#easily a thousand ships

[secretceremonials]

out: Cassandra of Troy speaking in mysterious metaphors and oracle verse

in: Cassandra of Troy talking like uncle Colm from Derry girls so she’s so boring that nobody takes anything in

[rat-rosemary]

The man, a noble of Kinoko Kingdom he claims, is still talking, but the moment George hears Quackity make a quiet tsk under his breath he can't hear a single word anymore, all his focus going directly to the two men standing hidden behind them three.

A shuffle, George looks back as subtly as he can, catching just in time as Karl tugs on Quackity's hand to get his attention. He points towards the noble with his head, giving Quackity a look and the man nods, turning back with a quiet sigh. Karl turns back as well, a small frown in his face.

And.

What?

What does that mean??

George's entire body and mind is crawling with uncertainty and he can barely fight the urge to just grab those two and demand an explanation. Sapnap shifts and Dream's hands tense in the throne from the feelings leaking from George.

What do they know what are they doing what are they saying what are they feeling what are they thinking what are they thinking what are they thinking

The man finishes talking and bows and George can't remember a single word he has said.

It must have been something important if Karl and Quackity reacted right? They never done that before. Shit. Fuck. No, that's fine, Dream can tell him later, he looked like he was paying attention.

He sends Sapnap a look and a mental push and the man smiles, declaring that he's taking a break for lunch, he invites them both to go along, but George and Dream both decline, if only for the show.

Sapnap already knew they would decline.

Sapnap turns to Quackity and Karl then, inviting them to come, and they both say yes, just like George knew they would. They were officially (well, not officially, but everyone knew it was the real reason) hired to be Sapnap's entertainment, so they can't deny a direct invite like that.

The three of them leave the throne room, and just before Sapnap closes the door he looks back and nods at George. He'll interrogate them and get the answers George wants.

(A small snippet, I do have more vague story planned but I have no clue how to write it, so have this :D)

[saeun]

he's married ?! nanami kento.

sum. he's easily the top most handsome guy within his job. his relationship status is unknown, so what happens when his co-workers ship him with a female worker?

nanami is well known within his company. tall, insanely fit, and an attractive voice. it's not uncommon for men and women alike to find themselves thinking about him often. what's not common is knowing about his love life. no one knows anything and he would've kept it that way. but when push comes to shove, and you're shipped with someone who's not your beloved, nanami will make it known that he's not only taken but married.

in the coffee-break room there are three guys. now, there's nothing unusual about this — no, no. they're just three guys that are co-workers... except there's a twist. they aren't your regular co-workers, they're your uncommon trio of male gossipers and nanami just so happened to be their newest victim.

"shh, shh! he's here," guy one, tichi, whispers to the others, raising his eyebrows and pointing his chin to nanami's position.

the other two take a quick glance, nodding their heads when they've seen nanami's back faced towards them. it's a perfect moment to strike up a conversation, especially since it's just four men here.

guy two, tacho, shuffles his feet to the empty space near nanami. he pretends to open a sugar packet, fiddling with it as his eyes peep over nanami's shoulder. his heart skips multiple beats when the man himself turns around.

"morning to you, tacho," nanami greets, nodding his head before he turns his attention back to his cup of coffee.

"y-yeah, morning!" he stutters, awkwardly smiling in return. he turns his head to the other two in the background, mouthing the word 'help' to them. unfortunately, they do not give the aid to their friend. instead, tichi fakes a series of coughs and guy three, toeny, gives him a confident double thumbs up. there's no hope, tacho sighs.

it's a silent moment between the men — only the sounds of coffee brewing and a spoon coming into contact with the mug can be heard. tacho's mouth itches him, he happened to remember his group's recent conversation about nanami. he must ask — even if it costs him a mutual co-worker.

"so, nanami," he begins, waiting for nanami to give him the undivided attention.

nanami doesn't face him, but he hums in response. tacho doesn't mind this as an answer, so he continues, "i was wondering if the rumors of you being with the new worker, yeri, are true?"

there is one big lie in that question: there are no such rumors. it's just a theory the trio has been gossiping about every night. nanami's been helping out yeri for quite some time, one can only think that they have a special connection going on.

"that is bullshit," nanami gives a firm answer. nothing more, nothing less.

tacho's stunned, he blinks a few times to recollect himself. "oh — so you're not with her?"

nanami doesn't answer yet, but the two in the back give their unwanted reactions. tichi clicks his tongue three times, shaking his head in disappointment at tacho's second question. it's obvious dumbass, he thinks. toeny, on the other hand, presses his lips in a thin line, pretending to read a magazine that's been on the counter.

nanami reaches into his pocket, whipping out his phone. the trio's confused until nanami speaks.

"i am married man. this is my wife," he educates, pressing the power button to show you as his lockscreen.

he collects three gasps, internally nodding at their shock. that's right, i'm gladly taken.

"all this time you've been... MARRIED?!" tacho's voice heightens, he drops his spoon in shock. it's unbelievable yet somewhat believable.

nanami breathes out a 'yes', raising his arm to show the wristwatch. "she bought this for our five-years anniversary recently. it's quite expensive, going over four-thousand," he brags, emphasizing on key words.

he's been waiting for the precious day where someone indirectly asks for his relationship status. the day has come and he will spend it bragging about his beloved.

nanami doesn't give them a chance to speak, he carries on with his bragging, "she's a very lovely woman. all my bentos are made by her and she writes little notes for each. some may think it's childish but that's bullshit! they just haven't experienced the love of a woman. matter of fact, her most beautiful moments are when she's freshly awake. the smile she gives me is nothing but angelic."

his speech doesn't stop there, but it did for the trio. his words went in one ear and out the next. nanami's blabbering about his wife immediately set a blank face upon tichi, tacho, and toeny. they're jealous and also surprised.

"the way a woman can change a man will never not be amazing," toeny whispers, blankly gazing at nanami's ongoing speech.

[zoldsick]

── Lagneía

𓍊𓋼𓍊 summary: shanks x f!reader - as the newest member of the red hair pirates, you have a long way to go to prove yourself, not only to your crew mates but your cocky captain as well. Unfortunately, things fall apart after a little excursion and a run-in with a glowing mushroom that has you feeling...hot.

𓍊𓋼𓍊 tags: smut, sex pollen, nsfw, dubcon (it's sex pollen, ya know how it is), MDNI

𓍊𓋼𓍊 wordcount: ~8k

𓍊𓋼𓍊 Read on AO3

𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊

You really did respect your Captain, though you didn’t tend to show it. 

Benn Beckman was the one who had recruited you when he stumbled upon you in a gambling hall. You had been using Observation Haki to beat the dealer, racking up thousands in berri. Beckman clocked your underhanded method and cornered you outside the casino. You were nervous that he would report you to the authorities, but as luck would have it, he turned out to be a pirate. He was impressed by your advanced skills in Haki, and the two of you hit it off. Eventually, he brought you to the Red Force and introduced you to Shanks, who did not give the best first impression. 

“Who’s the kid?” Shanks questioned, barely looking up from his drink. 

He immediately rubbed you the wrong way. 

Beckman cleared his throat before you could tear him a new one, “This is Y/N. They’re who I told you about, the one gifted in Observation Haki.” 

Shanks finally looked up from his drink, lazily trailing his eyes from your feet, all the way to your face. He finally met your eyes and you struggled to maintain your composure under the immense pressure of his gaze. You lifted your chin, desperate to keep your dignity. 

Shanks kept his eyes on yours, his gaze intense as he questioned you, “And why should you be a part of my crew? Have you ever been around pirates or even worked as one? It’s dangerous work. Are you sure you’re ready for this kind of lifestyle, kid?” 

“I didn’t come here to be interrogated by some old man,” you bit back quickly.

Shanks put his hand over his heart dramatically, feigning emotional pain. 

“Listen, Red Hair, I came here as a favor to Beckman, I don’t have anything to prove to you.” You paused as the hair on the back of your neck stood up, “And if your friend hiding over there even thinks about shooting that spitball at me, I’m walking.” 

Beckman looked surprised, but Shanks only smiled. There was a clatter and some swearing before another man with dreadlocks emerged behind nearby ship supplies. “Well, shit. So much for that plan, Captain. Seems like she’s the real deal.” The man then jokingly blew the spitball at Shanks, who to your dismay, easily dodged it. 

“Color me impressed.” You look back to see Shanks smiling up at you. “You have a lot of potential. Let’s work hard together, Y/N.”

… 

While you didn’t join the Red Hair Pirates for Shanks, you became proud to be part of his crew over time. You had been sailing for around 6 months and were glad to say you had quickly proved your worth. Although there were members with better Haki skills, you knew you were improving every day with each new experience. 

You hated to admit it, but your captain occupied much of your thoughts. You often wondered if Shanks knew just how hard you were still trying to prove yourself to him. Though you saw him often, you rarely ever worked with him directly. In fact, you’d barely spoken to one another after your first meeting. You had occasionally exchanged a few words, formalities really, at mealtimes and during duty; but a part of you wished there was more. Though, you would never let him know that. 

You always put on a tough face in front of him, using words to bite back and hold your ground against the confident, and often cocky, Emperor of the Sea. Truthfully, after your first meeting you had come to admire him, and were slightly intimidated by the powerful man. 

While sailing the Grand Line in the New World, the ship stumbled upon an uninhabited island. It was a warm, tropical island, thick with jungle and vines. Shanks decided that the crew would depart and explore the island for supplies, and Roux hoped to find some edible plants and animals for their stock. 

All active members of the crew made groups and departed from the Red Force, but since you were not on shift, you’d decided to sleep in. When you awoke and found the ship docked, you decided it would be fun to explore the island as well. It was better than being cooped up all day in the barracks. 

As you stepped down the ladder a cheery familiar voice called down to you, “And where do you think you’re going, kid?” 

You jumped at your captain’s voice and looked up to see him. His hand gripped a rigging rope, holding him as he stood on the rail’s ledge, and leaned far off the ship to gaze down at you. His hair fell over his face, but his smile was still visible. 

“God, Captain. You nearly gave me a heart attack.” 

“Well, I’m just trying to make sure our ship’s hawkeye doesn’t stray too far and get into trouble,” he teased. 

“I’m not getting into trouble,” you grumbled as you looked back down to continue your descent onto the sand. “I just wanted to explore the island like everyone else.” 

“Alone?” His smile slightly faltered. 

“Is there a problem with that?” You ask, confused about where this conversation was going. 

“Well, we can’t afford to lose a member with skills like yours. I’ll come with you.” 

You reached the bottom of the ladder and looked up at Shanks in shock, “That really isn’t necessary, Captain. I don’t plan on going far-”

“Nonsense. Besides, you’re not much of a fighter, you should have a bodyguard when you go to unfamiliar places. And I have a duty to protect the valuable members of my crew.” As he said this he jumped from the railing and landed next to you. 

You did your best to hide how flustered you were, “There are other members with better Observation Haki than I do, you included.” 

Shanks tsked at your objection. He looked hard at you and spoke genuinely,  “Don’t sell yourself short. I heard about how you helped the snipers take out that marine ship last week. And I heard how you helped guide the navigator through the rocky sea and fog the other day. I’ve only ever heard other crew members praising you.” 

You quickly turned away from the red-haired man adjusting the strap on your bag. You knew you couldn’t stop the blush that was forming on your face, so you turned around to start walking into the jungle. “I just do what I’m told, Captain.” You quickly dismissed him, “Are you coming, or what?” 

Shanks laughed as he caught up with you, walking ever so slightly behind you. The walk was silent as the two of you marched deeper and deeper into the jungle, occasionally stopping to inspect certain plants or animals or collect samples in your bag. He enjoyed watching you as you took in the new landscape around you. He’d always found it fascinating to watch you while you concentrated. In fact, he had rarely taken his eyes off you since you’d joined his crew. 

From the second he met you, he knew you would be interesting. Shanks would be the first to admit he tested you during your first interaction. He purposefully pushed your buttons to see what you were made of. He needed to know how strong your resolve was before he let you, a stranger, onto his ship. And boy, did you meet his expectations, surpassed them even. Your insulting response nearly made him fall for you right then and there. But he knew his place as captain. He couldn’t risk showing special attention, let alone romantic attention to one of his subordinates. It was his job to keep you safe and provide you with a place to hone your abilities. He had to keep his distance. 

Yet… here he was, an Emperor of the Sea, trailing behind you like a puppy. He was rightfully worried to see you sneaking off the ship after the assigned explorers already left. He was doing this because it was the captain’s duty to protect his crew. At least, that’s what he told himself.

As you pushed your way deeper through the vines you tried to ignore the fact that Shanks was tailing you. This was just like any other outing with any other crewmate. You felt his eyes on you the entire time as you walked, but you tried not to let it affect your movements. Was he judging you? You felt a little more self-conscious than usual about what you stopped to look at or how you collected samples. Especially when you caught him staring intensely at your hands.  

You finally reached a large plateau. Looking up, you examined the wall looming far above your head, and at the base of the formation, there was an illuminated opening. 

“Shanks,” you called out to your captain, “there’s a cave over there.” 

Shanks shoved some pesky vines out of his face and looked toward where you were pointing. There was a small opening, barely 4 ft tall, and a blueish light was emanating from the abyss. You moved closer to the cave willing your senses to reach out and explain the phenomenon. You couldn’t sense any danger coming from the cave, so it was time to be like a pirate and explore. 

“I’m going to go in.” You stated as you dropped your bag to the ground and started making your way to the entrance. 

Shanks was quick, definitely not desperate, as he moved forward and grabbed your arm, “Woah! Hold on there. There is no way I can fit in there.” he gestured towards his large stature and again at the tiny entrance. 

You considered the situation and shrugged, “Then wait out here. I won't be long, I just want to check out what’s causing the glow.” 

Shanks frowned, realizing there was no point in arguing with you. “Alright, but be careful.”

You saluted him with an exaggerated hand on your brow and firmly stated,. “No.” 

You turned away from him and focused back on the cave opening.

“Brat.” you heard him mutter under his breath. You turned around quickly, did you hear that right? He had a smile on his face. 

You stared at him for a moment, a warm feeling blossoming in your chest. You smiled back before rolling your eyes and descending. 

The walls of the cave were rich in color, with layers of lichen growing throughout the chasm. You strained your ears to listen for any unseen threats that could have been lurking beyond your sight, but all you could hear was the rhythmic drip of the cave walls weeping. As you bent and contorted your body to ease your way through the damp walls, you could see the blue light growing in intensity ahead.

Finally, you reached a large pocket of space in the cave, enabling you to stand straight and take in your surroundings. As you stretched out your back you stared in awe at the sight before you. 

Dozens upon dozens of glowing mushrooms covered the room, growing across the walls and floor of the cave. The view was nothing short of dazzling, the light blue glow illuminating the space around you like nothing you had ever seen. 

You approached the fungus carefully, although they were beautiful, you knew well that not all beautiful things were good. You drew a handkerchief from your pocket and crouched forward to grab a sample. 

Suddenly, the hair on the back of your neck stood straight, and your blood chilled. You trusted your instincts and rapidly jerked backwards from the mysterious mushrooms. Unfortunately, you were not fast enough. 

The gills of the mushrooms expanded and expelled a great mist of spores. The sickly sweet-smelling mist filled the room instantly and you yelped in surprise, feeling your way out of the room and back into the tunnel. You coughed as you darted through the veins of the cave desperate for fresh air and open spaces. You could hear Shanks calling out to you and you forced yourself to push forward toward his voice. 

Shanks was anxious from the moment he heard you cry out. He felt helpless, unable to fit into the cave. He briefly considered blowing a hole through the mountainside to get to you. Thankfully, hearing your panting and clawing as you made your way out of the cave stopped him. He placed his hand above the cave opening and began calling out to you, begging you to keep moving toward him. 

Shanks wasn’t prepared for what came out of that cave. 

You stumbled out of the suffocating walls and fell onto the grass in front of your captain. You could vaguely hear Shanks, his voice filled with worry, but you barely registered it. Something was wrong. Your clothes felt tight and itchy, you felt your cheeks warm while the rest of your body developed goosebumps from the jungle air hitting your skin. And most troubling, everything from the deepest part of your core felt tight and ticklish. 

