#okay no ships but what about sailboats??
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Doing It Wrong On Purpose: Episode 1 - The Un-Ship
Today's experiment: What happens if I prompt for something, and then negative prompt all the main keywords, plus various synonyms and related words?
The answer: Some gloriously weird stuff.
For example, let's look at a negative cat:
Positive prompt: A cat on a windowsill during a storm
Negative prompt: Cat, feline, felidae, kitty, kitten, animal, pet, windowsill, window, glass, pane, house, storm, rain, water, lightning, thunder, clouds, torrent, downpour, snow, blizzard, wind, windy
Interesting! Let's get a little more fantasy with it and try for an anti-deer:
Positive prompt: A deer in a peaceful flowery meadow, crystals, midnight, fantasy, colorful
Negative prompt: Deer, cervidae, animal, elk, moose, stag, doe, fawn, reindeer, antelope, cervid, antlers, flowers, night, dark, trees, foliage, bloom, stars, night, tranquil, fantastic, vibrant, cool, magic, blue, moon, sky, crystal, stone, statue, topiary, floral, blossom
Between these two experiments, including a few dozen other generations that remain unposted, one thing I can say for sure is that for living subjects, it's a great way to get the kind of anatomical wonk that older models are (in)famous for - and it makes sense why, the model is trying to make something that looks like a certain subject...but once it starts to look too much like it, well, shit, we told it NOT to do that! Break something up! Given that I love that kind of wonk, I think I've found a useful tool for myself.
One more living subject, and let's get even more abstract with our direction here:
Positive prompt: mind horse
Negative prompt: horse, equine, colt, filly, mare, stallion, bronco, pony, mind, brain, thought, essence, psyche, intelligence, consciousness, imagination, dream, soul, visualization, intellect, wit, cognizance
Now let's try something that isn't alive. One thing I love AI for is surreal settings and landscapes - lets try one now!
Positive prompt: A magic palace garden made of crystal and gold
Negative prompt: Palace, magic, crystal, gold, fantasy, castle, estate, stronghold, temple, garden, flowers, plants, blossoms, bloom, blooms, trees, grass, stems, foliage, leaves, greenery, branches, bush, bushes, hedge, hedges, metal, luxury, stone, glass, brass, rose, polished, jewel, prism, courtyard
I then tried to see if, learning from the animal subjects, I could make it more likely to return one of my favorite "mistakes" - making it impossible to discern the point where a water area ends and a sky area begins. I wasn't immediately successful, but I came up with some results I found pleasing regardless-
Positive prompt: Secret hideout in a cave behind a waterfall in the foggy forest on a floating sky island in fluffy clouds
Negative prompt: hideout, camp, campsite, home, abode, house, dwelling, rest, shelter, waterfall, water, cave, grotto, forest, woods, woodland, trees, fountain, cascade, pond, stream, lake, river, brook, puddle, creek, pool, beach, ocean, sea, cloud, clouds, sky, cumulus, cirrus, nimbus, fog, storm, rain, sunshower, falls
It seems that with landscapes it's got a much clearer and more specific "idea" of what a [SUBJECT] without [SUBJECT] looks like; it's more inclined to invent very specific, very consistent unasked for related elements. With the animals, I was tweaking the weight on the positive prompt to avoid getting straightforwardly just what I had positive (and negative) prompted, but with landscapes, I just get... almost something else entirely.
So how about inanimate objects? Let's try a ship, perhaps?
Positive prompt: A huge sailing ship with brilliant prismatic crystal sails on a stormy, turbulent sea of sunset clouds
Negative prompt: ship, boat, sailboat, sailing ship, pirate ship, galleon, ketch, schooner, sloop, cutter, sail, sea, ocean, storm, wind, rain, water, waves, cloudy, clouds, fog, sunset, dusk, dawn, sunrise, twilight, evening
...okay, I'm in love with the un-ship. It truly does manage to consistently give me results that look like, yet entirely unlike, a ship. It is everything I love about AI as a medium. More than that, it is my friend.
At lower positive prompt weights, they only get even more beautifully chaotic.
I want to live on one of these (in an alternate universe where they're geometrically possible and structurally sound, that is).
Failing that, I will be featuring them a lot from now on.
All images generated using Simple Stable, under the Code of Ethics of Are We Art Yet?
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Please take a moment to admire Tiny Baby Roy Harper who is Trying So Hard to organize his notes and finish his book report while Ollie cheerfully smokes a pipe and distracts him with random facts.
It is my firm headcanon that Ollie goes on to derail the writing of the book report by reading Connecticut Yankee out loud, substituting himself and Roy for Hank Morgan, and that the whole of the following comic (later described as "maybe a dream????") is actually his retelling (Chitty-chitty Bang Bang-esque, for anyone old enough to have grown up on that movie). Because really, what else is Ollie's dream (especially this clean-shaven young Ollie) but to be an old-fashioned hero saving villagers from wild boars and emptying slaves from the dungeons of evil queens?
Adventure Comics #268
There will just never be enough early Ollie-tiny Roy content on this earth to suit me, and one of my favorite games to play is building out their golden/silver age stuff in my head to fit with the later comics. I still haven't read very much past the early 2000s (and almost nothing post-Flashpoint) but one of the major exceptions is the 2022 "Earn It Back" story, which is the loveliest Roy-Ollie relationship, where Ollie is Trying So Hard to be a good parent for Roy but also is clearly uncertain about what a good parent looks like, vacillating between being overly permissive and overly strict.
(Ollie's lack of parental figures growing up is another of those astonishingly under-explored stories, IMO. The few interactions we see involve him begging to be allowed to travel with his parents, and his father telling him to "toughen up" when he doesn't want to go hunting. This followed almost immediately by his parents getting mauled by lions in front of him, and then getting shipped off to boarding school by an unnamed uncle. Of course Ollie doesn't know what he's doing. Bruce, the famous orphan, had Alfred from the beginning - who did Ollie have? What does he know about being a parent? I think he goes in with a lot of love and no game plan, except maybe for his firm conviction that Roy is strong and capable and resilient. That he'll be okay no matter what Ollie does. That he probably doesn't really need Ollie at all except as a partner in crime.)
So I'm eternally fascinated by going through the old World's Finest/Adventure Comics (which is nearly all we have of young Roy-Ollie) and imagining how those dynamics fit together. Little Roy, who collects stamps and stands up to bullies and is the secretary of the school's Green Arrow Fan Club (lmao) and is saving up to buy a sailboat and tries SO HARD to prove himself. Ollie, who trusts Roy to pull himself up but still follows him to make sure he's safe when he’s been gone to long, who whisks Roy away from school and homework to save the world, who doesn't realize the extent of his influence over Roy, who trusts that Roy has everything under control because of course he does, because Roy is just that great.
Adventure Comics 262 // Green Lantern (1960) #85
Anyway, all that is to say, enjoy a bit of Ollie trying to be helpful by distracting Roy from his homework with stories of heroism and bravery. They are everything to me.
Adventure Comics 264
#someday I will pull together my thoughts about them into something more coherent#or write one of the early-days stories I have in my head#but today is not that day#ollie & roy#oliver queen#roy harper#dc parental relationships#golden age comics#old comics are a gold mine of content and trauma#dc meta#arrowfam meta#my posts
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a week until i can (kind of) start writing clementine full time
so here’s a tease of the coming chapter 🕺
Ch 4 coming soon I swear
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Oscar finally caught Logan on his way out of the dock with his student. Logan giving him a shy wave and Oscar asking him to ‘Wait up, you’re next!’ It was half a joke, really, when Oscar said it, but as Logan looks at him from his vantage point of the stable wood, he realizes that Logan had actually listened.
“As I’ll ever be.” Logan answers, shrugging, making the wide step to land on board of the keelboat. When he gets on deck, his hands flounder about in the air by his sides, looking unsure of what to do with himself now that he’s on the deck, settling for shoving them into the pockets of his shorts eventually.
Oscar leans down, unknotting the line attaching them to the dock, “So, first we’ve gotta untie that bow cleat-”
“-Oh we’re like, going straight into this, okay.” Logan’s eyes widen a bit with nerves as he comes up behind Oscar, watching his movements and listening to his words as he explains the steps to get them moving.
“Oh yeah,” Oscar says, matter of factly, “If he could do it, you can do it.”
“Okay. Uh, okay- yeah. Undo the what now?”
“Bow cleat, the line up there attaching us to the dock?” Oscar points, and Logan’s eyes follow the line of his finger.
“Got you, bow cleat.” Logan enunciates the name more than he needs, and snaps his fingers, making them into a little finger gun pointing at it as well, before moving up to undo it.
“Use your leg to push us off a bit after you untie it.”
“Okay, done.”
Oscar moves towards the motor at the back of the sailboat as Logan unties the knot holding them to the dock, adjusting it to propel them in the right direction as Logan pushes them off, cruising their way out of the marina slowly.
Oscar lets his eyes linger on the other boy’s frame, the polarized sunglasses covering his eyes keeping the other boy oblivious. Logan is crouched on the bow, eyes crinkling at the sides as he squints, light gleaming off the metal. He puts up a hand in an attempt to see, before Oscar interrupts his investigation. “Gonna get us a ways out before we do anything, alright?” Oscar calls.
Logan nods, moving towards Oscar to sit closer by. Oscar can see his attention flick about, from the water to the ship, the sails, and where Oscar is positioning the rudder. He takes his sunglasses off, wiping the lenses off as he thinks about what course of action he wants to take. Where it would be easiest to start, and build from. The curriculum Oscar knows the inside and out of for their courses is for someone much younger than Logan. At least, this section of the curriculum is. He makes the proper adjustments mentally to Logan’s high likelihood of picking the steps up faster than your average eight year old, and the thought makes him snort. Oscar ensures the lenses of the sunglasses are clean, before holding them out, offering them to Logan silently. “You’re lucky, the wind is playing nice today.” Oscar muses.
“Good to hear.” Logan laughs. He looks at the pair of sunglasses, still hanging from Oscar’s fingers, before taking them from his grasp. “Thanks.”
Oscar shrugs, not acknowledging the gift further, “Alright, let's get started.”
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Hello! I hope you're feeling better. I saw you were still open for prompts, so I thought I'd throw one in- I hope that's okay!
How about Gordon + "Uh... what is that?"
Ficlet: The Hog
Summary: Just some boys and their ships
Characters: Gordon, Scott
Genre: Slice of Life, Humor?
Word Count: 623
“Uh – what is that?” He didn’t mean for it to come out with as much confused disgust as it did. It was obvious Scott was building something, and the pile of grey plastic (ugh!) pieces certainly did nothing wrong. Other than be made of the one material he hated most. Still not Scott’s fault though, and Gordon grimaced at himself right after he said it. He was actually happy to see Scott away from his work desk at this hour. Just another thing to be glad for with Dad returning. Taking on some of the family business.
His older brother, concentrating where a magnifying arm with a ring light built in expanded his view of the kitchen table, didn’t seem to notice the accidental tone.
“A-10 Thunderbolt II,” he grunted. “Or at least it will be when I’m done with it.”
“Uh-huh, bless you.” Gordon skipped past him on his way toward the refrigerator and the blessed electrolytes within. He was well dried off already after completing his stretching from that morning’s pool exercise, and with the day ahead and the sun at full, he was debating heading down to lagoon or taking the sailboat for a spin towards Mateo. Pending rescues, of course.
