#but I have other things to write...

[allthatmay]

"ask, prompt, or infodump?" so do you accept prompts? any prompts? if so, could you do a shanks+ace modern meet cute?

Oh, good question! I should probably write a post or something about it, but yes, I will happily accept prompts. I'd prefer they be within one of my favoured fandoms [OP, FF7, Naruto], but I'll give anything a go once, so you can always ask!

Having said that... Give me all the prompts!  ৻(•̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)

Sorry this took me so long to get done, but here's your Shanks/Ace meet cute! Thanks @chromotps for the setting; it was just so cute, I couldn't help myself.

It's not that Ace avoids becoming attached to the children he looks after, it's simply that he knows he shouldn't; that they'll grow up and move on while he's left holding them in his heart. There's been a few kids Ace has gotten just a little bit too fond of, and every time, he swears it's the last. Luffy might simply be the latest in the chain, but he's also, by far, the one Ace has cared for the most.

"C'mon, buddy. We've gotta find your shoes, or your dad won't be able to pick you up, will he?"

Trying to convince Luffy to do anything is a dangerous affair, unless one has food at the ready. The kid's prone to biting. Some people find it concerning, but it only endears him to Ace, who was an assertive child himself—to put it mildly.

"Dunno where they are," Luffy says petulantly. "Guess I'll stay with you, Ace!"

Ace shakes his head, biting back a smile. He crouches low in front of Luffy, holding out a hand that Luffy takes. "I've gotta go home, squirt."

"So I'll go with you!"

"But what about your dad? I bet he wants to see you!"

Luffy hesitates, worrying at his bottom lip. Finally, he looks up, excitement shining through his big, brown eyes, and says, "Then you should come home with us!"

A funny noise slips from Ace, which doesn't go unnoticed by Makino, who's been not-so-subtly eavesdropping from the doorway. She starts snickering into one of her hands but quickly straightens up when Ace cuts her a glance, returning her attention to the reuniting families outside.

"Aw, well, you know I love spending time with you, buddy..."

Luffy nods emphatically. His grin is missing a tooth. "Ace is great!"

"So are you, Luffy! But I can't come home with you. It wouldn't be right."

"Oh." Luffy's lip curls out into a big, wet pout. "Why not?"

"Well... Because I don't know your dad, buddy. And I bet he wants you all to himself!"

Luffy bursts into giggles when Ace tickles at his sides, all signs of sadness vanishing from his cherubic face.

"Okay," he says, although there's a determined line to his brow that raises Ace's suspicions. "Wait here!"

"Hold on, Luffy, your shoes—!"

Luffy, sans shoes, barrels past Makino and out into the playground where the parents are congregating, waiting to sign their children out. Instead of chasing after him, Ace starts the cleaning up, throwing pillows back in their places, returning pencils to their box. He's digging through the ball-pit—a likely hiding spot for Luffy’s shoes—when Luffy returns, announcing his arrival with, "Dad! Dad! This is Ace!"

Aw, shit. Ace has never been great at the 'meeting the parents' part; it's why he handles cleaning up while Makino manages parental pick-up. Still, for Luffy’s sake, he turns around with his most dazzling smile at the ready, throwing a stray ball over his shoulder.

"That's me!” he says, extending a hand in welcome. "I’m Portgas D. Ace. Nice to meet ya."

It turns out that Ace’s best smile pales in comparison to the one in front of him. Luffy's father has a certain crookedness to his lips that tells of mischief, with a small scar on his bottom lip that begs for attention—the pretty bait to a lethal trap, perhaps. Tanned skin is haloed by a head of fierce red hair, and yet it's his eyes that hook Ace in. They're as full of life as the warm, spring earth. Hard to look away from.

"The pleasure's mine," he says. He takes Ace's hand with easy movements. The smile lines around his eyes deepen, as does the fuzzy feeling in Ace's stomach. "I'm Shanks. Luffy's father."