Shanks knelt down, grabbing your shoulder to lift your gaze to him. The contact between the two of you sent electric shocks to your core. Sitting face to face with your captain you could barely breathe. At this distance, every feature of his face was at your fingertips. You took in your captain's features. The jagged shape of the scars that ran down his face, the prickly stubble he grew across his chin, his eyes bright with worry, the color of his lips…  It took you a moment to realize he was talking to you. 

“Y/N! Snap out of it! Y/N! What happened in there? What's going on?!” 

The seriousness of his tone did not reach you. Why did he look so worried? You wanted him to smile at you like before. You reached up and touched his cheek with the back of your hand. Taken aback by this gesture, Shanks froze for a moment, then grabbed your hand, pressing it to his face harder. “Y/N. I need you to tell me what happened in there. You can do that for me, right?”

Your eyes widened, coming back to your senses you groaned as you tried to move away from Shanks and stand, only to find that your legs were jelly. “Capt’n. What's happening?” 

Shanks let out a shaky laugh, “Well that's the million berri question right now, kid. Tell me what happened in the cave so I can help.” 

You push your hands into your eyes, struggling to retrieve your memories, “The glow,” you whispered, “The glow in the cave. It was some kinda, I dunno, mushroom. It puffed some dust on’ta me.” you panted your words out. 

“Good girl,” Shanks stroked your hair with his hand, “Now tell me, what did this mushroom look like?”

“Was so pretty, just like the sea. Blue and glowing.” You smiled at the memory of the beautiful sight. 

While you reminisced on the memory, Shanks froze, overcome with the realization of what he was dealing with.

 It happened several years before you joined the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks and Beckman were wasting the night away at some bar when a woman approached him. He had noticed the dark-haired beauty staring at him from across the bar but had paid no attention. It wasn't uncommon for him to get stares as an infamous pirate.

The woman set down a blue sparkling drink in front of Shanks, “Don't think you're from around here, handsome.” She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him, “How about we get to know each other over a couple’a drinks?”

Beckman stifled a snicker and Shanks shot him a glare. Looking back up at the woman, Shanks politely declined her advances, “Sorry, I'm afraid I'm not looking for any more company tonight,” Shanks slapped Beckman hard on the back making him wince, “This fella’s all the entertainment I'll need for the night.”

The woman tried to hide her annoyance with a smile, “Well then, sorry for interrupting.” She sneered as she turned away, “But the drink’s still on me. Do enjoy.” 

Shanks and Beckman eyed each other and the drink skeptically. “Poison?” Asked Beckman bluntly. 

Shanks let out a hearty laugh, “Well, only one way to find out!” And downed the sickly blue drink in seconds. 

Shanks was stuck in his room the rest of the night, fisting his cock and rutting into his mattress. He admitted it wasn't his best decision. Hongo guessed that based on the color he likely ingested an aphrodisiac made from a plant called the lagneía fungi. “I've heard of petty thieves using it on pirates to steal their loot.” Hongo looked at Shanks scornfully, “Can't believe our captain fell for something like that …”

Shanks shook his head refusing to believe the evidence right in front of him. No! It can't be that. He brought his gaze back down at you and examined your face. You were flushed red, your pupils were dilated, and your gaze wandered across his body. He reached out to touch your arm and you gasped, goosebumps exploding from his touch. He really couldn't deny it any longer. 

“Alright Y/n, don’t worry. You’re going to be just fine, just try not to panic.” Shanks spoke, trying to reassure the both of them. Despite his words, Shanks himself was panicking. What was he going to do with you? Sure, it's just an aphrodisiac, but truthfully the experience was borderline torture. Furthermore, judging by how quickly its effects were overcoming you, you must have gotten a serious dosage in your system. If you were a male member of his crew he would laugh it off and condemn you to your bunk with a porno mag like he had done for himself. But how could he let you of all people suffer alone like this? 

“Am I gonna die? Everything feels weird,” tears pricked at the edge of your eyes, “like I’m on fire.” 

“You’re not going to die.” Shanks insisted, “You’re just, going to be… uncomfortable for a little while. Let’s get you back to the ship so you can lie down.” Shanks bent down and grabbed one of your arms to maneuver you onto his back. Hoisting you up, your breath hitched as your center came into contact with Shanks’ back.

Shanks took off at a brisk pace, navigating the rough jungle terrain. You tried to take Shank’s advice to calm yourself, but you were distracted by the friction created between you and Shanks as he strode back to the ship at an agonizing pace. Everywhere you were touching him felt hot and unbearable. You began to feel a familiar sensation brewing in your lower abdomen. No way, there’s no way! You panicked at the feeling and tried to create distance between you and Shanks to alleviate the burning coil between your legs, but he gripped your thigh back, securing you to his back. “Stop squirming, are you trying to fall over?” 

“Captain, ugh.” You buried your head in his back, panting from the unintentional pleasure, “Please slow down. Wait, please sto- Ah!” Suddenly the pressure built up to its peak. You squirmed and shook against your Captain’s back, fingers digging into his shoulders, unable to control your movements or your voice. With a final moan and gasp, you pushed yourself backward off of Shanks’ back onto the jungle floor. 

Shanks circled back on his heels to find you curled up on the ground, “What are you doin-”

The realization hit him. He noted your shaking legs and rapid breaths and suddenly he became aware of a slightly damp spot on his back where your bodies had just been connected. He grappled with his own arousal seeing you like this, disheveled and glassy-eyed. 

“God, Captain. I’m so sorry,” You covered your face with your hands, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I couldn’t stop myself.” 

Shanks was kicking himself mentally as he watched you before him. Here you were feeling humiliated, embarrassed, and vulnerable; yet, there he was feeling himself getting hard at the sight. He’d wanted you for so long, wanted to make you his. Shanks licked his lips. He pushed down his indecent thoughts and turned his attention back to you. This wasn’t the time. You needed to get back to the ship, and right now that’s all that mattered. 

In one swift movement, he scooped you up, placing a hand under your legs, carrying you in his arm. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, burying your face into his neck in embarrassment as he took off running. He was fast. You felt the wind on your face as he swiftly maneuvered through the trees at a great speed, his black coat flapping in the wind behind him.  It took less than a minute for him to reach the ship. Shanks bounded onto the deck and managed to avoid the eyes of the returning crew. Reaching his room, he quickly ducked in and closed the door behind him, causing maps and papers to fly in all different directions. 

Shanks walked with you in his arm over to his bed and laid you down as gently as he could. “Y/N, you need to listen to me,” he slipped his hand through your hair and gripped the back of your neck to force you to look at him. You looked up at him dazed, trying your best to concentrate on what he was telling you rather than the feeling of his hand on your neck. “You’re not dying. Those spores were an aphrodisiac,” He looked at you hard, making sure you understood what he was saying, “That’s why you’re feeling like this.” 

You groaned and tried to hide your face out of embarrassment, but Shanks held you firm. “I’m going to get Hongo, he might be able to find some sort of sedative to help you work through this. You might have a shitty night, but I promise you’re going to be alright. I’ll be right back, ok?” He said softly.

Shanks lightly rubbed the back of your neck with his thumb before turning to leave, but you sat up and clutched his shirt to pull him back, “No! Please don’t. Don’t get Hongo.” You buried your head in his shirt, “I don’t want anyone seeing me… like this.”

Shanks’ gaze softened, “Y/N, Hongo is a professional, he’ll definitely be able to help.” 

“No...I don’t…I can’t have anyone see me like this, please Captain. I-” your voice cracked, “I worked too hard to gain respect on this ship. Please. Don’t let anyone see me like this.”

Shanks began to disagree, “Hongo really would know the best way to deal with this, Y/N…” he stopped upon seeing the panic in your eyes. He sighed as he relented, “But, I’ll keep this between us for now. If that’s what you really want.” 

You breathed a sigh of relief, though it was short lived. The aching between your legs was demanding attention, and you didn’t know how much longer you could restrain yourself from tending to it. 

“Y/N.” You looked back up at Shanks, “If you really intend to deal with this on your own, the only way I know you can find relief is to stimulate yourself or… have sex.” Shanks kept your gaze as he spoke. “I’ll leave you my room. At least that way you can have some privacy while you deal with this. I’ll make sure nobody comes in here. You have my word.” 

“Captain…” You found it hard to look him in the eye, you knew what you were about to ask wasn’t right, “Please. Don’t leave me.”

Shanks froze, for a moment he was speechless, he waited for you to meet his gaze and searched your eyes, “Y/N, do you really understand what you're asking right now?”

“I-” You doubled back over struggling to compose yourself, gripping Shanks silk sheets. Just imagining sleeping with your captain was enough to make your arousal unbearable. Despite your best judgment you shakily reached down and palmed in-between your legs, exhaling from the slight relief it gave you. You looked back up to Shanks, eyes pleading, “I can barely manage this right now. I can't do this alone. I'm begging you, please Shanks.” 

Shanks stared at you, mouth agape and spellbound by the proposition. He could feel his mouth watering and his pants tighten. Shanks remembered just how miserable he had been with just the small dosage he’d taken, so he couldn’t even begin to imagine the turmoil that was currently wrecking your body. He balled his fist gathering the last bit of restraint he had and whispered, “It… wouldn’t be right of me to do this. You’re not in your right mind, you’d take anyone in your condition-”

“No. You’re wrong,” you were breathing heavily, choosing your words carefully, “I couldn’t bear it being anyone else. I want it to be you… Unless,” Your breath hitched, you weren’t sure if you wanted to know the answer to the question you were about to ask, “do you not… want me?”

This was the final straw for Shanks. You had broken the great Emperor who’d tried so desperately to do the right thing. His resolve crumbled at your words and he found himself lunging toward you. He pounced over you, throwing you back onto his mattress as his lips crashed onto yours. Your senses exploded with electricity by his contact and you moaned into his mouth, eagerly accepting more. It was utterly overwhelming and you couldn't control the noises that escaped from your mouth as Shanks pushed your hand away to tend to your clit himself, shoving his hand down your pants.

Shanks briefly separated your lips and breathed heavily trailing kisses along your cheek and to your forehead, “I’ll ask you… one more time,” he muttered between pecks, “Are you sure about this?” He pulled back to meet your eyes. 

“Old man,” you huffed at him, “Won’t you shut up and put your mouth to good use for onc-” 

Shanks didn’t let you finish your sentence and forced your mouth wider to deepen your kiss as he worked to slip your pants off. Once they were off you spread your legs obediently for him, pushing your hips against his hand for more friction. With your pants out of the way, Shanks had more freedom to explore your folds. His thumb kept a steady rhythm on your bud as his other fingers dove lower. He smiled as he found how soaked you were for him. He gathered copious amounts of slick from your pussy, and used it to tease you further. Shanks moved his mouth down your neck, leaving dark spots where he sucked and teased. 

You could already feel that you were close to climax, you squirmed and whined for more. Shanks relented to your obvious request and slipped two fingers inside you. The gratifying release was instantaneous. You gripped Shanks’ arm as he massaged your walls through your orgasm. He reveled at just how seductive your body was and how your pussy gripped his fingers tightly. 

Shanks lifted his head out from the crook of your neck and glanced over to you, but you were worlds away. His whole body reacted when he finally saw you in shambles from his touch. Tears streamed down your reddened face, unable to concentrate on anything besides how good you felt, you just focused on trying to catch your breath. It was all so overwhelming, Shanks’ touch, his kisses, and his scent all around you. 

Shanks’ breath hitched as he let out a snide laugh, “Well, I guess that’s one way to shut you up, brat.” 

Shanks pulled away from you for a moment and the sudden loss of contact made you whimper. Shanks scolded you, “Quiet now, it’s not good to be impatient, Y/N.” Shanks teased as he shook off his coat and lifted his shirt above his head, discarding it onto the floor.  You watched, entranced by the way his muscles moved. His broad shoulders and massive tanned biceps patterned with scars. You felt the heat grow again as he turned back to you. 

You pouted at Shanks’ words, “It’s a little difficult being patient when you're so horny you feel like you're gonna explode!” You huffed, frowning dramatically. “Being in a hot man’s bed and watching him strip is not helping my situation.” 

You immediately regretted your words as you watched his brow rise and a wicked smile form on his face. “A “hot man,” you say. Is that what you think of me?” 

“Don’t get cocky,” you spat back, staring him down. He glared back, not backing down from your challenge. You couldn’t take it anymore. You just wanted him.  

With a mischievous smile, Shanks crawled back over to you, placing his knee strategically between your legs pushing into the wet spot of your underwear. He ground his leg as he reached his arm up to pull off your shirt, you lifted your arms to make it easier. Shanks sighed with bliss as your breasts came into view, no bra in sight. 

You gasped as Shanks’ hand groped one of your breasts and his mouth found the other. You leaned back and interlaced your fingers in Shanks' hair stroking and pulling on the red strands. You couldn’t help but inhale his scent as he devoured you. 

Shanks released his lips off of your nipple with a pop and moaned, “In all my years,” he said breathlessly, “I’ve never wished so much that I had both of my hands again.” 

You couldn't help but laugh at this statement, it was just too ridiculous. Shanks eyed you curiously, “Are you laughing at your Captain? Or, are you going to start calling me by my name like you did before?” Shanks’ mouth moved lower down your body, kissing your stomach as he trailed down, “Don’t think I didn’t notice you called me ‘Shanks’ earlier. What made you think you could drop honorifics with your Captain like that?” 

All you could do was watch him as his lips moved closer and closer to your core, you were speechless with anticipation. Shanks played with the fabric of your underwear, tracing the hem and circling lower towards your clit. You jumped from the sensation. “Though, I have to admit. I did like the sound of my name on your lips.” He continued to tease you with both his words and his movements. 

“Please, just touch me already, I can’t-”

“Call me by my name again. Then I’ll consider helping you.” Shanks was enjoying this far too much. His eyes twinkled up at you as he grazed your hip bone with his fingertips. 

You gave in immediately, your pride nowhere to be found, “Shanks. Please make me feel good. I’m begging, Shanks.” 

“That’s more like it.” Shanks shoved your underwear aside and thumbed your clit roughly. You arched your back at the sudden contact and cried out in pleasure. Shanks was completely enthralled with what was happening in front of him, he couldn't take his eyes away from your glistening pussy, soaking wet, all for him. He wanted more and demanded, “Lift your hips.” 

You immediately obeyed your captain and raised your hips. Shanks grabbed your underwear and ripped them off you. You leaned back with anticipation, but nothing came. You peered up at the red-haired man and you realized he was examining your panties. “Oh. Sorry, I know that old pair isn’t exactly sexy…” You explained self-consciously. Then suddenly, as if he was possessed, he shoved your soaked underwear into his face and inhaled deeply. Your mouth fell open at the sight. At last, when he lowered your panties from his face he stared at you intensely, his eyes drunk and lazy from your scent. 

You watched mesmerized by the man in front of you as he tossed your underwear aside, gripped the back of your thigh with his arm, and shoved it back towards your head. Before you could react to the sudden change of position, Shanks plunged his tongue between your folds and lapped up your juices. You gripped his hair as he indulged in your aroused pussy. Shanks moaned into you as you tightened your grasp and pulled his hair slightly. He felt his hard-on twitch painfully, desperate and leaking with pre-cum. It didn’t take long before you were rutting into his face, chasing another high and coming undone for a third time by your captain. 

As your spasms ceased, Shanks sat back up between your legs. You were mortified to see his face covered in your arousal. You sat up and began to apologize, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry let me just-” You raise your hand to wipe away the creamy slick from his face, only to have it shoved away and to be brought into another hungry kiss. The juices from Shanks’ mouth mixed in with your saliva as your tongues intertwined. 

You were at Shanks’ disposal, at his mercy. You wanted him more than you’d ever wanted anyone. It wasn’t enough, not yet. You needed more. Reaching down, you pressed down on the protruding tent that was rising in Shanks’ pants. Shanks pulled away from you slightly and hissed at the contact. You continued to palm at his growing member and whispered, “I want this, Shanks. I want to make you feel good too.” 

Shanks laughed weakly, “Well… if you ask me like that, who am I to say no?” He moved back to sit on his knees and fumbled with his belt and pants. You couldn’t help but smile at how he shakily tripped over his buckle with only one hand. You reached up and helped him by pulling his pants down. Although you knew from feeling him earlier, you were still taken aback by the sheer size of his cock as it nearly smacked you in the face. 

You eagerly eyed his cock and looked up at Shanks hovering above you, “Can I…” you begin as you reach up to take him in your grip, “suck it?” 