“A hog.” It came out mumbled because Scott was busy gritting his teeth while holding two pieces together to dry, the little tube of glue on the table in front of him.
“Excuse me?”
“No, not you,” Scott laughed as he released his hold and tapped the model to test the connection, amending with “not this time, at least. No, a warthog is what they called her. She’s an attack aircraft from the 70s.”
“Oooh! Gotcha.” Whether Scott noticed or not, Gordon wasn’t about to let on that he’d immediately put his nose to his armpit, just in case, so he bent his arm back behind him over his head and gave his shoulders a stretch before he did the same with his other arm. Nice, casual, playing it cool. “I used to call the sub Queen Bee. A bit kinder than a warthog. Man, she was a good girl.” He was thinking not of Four, but of the submarine he’d been stationed on with WASP, thus the insect theme to his fond endearments.
“Planes had one of those too. Older than the hog here, kinda like a Tiger Moth if I remember right.”
“Scott, my dude, you know that means nothing to me.”
“Are you interested?” Scott flashed him a grin, selecting the next piece from the pile, which now that he was close enough to Scott’s set up Gordon recognized was precisely sorted by size. “You’re still here. Wanna sit down?”
Gordon pulled out a chair, waving his bottle to mix the powder into the water. “I’m here for the energy boost.”
“Mhmm.”
They sat in companionable silence, Gordon taking controlled sips of his water while Scott fiddled to connect the pieces of the scale model. In the quiet, he listened to the wind. He loved living on the Island; he especially loved the open patio that led their kitchen into the outdoors and that they closed the windows only when it rained. The air smelled fresh with just the lingering of chlorine which as was clinging to his hair and distantly the sea rolled. It had been a long time since he thought of Queenie.
“So, why did they call it a warthog?” he asked, picking up the closest piece to examine it. Wild to think these tiny bits and pieces would become an entire model once assembled.
Scott pointed what he had of the nosecone at him. “She’s intimidating. Can’t you tell?”
“Uhhh, yeah. Super scary.”
“Well, her design is nearly a hundred years old.”
#ficlets and bits#gavii scribit#thunderbirds fanfiction#ask box prompts#gordon tracy#Scott Tracy#sorry its not much but it made me laugh#can i actually write humor ... is that a thing???
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Chapter 2: Miraculous Creature! Apis' Secret And The Legendary Island
(episode 55)
"Hm...? What the heck is that? Hey! I see a flock of birds to starboard!"
"Alrighty! Gum-Gum... Grab!"
"Venus-chan, get down!"
"Welp, you killed Zoro."
"Hey, look."
"It's a girl!"
"Ugh!"
"A wind is coming. A strong wind is..."
"I feel like this ship hasn't been moving at all for a while."
"The ocean's not moving either."
"Dammit... we've entered the Calm Belt!!"
-
"Calm Belt?" Usopp repeated in confusion.
"What the heck is that?" Luffy asked.
"Calm Belt!" Nami exclaimed. "It's an area of sea where nothing moves a muscle!"
"Nami grew her muscles?" Luffy misheard.
"Idiot!" She yelled.
Just then, they all felt a strange rumble. "What was that?" Luffy wondered aloud. "An earthquake?"
"Earthquake? On the sea?" Zoro pointed out.
"You guys, enough chit chat!" Nami commanded. "Fold the sails, and start paddling now! Put the ship back on its earlier path!"
"Okay, Nami-san!" Sanji gushed.
"What're you panicking about?" Zoro asked.
"Paddling? This is a sailboat, y'know," Venus added.
"She's right," Usopp agreed, "Why're we taking the trouble to go back to where the Marines are waiting for us?"
"Just do what I say!" Nami ordered. "We're in big trouble!"
"Well, the sea is quiet," Luffy reminded.
"Yeah," Usopp nodded.
"All right, fine!" Nami raged. "Then I'll explain it to you! Listen up! Since we rushed and ran away, we came further south than we planned!"
There was a brief pause. "Then did we enter the Grand Line?" Luffy asked.
"All right!" Usopp cheered without waiting for an answer.
"If it was that easy, anyone could enter!" Nami interrupted, then unfolded a map. "Look. The Grand Line is running between two sea areas! Do you get it?" It showed the Grand Line was, indeed, between a pair of Calm Belts. "The area on both sides of it are called the Calm Belt." Luffy hummed in indication that he was listening. "The reason is unknown, but in these areas, there's no wind and no current. They're an area of sea with complete calm. Sailboats run by catching winds, so it's an extremely dangerous area, indeed a fatal area, for all of them! Luffy, did you get it?"
"Yeah. At least that we're in trouble."
"I see. Good, you got more than I thought."
Venus looked at the map in pondering. "If there's two of them, shouldn't it be Calm Belts? As in plural?"
"What's that got to do with anything?!" Nami shouted.
"So this is what the geezer meant when he said it was dangerous," Sanji remarked.
"No wonder there hasn't been any wind," Zoro added.
"We can't do anything if the ship doesn't move," Usopp pointed out.
"We can just wait until the wind starts blowing," Luffy said.
"Like I said, once you're in this area, wind never blows no matter how long you wait!" Nami reminded. "And that's not all!"
"Can't Venus-chan use her winds to bring us back?" Sanji suggested.
"No, the moon's in the last quarter," She shook her head, "Anything I do won't be strong enough. And I don't know any wind spells; just energy balls."
"Guys!" Nami snapped. "There's another reason that people call this area dangerous! In this area..."
Before she could finish, there was another tremor, only much stronger. "Ah! Another one!" Everyone yelped.
"What's going on?" Usopp noticed the witch looking over the railing, holding on with a tight grip. "Venus!"
"Something is coming this way," Apis said.
"There's some shadows out there," Venus gestured to the sea.
Just then, what appeared to be mountains began descending. "Here they are!!" Nami screamed.
"Huh...?" Luffy looked out at the sea. "What's that?" The mountains revealed to be giant sea creatures, almost the size of whole islands, the ship on one's head. "They're huge!!" Everyone gawked in horror.
"The Calm Belt is the nest of the Sea Kings," Nami finished fearfully, "Moreover, the ones here are super huge! They're another reason why people can't cross the Calm Belt."
"What're we gonna do now?" Sanji asked.
"F-for the time being, no one move," Zoro ordered, "They'll probably go back to the sea eventually. Then we'll paddle hard using our oars."
"Are you serious?!" Usopp exclaimed from his place on the sail post, gripping on for dear life.
"Shh!" A pair of small, pale hands clasped over his mouth.
Unfortunately, it caught the frog-like Sea King's attention. "Sorry."
It made a leap for the ship. "A frog is coming!!" Luffy screamed.
The ship began tilting towards its giant mouth. "What?! What?! What?!" Usopp rambled in fear.
Luffy was on alert when Apis started falling in. "Oh no!" He managed to grab, and pull her back up before the frog closed its mouth, and hopped back into the ocean.
Apis opened her eyes again, after they were closed in fear, and was shocked to see his arm stretched beyond normality. He then carried her upward, back to safety. "Y-your arm is stretching! Luffy! Do you have the power of a Devil Fruit?!"
"Yeah, that's right."
As she flew, Apis saw the Sea King's nostrils, and had an idea. "Luffy! Stretch your arm downwards again!" Although confused, he did as told.
"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp called.
"What're you doing?!" Nami yelled.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?!" Venus raged.
"Apis!" Nami addressed the little girl in concern.
"Watch out!!"
"On, two...!" Apis swung into the creature's nostril, then was flown back up.
"What did she just do?!" Zoro exclaimed.
"She pulled his nose hair," Luffy replied.
The creature's watering eyes began to squint. "Hold on a sec...!" Usopp whimpered.
"If you do that..."
"He's gonna sneeze!" Sanji frantically finished Nami's sentence.
"Ahh..." Luffy watched Apis land on the deck, a large clump of hair in her hands, before she dropped it when she crashed into Zoro. "That's a huge nose hair!"
She gave a thumbs-up from a disoriented Zoro's lap, as Venus grimaced in disgust. "Yeah, don't need to keep that." She kicked it off the deck cautiously.
"All right! We're going back!" Luffy cheered.
On cue, the creature finally let out a huge sneeze, and sent the ship and crew rocketing off. "Do it some other way!!" Everyone yelled at once, before they were sent soaring.
"Amazing! I feel like we're flying!" Luffy beamed with excitement.
"Idiot!!" Usopp's eyes were wide with terror. "We are flying!!"
With a huge splash, they were back on track, albeit shaken up. "Looks like we're back in the area we came from," Nami observed.
"I don't see any signs of the Marines either," Zoro added.
Usopp stayed low to the floor, still petrified. "Ahhh... I thought I was a goner."
"I had always said... I wanted to fly," Venus panted close by, "Just not... like that."
"Good job!" Luffy praised Apis.
"Yep!"
"Okay! Unfurl the sails!" He commanded. "Our destination is... of course! Warship Island!!"
Later, a dense fog formed all around them. "We can't see a foot in front of Merry's nose," Venus pointed out.
"Well, we can see the fog," Luffy said.
"That doesn't help us," The witch gave him the side eye.
"Apis, is it really around here?" Sanji asked.
"Not sure."
""Not sure?" You..." Usopp griped.
"It should be close by," The navigator deduced.
"That's our Nami-san!" Sanji swooned.
"You sure know your stuff," Luffy commented.
"Ah...! Look!" Apis pointed out to the ocean.
"Huh?" Everyone looked in that direction; it appeared to be a large boat up ahead. "Oh! It's a sailboat! It's huge!"
"Now listen here..." Sanij grumbled.
"The word "huge" doesn't begin to describe it," Zoro remarked.
"Then, a super humongous sailboat?"
"No!" Nami exclaimed.
"That's Warship Island," Apis grinned, "It's shaped like a warship, so it's called Warship Island."
"Ohh, right," Venus nodded.
"I see! Interesting!" Luffy looked from the prow.
As they descended to the harbor, they were spotted by one of the island locals. "Ah! That flag is... pirates!" He began a sprint through the village, frantic. "Pirates!! Pirates have come!!"
"Pirates?" A young boy's eyes widened.
"Stay inside!" His mother closed the window they were peeking out of.
A group of soldiers gathered around the harbor, spears ready, as the Going Merry anchored, and a rope ladder was thrown down.
Up on the ship, Apis showed herself. "Hi! I'm home!"
"Apis...!" They widened their eyes in shock, as she stepped down the ladder, and on the ground. "Why are you coming out from the pirate ship?" The crew climbed down next. "What's going on?"
"Say, you guys..." The soldiers waited nervously at Luffy's pause.
"Wh-what?!"
"Is there a BBQ restaurant on this island?!"
"Huh?" They stare in confusion. "Wh-what's this guy?"
"Listen!" Apis announced. "They're pirates, but they're good ones."
"Are they really good pirates?"
"Yes!"
"Weren't you taken away by the Marines in the first place?"
"That's right. But I escaped. And these guys, Luffy and the others, saved me. Right?"
"Yeah," The captain confirmed.
"What'd you do, Apis? We don't know why, but the Marines were looking for you. You should stay away from your home. They're still around."
"What am I gonna do?" She asked fearfully.
"We'd like to help, but... they're pirates, right?"
"Ahh, what should we do?" Apis asked nervously.
"Like she said, we're good pirates," Usopp said.
"Apis!" The soldiers dispersed, revealing a grey-haired old man with a cane, and a hunch. "Come to my house!"
