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curio-queries · 1 month

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ARE YOU SURE?!

Production Notes from eps 1 & 2

At this time, I'm not planning to do full response posts for these episodes. Maybe once I'm done with my Run BTS series but for now here's some production thoughts.

My initial thoughts are they've done an excellent job of merging the concepts for Bon Voyage and In The Soop while also adjusting for a reduction of members from seven to two.

To really understand this though, let's talk about some of the logistical requirements and goals of the previous shows for comparison.

Logistical Assumptions

So I think y'all do realize that there is SOME amount of planning that has to happen for a show like this to be made but honestly...the way some of you talk, it's like you think this footage just magically appears in front of an editor, capturing whatever the members happened to wander into. These aren't self-recorded vlogs. This is a full production with a crew, a budget, and a deliverable requirement; just like any other TV show.

One of the cutest moments for me was at the brewery when JM was teasing JK about a summary of what the show about. I KNOW this was the 5 second explanation that both of them would have had to say/hear dozens of times while pitching the show. That's what's so endearing about the way JM says it and JKs reaction.

They also know that statements like that, captured during filming often end up in promos. All the members are very aware as they're being filmed what footage ends up being used. We've heard them time and time again, 'please use this as the thumbnail', 'please keep this in', etc.

Jimin has always been the most vocal about questioning if the content works for their intended purpose. How many times have we heard him say 'can this even be used?' or 'this will be cut'. Usually it sounds to me like he's aware the footage they're getting in the moment doesn't align with the predetermined plan. But as is common with the footage we getnof the members, even though it wasn't according to plan, doesn't mean it's not releaseable.

The main point of JMs AYS concerns being his sickness. I'm sure he thought the show was in jeopardy of not fulfilling their deliverable requirements since it would be difficult to completely edit out. There is a legitimate concern that if they aren't able provide the agreed-upon footage, the show would never air. I'll talk more about this in my section on the edit.

For now, here's a list of SOME of the basics that have to be managed for y'all to keep in mind when consuming any kind of produced content.

Camera management: How many and what kinds of cameras need to be brought along? Are there special operators required like a drone operator. How often is the footage saved. How is it backed up? When and where are batteries charged? Who locations require early access so the crew can place stationary cameras prior to the member's arrival.

Sound management: Someone is making sure the microphones are charged, and capturing correctly. Being mic'd up is one of the easiest indicators of when the show is actively being filmed or not.

Security: this is BTS. The members didn't go anywhere without a security consultation and discussion of requirements.

Crew management: These are people that have to have places to eat, sleep, and have time off as well. They don't just vanish into thin air as soon as their job is done.

Location approval and tax requirements: Every country in the world has different regulations, incentives, and permits to be managed. The US varies these laws state-by-state.

Budget: Businesses don't stay in business by not managing the finances. We can talk more about this if anyone's interested but there are definitely some interesting points with how much on-screen time we got over the years regarding members' spending on the shows.

There's more but let's leave it at the for the moment and talk more about why I think this show was such a good blend of Bon Voyage and In The Soop from a production standpoint.

What was the initial goal of Bon Voyage?

I believe it was to promote the band and the members to viewers by giving us access to what it would be like to travel to various destinations around the globe. They knew the episodes still needed a catalyst though so there were various preplanned activities and games to motivate the editorial narrative.

BV1 was very experimental as they were obviously managing the challenges of such a production. There was a heavy emphasis on trying to make the members seem like regular ppl and seeing how they would tackle the problems many of us face with travel, chiefly budgetary and managing how to feed all of the travelers with strict spending limits.

BV2 completely game-ified the concept with the mini challenges and breaking everyone into different groups. It's very clear that this is not the strategy they preferred as BV3 was much lighter on the control. There were still some structured activities and events but the members were experienced enough to bring forth some of these moments themselves during the shoot rather than as a completely planned itinerary.

BV4 was a continuation of this with us also getting footage of the members being included in the event planning as well. I'm not saying they didn't have input in the planning of the previous seasons but by this point, production knew the members understood the requirements of a successful show as well as many of the necessary logistics. But it was still a travel show with some key events to fuel the storytelling.

How about In The Soop?

Enter pandemic. They obviously still wanted to do another show once they worked out what was permissible to film at the time. But now the changing of locations would not be a part of the engine. How were they going to ensure they still had a viable show? They did put in place a semblance of their previous formula with that silly daily schedule (that was ignored nearly to the point of being completely edited out) and a couple of events like the 94s mountain hike and vhope's car drive. But overall, they realized they had to rely purely on the members to find story moments and insure they were captured. Their trust was rewarded though and ITS1 was a hit.

Now ITS2 is a more interesting case. I do believe it may have started with the same intent as season 1, but it must not have been long in the pre-planning stage before a new goal was added: controlled access of a BTS tourism destination. I'm sure I'll go further into this topic whenever I do finally make posts on this series, but it's very plain to even the casual fan that the ITS2 location was a planned financial investment.

Enough about the location though, what were the filming objectives? Honestly? Not much. The members were clearly ready for a break and were mired in the uncertainties of the time period. Balancing the focus of the english-solo-songs era with the preparations for ch.2 solo activities resulted in an odd lack of direction for the members, which is evident in the show. Yes, there are great moments and segments but there's no progression and very little footage of all the members all together except during certain meals.

But ITS2 is still hailed as enough of a success that there was justification to add to the franchise with Tae's friendship installment.

But what does all this mean for Are You Sure?

We'd heard from many of the members during ch.2 that they would like to continue Bon Voyage so it honestly wasn't surprising that we'd eventually get another travel show featuring our beloved BTS members. Early in episode 1 of AYS, Jungkook says he's never traveled so loosely before. However this show was justified, it definitely wasn't planned to be another hyper-detailed barrage of JM & JK going from activity-to-activity like early BV but it also couldn't be as aimless as ITS. For as long as the conversation was surrounding the name of the show, we never hear them suggest Bon Voyage 5 because AYS was never intended to be another installment of that series.

This is why I said AYS is a perfect mesh of the two kinds of shows. Granted, the first episodes definitely had some unexpected obstacles due to the unexpected health concerns but I think the production team managed it well. Although, I'm convinced there's at least one activity they did have planned that had to get scrapped to let our poor guys rest and recuperate. I also wouldn't be surprised if by the time they started filming in the US, they hadn't locked another destination and schedule with how unsure JM & JK are when talking about the scope of the show. (And I hope we get some update on the poor motorcycle, I want to know how it got where it needed to be from the rainy grocery parking lot).

The Edit

The overall tone of the show is very lighthearted. Kind of surprisingly so for me. It's not the vibe I would have necessarily expected but it's one of the points that leads me to say they have merged BV and ITS so wonderfully.

A major aspect of BTS's content is usually the chaos and shenanigans the surround the members. Now much of that is emphasized in the context of one of these shows but I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if the edit had tried to make up for the lowered member count. Instead, it's a very laid-back edit. The quality and tone of the on-screen captions was world's different from some of the BV seasons (thank goodness!)

Now, about Jimin's illness. There's a reason why the coverage is cut the way it was to only bring us in on the story once both JM and JK started talking about it lightheartedly. If we'd had all of that footage chronologically, we also would have had building tension throughout the day's activities. But this way, we're able to enjoy the show per the original pitch as much as possible.

This show would have been planned during the time when the members were under heavy scrutiny for how successful they'd be as individuals and how their content will be received without the full seven members. Again, the way some of y'all talk about these shows, it's like you don't realize that the members are aware of how this content is structured. They are. They absolutely are.

Also, a big part of greenlighting AYS would have been a discussion of how it could be made with just 2 of the 7 members. JM and JK would have to take on a lot more of the burden since there wouldn't be other member to cut to. The solo vlogs we got at the beginning of ch.2 absolutely would have been used as a proof of concept. There are easy comparisons to make between JKs camping vlog and the camping scenes we got in these first AYS episodes.

Another key justification of the show could have been as promotional material for the current musical releases. While they did highlight quite a bit of both JK and JM's work in these episodes, the narrative definitely wasn't tilted in the direction of promotion. I love that because it's absolutely not what I would have expected.

What am I looking forward to for the remainder of AYS?

From a production standpoint, I'm already curious about the following:

Will there be any tonal shift? Specifically now that JM and JK have some uncertainties about the viability of their US adventure. Will it seem like they're compensating?

We know Tae is going to be in at least the next episode. How is this going to handled narratively and will there be any visible contradictions from that narrative in the production?

At what point was the final quantity of locations and shoots locked down? And when/if will JM and JK make mention of this.

If/How will the music promotion narrative shift? It's clear that this episode could not have been released until after MUSE's release once they decided to keep the footage of JK listening to Who. But when was that decision made?

What are your thoughts on the production of AYS so far?

Editing to add a link to my post on episode 3. Surprisingly I had a lot more to say!

Are You Sure?! Production notes from ep 3.

And there has been even more to say so here's a MasterList link

Are You Sure?! MasterList

#park jimin #jeon jungkook #Are you sure?!#AYS

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songsofadelaide · 3 months

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HII OMG EVER SINCE I FOUND OUT U TOO WERE A FILO I CANT HELP BUT THINK ABT HOSHINA TAMPUHIN MOMENTS WHERE READER IS EQUAL PARTS FOND AND EXASPERATED 😭😭😭 if its ok to request it i would like to request uhh how reader and hoshina deal with each others tampo moments HAHSHAHA and if possible it ends with fluff and just them being cute tgthr and rllllyyy weird req: u know how u get cuteness aggression…. this but w hoshina and he bites his partner’s cheeks 😭😭 OK BYE

ANON as a playful biter and someone who experiences a lot of gigil this is so cute loool! Here's your reminder to playfully bite your loved ones every once in a while. ✨

cw: established relationship + playful biting

There were days when it felt like you and the Vice Captain were the only two people in the world. That was true at times, but perhaps the people at base were also getting better at gossiping much more quietly. Today was the former.

With the rookies now assigned to their respective platoons, and with most of them currently off-duty, it truly felt like you and the Vice Captain were the only two people in the world. (In the base, at least.) Your platoon's days off won't be until next week, so you and your crew ran the scene at the base, along with Vice Captain Hoshina, who just happened to be the person in charge at that time.

Everyone at the base knew of your relationship with the Vice Captain, especially your platoon, so they weren't entirely surprised by the pleasant coincidence that he definitely did not orchestrate.

"Vice Captain! You promised you'd have lunch with me today!"

Though if it was supposed to be a coincidence, that didn't sound like the case by the way you irritatedly evaded Soshiro's attempts at cornering you. You were excited all morning but it died out when you found out that the Vice Captain had lunch with your Operations Leaders.

It certainly was a treat for your platoon members to see their usually cool superior play catch and tag with you at the canteen, even though that wasn't exactly what you two were doing at the moment.

"I know you're only saying you already ate because you want me to get off your case!" You stated as you slid to the other end of a long table. "I want you to eat right!"

"But I have been eatin' right!" Soshiro replied as he tried to catch you from another end of another long table. The younger officers paid you no mind as they carried on with their meals, shaking their heads, chuckling and sighing to themselves because it was just another day at work.

"Coffee and sweets aren't a meal!" You shot back at him across the floor, another long table parting you from his reach.

"I said get over here! It's an order!" He paused in his tracks, only for you to be caught off-guard as he slid under the table and grabbed you by the ankle.

"You can't order me around today! Ack!—"

The dull thud as you hit the floor did not arouse any reaction from your officers, and you contemplated if you could even trust them with your life if they weren't even going to do anything about what was happening to you right now.

Then again, they were smart enough to recognise a playful lovers' spat...

The two of you sat on the floor, your Vice Captain holding you in a lock with his arms now, but the way he held you felt more like boyfriend than superior at present.

"There we go. Now that yer seated, we can finally talk."

"You're insufferable!" You squirmed in his arms, only for him to retaliate in a way that wasn't new but was totally unexpected given your current location.

Soshiro sank his teeth into your warm cheek, with just enough force to render you stiff in his embrace. It was a playful and loving little bite that still left a light ring in the shape of his mouth on your embarrassed visage.

"You BIT me! You bit me, you little shi—"

The sound of his tender and pleased laughter reverberated in your chest, the kind that made you forget all about why you were mad in the first place. "Uh-uh. You better watch whatever name you call me, my dearest Platoon Leader."

✦ Thank you for requesting! Nothing makes me happier than writing a request I know I can work with. 🍹 You can read more about requesting here.

#songsofadelaidewrites💛#love notes to mari 💌#mari answers requests 🍹#kaiju no. 8 #hoshina soshiro #hoshina soshiro x reader #starry divider by @/cafekitsune

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dealingdreams · 28 days

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The more I think about the decision to not move forward with a season two of the Acolyte the angrier I get. I truly believe this decision will bite Lucasfilm on the ass. It's an incredibly bad decision.

Cause listen it's not even entirely about the show itself. Do I in general think the show deserved a season two?? Yes, I adore the show, I adore Osha and Qimir...I'm so interested in seeing where there story goes...so for personal reasons I want a season two. However, it's not just about the show but the precedent this sets.

There is only so far nostalgia can get you. Lucasfilm can only eat it's own ass for so long before there is nothing left. Every current live action project in production or upcoming project, aside from skeleton crew, has a connection to a legacy character, has a character or characters previously established in a TV show or film, and/or has a character we've already seen die on screen. All of these projects including Skeleton Crew are set in roughly the same time period. We are talking about a galaxy far far away and we've barely been able to explore it.

Every recent project that as tried to do something new, tried to expand the universe, expand or re-canonize lore from legends, add new characters, more diversity, or give us a new perspective or point of view has been backtracked, retconed, or thrown away in the most disrespectful way possible.

I was raised with Star wars I want it to succeed but when it refused to standbye its projects, refuses to support or protect it's cast members, honestly I'll add in that they also don't protect fans trying to genuinely engage with their content in a positive way by not moderating their comment sections...what precedent does that set?

Because regardless of if this is Lucasfilms intention or not this decision feels like its catering to a rather loud horrid group of 'fans'. 'fans' who dont want star wars to succeed unless it's done in the way they want but the thing that is so batshit to me about that is obviously these people don't even fucking understand what Star Wars is about in the first place. Again got to make it clear this isn't directed at people that don't like the show and are normal about it, but directed at the people that are continuously harassing the cast but especially Amandla. People that are celebrating the cancellation. Everyone should have a story wars project that makes them feel represented. You aren't loosing anything by a show you don't like still existing it is literally as simple as not watching it.

And on a personal note...as someone who has loved this franchise, who loves the lore, and the universe what incentive to I have to continue engaging in their productions? All the stories I love are done...The Clone Wars, Rebels, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and now The Acolyte are done...so what's left but cgi Luke Skywalker? I will be watching skeleton crew simply cause I'm concerned for those kids so would like to engage with it in an informed way but other than that me and star wars are probably gonna take another 4 year break.

#im ranting again sorry #the acolyte #osha aniseya #qimir #oshamir

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12woso12 · 2 months

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Dorothy lands in North London - Part 6

Part 5

I know it's been quite the build up to meet all the players but trust me it's coming :) A short chapter ahead, sorry!

Once you had bid goodbye to Jonas, Jennifer wasted no time in dragging you pitch side. It was there that you experienced just how much went into announcing new signings as you met the rest of Jennifer and David's team and crew members. They took long videos of you walking pitch side and sitting among the thousands of seats in the stadium, you couldn't wait to hear them roar to life on match days.

'Here' Jennifer approach where you were seated with a box in hand. 'New pair of boots for the day, wanna give them a try?'

'Hell yes' you said excitedly ripping open the box to find a pair of pink Nike phantoms laying in wait. You grinned and held them up to the camera examining with glee the way your initials and number were engraved into the side. 'Fucking fantastic aren't they?'

'Language!' Jennifer exclaimed 'We'll have to mute that Y/n'

You glanced at her sheepishly before pulling the boots snuggly over your feet.

'Perfect fit.' You weren't ashamed to admit that you went through football boots like a Foxes through chicken. They never usually lasted longer than a few months before they were falling apart of the seams, maybe it was the rough tackles or the way you liked to knee slide but you weren't all that sure. It was a shame considering how much you loved your new pair.

As you got up from your seat and made your way back down to the grass an Irish voice abruptly stopped you in your tracks.

'There's me new protege'

You turn to see Katie McCabe sauntering out the tunnel. The Irish Captain was also decked out in an Arsenal kit and she dragged a ball bag behind her.

'Katie' She introduced herself, dumping the balls at your feet.

You decided instantly that you liked the girl. You'd be lying if you said you didn't admire her style of play, it was incredibly similar to your own right down to the risky tackles and red cards. From what you'd seen in videos online, you were also pretty sure she'd appreciate your humour.

'I know who you are' You began ' Katie Robinson, right?'

A look of shock crossed Katie's features for a moment before she cackled loudly. 'Got a mouth on ya, don't ya?'

You shrugged. 'That's what they all say'

Jennifer inserted herself into the conversation. 'Okay, now we can get started'

'Started?' You frowned

'On the video."

You shook your head. 'Then what've we been filming for the last half hour?'

Jennifer shared an amused glance with Katie. 'Just some little snippets and shorts for social media, some of it might make the cut for our main video but it's going to be something a little different and i think the fans will really love it' She beckoned you and Katie to follow her over to the nearest goal where the crew had began to set up large cameras.

'That's why i'm here kid, the fans love me' Katie joked to which you sniggered.

Ignoring the Irish defender, Jennifer continued. 'The whole concept is based around reputations, people hear Katie's name and they think passionate, fearsome, daring, dangerous and your name carries that weight too. So we're gonna play onto that, teams aren't just going to have to deal with one McCabe now, but two.'

You liked that idea. You thought it made you sound tough, like you were built to handle anything.

'We're gonna be bringing the danger kid, me and you'

You smirked 'I think your face alone is scary enough'

Katie shook her head. 'I'm going to have to keep an eye on you aren't I?'

'As long as it's not when i'm in the shower' You countered

Jennifer narrowed her eyes at you as Katie just laughed. 'Stop saying things like that Y/n'

You held your hands up in surrender, you were surprised at how easily you'd managed to fit in already. It was a calming feeling, it made you more at peace with your new life in England despite only arriving a day earlier.

