#also it didn’t help that the only other meaning of op that i knew was overpowered

[u23rg4y]

i just,,, had a spontaneous realization,,,,,, does op mean original poster,,,,, and not operator,,,,,,,,, 💀

[tvgals]

‘ I AM THE COWBOY … ‘

myaa note — someone pls understand the title. ALSO I NEVER SEE ANY FLOCH FICS SO I MUST DELIVER …

synopsis — floch always spoils you n helps you with whatever you need, but when he sees your new attitude, he decides to postpone on his spending.

@punkologist

“baby, please jus’ buy me the bag!” you plead with your boyfriend. he just shakes his head in disapproval. “nope. you getting too spoiled. when you change that attitude, you can get whatever you want.” floch says, rubbing your thigh and scratching your head, his fingers getting lost in your head of curls.

floch was right. you’d been acting cockier than ever, deciding to post pictures on instagram where you’re practically naked, wearing only a mini skirt and what can barely be considered a crop top, the picture showing the slight glint of your promise ring that sat on your ring finger. “no, my attitudes been the same!” you argue, looking up at your boyfriends eyes. “no it hasn’t. quit lyin’ to me. i seen your texts to yo friends, sayin’ im gon’ get you this and that. imagine how you look now that you ain’t gone get it at all.” floch shrugs his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the tv.

you scrunch your face up at the thought of not getting what you want. you push yourself off of floch. he shoots you a glare and sits up on his elbows. “you just hate me don’t you?” you ask, your lip jutting out, tears threatening to fall. floch knew all about your dramatics, your ways to get into his head, and he was having none of it. “you just want me to be miserable for the rest of my life, huh? i hate you!” you accuse your boyfriend, a sultry grin on his face. you stomp your way to your shared bedroom, slamming the door to make a point. floch chuckles to himself, laying back down on his hands, watching the tv.

after a while of waiting for you to come back out, floch stands up and takes a deep breath, walking to the bedroom where you resided. “baby.” floch called out as firm yet gentle as he could. “hmph.” you grunted, showing disinterest into the conversation you know you’re about to have. “don’t ignore me.” floch mumbles, crawling up on the bed behind you. he turns your body onto your back and looks down at you, your tear stained cheeks breaking his heart.

“you’re fine, mama. it’s alright.” floch says, pressing kisses along your neck. “no it’s not..” you sniffle, looking away from your boyfriend. “it’s gon’ have to be alright.” he says, pushing your shirt up. “you’re so beautiful, could never hate my pretty girl.” he mumbles against your skin, still pressing kisses to your torso. once he gets to your pelvis, he looks up at you with those beautiful brown eyes. “can i? i know you hate me oh so much…” floch grins. your eyes widen and you curl your toes. “of course you can…i didn’t mean it i promise…” you whine. “mhm.” he hums. floch strips you of your sweatpants and panties, throwing them onto the floor.

he delves his head between your legs, his hands holding onto your thighs. he tongue fucks you for a few minutes, knowing you can’t possibly only get off to only that. he moans into your pussy, pressing wet kisses to your pretty heat. “my pretty mama..” floch moans. he ruts his hips into the mattress, pre cum leaking from his pink tip.

“please fuck me…” you whine, arching your back. floch snarls at your demand, deciding to retract from your pussy. you start to cry at the sudden loss of pleasure. “w-why’d you st-op?” you ask, frowning. “don’t demand shit from me after saying you hate me n shit.” floch laughs at you. you cry and whine at this, facing away from him. before he leaves out the room he looks at you, “‘nd don’t even try to touch yourself.” and floch walks away as your legs shake in desperation. floch — who was rather unbothered — plopped back onto the couch. you glared at the door that your boyfriend just left out of. you sat there for a while, making sure he wouldn’t come back inside. you opened your legs up and brought your other one to play with your nipples. “fuck..” you whispered, plunging two of your fingers into your sweet cunt. you tried your hardest to cover up your moans to no avail.

floch knew what you were doing, and he’d hate to say it made him hard. he grinned and turned the tv up, just so you get the illusion he can’t hear you at all. once you finally came with a strained moan, you fall asleep almost immediately. a few hours later floch walked in to see your sleeping body, your cunt still out for display. he smiles at the scene and kissed your forehead before cuddling up behind you and tucking you under the covers.

the next morning it’s safe to say you woke up with a louis vuitton purse on your nightstand with a note that read-

‘next time be quieter.’

[lawsvalentine]

Them as your Valentine

• OP Men HC • (Fluff)

Characters: Monster Trio, Usopp, Law

CW: some uggestive content, fluff, bit of humor

Cee’s Note: A bit late but Happy Valentine’s Day!!🫶🏽 Hope y’all had a wonderful Valentine’s.

Luffy

Didn’t even know Valentine’s day was a thing 😭

When he noticed you pouting and distant he was so confused until Nami practically smacked him and told him

After it was explained to him, Luffy would practically run all over the ship trying to find you

When he does find you he tackles you and wraps his arms around you in a tight hug

“Luffy what the-“

“Hehe will you be my valentine or are you still mad at me?”

Luffy won’t make big gestures but he definitely will be extra clingy and affectionate

Giving you lots of kisses and holding you close to him at all times

He will show you (more ways than one) how much he loves you 🥹

Zoro

Didn’t know that he still had to ask you to be his valentine even though you two were already together 😭

“Why do I have to ask? You’re my girlfriend”

“You still have to ask 😒”

“But why-“

“You don’t love me 😢”

Finally asked you only after you threatened to make Sanji your valentine 😭

Is knew to the whole romance thing so don’t expect huge gestures

At best he gave you flowers that he stole got from Usopp’s garden sgshdj

Even though it’s not much, he definitely will make up for it later that night in the bedroom 🤭

Sanji

Oh he was prepared for this 🤭

He asked you to be his valentine even before you even thought about it

The entire day feels like something out of a romance movie

He wakes you with heart shaped pancakes and a bouquet of flowers

Literally spent all his berries on gifts for you such as a neckace and a beautiful dress with shoes to match

After begging the rest of the crew to not interfere, he prepared a candle lit dinner just for the two of you

He is literally the perfect valentine and you were ready to get on your knees by the end of the night to show your gratitude 🌝

Usopp

Even though you two been a couple for a while, usopp still felt nervous asking you to be his valentine 🥺

He crafted a big heart spelling out “Be my Valentine” in his workshop for you

He also made you a bracelet he crafted himself

He may embellish a bit about the bracelet by telling his signature captain usopp stories sgdhdj

“Oh this isn’t an ordinary bracelet”

“Oh?”

“Yeah it was personally gifted to me from this queen from an island. It was a thank you for saving her kingdom by none other than I, the great captain Usopp!”

“🧍🏽‍♀️”

He’s lucky he is cute lol

Law

Just like Zoro, he doesn’t understand why he has to ask you to be his valentine when you two were already together

Even when you pout he still will think you’re being silly

You will practically give him the silent treatment all day and he acts unbothered by it but deep down he started to miss your presence while he worked

Will show up at your bedroom door when you least expect it with a sheepish look on his face and a book behind his back

After hesitantly taking the book, you were pleasantly surprised to find it filled with love poems

“Look on the back of the book”

You read it aloud:

“ ‘Sorry for being an ass. You mean so much to me. Even with your sass, my love for you will never flee.’”

You couldn’t help but giggle at the terribly written poem which caused Law’s cheeks to tint red, claiming he was a doctor not a poet shdhjddn

Nonetheless you gave him a kiss and spent the rest of your Valentine’s night under the sheets 😉

[marlenelyra]

J. Bellingham- Live

Fluff

You and Jude had just come home from a date night. Your feet hurting from the heels that your wore all night, kicking them of, throwing them into the corner of your foyer. Jude was right behind you as you grabbed his hand leading him up to your shared bedroom. Your hands laced together as you stood in the middle of your bedroom. He pulled you back and swung you around making you face him.

His other hand reached for your face, his eyes piercing yours.

„Thank you for today, I really needed that with stressful training and everything“ he muttered

„of course baby always“ kissing his cheek and letting go of him to change into comfortable clothes. Searching in your wardrobe you didn’t find anything to wear, that’s a lie you had tons of things so wear, you just didn’t want to wear your own stuff.

„Judeee“ you dragged his name out looking at him with puppy eyes „can I please have something to wear from you“

He chuckled looking back at you and your pleading face. He couldn’t resist.

„Fine, sure baby take whatever you want“

You squealed as you jumped up in happiness running to his wardrobe. He loved seeing you happy, that’s all that counted, and if that meant he had to lend you his clothes, that you also looked fucking amazing in, then so be it. Win. Win. Situation.

As you both changed into his clothes you came out wearing his joggers and a Hoddie. He couldn’t help but smile in awe. God you looked so pretty and hot. Woah.

You both went into bed, deciding to just spend the rest of the night chilling in bed. Jude also had to go live, something about promoting BvB or something, you couldn’t remember. He sat across from you, so people wouldn’t see you. Your relationship wasn’t puplic yet, I mean people knew about Jude having a girlfriend, since he couldn’t stop talking about you, like in Interviews ranting about how you were his motivation and how he would dedicate all his goals to you, making cute story’s of you holding hands or even of tonight in the restaurant. But no one ever saw your face. And you both liked it that way.

So Jude sat across from you holding his phone op so the people on his live could see his face. Your head rested against the headboard scrolling through your phone and one in a while you lifted up your head checking on Jude when he was laughing.

Jude chuckled „How is your girlfriend“ he read a comment out loud. Your head immediately snapping up.

He looked up his eyes fixated on yours. You were looking at each other.

„Yes baby how are you“ he smiled waiting for an answer.

You didn’t really wanna speak so you just let your phone drop and put your thumbs up. he grinned at your response.

„I think she is doing good“ Jude said out loud answering the question his fan had asked.

His eyes had never left yours, but how could he stop starring at you. You were sitting there in his way to big Hoddie all cuddled up only there for him. After a longer moment he pulled his eyes away from yours scanning over the comments again.

„she got him whipped, god how he looks at her, he is so in love with her“ Jude chuckled as he read out loud smiling like an idiot.

„yes i defiantly am“ looking at you again

Your head perked up again as you smiled at him

„Okay guys Imma end this live good night“ he put his phone out as he jumped forward his head landing on your chest and the rest of his body on your legs.

„See Even my fans think that I love you“ he laughed. You stroked his hair as you let your phone drop onto the bedside table. You pulled yourself down so you could lay on your back. Jude adjusted himself. He was still laying on your chest his arms stroking yours side, your legs tangled together. You couldn’t be happier with the boy of your dreams in your arms.

„I love you too“ you mumbled.

