#this is also like... a thank-you and revenge piece for putting up with my day 1 submission i guess??

[azaracyy]

ultimate joy digimon survive week day 5: relationships

[skelliko]

Hi Skelle! ☆ How r you? I hope you have a nice day/night! 🫶🏼 I want to request something.. my request is can you make like a full (not a mandatory) headcanons of how the guys will act if they have a crush on someone? Like how they behaviour will change, how they first meet the reader immediately think “yep, she’s the one”, where, and overall how sappy they can get when they have a crush 🥹 i would like them with baji, kazutora, chifuyu and haitani brothers.

Feel free to ignore this if you feel this is too much cause I don’t wanna stress your cute 🧠💐🎀🩷 brain 🧠💐🎀🩷

Lmao

a/n: hope this is okay, sorry for the wait. i didn't intend to make these all be in a school setting, I had tried to do some in a workplace but It's all I could think off without making it basic 😕

★-Tokyo revengers

๑-context: first interaction + how they act/feel with a crush

๑-featuring: Baji, kazutora, chifuyu, ran, rindou

°- kazutora hanemiya

-- kazutora was forced to stay behind the classroom to finish his work that he hasn't done, the teacher was sat in front of her desk doing whatever a teacher does there while everyone else but him exit out the room. however when you were on your way out you slickly slid a small, folded up piece of paper on the side of kazutora's desk which certainly didn't go unnoticed by him.

-- his eyes went right at you and watched as you walked away almost expecting you to look back at him but you didn't. to then occasionally glance at the teacher to make sure that she doesn't look up as his hand slides towards the note to carefully and quietly open it up. anything could have been written on the note but since he was so focused to not get caught his mind was blank and didn't assume anything right away.

-- the piece of paper held all the answers to the worksheet that he was supposed to complete. to avoid any suspicions from the teacher he immediately placed it flat on the desk underneath his palm to collect himself and not get too ahead of himself, I mean what if the answers are incorrect and your setting him up for longer detention? eventually he risked it and wrote down all the answers that you had given him and handed in his work. and sure enough you become a life saver there, he was able to get out of there quicker than he first anticipated.

-- eventually he came up to you "hey, thanks for the... you know. but why'd you give me 3 incorrect answers? thought you were supposed to be smart" he said it in a almost teasing way, not upset at all about the incorrect answers. but you replied with "because no one would believe you to get them all correct without being forced to do them again" and that right there is the moment that he realised what kind of smart and mischievous person you are, enough that you've captivated his thoughts for the rest of the day and onwards.

• normally he'd get pissed off when forced to stay behind in class, but now, his mind is flooded with you that he's getting stayed back more and more just so that your hand can brush over his desk and give a semi warm piece of paper that you've held safely in your palm on the way to his desk to get him out of a situation that he put himself in, it almost feels like holding your hand. are you aware of what he's doing? probably, but that won't stop him. he also keeps all the pieces of paper even tho they serve no purpose, but knowing that you were the one that gave it to him changes the perspective of those little scraps.

• he has a major urge to be around you, he's craving your presence and voice and he always feels some sort of ache is in body from just thinking about seeing you once the weekend has passed. also the same thing goes for craving your physical touch such as a tight hug or maybe even a scalp massage but he knows that won't happen any time soon but the crave is still there, it's like a maladaptive daydream.

• he also looks at you different compared to others, with you it seems like kazu is looking at an angle with gorgeous white wings and a stunning outfit, whereas with others it seems like their just ants. big difference there.

-- sure you've been in his class for a while but that was the first time you've actually interacted with each other, other than a quick eye contact from looking around the room. there's always that one classmate that you haven't talked to but once you do it changes so much more than you first intended.

• he feels his emotions to a certain extreme level and cause of this he tries to hide it as much as he can otherwise he grows too expressive without realising it. and that can easily make his feelings seem obvious if not tamed correctly. he tries to act casual despite his stomach is turned into a butterfly sanctuary, his palms are grown sweaty, and his breath is held in to get rid of the feeling of jumping about and smiling like a complete idiot. mentally hes turned into a little kid with red cheeks just because his crush smiled at him, someone give the kid an ice pop otherwise he'll overheat. no seriously he's burning up like a fever just being near you.

°- Keisuke baji

-- Baji was getting into some sort of escalating argument after school had ended, him and two guys were getting a little rowdy but because of Baji being in his nerdy disguise at the time he couldn't risk in making a scene

-- but then that's when you butt in and stand by Baji's side. it was certainly a shock to suddenly see you appear beside him and hear you verbalise your opinion and defend him like that against these two delinquents even though he could have easily defended himself despite the circumstances, he could have walked away and led them somewhere else but no, you brought yourself into the bickering before he could act on it

-- Baji was gonna speak up to cut you off and try and get you away from the slight hazardous situation but you certainly had a lot to say and that just caused him to keep quiet. were you not scared? if you weren't for yourself then he was surely scared for you. he wasn't mad at you for getting involved, instead he somewhat gained respect for you and he had to hold back in smiling.

-- though he obviously couldn't let the situation keep going so he had to quickly drop the whole argument by speaking over you and basically drag you away by your sleeve gently. his feelings didn't grow immediately right there and then but they did develop quickly over a short period of time.

• thinking of you? his cheeks are sore and he brings a hand up to his mouth to suppress it and as if to hide it even though there's no one around to hide his smile from. he doesn't know why he does that but he just does.

• if someone were to be told that baji giggles when you message him they wouldn't believe it, that whole image for them is nonexistent when it comes to Baji, wouldn't even consider it. but this man really does, he tries to stifle them and keep a calm exposure however when he's laying down on his bed he has a wide smile plastered stupidly on his face and when he feels an excited, giddy feeling he can't help but feel a small laugh escape. when he tries to hold them back it almost feels like his chest is being tightened. your suffocation him without even being there, imagine a potential news title 'baji Keisuke suffocated due to feeling giddy about a crush'

• not much of an artist, can only actually draw simple outlines of certain objects such as pain flowers or stick men, but that doesn't stop him from picking up a pen or pencil and start to doodle, nor does it stop him to have your features flash in his mind and him draw you as a stick figure or even a wobbly blob. he sometimes zones out in class when doodling and when he catches himself in drawing you he quickly scribbles it out before anyone or you sees.

°- chifuyu matsuno

-- its raining outside on a school day and you don't have an umbrella nor a hood to cover yourself so due to that you chose to stay behind in your empty classroom to wait out the rain just so you don't get soaked. you chose to stay behind and do something captivating that it even caused you to lose track of time, luckily Chifuyu walked past your classroom and saw you there, it's at least a few hours past school hours (don't ask what he's still doing here)

-- he curiously came up to you and mentioned it however even after those few hours the rain hadn't left and it was still pouring the same weight as it had at the start, and due to the sudden passed time you had no choice to head home even if it means getting drenched. but upon chifuyu hearing your reasoning, there was no way he was gonna leave you walking out in the cold rain while he had a perfectly good umbrella, even if he wanted to leave he just couldn't bring himself to.

-- so he did the first thing that came to mind and that was to try and offer his umbrella to you. at first it seemed convenient for you but then the thought of him going out in the rain with nothing bothered you, so obviously you declined. bit of "no it's fine" here and there but after some of those you both came to an agreement to share it.

-- halfway through with you both walking underneath the same umbrella and chatting away to avoid the awkward silence he walked you home without you realising, he had to turn a corner ages ago but willingly chose to stay with you since you both were having an interesting conversation. and sure enough, thump-thump-thump his heart is racing, ever since then you've been on his mind.

• he feels so much about you, butterflies in his stomach and the need to move around because if hes sat still he'd probably snap in half from the excitement that he can't handle when the thought of you appears. he can explode from the overjoy of interacting with you as if it's a rare thing to happen even though it really isn't, you're just that special. he definitely jumps around and about in his room and punches the air silently whilst trying not to cause too much noise. making a whole new cardio work out.

• whenever he's reading his manga and romance comes in he can't help but picture the two characters to be you and chifuyu. he flicks his eyes between the two characters repeatedly even if he's been on the same page for 5mins, he'd still play out the scenario of them being you two. I mean that whole first encounter almost seemed too cliché to not have come straight out of a movie with unrealistic standards. but no, it all really did happened which causes his mind to go in places that you two are almost casted together and made to talk, as if the universe is setting you both up.

• passing your classroom at any chance he gets just to try and get a glimpse at you but while doing so his heart paces like hes just ran a marathon, he hasn't even seen you yet but the anticipation is killing him. and even when it rains on school days again hes not heading straight home but instead he's making his way to your class to see if you're there again waiting for the rain to leave, always hopeful and wishing that you're empty handed without an umbrella or a hood.

°- ran haitani

-- your in an empty room scribbling something in a sketchbook, using both hard and light pencil strokes. doesn't bother ran at all that you're here doing your own little thing but what actually does is that you're sat in his usual seat. normally he wouldn't try to intervene, especially if it's something this petty plus he wasn't all that desperate to stay here for long but even then, he still walked up to you.

-- first instinct that you had when hearing his footsteps was to close your sketchbook shut before looking up, clearly you don't want no one seeing your personal work/drawings. this little thing perked ran's interest, he doesn't know much about art in the form of paper and pencil, but he's still intrigued as to why you chose to hide it that it made him forget about his petty emotion of you sitting in his seat.

-- in short term, he ended up seeing a few of your pages and the reason for it is cause you despise your own work, despite continuing drawing in your own time you seem to always criticise yourself and think harshly on them. but in his eyes he can't help but be in awe of them, he cant understand what's so bad about the drawings. next thing you know he's asking for a drawing of himself, you didn't seem too bothered by the idea as you were about your skill wondering if you could even pull it off but ran managed to convince you.

-- sitting in a chair in front of you as a muse, meeting eye contact as you looked at his features repeatedly to get the right shape of his eyes, nose and lips. him purposely moving a little to see if you'd say something about it and trying to peek over your sketchbook book to see your progress only for you to move it away out of embarrassment. it took a short while but finally seeing himself on a page in dark grey lead made him feel something, not necessarily a major attraction but appreciation even tho he's the one that pressed on the idea.

-- and that's when the butterflies hit, it's a major delayed reaction but the giddy feeling hit after being the muse and grasping the fact that you were able to draw him this well from you analysing his features, something about this made him more seen than he already is. maybe a confidence boost? who knows, even he himself can't figure it out exactly other than feeling warm from the inside out about you.

• no matter how hard he tries to relax around you he always feels blood rushing in his body making him become tense whenever you two have an interaction as small as just saying hi to each other, and once you both pass he sighs out air as if you've caught his breath and didn't let go, though he also ends up smiling after that sigh but it's more or less a mix of a nervous and happy smile, one that makes you to be unsure if you're supposed to be excited or scared.

• i reckon hes a yapper once he gets comfortable enough, anything that comes to mind he can talk and talk about it with you like his life depends on it, but once he's finished speaking he only then realises the things he's said and regrets it all even if the topics he's talked about aren't all that bad but he still gets embarrassed of himself for letting himself get carried away like that to the point where afterwards he speaks in a much shallower tone "...I don't know why I said that, ignore that" it's kinda cute tho.

• you got him twisting and turning, losing focus in certain activities and even his sight of where he's going. at some point he was walking but his eye view was so focused on you that he ended up walking into the metal, water foundation and he had to embarrassingly play it off hoping that no one had seen the doofus walk right into it as his head was turned 80° in your direction.

°- rindou haitani

-- you and him happen to share the same taste in music and favour the same band/Artist, he knew this by overhearing a conversation you had with someone and that made him perk up a little but not enough for him to engage in the conversation. he'd silently listen in to hear what your favourite song is and guess if your a hardcore fan or just a regular

-- despite rindou not being the one to come forward about the mutual interest that you both have, it was you that needed up going up to him after hearing his music escape though his earphones from how loud he set the volume to be. sure he was a little embarrassed after you mentioned it but once you both started talking about the band, something had opened him up as you talked about it with enthusiasm while he was agreeing with everything that you were saying and adding his own little comments, you were both constantly on the same page.

-- hes gained a small interest in you but not enough to catch feelings and be attached, there's plenty of people with the same interest as him and even though he can't find many it doesn't mean that you should be on top of the list. yet.

-- those previous, tamed feelings were immediately thrown out the window after hearing you sing his favourite song when you thought you were alone, he didn't mean to intrude but when he quietly walked in a room to get something he ended up hearing your voice singing along to a favoured song, you immediately became his favourite cover. your tune and enthusiasm had him captivated and stuck. he didn't get the item but instead but he stood outside of the door listening until you stopped.

• when you suddenly appear and make yourself known he gets a little spooked and drops whatever he was holding in his hands (mainly depends on what the item is, as in if it's not fragile and just a pen) its the type of scare that makes his mind go 'oh shit they're here, act cool, act cool' you can just walk into the room and when Rindou looks up to see you its like his whole body does a nervous shut down for a split second. he's normally not like that at all so when that became a common occurrence he swore he was starting to become insane.

• only you're allowed to touch his glasses or gloves or in fact anything that belongs to rindou. sure his brother is an exception but that's to be expected. if anyone else tried to touch his stuff he'd more than just swat their hand away like an annoying pest, but with you? he feels warm and giddy about you picking his glasses up and trying them on yourself, heat rushes up to his face but he always tries to act cool and casual. he just can't shake the thought that you've worn his glasses that he's wearing right now, it almost feels like getting a high five from your favourite celebrity.

• anyone would probably assume Rindou to be a little heartless from him occasionally being nonchalant around others and sure that's true enough but with you? he's flustered, cannot specify enough of it, poor man can't even go a day without his lungs constantly shifting in volume from the way you get him so nervous. he's even grown to stutter a little, not a whole lot but enough for it to be noticed once in a while and each time he looks back on the sentences he's said he always cringes at himself.

 ♡----

[chipistrate]

Welcome to the Grand Opening of Freddy Fazbears Balloon Circus!

After an array of previous undisclosed incidents at the Mega Pizzaplex, ending with the sudden collapsing of the building due to an unexpected earthquake, Fazbear Enterprise has demolished the old mall and rebuilt a new and improved carnival on the property! But just because the attractions above ground have been overhauled, doesn't mean the secrets beneath the surface have magically disappeared.

Reblogs appreciated!

MANY more rambles about this AU under the cut: would much appreciate if you read them, but there's no obligations!