"No kidding." Ace grins back. Before their hands release, Shanks' thumb slips across his, leaving a lasting sensation. Ace, to cover his abashment, crouches in front of Luffy. "So, Luffy, you gonna tell me where you hid your shoes, buddy?"

Luffy grabs his dad's trouser leg, playing innocent. "I dunno. Are you gonna come home with us?"

"Hmm..." Ace pretends to think about it, ignoring how hot his face suddenly feels. "Sorry, buddy, I can't. But I'll see you tomorrow, you know!"

"But you said that you'd come with me if you met my dad!"

"That's not—" Ace glances up at Shanks, who hasn't stopped grinning. "That's not quite what I said, buddy."

Luffy immediately looks to Shanks. "Dad! Tell Ace to come over!"

"We're not going anywhere without your shoes," Shanks says. He hoists Luffy up into his arms, who laughs. "Hot or cold, kiddo?"

"Cold!"

"Hm..." Shanks walks Luffy closer to the bean bags. "Hot or cold?"

"Hotter..."

Ace watches the two of them go over this a few times until, eventually, Shanks finds the shoes tucked inside the toy box. He gives them to Luffy then swings him up onto the table, kneeling in front of him.

"Alright, kiddo, left foot first. No kicking this time."

Ace can't help but laugh. Shanks glances at him, smiling, as he slides Luffy's foot into his trainer.

"There we go. Pull it tight. Great! Next one, Anchor."

"Anchor?" Ace asks.

Shanks gets Luffy's other shoe on, then helps him jump down from the table. "Oh yeah. Luffy's struggling to swim. Aren't ya, kiddo?"

"Not for long! I'm gonna beat the water!"

"Beat the water?" Ace repeats, starting to feel like a parrot. He can't help but laugh, warmed by Luffy's determination. "Well, I'll be sure to warn the oceans, buddy. Want to say bye to Makino?"

"Yeah!" Luffy looks at Ace, then his dad. "Stay here! Right here!"

"Cross my heart," Shanks teases.

They both watch Luffy run over to Makino, who looks down at him with a warm smile. She won't admit it, but she also has a soft spot for Luffy. Why else would she ensure he gets a space in her daycare every summer? But next year he'll be big enough to go somewhere else entirely...

"Makino used to be his favourite, you know."

Ace blinks, surprised to find Shanks is looking at him, not his son. The attention makes his toes wriggle in his boots.

"Used to be? Naw, Luffy loves Makino!"

"Oh? But I haven't heard about Makino in weeks. It's all about Ace and his super cool dragon drawings."

"Well, I do draw some pretty cool dragons."

"Among your many other talents, I’m sure.” Shanks winks. “He’s pinned them up around his bedroom, you know. You've got him wrapped around your finger."

"Really? Feels like the other way around."

"He does have a way with people. Something I hope he gets from me."

“He's got to get it from somewhere."

"Suppose I could test it." Shanks' grin is positively wolfish. "See if I can’t get you wrapped around my finger, as well."

Ace swallows, feeling hot under Shanks' unrelenting gaze. He looks from Shanks' twinkling eyes to his smooth, rose lips—and that damn scar of his, only visible in the sunlight—then back again. It's been a while since he's been hit on so obviously, and by someone so handsome. He flounders for a response, all too aware of his pinkening ears.

"I dunno. You're not as cute as Luffy."

"Cute's not really my style."

"I'll say," Ace mutters.

Shanks, his smile growing, steps in closer. “You, though? Very cute. Cute enough to eat.”

“‘Cute?’ I take Krav Maga.”

“Oh, so you’re cute and dangerous. And in such a pretty package.”

Ace laughs. “Wow, you’re an incorrigible flirt, aren’t you?”

“Truth be told, it’s been months since I’ve had a date.”

“What?” Ace regards Shanks from head to toe, from his silly sandals and floral pants to the loose fit of his shirt. “Months? But you’re—I mean—”

“Not cute?”

They stare at each other, equally silenced. Shanks’ smile slowly returns.

“Let me take you to dinner this weekend. Or to your Krav Maga class. Pottery, even. Whatever you like, I don’t care.”

