#whoo boy this one got long

[justjensenanddean]

Jensen Ackles | Purgatory Con, Düsseldorf, Germany, May 26, 2024, Panel Summary

Most creepy or annoying toy the kids ever had? Slime. It creeps him out. He has it all over his house now. He doesn’t like the texture or feel. But his kids love it. Creepiest? Danneel has an old antique doll. It is old cracked, has creepy eyes and is the devil. (x)

Demon Dean or Soldier Boy, who‘s more powerful? Demon Dean because SB has a traumatized little boy in him and demon Dean is just empty. He‘s more dangerous because he just doesn’t care. (x)

Funniest moment from set of The Boys? Someone yells Herogasm so Jensen says it was probably not the funniest moment but when he arrived on day 3 of the set, Jack Quaid asked if he‘s been on set yet and when it was a no, he said „whoo, good luck“ (x)

People kept mistaking the bottles of lube and the bottles of hand sanitizer. Jensen was not prepared for when filming started and everyone took their robes off. Jensen was not prepared. (x)

Jensen couldn’t not look. They called cut. Jensen was like „I‘m sorry, there’s 4 people over here doing a position I have never seen before.“ His shower was extra long that evening. „There may have been tears.“ (x)

“There’s four people over here in a position I have not seen before!!!” “My shower lasted extra long that evening. And there were tears.” Jensen retelling stories from Herogasm set on #TheBoys (x)

How long did it take him to learn the Arabic phrase for s14? Not long, he can parrot things quite easily. He just needs to hear it a few times, then he can repeat the sounds. It‘s how he learns accents. Tap dance worked like it too. If he can see or hear it, he can emulate it. (x)

Jensen: “I don’t think Cas’s confession is something that needs to be resolved. There is nothing to resolve. He said what he needed to say, it was a long time coming, it was heartfelt and beautiful. But there’s nothing to resolve.” (x) “Dean took it in and then lost one of his closest allies and friends. The accepting of that happened when Dean sat on the floor. He lost one of his brothers in arms and one of his closest people. When they come back, it’s just understood.” (x)

Are there situations where he accidentally or on purpose bring out Dean? Yes. Sometimes he thinks „it would be great to be Dean Winchester right now. He could have handled this.“ Dean is alive in him and comes out from time to time. (x)

Were there fake tears on SPN or did he ever cry? He wasn’t classically trained, so the emotion we see is real. He doesn’t know how to fake it. Compares it to a book or movie making you emotional. You know it’s not real, but it still gets you. (x)

After the s4 scene when Dean confesses to Sam about his 40 years and torturing in hell, he had to walk away because his body didn’t know it was fake. The barn scene was probably the most real, but for different reasons. He was saying goodbye to Dean, Jared, the crew. (x)

Crew members had to leave set because they were crying too. They were trying to dial it down, because it was too much emotion. (x)

When things get too serious? Laughter. It‘s his levee. When things get too heavy, he makes a joke to ease the situation. (x)

„Do you use Jared‘s conditioner?“ No he does not. That’s just what his hair does. (x)

Who inspires you? Jensen doesn’t idolize anyone, but he has a lot of respect for certain people and tries to absorb as much as he can when he meets them. Could be a brilliant scientist, an artist, an actor. (x)

Being cold on set? There was a scene with Bobby where they looked at a map over the hood of the car. Jensen told Bob Singer that it was ridiculous because they would look at the map in their car. But Bob wanted a specific job and told him to just get it done. (x) A few days after he got lasic surgery, he was supposed to wear sunglasses all the time. But he had to film in the sun with light shining in his face. Jensen was in so much pain that Serge covered the white surfaces in black. Didn’t help much. He took ibuprofen and powered through (x)

Dead in the Water when he had to hold the kid up and the diver pulled him under, it was the most eery feeling. He was terrified for the kid. But the kid actor had fun. / End of panel. (x)

(JMacLean)

[yanxidarlings]

YANDERE HP GOLDEN ERA: SLYTHERIN BOYS X DORMMATE READER

continuation of my previous post (i got caught up in getting out my anthony goldstein headcanons was it obvious). okay so full disclosure, i haven't read the fanfictions lorenzo and mattheo are from (i only read yandere is it obvious) (i see their faceclaims and cannot. exclude), so if i'm not portraying them correctly shout at me. but just for a moment, imagine having the 79-80 liner slytherin boys yandere for their dormmate? (okay there is a loophole i'll write for male readers/darlings if asked).

maybe they've known the reader/darling since childhood, and the sudden close proximity magnifies the possessive and obsessive tendencies they were developing towards the darling. or, the darling could suddenly get sorted into slytherin and now they have a roommate they did not expect to have. for the second scenario i don't think the darlings personality would matter much - either way, they're all apprehensive about this really cute kid they suddenly are dorming with.

maybe they give the reader a hard time at first (although this is only really likely to happen for a darling in a different house, or a muggleborn darling) but whoo boy if anyone else thinks of teasing the reader, they'll get hell from our dear slytherins here. actually, anyone who the reader pays mind to becomes a target of torment and bullying by draco and his gang. especially potter. please, reader, for potters own sanity and the good of the wizarding world, do not approach, think about or even look in the direction of harry. it ends in an ugly tantrum from draco, prolonged sarcasm from theodore, silence from blaise, aggression from mattheo and teasing from lorenzo. crabbe and goyle won't be carrying your books for you for the next week either.

when they get like this, it'll be the darling that'll have to make it up to them, or risk having it all drag out until one of them gets over it naturally.

GREGORY GOYLE & VINCENT CRABBE (cast josh herdman, jamie waylett):

they're all horribly possessive and jealous by default, but generally, crabbe and goyle are the easiest to deal with, they both have a soft spot for their darling, and are pretty used to being bossed around, the second choice and having to share. they're also the easiest to appease, putting food on crabbe's plate is enough to make him happy, and paying goyle any mind will go a long way.

they don't need constant attention (draco), validation (draco), and affection (draco), from their darling, and are content just being in their life.

BLAISE ZABINI (cast louis cordice):

after them, i honestly don't know who's worse. going in alphabetical order, blaise appears to be calm and uncaring when it comes to his darling, but do not be fooled, he's not going to sit back and let his darling get whisked away by the likes of a half blood (sorry mattheo), spolit daddy's boy (apologies draco), spolit mommy's boy (soz enzo) or someone who's one lab accident away from becoming a supervillain (blaise's words not mine theo).

blaise tolerates the rest of the slytherins for now, but if any of them think he'd ever fully agree to sharing with the likes of them, they are wrong. he fantasises about taking his darling away from the world after graduating, and probably has his mother trying to arrange a marriage the moment he decides they're his.

DRACO MALFOY (cast tom felton):

unlike blaise, draco is not even a little bit subtle about his possesiveness over his darling, he only see's the other slytherins as tools to ensure his darlings safety and happiness at hogwarts, and does not bother to pretend like he isn't planning to kidnap move the reader into malfoy manor the minute they graduate. actually, he couldn't wait that long.

he'll look for any opportunity to have the malfoy family gain custody of his darling. all the more better if his darling comes from a dysfunctional household. but either way, he'll make sure his family is all they have to turn to.

all i know about lorenzo is that he has mommy and daddy issues so i'll have to piggybank off that. he'll present himself as the 'sane' one, if his darling is complaining about the behaviour of the other slytherins, enzo wholeheartedly agree's with them "i don't know what's wrong with all of them - you sure you didn't slip any amortentia into their drinks?" he becomes a safe haven from the possessive obsession his dormmates seem to share for their darling.

LORENZO BERKSHIRE (fancast louis patridge):

lorenzo acts the most normal, but don't be fooled, he's just as obsessed as the rest of them. enzo is just better at hiding it. he too, frequently thinks about whisking them away, but is much less finite about it; holing his darling up in his house isn't the end goal. he could honestly live with sharing them with his fellow slytherins, but this is all assuming that the reader takes well to his attempts at becoming the 'sane one'.

if enzo isn't able to successfully befriend them, he'll have to settle for being the 'mean one'. teasing and humiliation follows his darling, as does he. it's not severe, but it's probably the push the reader needs to fall into deep depression and anxiety. so please, take the sane bait.

MATTHEO RIDDLE (fancast benjamin wadsworth):

mattheo doesn't exactly have a family reputation to uphold, blaise, draco, enzo and theo would want to keep up a respectable reputation, whatever that is in pureblood society, but mattheo? the dark lords son? he's entirely unhinged.

if lorenzo is the 'sane one', mattheo is the 'crazy one'.

he doesn't really care what his darling, or others, think of his behaviour. if he wants to spend time with them, he's going to. he'll pull them out of class, drag them away from the other slytherins, just to skip rocks in the black lake with them, or raid the kitchens. he doesn't really bother hiding his yandere tendencies, he'll actively tell his darling not to talk to certain people "because i said so" "stop asking questions", and will refuse to elaborate further. sometimes, there will be disturbing moments of honesty between him and his darling; he'll admit that he's obsessed with them, and threaten to attack people they pay attention to. and he'll tell them that they belong to him.

sometimes it's frightening and sometimes he'll come across as sweet. he is both predictable and unpredictable, which puts his darling at unease around him.

THEODORE NOTT (fancast lorenzo zurzolo):

theodore uses guilt to garner his darlings sympathy, all the more easier if they are childhood friends. he'll make sure they know about his harsh childhood, and make them feel responsible for his wellbeing. he's the only one to create a sense of dependency not built upon threats. out of all the slytherins, he gets to know his darling the best, he'll use guilt, emotional breakdowns and dark secrets to create a sense of obligation towards him.

theo is the most comforting of the slytherins to be around, he's quiet and the only one who they can spend time with without feeling much pressure. he demands the most of their attention, and is by far the most possessive. whilst i can see the other slytherins finding a way to deal with sharing their darling amonst themselves, if the rest don't back off eventually (stop dreaming theo) (they won't), he's the most inclined to just get rid of them - he can't stand it when his darling is around anyone but him, he wakes early to walk his darling to class just so they won't get caught up in the busy halls, where eyes can wonder and other people can have a chance to interact with his darling.

theodore pairs with them for every project, which leads to some ugly arguments between him and blaise, who only really get's his fill of his darling by sitting next to them in class. and draco, and mattheo and enzo and even goyle who was hoping the reader would help get him a good grade for once.

out of all of them, draco, goyle and blaise are the most patient. they want their darling to love them, not see them as monsters to flinch away from.

theodore, lorenzo and mattheo will take whatever they can get. lorenzo in particular doesn't want his darling to fear him but won't let them get away with trying to escape or disobedience. mattheo doesn't mind being the villain if he must be, but his heart clenches when his darling acts so obviously distrustful of him. theodore is the least patient, and if his darling starts to shy away from him, he snaps. at them, at the rest of the slytherin boys. but he's also easy to keep content, so long as his darling is always by his side.

similarly, blaise just enjoys being in the presence of his darling, and doesn't feel the need to cuddle up to them constantly like draco and enzo do. mattheo is a loose canon, and sometimes is fine being near them, other times he wants skin to skin contact 25/8.

they're hopeless at sharing, and only really get along for the sake of their darling. there are only really two ways this can end; theodore finally snaps and tries to off the rest of them after graduation, or they somehow come to an agreement on sharing, maybe they each get their own day a week

monday for draco, tuesday for blaise, wednesday for theo, thursday for enzo, and friday for mattheo. goyle and crabbe probably aren't taken seriously enough to get given their own day, so then the weekends are spent sharing (fighting).

the only time the boys will work in tandem is when someone attempts to take their darling and their attention, away. best example, darling starts dating someone. which is already pretty improbable, considering they give the reader no alone time whatsoever. but let's just say the darling here is going on a date with cormac mclaggen (get a grip, darling), any grudges they've been holding against each other are off, mclaggen has just signed his death warrant.

mattheo and theodore do most of the dirty work, whilst lorenzo distracts the reader. draco and blaise cover up their tracks, so it seems like whatever they did to mclaggen was an untimely accident. or have it blamed on someone else. goyle and crabbe intimidate anyone who tries to get close to the darling from then on.

they might hate sharing with each other, but they truly despise sharing with an 'outsider'.

[stories-and-chaos]

Shrike: Body Count

[Hazbin Hotel reader insert as Alastor’s “darling life and death partner” Ace x ace relationship, both parties are moderately sex favorable. I’ve been seeing some stories about Alastor not having understanding the slang for ‘body count,’ so here’s my take.]

[Word count: 1426 Cw: language]

—————

“Really Angel? That’s your bonding activity for the day?” Vaggie’s single eye glared at the lanky spider.

“Whaaaaaat? Charlie wants us to share intimate secrets!” Angel Dust’s voice was full of seductive mischief. “Body count is a very intimate secret. Tells you a lot about someone.”

“Angie’s right!” A cheerful voice called from across the parlor. Cherri Bomb, the hotel’s newest sort-of-resident, didn’t seem much interested in redemption for herself. She did however have a genuine desire to help Angel and to defend what Sir Pentious gave his life for. The busty cyclops was teaming up with Vaggie as part of the Hazbin Hotel’s basic security.

She also had a mischievous streak wider than her friend’s. “I’ll start, give ya a hand Angie.” Angel snorted a laugh saying, “I’ve already got six toots!” She threw an ice cube from her drink at him. “One thousand eight hundred and twenty…” she paused to count on her fingers, “six. Most o’ that’s from Hell. I got to thirty-one before I died.” She leaned back on her couch, looking very satisfied.

Charlie, Vaggie, and Lucifer could only stare for a moment. “Whoo, nice going Cherri! I knew you wouldn’t disappoint,” Angel crowed. “Lesse here, before I died it was six. After that…” he did some quick math on his phone, “about 90,000? I’m sure we can review my body…of work to confirm.” He grinned lavisciously.

