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hippolotamus · 4 months

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Sentence Sunday ✨

I can show you lies 'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart

Beloved mutuals and pocket pals... I honestly don't know what to say for myself. This is a case of 'I listened to a song too much, I had an idea I knew I was never gonna write' turned 'I'll just throw it out as a prompt' --> 'I'll just make a moodboard' --> 'Oh god, I've written over 1k words in place of a summary'. SO. Have... whatever this is, T Swift influenced Buddie actor au. Under the cut to save your dash.

Honestly, if the world still exists in the morning, Eddie Diaz doesn't really give a fuck. His girlfriend left, claiming he's still not over his late wife, and his teenage son, the last thread connecting him to said wife, went to go live with his grandparents. After, of course, blaming Eddie for pushing 'yet another one' away. Christopher wouldn't even look at him before he went.

Then there's Anita Mills, his agent, who is probably a few blood pressure points away from a stroke at this point. Assuming she doesn't fire him first.

Let her, he thinks, grabbing a bottle of Maker's Mark from the cabinet. He has a string of blockbuster films to his name, not to mention a commendable collection of Oscar's and Emmy's. Not that they made his parents proud or kept his wife from leaving him before she died. But they exist as proof that he's had a successful career. Between investments and liquid assets he has more money than he would know what to do with in a hundred lifetimes. So, fuck it.

Eddie breaks the wax seal and twists off the red cap. He doesn't even bother with a glass, not really seeing a need. He's never been a big drinker, but lately his tolerance has grown considerably. Indulging until he passes out seems like an ideal use of his time right now anyway. If he wakes up after? Well, he'll consider that a success.

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"Hey! What the hell?!" Eddie manages, coughing and trying not to choke on the ice cold water hitting his body. He opens his eyes to see Mills towering over him, glowering and holding an empty vase. He swipes a hand across his face. "Seriously, Anita, what the fuck was that?"

"I don't know, Eddie, you tell me." She disappears for less than a minute, returning with a hand towel she unceremoniously drops on his chest. "Help me out here. What's today?"

He wriggles himself to something resembling sitting and leans back against the coffee table. "What's today?" He parrots back dumbly.

Anita crosses her arms and quirks an eyebrow. "I asked you first."

Today, today, today. Where was he supposed to be- "Shit! The interview with, uh, fuck." He snaps his fingers and racks his brain trying to remember a name or a face. All he knows is they're important.

"Claudette Collins. Very good, Eddie, you got it part way."

"Give me ten minutes, I'll put myself together and we can go," he says, fighting the violent wave of nausea that hits as he scrambles to stand up.

"Save your poor carpet from getting puked on and sit the hell down."

"What? No, I can-"

"Eddie," Anita interjects, "the interview was five hours ago. The interview with the Claudette Collins. The one that took me months of phone calls, groveling and cashing in favors to get for you."

Fuck. "Anita, I'm so sorry. How-"

"Save it." Anita holds her hand up, effectively silencing him. It takes him back to being seven years old and having to explain why his dad's truck had an enormous dent in it. She rests her hands on her hips, pacing back and forth as she purses her lips. Eventually she sits in the leather armchair situated in the corner. "Eddie, you and I have known each other a long time. A long time. I've been your agent since you walked into my shitty office back in Dallas. Given your impressive display of awards, I'd say we've done pretty well together."

She inhales sharply, rubbing at her temple. Anita doesn't mince words, it's part of why he's always liked her. He never has to question where he stands. She says 'jump' and he knows exactly how high. It's not difficult to guess what's coming next.

"Eddie, I know you're going through a rough patch. What you're dealing with is hard enough without seeing it splashed on every tabloid and trashy website. Not to mention none of those places knows the real story, so it's all a bunch of 'she said he might have said' bullshit. But you've made it through tougher things." Anita doesn't need to clarify that she's talking about Shannon's death and how his parents tried to take Christopher. "I don't know what's happening this time, but I need to take a step back. My wife has made it very clear that all of my attempts at stress management are not working and that if I can't get it under control I shouldn't be surprised when I come home to an empty house. So."

Eddie swallows, waiting for the inevitable and cursing himself for pretending he wouldn't care.

"I've talked to a few friends in the business and found someone willing to take you on."

What?

"What? You're not firing me?"

Anita's features soften. "Technically, yes. I am very much dropping you like a scorpion I found in my boots. However, like I said, I found someone willing to work with you. The name is Bobby Nash. He runs a smallish agency but don't let that throw you. He's cobbled together some pretty impressive talent. I assume you've heard of Evan Buckley?"

Eddie scoffs. "Of course I have. Who hasn't? Christ, he's everywhere you look. I can't pass a damn bus stop without seeing his face." A few details begin to click into place within Eddie's muddled brain. "Bobby Nash is his agent?"

"Sure is. And we all know the stories about Evan's past aren't the type you trot out at parties. My advice is that you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, go with Nash and do whatever he tells you to do. He even has a role in mind for you, costarring with Buckley. What do you say?"

What else was there to say? If Eddie didn't want to get blacklisted or wind up as some washed up tragic Hollywood story, being gossiped about where everyone - including his son - could see what a failure he was...

"I guess I say- when can I meet him?"

"Good answer." Anita clasps her hands together and gives him her signature smirk that tells him she approves. "Just leave everything to me."

Up to this point, Eddie has trusted Anita implicitly with all the messy business that comes with having him for a client. Why stop now?

tagged by @loveyouanyway @spotsandsocks @wikiangela @tizniz

np tagging @actuallyitsellie @epicbuddieficrecs @a-noble-dragon @mountedeverest @fortheloveofbuddie

@weewootruck @saybiwithme @bidisasterevankinard @shipperqueen6 @ramonaflow

@taketheplanspinitsideways @dangerpronebuddie @theotherbuckley @stereopticons @kitteneddiediaz

@daffi-990 @diazsdimples @your-catfish-friend

@thekristen999 @filet-o-feelings @underwaterninja13 @lizzie-bennetdarcy @rainbow-nerdss

@steadfastsaturnsrings @inell @jesuisici33 @rmd-writes

@shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @queerbuckleys @bi-buckrights @elvensorceress

@bucksbiawakening @giddyupbuck @hoodie-buck @indestructibleheart @ladydorian05

@lemonzestywrites @monsterrae1 @statueinthestone @slightlyobsessedwitheverything @the-likesofus

@thewolvesof1998 @watchyourbuck @welcometololaland @wildlife4life and anyone else who wants to 😘

#hippo writes #buddie wip #actors au #not what i saw myself doing today #but when is that ever true #fic: lights camera bitch smile #seven sentence sunday #sentence sunday #sunday sentences #do i know what i'm doing?#not a clue

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imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl · 2 years

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In Shining Armor

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia X Reader

Word count: 1.6 K

Summary: A evil man has been hunting you for a long time, and your only hope now is to find the Witcher people are peaking about.

{The Witcher Masterlist}

At this point, you're betting your life on rumors. Gossip.

That's how low you have fallen.

But a thin, faint thread of hope is better than certain doom.

You don't know the tavern you rush in, but you also don't know the land you came to. Doesn't matter. People - mostly men, you quickly notice -, turn their eyes to look at you. A panting mess of a young lady, hair messy, covering half your face.

In the tavern, your eyes start looking, searching... You've heard a witcher is here. He was seen passing through these lands. But who? Who of these men could be-

In a corner, a white-haired man sits, brooding, not minding your sudden appearance. Is that him? He looks strong enough, and the hair... The medallion soon gets your attention, the sunlight coming from the window reflecting on it.

You don't think, you just move, crashing on the bench next to him. “I beg you, pretend you know me.” Ignoring the angry, confused look he gives, you whisper.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Please. He's been-” In the middle of your speech, the tavern door is kicked open. You freeze because you know who it is. He was close, after all.

“(Y/N)?!” He calls, eyes scanning the place much likely you did, seconds ago.

When those evil eyes spot you, it feels like the blood leaves your face. It gets cold, like your hands, fingers feeling like ice. He's here, you have nowhere to run. You're tired. You're hurt, hungry... If he takes you with him... You don't even want to think what he'll do.

“There you are.” He says, a wicked smile taking over his lips. “Been a while since I set eyes on this pretty face. All I see is your back, always on the run.” He walks closer, and closer, and closer... You can smell him from here. Sweat, death, rot... Or is it just your terrified brain playing tricks on you?

Looking down, you blink hard to push tears off. Can he see them? Can he see how scared you are?

“The lady is with me.” The voice next to you says, at the same moment his arm moves around your shoulders.

You almost faint as waves of relief wash over you.

“Don't think me a fool, Witcher.” He says, and you hear when he puts both hands on the table, bending forward. The dagger on his left hand is visible. “I've been chasing my bride-to-be for a month.”

“The lady is with me.” The Witcher repeats in a low, calm voice.

“The lady is mine.”

“Not anymore. Now, if you intend on walking out of here alive, you better do it in the next ten seconds.” His voice sends vibrations through his chest, and you can feel it on your right arm.

There's something in the air, you can feel it, even though your eyes are still set on the table. “If you'll fight, do it outside.” Someone says.

“It won't be a fight.” Another person says, and you see him approaching through the corner of your eyes. “This is Geralt of Rivia. The Butcher of Blaviken. He will kill you in half the time he gave you to leave.”

You don't know who that is, but you're thankful for his words.

Because at the mention of this... Event in Blaviken, Bardun moves, standing up straight. He steps back. Then another step...

Until he silently turns away and leaves.

You didn't want to, but it happens anyway. It's too much to keep inside. Bursting into tears, you lean on the man who saved you, shoulders shaking with sobs. Geralt - now you have the name -, rubs your back slowly, and as much as you're embarrassed by the sudden outburst, you can't stop for long minutes.

But when you do, you meet yellow eyes with your redish, tear-stained face. “T-thank you. I don't-I don't even have coin. I'm sorry. But I have this.” Quickly, you reach for the necklace around your neck. “It's nothing much but–”

“Keep it.” He says, grabbing your forearms and pulling them away from the necklace. “Now, we should get going. That man is still around.”

“Go where?” Your low, weak voice is swallowed by the other guy, the one who spoke for you, a lute in his hands.

Geralt gives him an annoyed look. “We means me and the girl.”

“But adventure follows you... Well, maybe also a bit of death but what matter is–” Geralt starts moving as he speaks, gathering his things and then taking your hand. “What matters is that I'm in need of new tales to sing, as you can see.”

Geralt doesn't answer, and when he pulls you, you don't resist. The gestures make you feel secure like you haven't felt in a long time. And with Geralt's much bigger hand on yours, you'd just follow him to the ends of the Earth.

“C'mon.” The lute guy keeps taking, following both of you. “Where are you going? Imagine this: The brave, mighty Witcher being the knight in shining armor to a young, fair lady and–”

“What is your name?” You ask, giving the man a glance.

“Don't encourage him.” Geralt says, stopping by his horse and looking down at you. “What's your name?”

“(Y/N).” You say with a smile.

“I'm Jaskier.” The lute guy says.

Geralt ignores him. “You know how to ride?” You nod, and he grabs your waist. “Up you go.” And he raises you to his horse, and you quickly fix yourself before Geralt climbs behind you. “This is Roach. She is a nice girl... To most people.” He adds, shooting Jaskier a glance.

“Where are we going?”

“An inn for the night. Then, we'll see.” When you start moving, Jaskier follows, playing his lute and singing something about a monster chasing a princess and a knight rescuing her. It makes you smile.

The inn is some miles down a dusty road, among other small buildings. It's four stories high, a neat place. The old woman behind the counter gives you two rooms, but after seeing your scared face, Geralt asks for a room with two beds. Jaskier also asks for a room.

He'll be tagging along, it doesn't matter if Geralt likes it or not.

In the bedroom, you light up some candles because it'll be dark soon. After, you sit down on the bed on the left, signing.

“Wanna tell me about that Bardun?” Geralt asks, stripping down to a black shirt and kicking his boots off before sitting on the other bed. Elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on you.

Taking a deep breath, you take off your shoes as well, loosening your dress a little. “I'm just a girl with dead parents, like many others where I come from. He saw me and wanted to marry me. I said no... He insisted to the point I had to run or else...” You don't want to think about it, so your voice fades. “He reached me once, hit me...” You touch your cheek. “I've been running ever since.”

“You were really scared.”

You nod. “I was. I am. Back in my hometown, before I decided to run, he said things... Things he'd do to me... If I didn't accept to marry him.” A tear rolls down at the memory. “I know you only hunt monsters... But I'm glad you helped me.”

“Some monsters are human.” Geralt says, and, without thinking, you get up and sit next to him, throwing your arms around his neck.

He seems to hesitate a little, and then his embrace is loose before his grip grows tighter. He soon moves, turning his body towards you so you're hugging him better, pressed against his chest. “Thank you. I know it may seem like it's something so small but it's the whole world to me. You saved me, Geralt of Rivia.”

And then, loosening the embrace, you touch his cheek and decide to give him something else. Connecting your lips to his, you're taken by surprise when he quickly kisses you back, the movement of his lips driving you to part yours, and so you do, letting him take over, deepening the kiss.

But then, too soon, he pulls away, his forehead touching yours. “What was that about?” Geralt asks in a whisper.

“I wanted to give you something. It's not... Useful as a coin... Nothing valuable but–”

“Then give me another.” He says, and you smile before kissing him again, feeling his tongue this time, and it only ends when you're breathless. “Maybe I'll require a couple more.”

That makes you laugh, wrapping your arms around his neck, your cheeks and neck burning. This is nonsense, feeling so safe and comfortable with a man you just met. But you get this feeling, that he won't ever hurt you. That Geralt can be trusted. And this is something you never felt before, something too strong to understand. “I'm fine with it.”

“What are your plans now?”

“Hm... I can't go back to my hometown... So I Don't know.”

“If it's alright with you, we could go back to get your things. And then you stay with me until... Until you find a place you'd like to live.”

And then, you smile again. “R-really? You'd put on with me? All that for some kisses?”

“For all the kisses you feel like giving me.” Suddenly, Geralt picks you up, placing you on the bed. “Now let's get some sleep. It was a long day. Even longer for you.” You nod. “Tomorrow we start the journey to your house and after... We'll see.”

“We'll see...” You repeat, watching him go back to his bed. “Do you... Want to keep me warm for the night?” You suggest, hoping he can't see how hard you might be blushing.

“If that's what the lady wants.” He says as he moves back, lying down next to you and welcoming you into his arms. “Good night.”

“Good night.” You whisper back.

You quickly fall asleep, knowing that you won't be alone or scared when you wake up in the morning.

#imagine geralt of rivia #geralt x reader #geralt imagine #geralt fanfic #geralt fanfiction #geralt of rivia x you #geralt of rivia imagine #geralt of rivia x reader #the witcher x y/n #the witcher x reader #the witcher imagine

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vintagesage123 · 2 months

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Fired Gojo x Reader

its been 2 years but i'm back, see you in another two maybe

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That was it, really. No thank you for the years of torture no i'm sorry for all the stress i've put you through over the last 5 years of your life, no of course not, the asshole couldn't even come and tell me he was firing me himself.

All i was provided with was the cardboard box that I was supposed to put my things in. Fuck that, if they want me gone they can pack it them self. I've spent 5 years working my ass off in this company, i'm not spending another second in this hell hole.

16 hours later:

Something does't feel right, my head feels as if my brain is fighting to get out, my legs are like jelly, the hot body pressed to me from behind, and oh yeah that man's arm around me. Wait who the hell is that? ''Good morning sexy'' he smirks against my neck. Oh shit, i know that voice, I can already see that smirk just by the tone of his voice. Please tell me i didn't sleep with my old boss, please tell me i didn't sleep with Gojo Satoru.

i turn slowly around and see him, those blue eyes meet mine, still smiling of course. ''so... you wanna order in or should we go out?'' Oh no.

