#thank you OP for your post

[waterflowing-under-ground]

"when a poet has nothing to say... that's how you know it's bad. dandelion NOT saying anything could in fact say more about his character than anything he could have possibly said in this scene."

I think this comment explains it well! And thank you for this post, OP! It inspired me to examine a lot. This is why this saga is so special to me.

I have been sitting on this draft for awhile wondering if it would be strange to reblog (with commentary) your post from over a year ago (which I happened upon browsing your tags bc I really appreciate your reflections about this work).

But I decided to go ahead. It's an important set of topics in the Witcher world and our own (of which fictional worlds like the Witcher are meant to be a mirror) and I wanted to talk about it.

There's so much about grief in this saga, and so much about the of paying debts, and I tend to think about the idea that grief is sort of the price we pay for being able to love.

And I have personal experience with the grief of losing a close friend which makes Geralt's death and Dandelion's reaction to losing him so relatable and heartbreaking. And believable.

I agree that Dandelion's reaction seems a bit... anticlimactic at first, especially given how long him and Geralt's relationship spans, what they've been through together, and how much they mean to each other.

But also we have this reaction to the news of the deaths of the other hansa members, people he'd also grown close to.

"Dandelion held out for a very long time. He didn't ask any questions. But he finally had to be told everything. And be accompanied in his silence. In the dreadful, pregnant silence that fell after the telling, and festered like a sore."

I'm a big fan of Sapkowski's tendency to lean on "less is more" for these powerful and emotional scenes.

Actually, I want to give a chef's kiss for this passage specifically, I just love it so much. It says so much in so few words. It's an emotional punch in the gut, it makes me so sad, and it's so effective at conveying the emotional intimacy between these characters.

I can easily visualize Geralt just sitting with Dandelion as he processes what Geralt has had more time to process, and they just sit and quietly grieve together. There's a lot to be said for the intimacy of just sitting with someone and hurting together. It speaks to a deep level of comfort and emotional intimacy, and a comfort with a lack of words when there simply aren't any which could fully or respectfully convey the gravity of the situation.

Also grief is so unpredictable and quite frankly, weird. One never knows how they'll react to a death until it happens. Years ago when I lost a close friend, my screaming in horror and crying uncontrollably came weeks after any post-death events had taken place and I was alone when it happened. Which is why I find his immediate reaction so believable.

I also think about the fact that Dandelion may have thought he'd be prepared for this eventuality given the inherent risks baked into Geralt's being a witcher and the danger baked into their quest to rescue Ciri.

But then found himself unable to fully acknowledge that it had finally happened, after all the times Geralt had successfully evaded death when it was right on his heels, when in all likelihood he shouldn't have.

Maybe on one hand he thought he'd be prepared for it (and was reminded the hard way that one can never be prepared for it even if they've experienced it before like he had with Essi), and simultaneously had mistakenly deluded himself into thinking after getting so far, Geralt would continue to evade death, and was in shock that this time, he really hadn't.

I know it's naive of me to hope that the new Witcher book is a Dandelion POV where we get to hear more of his experience with his grief after the immediacy of it had passed and he's left alone to cope, getting to see how he grew around his grief (one does not get past grief, one simply grows around it), and was able to heal (and perhaps how his rewrite of Half a Century of Poetry would have been instrumental in his healing process). I feel silly even wishing for it, but I want it terribly.

But one thing about Dandelion that breaks my heart so much is that aside from the hansa and Geralt, we don't see him having such an intimate friendship with anyone else besides Essi, who he'd also already lost. And nobody knew his heart quite the way Geralt did, and that's terribly tragic. But Dandelion is still young and has a lot of life left! It would be so interesting to get to see that.

one thing i do dislike about the ending of lady of the lake is how forgotten geralt and dandelion’s relationship feels at the very, very end. because although i accept, i even like, geralt’s despondence and emotional distance in ch. 11 and 12, which is not only warranted but realistic and flavorful…

i have a hard time believing dandelion’s numb response as geralt is dying. he says so very little. he sniffs, holds triss up, but otherwise says nothing. he muffles an exclamation of shock when ihuarraquax appears, and groans in awe. he is the first to move and place yennefer in the boat.

and his only words, last words he ever says in the series? “something has ended.” … dandelion, our eternally-blithe optimist, says the pessimistic part of the litany.

though, perhaps it’s like this: when a poet has nothing to say… that’s how you know it’s bad. dandelion NOT saying anything could in fact say more about his character than anything he could have possibly said in this scene.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Get Souped!

