#The mythical AU strikes yet again people

[fancyhats-and-fennelsbuds]

No blorbo is currently safe from the mermaidfication beam

Helga and Clayton's usually try to make them become their tasty midday treat as a pastime. Slim, either watches the scene or participates through toying with pests as if they were bitey, nasty, balls.

Yeah they are quite demanded around and under the sea

[kyuuppi]

Overboard (1)

Pairing: merfolk!Xiao x Reader (f) Contents: mythical AU; graphic depictions of drowning and associated anxiety; modern AU Liyue; multi-chapter with slow updates Word Count: 3.7k

Living on a boat kinda sucks.

That, among several other profound realizations, has stuck you over the past week and a half spent on the cruise ship.

Late at night, when the waves became less forgiving, walking on wobbly legs was tiring and you had never quite gotten over the seasickness. The worst part was probably just the knowledge that you were confined to a set space. As large of a ship as it was, you could only visit the desk pool and ballroom so many times before it got old. After the first three days, you were already ready to leave. You probably would have thrown yourself into the ocean to escape the monotony if it weren't for the fact that you didn't know how to swim.

The trip was intended to be fun and stress-free, a way to relax amidst the overwhelming chaos of the world. You were skeptical but your friends had a way of convincing you of things (read: they offered to pay part of your ticket). Xiangling in particular seemed quite enthusiastic about the excursion, though you suspect that had more to do with the cruise’s infamous unlimited seafood buffet than anything else.

Currently, your friends are presumably dancing the night away to the ship DJ’s unique rendition of Hot Girl Summer that’s been on repeat for the better part of half an hour. They’re likely having fun, worry-free, and you’re happy for them…

Even if you aren’t a part of it.

A soft whoosh of air escapes your lungs as you lean forward on the thin metal rail protecting you from the dark abyss just meters below. The erratic winds of the night ruffle your hair carelessly but your gaze remains focused on the ocean before.

It’s cold and frightening and yet it beacons to you as if it were your home.

Small waves crash against the broad white sides of the ship, nearly drowning out the rambunctious music and partygoers behind you. The water ripples unpredictably, small white caps appearing and disappearing within the mass. You’re reminded of the stories of unfortunate sailors, setting out with the hopes of catching enough to feed their families only to be blindsided by the cruel whims of mother nature and lost to the sea, never to be found again, But you’re also reminded of childhood summers spent on the beach, floating aimlessly along the gentle waters, admiring how your family looked like ants when you drifted far enough only to be reeled back in with the promise of freshly sliced watermelon.

The sea is a dichotomy, you muse. Perhaps that's why so many people fear it. People like neatly categorizing things. One can’t be good and bad, they say. It’s always one or the other.

Thoughtlessly, you lean over further, letting your jaw relax slightly just to taste the hints of salt in the air.

That’s when tragedy strikes.

A particularly large wave crashes into the hull, rocking the whole boat incrementally to the opposite side. It is just a small movement, something most of the passengers probably don’t even notice as they’re dancing under the starlight.

But you’re leaning precariously over the railing and that small shift in balance is enough to throw your upper body over the metal.

Your legs briefly catch on the railing before they, too, go over and in moments you’re plummeting—but only for a second, not even long enough to scream—then you’re underwater.

The hit is hard, knocking out what little air was in your lungs as your muscles seize in shock against the cold. Your body is frozen against your will. Maybe it’s for the better—fighting it and panicking is what causes most people to drown in the first place. Except you’re still sinking. The buoyancy of the water still trying to catch up with the momentum at which you fell and your lungs are starting to work again.

You’re gasping involuntarily, your body trying to recover from having the air seized from your lungs. Saltwater stings your throat as you gulp until you choke, trying to sputter out the water in your chest but there’s nowhere for it to go, Every attempt to expel water from your airways only forces more in until your mind starts feeling hazy, your vision long since lost to the darkness of the water at night.

Above you, the cruise ship continues to coast along, artificial lights twinkling merrily against the sea while patrons laugh and dance, oblivious to the person drowning several meters below. It's morbid—but perhaps this is better than having hundreds of helpless spectators watching your last moments.

You’re acutely aware that you’re going to die and the thought is horrifying yet your mind feels calm as if some part of your brain has already accepted its fate.

Within a few minutes, your consciousness slips away.

The first sensation you register is pain.

Soreness in your back and butt hint at a hard surface while your left ankle and thighs inexplicably alternate between throbbing and being completely numb.

As unpleasant as the aches are, your brain distantly reminds you that pain means you are very much still alive.

With a wince, you peel your heavy eyelids open. Your vision is bleary for a moment until you adjust to the low light and recognize the rough textures of dark limestone. You crane against the ache in your neck to further investigate your surroundings, noting the dimly fluorescent algae lining the lower levels of the rock before breaking off into still waters. Your body rests on a particularly large jut of rock just above the waterline and with the limited light, you conclude you’re in some sort of cave.

Gathering any vestigial strength left in your limbs, you force your body to sit up against the weight of your damp clothing.

That’s when you notice a shadowy figure to the left of your rock, less than two meters away.

With a shriek, your scramble backward, fumbling with the pain in your ankle while the figure visible jumps as well, equally started by your noise.

Wide-eyed, you gape at the figure, quickly recognizing the face of a man—

except some things are off.

A pair of strikingly bright, red-lined golden eyes stare back at you, just as wide and fearful as your own. Around them, you recognize a small nose, thin lips, and mused dark hair. Beyond that, the features become less familiar.

On each side of his head, nestled between mused dark hair with streaks of teal strands, sit a pair of what you can only describe as fins. Spiky spines weaved together with delicate webbing and gently twist and twitch with the distant sounds of the ocean like the ears of an attentive cat.

His skin slightly shimmers with the light reflected off the water. He’s almost holographic, like he’s coated with the tiny scales of a butterfly wing.

In a way, he looks ethereal. Like some type of water fairy—aside from the threateningly sharp black talons you spot on the ends of his fingertip, anxiously curled and gripping the rock beneath him. Every muscle in his upper body looks tensed as if prepared to bolt at a moment’s notice.

The rest of his body, from the chin down, is obscured by the water he’s submerged in, hiding any other mystical characteristics he may possess.

“Um,” you finally croak, breaking the silence.

His fin-like ears twitch at your voice and he sinks further into the water until only his eyes and the top of his head are visible but otherwise maintaining his position.

You awkwardly offer your name but he remains still, staring at you warily like you’re the sharp-clawed monster.

His sharp gaze and silence gradually become too much and you find yourself shifting your attention back to your surroundings.

You have no idea where you are—if you think too much about that fact the worry becomes debilitating so instead, you focus on the things you do know—such as the time of day. A peek through a gap in the rocks reveals the same clear sky and stars you saw on the ship so it must still be night time which means you weren’t unconscious for very long and the cruise ship is likely still close by to wherever you washed up.

Inspired by that realization, you shift your weight, attempting to leave the hard rocks in favor of the cool water to potentially find an exit you can squeeze yourself through. You can’t swim very well but you coil find higher around atop the cave and wait for the ship to spot you. Surely your friends have realized your absence, right? Even if the ship isn’t around, surely a coast guard might be on patrol—

You let out a shrill cry as pain shoots up your left leg from your ankle, knocking you off balance and face first towards the water.

Before you can make contact, a pair of cool hands grab the fabric of your shirt.

The creature from before is much closer now, firmly supporting your weight without breaking eye contact. He seems slightly less wary than before, eyes just slightly less wide, but he still stares at you like an unknown specimen in a test tube.

You hadn’t even seen him move, you think. If it weren’t for the sloshing of disturbed water, you would have thought he’d teleported in front of you.

“Th-thanks,” you stutter out sheepishly.

To your surprise, he makes a small sound in the back of his throat. Acknowledgment.

Then he’s pushing you back into a comfortable seating position and pulling away. His movements allow you to catch a glimpse of something moving around him in the water, shiny and iridescent but dark with predominantly teal tones like the tiny scales on his skin.

A tail, you realize. And now that he’s even closer, you notice the thin slits lining the sides of his neck. Gills.

He’s a fucking mermaid, your brain supplies, feeling mildly delirious.

Or was it merman? Do mythical sea creatures have a concept of gender?

Perhaps the cruise ship champagne had been stronger than you’d given it credit for.

“You are injured.”

It takes you a few moments to register that the being before you has just spoken and even longer to decipher the contents.

His voice had been soft, in a slightly higher tone than most of the men you had met around your age, and even a little raspy, as if it was rarely used. But it was pleasant, nonetheless.

Perhaps he’s a siren, you think. The type to lure in wayward sailors and shipmaids from the safety of their boats with the gentle call of a song.

His clear hesitance to be near you points to otherwise and you dismiss the thought.

“I think I sprained my ankle,” you supply unhelpfully. Glancing down at yourself you recognize a few darkened bruises and red marks on your thighs, prompting memories of hitting the metal railing before falling overboard.

The creature’s eyes follow the trail of your own, glancing at said sprained ankle with a slight furrow in his brow as if perplexed by your human anatomy. The concept amuses you and you intentionally wiggle your toes just to see the furrow deepen.

“What’s your name,” you venture amicably.

He freezes, seeming to contemplate whether or not he should answer until you remind him that you had already supplied yours so it is only fair. He huffs but complies.

“I am Adeptus Xiao.”

His voice remains cold, uninterested, but you can recognize the twinge of pride as his shoulders straighten and his fins flutter. It must be a title of honor.

“A…deptus,” you repeat, the word foreign on your tongue.

Xiao’s golden hues flash with something akin to annoyance at your ignorance but he says nothing.

“Thank you for saving me, Xiao,” you quickly amend, offering a smile you can only hope conveys the magnitude of your gratefulness towards him. He deserves it, as he is presumably the one who found you and brought you to this musty albeit comforting cave.

Afterall, if not for Xiao…

You distantly recall the sensations of burning lungs and stinging eyes as you flailed about in the unforgiving clutches of the ocean.

His voice startles you out of your dark thoughts.

“It is not often that I come into contact with humans,” he admits softly.

“The duty bestowed upon me is to protect my people by defeating nefarious sea monsters like Haishan—rescuing a human from drowning…it is a first for me.”

It is the most he has said to you so far this whole time and something gives you the impression it is the most he’s said to anyone in a long time.

His confession prompts a whole slew of new questions in your mind. How many other beings like him exist in the ocean, what exactly is he, who gave him this “duty,” and what the hell is a Haishan.

You don’t want to overwhelm him—not when he seems so hesitant to speak with you in the first place—so you settle on a single question instead.

“Why did you save me?”

To your surprise, he immediately turns his head and averts his gaze in a gesture akin to shyness. You wonder if you are imagining the way his cheeks seem to pinken in the dark.

“I just happened to be nearby,” he murmurs.

You have to bite your lip to keep from smiling and potentially making him any more embarrassed. How cute.

“Well, regardless, I am very thankful,” you reply sincerely.

“However, I really need to get back to the ship now. I’m…not really good with water.”

Xiao’s lips seem to twitch slightly with amusement but you aren’t sure if you’ve imagined it and before you can say anything more, he pulls away from your rock and abruptly dives underwater. The still waters in the cave didn’t look that deep when you considered wading in them a few minutes ago, but considering you’ve completely lost sight of him, you guess your assumptions had been inaccurate.

Left alone, you briefly wonder if he has abandoned you altogether. It’s not like he was under any obligation to help you—considering how cagey he seemed, it was likely enough of a risk to save you in the first place. While trying to learn to swim out of here with a sprained ankle would definitely suck, it wasn’t the end of the world, you supposed…

To your delight, Xiao soon reappears with a vaguely familiar object. Tightly within his grasp is a round tube, white with red stripes and scuffed and yellowed with signs of obvious age. He releases it right in front of you, allowing you to watch as it bobs steadily above the water. The bold black text proclaiming “EMERGENCY USE ONLY” serves to further pin down its identity, even if you had never seen one before in person.

“A lifebuoy,” you breathe, unexpectedly overcome with relief at the sight. Anything to assist you with swimming is a very much welcomed sight.

“I found it among wreckage many winters ago but it will still serve its purpose,” Xiao explains nonchalantly.

He watches expectantly as you ease yourself onto the device. Your movements are clumsy, encumbered by your injuries, but Xiao is quick to offer assistance when needed, gripping at your clothed waist when your balance goes awry and within a few short moments you find yourself bobbing in the cool water, the lifebuoy secured just below your chest.

The gentle push and pull of the ocean threaten to jostle your sprained ankle so you keep your legs tightly locked together to minimize movement. It is unpleasant, but you can manage at least until you’re safely back on solid ground.

“Hold on to me and I will guide you back to your vessel, mortal.”

Despite his words, Xiao is the one who grabs at your buoy and you can do nothing but scramble to hold on to his pale arm. He noticeable jumps and tenses at your touch but says nothing and begins swimming.

The skin beneath your hands is cool to the touch and slippery and soft—like what you imagine the skin of a seal to be like—but the muscle beneath is undoubtedly firm in the way you imagine only a wild predator could be.

Despite his apparent strength—or maybe because of it—his movements in the water are graceful. If you strain your neck you can make out the steady whips of his dark tail in the water, propelling the two of you forward in a smooth motion. You can tell he is moving much slower than he is probably used to for your sake. With a tail that large, you imagine he can reach some impressive speeds underwater, but he remains persistently gentle as he guides you along the water, through a large gap in the cave, and eventually out into the open sea.

Typically, relying on a simple floating decide in the midst of the vast ocean with no visible shore would be terrifying but Xiao’s presence seems to calm your nerves. He moves with confidence, clearly having spent his whole life in the water.

As you had suspected, the ship was not too far.

The familiar bright pink and yellow lights shimmer along the water as the distant sounds of music and laughter travel with the sea breeze. Maybe your friends hadn’t noticed your absence yet after all.

You weren’t sure how to feel about that.

Xiao continues to guide you closer until the two of you are close enough to just barely make out the details of the passengers’ faces. He slows down at that point and releases your buoy from his taloned grip. Your anxiety spikes at the thought of floating out here alone and you tighten your grip, much to Xiao’s displeasure if his sneer is anything to go by.

“You are close enough for them to hear,” he announces.

“If you call out, they’ll be able to offer a lifeboat or raft.”

Xiao moves to leave but you stop him with your persistent grip on his bicep, eyeing him almost frantically.

“Y-you’ll stay nearby though, right? Until they come?”

Your voice shakes with slight fear and Xiao eyes you momentarily, gaze unreadable. Some dark part of your mind wonders if he’ll just scoff at you for being pathetic and swim away. What kind of idiot goes on a cruise when they can’t even swim?

To your relief, Xiao simply nods at you.

Something in his golden gaze—much soften than you remember it being in the cave—relaxes you and, slowly, you release your grip on his arm.

Xiao lingers for just a moment before diving back beneath the surface, gently but swiftly moving away. You can just barely make out the shimmer of his scales beneath the surface several meters away but is enough to comfort you knowing he’s close enough to rescue you if Jaws decides to suddenly appear for a midnight snack.

Returning your attention to the cruise ship in front of you, you muster up all your breath to let out a shout, shakily waving your arms above your head.

A few passengers turn at the sound, eyeing you in shock before they seem to gather themselves and yell out to others. Soon enough, men in uniforms you assume to be security personnel are rushing to the railings closest to you, yelling down instructions of “be calm” and “help is on the way.”

Everything happens quickly after that.

As Xiao had promised, a man on an inflatable lifeboat appears from around the other side of the ship and quickly rows over to you, helping your shaky form onto the boat. A large pulley along the hull lifts your raft onto the lower deck of the ship where several more uniformed men await, helping retrieve the boat while a woman offers medical assistance, asking you how you feel and swaddling you in an aluminum blanket. You answer all questions in a daze, sticking to simple yes or no answers. You vaguely recognize one of them asking where you found the lifebuoy as they remove it from your body but you’re sure whatever you had replied was an incomprehensible mumble.

Instead, your attention is focused intently on the dark blue void of the ocean you had just been rescued from, hoping to catch a glimpse of Xiao, if only to assure yourself he was real and not just some vivid hallucination your oxygen-deficient drowning brain had conjured up.

You see nothing but waves.

That night your friends are nearly inconsolable. They had rushed over as soon as security has allowed you to return to the main deck of the ship, swarming you with hugs and teary apologies.

“We should have never left you alone—we’re so sorry!!”

“You must have been so scared…”

“From now on we will be glued to the hip!”

With Xiangling sobbing into your shoulder and Xingqiu staring dejectedly as if he’d just kicked a puppy, you almost feel like they were the ones to have a traumatic experience instead. You repeatedly reassure them you’re fine, insist that Xiangling can still go eat at the buffet, Xinyan can still go dancing on the deck, and Xingqiu and Chongyun can go watch shows in the theater, you’ll be fine in your room by yourself—but your friends refuse to listen and you find yourself buried in warm blankets in the bed of your cabin with everyone cozied up around you as a cheerful cartoon plays on the TV screen. Xiangling hasn’t let go of your hand since she dragged you in here and Chongyun keeps glancing at you with a small smile that makes your chest feel warm.

Perhaps there are worse things than falling overboard on a cruise ship…

Somewhere far in the distance a pair of golden eyes linger on a ship slowly disappearing over the horizon.

[author-luna]

My writing ideas (1/?)

Part 1 | Next >>

I know I said I have exams but I couldn’t stop myself from doing this-

Basiaclly, a new series where i write down my writing ideas for different fandoms as well as some notes about it for future references. I might never get to write them, but at least someone else can see them and enjoy it!

This posts fandom is TCF because it’s my current obsession-

(please excuse my poor naming ability, I can’t come up with names for things on such a short notice)

TCF actor AU

An AU in which the novel gets a life action adaption and the casting director happens to find actors who are, quite literally, the characters they portray.

