#Also because Coral was her mom

[some-pers0n]

Anemone is a good litmus test for whether or not a person is able to understand characters

"I liked Anemone until arc 2, where she became a brat for literally no reason" ooohhh so close! Anemone was a heavily traumatized dragonet who was literally on a leash for most of her life. She was taken advantage of by anybody close to her and coddled as this precious innocent baby. When she goes to school she acts out every impulse as she's now free from her controlling mother, which makes her a perfect target for Darkstalker to manipulate and use as a pawn for his greater plan. She was a brat because she was a young girl who has never known what a healthy and normal relationship was like

[sanyu-thewitch05]

I’ve been always been obsessed with myths, legends, and fairytales. And one thing that always stood out to me was that how various cultures all seem to have tales about magical women bathing, a man spotting a particular one with interest, and then either marrying her, or dying/having some cursed downfall eventually. So…can I request a story like that…but with a twist of course. Male Yandere X Female Nymph Reader

So broad premise…Darling is a nymph (or some general magical maiden) bathing in a body of water, combing her otherworldly super long hair, and just living her best life. Yandere stumbles across her and starts to stalk her over the course of some time, falls in love with her, etc. But Darling has played this game many times before and thinks this is dumb schmuck nth, and continues her innocent/ignorant/helpless act, thinking that she’ll be able to lure this man to kill him in a few days (for food, riches, or something, idk). What she doesn’t know is that Yandere is a lot more smarter and is also putting on his own act in front of her. Cause the twist is that Yandere is partial/descendent magical creature of some sort, and thus Darling’s magic doesn’t work on him. (He’s also had training resistance against magics of sorts or something). Anyway…confrontation happens, Darling thinks she’s gonna successfully drown him, but Yandere reveals his true colors and does some ritual that binds the two of them together for eternity (like some f-ed up magical matrimony), and of course takes her away to some magical residence? (I don’t know what this man does for a living, nor what his home would be like since I want to leave up what partial/descendant magical creature he is to you) where he proceeds to consummate their eternal marriage. Cause in his head, a magical eternal chain isn’t enough…no this man needs to see lots of babies. The literal “fruits of his love.” (Forgive me…I like babies/pregnancy/breeding/baby trapping in Yanderes. That stuff makes me go feral). Can’t wait to see what magical children are produced from this union. LOL.

This idea just seemed fun to write about…two manipulative main characters, each thinking they have the upper hand. Sorry for the long post. Hope you can have fun with the story! <3

TW: Dubcon, Impregnation kink, drugging, forced marriage, blood,

Monday

Being a water nymph of mixed ancestry is one of your favorite things about yourself. Everyone expects you to be the helpful water nymph to help sailors from sirens. Little did they know that your dad was half-siren. Of course, he didn't show any traits because the gene that makes sirens sirens is on the second X chromosome. So when your half-mermaid-half-nymph mom had you and your five other sisters, every single one turned out to be sirens with the tail of a mermaid and the trustworthy face of a nymph.

The best part is that your innocent face helped you lure sailors. Everyone is warned to be suspicious of the woman with a beautiful face and an alluring voice. Nobody expects their angel of death to be a maiden who looks like they're supposed to help you. This earned you many new bones for decorations and combs. Along with many treasures to keep. Plus, the sea creatures let you live in an otherworldly part of the beach hidden away from humans in return for killing a few fishermen. It is truly the dream of a maiden of the sea.

"La, la, la!" You joke around, playfully singing to a romp of otters.

Your long, pastel, aquamarine, wavy hair blends in with the water. The seashells decorating your hair make it look like your personal halo. Your striking blue eyes look like they could pierce through anyone. Your long dusty lilac, coral, and beige tail swishes in the water.

"So, what should I do next?" You ask the otters, going deeper into the water.

The otters swim up to you, then stop. They all stare at something behind you. You turn around and see nothing. You can't help but roll your eyes. Every so often, some human man will come along and watch you. Then, he'll confess his love to you, hoping you'll be his mythical legend wife. You accept, bring him in for a kiss, then bite him on the jugular or drown him.

"Don't worry, I'll have him gone before the weekend," You whisper to your otters.

You go underwater and swim to your grotto for rest. Planning to kill men takes a lot of work.

Tuesday

You sleep until the morning sun shines through the water. You swim to your spot and do your daily routine.

"Let me the morning sun. So much stuff has to be done," You sing, moving your long hair out of the way to expose your bare breasts.

The old topless mermaid trick. The oldest one in the book and usually worked in luring men to their deaths. You pull yourself out of the water and transform into your human form. Your hair covers your naked backside, and you venture into the woods. You hear a branch move nearby and enact your plan.

"What pretty berries," You say, bending down to show your entire bottom and pussy.

More branches move, and you smirk to yourself. You pop a berry into your mouth, and suddenly, your memory goes blank. When you wake up, your body feels so tired you decide to return to your grotto for the day. When you reached the bed, your demeanor had changed from tired to horny. You couldn't help but pleasure yourself. Every nerve on your pussy felt alive when you stroked and fingered yourself. You were seeing stars and the Milky Way when you came. You fall asleep and transform into your mermaid form.

Wednesday

When you wake up, you swim to your spot again and brush your hair. You don't even notice you're not wearing a top. A flower blooms next to you with a golden comb with a letter.

To the sweetest maiden in the sea,

My love, I've been watching you for a long time. I love the way your being becomes one with nature. Though, you should be careful about what berries you eat. Eat too many random ones, and you might not come back.

Your admirer, L.

You laugh. The love letter is cute. So is the comb. But the flower trick really impressed you. You might get a mage's loot this time instead of some fishermen's or hunters. You brush your hair with the comb, and it shows its magical properties. The comb instantly made your wet hair wavy. Usually, it would take a couple of hours for your hair to get wavy after being in the water. You hum a song while combing your hair and sink into the water while relaxing. The branches rustle and twist into a tall, pale figure looking at you from the brush. You can't see its face. But you can tell it's a man. You wink, and you sink deeper into the water. Flowers bloom a path to the water's edge.

Thursday

You sing a siren's song to lure your suitor to his death faster. Nothing happens except the trees twisting, turning, and breaking. Some even bloomed flowers. When you open your eyes to see the chaos you've done, a hand that's disappearing is reaching out to you. You try to touch it, but it vanishes like it is magic. You groan in disappointment and swim out to sea hoping for something to entertain you.

Friday

Your admirer finally showed himself. He was waiting for you at your spot. His silver hair reached his back, and his skin was so pale it shimmered. His blue-green eyes were mesmerizing.

"Hello, my sweet," The man says, pulling you out of the water. "My name's Lochlan and you're going to be my wife."

"Of course," You lie, sweetly going into his arms.

He carries your merbody in his arms, and you bite him in the jugular. Blood splatters all over the grass. His body tumbles into the water, and you hold his head underwater. Lochlan's body finally stops moving, and you let him sink into the water. You dive in, preparing to rip him apart. You can't see his body. It's gone. A hand shoves some sort of berry paste down your throat, and you gag. He slips a silver ring with a blue gem on your finger.

"Did you seriously think I would die from that? I'm half-fae. I don't die easily," Lochlan says, dragging your merbody to the shore's edge.

Your body feels hot, and you want nothing more than to return to your grotto.

"Feel familiar? You ate the key ingredient in our aphrodisiacs," Lochlan states, holding your body as it transforms into its human form. "Don't worry, you'll feel better later."

His hand keeps a steady hand at teasing your pussy. Your watery home slowly disappearing. You can't take it anymore and cry until you pass out.

Saturday

"Ahh~" You moan, climaxing again from Lochlan's fingers.

"That's it, cum again," Lochlan coos, slowing down his pace as you cum.

Ever since Lochlan took you from your beach, he's been pleasuring you. Turns out that the ring he slipped onto your finger bound you to him as his wife forever. Or at least until he wishes to divorce. But that's not going to happen.

"Are you enjoying our honeymoon, my sweet? How does it feel to be Mrs. Caspian? The next queen of the sea fae," Lochlan asks, taking his fingers out of you and sticking his cock inside you. "I waited for you for so long. You even made a cute show of singing your song just for me. I admit it got to me, but I managed to teleport myself away before it was too late."

"Nessie!" You scream, taking his cock for the 5th time today.

"Keep calling me pet names based on the Lochness monster, and I'll breed you till your stomach bulges," Lochlan growls, thrusting faster and cumming into your pussy again. "I can't wait for you to have our babies. They'll be so powerful they could rule every portion of water on Earth."

Before your wedding ceremony, you were locked inside a room the size of a small closet with Lochland. In his culture, a bride and groom must whisper their secrets to each other, then into a conch shell. Then, the conch shell is sent to sea to start the marriage with no secrets. Though you didn't need to whisper your secrets into a conch shell. Your tears meeting a body of water would automatically send your pain through it.

"Just try it, my pretty pearl. A couple of whispers can't hurt. Besides, I want to start this marriage on the right track," Lochlan pleads, clasping your hands.

You relent and bring the shell to your lips.

"I wish I could be with my sisters and family. I wish I could see my precious otters again. I wish I never met him. I wish I never had to marry him!" You whisper, eventually turning into a yell.

Your yell vibrates through the shell, almost cracking it. Lochlan snatches the conch shell from you as you cry. He looks at you with pity and lets you weep on his chest. He brings the conch shell to his lips and whispers his secret.

"I want to be the best husband for my wife. Even if she hates me for eternity. I want to return to the sea to visit my mermaid mom and her family," Lochlan whispers, noticing you looking at him.

"If I marry you, will you return me to the sea with my family?" You ask, looking into his eyes.

"Of course. Anything for you."

And that's how you got to the present. You and Lochlan fucking in his private underwater palace near both of your families. It was a nice compromise and made you feel more at ease.

"I'm about to cum, Lochy!" You moan, feeling your legs about to give out.

"Me too, my pearl!" Lochlan screams, holding onto your hips tight.

You feel him cum in you one last time and fall to the bed. Lochlan falls on top of you and snuggles with you.

"I love you, my pearl," Lochlan pants, kissing your neck.

Sunday

Lochlan is sitting with you in bed and combing your hair.

"This comb really works wonders on your hair, my pearl," Lochlan compliments, enjoying the golden comb turning your hair into beautiful waves. "Are you doing ok? I know being pregnant in your mermaid form isn't easy."

"I'm fine, Loch. I'm really tired, though," You answer, rubbing your slightly big stomach.

It's been three months since you married Lochlan. Since your honeymoon, you've been pregnant with his kids. Admittedly, he's been a great husband and is making sure your pregnancy is going well. Not only that, but you've been able to see your family.

"Lochlan, can you get me some grouper? Maybe some lobster too? I'm having bad cravings."

"Of course, my sweet."

Lochlan leaves your bed and comes back with a plate of fish and lobster.

"I brought some extra lobster for you. Eat up. You and the babies need nutrients."

"You really care for them, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. A proper king should care for his queen and future heirs. Now, eat. You need to rest during this pregnancy."

Lochlan kisses your head and feeds you.

Headcanon post

[wings-of-fire-confessions]

“Riptide is so plain and/or boring!”

You know what? I genuinely don’t give a f***.

He’s a caring and nice character, that I like and even enjoy, and I think it’s quite neat that Tsunami had someone else she could rely on when she was having troubles within the SeaWing palace while living with freaking Queen Coral and - three moons - Whirlpool.

Plus, Riptide is NOT as plain as some people view him - or at least, he has the potential to be (seen as) a interesting character, but unfortunately wasn’t as explored and/or developed upon unlike some other characters within the series.