[lowpolyanimals]

K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing: Wild World

[onlineproblems]

here's the companion piece to this one

[mandiemegatron]

ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴ-ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ; ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ

ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏ (ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ) <- ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ

ᴋɪᴅ x ᴄɪꜱꜰᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ / ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ x ᴄɪꜱꜰᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ; 18+, ᴛᴀʟᴋꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅɪꜱꜱᴏᴄɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ. ꜱʟɪɢʜᴛ ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴇʀᴍꜱ, ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ʜᴀꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴘᴛꜱᴅ.

Welcome and helloooo every-nyan!!! WOW this took so much longer than I expected and it's longer than the first chapter by over 1k words (I literally couldn't be stopped) and I'm hoping this will satisfy.... until the third chapter comes out 😈 mwahaha!

Thank you to all of my mutuals for the support and love, and a big thank you to @laidenbreecatchall for listening to me scream about this for hours and for helping me with ideas! You're amazing, I adore you, thank you so much for everything 💖

As always, a huge thank you and a million smooches for my beta @moss-woods, none of this is possible without you. I love you endlessly 💖💖💖

Without further ado... I present you with part two of Too Much Labour. This chapter is all about the Kid Pirates, so my fellow Kid and Killer lovers might just enjoy this one just as much as I loved writing it 🤭🤭🤭💖💖💖

You tried so hard to fit in.

Three months had passed since you'd fled the Heart Pirates and into, unfortunately for you, Eustass Kid, of all people. It had just happened to be your shit luck that the Victoria Punk was nestled off in a small cove off on the opposite end of the island.

Following behind him and his masked friend, Killer you find out, trying to keep the same pace as your shorter legs carried you as fast as they could. You shuffled your bag a little higher only to distract yourself enough to bump directly into Kid’s back. You fell to the ground, startled, as a small “oof!” left you.

“Pay attention, brat,” Kid sneered, barely throwing you a glare over his shoulder before turning around to snatch your bag from your hands.

“You look fuckin’ stupid tryin’ to act all tough.”

You rolled your eyes in return with an almost mocking look, allowing Killer to help you off the ground with a warm, heavy hand. You brushed off your butt and legs with a sigh, trying not to mumble out-loud as you gave Killer a nod in thanks before continuing after Kid.

You blinked a few times in shock as the Victoria Punk came into view, the huge dinosaur skull that served as the bow of the ship overwhelmingly shaking you to the core. Your pace slowed down and you could practically hear the smug smirk in Kid's voice when he barked out a laugh at your expression.

“Beautiful, ain't she? Nothing but the best for the future King of the Pirates.”

The sheer ego he spewed off himself as he spoke clutched around your heart as it truly began to sink in.

You weren't a Heart Pirate anymore.

You took a slow breath and tried to give Kid a winning grin, throwing up two thumbs as you shakily commented,

“H-hell yeah! It's impressive as fuck!”

Kids brow ridge rose and he grunted, his smirk turning a bit sour as he huffed and continued down towards his ship. “Whatever.” You barely heard his mumbling, your hands falling back down as you gave another sigh.

The same hand that helped you earlier landed on your right shoulder, giving you a slight shake as Killer's voice washed over you.

“Sorry about him, it's just been a weird day for us. He'll get over it.” He gave your shoulder a small squeeze before moving to follow after his best friend and Captain. “and you will too.” He called over his shoulder before motioning for you to follow as well.

You spared a glance over your shoulder towards the way you came, your arms wrapping around themselves as a strange chill settled over your skin. There was a whispering murmur between the trees and you could have sworn you heard your name…

“Y/N?”

Your head turns back to Killer and you straighten yourself out, feeling a cold hand crush around your heart as you take your first step after him, anxious but almost a little excited for a new journey.

Would you still be the same Y/N you were on the Polar Tang? What if the same thing happened again?

You blinked back angry tears as your head replayed the last few hours, reminding you over and over with every step you took that this would be worth it, that this would be different.

It would be different.

“You're in your head again, Y/N.”

Glancing up from chopping veggies for dinner prep to meet Killers masked visage, you sighed softly through your nose before frowning slightly and murmuring,

“I'm just… I'm fine, Killer, I promise.”

A warm hand meets your shoulder just like those months ago though your heart leapt into your throat this time, just like it did every time Killer touched you.

“You wanna talk about it?”

You gave Killer a warm smile, shaking your head slightly before patting his hand with gentle fingers, trying not to let your touch linger on his skin too long.

“Maybe later.”

You could feel the smile Killer gave you under the mask. Slight guilt ate away at you as he gave you a solid nod, squeezing your shoulder once before letting his hand fall from you.

