#but in the ocean it's eat or be eaten and really do you think jade is going to let some other predator snap his darling up? :)

[merakiui]

some thoughts about jade leech as a stalker.

(cw: yandere, nsfw, stalking, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, obsession, mentions of death/strangulation)

Jade does not love often. In fact, he has a rather small supply of love, which is reserved for his hobbies and family, so when he loves something other than those two things it can only mean trouble. When Floyd has something special and doesn’t share... Well, naturally Jade’s going to want it. He’s never been inherently greedy. Rather, he’s always let Floyd have everything: the larger half of a bluefin tuna, the shinier stone, the bigger seashells, the slice of cake with more frosting, his uniforms whenever Floyd’s were dirtied or damaged. And in return Floyd has, for the most part, shared his things with Jade. This has always been their normal. 

But this time Floyd makes no mention of sharing when it comes to you. In the past, when they were particularly interested in someone, they would share them. Or, in other words, torment that person in equal succession. Azul has been their prime target for years now, and it doesn’t look like either of them will stop their relentless pursuit in seeing how fast they can get Azul to grouse or groan or sigh. You might think they live to see Azul’s misery, but truthfully they want to accompany Azul as he carves misery into the hearts of the poor, unfortunate souls who thought it wise to do business with deep-sea beasts. Teasing him is just a bonus. 

When it comes to you, Floyd is his usual authentic self: blunt and honest to a fault, dangerously so. But that’s what makes his twin so fun. Floyd won’t sugarcoat the obvious. If he dislikes you, he’ll make it known. Jade, on the other hand, will speak syrupy sweet lies in an effort to maintain proper goodwill, even if he detests you. You’ve never really interested Jade, so he can’t say he hates you. But he can’t say he loves you either. To him, you are just a powerless human in a habitat that does not suit you. Really, even with all of the tricks and traps you pulled to beat Azul at his own game, you remained boring to him. He didn’t pay you much mind after everything had been resolved and you’d been free to return to Ramshackle. That should have been the end of his story with you. 

But then, some time later, you start to make frequent appearances at the lounge. It doesn’t take Jade long to learn that you only show up when Floyd’s on shift, and it also doesn’t take him long to theorize that you might have fallen for his brother’s unique charms. It’s sweet, in a way, how Floyd lights up when he sees you, how you smile a little more brightly when he speaks to you, how your laughter is so very buoyant when Floyd lifts you into the air and spins you happily. Jade’s content to watch from the sidelines, pleased to know that his brother has found a friend in you. That might make it easier to trick you into a contract.

He’s so set in this way of thinking, only viewing you as a pawn or a stepping stone towards some bigger end goal. But when Floyd brings you back to the dorm and you become more than a constant in Jade’s life, he starts to wonder what makes you so special. What is it about you that has his brother so enamored? What makes you irresistible? What parts of you are appealing? Jade thinks it might be how quick it is you submit when Floyd’s got you pinned into the mattress, face first, rough hands spreading your thighs apart, so he can sink into you more easily. Floyd likes that; he likes the weak things that crumble under him. He likes to push things to breaking. He likes to mark and bite and bloody and bruise and shred.

Jade likes to fix. He likes to mend, and then break, and then mend all over again. He likes the process, the psychological science behind a simple gesture, much like how he takes great pleasure in playing god over the plants in his terrariums. They say a budding serial killer starts small—with animals like rabbits or squirrels or cats. Jade starts with plants. He’ll put them in stressful environments—in soils with nutrients that don’t quite work—and he’ll watch them wilt, mottle, mold, and decay. He’ll watch them struggle to adapt, he’ll watch them yearn for water or sunlight, and only when he’s certain they’ve had enough he’ll give them proper, healthy care. It’s fun, the way he has so much control over something as dynamic as a plant. But plants cannot protest, cannot fight back, cannot act in the same way humans do. 

But it’s quite satisfying to pluck dried petals from a withered flower, almost like a morbid game of effeuiller la marguerite, and not hear a single scream.

So Jade is fully expecting Floyd to tire of you, to break you enough until boredom sinks its fangs into him and he moves on with his life. And what Floyd breaks Jade fixes, so he’s very ready to glue your heart together when Floyd shatters it. He’s ready to offer a handkerchief and his ear should you need to vent. He’s already prepared his speech: “I must apologize on behalf of Floyd. You know very well how he gets. If I can be of assistance in any way, please let me know.”

Unfortunately, you remain intact. Months pass, Floyd continues to love you, and your relationship unfolds like a lotus in early morning. Jade continues to observe. Floyd has never been one for privacy, so he’s seen every kiss, every bite, every inch of exposed skin. Hell, he’s sat at his desk and tallied Mostro Lounge’s monthly expenses while Floyd fucked you dumb on the other side of the room. He’s even made eye contact with you when you happened to gaze his way while his twin was buried balls-deep in that tight hole of yours. He wonders what goes on in that head of yours. Perhaps there’s nothing substantial within. Floyd’s scrambled your brains enough, so you could just be useless now. Though that wouldn’t be very fun, would it? He knows there’s more to you than you let on, especially when you play top and take every inch of Floyd, riding him so skillfully, and all Floyd can do is dig his fingers into your hips to guide you along to the rough, erratic pace the both of you have set. 

Jade watches fondly from the shadows. Floyd likes to have access to your neck and shoulders; he likes to take you from behind while leaning down to bite into soft flesh. But Jade thinks it would be much nicer to gaze upon your face, to kiss salt from your eyes, to pepper your jawline with tiny pecks, all while peering into eyes that house a beautiful soul. He thinks it would be nice to hold you down, have your legs wrapped around his waist or thrown up onto his shoulders, while he bottoms out. If it were Jade, he’d take you in every position, but he’d find the most pleasure in eye contact. There’s something intimate about it, much like how there’s intimacy in the hands that wrap around a throat. You have to be close to someone when you’re restricting their airflow; you have to squeeze until veins pop, until your hands are sore, until your fingernails have burrowed so deeply into skin that the crescent moons color crimson. It takes minutes to strangle someone, and every minute is spent staring into the wide, terrified eyes of a desperate soul on the verge of death.

Jade likes the way you smell, the way you speak, the way you laugh, the way you are, in every meaning of the word, so very filled with life. Even down to the way you breathe and gasp and moan and cry, you are life itself. Jade wants to bottle that for himself—pluck you from Floyd’s flower pot and place you in a terrarium with the most potent elements just to see how long you’d fare. He wants to save you from those same conditions, sandwich your face between gloved hands when he’s kneeled to your lowered height, and whisper about how it’s okay, about how you’re safe, about how he’d never truly hurt you. Jade knows that loving someone is a very special thing, but the way he loves you is not quite pleasant. The love he has for his hobbies and family is natural. Normal. Simplistic and familial. 

The love he has for you is murderous and frightening. Some days he looks at you like you’re prey he’s not yet devoured. Like you’re to be his first victim. 

Jade starts small. He takes tiny trinkets—a keychain, a pencil, an accessory. He stores these in a shoe box under his bed. When Floyd brings you over and clothes are cast aside, he swipes your undergarments for himself. He won’t wash them until he absolutely must. He’ll have the soft fabric wrapped around his dick later that same evening when Floyd’s fallen asleep and he’s up late contemplating love and lust and life and death, and he’ll cum to the thought of you. Sweet, adorable, oblivious you. 