EVERYTHING HERE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!! This AU has just been pieced together by my insane ramblings to my friend over the past few days, so everything in it's early stages of development, and this post is being written VERY late while I'm very sleep deprived and just trying to finish it in time to schedule it! If some things are a bit weird or inconsistent then please keep that in mind! Thank you! :D

Gregory, Vanessa, and Freddy all return to the now renovated lot where the Pizzaplex once stood, having been called back two years after their last failed visit too save a long lost friend, too repair their old creation known at the M.X.E.S after it was suddenly and unexplainably shut down again. Upon entering the new-ish carnival, they'll quickly find it hard to safely look for the entrance to the layers below as the friendly mascot suits above chase after them for being unwanted guests.

Above ground, they're hunted by the mascots- new suits built for both performers and endoskeletons to be able to wear. This night, controlled by corrupted endoskeletons, they've been ordered to chase after the intruders by someone lurking below the carnivals ground. As well as finding the littler animatronics, known as Balloon Babies, to be quite the inconvenience.

Below ground, they're hunted by the old Glamrocks, still functional after all this time, and now under a new threats command that's also trying to keep the 3 star family from reaching M.X.E.S; Vannie. Aka, Cassie. Still here in the ruins of it all, waiting for the her perfect moment to lure the family back in and get her revenge for what they did to her all those years ago.

The mascots are the new faces of the Freddy Fazbears Balloon Circus, their costumes built to be worn by both endoskeletons and actors- but in a safer way than the springlock suits. The actors are used during the day for greeting and interacting with guests, putting on performances, etc etc. While the endoskeletons are used at night as a replacement for security guards and STAFF bots, kindly, but forcefully, escorting any intruders off the premises. Under Vannie's control they, of course, are much less kind and gentle with how they "escort" the 3 star fam out of the carnival.

Balloon Babies are smaller, almost Helpy-like animatronics in appearance, built to keep lost and lonely children happy and entertained while waiting for their guardian to arrive. They can't speak, but they can play song, games, sound effects, blow up balloons with their fingertips, etc etc. They found Gregory after he had been forcefully split up from Vanessa and Freddy by the mascots, and upon the family reuniting, the Balloon Babies more annoying feature kicked in: The Emergency Alert System. Whenever a child they are playing with is approached by an odd looking adult or other figure that seems like they could be a potential threat to the child's safety, whether that be a kidnapper, unfit guardian, bully, etc. the Balloon Babies will use their emergency alert system to call one of the mascots over and deal with the threat, kindly guiding the threat away and bringing the kid to a safer area away from potential danger where they can stay with staff until a proper guardian arrives. The Balloon Babies had decided in their time with Gregory that Vanessa and Freddy were unfit guardians for leaving Gregory scared and alone this late at night, and any time Vanessa and/or Freddy is nearby, their alert system will sound off and call a mascot to their location. The problem, other than the obvious, is that the Balloon Babies are fixated on Gregory. They will always be attracted to him and find their way back to him no matter what, with the only exception being when he's under ground. Which means that, until they can find a way to deactivate or otherwise get rid of these guys, Gregory is forced to be split up from Vanessa and Freddy above ground, and regroup underground.

The only exception is Goldie, a soft yellow version of the Freddy Balloon Baby that doesn't follow the others. Goldie is the only one of the Balloon Babies that can go underground, Vannie specifically programming him to be able to do so. He follows Vannie around and provides her with much needed company, being her only real friend down here besides Roxy. Later on, Gregory will find Goldie, but instead of calling for the mascots whenever Vanessa is near, he'll send out a signal to distract the other Balloon Babies away from Gregory so they won't call for the mascots or overwhelm him. Goldie can tell that Vanessa and Freddy are fit guardians that love Gregory very much, and can also tell that they're afraid of the mascots, though he can't compute why- it's his job to make sure that kids and their families are safe, so he's doing his best to ensure their safety however he can. Later on, Vannie will come looking for her friend after a long period of time of him being away and find him with the 3 star family, causing more conflict between the two parties that Goldie can't understand- Cassie and Gregory are supposed to be friends, aren't they? That's what Cassie said. Friends aren't supposed to fight each other, they're supposed to protect each other. That's what Goldie believes, at least.

Random trivia;

-Gregory, Freddy, and Vanessa have been living together for about 3 years now. 1 year by the time of Ruin, and 2 years after the fact leading up to Balloon Circus.

-Cassie has been gaslit into thinking that all the stuff Dr. Rabbit did was actually Gregory himself with no outside influence, only fueling her want for revenge, not only for the elevator incident, but everyone he hurt. This will affect Gregory greatly(he has not 100% recovered and this Does Not Help).

-Cassie still doesn't fully trust the Mimic, despite being under its influence. She let the M.X.E.S stay up after the 3 star family put it back up after Ruin despite Mimic's demands for her to shut it down again, assuring him it was "part of her plan". She wasn't entirely lying, shutting down the M.X.E.S was how she wanted to lure the family back, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't also partially because she wanted to keep "that old endo" sealed away. He's not completely free from fault either.

-Gregory and Vanessa both have chips implanted in their heads, it's how Dr. Rabbit and Vanny took over way back when. Those same chips gave them VR vision, but the chips have since been "domesticated" and can't go full VR mode anymore. Despite this fact, they do still have a few side effects of the VR vision, such as some walls and objects simply not existing, despite them looking perfectly normal and real. They can phase through them without trouble, and this helps them navigate the Balloon Circus, becauseeeeeee;

-Cassie was there during the construction of the circus and set up VR walls in certain spaces to help her hide out and travel around undetected, even during the day. The 3 star family can also use these now as an easier way of navigating through the circus, but also as a way to hide from the mascots and even sometimes the Balloon Babies.

-The entrance to the underground levels is behind a VR wall, but it's one set up by the construction workers so the patrons wouldn't notice it. The reason an intentional opening is there is because the new entrance is now used as a dumping ground for stuff from random items from the ruins of the Pizzaplex to unused stuff from the circus to anything the employees with access to the area want to throw in there. It's how the ruined Glamrocks ended up there.

-The Glamrocks were being slowly reintroduced to the public, the biggest attraction so far being 'Chica of the Sea', a tent for the underwater hologram show of a prerendered mermaid Glamrock Chica that would swim around, wave at guests, and do a few preset moves that employees could turn on whenever. There's hints of them wanting to reintroduce the others as well that haven't been shown off to the public yet, with the new roles being; Glam Freddy and Bonnie are the co-ringmasters of the main tent where the mascots performances are held, making sure everything runs smoothly. Roxanne is the mascots and glamrocks make up artist, as well as offering to do make up/face paint for any patrons that came by her tent (for a price, of course). And Monty would roam around the circus grounds as a strongman showing off his incredible strength. He also has a tent for this, but he was mostly supposed to roam around and sometimes try and make people swing by his tent, mostly so they would buy his merch.

-Chica being the first to be reintroduced has an effect on her character below ground, with her hearing the news and trying her best to dress herself up in whatever scraps she could find to look like her mermaid counterpart, practicing her singing and dancing despite her condition so she could prove that she could be just as good as the hologram if she just got a few repairs.

-Roxanne is headless, having lost her head in her tussle with the Mimic. But she still has control of both her body and head, carrying around her decapitated head in her arms.

-Vannie/Cassie cares about Goldie soso much that's her new bestie<33 Friendship ended with Gregory, Goldie is new best friend<3 (I'm so sorry Gregory)

-Vannie is also known as Vengeful Vannie, but usually shortened to just 'Vannie'. A callback to the "Vengeful Spirit" aka Cassidy, because I think the parallels between the two are neat<3 (THIS MEANS NOTHING LORE WISE IT'S JUST A NAMING THING.)

-Some of the stuff at Balloon Circus was bought from the carnival mentioned to be across the street from the Pizzaplex in the TFTPP epilogues, and rebranded to fit with the new Fazbear theming

I wanna talk more about these guys later- not sure what else exactly to do with them, but if anybody has any questions then feel free to send 'em to my inbox! I'll be more than happy to reply to the best of my abilities<3

[kinardsevan]

Buck finds out that Tommy talks in his sleep, and it's all just cute and/or sweet things about Buck.

The first time it happens, he’s come off of a twenty-four in the morning after Tommy’s ran late, keeping him out until the middle of the night. As such, when Evan crawled into bed at eight AM, still wired from the last round of coffee he’d drank, his boyfriend was still in his first round of REM sleep, dead to the world when he crawled into the blankets. 

He’s been watching tiktoks about Huskies with attitudes when Tommy starts talking as he shuffles under the blankets, shifting towards him. 

“No you can’t touch my butt,” he mutters, rubbing his face against his pillow. “You never keep your hands to yourself, Evan.” 

He snorts at the words coming out of Tommy’s mouth, has to clap a hand over his face from making too much noise when his boyfriend suddenly shifts again. But then he settles again, and that makes him curious. He leans over, setting his phone on the nightstand. 

“Are you sure I can’t touch your butt,” he asks softly, running a hand down Tommy’s back. “I like how it feels.” 

Tommy huffs, curls his legs up under him. “Fine. But no squeezing.” 

Evan bites his lips together, laughing mutely. Tommy shifts again, snuggling closer to him in his sleep, and it breaks Evan’s focus as Tommy’s arm slides across his waist, pulling him in. Being in the strength of Tommy’s grasp always makes him melt. 

—

The second time it happens, Tommy has just come in from being on call from another forest fire. He barely manages to stay awake long enough to shower and let Evan shove a few bites of food down his throat. He passes out quickly, still on top of the blankets in his sweats and a shirt with a helicopter on it that says “shut up and lift”. He’s got one leg bent up and a hand resting across his torso, the very iimage of exhausted as he snoozes in Evan’s bed. It’s one of Evan’s favorite sights. 

It’s also that night that he pieces together that Tommy babbles when he’s exhausted. The more wiped out he is, the more he talks in his sleep. Sometimes it makes sense, other times its only an intelligible word here and there between garbled noises. Maybe even fake mouth static?

He’s halfway through the movie they were watching when it starts. 

“You got me a cheeseburger?” 

Evan furrows his brow as he glances down at Tommy, baffled by whatever is happening in his dream. 

“I love cheeseburgers.” 

He can’t help himself. “Tommy, do you want a cheeseburger?” 

“There’s cheese on the ceiling,” he replies. “Evan cooked the muffin man.” 

“That doesn’t even make sense,” he mutters to himself, doing his best to stifle his own laughter. But Tommy’s words also suddenly have him thinking about a veggie burger. 

When Tommy wakes up half an hour later, it’s to the sight of Evan eating takeout. 

“Food?” He asks wearily. Evan lifts the bag towards him. 

“Got you a cheeseburger,” he offers, a small smile playing on his face. Tommy glances at the bag skeptically for a beat, but something about it… 

“Thanks,” he murmurs, shifting up on the bed. 

. . . 

The third time it happens, Evan has a pretty good idea what he’s in for. He’s been off for twenty-four of his forty-eight while Tommy had just come off shift that morning. He spends the better part of the day tidying around the house and running errands while Tommy rests, but by mid-afternoon, he’s craving a nap. He snuggles down into the blankets behind Tommy, opting to be the big spoon for the afternoon.

He’s on the edge of consciousness when it starts. 

“No, CP30 cannot have WD-40. He’ll melt.” 

Evan grumbles softly as Tommy’s words pull him back from darkness. “What?” 

“Revenge of the sith is a better movie.” 

“Get outta here with that blasphemy bullshit,” Evan mutters, burrowing his face between Tommy’s shoulder blades. 

“Yes, princess.” 

His eyes snap open and go wide at the response, but half a second later, Tommy is snoring. 

. . .

“We gotta talk,” Evan says later that night as he’s putting dinner on the table. His tone is serious, so much so that Tommy is concerned. 

“Okay? What’s going on, babe?” 

Evan sits down next to him, moving bowls around to start putting food on his plate. 

“You know you talk in your sleep, right?” He asks. 

Tommy nods. “I’ve heard. Gets worse the more I need rest.” 

Evan nods back at him. 

“Well you called me princess,” he adds. “And continued on your speech about revenge of the sith.” 

Tommy chuckles softly, resting a hand over Evan’s. “Evan. Sweetie. Honey.”

Evan scowls at him. “It’s not a better movie, Tommy.” 

“This coming from the man that said Valentines Day and Love Actually were the same movie,” Tommy retorts. 

“Thomas Kinard,” Evan chides. 

Tommy smirks at him before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. 

“On the subject though,” Evan continues, a small grin pulling on his face. “Can I still touch your butt?” 

Tommy’s eyes go wide as he looks up at him. “Excuse me?” 

Evan smirks back at him. 

[tojisun]

"...but you were a stray piece, unable to truly fit in." GHOAP WHEN I CATCH YOU. WHEN I CATCH YOU!!!!!!

I think what I really enjoy about hyde is seeing the strength and selflessness they have in this situation, even at the expense of their own self. Because it is a Herculean task to leave the person you love and the person you grew a connection with, even if the extent of those relationships fell short of what you wanted. But there's also an element of hope in their character, at least for me there is. This same strength could easily pick the pieces of themselves back up. It could easily hold those pieces together again. It could easily allow them to move on. But the human aspect of their character is that they'll likely hold onto them (figuratively) for as long as they can, even when they don't know the way Ghost had begun to warm up to them, the way Soap was filled with sorrow once he found out they had left. It's just the way grief works - you gotta go through the waves before there's any chance at moving on.

