#no wonder hes so self-sacrificial???

[to-the-all-blue]

Don't mind me I'm just thinking about how - besides with his mom who he barely saw - Sanji was never taught that love is freely given. The people who care for him are people on the other side of a transaction to him; he pays them back in some way. He works on the Orbit, he pays back a debt on the Baratie, he is The Cook on the crew. He gives something so that he can receive care in return. When he wasn't "good enough" as a child he learned that has to be able to provide something to receive the love he always yearned for.

[feelingtheaster99]

In preparation for The Chalice of the Gods and the series coming out, I’m rereading the PJO books and cannot stop thinking about Sally Jackson.

Imagine you’re a mom to this amazing kid, who, through no fault of his own is constantly going to be in danger unless you:

send him away to a summer camp for kids with godly parents, meaning you’d rarely, if at all get to see your son

marry his smelly, abusive asshole to help disguise your son from the monsters who want to hunt him

And you pick… the SECOND OPTION? You marry a man, whom you have no romantic feelings for, who you don’t even LIKE, who is unkind, and lazy, and physically aggressive… just so you can see your son for at least three months out of the year

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

ok but every clawthorne-ism that hunter has (the teleport-dash spell, the “byeeeee!” thing, the thing where he twirls his staff in a fight and looks rly extra, the general snark, the self sacrificing bullshit, etc etc etc) he learned all of that from lilith. i dont care if theyve never actually interacted in the show. i dont care if in canon lilith hates his guts and it’s supported by 8 million pieces of crew art. lilith was hunter’s teacher as a kid and MAYBE their relationship grew bitter bc of coven politics and hunter becoming the golden guard but they were still close when he was younger. lilith didn’t get her palisman taken away bc of time travel shenanigans so she could have taught hunter how to use a staff. she was hunter’s first parent in his collection of hopefully many. dana terrace herself can come up to my door and tell me lilith and hunter never had a parent-child or even a mentor-student relationship and i will tell her she is wrong to her face.

[our-happygirl500-fan]

A bit ago I made a post bringing up that Leo has been prone to self sacrifice even before the movie & that the movie is just the first time Leo’s self sacrificial nature wasn’t played for laughs 

Leo: Wait! I’m the one who cheated, I created the portal to save my brothers punish me

Leo: Flush me and let my family go!

And on the post I made previously a lot of people brought up that Donnie actually references Leo’s tendency for self sacrifice in the episode Snow Day 

Donnie: Too fast! Leo sacrifice yourself to buy us time!

In Rise Donnie has been know to break the fourth wall every now & then so this could be a reference to the self sacrificial nature that all versions of Leo share

Donnie: Well Leo since you sell the fewest action figures, why don’t you go ahead and jump first?

Donnie: Wow one season later and I still got full battery nice

But Donnie making a joke about Leo sacrificing himself could also mean that he’s noticed that Leo is willing to put himself in danger for family but since it’s mostly been played for laughs, he also treats it like a joke.

So I kind of wonder what was going through Donnie’s head when Leo sacrificing himself stopped being played as a joke, do you think he felt guilty over the fact that he noticed the fact that Leo had always been willing to sacrifice himself for family & that he had done nothing to stop Leo from always trying to sacrifice himself? 

Do you think he felt guilty over the fact that he had even unwittingly encouraged it?

[asha-mage]

I think one of the most fascinating aspects of Joshua's character is that he was raised by a cult that worships him and it shows.

The game is very unsubtle in depicting the Undying as a cult, if a benign one whose goals are largely aligned with Clive's: the way it recruits from the disenfranchised dredges of society, the way it isolates it's members from the outside world, and associates devotion to their deity with worth as a person, even glorifying self sacrifice even past the point of reason- something Clive and Cyril butt heads on repeatedly.

And you can see the way that both being raised by them and being their messiah has impacted Joshua: the way Joshua feels that he can and should be able to do everything on his own (rebuffing Jote's efforts to help him even with small matters, avoiding Clive in order to 'protect' him), the way he's feels a right to order the lives of others around his own wishes (his meddling in the politics of each Kingdom, especially Sanbreque), even the subtle hint that he's given up on trying to persuade the Undying not to sacrifice their lives for his gain (and the even more subtle implication that he's maybe accepted that self sacrifice is a good thing, given his own self-sacrificial tendencies for Clive).

Their's this big gap after the reveal Joshua is alive where you wonder: how did he get from where he was Phoenix Gate (the shy innocent boy who wanted to do his duty more to make his brother proud then for it's own sake) to where he is at Drake's Spine (confident, mysterious, cold blooded in his pursuit of his goals), and the game answers that so effectively in the introduction of the Undying. This is where he learned it, this is what shaped him after everything fell apart and he went into hiding: a cult that all at once was trying to parent and worship and aid a 10 year old messiah whose only real desire was to save his brother from the monster that tore them apart.

[wjehfshs]

Hope you are having a good day/night

I was wondering if I could request tf 141 boy x male reader who had went missing after recklessly sacrificing themself to make sure the team got out safe either with hostages or information your choice. At the time Ghost and Reader were in a relationship, but with reader going missing getting suck in enemy hands for 3-5 years (your choice) they think he's dead.

What happeneds when they hear about someone killing off enemy forces and possibly having Intel the team needs? What is it turns out to be their missing comrade? Reader's unrecognizable from the scar cover half his face, a missing eye, his vocal cords damaged so his voice sounds different (if you're ok with it maybe a cybernetic arm?) Who would put the dots together first? Maybe reader stayed away knowing they would be hunted and didn't want the people they cared about to get hurt?? Specially Ghost!

Thank you for the request! This is actually a great idea

Reader being reckless and self sacrificial, Ghost X Reader (romantic) reader being kidnapped, reader being tortured, reader having scars and missing limbs (replaced with a prosthetic arm) male reader, mentions of violence. Drug mention once, Ghost being depressed and somewhat having no will to live ☹️

Gore mentions

4 years ago, on a mission, you where being reckless, little care for your own safety, you where trying to get information from the other side about where they had illegal drugs stored, you where killings people left and right, not caring if you where sneaky or not

Unfortunately due to your recklessness you had gotten caught and thrown into a helicopter on the rooftop

Simon saw this and he tried to chase after you but someone attacked him before he could get to you, and everyone else was too far away

They tried tracking the helicopter but it was stolen and they left it in the middle of nowhere and probably took a plane back to base

For months Simon was stressed, they tried so many times to get you back

They just couldn’t find you

After 7 months Soap finally told Ghost it was probably too late

He didn’t wasn’t to believe it but there was nothing else he could do

For the next 9 months he was self isolating, rarely ate, obviously depressed

The others sometimes even heard him crying in his room

They tried to console him but it just didn’t work

They noticed he was also more violent on the battlefield

You where all he had, of course he loves his friends but you where the love of his life, the only one who he felt safe letting hold him

Everyone else he flinched away from but you, he felt warm in your grasp

That’s why he grieved for so long, he lost his only will to live

After more time passed he finally came to accept it, of course he still loved you but he knew he would never see you again

One day, they heard from Laswell that someone had attacked the opposing side, killing them in mass numbers.