He’s what one would call a persistence predator—a hunter who gradually wears his prey down over time. He takes from you, watches you, listens to you fret about missing things to Floyd, who promises to find the bastard who’s messing with you and squeeze them until they’re blue and purple. Jade smiles at that. Floyd wouldn’t really do that to him. Sure, they’ve hit each other when they’ve fought and roughhoused on occasion, but the punches were never truly meant. Sure, they might have been thrown playfully or angrily, but they were all temporary bouts of strength. Floyd wouldn’t truly hurt him, so to hear these determined promises and to see how you relax around him... It’s really cute. Jade wonders how much more he can take from you. 

And he wonders how much more you can take before you’re splintering. 

Really, you got lucky that Floyd picked you first. He’s far more merciful. Far more sweeter. Far more loving. At least Floyd is honest with his (at times) rough nature. At least he makes it known that he wants to bite you until you’re bleeding. But Floyd can’t stand whining. He hates it when people cry about things he can’t bother to care about, and lately you’ve been whining about this stalker you think you have for weeks now. Floyd’s told you you’re just being a scared shrimpy—that there is no stalker, that you’re probably just misplacing or losing these items, that none of them really matter because they’re replaceable. 

Jade gets lucky when Floyd finally washes his hands of you, officially fed up with your whining. And what Floyd damages Jade fixes. So when you’re in tears, distraught over the break-up and your missing items and your stalker and the fact that the door to Ramshackle was left unlocked again and that you feel like someone’s living in your shadow, Jade arrives to rescue you from your fear. You don’t even hesitate to cling to him and cry, spilling your worries in waterfalls. Perhaps it’s because he’s a familiar face. He is a reflection of Floyd, after all. 

“Oh dear,” he’ll whisper, stroking your back, allowing you to bury your face in his chest and sob. “There, there.”

You can’t see his expression, but there is a smile spreading on his lips. And his eyes are alight with cruel glee. 

“Would it make you feel better if someone accompanied you to your classes?” Your feeble nod is all he needs. “In that case, shall I spend a few days at Ramshackle with you? I’m certain whoever’s pursuing you won’t get very far if I’m around.”

And he’s right. Your stalker never takes anything again. They never leave the front door unlocked. They never trail behind you, taking shelter in your shadow. That’s because he’s your stalker, though you never managed to figure that out, and this time he doesn’t have to dwell in shadows or on the sidelines. This time he can stand before you as a friend, a soon-to-be lover, and perhaps a lifelong mate. 

Jade does not love often, but when he does it is as beautifully painful as tearing the wings from butterflies. 

[dtmacgxstorys]

Floyd Leech X Reader!

This is a Floyd Leech X Gender Neutral Reader!

Note: I'm stuck on Idia's chapter,(chapter 6) sooo, yeah! Also, if you're somehow Not scared of the Leech twins, you're probably not going to like this!(I Think!) Yes, I love & fear this guy! Jade is scarier more, though!

... How long has Yuu been living at NRC!?

You have been living at Night Raven College for about 3 & a half months now. "Grim, get up or we'll be late for class again!" "*Merrrr* five more minutes." You make your way to the door of you'r room. "If you don't get up soon, I won't give you any tuna!" Grim sits up fast. "Tuna!? Don't take my tuna away!" He said as he jumped off the bed & on your shoulder. You walk downstairs & made your way out of Ramshackle. You walk through the gates & hear a familiar voice.

"Yo, morning Y/N! Do you want to eat breakfast with me?" "Morning Ace! Yeah, I'll eat with you." You & Aec walk to the cafeteria while making some small talk. You grab some food & sit with Aec & Deuce. You enjoy most of your food in peace,(surprisingly) until you hear a familiar voice. "Hhiiiii shrimpy!~" He says as he hugs you from behind. "Uummm hi Floyd." "Whatcha eaten? Anything good? ... Uumm No."

He says as he puts his chin on top of your head to see your food. "Floyd, please! Stop hugging me!" "Huummm fine." He said as he backed away from you. "See you later Shrimpy!~" After breakfast, Grim's & Your classes are pretty uninventful. Avter your clsses, you were on your way back to your dorm when someone hugged you from behind & someone else grabbed Grim.

"Shrimpy!!!?~ Why do you always have to babysit the catfish? I want you to play with me and just you." "Don't worry about Grim, I'll take good care of him for you." Jade said. "Hey Shrimpy!~ Do you have a swim suit?" ".. Yes, Why?" "Can you go get it?~" ".. Fine." He let go of you, but followed you to your room & looked around while you grab your bathing suit. "(Wispers).. this place is really in bad shape. .. Shrriimmpyy~ did you find it!?" "Yes. Where are we going?" "To Octavinelle! There are some rooms with some smallish pool in them!"

You quietly follow him to Octavinelle & go down a hallway in the front of Octavinelle. You go almost all the way down the hallway before he finds one not occupied. He opens the door for you & you walk in. As soon as you walk in, you can see the pool in front of you & to your right is a good sized bathroom to change in. "Shrimpy~! Can you please get changed, walk into the pool, then close your eyes when you have your balance in then! It has a rock bottom & leads out into the ocean, so you might also feel some fish swing around!"

".. Um.. O-ok." He walks over to the pool & you walk into the bathroom & change into your one-piece bathing suit.(like a diving suit) A little hesitantly, you do as he asked. Floyd is nowhere to be found. A minute went by & you still haven't heard from Floyd. Before you can call out his name, you feel around your left lage & hear: "hehe thank you for turning me Shrimpy!~" You open your eyes to see Floyd, but he looks very different. ".. Floyd!?"

He is holding himself up by the floor leading to the pool, making him seem shorter then you when that isn't the case. "Heha do you like my real form, Shrimpy?~!" He said, flashing his sharp teeth at you with a smirk. He slowly leans in a bit closer to you, waiting for an answer. ".. Un.. It's.. Y-yes!" You say as his teeth hovered just above your collarbone. You can't see, but his smirk widens. He moves up to kiss your chin.

You feel his tail unravel aroun your lag & rast it on the rock. He also moves to make himself eye level with you. "I'm glad to hear that, Shrimpy!~" You start to blush. ".. F-Floyd,... would it be weird to ask you if I could.. like.. pet your tail?" You see him move his tail out of the water & onto the floor next to you. As your giant petting his surprisingly soft tail, he moves closer to you & hugs you from behind & puts his chin on your right shoulder.

".. I love you.. Y/N!" You shiver from hearing him wisper your name. ".. Y-you.. mean it!?" "Hehe Did you think I wanted to eat you or something?" ".. kind of." "Hehe no. I just really like seeing your reactions! I don't want to heat you." He leans over to your left ear & wispers: "unless your into that!~ hehe" You gently push him away. "F-Floyd!?" You say, looking away from him, blushing even more now!

"Hehehehe You really are too cute all flustered like this!~" he said as he puts thumb just under your bottom lip & pointer finger under your chin to gently make you look at him. Ones you look up at him, he kisses you on the lips. You quickly returned the kiss, throwing your arms around his neck. His hands slowly & gently rub your back as you two make out. After a while, he pulls away & ask: "Will you spend the night with me and cuddle?"

".. I should check on-" "Catfish is fine! My brother won't hurt him! .. Do you really not trust us that much!?" ".. You and your brother scare me sometimes." "Because we.. I Love seeing you reactions! I know it's mean, but we're not evil!" You looked at him surprise. ".. I said scarey, Not evil!" "So will you spend the night with me?~" ".. Yes!" He kissed you on the lips reall quick & ask: "Can I whatchyou~" "No you can not which me change!" He pouts and says: "fine."

End!

Sorry for not writing for a while. I've been depressed because my mom believe that xx xy bullshit & I'm a trans man. I started this before I was depressed but... yeah. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! 🥰

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

Do you think Floyd and / or Jade would digest mc/yuu if they could? Or do they care too much to actually hurt or kill them?