It makes me wonder how Ghoap fare after they find out Hyde left. We know they grow a little connection to them, especially Ghost since he doesn't warm up to people well, but did the boys have a deep enough connection to grieve for what could've been? Does Soap even know that Ghost was warming up to Hyde? That he was looking forward to the three of them? Did Soap truly want a poly relationship? Do they realize how selfish they had been for indulging in each other freely but stringing Hyde along with scraps of their affection? all thoughts, all wonder. no need to answer any of those questions btw, just wanted to share my thoughts!!

im so sorry it took so long to reply to this ask because of how much it meant to me. im so so happy to see the love for hwwl and hyde, and how even amidst the dogshit i put them through, you guys indulge me anyway 🥹

and absolutely!! going into writing hwwl, as inconsistent and short bursts they are, i have always known two things: hyde will always leave, and ghoap will always face some type of hurt because of it. i guess another thing to glean from that is that hwwl wouldn't have a happy ending in a romantic way. there's no good suffering (hyde and their selflessness leading to a requited love) nor a chase (ghoap running after them to bring them back into their fold) nor a revenge arc (someone else loving hyde the way they should, and it being thrown to ghoap's faces). it is just a quiet splintering, as everything is with hyde.

i'm so so glad to see you mention the element of hope in their character. hyde deserves that at least. yes, they let themselves be dragged into the mess with ghoap because it had been the only way they can even have ghost in their life, but they also deserve to step back. there were sooo many scenarios i wanted to bring out that would end up with hyde leaving - some of them explosive, and some of them so entrenched in turmoil - but just thinking about how they left in the midst of mending things with ghost (that one-sided animosity that ghost held onto) was such a sweet release. it's like when an over-inflated balloon is held carefully, and the tight hold on the rubbered end loosens up slowly until enough helium leaves so that no explosion happens. and it's as peaceful as it could be; a kind escape, and hyde deserves a quiet parting so no... ghost (ha!) can haunt them in their new voyage.

thank you so much for this and teehee i answered ur questions!! mostly because i do love shaping hwwl like this, through asks, but also the next instalment is being a bastard and i can't finish it ugh </3

but did the boys have a deep enough connection to grieve for what could've been?

i thought about this day and night because i know in my heart of hearts, ghost wouldnt. johnny would, at least for what it was - before it was ghost and soap and hyde. he would miss that slip of thing that only he and hyde had. and i think johnny needs to feel guilty every time ghost comes over to pull him in ghost will always wait for him, of course he will, but i see this distance creating another friction, then another cause for ghost's resentment to hyde

Does Soap even know that Ghost was warming up to Hyde? That he was looking forward to the three of them?

he will never because ghost will deny himself, and therefore johnny, any moment of regretting. hyde left them, why would ghost let their past haunt him? (it always does).

Did Soap truly want a poly relationship?

not at first. he was... selfish. he just wanted them for himself; with no commitment. he rationalized it by saying that in their bleak reality, with such a thunderous life, it was difficult to have anything more than pressed bodies and hot kisses. but when he is alone in his bunk - hyde had already started pulling away by then, and ghost is away on a mission with gaz - johnny thinks and feels and yearns

Do they realize how selfish they had been for indulging in each other freely but stringing Hyde along with scraps of their affection?

ghost knew hyde loved him. he know hyde only agreed because that arrangement was only ever the extent that ghost would give of himself to them. and he used it to tag them along because johnny liked - loves - hyde, and ghost loves johnny so he will give him everything johnny knew. he just... pretended he couldn't see because he trusted hyde to pull away if they don't want this fucked up arrangement anymore. he just didn't expect them to leave

[buckrecs]

You are literally doing god work thank you so much for this blog

I kinda have a request if that's okay. Can you please give us some Mob Bucky recs . Series or one shots

Thank you so much

Mob!Bucky

masterlist | req masterlist

Thank you so much:) Here are some Mob!Bucky fics!

* = contains smut

ONESHOT

Kiss it Better by @straywords

You’re not entirely sure your boss with the staring problem even likes you, but you’re determined to do your job either way.

little lilly. by @raysheart

you unknowingly bring out a side of bucky he never knew was there.

*Come Home. by @sinner-as-saint

Bucky comes home to find you and your son asleep in your bed and his heart damn near explodes with how much he loves his family. And after putting your baby to sleep, Bucky proceeds to show you just how grateful he is to have you and how much he loves you... 

That I What? by @itsthewritergal

Y/N’s ex seems to have more of a hold on Y/N than Bucky realised.

Never Giving Up by @itsthewritergal

Reader is ill on the one day Bucky said no interruptions... 

*the proposition of a lifetime by @tee-swizzle

mafia!bucky teaches his best friend how to please a man.

Put My Mind At Ease by @slyyywriting

You married the head of the mob in payment for your father’s debt. The contract includes that you must give whatever Bucky wants. And what Bucky wants is for you to be jealous.

protector by @vxntagedior

the moment bucky fell in love with you

Kerosene by @metalbuckaroo

“You took my heaven away and didn’t think that I wouldn’t go looking for revenge?”

Black Card by @jelsasnowflakes1

When Bucky finds out you finally used the card he gave you he was confused why you only spend 15 dollars with it.

third date rule by @classylo

you had a rule, the third date rule, you had never reached it so perhaps that’s why you were still a virgin...that is until you meet the infamous sweet mob boss.

I Am Your Fall by @sinner-as-saint

You’re hiding from your past, in Madripoor. You did nothing wrong, other than mix dangerous business with a lot of pleasure. You couldn’t go home because... he would find you and Madripoor was the only place he didn’t do business, or had any allies or friends. But little did you know that the mob boss had finally found you after obsessively looking for you ever since you left, and left him in pieces. He didn’t want revenge, he just wanted the one thing he had hopelessly fallen in love with; who also happened to be the one who had betrayed him and hurt him more than anyone or any bullet ever did before - you. 

A Simple Housewife by @beyondspaceandstars

A new member starts getting too friendly with you one night, forcing Bucky to show a side of himself you’ve never seen before. And possibly never want to see again.

Could It Be Fate? by @bxcketbarnes

taken. by @wintersldr1

when you are captured by Bucky’s enemy, he will stop at nothing to get you back, and remind everyone the lengths he will go to to keep you safe.

a wolf in man’s clothing by @witchywithwhiskey

you walk into a bar owned by the Russian mob, and Bucky just has to swoop in to save you—and claim you.

Protector by @cherryrogers

Ironically, the man with blood on his hands and a permanent target on his back was the one you’d never felt safer with.

*My Devotion by @cryptidcasanova

The one where Bucky doesn’t take your breakup well.

SERIES

A Business Deal by @ezm-imagines

Mafia Boss Bucky and Stark Reader agree on a deal to improve their businesses. A deal which will unite them together forever, whether they like it or not. Well, that is if they go through with the deal…

*A Moment of Your Time by @stevesbestgirl

A soulmate AU where the headstrong reader realizes that she’s meant to love the brutal mob boss of New York City, James Buchanan Barnes. She doesn’t want to be a part of organized crime and she doesn’t want to rely on anyone, but how do you ignore your soulmate?

*Deception by @avecra

Growing up in the dark business your father ran, violence wasn’t new to you. Rivalries and bloodbaths were something you unfortunately were used to. And in order to save your father from an unnecessary fight, you force yourself into an arranged marriage with Brock Rumlow. But when he threatens your father over a small mistake on your part, you find yourself in front of your husband’s biggest rival and your old friend, Bucky Barnes. With the shared history between the two of you, Bucky finds himself drawn to you once again, and will risk everything he has just to keep you safe.

Gunslinger by @ghostofskywalker

The bitter reality was this: you did what you had to do to survive. And if that meant going head to head with the most feared mob boss of the city, so be it.

*honey, there is no right way by @bonky-n-steeb

when you agree to be the feared mobster Bucky Barnes’ sugar baby, you expect to get enough money to pay your bills. what you don’t expect is to fall head over heels for him.

*Hostage Of Your Eyes by @sinner-as-saint

You accept an unusual offer made by a very familiar, but dangerous mob boss. And despite the rather bizarre situation and all the troubles which come along the way; old flames rekindle – and you find love again, where it wasn’t supposed to be.

Invisible String by @oitommothetease

James Buchanan Barnes, the owner of the most expensive-looking club in town and your new apartment. He was a dick and you hated him. What could possibly go wrong when you, the new girl in town, start bartending at his club to pursue your dreams?

*Lost Without You by @angrythingstarlight

Soft Mob Bucky Series

Missing by @buckyalpine

Bucky’s baby is missing and he will not stop until he finds her.

Run to Me by @sgtjbuccky

In where you’ve always had a habit of ending up in situations you shouldn’t, and when you caught the eye of the man who ran New York, Bucky Barnes, your life changed. They warned you about him, but the one thing they never warned you about was how you’d always want to run to him. 

*Run To You by @bestofbucky

Mob boss Bucky Barnes hires you to be his bodyguard.

The Light We Lost by @world-of-aus

James Buchanan Barnes had been it for you, and you wanted to believe that what the two of you had, was you making it. You wanted to be the other side of the statistics that actually made it, but your marriage wasn’t meant for this life. You fought hard to make your way back to him, to get him to see you, but life had a funny way of kicking you down when you were already down.

*wrong choice, right places by @mvtthewmurdvck

never wanting to work for him or protect his fiancé, falling for you was the last thing he should do—especially when his boss was zemo, who now ran most of the city.

The Maid of Mr. Barnes by @disasterofastory

You get a job as Mr. Barnes's maid. You heard about the notorious gangster, but since you desperately need money and a place to live, you are not in a position to be picky.

Icarus by @marvellous1917

it’s the day after giving the dangerous mobster his first tattoo, and he hasn’t contacted you yet. What a dick.

[adhdnursegoat]

Assault on Arkham

cw: fluffy goodness 😊

word count: 986

Edward leans against the doorway of your shared living room, the top few buttons of his white shirt and his tie loosened. He looks as smug as ever. You’re curled up on the sofa, flipping through a magazine while sipping on a cup of tea. As soon as you notice him, your eyes light up, and he gives you that smile—the one that sends a thrill down your spine, even after all this time.

“Welcome home, husband,” you say with a teasing lilt, setting your cup down on the side table.

He arches an eyebrow and strides over to you, sliding to the couch beside you. “Thank you, wife,” he replies smoothly, eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “Now, indulge me, my dear—how was your day?”

This is the ritual. Every time he comes back from his “work”, he asks you this question. It doesn’t matter that his life is filled with puzzles, schemes, danger, and heists, while yours is a mundane nine-to-five. He listens to you as if your day is just as thrilling as his. And for a moment, it feels like it is.

You stretch out your legs across his lap, getting comfortable. “Ugh, let me tell you what Karen did today,” you start, already feeling the irritation bubbling up at the mention of your co-worker's name. Edward’s attention is wholly focused, as if he’s about to hear the most intriguing riddle of his life. “She’s at it again—trying to take credit for my work! I mean, can you believe her?”

He makes a noise that is somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. “How dare she,” he drawls, pinches the bridge of his nose as if this affront to you offends him on a personal level. “The nerve of that woman. Really…” Edward’s tone is casual, almost conversational, but you can see the glint of mischief in his eyes. He dramatically clasps one of your hands. “Should I pay her a visit, my love?”

You roll your eyes, pulling away from his grasp and swatting him on the arm. He flinches away with a cheeky grin. “No, you will not pay her a visit. I can handle Karen just fine on my own, thank you,” you say firmly, though you can’t help the smile that creeps onto your lips. You know he is joking… but you also know he is not.

It’s almost ridiculous how protective he can get, even over the small annoyances in your life. It’s also endearing and makes you feel like you are a queen.

“Very well,” he sighs, leaning back against the sofa. “I shall refrain from enacting my brilliant yet terrible revenge upon this Karen… for now. But do go on, I live for these tales of your daily conquests.”

You laugh, feeling the tension of the day start to dissipate. That’s the magic of this ritual—no matter how insignificant your problems seem in comparison to the criminal mastermind sitting next to you, he always makes them feel valid, important. It’s as if your grievances are his fun little puzzles to solve, and he savors each one with the same intensity he reserves for his grand schemes.

You continue, recounting every petty slight, every ridiculous email Karen sent, and every snarky comment she made. And Edward listens, nodding along, his eyes never straying from your face. He interjects now and then, offering his own brand of sarcastic commentary that has you snorting with laughter.

When you’re finally done venting, you feel lighter, like you’ve shed the weight of the day. “Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with my whining,” you say, shaking your head. “I’m nothing special… Just an office drone complaining about office drama.”

Edward shifts, twisting to rest his elbow on the back of the couch, a fist against his cheek. “Now, that,” he reaches out, gently taking your hand in his other, thumb brushing over your knuckles, “is where you’re entirely wrong.”

You blink at him, surprised by the sudden seriousness in his voice. “I am?”

“Absolutely,” he declares, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You are everything to me. Your stories, your frustrations, even your hatred of Karen—they’re all pieces of you. And you, my dear,” he lifts your hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles, “are my favorite little puzzle. Always changing, keeping me on my toes.”

Your heart skips a beat, the warmth of his gesture seeping into your skin. How does he always do this? How does he take something so mundane and make it feel like the most significant part of his world?

You squeeze his hand, feeling a rush of affection for this man who, despite his less-than-ideal ‘career,’ makes you feel like you’re the most important person in his life. “I love you, you know that?”

His blue eyes gleam, and he nods, releasing your hand only to slide his arm around your shoulders, pulling you fully into his lap. “I do,” he whispers, his lips brushing against your ear. “And I love you. This”— he gestures between the two of you— “is the best part of my day. I assure you.”

You snuggle further into his touch, resting your head on his shoulder as a contented sigh escapes you. “You’re pretty amazing,” you murmur, closing your eyes.

“I know,” he affirms with a chuckle, resting his cheek on top of your head.

In the quiet of your living room, with the weight of the day melting away, you hold onto this moment. The ritual of recounting your mundane life, of being with him, of knowing that no matter what, he’ll always be there to listen and make you feel like you matter. It’s these small, everyday acts of love that make up the intricate, beautiful puzzle of your marriage with Edward. And it's a puzzle you’ll never tire of piecing together.

[annie-creates]

Finally home

Pairing: Abby Anderson x reader

Genre: fluff

Words: 1400

Note: So this is my 30th fic and it's also the first day of spring so I wanted to put out this little thing that's been living in my head rent free lately. It is far from the fandoms I normally write for but here we are. I'm warning you the events of the game are kinda swithed around to fit the story. I hope you'll like it anyway.

Life hasn’t been easy on you. From the moment your mother sent you to a Firefly base when you were still just a child, you had to fight and fend for yourself. Earning everything you had, contributing to be fed, helping to have a place to sleep, growing up has been tough. And still you could thank heavens you were placed with the Fireflies who protected you and took care of you in the apocalypse. You imagined the worst thing that could happen to someone was to be left alone. You had friends amongst the other children, adults who brought you up, and Abby.

Abby was never too close nor too far from you, having closer friends but always keeping an eye out for you. You were inseparable back in the Salt Lake City, and even when your group disbanded, you followed her anywhere she wanted to go, your next refuge being the WLFs. You never questioned her, never doubted her decisions. Not until she killed Joel Miller. You understood, Abby’s dad being the closest thing you had to your own, but even after she leveled the score, the hunger for revenge didn’t settle. The more ruthless she became the more you drifted apart.

