#crew unity
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mugiwara-no-audhd · 12 days ago
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Legion of the Pirate King - Alabasta Saga Chapter 42!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/58607950/chapters/168297157
Title: Legion of the Pirate King - Alabasta Saga Summary: Dive into a vibrant reimagining of the Alabasta Saga, where Luffy's crew is larger, louder, and more diverse than ever! Navigating unique challenges, personality clashes, and the complexities of a larger family. This story seamlessly blends original arcs with reimagined canon events, showcasing how the crew's dynamics alter familiar storylines. Beyond the main adventure, rich "slice-of-life" moments and side stories that follow other groups expand the world, occasionally unexpectedly overlapping with the crew's journey. In-depth Crew Dossiers, released after each arc, will expand your understanding of the crew. Discover character secrets, fleet details, and treasure lists. Rating: T Warning: Graphic Descriptions of Violence Pairings: Usopp/Kaya, Gin/Merry, Sanji/Nojiko Characters: Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Rika, Koby, Nami, Chouchou, Kaya, Merry, Ninjin, Piiman, Tamanegi, Usopp, Johnny, Yosaku, Sanji, Gin, Jimmy Scoops, Hatchan, Nojiko, Chabo, Nefertari Taipan, Nefertari Vivi, Gregory, Igaram, Fiona, Karoo.
Chapter Summary: The familiar sanctuary of the Going Shopping is shattered by the vengeful return of formidable foes. Old grudges ignite as Alvida, Kuro, Krieg, and Morgan descend upon the Straw Hats, turning the deck into a desperate battleground. Sanji, Zoro, and Gin engage in fierce combat, their resolve unwavering as they confront their respective adversaries with fierce determination. Meanwhile, miles away on the mysterious island of Little Garden, Luffy stumbles upon a sight that promises adventure on a colossal scale, completely unaware of the brutal fight his friends are waging for their very survival.
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writing-for-life · 25 days ago
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Lost Hearts Everywhere…
…or why comics issue #16 is so central to the whole storyline of The Sandman
We are currently reading #16 of the comics in our community (join us!), and I don’t know about you, but seeing Lost Hearts in context of the whole run always makes me a bit unwell because the visual and thematic parallels are just so strong…
About Lips, Hearts, Living, Dying & Dreaming
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Sleep of the Just : Lost Hearts
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About Family, Gender, Losing Your Heart & Desire
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Tales in the Sand : Lost Hearts
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Speaking of Which: About Interfering Cats, Their Toys & Memory Fragments
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Overture : Lost Hearts
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About Not Wanting to Kill, the Consequences of Failing in One’s Duty & Why Responsibilities Mean Everything
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Overture : Lost Hearts
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About Being Tired & Walking Away, Victories & Defeats, Life & Death
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Lost Hearts : The Kindly Ones
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tomixslefttoe · 8 months ago
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Aspar: You’re too late, heroes! You’ll never stop me now.
The Hero: That’s where you’re wrong, evil-doer! We will stop you with the powers of:
Izaac: Friendship!
Riadne: Harmony!
Tomix: Incredible violence.
The Hero: And love!
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mrwooglewogle · 2 years ago
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With all of this unity frustration, it got me thinking that not all games made with unity are made equal.
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Or with a consistent development schedule.
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dravidious · 8 months ago
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You're more amazing than functionally no rares
Made some Duskmourn cards and also thought about the upcoming set currently known as "Death Race" and got in a vehicle mood
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#custom cards#custom magic card#just checked and saw that the comprehensive rules update for duskmourn released. toy is indeed a creature type. not an artifact type#however: wotc is wrong and i'm better than them#anyway i have NO idea how strong Elian Purr of Unity is#i've barely gotten to use enlist so idk#the buffing effect probably isn't TOO strong since it's weaker than those “power/toughness are equal to number of creatures you control”#but 1 mana to give everything enlist? that's. big. idk if it's good but it's big#i made Kitty Joyrider because red-white and white-blue have gotten vehicle themes so i gotta complete the jeskai vehicles trio#vehicles triggering prowess is a silly little synergy that helps it crew vehicles and passing the buff onto the vehicle is cool i think#granting haste ties the whole package together. no reason for the kitty itself to have haste but it felt obligatory#i modified it just now to make it properly grant prowess so that it synergizes with combat tricks. because of course#also i'm really satisfied with Elian Cozy Plushsuit#not much to say about it i just love everything about it#oh wait i do have a thing to say! rule 208.3a#if a power/toughness changing effect is applied to a noncreature permanent the effect still applies and will work if it becomes a creature#so Cozy Plushsuit gets the buff when you tap a creature to crew it even though the trigger resolves before it becomes a creature#technically Kitty Joyrider and Veteran Motorist also take advantage of this rule but “crews a vehicle” is a little vague on timing#so you might assume the ability triggers after the vehicle becomes a creature#Anyway! the plushsuit works exactly as intended and synergizes beautifully with other vehicles#i'm not sure whether it synergizes with enlist#you tap the creature “as” you attack. does it become tapped at the same time as the attackers?#wait! 508.1f and 508.1g! tapping attackers and paying “as you attack” costs are separate steps! it synergizes!#actually 508.1g is deciding whether to pay costs. 508.1j is when you pay the costs and it says you pay them in any order#that means that multiple enlists happen separately! perfect synergy!#i had to make it “one or more” because otherwise it would be really easy to get multiple triggers just by attacking with lots of creatures#so as a side effect i get to dig around in the rules to analyze the timing of exactly when things happen#okay i'm approaching the tag limit now so bye#ka asks
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marsixm · 2 years ago
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when stede lets the fame get to his head and starts acting like a dick bc he feels like his crew is being poached bc he cant comprehend they might Want to leave, right after his humanizing ned’s crew being the only way he was able to defeat ned bc ned wasnt comprehending what his crew wanted, and then he subsequently gets his ass beat: that was a nice bit of comeuppance
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linuxgamenews · 1 year ago
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The Cursed Crew: Unravel Yuki's Wish & Zagan's Ritual DLC Now
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Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew two new DLC's out now for the game on Steam Deck, playable on Linux via Windows PC. Thanks to the creative minds behind developer Mimimi Games. Available now on Yuki's Wish Steam, Zagan's Ritual Steam, Yuki's Wish GOG, Zagan's Ritual GOG, plus a discount for the main title. Alright, so let's break down the latest excitement from Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew and its two new DLCs, "Shadow Gambit: Yuki's Wish" and "Shadow Gambit: Zagan's Ritual." These DLC's are now available for Steam Deck and Linux players, and they bring a lot of new content to the world.
Shadow Gambit: Yuki's Wish
In "Yuki's Wish," we meet Yuki and Kuma from Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. They're back, and this time, they're dealing with a curse from the Lost Caribbean waters. They bring unique supernatural abilities to your team. Your mission? Head to "Dragon's Dream," an island with a Japanese vibe, where an ancient dragon promises to grant wishes. You'll also need to solve the dragon's riddles to make Yuki's wish come true. Doing so through six new Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew missions.
Shadow Gambit: Zagan's Ritual
The second DLC, "Zagan's Ritual," takes you to a spooky island with a Gothic castle. Here, you meet Zagan the Apostate, a mysterious scientist. Who needs your help for a dark ritual. This DLC also has you dive into the secrets of the Inquisition's holy flame and use Zagan's powerful abilities against enemies. You'll explore this corrupted place and complete six missions.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew - Yuki & Zagan DLC Trailer
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The unique thing about these DLCs is that they fit right into the main title. Ant the new characters from this content? You can also use them in almost any mission from the main game, which is awesome.
Free "Treasure Hunts" Content Update
There's also a free update called "Treasure Hunts," available now. This Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew update adds new quests where you search for pirate treasures and artifacts. It's like a big treasure hunt across 14 different missions, each with its twist and goals. For example, you might follow clues on an island or use a magic pistol to find a hidden treasure chest. There's even a special page to track your progress. The "Treasure Hunts" let you explore the islands freely, without sticking to the main story missions. Due to keep playing and discovering new things after you finish the main story.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew Special Deals
And there's also more good news. There's a Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew 20% discount deal happening this weekend, and a "Complete Edition" of the game is available too. So you can get the main title at a discounted price, $31.99 USD / £27.99 / 31,99€. Available on Steam, GOG, and Humble Store. So, to sum it up: Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew just got a whole lot bigger and more exciting with these new DLCs and updates. Both are priced at $14.99 USD / £11.99 / 14,99€. So whether you're into solving mysteries, exploring new worlds, or just enjoying a good adventure, there's something for everyone in these new additions, Yuki's Wish Steam, Zagan's Ritual Steam, Yuki's Wish GOG, Zagan's Ritual GOG. Playable on Linux via Proton, Steam Deck Verified, with Windows PC.