“Really winning me over,” Ace snarks, like it isn’t the truth. “I’m covering a shift at my old job this weekend. Lifeguarding. We could do something after.”

“Oh? And Luffy just so happens to be struggling to swim.” Shanks digs into his pocket, retrieving his phone. “How about we hang around for an hour after you’re done? Give him some lessons. Grab some food.”

Ace is surprisingly touched by the offer. He tilts forward on his toes, glancing over at Luffy, who’s started saying goodbye to his friends as well. “You’d… really want that? What would Luffy think?”

“Something along the lines of, ‘Wow! Ace is here! Maybe he can draw me another dragon!’”

Ace rolls his eyes, grinning. “Alright, if you say so. Give me your phone.”

Shanks almost throws it at Ace in his haste to pass it over, and Ace has to bite down on his lip to stop his laughter from resurfacing. He’s just finished punching in his number when Luffy comes bounding back toward them, beaming.

“Dad! Let’s go! I’m hungry!”

“Alright, kiddo,” Shanks says. He takes his phone back with a wink, tucking it into his pocket. “But don’t you wanna say bye to Ace first?”

Luffy’s eyes widen. He rushes forward, wrapping his arms around Ace’s hips. “Bye, Ace! I’ll miss you!”

Ace puts his hand atop Luffy’s head. “Bye, squirt. I’ll see you soon. Stay out of trouble.”

“Nu–uh!”

Shanks takes Luffy’s hand when it’s extended toward him, then looks back at Ace. His smile pulls at the scar on his lip. “Bye, Ace,” he mirrors. “I’ll miss you!”

Heart stuttering, Ace scoffs, though the effect is weakened by the reddening of his face. “You’ll see me soon, too.”

“I’ll call you sooner,” Shanks returns. “Come on, Luffy. Spaghetti for dinner.”

“Yes!” Luffy runs toward the door, almost toppling poor Makino over. “Come on, Dad! Spaghetti!”

Shanks, grinning, shrugs at Ace. “Spaghetti,” he echoes, then follows in Luffy’s footsteps, disappearing from sight.

As soon as he’s gone, Ace sits on the side of the ballpit, knees weak. He feels like he's just gotten off a rollercoaster, and he must look it, if the way Makino is giggling is any indication.

"So,” she starts, a hand to her mouth. “Got any nice weekend plans?”

“Not another word, Makino. Not another word.”

[happyheidi]

𝗑, 𝗑, 𝗑, 𝗑

[noodles-and-tea]

Continuation of this

[inkskinned]

because sometimes there are invisible tests and invisible rules and you're just supposed to ... know the rule. someone you thought of as a friend asks you for book recommendations, so you give her a list of like 30 books, each with a brief blurb and why you like it. later, you find out she screenshotted the list and send it out to a group chat with the note: what an absolute freak can you believe this. you saw the responses: emojis where people are rolling over laughing. too much and obsessive and actually kind of creepy in the comments. you thought you'd been doing the right thing. she'd asked, right? an invisible rule: this is what happens when you get too excited.

you aren't supposed to laugh at your own jokes, so you don't, but then you're too serious. you're not supposed to be too loud, but then people say you're too quiet. you aren't supposed to get passionate about things, but then you're shy, boring. you aren't supposed to talk too much, but then people are mad when you're not good at replying.

you fold yourself into a prettier paper crane. since you never know what is "selfish" and what is "charity," you give yourself over, fully. you'd rather be empty and over-generous - you'd rather eat your own boundaries than have even one person believe that you're mean. since you don't know what the thing is that will make them hate you, you simply scrub yourself clean of any form of roughness. if you are perfect and smiling and funny, they can love you. if you are always there for them and never admit what's happening and never mention your past and never make them uncomfortable - you can make up for it. you can earn it.

don't fuck up. they're all testing you, always. they're tolerating you. whatever secret club happened, over a summer somewhere - during some activity you didn't get to attend - everyone else just... figured it out. like they got some kind of award or examination that allowed them to know how-to-be-normal. how to fit. and for the rest of your life, you've been playing catch-up. you've been trying to prove that - haha! you get it! that the joke they're telling, the people they are, the manual they got- yeah, you've totally read it.

