Veth and Fjord make a really entertaining duo because of the way that they butt heads and argue most of the time, but I’m also so interested in all the compelling ways that they are very similar people. Obviously, their personalities are fairly different on the surface level, but many of their underlying issues are the same, as they were formed by bizarrely similar backstories. They were both severely bullied in their childhoods, causing serious self-worth/self-esteem issues that have lasted their whole lives, and they specifically both grew up being told they were ugly and strange by the kids (and adults) around them. They then escaped those damaging environments in the best ways they could—Fjord by ending up on the Tide’s Breath, coming into his own under Vandran's guidance, and Veth by marrying Yeza and having Luc, presumably establishing her own household and getting her out of her childhood home, where her brothers were a main source of the bullying she suffered from. Both instances have them reaching for independence from those who had harmed them, struggling to step into a semblance of better futures, though neither quite manage it in its entirety.
Then tragedy to strikes them both (Sabian’s betrayal; the goblin incursion). And though the circumstances of these tragedies were quite different, they both end the same way: water in their lungs. Both of them utterly changed in the act of drowning, neither of them in control of the outcome. They both become something new and other, something more dangerous than they once were. For Fjord, this is something of a gift, an opportunity to remake himself as he searches for answers. Veth, in a roundabout way, wants the same thing he does. But she doesn't want to remake herself into something new--she wants to remake herself into what she used to be.
This renders Veth and Fjord as something of mirrors to each other. Two people who should not have so much in common, but can see those similarities in the other anyway. Their backgrounds leave them with such similar issues that it's practically inevitable that they butt heads and argue and don't get along half the time, even though they do care about each other. We're talking about two people raised on self-hatred--they probably have some mixed feelings about seeing so much of themselves in each other. And I just think the way their stories are so symmetrical really deepens both of their narratives once you zoom out enough to see the way that their lives reflect each others'
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Hi yes hello I cannot stop thinking about Kaya going off to medical school (I think realistically she'd be in more of a private internship situation but GO WITH ME HERE) so she's at med school and her classmates are like ooh girl have you got a special someone we can hook u up if not
And shes like hahaha there is sort of someone he's so sweet and such a fun storyteller he was really there for her after her parents died and they both left home to follow their dreams but they write and she hopes they can make something together someday
And her classmates are alternately like aww how sweet or like babe if you don't wanna go on a blind date you can just say so you don't have to make up a canadian boyfriend
And Kaya is mostly very good at medical school and very helpful when her classmates are figuring out how to study and sometimes she doesn't know basic things about how the world works but they all help each other out and then sometimes she'll do something concerning like stare out into the ocean and say 'oh I hope Usopp is having fun out on the Grand Line'
And they're like ........right okay he's a storyteller isn't he lmao the Grand Line is a metaphor hahahahaha for a moment there I really thought your not!boyfriend was out on the Grand Line for real or something hahahaha
And Kaya's like no i was seriously he actually is, last month he sent me a letter about [insert relevant plot point here idk I'm only at Alabasta]
And her friends are like ...........as a Marine? Kaya please say that your not!boyfriend who has run away to follow his dreams and ended up on the Grand Line joined the Marines. Or that he's lying to you. Kaya please say psych right now
And then they conveniently walk past a wall of wanted posters and Kaya is like OH LOOK THERE HE IS RIGHT THERE!!!! Awwww his bounty has gone up I'm so proud of him ^v^
And her classmates are there just like ......... and reassessing everything they know about her lmao
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hello beans!! hope you're doing well 💜 ^w^ I know you've probably gotten a lot of requests - but I'm gonna add to that pile anyway because it's fun and also your writing is wonderful and always cheers me up to read!! I'm so inspired by your drabbles and you really bring these characters and this little world to life ;w;
From drabble list #1:
14. "Please tell me, this is not why you woke me up."
Character(s): honestly anyone, but my gut was saying Es as soon as I saw that sentence so... up to you!
Woo thank you pal, same to you!! Thanks for your kind words ah ;--; This is the perfect line for Es omg, I've been cracking up over it for so long 😂 I was tempted to write them waking up for T2, taking one look around and going "uh-uh," but decided on some T1 comedy...
Es rarely dreamed. Usually it was vague images and thoughts. Sometimes it was just them thinking about breakfast the following morning. Occasionally they were plagued by a nightmare of being forced to sing karaoke with the prisoners. Most of the time, though, it was just silence that welcomed them at the end of the day. Wonderful, peaceful, silence.
BANG-BANG-BANG!
Someone slammed their fist on the door. Es just about fell out of bed.
Mikoto’s voice came from outside. “Oi, get up! There’s been… uh… an incident!”
