#theres others in the chopper but they dont speak

[kalofi]

zl fic idea

hii everyone i wrote something yesterday about an au idea i had for zolu and. i thought i'd share it here since its a bit too messy and disjointed in places to post on like. ao3 or something.

4.7k words, warning for temporary major character death but do not worry all will be fixed in due time. i'll put the rest under the cut

ok i have an idea for an au thats like kind of reincarnation but like reality displacement but like. okay just listen.

so we start at laughtale. its a couple years into the future from where we are in canon the strawhats are achieving their dreams luffy is about to find the one piece theres a big battle happening between them and the blackbeard pirates and whoever the fuck else is there idc. the rest of the strawhats are fighting the bb crew while luffy and zoro head off to find the one piece and also end up fighting black beard himself. luffy and zoro atp r like basically a thing but they never talk about it cuz theyre luffy and zoro and they kind of just exist with each other but like. theyre basically in love and everyone knows it. anyway they go off together luffy has the one piece almost in his grasp blackbeard attacks they fight its a big battle blood is shed bones are broken uumm in my mind luffy and zoro are like teaming up against bb bc his devil fruit is lowk broken and op and like ok theres gear5 too but i didnt rly consider that so lets just assume bb’s devil fruit can negate gear5 somehow or luffy exhausts it before bb is fully defeated. 

finally theyre able to knock bb down and hes out and theyre both tired and worn but they DID IT and the one piece is luffys and theyre facing each other grinning ear to ear and zoros saying “you ready, king of the pirates?” and luffy laughs and goes “not just yet zoro, i still gotta-“ and then theres a spear piercing right through his chest. and in the next moment its gone. 

theres a gaping hole through his captain and theres blood, theres so much blood and luffy’s still smiling like he hasnt realized it yet, like it hasnt even registered. zoros ears are ringing and he doesnt know what to make of whats hes seeing because its just not real, it CANT be. 

he looks over luffy’s shoulder and blackbeard is on the ground with his hand outstretched , black energy coiling back into his form and he’s laughing and laughing with bloodstained teeth. hes fucking laughing. one moment zoro is still standing parallel to luffy and the next hes in front of blackbeard and the mans head is rolling through the dirt and gravel, wado dripping crimson, a terrible gap toothed grin still stretching the man’s cheeks. 

zoro is breathing heavy, hes trembling and hes almost mesmerized by the blood pooling around a lacerated neck— then he’s remembering luffy and turning around and calling his name and he can see right through him theres a HOLE right through him and he chokes and stumbles and rushes to his side right as luffy starts to crumple to the floor . catches him and lowers him gently and doesnt know what to say. 

hes still shaking but cant move his mouth and everything is muffled, the sounds from the battle outside are distant and they dont matter but what does he do. what does he do. 

he snaps out of it when luffy gently calls his name. a strong “zoro,” like hes not fazed at all. like there isnt blood soaking into zoros clothes. 

his brain kickstarts and he’s speaking. saying things like “youre ok you’ll be ok” and “choppers right outside i’ll just call him and he’ll fix you right up” and “you always bounce back, right captain?” and hes thinking “dont die please dont fucking die. not now, not when we’re this close please dont fucking die” and hes silently praying to all the gods he doesnt believe in but luffy calls his name again and his mouth clicks shut. luffys saying it’ll be fine, that he had fun. that hes proud to have made it this far with all of them. and those sound a lot like parting words so zoro’s shaking his head no but luffy is still smiling. hes saying that hes glad he had zoro, that he made him happy. hes saying to tell everyone he’s glad they met, that hes glad they all had each other, that he knows theyll be just fine . 

zoro wants to say that luffy should tell that to them himself, when hes wrapped up and recovering and alive but his mouth is glued shut again and he feels that interrupting luffy now would be cursing him to death, like his words are the only thing keeping him tethered here, he just needs to get him to keep talking to stay awake. 

he tries to smile but it comes out ugly and wrong and he feels his lip wobble so he drops it. he settles on rubbing his thumb on luffys shoulder. something to keep him here. 

so he rubs and luffy talks little things until he cant anymore. until his eyes grow dull and his skin loses its warmth and still zoro rubs and he rubs.

—

thats how law finds them. zoro hunched over a body that should never be as still as it is. and its really no surprise hes there, hes been gunning for the one piece since the time he could captain a ship (or a submarine) but it all feels so wrong. 

zoro either doesnt notice him or doesnt care, but either way the man doesnt acknowledge law until he’s right behind him. its not like law can say anything to announce himself either, not after seeing the state of the body that zoros currently holding. the body that used to be luffy’s. hes still processing it all when the other man(the one whos alive) finally speaks. 

zoro asks if hes got a devil fruit. less of a question and more of a statement, but he should know anyway since theyve spent considerable time together and hes literally seen him use it. law cant unstick his jaw so he hums in affirmation. “and you can switch stuffs’ places?” another hum. “what about time.” 

that makes law pause. “what?” his voice comes out stronger than he feels. 

“what about time? can you switch things in time?” by this point law has awakened his devil fruit or some shit dont sweat the logistics but hes never tried anything of that sort so he kind of stumbles “im not- maybe? ive never attempted-“ zoro interrupts “send me back” 

“what?” 

“send me back so i can fix this. you can do that, right.” it clicks. law would pity zoro if he didnt know any better, instead he just feels mounting despair and resignation. 

he may not be crew, but he knew luffy too, he was allied with the man for fucks sake, and this just feels- wrong. he sighs, a tired, heavy thing. 