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writing-for-life · 23 days ago
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I wrote a bit more about the parallels to Ibsen’s Doll’s House here in case anyone’s interested:
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Gender and Perspective I — We’re getting some beautiful entries in the haiku competition, don’t forget to submit yours!
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hang-on-lil-tomato · 2 years ago
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OFMD grief bringing up old grief…FARSCAPE
I lived through a 4th season Farscape “cliffhanger” (ahem) and all of this nightmare. (We were promised a 5th season)
Bonnie hammer literally said that the sci-fi channel didn’t want those 12 year old boys and mere trekkies in their audience.
one wrinkle…Bonnie was a dumb as a box of hammers. the audience WAS the 30-40 adult women with disposable income they claimed the wanted.
the fans sent them their bras in protest of the premature cancellation.
they said they hired Susan Sarandon for a mini series..and see how uptown were going? They hired SS for a LAME one off mini series that sucked that didn’t attract ANYBODY.
then Siffy channel proceeded to do birdemic, sharkdemic, and reality shows about bogus ghost hunters. A river of garbage I won’t even watch and I love Roger corman B movies.
such liars!
the fans got together and financed the Peacekeeper Wars which fixed the mess from season 4.
It was so traumatic!
So, I’ve been here before. This is not as bad since Jenkins tied up a lot of stories.
but I agree, the Izzy death was unwarranted! It’s heartbreaking for so many reasons. I feel ya!
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rodspurethoughts · 2 years ago
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Virgin Galactic Set to Launch its First Commercial Rocket Plane Spaceflight
🚀 Exciting News! Virgin Galactic gears up for first commercial rocket plane spaceflight, revolutionizing space tourism. Stay tuned! 🌌 #VirginGalactic #SpaceTourism
Image: Virgin Galactic Exciting news for space enthusiasts and adventurers alike! Virgin Galactic, the innovative space tourism company founded by Sir Richard Branson, has announced its highly anticipated first commercial rocket plane spaceflight. This milestone event marks a significant step towards the realization of commercial space travel. With Galactic 01 ready for launch, let’s delve into…
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inseobts · 2 months ago
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hiiii!!! i hope you're having a good day 💖 i love your writing sm!! if your requests are open can i ask for a law x reader where reader used to date ace and was there when he died in marineford so she saw Law save luffy, so she joins the heart pirates as a way to thank him for saving Ace little brother. They slowly fall in love but won't admit it and when Law leaves to fight Doffy reader admits her feelings bc she's terrified of losing Law. They get together when they see each other again in zou
please please but it's okay if you can't or don't want to!!! 💖
Tides of Fate
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law × reader (+ ace x reader)
a/n: this request was totally my kind of fav plots lmao thank you
words count: 5.9k
tags: slow burn, angst with a happy ending, marineford aftermath, emotional baggage
masterlist || ao3 || ko-fi
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Luffy sits on the shore, his face blank. Too blank. The kind of emptiness that only comes after losing everything.
You know that feeling. It’s the same one you're feeling right now, that it's hard to breathe.
Tearing your gaze away, you turn toward the submarine where Law stands with his arms crossed, waiting. If you’re going to do this, you need to do it now.
Taking a deep breath, you step toward Luffy “Luffy.”
He doesn’t look up.
“I’m leaving.”
His fingers tighten around the bracelet, knuckles white “With them?” His voice is hoarse, raw.
You swallow hard “Yeah.”
Finally, he lifts his head, eyes bloodshot but focused on you “Why?”
You hesitate, because the real answer feels too heavy to say out loud. Because if I stay, I’ll break apart. Because the ache in your chest is unbearable, and you don’t know how to exist in this world without Ace in it.
Instead, you say, “I don’t have anywhere else to go... No one to go to.”
Luffy flinches, but you know he understands. He’s feeling it too.
His jaw tightens “You… you have me. You don’t have to go.”
You kneel in front of him, forcing a small smile “You have your crew, Luffy. They’re coming back to you. But me…” Your voice wavers, and you hate it “I need time.”
Luffy stares at you for a long moment before exhaling shakily “Ace really loved you, y’know.”
Your breath catches.
Luffy grips his hat and presses it to his forehead “So that means you’re like my sister-in-law,” he mumbles, voice thick with emotion “And I protect my family.”
Your vision blurs. You clench your fists to stop your hands from shaking.
“Luffy…”
He looks at you, his expression serious in a way you rarely see “You’re always gonna be my family. Don't forget it. You can come to me whenever you want and need to.”
The words nearly break you.
You force yourself to smile, even if it wobbles “Then you better take care of yourself, little brother.”
His lip trembles, but he nods “You too.”
You take a deep breath, memorizing the sight of him, before finally standing.
Law is waiting, watching silently as you step aboard. You don’t look back.
“That was dramatic” he mutters once you’re beside him.
You huff a weak laugh, hiding your tears “Shut up.”
He doesn’t push you for more, just nods toward the submarine’s entrance “Come on, Y/N-ya. We’re leaving.”
And with that, the Heart Pirates set sail, and you leave the past behind.
The Polar Tang is… different. Not in a bad way, just different. It’s quieter than the Moby Dick, smaller, and runs a lot smoother since it’s a submarine. The crew is nice enough, but they watch you carefully, like they’re waiting to see if you’ll actually stick around, and like they're afraid to say the wrong things.
You don’t blame them. You’re still trying to figure all that out yourself.
What you do know is that you’re not wearing that.
“Absolutely not,” you say, holding up the black and yellow jumpsuit like it personally offended you “There is no way I’m wearing this.”
Penguin grins “Aw, c’mon, it’s tradition! We all wear them.”
“Yeah, and you all look dumb.” You toss the uniform back at him.
Shachi snickers “She’s got a point.”
Bepo tilts his head “But it helps with unity!”
“I don’t care.” You cross your arms “I just lost my last family. I’m not replacing them by playing dress-up with you guys.”
There’s a heavy beat of silence. You didn’t mean to let that slip, but it’s too late now.
Penguin and Shachi exchange glances, suddenly looking unsure. Bepo’s ears lower slightly.
Before anyone can say anything, Law’s voice cuts through the air.
“She doesn’t have to wear it.”
You turn to see him leaning against the wall, arms crossed. His gaze flicks to the uniform in Penguin’s hands before settling back on you “As long as she follows orders, it doesn’t matter what she wears.”
You smirk, triumphant but still hiding the regrets of your previous words “See? Captain’s orders.”
Penguin groans “Man, you’re getting special treatment already?”
Law clicks his tongue “Tch. Don’t be stupid. She’s not getting special treatment.” He pushes off the wall and starts walking away “Now get back to work.”
The others grumble but scatter, leaving you standing there, still holding your ground.
Law pauses at the doorway, glancing at you over his shoulder “You really will be following orders, though.”
You roll your eyes “Yeah, yeah, Captain. You don't have to repeat it again.”
He watches you for a second longer before walking away.
You exhale, shoulders slumping. You still don’t know if this was the right choice. But for now, you’re here and that’s enough.
Days pass, then weeks. You settle into life on the Polar Tang, though settle might be a strong word. You’re still figuring out your place here, still deciding if this is home or just a temporary stop before the sea pulls you somewhere else.
The Heart Pirates warm up to you quickly, especially Penguin and Shachi, who have made it their mission to pester you at every opportunity. Bepo is a sweetheart, and you swear Ikkaku enjoys giving you extra work just to see if you’ll complain.
And then there’s Law.
Your relationship with him is… strange. He’s your captain now, and he makes sure you don’t forget it. He orders you around, assigns you tasks, and corrects you whenever you mess up. But he also lets you push back more than he probably should.
Like now.
