the-stars-in-between

[the-stars-in-between]

Hours passed and the sun set on the horizon without Nami noticing. Without a candle to light her, Nami could barely make out the color the ink was taking. It wouldn’t be the first time her blood mixed with the ink she was drawing with, and it wouldn’t be the last. Arlong didn’t care what color his maps were.

Arlong didn’t care what color Nami was bleeding.

A drop of blood fell onto the card, right on the name of the main city Nami had just added. Frustrated, she quickly wiped the blood away before it soaked the parchment, but more drops continued to fall. Nami brought her hand to her face, feeling the blood dripping from her nose down her lips.

“Okay,” Nami muttered. “Maybe I should take a break.”

Nami stood up, leaning on her desk and went outside to get some air, doing her best to wipe the blood off her hands and face. Immediately, the sea air hitting her face made her feel better. You need to oxygenate that brilliant brain of yours, Bell-Mère would say as she dragged Nami outside when she spent too much time studying her navigation books.

But then again, she had never listened to her mother.

"Nami, are you done with your maps?" Luffy asked from the other boat where he was playing Go Fish with Zoro.

"For now," Nami replied. "Maybe I'll continue later."

"You can't," Luffy protested. "We have to celebrate your birthday."

Nami, who was about to cross the distance that separated her from Luffy and Zoro's boat, almost fell into the water from the shock. "How do you know that?"

“I heard you last night,” Zoro replied nonchalantly. “So what, you don't want to celebrate your birthday?”

“I don't have time for that,” Nami explained.

“Of course you do,” Zoro retorted. “We left you all day to work so now get your ass back on that boat and shut up.”

It was true, usually Luffy would have bothered her several times in the afternoon to show her a cool bug he had found or tell her he was hungry. Not this time. Everything went smoothly today. Nami thought it was dumb luck but it seemed that Luffy and Zoro had more responsibility in the matter than Fate.

They were the ones who convinced Nami to jump over the waves to join them. Those two idiots, more selfish than anyone in the world. But somehow, that selfishness included Nami. Luffy and Zoro were selfish for her, with her.

Why did they have to make everything difficult?

"Okay, now what?" Nami asked, crossing her arms.

It might have been in bad faith but Nami refused to make it too easy for them.

“Now,” Zoro smirked, forcing on Nami's shoulders so she would sit down, “we drink.”

Zoro, unlike Luffy, almost never touched her, and when he did, he always made sure Nami saw where his hands were before doing so. With them, Nami sometimes felt like she was transparent. She hated that feeling.

Every time Nami built an extra wall around herself, Zoro and Luffy would effortlessly destroy it. It was exhausting and Nami didn't know if she had the energy to continue, she didn't know if she wanted to.

“But before that, you have to eat,” Zoro said, handing her a bowl of pasta. “I don't want you to throw up after one drink.”

“I can outdrink anytime of the day,” Nami retorted, threatening Zoro with her fork.

“Bring it on,” Zoro simply said.

It was stupid, she had nothing to gain from it and yet Nami couldn't help but bite the hook when she saw Zoro's confident smile. She was probably losing brain cells being around Luffy and Zoro for too long. Under Zoro's watchful eye, she started eating. Luffy came back with bottles in his arms, the glasses clinking against each other.

"We wanted to go to a bar but we got kicked out," Luffy explained. “Apparently, they didn't like it when Zoro threatened to cut them in half.”

"So weird," Nami said sarcastically.

The bowl of pasta was barely started but Nami was already full. She had eaten more with Zoro and Luffy in a few weeks than in the previous months. Nami offered her bowl to Luffy who didn't hesitate to finish it. Quickly .

"So, what do you want to do?" Nami asked. “I'm all in for drinking the night away but this is supposed to be a party. Where's the music?”

"You’re never happy, witch," Zoro mumbled.

Zoro rummaged around in the boat's cabin for a few moments and came out with an old radio. He attached it to the deck and after a few minutes of fumbling with the antenna, music came out, crackling.

"That's why we need to find a musician!" Luffy exclaimed. "To always have music and party everywhere."

Zoro sat cross-legged across from Luffy and Nami so that they formed a triangle and filled three glasses. He pushed them toward Luffy and Nami, causing a few drops of alcohol to spill onto the deck.

“To Nami, the stingiest witch I’ve ever met,” Zoro said, raising his glass. “Happy birthday, Nami.”

“Happy birthday, Nami!” Luffy added.