'Kyra's taken a liking to ya' Katie said suddenly as Jennifer wondered away with David to deal with a lighting issue. 'Came through the door at 7 this morning covered in mud but grinning like a mad man'

'Yeah, Emily wasn't too pleased with me about that'

Katie shrugged. 'That's valid, at least Kyra left me a note...even if i couldn't exactly decipher her hand writing.'

'Well I'll know for next time.'

'Next time?' Katie rolled her eyes 'Fantastic'

You honestly couldn't wait to see Kyra again. 'It's good to know someone my own age over here, most of my friends are back in the States'

'Any boyfriend...or girlfriend?' Katie teased

'Not anymore' You answer cryptically but before Katie can respond Jennifer is rushing the two of you into position in front of the camera.

'ACTION'

#football #leah williamson #woso #woso community #woso imagine #woso x reader #kyra cooney cross #arsenal #alessia russo #emily fox #katie mccabe

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2smolbeans · 7 months

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Grand Admiral Leviathan thought cause we barely have enough of him!!:

Tags: washed up Leviathan wanting to relive the memories, This is so poorly written, mentions of devildom world building, OOC Leviathan, Leviathan missing his sailors but also being embarrassed of them because their all drunken idiots lol

Because of how much time has passed with the human world modernizing and not in touch with the spirit realm anymore (due to technology and the majority of people not using religion HEAVILY as logic. Like I'm talking witch trials logic).

There aren't a lot of pirates (specifically demon pirates) smuggling devildom products, fruits, or creatures to the human world anymore.

As a result, Leviathan's sailors are really rusty and bored. Like the demons in devildom are minding their own businesses, the sinners who didn't get the luxury of avoiding damnation are too busy probably burning in one of the circles of hell, humans aren't really interfering with the spiritual realm, and angels...Well, they're too busy guarding the gates of heaven, monitoring earth, and helping lost souls.

So, really, there's nothing for the navy to do nowadays. Everyone is kind of in retirement.

Most of the day, they just spend their time cleaning the docks, fishing, harassing the sirens, going out to the pub- and just lazing around. You'd think their all-powerful leader would take this as an embarrassment and punish his lazy workers, right?

Nope! He fell victim to this too.

With nothing to patrol, no demons to interigate, and no black market businesses going on anymore - the grand admiral of hell has now become an otaku..

Now locked in his room, he watches anime as a way to blissfully repress those memories he longs for..Or maybe he watches it to relive those memories, or perhaps it's to hide away from the shame..Who knows?

___________________________

The waves crashed, the swords collided, and their cries echoed the ocean. The two men fought as their lives depended on it.

"Goddamn it, tell me where you hid it!"

CLASH!

"I have no idea what you're talking ABOUT!!"

Thunder struck as they continued to fight. As the brunette fell back onto the wooden floors of the ship, his crewmates were swift to fight in his place while they helped him up. Just as the fight was about to reach its climax, the blonde screamed as he was pushed down by one of the brunettes crew. Now, being restrained by two team members, the brunette walked towards him, deadpanning as he wiped the dirt off his face.

"Where is it? I can do this the easy way..Or the hard way.."

"Try me."

SLAP

"Heh..Hit me harder."

In disgust, the brunette spat on the blonde's face as he scowled.

"You're disgusting. I bet you enjoyed that..Now. Where is it?"

The blonde chuckled as he stared up at the brunette.

"It's....."

With an abrupt ending, the episode ended as the theme song began to play with the background. Angry, he slammed his hand against the ground and he wailed as his tail heavily swished with the air in annoyance.

"Fuck! Another cliffhanger? Again?!"

Scratching his scalp with his talons, Leviathan fought the urge to whine and roll on the floor in a fit as he looked at the time.

"I'd stay up..But I have this stupid fucking council meeting tommorow ughhhhh!! Like what's the point of these meetings? We don't even do much in it! It doesn't even make a difference!"

Letting out a groan, Leviathan sighed as he recalled the warning from Lucifer.

'Remember..Tommorow we will be discussing the safety of our students. Lately, the sirens and succubi have been scheming something..'

Believe it or not, Leviathan himself went out to see what these seducers were up to. He was so excited to finally have something interesting happen, something he could use his skills for, anything to get that excitement again!

But nope. Turned out, it was some MLM scam. So much for some secretive organized crime..

His brothers don't know this since he's embarrassed to admit it, but he's desperate to be relevant or 'on the chase' again.

Like...Mammon runs a casino. Lucifer has parties with the elites in hell to have fun with. Satan is busy tormenting the sinners suffering in the nine circles for fun. Belphegor is busy visiting people's dreams and giving them sleep paralysis demons. Asmodeus is too busy clubbing - and oh yeah, he owns a club full of succubus and inncubi. Beelzebub, surprisingly, is helping with the food production in devildom..Hell even Diavolo himself has been making deals with human celebrities!

But Leviathan.. He's too busy in his room watching anime..

Pondering as he sat quiet in the room. Leviathan looked at his closet, furrowing his eyebrows as he frowned.

When was the last time he ever wore that uniform?

_________________________

Overall, with how I see it, I see Leviathan as this ancient evil who is capable of so much chaos and destruction. But because of his low self-esteem, the new world, and his struggles with getting back on track- he's more softer and out of touch with his roots.

I mean, for crying out loud, he knows Lotan, the monster of the sea - infamous drowning sailors! He definitely knows the kraken, the most infamous feared creature known for its size and power. And probably Cthulhu, known as the great old ones! I mean, for an old eldritch, of course, it would have definitely come face to face with one of the first fallen angels that introduced the branches of sin. I'm pretty sure Leviathan, for shits and giggles, had brunch with this guy one time!

Leviathan often wonders how his sailors are doing. At the same time, he doesn't want to see them since the last time he ever resurfaced and visited the navy.. It was a disaster.

Like, don't ever mention the incident of 1955 to him. That year, when he came back to visit after so long, the sailors were so awkward around him, his elite captains weren't even there, the place set on fire- and it was just a disaster. The whole thing was broadcasted on the radio, and his brothers till this day make fun of him for it.

Back when Leviathan was in his prime time in the navy. He had a lot of fun torturing any pirates that went against Diavolo's orders, and most importantly- the reputation he had as Hell's most terrifying military man.

I mean if anyone crossed his way, he'd make an example out of them by tearing them in half and putting their heads ontop of the flag pole!

Man, does he miss those days..I mean of course, he still has his reputation! And he loves his anime conventions and series! But it's just not the same..

But thinking of those things..Leviathan thinks that maybe one day, he could perhaps try again and visit the navy. Maybe talk to the old cryptids and witches of the sea!

But yeah! That's all the brain dump I have for now. Lemme know if you have any thoughts or ideas for Grand Admiral Levi!

#obey me x reader #obey me levi x reader #obey me levi #obey me leviathan #yandere grand admiral levi #grand admiral leviathan #obey me headcanons #obey me shitpost #obey me

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threepandas · 3 months

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Bad End: Happy Hunting! (1)

I should have known better. They told us. TRAINED US. Over and over, drilled into our heads! Don't assume! Don't PROJECT Human body language onto alien species! Think that just because they look similar, are ACTING similar, their brains are in any way WORKING similar!

Not every species pack bonds! Some of them are PREDATORS. Be CAREFUL!

I was an idiot. A fucking IDIOT!

I gasped for air. Ran. Ran and ran and RAN. Desperately trying to put distance between me and the hunters behind me. I could hear screams. Crashing. The sound of weapon fire. The air here wasn't RIGHT. Too high in oxygen? Too low? Some other trace element, slowly poisoning my lungs?

I didn't know. Scared! Oh god, I'm so scared!

I thought he was my friend!

Thought THEY were my friends! Stupid. So God damned stupid! You really will pack bond with ANYTHING, won't you?! They bare their teeth and you fucking thought it was a SMILE! No wonder I barely graduated. They never should have-!

A root catches my foot.

Crashing to the mulch of the forest floor. Scramble to get up. My ankle on fire. Hurts. Oh god it hurts! Ignore it. Go! Keep going! Gotta get OUT! Find a ship. Any ship! Radio for help!

All the trees look the same. Am I even going in a straight line? Deeper or across? Away from civilization? I don't know how to survive here! Can I even drink the water? No. Run! Just RUN! Nothing else!

I can't hear them.

Him.

I thought he was my friend.

My grades were shit. Worst of the Best, but ultimately good enough. Got to see the stars. The galaxy. Meet real life aliens. Was a glorified gofer for the Earthling Diplomat's Entourage. Galactic Council offered staff. Wasn't really an offer. We took um. Some of them were the "better" guards then the super military badasses we had brought.

Military badasses were pretty offended.

But I was a gofer. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Just here for the aliens, right? Yay getting to meet some, right? I couldn't even PRONOUNCE their species name. I was mortified. Tried my damnedest. They thought it was hilarious. My pronunciation was god awful. Was calling them the cutesy babified version of "office chair".

Met Wolfe. He seemed FRIENDLY. Kind. Considerate. He told jokes. Asked about my day. I started sharing. Hobbies and interests. Stories about home. Explained weird human behaviors. We were close. I... I thought we were close! Was it a lie? Was everything A LIE!?

When my rotation in space was coming to an end, I was SAD! Fucking HEARTBROKEN! That I might never see my friends again. Since communication between our two planets wasn't even stabilized yet. Might never be. I wanted to savor our time together. Treasure it!

But then things started to go wrong.

Random malfunctions, that delayed and delayed us. Lost communications that nearly caused interplanetary incidents. Took days and weeks to fix at a time. People went MISSING. We looked. Every time we LOOKED!

They're dead, aren't they? Oh god. Dozens of crew members DEAD.

Then the engine "broke". Conveniently just close enough for us to make an emergency landing on this planet! And oh, would you look at THAT! A sacred cultural festival!? They won't help us unless we join in.

It's a MARRIAGE HUNT.

Heavy emphasis on the HUNT part!

They weren't surprised. Not a single one. Every last one just turned too different people and... and...! Wolfe planned this. THEY planned this! We're gonna die. I trusted him and now I'm gonna DIE! Can't breathe! Branches whipping at my arms and hair and face, as I RUN. Down slopes. Across shallow rivers. Even as my limbs BURN. I... I HAVE TOO-!

A powerful wall of muscle slams into me.

I scream. Thrash, even as I fall. My arms are easily tucked and pinned against my side, as the body covering mine rolls with me down a slight incline. The smell of wet plant matter and upturned soil thick in the strange air. Dizzy. I feel sick. Oh god please no!

Heat and pressure pin me down. Arms like thick steel bands. Still, I struggle, like a cornered animal. I have too. They always tell you to FIGHT. Only chance and survival. The deep rumble of crooned reassurances in an alien dialect fill my ear. I can feel how DEEPLY he breathes me in, before each sentence. Like hes been holding back and finally no longer has too, is giddy with it. How his hands already spread possessively, eager to explore.

And he's strong. Oh god, he's so strong! Please please please! Let go. LET GO!

"Shhhhhh shh shh, is 'okay' now. I have you. You ran so hard! Did so well! My precious little human~ so brave. So strong. You did it! Now, no one can EVER seperate us! You don't have to worry anymore. No more tears~" Hunter, Warrior, oh god it was never a GRIN-! His teeth are so sharp. Pressed so close to my skin!

"I'll take care of EVERYTHING~"

I'm scared.

#threepandas #yandere #bad end happy hunting au #bad end au #yanderecore #yandere x reader #alien gaurd yandere #marriage hunt #yandere x darling #and yes #they DID Amoung Us the everyone in their way #they are the Yandere Race #but only for themselves and APPARENTLY humans #its an interplanetary incident #whoops #predator/prey

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teamskulladventures · 4 months

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🎧🖤☠️🪲🎧🖤☠️🪲🎧🖤☠️🪲🎧🖤☠️🪲

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Current Team:

Sylveon, Gothitelle, Ribombee, Comfey, Vivillon (Marine)

Guzma:

•A few weeks had passed since your outing with Guzma and in that time you've gotten accustomed to the rest of the gang.

•You spend your days, battling, hanging out, and going on more adventures with Guzma that the two of you had gotten pretty close.

•Today was like amy other day in Alola, sunny, hot and perfect for some battling and relaxing.

•Sitting amongst the many flowers of Ula'Ula Medow you brush your Ribombee, thanking them for giving it their all against Guzma.

•Guzma: *Stretching before seating himself next to you* Augh! Haha you did pretty good out there today. Swore you almost had me beat this time.

•(Y/N): *Giggling* Hmpf You really think so?

•Guzma: Ehhh. .

•You playful punch his side while your Ribombee proceeds to circle around Guzma.

•Guzma: Haha hey! I do mean it! You're crew put up a good fight. Shame you don't have more.

•(Y/N): Tsk well you knowww, you could just not use all your team!

•Guzma: And wheres the fun in that? *Guzma is now petting your Ribombee* From what it sounds like you just don't want to get another member. Why is that?

•You sort of give him a side glare, not the mean kind, more along the "are you seriously asking that?" variety.

•Looking you up and down, Guzma laughs to himself while ruffling his hair.

•Guzma: Right! Right! You have your theme thing going on.

•(Y/N): *You playfully scoff* As if! Says the guy who only specializes in one type!

•Guzma: Come onnn! That ain't so strange now. Plenty of trainers specialize in one type! Not that many have a theme as intense as yours though. *he starts waving his hands to try and backpeddle once he sees the lool on your face* Not.. Not that it's weird or anything! Just makes it pretty limiting. Hmmm.

•Guzma starts to think about any Pokemon that would come to mind that might align with your style.

•(Y/N): Hehe. Any grand ideas genius?

•Guzma: *He waves you off* Tsk girl let me think!

•You roll your eyes. Typical leave it to the bug specialist to only have bugs on his mind. This wasn't the first case his bug brain got you in hot water. Barely scrapped by during last weeks triva night when the topic of "who:s that pokemon" was assigned to his and yours team. You were doing so well up until that poimt until Mr."The bad boss who beats you down and never loses" made you look like a fool due to his lack of pokemon knowledge beyond just bugs!

•To be fair it's not like you had any luck either. Growing up you only familiarized yourself with Pokemon that you deemed "pretty" to some extent.

•Which became your downfall when forming a proper team for the Alola Trials as you became the picky type when searching for Mons'.

•Being on an island was already limiting in its own right to the kinds of Pokemon that could inhabit it so sucking it up and traveling with three Pokemon has been your norm thus far.

•The sound of Guzma standing up rapidly only to shout "I got it!", snapped you back into reality.

•He was holding out his hand ushering you to stand were he promptly started dragging you along near the docks.

•(Y/N): Yo Yoahhhh! Whe. . where are we going?!!

•Guzma: Uhh the boats? Where else?

•(Y/N): Isn't it a bit early to be going on some grand adventure right now?

•Guzma: Nope! Perfect time! Ain't no one's gonna be around besides us taking that boat to Akala.

•(Y/N): What?!? I thought you hated leaving Ula'Ula island? Besides aren't you kinda banned from taking the boats?

•Guzma: Yeah so? What are they gonna do, fight me? Now move it or lose it! I wanna get to Akala and off of it as soon as I can!

•(Y/N) *Catching up to Guzma's speed* Ack! Alright! Arceus you're so pushy!

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•Walking through Lush Jungle you couldn't believe how peaceful this place could be. Thanks to your trial and all the trainers, you hardley spent any time in this forest.

•Since it was stupid early in the morning any trainers that did cross your path quickly turned the other way when the noticed Guzma with you.

•The hum of pinsirs and wooshing sounds of trees swaying made this forrest feel otherworldly. Being able to walk past various Pokemon from Butterfrees to Morelulls was lovely as well. From what you remember from your trial, many of the Pokemon were hiding away from the comotion of trainers and of those that were around fled the scene when the Totem Laurantis appeared.

•Walking around aimlessly, admiring all that was around you, Guzma had finally pulled you back to reality, calling you over to show you something.

•(Y/N): Ouhh uh Yeah! I'm coming! *You run over to where you heard his voice as your body is pulled to the ground* Dude! Warn a girl next time you want to get all handsy!!

•Guzma: Shhhs if you stay quiet we can get this done and over with before more people spot me!

•(Y/N): Oh! SORRY! Ever the informative are we? You have a terrible habit of being so secretive you know that?

•Guzma: SHH!

•(Y/N): UGh!

•Sitting in awkward silence you begin to wonder what you guys were waiting in a bush for. Well logic would dictate it has to be a Pokemon but what did Guzma know that you didn't? There were nothing but bug types and fomantis around that didn't exactly interest you.

•Waiting and waiting and waiting some more you jolt into alertness when Guzma starts rapidly tapping on your shoulders trying to guide your sight to what he spotted.

•Guzma: Look! Look! Look!

•(Y/N): Whatttt! I'm looking. I'm Looking!

•Guzma: *He spins you around so that you can face his direction. He points to a nearby clearing* See! Now's your chance!

•(Y/N): Chance for whaaa whoahh!

•You've been pushed into the clearing where a Comfey can be seen flying about. The Pokemon is a bit frightened by the sudden appearance of you, but it doesn't immediately run away.

•(Y/N): *You turn back to face Guzma* So this is what you dragged me out here for?!

•Guzma: Yes! Now quit talking and get to catching that Comfey before it runs away!!

•Turning back to face the wild Comfey you noticed it was gone. Feeling a tad sad you let it get away, and after all the waiting Guzma did, you turn to face Guzma again but there was the Comfey. It was entrenched, as it circled your body with awe and wonder. You were wearing a pastel yellow dress, with a nice fluffy petticoat underneath. The pattern resembled a florgess playing amongst a field of wildflowers and sparkles. This wild comfey must have mistaken the flowers and ruffles to be real petals as it inched closer to get a better look.

•You slowly reached out to it, as it drew back only to realize that your hand wasn't a threat. The comfey allowed you to gently stroke it but any more than that and you were sure it would run away.

•Your other hand began to search for any pokeballs tucked away in your bag. Finding one and presenting it to the comfey you were surprised when it brushed up against it. It didn't go in just yet. Flying back into the middle of the clearing the Comfey looked at you with seriousness and determination in its eyes.

•Guzma: *smugly* I think you're gonna have to earn its capture dollface!

•(Y/N): *shrugging* at least its giving me the time of day. I was for sure it was gonna fly away the second I popped up.

•The comfey waiting in anticipation you decided to send out your Ribombee as the battle began.