Realistically? They probably would, depending on how much they know MC/Yuu.

I'd love to say, "Noooo, they'd never do that even though they both come across as uncaring :(", but I'd be lying to myself and you. As much as I love the trope of 'psychopath that cares about you specifically' sometimes, there's multiple times where the twins both show not only how blatantly laissez-faire they are about people's well-being, there's times where they actively seek to hurt people for their own amusement

Floyd beats people up for fun and laughs at their struggles and screams, and Jade literally kind of poisoned Rook with a numbing mushroom during the cooking event. Both become disappointed if someone gives up too easily. I believe the only person they'd not do any of their stuff with is Azul because he's literally strong enough to give Floyd a submissive hold or a headlock

So many places in Twisted are defined by a 'strongest one wins' kind of rule set, and the twins have literally said the ocean is very dangerous and pretty 'eat or be eaten'. It's also probably skewed because the twins and Azul don't look like the guards at the museum, looking more like the animal they're based on than the human skin-tone, bottom half fish merpeople. Whether this is because they're considered more predatory in comparison or something else, I would not be surprised if the twins actually ate someone at some point

All that being said, I don't really like drawing or writing proper fatal vore, so they're not killing Syn anytime soon with the caveat that they're basically seen as an amusing enough toy in their eyes

[samanthachanplace2]

You show them try out vat 19 products with them 1

This includes gummy items

Mc is fem and short

Characters featured multiple times and products feature multiple times

Crazy food 1

Jade

Item : dessert scorpion

. He wasn’t freaked out or shy about eating it with you

. In the ocean basically anything could be preyed onto as food

. Honestly reminded him a bit of the isopods back home

. He’s used to eating creatures like this but he’s worried about you since you don’t eat these types of creatures often and to make sure you don’t choke the tail of the scorpion

. You started eating when you got to the tail jade stole your bite of food

. Jade : I was worried you would choke on the tail and you made such a mess fufu

. To his credit your face was somehow covered in chocolate

. Jade started to be cheeky and got a napkin and wiped your face off

. You were blushing like crazy

. Mc : jade kun I’m not a kid

. Jade just smiles at you

Cater

Item : pho hard candy

. Cater didn’t know why you were offering him candy you know he doesn’t like sweets

. You explained to him it’s a savory candy

. You and him decided to magicam this experience together

. You and him really enjoyed the candy

. Cater: I think you got me to like sweets

. Mc : technically it’s not a sweet

. This was caters best experience with candy

Flyod : gummy octopus on candy

. He wanted you to take a picture of him eating the purple and black one he wanted to do that to mess with Azul

. He took so many pics of you eating you looked like an adorable sea predator

. Flyod listed sea predators you looked like to him calling you a shark to a eel

. When you struggled with chewing and biting the gummy flyod gave you tips on your jaw grip , bite strength and pull away strength

. Flyod fawned over how cute you looked

. You did attempt to eat with out chewing to much flyod stopped you from choking

Leona: roadkill sausage

. He made a disgusted face herbivore are you trying to feed him roadkill

. When you explained it to him he got excited but wouldn’t admit it

. He really enjoyed it

. Leona : hey herbivore this is really good

. It’s Leona approved and Leona is a tough food critic

Trey : sweet tea jelly

. you can make jelly out of tea?

. Trey : well I guess it’s possible

. When you offered to get sweets for the jelly he insisted on making sweets he’s so sweet

. You both enjoy the tea jelly

. He took at pic of you smiling and said I need this precious moment on tape

. He notices jelly on your face he smiles and wipes it off

. ( trey lovers unite @honey-milk-depresso )

Ruggie: breakfast lollipops

. Ruggie loved how much unique food you would eat together

. Ruggies favorite was the donut one well donuts are his favorite food

. Though he also enjoyed the bacon ones

. And he thinks the waffle ones are good to

. As you were licking one of the lollipops he stared at you

. You asked him what he was staring at and he mentioned how talented you are with your tounge

Kalim : ghost pepper gumballs

. You told him about the spicy challenge and that he didn’t have to join but kalim loves a challenge and he’s eaten plenty of spicy food and he doesn’t even have to swallow this

. You got some chocolate milk for the two of you

. You went first as kalim watched you struggle he asked if you were okay every second

. It was barely chewed when you spit it out you drank tons of chocolate milk

. Kalim looked to do better than then it started to affect him

. He hid it for bit but then it started to show

. The poor boi was tearing up

. You felt extremely guilty

. After the gumball things you pampered him

Deuce : gummy breakfast

. You made this precious boy so happy

. You said he could have all the egg gummies but deuce wanted to enjoy it with you

. With one of the gummy eggs you eat took at bite

Ace : cherry pie soda

. He didn’t know what to think at first

. But that smile on your and he saw how you were enjoying it you seemed so happy and full of joy

. Man your smile is cute

. Ace actually liked it was good

. You challenged him to a burping contest

. You never fit into gender norms and ace loves that

. But he’s not happy about the fact you beat him

Epel : creature eye lollipops

. So cool looking

. You two make a show with the lollipops using your best acting skills

. You two pretended to be beast hunters to creatures

. You to smiled at eachother

Malleus : sugar rolly cotton candy

. Malleus felt guilty at first eating it since it was so pretty

. He saw how happy you were eating it

. So he ate some it was really sweet and good

. He looked at your face covered in cotton candy

. He smiled

. Malleus: child of man your so messy let me clean it off

. He wiped the cotton off your face

. Mc : don’t hurt like a child tsu

. Malleus : way to cute

[azurevi]

on land where we can touch the moon (1/?)

Ok, so this is a really random idea, but it’s basically The Little Mermaid with Azul. And I wish I could excuse myself by saying that I was drunk writing this, but really I was just rushing it because I’ve been sitting on it for far too long. Anyways, enjoy!

Pairing : Azul / genderneutral reader

Characters : Grim, Ace and Deuce

Warnings/Triggers : none

Word count : 3,371

PART2 PART 3

“Isn’t this great,” you made a show of strolling along the railing, the beer in your hand threatening to spill. “The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face. Perfect day to be at sea!”

“Yes, well-” Jack paused mid-sentence to lean over the side. He sounded as though he was retching. “It is indeed a favourable weather, your royal highness- urk!”

“Now, what did I say about formalities, Jack?”

“You said, and I quote, ‘Call me by my first name, if only for today. It’s a direct order.’”

You went up to soothe his back. When he pulled his head up, his eyes were glossy and cheeks purple. “It’s inappropriate for you to see me in this state, your majesty,”

“So you’re defying my orders now? And on my birthday, no less?”

“That man is all work and no fun,” Ace commented bitterly. He and Deuce were on the opposite side of the ship, holding their respective mugs of beer.

“That’s what makes him the knight commander,” Deuce said.

“A knight commander who’s seasick, huh?”

“Shut up, both of you!“ 

You chortled blatantly, chest light and hair spraying in the wind. 

"Fireball Attack!”

There was a sharp yell, and Grim’s fur was all up in your face before you knew it.

“Hey, hey! Someone’s in a good mood!” You cradled him in your arms. His fur was fluffy and sticking up in the air in all directions.

While you were entertaining your attention-starved familiar, your personal knights had managed to get into yet another fistfight. Jack, the poor commander, was cornered on the edge of the ship, his golden, distinguished pin somehow threatening to slip off in his fingers.

“If I drop my badge, I swear on my wage you’re getting extra morning training and night patrols for the next whole year-!”

He gagged slightly before turning sharply, elbowing Ace in the process. His arm jolted, and the badge escaped his firm pinch, glistening in the air. Time seemed to slow as it made its way downwards, all the while the knights’ mouths grew rounder and rounder.

