#they need their own proper ship name though

[grandlinedreams]

Your ankle isn't broken.

At least, Sanji hopes it isn't. He's not Chopper though, and his medical know how stops after the very basic skills he's picked up. But the swell of it worries him, as well as the bruising, a nasty shade of dusky purple.

"What's the diagnosis, doc?" Your tone is aiming for humor, but your expression is pinched with poorly concealed pain. "Amputation?"

Sanji exhales. "Hardly," he says, but he reaches to brush his fingers against your ankle. The skin is hot, and you hiss when he prods at it experimentally. "I'm not Chopper, but it's definitely twisted. Hopefully it isn't broken. Can you move it at all?"

You suck in a breath to try, and Sanji feels his stomach sink further at the way you claw at the ground, face seeming to go a shade paler. "No."

Sanji takes a moment to think, weighing the options. The two of you could wait here and hope that you can intercept one of the others, or he can leave you here and retrieve Chopper himself ㅡ but the chances of anyone coming this exact way are slim, and he doesn't like the idea of leaving you like this.

"Welp," he says, exhaling a steady stream of smoke before he returns his cigarette to his mouth. "Only one thing we can do."

You blink and open your mouth to ask, only to yelp when Sanji kneels beside you, one arm tucking beneath your legs and the other at your back before he stands up. "Sanji! Put me down!"

"Not a chance," he says, adjusting his grip on you. "We need to get back to the Sunny. I don't know when Chopper will be back, but at least you'll be safer than sitting on the ground."

He has a point and you know that, but the idea of him carrying you the entire way back to the ship makes you uneasy. Sensing your hesitation and the tension of your body, Sanji frowns. "I won't drop you, if that's what you're worried about."

You shake your head. "No, just...aren't I heavy? I feel bad."

Sanji adjusts his hold on you again, this time tucking you closer to his chest, your head against the front of his shoulder as he begins walking. "Not at all. Especially not compared to the groceries I've had to haul onto the Sunny." He glances down, giving you a softer smile than what you're used to from him. "Relax. I've got you."

You sigh. "Okay, but I owe you for this."

Sanji huffs. "You don't owe me anything," he answers, a harder edge to his tone. "We're part of the same crew, aren't we? I don't keep tally of doing things for anyone, and I know you don't." His head tilts as he amends, "Well, besides mosshead."

"You two, I swear," you sigh, but your tone is amused. You lapse into a comfortable silence, listening to the soft crunch of leaves underfoot and Sanji's soft breathing.

He's even prettier at this angle, your eyes tracing over the hard line of his jaw, the dark stubble at his chin, his lips ㅡ

You look away sharply, and it gets Sanji's attention. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

You shake your head. "No."

You're almost pouting, Sanji notes, the stubborn purse of your lips and if he lets himself fancy it, the soft hue of a blush on your cheeks. "You're cute when you're sulking."

You turn further away. "I'm not sulking."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Whatever you say, dear," he sighs, relenting as the Sunny comes into view. It doesn't take long to reach it, and he looks around once you're aboard. "Huh. Looks like we're the first ones back."

You almost whine when he moves to set you down in a chair, blinking as he pulls over an empty one and lifts your injured ankle onto it, cradling it with the decorative cushion. "There. That should help til Chopper can take a proper look at it." He pauses. "Probably wouldn't hurt to ice it, too."

He moves to head for the kitchen to retrieve said ice, only to stop when you call his name. "Thank-you," you say, and this time, he knows he isn't imagining the blush on your cheeks.

He smiles, his own heart beating a little faster. "No problem. Anything for you."

[punkeropercyjackson]

Robin!Duke Thomas headcanons/rewrite because i'm in my feelings about him.If you think Duke's not a 'core Batkid' DNI and take your segregation somewhere else

He's the 5th Robin instead of Damian and The Riddler plot still happened but Elaine and Doug got jokerized during it so Bruce adopted Duke way earlier and he was 11 at the time

He is also trans,autistic,femme and afropunk!!2nd and 4th are canon coding but it's explicit here.Egg cracked pre-meeting Bruce so trans Batdad gets trans Batson gender affirming care like puberty blockers and makes sure nobody misgenders him.His Robin suit is Tim's Btas suit for proper repurposing,though it's adjusted from tighties to shorts and the pants/leg parts are ripped and the gloves are fingerless for that alt look

Alfred loves feeding him sweets and Duke always gives him the most adorable star eyes and thanks him because he may be rude but he'll be damned if he's mean to his granddad(his favorite sweets are lemon flavored frosted animal crackers)

He was pretty traumatized by loosing his parents and resisted Bruce's parentage at first due to it but came to embrace it as ultimately he's still a little boy who needs a parent to love and care for him.Bruce's reveal of his own orphan status certainly opted him to give him more of a chance but like a true Batkid,he never stops rebelling despite his unstoppable love for him

He arrives post-Under The Red Hood(movie compliant)but pre-Batgirl 2000(less racist and gayer)timeline wise so he bonds with Cass,Stephanie and Tim and they invite him on hangouts with 'the big kids' and Young Justice takes in Duke as an honorary little brother similarly to how Traya is treated as their little sister.Stephanie shows Duke all kinds of cool funky/cutesy/edgy things she's into which rub off on him per black siblings bonding and Cass seeks to protect Duke in addition and in thanks to him for teaching her some stuff about 'normalcy',like introducing her to arts and crafts and candy bars.Duke's Batgirl is not Babs,although they do get along-It's Tam and we'll get to that in a bit

Duke employs his powers in his Robin work and it earns him the nickname 'The Robin Signal' in reference to how often he uses his light to guide citizens to safety after him and Bruce take out the danger

His first solo/Year One Run is 'Robin 2007',literally,to distinct from Tim's run that wouldn't end for two more years.They got a crossover mini ofc ofc and it was called 'Robins 2009'

Robin 2007 had 53 issues and featured the introduction of Duke's love interest,albiet her debut as her own character was a good while before it in Aquaman:Luna 'Aquagal' Vásquez!!Luna is the Starfire to Duke's Robin i.e a black non-human girl who's bubbly,soft and princess-y but also extremely hardcore,well-hardend and lowkey mean and his longtime best friend from his sidekick days he's a slowburn perfect MADE soulmateisms couple with!!Their ship name is Thomquez but they're purely platonic until their mid-teens when new feelings ignite and riple into existense.Luna had her own run,Aquagal 2007 <3 Robin/Aquagal:Pals in Disguise was a super cute jumbo issue too!!(Notes:Luna is afro-argentinian,half atlantean half human and has white parts in black hair in a pattern that make her look like she has a constant moonglow halo on her)

Also Duke ships Stephcass so hard😭He was ooo'ing and making cheeky comments as soon as he figured out what was going on when Tim pointed it out to him and NEVER stops until they actually get together,which dosen't happen until Duke-yes,11-12 year old Duke-is an adult.He gives Cass tips on how to rizz up Stephanie after talking to Stephanie to figure out what would work best(turns out Stephanie really likes goth x pastel dynamic images/videos,mocking cheesy flirty memes,whimsical love quotes and X-Ray Spex lyrics)

Duke owns a walkman Tim gifted him and talks into it as a 'Robinlog' and it pops up frequently throught his entire existense as a character as soon as he gets it.Duke is also a big fan of My Chemical Romance,hip hop and disco music,black indie shit,classical literature(canon),video games,writing poetry and 'cutesy' diy(bedazzling,scrapbooking,homemade stickers,etc)!!As he grows up he takes up solarpunk bit by bit and same with glamrock!

Duke got exactly one year as Batman's Robin.On his one year adoption anniversary,him and Bruce had a fight over a case that scared him so bad he thought he was gonna fire him like he'd done to Stephanie so he ran away in the dead of night,straightup out of Gotham City(he was also smart enough to pack an oversized backpack of essentials to carry with him).He was found as the sun set as he tried to sleep in a cat alley with a family of fat calico cats he'd been taking care of on his lap by a 20 year old Jason,his departure taking place during Volume 2 of Red Hood and The Outlaws,a 2010-2020 release 120 issues run that takes place over 3 in-universe years.They have a short conversation that leads to Jason finding out Duke is his brother and combined with knowing he has nowhere else to go at the moment and Summer's(my dcsona)yapping about him thanks to their friendship,takes him with him to The Fortress,The Outlaws' base.Duke joins the team and finally makes friends his age in the other Kid Outlaws(which includes other black kids of all genders!!)but Jason is the member he's closest to

Luna comes in a significant amount of Rhato issues and even enough to be an honorary Kid Outlaw but mostly sticks to Aquafam stuff to avoid reducing her down to Duke's love interest.Duke isn't forced to kill but is a brutalist in his tactics thanks to growing up beating up bullies,Bruce's training and the influences around him and it scares him sometimes so he vents and asks for reassurance and they all gladly give it to him,including Luna,who tells him:'You could never be a monster or evil,Duke.You'll always be my best friend in the ENTIREST MULTIVERSE.And even if you were a monster or evil?I'd save you.You saved me when i didn't know i needed somebody to be heroes with to go on.I'd go there-ANYWHERE! for you too'Least to say,Duke is pretty sure this is the point he started seeing Luna in a different light(a girlfriend light.From 'I need her' to 'I need her to be my babygirl')(in the aave way.don't be weird)

The Kid Outlaws are a bunch of punk ass kids with a thirst for anarchistic justice,the fall of the crime system and extra thick milkshakes.They got the punk drips(including piercings done by the adult Outlaws!!)and everything and call eachother siblings and Duke is their leader despite being the youngest as he's the most capable and suited for the job.The KO includes Thad so they're kinda a 'sparkly sunshine boy/bad but sad boy' buddies duo and their inhereted powers and legacies are a source of bonding along with just liking eachother as people.Duke calls him 'The Thadman' and Thad had no choice but to warm up to it and Thad gets Duke to try out energy drinks with him and they collect trinkets and graffiti public property together and them and Jason are Prime Earth's variant of that picture of three black trans guys who just got their top surgeries all smiling together with bandages on their upper bodies

Duke and Jason are so inseperable.They do soul bounding over soul/dominican food(their 'this and yap' /hj),help eachother with hair care(Duke has a twists out and Jason is a dreadhead),are inside jokes lockout between them and their girlfriends,share a bed more often than not,play Animal Crossing religiously together and even got matching icons in The Outlaws group chat(set to Aang and Zuko because they're literally them!!'If we knew eachother back then,do you think we could have been friends,too?' is how Duke feels about Robin!Jason to Red Hood!Jason,,,,,).Jason loves Duke so fucking much and can't stop himself from doting on him and hyping him up nonstop and encouraging him to stop holding back his rage and impulses and jumping people for him and stealing/diy'ing gifts for him a lot and Duke does the classic 'i make fun of you to show you i think you're the coolest ever and how important you are to me' little brother moves to Jason and is protective of him back as he feels he deserves it after all he's done for him and will eternally do for him,most of all making him feel secure in his Robinhood(ha!!)

All the overexposure to so much and such intense science-y proterties and magic jazz and trazz caused Duke's powers to mutate from just dark and light powers to straight up reality warping(to add onto them-he still has his og power palette,it's too iconic to leave out).He gets stuck in a pocket dimension for a hot sec but Summer and Jason pull him out with Thad's help as an expert on that situation.The universe was trying to create the New 52 but Duke's Robinhood was stopping it so in a 20 issue arc to symbolize the 20 core Outlaws aka the 'Outlawed Robin Arc',even the slimest posibility of the N52 ever happening is erased headfirst headon by our titulary gang!Including Honorary Outlaw for two and a half months at the time Tam aka Batgyal!She awoke from her RR2009 coma and it lead to escapades of adventures with both Tim and Stephanie and she was given her own mantle by Luke,who thought it was about time she joined him officially and was her secret keeper on her vigilante life and sneak offs to reunite with Duke as her initial only motivation

In issue 39,Jason snarks he was just 'The Replacement Robin' and Duke defensively cuts him off with 'You were always my favorite Robin when i was little!I never even got to see you in action but you're my favorite for good now!' and Jason is struck clueless,completely unable to come up with a response but touched beyond words on top of his shock.And in issue 110,Duke sadly says '.........I was never a real Robin.I've been with you guys way longer than i ever was with Bruce-' and Jason cuts him off with 'Yeah,no shit you were never Batman's Robin.You're The Outlaws' Robin-You're my Robin and you always have been and you always will be' and Duke gets extremely teary but does a toothy grin too as they're happy tears so Jason smothers him in a hug in comfort and Duke's face takes up most of the final page and a text box reads on the same one:'Duke Thomas is happy.Jason Todd is happy again,thanks to him.They're eachother's Robin,on purpose and by choice'

When Rhato concludes(and The Outlaws stay in touch forever),Duke comes back to Gotham to discover Damian's now Robin and literally laughs at the ridicilousness of the situation,quipping he's glad he already had a new mantle in mind and offers him a hat he thrifted when they meet,along with a smile and affection in his eyes.Damian snatches it from him,huffy and embarrased over the unexpected warm welcome by him but appreciate it and liking the hat only in secret(a yellow one with floppy cat ears strings and an edgy styled strawberry charm).Robins and Batgirls(2022-2023)was a helluva run starring Dick,Jason,Tim,Stephanie,Duke,Damian,Maps,Babs,Cass,Tam,Alysia and Nell and Jason's the only one who got thirst trap covers as it should be(Okay that's a lie,there were Stephcass thirst trap covers too LMAO.Faggot rights!!)

Duke has two core runs post-Robin:The Signal(2020-)and The Lights(2021-),the latter of which is his own team!!The members are Luna as Moonguide and his right-handwoman,Kiran Singh from the Wonderfam,Tanya Spears aka Power Girl ||,Jenni Ognats/XS,Mar'i Grayson/Nightstar,Jennifer Williams/Batika,Sin Harper as Arrowette ||| and the team baby,Darla Dudley as Shazam Girl and two upcoming ocs,a black male Star Sapphire who had his heart broken by a white girl💔and an X-Gene mutant from Earth 616 who ran away from their home dimension!!Duke's reputation as Robin proceeds him as it increases the shenanigans both in his civillian life and as The Signal and Thomquez are my fave classic black love tropes:'Thick baddie who stays keeping her mans fed' and 'Cocky ahh and playful but sweet and soft black dude who accidentally comes across as mocking x Nerdy feminine black girl who's not mean but pretends to be annoyed by his flirting with her because she's too embarrased to admit she actually likes him'.They do matching superhero names as adults to show they're married:Eris(Duke)and Selene(Luna)

Naturally,Duke is enrolled at Gotham Academy at now 15 and he mentors Maps when she comes along,including playing his game of Batwingman for her and Damian.Big hit with the GA girlies but unfortunately for them he only likes Luna and dudes who're mean to him(Woah,he's bisexual!I knew that!Also a Sonic The Hedgehog fan and his faves are Amy Rose,Shadow The Hedgehog and Sticks The Badger and he stans Penny Parker and draws gijinka fanart.Before i forget he also had his own youtube channel pre-Rhato and all his subscribers thought he died and he became a Creepypasta-)

And Batburger is his childhood happy place dating back to pre-Jokerization.He still visits Doug and Elaine and met Gnonom in Rhato only to pull a Percy Jackson and be spiteful and tell him off for his abandonment with zero forgiveness but realistically was still sad and hurt over his neglect so he let himself cry when he got back to The Fortress so Jason and Summer took him to Batburger to cheer him up and that led to his first visit to his parents in a long ass time.It and Batburger trips are part of his lifestyle obligatorily bi-monthly now

Oh the Gotham Police still hate him btw.He does all the work they gaslight people into thinking they do and none of the racism and assaults😔

[tsbs-shipfessions]

Ship confessions?