Once prep was done and the food was cooking, Killer kicked you out gently, reminding you to come back later to help with cleaning up once everyone had eaten.

Sitting atop the large skull that served as the ship's bow, you scribbled in your small journal, trying to bite back tears as you poured your heart out to the small book. It had felt like so long since you'd seen the Heart Pirates, your family, and your heart ached to the point it felt like it had been ripped from your chest.

Snapping the book shut, you sighed heavily and rubbed at your face before looking back out to the vast seas. Taking a deep breath, you crossed your legs and straightened your back, letting your eyes fall shut as you tried to ground yourself.

Your eyes snapped back open when all you could see was Law's shocked and broken expression from when you jumped out of the Tang and ran. Steeling your expressing with a slight sneer, you grunted softly and made to get up when you suddenly heard,

“You look like shit.”

Your head snapped up and you met with Kid's fiery eyes. You could tell he was trying to read you, not saying anything else until you either snapped back or got up and walked away.

“... yeah… yeah I bet I do.”

Kid tilted his head slightly with a deep hum before holding out his hands for you to take. You shocked him slightly when your two hands gripped his metal one, letting him pull you up and nearly into him. His flesh hand steadied your shoulder and you stared at each other for a few moments, your cheeks slowly tinting a few shades lighter than his hair under his gaze.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, he gently tugged your hands in his one, making you follow him as he turned to walk back in the ship. His metal hand kept a grip on yours, pulled back behind himself slightly as you tried to keep up with his long legs.

Your brows shot up in surprise when you realized where he was taking you, your heart skipping a beat as he pulled you into his workshop. He cleared some space off his desktop and patted it, watching you hike yourself up onto his desk and sit comfortably as your eyes took in the chaos of it all.

Eustass sat back in his worn chair, arms crossed over his massive chest as he finally comments,

“You're distracted.”

You stop taking in the wonder of his workshop to look back at him. Your fingers fiddled with themselves in your lap, anxiety beginning to eat away at your insides as you quietly replied,

“Yeah.”

Kid gives a heavy sigh, looking you over as if you were an incomplete puzzle with pieces missing.

He hoped you knew that he would rip his hands apart to their bare bones, broken wires and rusted scrap metal to craft the missing pieces inside you, if you'd let him.

As he continued to watch you, something in his heart screamed that you wouldn't, and he wasn't sure if it hurt more to know you'd never want him the way he wanted you.

The silence crept on, turning almost suffocating as you stared each other down, feeling smaller and smaller under his intense gaze until he finally snapped in a sharp tone,

“If you don't want to be here, we'll drop you at the next island.”

Your heart immediately sank and tears filled your eyes, your hands curling around each other tightly til your fingers turned white. Your mind turned dark, thoughts swarming with the fear of being left behind and forgotten about until Kid piped up again, this time his voice a little softer as he asked,

“You've been struggling this whole time, haven't you?”

You broke down.

You covered your face, not wanting him to see the bitter tears that swept down your face as you barely got out,

“I thought he loved me, man…”

Silently sobbing into your palms, you didn't notice Kid sigh with a roll of his eyes and stand from his chair until you were suddenly surrounded in warmth, flesh and metal pulling you to a chest of muscle.

Weak fingers gripped at the front of Kid’s open shirt as you openly wept into him, no longer caring about feeling weak in front of your now Captain. One of his hands awkwardly ran up and down your back, his cheek resting on the top of your head as he frowned at the back of his workshop door.

He was determined to make you see that you were worth so much more than the pain that shit head Trafalgar gave you.

You weren't sure how long you'd been sobbing into Kid's chest, only pulling away when a deep voice cleared their throat over by the door. Looking over with sad, blurry eyes, you took in Killer who stood with his arms crossed, watching the display with an air of near disappointment around him.

“So you'll tell him but not me, eh?”

There was a joking tone to Killers words, pulling a small smile to your lips that caused both men to relax slightly.

“... just don't want to-”

Your words cut off as Kid squeezed you, cutting off your thoughts as he quickly bit out,

“You're not a bother and you're not annoying, God I'd wish you'd shut up sometimes.”

You froze at his words, brows furrowed as you pulled away enough to look up at Kid. His cheeks tinted a light pink as he huffed, looking past Killer as he continued,

“You think I'd let an annoyance join my crew? You think I'd let some weak nobody stick around? You're not either of those things so stop thinking we're gonna do what Trafalgar did to you.”

His flesh hand gripped the bottom of your face, his thumb brushing away the stray tears that spilled out as he finished with a tired,

“I'm not fuckin’ stupid.”

