#I like the beach at high tide lol

[ijustdontlikepeople]

I was tagged by @allsassnoclass @lover-of-mine

Rules bold the true ones

APPEARANCE

i’m over 5’5” // i wear glasses/contacts // i have blonde hair // i prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i typically wear make-up // i don’t often smile // i am pleased with how i look // i prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball hats backwards

TALENTS AND HOBBIES

i play a sport // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can cook or bake without a recipe // i know how to swim // i enjoy writing // i can do origami // i prefer movies to tv shows // i can execute a perfect somersault // i enjoy singing // i could survive in the wild on my own // i have read a new book series this year // i enjoy spending time with friends // i travel during school or work breaks // i can do a handstand

RELATIONSHIP

i am in a relationship // i have been single for over a year // i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years // my parents are together // i have dated my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have a long distance relationship // i am an only child // i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i met up with someone i have met online

AESTHETIC

i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sun rise // i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colours // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favourite season

MISC

i can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // i am the mom friend // i live by a certain quote // i like the smell of sharpies // i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i can drive a stick-shift // i believe in true love // i make up scenarios to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least three dogs

TAGGING: anyone who like to share ♥️

[pardycity]

retris has appeared in my dreams like. 3 times now. holy shit

[sungbeam]

nonidol!jung sungchan x f!reader

at some point beneath the glittering summer sun and along evening tides, you and sungchan tripped over the line drawn in the sand.

▷ genre, warnings. brother's best friend!au, friends-ish 2 lovers, family vacay + sungchan lol, swearing, kissing, fluff, humor, sungchan does go shirtless (it's a beach), mentions of food, mentions of alcohol; lee jeno, sohee, and anton r ur brothers! (so u have the lee last name but u "look more like ur mom"); barely proofread, also im sorry if this is boring my head has not been in the game for Months

▷ word count. 10.0k

DISCLAIMER: i DO NOT actively write for or stan riize; this is literally just a birthday present T-T so if dynamics/personalities aren't right, i literally don't know these guys 💀

a/n: happiest birthday to my beloved soulmate and wife @justalildumpling :')) i hope u like it <3

OFTEN when you came back home from work, your joints and muscles ached to the point you could barely stand, your hair felt gross on your head, and your eyes stung from dehydration and sleep deprivation. That was the toll of working closing shift at the restaurant you worked at, and had been working at, for the past several years. 

It wasn't out of the ordinary to see the lights in the house still warm and bright when you got home either. Your family was a handful of night owls, not discounting yourself. They had witnessed you in this particular rat-nest dump of a state time and time again, which was why you didn't worry about looking like Death Incarnate. 

“Hey.”

Your soul left your body. 

Sitting on your living room couch was not a family member. Though, he might as well have been a part of it from how much you had been seeing him lately. Jung Sungchan was your older brother Jeno's best friend, but Sungchan was in your year rather than Jeno's. The two met via the high school soccer team and had been good friends since. 

Years later, he was sitting on the living room couch, nearing one in the morning, his hair damp from a recent shower, T-shirt sleeves rolled up his shoulders, and his phone paused from the game he was playing. Your brain was too tired to even register the amount of muscle packed onto his arms (what the fuck—). 

“Sorry, did I scare you?” He chuckled sheepishly, reaching up to ruffle his dark hair, grown out slightly. 

“What are you doing here?” You blurted instead. Exhaustion meant that conventional politeness was completely defenestrated. It was one in the morning on a summer night… usually your older brother was out clubbing or drinking (not that you were any different, but you worked quite a bit more nights lately). 

Sungchan's eyes danced up and down your form. “Jeno and I decided we're gonna pull an all-nighter for the road trip in—” He glanced over at his phone, “—seven hours and just knock out in the car. How was work?”

Road trip? Car ride? If you could just make it to the shower… “It was fine. Tiring,” you said with a sigh. You trudged over to the far side of the room, behind Sungchan, into the kitchen. You grabbed a cup to fill with water, then drained it down your throat just as fast as it had been filled. 

With water in your body, your systems were finally coming back online. Road trip. Car ride. Your eyes widened. “Oh my god. I have to pack.”

“You haven't packed yet?” He queried, tone light and teasing as he watched the progression of your panic with amusement. “Even Jeno's packed.”

You sputtered back at him, “Quiet, you!”

Sungchan's warm laugh followed you out into the hallway and all the way to your room. You couldn't understand why your face felt so hot; you should have been too preoccupied to be embarrassed, after all. 

You slammed your bedroom door shut, dragging a hand down your face. You couldn't believe Sungchan just saw your I-just-worked-for-eight-hours-in-customer-service face. Not even some of your closest friends had seen the aftermath of your night shifts at work yet. 

Crazy. 

It wasn't every family vacation where a plus-one was invited. Your family tried to set aside time for these trips just for the six of you, but this time was an exception. Somehow—you weren't a part of the delegations—Sungchan was invited on this summer's trip to the coast. Your mom mentioned offhandedly it was because Sungchan “was a nice boy,” or something to that effect. Your family rented out a cabin right along the beach for a week, and the lot of you were going to be stuck in the family minivan for a good eight hours together. 

And if Sungchan was tagging along, that meant you were going to have to fight for the middle row seat or—

“Yn—you’re in the back with Sohee and Anton.”

You came to a screeching halt on your way out of the house, a bucket hat shielding your puffy eyes from the waking world, your duffle strapped over your shoulder. It was seven hours later—an ungodly eight in the morning. “What? Nuh-uh; I don't think so.”

Jeno stood only a few meters ahead of you by the door of the minivan, his hands primed on either side of his hips as if he was the self-proclaimed guardian of the car seating chart. “Well, I said so. Sungchan has longer legs than you—”

“Why don't you sit in the back then?” You shot back with a saccharine sweet smile. You were too tired for this shit. 

Sungchan scratched the side of his head as he walked out of the house to stand by you and join the argument, his flip flops thwacking against the ground. “Uhh, I can sit in the back middle seat. It's cool, dude.”

“Sungchan's too tall for the middle seat,” your dad interjected. He took yours and Sungchan's bags to add to the trunk. “Yn's in the back. Sorry, hon.”

“Dad,” you groaned. 

“You can switch with Jeno half way.”

“Dad!” Jeno squawked this time. 

Your father gave a tired sigh, saying more than he would ever say aloud. “Everyone in the car. Can't you two be like Sohee and Anton? At least they're knocked out.”

“They know they'll be sent to the back without question,” you pointed out as you made your way to the minivan. As you passed by your brother, you sent him a very potent stink eye, then clambered into the back row. 

Like your father had said, your younger brothers, Sohee and Anton, were already dead asleep. Their mouths hung open wide enough to catch any wayward fly with their heads angled back against their neck pillows. You snorted and snapped a photo of them to add to your collection of brotherly blackmail. 

Your mom was settled into the front passenger seat already queuing up driving directions to get to the coast. From your perch in the middle, you had a clear view of her phone screen—seven hours and two minutes. Yay. 

You supposed there wasn't anything too terrible about the middle seat; you were out like a light as soon as the car pulled out of the driveway. 

When you woke up, it was about four hours later, and your parents were having a hushed discussion amongst themselves and Sungchan. A baseball cap had materialized on top of Sungchan's head at some point when you were asleep, and the sleeves of his T-shirt were once again rolled up to expose his muscled shoulders. Did this guy not have a tank top?

“...I like it, at least—well, I don't mind all the extra requirements, and I know it'll help me reach my ultimate end goal, so.”

Your mom let out a hum of approval. “Ah, that's good that you like it. You'll be busy as a nurse.”

Right, Sungchan was in the nursing program. Your brother wasa kinesiology major, and you were going into law. It made for quite the diverse pool in the car. 

You opened your mouth in a yawn and fumbled your hand around your lap for where your earbud had fallen out of your ear, carefully so that you didn't shake off Anton's head on your shoulder. (Oh no, was he drooling?)

“Yn-ah, good morning,” your mother teased quietly. 

You glanced up, eyes going wide when you realized both your mom and Sungchan were now peering back at you. “Morning,” you murmured. Your fingers enclosed around your fallen earbud to tuck it into the case left in the bag at your feet. 

“Sleep well?” Sungchan piped up. There was that twinkle in his eyes, the same one from last night. It made your stomach twist in a way that was more pleasant than not. 

You cleared your throat, unconsciously reaching up to adjust the placement of your bucket hat and praying you didn't look like a sewer rat. “For the most part,” you replied. “How about you?”

He shrugged. “I had a decent power nap. Your mom says you're going into law. That's really cool.”

“Oh,” you blinked. “Thanks. And you're in nursing, right? That's cool, too—super admirable.”

Sungchan's mouth widened into a small grin. “Thanks. It's only our first year, but it feels like so much work already.”

“Right? Tell me about it…”

Less than fifteen minutes later, the family van pulled into the parking lot of a diner off the interstate, exactly halfway through your journey. The seven of you, weary and hungry, filed out of the vehicle and into the establishment. You and your parents slid into one booth, while your brothers and Sungchan occupied the one behind you. 

There was a low-spun fan swirling above your heads, an 80s song you vaguely recognized wafting through the air at a dull decibel. Your phone was stashed away in the bag tucked into your end of the booth seat while you idly sipped on your glass of iced water. 

You jolted at the feeling of something light hitting the back of your head. 

A gasp from behind you. 

You rolled your eyes, twisting around in your seat while picking the wadded up straw wrapper from your hair. “Who did it?” You deadpanned. 

The boys table was filled with sheepish expressions, to their credit. Your younger brothers, who were sitting on the far side facing you, thrusted their fingers in each other's faces in a torrent of blame and accusation. 

“Aish, never mind. I don't care who did it,” you dismissed. Your eyes caught onto Sungchan's. He sat just diagonally to your left and for some reason, his eyes on you made you feel warm. 

You flicked the wrapper back; it hit Anton square in the forehead. Jeno barked out a laugh. 

“Nice shot,” Sungchan nodded, extending his fist to you. 

You couldn't suppress the smile from coming onto your face as you bumped his fist with yours. 

Food arrived swiftly afterward, and it was demolished as quickly as it came. In the sway of a palm tree frond, the seven of you were back in the confines of the family minivan. 

The remainder of the car ride carried over quickly. Though Jeno unhappily sat his ass down in your previous spot with you claiming his from before, he and your other brothers snored away five minutes in. You didn't go back to sleep despite having a full belly and less than five hours of sleep under your belt; you watched the world pass by outside the window in a blur. 

Urban skylines melted into rolling emerald mountains and pastures, sank into palm trees and sandy shores that met a blue horizon as far as the eye could see. 

The beach house your family rented this year was a two story cottage-type. It was small, with only one bedroom and bathroom upstairs, a bathroom downstairs, and a living room and kitchen. The rest was all beach. It was determined that you and your mom would be given the honors of the upstairs bedroom and bathroom, while all the boys piled into the living room. 

Once everyone was settled in, there was little else to do but go make use of your new backyard for the next week. 

“Yn! Come on, slowpoke!” Sohee shouted at you from the shoreline with cupped hands. You saw his bare back as he splashed into the waves after Anton, who was already only a speck in your vision. 

Your bare feet sank into the sand, and you wiggled your toes between the warm grains. Sunshine, glorious and concentrated above the distant horizon, soaked into your skin. Ah, this was the life.

Just as you reached for the hem of your shirt to reveal your bathing suit, you caught movement from the corner of your eye. Jeno and Sungchan were coming onto the beach from the front of the house, a disassembled volleyball net hanging between them. 

Your eyes nearly fell out of your head at the sight of Sungchan's back—

Before Jeno or any of your other brothers or Sungchan could catch you ogling, you gave yourself a nice, mental slap to the face. No more. You needed to stop this. When did you ever look at Sungchan like this?

(You could still remember when he was the gangly kid with the growth spurt trying out for the high school soccer team. He was paired with Jeno to test his potential, and the rest was history.)

Sungchan was the first to spot you as he and Jeno determined a place to set up the net. He beamed boyishly, his chin inclining toward you. “Hey, wanna play?”

Your eyes flickered to the corded necklace hanging from his collar and between his—Yn, shut the fuck up. “Sure,” you said simply, feigning nonchalance. 

If he noticed your wandering eyes, he didn't comment. Instead, he nodded back at you. “Sick.”

You both turned back to your original tasks. Your hands went back to the bottom hem of your shirt to tug it up and off your body. (Maybe you weren't the only one with wandering eyes, though.)

You draped your clothes over the back porch railing and began making your way down to the shoreline. “I'm gonna take a dip and then come back up!” You said to Jeno and Sungchan. 

“Oh, okay—ow!” 

You didn't see nor hear what happened, but when you glanced back, Sungchan had his back turned to you as he furiously rubbed the back of his head, while Jeno smiled innocently. 

Your older brother waved you along. “Carry on!” He said. 

Walking backward for a couple steps, you shot him an incredulous look, then turned around to meet your little brothers in the ocean. Whatever. 

You had been staring at the wooden ceiling above your head for the past forty-five minutes. Your mom's even breathing and the ocean waves rolling outside the window failed to rock you into unconsciousness. You'd figured the sunlight from this afternoon would have made you tired, or perhaps all the food you ate for dinner, but your eyes continued to stay wide open. 

A quiet sigh fell from your mouth as you rolled over onto your side and gently peeled the covers off. With near silent footsteps across the oak floors, you slipped out of the bedroom and down the stairs. 

The cacophony of combined snoring from all the men in the living room was comparable to the volume of the waves just outside. 

You barely contained your snort of amusement. You didn't worry about waking any of them up as you crossed the living room, full of a smorgasbord of limbs and bodies draped across the large couch sectional and blankets on the floor. 

The back door was left unlatched when you reached its threshold. Outside, moonlight dappled across the calm sea like a sprinkling of diamonds. You slowly pried the door open, freezing. 

You and Sungchan made eye contact from across the back porch. He was perched on the top step, nursing a bottle of beer in his hand. A loose breeze wafted through the strands of his hair. 

“Sorry,” you whispered, moving to retreat back into the house. 

“Oh, no—please.” He patted the empty space next to him on the porch step. 

