#they’re direct foils

[parkercore-69]

what can i say guys i’m a sucker for toxic yaoi (i’m perpetually single and i cry to car seat headrest)

[jonquilspool]

something something part of cersei’s hatred of margaery is that she seems to know how to use (and at times genuinely enjoy) the trappings of womanhood outside of simply beauty, the same trappings (queenhood, marriage, etc) cersei viewed as insults and coffins to her. the two are actually so similar (only daughters used to advance family status) but margaery doesn’t seem to hold the same bitterness and it drives cersei crazy

[puppyeared]

I just skimmed through the art part of your blog and holy bajeebus your LMK art is so beautiful and the headcanon ideas you come up with are so good I wanna steal em-

Kinda wanna see like a part 2 of the little angst you did between MK and Macaque a while ago. It's so interesting and I wanna see Macaque's reaction in your art style. (You don't have to of course, it's just a suggestion [idk if i spelled that right])

Thanks for reading and hope you have a good day/night!

Hope this is to your liking ^^

Part one here

[henrysglock]

“Henry Creel is straight” “Henry Creel is aroace”

No.

This is Henry Creel. I stole the picture directly off the Duffers’ Google Drive. It’s actually the only piece of information Jamie was given about Henry as a character:

[ilostyou]

castles crumbling gives context to long live that makes my chest hurt. btw

[moonstruckme]

i think that last fic you wrote for me is my new favorite thing to reread on here! could i request a pt two where they’re all just having a chill day/ night and then they all get ready for bed together and lay down for cuddles plz? the way you write for poly!marauders is just so perfect! tysm again for reading my requests!! -🌶️

Awww that makes me so happy, I'm so glad you liked it! And of course you can my love <3

poly!marauders x gn!reader ♡ 981 words

Though James typically prefers you with no clothes on, he does think you look pretty cute in his big t-shirt. He bunches the fabric in his hands as he comes up behind you, setting his head on your shoulder. 

“What’re you doing?” you ask, smiling at him through a mouthful of toothpaste. 

He gazes at you in the mirror. “Just admiring the view.” 

“Oi,” Sirius elbows him, hands wet with whatever product in his billion-step skincare routine he’s currently rubbing into his face. His hair is scraped back into a bun to keep it out of the way. (James loves it when he wears it like that.) “Quit stealing my lines, Potter.” 

James doesn’t even need to speak; he knows the best way to rile Sirius right now doesn’t involve words. He grabs his dark-haired boyfriend by the chin, landing a smacker right on his cheek. 

Sirius shouts just as James pulls back, grimacing. 

“Fuck, Pads, what’s in that shit?” he wipes his mouth on his sleeve, getting rid of any remaining product from Sirius’ face. “Have you poisoned me?”

“Serves you right,” Sirius shoots back. “Everyone else knows better than to mess with my routine. I hope you are poisoned for contaminating my skin like that.” 

James looks about for support, but you only roll your eyes, spitting into the sink. 

“Don’t wish poisoning upon people, love,” Remus says mildly from the bedroom, and it’s not much, but James seizes upon it. He sends Sirius a triumphant look. 

“I only wanted kisses, Moons,” he whines, padding into the bedroom and laying himself pitifully across Remus’ lap. “You get it, don’t you?”

Remus smiles, bending to press his lips to James’. “Merlin, Sirius,” he says teasingly, “you really don’t know what you’re missing.” 

James chases him for more, propping himself up on his elbow and keeping Remus close with a hand at the nape of his neck. 

It doesn’t take long before Sirius is rushing out, his skincare routine apparently finished for the night as he chases you into the bedroom. James and Remus both stop to watch the spectacle as he grabs you around the waist, dipping you low and kissing you passionately. You make a sound of muffled surprise against his lips, breaking away after a second. 

“Sirius!” You laugh, flustered. “You cannot just attack me because you’re jealous! I won’t be a pawn in your game.” 

Sirius puts on a show of hurt, straightening you but keeping his hands steadfastly around your waist. “You’re not a pawn, baby. You’re the best piece on the board.” 

You let out a loud, barking laugh at that, extricating yourself from his hold. “That’s really awful,” you tell him, stepping backwards towards the bed. “If you think James is stealing your lines, you need to come up with some better material.” 

Sirius’ mouth drops open, and James snickers. 

You sit down on the bed and launch into your nightly routine of demolishing your joints, twisting around to coax painful-sounding cracking noises from your back, and Remus moves away from James to begin his nightly routine of trying to foil you, taking your shoulders in his hands before you can rotate your spine in the other direction. 

“Quit that,” he says, looking at you severely. 

You nod, but no sooner does Remus remove his hands from you than you’re contorting your back again, eliciting a series of popping noises that makes James wonder whether you might’ve broken something. 

Remus shakes his head at you, disappointed but not necessarily surprised. “I’m going to kill you,” he promises.

You grin. “You’re all talk.” 

You’re nearly as bad as Sirius when you get like this, but Remus knows just how to handle you, wrestling you flat onto the bed and laying down atop you. He toys with your hair lazily, a little smirk tugging at his lips. 

“Are you ready to wind down?” he asks you placidly. 

You’re laughing, squirming feebly underneath his weight, and James can’t help but chuckle, grabbing one of your hands by the wrist when you try to pinch at Remus’ side. 

“Traitor,” you say to him. 

“I take no sides,” he replies easily. “Sorry, angel.”

“Darling,” Remus hums lazily, getting your attention again. “Are you ready to go to sleep?” 

You roll your eyes and sigh greatly, but nod. Remus doesn’t let you off that easily this time, though, passing you immediately to Sirius, who tugs you tight to his front, your nose squishing into his cheek as he peppers your face with kisses. 

“Oh, I see,” James says, getting into the opposite side of the bed. “So they can touch your face, but I can’t, huh?” 

“Anyone can, once the product has dried,” Sirius says cooly, settling down with one final kiss to the tip of your nose. “Your mistake was jumping the gun, Potter.” 

“Can we be done with this?” you ask. “Remus is tired.” 

“Don’t use him as your scapegoat,” Sirius says, but peers over you to see Remus anyway, a tiny bit of worry in the squint of his eyes. “You’re not tired, are you Moons?”

“Only the normal amount,” Remus says, eyes already closed. 

James coos, touching his lips to the high point of Remus’ cheekbone, just beside a jagged scar. 

“Poor boy, we’re tormenting him,” he says lightly, and Sirius rolls his eyes but quiets down. 

For a good, long while, it’s silent. James watches the light in the room change as cars drive past, their headlights filtering through the curtains. The breathing around him becomes slower, more even. His own body relaxes into the mattress, eyelids drooping as he starts to give into that sweet, soft heaviness that waits just past the threshold of sleep. 

He hears a quiet rustling of sheets, and then a loud cracking sound comes from your side of the bed. 

A low voice. “Don’t make me come over there.”