Shanks couldn’t help but let out a gasp as you came into contact with his dick. “If- that’s what you want. But only a little. I’m not confident that I’ll last long if yo-” Shanks was cut off by your tongue trailing up the side of his cock. A shiver ran up his spine, and he gripped your hair with his hand to hold on for dear life. You wanted to taste every part of him, you couldn’t hold back. 

You weren’t particularly experienced, but somehow you knew exactly what to do for him. You teased his rosy tip with your tongue, licking circles before wrapping your lips around it. You savored the salty taste and traced your tongue along the veins running down him. There was no way you could take him in his entirety, but you pushed as far as your throat could allow. You only got a few pumps in before Shanks stopped you. “Alright. That’s enough.” He sat back down on his rear and motioned for you to come to him, “This isn’t about me.” Which was true, but he knew his words were just an excuse. He easily could have come from just your tongue if he wasn’t careful. 

You got up on your knees as Shanks requested, and straddled him. His dick sat hard in between the two of you as he pulled you in for another breathtaking kiss while he used his free hand to continue to stretch you out. Finally satisfied with his prep, he broke the kiss and lifted your ass to hover over him. Shanks looked up at you and purred, “I’ll leave this part to you.” He wrapped his large hand around yours and guided it to his throbbing cock, “I don’t want to hurt you. So you need to go at your own pace.” 

You hesitated slightly at his command, insecure about your skills. But whatever shyness you felt about taking the lead was quickly dismissed by your overflowing arousal. With one hand on Shanks’ shoulder to steady yourself and the other seizing his member, you raised your hips to accommodate his height. You rubbed the head of his cock on your dripping pussy and you both hissed from the contact. Once Shanks was properly lubed by your fluids, you held your breath and slowly lowered your hips onto the tip of his cock. The head alone stretched your inner walls with an intensely painful pleasure. You felt overwhelmed by his size and the electric current that emanated from its pressure. You intended to take him slowly and acclimate to his size, but your instincts took control. You wanted to feel full. You wanted to be completely consumed by him. You hastily realigned yourself, took a breath, and slammed your hips down, instantly taking him down to his base. 

Neither of you could keep your voices contained. You let out a moan laced with the pain and pleasure of finally receiving Shanks in his entirety. The feeling was devastating. You gripped Shanks’ head pulling him to your chest as you entangled your fingers in his hair. Shanks cursed as he willed himself to stay in control, the pressure and sensation of your grip was mind-shattering. He wrapped his arm around your waist, gripping your skin to ground himself. 

You didn't give him time to recover. You raised your hips again and slammed down hard against him, receiving a grunt from him. You felt drunk, unable to control your actions, you found yourself rocking into him at an uncontrollable pace. The pain was fading away and was replaced by unbelievable pleasure. You needed more, you needed him everywhere. 

Shanks took advantage of your position above him, trailing kisses along your chest and leaving occasional bruise and bite mark. He used his tongue to tease and suck on your hard nipples. His hand wandered along the length of your back, grazing your spine with his fingertips leaving you gasping. Even the slightest touch on your body created an unbearable reaction, flooding your senses with bliss. 

Shanks’ hand continued to explore your body, ticking the nape of your neck, pinching your nipples, and finally falling between your legs. He flicked and rubbed your clit as you rode him at an alarming pace. You felt yourself nearing another climax as the coil in your core began to tighten. You chased the high as you ground against him, willing yourself to continue despite feeling like you were on the brink of collapse. 

Your climax hit you like a train, bringing earth-shattering pleasure throughout your body. You fell forward, pushing Shanks onto his back as the feeling overtook you, unable to continue. But Shanks wouldn't let you rest and you couldn’t contain your voice as Shanks cruelly thrusted up into you, compelling your senses to disintegrate as he fucked you through your peak.

Your ears deafened and rang as you laid exhausted against Shanks’ wide chest, still twitching on his dick. Shanks slowed his pace and you sat on him for a moment as you tried to catch your breath. You felt lighter than when you’d first entered Shanks’ room and your head was clearer, but the burning desire still lay unsatisfied. You tried to sit up to keep riding until your body was appeased, but found yourself collapsing again. Your legs were wobbly, unable to continue. “Shanks,” you whispered, “I think you’re going to have to take over from here. Please.” 

Shanks was still reeling from your ruthless pace on his dick. He looked up at you, astonished that you still had the energy to keep going. “So demanding. You’re making me forget I’m the captain here.” Shanks sat up and reversed your positions, laying you flat on your back as he hovered over you, “But, I guess I’ll follow your command this time, Captain.” 

Shanks pushed your legs back again and took a moment to examine your swollen pink pussy. It dripped and pulsed in anticipation, making it obvious that the mushroom was still wreaking havoc on your nerves. Shanks knew you wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer and decided to bring this to an end as soon as possible. He positioned himself above you and gripped his cock. Pushing it on you, he teased your clit with his tip for a moment before moving lower and watching in awe as you swallowed his thick cock to the brim of his balls. 

You gripped the sheets around you tightly, this felt even deeper than before, he was reaching far down inside and rubbing all your sensitive spots. He sat there a moment breathing deep with his eyes closed, feeling the deepest corners of your pussy squeeze and warm him. He was only brought back to reality when you squirmed and whimpered underneath him. You needed more friction, more movement, more anything. Your body was not going to be as patient as Shanks was wanting. 

Shanks opened his eyes and smirked down at you, “Don’t worry,” he gripped your thigh tightly with his hand leaving it stinging, “I’ll give you what you want.” 

Without warning he lifted his hips, leaving his tip barely inside you, and plowed himself into you as deep and as hard as he could. You choked on your own breath as he pulled out and hammered down into you again, and again. He set an abusive pace, each stroke hitting your deepest nerves and causing waves of spine-tingling pleasure.

Your heightened senses multiplied every feeling, every touch, and every kiss. You felt as if your body was going to disintegrate underneath Shanks. The sensation in your body was unfamiliar and frightening and it was becoming too much. You put your hands on Shanks’ chest in a half-hearted attempt to slow him down, but his merciless tempo continued to wreck your body. Twitching from pleasure, you attempted again to turn your body to run from the feeling. It was all too intense, it was too good and you couldn’t take it anymore. 

Before you could move away Shanks forced you back into position and entangled his hand with yours. His thrusts persisted as he leaned down his head next to yours and whispered gruffly into your ear, his slurring voice tickling your neck, “This is what you wanted, right? What you needed? Take it for me. Be a good girl for me.” 

You were nearly comatose from the pleasure racking your body. Just from his words, you reached another climax, and Shanks fucked you through it once again. Your eyesight became hazy and you knew you needed to ground yourself. Out of desperation, one of your hands reached out to claw his back and the other clenched his hair. You opened your mouth and bit down hard on Shanks’ shoulder. Shanks hissed harshly as your teeth pierced his shoulder, yet he found himself smiling. Your disobedience had always been a turn-on for him. Excited from the pain, he moaned into your ear, “I’m- close. So close.” 

“Come in me.” You cried out. You knew you sounded desperate, but you couldn’t help it. You wanted him to ruin you, “Please come in me, Shanks. Please… Please… Please,” tears ran down your cheeks and you lost all sense of self. All you knew was that you wanted Shanks, every last bit of him.  

It took all of Shanks’ willpower not to fulfill your request. 

Every last instinct in Shanks’ body willed him to release inside you, to truly make you his. But his reasoning prevailed. He knew that despite everything he could not do that to you in this state. So, with a few final harsh thrusts, Shanks pulled his cock out and released his warm come across your stomach. 

Shanks collapsed next to you, panting. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this. Everything around him felt fuzzy as he came down from his orgasmic high. Once he finally caught his breath again, he turned over and reached for you. 

You had passed out. 

 …

You woke with a jolt of pain as you turned over on your side in your sleep. Groaning, you shifted your body to try and stretch out your achy muscles. However, you realized that you couldn’t move. There was a weight laying across your abdomen… and your leg… and there was something pressed up against your back…

Your eyes snapped open. 

You weren’t in your room, that was obvious. But where were you? You turned slightly to lay on your back, and looking down you saw an arm strewn across your stomach. Horrified, your eyes trailed up to see whose arm it was. It took everything in you not to scream as you realized you were entangled in your captain's sleepy limbs. 

Your mind raced, desperate to remember what happened. You were exploring the island, Shanks came with you, you went into the cave and… 

It all came flooding back. 

You lay there in shock. 

What was going to happen now? What if someone saw you? Would you have to leave the ship? 

Your eyes wandered to where he lay, breathing deep in his slumber. He was shirtless and you couldn’t help but stare. Looking down you realized you weren’t wearing your own clothes, but rather an oversized off-white button-down shirt. It was obvious that Shanks lent you his own shirt. What a gentleman, you thought sarcastically as your body ached. But, you couldn’t help yourself, you turned your body to face him for a better look at the man before you, admiring his strong features. 

As you savored the view in front of you, Shanks willed his body to sit as still as possible. He had woken up nearly an hour before you had and had spent the time watching you sleep, stroking your hair, and indulging in the feeling of sleeping next to you. He panicked when you shifted in your sleep and decided to pretend to be asleep. To his surprise, you hadn’t gotten up to leave, and he could feel your warm gaze on his face. He savored this morning, never wanting it to end. 

The peaceful moment was ruined in an instant. 

Shanks’ bedroom door flew open with a loud crash as none other than Benn Beckman strode in. You and Shanks’ eyes flew open and met each other in horror before turning your attention to the trespasser. Beckman didn’t get more than three steps into his Captain’s room when he realized what he stumbled in on. 

There was a moment of silence, all three of you stared at each other, taking in the information in front of you. 

Finally, you came to your senses and flung the sheets over yourself to hide from the embarrassment. You felt Shanks’ hand lay protectively on your back as you hid, “Beckman,” He spoke sharply, “you’d better have a good reason for barging into my room.” 

Beckman gulped, “Definitely not a good enough reason for this.” 

“Right. Beckman?” 

“Yes?” 

“Leave. Now.” 

“Right. Don’t have to tell me twice.” Beckman turned to the door and stepped out of the room. You peeked out of the blankets and saw Beckman pause before closing the door behind him. He looked back at you and Shanks sternly, “I hope you two know what you’re doing.” 

And with that, he closed the door. 

You peeled back the covers and emerged next to Shanks. The two of you sat in silence for a minute, both pondering Beckman’s statement. He had a good point. What were you going to do now? Mushroom or not, the two of you crossed the boundary between captain and crewmate. Would you both ignore it and pretend nothing happened? 

Your mind was spinning down all the possibilities that were laid out in front of you. Shanks thought your ears would start smoking soon, and he spoke first. Laying you back down on his arm he spoke two simple sentences that made you relax and settle down to sleep.

“Let’s worry about this tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓍊𓋼𓍊

𓍊𓋼𓍊 authors note: HUGE shout out to @nanpecan for editing this and helping me not sound illiterate

[menderash]

did you guys know that the mother fucking UN's humanitarian and legal experts have been saying israel's occupation of palestine territories is and has always been illegal, as it violates the FUCKING GENEVA CONVENTION? did you know it was britain that 'gave' the land that wasn't theirs to give to found the state of israel as a tactic to get more jews to join the british army in their already-active war against the ottoman empire? did you know that just between 2008 and 2022 the idf killed almost SEVEN THOUSAND palestinians, as opposed to the 308 israelis by palestinians in the same time period? did you know that israel itself admits to 'forcefully evacuating' palestinians from their homes over the course of their annexation of the country? did you know the british army helped them? did you know that any palestinian who didn't want to have their house taken from them and given to american immigrants being shipped in to populate britain's pet project was killed on their spot? did you know that back in 2018 palestinians did nothing but MARCH in protest of their occupation and in response, the idf is CONFIRMED to have killed almost 400 of them, including FIFTY FIVE CHILDREN? did you know palestinians are not allowed to build anything on the land they have left? did you know they aren't ALLOWED TO LEAVE?? did you know over HALF of christian evangelicals support israel solely because the bible says israel has to exist in order to bring about the second coming? did you know that in 2021, over 88% of us congress were evangelical christians? did you know israel is confirmed to have knowingly bombed palestinian hospitals and the idf had been caught targeting journalists? did you know israel is committing another war crime at this very moment by dropping white phosphorus on gaza civilians? did you know the israeli press was just confirmed to have completely fabricated an account of palestinian war crime right after their own got caught on film? did you know the defense minister of israel openly called all palestinians 'animals' to justify the deaths of their civilians? did you know holocaust survivors are presently speaking out against the israeli state's ethnic cleansing of arabs?

why, in the united states, is criticizing a settler colony's active attempts at extermination labeled antisemitic because of the religion the settlers happen to practice, but rooting for the complete eradication of a muslim country that was already there and is barely still there not islamophobia?? why is religion being used as a shield to justify genocide?

when a sudden act of politically charged violence occurs, like the hamas attack a few days ago, i ask WHY? i ask WHY until i get as far back as i can. i read accounts written by all sides. i try to find out why this is happening in the first place. half of these facts have come from the israeli government itself. all of them are easily found and easily confirmed by reputable sources. a lot of them are caught on film. all of these facts lead me to know that the state of israel was created by britain in order to gain an advantage in an unrelated war. i know the state of israel has caused unimaginable harm to the country it's slowly eating, and has suffered just a fraction in return. i know religion justifies none of it.

palestinians deserve to live in their own country. palestinians deserve to not be forced to give their homes to americans. palestinians deserve to live, to leave, to stay, to wave their own fucking flag. they do not deserve to have another country plopped on top of them and then have their settlers ask 'don't WE have a right to exist?' as their own right to exist is being extinguished.

fuck the idf, fuck israel, fuck manifest destiny, fuck all settlers who think they deserve someone else's home enough to kick them out of it. literally, in israel's case. indigenous americans, indigenous canadians, chicanos, pacific islanders, filipinos, mestizos, we should all be standing with palestine, because we KNOW how colonial violence goes and what it looks like. solidarity between all colonised peoples. free palestine.

[anniflamma]

AnniFlamma, we all love your fanart and animatics of Epic: The Musical, please don't let a few shitty people demotivate when 100x those people love and adore the stuff you make, along with all other animators!

Stay safe and take care, we will always be here and I can't seem to repeat this enough but we love your art

Thank you and everyone for reaching out to me. I will be honest with you all that what happened did upset me a lot, but I am very lucky to have people to go to for support. I will even blame some of them for making me cry, my friends, I mean, because if I am upset and if someone asks me if I am okay, I just break down. 😅 But I used our little server as a ground to vent, and right now I feel much better now.

But I will still be honest that I meant what I said that my interest in making Epic fan content has reduced a lot. I still love Epic, and I still really want to do the whole Ithaca saga, but I have also realized that posting content about it has caused me to feel anxious.

An example is when I finished The Challenge animatic, I felt an extreme wave of anxiety when I was going to press the upload button. And the worst thing? My anxiety confirmed the fears. I have gotten tiktok comments saying that I am a freak for drawing Penelope nude despite it being in a non-sexual way. Apparently, I have to be constantly reminded that female bodies are icky and the world hates women. Aaaaaaand then to get hit by that TikTok video of thousands of people shitting on me, Duvetbox, Gigi, Mircy, Neal, and so many more…

If you have noticed, I have posted less, all types of content for Epic. I don’t do my headcanons anymore, I never wrote that full review of Epic, I feel less keen on drawing fanart, let alone joking about shipping here online. I remember when I made a joke about shipping Aphrodite and Athea because they were the only female characters interacting with each other (ignoring Hera), and then I took it as a critique that Epic failed the Bechdel test. After that, I got plenty of anonymous messages about how I am an evil person for shipping those two goddesses… Just say that you don’t know what the Bechdel test is and block me... 😑

I also hate how my first negative experience with the Epic fandom was pure homophobia toward my Bible animatics. Like, they used negative language toward gay people to tell me to make Epic content instead. There is this weird obsession where people expect me and other artists to only do one thing, which is Epic, and if we dare to do something else, we get punished or infantilized, like we didn’t have any say when Casper commissioned us for Stories of Styx. Don’t get me started on how fucking awful people were to Casper and Teagan….

