#where is the convenient plot item to make the moon plot actually fun and not a god damn snoozefest

[jademight]

C3 Ep 32 is my villain origin story jesus fucking CHRIST

[jcmarchi]

Tales of Kenzera: Zau Review - Spirit Over Substance - Game Informer

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Tales of Kenzera: Zau Review - Spirit Over Substance - Game Informer

In Tales of Kenzera: Zau, the debut game from Surgent Studios, the use of the word “Tales” is more literal than it initially seems. To kick off the events of the game, protagonist Zuberi reads a book written by his late father about a place called Kenzera. He uses fiction to cope with his grief, just as the player might do with the plot of the game, and as the studio founder, who lost his father as well, did when creating the story to begin with. While combat and map design in Tales of Kenzera falters at times, this strong, emotional core was what pulled me through to the credits.

Zau is the protagonist of Zuberi’s book, and he’s who the player controls for the vast majority of the roughly eight-hour game. After his father’s passing, he goes to Kalunga, the god of death, to perform a risky exchange: defeating three great spirits to bring his father back to life. Kalunga, who simply appears as an older human man, accompanies Zau throughout his journey, providing wisdom and guidance to level Zau’s often reckless behavior. It is a stellar dynamic, and I enjoyed watching them butt heads as they struggled to deal with the other grieving characters of the game.

Zau battles his way through the world of Kenzera using the Masks of the Sun and Moon, relics gifted to him when his father passed. The Mask of the Moon has more ranged options with ice abilities, while the Mask of the Sun is melee-focused with fire abilities, and both are fun to use. Because you can flip between them at the drop of a hat, combat feels creative, giving the player the opportunity to flip to whichever stance fits them best at that moment. That said, later encounters with large crowds of enemies with regenerating health bars sometimes tested my love of the combat, with late-game combat encounters feeling like a chore purely based on how long they took.  

The game is also rife with platforming challenges that make use of all your abilities gained up until that point in the story, but since you start with a double jump and a mid-air dash, movement is a blast from the start. Many challenges involve instant-kill spikes, which can be irritating, but quick respawn times generally keep me from pulling my hair out. This is not the case in certain challenge sections and some chase sequences in story missions, which require you to make it all the way through with only a handful of checkpoints. They’re not insurmountable, though, and allow the game to test player platforming skills as well as combat skills during boss sequences.

Tales of Kenzera’s main flaw is its map and world designs, which turn a pretty good game into one that’s uninteresting and unintuitive to explore. While most games obscure sections of the map until players explore them, Tales of Kenzera opens up an entire zone as soon as you enter a biome. It’s a minor convenience for navigating through the main plot but a nightmare for figuring out where you have and haven’t been. There’s no way to mark the map or see where you’ve previously visited, save for icons that mark collected items, so in some cases, it’s actually more difficult to backtrack to find secrets.

Even then, areas are pretty linear, thanks to objective markers making sure the player always knows where to go, so most secrets are just a quick little branch into a room to the left or an alternate path to the right. On top of that, most secrets only reward a small chunk of experience points, which is useful but not particularly exciting to discover and doesn’t do much to incentivize further exploration. However, there are also meditation trees that increase your maximum health and platforming challenges to unlock stat-boosting trinkets, so it’s still worth heading down the occasional side path.

However, the most frustrating element here is a specific set of secrets: Spirit Trials. Unlike most hidden elements, these combat challenges require the player to backtrack significantly and open an ability-gated area to proceed. I enjoy secrets, but there are only three Spirit Trials in the whole game, and they are the only way to upgrade your spirit bar and trinket slots, which are vital to Zau’s abilities. It’s a baffling choice to funnel both upgrades into one area and even more puzzling to hide them away like this, especially when their existence is not mentioned until you find one. If the map allowed you to mark certain areas to revisit or had a traditional un-fogging system to see where you haven’t explored, it would be one thing, and if it were the norm for other secrets to require a little more work to find, it would be another. But when the player is neither implicitly nor explicitly incentivized to search for major upgrades, it creates a balance issue.

Despite my gripes with Spirit Trials and the map, I have a lot of respect for Tales of Kenzera: Zau, particularly in how it handles grief and self-reflection – it is one of the most thematically cohesive games I’ve ever played. Every element of gameplay and story is tied back into the dual struggle Zau and Zuberi face in coping with the loss of their respective fathers. Health upgrades come from points of meditation and the processing of emotion. Each character you encounter deals with loss in their own way, which grants perspective to Zau’s situation. Even combat upgrades represent Zau’s path to get closer to his father – if he can’t spend time with the man himself, he’ll spend time with the legacy his father left behind.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau conveys its somber themes with nuance and passion. It’s just a shame the gameplay doesn’t always match those highs, especially in a genre flooded with quality indies, because Zau’s journey – and Zuberi’s parallel journey – are stories I’ll be thinking about for quite some time

[twisted-leader-of-something]

Alot of theorist like to talk about the Loop Theory happening on Twst. Can you tell me all about it?

Ah! The Loop Theory, I think you're speaking about the Time Loop Theory!

It's basically the theory that all of the characters are basically either in a time loop, or time has been restart to a certain point!

It's severely depends on who you ask to details of the theory, because, well, the theory is pretty easy to come to the conclusion to because of all the evidence supporting it but also pretty fluid in its' details specifically, because the details can have another reason for it.

But, it basically come down to this: Yuu at one point went through the events of the game, but was sent back, either because of a certain event (the very beginning is the general consensus, because it's believe the monster at the beginning as an Overblotted Grim that couldn't be defeated or something else really bad happened) or because of someone's Unique Magic. It's either Crowley or Malleus who sends Yuu back to the past to hopefully fix the future. And possibly, there are some people aware of it, like the ones who sent Yuu back, Crowley, Malleus, and I've even seen theories saying Rook, Vil, Jamil and Leona may know about it.

Where's the evidence?

At the veeeeery beginning of the game, like within the very start of playing it, we are treated to Crowley speaking to someone he calls "my beloved, beautiful flower of evil" and asks who is the best of all. We then see a person coming into Night Raven College via a coffin, and then Crowley says, "Guided by the mirror of darkness, if you desire, take my hand that lies within the mirror." which then shows us the main cast of boys in their ceremonial robes all speaking about needing to start an event with urgently, then we are introduced to the three elements of the magic system, that are described very interestingly. "Fire that can turn the moon to ashes." "Ice that can freeze time." and "Earth that can swallow the sky." and we than cut to a battle with a monster that looks like a giant monster-cat with various parts of other things, like a human's hand, a snake as a tail, a pair of wings, and fire around it's neck. Which, is a battle we lose, and then Crowley says, "Come, show me your power. We only have little time left. For me, for them, for you, We are all running out of time. No matter what, never let go of my hand." and then, the prologue starts.

What people generally take away from this really strange beginning scene is that, Grim Overblotted (as the monster and Grim look really close in appearance) that Crowley mat or may not have been involved with, and the main cast couldn't beat an Overblotted!Grim, so, as a last ditch effort to either try and change the future or just to get MC out of the situation, MC was sent back to the past, repeating basically all of what they've already experienced again.

It might explain why MC's very sassy and not very sympathic at times, and to some, it even explains the cutscenes we get with people's backstories, because MC has already been through all of this before, and knows what will happens so has something to say about it. It could also explain their amnesia at the start of the story, because something may have gone wrong with the spell.

It might also explain why Crowley is purposefully not very active in the story despite his job as the headmaster and very conveniently has lots of items and information in the story that makes him seem like a plot device that overwise doesn't make any sense at all how on Earth he would know about if he's so not involved with the story, he knows about the time loop and knows his part in it.

It could also explain why Malleus is so attached to Yuu. Malleus might know that Yuu, to a certain degree, Yuu isn't from this timeline and is trying to either figure out why, or he's the reason MC was sent back, and is basically trying to make sure MC will do their job correctly without interruptions.

It might also be the reason for some of the character's strange behavior. Like Rook, whose obsessed with how people will react to certain situations is particularly fond of MC, or why Leona's depressed through the game and only really seems to brighten up after his chapter, because either both, or one of them is aware of the time loop.

And there's probably some evidence I missed, but this is what I can remember off the top of my head. But basically! The proof is there! It's hidden in implications mostly, but it's there! And there's millions of variations on it! So, it basically is a very flexible theory and lots of people have their thoughts and opinions on the topic! It's really fun, actually! But that should be the gist of it for you, Anon!

[megaera-of-pigeon]

Volume 2 but more chronolgically:

Nikki and Momo return from North where they’d wound up at the end of volume 1 along with Ace and Kimi. They go to Apple where they bid Kimi farewell because she has to stay and work there. Kimi gives Nikki a ring before they part.

Ace, Nikki, and Momo go to the Ash Institute of design where the 9 days war took place; they are looking for clues about King Sayet’s designs because they believe that Nidhogg posses something designed by him and they think that is a potential clue to the plot. They find a special mysterious symbol that is present in some of King Sayet’s works and believe it to be important. The principal of the school mentions Bobo had been there to look at King Sayet’s designs.

After their stop at the school, they decide to go to Bobo’s hometown because they miss her and are concerned :( They learn she and her mother are both missing from their home, but they find several letters Bobo had written to her mom that remained unopened, and deduced that Bobo didn’t know that her mom wasn’t there the whole time she was with Nikki.

They find a design in Bobo’s house that has the same special symbol that King Sayet had in his works! Using that, they discover information related to The Enlightened, and Ace narrates that story for them about the king who wanted peace, but when he was murdered placed the blood curse. They decide they need to get more information about this so they head to the Lilith capital to talk the the casket fairy that the royal family has since they guessed it would know the truth behind the legend, being old and associated with royalty and all. Conveniently, Royce sent someone to fetch them just as they were thinking of going to see the casket fairy.

Ace gets a carrier pigeon and has to peace out.

They meet up with Royce (it actually seems that our chapter picks up the scene literally the day after the Tree of Memories hell event lore with Royce and Neva takes place so refer to that for more on those two). The casket fairy gives them more information about the Enlightened and leads them to a chest that belonged to King Sayet. They open the chest via styling battle and see a phantom of King Sayet that gives them a cryptic directive to find “three paths” and unravel the poem in the rosebud

This is where our most recent chapter ends so I’m not sure how long until our actual storyline catches up with the rest of the volume. If we remeber back to chapter 1 of this volume, it picks up Nikki’s quest for King Sayet’s (three?) relics/designs that we learned about in chapter 6. I think ultimately the three items might be these objects?

I still don’t know where Ransa comes from. The Iron Rose had been disbanded by Elle for failing to get adaqute results on finding Sayet’s relics. Ransa is now with Nikki but they’re traveling to City Oren to talk with Elle because Ransa thinks that will help Nikki’s quest for these relics.

Nikki gets arrested by Elle when she goes to Pigeon to ask her questions because Elle is obsessed with finding the ‘final secret’ of the relics and the Rose casket and she believes Nikki has that answer.

Nikki is not aware of that answer.

Ace has to break them out of the palace and reveals that Elle is her sister. They put together some more clues: Sayet had been imprisoned in Pigeon Kingdom’s monastery for some time and is said to have seen the secret of the blood curse. He wrote a ‘poem’ on the wall that Nikki had seen, one they referenced a ‘destined girl’

Ace declares the Iron Rose reformed and makes Nikki their leader. Ransa, Debbie, and Mela show up and join her too. Now that that’s settled, Chloris is waiting to see Ace so they decide to go to the forest.

Nikki Momo and Mela were waiting on the edge of the forest away from their group for some reason. They get lured into the fog and wind up meeting a kindred child named Kyle. They were supposed to go find a girl named Rachel who guards the epic of the forest but Kyle tells them about this girl Elaine who also knows shit. They go to see Elaine. Elaine lets them look at her book the Memory of Time and they read some nonsensical stuff about the blood moon and a frigid dragon 🙃 not like a prophecy or anything.

