of environment contributed to a picture that, once again, had me absolutely in tears. i mean, corazon's last words to him.... there's no way i could really do the scene justice, but i'll say that the second he stopped being silent (in other words, the second even he knew that rosinante was dead), i was ugly crying my damn eyes out.

also quick side note, law callously mentioning that he hid in a pile of dead bodies to get out of flevance is, uh,

really fucking sad.

fourth (not nessecarily an argument for why law's backstory is The Best but i wanted to express it anyways), this flashback has some really interesting thematic tie-ins with the rest of dressrosa.

(or in fact the rest of the story).

there are quite a few themes explored over the course of the one piece series: justice and the way it is perceived, corruption and abuse of power, obviously the value of friendship. but one that is slightly more subtle and in my opinion underrated, would be the idea of superficial paradise.

from the outside in, dressrosa seems like such a happy nation. fairies, passion, living trinkets- the citizens love it, and it couldn't seem more prosperous! but underneath the surface, the foundation of the entire country was built on lies; on the blood and sweat of enslaved toys, and the merciless environment of the colosseum and poorer districts. it's just hidden under heaps of full coffers and a power-hungry king.

of course, this is a recurring story theme. dressrosa isn't the only example- there are several others over the course of the series, but the one that i'm trying to get at here is flevance.

the world govornment and even some of the royal family knew that they were dooming the lives of every single citizen in their actions. yet they continued to do so anyways. they continued to let their people live on in blissful ignorance and their money to accumulate, while underneath the surface it grew worse with every passing day.

in the scenario of dressrosa, it is simply doflamingo who assumes the role of the world govornment, exploiting his people through superficial paradise until every drop of wealth and power is bled dry. and when he realizes that the truth might come out, he too makes the decision to murder every single citizen. flevance, amber lead, dressrosa, and doflamingo- they are all further explorations of the world government's cruel agenda, and unforgiving legacy.

[charkyzombicorn]

Wait so Rosinante was 26 when he died, he died 13 years before canon because Law was 13 and now he's 26, so that would mean if he was aged up to canon he would be 39~ which is just abt exactly how old Buggy and Shanks are,,, marines start at 16, but he was probably at least 20 when he went undercover, 24~ when he left them for Law's sake..? And if Rose is 15 that means she was 2 when Rosi died, born around when Rosi ran off with Law (maybe relevant?) but if we're following that logic it would put Circe around 29 when Rose was born and Doflamingo around 26, but I'm following the wiki and could be off but yeah! Rosi would have been on Doffy's crew, but definitely nearing the end of his rope

WAIT WBAT IF CIRCE KNEW ROSINANTE AND THEY WERE FRIENDS SINCE THEY WERE AROUND THE SAME AGE AND THEN CIRCE NAMED ROSE AFTER ROSI--

I HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE TIMELINE SO I CAN FIGURE THAT OUT!!!!

Circè is a few years older than Buggy, like five years. For Rosè to be fifteen at Water 7 Arc, Circè would’ve had to have been 34 or 35 when she got pregnant and died.

Doflamingo is 41 in canon and Rosiante was 26 when he died.

Math was not my fucking strong suit in school and I honestly don’t know if Circè would’ve met Rosiante because he would’ve either been in the marines or part of Doflamingo’s crew when the assault happened. Or maybe dead? Again, I suck at math.

[disneydeb1928]

One Piece Theory: The SWORD Initiative

The SWORD Initiative 

SWORD first appeared in Chapter 956 when it was discovered that X Drake, a member of the 11 Supernovas was, in fact, an undercover Marine. Not much is known regarding this organization other then Drake is the Captain and Koby is also a member.

Storytelling: Oda is not a newbie when it comes to storytelling. I’ve said it a million times, but I will say it again: Oda has mastered a very unique type of storytelling. Many others will tell you the same thing. He is a man who values how you feel about characters above how you may feel about his organizations overall. This is why, he always introduces characters, allowing you to make your own judgements before revealing more information on them. With that being said, some people may believe that since this is a recent addition to the plot that this organization must not have been around long. However, that just isn’t true. Oda would never create something this relevant to the story that isn’t routed deep in the past. He loves to make his reveals and have us gasp because suddenly something that happened 200 chapters ago now makes sense. With that being said, I think it is safe to say that there is more to this organization that meets the eye. Therefore, let’s first establish their existence within the established timeline.