You blinked, at odds. He was clearly out here for a reason and you'd figured he wanted some space, but if he was inviting you, then… 

You closed the back door behind you and settled beside him, with a comfortable amount of negative space between your bodies. You folded your arms over the tops of your knees and stared out at the midnight horizon. It smelled of salt and sea spray, and the light wind was a refreshing crispiness against the humid evening air. 

“Couldn't sleep?” He murmured, glancing over at you. 

You nodded. “Yeah. You?”

He hummed in response. 

“I'm not surprised,” you said. The corners of your lips curled upward. “I wouldn't be able to sleep amongst my brothers either. Their snoring could wake a bear.”

Sungchan sputtered out a laugh as his eyes crinkled upward and he pressed the back of his knuckles against his mouth. “I wasn't gonna say it, but…”

You shared a grin with him. “I will happily say it for you, dude.” 

His eyes were stunning in this lighting. The moonlight hit his irises at an angle that made them shimmer like a shade of molten copper. He licked his lips, and you saw his eyes dart from your eyes, down a few inches, then further down to the beer bottle in his hands. 

“Oh, uh,” he stammered, tipping the bottle nose in your direction, “want some? I thought the alcohol would help me sleep, but it's not looking awfully promising.”

For a split second, your heart leapt at the thought—your mouth pressed against the place his mouth had been, tasting the place he'd drunk from. 

You dashed the thought from your mind. It couldn't have been so significant as your brain was making it out to be. You were probably just sleep deprived. 

“Thanks,” you said while reaching across the gap to accept it from him. Judging by the weight, it was just about half full, and you took a light swig. 

A drop of liquid dribbled out of the corner of your lips, and you swiped it with the pad of your thumb, sticking the finger into your mouth to suck it off. You passed the bottle back over to him, catching his eyes not looking at yours. 

(The organ in your chest was no longer in your chest. Was it normal for your heart to make a home in your throat instead? Why did he look at you like that?)

“Any reason for not being able to sleep?” You asked him to break the silence. “I mean, besides the symphony my brothers and dad are conducting, of course.”

His eyes shuddered, as if breaking out of a trance. “Oh, uhm—nothing in particular, I guess. Maybe it's just from all the excitement. I think it's usually hard for me to sleep in new places.”

You bobbed your head in understanding. “No, I get that. It takes me a little to get used to new environments, too. I don't know how I would have survived if I was living in the dorms at uni and not at home.” The university you attended was a decent commute from your house, so living on campus was never something you gave much thought to. The idea of living independently appealed to you sometimes, but in general, you didn't have a ton of qualms against your circumstances now. 

“For sure,” Sungchan whistled lowly. He contemplated the opening of his beer bottle, then took a gentle sip of its contents. “Have you made a lot of friends? I feel like it's a lot harder than people make it seem.”

You passed him a curious glance this time. “Some, but it's definitely not as easy as high school. You haven't made a lot of friends?”

“The soccer team, mainly,” he chuckled. “The occasional ally in my classes.”

You let out a bright laugh that made his smile widen. “'Ally?’” You parroted. “What a fun word to call classmates.”

“It's true!” He insisted, chuckling. “Some of these professors are evil, man. Competitive grades? Not a chance,” He scoffed. “We're all in this together, even if the curve is against us.”

You clapped a hand over your mouth to keep from being too loud, but the rolling waves likely covered your noise plenty. Your family were deep sleepers. 

“I just figured that you meet lots of people,” you offered when your mirth died down to a giggle. You toed a pile of sand sitting on the last step of the porch. “Your socials are pretty active,” you said, “but I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.”

“I could say the same about you, Miss Party Girl,” he smirked. “When are you gonna drag me to a rave?”

Heat raced up to your cheeks. “I've only been to one,” you said, rolling your eyes. He'd seen that post? First, the post-work daze, and now, the turnt raver? “I haven't gone to a party in a few weeks 'cause of finals anyway.” 

Now that you thought about it, you'd been so busy as of late, you couldn't even count the amount of outings you'd declined on your two hands. 

“Trust me, I get it.” He raised his hands in an act of surrender, his knees angling toward you. The negative space was suddenly a lot less negative. 

Another tip of his beer bottle; it swapped hands once, twice more. The liquid dribbled smooth down your throat just as Sungchan knocked the rest back. The empty glass made a dull thunk sound as it hit the wooden porch to Sungchan's right. 

“So what I'm getting,” you drawled, mimicking his position by angling your knees toward his. You felt your legs brush—the stimulus sent a jolt down your nerves that warned of addiction and tasted like the forbidden. “Is that you've never been to a rave before?”

Sungchan gave a noncommittal shrug. “Maybe I have.”

You mocked his shrug. “Maybe you have.”

“Or maybe it's just that I haven't gone with you yet.”

Even the waves seemed to quiet for a second. Your heartbeat stuttered in your chest, and you tied down the nervous laugh ready to bubble out of your mouth. You bit your lip and found yourself nodding. “We'd paint the town red, Jung Sungchan,” you murmured. 

There it was again—that flicker of his gaze to some place you both knew crossed a line. It was the beer, was what you were telling yourself. It was the beer. 

Seagulls surfed the ever-blue sky. Eternal summer could be thought of as a filter of golden, glittery gauze across one's already rose-colored glasses. But summer, truly, was the shade of Jung Sungchan's tank top peeling off his body as he sprinted down the sandbank after your brother, Anton. 

You watched the fabric whip around in the salt breeze before settling into a heap where his footprint melted into the mineral grains. You were giving Sohee the sunscreen spritz-down up on the covered porch, while Jeno barreled down the bank after his friend and brother. 

From behind you came the scratch of the back door sliding open. You and Sohee peered back to where your mom poked her head out. 

She just barely caught her sunglasses in time as they slipped off her head. “Hey, your dad and I are heading out. Watch each other, okay?”

“Got it!” You and Sohee chirped. 

One more nod from your mom, and then she was gone. Your parents were going to take a date into town, just the two of them. That left you and the boys here with the surf and sand—definitely not a terrible compromise. If you wanted, you could probably have the whole house to yourself, anyway. These guys could entertain themselves. 

“Yn! Sohee!” 

Jeno arced one arm up into the sky to beckon you down to the sea, only to get dragged underwater by his two comrades. You and Sohee harked out twin laughs as you watched Jeno fight for his life with limbs flailing and foam flying into the sky. 

You patted Sohee's shoulder as you set the can of sunscreen onto the porch step. “Alrighty, you're good to go, bro.”

“Thanks—race you down!”

“Hey!” Your laughter echoed as you bolted down the sand after him to join the fun. 

As your feet dug into the wet embankment, your palms made purchase against Sohee's shoulders to shove him into the water. A yelp leapt into the air, and you turned away to avoid getting hit in the face with the consequence of your prank. 

“I'm so gonna get you for that!” Sohee spat water out of his mouth, a wicked grin pulling onto his lips. 

“No, you're not, actually!” 

You bolted—well, stomped, your way through the knee-deep water, furiously trying to get away from karma. Water yanked down on your limbs in a forceful coax to give into your punishment, but you were determined. 

You could hear your brothers’ hollers of encouragement: “Get her, Sohee!” and “RUN, YN, RUN!”

Adrenaline pumped through your veins and you pushed your legs harder. 

“I got her!” Wait, was that Sungchan?—

You suddenly felt a pair of hands on either side of your waist—you swore as your legs came out of the water and your world twisted. 

“No, no, no, no, no!” You squawked, squirming wildly in Sungchan's arms as he scooped you into his hold like a bride. (NO. NOT LIKE A BRIDE. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE A BRIDE?—) One arm cradled your back and the other under your knees, and he laughed—he chuckled—as you attempted to flip yourself out of his grasp. 

“You're not getting out of this, party girl,” he said close to your ear. 

For a heartbeat, you lost your breath at the rasp behind his words and the grin on his face. But a heartbeat was all he needed. 

There was free fall, and then all sound muffled as cold water engulfed your body. You plugged your nose and screwed your eyes shut. You felt your ass hit the sand at the bottom in slow motion, before the air in your lungs began to lift you back up to the surface of the water. 

You broke out with a gasp, hair flipping back as you furiously swiped your hands down your face to get the water out of your eyes. They stung like a bitch, but you could feel the rush of blood in your ears; it was thrilling. 

A hand in your vision enclosed around yours.

“You asshole!” You scowled up at Sungchan from where you knelt, though it was half-hearted. 

He beamed back at you boyishly with damp hair hanging in his eyes and water running down the crevices of his stomach like a goddamn system of canals. “You're a good sport, Yn.”

“I'm really not.”

You had the distinct pleasure of seeing the smile slip off his face before you used his grip on you to yank him into the water. You swallowed a good half pint of saltwater, but the revenge couldn't have been sweeter. 

When Sungchan's head broke the surface, it was followed by a dog-like shake of his head. You laughed to turn away from the spray of water; Sungchan delighted at the sound. 

Amusement still lingered on your lips as your eyes snagged on the piece of seaweed that made its home on his head. You didn't think twice about it before leaning closer to reach it. 

You stepped forward, and—oh boy, was that a mistake. 

You had a front row seat view of a droplet of water slipping down the slope of his nose, the curve of his lips, and the cliff of his chin. You wrestled down a swallow, and pulled the seaweed off his head, flinging it into the water. 

“You had, uhm, a little…”

“Right, thanks—”

You both flinched apart as a man-made wave of water crashed into your sides. “AMBUSH!” Your three brothers declared, springing up out of the water and parading a full-blown attack with all weapons firing. 

You and Sungchan were swift to launch your own counterattack. 

Merriment filled the summer air as much as saltwater embedded into your skin and eyes and mouth. You almost made the mistake of thinking your racing heart was just from the determination to beat your brothers, and not from the guy on your side of the war. The heat was getting to you and the sun was getting to him.  

It was about an hour later that you found yourself lazing upon the slick and smooth plane of a surfboard. The ocean rocked you gently from beneath the board; it had been surprisingly calm all of today. 

At some point, you and the boys established a truce in the Great Water War, mainly because your brothers were hungry and there was a big, juicy watermelon just begging to be cut open and devoured in the house. 

Suffice to say, you let your brothers figure it out. 

Your consciousness faded into the foreground of your mind as a distant sound of splashing neared. You peaked one eye open, lifting the rim of the hat up to see who dared to encroach upon your isle. 

You could recognize Sungchan's mop of hair from a mile away, at this point. You couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing, but why did it have to be either?

He cropped up right beside you, pushing back his hair to keep the water out of his eyes. “Hi.”

A smile curled onto your lips, teasing. “Hi. Good swim?”

“Good nap?”

“As good as one can be on the open ocean,” you said, shifting the hat up so you could see him better, but keeping your face shaded. “I don't know how dolphins sleep with half their brain on.”

Sungchan's brows rocketed toward his hairline. “They sleep with half their brain on? Crazy.”

“I know. I can't even stay awake with half my brain on.”

You and he shared a laugh, and he set a palm on the board next to your body. “Aw, no,” he assured. “If you've got less than half a brain on at all times, then I've got one brain cell.”

“Joke's on you, half my brain is half a brain cell.”

He wrinkled his nose at you. Cute. “Sweetheart, hate to break it to you, but that's not how brain cells work.”

You nearly fell off the board. “Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, do tell.”

“I'm not about to talk about neurons on my vacation.”

You challenged him with a look. “Overruled, counselor. Answer the question.”

His mouth fell open in a stunned daze, and his reaction made you break face for a moment to laugh. He blinked. “I have to be really honest with you…” Sungchan carded a hand through his hair, then pressed his knuckles to his mouth. “That was really hot.”

Was it suddenly five degrees warmer out here? 

If blood rushing in your ears was akin to the sound of waves crashing, there must have been one hell of a tsunami in your veins right now. 

You sputtered a laugh. “You need to get out of the sun—”

“I'm sorry I said that aloud,” he grimaced sheepishly. 

“Nurse? Nurse!—” You feigned raising your head up to look around for an imaginary nurse in the middle of the ocean. “Oh, right. You are the nurse.”

He groaned, tilting his head back and playfully punching your shoulder. “You're so—”

“Hot?”

You howled at the sight of his cheekbones blooming the color of ripe watermelon. “I'm kidding; I'm teasing!”

He sighed, smiling despite the pain etched onto his gorgeous features. “Never living that down, am I?”

You shifted your position to laying on your stomach now, your arms folded beneath your chin. Sungchan carefully turned the surfboard so the tip faced him, and you were trapped in his gaze, head-on. “It was cute,” you consoled. 

“So you think I'm cute?” He cocked a brow. 

“And you think I'm hot.”

He flicked water at you. “Aaand, there it is!” 

You laughed again, delighted at the red lingering on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. God, he was fucking gorgeous. 

A beat passed for a second. Something settled between the two of you, a thing you couldn't yet put a name on, but it had been there since last night. Or maybe it had been there longer, festering in the negative space between you until said space could become something of a memory. 

You weren't sure why he was here—why he'd swum out here to meet you when his best friend was back at the beach house, gorging on watermelon and getting his ass handed to him in Mario Kart by his siblings; why he all of a sudden occupied a part of your mind like the tide creeping up the embankment at four in the afternoon. At first, he was far enough for you to settle into a false sense of security; until all of a sudden, there he was, the foamy waves lapping at your feet and his smile the only thing you could see when you closed your eyes. 

His tongue swiped over his lips and he cleared his throat. “So, uh, watermelon?” That was his original reason for coming out here. (He did volunteer, after all.)

You perked up. “Right, sure. Watermelon.”

“Great.” He broke into a smile, but the corners of it were softer, fonder. You could get used to the look of it. 

There was this saying—the elephant in the room—but here in the cabin living room, it was definitely more of a blue whale. Just completely out of the water, weighing about thirteen tons, the size of twelve school buses… yeah, that sounded about right. 

“GO FISH!” Anton flung his finger across the circle at Jeno with the glee of a kid on Christmas morning. “Suck it!”

Your mom sent an express glare his way. “Anton.”

Your youngest shrunk down sheepishly. “Sorry, eomma.”

The seven of you were settled in the living space this fine evening with a deck of cards. Your parents were on the couches watching the movie on screen and the game before them, while you, your brothers, and Sungchan huddled around the coffee table playing said game. Sunsoaked and weary, it only took one hearty and filling dinner to perk the lot of you right back up like a field of sunflowers.