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one go, Nami wincing briefly at the familiar burn of alcohol in her esophagus. She’d started drinking young, younger than she should have, but having a drink in your hand at a bar was the surest way to look older than she was.

“I seem to remember you saying something about outdrinking me,” Zoro reminded her with a playful smile.

“I'm your man,” Nami replied, tying her hair back.

“Wait,” Luffy exclaimed. “We have a birthday present for you!”

“What?” Nami asked, taken aback.

But Nami didn't have time to ask Luffy to repeat that he had already left for the cabin, the sounds of falling objects could be heard all the way to where Nami and Zoro were still sitting.

“Hey Luffy, don't break everything!” Zoro protested.

Luffy reappeared a few minutes later, looking like he had just fought a wild animal, his smile bright.

“I found it!" he declared triumphantly, holding a gift package in the air that was objectively very poorly wrapped.

Nami had heard him right the first time. Luffy and Zoro had bought her a gift. Nami remained frozen, unable to react. Bell-Mère had given her gifts when she was still alive, Genzo had given her gifts when he didn't hate her, Nojiko had given her gifts when she wasn't struggling to survive every day. Nowadays, no one gave Nami gifts.

She didn't deserve them anyway.

Luffy forced the package into her hands and Nami still didn't move. It was heavy in her palm. Open the package, she was supposed to open the package. With trembling hands, Nami tore open the orange wrapping paper, feeling Luffy and Zoro's gaze on her.

Luffy and Zoro's gift fit in the palm of her hand, a gold hair clip in the shape of a hibiscus flower. The gold and red blended elegantly, each pistil finely etched into the precious metal. Nami ran her finger along each petal, tears burning the corners of her eyes.

"Aren't you going to start crying?" Zoro worried.

"Shut up, it's my birthday, I'm allowed to cry," Nami retorted, slapping Zoro on the shoulder.

Just for tonight, Nami thought. She would have tonight with Luffy and Zoro to laugh and cry under the stars. No Arlong, no Cocoyashi, just a girl and the two idiots she had just met.

Just one night.

That was all she could afford.

"Do you like it?" Luffy asked.

"It's beautiful, thank you very much," Nami answered sincerely. "Will you put it in my hair?"

With surprising gentleness, Luffy lifted Nami's hair and secured it with the hair clip before kissing Nami on the nape of her neck. Luffy was about to pull his hand away but Nami kept it in place under his for a few more seconds.

"Are you ready to lose?" Nami asked Zoro.

— Between the Waves and the Stars

[the-stars-in-between]

And now, for my next trick, I'm going to start crying.

[the-stars-in-between]

How to Leave Comments on Fanfiction

So, I recently made a poll to know if people might find it helpful to have a list of things they could talk about when leaving comments on fanfictions, be it on Ao3 or on here. A majority of people were interested in seeing the post so, well, I'm making it. I started writing and posting stuff online when I was a teenager, on a website where leaving constructive criticism was the norm. It's by far the place where I've gotten the most feedback and it was an incredibly formative experience for me as a young writer — and it taught me how to leave detailed comments.

Writing comments doesn't necessarily come easy. It's something that you may need to learn how to do, but the good news is that you can learn how to do it, so don't worry if you don't know what to say at first. Hopefully this list will give you some pointers on how to do that.

This is more or less the list I go through when I want to leave a detailed comment. Even if I don't have a specific idea at first, I'll go through the steps and I never come out empty-handed.

Comment etiquette:

What became apparent with the poll I made was that a lot of people worry about how they'll be perceived by the writers if they leave a comment. Now, obviously, writers aren't a monolith, but 99% of the time writers will be thrilled that you took the time to leave a comment to let them know what you enjoyed in their fic. I cannot stress this enough. We're not going to judge someone based on a positive comment they leave.

As it stands, on Tumblr and Ao3, it's seen as rude to leave negative feedback, unless the author has explicitly asked for it/agreed to it, so that's what I'll be going over here. Since quite a few writers did say on that post that they would like to get constructive comments as well, stay tuned, I'm trying to get something together to do that for authors. Other than that, you're good to go.

The main ways to let an author know your thoughts on a fic on Tumblr are:

reblogging a fic with your thoughts underneath it

reblogging with your thoughts in the tags, which is often less formal

leaving a comment as a 'reaction'

sending in an ask if they're activated on the blog (which means you can stay anonymous, if anon asks are allowed)

Reblogging means that your followers will see the post as well, and is therefore really appreciated on Tumblr.