I hate how people easily tell others things, only for them to unquestionably believe everything said about me. Like the amount of "Anni made Ody/Circe porn, uwaaaa!!" And then, the moment someone questions them and forces them to realize I never made such a thing, they double down and say that I shouldn't have made Circe nude in the original animatic "cuz female bodies are icky" or the classic "Well, I haven’t seen the porn video, but someone told me it existed, so I’m going to believe it exsits." Like, you could tell these people that the sky is green, and they would believe you.

Then there’s that whole "Anni supports rape" or "Anni felt bad for the suitors and wanted Penelope to get raped" insanity. Those quotes stems from ppl was crashing out when I made a post criticizing Epic’s way of addressing the topic of rape. In that post, I was suggesting that I would like the story better if Odysseus were actually morally ambiguous when killing the suitors. How could anyone even think Ody was in the wrong for killing the suitors because he wanted to protect Penelope? How can he be a monster after that? I don’t know, I support a husband protecting his wife from gang rapists, but I guess that was the worst thing for me to ever say, huh? Like, how dare I criticize their almighty Jorge…

It’s insane that I have an easier time handling hateful Christians compared to TikTok Epic fans. 😅

Oh well... I’ve had so many bad experiences with the TikTok Epic fandom over the past two years. And eventually, you just want to log off.

I’m thinking of stopping posting Epic content at all on TikTok as a first step. If TikTok Epic fans hate my fanart that much, then I’ll do them the favor of never seeing it from my account. I will, however, continue posting my Bible animatics there. And if I continue working on my Hold Them Down animatic and if I ever finish it… I will only be active here on Tumblr and on YouTube.

And so, at this moment, I will take a pause from Epic. It probably won’t be that long because, despite everything, I love that musical. But I also have to remind myself that, despite there being so many negative remarks toward not only me but the other artists, there is a lot of love from you actual fans. I have about 138K subscribers on YouTube. That’s 138K individuals who love my work so much that they want to see more of it. THAT IS TOTALY INSANE! And I will never forget that! And I am so thankful for all of you and your support. Thank you and I love you guys! 💕

I’m also planning on making a better-formulated post about this another day. All of this is just me ranting and want to take a short break, focusing on something else.... Maybe... Venice the musical? 😅

[5ummit]

AO3 Ship Stats: Year In Bad Data

You may have seen this AO3 Year In Review.

It hasn’t crossed my tumblr dash but it sure is circulating on twitter with 3.5M views, 10K likes, 17K retweets and counting. Normally this would be great! I love data and charts and comparisons!

Except this data is GARBAGE and belongs in the TRASH.

I first noticed something fishy when I realized that Steve/Bucky – the 5th largest ship on AO3 by total fic count – wasn’t on this Top 100 list anywhere. I know Marvel’s popularity has fallen in recent years, but not that much. Especially considering some of the other ships that made it on the list. You mean to tell me a femslash HP ship (Mary MacDonald/Lily Potter) in which one half of the pairing was so minor I had to look up her name because she was only mentioned once in a single flashback scene beat fandom juggernaut Stucky? I call bullshit.

Now obviously jumping to conclusions based on gut instinct alone is horrible practice... but it is a good place to start. So let’s look at the actual numbers and discover why this entire dataset sits on a throne of lies.

Here are the results of filtering the Steve/Bucky tag for all works created between Jan 1, 2023 and Dec 31, 2023:

Not only would that place Steve/Bucky at #23 on this list, if the other counts are correct (hint: they're not), it’s also well above the 1520-new-work cutoff of the #100 spot. So how the fuck is it not on the list? Let’s check out the author’s FAQ to see if there’s some important factor we’re missing.

The first thing you’ll probably notice in the FAQ is that the data is being scraped from publicly available works. That means anything privated and only accessible to logged-in users isn’t counted. This is Sin #1. Already the data is inaccurate because we’re not actually counting all of the published fics, but the bots needed to do data collection on this scale can't easily scrape privated fics so I kinda get it. We’ll roll with this for now and see if it at least makes the numbers make more sense:

Nope. Logging out only reduced the total by a couple hundred. Even if one were to choose the most restrictive possible definition of "new works" and filter out all crossovers and incomplete fics, Steve/Bucky would still have a yearly total of 2,305. Yet the list claims their total is somewhere below 1,500? What the fuck is going on here?

Let’s look at another ship for comparison. This time one that’s very recent and popular enough to make it on the list so we have an actual reference value for comparison: Nick/Charlie (Heartstopper). According to the list, this ship sits at #34 this year with a total of 2630 new works. But what’s AO3 say?

Off by a hundred or so but the values are much closer at least!

If we dig further into the FAQ though we discover Sin #2 (and the most egregious): the counting method. The yearly fic counts are NOT determined by filtering for a certain time period, they’re determined by simply taking a snapshot of the total number of fics in a ship tag at the end of the year and subtracting the previous end-of-year total. For example, if you check a ship tag on Jan 1, 2023 and it has 10,000 fics and check it again on Jan 1, 2024 and it now has 12,000 fics, the difference (2,000) would be the number of "new works" on this chart.

At first glance this subtraction method might seem like a perfectly valid way to count fics, and it’s certainly the easiest way, but it can and did have major consequences to the point of making the entire dataset functionally meaningless. Why? If any older works are deleted or privated, every single one of those will be subtracted from the current year fic count. And to make the problem even worse, beginning at the end of last year there was a big scare about AI scraping fics from AO3, which caused hundreds, if not thousands, of users to lock down their fics or delete them.

The magnitude of this fuck up may not be immediately obvious so let’s look at an example to see how this works in practice.

Say we have two ships. Ship A is more than a decade old with a large fanbase. Ship B is only a couple years old but gaining traction. On Jan 1, 2023, Ship A had a catalog of 50,000 fics and ship B had 5,000. Both ships have 3,000 new works published in 2023. However, 4% of the older works in each fandom were either privated or deleted during that same time (this percentage is was just chosen to make the math easy but it’s close to reality).

Ship A: 50,000 x 4% = 2,000 removed works Ship B: 5,000 x 4% = 200 removed works

Ship A: 3,000 - 2,000 = 1,000 "new" works Ship B: 3,000 - 200 = 2,800 "new" works

This gives Ship A a net gain of 1,000 and Ship B a net gain of 2,800 despite both fandoms producing the exact same number of new works that year. And neither one of these reported counts are the actual new works count (3,000). THIS explains the drastic difference in ranking between a ship like Steve/Bucky and Nick/Charlie.

How is this a useful measure of anything? You can't draw any conclusions about the current size and popularity of a fandom based on this data.

With this system, not only is the reported "new works" count incorrect, the older, larger fandom will always be punished and it’s count disproportionately reduced simply for the sin of being an older, larger fandom. This example doesn’t even take into account that people are going to be way more likely to delete an old fic they're no longer proud of in a fandom they no longer care about than a fic that was just written, so the deletion percentage for the older fandom should theoretically be even larger in comparison.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the author of this "study" KNEW the data was tainted and chose to present it as meaningful anyway. You will only find this if you click through to the FAQ and read about the author’s methodology, something 99.99% of people will NOT do (and even those who do may not understand the true significance of this problem):

The author may try to argue their post states that the tags "which had the greatest gain in total public fanworks” are shown on the chart, which makes it not a lie, but a error on the viewer’s part in not interpreting their data correctly. This is bullshit. Their chart CLEARLY titles the fic count column “New Works” which it explicitly is NOT, by their own admission! It should be titled “Net Gain in Works” or something similar.

Even if it were correctly titled though, the general public would not understand the difference, would interpret the numbers as new works anyway (because net gain is functionally meaningless as we've just discovered), and would base conclusions on their incorrect assumptions. There’s no getting around that… other than doing the counts correctly in the first place. This would be a much larger task but I strongly believe you shouldn’t take on a project like this if you can’t do it right.

To sum up, just because someone put a lot of work into gathering data and making a nice color-coded chart, doesn’t mean the data is GOOD or VALUABLE.

[imaginariumwanderer]

Mkay last post before logging off. Featuring silly pixel art I made w/ my mouse.

This chart was actually made out of pure self-indulgent a while back with no intention of being posted, I ended up scribbling(?) all over the thing. Hopefully it's readable when zoomed in.

It's "my ship in 5 minutes" but I can make it 30 if you want. WARNING: Tons of sappy yapping+pixel art download under cut.

About "tropes": The trope is called Angel-Devil shipping, oh but I don't think PV is an angel. He's more like a God for SM (at least that's my preference)… Thinking at all the possible tropes that suits them make me really wonder why some people consider Shadowvanilla a crack/pro ship. Enemies to lovers or villain/hero ships have been pretty archetypal since the day of olds. Compared to all the ships I've encountered in the past… Shadowvanilla is more or less the "slightly out of the norm" on the "problematic ships scale" <- typing this out make me feel like an old fandom veteran haha

About "how it happens": I have no idea where to put PV on that chart. He's the one who approached first, but not out of romantic intents, him falling for SM is as unexpected as can be. SM fell first and slowly, and in 'slow' I meant decades upon decades. It's inevitable, painfully so, spending all those years watching over this cookie who's so perfect in his imperfections, how could one not feel something? Of course it's not so simple, that 'something' is a horrid mixture of disgust, envy, hatred, understanding, both the need to preserve and destroy… And maybeee the tiniest crumb of affection? SM realized something around the first couple hundredth years mark, he then spends the next thousands in denial of it. No matter. Whether it's PV or the Soul jam, his birth-given rights. SM knows what he wants and he WILL get what he wants. (He's wrong on both fronts. And somewhere in the back of his mind, SM knows that. But he'll never admit it. He'll never ever admit anything. Until it's too late. In a way, the same goes for PV)

About a certain someone who's not clingy, but would die for attention: I think PV gets lonely easily. As he's hyper-aware of himself and considerate of others, appearing clingy is the last thing PV wants. So PV would put extra efforts in taking care of those around him, be it cookies, animals or the greenery in his garden. A healer is always busy, always helpful. If he's always needed by others then he would never be afraid of being alone. Ironically enough, this ended up making PV come off as a little overbearing. As of late, the only ones able to see through the facade are Hollyberry cookie and you-know-who.

Other scattered thoughts: These two are completely different yet can't be more similar, on the various sliding scales they're either stuck to one another or are flung to both ends. On another note, honestly I can't see these two doing anything domestic together, the most I can see is cooking, which is basically the same as magic in the cookie world. Anyways, are they in "love"? Are they dating? Not really, no. It's more of a a parasitic-turned-symbiotic-soulbond, a will-they-won't-they-destroy-the-world situationship (iykyk) I do enjoy relationships that's hard to put into words. Their feelings are somehow romantic, somewhat deranged and something much, much deeper.

My desire to ship these two comes from the desire to see them grow beyound their archetypes. Being with PV does give SM the chance to be horrible as can be, yeah, but I'd like to think SM does have a personality outside of being a villainous tormentor. He spends so long observing others, and now for the first time he's being seen. Now SM have met someone who can see right through him, who can glimpse into those dammed vulnerabilities of his. Being with SM does let us see PV in his darkest moments, but it's at the same time the moments where PV can shine the most, to prove SM that his ideals isn't naïveté or simple platitudes. In canon, SM+PV works well as enemies, but it is the many contradictions born when romance is added into the mix that got me shipping. They simultaneously break down and bolster one another's greatest traits. Like binary stars, they orbit around the other, so close yet so far apart, lest they collide. They could've been so perfect for each other. But not in this life, or the next, or the next...

Pixel art time! I have way too much fun w/ Smilk's many faces, his and PV's combined came to around 22 expressions. These are quick to made due to their small size (25x25 px). Zip file includes both the og and 75x75 sizes. I don't mind if any Vanilla milkshakers might use these, just please remember to read the my art terms and conditions first! (which can be found in my About)

Some disclaimer: some images may have different names. This is the first time I'm using Getuploader so sorry if something broke.

Link

[gwendolynnderolo]

critical role ships as hozier songs

vax / keyleth : francesca

percy / vex : work song

pike / scanlan : foreigner's god

fjord / jester : nobody

beau / yasha : as it was

caleb / essek : from eden

imogen / laudna : NFWMB

orym / dorian : like real people do

ashton / fearne : dinner & diatribes

specific lyrics that i feel like represent the pairings under the cut!

vax / keyleth : francesca

how could you think, darling, i'd scare so easily?

my life was a storm, since i was born, how could i fear any hurricane?

if i could hold you for a minute, darling, i'd go through it again

it was too soon, when that part of you was ripped away

i would not change it each time, heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i

percy / vex : work song

when my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold dark earth, no grave can hold my body down, i'll crawl home to her

and i was burning up a fever, i didn't care much how long i lived

but i swear, i thought i dreamed her, she never asked me once about the wrong i did

if the lord don't forgive me, i'd still have my baby and my babe would have me

in the low lamplight, i was free, heaven and hell were words to me

pike / scanlan : foreigner's god

she moved with shameless wonder, the perfect creature rarely seen

her eyes look sharp and steady into the empty parts of me

wondering who i copy, mustering some tender charm

breaking if i try conveying, the broken love i make to her

fjord / jester : nobody

i'd be appalled if i saw you ever try to be a saint, i wouldn't fall for someone i thought couldn't misbehave

but i've had no love like your love from nobody

if i had the choice between hearing either noise, the excitement of a thousand, or the soothing of your voice

and on the other side, why should we deny the truth? we could have less to worry about, honey, i won't lie to you

beau / yasha : as it was

and in a few days i will be there, love, whatever here that's left of me is yours, just as it was

the lights were as bright as my baby, but your love was unmoved

tell me if, somehow, some of it remains, how long you would wait for me and how long i've been away

the shape that i'm in now, your shape in the doorway, make your good love known to me or just tell me about your day

and the nights were as dark as my baby, and half as beautiful too

caleb / essek : from eden

there's something tragic about you, something so magic about you, don't you agree?

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

innocence died screaming, honey, ask me, i should know

there's something broken about this, but i might be hoping about this

a rope in hand for your other man to hang from a tree

imogen / laudna : NFWMB

give your heart and soul to charity, cause the rest of you, the best of you, honey, belongs to me

ain't it a gentle sound, the rolling in the graves?

if i was born as a blackthorn tree, i'd wanna be felled by you, held by you, fuel the pyre of your enemies

ain't it the life of you, your lightning of the blaze?

orym / dorian : like real people do

i will not ask you where you came from, i will not ask and neither should you

i know that look, dear, eyes always seeking, was there in someone that dug long ago

honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss like real people do

ashton / fearne : dinner & diatribes

i knew well from our first hookup, the look of mischief in your eyes

your friends are a fate that befell me, hell is the talking type, i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me what you'd do to me tonight

honey, i laugh when it sinks in, a pillar i am, upright

now that the evening is slowing, now that the end's in sight, honey, it's easier knowing what you'd do to me tonight

oh, let there be hotel complaints and grievances raised and that kind of love

[zorostitties]

Intertwined; 3

⤕ Luffy and you were like two sides of the same coin: opposites in every way, but similar in what mattered the most. Tied by a vow made with the purity of a child's heart, life keeps trying to tear you apart - but the vow that intertwined your destinies would not be broken so easily. Or, Luffy promised to marry you someday when you were kids. This is how he keeps his promise.

pairing: monkey d. luffy x (f) reader

genre: childhood friends to lovers, slow burn, arranged marriage, fluff, angst, eventual smut

warnings: violence/blood, explicit language, toxic family relationships, death/grief, when i say slow burn i mean it

rating: 18+

word count: 7k

A/N: Helloooo world!! As I promised last chapter, we're finally getting into Plot™ now! Shit gets real from now on!! Thank you so much for all the comments past chapter. Feedback is ALWAYS much welcome and appreciated! Enjoy! <3

⤕  Masterlist  ⤕ Also on AO3 ⤕ Taglist open!

➛ 10

Beautiful blue skies. Seagulls sang happily above your heads. It truly looked like the perfect day –and you couldn’t be angrier.

Why couldn’t the weather collaborate? Why couldn’t there be a hailstorm or a cyclone to ruin everybody’s plans?

Not that it’d make a difference, of course – it could be raining fire balls from the sky and it wouldn’t be enough to make Scarpia Drachen change his mind. Your father was many, many bad things, but he was many good things, too, and his stubbornness linked with his ability to make plans were unstoppable. If he decided he was going to do something, then he would do that and nothing would stop him. He would accomplish it with painful punctuality because, as he always said, time is money.