[itsagoodluckkiss]

I Know The End

Pairings: Roronoa Zoro x f!reader, platonic strawhats x f!reader

Summary: This is based on one of my favorite songs, I Know The End by Phoebe Bridgers, and I take the meaning of this song as a "when you're at the bottom, the only way is up" kind of song. Reader is a friend of Nami, she has air powers and joins the Strawhats after they help her save her town.

Warnings: Mild East Blue spoilers, kinda OC Zoro, typical OP violence, otherwise pure fluff, no use of Y/N

WC: 3.7κ

A/N: Oi, hello there! This is my first One Piece fanfic, took me a bit more than I expected but I did it! I have another one for my first request on the way, but since this is my first, I had to post one about my fave! Also, I'm sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language. Anyways, hope you enjoy it, and if you do, pretty please leave a comment! Requests are open! ❤️

“I’m not gonna go down with my hometown in a tornado, I’m gonna chase it. I gotta go now, I know. Driving out into the sun, let the ultraviolet cover me up. Went looking for a creation myth, ended up with a pair of cracked lips… A slaughterhouse, an outlet mall, slot machines, fear of God… Big bolt of lightning hanging low. Over the coast everyone’s convinced it’s a government drone or an alien spaceship.”

Feeling out of place is something you get used to when living in this part of the East Blue and seek adventure; it is called the weakest sea for some reason after all. Even if she loved her living place, she disliked the fact that people mostly minded their own business without blinking an eye to the suffering and corruption around them. She couldn’t entirely blame them; it wasn’t an easy thing caring about neighboring regions when your own was constantly hit by natural disasters, causing deaths and lifetime labors destroyed.

She had just learned that the Conomi Islands had been freed by Arlong’s cruel rule after eight whole years. She wondered how Nami was. They had met a couple of years ago when she caught her rummaging her family’s vault and helped her through it without getting her caught. She hid her in her room while the Navy was looking for the thief. She didn’t need the money and it was obvious to her that Nami did. Nami was her first real friend. The week they spent together, drinking and getting to know each other, talking about their backstories, their wants and plans for the future was the best in her life. She had promised that after she’d buy her village back and free it, she’d come to see her again. She hadn’t heard from Nami since.

They said it was because of the Marines the islands were liberated. She could never believe that for one second. Her curious personality always managed to get her into the Navy’s business, making her family’s influence and prestige on the island take a hit every time she got into trouble with them. She couldn’t help that all this talk from the Marines about justice and keeping the peace made her want to throw up on their shiny uniforms. She knew it was all an act for them and their allies to maintain power. How could Marines talk about values when regions and people were enslaved and the Navy turned a blind eye instead of helping, just for power and some berries?

Her dream was to end all that fake order and bring actual freedom to those in need; to become a freedom fighter and help people. She needed the right opportunity but also, she had to take advantage of every situation if she wanted to get away from that place someday and seek what she so wholeheartedly craved. So she learned her family’s secrets and strengths. It’s not every day you see generations of people knowing how to yield the air around them, giving them a bunch of abilities like flying or sucking the air out of their enemies’ lungs or causing hurricanes of every size. She knew when to play nice and be obedient so that her parents would teach her their ways, thinking that she would grow out of her rebellious phase, would learn about and protect her family’s rule. It’s not an easy task for them to cover up the Navy’s dirt on the island after all.  

The more she mastered her power, the more she could see that something was wrong with her family. She had started to notice the patterns. Every time the island was hit by a storm or a natural disaster, they were never home. At first, it would make sense that they’d go and help their people. Then, after the storms, her island’s Navy unit and its captain started collecting “taxes” for rebuilding the infrastructures. Thing was, the taxes would constantly go up, bringing inhabitants to their knees. Meanwhile, her family didn’t seem affected at all. They would just roam the island, giving advices and pacifying the angry voices that protested the Navy. So, she decided, in the next hurricane, she would learn her parents and older siblings’ sketchy business. She had to know what was the cause of all this and what she could do to change it.

~

Meeting new people travelling between islands and seas was a fascinating thing. She loved hearing stories about their adventures, about different places and bigger dangers, fights between pirates and marines or about the golden age of piracy. About the Grand Line, the different weather conditions in each island, the devil fruits and the abilities they gave their users. She would always wander through the port, looking for more myths coming to life by the sailors that docked their ships on her island for supplies.

When she spotted a beautiful pirate caravel, with a sheep figurehead in its bow and its Jolly Roger with a straw hat, docked in their port, she felt a strange wave of excitement and peace. She couldn’t explain it but that beautiful ship radiated so much love and care, like it had a soul of its own and a smile that made everyone feel like home if they stepped into it. She stood there, admiring it from afar, when she felt someone standing next to her.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Her name is Merry! She’s my ship.”

She turned to look at the stranger. A boy around the same age as hers, with a small scar under his right eye and a straw hat on his head, and that made her assume this was the captain. He had a smile so vibrant, it reminded her of the sun. His energy was so welcoming, she felt like she could be friends with him on a whim.

“Hello. She is indeed a sight to behold.”

She gave him a warm smile back, raising her hand to introduce herself.

“That’s a pretty name. I’m Luffy, and I’m gonna be King Of The Pirates!”

She couldn’t help but laugh, but it had no malice. She loved dreamers, being one herself, and even if she met that boy only a couple of minutes ago, she could see he would give everyone in the world a run for their money. A gust of wind blew, taking his hat away, and before he could react, she brought it back to him through the air around her. She placed it on his head and gave him a toothy grin.

“There! You can’t be King Of The Pirates without your trademark, right?”

“THANK YOU! YOU’VE GOT AIR POWERS? THAT’S SO COOL! YOU SHOULD JOIN OUR CREW!”

She was dumbfounded by his enthusiasm and his abrupt proposal. Never had she met anyone like him, so thrilled by her presence and her little air tricks. Before she could reply, she heard footsteps and another male voice behind her.

“Oi Luffy, stop scaring people by asking them to join us like that, will you?”

She turned to look at the deeper voice, and for a moment it felt like lighting coursing through her veins. Taller and more muscular than the boy next to her, he looked a bit older than them both, with short green hair and eyes gray as steel, three golden earrings that gleamed in the sunlight graced his left ear. He had a sharp gaze that radiated a strong and confident energy, one that lacked fear or hesitation. She never believed in love at first sight, but this felt as close as she could imagine it would feel. The man approached them and introduced himself to her.

“Roronoa Zoro? As in ‘Pirate Hunter’ Zoro? In a pirate crew?”

Of course she had heard of his reputation. Who didn’t know the infamous bounty hunter swordsman in the East Blue? He chuckled at her surprise.

“Yeah, well, long story short, this guy here has an effect of convincing people easily.”

“There you are, you idiots! We’ve been looking for you everywhere! We’re not here for me to babysit you not getting lost, we’re here to find my-”

She heard a familiar female shriek before she felt soft arms around her, squeezing her tight, and she immediately knew who it was. She could never forget her best friend’s hugs. She returned the hug as she screamed Nami’s name, before they both started to cry tears of joy. Her hand grabbed her upper arm, and she felt deep scars where her Arlong tattoo should be but was replaced by another, prettier one.

“I was so worried about you! I learned what happened to your village and I didn’t know what to think!”

“You should have known I’d be okay, you know I always pull through. Although, these guys were the greatest help I could get. They are the reason I’m freed and I wanted to keep my promise to you.”

She looked at the boys around them with gratitude, two more joining them, a blond boy wearing a suit, who looked like he would burst into flames from the heart eyes on his face and another one with wavy hair, a long nose and mischief in his eyes.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping my friend. She means the world to me!”

“Whoa, Nami’s your friend? Now you should definitely join our crew! We’ve heard so much about you, the only reason we stopped here before Loguetown was to find you!” Luffy said with enthusiasm.

“Yes, it’s not every day you hear someone born into money giving them away without question, hiding the thief in addition and fighting their way to get them out safely. You must be quite the character.” Zoro smirked at her.

“And to add to that, you’re also a sight to behold, my lady!” the blond boy said as he kissed her hand and introduced himself as Sanji, making her laugh at his advances.

“We’ve heard you have a great mind for plans too. Could use a strategist in this group of idiots that run into danger head on. I always device a plan to beat my enemies. I’m Usopp by the way.”

She was dumbfounded to say the least, taking them all and their kind words in. She met these guys a few moments ago, yet never had she felt such a feeling of being so welcomed by the people around her, she was so used to being ignored that this interaction almost made her sob. She kissed Nami’s cheek before letting her go.

“I… thank you guys… you’re all so sweet… but I don’t think I’m that good-”

“Bullshit, you’ll be the smartest person besides me in this crew. Come on now, I know how much you long to get the hell out of this place, they’ve never appreciated you anyways, and I don’t think anything changed since we met.” Nami proclaimed, smiling at her.

“No… not much anyway. I just learned how to use my powers now… Look, I don’t know what to think of this, I have-”

A loud rumble shook the earth below them. She felt the temperature drop rapidly and she knew what was coming. Now was her chance to find out the truth she looked for, the one that could possibly make her decide to cut ties with her family if her speculations were true. She turned to the Strawhats, as they called themselves, and smiled brightly.

“Thank you guys. But I have to run now. There are rooms for rent down this road, run and cover yourselves and don’t come out before the storm passes. Maybe I’ll see you around after that.”

As they started to protest, she flew off to the source of the hurricane she could see coming from afar.

And sure enough, the feeling of throwing up from disgust and despair overwhelmed her when she arrived at the source. She saw her family controlling the hurricanes and lightings that hit her island, and the Navy captain, who she knew was a devil fruit user, was shaking the ground, causing the earthquake, while his Unit watched from the sidewalks. Bodies were scattered around damaged buildings, scenery of pure horror. Before she could react to stop this, she felt boulders hitting her, splitting her lips and bruising her body, blood running down her jaw as she fell down.

~

Logically, everything fell into place. Emotionally, nothing made sense. She couldn’t comprehend how she could have been raised by such cruel people. Her eyes welled up with tears, but not from the pain she felt on her body, but from the sight in front of her, as her parents approached her, proclaiming she was not mature enough to understand their family’s best interest and how she has always been such a disappointment, never listening, never following orders, an annoying, meddling child.

“Do whatever you want; we can’t do anything about her anymore.” Her parents proclaimed to the navy captain as he too approached.

“You’ve always been a pain in the ass and I can finally get rid of you.” The captain proclaimed as he unsheathed his sword.

She closed her eyes but she never felt the blade on her skin. The captain’s scream echoed as his arm got cut off from the shoulder, his sword hitting the ground.

“Swords are not toys, captain. You don’t get to play with them.”

Her head spin to the male voice behind her and her eyes widen as she saw the five pirates ready to fight. Zoro was the closest to her, having drawn one of his swords that was now covered in blood, leaving a clean cut on the marine’s shoulder. Usopp was standing a few feet behind, a slingshot in his hand as he shoot at the navy soldiers, the collision ended in blasts and the soldiers started to run away. Nami was holding a strange, long, steel pole that seemed by its use to control the weather around them with air bubbles.