Simon immediately knew something was up, he could just feel it in his gut

They had been sent off to the base to see what was going on

When they got there it hit them how many people actually got killed

“Bloody fuckin’ hell” Simon commented

“Out of all my years in the military, this is probably the worst case I’ve seen” Price mentioned

The base that they where at also manufactured high tech material such as guns and… prosthetic limbs. They noticed one of the rooms holding fake, robotic arms had been broken into, one arm being ripped out from its holding spot

They walked around a bit before they heard a crash

“Sh, there could still be someone here” Price whispered before he snuck towards the sound

When he saw a figure rummaging through the canned rations, he raised his gun, seeing that he was unarmed

“Put your hands in the air!” He shouted, the figure turned around, face scarred and torn, the back row of his teeth showing on one side, and, a cyber arm

They knew this was the guy who broke into the room

The room was dark so immediately Gaz turned the lights on to get a better look at the man

As soon as the lights buzzed on and the white light filled the room, Simons heart jumped, he felt like he was going to faint

It was you, the love of his life

The way he knew? The giant scar under your eye on the right (your left) side of your face

He dropped his gun and stepped closer

The others, after some time, came to the realisation that it was their missing teammate from 4 years ago

Simon ran up to you, engulfing you in a suffocating hug

He kept muttering your name over and over again, tears in his eyes as he was rocking you back and fourth

“I miss you so much, you don’t even know, I’ve grieved over you for so long, life has been so empty without you” he kept going on about how much he loves you and missed you

The others also put their weapons away and ran up to you

Simon let you go for a little bit to let the other’s suffocate you in their one big group hug

They had never seen Simon so soft and loving towards someone, it was almost a shock, for the past 4 years, even before you went missing, he was cold and almost empty

Simon cupped your face and traced his fingers over your scars he had never seen before

He was just so overwhelmed he let his tears spill as did you, he took off his mask and pulled you into a loving kiss, he felt like he was dreaming

After he finally pulled away to let you breathe, his eyes trailed down to your robot arm and brought your hand up to his chest

Even if you where missing a nose and had horrible scars, exposing the inside of your mouth, he loved you just as much

He felt like his heart was full again

After they finally got back to base you explained what happened during the past 4 years

After the other side took you to their base, they tortured you everyday, they forced you to work for them in their factory

During a freak accident while you where working, your arm was torn off

Later on after the accident you tried to escape but they set off a grenade close enough to you to do damage, but not kill you, resulting in the tissue of your face coming off

The other scars where from years of torture

You had finally managed to get a hold of some explosives and a gun with some ammo and had gone on a killing spree, grabbing a cyber arm from one of their rooms, and dashing from room to room to hide

You had finally learnt from your lesson all those years ago, you finally learnt to be sneaky and not just go for the kill when you wanted

That night after you said your good nights to everyone else, Simon led you to his room and pulled you to his bed

His grip on you never let up through the whole night

He was so unbelievably happy to have you back in his arms

Even while you where asleep he stared at you lovingly, tracing your face and leaving feather kisses all over

He couldn’t stop himself from crying himself to sleep (from happy tears ofc)

[silverynight]

Katsuki is so possessively protective of Izuku that he doesn't trust anyone but himself to keep him safe.

And even though he clearly admires and respects All Might, he's like: "No, you can't protect him either. In fact, I can't leave him with you because you just encourage him to be more self-sacrificial than he already is."

That's why he just invites himself to every single one of All Might and Izuku's meetings about OFA and why he insists on following Izuku to every single battle lately.

No wonder why he was so worried and barely got any sleep when Izuku left the UA without him and did anything to find him and bring him back.

He just loves Izuku too much.

[asksythe]

Is there any cultural significance or reasoning for Xiao Xingchen giving both his eyes to Song Lan, instead of just one?

I can certainly see there being plot and/or thematic reasons for it (like it makes a better parallel with Wei Wuxian who couldn’t give just half his golden core; it’s necessary for Xiao Xingchen to be completely blind for the Yi city tragedy to play out as it did; etc.) but I’m wondering if there is more to it then that.

Your insights on other bits of MDZS lore have been really interesting!

That’s a tough question. The short answer is: yes. It’s a cultural thing. 

The longer answer is that I’m not sure I can adequately answer your question... because I feel that I'm not qualified. It goes deep. This is reaching the DNA of Chinese culture and the value system itself. I would say it’s probably better if you read more Chinese classics or immerse yourself in the culture. This is one of those things that are immensely difficult to put into words. The best way is to experience it.    

But since you asked me, I’m going to at least give it a try. 

The reason that Xiao Xingchen gave both eyes to Song Lan and the true root of the Yi City tragedy includes three different cultural concepts: Jishi 济世 (the Chinese ideal of saving the world), Enyuan Yinguo 恩怨因果 (Karma and Karmic Debts), and the quest to find Dao 道 (truth). 

1/ Jishi 济世 

济世 Jishi is a Chinese term denoting a philosophical ideal pursued by certain classes or castes of people since ancient times in China. It means to sacrifice and save the world. It’s self-sacrificial heroism in the most ideal and purest sense of the concept, similar to our modern-day Doctors without Borders.   

This is Xiao Xingchen’s higher calling, his chosen purpose. Xiao Xingchen came down from Baoshan Sanren’s mountain at 17 years old with one purpose: to make the world a better place. He rejected no one who needed his help. He went out of his way to reject the invitations from the cultivator Houses to join their ranks and enjoy the wealth and privilege it might bring because he didn’t want to be distracted from a higher calling.

Using modern Western vernacular, Xiao Xingchen is a hero. That’s his religion and identity. That’s on top of a personality that already holds high self-responsibility. So is there any wonder he feels he’s responsible for Song Lan’s loss and must give Song Lan both eyes?  

2/ Enyuan Yinguo 恩怨因果

恩怨 En Yuan. Yuan is resentment, spite, hatred, grudge. But En is a lot harder to nail down in English. It’s commonly translated as favor, but ‘favor’ has none of the cultural weight and encoded social obligation of En. The pure meaning of En is ‘a good deed done from the heart.’ A kindness. A mercy. A gift. 

For example, Jiang Fengmian taking Wei Ying into Jiangshi is En. Wen Ning saving Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying is En. Wen Ning reclaiming Jiang Fengmian and Yu Furen’s corpses and artifacts is En. Big En, comparable rebirthing an entire household. Wen Ruohan teaching Zhao Zhuli (later on known as Wen Zhuliu) and granting him a chance to prove himself is also En. Nie Mingjue doing the same to Jin Guangyao is the same level of En (granting critical knowledge and opportunity to completely change one’s life). Jin Guangyao taking in Lan Xichen and hiding him from Wen pursuers before the Sunshot campaign is En.   

因果 Yinquo = Karmic Bonds, the fruits that bloom from the seeds one sow. It’s also understood as a link between people’s life. Our lives collide, intertwine, and diverge like threads on a tapestry. We are each bound to each other by the threads of Karma and our debt to each other. This is yinguo. 

There is a deep-seated belief in China that a person’s life is a ledger. To live is to constantly add to and take away from the ledger. When other people perform En for you, that means you take from their ledger and add to yours. When someone takes from your ledger, a yuan/grudge is born. From the moment you were born, you were granted the greatest of En, the gift of life from your parents.   