Timeline:

X Drake was born on October 24, 1491. We know that he was taken in by the marines when he was 20 years old (in 1511) after the incident of Rosinante stealing the Ope Ope no Mi from his father’s pirate crew. The wiki says that “He [would] eventually enlist as a Marine himself” indicating that he didn’t join right away.

Drake doesn’t appear in the story until chapter 498 (in the year 1522). That means that there are 11 years unaccounted for. In that time, we know he apparently rose to the rank of rear admiral before defecting (Ch. 509)  – again no timeline specifics have been give (but I don’t doubt we will get them in the future).

However, me may be able to speculate based on other Marines.

·         Tashigi was able to go from Master Chief Petty Officer to Ensign (skipping Warrant Officer) in the couple of months that took place between the Loguetown Arc and the Post-Enies Lobby Arc. After the timeskip, Tashigi was a Captain (skipping 4 positions). Therefore, overall, for her to go from Master Chief Petty Officer to Captain, it took roughly 2 years and a couple of months.

·         Similarly, Smoker was able to from a Captain to a Commodore and then to Vice Admiral in the same time period (2 years and a couple of months).

·         Therefore, one could speculate that to go from Master Chief Petty Officer to Vice Admiral it would take around 4 years and 6 months. Since Rear Admiral is only one rank below Vice Admiral I’m going to say that the times are probably similar. [Disclaimer 1: I say this recognizing that there are probably 1000 different things that go into promotions within the Marines (such as accomplishments, age, etc) and that not every person is going to advance at the same pace. With that being said, I do think that we can still learn a lot from it – He’s not a background character after all]. In conclusion, I think 4 years and 6 months is a decent ballpark to aim for and I am willing to speculate that it would have taken Drake at least 4 and a half years to reach the rank of Rear Admiral, putting his age at around 24 (placing this in the year 1515) [Disclaimer 2: This age is completely based off the possibility that Drake joined the marines during the first year he was with them]. All this means, is that at the earliest Drake was a Rear Admiral by 1515.

We are led to believe that his defection has always been staged, and that from the beginning, everything he did was towards advancing SWORD’s goal. So that means SWORD has existed since before the beginning of the series.

We do not know how long he was a pirate before he made his appearance, however, by the time he did, he already had a full crew and a bounty of 222,000,000. We know that Cavendish became a Supernova in 1521, so I think we can make that the latest that Drake could have possibly left the Marines.  

Flashing forward, I think we can pretty much conclude that Koby joined SWORD at some point during the 2-year timeskip.

The Creation of SWORD

If that is the case, that we can conclude one of two things. Either:

1.      Drake created the SWORD organization and began his own mission alone

2.      SWORD already existed before that point and someone approached him to join and start his mission

There isn’t enough information available at this point to really say either way. However, I would speculate that SWORD wasn’t Drake’s idea.

Possible SWORD Members

1.) Issho / Fujitora & Ryokugyu

Issho and Ryokugyu are both new Admirals to replace the positions that Kuzan and Akainu left open during the 2-year timeskip. From what we’ve seen of Issho’s personality, I think he is probably one of the more likely options for SWORD members. He intentionally blinded himself when he became disgusted with all the evil and corruption he had seen in the world (Ch. 799). Some might say that he joined the Marines to fight that evil but perhaps the Marines are the evil he wanted to fight? We’ve seen multiple instances where he put the good of the people above capturing Luffy and the Straw Hats. So much so, Akainu and him got into a heated debate that ended with Issho being band from any Marine base until Luffy was captured (Ch. 801).

Outside of personality wise and evidence of him going outside of Marine orders, there is another reason he is on this list, as well as why I grouped him with Ryokugyu, who we know almost nothing about. And the answer to that is: The Folklore of Momotaro.

An excerpt of the Folklore of Momotaro:

“When he matured into adolescence, Momotarō left his parents to fight a band of Oni (demons or ogres) who marauded over their land, by seeking them out in the distant island where they dwelled (a place called Onigashima or "Demon Island"). En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest in exchange for a portion of his rations (kibi dango or "millet dumplings"). At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarō and his new friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon chief as a captive.”

It has been said before that Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru’s Admirals alias are based on the three animals that helped Momotaro (pheasant, dog, and monkey). A fan wrote to Oda in the recent SBS (Vol. 76) and theorized that Fujitora and Ryokugyu (The tiger and ox) are based on the oni (demons) that Momotaro had to face during his adventure, which would imply that they could be against the World Government. Oda jokingly responded, “I’m not saying a single thing about whether this theory is correct or incorrect, okay? (cold sweat)”. If this is true, I think this could serve as proof that they are either members of SWORD or even the Revolutionary Army.