"Who's that?" Nami wondered aloud.
"Don't know," Luffy replied.
Apis ran to him with joy and excitement. "Grandpa Bokuden!"
She gave him a big hug. "I'm glad you're safe." He then turned to the Straw Hats. "Thank you for saving Apis. How about this? I'd like to throw a small welcome party for you."
"Is your place a BBQ restaurant?" Luffy asked.
"It's not a BBQ restaurant, but Grandpa Bokuden's pork buns are the best on the island!"
"All right!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go!"
"Well then, we'll go," Zoro decided.
"I can go for some food," Venus added.
-
Meanwhile, a Marine ship was in the sea nearby, with one officer looking out from the crow's nest. "Hm?!" He saw the Going Merry docked at the island; he looked closer, and saw Apis with the crew. "There she is!"
Inside the ship, a morbidly obese man with red circles on his chipmunk-like cheeks sat on a throne, messily eating a huge chicken leg. "Eric!" The swirl-haired mercenary approached him. "I've been here all along. I thought that that girl got lost in the Calm Belt, and wasn't going to come back alive!"
Eric was shocked at that. "Can't be... that girl...?"
"She's...!" The man ate another bite, but started choking, and coughed out crumbs all over Eric's face. He wiped them off in disgust. "...back on Warship Island! Capture that girl, you bum!"
"Then they escaped from the Calm Belt...!"
-
In the house, Bokuden placed a pan of pork buns on the stove, and closed the lid. "There, the preparations are finished. Wait a little while."
"Cool!" Luffy beamed.
"Whoa! Smells good!" Usopp agreed.
"I see... this is the real deal," Sanji remarked, "Old man, how long do we have to wait?"
"Hm? Well... maybe about 4-5 hours."
"What?!" Luffy and Usopp exclaimed simultaneously.
"Ah, I'm starving," The captain leaned by a window.
"Bokuden-san, why are the Marines after Apis?" Nami asked. "Do you have any idea?"
"Apis!" Bokuden addressed his granddaughter. "Do you have any idea?"
"Not at all!"
"Well that's helpful," Venus mumbled.
"You said there was a reason, but you didn't want to tell," Nami reminded.
"Oh, that! I lied."
"What?" Usopp's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Then none at all," Bokuden said.
"None at all?!"
"Really, there's nothing on this island. Nothing but an old legend."
"Legend?" Zoro questioned.
"The residents of this island are said to be descendants of Lost Island people who prospered but sank into the sea tens of thousands of years ago." Luffy noticed Apis' look of irritation. "On Lost Island, there lived dragons called Millennial Dragons. The bones of these dragons are called Dragonite," Bokuden stood, and walked over to prepare a light, "And it's said to be an elixir of immortality."
"I see," Sanji remarked, "But a legend like that is no reason for the Marines to get involved."
"Yeah," Usopp agreed, "Why are the Marines doing this in the first place?"
"That's the thing I don't get," Nami chimed in.
"Doesn't this legend hold some sort of clue or something?" Zoro guessed.
Bokuden returned to his seat in front of the crew, who all sat cross-legged on the floor. "To begin with, the first king of Lost Island was Iscardunk."
"Here we go again," Apis whispered to herself.
"Now, King Pokeportes had three children. The oldest son was BokeHontas, the second son was Bokebonboko, and the third son was BokeBokePon." Luffy noticed Apis sneaking away, but she shushed him, and left the house. "One day, the king said to these three, "Listen. Go find the tree that grows stars, which is said to be in Dragon's Valley." Apis sneaked around the wraparound porch, ducking under the window, and "So Bokehontas, BokeBonboko, and BokeBokepon journeyed out, one to the sea, one to the mountain, and one to the forest."
"Once Grandpa starts that story, it'll take forever. I'm not gonna listen to all that." She then left undetected.
Mostly, at least.
-
In the evening, hours later, Bokuden's story was still being told. The Straw Hats were getting quite bored. "Now, the 317th King IngriMongri III's son, IngriGrimori was quite a wise ruler.
"Hey, how long is this gonna go on?" Nami whispered to Usopp, who had his cheeks slumped on his palms.
"Who knows." He blushed when the young witch laid her head on his left shoulder, on the verge of slumber.
Zoro was also asleep, leaning against the wall. "He had 18 children. His 18 children..." Luffy was out as well, with his head rested on one hand. "He was a king who carried out major reforms."
Usopp's stomach growled with hunger. "Ahhh, I'm starving..." He leaned into Venus more, though she didn't move.
"This King Ikemenes had so many children."
"We won't be able to eat until this story is over, will we?" Nami complained.
"He had many princes. 65 of them!"
"We won't be able to eat the pork buns until then?" Usopp added.
"Pork buns?" Luffy's eyes peeked open at that, and walked like a zombie.
"Luffy?" Nami noticed him.
"I hear it was like, "If you throw a stone, it'll hit one of the princes.""
"I gotta take a leak." Luffy trudged to a shed outside, and a delicious smell wafting from the inside made him grin. "Pork buns..."
In the shed, Apis was stashing some buns in a large sack. "Hold on, Grandpa Ryu." She heard footsteps, and panicked at Luffy coming closer. "Oh no!" She worked faster, and he kept coming. "He's coming this way! What am I gonna do?" She leaned against the wall in hiding, as he stood at the doorway. "Please! Don't come here!"
He sniffed the air, and smiled. "Pork buns smell yummy."
Apis prepared to strike him with a frying pan when he walked inside, but to her surprise, he fell over, and was out again. "No way! I didn't hit him yet, right?"
"Ahhh, pork buns," He mumbled. She looked him over, smiled at his staying asleep, and continued her work.
Back in the house, the story was still going on, to everyone's chagrin. "And the 111th... no, the 1,121st king was HokeHontas. So, NemeNememitas thought about what he could do to protect his kingdom."
A sleepy, famished Usopp noticed Nami crawling away. "Hey, where're you going?" He peered around Venus' head.
"I'm worried about Luffy, since he's been gone for a long time. So, I'll go check." She winked, and made her leave.
"Then, he made preparation before large countries attacked them."
"That's not fair," Usopp whined.
"Nami-san's lovely even when she sneaks out," Sanji gushed.
"Phew!" She sighed in relief when outside. "Good grief!" She heard snoring from the shed, and saw Luffy asleep on the ground, pork bun on his cheek. "Luffy!" She shook him awake by his shoulder, and the bun fell into his open mouth. "Ahhh! Not even one bun is left!" She fussed at the empty pan.
Luffy sat up, eating the one from his face. "Yeah, this is yummy."
Nami punched him in the head. "Yummy?! How do you intend to make up for eating everyone's share?!" She yelled.
He rubbed his head over his hat. "What're you talking about?" He asked cluelessly. All he ate was the one.
"Geez... hm?" Nami noticed a trail on the ground, as if something was dragged behind someone's back. "What's this?" The trail went outside, and to the left. "What made this trail?"
The two followed the path, up to a mountainside, surrounded by trees. "Hm? A dead end?"
"What's the deal?" Nami wondered aloud.
"Hm?" In the brush, Luffy noticed an opening, and kneeled down for a closer look, sticking his head fully in.
"Hey Luffy, what're you doing?"
"A hole."
"What?" She peered in, and saw he was right; the trail went through a hole in the rocks. Now curious, they crawled through; on the other side, they saw a large sack sliding up a pathway.
Up higher, Apis grabbed a rope, and swung herself to the other side of a gorge, along with the sack.
A little later, Luffy and Nami stopped at the same gorge. "Looks like they went across here," Nami deduced. "Luffy!"
"Yep! Gum-Gum...! Suspension bridge." He stretched long enough to make himself a bridge, and Nami scooted her away across cautiously.
Apis dragged the sack into a large cave, unaware of her followers. "Grandpa Ryu!"
"This is the other side of the mountain," Nami said.
"How far did they go?" Luffy pondered.
It was then when they found the cave. "Ah, that's..." Nami led Luffy inside.
"Yes, I was fine. These weird pirates saved me," Apis talked to someone, "No, they're not that scary. You must be hungry. I brought Grandpa Bokuden's pork buns. Here you go. No! Slow down!" She was oblivious to the footsteps coming closer. "Oh, I'm sorry. I still don't know yet. Although I'm searching very hard, I still haven't found a clue yet."
"I wonder who on Earth Apis is talking to."
"Hey, Apis!" Luffy called out. "Who're you talking to?"
"Don't just jump out, and say "hey"!" Nami scolded.
When he walked closer, Apis protectively stood in front of something huge and feathery. "No! Don't come here!"
Luffy kept coming, the creature watching silently, and leaned closer in shock. "Whoa!!"
"Luffy, what's the matter?" Nami asked, walking in, before she stopped. "Ahh!!" Her brown eyes widened.
It was a dragon! He had teal blue feathers, gold eyes, and a bald head, and was almost the size of the Going Merry.
"Amazing!" Luffy gushed, scaling every part of his body. "Amazing! Amazing!"
"Stop it!" Apis protested. "I said stop it!"
"Hey, Luffy..." Nami muttered in shock.
He snuggled the dragon's snout, while Apis tried to pull him away. "This is the real thing! Is he alive?"
"Stop it! Leave him alone!"
'I can't believe... that it really exists,' Nami thought, 'I thought that dragons were just legends!'
"This is incredible!" Luffy gushed. "Where did you come from?" The dragon stared silently for what felt like an eternity. "I see... you want to go home, huh?"
Apis gasped in shock, then slumped in relief. "Okay... Grandpa Ryu says that you can be his friend, Luffy. He says he can tell you're a good person." Nami watched in awe, as he gave an assuring grin. "Luffy, how could you read Grandpa Ryu's mind?"
"I somehow did."
"Somehow...?"
"How did you know?"
"Oh, well, I..."
Nami then figured it out, and spoke up. "Could it be... a Devil Fruit?" Apis turned to her. "You have the power of a devil fruit, don't you?"
She nodded. "Yes. I ate one called Whisper-Whisper Fruit or something. Since then, I've become able to read animals' minds."
"That's why you knew a wind was coming that time."
Apis nodded again. "Yep. The seabirds told me that. I met Grandpa Ryu thanks to the Whisper-Whisper Fruit too." She recalled hearing his sad voice when in a flower field, and running to follow it. "He had lost his energy. He said that he got separated from his friends, and that since then, he had been looking for Lost Island, where the dragons' nest is."
"Didn't Lost Island sink a long, long time ago?" Nami asked.
"Grandp Ryu says that the island will surface again. He says it's about time, but he no longer clearly remembers where it is. He's gotten very old, and lost the energy to fly. But he keeps telling me that he wants to go back. I wanna help, but I can't figure out where such an island exists at all. The legend by itself doesn't really give me a clue. So I asked the Marines, who happened to stop by this island, about it. That was a mistake. They were looking for the Dragonite."
"Dragonite... you mean the one for immortality?" Nami clarified. "They took you away because of such a thing?"
"Yes. They told me to tell them everything I knew, and took me away. The pendant that I made with a claw Grandpa Ryu gave me may have been another reason, though..."
"That's why you escaped in that storm," Nami recalled, "You are too reckless!"
"I know," Apis nodded, "That's why I keep this a secret from the villagers, and even Grandpa Bokuden-san. I don't want to cause trouble for them. But I want to take Grandpa Ryu back to his home, no matter what it takes. He always tells me that he'll get his energy back for sure, once he goes back to the dragons' nest. I'll find it for him, no matter how many years it takes. For sure... no matter what it takes, I'll find it for him."
