#this is canon in my heart in all verses xD

[fortune-maiden]

Pei Ming Week Day 6: Hero

crack fic fills continues but also this has always been one of my headcanons too xD

huge thank you to @ococor for the prompt :D

Shi Qingxuan was silent. He was also bright red, gaze glued to the floor. Pei Ming gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, then made his exit to the room where his friends sat. Shi Wudu wore the same expression as his brother without the blush. Ling Wen burst out laughing as soon as she saw him. Pei Ming ignored her. “It’s done,” he instead said to Shi Wudu. “Several critical gaps in our little Qingxuan’s education are now filled. And do you have anything to say for yourself?” “My hero.” Despite Shi Wudu’s venomous sarcasm, he meant it.

reason #69 why sqx hates pm

[wood-white-writer]

"Didn't mean to make your heart Blue" || [6/...]

— OPLA!Buggy x F!Reader

“On sunny days I go out walking, I end up on a tree-lined street. I look up at the gaps of sunlight. I miss you more than anything."

— Mitski, "Francis Forever"

Pairing: Buggy the Clown (Live action) x F!Reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 7

Summary: You were an apprentice of Gol D. Roger’s crew in your youth, long before his eventual demise. Along with the Red-Haired Shanks and Buggy, you were a formidable trio; the embodiment of a new generation of pirates yet to come. But times changed, and so did you and your friends.  The crew arrives at the Baratie, and several things go down in a matter of hours. Decisions are made, both stupid and not so stupid. Old and new faces come back into your life, and unable to deal with the events in Orange Town, you handle it in the worst best way possible: through the bottle.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, fem!reader, LA!Verse, slight canon divergence, alcoholic indulgence on a catastrophic scale (drink responsibly ppl), blackouts, morally grey reader, violence, mentions of everyone (marine, fish people, pirates, etc.) having a past beef with Reader/"Cross-Hairs", Buggy POV in the end,

A/N: So, since this chapter was delayed, I think it compensates due to the fact that it is approximately 7k words long. The chapter jumps a little between the events of the Baratie, but there's a reason for that: the reason being that the Reader is shitfaced for most of the time during this chapter. Also, shout out to @ay0nha for putting up with my rambles during this period, really appreciate it XD

It hurts. Everything hurts. That’s the first thing he feels. 

His feet, his back, his torso, but especially his head. It’s like a hamster is running on a wheel inside the bones in his skull, squeaking, chirping, driving him insane from the inside. 

The wheel is pounding, and pounding until all he wants is to chuck that fucking hamster into–

“Hey, he’s waking up!”

Shanks? Why is he in his head? Fuck, he takes it back. The hamster can stay, rent-free, for as long as it fucking wants to, as long as it isn’t fucking Shanks—

“Buggy?”

On second thoughts, that voice doesn’t strike any sense of irritation with him. In fact, he finds it comforting, like the morning sun shining atop the ship deck. He doesn’t mind listening to that.

“Buggy?”

His eyes open, and he thinks he's seeing the sun for the first time. The sun and the moon, in fact, at the same time. Golden, blinding, warm, and cold, but he wants to watch them until his vision turns white and all sense of sight abandons him. 

It’ll suck to be blind, but damn, what a hell of a way to go.

The more he stares, however, the more everything else falls back into place. He realizes it’s not suns he’s staring at, but two sharp eyes and a concerned face that makes him feel just as warm.

He’s in a bed, he finally discovers. There’s a pillow under his head, a fresh sheet up until his midsection which strangely smells of vinegar, inside a room he just now remembers is the Oro Jackson’s de-facto ‘infirmary’ which really is just an old storage space that was refurnished when they first got the ship.

There’s something wrapped around his head, tight but not too tight that it’s squeezing. It’s been done by precise and sturdy hands; a professional, someone who knows what they’re doing.

He blinks once, then twice, and everything around him finally settles. Including everyone perched around the bed.

“Ah, Buggy, my lad!” It’s hard not to recognize the booming voice of his captain, who proceeds to lean over him with his hands pressed around his biceps until the massive mustache trickles his chin. “Thought you were a goner for a moment!”

He kind of wishes he was one because the strength of Gol D. Roger is not to be underestimated. His ribs squeeze and it's hard to breathe, but out of respect for his captain, all that leaves his throat is a guttural groan that he hopes conveys the message clearly enough.

Gol D. promptly removes himself from his poor apprentice with his hands raised, and when he steps back, Shanks takes his place next to the bed. “Gods, Buggy! What were you thinking? You could’ve been killed! Rayleigh said you were lucky it was just a concussion!”

That’s when it dawns on him. Riiight, there was a scuttle. Some asshole pirates trying to ambush them, they picked the wrong fucking targets. Some … guy was flying over him? Did that happen, or was it just a fever dream?

He remembers kicking someone in the balls, and then … and then …

Lightning. Making its way for him as the darkness embraced his vision. A line of gold, straight as a sword, narrowing in on him.

Did it catch him before the darkness did? 

He hopes so.

“Lay off me, will ‘ya!” he shouts at his friend, trying to get up. However, the fucking hamster wheel in his head keeps spinning until he settles back down against the pillow. “I was doing good!”

“Yeah, until you weren’t!” Shanks disputes and grabs his fellow apprentice by the collar of his sleeve. “I told you to fucking move, but it’s like you spaced out! She had to carry you all the way back here with your head all bleeding!”

Carry him?

He glances at you, finally. You’re sitting there, hunched slightly over the bed with those eyes looking at him, and he’s thinking you fucking carried him? It’s not that he’s ashamed, not at all, but if anything, he was always hoping the roles were switched. 

He’d be the one carrying you. With your strength, he imagined it would be quite the weight to uphold, but he would do it. For you, he would move the seas if he could, Devil Fruit or not.

“Buggy, are you alright?” 

You’re the one talking this time. Not the captain, nor Shanks, just you. The lighting is here, and he feels his skin prick. It’s electric. Cold. Warm. All and nothing combined. He could listen to it – feel it – for hours, days, maybe even years without ever growing weary of it.

He puts on his best brave face and scoffs, forcing his arms to cross themselves despite the surge of aches that rush through his body doing so. “Of course I’m alright! I’m Buggy! I bounce back, always!”

“Still,” your hands fall on top of his, and he feels his body freeze. “I was worried.”

“’Worried’?” Shanks cackles and gestures to you with his thumb over his shoulder. “You should’ve seen the damage she left behind. The entire place was smithereens, I tell you, Buggy! She knocked over those assholes like frickin’ chessboard pieces!”

“What did I always tell you?” Gol D. slams a hand on top of your shoulder, knocking you slightly forward. “She’s got eyes sharp enough to cut through steel, and pirates too, apparently.”

You laugh awkwardly. “I didn’t cut through them, really. I just … knocked them a little over.”

Shanks cackles. “Don’t be humble. You should’ve seen the guy who knocked you out. I swear, none of his bones were where they were supposed to be. He won’t be walking, or doing much of anything, ever again.”

Buggy can imagine it, but also not. He looks at you now, and he sees his concerned friend with those kind eyes that contain both the sun and the moon. He’s always known you’re strong – the strongest person he knows of save for his captain, but not unkind. Not cruel. Not sadistic.

Yet, if what Shanks just said carries any weight, it confirms what he’s always known. 

You’re a beast, and beasts only follow their prime instincts. They don’t allow others to harm what or who they consider theirs.

And it means that you consider him yours. 

Maybe in a different way than he’d prefer, maybe in a way that’s different from the kind he harbors towards you, but it still confirms he’s yours. 

He will never want to find himself on the opposite side of that. Of you. Never you.

When he looks at you again, looks down at where your hand is pressed on top of his, he takes it in his own. 

“I’m fine,” he finally says, his lip tugging in what is supposed to be a smile. “Remind me not to get on your bad side, though.”

You chuckle softly, and he smiles. Fuck, how can he not? He remembers it all so clearly. The way your dimples are shaped, the length of your hair, the soft tint of your lips.

“You? Never.” You finally say. “Never you”

---

You reflect on how it's weird that some things change whereas others don't. 

Flowers prosper and bloom and die. The sun ascends, stays up for a few hours, then descends back into the horizon. 

Friendships grow strong, stay strong, then they aren't.

Some things change, some don't. 

Baratie being among the latter.

It's bright enough inside to momentarily blind you, just like it was a little over ten years ago. Save for new faces with the employees and some design choices, the overall place has stayed the same. 

There are people there of prestigious backgrounds - both pirate and not - and you think of how receptive the restaurant must've been to make both parts come together without any regular scuttles. 

A neutral ground for all to come and enjoy the feast. Well, that is the principle, but not everyone abides by it.

It’s been a while since you last visited the establishment, and last time, you were banned for life. 

Frankly, you don’t recall much of the events; too drunk on rum at the time.

What you do remember is that it involved a few broken bottles of Baratie’s finest wine, some mashed-up furniture, and cutlery, a rival captain who wouldn’t take a “fucking get lost” for a “no”, and it ended with you standing surrounded by a bunch of broken bodies of your own making.

Needless to say, Zeff was pissed. 

More than pissed, actually. He was fuming.

He probably still is.He has a thing for grudges if he’s still alive.

Maybe … Just maybe the old man’s chewed off something more than his leg and kicked the bucket? That’d be a sight to see considering he only has one remaining foot.

"My name is Sanji. What can I get for you?"

The waiter - Sanji - is fine, not going to lie. A good fighter, too, if his little display seconds ago is a testament to that. A bit too young for your preference, with a nose too small, and hair too bright and blonde. Not quite blue colorful enough.

All in all, not a bad look at all. Just for the aesthetics, though. A solid 7/10, you conclude.

"One of everything, please!" Luffy requests enthusiastically.

For whatever reason, Sanji does not seem to share your general affinity for the restaurant. That’s odd. Most people who work here tend to boast about their occupation in the famed restaurant.

Though, if you have to make a guess, Zeff is likely a contributing factor behind that disdain. He’s tough on people, even tougher if he likes someone.

As discontented as Sanji seems, however, it does not keep him from trying to withhold his flirtatious demeanor with Nami. A Casanova, it looks like. Funny.

"Waiter, can I get a beer and something for my friends?" Zoro asks, fed up with the one-sided dalliance going on between your shipmate and the waiter.

"Two beers!” Usopp promptly adds. “though, I usually have three."

"And one milk!" Luffy chimes in.

"Three beers and a milk," Sanji notes. His eyes land on you, and that signature smile falls to his lips. "And for the ladies?"

You’re already here, you think to yourself. Why not make the most of it? For nostalgia’s sake.

"A bottle of Baratie's Finest," you request, your chin resting in your palm. "Not the kind you keep for customers, though. Pick one from Zeff's private stash, if you can afford to smuggle it past his bushy nose?"