As a note, you may find different systems work for different fics! Maybe leaving tag rambles works for you when commenting on drabbles, for example for me it's the system I use to leave comments on smut.

General advice:

Everything I'm saying in here is for people who want to be able to leave longer/more detailed comments and don't always know where to start. If, for whatever reason, you're not comfortable or you don't have time to do it at the moment, a simple "I love the fic, thank you for writing it" always goes a long way for an author.

The key thing to keep in mind if you're trying to find something else to say, I think, is to try making the comment specific to the fic you're leaving it on. It shows the writer what you took away from the fic and the fic's strong points, which is both meaningful and helpful to an author.

Comments don't have to be long to be meaningful. Don't stress about writing a ton; a one-sentence comment highlighting the fic's humor or how emotional it made you can be incredibly impactful.

With this out of the way, I'll go through things you can talk about in a comment, starting with what I think is the easiest and moving on to things that could require more thought. You don't have to do all of that. You may never use some of the things on that list. Leaving comments should not be a source of anxiety. So take what you want from the list, maybe come back to it if you need more inspiration, and don't worry too much about it :)

Favorite line(s) : pull from the fic to let the author know what your favorite line was. If you wish, you can expand on that by saying why it was your favorite: did it make you laugh? Did it make you feel something specific? Did the author nail the characterization with it? Was there some incredible metaphor? Did you find it beautiful or poetic even if you can't go into detail? Is there one line in particular at the beginning of the fic that hooked you in and made you want to keep reading?

All of that is very valuable for a writer to know. Some of my favorite comments I've gotten were a list of a reader's favorite lines from a fic with one or two sentences to explain why they liked them, so don't hesitate to do that more than once if you can!

Emotions:  if there’s one thing I know about writers, it’s that we’re thrilled when we’ve made you cry. So tell us: how did the writing make you feel? Did you laugh out loud? If you did, was it the dialogue, or the narrator? Did it make you cry? Which part? Could you relate to one of the characters? Did it make you feel seen? Did the fluff make you feel all fuzzy inside or did the angst twist knots in your stomach? This isn't an exhaustive list, and emotions are great to draw from when you're leaving a comment!

Favorite element of the writing: Is there one thing in the writing that struck you as being particularly good, or what was your favorite thing to read? Is the author a master at writing dialogue? Are their descriptions so good you could see the whole scene? Are they really good at getting in a character's head and describing their emotions? Were you hooked from the start and couldn't stop until you reached the end?

Characterization: Now, this might be less instinctive, but if you've been in a fandom for a while, you'll probably be able to identify these things fairly easily. You can tell the author if you think they've nailed one aspect of a character. Did you have a favorite character in the fic? What did you think of them? Did the author manage to capture their voice? Was the attitude spot-on? Which parts of the character, if you can name them? Were there aspects of the character you particularly enjoyed? Did the author shine a light on something you hadn't considered or on something you don't think is highlighted often enough? Is there one thing from the fic you can actually picture/hear a character doing/saying in your head?

Style: I'd argue this is the hardest part, and you shouldn't feel bad if it's not something you can really comment on. As someone whose first language isn't English, I know I struggle with it. Style can be perceived as the way the author's voice comes through in the text. It can come through in punctuation, in the way sentences are formed, in the choice of the words themselves. If, when you read, you feel something intangible that doesn't fit well in the other categories, it just might be the author's style.

Here are some things (non-exhaustive list, of course) you could say about an author's style: it can be direct, straight to the point. The author doesn't bother with ornaments. Every sentence feels impactful. Maybe the writing feels intense. You're overwhelmed by the characters and their feelings and you feel truly engulfed in the story. Maybe the style is light and airy. It's so easy to read you don't even notice you are reading. Maybe the writing is intricate. Going through it is like piecing a puzzle together, sentences are foreshadowing and metaphors reveal deep truths about the characters. Maybe the style is rich. While not always the easiest, it's a pleasure to read through it, the author has a wide vocabulary, and you might want to compare it to a well-written novel.

If you identify specific elements of that style (metaphors, interesting use of punctuation, etc.), don't hesitate to point them out and let the author know you enjoy them!

That is it for this post, hopefully it doesn't look too daunting — again, you absolutely do not need to do all that in any comment, but maybe going through this list can help you leave comments for authors you enjoy.

I like to end my comments with 'Thank you for writing and sharing this with us', so I'll tell you thank you for reading, I hope this was helpful, and please consider reblogging if you'd like to save this or if you think it could help someone else!

