#anyway rant over i'm fine now ;w;

[astonmartinii]

nonsense... or is it? | charles leclerc social media au

pairing: charles leclerc x fem singer!reader

face claim: sabrina carpenter

based on this request: sooo, anyways,,, i was thinking maybe a smau where Charles is playing the guy who Milo was and this obviously breaks the internet even more and this leads to them dating ??? idk, just like a really wholesome one where she was his celebrity crush and now they're dating bc of them getting know each other more bc of the music video. sorry if this is all over the place but yeah. - @whoreks

MASTERLIST | BUY ME A KO-FI?

yourusername

liked by taylorswift, charles_leclerc and 1,200,441 others

yourusername: holla babes !!! the feather music video is heading your way fast xxx if only my real boyfriends were like my music videos ones ...

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user1: MOTHER

user2: finally music videos are back baby !!

taylorswift: you can still make the whole place shimmer ✨

yourusername: thanks to you baby

user3: oh to be able to call taylor swift baby

user4: y/n's shade is so underrated - i too wish her boyfriends were as good as her mv ones

user5: she's got such a good eye for casting why can't she do this in her actual love life

user6: okay but he's hot based off a single shoulder i'm excited

user7: you got that from a SHOULDER?

user8: he's TALL?

user9: babe y/n is like 4'2 she makes everyone look tall

user10: say what you want about the catholic church, they got the aesthetic down pat

yourbff1: so we aren't asking the mv boyf out? boring.

yourusername: we have lil things called phones? USE IT HOE

user11: charles leclerc in the likes

user12: so true of him

user13: unless he's... the guy

user14: babe he's way too short lol

user15: have yall seen the sky ad? baby aint acting any time soon

yourusername

liked by yourbff1, charles_leclerc and 1,763,550 others

tagged: charles_leclerc

yourusername: OMG you guys blew the feather music video up !! i'm sure it had nothing to do with this random guy i found off the street? jokes, thank you charles for being the perf mv boyf xx

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user17: HOLY FUCKING SHIT

user18: celeb crush inception no one touch me

charles_leclerc: thank you for my music video debut, maybe you can return the favour one day?

yourusername: i'll return any favour you want

yourbff1: dial down the desperation babe

charles_leclerc: what if i want her to dial it up please?

yourbff1: do NOT encourage her

yourusername: please encourage me :)

user19: Y/N STAND UP PLEASE

user20: actually y/n is so real have yall seen that man YUM

liked by yourusername

user21: y/n is a genius for fancasting her future bf in her music video

danielricciardo: THIS IS HOW I FIND OUT? SHARL WHEN I CATCH YOU

pierregasly: and me :( i thought our friendship meant more ....

charles_leclerc: it was a secret

yourusername: he doesn't kiss and tell xoxo

alexalbon: WHAT ??????

charles_leclerc: okay we can stop joking now

yourusername: fine...

user22: the way charles was defo typing that through tears

user23: y/n make the move we believe in you

user24: believe in her? she can get anyone she wants he's gotta STEP UP

charles_leclerc

liked by landonorris, yourusername and 2,099,441 others

tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc: had a blast filming for my first ever music video, thank you y/n !!

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user25: i'm feeling a new unhealthy attachment forming

yourusername: feel free to come back any time soon

charles_leclerc: or maybe you can come to me?

yourusername: is this my paddock debut?

charles_leclerc: make sure you're wearing red and it sure can be

yourusername: let me check the wardrobe

user26: i will pass away if we get y/n at a race... in the ferrari garage ???

pierregasly: let it be known i am still angry that you didn't tell me, especially after all the weird rants i've listened to

alexalbon: me too

georgerussell63: me too

landonorris: me too

danielricciardo: me too

carlossainz55: me too

maxverstappen1: me too

charles_leclerc: why is max here?

maxverstappen1: that's what you're taking from this?

charles_leclerc: yeah why are you in my business

maxverstappen1: you make it my business you talk about her all the time

yourusername: oh really ???

charles_leclerc: HE'S A BIG FAT LIAR HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A BIG FAT LIAR ALL HIS LIFE INCLUDING WHEN I MAYBE ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED HIM IN A PUDDLE

maxverstappen1: YOU DID PUSH ME IN THAT PUDDLE

yourusername: what is going on here?

user27: poor y/n being thrown into the grid drama

user28: poor charles with the grid trying to expose him

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc and 1,334,661 others

yourusername: clearly was feeling myself this week

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user31: lol why is max here

maxverstappen1: doing my due diligence as an investigative journalist

charles_leclerc: choke.

user32: is that charles? are we in the soft launch?

user33: let's not get ahead of ourselves, we know charles doesn't dress that well

user34: consider this: girlfriend effect

user35: girlfriend effect is gonna have to do some heavy lifting when it comes to charles' wardrobe

yourbff1: you think you're so slick don't you

yourusername: maybe. maybe not?

yourbff1: you're so annoying

yourusername: annoyingly cute?

liked by charles_leclerc

yourbff1: keep your nose out of women's business leclerc

charles_leclerc: SLANDER

user36: i mean they seem to have the same sense of humour

user37: not to sound insane but they are perfect for each other and i will be passing away if they are not together

pierregasly: interesting

danielricciardo: add it to the folder

charles_leclerc: folder ???

maxverstappen1: leave us journalists be

charles_leclerc: can you even read?

yourusername: GET HER JADE

maxverstappen1: add that as well

charles_leclerc: why can't we win?

user38: what is going on in the house of commons

charles_leclerc

liked by pierregasly, yourusername and 2,331,663 others

tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc: i don't believe in soft launches

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user39: we been knew... but OMG PARENTS

user40: i am crying they're so hot

yourusername: hawt bf obtained

charles_leclerc: sexy gf in my inventory

yourusername: you're such a cute patootie

charles_leclerc: i cannot speak my mind or instagram will censor me

yourusername: ...oop hurry up and come back :(

charles_leclerc: about to break all US speeding laws xoxo

yourusername: not you in your charli xcx era

user41: he's with her ... in the US ... could we get y/n paddock debut in vegas ???

user42: would only be right i fear

user43: the scheduling just about makes sense before she has to go back to opening for taylor in south america

user44: now why did vegas not get in their bag and get y/n to perform at the opening ceremony?

pierregasly: way to ruin the investigation

danielricciardo: yeah we were in our sherlock holmes era

maxverstappen1: have to spoil everything don't you charles 🤨

charles_leclerc: i thought you guys wanted to know who my girlfriend is?

alexalbon: yes, but we wanted to expose it :(

yourusername: CORNY

pierregasly: oh no. he has someone on his side now

yourusername: damn right frenchie. i can hear your asshole twitching from here

pierregasly: WHAT ???

charles_leclerc: idk what that means but YEAH PIERRE TAKE THAT

charles_leclerc

liked by carlossainz55, yourusername and 2,114,762 others

tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc: gutted not to be on the top step but an overall great weekend in vegas. glad to have y/n by my side this weekend before she's off again to slay the stage xx

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user48: charles unironically using the word slay, the girlfriend effect knows no bounds

user49: the sky camera zooming in on y/n watching the podium

user50: i think we watched her fall in love in real time

user51: i mean look at the material... podium charles hits so different i think I FELL IN LOVE

yourusername: you're a winner to me babe

charles_leclerc: and that's all that matters

yourusername: NOPE STAY HUNGRY GET THEM POINTS AND DESTROY THE REST OF THE FIELD

charles_leclerc: okay :)

yourusername: good boy

pierregasly: never say that in public again

maxverstappen1: is this why he's blushing so much in the press conference?

charles_leclerc: NO. NO REASON

yourusername: you sure?

charles_leclerc: i am the unluckiest driver ever and am screwed over at every turn sue me if i like a lil praise

user52: charles is so real for that i also want y/n to tell me i'm doing a good job

alexalbon: enough time has passed. @yourusername can lily get some extra tickets for the eras tour

yourusername: of course. anything for my new bestie

lilymunhe: thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuu. charles you have amazing taste

charles_leclerc: i know :)

yourusername: i mean i got you, so who's the real winner here?

yourusername

liked by taylorswift, charles_leclerc and 1,667,982 others

tagged: charles_leclerc & taylorswift

yourusername: my leg of the eras tour has come to an end :( this was such an insane opportunity, thank you so much taylor xx but this also means i can go annoy charlie until he has to go back to work !!

one last nonsense outro:

i met this lovely boy named charlie,

he races round the world for ferrari,

giving it to me everyday like ari

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user53: i think y/n might actually be winning in life

user54: is she referencing everyday by ariana grande which is literally just a song about having constant sex?

yourusername: yes and what about it? f1 drivers have great stamina

arthurleclerc: DELETE ASAP

yourusername: no can do baby leclerc

user55: fave outro for real

charles_leclerc: i am blushing !!

pierregasly: she just told millions of people all you do is fuck and now you're blushing ???

yourusername: i don't think mr doggy emoji is talking right now

charles_leclerc: at least y/n did it in an artful way

pierregasly: believe me i know YOU WON'T STOP SINGING IT DOWN THE PHONE YOU MENACE

yourusername: you sing my songs :) ?

carlossainz55: ALL THE TIME

yourusername: i don't like your tone mr 🤨

charles_leclerc: i am just showing my love :(

yourusername: @pierregasly @carlossainz55 you made him sad APOLOGIZE IMMEDIATELY

pierregasly: sorry?

carlossainz55: sorry i guess?

charles_leclerc: thank you :) i shall continue to sing to my heart's content

yourusername: good.

taylorswift: you were amazing !! i'll see you soon my love xx

yourusername: i'm hearing double date ??

taylorswift: i'm sure that can be arranged

charles_leclerc: OMG

user56: charles and travis are really the top tier himbo bfs and i love them for that

fin.

note: i really loved writing this so i hope this was everything you imagined and more!! i'm just getting into sabrina's music but i was a girl meets world stan so... i hope i did the nonsense outro justice xxx

[sexilene]

I FEIN FOR A FULL FIC ABOUT PRINCESS!READER WRITTING IN HER DIRAY S'SO CUTE LIKE

yeesss OFC!! ignore any mistakes sorrriii ˚ ༘✶ ｡˚ ⁀➷ princess!reader w - mentions of sex, p in v, rafe making it up to you through sleepy sex!!

your nighttime self-care routine sometimes included needing to write in your diary the things you wouldn't dare say out loud. you sat on your side of the bed with the dim warm light illuminating the room while rafe took a shower. often doing all your skincare, shower stuff, and oral care before rafe so that after you can let it all marinate before sleeping. you grab your pink fluffy pen from your nightstand to start your journaling. 

dear diary, today was so totally not great, rafe ended up leaving me this morning to play golf with the boys even after he promised to take me to martino's to get some tea cakes that i've been craving for the past week!! AND on top of that, i missed a hair appointment since rafe had the car all day and he's like my boyfriend chauffeur!! this blows!! i hate him and he will not be given kisses or sex until further notice. 

rafe walks out of the bathroom, with a towel around his waist, his hair all wet, and droplets of water running down his muscles. the view almost makes you forget why you were pissed at him in the first place, but then you quickly snap out of it when you remember you are supposed to be "ranting" in your diary. 

"whatcha doin'?" rafe asks, making you look over at him, he's put on some comfy pajama pants and sat down on his side of the bed, leaning over to look at what you are writing. 

"i'm doing self-care, it's my de-stress diary." 

"why do you need a diary? that's what i'm here for, tell your secrets to me." he shrugs and leans closer to really read what's on the pages. 

"nuh uh, somethings i would say aren't lady-like." you bring the diary to your chest to prevent him from reading it. 

"hey, lemme see. i'm basically entitled to read your diary, it's a boyfriend's right."

"no baby that's just an invasion of privacy." you giggle which makes him huff.

"okay well we promised no secrets, so give it here." he reaches for the diary, you roll your eyes and give up, handing it to him. 

"fine, but i should not be held accountable for what i wrote, its girl stuff."

"aww shit baby, i forgot about martino's, i'm sorry," he remembers as he beings to read what you wrote. "no sex or kisses until further notice? that's fuckin' ridiculous kid." he furrows his eyebrows while he's reading. 

"mm-hmm, it's not like you'd notice anyways since you've been so "busy" recently." you exaggerate and roll your eyes.

"don't roll your eyes at me, fix your attitude." he points at you scoldingly which only makes you pout and reach for the diary again. 

"if you think you really need this then fine, but no more talking shit about me in there. use your words." he closes the little book and hands it back to you. 

"i did." 

"you know what i mean." 

"i can't say it to your face." you shake your head and place the diary on your nightstand. 

"yes, you can." he wraps his arms around you and pulls you closer to him, your back to his bare chest. 

