Tumgik
#i really do not know how to draw swords guys can you tell that i don't know how to draw swords
fruitsyrups · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
finally drew fern 😌
251 notes · View notes
Text
Trans made TTRPGs
Due to… recent events that I would rather not talk about, today's post is a highlight of different tabletop games made by trans peeps! These games are fantastic in their own right, of course, but you can also know that they were made by incredibly cool and attractive people
(Also, these are flyover descs of the game, they'll get more in-depth singular posts later, this is because I am lazy)
Perfect Draw is a phenomenal card game TTRPG that was funded in less than a day on backerkit, it's incredibly fun and has simple to learn hard to master rules for creating custom cards, go check it out!
Songs for the dusk is fucking good, pardon my language, but it's a damn good post apocalyptic game about building community in a post-capitalist-post-apocalypse-post-whatever world. do yourself a favor and if you only check out one game in this list, check this one out, its a beautiful game.
Flying Circus is set in a WW1 inspired fantasy setting full of witches, weird eldritch fish people (who are chill as hell), cults, dead nobility, and other such things. It's inspired by Porco Rosso primarily but it has other touchstones.
Wanderhome is a game about being cute little guys going on a silly adventure and growing as the seasons change, its GMless and very fun
https://weregazelle.itch.io/armour-astir Armour Astir has been featured in here before but its so damn good I had to post it twice. AA demonstrates a fundamental knowledge of the themes of mech shows in a way that very few other games show, its awesome
Kitchen Knightmares is… more of a LARP but its still really dang cool, its about being a knight serving people in a restaurant, its played using discord so its incredibly accessible
https://grimogre.itch.io/michtim Michtim is a game about being small critters protecting their forest from nasty people who wish to harm it, not via brutal violence (sadly) but via friendship and understanding (which is a good substitute to violence)
ok this technically doesn't count but I'm putting it here anyways cuz its like one of my favorite ttrpgs of all time TSL is a game about baring your heart and dueling away with people who you'll probably kiss 10 minutes later, its very very fanfic-ey and inspired by queer narratives. I put it here because its made by a team, and the expansion has a setting specifically meant to be a trans "allegory", so I'll say it counts, honestly just go check it out its good shit
https://willuhl.itch.io/mystic-lilies
Mystic Lillies is a game inspired by ZUN's Touhou Project about witches dueling powerful foes, each other, and themselves. Mystic Lillies features rapid character creation and a unique diceless form of rolling which instead uses a standard playing card deck.
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/141424/nobilis-the-game-of-sovereign-powers-2002-edition I… want to do a more general overview on Jenna K as an important figure in indie RPG design, but for now just know that Nobilis is good
https://temporalhiccup.itch.io/apocalypse-keys Apocalypse Keys is a game inspired by Doom Patrol, Hellboy, X-men, and other comics about monstrousness being an allegory for disenfranchisement. Apocalypse Keys is also here because its published by Evilhat so its very cleaned up and fancy but I love how the second you check out the dev's other stuff you can tell they are a lot more experimental with their stuff, this is not a critique, it is in fact a compliment
Fellowship! I've posted about this game before, but it is again here. Fellowship has a fun concept that it uses very well mostly, its a game about defining your character's culture, and I think that's really really cool
Voidheart Symphony is a really cool game about psychic rebellion in a city that really does not like you, the more you discover for yourself the better
Panic at the Dojo is a phenomenal ttrpg based on what the Brazilian would call "Pancadaria", which basically means, fucking other's people shit up. Character Creation is incredibly open and free, meaning that many character concepts are available
Legacy 2e is a game about controlling an entire faction's choices across time, its very fun
remember to be kind to a trans person today! oh also don't even try to be transphobic in the reblogs or replies, you will be blocked so fast your head will spin
463 notes · View notes
sixstepsaway · 5 months
Text
so here's the thing
i've seen a bunch of people say on twitter and stuff how... ed's behavior is very abusive and his anger is dangerous and he isn't romantic lead material because of it
and i get where they're coming from
but to me the main issue isn't putting ed in the position of a romantic lead, but not crafting the narrative around his characterization so that it allows for a spicy romantic pirates-in-love narrative instead of...whatever this is.
i'm going to try and explain this. idk if i'll do well but i'll try
the way she show presents stede is as an innocent baby who isn't really equipped for pirate life. he goes into a fugue/disassociative state whenever there's any real violence, apparently, and needs protecting by other characters when things get too rough - for example when ed is telling ned lowe not to take the poker to stede.
that's fine! it's honestly adorable to see a masc character being so soft around the edges and being protected by other characters this way.
(i'm not going to touch on stede's... eh... not great characterization this season rn)
then there's izzy, who is shown as a bit violent, a bit rough around the edges. he's more likely to draw a sword or throw a punch or hit someone with a chair or take a punch like a champ. violence is just part of life for him and that's okay, it just Is, from small things like smacking stede on the ass to bigger things like being wall slammed, it's not all that big or bad for violence to happen around and with him, he tends to give as good as he gets (there's some nuance here but i'm talking the macro themes not the micro of what izzy does vs is done to him)
and finally there's ed
ed is presented as violent (stabbing knives at guys, telling fang to use the snail fork etc) and used to a life of violence, and then in season 2 he's presented as really violent, his anger coming out in dangerous and terrifying ways
and frankly, i'd be super into it if he and izzy were the main ship and that twisted dynamic from the first two episodes of s2 was explored and fleshed out into something deeper
friends to enemies to lovers who fight and fuck. angry pirates who lay hands on each other, who break the whole ship with each other in the heat of passion.
except instead, s2 gives us... abuse. it gives us izzy cringing and lowering his head and trying to protect the kids crew from ed's angry outbursts.
so when stede comes back and he's still soft around the edges and ed headbutts him and it's deliberate, it's... not a great look, and the vibes are a bit skewed
if stede fought back, if when ed struck out at him he struck back, if they fought rather than it being one-sided, if it was friends to enemies to lovers and not presented as healthy, but maybe they can work their way there, who knows, maybe even more like anne bonnie and mary read because hey, they were doing something very similar?
except they were both into it. they were both enjoying the fighting and the fucking and the burning down the house.
stede's not enjoying it.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
i cannot describe how much i hate this sequence just because of the way stede flinches
anne and mary don't!! mary jumps at the unexpected bang but she doesnt flinch, she doesn't cover her face like she thinks the vase will be coming for her not the wall and anne? looks so into it
and the thing is that in real life, no, you don't want to date someone who throws shit around, or headbutts you
but in fiction when it's two fucked up people doing this shit together like anne and mary?
that can be fun.
but instead what we've been given is stede flinching and apologizing to ed and then all of ed's...what, semi-redemption???? is done away from the other collection of people he abused, and then he spends some time on a fishing boat wearing a dog collar and everything is fine because he's good now and won't be doing anything bad ever again
and it's just... poor writing. the vibes are rancid.
i spent a really big chunk of time between s1 and s2 defending ed. i kept saying how what he did to izzy by making him eat his toe wasn't abuse, it was a one-off and abuse isn't a one-off thing it's a pattern, and then s2 made it a pattern.
explicitly. explicitly a pattern.
not just one toe but three.
jim saying "you're in an unhealthy relationship with blackbeard"
and all ed offered izzy was a "sorry about your leg" which might've been fine if izzy survived and they could work on this more, but instead that's all the apology and closure izzy will ever get
ed threw a chair and a vase and made stede flinch in fear and stede was right to do that. what part of any of this implies this will never happen again? that stede won't press the wrong button at some point and be on the receiving end? none of it
and if we'd been presented with a s2 stede bonnet who could handle himself and stand up for himself and fight back, then maybe i could imagine that turning into a weird sexy fucked up anne/mary like thing and maybe that could be why they put that episode in, but instead it feels like that episode was going, "look, see, ed's violence is fine because these two are fine with it with each other"
but stede isn't
ed and izzy or ed and stede in an unhealthy battle of a relationship could be such a fun, interesting and downright sexy thing to watch unfold on tv, and could honestly end somewhere far more down the chill end of the spectrum, but that's not what we've been given here
i cannot argue that ed isn't an abuser anymore, and not just of izzy but of the whole crew. he terrified frenchie.
it's not good writing to try and lean into the idea that ed and the pirates are violent and live a life of violence, so it's okay that ed's been violent, while simultaneously presenting his violence as traumatic and abusive, and then less than three episodes later saying oh it's fine now, he's just a little meow meow who can do no wrong, see?
especially considering they had him murdering people at the end of the season. and sure, you can say the english are just cannon fodder and they dont 'count', but they did before. ed explicitly did not kill before, and that included the english, or the spanish, or anyone else. so either they count or they don't, but flipping him on a dime makes no sense.
ALSO
having ed be the son of an abusive man who threw plates at his mother and made her cringe and then having ed kill his father to protect his mother and then a season later having ed become the kind of man who throws chairs and vases and makes his love interest cringe is, again, not bloody optimal
i want to say again i dont CARE about tv always presenting healthy relationships or tv always giving us aspirational goals. i want messy fucked up dynamics and terrible people making terrible choices, and still, to this day, i fucking love ed teach. i would honestly love to have seen them continue with ed's darkness and bring stede into it and see where they went with that, to have stede kill ned lowe and not just bury his feelings in ed but get off on it, enjoy the violence, and see where that led, but no
and so instead all we end up with is a protagonist who is being set up for a lifetime of abuse from an intimate partner, and a romantic lead who abuses his love interests (and yes. izzy is a love interest, he is set up like one and positioned like one and treated like one), frightens his love interests with his violence, is erratic and most of all inconsistently written. he was so sorry about scaring fang as though he hadn't been deliberately terrifying the whole crew for fuck knows how long? what?!
the whole fandom has spent so long saying, "no no, i know stede bonnet irl was a slave owner, but ofmd is using the names and not any real piracy, it's more disney piracy, you know? so that kind of stuff doesnt exist!" and then they flipped around and went "blackbeard is blackbeard and so he is evil and does all these horrible things" and i dont know how to rationalize the two sides of that because it feels so out of place
i'm getting rambly, this isnt a particularly well constructed thought process, i just feel like we were robbed both of a toxic, violent relationship that could be fun to see explored on tv and a soft and sweet love story between two middle aged men exploring their first loves in one fell swoop and there's no way for s3 to bring either of those things back because they got utterly torpedoed by making ed a horrible person
ugh
757 notes · View notes
moriahwritez · 2 months
Text
Mizu saves you
(Mizu x Fem Reader)
Tumblr media
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
Summary: Your a princess that were chased by men from your home town. As you were seeking for help, a samurai twice as tall as you came to the rescue. 🤭💕
Warning: (Bit dark content)
How’s everyone day doing? I’m sure it’s doing well💜Tonight I will like to give out another story to read through and enjoy. Pls let me know for Mizu or upcoming characters which are my crushes such as Abby, Kuvira, Revy or so and so fanfics. I have to figure out a story for Abby still, but since I got requests from others, I’ll try to get those started without waiting too long . Besides that, please support my stories. Tysm☺️
Tumblr media
A samurai stayed in a brothel at the city for quite some time. But this time it was for the night. She didn't want anyone to come towards as she was in her own time thinking. She never let anyone allowed no company to start causing a problem. Whatever she was doing, you were off to leave her alone til she was done. In the meantime she heard footsteps along the way, trying to ignore. "I said no company please," she says sternly. There was a princess from the main town that have been in some sort of trouble. After all it was you who was in a dangerous situation. "Please sir…” You stutter at your words. Then start freaking out immediately. “I really need your help!" You grab them by the arm. At first you thought it was a man because how well they dressed in a masculine-samurai way, but from the voice, it was sure a woman. “I've been chased by several of men. Please if you can help me before they take me away!" You cried out, tugging piece of cloth that was from the samurai's outfit.
The samurai, known as Mizu, her tone soften quickly when she heard it was a cry for help and that it was literally serious. She turn to face you below, adjusting her glasses. "Stay calm dear. Who's after you actually?" She tried her best to calm you down, but the look on your face tells her that this wasn't the right time to start explaining literally everything and get right to the point. "Look, I'm not sure about their names. They just started attacking few of my bodyguards while I was in my room. I'm a princess coming from this town. And I need someone's help!" You start tearing up, releasing emotions out of your body. Mizu takes note that something was up and that she was willing to gain trust in you.
"Alright. You stay behind me from now on." She says like this type of behavior wasn’t so serious XD. She brings your wrist, turning you around to get behind her back as Mizu takes out her sword slowly, ready to take off. She lead you out of the brothel, walking down to a staircase from outside, seeing if the men were ever gonna approach. You hold onto the back of her arm as you slowly followed her without making a sound. Once you two look around the city in night, few shadows comes from a block away. "There! Right there!" You yell pointing at them. In a quick swift, Mizu drag you to a nearby wall bit far from the men, as she covers your mouth, leaning closer to your height. She didn't want you to make such noise to ruin the time where you two can easily get killed by several of men in groups. From the way Mizu shuts you down, she was literally pinning you to the wall by grabbing your wrist up on the wall with one of her hand as the other on your mouth, keeping you still and steady as possible. She slowly peak out to see if they were coming at her. Few of the guys notice, not realizing it was you two at first, til they start walking by.