It plummeted right into the sea, made an insignificant plop and continued sinking quietly, slowly, until the sea muted the screams on deck and the light dwindled.

“We should really stay away, Rory,”

“Quit being a chicken,”

Lovett was falling behind. Rory had insisted that they visit this deeper and lesser known part of the ocean due to a half-hearted dare. And Rory, headstrong that she was, would never back down from a challenge.

“Haven’t you heard? Deep where the light doesn’t reach lives the evil Sea Merchant! A force to be reckoned with! It’s-”

Lovett swivelled swiftly. He was pretty sure something had just swam past from behind.

“Oh, for the love of Poseidon, please don’t eat me for I’m just a standard merman!”

“Will you zip?” Rory was already a few feets ahead. Lovett continued to mumble prayers as he flapped his tail harder.

There was almost no light now, but they could still make out the outlines of rocks and corals. It was uncanny how there was nary a sign of life, not even a lanternfish.

“What’s- what’s the dare anyways?”

“To steal something from the evil Sea Merchant’s collection,”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Lovett gasped. He had yet to notice how they’d swam into a forest of seaweeds. Some clung to their tails as they swam by and tickled their sides.

Something strong and somewhat slimy wrapped around Lovett’s arm. Presuming that it was just another irritating weed, he swung his arm back and forth. It only seemed to grow tighter.

“Great seas, what-” he turned to inspect. “Oh- oh- ten-TENTACLE!”

Rory sprinted around at the scream. “Holy-” she murmured, speechless and shocked to the core. 

Wrapped around Lovett’s elbow was no doubt a tentacle lined with suckers. For a while, it didn’t seem to be moving, but then Lovett was yanked away like lightning.

“Lovett!”

The first thought that came to his mind was that he was going to be eaten. That was until he was met with a frowning face. One under silver messy hair. Then his eyes traveled down the seemingly countless slithering tentacles that stretched out from the man, and he was trembling in fear again.

“Please-! Don’t eat me! I have the least nutritional diet!”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he squinted at Lovett for an agonizingly long time before finally letting him loose. Lovett squirmed and backed away. The area where he had been held had become swollen red.

“Lovett?” Rory had just gotten into the scene. Lovett didn’t wait a second to break into a run, but Rory caught him by his elbow where it was still hurting.

“We gotta run, Rory-”

‘Huh. What, it’s just Ashengrotto? Have you forgotten about him already?“

Lovett whimpered when Rory advanced on the man. He narrowed his gaze behind a neat pair of glasses. Lovett half expected Rory to be squeezed to death on the spot.

"You’re lurking down here now? How lame. And I see that you still got those hideous fingers of yours,” Rory gestured at his tentacles. “You seriously don’t remember him, Lovett? You have shit memories. Does Azul Ashengrotto from college ring a bell?”

It took Lovett a long, long time to get it. “That’s right, you’re Azul! Man, how you’ve changed- wait, are you the Sea Merchant?”

There was nothing that could rival the bitterness in Azul’s voice. “Pleased to see you again, Lovett,”

“Is it easier to prey on fishes down here? Or are you just that insecure about yourself?” Rory paid no mind to their conversation.

“… It’s none of your business,”

“It actually is. You see, knowing that an ink-blasting octopus lives in the same water as I do is really unnerving-”

“Then make your leave.”

Rory’s smug look faltered. 

“Why should I? You don’t even own this part of the ocean-”

“Oh? Who are these friends of yours, Azul?”

A singsong voice once again interrupted Rory. She turned on her spot, only to find herself face to face with a grinning face.

“Eek-!”

“Oh! If this isn’t Rory~ how kind of you to visit us!”

Lovett backed away quietly. He wasn’t going to stay for anymore of this horror. When two hands slammed onto his shoulders, he shrieked a key higher than any other that’s been sung by opera singers. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” a far more stern and solid voice asked. It was one of those voices you hear in persuading commercials.

It was the Leech brothers, in their long, slender eel forms.

Lovett thought that was it. This was his doom. He was either going to get eaten alive or squeezed to his demise. He should never have agreed to come here. And now he was going to die. He didn’t even get to experience life-

“It’s fine, Jade, Floyd,” Azul said calmly. The hands on Lovett’s shoulders retreated, and Rory rushed towards him hastily and pulled him up and up until they were out of the seaweeds.

“I can’t believe you let them off that easily!” Floyd complained, pouting hard. “We could’ve had some fun with them first, and yet you decided to play good guy?”

Azul didn’t reply. The three of them travelled between rocks and reefs, and while Azul seemed to be in search of something, the twins were merely accompanying.

“I believe he has his reasons,” Jade said, pausing in anticipation. When Azul didn’t soothe his curiosity, he sighed and decided to drop the topic.

Azul rummaged through the swaying weeds and peeked into the slits of the rocks. Nothing seemed to have piqued his interest. Then they swam even further away from where they’d started and reached a sunken ship.

While almost the entirety of the hull had rotten away the structure of the ship still remained intact. Anemones and sponges had claimed the pieces of wood. Tiny shrimps traveled freely between poles and debrises.

Jade and Floyd followed tightly like bodyguards. They were at least mildly worried after the encounter with Rory and Lovett. They could still recall vividly how notorious Rory was and what a relief that they never had to meet again.

If anything, Azul seemed frustrated. His tentacles worked individually, shoving aside inconvenience hastily just like his hands. It was as though he’d lost something priced and valued.

“Let’s split up, alright? Treasure hunt’s no fun if we’re just following one another,” Floyd said as he rounded a corner and out of sight. Jade hesitantly stayed behind as well, leaving Azul to his own.

He’d been here so many times that he’d lost count. There was always something new and from the land somewhere between the ruins. But this time, it seemed to have become just another bland, boring place without any aesthetic value.

That was until something flickered in the corner of his eyes. It was so weak that it would’ve gone unnoticed by, say, Jade and Floyd, but Azul had always been delicate in treasure hunting. Nothing ever slipped his sight.

It looked like a badge. A golden brimmed badge with two crossed swords in the middle, and at the bottom carved two grand words - 'Knight Commander’.

“Oh, what’s that you’ve got there?”

“Ahh!" 

Azul spoke up finally in a long time. The brothers had at some point started following him again.

"Looks like a badge,”

“Bet it sank just a few hours ago. It looks very intact,”

“Yeah,” Azul flipped it between his fingers, eyes tracing in fascination. “It’s not everyday you see something like this,”

His mood seemed to have lightened after this discovery. He was gratified. It’d been a while since he last found anything worthy enough to add to his collection of trinkets from ashore. It put a smile to his face just remembering his towering shelves of tiny valuables. 

Azul owned a secret grotto that even the Leech brothers knew nothing of. He’d made sure that it was known only to him.

It was where he stored all the human objects he’d found undersea. Things like a trident but with four tips or a shallow, handled bowl. There were items as big as a golden pot and others as small as a hairclip. Everywhere he turned they were shimmering and singing about the unknown world outside the water, where mermaids had legs and walked instead of swimming, where they could dance instead of just swaying and flapping tails. Where they could go so many different places - forests and deserts, mountains and caves - many more than what the ocean held.

And they could reach the moon. The ageless, pensive moon that Azul could only wish to caress. But no matter how hard he stretched, it was only in his dreams where the moon would come down in all its glory, close enough to blind his eyes.

He needed to reach it. There was no other way. It was the single entity in the world that knew all the truths and lies, all the corruptions and praises. He had to see it, then he would get the answers - the truth he’d always hungered for. 

Muffled rumbles snapped him out of his intensity. When he looked up from under the grotto, he’d thought he was hallucinating.

