#especially given the direction i ended up deciding to go with that story

[rhys-ravenfeather]

A moment of silence for the days where I could actually come up with creative/clever titles for my fanfic chapters.

[mokulule]

Almanac - Chapter 2

So ya'll have given me some amazing and lovely comments on A Man has Needs (which I'm delighted was so well-received), and I had a really shitty day so I wanted to upload something. Sadly don't have energy to write, but this was already done so here ya go. Ship: Dead on Main First | Masterlist

Chapter 2 - September 25th, Uranus at Opposition

Jason awoke slowly. He felt groggy and worn like he’d gone a round with Bane and, now that he thought about it, maybe also Black Canary; his ears of all things hurt for some reason. Groaning he pushed himself up, taking in the green and black bedspread… this wasn’t his bed. He looked around; bare stone walls with a strange almost purplish tint - no windows he could leave out of.

What happened yesterday? There had been something… an emergency? Shit. He rubbed his brow hoping against hope to relieve the sharp headache there. What kind of truck hit him? Come on brain, work.

Bruce.

Bruce had called him. He breathed slowly through his nose. Urgh, his brain was like a tangled ball of yarn that had been left to the mercies of a cat. Slowly he picked at the treads, trying to untangle them. Dick had been there, and Tim and Damian. And Superman? Why was Jason on a league mission? Jason wouldn’t have joined them unless the world was-

Oh, the world had been ending.

There was an invasion and John bloody Constantine and a ritual- and Jason was a small bit of supernatural insurance but that didn’t matter because-

Because!

His head throbbed sharply and he curled up on the bed with a whimper. Shit. Why? Okay, no remembering right now. He slowly unfolded and squinted at the room, there were two doors. One by the head side of the bed, which seemed the least likely to lead outside and one opposite. He confirmed the first door to be a bathroom, which left the other to lead- He opened the door into a windowless hallway. Looking left and right he didn’t see an end either way.

The hallways had the same purple tinted stone walls as the room. It was lit by green torches, but somehow they didn’t cast green light. Instead the light that hit Jason was more blueish. He decided not to think about that and moved on.

He walked hallway after hallway. The only change was the tapestries. Since they were the only thing that changed he couldn’t help but look at them. There was a man, large and armored with a flaming crown and his hand raised with something shining from it. Jason went down some stairs and another hallway had a tapestry with the same character directing an army of skeletons and other creatures fleeing from them. This theme continued through many hallways. World upon world, the king and his army conquering all on a backdrop of Lazarus green. Then finally something changed, seven robed figures stood over the fallen king.

Jason then stood in front of a winding stairwell: Up or down?

He looked down; there was something down there…

Dazed, he took a step down, before he shook his head and walked up. He had to get out. Walking down in a building he didn’t know what floor he was on was just asking to be trapped in some sort of basement, and he’d already walked down one staircase already, when the only other option had been to backtrack.

A sarcophagus was opened and the King released. In the next hallway someone in a black and white mech suit was fighting the king and Jason blinked at the sudden genre shift. He hadn’t expected that from the tapestry story.

The next one had several people pushing the sarcophagus closed again presumably to seal the king, but one figure especially niggled at Jason’s brain - the small one, the black and white one. He was familiar. He walked faster, urgency pressing him to find the next tapestry, he rounded a corner and there!

There were two tapestries on either side of a door. The first tapestry had a purple robed figure crowning a kneeling black and white figure in front of a crowd. Several were recognizable from the previous tapestry. But Jason didn’t look at that picture long he was drawn to the last tapestry; the one who only showed the new king:

Human skin tone, compared to all the light greens and blues. Snow white hair. Crown hovering over his head, and on the index finger on his right hand where it was folded over his chest was a green ring with a skull crest. The backdrop was a nebula of colors and only on the edges were the Lazarus green. The king’s eyes were closed, but Jason knew they were green.

He knew.

And as a key turning in a lock Jason remembered. He bent over holding his head with a groan. The invasion. The ghost king. His sacrifice, which apparently meant he was to do nothing for the rest of his life. Screw that! What was the ghost king gonna do? Un-save the world? Jason didn’t think so. He needed to get out. He very carefully avoided thinking of the risk of his brains melting out his ears if he angered the king again.

The door. Jason’s eyes snapped to it. It looked completely innocuous. He had been lead here for a reason. Fight or flight? Fight his body screamed at him. His chest rose and fell, his heart picked up speed in anticipation and he reached for the brass handle. His hand closed around it, it was cold and solid in his grip. He exhaled slowly out his nose counting down.

3

2

1

He burst into the room, hands on hidden knives, ready for anything! Then he froze.

This was the room he woke up in. There was that rumpled spot on the bedsheets from where he’d slept. He grabbed his head, there had been no tapestries in the hall he stepped out in, he was sure. No he was not gonna let this get to him he had to find a way out. He stepped out into the hallway through the still open door; the tapestries were gone.

He walked the opposite direction this time, but only five turns in he stood in front of the open door again. Shaking his head he kept walking, there had to be a way out. There were less tapestries now, but every now and then there’d be a tapestry of the King sans crown fighting someone. It seemed to be some of the more prominent people that had been at the coronation and then there were some others; a large plant creature, a person that looked part tornado, someone who looked like the night sky itself.

The message was clear: give up. See all the ones who has been defeated. What do you think, you can do?

Jason punched the wall next to the most recent tapestry.

“Let me out, you bastard!” he snarled.

Predictably there was no answer, but a small part of Jason had still hoped something would happen. His shoulders dropped.

A familiar door materialized in the corner of his eyes. He turned his head to better see and yup, that was the door alright. He sighed.

“Fuck you.” But Jason was tired. He didn’t know how long he’d walked the hallways. He opened the door and walked the few steps that took him to the bed collapsing on top of it, in the spot he’d made earlier. He couldn’t be bothered to go under the covers.

Oo o oO

They say doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is a sign of insanity. Tim would probably argue something about scientific methods and statistics in return, but Tim wasn’t here, just Jason.

So here’s what Jason knew:

He’d sacrificed his life to the Ghost King to save the world. The Ghost King had no interest in Jason and had just dropped him in a never used room like one of those gifts you really don’t want but can’t refuse. Oh, and the castle was magical and delighted in showing him right back to his room every time he left it.

Leaving the room was pointless. Jason knew it was pointless. But Jason couldn’t just stay in this room, hence the repeated insanity, but at least out in the hallways some things changed, even if he always ended up where he started.

He didn’t know how long he’d been there. He’d lost count of how many times he’d slept. It was pointless anyway, he didn’t know if he could even count sleeps as days anyway. He was locked in a battle of wills with a fucking castle.

“For a magical castle, you’re boring, you know that?” He spoke to the ceiling. It didn’t even have any enchanted furniture or household items to talk with.

Jason wasn’t sure quite when he’d started feeling hungry, only that it shouldn’t have taken that long. Water came out of the tap in the bathroom, so at least he wasn’t thirsting. After the hunger came the lethargy. He was sleeping more and his forays out into the hallways were shorter.

The world was a hefty price to pay and maybe Jason’s suffering was just a part of his toll, but Jason would have taken being a servant or slave over this. At least then he’d have something to do. There’d be a focus, something to fight. He wouldn’t just lie here with nothing better to do but insult the walls.

next

-

If you liked this, consider commenting in the replies or tags, I hold every lovely comment dear to my heart and it's great motivation. If you want notifications for this story you can subscribe at the masterlist

[lemotmo]

Another really good one, I like this because we're starting to see a lot of this redemption thing in the BT tags. This was a question about Gerard and his connection to Tommy. And now that we know they're not upset about us sharing their answers I feel okay sending it to you.

A. Happy Friday to you as well! Unfortunately, based on your question, I don't think you're going to like my answer, but I promised you guys my honesty so here goes. Gerard is not here for Tommy. Gerard is not here for a Tommy redemption arc. Mainly because we (the audience) are not meant to see Tommy as needing redemption. Tommy is a general audience character. Meaning everything we're supposed to know or care about where Tommy is concerned is what the show told us in season 7. He is the guy Buck is currently dating and he used to work at the 118 before Bobby took over. That's it. That's all the show needs the audience to care about, at least right now. Fandom people are the only ones who remember his exact history, and no offense to anyone, they didn't bring him in for us. He is there to serve a specific story purpose so his individual history is irrelevant. Gerard is there for Bobby, and increasingly I think, Eddie. The Bobby stuff is obvious, but Ryan has mentioned Gerard now in a couple of interviews so I think he's giving us a clue that Eddie and Gerard will be some kind of story.

The Tommy stuff depends on whatever reason the show decides to give for his breakup with Buck. And yes, I do genuinely believe that is what's coming. If he's meant to be the one responsible for Buck figuring out his feelings for Eddie then I don't think his history with Gerard will be brought up except maybe as a scene or two in passing (if it's not necessary for the breakup, it probably won't be mentioned at all). If Buck is the one they want to end things, and have him figure out his Eddie feelings another way, then I think Tommy's past with Gerard will play a bigger role in their breakup. Especially if he tells Buck to deal with him by just keeping his mouth shut, and his head down and ignoring him. We all know Buck won't do that, especially if Gerard makes Eddie a target. So it depends entirely on the reason for their breakup. They don't need Tommy in a ton of scenes to accomplish either scenario, which is good because I do think he will also be filming SWAT and his availability won't be great. If he's supposed to figure out the Buck and Eddie thing, and point it out to Buck, we will need his reaction to at least some Buck and Eddie moments, (or at least his reaction to Buck's reaction to some of those moments), so they might need him for a few more scenes if they go that route for the breakup. Either way I don't see him lasting past the winter finale. Whatever the plan for Buck, I think he'll be ready for Eddie by the break, maybe even before. I think the second half of the season will be getting Eddie ready and then building up to Buddie. I don't see them dragging the Buddie thing out all season but I do think it will be the latter part of the back half of the season. Depending on Lou's availability he may be done sooner than the winter finale. We just don't know yet. But as someone who has watched the show from the beginning I don't know what other direction the Eddie storyline could be going. It's he's queer, or they're writing him as never going to be in love again because he was that in love with Shannon (which would be god awful television), or he becomes a devout Catholic (absolutely not). Those are kind of the only outcomes they've given themselves. And I'm sorry you don't like them, but Buck and Eddie learning to navigate an actual relationship, given Eddie's intimacy issues, inability to communicate his feelings, and his family/upbringing, as well as Buck's abandonment issues and need to fix everything is interesting storyline after interesting storyline. No one will force you to watch. And you're correct that lots of people will be pissed off, but many more would love it. They're very well liked by the general audience, people have got to stop trying to convince themselves otherwise because it's simply untrue. They're popular, people like them and most people would be interested in watching that storyline play out. It feels earned. Earned by Buck and Eddie and the audience. I know this answer has probably upset you and many others, and that is never my intention, but I also don't believe in telling people what they want to hear when the canon events seem to be leading in a different direction.

*chef's kiss* love it love it love it

Hi Nonny, thank you for sending in this really interesting message from the ‘anonymous blog I love’.

For those of you who have missed it, the OP of these very interesting posts on BT and Buddie has contacted me yesterday. They are a BT shipper that also like Buddie and they are okay with me posting their messages. They do however, wish to remain anonymous because they don’t want to attract any more negative attention. Their inbox is probably already a minefield, so let’s not add to their stress and respect their wishes. Thank you.

If you are interested in the OP’s posts, you can find all of their posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

Now, let’s talk about this answer:

The answer above is very interesting to me. They talk about Tommy’s role in the whole Gerrard saga and I fully agree on most of it. They point out again that Tommy is there to serve a purpose in Buck’s story, so essentially he is there as a plot device in Buck’s narrative.

As for Tommy’s role in Buck’s story, I am of the belief that Tommy will be the one to tell Buck to just ‘Keep your head down, your mouth shut and pretend it isn't there.’ as he complains to him about Gerrard and how he treats his friends on the 118. This is something Buck could never do. He isn’t like Tommy, he can’t just accept and tolerate his friends being bullied by their new captain.

I agree with OP that Tommy will probably be gone by the end of 8a. His arc will be finished and the queer Eddie/Buddie arc will be in full swing by then. This arc won’t find its satisfying ending until well into 8b though. There needs to be drama first. And I do believe that there will be a lot of drama before we actually get the payoff of the Buddie storyline.

The fact that Eddie’s arc is most likely to go into the direction of him realising he’s queer seems unavoidable. It’s like OP said: It’s either queer Eddie with eventual Buddie or ‘never again in love’ Eddie. Two options and we all know which one will bring along the most press and a whole gaggle of new viewers. 😉

Now, as a treat, I have a second post from the OP for you today. This was sent to my mutual and friend @buddiebeginz and she has kindly allowed me to use her post on my blog in order to centralise all the posts from the OP. Thank you Justine!

For context I’d like to relay to you why this post was sent to Justine. She received an ask earlier which she replied to here. I urge all of you to read her reply as well, as it was very insightful and I do agree with most of it.

Anyway, someone else sent her an anon ask later on as a response to the post she made. This anon had found a reply from the OP as to why they thought that Tommy is ‘good’ for Buck ‘right now’ and why they enjoy the character’s role in Buck’s story for as long as it will last.

Keep reading under the cut. I didn't want to clog anyone's dash with too long of a post.