Slight dynamic and personality changes between the characters as well as some OCs that will probably be mentioned a few times.

Uhhh Dad! Cale strikes again with the children averaging nine-years-old being his actual adopted children.

Still gotta figure out where I wanna go with this I guess? Truth to be told I jus want crack texting between everyone, don’t mind me-

Also Rosalyn and Cale are childhood friends/basically siblings and everyone thinks they’re the MOST iconic duo ever (they are,of course, right)

Everyone’s twitter account is a mess because no one knows how to run a social media account and the only one who knows how actually run one is Hannah

Probably no shipping, just open flirting because why not :3

Any help for coming u with names for the actors are welcome (read: desperately needed)

Might leave the names the same?? I dunno I’ll decided when i actually get to that part

Hall of universes fic

One peaceful day, as everyone is gathered to celebrate New Year, they suddenly find themselves in a spacious lobby. How did they get here? How do they get back? Who’s the girl typing away on a laptop on one of the couches? And what the hell does she mean by “Have fun exploring the different universes?”

Basically a self indulgent fic (I’m literally in the fic what more do you want me to say?) and crack fic, where our dear TCF family sees different parallel universes ranging from modern AU, spy agency AU, mythical creatures to sad angst shit

Buckle up to see them walk down a hallway with many doors, behind each one a different world with it’s own twisted rules and fateful encounters, until they reach the very end

mostly crack and a place for me to put out my AU ideas together as well as try to do some character exploration

Do they get back at some point? Probably, the question is just when

Fic-me is a little bitch but I don’t care

Each AU aka ‘room’ will probably have like 1-5 chapters about it and then they will move onto the next door

I hate Deruth with a passion so we will be witnessing him get torn down to pieces by guilt, shame, self hatred and more

OG Cale gets the love he deserves in some of the rooms, maybe, I don’t know, I’m not there yet

Some of it will be cringe asf and OOC but like, soft content i guess?

I definitely am going to add a room about childhood friends! AlbeCale because they would be such an iconic duo if they knew each other earlier

A chapter about Cale taking “I’m sipping wine, in a robe. I look too good, to be alone’’ shit to another level

Human! Raon concept where he looks exactly like Cale to the point where people think he’s his biological son and Cale just goes with it

Lots of Dad! Cale with his children because I’m soft for them

This is getting too long so I’ll mare a cut here-

[zerokogane]

I need to scream about certain fics so here are some of my favorite persona 5 fanfics (be warned most of these of not all are going to be shuake and ongoing)

Pt 2 https://zerokogane.tumblr.com/post/652917516478349312/lappel-du-vide-xov-persona-5-archive-of-our

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26995579

Ongoing, shuake, rated M, 300k+

Description:

What do you mean?” Ryuji tilted his head.

“It’s called Just Die. It reduces the SP needed for Insta kill skills like Mudoon or 'Please Die for Me' to zero.”

Ryuji and Ann blinked and blinked again trying to figure out what Morgana is trying to say. He watched as the gears churn in their head and they come to an epiphany, their faces growing horrified at the implications.

“Wait, you are saying. Joker can insta-kill literally everything in this palace. WITHOUT using SP at all?!” Ryuji clarified in astonishment because there is no way there isn’t a catch to this. “Without repercussion?!”

“Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying.”

Or the NG+ au where Akira knows more than he lets on, the Phantom Thieves start to suspect one of their own, and Akechi is in for a wild ride.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767610

Series 6/7 completed, no ships, ratings vary per part. 700k+(all 7 parts)

Discerption or first part in series :Forewarned

When Akira Kurusu is ten years old, his parents die in an accident.

One year later, he comes to Inaba. He doesn't expect to find family there, and he doesn't expect to find a hidden world of monsters inside the TV.

He finds both.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227510

Shuake, ongoing, rated T, 300k+

Discerption:

In the Present...

...Akira and Goro are the famed Detective Princes of Tokyo! They've solved countless crimes and brought justice across the city, gaining allies and confidants wherever they've roamed! As election season approaches in the distance, and ominous warnings are whispered into their ears, will they be able to weather the storm to come?

In the Past...

...two young boys, abandoned by society and family alike, find each other. Will they be able to handle everything else they find, in the years to come?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989186

No ships, ongoing, rated T, crossover with bnha(sorta ? jokers in their universe but he doesn’t know why ) 280k+

Discerption:

“Foolish mortals!” Yaldabaoth’s shadow fell over them like a death shroud, “The sin of rebelling against a god is severe. As punishment, I banish you to other worlds unknown!”

Something changed in the air, like the snap charge of electricity after a thunder strike. No, this was more than that. The world shifted and changed and contorted, the weave of fate was unnaturally pulled by the God Of Control, creating fractals in the flow of time and space.

Joker’s teammates gasped as bizarre, otherworldly doors came into existence.

One, a pair of silver doors with alien markings, cracked open just a hair to reveal a large, terrifying eye. Another, a glowing paper door that would be at home in any vintage Japanese mansion. The third, a grand golden gate decorated with eyes and horned demons, bubbling black sludge dripped from its maw like tar. The final one was a fluctuating cloud of purple and black mist.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656152

Shuake, ongoing, rated T, 250k+

Discerption:

From a young age, Akechi Goro was forced to accept that life is not fair. When the world is full of injustice and seems determined to throw that in your face at every chance it gets, what are you supposed to do? Sometimes you just need to tear the whole damn system down.

Meanwhile, Kurusu Akira just wants his friend back. He never meant to become a delinquent, much less the leader of the Phantom Thieves, but he supposes he’s never been very good at staying out of other people’s business.

(A soulmate au where writing gets transferred to each other’s skin. As a result, they become long-distance friends… until Akechi lets his jealousy and anger get the better of him, that is.)

( if you turned off by soulmate au’s trust me it’s good and it’s not as big part of the story as you would think, or not used in the “normal” way....idk your just gonna have to trust me one this one if the story sounds interesting cause it’s really good rant over)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26781733

Ongoing, shuake, rated M, 300k+

Discerption:

"Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds."

In which Goro Akechi joins the team during Kaneshiro's palace arc instead of Makoto.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30827231

Ongoing, will be polythieves but we don’t know the specifics yet, rated M, 29k+

Discerption:

Yaldabaoth had been told of the Mythical Trickster. He had laid out the plans for his game expertly, all the pieces and threads in place, ready to pull the Trickster into the trial that would determine humanity's fate.

His plan, however, did not account for what he actually received: Twin Tricksters.

No matter... surely, this would not lead the game too astray. Would it?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19818682

Ongoing, no ships with Akira but there is ann/shiho, rated M, 44+k

Discerption:

When Suou Akira is arrested for a crime he didn't do and sent to Tokyo for probation, all he wants to do is live as quietly as possible and return to his family in Sumaru City. Of course, things don't work out the way he wants them to.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31362848

One-shot completed, shuake, rated T, 7k+

Desertion:

'Akechi takes back his initial thought about this being an absolute pleasure to watch as the man, who was only a few mere feet away from Akira, whips his hand and flinging the freshly brewed two hundred and five-degree boiling hot coffee straight into Akira’s face.

Directly hitting Akira’s Glassless bare face.'

Or the one where Akira deals with a nasty, entitled customer and Akechi is perpetually in denial.

(For Akeshuake Hurt Comfort Week, Day Three, prompt: Illness/Injury!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30837995

One-shot completed, Shuake, rated T 21k

Discerption: Pretending is part of Goro's daily life, masks hiding his true intentions and feelings are things he uses very often.

However, the idea of lying about his relationship status never occurred to him.

Yet, now he is in a "relationship" with Leblanc's barista to trick his colleague and the therapist who doesn't know that they don't know each other.

And between medical appointments, dates, and his personal investigations, Goro must now manage the storm that is his emotions when it concerns Akira Kurusu.

Where is the line between pretended and true love after all?

or

A Fake dating couple therapy story where Goro and Akira use lame excuses to date.

[akiraink-no]

Empires SMP-Spirts/Fae AU

Hey! So I was watching Shubble’s stream(right after her first episode and as she was playing, I got some ideas for the Empires SMP!  Note: I haven’t watched everyone’s episodes on Empires, but I highly suggest that you check them all out. Pearl and Gem’s videos on Empires are some of my favorites, but I also love Shubble, Scott, fWhip, and Pixlriffs.

Initial World-building:  I like to think that the Empires SMP is a story of spirits/fae/royal courts. For example some of the players would be spirits or fae creatures. (Think Scott, Shubble, Jimmy?? And maybe Pixl), and the rest would be normal, human players that are royals. (Again, fWhip, Mythical, Pearl, Katherine, Joey, Gem, etc…)  I’ll start with the fae creatures first and if I’m up to it, I’ll post my ideas for the others. 

Scott Smajor: Ice/Wind

So in my head, I like to think that Scott is a fae creature from the court of ice and wind. (Mostly because ice powers are cool and because he’s in a mountain). He has explicitly stated that he’s building in an elven sort of style, which can still match with him being from a fae court. 

Personality: 

I would like to say he’s cold, calculating, and even ruthless or cruel at times (He murdered Gem after she died, guys, come on). He sees the people around him as assets that can help him, but he doesn’t form a real connection with any of them just yet. Everything is very strict and formal around him

I like to think that because wind spirits are pretty mischievous and free spirited, he has a softer side to him as well. He likes to pull pranks, but doesn’t know when too far is too far. His pranks can border on cruel and sometimes insensitive, but it’s because wind/ice spirits are probably the most detached from the other spirits

Appearance:

As for his appearance, I’m taking his skin as part of my inspiration. I like the idea of him in whites, blues, golds, and silvers. He has a crown of diamond shards that mimic ice and is held together with silver and gold that mimic branches. His robes are mostly white(representing snow) and there would be a trim of blue for the skies above his lands. He might have either arm bands, bracelets, or rings that are made of silver or gold(representing the times when the sun or moon hits the snow). 

Powers(?)

Because Scott is an ice/wind spirit, I think it would be cool if parts of him would reflect that. Maybe his skin is super pale and cold to the touch. Maybe he doesn’t wear furry coats because he doesn’t get cold. 

The air around him gets colder when he’s angry or stressed, and if he gets really pissed, he could make it start to snow around him. When he’s sad, ice starts to freeze the ground under his feet or plants around him. Maybe it gets windy when he’s happy or dies down when something shocks him

I also think it’d be cool if he had like… frost walker(?) on his feet. Like the water freezes should he get too close and he doesn’t even realize it until someone points it out. It makes travel easy for him, but also an annoyance when he is doing a build or getting a bucket of water

Shubble: Nature/Decay

So Shubble’s kingdom/empire is called the Undergrowth. When I think of that, I think of mushrooms, soil, roots, and trees. It’s pretty close to what she’s planning right now. Her style of building gives me very cottage core vibes that’s very overgrown. I like to think that she’s a nature spirit because she has said that nature provides and that just seems like a very spirit thing to say. 

So I know I said decay, but when it comes to decay, it has an interesting look to everyone. Sometimes it’s bleached bones and withered grass, sometimes it’s spongy soil and mushrooms. I like to think that Shubble is the kinder side to decay(That’s saved for someone else). Something that must happen for the cycle of life to continue, she isn’t ruthless or cruel, she’s just trying to help the earth along.

Personality: 

Shubble would be very kind, sweet, and overall very trusting. That doesn’t mean she’s stupid or naive, it just means she’s willing to be kind to people first and give them chances to show their kindness. (I spent a long time in her chat during her streams and… yeah, wholesome energy). 

She doesn’t see the people around her as assets and rather hopes to make friends rather than enemies. I won’t say she forms connections quickly(mostly because I haven’t seen her interact with others just yet). But she is very trusting. (remember fWhips potatoes and Pearl’s shovel). During her stream after her first episode aired, she talked about hoping to be friends with Katherine from House Blossom and is aiming to stay as peaceful as possible during the time of the server. 

Appearance: 

So I haven’t seen her skin yet(mostly because this is coming out before we see it.) But she’s using a lot of browns, yellows, greens, and reds. I would like to say that her outfit would sort of reflect that. Instead of a crown of precious gems and metals, it’s maybe a crown of twigs, branches, leaves, and maybe some smaller mushrooms. (Antlers would be cool, so… ) 

I don’t think a dress would work, since she does a lot of work around her base. (Her stream was having her working with trees, leaves, and mining), so I think maybe a pair of overalls (maybe a brown?), a yellow/red undershirt and maybe a dark green jacket. Her outfit would be perfect for her to get on her hands and knees and dig into the earth(Gardener! Shubble). 

Powers:

I feel like because Shubble has this overall sweet and kind energy, I think mushrooms would grow from around her feet. Maybe she can sense when things are about to pass on and tries to make them as comfortable as possible. She can communicate with the earth below her(again, nature provides), and can speak with the animals to some degree

I would like to see spore blossoms react to her. Since spores are also the seeds for mushrooms, it’d just make sense in my head. Maybe she can coax plants to bloom or grow slightly faster around her if she’s happy. Maybe when she’s sad, things start to wilt or shrivel up. Her anger makes things die or age rapidly around her. Her touch can either harm or heal. Knitting the body’s wounds or it could tear into them, causing them agony. 

Jimmy: Ghosts/Decay

I like to think that maybe Jimmy started out human. Or maybe he’s half human. Like one of his parents was human and the other was a fae. (It would certainly explain his skin) 

Personality:

So I haven’t watched a lot of Jimmy, but I wanted to get this off my chest because it’s been in my head for a while now. I think Jimmy, like Shubble, is trusting. Not as much as Shubble, but he does aim for friendship first and then enemy second. So, maybe he’s an opportunist instead. 

Another thing that he might be is petty or spiteful(see his and Sausage’s argument over a music disc). Another ruler might negotiate or bargain their way to what they want, but I think that either Jimmy is pretty young(for fae standards) or his mixed bloodline makes it hard for him to act with a clearer head. It’s pretty clear that he wants others to take him seriously, but at the same time, he can act very impulsive and rashly(See all of 3rd life). 

Appearance: 

It’s pretty clear that Jimmy has that green tinge to his skin. But I think he would have colours such as green(for obvious reasons), browns, and maybe some greys(for clay in the swamp). He wouldn’t have a crown, instead, he’d have a set of gills on each side of his neck. Since I like to think that he swims around in the swamp to talk to the cod in his kingdom. 

For more formal events, he might have a brown cloak and pants with a rich green tunic. He doesn’t look the most royal, but maybe that’s okay because he doesn’t want to be seen as super royal to the rest of his kingdom. Maybe he feels like if he appears to be too royal, the people of his kingdom wouldn’t approach him. 

Powers: 

So Jimmy’s was pretty difficult. Swamps aren’t like ice and wind or nature. But he is a spirit of decay. A less kind version of decay, but not overall cruel. Maybe his decay strikes faster than Shubbles. Where she is understanding and aims to help those along, Jimmy is buried with memories, sunken bodies, and ghostly apparitions. 

So maybe he can see the dead, ghosts who haven’t passed on and simply wander his empire. His eyes glow a faint green whenever he talks to them and tries to aid them to move on to the afterlife.When he’s happy, he shines in the dark backdrop of the swamp, drawing more of the dead, eager to pass on. 

Maybe his anger results in ghostly wails or being dragged into the soft earth around his home. His sadness draws more of the dead to his area, even if they didn’t die there. His pain and grief is like a blackhole, pulling souls in and forcing them to stick around, stuck in his orbit. Maybe a certain few stayed because he was the first one who spoke to them, who reached out to them, who made an effort. 

Pixlriffs:Time/Death

So Pixlriffs has said that he wants to watch over the others deaths with his vigil and he lives in a desert, so I thought they would work with each other. When you think of time, you think of hourglasses, they have sand so that’s the connection I made. 

Personality: 

So Pix has shown an unhinged side to his overall calm and collected composure.(Example, Episode Ten, I think?) His: I sent five people to their deaths and they granted me wings(paraphrased) line is both chilling and is also perfect for a spirit of time/death. 

He, like Scott, is a bit disconnected from the others. Not by accident or nature, but by choice. As a spirit of time and death, he sees the clocks above everyone’s heads, knowing when their last breaths will be taken and when those clocks finally stop. 

It’s not that he’s apathetic to his fellow kings and queens, but rather he is scared. He doesn’t want to form connections only to see them disappear like a drop of sand in a desert. He wishes to honour the people who have weaseled their way into his heart. So he keeps the vigil to count their deaths and remind them that they will not be forgotten. Pixl is a watcher, an overseer that is afraid of the day his friends will pass on and leave him alone. 

Appearance:

The man calls himself the copper king, so I have to have those shades of copper in his outfits somewhere. Teal, brown(for bronze), and those shades between (for copper)are very good(both in builds and on clothes). I also think that pale yellow(representing the sand) is also a nice touch and green for his lush gardens is also a wonderful tone. 

He has a cape that is mostly teal(I’m thinking the shift between the third to final stage) with a bronze belt. The pale yellow would be his shirt and his pants would be a darker brown. Matching his boots. 

I think he would have a crown with pale yellow crystals(yellow zircon or topaz) with bronze wires making up the rest of the crown. Maybe there are pieces of turquoise or aquamarine, that would be cool too. 

Powers: 

The man is basically a watcher. He has wings and can see through time. Like I said before, he can see the clocks ticking above the other players’ heads. Seeing how long they have until their last breath. Pixl is equal parts chaotic and calm. So I think he has a good control over his emotions. 

When he’s stressed things start to wilt under his feet(another reason he lives in a desert), in his anger, he can cause death. Maybe he’s just an omen or something that draws in death. (See his end raiding attempts one and two). I like to think that maybe he has the ability to hold flames or make small ones(just for his candles), he isn’t violent or uses them to hurt others. He simply just uses them to light his candles. 