All the tension or fondness was lost in the days and weeks she spent away hunting down members of Ellie’s group. If you were once friends, now you were hardly two people who used to know each other. Yet you never lost your hope in her, believing she’ll come to her senses and actually live her life focused on herself and not the blood of others. The rumors of Fireflies regrouping gave you hope. You’d finally find a home again together.

“Abby please, fuck this WLF shit and let’s just go back.” You reasoned with her, when you met by luck after another few months not hearing from each other.

“I still have shit to do here.” She argued unwavering in her stance.

“Like what? We both know Isaac’s plan is trash.” You furrowed your brows at her.

“Just because you’re not at the top of the game doesn’t mean everyone else is dumber than you Y/n.” She scoffed at you.

“Excuse me, I don’t give a shit what ranking he gave to anyone!” You folded you hands over your chest.

“Yeah yeah, just because you’re low. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t like being a commander.” She taunts you.

“Now you’re just being mean. You know I don’t give a fuck about that.” You weren’t going to let her off that easily this time.

“You’re just jealous. Go run back to the Fireflies where you’re cared for like the lost puppy you are and leave the real job to the big girls.” She levels you with a look of cruelty and disdain.

“Fine. But don’t run back to me when you get lost again.” Shaking your head you leave to pack your backpack so you can have a head start for when the WLF finds out you’re a traitor.

You didn’t give a shit anymore for any one of them, you didn’t want to join any petty fights for territory of supplies. You wanted to live as close to a normal person as anyone could and maybe, just maybe try and help save the world somehow, or make it just a little bit better. You couldn’t do that at the WLF, but with the Fireflies you could at least try. They weren’t saints, but in comparison to the WLF and Seraphites they were your safest option. Maybe it was finally time to let Abby go her way after the countless times you tried to save her from the fate she was choosing for herself.

As you’re packing to leave, you hear Abby in an argument with Mel. You didn’t want to eavesdrop, but you simply couldn’t help yourself. “You’re a piece of shit, Abby.” Is all you can make out before Mel slams the door and you leave in fear of being discovered watching their moment. You didn’t agree, but you couldn’t argue against it either. The more time passed on the more questionable choices Abby was making. The last thing you wanted to do was abandon Abby, yet that’s what she was continuously forcing you to do. Maybe you needed to listen to your own advice and start focusing on your own life instead of others.

While she runs off to do god knows what with god knows who, you travel to the Catalina Island alone. It was a loose thread, but it was still a better shot than nothing. Plus it wasn’t like you could turn back and crawl back to the WLF begging for their forgiveness, if there even was any WLF anymore. And to your luck, the Fireflies excitedly accept you back, happy to regain one of Anderson’s medical students you used to be back in Salt Lake City before your mission to save the population and find a cure went to trash. For months you watched out for any rumors of tracks of Abby but all the leads run cold. The group couldn’t contact her even when she made a contact with them some time after you joined, promising to arrive in a few days. But few days turned into months and Abby Anderson was considered lost and dead, even though no one talked about it or mentioned it.

Until you found her. She and one of the new boys she met, Lev, in a boat arrived at the island in a pitiful state of barely living. Being part of the medical team now, you treated their injuries and took care of nursing them back to health. While you left Lev to be watched over by the team, you couldn’t stand leaving Abby in such cold and unwelcoming place unknown to her. So you took her to rest in your own apartment not too far away, laying her down on your washed out pillows but in warm sheets and clean duvets none the less.

“Y/n.” She states with a horse voice she clearly hasn’t used for some time.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you now.” You assure her cleaning her bleeding wounds.

As she falls back into her delirious dreams you treat her injuries dressing them up in a clean white gauze, finding many new cuts and bruises, some of which you could hardly imagine what caused them. Even her face was littered with wounds deep enough to leave a nasty scar. She lost a noticeable amount of muscle and her once toned arms seemed weaker now cover in blood. Her dirty blonde hair you often braided for her were messily cut off too short and covered in layers of dirt and soil.

“Hey, you need to drink something.” You carefully wake her up to get her started back on some fluids as soon as possible.

“Hmh...” She clearly wanted to say something but she hardly had the energy to even stay conscious.

“Don’t, it’s gonna be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” You pacify her after you half force some water into her.

“Don’t leave!” She catches your arm weakly with the most scared and vulnerable look you’ve ever seen on her.

“I won’t.” you assure her as you lay down in bed next to her, careful not to touch any of her wounds to not cause her any more discomfort or pain.

“Just hold me.” Abby pleads with you, but she didn’t have to ask you twice.

“I’ve got you. You’ll be okay.” You comfort her as you stroke her short hair and hold her shivering shoulders. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I’m sorry.” Abby whines halfway unconscious again.

“Don’t be. You’re home. You are cared for.” You whisper to her as you rock her weakened body back to sleep.

You give her a little kiss into the crown of her hair. She was still the most beautiful and precious thing to you, no matter her crimes and punishments. It will grow back eventually. Her injuries will heal, and all of this will become just a faded memory over time. You’ll help her fight off any scarecrows and demons of her past, in her dreams and in the reality. She was finally back, and you won’t ever let her leave again. You both already lost too much in your hunt for revenge and justice. You finally found your home.

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Being Kaidou's prisoner and falling in love with Yamato would involve...

Yamato x reader. My first One Piece animanga fic! This fic is dedicated to the amazing @wendigoselene!

Warning: mentions of gender dysphoria (Yamato fears that his partner will not accept the fact that he has a female body).

*****

👹 You were born in Wano, the eldest child of Shimotsuki Ushimaru, daimyo of Ringo. You spend your early childhood living peacefully with him, your mother and your younger siblings, as well as your father’s pet komagitsune Onimaru; you meet Oden a few times, and the two of you grow very fond of each other. 

👹 Everything changes when Oden is executed by Kurozumi Orochi, backed up by Kaidou; your father and the other daimyo refuse to submit to Orochi, which leads them to be imprisoned on Onigashima. Your family expects to be wiped out, in order to avoid any future rebellion, but to your great surprise you are summoned in front of Kaidou: he has heard about the exceptional powers you alone in your family were born with, and wants you to put them at his service. In exchange, he promises, your family will be allowed to survive and even treated well, and you will want for nothing. 

👹 Even at your young age, the thought of serving the man who has imprisoned your father makes you seethe with anger; nevertheless, you decide to accept, wishing to at least protect your mother and siblings, and to remain alive until you can get your revenge. Once you have sworn to serve Kaidou, you beg him to free your father and the other daimyo, or at least to allow you to meet him, but are coldly rebuffed. 

👹 And so your life as a prisoner of Kaidou begins. You are kept in a small apartment little bigger than a cell, with three meals a day, a bed worthy of the name and your own toilet, but you’re still forbidden from going out if not under strict surveillance and from contacting your family, who is kept in a similar situation, if not through letters that are read by Kaidou’s men before being delivered, and a single meeting in person per year, also chaperoned. Your mother and siblings are kept healthy, housed and fed, which is more than can be said for most of Kaidou’s prisoners, but you’re never allowed to forget you are also prisoners, your family kept hostage to secure your subservience. You know that if your master -this is what you’re ordered to call him, and you do, the word tasting like poison in your mouth- were displeased with you, or had reason to suspect you are trying to escape or to oppose him, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate hurting the people you love.

👹 In the meantime, Kaidou has you trained by his men, in order to develop your natural powers. You’ve barely entered adolescence when you’re sent on your first mission, to which many others follow, against your master’s enemies, rebellious subordinates, or to subdue a new territory to his flag. You are strong, and determined to do what you have to for the sake of your family and the hope that one day you may gain freedom for you all, so it’s not long before you start making a name for yourself as one of Kaidou’s most formidable subordinates. In time, thanks to your successes, growing privileges are afforded to you and your family: more comfortable lodgings, good food, even a tutor for your siblings, who are now old enough to need formal education. You are paid more than well for your job, and your meetings with your family are increased to one every four months.

👹 All things considered, you have reason to be, if not happy, at least content with the existence you have carved for yourself, and relieved you and the people you love are at least safe and healthy, but you’re not. You hate your life, hopeless rage and shame and guilt filling your heart and, at times, making you feel as if you were suffocating. You keep repeating yourself that you’re only doing it for the sake of your mother and siblings, to keep them safe, that you’ll never be truly faithful to Kaidou and that you are still waiting for the chance to escape -or even better, to kill him- and you really are!, but you can’t help feeling that it’s not enough. After all, you have put your strength, and the powers you were endowed with, at the service of your mortal enemy, and your hands are stained with the blood of his enemies, innocents or people who simply wanted to regain their freedom; it’s them you should have tried to help, not this monster who helped that snake, Orochi, enslave your people and your land. Maybe you should have let Kaidou kill you, you think sadly, in order to spare yourself the indignity and at least die with honour; maybe, in that case, your father would have been proud of you. 

👹 Speaking of your father; you know he died just days after his and the other daimyo’s imprisonment -and you never cried as hard as you did that day, having harboured in your child’s heart the secret hope he would one day come save you- but you were never told what had happened that day, instinctively thinking that he had sacrificed his life to oppose Kaidou and Orochi. You’re not sure that, even considering you were only a child when you were forced to choose between servitude to Kaidou and the slaughter of your whole family, he’d approve what you did and are still doing, but you allow yourself to believe that he’s still watching over you, and will be proud when, one day, you find a way to kill Kaidou and Orochi and avenge him, your lord Oden, and all those who have suffered and still suffer under the usurper. 

👹 Soon after you reach adulthood, Kaidou chooses you as the leader of the Tobiroppo, a position you more than deserve but are supremely uninterested in, given the fact you care nothing about raising through the ranks of your master’s army, and that has the unforeseen consequence of earning you the envy and the resentment of many among Kaidou’s subordinates who had aspired to the same position. This matter leaves you indifferent as well; you’ve never made friends among the Beast Pirates, for obvious reasons on your part. Rather, you’ve always done your best to look cold and unapproachable, and some of Kaidou’s men also resent you for the apparent position of privilege you occupy, or distrust you because of your origins and the fact that you’re only serving Kaidou in exchange for your and your family’s safety. 

👹 You don’t mind being alone, since after all you’re surrounded by enemies; you have your mother and your siblings, safe and sound even though you can spend so little time together, and that is enough, or at least you force yourself to be content with it. Today, though, you feel particularly melancholic and lonely, and not without reason: exactly ten years have passed since your father’s death, and even longer since you were taken captive. Ten years… it’s more than half the time you’ve been alive, which means that you have spent more time under Kaidou’s thumb than free, and you can’t help wondering if those years were worthy the shame and dishonour of having sworn loyalty to the man who had your father killed and the land of Wano enslaved under Orochi. There is nothing you would not do to keep your family safe, but you are an adult now, and while you still train tirelessly, you know you are no match for Kaidou, nor have you ever had even half a chance to kill him. Maybe you never will, and you’ll spend your whole life serving him, working and fighting for him, a -sort of- willing slave to the man you despise, your family’s honour forgotten and your father’s disappointment and condemnation waiting for you in the next world…

👹 That night a big party, as usual hosted by Queen, takes place at Onigashima, but you’re not in the mood to celebrate - not that you usually do. You even considered asking Kaidou for an exceptional meeting with your family, to celebrate your recent promotion, but you don’t want your mother and siblings to see you while you’re feeling so dejected and hopeless. You mustn’t forget that you’re not the only one for whom those last ten years have been hard, and lonely, and you don’t want your family to worry about you. 

👹 You sigh, sitting on a large boulder facing the sea, on a little beach you sometimes spend time in when you want to be alone - which is most of the time. If only Oden were here, you wistfully think; you cried all your tears when you heard your noble lord hard been killed, and you don’t doubt that if he were still alive, and able to fight Kaidou fairly, he would easily dispatch both him and Orochi, and free the land of Wano. If Oden were here, everything would be different…  

👹 “Hello.” Yamato says, making you jump.

👹 You’ve never formally met before, which is probably surprising, since Onigashima is a tiny island. You only knew vaguely Kaidou had a daughter, even though you had never even bothered to find more about her, even just her name, instinctively convinced as you were that your master’s child could not be any better than him, and consequently that she wasn’t the sort of person you’d ever want to make friends with. Yamato, on his part, only knew you vaguely as one of his father’s many subordinates; he discovered the truth about your identity only that morning, as he heard him discuss your recent promotion to leader of the Tobiroppo, and immediately decided he needed to meet you.

👹 You stand from your seat and turn to face the person who has joined you on the beach; he doesn’t seem intentioned to hurt you, but ten years as Kaidou’s prisoner have taught you to be wary of anyone you meet, and this white-haired man must be no exception, no matter how bright his eyes, and how lovely his smile, are. “Who are you? Were you spying on me?” “Not at all; I just wanted to talk.” Yamato answers in a friendly tone “You’re Shimotsuki (name), yes?” “Talk about what? And who are you?” “I’m Kouzuki Oden.” “WHAT?!?!”

👹 It takes you a few minutes to clear up the misunderstanding. You’re immediately concerned to discover that Yamato is Kaidou’s child, fearing he has been sent to spy or hurt you in some way, but he promises that he has no ill intentions towards you, and moreover, that he opposes his father’s actions and intentions as much as you do. “The reason why I wanted to meet you is… well, I have a message for you.” Yamato says, and his excited smile slowly turns into a serious, almost solemn expression “From your father.”

👹 You end up spending most of the night together talking. Yamato tells you about how he met your father, as well as the other daimyo, when his father locked him together with them to punish him; he, as well as Yamato himself, thought the daimyo would hurt him because of his heritage, especially after they had been given swords and a single portion of food, after days of starvation. “But they didn’t; they were better than that. They cut me free from my chains, and gave me food. I promised them I would fight to liberate Wano like they wanted to do, to free it from my father, and they… they sacrificed their lives to make sure I lived. I will never forget their courage and kindness; it’s thanks to them that I am here today.” he tells you quietly “As he and the others prepared to break out, your father told me: I have a daughter who is about your age; you remind me of her sometimes. I fear Kaidou will attempt to hurt her, and to break her will to his. If you ever meet her, tell her I love her more than anything else in the world; that even though she’s still so young, I know she will make me proud, and that she will never forget her duty and the blood that runs in her veins.”