“You’re not hurting a lady on my watch.” Sanji proclaimed before his leg collided with the bleeding captain’s face, kicking him to the ground.

“He was already done, curlybrows.”

“Shut your mouth, marimo!”

They were bickering as if they all were not in a life or death situation. The most shocking thing was Luffy, who was stretching his body as he was wielding what seemed to be the bark of a tree around, taking soldiers and her family with it.

“Nami said you had problems with your family. You seemed worried. So we followed you.” He said with a toothy grin.

Zoro grabbed her hand and raised her from the ground.

“You know how to fight I assume?”

“Yes I do.”

“Well then, let’s give them hell, pretty girl.”

~

Either way, we’re not alone. I’ll find a new place to be from. A haunted house with a picket fence, to float around and ghost my friends. I’m not afraid to disappear. The billboard said "The End Is Near". I turned around, there was nothing there. Yeah, I guess the end is here.”

And sure enough, she couldn’t believe the six of them managed to stop the destruction while fighting the whole navy unit and her family combined, who were now running away from the angry crowd that had assembled when the hurricanes stopped and saw the whole thing happening.

“You guys… I can’t thank you enough-”

“Pffff, that was nothing, it was funny being blown away, felt like flying hehe.” Luffy laughed as he grabbed her in a hug. “You’re Nami’s friend, so you are our friend too!”

She had started crying by now as she hugged Luffy back, the feelings she felt in that moment couldn’t be described.

“I think… I think I’ll join you guys!”

~

A week had passed since her family fled off the island that was now filled with marines who listed the damages and arrested their own dirty kind. They had made a futile attempt to take the strawhats in, and before they would even start a fight, the people of the island wreaked havoc, not even letting them close to their saviors. She took the crew in the house that was now hers.

She helped Nami move all the gold from the house onto their ship. She gave Usopp advices for his trinkets and how they would fly through the air easier. She cooked with Sanji and then would catalog the storages that would be taken with them to their journey, with Luffy receiving several kicks from the cook because he tried to eat everything. She had never had so much fun in her life as she had with them. Her favorite moments came at night, usually spent drinking with Zoro. They had talked about their childhoods, he had told her about his family how died when he was a toddler, his promise to his childhood friend who died way before her time, how he acquired that big scar across his chest. The more she got to know him, the more connected she felt to him, like a final puzzle piece falling right in to place.

On their last night, everyone was fast asleep, getting the rest they’d need since they would cross the entrance to the Grand Line the next day. But her anticipation wouldn’t let her sleep. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, she got off her bed and walked around the house, taking it in one last time. She had decided to gift it to a large family whose home got destroyed. It was a fact that she didn’t want anything to do with that place anymore. Tomorrow morning her life would change forever. Her mind leading her nowhere in particular, she walked to her terrace. The wind, soft and gentle, rustled through the leaves of the trees, creating a soothing melody, and she could see the sea ahead, illuminated by the moon, which casted a silvery glow on the water. It was a peaceful scene, yet she could feel her heart racing when she saw Zoro sitting on the bench of her terrace, polishing his swords. 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked as he glanced at her.

“I… I guess I’m nervous about tomorrow.”

“It must be a little overwhelming, I guess. Don’t worry though, we’re a good crew, we’ll take care of you.”

A small smile played on his lips. His words were reassuring, but there was something else in his tone, something that made her heart skip a beat. She bit her lip, walking to the edge of the terrace, her hands holding on to the railing as she tried to find the right words to say.

“I know I’ll be safe with you, guys. It’s just… it feels like the end is near for me in this place… and being in a pirate crew is going to be something so new and big… and I don’t feel like I bring a lot on the table…”

He chuckled softly as he placed his swords down, walking towards to stand next to her, taking her hand in his to give a firm squeeze.

“The end is near for this part of your life, indeed. But you’re strong, you’re brave, and you’re a great fighter. You’ve been through a lot and yet you’re one of the kindest people I’ve met, still standing here, ready to face whatever comes next. That takes a lot of courage, and it takes character. I think you bring a lot, and you’re going to fit right in with us. You’re not alone.”

She smiled shyly, feeling warmth spread through her chest, her eyes almost welling up. He smiled back, his expression genuine.

“Thank you, Zoro. You really have no idea how much that means.”

“I think I do. I know what it’s like to be uncertain about the future, to feel like you don’t belong anywhere. But you belong with us now. You’re going to make a great crewmate. It’s good to have you on board. I have a feeling you’re going to surprise all of us with what you can do.” He paused, his expression a bit more serious. “And… if you need to talk… or vent or… anything… I’m here.”

A deep blush crept up across her cheeks. “I… thank you… for everything. Same goes for me.”

She felt her heart flutter as he continued to hold her hand, her stare moving to meet his gaze. She couldn’t help but feel more at ease with him and he couldn’t deny the way he felt either.

“For now, I think we should just enjoy being together and explore this new thing we’ll find ourselves in. Who knows what kind of trouble we’ll stumble upon?”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what awaits us.” She leaned a bit closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And I’m looking forward to get to know you better too.”

It was time for his heart to skip a beat at her words. Her eyes widened but before she could shy away, he leaned in closer, and their lips met in a tender, hesitant kiss, a slow, gentle brushing of lips. The sounds of the forest faded away, leaving only the beating of their hearts and the rush of blood in their ears.

~

“Take care!”

“Come back soon!”

“Sorry I was mean to you, can’t wait to see you again!”

“Be safe and make us proud!”

“Don’t disappear!”

Most of the town’s people were at the port to give their regards to the strawhats and her. The others were already abroad, her being the last to climb the rope ladder on to her new home. She turned around before hoping on to the deck, and took in how weird and eerie her town looked now, like looking at a haunted house from afar.

“So, the end is near, then?”

She lifted her head to see Zoro’s smirk as he gave her his hand to lift her on to the ship. Someone shouted at her to not disappear. She wasn’t afraid of that. She was afraid of staying still. Her head turned around one last time and she saw nothing there.

“Yeah, I guess, the end is here.”

And she took his hand.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home: Chapter 2 Part 2

It's Wednesday! Time for another WIP Wednesday. No Ghost!Robin today. I've been focusing more on this fic. I think I'm going to try and start alternating weeks, but there's no set schedule or plan and it's liable to change at a moment's notice.

Fic Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

1.3k words

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Cassie hissed, “What the fuck, Tim!”

“I know!” whispered Tim back. “Danny mentioned home security, but I had no idea it was like that!”

Bart shook his head. “Want help with that kidnapping scheme? I’ll join you on your road to villainy.”

“That’s the problem with Tim,” agreed Conner. “He makes the road to evil look like it’s really the best option. Count me in, too.”

Cassie groaned. “Damn it, you guys are right. I’m in.”

Before Tim could do more than flip them off, Danny was back. “The pop express has returned!”

Cassie was closest to the door and Danny passed over her drink first. Only to freeze as their fingers brushed.

“Oh,” said Danny who looked at their hands then up at Cassie and back to their hands. “Huh.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Cassie and Tim started to get a bad feeling.

Which was only worsened by Danny looking at him with a grin forming on his face. “Sooooo, Tim—”

“No!” Tim shook a finger at him. “You’d better not tell me what I think you’re about to tell me! You’re OP enough! No more!”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “You done?”

Tim sighed and decided to just collapse backwards onto Danny’s bed. He stared at the ceiling and waved a hand in the air. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

Danny, apparently, loved making him suffer and continued passing out the drinks without telling him what he discovered. Then the mattress dipped next to him and Danny was above him with a grin that wouldn’t melt butter.

“So, Tii-iim,” Danny sing-songed.

“Daaan-ny,” replied Tim in the same tone.

“Apparently I can sense metas. And aliens. Which is so cool. They feel so different to humans! I knew about my ghost sense, but didn’t realize that applied to other species.”

Tim just sighed and closed his eyes. “Of course you can.”

“Conner!” The mattress shifted again as Danny moved. “You feel like warm sunshine and it’s so cool. Bart, you feel like static. Which… little awkward for me, but it’ll be good. I should try and get over my fear of electricity. Cassie, you also feel like static, but in a totally different way. Can’t explain it any better than that.”

“Why is static a problem?” asked Bart.

At the same time, Tim said, “I’ll add it to the list. And the descriptions.” He cracked one eye open to look at Danny. “Will you promise to stop developing more powers for me?”

Danny laughed and nudged his knee. “No promises.”

Cassie looked between them. “Does this mean you know?” she asked Danny.

“Wonder Girl, right? And Superboy and Impulse?”

Cassie nodded. “And Tim told us about you.”

“My lips are sealed,” Danny promised.

Tim rolled his eyes and pushed himself up. “Just gimme my water and fix my phone.”

“Wow, Tim,” said Cassie. “Rude much?”

“No. Look, you’ve no idea how ridiculously OP Danny is. Almost every week he calls me saying he discovered something else he can do.”

“If you think that was rude,” added Danny with a laugh, “you should’ve seen the things he said to me when I got him killed in Elf Night.”

“Ugh,” Tim feigned annoyance. “Don’t remind me. Honestly, what were you thinking? You were a rogue! Why did you attack the boss head on like a barbarian? We lost weeks of game progress! Weeks, Danny!”

Danny just laughed and threw the water bottle at his face. Tim caught it easily.

“Just give me your phone, Slim-Slam.”

“Slim-Slam?” asked Conner.

“He tried to object to Tim-Tam. I made him regret it.”

Tim shook his head. “This was a mistake. Why the hell did I ever think it’d be a good idea to let you guys meet.” To hopefully get them to change the subject, he shoved his phone in Danny’s direction. “What do you need to do to this anyway?”

“We just need to make it compatible with ectoplasm. There’s enough ambient ecto in Amity that waiting a few weeks allows it to happen naturally, but that’s not an option for you guys. Tuck and I went through, like, fifty devices figuring out the exact quantities and locations to add ectoplasm to force the process without destroying the device. It took us ages, but we figured it out. Now Tuck and I get extra money from the tech geeks in town who don’t want to wait the month or so it usually takes for new devices to start working.”

“Speaking of Tucker, will I be able to meet him? And Sam? You’re meeting my friends, I want to meet yours.”

Danny shrugged. “Sure. I’ll text them to meet us at Nasty Burger in forty minutes.” He sat at his desk and set down Tim’s phone to do so. Then, he opened a drawer and pulled out a set of micropipettes and disposable tips in a variety of sizes along with an empty glass beaker. Then came out an electronics tool kit. Tim had a similar one, though Danny’s looked like it had been obtained piecemeal as nothing matched. Finally, he opened a different drawer and pulled out a vial of a glowing green liquid.

Tim pushed himself off the bed and moved to stand over Danny’s shoulder. His friends joined him.

