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timeslipcamp · 27 days ago

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alright thanks to danie's post i saw we've got some info about the next episode! unfortunately i am a nerd for folklore so i did a deep dive into the festival of tanabata! here's a post about it if you, like me, are american and had never heard of this before

disclaimer: i'm usa born and raised and all information compiled below is just from me researching, so i could be missing different cultural variations/area specific nuances. my studies were unfortunately focused on western folklore. if you have anything to add based on your own stories you've heard, i'd love to hear it!

alright so the episode in english is called lost stars, and the japanese title calls it "the lost child of tanbata." honestly the wikipedia page for the festival is pretty thorough so if you want more in depth info i suggest giving that a read. i also looked into a couple cultural sites just because i was curious about other ways it was celebrated

the star festival ("tanabata") takes place in july. it originally came from a similar festival celebrated in china, and the date moves around based on the region.

spoilers for episode 17: moby says "next month" in reference to the festival, meaning it'll be celebrated in july, since this last episode took place in june. the wikipedia says the dates it was celebrated in 2024 was in august. if they go with july, mc still has a lil more time before her curse. or, if it's in august, she has days. inchresting 👀

the festival that is celebrated in china is similar, and is most likely based on a similar tale. we'll be focusing on the japanese celebration since our story takes place in tokyo

in the original tale, orihime and hikoboshi (also mentioned in one of towa's home screen lines) were two mythological characters who ended up having celestial bodies named after them. in the story, orihime is a weaver who makes many beautiful clothes by the banks of the heavenly river. unfortunately, she's working so hard day and night that she has not had time to meet anyone to marry. her father arranges for her to meet hikoboshi, a cowherd who works on the other side of the river. they fell in love immediately and were married, but due to them now spending time with each other, no weaving nor herding was done. because of this, they were forbidden from seeing each other. orihime pleaded with her father, and he granted her wish that as long as their work was done by the seventh day of the seventh month, they could meet for one day. it was said that magpies use their wings to form a bridge for her to cross to meet him.

according to some sources, there's a few other tales that share similar stories with this one, with a task needing to be met in order to see someone on the celestial side. most of the stories require a feat or a test and travel across a river/lake in order to reach the heavenly area the other person is in.

because of the story, the festival is celebrated based on the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and that can translate to different times. according to wikipedia, in 2024 it was celebrated on august 10th, but this year it will be celebrated on august 29th. the seventh month of the gregorian calendar is july, which is why some places who adhered to the switch will celebrate it then. this website has a nice explanation for how the chinese festival traditions came over back in the 8th century and mixed with the already existing japanese festivals and tradition.

the ways it's celebrated also seem to vary across region, but the main theme is wishes. people write their wishes on paper and hang them on bamboo, creating a wish tree. (one kids celebration site said a good thing to wish for is better handwriting lmao this is so cute) at the end of the festival, the wishes are either burned or set adrift on a river. one website i was reading said that in osaka, people throw lights in a river to make their own milky way

what i think this means for the next episode:

given that moby brought it up, i'm almost wondering if he was implying that we could wish our curse away. however! one site mentioned that there used to be a shinto purification ceremony around the same time as tanabata where a large special cloth was woven (a tanabata) to pray for protection for the crops and a good harvest. big chance for haku to step up if he's there. (the haku girlies seem really sure, and especially after this i think i'm leaning towards a hotarubi + towa episode) towa mentions the tale in his home screen lines and many of the stories involve proving your love, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ very towa episode. either we can make a wish or we could be purified or both!

also theres a traditional tanabata song i hope we hear zenji sing it

"the lost child of tanabata" and "lost stars" kinda makes me think there's going to be some ghost kid or spirit that we need to lay to rest by helping them get back home. one of the versions of the story spoke of a wife that escaped back to the heavens and took her kids with her. perhaps one of them fell (a falling star) and we have to get them back home?

also hey speaking of wishes, where's that god that haru was helping to rehab? how's he doing? is he better yet?

#chimi rambles #tkdb #tokyo debunker #theories #eh theories sure i give a guess for the plot #also this was a super short summary but the links have a lot more info!!#this post feels kinda pretentious ugh

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pallisia · 4 months ago

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more batch asks

thank you every. cut for spoilers

Anonymous asked:

I know you've made a lot of jokes about "you have to be nice to me" and "you've signed the contract" but I am honestly so happy to see a dark, truly cruel character like ysme portrayed in the way you've written her. when you think she won't go lower she sweeps you from a hole under your feet. the swap between perspectives and how others view her makes her actions that much more shocking and enthralling. it's a complete blast to read and makes her such an interesting character. in a time when it feels like more and more writers are wary of making characters too "mean" and the demand for mass appeal can lead to creative limitations to keep viewers engaged, ysme is a breath of fresh air. I love evil girls but even my jaw was on the floor.

thank you very much. but the contract is still in effect

@adair-trashart asked: i have the new soulsov update downloaded im planning on showing it to my other adult friends once our schedules line up >:33333333333

yay! i hope you all have fun.

@braveswordwielder asked:

Hey Soulsov 2 good Thanks for breaking new ground in the talking animals genre

thank you very much. i don't know if i'm breaking new ground exactly, but i'm glad you enjoyed.

Anonymous asked:

I love how past some point ysmé is the kind of person that's exactly the kind of person she says she is, and both her words and actions reflect that, yet still some part of me like Loic wants to see something that most likely is not there. I love every time this happens she rips my heart out and laughs about it. and then it happens again. I love soulsov.

thank you. please look forward to it.

@mobi-gg asked:

Ok I know I signed the contract so I have to go thru with it anyway, but I really do like how you are writing Ysme and her dynamic with Loic. Like she's done some very cruel shit this chapter, but I want to know why she's like this. How much of it is her true nature, how much is a facade or her strategy for rebelling and getting what she wants. Is there some kindness underneath it all in the end? Is it foolish to hope for such a thing? Truly I am acting like Loic rn. As for the rest of the chapter. Amazing. Everyone is so charming and lovable (even Ysme with her.. everything). The music and art were delightful and the pacing??? wow.

thank you so much. i love that this is the same sentiment as the previous ask. i'm glad she's compelling in spite of everything.

Anonymous asked:

Not only am I not mad, I am absolutely delighted by the contents of chapter 2. Good and “bad” alike, the writing is exhilarating, the chemistry between the characters is unparalleled, and adoration of all the art easily doubled my read time. Every time I see the New Friend I spend a solid minute on the verge of tears for my love, I am hoping Ysme gets even worse, I’m ready to see Loic be broken, and also additionally when I got to the “fishing” I thought it was a reference to the World of Ruin fishing mechanic in FF6 and I was TERRIFIED by it but it WAS really funny

thank you very much. i should have added an invisible timer that killed loic offscreen if you took too long.

@notactuallyahat asked:

Chapter 2 was fantastic, thank you so much for creating it! The 'if order has no place for you' line made me tear up a little, and I am amazed how Ysme continuing to be herself and behaving in exactly the way she has always said she will still somehow felt surprising and was very much an emotional gut punch. 10/10, can't wait to reread it also I didn't realize the fishing minigame was just a fishing minigame so my first response was to immediately save in a mild panic

thank you. see! without a fishing minigame, when else would you think to save. it's game design baby

Anonymous asked:

chapter 2 was great. thank you as always for sharing. the tonal shifts between ysmes omnipotence as sexy and fun vs utterly abject are really affecting. very much looking forward to the future horrors. cheers!

thank you for reading!

@fluffycattens asked:

Ysmé......... I thought she was a fun character after chapter 1 but now that I've finished chapter 2 I'm rotating her in my mind, what a cool and normal woman (she's awful and I love her) Thoughts and theories and impatience to learn more about her and the world, your storytelling and in particular your worldbuilding is so good!

thanks so much! please continue rotating her. i will do the same.

