#why cant things just be easy. why do i have to make this decision for myselg

[clownpassing]

crossfaded. tired. exhausted. back hurts.

[bladekindeyewear]

Why are all of John's friends trying to gaslight him constantly? He was proven right about Candy and yet they all still treat him like he's nuts. Especially Jade.

But John ISN'T right. The Candy timeline being a "funhouse reflection" doesn't justify his proposed assertions and actions. I went into deep detail about that in my liveblog post, person by person. Just about all of the adults are wrong in important ways (besides Karkat), and are proving themselves wrong in that very conversation-- but John is the MOST wrong, the furthest from the point of this story, the most obviously suffering from his shortcomings as a person.

You get the sense you may have missed something.

This line, as everyone is standing over him, isn't just a joke about what's going on behind them all... as I covered in my liveblog post, it's a key statement about the core mistake John is making. About how ever since he arrived on Earth C, he's been looking for "true meaning" everywhere outside himself when it has to come from within.

ROXY: john did you listen to a single fucking thing i said to you JOHN: yes! JOHN: like, okay, you were right. JOHN: this place IS real.

In their argument in this update, Roxy and John alluded to their home conversation toward the end of the Candy Epilogues, when John was trying to insist that everyone's actions made no sense and that this timeline didn't mean anything... and Roxy dismantled his assertions. That just because the Candy Timeline was so strange and intentionally read at first like poor fanfiction -- likely because it was born from CALLIOPE'S fanfiction, the Meat version of Callie wearing the Ring of Life who is constantly said both in the Epilogues and Homestuck^2 to have been drawing events on her walls that sound suspiciously like the events of Candy -- that doesn't mean the Candy story, that a noncanon fanfic, isn't real or doesn't matter. Just because some of the events seemed absurd from John's point of view, OUR point of view, didn't mean they didn't have underlying reasons... right down to Yiffy's name as we discovered in this update from Karkat's insight that Jade was naming and treating Yiffany like the child she imagined she'd have had with Dave without his involvement. Just because it's not the "original author's" method of characterization doesn't mean that fan characterizations hold no worth, that fan stories hold no value.

John is right that all the former heroes in the Candy Timeline (besides maybe Karkat) have made a great many HORRIBLE decisions, giving in to their insecurities and neuroses and past trauma. But his solution is to ditch all the consequences of their "fanfic" story, consign it to the trash bin, and instead pursue "relevance" as if a new adventure, as if something more "Canon", would would be best for everyone... mainly himself. That allowing fanfics to be real, or making a difference in their own world despite their flaws, is "too much freedom".

JADE: john... this is what i mean. JADE: you have no idea what it is you actually want, do you? JADE: being happy to you is just chasing after whatever it is you dont already have. JADE: and we know how that always turns out. JOHN: what does THAT mean? JADE: it means, john, that you're going to drag harry along on this big awful adventure and then, itll end! JADE: and even assuming it ends well, he might get what, one good year with you? JADE: maybe two? JADE: until you get bored and angry and avoidant all over

JADE: john... JADE: you cant actually believe everything will be fine if we just leave, right? JADE: no matter where you go, john, youre still going to be... this. JADE: i wish saving you WAS as easy as snapping our fingers and going off on some other adventure, JADE: but well never be 13 again. JADE: and... looking at you in that old outfit makes me nauseous. JADE: you were right, a lot of the time i dont like it here, and i DEFINITELY dont like whats happened to us. JADE: but its our own fault, and now its all we have left to work with.

Jade proved herself one of the "craziest" ones here in this update, with us seeing the real reason she chose a name as absurd and offhand-Dave-Strider-joke-like as Yiffany Longstocking, and in particular with the way she wants to CONTROL her child to live the life she THINKS is best for her from Jade's own experience, living a "normal" life vicariously through her, rather than letting Yiffy live the life she actually WANTS to live. She deserved Yiffy's final, parting "FUCK YOU!".

But the point she's making about John here is TRUE, and is even more important.

John has been constantly defining his self-worth by adventures outside himself, listless and depressed and UNCOMFORTABLE in his own being, thinking that happiness and fulfillment and satisfaction is something he has to go out and find on some sort of story quest. His time in Sburb was the only time the world around him was doing the heavy lifting of convincing him that he had meaning. But he was never comfortable JUST BEING HIMSELF. Never confident in BELIEVING in himself, by himself. Quests and chasing goals given to him were only ever temporary patches over his own insecurity, his feelings of wrongness in the very act of existing as the person he is.

"no matter where you go, john, youre still going to be... this."

"You get the sense you may have missed something."

John is so wrong, so horribly inconsiderate to everyone in this update, so insistent on the next dose of adventure even if it means consigning the entire timeline to the trash bin, because he is MISSING the key thing that would actually make him really, truly happy. Confident, fulfilled. Satisfied enough to live for OTHERS, like his child, more than just for himself.

Which is why the update ALSO gave him a GLIMPSE of what he was missing, what he needs to find INSIDE himself -- not outside -- in order to love himself.

And what he needs to find inside himself... is HER.

June Egbert would love herself enough to start truly living for herself and others. To believe in herself enough to show herself off so confidently in the stage's spotlight, to know she's a Hero beyond her prior inner doubts. The dead version of John in the Meat timeline seems likely to become her first, but the lesson is the same. John keeps trying to look for a way to "escape" his problems, causing all sorts of issues and insensitivity because he can't escape himself, and this is the true key to the self-acceptance he's been avoiding.

That's been the slow, steady, Andrew-blessed drumbeat that's been building in the background ever since the beginning of the Epilogues. It wasn't just a Toblerone wish, that was only the final excuse. Andrew had been talking obsessively with others about this repressed-transfem interpretation of John throughout Homestuck ever since fans brought up the idea before the Epilogues, before the Toblerone, and HS^2 and Beyond Canon's writers (and the Epilogue's cowriters) have all been standing with Andrew on this idea. The fact that Candy was so "weird" and non-canon was never what was actually making John "miserable" for so long. He's still projecting blame for his unhappiness onto that idea instead of seeing the truer way to be herself. It's been hinted at and reiterated throughout the new stories, and confirmed by its authors:

That's just the biggest key to JUNE'S issues, though, not everyone else's. From now on, all the heroes who were left behind in Candy -- possibly with help from those in the Meat Timeline who believe in them -- WILL SAVE the Candy Timeline from dissolving into the ether.

ROXY: john... i know things didnt work out the way you thought they would but we cant just up and fuck off???? ROXY: i feel it in my gut, we can save this place, we have to!

Together, they WILL prove the overarching theme that our drive to create fanon and fanfics and fan characters, that the wild and disagreeing interpretations on what could happen next (or what could have happened) that live on after the story in the reader's hearts, that the versions of these CHARACTERS that live on in our hearts, matter just as much or more as the grip of plot relevance and "canon" by a tyrannical author. That being trapped in a "story" necessarily tortures them for the sake of dramatic impact and that the characters deserve to be freed from its clutches. The overall message of the original "Homestuck" -- it's in the very NAME -- was that the heroes had to ESCAPE THE STORY to find true happiness instead of simply winning by its rules, by a tyrannical storycrafter like Lord English's rules. Homestuck's original ending was too strangely executed to spell out that lesson for most people. Homestuck's sequel is making that message EXPLICIT so none of us who stick around will miss it.

And Beyond Canon has been REALLY good at convincing me that they're going to pull that lesson off RIGHT. :D

[quellycore]

Thinkkng about being ur rapeslut again…

When you invite me over i know what’s going to happen. I see the way you look at me and how you grab my body knowing I’m too distracted by how wet it’s making me

I’m a fucking perv, too…every time you feed me a shot i look up at you and open my mouth for you to pour it in my mouth. I love giving you control, and when I’m curled up, cuddling you and i see your hard on, i stare at it and it’s fucking obvious

Once i’m dazed enough, you grab my long ish hair. Shoving my face into your crotch, forcing me to nuzzle up against what i know is going to fuck me whether i like it right. I take in a breath, smelling it and my jaw falls open. I want you to shove your dick down my throat like its a fleshlihht

You do it, and i gag, but too fucking bad, i asked for this didn’t i?…. You fuck my face. Letting me gag and choke and cry, unable to fightto back. And when you cum, i gag and force myself to swallow

You call me a good boy, and i stick my tongue out, panting like a dumb fucking dog. You tell me to bark, so i do, you tell me to roll over, onto my back, so i do. I spread my legs. You undress me. So you can get the perfect view of my little tits and soaking wet fucking pussy.

prey animals r so easy nowadays, u dont even have to hunt and chase them, theyll just come right to u, begging to be taken :3

maybe at some point i start missing the feeling of tormenting u, ur way too obedient now, so i deny u. for the first time in what feels like ever i send u back home without even doing anything, no touching, no sexual advances, just making u drunk and wet for nothing.

ur confused, u were so sure that this would go like it always does. but whatever, u think, i probably wasnt in the mood. except it happens again, and again, and again. for 2 weeks straight i leave u denied and wanting more. ur so pent up, god its been so long since ive fucked u, ur so addicted u cant take it anymore. u tried to jerk off but nothing feels the same, nothing feels as good as being my rapeslut everynight. my plans working out as well as i couldve hoped. ur at the breaking point <3

the next time i tell u to come over, u show up so dazed and horny that u can barely walk, uve been fucking urself all day, just trying to get even close to the feeling of me inside u. ur so wet that it stains ur clothes. for the past week uve only been thinking with ur cunt, thinking about how bad u needed my cock in u. u start begging, pleading on ur knees for me to fuck u. i didnt even have to give u a drop of alcohol and ur already undressing and humping my legs like a dog in heat.

so i give u my ultimatum: u either abandon everything and everyone in ur life, move in with me and become my personal drugged up rape-puppy, or i never fuck u ever again, u never get to feel me inside u again, u never get to be called a good dog by me ever again.

for a second i thought u hesitated, but it was just that u god so turned on by that that u came without any help from me. so obviously u say yes, this is what ur pussy wanted ever since that first night i took ur body, u knew i basically owned u, so why not make it official ^_^ u quit ur job the next week and ur things r already at my place by the end of the month. ur new room is a dog crate next to my bed, ull always have a bowl full of alcohol in there, just so ur always dazed and stupid for me. and dont u look so happy! dont u look soooo happy pleasing ur owner, bouncing on my cock so eagerly! u even forgot ur name, it doesnt matter, ur a fucktoy now! toys dont need names silly :3

i treat u so well, it was the best decision uve ever made in ur life. u love being my drunk cumdump rapeslut :3

[imustbenuts]

eito aotsuki meta appreciation thoughts, ie why i like this character the most in THL. im like 50% done with the game maybe. spoilers spoilers spoilers etc

simply put hes actually how i feel when i see takumi doing things in a lot of routes, and his character often reflects that quite well

casting aside the possibility of certain routes just having weird or off-putting writing for whatever reasons, takumi has some major characteristics that makes him a very effective villain protag. hes like. mundanely evil. he can be heroic once in a while, but the road to the heroic routes involves a lot of "WHY WOULD YOU DO ANYTHING BUT X HERE"

to be clear takumi can be selfless as evident in route 0 but after the events of that first 100 days, he becomes dogmatic about surviving to the end at any cost with his friends, and will repeatedly convince himself he did the right thing despite... often not actually doing the right thing in whatever route he's ended up in.

his inability to basically break out of his circular reasoning mentality is his biggest flaw. seriously this kid would rather honkshoo than go "fuck it i ball". he does not plan. he's not curious. he cannot do abstract thinking. he's sometimes a massive fucking dick. things happen to him. its not exactly his fault but it so very often is his fault. (and i will stand by that he also triggers cute aggression so hard and still treasures his friends (+ eito) that takumi as a whole makes me want to clobber him with a steel pipe affectionately)

for example, the multiple eitos route. the reason why eito decides to fuck with takumi so hard here seems to be mostly out of anger at him. takumi doesnt want to find the truth to the war here, he doesnt try to think beyond sirei's orders to kill eito, and he, with the decision to kill eito, shows that he deeply does not care beyond whats infront of his nose.

in the killing game route, a similar anger seems to be present from eito wherein hes present to fuck with takumi because this timeline's version of him got killed. assuming hes aware of the greater scope of the war thats going on as with the other timelines where he consistently figures out a good chunk of whats going on, hes still understandably peeved at takumi here for taking the easy way out.

so far im seeing the most chill eitos in the truth and rebellion route where the choices to get to this route involves doing the most difficult thing and just rolling with the punches. this means sacrificing a willing kyoshika to banzai on vesh, and sparing eito bc eito has information and has technically not committed a crime in the eyes of humanity. these routes involves examining and tackling whats being fed to the group by Sirei, and then having the proverbial rug pulled from beneath them as a whole. the eito in these route chills out and is on even footing with takumi having learned that they're all cannon fodder monsters and the war is xenophobic genocidal rubbish.

the routes im not familiar with are the s.f, cult of takumi, coming of age so i cant comment on those yet. so this is an incomplete understanding of the game possibly. mengo.

eito gets as bad as takumi does and as good/heroic as takumi does narratively speaking.

theres also the whole naming shit going on.

eito addresses takumi as "takumi-kun", his given name plus friendly address, which feels like him breaking directly into takumi's bubble and breathing all over him for a pair who just met. in jp context anyway

takumi addresses eito as "aotsuki", his surname which feels very respectful with a distance, and appropriate for a pair who just met. but, he doesnt change this address AFAIK no matter how much eito behaves himself

its no wonder then they have this dynamic where takumi behaves like a skittish freaked out cat around eito. and eito just really wants to do ???? things to takumi.

theres also the fucking wordplay here

済野　sumino = empty/vast field. so 拓海takumi 済野sumino = crashing waves, empty field

衛人　eito = defender. so 衛人eito 蒼月aotsuki = defender, pale/blue moon

if you pair the dynamics of whats going on it gets fun too

Eito + Takumi addressing = fair standing as equals, and would be Defender + Crashing Waves. kinda... oxymoronic bc how do you defend the shore being eroded by crashing waves

Eito + Sumino = Defender + Empty Field. honkshoo.... youre defending nothing... nihilism mayhaps, or optimistic nihilism maybe if its gotta be interesting.

if its Sumino + Aotsuki = also fair standing as equals, and would be Empty Field + Pale/Blue Moon. fucking poetry chefs kiss

Takumi + Aotsuki = Crashing Waves + Pale Moon. actually kinda poetic since the ocean's tide is effected by the push and pull of the moon. its as strong or as weak depending. this is their dynamic of most part of the story. also the ocean also reflects the moon or whatever.

doomed toxic yaoiful poetry. its very neat.

