#oops I'm the devil and even I am surprised of what I just did

[borrajacupcake]

End of Days (1999)

[dragonbard-bastard]

Started writing down what I did today to make lil summary posts cuz I've seen people do that before and like the idea of sharing more about my runs :)

Act 1 Spoilers!

The first thing I did was talk to Omeluum and Blurg, and I js wanna say I love them :) they're so husbands. We also went to the Arcane Tower and unlocked it and such, very nice, got the timmask spores and tongue of madness, forgot to go back to Blurg and Omeluum. Oops. Discovered that the tower has a BASEMENT!?

Spent a lot of time talking to corpses for fun. Canonically Soph would never- he'd rarely ever touch necrotic magic of any kind of ever. It would also freak him tf out.

We got Astarion's Sussur dagger!!! It's probably one of my favorite weapons in the early game, fuck them spellcasters fr. ALSO since I'm playing Tactician and long rests cost 80 camp supplies rather than fourth I've been very greedy with it so when we went into the Underdark Astarion was like "Hey .. Can I ermm tell you something. I'm. I'm a vampire." and Soph just said "Duh" and moved on 😭😭😭

Also for the not long resting reason Wyll only recently got his horns. Told Mizora to fuck off, and of COURSE called Wyll a handsome devil. Am growing increasingly aggravated as time goes on, however, about a lack of Wyll content. He literally won't even say well met anymore he has ONE LINE. no variety, just "You have something to ask?"

Dug up a dog's grave. I'm so sorry Myrna. Apologized by putting some flowers and a candle on it, it was all I had unfortunately.

I actually long rested twice in an row, one without using any camp supplies ofc, because I wanted the invisible Durge cape and it's actually shockingly good on Soph. I should probably give it to Astarion but I don't want to :(

Went to the mountain pass because I didn't want to go to grymforge, stole everything from the bitch who wanted the githyanki egg then murdered her because I hate her and what the fuck

fought the gremishkas (Astarion one shot a surprising AMT of them, it was awesome) and the Kobold. I tried to blow up as little of the wine as I could because more camp supplies, and found out you can apparently pocket the fire wine barrels with kobold still on them. This will be incredibly funny when I use the barrels as bombs later. DAMN I FORGOT TO TAKE A SS OF MY BARREL BOMB COLLECTION. Here's one from yesterday, though it's grown.

went to creche y'llek . went to the zaithisk, let Lae'zel use it, did this on the first persuasion check, did not use an inspiration.

Absolutely brutalized the bitches outside of the infirmary, I put an oil barrel underneath one of the light fixtures then shot it down at the start of the fight 😭😭😭

went to fight kith'rak therezynn, remembered why I ate the mountain pass. had to reload like three times until I was like fuck this Wyll go home Gale use arcane lock on this stupid door and then it was going decently well Lae'zel knocked the soul breaker out of her hands and later got her own weapon knocked out of her hands, perfect time to switch to the soul breaker I'd say. near the end of the fight a random fucking raider spawned right next to therezynn. just poof. right into existence. I was floored and slightly annoyed but therezynn hit him w a burning hands and took off half his health anyways???

Soph told the Inquisitor he can't have the weapon, the Inquisitor did not like this. Lae'zel stole his sword too and nearly killed him in four hits. He did become a pain in the ass w the mind steal link tho because oml he stole his own teammates minds or whatever. didn't know he'd do that. Wyll went down to this ranged attacker multiple times and I tried to use heat metal on him but he WASNT METAL. BULLSHIT. LOOK AT ALL THAT M E T A L.

Anyways, Soph got pissed about them hurting Wyll, went crazy went stupid, murdered the absolutely 100% has metal on him guy and one of the last spellcasters. told vlaakith to fuck off, visited the dream visitor, said get up boy I ain't killing you, signed off, and will now go eep.

Ty for reading :3

[chvoswxtch]

i'm not above begging. (1/?)

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: eddie munson desperately needs to graduate this year, and you're the only tutor that hasn't turned him down.

warnings: mentions of drugs, cursing

word count: 2k

a/n: this was initially going to be one post but then I got carried away and suddenly was at 2,081 words (oops) so i'm thinking this is going to be at least 3 parts? i've been day dreaming about eddie munson since may & re-watching one tree hill and this idea popped in my head and i had to write it down. this is my first time writing in awhile, so i'm a little rusty. all feedback is welcomed/appreciated!

The tutoring center at Hawkins High was relatively quiet for a Thursday afternoon. After the winter finals wrapped up, things had slowed down quite a bit apart from the regulars that came in for their weekly sessions. But with spring break and final projects coming up in a few weeks, it was only a matter of time before students began flocking in desperately seeking help to reach a passing grade. That’s where I came in.

I had been working in the tutoring center since my sophomore year. Everyone always told me I was good at it because I was a very patient person, but I honestly really enjoyed it. Every time I could see a student starting to really get it, I could see that little light bulb go off in their brain, it made my chest swell with pride. 

I was organizing a few review tests when I felt something touch my shoulder. All the neatly stacked papers in my hands went flying, and a shrill scream ripped through my chest at the surprise intrusion. I clutched onto the open file cabinet that was beside me and whipped my head around, my wide eyes settling on the tall figure that stood in front of me.

Eddie Munson.

His large, ring-clad hands were immediately held up in surrender, a look of shock etched onto his own features. I was pretty sure his startled expression matched my own. 

“Whoa..easy there. I didn’t mean to scare ya. I uh..come in peace.”

There was a timid smile stretched at the corner of his mouth, his dark brows lightly furrowed as he studied my face. A solid minute passed before I realized I hadn’t moved. I was still in shock, and well, possibly having a heart attack. It wasn’t that I was scared of Eddie Munson, not like a lot of the student body at Hawkins High, I was just shocked to see him in the tutoring center. In the two and a half years that I’d worked here, I had never seen him. Not even once. 

I’d heard the rumors about his supposed “devil worshiping” club, and about how he was a “dangerous” known drug dealer. I never really bought into it though. Eddie and I had never really interacted before. We were in completely different classes, and social circles. He didn’t really hangout with anyone that wasn’t in his Hellfire club. But I had seen him a few times in passing, and saw the way he was when he interacted with his friends during lunch. Nothing about him screamed dangerous to me. I always thought he was just..different, and definitely had a flair for dramatics.

“Oh, no no, I’m sorry. You didn’t. I mean you did. But..only because I didn’t hear you come in.”

Once I could no longer hear my heart pounding in my ears, I tried my best to appear as casual as possible. Clearing my throat, I crossed my arms over my chest and peered up at him.

“Um what..can I help you with?”

Eddie shoved his large hands into his front pockets, cursing under his breath. He flashed me an apologetic smile and began to fish around in his back pocket before he retrieved a crumpled paper ball, raising it up into his fist victoriously with a grin. 

“Aha! Found it.” 

He unraveled the paper and did his best to smooth it out, flipping it upside down and clearing his throat dramatically.

“I am looking for…Y/L/N, Y/N.”

His head swiveled to survey the empty tutoring center before his large brown eyes met mine again with a kind smile. 

“Any chance you know where I can find them? It’s uh..kind of important.”

“Oh um well..that’s me. Hi.”

Before I could stop myself, my hand raised up to do an awkward wave. My cheeks instantly heat up with embarrassment. Hi? Seriously? That’s what you went with?

Eddie’s eyes wandered over my figure quickly, his eyes meeting mine once again with a quirk of his brow.

“Oh..well, that was easy.”

I stood there silently for a moment, lightly clenching my fists at my sides. This was the closest I had ever been to Eddie Munson before. I had never gotten to look at him properly, not up close like this. Why did I never notice how attractive he was? I didn’t feel scared in his presence. I just felt..nervous. But I wasn’t exactly sure why that was.

“Um so..why are you here? I meant..um, why are you looking for me?”

My voice came out higher than usual, and I instantly wanted to bang my head against the nearest heavy object. Eddie eyed me silently for a moment, sighing as he shoved the paper back into his pocket and pursed his lips. He twisted one of the large rings he wore around his index finger, his eyes darting around the tutor center before finally landing back on me.

“Okay, here’s the thing. You’re my last resort.”

“Oh.” 

“No no no, fuck. I didn’t-I didn’t mean it like that. It’s not that..you’re my last option or anything, you’re just my last choice. Hope! I meant hope. Fuck. This is all coming out wrong.”

Eddie closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a huff of exasperation. He quickly spun around on his heel and made a beeline for the door to the tutoring center and exited swiftly. I stood dumbfounded in place, staring at the spot he once occupied, trying to decipher what the hell had just happened. Suddenly the door to the tutoring center swung open and Eddie walked through with a playful grin on his lips, stopping directly in front of me.

“Let’s start over, shall we? You’re Y/N Y/L/N, tutor extraordinaire. I’m Eddie Munson, and I desperately need your services.” 

Placing one of his large hands on his stomach, he did a quick bow, and I couldn’t help but let a quiet giggle escape my lips. This seemed to catch his attention, as he looked up at me with a full blown grin, seemingly proud of himself for getting a laugh out of me.

“Wow, Eddie. I didn’t expect you to be so..formal?”

Eddie stood up straight and placed his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. An action that my brain has permanently burned into my memory.

