#❣

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

❣ | Hello ! I love you AND I'm not dead |

/ dusts off the bird's face

Are people still here ? If you are, I'm very glad to see you ! I want to thank you again for being exceedingly patient with me. A thing about chronic illness management is that you can go from thinking you understand your symptoms decently to an ED visit and a month's worth of sundry appointments in like a week or two. I'm feeling a fair bit better ! But it has made it hard for me to do things that are fun, including be present here.

Speaking of, I've only got about SIX inbox things left until I move! I'm gonna do as many as I can this week I think then call it, but because I was closer than that previously, I am going to CLOSE MY INBOX for the time being. I will open it back up for all the things when I get re-situated, and will send everybody a bunch of things because I miss doing that.

Much Love,

♡ Ro

[belovedcorvid]

C.ora: Words of Affirmation guy; tells loved ones he loves them directly and regularly in certain contexts / quiet places / etc.

Also C.ora, when anyone tells him they love him: ' you should probably see a doctor, get checked for a head injury. '

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

Hello I love you - I have been extra quiet everywhere this week because I have kidney stones so I'm moving very slow and am extra growly.

I'm working on clearing my inbox though! Hoping against odds to be able to get that done this weekend. OTL After that I will begin the process of bothering you all separately about what you'd like to keep when I move this guy!

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

you came. — from law !

❣ | Memes :: This One | Send 'You Came' for my muse to help yours out of a Bad Situation

It had taken weeks of travel for them to start getting along and working together, a fragile sort of truce that was still being figured out. Working together better meant less running away, insults a little less personal and sharply worded, but the surprise in those rasped words pierced his heart, razor-sharp. The marine fell to his knees beside his companion, measuring his breath through a wave of panic that welled up from somewhere deep and unexpected. Something must have shaken loose at some point, some sort of growing fondness made visible suddenly, when that tiny voice calling out for him had stopped him dead in his tracks mid-search for the missing boy. He looked so small. Law was small, small and frail even for his age especially now that his sickness was really starting to catch up with him. They could talk about what had happened while they were briefly separated after this last hospital later, right now he needed to take him somewhere safe and warm to recover.

" Of course I did. "

He did his best to keep as much fear out of his voice as he picked him up, carefully gathering him into his arms even though he knew he shouldn't. Law would be furious actually, depending on the specifics his condition - had he been more with it, in more of a position to get mad or protest, he probably would have griped at him about moving someone with a potential head or back injury. But he cradled the kid close to his heart anyway, briefly nuzzling his face into his scruffy hair before pulling himself back onto his feet. His heart wanted him to pause right here and keep talking to the kid, but his brain knew it would be best to keep going. He had to, because he was all Law had. Both of them were all the other had. He had to walk extra careful, for he absolutely would not stumble or drop the boy.

" It's - I've got you, kid, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna be fine, just gotta find somewhere to rest. Somewhere warm. "

[belovedcorvid]

plots please!!

❣︎ | Memes :: From Here | Send the Above for Plot Ideas

Oh man, I've been meaning to send you some stuff to start things for a Minute (tm) - I'm just shy and very slow. OTL

All about sending a C.ora that survives Minion to talk to people from Dressrosa / confront the consequences of his choices and his very complicated sense of guilt about them, so Cupid or Eros would be fun. Maybe even the bird working with this crew during the time of upheaval to try and track down his missing kid.

Plus, ever since you mentioned it it'd be fun to have him interact with Cupid because of their shared aesthetic choices - if they ever travel together it will be hard to tell whose dangly heart earrings or sunglasses are whose.

Honestly open to interacting with any of them. He'd probably enjoy talking to Evanidus as well because they're closer in age and I feel they're similarly sad and tired.

Additionally: I know you sent this to Cora but you follow my OC too and I would also be down to throw my spooky ghoul boy at any of these characters, especially Vanta because I like the vibe or Evanidus because they could talk medicine or try and figure out how Eden functions without circulating blood.