"you smell really good." you sigh, wishing you could just give in and climb on top of him.

"thank you, baby. so do you." he kisses your bare shoulder, slipping down the thin strap of your silky nightgown. 

"but i'm still mad at you."

"rant to me then."

you sigh again, "you forgot that today was supposed to be our day, you suck and if you really loved me you wouldn't have done that." you exaggerate again. 

"i know princess, i know, and i'm sorry but i do love you so don't even start." your boyfriend chides, look back at him and he takes the opportunity to kiss the corner of your mouth. 

"no rafe, no kissing."

"don't be brat, i'll make it up to you. take you to martino's first thing tomorrow and i'll take you to do your hair, how'bout i fuck you to sleep nice n' slow right now? hmm?" he places his hand on the side of your face to bring you closer so he can press a kiss to your cheek. 

"mmhm ohkay, be gentle." you nod, rafe just grins and attacks you with soft kisses all over your lips, jaw and neck.

"just relax baby, lay down i'll do all the work." rafe extends his arm to reach over to your nightstand light to turn it off, now the only light coming in is the moonlight streaming in through the balcony windows. you lay back against the mattress, head hitting the pillows and rafe lifts the thin dress above your hips. never really wearing panties under your nightgown while you sleep, he rubs your bare pussy with the pads of two of his big fingers. rafe pulls himself out, also not wearing any boxers under the plaid pajama pants to sleep, and lines himself up to slowly push in, you wine and dig your nails into his biceps. 

"shshsh....you're fine." your boyfriend soothes as he begins to slowly and gently stretch you out, giving you a few wet kisses on your neck. the way he smells and feels on top of you makes you feel so warm and sleepy, that your eyes begin to fall closed as he thrusts into you very softly.

"i love you," you whisper, wrapping your arms around his neck to make you feel closer to him even though he's balls deep inside you right now. 

"i love you more princess, jus' fall asleep, i've got you."

[woozvc]

shifts.

(part of my seventeen first love series!) [m.list]

synopsis - working at a 24/7 hypermarket and thinking you're about to get killed is not fun...but the dude you meet is beautiful so hey worth it?

pairing — jeonghan x gn!reader (reader is called pretty once)

genre/s — fluff, jeonghan is a menace, friends older brother troupe if you squint, reader works at a hypermarket late at night

cw— mentions of dark streets and getting followed (but like not really because he thought you were someone else), one direction is mentioned for a second (yes this is a cw), a lot of cursing

w/c - 1k ish

it's 11:03pm when your shift is finally over. it's a quiet friday night, the 24/7 hypermart you're working at is pretty empty which is perfect. most of your shift was spend in just organizing the shelfs and listening to music. that's why you love working here, it's easy money and it's near your house so why not?

“y/n! thank you so much for covering my shift today!”

“hey haein, how was your meeting?”

“um..it was fine haha, I know you like your 11-4am shift more but i had no choice, hope I'm not ruining your saturday”

“it's fine, I was free today anyway”

“let me get changed and you can log out” haein gives you a small smile.

haein is a year younger than you, you first met her when she randomly once ran into the shop at 1am in dire need of ramen. it looked like she was on the verge of tears. that told you enough, she was definitely your type of person.

“is it really that cold or are you dramatic?” haein chuckles looking at your large comically hoodie. you got it matching with her a few weeks ago. she wanted to thank you for putting up with her antics at early hours of the morning. you didn't refuse, a free hoodie is a free hoodie.

“it's December and I'm cold." you give her a glare (affectionate)

"don't leave the store until mark comes in and please dont put your headphones on, if someone walks in your need to greet them” haein gives you a small laugh with a salute and hugs you.

walking through this neighborhood has never been a problem. you know this place like the back of your hand, nothing could go-

“huh?” you turn around. there was something. you swear you felt someone walk behind you.

you look around for a minute, no ones around. that's when you decide to book it. taking a deep breath you start to run and crash into something, or, someone.

“haein chill out why the fuck are you running”

“who the fuck are you??”

you stare at the boy in front of you. long hair, lean frame and beautiful eyes-

“you're not haein.”

“last time i checked no I'm not” you quip back at him. being good looking does not excuse being a bitch.

“oh my god I'm so sorry” he extends his hand out to you which you take and pull yourself up.

“you have the same hoodie as my sister so i thought you were her.. I was planning to scare her so that i could ask why she was out so late I'm really sorry. it's just that usually her shifts ends right now and she takes this street home and”

“jeonghan?”

"you know me?"

it made sense. haein would come in sometimes and rant about her menace of a brother who she loved but sometimes was hard to deal with. for someone who has so much shit talked about him, damn does he look good.

you spend the next 5minutes telling jeonghan about how you know haein, the matching hoodies and why you were leaving the store at her shift time.

“she had a meeting with a club? she's not in any clubs?"

"I don't know I don't interrogate your sister"

“maybe you can” he hands his phone out and you give him a confused look

“put your number in, I'll ask you for sister updates. you can be my spy”

“that's creepy”

“I'm just concerned for her”

“still creepy”

“okay how about you give me your number because I think you're pretty”

you're so glad the street has barely any lights or he would've seen you red as a tomato right now. you quietly take his phone and put your number in, no further words needed.

jeonghan smiles at you and saves your number.

“I'll go meet haein now but I'll text you, you have good taste” and he walks away laughing. you stand there confused. what does he mean by good taste??

you start to walk home when it hits you. he pointed at your bag. a bag with a one direction badge on it that you put on when you were 12 and forgot about it.

“definitely a menace.”

a/n - I'm still on hiatus but I wrote this at 4am when I was sad and needed something to do sorry if it's not my best work :/

[drgngutz]

10 - Coast - Luffy x f!soulmate!reader

Chapter 10

Taglist: @mystic60 , @louisechec , @pinksh1t , @violetmatcha , @urbisexualfriend

Masterlist!

Sorry in advance... This part is like a whole book lol. After this chapter the rest get a lot shorter, it took FOREVER to write this one.

Enjoy <3

It's past nightfall, and the crew and I have made ourselves at home in the half-house of Mont Blanc Cricket. He had initially attacked us, thinking we were thieves coming to steal his golden treasures, before fainting suddenly from a diving disease. When he came to, after Dr. Chopper's treatment, he was entirely apologetic. 

Words and motivations are exchanged, apologies are shared, and he comes to the decision that he would help us make it to sky island on something called the knock-up stream; a dangerous way of traveling to be sure, and I wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of being thrust into the sky, just to possibly fall back down and become fish food. 

I had been subtly keeping an eye on Luffy throughout the ordeal, on edge after he came back from Mocktown where he, Nami and Zoro went out for information...

A dull pain spreads across my skin; spots on my face, arms and torso seem to burn without a source. It was weird, looking down at the untouched surface, but feeling like I was covered in cuts and bruises all the same. 

"Luffy, Zoro!" Usopp calls, sounding extremely concerned. I look up from where we’re working on the ship; My brows furrow at the blood staining their clothes. 

"W-What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Usopp prods further. They don’t give him an answer. 

I scan Luffy head to toe, noting the marred skin on all the same spots where I could feel the pain resonating; that answered the question, another factor of the soulmate link I suppose, but it didn't make me any less worried. They had gone into town to find some answers about sky island, not to get into fights and cause trouble. 

"Luffy, what-- Are you okay?" I met him halfway as they made their way back to the boat. My hands are itching to reach out and brush the blood from his face as we stand in front of each other, but I hold back the feeling, holding them at my sides hesitantly. 

"What are you so worried about?" He laughs, and my shoulders slouch. 

"I'm fine. Let's go." And he walks past without another word. At the moment, it feels like he's brushed me off. Maybe he didn't like me fretting over him? 

Nami is quick to unknowingly distract me as I walk up to her and ask if she's okay; delving straight into a rant about how the two men were being 'idiotic' and how she was publicly humiliated for asking about sky island. 

“They all laughed at me! And those two morons just stood there and did nothing–” 

At the time, I'm too busy appeasing Nami and letting her vent her sorrows, I don’t notice the eyes zeroing in on the back of my head as he grins. 

Now he was fine, of course. He never was phased by many of his wounds, from what I could tell. In fact, he was parading around with the monkey brothers, rough housing, dancing, shouting, eating-- You get the picture.

To be honest, it seemed like the events from earlier today seemed totally forgotten in general. Everyone was partying now, munching on Sanji's snacks and drinking to their hearts delight. Music plays softly in the background. I try my best to ease into the atmosphere and forget about before, too. 

"Here, have some!" Nami holds the wooden tankard toward me, offering me the sickly-sweet smelling drink. Her cheeks are flushed. 

"I'm good, thanks though." I smile, lifting my own cup of juice to show I already had a drink. I wasn't interested in alcohol, anyways. 

"Hey, why don't you girls come sit next to me, huh?" Cricket's face is an even darker shade of red, covering his cheeks, nose, forehead, and ears as the bottle of wine sloshes in his hand. I smile at him bashfully, and lean into Nami, who giggles and leans back. Sanji is quick to cover for us, though I knew the older man didn’t mean much harm. 

"Woah-- You're about a hundred years too old to be hitting on Nami; and (Y/n)'s taken, anyway." His foot is planted on the older man's face, holding him back from leaning too close to us. I'm amazed that he's able to keep holding the plates of food as he does this, expertly laying some down in front of us. 

I take a bite of some sort of fish sashimi, and my spirits lift at the flavor. 

"This is amazing, Sanji!" I compliment him, going for another piece. 

"Oh, (Y/n)! I feel I may go to heaven when an angel like you speaks to me like that!" He spins, hearts in his eyes as he nearly whacks Luffy in the face with his foot. It looks like he's completely forgotten his own words from earlier, when emphasizing that I was taken.

"I always compliment your cooking..." I trail off with a little giggle, finally feeling the effects of the good mood begin to rub off on me. 

"'The skulls right eye!'" 

Cricket says in a haunting tone from across the room. How did he get there so quickly, you ask? I have no idea. 

"'That's where I saw the gold.'" He quotes from 'Noland the Liars' log book, which lies in Robin's hands. Noland was Cricket's ancestor, so I wasn't surprised if he might've memorized the documents; despite his insistence on hating his predecessor. 

"Those words, smeared with tears, were the last ones Noland wrote in his logbook. 'The skulls right eye, that's where I saw the gold.'" Everyone in the room stops, enraptured in the exhilaration of his words. And, frankly, so am I. To imagine the possibility of an entire city of gold, of an island in the sky; that was stuff that people could only dream of in the modern world. It was enough to make something as amazing as Time’s Square look bland.

"Noland was executed the same day." There's a heavy silence as nobody speaks, on the edge of their seat, waiting for him to continue. 

"Even after coming to Jaya, I still don't know what he meant by that. Is it referring to the name of a city, or an old landmark that used to reside on the island? Was it just a poetic allusion to his own impending death? The blank pages that follow give us no clue..." Luffy has begun eating again at this point, moaning happily at the taste of the food through Cricket's storytelling. 

"That's why we keep diving to the bottom of the ocean; We have a dream, and it’s on the seafloor!" The crew, Masira and Shoujou let out a 'hurrah' at the end of Cricket's speech. 

Dreams. It was a topic that came up time and time again in our travels. An important topic to everyone I had met so far. The crew, Zenny, Henzo, Cricket, and I; we all had dreams that we wanted to fulfill. There were places we wanted to go, people we wanted to see, mysteries to solve, people to find...

I looked at Luffy, who was still happily chewing away, before looking back down at the food before us and finding my own snack to munch on. 

I guess I had already found my own dream, right?

"'The day I arrived on Jaya. Entry for May 21st, 1122. Upon landing on the island, we heard strange bird calls and the sound of a very large bell coming from the forest. The sound of that huge golden bell resonated far and wide, almost as if showing off the prosperity of a city long past! We thought we knew everything after living for a few decades... but experiencing the transience of this civilization that flourished for a long time on the wide open sea left us speechless! The sound of the bell had us stopped in our tracks!'" Cricket ended the quote with an enigmatic roar, which the trio of monkey boys echoed just as enthusiastically. 

"I just love stories with bells in them, especially gold ones!" Nami cheered, and I rolled my eyes with a laugh.

“Nami, you love anything that’s shiny and has a price tag.” She playfully slapped my shoulder, and I shied away jokingly. 

Right after Nami said it, Cricket produced that exact object from a large crate in the corner of the room; three golden bells. The girl, proving my point, practically jumped on them. 

"Huh... Doesn't seem too enormous to me." Usopp observed with a hand on his chin. Nami was cuddling one of the objects with Berry signs in her eyes. 