Which meant that this little family trip was extraordinarily expensive.

Having the entire family gathered in one place at the same time was some sort of miracle. After all, each of you were usually busy with commissions in different parts of the world at the same time. The only ones that were at the Scarpia island more often were your parents and your grandfather; these three not only stayed to manage the business, but also because they were way too expensive for most of the contractors. Scarpia Drachen and Virgus refused to step out of the mansion for anything less than five hundred million berries. As for your mother… she was unavailable most of the time.

But the entire Scarpia family was reunited for that banquet, from the oldest to the youngest, all on board of the black ship sailing the still waters of the Calm Belt, and that was definitely a very expensive miracle.

The banquet hosts were royalty, however – which meant they could pay for it.

If it was a normal day, maybe you would’ve felt some sort of excitement when the Germa ships appeared in the horizon. You had read about the incredible structure that formed Germa Kingdom: thousands of ships interlocked, forming a gigantic floating platform big enough to bear a castle and their splendid army. If it was a normal day, maybe you would’ve been impressed by the fact that the kingdom wasn’t even fully reunited, yet it already looked colossal – how big would the full fleet look like? Maybe you would’ve been excited to see the giant snail species that carried most of the ships.

But no, you weren’t excited. No, it wasn’t a normal day, and not only because of this strange expedition.

It was your tenth birthday – and instead of being granted your gift of free unsupervised days, you were stuck in that ship heading to a banquet you didn’t care about.

Your father was strangely kind about it... well, maybe “kind” is too strong of a word: he didn’t sound apologetic (he never did) and didn’t look like he cared, but at least he said that you could choose another week for your vacation. That was a little comforting… yet, you’d never seen any of your brothers have their gifts delayed. Wasn’t Drachen the punctual man? Why then when it came to you, things could be delayed?

Yes, you were angry.

Fuming, in fact. You hated all of this. Why were your wishes so easily brushed aside even though you spent a year working tirelessly? Another year of no failures on top of that. How long would it take to cross the Red Line? Even though you were considerably close to the continent, you would never make it to the East Blue in less than a week. No ship was that fast. You’d have to wait until a commission took place conveniently close to take your “days off”.

Which meant Luffy would be waiting for days – maybe months – having no idea why you didn’t show up on the agreed day.

Would he wait for so long? It’s been a year… maybe he had already forgotten about you. Maybe when you finally got to Dawn Island again, he’d be angry or not care about you.

You didn’t want to imagine that your year of relentless and tiring work would go to waste like that. Going back to Dawn Island was your sole motivation, after all; the thought that after all this, you’d be able to turn half of your brain off and rest with Luffy and Ace and the Mountain Bandits, to play and chase animals and maybe visit Miss Makino… but all of that could go to waste because of your insufferable father and his business meetings.

So, yeah. You wished the day was a little less pretty. You wished that a slightly smarter sea king would bite the ship despite the Seastone lining and swallow one or two of your brothers in the process. Not this beautiful blue ocean from all sides and the comfortable weather and gentle breeze. Why couldn’t the climate be on your favor for once?

From an outsider point of view, no one would even suspect you were that angry, of course.

Not only because of the white wolf mask covering your face completely. Your posture, calm breathing, utter silence… everything about you expressed serenity. As if your emotions and body were two disconnected entities. As if there wasn’t a person under that mask.

That wasn’t a talent exclusive to you. The entire family stood in line, side by side on the ship’s deck as it docked on Germa, with similar serenity and silence, faces hidden behind well polished masks, standing from oldest to youngest. Scarpia Virgus, your grandfather, wearing his owl mask. Your mother, Scilla, the viper. Urso, your older brother, the bear. Crowley wearing his crow mask. The white wolf. Saqr, the falcon. Samuel and Esmael, the coyote twins. Scarpia Drachen stood in front as the head of the family. His intricate dragon mask was the most impressive of all.

All the noise came from the Germa men yelling orders; the Scarpia servants with their black masks and tuxedos didn’t make a sound, only speaking when necessary without screaming. Quiet and expressionless and boring as usual.

You knew that your brothers were as annoyed and confused as you were, but stayed postured as usual. None of you really had a choice: your father wouldn’t answer any questions and he didn’t even like to be questioned in the first place… so all you had to do was wait to find out why the hell you were walking into Germa Kingdom.

Could it be a commission that would require the entire family? But that wouldn’t make any sense… Germa 66 was known as the most formidable army in the whole world. They didn’t need assassins. They also weren’t the type to not dirty their hands – everybody in the underworld knew that the Vinsmoke Family were mercenaries themselves. So this option was quickly discarded.

Could it be a new business partnership? That was very plausible. The Scarpia family could benefit from their high tech weapons. But what would father offer in return?

You got so curious for a moment that you almost forgot that you were angry. Yeah, screw all this. I don’t caaaare. I didn’t even want to be here!

So your mind traveled far when you saw Germa’s King and his entourage approaching – Vinsmoke Judge, the impossibly big man with his blonde mane, golden helmet and severe expression. He was followed by three color coded boys, all of them seeming to be Urso’s age, except for a girl in pink who looked slightly older. The stark difference between the families was a bit comical, even – Scarpias in all black; Vinsmokes in rainbow. Could your family be even more boring?

You didn’t pay attention when Judge and your father greeted each other with empty cordiality. Father could definitely kill him if he wanted, you quickly noted, but we’d all be dead by his soldiers in a minute. Physical power isn’t all. You rolled your eyes when Vinsmoke Judge congratulated your mother on her pregnancy – empty words again, and your mother was always pregnant, so whatever.

Then you all walked towards the castle.

The adults talked. Well, your mother kept quiet, but the others talked. You and your brothers walked in complete silence. The Vinsmoke kids chatted among themselves and seemed unable to walk on a beeline, sending you all side eyes, though they didn’t make any attempts to talk to you. Thank God they didn’t. They were loud and annoying, but not loud in a Luffy way or annoying in an Ace way – these kids were mean. That was as clear and obvious as the blue sky above. You didn’t even need to exchange words with them to realize that. Their loud antics were a very clear and obvious attempt to intimidate.

It probably would’ve worked on any other kid, but not on you or your brothers. Even the twins were unfazed, not paying them a drop of attention. Walking in silence. Perfect posture.

Boring.

You side eyed the only girl from the Vinsmokes. Her pink tulle dress and white boots were… cute. Her silver tiara, earrings and bracelets matched; a lilac cape that resembled butterfly wings completed the look. Cute, you thought again. She’s even wearing a bit of makeup. Which made you feel self conscious for the first time; your black formal dress and leather shoes were boring in comparison. The only “accessory” allowed was the red scorpion brooch the entire family wore over the right side of the chest. You were the only girl from the family, just like her; why couldn’t they allow you to wear something cute too?

Boring, boring.

Vinsmoke Judge guided the families inside the castle. Germa soldiers and Scarpia servants followed the entire way. Germa 66 flags could be seen everywhere; the décor with golden arabesques and many (many) paintings of the King and his children felt a bit tasteless and, well, boring. Your father and Judge talked nonstop. You had to admit that even though Judge was taller, your father didn’t look less intimidating than him… and he was certainly much more elegant and well-spoken, too. But you weren’t paying attention to whatever they were saying, so – boring boring boring boring.

After what seemed like an eternity, you arrived at a huge dinner room. It was slightly prettier than what you’d seen up until that point: one of the walls had floor to ceiling windows that granted a privileged view to the front square of the castle and the sea ahead. The large dinner table with velvet seats and many butlers were ready. Judge’s seat was more flamboyant than the others, as expected; he sat at one end of the table, Drachen sat on the other end. The rest took their seats following their respective family heads.

At least I’ll get to eat good food. Though eating with this mask is a pain in the ass.

The butlers brought the starters first – it looked like ceviche, though you weren’t sure. While the Vinsmoke kids started eating unceremoniously, you and your brothers waited patiently until your father finally held a fork.

“Your kids are well-behaved, Drachen.” Judge’s thunderous voice caught your attention for the first time. “I’m impressed.”

He didn’t sound impressed… Vinsmoke Judge’s voice always had a condescending tone to it. Well, what could be expected from a megalomaniac king?

“They’re assassins first, kids second.” Father replied with slight nonchalance. “This is the Scarpia way.”

Judge tilted his head slightly. “I’m curious to know what type of training they endure. It could be implemented in our troops.”

By that sentence alone, you already knew that your grandfather would intervene. “There are secrets that should not be unveiled, Judge.”

He didn’t sound angry or confrontational at all, but you saw with the corner of your eyes how the Vinsmoke kids froze for a second… because grandfather called him Judge. Not Your Majesty. But Judge wasn’t offended. He knew better.

A dry, humorless chuckle passed by the king’s dry lips. “Of course, Virgus. The entire underworld knows about the secrecy revolving the Scarpia family… my men are thrilled to even be in your presence. Many people think you’re myths.”

Drachen nodded slightly. “And we are honored to be in your presence today.”

You were thankful for that mask. It allowed you to roll your eyes as many times as you wanted and go unnoticed.

You took a small bite from the plate. Yep, ceviche. You’d be grateful if there was a bottle of hot sauce to pour on it. Oh well. These masks should have holes for the mouth. Put the food under the mask and make sure to not reveal a lot from your face was annoying, made eating less pleasurable… not that ceviche was that good of a food anyway.

I wonder if Luffy likes ceviche? Ugh- stupid question. He likes anything. He’d eat mud and call it yummy.

Luffy… you wondered if he was at the top of the hill waiting for you. You wondered if he’d be too pissed at you for not showing up…

“Soon we’ll all be family, however, so there won’t be secrets between us anymore… isn’t it, Virgus?”

That made you freeze.

You noticed Urso and Crowley freezing at your sides. Saqr and the twins on the other side of the table froze as well.

...What?

Grandfather nodded. “Of course. As soon as we become one, our partnership will be mutually beneficial.”

What?

Judge held his glass of wine and stood up, making everyone else follow instinctively. “I’d like to propose a toast, then, to the union of our families.”

What?

Union of the families?

Was… was this a betrothal banquet?

Who’s getting married? Your eyes flew to the Vinsmoke girl; she looked as surprised as you, which was somehow comforting. Maybe that’s why she was all dressed up? Was she the bride? So it’s Urso – that was the only plausible answer. Urso was the oldest, after all… it was appropriate for him to be the first one to get married.

“Finding a worthy partner to any of my children isn’t easy. The Scarpia family, however, with its tradition and prestige, is certainly the right choice. There isn’t anyone better to be Ichiji’s bride-to-be.”

The boy in red gasped.

What?

Your father lifted his glass of wine slightly.

“And I am sure my daughter couldn’t be in better hands.”

You lost the ability to breathe.

You froze completely as if your muscles became pure ice. For the second time that day, you were grateful for that mask. You couldn’t control your expressions anymore, you couldn’t control the sweat forming on your forehead or the way your jaw dropped or the way your eyes widened.

...WHAT?!

His daughter?! With that… with that boy?!

You turned your head slightly. The other three Vinsmoke kids eyed Ichiji, the red haired one. He looked as shocked as you, and maybe slightly irritated…

Then, he turned his head in your direction.

You avoided his gaze.

No no no no no no no. This can’t be happening. It can’t.

They kept talking nonsense, but your ears were plugged – you couldn’t hear anything but your irregular breathing. Yes, this was against the training, but you were far too dazed to care about it. You knew all the brothers were looking at you from under their masks. You knew your mother was paying close attention to you, probably uneasy that you could do something disrespectful. But no, you couldn’t even move.

Your tenth birthday.

A family reunion announced last minute so you wouldn’t be able to run away.

The Scarpia family could benefit from their high tech weapons.

But what would father offer in return?

His only daughter. You.

As soon as the banquet ended, you found a way to escape the room.

Silently, sneakily, before anyone could notice your absence. You didn’t even know where you were going; you just hid behind big plant vases or tables, trying to get away from them, trying to not hear their unbearable voices, desperately wanting to not be watched by anyone for a second.

After taking a few turns, you found an empty room and entered it.

You leaned your back on the wall and just breathed.

Your fingers were shaking. Your heartbeat increased by the second. You wanted to get that mask off to let some air touch your face, but you couldn’t, which made everything worse. You held the fabric of the dress over your chest, feeling your legs lose strength, feeling genuine despair.

They didn’t even ask me anything.

Which was a stupid thought – they never asked your opinion on anything. But this was, in a way, much worse than anything they’d ever done. When were your brothers ever subjected to anything so life changing like this? It didn’t matter that it’d still take years for that marriage to happen. How… how was your father able to sell you away like that–?

“Found you.”

You froze.

The shaking, the panting – everything stopped the second you put your body back on “autopilot”. You straightened your back and turned around.

It was Ichiji.

He wasn’t alone. His two brothers entered the room as well. The blue guy, Niji, and the green guy, Yonji.

You didn’t like their mischievous expressions. Not at all.

You didn’t like the way he called your name. Your real name. You hated that he even knew it. You despised his mocking tone, the way he almost sung it.

“Why is my bride running away like this?” Ichiji said as he approached slowly. “I’m not pleased with that.”

“I think she’s scared.” Yonji remarked. “She looks scared.”

“How do you know if she looks scared? We can’t see her face…” Niji observed with sarcasm.

Ichiji held his chin and hummed. You didn’t like his stupid face and his stupid red bangs falling over his right eye and the superiority look he sent you.

“That’s a real problem, you see. How can I marry you if I haven’t even seen your face? I mean, what if you’re ugly?”

“I bet she’s ugly.” Niji chuckled. “I bet all of them are ugly. That’s why they hide behind masks.”

“What are you gonna do if she’s ugly, Ichiji?” Yonji asked.

“Well… I’ll have to crush her face, then, until it gets pretty. But I should get rid of this mask first, right?”

The three got closer. And closer. They towered over you.

You didn’t move.

Their mean smirks and cruel eyes were overwhelming.

You didn’t move.

Ichiji lifted his hand to grab the mask.

You kicked him.

The movement was way too fast for him to react. Your foot planted on his stomach with such force that the red boy was sent flying away until his back hit the wall on the corridor outside.

The other two boys were shocked.

You straightened your posture. Your fists tightened. You stared at Ichiji in a way so intense that, even though your eyes were hidden under the mask, he could feel it.

“If you try to touch me again,” your voice was quiet. Serene. Menacing. “I will kill you.”

And that wasn’t an empty threat.

A part of you knew that was irresponsible. You felt the hardness of his skin when you kicked him; you had to use much more strength than first assumed to send him back, as if he was made of stone instead of flesh. You felt that he and his brothers were unnaturally strong. You knew that Ichiji just received that attack because you caught him by surprise, and that maybe fighting the three of them at the same time would be way too much.

But there was that other part of you, too. The one that was sharpened like a blade. The one that knew how to kill. The one that had killed many before.

These three? They had training. They had strength. But they didn’t have real battle experience, and you knew that.

That would be your advantage.

Ichiji stood up slowly while holding his stomach; with his other forearm, he cleaned the drool from his chin. His eyes were widened – at first, in shock –; it almost looked like he had never been hurt like that before.

Then… his blue eyes hardened in pure anger.

“You bitch–!” He panted. “How dare you hit me?! Who do you think you are?!”

He entered the room at fast steps. You didn’t move. The two other brothers looked at you with similar outrage.

“Niji, Yonji, hold her,” the red-haired Vinsmoke ordered. “I’ll teach this dog a lesson!”

They got ready to hold your arms, one brother on each side. Ichiji pushed the sleeves of his blouse back. Your got into a fight position for the first time, expanding your senses, getting ready to battle.

Niji and Yonji were a centimeter away from grabbing your arms–

Their touch never came.

Your eyes widened at the new presence towering behind you.

Landon.

The butler held the two boys back by their arms, keeping them away. Even though he wore the standard black mask, you knew it was him. Landon was watching me the entire time? I didn’t even notice him!

You were reminded once again of why he was assigned to train you.

“Your Highnesses, please calm your spirits.” His voice was husky and expressionless as usual. “This is a celebration day.”

The three boys were also taken aback by Landon’s sudden speed and strength… they haven’t met many people in this world able to hold them so easily. Ichiji was the first to recover, his face covered in a mask of anger once more.

“This bitch started! She kicked me!” He tightened his fists and stamped on the floor like a five year old. “I am a prince! Who does she think she is to kick me?! Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?!”