👹 Yamato is at first hesitant, fearing you might blame him for your father’s death, but your reaction is the exact opposite. To know this young man was with your father when he died, and that he and the other daimyo trusted Yamato enough to sacrifice their lives for him… emotion has filled your eyes with tears, and to receive your father’s message today of all days, while you felt so full of doubts about yourself and feared you would never succeed in avenging him and free Wano from Kaidou and Orochi, has rekindled hope in your heart, and filled you with a new determination. All of it thanks to Yamato, who you immediately feel sympathy for, and who is happy to tell you about the courage and kindness of your father and the other daimyo, of how they deliberately suffered hunger to make sure he was fed, helped him read Oden’s diary, and entrusted him with their hopes that one day Wano would be liberated and its enemy punished. 

👹 Yamato, on his part, envies you for having met his idol, Oden, in person; you have to admit that the two of you didn’t actually had that much of a relationship, since you only met a few times and you were too young to hold a conversation anyway, but you gladly share your memories of the man you both admire. You can’t help finding it a bit odd that Yamato has gone so far as to make Oden’s identity his own, adopting his mannerisms and even emulating his gender, but you deeply admire his courage in opposing his father, who clearly disapproves of his own son idolising his worst enemy, and who has done his worst to make him relent. That night, as you talk sitting on the beach, alone save for the waves crashing on the shoreline in front of you, a deep friendship is born between you and Yamato, a bond born of spiritual empathy and shared intent; you promise that you’ll support each other against all those who oppose you, united against the rest of Onigashima, and one day, when the opportunity arises -and it will; I promise, (name), one day we’ll get our chance. You mustn’t lose hope, your father wouldn’t want you to- you’ll fight together to liberate Wano and avenge both Oden and the daimyo. 

👹 Your friendship with Yamato becomes one of the few sources of joy in your life. You had never fully realised how lonely you felt, having no one to confide in, share your fears and hopes with, and ask for comfort when loneliness and guilt threaten to crush you. For ten long years it was your family’s safety, and the secret hope of one day finding a way to avenge your father and realise his ambition to restore Wano to its previous splendour, that sustained you, but you did feel isolated, forced to rely on your own strength without a friend to watch your back and to dry your tears when the loss of your father and the fear you’d spend the rest of your life serving the man who had killed him threatened to destroy you. Now you have Yamato in your corner, and he’s worth more than a whole army of friends; for his part, he also treasures your friendship, both as a link to his idol and his past saviours and since you’re the only person in the whole of Onigashima who doesn’t oppose his desire to emulate Oden but rather supports him. One could think that, given his exceptional strength and position as Kaidou’s son, Yamato has lived an easy and privileged life, but even though he has been opposing his father ever since he was a child, courageously enduring all the abuse and violence Kaidou has inflicted to make him relent, he's sincerely happy he has found someone in whose company he can simply be himself, and who accepts and even share his desire to see a free, open Wano. 

👹 That is not to say you are free to live your friendship in the open. Having agreed that knowing his two biggest detractors in Wano are spending time together would immediately make Kaidou suspicious that you're up to something -which you sort of are- you and Yamato find several ways to meet in secret, in the most hidden corners around Onigashima or on your favourite beach. You spend hours talking, but sometimes you bring food and drink to share a meal, an innocent pleasure you hadn’t known since the family dinners of your childhood. You also train together; Yamato is extremely powerful, not least thanks to the powers he acquired, he explains to you, eating a strange, foul-tasting fruit that allows him to transform into both a makami wolf and a human/wolf hybrid but took away his ability to swim. You spent your youth training under Kaidou’s orders, his underlings having no qualms about hitting and hurting a child, but this is different, this is you willingly sparring with a friend, both confident enough in each other’s power to use your own to the fullest. In those moments you feel free, powerful, in control of your own destiny - in a word, you feel alive, and all thanks to the young man who would have more reason than anyone to distrust you, but who has offered you his hand in friendship, and made your life worth living like it hadn’t been for a decade. In the depth of your heart, you don’t know if the two of you will ever be able to defeat Kaidou and free Wano; but even if your hopes were to be dashed, you’re happy to have met Yamato, and to have been gifted his friendship.

👹 Your moments together are the happiest of your life, as much as the few hours you are allowed to spend with your family; Yamato, who feels no filial love whatsoever for Kaidou, is nonetheless outraged you’re only allowed to meet your mother and siblings three times a year, for such a short time and always under strict surveillance. “I wish I could ask my father to allow you to spend more time together.” he sighs “But if he had reason to suspect we are friends, he’ll make sure we can never speak or meet again.” You assure him that you know, and that even though you are disappointed you can’t meet your family more often, you are grateful for his desire to help you. 

👹 On one clear night, you are both able to steal away from the castle, and meet at your usual boulder, at the beach; Yamato has brought a bottle of fine saké he stole from the kitchen, you some sweets to munch on. You sit quietly side by side, enjoying the warmth of the night and the sweet song of the sea. “What would happen to Wano, though?” you mention after a while, unable to forget, even just for a moment, how unlikely the success of your secret plan appears to be “Even if, by some kind of miracle, we were able to vanquish Kaidou, and Orochi, and all the troops under their command, who should rule the country then? Oden is dead, and his children have disappeared. As far as I can tell, there is no one in the world with the right to become the next Shogun.” “In the past, when the Shogun was incapacitated or died without leaving an heir, it was the council of the daimyo that ruled the country. You’re the eldest child of your father, and the other daimyo’s families have been killed; so you could become the next regent, until a legitimate heir of Oden is found.” Yamato suggests, which gives you pause. Becoming the new daimyo of Ringo after your father is a destiny you have known awaits you since you were a child, and in the event you’re actually able to vanquish Kaidou and Orochi you’ll be proud to do it, and follow in the path of your ancestors. But governing the whole of Wano, even though only as a regent… well, that’s a different matter altogether. Would you be worthy of it? And what if it turns out that there is no one left in the country with Oden’s blood in their veins, and who could legitimately assume the role?

👹 “And what about you? What will you do once you’re no longer under your father’s power?” you ask, and Yamato grins. “I’m going to leave.” “What?!” you cry, dismayed, and your friend explains that as soon he has freed himself of the explosive handcuffs Kaidou has put on his wrists, and that prevent him from leaving Wano, he plans on sailing away as a pirate, just like Oden did in his youth, to live adventures and discover the world. “I can’t wait! It’s going to be great!” he exclaims, while you stare at your own feet, dismayed, already dreading the day your friend’s hopes will come true and he’ll depart, maybe forever, leaving you alone. As Yamato’s friend it’s your duty to encourage him, like you know he would do if he were in your place, and you can’t very well ask him to renounce his dreams to stay and keep you company, especially if by then you’ll have become the new daimyo of Ringo, but the mere thought is almost unbearable: you have become so fond of Yamato, and he’s the only person you love in the world besides your family, your dearest and only friend. The only thought of never seeing him again, of losing him, breaks your heart. 

👹 Pretending you’re not upset is hard, but you’re able to hide your unhappiness. You and Yamato spend a couple hours sparring, finding out once again that you’re evenly matched, both feeling spurred to improve and do your best to defeat the other and still satisfied you haven’t been defeated, and in the end you say good-bye as usual before returning to your quarters. You are both walking back to the castle, but since it’s imperative to avoid being seen together, you reach it from opposite directions. You also make sure never to mention each other with other people, and even to keep your gazes from meeting -but not to the point it becomes evident you’re avoiding looking at each other- when you’re both forced to attend one of Kaidou’s parties or war councils.”I’ll see you soon, right?” you ask, and Yamato looks at you strangely, as if surprised you’d need to ask - as if surprised you had reason to fear otherwise. “Of course; you can’t get rid of me so easily, you know.” he jokes. Half an hour later you’re in your bed, in the small apartment you’ve lived in since you were eight but that you still refuse to consider your home; you stare at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep, and think that you will never stop Yamato from leaving Wano, not even if it meant losing him forever, but you’ll treasure his friendship while you can. 

👹 Months pass; one day, looking at the calendar on your wall, you realise it’s your birthday - not that you have ever celebrated it, given your situation; your mother and siblings will certainly send their wishes with their next letters, and that is all the celebration you can expect, or need. You have just come back from a long, difficult mission on Kaidou’s orders, so you treat yourself to a day of rest; you spend two hours in a meeting with the Tobiroppo -and then feel the uncontrollable urge to drink yourself into a stupor, as it often happens after you’re forced to deal with all six of your underlings together- and then take a walk by yourself in the woods. Later, you’re about to have a quiet, solitary, peaceful -and not lonely; you’re not lonely, you repeat firmly to yourself, not when the large majority of the people in the whole of Onigashima wouldn’t even spit on you if they saw you on fire- dinner in your room when you notice a piece of paper that has been slipped under your door: Kaidou summons you to a meeting, in a little-frequented wing of the castle. Grumbling -can’t you just have a moment of peace, at least late at night and at the end of a three-weeks mission?!- you leave your dinner untouched and leave, soon reaching the room you’ve been summoned to. You open the door, and…

👹 “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, (name)!” your mother, siblings, and Yamato cry out all together; the room is festively decorated, there is plenty of food on the tables, and wrapped-up presents with your name on them. “I’m so sorry; I have known you for years and never thought about asking about your birthday.” Yamato apologises as you share a hug, and you quickly tell him you could never be angry, since you don’t know his birthday either. “You’ve planned all of this? For me?” you ask, stunned, and your friend grins, openly satisfied with himself; he found out your birthday was coming soon by accident, and so found a way to meet with your family privately, and proposed to organise a party in your honour. “Nobody deserves it more than you, (name); and I made sure neither my father nor anyone else knows, so you don’t have to worry.” 

👹 It is without a doubt the happiest day since you were eight; you open your presents -Yamato has ordered his in one of the best shops of the Flower Capital, your mother and siblings have used the allowance Kaidou has granted them on your request- eat much more happily than you were about to do alone in your room, and in the end, while Yamato entertains your siblings, you speak to your mother, for the first time without Kaidou’s men listening to your every word. “The last thing I could have imagined is you making friends with Kaidou’s child, but this young man is clearly different from his father.” she admits “I’m glad you can count on him, (name); you know how much we love you, but you need a friend to confide in.” You couldn’t agree more; you had never told your family you had made friends with the son of your worst enemy, not wanting them to worry for you, but you’re happy they appreciate Yamato as much as you do. “We’re going to save Wano, mother; we’ll defeat Kaidou and Orochi, and I’ll avenge father. You have my word, I don’t know how, but I’ll make sure they pay for what they have done.” you tell her, and she hugs you tight, murmuring that she’s so proud of you, of how strong and resilient you are, and she knows your father is as well. 

👹 Yamato insists on walking you back to your room, again making sure no one sees; the silence between you as you walk is easy and comfortable as ever, but when you’re standing at the door you suddenly feel shy… like a girl deciding whether to invite a suitor to come in at the end of a date, which is clearly not your case, but then why do you feel yourself blushing? “Are you alright?” Yamato asks, unaware, and you rush to nod. “I’ll never thank you enough for this; I’ll return the courtesy for your birthday, but… It’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Yamato.” “You’re very welcome; as I said, you deserve it.” “I’m not sure I do; but I’ll remember this night forever.” On impulse, you kiss him on the cheek; Yamato grins, but even in the darkness of the corridor you can see he has blushed furiously. You go to bed feeling much better than a few hours ago, falling asleep with your friend’s name on your lips. 

👹 The unexpected event that leads you to question, at least in the privacy of your heart, your friendship with Yamato takes place on a day like many others, when you reach your usual beach to meet him for yet another evening to spend together, and find he’s not alone. “This is Ace; Ace, (name).” Yamato says, clearly enthusiastic as he clasps the shoulder of a young man -he’s still a boy really, much younger than you- who you’ve never seen before. “He is a pirate from the East Blue, he came here to kill my father; we just fought, he’s very strong!” 

👹 Ace, you must admit, seems like a nice person, very friendly. You drink saké together, which you have stolen from the kitchens, Ace introduces you to his crew, the Spade Pirates, and tells you of his younger brother, Luffy, who he’s clearly fond of. “So your dream is to see the world outside of Wano? Why don’t you join us then, and leave with us?” Ace proposes in the end, once it’s time for him and his crew to depart, and you, standing only a few feet away, feel your heart break. Yamato thanks him for the offer but he’s forced to refuse, given the fact he's still wearing the handcuffs bound to explode as soon as he steps outside the borders of Onigashima; in the end, Yamato creates two Vivre Cards so that he and Ace can find each other in the future.

👹 “Are you sad?” you ask Yamato as, sitting on your usual boulder, you observe Ace’s ship getting smaller by the second on the horizon, and he shrugs, admitting his disappointment at having been once again precluded from leaving, this time in addition in the company of a person he had made friends with. “Well, that’s too bad; but one day we’ll meet again, I’m sure of it. Oden never lost faith in his dreams, and I don’t want to either.” he says then with a smile, bumping his shoulder against yours “Good thing you’re still here, (name); I don’t know what I would do without you.”

👹 Knowing that your friendship is important for Yamato makes you very happy, but at the same time meeting Ace, and seeing him and your friend together, filled your heart with an emotion you had never experienced… longing, tension, fear, and jealousy, but for what, since Ace has been perfectly civil, even kind and friendly, and did not upset you even unintentionally? It’s not fully his fault, you reason on the next day as, having been sent on a new mission by Kaidou, you contemplate the stormy sea your ship is easily sailing through, rather… the unpleasant sensation was due to the presence of a new person near your friend, who Yamato clearly liked, respected, and paid attention to. You like to think you’re not an egotistical, or possessive, person, and you should have been happy that Yamato had made a new friend, especially given Ace seemed to be a really good person and Yamato never neglected you to spend time with him; nevertheless, you felt your heart break when Ace offered Yamato to join his crew, which would have led him away from Onigashima, and away from you, and you did sigh in relief when the fire-powered pirate finally departed, leaving things as they were before his arrival, the routine you and Yamato had peacefully lived in for years. 

👹 Whatever the reason for that emotional state you can’t quite give a name to, you do feel instinctively guilty for it. No matter how much his friendship means to you, Yamato is not a toy in your possession, but a man who is entitled to form relationships with other people and to live his life the way he wants, even if his desires were to lead him away from you. Nevertheless, in the depth of your heart, you can’t help wishing things were different; that your company, your presence by his side, were enough for Yamato, so that he would not feel the need for other people in his life, and that he would decide to remain in Wano after you’ve liberated it, or at least to make sure that wherever he decides to go, you can come with him. It’s wrong, and self-centred, and selfish, but you can’t help it; you don’t know why you’re feeling like this all of a sudden, you only know it all started when Ace entered the picture and you did feel better, safer, after he had left…

👹 Oh. 