Bart asked, “So what will you be doing? What’s that green stuff?”

“It’s ectoplasm. The stuff ghosts and their dimension are made of. Ectoplasm is… complicated. This is unshaped ectoplasm, also called pure ectoplasm. A ghost or sentient creature can impose their will on it and make it function in a specific way. Since I’ve died, I have an easier time shaping it than most humans. I’ll send ‘tech’ vibes at it to get it to fuse to the phone more easily and apply carefully determined quantities to the different parts of the phone.”

“‘Tech vibes.’” Tim couldn’t hold back the groan. “It’s like magic. I hate it.”

Cassie bumped her shoulder against his. “You get that from Bruce.”

“Damn right, I do.”

Tim watched as Danny popped out the sim card. “First thing I’ll do is add a hundred microliters to the sim card. Then I’ll take the screen off and get to work on the innards. Do you guys want new batteries, by the way? Tuck’s got a bunch of ecto-batteries. Could have him bring them along when we meet up. You’d never have to charge your phone again.”

“Hell yeah!” said Conner. “Sign me right up.”

Tim shook his head, but couldn’t hold back the smile. “What do you mean by never have to charge it again?”

“I mean an ecto-battery will power the phone longer than the computer in the phone will last. I’ve switched over all my electronics. Nothing in this house is hooked up to the electricity grid anymore. I haven’t used a wall plug in four months. Not since Tucker and I fixed the batteries my parents designed.”

Tim didn’t like the sound of that. “Two questions. First, if the battery outlasts the phone, how should we dispose of it. And two, more importantly, ‘fixed’? What the hell does that mean?”

Danny had finished with the sim card and discarded the pipette tip in the beaker. Then he set about removing the screen from the phone. “Just bring the phones back to me when you’re done with them. I’ll upgrade your new ones, too. And their designs were liable to explode, overload the device, or bring it to life so it attacked. But Tuck and I took care of all that. Now devices only attack if Technus manages to get through the portal.”

Tim could sense Conner trying to look at him, but he resolutely refused to look away from Danny’s hands. He was removing the cameras and adding more ectoplasm to them, though much less than the sim card needed.

Unable to get Tim’s attention, Conner asked, “Who’s Technus?”

Danny shrugged. “One of my rogues. Tuck thinks he’s the ghost of Nikolai Tesla. He’s interested in controlling all technology and will make himself a giant mechasuit cannibalized from any electronic he can find in, like, a half mile radius. Super annoying.”

---------

Next

So I've decided which episode of the show this will take place during! It's mid season 1, so Jazz knows about Danny but Danny doesn't know she knows. I don't think that contradicts anything I've written (need to reread it), but if it does, no it doesn't. I dunno if most of you know what micropipettes look like, but if there's any interest I can take pics at work tomorrow and post them so you can see what I mean when I talk about the tips and stuff. I meant to do that today and then I didn't.

Tag List

@gremlin-bot, @bonebrokebuddy, @britcision, @lady-time-lord-, @welcometosasakiworld, @akikkobara, @phoenixdemonqueen, @dolfay, @skulld3mort-1fan, @we-ezer, @markus209, @sjrose1216, @onyxlightdragon, @dragonsrequiem, @jesus-camp-the-sequel, @spidey29phangirl, @kyrianclawraith, @evilminji, @introvert-even-on-the-internet, @emergentpanda-blog, @lexdamo, @v-inari, @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit, @longlivethefallen, @undead-essence, @xye-chan, @liandrin, @seraphinedemort, @kisatamao, @schalensitzbucket, @caelestisdreamer, @runfromthemedic, @nutcase8691, @channajen, @tonicmii, @ambiguouslyominous, @vythika96, @addie-lover-of-stories, @ironicvixen, @violetfox2, @pickleking8, @mysticalcomputerdetective, @ark12, @mygood-bitch99, @squirrel-wolf

Getting close to the point where I'll have to split the tag list in two! (I'll still add anyone who is interested.)

[sorinethemastermind]

Shared Memories

In which Corvus helps Soren reconcile his memories of his father, and they make a horrifying discovery. #Sorvus

 Corvus hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He’d been convinced that, if he did, he would awaken to an empty spot on the ground beside him. At best, Soren would be out in the camp helping Opeli or one of the other guards. At worst, he’d have set out in an attempt to single handedly slay the dragon that had destroyed Katolis. Corvus thought that the latter was improbable, but knowing Soren, not out of the question. His boyfriend could be rather stupid at times.

 His boyfriend. 

 Corvus didn’t know that a single word could make you both smile and grimace at the same time. Apparently it could also make you incredibly, exceedingly, enormously, worried. 

 The spot next to him on the ground was, in fact, empty. But he would never know whether Soren was about to set out on a stupidly dangerous and self-assigned quest or was simply going to get a drink of water, for he had yet to exit the tent.

 “Oh, uh, Corvus. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Soren said, his smile wide and guilty. 

 “I’m sure you didn’t.” Corvus replied, sitting up as much as he could under the low canvas roof. “But luckily you did.”

 “Is my absence already so unbearable?” he asked, but Corvus wasn’t about to let him get out of trouble that easily.

 “No. You’re just very bad at sneaking. Especially in full armor.” At least, that was what he assumed had awoken him. Given that Soren’s every movement sounded like someone clanging pots and pans together. “Are you going to tell me where you’re going?”

 Soren looked back out of the tent, the flap still held open in one hand. There was a long pause, and Corvus was beginning to wonder if he really had planned to go after the dragon - what else would he have known Corvus would disapprove of so much? - when Soren turned back to him, expression unreadable, voice low and serious.

 “I need to show you something.”

 Corvus didn’t ask, he simply followed his friend into the dark night. It wasn’t often that he got to see past Soren’s wide smiles and charming - infuriating? - humor. So when he did, he listened.

 Soren led him away from the camp, sticking to the shadows until they were well out of sight. Neither of them said anything as they trekked through the quiet darkness; the only sound the occasional snap of a twig underfoot. Until Corvus saw it through the trees and let out a small, involuntary gasp.

 He and King Ezran had gone right to where they knew the encampment was, and this was the closest he had been to the wreckage. The roofs of most of the buildings had collapsed, charred beams sticking out at odd angles like the broken limbs of some mighty titan. Stones and bricks scattered the ground, thrown out into the middle of the road by the sheer impact of the dragon’s attacks. But far more devastating than any destroyed building were the remnants of the lives they had once held. 

 Corvus saw a stuffed toy, scorched and blackened, dropped onto the cobbles in the chaos. His tracker's instincts kicked in and he could practically see the child; running with one hand clutched in their parent’s grip, the other hanging on for dear life to their doll. A stumble on a loose stone, a split second’s shock, and the hand holding the toy released. No thought was given to it as they continued their mad dash away from the flames but, later, the child would sit in the small tent given to their family and wish they had something, anything to remember their home by. Their childhood. All of it stripped away so suddenly. 

 It took Soren’s hand on his shoulder for Corvus to realize he had stopped in the middle of the street, staring at the little doll lying there on the cobbles. Soren bent down and picked it up, brushing off some of the soot and ash that had collected on it.

 “It’s a little beat up,” he said. “but we can fix it. Give it back to the kid. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see a familiar face.”

 Neither of them said it, but Corvus was sure that both of them thought it. That perhaps there was no child to return this toy to. That maybe they were still here, buried in this rubble, forgotten along with their doll. Corvus blinked quickly, shoving the thought from his mind. 

 “You wanted to show me something?”

 “Yeah.” Soren tucked the toy away and began to walk, not towards the castle as Corvus had expected, but down the street and away from it. 

 He didn’t ask. Soren would tell him when he was ready.

 Instead he fell into step beside him, their strides quickly falling into rhythm as they made their way down the road and through the city. The damage wasn’t as bad down here, though few places remained unscathed. Corvus tried to keep his eyes on the road, but it wasn’t much better than staring at the scarred and abandoned buildings that lined it. So, instead, he found his gaze wandering to Soren.

 The steady set of his shoulders. The many days of stubble along his jaw that was beginning to resemble a beard. The slight saunter to the way he walked, even now. The way those steps came to an abrupt halt as they arrived at-

 Corvus gasped aloud, gaze traveling up the great skeleton that lay before them. The dragon. It had to be. But…

 “How?” he asked, voice barely more than an awed breath. 

 “Don’t know.” Soren said, voice suddenly raspy. “He was like this when I found him.” 

 Corvus took a few steps forward, gazing up at the great bones of the creature that had taken so much from them. It was no wonder they had evacuated the castle. How were you even supposed to take down a titan of this size? And yet, somehow, they had. Or, somebody had.

 “That isn’t what I wanted to show you, though.” Soren said, still standing a few steps behind him, not having moved. Corvus turned back to face him, confused.

 “Then what..” he trailed off, following Soren’s gaze. 

 A small mound of fresh earth. A pile of stones. A sword, struck into the ground. Soren’s sword.

 Corvus knew immediately what it was. Who it had to be. 

 “Soren-”

 “I- I know he probably shouldn’t be here.” Soren was already saying, cutting him off. “But I couldn’t leave him there. I- I couldn’t leave him. Not again.” 

 It only took a few steps to cross the distance between them, and then Corvus’ arms were around him. He didn’t say anything, just let Soren bury his head in his shoulder until his shoulders stopped shaking and his breathing had slowed. Then he guided the pair of them to a nearby stone bench and sat him down, his hand never leaving Soren’s. And he listened.

 Listened as Soren talked about… about things Corvus couldn’t even begin to imagine. About how hard it was to breathe. And about how much you took it for granted before you couldn’t anymore. About how his father would sit up with him long into the night. About how he was… how he was a good Dad. Back then. How Soren had wanted to be just like him. Looked up to him. Wanted to make him proud.

 “I owed it to him, didn’t I? He- he saved my life.” Soren said, voice thick with barely contained emotion. “I owe him my life.”

 “You don’t owe him anything.” Corvus said, squeezing his hand. Letting Soren lean heavily against his shoulder. “Your life is yours.”

 “But it isn’t, really.” Soren whispered into his shoulder. “He gave it to me.”

 There were a million things Corvus wanted to say and a million things he still didn’t understand. That he probably never would. He couldn't imagine living a life that you thought really belonged to someone else. But he did know one thing. 

 “That’s right. He gave it to you. It’s yours. He did everything he could so that you could have it. So that you could live it to the fullest. So… do that.”

 Soren looked up at him, that familiar determined look in his eyes. The one that Corvus loved so much. He straightened up and the two of them stared across the valley at the grave of… of a father. Of a king. Of a man.

 “I think the worst part is that… that on some level I still want him to be proud of me.” Soren said quietly.

 “He would be. He is.”

 As they watched, a butterfly, its wings so thin as to be nearly translucent, its bright colors like a beacon in the dark, fluttered over to land on the pommel of the sword. It stood utterly still for a moment, like a painting, before it opened its wings again and flitted into the dark. 