•(Y/N): Ribombee use Pollen Puff! *a blast of pollen knocks the comfey back yet despite the shove it seems unscaved* Wait . uhhh? I thought that was for sure a knockout or at least a bigger impact.

•Guzma is currently cackling in the bushes at your confused state.

•Guzma: Ahah oh man. . gets em every time.

•(Y/N): Huh? Ah! Wait Ribombee dodge that! *The comfey goes for a sweet kiss which your Ribombee narrowly dodges*

•Guzma: Listen (Y/N), bug moves ain't gonna do shit.

•(Y/N): *to yourself* Oh great! Another Pokemon who looks nothing like its type.

•With a failed Pollen Puff you decided to go with a dazzling gleam which didn't do a whole lot either but at least it was slightly more effective.

•Despite its flowery appearance this Comfey was tough, huh sounds familiar. This onlt made you want to get them even more.

•With a bit more dazzling gleams you noticed the Comfey was getting weaker but your own Ribombee wasn't doing so hot either.

•Welp this was your only chance to make it work and you only had three Pokeballs on your person.

•Throwing one, the Comfey went out of it as quickly as it went in.

•Damn. It must not be that weak yet. Standing in that forrest you tried thinking of a strategy that would make this Comfey weaker without knocking it out. Another dazzling gleam would be too strong but maybe another pollen puff would do the trick but would that not be enough and if so would your Ribombee survive the next attack? You decided to give it a shot with Pollen Puff again, and lucky for you the Comfey survived. Now you just had to make sure Ribombee had the stamina to dodge.

•Flying around Ribombee was unfortunately unable to dodge the next attack but with grit it held out for you. You needed to catch this Comfey or your certain Ribombee wouldn't be able to hold on any longer. Attempting for the second time you threw the Pokeball and in Comfey went.

•*Shake Shake Shake*

•But it broke out. Damn.

•Not wanting to subject Ribombee any longer to the battle you decided to throw your last Pokeball praying to Arceus that it would work. The Pokeball began to shake again.

•*Shake. Shake. Shake.*

•*Click*

•A sigh of relief left your body as you ran to your new friend.

•Picking up the Pokeball you excitedly showed it off to Guzma who looked just as relieved as you did that the process was now done. The sun shown brighly between the tree tops as a gentle breeze filled the air. It was quiet. . . too quiet.

•Your celebration was short lived as the ground shook beneath your feet. Looking at the time on your phone it read 12:38. From the sounds of the shaking and the timing you knew that Mallow's trial was starting soon as the Totem Guardian Laurantis was currently walking around the forest.

•(Y/N): Uhhh Guzma . . we need to

•Guzma: Leave!! Yep already on it.

•The two of you start booking it trying to avoid the foliage and any trainers now entering the forrest. Looking back at the clearing your eyes go wide as the totem Laurantis is already hot on its pursuit towards you. For all it knows you to are just normal trial goers and sees no reason to stop.

•Trying to high tail it faster, running in heeled boots was not doing you any favors.

•(Y/N): Guzma!!! Wait!!!!

•He turns back to look at you, sighs, and runs back to grab you.

•In a blur you no longer feel the ground beneath your feet as Guzma has lifted your body and is currently carrying you bridal style out the forest and back to the docks.

•You only look up at him, blushing madly at him carrying you like this, as you grip onto his shoulders.

✿ ⁺ 🎀‧₊˚🩹⋆ ✩ ✿ ⁺ 🎀‧₊˚🩹⋆ ✩ ✿ ⁺ 🎀‧₊˚🩹⋆

•Catching your breath on the boat you didn't pay any mind to the onlookers as you laughed along with Guzma about what went down today.

•(Y/N): *Giggles* I can't believe you managed to carry me and run that fast at the same time!

•Guzma: Well yeah? I was fighting for my life! You know if someone *He says poking at your cheek* decided to wear something else besides heals I wouldn't have had to worry.

•(Y/N): *You playfully tease* Awww you worry about meeee?

•Guzma: Tsk you know I should have just left you in the forest.

•(Y/N): Hahhehe but cha didn't!

•Guzma: *rolls eyes*

•(Y/N): Besides I think you liked carrying me! My knight in shining sweatpants. I mean why else did you feel the need to still carry me even out of the forest.

•Guzma: *blushes* Shu. Shut up. I was just rushing to get us back to the boat.

•(Y/N): Hmmm alright whatever you say, but *snicker* hahaha you still almost tripped on the pyukumuku!

•Guzma: It ain't MY fault those damn things are so tiny. Your boi almost ate shit today and here you are . . laughing!

•(Y/N): *in a semi-mermer* well it wasss kinda funny.

•Guzma: *blushing* yeah whatever.

•You enjoy this peaceful moment with Guzma as the boat pulls into Ula'Ula docks.

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•A few days have passed since you got Comfey and she's been a sweetheart to the team. Getting to train and battle with her has been nothing but amazing yet, like always, it still wasn't enough to defeat Guzma. You've pretty much brushed the idea of ever getting to beat him, instead focusing on ever loss as an opportunity to grow and learn.

•On this particular day most of the local tourists were gone leaving many of the city life for the locals. You took the opportunity to have a small psudo-date with Guzma to get food and tapu coacoa, luckily at a different spot this time.

•Loking up from your cell, you noticed Guzma was towering over you.

•(Y/N): Oh hey! I didn't even hear you come in! How are you?

•Guzma: *shrugging and grinning* Eh not terrible. That comfey of yours any stronger yet or are you ready to accept defeat?

•(Y/N): *scoffing* Hey well you're not entirely wrong. I don't think I stand a chance unless I have as many Pokemon as you do . . but eh that's definitely not gonna happen.

•Guzma: And what makes you so sure? I'm sure there's gotta be another Pokemon that fits your vibe . . not that I'm rushing you or anything. I mean if I get to keep beating you down like this I'm fine with your team staying the way it is.

•(Y/N): haha yeah well still. I wouldn't mind another member it's just that I definitely checked this time. Went down to the library the other day and borrowed some trainers dex and yeah it confirmed that, unless I trade with someone who has it, there is no way I am getting a full team with the Pokemon that live on these islands.

•Guzma: Well if you need someone who can get you a Pokemon you're talkin' to the right guy. *he smirks* What Pokemon you need sweetcheeks? *he asks leaning towards you*

•Blushing softly you begin to rub the back of your neck: (Y/N): Oh it mmm. .it really doesn't matter. . trust me it's pretty much impossible.

•Guzma: hmm still no need to be keepin' secrets. Just spill it already.

•(Y/N): *sighing* it's a vivillon. .

•You can sense Guzma is happy at the sound of you mentioning the bug.

•(Y/N): Well don't get all happy! *blushing* like I said... can't get em here and no scatterbugs either. *you grumble* you of all people should now that Mr. King of the bugs!

•Guzma laughs at your tone and words but he doesn't seem shaken up by the idea of not being able to find a vivillon.

•Guzma: Haha . . well if it's a Vivillon you want that shouldn't be any problem. *He says that last part to himself*

•You know the look on his face means he is thinking about causing trouble.

•(Y/N): H. . hey!! Don't go getting any wackjob ideas in your head!! I am NOT asking you to steal one for me.

•Guzma: whoa whoa whoa easy on the accusations! *smirking* I ain't thinking like that . . . anymore .

•You try to stay mad at him.

•Guzma: *snickers* . . tsk . trust me (Y/N) I have other methods. .

•You roll your eyes. Knowing Guzma that could mean anything: (Y/N): hmpf. . well *you cross your shoulders* I am not asking you to do anything for me. . I believe I am content with what I have just fine. . now finish your food so we can do something else.

•Guzma: Hmm sure . . whatever you say doll. *Guzma has a feint blush on his face*

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•It's been a week since your last outing with Guzma. Walking along the wooden walkways of Ula'Ula Meadows you were supposed to meet with him as he "wanted to show you something hella dope" apparently.

•With Sylveon walking in tandem with their ribbons wrapped around you arm she was keeping an eye out for the Bug Boss as the two of you scanned the sea of red flowers.

•During your walk, the gentle Alolan breeze blew past and the sounds of ruffling leaves filled your ears. In the moment you began thinking back on all your moments with Guzma and how despite his gang affiliation and what everyone thinks of him you know that he is a great guy deep down. He has been nothing but supportive and accepting of your style and personality that your heart started pounding in your chest the more you thought about him. He had this sort of gruff charm to him that only he could pull off and you are thankful that he was so willing to let you be a part of his busy and reckless life. You know he isn't one to open up to others besides the grunts and his admin and friend Plumeria.

•Before your mind trailed off too far your sylveon pulled you towards the direction she saw Guzma.

•Heading a bit south towards a more secluded part of the meadow you saw Guzma slouching on the ground talking to his ariados. As he pet him the look on Guzma's face was that of nervousness that you've never seen on him before.

•Your sylveon happily called out to Guzma as it ran towards his direction. You jogged behind her, stopping just a few feet away from Guzma as he stood up and began dusting off his sweats.

•Guzma: Oh . he hey? *coughing* what's good yo?

•(Y/N): *a bit suspicious* Gooood? What's good on your end?

•Guzma: ha he uh nothing. . *coughing* nothing . . just same shit as usual. *he starts rubbing the back of his head as his usual confidence is disappearing each second that passes*

•(Y/N): *giggles* uh oh okayyy? . . *You walk a bit closer to him* you good? You seem a bit . off.

•Guzma: *trying to stay casual* tsk yeah that's what I just said right?! . Your boi is good. . and shit. yeah .

•Your eyes noticed that he was fighting with something in his pocket as you stood in silence observing his every move. It was starting to freak him out a bit as he turned his back towards you not before tossing you whatever he had in his pocket.

•It was a pokeball. An all white Pokeball with a gold band around it with the feint initials "A.F" carved into it.

•Guzma spoke up in defense before you had the chance to chew him out.

•Guzma: *his cheecks start to turn red* Listen . .I . I didn't take it from no trainer or anything.

•(Y/N): *softly* Guzma . .

•Guzma wasn't expecting to feel your arm tug on his sleeve. He had nowhere to turn to try and hide his flustered face as your (colored) eyes staired back into his.

•Guzma: *trying to cover his face with the back of his hand* Don't give me that look??! What . w mmm you said it yourself *he crosses his shoulders* what your like birthday is soon or somethin' . . got you an early gift is all.

•(Y/N): *You're blushing too as you shake your head at Guzma's blushing form* hehe yeah sure . if you think two months away is pretty soon.

•You gaze at the ball in your hand. Well whoever gave Guzma this Pokemon must have been from a different region as you had never seen a pokeball like this before. You only hoped they weren't going to miss whatever Pokemon was inside it if they were willing to carve their initials into this ball.

•Guzma: *a bit frustrated* argh you know that thing won't pop out on its own!

•(Y/N): *giggles* Alright! Alright! Arceus! Pushy as always.

•Releasing the Pokemon you gasped in away at what flew in front of you. Your heartbeat fast as you gripped onto Guzma's arm to keep yourself from stumbling.

•Before your very eyes was a beautiful light blue Vivillon. The bug type danced around you a bit too eagerly for a pokemon that is meeting it's new trainer for the first time.

•Drawing your hand out the Vivillon did not hesitate to launch itself at you in a welcoming embrace.

•Guzma: Sorry. . it's not the right color.

•(Y/N): huh?

•Guzma: You clearly wanted the pink one. . . but blue was the best I could get.

•Holding onto Guzmas hand you begin rubbing it gently.

•(Y/N): Thank you . . thank you so much for . . everything.

•Guzma: Whoa whoa whoa?! Hold on whats with the . . everything talk . everything? I ain't done shit to earn that . *He's covering his blush with the back of his hand* the fuck are you on about?

•(Y/N): well uh . .you know . you've done a whole lot for me just by being close to me . . for not judging my appearance . . and for sticking by my side when my appearance causes unwanted attention. . and for trying to understand me and support me. You know better than anyone what it's like to be judged and hated on by people who don't try to get to know the person they're judging. And I say all that because it does mean something to me. . it is my everything.

•Guzma: *his whole face is red* . ye yeah . likewise . . *Not one for words he opts to pull you into a tight embrace.* s . still he's blue . . *Guzma grumbles out that last part*

•Hugging him tighter you can't help but giggle into his chest.

•(Y/N): No. He's perfect.

✿ ⁺ 🎀‧₊˚🩹⋆ ✩ ✿ ⁺ 🎀‧₊˚🩹⋆ ✩ ✿ ⁺ 🎀‧₊˚🩹⋆

*Click click click*

•The sound of your mary janes hitting the pavement as you walked without a care in the world to who was starting at your appearance.

•You were happy today because today you were going on another date with Guzma.

•Approaching Guzma he couldn't help bit stare in awe at your choice of outfit.

•Guzma: Yo (Y/N). .h hey now! That's a new color on you. *Walking up to you* It's nice. *he says with his signature grin*

•(Y/N): Thank you! I've been meaning to wear this one for a while . . just didn't have the right "accessories" to wear it with . but I guess I should thank you for that. *saying all that your vivillon happily flitters by your side as you go to pet the top of his head*

•You are wearing a plain baby blue dress with a white accented corset, white mary janes, blue ruffled and sparkling stockings, and a blue bow atop your head.

•(Y/N): *Reaching out to wrap you arm around Guzmas* So . you ready?

•Guzma: *Ruffling the back of his head* sure I am dollface.

•Walking down the busy street the two of you brace for your next lovely adventure.

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#guzma #pokemon #team skull #guzma pokemon #pokemon guzma #team skull pokemon #pokemon team skull #alola #i love him so freaking much #guzma x y/n #guzma x me #guzma x reader #guzma imagines #team skull imagines #pokemon x reader #pokemon imagines #team skull x reader

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oxymorayuri · 5 months

Text

❞𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬❝

Part five

If you haven't read the first part yet, you can find it here or the storys masterlist. ♡♡♡

✦ Pairing: Portgas D. Ace x Reader ✦ Warnings: language, angst ✦ Spoiler: none

A/N: This back and forth of feelings is screaming; Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? sorry guys I'm totally on the Arctic Monkeys ride lol. Also their vibe somehow suits Ace.

wordcount: 2722

tagging: @lazyninjatheorist - @sassyyassi - @cottoncandyloverrrr

! ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ !

ᴍɪɴᴏʀꜱ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛ

"All right you two, that sounds good. Y/n I'm firmly convinced that you'll come back with valuable information." The captain of the Whitebeard pirates leans back with a satisfied expression.

"But before you leave tomorrow, I have something special for you…" He waves a crew member over to you, who was standing at the side with a box in his hand. The young man in front of you opens the box and your eyes widen with a sparkle.

"These are small ear buds that you can use to communicate." Whitebeard says with a smile due to your childish reaction. Excited like a little girl, you examine your new technology.

That's so coooool!

"How did you get hold of them Father??!" You're surprised about the specific model. These aren't normal spy buds… These are long distance earbuds. No matter how far away you are from each other, you can keep in touch. It is also quite difficult to disrupt their connection... You are thrilled.

"Oh, that was easy. We just never needed it, until now." - "Hohoohoh that's so cool! Now I really feel like a spy!" You eagerly reach into the box. You put one bud in your ear and happily walk over to Ace to put the other one in his.

"Come on Ace, say something!" excitedly, you gently tap him on the shoulder. Ace blushes slightly as you get so close to him. He's a little uncomfortable in front of Whitebeard, and not just because he's giving you both a judgmental stare. Imagine how he would react if he knew what was going on between you two…

When you hear Ace's voice in that earbud, you have to pull yourself together not to squeal and fall into Whitebeard's arms instead.

"Thank you, Daddy!" You sit on his lap like a little girl while he pats your head with a warm grin.

Ace observes the close relationship between you and Whitebeard. He could swear you even look alike.

"Ace, listen to y/n… but in case something goes wrong, you're allowed to do whatever you think is right." - "You can count on me, pops!" He confidently points his thumb at his chest and you snort as you cross your arms in front of your chest. A little annoyed, you look up at your father.

"I don't need a guard!" You grimace in offense and Whitebeard bursts out laughing.

"I know you're strong…" His gaze softens and you let go a little. "I've often played with the idea of putting someone by your side. The fact that you've always traveled alone has never made me feel good, but I've never found the right one…" - "You softy…" You're bold but your cheeks turn pink.

You could never have dreamed that you would ever experience the love of a parent. Where would you be if not on the Moby Dick?

He ruffles your hair and you struggle a little weakly as you both share a laugh.

"So you're saying Ace is the right one for the job?" - "There is no doubt about that. I trust Ace and I would like you to do the same." - "Okay but only because it's you father…" You groan out a little defeated and jump off his lap.

Together, you and Ace walk back onto the deck and look at the island you've docked at.

"The show starts tomorrow morning Ace… Are you ready?" You rest your hands on the railing and look over at Ace, who is gazing into the sunset beside you. His eyes peer down at you from the corner of his eye.

"I was born ready." His confident grin looks promising. You're eager to see how he performs.

The next day arrives and you wake up before the alarm clock rings. Brushing your teeth in front of the mirror, you think about the fact that Doflamingo hopefully won't recognize you. Luckily for you, you wore a wig when you were undercover in Alabasta...

When you come out of the bathroom, you stop in your tracks because Marco is sitting in a chair in front of you. In your room.

"What are you doing here?" A little surprised at him, you sit down in front of your dressing table to get ready.

"Good morning to you too, little lass..." You raise your eyebrows and give a little snort. "Yeah yeah good morning, whatever…"

"I'm here to give you some advice." Marco starts talking without moving from his seat.

"Oh dear. Here we go again…" You say boredly as you put your hair up in a low bun. But Marco doesn't let it bother him and just keeps on talking.

"It's usually the case that when two people like each other, they end up together… Apparently you and Ace like each other soooo???" - "So what?" you turn around annoyed and raise your eyebrows. Marco groans out in a heavy voice.

"Are you two finally a couple and had a bit of a crisis or what's going on with you?" - "What makes you think we're a couple? We are definitely not together." You stop, caught off guard, as you pack your things.

"Well, the rest of us have eyes in our heads, you know… Additionally, Ace has been getting on my nerves with you since day one! Besides, you've more or less told me that you like him." Your ears perk up.

"Ah yeah? Ace has been getting on your nerves since day one?" a kind of evil smile settles on your lips.

