#also the tree of feelings would become a giant ship with a coral tree as the mast

[two-cell-appless]

trying to write some darn lore and all I can think about is pirate multiverse au

I just need to ramble in the tags

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Did you eat all of the chocolate

Phew, this was a bit longer than planned ^^ But have a hopefully nice fic about Jelly and Lennie taking their latest grandkids to Disney huehue

One could have said it was just another one of those days for the three siblings Cordelia had brought into her family months back, but it really was not just one of those days.

As they came into the family, the three learned that the family was actually rich. Perhaps a bit influential as well. And with money and very caring and generous relatives came the spoiling.

“Is there a third park we could go to!?”

“In this area, there’s only two. There are other parks, but they’re for different companies.”

“Can we go to those too!?”

“How about we enjoy these for now? We are going to be here for three days. We can go back on the rapids ride tomorrow, and without ponchos this time.~”

“Yes!”

Margaux, Felix, and Damian walked down the brick pathway that was placed between the two entrances leading to the parks their grandparents Jelly and Lennie offered to bring them to, to spend some quality time and have fun. To Jelly, one park was not enough, so they were now hopping on over to the titular one.

“Does this one also have a water ride?”

“Yes it does.” Jelly nodded, letting go of Felix’s hand so that she could present all of the tickets before everybody was allowed into the park. “It’s called Splash Mountain and it’s a thrill ride. Pretty sure you’d enjoy it.”

“Great!” Felix jumped in the air, the only thing preventing him from jumping high being Jelly’s hand that he once again held. On Jelly’s other side was Margaux’s, the little one tightly holding her plush mouse in her other arm.

“Calm down partner.” Jelly chuckled to herself, finding Felix absolutely adorable in his Woody costume. She would have never expected that to be his Hallowen costume, but she loved it just like the ones his siblings wore.

“Can we go to that one!?” Felix continued before Jelly looked over at the pair that was beside Felix, her husband who was dressed in a bear onesie and the eldest of the siblings who was dressed like a gangster. A gangster weasel to be exact.

“What do you guys think? Splash Mountain is a tad bit far.” Jelly commented.

“Whatever the kids want really.” Lennie shrugged, then looking up at Damian who held a map of the park.

“Maybe we should go to...Tomorrowland…” he blinked at the name, then darting his eyes down at Lennie who was quite occupied with a colorful concha in his hands. “What kind of a name is that?”

“It’s the land of tomorrow. The future.” Jelly shrugged with a smile before motioning over to the left after they had all walked through Main Street. “Any ride catches your eye?”

“Pick a rollercoaster! There has to be a rollercoaster!” Felix exclaimed, watching his brother continue to read the map. “Damian!”

“Okay, okay.” Damian shushed him, then turning his attention up as he noticed there was a ride his brother would enjoy despite not being full-on thrilling. “How about that one?”

The rest of the group led their gaze to the side where Damian was pointing, a corner with a sort of antenna with rings around it. On both sides that made up the corner read BUZZ LIGHTYEAR Astro Blasters.

“Buzz Lightyear!?” Felix gasped at the sight, his eyes merely out of control as he scanned every inch of the building that even had a large sign featuring the mentioned character. “Is Buzz Lightyear in there!?”

“Kind of.” Jelly made sure to hold his hand tight enough so that he wouldn’t run off. “But, you probably won’t like him very much.”

“Wha-” Felix’s expression dropped, now looking at Jelly in pure disbelief before she leaned down to whisper.

“Won’t like him as much as the real Buzz Lightyear who walks around here.~”

Immediately, Felix’s eyes widened as did his smile.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get on the ride so we can meet Buzz afterwards!” Jelly tugged on Felix’s arm, practically watching him vibrate with excitement before he attempted to run off to the queue line. “Hold up little cowboy, remember we have the fast passes.”

“Right!” Felix jumped around, allowing Jelly to talk to the employee before everybody was allowed in. However, Lennie stopped Jelly before going any further. 

“Jelly-Bean, how about I hold Margaux’s hand for now?” he offered.

“Oh I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“I insist.” Lennie quietly laughed as he looked over at the jumping cowboy. “You might need the help.”

“Okay, okay.” Jelly giggled. “Margaux, come on over here and have some time with your grandpa. You guys are sitting on the ship together.”

Margaux briefly nodded, eventually being startled by a loud gasp from Felix.

“It’s Buzz!” he pointed at the animatronic that was apparently giving instructions for the mission on a giant Etch-A-Sketch. 

“Settle down Felix.” Damian called from behind, seeing that others in line were giving Felix a few looks.

“Damian, let him have fun. It’s okay.” Jelly pet Felix’s head after his cowboy hat flew off. “It’s Disneyland.”

“I guess.” Damian shrugged as he followed behind Lennie and Margaux, Felix and Jelly being right at the very front as they did a bit of line before soon enough finding themselves at the loading station.

They watched as the “ships” constantly moved in their line, Felix becoming more excited as he and Jelly were led to one. He immediately hopped inside and made space for Jelly, the latter turning around to see Damian in the ship behind them so that Lennie could keep an eye on him from behind as he sat with Margaux.

“So what do we do!?” Felix clenched his fists in thrill, soon feeling as the front part of their ship came forwards and he got a closer look at the galactic looking guns.

“Take one and shoot the bad guys.” Jelly grinned, taking one of her own before showing him how to hit a target, immediately getting points. “Let’s see who can get the most points in the end.~”

“I’m gonna beat you Damian!” Felix laughed behind himself, his brother slightly smiling while rolling his eyes at the comment.

“Whatever you say Felix.”

And after taking a ride through the galaxy with Buzz Lightyear, Felix could say that he did beat his brother Damian. But that didn’t make him the one with the highest score.

“Wow! Ranger first class!?” Felix exclaimed at the scoreboard he and his family looked at after his sister had told him the total score of points she got after shooting all the bad guys. “That’s awesome Margaux!”

“Thank you.” the child played with her feet, hugging Mr. Jingles close.

“Me and Damian are…”Felix examined the board. “Planetary Pilots! So close to Space Scout! I still beat Damian though.~”

“You sure did.” Lennnie pat Felix’s back as they all made their way out through the exit of the ride, already having collected the codes to buy pictures of them on it later. “Where to now?”

“There was...a ride I noticed.” Damian commented. “The white one-”

Damian was soon interrupted by yet another gasp from his brother, his boots clicking against the ground as he managed to escape from Jelly’s hand and ran over to what was revealed to be the store.

“It’s Buzz! And a Buzz jacket! A-And the little green men! And Zurg! And an actual Astro Blaster!” Felix fawned over all of the merchandise, especially the Buzz Lightyear toy. “Aww! I wish I had this guy…”

“Felix, honey.” Jelly carefully took the box, looking down at the price. “The toy costs thirty-five dollars.”

“Oh…”Felix’s smile dropped, disappointment filling him.

“That leaves more than enough money to get something else. Do you want the jacket too? What size are you? I can even get you a pin or we can look at other things throughout the day.”

“Are you serious nana!?” Felix immediately lit up as he watched Jelly pick out a hooded sweater that made the wearer look like they were dressed as Buzz.

“Is she serious?” Damian blinked at the sight, having asked Lennie who gave a shrug and laugh.

“She loves to spoil the grandkids, and she said she never wanted to become a grandmother.” Lennie turned to look up at Damian. “What was the ride you wanted to go on?”

“Oh. It doesn’t matter.”

“If you don’t tell me right now, your Mama Coral’s gonna ask you and you don’t want that.”

Damian stared at Lennie for a moment, then darting his eyes over at Margaux who gave a shrug.

“It’s the white building next to the rocket, I think that’s a pizza place. The ride seemed interesting. Space or Galaxy something.”

“Oh, Ghost Galaxy.” Lennie nodded. “Yeah, it’s actually called Space Mountain but it’s Ghost Galaxy during the Halloween season. That one’s an indoor rollercoaster. It’s nice.”

“R-Rollercoaster?” Margaux hugged her mouse tighter.

“You don’t have to go on it. Either me or Coral can stay outside with you, don’t worry.” Lennie reassured her, giving her hand a comforting squeeze before they all looked at Jelly and Felix. “We can go on it after we meet Buzz Lightyear.”

_____________

“Man, false advertisement!”

“What do you mean?” 

“I barely got wet!”

Jelly and Lennie laughed to themselves as they all walked out of a ride that was not in Tomorrowland, for they had moved away from that area and into New Orlean’s Square. Here, they had decided to go on a rather tame ride despite having a bit of a drop that was tolerable even by Margaux.