Here is that ask with OP’s answer:

I admit I really like this answer. The way they break down Tommy’s role in Buck’s story as Buck having a ‘fun and light’ first experience as a newly out bisexual, before the more ‘heavy’ Eddie and Buddie story will start. I understand it and I can see how that could be some valuable life experience for Buck, so he is strong enough to tackle the next part of the Buddie journey. I can logically 'perceive' that this is what the writers originally intended for the BT storyline.

Does this mean that I suddenly like Tommy and the BT arc? No. Definitely not. And I think the problem can be found in the way that Tommy and BT was written. He wasn't written as a very appealing character. I don’t see the chemistry between him and Buck and I think they don’t fit well together. Their ‘energies’ just don't match. I don't see enough proof of him truly caring about Buck in any of the episodes. So, I admit I can't see the 'light and fun' experience OP talks about. To me Tommy is just weighing Buck down with too much negativity.

And let's not forget about how we were all introduced to Tommy in season 2 and the way he treated Hen and Chimney. The man was never meant to be a 'nice and likeable' character with a questionable background like that. They tried to redeem him somewhat with the helicopter cruise ship rescue storyline, but to me it fell kind of flat.

And yes, of course there is also the ‘Eddie factor’. I have been shipping Buddie for years now, so whether I like it or not, I am biased towards Buddie. I am also not a multi-shipper. I just don’t have that in me. Once I latch onto a ship I never let go. 😊

So yeah, ultimately… different opinions make for more interesting conversations, right? And I love reading about OP’s opinions. Sometimes they match my own and sometimes they don’t, but I still respect them and value their view on 911. That’s what fandom should be about: sharing opinions, respectfully agreeing or disagreeing with each other, listening and learning from each other. It’s so much more enjoyable than sending anonymous hatred to someone’s inbox.

Anyway, once again I ask everyone to not post any hate towards the OP in the comments or reblogs. I do highly encourage a civil conversation about the topics discussed in this post. 😊

[jqmalikhsgib]

sea view

two

varitymagazine

2,000,000 Likes

varietymagazine “fame just got to my head,” styles starts. “it was all my fault. im the reason my family was almost broken.” click the link in our bio to learn more about harry styles life, music, and more!

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Harry Styles: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly! 

When we hear the name Harry Styles, most of us scream our lungs out. The ex One Direction member holds our hearts in his hands without batting an eyelash.

Harry Styles was born in Worcestershire, England February First to Anne Twist and Des Styles making Gemma Styles an older sister. Harry would describe his childhood like any other.

“I was just a normal kid, playing football in my backyard,” he states. “I’d make fun of my sister while she called me a butthead before we’d go and watch something on the telly.”

Styles opens up about being a child from divorce. “My mom and dad had problems. They’d fight here and there and Gem and I would just hold each other in one of our rooms. My parents finally decided enough was enough and separated. I was ten years old, somewhat heartbroken but ultimately relieved.”

When Harry was eleven he met the most loveliest woman he’d ever seen. She’d just moved from America with her dad and five older brothers. The moment Harry saw her, he just knew!

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off of yn. She was breathtaking. I had to get to know her!”

Harry and Yn relationship begins when they were only twelve years old. From that moment they were each others first love. Harry states he’s never felt love like the one he’s had with YN.

Harry opens up about his personal life with his wife and his kids. Including the moment they became teen parents.

“We were young and dumb. The only thing we were thinking about was each other. When she called me crying, telling me she’s pregnant, we were just about to hit fourteen. We’d just started high school and we were scared shitless. I ended up getting a job at the local bakery and our parents helped us as much as they could. When our son was born we never felt so much pride and joy. We created this tiny little human out of love. Nothing has ever made either of us feel more proud.” Styles goes on to say.

Harry then talks about his dream of being a singer. He opens up about how silly he thought it was, but how his mom, sister, and wife talked him into auditioning for the X-factor.

“If it weren’t for my family, I would have never went to that audition! My mom and sister always encouraged me to live my dream. In my head it was a given. ‘Of course they’ll say this, im their son and brother.’ I thought to myself. But YN wasn’t either, I guess it was different when I heard it from her.”

Styles smiles as he discussed how he use to sing their son [Corbin Styles] to sleep. “He’d have this huge smile on his face. Every single time he’d close his eyes, he’d fight his sleep just so he could hear me sing. That’s really when I knew, I gotta audition!”

In that moment, Harry’s life changed forever! He was apart of the biggest boyband in the world, One Direction. Being put into a group with four other boys [Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik] Harry talks about his relationship with each band member.

“Being put into a group with four different boys was difficult, sure! Of course it was exciting and love there in the beginning. We’re just five boys who had the same dream. But we’re also five boys with five different personalities, five different voices, five different views of the world, five different love stories. We bumped heads a lot, especially towards the end,” Styles states. “I think after four years of constant tour, no breaks, arguments, screaming, and barely seeing our families, we were all kinda done. At this moment I was married to YN, she was pregnant with payton, so I wanted to be there for her and both of our kids more. Louis was about to have his own baby, Liam was dealing with his own battles, Niall had family troubles, and Zayn had left the band. We were all kinda worn out. It was time we ventured out on our own and see where life would take us. In a way, it made our relationship better. Niall, Louis, and Liam are all uncles to my children. Zayn was my best friend in the band, he was named god-dad.”

We asked Harry about his first album, how it came about. “It was simple really! I’ve been writing my own music for a long time. I went to Jamaica with my wife and kids and it was lovely. I put together my own band, figured out which songs I wanted out there, and once it was ready, we set a date and even prepared for tour.” Harry smiles at the memory. Though it never reached his face.

This is when we asked him about his second album. Fine Line had been release two years after his self titled album, Harry Styles. Hearing it makes your heart break.

Harry talks about his relationship with wife. He opens up about his arrogance, ignorance, and his affair[s].

“I’m not gonna sugar coat it, I was a shit husband for a long time,” Harry tells us. “The moment we made it big, I’d get this big head and think, ‘fuck im the shit!’ so many women wanted me and would do anything to have me. I was weak and stupid. They all knew I was married with kids, I never hid that from my fans or obviously the women id sleep with.” Harry takes a deep breath. “YN and I would constantly argue. She’d cry herself to sleep at night when I didn’t come home or back to our hotel room when the boys and I were on tour. I remember when she packed her bag and left me.”

Harry wipes his tears before he continues. “It was around the last few legs of tour. I’d been sorta seeing at least two women regularly. [for privacy reasons harry didn’t mention names] She wrote me a note, stating she couldn’t do this anymore. She told me I either needed to get my shit together or she’d divorce me and get full custody. In this moment I knew, I needed to find myself again. Once tour was over, I flew to Japan, took a few friends, began the process of writing fine line, and went to therapy. I was gonna do everything in my power to get my family back together. from there, YN, me, and the kids would work on our new dynamic. I was slowly getting my family back.” Harry states.

Harry opens up about how a lot of the fans blamed YN during the time they’d been split up.

“I wanna clear this up, YN had nothing to do with our split. A lot of people assumed she’d been the one cheating or using me. She was always faithful and couldn’t care less if I had millions or pennies. She loved me for me. Fame just got to my head,” Styles starts. “It was my fault. I’m the reason my family was almost broken.”

YN has been known to be vocal to people who constantly hate on her. Harry opens up about the relationship she has with his fanbase.

“I think if you can’t respect your favorite artist relationship, you’re not a real fan. Truth is, YN is my wife. I almost lost her years ago, I’m not gonna lose her over something so petty. She’s the mother of my children and my wife. People should respect that!” Styles states. He continues to talk about her social media comments and post.

“She can do whatever she wants! I don’t control her, nor does my team! YN has always been very open when it comes to our marriage. She’s not gonna sensor herself simply because others can’t get the hint. That’s one of the many things I love about her!” Styles finished.

During our interview, Harry opens up about his next album before he leaves.

“The next albums gonna be filled with more love than anything. I think this one will be filled with dancing, smiles, and laughter. I’m really excited to share it with the world.” Harry states before he politely shakes our hands and walks over to his family.

[juniperss]

Just Looking Out

Bill Guarnere x Reader

Warnings:  harassment from a stranger, super predictable plot and cliche so be prepared for that, it’s long. lots of fluff at the end. Protective Bill 

A/N: This was originally written on my main account a few years ago but I decided to move it here since I don't change this URL as often and it makes easier to find my writing! Also It's been a while since I wrote these so I'd like to think that I've improved somewhat since then!

Bill watched as you led the way through the soldier filled bar towards the small booth in the back that was currently half occupied with various members of Easy Company. The ones that weren't dancing with strangers or mingling around the bar that is. He could see the game of darts unfolding across the way between Buck and Babe, the ribbing and cheers carrying over the other sounds. He wondered briefly how you were able to weave so expertly through the crowds, but any remark about it was forgotten when you glanced over your shoulder as you checked to ensure he was still there before smiling excitedly at him.

"Guarnere! Doc!"

Floyd greeted the two of you loudly, the mug of beer in his hand sloshing. He wasn't drunk...yet, but his large smile and enthusiastic conversation that he resumed with Shifty and one of the replacements hinted that he wasn't too far off from that goal.  Time to relax and have fun was few and far between during the chaos that surrounded the world right now, so much so that it was easy to forget how young you all were. And that there was much to life to enjoy. Such as watching your friends drink a bit too much while leaning into the back of a rather uncomfortable booth and sipping on your own beer. Bill was beside you now, his shoulder bumping into yours occasionally, as stories about training made their way into the conversation sparking groans, laughter, and many a question from the replacements on how bad Sobel had truly been.

"I'm gonna get another drink even if I'll regret it in the morning." 

You quipped as you scooted out of the booth and nodded your head towards the bar. You were able to easily make your way to your destination as the once large crowd had dispersed more evenly throughout the bar as the evening grew later.  Leaning against the bar you waited for your drink you surveyed the room with ease. The dancing had wound down leaving a handful of couples swaying slowly. The music playing from the radio was familiar and calming, with a steady beat that made it achingly romantic.  Meanwhile the game of darts had changed players but was still going strong between Toye and Perconte. You bit back a smile at the sight. A cough at your shoulder startled you, the hair on the back of your neck standing on end as you turned your head quickly.

"Whoa there, dove!" 

The man was unfamiliar to you, dressed in civilian clothes with a mop of dark brown hair and scruff that was definitely not paratrooper regulation. Instinctively you moved to the left in an attempt to put some distance between the two of you assuming he had merely needed to place an order.

"Didn't mean to scare the pretty lady."

You bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from replying and continued to stare straight ahead watching the dart competition continue. Ignoring unwanted attention wasn't new to you especially in your time training. Being apart of Easy Company hadn't been easy, but you'd learned when to bite your tongue and when it was the right time to stand up for yourself.

"Lemme pay for your drink, to make up for the scare." It wasn't a question and that only made the offer more annoying to you. As if you had given any indication that you were looking for an advance from him or any form of conversation. After a deep exhale you turned to face him. He was even closer than he had been a moment ago, the gap that you had placed between the two of you now gone.

"No, thank you. I'm here with my friends."

The man glanced towards the direction of Guarnere and the rest of the gang at the table, eying the uniforms before looking back at you. His eyes sparkled in determination at the mention of what he presumed to be a challenge.

"They don't seem to be missing you too much. Share a drink with me and maybe you won't miss them either."

This time the offer made your stomach turn and despite your best efforts you felt a prickle of familiar fear and discomfort creep through you. Sure soldiers made comments, often times very rude ones that cut, but you had been fortunate that your company seemed to appreciate you for the most part. Easy Company seemed especially protective and respectful of you. It was jarring to not have that respect from a stranger 

"Really, I'm fine. Thank you." 

As if the heavens had parted the bartender finally pushed your drink towards you, your escape now gifted to you as if on cue. But as you reached for the cup the man grasped your wrist. Once again instinct worked faster than your mind and in one fluid motion you yanked your arm way pulling the glass towards you in the process. It shattered loudly on the ground, glass and beer spraying across the floor. 

"Been a while since a man touched you?"

His fingers were still around your wrist but the grip had tightened after your initial pull away. His words alone were enough to make you want to scream for him to leave you alone, but it was the look in his eye just about sent you over the edge into full panic. 

"You better fuckin' let her go." 

Bill was behind you and then suddenly he was between the man and you, his large hand coming to grab the man's arm. Bill Guarnere was eerily calm and somehow that was more terrifying then if he was yelling. You watched as his grip tightened and the man's grip on your wrist loosened under Bill's pressure. 

Apparently the scene of the drink crashing to the ground had gained the attention of not only Bill, but the rest of the soldiers. Buck was stalking across the room in your direction while you could see that Toye had followed Bill up to the bar. The man, sensing that he was clearly out numbered finally released your wrist and began to back up.

  But Bill didn't let go of his arm. His knuckles were white and you would visibly see the pain of his grip flash across the victim's face. 

"Nah, you're not goin' anywhere. Apologize to her." 

The man's mouth fell open slightly as he glanced between you and Bill as if he didn't understand the command, as if apologizing for crossing the line with a woman was a foreign idea. But Bill didn't budge and as the other soldiers seemed to begin to swarm, the man finally relented. "Sorry." The apology was choked, either because the words hurt to say or because Bill's grip was getting more painful (perhaps a mixture of both). As soon as his arm was released the man was gone, retreating to the other side of the bar to where a group of locals parted to let him lick his wounds in the dark corner. 