[strawberrystepmom]

cw children, cw families, cw pregnancy. satoru and f!reader are married (this is the happily ever after of the semi established relationship), have a child, reader is pregnant with twins. just domestic fluff. wc936

divider thanks to @/cafekitsune as always 🩷

Standing in the kitchen of your home, you hear the pair of your husband Satoru and your daughter approaching long before you ever see either of them. They’re bickering, as per usual, your daughter attempting to show her unreasonable father reason.

Perhaps she takes after you more than you think despite being his mirror image, all white hair that stands up on end if you don’t style it every day and wild eyes like the sky. She’s beautiful, every bit of him and every bit of you that she is. A good girl with a big heart full of kindness.

“Daddy, you lost!” Her voice echoes alongside their footsteps and Satoru’s scoff as a rebuttal to her statement. You shake your head.

Maybe she is just like her father after all.

She’s four years old and you can picture the way her little hands are thrown out in exasperation without seeing them yourself. Her chubby fingers are almost certainly gripping the sides of his face while she scowls at him and you’re double certain he’s fighting the urge to say something sarcastic as the two of them finally enter the kitchen.

He’s holding her against his chest on one of his arms despite her being too big to be carried around as she’ll claim on any other day. Her hands are indeed cupping either side of his face and two sets of eyes as blue as you’ve ever seen them train on you.

You wear many hats and recently “referee” has become the most common one, her budding personality adorable but a foil to her larger than life father neither of you were expecting.

“Mama, I beat daddy!”

A grin spreads across your face and you hold out your arms for your daughter who reaches out without a second thought. She’s never too big for her mama to snuggle, cheek pressing against her soft and wild hair, little waves she inherited from you framing her face.

It’s difficult for you to hold her while pregnant but you do your best, grabbing her and sliding her onto your hip so she can throw her arms around your neck. You turn your head away enough that she notices and takes the opportunity to stick her tongue out in Satoru’s direction. He pretends to be offended, clutching his chest in horror.

“She did not beat me!”

The smile you’ve been wearing grows into a full blown grin at his insistence that he was not bested in a round of 50cc Mario Kart by his toddler and you press a kiss against the top of her head before turning to look at Gojo.

“Given the way you’re pouting, I’d say you definitely lost, handsome.”

Another shocked scoff and he folds his arms over his chest, looking down at the ground and kicking at it with one of his sock clad feet. He’s had the entire week off to spend time with your family and you can’t deny you love seeing him more relaxed than he usually is, even when he’s lamenting.

“I didn’t lose but she did win.”

You smile, your daughter humming happily as you hand her a grape from the pile you’ve been chopping on the counter. Preparing a little picnic for the afternoon, the three of you planning the outing last night. Trying to reposition her over your rounded belly, Satoru notices the predicament and holds his arms out for her to enter once again.

She chomps her grape and reaches up to rub his stubbly cheek, grinning, before kicking her legs out to be let down. He bends at the waist and places her gently on the floor below and she rushes to hug your belly, pressing her cheek against it.

“My big girl, you are so sweet,” he starts, voice thick, watching his little ones, here and not quite here yet, interact with one another.

“You hear that brother and sister? Daddy’s a loser,” she whispers to your belly and your jaw drops when she giggles gleefully and runs off, little feet pounding on the floor as she heads back to the designated play room.

You and your husband share a glance before cracking up, hand coming to his bicep to hold onto him while you nearly topple over with laughter.

“I think you’ve been a bad influence this week,” you wipe tears off of your face, grin big and bright. A sheepish shrug is his response before pulling you close and resting his hand on your belly, rubbing it gently. You shut your eyes and rest your head against his bicep.

“Well, when these two get here I’ll be home for four weeks. She’ll be really rotten by the time those are over.”

Shaking your head, you wrap your arms around his waist and rub your thumbs over his lower back.

“Maybe one out of three will be like me,” you joke and he laughs, dipping his chin and kissing your forehead.

“Or maybe you’ll just have two more mini Satoru’s to make you worry instead.”

“Oh you’d like that wouldn’t you?”

He shrugs, you feel it rather than see it.

“I can’t deny how nice it would be to have a little you, though. Sweet and funny and grumpy…” he trails off, expecting a scolding, but instead you hum.

“I don’t mind either way. No matter what, they’re ours.”

Ours. A word that sounds sweet every time it leaves your lips. A life you weren’t sure you’d ever build together has burst to life and it’s hard not to just simply feel grateful it’s happening.

“Our perfect little angels.”

You nod once. It’s not exactly the term you’d pick but it’ll do, heart singing over the fact he loves you and your children so much.

“Exactly.”

[entities-of-posts]

Hi, I have a question not directly tied to the roleplay (though I don't mind if you answer it in that direction): A while ago, you talked about your theory of a potential 16th Fear emerging to balance the emerging Extinction: the Dull. I find that concept compelling, but in that post you also said that each of the powers has an "opposite" due to how people like to categorise things and I'd be curious what you would consider the opposite of each power. (Mostly because I like lists and sorting things xD)

Some do have a pretty clear opposite (Vast/Buried, Lonely/Corruption), but with a lot of the others it's less immediately obvious or simply up to a bit more interpretation. iirc Elias says the Stranger is the antithesis to the Eye, but the Dark and the Spiral similarly foil its central concepts, and I'm not sure what else their opposites would be, really.

Let me just preface this list by saying that this is my own opinion and interpretation, and thus 100% right and correct and indisputable.

I will also say that there are Fears which I would call near opposites, but imperfect mirrors - such as the Stranger and the Eye - and some that just seem to hate each other without being antithesis - such as the Desolation and the Corruption. It’s also worth mentioning that overlap always exist between mirrors, of course; this is why there is a classic duality between the moon and the sun, but no one talks about the duality between the moon and a giraffe, even though they have much less in common.

That said, here is my list:

The Vast - The Buried: the most widely agreed upon. Spaces too large versus too small. The terrible freedom of being adrift in an endless ocean, of freefall, versus being crushed in place with not the space to crawl an inch. You get it. The comparison is so clear and easy that it kickstarts the speculation about all the others.

The Eye - the Dark: extremely straightforward; just as much as the Vast and the Buried, to me. Knowledge versus the lack of it. Stark light versus impenetrable darkness. What sees you versus what you cannot see. Literally symbolized respectively by an open eye and a closed one.

The Corruption - the Lonely: Toxic love versus miserable isolation. An overabundance of company, much too close, under your very skin, a swarm of uninvited guests within your deepest sanctuary who will not leave, versus a life so barren of any company at all that that you might almost start to crave the former. The heat of fever versus the cold of fog.

The Web - the Desolation: careful planning versus reckless destruction. A trap so intricately laid, hundreds of delicate moving pieces and redundancy measures waiting for just the right time… so easily laid to waste by an unthinking, spontaneous act of cruel hunger for rubbles. Man’s quest, since the dawn of time, has been to tame and leash fire. And we still haven’t mastered it.