[yeonmuse]

FILL THE VOID | Day 13

PAIRING guitarists WooSan x reader

WORD COUNT | 1.8K

GENRE Smut

WARNINGS 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ‼️ use of the word slut, oral , vaginal, anal teasing. Dom San , Soft Dom Wooyoung, mouth fucking, degradation

SUMMARY Sans grown a little too tired of how mouthy you are, So he and Wooyoung decide its about time you learned your place in the band.

MORE | Day 13 of the Groupie Love Series

Since joining the band you wouldn’t say that things were going completely smoothly. Since the moment you joined you and San had been at one another’s throats which the rest of the band found absolutely amusing especially Jung Woououng. Wooyoung had never seen anyone get San as pissed off as you would get him. While wooyoung loved how mouthy and bratty you would act at times, San hated it, and anytime you spoke all he wanted to do was put you in your place. Your little prissy spoiled attitude completely pissed San off. Tonight was the night he just about had enough of your mouth.

You had just come back from the afterparty of a friend of the band and you were completely drunk off your ass. After you having spilled a drink on the dj in your drunken state, Wooyoung and San were forced to carry you out.

“Are you fucking kidding me, I thought you were watching her?”

“Well I was warning her and then I happened to not be.”

“Wooyoung are you fucking serious? If you were going to bring us someone to join the group at least find us someone that knows how to be a grown fucking adult.”

“Oh fuck off, you’re always bitching about something.” You spoke up from your place on the couch, getting up you slowly make your way over to Wooyoung and sit on his lap, something you had usually done since the two of you were quite comfortable with each other now. His hands immediately rested on your waist, rubbing your sides reflexively.

“Oooho hear that Sannie, princess thinks you’re always bitching.” Wooyoung found the whole situation amusing as always, San on the other hand was not amused.

“Well princess have you ever taken a moment to realize i wouldn’t be bitching if you weren’t such a spoiled fucking princess that cant even think for herself.” He responds leaning in close finally shutting you up over and for all

“Lets not forget why you’re here sweetheart, prissy little nepo baby that got cut off by her parents. Remember you work for us sweetheart, you may be part of the band but you can be dropped at any moment. Then what will you do sweetheart hm?” He swipes his thumb over your lips and Wooyoungs grip on your waist suddenly falls down to your hips.

“Can’t do anything without us sweetheart can you? You’re so dependent on others now that you dont have mommy and daddys money to fall back on. Hell you can’t even think for yourself without asking Wooyoung or your best friend for some sort of approval.”

“I think you hurt her feelings Sannie she has nothing to say now.” Wooyoung chuckles, his fingers gently brushing over your neck.

“Did he upset you sweetheart hm?” Wooyoung places a soft kiss on your neck sending a shiver down your spine.

Between Wooyoungs kisses and Sans words you were completely stuck. San was absolutely correct, and it made you hate him more. For the first time in your life you were alone, you had to make your own money, your own decisions. You had never had to work for money or earn your parents approval like now. You hated it, you hated having to think for yourself, you hated that things weren’t coming as easy to you. So yes you fell dependent on them, dependent on them to tell you what to do, how to act, at this point you didn’t just need their approval you needed them to have complete control over your life so that you wouldn’t have to worry about a damn thing.

“Fuck you.” Was all you said as you looked into Sans eyes and he simply laughs in response. He could tell he struck a nerve.

“Aww you hear that she wants you to fuck her.”

“Jung Wooyoung Shut the fuck up.” San simply laughs at how quick the tables have turned and you’re now cursing out Wooyoung. Wooyoung immediately grabs your face and forces you to look at him.

“I think its time she learns how to speak to people Sannie.”

“I say she’ll end up bottoming out and having to use her hands.” Wooyoung chuckles as San who was now standing in front of you with a fistfull of your hair in his hands . They spoke about this like it was some kind of game for them. Like they found amusement in using you and humiliating you and you hated that it worked in getting you worked up. You hated that part of you had been wanting this, for them to fill that empty void you felt in yourself after realizing you had nothing to offer to the world. If it weren’t for your parents, your musical talent wouldn’t have even gotten you this far. Maybe the two of them could fill that emptiness inside you and make you feel useful.

“I can take it.” You finally speak up, earning an amused look from both Wooyoung and San. Wooyoung's little sweet and gentle act had gone away immediately. While san now stood towering over you you could feel the way Wooyoung was pressing your ass up against his bulge.

“Well look she finally knows how to speak again hm? Won’t speak to defend herself but wants to speak when it comes to getting used like some pathetic slut.” San brushes his thumb over your cheek

“I bet she’ll be a good girl for us now right sweetheart?” Wooyoung looks at you and flashes that heartwarming smile of his as you give him a nod. He gently caresses your thigh. Compared to the San he was a lot more calm and gentle but surely that wouldn’t last.

“Go ahead and Look at San Princess.” Wooyoung demands and San immediately lifts your head forcing you to stare into his eyes to distract from the pain of Wooyoung stretching you out.

“So when it comes to taking dick she listens so well, but can't follow simple instructions?” San chuckles and shoves his fingers into your mouth to make you quiet down while Wooyoung completely bottoms out inside you.

As your eyes remained locked on Sand , Wooyoung took advantage of the moment and lifted you up before slamming you back down onto his cock. When the pain subsided the way he stretched you out and the lewd sounds that spilled from his lips upon you clenching around him made it feel like heaven.

“Holy fuck.” Wooyoungs head immediately fell back onto the couch and his nails dug into the skin on your waist as he adjusted to how tight you were.

“If you keep clenching like this I’ll cum quickly.” He breathes out earning a snicker from San.

“Open up Sweetheart.”San demands before pulling his fingers from your lips. He loved the way your sweet eyes gazed into his like you were ready for him. As your mouth hangs open he smiles and immediately shoves in his entire cock down your throat, completely bottoming out.

out.

“Maybe this is what you meant for sweetheart, being a needy little toy.” He growls, his head falling back as he takes in the feeling of your mouth around him. Grinding his hips against your face as Wooyoung finally starts to move fucking into your cunt from his seat on the couch beneath you. He then forces his fingers between your folds. He releases a moan at how easily he's able to bury his fingers into your soft cunt. The squelching sounds immediately earn a groan from each of them.

You took Sans thrusts so easily, eyes trained on him above you as you begin to suck, one hand on his thigh to keep yourself still and the other on your breasts. Falling into the rhythm was surprisingly easy and felt very fucking natural with the two of them. You were quite occupied on all ends with Wooyoung fucking up into you, one of his thumb’s rubbing over your asshole as if threatening to push it in. You were feeling overwhelming pleasure on all ends, you bounced against Wooyoungs thrusts, forcing you to take San further down your throat each time. This was your opportunity to show both men you were worthy of them being chosen by Wooyoung.

While San and Wooyoung seemed to be lost in the sensation of both your holes.You on the other hand, you were a moaning mess, fingers digging into Sans thigh as he fists your hair and fucks your throat. The slurping and gagging noises that spilled past you lips were enough to make him cum right then and there, but he didn’t, he just kept fucking your pretty lips as if he were trying to permanently shut you up.

“You’ll be responsible for taking care of her throat after this jackass, she's our lead singer.” Wooyoung grunts out as he watches you gag and choke on his close friend's cock.

“Should have thought of that before she got mouthy” Following his words San forces the rest of his dick down your throat earning a cry from you as you feel the head of his cock excessively abuse your throat.

It was starting to become too much for your body to handle for your first time and your body jerked Wooyoung's lap earning a soft coo from the latter.

“Looks like sweethearts ready to cum already.” He grunts as he uses the one hand placed on your hip to make you bounce in his lap.

You were basically Squirming in his Wooyoung's lap now, overstimulating now, setting in as he mercilessly drilled into you until you felt him twitch against your walls. Wooyoung was no longer being gentle and San was now rocking his hips, fucking your mouth and muffling every moan that threatened to escape your mouth. You simply whimpered pathetically, clawing at his thigh, clenching around Wooyoung, it pulled a grunt from him, he pulled you down harder onto him forcing a cry from your mouth which was swallowed up by Sans cock.

“Shit!”

Without any warning san forces himself to reach the back of your throat as he finishes in your mouth. Shooting his load into the depths of your throat, while Wooyoung panted and moaned behind you. You squeezed your thighs together and he let out a choked moan, thrusting harder, you moved your hips so he was grinding against you as he thrust, bumping against your from behind.

He paused his thrusting, one hand came down to under your thigh, pulled your leg up to your chest. As he speeds up his pace the sound of skin on skin grows loud throughout the tour bus and as if on cue both of you cum in unison. Your head falls back onto Wooyoung's shoulder as you struggle to catch your breath.

[thatneoncrisis]

sorry for even bringing it up but did you see the writer saying that the decision for vi (and powder)'s parents to be killed by enforcers was so vi and caitlyn had "even more hurdles" to being together so it was spicier..?

oh sweet i wrote shit and tumblr refreshed and deleated it all awesome just what i wanted

anyway. shorter version. i dont care! its a story. these are dollies made to manipulate (neutral) the audience and the characters emotions. violet and powders parents were born with DEAD stamped onto their foreheads. theyre deaths are kind of (well supposed to be anyway) the initial and most powerful piece of why they both hate enforcers and piltovers. pretty easy A to B i dont really mind it existing to make violets relationship WITH AN ENFORCER more tumultuous

i dont know there is so much "death by a thousand paper cuts" shit happening that makes me resent those two. i dont really care that its a romance between two cops (at least gamewise the show cant make up its mind about violets ideological opposition to them) but im not gonna act like im not salty about more fucking queer women in a show being cops regardless of the Why. i get it game lore booo your pussy stinks ect.

i think if i had to put it succinctly its like. the events that happen that affect interpersonal relationships are disproportionate to how they respond to them. when i watch violet shes not really having meaningful internal battles about the system shes trapped in and how now the relationship shes in grants her a momentary reprieve from it at the cost of her city and peoples wellbeing.

i cant take her anger seriously outside of short bursts of brooding bc it is always put aside for her to do something for someone else. she hates enforcers but not enough to refuse enlistment. she hates what jinx has become but not enough to stop chasing her. she bates piltover but not enough to not use their war machines. and all of these read less like character building and more "the show needs her to do this right now". her hypocrisy and need for things never to change ever (i think the shows emphasis on her wanting her sister back in the form of powder exclusively for most of its run says way more about her than it does jinx. dude she was like seven she was never coming back the same) feel like they Should have been her driving force, her core, but read as accidental in the moment its so strange.

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirates Promise

Chapter 60: Now or Never part 2.

A/N: And we are back at it again with a new part! I will be doing the same thing I did with Doflamingo with pudding and Ichiji and we will be getting more to the backstories as well leading up to the final moments. I cant wait for you all to read it! Thank you guys so much for liking, reblogging, following and commenting. I did post Die with a smile chapter 4 and Chapter 5 is coming tonight. Now, with out further a do let the adventure begin!

Suddenly, the Sunny was dragged underwater with surprising force. I gasped as water rushed in, my breath momentarily stolen from me. As we were submerged, I held my breath, trying to keep calm, when—without warning—Whitsuney's massive mouth enveloped the ship.

"What the hell?!" Sanji yelled in surprise as I coughed up the salty water that had filled my lungs.

"Princess!" Sanji rushed over to my side, concerned.

"I’m fine," I reassured him, catching my breath. "Where did we end up?"

"We’re hidden inside Whitsuney’s mouth," Jinbei said, his voice calm despite the chaos.

The next moment, Whitsuney shot us back up into the air, spitting us out into the open sea. We watched in awe as the giant fish began blocking the incoming attacks, giving us some breathing room.

"Aladdin, everyone’s here?" Jinbei asked, scanning the horizon.