In Chinese culture, it’s believed that one must try one’s best to square the ledger. One must repay En and reclaim Yuan. Entangled Enyuan eventually leads to tangled Yinguo, and that’s just a big headache nobody wants because it directly impacts your afterlife, your next life, your descendants, and sometimes even your ancestors that are already dead. 

To strive your best to repay En is seen as a virtue. Of course, not everyone is capable or even wants to reach this ideal. Like when we say it’s good to be honest, but being truly and completely honest in daily life is… a task, shall we say. Sometimes, it’s very hard to truly repay what you owe. And sometimes, your Enyuan with a person or with a House is so entangled that it’s either hard to really say who owes who, or hard to admit to the fact that you are the one in the reds.  

You are seeing parallels between Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian because they both embody this ideal to the extreme. Both would take it upon themselves to repay. Xiao Xingchen paid with his eyes. Wei Wuxian repaid Jiang Fengmian’s En by giving Jiang Cheng his jindan, helped Jiang Cheng rebuild Jiang Shi using Guidao (Path of the Dead), gave up all his war achievements for the rebuilding of Jiangshi and left Jiangshi without a penny to his name despite being a major contributor to victory, and then… repaid Wen Ning, Wen Qing’s En to Jiang Cheng and Jiangshi in Jiang Cheng’s place when the other didn’t.  

In some ways, you can say that both Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian are flawed in that they underestimate their own value and well-being and overestimate what other people do for them. You can even say that they are foolish because they pay for En that isn’t theirs to pay, and that eventually leads to their suffering and death. But this is just the kind of people they are. They are true idealists who genuinely believe in a Truth greater than mortal squabbles. They are pure, uncorrupted Daoists, the kind that holds the founding precepts of Daoism in their heart.  

In the novel, there are many examples of different people and how they see Enyuan Yinguo and how much value they put in them. 

We have Su Se, who was saved by Wei Wuxian twice but didn’t even acknowledge it. Instead, he saw that as a Yuan because he probably hated the fact that it showed how weak and insignificant he was. Yet Jin Guangyao merely remembered his name and gave him some support to create his House, and he was willing to be Jin Guangyao’s attack dog, going so far as to abandon his own House members in Fuma Cave when Jin Guangyao’s plan failed and using his life to buy time for Jin Guangyao in Guanyin temple. 

We also have Jiang Cheng, who was well aware that he owed Wen Ning and Wen Qing, but didn’t want to acknowledge it because he was poisoned with trauma and hatred at the hands of Wen Chao and felt that because of his relationship with Wei Ying, he was entitled to Wen Ning’s En. And yet he is rational enough to understand that admitting to owing this ginormous En and not repaying it is a huge stigma on House Jiang, and so even when he answered Nie Mingjue, confirming that the Wen remnants did have En with him, he answered in such a way that downplayed the enormity of En. Answering truthfully would have exonerated Wei Wuxian and the Wen remnants because the laws regarding Enyuan are so foundational that no one could have blamed the Jiang for saving the Wen remnants. But answering truthfully would have been admitting to his owing the Wen, setting House Jiang against House Jin, and turning House Jiang into a target of ridicule for other Houses because such an En should have been paid long before Wei Wuxian had to take drastic measures and jailbroke the Wen remnants from Quiongqi Path.   

We also have Lan Xichen, who effectively compromised his entire House and compromised his own judgment because he saw Jin Guangyao as having granted him a huge En (which is not wrong, per se). 

And then we have Jin Guanyao, who killed both people who bestowed En on him (Wen Ruohan and Nie Mingjue both gave Jin Guangyao critical knowledge, opportunities, and elevated him above his station. And yet when it came to Lan Xichen, despite his effectively pushing the Lan to death in the second Burial Mound Siege, Jin Guangyao still acted like Lan Xichen was in the wrong for not paying Jin Guangyao’s En even more than he already had. 

Then finally, look at these Enyuan and consider the way it binds the various characters in both good and bad ways. 

So it’s a deeply embedded and very nuanced concept that manifests differently in different characters.  

3/ The Quest for Truth 道 Dao:

Dao/Tao 道: the truth, the path, the knowledge, the faith, the ideal, the natural order of the universe, that from which everything comes and that from which everything returns. 

What does Dao have to do with Xiao Xingchen? 

Well, because Xiao Xingchen is a Daoist. Remember when he reminded A-Quing to address him as Daozhang? That. 

He’s not the only Daoist in MDZS, either. The man who created Dao as a philosophy and spirituality, Laozi, is also the man who created the concept of cultivation in the first place. So every single cultivator in MDZS, indeed every single cultivator in xianxia genre, treads in Laozi’s footsteps, takes from his wisdom, and stands on his shoulders in their quest for heavens. 

The first sentence in Laozi’s definitive work on Dao, the Tao Te Ching, says: 

‘Dao that can be told is not Dao. Truth that can be named is not truth. Path that can be walked is not the right Path.’

The Tao Te Ching is a foundational Chinese Classic. It is the shortest but also the most complex and hard to understand. 

This first verse of the Tao Te Ching means: truth is not something that is fixed. Truth is nuanced. Knowledge is not something that can be given to you by words only. You must find this knowledge by yourself. Path is not something that anyone else can tell you. Your path must be walked by your own feet. Faith is not something that can given to you by someone else. You must find faith in yourself.  

So then, apply this sentence to Xiao Xingchen’s journey. Do you see it? Xiao Xingchen choosing Jishi is his journey to find and prove his Dao. Jishi is Xiao Xingchen’s Dao. 

Yi City is not a tragedy. Yi City is Xiao Xingchen’s tribulation and the unavoidable consequences of choosing to remain pure to the founding precepts of Dao while the rest of the cultivator Houses, including Nie and Lan, have long betrayed their origin. 

Even if, by some miracle, Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen never entangled with each other, there will always be a Xi City or a Zi City for Xiao Xingchen. Because it is a consequence and a price to pay to find the truth that he desires. And he did find that truth. Song Lan, who he had left in a decisive gesture of severing their Karmic Bond, returned and would likely spend decades if not centuries walking Xiao Xingchen’s path, waiting for the day Xiao Xingchen awoke. And A-Qing never left Xiao Xingchen, never gave up on him either. 

   

Ugghh, such a heavy topic. I usually don't like to write too much on such topics because... it's hard to write and it's hard to read, and most people don't really have the patience to read. But it is a question. So I tried. In any case, have this fanart I commissioned from Nguyen Linh.

[skywerse]

RIPTIDE THEORY!!!!!!

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS IN GENERAL

Have you ever wondered why Chip, Jay, and Gillion—a wannabe pirate, a soldier in training, and the champion of the Undersea, respectively—form such a fucking random assortment of people? The only thread connecting them seems to be their association with the Black Rose members.

Their meeting feels like destiny, doesn't it?

What if I told you it's not destiny at all, but rather the aftermath of Captain Rose's failed deal with Niklaus?

Join me on my yapping as I put together a theory that I wrote in my notes app at 4 in the morning!

Firstly, let's look at everything in a grand scale of things.

I believe that the world of Mana, at its core, is fuelled by desire that got corrupted by the darkness that slithered its way from the abyss into this world. For millennia or centuries, these same desires have driven its cycles, repeating history in one way or another, compelling many generations to follow suit to ensure the safety of their world. Keeping the darkness at bay. 