@rarmaster asked:

finished chapter 2 and immedaitely sent it to my friends who LOVE women's wrongs. also: wow this was great. i am fondly rotating the prose and dialogue around and around in my heart. your words are just so very good and i like to read them. i also love to see your art, too, of course, so every CG was a treat. ball………. also oh my god (had no idea about tutu's everything and am really basking in it right now) Oh My God.

thank you! i kind of spoiled tutu for longtime followers by posting art of her years ago, but i'm glad she ended up being a total surprise for a lot of readers. i'm glad she is loved.

Anonymous asked:

i don't think i'm going to see the phrase "unrequited love" the same way ever again. masterful stroke with the prose descriptions of pansies and specifically witchgaze: flower that means forcing heartbreak on someone. flower that means forcing shame and obedience. flower that cracks your brain open and pours in self-hatred.

thank you. the witchgaze's meaning went through a lot of different iterations before ending up there. not that we'll ever see it again or anything lol, but if we did i'd say "please look forward to it"

Anonymous asked:

flower that means you broke my heart... flower that means i got really attached to loic and his former [spoiler character]... flower that means kiss him gently he deserves so much better than what he has right now... flower that means i signed the contract and i'm already excited for chapter three!

flower that means yay

#txt #q&a

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aeroblossom · 3 months ago

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yes yes, i know what you're gonna say. let me do it for you. was telling a friend how funny it would be if childe was a moby dick reference. yes it's because i play limbus company and yes, haha, ginger with whale trauma memes, but hey. there is an "all devouring whale". there is a namecard called "whalewrangler". childe wields a spear, which could double as a harpoon. there's an achievement in game called "call me ishmael", which is a bow-related achievement, a moby dick reference, but it's layered. "call me ishmael" is the most famous line from moby dick, but the biblical ishmael is the ancestor of the arabs, and the most famous bowman there was. childe is also a bow-user.

#they both always act like they have it together on the surface #they're both completely batshit insane beneath that #childe #childe genshin impact #tartaglia genshin impact #ishmael lcb #ishmael limbus company

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inkedinserendipity · 1 month ago

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okay. well! that was the first two episodes of the murderbot show! going to walk through what i liked and didn't like below. going pretty heavy on the stuff i didn't like, so if you haven't seen it yet/overall enjoyed it, please do not read! i don't want to spoil anyone's experience. and it seems like the fandom overall is really enjoying the show, which is awesome! (please support martha wells!)

things i loved:

the rise and fall of sanctuary moon! god that was so freaking funny. and the way murderbot pulled lines directly from the show to interact with humans, that was absolutely perfect.

ratthi painting the outside of the habitat! it was such a charming little detail.

the helmet is so freaking cool y'all it looks so good

things i liked:

the comedy was well-done! see aforementioned painting-of-the-habitat.

murderbot's running narration was appropriately exasperated. that's my secunit!

minor detail, but arada referring to murderbot as he and gurathin countering with it. mind, arada thinks she's being kind and gurathin is depersonalizing murderbot, but arada's viewpoint is still an interesting stand-in for the presaux's crew's perspective on murderbot at this point: human-ish, not a robot. a lovely bit of characterization that will be satisfying to see again when the crew changes their minds around exit strategy!

the rise and fall of sanctuary moon is so campy and so bad and i'm so happy with how they did it. the shooting is awful. the acting is awful. it was everything i wanted. (also: sulu!)

(captain did you have sex with that vulcan robot)

things i did not like. oh boy. i'm splitting this into two categories: 1. things i didn't like because they don't track well with the books, and 2. things i didn't like evaluating the show on its own merit.

(2 is basically just gurathin.)

1. things i didn't like because they don't track well with the books:

murderbot got nerfed. like, hard. it didn't bother me until my friend moby pointed out that a scene in episode 2 implies that gurathin controls secunit's access to hubsystem, and that's just...mind-bogglingly wrong. murderbot is hacking everything, all the time. it has to, in order to keep itself safe and not get found out about its governor module!

arada and bharadwaj ignore murderbot's advice. the crew sends mensah and bharadwaj off in the hopper without their secunit. even at the beginning, murderbot's sold (literally) as a discounted unit, and is first introduced to the crew in a strange, undignified pose that immediately nerfs its credibility.

which is frustrating, because one of the major draws of murderbot as a character is that it is competent and it's not even paying attention. it's blasé, it's funny, and it gets shit done. without that, you have...what? a clown?

speaking of which, this murderbot did not feel like book!murderbot at all. there was some comic narration! but not nearly to the level of the book. the pessimistic, tongue-in-cheek narration style that made the books so funny is almost wholly lost in the show's voicetrack and tone, and for me, that's a huge blow.

all systems red the book was about murderbot. episodes one and two of murderbot the show are about gurathin.

mensah's defining characteristic trait is fear. when she's shown on her own, she's having a panic attack. she continues to have panic attacks. she makes stupid decisions and goes off on her own. she does not overrule gurathin's "veto" on bringing murderbot with her. where is the intrepid galaxy explorer that murderbot admired? where is the version of mensah that earned the tag like blorbo from my shows!???

yes, it admired her! even before the start of book one, she was the crew member it admired! and in this show, it doesn't seem to think about her at all, and disappointingly, i get it. this isn't like our mensah at all.

speaking of which, this also nerfs character development following exit strategy. this is behavior we would expect from exit strategy mensah. so when we get to that point, mensah's terror will have no impact on the show's audience, because that's what she's been introduced as: a terrified, pretty voiceless leader who's overshadowed by her skeptics on the crew.

2 things i didn't like based on the show's own merit:

this one's just gurathin, basically. the rest of point 1 ^^ is my disappointment in what the show "could have been" manifesting in words. this one is a real genuine problem with the character choice made with gurathin.

reading about gurathin's rudeness in the book pissed me off; reading about his nigh-sadism in the show made me physically uncomfortable. for someone who just "wants to protect his friends" - for someone who has lived on preservation for six fucking years, and has presumably come to see bots as people - he seems pretty fucking happy to order secunit to do things it doesn't want to do.

he sees murderbot's discomfort and orders it, a command that it cannot refuse, to lean into it. on an emotional level, what gurathin did is the same as the client who burned murderbot's hand in the opening scene. the difference is, murderbot cannot turn down its pain receptors on this one.

this is not the gurathin who provoked murderbot's anger onto himself in order to determine that it wouldn't harm the crew. this was a power play, an act of intimidation, and a revolting willingness to exercise power over another person.

and worse, it worked. murderbot, at the end of eye contact, did not read to me as unimpressed: it read to me as scared.

i despise those sorts of power imbalances in media. i see them in real life; i have lived them; i have no interest in consuming them in media. the show is attempting to paint gurathin as sympathetic. with that one scene, they have lost me entirely. his actions were abhorrent, and were it not for my preexisting love for the source material, my disgust with his character would've been enough for me to drop the show then and there.

#serenblabs #this post is not for people who loved the show! i do not want to ruin your enthusiasm!#this post is for people who watched the show and liked it but maybe also felt very uncomfortable #and couldn't quite articulate why #not maintagging this because i want people to watch the show!#like please get invested in the show! fiscally support martha wells!#i will absolutely be doing so and watching all the episodes #but there were some things that pissed me off and got my hackles up #so the first part of this post is about what i loved #and the second part is a vent about what i did not

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yuri-is-online · 1 year ago

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... so what do we know about the Clash? (pt. 2)

moving right along from part 1

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGH EPISODE 5: HOTARUBI. PLEASE INTERACT WITH DUE CAUTION.

The Laurel Crown is first referenced by Ritsu in Episode 4. It is an award given to the best performing house of the year at an event called the Darkwick Gala. Kaito says it is held one week before graduation, Ritsu says there are a lot of rewards given out to graduating winners. He also very specifically says that it is "the shortest path to success and independence from Darkwick for us ghouls." That word independence strikes me as important, though it is not followed up on here or elsewhere unless you count the discussion surrounding Article 78 in Episode 5. Ritsu thinks that Taiga was interested in it once upon a time due to his impressive mission completion record in his first year. We know Zenji wanted to win the crown to obtain recognition as an author, while most of the other ghouls we've met show a degree of disinterest or lack of knowledge of it. Ren mentions at the end of this conversation that he didn't know about the Gala, and Ritsu points out that despite being canceled it was never removed from last years schedule. It is not not this year's though, and he implies that Cornelius is covering something up. Which really does seem to be the case...

