#whom I couldn't figure out how to draw

[devipeak]

I was rewatching "Grow up Timmy Turner" live action film and felt like I should do a "Red Flags" animation meme, inspired by the scene with Mr. Crocker and this rich evil guy whose name I can't remember, and also because there was Butch Hartman as a waiter in another scene.

And I don't like it. Especially since my tablet didn't want to save the final result and kept telling me the format is wrong, so I had to throw all videos to my phone and montage it there.

Also, I was surprised how many "ship" moments with this two in this film, I only remebered the iconic noodles scene, but there's also a love montage about Timmy and Tootie with a lovely song on the background and those two just pop out during it. And when Crocker is betrayed, his last words are "I thought we had something special", like wtf?

I even made a sketch visual essay while watching it:

This film sucks...

[fanaticsnail]

Dreaming of You

Series Masterlist Here

Word Count: 1,800+

Synopsis: There was something not right about this scenario. Fear gripped you as you lay helpless and quivering beneath a figure you had never met. Fear gripped you, and the cusps of reality slipped further from you the deeper you gave in to his motions.

Themes: Accursed Prince Loki x afab!reader, dub con, non con hinted, size difference: extra large, Elbaf spoiler warning, NSFW, 18+, MDNI, smut, nightmares, terror themes, threats, violence threatened, fear, enemies that remain enemies.

Notes: Art by @skullfacedlady, to whom this fic is dedicated to because she needs more content with this beautiful, terrifying man. It is also not how I regularly write this little series, but I couldn't resist a little twist because my hand slipped. Position also heavily inspired by @don-mellow's art on Twitter (NSFW link). Two beautiful artists making me fall in love with this accursed prince, and it's a long way to tumble.

The atmosphere was sparsely illuminated by dull tongues of fire. Flickering against the cobblestone and revealing the giant’s mane and helm, a sinister grin split up his cheeks as he stooped below towards your small, quivering frame.

“Poor tiny human,” he purrs down at you, his voice reverberating in the chasms of your chest and causing your lips to quiver in fright. “All afraid and shaking.”

The rattles of the chains shackling his wrists was the only forewarning he gave before your clothes were split and shredded by one deliberate swipe. Fear gripped you as you were now bare before the giant, your eyes widening and flesh puckering in the cool of the air.

“No need for that face,” he chuckled, reaching down and expelling his cock from its bonds in his leathery pants. The tip was blushed a pretty hue of red, now revealed with a crude slap of his shaft springing up and catching on his stomach. “I have no intention of hurting my little plaything. Quite the contrary, in fact.”

The shudder in your body was the only response you made, your voice physically unable to speak or scream at the man to halt his actions. He dove down towards you, throat chuckling as a hefty wave of his warm breath met your flushed skin.

“I just want a look,” he growled in a deep baritone, “Open your legs for me, or I will open them for you. Trust, plaything, the former would be far more pleasant for you. Ankles to your ass, knees to the side. Now.”

A sob hitched in your throat as you made to move your body. As he said, you drew your feet slowly up to the bottom of your ass and butterflied your knees out to the sides. Turning your face away from him, you clenched your eyes shut and whimpered as you felt the huffs of his breath journey ever closer.

“Would you look at that, wee plaything,” his voice held a tone of teasing to it, “Such a pretty, flushed cunt all there for the taking.”

You screamed at him internally, pleading and begging for him to not attempt to put his cock inside you. It would kill you, given the fact his cock was larger than the size of you in your entirety.

His meaty fingers brushed against your side, tickling you with his teasing advances. You flinched away from his touch, but it only made him all the more enthusiastic about your little display. Drawing his hand up your torso, he used one hand to draw up both of your wrists to pin above your head by a single index finger.

“You know when I said ‘I just want a look’ just now?” he growled, stooping ever closer to you and dragging his whiskered chin over your naked chest.

“I lied.”

Just as you opened your eyes and began to make a motion to scream at him to halt, his fat tongue fled from his lips and licked a long stripe from your cunt up to your head. The slippery saliva dampened your pores, nipples pebbling as his hot breath cooled your skin when impacting the stripe. Your legs threatened to close to avoid the cold, but that thought was all but sprung from your head when his tongue returned to you.

Through panted, muffled breaths, the larger giant growled at you as he drew his slippery organ up and down your body.

“If you close your legs, plaything,” he mouthed at your skin, taking your cunt and ass into his mouth and flicking his tongue in messy circles behind his lips, “I'll bite the fucking things off. Leave them parted.”

You screamed internally at the thought, actions frozen in place as your thighs and knees became damp within the giant’s mouth. His smile only grew when he tasted your arousal beginning to pool over his tongue. Drawing your ass away from his mouth, he focussed the attention of his tongue against your slit: flicking his larger tongue against your clit to the best of his focussed abilities.

His tongue was porous, feeling each dip and elevation due to the insane size difference. It was larger than any cock you had seen in the past. The tip alone, now pointed and focussed, being of greater size than any toy you had found for yourself.

While pinning you with one hand, he reached his cock and began pumping it below you both. The drooling cock head twitched with every down thrust, the veins flooding his shaft with desire only swelling his need for you.

“That's it,” he praised you, the vibrations of his voice causing you to wail and arch your back towards his touch, “Give in to it. I'm not going to stop. Too much fun to be had between us, plaything.”

You felt the first cusps of ecstasy call to you, tingling in your toes and swelling within your chest. The muted moans and cries fleeing your lips held a gloomy echo, your eyes refusing to make contact with the beast lurking below you as he consumed your lust and drove you off the cusps of insanity.

“I can feel how close you are,” he chuckled, fucking his fist by bucking his hips down, “Let me hear you scream for me.” His thrusts were as manic as his tongue continued to flicker and swirl against your cunt.

Instead of maintaining focus of simply the tip of his tongue alone, he moved back to lengthy stripes, dressing your ass, cunt, and chest in a marriage of his saliva and your arousal each time.

It felt wrong on more levels than simply one. This giant’s touch, the way you couldn't speak, how you had no true control over yourself or how you responded to his words or actions, it was all too wrong. Just as you shook your head to attempt to free you of this internal line of questioning, your stomach clenched and sparks began to fly behind your eyes.

Euphoria bloomed in your stomach and flooded your veins with sparks and lightning. Releasing your ecstasy over the giant's tongue while screaming out in bliss, the giant moaned and chuckled down at you. Lulling and lapping, he greedily overstimulated you while you rode the waves of your high.

Pulling away, a large string of saliva connected his tongue to your cunt while he rose away from your panting and heaving form. Pumping his cock viciously, his tip began to bubble pearls of precum into his fist.

“What a pretty plaything,” he groaned out for you, his voice picking up in the corners of his throat, “I'm going to paint you to claim as mine. Look up at me now, plaything.”

His demands had your eyes meeting with the concealed gaze behind cream-coloured bandages, before your vision blurred by a crude splash of his cum meeting your face. Ropes of hot white uncoiled and burned against your head, torso, thighs, and cunt: almost drowning you in the sheer size of his load. Coughing and spluttering was all you could do as the giant barked out a cackled string of laughter.

“We are going to have so much fun together,” the giant’s voice echoed within your ears, muffled by viscous cum flooding your features.

With a fit of fiery adrenaline, you tore your hands away from his grip and sat upright. Eyes wide and manic, you continued on to release a blood curdling scream that rang throughout your quarters. Body covered in sweat, breath hitching in fear, undergarments covered with your sticky release, your eyes immediately found the door as it flung wide.

Immediately springing towards you, hands of rubber surrounded your form and coiled around you. The familiar feeling of your captain surrounding you was not unwelcome. Your arms immediately found their way to wrap around his back and bury your head in the crook of his neck.

“I couldn't move, I couldn't speak,” you sobbed manickly, curling into the embrace with your tears dampening his red best, “I was stuck, helpless, afraid. I couldn't-.”

“-Shh,” he hushed you, speaking your name slowly and quietly as he nuzzled against your head, “I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Just breathe with me, okay? Just in and out slowly. Just like you're smelling some of Sanji’s barbeque and blowing on it because the meat’s too hot.”

In your manic state, you manage to chuckle through the tears as your captain empathetically mirrored your laughter. He tightened the grip he had on you, squeezing his eyes shut and calming himself down alongside you.

He was usually a deep sleeper, but there was something about the way you screamed that seemed all too familiar to him. The helplessness, the fear, the torment. It was not a good scream to hear from anyone, least of all from his counsellor.

He invited you to serve on his ship because you had a natural gift. He couldn't put a name to it, nor could you, but you seemed to harbor a great amount of knowledge of decisions that lead to the best and worse outcomes in any given situation. Similarly to the way Nami can read the weather, you have this intuition regarding the future, knowing what would come to pass before it ever occured.

It doesn't happen often, not ever to this degree, and it could've simply been a nightmare: but it was so vivid, it caused you such great distress. Not only the vision itself, but the content of it. It was like you were trapped, and there was no one there to save you.

“When you're ready, and if you're able,” Luffy whispered against your ear, still trying to have you breathe with him with his arms surrounding you, “Tell me what happened. I'll listen, no matter if it was just a sea cow eating a part of The Sunny.”

He pulled away from your head, peering down and beaming at you with a smile. You gazed up at him through damp lashes and felt your breath control return to you. At the door to your quarters, the remainder of the crew stood in a variety of dress: from pajamas to their regular clothes, they all stood waiting for your words to come to you.

“It was a giant,” you whimpered softly, design your eyes between the two caramel orbs harboring nothing but love and understanding down at you, “And there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

“We've fought giants before,” Luffy nodded down at you, his brilliant grin still shining down on you as he smoothed your scalp with his hand, “Nothing we can't handle. We'll be right there with you, fighting the thing to the death. You'll see.” He whispered your name, holding you close and nodding down.

“That's just the thing, Captain,” you whispered back at him, breath as chilled as the grave and teeth chattering with your confession.

“You weren't there.”

“I'll see you soon, little plaything.”

Deep within the bowels of Elbaf, the larger giant chuckled with a large grin splitting up his cheeks. Cum covering his his belly, sheet discarded alongside his pants hanging limply off his ankles, chains rattling on his wrists, he continued to bark out laughter as he drew his fingers and palm over his sticky release.

Gathering the seed in the pads of his fingertips and smearing it over his flesh, he sighed out with a touch of whimsy in his tone.

Tag list: @mfreedomstuff @daydreamer-in-training @since-im-already-here @gingernut1314 @writingmysanity @i-am-vita @indydonuts @feral-artistry @the-light-of-star @empirenowmp3 @racfoam @sunflowersatori @carrotsunshine @skullfacedlady @jintaka-hane @thenotsofantasticlifestory @ane5e

[strawberrymochin]

liar

The slap you landed on shoko's right cheek has its sound echoing through the air surrounding you guys. The force of your hand left it's imprints on her cheek, blazing red as her eyes widen. Never she thought, you— her timid, gentle and kind junior would slap her.

"Why did you agree on such horrendous thing?" You scream your lungs out. "Why?"

"I — ah— tha—"

"Why? Why didn't you stopped him? Why didn't you informed me? All these mess were happening right one after another and you kept lying." Your eyes burned with tears pooling, threatening to fall. You couldn't breathe, it seemed as if your lungs went stiff, even drawing one breath could be fatal to you. Still you couldn't help but scream, give up on the rest of oxygen you still had hold off. "Liar. Liar. Liar. You're a liar. Gojo's a liar. Megumi's a liar. You all lied to me. You said everything's fine when nothing was fine. Why?"

"Y/n try to understand—"

"NO! Don't take my name from your filthy mouth who only knows to sew lies!"

Shoko forwarded her palms indicating you to calm down, "List—", a slash of cold current passed through her body in a millisecond.

Her eyes turned from your figure to her hands— now bleeding, her palms layed on the floor messing the floor in red. What?

What exactly was that? She looked at you, your eyes fixated on her, however there was a sense of uncanniness in your presence. It wasn't normal. Not at all. 'Did she just used her cursed technique on me?' thought shoko.

You were a healer, then how could you use a curse energy to land a blow, cutting off her palms. Unless you manifest that beas— shoko's eyes scanned around the entire room in horror. There's no sign of that curse, then how? But it's not the right moment, she needs to regenerate her hands. 'Focus.' she chanted in her mind. Continuously.

If you did really landed that blow on shoko, everyone's doomed. A bigger threat looped around everyone's necks and she knew, she sensed it's even worse than sukuna. One mistake and the threads of patience snaps, it's death they will be greeting. Maybe she knew it, she shouldn't have underestimated you, she found it bizzare when she first met you.

You had no such aura she could sense, yet yaga sensei introduced you to them as a user of healing energy. Normally when sorcerers are born, they emit a special aura which could be picked up by people born similar to them— and by the curses, however you had none.

She thought you were weak, then why did the higher ups ordered to kill you? If you were weak, weakness that can't even emit a healing aura then why assign assassins to take life out of you? Wasn't that just a waste of time?