👹 You don’t really know what love is - romantic love at least. You know your parents loved each other; you never saw them exchange a kiss, that wouldn’t have been proper for a couple, but you remember the way they looked at each other as they danced together in your home following a music only they could hear, tenderness and an intimacy that had nothing to do with the fact they had had three children together. And you’ve never asked, but you know your mother loves him still, and that even should she marry again one day, she will never forget him. You’ve never experienced anything of the sort; you’ve never been in a relationship, and your only sexual experience has been an hour spent in a brothel during one of your missions away from Wano -you could have done the same in Black Maria’s pleasure hall, but you didn’t want the whole of Onigashima to know about your preferences in the alcove- that left you with a fleeting sensation of pleasure that soon disappeared, leaving only emptiness behind. You thought that maybe, one day, once you were no longer surrounded by enemies you were forced to keep your real allegiance secret from, you could find a partner, someone you liked and trusted and cared for, and with whom you could be yourself; it might be nice. Until then, you were more than satisfied with your family’s love… and Yamato’s friendship…

👹 Oh, shit. Shitshitshitshitshit… 

👹 But it’s impossible. You’re not… you’re not in love with Yamato! How could you? He’s your best friend. You’ve never done couple-y things, like dancing and… and he’s never given you flowers like your father did with your mother at least once a month… all you do together is training and drinking saké, he’s organised a secret birthday party for you and you’ve patched him up a thousand times after his fights with his father, and you’ve shared secrets and laughs and tears, because that is what friends do! He’s your only friend, the only person you care for and who cares for you besides your family; is it so surprising that the simple thought of losing him breaks your heart? And yes, you do find him very attractive, how could you not? Yamato is tall and strong, and he has a beautiful smile, bright eyes, and there have been a few times during your training that you’ve felt his body pressing against yours and your heart skipped a beat and blood rushed to your face and then there was that time you went to the brothel, and when the man you paid for his time saw how unresponsive you were, he told you to think about something nice, and your thoughts instinctively went to Yamato, to that time you had fallen asleep together on the beach, holding each other close against the cold, his arms holding you by the waist and your cheek resting against the softness of his chest…

👹 That had been the closest thing to peace you had ever experienced; a sensation so pure and perfect you never wanted it to end, and you know it never fully will, as long as the two of you remain together. You can’t lie to yourself any longer: you’ve fallen in love with Yamato, a feeling that is deep and true and lasting, something that is not better than, or even completely different from, the deep friendship that has existed between you for so long, but that has grown from and is made more precious because of it. You still consider Yamato your dearest friend… it’s just that now you also shiver at the thought of kissing him and the sight of the many among his father’s underlings who try to attract his attention -or him, directly, in their bed- makes you seethe with anger. 

👹 Should you tell Yamato what you feel? There have never been secrets between you, but this time, after agonising on the matter for days -and dearly wishing you could ask for your mother’s opinion; unfortunately all the time you spend with her and your siblings is still closely monitored, and you don’t even want to know what would happen if Kaidou found out you’re madly in love with his son- you decide it’s better if you keep it to yourself, at least until you have reason to believe he feels the same, since you want to avoid the heartbreak and awkwardness and that will surely follow a refusal. You still feel blessed to have him as your friend; and one day, you tell yourself, things may be different. 

👹 Two years after you and Yamato have said good-bye to Ace, his Vivre Card disintegrates, which makes you realise he has died. You both mourn him, and you privately apologise to Ace for not having gotten to know him as much as you could have during your time together, and for the secret, unjustified resentment you felt for him in your heart. Later, you read about your friend’s demise on the paper, and also about his brother Luffy, who has become a powerful pirate captain. Yamato tells you that this young man you’ve never met could be exactly the person you were waiting for, to help you bring down Kaidou. 

👹 You’ve been friends for exactly a decade -and you a servant of Kaidou for two- when finally everything changes, thanks to no one but Luffy himself, who just like Yamato expected has come to Onigashima to defeat his father, free Wano… and restore as a shogun Oden’s own son Momonosuke, who is miraculously alive -but, for some reason, is still eight years old even though he was born the same year as you and Yamato- and has returned together with his father’s retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards. In order to assist them, you decide to separate; Yamato goes to meet Luffy, and asks you to try and neutralise the All-Stars, the Beast Pirates’ top executives, in order to weaken Kaidou’s potential response to the invasion. 

👹 Knowing that your friend trusts you enough to face as strong opponents as King and the others -and he’s not simply saying it to please you, since he clearly doesn’t want you to be killed- fills your heart with warmth. As you prepare to part, well aware that you may not survive the night and not wanting to die with more regrets than you already have, you impulsively grab Yamato by the front of his shirt and kiss him passionately; he freezes, clearly taken aback, but a moment later he’s taken you in his arms and is kissing you back. After all the time you had spent fantasising about your first kiss, reality is a thousand times better than everything you might have expected; so sweet and passionate you wish you could spend the rest of the night just holding each other and smooching, but you have a battle to fight and a land to liberate. When you finally part, you and Yamato are both grinning. “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.” you confess, and your friend, who has gone adorably red in the face, smiles and admits that he wouldn’t have minded - far from it. You hold each other tight, well aware that tonight all your dreams and aspirations could come true, or be cruelly crushed by an unforgiving reality.

👹 “See that you survive.” “Right back at you; I’ll see you later.”

👹 Having left Yamato, you force yourself to ignore the warmth of his kiss lingering on your mouth and the fact your heart is still pounding, to focus on the battle that awaits you, and that you have waited for since you were eight. First of all, you reach your family, quickly defeating the guards who try to stop you, and lead them to safety to a hidden room you had selected a while ago, expressly for this purpose. Your siblings beg to be allowed to fight as well, since they also want to avenge your father and liberate their home from Kaidou, but you convince them to relent: they need to protect your mother, and should the battle be won without you, it will be up to them to continue the family line and rule Ringo. Your mother embraces you; she doesn’t try to dissuade you from your duty, but begs you to be careful, and kisses your forehead in blessing. 

👹 Your primary objective is to vanquish King, Kaidou’s right-hand man, and you find him on the castle’s Live Floor, fighting a young man who you assume to be a member of Luffy’s crew… a young man who looks exactly like your father did in his youth, except for the colour of his hair. You look at him, flabbergasted, and he looks back, equally stunned, having noticed the strong family resemblance between the two of you. “Who the hell are you?!” “Who the hell are you?! Why do we look like we are siblings?!”

👹 You’re completely astonished -this man does look like he could be your brother, but you’re ready to bet your father never betrayed his marital vows, not to mention that your new acquaintance doesn’t look old enough to have been conceived more than twenty years ago- but you quickly decide you’ll have time to talk later. “Name’s Roronoa Zoro.” “Pleasure, I’m (name). Mind if I help you against this guy?” 

👹 King is one of the strongest fighters you’ve ever encountered, but Zoro is, you find out, an exceptionally talented swordsman, able to wield three blades at the same time, and joining forces you’re able to defeat him. You and Zoro share a grin, having already developed respect for each other, and then part; you later meet Momonosuke, and help a kunoichi named Shinobu protect him from Kaidou’s men while Yamato battles his father. 

👹 You and Yamato find each other again after Kaidou’s defeat; you embrace tightly, happy and relieved to see each other unscathed. Together with your family, who you have freed from their hiding place, you witness Momonosuke, now in his adult self, present himself to the people of Wano as their new Shogun. Yamato introduces you to Luffy; you hear the two of them discuss Yamato joining Luffy’s crew, just like your friend did with Ace years ago, now that the straw-hatted pirate has removed Yamato’s exploding handcuffs, and you feel your heart break at the thought you’re going to lose him forever, just when a new future was opening in front of you. But you have known for years that this would happen, and no matter how painful it’ll be, you’re determined to encourage Yamato to realise his dream, rather than stop him or beg him to stay, whatever the price might be. 

👹 Once things have come back to normal after Kaidou’s defeat, you have a long interview with Momonosuke, who officially makes you the new daimyo of Ringo, as your father’s heir, and you promise you’ll do everything you can to support him for the creation of a free, happier Wano. You and your family return to your childhood home; you cry tears of joy when you find out that Onimaru, who had run away after your father’s arrest, has survived, spent five years protecting the graves in Ringo’s cemetery, and then was cared for by Kawamatsu, one of the Nine Red Scabbards. Your father’s old pet happily joins the family once more, to the great joy of your mother and siblings. 

👹 Speaking of your father. You and Zoro have a long conversation, soon realising that your resemblance is no coincidence but you are, in fact, related; his grandmother was Shimotsuki Furiko, your father’s younger sister, who in her youth left Wano with a small group of other people and -he tells you- settled in the East Blue. You introduce Zoro to your mother and siblings, and to Yamato, who also recognise his resemblance to your father, and Zoro tells you about his dream of becoming the world’s strongest swordsman, and about Kuina, who you both realise is also a relative of yours, through your clansman Shimotsuki Kouzaburou. You spar, get drunk on the best saké you were able to steal from Kaidou’s castle after his defeat, and quickly become friends.

👹 A few days later, a great festival takes place in the Flower Capital, to celebrate the return of the Kouzuki family to power; you and Yamato participate together with Luffy’s crew and your other allies, but at one point you’re forced to go intercept a Marines Admiral who has come to take Luffy, with no regards for the safety of Wano’s people. Momonosuke orders you to let him fight by himself, and he’s actually able to hold his own against the invader until the Admiral is forced to leave.

👹 Later on, you and Yamato take a walk together - or at least that was your plan, even though you end up hidden behind a hedge as you kiss senselessly, holding each other tight as the symphony of your moans fills the air. You’ve never felt so happy in your life, and once again, you wish you could spend the rest of your life held in Yamato’s embrace, hearing him purr contently as you kiss his neck; that will probably not happen, but you’ll enjoy your time together while it lasts. Yamato admits that he had known he didn’t just want to be your friend for a long while now, but never found the courage to tell you what he felt, mainly because he was almost sure you didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

👹 “The truth is… well, you remember when you told me you had gone to a brothel? The person who serviced you was a man.” “Yes, and?” “Well…” unsure like you’ve never seen him, Yamato points to his body “No matter how much I try to be like Oden, you know I still have the body of a woman. So I thought that maybe… if one day we’d become… intimate…”

👹 You immediately reassure Yamato that his gender has nothing to do with the affection and the attraction -yes, the attraction- that you feel for him. “If you really want to know… that night at the brothel, the man I paid did everything he could to make me feel good, but while he touched me I could only think about you.” you admit with a slight blush; how blind you have been, taking so long to realise friendship was not all you wanted from him! “I don’t care if you have the body of a man, or of a woman, or-or of both, or neither; you are Yamato, my Yamato, and I am in love with you. I will never stop wanting you… and I will still be here when you return from your journey at sea.”

👹 Yamato looks at you, suddenly crestfallen. “What? You’re not coming with me? I thought we’d depart together!” he protests, and you, while happy that he’s not planning on abandoning you to go gallivanting around the world -even though you could have told me at least!- point out that you can’t very well decide to leave on a whim. You are the daimyo of Ringo now, you have sworn allegiance to Momonosuke, and your land and your people need you, after so many years under Kaidou’s abusive rule. “But I don’t want you to remain only because of me; I’ll miss you like air, but you’ve been imprisoned here on Onigashima your whole life, no one deserves freedom more than you.” you add, forcing yourself to encourage him even though his happiness will automatically mean your loss “You can sail, either with Luffy or by yourself if you want, discover the world like you’ve always wanted… and when you decide to return, I’ll be here waiting for you.”

👹 You both reflect on the matter for a while, hand in hand as you sit on the stone steps of the Shogun’s castle, observing the fireworks exploding in the sky above you; the multicoloured light kisses Yamato’s pale skin and hair. “I want to protect Momonosuke too; I think this is what Oden would have wanted.” he says in the end, his tone pensive but not sad “And the Admiral’s attack today has proved that there are so many forces that could hurt him, and Wano; so I think I’ll stay, at least for a while.” “Are you sure? You’re not… disappointed?” “Well, the world is not going anywhere, is it? And in any case, departing without you would only be half the fun. Let’s promise this, (name); that one day, when there’s no longer need of us here… you can leave your mother and siblings to govern in your place for a while, and we’ll sail together.”

👹 Nothing in the world would make you happier, and you tell him; you and Yamato share a grin, finally free of fears about the future and your feelings, and kiss some more, oblivious to the fact you’re in plain sight, under the eyes of Wano’s partying people. 

👹 “(name)?” “Yes, Yamato?” “I love you too.” “I know.” 

👹 His cheek rests on your shoulder as you keep staring at the sky, where flowers of light bloom and disappear only a few moments later; you sigh, happy and in peace, and take your lover’s hand in yours, determined to never let go for the rest of your life.

[deathbxnny]

Hi there! You asked some HSR angst, well here you go! can i request Jing Yuan and Blade x s/o who was the royal guard and prince/ss of Khaenri’ah.

More context on reader:

They were the second born child of Khaenri’ah’s Royal Family and part of the royal guards. So somehow during the Cataclysm the reader was transported to the HSR universe. They were VERY traumatized of just what happenend and had put up an upbeat and plucky personality as a coping mechanism for what happened. They traveled the universe for sometime before they met Jing Yuan/Blade and ofc learned of Aeons. They dont like the Aeons and any mention of them would get rid of their upbeat facade quickly. They associate the Aeons with the Archons that destroyed their nation, now they know they arent the gods that did it but they cant help it. Basically Dainsleif’s attitude to anthing archon related but much chiller? Bc again they’re not the same ones who destroyed their nation so their willing to give them a very small benefit of the doubt.

How would they react to their s/o revealing their past and immortality to them after they had snapped at someone for something (probably aeon related that hit a bit too to home?) and became distant towards everyone for while. They tearfully revealed their past and then later go on a rant about their hatred toward gods. Also how would their lover react hearing about the curse (The pureblood and the half blood/non blood khaeri’ahns) the people of Khaenri’ah received.