Killer moved closer, one of his hands brushing your hair over your shoulder and behind your ear gently as he agreed,

“You're one of a kind, Y/N. We see that - we see you.”

Killer leaned in as best he could to press his mask to the top of your head as if pressing a kiss to it. He stayed for a moment before pulling back, picking up one of your hands and holding it as Kid's own moved from grasping your face to moving the strands of hair from your eyes.

There was something between them that you weren't sure about until now, and while something in your heart tugged you towards them, it still felt like there was a boulder in your stomach.

It would be the same.

Your eyes shut and you gave a small sigh before asking softly, “... can... can I have some space?”

Both men went rigid, slowly pulling away before looking at each other. It was like a telepathic conversation was happening between them and finally Kid huffed and nearly stomped out of the workshop, causing you to flinch at the heavy thuds from his boots.

There's a soft sigh from Killer before he follows him out, closing the door behind himself. The second it clicked shut, tears welled in your eyes and you quietly sobbed into your palms.

It would be the same.

-

7 whole days of silence from your Captain caused your anxiety to fly through the roof of the Victoria, feeling on edge and like you were walking around shards of broken glass.

“Is he that upset?”

There's a shrug from the masked blonde before he replies,

“I mean, you rejected him-”

You huffed and spat back,

“I didn't reject him, OR you for that matter. All I did was ask for space and he took it fuckin’ personal…”

You pause in chopping your veggies, huffing again before taking a step back to fix your hair, taking out the messy bun and redoing it, making it a little tighter.

“He took it as rejection,” Killer adds with a stir to the bubbling pot. His signature spaghetti sauce boiled away, the warm aroma wrapping around you like a gentle hug and pulling you from your thoughts as you went back to your veg.

“Pans ready, you can start to sautée at any time,” Killer reminds you and you're quick to add your ingredients to the pan. They sizzle and crackle softly as you add a few seasonings, giving the veg an expert flip in the pan with one hand.

“I get that, but it's irritating as fuck that instead of coming to me and going like, ‘hey, what did you mean by that,’ he just immediately thought ‘she doesn't want me’, and that's not-”

Killer's hand meets the top of your head, causing you to look up at him as his unique laughter flutters out of his mask.

“You're aware he's stupid, yeah?”

You blink up at him for a few moments before sighing out a tired, “Yeah…”

Killer gives your head a small pat before going back to his sauce. “You're overthinking things. When has Kid ever given you the feeling that he's an emotional conversationalist?”

Your lips purse into a thin line as you flip the veg again, mulling over Killers words. He had a point.

You wouldn't tell him that, though.

“Kid isn't a talker, he takes action instead. He won't ask you how you feel about him because how you act around him convinces him that you feel the same way.”

Your heart sinks as you think about all the moments you've had with Kid - the midnight talks, the tears over too many drinks, the night you spent curled in his arms after that terrible nightmare… you shook your head, trying to rid your mind of the recent memories.

“... that makes sense.” Your voice is almost too soft as you finally reply, giving the veg another shuffle in the pan. “I never want to hurt him.” You make a point to look up at Killer again as you add, “Or you.”

Killer stops and turns his mask towards you, taking in your honest and genuine words before he gives you a small nod. He's thankful for the mask as his cheeks burn, glad you're unable to see what you do to him.

“I know.” He turns off the stove and moves the pot to a cold burner before reaching over you and turning off the pans burner as well. You flip the now slightly crispy veg one more time before moving it to a different burner as well.

“Do you?” You ask softly, turning to him with almost sad eyes as you continue, “Because I have tried so hard to fit in here and sometimes I feel so stupid, as if I'm trying to be someone I'm not, but I'm still me. I know I'm me, and you know I'm me, but how can you-”

Killer cuts you off by gripping your shoulders in his hands, giving you a slight shake as he silences you with a serious, “Stop rambling. You sound ridiculous.”

Your face scrunches up as your brain suddenly goes into overdrive, the words tumbling out of you without even realizing it.

“-be sure that I am me? I'm not me, I'm not the me I was on the Tang, I'm not the me I was before all that and I'm not the me I thought I was.” Angry and hurt tears burned your eyes as you choked out, “I don't even know who I am anymore.”

Killer pulls you into a tight hug, pressing your face into his chest hard enough that it silences your oncoming sobs. “No one's asking you to have it all figured out.” He murmurs against your hair, his mask slowly filling with the scent of your shampoo. “We just want you to be here, alive and safe. We just want you to be here.”