“Look, I’m gonna level with you sweetheart. I need to graduate. I can’t stay in this shithole for another year. And as long as I can pull a D with Mrs. O’Donnell, I’m on track to finally get the fuck out of here. But, here’s the problem. I fucking hate her class. It’s so boring! I mean..I would literally rather watch paint dry. So technically, it’s not my fault I keep failing because if the class were, ya’know, a little more exciting, I might actually be able to pay attention. See, I'm a victim here, okay? A victim of this oppressive and soul crushing system that is Hawkins High. Now look, I have tried everyone. And I mean everyone, okay? Mrs. O’Donnell has assigned me every tutor known to humankind and they either flat out say no or just give up so I’m really banking on you here. And look, I’ll even pay you! I’ll be on my best behavior, I swear. Scouts Honor. Just please..please help me. I’m not above begging here. I will literally get on my knees right now and-”

“Eddie!”

My hands darted out to grab onto his biceps as he began to lower his body. The worn leather of his jacket felt soft under my fingertips. My eyes lingered over the various pins and additions he had added to it. The denim overtop was worn and faded, there were light tears and a few loose ends. I was quite impressed by it though, knowing that he had taken the time to put it together himself. I could tell how much work he had put into it, how much it meant to him.

“I’ll do it.”

“What? Really? Holy shit, you..you are a literal angel!”

I felt myself suddenly being lifted off the ground as a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist. It took a second to register that Eddie Munson was hugging me. Not one of those awkward, half-hearted hugs you feel like you have to give. But a real hug. The kind of hug you give an old friend you haven’t seen in years. My hands gripped onto the shoulders of his jacket and I giggled at his excitement.

“Eddie, put me down! Please, I’m afraid of heights.”

He swiftly set me on my feet with a chuckle, taking a step back and beginning to wave his hands around dramatically.

“Sorry, sorry. I got carried away. Look uh, name your price. Whatever you want, I’ll pay it.”

“Eddie, you’re not paying me. It’s my job, I’m happy to help. I do have a few ground rules though.”

“Alright, sure. Lay ‘em on me.”

“First things first, you have to take this seriously. If we’re going to do this, I need you totally focused. No distractions during our sessions. I know you have your club, and I’ll be respectful of your time dedicated to that, but if you start falling behind and we need extra sessions, I need you to put your school work first. Second, please always be transparent with me. If you need a break, tell me. I don’t want to push you past your limit. If you’re going to be late, or there’s an emergency and you can’t make it, please let me know as soon as you can. And lastly, please don’t ask me to do your work. I’m here to help you, not do everything for you. Don’t even try to bribe me. The answer will be no. Deal?”

You’d be surprised how much I had to emphasize that last part. Over the years, so many people have tried to get me to just do the work for them. They didn’t see me as a resource. They saw me as a transaction. Surely the girl with straight A’s wouldn’t mind doing the work they can't be bothered with. The popular crowd was the worst about it. They thought their parent’s money and social status could buy them anything. Sometimes it made me angry whenever their words would replay in my head. But that anger usually subsided into hurt. Most of them couldn’t even be bothered to remember my name. I was just “tutor girl” to them.

But you’re so smart, it’ll be easy for you! I’ll make it worth your while. If you do my homework, I’ll invite you to the party this weekend. You can sit with us at lunch if you write this paper for me. I’ll put in a good word for you with one of the guys on the team. C’mon tutor girl, everyone has a price.

I wasn’t necessarily “popular”, but I definitely knew a lot of the popular kids. I was practically the reason some of them were able to still do extracurriculars. I spent most of the time in the tutoring center, and when I wasn’t doing that I was helping out with ‘The Weekly Streak’ school newspaper with Nancy Wheeler. Nancy and I had met towards the end of my sophomore year. I had interviewed for a spot on the paper after my guidance counselor had told me tutoring wouldn’t count as a “club activity” on my college applications. After my prolonged sulking, I decided the school paper was the lesser of all high school club evils. Nancy and I had instantly clicked, and had only gotten closer over the years. She and Robin were the only real friends that I had.

I held my hand out and looked up at Eddie with a shy smile on my lips, awaiting his answer. He cocked his head to the side slightly, eyeing me as if he was contemplating my conditions. Always a dramatic. Suddenly, a huge grin took over his mouth and his large hand captured mine. The warmth from his skin spread like wildfire all over my body and eventually settled in the pit of my stomach. My grip tightened slightly on his hand in reaction to the sensation. What the hell was that?

“Deal.”

[ais-n]

AIS! I know ur a One Piece fan, so I have to ask.. what do you think of the recent reveal of Luffy's true devil fruit power???? Joyboy??? I love One Piece so much, I have no one to talk to about it! Pls tell me ur thoughts XD

Hi! Sorry I took so long to reply!

***WARNING WARNING SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE IF YOU KEEP READING - IMMA RAMBLE BROS I will put behind a cut just in case though***

((Oops I put the cut too far down first))

I'm so excited - it's so cool! So, when Joyboy was first brought up, I didn't know enough immediately about it. But after we got a little info, tbh my first thought was, "Oh so Luffy's probably Joyboy?"

I'd have to go back and look but I think especially around the time they were at Fishman Island - especially with all the stuff that was going on with Shirahoshi, and then Luffy having the voice, and all that.

We knew Luffy could hear voices others couldn't for a bit there, I think -- or maybe that's where it first popped up? But Roger could hear the voice of all things, or whatever it was called, as evidenced by the Poneglyph info inscribed in Skypiea that Robin translated back then. I can't remember where, but I feel like at some point it was implied Joyboy maybe could too? Not sure.

Also, with the way Luffy can bring people to him, kind of like he's a boat through an ocean and the current pulls such disparate people together into his wake, it made sense.

So recently, with all the stuff going on, when it was clear Luffy was working his ass off but he's still up against a major fucking powerhouse, as things were getting worse and we were seeing all the stuff going on with CP0, I was thinking - maybe Luffy will be severely injured or basically die, and then in coming back he'll Awaken.

I'd figured for awhile now he'd end up Awakening at some point - that made sense, with everything going on. And I figured it'd be pretty cool.

So Luffy confirmed as Joyboy, I was happy and excited to see but wasn't super surprised because I figured that was a given for awhile. However, WHAT Joyboy is, was something I didn't expect. And I 100% did NOT see the devil fruit thing coming!!!!!!! I fucking love how I can follow this series for like 20 years or whatever and still end up surprised by things, even when other things I can see coming from hints in the past - and how even if something I thought might happen does happen, it's still so fun to see it confirmed.

Fucking Oda is such a storytelling genius, istg *_*

I do have to say - I absolutely love OP, of course, but the past couple of years I've managed to be behind on the latest chapters by like a week or two. It's solely because of the way this shit is set up now that they closed down the main scanlation sites. I get that they don't want piracy etc etc but it seems to presume that people don't also buy the official shit even if they read scanlations. Not the case for me at all. I am subscribed to the SJ things so I can support weekly, I buy a shit ton of OP stuff, and I USED to always be caught up on the officially released English manga too. Only reason I'm behind on those (and why I don't want just the "official" versions online) is because I'm still super fucking salty about them calling Zoro fucking Zolo. I goddamn hate it lmao It drives me nuts so bad. When I buy the books, I physically change every l to an r and it's a pain in the ass so I've gotten to be like - fuck it, fuck them and their dumbass Zolo bullshit, I don't have the patience to change that everywhere UGH. I wish they'd release an alternate version with everything written as Zoro even if we have to pay extra or something. I would do it. idgaf. Also I have always liked having multiple translations since I'm not reading the original, so I like seeing how the wording changes across translators for different things. Plus the fact that the official version fucking calls Marines the "Navy" is irritating too. And I think the English says Dogtooth right? But I like his name as Karakuri more. I also like to go back and reread chapters, and they make it difficult to do so which I find annoying as well. (I will, of course, acknowledge though that I appreciate that Stephen is the translator - I'm glad we have someone on the official translator team who truly gives a shit about the series, and has for decades, and was one of the original fan translators back in the day. I just find it annoying that he has to make stupid ass alterations like Zoro's name because the company has the dumbest rules on that stuff, and since he's employed with them he has to follow those rules rather than being able to be fully accurate in translations. Salty salty salty I'm as salty as the East Blue lmao)

So, again, I'd like there to be a better system for the original shit, and it has become a thing where it takes me all this extra time to sit down and read the latest - I can't just skim through it like I used to be able to do. So I get a bit salty and have to set time aside, because I love OP and want to actually pay attention to it, focus on the story, see it properly on my screen, etc.

That's all to say that it's managed to take some of my weekly excitement away from OP, which really sucks man. I used to look forward to it every week, and now I sometimes forget to read it that week.

It's NOTHING to do with the series itself or the story though - I continue to love tf out of it <3

Anyway so I got on a tangent there (sorry lol) but I thought of it because I just realized I hadn't read the latest chapter (1047) so I wanted to check it in case I needed to add anything. In case you haven't read that chapter, I won't say anything about it.

But!! I did want to jump back a little in the current storyline, before we got all the Joyboy confirmation. To Zoro.