"These aren't that bell. They're bell-shaped golden ingots we found on the ocean floor." Cricket responded with a close-eyed smile. 

"No way. So there really is a city of gold!" Luffy cried, finally done eating. 

"It's still not proof, though! You could find golden relics like that lying around in any old ruins." Shoujou yells at him, trying not to let his anticipation get too high (a futile effort with Luffy). 

"Maybe so," Robin begins, and I know she's about to give us some historically-accurate-based-hope that would reinforce their belief in the mythical city; "But it does suggest that there was a civilization here sometime in the past. Ingots are made to divide gold into standardized units of weight. And that would indicate an advanced trading society."

"Exactly," Cricket affirms, "And remember that peculiar bird call he said they heard when they landed? Show it to 'em, Masira." 

Masira is moving before Cricket finishes his sentence, unveiling another, much larger, artifact composed completely out of gold. The creature that it depicts looks like a morphed version of a toucan, with a large beak and small body. Everyone is awed at the way it glistens in the candlelight. 

"Golden bells and birds, huh? Do you think they might be symbols of some ancient Jayan civilization?" Sanji asked, and I had to agree with the topic of the question; so far, all signs were pointing to that being the case. 

"I really couldn't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure all these pieces were a part of the same casting. This creature here is called the South Bird, and they still exist on this island today." Cricket pulled it closer to himself, inspecting the golden exterior for scuffs. Luffy follows it eagerly. 

"Wow, so they have a peculiar call?" The curious boy asks, still staring down at the remnant in wonder. 

"Uh-huh," Cricket confirms, "Just like in the log book." 

"Sailors have used South birds on ships since ancient times, so that--" Masira chokes on the words before he can finish speaking, and the two monkey brothers gasp in realization, looking at each other nervously. I furrow my brow, concerned, before hearing Cricket make the same noise. 

"Oh, crap!" The three of them emit, jumping to a stand in the middle of the room, a newfound urgency in what was once a laid back stance. 

"What's wrong?" The crew responds with equal importance. 

"This is really bad," Cricket spits, "You guys gotta' get to the forest on the South side of the island right away!" 

"Huh? Are you crazy, old guy?" Luffy looks at Cricket with a deadpan, not sure what he was talking about. I wasn’t sure what the problem was either. 

"Don't waste a minute! You gotta' capture one of these birds, and quickly!" Cricket chastised his question, before continuing swiftly.

"Now, listen carefully," he didn't waste another moment, "Tomorrow you're gonna' sail for the knock up stream; it lies directly South of here. How are you going to get there?" 

"We just sail the ship due South, of course." Luffy grunts, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed as if the conversation was beginning to aggravate him. 

"Have you forgotten this is The Grand Line?! You're heading for the open sea, you won't be able to get your bearings!" Cricket shouts. 

"Wait, he's right. Without an island to lock onto, the log pose will be useless and there will be no way to navigate!" Nami exclaimed, looking anxious at the idea. 

"Oh." I said out loud, the cause of all this commotion clicking together in my head. They all turned to look at me. 

"W-Well," I started after noticing they were waiting for me to elaborate, "We need a South bird, and we need to go South... I'm just guessing, but does the South bird help us get there somehow?" 

The crew all looked at me like I was crazy. 

"I-I dunno,' maybe it like… migrates, or something." I finish nervously, before Cricket huffs out a puff of smoke from his cigarette. 

"She's right; you can use the South bird in order to get there. Certain animals are known to have a very accurate internal sense of direction, as if they're born with a natural compass." Cricket finalizes, and Usopp pats my shoulder apologetically for not believing me. I give him a look. 

"That makes Zoro dumber than an animal!" Luffy chortles. 

"Yeah, right, like you're one to talk!" 

"The South bird is a perfect example of this," Cricket ignores them, "their bodies always point in the same direction. Basically, if you don't get to that forest and catch one of those birds right now, you'll kiss your only chance to get to sky island goodbye!" 

Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp all screech in horror at the idea, before assuming a desperate scramble to get going. The rest of the crew follows, and we begin to rush out like a bunch of clowns in a tiny car. Despite Usopp's annoyance at the ordeal, Cricket hands out a few nets to aid in the capture. 

"The three of us are gonna' get started on the repairs to your broken-down ship." The monkeys are waving goodbye from behind Cricket, and I take that as our cue to leave. As soon as I turn though, I'm met with Zoro. 

"I think you should stay here," He gruffs, "since you've been working on the ship with Usopp, you can tell them about all the broken parts. We'll find the bird." 

I'm taken aback, speechless. I glance between his stern eyes, then at the gazes of the crew behind him, who seem to genuinely consider his statement. Sure, I wasn't the strongest in the group, but did he really think I couldn't help them find the South bird? Was I really that useless to them? 

I didn't get to ask him why, before Cricket interrupted. 

"Actually, yeah. That would be pretty helpful, so we don’t miss anything." 

"Are... you sure?" I finally spoke up, "You don't want my help?"

"Nah!" Luffy joyfully replies, "Zoro’s right, we're good. You should help Cricket out, anyways!" 

"Oh." I say softly, not even sure if they could hear me. As the group heads towards the forest, the only one who has a semblance of recognition for me getting left behind is Usopp, who begs to stay with me out of fear. Zoro gives me a nod, before following the rest of the group.

My chest hurts. I wanted to go with them.  

"We'll be back, okay?" Nami calls, "See you soon!"

I stand there, holding my marked arm in my hand. Their figures disappear into the darkness, before Cricket comes over and places a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him wearily. 

"Come on, there's no time to waste." I nod in response, trudging after him to the beat-up vessel. 

—

I do my best to identify and list each problem that the ship has over the next hour that passes, entirely off of my memory. The past few weeks of helping Usopp with its repairs were coming in handy. Still, it’s hard to stay focused when you have a realization that your crew might not actually value you as a member yet, despite your efforts, and still only sees you as some free-loader who can't really contribute; because you’re a weakling-weirdo who came here from another world a few weeks ago, and your soulmate still doesn't really give a damn about you at all. 

I wish I wasn't so useless. 

"Alright, that's the mast finished. What's next, short stack?" Masira hollers, and I take a look at the sides of the ship which are a patch-work of boards. I'm doing my best to get rid of the nauseous feeling in my stomach. 

"Well, the sides of the ship need work, and the hull does too... Some of the floorboards still need to be replaced, and..." I trail off, trying to organize my thoughts. 

"I'm guessing you're not too familiar with this line of work, kid." Cricket observes, and I shrink. 

"Sorry." I mumble, averting my eyes to The Merry's figure head. It looks back at me, silent and judging. 

"Don't be sorry," the older man continued, "I was just gonna' say that might've been the reason they left you behind." 

Something pinches in my chest. 

"Right... yeah, probably." I deflated, before moving to grab one of the boards they were using for the repairs. 

"Don't take it in a negative way, kid." He stops me in my tracks, and I turn to look at him. What positive way was there to think about this? 

"You're soulmates with Luffy, right?" I nod, "Then it's probably because of your lack of experience that they left you here; it's much safer here with us than it is out in the dark, in those woods. Try not to be so down about it." 

I blink, wrapping my head around the words, before slowly nodding again. He had a point, I suppose… But, why hadn’t they just said that in the first place? If they were worried about keeping me safe, they could’ve just said so. 

"Hey, Old Timer!" Shoujou shouts, his green hair flowing in the wind as the two of us look up at him. 

"We've got some company!" He points at a ship that's nearly ready to dock at the side of the island, not too far from where we stood in front of Cricket's home. None of us had managed to notice it until that point. 

"Who is that?" Cricket asks out loud, and I shake my head, stumped. 

"I dunno.'" I say quietly, before the two monkey brothers have made their way over. 

The boat, a dull brown with pink and gray accents, lowers the bridge for the crew to dock. Their jolly-roger waves in the brisk wind, showcasing a stuck-out tongue and lips over crossed bones. A small crowd of twelve people begins to filter out, led by a blonde man with a pink shirt and a blue-and-gold-adorned coat over his shoulders. His sinister smile matches the one on the figure head, crossed out with a half-slash. Cricket pushes me behind him before they get too close. I lose most of my visibility. 

"Mont Blanc Cricket!" He shouts from across the landscape, a wild edge to his tone. 

"Rumor in town says you've fished up quite the sum of gold recently... I'd like to have it for myself!" Pirates, I think, and not the good kind. 

"Now, now, little boy," Shoujou starts, voice carrying over the whipping wind, "You don't really wanna' go and make us angry, do you?" 

"It's not nice to show up in the middle of the night and demand gold from someone, now get lost! We've got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it." Masira backs him up, chuckling as he cracks his knuckles. 

The man from before, whom I assume is the Captain, begins to cackle in a way that reminds me of a hyena. 

"You must be the bodyguards, and the old man must be the ex-pirate named Cricket... I heard the sad story of the Mont Blancs family, back at the pub. It moved me to tears." He taunted, and I could hear the teasing edge of his voice… He was mocking them.

"But stealing another man's treasure moves me even more; I'm a pirate, after all!” He grunts, and I hear the rustling of fabric as he removes his coat. 

"Maybe you'd like to know what people call me before I take your whole life's work. The Hyena!" Fitting. 

He chortles in a high pitch, true to his name; I can feel the tension thicken in the air, sticking uncomfortably to my skin, just as it always does right before a fight ensues. It seems they haven’t noticed me yet, and I'm thankful for Cricket allowing me to use him as a human shield.

"If you're looking for a fight, you've come to the right place!" Shoujou responds heartedly. 

"You're gonna regret mockin' the Saruyama alliance!" Masira is in a fighting stance, looking ready for whatever was inevitably coming our way. 

And it comes quickly. The crewmates charge with a rambunctious shout, throwing fists and words as they do it. I move back into the house as Cricket joins the skirmish, not looking to get myself involved. 

"Hand over the gold, Old Man! Do it quickly, and we may even let you live!" Another man with light blue hair, donned with a fur coat, gold chain, and striped gloves shouts as Cricket dodges. 

"You forgot to say 'please!'" He thrusts out his leg and kicks the guy in the chin after effectively blocking all of his punches; the blue haired man flips backward from the force of it. 

The Monkey brothers are holding their own just as well, effectively slamming away four or five other crewmates that had joined in on the action. 

Their captain, 'The Hyena,' stands with arms crossed and an excited smile. The sight makes my skin crawl. What the hell was he up to? 

"Looks like the boys might actually need a hand…" The blonde licks his lips, eyes wide. 

"Guess I'd better show 'em how it's done!" 

The others are too focused on the fight to realize what's happening, but I'm not. 

I watch the blonde's legs as they morph into springs. He crouches down, springs coiling; looking ready to pounce, and aiming for Masira. 

There isn’t a chance to warn him of what's coming, since the captain has already shot himself across the way, straight into Masira's back. 

The monkey-man groans, dropping the man in his hold as his back bends, and his eyes roll back. His body awkwardly molds into a ‘C’ shape, all due to the spring-man's punch.

Before he can recover, the blonde grabs Masira and launches himself off of the monkey's face, effectively punching Shoujou while simultaneously knocking his brother behind him. 

Next, he springs for Cricket, who dodges in the nick of time; however, the blonde is quick to rebound, landing on the Going Merry and propelling off of it with enough force to snap the hull in two. 

Cricket must've been too shocked to retaliate. The captain had punched him dead in the face within the next second, maintaining terrifying accuracy and speed. I watched the blood spill from the old man's lips in horror as he ragdolled onto the dirt. 

"Way to go, Bellamy!" One of the women of his crew acts as a cheerleader for the massacre, overjoyed by her captains brutality. 

"Cricket!" I cry out, pushing myself past the doorway and rushing to his side. He was laying so still, he looked like he was dead. I was anxious about him taking such a beating with his condition, since Chopper was so serious about it earlier. What if this pushed him past his limit? 

I don't make it very far, before I'm shoved in the shoulder and to the ground by the man with light-blue hair. 

"Look, Bellamy; they've got a girl!" He grins, and points his double-edged sword so that it rests under my chin. His Captain howls with laughter. 

"Well, well, well! Looks like Cricket might still have that pirate's spirit in him, after all!" He uncrosses his arms, reaching for his coat on the ground. 

I shiver as the cold steel brushes against my skin, not taking my eyes off the blade, even as it reflects the brightness of the moon into my eyes and blinds me. 

I’m too scared to swallow or breathe wrong. Any slight movement and he could have my neck sliced wide open. 

"Why don't we take you with us, huh?" The man removes the weapon from my jugular, finally, and I feel my limbs tremble. 

"How about it, we can pay you real nice in return..." He suggests. I feel like I could puke at his insinuation. 