You mumble, freaking out when you heard further footsteps. "Stay here. Remain quiet." Mizu says, drawing her sword steadly as few of the guys saw her. She was not having you take your life away from the night. So thankfully, she was that person, the only samurai to save you. (Give you at least another life). The fighting begun when the first men comes running at Mizu with his dagger. She didn't hesitate but to duck under him and slash him from behind. He fall on the ground, done. You didn't notice another guy came as bunch of them runs towards Mizu. She did whatever she can to attack each of them. And one of the men went towards you, trying to kill you. You did your best to throw rocks at him, a way to protect yourself. The guy had his dagger ready to jab in you as he slash you. Your arm was blocked from the dagger and felt the pain of the blood spilling bit. You scream in horror. Right away, Mizu strike the men through the heart, letting him fall on the ground as she bend down to take your hand.
Your face turn pale as you saw all the blood everywhere from every men Mizu attacked. You was so focus on that more than what Mizu was trying to say. A bit blur on your mind, you tried hard not to faint. "Are you hurt, dear?" Mizu asks, still trying to held up her hand at you. You were so speechless, you couldn't think what else to say. "Um..." reaches slowly at her arm. Mizu pulled you up holding you still. Your knees were buckled, as you slowly fainted to the ground. But Mizu catches you before you ever landed straight down.
Few hours later, back in the brothel, you were slightly awake, laying down on a purple mat. Looking around, you can see Mizu carefully pulling up her sleeves to see your wound from the arm. She slowly takes your own sleeve away from this deep scar. Felt like your arm was close to get slice up. Before Mizu was able to open the med kit, she sees your eyes watching her. "...you again..." you said quietly.
You've been unconscious for a little while now since the crazy incident happened earlier. Luckily, Mizu kept calming you down, looking at you; with nothing but a soft expression. "I'll take care of your arm. Must stay still and rest. I got you covered." She says, gently taking her time to stitch your arm, which you wince from the pain. You were able to see her for a quite a few seconds before falling back to a deep sleep.
You thought to yourself: (Who was this…this samurai that…saved my life?)
*Aaaha so glad I figure what to write for tonight :D I was so lazy not writing more stories as I'm suppose to. Been having a passion on writing stories for idk how long. So, enjoy this welcoming fanfic of my beloved, Mizu)
Please reblog would be appreciated!
195 notes · View notes
rabbitsrams · 6 months
Text
meeting ted and schlatt at a halloween party (and eventually hooking up with them)
college! au & fem! reader
happy spooky month yall :)
nsfw under the cut, minors dni, 18+ only.
♡ you were invited to a house party by a friend
♡ it was a costume party (as you expected) and you decided to go as [your costume].
♡ you didn't really know anyone at the party other than your friend
♡ you recognized some people from your classes and people you saw often around campus and they were all in costume
♡ everyone looked super cool in their costumes, but there were two people who caught your eye.
♡ one of them had a frankenstein costume. completely decked out.
♡ green face paint, fake stitches all over his face and body, electrical bolts sticking out of his neck, ripped and tattered clothes, and he was really tall too.
♡ the other was wearing a knight costume.
♡ unlike frankenstein, the knight put absolutely no effort into it.
♡ his knight's helmet was barely painted blue, he's wearing a white shirt with a light blue cross in the middle and gray sleeves, he's holding a cheap plastic sword and a little ram plush is sitting on his shoulder
♡ but what draws you to him (besides the total lack of effort) was how good he looked under the helmet. also him being super tall. and constantly hanging around frankenstein.
♡ you can't stop staring at them throughout the night. and your friend notices.
♡ "just talk to them!"
♡ "i can't!"
♡ but right as you're lamenting, they come into the living room to get another drink.
♡ and your friend asks you to get them another. which you know is a ruse, but you go anyway.
♡ frankenstein is chattering excitedly while the knight is pouring himself some beer from the keg.
♡ god they're even cuter up close.
♡ you grab a couple of red cups and go to pour some beer but the lever thing is a bit too hard to grab with both cups in your hand
♡ "here, i can give you a hand." it's the knight. you nod and step aside. he pours beer into your cup. you turn around and see your friend left their spot.
♡ the knight asks if you want another and you tell him no since your friend just ditched you.
♡ "that's okay, you can hang out with us." frankenstein comes up behind you, placing a hand on your shoulder. you feel your face heat up as you turn to face him.
♡ you learn their names as you all go into one of the bedrooms for some privacy. frankenstein is ted and the knight is schlatt.
♡ they compliment your costume and you do the same, except you're not really sure if schlatt even is a knight.
♡ "who are you supposed to be?"
♡ "the ice knight from castle crashers!"
♡ "ohhhh..."
♡ you text your friend quickly that you're alone with the guys and they text back really excitedly :)
♡ you talk for a little bit but you all know you're not there to talk.
♡ they noticed you the moment you came in
♡ thought you were so sexy in your costume
♡ they both wanted you and agreed to try and get with you (with your consent ofc)
♡ you're sitting in the middle of them on the bed. you're waiting for one of them to make a move. they don't, so you eventually just tell them that you want them both.
♡ them scrambling to get you first. schlatt tosses his knight helmet aside and kisses you while ted struggles to take the fake electric bolts out lol
♡ he kisses you as if you're the princess he just rescued. really rough and passionate and his hands are all over your body
♡ ted on the other hand is a bit more gentle. holds your face and brings you onto his lap as he kisses u!!!!!
♡ smears of green makeup cover your face once you pull away from him but you don't even care.
♡ you immediately go to kiss schlatt again so he has some of the makeup on him too hehe
♡ and since ted basically covered anywhere that was visible with the paint...
♡ green handprints all over your body :) and smudges of the paint all over schlatt's :)
♡ them taking your costume off at the same time (or trying to)
♡ schlatt being completely fixated by your tits. his hands are ALL OVER THEM
♡ even when ted wants to touch them schlatt pushes him away so he can keep touching them hehe (and eventually kissing and sucking on them......)
♡ so ted opts to focus on your pussy.
♡ he rubs your clit with his fingers and licks up your folds and you're whimpering under him
♡ and yes your pussy has green makeup all over it too
♡ you're begging them to fuck you
♡ riding schlatt while ted fucks you from behind GRRSKMSDNJFDKFJ 💥💳💥💳
♡ literally the only reason why schlatt wanted u to ride him was so he could watch your tits bounce i'm so serious
♡ genuinely one of the best hookups you had ever
♡ getting their numbers before you part ways bc you have to do that again
290 notes · View notes
ethanlvndry · 10 months
Text
~♧☆FOCUS ON ME☆♧~
Tumblr media
Haganezuka x Black!demon!reader
⚠️:Dub-con, reader is a brat, curvy chubby reader, exhibitionism, size k, blood k, P in V, rough sex. Masturbation
Summary: Y/N was requested to go along with Gyokko and Hantengu on their mission to swordsmith village after leaving Muichiro to Gyokko. She finds herself taking a liking to a concentrated swordsmith. Now she's trying to break his focus, but finds herself struggling at comes up with an idea that just might or might not work 🤔.
_____________
"STAY AWAY!"
You've been trying to get a frightened, puny swordsmith out of your way for 5 solid minutes. Gyokko told me he looked like he was hiding something, so I went to check it out while he handled that frail pillar.
"Who are you to tell ME what to do?"
I raise my leg and kick him on his chest, sending him flying into the wall. I look around, and my eyes land on a moving body.
"Don't tell me you were just trying to hide your friend. I really thought I was about to see some action!"
Wait...what's that scraping sound?
I look closer and see the body is moving a sword.
"Wow, you're putting in so much work for a sword that I'm going to ruin in less than 5 seconds."
I pause to let him answer, but instead, he continues to forge his weak strip of metal.
"Hello? You can hear me, can't you?"
UGH. This guy's really getting on my fucking nerves! How dare he ignore such a specimen?!
Plenty of guys would KILL to have me look their way!
"HEY, FOCUS ON ME"
I whip out my blood demon art.
Sharp Illusion
It allows me to make people feel pain without actually harming their body.
I lash out on his back, but he still continues, a chunk of his mask crumbling down. But he keeps on working. On that stupid. SWORD!
I grumble before lashing out on his back again. This time his whole mask crumbles down. And oh.my.gosh.
He's gorgeous.
I feel a throb right where I need him, and it makes me want to act on my instincts.
"Don't you want to take a break from your task and ravage me before I kill you?"
...still no answer
I decide to physically get his attention. I March over to him and push his hair off his sweaty for head and behind his ear.
I'm shoved away by the puny swordsmith from before and my face almost instantly sours.
"Stay away from Haganezuka-san, you filthy demon!"
His rebellion is cut off by another kick to the chest, this time strategically placed, so that he would be down for a while.
Atleast long enough for me to get what I want.
I focus myself back on 'Haganezuka'
and rub his shoulders, watching them relax out of their tense position earlier. Still, he works on the sword.
"Haganezuka~ I know you want me~"
I find myself getting irritated with his ongoing concentration, and I decide that if I want to break it, I've gotta go all out.
I fall to my knees and massage his shoulders again. This time, my hands slowly start to trail farther down. Eventually reaching the draw string of his pants.
I untie the knot and pull out his cock. A smirk starts to form as I hear a shift in his breathing.
"Do I have your attention now, Haganezuka?"
Still no answer, but this time, my grin doesn't falter. I instead circle two of my fingers around his fat mushroom tip, and trail two fingers on my other hand to my hot pussy.
I moan out his name in an attempt to get his full focus on me, but I fail miserably.
I try other things even kissing him, but he just stays in place and continues working on his stupid sword.
I'm in, hopefully, my final attempt to get his attention. I pull his pants father down and pull my skirt all the way up.
I crawl on his lap and grumble as he continues to work on his sword, only moving his arms around me so he can continue working.
I line his tip up with my hole and let out a sigh before plunging down, taking him all the way inside of me.
"Fuck Mr Haganezuka, your cock feels so good!"
If he answered me, it was through grunts and grits of his teeth. I bounce up and down on his cock, and wrap my arms around his neck for stability.
Once my climax is in reach, I bounce faster than before, and finally, I let go all over the both of us, ruining both of our clothes.
"I never knew a uppermoon thought more of sex than consuming flesh of a human. What a slut."
I gasped at the first words spoken directly towards me from the man who I've been intercoursing with. But it's cut short when he suddenly grabs my hips and plunges into me with little to no stops in between. I Can barely get out a word from my overstimulated state.
I sob and cry in an effort for him to stop, but he won't.
And I love it.
I feel my vision getting fuzzy, and slowly, my head goes limp off to the side.
_____________
703 notes · View notes
carrymelikeimcute · 5 months
Text
I'm in my feels again so lets talk about Izzy Hands and violence.
I read a novel ages ago, where an older guy takes a young orphan boy under his wing and teaches him a trade - it's medieval times and said boy becomes a young adult and wants a sword, but his pseudo-father/boss/friend tells him he can't have one, because if he has one, he'll draw it and if he draws it, he could be killed. The safest thing is, paradoxically, to carry no weapons. To learn control of one's temper and control over your surroundings.
The scenes of Izzy and Stede in ep.7 at Jackie's reminded me of that novel.
Obviously Izzy has weapons, tends to put his hand on his sword during arguments and we do see him fighting and killing people. HOWEVER, I think it's really interesting that, given how often we talk about Izzy being repressed (emotionally/sexually/gender-ly) and how controlled he attempts to be, we don't often talk about his controlled approach to violence.
A lot of fic characterises him as someone who is hot tempered and violent, but looking at s1 with fresh eyes, between him and Ed, he's definitely not just the cooler head when it comes to instigating violence, but the one who takes less interest in violence for its own sake as a performance - e.g. Ed's very creative instructions with the tiny fork, the toe thing etc vs Izzy just stabbing Stede. It's a means to an end.
Don't think I'm not saying he has a fucking temper and a half, because he obviously does, but that seems to mostly be vented non-violently through yelling - not yelling at strangers either, but at people he knows and can (usually) judge where the line is.
Until he puts a toe over that line and...oops.
On first meeting Stede, Izzy cuts up his shirt without actually hurting him. It's a threat, but he hasn't drawn blood, hasn't started anything violent...yet. It's almost a display intended to dissuade actual fighting, by showing your potential opponent that they're probably going to lose.
I think one of the reasons Izzy's so annoyed about their losses in the battle with the Spanish is that it's not their fight. They didn't get anything from it - it was pointless (to him, not to Ed obvs). He wants to avoid facing the Spanish again in the following episode, because they stand to lose more than they will gain.
Even when he's actively calling for Ed to kill Stede, he isn't fussy about how. (And he uses manipulation to keep his hands clean - something he does again when selling Ed out to the navy.) Stede needs to be gone, and this is the easiest way to do that. And when he does finally lose it he doesn't just attack Stede without warning - it's within the controlled setting of a duel, which, when Stede starts improvising, breaks down Izzy's control and leads to him becoming emotional, making a mistake and getting his sword broken.
In s2 the pointlessness of the raids is obviously getting to him, disrupting a wedding for no real gain. Losing Ivan for nothing. I don't think the violence is what bothers him, he's a very active participant, but the fact that it's not for anything - it's not enough of a reward in and of itself. (It's like not really caring one way or the other about being a barista, it's just what you do and it's fine, but then suddenly you're not being paid and also your boss keeps burning you with the steam wand on purpose and you just sort of wish you could just get on with your job and make rent like before.)