The Hunt - the End: a wild fight for life versus its cold ending. The journey versus the destination. The two oldest fears. The Chase wants more than anything to never End. The End doesn’t Chase; it just waits. And you’re the one that walks towards it every instant.

The Stranger - the Slaughter: here is the part of the list where people start to look at me oddly, because they’ve often never considered those pairings; but hear me out, and remember that I am inarguably correct. The fear of something Else pretending to be human versus the fear of what truly lies at the core of every human person. The fear of being tricked by an elaborate disguise versus the intimate knowledge of the truth: that those who hurt others aren’t monsters disguised as people. They’re just people. And the urge is in you too. Masks, versus what is revealed when all masks are cast off. And they both have musical motifs which makes for some fun parallels.

The Spiral - the Flesh: the horror of the mind versus the horror of the body. Unreality versus a reality only too physical, only too inescapable. Your brain is lying to you, but your body keeps the score. Follow the patterns, the Spiral says, there is more, they are lying to you, just follow me down - this is all there is, the Flesh whispers, this is the raw and dripping truth, this is all you are and you will never escape it. The Distortion even admits it can’t digest an avatar of the Flesh.

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Ideas for subverting popular character tropes? I've started a story and am having difficulty making my cast of characters unique. I'd love it if you had any fresh takes on tropes like the mentor, the sidekick, etc...

POPULAR CHARACTER TROPES AND PROMPTS TO SUBVERT THEM

A character trope, sometimes called a character archetype, is a “recognizable element within a story or plot that defines or conveys information about a character. Character tropes can either define a character's entire role in a plot or the character's personality or motivations.” (source: arcstudiopro).

Many people bash “tropes,” but what you have to remember is that there is no such thing as a unique idea; everything has been done before, and the reason why tropes are so popular is because (a lot of time) they work!

It is totally possible to have a "normal" trope in your story without making it a cliché. However, if you’re looking to subvert these expectations, here’s a list of ideas I’ve come up with!

(This is me brainstorming on the fly to help get your gears turning, so I apologize if these aren’t fully fleshed out or if they’ve already been done before!)

1. THE CHOSEN ONE

The “Chosen One” is a trope where “one character is framed as the inevitable hero or antihero of the story, as a result of destiny, unique gifts, and/or special lineage” (source: Wikipedia). The Chosen One is often depicted as naive or unwilling at the beginning, and has a progression of growth through the narrative when they “accept their destiny.”

Examples:

Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Harry Potter (Harry Potter)

Frodo (The Lord of the Rings)

Neo (The Matrix)

Subversions:

1. The protagonist who was believed to be the chosen one from the very beginning discovers that it was actually someone else the whole time and must come to terms with the realization that they no longer have this title that they’ve based their entire life (and perhaps personality) around. (Bonus points if the new Chosen One is someone they’re close to).

2. Every solstice, the “Holy Order” sends a Chosen One to defeat the monster that has been ravaging their town. None ever return. The protagonist is selected as the next Chosen One, only to find that being Chosen does not mean “Chosen to defeat the monster” but rather “Chosen as the sacrifice to appease the monster.” (Bonus points if the reason the Chosen Ones always die is because the “Holy Order” misguides them (gives them broken weapons/drugged food/faulty armor/directs them into traps/etc.)).

3. Having the Chosen Power comes with a price. After someone is Chosen, it is a death sentence. The protagonist must find a way to defeat the villain AND purge themself of the Chosen Power before it’s too late (Bonus points if the villain helps them purge the Chosen Power).

2. THE SIDEKICK

The sidekick is a friend and helper of the main protagonist. They are often depicted as a loyal comic relief character made to emphasize the hero’s greatness, and may be killed off to advance the hero’s journey.

Examples:

Robin (Batman)

Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)

Chewbacca (Star Wars)

Pan (His Dark Materials)

Subversions:

1. The “sidekick” is actually the hero of the story; the narrator just has an inflated ego and believes themself to be the hero. Meanwhile, their “sidekick” is the one saving the world.

2. Sidekicks are often depicted as younger than the hero. Perhaps an older sidekick might do good to spice things up (Bonus points if it’s without turning them into the mentor trope).

3. The sidekick is a former hero who had to watch their own sidekick sacrifice themself, and was convinced to leave hiding by the current hero. (Bonus points if the sidekick dies in a poetic way that is a narrative foil to the way his own sidekick died, perhaps in a “I didn’t understand why they would sacrifice themself for me but now I get it”).

4. A ridiculously strong/powerful Mary Sue type character is the sidekick to a Normal Guy™ (Bonus points if they are incredibly content in this position).

5. The sidekick is not a willing sidekick; they were kidnapped by the hero because they have an object/bloodline/power/etc. that is essential to defeating the villain.

3. THE MENTOR

The Mentor is the protagonist’s teacher, who helps them transition from a “normal” person into a hero. The Mentor is often depicted as wise and virtuous, teaching the protagonist not only the ways of fighting or magic, but also the ways of good and evil. The mentor is often killed off to advance the hero’s character arc, due to the fact that they are sometimes seen as a parental figure.

Examples:

Dumbledore (Harry Potter)

Yoda (Star Wars)

Uncle Iroh (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid)

Subversions:

1. The mentor is the narrator. After spending so much time training the Chosen One and raising them like their own child, they must hear news that they have been killed by the villain. While still grieving (or perhaps fueled by revenge), the mentor must venture out and defeat the villain themself.

2. Have the mentor be a woman! You would be shocked at how overwhelmingly male-dominated the “mentor” archetype is!

3. The mentor turns on the protagonist that they trained…not because the mentor has turned evil, but because the mentor believes that the protagonist has become a monster (à la Kung Fu Panda). (Bonus points if the mentor is actually right and the protagonist really has become a monster).

4. The bright-eyed Chosen One thinks the world of their mentor, only to realize through experiences with others that the mentor trained them horribly, and that the mentor only used their training to boost their renown—without expecting them to survive their fight with the villain. (Bonus points if the protagonist is an unreliable narrator, and we as the readers feel just as betrayed by the mentor because we, too, thought they were a great person).

5. The mentor is the former Chosen One, desperate for the current Chosen One to not make the same mistakes. The current Chosen One resents the mentor for pushing them so hard and treating them so cruelly, but in reality the mentor is just overprotective (Bonus points if it’s not revealed that they were the legendary “Defeated Chosen One” until later).

4. THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

Although a Damsel in Distress is often associated with female characters, any character is capable of falling into this archetype; mostly known for being a passive figure who exists mostly as an object for the hero to save.

This is one of the few character tropes that is difficult to break the negative stigma, due to its root in misogyny and the disadvantages that come along with having a character without personal goals or motivations. In my opinion, if you have a character that follows this archetype to the T, perhaps you should consider some revising.