"She's weird." Muttered gojo, sitting beside her as principal yaga assigned them to watch you as you practice your healing on geto's small cuts and scratches. It was 2005 probably, shoko smirked at him, lips creasing in a teasing smile, "though you seem to find that chick cute. Is that why i sense jealousy from you? Since that chick's treating geto, you seemed to be anxious not even trying to focus on keeping your infinity on...."

"S-shut up!"

Shoko laughed turning your and geto's attention towards them, geto shouted asking what she's laughing about, whereas you just smiled next to him.

The memory is so distant yet so clear, just like the buzzing sounds of insects in a warm day under the sun rays blazing the ground.

"Don't tell her the truth. I'm counting on you shoko!!" These were the last lines gojo said before leaving to face sukuna. After he was gone, she pondered on those lines a while, how long is he going to conceal the truth? She wondered. Though she thought he would handle it. Make it somehow. She was wrong.

Everyone tends to make the same mistake to the point it cannot be counted— mistaking the weak for powerless, useless and trash whom they could crumble at any point.

Shoko's eyes filled with terror, she couldn't move, as if you were entrancing her, taking control of her body, piercing into her each nerve. In a moment you were there, right infront of her, closing the distance between them, your hands stroke her face, making her shudder from your deadpan look. The clinic which was lit with dull LEDs suddenly engulfed in darkness.

She made the same mistake as others. Thinking you as of mere weakling was the biggest mistake of her life. There must have been a reason the higher ups saw you as a threat. Even the day you manifested that huge curse from your soul in 2006, she thought that was a mere circumstance driven by emotions which caused the curse to appear. It died down soon. Only lasted for five minutes or so, but the destruction was formidable, she thought maybe you could have manifested such huge curse capable of destroying the entire town, but it's effects were temporary. Thus the weak tag, something she tucked on your first impression, was never removed from her mind.

That was her mistake. You were never weak, rather you were unaware of your capabilities. The day you manifested that huge curse, it died down within minutes without any sorcery, since you— it's creater sucked back the power given to him— your emotions, your memories, turning it into mere dust.

You didn't remember any of that simply because you, yourself were cursed.

Your soul was cursed.

Shoko's memories flashed infront of her as you kept stroking her head. She could see her entire life up till now in your eyes. "Shall I kill you?" You asked her, your tone's completely different, even unfamiliar to you yourself. Never in life you felt such rage. It's was boiling your blood, making you want to dig your nails into your skin a scratch it till you draw out blood. You felt pulling out our hair, stabbing yourself, scorching yourself till every muscle on your body limbs out.

Yet before that, you felt that immense hunger crawl through your nerves, wracking every cell of humanity through you. Your bloodlust was on its peak.

'Kill her!'

'kill.'

'wipe out every single human being.'

'death'

'avenge his death.'

Several words rang in your ears, you were unsure which one to listen. The fury inside you had not even dimmed a bit rather taking in a peek at shoko's memories fueled it even more. The look of Gojo's dead body in her memories shook you till your core.

Why did he choose to lie?

Why couldn't he just say the truth, why didn't he inform you about tsumiki? Why did he had to force himself to go through all this alone? Why?

Are you that incompetent that he couldn't even share his grief with you?

Not only the guy you loved, the boy you raised and the girl you trusted as your sister betrayed you.

While you were away in foreign, they blinded you from the destruction happening in here. Why didn't they consider it would hurt you?

Your nails grew digging out flesh tearing her ear, blood dripped down her neck and she could do nothing but stare into your eyes.

'if anyone bullies you, come to me, i will beat the shit outta them.' shoko's voice lingered around you, she said that when you first joined jujutsu high. Her voice was warm and gentle. You didn't remember when anyone last talked to you in that calming tone.

She may have lied, underestimated you, but you never sensed any harming intent. You admired her, wished her to be your big sister in another life.

'What am i doing?'

Tears fell from your eyes, as shoko was out from your trance, falling to the ground, gasping for breath overwhelmed.

"I didn't — didn't wanted to lie. But gojo wanted to keep you away from the danger. I'm sorry." She managed coughing out blood.

What have you done? Is this why you should have better off dying? You shouldn't have ran away from those assassins. If you were dead long ago, then you wouldn't have hurt shoko. You wouldn't have tore her ear, cut her hands. 'I'm indeed a monster.'

You looked down at shoko, bleeding, coughing, too dazed to heal herself. What you've done could never mend the bond between you two, but you could atleast try saving the bond you shared with your treasured memories, among which shoko played an important role, she made your days happy, she gave you courage to live out life. It's time for you to repay.

You crouch down to her level, inhaling a deep breath. That's it you could do this, taking her disfigured half healed hands, you drown yourself into the void. Your memories with shoko flashed, lighting the void, your chest pained as your mind fuzzed with the distant laughs and sweet moments spent with her.

You can't back away. You need to give up. Burn her memories with you. Sacrifice a part of your soul. Heal her.

The flashes burned into the void.

Shoko raised her eyes suddenly feeling lightweight. Her hands had regenerated, she touched her ear, expecting it to be wounded, but rather surprise took her, her ear is there, right in its place, attached.

"Did you heal me?" She asked you, while you seem to have stilled for a while. Shoko waited for your answer. "Y/n?"

"Who are you?"

Part 2 - revival

© strawberrymochin 2024 - plagiarism won't be tolerated | divider made by me - don't use without my permission |

[sethsclearwater]

OKAY I RAN TO REQUEST THIS - I just saw a TikTok where a guy set up a game of uno on the bed next to his sleeping wife and put a few cards in her hand and then woke her up and told her it was her turn and she had to draw 4 so she wakes up all confused but starts playing and the husband keeps putting down +2 and +4 cards until she gets angry and goes back to sleep and you cannot tell me that it’s not poly!paul and Jared canon that they would go to GREAT LENGTHS to pull this prank with their chests and convince you that you’d all been playing uno for hours before you fell asleep and also you were losing (despite knowing you’re a grumpy loser)

Idk if the link is gonna work here but here it is anyway https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGe4tFr8H/

i don't think anything in this world could possible be more poly!paulxreaderxjared coded than this

...

"babe," jared's warm, calloused hand was gently running over your bicep, squeezing the muscle there to wake you up.

you hummed, groaning as you reached your hands up to blearily knuckle at your eyes only to realized you had something in your hand. once you'd gotten your eyes opened, you saw 6 bright yellow uno cards staring you in the face.

confused, you looked over to jared and then paul, both of whom also had uno cards in their hands (suspiciously, both jared and paul only had 3). "it's your turn princess," paul encouraged after a moment, both boys eagerly waiting to see what you were going to do next.

you frowned, furrowing your eyebrows together as you tried to figure out when the hell you were playing uno with them. from the best of your memory, you'd fallen asleep waiting for the two of them to come home from patrol and weren't up when they actually did arrive.

much to jared and paul's delight, your paranoia about looking like you couldn't remember anything got the better of you just nodded, yawning before you laid down a yellow 1 card.

while you tried to figure out how you were going to get rid of any cards when all you had were yellow ones, paul and jared were quick to both lay down cards: paul with a yellow 5 and jared with a red 5.

with a huff, you pulled a card from the stack in the middle, and it was (unfortunately for you) a blue 3 - nothing of any use for you. so you continued to pull cards, needing to pull over 10 cards to finally get a red or a 5 thanks to paul and jared fucking around with the card stack prior to waking you up.

"what the fuck," you mumbled, still not entirely sure if you were in some kind of weird fever dream or something as you laid down the red 5 that you'd managed to pull.

you now sported a stack of 15 cards while jared and paul were down to only 2 each, "sheesh babe," jared laughed, "must be bad luck or something," he added, both him and paul barely containing their laughter over your disgruntled expression.

while paul laid down a blue 5, jared went and smacked down a green 3. you looked back down at your stack of a whopping 15 cards, quickly realizing that something was definitely up seeing as your entire stack was yellow and none of them were a 3.

"okay you know what this is just stupid-" you started, rolling your eyes as you tossed your cards down so you could get up. both paul and jared burst into laughter then as you got up and stormed off into the bathroom so you could splash some water on your face.

of course, both boys were quick to follow you into the bathroom, already prepared to deal with your wrath once you pieced together that they not only woke you up in the middle of the night, but woke you up in the middle of the night just to fuck with your head.

"oh poor babe," jared drolled when he saw the pout on your face as you splashed some water on you. he came to step behind you, sliding his hands over your hips so he could pull your back against his.

"jared cameron!" you snapped when you felt the way he ground his hips into yours. you sat up, spinning around to smack his bicep before prying his hands off of your hips so you could go grab a hand towel to wipe your face off.

jared was cracking himself up, wrapping his beefy arm around your shoulders so he could pull you close and press a rather sloppy kiss to your temple before he was releasing you so your other imprinter could have a turn.

"careful, she's real feisty," jared teased as he passed paul so he could head back into the bedroom to presumably clean up the gaslighting uno game they'd played with you.

you were glaring holes into the back of jared's (beyond well sculpted) shoulders, quickly giving up when paul stepped into your line of sight, "princess," he chuckled, sliding his hands over your waist so he could pull you into his chest for a tight hug despite the fact that you had now crossed your arms over your chest, "'m sorry," he mumbled into your hair, his lips curling into a smile, "you're just so easy to mess with," he added, laughing when you rolled your eyes, squirming out of his death grip so you could storm back into the bedroom where jared was now laying down, one arm flexed behind his head as he held some uno cards in the other, already knowing how absolutely crazy you went over seeing his muscles like that.

"round 2?" jared proposed, smirking when you huffed, stomping over to him so you could snatch the pile of cards out of his hands.

"only if you two fuckers play fair-" you grumbled as you got back onto the bed, cracking a smile when paul came and sat down behind you, pulling you inbetween his legs.

"of course we'll play fair," paul reassured, that same teasing tone in his voice that had you knowing they would definitely be tag-teaming you again shortly.

"nice try lahote," you rolled your eyes as you looked over your shoulder at him, "you're gonna see all my cards like this," you added and he dramatically covered his eyes with one hand.

"promise i won't peak," he mused, laughing when you rolled your eyes but obliged nonetheless, seeming to enjoy the heat that being in his lap provided you.

you quickly shuffled the cards before passing them around so all three of you could get back to playing.

[starless-nightz]

Hi idk if you do platonic headcanons but if yes could I request overprotective Artemis with an adopted daughter/figure reader? :)

Platonic! Overprotective! Artemis with adopted! daughter! reader

note -> Artemis is one of my favorite gods i love her so much <33

warnings -> none.

content includes -> fluff, overprotective! Artemis, teasing from the hunters.

Artemis found you, lost in the woods as a child, alone and afraid, yet with a fire in your eyes reminiscent of herself. She didn't mean to get attached, but you clung to her that night, and she just couldn't leave you behind.

Artemis is extremely overprotective. The moment you came into her life, she swore to herself that nothing bad would ever happen to you. She doesn’t let you more than a few feet away from her side and when the Hunters are travelling through hostile territory it's even worse. The few times she does let you go off and do some exploring a few of her Hunters are always in sight, watching over you.

When it comes to threats near you, Artemis shows no mercy. She has faced her fair share of monsters, but since you've been around, she's a little more ruthless than usual. If some poor creature looks too close in your direction, she will confront it. You have seen her ove her bow at the snapping of a twig too near for comfort.

She cannot show affection, but it will manifest in the little things. She will sit with you by the campfire at night, pointing out the constellations. She will hunt you a rabbit when you are down, cooking it personally because she knows that is how you like it best. And though she's not one for physical comfort, she'll drape her cloak over your shoulders when the nights grow cold, pretending it's just because you look "chilly."

As you grow older, you two fight more. The fights are not frequent, but they are intense. You are independent, and Artemis respects that, but she cannot help the strong urge to keep you safe. You fight when you want to do something dangerous—perhaps accompany the Hunters on some more dangerous quest—and her silver eyes flash, her voice assumes that adamant tone. "You don't understand, you're not like the rest of us." It's only later, when the fire's faded from her eyes, that she'll come and sit beside you, awkwardly trying to explain that she just doesn't want to lose you.

Artemis is terrible at apologies, but she makes up for it in her own way. After fights, you'll wake up to find some rare flower placed carefully beside your bedroll, or a gift of a small, silver charm for your bow. She'll never admit to having spent hours looking for the flower, but you know.

You are the only mortal with whom she has ever fully lowered her guard. On quiet nights, she will speak to you of her long years, of the weight of immortality and what she has lost to time. It is a privilege she has never extended to any of her Hunters, excluding Zoe, but she can trust you with these moments of weakness.

She's fiercely proud of your skills—you're a really good archer now, thanks to her training. But every time she sees you draw back your bowstring, there's a shadow in her expression. A silent reminder that no matter how strong you get, she'll always see you as the little girl she found in the woods.