The Crown system was discontinued as a direct result of the Clash... we think. It is never explicitly stated "yeah the Clash happened so we aren't doing this anymore" it's instead alluded to as something they can't do because there are too many ghouls to control. We know it had to be this as Haku tells Zenji that it was discontinued after he died, and Zenji died during the Clash. According to Haku, he was killed by a rogue anomaly. He adamantly discourages MC from looking into the Clash gee why would you do that HAKU and this seems to be a similar stance to what Cornelius would take if he knew you were curious. Cornelius and Moby are reluctant to let Lyca free because "what if we have another case of a ghoul-" We can assume he is going to say "killing" or something along those lines based off the concerns listed about Lyca, but that's not confirmed.

Ritsu finds documents about the Clash in the school's archives. he finds them alongside disciplinary documents, he says he either overlooked them or someone had them checked out as he has not read them before. The file is thick and is specifically titled "The Clash: An Overview of Civil Affairs Instigated by Darkwick Students." The term "civil affairs" is interesting. As best I can tell it is a military term that refers to small scale missions undertaken by small teams that focus on civil action? Like diplomacy stuff? Or organizing humanitarian aid? And in more sinister scenarios to assist in psychological warfare to condition a population to not fight against your military but I don't know if that's what the translation team was going for here exactly. I think it's just meant to imply things got really bad and really violent.

Lastly, this is less easy to prove than some of the other things as fact but I still think it is one: there are hints of a split in the student body over who is pro-anomaly and anti-anomaly. Subaru is obviously very pro-anomaly and thinks that capturing them is cruel, Taiga seems to be pro eating anomalies while Romeo is very comfortable with catching them and collecting bounties. A lot of this seems to be tied to how they view the school, the Institute that runs it, and their place in that hierarchy. The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that they are trapped at Darkwick and don't want to be. At least not forever.

So to re cap all of the things we know to be fact: the Clash happened sometime last year, half a year ago at the absolute latest. The fight is thought to have been started by the ghouls, we do not know over what. The Laurel Crown system and the Darkwick Gala were both canceled after the fallout of the Clash, in which at least two named people are thought to have died: Zenji Kotodama who would have been a second year Hotarubi student and Dante whose former role is unknown. Zenji still resides in the school as a ghost, though this is unknown to Darkwick staff, and Dante has been brought on as a Professor. Also, all of the Inspectors seem to have quit at the end of the previous year due to the ghouls abusing mesmer matches on them. Three dormitories were disbanded at some point and one new one was created. We do not know if this was connected to the Clash or if it was an inciting incident for it, but at some point Clementia, one of those dormitories, was the scene of some sort of fight. Some of the students of Dionysia dorm went missing, presumably the ghouls. We know nothing about what happened to Ultio aside from the prison they were tasked with running now being run "by Darkwick." All general students from these dorms were re-assigned elsewhere, as were the general students previously assigned to Jabberwock who had general admissions halted. There is a spy amongst these ghouls who Taiga believes is intending to make them look bad; Alan and Tohma are attempting to isolate this spy. We do not know who this spy is spying for, or what Alan and Tohma want out of him exactly, nor do I really expect to find out anytime soon.

So. Now onto the Questions and Theories. As in things we can assume but cannot exactly prove:

Questions and Theories

Jiro and Zenji look extremely similar with a few noticeable differences, namely the piercings Jiro has and the glasses Zenji wears. My first thought was that maybe Jiro was made out of Zenji's corpse, but his birthday is listed as October 13th, which is not the middle of the year by any stretch. They also have different blood types; I think the most practical explanation comes from Zenji himself. When describing why he's so attached to the haunted doll you've found, he says it looks just like his brother did when he was a baby. I have some screenshots of Zenji following Jiro around in a campus event because he wants to help him find something he's looking for, so it does make a bit of sense. And make me even more sad.

The Institute that runs Darkwick seems to be deeply suspicious of ghouls and feel a need to keep them on a short leash. There is a great deal of distrust and resentment between the ghouls and the Institute, and the Clash seems to have been the result of that distrust. The thickness of the records Ritsu finds suggests to me that whatever the Clash was exactly, it took up most of the previous year and that it had something to do with Darkwick's treatment of anomalies.

On that point, I think that Clementia was likely destroyed by a rogue anomaly. The destruction MC sees is described as something going on a rampage, and not as a fight. The fight angle is still possible of course, and if that's the case I wonder if it has something to do with how Ultio was running the prison. I mentioned in the previous post that the goddesses these dorms are named after are meant to sort of balance each other out, so if there was going to be a clash of ideals between anyone on campus it'd probably be these guys.

I feel like Obscuary was set up as a result of the Clash? Or at the very least some time before it specifically so there would be some place for Rui and Ed to go. I think the dorm members will all be crossed with an anomaly in some way, Ed with a vampire, Rui with a reaper, and Lyca with a werewolf. Also, Ed is rumored to have done something. What? No fucking clue, don't even know if it's related to the Clash but still he has done something to get added into the rumor mill.

We don't know what Haku's stigma is as he didn't tell us. He also makes a point of saying that he thinks it's a good thing to get through a mission without using your stigma, if anything he seems to discourage the MC from using or relying on the ring to help the ghouls. You could see this as him trying to encourage her to value herself more, or maybe he thinks that there is a cost for using stigmas we don't know about just yet and they're not the blessings the ghouls think they are. Also he asks Cornelius if he has ever lied to him at the end of the chapter and if you think I didn't find that sus as all hell-

I need to sleep, but remind me to make a post about Haku sometime. Because I don't think he's evil exactly, but I do still think he's the spy.

#tokyo debunker #tdb #tdb theory #tokyo debunker theory

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autisticgaypirates · 10 months ago

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hello dubai!

if i had to choose one song to play on repeat for the rest of my life, it'd be bambi by clairo. if you don't know this song, please for the love of ellie and mason go listen to it

it makes me feel.. a lot. it's very much a bittersweet song, mostly about clairo's relationship with the music industry and management. however, a lot of the lyrics can be interpreted to refer to a romantic relationship... y'all already see what's going on

the lyric i always scream while crying is "rushing so i can beat the line, but what if all i want is conversation and time?" GOD it's just oh my god

so! here's a short thing i wrote about ace regarding that line. uhhh no warnings i don't think. there's like suggestive stuff implied but no actual freaky deaky type shit. not sad enough to angst but y'know. yeah that's about it tbh. i also don't know the word count since i wrote this in my notes app :3 please ENJOY 💜

"rushing so i can beat the line..."

was he a heartthrob? no. did he have women begging at his feet to be with him? no. however, was always able to get what he wanted? with his crooked smile and dark eyes, absolutely.

you've had your eyes on ace ever since you stepped onto the deck of the moby dick. it felt kind of wrong, considering whitebeard saw you all as his children, but there was no actual blood relation so it's fine... right?

your biggest fear is him viewing you as a sister. you would rather him hate your guts and fight the urge to kill you every time he sees you than have him see you as a sister. all you wanted was one chance with him, no intimacy required.

your fear heightens as you approach the new island. he always brings some random drunk broad onto the ship and fucks her senseless. she always leaves before he wakes up, and he can't even attempt to find her. he didn't even learn her name. he copes by finding another drunk broad, acting as if monogamy would kill him.

if he's always this horny and desperate, then it's obvious that there was no hope for you. you were the only girl on the ship, why wouldn't he take advantage of that?

you rest your arms across the railing of the ship, feeling sick to your stomach as you see an island in the distance. you groan as your forehead falls onto the railing as well, hiding your face from everyone and everything surrounding you.

a rough, calloused, and incredibly warm hand touches your shoulder, completely exposed from the [f/c] tank top you wore. you jerk your head up at the unexpected feeling as a gasp of shock leaves your lips. you hear a familiar laugh attached to the hand.