Part of what they need to craft King Sayet’s relics is something called ‘elven star” and their clues plus Elaine’s book now point them to the stars’ reflection (or, lack thereof) in Lake Bovaly. Time to go to the lake of super happy fun times :)

Meanwhile, Ransa, Debbie, and Ace find Chloris and also realize Mela, Nikki and Momo are missing. They go talk to Rachel who says her sister Elaine had seen them—Elaine is in the Shadow City, and the only exit has been sealed for a thousand years

Nikki and Mela and Momo realize they’re actually in the Shadow city and are in trouble. But happily, Chloris lifts the thousand year old seal so they can get out (provided they change into a cute outfit first). The kindred are free and threaten to start a war again, o no wonder how that will end. Wonder if Chloris will have to mobilize the furries.

Chloris is very weak from lifting the seal and then Cesare biting him so the next morning they look for information to help him recover. Before they can do that they’re attacked and Chloris has to use the rest of his magic to protect them. He faints into his infamous coma. [unclear how he is walking around and fighting in the upcoming war for our hell event as they don’t solve this. Maybe he just needed a nap]

As Rachel and Elaine are trying to help Chloris, Nikki and the Iron rose put together more pieces about this elven star—Nikki believes it’s referring to Sayet’s technique of embedding memories into clothing. (My guess is Nikki will rediscover this technique and utilize it to create the Star Sea out of her memories of her friends in Miraland after the apocalypse event happens, which is where we get that cool SN video).

They can’t wake Chloris. Debbie suggests they go try to wake up the sleeping dwarf elder who is the oldest living being and probably knows how to help Chloris. Debbie also mentioned he’s connected with one of the relics and my guess is it’s that frangipani the dwarves gave to Nikki at the start of our last hell event lore. We didn’t get to read the story of what happened before our event started but that’s what I would predict.

Before they can get going Nikki is pulled into an illusion by Xiao zong who appears and starts on his whole “noooo Nikki don’t be the savior it’s so haaaard to take on the sins of the universe just give me to secrets instead” [at this point he makes Nikki ‘live’ the 9 days war via illusion which was the story we played during the Steps of Sorrow hell] Nikki won’t agree to give over the relic so they style battle. Nikki is getting her ass kicked.

The ring given to her by Kimi waaaaaay back at the beginning of this that was originally made by Sayet starts to glow and gives Nikki major stats boosts. Nikki defeats Xiao Zong. The world goes black. This is as far into Nikki’s story that we have accounted for, except perhaps in hell events that I didn’t realize took place after this point.

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS: The main goal for Nikki in this volume is to discover the secrets left behind by King Sayet through his designs/his three infamous ‘relics’. She also discovers a connection between Sayet’s work and the True King/The Enlightened, the originator of the blood curse, who happens to be running around in Bobo’s body right now. There is also some connection between Sayet’s work and the secrets of the elves/Kindred, although since our 1,000 benchmark of when shit last went down big time with them was *before* the curse of blood was placed, the connection likely has to do with Sayet utilizing elf magic or elf techniques to create his designs, while also connecting those designs to the secret of the blood curse. At different points it’s mentioned that Nikki is looking for his designs/relics, but then I believe she finds his design(s)? somewhere between where the two sections of the volume are blurry, or potentially in a hell event, and it’s a recipe she has to craft—which turns into looking for ingredients to craft said designs by the time she gets to v2ch1. The hope is by completing the cryptic quest left by Sayet, she will uncover the secrets of why North went to war, why Elle and the other participants in the 9 days war are losing their memory, and how to save Bobo from demonic possession. And while I personally adore a story that takes a nontraditional approach to its narration, boy is it ridiculous the amount of legwork required to actually get a handle on this timeline.

[imbumkyung]

I Saw It In A Movie One Time (ch. 3) - Almost Living

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Warnings: Cliff scene that may be triggering to some readers

“Dude I had this crazy ass dream about Twilight,” Kai pushed her words through the acai bowl she was eating, golden sunrays shining through the windows of Kalakoe’s shaved ice shop.

“I had this crazy ass dream you didn’t talk while you chewed,” Miko retorted

“I had a dream I was straight,” CJ joined in. The girls both snickered. Li let out a wheeze.

“I haven’t heard shit about twilight since I was in like fifth grade,” Li said

“The only one who matters is Seth,” Miko commented, pointing with her fingers waiting for everyone else to agree.

They did. “He was really the hottest one though,” CJ agreed.

“I always liked the vampires more, to be honest,” Li confessed, earning twisted faces of disapproval

“You’d rather be cold and dead than a sexy wolf?” CJ questioned

“You’d rather be dead?” Miko repeated CJ’s question, only this time it seemed to be directed to Kaileia

“You’d rather be different?” Li interrogated Kai, “You wish life was different?”

“You wish to live a different life?”

“You’d rather be with different people?”

“You want to be away?”

“You don’t want this life anymore?”

“What would you give to let it go?”

All at once, these questions about how ungrateful Kai was for her regular life arose only to beat down on her, each time becoming more intense, until she woke up with a start.

-

It was already 3p.m. Kai was really not adjusted to the time in Forks. That little bit of Kauai she had in her dream kept her warm for no longer than a second. A cloud came over her entire being— she missed her friends. They hung out once in a blue moon but they had the best times when they were together.

She got up with a start— not ready to waste any more of the day. Maybe she really was locked in this reality. This can’t be a dream if she literally just woke up from one.

Standing in the shower, cleaning herself of all the grime she’d collected after a whole day of stress-sweating and perhaps not even showering after the accident in the ocean, she thought, “How did I end up here? How am I gonna go back home? If I really meet anyone, will it change how the story ends? Could I be stuck here? ”

How am I going to make money? Holy shit do I have any money? Plot hole. I mean, Twilight had a lot of plot holes, anyway. Maybe I’m rich.”

She shook her head. What was she thinking?

She towel dried her hair and caught herself in the mirror for the first time she’d been there. She realized her skin was definitely darker than everyone else there, she still had all her tattoos and ear piercings, so her appearance hadn’t changed thank God.

Walking into her room to prepare herself for the day, she realized she didn’t actually have any plans. No school, no job— money. Do I have any money? She dug her wallet to find it only having $200, the same amount she had when she left Kauai. It’s a good amount, but how long can it last? And how long will she be here?

Note: get a job soon

“Tinder would be great right now” she thought

Meeting new people to give her a tour, something to keep her busy would be great. It was almost no different from her home, in her room, wishing her life was more exciting.

Walking to the computer, she googled: “Things to do in Forks”

She sighed after 10 minutes of searching, the only barely interesting thing she could find was “Hoh Rain Forest” and “Quileute Indian Reservation”. She clicked on the forest, only to shudder at the memory of Victoria in the second twilight film, where she turns humans into vampires for a newborn army. “Definitely not going there. It could damn me into this reality forever,” She thought.

Her mouse hovered before clicking “Quileute Indian Reservation”, eyes lighting up at the words “La Push Beach”. She didn’t remember anything significant from the movies about a beach, so she decided this would take up some time while not interfering with the Twilight storyline

Driving without phone navigation was hard. She’d never paid attention to the names of the road or names of the freeways. Only where to turn and where to exit. So the destination to La Push Beach was longer than the 30 minutes it was supposed to take.

After finally reaching the cloudy and cold beach, she sighed. Kauai would never do me like this. Reluctantly, she stepped out. There was nothing else to do at home so might as well spend a day at the gloomy beach than alone in a gloomy room. She decided not to swim, the water was unfriendly and very much like ice. Walking along the coast, memories of her old life ran through her head. Oh, what she would give to have it all back. Sure, this was a fantasy world and the worst thing that could happen was that she died here and awoke back in her old li—

Wait a second.

She quickly spotted the cliff where she saw the other wolves in the movies jump. That means it couldn’t have been so dangerous, and having cliff jumped herself back in Kauai as she grew up, it wasn’t too scary either. However, the heavy rain that started falling and the tides that roared louder warned everyone else on the beach to stay away. As they all fled back to their cars, she made a start for the cliffs.

After nearly slipping and dying on about a thousand rocks, she finally made it to the top. This was definitely not the cliff that the wolves jumped off of, but her memory of the movies were so foggy that she was sure this was the one. That she’d drown herself and die with no damage done to her body and wake up in her old life. Looking off of the edge however, the boulders that were too close to the surface and where she would land said otherwise. It’s okay. It would happen fast and almost painlessly, and she’d be gone from this life.

“Don’t!” A booming voice yelled behind her.

Please don’t be a Twilight character. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself before putting on a poker face and turning around

Ah, shit—He slowly approached her, “you don’t have to do this,”

“Oh, I’m not,” she quickly interjected, “I was just... looking. I’d never seen the ocean from this view”

Don’t do anything that would add to the situations they’re about to face. Don’t change the story line. Don’t make yourself a concern.

She didn’t know the man, but the “tattoo” on his arm was enough for her to know that he was important to the stories

He stared at her intently, “We don’t allow people on this part of the cliffs. It’s dangerous to jump off of and you’ll land on those rocks. No coming back from it,” He explained.

“Right,” she nodded “I’ll be on my way then,” she excused herself. The walk down was going to be a tough one. The rocks were slippery and she’d be climbing down this time

“It’s an easier route this way,” he suggested, pointing the opposite direction

“That’s alright, I’ll be okay here!” She responded, though already almost twisting her ankle on just the second rock changed her mind instantly, “Nevermind! You were right! Wait up!”

Maybe she won’t die today. The fear of not actually waking up to her old life and just plain out dying in this one was echoing in the back of her mind.

He waited patiently, a hint of amusement at her futile attempt to go the hard way played on his slight smirk. Kai didn’t catch it. She was too busy trying not to slip.

“You’re not from here, are you?” He asked her while guiding her down the dirt path

Lie

“How can you guess?” She asked him

“Everyone knows to stay away from this area. It’s usually the visitors who come here for pictures” he swiftly replied

“Oh,” she nodded, ”I’m just visiting family in Forks. I leave tomorrow”

“Keep yourself out of the story. Don’t change anything”

“Did you like it here?” He asked

“It’s alright. Family is what made it fun,” she instantly replied

The route back to shore was about 8 minutes all downhill. Much faster than the 15 or so minutes it took for Kai to make it up to the actual cliff. She learned that the mans name was Sam, he was a native and lived in La Push.

Kai knew he was a wolf because of the tattoo he wore on his arm. She bid him a thank you, not continuing any other unnecessary information. She didn’t even give her real name. To him, she was Jessica.

She drove home immediately, her thoughts buzzing about how it had only been 2 days, and in just that span, she had met 2 characters. This was really her biggest fear. It happened in the Avengers, where they messed with the timeline and a lot of people died. The original Avengers who all stayed alive after the blip? They all died in the alternate timeline.

Kaileia did not want to become the ripple in this universe, where they all made it out alive after the fourth book. All she wanted was to live through however long she was meant to be here, then go home. However, things seemed to be pulling her into the story against her will.

-

January 2007

Months had passed and there was no sign to Kai about how to get back to her old life in Kauai. After the first month of hopeless attempts, she realized she was just going to have to go through it. The cullens were back, she could tell because more wolves were coming around. More wolves meant more drama and more drama meant the Cullens and Bella.

Still, her only encounters were with Edward, Sam and Chief Swan. Edward, she was sure he’d forgetten about her by now. Sam didn’t even know Kaileia’s actual name, and Chief Swan did nothing more than run a clean record on her, excusing what should have been a ticket.

