epokgirl-blog

[supermarine-silvally]

Hellooooo, it's meeeeee (remember that song?). I'm here to ask for all of the Relationships asks for Yara. Hope you're having an amazing day!

All of them? Hell yeah! (I've had so much fun with these asks you can't even imagine lol)

Ask game here!

1. What is your OC's relationship to their family - biological or found?

She has a great, very close relationship with her found family on the Whitebeard Pirates. She loves and adores Whitebeard as if he really were her biological father. There’s a line Marco had in the anime about why the WBP call Whitebeard “Pops” -- something along the lines of “Because he calls us sons. We’re all hated by the world, so it makes us happy.” And in Yara’s case, this is very true as well. She’s Whitebeard’s youngest “daughter” and gets spoiled by her “father” as such. Yara doesn’t know anything about her biological mother and only finds out about her biological father because of an old bounty poster issued before the creation of the Seven Warlords. She spends a lot of time resenting Mihawk and denying their connection until he saves her life at the end of Marineford and takes her back to his castle, where they finally have a chance to reconnect. (It’s at this point Yara learns about her biological mother, too). Post-timeskip, Mihawk and Yara have a much better relationship. It’s still a little strange, but a lot of the resentment seems to have faded away. They have the sort of relationship where they won’t talk for months at a time but then one will call the other out of the blue (probably Yara going “You let that CLOWN be in charge of Cross Guild??? Wtf were you thinking???”) and they’ll spend the next five hours on the den den mushi doing nothing but shit-talking Buggy.

2. Does your OC act differently around different people?

Not really? Yara is Yara. The only real factor on how different she is around other people is how much she likes them. 

3. Is your OC a good leader? Do they like to lead or do they prefer to follow?

Yara prefers not to lead (though she’s just as skilled as the division commanders on Whitebeard’s crew, she refused to take a command position even when it was offered to her because she didn’t want one) but can and will step up in a pinch. She served as Acting Commander of 2nd Division in Ace’s absence during his Blackbeard hunt and after his capture in the Paramount War. She fully intended to relinquish the position upon Ace’s return, however. 

4. Who influenced them the most on their journey?

Whitebeard. He saw promise in Yara as a young teenager and has been fostering her development ever since while also giving her the paternal love she never got growing up. 

5. Do they have any siblings?

Not biologically, but she counts the other WBP as being like her siblings (except Ace, for… obvious reasons lmao). Marco is the person she’s closest to and openly refers to as a brother, despite their 20-odd year age difference. (In the anime, she would refer to him as “Marco nii-san”). Once she and Zoro train together during the timeskip, he becomes like a brother to her, too-- and Perona has decided that she and Yara are sisters now as well.

6. Are they more dominant or submissive in their relationships? (Not just sexually if even at all - Do they give in easily? Are they demanding? Are they stubborn?)

She’s very dominant and can be quite stubborn. Once she has her mind made up about something, it can be difficult to persuade her otherwise. That being said, she’s practical enough to know when to back down. But she’s no pushover and there are many things on her list of stuff she would rather die than do. 

7. What type of friend are they?

Yara is fiercely loyal to her friends-- the kind who will help someone move and bury a body, lol. But she’s also brutally honest with them when she needs to be. If she thinks one of her friends is making a huge mistake, she’ll tell them. She might then proceed to go along with the mistake (i.e. allowing Ace to pursue Blackbeard while his other crewmates tried to stop him) but will at least not lie and say it’s a great idea. 

8. How loyal are they?

Extremely so. Her loyalty is one of her defining character traits. Even long after the WBP disbanded, she still identifies herself with them and refuses to remove her tattoo or renounce her allegiance to Whitebeard. As mentioned above, however, that loyalty can be her undoing, particularly when she chose to remain true to her loyalty to (and love for) Ace in supporting his decision to go after Blackbeard. 

9. How far would they be willing to travel for a loved one? What would it take to convince them?

Travel as in physically? Yara’s loyalty would definitely take her anywhere in the Four Seas, the Grand Line, and the New World, no questions asked. If someone that she’s loyal to asks her to be somewhere, she will be. As for how far she’d go for a loved one… Well, she was more than willing to jump right into starting a literal massive war to rescue Ace, so there’s that. The world could burn to the ground for all she’d care. All she wanted was Ace back, repercussions be damned.

[neon-lights-stardust-nights]

how does Kronos get along with the rest of the rogues? (personally I always imagine the iceberg lounge as like... a micky's house of mouse situation visa vi villians, so I just kinda assume they all know eachother tangentially)

I've always liked the idea that they all at least have heard of each other! If not all at least had that one time where they were forced to work with someone for a mutual goal they otherwise wouldn't have. This is the start to most of Kronos' interactions with other rogues.

