some more experimental shots from this cinematic present i’m trying to make using relight.

Capp siblings, Tybalt, Juliette & Hermia ❤️💔🌈🔮🌷🍕

Ahhh my children! <3 Thank you for this ask!

Tybalt Capp: ❤️: OTP Mercutio/Tybalt... I mean is that even a surprise? Besides the enemies to friends to lovers trophe that I absolutely adore, reading Shakespeare, the play "Tybalt and Mercutio are Dead", watching the movies and their Sims bios/memories, I felt like both may have way more in common than they might think! Both the black sheep of their family, ton of responsibilities placed on their shoulders from a young age and in reality both simply want to be told that they're doing a good job. I think that once they'd put their Monty/Capp status aside and have a genuine conversation they'd quickly come to realize they're not that different at all!

💔: No OTP Honestly, I'm not too big on Tybalt with anyone but Mercutio (even though Puck/Tybalt can be kinda cute). However, I cannot for the life of me imagine Tybalt in a straight relationship, even makes me mildly uncomfortable because I so strongly headcanon him as gay. To anyone that does like him as straight, totally cool, more fun to you! In the end everyone plays Sims differently and as long as you're having fun that's all that matters. :D I just cannot imagine Tybalt as Straight myself haha.

🌈: Sexuality Ohhh, this dude is gay, very, very gay. He didn't realize for the longest time, just thinking he hadn't found the right girl yet, until well... He got to know Mercutio properly and he was shot with Cupid's arrow. A lot of frustration piled up that he didn't even realize had to do with the fact he was developing feelings for someone.

🔮: Something Random With some Occult ancestry on his father's side he may have more magic running in the family than he might think. ;) He's also amazing at fencing, something that was taught to him from an early age on and often used for self-defense... And sometimes simply to show-off. Cares a great deal about his family as well, like his sisters are his everything. A secondary Family Sim for sure!

🌷: Flowers or Plants They Like Tybalt has a lot of internal turmoil but he has some fond memories of picking flowers with his mom as a child. Forget-Me-Not was a common flower to be found and sometimes he still likes to be near them to be reminded of his mom. Amaryllis is also a flower he loves, planted in the Veronaville gardens his mom would sometimes pick a few pretty ones to put on his room. They represent pride and self-confidence. The name meaning 'to sparkle' because Cordelia loved seeing her son blossom into the young and loving person he was turning out to be. Sadly when she died his self-confidence went down the drain and he became way more agressive about trying to keep up that pride. These flowers are some he does keep on his room, or pick out when he sees them blooming in the garden to bring to his parents grave. Lastly Wolfbane also known as Aconitum. A beautiful purple flower often associated with Occults. This one I picked for him because I feel like that while they are beautiful, these flowers are often associated with a warning sign, to remain cautious. But even misantrophy and death. The colour purple is also associated with magic, richness and royalty (and all 3 of these flowers have pinkish-purple colours, or at least variations that have it). The reason why I picked these in particular? Well... It will later on become more apparent as the story progresses. ;)

🍕: Pizza Topping Onions, pepperoni and extra cheese!

Juliette Capp: ❤️: OTP I don't really have an OTP for her, but I do like her with Romeo and while I'm actually pairing Romeo with someone else for the first time. They're still a pairing that I think is cute and could definitely work on the long run. But they need to remain open and honest with each other. I don't interpret Romeo being a Romance Sim as him being unfaithful, but rather that he cares a great deal about romance, loves affection and may, be polygamous. Once they talk everything out I think they would literally die for each other, I mean hey, they're Romeo and Juliette! They'd be the type of super cutesy couple you'd see on the street, sharing ice cream, laughing, etc.

💔: No OTP I don't think I have a pairing for Juliette that I genuinely dislike. At least I haven't ran across anything that made me go: Ehhhh.

🌈: Sexuality As Straight as a pole! She might be bi-curious, but I think she would lean way more to men. She's also asexual!

🔮: Something Random Is actually very good at writing poetry and keeps several collections in her room, she would likely send them to Romeo or read them for him. And Romeo? Has kept every single one she's written for him in a specially assigned book in his room. He keeps them very close to him as they're very special. Juliette also probably doesn't even want to be the Heiress, but it appears she doesn't have much of a choice. She was raised to carry on the name, something she had been prepared for since birth. But she doesn't dare bring it up, most of it is probably placed in underlying insecurities. If she had someone she could talk to she would probably feel way more confident in her role.

🌷: Flowers or Plants They Like Sunflowers! Their brightness and colours just bring so much happiness to her and if it came to her she would probably have grown them in the garden of their mansion as well. Sunflowers also stand for faithfulness, loyalty and adoration, something which in my opinion greatly represents Juliette who's probably of the most supportive people you can have in your friend group.

🍕: Pizza Topping Tomatoes, cheese, olives, onions and mozzarella! If she's feeling especially daring green peppers on top of it as well.

Hermia Capp: ❤️: OTP Hermia/Puck or Hermia/Puck/Romeo! I wasn't too sure on Hermia/Puck at first until a friend of mine really managed to sell me on the idea. They're soulmates, very much meant to be together, loving to share knowledge with each other, tarots, fortune telling, magic, etc. They also love each other for everything that they are, even the flaws, trusting each other with everything. I cannot really say why I love Hermia/Puck/Romeo yet as it would be a major story spoiler, but I do think Hermia and Romeo have way more in common than one might think as well. c:

💔: No OTP Hermia/Mercutio, I simply cannot see it happening. While I think she may have held feeling towards him, they weren't deeply rooted and in the end Puck had always been her first love. Mercutio does eventually understand and move on from it as well. They remain close friends.

🌈: Sexuality She's bi and falls for someones personality. While she can develop crushes easily, she only falls in love deeply after developing a deep and emotional bond with someone.

🔮: Something Random Hermia is a trans woman, something she knew very early on. Her family and friends have been nothing but supportive! Hermia, despite what her interests may reflect is actually fascinated by magic, occults, sci-fi, etc. Similarly to Tybalt she's got magical ancestory and if stimulated it's very likely she might become one of the most powerful Witches the world has ever seen. She's always been interested in nature and Puck's fairy ancestory and likely would want to become a part of that world in the future as well.