“You still got a few drops. Nothing in your boots, right?”

“Not even a snake in here.” Felix joked, eventually giving a loud laugh at the thought of it and his costume. “That was good.”

“Do you really want to be getting your costume wet though?” Jelly tugged at one of Felix’s sleeves.

“I don’t mind!”

“I mean, if you really want to get wet, have I got the place for you.” Jelly waved around the park map. “Unless you want to eat first.”

“I could really go for some nachos right now.” Felix stated, until he heard terrified screams that made him look past some tall trees that surrounded a mansion he currently did not care for. “What was that?”

“Come over here.” Lennie motioned to the three kids, bringing them over to an area where there was a fence, and beyond it was a pile of scary-looking thorns. “That’s what it is.”

All three of them looked up at what was a funny-looking mountain, right in it was a black hole from which a stream of water fell. Watching intently, they saw as a log slowly appeared, and then a person sitting in it. Soon enough, the entire log came into full view before it slid down the water stream at full speed as screams were heard at the same time.

“Oh my god.” Felix started. “Punpa. Nana. We HAVE to go on that!”

“We don’t have to go on that.” Margaux shook her head.

“That is true, we don’t have to.” Jelly rubbed her shoulders. “Lennie, how about you take the boys on Splash?”

“You sure? I don’t mind staying with Margaux.”

“You stayed out for Space Mountain, it’s my turn.” Jelly nodded. “We can always come back here and to Space Mountain and take turns.”

“Well, if you say so.” Lennie let go of Margaux’s hand, Jelly now taking it before she handed a backpack over to Damian.

“The ponchos are in here, just in case you don’t want to be getting wet.” Jelly pat his arm. “And make sure you don’t let go on that ride. Especially you Felix.”

“Thanks.”

“But why not!?”

“Okay, okay. You can let your hands up if you sit in the front.”

“That’s exactly where I planned on sitting!” Felix stated as he got into a marching position, ready to head off before he was followed by his brother and grandpa after exchanging a few more words with Jelly.

“So Margaux, what would you like to do now?” Jelly rubbed her thumb over Margaux’s knuckles with a warm smile. “Maybe go on another ride while we wait?”

Margaux pondered to herself for a moment, glancing over at Mr. Jingles before placing a hand on her stomach. As if on command, her stomach gave a growl that made Jelly give a bit of a giggle.

“So, first we eat, huh?” 

_____________

Lennie had called Jelly, telling her that he and the boys were done with Splash Mountain, Felix speaking loud in the back of course. Considering how Jelly had decided she wanted to take Margaux over to Fantasyland and already having reached the location, she suggested that he and the boys go on the ride again or at least the nearest roller coaster which was another mountain.

“W-What’s the name of the o-one they’re on?”

“It’s Big Thunder Mountain. Cowboy-style stuff.” Jelly informed her as she playfully swung around her hand that held onto Margaux’s. “But let’s let go of that stuff for now and talk about princesses, yeah?”

“I like princesses.” Margaux nodded, the tiniest smile present on her features as she looked around the area that was filled with cottage-looking buildings. “Where are they?”

“They’re over at the fair, but we can meet them later. Would you like that?”

Margaux replied with a nod of her head, soon taking a good look at Jelly who noticed.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.” Margaux whispered, her eyes fixated on Jelly’s dress. 

“Margaux…”

“I j-just really think your dress is pretty…”she let go of Jelly’s hand to softly run a hand over the dress which was half blue and half pink. “My Gam Gam is a Disney princess.”

“Oh Margaux, it’s just a cos-” Jelly spoke but then stopped herself, then twirling a lock of her golden hair. “I mean, I do sleep a lot. And I have little fairies, except there’s twenty-three of them.”

“What?” Margaux silently gasped. 

“Uh huh, and they’re all pink. They look like little jellyfish who float all over the place.”

“Even around Grampy? Like the fairies and Prince Philip?”

“Oh definitely.” Jelly nodded as she led Margaux through the crowd, bringing her over to a building near the carousel. “Your Grampy even defeated a big bad dragon that took me away.”

“He did?”

“Of course. He’s so brave and courageous.” Jelly giggled to herself. “Then he gave me a big kiss.”

“And he woke you up?”

“Yup!” Jelly gave another nod, eventually stopping as they now stood in front of the building that read Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

“What’s this?” Margaux blinked up at the building, heart racing at the sight of beautiful crowns carefully placed on display behind the large window near the entrance.

“This is where princesses get their outfits.” Jelly released Margaux’s hand, now placing both of hers on the child’s shoulders. “So what dress does the princess want?”

“Dress?” Margaux examined the area after she was brought inside by Jelly, looking around at the displays of princess dresses that were all on small mannequins. “Oh my.”

She hugged Mr. Jingles against her chest, shifting as she looked at all of the dresses and crowns, a small smile forming on her lips.

_____________

“Nana! That ride was insane! Well, both of them were! And the second one was so crazy it basically dried our clothes up after Splash Mountain!” Felix ran towards Jelly and Margaux, soon gasping as he skid to a stop so as to not crash into them. “Is that a churro!?”

“Yes.” Margaux responded before taking a bite out of her churro, letting Mr. Jingles take a bite out of it.

“Just got a churro and some gingerbreads for Margaux and Mr. Jingles. I bought some chocolates for everyone too.”

“Gam-Gam even got a little Mickey Mouse hat for Mr. Jingles.” Margaux mentioned as she showed off the tiny hat. “Now he’s the Doormouse and Mickey.”

“Hey! That’s like the ones Dami-wait! Did you eat all of the chocolate!?” Felix cried out before feeling Jelly pat his head.

“No sweetheart, we haven’t opened up the chocolates yet. Would you like one?”

“Totally!” Felix made a grabby motion with his hands, immediately taking one of the squares Jelly offered. “What’s this one have?”

“It’s a s’mores flavored one.” Jelly replied before offering some to Lennie and Damian, the latter shaking his head no thank you before the box of chocolates was put away.

“So! What are your guys’ plans now?” Jelly asked the three kids, the brothers looking at each other before Margaux tugged at Jelly’s dress. Jelly turned to look down at her, seeing as Margaux motioned for her to come down. So, the former kneeled down before having Margaux whisper into her ear.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.~”

“Which one?” Felix poked his head into the conversation, watching Jelly stand up before looking over to the side where there was a good amount of line behind some victorian-esque fences.

“Margaux wants to go on the Haunted Mansion Holiday.” Jelly pointed to the building where a music box was heard. “You guys wanna go? It’s usually just a Haunted Mansion, but now it has characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

“Let’s go! Let’s go right now! Right now!”

“Okay, just don’t run off.” Lennie advised as he trailed behind Felix, turning around to take a quietly excited Margaux’s hand. That was when he noticed that Damian had stayed behind. “You okay, bud?”

“Yeah. I just thought I could take a break.” Damian looked between Jelly and Lennie.

“Oh, sure. We can all take a break.”

“No, you guys go ahead. I can stay and sit outside.” Damian slightly shook his head, then hearing as Jelly approached him.

“Jelly, you go on ahead and take the kids. I’ll stay with Damian.”

“I can-”

“Nuh uh young man, you are not staying out here by yourself.” Jelly lifted a finger, then waving her hand at Lennie. “Just go ahead. I’m still full from eating and wouldn’t want the motions getting me nauseous.”

“If you say so.” Lennie chuckled as he waved to his wife, leading Felix and Margaux to the line of the Haunted Mansion Holiday.

“You...didn’t have to stay.” Damian turned to Jelly who shrugged. “You could have gone in with them. I’m old enough to take care of myself.”

“I know, but sometimes people need someone with them.” Jelly ruffled his hair. “Not that I don’t trust you, I had a few of my escapades when I was your age.”

“I wasn’t-”

“I know you weren’t. I honestly just wanted to spend some time with you Damian.” Jelly admitted. “Now, how about I buy you a pretzel of some popcorn? Maybe some fries?”

“I...a pretzel sounds nice.” Damian shrugged, then following Jelly as she took him to a stand with a variety of salty snacks.

Once purchased, Damian was handed the pretzel which he began to eat, still walking behind Jelly before feeling his free hand be held. In that moment, he froze, panicked. My god, he was shaking with wide eyes at the realization of his hand being held by Jelly’s.

“You okay?” Jelly stopped walking, looking behind at Damian who swallowed the bit of pretzel in his mouth as he stared down at the ground. “Damian?”

She blinked at Damian who nearly squeezed the life out of his Mickey-shaped pretzel, vibrating as his eyes refused to move from the ground.