Iceberg Lounge is exactly how MOST of them met faer. Riddler got a taste of the tech when Kronos was still Zacharie--still civilian. I'm messing with the timeline of events a little, but all that matters is that there was a space of time between working with Riddler, and being kidnapped by Crane.

Oswald first, because I'm debating rewatching Gotham again. So, I have Penguin on the brain. They've worked together a few times, though fae doesn't trust him with the gadgets himself. (He would've loved to steal one, but he has no goddamn idea how to work them anyway...) As alluded to here, one of those times included Kronos jumping in to bail him out of trouble. They have a very mafia view of each other, if that makes sense... It's a relationship sustained mostly on debts one accrues to the other. There'd probably be something friendlier there if it weren't for all those years fae spent kidnapped...

Speaking of which: Joker. Fae and him have a very tense relationship. He was the other one who tried to kidnap faer pretty immediately after the source of Riddler's new gadgets got leaked... A bad start, according to a still civilian Zacharie... Though the attempt was thwarted by Crane, that was it's own set of bad omens and tragedies. These days, Kronos finds faerself wondering more and more how things would've gone if Joker had succeeded instead. Not great, fae imagined, but being worked to death like someone in a sweatshop seems preferable to the hell Crane showed faer. They had their own "fine, we work together" moment--much more tense on Kronos' end than Joker's. For the most part, Kronos avoids him like the creepy uncle at a family reunion, despite the faux friendly act Joker pulls with his favorite broken clock...

Zsasz and faer are oddly friendly all things considered. Kronos always wanted to ask him to teach faer how to shoot, but it's never felt right. He probably would, at least. Probably. Their meetings are more sparse and less professional, only crossing paths incidentally. He's never had a reason to kill faer, and Kronos has been very careful to not give him one. The one time things came close to Kronos interfering with a job, fae escaped with a bomb that slowed time, and an apology letter. He at least hasn't tried to turn faer to mincemeat yet, so Kronos assumes the apology and the prompt leaving of his target well and good in a spot to be killed bought faers life on that one. No matter how casual he is with faer, Kronos always reacts like a dog who's been hit before. Maybe it's for the best.

Two Face and faer used to talk. He was the closest thing to a link to Bruce that Zacharie ever had. Back when he was only one Harvey (mind the spelling!) After everything went wrong in Two Face's life, Zacharie was already a borderline hikikomori. How things changed for the both of them... When they met up again, they were both well and set into their personas. Kronos was younger before anyway, and they collectively viewed faer a bit like a punk kid trying to muscle into where fae didn't belong. To Vey, it's largely a "you aren't cut out for this" kind of thing (whereas Vie just doesn't like the idea of another guy trying to claim turf and such.) It didn't help that post-Crane, most of faers villainy was supported by Strange. They see faer kind of like the rich kid who got an early start on things via a loan from daddy, though Kronos really wants to reconnect with an old friend. C'est la vie.

The last one I can say has any real thought behind it thus far is Jervis Tetch. Hatter and faer are incredibly friendly, all things considered. Not even just like Zsasz, where fae is very convinced one day fae'll be the name on that hitlist! They just get along! It helps that a brunet with a goatee doesn't really fit the profile of his Alice(s) though. Fae also is smarter than to drink the tea he offers, though fae's been coerced before. They largely work together on much smaller projects--none of the giant heists other rogues contact faer about. The applications of each others research to (well) each other are fascinating to them both! Seemingly endless nights were spent pouring over each others notes, tinkering away at something they both saw as grander than it would've been otherwise... Though they worked together less and less as Kronos came into faers own, and perhaps a certain Hatter harbors some resentment over that. Perhaps fae should watch the drinks fae buys at the lounge very fucking carefully.

[ilottcallum]

i'm once again being emotional about my friends at almost 3am help

[ss3890]

BETWEEN THE REALMS - A Friend’s Farewell

On returning home for the second time, Cayrie has to say goodbye to someone else she loves - and this time, she won't be seeing them again.

Instead of alluding to this event in S3 as planned, I decided to make it into its own short-fic instead.

While it's been six months here in the real world, this is something that's been heavy on my heart again as of late - so I've decided to put it here, in the fictional world that's been built. Gotta give it an outlet or it’s gonna keep making me miserable.

(The veil is thinning again and I’m doped up on hormones that have made me super emotional as of late...so it really isn’t that surprising that I’ve been so weepy.)