Wait, before that -- DUDE THE NIKA THING IS SO COOL!!!!! And I fucking love how the Awakening works. It is constantly cracking me up XD I love how the Five Elders were all serious like, "that devil fruit is the most ridiculous power in the world!" or something like that. And since they were so srsface I wondered if they meant that colloquially, like it's just super badass. But no, they mean it's actually ridiculous XD I fucking love it. I LOVE how it's turning everything around him into like an old American-type cartoon hahaha

And it's so cool the things he can do now! Also I super want to see this animated - they keep having his heartbeat be referenced, and it's been in the background SFX, so I'm hoping it'll sound really cool like an upbeat song or something when they animate it.

I'm way behind on the anime though - need to get caught up eventually.

Oh! Also, I love that Zunesha (the elephant) was talking to Momo, and it felt like maybe Zunesha was coming a little back to life? Like Zunesha seemed happy - which makes sense, since they've been punished to carry Zou on their back for punishment of some unspecified crime in the past, and they were affiliated with Joyboy 800 years ago. Those sunken eyes just make them seem so exhausted and half-dead, so it feels so nice to know they're getting a little bit of a break from their kind of living death. idk yet how it all will go, what it all will mean exactly, but I'm so interested in it - especially with Zunesha right there, it feels like something cool could happen.

Also I just love Zunesha regardless <3

The new devil fruit power and just everything around it fits Luffy really well, I think, so it's cool to see that his upgrade comes with such a bombshell of narrative connections too!

Again, can't wait to see animated.

Now back to Zoro - so he looked like he was basically almost dead, if not worse, and that's why one of the crew (I think it's Franky?) is running around trying to get him to Chopper to save him.

Before he was grabbed, but after he collapsed after his fight and winning it, we saw what looked like a Grim Reaper standing over Zoro, right? And Zoro was using Enma, the sword, as part of his arsenal.

Enma is a fucking powerful sword, said to be able to "cut through to the bottom of hell" - which makes sense, since in Japanese mythology (along with Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese mythologies and Buddhist, Hinduism, Taoism -- and more), Enma is the master of hell/the king. He's a deity and I've seen some things say he has the power to judge crimes committed by the dead while they were alive. Enma's also called Yama and other names - and in some versions he's seen as the human ancestor because humans were born from him (and his sister -_-) - and he is the king of death since he was the first human to die. Also, in Japanese Buddhism at least - idk enough about the variations to know about others - he's believed to be able to travel back and forth between Hell and the Pure Land. Pure Land is Jodo in Japanese Buddhism.

As opposed to Edo (a land with impurities or defiled land) where humans tie themselves up to be caught in delusions, Jodo is a land where basically Buddha resides. It's a place that is pure and clean and the legitimate land of Buddha. In some thoughts, it's not in our world - it's built in another world, and people only go there when their life ends. Another thought is that instead of going to another world (Jodo), our world will shift to Jodo.

Either way, for Buddhism, it's basically a place free from impurities and is where Buddha resides.

Zoro's powers have Buddhist references and he fits within the realm of it really well - in writing this I ran across this post below on tumblr. I don't know the person or their tumblr at all, but this has some good info on parallels to Zoro and references to Buddhism, done far better than I would've here.

There's more of course - I'm by absolutely no means an expert; I just know a little bit from reading about it.

Anyway though, I'm wondering what the significance will be of the reaper figure, Zoro essentially seeming to basically die right now or be close, and more. I'm wondering if the reaper was an embodiment of Enma the sword, or Enma himself or some variation of a messenger of his from Hell? I'm wondering if this will be Zoro's version of an Awakening - either now, or the foundation being set to happen in the future. I'm wondering, if that ends up being the case, whether this means he will lean more toward the Hell side of things, or if this will be a turning point of him going more toward releasing himself from impurities and eventually achieving accessibility to Jodo. Like, could he have gone there now? Could his spirit have gone to Hell with Enma? Will he be able to channel Hell of some sort? Perhaps Enma is showing him that there's a way to transcend it all?

Wouldn't it be cool if Zoro gained the ability to visit with souls of the dead in some way, or gain information from Hell or who knows, Jodo, if that's even possible? If that ever happened, wouldn't it be cool if something could be combined with Brook's powers in an attack channeling the iciness of death with the Buddhist aspects of Hell or enlightenment?

In order to become truly the greatest swordsman in the world, in order to bring about a unified and happy world as Luffy wishes as the Pirate King, right now, with my very limited understanding of the mythologies involved, it seems to me that MAYBE the next step in Zoro's future improvement and power will be something to do with him becoming closer to Jodo.

Like, I'm wondering if he'll shift more toward, or more away from, the way he's been - outlined more in that linked post above, but someone who's powerful, who isn't affiliated with the gods of any sort, who exhibits many great qualities like loyalty, honor, etc - but who also exhibits potentially violent or dangerous qualities. For example, as they referenced, the time he split a boat in two because he got on the wrong boat. I'm wondering if he will be aiming more toward addressing those reactions of his, and therefore honing even more his sword skills, to be able to achieve a higher power of Enlightenment, and through that maybe become someone who, like Enma, can transverse the realms? I think of it in terms of comparison to Mihawk. Mihawk also does things like just destroy a boat because he woke up from a nap and felt like it. In order for Zoro to become truly the greatest swordsman in the world, he ultimately has to surpass Mihawk. And with my limited knowledge, it seems to me that Mihawk has achieved the peak of what is achievable on the path he took in Buddhism terms, and so in order to surpass him, Zoro must learn to accept a different, greater path. One that perhaps causes him to accept things he hasn't accepted.

In writing this, I was checking for something related to Zoro and Buddhism and whether an Ashura can ever become someone who can visit Jodo or however it's best worded -- and I ran across this reddit post about Zoro, Buddhism, and his God Mode. Like the previous link, I haven't read the entire thing, and I don't know the person who posted it at all, nor do I know nearly enough about Buddhism to assess the information provided. But, it's basically a way more eloquent way of explaining what I've been wondering about Zoro's situation and potential future improvements.

I also saw they linked a YouTube video if you'd rather watch that or watch it in addition:

So, from the parts I saw skimming these things, I think it's explaining what I was thinking could be something going on potentially - and sort of what I've been thinking of his own Buddhist non-DF version of Awakening.

Also, since the time skip, I've been thinking that his left eye probably hides some power or something on his eyeball which indicates an upgrade or something specific. He could, of course, have just lost the eye or be blind in it; but I have been feeling like it'll be something else. I saw this comment which is in line with what I was thinking btu also referenced something I'd completely forgotten:

By the way, have you seen my theory about the 3 weapons and Red Line? And the World Government's flag? And what One Piece really is? I've had it for years now and idk if it'll end up being the case or not but I feel like it could make sense. At the very least it's fun to think about.

I think I went into it at some point in the past - if I find it, I'll link it here. (UGH I can't find it) Oh but now we have the info on Lunarians via King which adds to it even more imo.

lmk if you want me to go into that whole theory or whatever though. I guess if I didn't have it written down already I should do it sometime. istg I wrote it out though...

Anyway! Sorry for all the rambling about One Piece! Hope you don't mind! And what are your thoughts on the new DF info, Joyboy, all of that? If you reply in asks as anon you can just start the first one with **ONE PIECE SPOILERS** or something and then if you end up writing multiple posts I can throw them all into one. But no worries if you don't reply, or decide not to go in depth or whatever! Or of course we can also talk elsewhere on OP stuff, but you'd have to go away from being anon, and that is 100% up to you. I am perfectly happy either way, so do what makes you happiest :)

Hope you have a good day/morning/evening/night, whatever it is for you wherever you are in the world!

Go One Piece!

PS: I know I ended up going way more on about Zoro and Buddhism and Enma and the like than the Sun God stuff - I just hadn't had a chance to go in on my Zoro theory/thoughts so this got me excited to do so. If I should talk more about Nika etc lmk! There are some really cool connections with all that.

Also, if it did turn out Zoro goes the way of Hell fully in his powers, then he could represent the darkness/underworld and Luffy would represent the sun/sky, so they'd be a great team together.

Also also, part of my whole One Piece/Red Line/etc theory is in regards to the three great weapons. Now that Luffy is explicitly linked to the sky, I'm starting to wonder if he'll be the third Ancient Weapon himself. I had thought it was going to be something else, maybe from the moon - which still seems probable? Depending on if it's possible to be both Nika and the weapon, or if Nika is the weapon. idk yet - I haven't done enough research on the whole Nika thing.

I'm talking about Uranus btw - especially since the World Government forbid research onto the topic, and now we know that they also have been governing the "gomu gomu no mi" to the point of giving it that fake name, and they thought what Luffy could become was dangerous enough to interfere and try to kill him.... it does seem more and more possible as I'm thinking on it that Luffy could be Uranus. Maybe. Since Shirahoshi is Neptune, we do know the Ancient Weapons can be living beings, but of course Pluton is a ship.

Uranus is the personification of the sky though (or of the heavens), so it could fit to an extent with the Sun God, and with the WG being so hard on trying to take down any chances of a new Joyboy appearing.

On the other hand, the actual mythology of Uranus doesn't fit Luffy's personality at all. And since Uranus had the capability to change the weather or mimic things, that seems to fit more with Nami's powers - which could mean the Ancient Weapon is instead tied into the sky wizards she was learning from, or where they initially got their info.