“This is a stupid game,” Jeno sulked as he examined his hand of cards. 

“You only say that because you're losing,” you pointed out. “Anyways, Jeno, can I have that three?”

Jeno cut you a glare as the rest of the table rolled into fits of laughter. Your smile was cheeky, reaching out to snatch the three Jeno revealed he had during his turn. 

“That's cold,” Sohee snorted. 

Your eyes darted over to Sungchan opposite you. His eyes were glimmering. “Yeah, I didn't know you had so much ruthlessness in you, Yn.”

“Why do you think she's going into law?” Jeno grunted. Though one card less, it meant that he had one less pair in his finished pile. At this rate, you might win and end up with the most pairs. 

“Guys, it's literally just how you play the game.” You nodded over at Sohee. “Sohee, do you have a jack?”

Your younger brother handed it over without ceremony. “Unfortunately.”

“Anton, do you have an ace?”

He shook his head. “Go fish, noona.”

“See?” You said to the rest of the table, but your eyes went to Sungchan's. “The nature of the game.”

They let you off the hook because you didn't plunder everyone of their cards this round. It continued on with Sohee, then Anton, before landing on Sungchan. 

He made a show of considering his cards, a furrow between his brows. He glanced up at you over the rim of his hand and gestured with a curl of his fingers. “I'd like that ace, Yn.”

“Oooh,” Anton giggled. 

Jeno grinned as you extended the ace across the table to Sungchan. “Karma.”

“Thank you—” his fingers grazed against yours as he plucked the card from your grasp, “—very much.”

You pressed your lips into a small smile, nose wrinkling up at him. You had a few cards left to rid yourself of. 

Your dad cleared his throat as he stood up from the couch to bring his empty bowl to the sink. “By the way, are you kids still going into town tomorrow?”

The five of you exchanged brief eye contact with one another. “Yep.”

The idea had come up during dinner after your parents came back. They'd mentioned a variety of activities and little shops to visit that might be fun for you to see, including a hand churned ice cream shop and a port side arcade building. It would just be the five of you going, while your parents would walk down to the beach trails about a mile from the cabin to go hiking. 

In the morning, you and everyone else in the house took your time getting up and ready for the day. Breakfast was taken together at the table before you split off into your separate parties. 

Jeno took the wheel with Sungchan riding shotgun, and you sat in the middle row with Sohee, while Anton occupied the back. You rolled down your window to rest your chin on the fold of your elbow, your sunglasses slipping down the bridge of your nose as you watched the scenery pass by. 

Right in front of you, Sungchan also had his window rolled down with his arm propped on the lowered sill. He chatted animatedly with Jeno about whatever game he and all three of your brothers were playing this morning, but you could feel his gaze go to his side view mirror more than once. 

The ride was an easy, breezy one. 

The main town center bustled with locals and visitors alike in the late morning. Jeno found free parking about a block away, and the five of you walked over as one big group. 

“Ice cream first!” Anton declared with one arm raised toward the sky. 

“I concur,” you chimed in. You lifted your sunglasses up slightly so you could read the town directory easier. “Seems like we're close by.”

Anton nodded in approval. “Onwards, then.”

You and your youngest brother led the way. The idea of ice cream made your mouth water, especially since you could already feel a bead of sweat dribble down your spine. Why was it so goddamn hot?

The shop was a cute, little building with a pink and white striped awning and a large window in the front that gave visitors a front row view into the ice cream churning experience. You snorted as Anton pressed his nose up against the glass, a wide grin splitting his face. 

“You're scaring the workers, dude,” you jested, tugging your brother along. 

Anton scrunched his nose up at you. “You scare me every morning.”

“Just because you're a wimp when I put toner pads on—hey! Do you want ice cream or not?” You cackled as he attempted to flick you square in the forehead. 

Jeno groaned. “Guys, can we please act normal for once?” He asked as he swung the door open for everyone. 

Sungchan beat you to the punchline, slapping his friend on the back while he ducked inside. “That's rich coming from you, man.”

“Hey!” 

The squabble was swiftly swept out of your mind when you stepped foot into the shop. You were nearly knocked over from the potency of the sugary waffle cone scent that occupied the room. At the sight of tubs upon tubs of frozen treats kept within the display case, your entire face lit up, eyes going glassy with wonder. “Oh no, too many to choose from,” you gasped, cupping the lower half of your face. 

Sungchan chuckled beside you as he crossed his arms and assessed the dozen options before you. “I didn't know you were such an ice cream fanatic, party girl,” he mused. He glanced over at you with a fond sort of gleam in his eye. 

“Don't even get her started,” Sohee groaned. “She and Anton have a sweet tooth to rival Willy Wonka.”

Anton flagged down one of the workers, having already found his targets to try. He was in here for less than two minutes and was already rattling off the entire menu to the poor girl behind the counter. 

“Tiramisu sounds really good,” you muttered. Your eyes moved slowly from tub to tub. Another gasp flew from your lips, and you clasped a hand on Sungchan's shoulder. “Wait—but strawberry shortcake—hhhhh.” You wrinkled your brows together, lips pressed into a taut line. 

This was not good. 

“You could always get a double scoop,” Sungchan suggested. 

You bobbed your head. “That's true, but I'm just worried I won't be able to finish, y'know.”

“Well, maybe I'll get one of the flavors you want and we can split.” His shrug was all too casual. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, biting his lip through a smile. 

The organ in your chest gave a hop, skip, and a leap. You weren't sure if it was at the thought of it all working out alright or if it was because of Sungchan's generous gesture. You were telling yourself it was the former, but you could be persuaded it was the latter if given a light shove in that direction. 

When everyone's scoops were paid for, you fell into a loose formation to stroll around town while you finished your treats. 

You and Sungchan were glued to each other's sides out of necessity since you were sharing flavors. Jeno walked on his other side, however, lapping at his cotton candy blue scoop seated upon a throne of waffle cone. The two youngest walked in front, leading you all to wherever they wished to go. 

The town itself was rather quaint when you finally soaked it in. It seemed like the kind of place everyone knew everyone, and if you were new or only visiting, the locals were just as friendly and welcoming. The town center was stocked with anything a resident might need—a small grocer down the street, clothing stores and restaurants lining the boulevard, a newspaper stand at the corner, a laundromat, a hardware store, and more places you were certain you wouldn't be able to see in just one walk. 

As you scooped a bite out of some of the last bits of tiramisu in Sungchan's cup, Jeno was summoned up to his brothers who were debating over which way they should turn next. You and Sungchan lingered behind to finish off the ice cream in your respective cups. 

Just as you slurped up the melted shortcake ice cream at the bottom of yours, your eyes caught onto a storefront behind Sungchan. It was decked out in cliché boho-chic, with braided nets, shells, and sand dollars in the window and over the door frame. The souvenir shop seemed to embody the quintessential tourist trap, and you didn't mind falling into it. 

“—guys, we're gonna go to the arcade now!” Jeno said, beckoning you and Sungchan over. They must have decided on a route then. 

You made your decision. “You guys can go ahead! I'm gonna pop into this place for a second. I promised I'd get my friend Minjeong something.” Minjeong was one of the few close friends you made at university, and though you didn't promise to her face you'd get her something, you were determined to get her a little trinket as a token of your affection. 

“You're gonna go alone?” 

You blinked. “Yeah, I'll just meet you guys at the arcade.” 

Sohee piped up, “But mom said buddy system.” Okay, you should probably honor that, but it wasn't as if the four of you always followed that rule. 

“I'll go with you.”

All eyes went to Sungchan who tossed his empty cup and spoon into the nearby trash can. He gave a nonchalant lift of his shoulders. “I wanted to get my mom something anyway.”

You tilted your head to the side curiously as Jeno narrowed his eyes at Sungchan, like they were communicating telepathically. Odd. 

In fact, you didn't really know what to think about being alone with Sungchan. There was a difference between coincidentally ending up on the porch together or conversing in the ocean away from everyone else, to purposefully breaking off from the group to spend time with each other. 

Then again, he said he was getting something for his mom. That gave a different implication to him volunteering to accompany you. The goal was capitalism, not something forbidden.

Maybe you were thinking about this too much. 

“Okay, fine,” Jeno relented. “We'll meet you at the arcade, but don't take too long or we'll leave without you.”

“Aye-aye,” you teased, raising a hand to wave goodbye to your brothers. “C'mon, Sungchan.”

You dumped your empty ice cream cup and spoon into the trash before slipping inside the souvenir shop with Sungchan following right after you. You lifted your sunglasses up on top of your head, skin prickling with gooseflesh from the draft of air conditioning wafting overhead. A soft-toned acoustic played in the background, accompanied by the cheery greeting of a staff member from behind the register. 

You and Sungchan lifted your hands in warm reply, then disappeared into the aisles to explore. 

Your fingers grazed along the racks of clothes branded with the beach town's name and minimalist artwork; your eyes roamed over the ships displayed in bottles on the walls, the not-for-sale surfboard hung for decor. Like many souvenir shops, there were several turning displays that boasted rows upon rows of themed keychains with specific names engraved into them. 

“I will never find my name amongst these,” Sungchan mused quietly from beside you as the two of you rifled through the surfboards and seashells and sharks. “And yet, I look for the S names all the time.”

“Valid,” you nodded. “Sometimes I can't find my name either, but it's the hope that gets you.”

“And fails you,” he pointed out.

“Touché.” 

Near the keychain displays stood a tower of hats and head accessories galore. There were crocheted bonnets, straw hats, ball caps, and even headbands. Your expression glittered as you plucked up a headband with twin sunflowers on the top like a pair of antennas. 

After hanging your shades on your shirt color, you donned the headpiece, twirling around to show Sungchan. “Thoughts?” You asked, failing to sweep your grin away. 

Sungchan beamed back at you. “Oh, you're too cute.”

You ignored the heat creeping up the back of your neck to reach for another headband—this time, one topped with red crab claws. Sungchan graciously bowed his head for you to crown him with the piece. 

“Fabulous,” you declared with your hands on your hips. 

He peered into the small mirror to the side of the hat rack. “You think?”

“Of course.” So much so, that you pulled out your phone to snap a picture. You tilted your head toward his to fit both of your faces and headbands in the frame. 

Sungchan peered over your shoulder to take a glimpse at the photos. His tongue was jammed into his cheek, and you could feel his breath along the shell of your ear. “Send me those?”

“I'd need your number first.”

He grinned boyishly, roughing a hand through his hair before taking your phone from you. “You don't even have to ask.”

As he saved his contact information into your phone, you attempted to calm the giddy butterflies in your stomach by peering back into the mirror at the headband on your head. You squished the plush sunflower heads with your fingers, humming thoughtfully. “I low-key wanna buy this.”

He glanced up from your phone before handing it back to you. “If you buy that one, I'll buy this one,” he replied, pointing up at the crab claws on his head. 

“You're such an enabler,” you jested. A beat passed. “Okay, but only if you get it with me.”

“That is what I said,” he chuckled, eyebrows arched. 

The remainder of the time you and Sungchan spent in the shop was mainly to figure out what you would purchase for Minjeong and what Sungchan would buy for his mom. (Mainly, implying that there was still room for shenanigans.) It took a little more than half an hour, but you both emerged from the souvenir shop with a gift bag each, containing your headbands and the baubles bought. 

The arcade was only about a ten minute's walk from your location, so you and Sungchan took your sweet time getting there. As the two of you walked—the backs of your hands grazing against one another, shoulders bumping—you nearly forgot that Sungchan was your brother's good friend. Jeno had never made it a point that you and his friends should never mix, and you knew he could care less about your love life, but this was different. (Was it?) It felt like something that shouldn't happen, and yet, why were you starting to want it so badly?

The outside of the arcade was a cream colored building, much like the others in town, but with large posters on the outside beckoning guests to come in and try their hand. Your brothers texted you to let you know they were in a game of laser tag right now, so that gave you and Sungchan a little more time to yourselves within the arcade. 

“I have an idea!” Sungchan grabbed your free hand and hauled you off toward something in the distance. 

The feeling of your fingers slotting with his had more than just your steps skipping. “Hey, man—you and your long legs need to chill!” You hollered at him through a laugh. 

He sent you a look over his shoulder before stopping at one corner of the arcade. With jazz hands, he presented his marvelous idea. “Ta-da!”

Before you was an all-time classic: Dance Dance Revolution. 

Your eyes widened just as your smile did. “It's like you read my mind,” you marveled. 

The machine was just like the movies with a multicolored screen of bright blues and purples, a platform with two sets of arrows in the floor, and two arched rails at the back for each player to hold onto as they danced the night away. 

Sungchan marched up onto the platform and fished a wadded up paper bill out from his wallet. “Have you played before?”

When the machine devoured his money, the screen leapt to life and blasted its opening music to announce that somebody was willing to step up to the challenge. 

You set your gift bag down at the foot of the platform and climbed up to join him. “I've only seen it done before, but I've always wanted to try it.”

You and he locked eyes, and you were sure the twinkle in his was a reflection of just how excited you were. 

“Well, today is your lucky day, party girl,” he chirped. “Let's see what you've got.”

It didn't take long for you to figure out that “what you've got” was a lot less than whatever Sungchan had. 

You grappled onto the railing behind you tightly as you stomped your feet against the coordinating arrows that flashed on-screen. How long had it been since that fateful first round? Ten minutes? Two days? It was all mashing together. 

“This is unfair; you have longer limbs,” you groaned after missing a few arrows in a row. Why were you so out of breath?

A bead of sweat dribbled down the side of Sungchan's head. It was almost comical how serious you were both taking this game. “I have practice,” he corrected cheekily. 

“Same difference!”

“A master never blames his tools.”

You huffed. “Bullshit.”

At this point, your losses were becoming ridiculous. Desperate times called for desperate measures. 

For a sequence you knew you were going to miss, you leaned over and pinched his side. Sungchan jolted—it did the trick, and he missed the steps. His head whipped over to you, an impish gleam in his irises. 

“Oh ho ho… you wanna play that game?”

You placed your hand on your hip as the round ended. “If I'm gonna lose, might as well go out with a bang.”