The Hunters have grown to regard you as a younger sibling, too, but none are quite as overprotective as Artemis. They tease you that you've turned their goddess into a worrywart, but behind the words is an edge of keen sincerity. They truly know just how much you've come to mean to her.

Artemis won't let any other gods near you, not even Apollo, who is especially curious about her "little mortal." The rest of the Olympians are just so unpredictable, and only the thought of you getting embroiled in their games can send Artemis's blood up in a storm. Once, on the rare occasion that Apollo did get to meet you, Artemis hovered, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, ready to intervene at the first hint of trouble.

She trusts you, though sometimes, with all of her over-protectiveness, it may not always show; she has seen the strength in you, in the resilience that keeps you moving forward when things get hard. But even as she wants to hold you close and protect you from everything, it seems, she knows in the end she is going to have to let you forge your path.

But until then, she will hold you close to her, protectively guarding you as the moon would guard the night sky, prepared to face all dangers that may come your way. To her, you were that one speck of warmth which she never had imagined coming her way, a light in her endless, lonely nights. And she will do all it takes to keep that light safe.

[grumpymiika]

♡ TW: Yandere, kidnapping, dark content

♡ English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistakes.

You worked at a modest little bar every evening. The atmosphere possessed such a warm, lively charm. You would listen to your patrons' confessions, exchange small talk, and earn your tips. It was easy to admit that you enjoyed working there, even if it wasn’t the career your parents had envisioned for you.

One day, a regular patron, with whom you had grown familiar, arrived. He would come in every day, order a single whisky, and sit in a secluded corner of the establishment. The most unsettling part of it all was his impeccable timing—arriving just as your shift began and not leaving until you were ready to close. Yet, you couldn’t accuse him of anything without evidence. Perhaps he simply had this time free and chose to spend it in the company of his faithful companion: his whisky.

Days passed, and nothing of real consequence happened. Still, despite searching for a reasonable explanation, you couldn't shake the growing unease that man instilled in you. Observing him closely, he was tall, very tall, and strong. His hair was dark as coal, and his eyes were a captivating shade of amber-brown. His face was adorned with scattered beauty marks, as though he had been sculpted by the gods themselves. You had never seen a more handsome man. But stop thinking such nonsense! Handsome or not, it was undeniable that his behavior was odd. Determined to uncover the reason behind this man's frequent visits, you began to muster the courage to ask him directly.

One evening, like any other, your shift was drawing to a close, and you were the one responsible for locking up. You were cleaning glasses, organizing them in preparation to close the bar. And there he was, sitting motionless, just as before. Usually, by this hour, he would have already left. You had other things on your mind, so you paid him no attention—a terrible decision, one that you would only realize later.

He slowly approached the counter where you stood, and before you could react, his hand clamped around your neck, and he pressed a cloth over your nose. Everything became a blur. The world faded to white, and you collapsed into his arms.

When you opened your eyes, you found yourself in a strange place, somewhere you had never been before. Looking around, seeking answers, the memory of what had happened rushed back, and panic took hold of you. "That bastard...," you whispered to yourself, trembling with fear. The full weight of your predicament dawned on you. Foolish, foolish! How could you have turned your back on someone like him? But there was no time to dwell on that; it was far too late. You attempted to stand, but were abruptly stopped by the heavy chains fastening your neck to the wall. Tears welled up in your eyes, and sobs escaped your lips. Before you could think of what to do, you heard footsteps descending the stairs. It was him.

With a small smile on his lips, he drew closer to your shackled figure. “Finally awake,” his voice echoed in the small, dust-filled room. “Who are you? Why am I here?” you stammered, desperate for answers. “Me? I’m Eric, and you’re here because I love you,” his words struck you like a blow. Love? But you didn’t even know each other!

“Don’t look at me like that, darling. This is all your fault—if you hadn’t seduced me, you wouldn’t be here.” More tears streamed from your eyes. He was mad! Kneeling down to meet you at eye level, he wiped your tears away with his thumb. “Shh, don’t cry, princess. We’re finally together. There’s nothing to regret.”

He presses a tender kiss to your cheek—under different circumstances, it might have seemed sweet. “I will always take care of you, darling.”

“Take care of me? You’re insane if you think this is ‘taking care’!”

“Darling… it’s time you realized you don’t need anything besides me. Work? Never again. I’ll take care of everything now.”

“You filthy bastard! You’re out of your mind! Can’t you see this is madness?!”

His expression darkened, his irritation evident as he arched his eyebrows. “You’ll learn to love me,” he muttered, rising to his feet. As he moved toward the staircase, he blew you a kiss before heading up, locking the door securely behind him—or at least, that’s what you assumed, having only heard it. You didn’t see anything for sure.

Terrified of what your future held, you desperately tried to free yourself from the chain fastening you to the wall, but to no avail. This was your new life. You could only hope you wouldn’t come to regret your decisions—had it not been for your misstep, you wouldn’t be here.

You will live with Eric forever, whether you like it or not.

Part 2?

[sleepis4theweak]

WARM UP SKETCHES YAYYAYAYYAYAYYYYYY

Except plot twist: all of them are based off of posts I have saved as reblogs in my drafts.... I like to save stuff there to look back on! And so I was scrolling through them for doodle inspo!

So credits:

1- @trashyandtiredsol ! From their ref of themselves here! <3 2- @cuddlebugmonster 's Usagi <3 <3 <3 Whom I love so much.. his design is so amazing I'm in love with it AH! Ref post here. 3- @bulbabutt 's Mona Lisa! I've been following their comic and I'm so so interested in seeing where it is going....... here's the one I have saved (tho theres a third one now!) and here's the first in the series!

4- @scarylarry376 's rottmnt oc Elise!! I just think she looks really cool hehehehe... I've been wanting to draw her for a while! Post here! 5- @winkwonkblog 's Leo from this post!! LISTEN LISTEN I JUST LOVE THE WAY THEY DRAW THE TURTLES OKAY??? IM OBSESSED AND LEO IS SO PREEETTYYYYYYYY <3 6- @probably-not-a-rutabaga 's aberration au Leo!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH AND ALSO HERE'S THE POST I AM FASCINATED BY THIS AU

7- @junoinouterspace ... listen this au has been in my head for weeks now it feels.... teacher mikey.... and also his design.... it rotates in my head constantly... mayhaps an unhealthy amount even..... I adore it. Here's the post! (Also I forgot Mikey's nose ring OH NO-) 8- @defnotnoodle 's Miku Donnie!!!! EXCEPT I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THEIR LITTLE BROWSER FACE COVERING IM SORRY AHHHHHHHHH) Post here!! <3 9- Little note cat <3.... Its a cat that I doodle on all of my notes... he's stinky :/

10- @sha-biest 's GF MIKEY AND AMMI!!!!! BECAUSE I LOVE THEM AND THEIR DESIGNS!!!!!!! I've been wanting to draw them for a while and they were just as fun to draw as I imagined..... anyways posts here and here! <3

SORRY FOR ALL OF THE TAGS AND NOW I'M OFF TO DRAW BYE BYE <3 <3 <3

[broken-clover]

I can't help but find Amane compelling. For a lot of reasons, really, but his use of gender as a character motif gives him a surprising amount of texture the more you look at him (Especially for a series that admittedly veers into gender stereotypes a lot, but that's neither here nor there).

Which I guess seems obvious at first glance. I've often seen him lumped in with a lot of other 'trap' (ugh) characters, but in a way it's sort of funny, because it couldn't be more wrong as a takeaway. At a glance, yes, Amane is an androgynous man who wears dresses and makeup. Thing is, though, the point of it isn't to trick anyone- Amane is entirely comfortable in his gender and how he presents, and his choice of wearing 'feminine' things is entirely out of passion.

His visual appearance might offer confusion, but his personality doesn't offer the same sort. For someone that presents himself so gracefully and beautifully, Amane is outright described as

speak(ing) in a rather crude tone at times, and has a manly personality

While I don't know about 'crude' in particular, he has a tendency to speak very directly, and takes pride in his masculinity. His moveset is filled with references to super sentai series, which are often associated with young boys and filled with stereotypically 'boyish' motifs, like martial arts and giant robots. He makes no effort to obscure his gender identity, he perceives himself as a man, and corrects people who mistake him for a woman. But, clearly, being mistaken for one doesn't bother him, as he still happily partakes in his art form and makes no attempt to dress more 'masculine' for sake of having people perceive him as such.

(Even in terms of his non-dance hobbies, Amane leans toward 'feminine' things. He makes candies and is seemingly the only parental figure toward his numerous adoptive children, whom he loves and cares for in the sort of nurturing way that one might more typically associate with motherhood than with fatherhood.)

Amane's use of dance as a motif also leans heavily into this concept. Art forms like dancing often get written off as 'girly' with the unspoken implication that something with that descriptor is less important or even easier in comparison to stereotypically male-oriented hobbies. But dancing, especially in the professional world, takes an unbelievable amount of physical and mental training in order to do well and create a visually captivating performance. Amane's design being based on an onnagata kabuki actor, or a man who plays female roles, also ties into this. Though it sounds simple on paper, onnagata techniques can take years to master, and include learning a wide range of techniques, from makeup styling to posture to vocal training. The fact that Amane is a seasoned professional dancer means that he would be fully aware of all this. While he may employ those techniques on stage, he does not use them in casual interaction. In Amane's perception, he is a man, and having a ladylike appearance does not do anything to the contrary. He is merely himself, perfectly comfortable with both identity and presentation.

Likewise, it feels like these themes are deliberately contrasted with a more stereotypically masculine character in Bang Shishigami. Blazblue has multiple 'hypermasculine' characters such as Azrael and Kagura, but Bang seems to be the one the narrative most frequently draws a parallel to, as they encounter one another multiple times- And, fittingly, both are themed around very stereotypically Japanese motifs, kabuki and ninjutsu. While both seem to embody very traditional themes visually, Bang is a character that adheres more to those traditionalist traits in terms of personality, styling himself as a manly, physically impressive hero who tries to win a woman's heart through acts of valor. When Amane encounters him, as the first dialogue in the first game he debuts in, Bang confronts him not because he has any real business with the man or has mistaken him for a troublemaker, but because Bang finds him 'strange.'

"What kind of attire is that for a man to wear around...!? It screams 'frail' and 'weak'! I can hardly believe my eyes..."

Amane, just as a concept, confuses him and contradicts his idea of what a 'proper' man should be. It's something that Amane even calls him out for later

"Never you mind! It is a crime for a man to look so...so...so beautifully feminine! I shall smack some guts and conviction back into you as a representative of Ikarugan masculinity!" "Whoa whoa, don't you think you're being just a little prejudiced?"

Obviously, Amane sees nothing wrong with how he presents. He sees nothing wrong with a man being beautiful the same way that Bang does.

Though the gag reels are non-canonical, the 'Contest of Manliness' from Chronophantasma seems almost designed to highlight the concept. Amane enlists in the contest to display his sense of endurance, making it to the finals to the surprise and shock of Bang, who views him as a 'gentle-mannered pretty boy,' at one point bringing up a similar point from their encounter in the arcade route

"Despite your appearance, you are actually quite tough..."

Even in combat, he displays this sense of duality. He battles using fans, his scarf, and a parasol, all more stereotypically ladylike implements compared to something like a sword or firearms. He can hit has hard as any other male character, but his movements are graceful and agile, with a sense of elegant poise. It isn't that he is powerful *despite* his feminine presentation. His power is his own. It is simply a matter of what medium he uses to comfortably express that power, regardless if some might view it as weird.

Amane is not a man trying to 'trick' anyone into thinking he's a woman. Amane is Amane. He is a very pretty man who likes to dance, and he is very manly while doing so, and is also very pretty while kicking ass, thank you very much.

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Loser Baby~ (Marxolor)

When I first heard this I thought to myself... "this is their song."

In the KBASW AU, they're very similar in nature, and they're brought together through circumstances... both are losers. And that is what makes their relationship so beautiful ~

And yes I changed some of the lyrics to fit Marx better~

Keep reading for extra lore/ spoiler-ish content

I've decided to hit two birds with one stone...knock out a few questions I had...

Yeah, the Marxolor/Magolor asks have been stewing in there... Sorry for taking so long but I FINALLY learned how to draw Magolor.

He plays a big role in the story... he is pretty much very close to his game counterpart, but his reasons and motivations for the Master Crown are very different.

The Master Crown was created and owned by his great-grandmother... Minerva Mim also known as... MAD MADAM MIM. (And for those who aren't familiar with Disney's The Sword in the Stone.) Who was the ruler of Halcandra during her time...

Magolor's full name is Magolor Mim

But she's also a mix with Harry Potter's Minerva McGonagall.

(And yes) she's connected with Lady Celestine (who is this KBASW Merlin), and they were best friends. She's the reason why the Ancients & Halcandrans did business. Halcandran techolong & the Ancients magic. A deal Sir Icarus tried to secure but could not negotiate at all...