2.) Kuzan / Aokiji

Kuzan, very similar to Issho, has had multiple instances where he has deviated from what Akainu refers to as “absolute justice”. For starters, he was the once responsible for allowing Nico Robin to escape from the Buster Call on Ohara by providing a small boat while also a trail of ice for her to leave safely. Another example is when he (similar to Issho) didn’t arrest Luffy because he defeated Crocodile, saving Alabasta.

However, I think a big reason why many people speculate that he may be a part of SWORD are the parallels between him and X Drake. After the timeskip, we discover that after losing the Fleet Admiral fight between him and Akainu, Kuzan resigned from the Marines. Afterwards, he became affiliated with the Blackbeard Pirates, just like how Drake resigned and created the Drake Pirates. I will say, that these similarities give just as many reasons as why he would be a SWORD member as for why he isn’t. It’s possible these stories are too alike for Oda to tie them to the same cause. However, it is possible that the SWORD initiative is all about going undercover as pirates. But if that was true, then why is Koby not undercover? Just food for thought.

3.) Smoker & Tashigi

If we were to make a list of likeable Marines, Smoker would probably slotted right behind Koby. From the moment he comforted that crying little girl in Loguetown, he gained a lot of fan-fare. I think a lot of people hope that Smoker is a member of SWORD. Like the previous two Admirals above, he has had his fair share of compromising the Marines’ belief in “absolute justice” in order to do the right thing. In fact, out of all of the Marines mentioned on this list, he has done this the most. All of those moments have served as an example of his character. Outside of that, I think it is interesting that Smoker decided to request transfer to G-5 at the beginning of the timeskip, a place known for having difficulties. I think it is definitely possible Smoker is a member.

4.) Rosinante

Very similar to Kuzan and Drake, Rosinante placed himself undercover in order to stop his brother, Doflamingo. It is very possible that this was a very early SWORD mission. Or it could have what led to the creation of SWORD.

6.) Sengoku & 7.) Monkey D. Garp

Like Smoker and Tashigi, these last two are an example of ‘we like them, so we want them to be a part of this good organization’.

Honestly, I have tried to wrap my mind around why the heck Garp is even still involved with the Marines. The only other ‘D.’-bearer we know that was in the Marines, was Jaguar D. Saul, who ended up defecting in order to save Nico Robin during the Ohara Incident. If Garp is not a member of this shadow organization, then there is a deeper reason for why he joined the Marines and stayed.

[uncheckedtomfoolery]

Deep Space

Strap yourselves in for a giant robot story that is not gritty so much as an actual gravel pit, if that’s your thing. Under the cut.

They don't tell you how terrifying space is, when you sign on. Might be because they think you'd look at the uniform and keys they hold out, and slap it right out of their hands.

They guessed right, in my case.

There's no sound out here. Everyone knows that, but nothing prepares you for how wrong it feels in a battle. Two giants circling each other, trying their best to turn the other into a drifting, dead hulk. It's a- what's the phrase? A clash of titans, almost literally. It should be loud, but there's nothing. Plenty of pilots end up installing a simsound system, making up the sounds the machine thinks you should be hearing, all things considered. It's against the rules, but it keeps some of us sane.

So there's the quiet. At least that just gets under your skin. They say (quietly, after their tour) that nothing makes you appreciate life and all its fragility like deep space. Thousands of tons - I never looked at the specs, I'm taking some artistic license here - of steel and plastic, flying around between planets, and you still feel fragile. Where's the justice in that?

I'm still looking, if you really want to know, but never mind that. Truth is, a mech is one little mistake away from turning into a coffin, when you take it away from cozy planetside missions. The air supply, the heating, the propulsion, the navigation, or just a little part of the hull. Any of that could break down, even in a little way, and you'd be too far from help to-

We can walk out in our EVA suit and hope, but that's about it. Wait for rescue and pretend it'll come in time. They might try; pilots are expensive. They always come back for the mech. Those are even more expensive. Stands to reason. All that's between me and cold, deadly vacuum (assuming there's nothing exciting in this part of space, like solar flares, clouds of deadlier-than-usual radiation, asteroids, you name it), is a layer of robot skin, built by the lowest bidder, on an I-Want-It-Done-Yesterday schedule. The hull of my dear old MAA Indomitable.

