#but in case someone else finds this post | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

frobin · 2 years

Note

it’s hilarious how frobin stans try and debunk every other robin ship. I found your debunking of lawbin post just by searching them up. Like your shit and stay in your lane. I recognise you too. You’re the try-to-be sanctimonious frobin stan on Twitter that says they always try to “check” toxic frobin stans but your likes consist of posts that trash other robin ships. I like frobin but the stans are worse than lunami shippers and have ruined frobin for me. It gives insecurity. The whole basis is “oh oda said they’re the mom and dad of the crew”. Yeah he also said Zoro is the dad and Usopp is the mother. So what then? All of u need to stop being so annoying

EVERYONE, I'm going to answer this ask because I want to educate. I have no idea if you return anon but hey... maybe you do and maybe you actually learn something from my post. But be aware I wrote it while being pissed off.

And sorry to all the LawBin fans who find this because of anon who did not censor the ship name. I don't control the anon.

---

Mate... if I would try to seriously debunk La:wB:in I would put much more effort into it.

And what post do you mean? This one, that is two years old and posted because I tried to understand where you fans saw La:wB:in?

Or this one, with ONE (1) note, that I only answered because someone asked me? And sorry that I got a bit prissy in this one but I was annoyed by the fact that La:wB:in fans had spoiled me - while I was searching for FRobin on twitter - with something that turned out to be one of the thinnest anti-FRobin arguments that I've ever laid eyes on.

And I've seen quite a lot of anti-FRobin arguments. Honestly I have better anti-FRobin arguments than two people sitting beside each ohter!

"Like your shit and stay in your lane"

Yet, you are in my inbox.

"You’re the try-to-be sanctimonious frobin stan on Twitter that says they always try to “check” toxic frobin stans but your likes consist of posts that trash other robin ships."

True and even though it might seem insincere this ist the thought process: I hope that when I like their stuff - instead of retweeting it - they follow my twitter and see the many times I tweet "Please don't engage in fandom wank! Leave other shippers alone! Ship and let ship!"

And it is also true that I do sometimes tell peole "hey I'm sorry you had bad experiences with FRobin fans" because personally I mostly had positive ones. In my opinion FRobin fans are smart, calm, silent and love FRobin because it's healthy and wholesome. The exception from the rule? Most of the times Trolls.

I've told "FRobin fans" to stop to annoy others and they told me that they actually don't ship anything. Often enough people just want to stir shit up, making people hate "the shippers" and so "the ship".

Just like you. You fell for it and you also give a very bad image towards all of the La:wB:in shippers. But I know you're just a single warrior on your path of righteousness. Good luck finding the chill to not do that anymore, mate. Maybe read my pinned post?

Before anyone wonders why I made those screenshots: I sent them to a Zo:Ro:bin shipper to show them that maybe not every attack made by FRobin fans are actually FRobin fans. And the same goes for EVERY SHIP! EVERY SINGLE SHIP!

We different shippers and organiziers sometimes work together to bring shippers home, where they belong.

"I like frobin but the stans are worse than lunami shippers and have ruined frobin for me."

Here is a little fun fact: You can still enjoy FRobin without engaging with the fans. Just go read fanfiction on Ao3 without an account. Go on pixiv and deviantart and look at fanarts. Don't read tweets or tumblr posts. Curate your online expirence. It is really simple.

Also I don't know what LuNami has to do with anything... but you will find assholes for every ship and every fandom (yes, FRobin too). I tend to be quite the asshole sometimes. Luckily most of the time I calm down before I go full rage.

"It gives insecurity."

FRobin fans have nothing to be insecure about. We constantly make fun of our ship because of how safe we feel in our little vessel. It's a strong ship because we have a shipwright. ;)

"The whole basis is “oh oda said they’re the mom and dad of the crew”. Yeah he also said Zoro is the dad and Usopp is the mother. So what then? All of u need to stop being so annoying"

..... oh god I'm so tired. Please if you want to debunk FRobin just do your homework. If you want to know why people ship FRobin, here is some reading material. Go through it and then please give me something else to work with.