I do, though, still think it's going to come from the moon tbh and probably NOT be Luffy himself. I could be wrong; it just feels like it fits well. The moon is not only in the heavens, of a sort, but it would tie in with Enel, the whole side story of him up on the moon, those little dudes up there, and now that we have King, the Lunarians as well and their almost godlike powers. Maybe he is Uranus instead, maybe he knows information that leads to it, maybe something else.

It's fun to not know for certain even at this point, and to be able to speculate different theories even using the same information.

Thank you for asking about OP - it made me happy to ramble about it :)

[lacharcutiere]

falling so soft [sawamura daichi]

1k words

previous | masterlist | next ➪

part two of i’m gone i’m gone i’m gone miniseries. time zones suck. being too busy to facetime sucks. not getting to have him as your new years kiss sucks. distractions… actually, those might be okay. but that’s to be determined.

^ if u got the ronny cheng reference lol i love u 👽 anyway, i did not plan that last bit out but,, THE PLOT THICKENS hehehe:)) also oops for having this up 2 hours late lol i totally forgot to queue it

JST: japanese standard time (GMT +9). EST: eastern standard time (GMT -5). EDT: eastern daylight time (GMT -4). man i hate daylight savings time why do we have to switch between the two, hopefully no one notices if i fucked up the math but if u do pls just ignore it <3

tings // fluff, lil bit of soft angst // i swear this søng is abøut eating øut my best friend’s pussy - cøzybøy // dm, ask or comment to be added to the taglist ! minors dni.

☾𓆙𓂻

— MOVE-IN DAY: 29 AUGUST 2021. 08:14 EDT.

your roommate is a talkative, ever-energetic, pretty half-russian girl named alya. she's from new jersey, you learn, just across the river. the two of you are a good match in energy, and she's easy to talk to. you'd chatted a couple times before over instagram, and the tiny bit of japanese she knew combined with your functional knowledge of english has made for conversations that flow easily from subject to subject.

you tell her about daichi, show her pictures of the two of you together from graduation, the summer—whatever you can find. she immediately loves the two of you together, excitement seeming ready to bubble over at how cute you must be, and you need to remind her over and over that you're just friends with him for now.

— 16 NOVEMBER, 2021. 10:23 EST.

according to the new york natives, this year's first snowfall is early. usually, alya tells you, it doesn't snow before thanksgiving.

— CHRISTMAS CARDS, DECEMBER 2021

from daichi (written 16th december, received 22nd december. opened on christmas day, 00:03 eastern standard time.)

from you (written 12th december, received 18th december. opened as soon as it arrived, 17:14 japan standard time.)

— 18TH DECEMBER, 2021. 23:03 JST, 09:03 EST.

you wake up to your phone buzzing on your bedside table, rubbing your face groggily as you fumble for it and see who it is.

“of course you’re still my favorite,” is the first thing he says as soon as you accept the call. and then, “oh shit, did i wake you up? i’m so sorry—“

you cut him off with a sleepy laugh, assuring him that no, it’s okay, for him you don’t mind.

"d'you get the card yet?" he sounds so excited, almost childlike; it's adorable, and you can't help but laugh some more.

"i did," you say, "but i'm saving it. i'm gonna open it on christmas."

he snorts. "i say open it now. i opened yours as soon as i saw it."

"yeah, but i'm talking to you now, i wanna save it so i have new things to hear from you even if you can't call."

"who says i won't call?"

"no one, but just in case."

— CHRISTMAS DAY 2021. 00:12 EST, 14:12 JST.

daichi's about to second guess calling you when he remembers you never go to bed early if you can help it, and especially not while you're off school. and, speak of the devil, his phone rings right then.

"hey." it's dim in your room, but he can hear the smile in your voice and that's all he needs.

"hey."

"i opened your card."

"did you, now?"

"mhm." you must be in bed; he can hear you nuzzling down into a downy comforter and yawning. it's adorable. "i miss you."

"i miss you, too."

there's silence on your end of the line for a while, save for breathing and blankets shifting around, and daichi takes it as his cue. "get some sleep," he tells you, "i can call you again tomorrow."

he hears you sigh—such a pretty sound—and then you speak again, barely above a whisper. "daichi?"

"hm?"

"can you just... stay on for a bit? just, like, until i'm asleep?"

and he laughs a little, but (unbeknownst to you, passed out within the next few minutes) he doesn't hang up for another hour.

— NEW YEAR’S EVE 2022. 23:58 JST, 09:58 EST.

he calls you just in time for the beginning of the new year (at least, where he is). it’s funny, you point out, how for thirteen hours you’ll be living in two different years. time zones are a bitch.

— 23:55 EST, 13:55 JST.

“welcome to 2022,” he says with a laugh when he picks up the phone. “‘s been pretty uneventful so far.”

— 16 FEBRUARY 2022. 09:55 EST.

a guy in your calc class comes up to you after a lecture and asks you if you’re single.

he’s not unattractive, and he’s smart. you’ve chatted a couple times and he’s always been easy to talk to. he’s funny, and he’s an international student from japan, too. you don’t know what to say at first; you wonder what daichi would want you to say. but you remember, you’re just friends for now.

you tell tōru yes.

— 11:03 EST, 01:03 JST.

feeling unbelievably guilty as you wait for your phone to ring while sitting on a bench outside the dining hall, you wonder what you're even supposed to tell him. that there's someone else? that you want to try seeing other people? how can you soften the blow without sounding like you're trying to make excuses for yourself? and it's not like your heart isn't still set on him and him only, but how can you possibly convince daichi of that?

so you're incredibly surprised to find out that daichi almost... doesn't mind. you don't miss the way his voice tenses up a little after you tell him, but you know that whatever he says, he's always honest with you. he even almost laughs at you for how stressed you seem.

"friends, remember? 's okay. it doesn't mean you can't see other people, just that we can tell each other whatever. and that i'll support you."

"you're not jealous?"

he pauses for a second, thinking, before saying, "i mean, honestly? i am, i guess." he stops again and you don't say anything, almost afraid. "but whatever we are, if you're happy, then it's okay. and tōru's a good guy." he huffs a short laugh. "if he were a shitty person, that'd be a very different story."

that's another surprise to you; apparently he and tōru were at least somewhat acquainted with one another. volleyball, daichi tells you.

small world.

☾𓆙𓂻

when you finally end the call, realizing how late it is in japan and that he must be needing to go to bed, you can't tell whether you feel less guilty knowing that he doesn't think you're in the wrong, or more guilty knowing that he's willing to sacrifice his wants for yours.

taglist: @sakruisin-thru @softetsurou @oligbia

[jumukus]

A3! Event: Trump the Phantom Thief Episode 8 Translation

Play time! A heads up on the characters' names:

Muku: King Yuki: Q Kazunari: Ace Juza: Jack Banri: Fox Sakyo: Club

Saionji: Muku-kun, how are you doing? Are you getting seasick?

Muku: I'm doing alright, thank you. Oh, and the room is so beautiful.

Saionji: I am glad it is to your liking. We purposely built the suite rooms in a place where you can't feel the ship's motion.

I am planning to take every possible measure for the theater venue as well, though do not hesitate to let me know if you are unsatisfied with anything.

Muku: I will. Thank you.

Kazunari: Dude, not only the suite rooms are superbs, but to think we also get a whole staff to ourselves…! We can even get the beverages here as many times we like!

Yuki: True. The service is just so good it surprised me.

Sakyo: Don't get too engrossed in these service or you'll be havin' a hard time once we return to Mankai Company.

Izumi: You have a point…

Banri: I don't wanna go back.

Juza: ...I'm thirsty.

Muku: Wanna get some beverages in our rooms?

Juza: No, it's fine. Our rooms are far from here.

Azami: There's a lot of vending machines there. I think they have your favorite strawberry milk.

Juza: I'll go get it.

Muku: …

Izumi: (Today is finally our opening show. I knew it. They all seem pretty nervous because we're going to perform in a different venue.)

Juza: …

Izumi: (Juza-kun looks stiff.)

Kazunari: OK, guys! We've gotta form a circle in times like this!

Banri: Be more specific. What d'you mean by "in times like this"?

Yuki: Bet you already thought of what kind of circle you wanna do.

Kazunari: Righty right! Since our play is about phantom thieves, we all should strike a phantom thief pose!

Sakyo: The heck is that?

Kazunari: No complaining! Just follow me!

Yuki: Fine. Fine.

Juza: ...Muku, do the chant.

Muku: First things first, I'm sorry for causing you guys troubles when I was at a loss of what to do.

I don't want to give up on all the things I want to do. I've decided to do everything I can in all of them.

I'll run through until the end. Follow me, guys!

Juza: Yeah!

Kazunari: Okie!

Banri: Yea.

Q: "It's as musty as always."

Ace: "Clean it up."

Q: "How about you do it?"

Ace: "No way. Geez. This place used to be clean, wonder what happened to it."

Q: "That's because we had a clean-freak before."

Ace: "Okay. Leader, you do the cleaning."

King: "I think it's pretty clean, though."

Q: "Seriously?"

Ace: "Should've known a messy room owner like Leader would say something like that."