Riptide had a rather bad and traumatic past. Webs left him when he was 2 years old - about the current age of Anemone and MINK - in order to take Tsunami’s egg to the the Talons of Peace so he can raise her to be within the prophecy. His mother was indirectly KILLED by Coral by her purposefully putting his mom in the front lines of the war, due to her helping Webs take Tsunami’s egg. 

Due to this, Riptide probably became a literal ORPHAN as a very young dragonet, while living under a violent Queen who HATES his guts.

And due to Webs taking Tsunami’s egg, Coral unrightfully viewed Riptide to be an awful dragon, due to him being related to Webs. Because of this, Riptide is hated and discriminated by Queen Coral and her relatives, and he has a bad and low reputation within his Kingdom based off of crimes he DIDN’T EVEN COMMIT. With this reputation being something that he lived with through the MAJORITY of his life. Which includes him being given the lowest ranking job and duty within the SeaWing kingdom.

Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised that the reason why Riptide seems so ‘plain’ and/or ‘boring’ because he literally HAD to act that way around others - with him placing that part within himself and ingrained it within his personality and/or behavior - in order to NOT stand out and grab the attention of others who actively hate him, and would harm & even KILL him. Especially from how much he’s canonically hated by Coral.

Because if Riptide was noticed to be against Coral’s actions or beliefs, and/or was seen doing something that (majorly) upsets Coral, there’s a good chance - heck, a HIGH chance - that Coral would instantly brutally harm and/or kill him on the spot.

Riptide is one of the characters within the series that, despite the awful treatment and trauma he experienced throughout his life, is STILL a kind, caring, and/or empathetic dragon, who does his best to helps others that he cares about - including Tsunami.

He’s a dragon who cares about his tribe to the point he fought the SkyWings for them instead of fleeing away from the Summer Palace with Webs and Tsunami (and Tsunami’s friends), despite the awful treatment Riptide experienced for the majority of his life under his tribe’s royalty.

Who’s also a dragon who still wanted to form a connection with his father, who left him and hasn’t seen Riptide for a long time. One who is the only potential dragon who would love and/or care for Riptide for who he is.

A father that Riptide then learned later with TLH that Webs was a enabler of the abuse that Tsunami and her friends experienced from Kestrels and Dune, due to Webs not stopping them from being harmed until Queen Scarlet tried to imprison them in her arena.

Plus, when knowing about Riptide’s trauma and how much he experienced prejudice from others, his relationship and interactions with Tsunami honestly are more interesting than they seem to be.

How Riptide INSTANTLY rushed towards Tsunami in order to embrace her after she unintentionally flirted with him.

How Tsunami is probably the first dragon he’s known in a long while who respects, appreciates, and even enjoys his presence and existence.

That Riptide followed and watched over Tsunami while she was at the SeaWing Kingdom, probably due to him being worried about her being with Coral.

That Riptide selflessly helped and hanged out with Tsunami despite Coral potentially punishing and/or harming him for doing so.

How Riptide hid the fact that he was related to Webs, and that he’s a member of the Talons of Peace, probably in fear that Tsunami - the only dragon he has a positive bond with in TLH - would be angry at him, & dislike and/or hate him, possibly similarly how other dragons (including her relatives) hate him.

But despite this, he cared about being honest with Tsunami that he had the mental maturity and/or mental strength to tell Tsunami that he joined the Talons of Peace in order to know more about his father.

So yeah - Riptide is quite a nice character, who’s even pretty interesting, or at least is when you really think about him.

But he unfortunately isn’t viewed that way and/or isn’t even appreciated by multiple parts of the WoF fandom, due to him not having an prominent and/or strong personality compared to other love interests within the series.

.

[cartoondrawer]

I made ship kids, beware that the quality is off because I drew them on my sisters iPad so if they look weird or lighter, blame the lighting since I had to take pictures instead of being sent them😭🙏

Vance

A boy who loves dangerous things..including falling down a damn cliff (that’s how he got his little scar on his face..) his cousin is Vallie, who he doesn’t have a great relationship with. He’s also related to the Paver sisters since Paisley is Zach’s cousin..he loves his dad and wishes to follow in his footsteps..although he doesn’t really like his mom. But Donita tries being nice to him..

Enjoys Savanna Animals

Vallie

A girl who does NOT like being in the crew, especially when she fights with EVERYONE on board..except Piper. She wants to be like her dad, Zach Varmitech but surprisingly has a good relationship with her dad! Also..she dyed her hair to look more like Zach-

Enjoys Rainforest Animals

Hunter

Aviva’s love for inventing had passed down to them, and so was her jacket! His arm was unfortunately ripped off by a bear when they were younger, so Aviva and Koki offered to work together to build an arm for him! He has an AWESOME relationship with both of his moms!

Enjoys Taiga Animals

Coral

She loves the beach, and her mom! Unfortunately she doesn’t know that she had been a villain in the past before..and she doesn’t talk to her dad a lot..but she still loves him. She was the one to alarm Koki and Aviva about Hunters arm!

Enjoys Marine Animals

Pearl

He wants to follow in his dad footsteps but still genuinely enjoys the creature adventures! Although he doesn’t enjoy being around her sister. She usually fights with the rest of the crew, except Piper..

Enjoy Desert Animals

Maxwell

Very anxious and does NOT sleep. Hangs out with Jimmy a lot, and is kinda scared of Gourmand, like..HAVE YOU SEEN THAT MAN? But still loves him. He loves the cold!

Enjoys Arctic Animals

Piper

She is a hyper kid who the WHOLE group is overprotective over and usually gets herself into dangerous situations..Donita made a little bracelet for her! Great relationship with both of the parents!

Oh and Dabio is like that one cool uncle you rarely see at family reunions-

[monakisu]

rating oil paintings i did in high school based on their likability (to Me) ⊙▂⊙

light study 💡 - the earliest one out of all of these bcuz i technically painted it in middle school but then went back in HS to add the seagulls and boat so i could fit it into the theme of my AP art portfolio LMAOOO but still one of my favorites, which is sorta sad cuz it’s so old… 9/10

filial love - honestly didn’t care for this one very much because it was meant to just be more fodder for my AP portfolio but turns out my mom likes it a lot!! she says it reminds her of “the lion of judah ✝️” (whoever that is) so i was happy to give it to her! she displays it in her room so her fondness really carries this one’s rating: 10/10

play nice with your brother!! 🐻‍❄️ - i like this one a lot! because it’s one of the only paintings my hardass art teacher let me use neon colors on (or at least as neon as u can get with oil paint). usually he just paints over my colors to make them grayer. that guy… otherwise this one is just not very interesting. 8/10

koi pond 🎏 - PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT I MEAN when he paints over my stuff with gray!!! i was so excited to paint this one and added all sorts of flair that i like—pink dots as leaf highlights, super detailed colorful water—AND THEN HE JUST WENT AND SMEARED ALL MY DETAILS 💀💀💀 so i Hate this one and avoid looking at it as much as possible. 0/10 below it is a version from a diff angle that i did in an hour with shitty free acrylic verrryyy recently in college, and u can just see how i went ham on the colors right?! eugh. what could’ve been… 🪦

with heavy heart ❤️ - a pretty big old lady (18x24”). i feel obligated to like her because she won me the congressional competition for my district so i got to go to the capitol to see her framed there and briefly meet my stale white bread representative but HONESTLY all i can think about is how hideous my makeup was at the time and i get upset. 🙁 i do think this granny is very pretty though!! 7/10

my ocean blue 🪼 - this one im not sure if i like it or only tolerate it. i just wanted to paint a super colorful coral reef!! "🐠🪸🫧" you know?? but my mom and teacher said it Needed a message for ~intrigue~ so they brainstormed together (without me) and made me add this random ass child with a VR headset smack dab in the middle… something about cyberreality? IDK i just want her ass gone so badly. i also never got around to finishing the stripes on that fish in the front but nobody calls me out on it so it's whatever 🤷‍♂️ LOL 4/10

radial self portrait 🎯 - HUGE DEVIATION IN STYLE not only bcuz this one’s gouache instead of oil but also because i got to paint without an old man (art teacher) hovering over my shoulder!!! 😸 it was my first time painting something super stylized and i realized that painting can actually be Not Agonizing!!! 😸😸 this was at my summer camp where we had to come up with a radial pattern using a compass (i hate that little pointy shit) and then combine it with our self portrait. it’s me having a headache! i painted this in a single stressful sleepless night because i have HORRIFIC time management when i’m left alone so it’s pretty sloppy. also at the time i had those blonde e-girl bangs hahaha… i still like this one a lot!! i was just SO happy i didn't have to go photorealistic AND i could use my favorite colors (mainly hot pink)!!! 10/10 😸

overall my high school painting in experience was spent beefing with my art teacher and inhaling paint fumes. sort of miserable honestly -_-

[g0dwat3rwritings]

For @nisobird!

Almost made it a bit angsty at the dinner part, because there's food and this fic is about Azul

Also got a bit excited with this one 💀

Warnings ;; None, just some run-on sentences? If that's even a warning 💀

Relationship ;; Romantic (Azul), Platonic (Mama Ashengrotto)

Type ;; One-Shot

Azul Ashengrotto ;; Octavinelle Housewarden ;; Second Year

You watched the fish and merfolk swim past the two of you as Azul held your hand and led you to his mother's house. He was in his human form, given that he was terrified you wouldn't like him if you knew what he actually looked like.

As the two of you made your way there, he explained to you what a lot of the things were. Places he would go to relax, places he would go when things were rough with other kids, places he would go to study grimoires, et cetera. He stepped up to his mother's door, hesitating before knocking.

The door swung open before Mama Ashengrotto wrapped all eight of her tentacles, and both of her human arms, around her son. Azul, not entirely shocked by his mother's antics, hugged her back, letting go of your hand in the process. She soon pulled her tentacles away, her hands resting on Azul's shoulders.

"My baby!" She smiled, so happy to see Azul again. She turned her head and happened to notice you, "Oo! My love, who might this be?" She cooed, giving you a firm look-at as she swam around you. You gave a soft laugh and introduced yourself, before Azul chimed in, adding a "My partner" once you were finished.

Mama Ashengrotto froze in place, her smile growing even wider, if that were possible. She immediately swept you into her arms. "Oh, oh, oh! I'm so excited to have a daughter-in-law!" She soon set you down, "I've always wanted a daughter!" You looked over at Azul to see his face absolute beet-red.

You gave a soft giggle as Azul hesitantly spoke up, "Mama.. this isn't my fianc(é/ée. Just my partner." Mama Ashengrotto froze once again for just a moment. "Yes, and.. the difference is?" You let out another soft laugh at her response.

"Well, whatever. Now, come on! I must show you around!" She said, her smile never fading as she took your hand and swam into the house, Azul following close behind with his blush-ridden face.

She showed you around the house, stopping at every door to explain what was behind each and every door. Eventually, she led you to the kitchen and dining room.

"you'll be able to stay for dinner, won't you?" She asked the two of you enthusiastically. Azul looked over to you before you gave a chuckle and nodded. "Well, we don't have any plans." You responded.

"Oh, wonderful!" Her smile grew even wider. "Dinner should be done in just a few minutes. Please, sit!" You and Azul did as she asked, before Azul looked over at you and whispered a light apology at his mother's enthusiasm.

You shook your head and told him it was alright before his mother came back with the food. She handed both Azul and you a plate, before allowing you both to eat.

You ate the food happily as she asked how it was, you nodded happily and told her it was fantastic. "I'm so glad you like it!" Mama Ashengrotto told you, before eating her own food.

Mama Ashengrotto showed you some of the games they had in the Coral Sea, playing them with both you and her son. Hours later, she bid the two of you off, seeing as it was getting late.