8 hours earlier

There was a banging on my door, I didn't order food did i?. I'm pretty drunk but i think id remember that. Slowly i peep through the hole in my door and see none other than Gojo. Fuck fuck fuck. What if I just pretend i'm not home?

''I know your in there'' Fuck my life.

I groan and open the door '' what do you want?''

''Nice outfit'' i'm wearing a hoodie and pj shorts. He pushes past me into my apartment. ''I have your stuff''

''What stuff?''

''The stuff you left on your desk before you stormed out, obviously'' he puts the box down on my kitchen island.

''Oh well why didn't you just get one of your underlings to bring it, like the way you got one of them to fire me'' i say ''and I also didn't storm out''

''You didn't storm out? then why did James tell me you cursed him out and oh... stormed out'' he laughs at his own joke.

''Whatever, we are done now, i don't have to pretend I like you and you can hire some early twenties bimbo to take my place''

He leans back on the island ''okay firstly'' he holds one finger up ''I didn't fire you for that reason, but thanks for the bimbo tip'' he holds his second finger up ''secondly if i wanted some eye candy I would have kept you, and your also good at your job so that's a bonus''

I step in front of him still a bit flustered from his comment ''Then why did you fire me''

''Your attitude'' he smirks

''My attitude'' i laugh at that ''my attitude, you were the one calling me at 3:30am to see if i could finish the work you didn't bother to get done, and i always got it done''

He leans down to my face ''You did, not very well but you did''

This ass ''Maybe because I don't have a business degree, and oh, IT WAS THREE THIRTY OR LATER''

''Yeahhhh, maybe that's why, anyways, whatcha doinggg'' he looks past my shoulder and sees the half drank bottle of alcohol ''Rough night huh''

''Fuck off'' I make my way to my couch and pour myself another drink.

''Woah, i thought your attitude was bad before, now your a full blown bitch. Keep that up and you might turn me on'' he makes his way over to sit beside me and pours himself a drink''

''What the hell is wrong with you'' i laugh.

''Oh my God'' he looks to me shocked.

''What, what is it!?'' i freeze.

''Your face doesn't crack when you smile''

''What is wrong with you, seriously, i thought there was an axe murder behind me'' I exhale.

He grabs the remote ''what are we watching, fight club, planet of the apes ohhh bullet train?''

I think of telling him to go home but that would be more work than just dealing with his presence ''uhhh bullet train''

It's about an hour in. He has spread himself out on the couch, the bottle's empty and we are pretty drunk. In this light hes kinda hot, well he was always hot, but tonight is the first time iv'e actually looked, like really looked. As I'm looking at him he catches me in the side of his eye. Oh no hes going to make a big deal out of this isn't he''

''See something you like'' he smirks

''Yeah Aaron Taylor Johnson is pretty hot''

''Anything else you like?'' he looks at me with that big cheshire grin.

''I mean Brad Pitt is pretty nice to look at'' he rolls his eyes at that. I almost feel like laughing.

''Sure you don't see anything else'' he grabs my thigh. What the fuck.

''No not really'' i gulp, there's no hiding how nervous i am now.

''Just relax, we've both had a pretty shitty day, why not relax?'' he lifts his hand up higher until hes almost touching me. Oh my god.

''If i say yes this doesn't mean anything, okay'' Is this a good idea, probably not, but i'm drunk and really fucking horny so fuck it.

He pulls me onto his lap ''You say no its a no, you say yes its a yes, you say its nothing then its nothing, what you say goes''

''Fuck it'' i pull him down to me and kiss him, and oh fuck he tastes good, like mint and alcohol.

He's holding me by my hips and grinding me down onto him, hes already hard ''fuck your so hot'' he says making his way down my neck. He picks me up from under my thighs ''where is your bedroom''

''Straight down the hall first left'' he drops me on the bed and crawls between my legs slowly pulling my shorts and panties down.

''Fuck, how long has it been baby, your soaking'' i really don't want to give him that answer, so I ignore him.

He puts his tongue on my lips and i already feel like i'm about to burst and he hasn't even gone near my clit ''Satoru'' i moan.

''How long baby, i wont lick you again if you don't tell me''

This asshole ''I don't know like...three years''

His smile drops ''how are you alive''

''Not all of us have a sex addiction'' he licks my clit this time and fuccckkk.

''I don't have a sex addiction'' he keeps licking''

''How many times have you called me late at night to 'leave to deal with a work emergency' because you wanted to get away from a woman'' he nips my thigh. ''Ow Satoru'' i hiss.

''I love it when you say my name'' he slides two fingers in me and it doesn't take him long to find that spot.

My legs start to shake and my thighs clamp around his head and then i'm seeing stars. Fuck i'm cumming already. He's good, easily my best, ill never tell him that of course.

When i think he's done he keeps going, overstimulating me ''wait Satoru, it's to much'' i moan out.

''How are you supposed to expect me to stop when you say my name like that, anyways I need to get you ready for me'' not long after he says that does he draw circles on my clit with that magic tongue and fuck i'm seeing stars again.

''Satoru'' i moan. Finally he pulls away from me. He pulls my hoodie over my head and see's i'm not wearing anything under it.

''Fuckkkkkk'' he kisses my neck and make his way down to my nipple and takes the left one in his mouth, letting me grind myself on his thigh.

He pulls himself back up to kneel in between my thighs ''I to be in you'' he pulls his fly down ''do you have protection''

''I haven't had sex in four years, so no'' this idiot

He smiles at me, what the hell is he smiling at ''thought you said three years''

''Shut up'' i grit out ''i'm on the pill, just pull out''

I've never seen this man smile more than after that sentence ''fuck yes baby'' he rips off his shirt and pulls down his sweatpants and fuck, no wonder these women keep coming back, easily 8 inches and fat to. Maybe he was right in making sure i was ready, this one time he was right.

''You ready baby'' he says stroking himself and lining himself up to my entrance.

I nod and that's all the confirmation he needs, he pushes himself in all the way ''fuckkkk baby your so fucking tight'' and fuckkkkk, hes right again, It's hitting just right, no man's fingers let alone his cock could hit that deep, but here the one man i thought I'd never sleep with is eight inches deep and i'm loving every second of it.

He starts thrusting at a slowed pace but doesn't take long to build up a rough fast pace. He lifts my legs up to my shoulder's and if i didn't think he was hitting the spot before, he sure is now.

He's not shy about showing how he enjoys sex, hes moaning and grunting just as much as me and it's turning me on more than i've ever been turned on before. He throws his head back in pure bliss ''Fuck baby, where is it''

I can't even think when hes hammering into that spot ''where's what'' i moan in between his thrusts.

''Your vibrator, you haven't had a cock in four years, you definitely have one'' he smiles. I stare at him in shock, how does know that.

''Em, in the nightstand'' without pulling out he grabs the bullet from the nightstand and puts it over my left nipple ''FUCK'' i moan.

Slowly he brings the vibrator down to my clit and in less than a minute i'm seeing stars. He doesn't stop there, he keeps abusing that spot and my clit. The only noises in the room is our skin and moans and before long i'm coming around him again. ''Fuck baby your so hot when you cum''

Tears are streaming down my face from the overstimulation, fuck its all to much, hes to much. ''Come on baby, just one more beautiful'' he lets my legs down and lays above me ''your so sexy baby he says kissing my neck comforting me ''your okay just give me one more''

''Satoru'' i moan and i'm cumming with him.

8 hours later:

Oh yeah that happened

note:

This is the second story i've written so the grammar and pacing might be a bit off but hope you enjoy and please id love some constructive criticism.

another note:

In this story i talked about pulling out, if your having sex pulling out doesn't work, please be careful and use protection.

#gojo x reader #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #gojo smut #gojo x y/n #gojo x you

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godihatethiswebsite · 4 months

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Desert Oasis

✽ Johnny "Soap" Mactavish x f!reader (The Mummy AU)

Main Masterlist ✽ Ao3

°•. ✿ .•°.•° ✿ °•.°•. ✿ .•°.•° ✿ °•.°•. ✿ .•°

✽ Part 7 - Gearing up for the road ahead

I intended to get this out to you guys much earlier, but my health stole my brain bunnies and then the chapter grew a lot bigger than I'd originally anticipated. I'm actually forcing myself to break it up from the 10k monstrosity it currently is (and I'm not done with yet ><) into this chunk half the size so that you're not waiting another week or so.

The good news is I've got a bunch of the next part already done because of that so hopefully the wait won't be as long :)

i'm not jinxing myself by saying that. what are you talking about >>;

Kyle hadn't let you walk after everything and you were far too drained from the day's events to argue. He'd gotten to his feet and hoisted you up into his arms, cradling you to his chest as you wrapped your arms around his neck and rested your eyes for a bit. His body warmth wasn't a cure-all, but it certainly helped given the fact that you were dressed in a sopping wet short cotton batiste nightgown with only your knickers on underneath. Letting yourself be carried wasn't just because you were tired and shoeless - it was also helping to preserve your modesty.

Something like that shouldn't really matter at a time like this considering one of your male companions was family and the other had already seen you in the state when he was saving your life (twice now). However, you weren't the only people out here despite not running into anyone else as you three made the trek southward. You didn’t want to be caught so exposed should your paths cross with any of your companions from the wreckage.

Unlikely, but better to be safe than sorry.

They'd opted to delay settling down for the night and keep traveling for a little bit longer, arguing that they were too wound up from the ‘festivities’ to find much sleep anyways. While you were certain adrenaline must’ve had them on edge, you suspected they were moreover worried about the men in black robes coming back in the middle of the night to finish what they started. That thought weighed heavy in your gut, sending a shiver down your spine easily mistaken for the slight chill of the desert.

By the time it was decided you were far enough away from the wreckage for their comfort, you had begun to lull off in Kyle’s hold, fighting the pull of slumber from a mixture of pure stubbornness and the lingering paranoia of being snuck up on once again. It was doubtful sleep would come easy to you tonight if it even did at all.

Being so close to the Nile had lush vegetation scattered throughout the area, your cousin finding a small patch of softer earth to place you down upon while Johnny rested his back against a nearby palm. Neither of them had a go at building a fire for warmth, not wanting to risk being spotted and leaving your only light source to be the heavenly planets above. The nearby crop provided cover from wandering eyes which helped ease your anxieties a little at least.

“Who was it that attacked us?” The question from your lips was one that no one had yet to voice aloud, but was on everyone’s minds in one form or another.

Your cousin plopped down in the grass next to you, scratching a hand over his scalp in a show of obvious frustration parroted by the expression he wore.

“Wish I had an answer for you, dolly. Been rattling my brain over that all night and yet still only coming up empty handed. Could’ve just been as simple as a rogue band of desert dwellers looking for easy pickings and we were the poor bastards who got unlucky.”

“That's a right load and ye know it, Garrick.” Johnny’s voice had a growl to it that gave away his own internal thoughts, rooting around in his rucksack in what you suspect was an effort to check over his few remaining belongings. “If that were true then they’d ‘ave taken somethin’ wit’ ‘em. Ye dunnae sink a ship yer tryin’ ta make coin off of.”

“They were looking for something.” Even with how soft your voice was interjecting into the conversation, both pairs of eyes swiveled towards you immediately, imploring you to continue with your explanation.

“One of the men… in my room,” your gaze briefly landed on Johnny as you thought back to how he found you being held captive with a dagger to your throat, eyes burning through you in a way you had to mentally shake yourself out of in remembrance, “h-he asked me something… about a key. He was looking for it and got incensed when I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about.”

The two of them shared a look at the details of your brief encounter, trying to piece together a puzzle that was taking more shape but still lacked too many parts.

“Seems like someone on board was hiding something,” came your cousin’s reply, an ominous implication that had you over analyzing the people you’d come in contact with over the course of the day. “Question is: which one was the thief and which one was the conservator?”

Too much blood had been spilt for you to even consider the notion that the men in black were even remotely the good guys, but you couldn’t help the nagging tug in the deep recesses of your brain that was trying to place why some part of you recognized something about the man who threatened you. You’re certain you’d never seen his face before, but there was an element of his appearance that kept itching something you couldn’t seem to scratch.

Perhaps clarity would find you in the morning when the events that brought you here weren’t so fresh in your mind.

Turning your attention back to Johnny, you brought up the other thought that had been tumbling around upstairs although it was far less pressing of a matter. “That man across the river. Friend of yours?”

You’d been half expecting the displeased snort you received in response based on the short interaction you’d witnessed, but it was Kyle who answered first.

“Philip Graves. Bit of a mercenary who took up occasional employment with His Majesty’s forces.” There was a sourness to his tone that spoke volumes towards his opinion of the man. “Ran a few with him back in the day. Thought he was actually a good bloke at first, but turns out he’s just another man out only for his own skin, no honor or loyalty to be found.”

“Had a bit o’ a run in wit’ him on the ferry tonight. Certainly put the eejit back in his place, or so ah thought. Damn dog doesnae ken when tae stay down.”

Your ears perked up in interest at the reveal, a latch clicking in your head as you put two and two together.

The glance over your shoulder.

That must’ve been why he ushered you back below decks. Hearing the way they spoke about the man had you grateful you’d avoided that particular encounter… though you were intrigued by the conversation that surely followed.

“Oh yeah?” You could certainly tell that lifted Kyle’s spirits a bit to hear. “Have a proper go at him, did ya?”

“Well he ended up takin’ a bit o’ a premature swim if that’s wha’ yer implying.” The smirk on Johnny's face was positively impish, making even the corners of your own lips quirk up in amusement. “But ah did manage tae find out one useful piece o’ information. Turns out he’s the one leadin’ the Americans to Hamunaptra.”

“Bloody hell. You serious?” That wasn’t a reassuring response coming from your cousin.

“‘Fraid so. Bastard was more than happy ta flap his gob about his recent ventures. Americans paid him half upfront, half when he gets ‘em there. Looks like we’re stuck wit’ our ol’ buddy Graves a bit longer than ah’d like.”

“Should I be concerned?” You glanced warily between them, feeling far too on edge tonight as it was without this added headache stacking up on top of things.

Kyle could practically feel the despair in your bones at the prospect of this journey adding even more to your plate than it already had, placing a firm hand on your knee as a small reminder that you weren’t alone in all this. “More of a nuisance than a threat, dolly. Don’t go worrying your head over something so inconsequential.

“‘Sides, there’s only so much mischief he can get up tae wit’ the likes of us ‘round tae keep him in line.”

Coming from a pair of troublemakers, that wasn’t as much of a comfort as they probably thought it was.

By the time the next morning rolled around, you were convinced the only reason you were able to get any sleep at all was due to the sheer amount of fatigue that forced your body to eventually yield to it, having depleted all energy reserves by the time you finally closed your eyes for a proper rest.

Despite getting a full night’s reprieve, the same could not be said for your body. Muscles that hadn’t been exercised in years were howling at you as you rose to consciousness, body protesting the movement as it was even sorer now than it was only hours ago. Combined with the less than ideal sleeping arrangements (despite the decent makeshift pillow your cousin’s lap had made) you were certainly feeling it come sunrise, joints aching and cracking like kettle corn.

The prospect of doing even more travel on foot did not appeal to you in the slightest.

You were pleasantly surprised to be offered a banana as a substitute for a hearty breakfast, Johnny pointing a little farther inland to a small cluster of trees where the offending fruit dangled from its clutches. You hadn’t noticed them in the darkness when the group first settled down, grateful to not have to continue onward without at least a little something in your belly. As far as water went, so long as you stayed near the Nile the blue waters would provide you with ample hydration. If it wasn’t for the fact you were on a bit of a timetable, you might have argued for the chance at catching a fish to fill you up even more. But they had neither the tools nor patience to effectively do it, leaving you with the fruit you quickly scarfed down.