As a bonus, my friend @elidebrey and I (but mostly her) made a 'checklist' for commenting, to help remember all this if that's something you'd like, so use at will!

A big thank you to @elidebrey, @yoongihan and @antoniorhinothethird for their precious opinions on this ♥

[the-stars-in-between]

Guess who's finally updating their Whumptober fic in June? And of course it's me! So let me persuade you to go read it with five arguments.

it's objectively very good (my sister tried to attack me after reading it, so you know it's good)

it has Zoro Whump (it's Whumptober Whune after all)

sarcastic and bloody Zoro

there's gonna be some wholesome found family/confort moments in the later chapters

i promise promise promise that i won't take seven months to update the next chapter

There're still some trigger warnings so I'm putting them here too just in case (electrocutions, violence, blood).

[the-stars-in-between]

Prends des cookies

Révise ton bac <3

[the-stars-in-between]

I had this thought for a while:

An AU where Roger decides to give Rouge and Ace to Whitebeard instead of Garp. Its obvious in retrospect. Whitebeard is an old friend of Roger, someone strong who believes that a child should not bear their parents' sins.

So Rouge lives because Whitebeard takes care of her early and she doesn't have to be pregnant for two years. Ace is raised on the Moby Dick by his father and his mother. He is told positive stories about Roger, and doesn't hate him or himself like in canon. And one day, while in the East Blue for whatever reason, Ace meets two boys and begs his parents to let them stay with him.

(Opportunity for this to be a Ace-Whitebeard-Rouge lives AU)

Oh that would be so cool, I read a lot of "Whitebeard's Crew Adopt Ace (+Sabo & Luffy)" fic but never with Rouge being alive too.

I don't know if Rouge would love to live long-term with the Whitebeard Pirates because of the whole father-children dynamic the crew has. And maybe she wouldn't really find her place being Whitebeard's daughter. Or it could be more like with Oden, where they consider each other like siblings.

We can also consider Whitebeard's misogyny with his "girls aren't allowed to fight" policy. Something Rouge would not appreciate. But it would also be an opportunity for Rouge to challenge Whitebeard's point of view and make him understand that, no, girls can fight and kick ass. And at the end of that, Rouge could become Commander of the Second Division and have a little more independence, while still remaining attached to the crew.

It's my headcanon that when Whitey Bay left the crew, most of the women left with her. In that case, maybe most of the women on the crew would join the Second Division or something like that.

I imagine baby Ace with so many siblings, literally the most adored child in the ocean. Marco could take him flying, Vista could teach him how to sword fight, Haruta could use him as a spy to get more gossip. And literally, no one could say no to him.

And one day, when Rouge goes on an expedition to the East with her division, she (and Ace) might meet Luffy and Sabo and decide to keep them. No one realizes that Luffy is Garp's grandson until he shows up on the Moby Dick a few months later, crying kidnapping.

Shanks could visit every now and then and be the drunk uncle and the big brother who teaches you how to do stupid things.

That would be so so fun to write, maybe make a one-shot series since I don't really have the time right now. But I would love to write (or read) something like that.

[the-stars-in-between]

That evening, when Ace and Rouge sat on the front steps, each holding a bowl of ice cream with way too much whipped cream, Ace asked in a small voice.

"What was his name? My father." Rouge hated the hesitation in his voice, as if he was afraid to bring it up.

Rouge set her bowl on her lap, drops of condensation falling on the fabric of her skirt as she swallowed slowly. Her mouthful was hard, but Rouge knew it had nothing to do with the ice cream melting in her mouth. She clutched at the cold emanating from the bowl, her fingers clenching.

“Roger,” Rouge finally answered. “His name was Gol D. Roger.”

Her tone was low, not because of the power the name now carried, but because she sensed how important this moment was to Ace. She saw it in the way his eyes lit up upon hearing it (mostly in surprise at her finally answering, but also in pure joy), how he repeated it, enunciating each syllable as if discovering something precious.

Since the purge that followed Roger’s death, few people knew his true name—his heritage. The D. that separated him from the common herd. His son would now be part of it, not in the way the world feared, but something even more powerful. The love of a son for his father.

Rouge smiled as she watched the questions swirling behind Ace's eyes, eagerly waiting to see which question he would consider most important. His curiosity was palpable in the air, like a scholar entering an unexplored library for the first time.

the creak of a heavy wooden door, the dust particles floating in the air, the smell of old paper and leather

(Maybe she'd waited too long to tell him about Roger. Maybe it was her who wasn't ready until now.)