 Soren released a long, slow breath. “Don’t tell anyone he’s here. Please?”

 “I won’t.”

 Soren leaned against his shoulder again and wrapped an arm around his waist. Corvus tucked an arm around Soren’s shoulder, resting his cheek atop his head, and they sat like that until the night sky began to pinken and the clouds turned a beautiful blush color. 

 As the sun began it’s slow climb across the sky, it’s light caught on something just at the corner of Corvus’ vision and he turned to glance at it. 

 “Soren, what is that?” he asked, straightening up to try and get a better look.

 Soren looked up at him, expression bleary as he was pulled out of a half slumber. He followed his gaze, and Corvus saw his eyes go wide, his weariness forgotten in an instant as he shot to his feet.

 “What-” he tried to ask, but Soren was already running. Corvus followed him past the body of the fallen dragon and up the steps of the dais. Scattered on the ground was an empty bowl, a knife, a burnt out candle, and…

 “No.” Soren was on his knees, lifting up the round object. It was a dull gray orb, perfectly smooth, its surface faintly mottled. “No, no, no.”

 “Soren, what is that?”

 “She wouldn’t have. She couldn’t have-” Soren looked up at him, eyes wild. “It was with Callum, wasn’t it? I should have gone back to check. But I thought-”

 “Soren!” Corvus grabbed him by the shoulders. “What is it?”

 “He’s out. He’s out, Corvus. Aaravos is free.”

[gatorbites-imagines]

Chad is so babygirl🥰🥰🥰 Just imagine growing up with him being best bros and when we both grow older we share one brain cell together. THE OP HIMBO DUO

Chad Martin-Meeks x male reader

Headcanons

I love Chad, so much. There’s also spoilers for Scream 6 in this, if you guys don’t want those. I might also have added some Ethan stuff in this, I couldn’t help myself.

You were related to the Riley family, most likely Dewey’s son or something along those lines, the result of a one-night stand, or Gale and Dewey having you together but splitting apart again afterwards.

You were raised by your dad, but because of his worsening mental state you spent a lot of time with the Meeks family. Your dad was both overprotective because of losing his sister and so many other people, but also because Gale mostly just ignored your existence, so he wanted to be a good parent.

You never blamed your dad because you knew he did his best, but it did lead to you hanging out with Chad and Mindy most of the time at their house. Dewey was happy that you had a support system and could be young and free, so he never had anything against it.

Out of the siblings you got along with Chad the most, even as kids the two of you were connected at the hip even more than he was with Mindy. Out of your group there was a braincell sure, but it was Mindy who had it for the most part.

You both developed feelings for each other, and of course Mindy would tease the both of you to the moon and back. Tara isn’t any help either as they keep making jokes and jabs at both you and Chad, though they never out the others crush because they’re not that mean.

When you two finally start dating no one is surprised, and of course your dad gives Chad the shovel talk, maybe even as he’s cleaning his guns. He knows Chad is a good guy, but its his duty as your dad to step in and set the record straight.

When the killings of Scream 5 happen you two end up getting hurt together, whilst trying to protect one another. You both end up surviving much to everyone’s joy, but it also results in you losing your dad and seeing your mom for the first time in years.

Since your over 18 you don’t go anywhere with your mom even though Gale tries to convince you to go with her, which leads to a big argument, and she has to be removed from the hospital since you’re still recovering.

You end up moving to college with Chad, and end up rooming with him and Ethan when everything is over. Gale still tries to contact with you and bond with you, though you think its too late for her to play any parental role in your life. Plus, you don’t trust her as you assume she’s just getting close to get information for her books.

You end up bonding more with Ethan than Chad does, that doesn’t mean you and Chad aren’t still connected at the hip, but you take interest in Ethan and what he’s into, even though you have little understanding of anything he does.

You and Chad both try to play wingmen for Ethan, and your status as the hot gay couple gives you some ins you didn’t have in the past, so your most likely able to end up setting Ethan up with a couple of girls, though it never goes very far.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Ethan gets a little flustered rooming with two hot guys, who have no problem making out in your guy’s shared kitchen or walking around in just a pair of shorts, he’s walking in on you and Chad more time than he can count.

Sure, he’s only rooming with you guys to get revenge for Richie, but why stop himself from looking when you two himbos are busy grinding on the couch to notice he’s there. You and Chad both go to Ethan for homework help too, because he’s so smart and Mindy still has the braincell.

Ethan’s found himself stuck between you and Chad on the couch multiple times during your “bro nights” with you two asleep against him. In the beginning it was just you and Chad, but then you pulled Ethan into it too since he was your roommate.

When everything with Scream 6 happens Chad still gets stabbed and you think you’ve lost him, and instead of Tara killing Ethan its you, as revenge for him using your friendship and killing your lover.

When it turns out Chad survived you rush into the ambulance with Mindy and your boyfriend is given help, with you holding and kissing his hand the entire ride there. After all of this you guys joke that you should transfer to another college, or stop being such horror movie tropes.

After you’ve all healed you and Chad decide it take it a bit more chill than you have before, not going to parties like you guys did in the past and just hanging out with your friends and family.

It results in you and Chad spending a lot of nights just cuddled up together, holding one another and just enjoying the others presence. You two just lay together and maybe run your hands over the others scars, just thankful the other is alive after everything.

You end up spending some more time with your mom, though you never get close because you still don’t think you can trust her, especially with the stuff she said about Sam in her book.

You end up taking after your dad as well, investing in some guns though not to the same level, and when your mental state starts spiraling your friends and lover are there you pull you out of it.

[shinidamachu]

Regarding Kagome getting hate for being a Mary-Sue if she were more like Sesshomaru, you should know that she still gets the Mary Sue accusations as she is. People call her too “OP” just because she didn’t train enough and because Rumiko said her spiritual powers are naturally more powerful than Kikyo.

They also consider her a Mary-Sue in terms of how much the narrative “glorifies” her (according to them at least) because multiple guys are crushing on her and the fact that it seems the Inugang always takes her side whenever it comes to fights with Inuyasha and she supposedly never has to learn from her faults. They claim Rumiko making her out to be so pure-hearted is also Mary-Suesque and that the narrative pretends that Kagome has no faults that she has to grow from and is perfect personality wise.

Oh, believe me, I'm totally aware. I only used the comparation with Sesshomaru as an example to make the point that no matter what she does, Kagome will get bashed because an especific, biased part of the audience is already phrone on hating her and will make up any excuse to justify it. And you brought up great new other examples.

They call her overpowered but, while her lack of training is a valid criticism, it's not a crime to be naturally gifted. In fact, it's a pretty common trope. What they conveniently "forget" is that raw talent alone is not enough: even though Kagome had a lot of power, she obviously didn't know how to use them.

So in the beginning she had to work with what she knew and improvise, showing us other facets of her character, such as her intelligence, creativity, cunningness and inventiveness.

Nothing was handed over to her on a plate. She had to work for it. There was no official training because she was learning on the job and doing amazing at it. Not because of her reincarnation status or some deus ex machina type of thing, but because of practice, persistence and resilience. If her spiritual powers are naturally more powerful than Kikyo, it only proves that they are different people, who see the world — and by extension, themselves — through vastly different lens, which inevitably bleeds into how they relate with their powers and with other people.

That being said, the narrative never glorifies Kagome and they know it. On the contrary, I'd argue it actually holds her to higher standards than any other character. She's constantly getting tested about her flaws. Just on the top of my head I could list Mount Azusa, the infant incident and that time she saved Kikyo from miasma. But even if her main lesson is that it's okay to have feelings, the narrative will still paint her as wrong again when she does have them.

And even when that doesn't happen, Kagome herself is hyper aware of her own flaws. That's a huge part of her character, due to her feelings of inadequacy. But she's always the first person to hold herself accountable for her actions, admit when she's in the wrong, apologize and make it better.

Now, the Inugang could be more sensible about Inuyasha's predictment — especially Sango, for obvious reasons —, I'll give them that. But Inuyasha doesn't help himself with his poor communication skills, either. All his friends know is that he's hurting Kagome, whom they love, over someone dangerous who has a history of trying to murder him.

As for the "multiple guys crushing on her" thing... I mean, can we blame them? Face card never declines, my God!

[itsabouttimex2]

Hey, OP! I'm just a random anon, but I read your new post and I'd like to tell you something:

You don't need to apologize for having your own opinions and interpretations on a character and being able to analyze and critique them. It's inevitable that someone will feel unsatisfied with your thoughts on a specific character, but then again, it's your own opinion on them, it's your blog and you shouldn't bend and break for someone else's insatisfaction. As much as it is alright for them to not agree with your views on the characters, it's just as alright for you to maintain them — opinions are subjective, and even more so in fictional stories.

If someone sees it as "ridiculous" and thinks you're "hating a character" just for talking about very valid points about such character's personality (because, let's be honest, Macaque is one of the most egregious cases of mischaracterization on the LMK fandom and, by itself, for someone to claim that you "hate him" just by critiquing him as a character and analyzing his faults is an example of the exaggerated idealization towards his character as a whole), then that is their problem alone and they should learn to accept that not everyone will hold the same opinions as them. Not everyone will find that a character's redemption arc was well made or that it felt genuine enough to be considered a redemption in the first place, and that's perfectly okay! To embrace the many views and interpretations a character can have only enriches them; it does not subtract from them.

Lastly, I'm sorry for any errors or misspellings here (English is not my first language) and you don't even have to reply to this ask, but I just want you to know that you shouldn't feel bad for having an opinion that differs from the most well-known on the fandom and whatnot. I, for one, really like reading about the Season Five Prep posts along with your usual writings (the way you write the LMK characters is very on point and very enjoyable and comforting to read), and I'm certain that your other followers do so too.

I really do appreciate everyone’s support here. It means the world to me. I was terrified that I was just being childish over nothing, or that I was massively overreacting and shouldn’t have cared at all. I mean, it’s not like they were saying slurs or making calls to harass me into changing my opinion.

But it still hurt.

I spent two entire days articulating my thoughts and feelings on every villain listed so that I could just share them with the community.

And to have someone admit to just… skimming all that hard work because they disagreed with one of my very first points, and call one of my biggest criticisms “ridiculous”? To say that I didn’t sympathize with the show’s time constraints? To say that I cared more about my own feelings than those of the writers?

It hurt.

If you disagree with me, I encourage you to explicitly say so on my “Prep” posts, which were hosted on both Tumblr and Reddit so I could get as many opinions on those pieces as possible. I’ve enjoyed seeing why people enjoy Macaque’s character arc. I’ve had lovely, civil debates. Some people think “helping out” is enough of a redemption.

That’s fine! You can feel that way! It’s totally valid! It is one-hundred percent valid to disagree with me!