His tongue swiped over his lip. “You're on.”

The next round commenced, and adrenaline spiked through you like a spear, more powerful than before. You knew to expect Sungchan's revenge, but you struck first. 

A poke at his side resulted in a tickle at your waist. You returned his parry with a blind poke at his stomach. 

Anticipating his response, you spotted his arm incoming out of your periphery and moved to step out of his reach. Instead of solid platform, however, your breath hitched at the feeling of half your sandal slipping off the edge. 

Sungchan's eyes went wide and his arm instead curled around your waist and hauled you to him. “Shit,” he muttered, “are you okay? Sorry, that was totally my fault.”

Your palms had landed on his chest, your heart rate slowing but not fast enough. All of the excitement in your veins was likely more so from the game itself, and not from almost falling off the platform… and perhaps, another part of it was you realizing just how close you and Sungchan were now. 

You nodded. “Yeah, I'm completely fine; don't even worry about it. And it wasn't your fault—I miscalculated my step and I started it anyway.”

He pressed his lips together. “Still.”

“Nice catch, by the way,” you said quietly. 

You saw his eyes leave your gaze, and this time, you followed in his movements. He ducked his head, almost shyly. “I guess so,” he chuckled. “I'm glad I caught you.”

If anything, your heartbeat was gaining speed again. The hand pressed into your waist was a little more addicting than you would have liked, and his mouth was closer than you thought it had been. 

In the neon glow of the Dance Dance Revolution screen, you and Sungchan leaned toward one another with one aim, and one aim only. 

“Hey guys!” 

You leapt off the dance platform at the same time that Sungchan zipped to his side, gripping the railing with an expression akin to a deer caught in headlights. 

You pressed a hand against your palpitating heart and turned to find all three of your brothers bounding over to where you and Sungchan were. 

“Oh my god,” Anton gasped, “is that DDR?”

It seemed that Anton and Sohee were more focused on the game than yours and Sungchan's compromising position. But Jeno… you noted the suspicious narrowing of his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest…

You swore you and Sungchan swallowed at the same time. 

“Did we interrupt something?” Jeno drawled. 

“Nope!” 

You and Sungchan looked at each other at your simultaneous answer. Great. That definitely wasn't even more conspicuous or anything. 

Jeno pressed his lips together. “Uh-huh,” he said, unconvinced. “Well, Mom and Dad texted and asked for us to meet them at the house, so we've gotta go.” He lifted the screen of his phone up for you to see. Dear god, you hadn't even realized they'd texted the group chat.

You cleared your throat. “Right.” 

You picked up your gift bag, and your younger brothers immediately flanked you on either side to gush about the game of laser tag they had just partaken in. Though you nodded and engaged in their conversation, your mind was elsewhere. 

Plus, it was hard not to be hyper aware of the fact that Sungchan was now alone to face Jeno somewhere behind you. You were not looking forward to the car ride back.

There were always some, unspoken fine lines that should not be crossed—at least, purposefully. In retrospect, you knew Jeno didn't care about who you chose to spend your time with, as long as they treated you right. In the same vein, you didn't care much about what he thought when it came to your own decisions, and yet, you found yourself caring a little more because this was one of his friends. Not yours. 

But feelings were feelings… and you were slowly coming to terms with yours. 

It was like déjà vu when you crept down the stairs in the dead of night for the second time this vacation. You simply could not bear staring at that wooden ceiling any longer with your mind reeling from this afternoon's events. 

The living room was yet again a cacophony of light snoring, and you crossed the room toward the back door once more. 

You paused again, the sight of Sungchan's back a familiar one. Instead of sitting on the porch steps, though, he leaned against the railing, gazing out at the dark waves. It was yet another calm night out on the embankment, but the moon tonight was hidden away behind a few wisps of cirrus clouds. 

He glanced over his shoulder at you. “Hey.”

“Hey,” you greeted softly, gently closing the door behind you so you could join him at the railing. It was funny how you both were on the same wavelength. Fate had a funny way of encouraging you.

You and he hadn't properly spoken since the arcade, and Jeno hadn't said a word about it to you either. Dinner had gone on normally enough, so you were unsure of where this all stood. 

“I wanted,” Sungchan began, “to talk to you about something.”

You glanced over at him and found his eyes already on you. “Sure, of course.”

He straightened, gesturing to the sandy beach beyond. “Walk with me?”

You nodded and followed him down the porch steps. Your feet met the cool grains of sand, and a sense of calm seeped into your bones from the bottom up. 

A hand outstretched in your vision, uncertain. You clasped your hand in his palm, and the pair of you began to walk. You couldn't recall whether you began to adore the feeling of your hand wrapped up in his earlier or just now. 

“So…” you trailed off. 

“So,” he picked up. “About earlier today. I wanted to, uhm, make sure we were on the same page about something.” 

He stopped you both when you were a good distance from the house, where the waves slipped along the sand louder than the snores. 

“I had a really fun time with you today,” he said. 

You nodded your head in earnest. “I had a great time with you, too.”

He smiled then, hand letting go of yours to drag over his face. “I'm—I’m happy to hear that,” he replied, and you were sure he was trying to hide his growing giddiness. 

You reached over and gently pried his hands away from his face. “Did Jeno talk to you about today? Did he say anything?” Before he could reply, you added, “Because I know he means well, but who I choose to spend my time with is my decision. If he can't handle us together, then he'll have to learn to suck it up.”

“He did say something to me about it,” Sungchan admitted, “but it was just to make sure I wasn't playing around.” With his hands locked in yours, he gave your palms a reassuring squeeze. “And Yn, I'd like to take you out sometime—properly. No playing around.”

No more toeing the line in the sand. 

Your heart rattled violently in your chest. “I'd really like that.”

His expression melted into something tender, like the dark swirls of molten chocolate in the scoop of tiramisu ice cream. His thumb grazed over the back of your hand. “Okay,” he murmured, barely audible over the soft laps of the waves, “good.”

He considered you for a moment longer, teeth digging into his bottom lip. “I also—I did intend on kissing you earlier today, and I probably should have prefaced it, but—mmmh!”

You looped your arms around his neck and pulled his mouth over to yours. He sank into your hold with a content hum, his hands slipping around your waist to tug you closer to him. You'd never really thought about what kissing Jung Sungchan would be like, but you knew that your imagination couldn't have been better than this. 

When you broke apart with your foreheads pressed against each other and sharing breathing air, you let out a small laugh. The sound coaxed a warm chuckle out of your counterpart. 

“Sorry,” you breathed against his lips, “I probably should have asked first.”

He smiled against you. “You can apologize by kissing me again.”

He most certainly didn't have to tell you twice.

a/n: pls remember to reblog + comment if u enjoyed! (idek if that was good, im off my Game and off my Rocker dkfnrj)

m.list

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @outrologist @rikizm @luumiinaa @meosjinn @fluorescentloves @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @kflixnet

[fadelbison]

Of Boats and Drama; The Turning Tides on Kant and Bison's Compatibility

obsessed with how when its during their make believe phase, when fadel says "I think I love you" to Style, Style doesn't say it back and instead just kisses him at the end of ep. 6 and during the kantbison parallel at the start of ep7 when Bison says "I love you" to Kant, Kant says "I love you" back but clearly there's baggage even if he's not lying outright.

But after the brothers kidnap their respective lovers its Style that fronts with the I love you that perplexes Fadel

and its bison that wants to hear it

but Kant jumps into the ocean instead (like you can see the beach front okay Bison is clearly devoid of killing intent here) instead of lying to him or say the same things he's been saying to dupe him.

I really think this is where the Kant and Bison compatibility is finally starting to show. Bison clearly loves his little fantasies and make belief of romance (just like style dear fucking god). I've joked before about how bison has given to his brother the lover he had envisioned for himself - the one who will plead his love, cajole and give in.

But that guy is wrong for him.

We've seen that slightly off dynamic between Kant and Bison for 6 whole episodes. And it's killed me that people kept trying to interpret them with the same rose tinted glasses that we do for Fadel and Style. Because the FadelStyle and KantBison relationship parallels aren't meant to highlight the similarities between the couples but rather the differences, that's where the information about these characters come from.

The audience knows something that Kant doesn't in the boat scene; which is that he has this in the bag already. I think this is the infamous island Bison inherited from his dad and he's brought him here to literally just talk. I know I mentioned this already but bison literally looks like he just untied the boat from shore and let it drift on its own while waiting for Kant to wake up.

Like that has got to be the minimum legal distance that a boat needs to be from shore to be considered unmoored lol. This is 'I am using your vulnerabilities against you because love is pain' shore distance not 'dead body dumping' shore distance. The body will wash up on shore before the boat even makes it back.

But for Bison, Fadel's reasonable precautions while we talk approach was not enough. He needed the ropes, the guns, the added ocean trauma because the guns didn't feel enough to instill fear, the pretty necklace he put on just so he could rip it off his throat, everything is already high drama high fantasy for him. Bison set the stage for desperate begging and tearful confessions, things he already got at the hospital btw but that wasn't enough either.

Because.

Bison doesn't need to be sold on fantasies. He had that and it sucked for everyone involved, what he needs when he's totally out of control like this is this guy:

[screenshots of Kant telling bison he wants to talk on land and he's scared of the ocean]

For six whole episodes I saw Kant be wrong for Bison and not be able to pinpoint exactly why people cawing over how cute KantBison are bothered me so much. Until, of course, Kant finally does something right and all of a sudden it just all clicks together. Bison is boisterous, headstrong and because of his unique skillset also irresponsibly dangerous. The BDSM scene also shows that despite his best intentions, Bison can and will abuse power if given to him irresponsibly.

He doesn't need the Kant that plays along with everything he does. He needs the Kant that Kant is to everyone but him. The person that Kant is when they're together is barely even Kant. He needs the calm, level headed but fiercely devoted older brother, he needs the guy that helps a hookup out because that's his duty as a human being, he needs the guy that stole cars to keep his family fed. And I'll be really honest, that's the guy that Bison loves anyway, the one he hears about from Babe and Style and James.

What Bison needs is the quiet devotion of Kant choosing his own personal hell over playing this game and furthering any deception between them even though technically it wouldn't even be a lie (Bison is literally poised to believe him); the dogged resolve that once he's decided to do this on his own terms, it happens on his own terms.

[linksthoughtbrambles]

You want a prompt? I'll give you a prompt!

"She stared at the sea, as blue as his eyes." Zelink, of course.

Thank you so much for this ask jdetan! This concept kept growing the more I worked on it, so this is chapter 1 of a longfic of... an as yet unknown total length. But I have thoughts 😄. A lot of them lol.

The Horizon Cannot Come To Me

Zelink, BotW, Pre-Calamity, Deserted Island AU, rated T for now (likely to be E at some point), 1st chapter ~4700 words. Also on ao3 here.

Chapter 1: A Nestled Wreckage or Two

She stared at the sea, as blue as his eyes.

His incredibly infuriating eyes.

“What?!” Zelda gasped, scrambling up from the sand, bleary and searching for their boat with wild snaps of her head. She saw him slip from one knee to his rear, his eyes on her instead of the beach. What did he think he was doing?!

“The boat!” she cried. “Where is it?”

His entirely inadequate “uh” arrived as she recognized the color of a shattered wooden plank nestled in wet sand, now-gentle waves frothing against its grain.

Her head turned from it as though dragged by the slow tide toward Link.

He appeared most undignified, bootless with his drenched clothing covered in sand and that look on his face, wide-eyed and grimacing, his hands splayed behind him with fingers buried to his third knuckles.

“I,” he said.

She waited.

He swallowed.

She glowered at him.

“Ohhhh,” he said with a strange little laugh, running a hand through his wet hair, depositing extra sand there with a wince.

“Do I take it we no longer have a boat?”

Link nodded and kept nodding, his hand having returned to his hair, and with a start, Zelda realized something else was missing.

“Where is the Sword that Seals the Darkness?” she asked, with a strange, dim sense of surprise at how small her voice sounded.

He peeked at her between the arm he’d rested on one knee and the hand still tangled in his hair as though steadying himself with it. “I dropped it.”

“How could you drop it?! It was sheathed!”

“I took it out. It was weighing us down.” He held a palm out as though to ward off whatever he saw in her gaze. “I had to.”

The Sword that Seals the Darkness.

Lost.

Like them.

“Merciful Goddess,” she whispered.

--

To his credit, Link had a lean-to built for her within the hour.

Zelda used the time to change into the spare shirt and trousers he apparently kept in his korok pouch. There was a small but very convenient freshwater pool with a gentle waterfall, and while she had reservations about drinking it without boiling it, she gladly rinsed the grain of salt from her skin.

She then began to check the flora and fauna around them against the slate’s compendium. They wouldn’t starve, at least—palm fruit and bananas appeared abundant, and as one paraglider cloth fluttered in the breeze behind her, Link deposited two large, round fruit unfamiliar to her on the other paraglider cloth she sat on. She frowned as he walked away, compelled, for some reason, to snap a picture of him with sand still stuck to his back. He’d discarded only his socks.

She indulged her compulsion. She then sniffed and pointed the Slate at the melons, which apparently were “cantaloupes.”

--

“Hylia’s sake,” Zelda fumed as she attempted yet again to force the Slate to emit an intermittent, high-amplitude electromagnetic pulse. “It’s not as though they won’t be looking for us,” she muttered (despite her uncertainty as to Link’s whereabouts, or whether he truly listened when she thought out loud), “but they shall most certainly begin on Eventide, and we are most definitely not there.” Her gaze rose to the horizon, utterly flat and entirely blue, which it shouldn’t have been in any direction on any island she’d ever seen from the shores of Hyrule. She shook her head, confounded. It was as though the gods themselves had sent that storm to hurtle them as far from home as possible.

Purah knew Zelda, and therefore would know to search for some sort of signal from the Slate.

How long it would take her to find the right one was the second question.

The first, of course, was whether Zelda could produce one before the Calamity came.

A clack and a spark drew her eyes to the firepit Link had dug. Zelda grimaced, as did he, at the humid wood and bark which had thus far refused to light. She imagined if Link had fire arrows in that magical pouch of his, he would use them only as a last resort.