“what about your crew?” its useless. zoros as stubborn as his captain, with arguably a handful more screws loose. “it wont matter. they’ll never know because i’ll make sure this doesnt happen.” he still hasnt turned around. law doesnt know what expression hes making and hes sure he never wants to find out. 

hes ready to deny it, cut his losses and head for the one piece himself (hes not heartless, but if he stands here any longer and has to look at. well. he think he might never be able to move again) but then he really thinks about it. could he? would it even be possible? surely this isnt the way things were supposed to go, surely this isnt right. luffys never been one who was supposed to die just like that, like this, law knows that much. he thinks hes going to regret this, but he counts it as one last thank you for everything luffy did for him. 

youre gonna owe me big time strawhat-ya. if i even remember this, that is. 

he puffs a breath “i can try. i cant- promise anything but. i think we both know this,” he makes a vague, weak gesture, “isnt right.” 

zoro doesnt say anything, law didnt expect him to. he just bows his head slightly and law takes that as the acknowledgment it is. 

he brings his hand up, “dont do anything stupid, zoro-ya. or, at least, make it stupid enough to bring him back.” 

he positions his fingers in way so familiar, but the weight of it now is nearly unbearable.

room.

shambles

—

zoro’s world shatters, differently than before, and then theres nothing.

—

he wakes up in bed, bleary eyed and a pounding headache assaulting his senses. his alarm clock is going off which only adds to the drumbeat against his eyes. he grumbles and whacks around aimlessly to shut it off. the silence lasts a moment before his eyes fly open and he jolts up, sheets pooling around his waist. luffy. where was he? where was zoro? did the crew find him and take him back to the ship? did law fail? but this didnt look like chopper’s office.

he looks around to find hes in a room hes never seen before in his life, yet he instinctively knows is his. it all feels so wrong, like he doesnt belong in his own skin. he scratches lightly at his arm. he needs to go to work. 

work?

what the fuck is happening. 

its like his mind is at war with itself, one truth trying to dominate over the other. he trained at sensei’s dojo. he aged out of foster care. he was a swordsman, he was the first mate of the strawhat pirates. he didnt go to college, hes working construction. he made a promise, and kuina died. kuina…died. huh. his captain, his luffy, someone he knew so intimately and who knew him in turn. hes never met someone with that name his entire life. he needs to go to work, he needs to find his crew. 

he doesn’t understand what the fuck is happening. 

without his permission his legs stand him right up and he moves confusedly, surely, to the bathroom he didnt know he had. his reflection stares back at him in the mirror and its him, of course it is, he doesnt know why he expected someone else, but hes also…different. he has both function of his eyes, first of all. a scar in the same place as before but its light and healed over and doesnt seem to have blinded him like it once did. his hair is green, sure, but black roots peek out from underneath the familiar shade. hes grown stubble, he should shave. he needs to go to work. 

hes so confused, but his body moves like its been doing this its whole life. as far as zoro knows, it has. 

he continues getting ready, mind still at odds, and makes himself a cup of coffee (in his own kitchen. his own kitchen? the state of it leaves less to be desired. sanji would surely skin him alive) before tucking into his shoes, grabbing his wallet and keys and heading out the door. he seems to live in a single room apartment, and a crummy one at that. his legs move him faster, he has to go to work, he cant be late again (again?).

his car is parked outside the building, he has no fucking clue what it is but he unlocks it all the same and settles in. he feels like he shouldnt be operating this sort of machinery. franky would know better than him how it must work. he starts it up and backs out. trusting his gut to get him where he needs to be. he should be more concerned, he should be frantic and inconsolable, his captain was dead in his arms and now hes? what? going to lay some bricks or some shit? but he finds that part of him dulled in favor of following whatever mundanity this body is pushing him towards. 

uumm whatever whatever he arrives at work eventually i dont know how construction jobs work are there offices or something. idc thats not the point. johnny and yosaku are there and zoro is surprised to see them since, as far as he knows, the last time they were with each other was at arlong park which was years ago for him. but the two greet him like this is a daily occurence, like theyve been working together for years. and zoro thinks, knows, they must have. but this is good, this is great fucking news actually because until now theres been no confirmation if zoro was here alone (wherever “here” is) but now his proof is right in front of him because if johnny and yosaku are here, and they exist the same as from before, then that must mean everyone else is here too right? he clings onto this hope with both hands trembling. 

nami, usopp, the cook and chopper and robin and franky, brook, jinbe and fuck. fuck, luffy. theyve got to be here somewhere, zoro just has to find them. hes not sure if they remember things like he does but hes got to try because they are his as much as he has always been theirs and they should all exist together as it has always been. 

so then yeah he finishes his shift because its what hes ‘supposed’ to do but he doesnt go home. he drives around aimlessly before pulling into a random lot and pulling out his phone (theres no snail attached to it. weird.) he doesnt even know where to begin. hes not usually the one coming up with plans, he just goes where theres blood need to be shed. but no one seems to be in any danger here except for maybe himself, and its not like he has his swords anyway- shit. fuck did he still have wado? he must have right? he knows there was a kuina that existed here too, he knows because he remembers. and she, well she wasnt around anymore so he must have wado. he must. with shaking fingers he pushes that aside for now, though barely. he needs to find luffy, but he wouldnt even know where to start. luffy could probably find the rest of their crew by simply wandering around and happening upon them, thats how he did it before. but zoro has no idea where he’d be, he doesnt even know where he is. nami or robin would be a good bet to at least form a plan, but he wouldnt know how to find them either. 

is there even a coco village here? would robin still be part of baroque works? he needs someone who has a defined location that he could google or something (what the hell is google?). usopp would be at syrup village right? shit. is there even a drum island? these are all too broad, he needs something specific. specific…..a place with an identifiable name, somewhere smaller that would be easier to stake out…

a lightbulb goes off. 

fucking shit he thinks. of course. of fucking course it would come down to the cook. 

he types in “baratie” to his maps and a location pops up, just 27 minutes from where he is now. he hasnt eaten yet either, so he figures thats killing two birds with one stone. he taps the address, backs out of the lot and drives. 