Sensing that the situation was resolved Buck and Toye nodded to Bill and you before returning to their tables leaving the two of you standing amidst the broken glass and beer. "Let's go, doll," his voice was hushed just for you and you felt the way his hand ghosted your lower back, "we can go." You allowed him to steer you out of the bar, the same way you had easily guided him through the crowd earlier that evening which suddenly seemed ages ago. 

Silence hung between the two of you and  you both inhaled the sharp fall air outside. The moon was bright providing enough light to see the path back to your lodgings easily. Bill's hand never left your lower back, yet didn't touch you, as you began to walk slowly. There was no urgency to your movements and you settled into a comfortable rhythm. "...thanks, Bill."

He scoffed. Not in a dismissive manner or in a mocking way, but rather in a way that would suggest he was waving off your thanks. "You could've handled it. I knew that when I stepped in. I was just....furious." 

"You didn't look it. It was kind of scary actually." 

This time he smiled, glancing down at you. When Bill got angry he was a rough and tumble kind of man. He used his words and his fists to get his point across, to defend the honor of his loved ones before his own. It was rare that you saw his silent anger and as you had said, it was a bit more scary than one would believe. 

"Still. Thank you for rescuing me." You gently jabbed his side with your elbow causing the both of you to laugh. One time when you'd first met he had made the mistake of attempting to rescue you from a situation that he had no business in and accidently gotten a bruised lip from you in return. Once again silence washed over the two of you, more comfortable than before. It didn't take long before you'd reached the house you were being quartered in. It was a small cottage owned by an elderly couple who reminded you of the couple back home in the states who watched all the neighborhood children with a careful and protective eye.

"Doll?" 

You glanced at him when he used the pet name you'd grown accustomed to. Grown to love, really. His fingers traced the bone of your wrist, as if to chase away the memories of the strangers grasp on you. His fingertips were calloused but his touch was surprisingly gentle in contrast, warm too. Without thinking you stepped closer chasing the feeling. 

"Goodnight..." 

His words seemed to fail him in that moment. Whatever words he had planned on saying hanging in the space between you as if suspended by an invisible string, swaying back in forth just out of reach of either of you being able to grab them in time. Yet you both knew what they were. You took another step forward, still following his touch on your wrist, his fingers now having completely encompassed it. The tenderness of his hand and of his eyes drawing you in closer and closer until you felt your chest against his.

Slowly, so slowly Bill leaned down to kiss you. Part of you had expected rough lips and strong eagerness, but instead you were met with rough lips and curious seeking behind his kiss. A curiosity that seemed to only been fed as he dropped your wrist and moved to cup your cheeks with both of his hands. Warmth coursed through your body, your mind full of fluff and your heart racing wildly. You could feel his own heart pounding against his chest through yours.

 And just as slowly as the kiss began, he moved away.

"Goodnight, Bill."

[tomeebear04]

alot of people portray tord as some insane sociopath who doesn’t care about anyone and its particularly heightened in wtfuture content,that being said i personally dont mind these headcanons when i was younger i was totally in favor of tord being a villain but whats your opinion on it? From what ive seen red leader is especially abusive to future tom but i always thought the cast was pretty mean to eachother in the earlier eddisodes but just grew out of it,tord left before the rest of them stopped being so mean to eachother,now its more or less poking fun and annoying eachother here and there

do you think tord just didn’t get the memo and thought it was still okay to act like this? Im all for ‘edgier’ headcanons and story telling but i just personally think to an extent tord isn’t as much as an asshole as people try to make him out to be,at some point the cast have tried to kill eachother and tom literally did what he did in zanta claws (which i forgive him for <33) but i see alot more people give tord more flack than anyone,srry ab the long winded question but i am curious ab your answer ^^

this is a multi-part question so im going to number them to make it more readable lol. also dw about long asks; i like em. lover having conversations about the show with other people

the tord villain question. ah the thing that divides the eddsworld fandom to this day. my opinion on this is a little nuanced. i personally like that direction for his character. i think it's interesting. it recontextualizes a lot of his strange behaviors from earlier episodes. fan interpretation of the actual content of the end episodes have led to a lot of people hating that idea though. i can see why too. i'm not a fan on how people decided to portray tord afterwards. i don't think he was a nice or pleasant person from day one, but i definitely don't think he's a sociopath or psychopath or insane. well not any more insane than everyone else. there's a lot more going on with tord psychologically. he has shown to care about people to an extent. i definitely think he has some kind of personality disorder. i've seen fans discuss schizoid personality disorder and borderline personality disorder in regards to a diagnosis for tord. i don't know enough on the subject to comment either way. imo a good tord wouldn't lose any of the fun aspects of his personality to fit better into any given villain trope. trying to fit square peg in a circle hole, ya know?

tom abuse. this one im a hard no on. i dont know why this got so popular. tord and tom are rivals. making tord an abuser and tom his victim just seems wrong for their dynamic. a lot of that content is fetish driven...and well.. im not touching that topic with a 10 ft shit and piss covered pole. if you're gonna make tord terrible to tom, you have to make tom just as terrible back. they both get under each others skin. i prefer the idea that tord and tom are more friendly in wtfuture since edd is out of the picture. i mean tord has to like him enough to employ him. tom likes him enough to be able to borrow a time machine without much trouble. those are two emotional unstable buddies right there

everyone kinda sucks. this is just straight up true. everyone was out for blood early on in eddsworld. i mean just look at matt. that guy was straight up a menace. yeah the show changed a lot. the tone and the way characters treat each other softened. the tomee bear has a pretty good video on this. i don't disagree with much of what he says. it added a new way to view the end episodes which i greatly appreciate. i could see this being the direction they go for tord in canon

everyone elses crimes. when it comes to talking about the other characters crimes i'd say dont take it seriously if the show doesnt. tom's christmas demolition wasnt taken seriously at all as an act of domestic terrorism. it's a joke about tom's character taken to the extreme for comedy. most things they do are consequence-less. basically, only take it seriously when the show does. tord blowing up the house, killing jon, and betraying everyone was tonally a lot different from tom rapping about hating christmas and nuking bongland. that's the reason why people hate on tord for what he did a bit more. personally i hate tord for being an annoying gooner with confusing politics. but u know to each their own

[gatorbites-imagines]

Ooooo, requests are back open!! 🏃‍♂️

If you are still in the mood for some DC requests maybe Barry Allen x cat burglar!reader. Like he is super flexible, like former gymnast type orr stripper type

would be down for some smutty content too if you are in the mood 👀 totally down for just fluff stuff tho

Barry Allen x male reader

Headcanons

No smut in this one, since I just really wasn’t in the mood but wanted to write this anyways. I’ve been listening to a lot of limp bizkit lately, idk what that says about me though.

You would have met the first time during one of your robberies, he would definitely make some joke about how he thought the cat burglars were in Gotham.

You’d give him the runaround and somehow escape him even with his super speed, which gets on Barry’s nerves since that rarely happens, especially from someone who doesn’t have any meta powers.

He’s never been one to resolve all his issues with violence like other heroes, so he would want to know why you steal and if he can help you out of the situation you are in that is leading you to steal. It becomes flirty pretty quickly, especially when you use some of your flexibility to wrap your legs around his head, or around his waist.

He finds out you mainly steal to give back to the people, like a modern day robin hood. So whilst he appreciates the enthusiasm for what you do, he cant let you rob all the places you want as much as he thinks it’s a noble cause.

At some point your flirting becomes steamier and more real as you learn more about each other, and at some point, you stage thefts just to see him. You don’t even make it out of the place you’ve robbed before he’s there and meeting you.

Neither of you can really say how or when you started dating for real, maybe it was one day Barry was hurt and you took him back to your apartment and patched him up, or that time he had to take your mask off to make sure you didn’t have a concussion.

But one thing lead to another and you both kissed, and your chases became even more of a game, the people of central city soon learned that you didn’t really pose any threat and that the flash would be there soon enough.

It becomes a meme in town that it’s just foreplay for you two, that you both like to play that little game of yours before the flash scoops you up and takes you home. Of course, that part has never been proven, but it’s part of the joke.

Some of the league would be uncomfortable in the beginning with Barry dating you, but when they voice their opinions, he’s quick to point out just how many of them have done the exact same or dated even worse villains.

Bruce decides very smartly to not say a single thing, because he has his own cat based burglar he likes to play tag with across the rooftops.

You are of course good friends with Selina, you both being cat based and with an eye for high quality goods. You also like to share stories of your lovers, you about the flash and her about Batman.

You visit her in Gotham sometimes, and she will come to Central city every now and then, just so you two can hang out, go shopping, commit a couple of thefts. Selina ends up loving Barry and says he’s just right for you, which makes your blonde lover blush.

Barry himself is pretty flexible in my opinion, but you are on a whole other level. You two like to exercise together or do yoga, so when you can pull off the super difficult poses he Is amazed and wants you to teach him.

There’s been multiple times during your games of chase that you have swung around poles and used it to change the direction you were running in, or have caught Barry with your legs whilst still holding onto the pole.

The two of you will never tell anybody, but you have most definitely given Barry a show or two with what you know on the pole, and he is a very enthusiastic viewer.

At some point you two are caught kissing by the public and it becomes like a secret only the people of central city know, but they honestly aren’t surprised at this point.

You end up becoming more of an anti-hero or vigilante, just stealing from the corrupt and only ever going after the normal persons items when you want to play with Flash on slow nights. You give large majority of the money you make back to the public to better the city for those who don’t have much, so you end up having fans too.

You end up meeting the league at some point, having to join during a meeting because they could truly use your expertise. Instead of sitting in the chair they offer you, you sit down in Barry’s lap which he just smiles about, looking almost as red as his suit.

Nightwing and other heroes who rely a lot on gymnastics end up going to you for advice because of how skilled you are, so you become a more permanent part of the league as you train others on how to use gymnastics and their bodies during battle, and in exchange you get some other training yourself.

You never become an official member of the league, because you don’t want too. But they get used to seeing you together with Barry, and they get especially used to you draping yourself all over the speedster like a big lazy cat, which always makes him flush.

[naranjapetrificada]

Izzy becomes a "real boy"

So obviously I haven't been able to shut up about the way Izzy has been written in season 2 and I stand by my disappointment and criticism, even knowing that the writers were given a herculean task of cramming 10 pounds of season into an 8 pound bag. Even knowing that, his "arc" such as it is has felt very off to a lot of people, present company included. I'm a cogitator at heart (thanks AuDHD!) and that can turn "make it make sense" into a prime directive sometimes. So here I am, trying once again.

I felt a particular way about Izzy after the end of season 1, which I would describe as "not especially strongly" because I primarily saw his character as a storytelling tool/useful foil more than anything else. But his presence and characterization in season 2 have been haunting me this time and not in a good way, because I've spent this season trying and failing to make it make sense. But something just occurred to me that I hope I can explain in a coherent way:

If season 1 Izzy was more a storytelling tool than anything else, maybe season 2 was an attempt to turn the puppet into a Real Boy. And if so, maybe things did not go as planned.

There are so, so many good posts going into the things that don't work about how Izzy has been handled this season, to the point that I'm not gonna try reinventing the wheel. Some of the reasons it hasn't worked for some of us include:

Much of his alleged growth apparently happening offscreen, most likely due to the reduced budget and episode count.

The lack of connective tissue between many of his scenes, some of which can be attributed to the previous point about corporate fuckery but other parts of which are hard to explain beyond "idk I guess the writers felt like it?"

The unfortunate connotations of sidelining nonwhite characters like Jim, who was the only character beyond the central pair to receive a detailed backstory, flashbacks, and a multi-episode character arc

The unchecked racialized comments he gets to drop about Edward (calling him a "wild dog" or seemingly mixing him up with Roach) that in season 1, would have resulted in violent retribution as a sign of the story's disapproval

The lines we get from Izzy that feel like they should have been said by other characters, and maybe that would have been based on the expectations of the show that we left season 1 with

The way it seems like Izzy's suffering is being used as a stand-in for actual moments of reflection or atonement, which is a pretty fucked up dynamic to set up as precursor to redemption

The way Izzy now gets to partake in the very behaviors he denigrated in Ed last season, which would be a cool and moving character beat if there was a single, solitary narrative acknowledgement in the harm caused by his treatment of Ed in s1e10. Ditto for him apparently just being cool with shit that once would have been his worst nightmare.

The fact that so many of these issues could have been addressed in a quick throwaway line or two that showed that the narrative understood what was wrong to reassure us all because by definition if a character is getting a redemption arc, it's because they did something wrong, right?

There's plenty more of course, but that's not why I made this post. I made this post because regardless of why the decision was made to handle Izzy this way this season, the attempt was made to flesh him out in ways that his role last season may not have been initially written for. Con's performance and certain production choices hinted at a depth to his character that may or may not have been on the page, but helped make for a pretty interesting season 1 antagonist.

For season 2 they decided to make Izzy a real boy, but the combination of a reduced budget, a lower episode count, and whatever creative darlings they couldn't seem to kill in order to give us more development of his transformation made sticking the landing impossible because we're lacking certain elements for basic comprehension.

Imagine you know almost nothing of the story of Pinocchio and someone starts up the Disney movie version of it for you but it's a weirdly edited version of it. There's no narration from Jiminy Cricket, mostly because there's no Jiminy Cricket at all. We see Geppetto crafting a wooden puppet, but not the part where he wishes for him to be a real boy, which makes it kinda weird to then see the part where the fairy brings him to life and says he can become a real boy but okay, let's go with it.