--

Link’s footsteps approached her.

“You should sleep, Princess,” he said.

She squinted up toward where he must have been, her eyes adjusted to the screen, with only its meager light to illuminate him.

“I have yet to resolve the communication problem,” she said.

“It’ll keep til tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll think better on a night’s rest.”

She blinked as though it would speed her night vision’s arrival. “The longer I take, the longer til we are found.”

“You need to take care of yourself,” he said with a strange laugh. “If you get sick, I—”

There was a pause, and Zelda’s face pinched. She hugged the slate to her chest, attempting to see beyond it.

“—I don’t know what I’m doing,” Link said, “with that. I won’t be able to take over for you.”

It was more than he’d ever spoken to her in a day.

He crouched before her, his fingers steadying him just in front of the paraglider-mat, his face now strangely hollowed by the graze of Slate-light on his cheekbones.  “Please, Princess,” he said, holding a hand out to take the Slate from her.

She stared at it, rankling, somehow, at how reasonable a request it was.

She placed it in his hand and turned off the screen.

She curled up on the mat to the sound of him rummaging around, her forearm beneath her head.  Sleep arrived swiftly.

--

She awakened with a cloth rolled beneath her head and several more tucked around her body. She craned her neck to see korok and Rito designs alongside a rather childish-looking egg with pink spots adorning her, criss-crossing a bit in her bleary vision.

“Why do you have a myriad of paraglider cloths?” she asked.

A squelching arrived as though in answer, and she turned to see Link with his mouth expanded unreasonably wide around a kabob of roasted orange melon.

He stared wide-eyed at her, his face too occupied for speech.

Then he reached for another stick suspended over the meager fire, waved it in the air a few times, and held it out to her.

She sat up, stretched her neck, and accepted his offering with a plaintive squeal from her stomach.

The fruit was extremely wet. She did her best to conceal its sticky tracks on her chin.

Link was terrible at it.

--

While she pursued her critical task with dedication beneath the palms and the small shelter, and Link kept her dutifully fed and watered, she found herself increasingly distracted by his other pursuits.

He circled the immediate area at a brisk jog. She assumed him to be scouting (again), quietly approved, and paid it little mind.

He pulled a small shovel from his korok pouch and attempted to sidle away from her while shielding it from her with his body, disappearing into the treeline. Zelda sighed and tried not to think about what he was doing with it.

She later caught sight of him emerging from behind a huge rock far to her right and nearer to the ocean, side-walking on his toes, half-crouched, with his hands in the air.

She shook her head and returned her eyes to the screen.

When his feet invaded the upper right corner of her vision despite her attempt to concentrate, she looked up to find his head waggling as well. The slate lowered to rest in her lap as he made a sudden leap forward, then sprinted toward the sea. He stopped a few moments later, searching the area around his feet.

Zelda returned to her S.O.S. efforts when he began scratching the back of his head, and this time became quite absorbed. She lost track of Link entirely for at least a few hours.

When he reappeared, it was in the other corner of her eye, hauling a wide, dark, flat rock from somewhere in the trees far to her left down the beach. He dragged it further and further from the trees’ shadow, eventually letting it rest near to where they’d come ashore, almost directly between Zelda and the ocean. Link rose with his fists on his hips and a nod, and when he turned to walk back toward the treeline, he appeared quite pleased with himself. He also appeared to be sweating arrowheads. He’d draped his champion’s tunic on a nearby branch, but he was still heavily clothed.

“Sir Link!” Zelda shouted.

He squinted at her, the Sun beating on his face.

Zelda winced. He’d be quite burnt, wouldn’t he? “Your attire is inappropriate!”

His expression didn’t seem to change, but he broke into a jog. This seemed counterproductive if the objective were to cool himself down. Zelda opened her mouth to say so, then shut it. Surely, he knew this and was simply in a hurry to escape the sunlight. She returned to her work.

When he arrived, a flash of blue caught her eye once more: he’d taken his tunic from the branch. As it made its way over his head and onto his torso over his sweat-soaked shirt, Zelda’s eye twitched.

“Link?” she asked.

“Princess?” he said, panting a bit.

“What are you doing?”

His hands spread open at hip-height. Zelda had rather the impression of a shrug, though he hadn’t actually shrugged. “You cannot possibly be cooler like that,” she said.

His face mimed an “oh.”

“What did you believe I meant?” Zelda asked.

Link gestured at his front. “Well- I wasn’t in uniform.”

Her mouth went a little slack. It took her a moment to shake her disbelief free. “Did you- truly believe I value your formality over your health?”

His eyes shifted side to side and his face paled a bit, as though he thought himself in trouble.

“Sir Link,” she said. “You are overdressed and losing a significant percentage of your body’s water to sweat. I appreciate your extraordinary ability to rip palm nuts open with your bare hands—” (she truly did, he’d frightened her with the first one yesterday, it had cracked so mightily)— “and therefore keep yourself supplied with fresh water, but there is no need to exacerbate the problem. Those trousers are thick and heavy, aren’t they?” She blinked as he continued to stare at her, and a sudden suspicion struck. “They’re still the same ones? From the ocean?”

His throat bobbed.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You gave me your spare clothes,” she said—not that she hadn’t realized that—it’s not as though he’d handed her women’s clothing—"and kept yours on. Didn’t you? You didn’t change last night? Or bathe?”

The spooked look on his face was enough confirmation. She could only imagine the chafing.

“Sir Link, I order you to cease- whatever it is you were doing and take care of your clothing situation at once.”

“But-“

“The last thing either of us needs is for you to develop some-“ she waved a hand at him- “manner of- skin infection.”

He winced.

She sighed. Something about his expression almost made her want to smile, but that was certainly, absolutely not allowed. This was Sir-Knight-Who-Seals-The-Darkness, the bane of her every waking step, the shadow haunting each glance over her shoulder, the statue standing mute at her door in the night.

His usual stony silence seemed a far cry from the paralysis currently affecting him.

She sighed again, her face and voice softening. “Bathe, please. You’ll be glad you did.”

--

She shook her head when he emerged sometime later, his wet, presumably rinsed shirts and pants over one arm, and opened her mouth to say something about his extremely sunburned face—and failed to do so.

It hadn’t occurred to her how he’d look in nothing but trunks.

She should’ve known what kind they’d be, considering the spare undergarment he’d handed her. It was tighter on her, with her curvy shape, but it still clung to him—and he was all chiseled lines in muscle, everywhere (at least, everywhere she could currently see).

She turned her attention back to the Slate and flatly refused to look up when he returned to inspect the state of the (now nonexistent) fire.

--

She managed to keep her head down for a long time once Link walked off.

Then her sedentary status began to get the better of her.  She shifted her position to relieve the discomfort. She did so again—and again. She sat with one knee bent up and her elbow on that—then sat up on her knees, but that didn’t last long—then with both legs bent like all those prim court ladies riding sidesaddle. Eventually, she tried laying on her stomach with the slate before her face, and that was alright except for her bladder, which was becoming more and more difficult to ignore—and even more so in that position.

She rolled onto her back.

She managed to hold the Slate above her head for a while before that, too, became uncomfortable and she lowered it to her chest with a sigh.

There was nothing for it.

She rose, brushing the sand that had blown its way onto her mat from her (Link’s) clothing.

She quite liked the shirt. It was tight around her chest, but comfortable and soft owing to the close knit. She supposed she’d be too warm in it were she hauling rocks like Link in the sun, though.

She scanned the beach, then the trees behind her, for a sign of him, and saw none.

Zelda strode to the branch she’d hung her own things on and strapped her belts around her waist, then secured the slate at her hip. She’d not leave the Slate unattended, no matter how deserted the place seemed.

--

She emerged from the thick growth of low ferns she’d found feeling relieved but restless. Her muscles did not at all wish to return to her seat beneath the lean-to so quickly, so as she’d seen no sign of danger on the beach as of yet, she made her way what must have been northward, thinking to walk with her feet in the cool, wet sand at the ocean’s edge.

She jumped a solid foot into the air at the sound of “PRINCESS?!?!” being screamed at the top of Link’s lungs.

“Here, I’m HERE!” she shouted, her heart pattering like a rabbit’s hind legs and her right ankle in sudden pain from rolling on a rock. She hissed, her arms flying out for support, and caught herself on a thick, branch-like palm-stem. She already heard Link crashing toward her through the foliage, and she tested her foot, breaking into a sudden sweat of desperation not to appear as though she couldn’t take care of herself for twenty minutes without him.

She refused to be injured. Absolutely not—not in front of him.

Link burst from the ferns to her left, a rather spiny stick in one hand with the floppy remains of a ferny growth on one side and a wild look in his eye.

Zelda schooled her face practical despite his near-naked state and her ankle’s throbbing. “Sir Link—there is no need for panic. I am fine.”

He scanned the area, nodding and lowering his mostly non-threatening vegetation. He relaxed his arm and…stared at her.

She stared back.

He looked left, then right. Then back at her.

She raised her chin. “Something amiss, Sir Link?”

He waved his stick a few inches, still pointed toward the ground. Zelda once again had the impression of a shrug.

“You needn’t remain,” she said, still gripping the stem and assuring her foot flat on the ground despite its complaining.

His eyes drifted first to her hand, then to her feet. His head pulled slowly back, and though his expression didn’t change much, she suspected he suspected. “I should accompany you, Princess,” he said. “The area seems safe, but it’s better not to take the chance.”

She blinked rapidly, her chin rising even further. “It truly isn’t necessary. Have I ever been harmed on those occasions when I’ve- ah…”

“Slipped away?” he offered, one eyebrow twitching the barest fraction.

“…Indeed,” she said, his words considerably less inflammatory than the ‘escaped’ which had crossed her mind.

“…Not yet,” he said, voice flat as usual on the rare occasions he’d used it in Hyrule, but something grim lay buried in its lowered pitch.

Zelda gritted her teeth and doubled down. “And why should you expect this to be the first time?”

“I expect every time to be the first time, Princess.”

She paused at that, taken aback. “I- see. Then why have you allowed me to remain at the shelter unattended?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye out. But I can’t do that if I don’t know where you are.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “I do not wish to be-“ she threw her free hand high in the air- “surveiled without cessation.”

His look became a cross between understanding and regret. “I- know, Princess. But I’m your appointed knight. I have-“

“A duty, yes, I am aware.” She glanced over his shoulder out of habit, expecting that glint of blue. It was missing.

He shook his head. “To you,” he said. “Not the sword.”

Her lips parted.

She hadn’t thought him so observant of her. Watchful, yes. Insightful, no. He had, after all, believed she wanted him fully dressed despite the risk of heat stroke.

She made the mistake of shuffling her feet.  Pain shot up her right leg and she jolted with a wince she attempted to pass off as a grimace at his words.

His shoulders slumped a little as he eyed her foot.

Zelda tripled down—she released the stem, both feet flat on the ground. It hurt—a good deal—but she’d had far worse sprains and a sense that this, while painful, would be fine.

She turned toward the ocean to walk it out.

She went step by step, far slower than her usual gait—he would know that, but her leg was usable, it wasn’t broken, and she wasn’t a child. She attempted to appear calm and as though she were simply inspecting their surroundings.

He stepped to her side—the injured one—his glorified twig in his outer hand and the other, she was certain, ready to grab her should she stumble—which, of course, she would not.

--

She walked down to the waves as planned and followed the edge of the wet sand, to and then past their little camp, all the way to where she’d seen Link drag the rock out of the trees, pain in every slow step, sorely tempted to seat herself and allow the water to soothe her foot. She didn’t.

Link accompanied her the entire way in silence.

The difficult part arrived when she turned to walk up the sloping sand toward the lean-to. It put extra pressure on that ankle, either to bend further back, to support the ball of her foot alone, or to turn sideways. She found herself stopping between each short step.

“Princess-“

“I am fine,” she said, flushing, as though those words hadn’t given the already-foolish game entirely away. She stood still a little longer, though she suspected the longer she did, the worse the following step would feel.

She heard Link shuffling beside her, and then a strange sliding sound. A furtive glance showed something bizarrely long emerging from the pouch belted to his hip. A moment later, he was holding a shining, silver spear exactly like those carried by the Zora guarding Dorephan’s throne room. He held it out to her.

“You seem like you’re getting a little tired, Princess,” he said. “I don’t have a walking stick, but this might help.”

Her hand curled around the shaft tentatively. It was cool and surprisingly light, with the tip well above her head. She leaned on it and took a step—it was more manageable.

“Thank you,” she said, and made her slow way to the lean-to.

She managed to collapse onto the paraglider-mat with some dignity and no sounds of surprised pain. She laid her bad leg straight out, then the other, and leaned back on her hands, rolling her eyes at herself behind her lids.

Link was rummaging again.

He pulled a knife from his pouch and began scraping the meat from half of a palm nut he’d cracked earlier. She watched him dully as he deposited the edible portion into the unscraped half, thinking she ought to get back to her work.  He then produced a blob of white chuchu jelly and placed it, the cleaned palm-nut shell, and his not-so-threatening stick on the mat beside her.

“If you’re hot,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and his hair blowing in the perfectly pleasant cool evening breeze, “you can try the chuchu jelly. It stays cool a long time.” He then rose and disappeared into the treeline.

Zelda stared at the items beside her, sheepish. It took her several minutes to get over her embarrassment enough to burst the jelly into the makeshift bowl.

It felt blissfully cold on her ankle. She set the rest aside in reserve and propped her legs up on the rolled-cloth pillow from the previous night.

She returned to her work on the slate, picking for a while at the palm meat Link had mildly cooked, once again, over a meager fire.

About an hour later, he suddenly held a hand-sized meat pie between her face and the Slate. She goggled at him.

“You need a good source of protein, Princess,” he said.

The pie was very warm.

She stared at the fire, then all around her for a sign he had somehow constructed an oven.

And a rolling station.

And butchered a wild animal.

“Where did this come from?” she finally asked.

He pointed to his pouch.

“What?! How-“ she knew how, but- “how long has it been in there?”

He cocked his head, considering it. “About two months?”

“Two months?!” She thrust it at him. “Sir Link- that is- well beyond spoilage-“

He took it from her and took a hearty bite.