"You have to take the pain that's inside of you and put it somewhere else." I can't remember where I've seen that, but it always rang true. If you keep your pain within you, it only grows more harmful - so feel it, move through it, and give it somewhere else to live outside of yourself...whether that's through writing, or art, or in music - you have to give it somewhere else to live.

Warnings: Animal death, euthanasia, and likely some uncomfortable and/or unusual funeral rites for a bunch of you (I.E Dismemberment).

Read below or here (AO3):

It hadn’t been very long since Cayrie left the Devildom. A month and a half, at most.

She’d made herself busy catching up with Coren and paring her belongings down - getting rid of any excess that would only serve to weigh her down should she attain her goal of inter-world travel.

Other humans in her life tried to reconnect with her, but she wasn’t at all interested in them. There was a great depression crushing down on her, threatening to consume her and all her efforts whole.

On top of her loneliness at being separated from the brothers again, Quinnigan wasn't doing well at all.

He had begun to fail for several months now, but in coming home to the human world, he’d taken a turn for the worse. Cae had noticed him losing an alarming amount of weight in spite of the amount of food he ate, always acting as if he were starving. His fur was growing unkempt and dirty, and he was having a hard time using his box like he was supposed to.

She saw the stiffness and shakiness in his hips, the way that simple movements took him considerable effort. She heard him fall down the stairs - not once, but twice - and saw him fail altogether to make it to his box…and that's when she knew.

She knew when she watched him falter and stumble when he tried to move into the other room. When she looked into his eyes and saw how tired and old he was…she knew, and she wept.

After nearly two decades of life together, it was time for her beloved friend to leave her.

She stood in the kitchen for a long while, searching up local veterinarians who could help her. When she called, she could hardly get the words out through the aching tightness in her throat. “Please help me.” she begged over the line through ugly sobs, “He’s suffering. Please help me.”

Once the appointment was made, she traded her human world device for her Devildom one, and made one more sorrowful plea.

⥈

Cayrie didn’t beg for life-saving magic or some other miracle. She simply asked the Young Prince if Satan could be there with her when she took her companion to the clinic.

He’d loved that cat as much as she had.

So she didn’t ask for anything else, hoping her request would be accepted - not for the rest of them to come, or for anyone to stay with her - just that the fourth-born would be granted leave to see his friend one last time before the end.

Two days later, the morning of the appointment, her guests appeared via the power of the magic circle.

⥈

With the proper coordinates given, they appeared at the door of her little human world house. Lucifer had been sent along with Satan - to make sure he didn’t stay longer than he was supposed to, no doubt.

“Cayrie…I’m so sorry.” the blonde demon breathed, wasting no time in wrapping her up in a sympathetic hug. He’d been devastated at the news and it showed on his face now.

“Me too.” she uttered quietly, her throat clenching up again in a tight, painful knot.

Lucifer didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. Once Satan had released her, he came forward to take his place, offering the teary-eyed human the comfort of his embrace. She accepted it gratefully, having needed such a thing for several days now.

Cayrie led them inside and made introductions to her brother, who had been watching and waiting patiently as the other-worldly guests arrived. He’d heard about them, of course, but this was his first time meeting any of them in the flesh. They handled each other with a somber politeness and turned their attention to the matter at hand.

Mr. Q was lying in the living room. The cat’s eyes lit up with recognition when Satan sat on the floor beside him, happy to see a familiar face he’d come to associate with good treats and better skritches. The younger demon cooed his greetings and fell into a sorrowful frown as he considered the feline’s condition.

“...There has to be something we can do.” he pleaded, looking up at Cayrie. “We have all the magic in the world available to us, certainly we could–”

“...No, honey.” she dismissed sadly, the pain in her eyes a palpable thing. “It’s time to let him go.”

That concept was not an easy thing for an immortal, magical being like him to accept or understand. She could see him fight with her decision, trying to argue against it in his mind. Then he looked back at the husk of a cat and saw what she had seen as the feline met his eyes and gave him a world-weary blink.

Cayrie gathered up a blanket and came into the room. Gently, she scooped up the elderly cat and cradled him in her arms. “It’s time to go.” she uttered softly, leading the silent men out of the house.

Coren drove them. Cayrie and Satan sat in the backseat together, the old kitty in her arms the entire way to the clinic. In his health she would have had to crate him, but today he didn’t have any strength to fight her hold. He simply sat there and watched the world go by, looking back at his friends every down and then with curiosity in his eyes.