However, Celestine managed to get it with ease... (*cough* bribed her way*. ) Over time they did become genuine friends... I'll expand on her later... In short, she was basically the only one whom Celestine told of her alter-ego, Merlyn (Sir Arthur figured it out).

She was snarky, eccentric, and a bit vain at times, but at her core was a good person.

Celestine brought out the best in her and Minerva brought out the adventurous side of her and encouraged her to be bolder. (BTW she was the number one Celarthur shipper).

However, after Celestine's "execution" (secretly they crystalized her): Minvera refused to do business with the GSA & the Ancients due to her friend's unfair trial... despite the threats they made to remove her from power if she continued to remain loyal to Celestine... but no matter how much they threatened her she still couldn't do it...

As a result, the Ancients removed her from her seat as ruler... and the GSA tried to arrest her for siding with a "traitor." However, she didn't go down without fighting. "If I can not have my crown... NO ONE CAN!" Cursing the crown that there will be no more another ruler of Halcandra... and using it to erupt the volcano that resided on the planet... creating its now, current state... becoming MAD MADAM MIM. (But in truth, she was just grieving... loss of her best friend. )

After that, the Ancients ordered to get rid of any descendant of Madam Mim's lineage. And thus the GSA hunted down and exterminated every living relative of Mim's household. However one survived the carnage.

Magolor is the lone survivor of his entire family's... orphaned and on the street... struggling to survive. He did everything to keep himself afloat... even if he had to BEG, STEAL, OR BORROW. HE'D DO IT!(There are a few more things... Magolor had a connection to the Sqeak Squads and Daroach, but that's a story for another day.)

Eventually, he finds out about his heritage and the fact that his whole household was wiped out due to... HER LOYALTY TO ONE PERSON. BAH, DANG IT GRAN WHAT WERE YOU THINKING I COULDA BEEN A KING AND YOU THREW IT AWAY FOR FRIENDSHIP?! From that, you can probably see why Magolor isn't so keen on the value of it since the very thing pretty much wiped out his entire family... And thus began Magolor's search for the crown...

Magolor's betrayal, & redemption does happen like in the game:... does his little shop, makes his amusement park. However, he does a few extra things that connect to the Kirby anime... Magolor manages to revive Chill and rebuild Kirby's robot dog for him (episode 12). (After that, the gang was won over by Magolor...)

Kirby's robo-pet is actually a big thing in the KBASW, he's basically the equivalent of Kirby's iPad/computer.

With this Magolor is fully redeemed, but his arc's not quite done just yet... he still can't help but feel something is missing in his life. Yes, he's learned the value of friendship and junk... he has friends now but... How could he still feel alone when he was people around him.. a feel that he could only describe as underlining emptiness.

Enter Marx. And as I said in the Marx post... Marx saves Kirby ( I won't say from whom yet but) he gets injured the gang wants to help him but... He didn't want a pity party and tried to get away.

Marx: I DON'T NEED YOUR HEL-! *FACE PLANTS ow...

Everyone: You need our help~

Marx wasn't comfortable staying in Dreamland to recover (he knows people *cough* Bun wouldn't take too kindly of him returning), so to compromise, they cashed in a favor from Magolor... Resulting in Marx being delivered by the gang... via kitten in a basket.

Kirby: Hi Mags, this is Marx... Do you think you can watch him for a bit he's we just need you to watch him so he can recover.

Magolor: Okay, sure... but why is he in a basket?

Marx: HISS *shuts the cover*

Meta Knight: He wanted something with a lid on it.

Mags: Oh~kay *picks up basket* I guess you guys can pick him up when he gets better?

Magolor hoped whatever feral creature they had him watching wouldn't be that much trouble or, at the very least, not bite... but Magolor was pleasantly surprised that Marx seemed... to match him quite perfectly...

Shared his love of ancient relics & magic, sarcastic humor, and a wick wittiness similar to his own. And not just interest but personality-wise as well. Marx had an unapologetic straightforwardness that he appreciated, along with a few oddities that he found strangely endearing...This unexpected guest seemed to fit seamlessly into his life... it actually felt nice to have a companion like this.

Marx at first didn't know what to expect when he was dropped off at Halcandranss doorstep. He assumed that he was being sent to some sort of happy hospital facility, where they were gonna baby him and be monitored 24-7. NO FREEDOM AT ALL, HE'S JUST GONNA BE A CAGED ANIMAL!

But no Mags allowed him to do as he pleased... once he realized that he tried to pretty much annoy Magolor into kicking him out. Using his natural crass, sass, and of course, pranks to do it, however, Magolor didn't fall for any of them. Remaking at each of them describing them as "cute"...

Magolor: Nice try, but... You're not gonna to trick this trickster~

Marx: WHAT!?

Marx assumed Kirby that Magolor was another goody-two-shoes, but... did they bring him to some anti-prank master's house. He should've been angry, but he couldn't help but be impressed. It didn't take him long to stop his fruitless effort... there was nothing else to do but wait till he had a chance to escape.

Marx: "Nothing else, Just sitting and watching this guy... uh what is that you're working on... " leaving being instantly enamored and captivated with Magolor's work. Marx's interest and fascination with Ancient Technology is what drove him to use the Galactic Nova in the first place... which sparked Marx's interest and forgetting his original plans to escape.

Which led him to discover all the similarities they had... However, there was this secret unknown wall the other had up. Wanting to keep there both their "unsavory past beginnings with Kirby."

Magolor didn't want to scare Marx away especially when he was finally starting to get comfortable with him. And Marx not wanting to screw up another friendship he was starting to make, by revealing what he was. Both did not want to ruin the only good thing they had in a while.

When finally Marx recovered, Mags was just about to call Kirby and the gang, and immediately Marx pretended to still be sick. Visibly nervous when the check-in call comes in. This doesn't go unnoticed by Magolor,... so when it comes time to call up Kirby for the update, he buys him more time.

Magolor: I gotcha another week...

Marx: Wait, what...

Magolor: Listen I don't think I can get you another when the time comes so... so you think you can tell me what's going on... Kirby's a nice guy I'm sure he'll-

Marx: But I'm not-

This leads Marx to tell Mags everything about the whole "NOVA FIASCO," and Magolor is just speechless as he reveals each detail. Marx loner he spoke couldn't help but feel like he sunk in even deeper believing he blew it again...

Waiting with bated breath for Magolor to answer expecting him to respond in disgust... only with him to respond with. "Yo, same!"

Thus leading Magolor to reveal his past with the Kirby & the Master Crown, along with his road to redemption. This gives Marx a little hope, but not as much confidence that he could do what Magolor did... But Mags assures him that he's still a work in progress himself and that if he wants to be better he should give himself the chance to do better... after all the first step is always the hardest.

Needless to say, everything works out but even after the whole thing, Marx is still hanging out with Magolor... Hmmm... I wonder why! :3

Thanks again to everyone for sticking around and being patient with the asks... I know I'm taking a while to answer (and the things I promised to be done aren't... sorry, my work schedule is hectic.)

I've kinda hit a bit of a roadblock with the fanfic's art style and recently have been wanting to change it up... but anyhow I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. (So for now I'm trying to knock out a few more asks).

Hope you enjoy the content and have a great day~

[glisten-inthedark]

This is so random lmao but I’ve been trying to figure out what the film (?) poster in Holly’s room is for since we know the Duffers love their Easter eggs, and I noticed in the next shot, it seems like Holly has a beaded necklace on with a little D&D (possible) figurine in it

It’s not a normal pendant because the figure has a base

How cute would it be if Will painted a D&D figurine for her? Or if Mike gave her a figurine to make her feel like a part of the party 🥺

Either way even if it isn’t D&D it’s adorable and also interesting, especially since it definitely has a base under the legs

One more thing about Holly’s necklace; she also has a drawing on her corkboard in her room that looks like a blonde girl with a flower crown and a blue dress. The figurine on her necklace also has a blue dressMaybe she has a princess character she made to try and connect with her big bro’s (and his soon-to-be-bf’s, whom she’s known her entire life) D&D interest🥺🥺🥺

I also figured out what the poster in Holly’s room is: It’s for An American Tail, 1986, directed by Steven Spielberg. It’s an animated film about a mouse & his family who emigrate from Russia to the USA for freedom but the main character Fieval gets lost and needs to find his family again

Hmmm🤔 Inter🤔est🤔ing🤔Man I love the Duffers lol

Hello! How are you?

So I went ahead and found Holly’s picture but I couldn't figure out what her pendant was but maybe you're right about being a DnD figurine but if Mike gave it to her or Will painted it would be so darn cute! I love it!

We know we will see them all together but I wonder how their interactions are going to be and I'm all for it.

Imagine Holly asking Will: "Why didn't you call Mike? He'd always call you and you never called back" and Will being like: "He called me?" And Holly being a child would be like: "well, duh".

[thezenanna]

Your bridge started to burn when you ran all across it.

Patreon | prints | portfolio | commission | Buy Me a Coffee

story behind this weird erie looking illustration (if u dare)

I recently had a bad fallout with a fellow tattoo artist friend whom I treasured so deeply like a twin sister (she looked exactly like me). I think it's neat when you're surrounded by people who are good for you (i.e, people who respect your experience, supports your growth, but won't hesitate to call out what you can do better as well as learn from you).

But it sucked when the person I realized was good for me wasn't at all genuinely good for me.

She burned away every single bridges down to the last one which is me.

If you bump the brightness on your device to max, you can faintly see an eye lurking in the background. It was a drawing I did of her eyes.

She was and still an amazing artist. Her personality was fierce unlike my soft one. People kept mistaking us as twins everywhere we went. So we started bonding like sister. I've always longed for an older sister figure in my life. She thought that I was much better than her actual younger sister. We made a promise that if we ever did something the other didn't like, we would say it to each other's face instead of hiding it and risk it piling up til one day one of us couldn't take it anymore. She was caring and helpful to me. I've always been attentive and treated her with utmost affection (more than my actual brother even).

I could say as many admirable things about here as well as her flaws. I saw her flaws but I looked away, or at least tried to think the best of her, such as coming up with some reasonable explanation for her unreasonable actions sometimes. I was mentally justifying her problematic behaviours with other people in other words. The way she treated other people wasn't okay sometimes, and I would say something to made her feelings valid and kept my actual opinions to myself, while receiving a much different story from others. It was working until it wasn't. I didn't see it coming because I would never thought one day she would direct those problematic behaviors right back at me.

She is a narcissist. I won't go into details what exactly she did to me, but it was enough to tell me that she didn't treasure me as much as I did to her. Hells, she never really treasured me at all. I felt deeply betrayed. I'm the kind of person who wears their heart on their sleeves, so the whole thing left me devastated for weeks, even a bit now still.

My girlfriend and my other tattoo colleagues who actually care about me pointed out and analyzed how she was gaslighting me and using me. She literally had problem with each and everyone in the studio and now me, the person who has been the most affectionate to her. They didn't want to intervene because they respected my personal life choices. My tattoo mentor sort of predicted the whole thing for awhile as well. I still would like to believe that she did actually cared about me at one point but then it turned into something else selfish.

All that said, I didn't regret loving her like my twin sister. I would not change all the things I did for her. I'm a firmer believer in love and kindness are what make people even though it sucks that some doesn't think of them so. My mentor asked me if I was trying to to fix her when I was close to her. I said no, I never thought of her broken to begin with. I just felt like she was so alone and she seemed like she lacked a lot of love, so I was happy to give her.

She could have been the greatest, but shame she just had to go burn down all the bridges and pushed out everyone.

That being said, I still believe in love and kindness, and will open the doors happily for everyone who comes into my life, even if it means risking my heart.

I'm most proud of myself for not quitting art, for still getting up in the morning knowing that I lost a sister. Even when I wasn't producing any commercial illustrations that benefit my career, just drawing alone has been quite meditative in helping me process my feelings peacefully, as well as giving me something to do, keeping me away from moping in bed.

[carpehistoryandthepens]

Legacy (what is a legacy?) Part 17

It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me

Hamilton, the world was wide enough. LMM.

one, two, three, four, Five, six seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen

Summary: Mike is 13. Born May 2009. Sid didn’t know he had a son. All Mike had was hope and a prayer for his and his half-sister’s safety.

(Sid is a dad of a teen he didn’t know about AU) Sidgeno.

Warnings: (for the total story) post-child abuse (all off-screen but it affects things and is spoken about often), learning how to parent, panic attacks, anxiety, based on the 22-23 season, that said last season when i wrote these tags originally, but hey, it takes me a LONG time to write, so now its no longer last season, OCs?, the realization about sexuality. Post breakups. Desperate lack of in-depth research for CPS in both PA/CA, melodrama?, kidfic, angst, slowburn, playing fast and loose with the law for drama/storytelling purposes.

-

Sid and Geno chose to order dinner rather than try to make anything from the kitchen the way they sometimes communicated on the ice during a powerplay: simultaneously and with good practice. Of course, it tended to be about power plays, and now Sid should really get to the net so Geno could get the puck to him, but sometimes it's pizza.