She fought a visceral revulsion sending bile up her throat.

He smiled a little and swallowed—then held it out to her.

The pie was not only warm—it was steaming inside. The filling appeared perfectly fresh—perhaps a wild boar or even beef filling with peas, carrots, and some manner of starchy root. It smelled not only edible, but wonderful.

“…How?” she asked.

“Magic,” he answered. “No idea how it works, but everything that goes in comes out exactly the same. No aging—no spoiling.” He huffed a small laugh. “No getting cold before you’re ready to eat it.”

He reached a hand in—and produced a second pie, nearly identical, which he held out to her.

She took it in a strange state of grateful shock and nibbled a corner. The pastry was excellent—flaky and deliciously browned. A larger bite very nearly produced a hum of delicious enjoyment, though she tamped it, feeling it would be somehow rude.

“Thank you, Sir Link. It’s- delicious. And fortunate, considering our situation. May I ask- ah…”

“How much I have?”

“Yes.”

He appeared to be fighting a smirk. “Way more than I should.”

He must have noticed her eyeing the spent sticks from roasting the melon. “It’s not infinite,” he said. “Better to go easy on it—once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

She ate her (quite satisfying) meal slowly as she worked, making it stretch. She endeavored only to listen to Link’s activity. He was busy with something at that flat, dark rock of his, but as long as he wasn’t turning it into a sacrificial altar, she wasn’t going to worry about it.

--

Zelda jolted awake, her arm flung haphazardly past her head, the Slate just beyond the reach of her fingertips, and paraglider cloth once again tucked around her. She could recall neither laying on her side to work nor intending to fall asleep.

The reason for her wakefulness protested with a throb.

She suppressed a groan as she sat up, gripping her injured leg’s calf to assist it. Her foot had been hanging uncomfortably, stretching the tendons in her ankle as it dangled past her other shin. Once righted, she reached first for the Slate—it read 2:37 am.

She used the screen’s light to search for the chuchu jelly. A dip of her index finger told her it was, indeed, still cool. She attended to her ankle (now visibly swollen) with a generous amount of the natural salve.

The moon must have risen recently, for the sea was lit in dim streaks rising and falling with the sound of waves. With a start, she realized Link was still sitting cross-legged before the firepit. She couldn’t tell if his eyes were open.

“Sir Link?” she whispered.

“Mm?” he hummed.

“Have you yet slept?”

He shook his head, his hair visible as a messy outline against the backdrop of the calm sea. “I can go a long time without sleep, Princess.”

She knew the truth of that. She’d been confused the first few times he’d taken a night shift at her door despite his daytime dogging of her footsteps. She half-supposed he slept standing up with his eyes open.

Seeing him sit there with his forearms balanced, wrists hanging over his knees, she rather thought that supposition to be at least partially supported.

“I… suspect I shall be unable to sleep for a while,” she said. “If your concern is to keep an eye out, as you’ve said, I have two eyes myself and am happy to use them. Two ears, even. Please, rest.”

“I am resting.”

“Sleep,” she clarified.

He took a swift breath—then another. “…Princess-“

“You have a duty,” she said. “I, too, have a duty as your sovereign. You are one of my people. Your welfare is therefore my concern. Please…take sleep while I am awake.”

“You’ve only gotten a few hours.”

“And you have had none. I insist,” she said.

He remained still and silent as the crests of waves grew from nearly-black to soft-blue-grey in the growing moonlight. She rather thought he might disobey her entirely, but at length he lay on his own mat, his elbow bent beneath his head.

She presumed he slept.

She allowed the Slate’s light to go out—she hadn’t the concentration to fiddle with its complex inner language—and found a less painful way to sit with her good ankle beneath her bad one. She listened to the sounds of the night, wondering that she wasn’t afraid of some creature stepping from the trees to menace her here.

They weren’t in Hyrule.

She had little idea what to expect, truly, and they didn’t yet know the size of the island—yet she felt unaccountably safe. She would not allow herself to sleep despite her impression. If she did so without waking Link up, he might never sleep another night, and she wasn’t willing to put him through that, regardless of his proficiency at standing, stone in a hall of stone, night after night.

Her face softened in the dark, as the waves seemed to in the fall of silver on their brief emergence ashore.

Surely, such attention from him personally was unnecessary, but she’d only ever spoken to him of it in the context of her own exasperation. What was his context? Did he believe her to be in extreme danger in her own castle? She’d rather thought-

She…

She scrubbed her face with her hands, trying to piece together a coherent thought from the wreckage of her feelings.

It didn’t work. Perhaps she was too tired.

The night’s gentle sounds made a gradual incursion against the noisy jumble in her head. She knew the Slate far better than she knew her knight, and she had yet to figure it out, either.