S1 Izzy seems to lack the whimsy and imagination that Ed/Stede bring to piracy and to violence, but that doesn't make him stupid. They're playing some kind of made-up game that only they know the rules for, and he's trying to play chess with everyone, even when the rules are only a burden to him.
When we see him training, he's being a dramatic candlelit bitch, but he's also measuring his movements, focusing intently and not just hacking away at everything. Even the candles are interesting to me in this context - we see him playing with candles several times in S1/2 and while yes, there is a certain amount of 'Izzy likes pain' in there to unpick, it's also kind of a metaphor for control - fire is one of the most dangerous things to have on a 'wooden vessel' but a candle is like a tiny pet fire that you control - so long as you're careful and respectful. It's all about risk management, respecting dangerous forces and being aware.
When Stede kills Ned, Izzy looks impressed, even seems to smile for a second, but then he looks more subdued and tells Ed that the first kill is a head-fuck. It's like he's proud of Stede being ABLE to kill, but regretful that Stede CHOSE to kill in a situation where it wasn't necessary at all.
I don't think for a moment that Izzy regrets killing most of the people he kills as part of pirate life, but I think he would regret killing someone he didn't have to. Most people wouldn't want to carry that around with them.
We see in ep7. that Izzy is well respected at Jackie's. He tells bigger guys than him to fuck off and just takes people's chairs. He gets called 'Mr. Hands' instead of by his first name. There's a lot of respect there and I think some of it comes from his reputation with Ed, but also, from people knowing that he's not insane - he can be treated respectfully and everything will be fine for all involved. He's not some menace that's going to stab you as likely as pat you on the back.
For all that people are afraid of Blackbeard (and maybe slightly in awe of Stede as of the Ned thing) for their unpredictable natures and occasional violent outbursts, people are still attacking them or pandering to them, actual respect is something else entirely.
Later, Izzy doesn't pull a weapon and tries to discourage Stede from doing so, even tries to get him to leave to prevent a fight from starting. In the fight, he smashes a stool over someone and doesn't just start killing people - it's an appropriate level of violence for the situation, not an escalation.
It feels like Izzy is very much in that place of controlling himself, being aware and knowing when and how to use force practically, proportionally and effectively. This might be age related, but it's also a big part of his personality. I think that's also why he looks impressed by what Zheng does to Steak Knife (rip) because it's so precise, bloodless and quick. She's basically the best captain for him - she's efficient and controlled.
It's easy to confuse 'is willing to kill' with 'is eager to kill'. I don't think Izzy necessarily loathes that part of his job, he seems ambivalent, but it is still a job to him. It's what pirates do, much as the crew of the Revenge do still kill people, it's just part of their life and not some kind of performance or fun activity. It's work, and it's hard and it's unpleasant and if something can be done an easier way - a smarter way - then that's probably the best way.
178 notes · View notes
m1ckeyb3rry · 10 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
── THE GLASS PRINCESS // ELEVEN
Tumblr media
Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.
Chapter Synopsis: Your evening with Lee is cut short by the arrival of a strange boy with hooked swords. Instead, you go to the fountain and reveal your greatest secret to the Blue Spirit.
Tumblr media
Series Masterlist
Pairing: Zuko x Reader
Chapter Word Count: 5.0k
Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery
Tumblr media
A/N: i hope you guys don’t think i’m insane for how often i’m updating
Tumblr media
Something amazing had just happened to you, and there was no one you wanted to tell more than Kuei. Your brother, who you loved more than anything. You could envision his pride already, the way his face would glow when he saw it, the way he’d pick you up and spin you around and tell you how happy he was.
It was as you ran down the carpeted hallway towards his chambers that you heard hushed voices coming from the room where your brother’s council of advisors met. He was still young, of course, a child as you were, and so the daily goings-on of the kingdom were managed by these advisors, who were all specialists in their field and had advised your father before Kuei.
Always more interested than your brother in this type of affair, you rested your back against the wall by the door, holding your breath so that you did not alert the men to your presence. They were speaking quietly, but they had left the door ajar by mistake, and so it was not very difficult for you to listen in.
“That boy is no king,” the first said. “Do you think his father would let Long Feng walk over him like that?”
“He is still a child,” the second said. “We cannot expect much from him.”
“Even as a child, he has no interest in learning statecraft, nor the history of his kingdom. He’s far too busy playing with his sister and drawing pictures of bears in his lesson book to absorb anything of use. I fear his reign will lead to the end of the kingdom as we know it,” the first argued. At this, the second sighed.
“You’re right about that much, to be sure. He does not have the power to back up the few proclamations he makes. What kind of general obeys a king like that?” the second said.
You swallowed, for these were words you knew to be treasonous. They were speaking ill of your brother, of the King Kuei, and they ought to lose their stations for it. There was nothing you could do, though; even if Kuei would believe you, who else would? Who would discharge two premier advisors on the words of a little girl?
“If only he were born an Earthbender,” the first said. “Then he could be trained. Then there would be a way that he could eventually gain the respect of the rest of the council.”
“There hasn’t been an Earth King who could Earthbend in many decades now,” the second said. “At this point, I’d even take a queen, if she could just do that much.”
“What do you mean by that?” the first said. The second huffed.
“You know. That sister of his,” he said. “If she shows some promise…if she can lift even a pebble…then we will do what we must in order for the kingdom to have a strong ruler.”
“You’d kill the king in favor of a queen?” the first said.
“If she can Earthbend, then I’ll kill anyone for her to rule,” the second said bluntly. “It’s about time that the world was reminded of why Shan’s line is so feared.”
“You are more daring than I thought, old friend!” the first said. “Let’s vow to keep an eye on the young princess. The moment she gives us a hint that she can Earthbend, we will strike.”
“And if she doesn’t?” the second said.
“Then we’ve lost nothing but a few spare moments spent caring for our dear king’s heir,” the first said. “It’ll only make us look better in the eyes of the royals. We really cannot lose in this scenario.”
“You’re right,” the second said. 
You didn’t stay to hear the rest of it. Staring at your palms in horror, those very palms which might lead to your brother’s death, you ran back to your room as fast as you could, pressing your hands over your ears as you chanted the same thing to yourself under your breath, over and over like it was a mantra.
“I am not an Earthbender. I am not an Earthbender. I am not an Earthbender.”
“You know, I had a lot of fun with you,” you said, pulling on the end of Lee’s sleeve to get his attention. “Lee, I really am being serious. I enjoyed it.”
The two of you had spent the rest of the afternoon doing random things around Ba Sing Se. You had bought lunch for you both, and Lee had argued with the vendor until he agreed to give you the food for half-price, after which you had sat by the fountain and eaten together. It was surprisingly nice, even though neither of you had spoken much. Oddly, you didn’t mind silence with him. It was alright. It was nice, even.
“Yeah, whatever,” Lee said. “I guess you could say I had fun, too.”
“It wouldn’t kill you to admit that you like spending time with me,” you said.
“It might,” he said.
“Oh, save it. At the minimum, won’t you say that it was better than working the afternoon shift?” you said.
“That much is true,” he allowed. “But it’s back to work for me now. It’s just about time for the evening round to start.”
“For shame,” you said. “Let this not be the last time we do something like this together.”
“Okay,” he said gamely. You were actually taken aback, not expecting him to agree so readily. Lee was one of those particularly contrary people, the type to refuse on principle, even if he harbored no real misgivings, so for him to just say yes was out of character. You narrowed your eyes at him.
“Did you like your lunch that much?” you said.
“Huh?” he said.
“It’s just that I wasn’t expecting you to acquiesce so quickly. Normally, you would’ve pretended to deliberate over it for at least a minute or two,” you said.
“You told me a good story,” he said. “Do you blame me for wanting to hear more?”
“Ah, so I’m your new theology lecturer,” you said. “You should’ve said so from the start.”
“Not exactly,” he said, staring at his feet as he walked. “You’re something else.”
“Something else! And may I be privy to what that might be?” you said.
“No,” he said. “It’s for me to know, not you!”
By his tone alone, you could understand what that something else could represent, but you did not force him to explain further. He always gave you these considerations, never made you talk more than you offered, never demanded you elaborate, so you did the same for him, only humming a song your brother used to sing to you as you entered the tea house.
“This is where we must part, then,” you said when you and he reached the counter. Lee pulled his apron down from its hook and tied it back on miserably, already dimming, though you had not noticed until it was vanished that he had been close to happiness the entire time the two of you had been together.
“Lee, Y/N! You’re back!” Mushi said as he exited the kitchen. “How was it?”
You arched a brow at Lee, jerking your head towards Mushi, indicating that he had to respond in his own words. It was not just because it was polite; you wanted to hear it, too. What would he tell his uncle about the outing? What had he thought of it?
He finished tying the apron behind his back in a neat bow and rolled his sleeves up again, revealing his sinewy forearms. It was something you had always taken note of: he was far more well-built than you would’ve expected of an ordinary citizen. It was closer to the lithe musculature of the higher-ranked soldiers, but you had never come up with a satisfactory explanation for why he was like that.
“We had a good time,” he said shortly. “Am I serving or washing this time?”
“That is great to hear,” Mushi said. “I told you you would! And I think they want you serving tonight.”
He said something under his breath that you could not quite catch, but then he nodded, ducking beneath the counter to produce a tray. And though it meant that you would be late to the lighting of the fountain lamps, where you might meet the Blue Spirit, you found yourself lingering, trying to squeeze out every bit of time you could spend with Lee until you had to go for good.
You weren’t sure why you wanted to. It was a realization you were on the brink of arriving at, but you hadn’t quite reached yet. It just remained that that was how it was, that you preferred arguing with him to speaking fondly with anyone else, that you’d rather sit in silence with him than have an avid discussion with another person.
“Hey,” Lee said, pausing before you with the empty tray in his hands. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”
“What a turn of events,” you said. “The very boy who tried to ban me from the shop is now inviting me back.”
“And the very girl who was once illiterate is now telling stories of her own,” he said with a wry half-grin. “Things change.”
The door slammed open, almost bursting off of its hinges, and you all but leapt out of your skin as a boy brandished a pair of hooked swords at you and Lee, a piece of grass sticking out of his mouth, incongruous with the rest of his regalia.
“That’s enough!” he shouted. “I’ve had enough of all of you! Since no one believes me, I’ll prove it myself!”
“What are you talking about?” one of the low-level militia members who frequented the shop said. “You have about ten seconds to drop those swords, boy.”
“That boy and the old man are Firebenders!” the boy shouted. “Judging by the girl’s closeness to them, she’s in on it, too! I bet she’s a Firebender as well!”
You thought it was ironic that he was accusing his own kingdom’s princess of being from another nation, but considering no one knew who you were, you could not share the humor you derived from the ridiculous declaration. Glancing at Lee, you saw that his mouth had set into a firm line.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! You must be confused,” Mushi said.
“I saw you warming tea!” the boy said. Almost collectively, everyone in the shop rolled their eyes.
“Uh, yeah,” you said, speaking for the entire crowd when you did so. “He’s a tea-maker. They do tend to do that.”
“That’s not the point! How about this?” he said, jabbing his swords at the poor, defenseless Mushi, who backed away in concern. “I’ll just make you Firebend! If you do it in front of everyone, then there’s no way it can be denied any longer!”
As the boy rushed towards you, Mushi, and Lee, the militia man stood in your defense. Before he could do anything, though, Lee was taking the swords of the man’s back and pointing them at the boy.
“If it’s a show you want, then it’s a show you’ll get,” he said. You gasped as the two of them began to battle. Mushi took you by the arm, pulling you out of the way as Lee and the boy leapt atop the tables, slashing at one another with blows that were not meant to solely maim.
“What is happening?” you said as the clash made its way outside. “Since when can Lee use broadswords?”
“He’s a boy of many talents!” Mushi said as you followed the crowd outside. You hid behind him, peeping over his shoulder and clutching the back of his shirt when Lee sacrificed one of his swords so that the other boy would lose one of his.
“Will he be alright?” you said. You couldn’t understand the extent of your nerves, only that you were nervous. You didn’t want Lee to die, of course, but that was a natural reaction which any person might have. What was strange was that every time the boy’s hook whistled near Lee’s face, every time its wicked tip nearly caught on Lee’s arm, your heart leapt into your throat.
“He’s skilled, but this poor boy is confused. Someone, please help him!” Mushi said. “Oh, thank goodness.”
You weren’t sure why he was so relieved, but then you saw those familiar uniforms and squeaked before crouching behind Mushi. It was two Dai Li agents, come to take the other boy away — two Dai Li agents who, if they had turned their heads even a moment earlier, would’ve seen you and known that you had escaped the palace right under Long Feng’s nose.
“Are they gone?” you said as the crowd began to disperse. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, it’s all clear,” Mushi said. You looked around his legs, but he seemed to be telling the truth, so, straightening, you brushed yourself off.
“Thank Quynh,” you said with a shudder. “That was so frightening. Lee, are you fine?”