“Damian? Are you okay?” Jelly let go of his hand, realizing that the boy’s face had become flushed. “Damian?”

“Mmm?” he finally lifted his head to look at Jelly, meeting up with her concerned expression. “Yes?”

“Are you...did I do something wrong?”

“No.” Damian quickly replied, the color ever so slowly draining from his face as he blinked quite awkwardly. “Cold.”

“You’re cold?” Jelly made a weird face at him, knowing that that clearly wasn’t the issue.. “Because you turned red. I don’t think that means it’s cold.”

“Hot?” Damian practically wheezed, his mind either a mixture of panic or absolutely blank. 

“How about we go into this store? Maybe that’ll help with your...temperature.” Jelly gave a bit of a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood before being followed by a stiff Damian. “Look, there’s even a blanket in here. Do you want it?”

“No.” spoke Damian, finally clearing his throat. “N-No thank you...mémé…”

In an instant, Jelly turned around at the sound of that name. Knowing French, she already knew what it meant, and it no doubt delighted her on the inside despite being the word she did not want to be called. For some reason, it being in a different language just sounded better.

“Okay. That’s okay.” Jelly nodded before gasping and taking a nearby item, soon removing Damian’s gangster hat to replace it with what she had found. “What about this then?”

Damian, finally back to his normal self, felt Jelly’s hands on his shoulders as she turned him so he could face a mirror. Once he saw his reflection, he realized that he was wearing one of the popular Mickey Mouse ear hats.

“I...it’s…”

“Aw, you look so adorable Damian!” Jelly nearly squealed as she popped her head from behind to get a better look at the mirror. “Such a dashing, young man with Mickey ears.”

Once again, Damian felt as a heat rushed up to his cheeks. Thankfully, he hadn’t reacted the same as he did the last time when Jelly held his hand.

“It’s..it’s fine.” Damian slowly removed the hat, turning in place to hand it back to Jelly. “I don’t need it.”

“Maybe, but you want it.” Jelly spoke in a singing tone. “So I’m buying it.~”

“Wait-” Damian whipped around, seeing as Jelly stood in place and gave him a sly smile, so he decided not to protest it.

“Is there anything else you’d like? There’s this zip-up hoodie that had Jack Skellington on it. All black. It seems like something you’d wear.” Jelly made a motion with her hand so that Damian could follow as she brought him over to a section with Nightmare Before Christmas clothes. “Surprises me they don’t have any of the costumes, but then again, this is Disney.” 

“I mean, I’d rather get a Roger Rabbit shirt. With, Jessica.” Damian cleared his throat as he averted his gaze.

“Aw, shoot.” Jelly’s smile fell. “Damian, I’m sorry to say this, but they don’t sell Roger Rabbit merchandise here anymore.”

“I...oh.”

“I mean, we can definitely go on the ride later though. That’s a promise.” Jelly patted his shoulder as she grabbed one of the hoods she had mentioned before, trying one on in front of Damian to check for the right size. “Just as I promise to find you the perfect shirt when we get back home. I know people sell those things online and if I don’t find something, I’ll talk to my brother Pepper. He’s the real life Roger Rabbit and is bound to have something in his house.”

“I noticed.” Damian gave a nod. “And…”

Jelly’s eyes left the hood, glancing over at Damian.

“I appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem, kelpcake.”

“Kelpcake?” Damian lifted his head at Jelly.

“You’re my kelpcake.” Jelly ever so softly pinched Damian’s cheek. “Speaking of real life characters, did I ever tell you that your Uncle Davey is basically a real life Jack Skellington? That boy never noticed his feelings for your aunt, or her own of course.”

“You’re joking.” Damian squinted his eyes at Jelly who laughed with a shake of her head.

“Harper and Benjamin literally told him to his face after he saw Ally go on a date with another guy.”

“That’s...hilarious.” Damian looked around the store.

“Oh yeah, your aunt Lily even suggested that they dress up as them. They did one time, even had Peggy dressed as Zero. It was adorable.”

“Huh.” Damian walked behind Jelly as she looked at a section with plush toys from the Haunted Mansion and Nightmare Before Christmas. “Speaking of Peggy, and the axolotls, where did they come from?”

Jelly’s hands stopped searching through the plush toys as she froze for a moment, eventually turning to Damian with a smile.

“Well, we have a rehabilitation center, your grandpa and I, and we’re constantly on the lookout for new species or at least ones that need help.” Jelly resumed her searching. “The axolotls happened to be one of those discoveries.”

“From where?”

“The sea.” Jelly answered in a heartbeat. “We have some boats. Even your uncle Davey has a ship of his own. We’re constantly on the sea, and we just happened to come upon the axolotls. Mana and Kala at least, and then they eventually had their pups and on.”

“How long do they live?”

“That’s something we haven’t quite figured out just yet. Your grandpa has an idea though, it’s best you ask him.” Jelly faced Damian now, holding a funny looking plush that was meant to be a vampire teddy bear. “How do you like this little guy?”

“They look funny.” Damian poked the toy’s large and toothy grin.

“Great. They’re going home with you.” Jelly grinned before heading off to the cash register. “If there’s anything else you want, tell me now. Or you can tell me if anything catches your eye later.”

“Alright.” Damian now stood behind Jelly, watching as she paid for the three items she was getting just for him. “I wanted to ask, how are things with you and Pop?”

“Oh, as perfect as ever.” Jelly then received a bag with the merchandise, taking out the plush before handing it over to Damian who accepted it and took a better look at it. “I mean, we’re obviously here taking you and siblings to Disney and California Adventures. Other than that, just been working at my aquarium like usual, the park. Spend as much as time with all of you kids as much as possible, especially with Davey and Ally popping out more grandkids.”

“How many do they have now? I don’t see them too much, but I thought it was four.”

“Four indeed. Your aunt Ula and her husbands have six in total. Though Dahlia makes it feel like more.” Jelly laughed, taking notice of the funny face Damian made at the thought of his troublemaking cousin. “Speaking of your cousins, how have you been getting along with your cousins?”

“It’s going well.” Damian sighed at the thought of everyone he had met. All different from the other. “But Flora,”

“What about Flora?”

“She’s, really welcoming.” Damian squeezed his plush as she and Jelly continued walking, now finding an empty spot to sit at as it started to grow dark. “I really appreciate it. She tries to help me a lot and she’s very sweet.”

“Flora is like that, she just knows things.” Jelly placed a hand on Damian’s back, rubbing circles on it as he slightly shivered at the touch. “I’ve been meaning to ask, how are things with Basil?”

“Basil?” Damian rapidly brought his head up. “Well. It’s all well and okay.”

“Yeah? He’s not causing you any problems?”

“No, no. Of course not.”

“What?” a loud laugh was heard from behind the pair, both turning to see none other than Felix who was waving around a paper. “Basil always scares you!”

“Shut up Felix.” Damian glared at his brother.

“You guys are back.” Jelly felt as Felix slipped in between her and Damian, then seeing Lennie and Margaux stand in front of them. “How was it?”

“It was fun.” Margaux turned to Lennie who agreed. “And kind of cold.”

“They do that on purpose.” Jelly laughed before looking at Felix. “Sweetheart, don’t interrupt your brother, okay?”

“Okaaaay.” Felix slumped his body, but immediately jumped back into a straight pose to show off the paper he had received. “I got this though! Punpa asked for me and Margaux and we got Death Certificates!”

“That’s so nice.”

“Can we go again!? The ride got stuck like two times.”

“Yeah.” Margaux agreed before glancing over at Damian. “And Damian should come with us too.”

Jelly turned to Damian who remained quiet.

“Come on Damian, let’s go see Sandy Claws.” Jelly rubbed his shoulder after Felix hopped off his seat, Damian now looking at Jelly. “Then we can go on the Roger Rabbit ride right after. I promise.”

“I guess.” Damian nodded before he and Jelly stood up, soon turning red as Jelly linked her arm with his.

“But you have to promise to sit in the Doombuggie with your mémé.” Jelly smiled, then giggling as Damian gave a shaky nod while squeezing his vampire teddy bear.

[the-awkward-outlaw]

Holà ! Could you write an imagine / headcanon about Arthur meeting a mermaid ( maybe in Guarma ) and falling for her ? And you can choose the ending ( but not too sad please he deserved better )

Ah, I’m so sorry Anon this has taken me so long! My life is weirdly busy right now even though none of the reasons it’s busy are important. This turned out really long and doesn’t neccessarily have a happy ending, but it sort of does at the same time. Anyways, I hope it’s at least semi-satisfactory. 