"Enough!" Shouts Bellamy, "Grab her, and clean up this trash. Get the gold and take care of them."

Wordlessly, the blue-haired man reaches down and picks me up like a sack of potatoes, moving toward the massive ship. 

"No--" I grunt, trying to pry his arm off of me, "Lemme' go! I don't want to--" 

I kick and struggle the whole way, trying to get him to put me back down, but he doesn’t even acknowledge me. No matter how many times I punch or slap, my strikes are weak. 

The rest of their crew rushes past and begins to beat whatever life is left out of the Saruyama Alliance. They smash, jab, slash; all while they're still lying on the ground, stiff and unmoving. And they still don't stop, even as their blood begins absorbing into the grass. 

"Stop it!" I cry desperately, voice grating as tears run down my face, "Please, stop! Cricket, Masira, Shoujou!" 

"So much for your Saruyama Alliance," Bellamy chuckles, "Just an old man and a couple of overgrown apes!" 

"Just take the gold and go!" I yelp, getting closer and closer to their boat. 

"Haven't you done enough? Leave them alone!" 

"Shut her up, Sarquiss. I've had enough of her yowling." 

"Will do, Captain Bellamy." The gag is tied tightly around my head when they wrangle me onto the ship, inevitably rendering me unable to speak. They bind my hands and feet, before leaving me in the ship's corner, where I can still see the island.

As the crew begins to cast off, bag of Crickets gold in tow, I stare longingly over the rails; sobbing into the rag as I watch the limp forms of the Saruyama Alliance get farther and farther away. 

Quaking in my corner, no longer being able to worry about the Saruyama Alliance, I glanced around at the horrible smirking faces of Bellamy’s crew. In my haste to help Cricket, I had forgotten about my own safety. 

Where were they taking me? What if they were leaving the island? 

They couldn’t just take me, could they? But, then… How would the crew ever find me again? 

I hadn’t thought this through. 

I closed my eyes tightly. The tears squeezed out, anyway. 

--- 

"Hey, old guy! We caught one of those birds!" Luffy's voice echoes across the now-destroyed scene. Footsteps echo across the land, not yet seeing it, and blindly making their way through the dark. 

The crew stops short, finally seeing the wreck before them; a few of them gape in horror, the others stare in shock. 

Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou were laying in heaps; unresponsive. The ship was in pieces. Cricket's home was in ruins, ransacked and empty; scattered all over the grass as if it had exploded. 

Luffy raced over to the old man, whose eyes were cinched over closed eyes, bleeding and in pain. His tanned knees were stained with the bloody-mud around the dilapidated figure.

"Pops, what happened?" He hunched over the man's form. Cricket still didn't respond. 

"Masira!" Usopp called, and again there was nothing. 

"Shoujou!" Sanji found him lying face-up in the ocean, but the monkey didn’t utter a word. 

"What the... What happened here?" Nami whispered, baffled. 

"I've got a better question, who did this?" voiced Sanji as he was dragging Shoujou's body through the water.

"Wait," Robin started, and for the first time, the crew could hear alarm in her usually unchanged voice:

"Where's (Y/n)?" 

Nobody said a word. All of them looked at Robin in dread, realizing the weight of her words. 

Immediately, everyone began to search every nook and cranny, high and low; Usopp, Nami and Chopper were calling your name, Zoro and Luffy scoured the house and its remains, Robin searched in the surrounding forest, and Sanji even dove back into the ocean in case you might've fallen in... but, you were gone.

Once they reconvened, Zoro looked uncharacteristically beside himself. 

"We checked the house... she wasn't there. Cricket's gold isn't, either." His jaw was clenched with guilt. 

"Where... Where could she have..." Nami choked out tearfully, Chopper looking just about ready to cry as well. 

"Sorry... kid." Cricket rasped from the ground, and the reindeer was at his side in an instant. The man was looking at Luffy. 

"I... I'm truly sorry, kid," He gasped before trying to sit up, despite Chopper's fussing, "We did everything we could to stop them... but it wasn't enough." 

"What happened?" Luffy, who hadn't said anything during the search for his soulmate, asks in a dull tone. 

It's the same dull tone that the crew doesn't hear him use very often; it was like a switch must’ve gone off. 

"She's... She's gone. They took her." 

Nami covered her mouth to stop any noise from coming out, while Usopp and Chopper sniffled. Zoro turned and walked silently back towards Cricket's home. 

Luffy was quiet. Too quiet. He stood stock still and stared at Cricket with a look he couldn't decipher. Not one that blamed him for what happened, no. But it was a look that made his hair stand on edge, despite his seasoned age. 

It was a serious look; a dangerous one. 

"Hey, Luffy..." Zoro beckoned, and the boy turned slowly. 

Scrawled on the boards, the ones that served as a false-overlay to Crickets home, was the familiar mark of a jolly-roger: A smiling face with a slash in the middle. 

Nami recognized it, too. 

"That's Bellamy's..." She trails off with a gasp, before her face morphs into a snarl and she wipes her tears away aggressively.

"I told you, didn't I?" She seethed at the two men, "I told you, you should've beat those guys to a pulp and been done with it!" 

For the first time in a while, Luffy was angry; but there was no expression on his face to show it. 

He turned to look at Robin, ignoring Nami’s rage. Though, Robin couldn't see his eyes beneath the rim of his hat, brimmed with shadow. 

"If I follow the coast, will that take me all the way back to Mocktown?" He asked in a hushed, grave voice. 

"Yes, I believe it will." She confirmed, and that's all he needed to hear before he turned in the same direction. 

"We only have three hours," Sanji urged, "You better hurry and go get your soulmate, before it’s too late." 

Luffy said nothing, but they could all hear the bones in his hands popping as he sprinted away. 

---

It's been hours, and there was still no sign of anyone. 

I was starting to lose hope, forced into being cooped up with the drunken barbarians who had just beaten the tar out of my friends. And there wasn’t an escape in sight. We only had so much time before the crew would have to leave to catch the knock up stream in order to make it to sky island... Would they leave me here? Like they did when they went hunting for the South bird? 

No. Luffy would never. He might not pay much attention to me, but we were still soulmates. He wouldn't just leave me, and if not him, then Nami definitely wouldn’t... 

Right?

"Those apes were hilarious!" Giggled Sarquiss from beside me, "All bloody, with tears and snot running down their faces!" 

He flung an arm over my shoulder, leaning in close where I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Gagging, I squirmed away and out from under his arm, but bumped into another one of Bellamy's crew in the process. He grunted, irritated, before shoving me back to Sarquiss. 

My lungs clenched desperately in my chest for air, shrinking in my seat as if it would make me invisible. It was way too crowded, surrounded by a bunch of rugged thieves and murderers, I had learned from their stories. 

At least I was still on the same island.

My hands shook beneath the table. 

"Oh, come on babe," He went to do it again, and I dodged, "Wasn't that the funniest thing you've ever seen?" 

A chorus of agreements and whistling popped up around the table, all of them directed at me and attempting to coax me into a conversation, eyes shining in a hungry way that made my skin crawl. 

I couldn’t believe that they were laughing at the fact that they had probably beaten my friends to death; and now they wanted me to join in on the ‘fun.’ 

Another man went to grab at my waist, and I shimmied away; finally having enough and standing up, despite the glare I received from Sarquiss. 

"G-Get off of me!” I yelped apprehensively.

“I already told you, I have a soulmate!" I tried to put my foot down time-and-time again with this same statement, but none of them would bother to listen. 

"Yeah, okay, babe. Heard it so many times before," The drunken random from the crew tugged me back down, gripping hard at the soulmate mark as I winced. 

"And this is your ‘mark.’ Yeah, right-- Huh?" He was bewildered to have actually seen the mark on my arm for the first time that night, since nobody other than him had bothered to check if I was telling the truth. I honestly doubted that they would care, either way. 

"You're soulmates with that Luffy kid?" I yanked my arm back to myself, clutching at the mark like it was my anchor in this troubling situation.

"Yes, I am.” I tried to retaliate confidently, despite the waiver in my voice, “So leave me alone already, you--" 

"Bad news!" A man with a tall hat and scruffy face came barging into the room, effectively silencing everyone in the vicinity. Even the music stopped.

"This better be good..." Somebody from the table closest to me muttered. 

"Those guys-- The ones that were here this afternoon, they--" He slurred, before finding the person in the room that he was looking for, then gasping. 

"Bellamy! What are you still doin' here?! You... You've gotta' get outta' here, you're in terrible danger!" 

"What are you talking about? How am I in danger?" Bellamy scoffed with a frown, the veins in his forehead popping out of aggravation. 

"That-- That kid, from earlier, he's--" He groaned, seemingly unable to form the proper words, before decidedly fishing out a piece of paper and unfurling it to show the room. 

It was a wanted poster with Luffy's smiling face plastered on it; as well as Zoro's. As soon as he showed them, a few of the crewmates stopped muttering, and a few more dropped their tankards to the floor; some of which shattered. 

Everyone in the room seemed stun-locked. 

I didn't understand what was so important about it; after all, I knew that Luffy had a bounty, but it was only thirty million. The crew had told me a while back that it wasn't a very high amount for a well-known pirate, so what was their deal all of a sudden? 

"One hundred million?" Somebody whispered. 

"Sixty million?" Others added. 

Oh. I guess I missed the fact that their bounties had been raised. 

"Those two together are worth one-hundred-and-sixty-million! Their bounties are higher than yours, Bellamy. Do you know what that means?" He gasped, out of air and gaping like a fish. 

"You're dead meat!" 

So, it was a big number; And a deserving one, since Luffy had defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He was, I assumed, a strong pirate.  

But, still… After seeing Bellamy completely dismantle the ship and knock-out the trio, I was nervous. Even if Luffy had that high of a bounty now, would he be able to defeat Bellamy? How high was Bellamy’s bounty?

Now I was wondering if I even wanted him to rescue me; Not if it meant he was going to be hurt in the process. I didn’t want to see him lying on the ground like Cricket was. 

This was all becoming very overwhelming very fast. 

Bellamy's crew begins to panic, all squandering reasons to leave, shouting at each other in disagreement on whether or not Bellamy could take on Luffy. With their booze forgotten and chairs pushed back, I try my best to move toward the door in the commotion. 

If I could leave on my own, then nobody would have to get hurt. 

"Hey, hey, hey! All it takes to scare you ‘big tough guys’ are some little scraps of paper!" Bellamy cackles, and everybody shuts up. 

"What, do you all have empty sockets for eyes? You saw that scrawny leader! This is nothing but a sham.” The men looked unconvinced. I kept moving. 

“I'll explain it to you morons. There are pirates like these losers who fake their own wanted posters to make a name for themselves. The fakers win fights without throwing a single punch... Their enemies would take one look at their bogus bounties, turn tail, and run. Just like you sorry excuses are doing right now!" He lifts his hand up, waving it around to exaggerate certain parts of his explanation. 

"B-But, Bellamy, are you sure...?" The same man holding the posters speaks up once again, and Bellamy rolls his eyes in disappointment. 

"Fine. Why don't I show you how weak that brat really is?" He grunts, coming to a stand, before beginning to march over in my direction; I had made it halfway to the door at this point, but now I was frozen. 

"After all," He gives me a maniacal grin, looking down at me with wide eyes as he stops in front of me, and I wonder if he can hear my heart thumping in my chest;

"We have his soulmate right here, don't we?" 

His hand comes up and latches itself to the hair on my scalp, before continuing on his way to the saloon doors. 

My scalp is on fire as he wrenches me along, and I let out a cry. Then, using the same hand, he jerks his arm harshly; throwing me through the doors. 

A few of the crew, still inside, laugh at the sight as I roll down the stairs. Landing roughly on my stomach, I cough against the dusty ground, whining at the feeling of the bruises forming on my skin. 

As I'm pushing myself to my knees, arms wobbling, I hear the doors open behind me. Bellamy's boot-clad feet are stomping ever-closer, and my pulse races.

I whip around to look at him, not wanting to be grabbed or tossed again. Instead, I see the barrel of a gun in my face. 

My blood freezes in my veins. 

Staring down the cylinder, my heartbeat’s in my ears, looking in the face of death. 

My face must’ve gone pale. He sniggers from behind the gun. 

"Let's see what he's going to do if she's in danger, huh?" He taunts, pushing the barrel right to my forehead where I flinch, and clench my eyes in terror. 

The tears come then, fueled by the heightened feeling of the metal pressing harshly, combined with the sound of the pistol being cocked; reverberating through the object and into my skull. They spill down my face, and I bite my lip as it trembles. 