“You’re not getting out of training, Y/N-ya,” Law says, arms crossed as he watches you from across the room “You’re part of this crew, which means you need to be able to hold your own.”
You sigh, sitting cross-legged on the floor, pointedly not moving “I can hold my own.”
“You haven’t fought once since you got here.”
“That’s not true. I threw a wrench at Shachi last week.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“It should.”
Law pinches the bridge of his nose “You’re impossible.”
“And you love it.” The words slip out before you can stop them, and for a second, Law freezes.
You don’t know why your heart starts beating faster. You don’t know why it suddenly feels like the room is too small, too quiet.
Then, he scoffs “Tch. Keep dreaming.”
You smirk, pushing yourself up “Fine, fine. I’ll train. But only because I choose to.”
Law rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue.
As you walk past him, you can feel his gaze lingering on you for just a second too long, and for some reason, that makes it just a little easier to breathe.
It's another day with them and dinner is as loud as always. Penguin and Shachi are arguing over who gets the last piece of meat, Bepo is calmly eating his food, and Ikkaku is scolding someone about their table manners. It’s chaotic, messy, and full of life.
You should feel comforted by it.
But then, Shachi laughs, almost losing another game “Doesn’t matter what happens, we’ll figure it out! That’s just how we are, right? We don’t let anyone mess with our family.”
It’s innocent. Just a casual statement made as a joke for a game. But your whole body freezes.
We don’t let anyone mess with our family.
The words slam into you like a punch to the gut. You’ve heard them before. Ace used to say them all the time.
“Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it!”
Your breath catches.
You see Ace in your mind so clearly, grinning, full of warmth and unwavering confidence. His arm draped over your shoulders, his voice always so sure.
“You’re stuck with me, you know. You’re family.”
The sound of laughter around you distorts. Your hands tremble against the table. Your chest tightens so hard it hurts.
Ace said those words all the time, and now he’s gone.
Your vision blurs.
You push your chair back so fast it screeches against the floor.
The room falls silent.
“Y/N-ya?” Law’s voice is cautious, but you can’t answer.
You stand abruptly, shoving away from the table as the weight in your chest becomes unbearable.
You hear Bepo call after you, but you’re already moving, already pushing out the door before anyone can stop you.
The hallway is quiet, but it doesn’t help. Your heart is pounding, your breathing uneven. The walls feel like they’re closing in.
You don’t know where you’re going, just away.
But then...
“Y/N-ya.”
Law.
His voice is calmer than it should be, given the fact that you just stormed out in the middle of dinner. You hear his footsteps behind you, steady and deliberate. He doesn’t rush, doesn’t demand you stop, but you do.
Because you don’t want to be alone.
You lean against the cool metal wall, staring at the ground, swallowing down the sobs threatening to escape.
Law steps beside you, close enough that his presence is solid, grounding. He doesn’t speak right away, just waits.
After a moment, you exhale shakily “Ace used to say that.” Your voice is hoarse “What Shachi said. About family. I know Shachi was joking, it's not his fault. My mind just started thinking too much, again.”
Law is silent, but you know he’s listening.
You blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay “Ace always said it like nothing could ever touch us. Like as long as we had each other, we’d be okay.”
Your voice cracks.
“But we weren’t. We obviously aren’t.”
And then, suddenly, you can’t hold it in anymore.
The sob breaks free before you can stop it, and then another. Your shoulders shake as you clutch your arms, as if holding yourself together.
Then you feel warmth.
A hand on your back. Firm, steady. Not pushing, just there.
Law doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t move away either. He lets you cry, lets you break, without judgment or expectation.
And when your knees nearly give out, he catches you, pulling you close, solid and steady, as if to say, I won’t let you fall. And for the first time since Marineford, you let yourself lean on someone else.
A few months passed…
Of course, things don’t magically get better. That’s not how grief works.
But they shift. Slowly. Subtly.
The crew doesn’t bring up that night you ran out of dinner crying, not directly. But you notice how they’re a little gentler now. Bepo always sits next to you. Penguin and Shachi tease you a bit less (but only a bit), and Ikkaku throws you extra portions without saying a word.
They don’t push. They don’t ask. But they see you.
And Law hasn’t changed. Not exactly. He still gives out orders like commands are oxygen, still gets that narrowed-eye look when you mess up during training, and still acts like emotions are an inconvenience.
But you catch him watching you sometimes. When he thinks you’re not looking.
And when you do catch him, he doesn’t look away.
It’s a calm evening, which is rare. The Polar Tang is surfacing for the night, drifting peacefully on the open sea. You’re up on the deck, sitting cross-legged and staring at the stars, enjoying the breeze on your face.
Law’s voice breaks the silence.
“Not hiding in your room tonight.”
You glance over your shoulder. He’s standing a few feet behind you, arms crossed, gaze unreadable.
“I like it up here,” you say, shrugging “it’s quiet. The stars help.”
Law walks over without asking and sits beside you, not close enough to touch, but closer than usual.
You blink “No book tonight?”
He smirks faintly “Even I get tired of reading medical journals.”
You hum and tilt your head back to the sky “Do you ever think about how small we are out here?”
Law doesn’t answer right away “All the time.”
Silence again, but it’s not uncomfortable.
You pick at a loose thread on your pants, then quietly say, “It still hurts.”
“I know.”
You turn to look at him “Do you think it ever goes away?”
Law’s eyes flick to yours, and for a second, his walls drop.
“No,” he says simply “But you get better at carrying it.”
You nod slowly. That makes sense.
You both sit there, the silence stretching, stars spinning above.
Then he speaks again, quiet and careful “You’ve changed.”
You snort “Thanks?”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”
You glance at him, surprised.
He’s looking out at the ocean now “When you came aboard, I didn’t think you’d last a week.”
You raise an eyebrow “Wow. Inspiring confidence, Captain.”
He smirks again, but it fades fast “But you stayed. Even after everything.”
“Because of you” you say before you can stop yourself.
Law looks at you, startled.
You feel heat rush to your cheeks but hold his gaze “You saved Luffy. You didn’t have to. And then you let me on your ship. You didn’t have to do that either.”
His voice is low “I didn’t do it for thanks.”
“I know. That’s why it mattered.”
There’s a long pause. Something unspoken crackling in the air between you.
You look back at the sea, heart pounding, trying to ignore how much you want him to say something, anything that will explain what’s been growing between you.
He doesn’t. Not yet.
But he doesn’t move away either.
And when his shoulder brushes yours, just slightly, you don’t pull back.
Two years.
That’s how long it’s been since you joined the Heart Pirates.
And somewhere between near-death missions, long nights on the sea, and quiet moments you didn’t ask for. Something changed.
You and Law changed.
It’s not loud or obvious. Not something you could put into words if someone asked. But it’s there.
Like the way his eyes always flick to you when he walks into a room.
Like how you always end up sitting beside him at meals, even without meaning to.
Like how his voice softens slightly when he says your name.
He still scolds you during training. Still sighs like you’re impossible when you ignore protocol.
And when you’re injured? He’s the first one kneeling at your side. Every time. Without fail.
You don’t talk about it. He doesn’t either.
But it’s real. It’s there. And everyone else knows it.
“Okay, seriously,” Shachi whispers one night as he leans over the dining table toward Penguin, “did you see the way they looked at each other earlier? Like... looked. That was something.”
Penguin nods “They’re either in love or telepathically plotting a murder.”
“I’m going with both” Ikkaku mutters, sipping her tea.
Bepo sighs “We’re not supposed to bring it up.”
“Why not?” Shachi hisses “They’re so obvious, it’s painful.”
“Because of Ace” Bepo says softly “She’s been through a lot. We won’t pressure her.”
That shuts everyone up for a beat.
Until Shachi mumbles “Still feels like they’re circling each other in slow motion.”
Ikkaku stabs a dumpling with unnecessary aggression “Just kiss already. I’m begging.”
You catch them watching you sometimes, too many times to pretend it’s subtle.
Whenever you and Law share a look, the whole room seems to pause.
Whenever he lingers a second too long beside you, or his hand brushes yours, the crew’s collective poker face fails miserably.
But Law ignores it all. Just keeps moving forward, like it doesn’t affect him.