It was 10 a.m. when Kai’s alarm went off. She quickly hit snooze which set her alarm wait another two minutes. It narrowed down to where she had approximately 15 minutes to get ready, and this seemed like a suitable amount of time.

As soon as she was ready, she was out the door. She worked at the convenience store just three blocks from her house. She clocked in at exactly 11a.m. and began her exciting four hour shift of occasionally scanning items and bagging them, and watching rascal ass kids try to make puns or steal from the store.

The bell rang as a new customer walked in and Kai greeted them with a “Hello! Welcome in!” She looked up to make eye contact and acknowledged their presence— this was a tactic to let customers know you were watching them therefore decreasing the chances of theft— but froze when she saw who it was. Jacob with his hair cut short and a tattoo showing— which meant he had phased already— wheeling in his dad, Billy. Thankfully, nothing out of the ordinary happened. He just picked up some beers and went straight to pay for them.

“Watching the game?” Kai asked, scanning his items

“Ain’t nothing better to do this afternoon. Been looking forward to it all week,” he replied with a smile

Kai flashed her own friendly smile and a nod before printing his receipt and sending the duo on their way. She sighed. At least Chris Brown, Timbaland and Avril Lavigne were in their prime. That was the only good thing about the store. The good music.

Her shift ended seemingly later than it should have, or maybe it just went so slow cobwebs could have appeared. 4p.m. Seemed a decent enough time for a hike. It’s time Kai used her legs anyway.

After a whole hour of useless retracing of the steps, she finally faced the fact she was indefinitely lost. Which was the last thing she wanted. Don’t panic. You’ve been safe all this time, nothing can change that now.

Spoke too soon.

In front of her stood her greatest fear. Victoria.

She stood menacingly at Kai, and her heart stopped. She knew exactly what those red eyes meant. She knew that Victoria had the upper hand in every way possible. But dying by the hand of a character in this series— Kai knew that wouldn’t be a way to bring her back to her old life. It would be etched in the story forever.

They stared at each other. And stared. And stared some more. Impulsively, Kai turned around and fled.

She assumed Victoria let her have her chance for about eight seconds, then ran after her and landed just one foot away.

Kai gasped, “Victoria”

Victoria stopped and took a hold of her wrist to prevent her from fleeing again, “How do you know who I am?” She asked, her eyes turned angry, accusingly. Once she wore this expression, Kai had wished to see the hunger in her eyes instead

Kai panicked, “What are you talking about?”

Are you kidding me. Why would you say that?

“I said,” Victoria swiftly cracked her forearm then wrapped an aggressive hand around Kai’s neck, threatening to end her life right there, “How do you know who I am?”

“I honestly guessed you kind of look like a Victori—” Victoria’s grip tightened.

“Stop lying to me.” She started to raise her into the air. At this point, Kai couldn’t formulate any words and helplessly scratched at Victorias ice cold hands with her one good arm until they both heard a threatening growl.

Victoria froze, her hand staying just as tight around Kai’s neck. She was dropped suddenly as she fled and the wolves chased after her. Kai counted four. Or five. At the moment she was only trying to catch her breath. But the feeling of her broken left arm made her scream helplessly. She scrambled for her phone, calling 911 as soon as she made it out of the woods.

Here is chapter 3! She’s getting sucked into the world!!! Ahhh!!! Hope you guys enjoyed!!

Feel free to leave any questions, comments, suggestions/recommendations or critiques! Thank you so much for reading^^^

Tags: @sunflowerspectre @rosalies-hale

[scumvillain]

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

(back to masterpost)

Let’s start this journey of hilarity and tears!

Chapter 1

Let me start by saying as much as I love this novel now, it was difficult to get into having no experience reading Chinese webnovels aside from Mo Dao Zu Shi. Reincarnation plot line? Familiar enough. Transmigration? The popular take on it in webnovels is very different from the ones I’ve read in English-origin fanfic.

The summary of this novel in particular is a load of nothing unless you digest the translators’ notes or know the original language in the first place, in which case it’s actually quite hilarious in a hysterical sort of way (like a lot of the narrative).

After leaving, coming back, and finally persevering past the first chapter, I finally got hooked on this story and couldn’t stop laughing, thus here I am.

I will say this now and probably a few times later for good measure: Shen Qingqiu is my spirit animal, I channel him so hard sometimes it’s ridiculous. I didn’t expect to like him as a narrator, but his thoughts are genuinely hilarious to read and the casual tone really works well because of it. He’s also very earnest inside his own head, which is interesting and something to save for a later discussion.

So, starting with the summary, I FINALLY understand what this “grass mud horses” thing is holy crap did that take a long time for me to get. But once you know it, it’s a surprisingly effective phrase for his feelings upon transmigrating lol.

I love emojis like these: _(:□)∠)_

I can never be creative and make them myself but they’re cute.

Anyways, onto the actual chapter.

You have to admit, this background is full of so much angst and terrible unfairness that you might end up side eyeing the author who just could not give this MC a break. It’s so much misfortune that it feels like the entire universe has conspired against him lol.

As the story says, “It was yet another heart-aching history full of blood and tears.”

I found it interesting that this main character who is really the love interest in this actual novel, is actually someone who “fought over every trifle, seeking revenge for the smallest grievance, and had thousands of knives set to kill in his heart while his mouth smiled and agreed.”

This kind of protagonist in an actual story is kind of annoying for me to read about, but as the deuteragonist...? Okay, it can be interesting to see how our MC Shen Yuan mucks this up with his presence.

I was skeptical about transmigration stories at first, but I grew fond of them after reading a few. Just don’t take the handwavy stuff in the beginning seriously and you’re good to go.

Original Shen Qingqiu was indeed a scumbag, did you have nothing better to do than torment one of your disciples? That’s very unbecoming of an adult, let alone one that’s cultivated to his level...

However, did you expect the novel to be so great when the author’s pen name is....a dirty euphemism. xD

I love the self-awareness of this novel, it’s probably one of its highlights. All of these points are things we’ve probably wondered before while reading one story or another, but suspension of disbelief keeps our mouths shut.

Inconsistent setting?

Not being clear on their own magic system, even confusing terms they themselves defined?

Everyone falling to their knees and being stupid in front of the protag, but smart according to the narrative? aka the characters who exist to make the protag look good.

Rare items/magic/something appearing when convenient?

Script-like villains who could be exchanged with any other villain from other series?

I love Shen Yuan’s exasperation with all of it.

“Shen Yuan felt that he was angry enough to come back from the dead.” 

ohohoho

“Shen Yuan had made a firm resolution early on. If one day, he were to wake up[...]he absolutely wouldn’t happily giggle...”

“He was solely engrossed in acting as though he’d just woken up...”

This genre-savvy, trying very hard to collect his thoughts sort of MC is surprisingly fun to read, you know? Not too over-the-top all-knowing expert nor freaking out and completely giving himself away novice. xD

“...having experienced the baptism of reading every kind of do-over or transmigration YY novel all year round.”

hahaha

At first, I didn’t notice anything off about the names when they introduced Yue Qingyuan. Then we got Liu Qingge and it slowly went downhill from there. I thought it was a coincidence? But obviously there is a trend (Mu Qingfang, Qi Qingqi...). Is this ‘qing’ acting as a sort of generational name since they’re all of the same generation in the sect? 

I don’t usually have an issue remembering everyone’s names (except for the ones in Legendary Master’s Wife, which is so freaking long), but the Peak Lords of Cang Qiong Sect slowly gave me stitches as more were revealed haha.

“Where did he still have the qualifications to lament other people’s tragic deaths? The one who died the most tragically was him all right!”

His hysterical, earnest narration is the best.

But also, consider how quickly he latched onto this role lol even claiming this as his future death (which is yikes, ‘human stick’ is a nice, concise term I guess...simple and sweet, huh?). However, we won’t see him truly embrace this role until later...

【Warning. Your plan just now was very dangerous. It is a violation of behavior, please do not attempt. Otherwise, the system will automatically give punishment. 】

I didn’t really think of the system much the first time around since I read so fast through it, but this thing really is lowkey hilarious and helpful. Hey, it could have just let him mess up and explain only after points were docked.

【...You need to complete the beginning stage mission for it to be unfrozen...】

god, this gives me flashbacks to all those damn video games where the tutorial lasts for 30 min. of gameplay or more (Pokemon Sun & Moon, I’m looking at you >>) and you can’t do anything outside of bounds or the stupid game stops you.

Ah, our second main character is about to be introduced!

(quotes from WorshipperA)

Next: Chapter 2 onward →

[mrevaunit42]

Butterfly, Star Butterfly (Kingsman Au part 1)

hello everyone, Mr.E here after a seriously long time of not writing full stories. Sorry, life has been pretty chaotic for me and draining. I’m fine but it’s been hard to sit down and actually write a story but here I am with my newest story and letting you know despite the fact Halloween is over, I am still going to write a few stories for starcoween (a totally silly event I made up forever ago) After that i might do a part 2 to this, might give out some birthday gifts I owe. Not really sure yet but we shall see. 

Story Prompt: Star Butterfly is a young woman that works for Disney, a humble yet successful shop located in her hometown of Mewni that sells various merchandise based on their popular retellings of classic fairy tales. At least that’s what they want you to think. In truth, they are an agency operating at the highest levels of discretion, protecting the world from any and all threats but this time Mewni’s the target and the secret organization is going to need some help.   

I absolutely love the film Kingsman. For those who don’t know it is a British spy film that’s kind of a mix of my fair lady, James Bond and some playful satire of genre. and I couldn’t resist making an au of it. that being said, it is a rated R film so don’t watch it if you’re not supposed to! Seriously just read this story and wait. Oh btw there is some cussing in this story but that’s it really I didn’t follow the plot of the movie one to one and it’s more on a personal level than it was in the film. and Yes I totally poked fun at the codenames and Disney. 

so that’s it for me. Have an amazing week! I will try to finish either Monster Hunter Marco or the corpse bride au this week along with the next two nova chapters. I was also thinking of putting up some au ideas I came up in case somebody needed some ideas or inspiration for drawing or writing and the spiderman homecoming au notes that me and my good friend @hains-mae came up with if anyone is curious. Not sure yet. oh btw she’s taking commissions if anyone is interested. I hope you enjoy the story and have a good one!

notification squad: @nerdymetalhead @hipster-rapunzel @artgirllullaby @ladyxgilex @thefandombytes @minthia-ren @burstingamerworld @isolated-frequencies

“and in other news, Lucitor electronics is proud to present….”

Click. Silence filled the void left behind the radio.

Star Butterfly stared longingly outside the cab window, the soft pitter patter of the rain echoed dully against metal was a soft, relaxing music to the 25 year old.

When was the last time she simply drove for the sake of driving? When did she last roam the streets of her beloved Mewni without the constraint of staring at minutes tick away? When was the last time she wore something she chose of her own free will rather than an obligated, yet admittedly stylish, uniform.

She was wearing her usual outfit for work: black blazer jacket with a white long sleeved collared shirt underneath, an elegant pink tie alongside practical black work pants and matching brogues loafers.

“Miss?” her cabbie driver called to her softly “Miss, you have phone call from your mother.”

“Oh!” Star slipped out her self imposed dazed and reach into her jacket pocket “Thank you John, I’ll take it….”

Star blinked quizzically upon realizing she was staring at her own reflection who held an equally surprised face: Her driver had already rose the divider between them so she could take the call in private.

“What a considerate bloke” Star murmured to herself, unfolding the thick black rimmed square glasses and slipping them over her eyes “I suppose I should give him a raise.”

“Give who a raise dear? The driver?” A familiar yet controlled voice called out to her as a ghostly image appeared in the center of the spacious vehicle.