"Do you miss him?" Ace asked, his big gray eyes full of childlike innocence.

Rouge felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. Of all the questions she'd expected, that wasn't one of them. But maybe she should have. Her sweet, sweet boy—he'd saved her 10 years ago, just as much as Shanks and Buggy had. By unknowingly forcing her to take care of herself, because she couldn't love and protect them the way they deserved if she couldn't stand on her own two feet first.

She probably would have died without her sons, let herself waste away with grief. And not a day went by that she didn't forget him.

"Every day," Rouge answered honestly, taking another bite of ice cream as a distraction. "Your dad was my best friend. But it's like when you scrape your knee, it hurts a lot at first, and then the pain goes away—even if you're left with a scar."

"I miss him too," Ace revealed, ducking his head. "Is that weird?"

— Coming Soon Now on AO3, A Single Step (To Begin The Journey)

[the-stars-in-between]

day 1 at the communal puzzle club: i see a puzzle with a sign next to it that says "please help with our communal puzzle" and i say to myself "don't mind if I do" and did the whole thing

[the-stars-in-between]

Buggy took a quick step forward, pulling Arya along with him by the hand, both of them carried by the wind. Behind them, a bandit brandished his dagger, getting back into position after missing his attack. Before Buggy could deal with him, Arya grabbed a piece of metal pipe and threw herself at the bandit, screaming bloody murder. Ayden, alerted by the noise, turned around hastily before freezing in place next to Buggy, watching Arya violently bash the guy in the head with her pipe. "Not today, Mister!" Arya shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the bandit doubled over in pain at her feet. Arya twirled the pipe between her fingers before resting the end on her shoulder, accidentally hitting herself in the back of the head in the process but pretending it was nothing. With her other hand, she gave Buggy and Ayden a victory sign and smiled triumphantly. “Who’s next?” she asked, a bump forming on her head as tears of pain made her eyes shine. “Are you okay?” Ayden hesitated, his hand reaching out to his twin. “Absolutely!” Arya replied happily, tossing her pipe onto a pile of trash that collapsed on top of the bandit. “Let’s go!”

Chapter 16 of Children the Sea, Family Ties That Bind

[the-stars-in-between]

Straw Hat Slumber Party save me, oh save me, Straw Hat Slumber Party.

[the-stars-in-between]

I want it [Buck's next relationship] to feel fun, flirty, and lived in throughout its, assuming it's a long-term thing, domestication. I just want it to feel like a good time. – OLIVER STARK

We gotta figure something out with Eddie. But I think the next relationship should be something life-changing that it just throws him off for a loop. – RYAN GUZMAN

EVAN BUCKLEY AND EDDIE DIAZ THROUGH THE SEASONS

9-1-1 on FOX / ABC (2018 – ...)

[the-stars-in-between]

@marauders-rarepair-fics Sapphic May Edition

Prompt 17: Lipstick

Ship: Mary Macdonald/Marlene McKinnon/Lily Evans

Lipstick Stains On The Mirror

Mary opened her mouth slightly as she applied her mascara, standing on tiptoe to bring her face closer to the mirror. She let her gaze wander into the reflection for a moment—watching Marlene twirl Lily around to the music, the leather skirt she'd borrowed from Mary clinging to her skin wonderfully. Lily laughed, her head thrown back revealing the gold necklaces that plunged down to her chest.

They had started getting ready for Marlene's birthday over an hour ago, laughter and music already echoing through the common room downstairs. But the second Lily, lying in the bathtub, had lit a cigarette, and Marlene had put on their own music, Mary knew they were going to be late. 

She couldn't have cared less. Half the fun of those nights was dancing with Marlene and Lily anyway, so close you couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. Lily's hand on her waist, her chest pressed against Marlene's back. The smoke filling the room, the sweat covering their bodies, the music dulling their senses. Marlene. Lily. Them .

There was nothing else that mattered in the world. 

Mary turned and perched herself on the sink, letting Marlene approach her and offer her the cigarette waste away between her ring-covered fingers. Mary inhaled deeply, the burn of the smoke curling into her lungs. She bit the tip of Marlene's finger, releasing the smoke into her face. With an exclamation of indignation, Marlene pinched her ribs, drawing an undignified snort out as she fell from the sink into her arms.

“Lily, save me!” Mary exclaimed, her arm outstretched towards her best friend.