🌷: Flowers or Plants They Like Unlike her siblings Hermia is moreso a succulent type of person. Being into magic and dating Puck she's started making herself more familiar with them, as well as herbs and spices, to try and get into making medicines and potions. Succulents are also way easier to take care off than flowers which can decay rather easily. If she had to pick a flower she'd like (although she would mostly use it for her hair or decorations) it would be a Sea Holly, which despite their prickly and torny exterior have beautifully dark colours, which is also great to be used in medicines.

🍕: Pizza Topping Mozzarella pizzas are her favourites, she also likes herbs on top of it for some additional flavours.

(via https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2odvuQkrlARSSv6Pvm41GM?si=sjzD66aFTGa5TkMfcIurtQ)

hi i am doing this solely for myself/my own records so please feel free to ignore!!!!!! i wanted to challenge myself by making a top 10 albums list from the last decade - it was rly difficult because my ass truly cannot cut things down and be decisive, but here it is! 

i know many ppl r not into this kinda thing, but i really really love symbolic gestures - i love the idea that a new year (or a new decade!) can wipe ur slate clean, can give u a chance to be hopeful and excited and look forward to things - i hate change and i hate endings but the one good thing to come of them are beginnings! i love new starts, i love freshness, i love blank slates. i know that the end of the year/decade is arbitrary and doesn’t rly mean anything in the long run but....... it is important and super special to me!!!

i’m really not good with words/proper descriptions of the music itself, so i mainly just describe memories/associations i make to the albums, so don’t expect a proper music critic’s review or anything LOL… i am also not ranking by objective quality, but influence - these r the albums that personally made the biggest impact on me since 2010. i started off the decade age 13 and finished it in 2019 at age 23..... so clearly that is a very big difference in stages of life!!! i completed my teenage years, graduated from elementary school, high school & university.... i went thru many different friend groups, many different personality changes...... several big life events occurred…. many many hours were spent listening to music. and now i’m here! 

my only rules were 1. had to be on repeat for a significant amount of time, 2. preferably only one album per artist (to force me to pick between them), and 3. i had to consistently listen to the album as a whole (as opposed to just a few songs out of it)...... some of my fav songs in the world aren’t on these albums bc they were either released before 2010 or i didn’t listen to the rest of the album except for a handful of songs (as is usually the case for me). so the albums on this list are markers in my life, and i could (and did!) listen to them front and back. and ALSO they are not ranked from 1-10...... it was literally difficult enough choosing just 10 and i truly would not survive having to rank them as well. in release date order, here they are!!!!!

 owen pallett - heartland (jan 12th, 2010)

okay i know i just said i wouldn’t rank these but........... well this one is #1 regardless lol!!! the rest are not in any sort of order but this one has to be first (and how lucky that it was released first too!!!) this is the most important/special album to me in the world - it’s the first album released by my favourite musician under his real name, it has some of my most favourite songs of all time on it - it’s probably the first album in my life that i loved and listened to as a whole! when I was younger i never used to have favourite singers or favourite writers or favourite artists - i would have one favourite song/book/painting but never look into the creator’s other work, never had any interest in organizing things that way. but this is the first time i thought - “i adore this song..... and i adore all the other songs this person makes.... so i guess i like this whole album?” not to mention it’s a whole story and world - heartland tells a whole fable and sounds so beautiful doing so. owen was also the first concert i’ve ever been to! he is so beautiful and wonderful and this album is perfect and has my heart and can do no wrong! and as a plus it was released right at the beginning of 2010 so it truly started off the decade and set the pace. i really don’t know what else to say! heartland was a constant throughout the last ten years - i can’t tie it to one specific moment or feeling the way i can with the other albums. this one was really just the background of my whole adolescence, i guess, and i’ll love owen and this album forever!!!! love love love

 gorillaz - plastic beach (march 3, 2010)

i honestly didn’t listen to this album as a whole until the summer after grade 11/before grade 12 when i had to take summer school for math bc i failed (first class i had ever failed :’)!!) and needed the credit for my grade 12 courses (many of which i ended up failing anyway lol) BUT i still had hope at this point so this summer wasn’t that bad..... i remember i had to buy my own bus pass for the summer w my own work money for the first time and walk to the mall bus stop every day all summer to take the city bus downtown to the highschool that used to b a prison (RIP, it got torn down this year) to take summer math from 8-3, 5 days a wk. i loved those classes surprisingly? i remember that summer i dressed so cute every day, i would wear my extra ass dresses and knee high socks and do my hair all cute...... i’d steal my mom’s old lady sweaters w mini skirts and make my own coffee to bring w me and felt so adult..... i didn’t make any friends bc i thought they were all too cool but later learned that the girls in class rly liked me and remembered me the next year when i’d see them at their highschool when visiting for a trivia tournament (don’t judge!!!!) also the first time i got hit on bc a 30 yr old man in my class somehow got my email from the teacher and sent me a creepy email asking me out and i was too scared to go to school the next day lol..... truly feels surreal. but yes i would listen to this album (and demon dayz!) on repeat cuz i found the full albums uploaded to youtube so i remember i would just listen to the entire album all the way thru for the duration of the bus ride while looking out the window and daydreaming bc i couldn’t skip any songs and I couldn’t go on my phone bc the music only plays if u keep the youtube app open…. so it’s hard to listen to the songs individually now because i just picture the transitions every time!

 caribou - swim (april 20, 2010)

this was my summer between grade 8 - grade 9! up until this point i only had a handful of western artists that i listened to (before highschool i listened almost exclusively to Japanese doujin groups that remixed video game music…. do NOT judge!!!) and i felt soooo cool when i started listening to this album/others like it… had odessa downloaded on my zen creative mp3.... so freaking good!! got so embarrassed of my music taste after this LOL cuz my brother saw the album cover on my phone in highschool and asked what hipster shit i was listening to. little did he know.... its GOOD!!!! such a great album to just listen to all the way through. perfect background music for studying/ /walking/smoking/literally doing anything to! i can still listen to it and pinpoint different/new melodies in the back in certain songs. so good!!!