Now let's say the one thing you've always heard about the story is that Pinocchio's nose grows when he lies. So we get to the scene where he lies to the fairy but for whatever reason, his nose doesn't grow. No one comments on the inconsistency, and when you mention the nose thing all anyone wants to talk about is how great Pinocchio's nose looks.

Then Pinocchio goes to Pleasure Island and while the animation and acting seem great as usual, and the language of cinema appears to be setting up something dark on the horizon. Then Pinocchio's new friend Lampwick starts transforming into a donkey, this random well-dressed cricket shows up to admonish Pinocchio, and our puppet friend is randomly immune to the thing turning other kids into donkeys. No one comments on that either. Maybe Pinocchio even gloats about it a little, which seems like a weird storytelling decision that merits a follow up discussion later.

And I guess this is the part of this over-extended metaphor where you remember you have somewhere to be but you'll finish the film later, because as an audience we won't know how things shake out for season 2 Izzy until the finale. Presumably we'll still get the scene where he magically turns into a real boy, but there isn't exactly time for anything else like all that stuff with the whale. Maybe the real boy scene will happen, but for whatever reason the animator kept drawing him like the wooden puppet and every time you point it out no one will take you seriously.

Wouldn't that be a weird thing to experience?

[pinetreegoblin]

I have a silly and indulgent Very Important People fan theory:

Very Important People!Vic Michaelis is extremely insecure and lonely as shown by their dialogue throughout many of the currently released episodes. They seem down on their luck and frustrated by their lot in life especially in their career and their personal connections. They seem like the perfect character to go through a classic “self growth through a journey of meeting crazy characters” plot. 

Each of the characters seem like out of this world caricatures of people they could meet out in the world, and some (like Denzel and Vic’s Grandma), seem like representations of those in her actual life (I also have a fun theory that the dolls were her childhood dolls). Many of the characters themselves point out that Vic seems to be down on their luck and unhappy, and in some way preventing themselves from happiness. Off the top of my head, Vic has referred to their father being murdered, a divorce from their husband, and struggling to get a “real reporting career.” 

If I had to construct a story of how they got to this point I would say the death of their father pushed VIP!Vic into grief induced isolation and loneliness, which inhibited their personal connections as they were stuck in survival mode. The murder of their father inspired them to become a reporter, as an attempt to help other victims of violent crime, but they are struggling to find a foothold. Their unbridled grief and obsession with retribution for their father has put a strain on their marriage and their partner asks for a divorce. Maybe in their exasperation and the chaos of life they are spurred to follow a lead they have no business or jurisdiction to follow and they end up injured. It is in this injury they are experiencing this hallucinogenic state.

The VIP set itself feels very cultivated and its “old-fashioned” eclectic style gives it a vibe of a surreal manufactured reality. Each episode starts with Vic idly messing with some aspect of the set, before realizing the camera is on and putting on the reporter mask. In my memory, none of the people “on set” ever say anything, besides Vic and the interviewee, even when Vic audibly asks them questions. Additionally the cutting off to infomercials gives an uncanny feeling of parody, someone concocting the stereotypical formula of a show. Finally, there are the moments where there is an abrupt cut to a transition card from a more intense scene, almost to redirect the emotional plot. Overall, it has given me a kinda WandaVision vibe of a dreamlike state manufactured in VIP!Vics head in order to address their loneliness and disillusionment with life.

The closing question especially points towards this specific idea of VIP!Vic being stuck in this fugue state looking for answers: “What is the meaning of life?” This is both impactful if we go with the idea she is injured and experiencing this all in an unconscious state (almost "deciding" whether to wake up) as well as just in them searching for the next direction to go in their frozen life. What is the meaning of life amidst grief, loneliness, fear, and unfair circumstances? How can Vic find meaning? In creating this dreamlike fabrication, VIP!Vic is trying to recover and find a version of themselves who can live a more fulfilling life as they let go of the past which has held them back. “Remember to always be yourself, unless you'd rather be somone else” 

TLDR: Vic Michalis is having some sort of surreal, unconscious dream where crazy characters are attempting to help them heal from their father's death, their fucked up social situations, and to find meaning and happiness in their life. Through the interviewees eccentricities they teach Vic their personal meanings of life so Vic can find their own.

(This is all just to be silly, I know a lot of it is just stylistic choices of the show and the nature of the type of show it is, but I just love the show a lot and this little theory came to me)

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

The hills turn crimson as I take your hand in mine (part 1)

Detective!Shanks x reader. Modern AU. As usual, NSFW!! This is part one of two.

Title inspired by a verse of Left on Mars by Marko Hietala & Tarja Turunen.

Discussion of child kidnapping and child abuse but nothing graphic is shown. Characters deaths (not Shanks or reader), two past and one in the course of the story. Luffy and Zoro are both nine, Shanks is in his late twenties. 

Animanga characters who have not (yet) appeared on the show are mentioned; Shanks is Roger’s and Rayleigh’s son. 

*****

Shanks realises he’s not in his bed even before he opens his eyes. 

First of all it’s the mattress. He chose a relatively hard one when he moved into his flat, not to the point that he might as well have been sleeping on the floor but almost, but the surface he is lying on now feels much softer, his body literally drowning in the foam; Shanks is not even sure of how he’s going to stand from it, given the fact he now has only one harm to heave himself up.

Then there’s the music. Not live music, courtesy of his neighbour Yorki, a talented musician who sometimes starts practising with his violin at dawn, but on the radio, the notes of a soft jazz piece gently wafting towards him; not at all unpleasant, but not something he’s used to hearing, especially in the morning.

And then there’s the smell in the air; not of coffee, but of tea - something Shanks hasn’t drunk in years and is pretty sure he has never bought to keep in the pantry. 

No, the one he has just awoken in is not his bed, and he is not in his home; even in his half-awake state, it takes Shanks a minute to realise whose bed he is currently occupying and how he got there, and a happy, excited smile opens on his lips. Ah, if only he had known deciding to go for a hamburger last night would have such delicious consequences… 

“Are you awake?”

Startled for a moment -he has never liked being snuck up on, especially after his accident- Shanks turns on his back and then sits up; as he had guessed, it requires a decent effort, but he manages. “Just woken up. Hi, (name).”

The woman that greeting is directed to smiles warmly at him. She’s walking into the room, a tray in her hands, that she places on the bedside table before walking to the closest window to open it, and let the cool morning air envelop the room.

“I was wondering if you’d remember my name.” (name) confesses as she sits on the edge of the bed; she’s wearing the same shirt she had last night when she and Shanks met at the hamburger kiosk, without a bra underneath, and a different pair of panties, her lovely legs, that felt so good intertwined around his hips as they fucked, left bare.

Shanks smiles; he’s completely naked and doesn’t bother covering up, both because he sees no use for it and because he has every reason to believe the woman in front of him appreciates the view. “I found your passport in the drawer.”

“Ah, that explains everything…”

They share a smile, natural and relaxed despite the potential embarrassment of the morning after, just like easy and friendly was the conversation they found themselves engaged in as they queued at the kiosk -the best among the many in the city, they agreed- both famished at the end of a long work-day but unwilling to cook. Both planned to go enjoy their food at home, but they somehow ended up sharing one of the few tables near the kiosk, eating and then drinking and talking about everything and nothing, the conversation flowing natural and pleasant even though they had just met.

Shanks told her about him, of how he had left the Police Department a year ago after the loss of his arm to work in the investigative agency of his best friend; (name) told him about her passion for photography, that was also her passion as both a professional photographer and a teacher. He thought she was vivacious, funny, with a nice smile and lovely legs; it was good talking to her, like he had seldom experienced with a person he had just met.

Shanks can’t say who kissed who first; what he remembers is that he offered to walk (name) to the bus stop, both because it had gotten very late and because he genuinely enjoyed her company, and suddenly he had his back pressed against a wall, the woman’s lips pressed against his, his arm wrapped around her waist. They had been kissing frantically for several minutes when “Do you wanna come to my place?” (name) whispered in his ear, and Shanks had never nodded faster, or more enthusiastically, in his life. He held her hand while on the bus, and clothes started flying off as soon as the flat’s door had closed behind them. It was the first time Shanks had sex since the loss of his arm, but he had no time to reflect on it, too busy kissing the warm skin he had just exposed and listening to the lovely moans (name)’s equally delicious lips were producing, half of them of his name.

And now this: the morning after. There are some decisions he has made Shanks regrets, or is not particularly proud of, but the one of letting (name) take him home is neither of those things; he only needs to look at her, at her smile, at the hopeful look in her eyes, to be sure. It’s far too soon to make plans, but who knows, this could be the beginning of something beautiful…

“I had a lovely time.” (name) murmurs after a while; she doesn’t seem shy exactly, rather… cautious, as if still not fully sure of how her confidence might be received “I mean, I do think you’re very handsome, but… I don’t know, it’s like I had known you forever; It’s been nice talking to you, as well as everything else.”

Shanks’ smile feels almost too large for his face. “It was indeed.” he says, and then he can’t help it, he kisses her again, and (name) kisses him, sweet and passionate and with her hand resting on the back of his neck, and God, Shanks is ready to beg her to let him spend the rest of the day in her bed - preferably not alone.

“I brought breakfast.” (name) points out after a while; she takes both mugs from the tray she had brought from the kitchen -because there must be a kitchen in the flat; Shanks can’t say, since last night she dragged him directly into the bedroom- and offers one to Shanks, who accepts it gratefully… before the already-perceived smell reaches his nostrils.

“This… is tea.” he realises, observing the crimson-coloured circle of liquid in his hands.

“Exactly; an old family recipe, I literally can’t live without it… what’s wrong?” (name) asks, suddenly crestfallen as she notices Shanks’ expression “You don’t like tea?”

“No, no; I do like it, but… I usually drink coffee in the morning; I can’t wake up otherwise.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I don’t drink coffee.”

“So… you don’t have any?”

“No.”

The idea of starting a day without coffee is almost unbearable, but Shanks knows it would be highly ungrateful to complain about something that is being offered to him, so he takes a sip of his tea, and is pleasantly surprised by the rich, strong aroma. “This is… very good.”

“Isn’t it? I’ve probably drunk more tea than water since I was twelve.” 

(name) has also prepared pancakes, two generous portions with maple syrup just like he likes them. They eat sitting on the bed and feeding each other, quietly enjoying each other’s company and the soft jazz music enveloping the room; it’s a lovely moment that, Shanks reflects, will end soon, like lovely moments are wont to do.

“Listen, I’d love to stay longer, if you’re not busy, but I need to be in the office in less than an hour.” he murmurs after a while, and (name) nods, clearly disappointed but not surprised: after all working on a wednesday is the norm. 

“Of course; I have a few things to do as well.”

“Right. And, err, I know we have agreed the kiosk’s hamburgers are the best in the city, but I was thinking that if you’re free you’d let me take you…”

(name) has lit up, clearly anticipating an invitation she’s sure to accept; Shanks is thrilled… at least until his phone’s ringtone fills the room, completely, if not definitely, ruining the mood.

“Are you late for work already?” (name) asks, clearly disappointed “It’s only seven-thirty…”

“I… don’t think so; just give me a second…”

Their clothes are scattered around the room; (name)’s panties are hanging from the foot board, while Shanks’ beloved straw hat has been placed neatly on a chair, the only item that wasn’t simply abandoned on the floor or thrown on top of the furniture in the heat of passion. “You look so good with it on.” she told him last night as they kissed, stark naked on the bed “I want you to fuck me wearing it…”

He did. Shanks allows himself a moment to savour the memory before retrieving his phone from his leather jacket’s pocket. He looks at the name on the screen, and for a moment he’s brought back to almost exactly a year ago, when he could still clap, and easily tie his shoes, and was still a promising police agent who would probably become a Bureau Chief by the time he’s thirty-five. “Commander.”

“Shanks. I’m sorry, I know it’s early.” the gruff voice of his old superior, Monkey D. Garp, admits. 

“It’s alright.” Shanks lies; they haven’t spoken since he left the force a year ago, and no matter how well they got along Garp would not call simply to inquire about his health, especially not this early in the morning “What happened?”

Garp hesitates for a moment before answering - unusual, for such a direct, no-nonsense man; Shanks can almost see him, already in his office despite the early hour, staring at the city’s skyline out of the wall window behind his large desk, phone pressed against his ear.

“A child has gone missing.” the commander explains in the end “I need you to take care of it.”

Shanks blinks. A child’s disappearance is a serious matter, but… “Sir… I resigned from the force.” he points out, feeling a bit foolish since Garp is well aware of the fact “And you know several qualified people for a case like that. Captain Belle-mère of the Missing People Department could…”

“I’m asking you, Shanks; as a favour, if you will, since I can’t put anyone here on the case. And I want you to keep this for yourself; no one else has to know.”

Shanks is quickly briefed on the case: the child’s name is Luffy, nine years old; twenty-four hours ago his parents went to wake him up for school, and found his bed empty. The child has virtually disappeared in thin air, leaving no trace; the family hasn’t received a ransom demand, but Garp himself is convinced that Luffy, an adventurous soul with the desire to travel the world, left of his own accord, unaware of the dangers he could meet. 