"Awe, you're just as pathetic as that soulmate of yours, aren't you!" He roars with laughter, and I grow stiff from every movement. My eyes peek open, vision blurred, but still able to make out his finger on the trigger. 

"Go on," He nods his head once, once he sees me open my eyes, "Call him."

The sob forces its way out of my throat as I close my eyes again, shaking. 

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. 

"Call him." Bellamy says with less patience, tone tinged with the darkness of a man who had killed once before, and who would do it again; 

"So that we can see what lover-boy will do, yeah?" 

No.

I had only just got here, only just found Luffy; and now I was going to die.

Was this some sort of cruel fate? 

“I’m running out of patience, you brat–” 

"I'm right here." 

My eyes snap open, and the gun is forgotten in an instant, left as a forethought in momentary shock. 

I turn my head to look, and I think I might melt into the boards below when I see him. 

The first thing I notice is his hat; it's hanging from his neck, not on his head like it always is. His hair is whipping wildly in the wind, untamed.

The second thing I notice is the look on his face. He's frowning, brows creased over a determined gaze that doesn't leave mine. It registers; I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at me like this before. 

He completely ignores the black tendrils that brush over his sight. There's an intensity in the way he's looking at me. Tiny, rapid movements of his pupils tell me he's scanning my own face, searching for something; it seems desperate, concerned. 

It's relieving. It's comforting. 

I bite my lip, not bothering to mask the sob that comes out of my throat as we stare at each other. He had come to save me.

“Luffy–” Bellamy hoists me up by my collar, cutting me off and pushing me into another crew member behind him, who grabs me in response. I hadn’t noticed that the others had begun to make their way outside, now.  

Luffy's stare hardens into a glare when Bellamy is placed in his line of sight, all sense of care gone. 

"Give 'em back," He grunts out, "My soulmate and Pop's gold. I want 'em both." 

"Finally!" Bellamy jeers, crouching into a stance similar to the one I had seen during the fight from earlier, and alarm bells go off. Luffy can’t end up the same. I writhe in the man's grip, and he jostles me to stand still as I whine softly, hiccuping. 

"You want 'em? Come and get 'em, kid!" Despite his words, he moves first. 

"Don't worry, this won't take long," And he pounces, "Spring Sniper!" 

The memory of blood bursting from Crickets lips flashes in my mind, Bellamy's fist connecting with his cheek; and I picture Luffy in his spot. 

The breath leaves my chest in relief as Luffy dodges, jumping up and managing to land on the roof of a house nearby. He stumbles as he does. 

Bellamy doesn't let it slide. 

"You got lucky!" The older of the two grits out, before pursuing the younger a second time. 

The boy dodges narrowly this time, flipping over the siding and gripping at the roof's edge. His arms stretch for a moment, naturally bobbing his body up and down due to his rubber qualities, but he looks okay. 

"Does that kid actually think he has a chance here?" Sarquiss laughs from somewhere next to me. I don't care enough to look at him, eyes locked on my soulmate as he hangs precariously from a rooftop. 

"If nothing else, this should be entertaining. Bellamy always puts on a good show." Another man with blonde hair and glasses states, one of Bellamy’s lackeys. 

"He talked all big, but now he's just running away!" 

The two are at a standstill on top of their respective buildings, now. Luffy effortlessly pulled himself back into a better position, almost like hanging from the building didn't even put a dent in his stamina. In fact, he didn't look tired at all. 

Bellamy shouts something indiscernible at him, looking smug, before shooting toward him a third time. 

He misses once more as Luffy scarcely avoids the attack, but this time he falls. 

Watching how languidly he falls, arms flailing in the air, I wonder if maybe he actually did get hit. My chest constricts, breath caught in my throat.  

"You're nothing but a little boy who still believes in dreams! You disgrace the rest of us by calling yourself a pirate. It's time to stop this foolish dreaming and grow up!" Bellamy is getting more and more frustrated, likely due to Luffy’s evasion. It's listless in his form as he comes to a crouch near the crowd.

Luffy still says nothing, he doesn't make a peep even as he keeps falling. 

Was he knocked out? Was he okay?

"Now, let's end this!" Bellamy roars as he fires himself once more at Luffy, this time hitting his target. 

He nails him, and Luffy lets out a surprised yelp, not expecting the attack in midair. I listen to his uneven scream as he spins his way down to the ground; aimed directly at the crowd in front of the tavern. 

The onlookers flee as he collides with an explosion of dust. 

His scream cuts short, and I can feel the sudden spreading of pain across my back and shoulders. I scan desperately over the rubble with piercing eyes, trying to blink away the tears so I can see better. 

Just barely, beneath the cloud of dust, I can make out the bright-red of his vest. He’s not showing any signs of moving.

"Luffy!" I screech. The man from behind gives a harsh 'shut up,' clasping a hand over my mouth as Bellamy begins another speech. 

"See? There's no escape!" He exclaims from the top of another building. 

"I've eaten a devil fruit, so you don't stand a chance against me!" 

I stop, the topic of devil fruits triggering a realization. I trace back through the entirety of the fight in my mind, just to make sure I wasn’t crazy; but I knew I was right. 

But why?

This whole time, Luffy hadn't bothered to make a move on Bellamy. 

In fact, he had spent the whole time dodging when he otherwise would have been fighting; just like he did with all the marines we ran into. Luffy had his devil fruit too, so why wasn't he using it?

Something was off. 

"Looks like your dreams are at an end." Bellamy smiles wickedly from his lofty position. 

The dust clears, showcasing Luffy's body submerged in a mess of broken-wooden-planks, crumpled and hunched. But, I’m not crying anymore. There’s something weird; whatever the feeling is, it’s assuring me that he’s fine.

Then, as soon as they stop jeering, Luffy begins to move. He pushes to his feet without much of a struggle, and I watch, unblinking, as he barely seems affected. 

There isn't a hint of discomfort in his posture, standing straight and staring dead at Bellamy; unwavering, even as Bellamy mocks him from the tower in the night sky. 

Luffy... wasn't hurt. 

"You don't know when to quit, do you? Fine, have it your way, we're just getting to the good part!" Bellamy bends down at his knees again. But this time, as he releases the tension in his legs, he doesn't stop at one spot. 

He springs from the floor, to the side of a building, to another one, and then back to the floor again. It's not a strict pattern, though. He’s mixing it up, and increasing speed as he does it. 

It's a mesh of high-pitched noise as he bounces from one place to another. Soon, he becomes almost impossible to see. 

If Luffy got hit by that, then he--

"So, you want your soulmate back? You think you're man enough to keep a woman happy, even though you're busy chasing dreams like a child?!" Bellamy shouts. 

"And you want the gold back because the old-man's your friend? Wake up! He's nothing but a decrepit fool who spends all his time chasing after a four-hundred year old lie. But that's probably what you like about him, right?" Luffy's face begins to morph into one of aggravation, the look grows with each of Bellamy's harsh words. I can only watch in trepidation. 

"You like to call yourselves pirates, but you know nothing! There's no 'city of gold,' no island in the sky; just oceans and ships and the men who sail them!" 

"You asked if I know how to throw a punch." The boy with the straw hat finally speaks up, after not saying a word the entire fight. 

He lifts an arm at his side, the muscles tense as he flexes his fingers. Here, in the dim night-light of the tavern reflecting off of his tanned skin, his usually-skinny arms show definition. Faintly, I hear the popping of bones, and I wonder if it's his knuckles cracking. 

Bellamy's crewmates cheer and holler for him to finish the fight, for him to do away with Luffy and 'get it over with.' 

All my fear dissipates. 

Maybe it's the look on his face, or the confidence in his pose; or maybe it's the anger and the resolution I can feel reverberate within me, even though it's not my own...

Whatever it was, I knew he was going to win. 

"So long, Straw Hat!" Bellamy chants, practically a missile that's focused straight at Luffy’s torso.  

Luffy's dark eyes lock-on, his pupils dilate, and the yellow of the lamp light shines in their center; a target of his own. 

With a bellowing cry of anger, Luffy slams his fist directly onto Bellamy's face. 

The sound is like a gun-shot, echoing over Mocktown. 

It's followed shortly after by the creak-and-snap of the wood as Bellamy's body creates a man-sized crater, his legs flailing up behind him.

The blonde captain coughs up blood, a fist imprinted on his cheek, before he lies still. 

Nobody moves. 

The wind brushes softly overhead. 

Luffy had beaten Bellamy. 

He reaches behind him for his hat, knuckles dripping with blood, before placing it on his head. I wondered if it was his blood, or if it was Bellamy’s. 

"H-Hey," Sarquiss stutters, "Quit messing around Bellamy. G-Get up, already." 

The Captain doesn't move. Everyone around begins to murmur, perplexed. 

"S-See!" The drunk from before urges, now panicking even more, "I told you so!" 

Luffy finally turns from glaring at Bellamy's unconscious form, gaze directing every ounce of its fury in my direction; and it’s targeting the man behind me, still holding me captive. 

I can feel his hands tremble and loosen, an iron grip turned to feathers. With a pitiful whimper, he removes his hand from over my lips, and backs away. 

I stand there like a statue, though, not sure what to think. Even as Luffy takes a step toward me, and I hear the majority of Bellamy's crew turn-tail and run, I still don't move. 

There were a lot of things I still didn't know about this place. But I knew some things. I knew about The One Piece, I knew about Devil-fruits, and I knew that Luffy and the crew were strong…

But, to knock out a man in one punch? A punch with enough force to cause a crater in the ground? I never imagined it, not from somebody who was as smiley and happy as he was. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but...

Just how strong was Luffy?

Once he's made his way over, he stops, wordless. He’s still frowning.

“Hey.” He finally greets, softly, and I blink at him, puffy eyes feeling stiff after crying. His frown deepens. 

"Did they hurt you?" The question is quiet, a stark contrast from his usual demeanor, always exuberant and excited. It's strangely reassuring, in a way, to see this side of him. 

I shake my head wordlessly, knowing that whatever they might've hurt me with, he was hurt a hundred times worse. He hums, eyes catching the rope burn on my wrists, as well as the fingerprints on my arms. I move to shakily rub at the tender skin. 

"C'mon," He grabs my hand in his, our palms tightly clasped together, like he doesn’t want to let go. 

"I'll have Chopper fix you up when we get back." 

I follow after him on shaky legs as he gently pulls us in the direction of the tavern, going to look for Cricket's gold. My heart is doing backflips in my chest, pleasant shivers running down my spine at the contact; my face is definitely pink, but I’m still sniffling down leftover tears. 

It takes a bit to actually find the sack of gold that's mixed within the mess of booze bottles and food, but when we do, Luffy has helped himself to at least five of the non-empty plates on each of the tables. He's finally looking more like his usual self, grinning in triumph when we finally find what we're looking for. He only lets go of my hand for a moment as he slings the hefty weight over his shoulders, before snatching it up again and moving towards the door. 

"That wasn't too hard to find!" He giggles as we leave the tavern, and turns to look at me, "Let's go back to the ship!" 

"Okay." The word is soft as I nod, and I've found myself able to speak again, glancing at intertwined hands with a buzz in my head.  

The shock must've worn off, but when we pass by the traces of Bellamy’s crew, I still cower and attempt to use Luffy's body as a shield; They're all huddled over his body, still in disbelief. I didn’t want to attract any more of their attention than I already had that night. 

"Hey, you, come back here! We won't be beaten by some pretend pirates!" I flinch at Sarquiss's high-pitched shout, stepping closer to Luffy, who doesn't seem bothered; flicking his eyes over to my own and smiling wider. 

"You hear me, you stupid runt! I'm talking to you!" Luffy continues to march along happily, and I try to look forward and do the same, despite the angry aura emanating from behind us. 

"I'll show you a real punch, where are you going?!" Finally, Luffy stops, and the emotions drop from his face, so I can't tell what he's thinking. 

"Where am I going?" He gruffs, raising the same blood-soaked fist as before.

There's a fleeting moment where I think he's actually going to punch the sore-loser, and Sarquiss thinks the same as he falls over in terror. Then, he points a single finger upwards. 

"The sky." He says simply, and I feel my shoulders slouch in relief. I'd had enough fighting for today. 

“How far is the–” I stumble when Luffy pulls me to his front, suddenly. Before I know what’s happening, he's bent down and looped his arms beneath my back and knees, scooped up in a bridal-carry that makes me feel weightless. 

All the blood in my body rushes to my face as I clutch at his vest with a hand, my head going fuzzy. 

"U-Um, uh-- Luffy, I-I can walk, you don't have to--" I squeak out, and he laughs, adjusting me for a better holding position. 

"It's fine, don't wanna' lose you again anyways," He chuckles, and I look at him in disbelief.