"What did he wanted to know? What did he ask you?" You put your hands on your hips "Ah, so now you're getting curious?" Marco interlaces his fingers and you could swear you see amusement in his eyes.

"Yeah, what am I supposed to say now?" You roll your eyes. Marco already knows what's going on. Why is he bugging you like this?

"Of course I want to know what Ace asked…" You turn around. You don't want to show him the blush on your face.

"It's nice to know that the feelings aren't just one sided… you know…" - "Finally you spit it out… I thought I had to pull it out of your fucking nose…" Marco makes a relieved noise and you look at him with a disgusted expression.

"Eww that's gross." - "I mean that rhetorically, gosh."

You know exactly what he meant, but you stick your tongue out at him.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, what do you want to tell me?"

You know Marco only means well, as always. Like when you once failed a mission and he gave you comfort or when you had an argument with Teach and he rushed to your aid. He's always been there for you, even when you were a newcomer to the pirate gang. He looked out for you like a brother.

"I'm pretty sure the feelings aren't one sided. Ace is crazy about you. At first I don't think he quite realized it himself, but he's come around to his feelings." He looks you up and down. "Not like someone certain in front of me…" You throw a shirt at him, which you were going to pack in your suitcase, and give him a death stare.

"You're annoying." Marco doesn't mind your attitude and starts talking again.

"You said you were the problem the other day?" You pause for a moment and sit down in another chair.

"Ace is great, but I've met some great men and where are they now? I just don't know if it's worth it…" A little ashamed, you look to the side and avoid eye contact. Marco is not exactly surprised. He was already expecting something like this.

He considers his next words carefully as he glances around your room. Whitebeard really means well with you, he thinks to himself. He gave you the biggest and 'nicest' room on the ship.

Nice is actually an understatement. A bed that looks as comfortable as it will be in reality. Bed sheets made of the finest cotton and blankets made of the finest silk, imported from the capital of Alabasta.

One side of your room is completely covered with a beautiful and yet simple bookshelf and on one side is your desk and on the other side, opposite the desk, is a small sitting area.

Your dressing table was made especially for you by the same carpenter who made your weapons cabinet. You thought the details carved into the cabinet were so beautiful that you wanted the dressing table to be made by the same craftsman.

The cabinet was already in your room so you went to Whitebeard with your request and he immediately changed the destination of the Moby Dick and sailed to the craftsman's island.

The name would have been enough for you, but Whitebeard not only knows your worth, he loves you like his own flesh and blood. So he didn't hesitate and got you your dressing table straight away.

Marco seriously wonders what Whitebeard wouldn't do. He doubts that there is anything. Not even he himself has that luxury and he is the commander of the first division.

He even thinks that if Ace messes up with you, Whitebeard would kick him off the ship to make you happy again.

"You know y/n, sometimes you have to take the risk to know if it's worth it…" You groan and let your head fall back, running both hands over your face.

"Ace said something pretty similar to me." you grumble.

"You know what? I know you're right, but I haven't known Ace that long either... I need to trust him. You know, out there on my missions, I was always dealing with people who had stabbed you in the back. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but maybe that's not such a bad thing…"

You want to look strong in front of him. You get the feeling that he thinks you're scared. But you just know how men can be. You can get over the heartache, but not over the waste of time. Not about the fact that you trusted them with your heart and told them things you wouldn't have told anyone else.

Marco seems a little frustrated but knows that he can't push you any further.

"Just be aware that you might regret it." You snort a little scornfully at his words.

"Why." Your voice a little serious. What should YOU regret?

"I don't know…" He glances around at the ceiling and then looks directly into your eyes "Maybe Ace is getting involved in some flirting again. After all, he's not tied to anyone. Then what? Are you going to splash him with water again?" He grins at you with a knowing look.

You feel like you've been caught red-handed, but your grin widens.

"Oh, so you saw that?" You get up from your chair again as you need to pack a few more weapons.

"You're getting jealous y/n, so my advice is that if you can't admit your feelings, you shouldn't deepen them." That one hit home and you stop in your tracks.

He's right. You shouldn't intensify your feelings.

"You're going to be together for a while now so either you come back as a couple or I hope your feelings haven't grown. The last time you were completely alone, it was only half a night when something happened…" A little lost in thought, he spoke his last words and seemed to be thinking things over.

"What did you actually do that night after the pub? When Jozou and Whitey arrived drunkenly on the ship, they said that you two had left hours ago but you weren't on the ship when they arrived?" The heat went straight to your face as the images of that night came up and you stammered to yourself a little unsteadily.

"That's none of your business!" you yell at him as you put on a cute sun hat. Carrying two modest suitcases filled with weapons, equipment and clothing, you stride past him and head for your door. At the door, you gesture to the closed door and look at Marco expectantly.

"Would you be so kind as to open the door for me?"

Marco sighs a little but eventually gets up and holds the door open for you.

"Just promise to let me know if anything happens, okay?" He looks at you a little worriedly and it's hard to believe, but your facial features are softening.

"Yeah, sure."

Marco takes your suitcases from your hand and accompanies you to the deck of the Moby Dick.

It's a sunny and calm day, the breeze is light and you hold on to your hat so it doesn't fly off. There are already a few familiar faces on deck, just waiting to see you and Ace off. You are surprised that Ace is already there, he seems to be quite reliable after all.

Ace was still talking to a few of the other members and when he noticed you in the corner of his eye, he looked down at you in obvious surprise.

"You look so…" He stuttered a little when he saw you in your floral summer dress.

"…Unusual?" you finished his sentence. Your outfit is definitely very different from your actual style… You like to dress rather extravagantly, but today you're dressed like a fine little lady.

Ace still looks at you, somewhat enchanted.

"…No, no, no, rather cute." You raise your eyebrows with your mouth open as if you want to say something, but close your mouth again and walk past him without a word.

You say goodbye to your friends and walk over to Whitebeard, who is already waiting for you at the end to say goodbye.

Marco presses your suitcases into Ace's hands, who is still a little taken aback by the simple and sweet sight of you. You look like you're going on a beach vacation.

When Ace finally managed to say goodbye to everyone properly, he came sprinting up to you and Whitebeard.

"Okay you two! Are you ready to bring success to the Whitebeard pirates? Are you ready to be the key?" His eyes are on you. You are his key to success and it always feels good when he says this motivation speech.

Excited as if it's your first day at school, you nod at him. You always forget what a dangerous journey you are about to undertake because you are already looking forward to how proud your father will be when you return.

"Of course father!" He hums happily and offers you his hand to lift you into the small boat that will take you to the island.

Ace jumps into the boat and you don't miss his open shirt blowing in the wind.

"Hey Ace, I don't mind, but I think you should button up your shirt. Remember, we're simple people. Your muscles would just be a distraction…" You barely give him a glance as you check your make-up in a hand mirror, but the dark haired man is grinning up to both ears.

"Oh yeah, a distraction? To who?" He asks in a cheeky voice. You look up from your mirror with a raised eyebrow and he laughs teasingly at you while buttoning up his shirt.

You wave goodbye to the crew member who paddled you ashore and together you make your way to the small town.

Ace weighs the two suitcases in his hands and seems to be guessing.

"What have you all packed? The suitcases are damn heavy!" - "Just some things… Weapons, my equipment, which is important for missions like this, and of course my clothes." You're puzzled, as you'll probably be on a mission for a while, but you're not particularly surprised when you look at Ace, who only has a backpack on.

"Man, it feels like rocks."

Masterlist

Hope you liked it, see you <3

➽ Next chapter

#one piece #ace x reader #portgas d ace x reader #portgas d ace #one shot ace #ace one piece #portgas ace x you #ace x you #short fic #one piece fanfiction #one piece fic

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namis-gf · 8 months

Note

Hii can I get Robin x Reader, where Robin wakes up from a nightmare and reader comforts her? I'd imagine it's set after Enies Lobby

ANON ILY THIS IS SUCH A GOOD REQUEST!!! i was kicking my feet and giggling while writing cause robin is best girl ever and hurt/comfort is my jam

summary: fem!reader and robin sharing a bed for the first time after everything that went down in water 7/enies lobby. for context, reader worked for sir crocodile in alabasta and robin took her along when she boarded the merry (but she was unaware of robin working with the government)

word count: 812 words / 0.8k

cw: none!

there are three beds now, in the girls' cabin on the sunny. you aren't sure if you're relieved or disappointed. the shipwright luffy picked - franky is his name, you think - had done a headcount of every member of the crew before getting to work.

the gulf between each bed feels even larger at night. for the first few nights back at sea, you can hear soft, heart-wrenching noises from across the room. your heart sinks into your stomach from the guilt, making you almost nauseous, but you can't work up the courage to get up and check on her.

robin had lied to you.

yes, you know she'd done it for the greater good. yes, you know she didn't mean any harm by keeping you in the dark. but nico robin has been by your side for as long as you can remember, on the sea and in the scorching sands of alabasta. she was there in your worst and weakest moments, and you cherish her. part of you wishfully thought that she too, felt as though she could confide in you just as equally.

she's crying again tonight. robin has always had issues with sleep, though she used to be much more cryptic and closed off about the origin of the problem. sometimes, back in your homeland, she would crawl into your bed after night-watch. never touching you directly, but her presence was warm and comforting.

you get to your feet and slip past a sleeping nami, heading toward the bed farthest from the door and shrouded in darkness. by the time you attempt to make an awkward approach, she is already awake and silently watching.

"i missed you," you whisper quietly, extending the olive branch.

before you can try and come up with something else to say, two hands brusquely push against your back. the motion sends you falling forwards, a familiar laugh and the scent of flowers awaiting. she pulls you close, your face red red red from embarrassment.

"it was about time you came to check on me," robin hums, an errant hand summoned by the devil fruit's magic combing through your hair. "one would almost think you were angry."

"i'm not angry," you grumble. "i was worried. for a smartypants, you've been making real stupid decisions of late. that new captain must be a bad influence."

"it wasn't stupid," she replies, sounding lost in thought. "i did what i had to do. if it came down to it, i was ready to go."

"that's the fucking problem! you convinced yourself you were ready, and-"

"i wanted to live, yes."

"well thank god," you huff indignantly, rolling over so you can face her properly. "i would've been pissed if you dragged me all this way just to go and die like a loser."

she chuckles again, the sound music to your ears. "what was it, mr. 0 used to say all the time? right, yes. we don't lose."

"and die winners?" you finish the familiar saying, "he was always so full of shit. the hell does that even mean? If you're dead, you lose. game over."

robin's breath seems to be evening out, and the throes of sleep are working to snare you too. but you came here for a reason, and you won't just let her ignore the problem any longer. "what were you dreaming about?"

"oh, i don't know," she says, flippant. if you could make out her face in the dark, you're sure she'd be smiling at your imminent frustration. "i never really remember my dreams."

“ever?" you echo disbelievingly, "that's nuts. just yesterday i woke up from an awful nightmare about the captain trying to boil my hair like spaghetti."

"sounds yummy," she presses close to you, now, and her two real arms circle around your shoulders. "but i'm afraid my dreams are top secret, frontier agent miss thursday."

"don't pull that garbage rank on me! you know i'm worth more than... eleventh," you say the last word with enough distaste that robin starts giggling again.

"no offence," robin says, in the voice that means she's about to be totally mean. "but i think your former rank had more to do with uh- how do i put it- your tendency to dispose of your partners."

“it's not my fault he was a dummy and couldn't defend himself," you argue back, mostly for the fun of it. "i really think they underestimated my grand potential."

"well that's why i took you with me, of course," she soothes, and you laugh a little yourself at the insincerity. "i'm serious though, i sleep better with you around. so you are hereby forbidden to leave."

"aye," you snort, raising a wobbly arm in mock salute. nico robin may be a total mystery, but you were raised persistent. and persist you fucking will, until she lets you into her heart.

#one piece #one piece x reader #nico robin x reader #nico robin #requests open #fem!reader #nico robin x fem!reader #baroque works

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your-name-is-jim · 1 year

Text

What a Kirk/Spock shipper sees in a Kirk/Female-Love-Interest story [PART 2/2]

Part 1 <- Please read Part 1 first. Part 2 won't make sense otherwise!

This panel is absolutely AMAZING and you all deserved to see it :D

So, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah, Laura just proposed.

As you can see, Jim is panicking not sure what to answer, so the first thing he does is calling his two best friends. There are so many things going on here; I'll try to mention everything I care about!

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together."

This is an important part of this comic: apparently, in this story Starfleet isn't encouraging relationships between officers with a different rank. I know it's sort of implied in canon too, but it's not always clear if it's actually against regulations or if it's fine when the ranks are close.

As a K/S shipper, this detail just gives me an in-universe reason why Jim and Spock aren't considering dating each other in this story: a commander can't probably have a relationship with a captain. I mean, we already know from canon TOS that Jim avoids relationships with the members of his crew, so this just adds a layer to a potential forbidden love story between them. Yeah, I know this isn't what this comic is trying to do, but what can I say? Fans don't stop shipping something just because they learn it's not allowed in-universe… if anything, they can find it more exciting! :D

"We could teach at the Academy. Mind you, she laughed at that idea."

Oh, wait. Jim actually talked to Laura about their possible future together! It looks like he's thinking about them as teachers at Starfleet Academy. Hmm… this sounds familiar:

2277 — Accepts appointment to Academy faculty, moves into San Francisco apartment

This is from Kirk's biography in Star Trek official website. Between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, Jim accepts a job at the Academy. We see it at the start of the second movie, after Saavik takes the Kobayashi Maru test.

Wait, who's the other teacher here? :D

Okay, okay, in that era Jim is an admiral and Spock is a captain, so their ranks are still different, but except for that… They both teach at the Academy. And it's literally what Jim proposed to his love interest Laura in the comic! With my Kirk/Spock goggles on, what I read in that panel is "If Laura and I got married, we could both do this thing that I'm totally going to do with Spock in the future." LOL

Did the comic creators notice the parallel? Probably not. However, we K/S shippers have special skills for finding accidental implications about our ship everywhere, so here it is :)

"Your thoughts, please, Mr. Spock."

I said I had a lot to say about that single panel, so of course I can't skip the last line! A human woman has just proposed to Jim, and what does Jim do? He asks for Spock's opinion. This says a lot about Jim and Spock's friendship, and it's very sweet on Jim's part, but it also makes me think about Jim's love life. What about Jim and Laura's romantic feelings for each other? Does Jim want to spend the rest of his life with her? Perhaps the reason they don't talk about it (not even with Bones!) is that it's implied that Jim loves her and she loves him, even if they never say it. However, I still think it's interesting that Jim's discussion on the matter is mostly "logical".

Anyway, I swear I won't post every single panel of this comic, but Spock's reply is an absolute gem you all must see:

"I AM SOMETHING OF AN EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT OF JAMES T. KIRK."

(dkjflsdjlkdjglk brb losing my mind again)

Ahem. Okay, Spock. Noted. Also, wow, nice make up. Did I say that the art in this comic is great? Good.

"I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness."

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I find interesting his use of "equal status" instead of the more specific "equal rank". Status makes me think less of their official position in Starfleet, and more of how two people actually see each other. It's not just about Laura and Jim being both captains; it's about them seeing each other as equals.

Anyway, Jim jokes about Bones and Spock finally agreeing about something, and the conversation continues.

Jim's best friends are both encouraging him to marry Laura. In this panel, I zoomed in on Bones because his words are especially interesting. Based on everything we've seen so far, it looks like having a romantic partner when you're in Starfleet is a pain in the ass in general in this comic; however, Bones is pointing out that for the first time, Jim has someone who really understands. Of course, that's because she's a Starfleet captain too.

About Spock, I won't share the entire conversation, but I just want to say that as a K/S shipper who likes to think Spock is secretly in love with Jim in this era, I find his dialogue where he's supporting Jim's relationship with Laura totally reasonable. It's important to remember that this comic takes place close to the end of the five-year mission. We know that Spock is going to run away after that, trying to erase all his emotions in Gol. So, in this specific part of his story, I find pretty in character that he'd tell Jim to find happiness with someone else. That's what he'd do, regardless of his own feelings.

So, Jim knows his two best friends think he should say "yes" to Laura. What happens next?

During a mission, Jim meets his ex Carol Marcus. She is surprised to find out that Jim is considering settling down. This is not completely related to this analysis, so I won't post it, but I found interesting that Carol knows about every single woman Jim dated before he became captain (the only one she doesn't name is Ruth), and she even says "And that woman in 1930, what was her name?" Just… how the hell does she know? LMAO

At least Jim hasn't told her about Miramanee and Rayna (well, technically he doesn't even remember the latter), but seriously, Carol does know a lot about Jim's private life, even if it's clear she doesn't want her or their son to be part of it. (Not really related to this plot, but in case you're confused about the timeline: David is a child in this era; however, he doesn't appear in this story.)

Anyway, this is what she eventually tells him:

So, I like to think that Carol is genuinely trying to help Jim here, because the spiteful ex girlfriend is another thing I don't really want to see in 2020. I want to think that the creators meant well; however, what happens in the story is that, despite Jim not seeing himself outside the captain's chair, and despite his best friends telling him to marry the captain that is just like him… Jim keeps thinking about Carol's words.

He knows from Starfleet that he's going to be promoted to admiral the moment he reaches Earth. What is interesting here is that Jim could refuse the promotion and be a captain with Laura. This is definitely a different situation from everything else I've seen before. It's obvious to anyone who has watched TOS movies that Jim is not happy as an admiral. He didn't really want to be one. He doesn't want to be one in this comic series either (you can see it explored in Star Trek: Year Five main story). However, thanks to The Motion Picture, we also know that he will accept promotion at the end of his five-year mission. This isn't a canon divergence story: the writers can't really change any major event, so they have to work with what canon offers.

What I find interesting is that in this 2020 comic, Jim finds himself in the opposite situation he is in Gene Roddenberry's The Motion Picture novelization from 1979. In Roddenberry's novel, it's mentioned briefly that Jim starts a relationship on Earth with a vice-admiral, a woman that was basically asked to use her charm to keep Jim grounded. Jim could refuse promotion, but he finds himself lost, without his ship, without Spock, and eventually without Bones. So he tries to convince himself that a life as an admiral with a perfect woman by his side will be good for him (it will not; Jim himself will realize a year later that his lover was an "Enterprise-surrogate").