On the way back, you smiled, entangling your fingers with Azul's. "You know, your mom is.. really sweet." You laughed, causing Azul to give a laugh in response. "Yeah, she's just happy to see me happy. She's always been that way, especially after dad left." Azul paused, "but despite her... overwhelming enthusiasm, she's a great mom, and a wonderful cook." You gave another laugh, "well, I would hope so, if she owns a restaurant."

Azul shook his head with a smile, "Yeah, you've got a point." He said, bringing your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles.

[arcane-vagabond]

Meet Me at the Sea: Chapter Eight

Meet Me at the Sea: Chapter Eight

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Your best friend, Bob Floyd, had insisted you join him for the summer at his family's home along the Carolina coasts. You had been hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed to his request. Now, here you were in a new town with strange locals who spoke in hushed whispers and cryptic retellings about glistening scales, glowing eyes, and haunting songs that echoed from the sea. You didn't believe them at first, but when you wake up on the beach one morning after having fallen overboard the night before, you can't help but think that maybe you hadn't imagine the strong arms and deep, green eyes of the man that had saved you.

Trigger warnings: Language, Fluff, A smidgen of angst, Truths revealed, Kind of smut (heavy petting and making out), Magic, Supernatural elements.

Word Count: 4.1k

A/N: It's been a hot minute since we've heard from Skipper and Jake! I hope you all enjoy this chapter because it was actually a real struggle to finish for some reason. As always, reblogs, comments and likes are greatly appreciated! Asks/requests are always open! 18+ ONLY!! You can find me on AO3 under arcane_vagabond where I also post my updates!

Series Masterlist || Moodboards || Playlist

You had always loved mermaids. You had always wondered what it must be like to live as half human and half fish, swimming beneath the blue waves of the sea and singing beautiful songs for everyone to hear. You wondered what it would be like to coast your fingers across the rocks and corals, interacting with the creatures below. Were there cities like Atlantica down there that only the merpeople knew about? Or did they migrate like whales?

“You know mermaids aren’t real, honey, right?” Your mother had asked you one day, brow furrowed in concern. You had let out a sigh that only a thirteen-year-old beginning their journey into the reality of life could give.

“Yeah, Mom,” you had frowned, looking out the window and onto the waters of the lake below. “I know.”

“Have you thought about maybe redecorating your room?” She continued, picking up your porcelain mermaid and eyeing it with vague distaste. You glanced over at her, turning to face her slightly.

“I like my things,” you grumbled, pressing your lips into a thin line. “They’re my treasures. And what’s wrong with liking mermaids and the ocean?”

“Nothing, sweetie,” she had sighed, setting it down. “Maybe it’s just time for you to start thinking about more serious things, is all.”

She gave you one last smile before walking out of the room, leaving you to ponder over her words.

Weeks later, her words still floated in your head, and you had relayed the conversation to your grandmother, your mother’s mother, one day as you sat in her living room. She had scowled, shaking her head and fixing you with a fierce look.

“Now you listen to me, young lady,” she groused. “Your mother means well, but she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. There’s magic in this world, believe you me, and it’s a rare person who continues to believe and see it. You just keep doing what you’re doing, and one day you’ll see the truth.”

And one day had finally come.

The waves crashed against the shore with a deafening sound, the wind whipping your hair about your face where it rested atop your knees, and the rock beneath you was vaguely damp, causing goosebumps to run up and down your skin. You had been out there for hours, needing time to come to reconcile what you thought you knew with what you now knew.

The scene on the beach earlier that morning replayed in your mind. The song, falling into the water, Mandy. It was a wonder you hadn’t run for the hills.

You had stood on the beach, soaked to the bone as the rest of the group stared at you like some kind of wild animal, like you might lash out at them at the most sudden of movements.

“Skip,” Bradley had started slowly, taking a small step towards where you stood, feet planted as firmly as they could be in the shifting sand. Your shoulders were drawn back, attempting to make yourself seem more confident than you actually were. In truth, you were still terrified, the adrenaline from your near death experience still running through your veins as your eyes darted the small group gathered around. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, and it was an oddly cold, summer morning, and you fought the shiver that threatened to run up your spine. “Honey, it’s not that we don’t think you’re ready to know…”

He trailed off as you narrowed your eyes at him, anger starting to course through you. Bob cleared his throat, drawing your attention to him.

“It’s just that you’ve been through a lot in the past hour,” he explained with a grimace. “We don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“Yeah!” Chirped Mickey. “Besides, you’re still wet, and we wouldn’t want you to get sick or anything.”

“Mickey is right,” Nat smiled gently, “you should get changed out of these clothes.”

She moved to grab your arm, but you shifted away, fixing her with a glare before your eyes once again shifted towards the other members.

“Stop trying to change the subject,” you hissed, your hands tightening into fists at your sides. “Stop treating me like I’m some child.”

Your eyes connected with familiar green ones, and your anger instantly dissipated into a sense of pleading. Jake stared back at you, face unreadable as he took you in. After a moment, he walked towards you, and you didn’t even think about stopping him as he stopped in front of you. He raised a hand, running his thumb lightly over the apple of your cheek, and you felt yourself relax into his touch.

“They’re right,” he said softly. You immediately stiffened, opening your mouth to say something, but he cut you off.

“I promise you, that we will tell you what you want to know. But for now,” he pauses, running his eyes up and down your form, grimacing at the sight of you. “For now, you need to go change into some dry clothes. We can talk more after, okay?”

You stared up at him for a moment, studying him. His eyes bore into yours, not a hint of deceit resting in them. Slowly, you nodded, and he let out a relieved sigh, squeezing your shoulders slightly.

“There’s my good girl,” he smiled, running his hands down your arms before releasing you. You preened at his words, feeling your cheeks warm as you glanced away.

“Okay,” Nat sighed, a relieved smile on her own face. “Now that that’s decided, let’s all head home to change and then we can regroup later.”

Bob had escorted you back home, leaving before you had finished your shower. So, you had walked, and you found yourself where you sat now, on the rocks just past Jake and Bradley’s house on the beach, the sky a dismal grey as the seagulls cried. No one was answering your texts, and while it annoyed you to no end to know that they were probably trying to come up with a way to get out of telling you, you remained secure in the fact that Jake had promised you they would tell you the truth. You let out a long sigh, trying to ease some of the tension out of your shoulders.

“Wasn’t expecting to find you right here.”

You jumped, whirling around to see the familiar green of Jake’s eyes as he gave you an apologetic smile.

“Sorry,” he murmured sheepishly, moving to sit next to you. His shoulder brushed yours in the process, and you inhaled a gasp, hoping he hadn’t heard you.

“It’s okay,” you assured him. “I was just lost in my thoughts, I guess.”

“Care to share?”

“As if you don’t already know what they were about,” you scoffed, a smile tugging on the corner of your lips. He chuckled, nodding slowly.

“You’re right.”

“What are you doing out here, Jake?” You asked. He let out a breath, rolling his shoulders back before answering.

“The others are still debating on what we should tell you, or what you can handle knowing right now. I snuck out to come and find you.”

The two of you sat in silence for a moment, listening to the different sounds around you. You chewed on your bottom lip, contemplating whether or not to break the calm between the two of you.

“I wasn’t dreaming,” you breathed, peering over at him. “Was I?”

Jake let out a sigh, leaning back against his arms as he continued to stare out into the ocean.

“You’ve heard the stories the older folks tell, right?” He asked finally, meeting your gaze. You nodded slowly, waiting for him to continue.

“Well,” he started, looking back out at the water. “They’re all true.”

A beat passed.

“All of them?” You questioned, looking down and fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. You thought back to all of the things Mrs. Cambroni had told you. “Even the frenzy?”

Jake’s eyes grew wide, and his cheeks turned a brilliant red. He cleared his throat, looking away as he muttered, “Yes, even the frenzy.”

“What’s it like?”

“What?” He blinked, eyes still wide but holding confusion instead of shock.

“What’s the frenzy like,” you pressed, leaning in closer to him. He stared at you for another second before answering.

“It feels like a constant itch underneath my skin. A heat that I can’t dampen no matter what I do. It drives me crazier the older I get.”

“Is it dangerous?” You whisper.

“It can be,” he admitted slowly. “If we don’t take a mate before a certain time, then the magic becomes stronger because there’s nothing to siphon it in to. Mates help with controlling the magic, and our magic grows the older we get. If we don’t take a mate, then the magic will drive us crazy.”

“When does that happen?”

“There’s no real set number of frenzies you go through before it happens. For some, they can’t make it through their third one before they go crazy. For others, it could be their fourth or fifth one.”

“What about you?”

The question hung in the air, and for a second you were worried that you had upset him with how still he was sitting.

“Me?” He chuckled humorlessly, drawing patterns on the rock beneath the two of you. “I can already feel my control slipping sometimes this go around, especially when I’m around you. It’s nothing I can’t handle though.”

“What do you mean?” You frowned, brow furrowing. “I cause your control to slip? Why?”

Jake stared at you, eyes widening once again when he realized what he had said. He shook his head.

“Nevermind. Forget I said anything.”

“No,” you snapped, glaring up at him. “You promised me that you would be honest and tell me what I wanted to know.”

He looked a little taken aback, but let out another sigh as he relented.

“Sea people have what they call ‘true mates,’” he began, “and they’re different from regular mates. True mates are an ideal pair, one the powers that be have ordained as a perfect match. Everyone can take a mate, sure, but very few ever find their true mate. They’re so rare, in fact, that some people think it’s just a myth.”

“Do you?” You asked. “Think it’s a myth, I mean.”

He stared at you for a beat.

“I used to,” he admitted. “I used to think that true mates were just some sappy fairytale that people clung to to make themselves feel better. I used to laugh at the idea, actually. It wasn’t until-”

He stopped, clamping his mouth closed as his cheeks tinged red once again. You furrowed your brow at him.

“Until what?” You pressed. He swallowed thickly, turning to look out at the water.

“Until I met you,” he said quietly, voice barely above a whisper. You let out a small gasp, but waited for him to continue.

“The first night I saw you in that bar, Skipper, I knew. I knew with everything in me that you were the one that I had been looking and waiting for my entire life. You were the one in my dreams growing up. You were the one I could feel in my chest, pulling me towards you. You were the one that made me realize that I could be happy, that I didn’t have to settle for a life that other people had decided for me.”

You stared at him, registering the look of vulnerability on his face, and you sucked in a deep breath.

“I dreamed about you too,” you admitted, causing him to look back at you. “Or, at least I think I did. And I always felt like something was incomplete, like a piece of me was always missing. But when I sit here with you, things just feel…right.”

“Right?” He pressed, leaning in so that your noses were practically brushing each other.

“Yeah,” you murmured, your heartbeat picking up at the close proximity. “Like things aren’t so hard when you’re around. Like I don’t even have to try. Things just feel easy around you, and if I’m being honest, that kind of scares me.”

He hummed, resting his forehead against yours, warm breath running over your face as he breathed out.

“It scares me too,” he said, closing his eyes, his hand reaching out to curl around yours where it rested atop the rock. “My whole life I thought I knew what would happen. I would marry Mandy, I would go work with my father at his business, we’d pop out a couple of kids, and then the rest of life would happen. I’d die in my bed of old age, surrounded by the people that I love having lived a life that anyone would be proud of.”

“And now?” You asked, squeezing his hand. He took a shuddering breath before opening his eyes. You were almost taken aback by how beautiful they were. Swirling shades of sea glass green mixed with darker emerald, a look of pure longing on his face as he stared at you.