Let me explain. Exosuits - mechs, giant robots or whatever, coloquially - were originally amphibious units, and the army and navy had a bit of a spat over the names. The compromise we got to was Mechanised Autonomous Armour, with a designation for each mech type, shared by its flagship, and a personal name for each one. They used to be unmanned, but as soon as they figured out flying one was 'safe', they decided unmanned piloting was even worse than manned piloting, and put us in. You don't skimp on the safety of a piece of hardware that expensive, if you can help it.

A couple decades later, they even got over the radiation leakage issues in the reactors, after swearing up and down there weren't any the whole time. I've got friends with grandparents still waiting on their compensation for that one.

Thus, the MAA Indomitable. It's the only one we can afford to mass-produce that's at all relevant to today's battlefields. I'll let that speak for its quality. This one came with its name already decided by its last owner, who I never met. Pitted, battered and scorched, with 'Rosinante' painted on the side in big, black letters. When I looked that up, it killed off most of my starry-eyed hope for the machine that I'd be trusting with my life.

Here's the thing. Out here, you depend on plating. AI isn't quite there yet, not enough to take control and move out of the way when it has to, so manned or unmanned, the bottleneck is us, not it. Not the hardware, but the pilot. All the mobility in the world doesn't mean a single thing when it's bogged down by the flailing monkey reflexes of yours truly.

You cannot dodge a bullet.

Out here, we pray it doesn't hit. We pray because when facing ridiculous odds in a monstrous environment, doing things we weren't meant for in places we were never supposed to inhabit, doing it all on the back of a machine we'd have to study for years before it becomes more than a black box of sufficiently advanced technology... prayer seems like the appropriate thing to do. Out here, we try to trust in plating. Try, because plating is fallible, it can't go everywhere, and we live on a line, dancing on the breakpoint where a little more protection is more expensive than rebuilding, or repairing a ruined hulk.

That's why the future of the past lied to you, and we don't have glowing swords, or lasers, or even missiles and machine guns. Those belong planetside. Out here, it's a quiet, dull dance, tracking speeding targets with guns that fire little heated ceramic darts. One simple puncture, and explosive decompression will do the rest. Hull gives out, and you just have to hope that whoever's in the glass giant opposite you has a soft spot for drifting EVA suits.

They don't tell you what it's like, fighting in space, but I've had time to see for myself. I've made up my mind. Space and I are not friends, and never will be.

A blip on my radar tells me that even out here, in deep space, I can forget about having any privacy. On the other hand, that's probably fair; I'm not supposed to be here. It's a Jackdaw – a Europan model, close enough to the one I'm piloting that I could say they're about the same, and most pilots would nod without a second thought.

Any mechanics in the room, on the other hand, would definitely throttle me.

We see each other's colours, and it doesn't go much further than that. No point in talking it out. No one watching us scouts out here, nothing forcing our hands, and neither of us – unless I'm projecting – want to be here or have anything against the other. So, why are we taking the first shots a second or two after we saw each other?

Good question. We've been at this many years by now, it's probably habit. That's the kind of thing that makes us realise, eventually, exactly how we're going back to normal when this is all over. It's not a lie, not really, it's just a question of how we go back. A bundle of drilled-in outside-context instincts and reflexes, set free and told to go back to normal.

As visitors. Just visiting, not part of the show. Something from Out There that came back one day, something other. Maybe that's just me – I never really talked about it with anyone, and everyone tells me I've never been much of a ray of sunshine. All this- it's not something anyone ever tells you. You're trusted to figure it out for yourself and, more often than not, decide not to worry about it too much.

Not like it's going to come up, right?

Maybe you're wondering why I think I can afford to talk so much in a firefight. One, you're overestimating the pace of two giant machines trying to poke a hole in each other. Two, it relaxes me, and jittery nerves will do a lot more to get me killed than a bit of distraction. So, I'm going to keep talking.

The Jackdaw flies closer, closer, spraying ceramic everywhere. I realise it's trying to put me on the defensive for long enough to get close. The Jackdaw, I remember hearing, comes with a hydraulic stake. No plating is going to save you from that, just so long as you can get close, but if you fired it, it wouldn't move nearly fast enough without a cannon three times the Jackdaw's size. So they're closing in.