S..Safe place to share rants?

Oh dear how should I say this...

(Warning for anyone not supporting SolarNexus I guess..)

As much as I like the story of how New Moon went deranged from grief and self deterioration: as in finally realising he can never satisfy this "family's" need of him to be thee og Moon himself. A carbon copy replacement with unrealistic expectations set at full high. (Even though factually thanks to Eclipses V1-4 transitions it's shown that it can't possibly be 100% accurate.) Failing again and again over and over till the event of Solar's death finally snapping him. Derailing himself to push everyone away to the point of losing himself entirely as Nexus.

And Solar valuing New Moon so much that he was in absolute distraught when the first thing he hears upon waking was that his best friend, HIS REASON OF HOME, lost himself so far in the name of lone desperation. A desperation he knows all too well thanks to his past Moon's ungracious reaction to unfortunate loss.

Solar knows what it's like to be alone and afraid. He can't possibly leave Nexus like the others like the flip of the switch! Because just as he gave mercy to Eclipse and Ruin, he'd give mercy to Nexus too.

The canon doesn't make any sense!

And, well, being a silent (yet intimidated from this fandom) supporter of SolarNexus...

The angst writer side of me wishes that this story didn't clap off to the cliche "power hungry" complex.

Why not have Solar continue to drive himself to find some cure or solution? In the name of friendship; to justify himself that he can fix it all before it's too late. To not lose another from his (falsely blamed and uncontrolled) faults. To be the reassurance of comfort Nexus so desperately needed.

Why not have Nexus secretly die inside whenever he speaks the words he does not mean; unwillingly pushing himself to the edge every time he starts to believe hope can be retrieved. Falling in the spiral that nothing is real and he has no right to feel and express. The moment Nexus felt like grasping on light is when strings of dark pull him to a choke to remind just exactly who he's working with. Why he even decided to make a deal with DarkSun. That no matter how Nexus puts it, he technically is a husk for dark star power. An element. Like a living battery for some bigger project he may not be entirely aware of. (And my best guess: a tragic death to Dark Sun's intricate plans.)

A reminder so cruel and twisted that Nexus can't possibly see a way out without Solar's guidance and safety.

Life was never fair for the both of them. They both suffered at being blamed and antagonised for things they had no proper control over. They both had self doubts and a sense that they were never home.

(For f--k's sake! Nexus was LOSING HIS MIND!! CRITICAL DANGER OF WELL BEING, and the "family" decided: Hey! Instead of actually getting him proper treatment, lets just lock him in a cell and keep calling him a villain for insulting people! An action he had no say over because HAHA he LoSt hIs mInD. Wha- eH- HUUEUUH???? NnNO???)

But ey! They were Home for each other.

That's why Solar and NM/Nexus's friendship worked so well! They had a sense of comfort to speak and express openly, to have negativity or concerns spill out without backlash. To actually live freely knowing they have each others back!

And I'd like to believe they'd still ache to have this connection again. That Solar would do whatever it takes to have Nexus free from his chains.

Not to be welcomed by the "family", but to be welcomed by Solar's own loving arms. To get proper care, proper help, proper recognition of all parts of Nexus. Both good and bad.

I really think there's tragedy love potential here. I wished to see them fight whatever forces against them to be together again. To get at least that ounce of safety within the chaos.

Whether it's fighting mental illness or dark star power. Who cares! They gonna be together again dAhM iT! Even if it's just a minute before tragic death from DarkSun or somethin! T-T

*COUGH* oUgh man.. what a doozy of a topic..

Thank you so much for reading! And for making this confessions blog! I appreciate it! Was really good to have this off my chest. Wish you and everyone reading a wonderful day/evenin! :)

I admire the hell out of your passion. This was a good read, and has a lot of neat points. Nice going, Anon.

[imagine-knowing-a-name]

here we are, no one else

Summary: Wanda and R finally get a moment alone

Word Count: 1768 Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader Part 6 of 'Half of My Hometown' series masterlist <- previous part | next part ->

»»————-　★　————-««

“No Vision tonight?”

Your voice breaks Wanda out of her mindless stare at the floor. She looks up, smiling as she meets your eyes, while slightly shaking her head.

“No. He’s not even in the country, Tony needed him for some intelligence mission.”

“Shame,” you mumble. The woman across from you smirks and raises an eyebrow in amusement at your sarcastic tone, and it’s only then that you catch what you said. Even though you’ve clearly been caught, you clear your throat and quickly try to change the subject to distract her. “You know… it’s been years, but I still feel weird calling him ‘Tony’.”

“Do you still remember all the names we used to call him?” Wanda asks and, though it's light-hearted, you pick up on the slight edge to her tone. 

You sheepishly nod, floods of former nicknames for your current boss resurfacing in your mind. Across from you, Wanda’s tight posture loosens slightly, and you realise the implicit meaning behind her question – testing where you stood with Stark, and whether you'd judge the decisions she had made in your absence.

“I can’t really mention those to Vision,” she adds shyly. Your gaze snaps back up to hers with wide eyes and an open-mouthed expression at the thought, just to see her grinning widely.

“Definitely not,” you laugh, surprised by how at ease you feel again tonight, “those names should… well… they should not leave Sokovia.”

“Probably where Stark would ship me back to if he found out.”

“You and me both,” you hum, “though it would be nice to go back home.”

“Not much left of it though.” Wanda frowns and drops her eyes to the ground, the mood sobering quickly.

Seeing her this dejected is enough to make you frown too, so you bump her shoulder with your own and shoot her a toothy grin once she meets your eyes, “I’d have you though, wouldn’t I? The two of us back in former Sokovian land? That’s home enough for me anyday.” She smiles at that, and you feel a warm sense of satisfaction in your chest with the knowledge that you caused that.

“What about right here? It’s got us back together again, maybe we could call this New Sokovia.”

“Right here? This little patch of corridor?”

Wanda nods, “Yes, exactly! We meet here often enough, it’s basically our spot, and if home is where the two of us are…”

“I’ll bring a sign next time. ‘Welcome to New Sokovia. Population: 2 (only at 2am)’, sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Wanda laughs again with a wide and carefree smile on her face; a small noise which somehow has the power to warm you so completely from the inside out, as well as draw happiness to your own lips. You've missed this. You've missed her.

But then, quickly, your expression drops – something you only notice you've done when you see it mirrored by Wanda, whose face now shifts to concern over your disheartened look. Before she can ask what's wrong, you blurt out what it is that you've just remembered. 

“I won't be here tomorrow.”

Typically, agents only work the night shift a few days a week, at the most. You had volunteered yourself to take the hours permanently – you enjoy the late nights, and it spared a few of your coworkers who prefer to have proper sleep schedules – but even with that, you'd worked every night for over two weeks. A break was long overdue.

Wanda still hasn't answered, and you begin to thrum your fingers against your leg. The ease of your previous conversation is now long gone, replaced by pounding nerves for her reaction. It was only one night, that shouldn't be a big deal, but it hasn't happened yet since your reunion with Wanda, due to the unusual scheduling.

“What?”

Her question gives little away.

“I, uh… I won't be here tomorrow,” you repeat redundantly – clearly she heard you. “I have the day off so… well, you know, if you're waiting here then it'll probably be someone else who comes past at 2am. Not that it will be any problem! Of course you're allowed to be here so they won't have an issue, but… just…”

You trail off, after finally noticing that Wanda hasn't said a word – nor even been able to say a word – amid your rambling. Once you stop talking, the lingering silence is enough to make you squirm, bouncing on the balls of your feet and swinging your arms as you refuse to make eye contact.

“Oh,” is all Wanda finally says.

You force your eyes upwards, daring to read Wanda’s face even while you fear the expression you might see; but hers only matches yours, eyes down towards her hands and lower lip ever so slightly caught between her teeth. She's disappointed, but not with you. There’s a question that’s been dying on your lips nearly every night for two weeks, and a wave of realisation washes over you that this is your opportunity to ask it, the best opportunity you’ll ever have.

“Would you meet during day? With me. During the day. Meet with me during the day. Would you want to meet up during the day instead?” You had to blurt the words out quickly before self-doubts could silence you, but as your cheeks burn, hindsight tells you that waiting a little longer to talk wouldn’t have hurt. At least just long enough to form the sentence. Regardless, your embarrassment from the situation now only served to aid the self-doubt which had finally caught up from your actions, and you quickly stutter over your next words while seeking to give Wanda a get-out clause, if she wanted to take it. “Obviously you don't have to, especially if you've got training or-”

“I'd love to.” Wanda cuts you off with a teasing smirk, well aware of how much you would have continued to talk had she not interrupted. “I finish training at 1.”

“I’ll meet you at 2?” you offer, “2pm. I’ll bring lunch, and you can take some time to wind down and get out of that uncomfortable looking outfit you have to wear.”

“My costume?” Wanda gasps in mock offence, while you struggle to contain your laughter – your teasing comment getting exactly the reaction you knew it would. “It looks very cool! Admit it looks cool!”

You hum, resting a hand on your chin in thought and drawing out the wait for as long as you can. “I did hear the full leather look is the next big trend,” you shrug with a devilish smile that Wanda would have seen had she not started celebrating the admission early. So you continue, “...if you’re in The Matrix.”

Her victory is swiftly ended; her arms drop to her sides and a pout overtakes the prior smugness while a deadpan gaze bores into you. 

There’s a familiarity to her expression that sends you hurtling into your memories, stabbing at your heart when you remember the giggles of you and your accomplice, celebrating to yourselves everytime you managed to lure a young Wanda into your verbal (or even sometimes physical) traps. Over a decade later, you catch yourself before you can turn to share your joy with Pietro. He’s just another face you won’t ever see again. 

Wanda doesn’t see the way your smile falls, something you're glad for. So when she turns to you with a renewed spark in her eye, even when you know that means she has a retaliation incoming, you coerce the prior amusement back into your expression.

“You’re just jealous,” she says with a light shove to your shoulder, and sticking out her tongue too for good measure, “because you used to wear your homemade costume everywhere, but I’m the one with the real one! Didn’t you wear that thing to bed?”

You gasp now, surprised that she not only remembered it, but also decided to use it against you.

“You're going to bring my costume into this?”

“Mmmmhm.”

“Alright, бубамара (ladybug)…” you trail off, grinning wildly as her face flushes redder than the aforementioned costume. “I should have known that’s where the red theme comes from.”

Scare resources forced you down creative routes to stay entertained in your childhoods – one such time involved cobbling together various clothing scraps and other well-worn items into costumes to imagine yourselves in lives that weren’t your own. You pictured yourself as a hero, strong enough to stop the onslaught of missiles raining down in Sokovia. Wanda, meanwhile, became a ladybug.

“It’s the colour of my powers,” Wanda whines, bashfully defending herself. But you still have thirteen years worth of teasing to unleash.

“Which is coincidentally the same colour? Or were you subconsciously channelling the bug all along?”

“...I don't even know why I missed you.”

Your face softens a little, taking in her words as the confession they are, that she’d missed you. Despite the demons in your brain, you find that you aren’t surprised by it – she’s already shown you that she’s missed you beyond a doubt, and those feelings don’t go unreciprocated. Still, the explicit reassurance of your friendship always manages to bring a warmth to your heart and this time is no different. Wanda clearly takes in your expression because she relaxes too, her shoulders sagging and a slight upwards turn appearing on her lips.

…It’s the perfect time to double down.

“The costume memories were a big gap! It’s understandable to miss them, Wands! But don’t you worry, I’ll just tell your team about it and make sure they give you plenty of reminders.”

“You wouldn't-” 

You really wouldn't. Your lack of communication with the Avengers aside, the moments between you and Wanda – the shared memories, experiences, and jokes – they're something you're fiercely protective of. A feeling only comparable to jealousy sets in when you imagine one of Wanda's new friends calling her ‘ladybug’ the way you do. It's your nickname for her, a term for only you to use and nobody else should even get to know it. Not that you'll ever let Wanda know that.

Instead, you look down at the watch on your wrist, flashing the display to her as you grin and begin to walk backwards. Her head tilts in confusion and you almost hesitate to go. Almost. “Oh, would you look at the time? I better get back to my patrol. Got a lot to discuss with any Avengers I run into, afterall.”

Wanda's eyes darken, squinting and daring you to say anything about your childhood nickname for her. You smile innocently in return.

“See you at 2pm, бубамара! Dress comfy!”

»»————-　★　————-««

General Taglist: @canvascoloredin @fxckmiup @wizardofstories

Series Taglist: @holiday-house-of-m @emiliaisdead @wonderingnerd @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @chasethemoon @alexawynters @username23345 @marvelogic

A/N: went home for Easter and lost absolutely all my motivation to write, but it's here now 😭 anyway, comment/reblog with your thoughts on this one and what you want to see in future! :)

[aquilapolariz]

the ocean's mercy (portgas d. ace x reader)

Summary: Ace encounters an ocean of memories and thoughts that seem to drown him. Someone needs to pull him out of the sea and help him navigate it.

Notes/Warnings: Minor spoilers for Ace's background and minor spoilers for Wano (all of them are literally just name drops), angst with comfort! Requested by anon

Word Count: 2.2k | Read below the cut or on Ao3 here!

The Moby Dick was filled with cheers and liquor as the crew watched Ace single-handedly take down a pirate crew. Pride swelled within you, joining in the shouts and claps of your pirate brothers and sisters. 

Ace landed back on the ship with a dramatic thud, hopping onto the railing, and then jumping onto the deck.