“Now, I know that’s not what I want,” he murmured. “I don’t want to be with Mandy. I don’t want to have the pristine, picture perfect family you find in commercials or magazines. I just want you, Skipper. I want you in any way that you’ll have me.”

His eyes were glowing now, the mossy green standing out against the growing darkness of the storm clouds that were rolling in from the sea.

“Your eyes,” you breathed, raising your unoccupied hand to run your fingers across his cheek. “They’re glowing. I knew I wasn’t imagining it.”

Jake nuzzled into the palm of your hand, humming low in his throat as he breathed you in. His eyes fluttered closed as he pressed a chaste kiss in the center of your palm, and your breath hitched. You shifted, leaning in close enough that your lips hovered just over his. His eyes once again connected with yours, boring into you as if he could see every single part that you kept hidden. Your gaze dropped down to his lips for a brief second before darting back up. Eyes hooded, you leaned in, lips barely grazing his before jumping back as the rain started.

The drops came in a downpour, instantly soaking the two of you as you let out a startled laugh.

“Come on!” Jake grinned, gripping your hand and helping you off the rocks before the two of you sprinted towards his house. You trotted up the steps after him, letting out another peel of breathless laughter as the two of you caught your breath. You looked out at the beach as it continued to pour, a peel of thunder cracking through the roar of the rain. You turned back to look at Jake with a smile, shaking your head.

“The rain didn’t even build up to-”

Jake’s lips were soft on yours, pressing firmly as he cupped your cheek in his hand. You froze, taken by surprise. He pulled back after a second, eyes uncertain as they watched you.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment, eyes growing wide with panic. “I shouldn’t have done that. I just thought after the rocks and you were standing there looking so pretty, I just-”

You cut him off with a kiss of your own, and he stiffened for a second before returning it. His hands landed on your waist, backing you up against the pillar by the stairs as his lips moved against yours in a heated bid to feel every part of you. Your own hands moved to tangle in his hair, pulling on the still wet strands gently and earning a groan from him. His tongue traced your lower lip, and you instantly opened up to him, relishing in the feeling of the muscle against your own.

Jake’s grip tightened on your waist before moving his right hand up to grope at your breast, squeezing it with a low groan. You moaned into his mouth, one hand releasing his hair to slide down and grip at his shoulder as you pressed against him. He continued to lick languidly into your mouth, savoring the taste of you and every little sound you made. He pulled away to allow you to breathe, nipping at your bottom lip gently. As you sucked in a lungful of air, he busied himself with pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along your jaw and down your neck. You tilted your head to the side to allow him better access, and you felt him smirk against you as his left hand grabbed your thigh to wrap your leg around him. You could feel the hard bulge press against you, and a tingle ran up your spine.

“Jake,” you breathed out, head thrown back as he nipped at your skin, running his tongue over the same spot to soothe the sting. His lips worked lower and lower as you began to roll your hips against his. You let out a strangled cry as his lips connected with the intention mark on your neck, pleasure rippling through your veins as you gripped onto him and ground down harder onto him. Jake nipped at the mark, causing you to let out another cry as your nails dug into the meat of his shoulders through his shirt. You could feel your arousal dripping from you as your mind grew heavy with lust.

Suddenly, Jake pushed away from you, practically throwing himself across the porch. You whined at the loss, brow furrowed in confusion as you took in the state of him. He was panting hard, almost crouched as he gripped the porch railing to steady himself. His eyes were still glowing, brighter than they were previously, but fading in and out as he calmed down.

“Jake,” you murmured, “are you okay?”

“Not like this,” he said, more to himself than to you. “I don’t want it to be like this.”

“What are you talking about? Jake, you’re worrying me.”

He looked at you then, taking in your disheveled state as he righted himself. A mixture of regret and longing adorned his face as he spoke.

“I gave that mark to you during a moment of frenzy,” he admitted, gesturing to the bite in question. “I was so scared that you weren’t going to make it, and the frenzy magic was already in overdrive. I gave it to you without thinking, and I’m sorry.”

“Jake,” you said slowly, taking small steps towards him as if you might scare him off otherwise. “I’m not mad about that at all, but why are you suddenly acting this way?”

“Because,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, “because I already told you. I want you, Skipper, and I want you to want me back. I want to know that you want me for me and not because of some damn magic that tells us we’re supposed to be together.”

You stared at him for a moment, processing what he was telling you. It was true that you felt a pull towards him that could only be explained by the magic, but it felt so much more than that. Jake was sweet and kind, and he cared for you. He made sure that you were taken care of when you were vulnerable, and he wanted to hear your opinions on things. You did want Jake beyond the magic, but you were more than willing to take the time to prove that to him.

“Okay,” you agreed, nodding slowly. “So what do you suggest?”

“Can we,” he swallowed thickly, eyes hopeful as they searched you. “Can we take it a little slow? Maybe spend some time alone together?”

“You mean like on dates?” You smiled, standing in front of him now and batting your lashes at him. A grin tugged on the corner of his lips as he looked down at you, giving you a nod.

“Yeah. I want to take you out on a date.”

“Just the one?” You teased, and he rolled his eyes, a full-blown grin on his face now.

“Well, I was hoping you’d give me more than just that,” he teased back, leaning into you again. You tapped a finger on your chin thoughtfully.

“I dunno,” you hummed, fighting back the smile that threatened to overtake you. “I guess we’ll just have to see how the first one goes, won’t we?”

“I have full confidence in myself that I’ll be able to convince you of that second date.”

“Come on, Crooner,” you laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the front door. “Let’s get changed before we catch a cold or something.”

About a half hour later, you were dressed in a pair of oversized sweats and an old t-shirt - both belonging to Jake. The two of you were huddled up on the couch underneath a blanket, some random movie thrown on to fill the silence. Your legs were curled under you as you rested against Jake’s side, his arms wrapped around you as you played with his fingers.

“You bit him?” You huffed out a laugh as Jake chuckled. “Why?”

“Because Bradley gets a little big for his britches sometimes,” Jake defended. “He knew I had an interest in you and what we were, and he still pressed his luck. Even with the mark on your neck. ”

“Boys,” you exclaimed with a roll of your eyes. A comfortable silence fell between the two of you as the movie continued to drone on in the background.

“Jake,” you hummed thoughtfully, “do you regret giving me this mark?”

He stiffened against you, and you chanced a glance up at him. His lips were pressed into a firm line, brow furrowed as he looked at you.

“Absolutely not,” he bit out. “Why would you think that?”

“It’s just,” you hesitated, still fidgeting with his fingers as you looked down, “it’s just been one thing after the other since you gave it to me. Am I really worth the trouble?”

“Skipper,” he said firmly, cupping your jaw and making you look at him. “I will never regret you, okay? Even if you decide that this isn’t something you want, I will live the rest of my life knowing that I had the privilege of having you even for a moment.”

His eyes were sincere as they held your gaze, and you suddenly felt silly for doubting him. You nodded, willing the tears that prickled behind your eyes to go away. You sniffed before settling back down against him, basking in the feeling of him stroking a hand through your hair.

“Jake! We can’t find Skipper anywh-”

You jumped as the front door burst open to reveal your friends, Bob at the front of the pack. All of you stared at one another before you raised an eyebrow at them.

“Are you coming in or not?” You snapped, fixing them all with a glare. Jake turned the TV off as the squad filed in, taking seats wherever there was one available. Once everyone was settled, you continued.

“Finally decide on how you’re going to lie to me some more? Whatever you came up with, I sure hope it’s better than the ones you were telling me before.”

The group had the decency to look ashamed. Bob gave you an apologetic look as he faced you from where he sat in one of the recliners.

“We never wanted to lie to you, Y/n,” he explained. “But would you have believed the truth?”

“I might have,” you countered. “You could have at least tried.”

“Would you trust an outsider that you barely knew with a secret like this?” Javy chimed in. He made a good point, and your silence answered for you.

“I wanted to tell you, Skipper,” Bob continued, “but it wasn’t my secret to tell. And with all the stuff between you and Jake, it just seemed like it would be so much to throw at you.”

“I get that,” you conceded, nodding slowly. “But Jake’s already told me most of everything, so no more lying to me, okay? I need to know and be kept in the loop moving forward okay?”

Everyone looked at each other before nodding at you. You gave them a small smile before letting out a relieved breath.

“Good,” you chirped. “Now that that’s settled, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starved.”

[gingacat]

ok so.... i made a completely new character that is twisted from Glut the Shark

name: Iara Ketos

birthday: July 17 (Cancer)

age: 18

height: 195 cm

homeland: Coral Sea

grade: Junior

class: E

club: Soccer club

best subject: Flight

hobbies: Handicraft

pet peeves: People running from her

favorite food: Her mom's food

least favorite food: None

talent: Unintentionally slandering people

nicknames: Mademoiselle Requin (Rook) maybe I'll think of a better nickname later

Personality

Iara loves making new friends, she's sociable and friendly, and always gets excited to meet new people or talk to them, but tries her best to do so in a chill way.

As a kid, she used to be very hyper and extreme about everything, so when she tried to approach people, they always felt overwhelmed by all of her energy and avoided or ran from her. Not only they felt overwhelmed, but she's always been a person who's easy to misunderstand. If she's really happy, she talks very fast with a lot of energy and might seem like she's angry or aggressive.

This made Iara very self-conscious, so she's been trying to learn how to control herself and not be so hyper about everything, toning all of her energy down. She's been trying really hard to be chill, and it's kind of working, but she's not happy with that, after all, she's not been true to herself.

Iara doesn't measure her kindness, but she's also a people pleaser and the kind of person that goes with the flow. She tends to be very considerate of other people's feelings, which means that even if she disagrees with something, she might agree just because it'll make them happy.

This leads to funny situations because, while she always tries to be nice, there are sometimes when she either says something worded in a very bad way that ends up sounding like an insult, or her inner thoughts escape out loud and she proceeds to accidentally slander people when just one second ago she was praising them.

Despite that, Iara wants to love people and to be loved back, not in a romantic way, she just wants genuine, real friends, people she can count on, and who can count on her too.

Sadly enough, not only because of her appearance (she's hella tall, so people are intimidated) but also because she's toning down her personality so much, she still hasn't had much success in making friends. Also, NRC might not be the best place for that...

Background

Iara had a happy childhood inside of her home. Her family was composed of her mother, father, three younger siblings and two older siblings.

Iara was the middle child, which means that she could get jealous of not only her older siblings, but also the younger ones too. Still, it was fun growing up with them, everyone would sometimes fight, but would also take care of each other.

Of course Iara would expect everyone from outside of her home to be as nice as her siblings, but she quickly realized that she was wrong. In fact, people were scared of her. When she first went to school, not only the other children were scared of her, but the teachers were too.

She's a shark-mer after all. No matter how sweet sharks can be, their reputation of being murderous and aggressive monsters will always speak louder.

Still, she tried to make friends. The moment she opened her mouth to smile to another kid, the kid started to cry. (lmao poor Iara) Iara immediately closed her mouth, confused but also sad.

Still, Iara didn't give up. But if it wasn't her smile that would turn people off, it was her crazy amount of energy. She had so much energy that she couldn't stay still, so her behavior always annoyed all of her teachers. If she wasn't annoying them, she was annoying the other kids, because she was simply overwhelming to them and no one could keep up with her. If she talked, she would talk too much and just not stop, for example.

Her strength was also a bother to people. She was a walking disaster who would accidentally break everything she touched, simply because she didn't know how to control her strength. When she tried to play with other kids, she would always accidentally hurt them — and this was the last thing she ever wanted, but she did it so many times that everyone assumed she was doing it on purpose.