Even the cartoonish greenish blue tint of her mother’s image did nothing to dampen the woman’s rather imposing stature: Full black coat, collared shirt, vest and tie. A long business skirt given her old fashion tendencies and unnecessarily high heels. Her periwinkle blue hair wrapped in a practical braid.

“I assure you Agent Rapunzel he is well paid for his services” Moon blinked in confusion, her eyes narrowing at Star’s surroundings “You’re not at the shop?”

“Well mum…” Star began only to falter when Moon rose a stern finger.

“Names Agent. You never know who could be listening.”

Star rolled her eyes, earning her a scowl from her mother.

“Headmistress Aurora, we’re on highly secure channels. I highly doubt anyone is currently listening.”

Moon shook her head disappointingly “Spoken like a true agent. When you get to be in my position and age, you’ll find some caution is wise.”

“Yes Mu….Headmistress. I apologize. I’m running late to shop on the count that I took a bit of a nap. Just came in from America you know. Lovely town by the name of Echo Cre…”

“I’m aware where you have been Agent Rapunzel” Moon cut in “I’ve read your mission report. Excellent work.”

“Thank you”

“Try not to be late from now on. Grumpy is a bit on edge lately.”

“Lately?” Star rose an eyebrow.

Moon pursued her lips “More than usually. Do not antagonize the poor woman love.”

“Swear on my honor she won’t hear a word out of me gov.”

Moon frowned, torn between chastising her daughter once more or simply leaving it at that.

With a flick, her mother’s image vanished from view and Star was left with her once again empty cabbie. Star remained silent, rubbing her eyes tiredly as the rain filled the void with its melody once more.

Star wasn’t too surprised the shop was still fairly busy despite the less than ideal weather conditions. Everyone near and far wanted to buy something from the humble yet widely successful Disney store.

Not that Star could blame them: Stunning outfits, well crafted toys and high quality items based on their fairy tale inspired line of merchandise. It brought in a pretty penny and was a convenient cover for the memory of a single person to blur among the countless people that could be found within on any given day.

Star patted the tired cashier reassuringly on the shoulder as she made her way past into the break room which was empty save a lone, still steaming mug of coffee sitting on the table.

“We need to really cut back the hours” Star muttered to herself, sliding the cup off to the side and gently pressing the underside of the table “Poor dearies are running themselves ragged.” A small compartment hidden within frame flipped into existence and began to boot up its programming.  

“Please remain still” a smooth, calming robotic voice asked politely while a soft green hue softly basked Star in its glow. Star complied with the machine’s request, sitting as unmoving as stone as the sensor began scanning the room with a near invisible beam.

“Identity confirmed” The voice spoke cheerily “Agent Rapunzel, please stand by”

Star rolled her eyes as the entire room slowly descended into further into the earth, the flimsy painted walls of the break room becoming smoothly elegant granite sides.

“This is so bloody unnecessary” Star muttered to herself, waiting patiently for the elevator “Whose bright idea was to turn an entire room into an elevator? A closet would’ve suffice. Typical spies.”

“I know right? It’s almost like they were overcompensating for something” a familiar voice jokingly teased “Spies, right?”

“Spies” Star nodded agreement, rising to her feet and enveloping her fellow, similarly dressed agent in a firm hug “How are you Jackie?”

Jackie clicked her tongue “Agent Rapunzel, did you just break protocol?”

“Only if you sell me out Agent Ariel” Star replied with a grin.

Jackie gave a good nature smirk “Like I would Agent Rapunzel. How are you?”

“I’m alright” Star lied “And yourself? How was Japan?”

Jackie gave a noncommittal shrug “You know how it is: No time to see the sights and there on business only.”  

Star felt the twinge of longing and for a moment, the mask fell.

“Star?” Jackie asked quizzically “Are you okay?”

“Jackie….” Star began slowly “Do…you miss it?”

“It?” Jackie was confused what Star was getting at “I’m not sure I’m following….”

Star let out a defeated sigh “Don’t worry about. Just a rouge thought. Shall we pop in and see what’s bothering Grumpy?”

Star brushed past Jackie, ignoring her friend’s concerned gaze.

Grumpy was not grumpy at Star’s tardiness: She was furious about it.

Margaret Skullnick, codename Grumpy,  was an older, trollish woman who never smiled in a day of her life. Unlike the more traditional Headmistress, Grumpy was far more lax with her appearance: overly bright red hair, two golden hoops on her ears, built like a muscular tank and had unnaturally pointed teeth.

“You are late Rapunzel” she glared deeply with growl.

Star rose her hands defensively “Ariel was here, you could’ve started without me.”

Jackie shook her head “Don’t drag me into this, I just work here.”

“Sit. NOW” Skullnick snarled, barring her teeth viciously.

Star and Jackie practically dropped into their seats.

“We have a problem” Skullnick began, making her way over to the monitor hung over the fireplace.

“Don’t we always?” Star jested

Skullnick ignored her “The criminal underworld is murmuring. Loudly I might add.”

Jackie and Star shared a worried glance. While both knew what the code-phase meant, neither had ever expected to ever actually hear the word spoken outloud. The two women straightened up in their seats at once

“Murmuring?” Jackie leaned closer “What could possibly cause that?”

“We don’t know” Skullnick answered truthfully “But the fact remains that every single mole, sleeper agent and informant has been relying the same information to us is troubling. Someone is preparing for something big and for the first time in recorded history, we haven’t the foggiest idea what it could be.”

Skullnick tapped at away at the tablet in her hands. Mewni, in all its splendid glory, appeared before them.

“What we do know is many of the murmurs repeat Mewni over and over again. It is more than possible this is the target.”

“Home?” Star rose to her feet “We need every available agent on the case! If the underground murmurs, I cannot imagine what horrible plan someone has set in motion.”

“That’s just it Agent Rapunzel” Skullnick stared directly at Star “I’m looking at all available agents.”

Jackie and Star looked at one another.

“No matter how serious the situation is” Skullnick explained “The fact remains we still have other operations that must be done. Threats to national and international security do not just come one at a time you know and all we have are rumors. Until solid proof is obtained, we cannot simply pull agents from actual credible threats.”

The girls nodded grimly.

“Go to the ground” Skullnick told them “Use every resource we have available. The informants are scouring the city for clues but so far no luck. If this threat is real, then someone is going to an awfully lot of trouble to ensure no one has all the details. And once you have a lead, no matter how small, contact me. I rather be safe than wrong. Understood?”

“Yes Grumpy” The two spoke in unison

“Dismissed.”

“Mewni under attack?” Star muttered to herself in a daze “That’s a lot more terrifying than I’d like to admit.”

“Agreed” Jackie nodded “Do you think the threat is real?”

Star pursed her lips “I don’t know. I want to believe mother is simply overreacting but I’ve never been through such a short briefing before. We don’t even have leads”

“Admittedly that is highly concerning” Jackie scratched her chin “We better work quickly. The sooner we discover or debunk this, the sooner we can have a strategy ready.”

“Alright, I’ll head over to the informant’s house” Star began as stepped towards the exit “A fresh pair of eyes may be needed in case they missed anything…umm do you remember where they live? I swear they keep changing addresses every other month. It’s so….”

Star turned back to her fellow agent only to find Jackie fidgeting uneasily, guilt dancing in her eyes.

“You know” Jackie spoke softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear “Maybe I should go to the informant? I mean I haven’t seen them in such a long time and it’s pretty rude of me….”

“Jackie….”

Jackie bit her lip as she rubbed her sleeve anxiously.

“I…might know a guy who could help us” she murmured uneasily.

“That’s great!” Star felt a wave of relief wash over her “when can you meet up with him darling?”

Jackie remained quiet, her eyes downcast and forlorn.

“Jackie?” Star placed a comforting hand on her shoulder “What is it love? What’s the matter?”

Jackie took a deep, calming breath “He’s my ex. A bloke by the name Marco Diaz….”

“Oh….” Star muttered dumbly before the familiarity of the name hit her full force “….oh…”

Star remembered now where she heard the name before: Marco was Jackie’s boyfriend back from a few years ago when the two of them were aspiring Disney trainees. He ran with some troublemakers and did some odd jobs for unsavory people but on the whole meant well and was trying to leave his checkered past behind him. As far as she could tell, Jackie was rather happy with him. If everything had gone according to plan, Jackie might’ve married him one day…..

But fate had other plans in store. Being a Disney agent came with a heavy cost and that cost was a personal life. Marco grew increasingly suspicious of Jackie’s absences and trips but telling him the truth was out of the question so Jackie was left with no choice but to break up with him, claiming college was just too overwhelming for her to handle both it and a steady boyfriend.

Jackie used to lament how painful it was to watch his hurt face twist into a stony indifference and while she finally moved on from him, she couldn’t shake the guilt she felt about breaking his heart. He hadn’t deserved it but Jackie was left with no other choice.

“I can’t see him Star” Jackie admitted, tears lightly forming in her eyes “I’ve done far too much to him already, asked too much of him….I can’t put him through anymore…..”

“It’s alright. I’ll speak to him, alright? Do you know where I can find him?”

Star frowned at the locationn before her, eying the half cracked windows and the faded brick exterior warily

“Drunkard’s Haven” Star read the sign distastefully “I should’ve hazard a guess it would be a dive. I reckon I’ll run into an unruly lot. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Star held a firm grip on her umbrella as she took a deep breath in and pushed open the door.

The interior of the bar was dim while a light hazy smoke wafted through the air. The illuminations of various signs promoting drinks, teams and other goods. Empty mugs and half slumped, dazed drunks filled the tables. While certainly not the best pub Star has ever been in, she had seen far worse.

Star strolled up to the counter confidently, ignoring the shuffling of drunken zombies who were slowly taking notice of her disturbance.

“Hello!” Star gave a cheery wave.

The bartender awkwardly returned the greetings.

“I don’t usually get your lot around here” the bartender spoke bluntly.

“What, pretty ladies?”

“No, posh folks.” he gruffly replied.

“Ah….” Star gracelessly replied “Well your lovely pub is tucked away in some off beaten street, bit hard to come by.”

“What will you have miss?”

“Information actually. I’m looking for someone.”

It was amazing how a simple sentence could alter one’s environment: What was once a relaxed stupor became tense and suspicious as the drunks slowly shook themselves awake.

The bartender’s eyes narrowed distrustfully “And why would a pretty thing such as yourself be looking for someone?”

Star beamed “An old friend of mine. Heard he was wondering around these parts. Figured he might fancy a bit of stroll for old times sake.”

“And who…” the bartender rose an eyebrow “are you looking for specifically?”

“A bloke named Marco Diaz.”

Star fought the instinct to simply strike at the now fully awaken drunks, their eyes wide with anger and greed as they mindlessly shuffled to their feet.

“It seems I’ve said the magic words” Star mused, glancing over the other occupants of the building carefully “Bit in trouble is he?”

 “You could say that.” The bartender murmured with a glare “The local patron is not happy with the quality of his services. Mr. Diaz owes him a bit of scratch which is not including the product he was told to deliver. The fact that Mr. Diaz hasn’t been returning our boss’s phone calls is a bit concerning. They had a previous agreement that your friend has not been honoring.”

“Ah” Star gave a strained smile “I can see how that could certainly paint him in such a negative view. Well I rather guess I should be off no? I didn’t mean to so rudely awaken all your customers.”

“Actually” the bartender spoke with a menacing edge as the others closed in “Do you mind if we have a bit of a chat about your friend Marco?”

Star sighed dramatically as the dull thud of the door’s lock being clicked into place echoed through the now quiet pub.

“I rather not” Star grin charmingly

“You don’t have a choice love.”