When Arthur found himself stranded on the beach after the boat wrecked, he was horrible disorientated. A mixture of exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration, and a horrible burning in his lungs didn’t make anything better. The ground was white hot and he could barely see when he opened his eyes. Once they’d adjusted, he realized he was standing on sand with islands of grass and bushes. 

Hot. That’s the only sense his mind can process. unbearable heat. The sand burns his feet, the sun burns his face and eyes. The air is thick and soupy. Gulls cry happily as they soar above him. How can any living thing be happy in this place? Hell itself could not be worse. 

As he stumbles around the beach, he sees something sparkling on a large rock poking from the waves near the shore. He thinks it must be some water collected in the fissures of the rock, or perhaps some strange birds. He’s heard of sea turtles, maybe it’s coming from them. As he approaches, though, he sees a little better and it’s obvious that none of his previous impressions were correct. He’s looking at what looks like a woman. Or what looks partially like a woman from the waist up anyways. Where her legs should have been was instead a long, shimmering tail, the flukes trailing back and forth slowly. Her head was tipped back as though enjoying the rays of the sun, her long brown hair trailing over her chest and back. 

Arthur blinks multiple times. His condition must be making him go insane. She can’t possibly be real. He’s heard legends of course. He heard some drunken sailors at the saloon in Saint Denis discussing their sightings of mermaids, but ten minutes later they were black out drunk. Yet here she was, visible proof that perhaps they weren’t mistaken.

Arthur lifts his hand. “Y-you!” he calls, his voice weak. 

The woman looked to him, unafraid. She was very familiar with the land folk, her people called them. She was unimpressed with him. Sure, he was a large specimen, broad shouldered and barrel chested, but most men she’d seen wandering shores or atop their strange, massive floating carved trees were. Luckily for him, she wasn’t feeling particularly hungry. Land folk were regarding by her kind as a delicacy, but she had never grown to like the taste. There was just something about land meat she never craved. She preferred her usual game of fish and the other creatures that dwell in the ocean with her. 

She flashed him a smile though. Her pod would definitely appreciate her bringing in an offering of land folk. They were becoming harder to come by as their carved trees became more advanced. Faster and sturdier. A land folk who had been ship wrecked was the perfect target. 

“You there!” he yelled again, slightly stronger. 

“Arthur!” another land folk approaches him. Taller yet thinner in build with disheveled black hair and mustache. Three more men followed him and she knew it wasn’t safe. Luckily none of them saw her and she slipped quickly back into the water. Her sun bathing would have to continue later. 

Over the next few days, she saw the man again and again in the same spot as the first time. It was like he was looking for her. The boulder he’d seen her from happened to be her favorite sun bathing spot as it was easy to access and surrounded by deep water which made hiding easy. She knew the island was heavily populated despite its small size, making her vulnerable. 

The man seemed harmless enough, but he was clearly wary of her. She allowed him to spot her a handful of times, both in and out of the water. Despite how little she liked the taste of land folk, she was very good at hunting them. Something the matriarch of her pod was befuddled by. 

The third time the man came calling, she slid right to the edge of the water, allowing him to get the closest he’d ever been. She found herself growing curious about him. He wasn’t like other land folk she’d stalked and killed. He wasn’t frightened nor did he try and kiss her like some misguided sailors had. He was simply intrigued and she was too. 

Mayani, as was her name, soon learned the land folk’s name was Arthur Morgan. She learned, like all merfolk do, his native tongue along with the languages of other land folks. It was part of learning the hunt. She spoke with Arthur for many hours that first day and he told her many things about where he came from. He described the hot deserts, seas made of grass, mountains taller than the highest waves capped in snow. It was intriguing. In turn, Mayani , or Maya as she preferred, told him the secrets of the ocean. Listening to the haunting songs of whales, hunting giant squid, outrunning sharks, the colorful and vibrant corals and how to tell which kinds were safe to eat and which kinds were not. 

Arthur found himself longing to join Maya in her watery kingdom after a week had passed. Dutch was still working with Hercule in order to get off this god-forsaken island, and he felt envious of Maya and the freedom she had to come and go from it as she pleased. She told him that she was breaking her matriarch’s boundaries though. Last year, three of her pod members had been killed on the shores of this island by those who occupied it and the matriarch forbade the rest of the pod from returning. Maya still found the warm, shallow waters worth the risk, plus it offered some of the best foraging corals and hunting grounds. The temptation was too great. 

Arthur made her laugh easily. When he asked her if it was true that a mermaid’s kiss could give a sailor the ability to breathe underwater, she found it hysterical. A kiss could not change one’s abilities, she said. Nothing could do that. She learned that his kind were called humans. As they divulged more secrets of their lives to one another, they found that their species were not so different. Merfolk possessed their own cultures, though the females were the leaders and not the men. The females were also the only ones allowed to do hunting. The idea was that since they were the only ones to give life, they should be the only ones to take lives. The males spent their time foraging and helping raise the offspring. 

Arthur quickly became interested in the mermaid. She was beautiful, sure, but he found himself more attracted to her spirit than anything else. She was in a very similar position as he was in his own gang, the third highest ranking member of her pod but she enjoyed wandering the ocean on her own, though her loyalty was unwaverable. Arthur wished there was a way they could be together, but he knew that was impossible. She could not survive on land for more than a few hours, her tail and even skin was heavily dependent on the salt water. Without it, she would quickly dehydrate and die. He of course could not exist in the water. 

The time finally came when only one thing was left to do before he and the others could return to the mainland. Arthur approached his and Maya’s meeting spot with a somber expression. She was miserable too as someone in her pod had spotted her “fraternizing” (as her matriarch had put it) with a land folk on a forbidden island. This was the last time she’d be able to see him. They told each other how things were standing for themselves. Arthur didn’t want to leave her with nothing, but having no object to give, he kissed Maya gently. 

“Thank you,” he said. Maya smiled, but something about the way his lips tasted was off. She knew immediately he was sick. She told him to wait and then dived down and foraged for a rather rare coral that she knew grew around the island. It luckily didn’t take her long before she found the tiny organism and she gave it to him. 

“You’re very sick, Arthur,” she explained. “Your kind carry many sicknesses. If we didn’t learn to identify them, we’d get sick too. When we’ve eaten sick humans, we eat this coral and it cures us. You should do the same.” 

Arthur did not question. His lungs had been burning more than ever before and he’d developed quite a cough, so he studied the strange, bumpy coral. It was only the size of a quarter but the texture was awful. Squeezing his eyes, he swallowed the coral as quickly as he could, for Maya said cooking it would destroy its healing properties. She smiled at him when he had swallowed it and he kissed her one last time. 

“I promise,” he said. “I will never forget you.”

“I wish our paths could cross again,” she said. 

The sun was beginning to set and in the distance they heard Dutch calling Arthur’s name. He sighed heavily and brushed her cheek. “Thank you,” he said. He got up and walked away towards the voice. Maya watched him for a moment and then dipped into the water. She tried to imagine how things could have been between them in another world, but her matriarch had told her time and time again that wanting what could never be was the most fruitless venture of all. 

[glamorous-revenge]

A New Chief

((Ha! That’s right! I had TWO for the @moana-party​ exchange this time around! My second prompt was from @raptor-moon who requested:

An encounter with the kakamora goes very unexpectedly.

This was fun to write!! Hope you like it!))

A typical day in the Realm of monsters... or it had been. Monsters going about their usual business of hunting and survival, when out of nowhere a loud splash broke the surface of the watery ceiling high above their heads, and something plummeted straight to the earth. A flock of eight-eyed bats screeched as they were spooked from their perches, and a frog the size of a small bus hurriedly hopped away as the mysterious something struck the reed with a shattering crash. Enormous wooden splinters and shards of coral and shell fragments went flying until the object finally came to a full stop, and for a moment, all was completely silent.

A few of the more brave, or perhaps more curious monsters slowly drew back in toward the crash to see what had jut invaded their realm.

It was... unusual to say the least... A boat? A hut? A small island? The wreckage seemed to be a mix of the three, and it was immediately clear that even before the strange vessel had sunk to the ocean floor, it had been in some sort of violent collision, if the massive cracks and break alongside the hull were any indication. A few broken spears were tangled among the wreck as well, but... they were far too small to belong to any human.

So what-?

KNOCK KNOCK

The nearest monster, a cat-like creature with a scaly, whip-like tail and saber-like fangs, yowled and arched their back as the leaped away from the wreck as something deep inside started to move and shift. It let out a haunting hiss in warning, but the beams and bits of sail continued to move about.. And a little coconut with a face scrawled on a shaven part of its surface poked out of the rubble.