 crystal castles - (II) (april 23, 2010)

so many 2010 albums wow but LISTEN....... i first heard crystal castles in either 2010 or 2011, immediately after i first made a tumblr in grade 9.... this was the era when offensive bloggers and hipster british bloggers were like the only 2 sections of tumblr...... one of the first ppl i followed was this one super popular british blogger, this kid from london who was probs 15 and he had like, a pale grunge aesthetic and rly long bangs that covered his eyes.... i forget his name omg i wish i could see what he was doing now! but ya i loved him i thought he was the coolest thing ever, i went on his blog and he had autoplay and pap smear was the first song that started playing...... i remember being like wtf is this??? first time i heard music like that, with the video game sounds mixed in and the vocals so distorted. i literally was enamoured like i remember thinking i should hate it and wtf r these british freaks listening to but like..... i could NOTTTT STOP and i remember i wouldn’t even bother looking up the song on youtube or anything, when i wanted to listen to the song i would just go to this guy’s tumblr LOOOOOL god!!!! on the outside i was a cutesy girly girl but on the inside i was a pale grunge hipster british tumblr user!

 beach house - bloom (may 15, 2012)

this album is just the sweetest, prettiest memory…. it’s so.. crisp? and clear and pure and loving! beach house was (unsurprisingly) my spotify artist of the decade and i don’t care what rep they get or how similar their music may sound i love them with my entire heart! discovered them from tumblr (as i did most of my fav highschool albums) - first beach house song i ever heard was wild - i remember the first time i started being (SLIGHTLY) less mortified of talking about my music taste to other people, it was maybe in first year? i had gotten into my friend’s car, before we got super close, and she was playing a song off of bloom i think! and i remember my heart just stopped!!!! and i was so absolutely terrified of saying anything, but even moreso excited to see someone whose opinion i cared about who was listening to music that i liked, and so i gathered all my strength and tried to be super casual and say something like “oh, you like beach house, too?” (meanwhile i was literally shaking with nerves…..) and she just so easily said “yeah, i love this song!” and it was the most validating, comforting thing! and a while after that, one of my favourite memories: my other friend got hired at a local café/tea shop, the teeniest little place – it was like 3x4 metres, max – and she would close the store alone, and it was always completely dead, so the group of us would go and sit with her for her entire shift in this sweet warm little store – we’d have tea and coffee and scones – and over the store speakers, she would play whatever we wanted – and for a while i didn’t make suggestions, let everyone else choose, but! i worked my way up to suggesting she play bloom – and she would play the album all the way through, and she surprisingly really liked it?? and then it became the default soundtrack to our tiny hangouts in the tiny café :’)

 toro y moi - anything in return (jan 16, 2013)

WOWWWW truly such a throwback....... this is the first time i felt cool, TRULY cool listening to music LMAOOOO SO EMBARRASSING!!! i remember the day it came out, grade 11 i guess??? but i swear it must have leaked way earlier cuz i remember listening to this way before.... my fav tumblr user at the time (kiki deerhoof LMFAO now THAT is a throwback!!!!) was always posting abt toro y moi and made a mixtape w his music on it and i fell in love..... and i wanted to be cool too! so i would obsessively listen to this album when it dropped. the album drop also overlapped w the moment my grades/effort in school went on a steep decline (not that it caused it ofc but this was like…. the background music to my demise, in a way!) i’ll never forget listening to so many details on my chilly walk past my old elementary school at 6am to get to my bus stop - way too cool for school

 mac demarco - salad days (apr 1, 2014)

how fitting that chamber of reflection is playing in the coffee shop as i type this :’) this album was the soundtrack to my late grade 12/entire grade 13 experience. i was SO thoroughly and unbearably depressed LOOOOL it was really awful… i’m laughing now thinking back at it but honestly the feeling of being left behind by all of your friends and having to come to terms with not meeting ur own expectations of urself… having to repeat a year and being the oldest one in ur classes…… SO AWFUL!!!! really truly idk how i did it! but the whole time, all year, i would listen to this album. i would always play it on my walk to the city bus (in grade 13 i never made the actual school bus and i don’t even know how much money i must have paid taking the city bus every day bc i truly could not get out of bed early enough to take the free school bus but ALAS……) and i swear to you that entire year was grey and foggy and cold and damp… and i would play salad days (the song itself) and my emo ass would associate 100% with mac singing “oh mama, acting like my life’s already over….. oh dear, act your age and try another year,” and i swear he was singing it just for me, trying to slap me out of my stupor by saying “calm down, ur fine, ur life isn’t over, it’s just one year and you’ll be back on track!” and sometimes, SOMETIMES!! it worked!

 azealia banks - broke with expensive taste (nov 7, 2014)

i know i know..... i’m aware how we feel about azealia now....... and i know how overstated it is when ppl say “she may be problematic but she was an artistic GENIUS!!!” so i will not add more to the conversation but....... is this album not pristine? like what a masterpiece????? this album straight up defined my highschool experience even tho it was released at the beginning of grade 12..... all of grade 12/13 i was blasting this album while walking down the hallway hating literally everything! i grew up idolizing my bro and all he listened to (techno/house/etc) and loving it but being too embarrassed of copying him to get too into it, but then hearing azealia sound cute and sexy and scary while interpolating all these house beats. LITERALLY chicken soup for the soul… it felt like she made it just for me!! and even before bwet actually dropped, listening to 212 and all of her other singles waiting for her to finally drop the album she was tweeting about for years, like i don’t remember the last time i anticipated an album for soooo long? and she dropped it days after my 17th bday which really was such a perfect gift. listening to this w my friend who also loved azealia, pretending we were cool as SHIT and so grown up...... beyond influential

 frank ocean - blonde (aug 20, 2016)