He’s more than capable with his other abilities. 

This is all I have for now. If I decide to do the others, I’ll add a link to this post. I’d appreciate some information or ideas for the other players since I haven’t had the chance to touch down on all of them. If you have any ideas, feel free to send them to me too!

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

JATP ROUND ONE FICS!

We received FOURTEEN (14!) mythical angsty coffee-filled Fics for the First Round of the 1st JATP TROPED Event! These fics were super creative, and we loved to see how you all challenged yourselves with the theme, tropes, and pairings!

Please try to read as many fics as you can, take some notes, leave some kudos/comments for the authors, and get ready to help us vote on the winners!

Voting will begin on Monday, April 26th at 12:00am EST and end Wednesday, April 28th at 11:59pm EST.

————

the sky was gray and white and (cloudy) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie]

Summary: “I’ve got you,” Willie’s whispering over and over, panic creeping into his voice. “Alex, I’ve got you, okay? Come on, baby, come on, it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re gonna be okay, I love you--”

Alex spits out what feels like a clot of blood and gives Willie a tired grin, probably looking completely insane.

“That’s pretty gay of you,” he says, just as his vision clouds over and he passes out.

Honey, You're Familiar (Like My Mirror Years Ago) (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: Luke works at a coffee shop, which is normal, quietly pines after his coworker, which is normal, and also occasionally steals people's faces without really meaning to.

It's probably that last part that moves him pretty solidly out of the "normal" territory.

But that's fine, that's totally cool.

He's handling it super well.

You Can't Value People Less Than a Good, Hot Cup of Bean Juice (It Just Seems Rude) (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: Julie gets a job at a coffee stand in the middle of nowhere.

It'll help to pass the time, if nothing else.

And if there's a cute guy who works the shift after her and sometimes leaves her ridiculously endearing messages on an ancient tape recorder?

Well, that's just a bonus.

honest to god I’ll break your heart, tear you to pieces and rip you apart (Rated T) [Julie x Luke]

Summary: Julie wakes up with a start. Her hair is stuck to her face with sweat and there is a loud crashing noise. The sheets beneath her feel rough against her skin. She shivers, when a breeze meets her naked skin. She must have left the window open when she went to bed last night. She opens her eyes. The room is dark around her, but the glow in the dark stars, she stuck on her ceiling when she was a kid, are shimmering brighter than ever before.

or: the siren!Julie AU no one asked for

new instincts (Rated T) [Luke x Reggie]

Summary: Reggie is fine with being the only human member of his band, Julie and the Phantoms (tell your friends!), just like he’s fine with being the only single member. It doesn’t make him feel lonely, and he’s only picking up more shifts at the coffee shop because he needs more money, not because he’s avoiding being alone. And picking up more shifts at the coffee shop is making the work easier! He’s only a little confused by the fact that he can now touch the espresso machine mid shift without burning himself… must be all of the experience.

you look like you've just seen a monster (is that what i look like to you?) (Rated T) [Bobby x Alex x Luke x Reggie]

Summary: When Bobby woke up that Friday morning, he wasn’t expecting to have horns. Who would? There was absolutely no reason to expect horns to just start growing out of his temples, but there they were anyway.

He stared in silent shock at the little nubs in the mirror. They were only an inch or two big, but pointy and a little fuzzy when he poked at them.

Well, at least they weren’t fully grown yet.

(or: it's angsty tiefling bobby time, folks!)

We Are Monsters, We Are Proud (Rated G) [Flynn x Carrie, Julie x Luke]

Summary: The clock is striking thirteen

It's time to scream your team

We don't have to say goodbye

'Cause friends like these will never die

Carrie finds herself at a college like no other in search of her dad and some answers.

Julie's not feeling good and maybe staring at roses wasn't the best idea.

Monster College/Coffeeshop AU

sending forth their beautiful voice, and my heart was fain to listen (Rated G) [Julie x Carrie]

Summary: Months after the death of her mom, Julie prepares to sing again and makes an upsetting discovery.

rise from the ashes (Rated M) [Alex x Willie]

Summary: At a time when everything was going wrong for Alex, the one bright spot in his life was the charming barista at the coffee shop he frequented. At least, it was the bright spot until everything went up in flames. All he could do was hope that they could rise from the ashes and figure things out together.

Siren's Song (Rated T) [Ray x Rose]

Summary: The Scopuli was never meant to be a permanent arrangement. Rose had taken the job straight out of school just looking to make a little extra money before the tour kicked off.

That was four years ago.

After a string of bad luck befalls Rose and the Petal Pushers, she can't help but wonder if she is the problem. Or is there something more sinister at play?

Yellow (Rated T) [Julie & Reggie]

Summary: Reggie picked up his apron and polo. Julie returned, this time hiding behind Alex. He held a pair of metal pastry tongs out in front of him like a weapon. One of his arms was extended protectively in front of Julie.

“Alex, Julie, what are you doing?” Reggie cleared his throat; his voice was deep and gruff, like he was developing a cold.

Julie and Alex startled. Julie glanced down at her nametag. Alex readjusted his footing and his grip on the tongs.

“What’s going on, guys?”

Alex took a deep breath. “I don’t know who you are, dude, but you have got to leave.”

--

Reggie just wanted to get some new guitar strings. A shapeshifter!Reggie au

Angels Like You (Rated T) [Luke x Reggie]

Summary: Reggie is having a bit of a weird day. It gets worse when he figures out that it's because he died in his sleep and has somehow been walking around as a ghost without realising it. Meeting Luke helps. Luke says he's a fellow ghost, and there is something about him that Reggie just feels drawn to. Falling for him is the easiest thing Reggie has ever done, but Luke is a little more than he lets on, and it turns out that their story actually started long before Reggie thought it did.

look into my eyes (it's where my demons hide) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie]

Summary: Hiding out from demons was never a desirable nightmare. Of course, Carrie would much prefer a run-for-my-life nightmare than actually running for her life. Having Flynn around is a very welcome soothing balm, though.

Bring All The Monsters Out To Play, Let All The Red Erase The Grey (Rated T) [Bobby & Reggie]

Summary: Mythologicals, Reggie realised, were kind of like queer people. Sometimes your Token Human friend turns around one day and admits that actually, there was something they were suppressing all along, and they hadn’t realised.

--

Reggie’s final exam has been pushed forward at the most inconvenient time. Bobby is sick, Alex is missing, and now he needs to help a selkie get their ‘Happily-Ever-After’ in order to scrape a passing grade. Oh, and if his boss catches him handing out more free coffee, he’s gonna get fired.

[ghost1643]

Winx club corpse bride au

So this idea is one of the oddest in the corpse bride ideas I had, I will admit.

So we begin with Bloom a naive young girl in the year 2003 in high school which is a day like any other. That is when she meets him, a strong handsome man who sweeps off her feet. They fall in love fast and find themselves wishing to get married.

So he asks her adoptive parents for her hand in marriage, to which they respond like responsible people and say no. However Bloom runs off that night with him to what she thinks is a venue, bringing only a few belongings with her. However instead they end up in a frost, where he pulls over to the side of the road and slowly tells her to run so he can hunt his prey correctly. After all, fairies are more fun to hunt when they have a head start.

She has no idea what he means, but when he digs out a gun she bolts for it. Unfortunately she fails and is shot. Yet when she opens her eyes she wakes up in a limbo like sate with the other fairies he has hunted over the years, who in this case are the Winx club members, as well as the Trix, all from different places over the world from different time periods.

Once there they all explain the man who killed her is just referred to as the hunter. Over the years he has tracked down young naive girls who have no idea they are part mythical creature, kills them, then uses their bodies in a ritual that gives him eternal life. Due to this his bride are stuck in limbo until he eventually dies, with their only hope at peace being he somehow dies.

The rest of the au is there characters that are usually at each other's heads stuck together forming odd sorts of friendships for years, until the modern times when a young girl name Roxy finds out she is a necromancer by accidentally reviving them all at once while on a drunk night with her friends.

From here the story would just follow the girls, girl bossing with Roxy to get their revenge before their killer can strike again.

(There were a few scenes in my head for sure that I knew had to happen in this au:

1. One scene I had for sure in my head for this au, is them ending up in Bloom's home town where Bloom trying to meet up with her adoptive parents to make some closure. Once she does, she finds out that she has a little brother who she wished she could have spoiled.

2.Musa, who died back when WW2 was happening, finds out her father remarried and is still alive. She finds him on his death bed, giving the hug to his daughters he always wanted to ever since she went missing before he passes on.

3.In this au Icy in my eyes would be the motherly type as she was the oldest of 8 siblings in 1800's to rich parents who loved to travel more than being home, when she had died. This also means she had no time to try anything for herself. When she did, well she died. So she just stopped trying anything she wanted to do for a very long time. That is until Roxy talks her into finally try out ice skating like she always wanted to back when she was alive. Which she does, and loves every second of it.

4.Just a cute moment where the girls from more modern times teach their friends to read as that was frowned upon for them to learn skills in their times.)

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Guardian of Creatures; AU! Queen x oc female x reader Chap. 13

*Author’s note*

Well been awhile since I did an update for this series but here I am with another update! This time we’re gonna turn back the clock and find out what happened to our gang of mistfits when Serafina left them. So as I told you all before, Oded Fehr plays an allied wizard for John and Serafina, but now we get introduced to a new THREAT to our heroes. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter and until next time :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@queen-paladin

@queensdivas

@queendeakyy

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@glitter-at-the-panic

@kinole009x

@geek-and-proud​

@wormzteef​

_________________________________________________________

Chapter 13,

The Ambush

*2nd Person POV. The morning after Serafina leaves*

The next morning you awoke to the desert sun shining in your tent.

“What do you mean she’s gone!?” you hear John’s voice snap with anger.  You peek out of your tent to see the boys all standing around under the desert sun but Serafina was nowhere to be seen.  John stood in front of Freddie, his hands fuming with his purple magic while his sons Seraffel and Thor stood behind their father, the same look of anger across their faces.

“I’m saying what is true. She’s gone on her own path.”

“What is it with you fucking Nagas and your riddle talk!? Where exactly did our mom go!? And I swear to god if you don’t start making any sense I’ll freeze you so bad you won’t start to thaw till the next Ice Age!” Seraffel warned.

“Always barking but never biting. Really Seraffel you’ve threatened me thousands of times since your hatching and you’ve yet to hold up to that threat. No matter how old you were.” Freddie spoke nonchalantly, like he didn’t even care for the ice dragon’s threat.  You walk up to Brian and ask him.

“What’s going on here?”

“It would appear that Serafina has gone off on her own somewhere. John and Serafina have rarely been apart from one another, the longest I’ve seen them be apart is when Roger and I were first sent by Freddie to save them.”

“Freddie please just—just tell us where our mom’s at? She could get captured or-or killed!” Thor pleaded.

“Your mother can handle herself. Right now she needs to go on this path on her own.”

“Fred normally I would agree on with what you say but this is no time for a pissing contest! Grindelwald knew we were in New York, who’s to say that the rest of his family or even his spies could be out here looking for us right now!? What if her power alone is not enough?” Roger said as he paced back and forth with worry.

“For someone who claims to care for her you seriously underestimate her Roger dear.” Roger halted in his spot to stare at the Naga. “Serafina’s path lies on a different path than ours for the moment. This part of her journey will come to pass with what we need for the final phase of ending Grindelwald’s followers once and for all. Now will the four of you get your heads out of your arses and understand Serafina is more than capable of taking care of herself and isn’t some fragile little maiden that always needs protecting!”

Freddie’s eyes glowed a fearsome yellow and his voice grew deeper and more snake like.  

“Now then, we should reach the Medjai coven by the sun’s highest point if we leave now. Burn the tents and get rid of any evidence of our trail here.” Freddie slithered onward.

As the boys went on with Freddie’s orders, you then ask Brian once more.

“Will she be okay?”

“Serafina is unlike any other witch I’ve met before. Elf or otherwise. She has power unlike anything I’ve ever seen. If I had to say who I should be more worried for, I’d say it’s whatever poor unfortunate soul crosses her path.”

Once the site was cleared up of any of your traces, you continued onward to the Medjai covenant.  It felt like an eternity had passed until finally as you all came up over a hill and just down below, several village stood there in the middle of the desert.

“We’ve arrived.” John spoke as he urged his black stallion onward.  You followed behind him, then his sons, Brian and Freddie, while Roger flanked in the rear.

As you all approached the entrance into the village, several men in black garb with most of their faces covered, held up their wands towards you guys ready to strike.

“Waqaf!” one of the guards spoke up.  Your horse whinnied and reared on it’s hind legs.  You held onto the reins as tight as you could as you tried to calm your horse down.

“Whoa, whoa boy whoa easy!” you tell your horse.  John’s horse nickered and anxiously paced forward and back.

“We’re not spies! We’re friends with your covenant leader Ardeth Bay. My name is John Deacon and these creatures are my friends.” The guards looked at one another suspiciously when a stern but warm voice proclaimed.

“Let them pass!” soon riding on top of a camel was an Egyptian man with long black hair, two Arabic tattoos on each cheek and one across his forehead, and chocolate brown eyes.  He sported a mix of a goatee and beard which went well along his strong jawline.

He was a big man on the muscular side, probably standing at around 6ft, maybe a couple inches.  But it was the way he just seem to carry himself that made it seem like he was a true leader, a chieftain maybe.

“This man is under my protection. Anyone who tries to even lay a curse upon him shall face immediate exile, do I make myself clear?” the way his voice commanded these guards, it just made goosebumps come across your arms.  The guards put their wands away and bowed with their left feet forward and their right arms crossed over their chests, hands going right over their hearts.

He then turned to John and soon his camel and John’s stallion stood face to face of each other.

“Welcome back my friend, it’s been a long time.”

“I wish the circumstances could be better Ardeth.”

“Well, it is most definitely an upgrade from being lost in the desert for days on end without water and hardly any food.” John chuckled embarrassingly but then the two men clasped hands with each other in a firm handshake.

Then they taking back their hands, kissing the side of their index fingers and placing it on their foreheads before placing their hand before their lips once again (must be an Arabic greeting).

“You and your friends have had a long journey not only from your last hideout but also across the desert. Come, satisfy your hungry and quench your thirst. And for two of your companions, regain their energy.” Ardeth said the last part as he looked to Roger and Seraffel who both looked practically exhausted.

“Thank you Ardeth. We appreciate you giving us a place to rest and regroup.” John thanked him.  Ardeth bowed his head before urging his camel forward.  You all follow behind the leader of the Medjai sorcerers and as you enter the village, you can see hundreds of Arabic witches, wizards and young children running about going about their day.

Some were selling robes, others had potions and spell books for sale, animals were also being sold at what almost looked like a petting zoo setup but it also had dogs, cats and falcons in their cages.  Horses and camels were also on sale at the shop, each wearing a price board around their necks as they went about either pacing around the fence, drinking their water, or eating the food provided for them.

This entire marketplace was just a buzz with people.  As you passed by, some of the Medjai wizards and witches looked at you and your friends.  Some were in awe, others were skeptical, and the rest held respect as they bowed their heads to you and the others.

Soon you arrived at a large tent.  It seemed a pretty good decent size (maybe about 8ft long and 13ft. wide) for all of you to fit inside.  The front flaps were a stripped pattern of cream and, at least to you, an earthy kinda brownish-red.  The rest of the tent was an earthy tone of dark green and brown stripped pattern.

You all unmounted off your rides and Ardeth walked up to the tent and opened it up for you all.

“Enter my friends, eat and make yourselves at home.” John bent down to take his shoes off before entering inside the tent.  Brian did the same thing and gave Ardeth an Elvish thank you by placing his hand over his heart and bowing his head.  Ardeth did the same motion and Brian entered inside.

Roger, Thor and Seraffel, then Freddie followed behind after Brian.  You undid the last of your laces on your shoes and set them down beside the rest of the shoes that aligned the tent.

“You are the human savior the Naga Freddie has foreseen, aren’t you?” he said to you.

“Well—I don’t think I’d go so far as to say that. I mean yeah I did save John and Serafina’s sons from being imprisoned for all eternity but—other than that I’m not really all that special.”

“I disagree. You have a strong powerful aura within you. You may not yet realize it but it’s in there.” His strong, calloused hand gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze of reassurance.  “Every creature on this earth whether mortal or mythical has that power. It’s only up to those brave enough to seek it out. Not all heroes are of just one image.”

He walked back over to the flap of the tent and opened it up for you to walk inside.  You enter in and soon Ardeth follows right behind you.

Whoa! This tent was bigger on the inside! Various and beautiful kaleidoscope-like patterned quilts hung along the walls of the tent. There was a pool at the center of the tent and that’s where you saw both Seraffel and Roger, half naked, in the pool rehydrating themselves after being under the hot African sun for the past couple of days.

Thor was just drying off his wet hair (probably just getting out of the pool himself) wearing a white Arabic tunic.  Freddie was curled up under the shade fast asleep, while Brian and John were conversing quietly to themselves.

“Hey (n/n) get in the water’s amazing!” Seraffel called out to you.

“It was amazing till you nearly froze it over yah overgrown icicle!” Roger snapped.

“Oh whatever you’re made out of water yourself you’re fine.” Seraffel waved off nonchalantly.  You shook your head at seeing those two argue pettily.

“Maybe later guys.” You gave them an answer.

“I apologize for what happened with my guards out front. We’ve been needing to increase security for our coven.” Ardeth said as he went over to the kitchen to make some drinks for us.

“We understand Ardeth. My grandfather—is resilient.” John spoke lowly.