SLAP SLAP THUNK KNOCK

It struck its armor with mauve-colored hands, and tilted as it looked at the cat monster.

Seemed harmless enough. Cute, even.

Hackles lowered, the cat still growled as it started to stalk forward. Whatever this coconut thing was, it was alive, and would certainly make for a valuable snack, and the monster flexed its claws in anticipation.

Suddenly, the beams and splinters shifted again, and at least four dozen other faces emerged from the wreckage. The cat stopped in its tracks, baffled, and before it could take another step

"REEEEEEEE!"

The kakamora screeched defiantly, and grabbed the broken spears, or pulled out all manners of weaponry forged from sticks, stones and sea life. They jumped from the remains of their ship and charged at the monster. It yowled and scrabbled back, claws finding no purchase in the soft sand as it tried to turn about. Only by dumb luck was it able to finally right itself, and dash back into the undergrowth before the tiny pirates had reached it.

Several skid to a halt, and raised their weapons in triumph! ... But the rest kept running, straight into the wilderness. Almost immediately, confusion washed over the ranks... More stopped, some continued forward, and in the chattering chaos, at least one made it into the denser plantlife. Were they supposed to continue attacking? Were they supposed to fall back? Certainly didn’t seem like the organized and intricate coordination that most of the world had come to expect from them, but... they didn’t know what to do!

It was only when a blood-curdling shriek abruptly cut off by the crunch of a coconut shell from the shadows that snapped them all back to their senses. They huddled together, weapons pointed outward, until everything became calm once more.

The defensive ring disbanded, and the pirates looked to each other for some kind of answer. They’d never been that disorganized before... What happened? Usually the chief would give an order and-

... And there it clicked.

Their chief had been on the main boat, unconscious by one of their own darts during the collision. She wouldn’t have been able to do anything to rescue her crew members, and now she was miles away from them, with monsters, sea creatures and an entire ocean of water between them.

The kakamora slapped out panicked messages on their shells.

We have no chief!

Who will lead us?

How will we survive?

One with a seashell crown rapped his jawbone club over his neighbor to get everyone’s attention.

We must find a new chief! He announced, drumming on his head. A new chief to lead us and make us our own crew! One that can keep us safe around these monsters!

Nervous chattering rippled through the group, but ultimately they decided that he was right... But one problem... None of the pirates present knew the first thing about Lalotai...

No... They would need to search for a new leader... Someone who knew this strange new land like the back of their hand...

And if they didn’t want to end up like their fallen crewmate, they would need to find one fast.

---

Days? Weeks? Hard to tell as the time blurred in this sun-less, neon-dominated landscape. The pirates trudged along, dragging their weapons behind them, and practically suffocated with the heat, humidity and plantlife. Kakamora were evolved to handle life on boats... not trekking miles upon miles through dense jungle... but they were slowly starting to learn. They stayed close; never straying more than a few feet from multiple others, and they constantly had look-outs to warn the others of the first signs of trouble. A few of them had even started collecting small trinkets and ‘treasures’ to feel like proper pirates again.

But still, they were still nowhere near ready to tackle this place on their own; evident by the fact their group had shrunk by another half-dozen or so.

We should stop and rest...

Can’t rest... We need to keep going...

Those two messages kept getting knocked back and forth, regular enough that it almost formed a marching beat as they kept going forward. Why, if the creatures could actually sing, it might have made their trek a little easier. They could practically hear the melody in their heads...

...

Wait a minute... That wasn’t in their heads.

A few of the kakamora in the front of the group raised their hands out-of-sync, trying to get the rest of the group to stop. Sure enough, somewhere ahead of them, there was the unmistakable sound of someone... or something... singing in a tired, melancholy tone.

♪ “Shiny... I’m so shiny...” ♪

The smaller monsters looked at each other uncertainly... though this was the first thing they’d heard that wasn’t squawks, shrieks, screeches or grunts since they got here. The first sign of ANY kind intelligence in this gods-forsaken landscape. The uncertainty gave way to hope, and their nervous knocks clamored to a dull roar of anticipation.

The few at the front gave an excited cry, and the group rushed forward...

And almost bounced off of a large, bulbous eyestalk that lay in the clearing just beyond the trees.

The kakamora screamed, and the giant eye blinked as it swiveled to look at whatever had interrupted its owners singing.

“What the-!?” an almost deafening voice boomed out, and a few of the pirates fled back into cover while the rest stayed frozen stiff.

It was a monster, that much was painfully obvious, but one MUCH bigger than anything they’d seen so far. It appeared to be some sort of giant crab, blue-purple in color, and with a legspan of at least a hundred feet across. Hell, even the eye itself had to be three or four times taller than any of the pirates. The crab was upside down, locked in place on his back, and judging from the torn up terrain within his reach, he’d had been stuck that way for a while with no luck of righting himself.

A kakamora in a puffer fish hat tried to tap out a greeting, but the larger monster’s voice sent those hands to cover eardrums instead.

“Gods above, just PERFECT. Now the vermin have come crawling out of the woodwork,” the crab groaned. “Haven’t I suffered enough!?”

He struggled, trying to rock himself forward, and the ground below him shook from his efforts. More of the pirates fled for cover, but before they all disappeared, a few noticed something... unusual about this crab. As it leaned forward, they got a good look at his back...

And it was absolutely COVERED in gold.

Their eyes sparkled... A tempting hoard for such renowned thieves, even in such a place and as dire a situation. The enormous crustacean must have collected those treasures for millennia, scouring the place for every little bit of gold and shiny collectibles it had to offer!

Leaving no stone unturned.

Exploring... everything... hmm...

They exchanged looks... they were all clearly thinking the same thing, as impossible as it might be... But they were desperate.

The crab rolled back into place, covering up the treasure once more, and he fell limp with a melodramatic groan.

The kakamora reemerged from hiding, and they chattered and knocked quietly amongst themselves while stealing glances at the fallen monster...

And a plan slowly took form.

Afterall, the Kakmoras weren’t just pirates... No.

They were engineers... And though this very idea was crazy...

It just might work.

---

Over the next few weeks,the kakamora hovered around the fallen crab, and he was absolutely infuriated by their presence at first. They kept getting far too close for comfort, and over time, they started bringing all sorts of garbage around him... tree trunks, pillars of coral and stone, woven ropes from vines and coconut palm fibers... and no matter how often he roared or swatted at them, they just kept coming back. Eventually he had to grudgingly tolerate their existence.

The kakamora themselves were also becoming much more brave as they worked. There weren’t nearly as many monsters in this area, due, of course, to the giant crab, so they could venture out in smaller groups to get more work done. They’d even managed to build a camp, stock up on fruit and a few fish that had fallen from the sky, and built traps and harnesses to capture whatever small-ish monsters remained in the territory.

A kakmora with two bones tied to its head rode on top of a monster that looked like a chicken crossed with a lizard, and used it to push one final round boulder into place on top of the nearby geyser vent.

Perfection. Everything was in place.

THUNK THUNK KNOCK

The warning message rung out over the valley, and the workers scrambled to the safety of their camp. The bone-headed kakamora rode over to the crab’s head, and poked at the eyestalk with a large stick to get the crab’s attention.

He hissed as he woke up, and bared his teeth at the little coconut-wearing monster. “Rude,” he growled. “What do you want?”

The kakamora simply tilted his head, then gestured to the blocked vent on the hill in front of them.

The crab frowned. “A little late for that, genius...” he deadpanned.

The kakamora kept gesturing, but before the larger monster could piece everything together, the plan was already set into motion.

The ground rumbled, and suddenly the geyser erupted, sending hot water, steam and the large rock flying high into the air. It landed with a heavy crash, and started rolling towards, guided by barricades the pirates had built from coral and wood. It bounced around like a pinball before settling into a deep groove that sent it barreling straight toward a large ramp. It hit the ramp, and went flying in the air...

straight for the crab.

He screeched, and curled his limbs to try and protect his softer stomach, but there was no need. The rock landed perfectly as calculated, hitting the end of a large lever that had been wedged beside him, and with one sudden push, the startled monster was thrown forward.

The kakamora held their breath as he teetered in place, still baffled by what was going on. Of course the rock could only push the 800 ton chunk of muscle and chitin so far, even with the help of physics... but thankfully, just as gravity tried to claw him back down to earth, the crab got a sense of what had just happened, and with one desperate flail...

THUD

He fell forward, landing safely on his stomach.