“I'm not going to get in the middle of you two,” Lily refused, putting on her dress.

"I thought you loved being between the two of us," Marlene retorted, enjoying the blush that colored Lily's cheeks as much as Mary. 

The gold glitter on her arms, breasts, and thighs that Mary and Marlene had painted on her body a few minutes earlier shone under the bathroom lighting, giving her the look of a goddess. 

“Stop saying stuff like that,” Lily protested weakly, throwing a t-shirt in Marlene's face. “It’s not helping with the rumors.”

Marlene grabbed the t-shirt with one hand, laughing brightly. Mary couldn't help but smile beside her, leaning on Marlene's side as she rested her other hand on Mary’s thigh. Mary felt as if the warmth of her hand would burn an imprint into her skin. She didn't move.

“And hurry up a little,” Lily continued. “You're not even dressed and your birthday started over an hour ago.”

"I'm not the one who brought out the Firewhisky," Marlene defended herself with a pointed look at Mary, putting on her t-shirt anyway. 

A gust of cold air wrapped around her as Marlene pulled away from her to put on her eyeliner. Mary curled her arms around herself, an unpleasant shiver running through her body. 

“Do you need help with your dress?” Lily asked, braiding a section of her hair to the side of her face.

Lily moved closer to her, her fingers caressing Mary's bare back as she laced the corset into the back of her dress. Lily's hands lingered at her waist, her nails gently digging into the tops of her thighs. Mary held a breath, as if a simple movement would break whatever magic was charging the air. Lily's hair tickled her bare shoulders, her breath an agony against her burning skin.

“Thank you,” Mary breathed, meeting Lily's ardent gaze in the mirror—feeling the weight of Marlene's brown eyes on them both.

"That dress does wonders for your ass, Macdonald," Marlene complimented. 

"I try," Mary replied, regaining her composure. 

She spun around with her arms outstretched, letting her dress billow around her. Marlene whistled appreciatively, her eyes roaming over her plunging neckline.

“Marlene is right,” Lily added with a smile, “you look beautiful.”

“Well, get that pretty ass over here and help me with my lipstick,” Marlene ordered, handing her her favorite lipstick.

Mary grabbed the tube, trapping Marlene between her and the sink. One of Marlene's legs slipped between hers as Mary leaned on Marlene to keep her hand steady. So close to Marlene, she could count each of her eyelashes, observe every shade of hazel in her eyes. She would hardly have to move if she decided to lean in and kiss her.

Maybe she wanted to.

Marlene fiddled with the hem of Mary’s dress, the linen flowing through her fingers. She tugged at the fabric, pulling Mary towards her.

“Stop it,” Mary said with a laugh, “you'll make me move and you'll look like a clown.”

Marlene made a show of standing still, earning a smile from Mary. Mary brushed away some lipstick that had smudged under Marlene's lip with her thumb, stepping back slightly to admire her work.

“There you go, perfect.”

“Thank you, beautiful,” Marlene said, looking in the mirror before kissing Mary on the cheek.  

Her red lipstick left a mark, the ghost of a kiss. Mary brushed tenderly her fingertips against her cheek, feeling a warm tingling beneath her skin.

“Oh, I want one too,” Lily exclaimed, getting up from the edge of the tub where she had been sitting to slip on her heels. 

Marlene cupped Lily's face, kissing her just on the corner of her lips. “All my favourite girls match now.”

Mary had never loved lipstick so much in her life. 

[the-stars-in-between]

When does a ripple become a tidal wave? When does the reason become the blame? When does a man become a monster?

Finished this Just a Man painting!! My favorite song from the entire musical, so I hope I did it justice.

[the-stars-in-between]

Buggy needed a moment to remember where he was when he woke up, his face soaked. His back was a mess, which was what happened when you fell asleep in a chair. He looked up at Shanks's bed to find his brother awake, an empty glass in his hand ready to throw in his face.

"Shanks!" Buggy exclaimed, jumping up.

Shanks' surgery had gone well, his fever breaking almost immediately. Hongo had predicted Shanks would wake up in a few hours, once the anesthesia wore off. Buggy had left Hongo to discuss the details of the surgery with Beckman, such as what they were going to do with Shanks' arm, and went to stay by Shanks' bedside.

Makino and Luffy had kept him company for a while, Luffy showing Shanks the shells they'd collected and offering to make him a bracelet. But Makino had finally convinced Luffy to go to bed, promising him that Shanks would say hello when he woke up.