You cling to him, your fingers curling tightly around the back of his shirt as he adds, “It doesn't matter which version of you exists here, because this version of you is a Kid Pirate, and that's what you get to be for the rest of your life.” He gives you a small squeeze. “At the end of the day, that ultimatum will never change. You are a Kid Pirate. Say it.”

He gives you another squeeze and you muffle the words into his shirt, only for him to pull back enough and catch your chin in one of his hands. “Say it again.” He demands lightly.

“... I'm a Kid Pirate.”

“Again.”

You sniffle softly before huffing again. “I'm a Kid Pirate.” You can almost see the grin behind his mask as Killer demands softer, “Once more.”

You swear he's staring right into your soul as you look back into his mask. With a slow blink, you speak in a clearer tone, “I am a Kid Pirate.”

That unique laugh of his wheezes out as he gives your chin a little shake in jest. “That's my girl,” he murmurs before letting his hand drop back to your hip, his thumb gently roaming small circles over your skin. “Damn right you are.”

Your heart swells and something inside you begins to melt away, as if his touch was taking all the anger, pain and fear, sweeping it away with such a gentle touch.

In a moment of adoration for the man in front of you, you reach your hands up and cradle his masked face in your palms, pulling a quick, sharp inhale from the blonde. You're quick as you lean in, your lips pressing against where you assumed his lips sat under the mask for a good moment. You could feel his warm breath through the holes, fanning over your face like a gentle breeze until you pulled away, giving him a warm smile that felt more like you.

“Thank you Kil.”

Massacre Soldier Killer was stunned into silence for a good moment, simply staring you down with wide and confused eyes as you slowly stepped back. He was quick to grasp you, gently, lovingly, and bring you back into his arms.

“You… you kissed me,” he breathed out, unable to wrap his mind around that small, simple fact.

Your face burned bright red, redder than Kid's hair as you coughed out, “Uh yeeeah… yeah, I did…” You chewed the side of your bottom lip for a moment before asking, “W-was that okay?”

Killer’s arms tighten around you as he leaned his head down to rest his covered forehead against yours, his lips moving faster than light as he promised, “Yes, yes yes, of course it's okay, my precious, beautiful girl…” His laugh wheezes past his lips as he solidifies, “My girl.”

Unbeknownst to either of you, Kid stood cross-armed on the wall beside the door to the kitchen, a deep set frown on his face as he listened to you and his best friend fall in love. Something in his chest aches, like a grip around his heart and lungs as you laugh at something Killer says.

‘... Damn…’

The back of his head thuds gently against the wood before he pulls away from the wall, silently debating with himself for a moment before he finally turns and walks into the kitchen, seeing you plate up the mountain of sautéed veggies to be brought out with the spaghetti and sauce. You throw Killer a bright grin before turning to the door and your smile falters, falling slightly as you take in the ragged looking redhead.

“... Hi.”

Kid seems surprised that you're even speaking to him, glancing over at you before giving an awkward wave with his flesh hand.

“... Yo.”

You both stare each other down for a moment before you ask, “Are you still mad at me?”

Kid huffs and rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his massive chest and goes to bark back when he takes in your sad eyes. He could read you too well, just wanting an apology from him for everything, and unfortunately his ego wouldn't let up.

“I'm not mad at you, never was,” his words seem honest though his tone is snarky, making your brain roll around like a wayward marble. “Don't worry, Killer’s girl, we're good.” He ignores your raised eyebrow and confused expression by looking at Killer and nearly demanding, “Is dinner ready? I'm fuckin’ starving.”

Killer nods with a hum and replies tightly, “Yeah, we're just bringing it out now.”

Kid gives him a nod of his own before turning on his foot and stalking out the door, not even stopping as you call his name. Your heart sinks but before you can wallow in your own misery, Killers laugh fills the space, causing you to turn to him.

“What's so funny?” You ask, clearly not in on the joke.

You can feel the grin behind Killers mask as he chuckles out, “Oh, he's jealous as fuck, that's all.” Your face changes into something a little more amused as you ask, “He's… jealous?”

Killer hums again and leans down to press a faux kiss to the side of your head before gripping the large sauce pot with both hands. “Yep! This has happened a few times before but phew, this is too funny.” He heads towards the door and you follow behind, carrying the large veg plate in your hands.

“How is it funny? Why is he jealous?”

Killer laughs again, looking over his shoulder at you as he replies, “It's funny because he thinks he's slick at hiding it, and he's jealous because he hates to lose, and twenty beris says he thinks you don't have a spot for him in that cute little heart of yours.”