"A classy beverage for a classy lady, I see." A mischievous glimmer shines in his eyes and smile. "Although that stash is off-limits, what kind of a man would I be if I refused a lady her desired beverage?”

You tilt your head a fraction to the side. "I'm sure he won't mind. At his age, he needs to watch his liver."

"That is true,"

Quite frankly, everything else evades your attention the second the waiter arrives with your order. Sanji brings you your meals, and your pricey bottle of Baratie's Finest, and it’s the Red Apple edition.

Perfect.

You eat, and eat, and drink, and then drink some more, not even stopping to concern yourself with the price tag. 

The food at the Baratie's has not been in decline when it comes to quality above all else. It's delicious, and not a lot of places have earned that kind of claim in your life.

The food is good, but the drinks are ethereal. 

One glass turns into two, and two promptly becomes three. So forth, and so forth. Anything to dull the tightness lodged in your chest. 

A tightness that has not left you alone in the past couple of weeks.

You've developed a pretty good tolerance over the years, and after several more units, you begin to feel the tickle on the edge of your hands. Baratie’s Finest indeed.

After five, the feeling settles on the tip of your spine.

After seven, you start to wonder what went wrong. It's a dangerous area to indulge in, especially if liquor is involved, but you don’t stop.

What went wrong?

What did you do wrong?

In another life, you would've traveled the world with them, doing nothing but drinking, fighting, exploring together.

Instead, you’re here, drinking with a crew yet still feeling like the loneliest asshole in the world. It’s not your crew.

You lose a smidgen of focus, and in the grand specter of things, focus is something you could do well with less off. 

You can afford to think less, feel less, and know less. Life has been full of ups and downs, and quite frankly, you've grown weary of it all.

Fuck, maybe Luffy’s onto something? Maybe you are sad?

… Nah.

Once Zoro orders another beer, you go as far as to share your bottle with him. His face scrunches at the taste and he coughs several times, but he admits that it’s good.

As you sit there on the edge of the couch, sipping your beverage and tasting your food, Sanji arrives to collect the bill. You know Luffy doesn’t have a berry to his name yet, and so you wonder how long it'll take before Zeff notices.

More specifically, how long it’ll take him before he realizes he's missing something from his private collection?

“Who the hell is Monkey D. Luffy?!”

Speak of the Chief… and he shall appear.

This time, you do not interfere when Luffy attempts to bargain for his lack of cash. You simply sit back and observe. 

As much as Luffy tries, he does not have the words or mind suited for this kind of business yet. It’s Capitalism at its finest. 

“You eat, you pay!”

Thoughts and dreams can only get you so far in life, but at the Baratie, it’s coin.

When Zeff grabs Luffy by the front of his shirt, the chief's eyes turn to you, and holy hell, is he furious. 

“And what in the blazing hell are you doing here?!"

“Zeff,” You greet him and raise your beverage his way, a tilted smirk on your face. "It’s been too long."

"Not long enough! I thought I told you to get fucking lost last time? The damages you did cost a fortune!"

“In my defense, it was the other guys that started it.”

He gives you such a dirty look that his jaws clench. “Don’t give a shit. Why are you here?”

You twirl the bottle around in your hand. "Just enjoying the ambiance, as always. I was in the area, and so how could I pass up the chance to try your scrumptious meals again? Or drinks, for that matter?" 

On cue, you raise your - or rather his - bottle closer up to him. 

It’s stupid, the rational part of your brain argues. One does not fuck around with the Chief of the Baratie, but among the few joys you have left in life, this remains one of them.

His eyes narrow in on the bottle and there he is.In the blink of an eye, he snaps it out of your hand with such fast precision that you're almost caught off-guard. 

Zeff narrows in on the mostly empty flask like it's personally insulted him and his entire lineage. “Where did you get this?"

"It was on the menu."

"It sure as shit was not! How could you—" He freezes like a thought suddenly dawned on him, and if a man can become purple from anything other than oxygen deprivation, Zeff's current mood is the closest thing to it. "Sanji. Why that snot-nosed, little—! ... When I get my damn hands on him."

It seems that whatever vendetta Zeff has towards his employee, it outweighs the one he has for you tenfold, which says something. Without another word, he yanks Luffy by the scruff and all but drags him with him to the kitchen. 

Ordinarily, you would’ve intervened on behalf of your captain, but with Zeff now preoccupied, it’s your chance to rob the bar of a few more beverages.

And in your dictionary, “a few” is the equivalent of “a shitton”.

"Wow," Usopp murmurs with a low whistle. "That guy really hates your guts."

"What are you talking about? I’m his favorite customer." You raise what remains in your glass to them. “Anyone want another one?”

"I do," Nami relents.

Zoro laughs, probably for the first time since you’ve met him. "Now you're talking."

Maybe, just maybe, you’re beginning to like these people. 

With a couple more drinks, maybe you’ll be able to tell.

———

“You know, I kind— I kinda assumed you were an asshole when we first met?” 

Usopp’s struggling to stand on his feet, legs bent slightly forward as he makes a half-assed attempt at ordering another drink. You can’t tell if the bartender is electively ignoring him or not, and truth be told, you don't blame the guy if the former applies.

Between the two of you, you’re more adept when it comes to dealing with liquor. Sure, your lips are a little looser now and the bright lights are starting to hurt your eyes, but all in all, you’re not even half as drunk as you want to be. 

Seriously, fuck me sometimes. You just had to go all out when you were younger. Days and nights spent pouring bottle after bottle left your liver hardened rather than weakened.

Now, because of the high tolerance you stupidly developed, it's come here to bite you in the ass and keep you from getting wrecked. 

“Oh?” Your sarcasm couldn't be any more discernible than it is now as you eye your crew mate. “What made you reach that conclusion?”

Usopp twirls around, horribly off-balanced, and slaps a hand over your shoulder. 

A little too personal for your liking, but you let it slide for now.

“I mean, for starters, you—,” he hiccups. “You always have that look about you. Like someone just pissed in your ale.”

You give him an unimpressed but vaguely piqued once-over. “Descriptive. Go on,”

“And soso— And so I and the guys are wondering if you’re like that because some clown broke your heart or—,” he hiccups again. “Or some— something? Did he piss in your ale?”

You shrug his hand off at once. You don’t want to think about him, now least of all. "No.”

Not even a second later, his arm his back over your shoulder and he leans closer. It's probably meant as a comforting gesture, but given how absolutely wasted he looks, you perceive it with a grain of salt. 

"Y-You can tell the great Capt— I mean, the Great Usopp, alright? We've all been there before, I—I'm ssssure. I mean, Zoro doesn't strike me as much of a ladies' man, but he's probably got stories, too."

The bartender finally stops by and leaves a beer bottle in front of you on the table, completely ignoring your companion, and disappears to make his next rounds.

You take the flask and flick the cork off with your thumb. "Well, if you really want to help, —" 

You turn around so that your back hits the bar counter, twirl Ussop around with the guidance of your hand and shove him lightly towards where Nami and Zoro are sitting. "— Talk to the others first about their heartbreaks."

If he wants to object, he's too drunk to for it. Instead, he recollects his limited stance and all but wobbles over to the corner where your other companions are seated.

He’s their problem now, but it’ll be an interesting display.

You recline against the bar counter to chug your beverage in peace when a voice suddenly speaks up from next to you. 

“I thought you were retired.”

With how loud the music is, it might have slipped your notice completely. Then again, the owner of said voice has always had that thing about him. 

He could whisper, and the entire room would’ve heard.

You glance up at your side, and you’re halfway tempted to smile when you see who it is. 

“It’s been a while, Hawk-Eyes.”

Everything from the feather on his hat to the cross around his neck and the pointy way his beard is trimmed has stayed the same. Not a scar, a bruise, or blemish to spot on him.

In ten years, he looks to have aged only one. Some people are fortunate in terms of youth, and you would definitely consider Dracule Mihawk one of them.

“Cross-Hairs.” He inclines his head to you, a silent courtesy reserved only for those whose company he tolerates. “I believed you abandoned your life behind the mast years ago.”

You take another generous gulp from your bottle before you respond. "So did I, but life finds a way, doesn't it?"

"Indeed." He peeks over his shoulder to where your companions are seated, his countenance less than impressed. Then again, that's just his face by default, so hard to tell with him. "And last we met, you were a Captain."

"Last time we met, you almost cut my right arm off." For emphasis, you pull back your sleeve to show off the straight scar that separates your upper arm from the rest. It's faded, old, and never noticeable unless you decide to wear anything short-sleeved, but it's there all the same.

He doesn't apologize. Of course, he wouldn't. Instead, he raises his sparse glass of wine to you. "Nothing personal."

You raise your bottle to him in turn. "Of course not,"

Clink!

You drink your respective beverages in companionable silence. However, even with your halfway inebriated state of mind, you can't help but think of the reasons for his presence. 

You have your suspicions, and you're not shy about voicing them.

"This isn't your usual scenery." You say. “What makes one of the great Warlords of the Sea seek out a place such as this? Business or pleasure?"

"Business," he answers curtly, as though he'd prefer to do anything but. "I'm looking for a captain."

“It’s not Shanks, I take it?”

“No, it’s not. It’s a captain by the name of Luffy.”

It doesn't surprise you. It should, but it doesn’t.

The lengths the vice-admiral is willing to go to retrieve his grandson, which apparently includes hiring a Warlord to do so, doesn’t surprise you in the slightest. Unbreakable willpower is a family trait, after all, if you've learned anything from Luffy. 

It wouldn’t suffice with a gun; he had to send the entire fucking arsenal.

Still, at least it’s Mihawk of all people. It shouldn’t be a source of relief, but had it been anyone else, be it Kuro or Axe-hand or Bu-... 

Your fingers subconsciously dig into the fragile, empty bottle you’re holding.

The point is, had it been anyone else, you would've intervened. You have intervened, several times by now, but not tonight. 

Tonight, you're here to drink and forget, then drink some more. You don’t have the sobriety to worry about much of anything anymore.

"Garp must truly be at his wit's end if he employs you for his endeavors." Once you retrieve the bottle at your disposal, you pluck off the cap and swirl it lazily in your hand. The lights from the bar dance around the transparently brown rim, like a shooting star with no exit and no entrance to the rest of the universe. Forever stuck. "Seems excessive to send you of all people after something so seemingly simple."

"From what I've heard, this particular quarry is something of a wildcard."

"If you’re here, I’m sure of it."

Mihawk tilts his chin up, eyeing you curiously in your peripheral vision. "Are you saying that you're acquainted with this Luffy?"

"I'm saying no such thing. It's just mere speculations on my part." Another fistful of alcohol travels down your esophagus. "You're only employed when it's truly serious, and the vice-admiral is known for only getting involved in those kinds of matters. It adds up, is all I’m saying."