if you can just divide yourself in two - the lovable one, and the one that is you - you can do this. you can walk the line. they can laugh and accept you. if you are always-balanced, never burdensome, a delight to have in class, champagne and glittering and never gawky or florescent or god-forbid cringe: you can get away with it.

you stare at your therapist, whom you can make jokes with, and who laughs at your jokes, because you are so fucking good at people-pleasing. you smile at her, and she asks you how you're doing, and you automatically say i'm good, thanks, how are you? while the answer swims somewhere in your little lizard brain:

how long have you been doing this now? mastering the art of your body and mind like you're piloting a puppet. has it worked? what do you mean that all you feel is... just exhausted. pick yourself up, the tightrope has no net. after all, you're cheating, somehow, but nobody seems to know you actually flunked the test. it's working!

aren't you happy yet?

[catiandchocolate]

What people expect when I say I’m a writer: writing a whole novel

What I actually do: get into a fandom or come up with an original idea, go to sleep every night thinking of the story, make imaginary scenarios and Pinterest boards, make Spotify playlists, and finally sit down to write it out 2 months later only to get another idea and abandon the story. Repeat the cycle.

[freshbaked-bread]

some fake screenshots from the deep space nine dating sim that lives in my brain

[yeoldenews]

A selection of strange and cryptic personal ads from The New York Herald, 1860s to 1890s. 14/?

[composeregg]

edit (10/23/2024) now that the poll is over: Original version, with 10 questions, from April 2023 here

And, given that the original is from April 2023, that means I can very easily say:

No, this was not an ISAT reference!

Just because I use parentheses and 2nd person pov and love the same concepts of what a time loop can do to a person doesn't mean it's ISAT

(Yes, I like ISAT, the original poll is why I was recommended the game! But if you look at the original, you can see all the origins of the options to choose from, including what spurred me on with the moss option from the replies)

If I were going to make something for ISAT, I would never be so vague, you can simply look at my ao3 for proof of that

[cracklewink]

Harmony Syndrome Part 5/5

The last chapter of my mlp infection AU! Thank you to everyone who followed along. Some final thoughts on my twitter @cracklewink if anyone's interested : )

[lucabyte]

Yeah, that about sums it up.

[bluerosefox]

Little Grayson and his Talon Knights

Got a new idea cooking in my head.

Another DPxDC idea.

A reborn into DCverse Toddler!Danny but also Dad!Dick and Talons.

Danny is reborn into the DCverse (either he's a clone of Dick, a created test tube baby, OR a kid Dick unknowingly had during his amnesia year) and wakes up in the Court of Owls who finally have their Gray Son and will turn him into the greatest Talon ever.

Thing is, Danny still has his ghost powers (King Danny? Idk leaving it open, either that or just able to control clean ectoplasm) and knows whatever fruitloops have him, this will not be fun. So, when none of the Owls are watching him, he uses his abilities to influence a few Talons and they all book it out of the place.

Danny later finds himself walking the dirty Gotham streets with a few Talons, one holding his hand while the others hide in the shadows in case they need to protect the baby Talon they all care for.

Of course, the sighting of a Talon holding a toddler's hand catches the camera's and Oracles attention very very fast.

One of the Batboys is sent out, not Dick he's on a space mission right now, and whoever it is, is shocked to see a toddler that has a LOT of similarities to Dick.

[taraxippos]

I think people tend to assume that any criticism of worldbuilding is ultimately a demand for a story to grind itself to a halt and give the reader 20 paragraphs of exposition, and like. Most of the time good-faith criticism of this nature is coming from a core aspect of the story not being grounded in the setting in a way that outright detracts from the story's quality. You fix it not by Explaining but by Showing it passively in the makeup of the world.