"Why are you so worried? I like holdin' you." I pause, giving him a vacant stare as the words register. His chest bubbles with laughter, cackling at the look on my face. 

I like holdin' you. It echoes in my head like a mantra. 

"Oh. O-Okay." He makes it hard to argue with his fingers grazing over my skin like that; he was surprisingly gentle. 

"Alright, let's go!" He shouts with glee, before racing off toward the coast line. 

"We gotta' get back to the ship soon, or else we won't make it to sky island!" I nod to his delighted words, but he probably can't see me as I wrap my arms around his shoulders for stability; practically being tossed around as we traversed the rugged edge of the forest. 

The sun begins to peak above the ocean as he reaches a full-on sprint. 

---

About twenty minutes pass, before the excited boy begins to ramble about their adventure in the woods while they were trying to catch the bird, since I ‘missed out and he felt bad.’ 

"Me and Chopper were chased by all these weird bugs– and I even caught an Atlas Beetle! I can't wait to get back and add him to my collection." We leap over a few rocks and I hold on tight when he lands in a crouched position with an 'oof,’ before cackling happily, despite nearly dropping me. 

I blink as I notice something flit by in the darkness, still clutching at his collar. 

"Like that one?" I point at the insect as it lands on a nearby tree, and he screeches to a halt, gasping loudly. 

"No way," His eyes shine, "That's a Hercules Beetle! I can't believe you found one, we gotta catch it! Right now!" 

"But, what about the knock-up--"

"Don’t worry, it'll be quick!" 

[yuyan]

The art of love pt. 2

Fluff, hurt/comfort

Kaveh x gn!reader

Tags: academic rivals to lovers, cliche confession during arguing in the rain scene don't look at me, mild cussing (not at each other), highschool au

A/n: the comfort part of this. I hope it doesn't dissapoint, I tried to do this as fast as possible so I wouldn't keep anyone waiting!

Part 1 || Master list || Requests: open

Half an hour after school and you were stuck cleaning the art room on the last day of school with Kaveh. Honestly, the only reason why it was only the two of you were cleaning the art room because the art teacher was still mad at the time you two made a huge disruption in class. It was 3 weeks ago though. Who would even hold a grudge for that long? For something they weren't even really involved in or affected by it too. At least you were almost done.

"Ok what's wrong with you?" Kaveh asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Whats wrong with me?" you asked back, the anger in your tone contrasting his.

"Yes what's wrong with you, anger is practically seeping out of you!" Kaveh said, raising his voice. "Does my prescence annoy you that much!"

"Well, apparently mine does!" you shouted, "especially when I'm trying to help you apparently!" Throwing your broom, you grabbed your bag and stormed out, slamming the door behind you.

"W-what? Huh?" Kaveh stuttered out, watching you leave.

~

The sweet final week that Kaveh had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity didn't have that usual sugar coat. Now it was just a bitter pile of food that Kaveh pushed aside. No one could ignore it forever though.

"They're just so frustrating and annoying and nitpicking everything I do and oh my gosh, do I hate them so much!" Kaveh ranted while Alhaithem was seriously contemplating why he walks home with Kaveh.

"Don't you like them though?" Alhaithem asked, "they gave you a note, just go talk to them."

"Whatever, Its fine!" Kaveh shouted. "It's not like I love them anyways!" Kaveh shouted, again but his shoulder shook slightly and it felt like a piece of him died when he said that. "...Plus! They're always..."

~

"Ah, please don't go," Kaveh whispered and took of running.

You approached the entrace of your school. The sounds of heavy rain rang through your ears, making you furrow your eyebrows and your frown etch deeper into your face. "Fuck! I can't think!" you screamed. Hot, angry tears blurred your vision and made small wet patches on your uniform. Teachers and students alike had long left due to the heavy rain and it being the last day.

Silently, you pulled out your umbrella and hovered it over your head before step out into the rain. Rain slightly flooded the area and each step was like stepping into a puddle. Your emotions were a mess and the rain did nothing but anger you further as your tried so desperately to sort them out. The rain could've been calming if it wasnt for your violent urge to kick and scream to your heart's content. Until you had no energy left but to cry silently in your cold, empty bed.

"Wait!" a voice called out. It felt more like a delusion though considering how drowned out by the rain it was.

It wasn't until a tall blonde boy in the same uniform as you, umbrella in hand appeared Infront of you that you registered it as not a figment of your imagination.

"I-...So what if I said that!" Kaveh started and immediately you knew you didn't have the time nor energy for this. You side-stepped him and started to walk away before he turned to you and yelled, "What does it mean to you!?" It came out a little desperate and was followed by heavy breathing.

Turning around, you said,"what does it mean to me? I helped you because I wanted to yet afterwards you ignore me even though I said I wanted to talk and then decide to rant about me to your friend when I hadn't done anything for weeks!"

"Well, what an I supposed to believe when every classmate of ours tells me and gossips about how you must hate me so much that you don't even want to argued with me anymore!"

"I left a note!"

"Your friends are notoriuous for meddling in your business! How am I supposed to know if it was truly from you!"

"But-"

"And if you really cared you would've I don't know, say something along the lines of 'you don't have to promise me that, asking for help is enough' or I don't know!"

"Well, I didn't expect to fall in love with you!" you shouted. Kaveh had to stop himself from dropping his umbrella in shock. "Plus, if I didn't want to help, nothing you offered would've been enough," you mumbled.

Despite the pouring rain making it harder for the two of you to speak he heard and clinger to every word you said.

"Wait, I, did I say?" you fumbled, pink invading your cheeks as you backed away from him.

You could've turned and ran, if it wasn't for his hand. That damn hand that secured tightly around your wrist. That hand that kept you in place as he stumbled forward. That hand that pulled you in as his lips met yours. Your umbrellas had knocked against each other as he leaned forward to kiss you. His lips were soft but slightly chapped despite the humid weather, kissing you slowly, like any wrong move would hurt you.

Backing away, he saw your half lidded lips open up a bit more, your cheeks glowing a brighter red.

"I-um, we're far from perfect but I think we'd be a good couple so I'm be my lover?" Kaveh asked, sounding a little unsure but you just smiled and nodded, giggling a little at his flustered expression. "Ah! Well ok Let's meet up on the holidays, you have my number!" Kaveh shouted over the rain, running off.

You waved with your free hand, watching him run off into the distance. Touching your lips, it contorted into a soft smile. He tasted like strawberries.

A/n: I've never written a kiss scene so um getting out of my comfort zone today. 😀👍

Also I headcanon that Kaveh loves strawberries cause he just such a cute pretty boy who'd probably like strawberries ok I'm not weird ok goodbye! (^o^)／

[yanderes-galore]

Could I get a holiday themed Roxy Lalonde rqqq?? :333

Fandom: Homestuck/Hiveswap

Character: Roxy Lalonde

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Type of fic: Fine w/ anything but would prefer a oneshot/short story :3

Other info: You can decide what prompt/Idea it should be :33

Sure! I didn't like the way I took this one (I don't feel I did Roxy justice, I will in later fics) but I hope you enjoy it anyways :) This is during main story, not epilogues or ^2 (I have not touched those)

Missletoe

Yandere! Roxy Lalonde Short - Winter Event Request

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Jealousy, Forced kissing, Trickery, Forced affection, Forced relationship implied, Manipulation, OOC Roxy Guilt.

You feel nervous tonight. Roxy has kept giving you odd glances lately. Then again, Roxy has always made you uncomfortable lately.

When the world went to hell she suggested you live with her. You just thought she was being a good friend for a pal. However, now you're stuck in the middle of an ocean in a Carapacian colony alone with her.

Roxy treated it like it's the best thing that's ever happened to her. She no longer had to just text you on Pesterchum. For a bit, despite your anxiety, you liked the thought too.

However, overtime you began to notice Roxy's behavior around you.

Usually through drunken conversation from her she often laments her relationship troubles. It started with her ranting about Jane telling her not to date Jake due to her own crush. Then it was about Dirk.

Then oddly the conversation swapped to Roxy asking about you. She asked if you liked any of the friends you shared. She asked bluntly if you had a crush on anyone.

You said no when she asks these questions, which caused Roxy to often frown.

Now, as the wind gets colder, Roxy seems to be planning something. She's been working more on her Transportalizer technology skills recently. Not onty that but she keeps giving you oddly flirtatious looks.

You don't understand what Roxy's been getting at until you catch her attaching something to ceiling over her bed.

You had moved from the bed to lean on the wall, looking through one of the many odd windows she had. Your thoughts were only broken when Roxy called you to look at her. When you turn you feel the nervous feeling intensify.

A Missletoe… she managed to bring back a Missletoe? Was that what she was practicing for?

“Took me forever to get it… BUT! Isn't it perfect!?” Roxy coos, completely ignoring your look of anxiety.

“W-Why did you get one? Nostalgia?” You ask softly and Roxy gives you that strange look again.

“Nostalgia? Pffft… nah. I got it for us!” Roxy squeals and you tighten your jaw.

Did you feel for Roxy like that? You hesitate softly. Did she think you were dating? 

“Roxy… we aren't-”

“Look, I KNOW what you're going to say and I get it. Buuut… wouldn't it be nice?” Roxy purrs softly. “I mean… we live together, we're both single… I've liked you for a long time!”

“Was that why you asked me to move in?” You ask and catch Roxy looking guilty for a moment.

“Look… I… I just get really jealous when you talk to others and I just thought-” Roxy mumbles while getting off the bed to walk closer. She took down the missletoe and you thought you'd be done with this.

“Sorry, Roxy… it was just really sudden-” You sigh, Roxy gives you sad eyes before standing in front of you.

“Can I at least have a hug from my good pal?” Roxy asks softly and you look nervous before agreeing. 

“Sure.”

You quickly regret the decison when Roxy essentially grapples onto you. The wind is knocked out of you momentarily and Roxy takes the time to put her lips on yours. You taste wine on her tongue… the kiss surprises you.

While you surprisingly don't hate it… what you do hate is the betrayal of your trust.

Roxy pulls away but doesn't let you go. She instead cuddles into you. You look beside her and see she's still holding the mistletoe… over the both of you.

“I'm sorry…” Roxy frowns, guilt deep in her gut. “I just… I just want you as mine.” 

Roxy's grip tightens and she looks away, a distant look in her eyes. Although… you notice a small smile on her face.

“I guess… you are mine in a way. As long as you're here with me… you're mine.” Roxy locks eyes with you, swapping her grip to your hands.

“We'll be perfect for each other!” Roxy gleams. “You'll see….”

[theconfusedacorn]

Oh look, more hazbin OC crap!

This is (roughly) Singe's full demon form! Pretty much, girlie gets burt to a crisp, her head practically rips off, and her insides turn to what is essentially lava. (Somehow, her clothes don't burn, though. Why? Idk, they're fireproof, or somethin.)

Anyways, that's all for OC, I've got massive rant about the Radioapple comic below the cut for those who are wondering what's going on with that, but if you don't care, then have a nice day!

-

First, I hadn't expected it to get that much attention, so I took the "I'll get the next part out in a couple weeks" thing VERY LIGHTLY. After the initial single page prequel thing got so much attention, I posted the comic more as a: haha, wouldn't it be funny if that happened again. I didn't expect many people to care.

Alright, so: 'Tuned In', my Radio apple comic. I posted a SINGLE part (and the prequel thing, but I hadn't planned for a comic when I made that) and haven't mentioned it since. It has been WAY MORE than a week. What the hell is going on?

But, then it happened again.

And now I have 200 followers. (thank you for that by the way! Very cool!)

SECOND, the last few weeks have been BUSY (exams are HARD), so I haven't had much time to actually sit down and work on a big drawing project like that.

That all said, I did start chipping away at the project once I realized people actually seemed to like the comic. Mainly, script writing for future parts, as, once again, I haven't really had the time to work on the COMIC part of the comic, but it's something.

Anyways, exams are over now, and I've started looking for a job, but I've still got a LOT more free time on my hands, so I'm ACTUALLY starting to work on it again.

I can't PROMISE when the next part will be out, I'm trying to get into a schedule, but I'll keep y'all posted while I work on it!

TLDR: Exams kept my last couple weeks busy so I couldn't work on it, but I'm working on the comic again!

Thank you SO MUCH for your patience and for joining me in my little corner of the internet! Thank you again for the 200 followers, cause WOW, that's really cool! Hope y'all have a fine ol' day!

^w^

[nalyra-dreaming]

So I need to get this off my chest

I'm very bummed about what Rolin Jones did to Lestat's character,yes he's a monster yes he's a toxic bitch but a domestic abuser he was not in any iteration. I don't see a lot of positive feelings for him nor do I see excitement for him like "omg I can't wait for Lestat next season" don't get me wrong I love Louis and Armand too but the way I relate to Lestat (and Nicki) i've never related to any other character

And people being like we are watching the show only for Louis & Armand once when s3 happens ratings will drop. Nobody wants his POV.