"didn't mean to scare ya there, [y/n], my bad." it was ace. you turn and see his bright smile, face slightly flushed from the guilt of startling you.

you smile and shake your head. "it's okay, you didn't mean it." you turn to face him as his hand leaves your shoulder. "so..." you say awkwardly, leaning back against the ship's railing. "you need anything from me?"

what kind of stupid fucking question is that?

"yeah, i do actually," ace says optimistically. "come explore the island with me today. i heard there's some cool shops to check out, like jewelers and stuff. you're into that, right?" he points to the necklace you were wearing. you look down, forgetting you even had it on. you look back up at him, giggling a bit.

"yeah, yeah that'd be fun," you say as calmly as possible. there's no way he wants to take you to a jewelry store... maybe you're overthinking this but that's a bit much for the first real time you two are alone, no?

the ship suddenly stops, reaching the dock that leads to the island's entrance. ace still stands in front of you, but his eyes are now on what he can see of the island instead of you. he begins to grin as he gets excited.

"ah yeah, let's go!" he says excitedly, grabbing your hand and dragging you along.

he held your hand until the end of the dock. you'll count that as a win.

hours pass, and after a day of meeting new people and seeing new places, it was time to unwind. it was getting dark, and you weren't familiar with what went on on this island, so you stayed close to ace. he didn't seem to mind, though.

you watch as he navigates the area, looking for a bar of some sort. his eyes stop on a bar with a large crowd of people in it, drunkenly dancing to the live music that played from the small stage inside.

"i forced you to be my friend all day, so the least i can do is get you a drink," he tells you, turning his heels to walk into the bar.

friend.

as long as it's not sister.

the crowd of people was bigger than you anticipated, making you slightly anxious. there were a lot of women there, and all of them were wearing just enough clothes to not get arrested for nudity. all of them looked at be at least 10 years older than him, but neither the women nor ace seemed to care. you were right around his age. it was just unfortunate at this point.

you studied the room deeply, the insecurity building up. you got so lost in your own anxiety that you didn't even notice ace walk away to buy you a drink and bring it to you. the glass in front of your face snapped you out of your trance; you needed this shot badly.

"bottoms up, buttercup," he tells you. he gives you a wink before downing it in one swig. you do the same. "alright [y/n]," ace says, staring into the crowd. "let's go find people for us to bring back to the ship tonight."

he walks away.

you stand and watch him.

you stand and watch him and become enraged with yourself for being so pathetic. you go to the bar top and leave your empty glass there, tipping the bartender a couple of berri (and a hair tie) that you found in your pocket.

you don't take your eyes off of him in that crowd. you march into it before he gets swallowed by the sea of people. you know that once he's in that crowd, he'll find a pretty pair of cougar tits and bring them onto the moby dick.

you manage to grab a hold of his hand just before you lost him entirely. you pull him out of the crowd, not caring if he accidentally hits someone. he wasn't even fully in the crowd yet and were already able to sense the eyes of women on him.

you had to rush to beat the line that you knew was already forming.

"woah, [y/n]," he says, stumbling towards you. "what's going on? you okay? do you w-"

you kissed him. you shut him up. your hand migrated from his palm to his face, cupping it softly as you leaned into it. you felt his fingertips on your leg, right at the bottom of your overly short shorts.

you released the kiss, looking at him while the realization of what you had done hit you. you felt panic rise within you, your breathing beginning to stagger. you backed away from him, your eyes glossy. you wanted to run.

so you did.

~~~~

"... but what if all i want is conversation and time?"

you sat on the edge of the dock by the moby dick. your whole crew, with the exception of you and ace, were done for the night. you had no idea what time it was. you didn't care. nothing felt real, but it also felt too real.

hugging your knees, you watched the ocean's horizon as tears stained your face. the moon gave the ocean such a melancholic glow, the stars peppering it with their subtle shine.

"[y/n]!" a voice behind you yells. you don't even look. you recognize ace's voice immediately. you hug your legs tighter into you, as if this position would somehow make you smaller and harder to see. beside you appears two heavy boots. wearing those boots is the last person you want to see right now. he taunts that thought by bending down beside you.

"y'know i actually started chasing after you right away," ace says, looking into the horizon like you do. "there was just this one crazy lady who, i swear, she had to be at least 50, she just wouldn't get her paws off of me, i could've sworn she had a husband based on-"

"why should i fucking care about this?" you whisper to him. although it was a whisper, it was said in a sharp enough tone to slice through wood. ace looked surprised, he's never heard such a tone from you. he lets out a nervous laugh in response.

"oh my god," he says, laying down on the dock with his legs dangling off the edge. he smacks his forehead with his palm. "oh my god, you're so right." his hand moves down his face and over his mouth. "ughhhhhhh." his hands rests on his chest now. you look to see him gently scratching below his adam's apple. he was nervous.

you felt guilty. ace never feels nervous. he's always so confident and prideful. you fucked up, to put it lightly.

"i'm..." you start, looking at him. "i'm sorry for, y'know, kissing you. especially out of nowhere in front of all those women. i just... ace, i've always had a thing for you and my biggest fear was that you saw me as a sister. i still don't know if you do, so that kiss could've possibly felt like kissing your sister. fuck, that's disgusting." you look away, weeping softly. "i'm sorry ace. i'm sorry for the kiss and for this over-honesty."

"what?" ace says, sitting up. "why are you apologizing?" he has an amused smile on his face. "i thought it was great! i mean, a kiss from a pretty girl who i literally travel the world with?"

"yeah, but there were still so many women in there that i'm sure you'd rather-"

"are you kidding?! first of all, based on the one interaction i had with someone at that bar, i probably would've come back with nothing and no one. and second... just, no. no, i wouldn't prefer a one-night stand with some thirty-something year old. i actually..." he began to blush. he looked down and let out a small laugh. "i actually wanted to get more, y'know, intimate with the kiss, but i didn't want to push any boundaries."

you sat there, a blushing mess. you idiot, why do you automatically assume the worst?! you even felt his hand on your hip as you kissed him!

"oh... yeah..." you say with a nervous smile. "i did feel your hand. it was nice." your blush faded as you began to think again. "so, if you'd rather me than some one-night stand, what took you so long? and, like, what do i have that they don't?"

"honestly, i had the same fear as you- being seen as a brother." he made a disgusted face at the thought of that. it made you giggle. "and the difference is that you actually know me. i know we were never that close until today, but you have so much offer and i can't believe i always threw that away."

"so," you say with a sly grin. "what exactly is it that i have to offer?" you didn't even have to know. you just wanted to.

"all i ever wanted was conversation and time."

"... that's it?"

"well yeah!" he says, a little too excited. "i mean, i can't even tell you those ladies' names, and i managed to spend an entire day with you without getting bored once. i don't care about a killer body or a doll face, those are just plus sides that you happen to have."

you smile at the fact that he thinks your face and your body are pretty.

a moment of awkward yet positive silence passes.

"so..." you ask shyly. ace raises his eyebrows at you. "you wanna kiss again?"

ace smirks, standing up quicker than you've ever seen him. he reaches his hand out for you to grab, and he pulls you up to stand face to face with him. he bites his lip as he smiles. both of his warm hands give your ass a hard smack.

"i have a better idea," he says with lust in his eyes. he throws you over his shoulder and hops onto the moby dick with ease. you've both been anticipating this night forever, and it was finally here.

who knew that this could all start with just conversation and time.