“I still don’t understand why you’re asking me.” Shanks insists as he returns to sit on the bed; the mental image of a nine-year-old vanished from his home, either at the hands of unscrupulous criminals or in any case alone in the world, does not leave him indifferent, but he has already decided there is something very fishy about this, a police commander asking a former agent to investigate a disappearance case in secret, and as much as he still respects and trusts Garp, Shanks wants no part in it.

“I thought you were a detective.”

“I am a detective.” he clarifies; and a pretty good one at that, he mentally adds, now that he and Benn had started making a name for themselves “And something I like is my clients being honest about the reasons they hire me. Tell me the truth and I… may do it.”

A sigh. “I’m sorry, Shanks; I can’t.” Garp explains, and he does sound sincerely regretful “But I need you to trust me, and do this. I know you’re no longer part of the force, but I thought you’d be willing to help, given the fact a child is missing. Of course, if you’re happy investigating cheating husbands and serving legal papers, I’ll let you go back to your work…”

(name) is now kneeling on the bed behind him; she starts kissing his neck, her hands moving up and down his sides, and Shanks sighs, dearly wishing he could just close the call and focus on her. “This is -hnnn- playing dirty, commander.”

“You’ll be paid for your trouble.”

“I don’t care about the money.” 

“Then I won’t.” the older man retorts, not missing a beat “There’s something else; since the child left no trace, I need you to contact someone who will find the child.”

“You’re not saying...”

“An Hound. Yes.”

Shanks has never been so close in his life to hanging up on someone; his whole body has tensed, not as a result of the tender ministrations of the woman behind him, but in the wake of an unpleasant, painful memory that has suddenly filled his mind. “No.” he states; he has to control himself in order not to shout “No Hounds. You know I don’t work with those people, with those… scammers. Garp, Hounds are con artists who prey on the fear and pain of others. I’m sorry for this child, I really am, but I don’t work with scum like that; find someone else.”

They discuss about it for a while more, and no matter how determined Shanks is to stand firm in his convictions, Garp is well-known for his tenacity and has clearly taken the case of little Luffy’s disappearance at heart, enough not to take no for an answer, even if it means resorting to emotional blackmail. In the end, Shanks hears himself capitulating; he’ll work with the Hound his former commander has tasked him to contact, and do his best to retrieve Luffy. I’m doing this for the child, he tells himself, already ashamed for having accepted, I’ll find him, make sure he’s safe, and then I’ll never have to talk to this guy again. I don’t have to make friends with him, I don’t have to like him: the only thing that matters is that he can actually find Luffy.

“I’ll send the child’s things to your place.” Garp says; though still tense, his former commander doesn’t even try to hide his satisfaction at having won their verbal skirmish, and for a single moment Shanks really, deeply hates him “And you already have Luffy’s picture and the Hound’s address; make sure not to mention me, and find a way to ensure she’s collaborating.”

It takes Shanks a moment to decipher the meaning of those words. “You mean this guy doesn’t know yet?!” he asks, and now he is screaming “And why shouldn’t I mention you?”

“Good-bye, Shanks.”

“Wait a moment! Garp, why shouldn’t the Hound…”

“I’m sure you’ll do your best as usual. Thank you.”

His former commander, it turns up, has no qualms about hanging up on people, unlike him. Shanks swears under his breath, and as he looks once more at the screen of his phone he notices he has a new text, received almost ten minutes ago: Garp sent him the address before even calling to ask for his help, already confident Shanks would accept the task. 

Ok, now I really hate him. It doesn’t change the fact that I gave him my word, but I really do…”  

He gently taps the screen to open the text, and find himself face to face with the sunny smile of a dark-haired child, sitting on the grass in his white shirt and jean shorts; a happy, apparently healthy normal child, who has disappeared from his bed leaving no trace behind, and whose family is now fearing the worst. Shanks has seen, or heard of, several cases like his during his years in the force, and not all of them had a happy ending - far from it.

Shanks knows Garp has been less than honest with him; why has the commander contacted a former agent to search for the child? Why doesn’t he want the Hound to know he is involved? He doesn’t know, like he has no idea of what happened to Luffy; but looking at the little face on his phone, Shanks decides he will - he will find the child, hopefully safe and sound, and return him to his parents. Police matters are no longer his concern, and Garp can’t force him to work on the case, especially if the older man wants his involvement to remain secret, but Shanks has to admit it, he can’t simply forget about it: a child is missing from his home, potentially because he has been kidnapped, and he has to do whatever he can to find him, not because he has promised or will be paid for it…

He has to; even if it means having to work with the sort of people he normally would cross the street in order not to meet. 

With a sigh, he touches the screen again to return to the text the picture is attached to - no message, just the address Shanks has to go meet the Hound and ensure his cooperation. An address Shanks quickly realises he knows already…

He blinks, for a moment too flabbergasted to believe his own eyes; but he’s seen the street sign as he -they- got off the bus, and while he was too focused on the soft, warm body pressed against his as they crossed the building’s door, he’s pretty sure he remembers the small number next to it.

And then the name - first and last. Not particularly unusual, but on top of all the rest, it turns what could have been a simple coincidence into… what? A sign of destiny?

Focused as he was on the conversation con Garp, Shanks has momentarily forgotten he is not alone in the room; he is still coming to terms with the revelation as he turns, facing the person who has just heard him heavily insult and disparage her kind. 

Shanks has already lost an arm, but right now he would happily sacrifice the other, and both of his legs, for the floor to open under his feet and swallow him whole. 

(name) is sitting cross-legged on the bed, her eyes fixed on him; she doesn’t seem angry -and she would have every right to be, given what she heard him say, Shanks realises- but she has stopped smiling. 

Your bedroom is empty when you return to it after your shower, a scene that fills your heart with sadness for a moment even though you can hear Shanks in the kitchen, walking around the cramped room as he finishes his tea.

“So.” she starts in the end, breaking what to Shanks has felt like the most awkward silence of all times “It seems like you have a proposition for me.”

It’s you who asked him to leave, because you needed a bit of privacy for your shower and, most of all, to reflect on what you had unwittingly learnt as you listened to his conversation on the phone, a request Shanks has acquiesced without arguing, no doubt because he still hoped to convince you to help him, and also, just maybe, because he was sorry.

You really wish you could know which reason was more prominent.

With a sigh, you leave your bath towel on the back of the chair before walking to your closet to unenthusiastically pick the clothes for the day; you feel melancholic and self-conscious, which is disappointing, because you had started today better than any day in the last few years, happy and satisfied side by side with an handsome man you had immediately felt a connection with, even though you had just met him. Talking to him had been pleasant and exciting, the sex just as much; he was even more attractive, his smile even more charming, in the morning light than he had been last night as you kissed passionately near the bus stop, and when you realised he was about to ask you out, you felt your heart burst with joy…

And then that damned phone call had to ruin everything you think resentfully as you choose a comfortable pair of jeans and an old shirt; you have better clothes, things Shanks would appreciate seeing you wear, but you’re not in the mood to doll yourself up. 

You can’t blame Shanks; not about that, at least. He did tell you he had been a police officer once, and Garp’s call had clearly taken him by surprise; also, since the case concerned a missing child, can you really blame him for wanting to do whatever it takes to find him, including asking for your help?

Whatever it takes. This is the most embarrassing, most humiliating side of the whole matter; that Shanks considers working with you a sacrifice to be made, an ordeal to bear for the sake of the child. It was so mortifying to hear him bad-mouth you over the phone, you felt the impulse to run away from your own home, even though you had done nothing wrong.

Well, clearly the problem is not you personally, you reflect as you get dressed and then quickly retrieve your shoes from under the bed, rather what you are; after all Shanks hadn’t known about your ability when he spoke to Garp, so there isn’t much you can accuse him of, given that lack of timing is not a crime. 

A Hound. This is what you are, a term you don’t necessarily like -after all you’re not a dog, it’s not your nose you rely on and what you find are people, not truffles or badgers- but that you must admit clearly describes what you can do, and this no one knows it better than commander Garp. You’re not surprised that he asked for your help, but after what happened years ago you did tell him you wanted to stop, that you could no longer take responsibility for what you did, and now a child is in danger, a child that for all you know might have been kidnapped and sold into slavery, or worse, but you can’t do it, Garp and Shanks can find someone else, there are other Hounds in the country, you just want to go on with your life and forget what you never stopped feeling guilty for…

In the end you stand in front of the full-length mirror, looking at your reflection as you vainly try to fix your clothes; you’ve looked better, but you can’t linger, not with Shanks in your kitchen who waits for, and deserves, an answer. Who knows if he’ll still want to see you after you’ve refused to help him, and after discovering what you are; probably not, and this saddens you enormously, even though you have barely known him for twelve hours, a few of which you spent sleeping.

“Come on; you can do it.” you whisper, and the woman framed in the metal blue rectangle nods in response, still afraid but determined to do what she needs to. 

When you reach him in the kitchen, Shanks is looking at the numerous pictures pinned to the plywood panels on the walls, portraits and landscapes and much more, that you took in the course of your career as a photographer, since you were barely a child. “Did you take these?” he asks excitedly, ponting at one of your favourites, a close-up of a fox drinking from a stream, that you happened upon during a walk in the woods six months ago “This especially is amazing, but they’re all very good!” 

“I’m glad you like it; that picture specifically won me a competition.” you admit; you were quite satisfied with your success, even though the prize money was barely enough to pay your rent for a month “To be a photographer is what I have always wanted; I will never be famous, but I can support myself with it, and share my passion with other people who appreciate it, and that is more than enough for me.” 

“Good for you…”

You share a smile, vaguely shy on both sides; Shanks is wearing his straw hat once more, and looks more handsome than ever, his boyish smile making your heart flutter. You thought you were too old and wise for crushes at first sight, but the man in front of you proved you wrong without even trying… and this makes the conversation you need to have even more potentially painful.

“Shanks, I…”

“I’m sorry.”

He has turned serious as he looks at you, the now empty cup of tea on the table. “I’ll listen and accept whatever you decide to do, but please, (name), let me just say this: I’m sorry for what you heard. I… I had no reason to think you were a Hound, I would have never said those things otherwise, but I did, and… and I hurt you, which I’ll never forgive me for. I met a person like you, years ago, and they did something so horrible and despicable that… well, I guess it led me to hate the whole category, which is obviously wrong. You have nothing to do with all of this, so… I’m sorry; truly and deeply. I’m not perfect, but I like to think I’m better than this.”

“I’m sure you are.” you murmur as you move towards the closest chair, pull it out and sit on it; a moment later Shanks has done the same, taking his place in front of you “Many people are suspicious about those like me, and… well, you’re a former policeman, I can’t blame you if you consider Hounds a necessary evil, people who get all the credit with little effort while normal agents do the work…”

“My problem with Hounds dates back to before I joined the force; but it’s very sweet of you.”

“I’m just being honest; I’m not particularly happy about this gift I’ve been given myself.” you admit with a sad smile. Once again you wonder if this, discovering what you are, has changed Shanks’ opinion about you, but once again, you lack the courage to ask; he’ll probably never want to see you again, no matter how passionate the sex between you was and especially after you refuse helping him with his case, and you can’t blame him for it, but it’s so unfair…

“You know Garp.”

“I do; I did.” you confirm “It was him who… recruited me. I discovered I was a Hound when I was fifteen, and at the end of my training I was assigned to help him with a case, a woman who had been kidnapped by her husband; we worked well together, and from then on he asked for my help for many other cases.”

Those were good years; at least, so they seemed back then. You didn’t do it for the money, even though what you earned was a lot for a teenager who still had to pay for photography classes, and you sincerely thought what you did was important, and useful: people kidnapped for ransom, elders who got lost, criminals who attempted to escape justice… you could find them and help the police bring them back, ensure they were safe or they paid for their crimes. Sometimes you got there too late, and by the time you were called the missing person was beyond help, but that was important as well, you told yourself, because their loved ones could mourn them and find closure, rather than hanging on to hope. 

You were good at what you did, and you did it often. You lived a normal life, attending school, spending your weekends wandering around with your camera looking for inspiration, and hanging with your friends, plus this, a sort of part-time job you were proud of; you were proud of yourself, of the help you, one of few among billions, could give, of the difference you could make. 

If only you had stopped to talk and listen to the people you tracked down… in that case, maybe you’d have realised that sometimes people have a good reason for disappearing, and escaped criminals are not the only ones who dread being brought back…

“You really don’t know why Garp asked you to take care of this case, rather than the police?  It’d be the most natural choice, especially for him.” you point out, and Shanks shrugs helplessly; he has no idea, he admits, and he does find suspicious that the commander himself wants to keep the force off the case, but he’ll find out… after he has found Luffy, hopefully safe and sound, and returned him to his parents.

“(name)...”

“I can’t, Shanks.”

“Please, if you only let me explain…”

“There’s nothing to explain; and you said you’d accept my decision, whatever it may be.” you remind him; your voice has taken a pleading, almost begging tone you don’t like but can’t avoid using “I know there’s a missing child, and I don’t even want to know what could have happened to him, but… I can’t help you. I’m very sorry, I know it’s egotistical and cruel, but I really can’t. There are other Hounds…”

“Not as good as you.” 