Over time, Iara grew up to be fond of handicraft. She just likes making handmade things, it's something that helps to pass the time and helps her improve her management of strength. She feels very proud of the little trinkets she makes.

In order to find inspiration to make new handmade things, Iara would always wander around the Sea to see if she could find the things that would fall from the mainland above. She is a curious person and always loved discovering new things.

One day, she found Prince Rielle, who was also looking for trinkets that are dropped from above. Of course Iara knew who he was, but still didn't care about his status and wanted to befriend him. After all, he looked really nice and they both seemed to share the same interest.

But she ended up getting too excited and Rielle just got scared of her and ran away. Iara didn't even think anything about it, she was like "well he's a Prince, of course he doesn't want to mix with people from lower classes". But then she got sad lmao.

Still, Iara never gave up on trying to improve herself and stay positive, working hard on her flaws to be someone better.

Unique Magic

Pierce your Heart

Iara, with much ease, can break anything, literally anything, being it hard like metal or soft like a marshmallow, even diamonds, with her teeth, and without hurting herself. If she bites a person while casting this spell, well it won't be pretty...

Some other info

Iara loves soccer. The moment she got legs and feet she was like "I CAN KICK STUFF????" and got super excited. SHE LOVES RUNNING AND LOVES KICKING STUFF!!!

She quickly became very good at soccer and, surprisingly enough, a lot of people joined the club after they saw how great she was, because she inspired them (and also incited everyone's competitive spirit).

Are these people her friends? No, they just want to compete against her. But she appreciates their presence.

Flight classes are also something that she loves. She finds it so dope to like... fly??? On a broom, but still fly. And she probably loves doing crazy tricks with the broom while flying (she probably fell in front of everyone a shitton of times, but she doesn't care).

While she definitely doesn't have the best scores out of all students from Octavinelle, Iara is carrying them when the subject is P.E.

The only thing she's scared of at school is receiving a ball on her face, since her nose is pretty sensitive.

Iara has a heightened sensitivity to smells, and sometimes some thoughts can escape out loud and she ends up saying things like "yeah, but you should brush your teeth ASAP" or "i can tell what you had for lunch, it doesn't smell pleasant" or even "your perfume is cheap" without even realizing. She feels so horrible after this, though.

People get really mad at her insults, but they don't really do anything about it because 1 - they're scared of her, and 2 - she's huge and could win from them in a fight.

Also, Iara can get mad and very angry, but she represses all of her anger, since she's aware she's scary enough for being a shark-mer, so she doesn't want to act aggressive. She often cries in her room when she feels emotionally overwhelmed, because she just... can't express her anger or any negative feelings/thoughts.

She's just a huge girl who's trying her best to not cause harm to anyone.

Iara LOVES her siblings and parents, and loves meeting them, since with her family she can always be herself. She can be aggressive, because they are aggressive too and don't mind it. She can be angry, sad, energetic, playful, shout however she wants and show all of her sides and she'll be loved by them — they are the same as her, after all.

Iara's voice claim: Wakana Shiki from Love Live (though Iara's voice sounds a lot more energetic when she is with her family).

Iara is bigender and doesn't mind being referred to as a guy or when others use he/him to refer to her. Most characters use male pronouns to refer to Iara (including the Octatrio, they refer to her as a "that guy") and some don't even know that she's biologically a girl. When she speaks tho, people get really confused because of her voice.

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

What’s your take on Vincent’s personal life? From what I’ve gathered he wasn’t greatest husband and father - cheated on wives, neglected children like crazy. I like him as an actor but kinda wish I’ve never dived into research of his personal affairs lol.

He's a human. Humans make mistakes. Of course he had done things in his life that he probably wished he could take back. From what I've heard, he didn't neglect children. I've heard he was a wonderful father. His first wife took his son Barrett to live with her, so he only got visitation. But he loved him. The letters to Mary early in their marriage shows how much he cared about his son.

He did have sexual trysts with men throughout his marriages. It was a day and age when gay, bi, etc., had to sneak around and do that. Doesn't mean he's a bad person. He was finding who he was. I'm sure he loved his wives. I'm positive he did. But he had to do what he had to do. He was bisexual, after all. Which makes him even sexier in my book.

Victoria, his daughter, has said on MANY MANY MANY occasions that she loved her parents and she is so thankful that she had the two parents she had (Vincent and Mary). The many pictures I've seen, and from all I've heard, Vincent loved his daughter with everything in him. He sent postcards, money, etc.

Also, his job called on him to go here, there, everywhere to film movies, TV shows, etc. of course, you can't always take your kid to work. Not on a movie set, anyway.

She did get to see him live as Peter Pan though. She was two years old and her mom took her to see him as captain hook. She became scared. Seeing her father with a hook as a hand, and scaring little kids on stage was too much for her, bless her, and she began to cry.

Her mom took her backstage to see that her dad was still her dad. He kissed her boo boo away and she went from tears to smiling. That doesn't sound like neglect. To me, anyway.

As far as cheating, he did cheat. But then again, the number or people who cheat on a daily basis, are a dime a dozen. Is it right? No. But do people make mistakes? Yes. He did end up divorcing Mary after he met coral, but I did hear from his daughter that he and Mary were still close friends. He sent her post cards, called her, and even bought her her favorite perfume (Joy) every single year until shortly before his death when he could no longer do so. According to his daughter, Victoria, it wasn't always easy for them to remain friends, because of Coral.

He's a celebrity. A human being. So, his personal life sounds like any personal life to me. Shit happens. Even to celebrities of his calibre. And he's still alright with me. :)

PS. Here's some of my favorite photos of he and his daughter. Doesn't look like neglect to me...

[eldewinddolly]

🦎 Half-goblin Holly backstory headcanons 🦎 (including some more general goblins headcanons because actual canon is *not it*) (very long post ahead, but I felt it was due time to expand the lore of my beloved half-goblin Holly) - Her dad's name is Lezzare. Holly was very close to him as a youngling ; he used to affectionately call her "B'wa-biba" (darling sparkle) - He made all her childhood clothes himself, as per the goblin tradition of mending : goblins love to patchwork their clothes with visible stitches, and fabrics passed down in the family from generation to generation - to allude to how their skin shed naturally and symbolise the love and protection of the family allowing them to grow. This tradition is mostly seen as an excuse for poor craftsfaeship compared to the more sophisticated, gold-thread embedded clothing of the elves and centaurs, but many goblins are actually very skilled at sewing. - He and Coral met at the university, at a marine biology class - Coral attended as a student and Lezzare as an auditor (goblins basically aren't allowed to pursue higher education in Haven because they are deemed too stupid) - Lezzare was an activist fighting for goblins' rights, and advocating for a demilitarised Haven (arguing that the People should only defend themselves against mud people as a united front, and not further the divides between the fairy families according to the "nobler" elven values and morals). - Even though he was a pacifist, he was sent to Howler's Peak after a mass arrestation following a deadly terrorist attack, when Holly was still quite young. Coral joined LEPMarine and moved to Atlantis with baby Holly so they could go visit Lezzare more easily. - Holly still loved her dad, but the stigma of being a goblin hybrid and her dad being in prison slowly started to take a toll on her ; especially since Coral was gone working most of the time, and Holly spent a lot of days with various LEP officers both being very dismissive of her and her father, and encouraging her to join the LEP like her mom. - When Coral died, Lezzare was allowed to attend the funeral, which absolutely didn't sit well with Coral's family who hated him and disapproved heavily of their daughter's relationship with a goblin. At the funeral, Lezzare started performing a goblin fire grieving ritual which was interpreted as an aggression attempt, causing an absolute riot between him and Coral's family and LEP coworkers, with Holly torn in the middle. - Holly was extremely mad for a very long time at her father for ruining her mother's funeral. Lezzare was also really upset that she chose to join the LEPrecon after everything they did to their kind. - I believe they were strictly no contact since, and for at least the first three books. But after meeting Artemis, and the B'wa Kell rebellion, Holly starts to see things a bit more differently, and a bit less black and white. Julius' death, then the events of The Opal Deception leaving her out of the LEP and more isolated than ever, as "the goblin LEP experiment that ended up being a murdering failure like every other goblin ever is", really changed her entire perspective. - Now she sees her dad more often ; mending their relationship takes time but they find things to bond over, and it gets better 🧡 ... That's it for now ! Please tell me what you think about all this ! Also, I've started working on a feature film two weeks ago that's why this piece took forever to finish ; even though I'm really done with it, and I think I could have done better with the color palette (too same toney imo), I'm pretty happy with how vibrant it globally turned out. And I'm also quite happy with Lezzare's face 💚

[sapphia]

limited life was the best roleplay series for me by far. everyone was just so good at playing into people's bits. the improvised nature of it made it so fun, and barring the odd moment, it truly didn't feel like people were starting much drama for drama's sake.

the best of the rp was fairly spontaneous--scar didn't go into a series planning to become cleo's favourite son, but they just had such a good time being around each other and leaned into the dynamic and extrapolated their rp from how they were around each other. and it really payed off. i'm sooo glad cleo embraced it even though she was reluctant at first. i love how scar and bdubs supported her into her own amazing interpretation of arguably a not-so-fun role. i'm stunned at how into the rp etho got. he absolutely suffered for this rp and it was incredible. all those deaths. his destroyed reputation! but it worked so well.

and the bad boys! sure, joel came in with his predetermined character, but his flexibility in bringing people onto his team, into incorporating jimmy and grian and even offering to rename the bit for pearl if she'd joined--that was what really allowed it to be good. leaning into the ironic bad boys who aren't actually bad (at anything but minecraft) was delightful. bread bridge was wonderful. seeing all the players just get to be so very themselves and enjoy themselves and work as a team while having so much fun with the rp aspect made this team so good.

i loved that we didn't get solo players this season, that martyn and scott teamed up even when they didn't interact much in episode one. coral kids and TIES really felt like everyone was playing not just with their friends, but with the people who played the game in the same way they did. i can't put my finger on what made martyn and scott a good fit together but they are, and ties were the perfect little "nerds" (as scar called them) with so much heart, while etho still got to do his weird thing with bdubs and roleplay with the clockers. and the tension between all these groups! scott and cleo's hard alliance and the rest of the clockers just following along because mom. ties animosity with the clockers despite whatever it was etho was doing. they just let bdubs tag along for the day! etho had a take his kids to work day and it was hilarious! and martyn sticking to scott but also kinda being sketchy in the background with everyone, showing a pleasant face but clearly not being quite as invested in all the relationships as everyone else, which then played into the ending where he betrayed his partner in the series where team bonds were never broken--

and while i wish pearl and bigb had got to be a bit more involved in the storylines and they were a little sidelined from some of the best action, by god they played their nosey neighbour role well. the tension with the clockers, the feud with jimmy, stealing the enchanting table, finding themselves so isolated and alone because they're just neighbours and they built a wall between them and the server. perfection.

so yeah. loved how everyone was enjoying themselves. loved how rp got to flourish in the peaceful periods and how the high death limit played into the drama. loved that everyone mostly just went with the flow and the narratives became so fun because of it. *chefs kiss*

[abominable-space-they]

Agatha all Along theory

Spoilers through ep 5

Ok first we need the set up

In this magical retelling of The Wizard of Oz Jennifer is the tin man, bound to inaction, Lilia is thr cowardly lion always afraid of what might come to pass, and Alice is the scarecrow who thinks she has nothing to offer but does.

Agatha is Dorothy

It's heavily implied here that Teen is toto, though I think this is a misdirect.