What if I told you that the prophecy isn't solely about Gillion? Instead, it’s about thousands of other chosen ones over centuries, all destined for the same purpose: to protect, to fight, and to avenge the darkness.

The descendants of Aster, children of the sun, were also born to always follow the same mission— to seal away the darkness.

Regarding the descendants of elemental casters, it's VERY speculative since we don't know enough about them. However, I believe they were destined to control the darkness, to take hold of it.

And for as long as this entity, this darkness, had such an effect on Mana, they joined forces to seal it away and safeguard their world.

But what if those cycles of history get suddenly shattered? Perhaps due to an unfulfilled deal, or maybe a deal never meant to be fulfilled… What if one of the descendants of the sun, blessed by Aster, who was meant to seal the darkness away, inadvertently unleashed it? Causing a disturbance in the universe, so violent and so unpredictable that it changes everything?

This disruption could make those united against the darkness to turn on each other, inadvertently allowing the darkness to thrive.

Rather than sealing the darkness, the descendants of the sun are harnessing it for destruction.

Instead of engaging in battle, the Tritons have retreated to the ocean's deepest depths, selecting a sacrificial lamb who would single-handedly play the role of a protector and bear the burden of this fight alone.

While the knowledge about the casters is limited, judging by this pattern, they likely grew weaker, most likely losing their ability to control the darkness altogether. It's probable that it became concealed. 

(May explain why Chip's powers manifested very late—they were hidden away.)

Now, consider this. Jay Ferin, a child of the sun and descendant of those olympians, blessed by Aster; Gillion Tidestrider, a descendant of the Tritons or the Leviathans, blessed by Lunadeyis' light; and Chip, likely a descendant of the elemental casters mentioned in the prophecy, capable of grasping the darkness…

They stand as the ideal heroes of the story, maybe one of the only ones with the original, uncorrupted desire still burning within them, the ones to single-handedly save the world.

It makes a good story, doesn't it?

The sun, the moon, the elements.

Descendants of the three main bloodlines.

The unborn kings?

Now, let’s move to Niklaus for a moment.

Didn’t he say that he likes a good story? 

But first, I'd like to believe that in the grand scheme of things, Niklaus is merely a vessel, born in the abyss, for this entity, this darkness that threatens the world. He is bound to be the one to further its corrupting influence. And maybe with all this power in his hands, many centuries ago, he even self-proclaimed himself as a prince.

Didn't Niklaus once describe himself as a storyteller? What if this storyteller is fated to witness a tale that endlessly repeats itself? Such repetition can grow tedious and mundane. So eventually, a simple desire emerges—to instigate change, to sow chaos, and perhaps to find an opportunity to break free from the chains binding him to this world.

A vessel for darkness, born in the abyss,

Bound to spread corruption,

A nameless prince:

Niklaus.

And then we have the guarding giant, still clinging to his original desire,

Holding the darkness at bay for as long as he can:

Arlin.

Does it make more sense now?

Now let’s take a look at things on a much smaller scale.

Have you ever wondered why Chip, Jay, and Gillion—a wannabe pirate, a soldier, and the champion of the Undersea, respectively—form such a fucking random assortment of people? The only thread connecting them seems to be their association with the Black Rose members. And their meeting feels like destiny, doesn't it? What if I told you it's not destiny at all, but rather the aftermath of Captain Rose's failed deal with Niklaus?

(Was the deal intentionally unfulfillable? Was it by accident? I dont fucking know!)

We know that whatever deal Captain Rose struck with Niklaus aimed to leave behind a legacy that would change the world. However, Rose failed to uphold his end of the deal, leading to his corruption and transformation into a goopy yucky—essentially, his deal backfired.

You might wonder, in what way it backfired? What better way to leave a lasting legacy than to trigger an event so impactful that it halts the endless cycle of history, disrupting the very mechanism that powers this world? To plunge the world into chaos, only to mend it once more, by bringing together the remaining group of individuals to retrace the steps of their ancestors—different people bound by the same desires as those that came before them.

Yes, the same desires.

The last thing Arlin, Drey, and Finn heard after releasing the entity from the egg was,

"What do you desire?"

What did Arlin James desire most?

I'd have two guesses.

Firstly, while discussing their desires on the staircase, Arlin expresses his desire to find the rest of the crew. Later, after Drey kills Rose, Arlin's words are: "There's still others that need our help [...] Adventure's not over."

Secondly, Arlin clearly wanted the best for Chip. He wanted to be there for this scrawny kid with no family or home, offering him something solid to hold onto.

Why do I bring this up? Because Arlin's desires have been passed down to Chip.

Firstly, hasn't Chip been chasing this his entire life? To locate the members of the Black Rose Pirates, to reassemble the crew, and to relive the old days.

Secondly, the dynamic between Chip and Ollie mirrors this relationship. While Ollie might be more like a brother to Chip and vice versa, it's evident to me that Chip cared for Ollie much like Arlin would for him. Just as Arlin gave Chip a coin, Chip passed that same coin on to Ollie.

What did Drey Ferin desire the most?

I believe he yearned to prove himself—not just to be another Ferin, but to establish his independence, to carve out a name for himself. Maybe he harboured hopes of achieving something significant, something that would make his father proud upon his return home.

Why do I bring this up? Because Drey's desires influenced Jay.

Jay Ferin ventures out with a mission: to uncover her sister's killer and exact justice upon the pirates that are responsible. And in doing so, she hoped to earn her father's pride. Maybe she also sought a sense of freedom and independence, desiring not to be entirely under the navy's influence.

What did Finn Tidestrider desire the most?

GAY SEX /J

Finn yearned to leave the Undersea, to broaden his research, and to witness the wonders of the world above first-hand. He aimed to dispel the notion that the surface was as intimidating as the Undersea made it out to be.

Why do I bring this up? Because Finn's desires influenced Gillion.

Who wouldn't, after years of rigorous training to become a champion—enduring beatings, breaking under relentless training, and being moulded into someone you're not—wish for it to cease, to break free and see the world for oneself? Upon witnessing the Elders negotiating with a human, perhaps it was that sight that pushed him over the edge. Maybe it was an impulsive decision, or perhaps it was his destiny all along. And once on the surface, Gillion's curiosity becomes evident. He wants to learn, experience, and judge for himself. Perhaps he also wishes to someday show his people that the surface isn't as menacing as they've been led to believe.

Niklaus was aware of all of this; he knows far more than he ever lets on. That's why, even before arriving in the town on Loffinlot, he was already trailing Chip, Jay and Gillion—the supposed heroes destined to save the world, or maybe aid him in fulfilling his own desire for freedom.

Closing thoughts? 

This might be a load of bullshit!

I'm going to take a nap!

[artist-issues]

And another thing.

The original The Little Mermaid is about understanding. One of the main plot devices is that the witch takes what from Ariel, ladies and gentlemen?

Her voice.

Ariel did not leave the sea “for a boy.”

Ariel left the sea to be understood. Because for the whole first part of the movie, we’re shown hints of what her life is already like, and how she’s tried to be understood but nobody’s listening or communicating.