Why people ship FRobin:

Too much to read for you?

Take this:

"Franky and Robin are the mom and dad", mate that is not even accurate anymore. It's Jinbe now. Franky is a perverted Grandma.

God, imagine shipping FRobin only because of that... that is even a worse argument then "People only ship FRobin because of one non-canon scene in the anime". No dude...

The tag is "why I ship it" on this very blog. Educate yourself

#FRobin #not frobin #come on give me something to work with #I'm tired and bored #and I hope my RL friends don't learn that I answered this ask #because they said I should just delete it #but in case someone else finds this post #just do your homework before you come running into anyones inbox #and be aware of trolls #they are everywhere #they live for the wank #I hate that this is forgotten knowledge #kon

9 notes · View notes

piningprecussionist · 1 day

Text

Okay. Fellas. Real talk. I've seen some of you do it and I thank you profusely for doing so but can yall PLEASE credit the original artist of that piece yall kinda made into an a dtiys/art meme? That's not official art. I am point blank refusing to engage with any of these pieces that I see not doing such. (Even when it pains me to keep scrolling, because some of them are really good!! And I want them here!!! But I do have some rules for myself I try to stand firm by with this blog.)

Like you can literally see them say right there that it's fine IF YOU CREDIT. I'm fucking begging you.

I'm not mad at anyone who didn't know but I've seen SO MANY versions at this point, and I think I've seen maybe 3 or 4 of them RECENTLY include the credit. (And one with improper credit, I think?) Please. Please just. Tack it on.

#ive been sitting on this for a couple days but im very tired and i would just like us all to please be reasonable. just. edit it into your +#+ captions. please. nothing to be done abt people who've already reblogged stuff but please. please please please #respect your fellow artists enough to credit where credit is do #ooc #txt #spto #sp comic #spvtw #spvtwtg #scott pilgrim #scott pilgrim vs the universe #scott pilgrim takes off #i added alt text just in case but i seriously cannot stress enough how much extensive typing like this is fucking uo my hand a bit #so if anyone wants to better/fully transcribe the screenshots ill rb it and/or edit the alt text that's currently there #also. again. im really not mad at anyone who didn't know. but like. come on guys. i know someone else made a post abt this cause i was +#+ debating adding something along these lines to that post but i figured I'd just make my own (anxietyyy *finger guns as though this is +#+somehow supposed to be the better alternative*)#edit: i hate it when i come back and find a typo that im unsure how to fix. but also even if i fixed it i shot myself in the foot queueing +#+it up already... 😑 im very tired

58 notes · View notes

poorlittleyaoyao · 30 days

Text

A thing about trying to plot out QS canon-divergence fixit where the marriage is averted is that the obvious solution to “she was already pregnant before they knew the truth” is, well, end the pregnancy. The wider world doesn’t seem to know that she’d conceived prior to marriage, so can’t be more than a month or so along as of the wedding for it to be plausible. People have been inducing abortion in dire circumstances despite physical risk and moral stigma throughout history. QS has magic at her disposal and the means to remove herself from society unnoticed during the recovery period, and even if it’s taboo, is it more taboo than incest?

#tfw when the text’s misogyny results in everyone operating on post-Roe Texas logic #*post-Dobbs rather #like come on JGY grew up in a brothel he would know how shit gets done #I can only see him not suggesting it if he’d witnessed someone dying from attempting to give themselves an abortion #and his panic brain was like ‘it would be Just Like That and she would DIE HORRIBLY so we must marry!’#and even then it doesn’t explain why QS’s parents wouldn’t suggest it!#or (more distressingly yet still plausibly) pulling a Hoster Tully and forcing it #don’t mind me I woke up in the middle of the night and started pondering and now I’m grumpy #bc it’s like you either have to go FULL divergence where she and JGY never hook up at all #or you don’t give her the information until she’s already in the marriage and her options are much more limited #bc if she finds out at the same time JGY does possible outcomes either feel like a PSA about the importance of abortion access #or (if she marries someone else or otherwise sticks it out) GOP glurge about how keeping a pregnancy is always fine and good in the end #miscarriage cw #just in case