“... you can ask one of them; I’m sure Garp can contact them. There’s a woman in Cocoyashi City, a captain Belle-mère, who is exceptionally talented, she once found the remains of a man who had died half a century before simply touching his watch…”

Shanks listens patiently as you make excuses for what you once considered a sacred duty to pursue whatever the cost, no trace of blame or judgement in his brown eyes; he looks so kind, so handsome and understanding, you wish you could stop talking and just kiss him, take his hand and guide him back to your bed. You’d spend the rest of the morning making love, forgetting everything and everybody else, including a missing child who needs your help and could be killed -or worse- at any moment; it’d be easy, and like most easy choices, it would probably end up being the wrong one, and filling you with shame and regret. 

“First of all, captain Belle-mère is dead.” Shanks informs you gently “She was killed two years ago, in the line of duty; I went to her funeral.”

“Oh, no!” you exclaim; Belle-mère had been your trainer at the Hound Preparation Centre -most commonly known as The Pound- and in the four months you spent together a deep friendship was born between the two of you; you wish you could ask after her daughters, Nojiko and Nami, who you had met several times, but Shanks is still talking. 

“I looked you up online while you got changed; I hope you don’t mind, there are databases one in my profession has access to.” he admits as he lifts the phone in his hand, and the way he’s looking at you is… unexpected, somehow; most people react with curiosity, tinted with either admiration or suspicion, when they find out what you are and what you can do, but Shanks is different. He’s trying to secure your services, but he’s not only focused on that… he’s still thinking about what has happened between the two of you in the last twelve hours, the amazing sex and the deep and relaxed conversation that you shared. If you knew him better, if you had known him for years or at least months, you could even say he actually cares about you, for more than the help you can give him in his search for Luffy “And you… you are exceptional, (name); even among the Hounds, you are one in a thousand.”

To your shame, you feel yourself blushing. “That’s not true…”

“It is. You completed your training at the Pound -this is what you call it, righty?- in four months, the third shortest time in more than a hundred years since the Institute was founded; you received two special commendations for your role in the finding and recovery of dangerous criminals…”

“Shanks…”

“In the course of your collaboration with the Police you found almost a hundred missing people, in some cases after your fellow Hounds had been unable to help…”

“Shanks, please, stop it…”

“Not to mention that your tracking radius is incredibly broad, in some cases you chased people who were hundreds of miles away from you, and you found them nonetheless…

“I said STOP IT!”

You hadn’t meant to shout, but you did, loud enough for your voice to fill the room and probably be heard in the whole complex, and unlike what happens in the rare cases you end up losing control, letting it all out doesn’t make you feel better - quite the opposite.

“I’m sorry.” you murmur, fingertips pressed to your lips as if it were still possible to stop your outburst “I shouldn’t have shouted; you didn’t deserve it.”

“It’s alright, the fault is mine; I shouldn’t have insisted.”

“Maybe not, but I should have kept my cool. Shanks… I’m sorry, I really am; no matter how good a Hound I may have been in the past, I stopped doing that years ago, and I promised myself I would never do it again. I told Garp, which is probably why he suggested you keep his involvement secret; maybe he thought a person with no apparent links to the force would convince me to collaborate, but I won’t; it’s… it’s too dangerous.”

You see Shanks frown for a moment. “I know I may not look like it.” he begins, nodding towards the empty sleeve of his jacket “But if things go south I can protect you; I have a gun -and a licence- and I’m an excellent shot. The last thing I want is to put you in danger.”

“I believe you.” and you really do. “But it’s not me I’m worried for.”

Your sigh fills the room; Shanks’ brown eyes are still fixed on you, and you know, as surely as you know you own name, that if you asked him to stop insisting and to let the matter drop, he’ll respect your wishes and search for another way, and another Hound, to find Luffy. Maybe he’ll even also ask you out like he was about to do before Garp called, having perceived you haven’t refused to help him simply because you didn’t care a child had gone missing.

You could do it; you could close the matter there and then, and never speak of it again. But no matter how painful it is to discuss the darkest moment of your life, you know Shanks deserves an explanation for your refusal - and maybe, just maybe, you want to give it to him, you want him to know the truth.

You want him to know you.

“You need to understand that even at the end of my career as a Hound, I was little more than a kid; capable, and in full control of her ability, but probably more naive than she realised. Because of this, I… I think I never stopped thinking that sometimes, just sometimes, people have a good reason for wanting to disappear. Criminals had to be brought to justice, people kidnapped for ransom needed to be saved, the same with children and elders who got lost, but there were other cases, people who simply wanted to escape a life they were no longer happy, or safe, in. I worked with the Police, I told myself, so I was one of the good guys; I never thought what I did could put someone in danger. To be honest I never thought about it, and this was my mistake.

There was this lady here in the city; her name was Makino, she was the same age I am now. She lived with her husband, and one day, after -I was told- a fight with him, she packed a bag and left. Garp brought me a brush with a few of her hair still on it, and asked me to find her, and I… I did; Makino had acted quickly, and bought a plane ticket for a country far away, where both she and her husband knew no one, under a false name, but as you said, my tracking distance -that is, the furthest point from me I can locate someone without losing the trace- is particularly broad, and it took me a moment to feel where Makino was, even though she had put hundreds of miles between her and her hometown. We took a plane, Garp and I, and in less than a day we found her, in a shabby hotel on the outskirts of a large city; the commander convinced her to return home.

Now, I like to think I wasn’t completely stupid. I knew Makino had decided to run away after a fight with her husband, and that violence between spouses was something that existed; I  had also heard on TV about how for a woman is much more likely to be abused by someone close to her, like a partner, than being assaulted in the streets at night. I could have reflected that a woman of average intelligence and maturity wouldn’t choose to leave everything she knows and loves behind simply because her husband has said her cooking sucks or that new skirt makes her look fat, but there had to be a more serious reason; but I didn’t. The thought that Makino might be better off on her own than with her husband never even crossed my mind. I had seen the tears on his face as he begged me to find her, and the pictures of the two of them, happy and smiling, in their home; I never doubted what I was doing was the right thing, I never suspected something bad could come out of it, not even when I saw Makino’s face as she boarded the plane back home with Garp and me, the empty, hopeless expression of a woman who has seen her last hope disappear and is now resigned to whatever is going to happen to her.”

Shanks’ hand finds yours across the table; there is nothing in his eyes but understanding and pity, emotions you feel you don’t deserve and that therefore fill your heart with shame.

“Her husband hit her.” he easily guesses “Didn’t he?”

“He did; her diary was found in the end, and the extent of what that poor woman had to suffer… both mental and physical abuse, from being forbidden to leave the house without her husband and to have her own phone, to the slaps and the punches and… her life was hell; she didn’t run away because she had fallen for another man or to escape creditors. She wanted freedom, safety, her own life back; she deserved it, and maybe she would have succeeded, if I hadn’t got in her way.”

“(name)...”

“She killed herself a week later; her husband had locked her in the house to stop her from running away again, and she slit her wrist with a kitchen knife. The last entry in her diary said simply: I can’t take it anymore. She decided to kill herself rather than be with her husband, and if it wasn’t for me… if I hadn’t found her, if I had reflected that perhaps she had a reason to do what she had done, she would be still alive…”

Shanks sighs; he has to perceive he has no way of absolving you from your guilt, since it’s been years since Makino’s death and he barely knows you, but he tries, and you appreciate it nonetheless.

“They would have found her in any case. After all there are Hounds all over the world, and those who lived in the country where Makino had run to would have tracked her down sooner or later. It’s not your fault, (name).”

You shake your head silently; the fault is yours, no matter that someone else might have pushed Makino to the same, dramatic choice only a day after you did, yours and of your childish naivete and short-sightedness, and for this you’ll never forgive yourself.

“This is why I can’t do it anymore.” you murmur, eyes fixed on Shanks’ hand resting on yours; it’s warm, soothing, and you allow yourself to find some comfort in it, even though you’re pretty sure you don’t deserve it “I stopped that day. I swore I would never do it again, and I never did, even though Garp insisted for months; there are other Hounds in this country, and I know what we do can be important and useful, but I can’t take responsibility for another person like Makino. People deserve to decide how to live their lives, and sometimes disappearing is the best, safest choice; what right do I have to take it away from them?”

Silence falls on the room; when Shanks’s hand leaves yours you find yourself mourning the loss, but you force yourself to be strong as he stands, still looking at you with that emphatic, blameless look you don’t know how long you’ll be able to sustain.

“I’m sorry for what you went through; it must be a terrible guilt to bear, especially since you were still so young.”

“I deserve it; and even with it I’m more than satisfied with my life, so I don’t have much to complain about.” you admit “I really hope you’ll find that child, Shanks; but I can’t help you.”

“I understand; but, (name), what that poor woman went through… it doesn’t necessarily have to happen again.” 

“You can’t rule it out; I’d rather not risk it.”

“What if I promised you we’d both be careful? I’m not with the Police anymore, and this is technically a job I’ve been assigned in secret, nothing official; we’d have much more leeway than in the cases you worked on with Garp.” he points out gently “Luffy has disappeared from his bed, which in my experience suggests he’s been kidnapped, but if we were to find out he’s fine and better off where he is now… I’ll leave him be.”

You hate the hope that fills your heart at those words; you hate them, and you can’t help clinging to them. “But Garp…”

“I don’t think Garp will want a child to be in danger any more than we do. Also, while I still respect him, he’s no longer my commander; I don’t have to obey him If I choose not to.”

“How simple you make it…”

Shanks assures you he’s perfectly aware things are rarely easy when it comes to a missing child, but he’s determined to make the right choice, whatever the consequences and even if it means lying to a man he sincerely respects. 

“You don’t have to help me, but… I’d really like you to.” he admits then softly; you have stood as well, and now you’re face to face, almost as close as you were last night, and your heart is pounding in your chest, loud enough you’re pretty sure Shanks can hear it “We can do the right thing, (name); I know you barely know me, but… I’m a good guy, and I swear I’ll let you decide how to act. If at any point you’ll feel… uncomfortable for some reason, if you think Luffy needs not to be found and brought back… then we’ll stop, whatever the consequences. You have my word.”

A moment later, Shanks is offering you something he retrieves from his wallet; it’s a business card, with the name and the logo of his agency on top. “I need to go home to get changed, talk to my partner, and retrieve Luffy’s things. Why don’t you think about it in the meantime? Whatever you decide… or if you simply want to talk… call me.”

You accept the card with a mute nod, suddenly too shy to speak; Shanks smiles, and then he’s kissing you again, chaste and soft and brief. “I’m glad I met you; truly.” he whispers “Take care of yourself, alright?”

The shirt is small, as it was to be expected since his owner and wearer is also tiny, but Shanks can’t help feeling his heart break as he looks it over: a normal cotton shirt, bright red and with Luffy’s name written on the label in pen. It is clean, fresh out of the wash, without the child’s scent lingering on it, but Shanks knows that a Hound would be able to use it to track down its owner, faster and more accurately than the best search and rescue dog could. 

And a moment later he has left, his leather jacket and red hair and straw hat still imprinted in your memory as you stand still in the middle of the empty room, the deceptively harmless card in your hands. 

(name) would probably find Luffy in a matter of minutes. Shanks has read about her old cases while he was on the bus home, and he’s not surprised Garp chose her; even among Hounds, whose talent is something one is born with and that can be trained, but not learnt, she is one in a generation, an exceptionally talented tracker able to locate a person hundreds of miles away, with an error margin of ten feet. She’d be perfect for this, maybe she’s the only one who can do it, but even with the life of an innocent child at stake, Shanks does not regret not insisting she helps him - first of all because he’s not a brute, and also because he now knows she hasn’t refused out of disinterest, because she didn’t care about Luffy. That poor girl, Shanks thinks; she only wanted to help, to use her gift to make a difference, and destiny repaid her with a lifetime of guilt and shame…

“I don’t like this, Shanks.”

“I’m sorry, I had promised I’d take care of that surveillance job, but this is…”

“It’s not for that.” Beckman points out; his partner is sitting at his desk, the fifth cigarette of his barely-started day already on his lips, and he stares at him with that sort of concerned, protective gaze Shanks would expect to receive from an older brother, not that he ever had one “Something’s not right. Why did your old commander ask a person outside the force to search for this child? It is inappropriate in the best of cases, and in the worst… there might be something illegal behind it, and Garp wants you to take the fall for it.”

Shanks thinks about it for a minute and is disappointed to realise he can’t exclude it; Garp is an excellent officer and taught him much, but he did have a slightly sinister reputation within the force, mainly regarding his habit of disregarding rules and regulations to take matters into his own hands. Is he somehow involved in the child’s disappearance? Shanks can’t believe it, but his job -both of his jobs- have taught him to expect the worst from the world and the people who live in it.

“I’ll be careful.” he promises; he’s sitting on, rather than at, his own desk, facing his partner as they discuss the case, the morning light filtering through the open windows “I… don’t want to call another Hound, you know why, but I might go talk to Luffy’s parents, search his room.”

Beckman nods in approval; Shanks looks once more at the shirt in his hand, that a courier brought to the office before he had time to return. If Luffy’s been kidnapped for ransom, it is in his captors’ best interest to keep him safe and healthy, but the child is so small…

“Shanks.”

He must be terrified, and what if he tries escaping and gets hurt? Come to think of it, he isn't completely sure the child hasn’t left of his own accord; where could he have gone? Shanks has no experience with children, how can he guess…?

“Shanks, look.”