Examples:

Lois Lane (Superman)

Princess Buttercup (The Princess Bride)

Mary Jane Watson (Spiderman)

Ann Darrow (King Kong)

Subversions:

1. The passive, meek damsel in distress whom the hero has been working relentlessly to save actually turns out to be a villain! Their supposed rescue efforts were used as a distraction while the evil plot unfolds, and ends with a fight to the death!

2. The damsel in distress gets in a huge fight with the protagonist when they come to the rescue; they were undercover the entire time, and the protagonist has ruined their plans!

5. THE FEMME FATALE

The femme fatale is usually characterized as a mysterious woman who seduces and entraps men with her body. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a gendered archetype, but often errs into sexualization and misogyny (especially in works written by men).

Examples:

Jane Smith (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

Nikita (La Femme Nikita)

Catwoman (Batman)

Catherine Tramell (Basic Instinct)

Subversions:

1. The Femme Fatale doesn’t know they’re a femme fatale. They are a master of seduction and gaining valuable information through licentious wiles, but it’s all an accident; they just-so-happen to sleep with rivals and they just-so-happen to say important information. The femme fatale casually brings this information up in conversation, rendering the team awed by their “impressive skill set.”

2. The Femme Fatale is male or nonbinary (Bonus points if they will seduce any gender).

3. There is a Femme Fatale team; an icy power couple dedicated to killing through threesomes.

6. THE GEEK (OR MAD SCIENTIST OR NERD OR KNOW-IT-ALL ETC.)

The Geek, or the Mad Scientist, is the character known for knowing everything. They often have a lack of social skills, and their vast knowledge of random things helps the characters when they’ve been backed into a corner…though they sometimes tend to be a quick fix for writers who’ve written their characters into a corner and need an easy solution.

Examples:

Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory)

Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

Spock (Star Trek)

L (Death Note)

Subversions:

1. The Geek has leadership skills and ability to inspire others. Awkward is not the complete opposite of charismatic; just because someone may have trouble talking to people doesn’t mean they can’t foster intense loyalty from their comrades. (Think along the lines of L from Death Note. Bonus if they’re the leader of their organization, and their subordinates would face God and walk backwards into Hell for them).

2. Combine the Geek with another archetype, perhaps an antithesis archetype like the Dumb Jock. For example, a Geek that enjoys the outdoors and extreme sports like rock climbing (but rather than to get buff, they just want to look at the fantastic granite deposits on the side of the mountain they’re climbing). Or perhaps a Geek Femme Fatale, whose “special interest” is the psychology of seduction.

3. The Geek hates what they do. The “passion” that Geeks usually have for machines/non-humans/their chosen expertise is forced upon them because they’re super smart. In reality, they’d wanted to take it easy going to business school but nooooo the world was at stake so they had to become an expert in the intergalactic space-time continuum.

4. The Geek is useless. Their musings are more mania than genius, their explanations and ideas incomprehensible to a normal human being, and the group only keeps them around with the hopes that one day they’ll come up with an idea that actually makes sense. (Bonus if that idea comes at the climax of the story).

8. THE DUMB JOCK (OR HIMBO)

The dumb jock, also known as “the brawn,” is an archetype that is often categorized by being all buff and no brains. They often are, or at least begin as, the antagonist of the story, and if they aren’t, they’re considered the “Himbo” character (with character traits being buff, dumb, and respectful to women), who are often reduced merely to their attractiveness and stupidity, without much depth.

Examples:

Jason Carver (Stranger Things)

Mitch Downe (ParaNorman)

Kronk (The Emperor’s New Groove)

Bolin (The Legend of Korra)

Subversions:

1. The himbo and/or jock is frustrated with the way that their comrades always reduce them to the brawn. They feel left out and isolated because they can’t understand the lofty conversations of their peers, and know that they, in a way, look down on them for not being as smart (Bonus if this becomes a major plot point in the character’s arc, causing a huge blowout fight that fissures the group because of it).

2. The himbo/jock’s stupidity does not reduce them to comic relief. The himbo/jock is well-respected and has incredible emotional intelligence and charisma/street smarts, but merely lacks in textbook intelligence.

3. The himbo/jock is a woman! Break through the stereotype of dumb strong people being men and put some herbos in your story (Bonus if you don’t sexualize her and just let her be herself).

4. An idea from the jock/himbo becomes an integral part of the plan to save the world!

9. THE ANTIHERO

The antihero archetype is categorized by their lack of conventional heroic attributes, their execution of their goals through morally gray means, and their frequent reluctance to be the one saving the world. Their motivations may be vengeance, hatred, or any other less-than heroic inspiration besides “the greater good.” In fact, the antihero is sometimes the antagonist of the story, but due to the fact that the audience is seeing things from their perspective, they often tend to root for them.

The antihero used to be its own subversion of the “Chosen One” archetype, but became so widespread that it itself became its own archetype. That’s why antiheroes are so varied, to the point where you may not even need a subversion due to how many possible ideas there are to choose from. (This was the hardest list to make!)

Examples:

Barry Berkman (Barry)

Harley Quinn (DC)

Cassie Thomas (Promising Young Woman)

Deadpool (Deadpool)

Subversions:

1. The antihero feels guilt. Oftentimes, an antihero is depicted as stone-cold and dead-set on their actions (and sometimes they’re right! If someone killed my family, I wouldn’t care about “being the bigger person”). However, an interesting subversion may be guilt or self-awareness surrounding their actions playing a large role in the execution of their goals.

2. The antihero is not a lone wolf, and develops meaningful and positive relationships with others rather than having it be 90% snarky banter. Sometimes, antiheroes suffer from a lack of three-dimensionality due to most of their dialogue being cheeky one-liners. Anchor them solidly into the story by building a web of relationships to support them! (They don’t have to all be lovey-dovey, either! Even enemy relationships can be more than snark).

3. An honor code. Giving an antihero with an interesting honor code regarding killing, stealing, or any of their other morally gray deeds could be an excellent subversion! Having characters who are stone-cold killers but draw the line (perhaps in an odd way, such as refusing to steal cars or kill pets), somewhere can be a great way to develop their personality and show the readers their motivations.

Hope these all helped, and happy writing!

[lesetoilesfous]

I do just…like I am just obsessed with the fact that Anders was the perfect person to foil Meredith and she had no goddamn reason to even factor him into her schemes because he is the YA protagonist of the dragon age universe. Experienced apostate, battle hardened Grey Warden, super powered spirit healer bonded with the literal embodiment of Justice. The Magical Girl of it all. Like do you ever think in the 10 years Anders was getting people out of the Gallows under Meredith’s goddamn nose like the experienced tactician and commander of troops that he is, she was like: this can’t just be one person. There cannot be one person in Kirkwall that I don’t know about who’s doing this. They’d need the experience of a military commander and more direct access to magic and the fade than my first enchanter, not to mention physically super powered strength, speed and reflexes. That’s not possible. Like no wonder Hawke becomes such a target they’re the only person in the goddamn city cartoonishly competent enough to fit the bill and meanwhile, behind them, Anders is sticking his tongue out at Meredith in the medieval fantasy equivalent of a badly picked outfit from Goodwill pretending his very obvious magical staff is a walking stick. I just, I love him, you know?