She’s introduced by describing a ship as amazing and wonderful, while her fish friend clearly does not understand and wants to get out of there.

Even her best friend doesn’t share her love for another world.

Her first interaction with her father, count how many times he’s speaking over her.

He has this prejudice against humans, and because she’s disobeyed him, he won’t listen to any of her evidence that they may not all be bad.

Even when she has a voice and a cavern full of proof that humans aren’t all barbarians, her father won’t listen to her, so he can’t understand.

And the truth is, she doesn’t have that much proof. She knows that humans are clever and make “wonderful things,” and that’s what she bases her belief in them on. But those beautiful objects, and her pretty ideals, are not enough to make her abandon her family and culture and world.

When she sings and talks about why she wants to be Part of That World, it’s because she wants to understand it. And, subconsciously, Ariel also hopes to be understood up there. Where they make cool devices, and maybe daughters can stand instead of being reprimanded. There’s this hope for freedom and being known associated with the surface.

But it’s not until she meets Eric that those ideals are really, actually, proven true.

Ariel sees Eric out on the sea exploring instead of staying in a palace on his birthday. He gets a gift from the closest person to him, and it’s clear that even the closest person to him doesn’t understand his tastes—he doesn’t want an over-dramatic statue of himself. He sticks to his ideals in an argument that somewhere out there, is the right girl for him. But he doesn’t have to leave the argument in frustrated tears. In the end, he risks his life to not only watch out for his friend, but nearly dies going back to a burning ship to save his dog.

Eric personifies everything Ariel has always idealized about the Human World—AND he might understand her.

In her one observation of him, she finds out that he, a human, is:

A Prince, but nobody can tell him what to do.

More interested in activity and exploration than palace ceremony.

Unable to relate to his closest companions.

Handsome—beautiful, not a savage.

Criticized for “silly, romantic notions” but sticks to the idea of something wonderful out there in the great beyond.

Brave, self-sacrificial, and compassionate to animals.

Eric is, all at once, everything Ariel always hoped a human could be, and yet still so like herself. They have twin souls.

She’d rather be exploring human ships, he’d rather be out exploring the sea. She believes the surface world is good and beautiful, he believes in the girl of his dreams, no matter what anyone says. She has nobody who gets excited about new adventures, and he has nobody who gets excited about new adventures.

When she sees him, she falls in love not just with his upstanding character, or even the human world he represents—she falls in love with the hope that he might understand her in away nobody under the sea does.

Then the ironic thing is, she’s got to make him understand who she is and what she should mean to him without a voice. And unfortunately, that’s really hard because he is suddenly associating his dream girl with a voice and a magical rescue.

As close as they may get when she finally does meet him face to face and gets herself human legs, Ariel and Eric can’t be together until he knows who she is, for real. After all, how can love be true without understanding?

And we’re not DONE with understanding. Because even after he learns what and who she is and still commits to her and saves her and loves her, Ariel’s back to having a tail. She’s back to being in a world where he can’t be.

Except now, Triton is the one who understands. He finally sees what they’ll do for each other—and that Eric, ”savage, spineless, harpooning fish eater with no regard” saved his daughter. He sees that they love each other and are each worthy of the other’s love.

It’s not until Triton understands what Ariel has known and felt all along that he gives her human legs the right way.

That’s the point of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. “True love is found in understanding and sacrificing for one another.”

Triton had the sacrificing idea down, but he didn’t have understanding. Eric had understanding, but he didn’t have the chance to sacrifice for it.

Ariel has both. She understands that Eric’s world is not only barbaric, but beautiful, and she’s willing to sacrifice her tail to be understood in that world.

That is what this movie is all about. And because they’re probably willing to sacrifice critical scenes, like the Prince saving the day (which is important because it provides Triton with a new understanding of humans) or the girl leaving the ocean to be with the boy (which is important because what she really wants is to be understood) the creators of the Live Action Little Mermaid are going to miss the point and ruin the movie.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

hakoda leaving definitely hurt his kids but absent father isn't really the right way to describe it. if anything it hurt because he likely was an involved father until that point. the main reasons it hurt them so much were (imo)

timing. it was after kya's death. the kids had already lost one parent and then the other left too. katara especially was hurt by that because she and hakoda shared the trauma of seeing kya's body. she lost the only other person who could understand.

timing. his absense coincided with a cultural rite of passage and transition into adulthood for sokka. he leaves and his kids are kids and when he sees them again they're all grown up (or much closer to it)

his goodbye to sokka. it's likely that the moment katara started bending, hakoda and kya vowed to protect her with their lives. sokka couldn't help but pick up on that idea, even though of course they never meant for him to feel like his life was less valuable. and then hakoda in the process of trying to convince a twelve-year-old not to stow away on a warship was like "you have a Very Important Manly Task to take care of your sister" and sokka was just like "cool i'm gonna develop a complex about being the protector of my tribe and my sister". and of course hakoda didn't intend that but self-sacrificial masculinity was what he was modeling so it's no wonder sokka picked it up

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do they ever tell us why Sebek is so obsessed with Malleus and Lilia? I know a lot of people who think this trait of his is annoying - myself included - and I was hoping to find an explanation that might make it make more sense. I've been wondering this for a long time now so if you could share that would help a lot!!!

This is something I’ve wondered myself ever since TWST first came out! Unfortunately for us fans, there has yet to be anything outright stated about why Sebek reveres Malleus and Lilia in particular (which leaves us to speculate).

I guess the “obvious” answer would be that Malleus and Lilia are both powerful fae in significant positions of power. To be recognized by either one would be a great honor, especially considering how patriotic Sebek seems to be. It’s like your favorite Famous Person praising you—you’d be over the moon and stars to be noticed by your idol. However, I think there’s more depth to Sebek’s reasoning than just that.

I believe part of the fanaticism comes from his grandfather (Baul) and the stories Sebek has heard from him. He has grown up hearing all these tales of their country’s triumphs and how great the fae are, so that attitude is sure to rub off on an impressionable child. This family background, combined with the cognitive dissonance relating to his human half, results in a strong urge to confirm his identity.

It's a bit of a long read, but I'd recommend looking at this analysis I did a while back (before the release of book 7 in JP), which delves into Sebek’s self-loathing and how he projects that dissatisfaction and confusion with himself onto others. Because Sebek is so hellbent on “proving” himself and his fae identity, it makes even more sense that he would want this identity validated by Malleus and Lilia, who are not only influential and powerful, but are fae too. It would be the ultimate acknowledgement and affirmation of who Sebek is. It would calm the turmoil and the storm in his heart.

Sebek clings so desperately to Malleus and Lilia and seeks their approval because he’s not sure of himself. He’s relying on others’ input for his own security. This also is why Sebek loudly and brazenly overcompensates by shouting “HUMAN” up and down the hallways. This detail is also reflected in Sebek’s UM—an individual-defining spell—which is rash and self-sacrificial, a sort of magic Sebek admits to not fully understanding yet.

That’s the theory I’m running with!!

[edenaziraphale]

When I first started reading xxxHolic I always wondered why Yuko lived the way she did- drinking constantly, smoking like a chimney, attitude like she’s got nothing to gain or lose from any of this-

And then as the series is approaching it’s end we find out there really is nothing. She’s dead, she should have died so so long ago and this existence that she’s trapped in is the closest to hell most people are ever going to get. She is lonely and probably in pain, and waiting for the day she knows is coming, the one which will right the wrongs that kept her alive in the first place. Yuko is waiting to finally be allowed to die.