“I hardly consider it dire. It's more a means of killing some time on my part." He does not take his eyes off of you, and even in your current state, you can tell that something is brewing beneath those sharp eyes. "However, if said captain has you in his arsenal, then I feel like some investigation is warranted. After all, the Captain of the Cross-Haired pirates is not particularly known for her tendency to submit to others."

You quirk an eyebrow at him and circle your finger around the bottle rim, pondering on the subject yet not biting at the metaphorical carrot he dangles in front of you. "Technically, it’s just like you said: I'm retired, and the Cross-Haired pirates are no more. I’d think most people are aware of that.”

"The Marines believe otherwise,” he counters calmly. “The Cross-haired pirates may be disbanded, but their captain’s bounty remains on the posters. The vice-admiral was quite adamant that, while he wants the boy alive, he’d prefer it if you weren’t."

“I see.” The vice-admiral should learn to take a fucking number. “Tell me, have you elected a means of execution, or is it the dealer's choice?"

"I recall he mentioned something along the lines of wanting your head on a spike."

"Crude."

"I agree."

"Then," you raise your glass. "Am I to have my last drink here tonight?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm here for the boy and nothing else."

You'd expect him to be forward with his line of questions; demand you just give Luffy up and be done with it, not side-stepping the subject like he's doing now. 

If he suspects something, he'll sniff it out like a bloodhound until he gets what he's searching for, regardless of how many cards or people fall around him. You’ve not exactly been subtle about your affiliations with his quarry, something you’ll berate yourself for come morning, but it all depends on how this plays out now.

"I won’t give you the answer you seek. You’ll have to do that on your own.”

You're not friends, but you're not necessarily foes either. 

For as long as you’ve known the swordsman, Mihawk's only ever had a beef with Shanks for reasons undisclosed even to you. Even after you parted ways with your red-haired crew mate, Mihawk never seemed to have anything personal against you despite the rather brutal nature of your previous encounter. 

If anything, there's a certain level of respect veiled between you, one former pirate to another semi-former one, and it’s something you hope he'll honor just this once.

To your relief, he decides to not push the matter, but the interest lingers in his eyes. 

It's not easy to notice, but you make it a habit to take note of limited details. "The boy must be something special to have earned your loyalty like this, Cross-Hairs." 

"I suppose you'll have to find out for yourself." 

"Perhaps so," he concedes.

You chug the rest of your drink in one go, put the empty bottle on the tabletop in the space between you, and push yourself off the counter. "For what it's worth, I wish you good fortune with your endeavor. However, I’ll warn you; if anything happens to the kid, I'll get involved.”

“Duly noted.” Once again, he dips his head to you. "And Cross-Hairs,"

"Hmmm?"

You glance at him from over your shoulder, but his gaze is fixated on something else this time. Something on the other side of the bar, to the borders of the waters. If he sees anything, you can't tell what it is, and he doesn’t share. 

Not explicitly.

"There is unrest brewing in the seas," he finally reveals, casually as if he's discussing the current state of the weather. "I'd suggest you keep your feet dry for now, at your convenience."

You don't know what he speaks of, but whatever it is, you'll follow. He is not a man who prides himself on his capacity to proclaim falsehood. If he tells you that the sun is green, you'll believe it, and you make it a habit not to believe in a lot of people.

That applies to this warning too.

"I'll see you around, Hawk-Eyes."

You need another drink.

———

You slip in and out of consciousness a couple of times throughout the night, never coming to the same places twice, with a belly full of rum, beer, and whatever else with enough alcoholic percentage to knock out a horse. 

At one point, you're in the restaurant munching on some bread rolls.

At another, you're puking your guts out in the bathroom stalls. 

At the third, you're chugging even more liquor straight out of the bottle while a bunch of people cheer you on.

The circle goes on and on and on until it spins out of control like a zoetrope. Faces flash in front of you, one after the other, never the same two times in a row. 

It's alright, you tell yourself, as long as you forget.

You forget about blue eyes, blue hair, and red noses. 

You forget about Gol D. Roger and the time you spent on his crew.

You forget it all, if only for a few hours.

Next time you come to, you're still miraculously standing on your feet. You’re currently in the kitchen on the Merry, and currently listening to Nami telling a ridiculous story about how Zoro challenged Dracule Mihawk to a duel.

What a funny story.

In fact, it’s so funny and so outlandish that you can't help but snort. Since when has Nami been the kind of person to tell jokes?

Maybe Usopp's tendencies have rubbed off on the standoffish young woman, or maybe she's smoked something along with her drinks? 

Fuck, you have to ask her where she got the stuff.

It takes a few moments of awkward silence until you realize that no one is joking, Nami least of all. The room is still, and as if all alcoholic content has left your blood, it dawns on you last of all.

Oh hell no.

You slowly turn to Zoro with a deadpan look in your eyes, and despite the urgency, you ask him as calmly as you can, "You challenged Dracule Mihawk to a duel?"

He bobs his head and continues polishing his swords. "Which he accepted,"

You blink, and blink, hoping that this is just a fragment your beer-and-bottle-drenched brain has conjured to fuck with you, but Zoro remains where he is and so is everyone and everything else.

Fuuuuuuuck…

You thought he was one of the smart ones, too. His sense of navigation doesn't work for shit and if anyone can get lost on their way to the lavatory, it's him. Still, you withheld some semblance of hope that he would exhibit the same kind of recklessness as his captain.

Turns out, it has all been for naught.

You rub your temples hard enough to sting. With a nasty headache developing, you decide to pop the question. "Cremation or burial at sea?"

"... What?"

"Pick one or the other, I'll see to it that arrangements can be made."

"I'm not going to die.”

"You are a fly to him." Nami grimaces. "Something to be swatted and forgotten,"

"Not if I win." Zoro is steadfast and determined, like every new pirate on their first voyage.

It’s a look you remember well. In a way, the young swordsman kind of reminds you of Mihawk himself, and if there's one thing you can link to both, it's that annoying stubbornness that never yields. Even when the odds are against them.

"You're not going to win," Nami tries.

Zoro remains infuriatingly unconvinced. "You don't know that."

"You won't." This situation, to your chagrin, sobers you up enough that you can't blame the liquor on your next actions or words. 

You take a step towards him, and with an iron fist, grab him by the front of his shirt and force him to face you. He's unamused. “I think I liked you better when you were drunk,” he murmurs.

"I want you to get this, really get this.” You snarl. “Once you go against Mihawk, and there's no coming back for most. He's not known as the World's Greatest Swordsman for no reason, and as good as you are, take it from me. He'll end you."

He inclines his head to the side with deep-rooted skepticism. "Sounds like you really know the guy,"

"It doesn't matter whether I know him or not." 

"Everywhere we go, we make enemies, and for some reason, they've already got a grudge against you, Captain Cross-Hairs." 

With one hand clenched against your offending wrist, he starts to list off his other hand. "Since you know just about every asshole we come across, you might as well tell me about Mihawk's preferred method of execution. Will he chop me in half, or is he excessive like the damn clown and goes all the way with splitting someone into pieces?"

You feel your nails begin to pierce through the fabric of his shirt, inches away from leaving open gaps. You're not their guardian or their mentor. You're not the one supposed to keep the crew at ease or lead them towards certain victories. 

That's the captain's role, and you're not it. Not on this ship, with this crew.

Your only purpose here is to keep them from killing themselves on their first voyage, but if they're so determined to do it themselves despite the warnings you provide, then it's not on you.

Pulling him a few inches closer to you, you look him straight in the eyes, and that's when you see it. The aforementioned stubbornness that follows each and every young pirate you've come across in your life. The notion that they're invulnerable; unkillable. 

Nothing can hope to end them.

You remember what it was like, that feeling, and it almost breaks you to see it in front of you like this. 

You know aggression won’t do it for him, so you try an approach you haven’t tried in years. Bargaining. 

“What will it take for you to pull back from this?”

“He’s coming for Luffy. I’m his first mate, it’s my duty to protect the captain.”

To protect the Captain…

That's how you know that there's no convincing the young swordsman to stand down, not this time. 

He's persistent, exceedingly so, and if there's one thing you've learned during this voyage with these people it's that hell hath no fury like a straw hat pirate determined.

This is not on you, yet it doesn't make it any easier to let go of him. But you do.

Taking a deep breath, you uncurl your fingers and let him step back. 

"Fine."

You need another drink.

Glancing over your shoulder, you meet Luffy’s concerned gaze. “This is your call, captain.”

You don’t need to be here for this. You’ve done your part, and now it’s his turn to do his.

You give Zoro a pat on his back, just one. It's not meant for comfort, it's not an act of sympathy either. 

It's just a pat, like the kind you give your friend when they're about to gamble away all their savings over a game of cards. It’s the “fuck around and find out, but do it yourself”-kind of gesture.

Heaving a sigh, you sidestep him and let your fingers fall off his shoulders. "It's been fun, Zoro." 

And the worst part about this all is that you mean it, truly. It has been fun to sail with them, share a few beers, and joke at the expense of others. Your time on this ship has been fun. 

Like old times.

You won't go as far as to call Zoro a friend, you never do, but it's close enough that you'll probably miss him in the long run.

Zoro looks at you, his countenance indecipherable. "Say that to me again when I win this fight,"

"I can't." Because you won't.

---

The water forces its way into his lungs at such speed that it feels like he's swallowed buckets by the time they finally come up for air. He harks and coughs and tries to get as much of it out, but he doesn’t feel any lighter. 

Get it? Lighter, because he’s just a head now and— alright, forget it.

For once, he's happy his head is disjointed from the rest of his body because if it wasn't, he'd probably sink to the bottom of the ocean from the fluid in his belly alone.

The taste of salt and sand stays like a sour afterthought on his tongue, and as much as he tries to spit it out, he can't be rid of all the grains. "Fuck! Give me a warning next time, will ya?! Kinda vulnerable to seawater and all that!"

Whatever fish-guy has him strapped to their back this time does not dignify his complaints with a verbal response. Instead, all he hears is a couple of snickers, like their humor is fuelled at his expense. 

Assholes, the lot of them. 

It takes some time for the tangy scent to abandon his nostrils, but once it does, it's immediately replaced by the fine scent of something divine. Something delicious. 

It smells of food. Actual fucking human food. Not whatever Arlong and his litter gorge on, which he personally believes to be carcasses of dead sea animals they happen to catch on the shores of their island. 

It's honest-to-god cooked, seasoned, edible food.

Buggy can feel his mouth water, and for once, he cannot blame it on seawater.

They're finally at Baratie.

The finest restaurant in all the East Blue, renowned for its excellent taste and unrivaled quality. Only the richest of the rich get to dine here, and while he's not exactly flowing with berries at the moment, he’s famished.

“Hey, Lips!" he yells out as loud as he can through the shitty bag. "How about you order me some hot dogs once we get a seat? A clown's gotta eat!"

The only sort of response he gets is an elbow to the bag, which incidentally clashes right into his nose. "FUCK!"

"Shut up!"