Star shook her head disappointingly “Not respecting a lady’s decision? Rather brutish of you.”  

“Sorry darling. We’re not much on manners here.”

Star clicked her tongue “Manners maketh man. Ever heard that before?”

Silence was their answer.

“Well then” Star cracked her fingers “Let me show you how to be proper gentlemen.”

It was satisfying to watch the bartender’s face slip from cocky smugness to full blown panic as Star lashed out, gripping the back of his head tightly and smashing it against the counter. Bartender staggered backwards, a river of blood dribbling down his face and staining his clothes as he weakly clutched at his now broken nose.

“Rule the first” Star began, pivoting on the balls of her feet and driving her fist into the nearest unsuspecting throat “Always respect people. It’ll get you further in life than if you’re an arsehole”

One of the drunks lunged at her but the seasoned agent hooked the handle of her umbrella over his wrist and dragged his fist into another of his comrades and sent them both reeling to the floor.

“Oi what’s the matter with you bitch?!” the nearest drunk rambled at her before pulling back his fist.

“A true gentleman never curses at a lady” Star replied with a cocky grin while she dug her knee as far as she could into his stomach “in fact a true gentleman never would need to curse. Much more colorful ways to express your anger and frustration darlings.”

Star stepped back, narrowly avoiding the knife that swung into view as she twirled her umbrella upright like a sword.

Her foe stumbled uneasily, brandishing his deadly weapon in a rather unimpressive fashion.

“A true gentleman” Star went on, effortlessly dodging an unfocused stab sent her way

“also carries himself with grace and respect not only for himself but for others as well”

The drunkard’s attack were wide and too far to actually threaten the secret agent who playfully batted the blade away with her pseudo-sword. Her opponent growled furiously but Star’s laidback defense proved too much for the inebriated man.

Star rolled her eyes before delivering a solid whack to his skull and rendered him unconscious.

“Well then loves” Star said with a smug satisfaction “I best be off. Nothing here but a waste of time and effort.”

Star’s ear twitched as the dull sound of metal scraping wood filled the air and for the first time since the battle began, her instincts took hold.

Star flung her umbrella wide open, clutching the hilt as tightly as she could while making herself as small of a target as possible. The video feed sprung to life in a strange muted tint. She noticed the bartender lifting something to eye level but Star had little time to hazard a guess when she heard a deep click and a deafening bang.

Star was nearly knocked off her feet as her shield violently shuddered, the image blurred and static for a moment before resuming its live feed of what was occurring in front of the weaponized rain deterrent

The muggy feed showed the bartender giving a condescending smirk her way, pumping the shotgun in his hand for another shot.

Star held on as the metal joints of the umbrella groaned under the next volley, the smooth clothed surface becoming tattered and worn as an empty cartridge hollowly clattered against the floor.

“You” Another shot, the umbrella began to bend inward “Bitch” half the feed froze “You think you could come in here” Star could hear the fabric being ripped to shreds “and just knock us around silly? Well you got another thing….”

Star was saved by the most unlikely of sounds: The gentle rapping of a fist against the bolted pub door.

The bartender jumped, spontaneously aiming toward and pulled the trigger without remembering he hadn’t loaded the next shell into the gun. A satisfying hollow click was the most beautiful noise Star could ever imagine.

Star wasted no time: She flung her near useless gadget to the side and made a mad dash directly towards the fumbling bartender, his hands nervously attempting to load more ammo into his useless weapon.

His eyes went wide with fear as Star approached and in a last ditch attempt to protect himself, he held the barrel tightly and howled in agony as he recoiled from the still burning hot metal.

Star tried not to enjoy herself too much as she clobbered him with a solid hook, sending the dazed bartender sprawling into the wall of alcoholic drinks. He, along with his products, tumbled to the floor and remained still.

“That” Star murmured softly, wiping the nonexistent dirt from her suit “concludes today’s lesson.”

Star blew a strain out of her hair, picking up her discarded umbrella as she strolled towards the door, body tense for whatever lay on the other side.

She undid the bolt slowly and calmly opened the door

“Oi Ralphy, about time you open the door mate, was near freezing my arse out…you’re not Ralphy.”

Star’s heart leapt a little without warning as she found herself face to face with her target.

The police photos did not do the young man before her justice: In his mug shot he wearing plain clothes, his brown hair disheveled as his brown eyes glared angrily at the person photographing him. In person, his brown hair was a little longer and tucked under his black beanie. He wore a white undershirt which was covered by a red hoodie which was further covered by a simple black jacket. Laid back jeans and poorly choice sneakers for the current weather rounded out his attire and while Star was certainly unsure if this was the very same Marco Diaz from the photo, her glasses compared the two images and confirmed a match.

Marco shifted nervously under Star’s silent gaze “Umm…sorry luv, I was confusing you for another bloke.” he scratched his neck sheepishly “A-are you lost? Because I’ve never seen any woman willingly come in here before. The environment is a bit toxic and stale of piss ale, misogyny and outdated ideals.”

The soft pattering of rain was the only response Marco received

“Listen darling” Marco whispered with a hint of concern in his voice “These aren’t exactly good people. I reckon it’s best if you move along and pretend you didn’t see nuthing.”

“Mr. Diaz I assume?” Star asked with a preppy edge.

Marco’s jaw twitched anxiously “….maybe….depends on whose looking.”

“I would like to have a bit of sit and chat with you. If that’s alright.”

Marco shook his head, unable to keep the displeasure from his face while he chuckled “Yeah, see about that…Umm I’m a bit unfamiliar with you and you are pretty but you’re a bit too posh for my taste. Look, I just need to pop in for a sec and talk to Ralphy about an extension.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Diaz” Star replied with a matter of fact tone “You have your extension.”

Star noticed Marco’s frame tense, his jaw locked as Star gently pulled open the door all the way through, gesturing inward in a playful manner.

“Oh that’s not fucking good.” Marco stared dumbfounded at the bodies that littered the floor, the low pained moans that wailed from within.

Marco locked eyes with Star, completely unnerved by her cheerful smile and relaxed posture.

“Well Marco?” Star gave him a flirty smile “Fancy a bit of a date?”

Marco bit his lip, queasily swaying from side to side before breaking into a run.

“I’m pretty sure what you did qualified as assault.”

Star clicked her tongue disappointingly, her eyes rascally as Marco squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.

“I am hurt you didn’t want to take me out Marco” Star’s tone was conversational yet amused

“Well you’re a bit 6’s and 7's” Marco replied in a tense tone, rubbing his sore arm as his eyes darted around for anyone who could help but the cafe’s patrons were preoccupied with staying warm and what delicious meal did they want to try next than noticing the hostage situation before them .

“Hi!” Marco nearly jumped out of his skin as the waiter greeted them “What will we be having today?”

“Usual for me” Star grinned happily “and you honey, what would you like?”

Marco looked at Star, glanced at the waiting waiter then back to Star once again.

Was this a trap? A joke? Was the waiter in on whatever this was? Was everyone else? What the hell did he get himself caught up in? Was Ralphy going to blame him for crazy face’s actions? How the hell was he supposed to pay off his debt now? He was in some serious sh…

“Sir?” The waiter politely interrupted his train of thoughts “Your order?”

Marco stared blankly at the waiter “The usual….I mean her usual, I don’t usually come in to places like this. No offense.”

“None taken” The waiter rolled his eyes before disappearing into the kitchen.

“So whose on your payroll?” Marco asked breathlessly, hands clutching the edges of the table tightly “These your people? Gonna bloody kill me without a second thought? I don’t what you think I’m caught up in but I didn’t mess with no one.”

“Really?” Star seemed unmoved by Marco’s claims “Because according to your file, you’ve been arrested several times for assault, trespassing, breaking and entering and disorderly conduct.”

Marco pursed his lips “Yous with the bobbies or something? Look, I haven’t done anything. Whatever you think I did, I didn’t. After the last time, I got the message loud and clear: Stay on the straight and narrow or go to jail and I ain’t doing hard time because some crazy got me mixed up for someone else.”

Star leaned back into her seat “What did you need extension for?”

Marco’s mouth tightened “That’s a bit of personal business I’m afraid luv. And if you ain’t a cop, I’m not saying a bloody word.”

“Marco, I’m trying to help you.”

“Help me? By getting a confession out of me?” Marco snarled quietly “I ain’t going to jail just because you mixing up crooks and me.”

“Marco” Star whispered gently

“….” Marco remained silent, torn between fact and lies.

“Look” Star brushed her hair behind her ear “I’m not a cop. I need help with something but if I can help you out too, I don’t mind.”

Marco shifted anxiously, his voice low and subdued “Alright. So there’s a local….sponsor who likes to trade money for favors…..take this here, drop that there, move this across town, just….stuff.”

“Mhm” Star nodded but said nothing.

“As you can no doubt tell by my outstanding record” Marco went on “I’m having a bit of trouble coming up with the scratch I need for college. So I figured one…tiny little…delivery wouldn’t hurt….”

“Except it never made it, did it Marco?”

Marco gulped fearfully “I tried. I swear I tried but I was running out options. You high and mighty types judge us effortlessly without a care why we do what we do. I just wanted a clean life but evidently it was too much to ask for and now I’m up shit creek without a boat. I owe money I don’t have to a person you don’t want to be owing to and I got no way to pay it back. And college?”

Marco scoffed dismissively

“That’s more of a far off dream than seeing Jackie again.”

“Jackie?” Star asked curiously.

Marco’s face flushed red “Don’t you worry about that. Look, I don’t know what you were expecting looking for me but I ain’t got anything for you and I doubt you got anything for me.”

Star felt a surge of panic as Marco began to rise from his chair, his defeated weary face tugging at Star’s heartstrings and before she could help herself, the words came tumbling out of her mouth.

“I can get you the money!”

Star mentally smacked herself for blurting it out but it had done the trick: Marco stood there, a mixture of disbelief yet intrigue etched onto his face.

“You? You don’t even know how much I need bruv.” Marco scoffed yet remained still

“Take a seat and find out.”

Marco bit his cheek, unable to choose between the sweet temptation of the door and the alluring of the pretty stranger.

“Alright” Marco relented as he slowly returned to his seat “let’s say I do buy into this whole your my way out of this shitstorm I’m in cuz. If you ain’t a cop and you ain’t a crook, just what are you?”

“A Disney agent” Star replied with the smuggest of grins.

“A what now?” Marco shook his head out of its stupor “Hang on, you taking a piss? You ’re telling me you work at that glorified fairy tale shop what sells those cutesy little knick knacks and thingamajigs to fawning tourists?”

“Yes.” Star straightened in her chair “We belong to a secret organization that operates at the highest levels of discretion. Our mission is to ensure the safety and safeguard the well being of  international security and stability of our planet.”

“You….are…mental” Marco rubbed his eyes tiredly “A'ight I’m done. I don’t know what sales pitching you trying to sell or if you’re having a bit fun with me but I’m done. I got far bigger problems than a mental polish girl and her make believe…”

“Here Mr. Diaz” Star gently removed her glasses and slid them over to him “Take the red pill. It’s a real eye opener”

Marco raised an eyebrow “Really? Outdated jokes luv? You’re lucky yous cute or else you wouldn’t be getting fa….”

Marco’s jaw slackened, his eyes wide as he gazed at the world through Star’s lens but he didn’t see the beautiful 25 year old woman sitting across from him, knowing smirk and gaze but rather a series of complex codes, phrases, jargon that made no sense to him. In the upper left hand corner was a live video feed of someone narrowly avoiding gunfire and next to that the glasses focused on Star’s face, zooming and enhancing as they began to run a facial recognition scan.

“Agent Rapunzel?” Marco murmured dumbfounded before blindly groping the air as Star snatched back her glasses.