[belovedcorvid]

🚢? *slides over this for Leigh*

❣︎ | Memes :: From Here | Shipping Sheet :: Rabbit Loves Forms

do i ship our characters together?: yes | no | not yet but maybe soon

would i like to ship with you?: yes | maybe, i'm willing to try | no

type of relationship i could see: childhood or high school sweethearts / friends | exes | engaged | married | long-term relationship | crushes | unrequited love | fling | long distance | online relationship | just dating | new relationship | toxic lovers | friends with benefits

tropes i'd enjoy writing for them: friends to lovers | enemies to lovers | exes to lovers | fake relationship / dating | forbidden love | grumpy and sunshine | star-crossed lovers | surprise pregnancy | second chance | soulmates | amnesia / mistaken identity | forced proximity | secret relationship | slow burn relationship

Okay I know we already did Cora's wake-up post Minion but looking at this I think a version of this where he wakes up remembering nothing / nobody would be horrendously angsty and painful.

would i rather plot first or jump right in and see where it goes?: develop their relationship first | jump right in | something in between ( what specifically? )

what now?: let's plot something | send me shippy memes | i'll send you shippy memes | write me a random starter | i'll write you a random starter | all the things are good let's just keep writing and planning

anything else i want you to know about me / my character / my shipping habits: ( put whatever you want here )

OTL Ziggy thank you for being so patient; I really need slow burn and development for ships and I'm constantly afraid people don't realise how slow I mean when I say it. Their tentative almost thing is very cute - maybe some day the bird will realise he's in it.

[belovedcorvid]

❣︎ | @summerxmelodies :: from here |

Two things were simultaneously astounding: how many problems this woman seemed to have with other people, and how many problems a singular stranger could cause for his supposedly simple assignment.

Though he'd been busy communicating with his contact in the second storey of the building across the street from the alley, he'd kept an eye on her as she swept past him - grumbling, leaving hopefully. Whatever, good riddance - it looked like his contact was willing to let him in the building anyway, so maybe this was salvageable after all. At least he thought so, until another shadowed figure appeared between them and their exit. She looked back in his direction - perhaps to see if he was waiting for this guy ? As he shook his head no, his eye caught the gleam of the barrel of a gun, raised and aimed.

Rust coloured eyes widened as he pointed to get her to look, staggering to the side as another loud gunshot echoed in the alley, the bullet grazing the side of his cheek as he moved. This was getting out of hand. Now it was his turn to deal with a mess, and he would do it quietly; moving quicker and quieter than anyone of his stature had a right to, he feinted to the side and drew his own gun, tearing their would-be assailant apart with silent bullets. The feather cloaked man paused at the end of the alley - listening for more footsteps, more problems. If he wanted this to stop, he needed to try and get her off the street. Rocinante paused to take a long drag from his cigarette, the turned back to look at his new acquaintance, wreathed in a halo of smoke as he exhaled. He signed a little - easy, parseable ones.

' let's go - (not) safe '

[belovedcorvid]

❣︎ | @aamaranthiine :: from here |

Their first few steps - a short circuit around this small clearing - were slow going, but by the end he was getting the hang of it. Tripping and stumbling couldn't be avoided, he was himself was he not ? It never got better. Having another person there to steady him at the hip helped immensely, despite their difference in stature. Normally this wouldn't have been something he entertained; encountering a friendly person was rare, especially after he and Law visited ( and destroyed ) a hospital. That was part of why Law didn't like it when he asked others for directions, or for help, and why he didn't like it when he brought others around the places they hid. He would be mad about this for sure, but surely he would come around when Rocinante explained how Thea had helped him, right?

Besides . . . as much as finding a way to help fix the boy's health was his primary goal, he also wanted to show his ever-cynical, distrustful young companion that there were people out there that were kind. Being away from the Family had already allowed the kid to relax, just a bit - now he wanted to encourage that heart he was sure the other still had.