Like he doesn’t know that your heart skips every time he calls your name in that low, measured tone.
And you pretend not to notice either. Pretend your stomach doesn’t twist when he leans in too close. Pretend you don’t feel the shift every time your eyes meet.
But in the quiet moments, when it’s just you and him, you feel something hanging there between you. Like something is building.
The unspoken thing between you and Law has only grown heavier by time. Stolen glances, the rare soft tone in his voice when he says your name, the way your hand always finds the spot next to his at the table.
You’ve gotten used to reading him, how to tell when he’s irritated, when he’s tired, when he’s secretly impressed. But now, something’s off.
He’s quiet lately. More than usual. Locked in his quarters for hours at a time. Studying maps, muttering things you can’t hear. And when you ask, he brushes it off with a flat “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Which, of course, only makes you worry more.
One night, dinner is unusually tense.
Shachi and Penguin whisper from across the table, not even trying to hide it anymore.
“She’s gonna find out soon.”
“She already knows. Look at her face.”
“She knows something,” Bepo mutters “But she doesn’t know it’s Dressrosa.”
You set your spoon down “What’s Dressrosa?”
The table falls into silence.
Ikkaku winces “Damn it.”
You stare at them all “What’s happening?”
Nobody speaks.
So you stand, chair scraping behind you, and walk straight out of the mess hall.
You find Law in the control room, his face locked over a table full of charts. Dressrosa is circled in red.
He doesn’t flinch when you walk in.
You close the door behind you “You’re going there.”
He nods once “Yes.”
“You weren’t going to tell me.”
Law straightens up, but doesn’t meet your eyes “It’s not your concern.”
“It is my concern,” you snap “I’m your crew too, just like the rest of them.”
He finally looks at you “That’s exactly why you’re staying with them.”
There’s a long beat of silence. Just you and him, staring, and the space between you suddenly feels like a chasm.
“You’re doing it again” you say softly “Pulling away. Trying to protect everyone by shutting us out.”
Law’s expression flickers with guilt, regret and frustration.
“I’m handling it.”
“No, you’re running. You’re scared.”
“I’m not scared.”
“You're not scared...” You step closer, voice breaking “You’re terrified of letting people care about you. You think if you keep pushing us away, it won’t hurt when something happens.”
You lower your voice “But it will. It always does.”
He stares at you, like he’s waiting for you to stop.
You don’t.
“You think I don’t see what this is between us? You think I haven’t felt it for a long time now?”
He says nothing.
You take a breath “You’ve given me so much, Law. You gave me a second life after Ace. You gave me something to live for again.”
Your throat tightens “And now you’re just gonna disappear into some revenge mission and pretend like none of this matters?”
His eyes darken “It does matter.”
You blink “Then say it.”
Law opens his mouth, then closes it again.
You shake your head, heart cracking open “Forget it.”
You turn to leave.
But before you touch the door...
“I never wanted to hurt you,” he says behind you “That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
You stop. But you don’t look back.
You don’t sleep that night.
You lie in your bunk, staring at the ceiling, replaying every second of that conversation. The look in Law’s eyes. The silence where his answer should’ve been. The ache in your chest that’s only getting worse.
When you hear footsteps above deck a little before dawn, you know it’s him.
You throw on a jacket and follow without thinking.
He’s there, standing at the edge of the deck, the sea wind catching his coat. Alone.
He turns slightly when you approach “You should be asleep.”
“You should be explaining yourself.”
His mouth twitches. A ghost of a smile. Gone in an instant.
You cross your arms “You were really gonna leave without saying goodbye.”
Law looks ahead again, gaze fixed on the horizon “Goodbyes make it harder.”
You take a breath “Harder for who?”
Silence.
You step beside him, close enough that your shoulder brushes his arm “I meant what I said yesterday.”
“I know.”
“And?”
He exhales slowly “You shouldn’t love someone like me.”
Your heart lurches “You don’t get to decide that.”
“I’m not who you think I am.”
“I know who you are,” you snap “I’ve seen you save strangers without blinking. I’ve seen you risk your life for your crew. For Luffy. For me.”
You pause, voice low “I love all of that. And if you leave now, and something happens to you—”
You look at him fully now “Don’t make me lose someone else I love, Law. Not without even getting to hold onto you first.”
His jaw tightens. He says nothing.
So you laugh, bitter and soft “Of course. You don’t say anything you don’t think you deserve to feel.”
You start to turn away, tears building, when he says “I do.”
You freeze.
He’s looking at you now. Fully. No mask.
“I do feel it. All of it.”
He steps forward, slow and certain, until he’s close enough that you can see the storm in his eyes and hear the quiet panic in his breath.
“Every time you laugh. Every time you sit next to me without saying a word. Every time I catch myself looking at you and don’t know how to stop. I feel it.”
Your lips part, but you don’t speak. You can’t.
“I didn’t want to,” he says, voice barely above a whisper “But it happened. And now I don’t know how to leave without feeling like I’m leaving part of myself behind.”
Your throat burns.
“So don’t,” you whisper “Don’t leave like that. Not with nothing.”
He hesitates.
Then, he leans in slowly, unsure, and presses his forehead to yours.
Not a kiss. Not yet. But it says everything.
“I’ll come back,” he promises “And when I do… if you’re still here—”
“I will be.”
A breath passes between you. His hand brushes your cheek like he’s still convincing himself you’re real.
Then he pulls away.
“Stay safe” he says.
“You too, Law.”
And with one last glance, he disappears down the dock, coat billowing, heart heavy, and not just with revenge anymore.
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The moment your feet hit the ground of Zou, you’re paralyzed. The chaos of the crew bustling around you, the excitement in the air, everything feels too loud. It’s all too much. You’ve been bracing for this moment for what feels like an eternity, but now that it’s here, you can’t breathe.
You’ve heard the whispers that he’s finally back, felt the crew’s excitement bubbling up like they’re about to burst. But nothing could prepare you for the reality of seeing him alive. You knew they won, you knew he was out there, somewhere, but seeing him in front of you again… it’s different.
Your heart races. The crew is already moving forward, pulling you along because you’re too shocked to even move on your own. They don’t even try to hide it, they want to see this happen.
And then there he is.
The crew appears from the bushes and trees around him.
Law stands tall at the center of the clearing, his eyes scanning the crew as they move toward him, his usual cold demeanor barely cracked by the soft, almost imperceptible smile on his lips as he sees Bepo charging toward him before he could even find you with his eyes. The sight of him makes everything inside you freeze.
It’s not that you didn’t know he was alive, but now, standing here, seeing him with your own eyes, it feels real.
Bepo throws himself at Law, tears in his eyes as he cries out, “Captain!” The hug is tight, emotional, the kind of reunion you would have imagined, one that speaks of the bond between them, of loyalty and friendship. Law’s arms stiffen at first but then soften, holding Bepo close, the smile on his face genuine if not a bit awkward.
You stand there, caught in the wave of emotions that’s rushing through you. Relief, yes, but something else too...fear. Fear of what this means. You haven’t let yourself think about it that much, but now, with him standing there before you, something shifts. It’s the first time in two years you feel your heart thundering like it did when you first met him, when you started noticing those little things about him, the quiet ways he showed his care.
But now… he’s here.
Bepo pulls back, laughing through his tears “I’m so glad you’re alive, Captain!”
Before Law can even respond, someone else, maybe Ikkaku, maybe Shachi, pulls Bepo away gently, guiding him back to the group.
And then Law finally sees you.
There’s a moment, a breath of time where you feel like the whole world is holding its breath. You didn’t expect the distance between you to feel so large. You didn’t expect to feel so small.
You stand still, unsure of what to do, your legs suddenly heavy, like they’re made of stone. You know the crew, everyone, is watching, but none of that matters right now. You’re looking at him, really seeing him for the first time in so long, and it feels like everything inside you is falling apart.
He hasn’t changed. He still has that same unreadable expression, but something about the way he looks at you now is different. His eyes linger, and in them, you see the same thing you’ve always seen, quiet intensity. But there’s a softness now, a faint warmth.
You don’t move.
You can’t move.
It’s not fear. It’s… shock. You thought you were ready. You thought you were prepared. But seeing him here, right in front of you, it’s more than you can process in a single moment. The flood of emotions, the relief, the joy, the terror, all rush through you all at once, and it feels overwhelming. You never realized how much you needed this, how much you’ve missed him, until now.