And rewatching some interviews/casting calls they're def gonna make Loumand more tender/sweet and now that they've realized what makes the audience backlash they will conveniently tailor the scripts to that not only sanitizing the characters but also making loustat toxic to a maddening degree compared to loumand

And even if Lestat comes w his POV the audience will be like so we're supposed to believe an abuser?

Levan a lifetime fan of the books read the script for E5 and went like "how is lestat supposed to come back from this?" And sam mentioned "this was a change that took a lot of time to process"

And if it was IWTV lestat only i'd still get it but they've mentioned the AMC!lestat is not the Lestat we see only in IWTV but also other books that means his nature will be carried on to the next seasons which the audience utterly despises

Anyway rant over

I disagree.

The books definitely have the abuse in them, especially in the first half of IWTV. Our later perception of Lestat is of course influenced by the later books, but in the first half of IWTV he IS the antagonist.

He probably would have destroyed the parlor furniture in a rage.

‘But you don’t know him if you think he’ll let us leave,’ I said to her, alarmed at her self- confidence. ‘He will not let us go.’

To just pick out a few key moments. He and Louis also fight a lot. Physically, too.

And I don't think the show will cater to the loud Loumand criers at all. (Not referring to the shippers here, Loumand is totally valid, I'm referring to the seemingly delusional part here that I have encountered already, too.) The "people" you mention are a very loud minority on Twitter it seems, and they will be disappointed. Because all the old fans -I- know are waiting for S3... IWTV has been adapted before after all.

No-one needs to "believe" him... the tale will shift, and it will be fact - as in the books - and it won't invalidate said abuse, because the Lestat in later books himself never did that either.

Levan's comment can be read totally differently as well, especially given that he has to make it happen (with the others) - HOW are they going to do it. Not... "oh my god how am I ever going to have my poor blorbo reinstated!!11!!!" *sniffs*

Come on.

The audience does not despise Lestat. He is a fictional character, and a lot of people enjoy a good antagonist, especially if there is a long, long character arc incoming.

It's fine if you do, but I would be very careful to generalize.

Especially since they already pulled the tale apart at the end of season 1. Anyone still thinking that was the (whole) truth we saw... well - what can I say.

[hqbaby]

chat it’s been a minute (anon who sends those long ass rants after a chapter AND PROUD NANAKIMI STAND) I am loving how others r agreeing w me when I say Kimi and Nanami would suit each other so good, we trust in thee

I was clenching my ass while reading it, satoru is so messy istg boy calm down. I honestly knew he would be the one to spill the shit about sukuna, especially after misunderstanding yn and her fiasco w naoya. HES SO JJAKAAKAKKA i cant stand w u any longer satoru, redeem yourself somehow hoe😞

SPEAKING OF THAT, HIS EXES???? HELLO??? so we really aren’t that special huh? 🤔🤔 like wdym you already had a ring ready for someone else, ok WHORE 🫵 i get yn tho, i can’t imagine hearing all that after being treated like royalty by him, like is it even real atp? if he thought about marriage before and left that thought quickly, who’s to say he wont do that same w yn? (and the moment where she looked over to Kimi after confessing how easy it would be for him to replace her, shoot me now atp)

and sukuna bro, he’s so adorable watching out for yn. when he asked nanami to be easy on her was too adorable, and their “bro-hood” bond was honestly too sweet. And him searching for her like it’s life-or-death, he’s so desperate for her i cant. but good things never last. yn already has a lot on her plate so i guess she barely had time to register what satoru had said, but i feel like when she does sit down and realises what he did, it wont be good.

bless you and your fine mind emi, hope all is well on your side pretty!!! thank you for this drama-filled chapter!!

HI LOVE!! damn the nanami/kimi vibes from the anons are so strong i love it. i feel like it's because they're the only mentally and emotionally stable characters rn 😭

this isn't miu canon because it hasn't and won't really come up, but i've had it in my head that kimi is somehow not entirely hetero? mainly because she has that whole thing where she hasn't felt fully attracted to someone and she's only been involved with guys so far but idk i'm just yapping 🥴 i think i unconsciously write queer-coded girlies because i am very much a queer-coded girly 🥲

satoru though 😭 it's getting so hard to defend you man 😭 but i promise all the characters get redeemed somehow (some not entirely, but redeemed enough for it to matter lol)

and sukuna is so attached to reader it's cute. can't wait for you to read their conversation in the aftermath of the whole confrontation

anyway!!! thank you babe!!! i hope you're doing well <3

[kitkatopinions]

So this is about Rubys breakdown in S9 E7: I think what was weird to me was how out of nowhere it came. Like Jaune is grieving his friends, Weiss wants Ruby to say smth comforting, and Ruby just goes into her speech...but it seems so disconnected to the event that just happened. The first few sentences just tripped me up because this whole situation HAD nothing to do with Ruby being the leader. I HATE THIS SPEECH. AAAAH.

I think that you're right that there's a big old disconnect, and it makes the whole thing feel worse.

There are some pretty basic fixes that would still leave it feeling meh, but much better than what we got. Like for instance if while Team RWBY were sitting around the table talking about Jaune and the rest of Ruby's team were dismissing him, if Ruby - trying to be calm and work things out but clearly frustrated and going through it still - had started being like "why can't we let Jaune be the leader? He's the one that comes up with plans anyway, why do I have to greenlight stuff for you guys to do anything? Why don't you guys wanna contribute?" That would seem well placed and a good complaint for Ruby to have (she wants things to be a joint effort with her team,) and could lead to the others being like "But we believe in and follow you, we know you'll figure out what to do," which would cement just how much pressure they've put on Ruby and how alone she feels. And then if we still needed what happened with the Paper Pleasers to go down, Ruby - instead of being callously dismissive of the Paper Pleasers humanity - could be more visibly distraught at their 'deaths' because she's the only one in the group iirc that wasn't like "maybe them killing themselves is a good thing uwu Jaune why are you holding them back?" And then when the girls are all comforting Jaune, they could turn to Ruby to get the inspirational speech they clearly wanted and Ruby could start ranting about how none of them actually know how Ascension works and they don't know the Paper Pleasers are gonna be fine so they may have just let more people die. The others could then be like "whoa calm down, that's not how any of us need to be thinking right now" which could then lead to Ruby's explosion.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I 'being like Ironwood?' Is admitting that we're in way over our heads being bad? Am I supposed to be better than that and just come up with perfect solutions all the time?! 'Oh guys, don't worry, Ruby will think of something,' 'we don't even have to worry about what we do, because Ruby will save the day, Ruby inspires us and comforts us and makes sure we're all smiling!' I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE! This isn't okay, what just happened isn't okay, we're not okay, I'M NOT OKAY!"

Then there can be pushback from the girls, a "what are you talking about, I thought you were fine" from Yang, a "I know things are really bad right now, but we have to focus on getting home and we can't do that by wallowing" from Weiss, maybe a "Ruby I know you're upset, but you're the best of us and we trust you" from Blake, which is the exact opposite of what Ruby would want to hear and that could push her into her "what about me" and angrily yelling at the others and her "we're all so happy for you, by the way" moment with Blake and Yang.

And if someone's about to say "Kitkat, hold up, wouldn't that take too long?" The answer is no actually. This is the supposed main central protagonist having her first real breakdown since crying over Penny's death in V3, the show should be willing to spend time on that to make it as good, dramatic, fleshed out, and deep as possible.

Now, what I would REALLY like is some much bigger fixes, like... Redoing the entire series and making it better, or at least re-doing everything after the start of season six, or at the very least like fourteen thirty-minute eps for this season where Jaune actually didn't time travel, everyone actually got proper focus on their growth, the Cat wasn't evil, Ruby didn't 'ascend,' Ascension was never written as way to make Ruby try to off herself without committing to treating it as important, everything was better explained, the Ever After characters weren't so annoying, and part of the season focused on Team RWBYJ waking up in different acres and having to find each other.... Etc., etc. But, I'd settle for just some minor edits to make Ruby's dialogue hit harder and make more sense.

[hellboundhimbo]

MORE JOJ GIRLS joanna's design isn't creative at all with the exception of her dress. like its deadass just jonathans outfit. REASON FOR THIS BEING a lot of my thoughts on her are less abt her design and more abt what her story could be. strap in fellas its time for an Unhinged JoJo Rant courtesy of tumblr user hellboundhimbo.

now i already touched a bit on the subject here, but boy howdy if she still doesn't live in my head rent free. since writing said post, I've had a brain blast in the form of an epiphany that, what if all those concepts, but she's TRANS. i know, i'm a genius (read also: stupid gay idiot). t4t jonaeri, anyone?

i wanted her design to reflect the journey of coming into her own, and finding her own definition of womanhood. at the beginning of PH, she wears very traditionally victorian clothing. long dresses, corsets, those big ass hats, the whole sha bang. over the course of the story, however, she realizes she doesn't need to conform to societal standards to be "worthy" of the title of woman, so she begins to dress in ways she wants to, or is practical for that specific situation. i wanted to make it a point that while she lets her hair down, she never cuts it or is like "EW EARRINGS BLEH' cuz like. femininity isn't her enemy!! its the patriarchal standards that enforce such a rigid, static form of it onto people!!

when it comes to the trans aspect of her story, I thought long and hard about how to go about it cuz like. i'm trans masc myself, and the last thing i'd want to do is try to infuse transness into a story and have it feel like a redundant, shitty commentary that intrudes on the narrative or smth. i think I've come up with a good idea of where to go with it, though.

i think joanna probably came out sometime in her early teen years, around 13-15, but started questioning around the time she met erina, (haven't come up w a name for him yet, if yall have any ideas feel free to shout em.) who came out much earlier, like 9 or so. just like the idea of joanna being like "omg wow u changed ur gender wow that's so crazy haha doesn't everyone feel that way tho" and erina's like. no???? they don't????

anyway once joanna came out lady joestar was like "ok fine u can trans ur gender BUT you gotta be a lady." which sucks cuz no more rugby but fuck it we ball (or I guess. not. ball.) she struggles a lot with being a poised debutante cuz shes like 6'5 and rich dudes don't really like it when their dance partners could chuck them to the colonies with one arm but fuck them. rest of the story remains mostly unchanged, blah blah blah dio blah blah stone mask blah blah you know the drill ANYWAY speedwagon's first appearance is when we really start making some real impacts on joanna's character, with some definite parallels being drawn between joanna, who was lucky enough to be rich and accepted by her family (for the most part,,,) and speedwagon, who lives in the slums with no family to speak of. by proxy, some parallels to dio as well (she'll get her own ramble when I post her design in 284738374 years), because phantom blood sets up so much for a conversation about classism that we see so little of :( love phantom blood tho dgmw

also you can bet your sweet ass that hamon is becoming a metaphor for queer liberation.

don't wanna divulge too much about it cuz like I am hoping to write something about this at some point but,,, big Thoughts here trust me bro.

to address the elephant in the room, how does joanna got honkers if there was no hormone therapy in victorian times? hamon doubles as hrt. if araki's allowed to pull new hamon capabilities out of his ass every 5 seconds, so am I. it works for the metaphor too but like that's less funny.