Q: "Anyway. Since this is the first time we gathered here after a year, that means you've already set our next target, right? Let's cut to the chase already."

King: "Our next target will be "Mermaid's Tears", a 12-carat diamond."

"It's going to be sold during an auction held at the Royal Star cruise. It's one of the event's highlights and expected to sell for 6 billion."

Ace: "Woo-hoo."

Q: "Heh. Interesting."

King: "Royal Star is currently hiring staff. Q."

Q: "Got it. That means I have to sneak in as one of their staff members, right?"

King: "Ace, get close to the ship's captain and collect information."

Ace: "Roger."

Izumi: (I expect no less from Summer Troupe. They have great teamwork. I can totally feel it.)

(Not to mention Muku-kun's King is able to unite them as a leader.)

Q: "I'm in charge of the rooms in Block A… Laundry and… Ugh. What a hassle."

"This isn't my job in the first place, after all. If that person were here--."

Crew Member: "Are you new here? You seem lost."

Q: "Yes. I don't think I can get out of this place if I lose the map."

Crew Member: "You can ask anyone if there's anything you don't understand."

Q: "Thank you."

"?"

Crew Member: "What's wrong?"

Q: "I think I saw someone over there--."

Crew Member: "But there's only a garbage can over there. Is it a ghost or something?"

Q: "Hey. Stop. I don't like it."

"Hm? A letter?"

"Could this be--I have to report to King."

King: "I'll take the Mermaid's Tears--Jack."

Ace: "Can't believe he's aiming for the same thing."

Q: "Him and King sure are compatible in a strange way."

Ace: "Even though their personalities are the exact opposite of each other."

Q: "What are we going to do now?"

Ace: "Guess we're gonna have a change of pla--."

King: "We'll continue the operation."

Q: "Come again!?"

Ace: "So you mean we're gonna compete with Jack?"

King: "I will not send out this notice. Let's call it a direct confrontation between Trump and Jack."

Q: "Whaaaat!?"

Jack: "Weird. The cops aren't on the move."

"Hm? Where's my noti--."

"It's been a while. How about a reunion? At The Mermaid's Tears' chamber. Trump."

"King, huh… It's just so like him to do something like this. Fine. Let's have a showdown."

Fox: "Here. I got what you wanted, the Royal Star's blueprint."

King: "It is indeed the blueprint."

Fox: "I got you some addition as well. This one is a lil bit pricey."

King: "Figured as much."

Fox: "What are you going to do with this information, though?"

King: "It's prohibited to poke your nose into your client's private life."

Fox: "Oops. My bad. I was curious since you rarely asked for something like this. Oh, yeah. Your master said he wanted to see you."

King: "Club? I wonder why. I'll try contacting him."

Club: "I'm comin' in."

Fox: "Speak of the devil."

King: "Long time no see."

Club: "Perfect timing. Are you free now?"

***

Club: "I'm goin' to retire soon. Take whatever you need."

King: "Retire? Are you serious?"

Club: "My body is startin' to fall apart. It's an age thing. Tell this to Ja--Oh, right. I heard you two broke up."

King: "You made it sound like we're dating. Please don't do that. He just decided to quit my group on his own."

Club: "Y'all never change. Here I thought you'd keep workin' together. That's what you call youth, I guess."

King: "To be honest with you, I'd also never thought he would betray me."

Club: "Looking at that guy, I think he's in his rebellious phase rather than betrayal."

King: "Rebellious phase?"

Club: "He's got some strong sense of rivalry, y'know? Add that with the fact that he's never won against you."

"He must be jealous of you. You're a genius, while he can only do things in a crude way."

King: "Really? I like his way of doing things, though."

Club: "That's exactly why you're hated. Oh, well. You better make up before I die."

King: "Please tell that to him too. You're going to meet him after this anyway, right?"

Club: "You're right. Guess I'm also gonna tell him directly. Both of you are my most excellent apprentices, after all."

King: "Please take this as my present for your retirement. This one is 40 years old."

Club: "You sure are well prepared."

King: "I was actually planning to use it for the celebration party, though."

"--Oh, right. If you're going to retire, please give me that. You know, the 'Venus Ring'."

Club: "I refuse."

***

Fox: "Welcome. Man, I guess we've got a lot of 'speak of the devil' moment today."

Jack: "What are you saying?"

Fox: "Nope. Forget it. Anyway, this is your requested uniform and safe."

Jack: "Thanks."

Fox: "Oh, yea. Your master said he wanted to see you. Why don't you give him a call?"

***

Jack: "Long time no see."

Club: "Hey. Is it just me or did you lose some weight?"

Jack: "What do you want to talk about?"

Club: "I'm gonna retire soon. Take whatever you need."

Jack: "Whatever you need, huh. By the way, the 'Venus Ring'..."

Club: "Y'all really have the same taste. I ain't gonna give it out. I sent it to the right place."

Jack: "By y'all… Do you mean King?"

Club: "You should just go back and regroup with him."

Jack: "I'll never go back until I win against him."

Club: "What a pig-headed kid. So? You see any chance to accomplish that?"

Jack: "I have a feeling we're finally going to settle this soon."

Club: "Heh. You seem confident."

Jack: "Because I've made arrangements ahead of time."

Club: "That's so you. You still look as gloomy as ever, though. Why don't you go soaking up the sun in some warm places in the south once in a while?"

Jack: "No--But you have a point. Maybe I'll do that once this is over."

Club: "Do that. And make up with King."

Jack: "...It depends on him."

Guard A: "Wait there."

Guard B: "This place is restricted to authorized personnel."

***

Q: "'Mermaid's Tears' has been carried away."

King: "Got it. Looks like they put it at the expected place."

Q: "How about the security? Can you unlock it?"

King: "I've already made preparation for that. We just need to see how things will turn out."

Ace: "Hey, wait a sec. Please, King."

King: "Find out the schedule for the guards' lookout."

Q: "Ugh. What a pain. Why do I have to do this…"

***

Q: "The guard will change at 1 P.M. The key will only be handed over when a substitute comes."

King: "So we need that key and the password that the captain has to unlock the door."

Q: "Ace, gain some time for us."

Ace: "Roger. Leave it to me."

Q: "Don't screw up."

***

Ace: "Hey, good work."

Guard A: "You're here sooner than I thought."

Ace: "Boss said my shift would start 30 minutes earlier since I'm always late, you see. Today I got here on time, though."

"Oh. Don't tell me you're gonna get scolded if you end your shift early? Wanna have some chat for thirty minutes then? Man, being a guard sure is easy."

"I actually want to increase my shift more, you know. But I don't reall--."

Guard A: "No, it's fine. I'll end my shift now. Bye."

Ace: "Oh. Okay, then. Bye."

***

Ace: "Mission complete. It's your turn now, King."

King: "Let's see, now. This is unexpectedy such a hassle~."

Ace: "I'm glad you seem to be having fun but please hurry up."

***

Q: "It's almost been thirty minutes."

King: "Just a little bit more…"

Q: "The guard is coming."

King: "I'm counting on you, Ace."

***

Ace: "Hey.."

Guard B: "Hm?"

Ace: "Ouch ouch ouch…"

Guard B: "What's wrong?"

Ace: "Oh, are you the substitute? Thank God. I'm starting to panic since my stomach is killing me. Good bye!"

Guard B: "Hey, wait, the key--."

Ace: "Key? Oh, right. I've gotta hand it ove--ouch ouch ouch."

Guard B: "Hey, you okay?"

Ace: "Wait a minute. Just until I calm down. Ouch ouch ouch…"

Guard B: "F-For now, just go to the toilet first."

Ace: "Don't think that's possible. I feel like it's gonna come out once I move."

Guard B: "Whaaat!?"

Ace: "Do you have some medicine or anything?"

Guard B: "No, sorry…"

Ace: "Can you bring me one from the infirmary? I'm on the edge here."

Guard B: "O-Okay! Wait a little bit!"

Ace: "King, you better open it now."

***

King: "...Weird. We may not make it."

Ace: "Come again!?"

King: "Oh, I got it. This one."

"...Nice. It opens!"

"Q, carry it out. Let's retreat."

Q: "Got it."

***

Guard B: "Hey, I have the medicine!"

Ace: "Very thanks, man. Here, your key! I'll leave the rest to you."

Guard B: "Yeah. Hope you recover soon."

King: "...This is weird. Jack didn't come in the end."

Q: "Maybe he realized it's impossible to go against phantom thieves."

King: "No. That guy…"

Police: "Freeze! We're police!"

King: "--."

Q: "!?"

Ace: "Since when!?"

King: "We're being set up. Q, throw the 'Mermaid's Tears' to the sea."

Q: "Huh!? Do you hear yourself now!?"

King: "Do it now. We'll escape the moment the police look away."

Ace: "You're lying, right!?"

King: "Quick."

Q: "You're the one who told me to do it, alright!"

Police: "H-Hey! The jewel! Pick it up, quick!"

King: "Let's go!"

Police: "Wait!"

Q: "What do we do now!? All of our hardship went to waste!"

Ace: "Our 6 billion…"

King: "That was a fake jewel Jack had prepared."

Q: "What?"

King: "Jack had stolen 'Mermaid's Tears' in advance and replaced it with a fake one."