There's scuttling to be heard, doors opening, and a shitton of gasps echo from all around him. They have an audience, he deduces, and not a particularly receptive one at that. 

Arlong makes a spectacle, something about "serve" and yish and yash about dinner and last meals as they get a seat.

Fuck, what he would give for a meal.

For the first time in what feels like forever, he feels solid ground settle under his neck. Though it's a pleasant reprieve from being thrown back and forth like a yarn ball caught in a cat’s game, he won’t consider it much of an upgrade. He's fucking hungry, damnit!

"Who are you, old man?" Arlong speaks, and Buggy hears uneven steps approach them.

An unfamiliar voice answers. "My name's Zeff, and I own this place."

Right, the Chief. Maybe he can ask him for some crumbs since his captors aren’t exactly on the generous side.

"Well, I'm Arlong, and I own the East Blue."

"No one owns the sea. Not even a fish man."

Ooooh, burn! Suck on that, shitface!

"Listen up!” Arlong exclaims when the chief’s negotiation tactics fail to appease him. “I'm looking for a pirate in a straw hat! Goes by the name of Luffy!"

The saw-nosed motherfucker truly has to be even more extravagant than himself, Buggy admits to himself with no short amount of begrudging compliance. Fishface even goes as far as to threaten the poor diners with having them for dinner instead, by the sounds of it. 

Buggy can appreciate the message it conveys; he’s used it himself, but he refuses to find any common ground with his captor, so he buries the sentiment ten feet down into wherever the hell his body is.

He listens as the diners lose their appetite, all the while Arlong begins to gorge on whatever he has on his plate. For a while, all he can make out is the sound of meat being torn off something and the occasional cry from one of the diners in the distance.

Even from miles and miles away, Buggy can feel his stomach twist painfully due to the lack of food in it. Oh, it’s hell on earth to smell everything you want yet being unable to even grasp it. And here his captors are, toying with him, torturing him with it.

Seriously, fuck them.

He’s about to demand to get something to chew on when Arlong’s other henchman — Kuroobi or some shit like that — beats him to it. "Hey, boss, I'm feeling for a bottle right about now."

Arlong laughs. "Don’t have to tell me. Take what you please. I don’t think that one will mind sharing one of hers.”

“And get one for me too while you’re at it,” Lips supplies.

The henchman cackles and gets up to his feet to retrieve what he’s looking for, but not before lightly kicking the bag that is Buggy’s current prison cell in the side. 

“HEY!”

“Sorry.” He apologizes unapologetically.

Buggy grinds his teeth together and tries to think of something — anything — to keep his mind off his ever-rising hunger. When he gets his body back, he'll take some bottles and shove them right up these fuckers a—

CRASH!

Buggy hears the sound of something breaking from the opposite side of where the fish man just headed. Countless gasps ring through the restaurant’s interior, bouncing on the walls, and he hears the henchman’s painful wails from a distance away.

He’d laugh - he does laugh, because it seems like someone didn’t want to share their precious drinks and decided that full-on attacking one of the fish people was the appropriate kind of response.

It’s impressive, he thinks. Very much so. Oh, he’d pay to see that again, and he’ll have to give that person a fucking kiss, just for making his day a little bit better.

It’s a shame he can’t see the—

"Fucking get lost."

Buggy feels his head freeze in the bag.

He recognizes that voice. The morning sun shone atop the ship deck. Warm. Cold. All of them at once. 

He's finally found you.

---

Taglist: @kurinhimenezu, @carpinchootaku, @ay0nha, @teh-vampire-bunny, @lokiscure, @internationalsuper-spy, @detectivesparrow , @yuriwk , @notyuralycat , @angeli-fucking-cat, @machinema7k , @shuujin, @avatar-lover, @gingernut1314, @autumn-slaves. @marvelouskatie, @floristoflillys, @dizzyenby, @redpool, @deliri-yum22, @aemondsb1tch, @ackroxia, @gayandfairycore (If you want to be tagged for this story, just send me a message or leave a comment :))

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love 💜

aaaa, thank you so much! Thank you also, and apologies for how long it's taken me to do this, to @mirkwood-hr-department, @scary-grace, @erathene and @verecunda who have also sent me this one over the last couple of months. I'm afraid I took fright because I currently have uh 415 works on AO3 and I kind of don't know where to start. I am also terrible at picking favourites, and particularly terrible at picking a short list thereof. So I am going to cheat and give you some links to series instead, and I am not going to limit myself to five because that way lies far too much stress and anxiety XD

My Heart Is An Empty Vessel - well, obviously that had to be on the list, it's the fic that got me into the Barduil fandom and the longest I've ever finished, not to mention it's sparked a whole 'verse spanning at least three Ages of Middle-earth. :D Almost all of my canon-'verse fics take place in this 'verse, as it happens, and one of these days I will collect them into a series but it is not this day, mainly because it's an enormous task. Maybe when I retire... XDDDDD

All I Want Is You - the one that got me through the third and fourth (I think) lockdowns, the daft Christmas-movie modern AU that morphed into something rather bigger and gave me a chance to exorcise some of my work-related demons.

the hardest choice to make - because it's me finally tackling my favourite characters making their Choice between mortality and immortality. I love the Twins inordinately, more than any other character, and I think I have more very fixed headcanons for them than for any other - I've been putting this one off, or rather they have, but they've finally started talking and I'm hoping to piece the rest of it together gradually sooner or later.

a kiss in the cold and dark (I should have kissed you that summer) and its associated series - because it took on a life of its own and is also letting me channel a lot of my teenage memories :D

paint the sky and burn the stars - because, again, it took on a life of its own and pretty much wrote itself, and unlike a lot of my other stuff, it's self-contained. I don't think there will ever be a sequel, but that's all right; the story is complete as it is.

stained glass heart - another one that pretty much wrote itself, I loved the imagery in @piyo-13's art so much and it just all fell into place.

dancing in the dark - because I'm having so much fun with my old rocker bi widower dads :D another place to channel memories of my younger days, this.

A Little Piece of the Sea - one of my longest-running series, I started writing this 20-odd years ago, and then picked it back up when I came back into the fandom. Legolas/Imrahil my beloved underappreciated rare pair canoe!

I Will Be With You Always - last year's TRSB piece written for @seagull-energy's beautiful art, I finally managed to pin down my Arwen feelings in this rather reflective piece about her last moments on Cerin Amroth, where her life has come full circle at last.

breathe freely - the utterly out of character hanahaki twincest fic the premise for which came to me in a dream XD look I have problematic OTPs, I am old and have been here a very long time it is pretty much a given :D (the twincest is not the bit that's out of character)

Do You Remember The First Time? - the Twins/Rúmil two-parter that got rather out of hand and also gave me the headcanon about the Twins standing in alphabetical order as you look at them XD

It's Always Been You - the other problematic pairings one, featuring the Rúmil/Orophin story that had been sitting in my notes for nearly 20 years until I got back into the fandom with a vengeance in the summer of 2020, and the foundations of the Rivendell and Lothlórien bits of my canon-'verse set stories...

death is certain, life is not - the TRSB fic that ate me alive this summer, inspired by @erathene's glorious art, in which Tilda finally strides into centre stage and refuses to stop talking (I am already working on the sequel because I ran out of time to include most of what I wanted to squeeze in). Technically part of Empty Vessel-'verse but deserves an honourable mention here!

A Quiet Understanding - and finally, because if I don't wrap it up here I'll be going all day, the first longfic/chaptered fic I ever wrote, in the King Arthur (2004) fandom, about Gawain and Galahad and how their lives unfold both before and after the Battle of Badon Hill.

(and that's not mentioning the rare fandom stuff like A Knight's Tale, That Thing You Do!, Fisherman's Friends, Call The Midwife, The Alienist and The Palace, all of which I adore unreasonably, but I think I've rambled on quite enough here XD )

Thank you so much to everyone who asked me for this one, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to work out an answer! I haven't the spoons for askboxes, and I have to admit that the choose-x-people-to-ask games always feel a bit exclusive to me because what about the people who never quite make it onto that finite list, the people who nobody ever remembers to ask - and my memory is terrible and I will always inadvertently forget people. So, instead, I would like to invite anyone who sees this and wants to do it - don't wait to be asked, just rec yourselves! Let us know the works of yours you love the most! <3333333

[thuganomxcs]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

If we're speaking in the canon sense like in his universe I really do like the idea of yusuke x botan because I like the aspects of him with death...not to mention he's a devil now too soo. I still love Yusuke x Keiko tho just so the peeps know there's no hatred for our girl.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

Anything like a muse being a fucking minor and the other almost hitting their 40's. There's ONE particular verse that does this shit but this ain't about them. As long as you don't ship your literal grown man/woman with a literal definition of a child then I wouldn't have to be disturbed.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFT?

The minute a hand touches a boob or the clothes begin to fly off I'm guessing it's considered NSFW.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

LOL I'd say I am..but people have known to just show up, write with me and in a day of our muses vibing we're already shipping them. I MEAN if I have to be selective I'd say..as long as she's a woman XD

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

Where do I even begin?? First of all I gotta go with the one that started this and that's @belovedblossoms Hiyori. She was the first person I've ever shipped Yusuke with and that relationship has started from not so disney friendly beginnings but entertaining as shit. Then there's @lady-llewellyn El who just ruins the guy, I swear in this ship Yusuke is the innocent one in the relationship no cap. We got @itmeanspeace Shiloh, this one started off just plain physical until she became attached, lol look at me talk as if Yusuke didn't catch feelings too..probably first since he's still kinda technically a human. Give it up for @swordsxandxsakuras Nezuko, the first one to actually go the full nine yards with him to dating all the way down to married with kids. Then there's my homie @fatexbound Chie I wouldn't CALL it a relationship yet but they're definitely in that phase in getting to know one another. You know I gotta put my home girl @adversitybloomed Mulan, who's probably seen everything there is to who Yusuke is as a character, she's been with him as a pervert all the way to him being nice and doing stuff for people. She's also helped him with his family life might have bribed him to go to college but in the end Yusuke proposed to her and it's actually the first REAL proposal I've written as him. I also can't use the term ship without mentioning @bravesung old OC Alyssa, she was definitely a special one who refused to buy into what people said about him, and after discovering he was supernatural (to a degree) just like her it got them to bonding. She's probably believed in him more than he did in himself when it came down to school because she NEVER let him quit HELL she brought his ass TO school whilst he was still sleeping in bed, picture that in your minds if you will. I got good ships and there's even this unhealthy one right here with my girl @acoldsovereign Maiz, tons of ships starts with curiosity, cute moments and even love at first sight and this one is just violence, one devil often tries to get the other devil to dig into those natural urges and forsake his human heart (that literally isn't even working anymore) and just behave like a demon, there's also acts of public terrorism but he'd punch her right..and she'd kick him wrong, it's a tug and pull with 'em. Bruh this segment is getting long since belovedblossom also has other muses that are shipped with Yusuke too and i have a feelin we'd be here ALL day and I've still got a few to talk about. Just know I love all y'alls muses.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

Nah, I mean if we write and there's a connection then I'd say let 'em go for it. EVEN IF you came to me writing Keiko and you're worried about shipping with me cause you'd think it's forced and i'm obligated to because of the canon then don't. It'd still be cool in my book.