After a pause, Luffy made an announcement. "Okay then! I'll take him there!"
Apis turned to him in surprise. "Luffy! Were you listening?! Lost Island sank into the sea!" Nami pointed out.
"But since the legendary Millennial Dragon exists, I'm sure Lost Island also exists somewhere!"
"An island that's not even on a map?"
"Yeah, that's why we're going!"
Nami laid her hand on her forehead. "An island that's not even on a map, huh? Oh, what the heck." She snapped her fingers. "Let's go!"
"All right!" Luffy cheered.
"Really?! Really?!"
"Yeah."
"Thank you!"
"Now that's been decided, eat more!" He leaned into Ryu's face.
"Oh, Luffy, I forgot to tell you..." Before Apis could finish, the dragon bit down on his head. "Grandpa Ryu is a little senile," She finished, as Nami gawked in horror.
-
The next day, some Marine ships began closing in on the island. "That girl had a pendant with a Millennial Dragon's claw," Eric recalled, "She must know about Lost Island. That darn girl who knows the secret of the Dragonite... I'll definitely capture her this time!"
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Spain - boat builders and shipyards
Albatross is one boat brand that is excellent from Spain it is superb and they're not among the world laptop votes and yachts but mostly professional boats and fishing boats and that's what he wants to portray is this is like that and it's kind of a step down from Mexico and built in Mexico where a lot of you guys still are and there are about 700 million of their ships and service and most of them are mild Plus it is a huge company in Spain and it is wonderful the engineering there is superb
DD now he's calling this cuz it is an abbreviation for a Spanish name that you can't remember too well if you knew what it was he would but it is tough here sometimes. Also one of the largest shipbuilders is probably number 19 but when it comes to engineering it's probably number one. Because they build mostly fishing vessels. And you got a taste of your American ingenuity I saw boat out there it was penalized with fiberglass on it and it looks terrible and the AFT cabin has a big hatch that can let all the water in and he said it's a piece of crap and it is and it's not a Bayliner it's just one of the thousands of manufacturers who tried it looks very nice it's sculpted like a fishing vessel almost but it looks like a small yacht and the rear half cabin ruins it they said take that out and put a solid one in or fuse it and put some protocols in and you've got a deal and say what's the poor calls it's a reinforced around window which they found on ships many ships that have sunk are 100% intact versus other windows which are broken and sometimes they were in submarines this is well okay and so they might do that and it's like an event to see how they open but they open outward they can put a screen on it just have it slide up and down I said well that's great and on upper scale boats it's normal but you really have to make that solid it shouldn't be anything but 1 in 5 in solid fiberglass I said 1 inch yeah 1 inch the whole thing and then the doors need to be solid something so he's looking into it and they said a lot of them have like a hatch way door and then a door that goes over it it's like a screen door like a regular door as long as I can screen door or a regular door and a hatch way we open the hatch ways to leave it open when you go on the way you close them this is wow that's cool it's nice because even regular water doesn't get in and the saltwater kind of wreck stuff they know that too and we do have a lot of boats like that with the hatch way it's really just like this big refrigerator door some people call it it has a very solid locking mechanism it locks from the inside it opens out.
We're beginning to start our Latin American boat company headquartered in Brazil the main manufacturing facilities will be in Mexico and our father Salazar and Connor's wife mother are going to assist in the design and he wants it to make it solid in the water and like the boat that we saw and his presence was seen and it does say how to do it with fiberglass and they don't trust fiberglass no they do but he says you take the fiberglass and you put it on the metal and they'll purchase it but if you make it out of the metal they won't buy it cuz they don't understand what it is so they're going ahead with it and pretty soon it's going to come into reality and there will be issuing them but we're trying to form it now and he wants to headquartered in Brazil because they're well known for making fishing vessels there as well and designs do come from Spain. Where is Mexico is not as respected they tend to slap things together there but if giving them proper design and supervision they make them faster and less expensive. And these boats are going to be inexpensive and all the way down to Skip's and inflatables and send me inflatables and some of this new designs cuz they're not selling from where we're making them and we have a lot of weird boats and a lot of people put these on there :-) he's going to take a picture and it's going to put his idea but we're going to start building is pretty soon he says we have to get prototype store and it says oh the Brazilian company in Mexico and their metal with plastic on them fiberglass yes you can't see it from here okay so we have to go up there but we're going to start working on that right now there's a lot of other stuff happening but we have to get it going
Thor Freya
This is an awesome idea and I want to satellite office out here you said you got one I didn't ask my son to go out there with his wife and the other son wants to go and I'm approving it and his wife of course and Hera said she's going along so that makes me long I'm going to open it up and would like to existing building for now open a new one that would be one of your seafood tonight on work and the TV and we'll figure out what to do with it and Salazar and got his wife is laughing and the other kind of parts from her side and Hera's side, and they have the first boat company in Sears and their name is on it and his family is from the second boat and company which is huge but they mentioned is DD a nurse is the first and you can get the offer that she says support and a son and daughter say that's what we need is help and get it going so I was wondering if there's like a ferry like a car carrier that has like a cover some kind of boat s and heights restrictions mad but the top you put short shallow cars inches company... Talking about making the container for cars it's a really heavy so you can't do it and you have to make a huge super structure and take forever to load and unload but so then he's thinking of a ferry so you take the cars but they come in containers. Yes I did it's like a wagon there's so many kind of tipsy but really when the thing turns it's kind of tipsy now it's all solid and hard to maneuver we're going to look at that cuz he said you couldn't put a double axle up front and make it longer and it would have more maneuverability but right now we need to see car characters and you can fit a lot of them on there and we have a lot of them but he said they're going to be a news trolley too so we're going to get moving on that but we need carried trucks we're going to work on it now
Thor Freya
This is wonderful you're sick of the boats he doesn't know how to deliver both either and I noticed you said that it put him in containers and said it just takes a lot of room but you can't stack them and they're hard to manage and they're hard to arrange and they're hard to ship so you want to truck them or you can ship them back to the original problem no this is what he was saying it first they can even come from Brazil too to have the islands Brazil and Mexico and ship them on ships and their multi-tiered and they have a way of moving fast and you put them in the water and you drive them in and you flush them and you wash them and that's how you do it double handling them people lose patience and it works very well still going to work on that that's what he was trying to think of in Lost Constitution or you could rack them that's been done before too you take a smaller vessel and your rack him on to it and you drop the rack onto a smaller vessel get to Port and you unload them on the trailers and drive off with them you can make it an alloy this is interesting cuz I like this first idea and now I know why you want to ride the boats in and we missed the point of you so what you do is you ship them on a rack to Louisiana and trade your boot in give me some money in South America did you buy them in Louisiana just like Harris said just put our bars down there and stuff I can so we're going ahead with it now
Salazar and goddess wife
And we're putting this in the pipe and we have facilities in Mexico and Brazil and they want to make assembly facilities but they're still very hot there and it's kind of hard to do and have to go around it we can also go up the East Coast a little bit yes come up with a name and it has to be probably from these two and that's what we're going to wait for
Olympus
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Culotte Mouillée : ep196
Cheyenne: Baby, wake up.
Me: What’s wrong?
Cheyenne: I think the boat is moving.
I yawn, rub my eyes and look at my watch.
Me: It’s high noon. We must have left port while we were sleeping.
Cheyenne: I was dreaming that I was in a waterbed that was sloshing around, and when I woke up I was completely disoriented.
Me: We’re sailing for sure. Let’s get dressed and go on deck before we get seasick.
Cheyenne: I can’t. I’m all sticky from last night.
Me: Okay, let’s take a quick shower, then go topside.
Cheyenne: Good plan!
The boat is moving, and it is rolling. But with 115 feet of waterline it’s not rolling much. But it is heeling to port a fair bit, so we’re definitely under sail. Showering on a moving sailboat presents challenges. The shower is tiny, maybe four square feet, and it’s leaning 20 degrees. So you have to prop yourself up against the wall and use the showerhead like a wand. And there’s no room for any hanky panky. It’s a single serving shower stall.
…
We’re dressed and headed for the deck. When we round the corner at the intersection of the hallway and the kitchen we can see Filet putting together a fancy lunch of cold cut sandwiches, with fresh fruits and sparkling waters.
On deck, the sun is bright and the wind is blowing solidly. Henrik is at the helm and the captain is trimming the main sheet. Henrik looks majestic behind the giant steering wheel of the yacht.
Henrik: Good morning lovely humans! I trust you slept well.
Cheyenne: Yes indeed. Thank you Henrik. Where are we?
Henrik: We’re sailing east toward San Remo.
He points past the port side of the boat.
Henrik: You can see the coast there.
We’re a couple of miles off the coast. Being the Med, there are big yachts everywhere. In the distance I see the distinct three mast design of The Black Pearl, the 106 meter sailing superyacht. It makes our boat look like a dinghy by comparison. There’s always a bigger ship on the horizon in the Med. C’est la vie. We’re sailing to enjoy, not impress.
Solleone has a bimini top with a windscreen so passengers can enjoy sailing on deck, but stay out of the breeze. That is where we find Autumn, Floody and Beri.
Beri: Good morning lovebugs.
Autumn: I see that you’ve made it topside at the crack of noon. Comfy down there?
Cheyenne: Very.
Captain Jean-Luc: Alexa! Eeze time for lunch s'il vous plaît!
Me: I wonder if the Captain realizes it sounds like he’s yelling at an Amazon Alexa every time he does that?
Cheyenne: That is going to drive me fucking nuts.
Alexa appears at the top of the companionway with a large platter of sandwiches and fruits. Filet follows her with sparkling waters, warm and sans ice of course. We’re in Europe, home of the warm Coca-Cola. Yuk.
Alexa: Buongiorno, I see we are all awake bright and early today.
Cheyenne: The jet lag is kicking my ass.
Floody: Jet lag? Is that what you two were doing at 3am? Jet lagging?
Alexa: Signore Floody makes a joke, yes?
Cheyenne (to Alexa): Nous faisions l'amour.
Alexa: Yes Signorina Cheyenne, we all know you were making love.
Cheyenne: Oh, wow, were we …
Floody: Loud?
Autumn. Very loud.
Alexa: Oui, very loud. But I enjoy it. It gave me, how you say “culotte mouillée”
Cheyenne: Wet panties?
Alexa: Oui! Hahaha, It gave me wet panties.
Captain Jean-Luc: Alexa! Please, let zee guests enjoy zee lunch s'il vous plaît!
Alexa: Okay guests, I must go.
Filet and Alexa disappear below deck and we enjoy lunch. Beri puts dijon on a sandwich and shuttles it aft so that Henrik can have a bite to eat while at the helm. San Remo comes into view and I swear I can see “Il Poggio” cut into the hillside. Cyclists must race up and down il Poggio at the conclusion of each year’s Milan-San Remo cycling race.
Me: You speak French?
Cheyenne: Some. I took it in High School.
Me: I forgot that Europeans have a much more relaxed attitude about sex. Alexa seemed a little …
Cheyenne: Inappropriate?
Me: I was going to say “turned on.”
Cheyenne: Maybe she heard, but I don’t need to hear about it. A little discretion would be appreciated.
Me: I’ll chat with her about it after lunch.
Cheyenne: Careful, she might get “culotte mouillée” again.