How would they react towards their s/o being suicidal because the erosion that the curse cause them to have is THAT bad they just wanted to die but cant bc they cant die from being murdered as they can self regenarate or from old age. (Think of the demons from kimetsu no yaiba, like when yushiro got his head decapitated, yeah im pretty sure their lover saw their head get regenerated like one time)

Hope you enjoy this angsty request and have a good day/night!

- Flower Anon 🌸

-----♡

A/N: I re-read this 5 times, but for some reason my brain refused to process any of it, so I hope this still turns out okay lmao... thank you for the request tho and sorry for the long wait.

Content: Angst, hurt/comfort, established relationships, some rough description of the Khaenri'ah curse thing, small mentions of reader being suicidal

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

-----♡

》Jing Yuan

Jing Yuan always silently questioned your past and often wondered why you were so secretive about it. However, he also respected your boundaries and therefore never pushed you for any answers, as he knew how sensitive some topics were. But when you one day just snapped at someone for the simple mention of the Aeons and God's, he started slowly piecing together your story on his own. It definitely also helped, that you eventually just spilled everything to him.

He was understanding and supportive, horrified to hear about the curse and it's consequences. He had heard of and seen many evil things, but this still shocked him. Especially after learning what the curse did to you as well. He was deeply upset when he heard about your want to die and despite understanding it, he still made sure you knew how important you were to him.

He tried making you see the bright side of it at least, as the curse gave him the opportunity to spend an endless lifetime with you at his side, something he deeply wished for. And he was glad, that he could, even with it being a horrible curse that allowed him to be.

-----♡

》Blade

Blade didn't really care about your past at first, as you never seemed to care about his. It was a mutual understanding between you two to just not mention it and try moving past it together, despite Blade's need for revenge. And at first, he was content with that, until he noticed your strong disdain for God's/Aeons. This confused him, as he didn't understand what it was that bothered you so much, until you eventually broke down and told him about it in a long rant.

He listened to you quietly, as you spoke about your people and their curse. About how you were sick of living and just wanted to finally rest. About how you were just really done with everything. And he understood you perfectly. He really did. Especially as he himself was cursed to immortality and wanted to die more than anything. The fact that you felt the same as him brought him more solace than anything in this world ever could.

But that's exactly why he also was so adamant on you continuing on even through your curse. After meeting you, he realised that immortality may not be as bad as he originally thought, especially when it's just spent with you. He'll help you get your revenge, as long as you promise to stay with him forever too.

-----♡

A/N: I'm genuinely praying this is even slightly coherent. Sorry for the wait Flower Anon and thank you again for the request!

[with-my-calamitous-love]

fullmetal alchemist is one of my favourite pieces of media of all time, and i say that with confidence. one of the most reoccurring themes in the show is morality, and the true value of life. i saw these themes show up in bsd chapter 117, so i wanted to write about it.

in fullmental alchemist, we see both edward and alphonse elric challenge these laws in their journey to re-obtain their bodies. edward, specifically, a young man who has seen the truth, does not let vastness of the universe and its secrets stop him from restoring his brother.

but what is the truth? in the show, the truth is god, yet isn’t god. the truth is god to some people but not to all. to others, truth is the universe. truth embodies the world of fullmetal alchemist like deity and a monad. truth is all and one at the same time. and, as he tells edward, he is also within us.

look familar?

the concept of being all, yet none, perfect, yet devoid of anything, is an interesting one. if being all also encompasses nothing, how can one thing be everything? how can everything also be nothing?

one is all, and all is one refers to the idea that the universe is all connected in some way. that every single thing, from the smallest ant on your shoe to the vast blue sky, is connected. everything in the universe works to push it forward.

if everything matters, nothing matters.

and that piece of knowledge can really mess up your mind.

in fullmetal alchemist, we see how the brothers are forced to question the value of human life. for a portion of the show, they’re determined to obtain the philosophers stone in order to restore their bodies, only to learn that the stone itself is made of human lives. as alchemists, they live by the concept of equivalent exchange. you cannot attain something without giving something. for edward and alphonse, nothing, not even the promise of their bodies back, is worth the cost of human life. but for other characters, like ling or father, there are things worth giving human lives for. for ling, it was immorality, and for father, it was ultimate power and knowledge. one of the things we learn is just how difficult it is to put a price on life.

in bungo stray dogs, a large portion of the story focuses on existentialism. we see certain characters live for certain things. some find reasons, like protecting others, orphans, saving lives, restoring justice, or even revenge. some characters suggest that life is valuable for the sole reason that it is. our protagonist, atsushi, searches for that reason to live. akutagawa, his main cinematic parallel, asks him if he believes that saving others will suddenly make him worthy of life. but that only raises another question- what does make someone worthy of living? are people even worthy of living to begin with?

back to the original point of being both everything and nothing. if everything matters and is of equal importance- like the tapping of a keyboard or the birth of a baby, than nothing matters. the idea that everything matters and nothing matters point to the exact same thing- everything is of equal importance. we’re all going to die some day. no matter what we do, we’re headed towards the same fate, so every single moment is important. at least, thats what i think.

in short, i love shows that force characters to challenge the truth of the universe. fullmetal alchemist does it wonderfully, and i hope to see where bungo stray dogs will take it.

@ashenaura pointed this out originally and gave me a reason to yap so thank you! 🤍

also hoping that teruko and kunikida will somehow survive

[livwritesstuff]

More steddie dads content I really want some Eddie centered like teaching the girls guitar or dnd especially since Robbie is like him I think that they’d bind over a shared interest and he’d teach her stuff from when he was younger!

lol yeah the last few have def been more steve-centric (and also kind of a bummer) so let's switch up the vibe a bit

So, yes, Robbie is Eddie's daughter through and through.

She's stubborn and brazen and loud in her opinions and beliefs. She can be a little flippant about other peoples' feelings when she's not careful, and sometimes struggles to acknowledge the validity in other experiences outside of her own - in other words, she's Eddie to a T. She's even got the same big curly hair (though it's way more well-maintained than Eddie's had been thanks to Steve).

As for hobbies, Robbie is the only one out of Eddie and Steve's three daughters to really take an interest in music.

Eddie is thrilled about this, especially in the early days when Robbie is seven or eight and dying to try out any instrument they put in front of her. She has a natural proclivity for nearly all of them, which is fucking wild to Eddie, but the violin is the one she takes a particular shining towards.

Eddie can't say he'd ever had a resounding interest in classical music, but he wants to support Robbie so he dives into it right along with her.

That shit...

is metal as hell.

Seriously rad.

Eddie anxiously waits for her to be old enough to try out his old electric guitar. He waits until she's fifteen years old - the same age he'd been when he'd gotten his first electric - and then he digs it out of storage and bestows it upon her like the exquisite treasure it truly is.

In true teenager fashion, Robbie is...unimpressed.

She humors him for a bit, and to her credit, she does seem at least a bit intrigued by the almost forty-year-old guitar, but when Eddie offers to show her how to play, she only shrugs.

"I don't want to mess with my technique," she tells him, as if she's not shattering his heart into a bazillion tiny pieces.

"What does that even mean?"

"I dunno," she shrugs again.

Later, once the guitar has been safely put away, Eddie recounts the exchange to Steve.

"I just don't get it," he laments, "She'd be so good at it! I don't get why she won't just give it one chance."

"She's you, my love," Steve tells him, "Are you forgetting all the years you spent rejecting everything outside of what you deemed acceptable. You grew out of it. She will too."

So Eddie resigns himself to waiting it out. Robbie ends up deciding she wants make a career out of playing the violin, and she goes to New York to get her bachelors in music.

Just as Steve had predicted, once she hits college and grows up a little bit, she starts seeing the value in the world outside of the small corner of it she occupies. She comes home from her first semester regaling them with all the things she'd learned, and she catches Eddie by surprise when she asks him to bring out his old electric guitar.

Eddie and Robbie jam in the basement for like five hours before Steve insists they go the fuck to bed, and that "Hazel has school in the morning, in case you lunatics forgot."

(As for dnd, looking at it from the perspective of teenage girls, Steve and Eddie's kids absolutely do not want to think about their dad DM-ing. Eddie can't even breathe the wrong way without his daughters calling him out for being cringe or whatever, never mind executing a whole campaign. They'd die of embarrassment - guaranteed.

Robbie does get super into MTG in college, which Eddie absolutely takes as a personal F-You from his daughter. He gets his revenge by refusing her offers to teach him to play, even though it honestly sounds like a fuckin' blast, but that's a hill he's willing to die on)

[color-craz]

AF MidWeek Round-up!

This is just a simple post compiling all of my attacks so far along with some artists notes! Mostly because I found myself much more active this year than last year (Minus these few couple days due to some appointments). I'll be tagging everyone and linking to other socials so you can see these lovely folks. Of course if you want to attack me, I'm ready to fight! Without further ado, here's all the attacks so far :>

@cosmicdenro @stellarknightz - Weekend Date The name of the game for these first few attacks was to get everyone who I was supposed to last year but ran out of time ^^;;. I decided upon Jesse's Zircon over Jesse the character (one in my bookmarks) b/c it seemed like Turquoise Zircon was less drawn this year but was his icon on AF. So easy pick from me :> (Btw doing Sodalite's stripes and copying Zircon's shape language was really fun!!)

@/clawothy (Twitter) - Chill Cat Another attack from last years bookmarks! It was definitely a soft but enjoyable opening into drawing furries since Claw's so human shaped. It was fun drawing his tail and patterns :>. This is just a nice character design all around.

@twidaisi - Speedy Service Twi was also one from my bookmarks, but also a doorway down an ArtFight rabbit hole. Which will become apparent in the next two pieces. For this one, I had a pretty clear pose in mind so I placed it onto O.R.B.I and went from there!! His design is so neat and he seems so cool! The pose was also pretty fun to do as well, just an overall fun art piece (Also this one got a revenge!!! I still really really love thank you so much!!!!!)

@scratchgeist - Escapism Ho! This was a doozy! Twi had Scratch's profile linked so I ended up hitting him with an attack too. Drawing Scratch's mane turned out to be a pleasant experience despite me originally fearing it. This scene idea also came from a prompt of Scratch going outside. I ended up putting Polish on this because all those scratchy "ink like" lines I actually did manually (take a fuzzy brush and then go over it using a sketchbook eraser). It was nice dipping my toes into BatIM again and trying out more animal feature.

@/stylin.art Instagram @/crypticc0rpse Instagram - Pirates in arms One of those two people were linked on Scratch's profile and the person linked also linked to the other person. But I realized that both Stylin and Crypt had some shared characters. So this ended my little rabbit hole of people by attacking these two lovely fellows at the same time. This little crossing swords idea took me a nice minute to come up with but I liked how it ended up anyway. I really did like drawing James together like this (probably helps that I really like pirates in general). Also yes I know her hand is fucked up I noticed way to late to fix it.

@smoresthehalloweenqueen - Listen to the waves Once I finished up with that I moved onto the next bookmark, which was Smores! Originally I was gonna draw Brutus but then I was like "I like his sona it looks like fun!" So I drew them listening to music because why not :>. I struggled on the arms initially but it came out real clean and nice. Honestly might be my best work so far! (Fun fact, I color picked the waves + background from Seafoam's icon.)

@skittisketch - I got it! Mr. Sascachawean himself! I referenced this pose form the classic Objection point because I thought it would fit his personality. This was also a little bit of a test with a style I had only done in sketches (Basically my human style but omitting a neck which somehow shaves off a lot of time). This was a super fun pose to do with a pretty nice background! (Once again, fucked up hand I know I noticed too late again)

@justpainterrobot - Rare Nightly Sight I had this really really clear picture of what I thought up for this attack and I'm happy that I was able to make it a reality. I put the polish tag on this one because I almost got super super detailed of what the junk was below her (Stuff coming down from Elysium n all that) but due to a lack of references I just went with typical metal and wood. Fun fact, the night sky in the background is based on the one from Deponia itself (The first game's scenes with the professor at night). I think this rewrite of Toni was really cool from what I could find about her. Overall a labor of love type of attack.

@coelpts @swan-swanno - Boss Battle I thought to myself "Hm, I see Coelpts around a lot, lets hit him with an attack." and it turns out Ciel's gay married to Swanno's charater Mikhail, who was the last one in my bookmarks from last year. So another double attack for this one! It was a struggle starting this one mostly because I was debating whether or not to draw Ciel's Lord outfit but I ended up doing so because why not :>. It was a fun experience copying Swanno's more angular style, which is a stark departure from my more rounded shapes (As you can see here). Has a nice venture doing the lighting as well, overall a good experience.

@tailsylennon - Sweet Treats Mitchell showed off Tasily's proflie one day and I saw their sona and was I was like "Lemme draw it!" and did! I ended up following another prompt by her because it was their birthday! (By the time I started on this it was 8 pm and I freaked tf out and got to work). Her sona was really cool and I really loved drawing them. Fun fact, each of the set pieces references the Hallows Souls trio. The chair is decorated after Terra, Markus is the table, and Whistle pallet is used for the tea set :>. It was just a pleasant and cozy attack to make overall.

@ceaseless-enemy - Congratulations!!!! I've actually known about Voila for quite awhile now and thought his design n theaming is quite neat! I actually based the pose off of Ai from Oshi No Ko (I think one of her key arts before the anime released, ifykyk). But I skillfully cut out the legs because I can't draw digitigrade legs... Hooray... Otherwise it was quite nice to work on this attack in particular, especially the eyes and the hair :>.

@killbent - Getting Ready This is another one I had a real clear idea of prior to doing this, specifically because Killbent gave a prompt to give Mr Fairchime pink hair, so i thought a "pre-show" set up would look nice :>. The lighting was another new venture for me, because I usually do cool/night time like lighting but I think it turned out nicely for Fairchime. It was also fun doing the accessories and stuff on the vanity as well. Fun Fact, it's a bit hard to see through the watermark + lighting but the face paint and pallet both have the colors of his make up! Overall a pleasant and warm attack for this year.

And that's all of them so far! I picked up some new bookmarks + I gotta get Twi back for drawing Compact!! So those will probably be compiled by the end of AF so about, early August-ish if I keep up the pace. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and gracing me with the opportunity to draw all of these amazing characters!

Until next time!

-Gappy, Witch of the Stars

[staticintone]

Some feelings under the cut. Not necessarily negative ones, but feelings nonetheless.

I am shy. At least in roleplay spaces.

I wait to be approached, keep my out of character thoughts to a minimum, reserve this space for only talk about this space. Avoid interacting with people that intimidate me and stay in my lane.