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

I'm not ship obsessed but I would say it's a fun thing to have cause when you're talkin' to your homies and the muses come u you can talk about the ship, or how a song reminds you of them. Shipping whether it's romantically, platonically or familial, they bring us together as writers and we because better pals cause of it. Cause there's always something to talk about when we wanna forget about that bill we can't pay.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

Let me tell you something about my fandom on tumblr: It hardly exists XDD there's really only a handful of us.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Simple, we write. If there's chemistry between the muses well then your muse has got themselves a partner. He's by no means an easy person to love but once you've got him you've got someone that'll be there for your muse indefinitely. And if ya wanna discuss the possibility then my DMs are always open..even if i'm terribly slow with 'em.

tagged: @vartouhix

tagging: Y'all gonna have to steal this one homies. Tag me when ya do cause imma read it.

[secret-engima]

So I'm dumb and scouring through Final Fantasy just to learn what the significance of colors means is to complex for me, so could you explain to me what colors have what meaning and cultural significance to Nyxsuke and Lib?

The color meanings are not canon, if you're scrounging through canon content, sorry! Galahdian color meanings are something I started HCing and that @a-world-in-grey also picked up and helped me expand on greatly. You can find them ... somewhere in the galahd culture tag on my blog. But to give a quick overview of colors most relevant to Nyxsuke and Lib:

Purple - Color of Loyalty, also one of the two primary colors of Clan Ulric, it signifies the clan's stubborn loyalty to causes, family, and keeping their word.

Black - Color of Undaunted, basically to wear black means you do not shy away from danger, having too much black in your clothing can also indicate you are brave to the point of being reckless. It is the second primary color of Clan Ulric.

Blue - Color of Protection, it is one of the primary colors of Clan Ostium, their other primary color is Black, which was adopted from Ulrics. As sister clans, the Ostiums are considered to be kinda the braincells of the Ulrics, and their Undaunted color adoption is because they keep having to wade into trouble to scruff their local Ulrics and drag them out.

Other relevant colors off the top of my head for Nyxsuke verse specifically would be:

Red - Wrath/War

White - Purity of Ash, this color worn on clothing very specifically signifies that the wearer is ready and intending to destroy Something or Someone until literally nothing of it remains. The more white there is, the bigger the target.

Pink - Poison/Deception, you can imagine how many heart attacks this gives Nyxsuke whenever Sakura prances by in red dresses with pink hair.

Green - Vigilance, can either mean that the wearer IS vigilant or can mean that those who see the wearer should BE vigilant.

Orange - Freedom (you can see why Nyxsuke double-takes so hard over Gai and his Green-on-Orange color scheme probably, dude is literally out here as a walking warning sign with a few accents of "I do what I want")

There are more, as well as specific combo meanings, but I'll be here for like an hour if I try to write it all out all over again XD. Again, if you want to read more, just browse through the galahd culture tag on my blog for all the Galahdian hcs. I think I also tagged color posts specifically as "galahd colors" or "galahd color meanings" but I'm not 100% sure anymore. It's been a while.

[laufire]

COMING OUT ON JUNE 2023: "WHEN THE STARS ALIGHT" BY CAMILLA ANDREW

Thanks to tumblr I've been fortunate enough to meet incredibly talented artists of all kinds. Among them, one of the greatest privileges this site has let me enjoy was that, last year, I got to read earlier versions of the two first instalments of this wonderful series: "The Essence of the Equinox". Now, I get to read the definite version of this indie book, and soon will be able to hold what's setting out to be a gorgeous print edition in my hands ^-^

Alongside some other short stories and a novelette I've read as well, tEotE portrays an intricately built magical world that's a welcome change of pace from the modern fantasy I had been finding trite, woefully misogynistic and repetitive in the last few years. That level of depth and originality in the worldbuilding alone would've been enough for it to carve a space into my heart, but it doesn't stop there.

I've always been a fan of descriptive, lyrical prose; the kind that makes you want to pace yourself and sit back to enjoy a good turn of phrase and daydream about the lovely (or terrible) scenarios it presents. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, you'll find plenty of both here. On a personal note, I recommend reading on a full stomach: the food descriptions are particularly mouth-watering xD. But my favourite bit is how the different settings come alive in the narration, especially the contrasting dream-like Soleterea and the nightmare-inducing land of Mortos.

Other points in its favour for me, and I'm willing to bet, for a lot of the people who follow me, are its larger-than-life leads and its female-majority ensemble of characters, all of whom are varied and fascinating in their own right, with important roles inside the story, and who'll you get to meet in earnest thanks to an expanding omniscient narrator.

Princess Laila Rose of Soleterea, from a powerful race of fallen stars in humanoid form, is the protagonist of the trilogy. In fairness, she's not the first character in the 'verse that truly caught my eye; that honour goes to a particular Mortesian blood sorcerer who you won't properly meet until the second book (which is intended to be published a year after this one). But she quickly rose in the ranks and has become one of my favourite characters, period; in this and any other canon.

First of all, she's the uncontested star (no pun intended) of the story, outshone by none (that one, I admit, was on purpose). She's a firm idealist whose optimism is put to the test in her journey; she possesses endless charm and a silver tongue, as well as difficult insecurities that make her all the more endearing to me. She's at the centre of everything, and the dynamics that spark around her are another one of the selling points of the series: from her toxic and most defining relationship with her Impératrice and mother Amira, to her complicated friendship with her guard and past paramour Lyra; and, of course, to the intense, passionate and doomed romance that propels the series.

The novel's plot is kick-started when Laila's work examining potentially dangerous magical objects leads her to discover what seems to be a demonic monster encased in a block of ice. He turns out to be Dominus, a prince of a hidden immortal race: the Occassi, from Mortos; a kingdom as different from the idyllic Soleterea as it can be. When he gets free Laila travels with him on a diplomatic mission to establish contact and relations with this species. This puts her right in the middle of that country's dysfunctional royal family: a heartless king, his reluctant heir, and an ambitious bastard son: Darius Calantis.

I find him to be the best representative of Mortos' realm, in a similar way that Laila is for Soleterea. He's suave and shrewd and intellectual in a land that puts little value on anything of the sort, more interested in brute force and military conquests. His frustrated ambitions, routinely suffocated by a tyrannical father, might find an outlet thanks to this new realm. He is, definitely, another character to look out for ;)

Finally, I'll say that most of all, this book both subverts and surpasses expectations. For example, as someone who tends toward scepticism when it comes to romance (especially that of the female heroine/villainous male character variety), I nonetheless loved every choice pertaining to the romantic subplot in this book. And I must insist on how after this one, an even better sequel (with some of my most beloved characters in the series!) awaits you ^-^

You can find an official synopsis here on goodreads or storygraph, where you can add the book to your to-read list. I also recommend following the author @aninkwellofnectar on tumblr (and on her other sites) for updates, because "When The Stars Alight" will be available for pre-order very, very soon. As of now, she's offering Advanced Reader Copies as well, if that's something you guys might want to look into.

Oh, and before I forget: there's a short story by this author published in the Fall Into Fantasy 2022's anthology. It tells a tale from Laila's mother's youth, Amira. On top of being a delight for fans of cold, complex female leads and tragic sapphic romance enjoyers, it'll offer you a taste of the author's style and the world she's created.

I ask that if you're interested, or think someone you follow might be, you reblog this to give a boost to this talented indie author!

[chenziee]

Chains meant to be broken

@lawluevents - Day 1: Soulmates/Loyalty @onepiece-bingo: Chains

Alternate summary: that one broken roof in Dressosa can fit so many fics...

I couldn't have possibly made this year's LawLu week fit into the It's the little things verse (repeated prompts and also too many canon scenes already covered there xD) so I had to ask myself, "How do I make this harder?" And then remembered my OP bingo card so here we are with day 1/square 1!

[ Read on AO3 | series ]

—————

To have a soulmate is a blessing, Law’s mother used to say. She always did so with a soft, knowing expression on her face while stroking Law’s arm, tracing his soulmark with gentle fingers.

Law used to believe her… but that romantic naivety soon burned away—leaving behind nothing but the growing white spots on his skin and a clock ticking, counting down the seconds of his remaining lifespan.

He didn’t believe anything after Flevance. He didn’t believe anything except destruction and he most certainly didn’t believe in some random person he had never met swooping in and making everything right just by the virtue of being his soulmate. That was something that happened only in fairy tales—stories of princes appearing before damsels in distress to save them, to give them a better life, fixing whatever fucked up mess there was in a matter of minutes with little effort. Law always thought it was stupid, even as a child; life never worked that way after all. No matter what kind of magic you used, shit would always happen. And in his life… 

Shit happened and then kept happening.

There was no magic.

There was no soulmate.

There was nothing left.

Nothing but Doflamingo and the hope to make Cora-san’s ambition come true.

By the age of 15, Law knew that even if he ever met his soulmate, it wouldn’t matter to him in the least. After all, what was a soulmate if not a chain meant to keep you from doing what you needed to do, to hold you in place and restrict your freedom.

Some days, Law had to laugh at the metaphor.

How ironic for his own soulmark to be a chain that covered his entire left arm, running from his wrist all the way to his shoulder like a snake trying to break him. Break him, just like the chain itself was broken—just like everything else in Law’s life.

That was how it was, and how it was supposed to be.

After all, everything Law did in his life after Minion Island was for one reason and one goal and he didn’t care how many things he broke along the way.

—————

Law was 26 years old and barely alive when he first realised what a broken chain stood for.

He had never bothered to think about it until that point; it didn’t matter to him—he thought it didn’t matter to him.

But then he found himself sitting on the roof of a half-broken house in what used to be the bustling heart of Dressrosa. His entire right arm was throbbing with white hot pain from where it had been severed and then sewn back on, the injury still fresh and bleeding and painful, but Law barely noticed it over the sounds of destruction around him—sounds of Doflamingo turning the entire town into strings, Straw Hat throwing his own, just as damaging punches right back at him, people screaming…

But all Law heard from it all, all he felt… was the chain around his heart creaking, its metallic links straining against each other as if Straw Hat himself had grabbed it and pulled, trying to rip the thing apart with bare hands.

And then…

Straw Hat tore down the Birdcage and with it, the chain finally broke as well.

And in that moment, Law understood.

“How stupid,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He wasn’t sure if he meant the metaphorical chain Doflamingo had on his heart, the soulmark on his arm—how long has it been since he had called the thing that?—or if he meant himself.

He supposed it didn’t matter right then.