32 notes · View notes

mwolf0epsilon · 5 months

Text

"Star Wars isn't dead y'all are just haters" "Disney saved Star Wars" "It's the Woke Agenda that ruined Star Wars"

My mans, Disney single-handedly destroyed the Sequel Trilogy despite the Force Awakens being the gateway to something potentially fantastic; MCU'd the Mandalorian (a story which originally had nothing to do with the Prequel and OG Trilogy aside from sharing a universe and exploring a sect of a completely different culture/ideology); ego-boosted both Filoni and Favreau to the point where their OC Verse is not only canon but openly disregarding the Star Wars Universe Bible/Lore; gave us a snippet of what an extremely misunderstood indigenous culture is actually like (instead of portraying them as the savages one of the white leads mislabeled as animals that deserved to be slaughtered) only to then wipe out the tribe we got to know for no reason other than shock value thus alienating indigenous/poc viewers in the most disrespectful way possible; completely threw away the entire message of TCW (that being a clone does not make you incapable of being your own person who has their own thoughts, ideals, moral compass and overall identity) by making TBB (a show that does have it's strong points in set design, soundtrack orchestration and overall sound design, but is extremely weak on both characterization and storytelling because they either make the meaningful plot points stretch too thin or focus on the wrong character completely) their go to show marketed for kids instead of the actual kids programming that people shit on for being for, surprise, kids; constantly disregards valid critique from their consumers (to the point where infighting in the Fandom has gotten extremely ugly) that people either give up on interacting completely or simply vanish and take all their things with them (because no one seems to understand where these critiques come from, or how being unable to admit your special little show is imperfect is actually not a good thing for both you and others).

This isn't even accounting for the fact the Fandom seems to have doubled in it's overall toxicity since Disney took over. Which is par for the course when a mega corporation takes hold of something that started out extremely political in nature anyway. The Cash Cow machine needs feeding after all...

#Eps Talks About:#Funny enough this started as an argument between my sisters #One of which isn't a Star Wars fan and the other who is an OJ and Prequels fan #My mom (who was the one to introduce us to star wars mind you) and I watched from the sidelines #Mom didn't care because she doesn't like Modern Star Wars stuff but I ended up putting an end to the argument #My younger sister is right that Disney put too much emphasis on SELLING Star Wars to newer generations to a detrimental degree #but that doesn't mean they invalidate what came prior to their shitshow or the message SW was created to uphold #in fact Andor and SW Visions S2 made a point of being the best homages to the OJ trilogy thus far by being very political in their messages #But my older sister is also right that the state of Fandoms these days is very much a US vs THEM situation in terms of how people make #themselves heard and how meeting in the middle is virtually impossible which is very much a product of social media and how people conduct #their personal image via either genuinely expressing their feelings on certain topics or simply using them for clout #It is a case of locking yourself in a room with an 'adversary' and trying to see who can scream the loudest until someone loses their voice #I love star wars but that doesn't mean I'm blind to the fact star wars also kinda sucks lmao but oh well these are just my thoughts that #I'm letting loose because I'm already pissed off from something else going wrong today and have no patience for some of the rancid shit #that keeps cropping up in either tags or posts I find in and out of Tumblr Dot Com

20 notes · View notes

wonder-worker · 7 months

Note

I heard that Edward IV and Elizabeth Widvile were known to be very beautiful. Were there any reports on their appearance at the time?

anon 😂

But yes, contemporaries and post contemporaries in the 16th century were pretty much unanimous in praising their appearance. I'll list some of the ones I could find:

Elizabeth:

'The most beautiful woman in England' ('la plus belle fille d'Engleterre') - Jean de Waurin

'Her very great beauty' ('sa tres grande beaute') - Jean de Waurin

"Her beauty of person and charm of manner" - Dominic Mancini

"None of such constant womanhood, wisdom and beauty" - Hearne's Fragment; its author was one of Edward IV's servants