Ace was reliable but reckless, fiery and confident. His tattooed back was facing you, Whitebeard’s Jolly Roger on display to Ace’s friends, enemies, and everyone in between. But really, when it came to Ace, there really was no in-between. He loved like there was no tomorrow and saved pure hatred only for those he believed deserved it: those who hurt the people he cared about.

His shoulders, strong and sure, slouching only when he squatted on the edge of the ship, were laid back in satisfaction. His chest was puffed out with no signs of exhaustion on his face. He shined bright like the sun, his radiant smile reinvigorating the crew, which prompted them to grow louder and drink even more rum. It seemed like nothing could ever shake Ace or his unwavering resolve. The air around him was full of certitude, as if only the strongest of earthquakes and tsunamis could weaken his unfaltering spirit.

And disasters that were big enough to shake up Ace were few and far between.

A disaster of that magnitude ended up being Marco offering Ace the position of Second Division Commander. You raised your eyebrows at Ace’s hesitation. For a full week, he didn’t give Whitebeard or Marco a proper answer.

The great Fire Fist Ace is never uncertain, or so you thought.

+++

Ace made everything look effortless. From making his crewmates laugh to punching enemy pirates or falling asleep in any situation, Ace made living life look easy. But he was only human. And just like every human, Ace contained multitudes that were hidden beneath his facade. 

“Looks like we’re spending more time together, huh?” 

“Guess so,” you said inattentively. “Though you are a big shot now, Mr. Second Division Commander. Who says you’ll have the time to spend on me?”

“As my own boss, I say so. I gotta get to know the Second Division better than anyone else.”

“Well, cheers to that,” you responded, your glass clinking against his as the party celebrating Ace’s promotion commenced. 

You didn’t tell Ace — or anyone else for that matter — that you saw him pacing outside of Pop’s door for an hour the night before.

+++

Even from the ship, you could see that his feet were in the sand, but his mind was somewhere far away.

“Hey, Ace,” you uttered, quietly approaching him. 

“Hey,” he replied, his eyes regaining their vibrant glow as he turned to you with a captivating smile. “Not enjoying the feast?”

“Hard to enjoy it without you,” you shot back.

“Codependency at its worst,” Ace laughed.

You sat down next to him, the sunkissed sand filling in the spaces between your toes and enveloping your feet like a warm embrace. “Why aren’t you on the ship with everyone?” you lightly chided, “it’s a commander’s duty to spend time with their crew, no?”

“Wasn’t really feeling it today, I guess.”

“Was it something Teech said? I swear that guy doesn’t know how to shut up.”

“If I was bothered by Teech I would’ve left this ship long ago,” he chuckled as he looked away from you. Ace’s hearty laughter was like a wave that regularly washed away your worries. But this time, it didn’t.

You took in the view he was facing: a shoreline that never seemed to end. Before you joined him on the beach, Ace had been staring at the sand for what felt like years. Within the minuscule grains, Ace could see the faces of a young Sabo and the legendary Gold Roger. He blinked and those faces morphed into the purple-haired Otama and the crying face of Yamato. 

These sands of doubt and time did nothing to ease the tension in Ace’s body. 

“Despite how close you are to everyone, it still feels like you keep people at arm’s length. You said you needed to get to know your division more, but how about letting the division know you?”

“There’s nothing to know.” Ace feigned offense at your skeptical expression, “What can I say? I’m a simple guy.”

“A simple guy who Whitebeard allowed to take a division commander spot?” you questioned.

“Exactly! What you see is what you get.”

You snorted. “What I see is a devil-fruit user, who has a misspelled tattoo of his name and doesn’t know how to wear a shirt.”

He let out a dramatic sigh. “Contrary to popular belief, I know how to spell my name.”

“That’s odd. I’m not getting that from what I’m seeing.”

“Then what do you get from what you see of me?”

“I see my second division commander. Reliable. Cares about his friends and his family to a fault.” You paused, but Ace kept nodding, urging you to go on. “You’re just eating all these compliments up, huh?”

“Whattttttttt? Nooooo!”

“I see a stubborn idiot”— you mentally celebrated a small victory when Ace’s lips instantly turned to a pout — “who’s too kind.” He squinted at you. His expressive face never seemed to get old. “Too kind to the point where you never want to be vulnerable.”

The tension in his face all but vanished, and he suddenly turned away.

Despite always seeming larger than life, this was the smallest you’ve ever seen Ace. With every wave, the sea crept closer and closer to where the two of you were sitting until the salty water washed over the tips of your toes. Ace recoiled and scrunched his face at the sudden weakness he felt, even if it was only for a moment. Ace seemed like he would be pulled in by the rising tide and sink down into the sea if you left him alone—not because of his weakness as a devil fruit user, but because of his oft-hidden weakness as a human. Even Ace was not immune to the endless pools of self-doubt. 

So you put your hand on his shoulder, scooting closer to Ace to close the gap between the two of you, trying to ground him and prevent him from falling into the siren’s song of sadness. He thought about your words. Too kind to the point where you never want to be vulnerable. You keep people at arm’s length. Arm’s length is still pretty close, he always told himself. He turned to you and your face was mere inches away from his, brought closer by the hand that clung to his shoulder now. You were much closer than arm’s length. But for some reason, this time, it didn’t feel close enough. 

“I know no one ever asks you this but, what’s wrong, Ace?”

He stared at his wet feet. “The sea takes my strength, y’know?” Of course you knew that. And of course he knew that that wasn’t what you were referring to. 

“It’s always a surprise when the tide comes in, isn’t it?” He asked cryptically. 

You frowned. Ace never spoke in riddles. 

“Is it, though? We’re pirates, we know how the ocean works,” you reminded him.

“We know the tide will always rise and fall, but in the New World it’s a little more difficult to know exactly when.”

You hummed realizing that Ace was right. “It's constant, true, but it’s also constant change.” You stared at the ebb and flow of the water, falling into its visual rhythm.

“And as pirates, we’re always at the ocean’s mercy,” he added. It always surprised Ace when memories of the past washed over him, seemingly at the most unexpected and unwanted times. 

You shook your head with a smile. “With the help of the wind, a trusty ship, and an able crew, we can defy even the roughest of waves.” This time, the seafoam seemed to form the faces of Luffy, of Whitebeard, of Marco, of you. “Without the ocean, how would we sail to all these islands and live the life we do? The ocean isn’t our enemy.”

Ace mentally cursed at himself for getting caught up in his thoughts and, dare he say it, regrets. Memories of the past, just like the tide, aren’t always out to get him, it seemed. The waves fell back into the ocean, suddenly much less threatening.

Ace let out a sigh of relief. He mentally thanked you for pulling him away from an ocean of spiraling thoughts. He should’ve known that you would leave the feast to look for him once as soon as you noticed he was gone. As much as he tried, there was no escaping you. Was there any point in still trying to? “It’s nice to have such a reliable crew,” Ace said coolly.

“It’s nice to have such a reliable commander,” you replied without missing a beat.

Maybe he would let himself be selfish, be vulnerable. Maybe he would share the weight of his past with you, little by little. He reached across his chest to place his hand over yours, your touch lingering on his shoulder. He was a fool for thinking he could keep you at arm’s length for forever. He drew in a deep breath, his brows furrowed, as if debating whether to speak. You squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him of your presence.

“Sabo,” he blurted out. “I had a brother named Sabo.” You raised your eyebrows, trying to process his sudden words. “The extra “S” in my tattoo is for him.”

“Had?” You asked. His dark eyes bore holes into yours. Full of life and depth, you couldn’t look away. You felt like you were at the ocean’s mercy. The bottomless urge to know and explore every part of it was pulling you in, more than ever before.

“He died when we were young. That’s why it’s crossed out.” 

You gasped, recoiling away from him, pulling your hand away, his eyes narrowing almost immediately. “I’m so sorry for always teasing you about it. I shouldn’t-”

He tousled your hair and you couldn’t help but lean into his touch. Just like how the tide is bound to  the shore, there was always an unseen pull between the two of you. With Ace’s words lingering in the salty air, that pull became more discernible. “No need to apologize. It always made me smile. I know for a fact that Sabo would’ve joined in on your jokes. He’d probably ask me why I bothered putting an ‘S’ in my name instead of getting an entirely separate tattoo,” he laughed.

You let out a sigh of relief. There it was. Your ears were filled with his rich laughter that washed away your worries— your worries about him and about accidentally hurting him. “Hmm…that would be a good question. You’re really not making a good case for yourself, Ace. You sure you didn’t come up with this excuse after you messed up your tattoo?” you playfully quipped.

“No! You don’t believe me?!”

You shook your head with a smile. “I believe in you. Always have, always will.” Ace watched you as you began to stand up, trying your best to dust off the sand on your legs.

“How can you say that?” Ace asked curiously, hugging his knees to his chest. He was thankful that you were no longer facing him,  that you wouldn’t see him with his shoulders slouched, looking so small. Your eyes were fixed on the horizon across the vast surface of the ocean. 

“Say what, exactly?”

“That you’ll always believe in me?”

You walked closer to the water, willingly letting the waves wash over your feet. “There’s nothing that you can do that will make me not believe in you,” you stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He stared at your back. He took in the way you so easily walked into the ocean that he thought was so dangerous before. “What if”, he paused, taking a deep breath, “what if it’s not what I do, but who I am?”

There it was again, you noticed, Ace speaking in riddles. “You’re you. That’s more than enough.”

“You’re saying all I gotta do is exist? And that’s…enough?”

You spoke to the merciless ocean: “You exist and I see you. All of you.” You turned around. Ace looked up at you, the sounds of the waves lapping seemed to be an echo of your words, as if the whole universe was trying to get through to him. You reached your hand out to his. Taking it, you pulled him up to his feet and dragged him closer to the water. Both of your ankles were completely submerged, but neither of you minded. Feeling some energy flee from his body, Ace felt weak, but was that such a bad thing? He squeezed your hand, the warmth of it standing in stark contrast to the shocking cold water around his feet. No, he concluded. Being vulnerable wasn’t so bad, especially when it was with you. Because you really did see all of him: the weak parts, the strong ones, and everywhere in between. “To see you is to always believe in you,” you whispered.

You brought your gaze back to the horizon and Ace followed suit. With your hand in his and the waves now lapping against his knees, he couldn’t help but feel gratitude. The merciful ocean had brought you to him, washing up on the shores when he needed you the most.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Amnesia (KidKiller X Reader) Prologue

Plot: After an explosion reader wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past few years, her parents want to take her home so she can recover and get back to a normal life while the Kid pirates want her back on the ship where she belongs.

Warning: Body shaming/issues, Family problems/mental abuse, bad language, Violence and Blood.

Reader is Female, Poly Relationship, established relationship, Kid X Reader X Killer, Reader is a member of the Kid pirates and is in charge of the money, Budgeting and negotiating the best price.

Next Part >

The firstborn of the family always carries on the family name which is why high class families want their first to be a boy, so when you were born a girl you were a disappointment from the start. It didn't matter from that point on, what you did or what you accomplished in life, you would never be good enough for them, but you still tried. You wanted to be smart like your farther and prove to him that you can one day run the several companies that he owns, they were inherited from his farther who inherited it from his farther, it goes on and on. Your farther is very old-fashioned, men should work and women should stay home to raise the next generation, Your mother agreed with him on this so tried to raise you to be a lady, be pretty and proper. You wanted to please both of them, so they would finally look at you with love and respect but the more you tried the less happy you became. Still trying for a boy your parents had 4 other girls before finally having a boy but during that time of waiting they decided to put what they had to use. Beauty competition and pageant became your life and the things you actually liked to do had to be dropped in order to make time for all that. Your mother became more controlling sometimes scaring you with how far she was willing to go just to get you to win, she told you what to eat and when to eat, you were never aloud to cut your hair since it had to be longer and better than the other girls. You were measured and weighed every day, if you were over a certain weight then she would withhold food until you were back down to that weight.

Your mother broke down in tears when it turned out you needed reading glasses stating that it will damage your nose, you tried contacts, but they hurt and caused eye irritation, despite that you grinned and bared so you could continue to read and do your school work trying to impress your farther while also pleasing your mother. Even though you were only doing extra math's lessons to try and get your father to notice you it was something you began to look forward to, your teachers praised you for your work and even moved you up a year, because of this you enjoyed it more and more some times forgetting the reason you were doing all this in the first place. Unfortunately your sisters were pushed to the side most of the time, your mother stayed focused on you and trying to have a boy for your farther while your farther was either locked in his office or on business ventures, a lot of resentment formed between you and your sisters, they wanted mothers attention and you wanted less of it hoping it will take some pressure to being the most beautiful off of you. Things got better when your farther's company took a turn for the worst, he actually needed you and you were more than happy to help, hopefully making him proud of you in the process. It was hard work and you spent a lot of late night but your Farther made sure your mother didn't interfere because of this she turned her attention to your sisters finally giving them the attention they wanted.

It took months of work but you managed to fix the problem and found a way to save more money without hurting anyone who works for your farther, despite all that you didn't get a thank you, just sent back to your mother. It broke you seeing how he would easily throw you aside once he had what he wanted and things got worse when your brother came along. You were 14 when your brother was born, you didn't even know him and yet you hated him, your farther now had a son and it didn't matter if he grew up to be stupid or ugly, he would still have farther's praise. Your farther did most of the work raising your brother making sure he would one day be the head of his companies, it broke you even more seeing how your brother who was still a baby had more love and respect that you ever did or ever would. It didn't take long for the anger and hurt to boil over, you started acting out and rebelling, it started out small, going down stairs for late night snacks, ripping a dress you were going to wear just before a contest making it seem like an accident, missed pageants to go to business lectures or extra classes. To get your anger out you took up late night defense classes and a bit of kickboxing, it helped you calm down, not do anything rash and gave your brain a break from thinking about everything. Building up muscle made you feel better in yourself but when ever you would get weighed your mother would become angry since you put on weight. It didn't matter to her if it was muscle weight or not, a girl shouldn't have muscles, she should be thin and fair skinned, she didn't make you food but you would sneak down and make your own pissing her off even more.