“Room.” It took a great deal of willpower to force his ability to work but he refused to give up. He gritted his teeth, making the Room grow as big as he could make it. “Shambles.”

A split second later, Straw Hat appeared on the roof next to Law. He looked terrible, covered in dirt and sweat and so much blood, but there was a smile on his lips as he snored softly, already dead to the world.

Law huffed to himself; how careless of him to fall asleep the second he had defeated Doflamingo. Was he so certain his crew had taken care of every single person who would still be out to kill him? Did he think someone would catch him? Or did he honestly think would be okay just crashing to the ground, even being a rubber man, and then just staying there like that?

With a sigh, Law closed his eyes. He could feel the exhaustion pulling him under too… But he at least refused to sleep until he was sure it was safe.

“Torao?”

Law’s eyes snapped open as he startled at the weak call of his name. He blinked, turning to look at Straw Hat to meet his half-lidded eyes and lazy grin that only widened the longer Law looked at him.

“I knew you’d catch me. Thanks,” Straw Hat said in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.

“Don’t be stupid. You think I’m that loyal to you after meeting again yesterday?” Law retorted. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered to defend himself when all the evidence was so painfully obviously against him.

Straw Hat snickered at his words but didn’t argue. He only gazed up at Law, something so incredibly soft in his eyes that it almost hurt and Law wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to face it. 

But… considering who he was dealing with…

Law wasn’t sure if he would even have a fucking choice.

He barely knew Straw Hat but he already knew all too well how goddamned stubborn this man was.

“Our soulmarks finally make sense together, don’t they?”

Stubborn, perceptive, and completely fucking shameless.

Of course he had noticed. Of course he had figured it out way before Law did. And of fucking course he just had to toss it in Law’s face without any regard for the situation or their surroundings.

“Shut up, Straw Hat-ya. Go to sleep,” Law growled instead of acknowledging what Straw Hat had said.

Before Straw Hat could so much as giggle at Law’s admittedly pointless defiance, a shout came from somewhere close to them.

“LUCY!!” 

Law jumped, having almost forgotten about the two women who were on the roof with them. Clicking his tongue, Law turned away, not about to watch as the young kid in skimpy armour sobbed over Straw Hat, thanking him over and over and over again.

How annoying.

Did she have to move Straw Hat just put his head in her lap in the first place? He was injured for fuck’s sake. Just let him rest and have a doctor look him over and give him treatment…

Although, well… Law didn’t have any room to talk. He himself hadn’t done much in that department and he was the doctor here. But he was just so tired. It was okay to sleep now, right? It didn’t seem like anyone was coming after them anymore; if they were, he probably would have noticed their presence by now. It was fine. Probably. 

Hopefully. 

And if not, well—then they were fucked because Law couldn’t fight the pull any longer, exhaustion and blood loss working hand in hand to drag him under.

Law didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore—not the sleep and not the way the broken chain on his arm burned from having found its missing link. The link that broke it and set Law free.

Law was going to sleep now and then…

Then they could see where the ocean took them.

[thehandworld]

My favorite details of your characters are the things I don't usually see in other writers of those. You pay attention to Yamamoto's depression and his possible blindness in the future, you have a unique portrayal of Hayato and have even paid attention to the fact he could end up with cancer as much as he smokes and his depression and lack of self worth and value could lead him to becoming a sex worker, as in that verse that's all he believes he's good at, heart breaking to read him go through that but it makes a lot of sense when you look at his character. I really like how you write Roll too that she can be just as deadly and scary as Hibari when pushed. I really love how caring Yuni is and that she tries to find the positive side even when the situation is bad. I also like your Chrome as well for the fact you make her feel like an individual character and not just Mukuro's shadow like I see her watered down to in some fics. You're doing an amazing job, keep up the good work. It's always a pleasure writing with you and talking OOC with you too.

Anonymously send me your favorite detail about how I play my character.

This was such a shocker... I honestly honestly didn't expect this long detail about how I play my muses, once someone told me that.. What makes my muses so unique are the little details I pay to them... Sure Yamamoto is the lovable baseball brain, but, the dude tried to suicide and that... That honestly isn't something that just disappears, the fact he also gave up baseball during the future arc. But then there is the fact that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE ANGST. Paying attention to these small details is normally for angst fuel xD. My prostitute verse is something I really love, honestly, I love all the verses I did for Dera, but that one is a canon divergent that honestly is possible. Considering that there is not much detail about what happened after he left home. I see that Roll is getting popular xD. I wasn't expecting this much love for her. But I'm getting to love her more and more and appreciate her more and more. There are some themes I believe I would like to work with her first before turning her into a full muse. But yeah I love Roll. Yuni again there are a few more themes I would love to play with her and honestly, she deserves the care and time. Chrome... Is a bit more trickier for me, like Mukuro, Mist is such a concept that I'm not that close to... But getting recognition for such is really making me happy. Chrome is a person, after all, she was someone before she had Mukuro in her life. And my heart cried so much about this, I know this can look like I'm trying to explain and make my muses sound simple, but this is just me rambling about how much I love each of the muses. Give me time, give me a topic, I can ramble on and on about each muse. Thank you, thank you for the recognition and positivity. This really made me happy and made me glad that I came back to this world of RP once again. And I know who wrote this and I love you, you are a precious friend of mine, and I love writing with you and talking with you. You probably have no clue how much I'm happy when you poke or reply to me. So thank you. Thank you for being the amazing person you are.

[magpiefngrl]

Hellooo! 💕

Sorry to slide in like this, you absolutely don't have to answer this, I just have no idea how else to grab your attention 😫

Your drarry fic series 'Arthur and the Lust Leaks' is seriously one of my all time favourites, they're just so hilarious! I love the dynamic between Daphne and Draco, Arthur (of course!🐣) and the general concept is just wonderful on its own XD

The concept of magic folk getting "Lust Leaks" when they're extremely horny is actually GENIUS!! Like what, how on earth did you come up with such a clever idea!?!?

My question is how would you feel about others using the concept? So long as you're credited for the inspiration, of course!

Thank you! You're brilliant!!💖

Oh what a lovely ask! I'm so glad you like the concept and thrilled you enjoy the 2 fics! I had a ball writing Daphne and Draco and ofc Arthur is adorable <3

How I came up with the Lust Leaks. When I joined the DTH fest, I'd only published one drarry fic that I'd written non-stop and obsessively over a few weeks; a fic which had poured out of me in a torrent. With The Full Monty I was more deliberate. I had a prompt, which gave me a direction to follow, but I wanted to do more. Now, my favourite author is Astolat and one of the things I love about her work is that she always has some cool magical element in her stories. I'm a fantasy author at heart, and her inventiveness and worldbuilding truly resonates with me. So, with this new drarry fic of mine, I wanted to create a magical element that would be new and interesting and would fit with canon.

I thought of developmental stages for children. How magical kids' magic appears when they're young. I can't remember the exact age it's supposed to happen, but in my mind it was linked to the stage where kids develop ego (around age three) (ego meaning the psychological theory, not selfishness). And then I thought what's another big stage of development (adolescence, lots of hormones) and what happens then? (sexual maturity). And what if, during that tumultuous time of their life, their magic goes haywire too?

I can't remember if I came up with the concept first and used it in the story or if I came up with something embarrassing happening to Draco and decided to dig into that idea and develop it. Either way, it went: idolise astolat-> magic appears when toddlers turn into children -> adolescents have raging hormones and this could affect their magic-> lust leaks when horny.

I wanted to write more in that 'verse myself. Back in spring 2017, I'd started writing a Lust Leaks Hogwarts-era fic inspired by a throwaway line in the fic about Blaise and how everything he touched grew wings and flew. I also began a sequel of the Full Monty with the title Saving Arthur. But I had a few big fests coming up and a birthday fic to write, and they got abandoned.

Finally, to answer your question: If you wish to use the concept in your fanfiction, then I'd be happy for you to do so. The credit would be much appreciated, and perhaps even a link to Full Monty for anyone curious to see the origin? That'd be brilliant.

However, this is only for fanfiction. If you're interested in using the concept for original fiction or any kind of work commercially available, then my answer is no. But I'm assuming you want to write drarry/ HP fic :)

This was a fun trip down memory lane. Thank you for sending the ask, for your very kind compliments, and I hope you enjoy playing with my lil' idea xx

[kagami--uchiha]

🥁 (& optionally 🖤)

🥁A Battlesong for my muse

Hnnnn... HNNNN oh oh mhhhh my my my! :D *vibrating with it*

The first one I'll give you the live version.. Because oh it absolutely gives me the chills... Just imagine him on the battlefield, thedarkness of thunder rolling in from far back, rain is approaching to the lands and then-.. A red Mangekyo flashes before he dashes in for his attacks.. Every hit is followed with a flurry of moths... Close your eyes and imagine that while you let that one play out <3 Worht every minute!

Another song by Woodkid (I love that man's music.. it makes my brain go brrrrr). I see him somewhere in the midst of battle here, blood already staining his face, his hands, his robe.. He faces still mroe and more enemy coming his eay and yet he stays steady and strong for what he wants to protect, even though his bones are already weary, his heart already heavy with the comrades he has seen fallen.. The lyrics describe him so well in this I just-.. I can't.

There would also be a third one that.. Kinda fits? Though it seems also not to fit fully, because here it is mostly just the sound and the beat of it that draws me in - less so the spoken vocals of the woman. It is about 10 minutes long.. but what it really does for me is the change between the calm parts and the more dramatic parts that make me imagine him so-.. so beautifully with his Nekomata Anbu-mask.. Just going in for those kills... while being one with the shadows mostly.. This one is purely optional because I am not *fully* on board with it, but I thought I'd add it as a treat.

🖤 A Song for our muses ship

Let me dive into it with Woodkid yet again.. And this is.. maybe the lyrics are self explanatory XD <3

But also thinking about how in our normal/canon verse it took them so many years to finally *get together* I feel like this is often how Kagami felt about it.. Since he didn't want to push it but yearned for it whenever he looked at her.

Phew!!

Gave you quite a treat here!! :D I hope you enjoy all of them!!! <3

[thetragicallynerdy]

nerdy's OFMD fanfic recs

I was going to send some fic recs to a pal, but then realized my list was super long, so I thought I'd write a list instead. All are Our Flag Means Death, and most Jim/Oluwande centric. I very rarely read anything that's not Jim centric in OFMD fanfic, so this list is heavily biased towards them as a character, be warned. I'm sticking it under the cut, but the categories are:

Top Ten (Twelve, actually, but who's counting)

Other SFW

NSFW - mainly smut, a few that are not pure smut but still NSFW

Reccing my own fics (aka stuff I wrote, because I'm not above that XD)

If you'd rather scroll ao3, most are also bookmarked by me here!