The pirates cheered, screeching cries of victory that their hard work had paid off, and while the larger monster was still dazed and dizzy from the experience, they rushed forward in a coarse, hairy swarm and crawled onto his gold-laden shell.

“Wh... what.... Hey, get offa me!” The crab tried to stand, but atrophied legs were still clumsy from disuse after so long, and he wobbled as he tried to get up.

But the kakamora did not move. They continued to celebrate, surround by gold and wealth... their dreams come true! And yet, this was just the bonus.

Their real goal... the one they had worked so hard for...

They looked up at the crab’s face expectantly.

“... What the hell are you staring at me for?”

One started to thump rhythmically on its chest, and one by one, the other kakamora followed suit. The sound grew and grew with volume and intensity until the entire crew’s chanting echoed through the valley.

Far too creepy for the larger monster’s taste. “What are you doing? Stop that!”

... And they stopped. Immediately.

The crab blinked. He... hadn’t expected that to work so easily.

Were they... listening to him now?

He glanced down at some of the scattered treasures that had been knocked loose while he was upside down, and pointed at them with his claw.

“Uh... Pick those up?”

And without question, they did exactly that. The pirates shimmied back down his limbs and picked up everything remotely shiny they could find in the sand, and brought it back onto his shell before standing at attention once more.

Shock and confusion gave way to a sinister smirk, and the crab’s antennae perked forward in interest.

“Oh this is going to be fun~” he purred before chuckling to himself. You guys are going to do everything I say, hmm?”

They nodded, and pulled forth a makeshift headdress, not dissimilar from the one their old chief used to wear, and set it among the rest of the treasures.

“So you want me to be your leader? Only natural~ Who wouldn’t want to love and worship the King of Lalotai and serve his every wi-GAH!”

A dart had struck his eyestalk... He was going to be their leader but that didn’t mean they were gonna accept any nonsense. A kakamora subtly gave the one that had blown the dart a high five.

The larger monster grumbled, and tried to pick out the annoying irritant stuck in his armored skin as the stalk froze in an awkward position. “Fine, fine. We’ll work up to that... But I guess I do owe ya runts for getting me back upright. You can stick around... for now... But the instant you lot start irritating me, you’re GONE. Comprenez-vous?”

He was met with enthusiastic nods, and the pirates chattered and knocked happily on their shells, perfectly content with the arrangement.

Strange creatures, surely... Their new leader rolled his non-paralyzed eye, and after briefly stretching and getting reacquainted with his old legs, he marched off in search of something to eat.

In spite of the monster’s attitude, the kakamora were over the moon, and once more roared with cheers and victorious battlecries. They’d done it. They’d found a new chief. They found safety... treasure... their confidence... and even a new ‘boat’ all in one!

And all the while, they proved that they were capable of doing big things even in this giant-dominated world.

Now they could claim this new land as their own.

Now they would survive.

Look out Lalotai! The Kakamora don’t fear you any longer!

[argonapricot]

All of them

pearl: if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Right now? Japan. Just. You know. Because

sails: describe your perfect partner.

Someone with nice and positive energy, who is not super dependent on me but also values me a lot. Someone who has passions and hobbies! I’m usually attracted to how people animate themselves, rather than individual features? A violist musician, maybe. Someone who will listen to classical music with me, and share awesome non-classical jams with me! Someone who likes cats. Someone whose name starts with U.

lighthouse: how much makeup do you wear?

On average, none. For special events, or events that I am very anxious about, I might put on concealer/foundation. I kind of use the two interchangeably. And then maybe a Bit of eyeshadow and maybe a Bit of brown eyeliner, if I’m really feeling fancy. 

shells: would you prefer to be a vampire or a werewolf?

A vampire? Seems easier to control. And also potentially less painful. And hotter. Also I wouldn’t get my period anymore because I’d be undead sign me up.

mermaid: most embarrassing moment?

Once upon a time my school orchestra was corralled into the most mortifying gig on a radio show recording session to ever happen. I don’t think we were even invited, our conductor just made us show up. Only only half the orchestra did and it was the worst. thing. to ever happen.

turquoise: weirdest dream you’ve ever had?

Oh god, I’ve had a lot of weird dreams. I feel like I’m currently blanking on the weirdest. Surely I’ve already told you some good ones?

waves: favourite season and why?

FALL because the weather is nice and the breeze is nice and the smell is nostalgic and the trees are beautiful and aaaa there’s nothing like an autumn breeze

breakers: would you ever consider getting married?

I mean. Yeah.

seafoam: describe your ideal summer vacation.

You, me, the squad, a beach. Ideally featuring me beating Hannah at something.

rain: if it were possible, what exotic animal would you keep as a pet?

I mean possible as in “safe” or “legal” or “practical”? Like. Snow leopards are gorgeous and big cats can be pretty catlike but I don’t think they’d be very happy in closed quarters.

sunlight: least favourite song?

Clarissa’s stupid bear song on the piano

marine: would you ever consider plastic surgery?

I don’t think I’d ever go through with it? Sometimes I’m just like “wow my skin sucks imagine getting fake skin that wouldn’t betray me like this”, but idk if that’s even possible. Other than that I’m… actually pretty happy with my facial features.

sea glass: what do you consider to be your best physical feature?

I’ve been told that I have an Adorable Nose. I’ve also been complimented on my eyebrows, and also sometimes my eyes, but uh. I think the most Compelling part of my physical appearance is just like. The way I emote. Idk. Anyone care to cast a vote?

storm: do you like piercings and tattoos? Why or why not?

As in… on myself? On other people? In the context of sexual attraction? I have my ears pierced, and other piercings can look really good on other people. So can tattoos! But I don’t really think I’m likely to get either.

boardwalk: who is your favourite fictional couple?

Caslyn/Haven

coral: if you had to describe your personality as a food, what would you be and why?

Um. I would be… a cream puff. Because I deflate easily.

nymph: old-fashioned or modern decor?

I like both! For a living space of my own, maybe modern.

seawater: scariest movie you’ve ever watched?

The opening sequence to the Uzuki Files

siren: in a fantasy setting, would you be a warrior, rogue or mage?

Why can’t I be a rogue warrior mage tho. 

tropic: what is your least favourite thing about your appearance?

My skin! If it could just  be clear, all the time, I would feel honestly so much better about myself.

aquamarine: describe your dream date.

Oh gee, I don’t know. Nice weather, and maybe some nice pastries, and maybe outdoors somewhere with some nice conversation? And maybe some handholding or cuddling or little cheek kisses.

brine: gold or silver?

Depends on the application! But my Inner Aesthetic dictates silver.

tidal: what is a colour that best describes your personality?

Uh. I mean I think that depends on the mood my personality is filtered through. 

azure: what is something that you do that makes you happy?

You! Also, elves. Also, nice weather.

fog: describe where you think you’ll be in five years.

Uhh. Living in an apartment in Massachussetts with you and Emma while you two get graduate degrees in engineering and biology or somethings. I will be freelancing art and graphic design even though I will have been able to major in neither. Idk.

coastline: what is your favourite flower?

Azaleas!

shallows: what is your typical Starbucks order?

Tall iced mocha with whipped cream. 

voyage: what are your favourite names?

We made a giant ass spreadsheet of our favorite names, I don’t know which to select for the purpose of this ask meme! Um. Nikolai, obviously. And……. I’ve always loved the name Lyla. 

shipwreck: do you have an OC? If so, describe them.

mkay so we have:

Riava - a wreck, a mess, stammers a bunch, very timid and wishy washy in the face of death and torture, has no legs,  a badass girlfriend who you hate. Possibly also in a relationship with the badass girlfriend’s twin brother Randy.

Ayra - a Badass Amazing CalmTM paladin knight lady with an overprotective streak and a lot of Really Cool Skillz. She works very hard and takes things very seriously, and doesn’t have time for boys. That aren’t her brother/adopted puppy Destian.

Caslyn - A lot more capable and level-headed than Riava, but also kind of a mess? Does magic and ships. Basically married to a lovey competent ship’s captain. Probably going to end up kicking Hannah’s crying rear-end.

Steph - a de-armadillo’d armadillo person who is good at quests and swords and Inner Conflict. Passed up an amazing and gr8 and not-evil sword Silverlight for the alternatively Super Evil And Powerful/Super Clueless And Convinced Tat My Mom Is Pregnant Darklight. What a wild ride

cerulean: do you believe in true love?

As in like, a predestined perfect love that happens automatically and sustains itself without effort? Nnnnah. All relationships take work and attention and trust. I believe in very complete, genuine love, but that doesn’t mean infallible or inevitable.

shoreline: if you could become fluent in another language, which would you pick and why?