Law aside, he also wanted to repay Thea for her help. So when she agreed, he answered with a bright, sunny grin. " Of course! We could use the friendly company - we're not camped too far from here, I was on my way back when I fell. " But he would be much more careful for this leg of their journey, even if it made their pace a little slower. One near miss was enough for today. As he picked a careful path through the trees, he chatted idly - admittedly, it was nice to have someone to talk to outside the context of his work. At her next question, he waved a hand in a 'no harm' sort of gesture. " Not at all - meat's either expensive or difficult to catch anyway, and we don't often have it ourselves aside from fish. I ah . . . " the large man scritched at the back of his head, expression turning sheepish, " I hope you weren't anticipating bread. "

[belovedcorvid]

❣︎ | @aamaranthiine :: from here |

Cora-san had a quiet, internal sort of kindness that wasn't immediately visible to others and he tended to see it in others as well. Though Law would never admit it out loud, he secretly believed it to be one of the man's best features. However, Cora also tended to downplay every problem they encountered to try and protect him, and seldom appeared to take anything as seriously as he should. It tested the boy's patience when he'd told him that he didn't need to worry about sneaking back to town for supplies - that he would handle it - but that was nothing compared to the alarm he felt when his clumsy, disaster-prone companion came limping back to camp much later than he said he would be with a stranger in tow. Didn't he remember that they'd just been chased out of town the previous day, that people here recognised him for what he was because of his spots ?

That had been a while ago at this point, and despite those first several days of voicing blatant distrust while hiding behind Cora's ridiculous stilt legs, Thea had been nothing but kind - a reaction that Law didn't really understand. The fact that it reminded him of Cora's patience towards his anger and frequent bouts with pain was something he pushed away hard, but it still had led to a quiet truce between them that settled into something even closer to wordless familiarity the longer they travelled together.

That was why he'd not even really noticed that his ruminations had become things he'd said out loud until the other answered, pulling his attention back to the present with a small startle. He didn't much like being perceived so closely, but what she said about forgetting he couldn't really deny. How much of his memory of his family had he lost ? What if one day he wouldn't be able to remember their voices, their faces ? As she continued, his expression pinched into something close to pain, though he did his best to disguise it as a deep, grim frown. " Seems dumb to use up your energy, your heart, to just forgive people that aren't even sorry. You sound like Cora-san. "

[belovedcorvid]

❣︎ | @medicus-mortem :: from here |

As long as they'd been travelling together, Rocinante really ought to have known by now that there was little room for bargaining with this kid. Not when he was thinking about this from a triage perspective: bleeding had to stop first, they could worry about cold later. Guilt still settled in his heart though, for it was his fault for being hit and now it was going to cost them something later. Half a cry escaped his ribcage without permission when a small foot collided with his knee and pulled him sharply away from his spiraling thoughts - equal parts to get his attention and to tell him to get his shit together, he imagined. Fair; it was difficult to sway Law's mood when he was this stressed. Still, the large man's voice withered into a reedy, half-breathless chuckle. " I'm not doin' anything ! Don't - don't be so mean, " protest aside, he took the jumper and pressed it to the injury as directed, face briefly contorting with pain though he remained quiet.

Anything else that he wanted to say died in his chest as the boy shouted, concern flickering across his own features as he noted the change of tone in Law's voice - the fear, the guilt that bled through. Did he think this was his fault ? Self-blame, like the grip of death, clung to this kid. Rocinante had to resist the urge to reach out for him, fingers twitching against his makeshift compress as the other got caught up in the throes of a coughing fit. " Law, this isn't - you didn't - " It felt incredibly important to say, but he couldn't get his increasingly anaemic brain to cooperate. What did he say ? He was going to go get something ? A wave of undisguised worry coursed through his expression.

( Wait it's dangerous, don't leave by yourself. ) ( Don't leave me. )

Time must have swam, moved on a bit without him, because when he opened his eyes again ( when had he closed them ? ) it was as if he'd never left at all. The former executive steadied and measured his breath, doing a quick mental checklist to try and discern the state of the rest of him, wound aside. " Glad y'came back. 're you okay ? "

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

❣ | @sleeplesswork :: plotted thing about Cora's scary Marine Uniform |

---

His clumsy hands still struggled with the buttons, the cufflinks.

Maybe now more-so, he supposed, than when he had when he'd last had to wear this formal sort of uniform ages ago. It had all but disappeared with covert work, and that was one thing he'd enjoyed about it - there was none of this posturing, no obsession with rank and casting a specific, imposing image for one's colleagues. When he was on assignment, he could be just a person, just a guy... and usually a guy whose hands didn't have to deal with very many tiny buttons. Even after months of recovery, of learning to walk again and write and a thousand other things, to feel thwarted in this moment by such a small task was a very familiar kind of exhausting. What was meant to be a sigh of exasperation came out more like a pained huff as he hung his head and leaned heavy on his crutch, letting go of the shirt he'd been fussing with in favour of just starting over once he noticed he'd misaligned the buttons. The bandages that still dotted his hands, his face, his torso were thin and mostly protective, meant to keep set stitches from catching on things now that he was upright and moving again (kind of). Unfortunately, upright and moving again also meant that there would be work things for him to do; they'd been patient with him and his very slow, very non-linear recovery after all - Rocinante was sure they thought so.