Charlie waved her hands rapidly. “Nope! No no no no no thank you Angel, you’ve shown us plenty that of that during ‘show and tell’ day.” Lucifer looked vaguely disappointed at missing out so Angel resolved to sneak a copy of his favorite performances to the king of Hell.

Charlie continued, forgetting her dad was in the room. “Mine is six,” she said with a shy air, her pale complexion turning bright red.

“WHAT?” Lucifer spat out his tea.

“Oh shit! Dad!” Charlie was flustered but did her best to compose herself. “I mean, I’m over 200 years old now, I’ve been living on my own for decades!” She took her girlfriend’s hand and squeezed it. “Besides, Vaggie is the only one that matters now.” The long haired angel gave her a watery look.

“Well…I guess you’re right sweetheart. So long as they all treated by little girl right?” Lucifer asked with an edge to his voice. At Charlie’s nod he said “Good.” He took a sip of tea before providing his number. “Seventeen.”

“Dad?! I thought…you and Mom…what?!”

Lucifer shrugged. “I don’t kiss and tell Charlie. But your mother knows about all of them. She was even there for some.” He grinned wickedly, looking completely like the king of Hell for once.

Charlie buried her face in her hands while Vaggie rubbed her back in sympathy. “Not too shabby short king. Okay Vags, you’re up!” Vaggie glared at him and flipped him off. “Just our fearless leader?” Angel teased. She huffed, glanced back and forth, and held up her index finger as she blushed. “Thank you for your honesty, Vagina. Huskiekins, how about you?” Angel turned around on the couch to face the bar as Vaggie bristled.

Husk sighed as he continued polishing glasses. “Three when I was alive. Nine since I died.” He was fully prepared for Angel to say something like “Wanna make it ten?” but he just received four thumbs up from the somewhat reformed demon.

“Apologies for our lateness,” your voice called from the elevator. “Alastor had to rewrap my wing this morning.” You and your husband walked arm in arm to the group, with Alastor making sure you were comfortable before taking his own seat. Once he was ensconced in the wingback chair, long legs crossed politely, Lucifer popped up to inspect your wing.

“Hm, not bad.” He had you stretched it gently and gave Alastor an approving nod. “Good work deer boy.”

“Oh ho, of course my good fellow!” The lack of static filter on his voice was the most display of annoyance he would give at the moment. He hated the idea of any man touching you, much less Lucifer Morningstar. But he knew he didn’t know how to help your wing injuries without the fallen angel’s help. “I am a quick study after all! Can’t let my darling rely on someone that might not be around, hm?” His smile widened as Lucifer’s growl showed his comment hit home. “So! What are we discussing today, chums?”

“Ooooh, this is gonna be good,” Cherri giggled as Angel replied. “Body count, Smiles. Before and after death for the Sinners in the group. So, what about you and the missus?”

“An odd topic, but alright. You’ve kept a better count than me, cher. If we count the one right before our death mine is seventy-four?” Jaws dropped at your statement.

“That sounds correct. I had eighteen before we met, and a few solo after our initial encounter. That makes ninety-seven for myself,” he said, looking up to calculate mentally. “I believe after my arrival here, my count is five thousand thirty-one. Give or take a dozen.”

You nodded as Cherri breathed “hooooly shiiiiiit,” with an impressed look. “Mine is still more modest, four thousand six hundred and two. Again, give or take a dozen. Of course, about half of those we did together.”

Alastor hummed in satisfaction. “Oh ho, yes that’s true. Would that increase or decrease our original counts? Or should we have a separate list for couples?”

“Fuck me, I didn’t think they were capable of that,” Cherri said in awe. Lucifer blinked one eye, then the other as his brain tried to catch up. Charlie had her hands over her ears and Vaggie was rubbing her temples. On the other hand, Angel and Husk were sharing a confused look.

“Doll face, Smiles, what kind of body count are ya talking about?” He remembered the discussion about your sexual preferences and the numbers didn’t add up. The simultaneous head tilts from you both confirmed his suspicions.

“Is there more than one kind of body count?” Alastor followed up your question with his own, “How can there be more than one kind of body count?”

“We’re talkin bout how many people we’ve slept with.” Angel paused, remembering your difficulty understanding innuendos. “I mean how many we’ve fucked. Boned. Had sex with.” At his clarification you looked somewhat less confused.

“Why would that be called a body count?” you wondered as Alastor looked surprised at Angel’s explanation. “I’m impressed Angel, I didn’t expect you to explain anything.” Audio of an audience applauding resounded in the room.

The spider shrugged. “I promised your gal I’d explain innuendos if she’d tell me what you two do when ya fuck. Ain’t gonna go back on my word, ‘specially with this cutie.” He winked and stuck his tongue out at the two of you.

“Okay, what's your sexy body count then?” Cherri, disappointed that the thousands you mentioned weren’t people you slept with, was even more curious now.

“One,” you and Alastor said in unison.

Cherri spluttered a bit at the difference between the two kinds of counts while Angel nodded sagely. “Yeah, that tracks, considering you’re both ace as spades and the weird shit you’ve done.”

Lucifer, unsurprised at the amount of death and destruction Overlords were capable of, did look intrigued by that. “What do you mean, ‘weird shit they’ve done?’” Vaggie clapped her hands over her ears as Charlie buried her face into the other girl’s hair in embarrassment. Cherri Bomb nodded encouragement to you.

“NO!” Husk and Angel yelled out together. Angel looked straight up panicked as Husk dashed over to block Alastor and you from view with his wings. “Trust me Luci, you don’t wanna know,” Angel stressed, grabbing the short man by the shoulders. “It broke my brain. Mine. The porn star. Don’t ask ‘em.”

“Is the fact that we’ve [redacted] really that upsetting?” Alastor asked from behind Husk’s feathers. “I think it’s more that we’ve done things like [oh no, not this again], cher,” came your cheerful reply.

Husk pressed his wings back, covering both your mouths. “Boss, Y/N, please stop.” Niffty choose that moment to scramble up Alastor’s shoulder and peek over Husk’s wing. “They’ve done [bleepitybleep] too!”

All heads whipped in her direction. The tiny maid looked proud of herself as she added, “My body count is five! Just one from life. That one counts for my murder count too!”

“Okay, new topic!” Charlie stood up abruptly, her face as red as her tuxedo jacket. “Umm, uhhhh, let’s talk about favorite foods!”

—————

Taglist: @whitewolfsoldat @edgyboi10000 @ch3sire-blu3 @clearly-awkward @badatpunz @bengewatch @chewbrry

[thelampisaflashlight]

Birthday headcanons for the ghouls, because I'm aging soon and feeling some kind of way about it as always. Let's go.

-Dew spends his birthday with his human family, meaning the rest of the pack rarely see him on his actual birthday, and he doesn't really like having others fuss over him, but he is secretly devastated when people forget.

His birthday landed on a sort of busy/hectic day one year, and he wasn't able to go home to see his family either, so everyone forgot about it in the chaos, and, whoo boy, is it obvious that Dew has never fully gotten over that incident.

He never got vocally upset about it, but when they tried to celebrate his birthday a couple days later he walked out of the surprise party they threw for him and that certainly said a lot about how he felt about things.

-Swiss, like Dew, celebrates his birthday with his human family, but he has a "birthday week" so he can celebrate with his friends and his family, and is generally a lot more excited about his birthday than Dew is about his.

He's not really bothered if someone forgets, unless it's someone he's really close to, then he might be a little disappointed, but it doesn't hit him as hard as others.

Posts an insane amount of pictures of himself with his friends/family while he's partying with them.

-Rain treats his birthday like any other day; He likes the gifts and something sweet to eat, but, other than that, he usually just spends the day in bed watching movies or running errands.

However, once night falls, that guy is gonna go on a mission to the local seafood place that does an unlimited birthday buffet and eat a regrettable amount of shrimp.

-Cumulus celebrates her summoning day instead of her birthday, and pretty much does the same thing every year; Order a cheesecake assortment, watch Jurassic Park, and commit at least one crime.

The "crime" is always different, but as long as it doesn't cost the ministry money or result in jail time, no one bats an eyelash.

-Cirrus 100% avoids celebrating her birthday/summoning day, and will hiss if anyone asks how old she's turning or if she wants anything special; Despite being a performer, she hates being the center of attention like that, and doesn't like acknowledging the passage of time.

Spends the day in her room and only comes out to eat.

Once bit someone for saying, "Happy birthday!" to her.

-Aether celebrates his summoning day by making "poor decisions" that result in "serious consequences" such as waking up in the chapel and not knowing where his shoe went or why he's wearing one of Cirrus' crop tops.

He doesn't really drink or anything, but his quintessence surges on his summoning day and he may or may not use that to get a "little" high.

A little very high.

Mountain found him in a tree once.

-Speaking of Mountain, he's a classic birthday boy; He just wants his cake and to be remembered/feel loved and then he's content.

He's very sentimental about the gifts he receives, and has kept every birthday card he's ever received.

And lastly;

-Aurora and Aeon have the same summoning day, and like the idea of celebrating it together as a joint party; The bakery that made their "Vampire Barbie" cake had a lot of questions, none of which were answered by Copia adding a note to the order that, "The birthday boy would like Barbie to have hot pink blood on her fangs with an extra sprinkling of edible glitter, however, the birthday girl would like it if 'blood' poured out of the cake itself when cut open, and that gummy organs spilled out with it. Please and thank you."

The bakery has to wonder how Copia's "children" are being raised.

[neosexuals]

glasses! ]]> l.dh NCT

The idea !!

A/n: meow meow meow meow meow meow (I am clearly feral for this man)

Warnings/pairings :: haechan with glasses , gn!reader , oral (m), nerd !haechan, marking, VERY vocal haechan, nicknames (cutie) , haechan is taller than the reader

You weren't all popular to be fair you were just there, average grades , average social status but still got invited to parties and shit.

Jaemin—one of the popular kids— invited everyone , and he mean everyone , for his new years party. Nothing wrong with it but it wasnt the best party it was boring , a typical frat boy party but with a simple 1 2 3 HAPPY NEW YEARS

Thrown around at the end , like boozed punch , coke snorted in the corner , floaties for some reason being thrown around and ofcourse beer pong. You don't enjoy these parties too much cause there's not too much to do other than watch the random guy make out with one of your friends.

Evidently troubled by the view you grab a tad too many drinks and get a bit tipsy and decided to dance a bit , love talk playing on the speakers drowned out by the sound of moans and "whoos"

After a while of shaking your hips every 2 seconds you feel something grinding behind you , ofcourse two or three boys came around and grinded on you before you uncomfortably shoved them away , this one didnt feel intentional tho you turned you head behind to see haechan being pushed around and against you.

You take a moment before trying to move out of the slightly crowded area before he grabs your shoulders and presses against you. You start to feel something against your ass before realising he was hard , although his eyes trying to convey it wasn't intentional you grabbed hi arm and pulled him out of the crowd.

As he tried to explain himself you couldn't look or think about anything else other than the fact that he had a boner and he looks hot , his hair messy , his glasses a bit crooked and his lips just pretty. You didn't even listen about the shit he was spewing other than the first sight he let out and a sorry.

You just stared into his sorrowful eyes till you grab his neck and pull him down to kiss you before pulling away "oh my god I'm so so sorry" he take a second to recollect his thoughts , staring at you for a second before kissing you again , locking his lips with yours, his hands cupping your face.

Pulling away once again you drag him to the surprisingly empty bedroom , sitting him down on his bed. Kissing him once again pushing him down before he pulls away "are you sober enough to know what your doing?" He asks sincerely

"sober enough to want to do this , and atleast I know your name cutie" cutting him off before he could even speak by a kiss once again pecking down his neck sucking and licking leaving faint marks, before dragging your body down to inbetween his legs at the edge of the bed.

He sits up and ruffles your hair a bit "god ____"sounding out what sounded like a whimper as you unzipped his pants pulling them down to his ankles "so you know my name too?" You smirk at his cocky smile before he shifts his body weight to his hands behind him.

You palm his dick earning a groan from him, his face practically begging you to do more while he fixed his glasses. You slowly slip down his boxers revealing his quite long dick , springing up to slap his stomach causing him to sigh in relief. You looked up at him maintaining eye contact as you slowly pumped his cock , rolling his eyes back as your hand ran down his shaft.

"___ please just- fuck" his moans enticing you , your head looking down at his leaking cock spreading his pre cum around it , spitting around it before taking his slender length in your mouth hearing more groans and moans come out of his sweet mouth. He grabs your hand

"Oh god, you're so fucking " haechan moaned, his hips bucking forward involuntarily as you bobbed up and down on his dick. "So fucking pretty on my cock" his hand grabbing your hair to fuck your throat, you weren't sure you knew this haechan , the one who sat at the front in english and occasionally asked homework from haechan. He's now fucking your throat moaning for your mouth.

"fuck ___ I'm gonna cum..." His voice dragged out from the moans "can I cum in your mouth?" He asked as he looked down at you , your eyes meeting as you hum as a nod , till he cums down your throat, your hand tightly gripping on his before you pull away , his hand leaves your hair.

"cute" you mumble swallowing his cum seeing his fucked out expression before he pulls you up for a kiss his taste lingering on your tongue.

"your amazing..." He breaths out.

"I could tell , had to swallow a fuck load" you respond playfully.