"Don’t worry, we’re sending you off with our blessings!" Aladdin called out from the water, his voice full of warmth.

I couldn’t help but smile. "Wow, your friends really have your back, Jinbei."

"They do," Jinbei said, his eyes warm as he looked out at the retreating fishmen. "They’ve always been there for me."

"Take it easy, Luffy," Chopper said, trying to calm the restless captain.

"We need to get the water out of the ship, or the Sunny’s going to get too heavy to move!" Jinbei shouted, his voice turning more urgent. "Patch up the sails and find a good angle to catch the wind. We have to hurry!"

Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Why are you spouting all this junk? Just tell us what to do!"

Jinbei’s usual calm tone took on a more serious edge. "I’m sorry, Luffy. But I can’t leave them. I can’t leave my people behind."

Luffy’s expression softened, understanding the weight of Jinbei’s words. "Gotcha, I understand. You’re not alone, though. Y/N and I will help you."

"No," Jinbei said firmly. "I’ll stay behind and cover your backs. I promise I’ll be here when you return. I can’t let you all go without making sure you’re safe."

We all exchanged a look, knowing that Jinbei’s decision came from the heart.

"Just remember, Jinbei," Luffy said, his voice full of respect and determination, "I’m your captain now. So don’t let me down!"

Jinbei gave a slow, deliberate nod. "I won’t disappoint you. I’ll keep my vow."

"I’ll be waiting for you in Wano!" Luffy said, a grin spreading across his face. "You better show up!"

"I’ll be there," Jinbei promised, bowing his head in gratitude. "And I’ll return. I swear it."

"Jinbei, don’t die, no matter what, got it?!" Luffy called out, his voice carrying the weight of his request.

"Jinbei," I said, catching his attention as he turned to face me.

“Yes, Princess?” Jinbei said, his tone warm as he met my gaze.

“Cut the formalities,” I replied with a smile, my voice carrying a lighter note. “We’re friends, right? Besides, I want my honorary partner to come back alive.”

Jinbei chuckled, the corners of his mouth lifting as his usual stern demeanor softened. “Thank you, Princess. You have my word. I’ll make sure to return safe.”

“Please do…” I muttered, watching him closely as his expression turned more serious.

“I have to talk to you about King…” Jinbei whispered, his voice low and deliberate.

I blinked in surprise, my curiosity piqued instantly. “About King?” I echoed, leaning in slightly.

“But not here,” Jinbei continued firmly. “Once I come back.”

I nodded, the unspoken weight of his words settling over me. My mind raced with possibilities as I watched him stride away. What did King tell Jinbei? And how did they know each other?

Jinbei’s departure left a quiet resolve in the air, but we didn’t have time to linger. As the ship cut through the waters, the current shifted with surprising force, and the Sunny began to speed up.

"Amazing," Nami said, her voice filled with awe as she watched the ship glide effortlessly through the waves. "The Sunny is speeding up now that the fishmen moved the tide for us."

The relief was palpable. Jinbei had given us the precious moment we needed to get ahead, and the momentum of the ship seemed to echo that newfound hope.

Third POV… 

The wind howled outside, the vast sky stretching endlessly around them as they soared high above the world, the airship gliding steadily through the clouds. Inside, it was eerily quiet, save for the occasional creak of the vessel's framework and the hum of the engines.

Morgan stood at the helm, his massive wings folding slightly as he leaned into the wind, eyes gleaming with a manic energy that only came when he had a scoop that could shake the world. Stussy stood beside him, arms folded across her chest, her eyes fixed on the horizon, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Hahah, that's the stuff, Strawhat," Morgan laughed to himself, his voice booming inside the cabin.

Stussy raised an eyebrow, not looking directly at him, but sensing the change in his demeanor. She exhaled slowly, sensing something big was coming. "Since when are you in Strawhat's corner?" she asked, her voice even, though laced with a tinge of curiosity.

Morgan’s grin widened, showing all his teeth. "Ohh, Stussy... he's a contender," he said, his wings fluttering as he gestured to the open sky, the excitement in his voice unmistakable.

She glanced at him, her interest piqued but still guarded. "What do you mean?" she asked, crossing her arms more tightly against the cold air that seeped in through the open windows.

Morgan turned to face her fully, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "Don’t play dumb with me, Stussy," he said with a smirk. "The worst generation... The Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law, the magician Basil Hawkins, Red Flag D. X Drake, the Roar of the Seas Scratchman Apoo, Capone Gang Bege, the glutton Jewelry Bonney, Mongourouge, Eustass Captain Kidd, the Massacre Soldier Killer, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, Princess Y/N, and Strawhat Monkey D. Luffy—"

He paused for a moment, the gravity of the words hanging in the air like a storm about to break. Then he threw his hands out, as if to embrace the future itself.

"In the near future, the next Pirate King lies amongst them!"

His voice thundered with excitement, as if the very air around them was vibrating with the weight of his revelation.

Y/N POV…

I placed my sword behind me, feeling a sense of relief as I sank down onto the deck. The pressure that had been building within me for so long finally started to release. The chaos, the battle, the uncertainty—it all seemed so far away now. For a moment, it was just the sounds of the ocean and the breeze.

"The coast is clear, and I don't see any enemy ships," Nami's voice brought me back to reality, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I exhaled deeply, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Good," I murmured.

"We really owe Jinbei our lives," Brook added from the helm, his voice filled with gratitude. "Think he's alright?"

"I hope so," I said quietly, but my thoughts were mixed. "I really hope he's okay. But for now... we focus on our own safety first."

"Agreed," Brook nodded, his gaze fixed ahead, keeping a steady course.

Just then, I felt a gentle tug on my dress. Turning, I saw Chopper standing there, a worried expression on his face. "Y/N, let's get you checked out and treated again. I'm doing Luffy, so I can do you as well," he said earnestly.

I smiled at him, though it was a little tired. "Alright, Chopper. Let's go."

I stood up and held out my hand to him, letting him lead me toward Luffy. I could see him grinning up at me from where he lay.

"Y/N!" Luffy said, his voice loud with excitement.

"Hi, Captain," I teased, sitting down next to him. "Looks like we both could use some doctoring from Chopper."

Luffy grinned even wider, and we both laid side by side, staring up at the sky. The peacefulness of the moment made me forget everything for a brief second. But as I looked up, my mind began to race with everything that had happened—the battle, Jinbei’s sacrifice, the chaos, and the fact that we'd somehow made it out alive.

"Chopper," I said, my voice calm but with a hint of exhaustion, "once I'm done here, I'm heading to take a bath."

Luffy chuckled from beside me. "Sounds nice. You deserve it, Y/N," he said, reaching over to ruffle my hair playfully.

I couldn't help but smile at his simplicity. "Yeah, well, you can join me after you're done with Chopper, Captain," I teased, feeling the weight of the day slowly begin to fade.

Sanji POV…

I stood in the crow’s nest alongside Carrot, watching as Y/N and Chopper settled down below. My gaze lingered on Y/N as she lay beside Luffy, letting Chopper tend to her wounds. It felt like my chest tightened with every passing second. She was always so strong, so unyielding—but even the strongest of us had to rest sometimes.

"Carrot?" I called, turning to the young mink, whose ears twitched in response.

"W-what's up, Sanji?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly, like she knew something was off.

"Where’s Pedro and King?" I asked softly, trying to keep the worry from my voice. I hadn't seen them around, and it had been nagging at me for a while.

Carrot’s eyes shifted, and I saw the tension in her posture before she finally spoke, her voice heavy. "I... I didn’t want to say it, but... Pedro... King... they’re both... gone."

The words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed, trying to keep my composure. “I see... so, King and Pedro are dead.” My mind immediately flashed back to Zou, the first time we met Pedro. It was there, when the team was separated between Dressrosa and Zou, that I saw the spark in his eyes—the same one that told me he was someone willing to risk it all for his friends. I remembered how they both stepped in to help us in the fight against Big Mom, how Pedro and King had always put themselves on the line for us. But more than anything, I remembered how much King had meant to Y/N.

I clenched my fists as my thoughts swirled. Pedro had done everything he could to save me, and now... now he was gone. And King—Y/N had cared for him deeply. I remembered the way she had fought beside him during the tea party, trusting him even when things seemed impossible.

"I feel like this isn’t the place for both of them to die..." I thought, as I continued to watch Y/N from above. I wasn’t sure how to feel anymore—guilt, sadness, frustration—all mixed together.

Then, I felt a small hand on my head. Carrot, her voice quiet but filled with empathy, spoke softly. "It's okay... don't beat yourself up..."

I looked at her, seeing the sadness in her eyes. "Pedro acted on his own free will, please don’t feel responsible for it." Her words were gentle, but they hit me hard. She was right... Pedro did what he thought was best, and so did King.

"You guys saved the Moka Duke Kingdom, so we wanted to pay our debt. If it wasn’t for Pedro and King, we would have died back there anyway..." Carrot’s voice broke, and tears began to fall from her eyes. "So please... just be thankful... it was for the best..."

I stood still for a moment, feeling the weight of her words. Then, slowly, I reached up and placed a hand on her head, trying to reassure her as best I could. "I understand. I know how Pedro was... And from the stories Y/N told us, along with what I saw King do at the tea party... I can understand too."

The weight of the moment lingered between us, but then something caught my eye. Cotton candy started to fall from the sky—just a small sign that we were nearing the end of Big Mom's territory. My thoughts shifted, and something clicked in my mind. King had given me something... an envelope.

"Carrot, will you excuse me? I need to go to my room for a moment... I'll be back." I said, before heading down to my quarters.

Once I locked the door behind me, I quickly pulled out the envelope I’d kept hidden in my coat pocket. It was sealed tightly, and I could feel the weight of it in my hands. With a small sigh, I opened it, and to my surprise, a small ring fell out of the envelope. "What’s this?" I muttered under my breath, turning the ring in my hands. It was simple, but elegant—something precious.

Then, I noticed what else was inside: recipes. Not just any recipes, but a collection of dishes that Y/N loved—everything from her favorite meals to the sweet desserts she always craved when she was missing the guys over on that island. Each recipe was carefully labeled in cursive, with small notes written by King, as if he knew when Y/N would need comfort. There were little details about her preferences: "When she’s craving something sweet," "When she’s feeling down and needs a pick-me-up," "When she misses us, this will bring her back to us."

I ran my finger over the labels, feeling a pang of warmth and sadness at the same time. King had known her so well. He had thought about her even in his last moments.

Finally, there were two pages with a letter written in King’s neat handwriting. I unfolded the pages carefully, reading it in silence.

I stood there, the envelope still in my hands, feeling the weight of King’s words more than I ever expected. The small ring that had fallen out of the envelope glinted in the light as I sat down, feeling the burden of his message settle in my chest.

I pulled the letter from the envelope, and as I unfolded it, I read the neat script King had written. His words weren’t just a message; they were a legacy, a final wish. I cleared my throat and began to read aloud in the quiet of my room.

"Sanji, my friend, if you’re reading this, then it means that I’m no longer around to take care of Y/N. But I know I’m leaving her in good hands. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of stories about her during the time she spent with us—training, growing stronger. During those two years, she often spoke about her crew, her friends, and how much she missed everyone. It was clear that no matter where she was, you all had a place in her heart. I remember her telling me all about the adventures she’d gone on with you, her laughter as she described how each of you contributed to her growth. She missed you all, especially you, Sanji. She’s tough as nails, but her heart beats for the ones she loves, and that includes you."

I paused for a moment, my hand tightening around the ring. Y/N had been through so much, and yet, even when she was away from us, she carried us with her. My chest tightened at the thought.

I continued reading, and the next part of King’s letter made me chuckle softly, despite the heaviness in my heart.

"I also know how lovesick you are, Sanji. The princess told me all about how you would swoon for any woman with a pulse. I couldn’t help but laugh when she described it. But I know beneath all that charm, there’s a man who would do anything to protect the people he loves. So I’ll leave you with a little advice—don’t take too long, or someone else might steal her heart, my friend."

I laughed softly to myself, a tear slipping from my eye as I wiped it away. "Of course, King would say something like that," I muttered under my breath, a small smile playing on my lips. The last part of his letter was both a warning and a reassurance.

"This ring has special enhancements. It’s not just any ring—it’s meant for you, and only you. Just as the princess wears her ring, this one is bound to you. No one else is allowed to wear it, and I trust you’ll treat it with the respect it deserves. It’s a token of my faith in you, Sanji. Keep it with you, and remember it’s a sign of the responsibility you now carry, to take care of Y/N and protect her when I can no longer do so."

The ring... King had given me something far more than just a piece of jewelry. It was a symbol of everything—of trust, of friendship, of responsibility. I held it up to the light, staring at it for a moment before I read the next part of the letter, which only deepened my understanding of King’s foresight.

"I also know about Y/N’s other interests, her affections that go beyond you, my friend. She’s a complex woman, and I’ve seen the way she speaks about people like Trafalgar Law, Kid, and Killer. It’s clear she has connections with all of them, bonds that run deeper than friendship. I’ve seen her eyes light up when she talks about them, and I’m sure you’ve seen it too. But don’t let that deter you. But I can’t deny, I know she thinks highly of those men... They’ve shared battles with her. They’ve stood beside her when the world seemed against them, and that’s something she values deeply."