“He is. Unfortunately, it was not your grandfather or his followers that I was referring to.” At hearing this, most of you all look up at the leader of the Medjai sorcerers confused.

“What—do you mean then?” questioned Thor.

“It would seem Grindelwald has finally convinced an even greater foe to side with him.”

“Who?” you ask.

“The Shadow Sorcerers.” At hearing that name, everyone in the room went frigid with fear.  Even Freddie’s eyes had opened at hearing their name.

“Who are the Shadow Sorcerers?” you ask.

“A separate branch of one of the most powerful and most dangerous wizards and witches. They branched off during the time of Thomas Deacon, they viewed his radical thinking of submitting themselves under the Sorcerer Supreme’s rule unlawful. So they branched off, became their own branch of sorcerers.” Freddie first explained before John joined in.

“Once my grandfather became Sorcerer Supreme, he tried to sway the Shadow wizards not as pawns, but an ally. A secondhand ally you may call it. Some of the Shadow covens agreed and allowed some of their students to transfer into our school. To study our way of magic. But they made for certain that they would never submit themselves under the rule of the Sorcerer Supreme. At least not without something to gain from it.”

“They value their pride more than anything else in the world. But it would seem some of the Shadow covens have decided to go fully under Grindelwald’s thumb. Their source of magic comes from the most ancient and most darkest of all magic. Using their very own shadows as an extension of themselves in order to take down any enemy.” Ardeth said.

“The Shadow coven takes their inspiration of their magic based on the animals that you humans refer to as Nocturnal animals. Even basing each specific family off the Latin name of said animal. I’ve even seen the Shadow Sorcerers even control other beings to their will by using their own shadows against them. A few of my people before the massacre learned that the hard way.” Freddie said.

“How many Shadow sorcerer covens are there?” asked Thor.

“There are 10 main covens of Shadow Sorcerers, and then depending on the Nocturnal animal they are inspired to emulate, the covens get subdivided into classes based off the species. The covens with the most subclass are the Felines, Rodents, and Mammalia clans.” John answered his youngest son.

“So that means we’re screwed.” Seraffel exclaimed angrily.

“Not necessarily my young ice dragon.” Ardeth added.  “I said that some of the covens have joined Grindelwald. You see there are some that have remained either undecisive or wish to remain neutral. But I’m afraid the ones that did join along with Grindelwald, are one of the most strongest Shadow Sorcerers of all.”

“Which coven classes joined alongside him?” Brian asked. Ardeth sighed and said.

“I—truthfully do not know the exact number. But the one that has been skulking around here lately come from the Corvus clan.” You noticed John clenching his hand into a fist and even saw it tremble.

“So what do we do now?” asked Seraffel.

“Right now my friends you rest. And I strictly ask that you do not leave this tent as the sun sets. The shadow wizards tend to do their hunting at night. And whatever you do; Never. Turn on. The lights.” With that, Ardeth left you guys alone to your thoughts.

“Damn. Siding with the Shadow Sorcerers. Grindelwald must be getting desperate if he wanted to ask for their help.” Roger said.

“Does Grindelwald fear the Shadow Sorcerers?”

“To an extent. My grandfather is many things, a coward is definitely not one of them. But he is aware of who is powerful than even him. He must’ve sueded them to a deal that not even they could refuse.” John said. He lowered his head down to his hands and run his fingers through his hair anxiously. “I just hope and pray to Merlin that Serafina’s at least not in Egypt anymore. Or at least nowhere where a Shadow wizard could be.”

“She’ll be fine John. She’s stronger than you realize.” Brian comforted the anxious young wizard.

For the rest of the day, you all rested and pretty much stayed inside the tent because after traveling the desert for 2 days none of you even thought about wanting to go back outside.

When the sky became dark, it was as Ardeth said, no lanterns or lights were coming on in the camp.  Not even lights from the tents or houses nearby were up.

“Man, Ardeth wasn’t kidding. Not a single Medjai has their lights on.” You said as you came back into the tent.

“Then we must do the same.” Brian said. He went up to one of the lanterns and turned off the flame candle inside.  Roger did the same to his side of the room, and on and on until finally the entire tent was nothing but pitch black.

You adjusted yourself on the soft red velvet couch (well it felt more like a bed with how big it was).

“Goodnight everyone.” You say.  They all reply with a goodnight and soon you all fall into a silent sleep.

‘(Y/n).’ a ghostly whisper calls out to you.  You moan and try to go back to sleep but the voice calls out to you again. ‘(Y/n)~’ the soft gentle coo of this man’s voice reminded you a lot of your grandfather.  The grandfather you lost back in the War.

He had moved to a small town of Leuven in Belgium after remarrying a woman named Pamela Janssens.  She was nice and she really helped your grandfather out of his depression when your grandma died of a heart attack.  He enjoyed the Belgium countryside and the people were nice to him even from being from America.

But when the German troops invaded Leuven, you were told by your mother (who was the daughter of your grandfather) that he had been shot and killed by a German soldier and Pamela had been raped before being brutally murdered and then their house was burned to the ground.

Your granddad was like a superhero to you.  Even in his old age, he never let anything bring him down. That’s why he was able to still pick you up even as you became a teenager.  When you received word of his death from Pamela’s sister, it crushed your entire world.

‘(Y/n)~’ the voice called to you again.  No it—it couldn’t be him. There’s no way.

“Granddad?” you whisper as you sit up.

‘It’s me.’ You gasp and quickly hop off the couch. ‘I’m here.’ The voice called out again.  You peek outside of the tent but it’s nothing but pitch black outside.  The crescent shape moon hardly gave off any light but it was then a small blue flame stood before you.  It danced and you swore that it had eyes staring up at you.

A trail of them soon popped out, leading away from the village. Something in your gut didn’t seem right but there was a magical force that was just beckoning you to go forward.

‘Hummingbird. It’s me.’ No way…..it—it was him.  Only one person ever called you hummingbird and that was your grandfather.  You then find yourself walking out of the tent and followed the trail of blue flames, each one of them disappearing as you walked through them.

*3rd Person POV*

Freddie’s eyes snapped open as he looked up in time just to see (Y/n) leaving the tent.

“Roger! Roger!” Freddie hissed quietly.  Roger groaned and turned his back on Freddie, burying himself under his pillow. “Thor! Seraffel!” the dragons only kept snoring softly, well Thor was.  Seraffel was mumbling incoherently in his sleep.

Rolling his eyes, Freddie decided it was up to him to get their human savior back.  He peeked his head out of the tent, his tongue sticking out to taste the air, hoping to get a scent of where they had gone.

He left the tent and soon spotted some fresh footprints leading away from the village.

“Damnit!” he slithered forward following the footprints as fast as he could, hoping it wasn’t too late.

A few feet from the village, he soon heard the sound of wings flapping.  Quickly finding a rocky ledge to hide under, he soon saw 4 figures land down a few yards away from him and soon the figures of 4 men in black robes stood there.

However one of them kept out his black feather wings out and he spoke to the three men.

“With them separated it’ll be easier to take them down. But leave them alive—for now.” The three wizards soon took off on foot now to find (Y/n).  Each going a different direction in hopes of ambushing them.

Freddie kept his eyes on the leader who merely just stood there, scouring the entire desert sand.  There was something off about this Shadow sorcerer just standing there, he had to be plotting something.

Suddenly out of nowhere Freddie felt three steel blades being shot into his back.  He arched himself but as he turned around he was caught by surprise as the figure of the leader fired some type of gas at him, all the awhile saying BOO!

Freddie swatted the air but it was too late.  His vision soon started flashing back to the day his entire race was killed.

“Aww, having trouble?” the leader’s voice (sounding thunderous, haunting, almost demonic).  Freddie saw the leader’s eyes glowing the same haunting blue as Thomas Riddle Deacon’s eyes.  The very same cold blue eyes that stared back at him as he slaughtered each and every Naga. “Watch the stars, have a drink!”

Freddie began thrashing around trying to get rid of this horrifying memory but all he kept seeing was blood spurting, the flash of green light, and the agonizing screams of his family.  He soon felt some sort of liquid being dumped onto him as the Shadow Sorcerer continued to taunt him.

“You look like a snake who takes himself too seriously.” His palm soon sparked out a blue fireball and as Freddie finally went calm for a split second to look up at the wizard, he told Freddie. “You want my opinion? You need to lighten up.” He threw the blue fireball at Freddie and soon he was being burned alive.

The leader soon disappeared into the shadows as Freddie screamed in pure agony.  The blue flames eating away at his coils like a hot grinder slowly and torturously burning away every inch of his skin.  Somehow he managed to send a telepathic cry for help to John who immediately woke up.

“Freddie!” John shot up exclaiming which soon woke everyone up. Brian’s elvish hearing soon heard Freddie’s torturous screaming.

“Come on!” everyone soon left the tent and raced to help the Naga.  Suddenly all the lights in their tent came on and the shadows soon came alive.

Razor sharp teeth and red eyes surrounded them as they now felt themselves being bound by the shadows.  John tried to break free but he soon heard the very same thing happening to the tent next to them.  And the home after that, until the entire Medjai was either screaming in terror or with their last dying breath.

“Hello John, remember me?” soon entering the tent with Ardeth also trapped within his grasp was a lean stature man with short black hair, ice blue eyes, a strong jawline and skin as pale as the moon.  He looked to be about his mid-30’s possibly even 40s. But it was his voice.

His voice that was soft and lulling like a lullaby, but it held an icy, haunting tone to it as well.

“Jonathan Corvus.” He smirked.

“It really has been too long. How’s little Fina been?” John snarled softly but soon let out a groan as he felt himself being squeezed tighter by Johnathan’s magic.  “And you know, it is very surprising to not see her here with you. I mean back at school you guys were—heh stuck together like glue.”

“Dad, you actually know this son of a bitch?” Seraffel asked.

“Now that is quite rude. Didn’t your parents ever teach you manners?” A shadow spear shot out and struck Seraffel in his thigh.  He let out a painful scream.

“Seraffel!” Thor screamed.  Seraffel groaned and growled in pain.

“Dragons always were quite brutish for my taste. But I guess that’s why you and sweet, sweet Fina adopted these monsters. Freaks till the end.” The shadow spear slowly went deeper into Seraffel’s thigh.  The blood now starting to ooze further down his pant leg, he threw back his head trying to hold in his agonizing screams.

“What do you want from us Corvus!?” John demanded.

“Well truthfully we were ordered to take you and your little band of monsters to see your dear old grandfather but it seems we’re one short. So—you’re coming with us till you tell us where Serafina Black is.”

The last thing any of them ever saw was pure darkness as the shadows wrapped around them till they couldn’t breathe.

*2nd Person POV*

You kept following your grandfather’s voice until you came out towards the Nile River.  Whatever light from the moon directed itself into the water, almost giving it a crystal like glow to it.  Panting after running so hard you couldn’t hear your grandfather’s voice anymore.

“Granddad?” you called out. “Granddad!” again nothing but silence.  Suddenly something whooshed behind you.  “G-Granddad?” soon a figure appears out of thin air.  He had a black hooded cloak covering himself from whatever light there was and he just stood there silently for what felt like eternity.  His hands slowly came up and you were frozen with fear at just who was now standing a few feet away from you.

John’s grandfather, Grindelwald Deacon.

You quickly take out John’s wand from your hip and aim it at him.  Even though your hands and legs were trembling with fear you tried to stay strong.

“You stay right there! I know who you are!”

“(Y/n) (L/n). I am not here to hurt you.” His soft whisper of a voice said to you.  Hearing him speak in the flashback was one thing but now that he was actually standing here before you it—it made you feel……cold. “I only want to help.”

“Help me?!” you snapped quietly.

“Yes.” He told you. “You are so very, very far away from home. Far away from everything that you know, far from those that you love.” You thought back to your family.  You hadn’t even really been keeping them updated on everything since you took the job in trying to discover John and Serafina’s secret club.

No, no he’s manipulating you! You’ve seen this before with John the night Serafina’s family was slaughtered don’t. fall. For it!

“I said don’t take another step!” you warned.  But your façade was easily dropping as your hand trembled even worse.  And still, he kept walking closer and closer to you.

“My child, I would never see you harmed. Unlike with what the Naga has told you.” What? What is he talking about. “Dear one, it is not your fault that your very birth was planned to go along with the Naga’s plan for vengeance. It is not your fault that you were forced into this world, if you were siding alongside me I would ensure that you were free to live your life. A world where your very existence is not meant to satisfy someone else’s gain.”

Even though you wanted to strike this man down, no matter how much rage and fear was starting to build up within you…….he was right.

Everyone so far has kept calling you the ‘Human Savior’. You didn’t ask for any of this. And why did it have to be you? Sure you might have gone along with it but now—now it was starting to feel like a game to you.  That your only purpose for even existing was just to satisfy Freddie’s plan.

“I—I……” you loosened your grip on your wand. Grindelwald’s hand slowly comes up and wraps his fingers around John’s wand.

“You are an innocent. So go now. Leave this place, return to the life that you know.” With that he apparated into smoke and disappeared from your view.

You debated and debated long and hard.  Yes you had come this far already but—was it really worth it? Why did it have to be you? Why couldn’t someone else take this job? Clearly John and Serafina have something to gain out of saving all these creatures as well as their entire community, why did you need to be involved?

Suddenly something pierced right through your back. Although no blood spurted out from you, you still felt like something was piercing your very soul.  Your right arm suddenly shot out and twisted itself inward.

What—what was happening to you? You tried to resist but each time you did, you were forced to contort and twist about until you were pulled to your knees.

“What’s…….”

“Thought you would realize just what we were? Guess Muggles really are as stupid as they come.” Soon coming out was a strong-bulky looking man who had shadow-like tentacle arms coming out from behind him, his hands seeping out a black aura (much like John and Serafina’s magical aura).

“Shadow sorcerer.”

“Oh look it does speak.” You narrowed your eyes at the insult but your eyes were forced to go wide-eyed.  “Such manners, nothing but beyond neanderthal anger. Running about like starving goblins.” You soon felt yourself being lifted up into the air, still unable to gain even the slightest ounce of control back.

“What did—you do…..with my…..friends?”

“The same thing I’m about to do to you, muggle.” In a flash, the shadows shot right towards you until you were cocooned in complete blackness.

[fortune-fool02]

After the Storm

Merman Jonathan Joestar x female reader

Requested by: anonymous

Mermaid AU 

This is a little long as I got carried away. Please enjoy.

Voices clashed against one another on the docks, shouting orders and questions as people clustered about, removing cargo from the ships returning to the docks and loading cargo into the ships that were due to depart shortly. Picking the large box up, [Name] followed the captain's directions and took the box into the cargo hold, setting it down and panting a little. 

Working on the docks was not considered the easiest of jobs but she needed to earn money to be able to survive so she was taking the risks. Surprisingly, there were some people who didn’t mind having a woman working on the docks. “As long as the work’s done, I don’t care what’s between ya legs.” The captain told her once when she asked if she could work for him. He was a decent man, [Name] would give him that much. Plus, during her time on the docks, she had heard stories of the different countries they had travelled to.

As she finished loading the cargo, she heard the captain give the final call for all passengers to board the ship. She turned to leave the ship when she was stopped by the captain, a warm smile on his lips. 

“Ya wanna come with, [Name]?” he asked, the captain was always kind to her fr her work. She smiled and agreed with this, excited to see more of the world. Of course, she still did what she could around the ship to make up for the work which the captain was happy for. Though, things soon took an unwanted turn when they departed. 

Dark clouds rumbled with thunder, promising no easy passage through it as the waves grew in their anger, biting and clashing with the ship, determined to inflict their anger upon something. The ship swayed in the crushing waves, everyone scrambling to guide the ship through this storm and keep each other safe. Powerful wind gusts shoved the ship’s sails around like paper in the breeze in its argument with the sea; the orders shouted by the captain and crew were muffled by the wind and sea. 

[Name] rushed across the deck towards the mast, the other crew member struggling to keep it steady. She grabbed hold of the rope and helped them try to secure it more, the sea making it difficult as it batted them. Seeming to have grown annoyed with the people, the wind threw one final gust of air that tipped the ship somewhat, the sea also clashing as it did. The combined attack was more than enough to send some of the crew members to the floor, [Name] being one of them. Her head smacked against the wooden edge of the ship as it tiled again, and with nothing to keep her grounded, her body fell over the edge and into the roaring sea. 

Her body was swallowed by the thrashing waves, throwing her around a little before pulling her down into the depths. Dazed from the strike to the head, she could not even tell which way was up or down, leaving her dizzy and at the mercy of anything that lurked within the sea’s darkness. Among that darkness was something she feared. Nature’s infamous sea predator, eyes as black as an abyss with jaws lined with razor teeth ready to tear her to pieces. The shark caught a whiff of the blood that seeped from her head and locked onto its target. 

It grew closer to her without detection, her mind still trying to focus on returning to the surface and keep herself from drowning, leaving her open for its attack. Its mouth opened, revealing the rows of razor sharp teeth, ready to strike and latch onto her when something else collided into the shark, forcing it off its target and into the ragged stones close to them. This predator hissed at the shark, baring his own razor sharp teeth that were just as easily capable of slicing through flesh as his claws were. 

The shark darted off quickly, getting as far away from this predator as possible. The creature turned towards the human and his inhumanly blue eyes widened a little, the hostility it radiated immediately replaced with a concern for this human as he swam towards them. Before the human could reach the surface of the water, her movements went limp, her consciousness faded from the lack of oxygen as well as the injury. The creature grabbed hold of her carefully and swam up to the surface, keeping her head above the waves the best he could in this storm. 

No, this storm was too brutal and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Keeping a secure hold on the human, the creature turned and swam towards an area he knew was safe. 