(if it takes him nearly an hour to get there thats nobodys business but his own)

he pulls up to the building about a quarter after 7. it seems packed enough already, but if memory serves him right then that was just par for the course for baratie. he parks, gets out and locks his car, then shoves his hands in his pocket and resigns himself to another oncoming migraine hes sure to get upon interacting with the man hes certain is waiting somewhere inside. 

the tables are full, the host tells him, he slips a 20 from his wallet and suddenly (of course) theyre more than willing to serve him. 

he gets settled in a far and somewhat isolated booth and a waiter comes up to him, but he cuts the man off as hes introducing himself and says “you got a blonde working here? stupid ass side part with a weird eyebrow? goes by sanji” the waiter looks shocked and put off by his rudeness but quickly collects himself and says “we might. depends on whos asking” zoro snorts “just tell him hes got someone who wants to talk to him,” he cringes at this next part, tries to smile but knows it comes off as a sneer. hes not sure if he still has conquerors haki wherever he happens to be now, but he tries to channel that energy the same way he would if he were in battle and says “tell him im a fan.” the waiters eyes widen, in fear or surprise zoros not sure (most likely a mix of both) before he nods and scurries across the floor, weaving in between patrons and coworkers alike until he disappears behind the double doors to the kitchen. 

zoro sits with his arms crossed and skims through the menu out of boredom and impatience. its a couple minutes before he sees a familiar head of blonde hair emerge from across the way. a smile climbs onto his face despite himself. sure, the guy annoyed him to hell and back and their…friendship (if you could really call it that) was a tumultuous one, but it was good to see someone familiar nonetheless. he schools his expression before the blonde can spot him. a few moments pass before hes standing right in front of zoro, his stupid suit primped and pressed as always, and a cautious look on his face. 

“you asked for me?” his tone is the one he only reserves for men who he deems not worth his time. zoro grits his teeth but says “yeah, theres something ive gotta discuss with you.” 

hes never been one for tact, forever blunt unlike his swords. 

sanji quirks a brow “i dont plan on talking about anything with anyone unless theyre a paying customer” zoro feels his eyebrow twitch but grabs his menu nonetheless and points to a random item without looking “i’ll have this then, and whatever booze you got.” sanji leans in to see what hes pointing to before his one visible eye widens and a grin slowly overtakes his previously unaffected face. 

he speaks condescendingly. “wonderful choice sir, coming right up.” before zoro can get another word in he grabs the menu out of his hand, spins on his heel, and marches back to the kitchen. 

zoro clenches his fists and does his best not to grind his teeth into a fine dust. no matter where they are or what displacement in time the fucking curly brow never fails to be absolutely insufferable. at least this way though, zoro knows its him for real. 

its another 20 minutes before the shit cook reemerges from the back with a platter and a mug in his hand. he steps up to zoros table and places the plate and cup down in front of him with a smug look. zoro has no idea what the fuck hes looking at on his plate. he doesnt have time to question it before sanji plops down in the booth seat across from him, disregarding all previous faux-professionale and asking “so what do you want” zoro tears his eyes away from his plate and looks into sanji’s, trying to convey as much emotion, as much urgency as he possibly can. 

“luffy needs us. and we have to find him” whatever the cook was expecting him to say, it definitely wasnt that. the other man regards him more warily now, looking him up and down with a tense frown before replying “i dont know what the hell youre talking about. and i dont appreciate being mocked or having my time wasted” he goes to stand up but zoro grabs his wrist, yanking him back down unceremoniously. 

he blinks before rounding back on zoro, flaring his nostrils in a way zoro knows means hes about to get himself in deep shit “oi, what the fuck do you think youre-“ he doesnt let him finish “im not mocking you. this isnt some stupid prank or whatever youre thinking. and despite how much i would enjoy punching your teeth in right now im not looking for a fight either.” 

the cook still looks affronted but seems to actually be listening. zoro continues “look, i dont know what the fuck is going on. i was at laughtale with you and the others, with luffy, and then i woke up and now im here and i dont know how but this is all wrong. its all wrong but i need to find luffy and fuck, i cant do it alone. i need your help to find him. find everyone.” the blondes eye is wide, but he blinks and its gone. he looks more tired than zoro has ever seen him 

“im not paid enough for this shit. i dont know why i even-“ he looks like hes getting ready to leave again but zoro is desperate at this point so he blurts out whatever he thinks will convince the other man hes not bullshitting.

“we met you here, at the baratie. me and nami and usopp and luffy. luffy busted through one of your walls so your old man punished him by making him wash dishes. i dont, i dont know what luffy said to you, or how he convinced you to join us, but he changed your life like he did mine. we sailed together, and we had each others backs no matter how much we got on each others nerves. you were our cook. i was our swordsman. luffy was our captain and youd do anything to help him, i know you would, same as me. youre a pervert and an asshole and a damn annoyance, but youre strong. i could still kick your ass though” if the cook’s eyebrow could go any higher hes sure itd be clear off his forehead by now. 