“It was nothing,” Lee said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he handed the militia man his swords back. His expression was still dark as he took off his apron and tossed it at his uncle. “I’m taking the rest of the day off, uncle.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” you said, reaching out and placing your hand on his shoulder to stop him before he could stalk back into the tea shop. He whirled around, and you preemptively cringed back, already feeling sorry for asking, but it was too late.
“I said I’m fine!” he said. Upon noticing how you had already shrank away, though, his eyes widened. “Just…it’s fine. You should go, Y/N.”
“Right,” you said. “I’ll, um, see you around.”
He nodded, and then, before Mushi could convince you otherwise, before anyone could tell you to stop, you were running towards the fountain, the only place where you might find some solace, even if said solace had not come in so long.
Finding that familiar bench, you collapsed atop it, the stress of everything compounding until you were close to tears. What if Lee had really been injured? What if the Dai Li had not come in time and the boy had bested him? What if he ended up in the same state as some of the people you had seen in the Lower Ring? If he lost his arm or his leg, if another scar was sliced into his face, then what?
You had not been crying for very long when there were those same footsteps in front of you, the soft, light ones that you had all but memorized from how frequently you imagined them. Though you did not take your hands away from your face, you opened your fingers, peering through watery eyes at the figure squatting before you.
He tapped your wrists, and you let him pull your hands down, even though you were more than a little embarrassed to be found in such a state by the Blue Spirit, who always seemed so collected. Using your neckline to blot away your tears, you ignored your rational mind’s warning and threw your arms around his shoulders, resting your face against the crook of his neck.
“Things are so terrible, Blue Spirit,” you said, holding onto him as if he were an anchor. He was hesitant in reciprocating, but eventually, his own arms settled around your waist, keeping you in place if not pulling you closer. “My — my friend, have I told you about him? My friend, his name is Lee…I’d never say it to his face, but he’s someone I really admire. He’s so certain of himself and his opinions, and he’s not like Kuei or the servants at all — he’s really very witty, he can actually keep up with me and argue his own points when we speak instead of constantly bowing to my whims or dismissing them in turn! He’s my friend, my only friend, except you, but today he was attacked. Attacked! In my own city, he was attacked!”
The Blue Spirit patted you on the back. It was a little too rough to really be considered comforting, but you understand the intention and found that the effect was not lessened despite his ineptitude.
“I was so worried he might’ve been hurt,” you said. “What would have I done then? Who would I have if not him? You might not believe it, or maybe you might find it depressing, but I’ve really grown attached to him in the short time we’ve known one another. Besides you, he’s the only person who’s treated me normally, without reverence. I’m not her royal highness the princess when I’m with him. I’m just the frustrating Y/N who likes books and distracts him from his work.”
The Blue Spirit pulled away and shook his head at you. You laughed, though it was a thin, brittle sound.
“You don’t know the half of it,” you said. “It’s a wonder he gets anything done at all when I’m there. A testament to his character, maybe. Anyways, I think I’ve upset him.”
The Blue Spirit shook his head once more, but you could only stroke the cheek of his cool mask.
“Thank you for that, but I really have. It’s alright; I will apologize to him tomorrow. I was in the wrong for bothering him when he had been in such peril only seconds previously,” you said. “I’m sorry to you, as well, for burdening you with my troubles. It’s only that I hadn’t realized the truth of Ba Sing Se until now. I was told that the city was more dangerous than I expected before I came here, but until I experienced it myself, I didn’t quite appreciate what it entailed.”
The Blue Spirit nodded, using his gloved hand to swipe away the tear tracks which had dried on your face. You caught his hand and squeezed it.
“I want to show you something,” you said. “It’s a secret that I haven’t told anyone else in all my years of living, but since you’ve saved me twice already, I think that it’s alright if you know.”
He cocked his head as you trotted over to the fountain, fishing around in the water, pulling out one of the little glass lanterns that floated along the surface in the night, when the turtleducks had gone away to wherever they slept. Blowing out the candle, you smashed it against the ground, careful not to cut yourself on the twinkling shards.
“You see, the reason why I’ve been kept in the palace is because I’m a nonbender like my brother, like my father, like most of my family, in fact. It’s because I’m defenseless — or at least, because I’m thought to be,” you said. “But it’s not entirely like that. Er, the second thing is true, sadly. I am defenseless, or nearly so, but as for the rest of it…”
Gathering the pieces of glass in your palm, you concentrated on them, or, specifically, the tiny particles of earth which they were made of. It was not a feat of strength but of precision, and though you held no claim to the former, the latter was something you could proudly call yours.
Shielded by the Blue Spirit’s body on one side and the fountain on the other, the jagged edges of the glass smoothed and curled on your palm, melding together until they formed the shape you wanted them to: a sparkling lily, which you presented to the man.
“That’s the extent of it, I’m afraid,” you said as he held it up to the firelight. “Glass flowers and other such sculptures. I’m not particularly strong, you see, or if I am, then I’ve never been able to cultivate that strength. Bending exercises, repeated forms…I could not practice things like that for fear of what would become of Kuei if I did.”
He was obviously confused; you did not blame him. It was a confusing statement without the context behind it, so, staring at the rushing waters of the fountain, you began to explain.
“I was fairly young when I discovered that I could Earthbend,” you said. “I ran to tell my brother, but on the way there, I overheard a pair of his advisors saying that if I turned out to be an Earthbender, they’d kill my brother so I could take the throne. That was something I could not allow — he is my brother, you know. My only family. I could not let him die, too, so I swore off bending forever.
“I was not entirely successful. Bending is something that those of us who have it must perform frequently in order to be fulfilled, so my compromise was making things like that flower. Little artworks, which were innocuous enough that no one was ever suspicious as to their true origin. I didn’t have a traditional teacher, but Quynh — yes, the bear spirit, the patron of the Earth Kingdom, the great mother, that Quynh. I’m the princess, aren’t I? It only makes sense that she guided me. Anyways, she taught me that, if I could not train my power, then I had to refine my senses, so that I was sufficiently challenged without making my prowess obvious.
“At first, I only bent crystals, which are harder than pure earth but easier than glass to work with. Eventually, though, I grew bored of making small pieces of jewelry for Quynh, no matter how lovely she looked draped in diamonds and rubies. After that, I graduated to glass, and that’s what I do when I’m bored of reading and studying — I practice.
“I suppose you could call me the world’s only Glassbender,” you finished. “Not the first, but the only remaining, as Quynh was the only remaining bear. It’s not a very practical element, but it’s not like I’ll ever need to use it for anything but aesthetics, so for my own purposes, it’s suitable.”
The Blue Spirit admired the glass lily, and you laughed as he turned it over in his hands — a real laugh this time, not a despairing one. He was like a child, filled with such delight at the simple toy you had fashioned. For a while, he played with it, tracing each edge and crevice with his slender fingers, caressing each individual petal, and then finally, reluctantly, he offered it back to you.
“No, it’s a gift,” you said. “You can keep it. It’s not difficult for me to make more, and no matter how pretty it is, it’s really only glass. It’s not in rare supply by any means.”
He did not think twice, carefully tucking the flower away in the folds of his clothing. You smiled at him before raising your finger to your lips.
“It’s a secret, remember? No one can know I’m an Earthbender. No one can realize the truth, lest they depose Kuei and install me in his place,” you said.
The Blue Spirit offered you his hand, and for a moment you stared at it unsurely. It was a strange form of agreement, but then you understood — it was not his hand he was offering but his pinky finger. You interlocked your own with it, so that the deal was made, the secret sworn, and then you let go.
“Imagine how the civilians would laugh,” you said, sitting on the marble edge of the fountain and dipping your fingers in the water. “If they knew the truth. That name they call me is more apt than they realize, isn’t it? The Glass Princess. I really am one.”
He sat beside you, though he did not dip his own hand into the water. He only observed you, and though it might’ve been intense, uncomfortable, awkward, were it anyone else, it felt reasonable with him. Like that was what he was meant to be doing.
“Can I see your hand?” you said. He gave it to you readily, and you cradled it in yours, arranging it so that the palm was facing upwards, before pausing. “Is it alright if I take the glove off?”
You waited. For a moment, the night was utterly still as he thought about the request, and in that time, you came to notice things about the world which you had thus far been blind to.
The precise shade of his mask, which was a deep blue like sapphire-paint. It was something that you could never erase from your mind, the visage of your savior, the color which had stood between you and your death — but it was also the color that had unmasked the truth of your city to you. If it were not for the Blue Spirit, wouldn’t you still live in that same ignorance? You could not yet say you understood anything, but now you knew that there was something there which needed to be understood in the first place. Before, you were not even aware of that much.
The exact scent clinging to him, which was the delicate fragrance of the honey that some used as sweetener in place of sugar. It was not overwhelming nor heady; it was a soft, warm aroma, as gentle and inviting as candlelight.
The shushing rhythm of the fountain in the background, which was melodic in its sameness. It was another one of those sounds, the type that easily faded away when it was not on your mind but which was omnipotent when you paid attention. The steady flow of the water lulled you into another state — not sleep, because you could not sleep when you were so close to the Blue Spirit, but the opposite, a heightened awareness of both yourself and of him.
That was why time passed both agonizingly slowly and yet dizzyingly quickly, up until the moment that he nodded in agreement and whatever trance you had been in was broken.
Anticipation rushed through you as you took your free hand, the one not supporting his, and tugged on the end of the glove. It came off with a swift motion, and for the first time, there was the sensation of your skin touching his own.
“They say you can tell someone’s future by these marks,” you said, dancing your fingers along the creases of his palm. “It’s an ancient art. Very esoteric. I never learned much about it, but now, I wish I had.”
You wished you could read his future, untangle those winding ways into something comprehensible. The roadmap of the Blue Spirit’s life. You wished you could read it, could know if that destiny was one that included you in its course, but you did not say anything along those lines. You didn’t know what that desire meant yourself, and you didn’t want to frighten him, either, in case it sounded like something it was not.
Though his hands were surprisingly soft, there were calluses formed in the places where he gripped his swords. They were incredibly warm, too, though it was in a pacifying way, not with the sickly sense of fever. They were the hands of a warrior, but also the hands of vanity, and it relieved you to see that even the perfect, infallible Blue Spirit was prone to this fault.
“If only I were more like you,” you said. “Ba Sing Se is in such a state of disrepair, and I can do nothing but offer coins to those I come across, in the hopes that I might alleviate their personal struggles. That’s not hardly enough, though. For every one person I can help, tens of others do not get the same chance. Tens of others continue to suffer from a problem that I cannot identify. What princess does not even know why her subjects are in such pain? What princess can do so little about it?”
The love for your kingdom or the love for your brother? If you were the queen, would things be any different? Would Ba Sing Se be in a better position, or would it all be the same? Well, it was a moot point now. You were not an Earthbender in any way that mattered. The advisors had longed to instate you so that you could remind the world of the power of Shan’s line, but as it was, you would only make a mockery of your famed ancestor. The man who had established the entire Earth Kingdom, left with a great-to-the-nth-degree granddaughter who could only bend glass. That was his lineage. That was his legacy.
“My forefathers must be so ashamed of me,” you said. “What have I ever done with my life? What is there that I can still do? I am the Glass Princess, and that’s all I will be remembered as. King Kuei’s sister who would’ve watched Ba Sing Se fall if it meant she could keep her pretty jewels and fancy dresses.”
Taking another lantern, removing its candle, you twisted the glass into a miniature replica of the Earth Palace. It was meticulous and perfect; such was the training Quynh had given you, after all. Form over function. Accuracy over mass. Mental fortitude over physical fortification.
“That’s where I am,” you said, tapping the minuscule window. “All of the time, unless I am with you or in the tea shop. That’s the extent of my world.”
Two finger lengths long. That was your existence in summary. You put the Blue Spirit’s glove back on and gave him the model of the palace.
“In case you ever visit,” you said. “So you don’t get lost. Come see me if you do, won’t you?”
He didn’t offer you his pinky this time, but you figured that when he nodded his head in acceptance, he still meant it as a promise.
Tumblr media
taglist (comment/send an ask/dm to be added): @rinisfruity14 @c4ttheart @blacky-rose @shizko @marsbars09 @happyplaidpersonfestival @catborglar @camilleverreault @nerdybouquetofkittens-blog @lovialy @heart4hees @stefnarda @ioonatv
Tumblr media
98 notes · View notes
firefirefruit · 3 months
Text
Steel in Her Veins, Chapter: Five
Table of Contents | Next Chapter
Characters: Fem!Reader x Roronoa Zoro
Tumblr media
Chapter Five: Oh, Ohara...
“How…do you have this?” Robin mumbles as your charm-sized poneglyph shakes in her grasp.
Gramps Suki draws out a glimmering fraction of his blade, automatically making everyone except for you and the marimo step away from him.
“What do you mean?” You strain to feign innocence while cautiously monitoring the woman in front of you.
Gramps has always told you from a young age to keep your family’s poneglyph history under tight wraps. Do as I say, or we’ll both draw our last breaths very soon, he would constantly tell you. And he wasn’t wrong about that.
So many times, it’s happened to you. So many surprise attacks…and unplanned escapes…so many times your lives were almost lost, all because of the illegal knowledge that runs through your family line.
You grit your teeth. You just hope they’re not who you think they are.