Buggy pulled Shanks into his arms, the sob stuck in his throat dissipating when he felt Shanks's pulse beneath his fingers. Shanks held him close, the two breathing together for the first time in a long time. He smiled when Shanks rested his chin on his shoulder, the position reassuring and familiar.

"How are you? Let me help you," Buggy said, taking the glass from Shanks.

They'd left a glass of water for Shanks on the nightstand when he woke up, but obviously the idiot had used it to wake Buggy instead. Buggy refilled the glass, handing it back to Shanks. He moved the chair closer to Shanks's bed, his knees touching the mattress.

"What happened?" Shanks said, his voice hoarse after more than a week without speaking.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Buggy asked.

"The Sea King," Shanks replied, his brow furrowing in thought. "Beck and Roo carried me back to the village. Luffy was crying. My arm—"

Shanks noticed his bandaged arm, his missing hand, just as Buggy explained. "We had to amputate. The Sea King's bite caused an infection. You were in and out for most of last week; we thought we were going to lose you for a moment."

Shanks stared at the bandage, the muscles in his arm twitching as he tried to open and close a hand that was no longer there. His face was impassive, his hair hiding the expression in his eyes.

"Are you—"

"I never thought I'd keep my arm when I put myself between Luffy and the Sea King," Shanks finally said quietly. "I just wanted him safe."

"And he is safe," Buggy said quickly. "He's amazing, by the way. I understand what you see in him."

Buggy exchanged a meaningful look with Shanks. The reason Luffy wore Shanks's hat more often than he did, the echo of Dad's laughter in Luffy's—he saw it too. He saw it all.

"He's a good kid," Shanks replied, smiling affectionately. "He's… he's important to me."

"Want to say hello?" Buggy smiled. "I bet he can't wait to see you again."

"Yes," Shanks breathed. "I'd love that."

Buggy squeezed Shanks's hand, refraining from hugging him while he was still injured, and stood up. He stopped at the door, his hand on the handle.

"Don't worry me like that anymore," Buggy said, unshed tears burning in his eyes. " Please ."

"Never again," Shanks promised, raising his hand. "I'll be good."

"Yeah, yeah," Buggy replied with a smile, not believing it for a second. “I'll believe it when I see it.”

He'd have time to talk to Shanks later, could keep him in his sights until he was sure he was going to disappear again. But for now, there was someone who needed to see Shanks. Buggy pushed open the door to Luffy's room, jumping when he saw Luffy waiting in the dark, sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"Hey, bud, wanna see Shanks?" asked Buggy.

Luffy's eyes lit up. He climbed out of bed, retrieving Shanks's straw hat from his nightstand. Luffy had explained that Beck had entrusted him with it until Shanks was better, and he had taken his mission very seriously.

"I'm ready," Luffy declared, holding the straw hat.

XXX

Shanks sat up, trying to find a comfortable position by arranging the cushions. He didn't want to scare Luffy by looking like a corpse on his deathbed, waiting to die. He ran his hand through his hair, surprisingly clean after a week, trying to look presentable.

He still couldn't get used to the absence of his forearm, his mind still hazy from the anesthesia. His entire body ached. But he forgot all that—his thirst, the weakness in his limbs—when Luffy entered the room.

"Shanks!" Luffy shouted, rushing towards the bed.

Buggy tried to stop him, to grab him by the collar of his shirt, but Luffy was quick when he wanted to be. He threw himself into Shanks's arms—arm . Breathing through his nose to stifle his grunt of pain, Shanks held Luffy close with his remaining arm. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Luffy's shoulder, relief flooding his body at seeing him safe and sound.

"I'm glad you're okay, Anchor," Shanks whispered.

"Me too," Luffy replied. "I was scared when you wouldn't wake up."

"I'm sorry, Luffy," Shanks said, ruffling his hair gently. "Buggy told me you were very brave."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buggy leave the room to leave them alone. Luffy sat cross-legged on his lap, his eyes widening when he noticed Shanks's missing arm.

"Where's your arm?" Luffy asked frantically.

"Do you remember when I wouldn't wake up?" Shanks said, not quite sure how to explain the situation. And the medicine certainly wasn't helping. "Well, my arm was really bad and it was making the rest of me sick too, so they had to cut it off."

Luffy's eyes filled with tears, and it was Shanks's turn to panic.

"I'm sorry," Luffy said, his voice trembling.

"No, no, no," Shanks replied, doing his best to hug Luffy. "It's okay, everything's fine."