Your brows furrow worriedly as you offer, “But I do!”

Killer laughs again, shaking his head slightly as a tinge of his own jealousy climbs up his throat.

“Well then, I think you should show him that.”

He can't see it, but you give a determined nod, your heart set as you begin to think over ideas as you make it to the mess hall.

-

“Come on, we gotta catch up with the others,” Killer rushes you the next morning, nearly pushing you up the stairs with a chuckle as you splutter and snark back at him. “Y-yeah well who's fuckin’ fault is that, eh?”

There's a rough pinch to your left buttcheek and a shrill screech leaves you, your hands waving away Killer’s touchy fingers and covering your behind the rest of the way up. You ignore the sad “Aw…” from Killer as you open the door to the main deck.

“Finally! Come on, let's get this shit over with. Here's your list, don't get lost.” Barks your Captain from his spot off to the side, expression grumpy at being awake before 9 am.

You take the list from Kid and you throw him the widest grin you could manage, ignoring the way he scowls at you with tinted cheeks. He gets himself comfortable in his Captains chair, one leg thrown lazily over the other with his arms crossed.

“You're not coming?” You ask, kicking the toe of your boot into the side of his own, the soft squeak of leather on leather meeting your ears.

“Pff, hell no. That's what you assholes are for,” he jokes, hissing when you kick him a little harder. “Oi! Don't be a bitch,” he barks at you, ignoring the sly grin on your face.

“Ooh, don't be so mean to me, I'll cum,” you tease back before leaning down to press a chaste kiss to his scarred cheek. You then turn away from the now mouth dropped, gawking redhead, nearly skip over to Killer who is also staring down at you in slight shock. Tossing a wave over your shoulder, you take the list and Killers hand in your other hand before letting the blonde lead you off the ship and into town.

The walk was silent, almost heavy. Luckily, the weather was bright and beautiful, the sun shining on both of you and it warmed you right through.

“... that was interesting,” Killer finally commented, making you bark out a loud laugh, covering your face with both palms as you laughed out, “I'll be honest, I don't know where that came from.”

Killer’s arm wraps tightly around your waist, grunting to himself before he grumbles out a little pathetically, “You wouldn't even stay with me last night but you'll kiss him and cum for him…”

You laugh again, your arm resting around his hip comfortably as you sigh out happily, “Yeah…”

There's a silence between you both again before you both begin laughing, finally making it to town. He gives you a slight squeeze, leaning his head down to press a masked smooch to the top of your head before pulling away with a serious warning of, “Don't go too far. I need to be able to see you, understand?”

You roll your eyes before tearing the list in half, giving him the top half and keeping the easier things for yourself. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Don't worry, I don't plan on disappearing,” you joke, throwing him a wink before leaning up and pressing a few soft kisses to his mask. “You don't go too far either.”

Killer hums, pressing his mask against your kisses in response before murmuring down to you, “I won't.”

Turning away from you, you watch Killer stalk off into the opposite direction, trying to keep an eye on his blonde hair right up until he disappears. You know he's still close by, the market truly nothing large, but you still can't help but feel incredibly overwhelmed now. Taking a deep breath, you settled your nerves before finally looking down at your now shortened list, grinning at the easy items you had to grab.

You'd bought the first few items easily, even getting a bargain for the spice blends Killer had asked for, though at the next stall, you found yourself frozen in place as you took in the figure of a certain orange jumper covering a large, white bear.

Your swore your heart stopped, fear gripping you like icy fingers around your entire body as the bear turned. You tried to turn as well, keeping your face towards the wares on the table but a heavy paw quickly spun you, pulling a soft, surprised gasp from you as you took in two beady, watery eyes.

“Y-Y/N?!”

[lunarriviera]

dear dmbj fandom, don't say i never gave you anything. this joke will be funny to approximately ten people but ngl, everytime i see it i laugh my whole entire face off. making it was the best possible use of my birthday this year, so i invite you to obtain a sticker or t-shirt off red/bub/ble (or, for a lower-quality but cheaper shirt, tee/pub/lic).

also, i gave you the tiniest markup allowed, because i love you. as the obnoxious drinks machine says in hitchhiker's guide, share and enjoy! (ETA please be aware that the tall mug distorts the graphic, and they won't let me change/fix it. but the regular-degular mug is fine!)

[lady-iizsil]

I decided to do that expression meme by @capochiino with the unhinged expressions, did the B1 face and WOW, I am not very good at expressions but this was a fun little challenge to do on a practice page. Lucien Lachance felt like the perfect fit for that sheet! So again, another small little artwork of him! Proud I remembered to write my signature this time lmao, sorry it was in text last time I was on my phone posting it and couldn't do it away from my art program BUT YES, More murder dad, whom I love!