Now, I understand trying to write something fresher and more modern in this Valentine's Day special, but I confess that I find a little hard to believe that Jim would accept a promotion as admiral if the alternative was keeping both a starship AND a wife. Also, let's not forget that Spock and Bones are both telling him to choose the married captain life. So, while I totally get from a writer's point of view that if you can't change canon, you have to work with what you have, I'm also not sure that Carol reminding Jim that he's always wanted to challenge himself is enough to make him doubt everything.

I guess I can sort of see that as part of a bigger problem: Jim knows he can't be a captain for life; during his first date with Laura, as we saw in Part 1 of my analysis, he talks about it.

"I've been thinking lately about whether I could ever stop being a Starfleet captain. Whether I could ever want to. A friend of mine talks about 'infinite diversity'. That applies to the Federation, too. But here I am, only built for one thing."

So, Jim knows he has probably avoided the subject for too long. Carol is forcing him to think about it. And, more implicitly, we could say Spock and his IDIC philosophy are also making him think, even if it's not what Spock would have expected. After all, Spock told Jim to marry Laura (in the comic), and he'll tell him that being a starship captain is his "first, best destiny" (in The Wrath of Khan).

Anyway, Jim eventually decides to meet Laura and talk to her about his personal concerns. First of all, we find out that the two of them haven't called each other for six weeks. Laura is still waiting for Jim's answer, and she didn't want to call him. If you ask me, their lack of communication is yet another a big clue that perhaps getting married is not a great idea.

Well, now Jim is at least trying to talk to her.

Aaand that's how she breaks up with him.

I'm not sure how to feel about this. I mean, in a sense, Jim doesn't say "I decided to be an admiral instead of marrying you", but Laura definitely sees it that way. I think he was genuinely looking for help, but that just proves that Laura isn't the right person for him. Why marrying someone you can't communicate with? They are such a great team as captains, but it looks like that doesn't apply to their relationship. I pointed out other clues in the previous parts, and now we got this. It's interesting to see that Jim in this comic can have a normal conversation about his future with Spock, Bones, and even Carol Marcus, but not with the person he's supposed to build a future with. Unless something changes between them, it can't work out.

Anyway, this isn't the end.

A year later, when Jim is an admiral on Earth, there's a sudden emergency. A miniature black hole appears out of the deep structure of the universe (don't blame me for the science, I'm literally quoting the comic LOL) and it's attracted to Earth gravity. Short story: they're all going to die, but fortunately the Drake (Laura's ship) can cause an anti-matter implosion that will shunt the black hole outside their reality. Unfortunately, that also means the Drake will have to go inside the black hole. Laura evacuates her crew and asks Admiral Kirk to give her the order to proceed. Reluctantly, Jim tells her that he knows she'll do it, and he gives the order.

Now, please appreciate The Motion Picture aesthetic:

Okay, I know I could have chosen a panel with Jim and Laura, since this is literally their love story, but I did say this analysis was going to be biased, so here is Laura with her two closest friends instead; they would never let her risk her life alone! <3 They are very obviously meant to be a parallel to what Spock and Bones are to Jim, which is very cute to see. Now, Laura, listen to me: I know the three of you have different ranks, but you may die in a few seconds… And I just think that the few times your friends appear in this comic, you have a lot of chemistry with them, sooo maybe you should forget about Jim and just smooch one of them, or both… just saying :)

Ahem. Anyway, after Laura and her girlfriends disappear into the void, there's another timeskip. This time it's 15 years.

Oh, damn.

I said in the premise of this analysis that one of the reasons I decided to read this comic despite shipping Kirk/Spock is that, in my headcanon, Kirk and Spock get together after The Motion Picture. Until this point, this comic hasn't really gone against my headcanon. I can genuinely believe that Jim had another girlfriend during his five-year mission; it's not a big deal. Unfortunately for me, this comic has its last part taking place around The Final Frontier era. Dammit.

Well, it's just one comic. I read until this point; it'd be illogical not to read until the end, right? Nah, it's not logic. It's human curiosity. I know I won't like it, but I still want to see it.

Also, if there's something that I really don't want to see in modern media anymore, is female characters dying just to make male characters suffer. I can accept that in TOS show because it was made in the 1960s, but even TOS movies got better about it! Characters like Saavik and Gillian can have their own lives without having to die for a man's pain. It's not a coincidence that the writers had to kill Spock to make Jim suffer. Without digressing too much, I just wanted to say that K/S bias aside, I went into this comic hoping to read something different from another dead woman for Jim. I'm very glad that, at least about this, the comic creators didn't disappoint me!

So, in this story, it's been 15 years since Laura's disappearance (actually, it should be more, but I'll try not to nitpick, despite being the trekkies' favorite hobby :D). Anyway, the one with the whales The Voyage Home happened, and Jim is not an admiral anymore. He's happy to have a starship again, but he hasn't stopped questioning his life decisions.

We can also see that, 15 years later, he's reading the book Laura liked.

HOLD IT! WAIT WAIT WAIT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? WHAT THE--

*inhales deeply*

(Friendly reminder to myself that what is obvious to me may not be obvious to everyone else, so I need to explain. Fine. I'll try.)

The screenshots I posted are from The Wrath of Khan, right after Spock's funeral. What Jim is doing there is reading the end of the book that Spock gave him for his birthday. He's mourning Spock.

In the comic panel, Jim has a new pair of glasses, because it takes place a little later in the timeline. But, except for that…

It's the same scene.

The same fucking scene.

I mean, come on! I can't even post the "they're the same picture" meme, because it's not funny if they're literally the same picture! Even the bookmark is the same!

The comic creators literally took a canon scene about Jim reading Spock's book after Spock is gone, and they redrew it with Jim reading Laura's book after Laura is gone. In a Valentine's Day special. Where Laura is Jim's love interest. They made a romantic scene with Jim and a woman that was originally about Jim and Spock.

(Brb, I'm going to chew a pillow until I calm down.)

So. Well. If you wondered why I thought there was something about Kirk/Spock in this comic… you have your answer. Perhaps the artist didn't think anything about it. I certainly do.

And I guess someone could say, "But Jim is still reading Laura's book 15 years later! That's true love!" Why yes, he's not reading Spock's book 15 years later, because he didn't stay without Spock for 15 years; he risked everything and lost all the most important things in his life to save Spock's soul.

Anyway, back to the comic. Starfleet receives a signal from the edge of Federation space. It's the Drake. Laura and her friends are alive.

Jim and Laura have a reunion after a long separation. Since they're both captains now, Jim thinks they are given a second chance.

Oh, whoops.

It's her turn now. It looks like being away for 15 years has changed her (as you can expect, honestly), and she's now glad to become an admiral. In this comic, that means Jim can't marry her. So, this is how the story ends:

So. Um.

This isn't a bad ending, but I also wouldn't exactly call it a happy ending. It's certainly not a happily ever after story. I'd call it open, maybe hopeful? Honestly, pretty much what I'd expect from a love story between an original character and Jim, so I can't say the writing is disappointing about that.

On the other hand, I can't personally imagine middle-aged Jim being so eager to start a romance again with someone he hasn't seen in 15 years who broke up with him 16 years ago. Perhaps he felt guilty about Laura's disappearance because if he had married her, they would have been part of a colonization fleet somewhere else and the incident wouldn't have happened the same way? Maybe. Personally, I would have found more believable an ending where Jim asks her to have dinner together or go for a walk, and then something romantic happening as they get to know each other again. But I can see why the creators wanted to bring up the marriage proposal again, just to close the circle. The comic is just 32 pages, so they did what they could.

"Unless there's someone else." "Not so much. I've been really busy."

Busy with what? Oh, right: Spock's death, Spock's body on Genesis, Spock's rebirth on Vulcan, the time travel (okay, that one wasn't 100% Spock-related), Spock's brother… Honestly, just say there's been a lot of Spock in your life, Jim, because that's the truth :)

On a more serious note, I guess that dialogue could mean that Jim has someone, but "he's been too busy" to do anything serious with them. However, as a K/S monoshipper I don't really like the idea of Jim being in an open relationship with Spock, so Jim's character in the entire scene in the end is just a big NOPE for me. Sorry.

That said, I found very interesting that in a few panels they show very clearly the "captain" rank on Jim and Laura's shoulders, to point out that it's the same. They can't be together forever, but they can have fun for a few days as captains. Because of that, I went back to the start of the last timeskip, just to check out something:

Fascinating.

This is a pretty detailed panel, where you can see the ranks on the shoulders of Jim's friends; the colors of their pins are also pretty good, close to the ones in the movies… except for Spock's.

Oh, please. Did you really expect me not to pay attention to this? :)

Captain Kirk and Captain Spock.

And unlike Laura, this is what they are until the end! The end of a very long life! Generations? What's Generations? Spock will eventually become an ambassador, but that's just a different job. How did Spock himself put it earlier in this comic?

"I am something of an expert on the subject of James T. Kirk. And I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness."

Did the comic creators just play themselves? I don't know, I'm quoting their own story here! LOL

And what about Jim's words from the same scene? :D

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together."

Partners. Of equal rank. Working together.

That's literally what Kirk and Spock are since the end of The Voyage Home! Without an expiration date!

The comic creators made a big deal in their universe about relationships being better between two captains, and how good Jim and Laura may have been for each other if they had married as captains; and now they can't have their happily ever after because Laura is going to be an admiral… But even if the comic tries to hide it, we know there is a captain in Jim's life. And to make things better, Jim lost his admiral rank to bring him back. Listen, I'm a huge Old Married Kirk/Spock fan, so there's no way anything can make me forget that in the last TOS movies they're both captains. And there's no way I can forget that Jim risked his entire career (and everything else!) for Spock, and that's literally why he's not an admiral anymore.

This is almost ironic in this Valentine's Day comic. If it hadn't been for Spock, Jim would have still been an admiral, and he could have married Laura. Whoops. Too bad.

Speaking of admirals, I didn't notice it at first, but there's also something about this line Laura says in the last panel I posted…

"And don't you dare 'Admiral' me."

Ah, yes, a typical thing you tell someone you're planning to have sex with. Right, Laura? Agreed :)

Honestly, at this point I should just stop checking this comic, because I wonder if I'd just end up finding a Kirk/Spock version of every Kirk/Laura Rhone line LOL

By the way, I have other thoughts to share now that the story is over, but there's one more thing first. Do you remember the last panels of the comic? Middle-aged Jim and Laura kiss; END.

Okay. After that, the comic has a picture of the cover, with Jim and Laura kissing when they're younger.

And then it has this:

dklsfjlskjflskjlksjlkdlkgjdlfgsnfjekniuwanf LISTEN, HOW--

Just how am I even supposed to say anything that makes sense about this…??? I'm just… I can't…

Okay. So. We're talking about a Valentine's Day comic. It makes sense for it to include a cute Valentine card. I also get that Spock's iconic line has become so mainstream that it can be quoted out of context. And you can make parodies.

But… But… A Star Trek TOS fan can't really forget the original context of "I have been and always shall be your friend"? Someone could just not think about it, I guess… But, well, I know that at least I can't forget that this is literally Spock's line to Jim rewritten in a romantic Valentine's Day version. I can't possibly NOT think about it!

And I know it's very possible that the people who worked on the comic story weren't even aware of this extra, but the fact that I'm seeing this after reading about Jim Kirk's romance without happily ever after… Jim kisses a woman he can't stay with forever, and then there's Spock's "I have been and always shall be your Valentine". It's just so fucking funny. I can't. If I was feeling a little down after seeing middle-aged Jim wanting to marry Laura, now I'm laughing again. Thanks, Spock's silly Valentine card. I needed it! :D

Anyway, what did I say about this comic taking things originally created for Kirk and Spock's relationship and making them romantic when they're not about them? I can believe that sometimes it's a coincidence, but this card? Please… In a sense, this is the perfect ending.

---

Conclusions.

I started this comic with a question: in 2020, how do you write a story about TOS Kirk falling in love? I wanted to see this attempt. Overall, I think the creators did what they could. Laura is different from every other woman in Jim's life; they didn't kill her off, and they also didn't force a happy ending. I think they did a good job with the canon limitations they had, especially in 32 pages.

Do I believe that Laura could have been a good match for Jim in different circumstances?

As a temporary girlfriend? Yes.

As a lifelong partner? No.

Of course, I'm aware my answer is biased, but I can try to be a little more "logical" about it.

First of all, I think that the comic itself supports my interpretation: of course, like in every story, different people are going to see different things; however, as I already pointed out, Jim and Laura never say that they love each other, and before the marriage proposal their relationship is pretty casual.

In The Original Series, Jim isn't lucky when it comes to romance because the women he falls in love with can't really understand his nature as a space explorer. Sometimes they can, like in Carol's case, and that's why they break up with him. Laura is the opposite, because she's just like Jim. But here is the thing: I think Laura is too much like him.

What would have happened if Jim had accepted to marry her at the end of the five-year mission? They would have been both captains. On different ships, though. Sure, they could have been part of the same colonization fleet, as Jim says in the comic, and maybe it would have worked for a while. However, would they really have seen each other as much as Jim needs?

I don't know about Laura, but we see multiple times in canon that behind his mask as a starship captain, Jim is definitely more lonely than what someone may think.

First of all, don't get me wrong: in these screenshots from The Naked Time, Jim is single, so of course his attraction to Janice Rand is related to that. It's not the same situation he'd be in if he were married to Laura. Early in the series, he has thoughts about his yeoman exactly because he doesn't have anyone else. Contrary to his fame as a womanizer, TOS Jim in canon always has one woman at a time in his mind, never more.

So, why am I sharing those lines? To show that when Jim is always inside the Enterprise, he does feel lonely. He needs a romantic partner's physical touch. However, we also know that Jim does not want a relationship with one of his subordinates, so Janice Rand and the rest of his crew are off limits.

Laura is good for him because she's part of Starfleet, and not a subordinate. But is that really enough? From what I've seen in the comic, no. At the end of the day, it looks to me that Jim and Laura don't really know how to plan a future together. Perhaps it's because they're so similar, but they don't really think of themselves as a couple, especially Laura. There's Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Laura Rhone; they both love their ships, so they should get married? That's not how it works.

Their relationship is casual. Jim doesn't want to define it. Are they friends with benefits? Are they in an open relationship? Either way, when Laura decides to marry him, she asks around if Jim has someone else, and only after that she asks him. Jim, on the other hand, doesn't talk to her for six weeks after her proposal. He talks to Spock and Bones immediately, but not to her. He even talks to Carol first.

Then, when Jim finally tries to talk to her about his problems, she doesn't listen. Their lack of communication is the cause of their break up.

16 years later, what we see is even worse. It's obvious that Laura has just different priorities. Maybe it's because of what happened to her lost in space, but I'm not sure. If they had married at the end of the five-year mission, would have Laura always refused a promotion to admiral? Would she have tried to get a promotion with Jim? Based on what we see in this comic, it doesn't look likely to me.

Now, as I said, different people are going to see different things, so I'm sure that someone really invested in this romance can imagine that Jim and Laura are really meant to be, and they can get their happy ending after their retirement, or in other ways. However, I admit that Jim and Laura's huge communication issues make hard to me to picture a long happy relationship between them. They should both try to get better, but in those 32 pages there was no hint towards that direction.

There's another thing that makes really hard to find any love interest for Jim as a plausible "happily ever after" option: the stakes. I know that it's just a single comic, so the creators had to focus on a few things; however, I couldn't help but notice that Jim and Laura never really save each other from dangerous situations. They work together as a team, and Jim watches Laura disappearing into the void, but does he do anything about it? Does he try to reach her inside her ship before she disappears into the black hole? Does he try to bring her back from the void? No, he doesn't.

In TOS show and movies, Jim Kirk risks so much for his crew and his ship that a Star Trek fan can't believe that a new woman is the love of his life, unless Jim is willing to do for her everything he does for his friends. And honestly, after The Search for Spock… how can he even come close to do that?

And it's not just about Jim's actions. There's his language too. At the start of the third movie, Jim refers to Spock as "the noblest part of myself". What could he say about a love interest that is as deep as this?

Let's be honest here: the reason it's so hard to write a story about Jim Kirk's true love is that the real love story for him has already been written. You may not see it romantically, but Kirk and Spock's story is absolutely a love story. And when a character has someone he loves so deeply, it's not easy to convince the audience that he could have someone new to love as deeply. In Jim's case, the combination of his personality and his canon life makes it almost impossible.

Anyway, before I end up not so accidentally turning this analysis into a complete Kirk/Spock ship manifesto, I'm just going to mention one silly thing about the Valentine's Day comic. Please, don't take it too seriously, I'm half-joking :)

So, there are two kiss scenes in the story: one when Jim and Laura start to spend a lot of free time together, and one in the last panel. Well, I can't believe Jim isn't holding Laura's shoulders when he kisses her! That's just the basis of the way Jim kisses women! D:

Different Star Trek characters kiss in different ways; it fits their personalities. And because the rest of my TOS posts are probably too gay for these gifs, I'm dropping them as references here:

Sorry, but if Jim Kirk doesn't grab someone's shoulders before a kiss, it just kills my immersion! :P

Okay, a little more seriously: Jim doesn't always kiss women the same way; however, his "shoulder grab" is common enough that you definitely notice it if you pay attention. Because of that, I think it would have been nice to include it in the Valentine's Day comic.

After reading this comic, what kind of person would I consider perfect for Jim?

Well, my answer is obvious. However, I'll try to elaborate.

First of all, this story definitely convinced me even more that Jim can only be really happy with another Starfleet officer (or at least someone who's been deeply involved with Starfleet). He also needs someone who understands him as a space explorer, without trying to keep him grounded. And someone very smart, of course. These are all traits Laura has. But they're just the basis.

I don't think Jim needs someone in command of their own ship as a lifelong partner. As I said before, I can't really imagine it working out. Another starship captain would have their own goals and their own ambitions; that doesn't mean Jim shouldn't marry someone with specific plans for their own career, but I think these plans should keep the two of them close, not on different ships. Jim needs his partner physically at his side; if he could be happy in a long-distance relationship, I believe we would have seen at least one working out in canon. But it's never the case. Working on different starships from the same fleet would be a little better, but in my opinion not enough, unless it's for a short period of time.

And there's also the matter of his partner's personality. Jim is a natural leader; that's why he's so good at his job. I don't think he needs a similar kind of leader as romantic partner. This is just my personal opinion, but I believe they would just fight about everything they disagree about. I think he needs someone calmer in his life, not someone who'd encourage emotional outbursts.