That was the last thing a prison guard wanted to hear at -- Es checked the clock -- 2am. Damn.
They muttered to themself as they threw on their uniform. Why the prison’s cells didn’t lock was beyond them. Some of the prisoners were more troublesome than others, but the first trial had been going smoothly thus far. Why now?
Their mind flashed with various possibilities, each one worse than the last, all urging them forward. By the time they were running down the hallway, their shirt buttons were a row off, and they had to switch their shoes to the opposite foot. They adjusted the cap clumsily on their head.
Fear gripped their chest as they heard Jackalope’s voice crying out for help from the panopticon. Jackalope never called for help.
Es burst into the room. The prisoners froze, looking up guiltily.
They sat in a huddle on the floor. Yuno and Muu held the little furry warden over a tub of sudsy water. Bottles of soap and shampoo sat nearby. An assortment of brushes and combs sat to the side. Splashes of water spread across the prisoners and ground, speaking to several failed attempts at getting Jackalope into the bath.
Nearby, Mahiru was holding up the tiny guard’s uniform, her sewing kit spread out on her lap. Es spotted bandages on Yuno’s and Kazui’s fingers. Shidou was currently dabbing blood off Fuuta’s nose as he fumed. Jackalope leaned over to nip at the hands holding him, but Yuno and Muu held him fast.
“Es!” came his frantic voice as he thrashed around. “You gotta help me! Make them stop, dammit!”
From the group of prisoners who had been watching from a distance, Haruka turned to them. “Oh! Es! Th-they thought that he needed a -- uh, a bath! His uniform had a h-hole, and Mahiru can s-sew! And they thought, they thought we could do it all t-together… Muu called it a -- a spa night…”
“At two in the morning?” Was all that came to mind.
“We tried to get him to do it earlier today,” Muu said, “but we didn’t get a chance until now.”
“They didn’t get a chance to kidnap me, she means!” He squirmed around some more, swinging his antlers wildly. “They hid around the corner and nabbed me like the filthy criminals they are!!”
Yuno said, “hold still,” as she brought him closer to the water. He kicked his feet wildly, screaming at Es to show a little authority and do something.
“Hold on a second,” they stopped her.
They closed their eyes, pinching the bridge of their nose. They took a measured breath. They were here to contemplate sin and crime, guilt and forgiveness. Their job should have consisted of questions about morality and life and death; they never anticipated looking around their prison and asking, “is human shampoo even safe for his fur?”
Kotoko spoke up from the other side of the room. “That’s what I thought, but is he really a rabbit? He eats human food and everything, we didn’t think a bit of soap was that different.”
Jackalope disagreed (“that stuff is as bad as poison -- poison I tell you!”) but the others chimed in with their agreement. From around the room came promises that they were being gentle with him, and that they’d keep quiet, and that they’d dry and brush his fur really well when they’d finished, and that they’d feed him treats, and that his uniform was already good as new, and so on. A few complaints at getting bit mingled with Jackalope’s own insults.
“-- Alright.” Es held up a hand to silence them all. They knew a warden shouldn’t be making compromises with their prisoners. At the same time, they didn’t have the energy to argue about bunny baths at this time of night. “You can continue, but wash him outside of the tub. And go easy on the shampoo. Any mess you make must be cleaned by morning.”
They were met with excitement and thanks. Jackalope grumbled that they were too soft, but he sounded relieved as he was whisked away from the dreaded bathwater.
Es sighed. There may have been a few bites and bumps, but that was all. No emergency, no fight, no danger plagued Milgram tonight. Their relief quickly turned to annoyance. They leveled their gaze at Mikoto as he entered from the hallway behind.
“Please tell me this isn’t why you woke me up.”
“Huh? Oh, this? No, no -- we have everything under control. Aw, Mappi, that looks great!”
He pointed at her sewing job, revealing bandages on his hands as well. It looked like no one was safe from the rabbit’s little teeth… Then Mikoto jabbed a thumb casually over his shoulder. “Nah, the faucet in the men’s room broke when we tried filling the basin. The whole room’s flooded now. I think it’s gonna start spilling into the hallway soon.”
“WHAT?”
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Coming to terms with the fact
That I will never be tall,
Or unbelievably beautiful,
In the way that people turn their heads
And stare.
I will have never loved,
Or begun to understand what love might be,
Aside from in books and movies.
I may never understand, and that scares me.
I feel so young. Too young.
Though I desperately try to
Claw at the remains of my youth.
I'm falling behind, yet I don't want to get back up.
Is this what growing up is?
I want so badly what time will grant now
And yearn for what I have lost in the process.
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