One of the Italian places near them made good in-season meals and excellent pizza for the kids. Geno mocked him for not having an app for the place or a food delivery service, but Sid would call in and talk to a person instead of ordering from a faceless app. All Sid had to do was call in the order, but he had no idea what the kids wanted.

How was he supposed to be a good father?

Some of that had to have played across his face as Geno laughed and told him to go ask.

Sid knocked on Mike and Marisol's door, looking over the crumpled computer paper that had now decorated the entrance. He hadn't noticed when Marisol was drawing, but The brightly colored crayon drawing appeared a few days ago.  

Marisol had drawn a landscape with a sun smiling down on three people on what Sid thought was ice. The ground was blue, at least; it could be water, but the two taller figures had black skates on. The most petite person, whom Sid assumed was Marisol, wore white skates. They were all holding hands, with Marisol in the middle. Sid's person was black and yellow, with what looked like an attempt at an "87" in a childish hand-scrawled on the chest. Mike's number was in purple and gold – much like the Kings' old jersey – but Sid wasn't sure of the number. Sid assumed it was his former team's colors.

Marisol opened the door and looked up to meet Sid's eyes. Sid wasn't sure he would ever get over the height difference between him and her—she was so small. Despite her yawning, she was awake.

"Hello Mari, is your brother up?"

She blinked at him and nodded rather than responding verbally. Marisol opened the door fully to show that Mike and Nikita had crashed out on Mike's bed. Both of them were curled around each other, and it was adorable. Sid nearly died of adorableness just looking at the two boys. He needed a picture to show Geno and the rest of the team. Anna would be so pleased.

He reached into his pocket for his phone before Helena warned him a few days before Came floating back.

"No photos! I don't know you well, Mr. Crosby, but I don't think it will be an issue. However! California and Pennsylvania don't allow minors with contested guardianship to have their images used online. It wouldn't be safe for them."

Sid took his hand out of his pocket, leaving the phone where it was. He would do anything to keep his kids safe, even if it meant he couldn't share all the cute things that his kids did. While unfortunate—he wanted to be like the dads on the team, always with new photos—Sid could do without.

Marisol returned to playing with a set of dolls on the floor, clearly in the middle of some story. Jeff had shown up a few days ago with the dolls, saying his girls didn't want or need them anymore and insisted they go to someone who would love them. Marisol's eyes lit up when she saw the dolls for the first time, so Sid was pretty sure Jeff's girls would be pleased with where they ended up.

Sid had been grateful because he didn't know what Marisol would like. They hadn't had much chance to get her toys yet. Sid mentally set the next off day to ensure they got stuff for her soon. Nikita's toys were enough for now, but she needed more of her own stuff.

"Can I play?" Sid let the boys sleep momentarily and followed Marisol to the dolls. "How are you feeling?" he asked, settling beside her at her nod.

"Muy cansada." She said, lacking most of the energy he had come to expect of her post-nap self, "You be Dad. I'm Bluey." She ordered – neither of the dolls in her hands were of the dogs from the cartoon he had heard a lot about from the dads on the team.

Sid agreed and tried desperately to remember what cansada was in Spanish while ignoring the simple 'you be dad' felt like. He had just heard it on the TV program they had been watching yesterday morning. Something about sleep? But it was before the character had gone to bed…

Tired. It meant tired.

As they played for a bit, Sid gently talked to Marisol, trying to learn more about her feelings and whether she was doing better. It was hard because she kept on answering in Spanish, and Sid was sure it was just as disjointed as her English. With Sid's Spanish being… not good, to say the least, it was a bit of a struggle following along. It was better than it was a month ago, but not good. But he kept on trying.

Besides feeling tired, he had to find out what she was experiencing. Once he was reassured that she wasn't upset anymore or had too many immediate emotional reactions to the day, he gently asked, "Do you want pizza for dinner?"

She nodded quickly, dropping her dolls, "Pizza! I want pizza. With pepperoni and cheese!" She was loud enough to wake the boys.

Nikita was the first to move, still filled with the energy of children. He woke up and nearly vaulted off the bed like Sid had expected Marisol to do.

Mike was a much slower-to-wake-up teenager. "Pizza?" Mike asked, voice thick with sleep but somehow still processing. Food did that to hungry hockey players, especially when they were in their teens. Mike could and probably would, especially after today - both being on the ice for the first time in a while and Marisol's panic attack – finish the entire pie by himself.

Sid nodded, hiding a laugh at the hungry teenager presented before him. "Yeah, Pizza. What do you want?" He should know his kid's pizza order. That's a thing parents know, right?

Mike raddled off an order of toppings that Sid felt needed to write down; he still sounded half asleep. Marisol's order was much easier to remember.

"Hold on," Sid said, reaching for his phone to write it all down. Nikita was already giving him a basic order, saying that Sid had seen Geno eat a time or two in their youth—lots of tomatoes and mushrooms.

Once Nikita was done talking, Mike's brain seemed to come fully online, and he immediately backpedaled. "Cheese would be fine," he said, looking away toward Marisol.

Marisol didn't even seem to notice; she and Nikita were playing with the dolls and talking about pizza.

Sid sighed internally; someday, Mike would allow himself to take up room. "One meat lover with green pepper and jalapenos." He said firmly, using a little of the captain's voice he had for rookies who were nervous for their first games. He tapped the order into his notes app.

Mike looked up, and despite some of the worry and stress still on his face, even after the nap, he smiled. For once, he looked like the teenager he was rather than a lost child.

-

Zhenya stepped back into the hallway. He tapped away at his phone, making the order for delivery before Sid could even get it into his head to a call.

He had to do something rather than think about the realization that he just had. He would have to revisit what he realized later.

There was no way he could deal with it now.

Zhenya blindly typed into his phone and put the order in. Zhenya hadn't even seen Sid. But he knew. With the soft tones, the careful words, the firm reassurances, Sid sounded like he had the first year that Zhenya was in Pittsburgh. Sid sounded like he did when Zhenya was a teenager. He had a crush that he thought was just a passing fancy and was excited about the future.

He nearly clipped his shoulder on one of the corners of the hallways leading back to the kitchen. The app buzzed and declared his order in. Pizza for dinner. Or, well, pizza for the kids and salad and pasta for him and Sid. He had to be more careful. The team would never let him live it down if he injured himself on a wall before the season really started.

It wasn't long before Sid came out of the bedroom looking distracted.

"I'm made order," Zhenya told him as Sid entered the kitchen. He was a little proud of how even his voice was; Sid would never be able to tell he had figured something out listening to him talk to Marisol.

Sid gave him an odd look, "You heard the orders?"

Zhenya did his best not to look like he was reeling from something. Which he was, of course, but he didn't want Sid to know that. "Yes. The kids were loud."

Sid snorted, "Yeah, they're kids, eh?" he breezed past his confusion. "How long is the wait?"

"Forty minutes," Zhenya said.

The kids ran in at that moment, Nikita and Marisol's exhaustion gone. Mike was more sedate behind them but looking much better than the last time Zhenya had seen him.

"Food?" he asked, hope in his voice.

"Soon," Zhenya said before Sid could tell them an exact time. Zhenya was vague, not for Mike's sake and more for Nikita's. Nikita could and would watch the clock; if the driver was just slightly late, he would be so upset. Save them the headache. "Pizzas on way."

Mike accepted that before he followed the kids to the living room. Nikita was pushing mini sticks.

Zhenya shot a text to Anna before he could forget. He had to talk to her. Are you busy later tonight?

Because he loved Sid.

When he realized he loved Anna, Zhenya told her immediately because it was on a quiet date before she chose to stay in Pittsburgh, before Nikita, with just them (he may or may not have booked an extravagant dinner)

This was different. Well, the feelings weren't too different, but it was Sid. Not someone Zhenya had just met or a guy who was out of the spotlight and happy to stay there. Sid wasn't interested in guys anyway.

Anna's message came back quickly. Free now if it's for Nikita, around nine if not.

Not about Nikita, and he's fine. I'll call around nine, then. Good night call for Nikita, and then we just need to talk, he sent back. Actually, goodnight calls from both of them might be a good idea. He made a mental note to bring that up. Calling before Nikita's bedtime was already his routine unless he was on the ice. (A few times, he's called in the second intermission.) Anna might want to set up something like that, too.

She sent him a thumbs up. "Will call Anna tonight." He said to Sid, who was setting up the dining table, muttering to himself about learning how to prepare vegetables in a way the kids would like.

Sid looked up from setting the plates down, "Everything alright?"

Zhenya hummed, "Yeah, for Nikita's bedtime. And have to talk about a few things."

"Oh, okay," Sid said, bemused. I'll make sure to stay out of your way. You guys are really taking the trying-to-be-friends things seriously, eh?"

"Sid saw when Anna was here," Zhenya said with a slight glare. "If me and Anna say friends, then we friends."

Sid smiled, shrugging, "It's easier in person, I would imagine."

"Anna is hurricane. When she says friends, then we friend." Zhenya said, conveniently leaving out that he was also a hurricane, and together, they might have been category five on the days they fought. "And you know distance after a breakup! How's Kathy?"

Sid laughed, "We barely talk, but she's good; she gives me the occasional update on Maverick."

Zhenya watched, relieved that Sid was laughing because he would have hit himself if he had brought it up, and Sid would have gotten sad. When he said they were finally done, Zhenya believed Sid, the long-term power couple of the Pens. But for a while last season, it was a touchy subject that he and Tanger did their best to approach carefully.

"Anyway," Sid continued, "I think Mike is going to for a tutor rather than school. Do you want one that might be able to help with Nikita?"

As they lost themselves in the minute of parenting, Sid mostly offered ideas, and Zhenya approved or dissuaded him from even bringing them up to Mike and Marisol.

Getting Mike a trainer might be a good idea. They probably wouldn't find a tutor who could handle three kids of wildly different experiences, even part-time, and who could also be a nanny—it's best to have two different people. It did seem that Marisol was interested in skates but maybe talk to her to see if she wants hockey or figure skates. Two coaches on the ice at the same time might be best.

This was one of the reasons he loved Sid: he was the captain and would do his best to ensure everyone had what they needed. He would lean on his people to get him the best information, but Sid was the leader.

The occasional noises and yelling from the kids in the living room nearly prevented them from hearing the buzz of Sid's gate intercom, but the cheering they heard when the pizza was brought in was gratifying.

-

Telegram

(2215) Anna: now that you realize what are you going to do?

(2216) Zhenya: idk yet. Get over it? It's not like it's reciprocated.

(2216) Anna: it's taken you 15 years to figure this out, and you /think/you're going to 'get over it?!'

(2216) Zhenya: what do you mean 15 years?

(2217) Anna: at least.

(2217) Anna: You know exactly what I mean. I didn't think you knew, but I've known from your stories for /years/ that this was a possibility.

(2217) Anna: And plus, you didn't hide that rookie crush as well as you thought you did. If I could see it in film.

(2218) Zhenya: what.

(2218) Zhenya: I mean. Yes. as a rookie. But not since. I think. It was a /passing/ crush! Every rookie gets one! Especially LIKE MINE.

(2220) Zhenya: years?

(2220) Anna: I'm not blind.

(2220) Anna: 😂 

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide: Red Shift (41888 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 10/?

Summary: A mysterious signal is drawing ships across the Grand Line to a place called Elegia for the first ever concert by the rising star singer, Uta. Following the signal are Cross Guild and fallen emperor Shanks, the Charlotte family, the Donquixote Pirates and the shattered remnants of Law's crew, and Kid's crew, and Cavendish and Bartolomeo.

And the Straw Hats and their captain Luffy, who hasn't seen Uta since they were both little children at their idol Shanks' knee.

Perhaps this meeting was ordained by fate. Perhaps, in the end, there was only ever one tragic outcome possible.

But Luffy has other plans.

catch up here

-

"So uh—I imagine you're upset and confused, Stra—Luffy." 

Confused and upset was the beginning of it at least. Luffy had rarely been knocked out of a good mood faster. From the high of seeing his sister again, and almost certainly convincing her to join his crew to…

Whatever this was.

Law was important to him. 

If Law hadn't already been a fellow captain, Luffy would have dragged him onto his crew without hearing any argument about it. He was starting to think that he should have done so anyway because Law was apparently mind controlled, or poisoned, or had brain damage or something.

And where was the rest of his crew? Standing around with the Donquixote pirates (only a few of whom Luffy actually recognized, but the rest he could make assumptions on) Luffy saw Bepo… and Komurasaki. He didn't see any of the other guys that Law had introduced him to.

He did see Viola though.

And that was weird.

"I'm really fucking confused, Traffy." He put his hands on his hips, waiting to hear what the explanation would be. He'd dragged Robin over with him when Mingo had sidled up behind Law not because he expected her to be able to go toe to toe with him, but because he trusted her judgment. Robin would know what was going on, and she'd be able to tell him if he couldn't figure it out.