"A daughter of prodigious beauty' - 1469 Continuator of Monstrelet's Chronicle

"Both faire, of a good favor, moderate of stature, well made and very wise" - Thomas More

Edward IV:

"The beauty of your personage it hath pleased Almighty God to send you" - James Strangways, Speaker of the Commons in Parliament

"The king is a handsome upstanding man" - Gabriel Tretzel, travels of Leo of Rozmital

"A handsome prince and had style" - Oliver De La Marche

"In the flower of his age, tall of stature, elegant of person" - Croyland Chronicle

"One of the handsomest knights of his kingdom" - 1469 Continuator of Monstrelet's Chronicle

"A handsome and worthy prince" - Pietro Alipranto

‘...Tall and strapping as the king’ - John Paston, Paston Letters

"He was young and more handsome than any man then alive" - Philippe de Commynes

"A man so vigorous and handsome that he might have been made for the pleasures of the flesh" - Philippe de Commynes

"The handsomest prince my eyes ever beheld" and "I don't remember ever having seen a man more handsome than he was" - Philippe de Commynes

"A very handsome prince" - Louis XI, from the Memoirs of Commynes

"He being a person of most elegant appearance, and remarkable beyond all others for the attractions of his person" - the Croyland Chronicle, referencing Edward a few months before he died

"He seized any opportunity that the occasion offered of revealing his fine stature more protractedly and more evidently to onlookers" - Dominic Mancini, writing shortly after his death

"He was a goodly personage and very princely to behold...of visage lovely, of body mighty, strong and cleanly made; howbeit in his latter days, with an over liberal diet, somewhat corpulent, but nevertheless noy uncomely" - Thomas More

Etc.

I'm tagging @edwardslovelyelizabeth because I think you got a similar ask?

I hope this answers your question, anon! I don't generally pay a lot of attention to the physical appearance of historical figures (I find it pretty irrelevant), but in this case, it ultimately does play a role in both Edward IV and Elizabeth's historiographies for better and for worse, and seems to have actually been a personal prop of Edward's kingship, so I don't mind discussing it :)

#either anon is making rounds or someone else saw the ask and asked me something similar 🤷🏻‍♀️#edward iv #elizabeth woodville #ask #also (I wanted to make a separate post about this but fuck it I'll just rant in the tags):#Something I find very interesting (read: fucked-up) is how we have multiple independent accounts praising Edward IV as extremely #attractive at the end of his life #Yet for some reason (aka fatphobia) most historians simply assume that he lost his looks over the years because he put on weight #even though his actual contemporaries (sans Commynes who in any case didn't even see him after 1475) certainly didn't seem to think so #as we can see: Croyland Mancini and More all noted the fact that he had put on weight AND emphasized his attractiveness #because the two are not mutually exclusive in the slightest and assuming that they are is not only incorrect it's also deeply problematic #it's similar to how so many historians assume his health was failing towards the end of his life when we KNOW - we are literally TOLD -#that his illness was both unexpected and baffling to contemporaries #(there is a contemporary reference to his supposedly deteriorating health but as Horrox says this is actually an editorial interpolation)#and the thing that's *always* referenced almost synonymously with this alleged non-existent ill-health is his weight #and the thing is - even if both of these were true they still ultimately wouldn't (and SHOULDN'T) matter. But we KNOW they weren't #and so it's incredibly indicative that historians and general histories STILL automatically assume them - and this assumption #is almost always on conjecture with his weight. (I don't think I've framed this coherently but oh well)#I'm still not over Katherine Lewis's deranged and frankly extremely ignorant epilogue in 'Kingship and Masculinity'#she literally framed her entire perspective on him around his weight with some really ridiculous (read: fatphobic) speculations/assumptions #she's even worse than Thomas Penn who is also revolting (and AJ Pollard isn't much better)#though of course they're not the only ones - almost every historian and general history does this