It didn’t take long for the clothes on your backs to dry once the sun came out, glad to be rid of the uncomfortable damp that had you smelling like mildew. Were it not for the fact that you did not want to expose yourself again with a semi translucent nightgown you would’ve walked a few meters to your left and taken a much needed dip in the cool river.

Alas, you figured you’d learn to live with the stench as the desert heat would no doubt leave you with far less agreeable odors than a bit of moisture. No doubt your fellow companions were accustomed to such a life where bathing was moreso optional than it was required.

The group followed alongside the Nile as much as possible, hoping to have a run in with others who would potentially have supplies for you to barter from. Johnny had a bit of coin stuffed in one of the pouches of his bag that could get you a decent bit of what you needed; it was just a matter of finding the right buyer to haggle with. Once it started becoming apparent that you were unlikely to encounter what you were looking for near the shore, they charted a course westward into the desert towards where Johnny hoped he remembered seeing an encampment last time he passed through this way.

They’d allowed you to walk as far as you could until the ground became too hot for their liking, having made the mistake of hissing when bare skin met a particularly scorching plot of land now that there was far less greenery to cushion your steps. Kyle hadn’t even asked this time before sweeping you up into his hold, garnering a half-hearted round of complaints from you that were quickly silenced without any real fight. You could’ve tried harder to convince them to let you keep going on your own, but without proper footwear it was genuinely becoming uncomfortable to be on the ground for more than a few moments at a time. You just hoped for your cousin’s sake that he wouldn’t have to bear the extra weight for too terribly long. Just because he was fit didn’t mean his arms didn’t eventually tire.

Conversation was minimal as you trekked through the desert, too focused on their own surroundings to do more than the occasional banter. Must’ve taken a little under an hour before Johnny held up a hand to halt your movements, recognizing a nearby rock formation and turning in that direction. If his memory served right, there was a tribe located at the base of it that was more welcoming to passersby.

The Bedouin tribes of the Sahara were mainly known for being camel herders as opposed to sheep and cattle - for obvious reasons. They migrate as the seasons change, retreating back into the desert during the rainy winter season and towards cultivated land once the dry summer months returned. If some element of luck had not been on your side and you’d happened here during the wrong time, chances were you’d still be wandering around looking for civilization.

Once your group got within range of the settlement, a small handful of men flagged you down at your approach, coming out to meet you while Johnny pushed you back to stand behind him. Kyle stepped forward as the men began to converse, speaking a dialect of Arabic that you were mildly familiar with but Kyle was stumbling through. He knew enough basics to get by in Cairo, but some of their words garnered looks of total confusion from him that ultimately was getting the group nowhere.

You let him keep trying for a bit longer before taking pity on the poor sod and peeping out from behind the bulky figure protecting your modesty. Four pairs of eyes turned towards you in surprise, Johnny’s arm coming back to block you while you relayed your desire for adequate supplies and transport. When you discussed your need for appropriate clothing as well, they were kind enough to call over one of the women of the tribe who came running over holding a blanket ready to wrap around you.

Kyle gave you a look as she rushed over, something that suggested annoyance in the thin set line of his mouth. “Wanted to watch me make a fool of myself, eh?”

You gave the woman a grateful smile as she concealed your ill-dressed form from their gaze, feeling much more at ease as she placed an arm around your shoulders and led you into camp. The grin you gave him in return spoke of thinly veiled hilarity. “Thought I'd let you try first. Give you a chance to brush up on your Arabic before emasculating you.”

Johnny didn’t even try to hide his amusement at your cousin’s expense, rewarding Kyle with a hearty slap on the back for his efforts and leaning in close to whisper something under his breath that earned him an elbow to the sternum for his words.

You paid them no heed as you walked with your escort towards the eastern side of the settlement, the locals already conversing about the necessary details as you realized you’d be split up from the boys to leave them to deal with whatever sort of arrangements needed to be made for your travels. Hopefully there was someone more knowledgeable in English that could assist them in your absence.

You didn’t have any other experiences with the Bedouin to form a picture in your head of the size of the encampment compared to others, but it certainly wasn’t a compact setup they had going on here. Family groups living within sizeable elaborate tents fluttered about tending to their household responsibilities while their children and grandchildren darted between the structures with all the playful innocence of untouched youth. Livestock grazed amongst the small bit of foliage, corralled in pens and cages to be fattened up whilst awaiting their inevitable ends.

The women were covered from head to toe, the men and children less hidden and sporting brighter colors and patterns. Clothing hung out to dry on suspended lines of rope, women carrying braided wicker baskets to and fro while chatting away the hours of hard work under an unforgiving sun. It was a thriving community that even out here in these barren wastelands had carved out a peaceful existence away from the worries of the larger world.

As exciting as it was to be surrounded by peoples of such an incredibly rich culture, it was also a little nerve wracking to say the least. This tribe seemed used to trade, but there was no denying your group stuck out like a sore thumb.

Easy to feel like a complete outsider when you were one.

How were you supposed to act out here amongst the rolling desert dunes? You knew it was a patriarchal society and you were the most scantily clad thing here, surrounded by dark veiled modest women and stern appraising eyes of men. There had to be a dozen faux pas you were breaking right now, a realization that set your teeth on edge.

Just another example of how woefully unprepared you were to deal with anything other than wealthy socialites or bookworms.

Your cousin must have sensed your hesitancy as the woman leading your troop tried to usher you further into the settlement, a different path than the one the men were heading off towards for supplies. Not that you suspected any foul play or deceit on the Bedouins' part, but it was easier to navigate all the unfamiliarity with your much more worldly companions by your side.

“We've got this, dolly. You'll be alright on your own for a bit,” Kyle offered with a comforting grin and a hand on your shoulder, “Go get yourself proper while we take care of negotiations.”

“Jus’ give a holler if anythin’ happens and we'll come runnin’ right tae ya,” piped up Johnny with a lazy grin but a promise in his eyes that he meant every word of it.

That soothed your nerves more than anything, flashing him a meek grateful smile as you allowed your chaperone to lead you onward with a firm hand between the shoulder blades.

It took almost no time afterwards to arrive at your apparent destination. The woman charged with your care lifted aside a curtain as she bade you enter the abode, finding a younger pair inside that looked up at you upon your arrival. One must have been closer to your age, the other far younger as she sat in the former’s lap and let her comb out her long dark tresses. She introduced them as her two daughters who greeted you warmly with bowed heads. Once they were informed of your situation, you were beckoned closer and instructed to remove your gown, the youngest off to the back to retrieve some items for a quick wash up.

You were used to the kind of treatment they offered back in your younger years, having had servants that would assist with your bathing and beauty routine that followed. It was a bit different being given such kindness from strangers, having been stripped out of your remaining clothes and cleansed from a bucket. The desert was thoroughly scrubbed from your flesh, scalp lathered in oils that would help protect your skin and hair from the harsh rays of the sun. Even though you knew this small luxury was fleeting, it was nice to not smell like a vagrant for a little while at least.

The older woman stepped away as soon as you dried yourself, huffing under her breath that she had nothing to fit you and disappearing for what you assumed was a mission to remedy that. You were made to kneel on a cushion, towel draped around you whilst the eldest daughter took up position in front of you, a small vial of kohl in her hands to be applied to your eyes.

You were not accustomed to cosmetics being applied to your waterline, the black liner smudged above your lower lashes causing you to blink back tears. Supposedly it was good for your overall eye health, but the jury was still out until the stinging from the foreign substance subsided for you. Meanwhile, the youngest was all smiles and giggles as she settled down behind you, comb in hand that she began to gently tug through your tangles; a comment was made comparing you to one of her beloved dolls before her sister shushed her for saying so.

Their mother returned shortly with a bundle of dark cloth in her arms, ushering you to your feet as she made quick work of slipping the garments up over your head. Your underthings were replaced with similar items, all very plain and practical in contrast to the beautiful thobe they graced you with.

The material itself was made of an airy lightweight fabric and infinitely more breathable than what you left your home in yesterday morning. The black coloring was detailed with elegant hand stitched beading, silver embellishments catching the light and twinkling like little sewn-in constellations. There was a soft melodic chiming with every movement, small polished coins accenting your waist and jingling in a way that almost begged for lively music to be played. The shoes you slipped into were soft but sturdy, fine dark linen adorning your head as the woman gave you brief instructions on how best to wrap it to protect your face from the desert sands if need be.

Once you finally got a proper look at yourself in the mirror, you were stunned at the difference a change of style and darker makeup could do to your features, a far cry from the latest London fashions shipped down to your estate in Cairo. Despite having lived in the country for most of your life, you’d never before been dressed in the cultural attire worn by some of the natives. Giving a slow twirl at the women’s urgings, you decidedly felt at home in the designs much the same way as you did in your everyday skirts.

Satisfied with your appearance, they accompanied you back out into the encampment to hunt down and rejoin the others. You had to admit that whatever trick the kohl provided, you did find yourself having to squint less under the sun’s brightness. Seeing its effects in action, you were now grateful for the small vial they’d slipped into your hand moments ago so that you could keep reapplying it during your travels.

It didn’t take long to locate Kyle and Johnny near a resting herd of camels, standing around as a group of men readied the beasts for a long trek out into the vast Sahara dunes. Seeing how much equipment was being packed onto the backs of them, you wondered just how much coin Johnny had stashed away in his bag to be able to afford the pretty penny’s worth they had acquired.

They both looked at ease as they chatted amongst themselves, Kyle leaning back against a nearby cart with his arms crossed over his chest, sleeves rolled up to his elbows much the same as his friend. He’d obtained some more gear for his person going by the leather gun holster strapped over his shoulders carrying matching pistols, a dark blue neckerchief tied above his unbuttoned dress shirt left open to reveal the tight wife beater underneath.

Your cousin had always been a bit of a pretty boy, but even with his striking good looks he was the epitome of casual danger.

Johnny, on the other hand, looked devilishly roguish. He hadn’t altered his outfit much in comparison to Kyle - only adding a tan patterned neckerchief of his own and an extra button undone from the top - but there was a difference in the way he seemed to carry himself now. Something in his air and mannerisms that felt primed to go off at any given moment.

This was a man in his element; not in the dredges of society, but out here amongst the wild and the unexpected. You’d seen him as a low-life; you’d seen him more refined. Now you were seeing him as he truly was: a fighter - both of them.

His appearance lured you in, his eyes ensnaring you as the pair at last took notice of your approach. Where your cousin offered you one of his signature bright smiles, Johnny’s face became deceptively neutral. Gone was the grin he’d just shared with your cousin, hidden behind something you desperately wanted to claw at. It was as if all the emotion retreated from his expression only to be refocused behind the gaze he swallowed you up with, dark blue sapphires holding you defenselessly captive and burning hot coals in places you’d never reached before.

It wasn’t until Kyle stepped forward and broke your line of sight with Johnny that you were able to blink away from whatever he’d been subconsciously trying to relay to you.

“There’s our girl.” Kyle took hold of your hand and gave you a spin, eyes raking over your new attire as you blushed from his playful attentions. “Far cry from the frills and stuffy dresses you usually force yourself into every day, huh dolly?”

Pulling your hand from his, you gave him a light shove that he had the decency to fake stumbling back from. “I happen to like those dresses, thank you very much. Nothing wrong with enjoying the finer parts of being a lady. Meanwhile, sir, you seem to have lost your waistcoat.” You couldn’t help but tease him back as you tugged at his open billowy dress shirt.

“Not much to impress out in the middle of nowhere. Certainly not you lot,” he added, tossing a grin back at your companion.

Johnny had returned to normal by the time your vision swept that way, the previous interaction a mere mirage as he returned the snarky comment with a playful one of his own. “Yer right. Ain’t no damsels in distress ‘round fer ye to showboat fer. Aye, hen?”

The wink he sent your way paired with the subtle compliment left you glowing, something fluttering in your chest that you pushed aside so as not to let it fester.

Your cousin snorted his response, Johnny’s attention pulled to the Bedouin man next to him that had finished securing the group’s new belongings to your transportation. He gave the man a quick smile and a nod as he took hold of the reins, giving the camel a firm pat on its neck. Turning his awareness back to you, Johnny motioned with his head for you to approach.

“Ever rode a camel, lass?”

“Oh, no. I learned side saddle on horses when we visited Kyle’s family estate during the summers, but beyond that it’s been years since I’ve even been on the back of one.” You reached out to give the animal a scritch on its head behind the ears, the short dense hairs course yet fluffy to the touch.

“Not much different,” he shrugged, eyes keen on your form. “Jus’ a wee bit taller and bumpier a ride, s’all. Ye’ll have it down in no time, hen.”

Johnny gave a downward tug on the reins; that paired with a clicking noise from his tongue had the camel lowering itself on folded knees to the earth, resting on its legs as he slapped his hand down on the padded blanketed seat. “Best we be gettin’ a move on then.”

You were suddenly aware of the fact that there were three of them in the vicinity, one for each of you to be riding separately. You’d anticipated having to share with one of the others, not quite sure how to logistically navigate this on your own. “How am I meant to sit on that thing? The way it moves I’ll be forced to grip the pommel the whole time so as not to take a tumble off the side.”

“Looks like yer gonna get a taste o’ wha’ it’s like tae be a man, lass.”

That wasn't exactly a welcome response.

“O-one leg on each side?” The notion caught you off guard, wide eyes glancing down at your dress which was admittedly a lot flowier and less constricting than normal. Flashing skin was far less scandalous than it had been when you were born, but it wasn’t something you were used to doing even with some type of pantyhose or stocking underneath. You hadn’t much need for flapper dresses nowadays with the company you kept.

“Go on, dolly.” Kyle was looking far too entertained at your obvious hesitance to break out of your comfort zone, hopping up on his own stead with practiced ease. “You wanted to be an adventurer, yeah? Gotta get over this hump first.”

You pulled at your bottom lip with your teeth, hands fidgeting with some of the small coins belted around your waist in nervousness. Should you scoot onto it from the side and swing your legs over? Do you gather up the material first and then sit down? Why was this so bloody hard when the men made it look easy?

“Right, up ye get.” Apparently not possessing the patience for you to figure out how best to mount the beast in a skirt, you squeaked as Johnny's firm calloused hands suddenly took hold of your waist, hefting you up the short height onto the animal and depositing you in the saddle. With how wide your legs parted to accommodate its size, your thobe rode up past your stockings to reveal your knees and lower thighs, grabbing at the thin material and trying to drag it down as far as it could go to maintain some slight modesty.

You didn’t have time to be embarrassed as Johnny once again made a clicking sound with his tongue, patting the camel on its haunches as it began to stand from its resting position. You scrambled for the saddle pommel with a vice grip, squealing at the clunky rocking motion that jarred you as it rose to its full height. If your reflexes had been even a moment slower, you would've flown ass over tea kettle off the back and onto the hard ground below.

Settling back down after that brief scare, you were shocked at just how much you towered over everything. You were used to the elevation that came with being on a horse; this creature had well over a foot on your largest thoroughbred.

“Lookit that!” Johnny clapped his hands excitedly with a throaty chuckle. “Yer a proper natural.” With how wide of a grin he was giving you, you nearly missed the way his eyes briefly admired the exposed skin of your lower half before patting your foot from his spot below in supportive praise.

He left you alone to mosey on over to his own ride, Kyle bringing his camel up alongside yours and flashing you a smile which you found impossibly infectious. Here you were, astride a massive beast in the middle of the Sahara about to undertake a journey that would help change humanity’s understanding of ancient Egyptian society during the New Kingdom forever.