And then, slowly, Law begins to walk toward you, his movements steady, calculated, like he’s taking his time, giving you space. When he stops in front of you, there’s a long pause. His eyes are searching your face, studying you, like he’s waiting for something. You’re afraid to look into them, to let him see how much you’ve been holding back.
And then, softly, he speaks “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
Your breath catches in your throat, and you finally look up into his eyes. You open your mouth to respond, but no words come. The relief is too much. The pain of missing him, of not knowing if you’d ever see him again, it all comes crashing down, and before you can stop it, a tear slips down your cheek.
Law’s eyes flicker to it, and without a second thought, he reaches out, his hand gently brushing it away “You don’t have to hide it” he says, his voice low and careful.
“I—” You try to speak, but your voice cracks. You can’t say what you need to. It’s too much. Everything is too much.
Law stands there, his hand still lingering near your cheek, and you can feel the weight of the moment pressing down on both of you. He doesn’t push. He doesn’t rush. He just stands there, waiting for you to breathe, for you to find your voice.
And when you finally do, it’s quiet “I thought I lost you. I—I didn’t know if I could—”
“You didn’t lose me.” His words are simple, but they cut through the noise in your head. He steps closer, his hand sliding from your cheek to rest gently on your shoulder, the contact grounding you “I’m here. I told you I would be.”
And in that moment, you let yourself believe it.
You don’t know what’s going to happen from here, but for the first time in a long while, you feel like you’re not standing alone anymore. Law is here, and he’s not going anywhere.
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Zou is loud again.
After the quiet weight of seeing Law alive, after the press of his hand on your shoulder, after the whirlwind that followed, now everything is moving. New plans are forming. Straw Hats talking over each other. Heart Pirates buzzing about what’s next. Minks giving updates. It’s chaos. Familiar chaos. The kind you hadn’t realized you missed.
You find Luffy just outside one of the tree dwellings, scarfing down food like he hasn’t eaten in weeks, which, to be fair, is probably true.
“Luffy” you say, your voice unsure but soft.
He looks up, mouth full “Y/n!” He jumps to his feet and wraps you in the kind of hug only Luffy can give, tight, fast, and a little chaotic “You’re okay! You’re really here!”
You nod against his chest, your throat tight “You too…”
“Of course I am!” he grins like it’s the most obvious thing in the world “I knew we’d all meet again. I told you!”
He pulls back and beams at you “We’re gonna get Sanji back. Me, Nami, Chopper and Brook. You should come too! With me!”
You freeze.
Your eyes dart past the Straw Hats, past the Heart Pirates, until they land on him. Law is leaning near a shaded post, arms crossed, watching the scene from a distance. You can feel his eyes on you.
You start to answer Luffy, but someone else cuts in.
“She’s not going.”
It’s Law.
He’s walking toward you both now, slow and steady, like the decision was already made before this conversation even started.
Luffy blinks “Huh?”
Law stops beside you, his shoulder brushing lightly against yours “She’s staying with me. With the Heart Pirates.”
You look up at him, startled. You hadn’t even told him you would yet. But he’s not looking at you, he’s looking straight at Luffy.
Nami steps closer, eyebrows raised like she knows exactly what’s going on “Luffy, read the room…”
Luffy blinks again, slowly turning to you “Wait. What? Since when?”
You open your mouth, but the words don’t come.
“I—” You shake your head “I was going to tell you. I just… I didn’t know how.”
“Why not?” Luffy tilts his head, confused as ever “You like Law, right?”
Your eyes widen “Luffy…”
“It’s fine,” he says with a shrug “I mean, I get the way you’re looking at him right now. I just didn’t know it was, you know… like that like that.” He grins.
You stare at him, stunned “You’re not… mad?”
“Why would I be mad?” he says, blinking like the very idea is weird “You think Ace would be mad?”
You swallow hard, throat tightening at the mention of Ace’s name.
“I just...” Your voice cracks “I didn’t want to disappoint him. Or you. He… he loved me. And I loved him. And I didn’t think I’d ever be able to—”
“Y/n.”
Luffy’s voice is soft. Even softer than usual.
He smiles again, big and warm and bright “Ace would be happy. Really happy. Because you’re not alone anymore. He wouldn’t want you to be.”
You blink fast, trying to keep the tears back, but it’s no use “You really think so?”
“I know so,” Luffy says, tapping his chest “Because Ace told me you were the best thing that ever happened to him. He said if anything ever happened to him, I had to take care of you. You found someone who can take care of you even better than me, and I’ll always support you like my sister.”
That breaks something in you. You cover your mouth with your hand, trying not to cry outright.
Nami steps up beside Luffy, resting a hand on your back “He’s right, you know. We’ve all known for a while now. About you and Law. After we met Law and Luffy asked him about you, it was pretty obvious even if the man here has the most unreadable face. It’s just Luffy that is always too oblivious.”
Law, still at your side, hasn’t said a word. But his presence is steady, anchoring. His eyes stay on you.
Luffy grins and throws his arm over your shoulder, dragging you into another hug “I’m happy for you, Y/n. And Ace would be too.”
You press your face against his chest again, this time not hiding the tears “Thank you.”
Law leans in slightly, his voice low near your ear “You didn’t have to be scared.”
You glance up at him, smiling through your tears “I know. But it still scared me.”
“I get it,” he says “But you don’t have to worry. And you can talk to me about your fears, I won’t leave you alone.”
And somehow, for the first time, you believe it.
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The sun is dipping behind the massive trees of Zou, painting everything in golden light. The others are gone now, off to find Sanji. The moment they disappeared over the horizon, the world got quiet again.
Too quiet.
You sit at the edge of the overlook, watching the sky shift from orange to deep indigo. The wind brushes through your hair, soft and cool. You hug your knees to your chest, letting yourself breathe for what feels like the first time in days.
And then you hear his footsteps behind you.
“You’re always out, watching the sky when it gets dark” Law says, voice even.
You don’t look at him, not yet “It’s peaceful. Beautiful. Easier to think.”
He stands beside you for a second, silent, then sits down next to you with a small sigh. The space between you hums. Not touching, but not distant either.
You glance over. His hat’s off. That always does something to you. Makes him look realer. Softer. More… him.
“You really told Luffy I was staying with you” you say, a small smile tugging at your lips “Didn’t even bother ask me.”
“You were going to stay anyway” he replies, tilting his head toward you.
“I might’ve,” you murmur, teasing “Might’ve said no. Might’ve gone off on my own. Who knows.”
He looks at you, dead serious “You wouldn’t.”
You meet his eyes “How do you know?”
“Because you’ve looked at me the same way I look at you. You wouldn’t want to separate again.”
Your breath catches.
The silence after that is thick, like the air itself is holding its breath with you.
“I was scared,” you whisper “Of what it meant. Of what it felt like. After Ace… I didn’t think I was allowed to feel this way again.”
“I know,” Law says, just as quietly “That’s why I never pushed.”
You look down at your hands “But you stayed.”
His voice is steady “I wasn’t going to be another person you lost.”
That’s when your heart cracks, but in a good way. The dam you’ve been holding back breaks just a little. You turn to him, really look at him. The way the fading light touches his face, the faint worry in his brow, the way he’s looking at you like you’re everything.
“Say it,” you breathe “Just once.”
Law doesn’t hesitate “I love you.”
And you’re already leaning in by the time he says the last word.
The kiss is slow and gentle. His hand cups the side of your face, thumb brushing your cheek. Yours clutches his coat, grounding yourself.
It’s not desperate. It’s relieved.
When you finally pull back, your forehead rests against his, both of you a little breathless.
You whisper “I love you too.”
He smirks “You were worth the wait.”
Your smile widen and just as his small smile/smirk.
“FINALLY!”
You both flinch apart like you were struck by lightning.
Law whips around, eyes narrowing “What the hell—”
From behind a cluster of bushes near the edge of the clearing, three heads pop out in rapid succession: Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku. Bepo follows a second later, way too big to be hiding, but he tries anyway.
“We knew it!” Shachi shouts.
“I said it would happen today!” Penguin crows, fist-pumping like he just won a bet.