My fingers trembled as I read about the other men Y/N had bonds with. Law, Kid, Killer—they were all strong, capable individuals, each one important to her in different ways. But King was right—Y/N’s heart was mine to protect, and I wouldn’t let anyone come between us. I would fight for her, just as I always had.

But then King’s words took a turn I hadn’t expected.

"I do know Zoro holds a special place in her heart as well. She’s told me about how they fought side by side, each knowing the other’s moves without a word. The princess told me that she relies on him during their battles, and there’s a bond between them that’s hard to break. I know you’ve seen it too, the way they’re always in sync during fights. Zoro’s loyalty to her is unshakable, and though I know it’s not easy for you to watch, I believe in time, you’ll come to accept it. He’s a part of her life, and she trusts him with her life. Just like you, Sanji."

I sat back, digesting his words. Zoro had always been Y/N’s unwavering pillar, and though I didn’t like the way they shared so much together, I knew I had to respect it. They were a team, and that meant something deeper than rivalry or jealousy. They had something special, and I could see it in the way Y/N relied on him.

Finally, I reached the last part of King’s letter.

"Lastly, I’m leaving you with some recipes and meals that she enjoyed during her training on my island. Some of them were her favorites, the ones she kept coming back to when she needed comfort. She’s always had a sweet tooth, but there’s more to her tastes than just sugar. I’ve included everything from her favorite main dishes to the small snacks she loved to nibble on. Use these when you cook for her—show her that you understand the little things about her, just as I did. And when she’s feeling down, or when she misses us, make her one of these meals. 

I closed the letter slowly, my mind reeling. King had entrusted me not only with his ring but with a deeper responsibility—one that I had never fully understood until now. Y/N wasn’t just my love; she was a complex woman with a past, with friends, with people who meant the world to her. And now, I was the one who had to help her carry that burden, help her find peace in the chaos of her world.

As I stood there, the weight of King’s words still lingering in my mind, I took the small ring in my hand, feeling the cold metal against my skin. It was more than just a ring—it was a symbol of trust, responsibility, and the connection I now shared with Y/N.

I looked at it for a moment, turning it over in my fingers before I slid it onto my finger. It fit perfectly, as though it had been made just for me. The smooth metal felt right against my skin, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt a sense of clarity. It was as if King’s spirit had passed through that ring, urging me forward, telling me that it was time to step up.

I stared at it for a moment, the dim light of my room reflecting off its surface, and I could almost hear King’s voice again in my head. "This ring is meant for you, and only you."

The finality of it all hit me, but it wasn’t a burden—it was a gift. King had trusted me with this responsibility, and I wasn’t about to let him down. Y/N needed me, and now I had something tangible to remind me of that fact.

With a deep breath, I left the room, the ring resting comfortably on my finger. The ship swayed gently beneath me as I walked back to the deck, where I could see Y/N, still with Chopper, resting beside Luffy. I could see the faint smile on her face as she glanced up at the sky, her mind likely racing with the events that had unfolded.

I walked over to the edge of the ship, letting the wind blow through my hair, and I couldn’t help but smile. The ring felt like a promise. A promise that I would protect her—no matter what.

Y/N POV…

As Chopper finished tending to my wounds, he gave me a gentle smile. "All done, Y/N," he said, his voice soft and comforting. I turned to him, returning his smile with gratitude. "Thank you, Chopper," I replied, pushing myself up slowly.

"I’m going to take a shower, you guys," I announced to the others as I made my way up the stairs. On my way, I glanced at Sanji, who seemed lost in thought. "You alright, Ji?" I asked. He snapped back to reality, turning with a faint blush. "No-No, everything’s fine, Princess," he replied, stumbling over his words in that endearing way he had. I chuckled softly. "If you say so."

I continued down the hallway to my room, closing the door behind me. The silence settled around me like a comforting cloak. "Room… how much I…" I whispered, feeling a wave of pain swell within me. For once, I let it out, grabbing a pillow and pressing it to my mouth as I screamed into it, letting the day’s weight leave my body.

Finally, I started to undress, peeling off my thigh halter with its hidden blades, soaked with blood but still faintly glowing. "Strange," I murmured, placing it on my desk. I carefully removed King’s sword and my own from behind me, setting them down in a safe spot. I looked at his blade for a long moment, memories flooding back. "Why did you have to die..." I whispered, a single tear slipping down my cheek.

As I opened the letter, the inked words seemed to blur through my tears, each line heavy with the essence of King’s final thoughts.

“Princess, if you are reading this letter, then I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve been there, standing by your side through all your adventures, protecting you and witnessing the greatness you are destined for. But just know, the reason I did what I did was because of something bigger than myself."

My hands trembled slightly as I read on, King's words both a comfort and a weight.

“Big Mom was after our technology—technology that could tip the balance of power in the New World, creating a force unlike anything we've seen. I couldn’t let her have it. That’s why I’m entrusting you with something even greater than the title of Princess. I'm giving you the master ring, the one from my mother. This ring isn’t just jewelry, Y/N—it’s the lifeline of our island. It holds the power to activate or destroy our most valuable resources. And now, you’re its guardian. Along with having some enhancements that were passed down from generation to generation”

I felt my heart sink, the reality of King’s sacrifice settling deep within me. I glanced at the ring King gave me, that was now adorned on my thumb.

“With this ring, you are now the heir of our island. Our people, our traditions, everything we fought to protect—it's now in your hands. You may not want to lead just yet, but when the time comes, the people will look to you. Dominik and John already know what to do. They will guide you in your time of need, just as they guided me.”

Each word brought me back to the days spent training under King, learning the ways of his people, all those moments where he taught me not just combat, but resilience and honor. And now, I realized he had been preparing me for this all along.

“In the box, you’ll find a diamond headband. I remember you always hated tiaras, insisting, 'I’m a pirate first before a princess.' I laughed every time you said it, but I also knew that in you, I saw a true leader. A headband suits you better—it’s practical and fierce, just like you. I wanted you to have something that wasn’t just for ceremony but was part of you, a mark of both strength and wisdom.”

My fingers brushed over the headband in the box, its diamond glint subtle and powerful. I could almost feel King’s presence, his steady guidance lingering in the air.

*“Remember that ceremony we held two days before you left for Sabaody? It was more than a farewell. I was passing on a legacy. I wanted you to understand that everything I did—everything I’ve given my life for—I have no regrets. In my own way, I chose my path, and I chose to believe in you. I know the sea calls to you, and I understand the promise you made to your captain. That’s why my men will be there for you, ready to support you when you need them. Dominik, John, and the others will help in whatever way they can. You’re not alone, Princess.”

I wiped the tears from my cheeks, feeling the weight of his words and the quiet power of his sacrifice. His unwavering trust in me felt like a promise I’d carry forever, one that demanded courage and strength.

"Thank you, King," I whispered, holding the letter close. "I won’t let you down."

As I lifted the headband from the box, something else caught my eye—a simple, sturdy ring nestled beside it. My heart stilled for a moment, recognizing it immediately. It was the ring King had shown me once, a gift he’d intended for Zoro. The memory of King’s words echoed in my mind.

“This ring,” he’d said with a rare, gentle smile, “is for the one who stands by you in battle. A true warrior’s ring, crafted to resonate with the blade of its wearer. I know how much Zoro means to you, both as your partner and as a swordsman. Give this to him when the time is right, as a sign of the bond that runs deeper than words.”

As I held the ring, it began to glow with a faint, warm light, as if responding to the faint hum of King’s presence. Beside it, his sword lay, the blade glinting in a soft, white hue that felt like a parting gift, an eternal ember left behind. His sacrifice felt even more profound in this moment, not just in what he’d left me, but in the legacy he entrusted to both Zoro and me.

I could almost feel King’s hand on my shoulder, a steady and unwavering reminder of his faith in me and in our bond. His presence lingered even now, comforting me. Just then, I heard a knock on my door.

"Yes..." I called out.

"Y/N, are you ready to take your shower?" Nami’s voice came from the hallway.

"Yes, Nami!" I replied, quickly gathering myself. I gently closed the box, tucking away both Zoro’s ring and the diamond headband. I placed King’s letter, along with the necklace he gave me that was his moms, in my special box within the drawer where the letter Sabo gave me and his vivre card lay, carefully locking away those precious pieces of his legacy. On impulse, I grabbed Sanji’s dress shirt, wrapping it around me for the added comfort it brought. Towel in hand, I headed toward the door.

"Okay, I’m ready," I said, joining Nami as we made our way to the shower area.

"Just yell if you need anything," she offered with a warm smile.

I nodded, grateful for her presence, before she left me alone. I took a deep breath as I stepped into the steamy room, placing my dress, heeled boots, and towel to the side. I turned on the water, letting the hot stream cascade down before stepping in, allowing it to pour over me. The warmth was soothing, grounding me.

Reaching for the shampoo, I began lathering it into my hair, working through the strands slowly. I let the fragrant suds rinse out, feeling the tension ease from my scalp. I followed it with conditioner, smoothing it through my hair, then grabbed my washcloth, scrubbing my skin carefully. As I worked over my right arm, a small twinge of pain reminded me of the graze wound left by the bullet that had narrowly missed its mark. Wincing, I tenderly washed the area, mindful not to irritate it further.

I sighed, tilting my head back, letting the water run over me, feeling it wash away both the physical and emotional weight of the day. When I looked down at my left hand, my gaze fell on the ring Ichiji had given me. Gently, I brought it to my lips and placed a small, thoughtful kiss on it, the gesture calming me. I slowly slid down to the floor, leaning against the warm tile wall, the water pouring down over me.

My short hair clung to my neck as I closed my eyes, sinking into the moment of quiet. The warm water poured over me, soothing every muscle, and as I exhaled deeply, my ring finger began to blink faintly, the soft glow pulsing through the steam. It almost felt as if it held a life of its own. I couldn’t help but giggle at the thought.

"Tiger, I don’t know what you’re doing, but I hope you’re safe," I murmured softly, the words escaping without thought. The blinking slowly faded as I spoke, and the warmth of the ring seemed to settle, almost like it was acknowledging my words.

Rising from the floor, I turned off the water, feeling the steam linger as I dried myself off with a towel, wrapping it around my head. Slipping into Sanji's dress shirt for comfort, I stepped out of the shower, pulling the towel from my hair and letting it fall to frame my face. I hung the towel on the towel rack and grabbed my boots and clothes, walking back to my room. There, I carefully separated my dress, placing it in the hamper to wash later and sew up a small hole, then set my heeled shoes aside.

As I finally made my way back to the deck, I was greeted by Nami’s warm smile.

"So, how was the shower?" she asked cheerfully.

"It was really good," I smiled, feeling a bit more at ease now. I sank down on the last stair, grateful for a brief moment of peace.

"Yohoho! Here you are, my dear!" Brook called out, handing me a steaming cup of tea.

"Thank you, Brook," I said, accepting it gratefully.

I looked around, noticing Sanji watching me from a distance. His face turned a shade of red when our eyes met. I chuckled softly, realizing why.

"Oh, right!" I said, realizing what was going on. "Sorry, Sanji! I’m wearing the shirt you gave me back in Punk Hazard. I completely forgot to give it back. I hope you don’t mind?"

Sanji’s face only got redder as he stammered out a response. "N-No, not at all, Princess," he muttered, quickly turning away to hide his embarrassment. "It looks... it looks good on you."

I couldn’t help but laugh softly at the sight of his flustered reaction, feeling a little lighter despite everything that had happened.

Ichiji POV… 

As soon as I left my wife back on her ship, the familiar sting of sadness hit me, but beneath that, there was something else—something deeper, an understanding, though it didn’t make it any easier. Just like us, she had a mission to uphold, a duty to her captain and crew, and that meant standing her ground no matter what. I knew it, and I respected it, but damn it, I couldn’t help but feel possessive of her. She was mine. She always had been, even if she didn’t fully realize it.

Watching her from a distance, her eyes always lighting up when she spoke of her crew, I couldn't deny that part of me wanted her with me, by my side, without all these distractions. If it weren’t for the damn fools who crossed us, I’d still have her with me now. I would’ve made sure of it.

She didn’t belong in this chaotic world of pirates, not when there was so much more waiting for her—waiting for us. If it weren't for the damn fools who crossed us, I’d still have her with me now. I would’ve made sure of it, no matter the cost. But now, I had to accept that she was out there, somewhere, fighting her own battles, keeping her crew safe, and I... I was stuck here, battling these mindless idiots with no real purpose other than to protect my name and my family’s pride.

As I continued to fight alongside my siblings, these Big Mom pirates, relentless as ever, I couldn't help but remember what Y/N said before she left. "If you ever happened to stumble upon a certain island, look for Domink and John. Let them know La Princesa sent you."

I wondered about that island, about the significance of those words. Was she planning something for the future? Was she leaving me a path back to her, a way to follow her if I ever needed to? I couldn't help but feel the weight of it all—the thought that she might’ve been thinking about me, even as I was fighting for something that felt so distant. Maybe she hadn't completely abandoned our connection, despite the distance between us. But then again, I couldn't let myself think too much on it. I had a mission of my own to fulfill.