Over time, you got more and more brave while also learning how to deal with your mothers anger when ever she would yell at you. The first time she truly yelled at you the poor maids had to come in and hold her back from hurting you, what made her so angry? You cut your hair up to your shoulders, you didn't want to do pageants or beauty contest anymore, you wanted to be your own person, you wanted to do the things you actually like and make a life for yourself that didn't revolve around pleasing your parents, but she never took you seriously until you cut your hair. She was losing control of you but gripped on tight, everything you did to rebel was met head on by something she would do and in turn you would do worse. She pulled you out of school, so she could home school you to become a lady but you sneak out and sit outside a class room listening through the open window while taking notes, because of this she hired security to have you on 24 hour watch. After a few weeks you got their routine and shift changes down so would use that time to sneak out either going to the school or going to the local gym. She would send them out to get you but over time you started to fight back refusing to go home until you were done with what ever you were doing. It wasn't long until those men quit finding you too hard to handle, your mother hired people after people, but they kept quitting and soon word got around making it impossible to hire anyone else knowing that you would physically hurt them. You 1, Mother 0.

Your mother still forced you into pageants by threatening to break something you loved or tricking you in some way, she would lie to you getting you to come back home or to a hall where the pageant was held, it got to a point where you stopped believing her even when she called to tell you your grandmother died, you thought it was a lie so just hung up on her but it turned out to be true. The main things she threatened to break was your glasses or what ever book you were reading at the time, one time your called her bluff causing her to break your glasses and then going through your room to break other stuff. You 1, Mother 1. Your mother would cook meals while keeping a food and calorie book for you, she watched what you ate and when she realized things weren't adding up with the amount of food used, she put chains and padlocks on the fridge and cupboards. Your farther had to step in on the argument you and your mother had over this telling you to do as your told but you refused to give up, it took you a while to figure out a way around it while not destroying the kitchen but you managed to get your hands on the key and make an imprint of it so you could have one made. It was going great until she caught you, from then on she would change the locks regularly, you didn't have the money to keep making prints to get a key made so you thought, if she's not going to be sneaky then neither am i. You bought bolt cutter and cut the chains and locks, she would put new ones up but you would just cut them again, it was another thing she had to back down on since your farther was getting upset with how much money she was spending on this. You 2, Mother 1.

You managed to save up enough money to get your first tattoo at 16, by working as a cleaner at the gym and tutoring other kids, It was hard work but you actually found joy in it. You wanted to go for a collar bone piece since your mother loved for you to wear sleeveless dresses but luckily the tattoo artist convinced you to go with a less painful area for your first time, so you got it on your forearm. A stack of books with a steaming cup on top, your favorite flowers, chocolate cosmos scattered around and leaves poking out from between the books. Your mother was beyond pissed when she found out and tried to get you to lazier it off but since you were 16 it was your chose medically so when you refused there was nothing anyone could do. During pageants or beauty contests she would use make up to cover it up, you hoped getting a tattoo would deter her form putting you in skimpy dresses but it seemed to make her worse. You didn't know if you won or lost on that one but as the outfits got skimpier you decided as much as you love your tattoo and would never get rid of it, she won that time. You 2, Mother 2. Your farther often had to get involved when your mother yelled at you since you'd just stare at her blankly waiting for her to calm down so you could talk but this would make her even more angry, her yelling could be heard from all over the house and it could last for almost an hour or until her voice gave out.

You know there's no point in trying to talk to either of them when they get angry, what ever you have to say will be met with more anger and mean comments, there's no point in yelling back. Your farther used to be mad that your mother was too loud when yelling at you but that soon changed to him yelling at you since your the problem, if you just did as you were told then your mother wouldn't be yelling and spending more money than needed to keep you in your place. Why they didn't give up on your or kick you out? Its most likely to save their reputation, having to kick out their eldest would put them in a bad light. You wanted to leave home as soon as you could, so you kept working, unfortunately it wasn't enough to get a boat and have money over to survive on out in the water especially when you'd have to buy new glasses whenever your mother break them or pay to fix broken things in you room. The money you saved up would come and go depending on you mothers mood and if you were willing to do as she says that day. You didn't have enough money to leave but you did it anyway on your 18th birthday when your parents did something you can't forgive, It was the straw that broke the camel's back as they say, so you gathered all the things you could and grabbed what money you had before leaving. Your parents didn't come after you which you were thankful for, but they probably hoped you would come around and not run away like you were planning on.

You bought a small boat that had a small hut, it was shabby at best but the engine worked and you just wanted out. It lasted longer than you thought, after a few islands the engine gave out but you managed to get to an island before that happened, some of the wood panels were coming loose and when you turned the light on inside the cabin to check things it sparked and a fire broke out. Luckily you managed to put it out quickly but the wiring was all kinds of messed up, no wonder the boat was cheep, it's a fire waiting to happen. To make matters worse this island isn't the friendly's, they don't mind outsiders, but they will charge you extra just for being one, It was hard to get a good price on anything but you managed to get a few things with what little money you had. You spent over a month on that island trying to fix the boat you had no idea how to fix while working in the village doing their taxes for little money. It was hard work and you felt like you were never getting off this island but surprisingly it was better than home. After another day of lots of work and hardly any pay you went to by supply's to fix your ship only to find two pirates that needed help with the cranky shop keeper over pricing them. You helped them in exchange for a ride to the nearest island with a village, their crew was a strange one but fun, of course you hid things from them, you never once mentioned your family and gave a fake last name when they asked. They may be fun to hang around with but their still pirates at the end of the day.

As you spent time with the crew you became very good friends with House, the ships new Doctor, well she was the best person they could find for the job. She didn't know how to fight at the time so you taught her a little on how to defend herself, she was sweet yet crazy and you didn't want to leave knowing she could get badly hurt. The other person you became close with was surprisingly Heat, you were a little scared of him but you refused to show fear around anyone in case they take advantage of it, he liked you for not being fearful of his appearance and for not flinching when ever their captain yelled or lashed out in anger. Kid's anger wasn't normally directed at you but most people run and hide when being anywhere near the angry or drunk captain. You didn't mind doing things around the ship since you were staying on there for free and even sorted out some of their finances with Killer looking over your shoulder most of the time, Killer and Kid were impressed that not only did you save them money on land but now you were saving them money out at sea too. It was the first time you got praise for your work, normally people would just hand you the money and watch you leave but you didn't charge them for any of it, and they actually thanked your for it all. When it was almost time for you to leave the ship, Captain Kid asked you to join his crew, It was a big surprise but you couldn't pass up the opportunity so you joined.

At first, you were mostly a cleaner and helped Kid or Killer with the money while they watched your every move until they could fully trust you. After a year not only where you put fully in charge of finances, budgeting and negotiating but Kid and Killer got together, you knew the two had a thing for each other and you, along with the crew were relived that it finally happened. There was a bit of hurt in your chest though, as much as you were happy for the two and enjoyed seeing them together you still had feelings for the both of them, time should have gotten rid of those feelings, but they only grew more and more as you got closer with them. As the crew grew you felt more and more at home, the crew was your family and the Victoria Punk was your home, you started to act more like yourself and how you wanted to be with no repercussions. The collection of tattoo's on your body grew over time, either relating to the things you love and things that remind you of the crew but you refuse to get your ears pierced, Kid wanted to do it for you but thanks to some past trauma you refuse. A few years went by before Killer and Kid pulled you into their room to talk, it turns out they felt the same as you did and after a long time of talking about it the two decided that they wanted you to be a part of their relationship. How could you say no? Your feelings for them never went away and you wanted nothing more than to be loved by them and show them how much they mean to you.

The hole crew knew about your relationship, it was no secret and no one had a problem with it so the three of you didn't mind a little PDA, Kid's a bit more closed off when off the ship and can get flustered easily when the two of you tease him or show affection when out in public, he'll yell at the two of you to shut up before storming off. There has been some fights and arguments between the three of you, well mainly between you and Kid but at the end of the day you all felt better when sleeping in the same bed. After Kid lost his arm you started painting his nails for him, it was the first time you actually enjoyed doing any kind of make up so ended up doing it more often for both of them. Even though you trust the two and fully love them you still haven't told them about your past and who your family was, you only said that it wasn't a nice place to be so you left, they never pushed you on the issue but some times worried when ever you'd lash out over someone commenting on your looks or waist line. They learned not to call you certain names or nicknames like, pretty, beautiful, Sweetie, princess, Darling, Doll ect, they all brought you back to what your mother used to say or what judges would call you, once you almost killed a guy for calling you "Just a pretty face". The only thing you didn't have a problem with was your height, muscles, scars and tattoo's which are all things your happy with, you worked hard for you muscles, love your tattoo's and your proud of your scars since you fought through some tough battles.

----- The battle -----

Speaking of battles, getting into a fight with the marines is how you ended up losing most of your memories in the first place, you could blame kid since he's the one who started the battle but the marines were carrying some good stuff that even you couldn't pass up on. While Kid and Killer were off fighting on other ships you were with Heat and a few other crew member's taking out the marines and trying to find what treasure they were carrying, unfortunately the treasure wasn't what you exacted, barrels of explosives. Making your way up to the deck you spot Heat about to use his fire breathing again as a bunch of marines run at him, in fear of him setting the ship ablaze causing the explosives to go off you jumped into the crowd of marines. "What the hell Y/N" Heat yells unable to use his fire with you in the way, kicking and grappling onto the marines you take a few out before Heat joins you slashing his swords to take out the rest "This ship is carrying explosives, i don't want the ship being blown up with the crew still on it" You yell as your foot connects with a marines face sending him flying back into the side of the ship, Heat sighs while slashing another marine knowing he can't use his fire breathing "If the treasure isn't here it must be on one of the other ships" The scarecrow like man calls back turning to face you now the deck is clear, turning to face him you nod before looking over at the marine ship next to this one. "I think its best if you head off to another ship, I'll set the ship to head towards the reinforcement and get the rest of the crew off" You state over the loud noise of fighting and cannon fire, Heat thinks for a second then nods "I'll inform the captain, be safe" he yells before running off and jump over to the next ship.

You know the best thing now is to get control of this ship and use it against the others marine ships that are starting to close in. Foot steps running towards you gets your attention getting you to spin around ready to fight only to see a member of your crew "Bubblegum, there are explosives on this ship get anyone off who uses gun or fire, I'm gonna gain control of the ship and set it on cause out to sea, hopefully we can get it to crash into the reinforcements" You call out to the blue haired man who nods at you heading off to tell the others on the ship. Heading to the control room you have to fight more marines on the way but soon get to the control room, opening the door you have no chose but to duck when a marine in a white coat swings his sword at you, it cuts the door in half as you slide under his legs to get behind him. The Lieutenant is fast though turning around and swinging his sword down, dodging out of the way you push off the floor using both feet to kick the man in the face. He stumbles back giving you time to stand up and jump kick him back further into the wall behind the door, with a sigh you head over to the control panel seeing the ship has set cause straight for the Victoria Punk, you had a feeling they were planning to doing the same thing as you were going to do, use the ship to blow up the other one. Before you can change its cause the marine's reflection in the glass gets your attention seeing him standing behind you and swinging his sword across to hit you. Barely managing to dodge to the side your shoulder gets cut pretty deep as his arm swings out grabbing you by the throat and throwing you window looking out onto the deck.

Glass shatters some piercing your skin as your body hits the slightly wet wooden deck rolling before managing to find your feet and skid to a stop "Y/n" Boogie a man with teal hair yells out going to run over to you when the lieutenant lands just in front of you bringing his sword down, flipping back words you avoid his swings before going under his legs again and kicking him in the back forcing him away from you "Get to the control room, this ship is on a direct cause to the Victoria." You yell as Bubblegum runs over to join Boogie, the two nod seeing you have this handled while also hearing the commanding tone you used. "So you figured it out, how smart" The marine yells running over to you while swinging his sword at you, dodging you manage to miss a few swings but get caught on the last one, the sword grazing your side as you use the palm of your hand to hit the marine in the throat. He steps back coughing from the hit as you grab his arm and round house a kick to the side of his head forcing it down onto the wooden deck while pulling his arm behind his back, he yells out in pain as his face breaks the wood under him and how your pushing his arm up further than it should go causing him to release the sword in his hand. With the lieutenant unable to move and the marine ship starting to turn around heading away from the Victoria Punk you feel a sense of relief, the marine under you stops struggling his eyes glues on something as he starts to laugh.

Pushing his head further down with your foot you growl wondering what's so funny "FIRE" The marine yells out making your eyes widen as the marine ship across from the one your on fires a cannon ball straight into the hull of the ship hitting the explosives inside. Everything happened in a flash, the ship lighting on fire as wood splinter and breaks apart, the ship creaked and roared as it split apart starting to sink into the ocean. You felt the fire hit your legs along with pieces of wood and metal before cold salty sea water engulfed you, still conscious you tried to swim to the surface above as body's and piece of the ship sink past you in the water. It was getting harder to breath but you soon made it to the top, bursting through the water you gasp for air while trying to gather your surrounding. A loud snapping sound catches your attention but you only had time to look up as the marine's mast breaks in half and falls right on top of you. Blood filled the water around you as your body was dragged down, deeper and deeper into the depth, your head hurt and your vision became blurry but a figure swam over to you just before your eyes closed letting darkness take over your vision and mind.

[c0nfessions-of-a-writing-freak]

Roars And Rose Petals

Pairing: Hiccup 'Horrendous’ Haddock III x fem!reader

Word count: 3.2k

Warnings: Graphic description of violence

Summary: After a mission involving sinking dragon hunter ships and freeing any trapped dragons on board goes wrong and one of the dragon riders is left injured, Hiccup tries to make sure (Y/N) gets the proper rest she deserves with much resistance on her part of course.

A/N: For the sake of this story your dragon is going to be female. The name or species is up to you though. I'm not sure how I feel about this one-shot overall. When I first started working on it I think I started it out strong but the further along it went the more I feel as if I lost sight of the one-shot. Hope you enjoy tho :)

(Y/N): Your name

(H/C): Hair colour

(D/N): Dragon's name

(D/S): Dragon species

*Gif does not belong to me

(Y/N)'s hands tightened around the edge of (D/N)'s saddle. She lowered her chest to the point she was almost laying flat on (D/N)'s back as they began to dive through the rows of boats sitting on the water's edge. Jutting an arm out in front of her and (D/N)'s head, (Y/N) called out, "Come on girl, let's sink them before they sink us."

A gargled response was announced from below (Y/N) before a beam of flames was shot towards one of the boats. A chorus of strangled-out cries filled the air as (D/N)'s head turned and the flames they were emitting fell to another ship, tearing through the deck and leaving smouldering wood. A gentle pat hit the side of (D/N)'s neck, silent encouragement once the flames ceased.

"(Y/N), more help is needed on the other side of the armada," Astrid called out from Stormflys back, passing by (Y/N) and (D/N) on her own way over to meet Snotlout and Fishlegs. By the sound of it--or lack of it--Hiccup and the twins seemed to be doing just fine.