“I told you she was gonna make the first move” Ikkaku says smugly.
“You literally did not” Penguin says.
Bepo tries to look innocent “I was just... uh... making sure they were okay…”
You bury your face in your hands, heat flooding your cheeks “Oh my god!”
Law groans, dragging a hand down his face “How long were you there?”
“Long enough” Ikkaku grins.
“To hear everything” Shachi adds.
“I hate all of you” Law mutters.
“Don’t lie to us, Captain,” Penguin says, smug “You’re glowing.”
“I am not glowing.”
“You kind of are” Bepo mumbles.
You let out a breathy laugh, cheeks still flushed, but honestly, it’s kind of perfect. This dumb, messy, ridiculous crew, you didn’t know how badly you needed them until they showed up in your life. Until he showed up in your life.
“Alright,” Law snaps, pushing to his feet and brushing off his coat, “You saw what you wanted. Now go. Before I use Room.”
That gets them moving fast.
Shachi and Penguin scramble like cockroaches, dragging Bepo behind them while Ikkaku throws a wink over her shoulder “You’re cute together! Don’t screw it up!”
They disappear, giggling like kids.
You turn back to Law, trying not to laugh “So… that happened.”
He sighs, but there’s the faintest smile tugging at his lips “We’re never gonna hear the end of it.”
“Nope.”
A pause.
“…Still worth it?” you ask, teasing.
He glances at you. And then, softly “Always.”
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specialagentartemis · 9 months ago
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godddddd i have disliked becky chambers' work since long way to a small angry planet and I agree that that fish scene is SO much of what is wrong with contemporary SFF especially queer SFF. refreshing take, great review, thank you. would love to hear what authors or works you think of as the antidote to that sensibility.
The thing is, I enjoyed The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet when I first read it - it was a fun, light adventure, clearly a debut novel but I was excited to see where Chambers would go from there. And I actually really do think the sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, was good! It did interesting things with AI personhood and identity.
... and then Chambers just kinda. Did not get better. She settled into a groove and has a set number of ideas that I feel like she hasn't broken out of, creatively. And they I M O kind of rest on an assumption that "human nature" = "how people act in suburban California."
As an antidote to that sensibility, I'd say... books where people have a real interrelationship with the land they inhabit, a sense of being present, and reciprocal obligations to that land; books that recognize that some things can never be taken back once done; books with well-drawn characters, where people have strong opinions deeply informed by their circumstances, that can't always be easily reconciled with others, and won't be brushed aside; books where these character choices matter, they impact each other, they cannot be easily gotten over, because people have obligations to each other and not-acting is a choice too.
And it's only fair that after all day of being a Hater I should rec some books I really did like.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - A man lives alone in an infinite House, over an equally infinite ocean. Captures the feeling that I think Monk & Robot was aiming for. Breathtaking beauty, wonder at the world, philosophy of truth, all that good stuff, and actually sticks the landing. The main character's love, attention, and care to his fantasy environment shows through in every page. (Fantasy, short novel)
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie - An AI, the one fragment remaining of a destroyed imperial spaceship, is on a quest for revenge. Leckie gets cultural differences and multiculturalism, and conversely, what the imposition of a homogeneous culture in the name of unity means. (Space sci-fi, novel trilogy)
Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee - An army captain's insubordination is punished by giving her a near-impossible mission: to take down a rebelling, heretical sect holing up in a space fortress and defying imperial power. She gets a long dead brain-ghost of a notorious criminal downloaded into her head to help. Very, very good at making you feel like every doomed soldier was a person with a past, with a family, with feelings, with hopes and dreams and frustrations and favorites and preferences and reasons to live, right before they brutally die in a space war. Also very much about the imposition of homogeneity of culture as a force of imperialism. (Space sci-fi, novel trilogy)
The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed - Maya Andreyevna is a VR journalist in high-tech dystopian future Russia, and she decides to investigate the truth that the government doesn't want her to. She might die trying. It's fine. Also has digital brain-sharing, this time in a gay way. It's bleak. It's sad. It feels real. Not making a choice is a choice. Backing out is a choice. And choices have consequences. Choices reverberate through history. About responsibility. (Cyberpunk, novel)
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez - Nia Imani is a spaceship captain, a woman out of time, a woman running from her past, and accidentally adopts a boy who has a strange power that could change the galaxy. Spaceship crew-as-found-family in the most heartbreaking of ways. Also about choices, how the choices you make and refuse to make shape you and shape the world around you. How the world is always changing around you, how the world does not stay still when you're gone, and when you come back you're the same but the world has moved on around you. About how relationships aren't always forever, and that doesn't mean they weren't important. About responsibility to others. It's a slow, sad book and does not let anyone rest on their laurels, ever. There is no end of history here. Everything is always changing, on large scales and small, and leaving you behind. (Space sci-fi, novel)
Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui - A D&D style fantasy dungeon crawl that stops to think deeply about why there are so many dungeons full of monsters and treasure just hanging around. Here because it's an example of an author thinking through her worldbuilding a lot, and it mattering. Also because of the characters' respect for the animals they are are killing and eating, their lives and their place in the ecosystem, and the ways that humans both fuck up ecosystems with extraction and tourism, but also the ways that you can have reciprocal relationships of responsibility and care with the ecosystem you live in, even if it's considered a dangerous one. (Fantasy, manga series)
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang and How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N. K. Jemisin and Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe - Short story anthologies that were SO good and SO weird and rewired the way I think. If you want the kind of stuff that is like, the opposite of easy-to-digest feel-good pap, these short stories will get into your brain and make you consider stuff and look at the world from new angles. Most of them aren't particularly upbeat, but there's a lot of variety in the moods.
"Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self," "Calf Cleaving in the Benthic Black," and "Termination Stories for the Cyberpunk Dystopia Protagonist" by Isabel J. Kim - Short stories, sci-fi mostly, that twist around in my head and make me think. Kim is very good at that. Also about choices and not-making-choices, about going and staying, about taking the easy route or the hard one, about controlling the narrative.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - Security robot with guns in its arms hacks itself free from its oppressive company, mostly wants to half-ass its job but gets sucked into drama, intrigue, and caring against its better judgement. This is on here because 1) I love it 2) I feel like it does for me what cozy sff so frequently fails to do - it makes me feel seen and comforted. It's hopeful and compassionate and about personal growth and finding community and finding one's place in the world, without brushing aside all problems or acting like "everybody effortlessly just gets along" is a meaningful proposal. also 3) because it is one of the few times I have yet seen characters from a hippie, pacifistic, eco-friendly, welcoming, utopian society actually act like people. The humans from Preservation are friendly, helpful, and motivated by truth and justice and compassion, because they come from a friendly, just, compassionate society, and they still actually act like real human beings with different personalities and conflicting opinions and poor reactions to stress and anger and frustration and fear and the whole range of human emotions rather than bland niceness. Also 4) I love it (space sci-fi, novella series mostly)
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writing-for-life · 13 days ago
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Sandman Reread/Rewatch
Issue #16/Episode 10: Lost Hearts
After a long break, we resumed the reread/rewatch in our community (join us!) and finally wrapped up The Doll’s House arc.
We changed things up a bit and now encourage community members to be guest hosts, and episode 10 was hosted by @sweet-like-cinnamon-5 who did a fabulous job. Thanks a million! You can find her posts (and everyone else’s) in the community.
As usual, I’ll collect my own contributions for later reference. And since I forgot last week’s roundup for issue 16 (hosted by myself), I’ll put it in here as well.
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tomixslefttoe · 8 months ago
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The Hero: I’m going to need everyone to be straight with each other from now on. No more games. This isn’t just for Vaal, either. All of us.
Tomix: I’m always straight.
Izaac: Oh, man, that’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told.
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chuulyssa · 7 months ago
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── ★ 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄, 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 !
a/n: i finally reached impel down arc so here's me coping with ace's inevitable death read on ao3
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𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨 — stripped and locked up in impel down with your boyfriend doesn't sound too bad, not after the mind-blowing ways he helps you pass your time there
𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 — fluff, angst, comfort, smut smut pure filthy smut ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎──‎‎‎‎─ tw reader is a strategist on wb's crew, humiliation by stripping and parading by jail wardens, cat-calling by creepy prisoners, overall really uncomfortable till you get to ace, implied mentions of assault, public sex, exhibitionism, bondage by cuffs, nipple play, dry humping, oral both f and m!receiving, face sitting, begging kink, praise kink, cockwarming at the end
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𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 — ace x f!reader ft. cameo by crocodile
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You shuddered from the cold wind as it rose goosebumps on the bare skin of your body.