…
We spend the entire day sailing east. It’s 100 miles exactly from Monaco to Portofino, our destination. Today is our day to make the longest passage of our journey, so we all take turns at the helm. Cheyenne and I team drive for a nice portion of the afternoon. It’s an amazing feeling having this much yacht under your control.
We arrive in Portofino harbor well after dark and drop our anchor. We pushed super hard to reach harbor in a single day, and we’re all thankful that we’ll be sleeping on beds that are horizontal and stationary.
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Gen One, Day Sixty-Two
“Charlie, I want you to know that you can talk to us about anything, okay?” Robyn tried after they had finished off their floats and headed out onto the patio. They watched the sailboats come and go while Robyn got the fire pit going so they could stay warm and cozy.
“Okay,” Charlie said, though his attention was on a big cargo ship coming through the bay, hands resting on the arm of the chair with his chin against them as he watched them with child-like wonder.
“Baby,” she tried, brushing her fingers through his hair and that got his attention to turn on her, instead, a little disgruntled as he fixed his own hair. “The call from your teacher the other day. Was it about the same kid from the park?”
“Yeah,” Charlie acknowledged. “But he won’t bother us much longer.”
The words seemed ominous, especially since she didn’t know where they had come from. She tilted her head in confusion at him. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“Next time he picks on Harvey or me, I’m gonna do a Ippon Seoi Nage.”
Robyn’s eyes narrowed. “A what?”
“It’s a take down. He won’t bother us after that.”
“A take down,” she repeated and Charlie nodded, but then froze, like he’d given something away.
“I...saw it on tv.”
“Uh huh.”
Legacy Page
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Waiting for a hurricane
We're in Bridgewater, NS, up the top of the LaHave river. We never would have come up here - a town known for shopping malls and home of Michelin tire manufacturing - but Hurricane Fiona is working its way up the coast of Nova Scotia and we scoured the chart for the best place to wait it out. This small town at the top of navigation of the LaHave River is the most inland and the most westerly that we could make it. We are expecting tropical storm strength winds here. Further up the coast, in Halifax and Canso and Cape Breton, - places we passed through within the past week or two - are expecting to get hurricane force winds. I'm worried about our boat and what kinds of conditions we will see but I'm also thinking of Tony, Tricia, Gary, Kim, Ian, the awkward woman at the museum in Canso, the manager of the Canso fish plant, and the kind woman at the Baddeck marina, the kind people we met in Halifax and Canso and St Peters and Baddeck and hoping they pull through okay. I've never been this close to a hurricane.
We're in a kind of hilarious place up here in Bridgewater - on the chart a public wharf is marked at the top of the river. When we arrived, it turned out there are 3 hulks of old fishing trawlers tied up here, slowly rusting and sinking. The coast guard looks after them and a young guy named Louis has permission from the coast guard to live aboard his sailboat on the wharf in exchange for making sure no one attempts to board these dangerous hulks. The wharf is gated off and behind a padlock so Louis has to let us in or out or else we take our dinghy to shore.
We tied up behind a sail boat, the "Homer Simpson" with a retired tugboat captain aboard who is bound from Halifax to FL for the winter. He spent his life captaining various ships mostly in the Caribbean and tropics of the Pacific and circumnavigated the world a few times on a sailboat. I've never seen such badly sun damaged skin - his arms, face and neck all look like one big skin cancer. He's of course full of stories. A Quebec couple has decided to anchor out in the river. There's a local boat from LaHave whose owners have tied her up and gone home. Louis is on his boat just behind us. Several other boats are up at a small marina just upstream (two rafted together which is a questionable strategy in my mind). Several locals say they've ridden out plenty of storms up here so I keep reassuring my nagging worries that we'll all be fine. There's good community spirit among all taking refuge and lots of offers of help so there's likely to be a good hurricane party tonight aboard one vessel or another.
We're on the shore side of the wharf tied bow and stern to both the wharf and to large trees on the shore, two more bow lines and two spring lines on the wharf side. These are all designed to hold us off both the wharf and the land so we've created Island Foot Loose. I feel good about where we're at - there's only 1 boat upwind of us, and we're not in the river channel so if trees and debris float downriver we'll be protected. Before the storm hits we'll take down the dodger, the solar panels and the diesel can and store them below. We've already taken off the sails. We've got plenty of booze and bacon and we'll let you know how it goes.
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asks (26)
@spickerzocker said:
hey there! just a heads up that i tried to click on the "why i don't ship" explanation link in your faq and it says that there is no post with that url/it's generally broken. also your "a conversation about recovery" thing is beautiful and hurts in the best way and i love it. have a nice day!
Yes, I intentionally took that link down awhile ago, and last night I went and updated some of the tabs on my blog. Here are my basic thoughts:
I wrote that link years and years ago, while I was first navigating the internet and while I was still figuring out important things about my own identity and opinions. I ran my blog differently back then, but by the end of the first few months, I knew I was uncomfortable with shipping.
As people began to interact with me and my work, I told them over and over again no, I don’t want to talk about that, and I don’t want to write about it, and it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think that was a common position to take at the time, so it wasn’t what people expected from me.
During those years, I felt like I had to justify myself and give a valid explanation. I wrote that post explaining why I had that boundary, and I put it in a place where anyone could find it.
I said no when people asked, let them make jokes about it, and made jokes about it myself in response. As time went on I got more and more exasperated when I had to repeat myself. I wrote definite rules into my ask box, request tab, and FAQ. People still asked. I wrote it into my description. People still asked.
The truth is yeah, there’s a pretty simple explanation for my discomfort. It makes sense. It’s easy to understand, and most folks think it’s a “good enough” reason to leave me alone. The difference between young-me and current-me is that I no longer feel the need to justify myself.
None of y’all need to know why I set the boundaries that I set. My explanation isn’t relevant, and I’m not obligated to give it. I said no. That’s enough.
I think a good number of folks remember my explanation from the past, and I don’t mind that at all. There may be a time where I talk about it again, in a more appropriate context, so I guess we’ll see.
That’s a lot of information in response to a very helpful ask. Thanks! The link is gone now, and I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the fic :)
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Anonymous said:
U suck
Kenza sent this anon as a joke. She’s right, and I thank her.
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Anonymous said:
I'm a doctor and ive seen it all.....but the milk fic made me gag
Excellent
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@wingedskyes said:
Ah. Wait. I wasn't on anon....uhm. oh well. It's fine. I like milk and am not ashamed. 😆
I don’t think I received another message from you actually, but I too like milk and I’m glad we’re on the same page
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@thelittleredheadedmusician said:
To add to the milk discussions: my best friend from home and best friend from college have each finished a gallon a milk by themselves within 2 days.
I do that too, every once in awhile. When the milk craving hits it’s a gallon a day
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Anonymous said:
"TIM! POUR HIM. A GLASS OF M A L K!"
Hold on I have to google some things
Yeah this is funny
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Anonymous said:
I have read that milk fic three separate times and every time I’m laughing just as hard as Tim and dick by the end it’s just so excellently executed and builds so perfectly that by the time dick cracks I’m ready to go too and I just lose it it’s amazing I love it
Awww anon I’m so pleased :)
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@the-smartass-under-the-mountain said:
Just wanted to drop by and say your recent fic with Tim antagonizing Damian with increasingly outrageous milk concoctions had me giggling. It was so cute and refreshing to see Dick enjoying Tim's little prank. And Bruce's reaction to just... walk away was fantastic!
Thank you! I’m always so thrilled when y’all think the jokes hit
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@njtheboywonder�� said:
I havnt really enjoyed a fic in years, but i stopped to read ur fanfic with tim drinking milk just to fuck w dami amd it made me smile. Thanks, for writing it.
Oh that warms my heart <3
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@bruciewayneisbatman said:
Tim Is totally the guy who would drink ridiculous amounts of dalgona coffee to annoy damian, according to that fic.
Had to google that one, but I guess so huh
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Anonymous said:
(diff anon) but that birthday fic was so good oml and you have opened my eyes as to the batfam in quarantine this is such a Concept
We’re all here dying..... together...
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Anonymous said:
Happy birthday! 🎉 or belated! 🎂 thank you for being in the fandom. 😊
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Anonymous said:
To anon! Sorry. I forgot to add that! Anyway, thanks to them we get a lovely fic. I hope you have many more birthdays! 😊
Message for you anon
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Anonymous said:
Your writing gives off good vibes
Hear that guys I “passed my vibe check.” Is that what the youth say these days? I am an elder now and I do not know
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Anonymous said:
finding your blog while being relatively new to batman fandom is such a bliss. your batfam content especially is *chef's kiss* amazing.
Thank you my darling :) I’m glad you’re here
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Anonymous said:
Best line in a fic? Hard to pick just one, but this particular one from "Just Desserts" by fyeahbatmanandrobin on Tumblr is one of my faves: “Anyone else would be hard-pressed to provide the particular brand of excitement you bring to my life, Dami.”
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@noisypaintersong said:
For the line thing: "I don't doubt it. Bruce Wayne, the unexpectedly normal guy wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a superhero wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a fake socialite wrapped in a businessman wrapped in a secretive billionaire." He paused. "…You're the seven-layer burrito of Gotham," he pondered. - Barry to Bruce in 'Of Friends and Foes' by Paganpunk2 on FFN. It's one of the funniest things I've read someone say to Bruce LOL
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@kirakats submitted:
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Anonymous said:
“I do know that according to everyone else, there is no chance, no future, no universe where I stay a hero.” Describes my frustration with the way DC treats Damian so accurately. Let the kid be a hero dammit.
Thanks! That’s really helpful. I’ve got a decent answer to my question now.
@kurawastaken submitted:
So this is Kenza retaliating against me for the milk fic. I very much hate tomatoes and specifically ketchup. This photo (1) is a nightmare and (2) fulfills its intended purpose.
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Anonymous said:
I love your blog!!!
And I love you
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Anonymous said:
quick question: how do you think jason reconciles with the fam?? i think in the comics they kinda just reboot and now he’s on better terms. but like what conversations happened, yknow??? (you’re doin great work by the way, it rips out my heart but it’s great)
This is an amazing question, and I’ll be thinking about it for the next bit, I think. That would be a really interesting topic to explore in depth
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@angel-gidget said:
*hugs you real tight* would you please send this to the first 10 people in your dash? Make sure someone gets a hug today and stay safe!
Oh thank you for the hug <3
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Anonymous said:
I hadn’t been aware of that Memphis petition, but I live in Memphis too (Altho I know you said you just grew up there so you may not be living here currently haha) so ig I just wanted to say thanks for bringing it to my attention!
!!!
I’ve been in Texas for six years now, ever since I started school, but I’m still in and out of Memphis for family purposes. Love the trash heap of my birth
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@damianwaynerocks said:
hey! any chance you know of any other dc heroes around damian’s age?
Sure! You could try Billy Batson, Jon Kent, or Maya Ducard
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Anonymous said:
hi! i don't know if it's okay to leave anons like these but ive been feeling down because my country has passed a bill that deprives us of lots of human rights freedom and i want you to know that i just found your blog through the damian/bruce + justice fic and it comforted me. im slowly going thru your works and so far they are all comforting. i love your stuff, thank you.
Philippines? I’ve heard some things, and I’m real sorry y’all’re going through that. I don’t know that there’s anything I could say about that to help, but I hope you’re finding joy somewhere
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@awesomeness-ofgaybitches said:
Tumblr hates you. The links in your bio and to your fic masterlist don't work on mobile. I'm sorry.