Like the last instance I saw this critique in was like 'you can't expect an author to stop and exposit the nuances of gender roles/Queerness in a fictional society' and it's like yeah I don't, and in fact this is actually one of the easiest things to show in the text without exposition. If a society has gender norms to begin with you'll see aspects of these norms baked into EVERYTHING. You'll see it in its stories, its religion, its taboos, its etiquette, its clothing, its family structures, its language, its insults, its labor, its leadership, etc. It will have massive impacts on how characters interact with one another and how they perceive themselves. It will help Shape your characters.

If you do this legwork to begin with for the core facets of your story, you will find very natural places for these concepts to be demonstrated without derailing the plot and with little to no exposition. THAT sort of thing is what's being asked of you.

[tommygotwrittenoff]

i literally do not care about big emergencies on abc's 911. i want to see my characters talk to each other and have stories that are parallels to small, everyday (everyday for first responders) emergencies

[teethlordd]

There are worms in my head

[keferon]

Two Peas in a Pod: part 4/?

Hopefully the dialog isn't confusing.

______________________________

"Still dizzy?" 

"Not really," Jazz answered with a comfortable smile, though stole a quick glance over to the gate. The first since Blaster had arrived for the morning routine. The other mer wasn't awake yet last he saw, but he was shifting more. The medication had obviously long worn off by now, but Jazz still hoped they weren't in too much pain. 

But Blaster noticed and it prompted him to pause his checks to ask, "did he wake up last night?" 

"Kinda? He could have been talking in his sleep though." 

"Hm, there's a good chance he'll be up soon, then." 

Jazz's expression of his usual cheerfulness shifted, just slightly and if it had been anyone other than Blaster, they would have missed it. He flipped the clipboard over in his lap and rested his elbows against his crossed legs. 

"You're nervous," Blaster pointed out gently and gave Jazz an encouraging smile. "Is this about their injuries, or is this about making a friend?" 

The mer's face soured and he looked away. "I thought I wasn't supposed to ask." 

"That was about the gate, and I'm sorry about that." It was just the two of them on the pier, but Blaster still practised a surveying sweep of the area with what looked like stretching. Then with a lower voice, he continued, "The Vet Chief wanted to fully isolate them from you, to keep them in a transfer-crate, at least until the injuries had a low risk of reopening. I argued that it would put them under a lot of undue stress, and you because you knew the Mer was here. Which is part of why it took so long for–" 

"–and it's fine to say this now?" Jazz snapped and turned back to him with a small scowl. 

"Jazz, how many staff members were in your area yesterday? When we talked about the gate?" 

He paused, trying to recall. Blaster was with him and the group that went into the bay had five… seven? 

"There was thirteen, Jazz," he supplied, knowing that any answer coming would be incorrect. It was a lot of people, and with Blaster already known for making waves on the regular, the sudden addition had eyes and ears on him. That, and because he had fought so hard against the 'great idea' brought up in the first meeting after emergency treatment had ended. "You didn't even clock the vet on standby at the pier entrance." 

Jazz huffed and laid out flat, resting his chin on his crossed arms. Okay, so he wasn’t paying attention to who was around. "Then what is it about the gate? I get the bit about climbing the walls, but…" 

"That one is on me, I was – am – being overly cautious. Not of you, but of others misunderstanding your excitement or anxiety as aggression. And I know how persistent you can be when something catches your interest. But that's not the point, what is, is that if the team reports you showing signs of aggression, they'll… remove him." 

Now looking worried, Jazz glanced from Blaster to the gate. "But what if he shows aggression?" 

"We're expecting that, at least at first." Blaster wanted to reassure him, but there were still too many unknown variables. "Unknown place with an unfamiliar face, and likely limited communication. There is bound to be backlash." 

Jazz looked down with an expression of growing despair, before dropping his face against his arms. His words muffled, "so whether he stays or not depends on me being able to talk with him." 