Ichiji didn’t see the person entering the room behind him while he screamed. Niji and Yonji gulped. Landon let go of their arms and straightened his back elegantly.

“Ichiji. This is no way to talk about your bride.”

The red-haired Vinsmoke turned around to face Judge.

Germa’s king didn’t look that disappointed or that upset or that he actually cared. His presence, however, was enough to make Ichiji deflate a bit.

“But dad! That dog kicked me!” His whiny voice made you want to vomit.

Your parents entered the room in time to hear that.

A small, hopeful part of you fantasized that they’d be outraged at hearing the way this boy talked about their daughter. This stupid hopeful part of you wished they’d call the betrothal off right then and right there.

But just like Judge, they didn’t care.

“His Highness was excited to see his bride’s face before the time, I’m afraid.” Landon explained calmly. “The Scarpia children are trained to never allow anyone to touch their masks. She acted purely on instinct, though maybe she shouldn’t have been so brute about it.”

Judge crossed his arms and looked at Ichiji with narrowed eyes.

“She was able to kick you?”

For the first time, Ichiji looked embarrassed.

“Y-Yes, but– it didn’t even hurt…”

Judge chuckled. “It just means your bride really is strong. Your children are splendid, Drachen. I can only imagine how extraordinary their offspring will be.”

Offspring?!

“Indeed.” Your father crossed his arms. “It’s all settled, then. I thought it was something more serious…”

“But dad–“ Ichiji tried.

“Well, they’re just kids, after all. Kids fight all the time. I’m sure they’ll get along in the future.” Judge ignored him. “I’ll make sure to educate my sons on the Scarpia traditions regarding your masks.”

The adults kept talking as if none of you were there.

Ichiji looked about to explode in frustration, which was honestly a bit satisfying. It seems he wasn’t used to be ignored.

Then, he locked his eyes on you.

He was furious.

Ichiji waited until your parents walked out to approach again. Landon didn’t move, which meant he couldn’t touch you – but it seems that he didn’t care.

He got close enough to talk on your ear. His voice dropped.

“When we get married,” he hissed. “I will beat you up so bad that you won’t ever get to walk again. I will make you swallow this mask. This is a promise.”

He and his brothers walked out.

You stood there for a good while. Landon didn’t move a centimeter.

The travel back was silent.

But not the usual Scarpia silence. It was a heavy silence. Uneasy. Hesitant. It felt that the atmosphere on board of the black ship weighed tons.

The dining room was so heavy that it was like gravity itself pushed everyone down.

Only the family members sat around the large round table, masks finally set aside. Night had fallen out there. The only audible sounds were of the waves outside and the quiet munching, cutlery touching porcelain plates. No one dared to look up from their plates. No one dared to do anything but eat.

You, however, hadn’t touched your plate.

Roasted sea beast meat with caviar and asparagus. Usually, you’d love that – but even the smell of food made you feel nauseous. Your stomach twirled around like a violent whirlpool; your limbs felt weakened. You couldn’t control your body. You couldn’t control your feelings.

How dare them act like nothing happened?

How dare them eat their dinner without addressing anything? Without explaining anything?

How dare them sacrifice you like that?

You couldn’t even breathe.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Your father broke the silence for the first time. It felt as if everyone in the room – except for grandfather – felt a slight electric shock at the sound of his deep velvety voice. “Your food will get cold.”

“It’s not fair.”

Everyone paused for a second.

If no one’s gonna bring it up, then I will. I can’t keep quiet. I won’t keep quiet.

Their eyes slowly turned to you. Father was the only one unfazed. He took another bite and licked his lips.

“What’s not fair?”

“You know what.” Your hands, resting over your lap, gripped the fabric of your dress nervously. Your heartbeat increased, you felt blood rushing to your head and face. You stared at your father, sitting across from you at the table, without even blinking. “Why me? Urso is the oldest, he should be the one to get engaged first.”

Urso tightened his eyes at you with a warning expression. Don’t drag me into this!

Father swallowed his food calmly.

“The duties of a woman are different than the duties of a man.” He took a small sip from his wine. “The wolf is a good mother. You will carry our bloodline with a suitable partner.”

You smacked your hands on the table and got up abruptly.

This time, everyone stopped eating.

You couldn’t believe that. It couldn’t be true. No. No.

Pure anger rushed through your veins.

“The wolf is a hunter!” You raised your voice for the first time. It trembled with rage. “I completed fifty commissions this year! I have never failed!”

“Precisely.” Father was still unfazed – and that’s what you hated the most. He didn’t care. He didn’t even look at you. “That is why Vinsmoke Judge chose you to be his son’s bride. You are exceptionally strong at such a young age.”

“I’m not lazy like Urso. I am better than Crowley.” You didn’t care that your brothers looked at you like they wanted to kill you. You didn’t care that the tension only heightened and heightened at each word.

You looked at your mother for a second.

Scarpia Scilla, going through her sixth pregnancy. Your beautiful, elegant and distant mother. The woman that almost never left the mansion because she was too busy being pregnant. The woman that almost never spoke at meetings and had little to no active voice in decisions regarding the business. The woman that dedicated her life solely to teaching her children. The way none of you resembled your mother – you all had inherited Drachen’s hair, eyes, skin; you were copies of him. Not her. She was just a means to an end.

And that frightened you.

“Why are you dooming me to be just someone’s wife?!”

Father lifted his eyes for the first time.

At that moment – air was knocked off your lungs.

He didn’t move. His expression didn’t even change that much. But you saw it – the ferocity in his eyes. The authority. You felt it like needles stinging your whole body, like a shockwave of heat melting your skin. You felt it in your guts, in your bones… that strange power Scarpia Drachen had to make others submit. To make others pass out in his presence. He let just a very subtle breeze of that power loose…

But that was enough to make you freeze.

Everyone else did, too. Everyone else stopped breathing. Everyone else locked their eyes on their plates, not daring to look to their sides. The only unaffected was your grandfather. You knew even the servants outside must’ve stopped moving.

You went too far.

“What are you implying here?” His voice was quiet. That was something else you hated about him – he never raised his voice. But that wasn’t necessary. The menace was there, pulsing, squeezing your heart in fright. “Are you belittling your mother’s efforts for this family?”

You, somehow, found the strength to speak despite the invisible weight on your stomach.

“N-No– That’s n-not what I meant–“

“I’m making you a princess. This is how you thank me?”

“T-That prince called me a bitch and a dog. Why will you let me marry someone like him?!”

You were impressed at yourself for blurting that without passing out – and the tension only heightened. I’m going too far. I’m going too far. Stop. Stop.

But you couldn’t.

Father was outraged.

“Weren’t you claming to be stronger than your brothers? Why are you whining, then? If you’re stronger, you can deal with that boy.”

You wanted to scream. You wanted to crash your plate on the floor. You wanted to punch him.

You wanted to cry.

Have you ever wanted to cry before?

“Maybe I’ve been too permissive with you for being my only daughter. But if you want to be treated like a man, then I’ll do it. Taking your books from you will be enough? Canceling your biology classes? Should I cancel your birthday trips?”

NO.

No no no no no no no not this please not this please please please not this no no no no no.

Your body went into autopilot again.

You stopped shaking. Your breathing went back to normal. You immediately sat down and lowered your gaze.

“I’m sorry, father. I disrespected your authority. I was caught by surprise, that’s all.”

Your voice came quiet. Serene. Expressionless. Robotic.

Please don’t take my free days from me. Please. Do anything else. Punish me in the dungeons for a month. Keep me locked. Poison me until I pass out. But don’t take my free days from me. Please, let me go to the East Blue. Please, let me see my only friend.

They were all taken aback by your sudden change.

After a few seconds of silence, your grandfather let a deep sigh.

“Drachen. She is just a child.” He sounded tired… even a bit annoyed. “She doesn’t even understand what marriage means yet. Of course she’ll be upset.”

Father crossed his arms and sighed.

“Scilla. Make sure to teach her about it.” Your mother nodded. “...I won’t take your birthday gift from you. You deserve it, after all. Your year was splendid.”

“Thank you, father.”

“Apologize to your mother as well.”

“I am sorry, mother.”

“...As a woman, you’ll get used to the idea of marriage eventually. But my father is right… right now, you’re just a girl.” He took his fork again. “Eat your dinner before it gets cold.”

“Yes, father.”

You took the fork and started eating despite the nausea.

The ocean out there. Quiet munching. Cutlery on plates.

Other than that…

Silence.

This silence stayed with you for the next few weeks.

You went on with your usual tasks. You didn’t give your brothers attention when they tried to mock you. You didn’t complain about Landon’s training. You sat down and listened to your mother talking about marriage. You didn’t speak more than necessary… as if there wasn’t a person behind these eyes. As if your soul had left your body.

A new commission on the East Blue.

The travel was silent. The commission was carried silently.

As soon as you finished your target, you made Landon a quick call.

I’m taking my days off.

It took three days to get to Dawn Island.

After nine weeks, you sat at the top of the hill again.

It was early in the morning. The sky had that familiar dark blue tone indicating that the sun was about to rise. It was, once again, silent – but a peaceful type of silence, permeated by bird chirps, the wind playing with the trees. It was chilly. You were hungry.

You hugged your own legs, resting your chin over your knees, and watched the landscape.

...All that was bullshit. Your trip to Dawn Island was supposed to be always happy. It was a small span of time when you could simply stop thinking of your family or all the struggles you faced back home.

Why, then, didn’t your father’s cold words leave your mind for a second?

Why couldn’t you forget about your parents’ nonchalance upon seeing your “fiance” calling you names?

Why couldn’t you forget Ichiji’s disgusting promise?

Why couldn’t you forget your brothers’ – especially Urso and Crowley – mockery towards you?

…

Why were you crying?

You touched your cheeks with your fingertips, surprised to see them wet. Crying? Were you actually crying? Was that a sob? Why couldn’t you control it?

For the first time in nine weeks, you got off autopilot. You took the mask off. You felt things for real.

And it hurt.

You hid your face on your knees and tried to not make much noise, tried to swallow the sobs – but that was quite impossible. Crap, stop crying! This is embarrassing! You didn’t come here for this!

But how could you not when you already felt doomed?

You tried to control your breathing, sniffed, swayed slighlty forward and backward. Stop crying. Stop. You hate to get up and walk to Luffy’s house. He probably won’t show up. Yet, you still couldn’t move… and you didn’t want Luffy to see you like this. He’d probably laugh. You didn’t need someone else to mock you.

So you stayed there until the sun rose. Until the stars disappeared and the sky got light blue. Until the golden rays painted the landscape in new, more vibrant colors.

It felt that your legs were freezing.

But then… you heard a new sound.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

It was slow at first. Almost dragged.

It stopped abruptly.

Then–

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap.

“Heeeeey! Four Eyes! You came!!”

Loud laughter.

You froze – and it had nothing to do with the cold this time.

Your shoulders shrinked, you rapidly cleaned your face with the sleeve of your jacket. Crap, I didn’t think he would show up!

Was… was Luffy coming here every day to wait for you? For almost three months?

That made you feel funny.

You turned around looking like a scared rat.

Luffy looked the same. Maybe a little bit taller – still shorter than you –, the huge grin that probably ached his cheeks, eyes tightened. His hair was messier than usual, which made you wonder if he had just gotten out of bed. He wore shorts, a red shirt with the number 56 stamped on it… and bandaids. He had bandages around his left knee and right wrist.

Luffy ran towards you excitedly. “What the heck! I thought I’d never see you again!!”

Then, he opened his eyes.

He saw your red eyes and puffy face and humid cheeks.

His smile fell.

You gulped and waved timidly. “H-Hi. Long time no see.”

The straw hat boy scratched his head. “Uh… did something… happen...?”

You pressed your lips and looked ahead again.

You heard Luffy go hmmmmm. After kicking a pebble away, he sat by your side, legs crossed.

Silence.

He went hmmmmm again.

You didn’t have the courage to turn your face and look at him–

A flick on your forehead.

“Hey!” You scowled at him angrily.

“What? You’re not talking to me! Are you just gonna sit here and make this ugly face?” He crossed his arms and frowned. “The hell happened to you? I thought you were dead!”

You rested your chin over your knees again. “...I think dying would’ve been better.”

Luffy hissed and leaned away slightly. “Ugh. Don’t talk like that, you’re pissing me off.”

“I’m pissing you off?!” You whipped your head at him, scowling again. “You don’t know what being pissed off is!”

“I would know if you told me.”

He looked at you as if you were stupid.

He did that a lot, actually.

But he had a point. Kinda.

You sighed and gulped, staring at nowhere in particular. You didn’t really want to say it. It felt as if, by saying it, you’d make it more real than it already was.

Yet, at the same time, you needed to talk to someone about it… and Luffy was your only friend.

So you gathered some courage.

“...I’m getting married.”

Luffy gasped.

He blinked, tilted his head to the side.

“Congra...tulations…?”

“Don’t congratulate me! This isn’t nice! My parents are forcing me!”

“Oooooh.” Luffy still had that weird expression. He leaned a bit closer. “By the way, how old are you?”

“I’m ten.”

He smiled as if relieved. “Ah. Cool. For a moment I thought you were just a short hag pretending to be a kid.” You punched his head. “Ouch!”

“Don’t call me a hag!”

“But I said you’re not!” Luffy pushed his hat back and massaged his head. “But… uh… why are you so upset? I mean, what’s so bad about it?”

Your jaw dropped.

Luffy just kept looking at you with round eyes.

He… he really lived in another world, didn’t he?

“Everything’s bad about it!” You usually didn’t speak that loud or gesticulate this much, but you couldn’t control yourself anymore. “First of all, my parents are forcing me! Second, the guy’s an asshole! Third, they all want to use me like a… like a cow!”

He quirked one eyebrow. “A cow? Do you… like… make milk?”

“No!” You gripped your own hair like a maniac. “They want me to have babies!”

Luffy still didn’t get it.

“What’s wrong with that?”

He reeeeally lived in another world.

You took a deep breath and turned your body in his direction completely, sitting with legs crossed as well.

“Have you ever seen a pregnant woman, Luffy?”

“Of course.”

“Do you think having your tummy grow into a giant ball is okay?”

Luffy held his chin in a thoughtful expression.

“I mean… I do it all the time when I eat too much.”

“I’m talking about normal people! People not made of gum!”

“Uhhh…”

“Well, I’ll tell you how it is. It hurts!” You scowled just remembering your mother’s state, her pains, her complaints, how swollen she’d get. “Your whole body hurts for months! You can’t even walk after a while! And that’s not even the worst part!”

“What’s the worst part?”

“The baby has to get out sometime!”

Luffy’s face changed slowly. It got more horrified little by little as if he never stopped to wonder how babies are born.

“How… hmm… how do they get out…?”

“From below!” Luffy got pale. “You have to push push push until the baby comes out! And it hurts and it bleeds!”

He leaned away slightly. “From the pee pee?!”

You frowned. “What? No!”

Luffy got paler. He put both hands on the lower part of his back. “From the bootyhole?! You have to shit the baby out?!”

“No! It’s not– it’s not from the bootyhole! It’s from somewhere else!”

“So, the pee pee.” It looked like he was about to pass out.

You groaned. “Girls don’t have this!”

Luffy measured you up and down as if you were an exotic deep sea creature. “You don’t have bootyholes? How do you shit?���

“We have bootyholes! We don’t have pee pees!” This talk was starting to get weird. You crossed your arms and avoided his gaze. “W-We got something else instead.”

The straw hat boy hummed again and crossed his arms as well. “Uhhh. Makino didn’t teach me any of this.” He looked down at his shorts. “...I’m glad I have a pee pee.”

“Anyways! D-Do you understand now how bad this is?! I’m doomed!” I don’t wanna talk about buttholes and pee pees anymore! “They want me to be like my mother. All she does is stay at home and have babies. Mother is always pregnant. She doesn’t work, she doesn’t participate in anything else. I don’t wanna be like that! Never!”

Luffy scratched his chin. “Hm… what if you say you don’t want to get married?”

An incredulous laugh escaped. “If it was that easy, I wouldn’t be here crying about it!”

“Why’s it so complicated?”

He really really reeeeally lived in another world.

“I can’t simply say no. I can’t even run away. My parents have eyes everywhere, and I mean everywhere!” Luffy looked around you instinctively.