~~~~

bambi = onika

by clairo = burgers

#one piece #one piece fanfiction #portgas d ace #portgas d ace x reader #portgas d ace fanfiction

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anonymousbeeblurr · 3 months ago

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@burningskysofcybertrom

For some reason I couldn't tag the user but I'll try again later

Mirror is a very scared cardbot because he is afraid of people using his powers even though cardbots would never do that

He has attacks and the most dangerous is the Mirror Prisa where if Cardbot stays there for too long he can end up turning into a mirror with his reflection(the only way to release the cardbot trapped in the mirror is not by breaking it, but by making the mirror end up laughing because he feels more relieved and ends up releasing the opponent who remains unconscious for 1 hour or until the doctor uses some medicine to wake up the cardbot that was trapped there and if you break the mirror the cardbot will be in pieces and the parts of his body will be scattered throughout the city... and it will be almost a challenge to try to find them)

It has white and metallic colors because it refers to a portable mirror and it is also the same height as the blue cop, being a little thinner and it has a scarf around its neck because it awaits memories of an old human friend who was a grandpa

Friendship relationships: Blue cop, Jun Grant, Anna, Fleta Z, Buffalo Crush, Black Hook, Heavy Iron, Theo and Crest

It's a Fiat Mobi with mirror marks on the hood and doors

Your communicator has a mirror symbol that is more round and has no edges

He has an extra hand on his back and it is used to hold back attack

On her head is a small yellow jewel that symbolizes a crystal that sits on top of a jeweled mirror

His favorite thing is to make mirrors using sand. He spends most of his time at the beach, sometimes staying in the sea to calm down from his fear because the sea temperature is refreshing

He is introverted and is afraid of socializing because he thinks everyone wants his power

From time to time he enters the mirror dimension and stays there for a long time and the portal remains open, that is, it does not close

He does not become a mirror in that dimension because he created that dimension through changes he suffered in his body after being hit by the radiation he suffered after falling into a well with nuclear radiation

From today I will show the attacks!

What is marked in blue is not the mirror

Normal attacks will be purple

red and metal card

Oranges are abilities that can happen with feelings

Mirror Prison an attack that traps the enemy in another dimension and if he stays there for too long he turns into a mirror that the mirror can look at

vengeful reflection Creates a copy that repeats the same movement of the opponent as if it were a reflection of him and he also copies the lines to leave the opponent very confused

Total rage where the mirror becomes extremely aggressive and he becomes out of control and ends up generating shards of glass extremely capable of cutting the opponent and this lasts until someone calms him down by saying words that make him calmer and he ends up losing his memory in the process

Return an attack that generates a huge mirror shield that only breaks with laser attacks or arrows and it ends up reinforcing itself for the time it lasts but this can make the mirror a little too nervous

Support arm where the back arm comes out to use as a defense or for attacks since it generates shards of glass to attack opponents while the mirror defends itself

Violent reflex when the fury is fully active it generates super attacks that damage the person a lot and he gets faster arriving it appears that he teleported but he becomes weak because he does not defend himself so it is easy for the enemy to attack if it were not for the fact that he is very fast (I forgot to mention if he has master breath he does not allow the mirror to go back to master breath)

fear of the mirror reflection with fear creates mirrors that create the greatest fear of the opponent and he ends up taking advantage of this to run away and when he thinks he is far enough away he retreats and ends up resting because this uses up a lot of his energy

Distraction stained glass mirror creates a glass being totally resistant to attacking with glass and he keeps repeating lines and he can change shape several times

I hope you liked it

#metal cardbot oc #metal cardbot #mcb #oc

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magicalgirlsirin · 1 year ago

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hi rly enjoyed ur post on elysian realm! ik ur a new fan (i am too) but i heard that before retcon, elysia was a lot more morally gray. would you happen to know how exactly?? im rly curious bc i think it would be a severe improvement obviously. we deserve complex women who do wrongs

So when I say retcon in relation to the elyrealm arc it's less so "things they changed because of the story evolving and wanting to expand previously established events" and more "things they straight up forgot about in service of making Elysia a herrscher". It's not like hi3 is a stranger to retcons though?

For example, Durandal being the "original" Kiana is a retcon. The fact that our Kiana was a clone remained the same, but it's clear from older story stuff (iirc it's Everlasting Memory/Theresa's chronicle set?; second eruption manga doesn't focus on the Kiana part) that Durandal wasn't originally there. Otto refers to Kiana as K-423, and that Theresa needs to retrieve her, which implies that Theresa knows it's not Siegfried and Cecilia's kid, but her distress remains the same. The later game retcon by Thus Spoke Apocalypse is that OG!Kiana and Siegfried were going to go retrieve K-423, but OG!Kiana ended up injured and so Siegfried only left with K-423. And if you're confused then so am I because the details don't really super line up with the presentation, but it's like, fine, because at the end of the day the current writing intention and trajectory is for Durandal and Kiana to be sisters, and to both be Siegfried's daughters.

Anyways, for Elysia, a lot of her retcons occur in a very rapid pace from the first realm chapter set to Elysium Everlasting. Like I mentioned in my last post, the herrscher reveal is nonsense just going off of basic information like the fact she received MANTIS surgery like all the other Flame Chasers. However, there are other plot threads that are completely dropped for the sake of making Elysia a very special good girl who you should love because she's so nice and never did anything bad.

[About Betrayal 1 - Chapter 2]

[About Betrayal 2 - Chapter 2]

Elysia the traitor plot is something I was, well not hopeful for (a friend had already warned me that the game wouldn't do anything interesting with it] but I still ended up mulling it over a lot because it was such an interesting hinge piece for her initial presentation.

What stands out to me is the phrasing. Kevin says she never endangered humanity even if she was a traitor. Kevin says that Elysia made a decision. This implies agency, like Elysia was actively choosing to do something dangerous for the sake of the Flame Chasers. However, if Elysia was a herrscher from the beginning, then none of this makes sense. She doesn't choose to be a herrscher if she was one from the beginning, so why even make it seem like her betrayal was her choice at all?

[Traitor - Chapter 1]

It doesn't stop there though. Mobius' active disdain implies that whatever choice Elysia made, it was enough to make Mobius of all people consider her a lost cause. Mobius, who body mods and injects honkai energy into anyone with a pulse (hyperbole) to try and make humanity last just the slightest bit longer.

[Traitor - Chapter 1]

Mobius wants us to doubt Elysia's intentions. If you go through all their shared information, you'll find that the worst Elysia really does is just... coerce Mobi to wear pink dresses, and while that is obnoxious, it wouldn't warrant utter contempt for Elysia as a person.

There's actually a lot of stray text that implies there's something wrong about Elysia's existence, which I guess in generous terms could be interpreted as setup for the herrscher reveal? But it just feels like it's just there to add to the mystery that won't go anywhere.

[The Blind Spot - Recollection]

This right here nags at me. Deeply so. Elysia isn't so much a character as much as she is just a concept, the idea of a story that could be told. Not even in the canon-compliant weird endgame hook meta-textual breakout in Transcending Finality about the power of stories... Although, there's a way to introduce it here and tie it to Elysia to give some semblance of connectivity.

I went this long without actually giving my thoughts on how to make Elysia's writing good though. Disclaimer for clarity sake I know not everyone will agree with the changes I want to make and I'm also not claiming to be a more skilled writer than anyone in the hi3 team, they're all people with enough talent to be employed by the company.

That out of the way.

This isn't so much about making Elysia morally grey as much as it is about giving her an emotional core, because right now she's pretty hollow. Rather than a pristine girl who never did anything wrong, I'd rather cast her as a romantic, tragic heroine who would move heaven and fate just to seem noble.

Elysia was born human. Maybe she loved stories, and how they transported her to far off places, far far far away from the tiny town she was growing up in. When she was old enough, she traveled the world. Honkai descends. Because she was a globe trotter she ended up connected to many people, and was given the chance to join the MOTH organization. She gets MANTIS surgery. As the number of soon-to-be Flame Chasers grow, discussion begins about if the strength of the soldiers is enough.

'Maybe, if I had power comparable to a herrscher, we could fight with less casualties.'

She doesn't say this out loud, of course. It's a dangerous thought, a line that shouldn't be crossed. But she's curious. She breaks into Mobius' lab [Miss Pink Spy - Pristine Memory] to find the information she wants. Mobius figures out her intentions and warns Elysia off. It's not even in consideration, so keep whatever plan you have in mind off the table before you do something irreversible.

Mobius thought that Elysia gave up on the plan after the seventh erruption. The haunted look behind Kevin's eyes, the sadness creasing Elysia's face, all of it makes it seem like a simple consideration forgotten by the sands of time.

Elysia doesn't have a discipline. She told Dr. Mei it wasn't needed since her combat performance was well above standard margins anyways. (She is on par with Kevin in strength, after all.) At least, we all thought she didn't. A deal is made with Aponia.