You couldn’t wait to find the long lost City of the Dead and all the excitement it would bring.

°•. ✿ .•°.•° ✿ °•.°•. ✿ .•°.•° ✿ °•.°•. ✿ .•°

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twisted-wonderland-shenanigans · 2 years

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I sent an ask earlier and I am so sorry for spamming but I've been having brain worms for the Kaiju!au.

Like we sad Vargas and Kalim being all friendly but imagine little baby Cheka playing with Yuu.

Also, just imagine Cater, Vil, or Rook doing dancing from some music player that Yuu found. Which also makes me ask if they get their own little hideaway for their human buisness. (God Crowley when his hatchling leave the nest...)

And finally, when Yuu finally gets to cook, meat or fish, are the Boys gonna try to demand they have some. I just imagine Yuu giving a piece to grim and his pupils blow out from how good it is....and then words goes around and it's all over for any peaceful cooking with Yuu.

I'm actually in the process of answering that one! I just gotta figure out a few scenarios for it to make it fun~! >v< And please don't worry about spamming me with asks if you have ideas or thoughts you wanna share about my AUs! I love receiving these kind of asks! :D

Putting under a read more because I got a little carried away 😂

----

Oooh my goodness, someone teach lil’ kaiju Cheka to be gentle with the tiny human! X’D To be honest, I almost didn't put him or Falena in the AU...buuuuut now that I think about it, that would be a crime against adorableness, and I will not stand for this! Ò.Ó I shall rectify this~!

In the AU, Cheka would be a little bigger than Grim would be in terms of height. Not quite twice his height, but still pretty big! Now imagine the lil’ ragamuffin sweetheart just trotting along with Yuu perched on his back, playfully marching across a log bridge with Grim trotting behind singing “Hakuna Matata” while Ruggie and Jack have to keep an eye on them (because we know Leona would be taking a nap and hiding from his nephew even in this AU). The only difference between this version of the two is that whenever Cheka pounces on his uncle in a play fight, Leona actually will react as though he got hurt to encourage the hunting instinct.

Hey, he may not be happy having his nephew bugging him, but he knows it’s important to know how to survive (and he’d never hear the end of it from his brother or his brother’s mate)!

When it comes to doing “human business”, it’s agreed that there is a need for privacy even amongst kaiju, so if the human disappears for a short time behind a rock or in a bush, it’s not going to be questioned by curious kaiju. Luckily Yuu won’t have to worry about poison oak or poison ivy! Most of the poisonous plants that can cause an itchy reaction are too high up for them to reach, so it’s mainly the kaiju who would experience the terrible itchy curse. Good thing they’ve got Crewel to mix up some natural medicine for them—good luck making most of them take it though! XD

Anyway, moving on: music! One of the best ways to soothe the soul and calm the savage beast. When Yuu manages to get near one of the other abandoned facilities and gets to explore it with Grim (who is literally the only one small enough to fit inside with them), it was actually Grim who stumbled across a music player. He thought it was some weirdly shaped snack or chew toy.

This resulted in a bit of a tug-of-war between Yuu and Grim, and now Yuu has a new (slightly chewed) music player! Let’s see how it transpired and what resulted afterwards, shall we?

“Let’s see…junk, junk, trash…wow, did they really even leave anything worth using in this place?”

Digging around in the pile, Yuu sighed as they sat back and stared at the room. Of course, this place had been ransacked already…though by who exactly was unclear, but it seemed like things had been torn apart and whatever components or guts the tech had before was now gone. But there had to be something they could use in this place, right?

Crunch!

“Pleh!”

“Grimfang, no! Stop trying to eat the plastic you lil’ gargoyle!” Yuu scolded, sighing as Grimfang spat out a few shards that got stuck in his teeth. “Ugh…one of these days you’re going to eat something you shouldn’t, you know that? Don’t come crying to me when you get a tummy ache.”

He shook his head with a snort, giving Yuu a look that suggested he was offended by the very notion that he might get a tummy ache…or at least, that’s how Yuu interpreted it. It was odd how expressive the kaiju seemed to be, seeming almost…human-like in a way, though sometimes Yuu wondered if it was just their mind humanizing them to have company.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Turning back, Yuu scanned the wreckage to try and find something they could at least bring back. Even a writing utensil would do! “Okay…maybe we should try the next room and see what we can find.”

As they turned to go, they heard the familiar sound of tooth scraping against metal and sighed. What has he found this time?

“Grim, if I have to pull another pipe out of your gullet again, I’m gonna-” Yuu began before freezing, eyes growing wide at the familiar shape between Grim’s paws as he tried to gnaw on the corner: a music player. “H-hey, hey! No! Grim! Drop it!”

“Rrraowl!” he rumbled in response, his paws pulling the player into his chest fur protectively.

“Grimfang, no! That’s not a chew toy—hey! Get back here, you malevolent little gargoyle!!”

“Nyaarr!!”

“GRIIIIIM!!!!”

//Later//

The sound of static filled the den as Yuu sat in the nest, using Grimfang’s side as a pillow while they fiddled with the large and heavy music player. It had been one helluva chase around the facility, but eventually they triumphed and claimed their prize! Aside from a slight chewing on the frame, the kaiju’s fangs hadn’t really penetrated the shell and everything seemed to be in working order. To their disappointment though, they couldn’t get a radio signal no matter how many buttons they pushed or how much they turned the dial.

“Hey, MIRA? Does this island have any sort of radio signal or something?” they asked the computer around their wrist. “I can’t get anything on this player.”

“Greetings, Uhm Yuu. Answer: negative. This particular system cannot receive the signals from radio transmissions. Due to the nature of the island and its inhabitants, it is difficult to build and maintain any semblance of a tower to transmit signals across the terrain, requiring different methods to communicate with other facilities.”

“Darn it! So that means I can’t do anything with this hunk of junk?”

“Negative. As it is in proximity, I am able to access the system wirelessly and play music from the database.”

Eyes growing wide, Yuu asked, “There’s a music database…?”

“Affirmative. I have access to a wide selection of music from all manner of media pre-downloaded from the Dark Mirror Server. Dr. Willows was an avid enjoyer of music and always kept an up-to-date selection for her playlists to aid in her work. Would you like to create your own playlists?”

“Yes!”

“Mrr…?”

//End Scene//

And thus began Yuu’s task to set up their musical playlists…much to the kaiju’s confusion even when Grim tried to explain what he could translate. For the most part, they just figured it was a weird human thing…until Yuu played the first song. Was it some beautiful, soothing song, or an excitable bop that made them excited? Nope. It was neither: what was meant to be a fun introduction to a song turned into what essentially boils down to a warped death metal demonic screech and garbled static. The sound was so terrifying that Grimfang looked like a puffy ball of daggers, and Nevermore flared up his wings like some puffy shield in a panic.

That’s why it’s important to check the volume of the music before you play it first!

It was after that when Yuu noticed a difference in the kaiju when they played certain songs—namely instrumentals. For some like Pridefang, they noticed how much more relaxed he was when harp music was playing, while when it came to wind based music like flutes or chimes, Crystalflayer/Vil would croon and sing along and the more canine-like kaiju would practically fall asleep.

Then there were the silly moments with the music.

When Goldmaker/Kalim was visiting, Yuu was playing the song “Cus I’m Happy” at random…when they noticed the shiny beetle/dragon kaiju doing the tippy-tap dance like a dog on all six legs, bouncing here and there in time to the music like a kid jumping on the bed.

And then there was the time that Bruiser/Deuce and Feralfang/Epel were tugging on something that looked somewhat like a giant leather ball that had been popped (or at least, they thought it was a ball, though it could be a bit of carcass too). It didn’t seem like they were fighting over food and more like they were just…playing. It wasn’t until they had stood frozen in place for a moment that Yuu played the song “Cotton Eyed Joe”—

And they both tugged in time to the beat. (A/N: click link for doggos in reference to the song/scene!)

Aaaah, the joys of music!

Now as for the food, as good as fruit and the vegetables were, it was a little harder to find sources of protein that were safe for human consumption on the island…or at least, sources that didn’t want to eat or swallow them whole or were out of reach. Plus, they had a continuous source of fresh meat brought to them and Grimfang throughout the day with no hassle. They just needed a way to…prepare it.

When Yuu manages to light a fire in a makeshift firepit (guided by MIRA’s survival database), Nevermore was certainly surprised to find that his hatchling had finally accepted the meat offering and confused at what they were doing with it near the fire. It’s incredibly rare for any kaiju to actually “cook” their meat, and whatever constitutes as cooked meat would be little more than chewy charcoal, so if it turns out that’s what the little human likes then so long as they eat their fruits and veggies, he’ll allow it.

“Aaaaand…done!” Yuu uttered, tugging one of the sticks bearing individual chunks out of the ground. They could feel the juices from the meat that had dripped down the makeshift skewer, forcing them to take care as they adjusted it in their grip to avoid the hot parts before they took a tentative bite.

Just like the fruit, the meat was tender and full of flavor as the juices dripped down their chin with each bite. It wasn’t perfect, but it was so good to have a cooked meal again that Yuu didn’t care. They’d even been lucky to find a wall of salt when they’d gone exploring with Grimfang, so at least the meat had a little extra flavor to it! MIRA had mentioned before that the island had many herbs and spices that could be used for cooking. If they could get a hold of some of these, then their meals would be so much more fulfilling!

Curious sniffing caught their attention as they turned to see Grimfang, cerulean eyes staring at the chunks still cooking on the sticks around the fire. He’d long since finished his portion, so there was no way that he should still be hungry…right?

“Mrrlh?” he grumbled, carefully pawing at the dirt near one of the sticks but not actually touching it before giving Yuu a look.

“No, this is mine. You had yours already,” Yuu told him, turning their attention back to their food.

“Prrrrrr…”

‘…oh no…’ Slowly they turned their attention back to Grimfang…and immediately they found themselves struck by the biggest, brightest pair of kitten eyes they’d ever seen, the kaiju’s forelegs curling up to his chest as he rolled over onto his side to reveal his soft, fluffy tummy. ‘…darn it, why did I have to watch those kitten videos around him!?’

His paws began to open and close, mimicking the kneading motion that the kittens in the video had done earlier.

“…augh! Fine! But just this once, got it?” Yuu said, heaving a sigh as they took another stick out of the ground and—after playing hot-potato with the cooked flesh—tossed it into Grimfang’s waiting jaws with a snap. He was purring in triumph, giving Yuu a smug looking grin…

Before he froze, pupils growing so wide that they nearly engulfed the blue of his eyes. His whole body began to shiver, jaw slack as drool began to drip from his maw. Then—rearing back on his hind legs—his paws pressed against his cheeks as he swayed almost in pure bliss, a series of trills and chirps coming from him.

“Huh. Well, uh…glad you like my cooking, Gri—hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey! NO! Grim! You had yours, the rest are mine! Stoooop! Nevermore!!”

//The next day//

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen: I’m going to cook some of this meat using the ingredients we just picked from the forest, and while the big hunk cooks on the spit, we’ll snack on the smaller pieces. This side is yours, and this side is mine. Got it so far?”

“Mrp!”

“Good. Don’t even think about stealing my share, or I’m never cooking anything again. Got it?”

“Myah!”

Shniff-shniff…

“Huh…? Wha-!? Scrapper, no! This is mine! I-wait, I-! What are you all even doing here!? Guys!”

//The next day//

“……did you guys know that Scrapper, Shellshock, Ashsong, and Heartbinder could even cook, or is this new?” Yuu asked, watching as Ashsong’s tentacles moved the herbs and spices across the cooking meat, Heartbinder’s claws and teeth ripping chunks off and handing them to the clover-marked Shellshock as he put them on skewers. Ashsong’s wings would occasionally flap, causing the flames to flare up with new life. Scrapper used his jaws to turn the makeshift spit that one of the kaiju had carved to turn the meat in a slow circle.

“Nyawr.”

“Thaaaat’s what I thought…more please!”

As it turns out, once the kaiju learn the secret to amazing food, it becomes one of the few things that keeps them from bickering and fighting and even have them cooperate together just to get a taste. It was a strange sight to see, and even MIRA commented that this was highly unusual behavior that hadn’t been recorded by scientists before. This raised far more questions than answers. Sure, the kaiju were dangerous, but they were intelligent.

Too intelligent…

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland kaiju au #twst kaiju au #twisted wonderland kaiju au worldbuilding #twst kaiju au worldbuilding #oh how I love playing with this AU~!

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bylightofdawn · 6 months

Text

WIP SUNDAY

Holy shit, how long has it been since we had one of these??

I've started the prequel fic for my CodyWan modern AU which takes place 10 years before It Only Knocks Twice.

I thought about writing a fic following them through the war but you guys? I just finished a 200K monster that's taken me a year and a good chunk of my sanity to write, I am simply NOT up for something that deep or involved. So hopefully this will serve.

I will admit, this is reigniting my love for this AU and I have some ideas percolating including a complete crack ship fic of Rex who is struggling to recover from the war, has been pressured into joining the Protectors by Jango as his second choice for heir since he always had an eye on Cody taking up the job of replacing him. Look Jango is kinda a dick n this fic cause well..he is a dick in canon sorry not sorry

And then Fenn Rau who's been holding down the fort while the Fett boys have been gallivanting off to fight in a war halfway around the world and is rightfully annoyed at the blatant nepotism going down.

I was kinda toying with the idea in my brain years ago but it got shelved but now I might actually write this fic at some point.

ANYWAY context for this fic. Takes place after Utapau, Grievous is dead, Dooku didn't die and sang like a fucking canary so Palpatine's entire house of cards has crumpled and both sides are kinda like wtf, I guess we'll try peace? As a nod to ATOTC, Obi-Wan nearly dies in an unfortunate blue-on-blue incident and is recovering at a nearby hospital when he receives the call that Qui-Gon had been murdered by Maul and this accelerates his plans to leave service.

Cue all the pining and regrets about things never said and actions never taken.

After years of war between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent States, the war was on the cusp of being over.

The death of General Grievous on the battlefield of Utapau had been the final nail in the coffin that broke the CIS’s back. Of course, the capture of Count Dooku and the damning accusations against Chancellor Palpatine had helped to bring the Republic as well.

Both sides were tired and weary of the war by that part. The realization the entire bloody conflict which had killed countless people being engineered by a set up of corrupt politicians who wanted yet more power had cut through both sides like a wildfire.

Widespread protests and demands for an immediate ceasefire had cropped up across the Republic and the CIS.

Cody and his troops were just as angry and outraged as the civilian population but they unfortunately didn’t have the luxury of throwing down their weapons in disgust out of protest.

If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t know how far that sense of duty would have gone if the generals demanded they head right back out onto the battlefield.

Knowing they had unwittingly propagated an unjust war that had led to the decimation of countless civilians and left some nations on the brink of ruination was a hard pill to swallow, and he’d heard the whispers of displeasure and bitterness from more than one veteran in his battalion.

As company Commander, he’d done his best to ignore and pretend he didn’t hear those grumbles of displeasure. In truth, he shared some of those sentiments and while a worrying amount of his more veteran soldiers were making statements about wanting to cash out and return home out of disgust for the war, he knew in his heart of hearts, that wasn’t for him.

No, he wanted to help to break the things that he had accidentally broken.

He enjoyed service and while he knew his father would have been delighted to have him return home after his ‘rebellious’ decision to join up with the Republic’s war rather than maintain Mandalore’s stubborn neutrality, he knew he was doing the best here.

His talents would be wasted back home in some cushy job with the Protectors.

Besides, there was another—more selfish—reason for wanting to staying in the GAR.