[baby5fanclub]

finally finished this it was so so fun. and just in time for luffy's birthday!

inspired by @/natade-art and @/shrimp-sanji :)

[strawberrycamel]

hey psst c'mere... no a little closer... a little closer- there we go

Loop lips are part of a racist caricature of Black people. Stop drawing Black characters with loop lips. I don't care how they look in canon, it's racist.

okay that's all you can go

[buff-muffin]

Random little One piece modern AU thoughts and I guess scenes I had about mainly Luffy

1. Luffy is the best guy to take to karaoke. While he isn’t the best singer he’s also not the worst. However he sings with his whole chest and heart and will sing duets with anyone no matter how lovey or metal. His energy always brought everyone out of their shells he just has a bad habit of singing when it’s not his turn

2. I feel like in a modern AU Luffy would still be friends with a lot of the people he met in series just under different conditions. Like water 7 instead of the mayor almost being assassinated he just. Met him. Like on good terms. idk, maybe Luffy saved tyrannosaurus and now they just exchange animals pics and the occasional “hey I’m heading to insert place where should I go to eat” and Luffy just introduces the Baratie with no heads up to Zeff and Sanji and when Sanji spams the group chat freaking out he just says you’re welcome :D

3. Luffy keeps the contacts of everyone he’s met and keep them under their nicknames. Monster granny, hammock, split head ect. It’s the only way he can remember them after all. When nami had gotten nosy and decided to go through his contacts she obviously asked who tf ice pops was. Imagine her surprise when Luffy confidently answers that it’s the mayor from a few towns over.

4. In a modern AU the ASL brothers were totally still bush kids. Like. Dadan’s (probably community house) was right by the woods and they would have a similar childhood to canon with less killing wild animals. But they also a thousand fucking percent had a Nintendo Wii. Like Ace and Sabo fought tooth and NAIL for player one and Luffy was banished to player three with the dingiest controller known to man (not even the safety strap could protect that thing from getting tossed at the tv) And speaking from my own experience as a younger sibling Ace totally spent a whole summer trying to unlock every character in Mario kart.

5. Law met the straw hats in collage at 2 am when they got kicked out of a bar and he was trying to mind his own business. While they saw him in their intoxicated state and said “you’re my friend now :)” Law was genuinely worried half of them had alcohol poisoning. An hour later he found himself in one of their apartments two of them passed out. One of them throwing up. All while he makes a grilled cheese for Luffy, the so called infamous man on campus who is crying sitting on the floor cause he’s starving. Law stayed the night to make sure none of them drowned in their own vomit and like imprinted baby ducks they have not left him alone since.

6. Luffy has been going to riots and movements for years. He started going with Sabo and Ace growing up when they were teenagers and hasn’t stopped. He also never thought to mention it to any of his friends until they saw him on the news at a protest absolutely fucking SENDING a tear gas canister back at the cops

7. I kinda wanna believe while devil fruits don’t exist in modern AU the character still has quirks semi related to their fruit. Like Robin is just, double jointed everywhere and could bend her arms and fingers in all the worst ways. Luffy can either contort his body to hide in tiny places OR he has stretchy skin. It’s nothing more then party tricks but it is cool

8. Luffy was definitely a gymnastics kid. Not in like. The competing sense. But in like the, one of the adults in his life would drop him off there twice a week for an hour. Did he participate with the other children and learn how to roll? NO! He was flinging himself full speed into giant foam mats and climbing rock walls without a harness. He was a menace to society and he was only taken to blow off some energy and it WORKED. Until he was kicked out.

[novirp13]

SILVER THE HEDGEHOG HUMAN VERSION PART 3~

IT'S SUPER SILVER!

In Super form, his hair is perpetually floating. His bangs definitely resembled the maple leaf quills he got in his mobian form :)

If you ask, 'Why did Super Silver didn't properly zip up his jacket? Won't he be harmed by the fire?'. Well, he's Super right now. He's practically invisible. So of course, he's allowed to be a bit dramatic -w-

...tbh, I just wanna draw his jacket swishing around, haha. I love drawing swishy things. 

Here's another fanarts of Gijinka Silver: 1 | 2

BONUS:

Rest in peace, Ozai :'D

[hotvintagepoll]

Okay was anyone going to tell me that Peter Falk played Columbo (of tumblr fame) or was I just supposed to figure this out after seeing a t-shirt photoshopped onto an in-color photo of him when he was older???