But I also started that tier list with an entire paragraph dedicated to my feelings on redemption, and what I personally thought a character had to do to be “redeemed”.

My finishing paragraph was italicized and bolded in full, so that it was impossible to miss. That entire paragraph was dedicated to validating and acknowledging the contrasting opinions I knew people would have- because I know my opinions are not the end-all, be-all of the fandom.

And if someone (self-admittedly) skimmed all of that and took it as me “hating Macaque” or “being unsympathetic towards the show”? and has their rebloggers openly saying they’ve “always had a problem with that piece of content” or calling me “salty”?

I’m not going to blame myself.

Again- thank you all. ❤️

[goingmerryfics]

So since you’re on impel down you’ve surely seen my darling favorite villain Sir Crocodile so may i request just some soft x reader fluff or headcanons for him x a trans male reader i never see x masculine stuff for him but I love him very muchhhhhhh thank youuu 💚👉👈

Trans Male Reader w/ Crocodile

Content: Trans Male reader, he/him pronouns, coming out. No emphasis on if they’re pre or post-op top or bottom so feel free to picture this as you will. No NSFW!

Notes* Thank you for the ask! When I tell you I fell in love with this man the moment he showed up in Alabasta-

You’re not the only one he’s interacted with that doesn’t fully align with the stereotypical gender norms See: Mr. 2

Anyway, as a trans man myself, I’m very happy that this just so happened to be my first official ask. It kind of turned into a bit of a comfort fic, hope that's ok! Please enjoy!

Crocodile

Crocodile knows you’re trans before you tell him

So while you were panicking about coming out to him in the midst of your blossoming relationship, (What if he loses trust in me? What if he reacts badly?) he was oblivious because in his eyes, there was nothing wrong. He was dating you, and you identifying as male or female or otherwise didn’t matter. You managed to worm your way into his heavily fortified heart somehow. Labels didn’t mean fuck all to him if he was already in love with you

Eventually when you do come out to him through ugly tears and hyperventilation, he just kind of blinks at you

“Huh? Why are you crying over that?”

It takes you by surprise

While you’re trying to calm yourself he opens his arms and offers you a hug, which you take happily

While he’s holding you to his chest, he pulls the cigar out of his mouth and sighs

“All that matters is that you’re mine.”

You felt your body begin to relax, surrounded by the warmth of the man holding you tight enough to crack your spine. You’d soaked the front of his shirt with tears and a bit of snot, and yet he didn’t seem to mind. Crocodile holds his cigar away from you so you won’t go into a coughing fit before you can catch your breath, while also being careful of the hook on his other hand- the last thing he needed right now was to snag you on it and hurt you while already in a vulnerable state.

His quiet comfort was enough to pull you out of the panicked state, but he didn’t let up until he felt you take a step back. There was a pause while you wiped up your face as best as you could with your sleeve, and Crocodile stayed patiently waiting until you were ready to look up at him again.

“Better?”

You nod, and apologize for the outburst, but he clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes.

“If I’d known you were so scared to tell me this, I would have let you know a long time ago that I already knew.. Now let's go clean you up.”

Now that the animosity is out of the way though, it feels like your relationship has changed for the better. You feel much more comfortable with him

More importantly, you feel more comfortable sharing certain things with him- and he feels much more comfortable asking questions, too!

One day he asks you what Dysphoria feels like, and man did that take you a few hours to put into words and even then your explanation didn’t feel exactly right

He lets you know very quickly that if there’s anything he can do (he means anything he can pay for, really) that all you need to do is ask and consider it done

He understands when there are days where you don’t want to be touched in certain spots

He makes sure to make it known to anyone else who may know you’re trans that you will not be disrespected whether in his presence or not. If anyone dared to misgender you, he would deal with them accordingly

He also does things that will help you feel ‘manly’, like asking you to open a jar for him even if he could very well open it himself

Long story short, he loves and respects you no matter what

[magicalcelestialgem]

My Big Thoughts on TF ONE

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR TF ONE! If you wanna go in and watch TF ONE and be surprised, do not read more below the line.

You have been warned!

Sentinel Prime… Oh, dear Sentinel Prime.

I wanted his head on a damn PLATTER after what he had done. Surgically removing the T-Cogs right after the bots are born?! Nah, I would argue that whatever TF ONE Sentinel did there is WORSE than what Bayverse Sentinel did. And the fact he betrayed the Primes. Oh, man. I was left speechless. I knew something was up as this is Sentinel Prime, but good lord.

Megatron aka D-16 was right to feel angry and betrayed. He looked up to Sentinel only to find out that he was no hero at all, keeping him and all other bots in Iacon as slaves just so he can stay on top. But it also broke my heart to see Megatron change from his rage, going blind from it that very moment he saw the truth and especially after he got his T-Cog. I felt his anger, but I also felt Orion’s pain as he watched his best friend succumb to his anger.

Do NOT get me started on the scene where D-16 shot Orion! That very moment their friendship broke! IT HURT ME Y’ALL! I knew the betrayal is coming, but I was not expecting to be hit hard! Damn it, Megatron! QAQ

And around the end, Optimus just watching Megatron as he left, watching with sad, heartbroken eyes. And the damn flashback to when they first met? Oh, that tells me for some reason that he still cares about D-16/Megatron! AHHHH, the poor boy! QAQ

I just wanna hug them both because they didn’t deserve the trash life they were put into! It was so satisfying, however, to see Sentinel’s downfall.

The ending song, “If I Fall,” did not help, because it just tells me someone, either Optimus or Megatron, is gonna fall in the future and someone, either Optimus or Megatron (yes, again), will catch him or not catch him!

My MegOp fan self was fed that afternoon! And left with an aching heart!

Overall, BEST TF MOVIE OUT THERE! I hope to see some good sequels in the future, which also means I expect my heart to break at seeing Op and Megs’ interaction in the Oneverse!

[ecargmura]

Blue Lock Is the New "It" Sports Anime (Anime Review)

Honestly, I should be finishing the anime I need to finish. Why am I procrastinating and watching Blue Lock instead? I can’t help it. It’s so good (and I totally didn’t watch for Chigiri). I actually like watching sports anime. I love Kuroko’s Basketball, Haikyuu!!, and Yowamushi Pedal. There’s just something that’s charming about sports anime that I cannot fully explain.

The first thing that caught my attention with Blue Lock was the character designs. They’re all so detailed. I also love the way the eyes are drawn. I love how unique all of the characters look, even the minor, unimportant ones. Afterwards, I’ve been seeing a lot of fan art drawn by talented artists. I’ve been liking them left and right on Twitter. After liking a lot of fan art, I’ve decided that it was time for me to sit down and watch Blue Lock.

What makes Blue Lock so unique compared to other sports shows? This one has more risks as it’s a sports series mixed with a survival game. Given that I am someone who’ve watched Produce 101—all four of them—and got emotionally wrecked all the time, I knew this would be the perfect show for me. Was I wrong? I wasn’t. There was drama, suspense and everything else you can find in sports and survival shows.

The story is about Yoichi Isagi, who lost a soccer match by passing the ball to his teammate, costing his team to lose their chance at going to Nationals. He becomes frustrated at the fact that he decided to pass and not take a score for himself. Soon, he gets an invitation by Jinpachi Ego, a member of the Japanese Football Association, in order to partake in a project called Blue Lock where he’s searching for someone who can change Japanese soccer for the better—to become the best striker in the world. It turns out that he and 299 other strikers were selected. The Blue Lock project is one of survival—only the best can become the best striker. Isagi gets placed in a room with 11 other people and their first task is to eliminate someone and end their soccer career for good—those who get eliminated in Blue Lock cannot play for Japan Nationals ever again. With Isagi deciding to take out the strongest player in the room, Ryosuke Kira, the guy he had faced in his soccer match, he learns that he has to become selfish in order to become the best. In order to prove to his colleagues and to Ego that he’s the best, he needs to evolve, get stronger, and survive.

The first episode was super intense with the way Isagi decided to go for Kira and not Igarashi. The fact that he had ended his soccer career and felt good about it shows that this sports anime is definitely different than the norm. The episodes afterwards gets more intense as Team Z, Isagi’s team, are very dysfunctional and have to find a way to cooperate in order to survive.

The First Selection Arc was great in itself. This arc is getting to learn about Team Z and why they play soccer. For Kunigami, he wants to be a soccer superhero. For Bachira, he wants to find someone who can quench the monster inside of him. For Chigiri, it’s to find a way to give up on soccer. The fact that everyone has unique pasts makes the group diverse and makes people want them to succeed, even if it means they have to get eliminated later on. The matches with Teams X, Y, W and V were intense. Z vs X was pretty much a curb-stomp due to Z’s dysfunctional dynamic and X’s ace member Barou being too OP for them to handle. It’s when they face Team Y is when they finally cooperate, albeit begrudgingly. This is also when Isagi gets more aware of his ability of spatial awareness, where he can visualize the field and predict where a goal can be made and who he needs to use in order to utilize that path. My favorite match was Team Z vs Team W because of the Chigiri spotlight and also the fact that Kuon betrayed Team Z to Team W, a plot point that shows that no one in Blue Lock is an ally and that anyone can use whatever tactics they have in order to survive. If not for Chigiri finally getting motivation to play soccer again and doing it because he loves outrunning everyone, Team Z would have lost; this also cemented Chigiri as my favorite character. Team Z vs Team V was an intense match too. It’s second place because Chigiri doesn’t get as much focus here, but that’s okay. Team V is the strongest team because they have three aces, Reo, Nagi and Zantetsu with Nagi being their strongest player. Reo and Nagi only played soccer for six months while Zantetsu can outrun Chigiri, making them menaces. Nagi, who normally only moved whenever Reo asked him to do so, decided to move on his own once the score became equal. Team V loses because of Isagi and Team V experiences their first loss.

I think the best thing about the First Selection arc is the character bondings. While Isagi does befriend his fellow teammates, he becomes especially close with Bachira, Kunigami and Chigiri. Given that I am a fujoshi, this did fuel my BL kicks (It’s amusing how the initials of Blue Lock are BL). Because this is a survival game, the character bondings get a bit dramatic as characters need another in order to survive. Speaking of which, Reo and Nagi are probably fruitier than Bokuto and Akaashi from Haikyuu and that’s saying something.

The Second Selection Arc is where the drama kicks in as nobody are teammates any longer. You have to make a team of three and then advance by defeating other teams and taking their teammates. You only survive to the Third Selection once you get a team of five. Isagi causes two breakups to happen and he had to lose Bachira in the process. However, this arc is where many characters show off more of what they can do, so I feel like it’s a good ascension to the first arc. Isagi learns to handle the most unorthodox of people and manages to win via unpredictability, spatial awareness and main character power. While he had no specific rival in the first arc, the second arc solidifies Rin Itoshi as his rival as he is the cooler, most advanced version of himself. The fact that Isagi loses to Rin twice shows that while Isagi is improving, he still has a long way to go before he reaches his own full potential. I do like how while Isagi is strong enough to take down foes like Barou, Kunigami, Chigiri and Reo, it was because he had already faced them before. In Rin’s case, he had never played with him before and was only aware of his existence once the second arc started. I do like Rin’s inclusion into the story, as someone Isagi needs to beat.