***

A dull throbbing drummed [Name]’s head, her [Eye colour] eyes cracking open only to wince at the reflective light of the sun bouncing from the now calm waters in front of her. Sitting upright slowly, she held her head in hopes to soothe the throbbing and forced her [Eye colour] eyes open to take in her surroundings. 

The area seemed to be a small cove. Soft, warm sand underneath her with the calm crystal blue water only feet away from her. Small shells decorated the sand as shade was offered by the trees that stood around the cove, their lush green leaves standing proud. The events of last night played in her head, the storm battering the ship, the waves clashing against her and dragging her into the water then...something pulling her back to the surface. She could vaguely recall feeling arms around her as the last of her consciousness faded. 

Odd. Slowly, she tried to stand upright to explore the area when she noticed something very odd. Close to where she was laying was a pile of things. Clothes, dry wood, stones and a towel. The clothes were obviously men’s clothes and were quite large. Looking around, she tried to see if she could see the owner of these clothes yet found she was alone. Confusion swirled around in her mind until she heard something in the water. 

[Eye colour] eyes widened, shock flooding them at the sight of the creature emerging from the water. Dark hair sticking to his face as he surfaced from the water, inhumanly blue eyes glowing softly like the water itself. Silver scales covering the creature’s body that shimmered in the sun’s light with a large gleaming tail fin where his legs should have been. Clawed, webbed hands that pulled himself onto land with a handful of freshly caught fish in the other. The merman looked up and stopped, blinking in surprise to see the human awake. 

The two remained still, staring at each other, unsure of what to do until the merman spoke. “Good morning...I, um, brought you some food.” His speech was smooth and soft, unlike what you would expect to hear from a creature of the sea. [Name] blinked and tried to force down her shock though it was difficult to. There was a merman -a creature of myth- talking to her. He held the fish out for her, his posture and expression warm and calm, no hostility at all. 

Slowly, [Name] stood upright and approached the merman, carefully taking the fish from him. “T-Thank you.” At this, he smiled at her, happy that she accepted his offering. He has no idea when she had last eaten and the last thing he wanted was for her to starve to death. 

Carefully, he pulled himself further onto shore, leaving the sea’s touch and allowed his form to change. His tail fin split down, becoming two bare legs as his scales shedded into skin, the dorsal fin along his spine retracted along with the webbing on his hands and the claws. The process was indeed painful but he has endured it a few times before, though it was still just as painful as the first time. 

[Name] watched with amazement mixed shock. Her mind still trying to process the fact at this mythical creature actually existed. Snapping out of her little trance, she grabbed the towel and walked over to the merman, handing him the towel. 

“Here you go.” she handed the towel to him as well as the clothes, now understanding that they must have belonged to him. Her eyes averting his bare form. He thanked her and dried himself off, quickly dressing himself. He has observed the humans long enough to know that you had to wear clothes and it was deemed rude and inappropriate to not wear them. 

He turned back to the [Hair colour] woman once he was dressed, that warm smile still on his lips. “My name is Jonathan. Well, it’s the name I picked.” He introduced himself, hoping to help the human calm down a little. 

She blinked, her [Eye colour] eyes glimmering in the sunlight, reminding him of the jewels he has found among shipwrecks. They were beautiful. “My name is [Name], are you the one who saved me in the storm?” He smiled and nodded. She gave him a soft smile, “Thank you, Jonathan.” 

His sea blue eyes lit up at that, the smile on his lips lifting more. The wariness that she radiated earlier was fading, her posture growing calmer around him now knowing he was no threat to her, and her saviour. Standing up a little slowly, gathering his stability on his legs again, he picked up the other fish and walked over to the dry wood and stones, trying to get a fire started. [Name] watched this and looked at him. 

“Would you like me to help you?” She asked, kneeling beside him. Jonathan nodded, handing her the stones. 

“Yes please.” It took a good few attempts but they were able to get the fire started. It was strange turn of events but [Name] could not deny that she was grateful for the merman rescuing her. The least she could do was show her gratitude for it.

[solangelover]

AUctober: Day 2 - Pirates

Mermaid/Pirate AU

For @solangeloweek AUctober and to continue my AU!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | --

Read on AO3 or FF.Net

A/N: You all loved this fic so much (and tbh I read it back and impressed myself lol), so I’ve been wanting to continue for a while! I had like half of this in MerMay, so I finally finished lol. I have a rough chaptered plan buuuut we’ll see!

Will could practically feel the nervous energy of his fellow shipmates right outside the infirmary door. They all tried looking casual, but he saw many people try to peek in through the tiny door window to get a glimpse of what was going on inside.

After all, no one ever thought they’d meet a mermaid.

Well, merman was the proper term (merboy?), but still. Merpeople existed. They’d seen a lot of crazy things out at sea, but they never actively sought out mythical creatures—those things usually came to them anyway. So, no one was surprised, per say, but everyone was definitely curious.

“Grover, Will,” Captain Percy began as he entered the room. “Talk to me.”

Will was finishing his preliminary check of the merboy—Nico, Will reminded himself—though his limited knowledge of merpeople anatomy and physiology was not enough to fully assess Nico’s condition. Grover had come to help at the captain’s request. He had a way with all kinds of creatures, animal or mythical, though usually the non-humanoid kind. He had not done much so far besides smile, but Nico seemed to be more at ease with significantly less people crowding around him.

“Captain,” Will began, still looking at his clipboard as he finished writing notes down. “I’ve just completed assessing Nico’s condition. I don’t know much about his kind, but Nico agreed to receiving more assistance and that he could help fill in knowledge gaps.”

“Oh!” Percy was pleasantly surprised at the merboy’s cooperation. He looked past Will toward the boy on the cot, no longer cooped up in a cage. He smiled at him, earning him a scowl in return.

Nothing fazed the fearless captain, however, as he addressed the merboy. “That’s great news! I hope our doctor here can heal most of your wounds. He’s pretty good at it.” Percy smirked as he cast his eyes toward his best friend. “I also hope Grover did something helpful. He’s probably the nicest person aboard this ship.”

Grover sputtered at the compliment, spitting out, “I didn’t do anything! I mean—I just—I’m just, here to help.” He rubbed his neck, slightly embarrassed as he smiled bashfully at Nico.

Nico nodded at the human. He did seem kind, in a different way from the golden-haired boy that was helping him. The first boy had darker-colored eyes, though not as dark as Nico’s own. But the second boy, the “doctor,” apparently, had bright eyes—the color of the ocean as light filtered in from above. They seemed to sparkle in the same way, too. That actually comforted Nico the most. Before, he would have lashed out and quickly made his escape back into the sea, just as he’d imagined doing on the other ship. But here, the boy with ocean-blue eyes made him feel… not safe, not yet, but safer than he’s felt in a while.

And, now that Nico was looking at the captain of this new ship, he noticed that his eyes were similar. If the doctor, Will, had eyes blue like the deeper parts of the ocean, the captain’s eyes were the color of shallower areas, with green hues mixed in with the blue. Again, it made him feel safe in a way that the cruel, pale blue eyes of his captor had not.

Still, Nico didn’t plan on staying for long. He believed these humans had good intentions, at least as far as healing him went. But beyond that… Nico wouldn’t stick around to find out what they planned to do with him.

Will was going on to say some things about Nico’s condition that Nico himself didn’t fully understand. While he had always been curious about the human language and hung around ships to understand some things, his vocabulary was limited.

“… Anyway, I think I should keep him here for a few days to be sure he heals up okay.” Nico’s head whipped up to stare at the back of Will’s head. A few days was… more than he had anticipated.

Percy nodded, glancing up when he saw Nico move. The bandages on Will’s arm were noticeable, especially considering that Will himself didn’t get hurt very often. Percy was wary of leaving him alone with the merboy. Though the scumbag they rescued him from was vile and cowardly, he might have had the creature locked up for a reason. But after his initial strike, Nico hadn’t moved to hurt anyone outside of scowling and glaring viciously. Plus, he trusted Will’s judgement.

Percy took a step toward the cot, not venturing too close but showing that he wasn’t afraid of the kid. “Nico, right?” The merboy nodded once. “Nico, I’m truly sorry that you were captured and hurt on that other ship, but on my ship, we’re all friendly. I’m sure you don’t trust us yet, and that’s totally fine and understandable. But please know that we will do whatever we can to help you out. After Will gives the ‘okay’ on your health, we’ll take you where you need to go. Got me?” Percy had no idea if Nico was fluent in their language or not, but he hoped his message got across properly.

Nico sat there for a moment, both surprised and suspicious at the man’s words. He stared into those sea-green eyes, coming to the conclusion that, at least for now, his words were genuine. Nico nodded once more, then cleared his throat. “Thank you,” he sounded out carefully, hoping that was the proper usage.

Percy smiled immediately, big and bright. “Okay!” He turned and clapped Grover and Will on the shoulder. “Will, I’m trusting you to fix up our friend, alright?”

“Aye, captain.”

“Grover, I could use your help relaying our situation to the rest of the crew. Tell Kayla and Austin to come in and give Will a hand as needed.”

“Aye Aye, captain.”

“And Nico,” Percy glanced back over his shoulder before heading out, locking eyes with the merboy once more. “Please be nice to the good doctor. He’s the best we’ve got.” And with that, the two friends stepped out and shut the door behind them.

Will swallowed nervously, glancing at Nico, who was still staring at the closed door. Though Grover had not done much, his presence did ease Will’s nerves and allowed him to focus on assessing Nico’s condition. Now that they were alone, however, Will really had time to process the fact that he was here, with a mermaid, acting as his healer. He just shook his head. What a life I have, is all he could think.

He cleared his throat, effectively gaining Nico’s attention as he whipped back towards him, dark eyes boring into Will’s own. “Um, so, your condition is… not great,” he began oh so eloquently. Nico nodded seriously anyway. “You appear to be malnourished, physically injured though not critically, and sleep-deprived. Um,” he glanced nervously at the merboy’s tail. “I also think you’re probably dehydrated if merpeople need more water than humans to survive. The overall condition of your tail doesn’t seem good, though obviously I don’t exactly have a frame of reference for that.”

Will waited as Nico processed his words. His understanding of English was pretty amazing since it obviously was not his native language, but he probably didn’t get to practice it much.

Nico spoke up, voice a bit rough due to disuse and dehydration. “I understand,” he said. “You are correct. My tail should be… lighter? Less… dark.” His face twisted in confusion, and maybe a bit of frustration, at his limited vocabulary.

The doctor hummed as he tried to understand what Nico meant. “Do you mean shiny? Like,” he tapped his chin in thought. “Kind of how the ocean looks when sunlight hits it?”

“Yes!” Nico exclaimed. He wasn’t quite smiling yet, but his eyes lit up at learning a new word. “Shiny,” he said experimentally, tasting the word on his tongue. Will did his best to tamp down his own grin at how pleased Nico looked in this moment.

“Okay,” Will said, making a note on his clipboard. “So, with all of that, I think it’s best if you stay with us for at least three days. There’s a lot of healing that needs to be done for me to feel comfortable sending you home. Octavian really did a number on you.” He frowned down at his notes, upset at how awfully his cousin treated this poor merboy. It was almost amazing that he could become even more disgraceful in Will’s eyes than he already was.

Nico took note of the way Will looked angry when discussing his treatment on the other ship. He did not think the anger was directed at him since Will had been nothing but helpful the entire time he had been here. But he couldn’t quite grasp why Will seemed so upset on Nico’s behalf. They didn’t even know each other—they weren’t even of the same species! Yet, somehow, the way that both the captain and doctor of this ship seemed to care for Nico’s wellbeing brought him a bit of comfort. Not that he trusted them—yet—but he knew genuine actions when he saw them.

Even with all of that, though…

“Three days?” Will’s head snapped up at Nico’s voice, like he had been lost in thought previously. “Is that needed? I can heal on my own.”

The blonde took in the stubborn pout that graced his patient’s face. On the other crew members, Will would have been annoyed. But with Nico… well, he couldn’t help but think it was kind of cute. “Three days is the minimum.” Cute or no, Will always drew the line at someone’s health. “Really, I’d rather keep you for longer, just in terms of your wellbeing. However,” his eyes softened, “I also want to be able to get you home as soon as possible. I’m not sure how long you’ve been away, but I’m sure you must at least miss being in the water.”

Nico glanced away from the kind eyes of the healer. He had not been home in some time, not just due to his capture. But that wasn’t for this human to know.

The merboy didn’t know what to say, but luckily, Will continued on. “So, if it’s okay with you, I would like to keep watch over you for three days to monitor your health so that you can make a full recovery. Is this acceptable?” He desperately hoped that Nico could trust him enough for that to happen. Honestly, the fact that Nico hadn’t put up much of a fight aside from the very beginning shocked Will completely. Perhaps Nico had had good experiences with humans prior to Octavian. That would explain his knowledge of the English language.

Will was also bursting with questions about Nico’s species, which he hoped to get answered over the course of the three days. Because how could he not?

After what felt like an hour of silence, Nico finally seemed to find what he was looking for in Will’s eyes. He nodded, more to himself than the doctor, and said, “Okay, I agree. One condition.” Nico pointed to the door without taking his eyes off Will. “Keep this door locked.”

“What?” Will cocked his head to the side in confusion. That’s probably the opposite of what he would have expected the merboy to want.

“Locked,” he said again, like Will didn’t understand. “I do not think you will harm me. But I do not know the other humans.”

Ah, that makes sense and is actually pretty smart thinking, Will thought as he nodded in understanding. “Understood. I’ll clear that with Percy and make sure it is always locked. I can leave a key in here as well, if that makes you more comfortable. I don’t want you to feel,” caged, he nearly said, “held against your will.”

This earned Will a tiny smile and a nod, which he counted as a major win for the day. “Okay then. That’s settled, so let’s continue on…”

 A/N: I’m going to cut this here. Next chapter will be the next day, or day one of the three days. (Who knows when that’ll be up—)

[secret-engima]

Ah! I was also Stars! which, you’ve already answered. There we go. Also, just thought of one last title: (I Weep for the Last Dying Spark Yet) You Call Me Demon in the Dark.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I could make this horribly, HORRIBLY angsty and depressing but instead I’m going to yeet this into the comedy angst territory.

FFXV Dimension Hopping AU.

A much more fantasy version of FFXV with mythical races and such that has been plagued for YEARS, since the time of King Mors grandfather, by an immortal Accursed no one has ever seen, who wields forbidden magics and brings darkness and commands the things of the night.

Noctis, Chosen King, King of Dawn, he who fulfilled his destiny, wakes up very, very confused. He expected to be DEAD after all. Not … alive on the throne he’d been stabbed on.

Check that.

This was NOT the throne he had been stabbed on. It was a throne, but it was a melodramatic thing, draped in Behemoth and Coeurl furs and with a Behemoth skull centerpiece above the top of the throne. It was also in a Throne Room so- so STEREOTYPICALLY fantasy evil Noctis has to wonder if he’s dreaming.

He is not.

He nearly beheads the first daemon (which are sentient or near-sentient depending on race and their own races rather than the result of a plague). Luckily for the daemon, he is very good at dodging sword blows and bows deeply to Noctis, who pauses in confusion.

Apparently, when he slipped between worlds (by accident), he crash landed in the evil throne room of the Accursed (by accident!), and the sheer force of the magic shockwave that resulted form his arrival in this world (by accident!!), purified this world’s Accursed on the spot (BY. ACCIDENT.).

Instead of killing him for destroying their master, Noctis is horrified to realize that … by killing the Accursed … he … is now … the new king.

Of daemons.

In another dimension.

That he hasn’t even seen yet outside this weird throne room with it’s creepy animal furs and weapon displays and floating blue balls of fire that serve as torches along the walls.

What.

What is his life right now.

Can he go back to dying nobly for his brothers and his people again?

Said brothers (plus Iris because where her brother goes she goes, and Talcott because he just got his king-friend BACK he’s not leaving) who managed to strong arm an Astral or three into yeeting them into that same world so they can be with Noctis: NO. NO YOU MAY NOT.

And that is how Noctis went from being the Martyr that saved a world to being the newest King of Night, with his brothers, baby sister, and newest bby retainer as his “evil court”.

In between the shenanigans of learning how to Deal™ with being in a much more primitive, King’s Knight like dimension, there is actually a lot of angst because- well- Noctis DIED. He died and now he’s alive, he died to save the world from darkness but now he’s the kING of darkness (if a different kind) and can’t leave because if he leaves the daemons here will run wild and destroy the world. Again. Also the Chocobros are an Emotion and Iris and Talcott are Major Emotions because they almost lost their king and, for Iris and Talcott, HE DIDN’T EVEN WARN THEM. He let them think they would get their happy ending when instead he’d gone off to DIE.

So yes, there is angst. Angst as the King of Light weeps softly for all he has lost and all the unwanted things he has gained, who sits on a throne he has no use for save to keep those who curse his name safe.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Regis of the Kingdom of Lucis is sent out into the world to tentatively investigate why the encroaching darkness and nigh-constant daemon night raids have … stopped. The thick, magical clouds that protect the borders of the Night Kingdom, the ancient, ruined once-capital of Lucis known in the ancient manuscripts as Insomnia, no longer try to encroach onto the nearby territories of Leide, and daemons no longer scream and tear apart any who are caught out of the magically warded towns and safe zones when night falls.

The Accursed, Regis’s father insists, must be planning something Big™. Some kind of major, overwhelming strike to have gone silent for this long, and Regis is the only one Mors’ trusts to find out what.

Regis isn’t expecting the journey to be easy. And he fears being killed, or worse, his friends being killed protecting him. So when they are captured by daemons on their journey and dragged into the heart of the Night Kingdom itself, they all fully expect to be tortured and killed, possibly even cursed into horrible forms before they die.