More importantly, he absolutely needs someone he can communicate with. If he can't talk to his partner about everything important, they're not the right person for him. That doesn't mean they can't have disagreements or miscommunication issues, of course, but they shouldn't happen all the time, and Jim and his partner should be able to talk about them and make up.

In conclusion: someone at his side on his ship, smart, calm, trustworthy :)

Now, I know what some of you are thinking about: what about the "no relationships with subordinates" personal rule Jim has? How can Jim be in a relationship with Spock (or anyone else on the Enterprise) if he's everyone's superior officer? Well, first of all, I already said that after The Voyage Home, Jim and Spock are both captains. And before that… I think that Spock in the comic phrased it the right way. Jim can find his happiness with someone of "equal status". I think it's pretty clear, in my opinion, that Janice Rand and Spock aren't the same kind of subordinates to Jim. Just think about it: which members of the Enterprise call their captain "Jim"? Bones, Spock and (occasionally) Scotty. These are the three people I believe are "equals" in private to Jim, no matter their ranks when they're on duty. Because of that, a relationship between Jim and Spock could work pretty well.

By the way, another thing the Valentine's Day comic made me think about is that in TOS movies, Jim sort of does with Spock pretty much everything he does with Laura in this story. Not the same way, of course, but does it matter? Spock is his own person, he's not Jim's copy. That doesn't mean he can't indulge Jim, have fun himself… and try to stop Jim from doing dangerous things "for fun", as an old spouse would :)

Okay, perhaps throwing each other into the water doesn't count as dancing, but it's so much better :D

In conclusion, this is the way I can read the Valentine's Day comic as a Kirk/Spock shipper:

Jim mentions Spock on his first date with a woman.

Jim questions his life choices as he thinks about Spock and IDIC philosophy.

Jim does with Laura everything we see him doing in TOS show, except for playing chess (just the thing he does with Spock).

Jim says Laura and him are a good team in Starfleet because they had a lot of sex (is that true about other people he works well with??)

There haven't been many ladies or gentlemen in Jim's life because he's busy (not because he's not into men, apparently).

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together." Good for your future with Spock, Jim!

If Jim and Laura got married, they could both teach at Starfleet Academy, something Jim is totally going to do with Spock someday.

Mister "I am something of an expert on the subject of James T. Kirk" Spock.

Also, Mister "I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness" Spock, which is actual foreshadowing of his own future status with Jim.

Hey, look at Jim reading a book that reminds him of his lost love! I wonder where I've seen LITERALLY THE SAME PICTURE???

"Don't 'Admiral' me". This is totally not similar to what Jim tells Spock in The Voyage Home, of course.

Hey, we're both captains now! Just for a few days, but isn't that great? I wonder if anyone else is a captain now, and forever? :D

"I have been and always shall be your Valentine". Totally not a Kirk/Spock line, I don't know what you're talking about! :)

Okay, okay, that's all.

As a Kirk/Spock shipper, I won't deny that I'm a little jealous of this Valentine's Day special comic, because I wish we could get something with amazing art like this where Jim is in love with Spock. On the other hand, Star Trek: Year Five comic series has a few scenes about Jim & Spock's friendship that I really liked. Platonic, sure, but good enough for my K/S goggles!

Thank you so much for reading this post until the end! I hope you enjoyed my analysis! Live long and prosper!

#star trek analysis #star trek: year five #star trek: year five valentine's day special #star trek comics #james t. kirk #laura rhone #spirk #star trek tos #star trek the original series #k/s #kirk x spock #space husbands #my gifs

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fritz-federleicht · 1 year

Note

Hi, I would like to request a headcanon/imagine where the reader is a maskmaker for Slipknot and tours with them, does consultations with the members about their new masks and falls in love with Joey. You could make it a series with each member if you like it. Thank you! ❤️

Mask maker/ Joey Jordison x fem!reader

Notes: Thanks for the request. Maybe I make a series out of it but then rather headcanons

Summary: you're a new mask maker for Slipknot and you have to go on tour with them. Somehow you fall in love with the short drummer

Words: 2.119

FLUFF

Some time ago Shawn, a good friend of yours, asked you if you would like to make masks for him and some of his band mates. You said yes, of course.

He then told you they were on tour and you had to come along. They're playing a concert in your town soon and would pick you up. Shawn said he'll put you on the guest list. For you the whole thing is no problem.

When the day came, you went to the back entrance of the venue with a big bag.

"Hey, I'm Y/N. Shawn put me on the guest list." You look at the big intimidating security guard.

He looks at a list and nods. "Ah here it is, Y/N." He makes a hand gesture for you to follow and opens the door. "First, let's get your bag out of here."

You walk silently behind the guard. You cross a few rooms and walk through different hallways until you come to a door that leads to a locked outdoor area.

There are tour buses of the crew and a huge bus that looks quite luxurious.

"You'll sleep in that bus there." He points to a slightly smaller bus that is right next to the luxurious one.

You enter your new sleeping place, it's spacious. The bus has four bunks, two of which seem to be occupied, a small kitchen and a bathroom. It's small but perfectly adequate. Besides, the bus seems to be for more important people of the crew. You doubt that in every bus there is a kitchen and a bathroom.

You put your bag down on an empty bunk.

"Where's Y/N? In there?" You hear someone ask.

You turn around to the entrance of the bus. Already Shawn comes rushing in.

"Y/N finally we meet again! It's been a long time." He hugs you. Then pulls away and talks to you. You don't notice much because your attention is focused on two men outside the door. A rather tall man leaning against the bus and a short man standing next to him, both staring at you.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" You interrupt Shawn.

Shawn turns around, confused. When he catches sight of the two men, he walks toward them. You follow him.

"That's Chris." He points to the tall man. Chris gives you a friendly nod. "And that's Joey."

Said man smiles. "Nice to meet you." His green eyes scrutinize you intently. You smile back, which seems to please him, because the corners of his mouth pull up further. Joey seems to be kind, you think.

"And who are you?" Chris asks harshly, destroying the beautiful moment.

"You idiot. This is Y/N. I told you about her. She'll be making the masks for everyone who doesn't have a new one yet." Shawn takes a step toward him. "So for you too." He looks like he wants to punch Chris in the face.

Joey looks from Shawn and Chris to you. "Then we'll work together." He asks the question that isn't really a question anymore.

Shawn ignores Joey's sentence and turns to you. "Y/N you'll have time to settle in later. I'll introduce you to the others for now." He walks toward the building, leaving the two men behind. "First impressions are important. It can help you find a new design for the particular mask."

You re-enter the building and Shawn introduces you to his band members. You chat with each, then the boys must take the stage.

You watch their performance with enthusiasm. It's impressive how they manage to make the crowd go crazy.

After the concert the men go to their bus, it's the big luxurious one. You go into your bus and introduce yourself to your roommates. After that you go to sleep.

The next morning you're woken up by loud knocking. "Y/N! Get up! Let's go get some breakfast!" It's Shawn's voice.

You look around in confusion. You're alone. The others were probably still going to let you sleep.

"I'll be right there. Give me five minutes." You reach into your bag and pull out a pair of pants and a top. After you put it on you knot your hair. One last look in the mirror then you open the door.

Nine faces stare at you. "Oh...I didn't know you were all waiting." You're embarrassed and blush.

"We like to wait for you Y/N." Joey smiles at you.

"Joey stop flirting with Y/N!" Commands Shawn and gives him a scowl. He's like your dad, trying to protect you from bad guys.

"I'm hungry. Can we go now?" Whines Corey.

Joey rolls his eyes as Corey trudges off without answering. The rest of you go after him in small groups.

You stick mostly to Shawn since he's the only one you really know so far. He tells you that you're going to a bakery to eat. It's only a short walk.

You are talking to Shawn about his ideas for his new mask when Joey comes up next to you.

"I don't want to bother you but you mentioned yesterday that you wanted to talk to everyone individually, I volunteer to be the first. You just have to say when and where. I have time all day."

You smile kindly at him. "Um yeah I'd love to." For some reason his presence makes you shy. "We can meet right after lunch."

And there you sit now, waiting, in a large room with a few boxes of your utensils. They were delivered the day before so you can physically make the different masks.

You wait for Joey, he said after you were back at the venue he had to go to the bus. You replied that you would already be waiting in the pre-arranged room.

The pen in your hand draws small circles on the paper lying in your lap. At some point the door opens and you look up. Joey happily enters the room, obviously pleased to see you again.

It's his first consultation with you. You thought you would immediately start exchanging ideas, but you thought wrong!

Joey doesn't seem to have it urgent with his mask. He seemed to want to get to know you more first. He asked you how you know Shawn. You answer that you have been friends with his wife for a long time.

He seems interested in you, which flatters you.

The day after you have free because dismantling. So you can still move around the venue.

Only on that day, at your second meeting, Joey talks about his mask for the first time. He has exact ideas which he announces to you. He illustrates it with his old mask that he brought with him.

His previous mask had rivets as eyebrows and blood-red stripes around the eyes. His new one, as he says, is supposed to look like "someone drowned in the water, lain in it for months and rose again". Simply put, he wants to look like a floater.

As he tells you this, you make a quick sketch. "It's supposed to be a further evolution of your current mask, right?" You quickly draw Joey's profile on the page.

"Yeah, it's just supposed to be...dirtier. You know what I mean? With brown spots and stuff." He leans back and watches you put his ideas on the paper. "Also, I'm imagining a patched crack on the forehead. The mouth should also be like this... You're really talented Y/N. Do you know that?" His gaze is fixed on the paper in your lap as he moves closer to you to see better.

The sudden closeness brings heat to your face. You don't want to let on what effect he has on you and thank him for the compliment.

After a short time, the mini version of Joey lies in front of you. He already looks pretty scary, but something is still missing. Then it occurs to you. You put the pencil back on and draw a crown of thorns on his head. "What do you think?" You hold up the sketch. "You said you wanted to look like a floater and I thought the crown would go well with it."

Something in his eyes changes, they radiate enthusiasm but also a certain admiration. He takes the drawn paper from your hand. "I would never have thought of that. It fits perfectly." With joy, he pulls you into a hug.

As he lets go of you, he pushes a strand of black hair behind his ear. He looks down at the floor in shame. This time he blushes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to push you or anything. It was just because I..."

You put your hand on his knee and smile faintly. "It's okay. I get so excited a lot too that I could hug the whole world."

He looks up slowly. A weak smile on his lips.

You notice he's still uncomfortable with the situation and change the subject. "If you like the sketch, I would take a print of your face tomorrow."

He agrees.

"Tomorrow we travel to the next town and it will take a while for the mixture to dry on your face. Do you mind if you're on the bus with me during the ride and I take care of your face in the meantime?"

"That's fine. It'll give me a little time off from the boys."

So a day later, Joey gets on the bus with you.

"Sit down over there, please." You point to a black couch. "I'll be right with you." You enter the bathroom and take a bowl of thick liquid from the sink.

You moisten a rag. "Here, use this to clean your face."

Joey can just barely catch the wet fabric out of the air before it would've slapped him in the face. While cleaning his skin, he asks where your roommates are.

"Not wanting to get in my way while I do my work, they got on another bus." You squint at Joey, stirring the mixture in the bowl. "You ready?"

Joey nods and sets the rag on the table beside him. "Wait, I'll quickly tie up my hair." He raises his hands and tucks his black hair behind his ears. Using a brown scrunchie, he ties his hair at the back of his head. In the process, the sleeves of his t-shirt slipped up.

You're amazed at how muscular his arms actually are and you immediately wonder what it's like to be held by them.

"Y/N are you okay?" Joey snaps you out of your thoughts.

"Oh um yeah. I was just thinking about how your mask is going to end up looking."

"I hope good." He laughs.

And all you can think about is that you could watch him do this all day. His laughter sounds beautiful.

What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Do you develop feelings for him?

You pull a brush out of your pocket and dip it into the bowl. "Here we go."

He closes his eyes as he feels the coldness of the liquid on his skin. You add a few more brush strokes. You think it's cute how Joey wrinkles his nose.

"Are you ticklish?" You ask.

"Mmmhhm."

"You can talk. I paint your mouth at the end."

He answers your question. "Yes I am. Very easily, in fact. This thing here," He points across the room. "Drives me crazy."

"Eventually you get used to the feeling. But it's cute how you wrinkle your nose at every stroke."

He smiles. "I've never gotten a compliment like that before. Thank you."

The upper half of his face is now completely covered with the thick liquid.

"Do you have any last words before I paint over your mouth?" You ask.

"Yes indeed." His words come thoughtfully over his lips, his beautiful lips. "We're only going to meet one more time aren't we? To give me my finished mask?" You nod. "So we don't really know each other, but I like you. I know you'll be busy with the others, but do you want to meet sometime?"

You don't know where you got the sudden confidence as you say the next words. "Only if it's a date."

He laughs. "Then I guess it will be a date."

"Then we can meet." You say. "I'll paint your mouth now. Don't be scared."

He nods and you finish your work by painting his lips.

#joey jordison x reader #joey jordison x y/n #joey jordison x reader #joey jordison one shot #joey jordison imagine #joey jordison #slipknot x y/n #slipknot imagine #slipknot #slipknot x reader #slipknot one shot

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hephaestuscrew · 1 year

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"Minkowski's been talking about Sondheim again…": Minkowski's love of musical theatre and what it reveals about her characterisation and her relationships

TL;DR: Renée Minkowski's love of musicals, while it might seem just like a mundane character detail, is used to give depth to her character because it contrasts with expectations of her from both the listening audience and the other characters. Her willingness or unwillingness to share this interest in different circumstances reveals her relationships with other characters at various points. Since this is a long one, if you'd rather read it as a document, you can view it here: Google Doc version.

"She actually really cares about these talent shows": Episode 8 (Box 953)

In the early episodes of Season 1, Minkowski is presented (largely through Eiffel's unreliable perspective) purely as a strict no-nonsense authority figure without much emotional depth, the kind of person who only likes things that are useful, purposeful, or mandated by Command. In contrast, musical theatre is a creative pursuit that has nothing to do with the mission of the Hephaestus and is viewed by many people as fairly frivolous or silly. The gradual exploration of Minkowski's passion for musicals is one of the many ways that the show expands and challenges our understanding of her as a character.

The first indication that we get of her interest in musicals is through her entry into the infamous talent show, something that is required as part of the mission. Minkowski really cares about 'crew morale' activities in general, even when they actually have a negative effect on morale and even before she's friends with any of her crew (for example, the Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners in the earlier stage of the mission), perhaps partly because doing things in the "right way" is important to her.

But Eiffel senses that the talent shows aren't just about rules for her: "it’s bad enough when she makes us do something just because it’s military protocol, but I think that she actually really cares about these talent shows". This might be the first indication that we get of Minkowski caring deeply about anything that isn't inherently part of her role as a Commander. Moments like this are part of the gradual process of giving us insight into her character beyond the Commander archetype that she tries to embody. And yet, she only indulges her theatrical passion because something mandatory gives her permission, or an excuse, to let another part of herself out.

Of course, to satisfy the needs of a talent show, she'd only need to provide a performance of a few minutes. But Eiffel mentions "the second act of the play" - which along with Hera's comment that "Isabel isn't the biggest role in the play" - implies that Minkowski was intending to put on the whole of Pirates of Penzance as her talent show act, rather than a few of the songs or some kind of medley. (I suppose that Eiffel could be exaggerating or Minkowski might have been planning to do extracts from different parts of the play, but I prefer the interpretation in which Minkowski gets to be more ridiculous.)

Even though no one else would be willing to be in her production of Pirates of Penzance, Minkowski casts Hera as Isabel, a role with two lines and no solo singing. I found some audition notes for this play which said "The traditional staging gives [Isabel] more prominence than the solo opportunities of the part suggest, so she must be a good actress" which does make me sad in relation to Hera's inability to have a more significant role by being physically present on stage.

It’s sweet that Hera still wants to take part though. She tells Eiffel "Pirates of Penzance is a classic of 19th century comic opera", so either she’s absorbed what Minkowski has told her about the show, or she’s done her own research and formed her own opinions. I enjoy the fact that Hera is the one Hephaestus crew member who shows potential to share Minkowski's musical theatre appreciation; I like to think that this is something they could explore together post-canon.

Anyway, I'm obsessed with the idea that Minkowski was planning to play every character except one in Pirates of Penzance, a show which is designed to have 10 principal characters and a chorus of 14 men. It seems that her contribution to the talent show was supposed to be an entire two-hour two-act musical, with costumes and props, in which she would play almost all of the parts. This is very funny to me as the perhaps predictable consequence of giving an ambitious and frustrated grown-up theatre kid a position of authority and asking them to arrange a talent show. Minkowski knows that the audience will be made up of her subordinates who are theoretically obliged by the chain of command to watch and listen, so she absolutely tries to make the most of that opportunity. There's probably also a degree to which she limits other people's involvement in her musical because - as with her other endeavors - she wants the outcome to be almost entirely within her control (something that is usually pretty much impossible in as collaborative a medium as musical theatre).

Of course, Minkowski's behaviour in most of the talent show episode is affected by her being drugged by Hilbert. This creates an exaggerated situation which is the first real opportunity for Minkowski to be something other than the strict sensible authoritarian Commander and the foil to Eiffel's jokey laid-back attitude. I don't agree with ideas that being intoxicated brings out anyone's true self (especially in the absence of consent for the intoxication), but it seems pretty clear that being under the influence of whatever was in Hilbert's concoction caused Minkowski to fully commit to a level of manic enthusiasm for her musical production that might have otherwise been obscured by her professionalism. It's a particular kind of person who belts showtunes when drunk, and Minkowski is that kind of person, even if that's not how she wants to present herself. (As a sidenote, I seem to remember that they took Emma Sherr-Ziarko's script off her to help her sound more drunk. It's an excellent performance.)

Minkowski wants interval ice cream. She wants "pirate costumes" (and she'll threaten to shoot a man to get them). She wants "swashes and buckles". She wants whatever props she can get her hands on (including a real cannon). This show is important to her, even though only three other people will witness it and two of them actively don't want to be there. It’s important to her for its own sake.