FUCK
#I'd like to also take this opportunity to note that at this time#I have blocked 7 people for variations on#okay no ships but what about sailboats??#but what about the TITANIC#here's a picture of the bat-boat tho#guess what kids it's not creative or funny#and I explicitly said that jokes will get you blocked#I follow through#asks
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there’s this philosophy question - how many boards on a sailboat can you replace before the ship is no longer itself?
my brother asks me while we are making tacos.
“one hundred,” i tell him.
“What if the boat is really big?”
“one hundred boards. i laugh while cutting up lettuce.
“what if-”
“nope. it’s one. hundred. every time.” one hundred boards and one hundred nails and one hundred days on the ocean.
i don’t know, after all. you’re not supposed to know this kind of thing. you are supposed to ask this kind of question while sinking deeper into leather chairs and stroking your jawbone.
here is what i do know - it has been over a hundred days for me. it has been one hundred nails and one hundred reasons i have had to find by examining the world and the softness of skin.
for so long, i felt patchwork. i was assembled in thin i-tried-to-get-better. i felt gaping, full of fanged darkness, a facsimile of a person. an inch from drowning. somehow fooling others i was fine when every corner of my soul was dripping with seasalt.
but it has been one hundred boards. i have taken out and replaced and taken out and replaced and taken out and made better. i have built the prow of this boat so many times that i can navigate it by moonless yawn. each time the crest of the wave comes into me - i know what will bend. i know what will break. and i know i will be okay, and i will find some way to replace it.
the things that have been done to me have been left on different shores. they have been remodeled into warm wood and strong doors and i am a different ship than the girl he touched and i am a different ship than hiding cuts and i am a different ship that doesn’t worry if she’s actually enough.
i am a different ship. i am laughing about philosophy questions. i am trying to learn how to speak better french. i only sew things closed with dental floss - i learned that two ships ago. i am making tacos in a warm room. i still flinch if you move too quickly. but i am still building.
and i will be a different ship, a hundred different ways. and it will be beautiful to witness.
#hmmm i should really put this on insta instead#btw#it's#rid.inkskinned#there's more stuff over there
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💘 Anime Self Ship Valentines Edition! 💘
10 questions total. First half regular self ship, second half romantic date ideas! If any questions have already been included somehow, just add to it!
Questions
(as always) Who are you shipping?
1 Who said I love you first?
2 Where was your first official date? What did you wear?
3 Tell us about your first Valentines together.
4 Do you have a song together/your song.
5 What you both do that makes the other weak in the knees.
Date Ideas
6 Renting out a theater for a double feature (what are you watching?)
7 Taking a sailboat to a private island
8 Hot air balloon ride (what city are you in?)
9 Gondola ride through river of water lanterns
10 Botanical gardens and nature walk
bonus (if you want): what are you actually doing today?
tagging: @ack3rlady @levisbrat25 @hauntedhousecat @levi-supreme @nelapanela94 @holy-guacamoly @sckerman @levis-hazelnut
and whoever else wants to do this. Just including my normal shippers! I can add you next time if you'd like :)
Questions
(as always) Who are you shipping? Sticking with Levi this time
1 Who said I love you first?
I did. It was a couple months into our relationship and I just felt so in love with him at that moment it slipped out. While I didn't take it back, I could see he was shocked, so was going to tell him it was okay if he didn't say it back. Before I could even finish the sentence he was already saying it back.
2 Where was your first official date? What did you wear?
Our first official date was pretty simple and more so hanging out. We went to a book store. I had a pale forest green shirt dress with a collar and large belt. It was cotton and went to my knees. Still love it. Also wore black ankle booties. Levi is handsome in basically anything, and also kept it pretty casual. Long sleeve, button down collared grey shirt, and black pants. Honestly it's outfits we always wear anyway, so it felt very comfortable. We got tea and a snack at the cafe and spoke like we normally do but it felt different somehow. Went to our favorite sections and talked to each other about our favorite books, he took my hand for the first time somewhere between the fantasy and historical sections. I pulled him to the children's section and told him to pick out a cover he liked, and we sat on the floor while I read it to him. He picked The Berenstain Bears: Clean House. I couldn't stop smiling because Levi looked so soft and was listening so intently, and he didn't even notice that a couple kids came over to sit and listen as well until their parents came to find them. Levi bought the book.
3 Tell us about your first Valentines together.
He thinks it's overrated, and I don't care much since he shows me he cares in other ways, but Levi still wanted to do something. He invited me over and made me a delicious dinner, then we went for a drive and watched the night sky. I felt so close to him and we spent all night talking. Snapped a photo of us just before we drove back at sunrise to always remember it. We went our separate ways and I got a couple hours sleep before he was bringing me brunch in the form of heart shaped waffles. Was a little shy as I was in my pajamas. I sat in bed and he was in a chair and we watched tv quietly, then he took my tray, gave me a kiss and said he'd see me later. And then I went back to bed for a while! lol
4 Do you have a song together/your song.
Yes, When You Say Nothing At All. We dance to it when no one is watching. This man will put it on when we're having dinner and we just slow dance in the kitchen. The words are meaningful for us, as we don't always have to have words to know what the other is thinking. Soft touches and looks are more than enough. If he happens to hear it on the radio he will call me and put the phone on speaker so I can hear it to. If it goes to voice mail he lets it play and ends with "bye, love you." And hangs up! <3
5 What you both do that makes the other weak in the knees.
For me it goes back to the I Love You question. The way Levi is always there when I need anything, just makes me adore him. I don't even have to ask or say anything, he's just got it. Never makes it a big deal, even if I try to thank him, I just get a hand or shoulder squeeze, and maybe a kiss depending on where we are. For him, I'm pretty sure it's the small physical gestures like running my hand through his hair, putting a hand on his cheek, or laying my head on his shoulder when spending time together. He always looks so content and leans into my touches.
Date Ideas
6 Renting out a theater for a double feature (what are you watching?)
YES please! So excited for this one! There's popcorn, sour skittles and dark chocolate raisinets for snacks. We start with The African Queen, which while it has it's moments, is also an adventure film. Pretty sure Levi is a Bogart fan. Then it's Roman Holiday, where I gush over the scenery, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. It gives Levi vacation ideas, if we ever get one. Might invite a few other couples to meet the capacity requirement, but they have to get their own snacks and sit rows away from us.
7 Taking a sailboat to a private island.
I was going to say let's do this at sunset but I changed my mind, let's go for brunch! Beautiful clear water, a nice breeze on the way over. The skipper drops us off for a while and we wander about a bit, looking for shells, avoiding hermit crabs, and pulling fruit off the trees. We save it as there's already a brunch laid out for us on a picnic table. Tropical fruits and coconut water, mini donuts and breads, and tea! We take a catnap under a canopy and even splash around in the water for a bit while walking some more.
8 Hot air balloon ride (what city are you in?)
This might make me nervous but I wanna go! Can we be in Italy please? Tuscany, Naples, Florence, anywhere! Levi gives me earplugs due to the noise <3. I can't hear some of what he says now but once we're high enough I'm so enthralled by the view I wouldn't hear him anyway. He sneakily takes a few photos of me being awestruck, and we arrange my hair so you don't see the earplugs while someone takes our photo. The picture is one of our favorites. While no one is paying attention we share a kiss and I could drop to the floor with happiness from it all, honestly.
9 Gondola ride through river of water lanterns
(let's pretend this isn't hazardous)
OMG It's like I'm in Tangled?! When I say gondola, I'm not boat savvy, just something like a gondola, but Levis rowing cause ain't no one else allowed to be with us! It's slow going because we are both enjoying the scene and each other. All the shadows make it more romantic and I look at him every 20 seconds and tbh most of the time he's already looking back and I cannot be more in love with him! My heart might flutter out of my chest?! I lean in multiple times for kisses and at one point he pulls the oars in and holds me against his chest while we float along for a short time.
10 Botanical gardens and/or nature walk
I'd have to think of the first part, because certain flower smells bother me, but they sure are pretty! We'll pretend they don't bother me. We go a little late so the sun doesn't bother us much. Every time we come to something I really like, I'm ready to go find it's plant and put it in our backyard. Levi is not letting that happen, at least until he researches which one (ONE!) will be the least work. Fallen flowers are put in my hair, and his too, as he rolls his eyes.
Nature walk for us is a park preserve with a long boardwalk through tall trees and lots of native wildlife. I feel like we do this anyway so if it's getting dark Levis like "we're not staying long, the gators will be active soon" or something *rolls eyes* we'll come back when it's light out and enjoy the ducks and swans and hopefully no mosquitos!
bonus (if you want): what are you actually doing today?
Some of us are single haha so, I'm writing and taking it easy and will be going to work late, and probably buy myself some discounted chocolate.
#eliza tag game#eliza interacts#self ship#anime self ship#tag game#tag games#tag.game#tag.games#valentines day#i may not get my v day fic out in time#but at least we can self ship!#aot#attack on titan#levi ackerman#leviza#levi
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Just Come Home +OBX+
anonymous requested: Hi! Can you do. John B younger sister imagine where when he finds out their dad is lost at sea, he’s alone, and she’s at work so when she comes back from work(the wreck) she’s all like where’s dad, And he simply says dads not coming back. And it’s just a heavy weight in them, and the rest is up to you!!
word count - 1.2k
warnings - mentions of death
a/n - This was requested so long ago, I am so sorry I never got around to it. I’m trying to update more often, but school is keeping me busy! I know those aren’t excuses, but please be patient with me. This is so short and I’m so srry for that. I love you all so much! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay groovy, folks!
John B sat on the front porch with his head in his hands. His heart felt like stone in his chest. Barely any air passed into his lungs. Tears refused to form in his eyes, even though he felt like crying. His legs were stiff from sitting in that one chair for so long.
He didn’t know what he was going to say to you. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how to tell you what had happened. So deep in his thoughts, John didn’t even hear you ride up to the house.
You saw him from a distance as you hopped off your bike. Your day had been a good one, your shift at the Wreck smooth as a sailboat and you were walking home with 50 extra dollars in your pocket. But seeing your older brother so motionless made your heart drop into the pit of your stomach.
You didn’t even think to lean your bike up against the house, letting it fall to the ground instead, as you walked up to the porch, a scowl on your face.
“Johnny, what’s wrong?”
You took the stairs two at a time, dropping to your knees in front of him. John refused to look at you, keeping his head in his hands. Worry started to form in your stomach. Reaching up, you put a hand on the crook of his elbow, trying to get him to even glance in your direction.
Still, he didn’t.
“You’re scaring me.”
He finally let his hands drop, but still kept his eyes downcast. He slid onto the ground in front of you and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you into a tight hug.
You had always been close with your brother. He practically raised you. But he wasn’t often physical. He liked to keep his distance in that regard, maybe to save some of his vibrato, you didn’t know. It didn’t bother you too much.
So as his arms tightened around you, the fear that had started to pound against your ribcage only grew louder. You could barely hug him back, your eyes wide and flicking around as if searching for an answer on the porch.
A thought hit you suddenly as your eyes landed on two empty beer bottles by the chair John had been sitting in. Your heart almost stopped in your chest.
“Johnny, where’s dad?”
Finally, John let out a sound. Although muffled by his hair and your sweater, you could have thought it was a sob.