“What?” the younger man asks looking up at him, and he sees his partner smirk before nodding in the direction of the room’s largest window, opening on the street; the two offices across from the agency are still closed, but there’s a person standing in front of them, as if waiting for the opening, her back pressed against the wall, her gaze raised to contemplate the building in front of her. 

When their eyes meet, despite the distance, Shanks knows (name) is blushing. 

“That’s her, right?” Beckman asks, openly amused; they have been friends since Shanks was little more than a child, and he found no reason not to tell his partner about (name), how he met her, spent the night with her, and then found out she was both a Hound and the person Garp wanted him to contact “Your friend.”

Shanks simply grins in response; he quickly grabs the bag Luffy’s shirt has been delivered in and his jacket from the chair’s back. “I’ll keep in touch!” he promises happily, and Beckman shakes his head, smiling indulgently at the younger man as he sees him sprint out.

Shyness touches (name)’s smile as he and Shanks meet across the street from the agency. 

“Hi.” she murmurs; she’s wearing the same jeans she had put on an hour ago, but Shanks can’t help noticing she has switched her shirt with a better one, and she’s wearing make-up now, and a pair of earrings. Feeling flattered is the last thing he should do now, with the life of a child potentially at stake, but he’s just a man, and he can’t stop smiling “I know you said I could call, but I found the address on your card…”

“Of course not; it’s great to see you.” Shanks reassures her; maybe it’s a weird thing to say, since they were together just an hour ago, but he sees no reason to lie “So…”

“So, I’ll do it; I’ll try tracking down Luffy.” she says; there is determination in her eyes, proof of the effort she’s making to overcome her fears “But you promised; I know a nine-year-old can’t simply decide to leave and live on his own, but we won’t bring him back until we have ensured he’ll be better off at home.”

Shanks nods; he has asked Beckman to run a background check on Luffy’s family while he and (name) search for the child, so that they can decide what to do. “I really appreciate it, (name); I know what it means to you, and I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I just want to do the right thing; I always had.” 

She sighs, and then she smiles, brave and determined, and Shanks has to make an effort to keep himself in check and not push her against the wall to kiss her senseless. There’ll be time for that, he promises to himself; once they have closed the case, hopefully for the better, he’ll take her out to dinner, woo her like she deserves, and finally he’ll bring her back to his flat for a repetition of the pleasurable activities of last night. They still know each other too little to know whether they’re compatible, but Shanks is determined to give it his best shot; he already knows she’s worth it. 

“Can we go now?”

“Sure; I took a day off from the studio, said I had a family emergency.” (name) admits, looking almost guilty for it. She follows Shanks to his car, parked in the back, and smiles when he opens the door for her. 

A moment later they’re sitting side by side; Shanks places his hat on the back seat, and when he turns to look at (name) he sees her look at the brody knob on the steering wheel. “Curious?” he asks, and the woman next to him smiles, vaguely embarrassed.  

“Sorry; I didn’t mean to snoop, but… I guessed a detective would have to be able to drive, and I wondered if you could do it with only one hand. Is that a problem if I… talk about it?”

“Is that a problem for you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then it’s not a problem for me either.” Shanks decides; a year after the accident, he still hasn’t fully gotten used to live with his amputation, both with the pain and the countless little challenges of living in a world calibrated on the needs of people with two hands, but every day is a little better, especially when he meets someone like (name), who didn’t bat an eyelid when he took off the jacked he had draped on his shoulders, revealing the empty sleeve of his shirt, and who last night happily helped him support his weight as he moved above her “I can still drive normally, I just need to be a little more careful when turning the steering wheel; this little thing helps. And as you see all the signals, headlights et cetera, are on one side.”

“I see…”

They share a smile, and Shanks knows, just knows, she wants him to kiss her, and he’d happily oblige, but clearly (name) has better self-control than he does, because “Is that Luffy’s shirt?” she asks, looking at the plastic bag on his lap.

“Yeah, Garp sent it over. Do you… want to try?”

She nods, and Shanks finds himself holding his breath as he passes her the bag; he knows how Hounds’ powers work, but he’s never seen one in action, mainly because he always made sure to avoid them while he was in the force, and he has to admit it, he’s curious.

“You want me to take it out of the bag?”

“No, it’s fine; I can handle personal objects just fine, otherwise I’d have to wear gloves night and day. It’s just… I haven’t done this in years.” (name) murmurs; she’s delicately taking Lufly’s shirt out of the bag, but after she has unfolded it on her lap Shanks sees her wring her hands “This is a gift we are born and die with, we don’t just lose it because we don’t use it for a few years or a few decades, but I’ve never done it since… since her, so…”

She’s afraid, Shanks realises, not that her ability may malfunction but that her work may cause the pain, or the loss, of an innocent, once more; he’s working now, and Shanks knows he should focus on the case putting aside all personal matters, but he can’t help it: he feels more attracted to the woman by his side with every passing minute, because she is beautiful and they had some amazing sex last night, but also because he can see how kind she is, and how brave she’s forcing herself to be, for the sake of a child she doesn’t even know. All he wants is to reassure her she’s not alone and he’ll make sure she’ll have nothing more to feel guilty about. But (name) is not his daughter and he’s not responsible for her choices, so 

“Take your time.” he says simply “I know how good you are; just try and remember what Belle-mère taught you.”

The woman’s grateful smile makes his heart flutter. He finds himself holding his breath as she takes up the shirt once more, lifts it closer to her face, and takes a deep breathe in; Shanks is sure the most he, and any normal person, could perceive is perhaps the scent of the fabric softener Luffy’s mother used to wash it, but despite the common name those like her are known under, (name) is not simply capturing a smell, rather it’s a sort of a pull, a call of the child who wore that shirt, breathed and sweated and lived in it. A trace of a person remains on the objects they use, especially those that are handled and carried and kept close for a long time, like a digital print only few can perceive; and when Hounds have picked up a trail, they will follow it to the end, even if they have to travel to the other side of the world. 

Shanks privately hopes that won’t be necessary; he’s paying gas out of his own pocket after all. He dares not talk while (name) remains still, breathing deep with Luffy’s shirt held against his face; when in the end she lowers it to her lap and turns to look at him, Shanks sees she is smiling, but her eyes are full of sadness.

“It works.” she whispers “I have found him.”

“Where is he?”

“I… don’t know for certain; I don’t know the name of the town or anything. He’s in the country, but quite far. And he’s alive; I’m sure of it.”

Shanks breathes a sigh of relief; he fastens his seatbelt. “Well, that’s a start.” he admits as he starts the car; he winks at (name), who smiles “I hope you don’t get car sick.”

[darilarostarg]

HOTD Season 2 Review

Now that we have the season in its entirety, I just wanted to put my thoughts down on paper - likes and dislikes. End of season yapping basically.

Things I Liked/Enjoyed   

The acting this season was outstanding from all fronts, especially from our actors that were given some of the best material to work with - Emma and Rhys are my standouts for this season (Mentions also go to Matt, Tom and Jefferson).  

I loved all our newcomers this season - Freddy, Gayle, Simon - They all did an incredible job and their characters had some of the best characterisation this season imo.

Production/filmography/lighting/costuming etc have all been either massively improved or have exceeded season one.  

Both dragon action sequences (Rook’s Rest & The Sowing) were remarkable. They did a fabulous job in terms of visuals and the practical side - it makes me look forward to the battle and action scenes going forward. 

I am very happy that the show runners ultimately did not hide away with dream sequences and gave us a haunted Harrenhal.  

I loved Rhaenyra’s cult leader/messiah complex in episode seven and I hope they reintroduce that in season three and beyond - I think as it’s seemly confirmed that  Nettles has been removed, this will serve as a great way to push Rhaenyra’s state of mind/paranoia when they dragon seeds betray her.

Matt Smith 

Things I Disliked/Unsure Off  

This is probably partly due to budgeting, but I honestly do think the writing team is having a really tough time coming up with meaningful arcs that push the story forward, given how much time/’nothing’ happens in between events in the books. A lot of this season was in limbo, and it did feel stagnant. A lot of events had no effect on the overall story, or did briefly, and then quickly forgotten.

As much as I hate to say it, I do believe it has fallen into the ‘evil men start wars, and women just want peace and are too gentle/delicate for it’, and by default it has made Rhaenrya and Alicent seem like incompetent rulers, that do not understand that their past actions have had there part in causing this to happen, or are completely naive to the realities of their current positions.

The Greens being in conflict with each other makes sense, but the conflict within the black camp did not. Showing Rhaenyra to so secretive and hostile towards her own faction (especially Jace), and so gracious toward the greens, the people that have genuinely harmed her, was a really bizarre choice. I really do hope not receiving Aegon when she arrives to KL will be the final blow.

I did not like that Daemon’s core journey this season was him deciding that he did not want to be king. It was a rehash of part of his season one arc that should have concluded with him crowning Rhaenyra. I don’t think there was an issue with him doubting Rhaenyra as a ruler I was at points honestly, but him wanting to be king was never on his cards. The visions could have been a shorter arc and the rivermen arc could have been bulked out more i'm not too up his ass I’ll admit when its not working. I could change my mind on this in season three, depending if they do show the growth Daemon has gone through via his relationship with his girls, Rhaneyra etc

Alicent was a struggle this season. I think she could have been so much fun, so it’s disappointing that they have watered her down so intensely. Perhaps they thought ‘a woman will do anything for her children, to keep them alive, no matter the cost’ was too similar to Cersei? But I wish they had gone that direction, and gave Alicent the guilt Cersei never had, that that ultimately is what drives her ‘mad’. I just think it is such a jarring contrast on the amazing characterisation they did with her in S1 episode six through eight. Going from forcing your son onto the throne in fear for his life, to giving his head on a silver platter to the person you usurped… is certainly a choice. By going and ending Alicent's 'arc' this season they way that they have, they have made her as a character, dare I say pointless? Where does Alicent go from here, if you really think about it? The war has barely started, all her children are alive and she has already given up? You cannot retcon the damage S2 has done to her, they have given her nothing to work with going forward. Absolutely nothing. And the rest of the story has and will suffer for it.

Just ultimately frustrated we will seemingly not get ‘bastard blood shed at war’ conversation - the impact a Rhaenyra and Alicent reunion would have had had they waited until season three, with two of Rhaenyra’s sons dead, would have been incredible and actually felt earned, and I’m sad we will not get it. 

The fact that show runners, writers, directors and even some of the cast contradict themselves from interview to interview, really makes it seem none of them have agreed on characterisation or arc, and I feel I can see that within some of the writing and decisions. I feel like I could ask one of them, ‘Is Daemon in love with Alicent?’ and they would respond with some yes/no ‘don’t rule anything out’ answer.

They need to stop cutting pivotal moments to leave up to interpretation. This audience has proven time and time again, it cannot interpret the most basic scenes logically, never mind moments that are actually up for interpretation. It didn't work in season one, it didn't work in season two. It just comes across as the writers room could not agree.

I think I speak for us all when I say cutting Black Aly, Sabitha, the Lads, Nettles etc. is heartbreaking.

At this point I’ve decided ; HOTD as an adaptation of the book is awful - it’s a bad adaptation, “unreliable narrator” or not. But as a stand alone show, it’s fine. Not outstanding, not terrible. Season one had is small issues, season two had some bigger ones, but I am hopeful that they will stick the landing. Season three will be the real test.

[caughtthedarkness93]

So I've got some Acolyte thoughts again after giving the last episode a couple days to percolate and talking to my partner about it. Spoilers under the cut.

So the thing about the characters we've seen die so far - Yord and Jecki - is that they are non-essential characters, in effect. They have a role in the story, but not a load-bearing one. The story isn't about them where the story emphatically is about Mae, Osha, Sol and our new Sith friend. The show is at its core about the relationships between these four people. It's probably going to spin off in some really wild directions given where the last episode ended, but Mae and Osha, Mae and Qimir, Mae and Sol, and Osha and Sol have so far been the primary defining relationships that keep the story in motion, and there's burgeoning hints at a pre-existing relationship with Sol and the Sith Lord and the last episode's ending strongly suggests a big part of the next episode is going to be about building on the beginnings of Osha's relationship with the Sith Lord that was established when she saw shit go down in the last episode, especially with the implications that there's more to the story of what happened to the witches that raised her.

So it makes sense for those two to die, as their stories are secondary to these four core characters who define the conflict of the show. They're secondary characters who have intrigue and are involved in that conflict, but they're not the ones guiding it, not really.

But what I find really interesting about this is that they are both very loyal adherents to the Jedi Order and the Jedi Code as it is understood at this point in-setting. Look at how they both are introduced. Yord enters the story reuniting with his old friend Osha. Where she greets him warmly and happily, he's very much all business and arrests her pretty much immediately without really bothering to listen to her or corroborate her story or check her alibi in any real way. This sets up his extremely by-the-book nature which, of course, extends to his view of the Jedi Code. Jecki, meanwhile, is introduced chastising her master for his nostalgic attitude towards Osha because to her it looks uncomfortably like attachment - as we know, that's forbidden for the Jedi. It also sets Sol in contrast as someone who has a bit of a less strict view of what is ideal in a Jedi and how one is supposed to act.

So when we lose them, we don't just lose two characters we'd really started to feel some affection towards, we lose our two characters who are most attached to the order's rules. And what we're left with is a Jedi school flunkout, everyone's new beloved Jedi dad who loves you in a way the Order doesn't seem to like much, the very face of unhealthy codependency, and a fucking Sith Lord. The least messy of these characters is clearly deeply wounded by the past and struggles to contain his emotions at times. And now, his emotions have become a huge part of the show's battleground, and he's lost the two strongest anchors to the Jedi way when he needs them most.