The two of them made sure to love on him the entire way, smiling through their sadness whenever he met their gaze.

When they arrived, the four of them filed into the exam room. The men took their seats along the wall, allowing Cayrie to have the run of the room as she needed. She stood at the table alongside Quinnigan, keeping her hands on him the entire time. Even Satan, as much as he wanted to be in the thick of it, knew this was not his moment to interfere with and gave the two of them their space.

The veterinarian came in and gave his greetings. He commented that Mr. Q had lived a good long life and that most felines were lucky to have lived as long as he had. He didn’t argue with Cayrie or her decision, seeing the decline of old age for himself, and then he pulled out a series of syringes and went to work explaining the procedure.

The elderly cat was held in place on the table and the sedation was administered. Cayrie knelt on the floor in front of him, cooing reassurances as it began to take effect. The veterinarian took his leave and she stayed there on the floor, holding Quinnigan's gaze to hers until it became clouded and unseeing.

She didn’t stop looking into them, even though he was asleep. She didn't stop petting him, even if he couldn’t feel her anymore.

And then the doctor came back into the room and administered the second needle.

Cayrie stopped looking at him then. That was when she put her forehead to his and held it there, holding onto him as she wept and felt him leave her.

Condolences were given, and they were left alone in the room until she was ready to leave.

Tears fell freely down the fourth-born’s cheeks, but still he didn’t not interfere. He watched as Cayrie stood and wrapped the lifeless body of her friend in the blanket she’d brought him in, cradling him in the same manner she had when he’d been alive just moments ago. Then she regarded the men with tear-rimmed eyes and bid them to leave the room, ready to take him home.

⥈

Quinnigan was quiet and heavy in her arms, yet still she held him like a child and ran her finger along the bridge on his nose in the way he’d always enjoyed. Satan joined her, taking his turns to put hands on what was left of him, and then they began to tell stories.

They shared stories of the feline’s quirks and personality. Of how he loved to be in the kitchen with them, and all of the endearing and laughable moments they’d had in the past couple years.

And all the way home, Cayrie held him in her arms.

Once there, there was work to be done - work that most humans didn’t have it in them to do.

⥈

Cae brought Mr. Q into the basement and gathered up a series of items. Herbs, incense, a scarf of hers, and a set of sharp knives. Satan helped her gather and carry them all, watching on with a feline curiosity as she worked. Lucifer and Coren stood by, ready to offer any assistance should she need it.

She laid the body of her friend out on the blanket he’d died in. Beside him, she lit a candle and a stick of incense and started a playlist that set her in the right mindset. While Cayrie didn’t often practice her spirituality in front of others, she was doing it now.

She was giving Quinnigan a funeral.

Taking a bundle of herbs and lighting it until it smoldered, she moved it over the body and implements until the smell of it filled the room. She ran her hand over the fur of her friend, muttering words only she could hear, caressing him as she set down the herbal bundle in favor of a blade.

Then, she stopped, her hands trembling violently as her grief overwhelmed her.

Cayrie crumpled to the floor, hands on the edge of the table as she bowed her head and sobbed uncontrollably. It came in shuddering wails of loss and agony, racking her body in a manner she had no control of.

Satan and Coren went to her then, holding on to her as she rode the waves of grief that rocked her. She didn’t even register their presence until it was over, eventually quieting down into an eerie hollowed-out calm.

Then she stood, silent and composed with a knife in hand, and went to work.

⥈

With Coren’s guidance, it didn’t take long for them to separate skin from muscle, paring away the black and white pelt to expose the atrophied structure underneath. Skillfully, they pulled it away, wanting to preserve the silken beauty he’d held in life - to turn it into something tangible she could touch and hold onto whenever she needed comfort. Cayrie cooed her affirmations the entire time, marveling at the engineering beneath the surface.

Even now, she couldn’t stop telling him how beautiful he was.

Pelt taken and soaked in brine, Cayrie then moved on to the skull. She cut apart muscle and separated joints, taking the seat of the soul to be cleaned later on - maintained as a gleaming heirloom that she would always treasure.

What was left of him was laid out on the scarf and anointed with herbs and oils. Another pass of smoke and wrap of the cloth, and the group of them moved outside to find a suitable gravesite.

Cayrie already had one in mind. Shovel in hand, a hole was dug in the forest and her little cat's body was placed inside. She’d bought a flowering bush to place over him, and when all was set in place, she lit another stick of incense and sent her prayers into the air alongside the smoke.

⥈

The emotion Satan had witnessed today was unlike anything he’d experienced for himself. The grief and reverence Cayrie had felt toward her companion was as a tangible thing he could feel in his own heart.