They are not expecting the figure lounging (dozing) on the throne room to blink awake when the daemons eagerly throw Regis and his Retinue at the bottom of the ancient stairs, take one long, long look at them with surprisingly human blue eyes, and sigh, “You tried to sneak in didn’t you. They wouldn’t have bothered you if you hadn’t.” The terrible Accursed, king of Night and Daemons, stands up and limps down the stairs to crouch in front of the prone Regis, an unreadable expression on his surprisingly human face. Then the Accursed sighs again, lifts his head and calls, “Iris.” A human woman jogs into view and the daemons part way for her, cooing softly at her heels like dogs seeing a favored mistress. The woman stops in front of them and shoots a surprised and unreadable look at the Chocobros 1.0.

The Accursed stands up straight and Regis braces for dungeons, or torture, or SOMETHING.

“Tell Iggy we’re going to have five guests at the table tonight will you? He’ll want to cook extra, they look like they haven’t eaten in a while.”

…

What?

[gunmetalarchived]

( v: the old guard ) Most likely to involve: ???​ Relevant to: the old guard, immortality au, period aus

Alex Moran has lived too long. She was born to parents she can’t remember, faces of those who she has loved and lost are long forgotten. She has been alone for longer than she would care to count, and has seen her home shift with the sands of time. Notable lives are below:

875 Born Æsa Tómasdottir, she was raised in viking occupied East Anglia, near the border with Mercia (what would now be known as Suffolk). Aesa was a wild child, born to a dane father and a christian mother. She was one of five children, in her small village that swung both ways in Alfreds war. She dreamed of being a Drengr, a warrior to set battlefields alight. Her first death was brutal. She took an axe to the back whilst out with her younger brother. She awoke to find him slaughtered, and barely had time to comprehend what had happened. She must have been lucky, her spine was fine and she could breathe so she fled back to the village. And she died again. Her throat slit by pillagers, it took longer this time. When Alex awoke, she was in the burning remains of her home. Her family were in pieces around her, a frightened teen who had nothing left.

1016 Still Æsa, she led a fleet of Dane mercenaries at the Battle of Ashingdon (Assandun) to have the first Viking king of England, Cnut. But people were starting to notice, she didn’t age. She didn’t die. After the battle, Æsa vanished from history.

1192 Reports start to surface again of an Alexander Ó Móráin who fought with Richard the Lionheart in the Crusades. Fearsome, violent and mythically fast.

1415 Agincourt was brutal, and thrilling. The descendant of the Ó Móráin line seems to have been amongst the fighters, an incredible archer with a dead shot.

1666-1667 London was plagued by the black death, and she had the misfortune of being caught out. She wasn’t sick, she had been caught in a fight and left for dead. Usually not an issue, if good samaritans had not tried to save her by getting her to a doctor. Alex Moran met Samuel Prescott the moment she started breathing again, waking up with a start to see him covered in her blood. He was the first friend to understand, the first blue eyes she had seen in her dreams decades before. She had ignored any connection she previously felt- and yet destiny had brought them together.

1680-1720 Moran was a name to strike fear into the men of the East India Trading Company, the ghost of the Eastern seas that would lay waste to entire crews of trading ships. No one lived to describe the man, only the destruction and mutiny in his wake.

Dipping in and out of history, in the unwritten lines between pages. Where other may have used their gifts for purpose, Alex Moran used her immortality for adventure. She has grown tired of life at times, finding new thrill in the heat of battles between centuries. She haas become a selfish creature, jaded and merciless at times. It is hard to the the beauty in a mortal life when they are fickle and kill each other endlessly. Even harder, watching the life of new immortals shift and change as they loose what little humanity they had. She prefers to keep to herself, not seeking out newcomers and retreating every eighty years or so back to the only place that is a constant source of comfort- the ocean. Governments and empires might rise and fall, but she will always have the sea.

[paws-and-claws-au]

Chapter 3: Hope to Hold on To

Prologue, Ch.1,  Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4

Summary: In a kingdom where practicing magic is outlawed and mythical creatures are being hunted, one boy is caught in the crossfire between the two sides of the fight. Only an act of pure, selfless love will lift his curse and return his life to normal…but who could ever love a monster like him?

Chapter Summary: Prince Roman climbs the fabled tower...but what he finds inside is not quite what he was expecting. (alternate summary: Patton and Roman are hopelessly gay)

Warnings: Hopelessness, crying, arguing, mentions of past violence and death. 

Pairings: Royality and Analogical

Word Count: 2,447

Song for this chapter: When the Day met the Night

AU Creator: @thegremlinprince

Fic Author: @ironwoman359

Available on AO3 here

Author’s Note: So sorry it’s taken so long to get to this chapter, life has been crazy and other stories have been taking my attention, but I wanted to show that we’re not planning on abandoning this AU, we still want to finish it! I don’t know when the next update will be, but hopefully it won’t be six months this time. Hope you enjoy! -Taylor <3 

--- --- ---

Patton awoke to the telltale thumps and scrapes of someone trying to climb up the walls of his tower. Once, he would have been excited at the sound, a spark of hope igniting in his chest and warming him from the inside out. But now, there wasn’t so much as a flickr left inside him, and it was the absence of that spark that hit Patton like a ton of bricks. 

He was never going to get out of this tower, no one was ever going to come and save him. A tear rolled down his cheek, but it was not accompanied by the usual stretch of skin and snap of bones. He wasn’t even that sad, he realized as he lay curled up on his bed. He was just empty. 

Still, it didn’t matter. The horns curling out of his skull betrayed his true nature. The adventurer outside would reach the top of the tower and discover a monster to be slain. 

Patton just hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much. 

------

Roman had to admit, he’d been expecting more of a challenge. Between the mysterious stranger’s cryptic instructions and the warnings from the village elder, he’d approached the Belmont Watchtower with his guard fully up, ready for whatever threat he may have to face. But as he approached the structure, he heard no roars or snarls; as he gazed up at the tower window, he saw no flames or puffs of smoke. The whole place seemed deserted, so Roman did the only thing he could think to do: he started climbing up the tower walls. Maybe he’d gotten lucky and the dragon was away...or maybe this was all part of the creature’s ruse, and Roman was climbing right into a trap. 

Nearing the top, Roman braced himself for a surprise attack, running scenario after scenario over and over in his mind. He gripped the windowsill, and in one fluid motion pulled himself into the room, rolled across the floor and drew his sword, eyes scanning for any threat. 

But no threat came, no monstrous roar or stream of fire. The room he found himself in was comfortably furnished and obviously lived in, but apparently empty. 

No, wait. 

There, on the bed, was a slightly shaking, curled up form. Roman approached cautiously, then his eyes widened as he got a proper look at the person. 

It was a boy, somewhere around his own age, curled into a ball with his eyes shut tight and tear tracks visible on his freckled cheeks. Though what really caught Roman’s attention was the gnarled horns poking out from his fluffy brown curls. 

“What in the world,” Roman breathed in astonishment. He’d seen and fought many a monster in his day, but never had he ever seen anything like this. 

“Please,” the boy whispered, opening his eyes and looking up with an expression that Roman could only describe as hopeless. “Just go away.”

“I...what do you mean?” Roman asked. “Where...where’s the dragon?” 

The boy didn’t answer, but more tears slipped down his cheeks as Roman slowly approached. 

“P-please,” the boy choked out again, curling in tighter on himself. “I...if you’re gonna kill me...just make it quick, please, I…” A tiny sob escaped his throat, and Roman dropped his sword to the ground, easing his way onto the bed. 

“Hey...hey, no,” he murmured, hands hovering in uncertainty over the crying figure. “It’s okay, I...I’m not here to kill you.” 

“You’re here to slay a monster,” the boy whispered, and Roman’s eyes widened in understanding, flicking to the horns protruding from the boy’s skull. 

“You mean...you’re…” 

The boy turned away, hiding his face in his pillow. 

Roman felt something inside him break at the sight, and carefully, oh so carefully, he reached out and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy flinched at first, but when Roman made no other move, he slowly looked up, meeting the prince's eyes. 

"I...I did come here expecting to have to battle a dragon," Roman said, choosing his words carefully so as not to upset the tower's inhabitant further. "But the battle alone was not why I came. I was told that there was someone here in need of saving.” 

The boy peeked out at him from behind his pillow, and Roman took that as a sign to continue. 

“I swore to protect the people of this land," he said, then put on a princely smile, trying to exude confidence and reassurance with every word he spoke. "You do not strike me as something I would need to protect people from, but rather, someone who needs protecting. Am I right?" 

The boy stared up at him in wonder, then tears filled his eyes again. Roman opened his mouth to apologize, but then the boy threw himself forward into Roman's arms, this time sobbing in pure relief. Roman caught the thin boy rather easily, and for several moments no words were spoken between them, as Roman focused on calming the boy shaking in his arms. Eventually though, his sobs quieted and he pulled away, looking somewhat embarrassed. 

“I, I’m sorry," he said, wiping at his eyes. “I d-didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I mean, I don’t even know your name, and-” 

“Roman,” Roman interrupted. “My name is Roman.”

The boy blinked, then a slow, shy smile crept across his face. 

“I’m Patton,” he said softly.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Patton,” Roman said, and Patton’s smile widened, lighting up his face like sunshine.

Roman found himself staring, struck with the thought that Patton’s face alight with a smile was a sight he would not mind seeing more of. It was the sort of smile that deserved to shine large and bright for the entire world, and yet Roman had a feeling that it had had precious little opportunity to come out in the time Patton had spent in this tower. 

“Um, I do hope I’m not being rude,” he began carefully, and Patton tilted his head to the side again, looking for all the world like a curious animal. Roman found he was ridiculously endeared to the sight, and he had to force himself to continue speaking. “But...how did you come to be here, Patton?”

Patton sighed then, wrapping his arms around himself and glancing away towards the window. 

“It’s...a bit of a long story,” he admitted, and on an impulse Roman reached forward and took his hand. 

“Take as long as you need,” he encouraged, and Patton nodded, his freckled cheeks tinging pink. 

“Well...when I was a baby...my parents were monster hunters.”

--- --- --- 

Remy had known Desmond for what he liked to consider a long time. Though it had been some years since the two had a relationship that most people would consider to be friendship, Remy still was very familiar with the Dragon Witch’s tendencies. 

Which is why it was not all that surprising when Desmond appeared in a puff of smoke in the middle of Remy’s hut, an incredulous look on his face. 

“Good afternoon, Desmond,” Remy said smoothly, taking a sip of the hot drink he had just poured himself. “Would you like a cup of something?” 

“What on earth are you thinking?” Desmond exclaimed, ignoring Remy’s offer. “You told the prince about him?” 

“Your loss really, I think this batch may be one of my best attempts yet.” 

“Remy, have you lost your mind?” Desmond demanded.

“God, I hope so.” 

“Remy!”

“What, Desmond?” Remy asked, putting down his cup and frowning. “So I directed the prince towards Patton’s tower. What is it to you? You’ve not spoken to the boy in over seven years, and you haven’t had a problem with any of the other times I’ve tried to nudge knights and adventurers out that way. Why does it matter now?”

“It matters,” Desmond growled, “because it’s Roman Phillip Leopold. His family’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place, or did you forget the day his great-grandfather stood before the world and declared us to be monsters?” 

“I did not forget,” Remy said dryly, but Desmond continued as though he hadn’t heard. 

“Or when his grandfather sent soldiers to smoke out the coven in the southern forrest? Or when his father-” 

“He is no more responsible for the crimes of his family than Patton is for what happened to Joan,” Remy snapped, and Desmond fell silent with a glare. “I know he is King James’s son,” Remy continued with a sigh. “But he also takes a personal interest in the lives of his people, and carries himself with nobility while avoiding arrogance. And he holds high regards for King Thomas’s style of leadership.” 

Desmond looked up at the mention of Thomas’s name, but then he sighed. 

“Just because the boy has an interest in historical figures doesn’t mean he won’t follow in the footsteps of his father. You risk exposing all of us!”

“Just because he is descended from the ones who have hurt us the most doesn’t mean that he will bring about the same level of destruction!” Remy argued back. “Desmond, imagine what could be if a king like Thomas were to rise to power again! This could be our chance!”

Desmond just shook his head. 

“Thomas is dead, Remy, and he left no descendants. I know you wish for the prince to turn out like him, but you’re chasing nothing but a fantasy. He’ll never see us as anything more than monsters.” 

“The boy isn’t even of age yet, Desmond, have at least a bit of hope!” 

“Hope is for the naive,” Desmond countered. “Someday, you’re going to realize that your precious hope is misplaced, but by then it will be too late for you to save yourself.” 

A cloud of smoke rose up around him, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. 

Remy sighed, then snapped his fingers with a bright spark of magic. A moment later, a large barn owl swooped in through the window and landed on a perch sitting in the corner of the hut. 

“I’m worried about Desmond,” Remy said to the bird, picking up his hot drink again. “I think he’s planning something, and whatever it is can’t be good. I want you to follow the prince…but try not to be seen, I think Des’s familiar is tailing him as well. Can you do that for me?” 

The owl lowered his head and fluffed up his feathers, and Remy smiled. 

“Thank you...pretty bird.” 

The owl squawked indignantly, and Remy laughed. 

“If you didn’t want me to start calling you that, you shouldn’t have told me that’s what he calls you. It’s too perfect.” Another squawk, and Remy shook his head. “Okay, okay, whatever you say. Have fun.” 

The owl gave a hoot and then he was gone, flying out into the woods to find his charge. Remy watched him go, then took a long drag from his mug. 

“Okay, mister Prince Roman Phillip Leopold,” he muttered to himself. “You’d better prove me right here.” 

--- --- ---

Patton gripped the edge of the windowsill and took a deep breath. His stomach was churning with nerves, and try as he might, he couldn’t get his heart to stop pounding. He closed his eyes, and took a few more deep breaths, trying desperately to calm down. 

“Patton?” 

His eyes flew open and he caught Roman’s gaze. They were a bright, captivating green, and they shone with concern as he regarded Patton carefully. 

“Are you sure about this? If you’re not comfortable, then we can-” 

“No,” Patton said quickly, shaking his head. “No, I...I want to. I just...am a little nervous, that’s all.” 

Roman smiled at him, warm and sincere, and Patton felt some of his tension drain away beneath that smile.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Roman said, and Patton found himself believing him. 

“Okay,” he whispered, and after one more deep breath, he smiled up at Roman. “I’m ready.”

“Hold on tight,” Roman said, snaking one arm around Patton’s waist. 

Patton wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck and held his breath as Roman grabbed hold of the rope they’d tied to the hook where a pulley system had once brought Patton his meals. In one swift, smooth motion, Roman stepped to the outside of the windowsill. Patton was unable to bite back a gasp, and he squeezed his eyes shut, tightening his grip around Roman’s neck. 

“I’ve got you,” Roman murmured, and then they were going down, down, down as Roman carefully rappelled them down the side of the tower. 

Patton kept his eyes firmly closed, even after he felt the downward motion stop and Roman lowered his feet onto solid ground. 

“You can let go now,” Roman said, a smile audible in his voice, but Patton shook his head. 

“What if…” He felt his voice waver, and he swallowed. “What if this is just a dream?” he asked. “And when let go and open my eyes you’ll be gone and I’ll be-” his breath caught in his throat, and he could feel a swell of magic in his gut start to bubble up. 

“Hey,” Roman murmured, and a warm hand pressed up against Patton’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m here, and I’m real, I promise. You don’t have to let go.” 

Patton slowly, ever so slowly blinked open his eyes, and Roman grinned at him. 

“There we go! See? We’re both still here, everything’s fine. We’re okay.” 

Patton carefully looked around, his breath catching in his throat again as he took in the meadow around them. He released his grip on Roman and took one step forward, then stopped and just stared, still hardly able to believe that this was real.

“Patton?” Roman asked, coming up beside him, and Patton turned to him. 

Roman’s face twisted in alarm, and Patton was distantly aware that there were tears on his cheeks again, but he didn’t wipe them away, choosing instead to fling himself back into Roman’s arms. 

“Thank you,” he cried into Roman’s chest as strong arms wrapped themselves around him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” 

His words dissolved into more incoherent sobbing, but Roman didn’t seem to mind. He just held Patton closer and gently rocked him back and forth, murmuring the occasional reassurance. Patton wasn’t sure how long they stood like that, but eventually he pulled back to meet Roman’s eyes again. Roman smiled down at him, and Patton felt a blush creeping onto his face. 

“Thank you,” he whispered again, and Roman brushed a lock of hair away from Patton’s face with another dazzling smile. 

“It was my pleasure, Patton.”

--- --- ---

AU Creator: @thegremlinprince

Other fics by @ironwoman359

A REMINDER - THERE IS NO TAGLIST FOR THIS FIC. If you’d like to stay updated with this AU, follow the @paws-and-claws-au sideblog! 

[eternityunicorn]

Predator and Prey: Part One

Author: eternityunicorn 

Genre: Romance/Drama/AU

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x OC

Warnings: Violence, Smut (*Smut chapters marked +18)

Summary: There is a legend in the forest of Mystic Falls of a legendary creature that will grant the one whom can capture it the use of it’s mighty powers for their own use. Elijah Mikealson finds this creature with the intention of using it for the protection of his family. However, what he didn’t expect was to find a beautiful, shimmering woman or to fall immediately in love with her. Capturing her, he soon finds himself in a game of predator and prey.

NOTE: OC and original elements are from my up and coming novel series!

AUTHOR’S COMMENTARY: So, I decided to post once I have finished editing each part. Therefore, I will probably have it all posted tonight instead of tomorrow, depending on how ambitious I am. Thank you so much of reading and I hope you enjoy this oneshot turned threeshot!