"On it!" (Y/N) called after the blonde, turning (D/N)'s so they could follow after the Deadlynadder. "Come on (D/N)," (Y/N) muttered, "Just a few more ships and then we can go home and relax for the rest of the week. I promise I won't let Hiccup rope us into any more missions or training exercises."

A pleased rumble left (D/N)'s chest at the same time as a bemused yell left Hiccup. "Hey!" He had called, grinning over at (Y/N) before diving out of the way of some dragon root-laced arrows. (Y/N) chuckled, shaking her head as she focused back on the task at hand, eyes locking on where Astrid and Stormfly had disappeared to.

Without warning, a metallic chain was shot their way. "Quickly (D/N), up. Up!" (Y/N) screeched at the sight of the hooked weapon.

(D/N) let out a bellowing screech as she tried to shoot up, wings snapping out. She wasn't quick enough however as the chain wrapped around (D/N)'s right wing, pulling the (D/S) wing taut with the hook digging into the underside of her wing. A cry escaped from (D/N)'s throat, shaking (Y/N) as their bodies jolted with the pull of the chain.

"Steady (D/N)," (Y/N) attempted to say, hands tightening once more on (D/N)'s saddle as her (H/C) whipped around her head, the wind picking up and throwing her hair around. (D/N) seemed immune to (Y/N)'s words as her left-wing rapidly shot up and down.

Growing more erratic with every passing second, (D/N) started to shake rapidly, trying to throw the chain off her. In her attempt to loosen the chain from her right wing, (D/N) also began to jostle (Y/N) from her back.

"(D/N), no!" (Y/N) shouted as she began to fall, slipping from the leather saddle as (D/N) began to crash down hard, being pulled in by the dragon hunter ship. "Someone? Anyone?" (Y/N) tried to call out as gusts of wind slapped against her face. When it became apparent that no one was coming, (Y/N)'s eyes squeezed shut, arms coming forward to cradle her head as she got ready for impact.

Before (Y/N) could hit the crashing sea's surface, a chain identical to the one that had trapped (D/N) wrapped around her waist, snagging one of her arms by her side because of the angle at which she was falling. The hook of the chain tore through (Y/N)'s shirt and dug itself into her side, making her wince as she got whipped through the air and came crashing into the side of the boat.

The tips of her boots scraped against the water's edge as she dangled against the side of the boat momentarily before being pulled up, the rattling of chains filling (Y/N)'s ears as she struggled to free her arms. When she reached the halfway point, she had managed to untangle her arm from her body and the dragon-proof chains. With a soft grunt, (Y/N) brought both hands to the hooked metal that was still lodged into her side. Taking a steadying breath, (Y/N) tried to relax before she abruptly pulled at the hook, ripping it from her skin. A startled cry tore through (Y/N)'s chest but she did her best to muffle the noise.

Keeping the remainder of the chain wrapped around herself, (Y/N) allows herself to be pulled up and over the side of the ship. Only then did she unravel the chain from her waist and fling the hooked edge at the dragon rider that shot and pulled her from the air. The hook hit the hunter with a strangled cry from him before he fell to the ground, weighed down by the heavy metal.

(Y/N) didn't stay put for long after that as she jumped forward onto the boat's deck. Picking up a stray bow from the fallen dragon hunter, she tore an arrow from the quiver still latched to the hip of the man. Aiming the bow and arrow, she didn't hesitate before releasing the arrow on one of the dragon hunters, tearing them from their focus as the arrow buried itself in their shoulder.

The wounded hunter's cry caught the attention of more hunters, pulling them away from the dragons in the sky and to the fallen rider on their ship. (Y/N) tried not to look put off by the many eyes on her. Instead, she readied herself for the onslaught of weapons that were bound to come her way. "Someone grab her!"

Getting another arrow from the hunter's toppled-over body, she aimed it at the nearest dragon hunter, getting ready to shoot it at the first sign of danger. "That's right, come and get me!"

None of the dragon hunters took a step forward and for a second, (Y/N) thought she had successfully warded them off. But when the padded thumps came from behind her and a soft growl began to emit, (Y/N) realised it was a certain dark-scaled dragon that had warned the hunters off. "No one is going to be getting anyone unless it involves getting you out of here."

A smile danced across (Y/N)'s face as Toothless began to stalk forward, his nose scrunched and teeth flashing in a warning. "If it isn't my knight in leather armour," (Y/N) cooed as she lowered her bow and arrow, discarding them to the floor as she stepped towards Hiccup and Toothless.

"Well, I wouldn't say-" Hiccup began to say, cutting himself off as he watched (Y/N) crouch in front of Toothless. "And she was talking to the dragon," He muttered grudgingly.

Trying to conceal a wince as she lowered herself to the ground, (Y/N) scratched the underside of Toothless's chin for a few seconds before raising again, angling herself so Hiccup could see her torn skin, a pool of blood starting to build and soak her shirt. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you Hiccup," (Y/N) hummed as she lightly dragged her fingers against Hiccup's shoulder, placing herself behind him and on Toothless's back.

"Hold on," Hiccup warned, waiting only a moment as he felt (Y/N) wrap her arms around his waist before he adjusted Toothless's tail and the two of them shot up from the dragon hunters ship, Toothless shooting a plasma blast to the boat deck, both scattering the hunters and tearing through the wooden surface. "Are you ok? Toothless and I tried to get over here as fast as possible once we noticed you and (D/N) weren't in the air anymore."

"I'm fine," (Y/N) seethed through her teeth, trying to keep her voice level as she lied to Hiccup. A soft rumble came from Toothless as he looked back at (Y/N), sensing something Hiccup couldn't. "We need to get (D/N) though. She was taken down before I was."

"Astrid and Snotlout are already on it," Hiccup assured, chancing a glance back at (Y/N) to give her a reassuring smile. But when his gaze landed on her clouded-over eyes his smile instantly dropped. Turning his head back round and lowering himself forward to whisper into Toothless's ear, "Get us out of here bud."

At the increase in Toothless's speed, (Y/N)'s grip tightened around his waist. "No- wait- Hiccup! We can't leave yet. What about (D/N)?" (Y/N) chocked out in a panicked shout, head whipping around to face the ship both Astrid and Snotlout were hovering over a dragon hunters ship, one of (D/N)'s wings sticking straight up as the sound of shouts rung out from said boat.

"Like I said, Astrid and Snotlout will take care of it. Toothless and I are getting you back to the Edge," Hiccup stated, leaving no room for objection.

Against his hopes, however, (Y/N) still attempted to object to him. "I need to be there when (D/N) is retrieved. I'm not going to abandon her with a bunch of dragon hunters to be sold off."

"She won't be alone. Astrid and Snotlout are going to be with her every step of the way," Hiccup's voice took a gentle tilt, one of his hands reaching back to steady (Y/N) on Toothless's back. When his hand came in contact with (Y'N)'s side, a large hiss escaped her, forcing Hiccup to retract his hand quickly and look back at her with a worried glint in his eyes. "Are you sure your okay, (Y/N)? You don't sound too good."

"Hiccup I'm fine," (Y/N) murmured, head still turned so she could face the dragon hunters ship, Watching as Stormfly took out a few hunters with her spines and Hookfang lit himself on fire, a startled screech coming from Snotlout at the sudden heat. As Astrid and Stormfly dived towards the boat deck, (Y/N) turned her head back around before resting her chin on Hiccup's shoulder. "Let's just get back to the Edge."

"At least we're finally on the same page," Hiccup muttered, eyes flickering down to where (Y/N) lay. At the pale complexion of the (H/C) haired girl, he turned back to Toothless and muttered, "Get us out of here Toothless."

The black-scaled dragon let out a light roar before shooting forward, propelling himself as he raised himself further into the air, gliding at level with the clouds. Fishlegs and the twins were ahead of them, flying closer to the water's surface as they had a headstart on getting away from the destroyed fleet on hunting ships.

There was almost a sense of calmness in the skies. If it wasn't for the dreadful silence and the loosening grip of (Y/N) behind him, Hiccup could nearly say it was an enjoyable flight. "Just hang on a little longer (Y/N). It won't be long now."

"I don't know what you're on about, Hiccup," (Y/N) attempted to chuckle, raising her head so she could shake it before dropping her forehead to rest on his shoulder, eyes glancing down ar ger side where she could see her blood-stained shirt sticking to her skin, the red mellowing in with the dark tones of her shirts.

"That's alright," Hiccup said airly, focusing on the sky in front of them.

When Toothless's feet touched down, (Y/N) was instantly on her feet and making her way towards her hut, taking some staggering steps every once in a while as a flare of pain shot through her side. With every step she had to fight back a wince, trying to compose herself as she knew Hiccup's eyes were most likely watching her, sceptical of nothing but she needed to get away from Hiccup so she could fix the gash in her side.

She didn’t get far though before the clicking of Hiccup's metal leg was racing to catch up to her. “Are you sure your okay (Y/N)?” Hiccup asked once he was walking in step with (Y/N). “Ever since the dragon hunters ship there’s been something off about you.”

(Y/N) chanced Hiccup a glance from the corner of her eye, furrowing her brows at the implication. “I don’t know what you want to hear hiccup. I’m fine. I can say it again if that’ll help-“ (Y/N) was cut off as her knees gave out from below her.

Bracing herself for impact, she welcomes the crash that never comes. Instead, she is engulfed by two warm arms. One of Hiccups' hands landed on her gashed side, making (Y/N) jolt upwards in pain. “Oh my gods! I’m so sorry (Y/N),” Hiccup exclaimed as he lifted his hand from your side allowing you to sag in relief as the pain subsided. Hiccup could only feel dread however as he saw the red liquid coating his fingertips. He stopped breathing at the sight of it, the remaining arm wrapped around (Y/N) tightening.

“I promise it’s no big deal Hiccup,” (Y/N) began as she struggled to try and push herself up. “It’s just a small cut. Once I wrap it I’ll be as good as new.”

“Good as new?” Hiccup questioned outraged as all his breath came flooding back into him at the sound of (Y/N)’s voice. “You can barely walk and seem to be losing consciousness by the second. Sorry if I don’t think you'll be able to walk this off like every other mission gone wrong.”

“Have a little faith in me Hiccup,” (Y/N) muttered as Hiccup helped to right her up, both his arms still wrapped securely around her, careful of where his fingers splayed to not bring her any more harm than she had already endured.

"My faith will be restored once we get you patched up."

"I can live with that," (Y/N) agreed, nodding her head sluggishly as she spoke, maybe the blood loss had started to get to her. "Just drop me off at my house and I'll be able to take care of it."

"You've done more than enough to prove you can't be left alone," Hiccup stated, voice sharp as his worry for (Y/N) started to build. Turning his head back to Toothless who had been slowly trailing after them with his face turned into something of worry, Hiccup said to the dragon, "Keep an eye out for (D/N) and come and get us when the other dragon riders land. I'll be with (Y/N) helping patch up her wound."

"You don't need to help Hiccup, really," (Y/N) said with a shake of her head. "You've already done more than enough for me. All I need help with is getting back to my hut."

"It's fine (Y/N), I want to help you." The two of them began walking at a slow pace, Hiccup considerate of the breaks (Y/N) had to take every couple of meters to steady her breathing. "It's times like this where I wished we picked a better design for the Edge."

(Y/N) turned her head to face the taller boy with two furrowed brows. "I like the design we have," She said slowly.

"Yeah, but not in moments like this," His voice grew softer.

"My hut is a perfect distance from the stables that at night I don't have to hear the snores of Hookfang or any other dragon that might be staying there."

A soft chuckle left Hicuup's lips. "I think you were the only one who took that into account when deciding where your hut would be."

"At least I'm not like Fishlegs."

"Why's that?"

"I didn't decide to build my hut on the ground," (Y/N) states like it's obvious. "Sure my hut's a bit of a trek from the clubhouse but I think it's worth it now that it's actually built."

As (Y/N) stopped speaking, the two of them stopped outside of her hut. Hiccup left her side only momentarily to open the door for her, reaching out an arm to help her hobble inside. They only broke apart once more after Hiccup urged her to go and take a seat at her bed while he looked for something to wrap her side in.

"Tomorrow we should fly to Berk," Hiccup started as he began to walk back over to (Y/N). He hadn't been able to find any scraps to use so instead he had a worn-out green shirt that he hadn't seen (Y/N) wear in a while. "Gothi will have better supplies than we do."

"Nonsense." Hiccup began by tearing a strip of the fabric off before gesturing for (Y/N) to lift her shirt and expose where she had been cut. Hiccup tried to keep his voice level as he spoke, watching as the fresh and old blood became clearer. "We need to make sure one of our best dragon riders is in top shape."

A hiss disguised as a chuckle left (Y/N)'s lips at the first contact. After that, not many words were spoken between the two of them as Hiccup worked with delicate hands while (Y/N) was left to watch while keeping her shirt out of the way.

When Hiccup finished he stayed crouched in front of (Y/N), not letting his eyes stray afar from her covered skin. "Promise me you'll be more careful out there," Hiccup muttered lowly, throat sounding dry as he refused to meet (Y/N)'s eye.

(Y/N)'s forehead creased at the boy's words, and her eyes downturned as she tried to catch his eyes. "I never tried to put myself in danger. It's just they had (D/N) and things started to get a little rocky until you showed up."

"I should have been there quicker," He shook his head, a few small braids flying as his hair got tangled. "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt like this again."

A soft sigh escaped from (Y/N)'s lips as she spoke, a hand hesitating only briefly before she was reaching forward to rest it on Hiccup's cheek, guiding his head so he was facing her. "Today was a one-off. Normally it's me who's saving you and Toothless remember?"

"I know." A ghost of a smile appeared on Hiccup's face before it was disappearing just as quickly as it arrived. "I just can't bare to see you get hurt again."

"And I won't," (Y/N) hummed as she bent forward, resting both of their foreheads together. "What we do is dangerous Hiccup, but you got to trust me when I say I'll be fine. I wasn't paying attention today, that's why (D/N) and I went down. I'll forever have the memory of today to remind me to pay more attention, okay?"

"Okay," Hiccup sighed, his shoulders relaxing from their tensed position.

"Now," (Y/N) said as a smile stretched across her face. Standing up, she dragged Hiccup up by the hand as she began to carefully walk to the door of her hut with a staggering one-legged Viking behind her. "I've got a dragon shipment that should be coming in soon. Do you mind escorting me back?"

"Of course, m'lady," Hiccup grinned, offering (Y/N) his arm once he fell into step beside her. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you on your way back to the stables." Hiccup said, elating a laugh out of (Y/N).

That was how the two of them ended up walking arm-in-arm back to the stables where an energetic (D/N) was waiting for them.