Tags : @hyuckiegirlfriend @fay-ebrahim @drkn3ss-blog

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: your overthinking is the reason behind everything. deep down, you know your boyfriends care deeply about you but your insecurities bring out the worst in you. seungkwan and vernon try to show you it's all in your head... pairing: seungkwan x vernon x reader genre: angst, smut, fluff; established relationship warnings: insecurities, ghosting, communication problems (but they are resolved), edging, fingering, eating out, blowjob, protected sex, soft dom!seungkwan, hard dom!vernon, pet names, praise kink (if you squint) author's note: i haven't written in ages so this is my wretched attempt at a comeback and also my first svt fic whoo! the title is inspired by taylor swift's song afterglow word count: 1.7k

You've become used to being the odd one out. Whenever you were in a friend group, whether it was with three or four people, you were always left out. It didn't hurt when your friends hung out without you, you were totally okay with that and found something to occupy yourself with. It didn't even hurt when they didn't bother to invite you to things. No, what hurt the most was being right there with them and feeling as if you were invisible. Not being able to relate to whatever your friends talked about. Not being able to add anything of value to the conversation. And them not ever asking about your interests. Like you weren't even there.

When you met Seungkwan and Vernon, your life turned upside down. The two boys had known each other for years but despite that, they made you feel as welcome as if you'd always been part of the group. They showed you care you'd never imagined possible and you genuinely felt comfortable around them. They always made sure to listen to you and give you just the right amount of attention. Your friendship with the two quickly blossomed into a romance and you were happier than you'd ever been. It seemed too good to be true. And perhaps it was.

Sometimes you would be observing the chemistry Seungkwan and Vernon had with each other. They were a perfect match. Truly, they gave you no reason to feel this shitty. But in the back of your head, a little monster kept telling you: "You're not good enough," "They'd be better off without you," "You're just getting in their way," "They're annoyed with you". They were probably much happier before they met you, you suddenly thought.

Not responding to their messages and calls for a week was probably not the wisest idea you'd ever had. But you weren't bold enough to tell them you no longer wanted to be with them. Because it would be a lie. You wanted to be with them so desperately. But your mind kept playing evil tricks on you. Maybe if you ignored them long enough, they would eventually grow sick of it and forget you. Shockingly enough, you had underestimated them.

You were huddled under the blanket, phone turned off, hundreds of texts unread, when you heard the doorbell ring. You really didn't want to leave the comfort of your bed so you decided to ignore it. It was probably an annoying neighbour who wanted to borrow flour or something. However, when after ten minutes, the doorbell continued ringing and you could hear angry neighbours complaining about the loud noise in the corridor, you got out of bed with a groan. Opening the door, you were surprised to find Seungkwan and Vernon there.

"You're alive!" Seungkwan exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. Vernon sneaked his way inside your apartment, not saying anything but judging by the look on his face, he was quite upset with your recent behavior. You gulped nervously and locked the door as the two men let themselves in.

"Are you okay?" Seungkwan asked. "We were worried sick about you!"

"I'm fine," you gave a noncommittal shrug.

Vernon continued to say nothing, giving you a taste of your own medicine. You had to admit, it hurt like hell. You tried to meet his gaze but he was determined on avoiding your eyes. Seungkwan, however, was here to communicate.

"Did we do something wrong, baby?"

"No," you replied curtly.

"Then, what's up? Why have you been ignoring us?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," you said.

"How are we supposed to fix it if we don't know what the problem is?" Seungkwan insisted.

"Some things are not meant to be fixed," you stated, even though you didn't believe in it.

"Talk," Vernon finally spoke to you in a tone that didn't allow room for arguing.

"It's just…you two are so good together," you murmured. "And like, I love that for you, obviously. But sometimes it feels like I don't belong. Like I don't deserve you. I thought that if I simply ignored you, you would eventually leave me behind."

"Where is this coming from?" Seungkwan seemed genuinely surprised, as he held your hand gently.

"It's not the first time I've felt this way. In friend groups, especially. It's always been like this," you admitted.

"It's all in your head," Vernon spoke in a calm, confident voice. "We care about you just as much as we do about each other."

Seungkwan nodded, immediately agreeing with him.

"If you thought ghosting our texts would make us give up so easily, you were severely mistaken. You're not getting rid of us, alright?"

You smiled sadly, your vision becoming blurry due to the tears you've been holding back.

"Alright," you repeated weakly.

Seungkwan ruffled your hair playfully.

"Have we been neglecting our sweet girl, hm?" he kissed your cheek gently.

"N-no, you've both been perfect," you sniffled.

"You coddle her too much," Vernon jokingly scolded Seungkwan. "So much she thinks she can get away with punishing us with silence."

"I'm s-sorry that I hurt you," you mumbled nervously.

"You're not. But you will be," Vernon vowed.

You shuddered at the thought of what he had in store for you, as he whispered something in Seungkwan's ear. Seungkwan seemed a little hesitant at first but you eventually saw him agreeing to whatever Vernon had suggested. Seungkwan gave you a pitiful look which told you a thousand words. Oh well. You'd brought this upon yourself. If you had simply been open about your insecurities instead of ignoring their messages, it wouldn't have come to this.

Vernon pulled you against him harshly and whispered in a somewhat threatening tone:

"You better not have any doubts about our feelings after we're done with you."

"I don't have any doubts anymore," you replied in a last attempt to get out of this.

"Nice try," he chuckled coldly and pushed you into Seungkwan's arms. "Hold her still for me."

Seungkwan held your wrists behind your back and positioned you to sit in his lap.

"Sorry, babe," Seungkwan murmured against your neck.

"I understand," you responded in a hushed tone.

Vernon wasted no more time and removed your sweatpants in one swift motion. He took off your panties as well and stuck two of his fingers inside you with no warning. You whimpered at the unexpected intrusion and tried to move but Seungkwan held you more tightly. Vernon skillfully moved his fingers just the way he knew you liked and soon enough you felt yourself being incredibly close. Just then, Vernon abruptly stopped moving, taking the orgasm away from you.

"N-noo, p-please, I n-need it," you cried out in frustration.

"Don't be a brat," Vernon warned.

You turned your head slightly backwards to look at Seungkwan, hoping he'll show some mercy. Usually, he was willing to do anything to please you and bring a smile on your face. But this time, you'd made both of them upset by ignoring them. So now, you were suffering the consequences for it.

"Kwannie?" you pouted.

"Be good for us, love," Seungkwan reminded you.

Barely giving you time to process, Vernon pressed his tongue against your folds, licking and sucking as if that one week of no contact had left him starved and thirsty. You were so wet you could hear the squelching sounds of your pussy and felt the urge to close your thighs and keep him there. But you knew that Vernon was strong enough to prevent that from happening and with Seungkwan following his plan, you had no choice but to be patient if you wanted to come at all.

"Please, Vern, don't stop, please," you were desperate enough to start begging. Luck seemed to be on your side and your boyfriend finally allowed you to reach your high. Your legs shook as he tried to hold them in place, while Seungkwan was still restraining your arms and abusing the tender skin on your neck with passionate kisses that would probably leave hickeys.

Vernon gave Seungkwan a barely perceptible nod and the older male let go of your wrists. He gently positioned you on all fours and you could hear the sound of his jeans being unzipped and a condom package being ripped. Soon enough, he entered you from behind, while Vernon took interest in your mouth.

"Open," he was a man of a few words but whatever he said, always made it impossible for you to deny him.

While Seungkwan was slowly moving inside you, whispering reassuring words, Vernon roughly fucked your mouth without saying anything. You were so overwhelmed by the contrast you wondered how come they were so different and similar at the same time. And yet, they made perfect sense together.

"Such a sweet girl," Seungkwan praised you. "Our precious baby doing so well for us."

You tried to moan because of the pleasure he was bringing you but your mouth was so deliciously full of Vernon that the sounds you were attempting to make sent vibrations to his cock, urging him to release. While you were trying to swallow as much as possible, Seungkwan's orgasm soon followed, filling you up completely. You couldn't hold it in any longer and came again, being surrounded by so much warmth and affection. Your knees gave out and Seungkwan pulled out of you, giving you a tender kiss.

"I'll be right back, love," he promised and petted your cheek.

You were too exhausted to make a trip to the bathroom rightaway. You looked at Vernon sheepishly, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

"I'm really sorry," you repeated.

"I know, kitten," he smiled. "Next time you feel insecure, please just talk to us, okay?"

"I don't think there'll be a next time," you chuckled.

"Even if there is, don't bottle things up. We're here for you, always," Vernon insisted.

Seungkwan returned, enveloping the two of you in a soft hug.

"I don't wanna lose this with you," you admitted, being more vulnerable than ever before.

"You won't," Seungkwan reassured you. "You're worth fighting for."

"I feel too sleepy to wash up," you confessed.

Vernon raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Oh, you thought we were done with you? Cute."

The End

[hockstetters-overbite]

Hello, can you make a headcanon of Henry Bowers and how would he react having a new stepmother who loves him and who protects him and receives his father's beatings for him, and who prepares cookies for him and his friends? A situation could be that after a beating by her father she brings him chocolate milk and freshly baked cookies, thank you

Alrighty! Finally coming back to headcanon posting after God knows how long! Happy to be back y'all and with that, let's get into this!

So Henry Bowers with a step-mother who actually loves him?

TWs: Mentions of abuse

Henry is definitely a mix of shocked, confused and standoffish the first time he meets his new stepmother, thinking she's going to be just as bad as Butch if she got with him

Oh boy, could he have been more wrong.

After seeing just how nice his Step-mother is he's definitely gone back to being sorely confused on how the hell his unpleasant and belligerent father seemed to just sway one of the nicest women he's ever met into being with him

Seeing his step-mother take a beating for him for the first time was definitely jarring for Henry, no one had ever tried to save him from butch's cruelty like that and he silently appreciated it

He went outside to the barn later that night and actually cried because of this, it just moved something inside of him

Whenever baking or cookies are involved, Henry definitely helps out when Butch isn't home because according to Butch "Baking is a woman's hobby"

Henry would definitely try keeping up his tough persona around his friends if they're ever over and his step-mother brings them cookies, is he rude to her like this? Not at all, it's definitely a surprise when the gang first sees Henry act like that for once

God forbid the gang teases him about it though, the only one crazy enough to do that would be Patrick...This would then lead to a small scuffle broken up by Belch

All in all, Henry does love his new mom, even if he won't outright say it since he's been conditioned to think showing emotion like that is weak. It's like a mutual understanding between them with butch's abuse, like drowning in a whirlpool, they both know they're drowning but they're drowning together and there's a small measure of comfort in that fact.

Whoo! It's good to be back! Like I said in my last post, i'll start posting and writing a bit more regularly and frequently once Christmas break starts but right now this was a good prompt to get the gears in my head turning!

As always I hope you guys enjoyed the headcanons and I hope you'll stick around for the next batch!

[discodreaming]

Could we please get some general romantic relationship headcanons for Erza, Juvia, and Mirajane?

genre: fluff

general romantic relationship headcanons

characters: erza, juvia and mirajane

ERZA

i feel like she's shy with dating, or anytime of romantic gestures

but also like really excited to be having such a romantic time with someone!

Now these next ones are pure rambles bc erza

I feel like she secretly has ur guys wedding planned out to the t

Like she won't tell you until u ask her to marry you

And she'll pull out thus giant book filled with wedding plans

Erza is also very sentimental with the dating

She keeps all your little gifts and eveey picture taken of you two

i like to also think she's clumsy during ur first kisses, and she's so flustered about it her face is all red

and it's the time where you can't help but laugh

she'll remember that

i feel like erza is also a lot more anxious in terms of needing to protect if you're a nonmage

but if you're a mage shehas more belief in you if you tell her you got it

she won't help the small anxiety she has with worry

but she still believes in you so much

now that's with fights though, but you guys only ever get into arguments about each other's health tbh

she is a lot more snappy in terms of protective but overall

JUVIA

miss ma'am is out here devoted to you so u better be devoted to her

juvia is also another sentimental person that she basically hoards like every little thing

I'm talking a small treasure chest or plastered on the pinboard type sentimental

confetti? tickets? photos? etc? it's up there

i feel like she'd love to match clothes tbh imo, bc even though she's got a style

i feel like she has some matching outfits planned for things like date night, important events

wear the outfits and she's gonna be !!!!!!!!!!!

i also see her as another one planning the wedding like

she has a book just like erza but make it a binder, and two books and like it's a lot she has it planned to the t

she also has a lot of faith within you, like fighting? day to day things? hell yeah

but she'd also not hesitate to protect you too

she would not hesitate to take on so much pain from you

her favorite dates are the most thought about ones, like a picnic? hell yeah. a nice dinner where u guys dress up?? just take her on dates SHE DESERVES IT

you guys def have kids later on

MIRAJANE

if it seems self indulgent it is i love her

whoo boy there wouldn't be much difference of friend mirajane and dating mirajane except the fact it's subtle but in the cute ways that makes people go fucking nuts

you could just simply be talking to someone and she'll come and run her fingers over your shoulder or neck

or you'll give her a quick peck on the lips before any quests

and the small but cute gifts

you two are also a matching outfit couple for dates

and it's this soft type of romance for a bit where everything sets your guys heart a flutter, like just

it's a sweet, soft romance but she's also ur support system vise versa

her siblings are very supportive!!

the entire guild is !!!! i shit you not it's like a huge family there's gonna be teasing but also okes and just overall being brought in by a huge family

SHE LOVES TAKING PICTURES WITH YOU

she's also super protective of you like i mean she knows ur capable but also a scratch after a job? ur cheeks are in her hand and she's asking you what happened, are you okay, who did this?

you know the song where "ur beauty never ever scared me" that's u guys fight me

a/n: i really am sorry for taking so long for this job has me by the scruffs but i hope you enjoy these

if you'd like mre i can give more i love these three women just bites hand

[laxxarian]

Evil Fenton Parents Meeting the Good Ones

It's basically that.

Maddie and Jack (the canon ones. Let's call them as is)

Mads and J (the evil AU ones).

........