[th-rdimpact]

i'm watching a craaaaazy lot of movies about sewer slide and kinda g°ry stuff in general and it's making me hella triggered lmaooooooooooooo

long ass review and rant about some movies i watched recently (as if i don't already have a letterboxd for this) anyways, strong themes mentioned beware

anyways su1c1de club isn't good? i was kinda hyped on learning Sion Sono style, sampling two movies (Tag, 2015, and this one) and hhhhhh, i mean it's a 2001 movie... his style definetly got more defined over the years i guess. maybe i'll try another one of his, this one just really wasn't it.

but As The Gods Will and Ichi The Killer are so consistent even being like 14 years apart? I wanted to hit up some Takashi Miike stuff after seeing he'll be adapting Onimusha and omg I'm kinda excited! I didn't think Kamisama no Iutoori really works as a movie, but I really liked the direction and nonlinear storytelling. and is hilarious as when I was talking about it with my boyfriend we found out the author also made Blue Lock (he hated the concept of the movie/manga and loves BL he was devastated). And Ichi the Killer? Holy shit, I love movies with extremely unhinged men like fr fr ughhhh. I loved Karen tho I was so sad when Ichi went ballistic on her.. And man Kakihara dresses SO FUCKING WELL, I was extremely delighted to find out the actor is Lord Raiden in the most recent MK movies ughhhh he's so fine.. and well back to his direction, I even commented with my bf he'd make a great Re:Zero adaptation if he'd like. Like the nonlinear stuff just pairs so well with the way he presents a story, like showing the present, then the past, then a glimpse on an earlier moment of the present, then another shot on another POV altogether like !??!?!?! imagine being in a direction contest and your opponent is the man who made Yakuza, Jojo, Ace Attorney, even fucking Dead or Alive live actions, like just you get to this level?? anyways watching movies is really a blessing i thank all the Gods for this possibility I love it so much omfggg1!?!?!?

is like so good to outgrow small and obnoxious characteristics of yourself, like when I was smaller I never went to the movies (my parents just weren't interested because we def could afford), I used to haaate live action movies they just weren't as fun as animations and ugh how could I have kept myself locked from gems like this for so long? Like this literally started to change a few 2/3 years ago???? likeee aaaah!??!!??!

and as an ending note it's like suuuper hypocritical I complained to my bf about the murd3r and r4p& scene on Suicide Club because there's an almost identical scene in A Clockwork Orange, even forgive me the wording, is really one of the most iconic scenes from the movie. I also couldn't stop thinking about Genesis by Eden everytime the damn character was on screen it was super annoying.

if anyone read up til here (lmao) watch Guinea Pig 4 Devil Woman Doctor, is just a couple of very funny skits of the Doctor (portrayed by actor Shinnosuke Ikehata/Peter, who stars as Eddie in The Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)!!) "treating" her patients with very unnsual illnesses, such as a talking stomach, a tattoo that doesn't stand still, and so on! It's like super funny and you can see everyone there has their share of fun, as the movie ends with everyone literally laughing their asses off. You can watch it on youtube w/ eng subs. and obv, you don't need to watch any previous Guinea Pig movies, they are even too much for me for what I've heard of it, at least for now.

[spotlightstudios]

Not really a rant, but totally a rant:

Good gods I hate my school system. It's been hell since before covid, and it continues to be hell afterwards.

I usually don't rant about stupid stuff like this, but it's the little things that get me. Cuz, I've been in the same system my entire life, and it's like it changed just in time to make my life a living hell. (Hello to my moots who know exactly what I'm talking about. Glad to share the hellscape w/ you.)

Point being, I use a school-issued IPad for most of my digital art. I'm gonna have to give it up by the end of the month because I'm graduating. Which is fine. But then they (school system) went and force-changed the background and lockscreen into a warning about the date we have to turn it in. Which is in. Like. A few weeks. What the fuck.

I had a perfectly good lockscreen on there that I've had for like, 6 years, and now I can't change it back because they removed the ENTIRE OPTION for it in settings. You think I want to be reminded that I'm leaving my safespace so soon? You think I want that ugly text all over my screen when I'm trying to focus on assignments??? No!!!

Anyways, idk what in my brain has misfired tonight, but this feels like the last straw with this school system and I am SO ready to leave it behind me in a month. Good riddance.

[love-advice-on-call]

Hi! This is like my first time asking any advice so sorry if this is a bit tmi or a weird ask 😬 So for religious reasons I'm not doing the do until after marriage. The problem here is, all the guys wont really date you unless your down to do smth with them ( which i'm not!!! ). I know i shouldn't really rush into a relationship cause i'm literally only 15 and their overrated and romanticized by the media anyways, but i'm an absolute hopeless romantic 😔 I just really wanna have a romance book typa relationship. I wanna send gm and gn texts w/ someone and be on ft with them for hours just talking or doing nothing and just basically have someone to obsess and rant over to your friends. But I don't want to have the superficial relationships that my friends/others have in my school.

Like majority of the guys in my school are racist, colourist, homophobic and are just mean people in general. I would NEVER wanna date a person who acts like that, let alone be friends with them! But it seems like everyone doesn't really care in a sense because they're cute/popular. I feel like the odd one out because everyone has been in a relationship or had a crush or like a fling and I haven't. I'm always left out of these conversations and just feel like i'm missing out on the high school experience! ( i'm literally finishing grade 10 in 2 weeks and haven't even talked to a guy romantically )

In a sense i feel like because of that ( and since i went to an all girls private school from gr 3-8 ) I tend to romanticize the smallest things a guy does or says to me which is such a big problem!!1! Like you crack a joke with me? In love. Pick me first in gym when making teams? Brb i'm writing our wedding invites. Even my cousins around my age were shocked when I said I haven't talked to a guy romantically before. Its even worse that I'm so shy around guys and just overly insecure considering I NEVER had any boys in my school. Everyone always calls me a grandma already because of the way I talk and act and now i'm really starting to believe it.

My parents are pretty strict about this kinda thing and my sisters are all older then me/are naturally extremely pretty so they didn't have to worry about being unlikeable ( people had crushes on them in high school AND they were in relationships ). I just feel really lost and unlikeable :(

Hi,

So I think waiting till marriage is a totally fine thing and waiting in general would be a good decision for a lot of folks, not just you. I didn't wait till marriage, but I did wait a long time for the right person and in my personal experience it made it significantly more fulfilling when comparing it to how almost all of friends lost their virginity during teen years. I really wish that more folks had the opportunity to wait.

Wanting to be in a relationship this badly I think is something MANY people your age feel and I think it is totally normal. This feeling you're feeling, doesn't really ever go away I think. It may come and go in intensity, but if you at this age feel like wanting to be in a relationship, then you can expect to buckle in for a lifetime of this being at the back of your thoughts.

"Like majority of the guys in my school are racist, colourist, homophobic and are just mean people in general." Unfortunately, this is just "Welcome to Teen Boyhood", most of these guys (God willing) will grow out of it, though I've met a lot of men who never emotionally/mentally went past age 16.

There are some dudes who are not terrible people at ~15, but usually those guys do not attract girls easily. Less popular guys definitely, but solid dudes at heart. It could be that maybe you are also just hanging around the wrong crowd? I doubt your whole school is like this and you should be able to find someone your age who shares your values. They wont be the perfect guy, no one is at 15 or really any age, but they'll be better. I know it is SUPER incredibly indescribably tough to shift social circles and meet people within your own school, but I suggest that you try to simply make more guy friends in general and look for the sweet spot of dudes that are decent guys. It will also help with your anxiety around boys and may help smooth you out so you're used to talking to them. Once you find a guy you like, then you can work on building up the courage to ask him out.

Maybe join clubs at school, look into after school programs (tutoring, co-ed sports, etc.), or check with your friends to see if they know anyone they can introduce you to. When I was in high school, some people would also just date guys from other schools because they weren't down with the ones who were immediately around them. They usually met through mutual friends or at non-school events.

Also, you telling me that you don't want to date guys because they want you to be down for something while your sisters were in relationships at your age. I mean, I feel like put two and two together. It's not JUST because your sisters are pretty 👀. But gossip aside, your parents can't be that strict if they let your sisters see guys or if your sisters found ways around not telling them. So I wouldn't worry about them too much. As a former teen, there are always ways to getting around parents.

All in all, I think it sounds like you do have a good head on your shoulders and you know what you want. Being a grandma isn't always a bad thing, it just means that you don't take BS from other people and you know what will make you happy. That's something that takes almost a life time of development and you've got that now at 15 so I've got confidence in you that you're going to be alright.

As a side note: I do appreciate you listing out how you romanticize the situations. It gave me a laugh and this is definitely one of my favorite asks I've gotten in a while. Talking to people about navigating teen dating is like one of the funnest topics period.

June 13, 2023

[zhongrin]

tbh I'm not sure if rambling/ranting abt characters you enjoy is allowed in this blog but man I still think abt how I got Kazuha on my NA/America acc last year

Like every time I see him on my acc and fanart of him w/ the other boys I am always, ALWAYS reminded of how he decided "oh lol I'm coming home at like the second 10 pull with your primos :)"

And honestly it was during his debut so i cannot tell you the feeling I had when I see that golden light just BARRELING and the ugly yell I let out because I??? Got my ronin boy???? Against 50/50???

I swear I'm not delusional but God I want to rant sm abt him because it was also during the first archipelago event and he hasn't left my team since then ;v; I genuinely owe him a LOT for helping my now (sort of) built team and every day I just go "damn, I wouldn't be having an easier time traveling without you on my party"

I don't know man, I may sound extremely delusional ranting abt my favorite anemo boy that has so much trauma on his shoulders that he's resolved during the events + story quests but he's so precious, it makes my heart soar. I would rant more of what I want to do to him (all sfw of course, I'm too embarrassed to rant abt NSFW online ahisbsidjd), but this could take ages and I don't wanna swamp your inbox ;v;

Anyway, rant over, I just want to talk abt my first encounter with Kazu and how he decides that day of all days to come home despite me not being extremely close to pity (and hasn't left my party since)

(p.s: I really love your blog and your works!! I have so much saved and liked because I love rereading it on my off time— you were an inspo on my own writing blog that's based on a different fandom and I love your interactions w/ other people jajsbsjsb /pos /gen. I don't usually come and send an ask because I'm scared of coming across as too forward or even as too creepy ;v;

also, it's because as much as I like checking other people's works like Ansy's, yours just has a special place in my heart and I love rereading your fics when I found them. I am biased on Kazu and Xiao but the way you write others has me clutching my chest like "gods I'm going to love them and I don't like the thought of it but ough—" wwwwww

Also, as an additional note, I did migrate from Ansy's which was the Ayato one...? because I saw one of the posts w/ you and decided to hop in wwwww, anyways side tangent here over ty for reading my full confession /exag)

— 🌸🍒

it's VERY MUCH ALLOWED!!! tell me all about your faves!! tell me about your f/os if you have them!! tell me about the mundane things you and your f/o does!!! literally go ham, bc rex lapis knows i am gushing every day every second 24/7 about zhongli (and al haitham, but mostly zhongli) so ofc yall get the same privilege lol

hsldkjflsdf lucky!! i had to spend some $ on kazuha on his second rerun(?) i believe, because i was not yet into genshin when he came out! he's SO good at both combat and exploration, i totally agree. makes it SO much easier to gather the drops too!!

mr./ms./mx. cherryblossom nonnie, i would like to let you know that you're always welcome to drop a whole-ass essay (both sfw or n.sfw) on your beloved anemo boy if you want to. i might not always reply to it immediately but i promise you i will eventually. you wouldn't swamp my inbox or anything, it's fine!! i never feel pressured to answer asks and i know my followers don't expect me to do so immediately!!

ps. i'm literally gonna cry /pos that's??? so sweet??? i'm super glad you're having fun reading my silly writings and the interactions with my friends <3 definitely not creepy at all! i love receiving asks and talking with people!!

SO YOU'RE THE SAME PERSON AAAA i actually considered asking you bc i saw you on ansy's blog and i went 👀 could it be??? but i decided not to just in case bc i don't want to confuse people if it turns out my hunch was wrong lol BUT ANYWAY WELCOME!!! i hope you'll enjoy your stay here... mayhaps we can secretly fangirl over ansy's amazing works hehehehe

[19011301180905]

tbhk manga (like everything after the part where the anime ended) spoilers under the cut -w-

it's a long, unedited rant about my opinions on tbhk so y'all don't have to read it. i'm just trying to figure out my thoughts on the arcs.

i initially stopped reading tbhk when it got to that train scene with aoi and yugi cause i just did not care about any of the romances. it all felt so dramatic (and i guess it would be because it's literal ghosts and life and death etc.) but it just felt too much from my end. i didn't care about aoi and akane or yugi and nene, i just wanted them to be better people before they go off into their romances. if you put yugi as he was in the severance arc with nene, it just felt too half-baked for me.

and of course, no relationship is perfect. that's something that other stories can carry well, an example would be ada and emil (he's dependent on her and she's dependent on him) but the flaws are integral to the romance. putting a disclaimer that i don't encourage said romance but it qualifies as a romantic relationship so i just used the word. anyways, toxic, unhealthy, or just imperfect relationships are perfectly fine to use in the story. and of course, yeah, nene and yugi or aoi and akane are just going through trials right now but it got so banal to me at a point? i guess i just got tired of the slow pace and constant issues.

i guess, i do like it when stories use the "immortal is passionately over ripe" trope as in the immortal's feelings get so jaded/faded/deeply obsessed over what they wanted when they were younger. yugi certainly lives up to it, with all his selfishness and bluntness.

my main point is, i get what aida iro is doing, it's supposed to be cruel and grueling cause people can be cruel and grueling. you know love perseveres, people persevere but it gets tiring at some point? maybe i'm just bored, outgrew the story. any of the above, i used to be a big fan of the manga and i loved everything, maybe i'm just bitter about being bored of it.