[softpascalito]

Presents - Pedro Pascal Characters Headcanons

Summary: Which presents do the Pedro boys give you for Christmas? I have some ideas.

Relationships: Joel Miller x Reader, Javier Peña x Reader, Dieter Bravo x Reader, Din Djarin x Reader Tags/Warnings: Non-explicit smut, Fluff, Headcanons

notes: some more headcanons for you darlings <3

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Joel Miller

Joel is actually surprisingly good at giving presents. He'll pay extra attention to what you're saying or what you may need in the weeks before Christmas.

During patrol, he keeps an eye out for your favorite foods and products, storing them away into his backpack to add them to the ever-growing list of presents for you.

He prefers giving to getting, even though he's always more than thankful when it comes to his own presents. But nothing beats the look his loved ones get in their eyes when they unwrap a present from him and it's just the perfect one, showing just how well Joel knows them.

Come Christmas Eve, there's at least half a dozen small packages waiting under the Christmas Tree for you. Joel loves to spoil you.

He gets creative as well, making use of his woodworking skill to add a few more personal gifts to the pile, carving you small figurines of your favorite animals.

Javier Peña

Javi gets lost at least three times while he visits the mall to go Christmas shopping. He does not like the over-crowded stores at all but he knows he needs to find something that let's you know just how much you mean to him.

When asked about his own wishes for Christmas, he only asked for a pack of Malboros (needless to say, he gets a few packs AND a proper present).

He's about to pick out a frangrance that seems like you'd like it when he runs into Connie. She instantly sees that he looks like a fucking lost puppy in between all the products and options and takes pity.

She helps him pick out a few things you'll actually like and even reminds him to grab some wrapping paper. She also promises to not tell you about her helping out a little bit.

You're blown away by the gifts he picked for you, trying not to show how surprised you are he actually knew what to pick.

At the DEA's Christmas Party, you run into Connie. She just winks when you ask her if she'd been helping Javi. You both never tell him.

Dieter Bravo

Dieter thinks about whether or not to get you drugs (he doesn't).

He loves giving gifts that he knows will benefit him as much as they do you- something for your shared apartment or something for you to wear.

There's a cozy sweater and a hat from your favorite brand under the Christmas Tree, but there is also some more ... naughty clothing.

You like dressing up a little for Dieter, teasing him more than once throughout Christmas-time by suggesting to get one of those little red and white outfits that would perfectly highlight your figure.

He gets you a few, unable to decide on just one when he begins to imagine how good you'd look in them.

Dieter and you both name the white lace one as your favorite, detailed with little, glittering snowflakes all over the fabric.

Needless to say, the rest of the presents dont get unwrapped until the second day of Christmas.

Din Djarin

Din is absolutely lost when it comes to presents. The two of you are inseperable, which doesn't really make secretly buying something easier.

The opportunity presents itself when you decide to shop for some new clothes and he gets a little while to himself.

A Mandalorian wandering around the aroma and lotion shop turns heads but Din can't bring himself to care. He tries a few items, holding them below his helmet so that he can take a whiff.

He settles on a set of lotions and creams that smell refreshing, a note of pine in them. You always prefer the wooded planets to the desert ones so he hopes that it's a safe pick.

You love it more than he expects - and he does too. For the next few weeks, his entire ship seems to smell like the store did, fresh and gentle, and you seem surrounded by the scents he got you. It begins to smell like home.

He insists, as soon as you have used the bottles up, to go back and get you new ones, stocking up on the lotions and soaps and oils. If you ever leave, he tells himself, he'll at least remember the smell.

(You never leave).

[bigtittiecomitte]

What are your thoughts on this video?? This was recommend to me and I watched it and I didn't really care for it..maybe it's just me but it feels like this person seems more salty about V not getting together with N instead of giving actually criticisms of why he didn't like the finale, in fact I've seen most people act act this way when it comes to the finale..it's been mixed since it released and more people have lately been finding reasons to find Nuzi *Problematic* and a bad ship with saying the whole N is dating is "sister" (Cyn) because of Uzi and the solver being in one together in the same body even though that's NOT the case!! Idk, part of the reasons I was never able to fully ship Envy was because of some of the toxic fans and V fans and how they treated Uzi as a character..even after the finale Uzi is still getting undeserved mistreatment and hate and it's truly unfortunate. People need to see and realize that although Nuzi is canon people are still allowed to ship whatever they want canon or not, and just because Nuzi is canon doesn't mean anybody can be a dick and jackass. People also shouldn't be sending threats to Liam and Glitch because of the finale, yes the finale was flawed but that doesn't make it okay to to doxx or hass the studio or creator, MD is Liam's show and he should allowed to do whatever he wants with this show, I've said this in my own post but I think many in this fandom truly took this show for granted and didn't really deserve it..although I'm grateful for Murder Drones and will forever cherish it as it's my comfort show, this fandom is truly a mess and I know that's all fandoms..but the MD community is just so toxic and I wished it was a much better and healthier fanbase. :(

https://youtu.be/mQ5xnKYHGoc?si=6bSwQpiPV10beX-b

I saw the video and holy fuck Media Literacy is DEAD

I’m all for hearing people’s opinions but it really does piss me off when people just start saying crap without properly understanding the characters they’re talking about

For anybody not wanting to check out the video, basically the guy is saying that N and V should’ve gotten together and N and Uzi should’ve just stayed friends or even have a “sibling dynamic” (pretty much stuff we’ve already heard before lol). The issue is that if you have been watching the show with your two eyes you would know that N and V getting together in the end would actually be WORSE for N and V

N and V’s relationship is very catered to the past, present and future. In the past, N and V had a thing for each other in the manor (maybe even dated) then we have the present where N and V are now genocidal robots with the intent of killing worker drones for oil. N still has a crush on V prior to meeting Uzi while V tries to protect her and N by continuing on their path of death due to her trauma of Cyn and everything that happened in the manor, she tries pretending to forget his name and hides secrets from him, which makes him upset and lash out on her. Then we cut to the future, N and V are now friends and living in the bunker with the rest of the worker drones, they’re healing but they’re doing alright now that there’s finally no hiding secrets from one another

The problem with a lot of people complaining that Envy should have been canon instead is the fact that their entire relationship throughout Murder Drones is all about moving on and the fact that not all romantic relationships end with them being happy together. N and V could never have what they had in the manor again because not only have they moved on from each other but they’re also building up their platonic relationship brick by brick. N and V were never proper friends and never got the chance to rekindle until Uzi came along, which another thing I want to talk about

I see so many people hating on Uzi for being the reason as to why N and V didn’t become endgame but if it wasn’t for Uzi. N and V would’ve never ended up where they are today like if they never met Uzi then they would just end up killing all the worker drones and dying after all the oil is gone, N and V wouldn’t even get to rekindle their relationship because it would be stuck to how it was before Uzi came along. The reason as to why Nuzi became endgame and not Envy wasn’t because Liam favoured one ship than the other but because N and Uzi were actually communicating. They were friends and understood each other’s trauma and feelings, which is what made them work. N and V didn’t have that until N lashed out on her and she got her character growth

The only part I can somewhat agree with is that we should have seen V apologise to the real N (she did apologise but it was to a fake N instead) but I’m at least happy that real N was there to know that she was being sincere with her words. They’re all traumatised characters, none of them deserved what they went through

He says that Uzi should’ve stopped having a crush on N which leads to N and V getting together and I just full on stopped the video because how are you seeing the interactions between N and Uzi and thinking that Uzi should have just stopped having a crush on him when N’s feelings for her were also the same, them not being canon would have actually made no sense because of all the moments we had got of them, hell even them implied to be dating in Episode 7 lol. N and V getting together in the end would have been way more rushed than the ship of what some envy shippers actually claim to be rushed

Not only that but him calling V “jealous” of N and Uzi being in love because apparently that’s what she wanted with N, like hell did V tell you that? She’s happy for them even if she doesn’t look like it (I mean I don’t like seeing couples in public either lol)

Nuzi being canon doesn’t mean you have to stop shipping other ships that you find better and it’s totally ok to be disappointed that Envy wasn’t the main ship. But it doesn’t give people the right to just make fake screenshots of Liam’s twitter and blaming Nuzi shippers for the reason as to why Nuzi became canon (apparently we all did a meeting and pay for Nuzi to be canon lmao). Remember that fanfiction and fanart exist my dudes, support your local AU’s too

Basically Envy is a very tragic ship and it was always written that way and guys please stop mischaracterising V it hurts

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 9 - Old Iron

One Old Iron Meets Another:

Edward the Blue Engine is one of the oldest engines on the Fat Controller’s railway, and is well known for his various exploits throughout the years, including pushing Gordon over his hill, chasing James down the mainline and bringing home a heavy train of enthusiasts after snapping his coupling rod. He’s also sometimes referred to as ‘Old Iron’; while it had once been an insult made up by James to try and put Edward down for his age, Edward had embraced the moniker and sometimes even used it jokingly to poke fun at James.

One morning, Edward arrived at Brendam, puffing into the harbour to find the place abuzz with excitement. “What’s going on?” asked Edward. “There’s a famous United States Navy Ship coming to the docks next week,” BoCo said excitedly. “Apparently, he’s on a world tour right now to celebrate one hundred years since the end of the War of 1812.” “Edward would know all about that war!” teased Bill, puffing in with some trucks. “He probably lived through it!” added Ben. Edward rolled his eyes, and set about shunting away his trucks.

Not every engine was as excited as BoCo.

“Stuff and nonsense!” sniffed James. “The Americans lost that war, why are they celebrating it?” “No, no, little James,” huffed Gordon proudly. “The War of 1812 was when Napoleon lost in Russia and the Duke of Wellington won the Battle of Salamance. The Americans were helping the… uh… Sicilians I think?”   “No – this is the War in America that happened at the same time,” BoCo said for the third time to the engines at the Big Station. The poor diesel had begun to realise that for the most part, the steam engines thought of the American War of 1812 as just a sideshow in comparison to the Napoleonic Wars happening in Europe. James was the closest, but even he had no clue why the US would have ships touring around the world to celebrate it’s conclusion.

“It helped Canada maintain its independence,” BoCo declared eventually. That was better received. “Oh! Wasn’t that when they burnt down the US Capitol?” quizzed Gordon. “Marvelous stuff – those Canadians know how to win a war!” “They… didn’t win though,” BoCo tried, but he was drowned out by the Big Engines all excitedly chatting about their own experiences with Canadian soldiers.

The chatter spread all up and down the island. BoCo was secretly thankful that the US ship was only visiting Brendam – he feared just what some of the engines would say otherwise!

Finally, the day came, and the ship came sailing in. Much to Bill and Ben’s astonishment, it was a proper sailing ship with great fabric sails that stretched up on their masts. Edward was the first to speak to the ship.

“Hullo!” he called. “I’m Edward, welcome to Brendam!” “Hey there little steamer,” the ship called back. “I’m the USS Constitution, but you can call me ‘Old Ironsides’ if that suits you better.” Bill and Ben glared – the ship had insulted Edward! “I’m called Old Iron too!” chuckled Edward, ploughing straight over any words the ship might’ve had for the USS Constitution. The ship paused, then looked down at Edward again. “You? What did you do?” Edward was about to reply when BoCo jumped in.

“He chased a runaway engine down the mainline and caught him, all while in desperate need of repair!” The ship stared, then paused again, his eyes widening. “This is Sodor!” he spluttered. “Uh… sorry about my manner; I’ve been preparing to deal with a bunch of spiteful English who sent nasty emails to my captain all trip.” BoCo and Edward shared a look and decided not to mention what the other engines had said.

“That’s alright,” said Edward kindly. “How about we start over? My name is Edward, this is BoCo and those two are Bill and Ben. What’s your name?” “I’m the USS Constitution, but they also call me ‘Old Ironsides’ – I guess we have that in common!” Edward grinned, and soon the five were talking like old friends. ‘Old Ironsides’ had some incredible stories of his time in the Barbary Wars, and the engines had plenty of stories of their own to share too.

“You set the shed on fire?” spluttered Old Ironsides. “How did you not burn down?!” “Sheer dumb luck,” muttered Edward grumpily, remembering returning to the yard to find a sheepish BoCo surrounded by burnt ashes. He’d liked that shed! “I have no idea,” added BoCo with a smile. “Though it was certainly scary at the time.”

By the end of the USS Constitution’s visit, Edward and BoCo had managed to get an email address to keep in contact with their new friend, and whistled goodbye as the old sailing ship set back out to sea.

“Um… where’s Ben?” asked BoCo all of a sudden. “On Old Ironsides,” replied Bill sweetly. Edward groaned, and started backing out of the yard. The USS Constitution had mentioned he was dropping anchor in Liverpool next; the Old Iron would have to chase down another engine once again.

Back to the Master Post

[spotty-bee]

Hazbin Hotel Headcannon

I've been thinking a lot about Adam, Lute, Vaggie and the exorcists. How they all work and everything that we've learned over the course of the show about them. After looking over the pictures of them without their masks and all the back dealings with heaven I was kinda starting to think...

What if their all related?

Adam and Vaggie have the same skin colour. Lute has Adam's nose. They all have golden pupils (Though Vaggie's sclera is red, many have head cannoned that being from living in hell.) Vaggie and Lute both have white hair. Theres a lot of similarities between these characters physically and while that can be due to the art style, I do start to wonder.

However WHY would Lute , Vaggie and possibly all the exorcists be Adam's daughters? Well it starts to make sense when you remember that Sera wanted to keep the Exterminations under wraps. If you have Heaven Born or Saint (Dead humans who got into Heaven) warriors doing the exterminations, word would eventually get out. These people have lives outside of their work and all it would take is talking to a spouse or one of them feeling guilty before news spreads. IF you have warriors who's entire life was Exterminations, then they would A- be less likely to tell anyone and B- Be less likely to feel guilty if they weren't taught anything else.

As for where all these woman came from, my guess would be cloning. We know for a FACT that Heaven has Science.

A good way to get warriors that won't have outside influence/ loose lips is if they don't have any parents that will be wondering whats going on. Cloning would also ensure that warriors will walk off the assembly line fully grown and ready to train. Adam likely used his DNA and then mixed it with donated DNA from other Heavenly Residents . All he then had to do was train his army.