Rio is the one she's known for ages, Rio protects her, Rio loves her, Rio is fearless, Rio gets her into shenanigans, Rio is pissed off at her mom & company who tried to hurt her, Rio literally licked her hand in the first episode

Rio is Toto

Now Wanda is definitely the wicked witch of the East, that makes Teen, Warlock, either the wicked witch of the West or Glenda the Good witch

And I'd argue for now, it's both. Teen is Glenda the Good Witch and Billy/Warlock is the wicked witch of the West secretly driving a lot of the action because of the death of his mother & family.

Ok so now episode five

This episode is poppy field incident in Wizard of Oz.

I had to go rewatch it, bc I haven't seen it since I was probably 8. So in that trial, The Wicked Witch of the West places a poppy field in their path, which would poison them with good feelings until they faded away.

Dorothy leads them into the field, it's beautiful, they're frolicking. Dorothy passes out, the tin man gets stuck again, the cowardly lion passes out out of fear, they all lay down in the poppies and almost drift away.

They realize something is wrong and scream for help, Glenda is super imposed over the screen casting magic to loosen the hold of the poppies enough that they can wake up and run away.

I think that the theories that this was all or partially a dream are gonna be right.

I also think Teen led them into that place and left the door open for the Salem seven (they're the flying monkeys after all) so he would have a way to coral them to this place

Maybe he originally wanted to punish Dorothy and leave her there, maybe he planned on siphoning his powers back while she was possessed by her mother or sleeping/high

Whatever it was, that didn't go as planned, he blames Agatha for fucking up his plan.

When Agatha says you're just like your mother it does inspire him, not to murder though, to wake them up.

My guess is the mud is a misdirect and he's using it to wake them up, because hell yeah he is just like his mother

But that means something different to him then Agatha. His mother bent the rules of space time to bring his father back to life. His mother went to any lengths to save the people she loved... Including becoming a villain in the eyes of some.

He asked Agatha to save Alice, she can't, he's furious because she was the one who caused all this in the first place, he couldn't be expected to know it would go like that.

Then she reminded him who he is, and even though she meant it meanly, like you're a hypocrite just like your mother, you're delusional just like your mother, you're willing to kill people to get what you want just like your mother, you call me the bad guy while being just like me just like your mother.

But it was still enough to remind him that there is no one better suited to breaking through some sort of pocket dimension unreality then the son of the Scarlet Witch.

So that's what he's doing, I don't think he's taking them off the road, I think he's pushing them down down down, back onto the road.

But really, also... Where is Rio?

Maybe Agatha is actually Rio, maybe the corpse of Alice is really Agatha, still sleeping in the poppies

Whatever it is specifically, none of this is exactly as it seems and I can't wait to see how it plays out

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

a thought 🤔💭

Consider this post an offshoot of this one!

A lot of the world lore we receive comes directly from the 22-student main cast of NRC. However, this information they provide us with shouldn’t always be taken at face value 💦 Characters can be unreliable narrators; they won’t be 100% honest with us just because we’re the player.

There are points where they speak with sarcasm (so it negates the words they actually say). This happens a lot with Leona’s lines. Other times, characters intentionally say something to avoid implying something else or to cover up a less savory truth. An example of this may be Azul, who is highly concerned with maintaining his self image. Therefore, not everything he says may be entirely truthful, as the words may be intentionally changed to preserve his self image. We need to more carefully parse through and determine what is true and what is false or insincere of the information they disperse to us. It’s much easier, of course, to get a sense for their intentions by listening to their voiced home screen lines rather than just reading the text snd comparing it to their facial expressions, but voices aren’t always available.

Something else I was thinking about that goes hand-in-hand with this is how different backgrounds bias clouds the information given out or can provide an incomplete sample of the TWST population. For example, if you think about it, NRC only has ~800 students and we only see 22 of them. That’s a very small fraction of the total population of Twisted Wonderland (the whole world)—not to mention that almost 75% of those 22 come from at least upper middle class or at least “special” or privileged families:

Riddle’s parents are both medical mages, with his mother being particularly well-known in their hometown’s community. He had the privilege of studying magic since he was very young (which is notable since education is typically general and does not include magic unless you specifically go to a school for it like NRC).

Cater’s dad is a banker. I’m guessing he has to be pretty high up on the food chain to be traveling all the time (and far enough to separate Cater from his friends every time they do), as a regular low-level banker would stay put at one bank location and devote most of their time there.

Leona is a prince, and so is Malleus. Whether they are crown prince or not doesn’t matter because they still receive great educations and access to great funds either way.

Azul’s mom owns and operates the most famous restaurant in the ENTIRE Coral Sea. His stepdad is also a lawyer.

The Leech twins’ father has important connections and is highly influential in the Coral Sea; they are probably loaded because of this. (Popular fan speculation is the Leech mob family.)

Kalim’s dad is a wealthy trader and he is related to royalty; as the eldest son, Kalim is going to inherit the business. The Asim family’s enormous wealth is mention several times over in the main story, voice lines, vignettes, and events.

Jamil’s family is also said to be well-off.

Vil is an A-list celebrity and his father is as well.

We don’t know the specifics about Rook’s family, but they must be influential and deal in some kind of international business, as Rook mentions they have villas and warp pads (which require special clearance for) all over Twisted Wonderland.

Idia and Ortho’s family legit runs a secret government organization that studies blot. Idia himself is a child prodigy, and is set to become the next director after his father and grandmother.

Lilia is a renown war general and was close friends with his country’s crown princess and her spouse. He lives humbly, but he still has highly influential connections that a regular person wouldn’t.

Silver is Lilia’s adopted son, so by extension, he comes from a privileged background. Even if he technically grew up in a hut in the middle of the woods and didn’t live luxuriously, he still has Lilia’s social connections.

Sebek’s parents are both dentists and do you know how much money dentists make—

Ace, Trey, Jack, and Epel come from normal income families (excluding the portion in book 5 when Epel said his family’s farm has fallen on hard times).

Ruggie comes from extreme poverty while Deuce’s family has had financial issues due to being a single parent household.

And that’s not even to mention that NRC is all-male and mostly 16-18 year olds, thus skewing the perspectives we see in a “male” and “adolescent” direction. This will naturally limit the scope of how they see the world and how they speak about it, even if the characters themselves don’t intend for it to happen. In fact, I wonder if part of the reason the NRC boys aren’t open to accepting help or being open with others when they’re struggling isn’t purely a school-exclusive thing. Maybe it’s because 1) teenagers tend to be largely egocentric/focused on themselves anyway, and 2) society largely discourages men from showing “weakness” and NRC happens to attract particularly prideful students 😭 but the most obvious example of background limiting scope of perception are definitely the super sheltered, super wealthy characters (Malleus, Kalim, etc.).

Just getting our information from them won’t be entirely accurate to how the rest of the population acts or perceives things. We cannot 100% rely on what we know of the TWST boys’ behaviors to assess what everyone or everything else is like.

[athena-xox]

The most annoying characters in eah

This is not my opinion this is genuine fact. I don’t mean that in a joking way.

Apple White: this is obvious. I mean she forced destiny on to people, then has character development then has a fucking To Coda or whatever and goes onto the same bs she started on.

Holly O’Hair: in the show she was cool. I don’t mean that as in ‘I like her’ or ‘she has a cool design’ like genuinely, she was cool as fuck, which the other characters thought as well. But in the books… I 100% that either everyone found her extremely annoying or she was on the spectrum (WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN SUCH COOL REPRESENTATION IF DONE CORRECTLY). Like her whole personality was ‘I’m a ✨wrITer✨. I don’t feel that fact checking rn (what im about to say is right just aren’t examples drawn from the book) but she would randomly use words like serendipity and indubitably. And also someone asked POPPY how she got into being a hairdresser and Holly started telling Poppy’s life story. AND IT WAS LIKE A WHOLE CHAPTER LONG OF HOLLY JUST SAYING NOTHING.

Ginger Breadhouse: same thing with Holly. Fine in the series but in the books… okay actually she’s not that bad. But she was lowkey a pick me. Just her internal monologue. I just didn’t like how 13 year old girl she was over hopper. She made such a big deal for what. Anyways the part of kiss and spell where ginger kisses hopper and she’s his true love but everyone thinks it’s briar… stupid af. Lowkey briar x ginger.

Sparrow Hood: I mean this is literally canon. I would find some random redhead constantly screeching with an electric guitar that somehow always has an amplifier annoying too.

Courtley Jester: her voice alone is annoying

Justine Dancer: what do you mean to tell me ‘Justine Dancer, the youngest of the twelve dancing sisters […] But who does not yet know her fairytale destiny.’ (Moonlight Mystery). My girl be lacking braincells. Especially since she’s a double Royal people would be so sick of her wondering her destiny. Hmm you have 11 older sisters and your mom was a dancing princess… I wonder what your destiny could possibly be.

Meeshell Mermaid: again with the inner monologue. ‘In sea we all sing beautiful choir together and everyone’s voice is equally beautiful, except for Coral that’s why she’s the sea witch 🎀🐠. But fsr on land my voice is the most beautiful ever’ and don’t forget the ‘no headmaster Grimm I don’t want any Accommodations for being a mermaid because ppl will treat me differently *cutely forgets that’s there’s literally fairies, witch, ogres, giants at eah and she’s nothing special* so because I’m don’t excepting any accommodations people are treating me weird because I need accommodations to fit in’. Also her singing is shit.

Gus + Helga Crumb: self explanatory

Tw: controversial opinion

Cerise Hood: ⛓️I’m so different🐺 💔no one understands me🐾 I’m sorry but she legit talks and thinks like this. Also I can’t remember if it was the year book or royals & rebels but like there was a catagory that said bffa’s and cerise put something along the lines of ‘I could never have friends no one would know the true me.’ And then raven legit put Cerise down as one of her bffa’s. Cerise bffr. She’s so Wattpad alpha female coded

[bbanghiitomi]

| milf (man i love fish moms)

synopsis: kim minji who works at a cafe develops a crush on a girl who she saw in a pet store, that girl is her neighbor — minji doesn't know.

— nonidol!kminji × nonidol!femreader

く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡

kim minji vividly remembers the memory of when she first saw you, it was in a pet store located near the apartment complex she lives in. it sat in the middle of two restaurants, one is a fast-food restaurant and another one is a cafe, where she works as a cashier. she remembers how you stared at the fishes with so much adoration, your eyes were wide — sparkling like you had the universe inside of them.

minji remembers standing there, wearing her uniform and having to slap herself back awake when she realized she's been staring at you for quite a long time. because why the fuck was she there staring down an innocent girl gawking over fishes in a tank instead of doing whatever job she had? she literally only went to the pet store to bring the owner a box.

minji felt like a weirdo, for a moment only.

then she started thinking of you more often, not realizing that you lived in the same apartment as she did, the same floor and all. it's not like minji liked making friends, yeah she's sociable and all but she hated dealing with landlords and annoying neighbors.

so the door next to her apartment was always ignored, she never really had gotten a chance to know who the person living inside was. minji only got to know pham hanni, the girl who lived on the lower floor. they were friends, they also took the same classes.

meanwhile, you were stuck inside your apartment, which turned out to be the apartment next to minji's. you lived quite a comfortable life, you were content with whatever you have today, there's no point in looking for more.

you work at home, study online — play video games, eat, walk around the house and then take care of your fish, sometimes stare at them with your mouth wide open, amazed.

there's nothing in this world that you love more than fish, you study about them, you watch videos about them — you are practically obsessed with fish and there's nothing changing you. you see these fishes as your own, you bought them all the things they need, spent money on corals and bigger tanks, oxygen and fillers.

whenever you can, you'd research about a new fish and you try to look for them around every pet store that exists near your place.

you also have a turtle in a separate tank, you named him sheldon — which your brother didn't quite like.

your life revolves around these things only, and you could never be thankful enough for it. you never see a space in your life for love life, it's always unavailable because you care about things that you have now more than what you wish for.

but sometimes, there are people who are not content with your life — like your mother!

she finds your fear of stepping out of your comfort zone a not-so-good thing, it may affect how you live for the next few years, your confidence and more, and one of the things she hates is a kid who is fearful.