39 notes · View notes

batsplat · 3 days

Text

deeply compelled by this photo

#finishing rec lists by doing the most important part - using my 30 image allowance to splice up the text #and well they can't all make it... and i'm fond enough of this photo i'm posting it on its own #I Just Think It's Interesting (and slightly comical) how friendly they are to each other in person for the most part #like you'll get them saying the foulest shit about them in the press and then u compare with the footage/photos from the time and go?#now sure you could say being polite to a coworker you hate is an incredibly low bar. but. like. it's often not one riders clear!!#I feel fairly confident about why this is the case from valentino's side of the equation #casey's is a little more... hm because the thing is it's not like we have a big enough feud sample size to compare with #but i just find it something kinda fun about him... like yeah he's blunt to the point of being wildly tactless...#but also friendly with valentino who he thinks is basically the devil... he has layers...#//#brr brr #WARM smiles towards someone he at this stage definitely loathes as a rider if nothing else... idk it's interesting #it does add a specific fun vibe to that rivalry imo #like they are SO nasty to each other in the press and then it's all :)) how have you been valentino :) congrats on the wonderful race :)#the list is done btw i need to read it through two more times to grammar check (not fact check i don't believe in that) and then i'll Post

5 notes · View notes

moosethren · 1 month

Text

A new Beginning

This is my Nioh/Rise of the Ronin crossover fanfic, about my Hide and his time in Rise of the Ronin.

In my AU, the Sohaya continued to thrive and became guardians of the Spirit Stones, in order to keep them safe. I'd really recommend giving Hide's page on my character carrd a read, as it contains info about him and a summarized timeline. Since I will not go into details about that in the story itself.

***

Hide awoke from his sleep in a manner that would have terrified everyone around him. Rasping for breath, he sat up instantly, clutching at the shirt over his chest. His heart pounded wildly, but was quick to slow down once he realised it was just a nightmare. One of the usual ones, where he was stabbed in the chest by Tokichiro. Even centuries later that one still came around to haunt him. The utter look of hatred in his old friend’s eyes.

It wasn’t how he wanted to remember him. And most of the time, it wasn’t. He still fondly recalled everything good Tokichiro had brought in his life. A sense of purpose after 25 years of being alone, ever since his mother’s death at Kashin Koji’s hands. A powerful friendship and someone who helped Hide to be able to speak at all again; something he had struggled with ever since childhood. Though, he still found it highly uncomfortable and nearly impossible to talk to strangers still.

Leaning forward enough to rest his wrist on his bent knee, he used his free hand to run it through his short, coarse hair. Then he pressed his index finger and thumb against his temples. A loud sigh escaped him.

Mornings like this were just awful. Because his mind always spiralled about his past. The grief. How much things had changed. How much he was losing of those he used to know. Tokichiro’s voice still carried strongest. He still saw his mother’s face in his dreams. Everyone else was starting to fade with time.

Mumyo still remained, or Minami as was her actual name, though she was still known as Mumyo to everyone within the Sohaya clan. She was still trying to guide the clan along the right path, despite the numerous times the Shogunate had tried to take them out. In ignorant fear. All the clan ever did was keep artefacts and Spirit Stones safe… far away from the hands of those who would misuse them.

Hide knew she was nearing the end of her life though. Ever since 1810 she had decided to no longer extend her life, settling down with her husband and later giving birth to Reyse, a promising member in the Sohaya. Sooner or later, she’d join the faces he’d start to forget as well.

And Tenshin… the other shiftling he’d found around two decades ago. Now he’d become like a little brother to him and then he’d lost him just like that back on the Black Ships. It was only through Tenshin’s Guardian Spirit that Hide knew he was still alive at all… and why Hide had sought to try and find him. He owed him that much.

Suddenly he wished William was back in Japan. He could have needed his help now and he’d be a familiar face in Yokohama. But the man was busy travelling the world. Something he had done since he’d faked his death centuries ago, in order to protect his family. After all, someone would notice eventually that the man just didn’t age… and it brought uncomfortable questions from dangerous people.