“Proof enough Mr. Diaz?”

Marco stared blankly at the secret agent, unable to wrap his mind around what just occurred.

“……why do you need me?” Marco asked bluntly “If you these James Bond types, why you gotta go looking through the gutter for help?”

“Simply put” Star sighed anxiously “Something big is going to happen here on Mewni. Soon but aside the fact we’re getting reports indicating Mewni is the intended target, we have nothing else.”

“So you need crooks who’ve got their ear to the ground to help you” Marco nodded in understanding “Why me though? I ain’t exactly the most thuggish and my record isn’t the worst compared to some other blokes.”

Star pursed her lips, conflicted between telling a lie or revealing Jackie had sent her his way.

“Never mind”

Star blinked, unsure what just happened.

“It doesn’t matter” Marco told her “Either you did your homework, someone just told you I was the biggest loser in town or you just lucked out…..so what do you need from me?”

“Well Marco, heard any big scores coming in?”

“Big scores?” Marco rolled his eyes “You spies are really out of touch with reality. No one calls them that. You might as well be running down the streets screaming how you got your life savings in your pocket! See how long that’ll last you.”

“Ooookay” Star frowned “Have you heard anything big coming in?”

“Nah uh princess, that’s not how this works.”

Star frowned “Then how does this work Mr. Diaz?”

“…I want out.”

Star stared at Marco, unsure what exactly he meant by that.

“Mean…” Marco coughed hesitantly “I don’t want…this…” he gestured to himself pathetically “…Anymore. I….I don’t want none of this. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder in case some thugs happen to stumble on me. I miss visiting my parents. You know how hard it is not to drive their street and check up on them outta fear some nasty blokes are casing place, waiting for you to show up?”

Star thought of her mother and how often she was tucked away in some sort of secret location that only she and Miss Skullnick knew. She thought of the last time she actually saw her mother, hugged her, talked to her more beyond the scope of business.

Star gave a short but understanding nod.

“The money I’ll figure out” Marco told her gently “This ain’t the first time I’ve had to make up some scratch I ain’t got but college….they’re ain’t going to let me in, not without some recommendation and if you being them cloak and dagger companies.”

“Wait a minute” Star cut in immediately “You can’t just…”

“Whoa, chill princess” Marco waved his hand “I didn’t mean make me one of them types or nothing. Shit, I doubt I’d be kept alive two seconds during your job. But you gotta have some pull right? Ways to make them posh academic types look the other way?”  

Star shifted anxiously in her seat: She did in fact have a way to grant Marco’s request. However, it wasn’t as simple as calling the school of his choice and waving her I’m a secret agent privilege but rather…

“Do we have a deal?”

Star bit her lip. This was the closest lead she was going to get and while she would normally play for the country card, she had a sneaking suspicion Marco wouldn’t care if something happened to Mewni. Too many bad memories….

“Well do we have a deal?”

Star took a deep breath “Deal: You help stop whatever is going to happen and I’ll help you get a better life.”

“I felt like we’ve done this before” Marco muttered under his breath before offering his hand to Star.

Star stared at the gesture, unsure what exactly Marco wanted from her.

“Handsake? Ever heard of one miss posh?”

“Oh….oh” Star nodded in understanding “Of course I have Mr. Diaz, I was just confused why…”

“I don’t want you double crossing me” Marco interrupted hastily with a nervous tinge to his words “Promise me.”

“…Marco…”

“Promise me.”

Star felt guilt shift uneasily in the pit of her stomach at his plead, the vulnerability in his voice. He was at the end of his rope and he was literally taken a leap of faith on a complete stranger.

The wrong stranger.

“Okay Marco…” Star whispered softly “I promise.”

Marco’s eyes were no less guarded but his body visibly relaxed upon Star shaking his outstretched hand.

Marco took a deep calming breath “Okay. Rumor is Lucitor Electronics is looking for extra workers.”

Star raised a puzzled eyebrow “I’m sorry? I don’t quite follow…”

Marco shifted uncomfortably under Star’s gaze “Of course not, that’s the point. You see luv Lucitor Electronics have been known to….push certain products into the town. If they’re looking for extra workers then that’s street speak for we need something moved and we’ll pay great money for you to keep your moth shut.”

“Do you mean…?”

Marco gave a short nod “They’re asking for 2 dozen workers. That’s the largest amount of ‘help’ they’ve asked for in years. Only means one thing.”

“Whatever they’re moving” Star concluded “It’s big and probably dangerous.”

“Exactly. Next shipment comes in two weeks. Give me your number and I’ll contact you when it comes in.”

Star frowned at that idea but quickly scrawled her number on a napkin and gingerly handed it to Marco.

Marco seemed pretty unsure of himself. He rose to his feet quickly, his mouth opening and closing a few times before giving a curt nod and disappearing into the water veil that blanketed Star’s beloved Mewni.

Star carefully placed her glasses back onto her face, trying to ignore the sinking of her heart as Grumpy whispered quietly “She’s not going to be okay with this you know?”

“I know…..”

[genogenocrazycatman]

Rush - Trafalgar Law x OC

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. All copyrights and trademarks go to their respective owners.

This story contains graphic depictions of violence.

Note: This is the sixth rewrite of this, and while I'm still not happy with it, this one has turned out far better than the others.

Medical things. I am not a doctor. I have no clue what I'm talking about. Everything I mention is about 50% google, 10% it's anime, 15% plot convenience (at least I'm willing to admit it) and 25% fuck it. So if I get something wrong oh well, cause I'm not knowledgeable enough and I don't give enough of a fuck to go and fix it.

I took my drag of my cigarette, and stared out at the ocean. The moon light reflected on the water’s surface. The spring island, where I had boarded the ship I was currently on, was no longer visible. The sounds of the village, the people in the taverns, the shops closing up had given way to the gentle lapping of waves on the hull.

  There was something about the vastness of the sea that was just special. I couldn’t say that it was a positive quality, nor was it entirely negative. You could sail for weeks without encountering another soul. The solitude was liberating in a way. There was no one to answer to, no social constructs to uphold. You could do whatever you wanted, and no one could tell you otherwise.

  On the other hand, that solitude could easily give way to loneliness. There was no one to answer to, but that also meant that there was no one to talk to, no one to laugh with, no one to pick you up, no shoulder to cry on, no one to share your joy with.

  By the time I set sail, I was already well acquainted with loneliness, among many other things. Violence and pain standing out among them. I found solace in those two concepts. It was more than solace. It was bliss.

  It wasn’t until I had met a pirate crew and their enigmatic captain that I was able to find that joy and that comfort elsewhere, in friendship, in love.

I was lucky in that respect. I had found a place in this world. Surrounded by my crewmates, the vastness of the sea wasn’t so daunting. It wasn’t so lonely. I would do whatever it took to preserve that, which was why I was on this ship, taking one last drag of my cigarette, before flicking it overboard.

  I turned around and surveyed the deck, the carnage around me. My kills had been quick and fairly quiet. Cervical fractures, carotid artery compression, exsanguination due to CTIs.

  It was a waste. I was relying on the element of surprise. I couldn’t allow them to yell out and give me away, no matter how much I wanted to.

  With the exception of the helmsman, who I had taken care of first and the captain, who was below deck, all of the men on the boat had been posted on the small ship’s deck with their weapons in hand and cannons readied. Guard duty. It was a good idea.

  They had abducted a supernova. In theory there were the marines to worry about, bounty hunters, the captive’s crew, possible rivals. In actuality, there was just me, who had no problem taking out a dozen mediocre pirates. If not for the intelligence of their captain, no doubt these buffoons would have perished long ago.

  I headed below deck for the bilge for the hold. I stopped at the top of the hatch, hearing a deep voice coming from down below.

  “How’s it feel, Trafalgar, to know that I’m going to put you through the same hell that you’ve inflicted on so many others?”

  I lifted the hatch just enough to peer down into the hold. Law was sitting on the floor, his arms chained up over his head.  He was beat up. His lip was busted, and a bruise was forming around his left eye. He was shirtless, revealing the beep bruising on his abdomen.

  Hovering over him was a large brutish man. At first glance, I would’ve just assumed that he was all brawn no brain, but he had managed not only to track down Law, but to abduct him as well. It was an impressive feat.

  He’d played it smart and waited until Law and his crew were comfortable in a tavern. Law had only had a few, before leaving, while the rest of the lot continued to enjoy the booze, food and women. The brute had snuck up on the Surgeon of Death and knocked him out, before dragging him to the docks, where his ship was located. The crew had quickly left the docks and headed out to see, unaware that I had snuck aboard. The brute wasn’t the only smart one.

  He seemed pretty tough. He would make a nice reward for my efforts tonight. Once I freed Law, I was going to have some real fun.

  I didn’t remember the brute, but he obviously knew us or at least Law. The melodramatic monologue that I was listening in on, was filled with promises of vengeance and retribution, not something that you’d hit a stranger with.

  He had a knife in his hand, undoubtedly to cut Law’s heart out. I was undecided on whether it was poetic or ironic. It depended on how emotionally invested you were in the situation. It was a fairly short blade, long enough to puncture the heart, but not so deep that I had to worry about him

  Law said nothing in response, staring down at his lap the entire time.

  “Look at me, when I’m talking to you!” the Brute snapped, grabbing Law’s chin and forcing him to look up.

  Law’s usual smirk was absent, a far more sarcastic and sinister one in its place.

  I couldn’t help, the grin that tugged at the corner of my lips. He knew I was there.

  His smirk set the guy off. He brought the knife down, driving it into Law’s chest between the third and fourth rib. In addition to piercing the heart, the brute had to have damaged the costal cartilages, based on the angle of entry and the width of the blade.

  I should have intervened earlier. I should have prevented the injury from occurring, but I was momentarily frozen. The part of my brain that said, keep Law safe was drowned out by the part that reveled in his suffering.

  It wasn’t a sexual thing. I didn’t get off on the pain of others. It would be easier to explain that way. Sexual sadism seemed to be easier for people to comprehend than sadistic personality disorder. It was euphoric in its own sense, stimulating my brain like a drug. The feeling I got from seeing people hurt, watching them suffer and ultimately break was indescribable. Words didn’t do it justice.

  The man used a serrated knife, which ripped through the flesh as opposed to slicing through it. The same went for the cardiac tissue beneath. The serrated edge sawed into the cartilage.

  Law’s pained cry rang out through the ship with only me and the brute to hear it.

  I couldn’t help, but stare at the scene in front of me. Law’s muscles tensed and involuntarily, causing him to writhe in place, wrists pulling against the sea stone cuffs. A sheen of sweat quickly developed over his skin, and crimson ran from the newly created wound in his chest.

  Law was strong, resilient, calculating and composed. Very rarely did anyone ever get the jump on him. Sea kings sure. The weather definitely, but not people. I had never seen his composure shattered like this.

  It was a beautiful sight.

  The brute retracted his knife, causing Law to yell out again.

  He looked down at Law, with a victorious gleam in his eye. “You took my brother’s heart. Now I’m taking yours, you sadistic bastard.”

  If it had been anyone else, I would’ve just sat there and enjoyed the show, watching as the knife tore through the flesh, sawing through the costal cartilage, listening to the crunch of bones breaking as the brute broke ribs to get to the heart. But it wasn’t anyone else.

  It was Law. Law, who I owed a great debt to. Law, who gave me a place in this world. Law, who made me feel as if I belonged. Law, I had already failed with my moment of weakness, my hesitation.

  I had eaten the pocket pocket fruit, which gave me access to a pocket dimension. With a poof of blood red smoke, I could send items to and summon items from that space, including supplies, treasure, weapons and even people. I often used that ability to teleport so to speak, poofing into my dimension from one spot and poofing myself out in another.