The anime ends on the first half of the third arc, I believe. The Third Selection has two parts. The first being that the newly formed team of five has to challenge 5 world renowned athletes from different countries. I feel like Isagi got a bit cocky during the match and that was the reason why his team got pulverized. However, it also showed that Isagi still has a long way to go before he reaches foreign athletes’ levels. Fortunately, that portion was an assessment. Once six other teams of five make it to the Third Selection (RIP Kunigami), the anime ends with Ego announcing that his original plans for the third selection had changed and that his new plan is to get the Top 35 to face off agains the U-20 team with their recent addition being Sae Itoshi, Rin’s older brother. Given that the third selection was towards the last two episodes, there wasn’t much time for me to get used to it or Isagi’s new team since they haven’t really bonded as a team of five.

My favorite match of this entire anime was the match between Isagi, Nagi and Barou vs Chigiri, Reo and Kunigami. I think this match was the most exhilarating of them all. The reason is that Isagi has to be up against two of the teammates he’s the closest to back in the first selection and Nagi has to be up against his ex-boyfriend former partner Reo whom he abandoned because he wanted to team up with Isagi. Barou had to learn how to cooperate after being completely disobedient since his introduction. It also showcases how good the Kunigami and Chigiri are without Isagi and how well Reo can play without Nagi. It was an intense battle that legit got me hyped up for what’s to come in future seasons.

My only gripe with this anime is the lackluster animation quality. For an anime that revolves around a lot of movement, the animation is only good during important sequences, but it’s not very good at slower, non-soccer scenes. There’s a lot of CG usage too, especially when showing scenes of other players chasing the ball. I think Episode 8 was the worst offender since that was the one with the worst animation quality.

I’m honestly wanting more Blue Lock now. I might read the manga just to see what’s ahead. Blue Lock Season 2 and a movie adaptation of the Nagi side story has been announced, so I’ll definitely check those out! Until then, thanks for reading my long review of Blue Lock!

[rei-caldombra]

Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic Anime Episodes 4-9 Review - Rose is a 10/10.

Back for another post about Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic anime, covering episodes 4-9. I’m still loving this show and wanna talk about it more without waiting until the end. Spoiler warning. I edited the image used for the thumbnail, feel free to use it fellow Rose simps. 

The greatness in episode 8 and 9 is the main reason I am writing a new post now and will be the bulk of the post, but I’ll talk a bit about the earlier episodes. Watching the three main characters slowly grow and come into their own has been nice to watch. I still enjoy seeing them have slightly different outlooks while still connecting on the basis of the crazy situation they were thrust in. They all needed different amounts of time and experiences to process things and make up their mind. Hopefully we will get some more great stuff from seeing them be together again for the big battle. We got some solid new characters

I didn’t mention how I feel about the OP in the first post, I think it’s really great. The music really gets you hyped. The art is great, everyone looks awesome and has very detailed and expressive looks. I don’t have too much to say about the ED, it’s fine but nothing notable to me. It does remind you of the life Suzu had before coming here, which at least gives some relevant purpose to the visuals. 

A minor gripe is that as of now I really don’t see the purpose of the future vision that Usato was shown. I don’t really feel like it changed his way of thinking or his actions. I did not feel like he was especially cocky or not taking the situation seriously, and he already had Rose instilling in him (and us as the viewer) that war is terrible and that he will be responsible for keeping people alive. Maybe there will be more to it later but I do not think this did anything for me as of now. It may have just had the purpose to drive up tension but I do not think forcing it with something dramatic like this was needed. 

Now onto the highlight of the middle section of the anime, episodes 8 and 9 which cover Rose’s backstory. Hearing my favorite voice actress Konomi Kohara in episode 8 was a welcome surprise. Her voice for Aul is probably the hardest to recognize out of anything I've heard from her as the tone is very different. I immediately thought about it upon hearing her talk but was not certain until her crying when she got punched convinced me. I’d know her yelling and crying noises anywhere. Kohara excels at bringing cute, cheerful energy that immediately makes you endear for the character. 

I think the time we got with Rose’s original squad was well done. It gave us enough time to let us feel the bond, but not so long that we felt we were wasting time with characters we knew would be dying. Aul is the only one who gets proper focus, but for the purpose of the unit focus on all of them was not needed. We also did get a nice moment that helped us feel that the other members were all people with names and lives. The scene where Rose talks to the parents of Josh hits hard and got me genuinely emotional. It's great for the world to have the events of that fight have an impact on more than just Rose. Hearing such a positive spin on the death of a soldier really hit hard. I hope most parents of fallen soldiers can reach the point of healthy acceptance that these two did. This scene both helps Rose and for the point of this blurb, reminds us that even though the other members like Josh did not get focus, they have some more substance than just extra soldiers. 

A criticism I have seen levied was that it took too long to get the war content that it’s been building up to. It did take quite a while to get some proper action, but the action delivers. It is by no means at the top level of anime action that we have gotten in recent times, but it is good. The art is pretty great while being fun and engaging, with one of the best moments of the show being her chucking trees. There was solid pacing too, with the action not being stopped for too long by exposition. I enjoyed this fight and hope the upcoming fights are up to its caliber at least. 

I really appreciate the show bringing up how losing her eye in the battle made a big difference in the moment. A pet peeve of mine is how often shows degrade the impact and weight of a character losing an eye. Most of the time they just keep fighting the same as normal or acclimate way too fast. I love her mentioning specifically that her depth perception is off because of losing her eye. In a proper battle that would make a massive difference. And while losing an eye only takes away about 30% of your vision, that could also mean the difference between life and death when you have arrows and magical blasts aimed at you. Characters barely changing from losing an eye sabotages dramatic weight and breaks my immersion in combat. I appreciate that this show gave her losing her eye the gravity it deserves in the moment even if it was just a bit of dialogue. Just the proper acknowledgement of the issues losing an eye brings means a lot to me. 

The battle ending with the demon commander being saved is also an interesting one. They’re clearly setting up here that the demons are not meant to just be evil adversaries. It also shows the strength of Rose’s character by not having her fall into a blind rage and completely flipping as a character. Even after seeing her friends be killed, she still saw the meaning in her adversary wanting to save someone dying on the battlefield. This hits Rose at the core of who she is. Both humans and demons have people they care about and want to save. Up to this point I honestly didn’t have anything to say about the demons as they seemed like your standard demonic adversaries, but this makes me feel positive that we will get solid substance from them.

I think Rose’s fall into depression and recovery is well done. I like how we got a variety of her thoughts rather than jumping straight to a strong reaction. She did contemplate suicide, but she is engaging in self-punishment and doesn’t believe she has the right to die. But what should she do with this life? She thought about going on a demon murder rampage and getting revenge, but she already recognized that is not the right thing to do. She spent over a month stuck in her depression rather than going back so we can infer she considered quitting altogether. Another great aspect of Rose’s emotional side of things is how she gave herself the pep talk based on her memories, rather than getting a stereotypical pep talk from someone else. It’s important to show how support from others is important for emotional processing, but getting over every emotional hump doesn’t come from someone telling you how great you are, and sometimes you do need to work through things yourself internally. The king and other knight checking up on her likely helped but this is clearly not written the same as a pep talk. Sometimes people can work through things on their own with enough time to process. And this isn’t from negative behavior like her not accepting help or having a bloated ego. The problem was all internal and there is no way anyone else could have properly related to her as no one else has the capabilities she does. I love that it took a long time for her to reach this. It’s important to note how long it takes to cope with your emotions. And to return to the pep talk point, sometimes those pep talks that make a person’s emotional state do a complete 180 make it seem like overcoming bad emotions is easy. I really like her growth comes from her thinking about their lives rather than about their deaths. It’s obvious that after a horrific event like she experienced, she would hyperfixate on their deaths. She already had the answer as Aul was dying, that she should not hate herself and to continue being the strong and kind person she is. 

She was also told by Josh's parents that she should not be ashamed of herself and what she has done. But the severity of the moment muted the positive impact of those words. When she is able to think about what came before that terrible event, she realizes the proper way to think. By remembering what her squad said while they were alive, she was able to put her own life into perspective and find a goal. Knowing everything that happens, it feels like a logical conclusion for Rose to focus entirely on saving lives. As a character within the archetype of the tough brutal teacher, Rose feels far above the rest as a dynamic and fleshed out character who does not exist just to be hated. She does the usual drill sergeant type of thing while having proper motivation and emotional reasoning behind it. She’s not brutal just so the main character has to struggle, she is brutal because of her backstory that stands entirely on its own. Rose really is a fantastic character by all metrics and she alone makes this show worth the watch. 

This show continues to have great characters and excellent execution. We did have to wait a little too long for some great action with overall slow pacing, but it was still enjoyable, and I see some value in the slow buildup. The buildup was very successful for Rose’s side of things, so I feel confident that the buildup will have been worth it for Usato’s side as well. Hopefully this anime will continue on strong through to its conclusion. Thanks for reading!

[cyborg-franky]

Happy Halloween/X-mas!

I got a Halloween prompt in for my Secret Santa so I jumped at the chance <3 I hope they like it [they don't have a tumblr but posting it here also @op-secret-santa

Sabo and Ace throw an awesome Halloween party for the people they care the most about. PLATONIC Word Count: 965

“Think this is the year we tell Luffy he’s getting way too old for Trick or Treating?” Ace asked as he climbed up on the chair, hands full of fake cobwebs and a roll of sticky tape, the intention of sticking the webs across the ceiling of their apartment.

“I mean, he seems happy enough to keep going and he’s not dragged us out in a minute so, I don’t think it’ll be the end of the world if he puts on a cape and goes screaming through the streets for candy, right? Keeps him out of trouble and eating everything we put out for the party.” Sabo replied and picked up the scattered magazines from the table.

“I guess your right,”

Ace shrugged his shoulders as he focused on his task, pulling the tape taut and using his teeth to cut it, a wad of cobwebs in the other hand, sticking it across the ceiling. Sabo watched for a moment making sure his brother didn’t fall off the chair, again.

“How many people are we expecting this year?” Sabo asked as he retrieved his phone from his pocket, looking at all the notifications, seeing messages from those he’d invited to their yearly Halloween party.

“Oh shit, now your asking.” He sighed and finished sticking the last string of white nylon covered in tiny fake black spiders in place. “Marco, Thatch, Izou… Kiku… Yam’s… I think all of Luffy’s friends are coming over when he finishes up…” Ace paused, thinking of the guest invites in his head as Sabo flopped on the couch.