Eiffel says Minkowski wants "a second pair of eyes to tell her if the prop sabre for her Major-General costume was a bit much…" While I certainly wouldn't put it past Goddard Futuristics to have a prop sabre on the station for no apparent reason, it feels more likely that she might have made it or adapted some existing item. Which suggests that maybe she was that passionate about the props even before Hilbert drugged her.

Even so, it does feel significant that Minkowski's love of musicals is only revealed in the episode in which she is drugged, exhibiting lowered inhibitions, exaggerated behaviour, and an "impaired euphoric effect". Her love of musical theatre is initially revealed through a professional structure that provides permission, and then further emphasised by a forced intoxication that exaggerates some impulses that perhaps she already had.

"Some hobbies other than making trains run on time": Episode 17 (Bach to the Future)

After Eiffel tells to find Minkowski to find something else to do while her work duties have quietened down, they have the following exchange:

EIFFEL: You must have some hobbies other than making trains run on time. Something to do with friends? Boyfriends? MINKOWSKI: Of course I do, but, well, there aren't really a lot of opportunities for rock climbing or trail hiking in the immediate vicinity.

Even though this quote doesn't mention musicals, I've included it here for two reasons. Firstly, it's very funny to me that, even after the talent show debacle, Eiffel acts like he's never had any evidence of Minkowski's hobbies. She tried to perform a whole play almost single-handedly and it didn't occur to him that this might indicate an interest of hers outside of work. I think this reflects the fairly two-dimensional view that Eiffel has previously had of Minkowski, which her interest in musical theatre didn't fit into.

Secondly, it feels notable that Minkowski doesn't mention musical theatre here. She wants to show that she has non-work interests, but without undermining her own authoritative image. Her interest in rock climbing and trail hiking - while it may be genuine - fits with how she wants to be seen as a Commander. These are hobbies which portray her as physically capable, with a high degree of stamina and a willingness to adapt to perhaps less hospitable surroundings. Of course, Minkowski does have these traits and they serve her well on the Hephaestus. But there's not really anything particularly surprising about her expressing these interests. The surprise in this scene comes from the reveal that she has a husband, a character detail which - like her love of musicals - isn't something we'd necessarily expect from the archetype-based view of her we are initially presented with.

Her interest in rock climbing and trail hiking never come up again, because these details don't really deepen her characterisation (or at least, they aren't really used to deepen her characterisation beyond proving that she isn't entirely all-work-and-no-play). In contrast, Minkowski's love of musicals is brought up over and over because it shows another side of her that she struggles to reveal on the Hephaestus, and that allows more interesting things to be done with her characterisation.

"You wanted to write showtunes": Episode 35 (Need to Know)

Alongside the more high stakes discoveries prompted by the leak from Kepler's files, we also learn that Minkowski applied to - and was rejected from - the Tisch Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program.

Up until this point, we've only had evidence that Minkowski enjoys performing in musicals. But here we learn that Minkowski doesn't just love watching or performing in musicals - she wanted to write them too. This suggests a creative side to her that we never see her fully express.

The course

The Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program claims to be the only course of its kind in the world and it accepts just 30 students each year. The current application process requires applicants to: upload play scripts or recordings of songs they've written; answer a large number of extended response questions about their creative process and views on musical theatre; write a 'statement of purpose' which has to talk about why they are applying and include 3 original ideas for musicals; provide a professional resume and a digital portfolio; complete an exercise of writing in response to a prompt; and undergo an interview. The process might have changed somewhat since Minkowski would have been applying (which, if it was soon after she finished college, might have been around the early 2000s) or it might be different in Wolf 359's alternate universe, but I think we can safely assume that applying to this course was a serious undertaking that required an intense amount of commitment and work.

Applying to a course like that isn't something you do half-heartedly or on a whim. You couldn't apply to this course if you hadn't done a fair amount of musical theatre writing already. (The course requires applicants to choose to apply as bookwriters, lyricists, or composers, but I'm not going to make a guess here as to which of these Minkowski went for.) The fact that Minkowski wanted to study this course suggests that she was seriously considering trying to make a career out of musical theatre writing. In Once In A Lifetime, she tells Cutter that commanding a space station has always been her dream job, but we've got evidence here that it wasn't her only dream job. There's something kind of funny and kind of sad about the idea that writing musicals was her back-up / fall-back career path. She does not like to make life easy for herself.

The revelation

This information is revealed against Minkowski's will. It's not something she wanted people to find out, and she isn't happy about them knowing:

JACOBI: "Dear Renée, thank you for your interest in the Tisch Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program..." MINKOWSKI: Oh, come on! JACOBI: (pressing on) "We are sorry to say, we will not be able to offer you a spot in this year's blah blah blah." Oh this is too good. You wanted to write showtunes? MINKOWSKI: Number one? Shut up. Number two, why are my personal records on there?! [...] How is it in any way relevant?! JACOBI: Oh, I think it's very relevant. I mean, if you're sending someone to pilot ships in deep space, you want to make sure that they can, you know... paint with all the colors of the wind. Jacobi CRACKS UP - and, although to a lesser degree, so does Lovelace. Minkowski looks at her: really? LOVELACE: Sorry, Minkowski. It's... it's a little funny. MINKOWKSI: No, it isn't!

Minkowski seems defensive and embarrassed here. She obviously doesn't trust everyone there with this revelation (Jacobi, Maxwell, Lovelace, and Hera are all present). She considers this information to be "personal" and irrelevant and not even "a little funny". She's used to reactions like Jacobi's (and to a lesser extent Lovelace's); in Ep41 Memoria, she says "most people think it's hilarious that I like musicals" (see below for more thoughts about this quote). But the fact that these mocking reactions are expected doesn't mean that they don't bother her. She wants so badly to be taken seriously and, in this scene, her interest in musical theatre seems to be incompatible with that. Jacobi reacts the way that he does because of the idea that I've already expressed, that a passion for musical theatre does not fit with the serious authoritative image that Minkowski has often presented. It's not the typical hobby of a soldier, especially not a Commander.

To me, the way Lovelace laughs suggests that she might not have previously known about Minkowski's love of musicals, or at least perhaps not the full extent of it. At any rate, it's definitely news to Jacobi. And Minkowski clearly hasn't talked about it enough for it not to feel like a big reveal for her.

The rejection

It's notable that this reveal is not just that she wanted to write for the stage, but also that she failed to get into a course that might have helped her work towards that goal. This of course compounds Minkowski's discomfort at having this information revealed. Not only did she want to write showtunes, but she encountered rejection in her attempts to do so. This detail implies that perhaps it wasn't just the appeal of her spacefaring dream that stopped her going down a theatrical career path.

I'm about to move more into headcanon territory rather than just straightforward analysis, but I personally believe that, while Minkowski auditioned for a lot of musicals (particularly as a child / young person), she was never cast as the main role. She seems embarrassed about her interest in musical theatre in a way that (at least judging by people I've encountered) people who were always the lead in their school / college productions don't tend to be.

We don't have much evidence about her actual level of singing/acting ability, given that she is inebriated during the only time we hear her sing in the podcast. However, it resonates with other aspects of her characterisation to imagine that Minkowski was generally good enough to get an ensemble part but never quite good enough to be cast as a main part. I think she might see only ever being cast as part of the ensemble, and failing to get into the Tisch Musical Theatre Writing programme, as slightly more down-to-earth examples of the same pattern as her repeated rejections from NASA. She is desperate to prove herself. She is "someone who very much wants to matter. To do something important." When she casts herself as almost every part in Pirates of Penzance, she is finally taking the opportunity to be a main character, an opportunity which I imagine had been denied to her over and over in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

"It's just from a play I saw once": Episode 41 (Memoria)

The next scene I want to talk about is from a memory of Hera's, which took place on Day 57 of the Hephaestus mission and in which Minkowski appears to be talking about the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George:

MINKOWSKI: Oh, it's just from a play I saw once. It doesn't matter. (BEAT) The guy who sings it is this famous French painter. And his entire life is kinda falling apart. But he can always turn what's happening around him into these beautiful paintings. HERA: And? MINKOWSKI: And... That's, I don't know. Reassuring, maybe? (BEAT) I don't know why I'm going on about this. You don't care. HERA: I think it's interesting. MINKOWSKI: Yeah? Most people think it's hilarious that I like musicals. HERA: I don't see what's funny about it. MINKOWSKI: Well, thank you Hera, but you're not exactly... you know. HERA: I'm not... what?

There's a couple of different things I want to pick out from this exchange. Firstly, the line "Most people think it's hilarious that I like musicals" makes me sad. I don't think she's talking about people on the Hephaestus there. Judging by the quote I talked about from Bach to the Future, Eiffel definitely wouldn't have registered Minkowski's love of musicals at this stage, and I doubt Hilbert cares at all about the hobbies of his fellow crew members. So Minkowski is talking about experiences that she's had on Earth, of people mocking her interest in musicals and thinking it doesn't fit with who she is. You can hear the impact of those experiences in Minkowski's reluctance to elaborate, in the way she says that something she obviously cares about doesn't matter, in her assumption that Hera doesn't care.

Secondly, this scene is a complicated one for Minkowski and Hera's relationship. On the one hand, Minkowski freely talks to Hera about something she's passionate about, and Hera listens and expresses interest. Hera validates Minkowski's interest in musical theatre without making a thing of it being weird and Minkowski thanks her. Again, it’s shown as an interest they could could potentially share.

But on the other hand, it seems like part of the reason Minkowski feels able to open up to Hera is because at this point Minkowski doesn't see opening up to Hera as fully equivalent to opening up to a fellow human. She doesn't just accept Hera not making fun of her interest; instead it seems Minkowski is about to imply that this lack of judgment indicates Hera's difference from humans (although she does have the decency not to say it outright). Minkowski's expectation of judgment from others contributes to her saying something very hurtful to Hera here. (This kind of potential consequence of negative self-attitude is explored a lot with Eiffel, so it's interesting that Minkowski can sometimes have a similar issue.)

Minkowski and Hera's conversation is interrupted when:

The DOOR OPENS. EIFFEL: Hey, Minkowski, we've - What are you guys talking about? MINKOWSKI: We were just discussing how I'm going to take away your hot water privileges if you don't reset the long-range scan.

Eiffel can obviously tell that he's walked in on a conversation that is about something other than work, or he wouldn't have asked. But Minkowski actively chooses not to tell him that she was talking to Hera about musicals. Perhaps she doesn't know how to open up to a human subordinate about it. Perhaps she doesn't trust him not to make fun of her. Perhaps she just doesn't have any impulse to talk about her interests with him. Either way, if Minkowski's love of musicals is something which reflects a side of her personality outside of her Commander role, this is a moment where she chooses not to take an opportunity to share that side of herself with Eiffel. This reflects the emotional distance between them three months into the mission, which forms a nice contrast with the next couple of quotes I'm going to talk about.

"Composition. Balance. Harmony.": Episode 54 (The Watchtower)

When Eiffel comes directly face to face with alien life, he discovers that music is the human invention that fascinates the Dear Listeners:

EIFFEL: You haven't figured out music? BOB: ORDER. DESIGN. TENSION. COMPOSITION. BALANCE. HARMONY. EIFFEL: (low, to himself) Minkowski's been talking about Sondheim again…

I only learned in the course of writing this post that in this moment the Dear Listeners are almost exactly quoting a repeated phrase used throughout Sunday in the Park with George. The titular protagonist lists various combinations of these qualities in multiple songs in reference to his art. In the closing song, the lyrics are "Order. Design. Tension. Composition. Balance. Light. [...] Harmony." It's not only Eiffel's references that the Dear Listeners are incorporating into their speech - they've picked this one up from Minkowski. This also suggests that some element of her appreciation for musicals and the way she talks about them has fed into the Dear Listeners' understanding of the human phenomenon of music. The Dear Listeners aren't just parroting - they understood the quote enough that they left out the word "light", arguably the only quality in that phrase which isn't a big part of music as well as visual art. Eiffel likes music too, but I don't think that this is how he'd talk about his favourite songs.

This is a refrain about finding order and beauty out of the chaos and uncertainty of life, which was also the aspect of Sunday in the Park with George that Minkowski focused on when talking about it in Memoria. It suggests that art/music could be something governed by rules and principles, which is potentially something that appeals both to Minkowski and to the Dear Listeners.

Eiffel's response to this reference is one of those little hints that reminds us that Eiffel and Minkowski have spent a lot of time together and that not all of that time has involved them being at each others' throats or actively in a life-or-death situation. Some of it has just been Minkowski going on about a musical she loves and Eiffel (willingly or not) paying enough attention that he recognises this phrase as a Sondheim quote that Minkowski has talked about. I suppose that this quote might have been in Eiffel's pop-culture-brain anyway, but judging from Eiffel's general tastes and the fact that I don't think Sunday in the Park with George is one of the more commonly known Sondheim musicals among non-musical fans, it seems more likely that this quote is something he only knows because Minkowski has talked about it.

Eiffel sounds exasperated at the mention, like he's heard Minkowski talk about Sondheim far too much. But I'd argue that this still says something positive about their relationship, when we contrast it with a couple of other moments I've already mentioned. Firstly, when her previous musical theatre ambitions are revealed to Jacobi, Maxwell, and Lovelace in Need to Know, Minkowski seems embarrassed and defensive. Secondly, in the memory from Memoria, she avoids telling Eiffel that she was talking about this same musical. Yet, by the time The Watchtower takes place, Eiffel is sick of hearing Minkowski talk about Sondheim. She doesn't have the same barriers up in sharing her interests with him, even though he doesn't have the same interests. I think this is a demonstration of how comfortable she feels with him. It's a hint at the kind of easy downtime that they've sometimes shared.

"One day more": Episode 61 (Brave New World)

Eiffel recognises another musical reference of Minkowski’s in the finale. As the crew are preparing for their final confrontation with Cutter and co., Minkowski quotes Les Misérables, mostly to herself - but Eiffel recognises the lyrics and joins in:

EIFFEL: Hey - chin up, soldier. We're almost through. Just one more day, and then we're done. MINKOWSKI: Yeah, one more day. (more to herself) The time is now, the place is here - one day more. EIFFEL: - one day more. They both stop, dead in their tracks. MINKOWSKI: Did you just - ? EIFFEL: Was that what I - ? They look at each other: No way. And BURST INTO LAUGHTER. EIFFEL: Man... this is really it, huh? The end of everything.

It feels really important that Minkowski and Eiffel share this moment of togetherness before she tries to send him back to Earth and before the rest of the action goes down. I think there’s some nice symbolism about them finding a way to communicate that they both understand. Making references is Eiffel's thing, and musicals are Minkowski's thing, so this is a synthesis of their two approaches. Again, there's a contrast with Minkowski's previous unwillingness to share her musical theatre passions with Eiffel (at least without the mitigating circumstances of a mandatory talent show and some kind of intoxicating substance).

I talked about the significance of the fact that they reference this particular musical in this post from ages ago. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler for Les Misérables to say that the revolution that the song One Day More is building up to does not end well for the revolutionaries. When Eiffel says "Just one more day, and then we're done", it encompasses both the possibility that the crew will escape to travel back to Earth and the possibility that they will all die. Minkowski's reference to a famously tragic musical suggests that it's the latter possibility that's at the forefront of her mind (right before she tries to send Eiffel away from the danger). But Les Misérables is also a story about people standing together in solidarity against powerful oppressive forces, which gives particular resonance to the way that this reference brings Eiffel and Minkowski together in a moment of being completely on the same wavelength as they prepare to fight Cutter and Pryce's plan.

When they laugh here, it's not about the 'hilariousness' of Minkowski's interest in musicals, it's about their unexpected unison - Eiffel's recognition of Minkowski's reference and Minkowski's surprise at the fact he joined in. It's a laugh of togetherness, of shared understanding, of friendship. It's a moment of lightness in dark times. And that moment is provided by Minkowski's pop culture interests, not Eiffel's. In spite of all they've been through, she's not lost that part of herself, and in fact, she's more open about it, at least to Eiffel.

I'll finish by highlighting what Eiffel says when he's trying to get into character to impersonate Minkowski so he can turn the Sol around:

EIFFEL: Umm... yes, this is Lieutenant Commander Renée Minkowski. I'm... uh... well I sure love schedules, and, uh, musicals. And that man, who I married…

I just think this is a nice example of Eiffel not defining Minkowski solely by her professional Commander role. Sure, she likes schedules (probably in a personal as well a professional capacity to be fair), but she also loves musicals, and her husband. It is a fairly reductive overview of her as a person, but it feels reductive in a fond way, like these things are part of Minkowski's brand to Eiffel in a way that he might affectionately tease her about. (Credit to @commsroom for this thought.) His view of Minkowski has come a long way from "our resident Statsi agent" or even just "you must have some hobbies other than making trains run on time." He doesn't see any contradiction or inherent humour in Lieutenant Commander Renée Minkowski's appreciation of musicals.

Conclusion

Minkowski's love of musical theatre is used to deepen her characterisation and is one of the ways in which we gradually begin to see her complexity beyond the strict Commander archetype. The degree to which she is prepared to share this interest at various points is used to illustrate the nature of her relationships with other characters: a general unwillingness to show a less serious side of herself; a complicated potential shared interest with Hera; and the growing understanding between her and Eiffel.

If you read this whole thing, well done / thank you 😄 It wasn't meant to be this long - it just happened… Feel free to share your thoughts!

#It's Minkowski Essay Time again!#This is over 4700 words and still doesn't cover it all...#I hadn't quite realised there was so much to say!#Wolf 359 #w359 #If anyone is more familiar with 'Sunday in the Park with George' and has thoughts on why it might particularly appeal to Minkowski #I'd be interested to hear #I listened to the soundtrack and read the Wikipedia plot summary #but I don't think I really got it #My other significant bit of research was that #in order to see what applying to the Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program involves #I had to create an account as if I was actually applying #which might be the oddest thing I've done for character analysis #If it interests anyone I could do a post with more detail about that application process #cos it looks insanely intense #Renée Minkowski #Renee Minkowski #the empty man posteth #I hope no one takes things I have said here as critical of musical theatre people btw #I'm just talking about general perceptions #In general I do enjoy musicals myself from an audience perspective

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rorywritesjunk · 9 months

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Oh, go to sleep, Little Skylark. Fly up past the stars

After breaking your heart, Buggy is cursed to be a kid again. The last thing you want to do is be involved with this.

Rating: PG-13ish. Warning: Blood, injury, naked adult pirate. Arguing and stuff. A/N: There's only one chapter left after this and it's written so it will be posted in a few days.