Aponia, Aponia, apostle of fate, I offer you my 'humanity' to become a 'story'.

Elysia cannot receive any more disciplines. The target has to be "human". Elysia as a story, unchanging, pristine, capable of remaining as she is without blemish, can reach out and become a herrscher while remaining herself. She's desperate. She wants to help. She reaches into the deep, the start of the universe, and gathers the power. She names it Origin, since it's something she found at the source.

She's a herrscher.

Herrschers are an enemy of humanity.

Kevin runs her through with Shamash.

Elysia is still herself though, talking like she would as usual.

-Oh Kevin, I wanted to know if your tears would freeze, but I was hoping it wouldn't be like this. They're so warm, though. Thank you for crying for me.

-I see no herrscher here, just... the flame chaser, bearing the signet of ego.

The Elysian Realm keeps a secret. Aponia keeps it, the fact that Elysia gave up her humanity. The final banquet? A polite way to refer to Elysia's own demise.

It's sad, isn't it? That strength she wanted to give fell right through her fingers. Her own undoing, the desperate plan of a foolish girl who wanted to be a hero, but only ending up as a villain to oppose. It's so much more meaningful, then, that Elysia's gift, the power of sapience, is kept on to the next cycle of humanity. Held again, the power of ego, of humans, to someone with a kind heart to move beyond the past she's trapped in. Thank you, Raiden Mei, for carrying on the ideals of the thirteen trailblazers, the moths who chase the flame.

so anyways yeah i think elysia couldve been interesting whos to say

#dazzling nova #honkai impact 3rd #raiden mei #kevin kaslana #hi3 elysia #elysian realm #bianka ataegina #kiana kaslana

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angelbroad · 8 months ago

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"I saw your eyes light up"

Type: Fanfiction

Fandom: One Piece

Characters: Sir Crocodile/Wani, Monkey D. Dragon

"Honestly, can you even tuck a sail?"

Monkey D. Dragon found himself laughing at his fellow crewmate's comment. In truth, he was not as strong as her. He was working on it, but until then, he'd have to suffer through her comments.

"Hey, I'm working on it, Wani.", he said.

The girl rolled her eyes and offered him a hand. He had fallen trying to tuck the sails.

"I'm surprised Captain even let you on the ship.", Wani commented as she walked off.

Dragon followed her, "I think it's my charm."

Now that made Wani snort, "Oh please, you're about as charming as a plank of wood adrift in the ocean."

Dragon placed a hand on his chest and feigned hurt, "Ow, Wani. My feelings."

"Stay hurt.", she said.

"Hey...", Dragon realised, which had Wani turn to look at him with curiosity. "I saw your eyes light up."

Wani and Dragon both stopped walking, and after a moment of silence the girl shook her head and continued walking off.

"Y-You just saw the sun reflecting in my eyes!"

"Well, you do have great eyes!", Dragon called out as he speed walked after her.

Despite Wani not appearing very interested in being around the young man, Dragon really liked her. Truth be told, this strong woman from the Grand Line had stolen his heart, but he'd rather bottle his feelings up unless he wanted to go and see Whitebeard about it. That girl's father was a frightening man indeed.

"Is this about the sails?", he asked.

"Try learning that first and then maybe I'll talk to you."

It was Dragon's eyes' turn to light up.

"Hey, I'm gonna be a really strong man someday! You have my word."

"You have weird dreams.", Wani said.

"Oh, yeah? What's yours, Wani?"

"What?"

"Your dream."

By that point, the two had slowed their pace to a halt, their figures bathed in the orange light of the setting sun. The deck of the Moby Dick was mostly empty, leaving the two somewhat alone. Wani looked at the setting sun, her dark hair brushing her face as the wind twirled them around like the hand of a lover.

"I'll get out of here.", Wani said after a while, Dragon listening intently, "I'll be the captain of my own ship."

"Sounds ambitious.", Dragon commented.

"Your dreams are too simple, Dragon.", Wani said.

"Yours are too.", Dragon responded as he sat down to look at the sun, "Shouldn't be too hard to leave."

"You'd be surprised. Not every pirate can leave a crew and become a captain successfully."

"If you manage to do that, would you have to fight your pops in the future?"

Dragon had never seen Wani call Whitebeard 'dad', he was always referred to as 'Captain'. Not just by Wani, but by all his kids. Maybe it was tough love, it's not like Dragon had the best relationship with his own dad either. Look at him, a pirate with a Marine dad. Who would have thought.

"Maybe I will.", Wani responded, "Because being just a captain is not my goal."

"Then what is, Wani?"

Wani looked down at Dragon, hands on her hips. "I am going to be King of the Pirates."

Dragon looked up at her with a sense of awe, "That is...wow-that is really a dream."

"Which I will make a reality.", Wani said, clutching her fist with determination, "Gol D. Roger has only set the bar higher after his execution, and I'll work my damn hardest to achieve that dream."

"You know, a lot of people are after that dream too.", Dragon said. He was not trying to discourage Wani, he was simply a curious man. He'd never wish to have that light in Wani's eyes die out.

"Those people will have to rip that dream from my corpse in order to discourage me.", Wani said, not the least bit discouraged, "And if I can become the King of the Pirates, you can learn to tie a knot."

"Hey! I know knots!"

Wani laughed, "Just the basics."

"Then why not show me yourself, huh?"

Wani looked down at him, "Heh, sure. Knot lessons with Wani."

She walked off, and Dragon got up to follow her.

"Show me your ways, King of the Pirates!"

This could be the start of a truly amazing relationship.

#fictober24 #one piece fanfiction #sir crocodile #trans crocodile #monkey d dragon #dragodile #one piece au #flamingo piece au

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battlefrankies · 3 months ago

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big list of marco writing notes from canon & supplemental materials (for reference, mainly for myself but anyone's free to use. will probably be updated as we find out more)

basic stats origin: grand line blood type: X (A) age: 45 birthday: 5 october height: 203cm bounty: 1.374.000.000 favorite food: pineapples position: first division commander of the whitebeard pirates

joined whitebeard sometime between god valley (7y) and the moby dick washing up on wano (15y), has been on the WBP crew for at least 30 years (963)

oden went to travel with roger when marco was 19, he and izou are the same age and have birthdays very close together (966, vivre cards)

roger executed when he was 21

had an interest in navigation and sea charts as a child, but his role on the moby dick is ship's doctor and first division commander (sbs, ch909)

WBP division commanders are all the same rank, but marco is considered whitebeard's right hand man & confidant

he's always been a little nerd, and supports the crew with knowledge and insight in addition to battle power (vivre card)

'very beloved among members of the crew for his nice and welcoming personality' (vivre card)

between 23-25y, had swordsman phase while he defended fishman island (645)

is able to heal others to a limited extent as well as to regenerate from his own injuries

in his first appearance he's ending most sentences with -i (kai, dai, roi), but by marineford it's been cut down to just statements ending in 'yoi', not sure if this will carry over in wit piece remake or if his verbal tic is gonna be retconned. i don't usually write this in cause it's hard to translate tho lmao

although the news reports that the whitebeard pirates instigated the payback war out of revenge, marco explicitly says that they clashed with blackbeard because BB was coming after whitebeard's territories and they fought to defend them. the circumstances are unclear, but it is reported that they suffered a crushing defeat although it appears most of the crew and even the allies are still alive, just scattered

the little girl whose sphinx he healed is called 'oidee', and she considers him a very close friend 😭

he keeps cheese inside his house for guests?!

perospero has some kinda grudge against him lmao

jozu is three years younger than marco and vista is two years older.

#one piece #op meta #phoenix marco

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gouraminnow · 6 months ago

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Opening Up

Thatch and Rue (OC) | on AO3

There's a new guest on the Moby, welcomed aboard after saving Whitebeard's beloved dog... and then made to stay, after her adamant refusal to allow Marco to examine and treat her, despite her very visibly concerning physical condition. Irate, stubborn, and refusing to mingle or receive the help she won't admit she needs, Thatch is still determined to break the ice. (Character is Nonbinary, but referred to as she/her from Thatch's perspective until a slip of the tongue leads them to coming out.)