ur lying if this album wasn’t a pivotal moment for u......... blonde is the sole reason summer 16 is viewed as a cultural landmark. i SWEAR!!!! i may have spent 8 hours a day on tumblr in 2016 but my ass was NOT cool enough to have been listening to frank ocean prior to blonde..... no i never listened to channel orange before this, yes i know i was behind the times! 2016 was the summer after my 1st year of uni, august i had just finished my summer school course so my summer was just starting (i was re-taking 1st year math bc i failed..... some things never change huh!!!! lied to my dad and told him i was tryna get ahead by taking bio in summer school... he believed me till he caught me in a lie by chatting w my friend he bumped into at walmart LOL.... and yet he never said a word :’) an angel) this was also the summer my dad left for a few months to go travelling across canada, he was gone all summer and my bro was busy working and so was my mom and i had the car all to myself for the first time. went on SOOO many drives this summer blasting this album. not to mention that since my dad wasn’t home the responsibility to drive my mom to work fell on me and wow i LOVED it? i realized i love having little responsibilities and having ppl rely on me in little ways like this..... i loved going to bed at 3am and having my mom gently wake me up at 5:30am, having a coffee with her before leaving in my ratty pajamas to drive her to work, the sun was just rising but it was already sooo hot, that summer i remember i couldn’t even hold the steering wheel cuz it was burning and my car didn’t (still doesn’t!) have AC, i’d drop her off to work up on the mountain and as i drove down the escarpment i would roll down the windows and blast pink + white right as the sun began to peek over the clouds and i would take a pretty sunrise pic every time before driving around for a bit, listening to this album, going home, and going back to sleep till 2pm

 blood orange - negro swan (aug 24, 2018)

i fully expected this list to be mainly albums released earlier in the decade, which makes sense – they would’ve had more time to have an effect on me – but as the final/most recent entry on my list, this album was beautiful enough to be a consistent part of the most recent year-and-a-half of my life!!! it’s also unique in that it’s one of the only albums on this list, i think, where i had already been a big fan of the artist’s previous work and was waiting for the album to drop. not 2 sound like one of THOSE people but i often find myself liking the first albums i heard from an artist/their older music better than newer work they release (not always!!! but often!), not from any kind of elitism or anything but honestly probably just nostalgia fogging my taste? especially for my first listen of a new album – it usually takes some time and a few re-listens before i really enjoy a newer release – BUT! from the moment dev released the album cover (which is so beautiful? one of my fav album covers off the top of my head) and dropped the first 2 singles, ESPECIALLY charcoal baby, i was so so enamoured with the album, right from the start. that whole summer i had it on repeat – early the next year i saw dev play in Toronto, and it was one of the best concerts i’ve ever been to – the lighting and colours and his dancing and demeanour, the other vocalists, plus we were right up at the stage, it was so stunning!!!!! this album has consistently appeared on all of my various spotify playlists, it rly can suit all moods and occasions, i love it very much and it’s the perfect album to round out my past decade in music!

 honourable mentions: SPEED ROUND

yes i’m a CHILD that cannot commit to cutting things down...... but tbh i’m surprised enough that i was able to preen my list into a top 10 anyway. so these r the honourable mentions that i couldn’t live with myself if i didn’t mention in some way!!!! all also very good and important and special to me, in no particular order!

mount kimbie - love what survives: i won’t lie this one hurt to not include on my top 10 :( i’m surprised too.... my friend rly fought for this to be included but i had to listen to my heart!!! however ofc i HAD to include it here at the very least. i was so shocked when it dropped, it was nothing like the rest of mount kimbie’s stuff i had previously heard.... i discovered them randomly when i was studying and spotify did that annoying thing where it plays “artist radio” or whatever so one of their older songs came on shuffle and WOW it was so good! and then i properly listened to them after hearing their songs with king krule... anyway this album is stunning and i am SO sad i didn’t get to see them when they came to toronto but i promise myself (and u!) that i will go the next time they come by!!!! u have my word!

foals - holy fire: this one also hurts a lot to not include :((( a LOT a lot! this one i’m really fond of, my fav foals album and one of the main albums i associate with highschool! so pretty, i’ll never forget hearing holy fire (the song itself) for the first time, so angry and satisfying and GOOD!!!

king krule - 6ft beneath the moon/the ooz: love both these albums soooo so much, i think 6fbtm came closer to almost being in the top 10 but others had it beat juuust slightly - these albums defined the beginning/end of my uni career, respectively, and i’ll cherish them forever! love archie’s ugly ginger ass with my whole heart

james blake - the colour in anything: was such a fan of james and was so excited when this album dropped - it was the start of summer i think? and i would always play it when i went for bike rides to the beach with my dad! such pretty music to drive ur bike to beside the water, all the way down the waterfront until we got to the next city over, riding past all the rich ppl’s mansions and trying to sneak a glance into their windows as we rode by

beyonce - self-titled: obviously the day this dropped - w no promo whatsoever - was a critical moment in music history!! we played this obsessively in high school, blasted this album the entire Europe trip in grade 12 and it just reminds me of travelling and planes and France…. so sexy!

solange - a seat at the table: rly truly a gorgeous album!! we played this in the car when my friends and i trekked to Toronto early one fall morning right after it dropped, we skipped school to go to some event at a café, and we had to wake up DUMB early, like 4:30AM, and i went to go pick them up and we were all way too tired to talk to eachother and stressed cuz we absolutely COULDN’T miss the train so i played this album the whole drive there while the sun was rising and it was so calming and pretty and special

Gloomy Days Chapter III.2

Chapter III.2 – The Committed

Oooooh shit fellas, look who finally got his shit together! People (like .. four people, including myself), rejoice! I finally finished the next chapter and .. I honestly don’t know what to think about it. It’s a bit different from the chapters before and I shamelessly use the current PoV to fill you in on what happened before the story.

So, there’s actually a lot to say before the start. First of all, thank you. All of you who read the story, who followed it and subscribed to it and, most of all, to the friendly people who review it! I mean, damn, that’s a whole new level for me and be sure that you have my deepest, sincerest gratitude for doing that.