“Even here?”

“No, not here. Relax.” You didn’t feel like explaining the deal that allowed you to be there unwatched.

“So they’re not everywhere.”

You groaned again and rolled your eyes. Luffy was always so relaxed. So okay. It even looked like you were exagerating.

He stuck his pinky finger inside his ear absently. “Your parents sound worse than gramps, then.”

“What about him?”

He grimaced.

“He’s sooo annoying. He wants me and Ace to become Marines.” Luffy took his pinky out, rolled the earwax into a tiny ball and flicked it away. Ew. “But I’ll just do what I want anyway, so whatever.”

You sighed deeply again, feeling your shoulders drop. His grandfather was probably just a normal old man wanting the best for his grandkids… nowhere near the hell your parents were.

“I wish I could say the same.”

Luffy went hmmmm again.

And again.

He widened his eyes slightly. It was almost as if you could see a tiny lamp light up above his head, indicating he had an idea.

“When’s the wedding?”

“When I get older. Duuh. My parents are assholes, but they wouldn’t let me get married as a kid.”

“Years from now?”

“Obviously.”

“Huh. So just marry me instead.”

You whipped your head at him again.

“What?”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

Luffy frowned. “You deaf?”

“I’m not–“ You almost gagged. “Did you ask me to marry you?”

“I didn’t ask. But it makes sense, right?” He crossed his arms again. “If you marry me before you marry this guy, they won’t do anything about it.”

“Of course they will! They’ll kill you!”

Luffy, once again, looked at you as if he thought you were stupid.

“Four Eyes, I’m gonna be the King of the Pirates when we’re older. They’re not gonna kill me because they won’t make it.” He opened his evil gremlin grin. “They got eyes everywhere? They’re super strong? What’s that compared to the Pirate King? You’re gonna be on my ship with my crew. Let them try to do anything!”

It all seemed to easy to him. So simple. So obvious.

And his idea was surely insane. Surreal. A bit stupid, even.

But the thing is.

You didn’t doubt that Luffy could become a powerful pirate in the future.

He was clumsy, dumb and naive. But he was strong. Not stronger than you… he probably wasn’t even stronger than Saqr yet. However, Luffy found a way to deal with his strange Devil Fruit, found a way to make it work. He moved and distorted his body in creative ways, he could do things no one else could. He fought giant beasts daily. He trained every single day. And he was a bit coo coo crazy in the head.

Above all this… Luffy had this dream, this goal, this motivation. It was already much more than you, who just got stronger because you were told to do so. Luffy was determined. Stubborn in a way none of your brothers were. What if he received the same training the Scarpia kids had since birth? He would already be at a much higher level.

Luffy was definitely not a normal kid… and you could see that he would not grow to become a normal adult.

The King of the Pirates?

What would your parents do if you married the King of the Pirates?

Gold Roger was a force to be reckoned with. He was feared worldwide, even after his death. Your grandfather told you once about his brief encounter with him… of how incredibly powerful he was. Powerful enough to impress Scarpia Virgus – and that was a lot.

Luffy at that level?

Luffy, the King of the Pirates?

...That could work.

Yeah. Yeah, that could work.

You put your backpack on your lap and shoved your hand there in search of something.

“We’re gonna have to make some rules, then.”

“Booooring.” He groaned.

“Shut up!” You took your sketchbook and a pen. “First of all. No babies!”

“Why would I wanna have a baby?”

“Second. I’m not gonna cook or clean!”

“I’ll have a cook on my ship anyway.”

“Third. I’m not gonna be locked up in the same place all the time! I’ll get to do whatever I want, go wherever I want, talk when I want, scream at whoever I want!”

“Duuuh. We’re gonna live on a ship! At the sea! You can’t be in the same place like that. Also, huh, I don’t care what you do. Why would I care?”

You scribbled these rules on the paper rapidly.

“What are you doing?”

“A contract. Father taught me to never trust anything until it’s on paper.”

“Booooring.”

“Shut up.” You signed your full real name at the end of the page. “Now… you sign here.”

Luffy quirked one eyebrow and scribbled a signature… his caligraphy was so bad that you could barely understand it. He just signed Luffy.

You laid the sketchbook over your lap.

“Now we have a deal!”

Sunrays touched Luffy’s olive skin, made his gremlin smile shine. He put his hat back on his head and offered you his hand.

“We have a promise!”

Yep, Luffy was very full of himself… but in a world of uneasiness, having someone being certain about anything was comforting.

For the first time in nine weeks, you weren’t on autopilot. For the first time in nine weeks, you didn’t feel crushing sadness.

For the first time in nine weeks, you smiled.

It was as if the sun finally shone through dark storm clouds. As if you could see light in the darkness again, warmth instead of cold.

He brought that with him.

You shook Luffy’s hand tightly.

The promise was made.

[violetwolfraven]

Wait wait wait remember that post about how Team Starkid/the Lang brothers are going to be comparable to Shakespeare 500 years from now and it was mostly played for laughs like yeah lol you’ll need a paragraph of footnotes to explain the zefron poster but like

I don’t think that’s actually far off from how Starkid’s place in theatre history might play out and here’s why. Just hear me out

Why is Shakespeare so popular today when he definitely wasn’t the only playwright from that era? When he’s not even the only playwright from that era from England that we have surviving works from?

Two main reasons:

1) Shakespeare’s work is (relatively) universally relatable. The characters do things that are so fundamentally human. They make jokes at their friends’ expense. They complain about being awkward in front of their crush. They have daddy issues. The plot lines of the plays aren’t too complicated. The dick jokes land whether you’re watching in 1611 or 2024, and they probably still will in 2637. Shakespeare’s works are timeless because he didn’t try to outsmart his audience. He wrote about things everyone could relate to rather than trying too hard to peacock his intellect in front of the nobility. This is not true of every playwright.

2) Shakespeare was really popular right around the time England started colonizing everything in sight. Copies of his work got shipped all around the world, translated into dozens of languages, performed probably thousands of times. Setting aside the moral implications of this, the important thing to note is that Shakespeare was about the most easily accessible English playwright during a time of rapid, intense globalization.

Meanwhile, Starkid:

1) Invests hard in meaningful, relatable character arcs instead of spectacle and expensive sets or costumes. Also, lowbrow, immature humor and dick jokes that make A Very Potter Sequel funny and enjoyable regardless of if you’ve ever seen any other Harry Potter media in your life.

2) Posts professional recordings of their musicals to YouTube FOR FREE, making their shows about the easiest, best quality musical theatre you can get pretty much anywhere in the world, regardless of if your area has an active theatre scene. Proshots from other companies are rare and usually not free. Bootlegs are all well and good, but even if the video quality is alright (and that’s a big if) the audio is usually garbage. Starkid has been posting the best quality free recordings they can afford since 2009, shortly after the birth of social media, another time of rapid, intense globalization.

In short, I’m not saying that theatre historians in 500 years won’t remember any our current Broadway faves, but I am saying that in my opinion, Team Starkid is probably going to be more accessible for the general public. If you’re a 26th century English teacher trying to teach your class about narrative structure in 21st century theatre, what are you going to show your students? A bootleg of Hadestown with blurry video and garbage audio? Or the professional recording of Twisted, parts of which they will probably even enjoy, because even long after no one remembers Disney’s Aladdin anymore, your class of 26th century 16-year-olds are still going to laugh at “No One Remembers Achmed.”

[galamalion]

୨୧. 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐄

summary. luffy's relationship with hancock begins to strike a deep nerve within you.

⤷ contents. monkey d. luffy x gn!reader, fluff + angst, boa hancock is rude, jealous!reader, light angst (resolved by the end), slight miscommunication // wc. 2.1k

⤷ notes. request by @amortentiaz for a jealous!reader over luffy's relationship with boa hancock. i think i got a little too invested in writing reader's anger, maybe i should write some more angst... i hope you enjoy! <3

Your boyfriend wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Was he caring? Of course, he cuddled and hugged and kissed you near constantly. Was he attentive? Easily, he always wanted to snuggle with you, no matter your location—even if it led to some unfortunate circumstances.

But he may just be the most scatterbrained boyfriend anyone could ask for, and your current situation was perhaps the best example of his obliviousness.

"Ah, Luffy! I have more food if you want it!"

"Really?! Thank you, Hancock!"

You and Luffy had gotten pulled off your ship by a terrible storm, only a small makeshift raft of wood to keep you afloat. A miracle had led you to land on Amazon Lily, an island led by a woman with a fixation for Luffy.

And so here you were, stuck watching the most beautiful woman in the world drape herself over your boyfriend like they'd been married for the last thirty years. Sure, your boyfriend was the greatest catch in the East Blue, but he was your boyfriend. Not Hancock's 'sweetie pie honey bun super-special pirate king.'

You had just finished talking with Jimbei through the snail transponder, who informed you that the ship would be there tomorrow in the morning. Unfortunately, that meant you would have to stay here.

"Alright, Luffy," you sighed, "The Thousand Sunny will be here in the morning, which means that we're stuck here for tonight."

"There's a room prepared for you in the palace if you need it, Luffy! I can have whatever you need brought there," Hancock swooned, feeding Luffy a drumstick.

"Ooh! Hey, is there anything you need, ____?" Luffy turned to ask, voice muffled by all the meat stuffed inside his mouth.

You looked behind Luffy to meet eyes with Hancock, watching her expression sour at the mention of your name.

"I think I'm fine. Thanks, Luf," you muttered, crossing your arms.

"Ok, but Hancock can bring us anything, so if you change your mind you can ask her!" he grinned, taking another large bite of the drumstick.

You sighed, briefly meeting eyes with Hancock who silently scoffed at your presence. Angrily, you stomped out of the palace and out of the town, going far, far away from the oh-so benevolent queen of the island.

As you walked into the expansive forest of the island, you began kicking a rock with each step, muttering under your breath.

"Oh Luffy, here's some yummy food!" you kicked the rock. "Oh Luffy, what dress do you think I should wear?" you kicked the rock. "Oh Luffy, you should break up and we should get married and have a bunch of tiny beautiful babies!"

You kicked the rock off the path, watching it roll off into underbrush and onto the grass floor of the forest.

"Go on then," you grumbled, "go get married to the prettiest girl in the world! then you can really be King of the Pirates..."

As you walked further into the tropical forest of the island, you came upon a rocky cliff, a beautiful location covered in small plants and light foliage. Rocks jutting out harshly in every which way, moss growing upon it, unbothered and untouched.

This is just what you need.

You stepped up to the edge of the cliff and gazed at the forest below, wild and vibrant green hues filling up every space you looked at. The sky was similar, a brilliant cloudless blue, like a calm blue sea without a boat in sight. You could stare at this serene scene for all of eternity, if only time allowed.

Sighing wistfully, you closed your eyes and stretched your body, taking a deep breath.

And then, you screamed.

You screamed at nothing and everything, all at once. At Hancock and Luffy, together, singularly, at their actions, at their attitudes. You shrieked at Hancock's cruel expressions, her blatant disregard for your own feelings. You screeched at Luffy's oblivious disposition, his inability to realize how you felt about all of this. You screamed until your throat burned, until you could feel your eyes welling up with tears and your screams turned into sobs turned into silent crying.

Needless to say, it was a much needed catharsis.

You calmed yourself down and walked back to the bustling city, taking in the nature surrounding you. As you continued walking, a long, rubbery leg touched down onto the forest path. The leg was attached to your boyfriend, who jumped down from the trees with a bewildered and frightened expression on his face.

"Are you okay ____?!" I heard—"

"I'm fine," you snapped, brushing past him.

Luffy gave you a confused look as you walked towards the village, on your way to check out the room in the palace Hancock so graciously gave you.

It was placed right next door to Hancock's own chambers, no doubt because she wanted to keep Luffy close, but the interior was far more shocking. Instead of a giant king sized bed in the middle, two beds—one far bigger than the other—with a great deal of space separating them were inside. It was almost too obvious to tell which bed was Luffy's, given the amount of food and gift baskets surrounding it.

You were just shocked that she put you in Luffy in the same room.

Deciding it wasn't worth complaining about, you instead searched around the castle in search of a library, a place Luffy would never look for you.

It wasn't that you were mad at him. No, it would be more accurate to say that you were furious. But you knew deep inside your mind that it wasn't his fault. But you also knew that if you saw him again, you would blow up, explode, in his face.

You stayed in the library until midnight, reading fairy tales and historical texts, immersing yourself in the stories and history these books contained. You could feel the anger and jealousy in your veins dwindle with each page you read.

Once you had returned your amassed collection of books back to their shelves, you made your way back to your room. Expectations were low, you were fairly certain that Luffy wouldn't have a clue regarding your feelings, and a conversation would most certainly need to happen.

Walking quietly to your shared room, you carefully opened the door. the first thing you noticed was that Luffy was still awake, crouched in the middle of his bed. It wasn't strange for Luffy to be awake so late in the night, knowing that his sleep schedule was pretty irregular, but an unusually upset expression was etched into his face.

The second thing you noticed was that the delicious gifts surrounding his bed were uneaten, unopened, the wrapping on a few having not been touched.

Luffy noticed you immediately, the corners of his lips pulling down even further, his brow furrowed in a mixture of, seemingly, sadness and confusion, like a puppy watching their owner leave for the first time.

"Are you mad at me?" he blurted out quietly, clutching his knees.

All you could do was sigh in response, moving to sit on your own bed.

"I don't know," you confessed, looking away from him. "I'm...mad, yeah. But at you? I don't know."

Luffy remained quiet until you decided to break the silence.

"Hancock is pushy," you crossed your arms, "she's pushing my boundaries and she's pushing her way between us. I know she's a friend of yours and she's helped you a lot, but it hurts to watch her snuggle up to you and talk about the 'love' between you."

You looked up at Luffy, seeing the realization and hurt flood his eyes, his fingers twitching as his legs slid towards the edge of the bed.

He didn't say anything yet, instead squeezing the blankets and looking down at his feet, clearly composing his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, ____," Luffy whispered, standing up from the bed. "I know Hancock does nice things for me, but I don't see her like I see you,"

"Then why don't you tell her off? Tell her to leave you alone, tell her you're in a relationship?" you pushed, feeling the jealousy seething out of you.

Luffy frowned and walked closer to you, sitting down on your bed. "You're the greatest treasure I've ever found," he confessed, moving his hands to yours, "it's like you're so shiny and bright, and everybody else is all gray. I know Hancock talks a lot and gives me a lot of food, but if you don't want me to talk or take stuff from her, then I won't, promise!"

Despite your attempts to remain stoic, you were unable to disguise the twinge of a smile caused by Luffy's statement, choosing to nuzzle your face in his neck to hide.

"You don't have to ignore her, Luf. Just ask her to tone it down, maybe? She is the queen of this place. Even if I'm mad at her, I'd rather not piss off someone who can kill us with a snap of her fingers," you mumbled, playing with his vest.

Luffy gave you a big hug, wrapping his rubbery arms around once, and then twice. "If she tries to hurt you, then I'll stop her! You're way more awesome than her," Luffy declared with a pout, falling back into your tiny bed with you in his arms, "and I promise I'll be an extra awesome boyfriend for you."

"You're too sweet, Luf," you laughed softly, hugging him tighter. "But maybe we should move to the bigger bed?"

"I'm too tired, and I'm already comfy," he whined.

"Fine," you grumbled, too tired to argue with your much stronger boyfriend (and captain.)

"G'night, ____," Luffy hummed, pulling you closer to his chest.

You smiled, shutting your eyes, "Night, Luffy."

The morning seemed to come swiftly, light spilling into the room and striking your face. Your boyfriend was still wrapped around you like a vice, caging you tightly against his chest.

"Luffy," you groaned, trying to push him away, "you gotta let me go, it's time to get up,"

Luffy moaned and pressed his face to your chest, "Five more minutes, pretty please?"

"Jimbei said the ship would be here in the morning, the mor-ning, Luf. If we're late to meet them then Nami will beat our asses."

"Then I'll beat her up!"

"Then I'll have to dig your grave."

Luffy pouted and retracted his arms, crossing them, "Fine, we can go now."

Now free from you boyfriend's hold, you and Luffy changed your clothes for the new day, then exited the bedroom.

Immediately upon opening the door, you were greeted with the beautiful, illuminating face of Boa Hancock, who was clearly shocked and upset to see you exit with Luffy.