That has been changing since July 1st.

I hesitated big time to post a dash commentary on a situation that had nothing to do with me, involving two players who are much bigger than me in my mind.

That two sentence commentary has led to some of the best writing I have ever done.

I saw dash commentary on Alastor’s radio torture broadcast from people I had never even seen before. I never felt as seen or as involved in the community until that moment, especially for a piece of writing I am still so proud of. Even the creator of the RAM AU was so impressed that they saved it on their blog. That was an incredible feeling.

Two days ago, I jokingly sent a friend a magic anon. I expected it to be screenshotted and sent back to me. Instead, it was posted and became one of the funniest things I’ve had the pleasure of seeing firsthand. It became so much bigger than I expected, even leading to a revenge anon getting me involved yesterday!

And yesterday was just chaos in its own right. I also almost didn’t join the Alastor Arena Event. I felt as though I didn’t belong there, somehow. And I almost missed it by going to sleep! I made comments on just about every post, tagged people I wouldn’t dream of “bothering” before. All culminating in a win that also blew up!

I have always felt like a small fish in a big pond here. I viewed it as safer to hide away in a corner and just write with the people who sought me out than to put myself out there.

I am not the best writer in this space. I explicitly know that, and that is fine by me. This is not me feeling sorry for myself; I just know my limitations.

My Alastor is serious and jaded. He’s hard to get involved in fun and crack circumstances. The most humor I get from him is unintentional, when he reads out ascii text full send for example.

But this whole month so far has shown me that there is a place for him—and for me—here.

I have been trying to put myself out there in small ways, posting out of character things that make me laugh. Talking about the more random things I personally enjoy that I would have never allowed into this space before.

I will try and get myself involved more often. It has been so worth it so far. I can’t promise I will be blind messaging any time soon, but I will be throwing myself and Alastor into the mix much more often.

Thank you all so much for making me feel welcome from day one.

I’m so sorry it took me this long to believe you.

[eyes-of-rock]

Revenge

Paul Stanley X OC

Chapter Two

-> {Prologue // Chapter one} (would love to link it but can't)

I do one final look at myself to make sure everything is perfect. I'm wearing a beautiful satin emerald green tea-length dress. It is sleeved with a plunging v-neckline, and the fabric gathers up at the torso. The dress looks stunning to me—the perfect revenge dress. I look damn good.

I look at my living room wall clock—two minutes till four. I take my clutch off the table and head out the door. As I leave my apartment building, a slick black Porsche pulls up.

I know there is no one living around here with a car that nice. The most excellent vehicle I've seen is my Toyota. So it has to be Paul. Right on time. Impressive. I note. More than I can say for Jack, my ex and groom of the wedding I'm about to attend.

The car is sexy as hell. I haven't ever seen a Porsche in person before, at least not this close. You might think it is crazy, considering I live in Los Angeles, but I don't live in the Hollywood part.

Paul seems to be understanding the assignment. I know no one is going to be pulling up to this wedding in a car this nice.

I walk up to the car and open the door. The interior is a sexy black leather. This is the most excellent car I've ever been in. It almost feels wrong to be sitting in a Porsche with Paul Stanley of KISS. I'm a security guard at an office with an awful dating history. I'm not a model or an actress.

“You look stunning.” Paul compliments me, sliding his sunglasses down his nose for a better look.

“Thank you.” I smile, “You look pretty good yourself.”

He's wearing a nice black double-breasted suit jacket, a black striped vest underneath it, and a white low-cut t-shirt under the vest, and he's showing off just a peak of his chest hair. Then he's wearing some nice black jeans. He looks perfect.

I think that wedding is about to be hit by a big surprise, and I can't fucking wait. That's what they fucking deserve.

———————————————

“Lorna.” My mother greets me coldly. “I didn't expect you'd come.”

If you can't tell, she took Vanessa’s side. It's not surprising. She's always been her favourite and could do no wrong. It was always my fault, even when she was in the wrong. This situation is no different.

She eyes up Paul. She wants me to introduce her to my date because she's too proud to introduce herself. Every single guy I've ever brought home, and there haven't been many, she's done this same thing, too. Meanwhile, with Vanessa, it’s always been a friendly smile and an introduction.

“I know that's why I came,” I tell her, “and this is Paul Stanley. Paul, this is my mother.”

“Are you two seeing each other?” She asks in a rather demanding tone. She sounds rather unimpressed. Good.

I don't know how to answer that. I want to say yes, to get her back because we are now that I took him to this wedding technically. But this is also the first time we've gone out if this even counts as going out. I don't want to overstep and say something untrue. Who knows how he's feeling about this? However, something about our conversation a few days ago tells me he’s hoping it is going in that direction. For whatever reason. I still can't figure out why he even went after me, to begin with.

I’m not against the idea. He's been nothing but a gentleman all night so far. Paul is an adorable, caring guy behind the Starchild persona. I don't know if I'm someone he'd want on his arm at the end of the day.

“Yes, and your daughter is a lovely woman,” Paul answers for me, putting his hand on the small of my back and pulling me closer.

“Oh. Isn’t he a little old to look like a teenage degenerate?” My mother asks me, being a snotty cunt as per-usual. I know she's referring to the fact Paul has long hair.

“Isn't Jack a little young to be balding?” I fire back without thinking. His hair is thinner than a piece of paper. At least Paul still has all his hair and is older than Jack.

“You need to check your attitude, Lorna!” my mother gasps, scolding me and holding her hand to slap me. Like she always did to punish me as a kid.

I'm just going to take it like a grown women. I've been hit by her so many times it doesn't even hurt anymore.

“I wouldn't hit her if I were you,” Paul warns her, his voice level and calm.

My mother stops dead in her tracks and looks utterly shocked. I'm just as amazed as her. No one has ever actually stood up for me before. I'm not used to that; my mother isn't used to being told no.

“I want to hit my daughter for being disrespectful, and I will.” My mother gasped, horrified someone told her no, that someone stood up for me.

“Not while I'm here.” Paul insists.

“You’ve always been a spiteful girl; of course, you brought a little guard dog. Just don't ruin this day for your sister.” my mother spits at me, sounding disgusted.

Then, before I can retaliate, she turns and stomps off. I make sure to flip the bird her way real quick. That's what she deserves after that interaction.

I watch her walk over to my sister, hug and kiss her. When only moments ago, she was going to slap me in the face. It fucking hurts. I don't know why I've never been good enough for her. I wish I could have been. I fucking do.

I shouldn't have come. I know being around my family fills me with both anger and hurt. Yet here I am, and I refuse to look like they are getting to me, so I leave early.

At least I'm not alone. Paul is in my corner, which is very sweet of him. He didn't have to defend me, but he did, proving him to be a good guy.

“What a lovely woman,” Paul says sarcastically, an unpleasant look on his face.

“Yeah.” I agree, “Thank you.”

“I wasn't going to let her hit you.” He tells me, sounding like it's just a no-brainer. “Any normal person would have reacted the same way.”

“Well, you say that, but Jack let her hit me in front of him once,” I tell him.

“He’s a jackass,” Paul says, “I mean, come on, he let you go.”

“He did me a favour.” I admit, “I could be the idiot marrying him.”

“Exactly.” He agrees. “This won't be their last marriage.”

“You think?” I ask curiously.

“It’s not a good sign when the couple meets through adultery. Then you have to factor in he's an asshole.” He explains, “I promise you, this marriage will end eventually.”

“I hope you’re right,” I say as we sit at the table. Naturally, my sister put me in one near the back. Not with the rest of my family.

“Hello everyone.” The maid of honour, Vanessa’s best friend since middle school, speaks into the mic at the front of the venue with the rest of the wedding party.

“I’m the maid of honour.” She introduces herself.

“This is a love story for the ages.” She continues, and I roll my eyes. This is going to be a long speech.

“When Vanessa met Jack on that fateful rainy day in October at the Oldstone Bar. They locked eyes, and even though Vanessa had never met him, she knew her destiny was to be with him. So she walked up to him, and their love story began, even though she had to deal with jealousy from her sister of all people they made it through.”

“What the fuck?!” I blurt out in utter shock at the lies from that woman's mouth.

Are they out here spinning it like I made the whole thing up? Like they never knew each other, and I was jealous and getting in the fucking way? When there is undeniable proof that Jack dated me and they had a fucking affair? His entire family met me as his girlfriend. We dated for two whole fucking years. If anyone was jealous, it was Vanessa; she broke us up.

I'm so angry right now I can't even think straight. All I can think about is walking up on that stage and telling everyone the truth. I know I shouldn't, but I can't let this fucking slide. I can't let them tell a fucking lie to everyone and get away with it. I'm done. I’m not holding my tongue any longer.

I stand up.

“WHAT A LOAD OF BULLSHIT!” I yell to catch everyone's attention.

Everyone gasps, and the room falls silent.

“You two are such fucking liars.” I ask, “Would you like to know how they met?”

“I was dating Jackass over there,” I say, pointing right at Jack’s stupid fucking balding head.

He looks as terrified as he should be.

“and then he goes and cheats with my bitch of a sister Vanessa. Who never so much as felt a drop of rumours. So if anyone in that situation was because it was her.”

“Lorna, please-” My father bags; he doesn't ever get involved. He spent my whole childhood just letting everyone treat me like shit.

“No.” I snap, standing firm, “You don't deserve me to stop; I'm done with all of you.”

“You two deserve each other,” I say, pointing towards my sister, who's crying crocodile tears and her pussy ass husband.

“I wish you a short and miserable marriage.” I pick up the champagne glass and cheer it towards them.

Then I start walking towards the door, everyone looking at me. I hold my head up high. I don't regret it. It had to be said, and I don't care if a single one of these fuckers talks to me again.

I take a deep breath once I'm outside. I don't even feel sad. I don't feel like I’m losing something, but I am walking away from them. From cutting them off. I probably should have done this years ago.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” I apologize to Paul; I feel slightly embarrassed, so I just blew up in front of the frontman of KISS.

“I get it if you don't want to see me again.”

He didn't know me well and had to put up with all my family drama. He's been very nice about it, but he must think I'm insane now.

“Don’t apologize.” He says, “They had it coming.”

“Really? You don't think I'm crazy?” I ask, surprised.

“You’re the most normal one there.” He laughs, “I’d love to take you out again, maybe this time without your family.”

“I’d like that.” I smile at him, “And don't worry, I don't think I’ll be talking to them anymore.”

And I wholeheartedly mean every word of that. This wedding had a better ending than I could have thought. I did get my revenge.

[utilitycaster]

Stuck my I Voted sticker on my stress ball due to the joys of living in a swing state.

Valinari Ziegler (or Nari for short) was a character I played in an Exandria campaign that unfortunately died a few years ago due to scheduling issues. He was a half-elf Shadow Sorcerer who eventually multiclassed into Rogue (when the campaign died he was 6 Sorc/2 Rogue, I probably would have gone either Swashbuckler or Mastermind if I'd gotten to level him up).

When I created him, I had two thoughts in mind: I wanted to do something fun with the Shadow Sorcerer ability that allows them to possibly stabilize at 1 HP when they would otherwise drop to 0, and I wanted to create a character with a vested interest in being in an adventuring party (because I've noticed that a lot of the time people struggle to come up with a reason their characters all want to be in a group). I ended up landing on the idea that he was a former member of the Deastok Myriad who was betrayed and almost killed by another member on the orders of someone higher up (only surviving due to his sorcerous abilities kicking in), but he had no idea who or why. His goal, then, was to make powerful friends and come back to find out why he was killed and get revenge.

Once I started playing him, however, a few things I didn't anticipate happened. First, I made him in Heroforge and inadvertently made him look like the MCU version of Loki (I had already named him after the mythological Loki's children), which prompted a whole bunch of jokes from my group and ended up informing his character a good bit--I'd always planned him to be a smooth talker, but the Loki lean in characterization made me more inclined to embark on stupid plans that bit me in the ass as often as they worked out (this also meant I was the character that pushed the shiny red button more often than not, and it caused me to utter the line "Fuck it, I have poor impulse control and proficiency in CON saves", which is one of my favorite things I've ever said in D&D). Among other things, he managed to con a treasure map from a merchant by exchanging it for a piece of bent metal that he claimed to have come from the Whispered One's stronghold but actually was pilfered from a dead kobold, but he also almost got killed by a fiend that he had threatened thinking that she was imprisoned in a way that she couldn't harm him. The other thing that happened was the classic character development of him initially seeing the other party members as instruments of his revenge but coming to care about them (in particular our party's Druid was very nice to him and, in her player's words, immediately engaged Mom Friend mode upon hearing him refer to her, the person she'd traveled with for two weeks, as his oldest and dearest friend and our Monk was both interested in the way he operated and willing to call him out on his bullshit--they had a really fun dynamic).

Mechanically, Nari is one of the characters I've put the most thought into build-wise, and I had a lot of fun playing him in combat. His build was centered on the spell Shadow Blade combined with the Shadow Sorcerer ability to cast a version of the Darkness spell that only the caster can see through. Throw in sneak attack I was doing a lot of damage. The DM also gave me a magic item that allowed me to teleport in dim light and darkness 3 times a day--it was, however, identical in appearance to MCU Loki's stupid helmet.

Hey! I saw your other message, and no, i just got off Tumblr and went to bed last night for my own well-being before seeing this, no worries about word count.

I know it feels, well, kind of silly to finish up now, but I do want to thank you for voting. It's by no means the only tool we as people in the US have to express our opinion nor to enact change, but it's certainly one of the lowest effort for the highest impact and it has become bizarrely fraught on online spaces. And so silly ask memes are by far from the only thing I do around elections or in my advocacy; but they are one of them, and I hope to continue doing them for a long time.

Getting to the actual character, I think Nari sounds all around great. "Why is my character here" is perhaps the most important thing you can ask yourself in any story, whether it's D&D or original fiction, and a lot of people don't, so having a character with clear motivations available is not faint praise: it's a sign that you put care and thought in and I think the relationships your character was able to build with others in the party reflect that. I also think the Darkness + sneak attack combo is a really creative and fun multiclass - a lot of my frustration with rogues is that I love a cool assassin in fiction but D&D mechanics explicitly make being a rogue in that archetype almost impossible, and I think you reclaimed that. And I love a big red button pusher. There's hooks! Find them!

Anyway this game and Nari sounds great, and man, I kind of hope for your sake there's a way to revive it.