“and you- your dream. you wanted to find the all blue.” he stalls there, engine sputtering. zoro doesnt know what else to say, so he snaps his mouth shut. 

the blonde is still gaping at him like a fish, but he mouths the phrase “all blue” like hes been searching for it his whole life, like he always knew but just never had the words. 

he blinks. 

then he blinks again, rapidly. there are tears pooling in his eyes. his mouth flaps for a moment before he seems to finally be able to push out words. 

“you- zoro?” he sounds small. he sounds hopeful. zoro grins. 

“yeah, yeah its me.” sanji stares at him a moment, then looks around, as if hes seeing everything with clear eyes for the very first time. zoro figures he might as well be. 

“holy shit. holy shit.” 

zoro laughs, a rough thing. theres a ball in his throat that he cant seem to dislodge. “nice to have you back, curly brow” sanji’s gaze snaps back to him before he scowls and tries wiping away the tears that are now streaking down his cheeks. its useless though, it seems they cant stop. zoro laughs again at the sorry state of the asshole in front of him, this time more full and genuine. he feels so relieved he doesnt know what to do with himself. 

“yeah yeah, whatever dick head.” sanji grumbles. zoro quiets down, glances away, lets him have his moment. “fuck, mosshead, im still on the clock and you unload all this on me? how the hell am i supposed to finish the rest of my shift?” his words are sharp but he doesnt sound angry at all. in fact, when zoro turns back to look, hes smiling. 

“you remember now though, dont you?” he has to be sure. 

“what does it look like, dumbass? think im tearin’ up cuz of pollen or some shit?” the cook rolls his eye. theyre both silent for a moment, trapped in their own heads, before he speaks up again. “so, what now?” zoro doesnt even have to think before he answers “we find everyone else, obviously.” “well no shit, but how?” zoro glances to the side. “i was hoping youd figure that out” sanji stares before bursting out laughing. zoro scowls and hunches into his shoulders. 

“of course!” sanji cackles “of course your dumbass wouldnt know what to do! you probably just typed in the most recognizable place you could remember and hoped one of us would be there!” zoro doesn’t answer, because yes thats what he fucking did, but it worked didnt it? he doesnt see whats so funny. 

“fuck you.” 

he wants nothing more than to bash that smarmy mouth in, but the familiar egging settles something in his soul. sanji gasps a few breaths before calming down, now wiping tears from his eyes for a completely different reason. 

“alright alright, well lets figure this out then, yeah? we figure out how we got here then we can figure out how to get back right? simple enough” 

zoro nods, “law was-“ he stops. remembers dull eyes and clammy skin and wrong wrong wrong. he shakes his head, “no, no we cant” sanji looks at him confused. 

“we cant go back,” zoro presses, “not until i fix things. i promised i would” the other man seems to pick up on his panic and his mood dampens, becomes more serious. ��promised what?” 

zoros never been one to sugarcoat, but now he wishes he could find a way to soften the blow hes about to deal. he inhales, pushes the breath out. says, “luffy died, sanji.” the fact the hes actually using the other mans name seems to fly right over his head in favor of the first part. “what?” zoro huffs, is he really gonna make him say it again? “luffy di-“ sanji interrupts, angry now, fists clenched and whitened from the pressure “i heard what you said. but what do you mean.” 

he doesnt want to have to tell sanji what happened, doesnt want to talk about it at all, wants to slice it up into small enough pieces that it very well may have never existed.

he told law the others wouldn't have to know, that he would make sure of it, but he's realizing now just how unrealistic that is. as much faith as zoro places in his own abilities, he's aware he's only one man.

and, he figures, if there's anyone i can trust enough to share a burden heavy as this with, might as well be the one who's strength i'd count on just as much as my own.

sanji cant help if he doesnt know what went down once they got separated at laughtale, so zoro sets his shoulders, clenches his fists, prepares himself like hes riding into a battle he knows he has no chance of winning—hes the first mate for fucks sake—and resigns himself to filling the other man in on every horrible detail

by the end, the cook looks much the same as zoro feels, pale-faced and shaky. he runs a trembling hand through his hair and clenches his eye shut. “fuck mosshead, thats…” he doesnt bother finishing, and zoro stays silent—already knowing just how much of a shitty situation it is that theyve found themselves in.

—

(btw the reason sanji was so smug about what zoro randomly chose on the menu is bc its one of their most expensive dishes. even upon regaining his memories he still makes zoro pay it cuz hes an asshole like that. business is business 😁)

uuummm i dont feel like detailing the rest basically my idea is that they work together to try and track down all the members as well as law, since hes also a part of this. i dont know how or when or in what order but i do know finding luffy would come last. so yes its zolu but for a majority of it more in spirit than anything. maybe i can throw in some luffy pov of him living with ace and sabo . he knows something is off but cant place his finger on what. he knows something is missing but hes got his brothers with him so what else could he possibly need? etc etc. you get the idea

[anarchomuffin]

ik people dont like the dub but one piece in english has some great moments (these are just from enies lobby)

- nami calling kalifa a bitch

- "iM THE ONE WHOS SUPPOSED TO BE TRICKING PEOPLE HERE DAMNIT"

- "nami he has a concussion don't hit him!!"

- i think the VA for kokoro is actually drunk. theres no other explanation for this delivery (i mean this in a good way)

- "did she just say she loved me?" "not even close!" *bonk*

- every time chopper has mentioned zoro getting stuck in a chimney

-speaking of. the delivery of chimney's lines is IMMACULATE perfect weird little girl energy

- "i don't wanna hear it anymore! giraffes are awesome. i love giraffes."