And because I can, have some personal words:

Yoontae (on tumblr): You’ve been among the first to reblog and comment on the fiction and, if you’re still reading it, thank you. After I released the first two chapters of it, I was on the edge if I should go through with it. You pushed me over that edge.

EastBlue (on ffDotnet): What can I say that I haven’t already said? I dedicated the last chapter to you for a reason. Your reviews kept me going and I earnestly hope that you will enjoy this one, too. I cannot thank you enough for the kind words. Please understand that I hold you in the highest regard for sacrificing your time to write these reviews and for making my day a little brighter.

EsVendetta (on ffDotnet): Let me tell you, I’m a bit of a .. flimsy or non-committed writer. I don’t try to think too hard about the stories and how they should continue until somethings sparks the fire, which leads to many ideas that died before they had the chance to bloom. You know, personal life and stuff that can just become annoying. And then you casually read a review that is full of appreciation and BOOM, it’s there, the fire has been sparked again and I personally think that in that moment, my mind actually committed on finding out how to continue the story. I can’t thank you enough for that.

DWatson (on AO3): Holy shit, dude (or dudette), I don’t know where to start. When I read your review I was sitting in the library, actually trying to focus on work, but .. yeah, after I read it I had to go out to have a cigarette, because it just made me so damn happy that my body trembled for minutes on end. I was (and pretty much still am) at a loss for words and my English is not nearly as good enough as it should be to express the full scale of my appreciation for your kind words.

That said, I hope everyone enjoys the following chapter.