Then my thoughts drifted back to what she said that night, when we were alone in the alleyway. "You know, it wasn’t all bad, being married to you. For the first time, I felt enough." Her words echoed in my mind, and I hated how they made my chest tighten. But god, the possessive part of me—the man—wanted to just take her away from all of it, keep her for myself, in a place where she could finally be herself, without the weight of anyone else's expectations. She deserved that. She deserved to be loved properly.

Just then, a voice broke through the noise on one of the fools' transponder snails. It was a report that Strawhat Luffy had made it past Big Mom's territory. A wave of relief washed over me. She was safe. At least for now, she was out of harm's way.

"Mission accomplished, Germa 66, go back to your ships!" I called out, my voice strong, despite the lingering pain from the wounds I had sustained. It was time. Time to leave this mess behind.

"About time!" Yonji called out with a grin.

"Loud and clear!" Niji responded, his voice sharp.

"Understood," said Reiju, her tone steady as always.

We all retreated back to our ships, our mission complete, but my mind was elsewhere. As I boarded my ship, I removed my glove for just a moment, just enough to check my wife’s coordinates. The glow of the ring on my finger confirmed what I needed to know—Y/N was out of Big Mom's territory. Safe.

I kissed the ring, my thumb brushing over the smooth surface, knowing that no matter where she was, I would always find her. No one would ever take her from me. Not completely. Not as long as I had this ring, this link to her.

I slipped my glove back on, trying to keep my composure, when Niji, ever the tease, leaned in with a grin. "Sending her a little message, big brother?" he smirked, his tone dripping with playful mockery.

“None of your business, Niji,” I growled, my voice a mix of annoyance and affection. Niji’s teasing had become a near-constant, and despite the irritation it often caused, there was something oddly comforting about it.

But I couldn’t help myself. I glanced down at the ring, a small piece of tech I’d come to rely on for contact with Y/N. I double-tapped it, sending her a short, simple message: "Stay safe, princess. You’re always in my thoughts."

The ring hummed softly, and I waited for her response. A few seconds later, I heard a small, delicate giggle from the device—low enough that only I could hear. “Y/N must have double-tapped without realizing it,” I thought with a small smile, feeling a warmth spread through me at the thought of her.

Then, just as I was about to get lost in the moment, a message flashed on my ring: "Tiger, don't know where you are, but I hope you're safe." The message ended there, the words leaving a bittersweet ache in my chest. I felt my heart tighten as I imagined her in danger, far from me, but I knew she was strong.

But there was no time to dwell. Our mission was far from over, and the presence of Big Mom looming ahead reminded me of the battle we still had to face. The weight of the situation settled in again, and I sighed, tightening my grip on the glove in my hand. The message from Y/N, though brief, had given me a sense of resolve.

I placed the glove back on, the familiar sensation of readiness creeping in.

Y/N POV… 

Morning finally came, and as I stood on the deck, I took in the fresh, salty air. The sun had barely risen, casting a golden glow across the horizon. Luffy was still asleep, sprawled out on the ground, his stomach letting out a loud, unmistakable rumble.

“Hey, maybe... I can make you all something... dinner?” Sanji offered, his voice dripping with the charm that usually came with his cooking.

Luffy, ever the hungry one, sprang up immediately, his eyes wide with excitement. But before Sanji could even finish his offer, Chopper, Brook, and Carrot pounced on him, tackling him with exaggerated enthusiasm. I couldn’t help but laugh, along with Nami, as we watched the chaos unfold. Sanji’s protests were drowned out by the laughter and the group’s playful antics.

“How did you get by while I was gone? Please tell me you ate!” Sanji asked, his tone a mix of concern and disbelief as he tried to free himself from the pile of people now surrounding him.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I missed this," I admitted to Nami, my voice warm with nostalgia. The sound of their laughter, the light-hearted bickering, and the familiarity of our crew—it felt like home, even with everything that had happened. "That's strange..." muttered Nami, furrowing her brow as she reached for it.

Before anyone could react, Luffy jumped up, excitedly grabbing the snail. “Hello! This is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!” he yelled, causing me to groan and bury my face in my hands. "Luffy, really?" I mumbled, trying to keep a straight face.

But then, a voice on the other end of the line made my eyes widen in surprise.

"Señor Luffy?" came a familiar voice, its Spanish lilt unmistakable.

“No way…” I whispered, my heart suddenly racing. I knew that voice. It was him.

Luffy looked at me, oblivious to the tension. “Y/N, do you know this guy?”

I stared at the snail, my thoughts racing. “I would like to speak to La Princesa,” the voice continued, the words making my heart skip a beat.

"Listen, we don’t have—" Luffy started, but I cut him off.

“Luffy... hand me the snail,” I said, my voice quieter now, as a tear slipped from my eye. The sound of his voice, familiar yet distant, caught me off guard.

"y/n, why are you...?" he began to ask, but Nami quickly grabbed the snail from his hands and put it on speaker, allowing everyone to hear.

“Dominik, it’s been a long time hearing your voice... you bastard, you know formalities with me are a no-go,” I said, laughing despite myself, though another tear slipped down my cheek.

"Princesa," Dominik’s voice came through the transponder snail, warm but laced with his usual serious tone. "You know formalities are important, especially since the letter King left."

I closed my eyes briefly, the weight of those words pressing on me. "I understand," I said softly, "but please, for me—no, for us—can we drop the formalities?"

There was a pause before Dominik chuckled, the sound as familiar and teasing as ever. "No puedo," he said, his voice filled with playful defiance. "Además, Princesa suena mejor."

I couldn’t help but smile despite the ache in my chest. "You’re impossible, you know that?"

"Only for you," he replied smoothly, his teasing tone now carrying an undercurrent of affection that I couldn't ignore. “I assume you read the letter King gave you?” said Dominik

“Yes, I know about the transfer of power, as well” I replied, my voice steady despite the weight of the topic. “It was in my letter.”

The crew exchanged glances, curiosity and concern written on their faces. I couldn’t tell them everything just yet—not when I was still trying to process it myself.

Sanji’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and impatient. “Y/N, who is this guy?”

Before I could answer, Dominik’s voice came through the transponder snail, laced with mock offense. “Princesa, I’m in shock! You never told your crew about me? I’m hurt.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help but laugh. “They know the basics,” I replied. “They know you were one of the men who trained me two years ago—teaching me combat moves, making me hit trees left and right, and forcing me to kick them to strengthen my legs.” I laughed at the memory, the nostalgia lightening my mood.

Dominik chuckled as well. “I did it out of love, Princesa. And look at you now! An even bigger force to be reckoned with.”

“Yeah, love,” I said with a smirk. “I still remember the time I got lost in the forest and you started shooting arrows at me.”

Luffy, who had been silently observing, suddenly burst out laughing. “Wait! He shot arrows at you?! That’s so funny! Did you dodge them like this?” He flailed his arms wildly in an exaggerated imitation.

“To be fair, Señor Strawhat,” Dominik said, his tone turning a bit more serious, “it was all to sharpen her instincts. No enemy could pull a sneak attack on her—or even attempt to shoot her—without her sensing it. That’s why she has such a keen sense when it comes to enemy threats.”

“Ahhh, that makes sense,” Luffy said, nodding sagely before grinning again.

"Still can't believe it," Sanji muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he tried to piece together who Dominik was and why he sounded so familiar with me.

Dominik chuckled over the transponder snail, the sound rich with amusement. "Ah, Princesa, we still have your wanted posters pinned up in the office. You’ve got to stop being so reckless—especially with Strawhat over there."

I couldn’t help but laugh a little, the words tugging at a familiar string of memories. “Funny, King used to say the same thing. Something about me giving him a heart attack every time he read about me in the papers.”

“Well, of course!” Dominik replied, his tone exaggerated with mock exasperation. “Hearing about you and Strawhat facing some crazy opponents, knowing how you’d dive into danger headfirst, coming up with the wildest plans—seriously, Princesa, even I’m not as reckless as that.”

“And yet,” I teased with a smirk, “you’re the one who taught me everything I know about reckless behavior.”

Dominik let out a booming laugh. “You already had the instincts! Don’t go pinning that on me, Princesa. I just polished what was already there!”

“Seems like you polished a little too much,” Sanji grumbled, arms crossed.

Luffy, of course, grinned as wide as ever. “Hey, I like her reckless plans—they’re fun! Right, Y/N?”

I shrugged, biting back a laugh. “See, Dominik? Can’t stop now. The captain approves."

Dominik chuckled softly but didn’t miss the shift in my tone when I spoke again. “Dominik, was King really sure about leaving all that responsibility to me?” The bitterness in my voice betrayed the storm of doubt swirling inside me.

There was a long pause on the other end of the transponder snail before he answered, his tone dropping to something more serious, almost reverent. “He knew you’d be ready, Princesa. That’s why he trusted you above all else. I’m just here to guide you now—whether you like it or not."

I leaned against the railing of the ship, staring out at the waves as his words washed over me.

“You’re more than capable of carrying on his legacy," Dominik continued, the weight of his words grounding me, even as the quiet confidence in his tone sparked a flicker of belief in myself.

“I don’t know…” I said softly, gripping the rail.

“In due time, you’ll come to understand everything—why he gave you this responsibility, why we trained you the way we did," Dominik assured me. His voice held a steadiness that cut through my uncertainty. "Believe me, Princesa, you are more than capable of anything and everything.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the heaviness lift ever so slightly. “You always know what to say, huh?”

He laughed warmly. “It’s a skill I perfected just to deal with you. You were always stubborn.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “And whose fault was that?”

“Mine,” he admitted with a grin in his voice. “But it worked out, didn’t it?”

I exhaled deeply, finally feeling a little lighter. "Yeah, I guess it did."

"What's your first order of business, Princesa?" Dominik continued, his voice a bit more casual now, as if he were waiting for me to say something serious.

From behind me, I could hear Sanji fuming. "Who the hell are these people?!" He muttered to himself, pacing on the deck, clearly frustrated. Brook, ever the optimist, was trying to reason with him. "Sanji, now's not the time, don't make a scene," he said, his voice light, though he couldn’t help but chuckle at the drama unfolding before him.

I smirked, noticing the familiar click of glass. "You've been drinking, haven’t you?" I said, my voice laced with a playful accusation.

Dominik laughed softly on the other end. "What can I say? A little drink helps with the stress. You don’t mind, do you?"

"Not at all," I replied, my tone teasing. "In fact, I’m about to get myself a drink too."

I heard Dominik’s laugh over the transponder snail, the warmth in his voice lingering before I turned my attention back to the deck. Just then, Chopper’s voice cut through the atmosphere. "Y/N, you're still recovering. No booze," he said sternly.

I sighed, but a mischievous grin crept onto my face. "Just a small sip, Chopper, please?" I pleaded.

There was a long pause before Chopper finally gave in with a sigh. "Alright, fine," he said begrudgingly, his voice softening as I pulled him into a hug. "But just one sip, okay?"

"Thank you, Chopper!" I said, squeezing him tighter, my voice dripping with gratitude. He chuckled softly and patted my back.

Just then, Sanji appeared by my side, a drink in hand. "Here," he said, his voice softer than usual as he offered it to me, his eyes softening in concern. "Take it easy."

I took the drink from him, thanking him quietly, and as I did, I noticed his reaction. His eyes widened slightly, his expression shifting to one of intense admiration. He was swooning, his usual cool exterior faltering as he watched me with that familiar look of affection. I couldn't help but smile at his flustered state.

"You're too kind, Sanji," I teased, taking a sip of the drink. He looked away, his face turning a soft pink, clearly embarrassed by his own reaction. 

"I still have your picture with all of us, here in my office, princesa," Dominik said with a warm smile.

"Was it the one with short hair?" I asked, recalling the picture we'd taken a while ago, where my hair had been cut short as well. 

"That's the one, and a few others as well," said Dominik over the transponder snail.

"Well, just wait until you get the updated picture of my wanted poster, you'll be surprised again," I said, a playful smirk tugging at my lips.

"You cut your hair short again?" Dominik asked, sipping his drink on the other line, clearly intrigued.

I could almost hear the curiosity in his voice. "Maybe," I teased.

"Dominik, quit hogging the call!" a new voice chimed in. It was another voice I recognized instantly.

"John, always great to hear you too," I teased, smiling a little at the sound of his voice.

"Princess, you know I miss you," John said, his voice warm and affectionate.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. "How’s doctor life over there?" I teased, my gaze drifting over to Sanji, who was glaring at the snail in irritation.

Chopper, on the other hand, perked up, his curiosity piqued. "Another doctor? Tell us more!" he exclaimed, edging closer to me.

"Great! Things are advancing every day, and with the new technology, we've enhanced vitality, and we’ve even made breakthroughs in combat recovery," came the reply from the other side.

"That’s great to hear. I would love to have our doctor train with you when the time comes. Would you like that, Chopper?" I asked, looking down at him with a warm smile.

Chopper’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? That would be amazing!"

"Definitely something to look forward to," I said with a nod, a sense of hope building inside me.

There was a slight pause on the other end, and then the voice took a more serious tone. "How are you holding up, Princess?"