"He was the one who snitched on us."

***

Narration: "The day before…"

Guard A: "Hey, what's wrong?"

Jack: "No, it's just… the engine…"

Guard A: "Hold on, hold on. If there's any trouble, you better do something about it or else it'll get worse later on. If we're liable for the damages…"

Jack: "There's smoke coming out!"

Guard A: "Say what!?"

Jack: "Stay away from the car!"

Guard B: "Whoa!"

Guard A: "C-Call the fire station! Wait, we gotta get the safe first!"

Guard B: "Hey, is it okay?"

Jack: "Yeah. The smoke disappeared. I found no issues with the machine too."

Guard A: "That means the safe is alright, yeah? God. Give me a break. We almost carry it away ahead of time."

***

Q: "So that's why Jack didn't show up…"

Ace: "He really got us! I already thought it was weird for the police to appear at times like that!"

Q: "Ugh. Even if the police didn't appear, Jack still won since he already got the 'Mermaid's Tears' before us."

King: "I wonder about that."

***

King: "He hasn't made any changes in his base. Well, isn't he a little careless…"

"Even his security system is so weak."

"Hm? A card?"

"'Out of respect of Master's retirement, I will hand over the victory.'"

"Don't be satisfied with second place. You could have taken measures if you know there's a chance it'll get stolen. Oh, well. I'll accept your kind offer…"

***

Jack: "..."

"He really came…"

King: "Hey."

Jack: "--ugh. Why are you still here, King?"

King: "It's been a long time, I want to renew our friendship. I even brought alcohol with me."

Jack: "This is why you're hated."

King: "But you don't hate me, do you?"

Jack: "How did you find out?"

King: "I got some information about you from Fox. It helped me understand your strategy to some extent."

Jack: "In that case, why did you fall into the trap?"

King: "Because, otherwise, you won't move forward as planned. I'll be troubled if you're on your guard."

"I could narrow down your base thanks to the location device I planned on the alcohol I gave to Club. The rest is my intuition."

Jack: "I can never bring myself to like you in the end."

King: "Now, now. Let's have a toast for the 'Mermaid's Tears'. Q and Ace are waiting."

Izumi: (This is the only scene where Jack and King talk face to face. Even so, you can tell how close they are just by watching this scene alone.)

(Maybe because they are cousins, they can create a unique relationship between rivals who understand each other the most.)

***

Muku: Thank you so much!

Juza: Thank you.

Sakyo: Thank you.

Yuki: Thank you.

Kazunari: Thankies thankies~!

Banri: Thank you.

***

Sakyo: The audience's reaction on our first show is great.

Juza: King was so cool.

Muku: Jack was even cooler! The fact that he's active behind the scenes is just so Juchan!

Juza: I can also feel the gap between King, a sharp person with a gentle look, and you, Muku.

Muku: I-Is that so? Ehehe. But your Jack…

Azami: They're going to be like that forever at this rate.

Yuki: When are you going to stop?

Banri: But well, it was good overall. Right?

Kazunari: Totally! Their chemistry was just perfect on the stage, even the audience was pleased!

Izumi: Let's keep this energy until the closing show!

Muku: Yes!

< Episode 7 | Masterlist | Episode 9 >

[gildedmuse]

So now that our boys actually found themselves a ninja to terrorize, let's review some of those requests.

And, yes, I'm going to treat you all as children. Because, well, the way you act. But also don't think I didn't notice Franky was the only one not to throw a question at this poor man. He standing their like a chaperone on a field trip. And his students are....

Luffy: Okay but in a fight who win!?

You're just asking to see his like, basic attack. Wait. What am I saying? Ahh, of course that's what you want to see. You're a little bazooka terrier.

Chopper: In my picture book at home back with my mommy....

And of course this fluffy soft boy wants to see something so serene and naturey. At career day he'd be the one asking the Fire Fighter if they really do save kittens and if so are all they super cute!? I'll bet they are ALL super cute!

Usopp: And ALSO! And ALSO! And ALSO!

Luffy? Chopper? Usopp hears your first question our the gate and he's like, nah, you boys are not thinking nearly big enough. Hey, ninja! Show us some actual magic powers!

And then just decides to one 180 that into WEIRDLY personal. I mean, first of, don't even know what the dude is into. Maybe he's not into the female of the species. Or, hey, even if he is maybe he's got one of those "don't date other doctors" types of rules. Maybe Raizo like guy Samurai (that would make sense actually, he sure hangs out with a lot of them.) Point is, you don't know this man's life. Stick to asking about scrolls filled with ancient secret techniques and shit.

A giant what now?

Well... Uh.... He did live-in the jungle with Herclues'n so...?

Yeah. I've got nothing, you guys.

Law: Actually, I'm referring to the original manga from the weekly publications, but I'm not surprised you would assume the 2010 anime that popularized the genre.

Yeah, honestly, Law? This just sounds to me like something your over powered, magic as fuck, New World bullshit devil fruit can do.

If in a middle of a battle, Law put up a room and yelled this and could suddenly duplicate any organ or... create a second version of you but sickly or... I don't even know... preform survey on a shadow. It's like, yeah. Sure. What the hell? Why not. He can switch people's personalities into different bodies, remove organs and limbs with no consequences, swap random items for one another at will, and - oops, almost forgot - grant the power of eternal life. So you know.... He could claim this was a power of the Op Op no mi at any point and my reaction would be hmmm.... That checks out.

Just roll with it.

Usopp: AND ALSO!

Let the other kids ask a question, Usopp!

Zoro: Can I hold your gun? Can I fire it? At someone?

Everyone: *Asks their sweet little questions, eyes filled with boyish wonder*

Zoro: You're a ninja?

Zoro: Yo.

Zoro: Let me stab you.

Franky: WHAT? Not SUPER Zoro! What did we say?

Zoro: What? I've always wanted to stab a ninja.

I love you bae. You scary sometimes.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

“illusion”

Chapter 11

Link to the Ao3 work

WARNING: Very Spicy chapter 0.0

Another warning: there is a *brief* mention of something traumatic that happened to MC in the past. It's pretty clear what happened even though I didn't state it explicitly.

"Hey! Oh- you going somewhere?"

After sitting in my bed for ten minutes, I finally muster the courage to get up and get dressed. I keep conjuring up reasons against visiting Julius right now, piling up like a huge mountain in my mind; but one BIG reason is outweighing them all. I'm going to get in so much trouble... can I really just walk in there after I embarrassed him earlier?! But, he's so yummy- YUMMY?!?! Shut up! Shut! Up!

Despite the argument between the angel and devil in my mind, I pull on my pajamas and a bathrobe, then turn towards the door. 

I don't care if I get in trouble! I'm going to take this opportunity even if it kills me. I've lived too many miserable years, so it's time that I do what I want to do... 

As soon as I push to open it, the door swings my way to reveal Alice coming back from the bathroom, and she's immediately suspicious. One look at my face after her question, and she understands, her mouth breaking into a shit-eating grin.

"You're gonna go see him again, aren't you?"

All hope of coherent response is dashed as I struggle to form words. "W-What if I am?" I finally reply, crossing my arms and looking away.

Alice giggles as she steps inside, closing the door behind her. "Good for you!!! But you have some explaining to do~" She pokes me teasingly in the side, earning an undignified whine from my lips. She knows all of my most ticklish spots. "I did NOT expect to walk in to see you in his bed last night. Also, did you see his bed head? That was so cute~"

"Yes, of course I saw his bedhead." I give up on leaving for the time being and sink back onto my bed. If I get stuck here for much longer, I'm going to lose my initiative. "I slept with him, after all."

"AHHHH!" Alice squeals and suddenly gets right up in my face. "Tell me! What happened!? How on earth did you get him!? Julius is, like, the crown jewel of men! I knew you had it in you but this is huge!!! How was it? What did his dick look like?! Is he better than Lawrence??!"

"Ah! Slow down! I-I can't tell you any specifics-" I laugh nervously as her questioning finally ceases. God, I wish I didn't have to lie about this... Maybe I should just tell her the truth? After all, all those attacks were just in my head, right? But for some reason, I can't bring myself to give up on the guise... just in case... "It was... er- good?" To be honest, I don't know what "good sex" entails so I can't get very specific here. "But... I mean, it's still sort of... happening..." I can't help but smile, my heart doing a backflip in my chest. Maybe tonight... it'll happen for real. And I won't have to lie anymore. "I went to thank him for taking care of me the other night, and he invited me to sit with him for a while... and..."

"You didn't sit with him for very long, did you?" Alice gives me a cheeky smirk, rubbing her chin as she mulls it over. "You're really something... I can't believe it. Elia is going to be so jealous once this goes public-"

"Ah, public? You know I can't make anything public right now..." The reality of the situation starts to fade into my happy, horny haze, Lawrence's scowling face appearing in my mind. "If anyone hears about this-"

"I know, I know." Alice takes my hand and offers me a sweet smile. "I need to be more careful about keeping my mouth shut... Elia is onto you for sure. I promise I'll keep your secret."

I let out a little sigh of relief. "Thank you, Alice-"

"As long as you tell me all the details!" Alice giggles and slaps me on the back a little harder than she had to. "Now! Go get your man!"