"honey, when will you find a partner? i'm worried you're not able to take care of yourself alone there." your mother sighed, for a thousand times already. it gets tiring but you understand that she's just worried, i mean you have no other sources of happiness, you have no one to lean on when there are problems.

you never saw that as a problem, it gets hard yeah but it's all good, right?

"mom, thanks but look — i don't think it's the right time for that. i'm still young and i have a lot of things on my plate right now." you answered, the phone on your hand and the other is wiping the moss away from the tank, it's not necessary to do that but you want to see your kids better.

"but who will you talk to when we're not there? y/n, you need a shoulder to lean on. you need someone to share sentiments with, to care for. you need to create more relationships, it's good!" seriously, you love your mom but sometimes she can get a little pushy.

but she did have a point.

"I'll think about it." you replied, trying to fight the urge to sigh in defeat. you hear your mom hum, a sign that she's satisfied with your answer.

the next day, you find yourself inside a cafe, beside the pet shop you visit all the time. you sat at a table near the counter, scrolling away on your phone to a website showcasing various species of fishes.

to be quite frank, it is your first time visiting here — you never paid much attention to this place, you eat by ordering and making foods yourself at your place. you liked it that way, you hated engaging interaction the social anxiety just isn't good.

you found the strength to stand up and make an order to the counter and as you walk — a certain cashier has her eyes on you. minji felt a tension arising from her, as you got closer and closer, minji got more skittish. she doesn't understand why but when she made eye contact with you, her knees felt weak.

"good morning!" minji greeted you, with a gorgeous smile on her face. you blinked at her and tried to smile back, but you screamed mentally realizing it might have looked forced and awkward. "good morning." you greeted back.

"may i take your order?" your eyes shot at the menu on the screen above, darting at the selection of food and drinks. there's this familiar feeling in your stomach, the same feeling you get during a class presentation when you're about to present your work or when you know you fucked the exam up.

erm, what do i want again? you ask yourself.

finding it hard to choose and to speak, afraid you might make any mistake and forever embarrass yourself. you remembered this one technique your brother taught you.

he said: "if you ever find yourself stuck in front of a pretty cashier and suddenly forget the basics of how to order food, just say — hey what's your recommendation? it works!"

your brother knows damn well it doesn't, and you yourself knows that too. everyone knows your brother is an airhead, he probably thinks it does wonders to literally anyone, then again he managed to be in a relationship with someone.

but alas, you were desperate.

"hey miss, what do you recommend here?" you were quite surprised, it went out smoothly, you didn't stutter and was able to hold eye contact for more than five seconds. minji smiled and pushed strands of her hair behind her ear.

honestly, minji has her own favorites, she has a lot of recommendations in the menu — there is a lot of good stuff in here but… she looks at you and sees quite an expectant look on your face (in reality, it's just you looking constipated and wanting to cut this social interaction quickly).

"i guess kombucha and cinnamon rolls, i think you'll like them." minji stated, her gummy smile looked pleasant to your eyes and you loved her energy, weirdly enough you were able to calm yourself down. with a nod, you bowed your head. "thanks, i'll take them." after paying, you're first thought is to leave the counter but —

"what's your name?" the cashier asked. you raised your eyebrows, there's this awkward twitching on the corner of your lips — you let out an airy laugh. "uhm, y/n." you see minji writing it on a paper before giving the receipt to you.

god, that was hard.

minji smiled, she really cannot help it.

you went back to the seat you were at a few moments ago, then started contemplating about your life, wishing you were sitting in front of your fish tank so the thoughts go 'round your head faster. it's hard to concentrate here, there are too many people.

your phone vibrated in your pocket, you dug your hand in and pulled your phone out to a message from you mother.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

y/nnnn my daughter

i still remember what you told me

so, do you plan on meeting someone?

i am excited to hear about your thoughts

seen.

ah of course, your mom again. you knew she's not gonna give up that easily — but there was no way you can convince her, you've already kind of… promised her a positive answer so it's hard to turn back. at this rate, you'd have to get on with it, get a date or something.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

erm

hi mom

i need more time,

i promise!

i need to get to know people more

sent.

you clear your throat when you feel the waiter approach your table with your order. minji stood by the counter, watching over you with a smile on her face.

the easiest way to find the perfect match for you is either through an app (which you KNOW you would hate) or through a mutual friend, which would probably be a safer option rather than being abducted.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

well, i am expecting a good news by the end of this month

i know my amazing daughter would never disappoint ;)))

and plus i want you to be happy with someone

i can't stand you being alone there

seen.

well you are quite miserable, you wouldn't deny that but hey — you are trying! at least, that's the second best thing you can do for yourself.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

alright i know mom,

don't worry, you'll meet the perfect person by the end of the month

they'll love fish too

sent.

your mother's reply came soon after you sent your message and you can't help but sigh playfully.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

they better love fish!

my daughter can't be with someone who isn't willing to be a fish parent

>:(((

seen.

you still love your mom even if she's annoying.

when minji came back to her apartment, she didn't expect a visitor — which turned out to be her best friend; pham hanni. "hi bff! did you miss me?" hanni grinned at her friend, walking her way to the dining table and taking a cookie from the bowl.

minji rolled her eyes and smiled. "i see you everyday, pham."

hanni laughed and stood with her arms crossed.

"hey, remember when you used to complain about being lonely and sad?" hanni spoke, making her way to the living as minji went ahead of her. minji sighed and nodded. "oh yeah, i was drunk that time pham, forget it." minji responded, getting a scoff from hanni.

"just as i found a solution!" minji looked at hanni as they stood in the middle of the living room, her brow rising at the bold claim from hanni. "and what about it?" hanni pushed her friend lightly by the shoulder. "oh, don't act stupid! look, i'm setting you up on a date." hanni shrugged when minji looked at her with a "are you serious?" face — not forgetting the pout on her lips.

"and with who?" minji snarked.

hanni shook her head, raising her index finger and shaking it. "nuh-uh! can't tell, jihye said it's a secret." she proceeded to giggle over the mention of her girlfriend, which made minji fake a gag to mask her jealousy.

yeah, i definitely DON'T want a girlfriend for sure.

"thanks to your girlfriend i guess." minji sighed. she really wanted to bite the offer, but the fact that she's currently into someone else (which happened to be you) remains, how is she supposed to be there and act all interested?

that's gonna be harsh.

but then, it's not like she's gonna lose something.

"so? deal or no deal?" hanni nudged her friend. minji rolled her eyes playfully and said: "deal, gremlin."

and you found yourself fiddling g your fingers as you sat at a different restaurant that your friend, jihye reserved for you and your supposedly blind date.

you hope whoever that is jihye decided to set you up with wouldn't be an asshole, that's too much to ask for but hey — that has to be at least someone jihye knows of.

you were nervous, to say that you felt confident would be an understatement — you lowkey wished the restaurant had a tank with fish for you to stare at, but all they have here is a tank of lobsters that are on their life sentences, to be served as a dish.

this isn't good. you told yourself, feeling the same bubbling feeling inside you.

"hey," your head turns and you see a familiar face.

minji?

minji!

or to you, is the cashier from the cafe.

"y/n?" she muttered, looking at you. your eyes twitched, but gave her a small and shy smile.

a part of you is thankful it was her, rather than anybody else it had to be that pretty cashier from the cafe.

minji was happy, rejoicing inside her head when you stretched a hand at her.

"l/n y/n." you cracked a smile, this time it felt natural. minji chuckled a little, feeling her face burning up with the sensation of your palms on hers, the soft skin rubbing on her calloused one.

"i'm kim minji."

then all your worries were washed away when minji helped you get through the conversation, you liked her caring personality. it seems like she finds it easy reading people's moods and is able to choose her words very well.

you liked that.

you like her enough to let this little date be more than just a one time thing.

"i study marine biology! i like the water and i used to live near a shore at busan. i have a lot of pet fish and a turtle named sheldon." you watched as she listened attentively, her eyes darting at your face and to your lips — you like that, her way of showing interest. you like it when people care about what you say.

minji doesn't really care about fish, but she cares about the ocean, hello? — she was the one who suggested the use of papers in their cafe.

but it wasn't as intense as your interest, you seemed deep in the ocean studies (no pun intended, really). it didn't bother minji, as long as a pretty girl gets to say what she wants, minji's fine with that.

"that's cool! you know marine and like bodies of water are interesting." minji sees the glimmer in your eyes, it's like the skies at night are nothing compared to the blinding light in your pupils. you nod at her. "i want to say more, but there's not much time left. if you want, here's my number. i can invite you to my place anytime you're free." you passed her a card, it's your phone number.

minji looked up at you with flushed cheeks, you looked down and laughed softly.

when you got back home, the first thing you did was get your phone and message your friend.

mo jihye U⁠ ⁠´⁠꓃⁠ ⁠`⁠ ⁠U

hey

it was great

it went soo well

thanks

sent.

then your mom, you think of minji with a smile — feeling the excitement rush inside of you.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

moommmm

i think i will be able to introduce you to someone

don't get too excited but,

she's great!

she likes the ocean too

sent.

your phone vibrated to messages of your mom, jihye then an unknown number.

mo jihye U⁠ ⁠´⁠꓃⁠ ⁠`⁠ ⁠U

oh my god???

really??

you like minji???

that sauurrrr amazing!

seen.

you laughed, kicking your feet by the edge of your bed.

mo jihye U⁠ ⁠´⁠꓃⁠ ⁠`⁠ ⁠U

i get it now,

i'll invite her idk when but i will

sent.

you scroll through the messages.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

oh that's amazing!

i can't wait to meet her!

is she pretty?

does she have a job?

what's her hobby?

seen.

you decided to check out the unknown number.

unknown number

hey,

this is minji

;))

what's up?

seen.

you couldn't help but giggle; it's such a weird feeling but it's nice and you don't mind it.

minji ʕ⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴥ⁠ꈍ⁠ʔ

all good

thanks for earlier,

you're so fun

hehe

sent.

mom (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

that's way too many questions

still getting to know her more!

but we'll get there

just wait :D

sent.

you keep thinking about minji, it's too fast you think? but she's got that vibes, as long as she doesn't plan on murdering you, you believe it's going to be well. she's interested, and so are you — it's not gonna be that bad, right?

there's still doubt but it's not that bad to indulge yourself for a while, you hate second guessing and you like going for what you want.

minji ʕ⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴥ⁠ꈍ⁠ʔ

nah, thank you too

hey, can't wait to hear more from you ;))

let's see each other often :pp

nice to meet you.

seen.

oh how fast you two have been, but that doesn't matter. you were ready to invite her over to your place, and she was ready to accept it — making sure she guessed a date you'll give her an invite, making sure it's free.

you plan on giving her an invite today, though the both of you have no idea where each other lives — still, it's quite crazy right? you are starting to realize that it's not just liking, or interest, you are fond of her now and it's going to be hard to ignore the way she makes your mind go crazy.

the last time you felt this frenzy was when you first got your fish tank.

her smile, her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her hands, and her lips. minji is a dream, the type of dream you get in a deep slumber. meanwhile, minji loves you — already, it's a foolish thing to say but she really couldn't get enough, the way her heart gets crazy when you're near. the circuit of electricity running inside her veins your hands touch, your lips look magnetic.

she's desperate for more.