“This,” Gramps declares, one arm casually swiping the poneglyph from Robin, the other subtly caressing the hilt of his weapon, “is nothing more than a charm, Miss Robin.”
“No. You know what that is,” she whispers.
Robin forcefully takes a step towards him; her crewmates gape at her in bewilderment.
“Really? It seems like you know more than I do,” Gramps replies with a forced chuckle. He throws the poneglyph cube in the air as if he’s flipping a bet on a coin, prompting out a worried gasp from Robin. Her hands shoot out in the air, trembling at the sight of the airborne poneglyph.
“I beg your pardon, but I fail to believe that you or your granddaughter are so oblivious to the gravity of the objects you own,” Robin demands. She points at the cube that now tumbles past his fingers. “What do you know?”
At the same instant that Gramps stuffs the obsidian cube into his dungarees, his quick fingers unsheathe the sword from his side. Everyone except for Robin and the marimo stumbles away – Chopper and Brook yell while Franky sounds a baffled mumble from his throat; Nami has her mouth hanging open as Robin remains headstrong. The marimo is…well, he’s just watching.
“Did they send you?” Gramps hisses, his eyes darkening in her direction. The sword glints within his weathered grip whilst his focus slides on you, concern pooling up in his face. He lets out a desperate hiss. “Raya, run.”
“No, absolutely not!” You scream, anger overcoming you. You brashly swivel around and face the newcomers, one hand curling in flames as the other one clutches at your sword. You take in the sight of all the crewmembers, maliciously eyeing them down with intentional movements. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on him.”
“Who’s sending who...?” Brook mumbles confusedly.
It all happens in half a second. You blink and suddenly, he’s there - the green-haired marimo towers over your frame, his arms crossed together, acting so blasé it’s as if he’s about to question you for your wares.
“Sheathe your sword,” he demands, staring you down apathetically.
Furiously, you whip your head up to reach his eye; your flaming finger coils and points in face.
“You don’t tell me what to do, traitor.”
“Hang on! —” Nami cries before the Bull interrupts her.
Marimo’s grey eye locks onto yours and narrows slightly - then, he does the unexpected.
Reaching for your hot finger with his palm, one by one, he slowly curls each of his fingers over and under your index with slow and exaggerated movements.
While still staring you down - his fingers wrapping over your fire - he swiftly slaps your hand away.
“Nice party trick,” he smirks. And you swear you can feel all of your teeth instantaneously crack in your mouth in outrage.
“Zoro…” Franky clasps a humongous sky-blue arm over his crewmate’s shoulder, gaping at the chaos unfolding between the two of you.
“Guys, wait–” Nami tries to intervene again, but you’re the one who cuts her off this time.
“Underestimating me is men’s greatest ignorance,” you whisper, burning your eyes into his.
“What the fuck does that—”
You smirk.
Suddenly, your palm flares up like a shattering explosion, light sparking out through the gaps of the bull-heads fingers on your hand – and in an excruciating shout, he immediately releases you while jutting a few steps backwards.
In quick, panicked successions, he blows on his glistening red palm before glaring maliciously at you, his jaw clenched tightly like a compressed metal vice.
“You fucking bitch—��� he hisses, ripping poor Brook’s sword from his fingers. He begins to advance towards you, as you trigger a surge of energy to run through your arms, preparing for—
A long, tall shadow looms over your position. Nami stands with golden baton in hand, fiercely spinning it through her fingers.
Clang! Wham!
She strikes Brook’s weapon away from the samurai’s hands and flips it into the air like an ascending riptide. With a quick spin of her weapon, she slams the marimo stumbling a few steps backwards with the other side of her stick.
“Stop! Listen to me!” Nami breathes heavily, frantically looking between you, Gramps and the marimo with her hands thrown out.
It’s silent in the studio. No one knows what to do while Nami catches her rattled breath; Chopper looks terrified, and Robin is frozen in shock. You turn to see your Gramps who has an indescribable expression sculpted across his face, completely taken off-guard by the unfurling events laid before him.
What the fuck is going on? You think in panic, frantically eyeing all of the possible exits you and Gramps can take. If they’re here to kill you, you’d both be better off running away than attacking the unknown.
Quick. You need to think. Quick. What did you do the last time the Cipher-Pol came around banging on your door? You need to make a plan.
Suddenly, a loud clang of metal slamming against wood resounds in your ears. You look down, feeling the golden baton roll and nudge against your toes.
Nami straightens up. Everyone’s silent.
She throws her palms up in peace.
“This is a complete misunderstanding,” she forces out, looking back at her brown-haired crewmate. “Robin – she reads poneglyphs. She was taken off guard...”
Hastily, Robin moves to you, desperately looking between you and Gramps, and you can’t help but feel the heat tingle on your fingertips from possible threat.
“No, Nami’s right. I’m so sorry for all of this – I was just in shock…My home…Everyone else is…I’m the only…” Robin’s voice breaks.
Gramps startles. He’s breathing loudly.
“Don’t tell me you’re from Ohara?” Gramps whispers, disbelief colouring his face.
You look at him, flabbergasted at the sudden change in mood – Ohara? He’s never taught you anything about Ohara before. What’s Ohara?
Robin nods her head once quietly, and slowly, the weathered hand that was gripping so tightly on his sword loses any strength that it had.
“Is Clover…?” His voice barely comes out, trailing on as a tiny question.
A beat. A little twitch of the head. No.
Your old man’s face darkens considerably. He doesn’t say anything in reply.
“What’s going on?” You implore, frustrated with the practically unfollowable conversation. You stare at everyone, frankly, being very pissed off. “Does anyone want to fill me in?”
In reply, Suki stares at you with sadness flooding his eyes; a wordless sentence flashes across his face right after – trust me on this, he says.
“No. I demand an answer—” You start, anger rising in your stomach. Why isn’t he fucking telling you anything?
Gramps directs a hand up to you, immediately stopping you in your tracks. He turns to the others.
“Come. Let’s have some refreshments.”
That’s it. Outrage completely consumes you.
“What the fuck –?”
As you fume with frustration, Gramps Suki leads the way to the outside of the shop. The crew follows, with Robin casting a last glance at you before reluctantly trailing behind.
The fields and hills that stretch before the workshop glow in the afternoon sun. Bathing in deep oranges, reds and golds, the grass silently shivers with the wind as its companion. Living in the middle of nowhere has some perks, you could say.
The golden hues of the setting sun cast long shadows across the hills, the air filled with the scent of firewood and gravel as the bonfire you decided to torch earlier illuminates the faces of those gathered. Gramps Suki takes a seat on a makeshift log bench, gesturing for everyone else to do the same.
Nami, who seems to have taken charge of the situation, begins to explain.
"Please. We mean no harm. Robin’s our archaeologist – she loves Poneglyphs probably as much as you two love swords…”
Gramps Suki listens intently, his gaze shifting between each member of the crew. You remain seated, still silently seething with anger and confusion.
"You mentioned Ohara," Nami continues, choosing her words carefully. "You must know about what happened there."
The weight of those words hangs heavy in the air. Gramps Suki's eyes narrow, his expression a mixture of sorrow and anger.
"Care to tell me anything, Gramps?" You demand, your voice cutting through the silence. You can't help but feel a sense of betrayal and a burning desire for answers as you dig your feet further into the grass.
Gramps finally turns to you, his gaze heavy with unspoken secrets.
"Raya," he begins, slightly hesitating, "there are things I've kept from you for your own sake. It seems…the time has come to tell you the reason for some parts of your education."
The room falls silent as Gramps Suki starts to share the history that has been carefully hidden from you, the only interruptions being made are from the crackling whispers of the fire.
“You…knew them?” You whisper. “It’s not just us…?”
It’s not just the Kozuki clan who knows about the Poneglyphs. They do, too. That's what he secretly wants to say, but knowing that there's an audience listening to you two, he has to edit out your family history.
Gramps Suki nods, his face darkening in the evening sun.
“We were like...family…” He softly says, his voice running through the crackling fire like a gust of wind.
Translation: Our clan were allies with them.
Gramps Suki leans back in his seat, his gaze never leaving Robin. “However, I fail to believe anyone from Ohara came out alive from...what happened there.”
"You have the right to be cautious, Hitetsu-san," Robin interjects softly, addressing Gramps by his alias. "But I’m not lying. They were all so dear to me…There’s not one day that I don’t think about them.”
“I must ask, Hitetsu-san – how have you not seen her wanted poster? She’s been sought after since the age of eight,” Brook adds.
Your old man shakes his head, staring out at the vast fields and rolling hills of pure emptiness. The sun is starting to melt further into one of the hills, sluggishly dispersing into darkness. “We keep a low profile. We don’t seek out trouble.”
“I see…” Brook says.
As the evening progresses, Gramps Suki finds himself bombarded with constant questions about his sword skills from Chopper, Franky, and Brook, each vying desperately to get his attention. Meanwhile, you’re taking the moment to explain the significance of the charm-sized Poneglyph to Robin and Nami.
You were practicing crafting poneglyphs without the help of Gramps Suki, and you decided to try etching ancient text across its body for the first time ever in your career.
“Oh! I didn’t have the chance to read it – what did you write?” Robin asks, completely captivated by your story.
You sheepishly look at Robin and Nami, taking a long swig of your drink before deciding to confess. “I was actually copying from a random manual I found in my drawer. How to Assemble Your Fantastic Frog Lamp…that was the title.”
Robin laughs out loud, her earlier intensity replaced by genuine curiosity. For a moment, the conversation dies between you three as you all turn your attention to the flickering glow of the bonfire.
"I’m really sorry about earlier," Robin softly whispers. "I just…I didn’t know what to say."
You empathetically nod, grateful for her sudden honesty and openness. You look at her with genuine sincerity. “I overreacted back there, too. It’s just that the Cipher-Pol keep going after our asses... They’re really horrifying.”
“Tell me about it!” Robin exclaims.
Suddenly, you two are staring at each other before you both crack out in laughter - bonding over bloodthirsty assassins, who would've thought?
While you and Robin continue to discuss the artefacts that you’ve been recently collecting, Nami's eyes shoot up at the mention of your side-job as a treasure-restorer.
"You restore jewellery?!” She gushes, immediately pulling her arm around your shoulder. “I can’t help it; I’m liking you already…”
“Of course, you do,” Zoro, who was silently eavesdropping on your conversation, mumbles out loud.
“Watch it – or I’ll tell Raya to melt your earrings next,” Nami snarls.
As the night continues to unfold, the atmosphere becomes more and more relaxed; somehow, one thing leads to another, and Luffy’s curiosity as to why half of his crew are still meandering out in the wilderness consumes him. With an extreme long-winded yell and a swing of a fastened rubber arm, three bruised figures tumble across the field like toppling bowling pins.
A blond man accidentally charges into the samurai, slamming heads with him which elicits aggressive dog barks from both sides.
"Is this a cage fight, or what?" You mutter to Nami, making her burst out in laughter.
Meanwhile, an odd long-nosed guy moans out colourful curses at Luffy, his face still planted on the ground, his fist shaking in the air.
“He never learns…” Franky amusedly notes as you all gape at wide-eyed, babbling Luffy, who’s attention is immediately taken by the food steaming in the centre of the bonfire. He charges at it like he’s been on a hunger strike for weeks.
“Hey.” Nami waves the other two men over, their attention shifting to her. “Come say hi to our two hosts.”
Usopp lifts his head from the ground, rubbing his face. "Mmm-Usopp, ‘mm, meet you…”
Immediately, his head smacks back down like a ragdoll, triggering a horrified shriek from Chopper.
In an instant, Sanji’s growling match with Marimo halts from the second his eyes drift onto yours.
“My…my…” He whispers, shuffling towards where you, Robin and Nami are positioned. He twirls and bows and clasps his hands and crawls to you.
"Are you...on something?" You ask, quite disturbed from his performance.
“I…I AM ENCHANTED BY YOUR PRESENCE, MADAME!” Sanji sings, unfolding his arms like an angel.
“Oh…uh…” you awkwardly say, looking at Robin and Nami with a horrified look; in reply, they shake their heads in shame.
“I AM SANJI! THE COOK, THE SERVER, THE—”
“The asswipe, the asshole, the one with the twirly eyebrow?” The marimo lists before taking a long swig of his drink.
Sanji immediately twists around and pushes up his white sleeves.
“You wanna say that again, moss-boy?”
“Sure, what you wanna hear? Asswipe? Asshole? Or Twirly Brow Freak?” He retorts.
Meanwhile, Gramps Suki who’s sitting nearby observes the crew with a mixture of amusement and approval.
As the air begins to turn cold and the group starts to shuffle closer to the fire, you decide to turn in early, telling the others that you’ll be inside working.
"Well, this is my cue to work!" You announce to everyone whilst standing up dizzily.
“Now? But it’s so late…” Chopper’s medical alarm bells are ringing in his head. “You’ve been drinking, too!”
To be honest, you’ve always felt more productive working at night – and when alcohol's involved, ironically, you work a lot better.
You stick your tongue at him cheekily. “Even better!"
“Yeah, didn’t you know Chopper? I’m always drunk when I’m landing blows on my enemies,” Usopp smugly says, crossing his arms.
“Really?!” Chopper and Luffy exclaim as their eyes glint wildly.