The usually azure (and rather bland, may he add) current was now painted with red- no, yellow- purple- it was changing with every muted clap. It might have as well been the end of the world with its bizarreness. However, there was something else stirring in Azul’s heart aside from confusion.

Curiosity. A haste force that was tingling in all his eight tentacles, as if there was no way to rid of the sensation except to swim towards the source.

It was wrong on so many levels. He’d been taught by teachers, friends and his parents that to go beyond the water was basically pleading to be killed. Humans are nothing but greedy, spineless, nasty fish-eaters who are incapable of emotions, that’s what everyone said.

Was that really the case, though? As Azul surveyed his collections, he found it harder by second to believe in the lore. How would they explain all these sparkling and antique cosmetics? How could a world that made so many wonderful things be bad?

And so he pushed aside all doubts that were chaining his limbs and flew towards the surface.

The moment he broke the fabric of water and chill air entered his ears, he was taken back by the sight before him.

A colossal wooden ship was sailing right above. Behind it, lights and fire burnt themselves in the sky then fell into the water dimly. There were singing and whooping aboard where he couldn’t see. The grandness of it all was so deafening that Azul failed to hear the voice of reason in his head as he neared the boat.

There was an opening at the side of the ship. Azul carefully stuck his head up so he wouldn’t be seen. At least not without squinting.

There were about five people dancing and hollering, some holding drinks in their hands while the others blowing into their snarfblats with reddened cheeks. 

“Encore! Encore!” a red-haired guy yelled. Then there was an airy laugh in response. Azul turned sharply towards where it came from.

Azul was… awestruck, to say the least. You were grinning from eye to eye, which were diminished into slits. As you laughed on, Azul felt his chest lighten little by little. It was one of those laughs that pulled you closer and assured you that the world around was but a facade. He could listen to your laugh for the rest of his life and he’d never be distressed again.

“Alright, but can we first reveal the massive unknown that’s been standing here for the past hours? You know I can see it right?” you asked with confidence, and this confidence was just humble enough not to be arrogant.

“As you wish, mademoiselle,” another man with dark blue hair bowed with a flourish, then approached the object in question which was covered with a drape. He was at least tipsy with his wavering and unsteady steps.

“Presenting-!” he hollered before yanking the drape off. Surprisingly it was a golden statue made to resemble you.

You recoiled in mild distaste, but your smile remained. Azul pondered about how you still managed to radiate a cheerfulness despite your negative reaction.

It also occurred to him that it was made in gold. Out of all his collectibles there was rarely even a gold necklace. You must have a reputation for someone to make you such a big deal.

“Well, here’s your birthday present, milady,” the tipsy man was throwing names spontaneously now. The red-haired had to drag him away from the railing several times. You had all resumed singing and dancing. Azul was so captivated by your figure that he didn’t even notice the fireworks dying down.

You and a dark-skinned man were leaning right next him now. What looked like a cat but with flame shaped ears and a devil’s tail started sniffing in the vicinity. Azul was having a hard time staying out of its way and eavesdropping on your conversation.

“You sure you don’t want some?” you raised your mug to his face, which he declined respectfully.

“I’d prefer to stay sober,” he said. “You know, I don’t wish to spoil your birthday, but the king’s being more pressing than ever,”

“Yeah? About what?”

He stared at you for a moment before answering, as if he was trying to look pass your display. 

“About marriage, of course,”

You didn’t answer. Though the corners of your lips were still raised in the aftermath of all the previous hypes, you were obviously unhappy to be there. Azul wished the man would shut up and bring your smile back instead.

“It’s not just the King, your highness. The whole kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right person,”

“Jack-” you took a deep, deep breath. “It’s not something that can come quicker just because you’re anxious. I have to find the right person-”

“I understand…” Jack mumbled under his breath. He didn’t look like he understood at all.

“- and they’re out there somewhere. I’m sure. I just haven’t found them yet,” you turned and dangled your arms over the railing. Azul quietly swam under your hands. He could probably touch your fingertips if he stretched hard enough.

“When I see them, it’s gonna hit me. Like bam! Like lightning-”

As if hearing your prayer the sky cracked open with a loud cry and grew darker still. The other men scattered out hurriedly, looking as though they’d never drunk anything.

“Hurricane coming in! Stand fast, secure the rigging!”

It all happened so fast. The wind was so strong that Azul could almost feel himself being blown away. The sky rumbled again and lightning started a rapid fire where it’d striked. He noticed a rock looming just ahead, but no one on board seemed to have noticed it.

He should probably go. It’s the safest under the sea. The sky couldn’t hurt a hair of his. But then he heard your screams of commands, and suddenly he was a brave knight willing to give up his life for the princette.

You weren’t on the ship when he neared. Instead, you were already secured on a piece of log, as well as the other men. He exhaled a relieved sigh, but it didn’t last as he heard cries from the ship.

“Ah! Get away you nasty fire- help!” cried a high-pitched voice.

“Oh no, Grim!” you gasped. Without a second thought, you let loose of the log and rushed towards the burning ship. The broken ship gave you better access as you hopped on, but the moment you’d secured your familiar, the ship roared and you tripped and fell.

“Look out!” Azul yelled out futilely. The ship ran straight into the rock and BOOM, everything was set ablaze. Azul dodged between dropping debrises mindlessly as he roamed around in search of you.

When nothing was found above, he dived back into the water and there you were - sinking into the water, growing darker and darker by second. He was next to you in a blink - thanks to his fast-moving tentacles. 

Your group had already gone out of sight when he emerged again, but to his best luck there was a piece of land just near, and he raced there like he was going to lose his own life if he was too late. It was only when you were pulled up on the dryland that he could soothe his pounding heartbeat.

He was bewildered at the fact that he could breathe on land just as well as he did under water. Aside from the sand that had started sticking to his tentacles the moment they touched, nothing seemed to be out of place.

“Hey,” he’d never rescued a drowning human before. He didn’t even know what drowning was. 

“Are you dead?” he slapped your cheek lightly. Your chest didn’t seem to be heaving, and your lips were as pale as snow.

“Hey-”

“Blergh!” Your head jerked up and suddenly you were coughing up water. Azul squeaked before scurrying over to hide behind a rock.

Your head was drooping back and forth as you held yourself up with wobbly arms. Then you started turning around and locked eyes with Azul’s as he peeked out tentatively.

Oh, it’s bad. This is very bad.

“Who-” you started to stand, and at the same time Azul began to reach for the water stealthily so you wouldn’t notice. He knew he’d be screwed if he was spotted.

“Y/N!” someone cried from far away, and you turned to look. The split second was just enough for him to crawl back into the water and out of sight.

The water washed the sand off him quickly, erasing all the evidence that he’d been out there violating one of the strictest rules under the sea, but despite all, he found himself already missing the crisp air above.

If any, he’d grown more fond of the unknown world that you lived in.

[bread-elf]

Would Jiroki IC sing the Spongebob song for 10k gold?

If she does sing it here on Tumblr, a good friend will make sure she gets the money.