Maddie and Jack were doing the "normal" stuff with Danny and Jazz, a happy family bonding time.... Fighting and helping ghosts and humans around Amity Park. Now that the Fentons have one thing in common, everyone is as close as they were before. It was all good and peachy when a new ghost came to Amity and had the whole Family portaled through somewhere else where clouds are grey and the streets are crowded.

Jack: Well... This can't get any weirder, won't it?

Jazz, eyeing Jack with worried looks: Dad!!

Jack: What?! Gotta let it come over and finish it faster!

Danny: Whoo... Boy... This is gonna be a loonnggg day.

Maddie: Awww, sweety, wouldn't that mean we'd get a long bonding time?

Jack: Great idea, Mads!

The family then found out that they were in Gotham but they didn't know anything of such a place before. And all the while the Fentons go around exploring the place and finding a way to get back (They found out that they're in a different reality due to seeing Maddie and Jack working with the GIW [they knew because of one big advertisement in a billboard])

Maddie: Well, that's horrifying.

Jack: Danny here must be a human then!

Danny, who knew that his parents despises the GIW even before knowing Danny is Phantom: Whoa. To think I'd see you guys work with them.

Jazz: Alright you three, stop dilly dallying. We still have a reality to get back to and put back a certain ghost to the ghost zone.

Maddie: Oh, Jazz. Can't we explore a bit more? For a ghost to be able to take us here just seems so fascinating.

Jazz: Eughh... Fine...

While they walked around the streets, the people would stare at them weirdly and were amazed to see the parents. Meanwhile the Danny in this reality was staring at them wide eyed at the corner of the alley.

Danny (the dissected one au): Did... Did they somehow clone me????

And the JL are freaking out when they see the Fentons being in two places rather than one because one, the evil ones are being held with them and two, the evil ones are also confused.

But Batman came in and theorized that the new Fentons may be in a different reality and thus, the new Fentons were invited to the Watchtower.

(I'm being honest, I literally have no idea if they would allow this or not but the only place I know is either the Manor or the tower 😔😔😔 and yes, I'm not a fan or probably I am [I'm not] but I am interested in DC just that I'm too confused on where to start reading, watching, gaming first cuz they're everywhere and the multiple of Robins are not helping me)

And then there, they all discuss while the evil Fentons (cuffed)...

(if ur wondering how they got here, it's because they were able to control Danny's mind again and got them to this place and was planning to destroy it but Danny actually tricked them into thinking that they did control Danny [The JL are planning for something to the evil Fentons])

...while the evil Fentons are listening in and make comments like:

Mads: He's a ghost scum! How could you ever accept him?!

J: That ghost scum must've successfully controlled your minds! Why else would you accept an abomination?!

But each time they do, the good parents would counter it like:

Maddie: Because he is our son! No matter who or what he is! He is still our boy!

Jack: You said it! And Danno-boy here is a great hero! Why shame him?

Maddie: We are proud of him! And we love him! Isn't that all that matters?

Jazz, hugging Danny (the edgy one): Oh, little brother, it must have been hard for you...

To Danny (the one that got experimented au), felt his tears welling up in his eyes, to think he'd hear the day where his parents would say that and see his sister alive but.... They weren't his.

+.+.+.+.+.+

Bonus:

The JL are all quite surprised/shocked and amazed by how cheerful, snarky and pretty much talkative this other Danny is (the one that got good parents).

They also found out that this Danny loves space and is now a fan of Martian Manhunter and all had thought that it was probably the same for their Danny (the one that got no parents).

[dodgeballstuckonthegymceiling]

Hello!

So I started watching ROTTMNT a few weeks ago despite my only exposure to the Ninja Turtles being a single scene of a 90's live-action movie when I was maybe 5 because the turtles started repeatedly appearing in my dreams, and my brother informed me this was the universe telling me I need to watch the turtles.

In any case, I have now become hyperfixated. Could I request platonic ROTTMNT turtle boys with a reader who is a biting insect magnet? It doesn't matter if the bug usually feeds on humans or not, the reader's blood is, for whatever reason, sweet, sweet nectar to all manner of biting insects, to the point that even max strength bug repellant doesn't always work to keep the bugs away; so reader is always getting bitten up by all nearby biting insects. To make matters worse, reader is mildly allergic to the itch juice bugs inject when they bite, and gets huge, swollen, itchy rashes from bug bites that itch for several weeks. (Reader is also an avid herper—someone who enjoys catching and releasing wild reptiles and amphibians, a passtime that involves being out and about where bugs are going to be at the times they are most active.)

My first experience with tmnt was the 2012 series when it first came out, I was like 7ish. Didn't Really get into the fandom though untill recently!

Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michaelangelo x reader who's catches lizards and is allergic to bug bites

Raph

★ Whoo boy. He is so scared that you are going to get bitten by a oozesquitoe. It's not even funny. Anytime you're remotely near one he's pulling out Donnie's emergency hazmat suit (More on that later)

★ He urges you to where long sleeves and pants when you go out. Actually really likes the lizards that you catch. His favorite lizard native to New York is the coal skink because it looks a little red in the right lighting.

★ Raph's worried about your health, but that's just how he is. He will always be a bit worried about your health. Its actually pretty sweet. But please put a bandaid over the bigger bites so that he doesn't fret.

Leo

★ Leo, being the ever so intelligent person he is, decides that you're the perfect bait to catch oozesquitoes. Fortunately he is quickly shut down by his brothers the moment he voices his clearly perfect idea.

★ He keeps more than a few bottles of benadryl around the lair. Allergic reactions to bug bites wasn't something he knew about before meeting you. He's well stocked for whenever you get attacked by bugs.

★ Yes, he tried to cut a mosquito in half with his ōdachi. No, it didn't work. His weapon got stuck in a log because he put to much force into the swing.

★ He might get a little jealous over the lizards. Especially if you start talking to them. "look at you, handsome little guy!" And "oh, you have beautiful coloration" all prompt his jealousy. "Why don't you talk to me like that :'("

Donnie

★ Your blood seems to be irresistible to blood-eating insects, bug spray or not. His quite perplexed by the whole situation. Are you sure you used bug spray and not sunscreen?

★ His fear over you getting bitten by an oozesquitoe mixed with his tendency to plan things out in advanced led him to make a emergency hazmat suit for you in the turtle tank.

★ The amount of times he's had to put calamine lotion on you because you had gotten bit by bugs is way too high. To be blunt, he thinks you should stop trying to catch random lizards. Or at the very least cut down on it.

★ But then again, the look on your face when you catch a lizard and show him it is really cute. Especially when you explain to him what species it is and where it likes to hide during the day.

Mikey

★ Knows next to nothing about lizards, which is surprising because he's a reptile. If you have any books on wildlife he would like to borrow them to read up on New York's reptile population.

★ When you get bad allergic reactions he brings you to Leo. He would carry you but he probably can't because he is smol. Mikey loves animals but he doesn't love mosquitoes because of the effect they have on you.

★ He joins you whenever you try to catch lizards. Mikey loves to give the lizards you catch different names. Whenever you go out he brings a jar of dehydrated mealworms for whatever creature you catch.

[ladykailitha]

If I Rescue You, Will You Rescue Me, Too? Part 6

Hello! Thank you for all the well wishes. Food poisoning is such a bitch. Completely knocked me for a six.

The plan is coming together, and the other CC boys come around.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3  Part 4  Part 5

*

Steve managed to talk to both Eddie’s doctor and physical therapist. They said that he was in good shape and that as long as he didn’t overexert himself going to a concert in Indy shouldn’t be a problem.

That was the first step. He didn’t want to try and get a hold of the concert hall only to be told by the doctors that Eddie wasn’t well enough to go.

Steve bit his lip as he opened the Yellow Pages and began to flip through them. He didn’t even know what category the place would be under. He had looked at the flyer but if there was a phone number on it, he couldn’t see it. He first went to V for venues. But that really didn’t turn up anything. C for Concerts were concert halls for classical music and definitely not what he needed. He was about to give up when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Steve?” Nancy asked.

Steve straightened up. “Oh hey.”

“I’m sorry if this overstepping in any way, but Robin was telling me about you wanting to help get Eddie to see that concert in Indy,” she explained.

“No, no it’s fine,” he murmured. He just hoped that Robin didn’t tell her why he was doing this.

“I called up the venue and got the number to Metallica’s manager,” she continued.

“You what?!” Steve asked, nearly falling over with the shock.

“It’s really interesting how far one can get when flattering someone over the phone,” Nancy said in a tone that implied she was grinning from ear to ear.

“So what did the manager say?” Steve asked, suddenly very, very invested in her next words.

“They’re going to talk to the band and get back to you,” she said.

Steve deflated. “Well that’s a start. Thanks, Nance.”

Nancy chuckled. “I don’t think you understand, Steve. He’s going to talk to the band about backstage passes.”

Steve blinked. “Oh. Oh god. Seriously? Eddie would freak.”

Her chuckle became a full on laugh. “Yes. But I figured it would be best if they talked to you so that you could get all the details.”

Steve slid to the floor and laughed. “Oh god, this is going to freaking amazing. I talked to his doctors and they’ve cleared him to go.”

“That’s great,” Nancy said. “I better get off the phone in case they call.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, thanks for this.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “And Steve?”

“Hmm?”

“Just...make sure he makes you happy, yeah?” she asked quietly. “Because you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”

Steve sighed in relief. “Yeah. I will. Thanks again.”

Then they said their goodbyes.

He jumped up from the floor and cheered, pumping his fist. He danced and jumped, cheering and shouting for joy.

He just wanted two cheap seat tickets to a concert to cheer Eddie up. But this? This was life changing. This was a grand gesture of the highest order. Holy fuck.

“Whoo!!” he yelled.

Then walkie-talkie crackled to life. “Hey, Mother Hen, this is Genius Child, do you read me, over?”

“I did not agree those code names, over,” Steve snarked into his walkie.

Dustin laughed. “No, they were Robin’s idea, over.”

“Of course they were,” Steve grumbled. “What do you want, over.”

There was silence on the walkie for a moment. “Are you really trying to get Eddie to the Metallica concert this weekend?”

Steve sighed. Yep. Robin was going to die. “What about it?” He sighed again. “Over.”

“I was thinking about trying to get his battle vest cleaned so that you could give it back to him to wear to the concert,” Dustin said. “And my mom is willing to help us try and get the blood out. Over.”

Steve pressed his eyes closed and pinched his nose. He knew Dustin was only trying to help. But Steve didn’t want to give the vest back to Eddie. He wanted to hide it under his bed and only pull it out when he needed to. “Yeah sure, bud. We can do that. I’ll bring it over tomorrow. I’ve got to stay here, because I’m waiting for a phone call, over.”

“Great!” Dustin said cheerily. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Over and out.”

Steve stood there for who knows how long just wishing he hadn’t thought to do this. It was already getting out of hand. Now there were people demanding to help. It wasn’t about him and Eddie anymore. It was about the party doing something nice for Eddie.

He just wanted to unplug the phone, turn off the walkie-talkie and curl up into a ball and never leave, ever again. He slid to the floor of the kitchen in front of the dishwasher and sobbed.

And then the phone rang. He stood shakily to his feet and wiped the tears from his face. He cleared his throat and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Steve Harrington?” the voice asked.

“Yes, this is him,” Steve replied trying to put as much cheer into his voice as possible.

“I’m calling on behalf of Metallica,” he said. “I understand you have a fan that was recently hospitalized due to the tragedy that struck your town, is that right?”

This is for Eddie, this is for Eddie, Steve chanted in his head. “Yup, sure do. He’s a really good musician, too. He learned Master of Puppets on guitar by ear in just three weeks.”

“Really?” the guy said. “That’s fucking amazing. Here’s what the band is willing to do...”

And they discussed the whole plan and Steve was feeling better by the end of the conversation. Because this was all him.

He bit his lip and then blurted out. “Would it be all right it I wear ear plugs? I have a bad left ear that’s really sensitive and know your guys can get loud.”

The guy laughed. “No, no, it’s fine. Recommended in fact. I’ll tell you what, at the box office, I’ll leave a couple of pairs of the professional ones the band uses with your tickets.”

“Really? That would be great, thanks!” Steve thrilled to be going to the concert for the concert’s sake for the first time since this whole thing started.

Once they hang up Steve put his hands on his hips. All right. The party wanted to help? Then they were going to help with what Steve wanted and not their ideas.

He was doing this for Eddie. With Eddie. They weren’t going. He was. And he knew what his first step was.

Get a hold of Jeff Lawrence because Steve was going to need the names of a couple of shops.

He pulled out the White Pages and got to work. He wrote out his plan and began listing all the things he was going to need.

*

Despite all the work Steve was doing planning this trip to Indy, he was still working at the video shop and volunteering as well as visiting Eddie. He didn’t want to the other man to think that Steve hated him when he was trying to prove the opposite.

When he opened the store on Tuesday the first thing he did was have a conversation with his best friend. He finished telling her about everything Nancy and Dustin had done without prompting.

“Now,” he said with a menacing grin, “where would they have heard that I was taking Eddie to see Metallica, I wonder.”

Robin gulped. “Oh. Well, I was at the hospital talking to Wayne about the plan because I figured he’d need to know and Nancy happened to over hear and then Dustin came up and was asking about what we were talking about and the next thing I know everyone knows.”

Steve put both hands palm down on the counter, fingers slightly spread. “I can see where it got out of your hands, so I’m not going to be mad. But you have to understand...”

Robin sighed and jumped up on the counter next to his hands. “That now everyone is involved it’s less about you showing Eddie how much he means to you specifically and more about how much he means to all of us?”

Steve closed his eyes and nodded.

She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Steve. It’s gone to hell and I didn’t mean it to.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I know you didn’t. But I was going to tell Wayne myself once I got all the details worked out. There’s no point in telling anyone anything until I had contacted the venue.” He put his head on her shoulder. “Which I am grateful to Nancy for doing that for me, because of course I am. But I still would have liked to have been able to figure it all out for myself.”  