Warnings: Misgendering technically, more accurate description is that they're closeted. No deliberate transphobia on the part of the crew. Disability/chronic illness though that's not the focus, just the reason they don't get to leave.

This mini fic originally started at the "What's on your mind?" line but I thought I should add context to their presence on board so I tacked it on in front lol

The new guest on the Moby Dick is… something else, Thatch thinks. Rueri, or Rue, as she more often goes by, looks… ill. Pallid skin that bruised distressingly easily, the unsteady way she swayed on her feet, and the eyebags that always accentuated her pointed glare. Painfully skinny, too, and with plentiful gray streaks even at her young age. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with the lot of them, originally. Ace had seen her slumped over at some restaurant, and because he was concerned, had walked right over and sat himself down at the same table. She already wasn’t happy to be bothered, but then when it came time to pay the bill, Ace of course intended to dine-and-dash. But since he sat with Rue, they assumed he was with her, and tried to wrestle the bill out of her, instead. One thing led to another, and Ace did as he does and dashed- with an ornery, sickly stranger slung over his shoulder, tossing expletives like confetti.

The rest, Thatch experienced first-hand. Ace had set Rue down by the time he’d met up with him and Marco at the agreed upon rendezvous place but the look on her face was utterly murderous. Not that it swayed anyone much, they were preoccupied with how sickly this spiteful little thing clearly was. Marco himself quickly took interest in her condition but she had no interest in any of them- her attitude only faltering in the presence of Stefan, who’d accompanied Thatch for a jaunt off the ship. Did a complete 180, actually, immediately dropping to the ground with a grin to love on the dog.

The dog was the whole reason she was on the damn boat, actually.

When some ambitious but foolish bounty hunters decided to try their luck, Rue wanted nothing to do with the ensuing fight and opted to try and slink away. Which was understandable. Everyone present sort of assumed she couldn’t fight, anyway. Ace moved to cover her retreat, decent enough to feel a little guilty for what he dragged her into. But then everyone heard it. A bang, a shrill, gut-wrenching yip, and subsequent awful whining of an injured dog. Stefan had been shot, and whether it was deliberate or not didn’t matter. Nobody was playing anymore. And Rue, eyes fearfully wide, rushed back towards them all, back into danger, to crouch by Stefan’s furry body, reaching him before Marco could. Marco couldn’t do any healing without removing the bullet first anyway and they didn’t have the tools or the time. But luckily, whatever Rue’s ability was (she refused to elaborate) prevented the dog from bleeding out long after the skirmish ended, and while they’d carefully transported Pop’s beloved pet back to the Moby Dick. And as soon as they got there, and into the infirmary, Rue collapsed. Trembling, breathing harshly, unresponsive to any of their questions… her powers took a toll on her, and she passed out shortly thereafter.

Once things had cooled down, Thatch was sure to check on her while she was still in the infirmary. She laid in bed, breathing laboured even as she slept. Her sweater had been removed, leaving her in a tank top- which revealed the top of a massive, Y-shaped surgical scar that went right down the center of her chest. Marco had found some out-dated cardioversion pads in her bag, too- devices meant to correct arrhythmias, Marco had said with a grim look on his face. There were no injuries other than the mishap with Stefan, who likely would have died if Rue hadn’t had a soft spot for canines. And to nobody’s surprise, this favor earned Whitebeard's gratitude, while the result of her stunt earned Marco’s increased concern. Thatch wasn’t there for the meeting she and Marco had with Oyaji, but he heard about it afterwards. It was… tense. First, questions were asked about her devil fruit, but she was tight-lipped about it. Said she wasn’t sure when pressed, offered that it was some sort of stasis ability, but neither Pops nor Marco were convinced. Rue was offered treatment from Marco in return for what they did but she outright refused. Rue insisted that she already knew what the problem was. And that Marco couldn’t do anything.

Thatch had let out a low whistle when he heard that. Denying Oyaji’s act of gratitude and casting doubt on Marco’s skills in one move certainly was bold of her. One that made Marco just as frustrated as he was concerned. Needless to say, Rueri was not permitted to leave the Moby until they accepted the crew’s thanks in the form of an exam and whatever subsequent treatment. Thatch wondered if part of the issue had to do with inadvertently placing Rue’s treatment on the same level as the dog’s, but didn’t say anything.

It had been a couple weeks, and she hadn't warmed up. The carefree attitude towards her abrasive demeanor only seemed to push her away more- but everyone had dealt with Ace trying to murder their father. This was warm and bubbly by comparison. Even so, most had elected to leave her be, gossiping amongst themselves and allowing her to come to her senses rather than keep making fruitless attempts at directly breaking the ice.

Thatch thought a little differently. He wanted to get Marco’s reluctant patient to open up, and he was sure he had the perfect idea of how: the topic of 16th Division Commander Izou.

“Something on your mind?” Thatch asks, sitting himself down next to Rue and crossing his legs. He’d caught her staring at Izou again, and wasn’t sure what to make of it. He would have assumed something unsavory- lots of folks had something to say about a man dressing like that, after all- but Izou hadn’t received any of Rue’s normal defensive aggression or general rudeness in the brief moment they’d met. She was quiet, she introduced herself properly, and they all learned then that she was familiar enough with the customs of Wano to bow as a greeting. Hands at her sides, slight bend at the waist- more respectful than a nod, but not too formal. No, she hadn’t been confrontational towards him at all, opting to stay quiet.

And there was the staring, of course. Her eyes always seemed to find their way back to him. Thatch knew from conversation that he’d picked up on it, along with countless other crew members. It had become a running joke that she must be crushing.

“Mmm.” She hums, barely acknowledging him. Alright, something was definitely going on- she didn’t take the chance to huff at him or get up to move somewhere else.

“Well, come on, out with it,” he says. “Everyone’s noticed you keep staring at him.” She cringes immediately, curling in on herself.

“Izou… he is a man, right?” She says after a beat of silence. Thatch almost bristles, but keeps calm.

“Yes,” he says, normal jovial tone muted. Rue is quiet for another moment before speaking up again.

“And… he can do that, here? Nobody bothers him?” She’s quiet, hesitant.

Thatch snorts. “Well, anyone who makes a big deal of something like that is sure to get their ass handed to ‘em,” he says rather testily.

Rue nods, staring at nothing in particular. Thatch quirks a brow. “... Are you… new to this sort of thing, or…”

“Wh- no? I don’t know,” she says a little too quickly, covering her face with her hands. “I just thought, if he’s allowed then maybe it might be okay that I-”

She jolts, body freezing. He hears a shaky exhale. She starts to shake, slightly.

Thatch blinks. Oh.

A tender sort of feeling swells in his chest. He looks at Rue with a frown, voice and face softening immediately. “Well… some folks on board can say things that are ignorant, but nobody has an actual issue with him. That sort of… aggressive attitude can crop up outside the crew, but we don’t care here. You don’t need to be so worried, kid.” He assures, smile creeping onto his face. “If you wanna wear men’s clothes, nobody here would stop you either.”

She’s still quiet, remaining curled up. She tries to speak again, but the first few attempts result in sputtering or just failing to get words out altogether. “Wuh- what if it’s more complicated than that?” She finally chokes out, hands pulling at her long, unkempt hair. He wants to reach out and pull her hands away, but he knows how she is with physical touch, something plenty of crewmates had already started to speculate on- whether it was some sort of traumatic experience, or if it had something to do with the power she refused to divulge the details of. He doesn’t want to ruin the moment now that she’s voluntarily being vulnerable with someone.

“Well, uh… that’s fine too. Do you, uh… feel like a man..?” He asks tentatively, scooting a little closer.

Rue turns to look at him, eyes wide and fearful. They search Thatch’s face for a long moment, wide, bloodshot eyes framed by dull unkempt strands, before turning away again. “No,” they say eventually. “But I’m… not really a girl, either.” They hold themselves so tightly, nails digging into the wood of the crate they’re sitting on. He winces, the image of splinters beneath the fingernails flashing through his head. Poor thing looks like they’re preparing to be hit, the way they’re bracing themselves.