- not funny but robin's va's acting on "i want to live" genuinely made me cry

- and spandam's va does such a good job of making him hateable

[baby-xemnas]

On the topic of Chopper in a relationship:

Carrot is only two years younger than him, so maybe they can have a kouhai/senpai dynamic, but do you think Chopper would like rabbit minks? Oda said he’s only really interested in other reindeer, since he’s one himself, but let’s say he also likes other mink animals.

Mink dating is probably really complicated, because with so many different kinds of animals, many are going to have specific preferences. Like a dog mink who’s not attracted to humans but thinks fox minks are super hot.

Speaking of which, does Bepo find other minks hot? Or is he exclusively humansexual?

Yeah i think that Chopper would be kinda like Bepo at first in terms of assuming he can only go for same species animal (compulsive speciism) and they are too unhorny to consider alternatives lol

Abt Carrot im noooot gonna lie to you i dont really know her personality because i was mad that she had 3000000% more screen time and emotional than the miniscule crumbs Bepo got (see my rants about us never seeing Bepo find out Zepo is dead/not fighting anywhere in Wano/onigashima) so i dont actually know her so im going off of assumptions here:

wouldnt she undermine him despite him being older and lowkey genius (doctor!!) so theres potential for him to be upset-turn-angry cuz he would be interested in making a mink friend but she is oblivious and keeps accidentally acting rude to him....thats all that comes to mind im sorry if its inaccurate/too negative

(tbf past TS choppers personality also got removed idk what he is besides Cute and scared at this point)

As for Bepo's sexuality i think that just like in canon he wants to meet a female bear but if he did it would be underwhelming beyond physical reaction..cuz i think he would have a very Natural Adult Male tm reaction from Finally meeting one - he would go a little crazy and if she is willing she can take charge and snatch the cutie for the night...but then a moment comes where Bepo realizes the void that this stranger is and it doesnt feel like "wow thats a person with a personality and her own rich life" no he hates not knowing her it feels too unsafe and he has no desire to change it - logically he doesnt have time - i think it would shock him that he is even in bed with her with how much he longs to return to status quo (being captain's little girl)

he is not humansexual per say - he doesnt care about humans at large - its just law have been the center of his universe his whole conscious life (and he fucks him so good it scrambles Bepo's brains)

thats how in my head Bepo's foray into other people would go

[gaoau]

theres no calories in birthday cakes

to forget minor inconveniences for a day. to make up new rules. to have kuroo as a reminder that life can be nice. (and, most importantly, to not listen to chopper's character song again.)

pairing — kuroo tetsurou x reader word count — 1.2k note — a few disclaimers. 1) roommates au cause for some reason this and kuroo together seems to be a fan favorite of the hq fandom. might as well join. 2) inaccurate phone devices for the year of 2014 or smth dw bout it artistic liberties. 3) kuroos an op fan cause i said so (i havent seen a single ep of op) anyway happy birthday chiguru 

you can already hear the music kuroo is blasting before even opening the door. it's one of those western, alternative artists whose name you cannot pronounce for the life of you. but youve heard their songs so much by sheer osmosis that you can actually follow along with semi-butchered lyrics.

still, you struggle to recognize a single word thats being sung as you also struggle to insert your key into the keyhole. normally your benevolent roommate would hear you fighting for your life by now and come open the door for you, but it seems hes too busy with his music. you dont blame him. 

when you finally do manage to unlock the door, you can also hear why kuroo is blasting music through the cheap, oversaturated bluetooth speaker. ceramic and glass and metal all knock softly against one another in a chaotic symphony (some may just call it jazz). hes doing the dishes, singing along while this song fades into the next one.

the very moment you step a single foot into your shared dorm, the song changes. which usually you really wouldnt mind, but this fucking song. you hear salsa and merengue and bachata and fandango and every single other genre you can think of in the same song. it starts with choppers high-pitched, cheery voice, and you instanly let your bag drop to the floor. you only take a moment to kick off your shoes, but once theyre off, you stomp your way over to kuroo in the kitchen.

you groan, "i swear to god, kuroo, if i have to listen to this song one more time…" you trail off, debating between i'll kill myself or i'll murder you in cold blood. you say neither, snatching his phone from the counter and unlocking it with your fingerprint.

kuroo laughs as he cranes his neck to look at you. he scrubs at a particularly stubborn pot, watching you queue up a different song. "but boku ha doctor, tony tony chopper, [surname]."

immediately, you swipe your finger on the screen and change the song. kuroo recognizes it as your favorite pop song in a matter of seconds, though it's in korean despite you not speaking korean at all. "boku doesnt suit you," you say, looking him dead in the eye.