“Of course not!” Nami barks out.
The crew and Gramps Suki continue to vivaciously chat and fight and giggle and drink, enjoying the cool night air kissing their bare arms whilst Brook strums jazz-like melodies on his guitar.
Stepping into your studio, you let go of the pent-up sigh you’ve been keeping in for the past few hours. What the hell was today? You think, your back laying against the door.
You don’t know whether to feel relieved or stressed or exhausted about the sudden turn of events. This whole day was so...messy. And you hate mess.
But you know what’s not messy? Crafting. Because you know how to craft. It runs in your blood like the salt in seawater.
As you begin preparing the collected remnants of the marimo’s metal into assorted vials, fingers deftly working without thinking, you light the forge up with the flick of your wrist.
With controlled, particular movements, you sieve out the impurities of the goopy metal through your fingers whilst silently processing the day. Take that part out, burn this alloy off, sieve it in and pour it through.
Re-incarnating blades was like second-nature to you. Dealing with the unexpected? Now that wasn’t your forte.
Half an hour into your work, you hear a set of heavy boots wandering into the workshop as they clumsily creak against the wood.
You turn around in surprise, not expecting anyone to follow you inside yet. Your eyes narrow slightly when you take in the sight of him as he grips the bottle of sake in his grasp.
“What do you want?” You sigh, pushing your eye protection goggles up to the crown of your head. The marimo halts in his footsteps, bewildered that you could hear him oh-so-secretly stomping through your studio like an oaf.
“I need quiet. They talk too much,” he grumbles, landing himself on one of the wooden stools.
“Whatever,” you mutter, turning back to your work.
You begin formulating each special alloy, the rhythmic sizzling of metal against fire becoming a soothing melody to you and a soft percussion to Brook’s music.
Discreetly, you notice Zoro watching you in the corner of your eye, feigning the worst sleep-acting you’ve ever seen while not-so-secretly taking sips from his sake.
The occasional gleam in his eyes betrays a silent appreciation for your craftsmanship, a detail not lost on you, as you continue to perfect the formula to each of his swords.
“Swords?” Marimo calls out, his voice gruffly sticking out like a sore thumb against the background laughter of the others.
Your precise fingers pause from their melody. You straighten your back, not wanting to turn around to look at him.
“You want some sake? There’s a lot more outside,” you grumble, assuming that’s what he’s about to ask from you. Good, he can leave you to work in peace if that's the case.
“No.” He rolls his eye.
“What, then?” You snap.
“Gee, you’re very unlikeable,” he huffs, crossing his arms.
You grin a little, knowing that he can't see your face.
“Look who’s talking.”
65 notes · View notes
theheromira · 6 months
Text
Nimona appreciation post (Part 3 of idk even know how many)
Tumblr media
Hi guys, I'm back with Part 3. Sorry about the delay, I tend to procrastinate even if something has to do with my newest hyperfixation lol (Pic for attention, like always lol)
at the beginning he says to Amb that he's not brooding and now he tells Nimona that "Knights don't mope, they brood."
"Murder him, murdder her, murder everyone!" aaand there is Amb standing int the door and Bals pose XD
Amb lil smile when he sees Bal. He probably thought that he killed Bal and seems glas that he's not
Also him just looking at Bals arm
Nimonas lil "Gesundheit" is way better in the english version ngl
Nemesis 😈
"Oh, look! It's Gloreth!" and the knights behind them actually look in the direction she pointed at
Amb acting like he was about to draw his sword and looking like they just caught him doing something forbidden like I don't even know
Bals almost defeated face at the beginning of the closet scene
Nimona just casually ripping that pipe out of the wall
Bals hamster cheeks when she grabs his face
that die-in-the-closet-dialogue felt very strange to me but I still don't completely understand how people can hate people who have a different orientation than them (sexual or not, I don't know how to say that exactly but I hope you kinda understand me?). There shouldn't be a problem about dying in a closet in real life and I really understand why people are so close-minded and this is still happening, I guess. Why does this "kids movie" motivate me to think about this kind of issue so much? But I guess it's a good thing, I'm probably/definitely not the only one who watched Nimona and really started to think about this (and the other themes of this movie)
also Nimona literally coming out of the closet (as a shape-shifter) is like really nice, I love little things like that in movies that you maybe not even register at first
I like to think that the axe opening the door is a little "Shining" reference
Nimona casually catching the arrow before her face
Bal being the competent idiot that he is grabbing the first thing his hand finds to use as a weapon without even looking
"Even if you see the horn?"
"I will not freak… Uhhh" with that face XD
I just looove her line "This is the part where you run.", how she looks at the knights and how they start to panic
Bals face while getting out of the closet is like: What the everloving hell did just happen/is just happening?
"Yeah" "Oh no! Stay away! Get back! No! This is not happening!" XD
Amb just being bamboozled and proving that he's at least a bit of a Nerd (who other then a Nerd or a Zoologist would call a Rhino by it's full name)
"Leave that guy alone!" "Take that" bonks him away with her horn lol, they are such a good duo
Stairs are either your best friend (Nimona seemingly) or your worst enemy (Kungfu Panda)
Bal just being completely like a fish out of water by what is happening during that chase is also kinda hilarious
Also him still having the brain to tell her she needs to go right in all of this mayhem is very competent of him, I stan him just a bit ngl
the whale
hey def needed a meeting table that round, they are a kingdom of knights
loving that Todd gets the tiny d*** joke, one of the best jokes in the movie and this movie has a lot of good ones
THE MUSIC <3
Now he wants the staircase, Bal really should make up his mind XD
I'm a bit sad that the original BlueSky-Scene where she changes into a dragon didn't make it in there but this is also fine, I guess
How did Bal survive that fall?
also loving how he just slides the last few metres face down lol
Nimona looking at Bal before she says her "Something, something, something, we win." was kinda cute
Explosions! "Metal" Also: stuff like this reminds me of a kind of old scetch from a comedian (I know the guy from some youtube vids of different poetry slams but he is a comedian now) I like pertaining bear catapults (I def will get myself some tickets if he ever does a show near me, the guy is hilarious)
Bal looking kinda chill (he prob has a concussion and isn't quite there, I guess) at the different things that fly towards them and then focusing on that little bit of debris that knocks him out (and the sound he makes when he gets hit) lol
Sooo, that was it for part 3. Short I know, but I think I will try to get these posts out and ngl my attention span is a bit short at the moment… with this kind of post thats more on the short site I believe I can stay on the topic and not procrastinate that much. Maybe there will also be some longer ones inbetween, we will see. Have a good one guys ^^
63 notes · View notes
onmyyan · 1 year
Note
Can you please make more Marco's headcanons like I bet he has a weapon collection
TW'S: YANDERE THEMES, MURDER MENTION, BONES AS A GIFT, MARCOS IS A WARNING HIMSELF LMAO (NOT EDITED)
S'more Marcos Hc's
Tumblr media
Absolutely has a weapons collection and he names every single one he gets his grubby little hands on.
His guns are all custom made and he has this set of neon throwing knives, razor sharp and deadly.
His creepy little warehouse is a lot less creepy on the inside, posters of his favorite movies and bands litter the walls, sure their spattered with blood but I digress, the training dummies have spray painted smiley faces and when he gets bored he likes to see just how many knives can fit in one face.
He's the best at killing and it shows, has gotten paid to kill twice now and loved it.
And with both of those phat checks he was able to spend time doing his favorite thing, doting on you.
Once bought one of those really cool looking swords from this sketchy shop downtown and tried to decapitate a guy with it but when he brought the weapon down on the poor dudes neck it breaks like a Lego set and they just stand there in this painfully awkward silence.
He of course has to shoot him so no one ever hears of his embarrassment.
Has a few gnarly scars on his legs from his early skateboarding days, if Manny bet him he couldn't grind down their highschools 25ft stair railing he absolutely does it, even though he'd only just got the board that morning.
Had a kill bill phase where he kept trynna pluck people's eyes out like Uma Thurman did the blonde shawty in the trailer.
He the type to silently sway with you in the kitchen at some ungodly hour, his hand on your hips, humming a song he doesn't know the lyrics to.
Stops mid sentence a lot just cuz he can't wrap his head around someone as incredible as you being his.
The biggest, goofiest smile on his face let's you know he's lost in lala land and hasn't heard the last 30 seconds of your conversation
But you find it hard to be mad when he's drawing hearts into your skin and staring into your eyes with so much love it catches you off guard.
Wants matching tattoos but the idea of someone getting that close to you makes his skin itch so that won't happen until he can do it himself.
Him and Manny have weekly hang outs where they each dish and gossip about their individual darlings.
His twin is the only other man he'd trust you to be alone with, and it's not a lack of faith in you, so much as it is a lack of faith in the rest of the world.
His older brothers are no exception to this rule, the rare times you do meet with them Marcos keeps it short and sweet, and he never leaves your side.
If you're a morbid little gremlin like he is, he will absolutely gift you the bones of his latest kill (after a deep cleaning ofc) he tells you they're just super realistic replicas 👀 and you have no idea it's the scumbag who hit on you a few weeks ago, nothing too serious just a finger bone or piece of skull.
Wants to get married yesterday, likes dropping subtle hints like,
"hm our ring fingers looks kinda empty👀" or
"Just hypothetically - like totally not serious but between these two venues which one screams happily ever after? 👀"
As much as his playboy past would lead you to believe he's the noncommittal type, you are his heart and soul, and he'd rather gut himself in a dirty street gutter then be with anyone but you.
The second he realizes he loves you he's got it in his mind that you're endgame, he will be your loving husband and you will be buried together.
Sends you those deep-fried semi scary memes and TikTok's when it's 3AM and he knows you aren't sleep.
He knows because he cloned your phone and can constantly see what you're doing.
Reads romance novels for ideas on how to well, romance you, because he heard you mention once that you loved how they portray love in the stories.
Sprays your perfume in the room when you're at school/work/away from him long enough and it helps to quell his possessiveness
Just barely though because you mention lunch and whoop look who's showing up, food in hand and mentally manifesting you say fuck it and just go home with him.
Sometimes he has these night terrors where you're just gone and he wakes up crying, chest heaving from the heavy pit that had formed, and god forbid you're not in bed when he wakes up because he needs to be held, needs to lay his ear on your chest and hear you're still there, still with him.
Tries to make you breakfast in bed once and gives you both food poisoning but on the bright side you stay in bed beside him all day and he finds all the running back and forth to the bathroom totally worth it.
You throw on one of his shirts in a hurry one morning and he is transfixed, talking absolutely gobsmacked by how tantalizing you look when you're completely surrounded by him.
Low-key sabotages your wardrobe by hiding your shirts when he knows you're in a rush just so have to wear something of his.
"Sorry baby, no clue where that pesky shirt ran off to buuut I just so happen to have this here wonderfully made Versace button up of mine that really makes your eyes pop :) how lucky is that huh?"
Sprays it with cologne the night before so if any mf gets too close they smell him.
Can't say no to you, like at all.
Type of mf to throw his stupidly expensive jacket on the floor so you don't have to step in a puddle because he seen it in a movie once. (You could have just avoided the puddle but he looked so proud of himself as he held your hand to jump over it you had to indulge him)
Horny drunk but also a super lovey dovey drunk.
Loves taking you to concert's, especially when his favorite metal bands are playing, being surrounded by the music he loves is only enhanced when he looks down and sees you enjoying it too.
Talks in his sleep, 50% of the time its terrifying, nonsensical, ramblings but the other half is all about you, even when he's unconscious, you're on his mind.
304 notes · View notes
frozenjokes · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
I support all of his wrongs (he’s never done a right in his entire life)
obligatory fic snippet time, find the rest in my pinned post
the kestrels will absolutely believe scar when he tells them he isn’t haunted. why would he lie.
***
“I guess I don’t have a choice then,” Scar frowned, risking a glance back. He was expecting the ghosts to be there, but not directly behind him, hanging over his head. Scar couldn’t stifle his own startled gasp, turning stiffly back around. Hopefully no one saw that. Based on the way everyone was staring, they absolutely did. Oh boy.
“Alright!” Sausage clapped, drawing the room’s attention back to him, “If you haven’t already guessed Scar, this is about your.. hm.. Let’s say your attitude when the topic of the paranormal surfaces. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we- especially after recent events- are concerned. Don’t you think that’s fair?”
Yeesh. This was going to be a shit show. “Okay, yeah, I understand where you guys are coming from. I know weird stuff happens around me a lot, and I know everyone likes to joke around, but you’re looking too deep into things. That’s all.”
“Well, we don’t feel that way.”
“Blunt.”
“You need to hear it, Scar, so take this seriously. And we want to help you if we can, so just give this a chance. I’m going to start, and we can all go in a circle and share times where we feel that your, or our lives have been endangered. I’ll go first! I will not lie, I did not appreciate you pulling your sword on me when I tried to take the ouija board away. Clearly, at least to me, whatever happened with the screaming event was connected, and I’m honestly quite concerned you want to keep something that dangerous around.”
“Alright, that wasn’t my best moment, and I am sorry, but I don’t think you have any right to touch my stuff.” Scar was ready to start tearing out his hair. Grian seemed awfully bold today, floating forward to laugh in his face. Pearl joined him, flicking her fingers in Scar’s face to try and get him to flinch. His frown only deepened.