People who’re saying that children are a blessing should make it clear that they’re only talking about their own., the man told himself while he watched two of them, around the ages of 5-7 or so, running around wildly, sometimes even recklessly, playing and making a general mess of everything they came in contact with. It was easy for him to tell that one was a boy, the other one a girl, no matter how fast they were and under how many tables they crouched, hiding, finding and hunting the other. His trained eyes told him even more, not only the obvious stuff about the colours of their hair, but even that the boy had lively green eyes and a genuine, broad smile that reminded him of a certain person. The girl’s eyes were of a deep blue, and more of the thoughtful and reflective kind. As far as he could tell, and he could tell a lot, while the girl seemed to have genuine fun during their activities, she was the calm one of the duo. But the raw, youthful energy of the boy didn’t leave her with any time for second thoughts, so she just went with it. Well, I had to be blind to not draw certain associations with my, our own life watching this, right? And he certainly had a point. The boy fearlessly approached strangers and talked to them about one thing or another while the girl, rather shyly, stood in the background. But sooner or later, she would join the conversation. And the old saying that still waters run deep came true once again. The next time he watched the two of them, the girl was wildly gesticulating with her arms, as far as he could tell to describe the size of a sea king she heard a story about. No, he certainly couldn’t blame them just for being children, even moreso if you took into account that a formal wedding ceremony with a lot of strangers could also prove boring to an adult. And an adult he was, wasn’t he? Just minding my own business here, aye. His thoughts were taken back into the present when he felt soft fingers gently brushing over his hand and with a smile, he turned to his right. “Is something the matter, my love?”, the blonde woman next to him whispered in his ear with her pleasant and clear voice. He could never help himself when she talked to him, when they shared even the slightest of touches. And he knew how lucky he had been that it was always her. No matter where he was, it’s always been her. Softly, he put his own hand onto hers and slighty turned his face towards his right. “See those children, Kaya? I think she’s telling that old guy and his wife stories about monsters.”, that led her to a soft chuckle. “Like the ones you always told me about, the ones you actually faced yourself?”, he nodded while his unconventionally long nose was pointing at the children like an index finger. “You want to go over there and tell them a real story, dearest?”, she continued to whisper in his ear, accompanied by a silent chuckle. “Nah, they’re young, let them hav..” – “WOW! See that nose, Mira?!”, the boy cried out in excitement when he spotted him. Or rather, his nose. With a swift move, he took his companion’s hand and without a word of parting, they left the old guy and his, supposed, wife and began their way towards Kaya and him. And the same as it was before, the little girl held herself in the background whilst the boy spoke. Doesn’t look like they’re siblings, was the last thought before the ‘confrontation’ began. “Do you have the longest nose in the world?! Can you smell your friends wherever they are?!”, he began to blurt out enthusiastically while still holding the girl’s hand. They seemed nice enough and the more the boy talked, the more it reminded him of that one trait that his captain had embodied all throughout his life, helping him to make fast friends with just about everyone, even with some of their enemies. Well, they came all the way over to their seats, why not give them a little show? He sighed dramatically, shook his head and covered his eyes. His voice was higher than usual when he started talking, as he tried to underline the fact that they somehow hurt his feelings. “I’m sure you children wouldn’t talk like that if you knew who I am!”, he began his play and Kaya leaned back into her seat, smiling all the time. Now both of the children got big eyes as it, of course, wasn’t their intention to hurt someone’s feelings, but again, only the boy spoke. “We’re very sorry, mister! Really!”, he said in an apologetic tone that made it even harder for the man not to smile. He had to play a role, for God’s sake! That’s when he let out another sigh but nevertheless grabbed two empty chairs next to them which he pulled towards him. “You’re really sorry, is that so? Sit down, kids. I feel that you deserve a treat.”, surprisingly enough, the young boy was quick to oblige, occupying one of the chairs. His companion still held back, though, looking at him with these big, blue eyes. That was enough to force a smile onto his lips and he softly spoke to her. “I don’t bite, little princess. You might not know it, but I’m the great grandson of a famous knight of the seas. His name was Sogeking and he was born on the mythical Sniper Island. On my life and my good name, that one being Usopp, I would never harm a young girl.”, and something in his smile did seem to move her. Even though she remained quiet, she placed herself on the chair next to the young boy who, figuratively, rushed to her defense. “Mira doesn’t talk a lot, mister, and ..”, being as oblivious as only a child could be, he leaned forward to whisper into his ear. Of course, this would still be loud enough for even Kaya to hear and would have been considered incredibly impolite, but the girl didn’t seem to mind. “She’s sad that her .. her parents are planning to move away from our village.”, the cheerfulness in his voice was gone in that moment and Usopp had the feeling that the thought alone hurt the little boy more than he was ready to admit. Somehow, it stung. Usopp slowly raised his hand and softly padded the boy on the shoulder, not even trying to return the whisper as to be sure that Mira might hear it, too. “Don’t you worry about it, young friend. Friendship, true friendship, knows no bounds. Neither distance nor time apart will diminish what you have..”, unconsciously, his eyes left the boy’s face and wandered through the ballroom, only stopping when they found a familiar form in the crowd. Alone, but not forgotten. Silent, but not unheard. A knight is a knight, even fallen from grace, far away from all he ever cherished and loved., he slightly shook his head again and felt a shiver running down his spine. Kaya must have felt it, too, as her fingers gently brushed over his. He didn’t need to look at her to know that she was smiling her signature smile, the one that made him happy and gave him strength at the same time. “Are you alright, mister?”, the boy asked with a concerned look on his face. Even the little girl, Mira, looked at him with big, blue eyes, but remained silent. “It’s .. yeah, it’s alright, young friend. What’s there to be worried about? My great grandfather has been an invincible warrior of the seas, and this runs in the family!”, he let go of the boys shoulder and leaned back a little, trying to look all smug and confident. “Will you tell us a story about your grandfater?”, the boy asked and a few seconds ago, he would’ve answered with a clear ‘yes’. But there was another story that needed to be told, a far more important one for the occasion. His time in the limelight was made for another story, maybe even told by a different author. “I’m going to tell you a story about my grandfather’s companions, all great and noble ladies and fearless warriors in their own right!”, he began and bound the attention of both children and Kaya to his words. And the attention of a fourth person, without even knowing that there was one. “A long, long time ago, somewhere out on the vastness of the ocean, there had been a small but happy kingdom. But that’s nothing special, right? Well, let me tell you that it was a special kind of kingdom, a moving kingdom! People all over the world called it the Moving Kingdom of Sunny! You don’t believe me? Just ask anyone, they’ll tell you that everything is true! So, this moving kingdom was ruled by a young king who went by the name of .. eh .. Gruffy! Yes, that was the king’s name and his crown had a peculiar form, it was shaped like a hat! I bet that you’ve never seen a crown that looks like a hat, haven’t you? But they exist, even though they’re incredibly rare! So, this king .. Gruffy, he was young and full of energy and, I tell you that, he had an incredible love for food. If you would’ve met him, you would think that he loved nothing more than to eat. But, sorry to disappoint, you’d be wrong about that. He loved all of his subjects unconditionally and his closest friends, my great grandfather Sogeking was one of them, he loved even more than that, close to life itself! Can you imagine that?”, he waited for a second and saw rather confused faces in front of him. “You don’t need to go too far, kids. Just look at yourselves. It’s just like your friendship! King Gruffy would gladly have taken any fight to protect his friends, with little to no regard for his own safety, so much did he love them. One was a beautiful and young princess who went by the name of ..”, Well, they’re kids, but I assume that they’re not dumb .. so .. what?, he took a small break to think of another name that wouldn’t give away too much “Rami! Yes, the fiery princess was called Rami and let me tell you, she was incredibly clever. A genius, one could say, and she would always know what weather was to come! And besides that, she was a formidable warrior princess and her foes feared her, but they also admired her beauty, especially her fiery red hair that led many a man to fall in love at first glance. But she wasn’t the only close friend of King Gruffy, who had all but adopted her, of course. Two of his other friends were rather young knights, but despite their young age, they did cast the shadows of giants. The first was called Loro and he was a warrior of unmatched prowess, so legendary was his skill that the people of the Kingdom of Sunny called him a sword saint! And then there was the other knight, a fine and peerless warrior in his own right with hair as bright as the sun and a good heart to match that colour. His name was .. Janji? Yeah, Janji it was, .. I think!”, he paused for a second and took a good look at the children’s faces. They seemed to be rather captivated by the beginning of his story, maybe the boy was dreaming the same dream as countless other boys? Being a knight, a warrior of the sea, defending the weak and fighting the good fight? It surprised him a little that even the shy girl was smiling adorably, maybe beneath her taciturn facade, there were still dreams about being a princess? In a few years, she might look the part. “Hahaha, these two knights .. oh, I .. I mean, my grandfather told me unbelievable stories about their rivalry, you wouldn’t believe that. Even the giants of the legendary island of Elbaf knew about them! But I tell you, their rivalry was nothing too serious, as they were brothers in all but name. To be precise, all of them were a family in all but blood, like the two of you. You care deeply about one another, right? It was the same with them. The good King Gruffy even allowed his bard, a man so thin that everyone called him ‘Skellyman’, to sit at the same table all the other nobles and friends used to feast. He was a dear friend and the whole world should see it. All of them were bonded to each other with ties as strong as to the closest family. And .. maybe even a little more. My granddad always said that the knight, Janji that is, was incredibly infatuated with princess Rami and tried to win her favour countless of times. He courted her in every way imaginable, left large bouquets of the rarest and most beautiful flowers for her to find and, oh, he was heavenly gifted when it came to that, he cooked her food that even the God’s would drool about! I kid you not, .. I mean, my granddad told me that the food he made was just so perfect in every way that one could imagine. And you know what the best thing about that was? The fiery princess Rami slowly warmed up to the knight and theirs was a friendship, maybe even more than that, that many a bard would write songs about. I mean, she never confessed any feelings towards him, but the way she behaved .. oh, that’s a whole other story. You know, kids, the thing with the best, or at least the most captivating stories is that they need a problem. A huge problem. And exactly that arrived on one fateful day that none of them would ever be able to forget. I'll tell you the story my great grandfather told to my granddad.."