Viola waved at him pleasantly from the other side of the bridge. It was still weird.

Law grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Yeah well—I've had a really confusing couple of weeks. Things weren't exactly going to plan long after we split up after Wano. They kinda went to shit actually."

Robin made a soft 'hmmm' sound beside Luffy, her fingers moving to her chin as she peered up at Doflamingo—was she studying his expression?

"What do you mean by that? Did Mingo do something?"

"I'm hurt, Straw Hat," Doflamingo purred.

Luffy pointed at him. "I'm not talking to you."

-

This was a disaster. A fucking disaster. Straw Hat thought that—he didn't know, Doflamingo had sunk his ship and brainwashed him or something. Surely that fucking nonsense head of his was thinking up some elaborate scenario where the reasonable solution was his favorite—'punch the bad guy into paste, bang about it after'.

He rubbed his fingers on his temples before he hissed out a sigh and held up his hands. 

"Mingo didn't do shit except pull us out of the drink, Strawhat-ya. It's goddamned BLACKBEARD who did somethin' to me!" The anger bubbled up in him like a fountain, his expression hardening as he hissed out. "Blackbeard ambushed us. Blackbeard sunk my sub and probably killed my entire crew. Saki and Bepo are the only ones who were with me when I woke up, fished out of the ocean by Doffy and his gang."

Robin tilted her head. "And—how exactly had you found him, Doflamingo? I thought you were sent to Impel Down." 

"Am I allowed to speak?" Doffy drawled, looking imperiously down at Luffy.

Straw Hat shrugged. "Sure, fine, go ahead."

Doffy smiled and held up his hands. "I never made it to Impel Down. I was rescued— thanks to Sir Crocodile, as well as the valiant effort of our own dear Violet. We've been working with Croc's new gig, Cross Guild, since then."

Law watched Luffy look at Robin, probably looking for her to offer any additional information.

Robin's expression softened somewhat, her brow knitting together at the mention of Crocodile. "I see—so you're a part of Cross Guild now. Crocodile's answer to the World Government—I hear they've been doing admirable work."

She glanced up at Violet, who smiled at her and nodded her head, calling out from the other side of the bridge "I happened to notice the Polar Tang while providing recon—and I saw it get sunk with enough time to redirect our efforts towards Law's safety."

"Thanks again, Vi," Law gave her a weak smile before he looked at Luffy again. "They're working with Crocodile and Buggy and Mihawk now—and—-"

He made sure to watch Luffy's expression "Hancock Boa and the Kuja, as well as a bunch more."

Law's calculation had been correct, Luffy's expression softened at the mention of Hancock. He puffed his cheeks out for a moment, and blew out a long, slow breath that rustled his bangs under his hat.

He looked back at his crew for a moment– Law thought he saw him lock eyes with Vivi for a moment, before turning back to him.

"So… alright. So. Mingo never went to Impel Down. And he saved you from Blackbeard. And he's working with Crocodile and Hancock and… and what, Traffy? I thought you hated Mingo so much! You told me about it for like, hours while we were on our way from Punk Hazard to Dressrosa!"

In hindsight, it probably hadn't been his best pillow talk ever.

Law flushed down to his chest at the memory, and he pressed his hand to his face. 

"I did hate him, Luffy—but I was angry, I was angry like you've been angry at people before. I'd hyped myself up for revenge for 13 years after I lost Cora—Rosi–--but after winning, I dunno…"

His shoulders sagged slightly "I grew up in the Donquixote family, after I lost my hometown they took me in—gave me shelter, friends, a home. Tried to help me stop tryin' to kill myself. And after I was convinced they were usin' me, and after I lost someone important to me, I let that anger drive me, hopefully I thought at the time, to my death."

Robin hummed under her breath. "Regret is a powerful emotion."

Luffy glanced over at Robin, and then back at the crew again. And then at Law.

"So, you're not mad at Mingo any more." He was quiet and for a moment his mouth was a hard line. "He hurt a lot of people, Traffy. All those people in Dressrosa. Rebecca. You remember Rebecca, right?"

"Of course I remember Rebecca!" Law said, running his hand through his hair with a sharp hiss "and trust me, I've laid into Dof—Doflamingo about it plenty. I'm not letting him pull anything like that again, ever."

And he had– moments when they were alone, he'd absolutely given him hell about it. Lots of threats of 'that's what happens when you go to far, you fucking idiot' and 'you aren't pulling anything like that again'.

"A lot. Rebecca, she deserved better than that shit, the people of Dressrosa? They also deserved better—-but where's Rebecca now, Strawhat?" He leaned in with a thin smile. "Didn't see her with the Strawhats, and I heard she fled Dressrosa."

"She left Dressrosa with us!" Luffy said huffily. "But she decided to stay with Sanji's siblings, I guess, after she met them."

Law watched him chewing his lip, as if chewing the whole thing over.

Doffy meanwhile chuckled. Law knew that Doffy already knew what Luffy said was true. He had been the one who told Law about it. And he'd heard it from Violet, her aunt.

"You mean the army of evil?" Law said carefully. "The army that's committed atrocities the world over as a hired gun for whoever paid top enough dollar? And then there's Alabasta—" he glanced at Robin, who looked briefly down with a soft 'hum' of breath.

Violet walked a little along the bridge with the click of her heels. "Luffy, if she's in range I can check on her and see how she's doing—she is my beloved niece after all." 

"Your niece." Luffy bit his lip harder. He looked back at the crew again. "Sanji, you know her, right?" He waved toward Violet. "Is she Rebecca's aunt?"

Sanji stared at Luffy for a long moment, before he looked up at Violet with a suck on his cigarette "I never forget an angel—-yeah, that's the lovely Viola Rik—"

"Violet please," Violet corrected."I left that name behind when I fled home"

"But of course," Sanji dipped into a bow. "That's Violet, of the Riku family." 

"Thanks, Sanji." Luffy nodded, and turned back to Violet, pointing at her. "You're Rebecca's aunt and you're here, too, huh? Alright, if you can check on Rebecca for me, that's fine. I'd like to know how she's doing."

Violet laughed into her hand. "I was—inspired by her, and I fled home as well. But I had difficulty abandoning my second family." She gave Doflamingo a lingering look, affectionate even with her slightly muted emotional expression.

Robin chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment before she murmured to Luffy. "I think we should hold off on the violent approach. I don't believe Law is compromised—but we'll face this with caution."

Luffy slowly nodded.

Violet raised her fingers to her eyes and seemed to concentrate, her eyes opening wide and intense behind the 'focusing lenses' she used to zero in her powers—only something seemed to go wrong.

First her lips formed a sharp frown—and then her eyes widened and pinpricked behind her circled fingers. "I…I…I…"

She stammered, Law had never heard the woman stammer before, she was always so surefooted with her words, but here she was starting to shake and stutter out the same aborted sentence over and over.

"I…I…" 

Immediately the whole family turned toward her. Doffy fucking rushed to her side, scooping his arms around her. "Vi? Are you alright?"

"What's wrong with her?" Luffy demanded, staring.

Violet was shaking as she stumbled back into Doffy's arms with a voice filled with blind panic. "I'm blind—" she murmured. "there's—there's something, it's not—"

Law wheeled around with a frown "is she having a stroke? Hold her steady, let me have a look at her!"

"Elegia is—isn't—I can't see—" her eyes rolled back as her fingers dropped from her face as her entire body went slack in a dead faint into Doflamingo's arms. 

Luffy whirled around. "Chopper!"

Concern shot through the group like a bullet—Sanji had rushed across the bridge to her almost as soon as she dropped as the Straw Hats and the Donquixotes dropped their feud for long enough to rush to tend to the fallen member.

Law met Chopper in the middle, helping the small reindeer doctor to Violet's side as they began checking vitals. She was out cold, though her body still shook against Doffy's and the occasional murmur broke through the stupor—she sounded scared.

Law was terrified to know what scared the unflappable dancer Violet of the Donquixotes. What was it about this Island—this fucking concert—that could scare the woman who saw everything?

-

When Violet had passed out everyone had rushed to help. Donquixotes, Straw Hats—there was a tense and temporary truce declared while the doctors went to work. With Violet stabilized and in the care of Chopper and Caesar, they'd taken refuge in one of the empty guard booths on the far side of the bridge.

Her vitals were stable, and Law couldn't find anything amiss— not even a clot of blood that might have sent her into a panic and a dead faint. He'd left her in the care of the two doctors while the Donquixotes and the Straw Hats stared one another down. Things were tense, but—at the very least violence was averted.

It was clear everyone was confused, which was fair. Law knew this whole situation was a stupid and confusing mess. The silence was broken only a few times by some attempts at friendly conversation—which was exactly when Luffy had grabbed him and started to drag him off for a 'chat', while Jinbei was left on what Luffy called 'Mingo Guard Duty'.

They stood now in one of the empty rooms of the guard house—why the fuck was it empty anyway??? Where were the guards?? — as Law rubbed his arm with a grimacing smile. "Hey, Straw Hat…" 

Luffy closed the door of the little garret room that seemed to have once been used as some kind of break room. There was a rough wooden table, a couple of matching stools, and a crude wooden bed with some straw and a couple of blankets.

"Hey," Luffy nodded. "So. You're not brainwashed or something."

Law held his hands up. "I ain't brainwashed, Luffy!" 

He knew why the guy was worried, sure—there were powers on the grand line that could twist even someone's thoughts—but it was rare enough that he was still a little surprised it was where Luffy's mind instantly went.

"Okay." Luffy nodded, still leaning against the door. "I wanted to make sure because you were really, really fucking mad at Mingo and usually I'm the one who just… stops being angry. People have told me that's weird."

Law laughed sharply. "Yeah, well—it is a little fucking weird, Luffy. But I'm kinda weird too. I…" His brow furrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I wasted a lot of my life just thinkin' about revenge, Straw Hat. 13 years of holdin' a grudge."

"That's a long time to be mad," Luffy agreed, biting his lip. "I don't think I could stay that mad for that long. I'd just burn up."

Law looked up at him. 

"Which is exactly what I was doin', Luffy. I was burning up, I'd intended on dying basically as soon as we were done, you know. But you kept me alive—and I dunno. When we were sailing from Wano, I realized how much that fire burned away. Especially when Blackbeard sunk my ship, took my crew from me besides Bepo and Komurasaki, who was only on the crew for a few fucking days." 

-

Luffy looked at him with his big, dark eyes. "You were planning on dying?"

The realization hit Luffy in the chest like a fist. It was just like with Robin. Robin who had never planned on making it out of her last encounter with Crocodile. Robin, who had put Luffy in charge of her life after he saved her.

Maybe he'd realized it in the back of his mind that Law was the same way. Maybe he'd just unconsciously known that he had to keep him close.

So maybe that meant that what Law was going through now was like if Robin had gotten picked back up by Croc. Croc who was friends with Vivi now. Croc who, he was pretty sure, had made up with Robin, too.

And Croc who was apparently working with Mingo.

And Mingo who had apparently saved Law's life.

Law nodded with a wry smile. "I'd been planning on dying since I was a kid, Luffy. Even more so after—after Rosi died because of me. Shit, you know how I met the Donquixotes? Have I ever told you that story?" 

Luffy shook his head. If Law had ever told him, he didn't remember it. And with the way Law was talking, he was pretty sure whatever it was was memorable.

Law's smile took on a feral edge as he squeezed his arms tighter around himself. "I'd lost my family to the disease I knew was gonna kill me before I left my teens, my whole town had been killed, and everyone treated me and the marks on my skin like the plague even if it wasn't even fucking communicable."

He mimed pulling something from his belt. "So I'd decided I was going to burn down as much as I could before I died. Ran into the Donquixotes when I'd strapped myself with stolen grenades. Told them that if they didn't take me on and let me cause as much damage as I could before I died, then I'd suicide bomb 'em right then and there." 

Luffy felt his stomach lurch again, and his gaze was drawn to Law's hands at his belt, lingering on them before he snapped back up to look at his face. He could picture it, in his mind's eye. It grabbed him by the heart. It made him think of Nami. Of Sabo.

Of himself, in another world.

He remembered the look on Robin's face the first time he met her. And the look on her face at Enies Lobby when she called out to him.

Could Law see that every hair on his body was standing on end?

"What happened?" Luffy asked quietly.

Law seemed to look at him with his dark, long lashed eyes in a way that said he might have—he took a meandering step towards him but stopped and ran his hand through his hair with a thin smile

He took a deep breath before he continued. "Doffy took me in. He took responsibility for me, you know? Sure, he'd said that if I wanted to kill and destroy that badly I could do it in his name, but it was pretty clear pretty fast that he'd taken responsibility for me. I mean—even though I knew I was dying and that I wasn't going to make it past a handful of years, he still cared for me. He still educated me, trained me to be his Corazon in the future, and made sure I had things to live for even when I was sure I was about to die." 