Hide’s hands had travelled up to nearly tug at his hair by now, trying to focus back to reality. To the current time. Dwelling that deeply wasn’t good. For a shiftling like him, negative emotions were a danger… and too much of it could very well turn him into an aratama.

A knock on the door made him look up abruptly. That pulled apart the clouds in his mind easily enough. Standing up, he wrapped the blue yukata he had slept in closer against him, before moving over to open the door. He wasn’t too surprised to see Ryoma standing outside. Chipper as ever and fully ready for the morning, it seemed.

“Hello!” Ryoma started before looking over the man quickly. “Oh, uh… rough night?” Hide’s skin was coated in sweat and his hair looked like a mess despite his previous attempt at correcting it. What stuck out the most was his eyes though. Ryoma was so accustomed to the man’s choice of black eyeliner and eyeshadow, that he could immediately tell when it was off. It was still there but less of it and it somehow looked more natural. As if it was just part of the skin around his eyes.

Hide noticed where Ryoma’s eyes travelled and turned quickly enough, to allow the man to step inside instead. People finding him like this, before he could get a chance to tidy himself up was a small nuisance normally. It was when they started to notice that his eyes just were dark like that and his hair had an unnatural texture to it, that the shiftling grew nervous.

Those were all signs of his half demon side, physical features he couldn’t do much about beyond hide with properly applied makeup. And he was one of the lucky ones. Tenshin’s grey skin and red eyes had attracted a lot more attention than Hide’s blue eyes or his eye markings. Not to say the few slivers of teal in his hair.

“Katsura wanted me to fetch you,” Ryoma explained once he paused inside the longhouse, looking around with an interested expression. “Seems he’s got big plans for tonight. So, I figured I’d get you a nice breakfast before he drags you into one of his schemes.”

Hide, who had been milling about with his belongings, stopped long enough to roll his eyes. Using the hairwax he kept in a locked box, Hide dragged it through his hair, in order to straighten it out into the mohawk he usually had. Digging into the bag again, he pulled out another box and applied the eyeshadow and eyeliner with practised movements. He’d been doing this every morning for centuries by now. The man didn’t even need a mirror anymore.

Ryoma had been politely quiet the whole time, patiently waiting for Hide to get ready. Watching with some fascination at how quickly and easily the other man went about his routines. Something else caught his attention though, and he was unable to comment this time.

“Huh, I thought you painted the blue streaks into your hair but… they’re just there, aren’t they?” Before Hide could react, Ryoma had stepped up to him to inspect his hair closer, tilting his head to the side to see better. Ryoma’s inane curiosity was entertaining… when it wasn’t aimed at Hide himself. Plus, the man had an attention to detail most humans didn’t.

“Just like your eyes before,” the ronin continued before Hide looked at the very short distance between them. Putting his finger on Ryoma’s chest, he slowly pushed him away from him, his expression a tad uncomfortable. Ryoma let out an awkward laugh suddenly, lifting his hands, palms out.

“Apologies. Curious mind, you know,” he explained, crossing his arms over his chest instead. As if to contain his curiosity that way. Hide was an enigma he really wanted to know more about but the man was very secretive. Which just made things worse for the shiftling, because that just made Ryoma even more curious.

Hide’s unnaturally blue eyes had been intriguing enough the first time he had seen him, but the hair and the dark markings around his eyes? Oh, how his mind chewed at the reasons.

Ryoma wasn’t ever going to push the man for answers though. Even after four months of knowing him. And it was just the last two weeks that Hide had started to speak back at all. Childhood trouble, as he had explained the first time he had uttered a word and Ryoma had… unfortunately been very shocked but happy about it.

As well as becoming even more curious, because of course Hide hadn’t expanded on that little tidbit.

“It looks very nice,” Ryoma continued, trying to save face now after having made Hide uncomfortable. Hide’s eyebrow shot up, in a doubtful manner. There was no need for Ryoma to be socially polite around him.