OF course this opens up some rather dark things to consider. There are at least 100 Exterminators. All of them are female. The likelihood of that happening by happenstance is extremely low. Adam had to have chosen to only have woman in his army, and when you factor in Adam's misogynist, narcissistic attitude, that dose not paint a pretty picture. We also need to consider that Adam was left to train/educate these woman with almost no outside interference. Sera made it clear she wanted as little to do with the Extermination business as possible and she maybe one of the few who knew about the army's creation. IN FACT I know she had nothing to do with the army because, apparently, Adam got to name these girls and nobody, and I mean NOBODY, stopped him from naming Vaggie after female anatomy. (I wouldn't be surprised if Vaggie is a nickname and she's actually just named Vagina.)

They seem to have lived a life of constant training and battle. Its also heavily implied that Vaggie (and Lute to a lesser extent) were taught to view themselves as disposable. Worthless if they didn't have someone to serve. We see it when Vaggie tries to lead the trust exercises, when she beats herself up for not making a proper commercial for the hotel, in fact she seems to have little personal life unless its training or Charlie is involved. Lute herself rips off her own arm just to try and help Adam. If Adam did raise/train them, then these are some pretty bad signs.

These are just some things I was thinking about looking over the show. I am also not making this to bash anyone who ships Adam and Lute. This is all speculation and personal interpretation. I've just never felt anything romantic between Lute and Adam, but they were clearly close. I took that last, tearful goodbye in the finally as a distant, estranged Father- Daughter relationship.

Anyway, what do you think? Its highly unlikely this is true, but could make for a fun, dark fan fiction or Au!

[for-the-sake-of-color]

AAYYEE the 218th's Urban Crisis Response's very own Crisis Company as a revamped Draw the Squad!

after a year and a half worth of drawing practice, I like to think I've come a long ways, though my squad themselves have changed very little

Though if you're new here, perhaps some introductions are in order? Below the Cut

Captain Jet - Leader of the 218th's Crisis Company and Heartbeat of the Family

Captain Jet, formerly known as Corporal Jettison before he lost nearly the entirety of his Company during the first battle of Geonosis, only gained his rank due to the combination of a field promotion and a paper pusher rushing to get the 218th put back together with what forces they could get their hands on after their devastating first deployment, without vetting his Shiny New Promotion through the proper channels. Nevertheless, Captain Jet is dedicated to his soldiers, and to being the Kindest man he can be, not wanting any to suffer the burden of loss and shame he felt as everyone he ever grew up with died in the first week of the war.

Lieutenant Margo - Second in Command of Crisis Company and one of the Finest Technician's money can Make

The first Addition to the newly reformed Crisis Company, Margo left behind her own squad command to be the second to her Captain, Jet. Trusting in his judgement, Margo would follow him to hell and back, though for the first half of the war she largely follows him to a glorified guard posting for the republics embassy and shipping warehouses on Brentaal. She's a fine Leader and an even better Tech, though her specialties lay much closer to Mechanics than to Code-breaking. The only thing that tops her technical skills is her love of having a Fun Time. Body and Mind of a Super Soldier, personality of 'if a frat-boy was a girl'

Specialist Nihlus Brek - Ancient Sith Archivist and a loving Guardian of his squad with a Sadistic streak

After being shown selfless kindness by the Captains personal squad after the loss of his clan and his rough awakening from a forced stasis, with the 'permission' of the Jedi Council, Sith Lord Nihlus Brek now serves in the GAR under the command of Captain Jet, the only man who's orders he follows without hesitation or question, killing or healing as needed for the man he now calls 'Alor and Brother. Though it is true he holds love for his squad, the real secret of his unwavering loyalty is the Blood Oath he swore to Captain Jet, his orders now bound by sith alchemy, Nihlus has given his leader unwavering control over both their destinies.

Sergeant Cynic - Heavy Weapons Expert and Artist with an Attitude

Though an Urban Crisis Response unit doesn't particularly need a soldier who's second greatest passion in life is blowing things up with his rocket launcher, Cynic earn his place on the squad through the power of nepotism. That is, Margo's one condition for leaving her previous squad behind with little complaint, was that she got to bring her favorite brother with. Although his name may suggest otherwise, this pessimist (though he considers himself a 'realist') has a love for all things pretty and colorful, and quite the talent for copying it down in his small sketchbook, always making room for his small assortment of watercolors in his combat kit.

Corporal Lake - Spotter of the Squads Sharpshooter duo and self proclaimed Ethics Committee

Lake is likely the only one of the Captains squad that, once you get to know them, could be described as the republics ideal of a Good Soldier. That is, Lake is one of the few who spares even a second or third thought for the success of the mission and collateral casualties over the lives of his fellow squad mates. He is probably the only one who could say he would not give a thousand lives just to spare those he cares for. Nevertheless, although he has his own personal misgivings over the result of some of their missions, Lake is grateful for his life, for his family, and for the many chances he is given to fight another day. And, as always, his Captains word is Law.

Corporal Torch - Deadeye of the Squads Sharpshooter Duo and resident Troublemaker

"We're here for a fun time, not a long time!" Are common words for Torch to say before getting his ass beat for replacing Cynics fancy face lotion with space Nair or being put on 'Fresher duty for his ballsey yet comedic insubordination. Captain Jet often says the only thing that stops Torch from being demoted to maintenance duty altogether is his skill with a rifle, hitting targets your typical human would have needed the force to even perceive. Though in truth, Jet would not trade Torch's levity and loyalty for the galaxy itself. Torch and Lake are mirrors of one another, by choice, as it brings them great joy to be mistaken for one another by not only natural born humans, but also unfamiliar clones. As some of the last living soldiers from their original bloc of trained sharpshooting specialists, they refuse to be parted from one another, unable to bear the thought of losing the last of their batch.

Field Medic Heron - Resident Healer with a Big Secret

Heron tired of front line Medicine fairly quickly, as his zest for death did not hold up to losing his brothers one by one, upon joining the Urban Crisis Response Specialists of the 218th, his steadfast work and easy bedside manner landed him his place in the Captains squad rather easily, and he took rather well to glorified guard duty. That is, until the fateful day where an assassin droid hidden among their cargo took his leg, though in a feat of the butterfly effect, directly led to the squad meeting their Sith. His secret? On shore leave, Heron likes to kill people. In order to stay in line with both his own ideas of morality and his Captains idea's of ethics, not that Jet hears of his activities from the medic directly, he dresses in plainclothes and limps around, waiting for some unfortunate mugger to make their move. Heron craves the feeling of holding someone on the brink of life, having power over their fate, and then denying them the salvation they seek. And maybe sometimes he takes a bite or two, but that's his business.

Specialist Sprig - Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technician and Company Spymaster

Specialist Sprig, formerly of the 398th Ordinance Corps, got his name as a result of a growth tube malfunction in his infancy, leaving him 2 inches shorter than your average trooper. Despite this 'defect' as the Kaminoans would refer to it, Sprig would rank among the top of his batch with his skills in bomb diffusal, having a deft touch and a keen eye for detail. In a cruel and ironic twist of fate, Sprig's greatest fear is dying in an explosion, vaporization, desintigration, you name it. Reassignment to the 218th and his posting of glorified guard duty was a dream come true. Proton bombs vs backyard terrorists? Sprig knows exactly which he would take in an average day. With his keen eyes, sharp ears, and strong memory, Sprig also excels at information collection. His shorter stature and friendly demeanor is often very encouraging for those who have a burden they'd like to share, though one has to keep in mind, he has the ear of the Captain one short comm call away.

[momojedi]

— BACTA SUPPORT pairing. hunter x gn! reader

**

type. drabble note. request from ao3  word count. 615

star wars masterlist

"Hunter? Are you here?" I hesitated when no response came back before carefully climbing up the ramp to the Havoc Marauder, the metal creaking softly under my feet. It had easily been around fifteen minutes since Hunter had excused himself from me and the rest of the Batch citing the need to tend to the blaster wound he'd sustained on our last mission so Echo sent me to check up on him, though not without giving me a mischievous grin.

It hadn't been a secret that Hunter had been the object of my affection for a while now. I mean, how could he not capture my attention? His rugged exterior concealed a tender soul, a man who prioritised the well-being and happiness of everyone around him. Seeing him with Omega always made my heart swell with so much admiration and I couldn't help but feel my cheeks flush a little whenever he gave me that warm smile, a side to him only few had the chance to meet. Needless to say, I had fallen hard for the sergeant of Clone Force 99 and for some reason, I couldn't help but hope he felt the same whenever I felt the little spark between us flicker to life.

Knocking softly on the metal of the ship as not to alarm him, I glanced around the Marauder's stomach. "I just wanted to see if you nee- oh." For a second, I had to remind myself to breathe when my eyes finally settled on him.

Hunter sat on his rack, shirtless, with a bacta patch in his hand when he looked up at me. His upper armour, along with the shirt of his body glove, were scattered on the ground. With his chest exposed, I had a perfect view on everything, each muscle and every little bit of naked skin, and suddenly, it was very hard to keep my eyes off him.

I gulped and suddenly my mouth was all dry as I kept looking for proper words, any words, to say. My face was indescribably hot and it didn't take a genius to figure out that my cheeks were likely a delicious shade of red. Hunter seemed to realise that too because suddenly, a sly grin danced on his lips. "Oh?" He repeated my words with a raised brow. I cleared my throat. "I wanted to, er, see if you needed any help, yo-you know, with your," I motioned towards the healing injury on his chest, "your wound."

Hunter chuckled, a comfortable chuckle that made me feel warmer than I'd probably like to admit. "You think I can't take care of it on my own?" My eyes widened and I gasped, immediately entangling myself in a net of excuses and corrections which just made him grin even wider. Finally, he rose his hands in a calming manner. "Relax, [name], it's all good," I let out a quiet exhale, "I would however appreciate some help with the bacta..."

My mind was racing when I settled between his knees to have better access to the wound. We'd been close before, hell, we'd even hugged or slept next to each other during missions - but this was another level of intimate. I jumped when I felt his rough hands settle on my hips. Although I fixed my gaze on the bandage in my hands, I could feel his eyes boring into me. I took a deep breath. My hands were shaking when I smeared the bacta on the injury but when I glanced up to look at Hunter, all I was met with was a loving expression. "Thank you." I smiled back at him, fully lost in his eyes.

"You're welcome."

[timbrhead]

metanoia. | pt. 02 - started with a spark, now we‘re on fire

𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨:

>> welcome, my name is 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚, and i‘ll be your scriptwriter (^‿^✿). my story will be kind of an choose-your-own-adventure story with a poll at the end of every part, where you can vote how the story continues.

This will be honkai star rail x f!reader story with these elements: reincarnation, slow burn, i gave reader a proper personality (sry, not much customisation there), does not follow the original storyline

previous part <<< >>> next part

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 (this is important) ;

>> suggestive themes, angst (talk abt death)

even though it was way past nightfall, you could still see a lot of shops and restaurants being open, bustling bars and food stalls being cramped into little alleyways and corners. the whole street was illuminated by warm lights, a delicious smell wafting through the air as you were led by the blonde man behind you. he chuckled, it was like you were some kind of tourist, he thought, being all wide eyed.

„this is aurum alley. It‘s mostly filled with tourists, and it‘s quite popular for their restaurants.“

he explains, leading you down a set of stairs to a small house, a spicy smell emitting from its doors. you could feel your mouth beginning to water, your stomach yearning for something to sate the hunger.

„i heard that this restaurant has entered the top ten-thousand rankings for the interastral gourmet selection over the course of multiple years. So it should be good, i wanted to try out this restaurant for a while.“

the blonde explains, making your eyes widen in shock. interastral-what? you never heard of something like that before. judging by the name, it seemed like this restaurant competes with the whole galaxy, which makes its ranking actually pretty impressive. you hum, following luocha to a table, sighing out in relief when you finally sat down. you walked through this gigantic space ship for quite a while.

even if it was still hard to believe that you actually were on one. seeing the greenery, and the crowds, it looked identical to earth. you perk up, looking over the menu the waitress presented you. you were glad to find out that you can read it— if not, you would be a bit embarrassed, making luocha even do this for you.

as per recommendation, you order the famous chilli oil stew, alongside with some water. luocha did the same. you glance at the coffin he set down, the intricate designs impressing you. it kind of matches him, you think.

the other guests in the restaurant didn’t seem to mind having a casket in the restaurant, which baffled you a bit. you look at him, your curiosity getting the best of you.

„um…sorry if i come off as insensitive, but what is up with that coffin?“

you hesitantly ask, not wanting to trigger him in some way. you gulp as you see his eyes widening in response, and you immediately thought that you said something to set him off. „you know what—“ he seemed to hesitate, stopping himself. he then smiles.

„this…i need to deliver this to someone.“

he stops for a bit, before looking into your eyes, a glint of something else being found in his green pools. was it…suspicion? nonetheless, it made your skin crawl.

„how interesting that you know of the concept of a coffin. normally, xianzhou natives don‘t know of things surrounding death— mainly because of their long life spans“

he says, eyes boring into you. you could only hum.

„r…really…“ you murmur, taking a sip of water to distract you. you had a feeling that he was getting onto you.

the food arrived, the waiter setting down a steaming bowl of warm soup, the spicy aroma immediately stinging your nose. you lick your lips nonetheless. you dig in, your tastebuds exploding from all the different layers of flavours you experienced. you look at the one sitting in front of you, seeing him enjoy his bowl of soup as well. you noticed that he looked composed and elegant no matter what he did, which you couldn’t help but envy.

amidst your staring, he looked up, locking eyes with you. he tilted his head. „Is there something on my face?“ he inquired, making you shake your head in response, a bit flustered to being caught staring. seemed like the coffin subject is through. you both go back to eating, the meal continuing in silence.

after the meal (which luocha paid for) you two head out to find an inn. with the warm meal sitting in your stomach, you were growing drowsy, and the prospect of a nice, warm bed sounded like heaven. you sighed out in relief when a nearby inn said that they had a vacant room, leading you upstairs.

you opened the door to your shared bunker, a satisfied hum escaping you as you saw the interior. You eagerly plopped down onto the bed, the soft covers sinking in due to your weight. luocha set down his things near the sofa, his coffin resting against the wall. he seemed to rummage around his luggage for a bit, before coming over to you to give you something made out of soft fabric.

„take it“, he says, his head tilting towards the bathroom. „it was a long day, no? you can use the washroom first, and you can wear this to sleep.“ he said, making you thank him profusely for his kindness. you disappear into the bathroom, changing into the oversized shirt going down to your thighs after a warm shower. a bit short, but you would rather not wear the uncomfortable shorts you had on during the trip.

you settle down on the bed, nervousness bubbling up at the idea of having to share the bed with the blonde. you didn’t mind, you were pretty sure that he would be respectful and mind his space, but still. you turned around, looking at the small lamp on your nightstand, the only source of light in your room. eh. it will be fine.

soon, you hear the door click open, but the bed doesn’t dip with another weight settling on it. you sit up, seeing luocha sitting down on the couch by the wall. your eyes widen, fully straightening yourself. „luocha…you can use the bed too“ you say, a look of concern crossing your face.

he did so much for you…you could share a bed with the optional pillow wall for gods sake. he smiled, shaking his head. „i couldn’t, mei…“ he said, making you tilt your head. maybe he doesn’t want to share a space. understandable, you were still strangers. the sheets rustle, making you stand up from the bed. you don‘t register the widening of the blondes eyes.