I've only tagged folks I know here on tumblr, (and only once in the list, because effort) please feel free to let me know if you recognize authors on here tho and I'll give them a tag! (Or if you're on here but I forgot your on tumblr pls lemme know jsksjks)

Top Ten (Twelve, but who's counting)

Listen most of these are written by my pals but I stand by the fact that my pals are amazing writers.

suck the rot right out of my bloodstream by @nevershootamockingbird – Jim, Frenchie, and Lucius, on the Kraken’s ship. Sad and yet so much hope. One of my all time faves. 7K.

some say it's a blessing by @swallowtailed – God. This fic. Literally made me have to lay down on my couch like a fainting lady in the 1800s at a certain point. Jim/Olu, soulmates who feel each other’s pain AU. 11K

what you take with you (what you leave behind) by @lovewithagirl – Jim/Ed, modern au, the world is ending. Listen. I love this fic with my whole heart, it gives me so many feels. 2K.

Leda House and the Kraken 'Verse by @dragonmuse – The Drag Queen AU, feat transfem Ed. Really lovely series, and very long – a lot of the parts can be read as standalones up to a certain point. Feat. ace Frenchie and Wee John. The Jim/Olu focused one (they're in more than one, but there's one that's focused primarily on Jim's story) is a regular re-read for me. Different parts have different word counts, the whole thing + au's of the au is around 930K.

how the west was won and where it got us (a.k.a. the revenge ranch) by @yerbamansa – long series, starts very Jim/Olu focused and brings in the rest of the crew. Modern AU where Jim and Oluwande meet, and eventually make their way to a ranch Stede runs in the American west. I adore this series with my whole heart. Beautiful soft vibes, more focused on characters than plot. The whole thing is 137K.

drink of the feeling of quiet again by @alfalfairy – absolutely stunning Jim character study – focused on ‘Jim returns home to help Nana as she gets older’. Lots of healing of the relationship and trauma etc. (Alfalfairy has a few others that make it on the list, but this one sits in my heart) Long oneshot, 35K.

make your peace with weariness and let it be by anirondack – jim character study, focused on Catholicism and trauma from their childhood to post-canon. Absolutely stunning. A fic that I actually read in almost one go, which rarely happens for me, because I couldn't put it down. Second person POV. 19K

Transformative Work by mia_ugly, pinehutch – Frenchie/Olu, Frenchie/Jim, Jim/Olu. One of my fav OFMD fics hands down. Frenchie POV, really beautifully done. Heed the tags. 40K, smut in later chapters.

Oluwande/Jim collection by MintPepper – a series of their jim/olu stuff – all are fantastic. Some are smut, some not.

orange & teal by owlinaminor – Jim/Oluwande focused series, some NSFW, some not. Absolutely stunning series.

Trouble Me Always: Being A True Chronicle of the Early Deeds of Oluwande Boodhari, Outlaw Shipwright by zmayhem – longer fic, Oluwande’s backstory to meeting Jim and joining the crew. I absolutely adore this one. Finished multi chapter. 30K.

that unwanted animal by @yourlocal-charlatan - Jim/Olu, Jim focused – goes through some canon, as well as before canon events – I really love this one, it’s so fantastic. Multi chaptered, unfinished. 16K.

Safe For Work

my heart could break for a one-legged seagull (that’s bad luck) by thingswithteeth – Frenchie centric, post-ep 10, very good from what I remember.  10K ish,

March Into The Sea by cranialaccessory - post-episode 10, Jim on Ed’s ship, or “5 times Jim tries to kill Ed”. Fun, sad, but not too sad. 5.5K

May There Be No Sadness of Farewell by hopeless_eccentric – Jim gets top surgery. 1.5K

Disruptors by yerbamansa – SMAU focused on Stede and Ed in the tech industry. I adore this one!! 21K, completed.

Till Human Voices Wake Us, And We Drown by alfalfairy – short series focused on mermaid Jim (with fangs, and claws, and a thirst for blood) – I adore it. 8K total.

bitter like whiskey, sweet like wine by alfalfairy – Jim/Olu centric, from their meeting pre-canon through canon. Ongoing longfic, currently unfinished but semi-regular posting. One of my fav series. 72K

to be more than this devil inside of me by alfalfairy – Ed and Izzy adopt a 18 year old Jim  before they meet Olu. Young pirate Jim. Great series. Ongoing, updating semi-regularly. 40K.

All Ships Sail by UnscrupulousArtist – 5 times Frenchie and Lucius almost happened (and one it did) – cute, loved this one. Lots of mentions of sex, none on screen from what I recall. 6K.

set my body free by eldrai – another ‘Jim gets top surgery’ au, lotsa gender and dysphoria vibes. 1.5K

Spindrift by Acephalous – “Jim contemplates family, memory, and their duty to the dead.” 2K.

in the deep end by rabbitinrain – jim isn’t a mermaid, but oluwande is. Short and sweet. 3K.

Vodka x Orange by AtlantisRises – modern au, jim and olu working at jackie’s bar. Unfinished, hasn’t been updated in a while. 4 chapters so far. 5K.

the art of gift giving by Nanashi07  - jim and ed friendship, as they both try and figure out how to be partners to olu and stede respectively 7K.

come build your home in me by Fool_for_love  - long series, split between ‘during the kraken era’ and ‘post kraken era healing’ – each fic has a chapter with different viewpoints – pete, olu, izzy, jim, Frenchie, and Lucius I think? Very trauma and recovery focused.

so nice to have you back where you belong by SweetPollyOliver – lil Frenchie and wee john focused oneshot – “frenchie finds wee john’s doll after the crew is marooned and keeps it safe.” 1.2K

you should be so happy now by waveridden – Mary Bonnet gets taken captive on the Kraken’s ship. Fantastic fic, very Mary and Ed focused if I recall correctly. ~8K

not a mermaid by awenswords – Jim focused, gender feels a plenty. One chapter out of 3 written, not updated in a while. 2K.

the sea and you swim to meet me by stanzas – Jim and Olu centric Daemon au. One of my absolute faves, it’s a stunning little fic. 2K.

hoist up the thing, batten down the whatsit by SunsetOfDoom – Daemon AU – this bit is Jim focused, part of a longer series featuring the whole crew.

just the two of us by @jesperr-fahey – Jim + Frenchie friendship all alone aboard the Revenge post S2.

 Friendship (Derogatory) by peaktotheocean – Black Pete whittles Jim a packer. Great little fic. 1K.

i'll be a friend and a fuck-up and everything by iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid – Jim Ed friendship, they set out to kill Blackbeard and it doesn’t go as planned. 6K.

and if my body is a temple (then this ruin is a mess) by sakutsu – Trans Lucius fic. 1K.

cut through my frozen heart (watch the blood spill, fresh and clean) by your_local_charlatan – little jim and olu centric h/c – jim’s hands hurt when it gets cold. Olu fixes it. Lovely little fic. 1.5K.

To Skin a Catfish by peaktotheocean – Frenchie focused, Jim is a cat. And also a witch. 3.5K

Not Safe For Work (Mainly smut)

pull me from the earth by MintPepper – Jim asks Lucius to draw them naked. Very lovely body positive stuff. M, not E, but still goes under NSFW. 4K.

Revenge Becomes Us by Anonymous – Jim centric character study. Absolutely fantastic. Contains some NSFW stuff. 10K

Ven Conmigo by DarkwingDukat (pushingcrazies) – jim/olu, facesitting.

Like Real People Do by Gwendolyn (storiesofchaos) – jim/olu, first time, 2.5k

Tengo una Obsesión by Anonymous – jim/olu, 2.1K

please don't call, i need another hour by exastris_scientia – jim/olu, modern au smut, lovely little oneshot. 2K

Living in Sin Situation (Complimentary) by SpaceJackalope – Jim/Olu, pegging. 3K.

I Think We're Alone Now by Ptolemia – Jim/Olu, 6K.

The More the Merrier by SweetPollyOliver – Wee John/Olu/Frenchie – 1.5K

Mermaids Singing, Each to Each by SpaceJackalope – Jim/Olu beachfucking, with a side of Lucius watching. Sweet little smut fic, great vibes. 1.5K

When Your Depths Resound by Bassarid – Jim/Olu, hammock sex. Great vibes. 1.5K

Oral Fixation by izzyxhands for suchgreatheights – modern au, Stede/Ed, trans leather daddy dom Ed. Very hot. 5K.

My Own Fic recs (aka ones I wrote, because I’m not above that)

to build a home by @lovewithagirl, @nevershootamockingbird, and myself – a series of oneshots in a shared modern AU where everyone is poly, and everyone is in love. Soft vibes, very family focused. Ed/Jim, Jim/Olu, and Ed/Stede are the main pairings (with lots of others thrown in)

and we will build a home from the wreckage – cowboy au, Jim/Olu centric, injured outlaw Jim gets taken in by farmer Olu. 22K ish, unfinished (updates slower than molasses in January)

Ask Me Anything: A TealOranges SMAU by me and @yerbamansa, can also be read at @askmeanythingofmd – modern jim/olu SMAU I’m co-writing, focused on Jim/Olu falling in love while figuring out how to kill alfeo de la vaca. Unfinished, updates on tumblr weekly (ish), on ao3 every few months.

i like to call myself wound (but i will answer to knife) by tragicallynerdy – series of Jim-centric h/c or whump oneshots. Fics in the collection vary from 1K-15K ish.

full of flowers and heart shaped boxes by tragicallynerdy – Jim/Olu, modern au where they go on their first date after months of being together. Comedy focused. 10K

There's a few smut ones on my ao3 account too, if that's your interest. Feel free to find them XD

Enjoy!

Tagging @frrenchie who was interested in some recs! Sorry there's so many XD

[yonemurishiroku]

i know you said you haven’t figured out it out yet but i’d like to hear any thoughts or random ideas you might have abt nezha & nico, either in general or in the time travel verse 👩‍🏫

Wow I didn't expect someone would actually be interested in this... Well, all the more motivation to be enthusiastic, then. xD

You're right that I've yet to figure out their connection, however, I can tell a little about that that drew me to the idea of them in the same picture.

The first would probably be their characterization.

Both are painted in black and white, of kindness and the flaws within. Afaik, the whole thing about Nezha is that he's a naughty, carefree, uncontrollable menace yet also kind in his own ways. He did so many wrongs and he tried to do just as many rights to make up for it. It's similar to Nico, in the way that they are kind at heart, yet can appear evil in others' eyes for some reason. And yes, they both have committed conventional horrible. Hell, Nezha peeled off Ao Bing's spine or st. Would you look at that, Bryce?

Grudge-holding. Now, I'm not saying I fancy what Rick did to Nico's fatal flaw, but talking in canon here, Nico held his sister's death against Percy (and himself) for quite a while; whereas Nezha, having died and was reborn again, literally came fighting his father because the man ruined his temple, where his soul resided. Like. If that isn't one hell of a grudge then I don't know what is.