"Alright, alright!" I grin back and get back on my feet, smoothing out my robe. "I'll see you... later."

"Hehe, you better have a good time!"

With one last wink, Alice opens the door and shoves me out into the hallway, leaving me to walk alone to the officer's hall.

Oh god... 

There's no avoiding it now; my feet are carrying me right up to Julius. Once I arrive at his room... 

What's even my plan? Jump him immediately? Or try and ease into it? I guess I can start by apologizing for today... maybe I can offer to make it up to him? Ugh, that's too corny! I don't want him to think I'm promiscuous or anything...

Suddenly, I blink, and I'm already there. Julius's door stands ominously in front of me, a light under the door revealing activity in the room inside.

Here I am... let's do this... I can do this!

Sucking in a breath, I reach up and knock on the door.

Three agonizing seconds later, it opens, and my first reaction is to instantly die. "Oh, hi! I was wondering when you were going to come up."

Julius stands there, smiling down at me as if the event 15 minutes ago never happened, wearing a bathrobe that he's clearly not wearing anything under. It takes every braincell in my body to tear my eyes away from the bit of chest peeking out of the fabric (he's got a little bit of blonde hair there... it's hot) and back up to his eyes in a timely fashion. A moment later, his words hit me. O-Oh? You expected me?" Oh god. His mouth twitches, almost into a more smug smile, but it only lasts a moment. Was I that obvious? 

"Yeah! You said you didn't trust Alice, right? I didn't think you were going to stay in your room, so..."

... oh.

"Oh!" So, I wasn't obvious? Or maybe I was, and he's just teasing me now. Julius chuckles at my blank expression before stepping aside and motioning for me to come into his room. "Thank you..."

"My pleasure." Pleasure. His words cause a pathetic little shiver to run down my arms. I awkwardly walk over to the couch and sit down, my legs crossed at the ankles. Come on, stay calm! Remember the adrenaline from earlier...

I squeeze my eyes shut and conjure up the heavenly image I was blessed with earlier. Julius, soaking wet, in that little towel, towering above me-

"Are you alright?"

Oops! My eyes pop back open and Julius is standing right in front of me, hands on his hips. I stifle a little scream and quickly nod. Shit! Too much! "Ah- yes, I'm fine, I'm fine, aha-" I rub my face nervously, avoiding his eyes and every other part of his body. He doesn't say anything for a moment, but the silence is so heavy it nearly starts to suffocate me.

This tension...

It's unlike anything I've ever felt with Lawrence. Sex was a chore for me, something I had to do for him because it was my duty. But now... I'm the one who wants it. And I want it more than anything else...

Does he... want it too?

This all happened so fast, over just a couple days. Just last night, I told him my secret, and he accepted me wholeheartedly, bringing us closer together than ever before. Can just one day of this closeness escalate so quickly?

It feels so right... I'll be screwed if anyone finds out, especially Lawrence, but every inch of the universe is telling me to do this.

"Would you like a drink?"

"...yeah. Please."

We sit there together on the couch in silence, and I steal little glances at him every time I sip the glass of wine he graciously gave me. Once, I catch him looking at me, and we both avert our eyes as quickly as we can. The wine is bitter in my mouth, but feels nice and warm as soon as it hits my stomach. Slowly but surely, the silence becomes more comfortable, maybe because of the alcohol. My heart starts to beat a little fast, and I finally draw in a breath in preparation to speak.

"So... I wanted to apologize."

Julius looks over at me, his eyes narrowing with concern. "Huh? What for?"

"For this morning..." I shake my head, guilt starting to bubble up again like a hot spring. Hot springs... damn, I'd like to go to a hot spring with Julius sometime- HOLD ON. Don't think about that right now!!! "The Captain... I'm sure you must feel very embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? Not at all! There's nothing embarrassing about helping a friend out." Friend? Oof. My stomach turns slightly at the word.

"I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if you were," I answer, staring at my wine glass to avoid his gaze. "You took my side, and Hervey just... shot us down."

"...of course I took your side."

His answer isn't hesitant, it's more sure than any phrase I've heard before. I glance over at him quickly to see him staring pensively at the ground. One of his hands rests heavily upon his knee, and I can't help but feel that it's resisting the urge to touch me.

"I still believe you, you know. Hervey is an ignorant old man who doesn't want to face the truth. There's bad eggs in this squad, and I'm going to smoke them out. After you ran off, I went right back to his office and told him that."

Julius finally looks over at me, and his grim expression melts into that warm, gentle smile. Those lips, and those little dimples... they make me weak.

"Something terrible happened to you, and I won't let them win. You're... special to me. And this isn't the first time someone special to me has been hurt this way."

...special? I blink, staring into his eyes as he speaks. His friend who died... I wonder-

"I'm not going to give up on you. I'm with you to the end."

I suddenly become aware that, somehow, his hand moved over, and is now holding mine. I didn't even notice the movement, I was so entranced by his words, but now he's touching me-

My lack of reaction suddenly hits him, and his hand quickly lets go. "Ah- well-" He laughs nervously, a light blush suddenly appearing on his cheeks. "I mean-"

Without really thinking about it, I reach out and grab his hand before he can retract it all the way, and he freezes mid-sentence.

"... Julius... do you really think I'm special?"

It's inconceivable. Julius, who's basically a perfect man, a powerful mage, and vice Captain... he thinks that I'm special?

He looks almost as nervous as I feel as he finally answers.

"Of course I do... maybe this is not my place to say... I know you're engaged and all... but..."

His voice trails off as he looks up to gaze into my eyes again, where he can see just the slightest glimmer of... 

...joy.

I lean in just slightly, and he does too, mirroring my movement without taking his eyes off of mine.

We're going to do it... I'm actually going to do it-

But then, he hesitates, for just a moment.

"...your fianc-"

I don't want to hear about my fiance. I don't want to hear anything. So I cut him off by closing the distance, my lips hitting his to halt his words. Julius freezes up, a little surprised that I made the final move.

It feels like time has stopped. This room doesn't exist anymore. The couch doesn't exist anymore. All there is are his eyes, widened and staring back into mine. But then, finally, even they close, and I close mine as well, letting everything melt away except the warmth from his lips. An arm quickly wraps around me and pulls me closer, so secure and safe, I forget about all the problems plaguing me.

It's bliss. Ecstasy. My first kiss with Lawrence ended with him shoving his tongue down my throat, but Julius is slow and calm, his lips just barely moving against mine yet commanding them perfectly. One of my hands clutches his arm while the other slides up his chest, relishing in the strong, firm muscles there that vowed to protect me. The sight of his skin before made me shut down, but I feel oddly pensive now that I finally have my hands on him.

He's so...

"...perfect."

"Hmm?"

I open my eyes as he pulls back just a little, the word rasping out from the kiss. Julius's eyes crack open a little, and he smiles at me tenderly, one of his hands coming up to caress my cheek. "You're perfect... so perfect." I shiver a bit as his hand slides over my back before hooking around my waist. With one smooth movement, he pulls me onto his lap, our bodies pressed so, so close together. I open my mouth wordlessly as our hips slot together, and-

"I saw how you were looking at me earlier." His voice is suddenly right in my ear as he leans in to kiss teasingly up my neck, and I nearly spasm as his lips ghost around the shell of my ear. His eyebrows pop up for a moment at the reaction, and I feel his grip tighten. "Don't worry... the feeling is mutual..."

"...oh?" It's taking a lot to remain calm right now, opposing forces willing me to either go limp with bliss or start tearing away at him immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about, Julius~"

I feel the hair on his arm stand up at the sound of his name on my lips, barely a whisper. Without much warning, his hand suddenly slides down and grabs a generous handful of my ass, causing me to cry out softly and jerk against his body. I quickly feel my face heating up as he chuckles at the impulse. "You shouldn't tease other men while you have a fiance, you know," Julius whispers in my ear again, having turned the tables with just one movement. His words and touches are still so gentle, but there's a firm undertone to them, letting me know that I'm right where he wants me. "That's so naughty... who knows what I'll do to you?"

"Maybe... you'll do exactly what I want you to do."

It's the truth. Julius pulls back to look at my face again, an almost giddy grin on his face that's both cute and sexy. He's been waiting for this, hasn't he? Waiting for me... I can't help but grin right back. Without another word, our lips crash into each other again, more hungry and heated than before. Julius lets out a soft groan and unexpectedly bucks his hips against mine, drawing a small whimper. Ow... god, he's- oh- My mind starts getting fuzzy as soon as I realize that he's... really turned on right now. His kisses turn almost desperate the longer we paw at each other, one of his hands gripping my ass while the other closes around the back of my neck, holding me there as his lips and tongue just... ravage me.

Ah... this is actually happening...

I rub my hips down into his, which spurs him to suddenly pull his lips from mine. "Look at you... bad girl." He chuckles a little as the phrase halts my movements, and he takes the opportunity to grab the hand that rests on his chest and drag it down his body. "At least do it properly~"

I don't even have to look down to know that he's already pulled his robe apart. My eyes stay fixed on his chest, not daring to travel down his perfect abs as he guides my hand down further... and further...

"...oh-"

Julius lets out a soft breath through his parted lips, his hand helping mine close around his thick-

"You feel that?"