She knows there’s important work to be done first. She knows there will be a beautiful but achingly sad little boy, as lonely as herself, who has to be loved into reality, and that she needs to guide him toward the people who will help him survive, lest he disappear the same moment she does.

But the drinking, the smoking, the drama she can’t help but be blasé about- those are numbing. They’re distractions and they help to pass the time. At least she gets to leave, I thought. I can’t imagine what would happen if this were a stuck-in-a-tower kind of curse.

But we didn’t have to imagine, because we see it.

Watanuki takes up the mantle.

Yuko didn’t anticipate loving this boy. Most of that has been burned out of her by now, too tired to hope for anything but rest.

But she didn’t expect his eyes to be quite that big, that sad. And when she meets him and the power inside of her reaches (without her permission, as it has always been prone to doing) for a glimpse of his future, she’s struck by the sensation of emptiness. Of nothing. An apartment whose tenant the landlord can’t remember. A desk with no child inside. Anger. A boy whose dark eyes search halls for something he doesn’t know or understand. A family name which carries a legacy that Yuko remembers. Yuko worked so hard to will life into Watanuki, spent so long teaching him the selfishness and the tragedy of his own sacrificial self loathing. He didn't need to be a martyr, there was nothing he needed to die for. He was a casualty of a war that had nothing to do with him. She tried, over and over and over, to offer him a way out. I think all the time about how she must have felt knowing that Watanuki took on her imprisonment and compounded it, made it that much more intense, made it that much worse. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. I wonder if it hurt.

[idyllic-affections]

since you write for demon slayer i was wondering if you could write about the reader being tengen’s tsuguko and their mentor/mentee relationship (personally i think he’d be tough on them but care deep down. maybe touching on the entertainment district arc? thank you <3

being the sound hashira's tsuguko.

summary. what is it like being tengen uzui's student?

trigger & content warnings. mild depictions of injury, limb loss, voluntarily consuming poison, etc.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. found family-ish, fluff, slight angst towards the end. tengen uzui (and his wives) & reader. 0.7k words. they/them pronouns for reader.

author's thoughts. i took this request and RAN with it, i love mentor/mentee requests for any fandom but especially for demon slayer.... the age was unspecified in this req, so i personally imaged tsuguko!reader being around tanjiro's age, however i left it pretty ambiguous so anyone can imagine it however they want. i also decided not to touch too deeply on the entertainment district arc, since this is only a headcanon post, but i'm totally cool with writing an actual fic about it! just shoot me another request if that's something you'd like to see <3

tengen is definitely a very tough mentor, and he doesn't get the opportunity to train many tsugukos because of this. he's hard on his students. he's a demanding mentor, though at the very least, he lays out his expectations clearly. he knows exactly what he wants he students to know.

the lower ranked demon slayers have favored hashira, ones they would prefer to train under if they were ever given the chance to. tengen is not really one of those favored potential mentors. preferred mentors would be people like kyojuro or mitsuri. that isn't to say any other hashira would be any less tough on their tsugukos than tengen is, but the sound hashira supposes those two come off as kinder than he does.

of course, it should be made very clear that he's hard on his students not because he gets some kind of sadistic pleasure out of watching them struggle, but because he wants them to survive.

his training is just downright difficult. it's all in the spirit of survival, though.

a tsuguko of his would have a lot of things expected of them.

his student is expected to build poison resistance by microdosing themselves day after day.

his student is expected to have a certain amount of stamina.

they're expected to be stealthy.

they're expected to be able to make split-second decisions.

simply put, it's... a lot.

generally, anyone who trains under him quits shortly after beginning, so they don't really get to know him. they don't get to understand why he does what he does. they miss the opportunity to really understand him. the one exception would be his current tsuguko, [name].

he cares very deeply for the one tsuguko that did stick around!

tbh, he's pretty open about that fact, especially when he's alone with them and his wives! he's not secretive about caring for them.

he expects them to prioritize their own life. it is something that other demon slayers might not agree with, something that others find "selfish" and "cruel."

tengen does not see it that way.

he's seen that self-sacrificial, "give everything up for the mission" ideology tear people apart. he's seen it tear his blood family apart. he'd be damned if he let it tear his chosen family apart.

"because you are very dear to me," he'd say, placing a firm hand on their head and ruffling their hair fondly, "i expect you to value your life above all others. the mission is not worth your life. you protect yourself, you protect others, and you get the hell out of there if you can't handle it. you come back to me, to us. you got that?"

i personally think he'd treat his tsuguko like his kid if they're sixteen or under. yeah, he's only in his early 20s. so what? that's his kid. if they're above that age, he treats them like a precious younger sibling. if they happen to be older than him? he does not care. that's still his younger sibling.

regardless of their age, his tsuguko is a part of his little family.

no demon will ever lay their hands on his family and get away with it. he will not allow it.

if they get injured on a mission and they're recovering at the butterfly estate, my man is at their bedside in an instant. he probably yells at them because how dare they worry him?? where did they get the audacity??? tengen eventually gets over it and admits that he's glad they're alright. his wives also come to visit them when they have the time!!

now, as for the entertainment district...

i think that mission would be very mentally taxing (and of course physically taxing, but let's focus more on the stress and panic for now).

seeing tengen lose his arm like that, thinking he was dead... god, it would terrify them. they have grown to see him as strong and infallible, so to see him so weak and broken would be genuinely horrifying.

they'd cry tbh

good luck to gyutaro, though. bro is at the mercy of their rage. having learned from tengen, i wholeheartedly believe that his tsuguko would be able to hold their own against the demon for at least a little bit. long enough for tengen to recover, long enough for everything to go according to plan.

but, of course... tengen does retire in the end.

well.

the whole point of having a tsuguko is to have someone reliable to succeed their respective mentor, right?

tengen loves his tsuguko.

he knows they're capable enough.

he wouldn't want anyone else taking his place <3

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

[teecupangel]

If Desmond ever ended up in the Persona 5 universe, I wonder what he would think of the Phantom Thieves? Would he be a confidant for Akira/Ren/Joker, be a neutral party? Become a Phantom Thief himself? I can't help but think that because of his Bleeds, he'd end up having his ancestors show up as Personas to help him fight in the Metaverse.

Ngl, I wanna make Desmond the Sun because of my penchant of giving Desmond something related to the very thing that killed him but based on his ‘situation’, these are the Arcanas that Desmond can be part of in my opinion:

Aeon (many of the Aeon Personas have an affinity to light and a common theme for Aeon representatives are that they are unfamiliar with the world they are in and are struggling to find their place in this world which describes Desmond’s current predicament and also… there’s no Aeon confidant in P5 so Desmond won’t be sharing this spot with anyone or, worse, won’t be removing an existing confidant)

Sun (A character in a lonely and most of the time terribly situation, signifying the hopelessness of them succeeding with the end results being them having to reflect on their situation and coming to peace with themselves and what is happening to them)

Moon (being attuned subconsciously to the world around someone, gaining the ability to sense things without being told about them, or without anyone else knowing, this arcana is also sometimes called the Arcana of Lies and Deceit which Desmond would be doing anyway because there’s no way he’ll tell the truth)

Death (metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles… which can also hint on Desmond’s origin as someone not from this world)

Personally, I do see Desmond as a Phantom Thief and acting like the cool older brother type to these teenagers. But being a neutral party seems more like his style, considering… everything.