"alright, then." he shrugs. "atashi ha—"

"thats even worse."

he bursts out laughing, and it's not long before your own cackles spill from your tongue. you lock his phone and return to its place on the counter. his hyena imitation and your own chuckles blend in harmony with the upbeat korean verses. then they fizzle off so you can appreciate the music. you cringe internally, because the cheap speakers arent doing your boys any justice. and you hear kuroo hum along, mumbling a few words under his breath even when his korean isnt any better than yours.

but it doesnt really matter, does it? not when it's a song he never would have listened to if he hadnt met you. a song he never would have cared for, but one he knows forwards and backwards by now. and it matters even less when you watch him squeeze more of the watered-down dish soap onto the sponge, soaking anything it can in hopes for bubbles because you refuse to buy a new one until the residues in this bottle vanish completely. plus youre not sure youll ever find this unscented dish soap again, seeing as it wasnt even you the one to find it—knowing kuroo took the longest train ride to chiba to find anything that wouldnt give you a headache.

whatever blunders you both make dont matter at all. not when you have one another to bounce off of and to pick yourselves up.

as your choice of song fades into another one in kuroos playlist, realization dawns on you. "wait, you arent on dish duty." you take a step closer, looming by his side while he rinses the last pots and moves onto the cups. "it's my turn."

he shoots you a toothy grin. "i know, i know, but since im such a nice person, i thought id spare you the ugh my skin is so dry complaints for today."

you narrow your eyes at him.

he stares back.

"did you break something?"

kuroo exaggerates a gasp. "of course not!" if his hands werent busy, hed slap one over his heart. "im always this benevolent. i know your skin gets fucked up so i'll save you the trouble. just today though, youre back on dishes next time."

"why today?"

he finishes washing the last three cups and carefully sets them to dry. with a dramatized sigh, he slaps the tap shut, shaking his hands dry. "check the fridge. i cant believe you forgot." and he flicks water on your face.

wiping it off with your sleeve, you make your way to open the fridge. it's, unsurprisingly, mostly empty, save for the bright pink box at the bottom, boasting the logo from that one gluten free bakery that is actually good. you pull the lid up to peer at its contents: a brownie slab with chocolate topping and the letters BIRTH in english.

"what?" you nearly slam the door shut. when you turn back to kuroo, hes standing with his hands on his hips, looking smug and awaiting praise. "dude, my english is shit."

he groans, "誕生," to give you a hint.

"birth?"

"誕生日おめでとう? ring any bells?"

"oh!" you take a moment to think about todays date. you barely remember if you saw the date at all throughout the day. you must have, but you cannot recall it for the life of you. but with this cake, you know exactly what day it is. "it's my birthday today, isnt it?" silence lasts for a second while kuroo hums. "well, that explains the missed called from my mother."

"oh, shes gonna kill you."

"not if this kills me first," you chuckle, patting the fridge door.

kuroo starts listing off, "it's gluten free, on the crispier side, no filling but still moist, and it's dark chocolate, sixty percent." all the way you like it most to make sure it doesnt kill you.

"i meant… calories."

"theres no calories in birthday cakes; thats, like, newtons fourth law."

you take a moment to process his words. then you laugh, "see, thats what a capitalist would say."

"hey, whatever sells. if you dont want it, though…" menacingly, he stalks over to the fridge, trailing off in an unfinished threat.

you shoot your arms in front of you to guard your birthday cake. "no, no. i'll take it."

he snorts out a chuckle. "happy birth, [surname]." with a grin, he starts reaching his dominant hand towards your hair.

"thanks," you manage, scrambling to grab his wrist with both hands to hold him away. "stop, your hands are wet." he pushes down, his open palm right above your head. you have to put your all to keep him from messing with your hair.

"no, theyre not."

"i dont care, theyre humid. stop it."

"no, theyre not."

"kuroo, stop."

"no, theyre not."

"sto—stop! no!"

busy with his dominant hand, you fail to notice his other hand darting out. he tangles his fingers in your hair and musses it up. you burst into giggles, eyes squeezing shut as you let him finish with his affectionate display. it doesnt really matter when kuroo is your favorite person to spend your birthday with.

—あごす (agosu) • 2022

[hanabeeri]

i feel bad not writing anything on here and just reblogging. anyways im doing better. not fully, but life goes on. im focusing on a book right now (out by natsuo kirino), its fun! and disturbing, haha. i love the character descriptions, because based on the perspective the characters appear to be different; kuniko for example appears like an anxious whiny woman from the perspective of masako but when the perspective switches to kuniko you see how selfish she is on the inside despite her timid appearance. also ... the novel brought up the question of morality which i adoooore, its such an interesting thought to play with, but its not the main motif of the novel i believe. so, basically, everyone knows that murder is bad, right? and if you would ask someone - whether murder or theft was worse, the majority would say murder, right? but that means that internally we are waging good and bad in terms of ''how bad'' or ''how good'' something is. which means that theres a scale. a measurement, if you will. so technically if murder is really really really bad, then how much of theft do you have to do to technically reach the same amount of badness? im feeling like the devil is whispering into my ear, haha. not because of the thoughts, but because bad is bad, no matter the measurement. at least, in my opinion. of course theres nuance, but if we go by definition with no feelings involved then all bad is equally bad.

anyways, moving on! ill be revising a bit after writing this entry, and from tomorrow on i want to visit the library daily (if not possible i will study at home - health issues suck) and study for the summer semester. im both nervous and thrilled to go back to university soon. at the same time im really tired and just want to get it over with, lol. aaah, i want to have a job :( and support my family and go on more trips with my friends. theres another girl in the same situation as me, but like... her parents arent poor. dont get me wrong, im not complaining, im just trying to explain my feelings of why i want to start to work soon and finish university.

i met my friends the other day, we went to a restaurant together. the food was yummy but overall its not a place that's worth driving to for over an hour, haha. but the experience was still nice :) because my friends were there. everything is good between us now. im still happy that we talked everything through, and that nobody is holding anything against one another. how good and fortunate it is, to have loving friends. i wish my soul would see it as well once again, that life is worth living. but recently all my happiness seems to have been taken. i did laugh a lot with my friends, and i still have the energy to talk to people in general, but the moment im alone i dont have the wish to do anything except rot away. what a peaceful thought that is, to just rot. and decay. and be taken away.

picture of my kitty (and chopper aka my son) and me 💖💕💞🧸

and have this song i rediscovered recently. i used to listen to it so often back when it was released. but my heart and head were in a worse mental space, so i deleted it from my playlist once i got better. but now i can listen to it again, without feeling like dying. speaking of dying tomorrow is my anniversary.