(for real though, idk if it was the age difference between the poll photo and when he played Columbo, me missing a caption, the black-and-white photos vs in-color photos, or what, but I genuinely did not know that was who played Columbo until, like, 3 minutes ago)

so anyway,,

you’re the only one doing this poll right. keep on keeping on

[irafook]

Nika x Law sketch for @nimudae (part of @lawluevents gift exchange)

[yujeong]

Vegas not knowing about Pete's boxing past is nothing but sloppy writing if you ask me. Paranoia is family trait of the Theerapanyakul clan and no one can convince me Vegas hasn't made background check on every single bodyguard, staff member and associate of the main family. It's also interesting to point out that Vegas knows about Pete's grandma so he must've read something about Pete beforehand. Which is why Vegas not knowing about Pete being a former boxer and victim of domestic abuse is weird. (My God Vegas would've been a dick if he'd had held the latter against Pete.)

But since we're talking Vegas here his paranoia turns into obsession and he makes a file of Pete thick as the Bible post canon. Needles to say, this stirs some drama between the two because even saint like Pete has his limits with Vega's BS.

Hmm, honestly, I'm at this point in my brainrot with kpts/vp that I'd be able to rationalize any plot point, no matter how absurd, while still acknowledging that it's most likely a plot hole (though tbh, BOC could only do so much with the horrid source material they had to deal with, so hats off to them regardless).

For example, one argument I'd use for Vegas not knowing about Pete's backstory, is that Vegas seems surprised Pete has been through similar experiences that he himself has with his own father, not about him doing boxing. I rewatched the scene for the millionth time and as Pete is narrating his story, Vegas' face remains neutral until Pete tells him winning didn't change anything - he was still being beaten up by his bitter father who never became the boxer he wanted to be.

All I'm trying to say here is that Vegas could very well have known about the boxing, but not about the abuse. Maybe nobody from the family knew about the abuse, though I can't claim with confidence that Korn wouldn't know.

However

To Korn (and to Gun), what Pete's father was doing to his son wasn't abuse. It was discipline. It was him showing Pete he loves him. So, maybe Korn knew about it and thought it was good. Or maybe he compared him to Gun and thought Pete's father was a coward and bad at being a father.

Who knows?

I'm not trying to prove you wrong in any way, btw. As I said, if Vegas didn't actually know about Pete doing boxing, then that'd be super weird for someone like him. I just find it fascinating for Vegas to have known about everything in regards to Pete EXCEPT the most important thing that basically makes them connect from that point onwards in the story.

Though, I do have to disagree with you on one thing - or more precisely, express my doubts: I don't believe Vegas would have had the guts to use the abuse Pete suffered by his father against him. ESPECIALLY after Pete sees what happens at the basement between Vegas and Gun.

Vegas is a hypocrite and a coward when it comes to Pete. He'd be facing a mirror - and Vegas really hates himself and what the reflection would show back. We see it throughout their arc plenty of times and with the abuse element added in, it'd go to astronomical levels imo.

Did Vegas cross the line with Pete a million times? Yes. Would he cross it on this subject? Hmm, idk. I'm willing to believe so, but I'd never write it myself.

Now, about post-canon, many people in the fandom have said the same thing as you and I believe the same. He'd want to know e v e r y t h i n g about Pete, down to the last detail, and on the days he'd feel especially shitty, which would be most days, he'd want to drag Pete down with him.

We were talking just today with @wretchedamaranth about Pete snapping after everything that happened in ep14 + hospital era, and tbh we can add this one in it, too: Vegas' need to pry Pete open would push him to his limit.

And Pete isn't like Vegas. He wouldn't snap like Vegas does, and I'm trembling just thinking about what that would entail.

[faunandfloraas]

Nothing funnier to me than a fansite that horrifically white washes pics of the guys until they genuinely look like walking corpses but then will have DO NOT EDIT in all their captions like baby.... if there's anyone here who should have the editing software taken away, it's you...

[geolato]

hello everyone, with the tit tour approaching, i would like to make this Public Announcement™️: since i will not be attending at the tit tour, my blog (geolato on tumblr which you are looking at right now) will hereforth feature tit tour spoilers. i will be of course tagging said spoilers to preserve the attendees spoiler free experience, if they desire to have one. the tag i will be using is #dnptit spoilers for all rebloged posts, with the addition of a bunch of other tags if i feel the need to make an original post which if you follow geolato here on tumblr you will know rarely happens. i will be tagging anything remotely close to referencing tit tour spoilers. feel free to block said tag if you would like.

thank you.