“No need to lie,” the shiftling shook his head, a little bemused. “I know I look strange.” He cleared his throat, realising how hoarse his voice was after the night’s poor rest.

“Now that right there is a serious accusation,” Ryoma waggled a finger at him, his voice rising in pitch a little as it always did when he sounded indigent. Faking it or not. “I won’t stand for such hearsay. Now I simply must buy you breakfast, so you won’t go around telling others that.”

Hide had moved away by now, reaching for his clothes. He gave Ryoma a soft look over his shoulder, his usual indication that everything was fine and he should just relax.

“It does look nice,” Ryoma insisted, his voice a little calmer now. “Even so, I’ll stick to just keeping my clothes in order I think. And hair. Got enough trouble keeping that tame.” He gave a wry smile. “All of it.”

Hide didn’t know how to read the last comment. But he could see why Ryoma’s hair would prove troublesome for him. It currently looked like it wished to escape the hair tie it was trapped in.

Ryoma started to talk about an encounter he had on the street on the way to the longhouse, as he gazed out over the garden while Hide got dressed. At some point Ryoma glanced over his shoulder as he talked, just in time to spot the koi fish tattoo on Hide’s left arm. He’d never seen that before either, he realised. Well, obviously, the man had never taken off his shirt around him.

The man carried more secrets than a dozen men would, it seemed and it intrigued him more than he cared to admit. As if knowing he was being watched, Hide slowly turned his head to look back at Ryoma who quickly fixed his gaze back out in the garden. Hide shook his head, finishing up with putting on the clothes.

“What’s with the tattoo?” the ronin asked, unable to really be quiet for too long. The fact he had a tattoo at all was curious. Hide didn’t exactly look like a hardened criminal, which were the usual subjects.

“Rough childhood,” the shiftling finally shrugged, looking rather unperturbed. The tattoo was his own choice, so the questions regarding that didn’t bother him. Only those referring to things that hadn’t been his choice. Ryoma groaned quietly, smacking himself in the forehead, even as Hide approached him, resting his hand on the hilts of his dual katanas.

“Today isn’t one of my finest moments, huh?” Ryoma sheepishly asked him now.

“You’ll live,” Hide smiled easily, before gesturing with his hand towards the door.

Ryoma did keep true to his promise and bought Hide a proper breakfast at a nearby tavern. Here Hide was told everything Ryoma had been up to in the last week since they’d last seen each other. He didn’t have a great need to talk much himself, listening to others was by far more enjoyable.

It was Ryoma’s turn to surprise him though, when they left the tavern again. The ronin had pocketed some bread from the breakfast and Hide watched his pocket for a few moments afterwards. Searching for the man’s gaze, he furrowed his brow slightly, before pointing to his pocket.

“Oh, that.” Ryoma smiled broadly, as he patted the pocket once. “You’ll see. We’re taking a little detour on the way to Katsura’s.” Hide’s frown grew even more puzzled.

“If you can have secrets, I can have small, short secrets,” Ryoma pointed out, quickening his walk through the streets. Clouds hung over the city, darkening the grey streets.

He brought Hide to a quiet spot by the ocean, in Yokohama’s outskirts. More trees grew here, as the city hadn’t quite taken over this corner yet. Something else seemed to roam here in numbers too. Crows. They gathered around them, seemingly recognising Ryoma. They kept a wary eye on Hide however, delivering a few sharp caws his way.

They sat down on a bench there, overlooking the ocean… and the black ships docked in the harbour. Hide’s frown grew deeper at the sight of them, lost in the bad memory of losing Tenshin on one of them.

“Ah, don’t tell anyone but I quite like crows,” Ryoma chuckled suddenly, almost startling Hide out of his dark thoughts. He was tossing pieces of bread to the birds, who seemed to enjoy the attention. Even if they occasionally bickered with each other about the food.

“I know, messengers of death and all that but they’re more than that, I think. There’s a keen intelligence behind those eyes.” Ryoma pointed to his eyes while smiling broadly, before tossing out more bread. “I’ve watched them a lot. They bicker just like we do. And they take care of their injured ones. Just like we do.”