[gaysonlyocean]

BEGINNINGS

 (been a tad lazy and im gonna copy this part into chapter one jhgfghj)

The helicopter may have been fairly large, but with this many people it reminded Rhett of a crowded elevator. The ride wouldn’t be a long one but, depending on whether there were any chatterboxes in here, it had to potential to be a tenacious one.

He scanned the space, a quick glance at his peers. He noticed the pink, blue and white wristband on the man with his hair in a low bun sat in the corner and felt just a little bit more comfortable with this whole trip. At least he’s not the only trans man heading out to the frozen wastes.

“So, what do you think this is about?” said Lucky, jittering their leg “I think it’s zombies.”

“No fucking way.” Oiva snorted.

“What? You think it’s aliens?”

“No, it definitely not aliens or zombies, also aren’t you part of the science guys?”

“Yep!”

“And you’re suggesting zombies?”

“Yeah!”

“Great.” Oiva shook his head in disbelief. “Chances are they got a bit spooked and had a breakdown, that’s all it’ll be.”

“You keep telling yourself that, don’t come crying to me when there’s zombies at the door.”

Navid cast an eye over. “Cut it out, McKay.”

Rhett already wished this trip to be over, not only is he in antarctica but now his collague was unironically convinced that the dead had risen.

“Right, don’t fight back there. We’re just about to land, you can fight in the snow but not in my chopper, alright?” Meredith called back, obviously as tired of this already as Rhett.

He turned to look out the front. Liberty Post was right in front of them, the rest of the group just visible from the air.

“Just determine that they had a breakdown and you leave.” Rhett thought to himself. “It won’t be that bad.”

[tumblunni]

Baron omatsuri and the secret island traumatizes me yet again, hooray!

Ok wow that was a nostalgia blast! Finally goddamn have a physical copy of this thing to own. Its never been dubbed and the only way to get it was this weird manga UK licensed reprint of a bunch of (i think) hong kong english subtitles. The style of the subtitles looks like that, at least. Its all weird and grainy and very very old fashioned early days of subtitling style, which contrasts completely with the modern dvd menus and box and stuff. And its also a weird combination disc of four different movies, it seems they just bought out a licensing package deal or something? And just baked it onto the disc without checking or editing anything. Its not really a funny sort of bad subtitles though, its just awkward phrasings of thibgs that are hard to understand or random typos or whatever, no legendarily hilarious stuff. I kinda dislike it more when subtitles are like this, when theyre like...actually written by a guy who speaks fluent english but he just never watched the actual movie so theres a bunch of rookie mistakes. Also has a strange case of what you usually only see on fansubs- the obsession with leaving everything in japanese to Sound Cool. Nah we cant call them the Tea Party Pirates we have to say the japanese word for that. Nah we cant have this man say mustache when he's doing the mustache pose and talking about his crew of entirely mustache men who all do this mustache pose NO it has to be Chobehige because its somehow deep and edgy to not understand the word for mustache. Like i feel if i was watching this sub first i would have no idea what was happening! At least its not as bad as that older sub i saw where they insisted on translating friends as "crew", even when it was llike..a singular. This one man is my crew and here are all my other crews! Like i feel like that subber probably originally did that dumb old fandom thing of INSISTING that you had to say Nakama in japanese and Capitalized and it was a Very Important japanese word for specifically pirate friends that was Impossible To Translate. And then they just did a ctrl + F replace on the whole thing and made an incomprehensible mess. Also for some reason sanji just yells DOCTOR out of nowhere (chopper wasnt even in the scene) and baron omatsuri's one syllable "oh" is translated as some long string of what seems to be baseball jargon..?

But ANYWAY the movie is still fuckin awesome and i actually noticed EVEN MORE dark shit and subtle storytelling that i missed when i was a kid! The whole 'small child zombie stares blankly at the place where a sword stabbed through his chest and cant understand why he got back up' scene is EVEN MORE emotionally destructuve than i thought! Cos the subtlety of the voiceacting seems to make the poor kid sound so tired and resigned to it? He's desperately asking and his father figure feeds him the same old lies he's done a million times about how he's totally still alive and everything is fine. Like wow i missed that inplication that this has happened before! And then he kinda sounds like he's actually aware that Baron is lying and he's just pretending to believe him to make him feel better. And then he starts turning back into a corpse and he doesnt panic like muchigoro or not realize whats happening like the grandpas do. He just looks straight at his hand falling apart and tries to lie to Baron to make him feel better. *long shot of him from behind before you see whats happened* "I'm just feeling dizzy again. I've got used to it." *him staring blankly at his body falling apart, not even capable of feeling sad about it anymore* "Don't worry...i've got used to it." *thud*

Like FUCKING HELL this film is the best damn existential horror thing ever and why the FUCK did they market it as a fun happy kids film? it probably would have been way more successful if the twist wasnt kept all twisty, honestly.