Their spirits, their willpower, the prowess they possess despite their young ages. They are both so fierce, unstoppable, and resilient. Nezha is portrayed as a literal child in Chinese mythology, but his story is one hell of a ride (ya know, with all the slaying dragons, carving up his own flesh...). Idk about you but it gives me an impression of how intense Nezha might be, which is quite a reflection of Nico's story and characterization. Because Nico is... extreme, too, and you can't possibly tell me Nico's life story, with all that Tartarus and torture in the jar, isn't a grand tale in its own way. Alas, against all odds, they both emerge victorious. I love them.

They're both freaking powerful too, btw. But again, I guess every mythological figure is powerful in its own way.

Idk about you but I think Nico and Nezha should be allowed to sit down together and trade gory, creepy, bloody stories about themselves just to scare everyone else.

2. Their backgrounds, their stories.

They both have daddy issues omfg. Nezha literally fought his father, who ruined Nezha's temple, to the point of interference from other deities. And while I love Nico and Hades's love with everything in me, they did have a strained relationship throughout PJO. Hades told Nico he would prefer Bianca over him, and later nearly fired a ball at him. If that isn't parallel I don't know what is.

Their mothers love them so much I'm crying. Nezha's mother, Lady Yin, carried him in her womb for years and built him a temple when he asked her in a dream. And I suppose we don't need to talk about Maria anymore.

They are both, technically, 'prince's LMAO. Nezha is known as the Third Crowned Prince (or whatever that is bc Chinese is so hard to translate into English omg) and Nico is well, Nico. Their fathers are both technically kings, as well. Hades because obviously, Li Jing is known as one of the Heavenly Kings. And if you really look into it, Nezha is a commander of Heaven's army, directly under his father, whilst Nico is the Ambassador of Hades. Wow.

They are viewed as awful in people's eyes but still took efforts to help. I'm gonna admit my viewpoint might be altered by the Nezha (2019) movie. Nonetheless, I find it quite interesting that Nezha and Nico, though being scorned and ostracized by their kind, ended up being their saviors. Nezha killed himself when the Dragon King threatened to flood his hometown, and Nico went such lengths to aid the Seven with their world-saving quests. This is also proof of their kindness, which I adore so much, btw.

Feud with the sea. Well maybe not feud in Percy and Nico's case. A sensitive topic. History, maybe? Lol. Anyway, the fact remains that both Nico and Nezha share an unpleasant history with a son of the seas. If you take Nezha (2019) into consideration though, they both make peace with said animosity too! xD

They both befriend their old enemies. I'm talking about Wukong and Bob. It's fascinating, in a way lol.

These are everything I can come up with so far... Huh. I didn't expect them to share so similarities... I'm serious about Nezha and Nico having a bonding session now. These two are deemed to be besties.

It doesn't need to be in the Time Travel AU. Nico crash-landed in China before, didn't he? Maybe, Idk, Nezha was sent to investigate, and they ended up friends because Nico is as social as a capybara and Nezha has all the purity and generosity of a carefree child who fears nothing.

...I'm so deep in this omg...  

Anw, if you want to share your Nico and Nezha content, I'm all ears!! xD

[queenofalpaca]

You ship Daniel/Quentin/Francis K? Me wanna ask what’s your hcs on their sexuality and gender identity

Well first off: my first ever ask! Woah

Alright, that out of the way, sexuality and gender hcs, let’s see. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really given it a huge amount of thought beyond ‘they’re all gay for each other’ but going off vibes… Francis strikes me as thoroughly gay, ngl. Daniel might be pan, I don’t think he cares about the equipment as long as the sex is fun, ya know XD as for Quentin… I wanna call him a disaster bi, but. Well there’s layers to this. Quentin is my blorbo of choice, which means he gets projected on in every way I can fit. Hence why he’s 100% trans in my heart. So, again, I’d live to call him a disaster bi, canon sort of gives me more gay vibes, and my projections want to make him some flavour of aro or ace… could be anything, really.

Now gender, I have a bit more personal experience with, so let’s see. Quentin, as I said, 100% trans. Trans guy, top surgery yes, bottom surgery no. He/him pronouns, 100% masc, because it makes me happy. Francis and Danny… honestly Daniel’s the blandest white guy in the comics, and I still haven’t totally figured out how I want to interpret him, but right now I’m gonna go with cis. Very securely so. As in he’d have no problem presenting feminine for fun, but he’s definitely a guy. Francis I usually make cis too, but there’s more flexibility there. He could be trans too. If I did go for it in a verse, I’d actually probably make him intersex, just for fun. Or nonbinary, that works too. He can have a little gender confusion, as a treat.

And that’s all the thoughts I can give you on this rn. Hope you enjoy? (is that what you say in this situation? I have no idea) I’d also love to hear people’s hcs on any of the three tbh (:

Thanks for the ask!

[vwritesaus]

Weird question: what other TSC ships do you like most besides Thomastair? Obviously no one can be them because they're our everythings, but who else are you feral for? Herondaisy is my favourite along with Thomastair, but I also love Wessa, Sophideon, Arianna, and am currently in Sizzy heaven because I'm rereading TMI lol

~

i do love pretty much all of the canon ships in the tsc verse, but the ones i go absolutely feral for are (in no particular order): thomastair (who knew? xD), herondaisy, sophideon, sizzy, malec and herongraystairs 🩷 i do also love arianna but i haven't written enough of them/read enough of them yet to activate the brainworms just yet, and i have a huge soft spot for clace. just not SUPER feral over them like the above^^^ ahaha

also with herongraystairs, i adore them so much in tid and i am mournful of the fact that they couldn't have an endgame with them altogether ;; i do love wessa and jessa on their own (tho more tid jessa than the modern jessa hmm) but the three of them together??? my heart bleeds 😭

[ulfrsmal]

Twenty Questions: Fic Author Edition

Thank you @alexagirlie for tagging me! :D 1. How many works do you have on AO3? 261

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 1,677,071 words

3. What fandoms do you write for? Primarily for The Last Kingdom, Vikings: Valhalla, and Vikings. I do have a good handful of The Witcher (game/book verse) and Assassin's Creed fic, plus a random assortment of whatever caught my fancy at the time.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Animal I Have Become (halstarion, rated E) Wed, Bed, Behead (athelnar, rated G) Love Bites (But So Do I) (hisoillu, rated E) Stolen Nights (geraskier, rated E) Whirlwind (jaskier/wolf witchers, rated E)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? As a rule, yes because I also love it when I comment and the author answers me.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Tough to answer... probably Nemesis, though. It may be somewhat of a canon retelling, but it's also the one canon that's broken my heart into the most little pieces...

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Yikes i've no clue, but most if not all the super short drabbles and ficlets I've got are happy.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not anymore.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind? Oh a good half or so of my catalogue is nothing but smut! Kinks vary but some are recurring. Do beware I have written dub-con and non-con too, but they're always tagged as such.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Not usually, but I've written some between TLK, Vikings, and Vikings: Valhalla.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes. 🙃 (I did deal with it and the thief was punished)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yup! Into Chinese.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before? Yes, but as far as I know they haven't been published anywhere. Although arguably The Game was cowritten with @moosemonstrous, she gave me all the info and beta'd it. (I'm still very thankful!)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? I don't have one ship that rules them all, they're all at the same level to me. I just don't write them all at the same time.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? At this point.... Coat Of Arms. (But never say never, either.) I'm not counting The Echoes of Eternity as a WIP anymore.

16. What are your writing strengths? Characterization, character studies, atmosphere, poetic prose. I'm very proud of them all too!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? It used to be dialogue; now it's structure and arguably pacing. But I'm actively learning and getting better as we speak!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? It doesn't bother me at all, but it must be done right or it can come across as an odd choice when reading it back.

19. First fandom you wrote for? I was too young to remember ngl. Obviously that was never published xD On ao3, that's Assassin's Creed.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? Ah, there are too many. If I've tagged it Poetic Prose, it's on my list of faves.

I'm scatterbrained and annoyed, so I'm not actively tagging anyone -- but if you're reading this and wanna do it, please consider yourself tagged by me! 🖤

[laufire]

26 & 27 for the salty ask list please? 🌸 (feel free to include whatever charas you feel the strongest abt, regardless of fandom)

Most shippable character?

See, whenever I'm deep in a fandom that has a large cast of characters I like, I multiship like I'm being paid to do it. Once the hyperfixation goes away and I move on to other things most of the ships fade from my mind and only the Peak OTPs remain.

So rn it's, as I said, all about detective comics comics and The 100. In the latter, I'm multishipping about as much as I did the first time I watched. The characters I find most shippable are Raven Reyes and Echo kom Azgeda. It's in part because they have quite a few great dynamics with other characters (and especially each other!), but also because canon disappointed me on the romantic front with both of them. They each had a shot at a really good ship; with the same guy, actually, though at different times. But his character degenerated SO MUCH that by the time he was unceremoniously killed off I didn't want him near anyone I cared about lmao.

Contrast this with two of my other favourite characters, Emori and Murphy, who have an incredibly satisfying romance that canon completely sold me on, and thus, even though I do dabble in some multishipping (Raven would be a great third, just sayin'), in my heart they're only for each other.

I say this because it's a good point of comparison with DC: when I find myself deeply satisfied by a canon romance, I can only see it. It's when I really like a character but I feel that canon fails to deliver what I'd consider A Grand Romance for them that I start collecting my little rareships lmfao.

That 'verse complicates it even more to all the different canons, i.e. my OTP for Dick Grayson is Zatanna in the Young Justice cartoon. But in the comics I don't have that type of definite pairing for him, and I rotate various dynamics that I simply enjoy to see written well, none of which I see as fully OTP material: Helena (Bertinelli!!!), Koriand'r (as little as I've read), Barbara (with caveats. Sooo many caveats), Jessie Quick, Roy, Joey Wilson... he's just a very shippable character with quite a lot of interesting dynamics all around, even if none of them have fully won me over.

On the other hand you have Jason Todd. His "shippability" is less about what's presented in canon than about finding a way to ENHANCE canon lol. Basically, I'm beginning to grow curious about reading about my special little guy being put in romantic situations, BUT I find canon largely lacking on this front. Which means that at some point, when I have more time to explore and read fic, I'll probably be seeking shippy examples that a.) don't involve one of the few ships I reallyreallyreally can't stand (either because they give me the ick or because I think Jason Would Never Do That AKA Fuck That Bore xDD); b.) come with a premise that catches my eyes; c.) include a well-written, interesting portrayal of Jason that's not at odds with my views on him.

Least shippable character?

For The 100, the guy I mentioned, Bellamy. I used to lowkey ship him with quite a few people! Then I hated him and it poisoned everything xD

For DC, barring some of the villains I find endlessly aggravating (Joker, Black Mask)... I'm picking reboot!Barbara. Idk that woman but I know I have zero interesting in seeing her in a romantic context, even with characters with whom I shipped the older version of her.