Title comes from “Little Skylark (safe at home)” by S.J. Tucker.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @fluffybunnyu @plethora-of-fickleness @ane5e @valen-yamyam16 @lavanderdreamve @jollycandyruins

Chapter Seven

You slept off most of the rum. The kid was awake and dressed by the time you got out of bed and he was glaring at you as you washed your face and ran a brush through your hair. It was dawning on you that your stuff was back at the inn and that you couldn't keep wearing Buggy's clothes. It… it was weird. Maybe you could get Mohji to go get your things. You didn't feel like leaving the ship.

Buggy took your hand as the two of you went to the kitchen and he was glaring at everyone. It was weird how much he looked like himself as an adult right then. You had seen that glare plenty of times and seeing it on the kid's face was a little funny but also concerning. He let go of your hand and took a seat at the table while you made him breakfast.

“What's wrong, Buggy?” You asked as you put his plate in front of him. He shrugged and poked at his food. You bit your tongue when he did that, remembering you promised not to be mean to him anymore, but seeing him poke at the food made you angry for a brief moment but you shook it off.

“Do you like him?” He asked as he looked up at you. You looked at him, confusion on your face as you tried to think of what he was talking about. Him? Him who? “Like, do you want to kiss him?”

“Cabaji?” You asked. He was the last person you've interacted with besides Buggy. The kid nodded as he started eating. “Ew, no. Why would you think that?”

“You two were sitting together last night.” Buggy said, his mouth full of food. “So I was wondering.”

“Ew.” You shuddered. “No, I don't like him like that. I tolerate him as a crew member.” What a weird question to ask first thing in the morning. You walked over to his side of the table and crouched down until you were eye level with him, narrowing your eyes as you studied his face. Was he going to turn back soon? Was this some kind of sign? There was a flash of something in his eyes for a moment and you wondered something…

“Wait, Buggy, did you not like me and Cabaji sitting together last night?” You asked. “Did that make you unhappy?”

He shrugged as he continued eating.

“Why did you think I liked him?” You asked, trying to get something out of him. You wouldn't dream of hooking up with a member of the crew since you've been trying to leave for the last few days. You wanted to be done with all of this but part of you still wanted to stick around for the kid's sake, even if you were starting to crack a bit.

“You two talk a lot.” Buggy mumbled as he ate. “I don't like it. And… when I'm an adult again I don't think I'll like it either.”

You sighed and rubbed your face. This was too much of a conversation to have without the right amount of coffee. Either he was about to change back or he was trying to overthink things, but you didn't want to be talking about relationships with a child.

“Well, when you're an adult again you can feel however you want about things.” You told him as you stood back up. “But me and Cabaji? Ew, no. And me and you when you become an adult again? No. We aren't together anymore for a reason and it's better that way.”

“Why?” Buggy frowned as he set his fork down. “Can't I try again? I'll apologize a lot!”

“Buggy, you can't apologize for something you did as an adult when you're a kid. It doesn't work that way.” You said as you went to pour yourself some coffee. “Just…take it easy right now, okay? Just enjoy being a kid without responsibilities for a few more days.”

He crossed his arms and huffed in frustration. It was kind of adorable but honestly, you didn't want to think about any of this. You just needed a stress-free day for once and today needed to be it. You took a sip of your coffee and sighed.

“Look, we can… we can have a conversation when you’re an adult again, Buggy.” You said as you took a seat at the table. “It’s not something I can talk about with you while you’re a kid.”

“Why?” He asked. You took another sip of coffee. He sure liked to ask why a lot this morning.

“Because… you’re a kid right now.” You replied. “And… if I’m going to have a proper conversation about my past relationship, it’s going to be with you as an adult, because I have things I want to know.”

“Like what?” Buggy asked. “Maybe I’d know?”

“No, no, I just want you to take it easy, no more questions.” You said as you took another sip of coffee. You didn’t want to interrogate the kid about whether or not he would cheat on you as an adult. Cabaji said he didn’t cheat but did you believe him? You even found it hard to believe but you also didn’t believe Buggy would apologize to you. It seemed pretty clear that he had been over and done with the relationship, which hurt because you couldn’t understand what went wrong.

Maybe you should have tried to get him to talk more, to open up about why he was shutting you out, but would it have made a difference? If he wasn’t cheating, and those flowers were for you, would you have accepted his apology? You’d like to think you wouldn’t, you still felt hurt by his words over breakfast that morning that you almost snipped at the kid earlier over, and as much as you tried to deny it, you still cared for the idiot. There was still a part of you that loved him, even though you were hurt, and if he had shown up to apologize that day you probably would have accepted it.

Instead he got himself cursed.

You finished your coffee and got up to pour yourself another cup. The kid was watching you as he ate, not a complaint to be said about the food, which you appreciated. He really ate up everything you made which was nice, it made you think your cooking wasn’t as bad as Buggy had said when he was an adult. You looked back at him, leaning against the counter as you raised the cup to take another sip.

“When I’m an adult again I’ll be nicer to you.” Buggy told you once he finished eating. “Promise.”

“Thanks.” And you didn’t tell him it wouldn’t matter if he was, because why would it? You couldn’t see him changing anytime soon, and you still thought back to that day when you decided to leave. You didn’t want to wait around for a what if with Buggy. He had called you a useless cook, made a jab at your relationship to him as well, so why would you stick around? “I hope you keep your promise, Buggy.”

Thankfully the morning remained uneventful. After breakfast you cleaned the kitchen with him helping you - you washed the dishes and he would dry them, which was kind of nice. You knew it would have been impossible to get him to do it as an adult, so having the kid help was a nice change of pace. After you finished, the two of you checked on Richie, made sure supplies were good, and that the crew was doing okay. They seemed to accept you were the temporary captain, which made it easier when you gave them jobs to do.

When afternoon came, however, you looked out toward the docks and saw two figures approaching. One seemed familiar, and as they stood at the bottom of the walkway to the ship, you could see his red, blotchy face, black eye, and bandaged nose. The other was unscathed.

Guess the pirate you assaulted yesterday brought a friend with him. You had Mohji keep an eye on Buggy while you went down to talk with them, but the kid got away and was immediately by your side, taking your hand in his as he glared at the two pirates. While you appreciated the thought, you couldn’t imagine these two being scared of a child.

“Hi, what can I do for you two?” You asked, trying to sound kind even though you knew they didn’t deserve it. The unscathed pirate looked between you and the injured one.

“This is the one that injured you?” He asked the injured pirate who nodded his head.

“S-She threw these weird bombs at my face! It’s what turned my skin so red!”

You shrugged. “You tried to take my apprentice. I had to step in.”

“This girl hurt my little brother, really?!”

“There’s nothing little about either of you.” You pointed out, noticing that their swords were just as long as you were tall. If either of them drew a sword you would be done for. They wouldn’t have to move too much to strike you down. “Listen, apologize for trying to take my apprentice and I’ll apologize for stopping you from taking him.”

“Never!” The injured pirate snapped. “Do you know who we are?!”

“No, not really.” You said as you steered Buggy behind you, just in case they attacked. “And I don't care to, so I think we are done here.”

You started to turn, to push Buggy back to the ship, when you heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. The pirate was fast, you heard the sword cut through the air, and you turned to put your arm up, to protect yourself and the kid. You felt yourself being jerked back, the sword managing to cut your arm.

A disembodied fist punched the pirate in the face while another hit the injured one. You clutched your arm and looked behind you, face to face with a naked adult Buggy who had one arm around you while his hands attacked the pirate. He barked for the crew to come chase the two off while he tried to lead you back onto the ship, but you didn't go with him.

“You're naked, Buggy! Put some damn clothes on!”

“Shut up and get on the ship, woman!” He snapped back at you while the crew came to chase the pirates off. Nakedness be damned, he wanted to make sure you were okay. He led you to the bedroom and had you sit down before he pulled on a pair of pants. “How bad is the injury?”

You pulled your hand back for a moment as blood poured from the wound. You could move your hand but you hurt. “I'll live.”

“Fucking assholes.” He grumbled as he went to find some bandages to help. It seemed like maybe the bleeding was slowing down. Buggy came back a few minutes later and knelt in front of you. “Let me see.”

“I really don't need your help.” You said as you tried to pull back. “I'm not useless.”

He ignored what you said as he pried your hand off the wound. “You're going to need stitches.”

“And who's going to do that?” You asked sharply. “I don't want your help, Buggy.”

“Well that's too damn bad because I'm going to help you!” He shot back. “I'm trying to be nice to you and make up for being an asshole!”

“Are you going to apologize then, Buggy?!” You asked as he started cleaning the wound. “Because considering I spent the last few days keeping you alive, I feel I deserve something!”

“I'm trying to!” He snapped as he sterilized a needle. “Just… just shut up for a minute while I do this. I need to focus.”

You looked away from him, wincing when the needle pierced your skin. It wasn't the worst feeling in the world but it wasn't pleasant. He took his time, not speaking as he made sure the wound was stitched properly. Once he finished, he tied a knot and looked it over.

“Should be good.” He sighed as he started to clean up. “Don't do anything stupid.”

“Like getting attacked by a pirate for keeping you safe?” You replied sarcastically. “I'll make sure not to help next time.”

“I never asked for your help with any of this!” Buggy shot back. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. He needed this to go well. “I'm… I'm trying, okay? I want to make up for how I treated you but you're making it difficult!”

“You're an asshole!” You snapped. “All I want is to know why you were so shitty to me, Buggy! Why did you say those things to me? Why didn't you just talk to me if you were unhappy?!” You sniffed, your heart pounding in your chest. “Why did you cheat on me?”

#buggy the clown #buggy the clown x reader #buggy x reader #buggy x you #buggy the clown x you #opla buggy the clown #opla buggy the clown x reader #opla buggy x reader #opla buggy the clown x you #opla buggy x you #buggy the clown x oc #buggy x oc #opla buggy the clown x oc #opla buggy x oc

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 6 days

Text

Survival | Coda

Okay, so, I just read Survival, and. yus. (/pos) All I keep thinking about is what if the Others encounter (their) human Virgil having an anxiety attack or feeling very overwhelmed & panicked? Like...how would they handle that? Would they have help from someone who knows a bit more about humans' nervous system? Would they also kinda freak out because they don't know how to help Virgil calm down? – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: panic attack

Pairings: none

Word Count: 1682

"Roman? Remus, report to Engineering Main Hub." "What did you do," Roman mutters as they leave their stations, eyestalks flicking back and forth, "what didn't you do?" "It wasn't me! I didn't do anything wrong!" "You know that just makes you sound more suspicious, right?" Or, Virgil has a panic attack, and Roman and Remus are called in to help.

"Roman? Remus, report to Engineering Main Hub."

"What did you do," Roman mutters as they leave their stations, eyestalks flicking back and forth, "what didn't you do?"

"It wasn't me! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You know that just makes you sound more suspicious, right?"

"Look, all I'm saying is that it wasn't my fault that the quantum field generator was out of alignment this morning because I spent four matrons aligning it last shift and when I left, everyone including Lieutenant Alvarez signed off on it saying it was fine, so if it's messed up again, it's not on me!"

"That's a lot of words for 'I don't know what I did this time.'"

Remus shoves him as his mandible chitters and the two of them manage to make it the rest of the way to the reporting station without breaking anything. It's a close thing, but they manage it. The supervising officer looks up and sighs, gesturing toward the ducts.

"You two are close with Human Virgil, aren't you?"

"We're friendly," Roman says, "but I wouldn't say close."

"That's good enough."

"What's happened with Virgil?"

The officer sighs again—that's probably not good. "I don't know exactly what's going on. Medical Officer Patton is over there, he's got a better grasp of humans than the rest of us on staff here, ask him."

"With all due respect," Remus points out, "we're not exactly experts on humans either, I'm not sure we're qualified to—"

"Well, the human's the one asking for you, so when they're in a state where they can talk coherently again, you can ask them."

Three things occur to both of them at rather alarming speeds.

One: Virgil is asking for them specifically.

Two: Virgil is not currently in a state where they can explain why they've asked for the two of them specifically.

Three: Virgil is so much in a state where they cannot speak coherently that a medical officer has been summoned.

"Where are they?"

The officer jabs a tentacle toward the ducts and they're off, dodging other crew members and murmuring apologies for their brusque journey across the floor, mandibles chittering rapidly. Sure enough, by the time they round the corner to reach the stairs leading up to the overlooking platform, they can hear the soft voice of the medical officer murmuring something.

"That's it, you're doing very well. Keep trying to take deep breaths, okay? That will help stabilize the oxygen levels in your body, which will help bring about the end of this."

"I know that—it's just—I can't—I—I—"

"You can. I know it seems hard right now—"

"No shit!"

"Medical Officer Patton?" Remus calls as they reach the top of the stairs. "We were called, is everything…?"

Roman shoves Remus aside as he too makes it to the platform, trying to see what's caused Remus to stop so suddenly. He then slams to a halt when he sees the bright blue of the medical officer's uniform nearly covering a small, curled-up ball of dark fabric that appears to be shuddering. Before he can ask if this is another stage of human development they're unaware of, part of the blob lifts and he lets out a soothing rumble before he realizes it.

Virgil, their human, is curled up so tightly in a little ball that it must be painful, and his face is all red and blotchy and—leaking?

"Virgil?" Remus's voice drops to the low register they use to communicate with fresh hatchlings, crouching down to make his silhouette smaller. "What's going on?"

"You—you came—you actually—actually—"

"Easy," Patton says gently as another horrible noise leaves Virgil's lips, "don't try and speak too much, you'll over stress your system. Here, let me—"

He reaches into the small toolkit on his belt and retrieves a comfort canister. A light hissing fills the air as it decompresses, the blanket within growing larger and larger until he can drape it over Virgil's shaking shoulders. The human lets out another thorax-wrenching noise as he huddles under the soft blue fabric, taking a fistful and bringing it to cover his mouth.

"What's happening?" Roman asks, crouching down too. "How long has this been going on?"

"I was called a few malton units ago," Patton explains, his eyes still on Virgil curled up under the blanket, "about a crew member in distress. He appears to be otherwise uninjured. I believe this is an exacerbated response from his nervous system."

"Is this related to his parasite?"

Patton's head whips around. "Parasite?"

"Not a literal parasite, uh, Roman, help me out—"

"I think he calls it anxiety? It's not actually a parasite, he just described it like that to us once—"

"Ah, yes, anxiety, I'm familiar with the term in humans. Yes, I think this is part of it. It's not uncommon for humans with anxiety to experience periods of time where their systems is overloaded with instincts that are not applicable to their current situation."

"Their system attacks itself?"

"In a manner of speaking. I believe human experts refer to them as 'panic attacks.'"

Roman blinks with both eyestalks. "Well, that sounds…unpleasant."

"No shit," comes Virgil's voice through the blanket, "it's a bitch and a half."

"Do you normally measure inconveniences in female dog lengths?"

"Figure of speech." The rattling breaths haven't stopped yet, and they can hear a few more drops of liquid hit the grating. "Shit."

"How can we help?"

"Protocol suggests surrounding the crew member with those familiar to them," Patton explains, "who may be able to offer comfort and security."

"O-oh."

The human thinks they're…safe? They've not had more than half a dozen conversations and they're nowhere near approaching brood mate status, they've not even seen each other that many times off shift. But Virgil is extremely distressed and if they can help, well, what are they supposed to do, refuse?

"What do we do?"

"Virgil?" Patton rests a hand carefully on the top of the blanket-human pile. "Roman and Remus would like to help. What would you like them to do?"

"Can—can you come closer?"

Both of them skitter along the platform and bracket the pile on either side. Patton removes his hand and shuffles back to give them space. Roman bumps an eyestalk against Remus as Remus lies flat, making it easier for Virgil to see him without having to move his head so much.

"Hi," he chirps, some of his feelers playing gently with the edge of the blanket. "We're right here. You look like a hatchling all curled up in the blanket."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Do you know a lot about how our species nests?"

"No."

"We make these really big colonies that are just devoted to rearing the young. We gather supplies from everywhere we can to make the environment as safe for them as possible."

"Which in Remus's case, means getting rid of all the dangerous things he hoards like a ravenous purple worm."

"Hey!"

"It's true," Roman says, stroking the blanket, "but once that's all done, we get these big bunches of fluff from the canyon lands and make nests out of them, kind of like this. Then we wrap the young in them so their limbs can get used to having ambient pressure and sensation in a safe way before they're big enough to try moving on their own."

"That's why I said you look kind of like a new hatchling, all bundled up."

Virgil sniffles, wiping at his face. "That sounds nice."

"Why are you leaking," Roman asks gently, "is there something we can patch?"

"'M not leaking, 'm just crying."

"Crying is something humans do to cope with overwhelming emotions in their systems," Patton adds quietly when they still look confused, "it helps with the release of extra things that re-stabilizes them."

"Oh. Keep doing it, then."

A watery huff. "I'm not gonna be able to stop anytime soon, don't worry."

"Do you want us to keep talking?"

"Y-yeah. Um, what are the canyon lands like?"

"They're these massive stretches of bare rock that reach from one side of the planet to the other. They're very treacherous for single or even double exploration teams, so we have to go in really big groups to be able to get around them safely." Remus's eyestalks wave back and forth. "There's not a lot of cover out there so we gotta be able to have eyes in all directions."

"It also gets really hot because of that," Roman adds, "so we take turns being at the top of the group."

"What do you mean, 'at the top?'"

"Oh, sorry—we travel in a horde when we go out in groups that big to make it easier on our legs for long distances. The ones at the bottom provide the power to keep the group going, the ones at the top are the eyes for the rest of us, and the ones in the middle provide stability to make sure no one gets left behind."

"That's…cool."

"But it gets really hot at the top so we change positions every so often to keep the group moving and stable."

"I don't get hot as easily as Roman does—"

"Hey!"

"—so I get to spend more time at the top."

"You just hate having to walk for yourself when you don't absolutely have to."

"I'll have you know I'm still the winner of the Marsh Dash for three galactic cycles in a row and you've never gotten in the top 200."

"Yeah, but that's for your pride."

Remus chitters in an affronted way and Virgil makes another little one of those watery laughs. The engine hums around them, just like the thriving colony of a healthy hive.

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#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #fic #roman sanders #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #virgil sanders

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