So caught up was he in proving that he could do this small, simple task by himself that he failed to hear Law's quiet feet as he padded into the room. It wasn't until he'd finished the buttons and winced at the weight of his officer's coat on his shoulders that he caught sight of the other's eyes in the mirror he'd been standing in front of, looking at him so strangely that he had to pause - task he'd been in the middle of momentarily forgotten. It had taken a while to learn to read Law because he was so used to keeping others out, had taken time travelling together to see him have other feelings and expressions besides angry and afraid; this expression looked complicated, and wasn't something Rocinante wanted to brush over or ignore. He turned in place carefully - always careful and slow, these days - to face the other a little more directly.

" Law ? " speaking was easier now, extensive physical damage to his lungs notwithstanding - he didn't try to hide the uncertainty or the concern that crept their way in to his voice, " You feeling okay ? "

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

🩸  to  find  my  muse  after  they've  been  in  a  fight.

❣ | Memes :: This One | Are you Okay, Corazón?

Near the edge of the carnage, the clear aftermath of confrontation, a bloody mass of crumpled black feathers held very, very still. Rocinante even breathed careful and slow, despite the pain it caused the wounds in his back for he was certain that being found now would be worse. If there was one thing the former marine had learned in his time exploring on his own, it was that he absolutely was not above playing dead or hiding to get out of a sketchy situation or a fight he didn't want to be part of, when the situation called for it. He could limp off later and return to his boat, but not when the sounds of people still poking around out here caught his attention - he grit his teeth under the cover of his coat. As far as he could tell the fight was over, victors already gone, so who was this? While he could make this convincing enough from a distance, if someone got too close just holding still would not work. It didn't sound like a lot of people - maybe just a few brave or desperate enough to rifle through the pockets of the dead.

He was hoping he'd be skipped over despite his size - perhaps he wasn't being as quiet as he'd thought - but as soon as someone touched him the large man twisted around to face them, flintlock already drawn and grim looking despite his silly bedraggled appearance. Hopefully he'd be able to stay awake long enough to escape whatever this was.

" I'm giving you about ten seconds to back up. "

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

[ silence ] sender and receiver comfortably exist in silence together, both of them working or reading or focusing on something different // ( smoker )

❣ | Memes :: This One | Prompts for Ordinary things that feel Intimate

This was basically retirement, wasn't it ? Between a horribly botched mission and the resulting lingering injury that had nearly been fatal and permanently altered his gait, Rocinante had been placed indefinitely on reserve - reserve of reserve even, he mused to himself. Permanent grounding was a gift considering that he probably should have been fired, he knew that, but it still was . . . odd. Odd to get comfortable somewhere, to get used to seeing the same people all the time without lying to them about who he was, a calm that didn't really feel deserved. It had taken weeks, months - infinite patience on Smoker's part, he was sure - for ingrained hypervigilence augmented by a long and painful recovery to wear down into something genuinely restful: safe enough to chance a nap. He'd draped his entire ridiculous frame over their comfy sectional, propped up on a pillow or two to avoid disturbing the thick bandages still looped around his chest, and elected to take this particular afternoon to rest.

Even if he didn't sleep deeply, it was still soul soothing to shut his eyes and just bask in the soundscape of their living space. He could feel the sun, hear the breeze and seagulls not too far from the open window near where he was resting - Rocinante had not yet brought them a snack today, and they weren't exceptionally pleased. He could both hear and feel the dog currently curled up and snoozing on his chest - how this otherwise quiet little creature could snore so loudly if resting at the wrong angle was beyond him. Maybe it just seemed loud because the room was peacefully quiet, even with the both of them here. A companionable silence wreathed in the scent of cedar and smoke and coffee. Briefly shaking off drowsiness, he paused in a reflexive scan of the room to see what Smoker was doing; eyes lingered on broad shoulders now free of characteristic lingering tension, the lines of his face and jaw drawn not with stress but with sharp focus. He'd known the other man for years, but sometimes it struck him how nice it was to see him in a context outside work.