"M-Mhm."

Oh my god...

"What do you think?"

"...big..."

That's an understatement.

Another chuckle vibrates his chest, his hand gently moving mine up and down the shaft. As if he can read the worries that suddenly fill my mind, Julius's voice softens just a little bit.

"Don't worry, it's not going to hurt. By the time I fuck you, you're going to be so wet."

W-wet...

With a stifled groan, his hand starts to speed my movements up.

"Your hands are so soft... so delicate..."

My mind is going fuzzy again.

Fuck...

What feels like a moment later, I'm on my back, him hovering above me. I let out a surprised squeak, since I didn't even notice the movement. "Ah! B-Be gentle-"

I blink, and everything comes back into focus. Julius looks... concerned, almost scared? His robe is tied up again, and he lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh god... are you alright?"

"...what?" I try to sit up, but my head spins and I flop back down. "Wait, what happened? Did we-"

"You passed out, I think..." Julius's hand strokes my hair softly, his expression not changing. "You just suddenly went all cold and limp, and you didn't respond to your name-"

He keeps talking, but the words start to slur together.

I... passed out? What? Why? I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to make sense of it all. It was so hot, being there on his lap with him whispering those dirty things in my ear...

But...

"Hey, hey, don't cry! Ah!" 

Julius freaks out for real this time as tears suddenly bubble up from the corners of my eyes. "I'm sorry! I-I shouldn't have pushed you so far, this is my fault, please-"

"H-Huh?" Julius looks like he's about to start crying too, and I quickly come to my senses. "No! No! It's not your fault, I-" 

Wait, why am I crying? Why did I pass out? I wanted this so bad, but why was I so...

Scared?

It hits me a moment later.

...oh...

"Julius...?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you just... hold me?"

"Yes, of course."

Before I know it, his arms are around me again, holding me close, but this time there's no heated moments... it's chaste. Comforting. Safe...

More tears leak out.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that... that's never happened before."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have made you touch me... it wasn't right-"

"No, no, it was right. I wanted to." I squeeze my eyes shut. "It's just... I think... my body just sort of... shut off..."

Julius is silent for a moment, his hand still stroking my hair softly. "...do you know why?"

"...yeah."

Lawrence...

The tears start to get hot. Bitter.

"My fiance... he's five years older than me... so I had to grow up a lot faster than I should have..."

I don't really need to say any more. I bite my lip to stifle more tears as the arms around me tighten protectively. 

"That's horrible..."

I bury my face in his chest, just relishing his warmth. 

But, Julius... do you have any idea how much you've helped? Just by being here?

"I'm so sorry. I'll be more careful next time, okay?"

Next time...

For some reason, my face starts to heat up with shame. 

"Right... I-I should get going."

"What? I thought you were spending the night here-"

"No one's gonna murder me in my bed, Julius."

I start to pull away, but his grip is much too tight. My weary, exhausted body can't muster the strength to free myself right now. 

"No, you're staying here. I can sleep on the couch of you want, but I don't want to put you in danger."

His lips press against my forehead for a just a moment, but it's enough to make my heart flutter. Such a brief yet tender gesture... yet more love than I've ever received from Lawrence. 

Love...

That word scares me. 

"Alright, fine." I sigh and pull away to scowl up at his handsome face. "You can sleep with me if you want... just please put on some pajamas!"

Despite the seriousness of the moment before, we both burst out into giggles, and I close my eyes when he leans his forehead against mine. "We can talk about all this later... but just know..." His hand squeezes mine gently.

"I'm very, very happy."

His words stick with me long into the night, after we both curl up under his covers for a long sleep. I've never actually slept next to someone before, but it's nice...

Yet, I can't shake the dread that laced this whole evening.

Please... I'm praying... let all this turn out okay.

I finally drift off to sleep, Julius's light snoring soothing my mind as much as his strong arms around me. 

To be continued...

Was this chapter okay? 0.0 LMK what you think!

[ineffablebffs]

1. A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley

Your ship may be coming in

You're weak but not giving in

To the cries and the wails of the valley below

And your ship may be coming in

You're weak, but not giving in

You'll fight it, you'll go out fighting all of them

(You'll be better

You'll be smarter and more grown up

And a better daughter or son)

2. Wake Up by Arcade Fire

Somebody filled up

My heart with nothing

Somebody told me not to cry

But now that I'm older

My heart's colder

I can see that it's a lie

3. Everything is Alright by The Glorious Sons

I'm the closest thing my mother had to a daughter

I used to be ashamed of that but now I'm kind of flattered

I learn that my weakness is a weapon anyway

So I haven't touched a pretty thing in forty days

4. The Mother We Share by CHVRCHES

Come in misery, where you can seem as old as your omens

And the mother we share

Will never keep your proud head from falling

The way is long, but you can make it easy on me

And the mother we share

Will never keep our cold heart from calling

5. BLOODMONEY by Poppy

I know what it feels like

To have my soul sucked out of my body

I finally know what it feels like

To be dead

Your soul can't be saved from the sins you've ignored

And the devil is well aware he is adored

Never forget the excess of a man

Because the grabbing hands always grab what they can

6. Video Game by Sufjan Stevens

I don’t wanna be the center of the universe

I don’t wanna be a part of that shame

In a way, I wanna be my own redeemer

I don’t wanna play your video game

I don’t care if everybody else is into it

I don’t care if it’s a popular refrain

I don’t wanna be a puppet in a theater

I don’t wanna play your video game

7. Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire

People say that your dreams

Are the only things that save ya

Come on baby in our dreams,

We can live our misbehaviour

(Come on hide your lovers

Underneath the covers)

8. Reasons I Drink by Alanis Morissette

I have been working since I can remember, since I was single digits

Now, even though I've been busted

I don't know where to draw the line 'cause that groove has gotten so deep

And nothing can give reprieve like they do

Nothing can give a break for this soldier like they do

9. Black Sheep by Metric

Hello again

Friend of a friend, I knew you when

Our common goal was waiting for the world to end

Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend

You crack the whip, shape-shift and trick, the past again

I'll send you my love on a wire

Lift you up, every time

Everyone, ooh

Pulls away, ooh

From you

10. Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy

We've gone way too fast for way too long

And we were never supposed to make it half this far

And I lived so much life, lived so much life

I think that God is gonna have to kill me twice

(Oops I did it again

I forgot what I was losing my mind about)

11. Red Heart by Hey Rosetta!

Were you born a closed book,

Full of secret lines? (and bound so tight)

Or did you learn to lock it,

As not to break your spine? (oh! you were bound so tight)

Cause you shut up

And you're all shut inside

12. Gay is Not A Synonym For Shitty by Fall Out Boy

I've loved everything about you that hurt

So let me see your moves, let me see your moves

Lips pressed close to mine

True blue

But the prince of any failing empire knows that

Everybody wants, everybody wants

To drive on through the night if it's a

Drive back home

13. Combat Baby by Metric

I want to be wrong but

No one here wants to fight me like you do

Combat baby come back baby

Fight off the lethargy

Don't go quietly

Combat baby

Said you would never give up easy

Combat baby come back

14. It's Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Am Thinking it Must be Love by Fall Out Boy

All the ways you make my stomach turn

And all the long drives

With my friends blur

And I wish I kept them inside my mind

I hide behind these words

(But I'm coming out)

15. Ivy by Frank Ocean

I thought that I was dreamin' when you said you loved me

The start of nothin', I had no chance to prepare

I couldn't see you comin'

The start of nothin', ooh, I could hate you now

It's quite alright to hate me now

But we both know that deep down

The feeling still deep down is good

16. Blue Eyes by Mika

Your heart is broken

To your surprise

You're sick of crying

For blue eyes

(Come, sorrow is so peculiar

Comes in a day, then it'll never leave you)

17. The Fault in Our Stars by Troye Sivan

The weight

Of a simple human emotion

Weighs me down

More than the tank ever did

The pain

It's determined and demanding

To ache, but I'm OK

(You lost

A part of your existence

In the war against yourself)

18. Happy Ending by Mika

Wake up in the morning, stumble on my life

Can't get no love without sacrifice

If anything should happen, I'd guess I wish you well

Mm, a little bit of heaven, but a little bit of hell

(This is the way you left me

I'm not pretending

No hope, no love, no glory

No happy ending)

19. In Our Bedroom After the War by Stars

Wake up, say good morning to

That sleepy person lying next to you

If there's no one there, then there's no one there

But at least the war is over

20. Love Love Love by The Mountain Goats

Some things you'll do for money and some you'll do for fun

But the things you do for love are going to come back to you one by one

Love love is going to lead you by the hand

Into a white and soundless place

Now we see things as in a mirror dimly

Then we shall see each other face to face

~BONUS TRASH TRACKS~

21. The Archers Bows Have Broken by Brand New

What did you learn tonight?

You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing

You're a voice that never sings, is what I say

You are freezing over hell

You are bringing on the end, you do so well

You can only blame yourself, it's what I say

22. All-American Boy by Steve Grand

Ripped jeans, only drinks whiskey

I find him by the fire while his girl was getting frisky, oh...

I say we go this road tonight

He smiles, his arm's around her

But his eyes are holdin' me, just a captive to his wonder, oh...

I say we go this road tonight