  I poofed myself into my pocket space, grabbing a bullhook and poofing back out, behind the brute. I swung the hook around, the hook piercing his cheek and yanking it back. It ripped through the flesh and hooked itself on his ramus. I caught him off guard. He couldn’t properly balance himself, when I yanked back on the hook hard. I knocked him through a bunch of crates that were serving as a makeshift table in the center of the room.

  “Let’s get something clear here,” I started, standing over the brute.

  I unhooked the bullhook from his jaw and cranked back, before driving it into his bicep. He cried out in pain, a sound that delighted me to no end.

  “I’m the only one, who has my captain’s heart.” I put my left hand out, poofing the organ into it. I tossed it back towards Law, so that it landed in his lap.

  I hit the brute with the handle of my bullhook, knocking him out for the time being. I patted down the brute finding the key for the cuffs on Law’s wrists. I pulled it out of one of his pockets and walked over to my captain, carefully unlocking them and releasing him.

  I poofed the necessary supplies out of my pocket space and knelt down in front of him, quickly examining him. The bruises were simply that bruises. There were no underlying injuries, at least that I could tell. It appeared that the brute had made sure that Law suffered no serious injuries, save for the chest wound.

  Law raised his hand uttering, “Room.”

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked, sounding understandably irritated.

  I poofed a scalpel into my hand, handing it over to Law. “I was,” I admitted.

  “Was?”

  “I snapped out of it.”

  Law popped the heart in his chest out. I took a look at it. It had been punctured, but not deeply. It was enough to be fatal, if not attended to immediately, but that was none of my concern. I turned and lobbed it at the brute, hitting him square in his half-shredded face with it.

  “You did,” he conceded. “Though we still have work to do on your discipline.”

  I was relieved. He was okay.  If he was already using this experience as a measurement of my self-control, something that we had been working on since we met, then he was fine.

  “He didn’t hit any major blood vessels, nor the lung, but he did hit the costal cartilage connecting your third and fourth ribs to your sternum. The muscle has obviously been lacerated, as has the skin. I lifted his heart up off of his lap and carefully slotted it into the hole in his chest.

  At this point there weren’t many of Law’s organs actually in his body, the important ones at least. They all resided in specialized cases with in my pocket dimension.

  “You did well,” he said. “I can take it from here.” Using the supplies that I summoned and his fruit, he repaired the injury fairly quickly, the only sign, being a short line of stitches underneath a bandage.

  Remind me, when we’re back at the island, and we’ll take inventory of your stock.”

  I nodded. He stood up, groaning a bit at the soreness, while I packed everything up and returned it to my space.

  Law walked over to the brute. He had to be hurting. There was nothing we could do about the cartilage. It had to heal on its own. Each breath had to be painful.

  He waved something under the brute’s nose. Only when the large man woke up, did I realize what they were, smelling salts.

  I peered at Law curiously, not sure what it was he was planning, but sure that whatever it was wasn’t going to end well for the brute.

  He pushed himself back, trying to get away from Law, but ran into a wall.

  “You think I’m sadistic,” Law said to the brute. “You have no idea what sadism really looks like.”

  “Do whatever you want,” Law told me.

  I smirked.  I looked at the side of the brute’s face that I had torn through. My expression switched to one of petulance. “I rushed that side.” I stalked towards him. “But this one I’m going to do properly.”

  I swapped out my bullhook for a club, swinging it around and striking the brute in the chest. The wall behind him cracked. He coughed, trying to breathe, having the wind knocked out of him. I switched out my club for another scalpel, using the sharp blade to nick the corner of the brute’s mouth.

  “Ratchet-ya, what have I told you about using medical instruments to play your games,” Law scolded.

  I looked over my shoulder and gave Law a wide grin showing how not-sorry I was.  “Thank you, Ratchet for saving my ass,” I teased, knowing that despite this situation we were on the same ground as usual.

  I swapped the club out for a heavy metal pillar. I lifted it, dropping it onto the brute’s shin. With a satisfying crack, his tibia and fibula both snapped.

  That crack was nothing in comparison to the anguished cry that left his mouth. The nick I had made at the corner of his mouth, was pulled apart further.

  My heart rate quickened, and a pleasant tingle traveled up my spine. It was a struggle to keep my composure. The game ended if they passed out. It was about maintaining a delicate balance. Inflict enough pain for it to be fun, but not so much that they passed out or died. It was a delicate balance but one that I had mastered. I had only intended to go until both sides of the brute’s mouth matched, but I had gone overboard, caught in the cadence of his screams, the fear and pain in his eyes, his feeble attempts to speak, pleading for me to stop.

  Two hours later and the smell of blood was thick in the air. The substance coated the brute, pooled on the floor beneath him. He was still. All the fight had drained out of him. The defiance was gone. There was nothing left but fear and pain. I kneeled down, so that I was eye level with the big man. “You know what the best part of this is?” I asked. “That you’re not going to die.” I laughed. “We’re going to take this ship back to port. My captain and I are going to head back to our inn. I’m going to shower, and think about every last one of those delectable noises you made for me. Tomorrow, we’re going to leave, and on our way out, someone’s going to alert the local authorities to your condition. By the time they stitch you back together and set your bones, we’ll be gone, and you’ll have to spend every day living with the reminders of what happened here.

  “But it’s okay, because it gives you a chance to do some good. See I’m sure you think this is the part, where I warn you never to tell a soul about who did this, but that’s not the case. I want you to tell everyone that Ratchet the Hatchet did this, and that I’ll do it all over again to anyone, who even thinks about harming my captain.

  “You understand?”

  He made no effort to move.

  I grabbed his face. “Do you understand?” I repeated slowly.

  The brute nodded.

  “Good.”

  I stood up and poofed into my pocket dimension, taking a few moments to clean myself up and change into a new set of clothes, before poofing to the bridge, where Law was manning the helm. He was still shirtless, but otherwise clean. I handed him one of his shirts I had stored.

  “You done?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I answered, a dopey grin on my face. I was still riding my high. “Too bad about the rest of them. If their big bad captain squealed like that, I can only imagine what they would’ve done.”

  “Ratchet-ya, you would’ve killed them and then been disappointed.”

  “True,” I agreed. “You okay?” I asked.

  “I would be better, if you hadn’t waited until after he stabbed me in the chest, before taking care of him.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I was weak. I couldn’t help it. It was like you told me I could only have vegetables for dinner and then someone set a big juicy T-bone right in front of me. I was tempted.”

  “And you gave into that,” Law shot.

  “I took one bite, and I enjoyed it,” I admitted shamelessly. “One of the steaks I’ve ever had in my life. But then I went and tossed it out.”

  “Considering, where we began with your blood lust, you’ve come a long way,” he sighed. “And I know that it must be difficult, considering that I don’t remove the temptation all together. We’ll have to work more on it.”

  I nodded.

  He shook his head at me, the corners of his mouth pulling upwards. “What am I going to do with you.”

  I knew that I was in the clear this time.

  “You know you still haven’t thanked me,” I joked. I knew I wasn’t actually going to get a “thank you” out of him, considering that I let him get stabbed.

  “I let you have your fun.”

  I scoffed. “That wasn’t just for me. You know as well as I do, that you let me do that, because you wanted revenge on him, because he embarrassed you.”

  “I’m not embarrassed.”

  “Really? Not at all? Big bad Trafalgar Law got captured by some second-rate pirate out for petty revenge? Doesn’t make you want to get back at him? To cut a smile into his face? To shatter his bones and rip out his finger nails? To cut off his fingers, and blow out his ear drums? To-”

  I was cut off by Law’s lips on mine. There were few things that surpassed the thrill I got inflicting pain upon others, and kissing Law was one of them. Torturing someone was a rush. It was a quick and intense bout of euphoria. It overtook your senses and once it was over, all you wanted was to seek that feeling, that high out again, but Law was different.

  Being with Law was a rush at first, but soon after it was like everything slowed down, and we were in our own world, floating away from everyone and everything else. He was a slow and steady warmth that spread throughout my body. When we were apart, I didn’t just want that feeling again. I needed it, whether it be from a look, a hug, a kiss, whatever. I didn’t care.

   “Thank you, Ratchet,” he said, once we parted, resting his forehead on mine.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, grinning at him.

Like it? If so check out my other stories here. I write for a number of fandoms.

[steviemeeks01-blog]

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[genogenocrazycatman]

Rush - Trafalgar Law x OC

Rush [Archive of Our Own]

Characters: Original Female Character, Trafalgar Law, Original Male Character

Being with Law was a rush at first, but soon after it was like everything slowed down, and we were in our own world, floating away from everyone and everything else. He was a slow and steady warmth that spread throughout my body. When we were apart, I didn’t just want that feeling again. I needed it, whether it be from a look, a hug, a kiss, whatever. I didn’t care.

This is the sixth rewrite of this, and while I'm still not happy with it, this one has turned out far better than the others.

Medical things. I am not a doctor. I have no clue what I'm talking about. Everything I mention is about 50% google, 10% it's anime, 15% plot convenience (at least I'm willing to admit it) and 25% fuck it. So if I get something wrong oh well, cause I'm not knowledgeable enough and I don't give enough of a fuck to go and fix it.

***

I took my drag of my cigarette, and stared out at the ocean. The moon light reflected on the water’s surface. The spring island, where I had boarded the ship I was currently on, was no longer visible. The sounds of the village, the people in the taverns, the shops closing up had given way to the gentle lapping of waves on the hull.

There was something about the vastness of the sea that was just special. I couldn’t say that it was a positive quality, nor was it entirely negative. You could sail for weeks without encountering another soul. The solitude was liberating in a way. There was no one to answer to, no social constructs to uphold. You could do whatever you wanted, and no one could tell you otherwise.

On the other hand, that solitude could easily give way to loneliness. There was no one to answer to, but that also meant that there was no one to talk to, no one to laugh with, no one to pick you up, no shoulder to cry on, no one to share your joy with.

By the time I set sail, I was already well acquainted with loneliness, among many other things. Violence and pain standing out among them. I found solace in those two concepts. It was more than solace. It was bliss.

It wasn’t until I had met a pirate crew and their enigmatic captain that I was able to find that joy and that comfort elsewhere, in friendship, in love.

I was lucky in that respect. I had found a place in this world. Surrounded by my crewmates, the vastness of the sea wasn’t so daunting. It wasn’t so lonely. I would do whatever it took to preserve that, which was why I was on this ship, taking one last drag of my cigarette, before flicking it overboard.

I turned around and surveyed the deck, the carnage around me. My kills had been quick and fairly quiet. Cervical fractures, carotid artery compression, exsanguination due to CTIs.

It was a waste. I was relying on the element of surprise. I couldn’t allow them to yell out and give me away, no matter how much I wanted to.

With the exception of the helmsman, who I had taken care of first and the captain, who was below deck, all of the men on the boat had been posted on the small ship’s deck with their weapons in hand and cannons readied. Guard duty. It was a good idea.

They had abducted a supernova. In theory there were the marines to worry about, bounty hunters, the captive’s crew, possible rivals. In actuality, there was just me, who had no problem taking out a dozen mediocre pirates. If not for the intelligence of their captain, no doubt these buffoons would have perished long ago.

I headed below deck for the bilge for the hold. I stopped at the top of the hatch, hearing a deep voice coming from down below.

“How’s it feel, Trafalgar, to know that I’m going to put you through the same hell that you’ve inflicted on so many others?”

I lifted the hatch just enough to peer down into the hold. Law was sitting on the floor, his arms chained up over his head.  He was beat up. His lip was busted, and a bruise was forming around his left eye. He was shirtless, revealing the beep bruising on his abdomen.