“Me next?” Kyle pointed to himself, and began on Sausage’s nod, “Well, the big thing is the first ouija board incident. That was crazy. Those scratches weren’t deep, but I think they’re going to scar. But it isn’t even just that- it’s also how freaked out you were about it, before and after. You knew! And I don’t blame you for the fact that it happened, you warned me and I didn’t listen, but if you really don’t believe in anything paranormal, what’s with the edginess?”
Scar opened his mouth to respond, but was distracted by Impulse floating across the circle, using some unknown momentum to do little flips in the air. Scar closed his eyes. “No comment.”
“Okay, well my turn!” Oli started, puffing out his chest, “Now I know you tell me whenever you see me to mind the noise, or don’t think too hard about, or whatever, but gosh Scar, you are so loud in that room of yours! And I get it, everyone talks to themself from time to time, so I wouldn’t have said anything if I hadn’t heard who you were talking to! I mean, you even call them by names! The night you had your, for lack of a better word, seizure, you were talking to a Grian! And then there was another night where you were talking to someone else!
screenshot in doodle page is a direct continuation, the rest of it needs more context so it’s not here
***
70 notes · View notes
jainiss · 7 months
Text
hello!
bringing reactions of shanks, zoro, ace, and mihawk from one piece, when yn have a crush on them, and they realizes that because of yn actions
Hope you guys like it ~~
Ps: forgive me if there are english mistakes. English is not my native language.
Ps2: these are guesses at what I think it would be. all fictional.
Tumblr media
Shanks: *leans against the railing of the Red Force, gazing out at the open sea with his signature red hair fluttering in the wind*
You: *nervously fidgeting nearby, watching him with admiration*
Shanks: *senses your presence and turns to you, his vibrant eyes meeting yours* "Ye've been actin' a bit different lately, haven't ye?"
You: *heart pounding* "Well, Captain Shanks, it's just... I've spent a lot of time with you and the crew, and I've come to realize that I have feelings for you."
Shanks: *raises an eyebrow, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips* "Is that so?"
You: *blushing furiously* "Yes, Captain. I can't help it. Your strength, your kindness, your charisma – it all draws me to you."
Shanks: *laughs heartily, a warm and genuine sound* "Well, lass, I appreciate your honesty. It's not every day someone confesses their feelings to a pirate like me. We'll have to see where this journey takes us, won't we?"
As the Red Force sails on, you and Shanks share a moment, the unspoken promise of adventure, and perhaps something more, lingering in the air.
-----
Tumblr media
Zoro: *sitting alone on the deck, his swords at his side, lost in thought*
You: *approaching him hesitantly, your heart pounding*
Zoro: *noticing your presence and glancing up* "Something on your mind?"
You: *taking a deep breath* "Zoro, I've been meaning to tell you something. I've developed feelings for you."
Zoro: *raising an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard* "Feelings, huh? Like what?"
You: *blushing and feeling a bit flustered* "Well, I... have a crush on you. I admire your strength and determination."
Zoro: *blinking in surprise, his stern facade momentarily faltering* "Eh? You...have a crush on me?"
You: "Yes. I wasn't sure how you'd react. So, what do you think?"
Zoro: *leaning back, wearing now a small smile* "Let's see if you can keep up with me. If you're serious, you'll have to prove it through actions, not just words."
You: *determined* "Challenge accepted, Zoro."
As you walk away, you can't help but feel a surge of excitement, knowing that your confession has sparked a new kind of connection with the swordsman you admire so much.
-----
Tumblr media
Ace: *leaning casually against the railing of the Moby Dick, a playful glint in his eyes as he watches the crew go about their business*
You: *approaching Ace, a determined expression on your face, but your nerves still evident*
Ace: *grinning* "Hey there, what's eatin' ya? You've had that serious look on your face for days."
You: *taking a deep breath, trying to match Ace's laid-back demeanor* "Ace, there's something I've been wanting to tell you. I've got a crush on you."
Ace: *his grin widening* "Oh, really now? And what's got you all tied up in knots about that?"
You: *blushing but with a smirk of your own* "Well, it might be your devil fruit powers, your passion for adventure, and the fact that you're just incredibly cool."
Ace: *chuckles* "Well, I can't argue with that. You've got good taste."
You: *feeling a bit more at ease* "So, what's your take on all this?"
Ace: *playfully nudging you* "I think we should spend more time together and see where this goes. What do you say, partner?"
As Ace throws his arm around your shoulder, you can't help but laugh, realizing that your confession has only deepened the connection with the charming and adventurous fire user you've come to adore.
-----
Tumblr media
Mihawk: *standing stoically on Kuraigana Island, his gaze unwavering as he observes the sea*
You: *approaching Mihawk, a sense of determination in your demeanor*
Mihawk: *turning his attention to you, his eyes piercing as ever*
You: *taking a deep breath, maintaining your composure* "Mihawk, I must confess something. I've developed deep feelings for you."
Mihawk: *raising an eyebrow, his expression remaining stern* "Feelings?"
You: *nodding, your voice unwavering* "Yes, your unparalleled skill with a blade, your unwavering solitude, and your undeniable presence have all captivated me."
Mihawk: *pausing for a moment, his demeanor unchanging* "I see."
You: *feeling a sense of vulnerability but resolute* "So, what are your thoughts, Mihawk?"
Mihawk: *after a prolonged silence, he speaks in his usual composed tone* "This is a serious matter, and I appreciate your honesty. However, emotions have little place in the world of a swordsman. If you wish to pursue this, you must prove your dedication and skill in combat."
As Mihawk sets a stringent condition, you understand that your confession has been acknowledged by the world's greatest swordsman, but earning his respect and perhaps more will require a challenging path ahead.
Byebye~
© jainiss ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
74 notes · View notes
partyanimal167 · 11 months
Note
Hi! I heard you wanted ideas to write for Law!
I have one! Terribly specific hope thats ok!
How about something along the line of a extreme fluff ? Like Reader helps to nurse the crew back to health after loosing the ship and perhaps during a separation moment ( reader stays behind to fight the marines or something? Up to you!) And then at some point the following exchange happens:
Reader: " its not goodbye, I still want to see the submarine again! "
Law, being carried away by Bepo: " I ... I will find you! I will get you back!"
Reader:" I will be back, for as long as you want me to!"
Maybe a few tears here and there?
Thanks! Hope this helps!
Hi! I appreciate your request. I'm not the best at fluffly moments, but I will try my best. Thank you so much for the details. I'll see what I can do~
See You Later- Law x GN!Reader
CW: fluff, soft moments, comfort, non-graphic action
I'lll be right back okay! Just keep going ahead!
Law would say he was confident in his ability to keep adapting as situations called for it. You have to be when dealing with the Strawhats, of course. However losing your ship, getting ambushed by Marines, and knowing your lover is fighting can cloud one's mind.
It really wasn't supposed to go this way. In a rare spur of luck, the Marines were able to track down the Polar Tang when the crew needed to restock, and the news didn't travel fast enough. Law made the ambitious call to the guys on watch to go out to sea while the rest would wait it out and call for escape when appropriate.
Everyone had been running around with their respective mini groups trying to hide in the shadows and find ways to not draw attention. Things were going well for the first two days, but then more naval reinforcements came. The group was meeting in an abandoned warehouse when the ambush occured.
You wiped a bit of blood from the corner of your lip before putting up your fists again. You scanned the building again--ready for more opponents.
"Captain! I think we're safe for now." Bepo announced aloud.
The group seemed to collectively let out a breath as they saw either knocked out soldiers on the ground or a few retreat in a haste.
Law sheathed his sword. "We need to be cautious. There's no telling when-," the man then sunk onto a knee before going into a coughing fit.
You looked over at him before gasping at the sight of blood on his shirt. "Law, your wound is reopening. We need to get you back to the ship."
Though a knowledgeable doctor, Law was still a stubborn man. He wouldn't leave without being certain that everything would be okay. "I'm fine. We just need to find a new place to hide, and-"
"There's no need to find a place to hide. We need to escape before more Marines come. We're near their base. We'll be safer at sea." you argued.
"But there's no way we're all going to make it out right now. There's too many of us." Law groaned. There was a more reasonable solution, but he wasn't going to consider it.
You, however, weren't going to allow things to drag on. You shook your head. "Some of us can stay while you go on ahead. There's enough of us to hold off our enemies while the others escape to safety."
"I'm not leaving you. As captain, I"
"As a nonmember of the Heart Pirates, I do not care what their captain has to say." you rebutted sternly. It had been one of the things you two talked about in the past. There was always the possibility of a conflict of interest with you onboard. With your life as a outlaw before joining, you knew what to expect. Yet, you couldn't let go of all your freedoms. You didn't really need a reason to bring it up before, but Law needed a reminder. You were not an underling who needed protecting. Moreso, you were looking out even for his greater good.
"Bepo," you stated while giving a strong look.
He seemed to understand what you meant and saluted. "Aye!" he paused and looked at Law, "Sorry Captain!" Law was thrown over the shoulder of his friend which shocked him before arguing.
"Wait! No! Y/n, I'm not leaving you. I'll-," Bepo started running away while a few other members followed.
You smiled gently and waved. "This isn't goodbye at all. I'll see the Tang again."
"I... I will find you! I will get you back! All of you!"
"I'll be back, for as long as you want me to!" You beamed before running out the warehouse in the opposite direction along with Shachi and the others. "Let's keep Law and the crew safe for now."
~~~
You quietly hummed a tune while wringing out a towel. You dampened it fresh hot water before placing it on your patient's forehead.
"...I'm still mad at you."
You chuckled. "I'm sure you are." you continued to redress Law's bandages. "Too bad though, I get to play nurse."
"You shouldn't have done something so reckless."
"I think you forget which one of us had a bigger bounty when we met." you teased.
"I can't lose you." you paused after hearing that confession.
It had been a stressful couple days for Law after separating from you. His group was able to get back on the Tang, but by the time they tried to reach for you, your lot was already engaged in another battle. It took awhile and periods of no communication before it was safe for you to steal a boat and meet the crew out at sea. Law was quick to get the submarine to surface and you all onboard. You were safe with minimal injuries, but it seems you underestimated how much Law worried.
You caressed his cheek and smiled. "That stress is going to put you in a grave before any battle will." you paused and sighed. "You can't get rid of me so easily, Law."
The man scoffed before closing his eyes and enjoying your touch. "You're too stubborn to give up." he joked weakly.
You chuckled, "Precisely why you love me." You then kissed his cheek. "I love you too. I won't let anything go between us."
~~~
Thank you for requesting! I liked how this turned out--simple and sweet. Please share your thoughts. I appreciate you reading this
123 notes · View notes
arc-misadventures · 1 year
Note
Rebirth AU:
Could we get a Jaune POV version on how Jaune "took care" of Alyx in his new life
It Was A Simple Endeavour
Six.
He had managed to skip a stone six times.
Jaune smiled to himself as he watched the the ripples cover the still lake. He was about to reach down for another stone when he her the stones shift behind him where he then grab his sword was about to turn around, and draw it when he saw his twin sister recoil in shock.
Jeanne: Were you about to draw that on me?!
Jaune: You were sneaking up behind me, thought it was a, Grimm, or Dad with another surprise training session.
Jeanne: Ahh… Well, there are rarely any, Grimm about here. And, Dad’s too busy getting chewed out by, Mom for dropping that tree on me.
Jaune: Oh yeah… That… Dad really needs to learn some restraint.
Jeanne: Why he gets into the mood, and there’s no way of stopping him. Short of brunt force, and an enrage mom.
Jaune: I prefer the former than the later in all honesty. So, do you need something, or do you wish to skip stones with me too?
Jeanne: …
Jeanne: I want to know!
Jaune: Know what?
Jeanne: How did you do it; How did you kill, Alyx?!
Jaune held his throwing arm up for a moment, before resuming his throw, he counted five times that the rock skipped across the surface before it stopped.
Jaune: Are you sure you want to know that?
Jeanne: Yes…
Jaune: You want to know how your brother killed someone?
Jeanne: Yes.
Jaune: Will you tell anyone if I tell you?
Jeanne: No.
Jaune: Arc’s promise?
Jeanne: Arc’s promise.
Jaune let loose a deep sigh before patting the open spot on the log next to him. He listened as he heard her walk over, and sit down besides him. He spared her a glance as she stared intently at him, waiting for his response.
Jaune: Now you must understand this wasn’t some spur of the moment plan, I have been working on this for years. So, if it seems far fetched, it isn’t, it was just well, well thought out.
Jeanne: And, what makes you say that?
Jaune: Needed to be the perfect crime, nothing that could trace it back to me. Even if I told you this was how I did, I could simply be spinning a talltale, and a telling you a lie.
Jeanne: True, however, considering it’s you, I’d be more incline to believe it.
Jaune: Very well. Our journey begins one year ago, when we had that family trip to, Vacuo.
Jeanne: Wait, you started this a plan a year ago? We were just twelve then! How long have you been planning this.
Jaune: Since I escaped the, Ever After.
Jeanne: Oh… Oh gods…
Jaune: Yes… So, remember when I left, saying I needed to get, Thiriana a present?