[kalinara]

It’s interesting.  I saw someone suggest that Nate and Ted are being positioned as foils this season, but I don’t think I entirely agree with that.  At least not entirely.

I think that the character that Nate is really being juxtaposed against is Rebecca.

Because Rupert’s doing the same thing to Nate as he did to Rebecca.  Remember what she said in the Gala episode, about how he’d tell her to “wear this, eat that”?

For Nate, it’s “say this, drive that”.  We saw it all throughout this episode.  And of course the biggest example is the car.  On one hand, it’s a lavish gift, but on the other, it’s a means to control.

Nate has a lot of issues and insecurities, but one thing we’ve never seen him anxious about was that car.  Even in the first episode, where it makes for that last visual joke, as Nate drives Ted to his home in that tiny tiny vehicle.  Nate loves that car.

But it doesn’t look right.  It doesn’t fit Rupert’s image.  It’s the car that a cleaner would drive (and I love the casual cruelty of the “repercussions” directed toward that hypothetical cleaner.)  So Rupert’s dealt with it.  He’s dazzling Nate with praise and gifts while manipulating the poor guy into more and more extreme behaviors.

I appreciate the show for showing us how an abusive relationship can develop in a professional setting, rather than only in personal relationships.

Rebecca would recognize what Rupert is doing immediately.  And notice the contrast in the way she deals with the embarrassment that Ted initially causes her.  She’s mad, she expresses it, but then she lets Ted be Ted.  I do think there were points in season one where Rebecca was falling into the trap of being a different kind of abusive boss herself...rather like Nate can be too, when he lashes out.   Rebecca is still, however, defining her own success in relation to Rupert, which isn’t healthy either.   But that’s what happens at the beginning of a storyarc.  I wonder if Nate might end up playing a role there as well.

I do think there’s a lot to explore with Nate and Ted too, but it’s not a matter of direct opposition.  Ted and Nate are father and son, so to speak.  It’s a theme that’s been there since the beginning and it’s still here.  Ted, still praising Nate even when Nate hurts him, contrasted with Mr. Shelley’s callous dismissal.   And we have the nice poetry of Henry, Ted’s biological son, reminding Ted that Nate is still part of the family even though they’re separate.

Nate is lost right now, the same way Rebecca was lost in season one, and I think she’s going to end up being instrumental in him finding his way again.

[falling-star-cygnus]

y’all ever think about how Aventurine and Sampo are perfect foils for each other o_o

bc i do

they’re both gamblers: high-risk, high-reward, life on the line, all or nothing type people -> but Aventurine will always choose the reward over his life and Sampo will always choose his life over the reward

they’re flashy and flamboyant to draw attention- Aventurine with his shiny clothing, Sampo with shoulder piece and sweeping movements -> but Sampo directs attention that he can flee from, and Aventurine makes himself a target

Sampo pretends to be meek when he knows he can get out of a situation, Aventurine pretends to be confident when he’s terrified a gamble will be his last

not to mention: the fandom has completely mischaracterised and watered down their complexities until these two very shady, very cunning characters are nothing more than hypersexual himbos

[lynxgriffin]

Since we've got plenty of time to reflect, who do you the Knight is? (I'm very much hoping it's Papyrus)

Okay! So! 

While I uh, think that Jaru is super wrong on almost all his theories, I've got one major exception where I think he is correct, and that’s the identity of the Knight:

(This is kinda long, so going under the read more)

Namely, that the Knight is Gerson’s soul tied to a particular object and brought to life in the Dark World. Although for me personally, I’m going to tweak that idea quite a bit because I think it can actually tie in really nicely with my current theories on Ralsei’s identity and nature. 

We keep getting little references to Gerson brought up here and there in both chapters: there’s a drawing of a turtle monster in the abandoned classroom, done by Alvin. It’s presumably either Alvin himself or his dad, Gerson, and I’m guessing it’s the latter. We have books written by Gerson in multiple places, a memorial bench for him, and then Alvin’s conversation about him in the graveyard by his headstone. Alvin also mumbles something about “did I do the right thing?” to Gerson’s grave. As long as you initiate a conversation with Alvin, the game makes sure that you don't miss that extra bit, which is a little telling.

We know that Gerson was originally a historian, and then later turned to writing fiction, and wrote a beloved fiction series that fans still send his family letters about after his death. 

What do we know about the nature of the Dark Worlds? They’re basically imagination and fantasy brought to life. While they certainly seem to have a full history outside of what we experience, with characters that remember each other even from other Dark Worlds, they’re only “given form” when a dark fountain is opened. Any Lightner with determination can stab the earth, and a dark, inky substance can spew from it and give a world of fantasy its own form. The Darkners frequently talk about how Lightners give them direction and purpose in their lives.

So…question! How many of you have used a fountain pen?

I have used those before. They’re quite sharp, and using them very often feels like scratching or stabbing the paper. Black ink spews forth, and from this black ink…you can create whole worlds of fiction! Worlds that other people can interact with! 

We know that Gerson wrote beloved fiction well into his old age. What if he knew his time was coming, but still had stories to tell? What if he didn’t want to stop? Alvin says how his dust was sprinkled on a hammer and buried in the earth, and that this is considered the appropriate monster cultural ritual for helping a soul pass to the afterlife. But Alvin also appears to have done something that is still really troubling him. Maybe Alvin, either at his father's request or based on his own wants, didn’t actually follow the appropriate cultural funeral rites, and somehow helped his father’s soul attach to a different beloved object…a fountain pen that he’d use to write down his story ideas. And if that object gets brought to life with a dark fountain, you could get the Knight: the soul of a writer, filtered exclusively through their favorite writing tool, unwilling to stop creating.

I think it would make sense on a few logical and thematic levels:

It explains how the Knight is able to get around and open the fountains: the same way that Ralsei is able to do the weird things he does. They’re both Darkners carrying Lightner souls, so they can bend the rules.

It explains Queen’s insistence that Lightners are the ones that can create fountains, while King hates Lightners but seems to fully trust the Knight…a Darkner with a Lightner soul can meet both those people's expectations.  

It sets up the Knight as a foil to Ralsei: they’re both the same kind of special Dark World being, both believing that they are fulfilling their roles and serving the Lightners, but coming to vastly different conclusions about how to do that. 

It explains the Knight’s motivations: not that he’s actually trying to destroy the world or anything, but that he’s trying to serve the Lightners. He knows very well how much joy and positivity his fiction has brought to Lightners in the past. How could more of that be anything bad? This is his purpose, what he was made to do. Not doing it is virtually unthinkable.

And I think that in turn keeps him following in the footsteps of how Toby usually writes his villains…rarely if ever fully malicious, but utterly convinced that they’re doing the right thing, or that they have no choice in the matter. 