"But Shanks, your arm."

Shanks rested his chin on the top of Luffy's head, letting the little boy cry into his shirt. He gently ran his hand down his back in an attempt to comfort him, humming to himself like Mom used to do for them.

"My arm isn't important," Shanks assured him. "The important thing is that you're alive. That's the only thing that matters."

Luffy didn't know how true that was, how much Luffy meant to him. Son, brother—there were no words to describe how much he considered Luffy other than family. And family always protected each other, no matter the cost.

"I love you, kid." Shanks kissed Luffy's forehead, wiping his tears with his thumb. "Thank you for looking out for me this week. I heard you talking about the shells you and Buggy collected. Because of you, I knew I wasn't alone. Thank you ."

Judging by Luffy's smile, Shanks had just paid him the highest compliment. Luffy rummaged in his shorts pocket, pulling out a bracelet made of shells and sea glass. He held out his hand to Shanks, the colored glass catching the sunlight.

"I made it for you," Luffy explained. "So you'll feel better. Makino helped me."

"It's very pretty," Shanks congratulated, moved. "I'm going to need help putting it on, though."

He held out his right wrist to Luffy, the wrist that already held the bracelet Ace had made for him before leaving. Luffy did his best to secure it, squinting as he tied the thin thread.

"There you go!" Luffy declared, proud of himself.

Shanks smiled, raising his arm to admire the bracelet. He patted the space to his right, encouraging Luffy to sit next to him. He put his arm around Luffy’s shoulders, hugging him to his side. Luffy rested his head on Shanks's shoulder, kicking his feet playfully against the mattress.

"Why don't you have a lion?" Luffy asked.

— Chapter 17 of Children of the Sea

[the-stars-in-between]

Oh, thank you for tagging me :)

Last song I listened to: The Game by Livingston

Favorite color: probably lilac or blue

Currently watching: Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and S.W.A.T.

Last Movie: The Hangover with my family

Currently reading: The Priory of the Orange Tree, The Hurricane Wars and Crescent City

Sweet, savory or spicy: sweet, no questions asked

Relationship: inexistent

Current obsessions: One Piece, the smell of the rain and flowers, writing fanfic about tragic siblings relationship and parallels, Supernatural, Bobby Nash is Alive Conspiracy Theories

Last googled: cool snakes

Currently working on: the next chapter of my fic, the plot of my novel, getting my driving licence, cleaning my room :(

+ open tags (I feel like I don't know enough people to tag them, sorry ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ)

nine people I would like to get to know better

Thank you @sentowritesstuff for tagging me!! I actually really like doing little games like this even if it’s something small it makes me happy lol

last song I listened to: I Hate It Here by Taylor Swift

favorite color: probably a really dark blue

currently watching: daredevil, andor s2, agent Carter, cloak and dagger, and a couple more

last movie: Avengers Infinity War

currently reading: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

sweet, spicy, or savory: all of them!! I cant choose a favorite!!

relationship: single☹️ My crush doesn’t like me back and I refuse to talk to him

current obsessions: agent Carter, captain america and stucky in general (as usual), Star Wars, the naturals series, six of crows again, baking carrot cakes, and writing poetry about my shitty family

last googled: where to watch into the spiderverse?

currently working on: a speech for school, a poem series, and a fanfic about stucky

I’m going to tag: @spidersinsalem @olicitylighthome @aurore-boreal1s @scarfacemarston @bufferingsummers @onyx-di-angelo @crazysandwich @bloodorange17 & @mentalmeles

no pressure though if you’ve already done it or don’t want to

[the-stars-in-between]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Le Coin des LGBT+ 🏳️‍🌈 (@lecoindeslgbt)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ACT 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@act_lgbt)

SIGN AND SHARE. EVERYWHERE.

ONLY 48 HOURS LEFT.

[the-stars-in-between]

Some out-of-context quotes from the next chapter of Children of the Sea (which will be posted on Sunday, by the way)

"Good day, cowards! It's time to decide whether or not we're going to chopp off my brother's arm."

"I'm tired and I feel like I can't breathe."

"I wish I could swim, at least once."

"You're my friend too, Bug! You're funny and your nose is funny too."

"I just wanted you to be a part of this decision, because he's your family as much as he is ours."

"Do we still hate them?"

"I promise you that even if we fight, I'll always be your friend. Because that's what real friends do."

"I made it for you. So you'd feel better."

"I love you, kid."