The night sky in Karasang wilds held a show of stars; a perfect sight for some camping. Not straying too far from their home in the Jade Forest, Jiroki and Aztook Glaivefall took their growing family for an outing. The eldest Merli'neath has camped before, but it is the young twin's first time, and the adopted halfling helps keep the two in check while Jiroki sets up their tent. The youngest, little Taldreath, is monitored by Jiroki's companion Takesh, a powerful hippogryph. The small toddler gets curious of a nearby rock he sits by, picking it up and noticing a worm wiggling underneath. With a delighted giggle the child plucks the worm with tiny hands, but Takesh is quick to come in and gobble up the worm before the baby can do anything with it. Aztook had gone off to scout the perimeter with his demonic gaze, making sure his territory is safe for his little ones. Upon his return he comes back with some large shreds of crocolisk meat, just in time for the camp fire Jiroki had started up. The husband gets a dour look from his wife, but it means food extra food for the night, and so it gets cooked up on the fire. The gentle waves of the ocean nearby give ambience along with the crickets and bugs. Jiroki sits on the ground, leaning back against Takesh who has nestled himself in a comfortable spot. In her lap sat Taldreath, helping him eat some gooey and tasty mashed berries while the rest of her family enjoys the night as well. The twins had their first taste of crocolisk meat and she's pleasantly surprised that they enjoyed it, and Merli brought along some of her yarn to knit. "Aah, this is great!" Aztook beams, having eaten at least one ton of meat on his own. "My beautiful wife, my beautiful family, my beautiful, um... bird." His sightless gaze directing at Takesh. "What we need is a little music!" "Oh no, did you bring it?" Jiroki sighs heavily as Aztook brings out a small guitar from his belongings, more fitting as a toy than anything. "I should have never let you keep that thing." "An'da, I wanna hear a story!" Anorah, the female of the twins chimes in, always infatuated with whatever antics Aztook gets up to. The other, Vaeren, remains quiet, at times still wary of his step father. Though as the boy got older, Jiroki wondered if perhaps he was just aware of how absurd Aztook can get. "Oh don't worry my Starlight, I have plenty of stories to share tonight! But first, let me share with you a little dilly..." He tunes the guitar briefly, making sure his notes were in place, then begins to strum the guitar. "I call this one, the campfire-song song." "Let's gather around the campfiiiiire and sing our campfire song!" Aztook grins from ear to ear, having an oddly pleasant voice though it sounded fuel of demonic energies. "Our c-a-m-p-f-i-r-e-s-o-n-g song!" Merli had glanced up from her work as she watches her An'da with a giggle, Anorah bouncing in her spot while Vaeren just stares. Jiroki rolls her eyes, choosing to focus on the child on her lap as he sang. "And if you don't think that we can sing it faster than you're wrong!" Aztook lets the strings ring out, looking at Anorah with his broad smile. "But it'll help if you just sing along!" "Buuum buuum buuuuuumm!" Anorah leans in towards Vaeren, noticing her twin brother being a party pooper. Feeling the anticipation in the air, Jiroki rubs her temple as the antics begin. "C-a-m-p-f-i-r-e-s-o-n-g song!" Aztook resumed playing, now faster as his words even hasten. "C-a-m-p-f-i-r-e-s-o-n-g song!" Anorah tried to sing along too, but Aztook song too fast for her, and she didn't know exactly how to spell the word either. "Andifyoudon'tthinkwecansingitfasterthanyou'rewrong, butit'llhelpifyoujustsingalong!" "C-a-m-p-f-i-r-e-s-o-n-g song! ANORAH!" He quickly points at her. "SONG!" The child gasps. "C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-" "VAEREN!" Aztook keeps playing, watching the boy expectantly. But the boy stares him back down with a rather confused frown, disapproving. But at least the demon hunter caught on. "... Good!" "It'll heeeeeelp!" Aztook reaches some sort of climax in the

song he's made up, getting more intense with his guitar skills. "It'll heeeeelp, if you just sing allooooong!" And then goes sporadic, as if he were a rockstar. "OH YEEAA!!!!!" Merli clutched her stomach as she endured a laughing fit, making all sorts of guffaws and snorts alike. Anorah stood up and was beaming while jumping around, Vaeren remaining placid as he glances at his mother with a look that expressed something along the lines of 'really?'. "How did I end up here." Jiroki muses out loud to herself. (( It's not the theme nor Jiroki singing, but I hope this gives me points for effort roflmao ))

[evolsinner]

⊱┊25

~a month later~

i scurry to the toilet drop to the floor, puking my lungs out. i knew i shouldn't've eaten those scrambled eggs for breakfast! just thinking of its scent makes me wanna puke some more! i head into the kitchen and tilt my head under the tap, drinking some water. after fixing my hair in the steel refrigerator's reflection, i run out onto the beach again.

"rosé!" isaac ushers for me from the beach.

i near the edge, "think i'll just stay out here, thanks!"

"get in the water!"

i shake my head.

"get in!!" he shouts.

i jump in fright.

"get in the water for me, luv, will ya?" his voice softens. “please?”

"i'm sorry! i can't! you already know that i can't swim!"

"then i'll teach ya!"

"no!"

he rolls his eyes, "babe, c’mon! sun's shining, the water's cool. it's nice in here. get wet with me for a little while, why don't ya?"

as he's saying all this, he's slowly nearing me. the water drips off his skin, his beach shorts pasting to his lean thighs. that tan skin complexion of his is melting me more than the sun from up above. and, of course, abs that could kill. i mean, i could play hopscotch on them. also, the softest feature of his, the single dimple on one side of his face, so cute!

i'm sweating and i don't know if it's due to maple's heat or because of this godly sculptured specimen right in front of me. it's like he gives me a religion to follow, then takes it away by the way he looks at me.

"isaac," i take some warning steps back, "no."

"what?" he grins, stepping onto the shore.

"i swear, don't you dare!"

he stops.

and i stop.

he stares.

i stare back.

he starts chasing me.

i scream, running away.

he catches up to me in record timing.

"no!!!" i turn around and shuffle backward.

he laughs and grabs me, throwing me over his shoulder.

"isaac!" i throw feeble punches to his back. "put me down now!"

"don't mind her," he tells a group of friends staring at us. "she's just a little too loud," and he smacks my ass.

"put me down now isaac or i swear i will kill you!"

"see?" he adds victoriously.

the friends all crack up.

"relax, babe, i'll be with you the entire time," he steps into the water. "you have nothing to worry about."

"okay, that's deep enough," i stare at the water covering his feet.

he chuckles and walks further in.

i grow quieter and quieter as the water reaches higher and higher. i have a real surreal fear of drowning and that may be reinforced due to my lack of ability to know how to swim, like no shit, rosé. but honestly speaking, i'm scared that at some point in my life i will be thrown into the middle of the deep blue sea in the vast open nowhere and i'll just keep on

sinking

and

sinking.

i will see the sky disappearing. i will feel my lungs deflating. my screams will become inaudible. and through all of it, i’ll know that no one can save me 'cause i've gone under already. blue. ocean. blue eyes. my lips grow dry, my arms squeeze the life out of my fiancé.

"right, that should be deep enough for you to cop a feel," he stops and slowly slides me down the front of his body.

"wait, no! i'm really, really scared, isaac. i'm not playing."

"i'm not going to let go of you," he assures me with all manner of jokes aside. "just, look, i'm standing, you can stand too. it isn't that deep. trust me."

my feet touch the top of the waist high water and i shiver from its coolness. now i am dipped all the way in. i've glued myself onto sir, not letting him go for the love of survival.

"you are adorable ~ a thousand times over," he grins, placing strands of my hair behind my ear.

i give me a jaded smile.

he brings his hands up to my forearms and pushes slightly against them.

"no, don't let me go! i'll drown!"

he chuckles.

slowly enough, i let him peel me off himself a little.

"see?" he smiles warmly. "not so bad, is it?"

i nod frantically, "y~yeah! not bad. can we head back now?"

“sweetheart,” he raises his eyebrows, “we're just getting started. imma take you deeper."

"no!" i push away from his arms, turning for the shore only to splash around like a live fish out of the water.

"woah, woah, woah!" isaac gives me space to do my thing; which is drown. "babe! fuck!" and he clutches me again. "damn, woman, you're touching the ground and you're still losing it!"