It had been over an hour since you had been stripped of your clothing, plunged into boiling hot water to get 'baptized,' and hauled all the way here with nothing but a towel covering your naked frame. Slowly, as if to punish you through humiliation, you had been dragged by your hair downstairs, level by level, passing each and every cell filled with prisoners who gawked and wolf-whistled at your thighs and collarbones. They had hurled along each step, making a racquet and screaming for the warden to let you in their cell for 'just one night'. And for a moment, you seemed to think that was exactly what the jailers would do, before they yanked your hair up in another direction, and you heaved a sigh of relief despite the pain. It couldn't have been more horrifying.
Throughout your journey down to Level 6, you had passed many 'hells', as they called it. To think that an organization called themselves the harbingers of peace and unity, only to enforce such horrific scenes, and the even more terrifying formations such as the Buster Call, it was no wonder there was an army working day and night to bring down the World Government.
The stone of the final level had felt cold under your bare feet. Your head had been aching for a while now, and your body was trembling entirely. If it hadn't been for the ruthless jailer holding you up, you were sure your legs would have given in already.
"Move along!" The warden had screamed, and you had bitten a harsh remark before complying.
Here, too, the men of the lockers had screamed in delight at the sight of you, eyes widening out of their sockets and hands attempting to reach out to you from behind the bars. You had nervously hiked the towel that covered your breasts and crotch higher up, locking an arm to the side to stop it from falling over.
The head jailer, Domino, had opened a rather secluded cell. It was hidden well away from the rest, with just one cell in front of it. A man already sat inside it, his head hung low in defeat. She had pushed you inside it with all her might. You had fallen to the ground, the towel coming off your body slightly but still enough to hide the main parts. She had locked your hands apart, uncomfortably close to the other man.
Just as they had been about to lock you away for good with the man, the Warden, Magellan stopped and looked at you.
"To think that you still haven't learnt your lesson after escaping death from the World Government all this time," he snarled at you, and you glared right back at him. "Let us hope you rethink your decisions as you rot away here before your execution."
"I'm not gonna be executed."
"We will see about that. Oh, and," he walked back into the cell and tore the towel away from your body, "this won't matter in a few weeks."
You scrambled to hide yourself as the jailers left, everyone other than the Warden laughing uncontrollably. You could feel countless eyes on you from other cells. People craned their necks to get a better look at your body in spite of the dim lighting of the prison. You tried to move desperately to save some dignity, but the clanking of the chains around your wrists echoed in the room, and the vicious comments only grew louder. You seemed to be the only woman on this level, and the prisoners thus took this as a chance to memorize every curve of your body.
"That's enough," a familiar voice declared from beside you, and the jeering immediately stopped.
Your eyes focused on the man beside you. His messy black hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat from the suffocating heat of the prison. His face looked hardened and tense. Every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring, as if he was ready to burst out in flames at any moment, despite the heavy shackles chaining him down.
Ace’s chest rose and fell with slow, measured breaths, the fury in his eyes growing hotter, sharper, as if silently promising death to all those who had had the nerve to comment on your fragile form, as well as to those who were the cause of it.
"Ace," you said softly, more so to yourself than you did to him. After all, how could he know the countless nights you had spent with the crew, awaiting his return as he sought revenge on Blackbeard? How could he know the sickness that overtook you when you found out of his imprisonment and ultimate execution? How could he know the relief you felt right now, just by the innocent sight of his face?
"Why are you here?" he said quietly, not looking up at you at all.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm a prisoner," you tried to inch closer towards him, but the chains that bound you did not budge.
"If the strategist I fell in love with did not foresee possible capture and execution, then she must be an impersonator."
You swallowed hard. You knew better than anyone that he wasn't angry with you — he was angry with himself. Angry that, despite all the warnings, all the plans, things had gone so wrong. And now, here you both were: stripped of everything, thrown into a nightmare where escape seemed impossible.
Yet now, in this hellish prison, with the cold iron chains cutting into your wrists, all of that seemed to fade into the background. The mere sight of him, alive and breathing was enough to satisfy all the anxiety you had had for the past few weeks.
"You're right," you bowed your head down. "I knew this would happen."
"Then why—"
"I missed you."
A deafening silence hung around the air before his eyes snapped back to you angrily. His entire body tensed, the chains around his wrists rattling as he shifted.
"You missed me?" His voice was low, and the fury in it was unmistakable. "You knew the risks, you knew what they would do to you, and you came here anyway? Why? Because you missed me?"
"You don't get it, do you?" you said softly, eyes meeting his. "I would rather be here with you, in this place, than out there without you."
"You're being stupid right now," Ace growled. His fists clenched in the chains, the metal creaking as if they were just a breath away from snapping under the pressure. "Do you know what you've done? You could've escaped all this — you didn't have to come here. Not for me. I'm not worth the—"
"I love you," you interrupted. The fire in his gaze flickered briefly.
"You know I love you too, but—" His voice softened. He wasn't good with words, never had been, and now, in this moment, he seemed to be fighting against them to keep you safe, even as you both sat in chains.
"If you're dying, I'll die with you," you whispered without hesitation.
Ace's breath hitched. He was angry, yes — but now more than ever, at himself. He couldn't protect you from this. He couldn't protect you from the world that had dragged you both down here.
"You shouldn't have to die with me," Ace muttered.
"But I want to."
"You said you were not gonna get executed," he reminded you, to which you shrugged.
"That was a lie. Of course, given the blocked exit points and the tight security against Whitebeard, there's no way we could escape from here without external help. Even if we do, assuming we got a few allies, what with Blackbeard becoming a Warlord, the chances of survival are 6%, which is not a lot, really."
"Wow. All of that flew right over my head," Ace smiled, one leg hiking over your hip to inch you closer. "Why didn't they dress you in prison clothes?"
"I threw a spear coated with sea stone at Magellan."
"Oh, is that why he was huffing around? That's my girl." Ace struggled to kiss your forehead, so you brought your face closer to his to help him. "I'm assuming they didn't try anything."
You shook your head, and his smile grew. "You look cold, baby."
"You know the drill," you giggled, crawling as close to his body as the cuffs allowed you to be, snuggling into his warmth. The goosebumps that coated your bare skin disappeared one by one. Ace let your hair back with his mouth before leaning down to kiss a cold nipple.
You gasped.
"Don't worry. Look," you looked in the direction he hinted at and watched most, if not all of the prisoners, drop down fainting.
"Conqueror's Haki?"
He winked in return before going back to the other nipple to lick it. Your body shook wildly. Ace's thighs stiffened around yours to lock your position on his lap, and you humped along his clothed cock, getting wetter by the second. Your tits bounced up and down with each movement, and he couldn't help but bury his face in them, sucking hickeys all over the area to make you wear his claim.
It didn't help that his body heat was beginning to rub onto you too, deepening the pit in your stomach. Clasping your thighs together, you nuzzled your face into his neck to lick your way up it. Ace laughed at the attempt, because although both his hands were currently chained to either side of his head, he was still very much in control of the situation.
"This is just like every day in our ship, princess," he groaned. "Tied up like this as I fuck my way into you, isn't that right, pretty?"
You mewled in response, the heat from the friction generating in between the rubbing of both of your crotches growing unbearable now. It was like music to his ears. Ace smirked and started to move his hips in a circular motion steadily.
"Is this enough for you, or should I lend my mouth to you too, princess?"
Your eyes widened and you nodded vigorously, stopping the humping movements before standing up and bucking your hips towards his face. You looked down into his eyes, but they focused on only one thing: the absolutely beautiful cunt in front of them.
The wetness dripped onto his face charmingly, and you swear you could've come just by that sight alone. He moved his head forward before sticking out a tongue and rubbing it softly in one stroke along your slit. You whined, legs giving in, but he held you up by putting his face under your cunt.