And of course that ties in with one of Deltarune’s themes: the balance between reality and fantasy. The Knight has no more ties with reality, and therefore is focused exclusively on creating more fantasy and having it supplant reality, upsetting the balance between them. 

And this is extremely speculative, but I've been thinking about how Toby mentioned that chapter three will be a bit of an odd one out, that it's more about trying weird things than advancing a lot of plot. Kind of an interesting thing to note since Kris just made a fountain that should take us into chapter three. If the Dark Worlds are in some way shaped by the will of the Lightner that makes them, then chapter three indicates that Kris's will manifests more as just...trying out stuff rather than something purposeful. Kris makes a fountain because they really want to keep up this special hangout with their friends. But the Knight? He's making narratives.

[mysebacielblog]

In Depth Analysis: Sebastian and Elizabeth

I love the relationship that Lizzy and Sebastian have. If you know the fact that Sebastian is the Main Character of Black Butler (it’s in the title) and subscribe to the romance/intimacy that he and Ciel share, then this would make Lizzy one of the Biggest Antagonists of all of Black Butler. On the level of antagonism to the Undertaker, perhaps even more! Which is funny because, just, just LOOK AT HER. She’s just this preteen girl!! Who the heck would consider her an antagonist?!

These two have gone up against literal immortal forces that pose a great threat to them physically. The only person who holds this kind of sway is the real Ciel. However. I would consider him to be more of an antagonist to both Ciel and Sebastian, whereas Lizzy is an antagonist and a threat to Sebastian alone. And while Ciel’s Brother (R!ciel) reminds Ciel of his past, Lizzy reminds Ciel of his Future that he will never have. Although she is a bit of a nuisance and a hindrance to Ciel and his plans, Lizzy isn’t a full fledged antagonist for him.

She’s even a sweetheart to everyone, even Sebastian, despite how weird the entire Phantomhive estate is. Their cordial passive aggressiveness and pleasantness between them compared to more direct characters (such as Aunt Francis) is fascinating to watch.

But she has him absolutely TREMBLING in his leather boots, because not only is she the Main Antagonist, but no, a Love Antagonist Even. Because even though our Ciel still keeps her at an arms length and treats her more like family than a proper fiancé, he still cares tremendously about her and her emotions. She represents a life where our Ciel Lives, grows up, has a future, and doesn’t pursue his Revenge. Which is the biggest threat to their contract entirely. As a narrative foil, she’s sweet, loud and angelic, and based on the original story, could be the very salvation that could Save Ciel’s soul.

And the best part of it is she is also really, really good at fighting and can go toe to toe with Sebastian in a fight- and he Can’t even lay a finger on her!

The envy these two have for each other is palpable- each wants what the other has of Ciel’s Time and Affections. It’s the difference between wanting a Public Relationship for Appearances and desiring a private relationship for sharing one’s secrets.

I think the most interesting aspect of their relationship is that even though they’re rivals, Sebastian Lets Lizzy GO, going completely against Ciel’s Wishes, knowing that was “impossible to shackle one’s heart”. Was this some small mercy of growth or sympathy, distance the two from interacting, or simply a way to move the agenda forward?

The only character that would consider her an antagonist of any type would be a demon.

[black-butler-meta]

Green Witch Arc: Sullivan vs. Ciel

I finished reading the Green Witch arc a few weeks ago, and my mind has been mulling over it ever since. I absolutely loved it, so many different things I want to talk about! Today, however, I will focus on only ONE thing, because, well, it's a big one and I write too much for my own good.

What is it, you may ask? Well, it is the dichotomy shown between Sullivan and Ciel when it comes to sex/sexuality. Sex stuff AGAIN? YES. Because this shit is everywhere, mixed in with all of the trauma this show has, and it's fascinating to stare at it under a microscope.

TW: discusses the sexuality/sexualization of minors, implied/brief references to Ciel's trauma, and Sebastian is an immoral bastard (but we love him).

How fascinating to have Sullivan, an 11-year old who is OBSESSED with the idea of sex, contrasted to Ciel, a 13-year old, who often turns a blind eye or straight up refuses to think about sex (that we explicitly know of, of course).

First, let’s look at Ciel. He is VERY resistant to sexual advances, comments, or themes in general. It doesn’t help that these advances/comments are often coming from adults (e.g., his clothing designer, that creepy sex-trafficking guy I can never remember his name…). But it’s there with Sullivan too, of course (understandably… anyone would be uncomfortable with how she treated him). He keeps a certain level of innocence about himself, which I see more as a trauma response rather than an actual lack of interest. It’s not that he likely doesn’t have thoughts about sexual things, but that the concept of sex at all is something that is deeply bound to what he went through, and so he avoids it like the plague. We all know that typically 13-year-olds are well into exploring their sexuality and attitudes/desires around sex. But Ciel doesn’t seem to have any interest at all.

On top of that, he is often treated less like an adolescent and more like a prepubescent child by others, including Sebastian (at least with the topic of sex). I don’t think Sebastian sees Ciel as an innocent child like the others; instead, I think he does this for two reasons. First, he ‘shelters’ Ciel to maintain his butler persona in the presence of others. He has to follow the cultural rules and expectations of the times, which includes protecting his master’s “innocence” (an innocence that Ciel was long ago robbed of). Second, he does it to rile him up, to strip Ciel of his “adult” persona that he wears around others and make him feel vulnerable in front of Sebastian. We all know that the two of them love taking jabs at each other and getting under each other’s skin, and this is no different. Sebastian didn’t point out the inappropriateness of Doll sleeping next to him out of concern/kindness of his master’s reputation. No one was there to see it or report on it. No, he did it because he knew it would irritate Ciel.

But, I digress. Point is that Ciel is particularly sheltered and infantilized both by himself and by those around him. Part of it is the trauma (aka Ciel’s age regression that I described in a separate post), and the other part of it is due to his cultural upbringing in Victorian era England, where morality and purity of the soul were big at the time.

By contrast, Sullivan is the total opposite. The parallels between them are very obvious - they both have male butlers as their primary servant/provider, they are (mostly) isolated amongst adults, and they’re close in age. In this sense, Sullivan acts and Ciel’s foil during this arc.

Sullivan is two years younger than Ciel, and yet she is far more comfortable with the ideas of sex and sexuality than he is. She’s very forward with what she wants, very direct, and has no hangups/issues around the topic. She’s also still very young and immature, evidenced by how she doesn’t understand the inappropriateness of her questions and comments, as well as her physically grabbing Ciel without his consent. It shows that while she’s comortable exploring her sexuality, she’s still obviously very young and immature.