And also WOW YEAH theres a lot of stuff thats the subtlest goddamn storytelling in the universe and youd never notice unless you watched this film a million times like i did! Like during the intro when everythibg still seems all fun and cute and normal, the advert for the Totally Innocent Not A Trap Super Secret Island Resort is being read over some random shots of waves and stuff. But then right near the end you see those same shots again and it becomes clear that it was literally the view from Baron's eyes as he was falling from the ship and drowning, desperately trying to keep his head above water and strain his eyes to see if anyone else had survived. All the moments that just looked like camera cuts were actually when his head fell beneath the waves. Thats fuckin amaizng you straight up showed the ending in the beginning and we didnt notice????

Oh and also right before THE FUCKIN TERRIFYING MUCHIGORO DEATH SCENE you see him casually mention being 'sleepy' a few scenes earlier. It just passes by without notice and you think that he's just drunk until he suddenly starts going from comedic slurring to fucking asphixiating and the SKIN ON HIS FINGERS PEELING OFF. Oh hey! Another thing i didnt notice before! FUCKING THAT. A fun game for you on your rewatch! Looking out to find the secret finger horror! Ha ha ha...ha...

Also MAN OH WOW all the subtle signs of Baron getting more desparate throughout the movie and how it seems the time limit for the zombies was almost up and he had to kill these specific pirates right now because he couldnt spare even a few more hours. In retrospect it makes sense how he was slipping up and leaving evidence for the heroes to figure him out. And its just so subtly offputting and strange how he goes from making a big fun performance about the festival early on and then starts subtky rushing through the formalities faster. Like you dont eveb conciously notice the tone is changing until suddenly BAM the full change happens and you realise you missed all those signs! And aaaa its so fuckin sad how you see him come running when muchigoro drops dead and he's like fuckin GET OUT OF THE WAY DAMMIT and kneels down next to the body and theb he just..turns emotionless again and goes ITS TIME FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE. It is time. Its now. Shut the fuck up and do it, i dont have time to deal with this shit, just die so i can bring my friend back. (Tho of course you dont know thats why at the time) And then whats most jarring about the whole scene to me is how he's like "okay fuck it theres no more fun theres no more attractions, if youre not gonna play along then the final game is just i shoot your damn head off" WHILE YKNOW STILL STANDING OVER THE CORPSE OF HIS FRIEND AND STARING DAGGERS INTO THEM LIKE ITS THEIR FAULT FOR DARING TO CLING ONTO LIFE and then a fuckin half finished hapoy fun carnival game sign pops up in the backgroubd and everyone walks past it. Why was that somehow both hilarious and terrifying????? Just fuckin 'whoops we had this thing ready to go but alright its murder time i guess' and everyone IS SUDDENLY PACKING HEAT AND RIDDLING OUR HEROES WITH BULLETS???

And also even more subtly Baron just?? Stays with muchigoro?? Like notice how the entirety of the endgame takes place around where the dude dropped dead. And how when mustache pirate guy saves luffy you see Baron just walking in circles around the same area angrily shooting arrows at nothing in complete desperation even though the dude is gone and itd make more sense to run after him. No he stays standing right there and actually looks really damn relieved when luffy comes back, he's like 'holy shit you really were stupid enough to walk right into my trap jesus christ im so glad but also youre a dumbass'. And he fights entirely using arrows at this point so you might not even notice that he barely walks more than just circling a two meter radius of fuckin DEAD BEST FRIEND CORPSE. Which btw blends intonthe shadows for this entire scene and they only draw attention it again after Baron wibs and muchigoro comes back to life. And UGH MY HEART you see him smile genuinely for the firstvtime and he's like 'im so glad youre okay' and muchigoro is like 'haha im more than okay i can do somersaults!' and generally being a FUCKING TREASURE and this poor fuckin horrible evil man is hugging his buddy and gently leading him away from the battlefield so he doesnt norice he was just fuckin murdering some dudes to ressurect him. God the scariest damn thing about this film is how the zombies dont know theyre zombies and honestky they probably wouldnt even agree with their boss's plan to kill people to keep them alive. They justvthink they live a perfectly normal happy life on hapoy festival island, and he wants them to stay that way and never feel pain again :(

Aaaaand then yeah the infamous scene of revealing this horrifying intestines flower is growing out of the flesh on his back and all the corpses its digesting are pushed against the undulating flesh of its throat like a snake devouring its prey. And its cutesy fake flower face grows infinate eyes as it just keeps laughing and laughing. And then it gets graphically blown apart and the poor goddamn parasite host tries to shove the bloody instestines back into its body, knowing that without this horrifying monster chewing on his goddamn veins all his friends will go back to being dead.

THE END

THE FUCKING END

God it ends so abruptly seriously

I still cry my eyes out every time at the ending monologue of Baron dying and meeting all the souls of his dead friends and theyre crying telling him he shouldnt be here, they wish he'd been able to find another reason to live without him...

And then THE END

JAUNTY MUSIC OVER THE CREDITS

THE FUCKIN END I GUESS

What a great but very oddly executed movie. Seriously i feel it could have worked better if it was given space to breathe and more deeply explore the dark themes rather than the weirdness of trying to fool the audience into thinking it was cheerful and innocent. Like all of this shit happens in the last 30 minutes of the movie! They spend 60 minutes on the fun carnival games! What a strange sense of priorities!!

I WOULD DEVOUR A MILLION HOURS MORE OF DEEP SAD ZOMBIE CONTENT

I am like the Lily of fanfics

Oh yeah btw the horrifying deadly elder god spine parasite thing is named Lily and it looks pretty much exactly like flowey from undertale. This film kinda spoiled me for that game LOL ive never trusted a single talking flower ever since!