They’d claimed a beaten-up loveseat that overlooked the scrub brush and desert that led out to the distant mountains. The land was harsh, but it had a beauty that had been lacking in other desert climes he’d seen during the war, such as Geonosis.

Little Gods, but he hated that place with its endless dust storms and red sand, which had gotten everywhere. Or maybe he hated how much blood had blended in with the sand and how much death he’d seen during the First Battle of Geonosis.

That had been before he’d been assigned to Obi-Wan’s batallion and while he would never say a bad word against Mace Windu as a commanding officer, that particular battle had been a shitshow and far too many people had died.

And what was worse, a year later they’d found themselves back in that same gods forsaken country being shelled out of their minds by Seppie artillery.

Yet here they were in another kriffing desert but this time with the hopeful promise that the war might at long last be coming to a close. If Utapau hadn’t very nearly killed Obi-Wan, he might have actually enjoyed the austere landscape.

But it was hard when the man sitting next to him was still dressed in hospital-issued pajamas and a threadbare robe. At least he no longer had those awful tubes and IV’s sticking out of him. It had been an all too poignant reminder that after three years of hell, just as the end was in sight, he’d very nearly lost Obi-Wan Kenobi.

And to nearly lose him to a blue-on-blue friendly fire accident was all the worse. If he hadn’t been wearing his body armor, he would be dead now.

Cody wasn’t sure what he would have done with himself if that had happened.

After three years of bottling up his feelings, of promising himself that once the war was over and they were free of the constraints of the chain of command, he would finally tell Obi-Wan exactly how he felt about him.

Hopefully, the other man would feel the same way which…judging by the fact they sat there enjoying the sunset over the desert with their hands so close together their fingers were brushing, hidden as they were beneath the folds of the other man’s robe? Cody was optimistic the other man returned his feelings.

“How are the men holding up?”

“As good as can be expected. Lots of mixed feelings about everything.”

“It’s awful, I completely understand their feelings.” Obi-Wan had made little secret of the fact that he’d intended on resigning his commission once the war was over with. He wasn’t built for war, he claimed. But Cody thought differently, the man had been one of the best commanding officers he’d ever had.

He was a natural leader, one who was there with his men through thick and thin. He’d sweated and starved with them throughout the bloody years, had bled and at times cried at the senseless tragedy they’d seen.

Losing him would be a blow to the 212th but Cody kept those words firmly in check because he didn’t want to lay any sense of obligation or guilt on the man who had given so selflessly for them over the years.

“I can’t believe it myself. All of this death and heartache? Just because Palpatine wanted more power? Wanted to regain some banthashit glory about a lost Empire?” He couldn’t help the anger that threaded through his words.

“I understand, Cody.” Obi-Wan’s fingers shifted and he covered his hand with his and squeezed gently. The empathy in the redhead’s eyes was genuine and Cody felt something unnamable well up in his chest.

“I’m so ready for this war to be over with, sir.” He confessed softly, and it was a testament to how tired he was that he had even spoken that truth.

Obi-Wan’s expression shifted minutely, and that empathy shifted into a weary sort of understanding. “Me too, Cody.”

The words were spoken between them almost like a secret.

And in that quietude the resided between them, the familiar spark of longing could be felt on both sides. Obi-Wan’s fingers tightened around Cody’s almost imperceptibly as though he could sink as much meaning as he was allowed through that brief physical touch.

But then, the moment was shattered with the arrival of one of the hospital aides who stepped out of the doors and towards them.

Both struggled to pull themselves back together as he approached with a nervous look on his face.

“Commander Kenobi? There’s an urgent message for you.”

Concern flashed across Obi-Wan’s face and he carefully levered himself to his feet with a wince of pain.

“Of course, lead the way.” He said and shot one final regretful glance over at Cody.

Cody forced a smile for Obi-Wan’s benefit as the redhead walked away.

He had no idea that call would change their lives irrevocably.

#WIP Sunday #fanfiction snippet #el writes #as yet untitled codywan prequel #star wars fanfiction #commander cody #obi-wan kenobi #codywan

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affablyevilshowdown · 1 year

Text

Ok so lore is happening now (highly inspired by @white-boy-bracket bc I love them and everything that's happening over there). This won't be on their level cause I don't have a plot or a mystery but I've already planned out too much to not share.

If you don't want to see lore just blacklist Affably Evil Lore

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So, Alex from S and D tier is the ultimate supervillian and their power is yes. They were contacted by a dragon and the over excitable elf he's possessing (Virid and Kitri, my OCs). Kitri had this fantastic idea to have a villain convention where evil people from thousands of alternate universes could meet, swap stories, network and-

"Fight to the death!"

"No, Alex." Virid interrupts. He had been against this plan, knowing Kitri is mostly immortal but not immortal enough to survive the reality-warper if things went poorly. "We could all easily figure out who could beat whom in a physical fight, and you would win."

"It would be far more interesting to win a different competition," Kitri speaks again. "A popularity contest where the voters all have traditional morality yet love us anyway." There's an odd wistful tone to his voice that Virid immediately stomps out.

"And the best part, it wouldn't be canon." Virid says, baiting the trap.

"It isn't canon? It's not canon?" Alex chokes out, sounding like he was just run over by a truck.

"But my elf had an idea so here it is anyway" Virid finishes. These lovesick fools, so easy. (Kitri silently ponders how unfair it is that you can't glare at someone who lives in your head)

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So Alex creates a neutral non-canon convention space and summons thousands of villains at random (each with a plus one)

There are Laws set in place. Not laws like don't murder, no one here would respect arbitrary rules. Like gravity rules 98.6% of realities, here the Laws are:

First Law of VillainCon is don't talk about VillainCon

Every one must return to the dimension they came from at the exact moment they left

Complaints will be settled with additional time in the ball pit.

It's Not Canon (except for the wizard, the wizard IS canon)

Death is not permanent.

--------

Other details:

Taako the wizard is here. (I've never listened to Adventure Zone but someone once paid one of the McElroy brother's to say "Vriska did nothing wrong" in his character's voice and that lives in my head rent free). So Taako has a booth and gives some contestants (like HAL9000 and Jevil) gold star pins that say they did nothing wrong. These pins are the only things that can materially change people's lives once they return to their universe and it grants them a wish (but Taako decides the wish)

Ex. One contestant had been pulled out of his world right after he died and his pin allows him to stay resurrected once he's sent back.

-------

Basically I was thinking about the Bibi/Claire round bc when I was setting up the match I thought "mwa ha ha no matter who wins I'll be happy >:3" and that was true but the flip side is no matter who loses I'm going to be devastated. And then a part of me whispered "if you were an artist you could draw Amy and Chane being emotional support" and another part of me was halfway through writing a fic where those 2 bonded and now its a whole thing.

The joke about VillainCon not being canon is that Alex is helplessly in love with their roommate Morgan and in non-canon content, Alex and Morgan have explicitly romantic interactions.

Please ask me questions about Kitri, most of the content I write will be about the contestants and their plus ones but Kitri is my boy and both he and the dragon soul that lives in his brain are Affably Evil.

Yes this is incredibly self indulgent, I'm not sorry.

I only have 3-4 things planned so far but if anyone has ideas come talk to me!!

#Affably Evil Showdown #Affably Evil Lore

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artichow · 1 year

Note

Hey! It’s CureDeity (sorry tumblr makes me ask from my main). I am here, in your inbox today, to rattle my little empty coin can and ask you to list some of your favorite beyblade fanfics! I’m going around asking a lot of people this, so feel free to ignore it if you want, but I thought this might be a good way for people to shout out some of the fanfic they really enjoy! Btw, if you can, I thought it would be helpful to list which site this fic was on so others could find it easier if they wanted to. Also, if you’ve written any fic (or have fic ideas, as we all know, imagining the same scene over and over again is the bread and butter of a writer), please also take this chance to have a massive, amazing ego and tell us which of your fics you're most proud of/is your favorite/etc.

oooohh yes yes yes!!!

i'll preface this by saying that i haven't/don't read as much fanfics as i want to and there are just so many amazing stories being made in this fandom honeslty!! also as a non native english speaker i'm always blown away by certain phrases or paragraphs that just scrtch my brain just right it's really inspiring to see what people can do with words in different ways and styles.

So first i thought about @little-christmas-song's secret santa gift to me so this is christmas (the war is over) because TFRGEHYSJ IT IS!!! so good!!! i loved reading it, the ideas and just the feeling of the setting being so well built around me while i read it!! the characterization was so good and that's really amazing because ryuga is a hassle to write right imo,, anyway really amazing style and i can't wait for other pieces from Song (i can confidently say the next one will be a banger :>)

then from @artisadie, her fic the previous wielder (is just a guy) was so emotional and like so nuanced too? like grhjesk i loved it the vibes were really good and the structure made it really pleasant to read

so many others i have to read (i'm sorry guysss) but one fic from @lady-lazagna that i felt was really on point character wise was Pumpkin head it is such a good Yu characterization me think and also Tsubasa's character is really interesting when laz writes him!! makes me appreciate him so much more

I really really loved @andro-dino's toby fic this body of mine, it's been a while and i forgot a lot of it unfortunately but i remember being just !!!!!! aaaaa so touched by that fic like,, it's so well written and just hits close to home in subtle ways and just makes you love Tioby even more if that's possible

But but but i also really loved constants because,, hyoma. And axel writes hyoma so well and i just love him so much

okay now for your fic deity!!! i have,, a lot but i tried to make it a little smaller selection, here it is: first i think aquario's refrain (and also aquario's reawakening) really marked me it's such a good read and expendation on hikaru's character and just,, so so good,, the way you write hikaru's mental health issues and fights is just amazing!!

then i looked through ao3 real quick just now and i thought back to mayblade, the last day actually!! chapter 18: moon this. this gingka, the way he is written and also just how you managed to write so many characters and keep the rythm going and just write an amazing conclusion in general aaaa i still love it immensely

and last but not least Gingka's also adopted?! because man... MAN!!! this fic kncked me down kicked me and brought me back to life and gave me just one of the best aus and ryo characterization ever i just love it it's so good i think it might be my favorite deity fanfic! everything, the different times it takes place in, the phoenix bit especially and just,, the feels so many feels

alright and also i want to take this opportunity to thank the people i've talked to and shared my silly headcanons, ocs and au ideas with, it really is a huge source of joy for me to connect with people through art, through this weird 13yo show we're invested in for one reason or the other. And even though i struggle with writing/can never finish any wip or plan any story for some reason i just love thinking about aus and my shoyo being part of this world too, thinking way too deeply about hyoma or ryuga's characters :') so thank you everyone who has let met talk about all of that with them i love you <3 and thank you for sharing your little aus, ideas, your ocs and everything in between with me too, it's really an immense pleasure to read and exchange about them every time!!

#alright i'm done :D #fanfic day!!! so cool it makes me feel really positive #very nice #mfb #thank you sm for the ask

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pepperbox · 2 years

Note

What are your thoughts on the Trigun reboot?

the big tl;dr is that i'm enjoying it a lot!! there are a couple things that i'm like, not suuuuper thrilled about but overall: it's a yes from me!

(for clarity, i was a huuuuuge fan of the '98 anime and watched it with my mom as a kid! i read trimax later in life and adored that, and now the og anime is like. fine?? but comparatively falls flat for me now as an adult in my 30s. i've rewatched the anime only once as an adult but i've reread trimax uhhhhh three times in the past year alone lolol)

i'm gonna bullet point this bc that's just how my brain works best:

i love the animation! there have been a few instances where it felt off, but overall it's been a feast for my eyeballs

I'M SORRY BUT I LOVE THE NEW VASH DESIGN transmasc icon, he's perfect. i am absolutely not biased, ignore my undercut--

also it updated his look for the 2000s?? the broomhead was a Look in the 90s but it's so dated now i'm SORRY LMAO

also who out here is making hair gel on this fucking desert planet, i s2g,

the inclusion of roberto at first i was kinda ??? about but i quickly adjusted to him, esp as he started throwing soon-to-be-dead-mentor flags all over the fucking place. he cracks me up but i'm legit just waiting at this point for him to die to further meryl's development and to pass the torch derringer on to her

i do hope millie makes an appearance for meryl (so they can be girlfriends, as is only right) but her absence really doesn't break trigun for me bc uhhhh y'all, her and meryl have relatively minor roles in trimax and straight up disappear for like, volumes at a time

also i really hated her random romance with wolfwood in the 98 anime even as a kid and i will never forgive it for that

but ymmv!!!

i do think the pacing is a bit fast and i wish they either had longer episodes or more episodes to let it breathe a little! not entirely plot-wise because i actually like the reveals so far we've gotten because it's keeping even long time fans guessing for what's coming, but just for the relationships between the characters

like i would like more casual interactions between the four protags, and more vash & wolfwood getting to know each other before we jumped right to them butting heads so aggressively over morality and killing

but i do love that it also heavily showcases the consequences of vash's actions (or inaction)

because as meryl pointed out during the nebraska fight, he isn't actually doing anyone a kindness, he's just running away from pain

i am also sad that they took wolfwood AND livio's tits by the looks of it

rip 😔

also i am. not thrilled about elendira? i was really excited to see my wife on screen but instead they did that to her :(

ANYWAYS

i am curious about where the story is going to go!! because lost july hasn't happened yet but we're walking towards it, but when?

is it going to be mid-season? is it going to be the end of s1 if we're getting more than one season? will there be a time skip?

will [redacted manga spoilers] arrive?

will we get to see chronica and domina??

there's still SO much to cover, but i know they're mashing some things together (like jeneora rock was a couple different settings smashed into one, and it seems like the gung-ho guns and the eye of michael are even more woven together??) so we'll see but

I HAVE QUESTIONS

BUT YEAH like!!!! i am enjoying it a lot overall!! i have a few gripes with it but i am so fucking happy to be watching trigun again, and as much as i would adore a 1-to-1 trimax adaption like they did with fma, i am really enjoying it being a retelling because i genuinely don't know what's going to happen!! it's fun!! i'm having fun!!

also there's a really emo thought i had about all trigun adaptions just being different lives for everyone and they're just caught in a loop

history doesn't repeat but sometimes it rhymes

but!!

i also love the fact that it's screaming that it's a passion project. that people who love the source material are all working on it, with nightow. they're bringing back VAs for both japanese and english versions, fans are animating and voicing it, it's amazing and shows how much love is going into this series, and i'm so glad to be able to experience it again

#trigun

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extremely-normalcore · 2 months

Note

In response to my last ask:

I wholeheartedly agree with your statement. People have the right to be as kinky and/or “weird” as they want, and I will fight for their right to do that. Though correctly tagging things is vital.

It’s sweet that you like Sebastian so much. I’ve heard of some of the yandere mods but have never played them myself—I’d have to put more research into them. I also didn’t know that about ConcernedApe. Thank you for the tidbit. I like hearing whatever facts you have to share; they’re interesting. Do you have any more facts about Sebastian or Stardew Valley in general?

Your family members had no right to spy on you like that. I’m sorry. I have a similar paranoia that stems from believing that I’m an “illegal” person or that everything I do will somehow be viewed in an “illegal” light, so not the same as you, but similar responses.

Contemplating my digital footprint is mortifying for me, too, but you’re using an alt that presumably has little to no ties to you. I’m curious as to why you think it may cost you your job or the majority of your relationships. I do not think you’re posting or reblogging anything illegal.

I have no words to describe just how awful your exes and mother are. The incessant emotional, verbal, sexual, and physical abuse you faced was completely undeserved.