I stiffened, the question sinking deep into my chest. The weight of his words was enough to make my breath catch in my throat. I could feel the lump in my throat forming as I replied. "Honestly, I feel like my hearts been shot with Novacane, especially with the way King died..."

The silence on the other end of the line lingered for a moment, and I could practically hear John processing my words. I shifted uncomfortably, gripping the bandage around my thigh a little tighter as if it could somehow hold everything together.

John’s voice broke the stillness, softer now, but still with that sense of concern I hadn’t expected from him. "You’ve been through a lot, Y/N. It’s okay to feel... numb. and I know. He cared about you, Y/N, even when you first challenged him," John said, his voice filled with quiet understanding.

I laughed bitterly at the memory. "He was always so damn stubborn… but in his own way, he did care."

"I'll leave you with Dominik now, before he kills me," John added with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Alright, I’ll talk to you later, John," I said, trying to push the sadness away for a moment.

Just as I finished speaking, Dominik’s presence was felt on the other end.

"Princesa, what is your first order of business?" he asked, his voice firm and respectful.

I glanced over at Luffy, who was grinning brightly, unfazed by the intensity of the situation. It made me feel grounded.

"My first order is for you to create rings for my crewmates. I want them protected and prepped for whatever is to come," I said, my tone steady.

Dominik’s voice was unwavering. "Understood, Princesa. I will begin preparations immediately."

I paused, gathering my thoughts before continuing. "Second order, I will be guiding you while I protect my captain." I looked at Luffy as I spoke the words, his grin widening even more.

"I have a duty and I won’t break it. I also want you guys ready for what’s to come, as well. If I need anything, you’ll be ready on call," I added, my resolve firm.

"Of course, we will be ready, Princesa," Dominik responded, his voice filled with determination.

I took a deep breath, then issued my third order. "Do not let anybody know that I’m now the heir to the island, and do not let anyone know there’s a shift in power. This is a secret that must remain hidden for now."

The crew fell silent for a moment, the weight of my words sinking in. Nami’s eyes widened in surprise, and even Luffy stopped grinning, his expression serious for once.

"Understood," Dominik responded, his tone solemn. "Your secret is safe with us, Princesa."

"I am a wanted woman by the World Government," I continued, my voice growing more serious. "Enemies will try to take advantage, even try to cause harm. That is the last thing I want."

The crew exchanged looks, their expressions a mix of concern and determination. I knew they understood the gravity of the situation.

"My fourth order," I said, taking a steadying breath, "I want updated reports on everything. Every two months, give or take. Continue to train as well—don’t slack off."

"We won’t, Princesa," Dominik answered firmly.

"And if I have to attend a damn Reverie, you will act in my place, Dominik, and report back to me," I added, my tone resolute, locking eyes with the transponder snail. "That way we have the upper hand, don't we, Captain?"

I turned toward Luffy, whose grin was practically splitting his face, a look of pure determination in his eyes. "Hell yeah!" he yelled, his voice full of fire. "We'll make sure no one gets the drop on us!"

I couldn't help but smirk, my resolve strengthening in that moment. There was no backing down now. With the crew ready to stand by me and Dominik prepared to act as my proxy, we had the advantage.

Dominik’s voice was filled with a quiet resolve. "Understood. I will take your place if needed, and I will report everything back to you."

The crew looked at each other, clearly processing the orders. Sanji raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Luffy gave me a thumbs-up.

"We’re with you, Y/N," Nami said, her voice soft but filled with determination.

I nodded, feeling a deep sense of responsibility wash over me. "I’m counting on all of you. We’ll protect each other through whatever comes next."

Dominik’s voice came through the transponder snail again, steady and unwavering, “Understood, Princesa. I look forward to seeing your wanted poster updated… preferably with no Vinsmoke on it.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that, the humor cutting through the tension. "Listen, being somewhat married wasn’t all bad..." I teased, a playful smile tugging at my lips.

At that moment, Sanji’s reaction was exactly what I expected. He exploded in a fit of rage, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "WHAT?!" he yelled, flames practically spewing from his nostrils. "Don’t even joke about that! I’m not letting any of the Vinsmokes near you, especially that bastard Ichiji!" His face turned red as he ranted, eyes practically glowing with fury.

Brook, ever the peacekeeper, quickly stepped between us, his skeletal hands raised in an exaggerated gesture of calm. "Woah, woah, Sanji! No need to get so worked up, my friend!" He put a hand on Sanji’s shoulder, though it did little to calm the cook down. "You see, Y/N is just teasing! No Vinsmokes here, right?" He looked at me for confirmation, his hollow eyes wide, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Luffy, as always, took a different approach. He threw his head back, roaring with laughter. "Haha! Sanji’s on fire!" He slapped his knees, clearly enjoying the chaos.

I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head at the usual scene unfolding before me. It was moments like this that made all the struggles worth it—the family we’d become, the chaos, the teasing. It felt good, even when everything else was uncertain.

I turned back to the transponder snail, my expression growing more serious as I addressed Dominik. "Alright, Dominik, take care. Great hearing from you, and I’ll wait for those rounds of reports. I’ll hear from you in two months."

"Understood, Princesa," Dominik replied, his voice steady as ever. "We’ll keep everything in check. Stay safe out there."

"Always," I responded, my voice firm. "You keep doing your part, and we’ll handle what’s ahead."

With that, I disconnected the call, the silence that followed a reminder of the weight that still hung over us all. I turned back to see the crew still in a bit of disarray—Luffy still laughing, and Sanji fuming. The balance between seriousness and chaos was something we all had down to an art.

"So... mind telling us who that was?" Nami teased, a playful glint in her eye.

"Yeah, and who the hell was John?" Sanji yelled, his jealousy thick in his voice as he crossed his arms, glaring.

I let out a small chuckle, trying to keep things light. "That was Dominik, King’s right-hand man, who’s now mine." I said, answering Nami’s question. "John... took care of me when I was injured, along with Sa... I mean, Sabo," I added, a sly smirk pulling at my lips as I teased them with that slip-up.

Nami raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "John, huh? And you’ve known him for a while?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he’s one of the few people I trust completely."

"Wait, hold up," Nami said, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes. "You mentioned letters and a box that King gave you. What’s all that about?"

I looked at her, then Carrot, both of them waiting for me to elaborate. "Ohh, that’s right." I said, turning to her. She nodded, her expression more serious now, waiting for me to continue. "Well, one letter was meant for me, and the other for Zoro." I paused for a second, glancing at the others. "Since Zoro’s in Wano, I’ll give him his letter along with a specific ring King left him."

The crew looked at me in confusion as I went on. "In my letter, it detailed that I was the heir of the all-male island, and that Dominik and John would help guide me, meaning I’m royalty officially—even with that title of mine." I took a breath, watching their reactions.

"But I thought King already gave you the title 'Princess'?" Chopper asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Carrot, equally curious, chimed in. "Yeah, what does this mean exactly?"

"Oh, he did," I said with a smirk. "Had a whole ceremony for it and everything. Since King didn’t have an heir—just conquests—he left everything to me." I gave them all a moment to process that before continuing. "Meaning... more responsibilities, and rules. He also gave me his master ring, which is what I’m wearing on my thumb."

Sanji’s eyes widened slightly, a mix of surprise and frustration bubbling under the surface. "So, you’re telling me you’re officially royal now? And that ring..." He gestured toward my thumb, his voice laced with disbelief. "That’s insane."

"Yeah, it is," I replied, my tone somewhat serious now, but my gaze unwavering. "But that’s the reality. I have to take responsibility for this. I’m the one who has to lead this place now." I gave a small sigh, my shoulders tensing for a moment. "I didn't ask for it, but it’s what I have to do."

Carrot blinked, her excitement mixed with a bit of hesitation. "But... you’re a princess now? For real?"

"Seems like it," I said, letting out a small chuckle to lighten the mood. "But don’t worry. I’m still the same Y/N. Just... with more paperwork and royal duties." I smirked, trying to make light of the situation. "I need another drink," I said abruptly, standing up and heading for the nearest barrel of alcohol on deck. "This is all a bit much to process."

As I reached for the barrel, I noticed Sanji had something shiny on his finger. "Sanji," I said, squinting as I got a closer look, "What’s that ring on your finger? It looks awfully familiar."

Sanji froze for a moment, his eyes darting to the ring as if he hadn’t noticed I’d spotted it. "Oh... yeah, um... King left me an envelope, and inside that envelope was a ring," he stammered, his voice trailing off as he looked at the ring with some hesitation. "Well, he said it was for me to keep... as a token of trust, I guess."

I raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk tugging at my lips. I couldn’t help but remember what that ring represented. "Better keep it close, okay?" I said, my voice turning serious for a moment. "If King left you that ring, it’s far too valuable to lose."

Sanji looked at the ring again, tightening his fingers around it as if he were now more aware of its importance. "Yeah... I know. I won’t let it go," he said, determination in his voice.

I gave him a nod of approval, then poured myself a small glass of alcohol, the liquid sloshing lightly in the cup as I took a sip, feeling the warmth spread through my chest. "Now back to the matter at hand..." I said, turning to Sanji with a smirk. "Let’s go eat some of Sanji’s yummy food!" I yelled, causing the crew to scramble. 

"Food! Food! Food!" we all shouted in unison, running toward the kitchen like a pack of ravenous wolves. Luffy, as always, was the first to barrel through the door, his stomach growling louder than any of us could.

"Alright, alright! People get hungry every hour of the day," Sanji muttered under his breath, but his voice held that familiar warmth. With deft hands, he worked quickly, stirring pots and flipping pans with expert precision. The smell of sizzling food filled the air, making our mouths water in anticipation.

Sanji glanced over his shoulder with a grin. "Now, dig in. If you're hungry, I’ll feed you. We’ll settle the rest later!"

He handed us our plates, the sight of the food making our stomachs growl even louder. I took my meal eagerly, savoring the taste as it hit my tongue. Despite everything going on, moments like these made everything feel a little bit lighter, even for a while.

Luffy, of course, wasted no time. He inhaled his food like it was his last meal, barely stopping to chew. "Mmm, this is the best!" he exclaimed between bites, his voice muffled by the food.

Sanji smirked proudly, watching Luffy devour the meal. "I know it’s good, but slow down, Luffy. You’re going to choke."

Brook strummed his guitar lightly, a soft melody filling the space as we ate. "Yohohoho! Sanji, you've outdone yourself again," he said with a grin, taking small, delicate bites of his meal. "It’s music to my soul!"

Nami leaned back in her chair, sighing in contentment after a bite. "This is just what we needed. I feel so much better."

Chopper nodded enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah! This is amazing! You’re the best, Sanji!"

Carrot dug into her food with a bright smile, agreeing with Chopper. "It’s so delicious, Sanji! I could eat this every day!"

Even with all the craziness happening around us, this—this simple, happy moment with my crew—was exactly what I needed to recharge. As we continued to eat, laughter and lighthearted banter filled the kitchen, pushing away the weight of our responsibilities, if only for a little while.

[feelo-fick]

Headcanon: Chilchuck and his Bad Takes on Literature

i think chilchuck would be like my mom in the sense that he wouldnt like sad stories. dont get me wrong, cautionary tales? absolutely fine. they serve a purpose to him which is to tell people "dont be an idiot and do this or else something bad will happen"

generally sad or angsty stories though? no point to him, and in his perspective its really confusing how people just read things that make them sad. like whats the use of reading something if its just gonna make you sad. whats the lesson? its not even real so it doesnt help anyone.

whats the point in making yourself cry when you could just avoid that entirely by not reading it at all?

but the one of the biggest reasons why sad stories exist is to let you release all the built up grief in you. to send you something to let out all your emotions in a healthy way. catharsis. empathy.

even when i dont relate to the tragic experiences in some stories, several ones ive read have lead me to realize that im in a bad situation or that im following in the footsteps of the character suffering. its like a wake up call.

and making yourself cry isnt inherently a bad thing. if crying allows you to let go of building pressure and tension in you then thats good!

but chil wouldnt see that. of course he wouldnt, hes avoidant of most situations that would allow him to release emotion, and fearful of letting his mature (read: repressed) persona slip.

hes someone that runs away to quick comforts and distractions at the earliest sign of issue. hes already been in too many horrifying situations, dealing with another is a pain. and he knows denying everything and refusing to look at the situation doesnt help, but it definitely provides a quick and easy happiness in the comfort of ignorance.

because of this, reading something made to make one empathize with and confront these bad emotions is defeating the point of his cowering. if he faces his issues, even if only through the perspective of a story, he'd have to deal with acknowledging that things are bad and need fixing, and he'd feel terrible and guilty in the moment - which of course is the worst thing that could happen to a person (his thought, not mine).

which is why i find the concept of him being/becoming a tragedy himself at the same time as this headcanon soooo interesting. imagine the irony of him bashing on the protagonists of tragic stories for acting on emotion and impulse rather than logic, when he himself has fallen victim to irrational thinking while in grief.

cause... thats what people do when they grieve. they lash out, make bad decisions, ruin themselves, ruin others.

for a tragedy to be prevented, the protagonists would have to change fundamental parts of themselves, and act perfectly rational when under extreme stress. and chilchuck holds himself to these kinds of unrealistic standards because he unwittingly believes he can handle it all.

he cant, obviously. we see it for ourselves in his relationship with his wife. they were doomed from the beginning by chils already-established avoidance and lack of emotional vulnerabiltiy (and whatever else his wife had going on).

this is all just to say that if you told him about orpheus and eurydice, he'd probably be one of those idiots trying to point out the "plot hole" that he couldve "just not looked back" and "just trusted her"

i dont understand. whats the point in reading tragedies? the protagonist is stupid, anyways. why would you take bitter medicine? why subject yourself to that?

i think its just a bad story.