I brace myself against nothing at all, out of habit, and fire a couple rounds, calling the Jackdaw's bluff, if that's how you want to think of it. I didn't do what I was supposed to, didn't follow the script, so I've got surprise on my side. It pulls out its stake, and then slowly, quietly drifts right past me. I look at its back with a stare I haven't used since I ran over a fox a couple weeks after I got my driver's license. I didn't mean to do that.

By the time it clicks, the Jackdaw is out of range. I shot out its thrusters, but momentum stays, out here. It just keeps going, too broken to turn, but I haven't pierced the hull. I just carried it across that short bridge from war machine to coffin. Explosive decompression won't kick in. Life support probably still works, even. It'll just drift along until... well. Maybe it'll hit some planet, burn up in the atmosphere. Maybe the atmosphere will be too thin, and it'll smash right into some moon or asteroid. Or maybe it'll drift forever, and the pilot will just sit there until thirst finishes them off.

I'd pretend it's kinder than a killing blow, but pretending is a lot of effort and I was never much of an actor, so I just watch. I'm too tired to put in that kind of work. Instead I make my exosuit snap off a mock-salute, and in the privacy of my little room inside a metal giant, I mutter something that was supposed to come out as “see you in therapy”. Pilot joke. See, it's funny because most of us aren't going to last long enough to get there, and even then, chances are, you can't afford to-

Well, you've got to be a pilot to laugh at it, but it's funny. Trust me. I don't feel too bad about the joke since- maybe this is another thing I've projected, but a lot of us, certainly me, took something I used to think of as the pilot's oath. Then I got tired of anything so overblown, and now I just think of it as not kidding myself. When you hold a grudge against whoever takes you out, you're really drawing a line between if and when. If someone shoots you down, and they just had to give you the wrong answer.

For me, it's more of a 'when'. Don't shoot the messenger, right? I see it coming and I promised to myself I won't take it personally. What's that do? Maybe whoever gets me is like that too, they'll assume the same from me, and sleep better for it that night. Until then, I get to do the same.

Then I take another look at the shrinking exosuit, and throw up in my helmet, because I'm only human. It takes twelve long seconds for my filters to clean the mess up. You'll forgive me for cutting the narration for a bit there.

I've taken too many hits, so it's time to fly back for repairs and a soft be- a bed. Just set autopilot, keep one eye on the radar, and talk. Why's that? You see...

Besides the obvious – mission objectives and so on – I'm here to make tragedies.

That sounded better in my head. Less sinister.

The thing is, only a story can be a tragedy. It's something told, seen and heard. Without it, you have spreadsheets and statistics, you have terrible things happening in the cold places between stars, you have stories cut short and people that stop being people. If a tree falls and nobody is there to hear it, or... something like that.

So I talk into the air. To keep myself company, to keep myself something kind of like sane, to make up for never being able to afford simsound or hide it well enough from the brass, and...

Ah, you know.

I make tragedies. Because at this point, it's the least I can do.

[code01746]

　　　❝ uh... maybe? ❞

　rosinante's reply had been startled out of him, not expecting to be approached for conversation and, frankly, very much in his own thoughts. his mind went blank upon hearing the name, and as a result his voice was strained & unsure.

his trips to hq were always uneventful; he had long retired, so he wasn't there on work-related reasons (though, he did pass off any relevant tips he happened to come across if he found it worth reporting) but to visit ex-colleagues and, of course, his adopted father. a quick trip, in & out. it was hard to say he went 'unnoticed' because, with his size & the way he often dressed, he of course stood out everywhere he went no matter how low he hunched. still, as the years went on, his presence to most seemed like less of a novelty & he all but faded into the hustle & bustle of the commotion around him.

perhaps it was fitting that someone equally as eccentric would happen to approach him.

　　　　　❝ you aren't... a friend of his, are you? ❞

It wasn't often that the swordsman was called to the Marine Headquarters. Whatever it was, it ought to have been rather important to the higher-ups if they called for him personally. Others would have perhaps felt honoured to be called upon by the Admirals, though Mihawk really couldn't have cared less. If they really resorted to calling him specifically to get whatever business they sorted out, they truly were desperate and their own troops incompetent.

On his way out, Mihawk had crossed paths with somebody. Now normally he wasn't the type to stop and make small talk, though what struck him about the blond was the coat he wore. A feathery one, at that. He just so happened to know only one other person with such peculiar style, though in a much more eye-soringly vibrant pink shade.

❝ I don't suppose you know a certain Donquixote Doflamingo? ❞

@code01746 ♥'d