Blaster reached out and placed his hand on the orca's shoulder. "Listen, buddy, this might be hard to hear. But let me explain, okay? … So far it looks like there are no issues and the current plan is to have him released once he recovers." As he feels Jazz tense, Blaster frowns in understanding and begins to rub his shoulder to comfort him. "There is only one reason that the aquarium wouldn't go through with it, and honestly, I don't want that to happen. It's all sorts of fucked up and would only make things worse– but I don't want you to distance yourself from him. I want you to try and befriend him." 

"… why," Jazz asked weakly, cursing him for telling him the truth – for reminding him of the truth – for breaking his small piece of hope of not being alone anymore. If he was going to be taken away, if he was just going to lose him no matter what, then it would hurt less if he just ignored him. 

All sorts of answers bounce around in Blaster's mind. From wishful thinking – because I want you to go with him. To long term goals – anything we could learn could help Mers everywhere. But he settled on as close to the truth as he could. "Because I'm trying to make sure that no matter what happens, it's the best result for both of you. But I can't do that if the two of you can't at least work together. So, I'm asking you to try." 

"Right," because he doesn't need to be kept here to survive… he just needs time to heal. Where I – "–right. Okay, I'll try… but where do I even start?" Jazz took a deep breath to compose himself before he lifted his head. 

"Well, why don't we see if sleepy-head is waking up? Maybe he'd like breakfast." Blaster offered, first with a reassuring smile, but then twisted it into something more mischievous. "And maybe you could find out if he's got a beautiful name, too." 

It took a second to realize what Blaster was getting at, and for the first time in his life Jazz felt bashful. "W-what are you talking about?" He hid it terribly. 

"He's beautiful~" he whispered dramatically, and Blaster learned that mers could in fact blush. 

— 

When Blaster left to get food for the wild mer, Jazz calmly made his way over to the view port. Only to be taken by surprise, he was looking directly at Jazz. Though, glaring, might be more accurate with how his face was pulled tight with focus and the sheer intensity of his stare. 

But otherwise, they were completely calm. Jazz wasn't sure if that was a good sign or bad. Yet, it didn't stop his nervous excitement from returning. He waved with one of his best smiles – one without teeth – and greeted him with a friendly, "hello!" 

What he got in return was a slightly more intense furrowing of their brow – irritation or confusion? 

"Oh! Sorry, habit." Jazz switched to mer. {Hi!} 

The tension didn't leave his face, but there was slight movement and, again, Jazz didn't know how to interpret that. But he did answer, {||၊|။||||•။၊|။|။|၊|။||၊၊၊|?} 

"Uh…" Yep, didn't understand any of that. 

Then the door opened on the edge behind them and Jazz for a moment thought that it would startle the wild mer. But they didn't even flinch. And while their eyes remained on him, Jazz was fairly sure now that they had been using their sonar to track the human's movement. 

"Are they still asleep?" Blaster asked, puzzled. 

"Nope, very much awake." He shifted lower to try and get more than the man's boots in his sight. 

"Ah…" He sounded uneasy and began to make small careful steps around the edge closer to Jazz while he spoke as calmly as possible. "Well, I'm going to keep talking, just so you don't think I'm trying to sneak up on you." 

When he reached the point where he was straight across from the wild mer, they lifted their head to turn their glare on the human. Blaster to his credit did not flinch, but he did freeze. "Whoa– that's – wow, t-that's quite the look." 

A series of slow clicks came from them, but their lips did not move. Jazz didn't think it was echo-speak, as it reminded him of his own searching clicks when he was trying to get a better picture. "Oh! I think he's trying to see what you have." 

The wild mer glanced to Jazz, becoming silent once more before looking back up at Blaster. 

"Fair enough, alright new buddy, I'm going to be real slow about it okay?" Back to narrating his actions calmly as he knelt down. Showing the long pole with a thin, blunt hook, "just an arm I don't mind losing if you decide that you don't like the breakfast I brought," and poured out the fish from the bucket. 

Still the wild mer glared, unblinking and watching every little movement. 

"Okay… I'm not sure what to make of this, so far everything has been nothing like previous encounters." 

"Ya, didn't you say he'd be freaking out?" 