So I would suggest we make Desmond a neutral party the Phantom Thieves meet up with in the Metaverse from time to time, mostly in Mementos because, in his own words ‘something calls to me here’.

The Phantom Thieves don’t know he’s the same bartender that works at Crossroads who would always give Joker a Shirley Temple whenever he’s on break. Lala told Joker that Desmond looked ‘lost’ so she helped him out (in more ways than one, Lala actually thinks Desmond is undocumented and helped him be an ‘upstanding citizen’…)

Desmond, for his part, is just happy that, for some reason, he knows Japanese? He has a feeling it’s one of his Bleed and many people tell him he speaks like he’s from a period drama so yeah, there’s that (it’s one of his Ibn-La'Ahad ancestors who knew Japanese because they chased the Mongols to Japan)

As for Desmond’s Persona…

It would be funny to give him Minerva or Juno as a Persona but we’re not that evil. Another idea would be to give him Dionysus for our usual ‘Desmond could totally be Dionysus’ Sage’ idea that pops in and out XD

Although…

So we’re going to make Desmond special because he’s our blorbo and we’ll use the Persona 1 and 2 plot of how the characters get their Persona.

He does the Persona game because he was bored one day XD

And that’s how he starts to hear Mementos’ call.

And while he journeys in Mementos by himself, that’s when he encounters the Shadows… of his Bleeds.

Confronting them (which always ends in a boss fight) ends with him receiving their Arcana and his Bleeds become his Personas.

His Bleeds’ Arcanas:

Altaïr: Hermit (wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat and philosophical searches)

Ezio: Judgment (associated with realizing one's calling, gaining a deep understanding of life and a feeling of acceptance and absolution)

Ratonhnhaké:ton: Hanged Man (sometimes self-sacrificial or self-loathing, but are more often notable for being caught between two different extremes, parties or stages in life of which they have little to no control – always in the middle of two opposing forces and he’s doing his best to protect his people given what’s happening) or Strength (associated with the morality about the stronger power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force)

Haytham: Emperor (desire to control one's surroundings, and its appearance could suggest that one is trying too hard to achieve this, possibly causing trouble for others; some elements in life are just not controllable)

Desmond’s real Arcana and his own Persona (which may or may not be some biblically accurate angel-like figure with all of his Bleeds around a small orb similar to the Apple of Eden in the same veins of the Norns design) will only awaken after Joker reaches max level with him.

Also, the Phantom Thieves don’t know it’s him because his form in the Metaverse is always hooded with the robes changing depending on which Persona he uses (at the start, they thought it was different dudes until Desmond changed Personas in midbattle)… and yes, that includes Haytham. Desmond gets a hood too even when he’s using Haytham but he also has Haytham’s tacohat. Them’s the rules.

Arcana symbolism from megamitensei.fandom.com

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Wait, something just came to my mind.

What if Y/n is like one of these kind of people that are beyond self-sacrificial for people they care/love the most and end up being , yknow halfdead (on the edge of death)?

What if add this with a scenario with Y/n (somehow) saving Ace and Luffy from serious attack? You can play with the background all you want with Platonic Yandere! Strawhats:)

Before anyone says this seems like an unsurvivable wound, it’s the One Piece universe, blood loss is a nonfactor here. 

Searing Pain

Yandere Ace and Luffy x GN!Reader

2.3k words

Part 2

Warnings for description of serious injuries

While it’s understandable that the Marines are going to give it their all to try and stop pirates, this felt excessive. Sure, there are several people on the crew with hefty bounties, but throwing bombs at you all was a bit much. You couldn’t even make out where you were right now. Everything was exploding, dirt and debris pelting you from seemingly every angle. 

Faintly, you could make out your crewmates yelling and screaming over the chaos, and it was hard to miss Ace’s flames. You can’t help but wonder if he’s regretting stopping by to visit with Luffy and the rest of you after getting caught up in all this.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts as a marine charges through the smoke with his sword pointed right at you. There isn’t much time to react, but you do manage to deflect the attack with your dagger. You slashed at his back, sprinting away as soon as he fell. Standing around wasn’t going to help anyone, you need to figure out where everyone is so you can actually be of help.

Finding Ace will definitely be the easiest, though you can’t help but worry that you’d be more of a hindrance than help to such an experienced and skilled pirate. You shake your head, now is not the time to compare yourself and get insecure. The priority is to get everyone together because being separated is doing none of you any favors. 

A pillar of flames is dead ahead of you, and you run for it like your life depends on it. Ace comes into view, and Luffy along with him. They’re fighting hard, both focused on one marine. He was taking the heat and punches unlike any normal human, so you can only assume he must have a devil fruit power. Something that deflects surface level attacks possibly?

The relief you feel is short lived as you see what that marine’s plan was. He wasn’t seriously fighting them, he was just trying to keep their attention on him so they wouldn’t see what was behind them. Your stomach dropped at the sheer size of the gun you saw. It couldn’t even be supported by a single person, instead being carried on the shoulders of four. There’s no way anyone would be able to take a hit from that. If whatever that thing was going to fire was even slightly sharp on the end, not even Luffy would be able to deflect it.

That thing was too awkwardly sized to be moved easily and with any speed, all you needed to do was let them know and everything would be fine! “Ace! Luffy! Behind you! You need to move!” You screamed with all your might, but they didn’t even flinch. It’s too loud, they might not even hear you if you were right next to them. You need to get to them, and fast.

The marines were hammering a stand into the ground.

You ducked as another marine charged at you, not bothering to attack. There was no time.

The gun was settled onto the stand.

It seems the marines nearby knew what you were trying to do and swarmed you.

A marine dropped to their knees at the butt of the gun and peered through the scope.

You were jumping and dodging marines better than you thought you could, breezing through them like a fierce wind.

The marine had his finger on the trigger and another one waved a flag to signal that they were about to fire to the marine distracting Ace and Luffy.

You slashed at another marine and screamed for Ace and Luffy to move, but it was already too late. They didn’t even have enough time to turn around and see what you were yelling about before the trigger was pulled. 

You couldn’t just let them die. You wouldn’t. With not even a millisecond to spare, you plow right into Luffy. Successfully pushing him into Ace, and both of them out of the way. For a split second, you make eye contact with a very confused Luffy as a deafening boom blasts through the air. Then you felt a burning, all consuming pain rip through your chest.

Everything went black.

—

The battle around them fell on deaf ears as everything went quiet to Luffy. He couldn’t hear, nor feel anything. Not as he watched a bullet rip through your chest and send you flying away from him, leaving a stream of blood in your wake.

He froze. He didn’t know what to do. Should he go to you or whoever had just hurt you? What’s he supposed to do when he does get to you? Are you even alive? Luffy was already breathing hard from the fight, but now he was starting to hyperventilate. You can’t be dead. No, you couldn’t have just died right in front of him after saving him from danger.