We were chasing the beast for nearly five days straight, and it showed. First, we began to run low on food, only a little later our water supplies were fading away. On the fourth day, everybody was regretting that we had even started this hunt. Even worse was the fact that everywhere around us, there was water to find. But the inhabitants of the nearby village had warned us not to drink it, as it would turn people into what they called 'Aberrations' sooner or later, and there was no known treatment. We actually saw one of these Aberrations. There were clear traces of it having once been a human, though viciously malformed. That one was dead, otherwise there wouldn't have been a chance to get a closer look. And the human traces were .. dubious, to be fair. It had the same four limbs – that looked rather forcefully elongated - that humans possessed and with a lot of good will, you could say that the face could've belonged to a human, too. With four eyes of a milky white colour, so that one might have thought them blind. That specimen even had human hair on its head which made it all the more creepy and surreal.

But the captain ("Sorry, the King", he corrected himself) had given his promise that we would not return – I would've agreed with that since the village was boring, anyway – nor rest (I really wasn't content with that) until we had found and run down that terrible beast they were all talking about. Nobody could say how it looked like as there had never been any survivors, nobody knew how it would fight. But the villagers – and us, too – knew that it existed.

The whole area we were running through had actually been really pleasant and easy on the eyes. The forest canopy was thick and only a little sunlight (or moonlight, since we didn't stop the chase even during the nighttime) made its way through, but everything looked just so peaceful with the dimmed light, the still water and the silent trees. Even the resident fauna was as silent and non-malicious as it could be. The few animals we spotted in the trees usually just took a look of slight interest at us and ran away right after. No giant cats or other predators were running rampant. Even though we somehow wished for just .. anything to happen. And eating the meat of a carnivore wasn't something we had never done before.

Still, thirst and hunger and not knowing if – or when – the Abarrations would finally attack us wasn't our worst enemy. See, when we entered the area through a long path that lead away from the village, we were greeted by .. something that sounded awfully like a wailing song, with no singer being around. At least none that one could see. The 'song' itself, if you could call it that, somehow was eerily pleasant, though. It didn't make our ears bleed nor did it have an immediate effect on our sanity. And at first, even for the first hours .. the first two days, it didn't get intrusive. But imagine listening to the very same song, one that didn't even have words, but only wailing, for five days straight. Five days in which you have been running, chasing some .. thing that you basically knew nothing about. Your supplies run low and the only thing that kept you going was the inhuman stamina of your body and the sheer force of an indomitable will. That was just .. bound to take a heavy toll on you. Next to the King and myself, there were four more of us. Rami, the fiery princess, Janji, who continually proclaimed to protect her as it would befit a knight, Loro, who just wanted nothing more than to slay the beast and sleep for two weeks straight and, as our last companion, the bard they called Skellyman. Oh, don't worry, even though singing and playing the violin was his area of expertise, he was a formidable fighter in his own right. The six of us should have been enough to perish everything short of a god.

We were wrong.

When the sun arose on the sixth day, we found what we were looking for. And, dear gods, I wish we never did. We thought that we cornered the beast in its cave and the King and his two faithful knights were itching for a fight. Happy to leave everything, especially that .. that terrible song behind! And son, when it finally came to blows, everything seemed just normal, everyday practice. That beast looked like a giant toad, but with only two legs. As I said, nothing out of the orderly, right? The King, his knights, even the princess, the bard and me went all out when coming face to face with the beast. At least we thought that it was face to face. But the monster’s skin was incredibly sturdy though and not even with our forces combined were we able to damage it.

What happened then, we took for a good sign. It wasn't. All of a sudden, the song vanished and everyone froze. Just .. being in silence was a relief. But then the toad opened what we thought was its mouth and .. oh gods, two giant, lanky green arms seemed to sprout from it, tearing the 'mouth' open even wider. Beneath all that sturdy skin, there was a face! And with an utterly inhuman voice that was as deep as the vast ocean, it GROANED!

Not only did Usopp try to recreate the deep, stoneshattering groan that all of them heard, but also the face that was lying underneath the sturdy skin. With questionable success, one might add. The two kids just looked at him and at each other in confusion while Kaya chuckled softly.

"Ah, well .. okay, it just looked scary, trust me!"

He was right. The face under that dark green skin was green aswell, even though of a lighter tone, just like the arms it had used to tear its own skin away. It looked like .. the giant, wrinkled face of an incredibly old woman, but without eyes and teeth, mouth – a second mouth, if you want - wide open. Just human enough that one might draw the association, but just so inhuman on the other hand that it even shook the fearless hearts of the King and his knights. And that was all the time it .. and they needed. Countless of the beasts that were known as Aberrations had arrived, no longer dormant as the song had become silent. They moved inhumanly fast and swarmed us, within seconds our offensive had died and we were in full retreat.

Everyone fought valiantly, the King, myself, the princess, his knights, even the bard. There were countless beasts, but we were warriors of renown! .. and thinking that, forgetting about the giant toad itself, didn't help our cause. Not in the slightest. As I told you, son, we were in full retreat when the beasts started their vicious attack. We retreated towards the entrance of the cave which was so slim that only two people were able to walk side by side, the others had to move after them. And it just was swarming with them .. oh, you poor knight.

The King and Loro took the lead, fighting off every single Aberration that was coming from the front, the princess and myself were in the middle as both of our weapons required some space between us and the foe while the knight Janji and the Skellyman guarded our rear. To be honest with you, I .. I don't know what happened. All I know is that Janji stumbled, that he fell to the ground and .. within just a few seconds, they were upon him. Three of the beasts, maybe four, trying to claw out his heart, his eyes .. foul teeth gnawing on his limbs in ravenous hunger .. and it took him and us just too long to get rid of them.

Don’t get me wrong, in that very moment, all of us failed. The princess and I were too slow in helping the knight to get rid of the beasts and poor Skellyman was on his own against the ever growing tide of new beasts arriving. We .. we should have been faster. Could have been faster, but we weren’t. None of us knew it, but every action we had taken since our arrival on the island was an action to dig the graves for our collective dreams.

The onslaught of beasts seemed unending, the ones that befell Janji were still there and we were in danger of losing him. And if there was any rule we tried to live by, it was that no one should ever be left behind. He cried out in pain when fangs tore apart the flesh of his limbs, but he was still fighting. He had an oath to uphold. The princess wept bitter tears as she struck down lightning on the beasts and myself, I shouted. Shouted for my father to watch over me, prayed for him to acknowledge his son as a true warrior and worthy heir to Sniper Island. It was all for naught.