"You got anything to calm or reassure our new buddy here that I ain't going to hurt him?" Blaster was doing his absolute best at trying to remain calm, but even his hands were starting to tremble under the pressure the wild mer was giving him. He wasn't even moving, just watching, but it felt like the human was being stalked. 

Honestly, Blaster was probably one bad move from being lunged at. Though, if that was the case, he had maybe one chance to get away. The hammock would throw him off on the first strike, the supports could probably take two or four hard thrashings before it snapped under the mer's strength. Injuries be damned, this mer was in peak physical condition. 

Jazz gave a small chirp to try and gain the other's attention, and failed, but continued with trying to talk. {It's okay, you're safe.} 

He was given a very tiny dip of his finial facing the gate – a tell that he had heard him? 

{You're safe,} Jazz repeated. 

The mer didn't look away, but he did at least respond. {•၊၊|•|၊|။။၊|။•|||။||||။၊|။•၊၊||၊|။||||။•၊|။•၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|။•} Though, far too fast for Jazz attempt to understand. 

"I'm hoping you two are talking about your favourite fish." Blaster joked to cover his nervousness. 

Jazz sighed and admitted the truth, "I haven't a clue to what they're talking about…" 

"Just let me know if I should run, kay?" He shifted slowly on his knees, trying to find a comfortable spot without making himself too vulnerable. 

But Jazz hadn't given up yet. {Hungry?} He tried instead. 

More chirps and clicking that didn't translate. 

{Hungry? Yes? No?} 

The heavy huff that came from them caused Blaster to flinch, but the mer finally focused on Jazz. There was clear irritation in their face now on top of glaring. And the damns broke, he started ranting at him loudly. 

"Hey, don't yell at me, I'm trying okay!?" Jazz glared back, not backing down. Though wasn't all that intimidating with him just having a little porthole to look through. 

"Jazz, buddy, please don't aggravate him." He, after all, was the one in the room with the wild mer. 

"He fuckn' started it!" 

Silence came quickly as the wild mer plunked his face into the soft floaty that had been his pillow. Blaster would have found it utterly hilarious if not fearing for his life currently. With another heavy and long huff, the wild mer looked back at Jazz, still glaring, but slightly less than before. {•|||။||||။၊|။•၊၊||၊|။? Yes? No?} 

Jazz blinked at him for a moment, depending on the question, no could be a yes. {No…?} He answered tentatively instead. 

{It's safe? Yes? No?} And he pointed his nose towards Blaster briefly, but clearly wasn't happy about it. 

{Yes!} Jazz nodded vigorously and smiled for extra encouragement. Out of all the staff, Blaster was safe, Jazz held some trust in the human after all. {[Blaster] safe.} 

"What about me?" 

"He asked if you're safe and I told him you were. Relax a bit or something to show him." 

Easier said than done. Blaster cursed, but did his best to ease the tension from his shoulders and smile a little. Even, daring to slowly lift a hand to wave. 

The mer did not seem convinced, but his glare lessened some more and looked over the human with more curiosity than before. 

{Hungry? Yes? No?} Jazz tried again. 

There was a long pause, but they sighed and answered. {… yes.} 

"Progress!" He cheered and then stuck his hand through the little window. "Blaster, hand me one of the fish. He's hungry, but I have a feeling that he'll trust you more if he sees me eat what you have." 

"Okay." He made sure that it was clear as possible what his intentions were. Taking a fish under the gills, Blaster looped the blunt hook in and out the mouth. Then, very slowly, began to feed the length of the pole towards Jazz's waiting hand. Once Jazz felt the tail touch his palm, he grabbed it and waited until Blaster twisted enough for the fish to slip free. Then the pole was just as slowly drawn back. 

The whole time the wild mer watching the exchange intensely. 

Jazz pulled the fish over to his side, chirped for the other's attention before he swallowed it whole. Smiling once more as he said, {safe.} 

Blaster had to admit, he was surprised when the mer shifted slightly in the hammock, and then cautiously held out his right hand. The glare never left, but this one felt like a threat, that if he messed this chance up, there would not be another. 