Hide’s eyes were wide with intrigue as he watched and listened to Ryoma gush about the birds. Something stirred in his chest, a painful reminder of what once was. Ryoma wasn’t the first man he had encountered with a fondness or even connection to crows in particular.

The Shiftling felt a physical weight on his shoulder suddenly, turning his head slightly. One of his Guardian Spirits, Yatagarasu, was perched there, as it often did when his thoughts strayed to Shigehide.

It had been such a long time since his death. 100 years, give or take. Hide’s memories of him had grown dimmer over the years, as time had a habit of doing. The sound of his voice was a mere echo now. His scent almost lost to him. His face… only the occasional dream provided a clear picture now.

Hide withdrew into himself, while Ryoma kept talking about the crows. That awful, heavy feeling had returned to his chest. Not even Yatagarasu pressing his head against Hide’s cheek seemed to help. There was a hollow space in his chest. A space that the demon within him would be more than happy to fill. To let all that sorrow out and lose himself to it. Something Hide could never allow.

That’s why he had entered a strange hibernation for almost a century after Shigehide’s death. As if his body knew and wanted to protect him from falling to corruption. He wasn’t sure if it had actually made the grief easier or not. Now, almost fifty years after waking up again to a new century, he was starting to live with it much easier than before. Or as easily as he ever would.

“Hey, are you alright?” Ryoma’s voice actually made him jump this time. His hands were almost white from having pressed them so hard together. Looking down at them, he carefully stretched them. He wasn't worried about Ryoma spotting the Spirit on his shoulder. Unless he knew what to look for, he’d never find it. Most people alive in this day and age, didn’t. Not since the Yokai invasions had faded and the spirits had calmed down enough that they were mere whispered stories now.

But the Guardian Spirit moved suddenly. With an elegant swoop, it landed on Ryoma’s other side on the bench. Looking at the crows, it then jumped up on his shoulder instead. Tilting its head towards Hide as it perched comfortably. For a moment, it looked like it belonged on Ryoma’s shoulder. As if it wanted to be there.

Hide’s expression relaxed in a strange understanding. He squinted slightly suddenly, as the sun made its way through the clouds, dispelling them. When he looked back towards the Guardian Spirit, it had disappeared.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ryoma continued, lifting his hands to wave it in front of Hide’s face. Hide let out a quiet grunt, quickly looking back out towards the ocean, which was now glittering in the sun.

“You reminded me of someone I lost a long time ago,” he quietly said, looking down between them instead. “He too liked crows.” Ryoma leaned back a little, lifting his eyebrows.

“Ah, a man of taste then,” he gave a nod, scratching his own beard as he looked back at the crows. Still, the forlorn look on Hide’s face gave him some thought. “A friend of mine used to have a tame crow, you know. Clever little bastard. Mischievous too. Caused a lot of ruckus for my friend. But…” he paused, giving Hide an earnest look, as he shuffled over enough to put his arm over his shoulders and gently jostled him. “Whenever my friend was sad, the crow was the first to be there by his side.”

Hide let out a bemused snort through his nose, before shaking his head.

“Caw caw,” Ryoma continued then, laughing as Hide shoved him away but it was too late. There was a smile on Hide’s face and that’s all Ryoma needed.

“Ah, see!” Ryoma lightly punched his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s see what Katsura’s up to, shall we?Ryoma was quick on his feet, which did scare away the crows. They landed on the nearby roof with indignant caws. When Hide didn’t immediately move, Ryoma grabbed his wrist and pulled him along, as he set them both into a walk. And the ronin set to talking again, much to Hide’s amusement.

#I'm posting the first chapter here but I'll probably just put links on tumblr to the Ao3 version after that #rise of the ronin #nioh #ryoma sakamoto x oc #plus i know the fandoms are near non existent on tumblr so D:#i'm just uploading it at all in case someone else finds it interesting

6 notes · View notes