“Yeah, fucked up,” she said softly. “I can call everyone off if you want.”

Steve shook his head. “No, I’m going to use this to my advantage. I’m going to make the party work for me for a change.”

“That’s the Steve Harrington, I know and love,” Robin said brightly. “Now let’s do this horrible minimum wage job to the least of our abilities.”

Steve laughed and they got down to business.

He was clocking out when a certain red-head came into the store. Steve nudged Robin’s shoulder on the way out. Vickie had clearly come to the store when she knew it would just be her and Robin.

Jeff was waiting for him outside the door. Behind him was Brian and Gareth. Suddenly Steve was very worried he was going to be jumped.

“I told these guys what you had planned for Eddie,” Jeff said, jutting his thumb at his friends behind him, “and they wanted to help.”

Gareth scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Eddie told us, you saved his life and it would be pretty shitty of us if we continued to drag you for shit you did two years ago.”

Brian still had his arms crossed. “But know this, if this is a prank to hurt Eddie, they’ll be finding pieces of you up and down the railway tracks for months.”

Steve gulped. “Not a prank. You can ask Nancy Wheeler or Dustin Henderson, they’ll both tell you it’s the real deal.”

Brian eyed him warily. “Maybe I will.”

Jeff stepped in between them. “Okay...that’s enough of the pissing contest.”

Brian and Steve reared their heads back as Gareth laughed.

“You know that’s what you guys were doing,” Gareth said shaking his head, “and you know it. We’re all here for Eddie and if Steve-o here wants to get our friend to the metal concert of the year if not decade, then we’re going to help in anyway possible, right Bri?”

Brian took a deep breath and let it out slow. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Jeff said, “now that we have that cleared out of the way, we’re going to take Steve metal shopping.”

Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12 Part 13 Part 14  Part 15 Part 16 Part 17  Part 18  Part 19  Part 20

Tag List: @anaibis @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369  @cr0w-culture @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @chaoticlovingdreamer @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666  @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @whalesharksart @nburkhardt @snapshotmaestro @shrimply-a-menace @theotalksalot @child-of-cthulhu @bookbinderbitch

[pilferingapples]

started re-watching LM 2K with some friends who also make terrible life choices

went in honestly thinking , Hey! maybe I am forgetting things! Maybe it's not as bad as I remember it being!

well 1.5 hours into this 8 hour fever dream and I can say. I was forgetting things all right! quite a lot of things! but whoo boy I owe Past Me an apology, this is bad and every new Thing I Had Blocked Out Of My Mind makes it worse

Thoughts, While I Have Them:

why does it start literally on fire

I'll give John Malkovert this: he does seem disturbingly horny for the idea of inherent traits and inborn social hierarchy. Beeblevert didn't really seem to know what to do with his phrenology displays; Malkovert whispers to them lovingly at night and probably licks them. This guy feels about eugenics like Grantaire feels about Enjolras. This guy is messed up.

( ...filmmakers know that when they've got someone with lots of human skull measurements and phrenology and Types of Human displays, they're saying that character is into eugenics, right? I'm not saying it's a bad move, it can be very accurate and telling ,but like. They get what that's doing there, right? RIGHT???)

The dialogue...is bad.... it's so bad...

"yellow is the color of happiness"

this timeline is a shambles. Fantine doesn't have Cosette until after Tholomyes is gone, and then apparently holds out for YEARS in Paris, since Cosette is if anything a little older than her book age when Fantine meets the Ts; meanwhile Valjean doesn't get out of prison until AFTER Fantine has moved to M-sur-M. Which of course means there's no factory for her to work at!

...but then after Valjean (very intentionally) steals from Petit Gervais, we cut to Fantine working in the factory. The Nettle Cloth factory . Which means Fantine was doing SOMETHING before Valjean showed up to Disrupt the industry with his Tech Breakthrough but like. What. If she was doing something else then why doesn't she go do that some more after she's fired? Because she very much doesn't, she goes right to attempting sex work...badly

like trying it with Javert first Badly

and then he threatens to arrest her but doesn't?? who is this man, what kind of Javert is he ffs . Letting a Poor go unarrested? Seriously this doesn't even scan with his characterization in this series

Instead he starts stalking Fantine and giving her Helpful Hints. He comes in right after she has a client?? and tells her to go to the circus??

She goes and finds the dentist and tries to get him to pull TEN of her teeth bc for no reason he's giving 4 francs a tooth instead of 20 for the fronts. The dentist is the only character in this show with sense and says NO THAT'S TOO MANY TEETH, and he just cuts her hair instead And listen we've got another Fantine with Mostly Straight Brown Hair , it's not even that long, and I'm sorry but there's NO WAY that's worth more than teeth, why do adaptations keep doing this

also why do they keep making Fantine so passive, so dependent on people telling her what to do? She makes bad choices sometimes--often even!-- but she Makes Decisions and fast, she goes all in without any pushing, that is a defining part of Fantine's character! but everything she does here gotta be because someone told her she Should

another one where Javert inexplicably goes to M sur M to see Cosette. Why? What possible reason for this?? he almost seems like he has a weird crush on Fantine rather than JVJ but that's. That's incoherent, for this character. even in this series!!

I've written so much and haven't even gotten to Valjean officiating a wedding for, apparently, a famous former sex worker in the town ? this is mentioned once and I don't think it'll ever be relevant again

1.5 hours in, Points For: a very cute little donkey, Petit Gervais having his Marmot, some very nice architecture, Baptistine existing

Unpoints for: everyone's bafflingly inconsistent characterization, the absolute mess of a timeline, Myriel still living in the palace but letting homeless people sleep on the floor?? , lots of very pointless Walking Around Time , Thenardier Sex , why do directors think I want to see them get it on, Please Stop

[lara-cairncross]

Hi I did not expect to be hit with this much nostalgia for pixie hollow fairies lol

The way you draw them is so pretty!?!?!?!?! I love their designs so much

I'm considering drawing fanart now, especially since I saw the suggestion of drawing my personal OCs in your fairy au, and I realized.... I have an oc. That I created recently. Like so recently that I haven't even named her yet. And she's already kinda fairy-like??? She's the result of a one-night stand between Leo and a random bird yokai who decided to dump the egg on Leo (it's the accidental baby acquisition trope except its more like you-really-should-have-expected-this-leo baby acquisition XD)

Don't worry though, she's not bird-like enough to want to eat your fairy boys if she met them. She's basically just a feathered turtle who loves shiny things, and I haven't even finalized her design but now I wanna draw her as a fairy haha. I do know her feathers are blue-purple-pink-ish with red streaks, so her colour scheme matches Fairy Leo haha

Hmmmm maybe I should actually put a question here uhh....

You keep hinting at plot points but you've also said you don't plan on making this a comic, so are we ever going to find out what the heck is going on???

And I know the idea of making a whole entire comic can seem overwhelming, but have you considered viewing it as just doodling and practicing? For my own au comic I only have one part drawn so far and it is the first part, but I'm planning to just draw any part of the story at any point in time, just depending on what I feel like. Cuz no one says you have to do it the "normal" way, right? And I like to think of drawing the comic pages as practicing new skills, like learning how to do page layouts and composition better. Aka focus on the journey and not the end goal.

Whoo, that got kinda long and I only really asked one question, but based on previous asks you've answered I have a feeling you don't mind ;)

OK that was entirely just stream of thought after going through the whole au tag (there are more thoughts but most are incoherent and overlapping so this is what i managed to pick out of my brain), but to summarize: I love your fairy au and the boys are gonna be living in my head now, along with every other version of the turtles that I love <3 <3 <3

I'm glad to hear you're liking the fairy au!! I had a ton of fun coming up with their designs :D

I do actually plan on making this into a comic of sorts! I dunno if I could ever make, like, a long-form webcomic or anything like that-- but I'm definitely planning on doing at *least* a few mini-comics to elaborate on the story! And maybe build my way up to something longer and more fulfilled :D As of now, I'm trying to experiment with different comic styles on my own time so I can try and find something that's quick and easy, but still looks decent. I like the idea of treating it as essentially a glorified doodle page. Honestly, as soon as I try to take any of my stories too seriously, I burn out fast-- so I'm trying to stay pretty chill about this one and just making content whenever I feel like it lol

Yup, I'm totally cool with everyone drawing their OCs as fairies if they want to! It's not like I own the idea or anything lmao. The only caveat is that I have jurisdiction over whether or not something is canon to my particular au. Leo and the rest of the boys are still canonically kids/teenagers to me, and I've been writing/drawing them as kids this entire time, so I won't be including anything/anyone related to one of them having a "one night stand" with somebody. I can't really police what anyone else draws though, so have fun :D

Sorry about these little guys buzzing around in your brain ❤️💜🧡🩵

[minsu-the-cowardly-human]

UglyDolls shipping chart

Whoo boy so this orginal chart has been since deleted but people have uploaded their versions of it so I frankensteined this together + added Nolan. The explanations and list of the ships will be below the cut

OTP:

Lou x Ox: Listen I know Ox calls him like a brother but in my headcanon he only says that because he has #interalizedhomophobia. Anyways, I just love love the idea of them being toxic but also sweet together...idk chat they got somethin' to 'em!! I'm just like that one cow pic that's "man" like...wow they are so terrible together!!! I ship Ribbun what do you expect, lol

Lou x Moxy: Ok this one I can actually explain with real words a bit more. Firstly I like how in the Ugly Truth song I know this is apart of the whole manipulative stuff or whatever BUTTT i do like he says she makes him tongue-tied and calls her pretty before the back-up singers go in. I know, I know that's the point...but I mean...tongue-tied is an inherently romantic phrasing for me. Also I LOVE how Moxy is in the crowd smiling like an idiot as she's listening to him call everybody else ugly and she's the only one still smiling when her and crew gets the spotlight on them. I don't think she's stupid, considering none of the rest of them are smiling at this point AND she starts frowning once his "prettttttyyyyyyyyy" goes on for a bit..long..to the point she knows he's not being serious yk? Idk I just..love the idea of her being like a fangirl over his appearance, at least, and him finding it cute. Idkkk chat!! IdkkkK!!!

Like:

Tuesday x Kitty x Lydia: Idk I like the idea of them being poly together :3

Mandy x Kitty: Idk maniuplative girlboss toxicity yes yes. I chose Mandy and Kitty specifically because Kitty seems to be the leader of the pack of the spy girls/the most outwardly mean. I wanna see Mandy make a "not like other girls" meme with her and Kitty and Kitty gets on her about it before she realizes how pretty Mandy looks :>

Mandy x Nolan: They're both outcasts/"ugly", maybe they could get together or at least be friends!

Lou x Nolan: Nolan fawning over Lou and the first scene at the academy where Nolan is like "wait you criticized us because you love me?" and then Lou is like "yes" *looks away n back* "I love all of you" like...idk I think they could be cute together

Wage x Uglydog: Idk just a thought I had during the movie when Wage was getting on his ass about trying to rizz up everybody and failing. Horribly. Maybe she could rizz him up idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Moxy x Lucky Bat: Whoo I don't know just the way he talks to her during the tea scene and the way she kisses Ox on the cheek and pats his shoulder at the end of the first song makes it feel like to me he's getting friendzoned by her. Maybe I'm looking too much into things but that's the vibe I get. Plus idk...they could be kinda cute together...

Like/Neutral:

Babo x Lou: I don't know I like the tiny micro interaction they have in the Ugly Truth song. I don't have much of an excuse for this one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Babo x Wage: I like the idea of her coming home to her supportive hubby :3 idk it just clicks in my brain

Neutral:

Ox x Moxy: Idk it just doesn't click with me. Maybe it's because while searching for Lou x Ox stuff I saw someone mention that Moxy and Ox are "related" because the kids are related even tho it's never said in the movie. Maybe I see them more as friends. Idk. I respect it though and I think it's dumb to think they're related, if we're going by that logic you couldn't ship anybody cuz they're all made in the same factory. Edit: Got the reason wrong but I still think it's stupid to think it's bad to ship them. More info here:

Mandy x Moxy: Idk again it just doesn't click with me. I get the appeal 100% since Moxy is the first one to validate her for wearing glasses. But I dunno it feels weird for Moxy to say her glasses makes her who she is instead of her..personality? Idk. Maybe I'm being petty but it doesn't click for me. Respect it though.

**Edit: Ox x Lucky Bat: Damn I forgot these fuckers. Anyways, they're..alright. I like their colors though. Idk for me there's not enough there for me to ship them

Not Really:

Lou x Tuesday: He doesn't pay much attention to her. It feels like a hopeless fangirl falling for her favorite member of a boy band (which is fitting since Lou is voiced by Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brothers lol). Idk it doesn't seem Lou cares much about the spy girls unless they can do something for him, which is fine but I don't see the appeal personally. Respect those who do tho.

Lou x Mandy: .....okkkk listen ok I can't say shit about people who ship this or why I don't ship it because I ship fuckin Lou x Nolan and Lou x Moxy ok. I'm no stranger to shipping Lou with somebody he calls ugly lol is what I'm saying. But idk...Mandy doesn't seem to like him very much and he certainly doesn't like her but there's no small moment of something for me to ship them, like the "i love all of you" scene with Nolan or Moxy being a tiny fangirl. To me, it doesn't click. Respect those who do however. Again, I am a big rarepair/crackshipper I uh can't say shit about how much a ship makes sense to me lol.

[allthefoolmine]

The 2024 Men's Olympic Marathon Was Epic

Excuse me for some screaming about the 2024 Paris Olympic Men's Marathon, okay?

Cool. Under the cut 'cause this is gonna get long and enthusiastic.