———————————————————————————————————

He watched. 

He waited.

Elijah Mikaelson observed from the Paris rooftops, as his prey moved amongst the crowds of people on the busy streets below. She could sense him, constantly looking over her shoulder, knowing he was there, despite not being able to see him. He could practically taste her fear and it was delicious, calling to his baser self. 

Soon, the predator would have his prey in his clutches...once more. It was only a matter of time now.

The hunt began three years ago with a legend circling in the supernatural community of a strange white beast that roamed the woods of Mystic Falls. It was said that this creature was one of great power and if one could catch it, they would be granted use of the mythical being’s wonders. Many sought it, but none could ever capture the elusive beast, as it was too clever for them, able to vanish at a moment’s notice before one could even get near enough to claim it. 

Some who bore witness to it claimed that it appeared to them as a single horned creature of legend - a unicorn. Others claimed that this mystical being appeared to them as a pale, naked woman with long white hair and large sapphire eyes - a nymph. Both groups claimed that the creature was beautiful beyond measure, leaving them weak kneed and weeping at the very sight. 

Unicorn or nymph, Elijah was intrigued by the prospect of claiming this powerful creature’s talents for himself, for the sake of the survival of his family. The Mikaelsons were the most powerful of the supernaturals, the Original Family of Vampires, but because of that status, they also had a lot of enemies. There were those who wanted to topple Elijah and his siblings, out of rightly placed fear mostly. To have the power of this fabled creature under his control, he could ensure nobody dared to cross him or his. 

Determined to claim this legendary creature for himself, the Original traveled into the Virginian woods of Mystic Falls, hunting for it, whatever it was. He traveled in the nighttime with only the light of the pale moon to guide him, as he stealthily moved amongst the trees. He waited for a sign that he was drawing closer to the strange beast he had heard so much about, knowing that there would be one according to the stories.

After an hour of traveling deep into the woods, the sign of the creature’s presence came to him in the form of a sweet floral scent. Like the predator he was, Elijah moved silently closer toward the scent, following it to a clearing in the woods, where the moonlight shone down in beams. Centered with these strips of soft light, the legendary creature sat amongst the foliage like some sort of feral deity, ethereally shimmering with graceful, measured movements that were quite otherworldly. 

The creature took the form of a woman, bare and beautiful, as the tales he had heard had described. Elijah found he did want to fall to his knees and weep at the sight of her, but he was not so weak as to actually do so. He was stronger willed than to give in to such an overwhelming and supernatural reaction. Therefore, he remained upright and dry eyed, as he hid in the shadows, watching her patiently as a good hunter does. He would wait and watch for as long as it took for the right moment to strike present itself to him. He wouldn’t let her escape his clutches.

The ethereal beauty didn’t seem to notice him there, watching her. She seemed completely oblivious to the predator waiting in the wings to capture her, as she sat amongst the flowers and braided together a flower crown, humming to herself. 

Elijah found her captivating. She was everything the tales said she was. She had long white hair that rippled all around her like ocean wave with every movement. It looked soft to the touch and reflected the light of the moon every now and again, if it hit just right. Her skin was nearly white as well, with large almond shaped eyes that were like deep blue sapphires and plushy rose pink lips that looked so damn kissable. She wore nothing for clothing. She was naked and vulnerable, speaking to his inner beast that wanted to claim her in the basest way possible.

She was perfection and he found himself wanting her for himself, so that no other could claim her. Instantaneously, he didn’t just want to secure her powers for the sake of his family, he also wanted to claim her as his lover. No...more than a lover - his wife, to ensure that she’d be his forever.

Determined to have her, Elijah made his move, using the element of surprise and his vampire speed to his advantage. He was truly the predator locked onto his prey. He moved silently though the shadows, keeping down wind so that she could not smell him coming. Closer and closer, he came with patience, unhurried and well paced. 

Then he struck. Once in range, with vampire speed, he grabbed her and pinned her against the nearest tree with a firm hand around her throat as she struggled like the feral creature she was. Without hesitation, Elijah reached into his pants pocket and slapped on a golden bracelet onto each of her wrists. 

Before trudging into the woods to search for the legendary creature, he, of course, did his research on how to properly capture it. Though there wasn’t much outside of what he heard from others, he did discovered one text that described the need for a special, enchanted gold that would suppress the powers of the strange beast, keeping it from vanishing or retaliating in any way. 

By chance, Elijah found such gold in the form of two plain bracelets that would latch onto the creature once put into place. Once he had them in possession, he had begun the hunt and now that he had her, he could reap the rewards of his victory.

“I have won the challenge set,” he told the pale beauty. “I have captured the elusive otherworldly creature of great power and you are now mine to command, yes?”

Timidly, she nodded. 

“Do you have a name?” He asked gently, not wanting to frighten her more than she seemed to be.

“E-Eternity,” she replied, her voice soft and melodious.

Elijah smiled, “Eternity, a fitting name. I’m Elijah Mikealson. Have you heard of me?”

Eternity nodded again quickly. It was obvious that she had heard of him, just by the way her eyes widened marginally in recognition. It was made more obvious when she swallowed thickly, as her fear of him grew exponentially.

Immediately, he realized the potential reason for that fear as he still had his hand around her throat. Therefore, he released her from his hold, not wanting her to be so scared of him while also knowing she wouldn’t flee him, now that her powers had been suppressed. He smiled gently, reaching to cup the side of her neck tenderly to show her he did not mean to harm her in any way. 

She flinched at his touch, but didn’t pull away from it, relaxing considerably after a moment. 

“Please, do not be afraid of me,” Elijah told her softly. “I will not harm you, given you do not give me reason to. As long as you mind me, as the reward of my victory dictates, I will treat you well. I will give you everything this world has to offer - and more.”

Eternity stared at him distrustingly, but did not protest in any fashion. Her fear was still present, but it had cooled somewhat, which pleased him greatly. He couldn’t have his future wife be afraid of him unnecessarily. It would be one thing if she had done something that warranted her fear, but she had not. 

Therefore, Elijah didn’t want her fear, only her cooperation - her submission, as the rules of this challenge dictated. He was effectively her master now and it was her duty to obey him, though he preferred a partnership over such barbarism that was slavery. So long as she minded him, when he made requests of her, he saw no reason to lord over her. He had ever intention of treating her as the equal that she deserved to be.

As a show of good faith, he removed his suit jacket and put it around Eternity’s shoulders, covering her nakedness. Though, he observed that she didn’t seem to even notice it. It was as if it were the most natural thing in the world to her to be without clothing. In fact, when the jacket fell around her small frame, she stared at it as if it were something strange or rather something foreign that she had never seen before. 

It seemed it would take some time for her to get used to the idea of clothing, something she was going to have to adjust to as he moved her from the wilderness into civilization. He couldn’t have her prancing about naked all the time, though the more possessive part of him wasn’t opposed to the idea. If he did keep her bare, then he could keep her hidden away from the rest of the world, particularly those whom would dare to try and steal her away from him. She’d truly be his alone then. Yet, the rational, level-headed part of him didn’t want to make her in a prisoner, going along with his reputation for being a noble man. In his nobility, he wanted her to be free...within reason, of course.

“Come,” Elijah said, as he put an arm around her shoulders and gently guided her toward the forest’s exit. “It is time to take you to your new home.”

Eternity hesitated at first, reluctant to leave the forest, but with his tenderness, she eventually let him lead her away. She allowed him to guide her toward the unknown of the world outside of what had certainly been her sanctuary. She was headed into the civilized world of man and it was frightening, no doubt, but he ensured that she felt safe with him.

Before long, they arrived at his car, located just outside the forest entrance. She had been quiet on the way and he didn’t push her into speaking. There would be plenty of time for conversation later, once she was settled.

The car made Eternity truly hesitate. She began to back away fearfully of the big machine, but Elijah was firm in his insistence that she get into it. At first, he cooed tenderly. However, when she stubbornly refused to obey and his gently reassurance failed, he became stern. He called her name warningly, his expression darkening with an unspoken threat. 

Eventually, the eternal beauty conceded to his insistence, letting him help her into the passenger seat. Once she was secured inside, he went to the driver’s side and climbed in, starting the black Porsche Panamera and driving off into the suburbs of Mystic Falls to the Mikaelson mansion. 

He found the woman beside him amusing as he drove her home. He found it adorable the way she held onto the seat with an iron grip, as if she was afraid of crashing - as if she wasn’t an invulnerable immortal. Upon stopping in front of the luxurious and absurdly large mansion, Eternity quickly escaped the car, backing away from it as if it were some sort of monster. 

Elijah calmly got out of the car himself and went to her side, putting a comforting arm around her as she trembled with her fear. 

“It’s alright, Sweetheart,” he murmured to her. “The car will take some getting used to, but I assure you that it’s perfectly safe. Come. Let’s get you inside.”

She went without hesitation, letting him guide her up the curved stone stairs that lead to the grand front entrance. He opened the door and allowed the ethereal woman to enter first with him close behind. He knew that his siblings would be up waiting to find out if he had succeeded in his task to capture the legendary creature of Mystic Falls. 

They all had bets that he would fail spectacularly in his quest to secure the strange beast for their benefit. Elijah couldn’t wait to see the shocked looks on all their faces, when he presented Eternity to them. He wanted to show them all that he hadn’t been chasing after a myth, a fable, a story, but a real, living and breathing being.

“Come this way,” Elijah directed Eternity, with a gentle hand on her back. “I want you to meet the rest of my family.”

She went where he wanted her to go and they headed into the common room to the left of the entryway. There, sitting on the velvet couches or standing by the fireplace, were the other Mikaelson siblings. The eldest, Freya, sat on one end of the couch to the right. The second eldest, Finn, stood leaning against the fireplace with a glass of bourbon in hand. Elijah was the third eldest, therefore, the fourth Mikealson was his younger half-brother Niklaus, whom sat on the couch opposite of Freya. The fifth, Kol, sat next to Freya, while their youngest sibling, Rebekah sat next to Niklaus. 

Before Elijah appeared in the doorway with his prize in tow, they had been engaged in friendly conversation with each other. The moment he made his appearance, however, they all went silent, as all eyes darted to the doorway to see the pale beauty they had all believed to be just a tall tale standing there before them in the flesh. 

They all rose from their seats or left their perches to gather closer with looks of utter disbelief etched upon their faces. They all gaped with wide eyes, as if they could believe what they were seeing.

Eternity backed away until she was partially hidden behind Elijah, grabbing onto his arm in needed comfort. 

“So, the tales are true, it would seem, Brother,” Niklaus said softly with an ever growing grin plastered upon his face, as his eyes remained on the pale beauty. “You have found the legendary creature that shall secure our family’s survival. I must say, she is quite splendid, as beautiful as the stories say.”

“Everyone, I would like you to meet Eternity,” introduced Elijah with a slightly smug smile.

“Looks like we owe you an apology,” Rebekah spoke up, her eyes scanning over the small woman that cowered behind him. She smiled kindly at Eternity, “Oh, the poor thing doesn’t have any clothes on! Come on with me, lovely. I’m sure there is something in this house that will suffice.”

When Elijah’s younger sister tried to come near with an outstretched hand, the ethereal woman gripped the older Original tighter and tried to disappear behind him completely. Rebekah frowned at her reaction and looked to Elijah for explanation.

“She isn’t used to civilization, it would seem,” he told his sister. “Or people.”

“Yet, she has taken a particular liking to you however, Elijah,” Kol grinned mischievously.

The older Original sighed, “Yes, I suppose she has. Rebekah, perhaps it would be best if you accompany Eternity and I upstairs in order to find her suitable clothes until it is convenient to go shopping for a wardrobe for her.”

His little sister nodded in acceptance of his suggestion. 

“Before you scamper off, Brother, I would like a word,” Niklaus said.

Knowing his brother wouldn’t let him go without speaking with him first, Elijah turned to the frightened woman and gently told her, “Go with Rebekah, Sweetheart. It’s alright. I’ll join you in a little while.”

Eternity was reluctant to let him go, but eventually did so with some gentle encouragement, letting Rebekah lead her away and leaving Elijah alone with his other siblings.

To Be Continued....

———————————————————————————————————

Tag List: @elejah-wonderland @inmylifeilovedthemall @dendrite-lover @xanderling @hawaiianohana31 @elejahforever @freshsuitcasewinnereagle @loulouisa @elizamonet @missnmikealson @x-memi12 @lolelijahishot @elijahandkollover @teekillerin 

[kamino-ink]

Flumadiddle | Yang Jeongin

✧  flumadiddle - utter nonsense

✧ Genre: Fantasy!au, fluff, angst, can you tell jeongin is my bias??

✧ Summary: jeongin has always been your other half, the person you called your soulmate; even if there had never been romance involved between the two of you. yet when he simply picks up and leaves worcaster, you can’t help but wonder what happened, and if you’ll ever see him again.

✧ Word Count: 1.9k

✧ Other installments in the series: woojin, chan, hyunjin, changbin, minho, jisung, felix, seungmin

✧ PSA!! this part references a few facts from the chan installment, so I suggest reading his before this one so you can fully understand the concepts i’m referencing!

                                         ✧

 home was wherever yang jeongin was, you decided one night, curled into his side as the two of you sat beneath the stars on a lone hill

worcaster had always been a place to you; just because you happened to grow up there didn't mean it was really your home

home was supposed to feel warm, inviting, and comforting - worcaster was simply the cobblestone paths you walked upon each day, the occasional lemon tree surrounded by poorly made houses of lose planks and rickety stairs

but the entire time you had someone there to be your pillar of support, someone who would make you laugh and curse loudly in surprise when he suddenly picked you up and threw you onto his back so he could carry you across the desolate train tracks, long since abandoned in favor of traveling by horseback and pegasus

the night you decided yang jeongin was home, you two had been feasting on some wild berries and playfully started to squish them in favor of splattering the colorful insides onto each other’s bodies, sure to stain your rags for clothes

after you both had settled down you’d curled up under one of his skinny arms, resting your head just on his chest with his own head resting on top of yours

“hey, y/n?”

“yeah, jeongin?”

“I want to leave this place one day,” he muttered quietly, “go somewhere I can just... be myself and do my research freely.”

you hummed in agreement, knowing just how much the boy wanted to get out of the poor town in favor of going somewhere with tons of wildlife and the like - he had always adored animals of all kinds, big and small

“well whenever that happens, don’t forget to bring me with you, okay?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, peaches.”

“you better not, melonhead.”

“can I please have a cute, normal nickname-”

“never.”

and then he was gone one day - he just... vanished

you remember how hurt you were, how wet your eyes started to become when you had asked his parents why he hadn’t been attending class lately, worried he had fallen ill

but they told you that he had asked their permission to leave home, stating that they had done the same thing when they were his age

although they were as baffled as you were, because according to them, jeongin was adamant on dragging you with him out of that hellish place

so...why hadn’t he kept his promise?

you don’t recall another time where you had just broken down the way you did, slumping down on their poorly constructed front porch with the people you considered a second family rushing to comfort you

because you couldn't leave, not yet, anyway

jeongin had jokingly said it was a bunch of flumadiddle; a load of nonsense - you didn't have to finish school, but you knew you wanted to, needed to

while you admired jeongin for defying the shitty education system in the kingdom, you knew you didn't have the guts to follow him to wherever he had gone so quickly

you needed to have something as a backup plan, that was just how you had always been

so you stayed in worcaster for another three months, each lonely day ticking by slowly without your best friend there to make you laugh

to make you smile

to make you... happy

but finally you had gotten out of school with flying colors, choosing to stick to the plan you and jeongin had been working out since you were practically kids;

you were to be a great journalist, writing articles on the beasts he would be researching - hopefully growing to such a status that you both could have a clipping in the papers so that other kids and adults could see the beauty in all creatures

not just the domesticated ones

you held a tearful goodbye with your family, hugging them close and fiddling anxiously with the tattered bag plush against your backside, filled with books, quills, ink, and general supplies

you were to go to a little town called arbington, down south of worcaster

it was at the tip of the kingdom, one of the known borders with another country that had always been a sister to your home country

you borrowed a map from jeongin’s parents, who told you to tell their boy that they missed him dearly and, whatever he was doing, they were proud of him

travelling on foot was difficult, to say the least

you could’ve purchased a horse for yourself, but they were mighty expensive and you weren’t exactly the best with animals

jeongin was the one gifted with the ability to become one with creatures of all kind, you were just the girl that observed and used your words to magnify how wonderful the beasts were

each day was harder than the next, with many an obstacle popping out of nowhere

one time you had been tracking through a forest when a group of burly, scary looking soldiers started to interrogate you, believing that you were far too young to be wandering alone

then another boy, maybe a year older than you, quite literally appeared out of thin air next to you, donning midnight black robes and a sinister smile that made the soldiers gasp in shock and turn around almost immediately

“hiya, i’m hyunjin!” the stranger had greeting you brightly, giving you an extreme feeling of whiplash because this boy

looked really scary, resembling the ‘evil’ witches and wizards you had read about in your mythical studies class

“uh, i’m y/n - thanks, for that. they wouldn't leave me alone.” you thanked him anyway, offering him the most miniscule of grins, to which he giggled at and waved it away

“ah its no problem, i’m not exactly the biggest fan of the kingdom’s royal army anyway, not a big deal honestly,” he admitted without a care in the world, now taking a moment to take in your appearance which was... interesting, to say the least

since you’d been walking with little to no chances to bathe for weeks, you were just a bit stinky and covered in little bits of dirt and grime

“where are you going then, miss y/n?”