You have no need for apologies when sharing things like these. I’m glad I can get a small glimpse into your brain. I personally can’t tell where my obsession stems from, as the majority of the abuse I faced made me apathetic and indifferent towards anything and everything. When typing this response, I’ve been trying to consider where it may have stemmed from or why I can be an obsessive person, but I haven’t been able to formulate an answer.

In the original version of the game (for Stardew Valley) CA was going to have you be able to slaughter your farm animals just like irl but during testing people were very against it because it made them sad to kill these animals they raised and took care of everyday. The game was originally inspired by Harvest Moon and he built it originally as just something for him and his girlfriend to play but ended up deciding to share the game with others.

Is there any reason you would believe you are illegal? I can understand being concerned about some actions being viewed in an illegal light, especially if you're at all POC (at least in the US anyways, I cannot speak for other countries) because something that might be written off as harmless if a little odd for someone white to do can quickly become escalated, this is also true if people read you as a man in public because men are generally seen as more dangerous/larger threats. Something I've noticed transitioning is that people are by default more on edge around me now that I pass as a cis guy than they ever were when they thought I was a girl. Gender and race are such stupid things that really have no use and shouldn't exist imo.

Well the two irl friends that I have would I KNOW stop being friends with me if they found out because they have made MULTIPLE statements before about finding obsessive/possessive behaviour bad and scary and wanting nothing to do with people that are like that. My dad and grandparents barely have anything to do with me anyways so it coming out I'm an insane freak would I imagine make them want to talk to me even less, especially with my dad's new wife hating me anyways. My bf is fine, he already knows and my one friend would also be okay with it except she would make a whole thing about it because she desperately wishes I were attracted to her. And my other friend I honestly have no idea, he's a little all over the place but is generally pretty anti stalking/possessive behaviour. And that's all the relationships I have in my life lol. And as far as work, if my coworkers found out I was an obsessive stalker they would obviously feel uncomfortable around me and not want to work with me and when you get a new job it's not uncommon for them to contact your old jobs so even if I tried to leave and start somewhere new it's something that could follow me and prevent me from even getting hired. No one wants to hire a creep that they may be concerned about harassing other employees even tho I wouldn't do that because I only have one person I'm interested in and I'm already in a relationship with him. Stalking IS illegal in the US and also generally something most people view as pretty bad and not only have I reblogged posts about stalking I've admitted to stalking people before and not understanding what is wrong with it. Plus the obsessive behaviour is again something most people view as bad/wrong.

Honestly with my mom and my exes it all still feels so much like my fault lol, if I had simply been better, been good enough that wouldn't have happened. I would've been loved and cared for and it's my fault for not being good enough and earning basic decency and care and it's my fault for not recognizing people that just wanted to use me and hurt me. And rationally I know that's stupid and ridiculous but it still feels true lol.

I'm not sure if I might've been a little bit obsessive no matter what but I think for me it was probably one of those things where it was a natural possibility for me that was encouraged and worsened by my environment growing up. Like with my OCD, I think I probably would've had it either way but it's definitely worse due to my environment growing up. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this tho, I spend a lot of time thinking about my mom and my childhood because it constantly haunts me and I can't escape it so that causes me to think a lot about how it has also affected me in my adult life and stuff. I did not reach all those conclusions immediately lol, and maybe there isn't a reason at all you're obsessive either. A lot of stuff has reasons but sometimes you just are the way you are. People are complicated and all that

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coralsgrimes · 4 months

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He’s been quiet since liking that pro-Israel shit because the meltdown in his fandom was obvious and seems to have had lasting effect on the public opinion on him online. Yeah, he might still sell tickets for cons and “concerts” but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his last show didn’t sell out until the day of vs. selling out same day like the ones last year. There will always be people who will follow him/give him their money, but a lot of the Shadow and Bone fans who rode hard for him fell off after that incident because it’s an issue they care about, and he really showed himself to be morally repugnant.

See, I have this very out there opinion that celebrities should..... shut the fuck up. Like they know nothing about anything and 90% of the time they don't really care, they just look for brownie points from their fans whose brains are so fucked up too online parasocial and in need for grass touching that ye know... yeah for all I care celebrities can shut up and get the fuck out they have no brains to speak up on shite in MOST cases and their fucking resharing of nice looking infographics doesn't do shite except for the fans to go like "OMG they came out as supporters of XXX cause that I made a part of my personality/care about from the comfort and safety of my house" like it's a fucking fandom game to them. I will stop it right here cuz that's too heavy of a topic x.x

Ye, who is not here as long, Benny made a post back in april??? 2022 about cRiSiS iN ukRaiNe buy t-shirts from this ngo that exists purely to make celebrities feel important and look charitable. Yeah that was the final straw for me x.x Like that man should not engage in anything if I'm being honest cuz he has no brains for it.

And ye nonnie make the best comparison here - a fucking flock, cuz the peeps that he surrounds himself with (some came with twin flame package, some were there before) are THAT kind of people. The whole antivaxx, alternative 'medicine', deep supporters stans, ye name it AND and lemme repeat myself again, zionist/pro-I is one thing but Imma gonna repeat it AGAIN, that Harris guy is a known world famous islamophobe, pandemic denier and guns enthusiast x.x that piece of shite noam chomsky who u.s. tankies love went against him lol that was actually hilarious like yeah lock them all up together these supposed intellectuals let them fight like world would be a better place I swear to god SORRY FOR GETTING TOO POLITICAL IT MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN DUNNO WHY BUT I REALLY WANNA SCREAM HORSESHOE kidding i know exactly why i want to do it

ANYWAYS yeah like Benny's flock (and benny's own...) views are pretty out in the open for quite a while now. Dunno why peeps got surprised still x.x I've been at it for over two years now like if ye didn't see it coming that means that ye did NOT want to see it

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thessalian · 5 months

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Thess vs More Faffabout Factor

Not to say I didn't trip over quest-related things. Just ... I was going for metal flowers and similar and that led to Stuff and Stuff led to Things and that is kind of the nature of these kinds of games. Somehow it's more tolerable in this one than it is in others, at least for me. So. This has been my day in the Forbidden West.

Okay, I really wish I'd caved and registered for this stupid site's interactive map sooner. Half this shit I don't know if I've done or I'm just looking slightly in the wrong place. Blegh. Anyway. One thing I did mean to check out is that Sunken Barrier ... thing.

Ofuck it's the Outlast meets Subnautica shit again.

Go awaaaaaaaaaay, little otter-shaped pains in my ass...

Okay. Good. ...And that was absolutely pointless.

(Note from the future: there were two greenshine slabs in the mountains around the area and I apparently missed them for Outlast meets Subnautica and a small crate of vendor trash. UGH.)

Metal flower. Right.

...wut.

OH, COME ON!!!

(Apex Ravager. Just ... behind this bunch of metal flowers. DREADWING, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!?)

Right. After a fair bit of mostly getting vendor trash but also tripping over some interesting dye shades, I figure, hey, I'll go back to Scalding Spear to see if I can dye my kit.

I can, buuuuut not in quite the shade I want. I'll go with green, for what I'm having my current armour look like. And-- Oh. We have a green exclamation point.

Okay, where the fuck are you-- Oh. You're up there. That means--

Yeeeeeep. Hi, Drakka. What's up this time?

Missing kid, huh? Yeah, I'm on that. But-- Wait. What? You're coming too? Really? Actually, for all Aloy's snark, I'm actually with Drakka on the "it looks good" thing - but that's only because I'm used to people not quite wordsing right. What he means is it's a boost for morale, which is going to be shaky after a leadership challenge of that type, and more to the point, he really wants it understood that he's there to lead and help and protect them, not really for his own ego. Drakka is one of those people whose mouth operates sliiiiiiightly ahead of their brain most times, and it can therefore be hard to see that he means really, really well. He just mistakes bravado for confidence, and he's learning the difference now. So yeah, Aloy, he needs to think about how it looks because if they go by what he says and how he says it, there's going to be discomfort and doubt and worry and none of those are things you need when machine-mounted rebels are coming for your asses.

No, my issue with Drakka coming along is that you just got the leadership chair, you jackass; you cannot abandon your people for a solo (or duet, sorry; there is me) rescue run!

...Says the one who's been running around hitting metal flowers for a good chunk of the morning. Anyway...

Okay, I see we are near Thunderjaw territory, and the suggested level for this quest is 30. So I would bet money that kid's got himself stranded in Thunderjaw territory.

Aaaaaaaaaaand there the big fucker is. Okay, take him down one weapon at a time and--

Yeah, no, those laser firing things up there have to go. POONK--

Oh.

Never shot those hovering disc things down before. That was impressive. Anyway. Back to depriving this fucker of his arsenal--

A Stormbird too?!? On the one hand, the salvage from this is going to be epiiiiiiiiiiic. On the other hand... FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.

Okay - kid is safe, Drakka learns some humility, I can move on. I want to get a couple of campfires in the Jungle Zone, since I'm going to be wandering that area in the not-too-distant future.

Well. There's a Tenakth-on-Tenakth slap-fight going on over there. Let's confuse the everliving fuck out of some rebels, shall we? POONK.

Hi, lady. Thank you for the welcome. I have no idea where this settlement you're talking about is but I would bet a Stormbird heart that Epic Narrative will have me liberating the fuck out of the place in the next few real-life days. Ooh, and thanks for the dye patterns.

Lemme check out that nearby settlement, and then I will take on that rebel camp up there. They're going around just raiding Fall's Edge? Naaaah, not on my watch.

Heeeeeeheeheehee. I do love confusing the everloving shit out of these people. Seriously getting the hang of the best strategies for smoke bombs, too. Sit in bush, fire until they start aiming for my general location, smoke bomb, dodge-roll to next nearest bush, make some more arrows, repeat.

Hang on. According to my interactive map, there are greenshine slabs up there. Like, two of them. If I don't mind climbing.

No, there are no yellow-lit handholds. That does not mean that I can't climb. What it means is that I have got very, very good at figuring out what inclines I can and cannot have a character walk on, what tiny ledges can still be support even without a hellow handhold on it, and basically how terrain physics works in games of this type. When Dragon Age went open world? Inquisition taught me a lot about terrain traversal and how to recognise what is ill-advised but possible to traverse if you're happy to hop across it like a demented kangaroo. Or Leaplasher, depending on setting.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS PARTICULAR GREENSHINE SLAB SITE; IT IS TOO OPEN. IT LOOKS LIKE BOSS BATTLE TERRITORY. WHAT IS GOING TO COME ATTACK ME?

...Nothing, apparently. Sorry. Having found apex machines behind a few metal flowers the last little while seems to have made me paranoid.

Two greenshine slabs! Huzzah! Now let me just grab that greenshine slab near that campfire and-- Oh. Bunch of Tenakth being attacked by machines; lemme just help you guys out--

Okay, WHY ARE YOU SHOOTING AT--?!? Oh. These are rebels. So ... I saved your asses and now you want to kill me for it? GODS you guys are assholes. *smoke cloud* *dodge-roll* *POONK*

Right. I have my greenshine slab, and my campfire, and now I am going to go up and eliminate that rebel outpost. I save their squad's asses and their squad shoots at me? They can fuck right off.

"HOW DID WE LOSE HER?!?" Because I have a maxxed Infiltration tree, some very good armour, and smoke bombs that heal me, shithead! *POONK*

More dog tags. Still have not broken and Googled about the dog tags. It's only a matter of time. I mean, I did sort of find out by accident what I do with the black box recordings...

That was the point at which I decided that I should probably have a pretty significant break. Not that I wanted to, you understand. No, it wasn't quite the "I am sucked into this game and never want to stop" thing, exactly. Close, but not quite. I may have mentioned that I use hyperfocus as a painkiller. Well, the issue with that is that I have to stop sometime, and then there is more pain. So I will do the self-care thing - rest, painkillers, food, hot bath. After that, I can use the hyperfocus-as-analgaesic thing properly; specifically, doing it as a stopgap until the painkillers kick in. Still, at least I have something I can do to not feel the basically constant pain that isn't just "more pills" (which don't really do much more than dull it down a bit anyway).

#Thess plays video games #Thess liveblogs Horizon Forbidden West

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gingernut1314 · 8 months

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The Luck Child - Chapter 2: A Quick Chit-Chat Between Good Ol' Friends

Buggy x F!Reader

Summary: After making sure loose ends are tied down and pink-covered threats quelled, you finally come face to face with the Star Clown himself. But is he happy to see you? And will you be able to secure yourself within the ranks of his crew to start your mission?

Warnings: spoilers for the anime (Marineford Arc and onward), canon divergence, canon typical violence

Word Count: 5.9K

A/N: This is done in collaboration with the wonderful @fanaticsnail and her Sapsorrow series--go read it if you haven't already!!! And thank you @i-am-vita for creating the beautiful banner and storyteller collab masterlist!!

Oof--sorry it's been a while. I've been fighting writer's block for a good while and just when I had wrestled my way out of it, I got hit with a horrible stomach bug. Buttt I'm all good now and I hope you all enjoy!!

A chilled breeze blew through the treetops you currently sat in, their leaves of deep reds, purples, and browns obscuring your view of the beach shore every so often. You tore a chuck out of the bit of hard bread you had stolen, along with many other supplies, from one of the Marine ships docked outside of Headquarters before you left on this grand adventure.

Grand--hardly. There was nothing grand about hopping around pirate ships full of utter fools. You would much rather be…what would you much rather be doing? You hadn’t had a single moment of peace in the past five years to truly think on what you wanted to do.

Definitely not sitting in a tree, bark digging into your back as you continued to munch on the same piece of horribly bland ration as you jotted down name after name in your logbook.

Considering the amassed pirates that bustled about over the white sands all had sizable bounties on their heads, you would have hoped it to have been a bit of a fight to find them.

It had not and their campsite had been found with a few simple favors pulled and beri placed in the right pockets.

Now, the next day, you continued to rack your brain to match faces with names to scribble them down for your superiors.

An utterly tedious act, but one that would help you in the long run anyway.

If you were to infiltrate this crew, it was in your best interest to make certain none had been incarcerated by your hand. If one so happened to have been, you would have to go about the horribly messy task of luring them into the wood you sat in and killing them before they could report back to their captain.

But as you wrote down another name, you were certain none of them had known of you before your wanted poster had joined theirs.

None but one. One of the few escapees your commanding officers had known about before sending you off on this mission.

Galdino, formerly known as Mr. 3 and agent for the criminal syndicate Baroque Works.

He had once, during your first year on the Wild Wood Pirate crew, come to the forest-covered island you had been stationed to prove yourself before you could ever step foot onto one of their ships. It was an island conveniently housing a small Marine base at its center and Galdino had come to gather important files on certain Baroque Works members they had begun to weasel out.

When he found you, he had instantly identified you as your father's daughter and had threatened to expose your cover if you didn’t use your status as a Marine, however low, to get these files for him.

And seeing as you had just been demoted prior to joining the Wild Wood Pirates, you had no interest in going back to your superiors with a loss of that magnitude. One your father would have surely used to pull you from the Navy altogether and dress up like some porcelain doll, ready to be picked apart by the wolves who made up the high class.

So you stole the files for him and threatened to cut that silly little three off the top of his head and force it down his throat if you ever laid eyes on him again. Galdino had only laughed in the face of your threat before setting sail once more. Had laughed because you both knew he had the upper hand. Had information that would ruin everything you had fought to secure.

You never ran into him again. Made sure, after you were permitted to set sail on one of the wood-covered ships that made up the Wild Wood Pirates fleet, to stay far away from any marine bases and territories Baroque Works was whispered to flocked around.

That is, until last night when you had snuck through the Buggy Pirates campsite and dragged him from his wax-made house, deep into the shadow-covered wood you had made base. You had thrown him to the decaying leaf-covered ground and simply told him of your purpose for being on this island, though you made sure as to not give away any detail regarding Buggy’s possible promotion to Warlord.