Luffy was tempted to go and pull him into a hug right then— but he hesitated. He wanted to know the rest of the story. He thought he knew the rest of the story, but now he felt like he didn't understand it.

"But what about what you told me?" he asked, thinking back to their days huddled together on the ship between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa. "What about Cora-san, and the snow, and your fruit? And how Mingo only wanted to use you."

Hearing about it had made him think of Nami back then, too. Of the room full of maps and the smug, nasty look on Arlong that Luffy had been all too excited to punch right off of his face. Luffy couldn't stand people who used others, who forced them to do what they wanted instead of following their own dreams. It reminded him of his Grandfather.

But now he was realizing he wasn't sure what Law's dream had ever been.

Law grimaced again, and his fingers lingered over his tattoo, that smiling face in the center of his chest. 

"I dunno if Cora really believed it, or was just trying to get me out of there, Luffy—but he was a marine. A marine sent into the Donquixote family on the inside to get intel and break them apart. I loved him for trying to save me, but that doesn't mean everything he said was honest."

Law looked down. "It's complicated, but he was convinced his brother was born evil and he'd done everything he could to drive away anyone Doffy took in, Baby 5 and me included. When Cora fled with me, and we went through hospital after hospital—I was desperate, and dying, and when he told me that he found that fruit and that Doffy only wanted it to make himself immortal, I believed it." 

"But it… wasn't true?" Luffy guessed. He shuffled toward him. 

Everything felt uncertain these last few days. Everything he thought he knew had turned upside down. Shanks was untrustworthy– a man who never cared about him except for wanting to make him into a god. A man who'd abandoned his own crewmate, his own adopted daughter, and lied about it.

If Luffy could be that wrong about Shanks, maybe he could be that wrong about Mingo too. 

Yes, Mingo had hurt a lot of people. Hurt people that Luffy cared about, like Rebecca. But Luffy wasn't some pure innocent soul who never hurt people when he was mad.

There had even been that stupid time so long ago when he had been ready to beat the shit out of Zoro.

Who the hell even knew why people did anything? Who knew who was right or wrong, and or who was worth loving and who was worth leaving to die?

The god in his head that Shanks thought was so good and noble had wanted to kill Kaidou. Maybe he should have done it, too, if he was a good, noble person.

But Luffy was not a good, noble person. He was not a hero. He was a pirate.

Luffy watched as Law grimaced and answered him stiffly. "It wasn't true. Turns out the person he stole the fruit from was the guy that Doffy was trying to buy it from— and it wasn't for immortality, it's too risky of an experiment even if he did want it. It's uncertain if it'll work, it needs perfect trust—it's suicide. He wanted it because it could cure me. But Cora got it first and— and then he died, and it convinced me that it was all because Doffy was pissed because his plan failed. So I —I swore revenge."

He threw up his hands with a sharp grin. "13 years of being pissed off due to a misunderstanding fostered by a marine who probably meant well, but drove me against the guy who tried taking me in as part of the family. Made me destroy my relationship with my best friends, Buffalo and Baby 5, and— and for what?"

For what? That was a good question. They'd 'saved Dressrosa', he guessed. They'd returned the doll people to humans, but that was like… that was hero stuff. Luffy didn't actually care about that. Really the only things he cared about were helping Rebecca, which had been accomplished, and helping Law which, he had to admit, even at the time hadn't seemed like it turned out exactly as Law had planned.

In hindsight, Luffy was pretty sure that he'd made a complete mess of whatever Law's plan had been.

But anyway aside from saving Rebecca it had all been a wash.

"I donno," he admitted. "I guess I can see where you're coming from, a bit, Traffy."

"Glad you can at least see it a bit, Straw Hat." Law pressed his hand to his face. "Anyway. Dressrosa's free, right? And Rebecca's running around with the fucking slaughter-brigade for hire made up of genetically engineered mass-murderers, so she's doing well probably—"

He gave him a weak smile. "and Doffy's working with Cross Guild, who really are doin' something important here. Fighting the World Government like only pirates can. And he offered me a place again, even after all the shit I did to him."

Luffy found himself biting his lip. "And you took it, huh? It was something you wanted to do? What about being a pirate captain?"

He was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that, though. Law's crew was gone. They'd been decimated by Blackbeard. 

Luffy looked at Law and for a moment he saw Gecko Moria. He saw the Crocodile that Robin had told him about.

He saw himself, shuddering in Hancock's lap in some horrible world where his whole crew had died at Sabaody and Marineford.

And as far as he could tell, Law had never even wanted to be a pirate captain, or to go after the One Piece either. It was just… stuff that had happened to him.

Before Law could answer him, another question– not quite the same– tumbled out of his mouth. "Is being Corazon what you want to do, then?"

Law nodded slowly as he dropped himself on the edge of the bed, fingers tented like they'd been all those years ago on Sabaody. He smiled, though it was tentative—maybe he wasn't sure how Luffy would react. 

"Yeah, Luffy—I want to be Corazon. I'd wanted it when I was a kid, and now I've got the chance again. I've got my crew, what's left of it, in my 'army', I've got the family, I've got a dream."

He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "They're good people, Luffy. I ain't given up on getting across the Grand Line right behind ya, but—I'm happy doing it with them, too. Especially since it means I can fix some mistakes." 

Luffy shuffled forward across the room and dropped himself on the bed next to Law. He leaned his head on his shoulder. Luffy had been happy for people for chasing way stupider dreams. And he was friends with people who were probably just as bad, if not worse than however bad Mingo was. Hadn't Luffy been so excited to be friends with Jaggy– Captain Kid before they left Wano? And Jaggy's temper was famous, and he was well known for just getting pissed off and murdering people.

If Law said that Mingo and his family were good people, and Law wanted to be Corazon, then Luffy was not going to stop him, or say he was wrong. Even if a little jealous part of him had wished he'd been the one to drag him onto his own crew.

This was what Law wanted. Luffy could tell. There wasn't anything false in what Law was saying.

He nuzzled his shoulder with the top of his head, his hat hanging around his neck.

"Okay. If it's your dream, then I'm happy for you."

Law visibly relaxed—hell, a moment later he grabbed Luffy in a tight hug to draw him close as he laughed with quiet relief. "Thanks, Luffy. This ain't gonna change anything between us, least not for me-– but I'm gonna be happy to introduce you to the gang. I think you'll like 'em when we ain't just fighting our way through 'em."

Luffy wrapped his arms around him tightly, holding him close. "Good! So… we're not going to be enemies, then? I was hoping not!"

-

It was a miracle. Despite Law's anxieties that Luffy wouldn't come around—that he'd see Law joining the Donquixotes as some kind of betrayal and refuse to see that they were all on the same damn side— Luffy was hugging him tight and seemed to understand.

He smiled a bit, lightly patting the captain of the Straw Hats on the back. 

"Tch—course we ain't enemies! Hell, the only reason the Donquixotes were against us in the first place was because shit went sideways, but—we're all on the same side now. And even if we weren't…" He squeezed Luffy tighter and murmured, "Doffy's so happy I'm back he basically does anything I ask. I'd just tell him that we had to make up with ya, or I'd walk… and he'd do it." 

Luffy giggled, his arms curled double around him, and it was very encouraging to hear him actually laugh after seeing his serious face and intense stare for so long. "Oh? You've got him wrapped around your finger, huh?"

It was impossible to know what was ever going on behind Luffy's staring eyes—but it must have been good. He was glad, real glad for that.

Law snickered with a nod. "That's right, I do. Poor bastard's down bad, which is good. I can steer him away from his dumber ideas. And—I'll be honest, the whole family's pretty easy to get along with. Baby 5's gotten attached, like 'attached at the hip' attached, to Saki. So if I ask Saki to convince her, she'll be on my side too." 

"Baby 5 is the one who was pointing a gun at me?" Luffy asked, blinking. "I don't think I actually met her before, did I?"

"They were all pointing guns at you, Luffy." Law snorted as he tugged at Luffy's hair. "She's the one who turned into a gun. The one who was yellin' to me. You uh—" he thought for a moment. "Might have kept missing her. She's one of Pica's assassins. Sweet girl, we grew up together." 

"Pica's the really big guy with the funny voice, right? Traffy, I think you're gonna have to introduce everybody to me again, because that whole day in Dressrosa is kind of a blur."

That was unsurprising, really. Luffy had spent most of the day running around, screaming and punching people really, really hard. His rubbery brain probably did not remember much in the way of fine details.

Law grabbed his shoulders and looked down at him with a laugh. 

"Yeah, no shit Luffy. I doubt you remember jack shit about it—so…I'll introduce you around, alright? It'll be fun, just uh—when you see Pica try not to make fun of his voice, ok ? He's sensitive about it and he MIGHT start a fight if you do." 

Luffy hesitated. "A good fight or a bad fight? He does have a funny voice, Traffy. But I don't want to be mean to your friend."

"I mean at this point probably just an arm wrestle until you can convince him not to stew about it but—ya know," Law chuckled with a shake of his head. "Everyone's got their peculiarities in the DQ family. Bunch of freaks and weirdos." 

Luffy nuzzled him again, climbing halfway into his lap. "Well, it sounds like you really like them. So I'm sure we'll figure it out. And maybe I'll even remember some of their names."

Law flushed, and nestled him more firmly on his lap to wrap his arms around him with a nuzzle to the top of his head. 

"I do, we'll figure it out—" he laughed. "Maybe you'll remember their names. And hell…maybe you and Mingo'll get along, huh? He's a huge fan of your sister's, you know. Like, fucking obsessed. That's why we're here." 

"Oh yeah! She's kind of a fan of his too, I saw his wanted poster on the wall of her dressing room!" Luffy laughed, and put his hands against Law's bare chest. "Do you think we have time to make out a little, or do we need to go make sure nobody's thinking about killing each other?"

Law was thrown by the first half of the sentence. "She's a fan of Do–" and then the second half hit and sent his face flushing "...."

He smirked , rolling his eyes. "You never change, Straw Hat. I think we got a lil' time before they come kicking the door down." 

"Perfect!" Luffy grabbed the waistband of Law's pants on either side of his hips and grinned widely. Typical Luffy behavior. "Oh hey, have you made out with Mingo? Is he a good kisser?"

Typical Luffy question.

Law sputtered , before he grabbed Luffy's shoulders and shut him up with a kiss. He'd answer that—later. When the very fucking question didn't make Law want to implode in embarrassment. Until then he'd stall the best way he knew how when it came to Luffy—amorous distraction. 

[dross-the-fish]

Started hanging out with some new friends in a Discord server on days when work from home is slow but I'm not able to leave my desk to draw or write, and I'm honestly surprised by how good of a time I've been having, how at ease I feel. This is the first friend group I've had where most of, if not all of, the people in it are queer in ways that are similar to myself, and not just cisgendered gay or bisexual people, but people who are also non-binary/genderfluid and on the aro/ace spectrum. After a lifetime of being friends with people who were mostly straight or gay and almost all of them cis except for maybe the odd binary-transperson all of whom are allosexual. It also made me realize that I've been walling myself off from most of my old high school friends for the duration of our relationship and haven't even noticed it. I always tend to sit and let little comments slide because I don't want to get into a debate or call too much attention to aspects of myself I'm still figuring out. Dealing with behaviors that were vaguely phobic and excusing them as my friends just "not knowing better," because they seemed well intended otherwise and nothing said was overt. Feeling like before I presented ace characters to them that I needed to have some justification and explanation at the ready and brace myself for people to try and tell me that "well this character can still have sex right?" or "What's the point of making x aromantic?" because they were allosexual and alloromantic and couldn't enjoy characters that weren't "available" in that way. Debates about whether asexuality should even be part of the LGBTQ spectrum weren't common, but they happened. Being made to feel like not being attracted to my partner was unfair to my partner because "everyone deserves to feel attractive to the people who love them." "A stands for Allies" is a thing that came out of one friend's mouth. "Non-binary is trans-lite," is another. "I could never love someone I wasn't attracted to, it must suck so bad to have that part of you missing." When I eventually came out as gender fluid, they seemed accepting but never bothered to use masc pronouns because I still accept fem ones. So they just felt free to ignore my gender all together and one of them even slipped and tried to correct someone who called me "sir" because it was that easy for her to forget, even with me standing right there in a chest binder and men's clothing.

There was always been an element of being ready to defend myself, of weighing my words before I spoke them and agonizing over whether I'd have to hear empty platitudes, excuses of people just "not being used to it" and an obvious, palpable discomfort that no one was willing to unlearn, that would be left for me to bear and to feel like I was at fault for creating by simply existing. And I never noticed it because it was so prevalent and it was still preferable to the blatant hostility most of the conservative population around here has for the LGBTQ community. I can talk to these people about every other thing under the sun, call them when I'm in trouble and they'll help me and turn to them for advice and support in every other area...but the little things still matter. Even when I told myself they didn't. Being around people and feeling like I can be unguarded is such a bizarre feeling that I'm almost afraid of it. Hearing one person talk about how an aromatic character I write isn't broken and wanting strongly for that character to be told that by somebody made me want to cry. Being asked if I would prefer couple art to be sfw vs nsfw because the asexuality of one character was taken into consideration actually felt like a big deal because NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE. I didn't know these things mattered so much until they happened and now I feel I'm at a crossroads and debating if I should make the effort to advocate more for myself among some of my old friends. Acceptance matters, community matters. I always knew this intellectually but it's a whole different level now that I've experienced it. I've learned that it matters to me.