By now, the beasts were nearly upon us and the Skellyman fought at the absolute height of his skill. That thin man that people could mistake for a skeleton fought with the ire and prowess of a god of war, but it wasn’t enough. The second he cut down another of these Aberrations, it was already too late. The princess and I disposed of the last beast that was clinging to Janji’s body, but he was all but incapacitated. Still conscious, though, he told us to leave him behind as they might stop the pursuit if they had the opportunity to feed on him. But neither the King, his brother-in-arms, the bard, myself and, least of all, the princess Rami would allow that.

It was then that our obliviousness concerning the giant toad beast broke our backs. A long arm of a light green colour appeared out of nowhere, rushing through the darkness of the entrance and a gigantic, mighty hand grabbed the body of the princess, willing to take her with it for reasons that I don’t even want to think about. The young knight cried out in terror as he wasn’t able to protect her, I myself was struck aside by the unexpected force behind that arm and nearly lost consciousness. The King and the sword saint wanted to help, but they couldn’t, as the countless number of Abberations grew even larger and, although they had their powers combined, it became increasingly difficult to fend them off.

That was the moment the heroic bard made a decision.

He began hacking away at the arm and drew the ire of this centuries old monster .. or demon onto himself. His elegant and slender blade cut deep into its flesh, but that only poured fuel into the fire. Under the helpless shouts of the knight, he managed to break the princess free. But oh, at what cost?

The beast had two arms.

And he was inhumanly calm when the second one came out of the shadows and took a hold of his body. I vividly remember his last words, son, a sign of true companionship .. true nakamaship, compassion, loyalty and honour. His last words were those of a hero that shall never be forgotten.

With a bitter smile, he gazed at the young knight.

“Let this be my turn, Janji. I have lived long enough. Allow me to take your place, just this once. So that you have the chance to be there for her, come the light of a new morning. Yohohoho!”

And thus, he vanished into darkness without a trace.

“You have to understand the gravity of this situation, children. No one wanted to leave him behind and they tried to turn around to rescue the bard, but it was all for naught. Wave after wave of Abberations crashed into them and they were forced out of the cave, and not even the righteous, selfdestructive ire of the King could stand against a whole world that had so quickly become hostile. And to make matters worse, immediately with the vanishing of the bard, the whole island began to .. sink. King Gruffy had to make one of the most difficult and painful decisions in his entire life. Save his crew .. I mean, his people and break his oath or sacrifice all of them and let the heroic sacrifice of his bard go into nothingness.”, Usopp didn’t care for the tears that filled his eyes, nor for the trembling of his body. It was all too vivid.

“But .. it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? It’s not a good story unless it has a happy end!”, the eyes of the children were watery, too. They didn’t fully grasp the concept of the bard’s heroic sacrifice, but they understood friendship and duty towards one another all too well.

“I .. I must admit that I don’t know about that. All of us .. I mean, all of my great grandfather’s companions were shaken and lost sight of their dreams, remaining a shattered, aimless bunch of misfits .. but maybe it’ll make you happy that some of them were able to find meaning in their lives? Maybe even happiness.”

“I don’t like that. And neither does Mira!”, the boy proclaimed, unconsciously clinging on to the hand of his friend as if she provided him with energy.

“They .. they lived, at least. Though the King lost his crown and within a few years, the Kingdom of Sunny was no more .. Loro began pursueing the remnants of his dream on his own, my great grandfather returned to Sniper Island to find comfort in the arms of his queen..”, he squeezed Kayas hand to ease the trembling of his body. “.. and the princess and her knight .. I don’t know if you’d understand it. He swore an oath to always be there to protect her .. and the one single time he failed, a dear friend paid with his life. The whole image that San- .. the knight had carefully constructed of himself was shattered in a single moment. He told himself that he disappointed everyone and finally, he too left what remained of the kingdom. I don’t know what has become of him, maybe an aimless knight errant, but I dearly hope that he found himself when he travelled alone.”, again, he broke eye-contact with the boy and his gaze wandered to where the familiar form was found before.

And there he was, still standing, still alive but not whole again, watching his image in the corner of a large mirror that was fastened to a wall. Usopp couldn’t help himself but to imagine this man, this knight with hair as bright as the sun, as a burdened, broken man, clad in old-fashioned armor, his hand chained to a past and a princess he was desperately trying to forget.

“I hope that some day, all of us .. but especially the knight will answer the call again. To face our decisions and try to make them right again. Or .. at least find the strength to live with them.”, he didn’t care about the words he chose. After all, it was their story.

What happened after that immediately reached the bottom of his heart. An astounding show of innate human goodness and the sometimes flawless perception of .. a pure-hearted and caring child. This scene alone would leave him in absolute awe for days to come, fondest memory and living prove that humans, even if their existence was without a higher purpose, still wished to help one another.

It was the young girl, Mira, who let go of her friend’s hand and stood up from her chair, slowly, even a bit clumsily following the path of Usopp’s gaze until she finally reached the lonely knight.

Sanji ..

He wasn’t aware of her until she grabbed his hand. Seconds passed before he understood and knelt down to talk to her. Or .. not. There weren’t enough words in the entire world to even come close to one simple, kind-hearted gesture. That shy girl of few words embraced the graceless knight and his eyes began to fill with tears of gratitude.

Maybe not all is lost. Maybe there is still hope ..

He turned around when he heard someone standing up, mixed with .. what sounded like the rustling of a bird’s feathers, but there was no one to be found, except Kaya who still held his hand. If one asked him later, he would say that he heard a voice too, neither male nor female, ethereal, speaking only in whispered words.

“There’s no need to talk to this one, he has what it takes.”

Kaya smiled at him, but her eyes were watery.

“I want you to chase your dreams, my love .. make us proud. You know that I’ll be yours, forever.”, she whispered, embracing him to share a kiss so tender that he felt it everywhere on his body.

And then, she gently put his hand on her stomach.

Make .. us proud?!