“You are a truly dull creature if you believe for a second I would withhold such information from my captain.” Galdino had all but screeched in your face, the tip of the winding three on his head sparking with orange flame in warning of his devil-blessed powers stirring to life.

“Forgive me if I find it hard to believe you owe that buffoon any sort of loyalty.” You had spat right back at him, clenching the sea-prism stone knuckles around your fingers tighter.

“An utter buffoon yes, but he helped free me and many others from Impel Down, and for that, I am grateful. Enough so to call him Captain and follow him, regardless of how idiotic and misguided his ways may be.” The wind blew cooly, rustling the leaves above your head as you scanned your eyes over his wiry body. Scanned him long enough that beads of sweat began to form over his brow at your abnormally calm assessment.

“How is that Miss. Goldenweek? Marianne?” Galdino’s face paled--that spark of power banking at the mention of his former partner. A partner you had seen him treat as more of a daughter than any true coworker. “Oh yes, that's right. Not so well, last I was informed. Taken into custody right alongside a few of your other coworkers she had been hiding out with.”

“You lot arrested her? She is only a child!” Galdino had shouted, ripping himself up off the ground to bare his teeth at you, his power once more sparking above his head in threat. You had hardly blinked.

“Child? She’ll be turning eighteen in a month's time, correct? She is no more a child than you or I. Old enough to be transferred to Impel Down…she is quite the threat to the World Government.” Galdino’s mouth fell open, eyes all the size of saucers under his blue and silver framed glasses. You moved closer, a wolfish grin slowly pulling to your lips.

“Or I could stop all that by putting in a good word to my superiors, seeing as we are such wonderful friends. I could even see about getting her released on parole…unless you wish to still tattle-tale on me to your captain. My heart would break for that precious little one, thinking of her in such a horrid place. You would know, having spent some time--”

“Fine!” He hissed, shaking fists clenched at his side. “Enough. You promise me she will never see the waters that prison festers under--that she is released--and I will do as you ask.” You simply nodded.

“Of course, of course. As long as you make sure my place within this crew is solidified, I will make the call tonight.” You said on a light, cheery tone you would have only used with friends…had you any.

“You are a heartlessly, cruel and cold woman.” He spat down at you. Words that only had your grin blooming in the same wickedness he believed of your nature.

“If I didn’t know any better, Mr. 3, I would believe you were flirting with me.” And with your biggest threat blackmailed to your liking, you had sent him on his way back to his wax-made house.

You had spent the rest of the night picking out the best tree to make nest in as you watched over the sleeping pirate campsite. The very same tree you still sat in now, shutting your logbook with a snap before tucking it back into its hiding place within the lining of your satchel bag, which hid the Star Clown’s file and a small, hand-held transponder snail.

Making quick work of climbing out of your tree, you made your way out of the forest and across the white sands of the beach you had been observing. Growing closer to the cluster of pirates, who had been busing themselves with repairing their beached ship all morning, more and more eyes found your form. Eyes as untrusting and skeptical as your own.

“What the hell are you doing here?” A silky smooth voice cut through the air, stopping your march towards the biggest, red and white striped tent you were certain the Star Clown himself lay within.

You turned, finding a woman you were only familiar with due to her five million beri bounty and what your superiors had gathered on her.

Iron Mace Alvida had once sailed the East Blue, and had been known for her brutal attacks on small towns and luxury vessels, though she disappeared some time ago, before reappearing at Loudgetown with that fool of a clown. She made a show of showing off her newfound Devil Fruit powers before escaping into the Grand Line.

She was quite beautiful, with skin kissed by the sun and curling, ebony hair that brushed over her pink, leather jacket-covered shoulders. Her red-painted lips downturned as she blinked at you, looking like some pink and glitter-covered guard dog.

“You have caught me at a disadvantage. You know me, but I know…nothing of you.” Your words rose an ember of anger in the woman that flashed, clear as the sky above, through her dark eyes. Anger that had her sharp, red-painted fingernails wrapping tighter around the wicked iron mace that stood by her side. You let an amused smirk pull to your lips at such emotions.

“I am Alvida.” She snapped your way.

“Alvida…Alvida.” You said, rolling her name over your tongue and around your mouth as you pretended at thought. “Not ringing any bells.” She hissed, plumes of steam all but flying from her flared nostrils.

“You have no business here, wild women. Leave these shores or I will take great pleasure in crushing your skull.” She said, swinging that dangerous mace to rest on her shoulder.

“I have business with your captain.” Alvida went to open her mouth once more, but you turned your back on her before a single sound could escape her lips.

During the rather short conversation you had held with her, your patience had run dry.

“You dare turn your back on me?” She shouted, her fellow crewmates having paused in their duties to watch whatever was about to unfold between you two. “You will not take another step.” She declared your final warning--one you merely smirked at as you took a rather large, exaggerated step toward their campsite.

“Oops.” Just as your patience had vanished, Alvida’s went up in flames at your blatant disrespect. She gave a roar that shook the earth as you heard more than saw her rushing for you, iron mace up and ready to smash you into a million bloody pieces.

A quick glance allowed you to see her red-flushed face just as she was about to bring her mace down upon you. A mace you easily weaved your way out of its zone of attack, moving your body around hers as you pulled your sea-prism stone knuckles out of your pocket and onto your fingers.

That iron mace swung back around, you ducking your head and rushing forward to shove your fist upward fast to collide with her chin.

The sea-prism stone made the angered woman’s muscles loosen, all that energy she had been attacking you with flying away with the touch of the ocean's allure.

She gave a weak, pained sound as her body flopped backward into the sand, droplets of blood that matched her lipstick falling from her mouth to her chin.

You were quick to press your knuckles against her smooth skin to keep her down and powerless, your eyes scanning over the beach to see the rest of the Buggy Pirates tensing, readying to engage in battle with you.

You heard your name whispered in the wind--of your bounty, former crew, and their reputation. The mere mention of the Wild Wood Pirates had many stepping back towards the sea as if ready to flee into it to escape you.

“Will someone kindly fetch me your captain?” You hissed towards the group of near-frozen pirates. A small group of three rush off, bumping into their fellow crew mates in their haste.

“You--play dirty.” Alvida all but slurred out in her exhausted state. You flashed her a wicked grin.

“That I do, pinkie. It’s more fun that way.” Alvida had just huffed what you assumed was meant to be another growl when the three pirates came running back.

You heard his voice before you ever saw him. One that had your blood simmering at its screaming familiarity.

“Who the hell would dare to--” The Star Clown himself stopped dead in his tracks, his first and second mates, along with Galdino, stopping just beside him.

Buggy the Clown looked--different…though why he looked different was hard to pinpoint.

He still had that air of patheticness to him, still wore his trademark clown-like make-up and outfit. The same rounded, cherry red nose that you made sure to never look too long in its direction, knowing it was one of the quickest ways to anger the clown.

You pulled your attention away from it and onto those same beautifully striking cyan-colored eyes of his, which always had an annoying nag of dragging you into their depths like a pair of wicked whirlpools. Whirlpools you had been drugged under and drowned in all those years ago. Eyes that still had your stomach twisting up in knots, even when your brain hated them. Even when they flew wide in fear of you.

Maybe it was the fact he was allowing that long, beach-wavy cerulean hair to flow free in a perfect ponytail down his back, a few braids running through its length.

Maybe it was the fact that you were both older than you once were. Though time showed its fang through the little, microscopic things, Buggy was still the same old Buggy you had laid eyes on before.

And maybe…just maybe it was in his eyes. There was something--different about his eyes. Nothing shade or shape-wise. Nothing physical. They looked--lighter, almost. Brighter. Unlike the sad, hurting, near-depressed eyes you had once known--hauntingly shadow-filled eyes.

“What--what a surprise.” He said on a nervous chuckle. “I see you’ve met Alvida.” You huffed, grabbing hold of that iron mace of hers before you removed the sea-prism stone from her skin. Alvida rolled onto her front, arms shaky as the effects of the sea slowly fell away from her.

“Yes, very welcoming this one.” You said, tossing the mace towards the group of pirates near the sea who jumped out of the way as if to not be hit. Alvida’s dark eyes snapped back onto you, that anger only growing more and more steadily with each passing moment. Again, you grinned her way, leaning down as if to allow her to see your face better. “Go fetch,”

Alvida growled, lunging for your legs, but her movements were still sluggish and you easily walked over her as you brought yourself closer to the man you had traveled all this way for.

“Whatcha doin’ here, minnow.” You all but snarled at the nickname. One that quickly reminded you as to why you despised the clown.

Reminded you of five years ago, back in the East Blue. It had been the first time you had ever left the Grand Line. The first time you had ever gone off on your own, truly alone and with little to no help should you need it.

You had gone there because of a lead on the Wild Wood Pirates, though that lead turned out to be very, very wrong so you took a month to start dipping your toes into the pirate world.

The East Blue was easy pickings, known for its calm seas and even calmer pirates. Pirates that could hardly ever rival that of their neighbors in the four blues, let alone in the Grand Line.

You started stealing. Fighting and killing whoever dared try to challenge you.

And the clown with those enchanting green-blue eyes had challenged you. Though, not to any fight. Not in any battle of strength or wit either.

He challenged you in a game of Go Fish.

Easy. A child's game.

But you had gone into the game without thinking like a pirate. A cheating, no-good pirate who won again and again and again without fail or falter. He took you for everything you had. Your beri, your food and water jug, even your damn earrings.

He left you with nothing and instead of fighting you, like you so desperately had wanted, he ran like the coward he was. Like a slimy, scaly fool.

Luck child. Your brains whispered like some haunting premonition. He’s lucky, not a cheat.

No. No, he was a cheat. You wouldn’t let the words of some superstitious old woman fill your brain with nonsense.

You knew him for what he was, and what he was, was a clown.

“Finally come to…what was it you said? Oh right--chop my body up all itty bitty and use the pieces to bake bread and feed it to my crew?” And although Buggy was slowly pulling that fake confidence of his up to try and shield himself, you could still see the smallest bit of fear shaking in his eyes.

Maybe not from thinking your threats were true, threats you yourself knew now could never come true because of those damned Devil Fruit powers of his, but of your ability to still beat him to a pulp if you wished it.

“Buggy,” You said in that friendly, cheery tone you had used with Galdino the night prior, waving his words off in a big, swooping motion as if swatting an annoying little fly away. “That’s all in the past. I only spent a week in the freezing cold because of your game.” Buggy hardly seemed convinced of your words--words that only had that slowly building confidence crumbling at its weak edges.

“Y-you know, that’s not even that long, minnow. Only a week? And we're talkin’ about the East Blue here. Easy peasy…right?” He said, giving another nervous chuckle as he tried to keep the mood from turning sour. As he desperately tried to gauge what you were intentions truly were.

You again felt coiling rage wrap around your heart, but you kept your laid-back demeanor up.

Just as you had to relearn manners in the face of your superiors, you were going to have to learn to submit to this foolish clown of a man and his silly ways.

“Easy peasy. It’s all water under the bridge now.” You said, coming to a stop just an arm's width before him. It was a space Buggy quickly scanned over--a space he took a step into as if to try and show you just how unafraid of you he was.

It would have amused you if you weren’t focusing very, very hard on not breaking that rounded nose of his.

“So…you’ve tracked me down, beat the crap out of Alvida, and made half my crew shit their pants just for a quick chit-chat between good ol' friends?” He asked, taking yet another step closer to you. One that brought him close enough that he could touch you with a simple lift of his hand.

A touch you couldn’t help your mind from imaging snapping in a few, calculated movements and bringing him to his knees.

You brought a lazy, closed-lipped smile to your face. One you knew would never reach your eyes in his or anyone else’s presence.

“I’ve come to join your crew.” Buggy froze. Utterly and completely froze like some supernatural focus had come over him. A high, bewildered shock had pulled up onto his make-up-covered face. You knew that was the last thing he thought you were going to say. Something so--outlandish it never could possibly become a reality.

“This is a trap.” Alvida snapped quickly, pulling herself to her feet. Her dark eyes grew that much more dark in their utter hatred of you. “The Wild Wood Pirates would have her head if this was truly happening”

“The Wild Wood Pirates,” Galdino said in that uppity way of his that grated on your every nerve. Alvida turned that burning glare from you onto him, finding him just as aggravating as you did, “are a dying breed. Their ways are self-destructive. I am sure this is her merely reaching out for a lifebuoy.”

“How about before we all jump to conclusions, we ask why she would even wish to switch allegiances. That is not done without heavy consideration.” Buggy’s first mate, Mohji, spoke. He wore a rounded-eared, white-furred cap that matched his white-furred cropped top, and bear-clawed paw-shaped shoes. Alvida merely turned her overly angered glare onto him, the man’s tough exterior melting in fear of her.

“How about I shove your suggestion so far up your ass it never sees the light of day.” Alvida said darkly, making the first mate all but tremble. Buggy’s Chief of Staff; Cabaji, stepped in, anger to rival that of Alvida’s clear on his half-hidden features, which were blocked by his straight locks of deep green hair.

“You best remember your place, Alvida.” She laughed a wickedly cruel laugh in his face.

“My place? I am more powerful than you could ever dream of. You talk to me in such a way again, and I’ll be sure to crave your tongue from your mouth and feed it to your lover boy’s lion.” A mocking smirk pulled at the corners of her lips, looking more like a snarl than any such smile. Galdino rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in a bored manner--a superior manner.

“You are almost as brutish as that one.” He said loftily. Alvida’s smooth skin, which was a call to her devil-blessed powers, began to turn bright red in her anger.

“You best believe my wrath will not halt even--”

“Enough you damn fools!” Buggy shouted, coming out of his shocked state in a flash of dramatically clenched fists and hair flying around him in a wild flare. “You all seem to have forgotten I am the captain. You all should be grateful that I am even allowing you to sail under my Jolly Roger!” He gruffed at his crew. Alvida continued to stare poisoned daggers the three men's way but grit her teeth against her words while Galdino checked his nails, unbothered. Buggy’s first and second mates muttered apologies with ducked heads.

You, on the other hand, chuckled. A chuckle that turned into a laugh that shook your shoulders and had Buggy’s anger faltering at such a reaction.

Buggy’s explosive anger was his one redeeming factor. His need to prove himself over others--prove he could be better than them in such a peacocking manner. Oh how it utterly tickled your sides.

“What--what are you doing?” He asked, unease filling his demeanor.

“Their chirping amused me.” Fire flared in not only Alvida’s eyes, but Mohji and Cabaji’s as well. Anger that only fueled your amusement. “At least I know being on your crew will not be a dull affair.” It was Buggy’s turn to laugh then. A funky, high laugh that had your slight smile pulled sharply down.

“Now thats a laugh.” He said, clutching at his stomach as if what you were asking was truly the funniest thing in the Grand Line. You watched him wipe a phantom tear from his eye as you felt your own eye twitch. “I think my answer is gonna be a big ‘ol nope.” He said popping the p.

“We should talk about this in private then.” You all but grit out, your own anger strangling you like some hand around your throat. Buggy laughed again and that hand tightened.

“Minnow,” He said, elongating the nickname, “There's nothin’ to talk about. Alvida is right, I don’t trust ya.” Buggy took another, bold step closer to you. A step that allowed him to lean down and stare right into your eyes.

So close you couldn’t help but let your mind imagine just how easy it would be to take that silly, light maroon-colored scarf tied around his neck and use it to squeeze the breath from his lungs.

“Especially when you’re lookin’ at me like you want to tear me apart,” Buggy said, pulling you from those very thoughts he had pinpointed in you.

Submit.