[shiikiyun]

people into the heavily symbolic media when the media is heavily symbolic

im sorry but ill just never buy into this narrative. you dont have to agree with me when i say i forgive him or talk about the sympathetic traits i find in him but on this case i just cannot be swayed and im not taking talk backs. it doesnt make sense for his character nor for the story and theres a very easy very interesting interpretation of that frame anyway (he sees the funeral from the outside through his phone because his crime was entirely online and, unlike the other characters, there isnt a set location for anything pre/during/post murder. cause it was in his phone)

and on a personal opinion. taking this so literally and SWEARING up and down he physically showed up to the girl's house kind of defeats the whole point of his themes. every character has set themes and a societal problematic they represent (haruka- child neglect, the result of abandoning and outcasting someone from society all their life. shidou- dubious medical decisions, the ethics of very specific situations in the medical field. mikoto- overworking and masking, the consequences of a society that forces its people to conform to a norm, etc) and futa's is the mob mentality and shield enforced by social media that can easily corrupt anyone at all no matter how pure or noble their initial intentions/morals are. its about the twitter users that will kickstart harrassment campaigns before fact checking or over the most innocuous things (see: kpoptwt currently making up the most gross allegations en masse about the group lesserafim because of a made up rivalry with their label mate newjeans). if futa breached that line between online and real life by physically showing up to his victim's house (be it before or after the fact) the initial themes fall apart. cause then he's dangerous in. real. life.

at that point, what story do we want to tell? why is it that we need futa to be this horrible when his actions online are enough for people to be unable to forgive him? lets sit back for a second and question ourselves on the reason we have to turn him into a creep and believe he became a threat in real life to justify disproving his actions. why we cant simply judge him from his online behavior, that caused much harm than he couldve done in a face-to-face argument. cause that is the excuse people online will use. theyre not hurting anyone in real life, so why should their posts online define their character?

pd: you can bring up the fact that his professor situation was in real life. and youre correct. but that part of the story can easily be placed as the only needed merge of realities for his case: he didnt actually confront the professor, the university isnt as private of a place as a family house so he still has some anonimity (he made the post, but who took the picture? u could not tell if he did it himself or got it from other sources, we just know bc we saw it). not to mention it still correlates: hes brave through the screen, but a complete coward in the flesh. he took a picture of the scene whilst hiding and did nothing to stop it. as much as denouncing the professor is a good thing (and the only good thing he does in the mv), he was still a coward. as ive already explained, mixing the online actions with forced real life ones in the actual murder case he has misses this point

[glasscoral]

Finished my second ending cluster in Hundred Line. Route 041 and 042, Cult of Takumi. That's 6/100 endings done now.

Spoilers under the cut. Here are my thoughts/my commentary on the route.

There's a lot I want to say about this route, so I guess I'll just go in order. (Not in order. Vague thoughts.)

-A friend advised me to not play this as the first route and I'd say I have to agree. It's not JUST that everyone's very purposely and intentionally ooc because They Are Being Drugged it's that Takumi is also at his worst here.

-The choice that kicks this route off calls out sacrificing Takemaru (who is a guy who just Happens To Be There) rather than Kyoshika (who wants to make that sacrifice) as a misogynistic choice because you're disregarding Kyoshika's agency and not letting her sacrifice herself because she is a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we cant let a GIRL die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-So it puts you on the harem route where you disregard the agency of your whole class and especially one girl.

-I think I had an idea that it'd be a lot closer to Takumi actively choosing to make a nasty decision from the beginning, since that's what the player is getting called out for, but that's not quite it

-I DO think it's interesting that part of the whole slowburn horror of this route is takumi bottoming (meaning that despite him being the only person in the situation who is able to revoke consent, a lot of the stuff early on happens TO him so it's easy to write it off as him being 'as much of a victim of the situation as everyone else' when if he were more active in the situation everyone would immediately go, oh, takumi is taking advantage of this to do nasty things to his classmates)

-but the thing is that this starts to hold less and less water as simply takumi being stupid or "accepting something he really shouldn't" as the route goes on when multiple people call him out on the fact that he could literally tell them to stop at any point and he doesn't (yugamu stops drugging him early on because he asked!!! he could literally stop!! he's the only one with the power to stop it!!)

-so if he's doing it on purpose, then why? i think it's a few things. his desire not to lose anyone is genuine, but he's also trying to ignore a reality that he finds impossible to deal with on his own (the deaths of takemaru and darumi) by surrounding himself with...people who are madly in love with him for no real reason and willing to do everything for him and act like yes-men

-he gets mad at people who call this out as a selfish action and suggest he returns to reality, implying that this is because they don't understand his pain

-nozomi is someone who is not madly in love with him for no real reason and he resents her for this

-he's also happy to leave everything to his yes-men even if he doesn't necessarily 'want' what they're asking from him (part of it i feel like is because actually saying no, like seriously putting your foot down and saying i don't want to do this, stop it, requires acknowledging that your inaction up to now was a choice TOO)

-notably, even in the ending when he tells them to stop, he still leaves it to them rather than actually trying to understand them or convince them--just takes it for granted that everything will be back to normal.

-in a sense, i think it's kind of fitting that your choices in the end are either to keep going on the path you've chosen, and completely willingly, unrepentently, and ambiguously cross that final horrific line and take away someone's agency to make them just a piece in your own fantasy or to half-heartedly try to put things 'back to normal' without really taking responsibility for what you've done to people--just assuming that it'll all work out and leaving the rest in everyone else's hands just like you've been doing this whole time...and as a result losing all your agency as you become a piece in someone else's fantasy

-there are no good ends because no one takes responsibility. there are no 'consensual' ends in this route the only thing that changes is who it's happening to

-also the way eito's speech to takumi kind of echoes takumi's speech to nozomi (they're not violent things to say! in fact they both come off as really romantic taken out of the context of being said to someone who at this point has no ability to meaningfully consent, which makes it absolutely stomach-turning)

-i'm nooooooooooot sure how to take "that was just the spark that started the blaze, i fell in love with takumi willingly" re: eito's feelings

there are a few things i'm kind of thinking about. one is that 'these feelings were already latently there (i.e eito loved him in other timelines, which i do think is supported by some of the other routes i've seen) but were only pushed into the foreground in this way because of the drugs [i also think this + some other eito statements apply to takumi in that his feelings for nozomi/karua were also latently there but were only pushed into the foreground In This Way because of the situation]

but also like. how do i put this.

because of the context of both the routes being sexual i can also read "i'm so happy to want you like this, thank you for giving me the chance to feel these feelings" as those feelings being forced to the foreground in a way they weren't before or didn't feel possible for him before, which makes the 'i did this willingly' feel a bit more questionable [especially since in episode 0, while takumi says he does find karua attractive, that's not the main point of their relationship]

-no seriously it's bugging me that what takumi says to nozomi and what eito says to takumi are really similar but one of them is under the influence and the other is less under the influence. you can say it's the drug changing takumi as well but it feels like so much less of a drastic change, i'm really not sure

-i don't think either of them would do that normally and i don't agree with the take that this is what their REGULAR behavior is or would be or that this is representative of what they would do if given a chance (i can elaborate on this if needed but this post is too damn long) but they're unambiguously doing it here and i don't think it's fair to pretend they're not so. i don't know

-i really prefer the way eito clearly wants to hang out with takumi and takumi is attracted to him in other routes rather than the way it's just constant over the top everything that feels so FAKE in a way that isn't even eito being eito

-where was i even going with this post

-i think the route was fine but i'd like to see more of nozomi, while she was nice in route 0 and while this route was Clearly Bad i would've liked her to say a bit more to takumi and i'm a bit worried it's just going to be takumi learns a lesson about feminism in future routes and she's going to be There

-route is portrayed as bad route is effective horror i do feel like it dragged a bit on purpose i don't know if future developments in takumi and nozomi's relationship will make some part of it make a bit more sense

-FORGOT TO PUT THIS BIT if the drv3 explanation that got dropped on us halfway through the route was legitimate it would explain everyone from the complex not knowing each other, but--i was about to say 'if takumi's entire backstory is fake that can't be true because near the end of route 0 she talks like she knows karua/is her so why would they both have the same backstory' and then i remembered kako and ima both also have 'the same backstory' and ima is ALSO controlling of his sister and needs to grow out of it. i don't know what to do with that because it'd mean that ima and kako aren't actually twins

-if v3 explanation is true, then part of the explanation as to why takumi's [and ima's] behavior is so extreme much like how eito's behavior is MORE extreme than usual in this route is that they were also literally brainwashed in a sense and they need to learn to see the people they 'care' about as they actually are rather than as motivations to fight?

-my real end thoughts on this is that this is either referencing another ending that i haven't gotten and will make a lot more sense in the context OF THAT ENDING or it's not and the whole point is wow wasnt that fucked up to do to nozomi which. Yeah i guess

No yaoi rating or yuri rating or het rating because nothing here was particularly consensual but i guess there was het sex and gay sex.

Really this just left me with a lot more questions than I started with which is great to have happen coming off the omegaverse route.

[matoitech]

i dont know why more people dont talk about this stuff and im a dude not a woman, but if any trans women following me need to hear it, vaginoplasty/vulvoplasty look indistinguishable from natal vaginas and anyone who tells you different is an idiot who doesnt know what vaginas look like. i think its difficult for trans ppl to recognize that bottom surgery outcomes r like super fucking good for whatever their gender is for a lot of reasons (the transphobic way ppl talk abt bottom surgery is a big one) but also i dont think it helps that even a lot of cis ppl dont rly know all the different ways genitals can look and function. especially that r different from porn

make the srs decision on ur own based on ur own needs and goals but i saw a woman say she was waiting for a vagina transplant the other day and it surprised me a lot cuz bottom surgery outcomes look so fucking good. u dont rly need to do that no one would be able to tell u werent born with ur vagina or anything. anyone who tells you that theres some massive difference is just bullshitting you to make you feel bad. even if u cant self lubricate (im pretty sure they can do that now but idk im not a trans woman, in the instance u Cant) there r tons of ppl born w vaginas who cant self lubricate. needing lube when you have penetrative sex is super normal. it doesnt make u less of a woman for it

trans communities can be kind of gender segregated when it comes to medical stuff cuz we tend to have different needs so i think its just hard for ppl to be aware of stuff like this if ur only talking to ppl who share ur experience w it. its useful for ppl to point out how great results of things like vaginoplasty or phalloplasty are (cuz they r crazy good and cool). u kind of need people like that there cuz its easy to get in ur head abt it and a lot of ppl dont even rly understand how genitals look or function anyway. i mean we're all adults we know porn isn't really accurate but but vaginas and penises have a rly huge range with how they look anyway. get a good doctor and everything but like genitals post-op look great and work great. phallo and meta r super fucking good too while im here, this isnt relevant to transfems but its important ppl know this on a bottom surgery convo. stop being shitty and acting like the far-off future of genital transplants is the only way trans people can possibly be happy comfortable and dysphoria-free. post-op vaginas and penises r real vaginas and penises

[arthur-lesters-balls]

ok im about to start rambling like crazy because since yesterday i cant stop thinking about this fucking scene and how it just makes stsg's future fight worse better. this is a wonderful point to stop, and think about their breakup and how it was clearly motivated by a lot more than just a clash of ideals

to get started its really interesting to think about how gojo was the one who gave the idea of going against any rules and fighting the person at the foundation of the jujutsu society for riko. he was ready to risk everything for a single kid, to grant her the life she wanted. both he and geto knew, that if they chose this path, the consequences would be irreparable. even if they won against tengen, it meant the barriers would be totally fucked up and they would likely become fugitives, but that was alright! as long as they gave riko the opportunity to be a child! to be happy! even tho they were also just teenagers themselves and its clear that this being a kickoff to turn their lives upside down sounds so similar to what happened to geto, and its why his deflection and all the lack of communication around it are even more depressing. the thing is: i cant imagine a world where gojo, knowing about mimiko and nanako, would disagree with getos attitude. even if you dont take into consideration how gojo was ready to kill the whole star cult after riko died, it just doesnt goes with what we saw of him until that point (and from that point onward too) some people disagree with this, because it goes in favor of the whole "gojo didnt had a moral compass of his own when he was a teenager" thing (which is totally wrong). to me, it doesnt. gojo had his own opinions, but he also seemed very aware of how this didnt mean he was ready for the nuances of every situation he could get caught on, and that was where talking to geto helped him. they had similar opinions, gojo felt safe being honest with him, and they were equals! who could be better to question his decisions, right? well, thats exactly why theres a whole plot line about geto looking gojo and feeling that they were no longer neck to neck when gojo goes after geto in shinjuku, its really unambiguous the fact that his goal was not to kill him, but to talk to him. gojo wanted to understand what was the meaning behind geto's actions. geto, who always made sure everything he did had a clear and well-thought motivation, would surely have an explanation for his choice. and in a certain way, he did, yes. i think its quite easy to see that gojo, who even ten years later was out there saying he would side with yuta in a fight, if the higher ups decided to kill him, would see at least a little bit of sense in the core of geto's choice if he just knew about it. but he didnt when geto decided that gojo would never understand him, he wasnt thinking about gojo disagreeing with the effectiveness of it, because geto himself knew it was a dumb idea. the heart of what he was doing, wasnt really to succeed, even tho he gives his best to make himself believe that he will. its all about choosing the murder spree he did in that village, and then doing a backward justification; its about hopelessly doing something, for the sake of doing something. if he were gojo, his plan wouldnt be stupid. if he were gojo, there wasnt any plan that would sound stupid. because gojo had the power to change the world if he set his heart on doing so, but geto didnt. what he could do was choose his path and give his best at staying at it, no matter how painful it was