So, first of all, Kenenisa Bekele, the man the myth the legend, was back at the Olympics. After twelve years. After he very nearly won the 2024 London Marathon. I was there and seated for this.

For second, I immediately developed a massive mancrush on Yaseen Abdallah. He's 22. He represents Sudan. He just graduated from college. He--get this--had never run a marathon before. (He was in the race on one of the Olympic universality places.) And said about running, "I hate hills".

let's all take a moment to remind ourselves of the brutally hilly Paris Olympic marathon course, yes? Yes.

And finally, Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od was running his sixth Olympic marathon, which is makes my brain bleed to even think about.

I was too cheap to pay for a livestream, plus, from everything I've read, live television coverage of championship marathons is usually pretty shit. (Especially if there are men's and women's races happening at the same time. But feminist outrage about how fukkin' horrible TV coverage of women's long distance racing is, is not the point of this post.) I was following the race via the Olympic webpage, which gives 5k splits, and various major newspapers live updates. I should also say that I'm a pretty new fan of the sport and not at all a competitive runner myself, so, take all of this for what it's worth.

That marathon was ridiculous. Reasons include:

Eyob Faniel (Italy): made what seemed like a serious effort to take charge in the first half of the race. Boy did he pay for it later. But how exciting to see someone go for it.

By the end of the first half, it looked like Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) had been like, "I'll take it from here" and seeing him win, in an Olympic record, on THAT COURSE, in those weather and humidity conditions, was frankly fucking bonkers. Like, run do not walk to watch the Eurosports coverage of the last ten minutes of the race, because the beauty and economy of that man's stride belongs in a museum.

The performance of Akira Akasaki (Japan). Bro is 26, this was his first Olympics and world championship race. He stayed in fifth place almost the entire freaking race, even with the Faniel-led craziness in the first half, and only ended up sixth when he got passed at the very end. You can see his finish in the clip above, and I implore you to watch it. Dude looks so flipping' happy, and from what I could see on the live tracker, you could set a metronome or an atomic clock by his pacing. And you can see from the video of the last ten minutes--he's running alone! There's no one with him! Again, as far as I can tell this was his first race at this level of competition. Absolute insanity. I can't wait to see what he does in the future.

Bashir Abdi got silver! After his bronze in Tokyo! What a legend. Also, Benson Kipruto was third. Both, from the live tracker, seem to have run incredible, smart races, especially in the second half.

Emil Cairess, (a Yorkshireman! Whoo!) who went from 9th at the half, to 2nd at 30k, to 6th at 35k and 40k, and finished fourth. I bet his race was epic to witness live. (And his finish is hilarious, dude looks like he left it allllll on the ice. Love to see it.)

Seeing somebody set a National Record is always exciting; seeing someone do it in heat, humidity, and hills, and come seventh in the Olympic marathon, is even cooler. Give Tebello Ramakongoana (Lesotho) all the flowers.

In the battle of Connor Mantz (USA) vs the Hurt Locker (dude looks like he went with Faniel and paid for it), the judges award Mantz the victory. He hung on for eighth.

Yaseen Abdallah, hater of hills, finished his first marathon, in 2:11 for 33rd place, setting a new national record for Sudan. My head exploded. If he ever decides to run another marathon, dude has a bright future.

Kenenisa Bekele had a rough day at the office but he finished! I was hoping to see him medal, because I'm a huge fan of his, but seeing him grind to finish 39th is inspiring. Massive respect to him. Eliud Kipchoge sadly DNF'd, and I hope he is okay.

And in last place, Bat-Ochiryn Ser-Od, finished his sixth Olympic marathon, which he was determined to do after dropping out in Tokyo. Ridiculous.

And that was the men's Olympic marathon. Bonkers from beginning to end. Cannot wait to follow the women's race tomorrow!

Last ten minutes of the race:

[mmkin]

Fishman Family (Siren's Shark ch 11) ARLONG!!!!

New chapter of the Siren's Shark now up... link on A03 and also under the cut and the lovely screencap of Arlong.

Plenty of fishman goodness for us fishman lovers!

Content warning - a bit of smut, some slavery and mention/flashbacks of traumatic events, child abuse.

XI

Quite a pivotal chapter, and also quite fun to write. Whoo!

o0o0o0o

Somewhere in the North Blue, many years ago…

Nitirb Island was a land of harsh, cold winters. Those with enough money and food could weather these long, bitter months with ease, but those with fewer resources felt the bite of cold and hunger much more deeply.

Yolande had noticed years ago that the cold didn't seem to affect her quite as deeply as it did her fellow residents at the orphanage, but over the last year, her hunger became much deeper. She'd noticed that her wristbands and hems crept a few inches past her wrists and ankles over the last few months. After being a 'little shrimp' for as long as she could remember, she would have been glad for this growth spurt if it wasn't for the aching hunger that the simple fare of the orphanage failed to quell.

The nuns would tell her and the other children that if not for the orphanage, they’d starve to death, so they should be grateful for the gruel and root vegetables they got.

It was hard to be grateful, though, Yolande mused as she looked at the children around her. None of them asked to be here. Orphaned through death, illness, or the neglect or abandonment of relatives, they were too young or disabled to support themselves. Why hold it against us, Yolande wanted to ask. She'd asked once, years ago when she was much smaller. A harsh slap from the nun was the response she'd gotten, and she had never asked again, even though it was on the tip of her tongue many times when the nuns lectured about gratitude, charity, or how the gods had a plan for everyone, even orphans.

She quickly scarfed down her bowl of gruel. As bland as it was, she still wanted more. Her stomach continued to growl for a bit, but none of the people sitting near her heard. Hands moved in furtive gestures as the children spoke to one another in sign language. She was the only one in the group who could hear, but she’d learned sign and in exchange she acted like their ears, replaying information to them that they would have had no access to otherwise.

“Tonight,” one of the boys signed. She nodded briefly.

“We’ll have it ready for you,” he said.

She replied with a thumbs up as her stomach rumbled again. If she'd been a meaner person, she'd have snatched a bowl from someone else and helped herself to the contents, as the bullies did here. Fuck, she couldn't wait for tonight.

It was an almost moonless night, with only a sliver of light to guide their way. She’d picked up the package, which included the extra layers that the others were lending to them for the mission. Nanni had more layers than she did, but Yolande still felt the bite of the cold on her face as she helped Nanni over the wall and the two of them made their way through several twists and turns in the alleyways before making it into the thick woods that hugged the west side of the city.

Nanni’s rich complexion and dark hair showed that she was descended from the natives of this island. Her parents died when she was young, and her grandmother took care of her. Her grandmother had died a few years ago and she was sent here, for there was no one else who was willing to take on the care of a disabled child. The friendship between them had been almost instantaneous despite the communication barrier. And sign language was not the only thing Nanni had to teach. Her grandmother had been a healer, and she’d learned much from the old woman. A couple of the weeds that grew in the yard could be used for medicinal purposes, Nanni pointed out.

It also meant that Nanni was skilled at foraging, so here she and Yolande were, sneaking off through the woods and seeing what they could gather. She also knew what was poisonous or not, and Yolande was quick to learn what she could from her.

She squeezed Nanni’s arm and held one finger to her lips in the near-universal sign for silence. The two of them stood still as Yolande listened carefully to make sure they were not being pursued. She gave the clear sign, and they moved on, snow and ice crunching under their feet.

The pickings were almost non-existent, and Yolande sighed in disappointment as she looked down at the almost empty bag.

“Sorry,” Nanni signed, her fist moving in a small circle against her chest.

“Not your fault,” Yolande assured her. “We’ve been through here before… not like we can expect fresh pickings, eh?” she added sardonically. Nanni smirked.

“Go further?” Nanni asked. “Look.” She pointed, and it took Yolande a couple of moments, but she saw light flickering through the trees.

Fortune favors the bold, Yolande told herself and Nanni. And it couldn’t hurt to just look, at the very least. It turned out to be a fine house – not quite a mansion, but certainly one of the finer houses she had ever seen, with several outbuildings.

As it turned out, it was the home of one of the wealthier men in town, and one who was known for his displays of charity, donating money to the church and making sure he was seen every Sunday in his pew alongside his genteel wife and well-fed brood.

“We go beg?” Nanni asked with a grimace. Yolande shook her head.

“Steal,” she signed after a moment. Nanni stared at her for several moments.

Stealing. One of the many crimes that would incur the gods' wrath. How often had they been lectured about stealing? How wrong it was to take something that was not yours?

“We are hungry, and they have plenty of food to spare,” Yolande pointed out.

“… You’re right. Fuck them,” Nanni finally said after appearing to meditate for a couple of moments.

It took some time and surveillance, but they were able to steal some rice, candied fruit, and jerky from the cellar when the household was sleeping. There were plenty of other things to steal, but only so much they could carry or be easily hidden.

The rest of their circle made short work of the jerky and fruit. The rice took a little longer because they had to hide it while they were cooking it, using a stolen pot and scraps of wood for fuel. It was fine white rice, not the coarse wild rice that was grown on the island, and they’d accidentally burned some of it, but they ate it nonetheless.

It had been agreed by the group that the house should be hit again. Yolande had her reservations about stealing from the same house again, but the meals served at the orphanage had become even leaner, the nuns saying that money had been hard to come by this year, times were hard, people had less charity to offer, and so on. Yet Mr. Bumble and his brood remained well-fed, and they were not the only ones.

Fine, Yolande said. This time, two of the others joined them, and they crept out in the dead of the night. They made off with things that would be easier to consume, including more jerky. Once they were back, they excitedly went over the rice, beans, kimchi, fruit preserves, and teriyaki-marinated jerky. Nanni had pointed out to her the local poisonous plants along with the edible ones, and Yolande also knew that the food the orphanage got wasn’t always fresh, so she paid attention to the food as she inspected it, sniffing the jerky. It smelled fine enough but there was something wrong. She wasn’t sure what it was, but as she ran her fingers over the dried meat, she was unable to ignore the sense of wrongness.

“Don’t eat this,” she said, gesturing to the jerky. The others stared at her with disbelief. Nanni gave her a curious stare.

“Why?”

Why, indeed. What was she supposed to say? This feels weird? But it wasn’t a weirdness she could explain. It looked fine. The spices in the teriyaki called out to children who were regularly fed unflavored fare. To them, this might very well have been a holiday feast.

Nanni followed her lead. So did a few of the others, but not the two who had been with them to steal the food, and another one of the boys. She begged them to not take it. She even tried to forcefully take it away from them, which resulted in a fight, and she was outnumbered.

The commotion over the jerky eventually drew the notice of the bullies of the orphanage who were in a way assistant overseers of the place, doing so for a bit of extra rations. The jerky was taken from her friends… which turned out to be a good thing.

Those who ate the jerky became ill. Two of her friends, and all four of the bullies. Both of her friends died, and so did the bullies, though some took longer to die than others. And being orphans, all they did was get cursory examinations from the doctor who came by now and then, and the nuns told them to pray.

Ungrateful, thieving orphans, Mr. Bumble roared at them the next time he deigned to set foot in the orphanage. Dirty rats were stealing my food, so I left some just for them. And damn if the rats I was trying to kill had turned out to be children instead of damn vagrants.

If these children weren’t such ungrateful little shits, and satisfied with the charity they got, why, they’d still be alive, so let this be a reminder to you how the gods frown upon thievery, these little shits got what they deserved.

Little shits, unwanted brats, abandoned, neglected, discards, garbage, burden...

Yolande gasped and shuddered as she opened her eyes, seeing the cabin she shared with Arlong, and there he was, looking down at her. She felt the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks and instinctively, she turned away, starting to climb out of bed.

“Where are you going?” Arlong demanded. She could only shrug helplessly as she held back a sob, remembering her friends. She hated these dreams, the way they could take her through years of anguish in mere moments, all that pain coalescing into a lump in her chest when she woke up.

“Get back here,” Arlong growled, pointing to the spot she’d just vacated. She stood there in the silk nightgown that was confiscated from Elania’s wardrobe, the fine material hugging her curves in a way that her old linen nightshirt didn’t, much to Arlong’s pleasure. The sharkman encouraged her to make free use of the former lady Mukachin’s things and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t about to turn up her nose at some of these trappings.

“Why?” she asked quietly as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Because I fucking said so.”

Silently, she obeyed his command, feeling him wrap his arm around her when she resumed her spot in the bed. The skin of a fishman tended to be cooler than humans, and she found that coolness comforting, leaning the side of her face against his chest.

“What happened?” he asked quietly.

“Just a bad dream.”

His large hand came to rest on the top and side of her head, holding it to his chest. “Seems like it was more than that.”

She said nothing. His hand slid down to her chin, forcing it up as he looked into her eyes.

“What caused you such pain? I could feel it.”

She blinked in surprise and he smiled thinly.

“It appears that this bond between sharkman and siren shares things other than pleasure,” he said dryly. She jerked away from him, and he grabbed her arm. “And that is something that needs to be resolved,” he said, pulling her back to him.

Logically, that made sense. And she certainly didn’t want to inflict pain on him. Their bond had proven to work both ways, and she didn’t relish the thought of experiencing his pain.

So she told him about the poisoned jerky. “These people had so much food they were willing to poison some of it instead of give it away,” she said bitterly. He stared at her for several moments, his expression unreadable, especially in the near-darkness.

“What was that you said about the jerky, that it didn’t feel right?” he finally asked.

“It just didn’t. I was used to carefully looking at the food we were given or foraged for, for mold, vermin, that sort of thing. So I was inspecting the jerky and it looked fine on the outside and smelled great. I almost ate some on the spot, but I kept getting this nagging feeling.” She looked down at her hands.

“And have you ever had that feeling again?” he asked with a thoughtful tone.