You were not the captain here. Not anything other than a lowly pirate begging to join this crew. He was your superior now, no matter how much it made you sick to your stomach.

Buggy wanted respect--craved it, needed it like he needed the air to breathe.

“I saw you. During the battle at Marineford--you broadcasted it, yes?” Though you hadn’t seen it at the time of its true showing, you had dug through the archives at Navy Headquarters after you read of its mention in Buggy’s file. It had been--something else. The blood, fire, and tears raged around in the background while Buggy bumbled himself around the battlefield.

“...Yes. I did.” He said, that skepticism filling his eyes once more. “You saw it?” You nodded, keeping your eyes on level with his gem-like ones.

“You fought against the Marines. Against Warlords. You even stood up to an Emperor of the Sea.” You saw his eyes cringe a little--like he was self-aware enough to know he had hardly ‘stood up’ to any of them. “You were brave. Heroic, even. A true warrior. A true captain.” A murmur from the group of pirates near the sea rose. They were agreeing with every last word you spoke despite their erroneous nature.

Lemmings. The whole lot of them.

“I respect strength. The Wild Wood Pirates are strong, but my former captain is stuck in her ways. Never to change, never to improve, never to grow more powerful. I see you are heading for great things and I want in. I want to serve the man who I see one day becoming King of the Pirates.” Buggy’s face was pulled up into that high shock again. You could see he didn’t want to believe your words, but such words of flattery and praise were hard to ignore.

“You--no--I…of course I’m gonna be King of the Pirates.” He said with a dramatic wave of his hand like it was nothing. You nodded eagerly in agreement.

“Yes, I believe so.” A growl sounded from Alvida and you watched her grab a fistful of Buggy’s white and maroon striped short sleeve, yanking him towards her.

“Do not let her honeyed words fool you. She is a wild woman. They feed off idiotic men who are too dimwitted to not see the hole in the ground they have dug for you to fall in. She is a fanged creature--a bloodthirsty thing that will eat you alive.” Anger spiked in Buggy again as he grabbed at Alvida’s wrist, only for it to slide right off thanks to her Devil Fruit abilities.

“I will advocate for myself then.” You spoke, gaining Alvida’s dark, pit-like eyes back on you. “Not only do I know my way around a ship, but I am a fair navigator. I have never lost a fight and am skilled in assassination if you so command such skills from me. I am also exceptional at collecting hard-to-get information. I kept my former captain greatly informed of things happening outside of our secluded ships. You run a circus as well, yes?” Buggy glanced Alvida’s way, who shook her head against your question--against you in your entirety.

“I do…” He wearily said, choosing to ignore Alvida’s warnings.

“I have always been an admirer of them. I have garnered skills in acrobatics, gymnastics, and in my youth, I even trained an eagle to dance.” Buggy’s weary and suspicious nature nearly vanished completely at the mention of such things.

“You trained an eagle to dance? You?” You thought of the rather large brown and white feathered bird you had once kept as a pet in your father’s home fondly.

“And to pick the occasional pocket, yes.” Buggy laughed, pulling from Alvida’s vise-like hold. The woman huffed, but stopped her attempts at throttling your plan. You could see in her eyes she knew this was a losing battle.

“Where were these fun little facts at when we first met, minnow?” You shrugged, allowing Buggy to come back before you.

“I do not trust easy.” Buggy nodded, understanding clear as day in his eyes.

“Ya know, that’s what's keepin’ me from just givin’ in and lettin’ you hop on board. I don’t trust easy.” You nodded right back at him. You had seen that in him from the very first moment you had laid eyes on him. Had seen all that sadness and hurt which had once shone in those cyan eyes of his and had found it was something you, begrudgingly, could relate to.

“I have also brought a peace offering.” You said, pulling the sea-prism stone knuckles from your fingers before slowly, as to not spook the man and his crew, reaching into your satchel bag. “The first adventure you can embark on with me on your crew. A test run of my service.” You traded your weapon for the rolled-up map to offer it to the clown.

“A…treasure map?” You nodded, wiggling it his way.

“Do you still have a love for them after all these years?” Buggy was quick to take the map from your hand, a wide smile pulling up onto his red, painted lips.

“No true pirate wouldn’t.” You watched as he excitedly unrolled the map. An excitement that faltered when he laid eyes on the worn line work before him. Excitement that snapped to disbelief. “Where the hell did you get this?”

“I found it on the body of a Marine I killed. Do you recognize it?” Buggy scoffed.

“Do I--it’s only the map to Griffin Head Island! This is--” The mass of Buggy’s crew just a little ways away began to murmur again. A murmur that cut the clown off and had him whipping around to face them, wide-eyed and slowly beginning to fume. “What the hell are you all just standing around for? Get to work! I want my ship back in the water and sailing away from this good-for-nothing beach by nightfall!” He screamed down at them.

They started at his command, giving apologies and yes sirs as they bumped into one another in their hurry to do as they were told. Green-blue eyes fell onto you once more.

“You got this off a marine?” You nodded, watching as he pulled the map closer to his large nose to inspect it that much better. “Why--why the hell does it smell like lemons?”

“...Lemons?” You questioned, moving closer to peer at the old map. You had looked over that map maybe a hundred times trying to memorize it and never had you had the idea to smell it. Old maps were old and the smell of old paper always turned up your nose. “I don’t know what you mea--”

“Fuck me.” Buggy growled after flipping the map over. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He continued to curse as he used his mouth to yank his white glove from his hand, the glove staying between his teeth as he ran his bare fingertips over the blank back of the map.

You glanced towards Buggy’s senior officers in search of some kind of answer for what he was doing. Alvida was cross armed and cross-faced as she stared at Buggy like he was a complete idiot, a near-matching look on the face of Galdino. Mohji was the only one to give you a shrug in unknowing at his captain's antics.

“Give me your hair.” Buggy’s words came out muffled around his glove as he whirled to find Galdino. The former Baroque Works agent wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“You will come nowhere near my hair.” But Buggy was already grabbing him around the neck with a detached hand, all but dragging him closer. White sand flew into the air as Galdino struggled against Buggy’s hold. “HOW DARE--”

“Do something with your wax shit,” Buggy commanded, yanking Galdino’s head further down so that he had better access to the tip of the winding three his hair made up.

“I--”

“Do something!” Buggy shouted, glove falling to the sand and making the man within his hold growl in utter annoyance. Galdino gave in, probably finding it would end this foolishness quickly, and collected a small ball of melted wax in his hands, creating what appeared to be a flower. That flame roared to life on the tip of his hair-do and Buggy was quick to run the map over top of it.

Panic struck in your chest hard and fast at the action.

If he burned that map, you were as good as done here. There was no way to that island without the map and if he burned it, he would never get that golden feather. Would never face the monster that roamed its lands and prove his “worthiness” to your superiors.

Though, it would make things easier, wouldn’t it? No grand, waste-of-time adventure before he ultimately got himself killed. You had been given orders to kill him if he tried anything other than earning the feather and killing him you would.

Killing him now would mean you would still have time to grab a drink before you had to report back to Headquarters. Maybe they would let you go back to the Wild Wood Pirates to finish the assignment they had ripped you from.

Maybe you would even get a promotion…Seamen First Class had a nice ring to it.

And maybe…just maybe you could even pull for something higher. Maybe you could even get your original ranking of lieutenant back. Oh, how that would make your father’s blood boil.

Yes--yes, you definitely could get that back. With the annoyance of Buggy the Clown taken care of, his senior officers wiped off the chest board alongside him, it would be more than enough reason to earn the title back. You could even sweeten the deal by bringing a few of those escapees back into custody. That would surely--

“HA! I knew it!” Buggy’s high and grating voice cut you from your fantasizing. “I knew I smelled lemons. You can use it to create invisible ink that appears with a little flame. I used to leave hidden messages all around Oro Jackson.” He laughed at the memory. A memory that brought a spark of grief to his eyes. “Someone left one here.” He said, glancing your way in such excitement it almost had you forgetting your dislike of him.

Adventurous joy looked good on him.

“What does it say?” You asked, moving to stand beside him. Alvida, Mohji, and Cabaji did the same, peering over his tall shoulders to peek a look.

“It says; I have the--” Buggy’s breath hitched as the last of the words rose in a burned black color.

I have the keys to the Island. Come find me.

It wasn’t the sentence that warranted such a reaction from the clown next to you. This just meant there was more to do before finding the island and the feather it held.

No, it was the Jolly Rodger crudely drawn under it instead of a signature.

It was a skull with duel sabers in place of crossbones, but running over the skull's left eye socket were three lines. It was a Jolly Rodger you knew in seconds.

This was the Jolly Rodger of Buggy’s old crew mate aboard the Oro Jackson, now fearsome Emperor of the Sea. This was the symbol of Red-Haired Shanks.

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Tags: @lostfirefly , @mydearlybeloathed , @sordidmusings , @fanshavegottensotoxic , @khaleesihavilliard, @sukilovesyou

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fleetsummers · 8 months

Text

with @vallaurent | the daybreakers : a bottom dollar conversation about self-identity and parents who've damaged it

Val Laurent Hey there, hun. Am I botherin' ya? -Val felt tired and weary, so she'd decided to step outside and grab a quick breath of her. When she'd stepped into the cool night, she'd found Fleet there- Tryin' to find a quiet spot to be alone or just enjoyin' some fresh air?

fleet summers Just ... spacing out, actually. -he's been standing there with his arms wrapped around himself, watching the Ranch, and smiles at Val- I knew this would all be more physical activity than I'm used to, but it's making my brain work in ways I'm not used to, either.

Val Laurent What do ya mean? -she takes that as an invitation to stand next to him, letting her eyes wander over the ranch. In this moment, she strangely has the urge for a cigarette- You feelin' restless?

fleet summers Restless, jumpy, tired -- a bunch of them all at once. Sore, too. -he gives a groaning laugh at that one- Zack's teaching me how to fight. -Fleet gives a tight sneer and a dismissive toss of his chin, saying bitterly- Like a real man.

Val Laurent -she grimaces- Did he say that to ya? Ya don't sound too happy about it. -she pushes her hands into the pocket of her jacket- If ya feelin' sore, some warmth will do ya good. Or a massage. Or more exercise.

fleet summers Oh -- oh, no, Zack would never say anything like that to me. Not now, anyhow. I was thinking about my dad. -he marches a little in place to keep warm, the movement inevitably becoming more of a dance step than anything else- I'll be getting more exercise tomorrow, no worries about that. Are you a fighter, Val?

Val Laurent Did Cole say that to ya? I'm sorry, hun. -there is a soft hint of surprise in her voice, but no disbelief as she regards him- Nah. What do they say? I'm a lover, not a fighter? -she chuckles, softly- I ain't any good at fightin'. I know how to shoot, but that's it. What 'bout you, sweetie?

fleet summers No, I'm in the same boat as you -- lover, not a fighter. I'm used to other people taking care of me. -he dithers on that for a while; Zack's been making him reconsider what Fleet had always categorized as 'care', but he's not ready to delve into that yet- Daddy said a lot but he didn't say much at all. Which is the worst because then you're left wondering if all those microaggressions were just you blowing things out of proportion.

Val Laurent But it's a big deal to you, ain't it? Ya feel the way ya do for a reason, hun. -she tilts her head upwards, looking at the night sky- Maybe Cole didn't mean anythin' by what he said or didn't say, but it still hurt ya.

fleet summers -Fleet looks over at her, squinting slightly- Yeah, Maybe. -he laughs suddenly, shrugging against his turned chin- And who cares, anyway, right? What anybody thinks about Daddy anymore. Everyone came and told him how wonderful he was on that last day and I'm sure he loved it. Finally, recognition! -he lifts both his hands in fists, shaking them in sarcastic triumph at the sky- What I think about him is just another drop in the pot, good or bad or noncommittal. Who am I? Just his son. I guess. It never mattered to him.

Val Laurent -she turns her head to face him, some of her curls falling onto her forehead- I care about what ya think. -she regards him for a moment- They didn't know him like you did.

fleet summers It's exactly what I never wanted. To meet him and get smacked in the face with this -- this desperation to mean something to him. I've been running from that my whole life and I thought I'd avoided it. -Fleet presses his lips together, folding his arms again and curving his shoulders- Hubris. I'm just another faggot with daddy issues after all.

Val Laurent Aw, sweetheart. -she steps over to him, reaching out to wrap her arms around his shoulders- You're still you, darling. That means something, right? -she gives his shoulder a squeeze- Ya don't gotta be defined by your dad, or how he felt about you.

fleet summers That's the thing! -he's laughing outright now, none of it actually happy or amused- That's what I realized! I have been defined by my dad, my whole life! Everything I've ever done was to create some wonderful magical me who everyone would like so much that they would know, they'd know that it was my dad who was wrong. He was wrong and it wasn't because I wasn't worth staying for. -Fleet's breathing hard now, mouth downturned and distressed, and he wheels away from Val and walks away a few steps, staring up at the sky again-

Val Laurent Oh, honey. -she waits a few moments before she follows him, though this time she doesn't wrap her arms around him again, just offering her company closeby- Everything? What about singin'? You did that to prove your dad wrong, and not because ya like singin'? -she regards him for a moment- I can't say I've been in your situation but... I kinda know what it's like being so tangled up with someone or somethin' ya don't know where ya start and end.

fleet summers No. Singing is all me. -he tosses Val another of those tight smiles, although this time it's paired with softer, sadder eyes, his brows raised towards the middle- That's me being Pilipino. They revoke your heritage if you can't karaoke like a pro by age five. -saying that does make him laugh for real, suddenly overcome with tears- I miss my family. I've lost them all and I thought being a Reznik might help me get through it but ... it hasn't done anything for me. -Fleet wipes his face fiercely with the heel of his hand, sucking in a breath- Who was it for you? Or what was it, that you're tangled up with?

Val Laurent -her heart aches when she sees his sad, big eyes, his choked laugh- My parents, too. My dad and my momma. -she let's her eyes trail over the thick darkness in front of them, barely illuminates by the starts and the farmhouse- Momma left us when I was 10. Dad didn't take it well. Stopped takin' care of himself. So I had to be my dad's momma. And when I couldn't anymore and I left, I became someone else's momma. And that's what I've always been tryin' to be. With everybody. -she chuckles softly- It messed me up, it really did. In ways, I'm glad for it. Because I like helpin' people. I think that's me, in all of that. And you got stuff that's all you. And now, you get to figure it out. Even if it feels bad now.

fleet summers -Fleet's pretty good at reading between the lines so he has some idea of what Val might mean, being her dad's momma, and he makes a hum of contrite sympathy in his throat, reaching to clasp and interlace her hand with his as he steps closer- It sounds messy. I tried to be the most enchanting bauble in the room. That wasn't much better, but ... yeah, I get that. Being glad for it in a way, even though things happened along the way that weren't great. -Fleet stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her as they both look out across the Ranch and at the sky- I don't like not feeling like me. Even with the doubt that meeting Daddy introduced in there, I've still got a hold of myself. Even though it feels bad now. -he looks at Val, eyes half-lidded, and starts to offhandedly, lightly sing:- The sun'll come out, tomorrow...

Val Laurent -Val gently squeezes his hand as their fingers interlace- I know. But eventually, you're gonna feel like you. And then it's gonna be truly you. You're still you, below everythin' else. -she leans her head on his shoulders, her curls brushing up against his neck. She sings the next lines quietly, her voice slightly wavering- Bet your bottom dollar, that tomorrow there'll be sun~

fleet summers -they finish the song together, easily slipping into the harmonies, and when the last strains of their voices have faded, they simply stand together, holding hands, a moment of solace-

#with: val #c: vall001 #trauma cw #plot:daybreakers

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