[mukuroom]

yuno t3 opinions but theyre /neg so theyre under a cut

"I wanted you to care enough to scold me and tell me i was wrong- damn you" I feel like im meant to be sympathising with yuno alot more than i currently am. obviously i can sympathise with her being extremely depressed and feeling unable to connect with people and her losing people she really cared for, but it feels like mlgram is trying to guilt trip the viewers over yuno's own inability to communicate properly. you give us a character who goes "i hate being lectured and treated like i don't know whats good for me and having people decide who i am for me, i will only be happy if people accept the real me", so we do exactly as she asks and then she goes "wtf... why wouldn't you lecture me and act like you know better than me and decide who i am for me instead of doing exactly as i told you i wanted?? ☹️" and im expected to blame myself for that ? i know she's a liar, it's like her whole thing, but i cant rlly sympathise with her being given every opportunity to just be honest with us and then getting mad at us when she decided to keep lying. if it's abt showing her we 'care' enough to see through her lies, then she really needs to rethink how relationships work lol, its unreasonable to expect anyone to go along with that. i care enough to listen to what she has to say and not subject her to suspicion and doubt for no reason. i care enough to trust her to speak for herself and trust the things she has to say. i care enough to trust her ability to make her own decisions and not treat her like an idiot. i care enough to not press the 'you were wrong' button that literally tortures people?? we cannot be blamed for her not being able to communicate. i imagine most of this will be addressed more in her VD, but right now im kinda struggling to be moved by this in the way im seeing other people are. right now, its easy to look at the prisoners and see that their suffering is almost 100% our fault, but when it comes to yuno it just falls flat to me. maybe im just being too cold and unsympathetic towards her though. i keep thinking abt it but nothing rlly changes there. i know what its like to want someone to do something while being unable to tell them, but ultimately it's her responsibility to figure that out. she's telling us now, but the damage is done and she's pissed at us for something that feels very unfair for us to be blamed for

[us3rnam3-r3dact3d]

that I love you at the end was like putting a band-aid on my forehead after its been caved in by frying pan PLEASE you actually scared when you said m a y b e they were gonna say it back,,,, I can never tell w ur evil ass ily

i can feel everything bro AND I DONT LIKE IT (i do) why is my favourite genre of fic writers the ones who love to torment their favourite characters,,,,,,

I've said it a million times and I'll keep saying it I LOVE HOW HUMAN THEY ALL FEEL crash out david is my favourite and ESPECIALLY that segment w sweetheart and milo oh em gee,,,,,,,, these are sides of the characters that we will probably never see in the canon- it's a real adult relationship facing the repercussions of real adult problems, granted idk how often the average adult has to deal w a serial killer but yk what I mean,,, it works for sweetheart.. it's that build up between the two of them during their discussion that really gets me, you can tell both of them are waiting for the other to say something so they can say what they really want to say IT WAS SO TENSE I FEEL LIKE I NEEDED TO LEAVE THE ROOM and it's like you can't even pick a side, and that's how it goes in real life, there's rarely an easy choice, yes sweetheart is in the right about this they and both of they're friends and we don't know how many others were victims of quinn and they have to means to bring him to justice, but this self-sacrificing behavior is crazy. same thing w milo, yes he's in the right, he's worried about his partner, he wants them to slow down and prioritize their safety but to say what he said to them IS INSANE and you know damn well if they were facing him he would've thought twice,,,AUUGHHGGG AHIAUSGEVDUDBDJSISJSBSBS PLEASE HAVE MERCYYY

“so I guess all that talk about forever was bullshit.” OOOOHHMY GOOOOOOOOOOD. you love doing that huh,,, having this quinn situation bring them together and tear them apart at the same time IS THIS WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW??? FIRST SAM AND DARLIN NOW THEM?????? ENOUGH. TALKING ABOUT THE GRIEF WOULD PASS BY HIM???????? LAWD I CANT DO IT I CANT DO IT,,,,,,,

I love how there is a collective hc that gabe was SUCH a crybaby softie bc yeah he was

darlin and porterrrrrrr I lob them sm, I need more content w them they have sm in common (in the canon at least) but I need more interactions between them they just get eachother

the exhaustion is palpable.....we have like what,,, 5 or so chapters to go??uuuugggahagaywh I can't wait for the ending but I want it to go on foreverrrr

-🦀

Oh my friend, you know I aim to please!! Darlin' has very nearly reached the apex of their arc, so it's time!! I like to keep y'all on your toes, keep you guessing, but they were always going to say it back. It was just a matter of when they felt safe. And in that exam room, with Sam begging them to let him kill Quinn for them- that's safety for them.

I do love to torture characters. I firmly believe that the best way to boil a character down to their base is to torture them. It's my favorite form of not character development, per say. More like character reveal. This is them (all of them, all of the characters) at their most animal, their most core, their most base selves. Maybe not their best selves (Sweetheart and David, I'm looking at you), but themselves. That's what I'm interested in as a writer.

Thank you buddy! Part of that boiling down process has been these characters showing their worst parts. David gets paranoid and controlling. Darlin' isolates and bends to manipulation. Sweetheart pushes people away and tries to do everything on their own. It's ugly. It's very messy and it's situations like these that destroy relationships, both romantic and otherwise. It would be very easy for things to fall apart. That's what I love about this set of characters in particular. They tend to fall together when things go wrong instead of falling apart.

Bro SWEETHEART is making SO MANY bad decisions right now. Chief among them is not having space to hear Milo's emotions and fears. That is something that he really needs to feel safe. Just having his emotions validated does so much for him. It was something that he didn't get a lot of as a kid, and when he is withheld that as an adult, it makes relationships feel insecure and unstable. He's a sensitive guy when you get down to it, and when that sensitivity is disregarded, it puts him in a bad spot. Sweetheart, quite the opposite, feels safest when they have distance between themself and their emotions. It's a... less than ideal pairing. But they have made it work and they will continue to make it work.

But yeah that was a crazy thing for Milo to say. He'll apologize for that before we're done here.

Gabriel Shaw was a CRY BABY!!! That man was so in tune with his own emotions, there as no WORLD in which he didn't cry all the time. David used to keep track of it. Sometimes it was multiple times a day.

Honestly I combined three chapters in this one which cut us down to three more chapters to go. I might do an epilogue... just to tie up some loose ends. Idk man I shouldn't have put a number there because it keeps changing lol. I guess we'll find out together!!

The exhaustion is there. They're almost done. This is almost over for all of them. More soon my friend!!!

[neodymiumcuilz]

SAVE A FAMILY FROM GAZA - DONATIONS NEEDED 🍉🍉

Hello everyone - why do you continue to ignore Gaza? Why are you complicit in the tragedies unfolding? They are dying, being bombed and burned infront of you - yet you choose to say nothing? You choose to ignore it, you choose to let them suffer. You choose not to help when helping is so easy, you choose to let these families die - with ignoring posts like these, you make the conscious decision to leave them alone. Why? Do you want them to die? All you have to do to help them is to take a couple minutes out of your time to donate or share - and yes their lives are worth more than that. Are they not even worth a couple minutes for you? I swear animals have more empathy than we do. Do you just not care? LIVES ARE TAKEN EACH DAY. INNOCENT SOULS. The death toll gets larger and larger as we speak. They could become martyrs at any moment and we would be partially responsible for not helping them.

Im not asking anymore, it's our duty to help those who need us. Please, don't let them die. @aligaza4 needs our urgent donations - your donations go towards saving the life of an innocent boy - a child that should be enjoying life, not faced with responsibilities and witnessing/experiencing things nobody should have to. A CHILD. Don't just scroll away from this - try imagine what a family in Gaza is currently experiencing. Their home was destroyed, reduced to rubble. They live in a flimsy tent with little electricity or basic necessities like clothes or food. They have nothing. THEY HAVE NOTHING AND YOU CANT BE BOTHERED?

They are lucky to get even a few donations in a day, that's awful, we should all be rushing to help those in need.

"After long years of pain and loss, the war cast its heavy shadow over our city. The streets where we once played as children are now in ruins, and the homes that were our refuge have turned to rubble. Our lives have been profoundly changed; we lost loved ones, our homes, and our sense of security.

We are launching this campaign to raise funds to begin our new lives. The money we collect will be used to rebuild our homes and secure basic necessities such as water, food, and clothing, as well as to support our children's education to ensure a bright future for them.

You can be part of this story—a story of rising from the ashes and building hope. Help us light the way through the darkness of this long road."

VETTED HERE. Stop making up excuses, DONATE IF YOU CAN, SHARE/POST IF YOU CANNOT.

[sweetmariihs2]

tw: mature content (nothing explicit)

my onceler au is like. onceler is now greedler and he's very rich so he thinks he can do whatever he wants and offers money to one of the thneed models called lana to be his personal girl. she hates him because he destroyed her town (greenville) and she's only working in that hell of a business to get enough money to leave, so despite hating him a lot she accepts it cuz she wants to leave asap. the story starts weird and a bit awkward. but for me specially it gets funny cuz while they interact lana notices that he's absolutely desperate for company (she's like "wtf why is this annoying ass guy venting with me about his job we were doing dirty stuff five min ago") and after time while she still doesn't support his stuff she starts to enjoy his company and him as a person so it's a love/hate thing. they go to parties and casinos and have sex and tons of fun together but then she remembers he's like destroying everything she loves atm so she hates him. onceler also gets angry at her cause lana is always against his business so they argue tons of times. but as people they really like eachother and like their company. things get funnier when onceler starts to care too much about her and cant bare the thought of her not being w him anymore so he knows he's in love but also knows that lana hates him and keeps paying her again and again to be with him or else he thinks she'll leave. and lana is also in love with him but then she remembers he's an idiot who's paying for her to sleep with him and is begging for her approval all the time probably because he doesn't want to lose her as his personal girl so she is sure that she'll leave him when she get enough money. they are so stupid because they refuse to communicate. onceler likes her but doesn't want to seem vulnerable in front of her/doesn't want to lose her so he keeps paying for her presence and affection while lana is pissed at him not only because of thneed inc but because she thinks he's seeing her as an object and she refuses to deny his money since it's easy and she "doesn't like him anyway". they are ridiculous. I love making them argue and get pissed at eachother because they refuse to be honest and seem to be arguing about the same topics while in fact he's saying something and she's arguing about something entirely different that his words left open to interpretation cuz he can't admit the truth to her and vice versa. the story is so simple cuz it's onceler with a thneed model oc I made but they're so fun because they're stupid. I need to make more drawings and visual interactions of them because I don't have enough.

I have a full post telling about this story but I changed a lot of stuff in the story and still need to update the post.

if you clicked in 'reading more' you want to read more so take the rest of the story

eventually the public media and paparazzi pressed them too much so they kinda started fake dating to prevent their image from getting dirty and only months later they actually confessed and started really dating. by the way at that time onceler lied to lana that he was taking more ecological decisions and it looked kinda real so lana trusted him 100% for some time. while everything was sweet onceler tried to balance his relationship with his growing fame and money so instead of looking for a way to solve the problem he ended up being negligent (I won't stop biggering) cuz he got distracted and overwhelmed by everything else that was happening in his life and let the resolution for later. canon onceler event happened and lana got absolutely heartbroken. pissed heartbroken I mean like hysterical anger. everyone left him so he left the town and when lana started to miss him months later she went after onceler just to find out he was nowhere to be seen (people said he ran to a far city or country nobody knows). Lana even tried to leave Thneedville but came back because she was too stuck in the only memories she had of him, which was the town and the places and the people. She got very depressed :( and started searching for guys who looked like him in bars, started smoking even tho she hated his cigars but missed him too much and scrapbooked a whole book with pamphlets newspapers and interviews from that time when they were dating and when he was famous. eventually Lana got better and even though she hated him for what he did she got older and understood he was too young and stupid to deal with responsabilities that big (a company that big with attention everywhere while managing a whole city at 25??! he was faded to fail). after the ted events she reunites with the old guy and they start to hang out again and fall in love and date as a cute elder couple. because they're dumb and couldn't communicate for 50 years

I was using no punctuation to seem like I'm talking a lot and very fast but it looks like I just don't know how to write. And the post didn't ended up short like I planned. Well 🤷‍♀️