“i’m travelling to a town called arbington, its uh, its been a long walk if you couldn't tell.” suddenly hyunjin snapped his fingers, green sparks flying from between his thumb and middle finger

“tell you what y/n the traveler, i’ll whisk you away to arbington right now since you gave me the pleasure of fucking with those soldiers!”

“what - hyunjin that's nice and all, but how are you-”

“just think of who or where you want to be right now - hold on tight!”

within a blink of an eye he had made some strange hand movement in your direction, a cloud of billowing smoke erupting from under your tattered, torn shoes

jeongin

and suddenly you were on the ground, somewhere completely new and...

wet?

a low gruff caused you to snap out of it, your gaze snapping forward where some sort of feathered beast with long, spider-like legs was glaring fiercely at you

looking down then back up again, you realized you had been teleported into a pond of sorts, right in front of this oddball creature that had clearly been drinking from the very spot you were in merely seconds ago

before you could process it, the beast was letting out a mighty roar of absolute anger and getting ready to strike you with its sharp beak

you shut your eyes, bracing for the immense amount of pain this creature was about to hit you with

but, nothing happened

you slowly cracked your eyelids open to see what was happening, only to see an all too familiar face staring down at you, full of confusion and worry

“y/n, stand up and bow!”

“I - I... what?”

“just fucking do it already!” he hissed, just barely holding back the furious beast with one palm pressed against its black speckled beak

you quickly did as he instructed, somehow managing to not slip as you stood from the muddy bank of the pond and made an awkward bow, shyly gazing at the creature when you came back up

it had calmed down instantly, now squawking warmly at you and jeongin, letting the tall boy stroke its beak and send it off somewhere else

“y/n what - what are you doing here?” he breathes out after a tension-filled silence had begun to brew between you and him, lifting his gaze to meet yours. “you’re supposed to be home, in worcaster.”

you nearly snapped

“worcaster has never been my home, jeongin, you know that,” you hiss furiously, your eyebrows now scrunched together as you take a step closer to his stiff body, ignoring the awkward sloshing of your soaked shoes and clothes, “you are my home - but then you left without a single fucking word!”

he flinches at your harsh, sharp words - not because he’s too hurt by them (which he is) but because you were clearly hurt by his actions, or rather, lack of them in the past

your eyes were prickling with the familiar sensation of salty tears and your bottom lip had started to tremble furiously

“i’m so, so sorry y/n,” the black haired boy whispers, his voice cracking with emotion each step you take towards him, “I had to l-leave, but I knew you wanted to finish school before we took off - that was the plan, fuck it was always the plan!” he nearly shouts, but you don’t flinch at all, simply holding back your tears as your eyes take in how much he’s grown in just three months

he’s gotten a hell of a lot taller, with you having to tilt your head back just enough to catch how his lips move in a flurry of emotion

his cheeks are just a bit fuller and brighter, showing that he had been prospering in arbington

god you missed him

“I knew that you’d be pissed at me, but I couldn't just take everything you worked so hard for away from you. I - I swear to god I was going to come back for you when you graduated, but the menagerie has been so busy lately and my boss got a girlfriend and they go out sometimes so i’m left alone to run the shop when he’s gone-”

“shut up and hug me, asshole.” you interrupt him as the tears finally escape the corners of your crinkled eyes, trailing down your cheeks as you throw yourself at him, wrapping your arms tightly around him

he does the same to you, holding you so close you worry that you won’t be able to breathe in a few minutes if you keep this up

“I - I love you peaches, i’m… i’m so sorry I left you there.”

“I love you too, melonhead.”

you were soulmates, and both of you knew that - especially after being separated for so long

whether it be friendship or maybe something more, jeongin knew that you would always stick together, no matter what

even as one of the baby wisps chan had given to him goes to rest on your wrist, unnoticeable to you and only to him because they were a bonded human-and-wisp pair, he didn't need the baby pink creature to show him that you were his soulmate

you were his, and he was yours

and he would never leave you again

                                         ✧

[voidfishersong]

Pirates of Tellius AU

I'm back at it again with another niche Tellius AU no one but me will ever read!

this is some sort of weird IkeSoren/IkeRanulf hybrid but like. better keep it open ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

basically it’s ‘what if I stuck Tellius characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, smashed both the plots together, and made it slightly gayer (but only slightly because tellius is pretty gay)?

It starts out more following the plot of PotC but I assure you that is only superficial and also gets drowned pretty quickly

also you can see where this post started as brainstorming and eventually became actual fic so. please read it

Ike is obviously Will Turner - I mean, this is textbook, right down to his dad having Secrets™️. sword boi runs into trouble.

Soren is Elizabeth - but raised by Almedha (hence a background in dangerous things when he was young, but now very sheltered by his parent).

and Ranulf is the suave but kind-of-stupid pirate because I have no self control and JUST IMAGINE RANULF IN THE HAT. THE HAT, GUYS.

it gets gayer I swear I’m pushing a Soren/Ike/Ranulf agenda y’all

Ike and Soren, childhood friends, Almedha doesn't like Ike coming over, Soren’s got some sort of arranged marriage Ike has many swords but dreams of greater things than the smithy. the rest of the Greil Mercenaries are the people from Ike's area of town - Titania's the only one I struggle to think of a job for, but she lives next to the smithy and Mist has a bedroom at Titania's as well as above the forge (Ike has a bed there too, although he rarely uses it). Oscar and his brothers are a bakery/butchery hybrid, Rhys is the apothecary, etc., Shinon and Gatrie are probably still mercenaries lbr

the only thing Ike knows about his father's death is that he was killed by the pirate captain of the Black Night (haha I regret everything), a mythical ship that appears and disappears at will - but only at night.

Lethe stole Ranulf's ship, crew, and weapons (he'd be so proud if he didn't currently lack a ship), which I don't have a name for yet, anyway so Ranulf comes in to the port, people lose their shit, he escapes, but he really needs a forge to get these handcuffs off. oh, the Greil smithy! nice. duel! jail :(

Ike is kinda sad because Soren has to do Noble Things which currently just means "sucking up to the princess" Elincia - and he thinks his mother might be planning a marriage at this rate.

One night, one of the Mad King's fleet ransacks the town. Ranulf sighs, knowing enough of these beorc pirates by reputation, but hey, he's in jail.

The pirates kill the king and go after Elincia to throw Crimea into chaos. Unfortunately, she's not alone - but fortunately, Soren can talk his way into any situation and gets them a parley. bonus points if he pretends he's the princess and Elincia is a servant.

Ike's world is upside down - his town's burning, Soren's been taken, what does he do? Titania tells him he can go - she'll help rebuild, keep the town order, and Mist can run the forge. Just - you know that sword, Ike? the one your father hid under the floorboards and told you to never touch? take it. you might need it.

so he does - but might need some help, too. who better than a pirate who knows the way of the sea?

they steal a ship and go. Ike yells about pirates, Ranulf offers to throw him into the sea, but they resolve it quickly because Ike understands there's more to the world than he knew. Ranulf's got an uncanny sense of direction and he knew Ike's father, but there's something else he feels he's missing. Greil was a pirate, Ike learns, and one of the finest - Ranulf might've left Gallia if he'd asked.

but their ship isn't meant for two - they need a crew. Ike soon learns Ranulf has a reputation five miles long, lovers in nearly every man and woman on land, and can outdrink anyone when they stop at an Outpost to pick up everyone you recruit in PoR. and then they head for Nevassa Cove.

I'm throwing the plots of both stories out the window now. also, the laguz? they're staying - in a slightly different form...

Ike and Ranulf’s crew don't make it to Nevassa quickly, though, so who knows what Elincia and Soren are doing in the meantime. bonding, probably. Elincia's no idiot - she's heard the rumors about Lady Almedha, her mysterious background, her ever-present veil - and the Captain of the Mad King goes on about what lives in the water. She starts to question the fables of her childhood, full of sirens who would sing you to the depths and creatures that could topple flagships. Soren's planning, but he's got to keep up the Princess pretense - but he's noticing, too.

Ranulf's crew comes across some of their own myths when their ship is blown into a coral reef. Ranulf and his first mate (originally had this as Kyza but I want to save her for the eventual RD-inspired sequel, and Ike's role onboard is kinda undefined) know better than to go outside here, but Ike doesn't, and so he meets his first mermaid - oh, he didn't mean to offend, he didn't know they were called laguz. Kurthnaga is kind and offers the assistance of his friends to unmoor their ship, and Ike learns their form is not limited to the kind he saw in paintings of beautiful merwomen. Ike tells Ranulf, and Ranulf admits he knows more of the sea than he let on - there are different clans of laguz, all below the water, and the sea dragons are only one (although they are where landwalkers got their idea of the kraken).

the next tribe they find as they cross the canyons of Phonecis and Kilvas, known as a ship's graveyard. there's something about Ike, Ranulf muses as Ike speaks to King Tibarn about the Mad King's destruction and their explosives which threaten to ruin even the ocean floor. Tibarn listens, even with a siren at his side (one of few, Ranulf thought them all dead), and when Tibarn not only lets them pass but offers assistance, Ike welcomes them.

"I thought I was the captain around here!" he calls, earning a smile from Ike at the helm. He can feel Reyson about to speak, to ask why he is a captain of a beorc vessel at all, so Ranulf interrupts with a call to the crew and they depart, singing out of tune but merrily.

Tibarn's laguz follow in the water, save Tibarn himself and his white siren, who stand on deck and could almost pass for humans. Ike wonders about this - Kurthnaga and the dragons didn't have quite this human a form; are Tibarn and Reyson special, or is there even more to the laguz than meets the eye?

He asks Ranulf as much, when they're sitting below deck having a drink. "Laguz have three forms," Ranulf answers. "One for the water, one for the land, and one in-between." He fingers the brim of his hat, an item Ike wishes he'd take off when they're dining like this, away from the rowdy crew.

"How do you know so much about laguz?" Ike asks instead, ever focused on the mission. He doesn't get an answer, though, because the bell is ringing and the crew is clamoring and they see Nevassa Cove in the distance.

"Good find, Ike," Tibarn congratulates him with a slap on the back.

"Ranulf found it." That's Reyson, with something in his tone Ike can't quite place.

"Good find, Ranulf," Tibarn repeats, casting an amused smile to his companion.

They board smallboats and row to the cave under cover of darkness. The plan is cast aside, however, when Ike watches the Mad King's captain unsheath a rapier and advance on Soren. Ashnard won't tolerate their game of role-play any longer, but Elincia jumps in front, waving her arms wildly and yelling to get in the water, Soren!

Ike doesn't listen to whatever Ranulf is or isn't saying; he jumps from behind a cave wall, waving Ragnell and shouting hellfire on Ashnard.

"Well, well, little pirate boy," he mocks, and Ike realizes how massive this captain is in person. "Are you worthy to set foot in Nevassa?"

Ike raises his chin and Ragnell and meets Ashnard's eyes. "My father was Captain Gawain, who sailed that ship long before you destroyed her planks with blood, Ashnard," he says. "You aren't fit for the sea!"

They fight, slipping on sand-dusted rocks and breathing in blood and sweat and the dank smell of the cove, swords ringing like broken bells. Ranulf waves his hand and the crew - Ike's crew, really, if he's being honest - swarms Ashnard's, Tibarn's laguz fighting from the water and dragging pirates to the depths. He crosses to Soren and Elincia and motions them to an underwater tunnel. "Ike's ship is waiting for you," he tells them. "Go!"

"I'm no laguz, Sir Ranulf," the princess protests, but her eyes speak defiance rather than fear.

"It's Captain Lay, Princess," he says with a smile. Then he pushes her into the water, angled so she falls back on Soren and sends them both splashing. "Hold your breath!" And Ranulf dives in, relishing the feel of his shifting form only for a second before he pulls Elincia down, down, up, up through the tunnel and they emerge on the outside, Elincia sputtering and gasping and clinging to him like a lifeline.

"Swim to the ship. Reyson will be waiting."

She lets go but doesn't move. "Soren - he's still in there - you'll go back - please, Captain, return and -"

He cuts off her growing politeness when thrusts his hat at her chest and spins around. She's right, her companion didn't follow, and Ranulf has a sneaking suspicion why, if Ike's many stories of his friend are true.

"Damn," Ranulf says. He goes back.

Ike can feel his arms straining and he regrets never using Ragnell until a month ago. Ashnard is stronger, but at least Soren and Ranulf got away, he thinks. Of course, that's when a knife embeds itself in Ashnard's forearm. Ashnard turns. Ike turns. Soren is there, half in the water and hair dripping wet, holding another knife. Ashnard opens his mouth, and Ike strikes - brings Ragnell straight down and cleaves the Mad King's skull in two with a precision Ike didn't know swords could have.

Ike stands there, staring at the body and his blade, for a full minute, breathing heavily and shaking from adrenaline. When he moves, Soren is staring at him. Ike drops Ragnell and runs to the water, and Soren - Soren moves away, backing against the cove wall.

And I don't want to write Angst™️ but you know where this is going. (Half laguz have two forms, but that's still one more than a beorc.)

Ranulf interrupts the moment, because, hey, I'm glad you're safe but there's a battle on outside and I'm pretty sure the Royal Navy's here as well so let's go!

Ike is still holding Soren, whose face is curled into his neck and hair brushing across Ike's back like a blanket of seaweed. He looks at Ranulf, eyebrows high as he takes in Ranulf finally without that hat and decides his ears are cute. "Is every person I know gonna show up with a tail now, or is it just you two?"

"Just us, I think." Ranulf grins, then sobers. "Still a battle on, Ike," he chides. Ike nods and turns to Soren, who nods in affirmation. "Hold your breath, Ike," says Ranulf, and then they're streaming through the tunnel and Ike never, ever wants to go swimming again by the time they break the surface.

The Royal Navy is there, and they're impounding Ranulf's ship. Ike's ship. Whatever. They haul Ike out of the water, which he accepts because he isn't a laguz and he's more of a chance of surviving in prison than in the water. The guards bind him for piracy - unfair, because he hasn't actually stolen anything (Ranulf stole the ship, technically). Ike tells them as much - yells it, more like, along with a string of curses and proof that he just saved the Princess and killed the Mad King Ashnard - but when Elincia's voice rings out a call for silence he's just as affected as the Navy.

"Sir Ike," she begins, ignoring the whispers of her guards and one commander who tries to tell her he's a pirate and shouldn't be addressed personally, "you have saved me and my kingdom from destruction. For that, you have our gratitude. You will remain a free man, and all charges of piracy against you shall be dropped. I offer you a place in my Navy, Sir Ike, as it would be an honor to have you beside me."

His motley crew, hands tied behind their backs in the center of their ship, stares at him; Elincia's Navy stares at her; and no one moves for a moment.

"Thank you, your Majesty," Ike says, the title an honest mistake but he doesn't take it back because it's true now. "Thank you, Elincia," he continues, "but my place is on the sea. My father sailed these waters before me, and it's time I lived up to him. Besides," he offers her a crooked smile, water dripping into his eyes from his lashes, "I think the sea has companions to offer me."

"Of course," she says, a smile playing at her lips. She removes her arms from their position across her chest (Ike had thought it a ward against the seeping chill of night air on wet clothes) and lifts something up above Ike's head. In the moonlight, he catches a glimpse of a familiar hat, its wide brim decorated with strings of beads and feathers, before Elincia places it on his head, soaking his hair even more. "We shall leave you to your ship, Captain Ike," she says with eyes alight, and turns away with all the grace and poise of a royal.

After a great deal of spluttering and critiques from the Navy quickly aborted by a mere glance from Elincia, Ike's crew is released and the Navy returns to their ships with Elincia, who hands Ike an envelope and a hug before departure. Ike stares after them, adrenaline entirely spent and confused how he just got named a pirate captain by the Queen.

"Well, well, well, congratulations!" comes a familiar voice, its figure moving across the deck. "The hat suits you, Ike," Ranulf grins, clapping him on the shoulder. "Lethe might've stole my other ship, but you've earned this one well." He pauses, just for a second, winks, and then says: "Captain."

Ike smiles, but his attention is quickly caught by the shadows behind a mast. It's Soren, as he knew it would be. Ike puts an arm around him, a gesture he finds awkward for anyone else, and runs his fingers through Soren's damp black locks. "I think I've got a position open on this ship," he offers. "If you'd like."

Soren looks up, and Ike thinks his red eyes are beautiful in the moonlight. "I would." It's almost inaudible, but Ike hears it anyway. He holds him tighter.

They return home first, and his crew laughs through the streets and fills the inns and taverns with gold and merriment, undoubtedly spreading rumors of the battle with the Mad King that will grow into something ridiculous, but Ike doesn't stop them. When he knocks at Titania's door, Mist throws herself at him and she's crying and Mist's crying and Ike might be too.

When they've told each other all that matters between their family and Mist is asleep on Titania's lap from exhaustion, Ike makes tea for him and Titania and sits across from her. "Were you my dad's first mate?" he asks, unprompted except by the companionable silence of being home.

"I was," Titania replies, nostalgia twinging across her face.

Ike nods and sips his tea. He knows the rest of the story, and if Titania would like to spin her own tales he'd gladly listen, but he'll also listen to Mist's soft breathing and relax.

"Who is yours?" Titania asks instead.

Ike starts, almost dropping his tea. "I don't - I'm not sure. There's - well, there's Soren, and Ranulf, and I don't know..." he trails off.

Titania smiles, a glint in her green eyes. "You don't have to know. One day, you'll know, though. It might sneak up on you, so watch out." She knows something, Ike thinks, something about me but more than that, she knows something about the world and the sea and the captains that follow the wind and their hearts.

"Okay," says Ike, because he's home and he doesn't have to say any more. In a few days they'll head out again on that wind. Ike doesn't know where it'll take him, but he'll be ready.