"Ah, Luffy! I just wanted to see if you wanted to have breakfast? I've had 60 eggs cooked and 30 plates of meat—"

"Sorry, Hancock!" Luffy interrupted, scooping you up and throwing you over his shoulder, "we've gotta go!"

"But—"

Without letting her get another word out, Luffy sprinted through the halls of the palace and out of an expansive window, stretching his way across the viridian forest below.

The sights below were familiar, but it was strange seeing them down below. You could make out the path you travelled through the leaves, even catching a glimpse of the cliff you had stood on last night, a horrible moment during a horrible day that seemed so far away now.

As Luffy jumped from tree to tree, occasionally breaking through the canopy to give you that bird's-eye view, you eventually landed at the gate to Amazon Lily, where the thousand sunny was currently floating.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Nami yelled up, waving her arms, "you're just in time! Let's get out of here!"

"Please, let me go! I need to get onto that island!" Sanji cried out, held in place by Robin's devil fruit-generated limbs.

Luffy let out a boisterous laugh, "We're comin' down! Let's go, ____!" he howled, sprinting towards the ledge.

You looked over your shoulder, fear in your eyes, "Luffy, don't you dare!"

Luffy, ignoring your pleas for a safer entrance, leapt onto the ship with a battle cry, landing perfectly on the wooden deck with you in hand. He gently set you down, flashing a grin as he patted your shoulder.

"Wasn't that fun?!" Luffy exclaimed, dusting off his straw hat.

You collapsed in shock, sprawling your limbs out on the deck as you recovered from your near-death situation.

"We'll...we'll work on that," you panted, desperately attempting to catch your breath.

"Sweet! Let's go now!" Luffy cheered, pulling you back up

"Go? Where?" you asked, astonished, "we just got back to the ship?"

"I told ya, I'm gonna be and extra super awesome boyfriend!" he beamed, "now we have to go do some extra super awesome stuff!"

He once again wrapped you up in his arms, flashing a smile as he hugged you.

"I promise I'm gonna be a way better boyfriend from now on, I won't disappoint you!" he beamed.

You smiled back and ruffled his hair, kissing his forehead.

"You're already the best boyfriend I could ask for, Luffy."

"But I can be better!"

"Better than best?"

"Best of the best!"

You threw you head back and laughed, squeezing him back.

"Alright, Luf. Show me what you have in mind."

[sleepymarimo]

𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.

summary: one time zoro pushes your affections away and another time when he begrudgingly accepts them. pairing: zoro x gn!reader cw: none, zoro being a cutie and confused about soft feelings an: just some fluff bc I have a headache and I wanna give him a hug :( wc: 1.2k

it seemed like zoro had always let the oddest things to happen to him.

he’d let chopper climb atop his head, tiny hooves brushing through strands of moss green hair. when the reindeer’s soft fur tickled the skin of his cheeks, he didn’t blink.

he’d let usopp cling to him in fear, idly looking around with a bored expression as the sniper tugged at his hakama or pushed him right toward whatever threat lay before them.

the list goes on and on, the ever stoic swordsman never really putting in the effort to actively resist his crew mates or the occasional curious animal.

with that in mind, you figured that you’d be able to get away with some gestures of your own.

after a particularly rough battle, you’d been so utterly happy that your arms wrapped around the rugged swordsman, squeezing him tight.

you blame it on the adrenaline, not those pesky feelings of yours that you refuse to acknowledge.

it was an innocent embrace, imbued with nothing but affection and glee, yet that didn’t stop him from tensing at your touch.

the next thing you remember is being pushed away, gently but firmly, and feeling dumbfounded.

“the hell are you doing?” he had roughly questioned, brushing off your much-too-sweet touches from his person.

uncomfortable.

he was uncomfortable and he hated it, not particularly fond of feeling so vulnerable from something as simple as a damn hug.

looking between him and your still awkwardly stretched out arms, you come to a sort of realization.

zoro didn’t just let things happen to him. no, he allowed them. every touch and tug and pinch was permitted, actively decided upon by the marimo.

that fiasco was almost a whole week ago, the thousand sunny now barreling through the rolling waves of the sea in the hopes of reaching a winter island.

even as the air became colder, the clouds darker, you continued to simmer.

unjustifiable annoyance creeps into your brain just thinking about how he pushed you away, your cheeks burning with embarrassment and hurt alike.

he didn’t feel that bad.

the swordsman had boundaries, which was understandable, set in place for the sake of self-preservation.

that small flip his heart did when he felt you hug him? the boiling heat that clawed up from his chest to his cheeks and to the tips of his ears? absolutely not.

he didn’t want to deal with that, especially after a fight and with the rest of the crew watching.

it took time for you to adjust your actions, to maneuver around the barriers he’d set in place for himself.

being the stubborn little thing you were, you decided to throw yourself into the jaws of the tiger once more.

you try your luck on a brumal morning, a light frost already starting to form on the deck. it seems like the water is still, the sea easily parting as the ship effortlessly glides on its surface.

the observation deck is your destination, where you’re sure the marimo will be.

and indeed he is, outwardly unaffected by the biting cold.

meticulous as ever, at least when it comes to his craft, he sits on a mat and polishes his blades. shoulders relaxed, but eyes sharp, he goes about his task with precision.

he knows you’ve just entered the observation room, thinking that a nod of his head and a small grunt is enough of a greeting.

the scent of steel and polish hang in the air as he continues, figuring that you’d come in to grab something.

he doesn’t expect to be what you want. what else was he good for besides swinging a damn sword around?

you mask your nerves and step inside, taking brisk steps towards the swordsman. it’s now or never, you think, quick to take a seat behind him on the mat.

with slow and gentle movements, you situate yourself into your preferred position.

your chest presses into his back, the rough material of his shirt not enough to keep you from resting your cheek there.

your inner thighs hug his outer ones, the firmness of the muscle beneath forcing you to hold back a shudder. sealing the deal, you loosely wrap your arms around his midsection.

“good morning.” you mumble, speaking to him as if he were a deer about to bolt.

silence is what you get in return and you wish you could peer into that thick skull of his to see what he was thinking.

warm.

that’s how zoro feels at first, before something akin to discomfort starts to gnaw away at him.

his hands come to a stop, his head lifting as he stared ahead and processed just what the hell you were doing.

there’s a split second of stillness- a period of time where he decides if he wants to revel in your touch or bask in his solitude for a moment longer.

it feels like eons pass before the tension is broken, fizzling into nothing as if it didn’t exist in the first place.

his hands resume their task of polishing his prized swords. the muscles in his body relax and everything else suddenly melts away.

he grants you permission.

he allows it.

“morning.” he grumbles back, speaking with an air of nonchalance that contrasted with how fast his mind was racing.

it’s a delicate balance, as frail as the thin layer of ice starting to form on the glass windows.

you know now more than ever to hold off on the banter and teasing, unless you wanted to get bucked off.

taking what you’ve been given, you’re content enough with releasing a deep breath and letting the rise and fall of his back lull you into a light doze.

time seems to pass slower in this world, in this little pocket of tranquility which exists only for the two of you.

when you finally decide to loosen your grip and pull away, he lets out a noise equivalent to a growl.

he’s almost offended.

one of his hands holds your wrist in place, his grip firm. he’s never been good at displaying tenderness, his words unintentionally gruff. “oi, where are ya goin’?”

he releases your arm, almost daring you to defy him. his muscles relax once more, calloused hands resuming the tedious task of polishing steel as he picks up his next sword.

his tone is softer, spoken as a mumble as if he was afraid of saying too much. “just stay a little longer.”

the request has you momentarily astonished, eyes widening a tad before you got a grip on yourself. your arms settle back around his waist, a pleasant buzz spreading in your chest and down to your toes.

you were well aware that this was a rare opportunity, one that you could not and would not pass up.

so, you let out a sigh and rest your cheek on his back once more.

his aura seems to encapsulate you, making you feel safe and at ease.

he’s satisfied with your reaction, how you effortlessly unwind and how your breaths even out.

once again, he’s warm.

zoro decides that he can spend hours just like this.

for the crew, he could always be a demon. for you? he wouldn't mind being a bit more human.

[jpitha]

Logistics

Yes, when the humans arrived in the Coalition they brought themselves, and their ships, and their weapons. Those were all very impressive. They showed up with positively gigantic starships - easily two to four times larger than anyone else. When asked, the humans just looked at them, then back to us and said "why not make them big? Don't they look great?"

We could think of a few reasons, but they didn't seem to care about those.

But that's not what I want to talk about. Do you know what was the most amazing, galaxy changing paradigm they brought with them?

Containerization.

I'm serious! The first time I saw them field a colony ship my feathers ruffled and I turned my head in confusion. I was aboard the human ambassador's yacht with a few other Coalition administrators. We had come at the human's behest so they could demonstrate that they were taking our rules about colonizing seriously. Honestly, we probably wouldn't have cared. All they were interested in were planets Class F and lower. The ones with multiple biomes, the ones with heavy gravity, the ones with weather. We let them license the worlds for colonization cheap - ancestors, I think we even let them have the one with storms for free.

Anyway, they asked us to come and observe, and so we sent a few people out, me among them. I was a mid level clerk for the Innari embassy at the main Coalition station, so I was 'volunteered' to attend. It was boring, but it wasn't bad. Good food, a break from paperwork, and a chance to take it easy for a week.

On the second day, the colony ship arrived. It had Flashed in quote close to the planet, entered orbit, and had spent an hour setting itself up. One of the Sefigans looked at the human who was guiding us and asked what we were looking at, if we were just going to see a shuttle go back and forth for a week from the ship.

"A shuttle? Heavens, no. Just watch." and he did that cryptic smile without showing his teeth that they do when they realize they're about to show off.

Just then, while we were watching, the colony ship... flew apart. It wasn't destroyed, or rather it was, but it wasn't destructive. It had turned out that the entire colony ship was thousands upon thousands of boxes. The assembled crowd made surprised noises as the ship quickly disappeared into rectangles all the same shape and size. They disconnected from each other and fell through the atmosphere to the planet's surface. Within a tenth of a cycle, they were all down, and had begun unfolding.

Some were buildings, some contained supplies, and some even had vehicles. As we watched through remote cameras and entire city had sprung into being, where once there was only a joining of two rivers. The colony ship was completely gone - the box that was the command module had set itself up in the center of the city and we watched as the overlay changed from "Ship Command" to "City Command" as it touched down.

Before our surprise could be properly registered it happened again. Another colony ship flashed in and flew apart and landed. And again. And again. In the space of one solar day, three full cities were set up and automated construction vehicles - also the size of the containers - had begun trundling between the cities, setting up utilities and roads. By the time the humans arrived in thirty solar days, there would be places to live, work, and entertain for fifty thousand beings.

Honestly, if that's all they used it for, it would be impressive. But they made everything able to fit into those boxes. When they ordered supplies from human manufactories they ordered them by the container. During the next resupply one of the containers would detach and be delivered, and sure enough, packed floor to ceiling would be the widgets they ordered.

They built reactors that fit the container, so that no matter where they went or what they were doing, it was simple to have more power than one needed.

They even built weapons that fit into the containers. I'm not talking about hand and small arms, but full anti starship missile batteries. They would take one of their boxes, stick it to the side of a ship or a station - it didn't even have to be human made - and out would fold a missile battery, loaded and ready. Next to it they'd plop a reactor container and a matter printer container and in the time it took you to decide what to eat for their midday meal - lunch - they would be able to defend against an attack of nearly any kind.

When called on to aid during disasters, they brought them too. They would bring a modified version of their colony package, tuned for what kind of disaster had happened. Extra hospitals, extra living space, extra power, it didn't matter, because it all fit into those damned boxes.

The other Coalition peoples had to adopt the humans containers, it was too foolish not to. Human ships would only haul containers. They didn't list the ships capacity by hauling weight, they listed them by the number of containers they could haul. If you wanted to sell to humans, you had to fit your wares into a container.

Some other peoples - the Sefigans specifically, but a few others as well - attempted to introduce their own container specifications, but they were almost never adopted. The humans had the infrastructure to haul their own containers, and unless the others fit into the system they just rejected them outright. "Too complex to add" they said. "Just use ours; here have a few for free." They gave away containers like they were atmosphere. When items were shipped from human manufactories they told the recipient to just keep the container "in case you need to ship anything else."

Before too long, all the Coalition was using human containers. The Sefigans complained that they were too large, the Gren complained they were too small, and we Innari looked at the containers with an eye towards economy. We felt they were far overbuilt. We tried to make our own, out of much lighter materials but whenever they were added to a human system, they would be immediately ejected - usually with large dents or bends in them. "Stick to the specs" they'd say. "Our system requires them all to be the same."

Without firing a shot, the humans took over one of the most important and overlooked parts of our entire system. Everyone uses their containers now, it's just impossible to find a shipper to move material without them.

[lvmimis]

cw: set right before raid on onigashima. selfship-coded.

“I look cool, don’t I?”

Luffy’s grin is wide, and when you look up from the kit of supplies you are organizing, from first aid to emergency rations to general survivalist materials, your captain is standing tall with his arms crossed over his chest in a pose that is so prideful it veers on childish. 

Deciding to be indulgent rather than pour out the rest of your anxiety related to this upcoming raid on Onigashima onto him, you grin back just as wide and agree.

“Like the future King of the Pirates should,” you offer him. It’s what he hoped to hear, and thankful, he moves in closer to squat next to you. For the next few moments, he watches as you count and mutter under your breath to make sure you cover the crew’s needs, and then those of the Akazaya Nine and of course, Law and Kid at the very least, has started to make your head spin, and the longer you plan, the more it feels impossible to be prepared for anything.

Luffy watches you bite your thumbnail for a moment, then presses his chin to your back. His weight on you almost startles you for a moment, before you let the sensation settle and his warmth and optimism spread from him to the center of your chest.

“Relax.”

“Luffy, we - well, really you - are about to start a literal war.”

“Yes,” he replies, his voice a gentle vibration through your back. “So save all that for when we’re actually at war.”

The boat rocks lurches suddenly more than usual as the Thousand Sunny starts to navigate the treacherous waters of the Tokage Port. It’s been overcast all day, fitting for what may turn out to be either a day of liberation or the worst day of your lives. Luffy keeps your body steady despite you threatening to lose your balance, as easily as a second thought, then looks at everything you’ve laid out before you to store into your Star Realm storage space.

“Maybe a little more meat,” he murmurs, tentatively.  You turn to give him a look but rather than look sheepish as you suspect he did when your back was turned, he’s smiling brightly, then presses his forehead to yours.

“That got your attention,” he laughs into your face. His hands clasp both sides of it so you can’t pull back, but you didn’t plan to, closing your eyes instead, and letting a sigh release from your lips. Finally, you let your arms wrap around his shoulders.

“I’d say don’t do anything stupid but we’re past that, aren’t we?” you whisper.

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

Luffy pulls back for a moment, and looks earnestly in your eyes, and your cheeks start to warm.

Nothing about this is stupid. It’s terrifying and it’s dangerous to defy an Emperor of the Sea - really two, given Big Mom’s entry into the mix - but he will be backed by thousands, not least of these you and the rest of the Straw Hats, and not only will Wano be free, he’ll be one step closer to his dream.

All it takes is the audacity to believe that he can win, and he has plenty of that.

“No. Not at all. I support you wholeheartedly.”

“You mean that, huh?” 

Luffy’s forehead playfully presses against yours again, as he takes both of your hands in his and squeezes them, and forever indulgent, you allow yourself to peck him on the lips.

“As long as you don’t die.”

You don’t allow yourself to be cliché and add an ‘or I’ll kill you’ but the storms are heavy overhead, and not just him, but you all will be plunging headlong into danger. Today might be the last time you’re together like this, but trust is something you continue to work on the longer time passes with the Straw Hats, and the longer you love Luffy.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He’s confident as he looks back out towards the sea, and you allow yourself for a moment to take another deep breath and steady your heart.

“I’ll keep setting up here, but you should go on ahead.”

It takes him a moment to fully let go of your hands, but he does eventually, rushing back towards the bow of the ship. You watch him go, the black cape flapping in the wind.

He does look pretty cool, you admit to yourself yet again, pride tugging your lips into a smile.

[mellosdrawings]

Hi~ Just doing a quick post for easier navigation.

(Fox boy belongs to @the-fab-fox)

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