He speaks gently. “Well, that’s fine. Not everybody is gonna… get it, but nobody here is gonna give you any real grief over something like this, y’hear?” They don’t look at him- their eyes are downcast, staring at their perpetually bruised knees, but at least their hands relax slightly. “I just…” He starts, then sighs- producing a comb from inside his jacket and running it through the back of his hair. Nervous habit. “I just wish ya’d said somethin’ instead of letting us call you the wrong thing, all this time,” he admits, staring ahead. “Don’t like that I’ve been thinking of you as the wrong thing, either.”

He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. It wasn’t like it was particularly common, but he’d met multiple people who’d changed their gender. He and his siblings believed in making what you want of yourself. How was this any different? And while he knew Rue was distrustful by default, he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that he and his siblings apparently gave off the impression that they’d be judgemental about it. Or even violent, if the defensive body language was any indication.

Rue sighs, drawing him back out of his thoughts. “What’s there to feel bad about? I didn’t say anything. That’s not your problem.” Rue’s tone is… flat. Tired, maybe, body slumping forward.

Thatch is quiet for a long moment, and he puts the comb back. His hand hovers for a moment, wanting so badly to rub their shoulder. “Well… I know now. So what do I call you, then? What do we call you?”

Rue turns to him again, eyes wide. “W-we? You’re going to tell everyone?”

“Well, yes,” Thatch says, like it should be obvious. “I don’t know what it’s like, wherever you’re from, but we all take this seriously.” They’re getting tense again, eyes leaving his face and darting around. A few people have been keeping an eye on the two of them, no doubt reading the room- err, deck. But realizing others were watching seemed to raise Rue’s hackles once again. He sees the trembling hands, knitted brows- maybe that had been the wrong thing to say. “Rue, hey, it’s okay. I promise ya,” he tries to comfort them. “Forget what I said. If it’s upsettin’ you, I won’t run around blabberin’ to everybody now, alright? If it’s just me who knows for right now, if that’s what you need, that’s… fine. It’s fine. I just want to treat you right. I know the others would agree, too, but ya don’t have to be ready for that.”

There’s a trembling sigh. The back of a hand wiping the eyes. “How would you even tell that many people in the first place?” Rue attempts to joke, voice trembling.

“Word gets around,” Thatch says casually, leaning back. “The accuracy can leave a bit to be desired, though… at least for a little while. Y’know how it is, I’m sure.”

“... Yeah,” Rue agrees, relaxing slightly- allowing Thatch to relax, in turn.

“Really though, what do I call you?” He tries again. “Is there a different name, or..?”

“Rueri or Rue is the different- er, ch-chosen name. So that’s fine.” Another beat of silence. “I’m a… they, not a she, though.” It comes out strained, but Thatch is more focused on the fact that it came out at all.

“Alright then,” he says nonchalantly. When they glance back up at him, no doubt nervous and searching for any adverse reaction, he’s wearing a soft smile on his face- a gentle, patient expression. Rue exhales shakily, shoulders finally dropping the rest of that tension. “Y’know, to be honest…” He starts, hoping to lighten the mood a bit more. “We all thought ya had a big ‘ol crush on Izou.”

“YOU ALL WHAT?!” Rue’s head whips back around to face him, mouth gaping in horror. Thatch throws his head back and laughs heartily, an action that gains more than a few looks from his other crewmates. Rue pulls their legs up onto the crate, shifting onto their knees. “Y-you’re kidding!” Rue says, leaning toward him, wincing as their bruised knees press against the coarse grain of the wood.

“I am not,” he says, grinning at their mortified expression. “I mean, c’mon, he’s the only one you were polite with, and ya wouldn’t stop staring!”

“You are saying this to fuck with me!” they insist, pointing accusatorily at his chest, earning another boisterous laugh from him. They retreat, shaking their head, eyes wide as they drag a hand down their face. “Oh my god, no…” They whine, before going tense again. “Does… does Izou think so, too?” They ask, peaking through their splayed fingers at him.

“Everybody does, hon, that includes him. Don’t worry about it, he thought it was cute!” This does nothing to comfort them. They grimace like they’ve just watched somebody dropkick a puppy.

“C-CUTE?!” they blurt out. “I’m not- I’m not fucking cute!” They exclaim indignantly, throwing their hands up.

Thatch gives them a sly grin, eyes half-lidded as he observes their flustered, floundering form. He leans forward, propping an elbow on his knee and resting his face against his hand. “Arguing otherwise doesn’t help your case, I’m afraid,” and laughs at the sputtering he gets in response. “But yes, he found it cute. Lots of us did. Wouldn’t stop cracking jokes about it actually- said you must have good taste if he was the only one of us hellions you could stand.”

“Lots of y-?” Rue buries their flushed face in their hands again, embarrassment bringing a touch of life to the normally sickly pallid shade of their skin. “Oh my god, Thatch,” they whine. “Oh- oh my god. I’m gonna throw myself off this fucking ship!”

“Don’t be hasty, now,” he warns, shifting in his spot. He looks at the way they’ve curled in on themselves, avoiding his gaze. They don’t look out over the deck either, opting to stare down at their hands- there’s a light tremble to them, he notes. Are they still upset, or just flustered..? He softens again, just a little. “Hey, listen,” he starts, once again struggling against the impulse to pat their shoulder or pull them in for a side-hug. “How about I just tell Izou what’s been eatin’ at ya? Clear things up with the, ah… subject of the misunderstanding? Everyone else, you can talk to at yer own pace, okay?” he prompts gently, eyes trained on the chewed fingernails that cap the digits fumbling with the edge of their tattered sweater.

They heave a shuddering breath, shoulders sagging as they exhale. They turn to look at him again, face twisted in apprehension. “You’re really just… fine with it?” Their eyes meet his for a moment before flicking away again. “Most people at least argue,” they huff, mouth curling into the hint of a smirk.

Thatch scoffed. “I’m sure you know yourself better than I do,” he offers. “And… yeah. I’m fine with it. Can’t promise everyone will get it, but whatever it is you're used to…” he glances at them again, taking in their now relaxed demeanor with a twinge of pride. “... won’t happen here. Alright?”

And for a moment, Rue smiles, genuinely smiles at him. It’s small and tired, but carries none of the strain or the sarcastic glint frequently found in their dull eyes. “Thanks, Thatch,” they sigh. “... I guess you can tell Izou, i-if you really think it’s fine.” But then their eyes narrow, smile pulling into a strained smirk, but the mirth it denotes is a touch warmer than usual. “I’m not joining just because of this, though,” they tell him, pointing at his chest once again. He chuckles.

“Rue, we aren’t trying to force you to join. That’s always been your choice. What isn’t your choice is your status as Marco’s patient, unfortunately.” They huff, pointedly turning away from him. He sighs. What he’s about to say is nothing they haven’t heard before, but… “If you just let him give you a check-up, let him help you, you’ll be discharged. Just… let him? You can’t outlast Marco in a battle of wills, kid,” he tries, and he does succeed in order to get them to turn back, but they’re glaring at him again. Ah, there’s that familiar look.

“First of all, don’t call me that. I’m older than Ace. Second of all, watch me.”

Thatch lets out a bark of laughter, slapping his knee, but doesn’t miss the way Rue softens at the sound, a chuckle of their own bubbling up. He had a good feeling about this, he’s sure he’d made progress. Hopefully, they could be convinced to let Marco take a look at them soon, but Thatch had the sense not to push it.

Yet.

#one piece fanfic #one piece oc #Thatch #Whitebeard pirates #Ace #self insert #self ship #kind of #VERY self indulgent this is how I cope with holiday misgendering lmao #THANK YOU HANNAH FOR READING THIS OVER TEEHEE #Anyway. Rue has the blood fruit. Several people definitely suspect this but won't be pushy about making them admit it #bc there are lots of terrifying urban legends attributed to it and it makes sense to be cagey #details not in the fic: they use the fruit to compensate for a botched heart surgery. They have an irrational fear of further surgery now.

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