Sullivan’s hyper-sexuality may seem odd/uncomfortable at first, especially for those of us from western cultures where media doesn’t portray the sexual side of pre-adolescent/pre-pubescent minors. But portraying the sexual/attraction side of minors (both as the subjects and objects of desire) has been present in anime for forever. Some examples that come to mind off the top of my head are Becky’s crush on Loid in Spy x Family; Young Yosano (age 11) from Bungo Stray Dogs being crushed on by the older soldiers in her platoon; and Reg and Riko from Made in Abyss. Sometimes these things are used for comedic effect, utilizing that discomfort to cause a laugh. But other times, it’s entirely serious/genuine (as a side note, Sullivan’s scenes do both.) But that doesn’t make it bad… instead, the sexual exploration of minors in fiction within anime is often portrayed as something natural. These aren’t instances of children being taken advantage of; in fact, they are often turned down either by characters or circumstance (e.g., spy x family), or they themselves shut down those who exhibit interest (e.g., bungo stray dogs), or the exchange/situation is with someone their own age (e.g., made in abyss).

And I think that’s a distinction I’ve noticed between Japanese and Western media. Minors, specifically pre-adolescents, are often portrayed as active explorers of attraction and sexuality. Which, when we really sit down and think about it, is entirely natural and a part of overall development. Sullivan being obsessed with sex at her age, while exaggerated for humorous effect, is typical. (As a side note, I chuckled at the fact that she got her information from romance books, because I have very clear memories of being 11 years old and sneakily reading the sex scenes from my mom’s harlequin romance books when she wasn’t home!). But, as I said above, while her curiosity and desire to experience this aspect of her body that is meant to bring pleasure is normal, her approach is very immature and inappropriate.

Which brings us to a very important point: While it is normal for minors to be curious and want to explore sex, the responsibility, in the end, falls on the adults (and older minors) to maintain healthy boundaries. Sullivan is allowed to have her curiosity, but she is regularly shot down by those around her, and her sexual advances are written off as a misunderstanding due to her lack of social and cultural exposure.

It’s also worth noting that I found Sebastian’s reaction to the whole thing very interesting AND very on-point for a demon. Sebastian is far less appalled by Sullivan’s advances as well as her overall curiosity. In fact, he finds the entire thing hilarious. There is even a point where he points out “Is Mr. Wolfram not a man?” I felt like this had a double meaning. The surface level is pointing out that Wolfram is a man, even though Sullivan says she’s never seen one before. But also implies that if she were so curious about men, then why not go to her butler who is one?

Sebastian is not bound by human rules of morality. He’s a demon and sees all humans as inferior. Food, insects… you get the idea. And as a demon, I don’t think he cares much about age/age differences, either. In fact, to be honest, I think all humans likely seem like infants to him because he’s immortal. He’s been around far longer than all of them. It’s the same way someone in their 40s will see someone in their 20s as young, or the way someone in their 80s may see someone in their 40s as young. Young, old… it’s all relative to oneself, and for Sebastian, he’s the oldest there is. What he does know is that humans are very sexually motivated (he uses this to his advantage, after all). It’s just a part of their nature. He doesn’t care that the sexuality is coming from an 11 year old versus a 25 year old. To him, the solution is simple: if you want it, take it. If Sullivan wants to experience sex, then she should reach out to Mr. Wolfram because he is a man. There’s nothing sinister about, nothing predatory… it��s just the logical solution that Sebastian came to due to not being restricted by human thinking. As long as both parties are consenting, what does it matter?

Which why it is so perfect that it’s Sullivan who shuts him down. But not because Wolfram is an adult and she’s a child, but because she doesn’t think of him “that way.” She sees him as a guard dog. He’s a loyal servant, there to protect her, and in that way, is more of a parental figure to her than a romantic one (as it should be). It’s not that she can’t be attracted to an adult; she’s obviously attracted to Sebastian. Which, once again, is normal. I distinctly recall having crushes on adults as a preteen. And let’s be honest, EVERYONE crushes on Sebastian, he’s literally sex on legs.

But what’s so great about this exchange is that Sullivan, while still being a child, is given agency as a character within the story. It’s not that she can’t, but it’s that she doesn’t want to. And that, in itself, is powerful. While she may be young and immature, just starting out her sexual journey, she gets to decide what she does/doesn’t want to do with her body, who she does/doesn’t want to share it with. And she’s able to make that choice within a safe space because those around her, who are older than her, maintain that very important boundary of appropriate/inappropriate behavior, not letting her cross that threshold that can lead to a potentially damaging outcome (mentally, physically, emotionally).

We often try to maintain a strict dichotomy between “child” (no sexual agency) and “adult” (full sexual agency). However, that’s not how it works in the real world, is it? We have that transitory period of adolescence, and we can’t prevent the sexual curiosity of minors from happening. We may create this dichotomy as a way to protect children from ill-intentioned adults, but at the same time, doing so strips children of their own autonomy and ability to learn about themselves - what they like, what they don’t like, what feels safe and what doesn’t. A child without agency is a child without control, and in that sense, is at greater risk for harm when they do eventually cross that legal threshold from minor to adult.

Additionally, this binary viewpoint either promotes, or is in response to, the fear that if a child is allowed to be their own subject of sexual desire, then it will open up the allowance of them becoming the object of someone else’s sexual desire, which can increase the risk for harm. In a way, this almost puts the blame on the child, rather than the adults, as being the one responsible for maintaining healthy boundaries. It’s the same tune of “women shouldn’t dress provocatively because it might entice men to assault them.” Let us not put the blame on the victims, shall we? Allow and acknowledge the natural sexual development of children and adolescents; provide a safe space for them to be curious, to ask questions, to get things wrong. It is OUR responsibility as adults to honor and protect their space and teach them boundaries for safety.

Oops, I got sidetracked…

To tie this back to Ciel, in this sense, he’s still very much stuck in that dichotomy of “child” (no agency) and “adult” (full agency). He’s forced to occupy both spaces due to his culture and his circumstances. In that sense, he’s grappling for control within himself, his past, and the world that he is both physically bound by and yet emotionally separate from. It demonstrates how he’s still shackled by his past and by his need for revenge, and ties into his voluntary age regression that he still relies on in response to his trauma. And if Ciel has any hope of ever truly healing beyond it, then him coming to terms with his own sexuality and desires will likely have to be a part of that.

I have much more to say regarding Ciel’s sexuality within the story overall, Sebastian’s role in it, as well as how that relates to us as the viewers…. but that’s a post for another time. This post is already long enough. 💀

ANYWAAAYYYY, Green Witch Arc. Loved it, it was fantastic, so much going on in it, can't wait to see it all animated eventually! I have more ramblings to write for it, so hopefully I can get those jotted down soon!

[sanjisluvbot]

ISEKAI YANDERE STRAWHATS X BLACK FEM READER PT 7

Masterlist

1 2 3 4 5 6

TW: drugging

Your eyes widened, you knew the edge you felt from Luffy wasn’t something you could easily shake off. Luffy was good at emotional manipulation but you were even better, I mean you had to be. Law was right to tell you to try and distance yourself from him but it was hard when he was really the only person you could trust.