“Koala is my only confirmed guest..” Sabo sighed and tapped his foot on the plush carpet, looking over in time to see Ace almost fall off the chair as he climbed down. “Eh, she’s the only fun one anyway so it doesn’t matter right?” Ace offered with a grin.

“That’s true, the rest are busy working, and no one seems as into Halloween as me.”

“Man, no one is as into Halloween as me you, and Luffy though, most people are normal about it.” Ace grinned, his freckled cheeks rounding as he could tell he was making his brother’s mood change, the frown melting away into a matching grin.

“Yeah, that’s a good point.”

–

Ace and Sabo spent the rest f the afternoon rushing around, decorating, and carving pumpkins to set around the apartment. It was a lot of effort and work but was something they both loved, it helped them feel closer as brothers, something they could always agree on.

Sabo was in the kitchen looking at how many beers they’d stuffed in the fridge along the shelves that didn’t have food. People always thought the brothers brought in help when it came to hosting their Halloween parties but no one really knew how put together and handy around the kitchen Ace was.

Both had headed into their respective rooms, rushing to get dressed for the party. Ace wore his cheesy werewolf costume, fake ears, paws, ripped jeans, and his chest on display. Sabo had gone for something fancier, and something that covered more of himself. A grim reaper in a vintage-looking cloak, gloves on his hands, and some dark makeup.

The doorbell rang and alerted them of their first guest, they made bets on who it was as Ace walked down the hall, opened the door, and saw his three best friends standing there. Thatch dressed as a pirate, Marco as a bat, and Izou as the bride of Frankenstein. Ace grinned and stepped back, letting them all in.

Koala didn’t take long to arrive with the other girls, Nami and Robin, Kiku. All dressed in matching outfits, looking beautiful. Ace was about to compliment Kiku when he felt an aura emitting from Izou in the corner and simply welcomed her to his home.

The rest of their guests came in one big group,  Luffy letting himself in with everyone piled behind him. Usopp, Brook, Franky, Sanji, Zoro and Yamato. The party suddenly got very, very loud, and even more life was injected into the get-together.

Everyone dressed up, milling around their apartment, catching up with friends, having drinks, and eating snacks before Ace, Sabo, and Luffy got to them all first. Marco sat with Ace on the sofa as people chatted and swayed to the cheesy music.

“You did great everyone's having a good time,” Marco said sipping his beer and watching Ace stretch out his legs, the beaming look of pride on his face. “Yeah, we didn’t do too bad huh?” Ace sighed, happy as Sabo suggested spooky-themed games to which there was a collective cheer.

The night grew longer as games were played. Sabo was in charge of the first few games before Ace picked himself off the sofa to join in. At some point the music was turned from songs to spooky sound effects, someone had dimmed the lights, and Ace and Sabo had helped usher everyone into a circle around the room.

“Ghost story time!” Thatch proclaimed as Ace got comfy on the floor, Sabo sat next to him cross-legged as Luffy draped himself across his brothers with a loud giggle.

Everyone took it in turns to tell spooky stories, Thatch always the king of them, making everyone (well, not Robin) sit on the edge of their seats, biting their nails and gripping the cushions as he told his.

Ace leaned in, intently listening before Thatch shouted, a jumpscare, he jumped and elbowed Sabo who was laughing at him, Luffy in fits of giggles and was rolled off of their laps until he was in the center of the room. Everyone now laughing at their friend's outburst.

The party was so full of life and joy as friends and found family all enjoyed the night.  

[waffleweirdo]

Finished Path of Radiance!

In total it took me about 40 hours and about 4 months (oops)

Long story short I really liked this game both in story and gameplay!

Now for some more rambling thoughts:

*will include spoilers*

Gameplay:

The best way that I can describe what I enjoyed about the gameplay is a good balance of information. I think there are a few other facts that could play into this (this is the fe game I went into the most blind, and difficulty). But in general I felt like there was a good balance of systems and ‘calculations’ to manage in battle. My wording here might be nonsense, but essentially there aren’t as many active effects like engage or fates that make everything overwhelming. While there aren’t as many automated tools like the later entries (I.e aggro indicators in three houses) have so I was more so forced to check possible outcomes manually. Now this probably isn’t ideal if you really want to play strategically, but I don’t! I typically play these games mostly around feel, and this method of play helped me develop a kind of sense of what would likely happen and a greater familiarity with my own and enemy units and I thought that felt cool!

Another possible contributor to this was the difficulty. It started off a bit difficult while the units were all still weak, then got pretty easy in the mid game (except daybreak!!), before getting fairly tough again around the last 6 or so chapters. Which is a curve I generally like! There were moments I would’ve liked it a little bit harder, but it was overall very satisfying! (For context I didn’t use any bonus exp until after chapter 18, and only used the majority of it around chapter 27).

Some other minor gameplay things. I thought the mechanics surrounding laguz were cool too manage! Plus they tied in really cool thematically and I felt awful attacking helpless laguz (the fact that the game made me feel awful is a good thing!). This game was the fe game that I knew the least about going in, and I managed to only ever use a guide for one chapter which I enjoyed, but I do think it means I probably missed a few recruitable characters. I’m pretty confident I missed at least three, though it might’ve been more oops… I really liked the use of bonus exp it was a cool way to still level up units that don’t necessarily earn a bunch naturally, or buff underperforming units, and as a sort of difficulty regulator. Gameplay wise my favorite unit was far and away Astrid. She snowballed so quickly! I was shocked when Titania had beaten her for most victories. I though item management was a bit tight sometimes, but not really in a good way. The fact that the shop had different stock every chapter was a bit frustrating, especially when it would remove basic iron weapons so units with only an e rank couldn’t train at all. But overall it wasn’t too big of a deal. I also didn’t realize how op forging was until the mid to late game, but that’s on me.

Characters:

Ike was BY FAR my favorite fe protagonist. His consistent attitude and personality made him a lot more interesting. Although he didn’t have the most complex character journey ever, he was still enjoyable, and always felt like an engaging character, rather than being one note. He consistently works well with the rest of the cast, and the way that he serves as an optimistic force, yet isn’t without flaws is really nice. I think he’s just a great character! I also really like that he didn’t turn out to secretly be a noble. I think this is the first fe game I’ve played with a protagonist who is not a noble, or secretly revealed to be a noble!

I feel very guilty that I never got around to using Soren much and thus didn’t get many of his supports because he was really interesting and I would’ve liked to see how he grew past his outward facade. But even so the story did a good job of depicting his growth, even if it was somewhat subtle. I also guessed that he was the spy for Daein, but nope!

Elincia was great too. She never stood out to much, but throughout the whole game she was engaging, and it was nice to see her growth. Again I didn’t get to do too many of her supports which was a bummer.

I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about supports. The way the PoR levels them up based on deployments? Very cool! Really excellent idea. The support conversations I read? I really liked them! Why. WHY is there a limit on supports? And even more so why was it so strict? Essentially what this meant was I was constantly juggling which characters I cared about the most, and if I ever found another character whose supports would be interesting? Well let’s hope I have a bunch of supports left, or I have to change my mind, or hold supports for possible future characters. It’s awful, and locked me out of probably 3/4 of the supports I was interested in. It sounds minor, but honestly really did affect my play through a lot. I care about supports and having them so limited sucks!

Jill ended up being one of my favorite characters. I was interested when she first joined us. I think my first thought was, “what is she up to?” But her story of learning the truth behind Daein’s propaganda and choosing to oppose them was really touching, and equally tragic. The dialogue where Mist offhandedly mentioned that she and Jill were about the same age… augh!! Plus Jill’s supports with Lethe were great, another reason why supports shouldn’t have bee-

I think the other character I want to highlight is Nasir. He’s one of my favorite characters for sure, and his story is really intriguing. Even learning his relationship with Ena and his ultimate motivations it still feels like there’s so much we never got to learn. Especially never having truly gotten to reconcile with Ike… it’s just really interesting. He traveled with us for so long, and always felt like a mystery, and even finally understanding him came too late… it’s just really neat.

Story:

The story of this game was interesting, the main plot thread was helping Elincia retake Crimea, which was a fairly standard though well done story. Archetypal in a sense. But largely what I cared about was the story in regards to the laguz and beorc. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just interesting to note. In that sense some moments of the plot felt largely unremarkable to me, while some moments where the two converged felt really interesting. The discovery of the truth behind the Serenes massacre and Ena’s reunion with Rajaion stand out to me. In the sense it’s sort of hard for me to reconcile my thoughts on the story. I didn’t really care much when Ashnard was killed, but the moment I understood who Rajaion was I wanted to cry. I think largely PoR’s story is a success, as there were more moments that I was interested than moments were I was disengaged, and I do generally think of the story fondly.

Having the full vision of how the conflict between laguz and beorc was depicted I think there are probably some things to critique, especially in some moments where it doesn’t feel as far reaching as it largely should. As in sometimes it feels like that racism is far too easily ‘solved’. But ultimately I think it fits PoR. PoR isn’t trying to be a story that is incredibly focused on fictional race relations. But it doesn’t shy away from including and exploring them, and out of the fire emblem games I’ve played it does by faaaaaaaarrrrr the best job. Plus it does have many really good moments that I think are genuine standouts.

As an aside, I’d also like to say that the info system is really good at adding in additional plot relevant reactions by characters, and showing the effects of your actions on civilians and the world around in such an excellent way. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but some of my favorite moments just come from the one off interactions in it with characters you know you’ll never meet again. It’s cool!

I guess my thoughts of PoR’s story and themes come down to the fact that they are far from perfect, but ultimately succeed where it matters.

Sequel?:

I wasn’t really sure what to call this section, oops. This is the first time I’m playing Fire Emblem game that has a clear sequel! Which I know even less about going in than PoR.

Knowledge going into PoR: It has the Black Knight and Ike

Knowledge going into Radiant Dawn: It has Micaiah

So these are a collection of things I’m still wondering about which might possibly come up in the sequel? Though even if they don’t I’m satisfied with the conclusion of PoR’s story, and leaving loose ends isn’t a bad thing.

Ahem. What’s going on with Goldoa’s royalty? What’s going on with Sephiran? The apostle is a descendant of one of the warriors that fought the dark god? Is the Black Knight really dead? And most importantly Chekhov’s amulet that contains a literal dark god???!??!?!? Anyways I’m sure that will end just fine.

One of the moments that I’m most interested in was Ike’s final fight with the Black Knight. I took one look at the battle forecast and saw that Ike would immediately die, remembered Ike and Titania’s promise and booked it. Though I really wonder what might have happened if I did something different. Though honestly I’m okay just wondering.

Aaaaand yeah. That’s everything I can think to say at the moment. I liked this game a lot! I’m not quite sure how I’d rank it among the fe games that I’ve played. But I’m very excited to play Radiant Dawn and see what that has in store.