She hadn’t tried to fight the inevitable. She just accepted it the best she could, with a grace and understanding of mortal life and death that had been beyond his comprehension.

He wondered if he’d be able to do the same as she had done, when it came time for her to go the way as Mr. Q.

And then the sun was setting, and it was time for them to go.

⥈

Coren left them alone to say their goodbyes as Lucifer summoned the power of the circle to take them home - as had been promised. Satan gave her a long-lasting hug, reluctant to leave in her time of grief.

“I’ll have some things to put in his box, whenever I see you again.” he uttered into her shoulder, referring to the container she would be making to place his mementos in.

“He’d appreciate that.” she replied gently, pulling away to look at him properly. “I’m glad you were with us today.”

“Me too.” the demon replied, giving her a sympathetic smile. “I’ll be checking in on you, to see how you’re holding up, alright?”

“Thank you.” she uttered, reassured at the thought. Her DDD had been blowing up all day, but she had ignored it and likely would for some time. She would need a moment to find the energy to respond to everyone, and that wasn’t going to be this evening.

“...Until next time. Take care of yourself, Cayrie.” the blonde bid in farewell, pulling himself away from her and into the portal’s light.

That left her standing there with Lucifer.

He’d been fairly quiet and out-of-the-way for most of the day, watching her every move with an unfathomable expression. In watching her, he’d been exploring his own thoughts on the matter of life and death and grief.

It was a subject he was quite familiar with.

He reached out and pulled her to him, wrapping her up in a grounding embrace. “You were very brave today.” he noted quietly, “And I’m sorry that you had to be.”

She sniffed against his shoulder. “...All things end.” she muttered, “And I knew it was coming. Though, to be honest, that doesn't really make it hurt any less.”

“No. I’m sure it doesn’t.” he replied. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

She desperately did want someone to stay with her. She wanted nothing more than to be held and soothed and made to feel less alone in her grief…but him staying and doing such a thing would be against the agreement of his coming here in the first place.

“...You want to start a riot in the House?” she asked, putting on a brave face for him, “‘Cause that’s a fast way to get one. Neither of us would hear the end of it if you stayed…so, no. You should go.”

He sighed deeply, knowing she was right.

“Don’t think I’ve abandoned what we discussed before you left.” he advised, cupping her face with his hand. “We’ll be seeing you again. Soon, I promise.”

“I know. I haven’t doubted it.” she assured him, her face falling into something serious. “And Lucifer? Before you go, I need you to promise me something else.”

“...And what would that be?” he asked, curiosity peaked.

“Promise me that when my body fails me like Quinnigan’s did him, that you’ll offer me the same mercy.” she demanded, her conviction unwavering. “Promise that you’ll help me end it, and that you won’t let me suffer.”

His eyes widened at the request, clearly wanting nothing to do with such a thought. “Cayrie–-”

“Promise me, Luci.” she insisted, not giving him a chance to argue. “You’re the one I trust to be able to do such a thing. So please tell me you will, if it all comes down to that.”

He closed his eyes and sighed once again, not wanting to fight with her. “...Very well.” he conceded. “If it comes to that…then I will honor your request.”

“Thank you.” she breathed, giving him one last hug before he had to leave her.

⥈

That night, Cae lay curled up in her bed, surrounded by cold sheets and deep sorrow. The bed was exceptionally empty without Mammon or Quinnigan to cuddle up against, and it made it very hard for her to fall asleep.

While she lay there, sniffling as tears fell down her face, she felt a tingling sensation spread against her back.

As it grew in intensity, a phantom weight pressed itself against her, laying against her shoulders as Quinnigan had loved to do - and in her mind's eye she saw him there.

Lithe and healthy, fur silky and kept clean, his green-gold eyes looking up at her with the brightness of vitality and life that he’d been missing in those final days of his.

She choked on a smile and stretched her arm over her shoulder, reaching around to give the empty space the good skritches he’d loved in life. She could see him tip his head up to meet her fingers, giving her that loving feline grin that told her he was content. She could feel him against her with a striking clarity that took her breath away, even though there was nothing tangible for her to actually touch.

There was no denying that he was there with her, and that’s was where he stayed until she finally calmed and drifted off to sleep.

Even death was unable to separate them, such was the bond they had shared. Ever the faithful, vigilant, and loving guardian he'd been in life, Quinnigan had navigated the veil to comfort her through her grief, and there he would stay - always near the heart of the human who had loved him, for as long as she needed him to be.