Either french, because it sounds Good and Nice and kind of already know my way around the language a little, or Korean because I spend a lot of time listening to people speak Korean and the rhythm is really different from English and the idea of being able to understand it is really attractive.

Or yknow. Elf languages.

tsunami: describe a dream outfit of yours.

A spandex kilt over purple overalls, idk????? I don’t know how Fashion.

riptide: are you introverted or extroverted? Are you happy with this?

Introverted all the way. Which like. I wouldn’t say always makes me happy, because I suffer a lot, but I’m… kinda proud of it. Tis the way of my family.

hurricane: describe a strange habit of yours.

Sometimes I eat raisins and pretend that the raisin box is a pack of cigarettes, and I’m, uh… smoking? Them? Eating some drugs? Don’t ask me how that works, I’m too lame.

[everydaynuggets-blog]

How to Identify Those Who Will Leave You

These be they who separate themselves...

Jude 1:19

The Scripture is clear about those who will separate themselves. Those who separate themselves are those who will leave you.

Jude prophesies about these people and devotes his entire epistle to describing people who leave the congregation and separate themselves. With Jude’s epistle you can arm yourself with an accurate description of the kind of person who is likely to leave you abruptly.

Please take note of these descriptions because they are useful in helping you to protect yourself from being a victim of defectors.

I predict that the following people will separate themselves:

1. MEN WHO WALK IN THE ERROR OF BALAAM WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into THE ERROR OF BALAAM, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Jude 11

Balaam is famous for charging for his prophecies. The error of Balaam is the error of ministering the Gospel for money. I wish it were not so but many of us are doing the ministry for money.

Pastors of poor churches rarely separate themselves. However, pastors of financially strong churches are often the culprits of the “leaving” syndrome. They need to separate themselves in order to gain control of the power and the money. They do all sorts of things to destroy the church they have hitherto belonged to whilst the Holy Spirit is named as the person who directed them to leave.

Watch out for men who walk in the error of Balaam. Watch out for men who charge for playing the organ, the drums and the guitars. Watch out for people who charge for coming to choir rehearsals. Watch out for people who have to be given “transport money” for every little move they make. Most people who separate themselves walk in the error of Balaam!

2. HIDDEN REEFS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

THESE ARE THE MEN WHO ARE HIDDEN REEFS in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 12-13

A reef is a ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea. A reef is therefore a source of great danger to ships. Hidden reefs can end the life of a ship suddenly. Men who will leave you are described as hidden reefs. Such men are often hidden from your sight.

This is why it is important to learn about the signs of disloyalty. Many people display these signs before they actually turn on you.

I once watched a film on the life of the famous warrior Chaka Zulu. As I watched him growing up I immediately spotted the signs of a rebellious person. His hatred for his father because of the way his mother was treated was the first bad sign I noticed. But there were several others. His attitude towards his commander in the army, his independence, his stubbornness and his vengeful spirit were all signs of a bloody future.

These people are not so difficult to spot if you know the signs. Both Hitler and Stalin were members of the choir in their churches. Both of them were expelled from school because of stubbornness and rebelliousness.

Stalin was even expelled from a Bible school in which his mother had enrolled him. Both of them were filled with hatred for the existing authorities and challenged them when they had the chance. Indeed, Stalin and Hitler were hidden reefs of destruction waiting for the opportune time to manifest.

Watch out for hidden reefs. Learn to spot them, even in films. Learn how they speak. Understand their language and their posturing. Watch their attitude and you will become an expert in detecting hidden reefs that separate themselves!

3. MEN WHO CARE FOR THEMSELVES WILL LEAVE YOU.

These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, CARING FOR THEMSELVES; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 12-13

People who just care for themselves are dangerous men. A good minister must care for the flock. A good minister must care for others and not just himself. Some people only care when their church is being broken. They do not care if other churches are being broken. The mass murderers who litter the history of mankind must have not been thinking about others. Hitler’s henchmen would murder thousands of people during the day and go home to play with their wives and little children in the evening.

Obviously, they cared about their own families but did not think much about the families they were destroying through their cruelty. Perhaps they never thought of what kind of pain they were inflicting on the world.

Watch out for men who just care for themselves and do not feel sorry for others. A true minister must have a compassionate heart and feel sorry about other people’s pitiful situations.

4. CLOUDS WITHOUT WATER AND TREES WITHOUT FRUIT WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; CLOUDS WITHOUT WATER, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 12-13

A close look at rebellious people will reveal that they are clouds without water or trees without fruit. Both of these phrases describe men of straw. Clouds usually bring rain to parched land. The land expects a downpour of fresh water from gathering clouds. What a disappointment when there is nothing in the clouds! What a disappointment when there is no fruit on the tree!

A cloud without water speaks of something without substance. Many rebellious people have no depth. They do not know God nor do they truly fear Him. Anyone who fears God will fear to touch the servants of God. Anyone who really knows God will be afraid to destroy His church.

The church is the bride of Christ and only spiritual people recognize its significance. Only people who love God revere His church and handle it with care.

The proof that a cloud has no water is in its failure to produce rain. You will notice that many of these angry, rebellious “leavers” breathe anger and curses but cannot produce any rain.

They are trees without fruit. The years go by and they disappear into obscurity, bearing little or no fruit. Years of ministry with little result, is the greatest evidence that people are “clouds without water” and “trees without fruit”.

Watch people who leave churches in rebellion. Carefully monitor their future and you will find out that you were dealing with clouds that had no water!

5. MEN WHO ARE CARRIED ALONG BY WINDS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, CARRIED ALONG BY WINDS; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 12-13

Men who are carried along by winds are not true leaders. They follow trends and get their strength from the masses. A true leader does not get his strength from the masses! He knows what is right and is not carried along by what the people say. A rebel depends on the support he gets from immature and ignorant people.

I once had an assistant who loved to be in the good books of the people. I soon came to recognize that he really wanted to please everybody. He loved popular opinion and when popular opinion turned against me he followed the popular opinion.

At that time, most of the members in my little church felt I was not called to the ministry. They could not see much future in what I was doing. The church was also filled with a lot of young immature people. The wind of popular opinion blew against me and my assistant was blown along by that wind. This attitude led to his destruction and soon he was no longer found in the ministry.

Watch out for people who are carried along by the winds of the day!

6. MEN WHO ARE UPROOTED, WANDERING STARS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, UPROOTED; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; WANDERING STARS, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude 12-13

Another important characteristic of rebellious people is that they are “uprooted”. Every tree is planted somewhere. It is dangerous to be uprooted from where you have been planted. When you meet ministers who cannot tell you where they were trained, you are dealing with men who have been uprooted. These men have become wandering stars because they are uprooted from their true home.

Why do you want to dissociate from the hand that raised you up? Why can’t you confidently tell your people about your spiritual father? Why can’t you confidently tell others about your spiritual home? It is because you are uprooted and do not properly belong anywhere anymore.

The Spiritual Giant and the Spiritual Son

There was once a man of God who lived in Asia and was very popular and acclaimed in the ministry. This man of God had been raised up by a spiritual giant. This spiritual giant had led him to Christ, ordained him into the ministry and even helped him build his church. The spiritual giant had helped the spiritual son through a recent divorce. These acts alone made this man of God, a son to the spiritual giant. The spiritual giant had gone even further and promoted his spiritual son, making him into one of the most popular ministers of his day in his country.

Unfortunately, this good relationship between the spiritual giant and the spiritual son did not last for long. For various reasons their relationship soured until it was virtually non-existent.

One day, the spiritual son attended the conference of another great international minister and continued to visit these conferences every year. After a while, the spiritual son decided to take this new international minister as his father. It seemed that God had given him a new and blessed relationship. He was a newborn spiritual son to this international minister.

However, even though this spiritual son celebrated his new relationship, he had in reality just been uprooted. To be uprooted means to be disconnected from your original place of planting. Being uprooted is not a good thing! It is a bad sign and it is a biblical description of people who separate themselves.

Many ministers are disconnected from those who raised them up. These separated sons cite many reasons for their separation such as: the sins, the unrighteousness and the downfall of their spiritual mentors. But none of these reasons are good enough to turn yourself into an uprooted tree!

When you are uprooted, you become a wandering star going from place to place hoping to be recognized. It is time to go back home and be planted where you belong.

7. GRUMBLERS AND FAULT-FINDING MEN WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are GRUMBLERS, FINDING FAULT, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

Jude 16

Chronically discontent people grumble and find fault with everything. This is the surest sign that you are dealing with a rebellious person. I once sent several missionaries to different countries. Some of them were successful and others returned home without finishing their mission.