She settled for watching the sea, eyes as wide as she could make them, to catch whatever glimpse of light she could on the horizon. Inspiration would strike, Goddess willing.

~~~~~

[bumblehoneybee]

You are an excellent writer, could you give me some tips? (It's for research-)

Thank you very much! I have been writing as a hobby since I was eleven, and I’m almost 24 now so needless to say I have lots of experience lolol

Tips I have are pretty basic. I tend to read a lot on my own, fanfics and published novels, to kinda explore how other people describe the world and people and things. Little bits of inspiration come from each little thing, and builds up into something I like!

I’m a fan of idioms and metaphors, as you’ve probably noticed. Feelings and emotions like pain and love and anger and sadness are never just something simple, so I like to describe them in ways that would make sense.

The book Misery by Stephen King starts out with a man getting into a car crash. His legs are broken, and the pain is described at these broken off pilings jutting from the sand at the beach, slowly being covered and uncovered by the tide. Pain and nonpain, high tide and low tide. The way the comparison sings in your brain is what I want to capture with my own writings!

It’s showing and not telling you can say. But of course, writing that’s just the same thing over and over again gets repetitive, so it’s good to have those short, concise, pointed sentences too. They really hammer things in, smack you in the chest and then you look down and think “oh, so that happened”

Variety is the spice of life! Paragraphs are easier to read when the sentences arent all the same, a mix of short and long, concise and ever flowing. They don’t need to be 50/50, but it’s usually good to split things up a bit.

And finally, while grammar rules are good and they definitely should be listened to, they don’t always have to be listened to. You’re writing a story, not an essay. Somethings you need sentences that start with conjunctions, or you need single word sentences, or run ons, or jumbled up words, because they convey the feeling or the meaning you need the reader to know!

That all being said, there are no real certainties with writing and all that. While these are the things I tend to lean towards, you’re not required to do them yourself! Stephen King and many others have “how to write” books, or more specifically “how I write” books, if you’re ever interested in their perspectives! They’re not necessary tho, since like with most things, you learn most by doing.

I hope this all makes sense! I tend to ramble on lol

[arlertdarling]

❥ DAY BY THE BEACH — armin arlert x gn!reader, modern au, fluff, established relationship, they are so in love it's disgusting /ref /lh very self-indulgent and i got carried away lol enjoy!

yellow kisses press into your skin, gentle yet firm, as you lay beneath the silken sky. the warmth of the sun is pleasant, teetering on the edge of almost too hot but never quite passing it. with your eyes shut, you’re able to appreciate your other senses: the crisp coastal breeze that occasionally sweeps by and soothes your heated skin, the smell of seasalt and damp sand that you can just barely make out from under the hat on your face, the distant sound of whispering waves and giggling gulls accompanying the music in one of your ears, the lingering flavours of the ice cream you had earlier, still sweet on your tongue. your fingers drum on your stomach and your head moves ever so slightly to the beat of whatever song is playing; you’re so in the moment that you almost startle when the shade on your eyes is replaced with blinding brightness.

you make a noise of complaint, reluctantly opening your eyes and plucking out your earphone. you shield your eyes from the sun as you twist your head to look at armin, laying on his side next to you. he’s staring at you, impatient and unimpressed, with one hand propping up his head and the other holding your sun hat.

you give him a hopeful, cheeky smile. “five more minutes?”

armin’s expression remains the same. “you’ve been saying that for the last fifteen,” he says, sitting up and dropping your hat onto your face.

as he stands up, you scoff and take the hat off. “well, time is only a construct, you know,” you say, sitting up and placing the hat on properly. “maybe your fifteen minutes are my five minutes.”

“pfft.” armin offers a hand out to you. “come on. walks on the beach were made for this kind of weather.”

“so was sunbathing,” you sass, even as you’re taking his hand and rising to your feet. the shifted weight makes the pliant sand mould to the shape of your feet. armin’s hand moves to your elbow, helping you balance as you slide your feet into your sandals. once you’ve put on both, he steps aside to roll up the beach towel while you collect your scattered belongings and throw them into your bag. you’re about to lift it over your shoulder when a hand from behind you takes it instead. you turn to armin in confusion to find him carefully sliding the towel in and hooking the bag strap over his shoulder. the both of you exchange soft but eager smiles before sauntering down to the shore.

the sea is divine in the low sun, glittering like flames and moving like a dance between lovers. curling waves turn into froth and it’s almost hypnotic in the way it dissipates, only to come back again seconds later. the cool water skims across your bare feet, the sandals dangling from your fingers long forgotten. your other hand is comfortably clasped in armin’s, swinging back and forth leisurely. occasionally, you stop to pick up a pretty shell or rock, tossing it into your bag before resuming your walk.

“wanna go in the water?” armin suggests. until now, the melodies of the sea have been the only sound between you, but armin’s voice is like the sound of the sea itself, familiar and refreshing and gentle to your ear.

“where would we put our stuff?” you ask.

“uhh...” he takes a look around. “well, there’s hardly anyone here, so it should be fine to leave it nearby,” he says with a subtle smile. “you know, somewhere just out of reach of the tide.”

you hum in thought. “i don’t know,” you say sheepishly.

typically, armin would be cautious too, but he’s feeling adventurous, whether it be because of the freeing touch of the sun or maybe all this time spent with you has got his heart soaring a little too high. either way, he’s tugging on your hand encouragingly, like an excited puppy. when he’s met with resistance — you don’t require any more convincing really, you just like it when armin gets like this and want to tease him — he lets go, grabs your sandals and hat, then jogs away.

you fondly watch armin put everything down before pulling his t-shirt over his head by the collar, so quickly and eagerly that it gets caught on his limbs a few times and makes you chuckle into your hand. as soon as the t-shirt is in the bag, armin is running back to you. his daffodil locks ruffle in the breeze and his teeth look like pearls in the twinkling light. you’re mesmerised, only able to think about how perfect he is like this; grinning with the sun in his hair and a childish bounce in his step.

once he finally reaches you, armin is slightly out of breath. “come on, let’s go,” he says. that grin is still on his face, but it’s much brighter up close; cuter now that you can see the freckles on his nose and the shy dimple in his left cheek.

“race you there,” is all you say before you’re sprinting across the wet sand. armin is after you in seconds and the adrenaline of being chased has you feeling like a giddy teenager. you glance over your shoulder, heart thrumming in your chest. he’s closer than you expected, so you speed up and push harder through the resistance of the deepening water. you stop once you’re waist-deep and turn around to check on armin again, only for him to crash into you, pulling you both into the water.

you’re only under for a moment before you’re back out again, gasping and pushing your hair out of your face. “armin!” you scold, though you’re smiling so wide it loses its effect.

armin’s head is thrown back with laughter so you splash some water at him; some finds its way into his mouth, causing him to sputter and making it your turn to laugh. from there, it devolves into a splash match, neither of you letting up, both of you too greedy for victory. your fingers are pruney, your mouth tastes of salt and your eyes are stinging; normally you would be complaining, but you really can’t when you’re with him.

after sending another scatter of water at armin, his blond head suddenly disappears under the water. you still your movements, tense as you watch the surface. “armin?” you call out, unsure if you should be worried or if he’s just playing a trick.

as his name starts to leave your lips again, you feel something wrap around your thighs and lift you out of the water. a yelp leaps from your lungs and your hands desperately find purchase on armin’s shoulders. below you, armin’s smile is toothy with mischief, his hair is clinging to his forehead and his eyes are shimmering in the pink twilight like nothing you’ve ever seen before; you’re so entranced you forget to scold him for startling you again.

gently, armin lowers you back into the water, but his arms stay touching your skin, crawling up to your waist. your arms do the same, hands gliding to the back of his neck, where you nudge him forward and catch his lips in your own. it’s long and tender and wet with saltwater.

“i love you,” armin whispers as you part.

“i love you too,” you murmur back, thumbing away the hair that’s stuck near his eyes. in your peripheral, you notice armin staring at you, and the heat in your cheeks is immediate. when you shift your gaze back to his, it’s like his eyes are sparkling.

“you’re so pretty,” he mumbles dreamily.

your warm cheeks only grow warmer and in flustered frustration, or perhaps out of cute aggression, you squish armin’s cheeks between your hands. “shut up, you adorable idiot.” and then you’re leaning in for another kiss.

after sunset, armin takes you back to his place on his moped, your arms around his waist and your cheek pressed against his back as he drives you down the scenic route. once there, you decide to take turns to shower, and armin lets you go first. now, you’re waiting for him to finish, lying across his bed and scrolling on your phone. every so often, you nuzzle your face into his pillow, addicted to the smell: fresh linen, vanilla and seasalt, and something strong and masculine that’s all his own.

armin ambles through the door, a towel around his neck and drops of water dripping from his hair. he adorns a baggy satin button-up, open to reveal the pale plains of his torso, and some simple shorts; you can’t help but admire him.

“c’mere,” you say, swinging your legs over the edge of the bed and beckoning him over. he immediately obeys, making you smile. you place a kiss on his belly and the muscles twitch under your touch. when you lean back and look at him, his cheeks are flushed. “you’re so cute,” you coo before patting the space between your legs. “sit. i’ll dry your hair off for you.”

without a word of complaint, armin sits down on the floor between your legs. you reach down and lift the towel over his head. you start off by gently squeezing the residual water out before beginning to rub and massage his hair.

“today was so much fun,” armin says, his smile evident in his voice.

you hum and smile as well. “we should do it more often.”

“really?” armin tilts his head to look up at you, only for you to tut at him.

he pouts, so you peck the crown of his head. “yes, really.”

he seems happy enough at that, leaning back and letting you spend the next few minutes drying off his hair. afterwards, the two of you get ready for bed. you settle in armin’s arms, surrounded by his smell and warming your hands against the skin under his shirt.

“i love you,” armin says into your hair, voice quiet and low, like the ocean at night.

“you’ve already said that today,” you mumble against his chest.

his smile is lazy but beaming as it always is. “i can say it more than once, can’t i?”

“mm-mm.” you shake your head. “saying it more than once makes you a sap.”

armin sighs. “well, i like being a sap then,” he says, holding you closer and kissing your temple. you can only hum, too drowsy to formulate a response. armin’s hand traces patterns into the bump of your hip, and the delicate movement, along with the steady heartbeat in his chest, pull you the rest of the way into the embrace of sleep.

[munchboxart]

My thoughts for Eggstra Work on November 3, there will be spoilers on what kinds of waves that will be included and the specials each weapon has, so do not read if you don't wanna be spoiled

Jelonzo bot information (only has weapon/special and wave types)

Leanyoshi Github (has the specific seed/details on what bosses will be spawning depending on the hazard level & everything you need, basically all of the info including the weapons/specials)

Honestly Rush and Fog being picked is probably the most ideal night waves for this map. If I had to be honest, this map is kinda ass LOL I hate it. Also because Tornado is a hard night wave to get a good high score on personally and kinda chodes.

BUT if there is one thing this map is good at, it's Rush with Roller, which thankfully this map has. Not only that, but it has the Gone Fission Rush cheese (where you hop between platforms to stall rush) and has the tall wall to stall it as well. So this map is pretty much friendly to helping you keep alive and have all the eggs near basket.

Fog also has pretty high potential as a lot of the Goldies seem pretty wealthy, but it should be reminded that any of the weapons here should take out the Fish Sticks ASAP on this wave.

Personally, I think this might be a pretty good rot overall? I only skimmed through most of the normal waves (I'm not worrying about them right now I am SICK). I kind of wish High Tide and Low Tide switched places as getting eggs on LT sucks more balls than HT but whatever.

Some personal notes/strategies, mainly for Rush since I know people have a hard time with it:

Image from Salmonrun.Ink

This might be common knowledge already but I'll mention it regardless, I believe all rollers can roll over all Chums now (Swig was buffed)? Move very slightly forward if you have Flingza when the rush is coming towards you/your teammates so you don't waste too much ink. If you're out of ink, probably rotate with your other teammates to shoot them or stall Rush.

If the eggs drop to the tall side of the wall (Pier side), do not pick them up, Snatchers are coming from the Beach side (so they will fly over the basket), just keep them in mind and don't forget to kill them (and don't kill them too early if they're just headed there).

The max of enemies that can be on the field is 27 so don't delay too much otherwise you'll miss out on eggs.

Personally, I like the Gone Fission strategy more than the wall strat since the Rush won't have to travel too far (the area you jump between is the spot behind the Basket and the ledge nearest to the Overlook spot), though it might be harder with the shorter distance + I personally suck ass at it (skill issue I know I'm TRYING)

Will reblog with more stuff if I think of any

[thelargefrye]

THELARGEFRYE STUDIOS AT E3 // WIP CHALLENGE TAG GAME

rules : post the name of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips.

tagged by : @writingmochi wow, thank you for the tag! it was a nice surprise!!

there's... a lot so be prepared DJDHFJKSDHF i have it divided up by universes and aus. i'm probably missing some to be honest, but a lot of these i've been planning for like... two years now so yeah lol.

starseed franchise

dragon from the window – dragon au, will list planned chapters

quiet days ( yeosang focused )

dear moon, my best friend

umbra witch

homage heart ( san focused )

wicked witch ( mingi focused )

collision hearts ( jongho focused )

mephisto

the princess and her dragon

the little witch and the lost demon – miniseries prequel

song of fourteen years – atla au

book one, chapter 2

the white lotus - a what if chapter for mona

song of the past

library of illusion – mythical library au, five chapters left.

horror section : the devil was here

history section : a memory thorn

keeper of keys : the little mermaid

restricted section : the stone flower

epilogue

kaledia – rome inspired au, magic / supernatural au. a girl and a flower. still in early development.

moons of venus – space pirate au, treasure planet au. still in early development.

come back home – ateez lore au, dystopian au. currently remaking.

starseed on tragedy: when the world fell – apocalypse au for haru. still in early development.

body of eve – witch au. still in early development.

idealism – isekai au

ragnarok – spirit world au

truly sick – berserk inspired au, dark, fantasy, dungeons and dragons inspired.

joongfryeverse franchise

sweet sorrow of evil – evil queen au, collab with topaz. chapter one planned and needs to be written.

rose blossom – what if twilight academy (by topaz) inspired au, wizard au, wizard school au. woosan focused. still in early development.

other series

allergy – hybrid au. wolf!wooyoung, cat!f!reader, human!seonghwa for the first chapter. planned but not written.

carnage – monster!teez, smut, fantasy au. hongjoong's introduction chapter in the works.

love-heart-xx.com – pornstar au, director!hongjoong and actress!reader ft. other ateez members. chapters listed below:

the beginning

film with seonghwa

two doms teaching a sub how to dom another ( w/ seonghwa, san, wooyoung )

in a log cabin with husband!yunho

siren!yeosang

the outlaw : masquerade – vampire the masquerade bloodline inspired au, choose your own adventure. still in heavy early development.

death vision – demon au, office au, reincarnation au, historical / modern au. still in heavy early development.

seoul revengers – tokyo revengers inspired, high school au, gang au, time travel au. chapter names below:

the girl who leapt through time

june 2017

visage city – coven au, supernatural au. ateez x multiple ocs. chapters listed below:

the she devil comes

awaken the nap star

farewell, neverland

need the light

shooting star

broken melodies of my soul

puzzle moon

against the tide

untitled #1 – dark pictures anthology inspired au, supernatural au. still in heavy early development.

untitled #2 – werewolf au. same universe as honey cycle. planned but not written.

other one - shots

by the ocean – sea creature au (siren and mermaid), modern fantasy beach town au. merpeople!woojoong & f!reader, siren!yeohwa, and human!yungisanho. still in development.

untitled #3 – handler!wooyoung and fighters!san & f!reader, van smut, for topaz.

god's right hand – hero and villain au, soulmates, horror, dark.

untitled #4 – double possessed au. eve / lilith. college au. that's all folks.

keep my secrets and heart – husband montage au, single dad!idol!yunho, angsty. planned but not written.

midsummer night of the dragons – house of the dragons au, mature. still in early development.

other groups and misc.

seventeen werewolf fic – werewolf au, same-ish universe / au as the ateez au. still in heavy early development.

enhypen found family fic – fantasy au, supernatural, found family, no romance / all platonic relationships

seventeen addition

ateez addition

girl group

tags : @sanjoongie @invuwrld @flowerboykun @stardragongalaxy @ad0rechuu @seonghwaddict @little-lazuli @gummygowon and anyone else who wants to do it! also no pressure to the people i tagged! you're more than welcome to ignore this!

[octomae]

got an ask for marf1sh and started writing this to try and figure them out (as someone who ships calfish too lol), then i realized i was veering away from the prompt

didn't want to delete it bc its cute, so here, it's small but, free marf1sh musings for yall :3 this is NOT calfish hate i love them too

-

There was a melodic quality to Marie's voice that Acht admired. Where Callie's voice was peppy and high pitched like stars in the sky, Marie's voice flowed together like low tide waves against the beach. That wasn't to say Acht didn't like Callie's voice; they simply found themself liking Marie's much more.

They were familiar with the Squid Sisters music, of course. When Marina had introduced them, Acht had been nothing short of enchanted. Callie had been happy enough to meet them, but it was Marie who complimented their style, her quiet reserve a match to their own. Acht found themself recalling her approving sentiments from their initial meeting more than they cared to admit.

Withdrawn as they were, it was Marie who reached out first.

Marie was the more mellow of the two Squid Sisters, which suited Acht perfectly. When Marina asked Acht on behalf of Marie for their phone number, they gave it. If Acht had been the person they were before Kamabo, they were almost certain they would have declined. Their impostor syndrome and lack of confidence wouldn't have allowed them to let themself be so close to an actual star.

Marie was patient and polite, but she didn't put up with nonsense. She spoke her mind when she felt strongly. They admired that about her.

So they talked. Acht sent her their latest work in progress tracks and she gave them advice. They followed her nightly podcast, listening to her voice whenever they found themself in a slump or unmotivated.

Like with getting their phone number, it was Marie who suggested they have a day to meet up and hang out.

Oftentimes during these days, Acht would fall into their usual habit of dissing their own musical work, their thoughts slipping into words they couldn't quite stop. The melodic quality to Marie's voice that they admired would leech out of it, and she would flatly turn Acht's negativity on its head. It left them reeling sometimes, how much she seemed to care.

For the first time since Kamabo, Acht wanted something.

[fenharel-enaste]

Hiii love, can u tell us something about ur trip to Japan? Like, some curiosities and things u liked?

Hii!! 💖 Yes of course! I went with my best friend in 2019 to visit another friend who's been living there for a while, so we stayed at their house in Tokyo. We went to several other places from there.

A fucking tourism article ahead, I'm sorry I got carried away 😂😂

Tokyo is amazing but it's so big and has so many cool things this post would never end 😂 So I'll just say that one of my favourite experiences there was going to a pokémon café, everything they serve is in the shape of a pokémon of your choice!

Hakone is also soooo cool, it has a beautiful lake with a Torii and you can see Mount Fuji perfectly from there, but we didn't get to see it because it was too foggy 😭 (these pics aren't mine because as I said we couldn't see anything lol)