„then use the bed instead. i-i can use the couch don‘t worry, but you did so much for me, i can‘t let you—“

„mei, stand where you are right now.“

his voice was a tad louder than usual, making you jump a bit. he rose from the couch, slowly walking towards you till he stood before you. noticing your shock, his eyes soften, an apologetic look crossing his face, while his mind was racing.

he knew it.

„i apologise…“ he murmured, averting his eyes for a while. „could you sit down on the bed? i-you have a wound, it seems“. by that, you seemed to slightly panic, sitting down immediately. he sat down beside you, taking your hand to soothe you. you gulp, looking up at him. „is…is it bad?“ you whisper, making him press his lips together. „i don‘t know“ he said, his hand reaching up your arm.

there it was, not covered up now. it was golden, like the outer layer of your skin was peeled off, revealing the glowing gold inside, a small, golden structure peeking out, resembling a gingko leaf.

„this…“ he explains to your wide eyes „is a sign that you are…mara-struck. it‘s something that all long life species suffer from, usually at the end of their lifetimes it—“ he pauses,

„it will consume you until you turn into something that you aren’t.“

he finishes, a heavy heart in his chest as he looks at you. you were frozen, looking at him with an unreadable expression, before slowly tearing up, your mind still frozen from shock. you shake your head, a small, stuttered laugh escaping you.

„w…what..?“ you stammer, your hands reaching out for him, gripping his arms. „no, that—that‘s not true, that‘s-“ you let out another empty laugh. „right? right, luocha?“ you stammer, sniffling as fat tears drop down your eyes. a look of desperation crosses your face.

„i‘m not gonna die, right…?“

he couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response.

you slump back at that, your hands sliding off him. he didn’t need to tell you— you knew from the silence alone. you couldn’t even find it in you to cry. you heard a sigh, before rustling.

He slowly embraced you, wrapping his arms around you in a comforting manner. he smelled like soap and lavender, you noted.

you sniffled, tears threatening to fall again as you squirmed around in his hold. it was silent in the room besides that. there was nothing that could be said, nothing that would matter anyway. you laugh after a bit of crying, wiping away tears.

„you know…“ you sniffle „it‘s–it‘s funny—i will die even before i could really live“ you sobbed out, shuffling to get closer to him. he only hugged you tighter, his warmth calming you.

you melted against him, your head resting against his chest, registering the stuttering rhythym of his heartbeat. you chuckled.

seems like even a calm guy like him could get shaken up. you look at the wound on your arm, freeing it from his tight grasp, picking at the gingko leaf poking out of it. it was strangely beautiful.

a chuckle was heard from luocha after that. seems like you said your last thought out loud. „as someone following the path of abundance…“ he whispered, rubbing your arm. „as…horrible this curse is, i‘m inclined to agree.“ he tilts his head, his lips ghosting over the small crack of the wound, hesitant, before pressing a soft kiss on it.

you jump, feeling your cheeks beginning to burn. the room was suddenly feeling way too cramped, the air too hot as you feel his lips laying a soft trail of kisses over your wounds. „luocha—“

„shh…“ he shushed, his hand resting against your back, the other supporting your legs as he gently laid you down on the soft sheets. you felt like sinking and floating at the same time. „don‘t wake the other guests..“ he muttered, before sinking his head, moving to your thighs.

he gently touched the glimmering cracks, causing them to pulse in response. he chuckled, supporting your thighs while he sprinkled soft kisses along the edges. you couldn’t bring yourself to shove him off, the warmth he provided at the end being far too tempting for your heart, one yearning for another humans love.

you softly sniffled, tears beginning to fall again, rolling down your burning cheeks. his lips were cushy and warm as they softly ghosted over your injuries, too afraid to properly touch, to ruin. the sheets rustled again, and hands cupped your face, wiping away your tears.

„you look beautiful.“

he said, smiling softly. the glow from the small lamp, combined with your teary vision, could only make out the green in his eyes, ones that were burning with so much adoration and appreciation that made you hot with shame and embarrassment.

He peeled himself off from you, lifting up the blanket to tuck you in, before settling down himself, wrapping his arm around your waist. He tucked your head beneath his, while his hand combed through your hair, twirling one of your strands once in a while in an absent manner.

seemed like he didn’t mind sharing the space after all.

you cried some more before you slowly dipping in and out of consciousness. you sniffle, the only feeling you remembered before your sleep being warmth.

the comfort of another person, two hearts pressed against each other, close like never before.

they sure a fun night, right? please don‘t forget to vote on what the reader should do next!

taglist; @shadowypeachsweets

- xoxo, laina

[minteaspoon]

The Tides’ Captain

sad implied lucemond:(

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS FIC INCLUDES TEEN PREGNANCY!!!! LUKE IS 15 AT THE START OF THIS FIC, SO VERY UNDERAGE!!!! DNI IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THIS TOPIC!!!!

a/n: Luke has a son out of wedlock (it’s definitely Aemond’s), and is thus shamed and exiled by his family (with great hesitation and protest from Rhaenyra and Corlys’ side of the family, but is celebrated by the Greens)

Also, how Luke got pregnant will be up to interpretation (I personally say there’s no explanation for it, it just happened and is a complete surprise to everyone involved, which would bring potentially unhinged shenanigans and that thought is hilarious to me)

•._•._•._•._•._•

It had been six months.

Six months since Luke was found to be with child.

Six months since Luke was found out to have been bedded before marriage.

Six months since Luke had been put in front of the court and shamed.

Six months since Luke had been exiled from Westeros.

It had been six months since he’s bedded him.

The damn bastard didn’t even own up to it! But what should he have expected, with his reputation as a mutilator of kin and a bastard spawn. Tis only fair a bastard birth a bastard - at least, in the eyes of the court, and to the one he gave his maidenhood to.

The brunette even had to abandon Arrax, and was given no dragon egg to gift to his child. Something he knows the Hightowers and their allies celebrated.

Luke had sailed across the sea after hitching a ride with sailors who took pity on the poor lad. They did whatever they could to help accommodate him; fed him, sheltered him, told him stories and taught him song and dance and fishing. And in return, the exiled prince helped in whatever chores he was able.

He grew to care and love his sailor family, and they saw him as one of their own. They had even given him a new name - Prim Carlisle of the Tidefall Ship, Pearl of its crew. Luke’s little one was even given options for names by his found family; Pitt, Ervin, Arwen, Mittie, Eula, Matildah… He was leaning into naming the child either Tidus for a boy, or Joanna for a girl.

The crew had even given him his own weapon, in case he ever needed to fight alongside them - though they promise he needn’t have to, as they’d never let a pregnant fellow do heavy work, and they’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he never has to see, hear or commit any violent act. When Prim saw the dagger, he knew immediately what to name the silver blade melded into a dark hilt with small gems molded onto it - Tidal. His family laughed and teased him for such a corny name, but he stuck by it.

Before he knew it, six months had passed by, then seven, then eight and finally, he was in his last month of pregnancy. And before he knew it, he met his son; Tidus. His hair was of his mother, brown curls that framed his chubby and red face, but his eyes - they were purple.

Got something from his father, hm?

The bitter thought flew in his mind, as he smiled bitterly at his sleeping son. His birth wasn’t easy - it took Prim two days to get him out, and he had to be moved from the ship to land for proper care and assistance, as the sea is no place for anyone to give birth in. The trek to land helped in positioning Tidus correctly, so the last few moments of his birth was a success. And most importantly, Luke…Prim didn’t have to be cut open.

For a solid three months, Prim and his crew stayed on the island to rest from the chaos of birth, and the celebration of a new member of their family. After their rest, they set out yet again, this time, with even more cherished cargo with them - a child and a few girls of the island willing to come aboard and travel with Prim’s family, to help with medicine, organizing and with basic household - shiphold- chores.

Once again, Prim’s family was expanding. A few years evidently pass by, and Tidus was now three, while Prim was now eighteen. It has been three years since he last step foot on Westerosi grounds, since he had last sailed Westerosi waters, since he had last flown on Arrax in Westerosi skies. Prim was a far better sailor than he was three years prior - he was no longer seasick on deck, he knew the ropes, knew how to navigate the seas, knew how to chart and read the weather, knew how to use the stars in his predictions, and he knew how to sail and fish and hunt and lead.

When the captain of the Tidefall Ship fell to a sickness one day while they anchored on a small island, he named Prim the next captain once he hit the bucket. And when he did, his last will and command was effective immediately.

At first, Prim didn’t know if he had the ability to become captain, but with his crew’s help and his son’s encouragement, he became a feared and respected leader of a band of skilled, resourceful and “no-good” sailors under the moniker Prim Carlisle, “The Mermaid”.

It was only another three years later, when Prim and Tidus freshly turned twenty one and six respectively, did Prim decide to finally settle down somewhere cozy and quiet, where it would only be Prim and Little Tidus. When he dropped the news to his crew, they immediately went into hysterics, and immediately said they’ll settle down with him as well - though, with some prodding from Prim, they continued on their voyages, with Prim’s second in command as the new captain.

After a few weeks at sea, mapping out potential places of note good for a single parent and their child, Prim settled on a valley surrounded by wildlife and mountains and cliffs, with a meadow in the middle full of flowers with space large enough for a farm, cabin and animals.

The crew promised to come visit with gifts and trinkets and anything the father-son duo could need, and Prim held them to the promise.

Prim and Tidus lived in relative peace together in their little corner of personalized heaven. They had a cabin full of comfortable crafts by Prim and Tidus, alongside being decorated with presents from their family. They had a farm with two cows, five chickens and three sheep. They had growing crops of all kinds, as they were given many seeds by their crew to start out with. Not only that, but the girls had even given and taught him how to make the most of what little one might have during the weeks leading up to his and Tidus’ settlement.

Life was perfect for the father-son duo.

Until it wasn’t.

It wasn’t long until they hear rumors from travelers about a war brewing in Westeros, a war between family - a dance of dragons. Each side had been looking for dragon seeds to hatch and claim dragons for their side, and their reach had far extended past even the Free Cities. Prim knew better than to get involved - especially with his former family, so he made precautions to barricade both the obvious and inobvious entrances to his valley, and hid him and his child away from the skies. Only his crew knew their whereabouts, and how to get in and out.

However, these measures weren’t enough to keep him safe from someone who was desperate to get him back despite the years, and despite the fact that he never owned up to his part as Tidus’ father.

Above Prim, during a night of chill and snow, as a white and thick blanket of white coats the lands, he hears a roar that brings shivers down his spine. Clutching his crying son to his chest, who was scared for him and his mother in front of the green beast above them, in one hand while on the other, he holds his dagger - Tidal, Prim looks up and gazed past the hulking mass of flesh and scales -

And makes eye contact with a desperate, relieved and grieving violet eye.

[ari-the-arotistic]

You discussed this already in your character analysis of James Norrington, but I was wondering what specific sort of ego death / metaphorical death James would have to experience if he did survive? Any ideas on what specifically would have to happen to him to achieve the proper character arc completion?

Ooooh that's a good question! Thank you for taking an interest in my original post :>

Now, what specific ego death would James have to go through to complete his character arc... well, let's get into it! To begin with, the most important thing that needs to happen is for James to realize that his Commodore/Admiral persona is not as just or righteous as he thought it was, and that most of the decisions he had made trying to hold onto that persona either directly or indirectly got people hurt, or even killed. I believe that James would begin to question his decisions up to this point as Beckett starts mass murdering people in the name of ending piracy, but he would try to ignore it and convince himself everything was fine, up until his reunion with Elizabeth where she informs him of her father's death and Beckett's deception on the matter, and he fully, completely realizes that he has let himself become corrupt and complacent to corruption, and that he needs to change.

After this, there are a few ways his "death" scene could go. Maybe he fakes his death so he can escape with Elizabeth without raising suspicion. Maybe he does get injured as he escapes with Elizabeth, and the crew of the Dutchman don't think he'll survive. Either way, the crew of the Dutchman need to think that the Admiral is dead - not just that he deserted, because he had done that before as a Commodore and still came back, but properly dead. Because as far as James is concerned, the Admiral is dead. Now that he has found a way off the Dutchman, James needs to come to terms with the death of his own internal identity. He is no longer Admiral James Norrington, Scurge of Piracy, and upholder of righteousness. He's just James. And he needs to fix the mistakes he has made. So he accompanies Elizabeth to Shipwreck Cove, and gives the pirates all the information he can about Beckett's approaching fleet. The number of ships, how well supplied they are, any weaknesses that could be exploited - anything and everything of relevance that could help the pirates take Beckett down. And then we get to the final battle - the Dutchman versus the Pearl.

Now, there are only two ways I can see this going that would be a satisfactory end to this part of James's character arc. Either he would die on the Dutchman, sacrificing himself for Elizabeth, Jack, or Will, or he survives the final battle, and pledges himself to Elizabeth and her unborn son, Jack and the Pearl, or Will and the Dutchman. Choosing to pledge himself to Elizabeth would be the easiest option, as there is no real moral dilemma or personal conflict there, and he'd be doing a good thing by looking after her and her son. Choosing to pledge himself to Will and the Dutchman would be a bit more difficult because of his personal conflict with both the ship and its new captain, but it would be rather poetic for his arc to end with him helping ferry the souls of the dead when so many had died because of his actions. Choosing to pledge himself to Jack and the Pearl would be the most difficult, both because of his personal conflict with Jack, and the moral dilemma of becoming a pirate after having spent so long in the Navy, even if the Navy turned out to not be as righteous as he had originally thought. It would definitely take him some time to come to terms with the decision, and he would need to find a balance between being a pirate, and being a good man(thankfully Jack already haa some experience in that department). Ultimately though, there is no correct answer for who James would end up choosing, and it's really up to personal interpretation. As a Sparrington shipper, it's clear who I think James would end up choosing, but if you think he'd be more likely to choose Will or Elizabeth, your opinion is equally as valid as mine!

And so, that's how I think James's ego death would go, and how he would reshape himself afterward. Thank you so much for the lovely ask, and thank you all for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful day <3