Hovering over him was a large brutish man. At first glance, I would’ve just assumed that he was all brawn no brain, but he had managed not only to track down Law, but to abduct him as well. It was an impressive feat.

He’d played it smart and waited until Law and his crew were comfortable in a tavern. Law had only had a few, before leaving, while the rest of the lot continued to enjoy the booze, food and women. The brute had snuck up on the Surgeon of Death and knocked him out, before dragging him to the docks, where his ship was located. The crew had quickly left the docks and headed out to see, unaware that I had snuck aboard. The brute wasn’t the only smart one.

He seemed pretty tough. He would make a nice reward for my efforts tonight. Once I freed Law, I was going to have some real fun.

I didn’t remember the brute, but he obviously knew us or at least Law. The melodramatic monologue that I was listening in on, was filled with promises of vengeance and retribution, not something that you’d hit a stranger with.

He had a knife in his hand, undoubtedly to cut Law’s heart out. I was undecided on whether it was poetic or ironic. It depended on how emotionally invested you were in the situation. It was a fairly short blade, long enough to puncture the heart, but not so deep that I had to worry about him

Law said nothing in response, staring down at his lap the entire time.

“Look at me, when I’m talking to you!” the Brute snapped, grabbing Law’s chin and forcing him to look up.

Law’s usual smirk was absent, a far more sarcastic and sinister one in its place.

I couldn’t help, the grin that tugged at the corner of my lips. He knew I was there.

His smirk set the guy off. He brought the knife down, driving it into Law’s chest between the third and fourth rib. In addition to piercing the heart, the brute had to have damaged the costal cartilages, based on the angle of entry and the width of the blade.

I should have intervened earlier. I should have prevented the injury from occurring, but I was momentarily frozen. The part of my brain that said, keep Law safe was drowned out by the part that reveled in his suffering.

It wasn’t a sexual thing. I didn’t get off on the pain of others. It would be easier to explain that way. Sexual sadism seemed to be easier for people to comprehend than sadistic personality disorder. It was euphoric in its own sense, stimulating my brain like a drug. The feeling I got from seeing people hurt, watching them suffer and ultimately break was indescribable. Words didn’t do it justice.

The man used a serrated knife, which ripped through the flesh as opposed to slicing through it. The same went for the cardiac tissue beneath. The serrated edge sawed into the cartilage.

Law’s pained cry rang out through the ship with only me and the brute to hear it.

I couldn’t help, but stare at the scene in front of me. Law’s muscles tensed and involuntarily, causing him to writhe in place, wrists pulling against the sea stone cuffs. A sheen of sweat quickly developed over his skin, and crimson ran from the newly created wound in his chest.

Law was strong, resilient, calculating and composed. Very rarely did anyone ever get the jump on him. Sea kings sure. The weather definitely, but not people. I had never seen his composure shattered like this.

It was a beautiful sight.

The brute retracted his knife, causing Law to yell out again.

He looked down at Law, with a victorious gleam in his eye. “You took my brother’s heart. Now I’m taking yours, you sadistic bastard.”

If it had been anyone else, I would’ve just sat there and enjoyed the show, watching as the knife tore through the flesh, sawing through the costal cartilage, listening to the crunch of bones breaking as the brute broke ribs to get to the heart. But it wasn’t anyone else.

It was Law. Law, who I owed a great debt to. Law, who gave me a place in this world. Law, who made me feel as if I belonged. Law, I had already failed with my moment of weakness, my hesitation.

I had eaten the pocket pocket fruit, which gave me access to a pocket dimension. With a poof of blood red smoke, I could send items to and summon items from that space, including supplies, treasure, weapons and even people. I often used that ability to teleport so to speak, poofing into my dimension from one spot and poofing myself out in another.

I poofed myself into my pocket space, grabbing a bullhook and poofing back out, behind the brute. I swung the hook around, the hook piercing his cheek and yanking it back. It ripped through the flesh and hooked itself on his ramus. I caught him off guard. He couldn’t properly balance himself, when I yanked back on the hook hard. I knocked him through a bunch of crates that were serving as a makeshift table in the center of the room.

“Let’s get something clear here,” I started, standing over the brute.

I unhooked the bullhook from his jaw and cranked back, before driving it into his bicep. He cried out in pain, a sound that delighted me to no end.

“I’m the only one, who has my captain’s heart.” I put my left hand out, poofing the organ into it. I tossed it back towards Law, so that it landed in his lap.

I hit the brute with the handle of my bullhook, knocking him out for the time being. I patted down the brute finding the key for the cuffs on Law’s wrists. I pulled it out of one of his pockets and walked over to my captain, carefully unlocking them and releasing him.

I poofed the necessary supplies out of my pocket space and knelt down in front of him, quickly examining him. The bruises were simply that bruises. There were no underlying injuries, at least that I could tell. It appeared that the brute had made sure that Law suffered no serious injuries, save for the chest wound.

Law raised his hand uttering, “Room.”

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked, sounding understandably irritated.

I poofed a scalpel into my hand, handing it over to Law. “I was,” I admitted.

“Was?”

“I snapped out of it.”

Law popped the heart in his chest out. I took a look at it. It had been punctured, but not deeply. It was enough to be fatal, if not attended to immediately, but that was none of my concern. I turned and lobbed it at the brute, hitting him square in his half-shredded face with it.

“You did,” he conceded. “Though we still have work to do on your discipline.”

I was relieved. He was okay.  If he was already using this experience as a measurement of my self-control, something that we had been working on since we met, then he was fine.

“He didn’t hit any major blood vessels, nor the lung, but he did hit the costal cartilage connecting your third and fourth ribs to your sternum. The muscle has obviously been lacerated, as has the skin. I lifted his heart up off of his lap and carefully slotted it into the hole in his chest.

At this point there weren’t many of Law’s organs actually in his body, the important ones at least. They all resided in specialized cases with in my pocket dimension.

“You did well,” he said. “I can take it from here.” Using the supplies that I summoned and his fruit, he repaired the injury fairly quickly, the only sign, being a short line of stitches underneath a bandage.

Remind me, when we’re back at the island, and we’ll take inventory of your stock.”

I nodded. He stood up, groaning a bit at the soreness, while I packed everything up and returned it to my space.

Law walked over to the brute. He had to be hurting. There was nothing we could do about the cartilage. It had to heal on its own. Each breath had to be painful.

He waved something under the brute’s nose. Only when the large man woke up, did I realize what they were, smelling salts.

I peered at Law curiously, not sure what it was he was planning, but sure that whatever it was wasn’t going to end well for the brute.

He pushed himself back, trying to get away from Law, but ran into a wall.

“You think I’m sadistic,” Law said to the brute. “You have no idea what sadism really looks like.”

“Do whatever you want,” Law told me.

I smirked.  I looked at the side of the brute’s face that I had torn through. My expression switched to one of petulance. “I rushed that side.” I stalked towards him. “But this one I’m going to do properly.”

I swapped out my bullhook for a club, swinging it around and striking the brute in the chest. The wall behind him cracked. He coughed, trying to breathe, having the wind knocked out of him. I switched out my club for another scalpel, using the sharp blade to nick the corner of the brute’s mouth.

“Ratchet-ya, what have I told you about using medical instruments to play your games,” Law scolded.

I looked over my shoulder and gave Law a wide grin showing how not-sorry I was.  “Thank you, Ratchet for saving my ass,” I teased, knowing that despite this situation we were on the same ground as usual.

I swapped the club out for a heavy metal pillar. I lifted it, dropping it onto the brute’s shin. With a satisfying crack, his tibia and fibula both snapped.

That crack was nothing in comparison to the anguished cry that left his mouth. The nick I had made at the corner of his mouth, was pulled apart further.

My heart rate quickened, and a pleasant tingle traveled up my spine. It was a struggle to keep my composure. The game ended if they passed out. It was about maintaining a delicate balance. Inflict enough pain for it to be fun, but not so much that they passed out or died. It was a delicate balance but one that I had mastered. I had only intended to go until both sides of the brute’s mouth matched, but I had gone overboard, caught in the cadence of his screams, the fear and pain in his eyes, his feeble attempts to speak, pleading for me to stop.

Two hours later and the smell of blood was thick in the air. The substance coated the brute, pooled on the floor beneath him. He was still. All the fight had drained out of him. The defiance was gone. There was nothing left but fear and pain. I kneeled down, so that I was eye level with the big man. “You know what the best part of this is?” I asked. “That you’re not going to die.” I laughed. “We’re going to take this ship back to port. My captain and I are going to head back to our inn. I’m going to shower, and think about every last one of those delectable noises you made for me. Tomorrow, we’re going to leave, and on our way out, someone’s going to alert the local authorities to your condition. By the time they stitch you back together and set your bones, we’ll be gone, and you’ll have to spend every day living with the reminders of what happened here.

“But it’s okay, because it gives you a chance to do some good. See I’m sure you think this is the part, where I warn you never to tell a soul about who did this, but that’s not the case. I want you to tell everyone that Ratchet the Hatchet did this, and that I’ll do it all over again to anyone, who even thinks about harming my captain.

“You understand?”

He made no effort to move.

I grabbed his face. “Do you understand?” I repeated slowly.

The brute nodded.

“Good.”

I stood up and poofed into my pocket dimension, taking a few moments to clean myself up and change into a new set of clothes, before poofing to the bridge, where Law was manning the helm. He was still shirtless, but otherwise clean. I handed him one of his shirts I had stored.

“You done?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered, a dopey grin on my face. I was still riding my high. “Too bad about the rest of them. If their big bad captain squealed like that, I can only imagine what they would’ve done.”

“Ratchet-ya, you would’ve killed them and then been disappointed.”

“True,” I agreed. “You okay?” I asked.

“I would be better, if you hadn’t waited until after he stabbed me in the chest, before taking care of him.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I was weak. I couldn’t help it. It was like you told me I could only have vegetables for dinner and then someone set a big juicy T-bone right in front of me. I was tempted.”

“And you gave into that,” Law shot.

“I took one bite, and I enjoyed it,” I admitted shamelessly. “One of the steaks I’ve ever had in my life. But then I went and tossed it out.”

“Considering, where we began with your blood lust, you’ve come a long way,” he sighed. “And I know that it must be difficult, considering that I don’t remove the temptation all together. We’ll have to work more on it.”

I nodded.

He shook his head at me, the corners of his mouth pulling upwards. “What am I going to do with you.”

I knew that I was in the clear this time.

“You know you still haven’t thanked me,” I joked. I knew I wasn’t actually going to get a “thank you” out of him, considering that I let him get stabbed.

“I let you have your fun.”

I scoffed. “That wasn’t just for me. You know as well as I do, that you let me do that, because you wanted revenge on him, because he embarrassed you.”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“Really? Not at all? Big bad Trafalgar Law got captured by some second-rate pirate out for petty revenge? Doesn’t make you want to get back at him? To cut a smile into his face? To shatter his bones and rip out his finger nails? To cut off his fingers, and blow out his ear drums? To-”

I was cut off by Law’s lips on mine. There were few things that surpassed the thrill I got inflicting pain upon others, and kissing Law was one of them. Torturing someone was a rush. It was a quick and intense bout of euphoria. It overtook your senses and once it was over, all you wanted was to seek that feeling, that high out again, but Law was different.

Being with Law was a rush at first, but soon after it was like everything slowed down, and we were in our own world, floating away from everyone and everything else. He was a slow and steady warmth that spread throughout my body. When we were apart, I didn’t just want that feeling again. I needed it, whether it be from a look, a hug, a kiss, whatever. I didn’t care.

“Thank you, Ratchet,” he said, once we parted, resting his forehead on mine.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, grinning at him.

***

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