' I like getting to see you look less stressed. '

The thought lingered, itched to be said, but he held it for now - letting his eyes drift back shut with the intention of going back to sleep.

In the midst of all this, Rocinante noted the clack of rock against rock on the other side of the room, then the sound of rocks colliding with the wooden table, then finally a soft curse escaping as a hiss from the other man. Wordless storytelling. A singular soft huff of mostly stifled laughter escaped the dozing blond. Amusement aside, he made a mental note to give that table a wide berth if there were stones stacked on it when he woke up. His clumsiness and this art form didn't always occupy the same space well, if memory served.

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

   ❝ Coraooo~ ❞ large red irises and billowing curls of white hair are brought into closer view as a giant hand scoops the man from the ground ( without asking ). other than being much larger than Rocinante at this point, Luffy looks quite a bit different. even the grin on his face seems that much brighter.  ❝ hee hee silly, i almost stepped on you like a bug !! ❞

❣ | Unprompted :: Always Accepting |

" Holy Shit, please don't step on me like a bug. "

The former Corazón kept a hand tight on his floppy hat to keep it from falling off his head as he looked up, up at the giant figure now holding him like a toy, his expression a strange mix of wide eyed terror and wonder - maybe even a flicker of something like pride. With his sometimes ridiculous height, Rocinante was not used to being made to feel small . . . at least not physically small. Certainly not small enough to be picked up with one great big hand; that had only happened one other time, a memory his mind scrambled to shove away hard. This was different, felt much more careful despite the commentary and much less like an attempt to catch and crush him.

But despite the fear that lingered he couldn't help but be amazed, for he'd seen this kid do a great many amazing things in combat but surely he'd never seen him do this. It was like being too close to the sun, wreathed in its warmth but far closer to blinding, unfiltered energy than one ought to be. But it made sense. In fact, it made so much sense that he couldn't help the slightly hysterical laugh that escaped his ribs without permission.

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

❣ | Medicine |

Like many of my headcanons that eventually get written up somewhere, it's already come up in threads and things fleetingly but :

The bird really does not like going to the doctor, and is not a very good / cooperative patient.

The fact that he's had years of experience patching himself up does not help - injury is definitely something you learn to hide if you're living on your own so early. He had a few gruelling, intensive appointments right after being taken in by the marines after years of living without consistent food, shelter, and medical care. Everyone was still unfamiliar and the process was invasive to a kid so it wasn't a good memory; he struggles with all appointments after, even if they're routine, and usually brings someone else with him for moral support.

His experience that ' doctors will help you even if the appointments are scary ' absolutely drove him to bring L.aw to so many hospitals, and the difference in the way he was treated ( and the fact that he was chased ) fed into his aggressive reaction.

[belovedcorvidarchive2024]

❣ | @aamaranthiine :: From Here |

- - -

Was it a pained admission or a warning? Was it both? Rocinante couldn't be sure - the words had escaped between slow exhales of cigarette smoke, drifting off into the night without his permission before he'd scarcely had a moment to think about them.

Part of him wanted to rail against the idea of course, to argue with himself that he had betrayed all but one, but even Law he had lied to. And as much as he wanted to argue that he had done so to protect his operation, or to make their interactions easier, was that entirely true? But as bad as he felt for betraying his adoptive father, his brother, his entire career - especially in the early hours when he couldn't sleep - he couldn't bring himself to feel any less sure in his resolve to continue, to protect this kid that deserved to live regardless of what happened. Love was a strange and often quietly powerful thing.

As his companion spoke, watchful eyes drifted over to where Law slept at least somewhat soundly - he'd never been a deep sleeper in the time Rocinante had known him. But he slept now, only a bit visible in a sea of black feathers; a faint snort of a laugh escaped the large man before he smudged out the end of his cigarette, picking a new one before turning back to their conversation.

" You're right, but even the right choices can make you feel poorly - sometimes there's no harmless way forward. But even if you go in knowing that, doesn't make it hurt any less, y'know? "