“Yes. When I saw what happened with the other children, I realized that this was something that I needed to pay attention to. So yes. I refined it, practicing on different substances I found. I knew what good jerky was, so I knew that jerky was bad, and I figured out that if I knew what something was supposed to be when it’s good, I would know when it was not good… if that makes sense?”

“It does,” Arlong replied. He reclined back on the pillows, still holding onto her. He tutted to himself quietly for a couple of moments, something that Yolande had observed was something he did when he was deep in thought. His thumb rubbed along her cheek as she listened to him breathing.

“Do you still feel pain?” she ventured after several minutes.

“No.”

She closed her eyes in relief, feeling his fingers brush against her hair.

“What happened to them wasn’t your fault,” she heard him say. “You warned them.”

That was easy enough for him to say. She realized he was trying to help, but it didn’t make her feel any less guilty. Why didn’t she try – or fight – harder to get rid of the jerky, she had asked herself often after the fact. Logically, she knew he was right, and she had told herself the same thing in the past, but as she knew all too well, emotion carried a weight with it that couldn’t be easily shaken off by reason.

o0o0o0o

Ishidai looked down at Caten fondly, running his fingers through her hair and fingering her with his other hand while the catfish woman was sucking Mido off. Erhu had been invited to join, but he politely declined and Ishidai suspected that he might be intimidated by the older fishmen, but that wasn’t something to worry about right now, not when he felt the tight heat around his fingers. Fishmen might have cooler skin on average, but it didn’t mean a female couldn’t get nice and hot when she was given the proper motivation. Or a male, for that matter, he thought with a smirk as he idly ground himself against the outside of Caten’s thigh.

Mido tilted his head back and gave out a sharp groan as he lifted his hips, and she sucked him off enthusiastically while clenching around Ishidai’s fingers. A sharp squeal met the ears of the men as Ishidai pressed against her clit, finally pushing her over the edge. He continued to rub her gently for several moments, carefully stroking her clit as she trembled against him.

After a few moments, she lifted her head off Mido. “I have some good news for you.”

“What’s that, honey?” he asked.

“I had to set limitations before... But that problem’s taken care of now.”

“Oh really,” Mido said with a pleased chuckle.

“Yeah. Thanks to the pharmacy,” she replied with a chuckle of her own.

“Well, it looks like the chemist is proving to be much more useful to the crew than a cartographer,” Ishidai replied slyly as he glanced at the other fishman, and Mido guffawed at that.

“What was that?” Caten asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” Ishidai chuckled. “Just a silly inside joke. Which one of us goes first?”

"Oh, I can't decide. Really. I like both of you, but obviously only one of you can be first. How about paper, rock, scissors? The winner goes first this time, the loser has dibs the next session."

“We are nakama, let us not fight,” Ishidai said with a wry chuckle before he and Mido shook their fists at one another to determine Caten’s first partner for the night. No use in getting jealous and fighting over this sort of thing, after all, especially when it’d been so long since they’d been around a sister.

o0o0o0o

Dreamsicle Island was visible in the distance, a peak of green the first thing they saw of it. It was a summer-autumn island and sold much of its produce to outsiders, including specimens that were exotic to many other parts of the world, ensuring robust trade.

Since the White Mermaid did not include Dreamsicle Island on its circuit, there was no worry about someone being suspicious of fishmen being in control of the vessel. He used the documentation of the vessel to pass himself off as Captain Aiuchi via the Den Den Mushi before sending several fishmen out to do a quick survey.

“Looks good. We didn’t see any fishmen but there were a few Longnecks and Minks. No Marines, at least not that I saw. We didn’t get any weird looks,” Ishidai reported before he pulled out the most recent newspaper, putting it down on Arlong’s desk.

“Oh, good,” Yolande sighed. “It was much like that when I last visited, but you never know if a regime is going to collapse or some insane new law or societal norm has been established.”

She was not to know what an unintentional barb that had been to Arlong, given the collapse of his rule in the Conomi Islands. He stared at her for a moment before nodding. Hatchan was in charge of the grocery shopping. Several other fishmen would comb the markets for whatever else was needed. He looked to Yolande. “I’ll send fishmen out with the list of supplies you gave me, and…”

She shook her head. “It’s best I do the shopping myself.”

After he nearly lost her in the attack on the White Mermaid, he was loath to let her off the ship. He opened his mouth to disagree before she placed her hand on his. “Who better to shop for and choose the best-quality ingredients than the chemist who’s going to be using them?”

He recalled what she told him about detecting the poison in the jerky and how she'd developed that skill in other things.

Observation Haki. Hadn’t she said that under certain circumstances, people might develop their Haki in unique ways? Observation Haki was meant to help people avoid threats… though usually, that meant detecting other people and their actions, including attacks, making it a valuable skill in battle. But wasn’t such a talent like Yolande’s also valuable?

“Kuroobi, choose some fishmen to go with you. You will accompany Yolande,” he said.

“Very well,” the ray fishman said, betraying no emotion.

o0o0o0o

The tavern was not far from the food market, so while Hatchan did the shopping, Shioyaki decided to take a bit of time to examine the Wanted posters on the wall. His hunch proved to be correct – there was what looked like a brand-new poster of Arlong among the others, and his bounty had been more than doubled to fifty million beli.

The salmon fishman bit back a snort as he took the paper from the wall, folding it, and putting it in his shirt. With this island being relatively close to the Grand Line and the resulting traffic, it didn't surprise him that the Marines might hang some wanted posters here… especially after Arlong had stolen one of their ships. Hah.

In the Conomi Islands, Arlong never had to hide. If he wanted to visit an island in his territory, that’s what he was going to do. Now he was hiding on the ship. Some might have called Arlong weak for that, but their defeat at the hands of the Straw Hats had been a sobering experience, and the fishman appreciated his captain’s caution.

Shioyaki exercised the same caution here, doing nothing to draw attention to himself as he helped Hachi shop for groceries, looking over various cooking supplies, produce, and the local booze. Rekiin was with Hatchan, but unlike most children his age who would be tempted to wander off, it was like the shark boy was glued to Hachi’s side. Shioyaki couldn’t blame the kid, after what he’d been through at the hands of Aiuchi and the Mukachins, for looking wary around the humans that milled about.

He saw a stall that was selling sweets and lightly tapped Rekiin on the shoulder, pointing to the sweets stall. ‘Want?’ he signed. He saw the curiosity in the boy’s eyes, and Rekiin only left Hatchan’s side after Shioyaki took his hand.

With so many of Arlong’s crew having been orphans or coming from broken homes, some of them developed a soft spot for the kid, learning some signs along the way. And unlike Koala or Nami, Rekiin was a fishman – or fishboy, as the case might be – so he was much more welcomed.

Still, Shioyaki could not help but feel a pang of guilt as he recalled Nami, especially the first months of her life with the Arlong Pirates, which had been far more of an adjustment for the girl than for the fishmen surrounding her. She had her uses to Arlong, so no one was going to abuse her, but that didn't mean there weren't fishmen teasing her or trying to fuck around with her because, after all, she was still human.

She didn’t deserve to lose her mother any more than Rekiin did, a voice whispered in the back of his head. Shioyaki distracted himself by examining the sweets and candies that were on display.

Not only that, but both of them saw their mothers die in front of them, the voice persisted. But one child was treated with compassion while the other was sneered at.

No, Shioyaki told himself impatiently. Rekiin and his mother had been captured by slavers, his mother was killed when trying to escape with her son. Bellemere on the other hand, would still be alive if the stupid bitch had just kept her mouth shut.

Regardless of what their mothers did, the pain these children felt was real.

Damn. Having a conscience really sucked. Sure, Arlong might have had his limits when it came to the Conomi Islands. He didn't torture the humans or heap abuse on their heads. As long as the tribute was paid, they were left alone, living with their families and communities, able to do nearly anything they wanted, as long as they followed Arlong's rules. And sure, Arlong had honored his bargain with Nami, what of it if he'd been clever enough to find a loophole? But as Shioyaki had to admit to himself – if no one else – Arlong could be a real bastard, and not always in obvious ways.

It’d worked well enough for nearly a decade, but the humans had reached their tipping point, and after living an easy life for that long, they’d been quite under-prepared for the Straw Hats, and Nami’s hand in the whole incident. That was on the fishmen, he thought ruefully.

He bit back a sigh before putting a smile on his face as he watched Rekiin select several things, excitedly pointing at some rock candy before turning his attention to some dango, several mochi balls covered in syrup and impaled on a stick. He selected a variety of daifuku and mochi for himself and some of his friends.

On the Conomi Islands, if a fishman was hungry, he could get food from a village if they were collecting tribute. What could a villager do, say no? Now he had to pay for it. But the human behind the counter served him without any apparent reservations, cheerfully asking if there was anything else he needed. It certainly was better than Coldrock Island, and he felt a twinge of sympathy for Yolande for having lived there for years, unable to reveal her fishman side on top of living in a bitterly cold place.

"This place is so much fun," Erhu said as he looked around. "Even with…" He stopped himself. He'd lived in the Fishman District until he'd been kidnapped and enslaved. Being around so many humans was quite new to him like it was for Rekiin.

“It takes some getting used to,” Shioyaki replied.

o0o0o0o

Chew looked over the newspaper. There was some of the standard fluff he was used to seeing in publications, though this one was thicker than the occasional publication in the Conomi Islands. As he flipped through the pages, he smirked coldly to himself as he saw an article that talked about events in the East Blue, and the Conomi Islands were mentioned.

… for nearly a decade, the Conomi Islands and nearly two dozen towns were under the control of the Arlong Pirates, a band of fishmen…

Of course, they just had to mention that the Arlong Pirates were fishmen… as if humans didn't do much worse.

… but were finally defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates. Arlong and his fishmen were taken into custody by the Marines to face justice but managed to escape and remain at large. The World Government is offering a bounty of fifty million beli…

Arlong never enslaved or tortured the people of the Conomi Islands. He was willing enough to leave people alone if they paid their tribute. Yet, when it came to Marzu Island – not to mention Marijoa and Sabaody among other places – the World Government was willing to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed in enslaving others. Where was the justice in that?

He remembered being cornered by several humans who'd made comments about his big lips and what a pretty boy he was. He'd just been abandoned and was trying to fend for himself, but a five-year-old child didn't have a lot of options – or defenses. If not for Arlong, Kuroobi, and Hatchan, he would be somewhere in Marijoa or Marzu or elsewhere, doing things he preferred to not contemplate.

Chew tutted to himself as he finished the article and moved on.

o0o0o0o

Yolande looked over the vials of various powders she'd put together from the chemicals she'd recently obtained. It'd been a while since she had done this sort of work, but once she'd started mixing different substances, it came to her almost without thinking.

Chemicals often produced heat while undergoing processes. Sometimes it was so low as to be undetectable, but on the opposite end of the spectrum were explosions. Put certain substances together, ignore them, and the resultant force came out, releasing an immense amount of force and heat almost instantaneously.

That heat and force could be channeled, depending on the container or compound, in a variety of destructive ways. She’d pondered what she knew of Marzu Island and its defenses, which gave her something to chew over while considering her options.

And she hated to admit it, but it… was fun. The logistics, the knowledge that she could create such power by mixing this and that almost as she might put together a dish, and the satisfaction that she was going to be freeing slaves.

Still, she sometimes felt guilty about the fun part. Things like this weren’t supposed to be fun. But oh, the thrill. So far she’d tested various compounds but only in very tiny amounts. A full load of this or that would be something to see. She should know, although it’d been a good while.

Burn, baby, burn. She sighed and sat back, looking around at the space Arlong had given her. It was nice to finally have a spot she could truly call her own, after being taken aboard a ship full of fishmen and dealing with all the upheaval and drama that had caused in her previously quiet life.

After a bit of a break, she pulled her rubber gloves back on and resumed her work, measuring out various substances and mixing them carefully together. In a laboratory on land, she could mix larger batches, but she cited safety as a reason for her small batches. I’m sure you don’t want a hole blown in the side of your ship, do you? she asked dryly. With her expertise, the risk of something like that happening was minimal, but freak accidents did happen.

She was so focused on her work that she almost didn’t hear the knocking. She set down the vial she was holding, recognizing Arlong’s knock.

“Come in, Captain,” she called out. Arlong’s frame filled the doorway, ducking his head slightly as he went through it. He looked down at the various items she had spread across the table – several beakers and vials of varying sizes as well as petri dishes and ceramic bowls. The faint, acrid smell of smoke hung in the air, and the porthole was open, admitting a crisp ocean breeze.

“Making good use of your recent purchases, hmm?” Arlong asked with a faint smirk as he looked down at a crate that had several containers of finished explosives, carefully packed.

“You’re quite eager to make good use of my work,” she retorted dryly. Her safety goggles were perched on the top of her head, and she looked every bit the chemist she was with her black apron and a smudge of ash on her cheek.

“Why shouldn’t I?” he retorted. She could offer reasons. But then, she could offer plenty more reasons why he should just go right ahead and raise hell on Marzu Island. She could tell herself all she wanted that violence wasn’t the answer, but she shared Arlong’s rage and found her chemistry an excellent way to channel that.

… Not that she was about to admit that to Arlong. He was seductive, and not merely in the physical sense. Hearing him talk about hatred and vengeance was oddly cathartic sometimes. She’d been through so much and still carried so much pain. Much as she might try to ignore it, and suppress it, it was still there.

She looked up at him and shrugged. “...I suppose.”

He stared at her for several moments with these gorgeous blue eyes of his, assessing her much like a predator would. “Do you enjoy this? Making explosives?” he asked, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

“Why should that matter? You’re the captain of this crew and I am simply doing a job.” She looked down at the table.

He chuckled softly. “Or is this merely something you’re willing to do if you find enough justification?”

She looked back up at him. He was now grinning widely, and she felt his hand under her chin, grasping her jaw in a careful but effective grip.