"it's not fucking funny!" i scream so fucking loud that the swimmers nearby hear, even the people sunbathing look up to see what the commotion is about.

"i'm not laughing, relax," he words sternly, face of stone.

"take me back, please," i plea desperately.

"rosé, you won't drown if you hold onto me. just hold onto me. i won't let go of you. i promise."

i know that he wants me to face my fears, except he's failing to realise the fear he wants me to face so badly is etched into the centre of my brain in the colour 'blue'. it's in permanent ink and equivalent in intensity as this ocean. there's no way that i could get rid of it.

he wraps one of his arms around my waist and moves steadily across the water. then weirdly, i feel lighter all of a sudden, almost like i have, “stepped off a cliff?”

“it’s a vertical drop, all normal, that’s how beaches are,” isaac informs me.

oh no, my feet aren't touching the ground anymore.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"i'm sorry," i croak out.

"what for, luv?"

"i'm bruising your arms, look?" i shift my fingers to a new spot.

he glances at his upper arms and sees the painful red crescents made by my fingernails, "nah, it’s all good, babe. didn't even notice."

i fight off a smile.

"how's it feel?" he asks with a curious grin.

and after being in his sturdy hold for a while, i feel more and more relaxed.

"i feel...free."

"free?" he repeats.

"yeah."

"that's good," he chuckles. "want me to let go of you now?"

my eyes open vagina wide, "no! no, no, no, no, no!"

"alright, alright," he laughs out. "i was just kidding, ease up."

"fuck you," i mutter grumpily.

"so..." he says in a jesting tone. "my sweetheart can't drive, can't swim and can't behave like an adult. is there anything she can do?"

"i can..eat? and sleep? and cook noodles?"

his laughter sparks a rainbow in my mind, it's like a midsummer night's daydream all of a sudden. "putting noodles in the microwave? i wouldn't jot that down as a skill."

"no?"

"a solid no."

"then what do you consider as a skill?" i glide my hand down his stomach to his s/o. "this?"

he scoffs and tenses up, "if you so much as make me go an inch hard in the water, then imma fuck you right here, right now. don't care if you can't swim."

i shift my hand away mad quickly and we both break into contagious laughter.

[andthepetalsfall]

disappointment, a lump swallowed with each bite

Summary: Syaoran’s relationship with Yelan is complicated.

A/N: I had a friend post this a while back on AO3 as an orphaned fic (she came up with the title), mostly because I felt I might have revealed too much about myself. But I feel there’s so much about Syaoran’s Cantonese heritage left unexplored, both by fandom and CLAMP, that I want to tap into it myself. Writing this felt a little raw, but it meant a lot that this resonated so much with Canto readers I thought I’d share it here. I hope you enjoy.

[AO3]

Syaoran’s life has been a series of disappointments, one after the other.

Disappointment is the first memory his mother shares with him over dinner. “When I married, I moved to Hong Kong to be with your father’s family,” she explains.

He nods as he ravenously shovels roast pork into his mouth and his eldest sister reminds him to chew slowly.

“But I was originally from Shanghai. I tried to teach you Shanghainese when you were very small, but you never used it.”

“You used to cry, ‘I want to talk to Mama!’ because she doesn’t understand Shanghainese,” the second eldest suddenly remembers with a bright smile.

“Yes, and she would tell me, ‘You married into a Cantonese family, let the boy speak what he wants. You have to teach him Mandarin and Japanese later on anyway.’ You were so resistant, your Mama asked what the point was of teaching you Shanghainese when your sisters spoke it but never used it.”

His mother reaches for more gailan. Although his mother and grandmother had shown nothing but respect for each other, he’d always noticed a cold air between them. “I remember I was very...”

She doesn’t need to finish the sentence. Syaoran doesn’t say anything and picks up the pork more delicately.

…

It’s the third Qing Ming Jie since his father’s death and he can’t relate to any of the stories his sisters and mother laugh over as they lay out the food and incense.

“Didi, you remember?” his Ga Jeh asks. “All our cousins were playing with each other, but you stayed in the corner practicing your magic by yourself. You were two.”

“You always wanted to be alone, even back then,” the second sister adds.

“Baba was laughing at you and called you his little lone wolf,” the fourth sister says.

“Oh, is that where ‘Syaoran’ comes from?” His family never used his real name, it was baobei to his mother and didi to his sisters. On occasion they called him Syaoran or Siu Long, dialect chosen on a whim.

But when he frowns, they see he doesn’t remember any of it, so they silently reach for the incense and pray. He looks at the red name etched on the tombstone and the emptiness he feels hits him like a train. How must Baba feel knowing his only son doesn’t remember him?

He already knows the answer and as he takes the incense, all he can think is, I’m sorry.

…

“Again.”

For the thirty-fourth time in a row (he’s been keeping track in his head), he strikes his sword into the ground and in a split second the faintest trace of a magic circle glows beneath him. Then, just as suddenly, it fades.

His mother rubs her temples and Syaoran braces himself for the lecture coming to him.

“How many times have we tried this and you still don’t understand it?”

He doesn’t protest that he’s trying, because she’ll only counter that he’s not trying hard enough.

“Your mind is off somewhere else and you’re not focusing properly. Do you not understand how vital it is that you get this right? Don’t you know what it means to be a descendant of Clow Reed? The only magic child of this family, no less!”

He doesn’t say that technically, they’re descendants of his mother’s family, and that Syaoran’s own mother wasn’t related to him either, just married in.

Still, his mother somehow senses what’s on his mind and says, “I know it is not my bloodline. But when I married your father, his family became my family. You think your Mama just let any random outsider marry her only son? No, it didn’t matter that I had magic in my veins. It took me ten years to perfect my magic and even be considered worthy of the prestige of the Lei clan! And now you have a chance to be Master of the Clow because it is your birthright! What did I work so hard for if all you want to do is throw it away?”

Syaoran bites his lip and feels hot shame welling up inside him. He fixes his stare at the ground so his mother doesn’t see his wet eyes.

“Don’t look at the floor. Look at me.”

He complies and sniffles.

“Do you want to be Master or not? Answer me.”

“I do,” he whispers, unable to control the shakiness in his voice. All he wants is to be like any other second-grader and go play at the park or something.

“Masters of the Clow don’t cry. Go again.”

The thirty-fifth time isn’t much better than the last, and he can slowly feel his mother giving up.

…

As he holds the results of his Japanese exam, his hands tremble. He’s not worried about his other scores, but he’ll need to work twice as hard in this area if he wants to keep up with his Japanese classmates next year.

That semester had been a flurry of sleepless nights, cramming and studying over and over to perfect his language skills. It had been one of the few times in his life when his mother relaxed her strict exterior, quietly bringing a bowl of sweet pears to his room and placing it on his desk.

“Study hard, baobei.”

He sharply inhales as he opens up his results, and exhales when he sees the red 100 on his kanji scores. His eyes scale down to keigo.

96.

Four points. He was only four points away.

He’s far, far from the bottom of his class, but it’s not enough. The endless complaints from his classmates, none of whom he’s ever played with or been friends with, saying, “My mom always asks why you can’t be like your classmate Lei!” or praise from his teachers, “Let’s all follow Lei tung hok’s example,” are never enough for the Lei clan.

He neatly folds the exam and slides it into his backpack.

…

When he submits his papers to Tomoeda elementary he gives them his real name. It sounds foreign even to him.

“Rei—” the office lady frowns. “Sorry, how do you pronounce that?”

Maybe he shouldn’t have started off with Cantonese. And then he has the craziest idea. “Ah—never mind,” he says, furiously scribbling out his name. “Use this one.”