Jeanne: Partial lie I take it? I remember that you did get her that necklace.
Jaune: Correct. I got her necklace minutes after I left. What took me so long is because I went to a rather… Disputable place to get the poison I used to kill her. This shady bar, filled with cut throats, criminals and their likes.
Jeanne: Not really a place for a twelve year old to be.
Jaune: There were kids younger than me there. So, I went up to the bartender, and ordered a drink.
Jeanne: Aren’t you a bit young to drink?
Jaune: It was a password; Say the password, and you may pass, that kind of stuff. I had to tell it to him twice to take me to the guy, didn’t believe a me when he heard me say it the first time. Makes sense since I was a kid. and all. So he lead me to a room that has thus weird viper faunas who was good, damn good at making poisons. I told him I wanted a certain kind of poison, and well, I got it.
Jeanne: But, how did you get the poison?
Jaune: The, Alchemist as he likes to refer to himself as, has two ways you can pay for his products; in cash, or in purpose. The first one is self explanatory; mans gotta eat afterall. But; purpose… He has to judge whether, or not your actions justify him giving you the requested poison. And, he has high standards to pass. I went with the later, it would cost me a fortune otherwise.
Jeanne: So… What did you say to him then?
Jaune: …
Jaune: ‘I want the poison for revenge; Revenge against one that betrayed me. One that betrayed the innocent trust of a curious soul. A kin-slayer without remorse. One who has used her treachery, and vile crimes to erase the sins she committed to be seen as the true hero of the tale, for profit, and fame. I want revenge against this vile fiend, and above all, I don’t want her to know it is coming, until it was too late.’ This is what I said to him. He stared at me for a moment before he reached over, and found the poison I wanted, explain its properties, and then gave it to me.
Jeanne: Whoa… You really knew what you were doing… But, how did you know about any of this?
Jaune: Hmm? Oh, Neo took me there.
Jeanne: N-Neo… As in Neapolitan? That mute assassin that tried to kill you dozens of times before? That, Neo?!
Jaune: We fixed our differences after leaving the, Ever After. He became teammates. We worked pretty well together. Her semblance became such a beast after I amped it up.
Jeanne: But, Neo?!
Jaune: Hey, we got along really well together.
Jeanne: And, then what, you slept with her?!
Jaune: Only once. We were quite hammered at the time.
Jeanne: You two did what?!
Jaune: Actually we may have done it more than once… Three… Four times…? The way she used her semblance…
Jeanne: Oh gods… This can’t be real…?!
Jaune: Anyway, after that we went on our trip to, Vale a few months later. I learned she lived in vale, and when all of you were watching that movie in the theatre, I snuck off. I found out where she lived, and snuck in through an open window, slipped her the poison, and made it back to the movie before any of you realized I was gone.
Jeanne: But, you said you wanted to see that movie so bad! Why would you…?! You’ve seen it before haven’t you… In your past life, haven’t you?!
Jaune: Dozens of times; So I knew precisely when to leave without anyone noticing my absence.
Jeanne: Wait… We left months ago… How is she just now dead of you poisoned her months ago?
Jaune: That was the beauty of the poison I gave her: I coated one of her tea cups with the poison, its a clear liquid where if you apply an even enough coat, you would never notice it, even on a clear window pane. So, the poison waited there until she made her tea. And, once the hot tea is poured in, the poison mixes into the tea, eliminating any trace of the poison. And, as soon as you finish your afternoon cup of tea, you’re already dead.
Jeanne: Whoa… That’s… That’s a very effective poison… But… How did it… You know… Kill her?
Jaune: The poison seeps into the blood stream, lining itself across the many veins across the victums body. There it grows, slowly mixing with the blood until there is enough of it that it becomes incompatible with the victims original blood type resulting in a uncontrollable clotting cascade. And, when this happens, and if your are lucky, it will kill you… quickly.
Jeanne: How hell… That’s… Brutal…
Jaune: A slow killer, but once you’ve been affected, you are a dead man walking.
Jeanne: I see, Neo knows her poisons…
Jaune: You could say that.
Jeanne: Did you say anything to her, like sending, Alyx a goodbye note? No send off one liners?
Jaune: I wanted to, but I couldn’t think of anything clever to send to her.
Jeanne: ‘Lewis sends his regards. The Rusted Knight remembers.’ Anything?
Jaune: Jeanne… I will only reveal in her death in this one manner: I will reveal in the grim satisfaction of a job well done.
Jeanne: …
Jeanne: That’s… That’s probably for the best…
Jaune: …
Jeanne: So… About the poison…
Jaune: No I will not give it to you so you can kill, Triften.
Jeanne: WHY NOT?!
Jaune: Look…I know you hate him, and his terrible flirting techniques, but don’t you think killing him is a bit much?
Jeanne: But, he’s so annoying! And, I can’t just punch him, I could break his face if I did that!
Jaune: You could?
Jeanne: I’m a Huntress-in-training, he’s an aura-less civilian.
Jaune: Ahh, well then… Just… Just spike his drink with laxatives the next time he bothers you, and then threaten him that you will poison him again if he dares bother you. That should scare him off.
Jeanne: …
Jeanne: Damn… You’re an evil genius!
Jaune: Actually, I got that one from mom.
Jeanne: R-Really…?
Jaune: Yep.
Jeanne: Why did she do that?
Jaune: You don’t want to know. Trust me; You do not want to know.
Jeanne: …
Jeanne: Well that just makes me want to know even more now!
117 notes · View notes
sailorblossoms · 1 year
Text
On Baz and his insecurity
This is gonna be a long word vomit, fellas. 
First of all: this is not at all Simon’s fault and he’s absolutely allowed to be confused and not feel the need to rush in any sort of discovery for anyone’s sake. With that being said: Simon does tend to reach realizations with Baz that you couldn’t pay him to think about on his own for his own sake (because he wants Baz to understand, even when he doesn’t feel the need to understand himself). There’s also this unfortunate but understandable and very human effect where Simon’s lack of processing and understanding of himself (and Simon not saying shit he thinks and feels) feeds Baz’s insecurities. 
You can see that around the word gay. When Simon asks to be boyfriends, he’s not even remotely ready to begin to consider if he’s gay, and you have Baz put his guard up with “nobody cares if you’re gay” – I mean, worse case scenario Simon’s proposal could come across as “want to be boyfriends? I’ll probably terrible though and perhaps no homo” to the guy who spend his entire adolescent thinking the person saying it was happily straight. An (understandable) identity crisis one is not ready for can come across as a dismissal for the (understandably) insecure. To be clear, I don’t think Baz gives half a fuck about how Simon labels himself. Perhaps this comes up in some manner, but when you get to the heart of it, it’s not really about identity. He cares about Simon wanting him. “You can have this, if you want it” he says (or something similar) when he softens. When Simon gets Baz’s guard down. 
This manifests again after they have sex for the first time, when Simon, who usually breaks down, is happy and relaxed, and Baz, who is usually bracing himself for something to go wrong, is freaking out. His very first instinct is to brace himself for Simon not liking it (because of their previous unsuccessful attempts). Then he braces himself for Simon finding it less appealing than sex with a girl – “it’s more messy with guys,” he thinks (or something like that) which is 100% his own insecurity, and it’s very revealing. Honestly, I fully believe you don’t need to go to the author’s social media to realize Simon was neither in love nor sexually attracted to the girl he was with before, we just need to pay attention to what’s in the page (“I think it’s obvious he was never in love with her” or something she said on twitter dot com once, and not to sound like the little bitch I am but... it is obvious. I lose a little bit of my sanity when I see the lack of either romantic or sexual attraction being denied or not picked up on among readers.) I understand mind reading is not among Baz’s many talents, but even if we limit ourselves only to what Baz can hear and perceive, we can still conclude that Baz is wrong as hell for even entertaining the thought that Simon would rather be with a girl. 
I would go as far as to say that Baz has the tools to know Simon isn’t actually interested in women (I know some believe he is, but this is already long and I have posted about it a lot, so I’m just gonna say “nope” and move on). In the ren faire, Baz is the one drawing you a very detailed picture about the boob situation. Nobody notices them more than him. While in boobie-land he watches Simon like a hawk, noticing the attention on him, ready to step in the second it seems like someone might try something (before doing better and more fun things such as flirting through sword fighting). Not gonna elaborate on why Simon’s is not boobie-liker behavior (I did that here) based on his thoughts, but even in Baz’s POV: Simon doesn’t pay any attention to anything that’s not fucking food. His eyes never wander, even when there are boobs almost in his arms or something. There’s also how, while in school, Baz thinking Simon actually wanted his girlfriend is all in the framing of “golden destiny” and not based on actual behaviors or shit (Notice that Baz’s tells Penny “I don’t know anything about relationships” in WS). In CO, Baz’s says Simon is leaving “with the only person he has ever wanted.” We know he only believes this because of the whole golden destiny business, which Simon likely parroted when he was in the shackles of heteronormativity, (and also because one would assume you date someone because you’re into them, yet this is an assumption CO challenges). This also means Baz has observed Simon, he has noticed other girls’ interest in him, and besides the golden shit... Baz noticed that Simon has never shown any interest in any girls (but he hasn’t put that together).  
Baz has a bit of a contradiction going on. He hates such a big part of his identity, yet there’s part of him that’s comfortable in his own skin. In his own head. He dresses for himself – he likes suits – not because he’s actually trying to look hot. He doesn’t really perceive his own hotness. On some level (and to some extend) he does know his insecurities are there. He also knows that he should know better. When he’s freaking out post-sex, he does catch himself immediately like “I don’t know anything about sex with a girl or a boy actually, I’m just saying shit here.” It’s important that Simon turns that moment into one of laughter: while Baz is worrying about Simon not really wanting it, Simon shows him how happy it makes him to be with him like this. 
Baz also has enough tools to know he’s wrong as hell to be jealous about Simon’s past relationship with Agatha – he had his moment to choke on his disbelief (literally) as Simon fought him on the assumption that he was attracted to her (unspoken but still there: Simon also fights the assumption that he wanted to be with her like that: he didn’t!). Simon has told him that he always felt wrong while dating her. That the thing he liked was the lack of processing because she did not awaken a single goddamn thing in him. Baz knows this. He has heard it! So he immediately feels foolish when brings up Agatha after the goat scene (ending with Simon telling him there’s nothing about him he doesn’t want, indicating he has nothing to feel jealous or insecure about without outright saying that; Agatha has her own version of that, finding Niamh irresistible and telling her she doesn’t have shit to feel jealous about without outright saying it) (they are mirrors etc). 
It’s a funny little way in which the books kick your ass, you see: before the 24 hour break-up, while inside of his head, Simon calls himself a Baz-sexual (to communicate how he experiences sexual attraction), that he has never truly wanted anyone before him, thinks he has never loved and will never love anyone like he loves Baz, that he’s the most fuckable person alive or otherwise etc etc. At the same time, Baz wonders, “does Simon actually want me?” He actually doubts it. Makes me unwell, I’ll tell you that much. 
It’s easy to see where Baz’s insecurities come from when you consider he doesn’t have access to Simon’s thoughts because there’s much Simon doesn’t say, even when they start communicating properly. When Simon is thinking that Baz is the love of his life, Baz isn’t even sure if Simon loves him at all. He has never heard it. (IIRC by the time the book ends, Simon still hasn’t told Baz he’s the love of his life. Baz doesn’t know Simon feels that!) That after years of thinking Simon would ride into the sunset heterosexually, he spends an entire year watching Simon pull away from him, breaking down whenever they try to do more than kissing. That, on top of that Simon shows that he has issues with being gay, and being gay in public, which for Baz translates into issues with behaving like boyfriends in public, and/or having issues with wanting Baz. That, on top of all that, Baz thinks his monstrousness makes him less deserving of love and acceptance. 
That’s part of why it’s so notable for Baz, when Simon starts getting so handsy with him in public (the line about how, “for someone who worries about being gay,” he gets off with getting handsy with Baz in public, and then how that’s “probably connected”). Why the “gay at IKEA” date makes so happy. Those moments are, in part, about how Simon showing him that he doesn’t want to hide that he wants him. Simon showing Baz that he has no reservations about wanting him. When Baz tells Simon “it’s fine not to know (what he identifies with)” he means it. It’s really alright with Baz if Simon doesn’t want to label himself. There’s a light-hearted tone in SFC when Baz tells Simon “you’re not even gay” after Simon tells him “we can be as gay as we want in my grandma’s house.” I don’t think it would have mattered much then, if Simon said “no, I’m not,” because at that point their relationship is in a good place. Baz tells you the man is an expert at getting his tie off – there’s no question that Simon wants to be with him. But I do wonder. Simon saying “I am, for all intends and purposes” then it’s all about Simon and how comfortable he has become with being perceived as gay. For Baz, it’s something he can laugh about with no further observation. They’re good. They’re in love, and they’re comfortable with each other. But I do wonder if the casual acknowledgment of their relationship being a gay one, if Simon’s positive reaction or rather, Simon not sinking into any sort of denial or reaction that could potentially feed Baz’s negative emotional state and bring back old insecurities provided the kind of comfort he needed at that moment. A moment where he worried about his family invalidating him and his relationship with Simon.  
83 notes · View notes