[worrior-studios]

Tigerpaw x Rusty

Growling Tigerpaw launched himself at Thistleclaw. But his mentor easily threw him onto the ground and pinned him.

"You are such a useless fighter! I swear, I should just kill you now." Thistleclaw spat, raking his claws against Tigerpaw's face.

Wincing Tigerpaw trembled as he felt blood run down his face. This is usually how training sessions with Thistleclaw go. It seems that Thistleclaw must hate him because his mentor abuses him so often.

But Thistleclaw says he's doing this so Tigerpaw won't be like his father, Pinestar, and run off to be a kitty-pet.

Pinestar used to be a respectful leader, but soon after Leopardfoot gave birth to his kits, he left to go become a kitty-pet, leaving his mate, Tigerpaw's two siblings named Mistlekit and Nightkit, behind.

As soon as his father left, Tigerpaw's life began to rapidly change. His siblings were very sick and soon died. His mother, Leopardfoot, was heartbroken because of this. She couldn't take care of him because of how depressed she was. Even now, she's still distant.

Thistleclaw is the only father figure Tigerpaw has, and he's far from the best. Tigerpaw is sure that he doesn't even care about him.

Tigerpaw also has no friends. The only cat he ever interacts with is Thistleclaw, and Tigerpaw is sick and tired of spending time with the mean gray tom. But he has no other choice.

"Don't kill me!" Tigerpaw pleaded. "I'll become a better fighter."

However, Thistleclaw didn't look convinced. He dragged his claws around Tigerpaw's eyes, not drawing blood but just teasing him.

"I don't know. You are pretty weak. I think you might as well become a kitty-pet. You are certainly a horrible thunderclan apprentice." Thistleclaw laughed.

"No, I'll never become a kitty-pet! I'll shred any kitty-pet I see!" Tigerpaw growled.

The tabby tom knows that he's bluffing, of course. Tigerpaw hates fighting, and that's another reason Thistleclaw hates him.

Intrest gleamed in Thistleclaw's green eyes.

"Hm. Will you actually do that?"

"O-Of course…" Tigerpaw lied once more.

"Well, then I have a challenge for you. Go into the two-leg place and kill a kitty-pet. Then bring me proof that you did it." Thistleclaw ordered.

Tigerpaw gulped. Even though he is bulky and seemingly strong, he doesn't want to fight anyone. Even a kitty-pet. But Tigerpaw knows that he shouldn't tell Thistleclaw if he wants to live.

"Do you want me to drag a kitty-pet's corpse over here to prove I did?" Tigerpaw asked. That seems complicated.

Thistleclaw snorted. "Of course not, you idiot. Just bring me the kitty-pet's fur or something like that. If you don't return with that, you might as well become a kitty-pet or I'll just kill you."

"I promise I'll kill one," Tigerpaw promised. "Just get off me."

Getting off of him Thistleclaw let out a growl.

"Don't come back soon," Thistleclaw said, padding back to the Thunderclan camp.

Once his mentor was gone, Tigerpaw then headed over to the two-leg place. Maybe Tigerpaw should just become a kitty-pet. That way, he wouldn't get hurt by Thistleclaw anymore.

But Tigerpaw knows that he wouldn't be happy in a two-leg because he would be locked up constantly, and he wouldn't want any two-leg touching him. Besides, he doesn't want to be like his father.

As Tigerpaw walked past two-leg nests, he was looking for cats to kill. Even though Tigerpaw knows he can't kill a cat, he couldn't just steal a kitty-pet's furball. Soon, Tigerpaw spotted a kitty-pet outside their two-leg nest.

He has a pretty flame-colored coat with gleaming emerald eyes and a collar of the same shade. He was also fairly chunky, but Tigerpaw couldn't help but find him hot.

Tigerpaw ended up staring at the cat, whom he assumed was a tom, for a while.

The kitty-pet noticed this and jumped over the fence, facing Tigerpaw.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here. Are you a new arrival? You are kind of cute. I could show you around my nest if you want." He then added: "My name is Rusty. What's yours?"

Tigerpaw struggled to listen to all the questions. Normally, no cat talks to him in a non-threatening way. Let alone call him cute.

"No, I'm not a kitty-pet. I live in the wild. My name is Tigerpaw." Tigerpaw answered.

"Hey, you are hurt." Rusty suddenly realized this. "Come into my housefolk's yard. I'll get you some cobwebs."

Tigerpaw was hesitant about going into a two-leg "yard," as Rusty called it. But Rusty wants to help him, so Tigerpaw can't just refuse his offer.

"Alright…"

Rusty then leaped over the fence, and Tigerpaw followed. The orange tom then went over to a log and pulled out some cobwebs. He then plastered them on Tigerpaw's face.

"It's much better now. Thank you." Tigerpaw muttered. At least he wasn't bleeding any more.

"No problem. How did you get hurt? You are also a thunderclan cat, right?" Rusty asked.

"My mentor." Tigerpaw then answered Rusty's other question before he could ask him anything else. "Yes, I'm a thunderclan cat. How did you know that, and how do you have any knowledge of herbs?

"Well, my father spent some time with forest cats. He was even friends with one for a while. He taught me and my siblings everything he knew." Rusty answered. "Your mentor is your trainer, right? Why would your trainer hurt you so badly?"

Thistleclaw has hurt Tigerpaw; it was worse before, and he always gets away with it using various excuses.

Tigerpaw was a little hesitant to tell Firepaw about Thistleclaw. Because he knows he's going to have a meltdown, and he doesn't want to chase off the first cat that has shown him attention.

"His name is Thistleclaw. He hurts me often. If you want me to tell you about him, we're most likely going to be here all day, and I'll probably start sobbing." Tigerpaw admitted.

"Well, I don't care how long we have to be here, and if you cry, I'll comfort you," Rusty promised.

Tigerpaw was surprised that Rusty wanted him to keep talking. He really wants to get his anger out. So he has no problem telling Rusty what's on his mind, if he doesn't mind.

"Alright, listen closely…"

Tigerpaw then told Rusty about his family background. He told him about his dead siblings, his father leaving him, and how his mother was too sad to take care of him. He then told Rusty about how Thistleclaw constantly abuses him and how he has no friends.

As he spoke, the tabby tom started to cry. But Rusty comforted him, and he stopped.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you. You could live with me and my housefolk. Thistleclaw won't hurt you then." Rusty offered, nuzzling him.

Tigerpaw couldn't believe how kind and welcoming Rusty was. It seems that Tigerpaw may finally have a friend. Tigerpaw has thought about becoming a kitty-pet before. But he isn't sure that he wants to do that.

Sure, he would be free from Thistleclaw, but Tigerpaw doesn't want two-legs touching him, nor does he want to be locked up in their nests constantly. He wants to be free in the wild!

"Thank you, but I want to stay in Thunderclan. Maybe Thistleclaw will get nicer." Tigerpaw said, dipping his head.

Rusty didn't look convinced, and he opened his mouth to argue. But he quickly closed them.

"Alright. I don't know whether this will help or not, but I'm pretty sure I know where your father is. He lives a few nests down, and he's named Pine now. He was my father's friend." Rusty told him honestly.

Tigerpaw's mind raced. He could meet his father. The cat he heard so much about but hadn't seen in a while Even if Tigerpaw wants to meet Pine again, he knows that he can't right now.

Pine left his siblings to die, and he left Leopardfoot depressed. Tigerpaw can't forgive him, at least not yet.

"I can't face him after what he has done to me. I need to recover still. Maybe I'll meet him again sometime, though." Tigerpaw replied.

Rusty nodded. "I understand. I can take you there some other time." Rusty then hesitated. "Can you meet me here again? Maybe in a week? I really like talking to you."

Tigerpaw let out a purr. Even if Rusty is a kitty-pet Tigerpaw enjoys spending time with him as well.

"I'll gladly meet you in a week." Tigerpaw purred.

"Great!" Rusty replied, nuzzling him.

Tigerpaw then remembered something and shuffled his paws.

"Can I have some of your fur? It's a strange request. I know. But my mentor, Thistleclaw, thinks I'm killing a kitty-pet so I need some sort of proof." Tigerpaw asked awkwardly.

"Sure." Rusty laughed. "I have plenty of fur to go around."

Once Tigerpaw grabbed a mouthful of Rusty's fur, he said goodbye and padded away. As he headed back to the Thunderclan camp, Tigerpaw couldn't help but smile. He can't wait to meet Rusty again.

[elitehanitje]

Astonishingly, a lot of people are freaking out that Christian hooked up with Shayna. I predicted this after what happened to them, so lemme tell everyone that Christian and Shayna don't care about one another. But they need to be together because revenge is soapy and delish. Shayna and Nick are the pawns for Christian, and we'll see what happens in the next stage.

Christian Cage craves a family. That is clear as day.

Especially after his divorce when he lost his family, moved out to an island, trained like crazy, changed his body, no longer retired, and was given another opportunity to start a new life in a new company.

But he needs a family that he can control.

Isla Reso was never interested in the wrestling world, and how dare she want to touch his TNT belt. Denise probably wouldn't want her daughter to follow in her father's footsteps, especially after he almost died and couldn't wrestle anymore.

Jack Perry was someone he couldn't control in the end, so he needed to get rid of him. As Luke Perry's son (the man Christian was in love with back then), Jack wanted more. Christian would not let him overshadow him - he already had a partner in the past who overshadowed him. So he tried to kill him.

He is keeping Luchasaurus because the lizard is super loyal, and Christian definitely controls him with substance abuse, or something like kinky sex - but he would definitely throw him away the second he shows a sign of betrayal and weakness. And it seems his loyalty wavered nowadays.

He dislikes Darby Allin because, in a way, Darby reminds him of himself. Darby is a reckless, vampire goth who is an adrenaline junkie. The reason Christian hates Darby is that the younger man can see right through him. Christian is an insecure veteran who has self-sabotaged every relationship and sabotaged every match to be on top, and Darby knows it.

It was when he saw Nick Wayne; Darby's protégé. At first, it was more of a revenge against Darby. Christian's plan was to steal Nick and turn him into a younger version of himself, as a form of revenge against Darby. Nick is fast, bright, smart, young, and easy to manipulate, which makes him the perfect candidate for Christian's scheme. However, when Nick got angry at Darby for abandoning him after being attacked by the Mogul Embassy, Christian saw an opportunity to draw him closer to himself.

Nick's patience was up to his neck when Darby for the second time abandoned him and even forgave AR Fox after almost killing him. To him, Darby betrayed him and his mother. Nick made a decision after All-In (when Lucha kidnapped him during the match between Christian/Swerve vs Sting/Darby) to join Christian.

In his eyes, Darby failed to become a superior figure, and Christian stepped up. Nick betrayed Darby and joined Christian, and for the first time in his life, he felt appreciated. Christian also found someone he could leave a legacy to. Nick is really the son he wanted.

When he flirted with Shayna, and she rejected Christian, it didn't bother him much. Sure, she's her type: BLONDE. Trish was blonde, Denise was blonde, Gangrel was blond, Jericho was blond, Adam was blond... But Shayna was too bland for his taste. He needed a raging fiery bitch to complete his family collection.

And speaking of a blond bitch... Adam Copeland suddenly appeared in AEW. Adam interrupted him when he was in the middle of murdering Sting and Darby. Adam, whom he didn't talk to for almost 3 years, basically after COVID-19 and the birth of the company. When Christian joined AEW, Adam was on top of the world in WWE and he was going to retire. I don't need to rehash my opinion about Adam coming to AEW, but I was so excited and scared at the same time.

Shayna hates Adam more than she likes Christian. The man almost murdered Nick. That's the reason why she joined his group and is by his side. The best place to be with her son is to be with his Father figure. If she has to...be Christian's waifu or something, blech, then so be it. Nothing more than that. So what she almost got murdered herself by Christian and Nick? It didn't matter. IT MADE SENSE from a PoV of a mother.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

(Personally, I don't see any chemistry between Shayna and Christian. I think because deep down inside she's a good woman or a bit bland. She's not a bitch like Trish who can go toe to toe with Christian. The way Christian smiles at her is more like a respectful smile, not really a lusty one or even love, and he is just happy to have the mother of his son around).

This storyline is good if you like slow-burn soap. Not everything has to be quick and then move on to the next plot. This is the equivalent of 22 episodes of drama, which I enjoy so much.