Kyoto is also beautiful! It has so many temples, my favourite ones were Kinkaku-ji (left) and Ginkaku-ji (right, not mine because I don't have pics somehow), they're both surrounded by nature and soooo peaceful, I could have spent hours in those easily.

But my absolute favorite place was Miyajima, it's a little island. There you can see this temple in the shore with a beautiful Torii. At high tide the sea covers part of the Torii so you can see it like floating there, and at low tide you have access to the beach and the Torii is uncovered. The views at sunset are the best 😭

We went to other places like Osaka, Hiroshima (this one was heartbreaking) or Nara, but I need to shut up or this would be too long 😂

Bonus photos I took that I like:

Okay and that's it, you can't shut me up once I start talking about this trip, I'm so sorry 😂😂

[frasermints]

For the ask game, every multiple of 5.

bestie that's so many

5: what does your latest text from someone else say?

"This robot is trying so hard" in response to a youtube shorts link i sent

10: when is the last time you played the air guitar?

people actually do this??

15: do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

behind. always. i fucking hate getting my picture taken. froggie can attest to this after she made me get after i got BeReal

20: what is your greatest weakness; greatest strength?

damn we're going with the serious ones tonight aren't we? i like to think that, in face-to-face irl situations, i'm a good listener. i just fucking suck at responding. especially after my covid infection, i can't brain-to-mouth words anymore. the edit feature on imessage has helped this significantly since 99% of my interactions happen over that text platform but hooooooly shit i'm so bad at speaking

25: do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

i really like facetime but i fucking HATE looking at myself in the little window so i'll usually point it directly at my ceiling unless it's with One Specific Friend, mostly bc she's already seen me naked so her seeing me at Not My Best isn't a big deal and also like. idk i just fucking Hate My Face lol

30: stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? do the same with your left.

since i'm in bed and the only thing to my right is... the air. pumpkin is directly in FRONT of my right arm so i'll go with that. my phone is in front of my left arm.

35: to you, what is the meaning of life?

dude i don't even know. fuck around and find out. see more than twelve thousand trees. don't tell your friends they do too much yoga. own a cat. have at least one sex-induced medical emergency. confuse a seagull for an eagle when you're high as shit and get laughed at for it. drink a truly on the beach and watch the tide come in. eat so many cherries you shit yourself forty five minutes later and don't regret a single second of it. buy all of the notebooks you see in the bookstore and don't write in any of them. sleep outside when it's warm enough. take care of a houseplant. go far enough away from the city to actually SEE the stars. work with children. cry because of a dumb movie. breathe.

40: do you drive? if so, have you ever crashed?

yes: coming home from the seattle/tacoma metro area i got hit by someone going 90mph (145 kph) on the interstate. genuinely thought i was fish food that day.

45: what's the worst injury you've ever had?

probably the time i attempted rifle and caught it w/ my skull instead of my hands.

50: do you believe in magic?

eh

55: love or lust?

insert "why not both" gif

60: is there anything pink within ten feet of you?

yes, a couple things. a couple of bowls, a bag of potting soil, my sharps containers, some animal shaped erasers, a solid 50% of my sex toys are pink for some reason.

65: top five favorite blogs on tumblr?

peach, froggie, lou, steph, and vati

70: are you the kind of friend that you would want to have as a friend?

i would choke me out without hesitation i do not understand how froggie tolerates me to be honest with you

75: what are the last four digits of your phone #

what are you a cop???

80: what size shoes do you wear

i don't know bc it's changed since i've started t and now none of my shoes fit

85: what's the last song you listened to?

i wanna get better by bleachers (title of my current wip comes from this song!)

90: you wake up to find that you're surrounded by mummies. they aren't doing anything, just standing around your bed. what do you do?

assume i'm dreaming and try to go back to bed

95: you just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. you have to depart right now. where are you going to go?

do i HAVE to??? i don't have a passport and i don't like airports :(

[writernopal]

Happy STS! Here’s a summer themed ask for you:

All of your OCs are at the beach! What is each OC doing and what chaos ensues?

(Optional things for your OCs to be doing, there are no rules <3)

Which character is most at home in the water and has to be dragged out, and demands that the whole group play all the water games?

Which character full stop refuses to even touch the water (whether out of fear or another reason)?

Who has the bag full of snacks and is constantly yelling at people to drink water and put on sunscreen?

Which character is dunking people in the water, grabbing other people’s ankles, pulling dumb pranks, etc?

Which character is just there for the Instagram (or equivalent) pics?

Which character gleefully asks to be buried in the sand and realizes too late that they’ve made a horrible mistake?

Which character is the sandcastle captain making elaborate sand creations and who WILL FREAK OUT if you come within ten feet of their project?

Which character is Mx. Put on Way Too Much Sunscreen?

Which character didn’t put on ANY sunscreen and is now burnt to a crisp?

And finally: Which character is the reason that the group has to go home early?

for whichever and however many OCs you would like <3

Happy STS, Anna!

I answered a summer/beach day type ask here, but I'm going to answer this using the prompts you left because they are just too fun to pass up!

Which character is most at home in the water and has to be dragged out, and demands that the whole group play all the water games?

Fay. That woman is practically half fish. She would live in the water if she could, and she's very good at swimming, so she'd demand all sorts of games including her favorite: chicken fight. Though she doesn't play fair so aside from being good in the water she'd win everytime bc she's probably cheating lol.

Which character full stop refuses to even touch the water (whether out of fear or another reason)?

Axtapor. Despite being a pirate, he HATES water. He'll only get in if Mariel goes in and that's just cuz he wants to be with her.

Who has the bag full of snacks and is constantly yelling at people to drink water and put on sunscreen?

Mariel. Though she's probably not yelling, it's more like soft suggesting/quiet begging while she follows after people with like six different sunscreens to choose from lol. Poor girl.

Which character is dunking people in the water, grabbing other people’s ankles, pulling dumb pranks, etc?

Lexlar. Pranking people and generally being a nuisance is one of his favorite things to do and he's pretty good at it despite being mostly brainless hahaha. Most people forgive him because he's just a giant dorito shaped oaf of a lizardman.

Which character is just there for the Instagram (or equivalent) pics?

Anise. This girl is all about optics, and she'd probably be getting all sorts of pictures, making it look like she's alone on some fancy vacation at a resort or something. She's actually trying her hardest to avoid Lexlar's tricks lol.

Which character gleefully asks to be buried in the sand and realizes too late that they’ve made a horrible mistake?

All of the Lizardfolk boys LOL Lizardfolk like to bury themselves under the sand to rest (some will do this when taking naps), so I can imagine them burrowing, and then when high tides starts to pull in they realize they'd made a grave error. The humans would need to help dig them out, it's all very dramatic.

Which character is the sandcastle captain making elaborate sand creations and who WILL FREAK OUT if you come within ten feet of their project?

Thelma-Louise. I haven't talked about her much, but she's the First Mate of the Siren's Marauders, aka Fay's crew, and she is VERY picky about process and the way that things should be done. She has a very posh accent, so I can imagine she's reaming people in the equivalent of the Queen's English if they come too close to her precious lol.

Which character is Mx. Put on Way Too Much Sunscreen?

Jace. He was probably told by Rapheus to put on sunscreen so that he wouldn't burn (as a practical joke bc Lizardfolk can't get sunburnt), and the kid took it too far, and now he's all sticky LOL. Also poor little dude is blind so he probably didn't spread it around enough T_T

Which character didn’t put on ANY sunscreen and is now burnt to a crisp?

Cherry-Pie. I haven't talked a lot about him, but he's another one of Fay's crew. A big barrel-chested man who is absolutely the type to try to shoot the sun. He's the one who insists that he doesn't burn, he tans but he also falls asleep pretty easily so he'd wake up from a nap very crispy.

And finally: Which character is the reason that the group has to go home early?

Hartim. He's a snakeman, and he really likes swimming, so he'd likely scare all of the other beachgoers and end up getting the group banned from the beach. He'd probably say somethin' to the effect of "I'll give ye's somethin' ta scream 'bout." and then actually eat someone. They'd definitely have to leave after that lol.

[literallylivingfortuesday]

People with that accent just materialise one day one day with tux in any location with a high enough ceiling.

Lol. I am glad i was not drinking when i read this, for I would have choked.

I am from the South-ist East of the UK you can be (if you walked my house 5 mins South you'd be on the beach, flooded every high tide) I have never meet anyone who sounds like that. I've met my friends uni friend named Berttrum ffs, his parents are fucking millionaires and not even he sounded quite like that.

ok heres my confession. i didnt realise that philip in glass onion was supposed to be the husband. i am gay. i am gay. i thought he was the butler. you know why? you wanna know why? because he was british. because he had an upper class british accent and his name was philip. my immediate, gut reaction was: what the fuck else would a guy named philip with that goddamn downton abbey accent that no normal person could possibly have in real life be? there is no natural state in which a person who sounds like that occurs. aside from butlerhood. people with that accent just materialize one day with a tux in any location with a high enough ceiling. i thought he just showed up one day in that apartment and started doing daniel craigs laundry. my girlfriend, who i live with, is british. but she sounds like a regular fucking person. its not the same. i am simply prejudiced against the west end

[riddlesmoon]

hmmm only 💦🔥 could be LIs... 🌙 isnt interested and ☀️... well i suppose she could be but its a bit redundant in this setting because shessssss intangible

lemme just rAmble ill put this all in a proper post when i one day draw them...

💦 Aqua the Dancer (Siren?)

S Dancing/Swimming/Seduction/Sex skills

A Skullduggery/Housekeeping/Tending/Athletics

normally found at either club during work hours, or the bar. on friday(?) nights she can be found swimming at the beach. in summer he hangs out at the lake too. sometimes seen at averys parties, or with avery.

easy to chat up, easy to proposition (as long as youve got money), hard to actually talk with. starts with lust stat that isnt dependent on you relieving it, itll go up and down randomly because shes doing his own stuff. love stat is hard to raise at first because she only offers "business" dates (just sex) but after about ~40 you can take him on normal dates. shes a bit of a socialite so you can get a boost in status/fame hanging out with her.

unique stat? hmm. uh. uhhh. idk. tide??? but itd change like so: ice -> she wont talk to you about anything other than sex or transactions, water -> normal, whirlpool -> he trusts you and you can easily convince him to do certain things. like getting her to stop crossdressing, or quit her jobs/become exclusive... this can lead to his dismissal where his lust cant be satiated and he resorts to drastic measures and fucks up somewhere (idk how this happens yet i just want the end result to be at the underground farm lol).

also starts off without any virginities intact. except maybe handholding done in an explicitly romantic setting? ionno

wait what if you could do crime with him. that sounds fun theres no other LI you can do that with right. wait maybe whitney. but imagine if you could do a lil bonnie and clyde seduction/swindling duo act lol

also wait what will the difference between love and tide be. i guess low tide low love -> sex only. low tide high love -> fluffier dates. high tide low love -> she'll accept your propositions and a certain amt of requests? high tide high love -> putty in your hands. maybe at high tide she pesters you more often which would give a reason to want to dismiss her. he may leech off your money as well (hes an orphan too, albeit one or two years older)

🌙Luna the Prophet

S Skullduggery/Awareness

A Seduction

B Athletics

can sometimes be found playing cards with Wren, at the bar, at the Codjfjdkud the street stalls place, and at the beach. you need B Skullduggery and/or C Awareness to notice their presence at all.

You feel a gaze on your back. Scanning the area, you think you notice a person dressed in all black hiding in the shadows. But when you take another look, they've vanished.

once you notice them you can ask 💦Aqua about them. if shes at least normal with you he'll tell you thats his twin. afterward you can approach them wherever you find them. their love is raised simply by treating Aqua well. at high love just hanging with them can reduce Stress and the chance of being harassed

at the Cobfjwjfjsg stalls they have a little fortune telling/tarot card booth, but its by booking only. at high love you can book a session via Aqua or asking them directly. this wont guarantee it tho, they will randomly let you know when theyre ready. fortune telling will let you know about some future events (what punishment is next if you or robin miss a payment, chances of surviving remys attack on the farm, idk), tarot card tells you about your r/s with LIs/POIs (this might be redundant cuz you have the stats page but maybe itll give hints on what to do to alter certain relationships. if you even need it lawl)

if theyre playing cards with Wren when you join in (theyre only there like... 5% of the time) they dont participate in any of the sexual aspects, and are always doing well enough not to lose most clothing [i need to check how the card game works actually i dont remember anyone other than Wren and PC losing clothes lmfao]. you can sometimes see them pass items off to Landry and/or Mickey at the bar. maybe you can even do a job with them idk.

also if you convince 💦Aqua to do dangerous things their love will drop hugely and theyll warn you not to push things. if you do it anyway and Aqua gets dismissed they will disappear from the game completely.

🔥Aiden the Arsonist

S Athletics

B Skullduggery

high Combat fame, high Status, Delinquent, shares Science with the PC

thinking of having Aiden only appear in game after a few months because hes been in prison LOL. for. you guessed it. arson! hes a fellow orphan who typically resorts to crime to pay Bailey. starts out not great which is why he got arrested but can get better over time (with PC's help?) after he returns there will sometimes be random fires in residential areas. "how does this get him money" it doesnt he just does it for fun (also to fuck with whichever rapist got his ass). the reason he doesnt get thrown in jail again is because theres no outright evidence unless hes caught in the scene and also sometimes he'll just beat up the cop instead.

isnt always in class, but is usually at student parties at the lake/beach (not including the school pool party). can also be found in the library during lunch break, and sometimes at the temple with his ☀️sister (but he is not an initiate)

the player ca—okay why are all my characters so into crime. this wasnt intentional but doltown is just so fucked up ig. uhh anyway if you get along with him enough theres a chance for him to save you from school encounters when you scream. including from Whitney but its not like a straight up fight he just asks Whitney to knock it off cuz its "ruining the mood" and Whitney... may or may not comply (depends on dominance?)

unique stat... Avery already took Rage :( um... actually hes more POI than LI (ive just never viewed my ocs in a romantic light at all LOL) so whatever

also F Tending. maybe he can cook tho

☀️Candidus the Departed

A Awareness

angel tf. somewhat friends with Sydney, which is why 🔥Aiden can be found in the library (he doesnt leave Candidus' side and vice versa). her presence isnt noticed all the time, but thats nothing to do with you. its her choice (sort of). if you raise her love youll "notice" her more often

you can always see her at the temple. she also isnt an initiate (though Jordan/Sydney have asked her to join) but enjoys the atmosphere.

hmm. to raise her love... other than hanging with Aiden, raise kindness fame. she'll know. if PC is particularly tormented she can help alleviate some of the burden. this... may reduce your Awareness? wait wouldnt it be crazy if she could reset your Stockholm Syndrome

maybe at max love she can try to protect you from the Wraith during the blood moon... it wont always work and you have to be in town for it tho... idk... i just be saying random stuff atp

[frayna-of-the-hollow]

Yall I wrote something! Hope you enjoy!

This is for my Prince x Gardener story that I started thinking about in June lol

(It's in the form of a diary entry btw, Tara is the diary)

@be-gentle-with-littluns-2

7/23

Dear Tara,

In Axia, we have a tradition for people who identify as a different gender. Today, it was my turn to carry it on. 

I woke up to Grandma and Pop Pop screaming “Happy Transitory Day” over and over. Mother ushered them out as she saw I was waking up and handed me the ceremonial robes we had received, made by a royal tailor. 

I had told them (my parents, I mean) many times that I didn’t need to have something so fancy (I am relatively poor, you know; that's why I started this job as a gardener), but putting it on felt… right. The proportions were perfect. They showed off my now flat chest and it was in the perfect colour. It was lined with the slightest amount of fur, enough to make me feel comfortable without burning me alive in this heat or overstimulate me with the ticklishness.

For a while I was just attending a party or two; one at my parent’s, one at my grandparents, et cetera. Eventually, there was one party left. I mentioned that I’m taking a job as a gardener, but what I didn’t mention is that I got promoted to Junior Royal gardener. Because of this, I was invited to attend a party inside the castle. My protests were met with more and more people insisting that I go.

Though, as I write this, I’m thankful that I did, because I got to meet the royal family. The queen was very nice and supportive (she even gave me a hug) but that’s not entirely what I’m talking about. I met the Prince, Prince Adrian. He’s about my age, and I think he is SO CUTE. I was standing in a corner trying not to get noticed when he comes over and says, “hey, you’re Peter, right? What are you doing over here?” I could barely focus on what he said cause I couldn’t focus on anything other than his dark green eyes, but eventually I told him that i’m not really good with new people and he said “Well, you stared into my soul for around 10 seconds, so maybe you aren’t as bad as you think.” We both laughed and we sat down together on the wall. We talked for what felt like an hour before I even realised that he was the prince! In the meantime he complimented me quite a bit. I'm wondering if it was flirting… hopefully? 

Anyway, I said to him, “Wait, aren’t you… Prince Adrian? Why are you talking to me? There are definitely better places for you to be than a dark stone corner talking to a poor kid.” He laughed softly and got all flustered, he even tucked his hair behind his ear cutely and AUGH IM GONNA FALL ASLEEP THINKIGN ABOUT THAT HNUIHBDSO-

Sorry, I got off track. He told me the reason was that he “Doesn’t really like anyone else at this party”. I swear I wanted to hug him. Didn’t get the chance to though, cause the bells signalling the ceremony began ringing. We said goodbye and we told each other that we’d see each other at the ceremony.

When I stepped onto the beach, I was met with the cheers of what looked like the entire village. I tried for a polite smile but at some point it was getting so loud I had to cover my ears. The crowd quieted down, either out of respect or because the main event was about to start. I scanned the sea of faces and found Adrian, smiling and waving like we had last seen each other 3 months ago, not 30 minutes. I hoped my face wasn’t turning bright red.

I stepped up to the waves, careful to not step on any of the names that were already written in the sand. It appeared to be high tide. I carefully walked in. Drums beat in the background, playing the music made for this tradition. When the water receded, I wrote the name my parents originally chose for me. A few people booed (it’s not required but some feel that it can show support). I watched as the water came up and washed away the name. I could barely tell it was there in the first place.

I took a few steps backwards, to a place marked by flags. It was at a point that even the high tide could not reach. There, I slowly and carefully wrote my name.

PETER

Cheers erupted from the stands again, but suddenly stopped. I turned around to Prince Adrian running up to me and throwing his arms around me. I would have stepped on my name if he had not decided to pick me up and spin me around… my gods, it felt amazing. He smelled like watermelon… I think I would have kissed him, had we not met a few minutes ago…

Shit, i'm getting off topic again… well, that's basically the end of the story anyway. I can't wait to work at the castle! (Maybe I could see him again…)