“ Luffy what would make you think about that right now?” You said trying to remove his arm from your waist though your efforts were no use as he gripped you even tighter.

“ You’ve been really close with Traffy, I- no the entire crew has noticed and I just wanted ti know if you’re going to make us go through this again.”

Damn them all to hell honestly.

You wanted to express your anger to him so badly but that would just foil your plans completely. Deep breaths y/n, just reassure him and the crew so they can let you go to Zou.

“ Listen Luffy, me and Law just have a lot in common. We get along really well and we’re just friends. I’m not gonna leave. ”

He smiled at you and started talking to you about his plan to unlock the fridge that night with the help of one of Ussop’s new inventions. You began to tune him out when you realized that your anxiety was beginning to overflow. Your hands felt clammy and you wanted to be alone. Luffy’s grip was agonizing and you knew it was his way of threatening you silently.

If this plan wasn’t executed to perfection who knows what they’d do to you. What would happen with Law if they- no, no more negative thoughts. If you stress this too much they really will notice.

Meanwhile in the library Robin was drinking tea while reading a book with chopper.

“ Robin, have you noticed how close Y/N has been with Trafalgar?”

Robin looked up from her book and smirked at the doctor, “ I think she likes him… maybe he liked her too they’re both strategists”

“ I guess”

Robin was weary though, she knew deep down you had not fully accepted everything so why would you get close with Law? She was sure she heard everything right when you two went off but could they have a hidden agenda being together?

Before she thought any further the man of the hour walked in. He nodded in their direction and went to the book shelf himself picking out a book on ancient medicine.

“ Traffy y/n seems to have opened up to you since we’ve gotten off Punk Hazard. What made you so close if you don’t mind me asking?”

“ She’s very intelligent and we get along well.”

“ oh, well she’s more of a closed off type so I was just curious because it happened so fast.”

This is what you were talking about. Robin was the most observant and the most dangerous, Law needed to think of a way to through this woman off their tracks quickly.

“ Well aside from her intelligence she’s beautiful, I couldn’t resist wanting to know her better. When switching out the cuffs she told me about the adventures you’ve been on and she sounded so entranced with everything I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.”

The conversation went on for a while and Law was able to tell her suspicions died down a bit but his guard wasn’t completely down. There was no wonder the government wanted her for themselves Robin had a way with words. The rest of the crew was getting ready for bed and Law was using this time to stall before questions from them kept him from the little sleep he normally gets.

Wandering towards the make quarters he saw you leaving from a shower with Nami, he couldn’t help but stare at the way your skin glowed. He wasn’t lying about you being beautiful.

You felt eyes on your back and looked up to the stairs, Law was leaning over the railing and when u made eye contact he gave u a soft smile. You waved and continued your way to the room while drying your hair, Nami nudged you when the door closed.

Here we go man here we go

“ When did you too become a thing?”

“ We aren’t a thing. We just have some things in common and when he told me he wanted to strategize something clicked and it brought us closer in a way.”

“ That’s great, he’s cute too maybe you should date him”

You gave her a fake laugh and made your way to bed wanting to end this never ending interrogation.

The next morning you were in DressRosa and everything was going accordingly till you needed to leave. There was a huge fuss on whether or not you should stay with the captains and vice captain or if you should go to Zou with the others. Law was able to convince Luffy but the look in Zoro’s eye told you he knew Law was shitting through his teeth.

“ Why would Y/N go to Zou? We can protect her here”

“ Why would a woman who doesn’t have a devil fruit or any fighting skills need to be in the middle of a war?”

“ What would she do in Zou? None of us even know your crew and without all of us there so many things could happen to her because as you said, she’s defenseless”

Law was able to manipulate the boys easily causing a fight between the two hotheads.

“ What are you trying to say you angry green drunkard”

“ I’m saying I can protect y/n better than a horny cook with shitty eyebrows”

Eventually you found yourself starring into the endless sea feeling giddy knowing you were closer and closer to freedom. Getting to see Momo turn into a real life dragon had to be one of your favorite highlights as well, you would very much miss this world even though you don’t want to admit it.

That awful nagging in the back of your head that wants you to stay started again as you grew closer to Zou.

Is it that bad to sta- YES. Yes it is stop it brain you need to go home you can’t just live this double life.

“ Y/N chaaaaaan, you look so stunning in the sun like a goddess from the heavens. Do you want a sweet tart?”

You happily took the treat and settled down after the crew dealt with the impending threat of big mom. How you wish you could stay to see it and see Sanji as a pretty prince.

For some reason, as you were almost done eating the treat you felt slightly weaker like you needed to take a nap. The crew let their eyes wander to you every once in a while like they were waiting.

Have I been drugged? Why would they drug me now?

“ Y/N chan please understand it’s only for your own good and protection that we do this.”

Your vision grew blurry and you tried to quickly stand up which failed miserably, you fell to your knees and everything just looked like shapes and colors. How long would this last? You needed to contact Law and his crew. They’re gonna save you.

Back on DressRosa while you and Law were on the deck with Ussop, Frank, Kin, Momo, and Franky the crew discussed your sudden closesness with the new captain.

“ I think they’re into something more than we know”

“ Of course they are y/n hasn’t fully adjusted to everything yet, why would she be so chummy with a captain from this world she’s never met”

“ Well they did seem to have hit it off, they could just really like eachother…”

“ Nami, although that might be true there is definitely something more to their relationship. I think it might have something to do with her being specifically one of the people to be sent to Zou first.”

“ Robin is right, he was so adamant on arguing with me to send her to Zou.. it was strange”

The crew argued, but Luffy silenced them. They awaited their orders knowing that the look on Luffy’s face.

“ Let her go, whatever they are planning won’t go as they think especially because they won’t be together for a while.”

They all silently agreed till Robin spoke up once more, “ Chooper, would you be able to make a drug for Sanji to put in y/n’s drink or food? Not one to harm her but maybe to keep her asleep for a while till we are reunited?”

The doctor and the cook were conflicted, this went against everything they stood for but it was captains orders and they loved their little y/n.

Sanji held back tears as he carried you into your room, having to go to such lengths just to keep you with them strained his heart.

“ She’ll be okay right chopper? It’s not hurting her or anything she’s just asleep?”

“ Y-yes it was only sedatives and sleep medication in a medium dose. She should only be asleep for a few days”

The guilt was clear to see on their faces, and the guilt was on the rest of the tiny crew as well but deep down it felt real good to know that this was going to ensure y/n would not only be safe but in their arms forever.

Whatever it takes.

Tags: @herwritingartcowboy @axulaphie @arminscum-slut @toshirolovebot [ If you are missing I apologize, please message me I’ll add you today <3 ]

A/N : sorry this update took a while, I’ve been dealing with some things mentally and it interrupted my writing flow. I’m really glad everyone is enjoying this series the support means so much to me along with your comments. I’m in shock with how many people are enjoying my writing, and I’ve got more things coming during the weekend <3

Not proofread btw 💀