He was snapped out of his terrified stupor by Ace shoving him in your direction. “Go check on (y/n), I’ll take care of that gun!” Ace charged at the like a man possessed, screaming in rage as his flames engulfed himself and everything around him.

Luffy didn’t need to be told twice, running to your crumpled form with fear of what he would find weighing heavily on him. He brought himself to a halt over you and swears he feels his heart stop at the sight.

The round had put a hole in your chest, only slightly off center and to the right. You’re pale and there is blood everywhere but where it should be. Frantically, he puts his ear to your chest, desperately hoping to hear a heartbeat. 

It’s there, it’s so faint, but he can hear it. Tears are pouring down his face and soaking into your shirt. He’s so happy that you’re still alive… but now what? How do you fix this? He doesn’t know what to do, but he knows that all he wants is to wrap you in his arms and never let you go. Never let you do something like this ever again.

He did just that, making sure to apply pressure around where the hole was, he’s pretty sure that’s what you’re supposed to do. “Ha-Hang in there, (y/n)! I’m going to get you help and everything is going to be okay! I promise!” There was no response, and he knew there wouldn’t be one. You were out cold, but that was a good thing, right? Zoro has slept off plenty of injuries! That’s what you’re doing! It has to be.

“Chopper! Where are you?! (Y/N) needs help!” Luffy cried out at the top of his lungs. The battle was starting to die down mercifully, and he was able to spot Chopper in his humanoid form at the other end of the clearing with Robin.

He sprinted towards the doctor, calling his name again. One of the few remaining marines tried to attack him, but before Luffy could even consider how to deal with him, he was slammed into the ground by Sanji bringing his foot down on him. Sanji didn’t so much as spare him a glance, instead choosing to run alongside Luffy.

“What happened to (y/n)? Who hurt them?!” Even with Luffy trying to apply pressure, blood was freely flowing out and soaking through his coiled arm. Even if there wasn’t blood, the unnatural paleness to your exposed skin gave away your poor condition. 

“They’re hurt really bad, we need to get them to Chopper,” Luffy’s tone was shockingly calm, bordering on catatonic. Sanji decided to drop it for now, wordlessly agreeing that getting you medical attention should be the focus. 

Robin noticed them approaching first and alerted Chopper, telling him to go to you while she deals with the remaining marines. Even before Luffy could unravel his arms, Chopper knew this was serious.

Blood was seeping through his arms and you looked… you looked dead. Eyes half open and unfocused. The sight chilled him and almost made him falter, but he forced himself to keep moving. You definitely needed him. “Luffy, what happened?”

Luffy set you onto the ground far more gently than anyone would have expected him to be capable of. Only your lower half touched the ground, he kept your torso propped up in his arm. Both because he wanted to keep your wound away from any contaminants, but also because he didn’t want to let you go. “They were shot,” Luffy kept the answer short and concise, getting straight to the point.

The hole in your chest was exposed, Chopper and Sanji both gasped at the sight. Your shirt was completely soaked with blood. Your head hung limply, and Chopper immediately checked for a pulse. It took a moment to find it, but it was there, however weak. There was also the distinct sound of you quietly wheezing. Your right lung had been ripped open from the gunshot.

“We need to go back to the ship, I don’t have everything they need on hand,” Chopper frantically wound some bandages around the entry and exit wound in an attempt to slow your blood loss even a little. He moves to take you into his own arms, but Luffy picks you back up before he can and takes off towards the Going Merry leaving Chopper to catch up.

You miraculously survive the trip back and Luffy is forced to part from you during your surgery. The further he gets from you, the more the calm trance he was in begins to crack. His crewmates try to talk to him and provide some comfort but he shrugs them off. For once, all he wants is to be alone.

After leaping off the ship, he shambles into the nearby forest for some privacy. It felt like he couldn’t breathe, like there was something lodged in his throat that wouldn’t come out no matter what. His shoulders trembled and his fists clenched and unclenched. He looks down at his shaking hands and is struck by the sight of blood. Your blood. He’s absolutely covered in it. His hands and arms were the worst, but your blood had seeped into his clothes too.

He felt sick. 

Scared.

Angry.

With a scream, he drove his fist into the nearest tree, toppling it instantly. He didn’t stop there though, once he opened the door everything poured out. Everything around him blurred together as he unleashed what was bottled up inside him. 

It didn’t help. The searing anger didn’t die out with each punch, if anything it got worse. One tree turned into dozens. Even boulders weren’t safe, he cracked them open like some measly walnuts. The ground beneath him was cracking under the sheer force of his blows, and it. Didn’t. Help. What was it going to take to make this horrible feeling go away?

Before his rampage could continue, arms latched onto him from behind. His first instinct was to thrash and yell, wanting whoever had the audacity to try and stop him to go away.

“Luffy! Stop!” Ace’s voice immediately made him freeze, and Ace took advantage of this to bring Luffy to the ground. His arms were still tightly locked around his brother, knowing that it’ll only take a second of him loosening his grip for Luffy to escape and make a run for it. “Listen to me, I need you to calm down!”

Luffy thrashed in his grip, but he wasn’t using his full strength, “Let go of me, Ace! Leave me alone!” 

“Those are words I never thought I’d hear outta you,” Ace grunted as Luffy jabbed his elbow into his side. “Quit! This isn’t going to help anyone! Do you think (y/n) would want you to be acting like this?”

The mentioning of your name is what starts to dampen the fire within him. You would probably scold him for throwing a temper tantrum if you saw this. Hot tears pour down the already present tracks on his face as he crumbles against Ace. His voice is so quiet, so hoarse, that it’s barely audible, “I’m scared.”

“I know,” Ace allowed himself to relax slightly, “but (y/n) is tough, they’ll make it through.” 

Luffy choked out a sob, “What if they don’t? What if- What if they die because of me?” The guilt had finally bubbled to the surface. “If I had paid attention better this wouldn’t have happened!” His hands pulled at his hair as his sobs became louder.

“Don’t talk like that, Luffy. I didn’t notice either. Blaming ourselves isn’t going to fix anything,” Ace let Luffy cry it out, patting his back. It took a lot out of him not to start crying with his brother, but he needed to be strong for him. Besides, he’d already gotten most of his tears and anger out earlier. Melting that oversized gun and burning that stupid distraction from the inside out definitely helped relieve some of it. 

As the sobs started to die down, Ace couldn’t help but ask about something, “So where’s that hat of yours? It’s weird to see you without it.”

Luffy sniffled, “I left it with (y/n). I thought if I couldn’t be there with them, then maybe letting them have my hat would help.” He’d wanted to put it over your face, but Chopper said no, so he left it on the infirmary bed’s pillow. Chopper promised he’d put it on you when your surgery was over.

Ace nodded, he figured as much. He got to his feet and extended a hand to Luffy, “Come on, let’s go back to the ship. You wanna be there when they wake up, right?”

Luffy stared at the open hand for a moment before accepting the offer. He used a small part of his shirt that wasn’t soaked in blood to wipe off his face. It didn’t really help much. He’s going to need to take a bath, but after everything that’s happened that didn’t seem so bad.

“You killed everyone that hurt (y/n), right?”

“Obviously. That clearing is nothing but ash now.”