Though this was the first time Jazz had been able to see any of his injuries. The colourful tape-bandages almost covered every inch of his skin from his hand up to his bicep. It reminded him that just yesterday he had been mortally wounded. Which was probably a key reason the wild mer seemed so calm, they had only started to recover and every action was either painful or exhausting. Likely both.

Jazz watched closely as Blaster went through all the careful steps as he had with Jazz and held the fish out. The only difference, was that the human's grip was loose, just in case the wild mer decided to try and yank him into the water with it. But they didn't, doing exactly as they saw before, allowing Blaster to release the fish and retreat. The whole process was so slow that the wild mer's arm started to shake from being held out. 

But both Jazz and Blaster let out a breath of relief as there had been no backlash. 

He eyed the fish in his grip with a mild sneer before he swallowed it and then held out his shaky hand for another. It was clear that the pain was getting to him, but nothing in his expression showed weakness. 

The feeding got easier and quicker as Blaster relaxed a bit, not fearing that a normal pace would come off as threatening to the wild mer. 

When the shaking got bad enough, the mer rested his arm back in the hammock, but kept his eyes on the remaining fish. As if to convey he wasn't finished, just needed a break. Blaster was more than happy to comply and gave him a few praises, even if they didn't understand. 

"Hey," Jazz called gently, chirping for the other's attention. He waited until they looked his way, then pointed at himself. "Jazz," and then to the human, "Blaster," and back to himself once more, "Jazz," before pointing to the other mer with a questioning tilt of his head. He hoped it was clear what he was asking for. 

When the silence stretched on for a bit, the human also joined in. "Blaster," to himself and to his mer, "Jazz." 

There was a brief moment that Jazz could see that they were working over something, opening their mouth a few times before the sound of a sharp zip came out. "… 'tzz?" 

Jazz snorted, before breaking into a few chuckles. "Ya, missing the Ja, but you'll get there. I'm Jazz." He placed a hand over his heart. 

The gesture was reflected, {•၊||၊။} 

It was his turn to try and work out the sound in his head. Jazz tried the word out soundlessly on his tongue once. It was like a popping roll? {•၊||၊၊၊၊၊?} 

{•၊||၊။} they repeated, firmly correcting him. 

"Nice to meet ya, {•၊||၊၊၊၊၊}!" While the mer scowled at him for not even trying to fix his pronunciation, Jazz just smiled brightly.  

"So... what is his name?" Blaster asked for a translation, very interested in the development between them.  

Jazz laughed, "I have no idea." 

______________________________

Don't ask about my attempt to make sound-wave-like-text, it's gibberish, lol, and going forward only •၊||၊။ (Prowl) & •၊||၊၊၊၊၊ (Prowler) will be used until Jazz has a English (common?) name to attach an understanding to.

Keferon, I just wanted to say that every comment or tag you leave on the fic is like serotonin being injected into my veins. Every silly little image is like rolling down a grassy hill in the warm sun while I laugh with manic joy. When you add art, it's like an adrenaline shot to the heart that makes me want to run across the globe just to frantically wave hello with both hands, give you a hug and run back to get started on the next part.

And the next part will be Prowl joining Jazz in the main pool and Jazz learning just how fast he is, even while injured. >:)c

-GLC

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Me looking in my inbox and seeing that there's two peas in a po

Odjndgdjdkfhdkm PLEASE. Blaster is so nervous EVERYONE IS SO NERVOUS Ooohhhnooo he's gonna freak out and kill everything he can reach oh no we all know how all those wild stupid creatures are oh no watch out While Prowl is trying to blow their pancakes with mind

And I juswannasay I love it so much ehehejgknfbfkdn THE SOUND WAVE SPEACH? I LOVE THE LOOK OF IT EHEHEH

Always a big fan of creative ways of showing imaginary languages. This thing?? ||ll•|Il It looks hella stylish >:O

Aaannnndd I got excited and made some art hehe

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

MDZS Severance AU: Get me out of here.