“Where’s dad?”
John curled his fingers around your sweater.
“I...I don’t think dad’s coming home.”
You pulled away from him, confusion drawing lines across your forehead. His eyes were glassy, his eyelashes wet. He just looked at you and you just stared at him, lips parted ever so slightly.
“What do you mean?”
John pushed himself back into the chair and brushed his hair out of his face before resting his elbows against his knees.
“Dad went out on his boat looking for the Merchant,” John B said.
“I know. He left a week and a half ago. Didn’t say when he’d be back.”
“He told me when he was supposed to come back.”
The way your brother spoke, it was almost as if he was telling you a secret he knew you didn’t want to hear. On instinct, you straightened your back, moving farther away from him. If you didn’t hear what he would say next, there was no reason for you to believe it.
“And when was that?”
“Few days ago.”
You turned your face away from him completely, breath catching in your throat as it swelled. You shut your eyes, willing your suddenly teary eyes to stay dry. Placing a hand on your chest, you tried to pretend that didn’t mean what you thought it meant. What John thought it meant.
“They’ve been searching for him for three days. There’s no evidence even of his boat.”
You stood up suddenly, shaking hands hovering over your ears.
“y/n-”
“Don’t,” you said, your voice starting to tremble almost as badly as your body. You weren’t even sure how long you could stand before your knees gave out underneath you. “Don’t say what I think you’re about to say.”
You looked at him, finally letting him see the tears in your eyes. You tightened your jaw, pursed your lips. He would never lie to you. He never had before. But this time, you were begging him to.
Just lie, John. Just lie to give me hope.
“Dad’s not coming back.”
You let out a strangled sob and your knees caved in. John caught you before you hit the ground. You clamped a hand over your mouth, hoping that if you could stop the sobbing before it began, you could keep yourself under control.
John tried to hold you, but you pushed him away. It wasn’t his fault, you knew that, but you needed space. You just needed to breathe. You sat on the porch couch and he returned to his seat.
Neither of you shed a tear as a heaviness clouded around you. You tried to swallow, but your throat was raw. Even your lips ran dry. John watched you carefully as you stared at the rotting wood floor beneath you.
A part of knew you had lost your dad to the Royal Merchant long ago, but knowing that he had given his life for it was somehow even worse. You couldn’t remember the last conversation you had with him that wasn’t about that damned ship. Maybe you should have tried harder.
You moved your head to cover your eyes with your hand, afraid that John might finally see the tears that started to roll off your lashes.
“What are we going to do?” you asked, your voice breaking as you let your hands fall away from your face.
John was quiet for a moment and he let out a sigh.
“I don’t know,” he said, barely above a whisper. You knew that if he spoke any louder, he would start crying. Slowly, he lifted an arm and draped it over your shoulders and you let him. “y/n, I don’t know.”
Your jaw was tight but with your brother’s arm around you, you finally felt the tenseness in your muscles relax. You leaned into his hug and dropped your head against his shoulder.
“He’s really gone?” you whispered.
“Yeah, I think so.”
You didn’t really feel like crying. You weren’t sure what you felt like doing. But you also weren’t sure it mattered. You had lost your dad a long time ago, but you always had your brother. Even when you had nothing, you had John.
“We’re going to be okay,” he whispered to you and you nodded your head.
You turned toward him, wrapping your arms around his waist. As tense as your relationship with your father had been, your relationship with John had never really been much better.
Before today, you couldn’t remember the last time he had given you a proper hug. It was always ‘Don’t do that, y/n’ and ‘Stay away from JJ, y/n’ and ‘Keep out of trouble, y/n.’. With your father being out more and more often, the divide between you and John widened. He was trying to take over as father and mother and so often he was forgetting that you sometimes just needed a big brother. You didn’t expect anything else from him.
“We’re going to be okay,” you repeated back to him. He pressed and kiss against your forehead.
And you just sat. And it was okay.
Everything was going to be okay.
#john b routledge#john b obx#outer banks#obx#routledge!reader#big john#this is so bad i'm so sorry#my brain is just dead rn#i'll get to working on those other requests#I apologize
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🎃 Spooky Stories 💀
Okay, so I've seen people getting this ask and I have a number of things for this:
1. 🏠 We live in a duplex. We had the same neighbour for maybe about 6 or 7 years. During the year before she moved and put her house for sale, we would hear an odd irregular knocking sound through our shared wall. The only thing I could describe it as is if she was playing some sort of odd game with a ball she was kicking at the wall or very random dancing with shoes on hardwood floor. We've mentioned this to many others, and nobody has ever been able to think of anything that made sense. If it was her, why did it only start then? So clearly, poltergeist became an option. And the sound left after she moved, which fits. Yes, if she was making it herself that fits too, so maybe... but it took over three years for her to sell her half of the duplex, so...
2. 🕯️ When I was in university, I lived in a very old house in the older downtown part of the city with four other young women (we were packed in like sardines--I lived in a tiny room without a closet, but it did have a window). We we're fairly certain at least one person had died in the house, of old age. Not sure where that info came from, but that was what was said about the owners prior to it becoming a rental. One day I didn't have classes until later in the day, so I was alone there. I was getting ready to head out and as I walked by one of my roommates' room, I saw a candle left burning. I blew it out, but made a point to remind her not to risk burning the house down in the future. So later, I told her. She hadn't lit a candle. Nobody there had lit it. We collectively shivered. And honestly, it's the banal nature of this one that makes it all the more real to me.
3. 🎶 On a similar subtle note, I was visiting my friend's house as a teen. We left her room to go upstairs. Once there, I realized I had left something in her room and thinking I would forget if I didn't go back right away (true), I went to get it. As I entered the room, I heard notes being played on her acoustic guitar, right there on the floor. This time, I felt a chill go over me right away. A part of me wanted to get closer to see if the strings were moving, but another screamed not to. Don't see it. Don't. So instead I ran out of the room. Again, fairly banal. I didn't see anything, but that was because of an intense fear at hearing something that shouldn't be there. I went back to the kitchen and told her what I'd heard. She asked if I turned off the amp. I said it was the acoustic.
A common occurrence when we played with a ouija board was that the ghost of a young man would say they were in love with her and would sometimes visit her room, so *shrugs*
4. ⛵ Okay, so this is the best one. It's a freaking ghost ship. (Not to spoil the surprise.) There are quite a few folk ghost stories in my area about ghost ships, particularly on Halloween. So this one year, when we were teens, three of my friends and I dragged a ouija board (of course) and the trappings of some witchcraft we got off the then-new internet (so like Geocities or something), and climbed to one of the highest cliffs overlooking the bay (well, the arm--a bay off a bay). It was flat on top, a nice grassy area. So we were doing our nonsense up there, generally freaking ourselves out enough to last the rest of the year, when eventually we become aware of a large boat coming within sight of our cove. It didn't look ghostly, but it had a mast for sailing, and this was Halloween at 12 am, so not a time people tend to go out for a ride. It had no sails, but was moving, and didn't make a sound. Came right in next to us, turned, and shone a spotlight in our direction. We flattened ourselves to the ground and froze in place. Eventually, it continued to turn and went back the way it came.
We desperately wanted there to be a banal explanation for this. Perhaps someone was out to be spooky for Halloween. But then, the lack of sound, the trip not making much sense, the light... It didn't really look like a modern boat. Not many people have sailboats around here... It never really made good sense. So again, while this one was big and spectacular on one hand, it was also not see-through in a eerie mist. It was weirdly ordinary.
But don't get me wrong, it scared the living shit out of us. It was the last time we ever went out on Halloween trying to do spooky, witchy stuff. Or use a ouija board. I slept with a light on for a while.
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Staring at the Sun [Link/Tetra]
Rating: T (for swearing)
Word Count: 2246
Summary: Link is so in love with Tetra it hurts, both figuratively and literally. But she only seems concerned when it starts interfering with his work on the ship. He has to figure out how to get a grip on his feelings, or else lose himself in them entirely.
Read on AO3
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There was a storm on the way.
Already the clouds blotted out the sun overhead, and thunder rolled in the distance. The winds were still, but Link could feel they wouldn't be for long.
He was in the middle of reefing the mainsail, making sure it couldn't be caught in the strong winds of the storm— captain's orders. And though he didn't quite see the point of it if he could direct the wind, he trusted her experience and judgement.
And speaking of the captain… there she was, like the sun through the clouds herself. Forgetting his work, Link watched as Tetra walked about the deck, checking over the crew's work and making adjustments where necessary. She was so sure in the way she carried herself, and that went double when she was working on the ship. The sheer strength she showed in pulling the line taut, the confidence of her practiced movements tying it secure in little more than a moment… It was nothing short of breathtaking.
While Link was distracted, a sharp gust caught the sail he was supposed to be tying up, and it snatched the rope clean from his hand. He lost his balance, falling to the deck where he lay in an undignified sprawl.
He could hear Tetra walking towards him. He wasn't sure if that made things better or worse.
"Link?"
"Mmn?"
"You alright?"
"Mmyeah," he mumbled into the deck. His pride was more hurt than anything, really.
"That's good. Get up," she told him, and he did, rubbing his arm that had taken most of the impact.
Tetra was silent for a bit, as if struggling to figure out what to say. After a moment she spoke.
"Look, Link. I've seen how you look at me, and I'm flattered, really— but you can't let this distract you from your job. You have to focus on the task at hand, before you or someone else gets seriously hurt. Understand?"
"Yes, Captain."
"I don't want to do this, but if this keeps up I'm going to have to move you to second watch so you can concentrate."
Link's breath caught in his chest. It felt as if someone had reached in to grab his heart and squeeze it as tightly as they could. Working second watch would mean he'd never be off at the same time as anyone from the first watch. That meant everyone in the crew he was familiar with. That meant Tetra.
"Do you understand, Link?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Is that what you want?"
He hung his head. "No, Captain."
"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Link. But we can't afford distractions. You have a job to do, and so do I."
"I understand," said Link, and he did. "…With all due respect, miss, it would have hurt less if you'd thrown me overboard."
Tetra laughed at that. It was a beautiful sound, honest and unafraid and sweeter than honey. "You'll be fine, loverboy, you've made it through worse. Now get back up there and finish what you started, alright?"
"…Yeah."
As she walked away, Link stole one last glance after her, before sighing and turning back to the mast. The winds were picking up, and the unsecured side of the sail he was supposed to tie up was flapping in the breeze.
It took a long moment for him to gather the strength to pull himself back up and continue with his work.
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It had been two weeks since Link had gotten distracted and fallen from the mast. Two weeks since Tetra had called him out for staring at her so much, two weeks he avoided looking at her whenever he could, because he knew if he did it'd be next to impossible to tear his gaze away. No one else had gotten hurt since then; at least, not physically, but there was an ache in Link's chest that wouldn't go away. Now, he and Tetra were working together to tar the lines, which left them far too close together and gave him far too much time to think about it.
To distract himself from his thoughts, he asked, "How much longer do you think we'll be out here?"
"There's really no way of knowing. It could be a few days, or we could keep sailing the rest of our lives without finding anything."
"Oh, is it that simple? Let me mark my calendar," Link snapped. He felt Tetra shift next to him, and when he glanced up, she was looking at him with concern. "…What? What is it?"
"That wasn't like you at all, Link. What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Link echoed. "What's wrong is— is I don't know what's wrong. I should be happy, right? We're on an adventure, sailing across the ocean to find new land, just like I've dreamed about ever since I can remember. There are so many amazing things in store for us, it's new, it's exciting, but instead I'm feeling shitty and awful for no damn reason."