One day, as I mused on the different missions and on the missionaries who had had to return home I realized a common thread that ran through their experiences. Those who returned unsuccessfully were all “brought home” by their wives. Through the bad and unhelpful attitude of their wives, they had been forced to give up their missions and return home.

Most of the missionaries did not want to return home but had no choice. At heart, these missionary wives were rebellious against the ministry. They manifested their rebelliousness by private grumbling at home. They found fault with their husbands, with the missions and with the countries they were sent to. Of course the wives denied any wrongdoing. However, we knew that their wives were grumbling discontented women.

The fruit of their private hidden grumbling and faultfinding was clear. Every single husband was forced to leave his call and go home. Grumbling is always a bad sign and leads to people leaving their God-given positions.

8. MEN WHO SPEAK ARROGANTLY WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; THEY SPEAK ARROGANTLY, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. Keep yourselves in the love of God.

Jude 16

Men who speak arrogantly will leave you as Jude prophesied. Watch out for people who have no regard for whom they are speaking to.

You Are Not Always Right

People who speak proudly are dangerous people. One day, I was having a discussion with a young minister. The discussion turned into an argument as I emphasized my point to him.

Finally when he run out of arguments and had nothing to counteract what I was saying, he rebuked me saying, “You are not always right you know?”

I was taken aback.

I was being made to understand that although I seemed to be winning the argument it did not mean I was right.

Although what he was saying was true in essence and although I am not always right, there was a prideful manner in which he was rebuking the person who had appointed him as a pastor and ordained him into the ministry.

Watch out for people who speak arrogantly to men of authority! They are fulfilling the prophecies of Jude. They are men who will eventually separate themselves.

I’m Not Surprised You’ve Come

One day I visited a junior pastor who had resigned from the ministry. I wanted to reconcile with him and repair our relationship. But I was taken aback at his reception. Instead of being glad that I had come to reconcile and repair the broken relationship, he began to speak harshly to me.

He said, “I’m not surprised that you’ve come.

He continued, “I was wondering how long it would take you to come.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing because I thought he would be glad to see me. After all I was his pastor and I was the one who had appointed him as a pastor.

As our conversation continued I said to him, “Listen... I…”

Before I could continue he stopped me in my tracks and said, “Don’t say listen. Don’t come here on your own terms.”

He continued, “Don’t say ‘we’ it’s you, Dag.” (He used to call me “Pastor” but when people are angry and rebellious they do not use your titles anymore. They call you by your first name to bring you to their level).

Sometimes rebellious people hate you so much that they cannot mention your name when speaking to others about you. At such times they refer to you as “the guy”, “your brother”, “that man”, “the man” or “your man” depending on which is appropriate to them).

I continued to try to talk to this former pastor but he was so angry. Then he dropped a shocker. He said, “I have survived without you! I don’t need you anymore.” We all need each other. But he didn’t want to talk to me anymore. He got up and ushered me out of his house.

Men who speak arrogantly will leave you as Jude prophesied.

Watch out for people who have no regard for whom they are speaking to! Watch out for people who can say anything to anyone!

9. FLATTERERS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, FLATTERING PEOPLE FOR THE SAKE OF GAINING AN ADVANTAGE. Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

Jude 16

People who flatter you cannot be trusted. It is the simple-minded who are impressed by the flattery of wicked men. Throughout the Bible we are warned to be careful of flatterers. “For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue” (Psalms 5:9).

Be on guard every time you meet someone who excessively praises you and your ministry. No one knows who is really pleasing God. No one knows whom God is really happy with. Heaven will reveal it all. Every person I have met who is full of effusive praises has eventually left the ministry. Flattery is a sign of disloyalty. It is a sign of someone who will eventually leave you. His praises are a mask for his true intentions.

I once met a journalist who told me I should be the president of Ghana. He praised me for my achievements saying that they were the greatest proof that I could be the president of Ghana. I asked him why he had not suggested that his own pastor be the president since his pastor had achieved more than I had. He quickly dismissed my remarks saying that his own pastor was of the old stock and was not relevant anymore. I immediately recognized the hallmarks of a dangerous flatterer.

Was that not the voice of Satan trying take me out of my ministry and into foolishness? You must indeed be careful of people who flatter. It is nice when people praise you but remember that a flatterer is a dangerous person!

He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.

Job 17:5

10. PEOPLE WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are THE ONES WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS, worldly-minded, devoid of the spirit.

Jude 19

There are people who are divisive by nature. These people see things through what I call “political” eyes. They see everyone through the eye of nationality, tribe or colour. Such people analyse what you do and make comments according their own political and divisive perceptions.

If you speak to a Nigerian, they would say, “Ei, I see that you like Nigerians very much.” If you make a truthful observation about Americans they would say, “Ei, I see that you don’t like Americans.”

If you are friendly to a light-skinned lady they would say, “Ei, I see that you like fair ladies.”

If the boss asks Joe to do a job they would say privately to other employees, “Ei, the boss really likes Joe.”

If their father buys a present for his daughter, Adriana, they would say, “Ei, Daddy’s favourite child is Adriana.”

Meanwhile when presents were bought for them they did not come to those same conclusions.

These people are divisive and see everything as a product of favouritism or unfair power play. They look upon people as belonging to this group or that. Such people will quickly identify how many members of a particular tribe or country are gathered in a room. Such people quickly become conscious of a person’s tribe or nationality when it has not occurred to those who are less political or divisive.

Watch out for people who have a divisive eye!

11. WORLDLY PEOPLE, DEVOID OF THE SPIRIT WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

These are the ones who cause divisions, WORLDLY-MINDED, devoid of the spirit.

Jude 19

It is a very worldly practice to categorise people according to their tribe or nationality. People without the Holy Spirit cause divisions and act like men of the world. A soul is a soul and is precious to God. When God touches your heart, you will love all men. You will not see them as Ghanaian, Nigerian, Zimbabwean or American.

Worldly people have always used human divisions to start wars and to create conflicts.

National Pride, the Reason to Break Away

I once had a West African pastor who wanted to break away and separate himself.

Being a worldly man devoid of the Spirit, he began to speak to the congregation about my nationality. He told the other West Africans in the church that I was a Ghanaian and that Lighthouse Chapel International was a Ghanaian church. He urged the people from his country to sit up and “do something for themselves”.

It was in his interest to get the people to think in a certain way and to give them a good reason to follow him. He told the other West Africans that I was only interested in building churches in Ghana.

Meanwhile, our mission to his country was one of the largest and most expensive we had ever undertaken. We had spent so much money, time and effort there, trying to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But the divisive, worldly minister who is devoid of the spirit will look for things to divide us. Surely, they shall reap the fruits of their works.

12. MOCKERS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be MOCKERS, following after their own ungodly lusts." These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly- minded, devoid of the spirit.

Jude 17-18

Watch out for people who mock you. Most ministries start out small. Small things are often despised. Young developing ministries are often despised. The shortcomings found in mature ministries can also be mocked at. Instead of mocking, we need to have a tender sympathetic eye for the difficulties people experience. Mockers are dangerous people and they are often disloyal.

One day, I was in a meeting with a group of pastors. They were discussing some breaking news about a senior man of God. The breaking news was that this man of God’s wife had decided to divorce him. Everyone was chipping in his opinion about the situation. Some felt that the man of God was an evil man and deserved to have this bad experience. Others were more sympathetic.

In the middle of this discussion, one of the ministers who claimed to be a son to the man of God got up to serve himself some food. He made a disparaging remark about this unfortunate man of God that brought out peals of laughter from the other pastors in the room.

I felt uncomfortable and sad about the atmosphere in the room. I wondered how a son could mock at his father. Surely, this fellow could not be a loyal person.

Do you think a loyal son will mock at his father in his day of his difficulty? This is why the Bible teaches that you should not walk with mockers. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1).

13. MEN WHO FOLLOW UNGODLY LUSTS WILL SEPARATE THEMSELVES.

That they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." These are THE ONES WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS, WORLDLY-MINDED, DEVOID OF THE SPIRIT.

Jude 18-19

Men who follow ungodly lusts rarely follow the Spirit of God. Most of the evil done in the world is caused by men who follow ungodly lusts. Presidents who follow ungodly lusts for money and power rarely do anything good for their countries.

Similarly, pastors who do not follow the Lord but rather follow their own lusts rarely do well in the ministry. The lust for power and the lust for money can turn faithful people into devils. Most rebellious people are filled with the lust for power and the lust for money.

by Dag Heward-Mills