And while we're at it, it also deprives Osha of the same. When Yord comes to see her, she's genuinely excited to see him again and proud of him for making Knight. When she decides to leave before the Khofar mission, she goes out of her way to say goodbye to Jecki. It's clear the two have developed a bond over the course of the story.

All that's left for Sol and Osha is an existing connection they have with each other - the very connection the fallen Jecki enters the scene criticizing.

That on top of how this show is very interested in the Jedi Order and how it navigates is place in the galaxy - as both a religious institution and a political institution and the way those impulses conflict with one another. Already we've seen aspects of how scared the Order is of this getting out. And if the Jedi believe the Sith have been extinct for a millennia by the time of TPM, there's gonna be another shoe that'll drop - especially if Qimir is part of the Rule of Two's lineage. Either this will all get buried or we'll discover things are not how they seem in some other way.

This is gonna be real interesting, I'm sure.

[cherubchoirs]

Okay so.. I didn't quite get it yet. What happened to the story of Ultrakill in the 'fallen Gabriel series'? Why's he like that? What's going on??

i really should have a summary for this!! but in general this is a canon-divergent storyline - gabriel dies in a last battle with v1 just before his light burning out is able to take him, but he is reborn as a fallen angel of treachery for his defiance of the council. his tomb is found in judecca, the deepest pit of hell reserved for traitors to their lords and benefactors, which v1 enters in its curiosity and simply due to the fact that little architecture is to be found in this layer. it feels...something, seeing all the stained glass, sculptures, and works dedicated to gabriel's life, and at the end of the long, cold nave, a casket is laid before the altar dressed in funeral rites. as it processes what it sees (in whatever way it can), the resurrected gabriel brutally attacks it - too grieved and too disoriented to think properly, gabriel fully embraces all of his newfound demonic strength to tear v1 apart. his technique is nothing like what is was before, unable to fly, teleport, or call weapons of light, so he just presses v1 with raw power while targeting its weaknesses almost exclusively (namely its wings and blood ports) v1 is ever adaptive though, and of course manages to kick the shit out of him (though it also gets the same treatment, especially as gabriel limits its healing capacities) it makes him come to his senses and, with nowhere else to go, gabriel decides to stay at v1's side and contemplate what he's now to do with all the extra time he's been given.

the au then goes on its own storyline, concerning gabriel's transformation into a complete "demon" and how he handles his prior relationships (namely the ferryman, but also minos and sisyphus), as well as how he and v1 contend with the coming of the three other archangels to reinstate hell's former purpose under the direction of a deeply troubled michael. angelic v1 comes much, much later, when v1's hardware and computer begin to deteriorate to the point that it approaches death - gabriel does all he can to maintain it, but every day v1 fails more and soon....it doesn't wake up. terrified that hell will take it as a puppet, gabriel instead determines to return with its body to heaven and reclaim his lost light as its new life source by tearing his way through the spheres of heaven. overall the au doesn't have the most solid plot, but this covers the major points of it!

[lanawinterscigarettes]

Nsfw headcanons for gale weathers and a submissive male s/o?

my first gale request yay 🥰

Gale Weathers with a submissive male s/o nsfw headcanons

Warnings: SMUT, somewhat mean femdom, submissive male reader (most physical descriptions of the reader are purposely meant to be ambiguous/vague so this can be read by either cis or trans readers. If there's anything that needs to be added or changed please let me know)

First off, Gale isn't so much dominant as she is bossy. We see it when she's trying to find a breakthrough story to report on, and it would most definitely come into play in the bedroom

I personally see her as more of a power bottom myself. She expects you to do most of the hard work, but she's very direct and upfront about what it is that she wants

Would she peg you? Sure, but you'll have to use begging and flattery on your end in order to get what you want. This can be applied to most sexual situations if I'm being honest. No way is she just going to give you what you want right away, what's the fun in that?

Sometimes she'll give you certain "tasks" you have to complete before she gives you any attention, such as fetching her coffee or getting new reels for her cameras. Most of these are fairly simple and innocent enough, but they can be a bit harder to do if you've been teased relentlessly beforehand or if you're made to wear a cockring, vibrator, or something of that nature

Loves forcing you to kneel under her desk and eat her out while she works. Usually she ignores you but occasionally she may give you a light pat on the head or tell you that you're doing a good job. She'll also critique you if she feels the need to, just a heads up in case you decide to get a little lazy with it

Speaking of giving head, she definitely prefers receiving over giving. She loves to be pampered and taken care of, so if you want her to return the favor you'll have to be on your absolute best behavior for her

Will absolutely reward you if you're good for her and behave, but if not she has no problem leaving you with nothing. And if you decide to act like a brat? Believe me when I say she'll definitely find a way to put you back in your place again

Typical punishments can include anything from spanking to orgasm denial, as well as being restrained and forced to watch as she gets herself off without you. After all, it's important for you to know that she doesn't really need you and that you're just another toy for her to play with

It should probably go without saying that she loves to degrade you. If you didn't have a humiliation kink beforehand you'll probably end up forming one given just how often she talks down to you

That being said, she can be surprisingly caring when she wants to be, like if she actually manages to hurt your feelings for example. She'll hold you in her lap and murmur sweet and loving things into your ear about how she's sorry she upset you and that she didn't really mean it

Definitely someone who's into being called some sort of title during sex. Mistress, mommy, etc. She expects you to at the very least refer to her as ma'am, especially when she asks you a question. Bonus points if you only speak when you're spoken to

She's not above setting up a camera and filming the two of you in the act so she can rewatch it by herself later on. If there's one thing Gale loves, it's being on camera

This one may be a bit more niche but if you're into something such a petplay she'll surprisingly indulge you, getting you a cute little collar that says your name on one side and "property of Gale Weathers" on the other. She'll most likely end up taking time out of her day in order to 'train' you because as she says every good pet needs to learn how to listen and obey their owner's commands

Sometimes she has to leave shortly after sex because of her job, but she always makes sure you're taken care of beforehand, so aftercare is gentle and soothing. She makes sure you have something small to eat or drink and wraps you up in the comfiest of pillows and blankets before giving you a kiss on the head and telling you how proud she is

End notes: I had a lot of fun writing this 🥰 I love Gale

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[tamamatango]

My Project Revealed: The Fabled Fanfiction Come to Fruition

Crossing an item off the bucket list before the dopamine gods give out on me. (Yes that’s the story link in case you want to just go there and skip the whole me not shutting up part)

Back in my most active period in the Keroro fandom, I tried and failed multiple times to write a fanfic; might’ve even talked about it here at some point. But for one reason or another, it just never panned out, and I ultimately fell out of it for a few years before I managed to publish anything. However, I got back into the practice with my next hyperfixation, so now that I’ve returned to frog hell again, I knew I had to do what teenage me could not.

I can’t say this is “the fanfic I always wanted to write,” because I ended up scrapping whatever I had started all those years ago. When this started to come together in my head, it initially seemed way too ambitious given the limited time I have and where my strengths and weaknesses lie as a writer…but I got possessed by the artsy demon or something and started to write it anyway. Whoops.

To Chase a Butterfly asks one simple question: What if Kururu actually failed to save Saburo at the end of episode 229? Okay that’s not really a simple question, considering it leads to a whole emotional and physical journey about grief and companionship and space-timey shenanigans. But basically, Kururu goes “bet” and attempts to bring him back to life. Naturally, the deuteragonist of such a story is…Dororo? Yes, at the central conflict of the story is Kururu’s friendship with Saburo, but it’s Dororo who serves as his confidant/partner in crime over the course of the story, and so I consider this to double as a KuruDoro fic as well—though I will make it clear now that it’s not conclusively romantic, so you can decide if that’s the direction they go in or if it stays platonic, and it works either way.

As of the latest update from. Uh. 15 minutes ago at the time of writing, the fic currently sits at about 60-65% completion and is divided into two parts. Part 1 (chapters 1–6) is the angst/drama-heavy half, which I uploaded in full as a batch drop. Part 2 (7+) is more action/adventure, sort of in the vein of what you’d expect from one of the Keroro movies, and I am updating it chapter-by-chapter, since it was getting too unsustainable to try to dump it all at once. AO3 has the most robust features, so that’s where it’s hosted for now, but I know people have very understandable problems with that site, so I’ll consider porting it elsewhere if that’s something anyone is interested in.

Well, that’s enough yammering from me. If you like the idea, please do check it out. Things are starting to heat up as the climax approaches, especially with the introduction of a surprise third major character who very longtime Kirb fans miiiight faintly recall. And if you’re already following it—it’s been up for a while now, just waited to discuss it here to temporarily save myself from potential embarrassment—thanks for your support, and I hope you look forward to the rest! Part 2 is very research/planning heavy and has been pretty challenging to write so far, but I intend to see this all the way through damn it. And yeah, this is what’s been pulling my focus away from the blog, but there will still be posts here whenever I feel like putting energy into an essay and/or next real info drop about the new anime (BNP gimme something soon please I’m parched).

[maxphilippa]

lookie i did a mario au with limited knowledge haha... look. estella

her backstory will be under read more i guess-

Rosalina in canon doesn't have much of a story except for the story she tells the lumas, which technically are like her children considering what happened with them. The main ideas I was having yesterday before designing her were Rosalina going through an very VERY emotionally expensive arc to then end up becoming who Estella is

Estella is similar to Estrella which means star on spanish so you can kinda can guess what this direction might be like, in a way (?)

So I'm thinking that the reset, despite it being something that Rosalina got adapted certainly quickly and wasn't too worried about it considering all of her years being alive and her power, the whole disaster and the events themselves did leave her a bit more paranoid that expected instead in this one. And with a bit more I mean by a lot. Being used to a journey of losing what she loves, her feelings and uncertainty grow as a result, add to that the fact that she's feeling a much more bigger sense of protectiveness over the galaxy, especially for those who she met.

In fear of being alone and adding the slight paranoia she was going through, Rosalina ended up stopping with her coming to home every 100 years plans and decided to focus on trying to make sure that nothing else like that happened again.

With emotions acumulated, her physical form suffers from change, although it isn't a good change. The stress and certainly the pain she has been feeling for a while took the best of her, add that to her loneliness, and it was like a combo.

Of course she had the lumas, but they were like her children. But she also didn't want them to be worried about how she was, she was supposed to be there for them, and didn't want them to worry.

At the end, it didn't do her any good. Her body changed and changed and so did her mental state. She became more and more scared, doing everything to stop any threat, making sure that if given the case, bowser doesn't try to do any of that (though it is... VERY unlikely), but her feels pile up and she's feeling like she's dying. Why, she can't tell.

Her love for life and the beings that were there was so strong that it kept her going, but it was also killing her emotionally so to speak.

At one point, Estella couldn't do it anymore, weakened by her feelings and stress, by the amount of power constantly being used to protect everything, the goddess was being too rough on herself and didn't realize her limits.

She felt so... alone. But she knew she wasn't. But it was a different type of alone. The lumas were all she had now, and so was her newest friend, but she couldn't bring herself to express those worries. She was a protector. She can't just let her guard down at all.

And she pushed them away with that thought in mind.

And it got so bad to the point in which her body. Started "breaking" itself. Giving up in the way a star would.

She didn't know what to do at all and didn't want others to worry. But if she somehow got into a terrible state, how is she going to be there for them?

She's scared.

She has given herself such pressure when it should've never really been like that on the first place. She was already strong. She was aware that the Lumas were following a cycle. But one can only hold onto hope so much before they break down.

Now basing this from the whole "Rosalina was also a princess back in her place" theory, I think that even if the Lumas did comfort her in her most vulnerable moment, losing her mom and then not being able to communicate with her dad and brother really made her feel worse in the end.

She can't afford losing anyone again.

And that fear, pain and stress almost leaded her to, practically experience what Lumas go through.

Her body breaks, yes, it was giving up due to all of what was going on. The cracks can be seen on her face and everything, and that alarms her a lot.

And so, she realizes that she needed some time. She wrote some letters, sent them, and told the Lumas the truth at the very end.

And she ended up in a slumber so she could either recover, or go through it finally.

As to how much time she was in slumber it's unknown, but things changed a lot.

Star dust started to fuse with her body, star dust from The Lumas who cared for her more than anything, in order to make sure she was safe and healthy again. Which time, her body started to recover, the cracks leaving scars, sure, but recovering. The love of the lumas, her kids, gave her strenght and made her feel like she was going to genuinely be okay again.

One way or another, her family was going to be there with her, always.

And when she was back, everything about her look changed.

For the good.

Long and lovely hair that was taken care of, a star crown, comfortable clothes, the sparkles in her skin, everything about her. And she felt at peace. But she started crying once she processed all of it.

She was alone, but not really.

The Lumas wanted her to be okay. To feel safe. To feel loved. That she's enough. That things will be okay.

She would never really be alone again. But they sacrificed their cycle/life for her. All because of her fear for them to get hurt.

And now they're there with her.

After realizing all of that, Rosalina decided to go by the name of Estella, in memory of the Lumas that she loved so much and now were a part of her.

And now she's still doing her duties. With confidence and always with company despite everything. And yeah.