“The same could be said about you, I think,” she replied. Much of his past remained a mystery, but she’d been able to deduce that much. Doubtless much of his pain and grievance was real and justified, but there was something else.

His eyes flicked for a moment and Yolande realized that she’d hit a sensitive spot. His grip tightened a moment, and she let out a soft whimper.

-surprise, regret, shame, guilt, anger-

“Clever siren,” he muttered. His tone was unreadable. “Carry on, there is much work for all of us to do.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” she replied in a subdued tone.

o0o0o0o

Hatchan basked under Yolande’s admiration as he used all six of his hands to shape the dough into dozens of pastries. Among the things he found while shopping for groceries were peaches. Yolande offered to teach him how to make the pastries he’d enjoyed so much before, and she shook her head bemusedly as she watched him.

“Some people are so clumsy with two hands, but watching you is like poetry,” Yolande chuckled as she scooped peach filling into the pastries before tucking the flap of dough over the fruit, making a neat pastry that could be easily eaten and enjoyed. Rekiin was doing the same, carefully ladling spoonfuls of fruit into the centers of the dough and then pinching the edges of the dough closed with careful precision. The previous ship had nothing more than a wood oven that was mainly used for heating water or roasting meat. The White Mermaid came with not only a refrigerator but a good-sized oven to better accommodate the appetite of its passengers.

Hachi laughed at that, pressing his thumb in the middle of the lumps of dough, shaping them for the next step in the process. While shopping for the ship’s larder, he’d noticed plenty of fresh produce, including ones he hadn’t seen in a good while. The weather of the island made it ideal for a variety of crops, and he saw the excitement in Yolande’s face as he recounted what he’d seen to her.

So the next day, they'd gone out together, and she not only bought peaches, but a wide assortment of other fruits and even several new plants to add to her little garden, which provided a pleasant bit of greenery amongst the infinite blue of sea and sky. Some of the fruit had already been turned into preserves for later, but others had been added to the cylinder-shaped metal vats that now sat against one wall in the kitchen. The rum she'd been able to make had not been enough for the whole crew, but as one of Arlong's top officers, he got to try it and was impressed at how strong it was. Now with the vats, there would be enough for the ship. It'd also taste better, she assured them, now that she'd been able to purchase high-quality yeast. One of the vats contained the makings of peach brandy, the second was started with molasses for rum, and the third one had rice to be fermented into sake.

Oh, how excited Arlong got when he saw these vats, realizing what this meant for the crew – and his cash reserves. But then, Arlong had also gotten thrilled when he saw the supplies for weaponry being loaded onto the ship. Various chemicals and containers, some of them Hachi was vaguely familiar with – like sulfur – but others that he could only guess at unless it was explained to him. Even now, with the warm smell of fruit wafting through the kitchen, he still occasionally caught a whiff of acrid smoke if he walked past her. She’d washed her hands and changed her clothes, but the smell still clung to her hair.

She hadn’t been in the kitchen much lately, between recovering from her injury, and the work Arlong had put her on in preparation for Marzu Island.

“Are you all right?” he asked, seeing a distant, thoughtful expression on her face.

She shrugged. “I’ve been with Arlong for two months now and…” She looked down, scooping some peach into the dough before setting it on a pan. “It’s been… one hell of a ride.”

Hachin wasn’t there for their private moments, but he didn’t doubt that the relationship between his captain and his friend was something they were both still navigating, not without difficulty. Who’d have thought Arlong would have a siren?

Arlong was generally a guarded man unless he was in one of his rages, but as one of his closest nakama, Hachi knew him quite well and had caught him looking at his siren with a gleam in his eye many times. Pride, possessiveness, fondness, lust. He'd seen Arlong with a few lady friends back in the old days, but Hachi saw that Yolande held a certain power over him… and neither of them was consciously aware of it.

Not that Arlong didn’t hold plenty enough power over her. So it made for a dynamic that was perplexing to the pair, and to those close to them.

Yolande chuckled as Rekiin took a piece of peach and ate it. He'd never had peaches before and had taken an immense liking to the fruit. He looked much better than when Hachi first met him. Between being part of Kuroobi's classes now and being fed by Hachi, the scrawny little shark was filling out and getting stronger.

“I really appreciate you taking such good care of Rekiin. He looks up to you,” Yolande said as she let Rekiin scoop out the last of the peaches before setting down a fresh mixing bowl with blueberries, and he continued his work, making blueberry-filled pastries.

“It’s like you said before, fishmen support one another. We’re brothers and sisters.”

A sad smile flickered across her lips. “Not always.”

The octopus man raised his eyebrow. “Don’t worry about Toma or Kuroobi-”

She shook her head. “You know I was raised by humans. So when I met fishmen for the first time, I was excited. But they treated me with scorn. Called me a mongrel and half-breed among other things.”

Hachi winced at that. “So you just continued to live among humans.”

“Better the devil you know than the one you don’t,” she replied dryly. “Especially when I have only half the strength of a full-blooded fishman. Easier to defend against a human, at least if they didn’t have a Devil Fruit or skilled Haki.”

“Mmm,” he hummed thoughtfully as he shaped the last of the dough, setting it out for Rekiin. “Have you given any thought to giving these pastries a proper name?” Hachi asked, changing the subject to a happier vein. She’d explained to him how it was a recipe she’d tweaked for years, seeing different sorts of pastries and wanting to come up with something that would be relatively easy to cook as well as eat. It was something she’d often made for her family.

… Well. One could say the Arlong Pirates were her new family.

“… I don’t know. I never really thought about it.” She looked down at the dough and fruit before her. “It looks kind of like a strudel, but more bite-sized?”

Hachi grinned. It’d take Yolande or Rekiin at least two bites to finish one of the pastries, but plenty of the fishmen could fit the whole thing in their mouth with ease. “How about a peach or blueberry bite?” he asked. He thought it sounded cute.

"You know, I do like the sound of that. Then I can go around giving bites."

Rekiin playfully snapped his little sharp teeth at them, and they roared in laughter together over that.

o0o0o0o

It wasn’t a party, but Arlong sometimes liked having dinner out on the deck when the weather was mild enough. The kitchen would cook or grill whatever was caught that day and augment it with various side dishes to provide nutritious and tasty fare for the crew. He sat back contentedly with a bottle of sake after finishing his meal, feeling the late afternoon sun on his skin.

He beckoned Omald and Elania to come over and they obediently did so. Their appearance had deteriorated in a way that Arlong appreciated. It suited their status as slaves to the Arlong Pirates, the way their clothes hung more loosely on their bodies, their badly-shorn hair (a result of Omald complaining that he needed a shave and a fishman gleefully hacking at the hair with his dagger) and the worn, resigned look on their faces as they were ordered to do this or that. There'd been a bit of whining at first, naturally, but he and the crew were quick to remind them of their new place in the order of things.

Awwh, you’re hungry? It’s not like a fishman doesn’t know what hunger is, considering how you starved them.

Oh no, you’re tired? Did you ever take into consideration the needs of fishmen when they needed rest after you overwork or mistreat them?

You want a bath or shower? You’re not even a fishman, what do you need water for after keeping fishmen from it?

This is not fair? Oh, really? Do you know how much of a dumb shit you sound like when you say things like that? Disgusting monkey.

And so on. Likewise for Aiuchi. He didn’t complain as much as the Mukachins, but his few attempts at threats or manipulation were met with cruelty.

Don’t like how heavy the collars and chains are? I doubt you thought about that when you put them on the fishmen you captured. Put another chain on him!

You were just trying to make a profit, like anyone else in this world? Most people manage to do that without enslaving others.

Survival of the fittest, you say? Look at you now, wearing the bonds you forced upon others. And your pet Devil Fruit user is rotting under the waves as we speak.

Arlong snapped his fingers, pointing to a spot in front of his chair, glaring at Omald. The former Lord Mukachin got on his hands and knees, serving as an ottoman for Arlong to put his feet on as Elania came forward to massage them. Next to him, Yolande said nothing.

“Ah, this is the good life. Sun, sea, a massage,” he said with a chuckle as he felt Elania rub the sole of his right foot. Her hands were small and she wasn’t that good, but he got enjoyment from forcing these once high-and-mighty people to be ground under the heel – figuratively and literally – from the people they’d looked down upon. “Do you fancy a foot rub when I’m done with them?” Arlong asked his siren. “You’ve been working so much in the lab lately. You must have been spending a lot of time on your feet.”

Yolande was silent for several moments before shrugging and nodding her assent. He let his thoughts wander after he gestured for the Mukachins to turn to Yolande.

“… please, madame. You’ve made your point. What we did was awful, please let us pay for it. There’s plenty of gold and beli on the island…” He blinked as he heard Elania’s voice, and continued staring off, but he was now listening intently.

“You could give me all the wealth you’ve ever owned or will ever own, and it still would not be enough to make up for what has been done to the fishmen by your ilk,” he heard Yolande’s voice hiss.

“Is there no way I can earn my freedom?” he heard Elania say. “Please, I don’t want to end my life as a slave.”

Arlong’s glance slid over to Yolande, who was sitting there stone-faced, betraying no emotion.

“Why are you asking me, anyway?” Yolande finally replied, neatly evading the question. “You know who’s in charge here.”

“I thought that since you were half-human, then perhaps…” Elania’s expression was desperate. Perhaps it was knowing that they would be arriving at Marzu Island in less than a week, that was making this stupid woman make another attempt at freedom. Pathetic.

At that, Yolande let out a sharp giggle, covering her mouth. “You’re a human who was willing to enslave other humans… and you expect me to feel bad for you?”

"...I hoped for it? I'm trying to offer compensation, I'm trying to work something out with you..." Elania asked tremulously. Arlong stirred and was gratified to see Elania flinch back as he fixed his steely gaze on her.

"Can you bring back the fishmen who died in the service of your family or the other slavers of Marzu? Can you give them back the years you stole from them?" he asked with a low growl. "There better be plenty of gold and beli, because I plan to squeeze every last drop of wealth from that island. Even that won't pay in full for the lost lives or years… but it'll be better than nothing. Take them back to the brig!" he barked. The Mukachins were sharply tugged away by their chains.

He reached out to rest his hand on her arm, sensing her tension in the way the muscles of her forearm knotted. "Come sit in my lap, siren," he coaxed. He wrapped his arms around her and was gratified to feel her slump against him as she settled in.

It was handy using the humans for drudge work, and there was still pleasure to be gained in fucking around with them, but he was finding himself getting bored of them at times. Once he got to Marzu Island, what was to be done with them? Killing them would be justified, and it was something he was seriously considering. He didn't relish dragging them around for the rest of their lives, and much as he hated to admit it, Yolande's words about fairness and proving himself better than the slavers was advice that he found himself remembering more often than he wanted to.

He stared out at the brothers and sisters lounging on the deck or swimming in the water. As he wrapped his arm around her, his hand slid up to her breast, giving it a light squeeze. She was clad in a short-sleeved shirt and her cargo shorts. A slow intake of breath met his ears, and he looked down to see her eyelids flutter in pleasure as he massaged her tit. Then her eyelids snapped open, and her hand came to his wrist, giving it a sharp squeeze. She was blushing.

“Something the matter?” he whispered.

“We’re not alone.”

“… Oh, is that all?” he asked with a lecherous chuckle. “I’m the captain, and you’re my woman. We can do whatever the fuck we want out here… though don’t worry, I won’t take it that far,” he said, laughing at the look of shock on her face. “But this feels good for both of us, so why not indulge?” he asked, giving her a light squeeze. “Look down there,” he pointed to the lower deck, where several of the fishmen were sunning themselves. Caten was topless and sitting next to Ishidai, who was rubbing her back while they chatted.

“I hope you don’t expect me to take my shirt off,” she said dryly. He smirked.

“As long as I can keep doing this, I’m good,” Arlong shot back as he massaged her breast. He saw the conflict in her expression for a moment before her grip relaxed, but she kept her hand on his wrist. Some men liked the look of tits, but Arlong preferred the feel of them. Her gaze became half-lidded as she leaned her head against his chest, and he grinned as he took a swig of his sake. A drink in one hand, a tit in the other. There was hardly anything more to ask for, he mused as he felt the sunlight on his skin.

Suddenly, several fishmen shot out of the water.

“A Sea Beast! And it’s headed our way!” one of them exclaimed. The White Mermaid had seastone on the bottom of the boat to protect it from the notice of creatures such as this, but a fishman could be a quite attractive tidbit to a hungry Sea Beast, especially if there was a bunch of them swimming around.

Arlongn quickly nudged Yolande out of his lap and she complied. He’d dealt with a couple of Sea Beasts in the past, but even when he’d been much younger, he wasn’t so reckless as to try to take on one himself.

He shouted out orders, and several fishmen, including Kuroobi, dove into the water. Most of the weaponry on the ship was for defending itself on the surface because of its seastone hull, but there were a few harpoon launchers and other projectiles suited for dealing with such a threat. He longed for his Kiribachi, its heft in his fist, but alas, it was one of the things the Straw Hats took from him.

His crew had experience in dealing with this, so he was confident of their abilities… but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel fear and concern for his nakama, even if he might not consciously admit it. In the distance, he saw a large fin break the water.

He might no longer have his Kiribacbi, but Aiuchi kept swords for himself and his crew, and Arlong and several others were quick to grab them before diving into the water.

o0o0o0o

Were there a couple of references to Oliver Twist in this chapter? You betcha but that book is a classic for a reason, and orphanages in the world of One Piece don’t seem to be that great, either. But then, a place for unwanted/abandoned children usually isn’t going to be the kind of place where there’s too much oversight or concern for children, and sadly, the problem persists today even with the improvement of child welfare/childcare laws/etc in many countries across our world.

But I did try to balance out the depressing stuff with some more happy/silly stuff. Feedback is always appreciated.