"Maybe it's just stress from sailing for so long," Tetra suggested. "It can get to even the most seasoned sailors."
Link considered that for a moment. He knew it could be that simple, but… "That doesn't feel right. I think it's something else."
Tetra didn't get the chance to say anything to that before the bell rang out eight times, marking the end of their watch. She stood and stretched while Link finished up what they were doing, then he followed suit.
"Is it just me, or are those getting shorter?" He asked.
"It's just you. You're getting more used to working with us on the ship, loverboy."
Link tensed. He knew the nickname was supposed to be affectionate (—wasn't it? maybe he was misinterpreting things—) but at the moment, it felt more patronizing than anything. He fixed his gaze on the deck and said nothing. He knew he could look at her, but somehow it felt like he wasn't allowed.
"Still not feeling great, huh?" Tetra asked, a note of sympathy —that was sympathy, right?— in her voice. "Let's head to my quarters, we can talk more there."
Link's brain practically stopped working at that. He had to forcibly remind himself that it didn't mean anything, that he had to stop thinking about Tetra that way. She just said she wanted to talk, that's all, it wasn't her fault he wanted to kiss her more than he wanted anything else in the world.
"Yeah," he said, though it came out somewhat strained. "Let's do that."
She led the way to her cabin and Link followed behind, his brain too busy to do much else. Once they were there, she sat on the bed and left him to just stand and look around. This was only the second time he'd been in here, the first time being only a quick peek long ago when he'd snuck onto the ship to steal bombs and his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Now that he had the chance to look around properly, and now that he knew Tetra better, it made him ache. It was all just… so her.
"Link… Are you upset with me?"
"What?" He blinked in complete shock. Where did that come from? "No, of course not. What gave you that idea?"
"You haven't been looking at me recently… I thought it was because I was too hard on you the other day. I'm sorry about that."
"No, that's not it. It's because you told me not to let myself get distracted, so, I've been trying hard not to."
"There's nothing here to be distracted from."
"Except breathing."
She let out a laugh; even her voice was so beautiful, he couldn't escape. "Link, come on."
He took a breath, like he was about to dive underwater, and lifted his gaze to meet hers. Her eyes were blue like the ocean, like sapphires, like the summer sky on the day they'd met; her skin, a sun-kissed golden brown dotted with countless scars and freckles. He wanted so badly to run his fingers along them, to trace constellations between and navigate by the stars of her sky. She was smiling at him, softly, and he longed to find out if her lips were as soft as they looked…
"You're so beautiful," he breathed, because looking at her how could he say anything else?
"You really think so?"
"Of course I do. You..." He struggled to find the words to describe just what he saw in her. "You—you're like the sun and the stars to me, you shine so bright and so beautiful and when you're around I can hardly think about anything else. It's just… too much for me, I'm too hopelessly in love."
She laughed again, but this time, Link felt some part of him splinter and break. "You're so cute—"
"It's not a joke, Tetra!"
The smile vanished from her face. He hadn't meant to yell so loud, but he couldn't find it in himself to regret it. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, and his hands shook.
"I love you so much it hurts. And you know how I feel about you, and you keep treating it like— like the world's biggest fucking joke. I tell you how I feel and you laugh in my face. " He took a shuddering breath. He could tell Tetra was staring at him, but he couldn't make out her expression, he was crying too hard. "And— and you keep teasing me, and leading me on, you keep acting like you, like you have feelings for me, too, but then you always back off and leave and I just… just tell me! Quit playing with my feelings and just tell me you don't like me back so I can stop wasting my fucking time!"
Link dissolved into a coughing fit, punctuated by sobs. His chest and throat hurt so much from screaming like that— but worse was that he'd probably just ruined his friendship with Tetra for good. It was selfish of him to expect her to feel the same way he did, wasn't it? And yelling at her over it was even worse.
He was so ready for her to kick him out of her cabin, to tell him she didn't owe him anything, to drop him off in his little sailboat and leave him all on his own. He wasn't ready for what she did instead, which was to take his hand and gently brush the tears from his face.
"It's okay, Link… It's okay," she assured him. But then before he had the chance to recover, she added, "But I do actually like you back."
"What," he said flatly. Then, at a higher pitch, "Why the fuck would you say something like that?"
"What??"
"You can't just— you can't just say that and make it all better!"
"Link, I—"
"If anything this is worse! Because if you really felt the same way about me then why—"
"Link." She interrupted him, clearly exasperated. "Can you please just listen for a moment?"
Link fell silent. Tetra tugged at his hand, guiding him to sit on the bed beside her.
"I do return your feelings," she said. "But we can't be in a relationship, not while I'm captain of this ship. There's no way for it to be balanced while I'm still the boss of you, and I can't give you the time and attention you deserve when I have this to worry about. It wouldn't be fair to you."
"Okay." Now that he was hearing the actual explanation, that made a lot of sense.
"But, I didn't realize I was already being unfair to you by leading you on. I'm really sorry for that… I promise I'll stop teasing you from now on."
"The teasing is fine! It's… it's already a lot better just knowing where you're coming from with that, you know?"
"Alright, I'll stay the course, then." She smiled. "And as for seriously being together… We can discuss that more once we find land, alright?"
"Yeah." He rested his head against her shoulder for just a moment, before he thought of something. "Though if it could be years before we find it, like you said… How about a kiss to tide me over 'til then?"
"You really are a bold son of a bitch, aren't you?" Tetra chuckled and shook her head. "Alright. One kiss, that's all you get. Better make it count."
When Link didn't act, she did instead, cupping his face in her hand and leaning in to press her lips to his and gods it was everything he'd imagined and more, it felt soft and warm and right like sunlight made solid and he never wanted this moment to end. He wrapped his arm around her back to pull her in closer and kiss her as deeply as he could. He couldn't care less that he didn't know how to kiss someone, because all that mattered was her with him right here and now.
It ended too soon —but really even if it never ended it would've been too soon— and he flopped backwards onto the bed. There he simply lay and stared at the ceiling, totally starstruck.
"You good there, loverboy?"
"I think I can die happy now."
"You better not!" Tetra objected and jabbed him in the side. Link burst out laughing, and then Tetra did, too; and in that moment, everything was perfect.
#and now for the tags#pining#(so much pining)#emotional hurt/comfort#first kiss#the love is requited they're just idiots#legend of zelda#loz#wind waker#phantom hourglass#tetra#link#telink#fanfiction
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(XIV|21-29: Debonair. Idanwyn Lluanswys.)
[♪]
“Aren’t you worried about the rain messin’ up your fancy garb, Captain?” Kanekiyo put enough emphasis on her title to ensure she knew he was mocking her.
Idanwyn didn’t rise to the bait. “Wouldnae be particularly good sailin’ garb if I didnae want it tae get wet, now, would it?” Pushing away from the stone pillar, she turned on her bootheel to face the Raen. Even for one of his kind, he was tall; her own six fulms, three ilms, put the top of her hat at the bottom of his ribcage. “Why’re ye speakin’ in Eorzean on this side o’ th’ star, anyroad?”
Kanekiyo raised a scaled brow, ticking off reasons on his fingertips. “ ‘Cause there aren’t too many bilingual, pale Sea Wolf runts what have cursed ships,” Idanwyn mimed cutting her throat with her left index finger, shaking her head rapidly, “and are expressly prevented from makin’ port here,” the Sea Wolf bared her teeth, eyes staring daggers up at the green-eyed Raen, “thanks to pissin’ off the yakuza.”
“I’m goin’ tae drown ye me ainself, I swear tae Llymlaen an’ th’ kami, both,” she hissed, throwing up her hands in defeat. “I suppose I brought tha’ on meself by askin’. Fine. I ken this is no’ th’ garb those wha’ are dear tae me here would expect tae see me in. Still,” she ducked her head and paused. The group of Limsan tourists she’d made the journey with---she’d dressed far more inconspicuously then, of course---clattered down the pier, exclaiming loudly about the architecture, the crimson sunset like patches of magma against the scattering rainclouds.
“[Still,]” she continued in Hingan, pitching her voice so it was just audible above the rain, the chatter, “[can we please get to the damned skiff? The sooner we’re in Yanxia, the better.]” They walked side-by-side, Kanekiyo stooping so his horns could catch her words, headed to a smaller pier at the eastern edge of the bustling port city. “[I still don’t understand why I had to go through all of this trouble. I could’ve travelled by aether to the geomancer’s temple quite easily. Then, a short day’s hike, perhaps two, to the falls.]”
As they boarded their rented sailboat, sharing the duties needed to launch her, Kanekiyo explained. “[The sage is able to trace paths through the aether. It’s not unheard of for one to go physically blind, then gain that sort of skill.]”
“[Nor is it as common as you’re making it sound,]” she replied dryly. The pair worked in silence for a time, then took a moment to relax as the stars poked through the Firmament. Idanwyn took a deep breath, removing her tricorne the moment they lost sight of Kugane; a brisk evening wind hastened their journey across the Ruby Sea.
“Ye really t’ink this sage could track me t’rough th’ aether?” she asked at length. In the depths below, Sui-no-Sato was a shimmering pearl against the darkness; both sailors watched it diminish as they passed. “If sae, might be as I should find a different path fer me crew tae take. We can find another way tae make an airship. Hells, if I give Zakuro enough time, gil, an’ tea, we could at least get some...I dinnae, rockets or summat.”
Kanekiyo groaned. “I still can’t believe they let you be a Captain. Rockets? Seriously?!” He let up when he saw the look she was giving him; a smug smile, amber eyes reflecting the lantern on the prow. “Okay, fine, you got me. I really can’t tell when you’re being stupid for fun or for real, though.”
The pale Sea Wolf’s aetheric sleeve tattoo glowed bright, pinpricks of blue light wending through the weave of her coat sleeve. A moment after, the waters below, with perfect accuracy, lofted a confused herring onto an even more confused Kanekiyo’s face. “Aye. I’ve tae keep ‘em guessin’, lad, or tis an early grave fer auld Idanwyn Lluan’s-kin,” she announced debonairly, one hand on her embroidered waistcoat, the other held aloft in the air, the very picture of a pirate queen.
Such a picture was never meant to last; Kanekiyo, also a geomancer, set the seat of her pants alight, sending her overboard in a hurry. “Godsdammit!” she hollered upon surfacing; he merely waved farewell, the unfortunate herring flapping in his hand like a salt-wife’s handkerchief. Fortunately, it was only about a half malm to shore; an easy swim for her, even if her garb wasn’t as seaworthy as she’d claimed it to be. She’d die before she admitted that to her senpai, however; he was insufferable enough already.
They grilled the herring and many of its fellows for supper, Idanwyn in the plain tunic and trousers that she preferred for sailing, her Captain’s garb drying nearby. The skiff was well-dug into the pebbly sand of the shore; tomorrow, just before sunrise, they’d break camp and navigate an underground river until they reached Yanxia. There, too, she’d see this sage for herself; see if they were worth the risk to her crew.
(( @clockworkdragonffxiv for the mention!))
#Idanwyn Lluanswys#FFxivWrite2021#I did it I wrote for all the alts equally so today and tomorrow are about Idan#prompt 29 debonair#ffxiv writers#femroe#roegadame#I got way into this one! I missed writing for Idanwyn
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