You felt your feet being lifted off the ground, and Ace was right under you, drinking in your juices so as to not let even a single drop go to waste. You moaned his name loudly, loud enough that you were scared the jailers might return, or a demon guard might catch the two of you, or maybe even the unconscious prisoners might wake up. But right now, all that mattered to you was Ace, and the mouth he was putting to such good use by sucking your clit like it was his last meal.
Your hips shook violently, and it took all of Ace's will power not to drop you down harshly onto his dick right then and there.
"Didn't know you grew so sensitive without me," he teased, the vibrations of his voice further aiding into your release.
"Shut up," you cried, and he grinned against your cunt.
"Roger that, baby."
At those words, you came as hard as you could. It had been so long since you had felt this good. All those countless nights you had spent putting on Ace's cologne onto his pillows and fingering yourself were nothing compared to the bliss you felt right now, his warm and wet saliva sticking out of your cunt and mixing in with your release.
You got off his face, trembling. You still hadn't gotten completely over the mind-blowing orgasm he had just delivered to you. You watched him lick his lips clean before he tried bending down to lick your cunt clean as well. You giggled, bucking your hips up to allow the access, giving him a loud moan in return.
"My turn," you said, bending down to nuzzle your face on his shorts. It seemed as if the jailers had decided to let your chains a bit looser than Ace's to aid you in covering yourself. If only they knew the way you were putting that blessing to use now.
"Yes, please, baby," he groaned, voice hoarse from eating you out for the first time in months.
You pulled his shorts down with your teeth, batting your eyelashes at him as his big cock sprung free from its shackles. It had been a while since you had taken his whole length in your mouth or cunt, but he seemed bigger than ever now that you were caged together.
"So big, so pretty," you muttered, peppering kisses over his balls and watching him crumble underneath the touches. "I wonder what happens if I do this?" You gave one kitten-like lick along the tip of his cock, and his eyes snapped shut and he bucked his hips up roughly.
"Fuck, ah."
"Crude language," you pouted, and his cock twitched at the sounds you were making. "May I please suck your cock?"
"Please," he choked out a moan, and you smiled victoriously, engulfing his long dick into your warm mouth in one, practised motion. Your cheeks were completely filled, yet you forced them to move up and down to please your needy boyfriend.
"Ah— fuck, so good baby, you're doing as well as always," he mumbled, looking up to the ceiling with tears in his eyes at the growing pleasure.
He was such a reckless mess for you, and you loved every bit of it. Smiling lightly, you bobbed your head up and down his dick to lubricate it with your saliva and make your movement easier. Unfortunately, you couldn't use your hands, but that made the determination in you to help him climax without a handjob even brighter.
"More, more, more! It's so good— ah— I can't imagine what I've been missing out on all these months," Ace groaned loudly, and it took one last effort from you to deep-throat him, making him spasm wildly around, tears reaching down his shirtless body and eyes burning from pure ecstasy.
"I'm gonna—"
You hummed along his dick, which seemed to be the final thing he needed to let go. With one final jerk of his hips, he came down your throat. So much. It was so much, too much for you. And yet, you swallowed everything down to the last drop. You didn't know how the food in Impel Down tasted, but by God it could never surpass the taste of his cum.
The two of you lay in the cell for some time after that, neither of you moving an inch. Although Ace still had limited movements he could choose from, you had longer chains and were thus able to move around much freely. So when your lips finally stopped shaking, you got up from your position to look around at the other prisoners.
"How long are they gonna be knocked out?"
"I don't know," Ace said, spreading his legs to invite you over to sit on his cock. "The Haki effects have obviously worn out now, I have no idea why they're still unconscious. Perhaps just lazy."
"Or maybe sleepy, like you always are," you giggled, hovering his cock, ready to slowly take him in inch by inch.
"That's not nice," he chuckled darkly before snapping his legs up to pull you down onto his cock harshly. You almost screamed, muffling the loud sound of protest against his neck, biting a hickey into it as revenge. He whimpered in response but continued to move his hips up and down nevertheless.
"You won't believe how much I've missed this," he murmured in your ear. "You riding me, looking oh-so-pretty with your boobs bouncing at the impact."
"You're so fucking dirty, honey," you tried acting as if the constant rutting of his cock into your cunt didn't affect you in anyway, but this position made him feel even bigger than your mouth had adjusted to some time ago, and now you felt as if you were gonna be torn up right from the pussy.
For quite some time, the only sounds heard on the entire floor were of Ace's balls slapping against your bare cunt, your squeals whenever his dick hit just the right spot, and his pants whenever he heard the melody that escaped your lips. The smell of sex lingered around the area, and you wondered what would happen if it reached any of the jailers who were in charge of this level, but it was hard to think too much with Ace whispering about all the fantasies he had had about you during his various trips before he got captured, about how every dream you appeared in used to leave him with a hard cock, and how he used to jerk off to the thought of your delicious cunt that awaited him once he reached back home.
You wanted to tell him all you felt too: about how it was getting so hard and suffocating being in the same ship as others without him, how your own fingers could never satisfy you the way his slender ones and coarse tongue did, and how the heat pooling in your cunt grew warmer and warmer till you couldn't take it anymore and at times burst into tears from the faux-pleasure humping yourself dry on his pillows would bring to you.
But you couldn't get a word out. Not with how his dick was rutting into you at a quicker pace now. Not with how balls-deep he was getting inside you now. Not with how you could feel his high approaching rapidly, and how he was getting more-than-ready to get his load into you after fucking you senseless in this dirty, dirty prison ward.
"I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come, I'm—" you chanted more to yourself than you did to him, and he shushed you.
"Hush, baby, me too," he groaned loudly, itching to touch you with his fingers even though he knew he couldn't. "At the count of three, yea?"
"Yes!" You cried back in response, your own hips moving at the speed of light. Ace counted backwards, and you both released heavily, liquids intermixing and spilling onto the floor. Yet the two of you paid no heed, continuing to move against each other like nothing happened. You bounced against him, ignoring the sploch! noises the sound of your cums together made, the stickiness encouraging you to get off your high using the man in front of you as your fucktoy.
Soon, the two of you had calmed down. You were still sitting on his cock, helping him keep it nice and warm. You lay your head onto his chest, both of you breathing heavily. It had seemed like a dream come true for you. Not only had you managed to reunite with Ace, but it was real, you really were there in his arms at that very moment, catching your breath after the wreck you had made on his cock.
From the cell in front of you came a chuckle. Your eyes snapped opened, and Ace lifted his head to glare at the source of the sound. Surely, no one had enough guts to announce their presence and interrupt your intimate moment.
Your eyes landed on a tall figure standing in the shadows of the cell across from yours. His skin was tanned and weathered. His slicked-back black hair gleamed under the dim light, along with a large golden hook in place of his left hand. His eyes were fixed on you both. He looked both amused and disdained. A cigar was perched lazily between his lips. He didn’t seem fazed by the prison, by the chains, or by the two of you tangled together on the cold floor. In fact, he seemed entertained by it all.
"Well, well," Crocodile purred sarcastically. "Looks like I've got front-row seats to quite the show." His smirk widened. "Didn't realize Impel Down had become so... lively."
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tswiftupdatess · 9 months ago
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taylorswift: In summation We have officially wrapped the European leg of The Eras Tour. With it came the most passionate crowds I’ve ever played for, new traditions in the show, and an entirely new era added in. It was a more hectic pace than we’d done before, and I’m so proud of my crew/fellow performers for being able to physically perform that show and build our massive stage, take it apart, and make magic with so few days in between for recovery and travel. They’re the most impressive people I know and I’m so lucky they gave The Eras Tour their time, their energy, and their expertise. Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us. Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows. In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that. And then London felt like a beautiful dream sequence. All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.
We had some EPIC surprise performances from my long time friends teddysphotos, florenceandthemachine, and jackantonoff. Performing ‘Florida!!!’ with Flo for the first time was unforgettable and Ed took me right back to our old Red Tour memories. It was the most dizzying honor to become the first solo artist to play Wembley 8 times in one tour. To the fans who have seen us this summer, you’ll always have the most sparkling place in my memories. You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with. We’ll see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. May it continue… 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤🩷🩶🤎💙🤍
(August 21, 2024)
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