"just finished your shift?" you asked her, your finger twirling on the strand of your hair, the other hand on your phone, pressed to your cheek— you laid on your back, your weight pressed on the soft mattress of your bed. you tried to fight a smile, but the sound of her breath takes you away. "yeah, about to go home actually." she responded. you can hear shuffling from the other line and figured it might be her packing up her stuff.

"can i tell you something?" you asked her, minji raised her brows and stopped from what she was doing. "yeah?"

"can you come over here to my place? whenever you're free." minji felt herself frozen, she looked around the room to see if anyone was there, took a peek behind the wall before smiling from ear to ear. "yes, i don't mind tomorrow." you smiled, practically trying your best to fight the urge not to roll over your bed and fall.

"o-oh, yes! i'll send you my address."

minji chuckled and nodded. "alright."

here's the thing, as minji was walking her way back to the apartment complex, you were inside your apartment — the door next to hers, she doesn't know it's you of course, and you don't know it's her next door. minji walked past your door and stopped in front of hers, then her eyes darted to the door of your apartment.

i wonder who lives here.

must be an old woman or something.

minji then entered her apartment and received a message from you.

minji ʕ⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴥ⁠ꈍ⁠ʔ

hey,

this is my address

×××× bldg. 3rd floor - ××××

see you!

sent.

minji placed her bag on the couch and read your message, her eyes checked if she saw it correctly.

the same building, the same location, the same floor — minji rushed outside of her door and then to your door, there's a number plate, exactly like what you sent her.

minji took a deep breath, then she knocked.

you were staring at your fish tank, heard the door knocking and wondered who it might be, it's not like you had any conversations with the person living next door nor knew anyone in this apartment complex.

as you opened the door, you were greeted by a not-so-much taller girl, your eyes met hers and you were taken back. "minji?" you peek outside your door and back to minji who smiled. "why are you here already?" you asked, with actual confusion in your voice.

minji chuckled and pointed to the apartment next to yours. "i live there. i just found out you live here too." she spoke with that deep voice of hers, sending chills to your spine.

you laughed. "oh my god." you put a hand on your face and stared at minji, her eyes looked so… cute today? you don't know, but you really think it's a precious sight to look at and get yourself lost in, the same feeling you get when you stare at your pets. then you can't help but smile wider, a blush painting your cheeks pink.

your mom will love minji, you'll make sure of it.

minji laughed, her eyes turned crescents, her cheeks flaring red and the tip of her ears are a thousand shades of red. it's music to your ears, you've never felt this happy with a person ever before, you just realized. it's like everything momentarily stops, but you are hyper aware of your surroundings, minji's presence and all — even the loud thumping your heartbeat resonating with hers.

you want to touch her hand, feel her warmth on yours.

"i like you already." minji muttered, her smile never fading. you tried to contain a squeal, something you really never expected.

"me too, i think. i like you too minji."

[pianostarinwonderland]

I'm curious do you think that it's possible to have a healthy relationship with Azul??

I've been reading a lot of Azul x reader fanfics and they're all Nice and all, but it also got me thinking of an actual healthy relationship with Azul Coul be possible? since you know he has a lot of issues and since your a Azul Stan and you seem to know him quite well, do you think it's possible??

OOOOOOH rubs hands gleefully I love this ask holy shit

So I'm going to start this by saying that a lot of this is my opinion, and it's one that's formed by not just how I read Azul but also by experiences I've gone through with relationships, both romantic and platonic. I'll try to give an essay that's as close to his character as possible, but this is already written with biases.

So anyway, the short answer to this is: Yes. I believe you can have a healthy relationship with Azul. But it's going to take a fucking long time till you even get there, and you really have to prove that you're not only a good friend to begin with, but someone trustworthy and someone with a dash of Fucked Up to understand him.

The long answer?

One of the first things about Azul that must be understood when you write him in a romantic setting is that his view on relationships is damaged. And I mean that with italics. It's not exactly a secret with his transactional mindset. He follows the give and take policy, contract or no contract. The best example you'll see of this is his PE Uniform story, with how he didn't want Jamil to give him flying lessons, not until Jamil asked for a price. He's not into gifts either, because he'd give something back to you anyway, which you see in his first Valentine's letter.

But if we dig deeper, this also may stem from his home environment and past bullying.

Starting with the home environment, his parents divorced. It must have left an impression on him, all the more if there were arguments in the household. First impressions last, and there may always be that little reminder in his head that many relationships can fall apart, even with an official contract in place.

Then the nature of Coral Sea and his past with bullying. Jade in his Platinum Jacket story (TL by mysteryshoptls) narrates a time when some sharks didn't fulfill their promises to him.

Jade: I wouldn’t say that… Back in the ocean, there were a few sharks that had refused to honor their promises. As I was entreating them to fulfill their duty, they all decided to bilk their promise altogether.

Coral Sea doesn't seem to be a very friendly environment, at least in the perspectives of the Octavinelle trio. They also seem to be discriminated against, with Azul's being pretty obvious and the tweels more on the speculation side. Thus, Azul was prone to that sort of unfriendliness and even betrayal. It wouldn't be surprising if some merfolk or animals did the same thing that the sharks did to Jade.

Overall, Azul's relationship with... relationships is not exactly healthy due to the circumstances he grew up with, and that has to be taken note of.

However, I do believe that Azul wants to connect with someone deeply. And it's probably one of his biggest yearnings. It seems ironic that he being so guarded and transactional with people would yearn for such a connection. But honestly, it's the very guarded people who desire that kind of relationship the most. It's tiring to carry your guard up all the time. Wouldn't it be great for once to have a relationship where you just don't have to keep it up anymore?

I think there's reason to believe that Azul is hopeful for such a connection to enter his life too. His mom found a second man, and from the few stories that he shared of his family, she and her new partner seem to be doing really well. Azul calls him 'father', and has described him to be kind and sensitive. And their relationship is likely to have started when Azul was still very young, if we assume that the restaurant boomed in business during his mom's second relationship. So Azul may have witnessed his mom's divorce really young, but he also saw early on that there can be a relationship that thrives with the right person.

To a big extent, you'll see this desire he has to have a deep connection with people in canon. An obvious but still notable one is Azul and his relationship with Jade and Floyd. A big part of his OB had to do with the two of them not following him and Floyd calling him lame. The Octavinelle CM exhibits this attachment he has to them as well. In Jade's Platinum story, Jade says he occasionally gives Azul coins. In Floyd's Lab card lines, he states that he'd give Azul shiny things on occasion. They both give Azul these gifts, and there's no hint that Azul gives them something in return, which is unlike his usual principle of give and exchange.

Outside of the twins, you also can see that it is possible to get Azul to be comfortable with someone. Book 6 showcases this at the end of the Riddle-Azul tower, when Azul fell asleep on Riddle's shoulder. This is after clearing their huge misunderstanding about why Riddle is often shielding Azul. Azul thought Riddle was underestimating his strength, but his reason for shielding Azul is just so he wouldn't have to treat a mer without a license or he'd be breaking the law. And it's so Riddle coded that Azul easily took it as the truth and saw that Riddle was really looking out for him. The progression of trust being built in this case seems pretty quick, sure, but it has to be noted too that Azul knew Riddle for more than a year at this point. They're both some of the top scorers in their year level, and they're fellow dorm leaders who have worked together. And Azul definitely knows Riddle's honesty and strict adherence with all kinds of rules, so it helps him trust Riddle more.

Honesty is not the only thing that Azul needs, though. He likely wants to connect with someone who's got that brand of fucked up like him. And this is where I bring up his dynamic with Jamil.

For this part, I'd like to link this wonderful thread made by @/kennae_bae because it highlights a few things I want to discuss here. This thread is mainly in the light of Azul/Jamil, but it goes into the need for connection that they both have as individuals. Of course, for the purposes of this essay, we mainly focus on Azul.

To an extent, Azul's view on Jamil gives us an idea of what he does when he wants to connect with certain folks. Firstly, it's seen in how he likes to approach Jamil a lot more so than other characters. He's offered on more than one occasion for Jamil to transfer to Octavinelle, which the thread has elaborated on. Even though he sees benefit in getting closer to other characters like Malleus (which has been shown in both Halloween Azul and Lab Sebek vignettes), he gives this offer to Jamil because he knows his potential. Azul is the type to see the strengths and potential of most people, and usually, he'd either see use for it or simply comment and do nothing with it if there's no benefit. But Jamil is different; it's true that if Azul just wants him to work at the lounge, he'd be much more forward with it and name a price. However, by wanting Jamil to join Octavinelle, and thus work together with him, Azul is also implying that he wants Jamil in a closer circle of friends.

But that's just one small part of it. I think the part that really shows his yearning to connect with someone like Jamil is in Book 4-34, when Azul gives his own thoughts about the situation between Kalim and Jamil:

Azul: The things you say out of unwavering faith in others will rub people like Jamil or I the wrong way. Rather, to those who live their lives on a budget, it sounds like condescending sarcasm. (TL by shel_bb)

Notice how Azul mentions himself along with Jamil in that one sentence. In that line alone, it sounds like he's connecting himself with Jamil because he feels that they are similar. And that acts as reassurance to Azul, that there's someone else (outside of Jade and Floyd) that could understand his pains.

However, having similar traumas and everything isn't a huge requirement to get to connect with Azul. If it was, he definitely would have let Jamil teach him flying in his PE story. But if he can at least see that you can understand the things he goes through (and maybe even empathize just slightly), it definitely opens up gates to having a deeper relationship with him.

Now okay, we really just covered one half and a bit of the question: is a relationship with Azul possible? Yes. But now we have to address the other half: the healthy relationship part.

To which case, I would say yes. I think the longevity of his relationship with Jade and Floyd is already a testament to this in some way, and all three of them have stayed together in spite of his overblot.

Now this is definitely biased, but I believe a glimpse of a possible healthy relationship with Azul can be found in Book 3-38. After everything that had transpired, Azul goes to return the photo to the Atlantica museum. And I believe most of you reading this will know this conversation.

Azul: I thought that if I could erase all the photos from my past, my time spent being bullied as a "dumb clumsy octopus" would vanish with them. The Sea Witch never hid her dark past but faced it and worked to overwrite her reputation. I kept saying I wanted to be like her, but... in the end, I couldn't accept who I was and tried to act like it never happened. (TL by shel_bb)

In this segment, we have Azul becoming vulnerable to us about his feelings. And I think this is important to bring up because (1) most of the OB characters do not get this vulnerable about their feelings post-OB (aside from Vil, who even then had a professional front when he apologized to the NRC Tribe), and (2) you just don't get Azul sharing something so vulnerable very often. He usually keeps his feelings unsaid so that people don't potentially use them against him. Yet there he is, admitting to you the reason why he wanted the photo he made you steal. And then Yuu reassures him and compliments him, to which Azul responds with:

Azul: My... hard work? Pfft. There is no need for you to flatter me. I only wanted to get back at those who had made fun of me for so long.

And that's all said with a smile. He's happy to get those compliments. =w=

But to cap it off, a healthy relationship with Azul means that it's a relationship where he can let himself be vulnerable to the other person. It is definitely huge bonus points if the other is not only trustworthy but also someone that can understand him somehow.

However, it definitely still takes him a lot of time, especially with how much he goes through. I think that's why you really have to prioritize friendship in order to have a healthy relationship with him. Being able to have a good lasting friendship with Azul would let him trust that you'd be a great partner in life. It definitely will take years, but when you can connect and be open and honest together, a healthy relationship with Azul is possible.