She purses her lips into a tight line. “Ookami?”

“It’s, ah, a traditional name,” he lies through his teeth, hoping his accent isn’t too heavy. “Li Syaoran.”

“The Chinese use such interesting kanji,” she murmurs, scribbling down some notes. He doesn’t remind her that kanji came from China first.

“Well, you’ll be in Terada-sensei’s room, Li-san. It’s down that way.”

It all fits, in a way. When has he ever been worthy of his own name?

…

“He speaks kinda funny.”

“Chiharu-chan, he’s from Hong Kong. You can’t expect him to speak perfectly on his first day,” the quiet girl with chestnut colored hair reminds her.

“I heard Terada-sensei saying if he needed help he could talk to Tomoyo-chan,” the one with glasses interjects. “The way he repeated her name was sooooo cute. Daaai-daaau-jiii.”

It’s not malicious, the way they’re giggling. But he keeps his expression stony and vows not to say any other name.

...

His face is burning as he runs. He’s failed to retrieve the cards on his first day, and the boy…

The boy was beautiful.

He thinks of his mother’s warning. “Don’t play around with girls.” She’d wrinkled her nose. “Especially Japanese girls. You remember what they did to our country?”

She’d never thought to warn him about boys. It would never cross her mind he would tell her something like that.

He prays, prays, prays he’ll never need to.

...

The ocean wind is icy and pinches at his skin, but he’ll never show weakness like the girl beside him. How was this whimpering thing, who was never raised with a quarter of the discipline he has, deemed more worthy to be Master than he was?

But the more she talks, the more he realizes he has never known a night like this. A night of no training, no studying. Just the crashing of ocean waves and a light conversation under the moonlight.

He’s not thinking when he says, “Well, I feel that way about him too, but…”

He freezes as he realizes and holds his gaze at her, anxiously waiting for her response. What will she say? Will she tell people? What if, Heaven forbid, it gets back to his family?

But she carries on like it’s nothing. He’s brave enough to press her further about her infatuation, and she asks him the same.

“Both you and I are so much younger than Yukito-san, but we can’t help it,” she says. “We just… like him.”

When she smiles, it’s genuine. It’s serene. There is no judgment in her jade eyes.

When his form reappears in the cave, she doesn’t reprimand him for not having the strength to fight off the card. She thanks him.

It’s a foreign feeling.

…

“They call me a different name, Ma.”

Even though she’s only on the phone, he knows she’s frowning. “Oh? And what’s wrong with the name we gave you?”

“They can’t pronounce it. It has nothing to do with you.” With the safety of distance, he can be a little bolder.

“And this new girl? How does she have the cards?”

“Cerberus chose her. There’s really nothing I can do about it, especially a Guardian made by Clow himself.”

“Hm. Are they treating you well?”

He thinks of those jade green eyes. “The people in Japan are very nice, Ma.”

“I see.”

An awkward silence hangs between them.

“Baobei?”

“Mm?”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Yes,” he lies, eyeing the sword he’s been practicing with all night.

“Never forget to eat, Baobei. You need your strength.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Ma.”

...

She’s shocked when he tells her he lives alone.

“Then you have to do all the laundry and cleaning and cooking all on your own?”

Okay, maybe it’s a little odd for a ten-year-old to live alone in an apartment, but it’s not like she doesn’t do housework either.

“Well… yeah.”

“That’s so cool!”

There’s not an ounce of sarcasm in her voice, which flusters him.

“But… don’t you get lonely?”

Lonely?

He’s never been asked that before. He thinks of the phone call with his mother the night previously, where she instructed him to keep an eye on “the new girl” and reminded him to dress warmly.

“Not really.”

“So cool!” the girl gushes.

It’s such a trivial thing, housework. Maybe she’ll praise anything, but she’s never commented on his shortcomings.

Before he can say anything, her stomach grumbles. It makes the corner of his lips twitch.

…

His hands are trembling as he tells his mother the news. No, he won’t be Master of the Clow.

Sakura is.

He has a million counterarguments backed up in his head—no, he didn’t just give up. (Okay, maybe he did.) Yue deigned it. He was not about to go against two Guardians of Clow’s own creation. Clow predicted this would happen, anyway.

But she doesn’t yell. She doesn’t scold.

“Good,” she sighs. “I’m glad you were able to help this Kinomoto girl achieve her birthright.”

“Her birthright?” Syaoran asks, half surprised and half amused.

“Aiyooh, if Clow wanted it, who are we to go against him? He ought to have left some hints, though!”

He almost laughs.

“You did your best, baobei. And you helped the new Master. For that I’m grateful.”

Syaoran doesn’t know what to say, but maybe no words need to be said.

“Now, this Kinomoto—you certainly talk about her a lot.”

“What are you saying, Ma?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“MA!”

“Aiyah, don’t be like that, I’m your mother! You have to tell me everything!”

[movedyourchair505]

Napule Nights - ventuno

This is a bit of a shameless excuse to focus on Mr. Miles Kane, but I promise the next chapter is one I have been planning since I started writing this story and it will be worth this little filler. Thanks to Elana again for helping me!! xx

- chapter navigation -

x

In opposition to what Jade had hoped for, a security guard unknown to her came to her suite the next day, informed her that she would be meeting Serena, not Turner, to discuss business, plan another job he'd set up for her and while she couldn't hide her disappointment, she was glad that at least she'd be preoccupied.

The slight buzz of booze and lust had worn off, and she was slowly but gradually growing more and more aware of Turner's shift in behaviour, how he'd made sure that she was okay back at the meeting, how he'd given her instantly what she wanted and kept his teasing to a minimum, had made sure she felt good beyond his own pleasure, had praised her for doing a good job.

She followed the henchman to Serena's office, was then led inside and to her disappointment spent several hours discussing a job she would have to do the next day and while it was nowhere near as risky as anything she'd done before, it required a lot more background knowledge about the business and the plans, insight she knew she only deserved now after proving to Turner that she was not entirely useless when it came to working for him and she tried to pay as close attention as she could while simultaneously trying to push the recollection of the previous night to the back of her mind, trying her hardest to stay professional and not give into the temptation of thinking about Turner's hands on her, knowing she would get too worked up too quickly and she didn't know how long she would be in the company of others.

Confident that she'd be able to do the job successfully if she remembered everything, she left the office and was brought right back to her suite, left on her own before she could even ask about Turner, or if he wanted to see her and after she'd eaten and been given more paperwork to go through, she doubted it would even happen and the more time passed, the more convinced she grew that Turner regretted his actions, was purposely avoiding her but she tried to tell herself that he was just busy, that he had other obligations, that she would see him the next day but it pained her to think about all the progress being diminished, of the distance and the time making it all seem unreal, and that they would be back to where they were before.

The description of the following job had left no room for Turner's presence and she was brought to the location of the meeting by the same security man from the previous day as soon as she'd gotten ready, followed the plan all the way down to its every detail, all the while secretly hoping that if she wouldn't get to see Turner, he at least would hear that she'd done a good job. For a moment she even toyed with the idea of making a mistake purposely, knowing she would have to justify herself.

But ultimately, she knew that that would only make things worse in terms of his attitude towards her because she had his trust now and she knew better than to ruin it again and the day passed without so much as a mention of his name by his security and Serena when she briefly met her after, once again too short and too focused on the job to even ask about Turner and by the end of it, she was not only frustrated that she hadn't seen him, but also physically ached to just see his face, see that smug half-smile, feel his hands on her, her body didn't hurt as much anymore as it had the day before, she needed more, it was always like he'd never touched her but the memory was vivid, she couldn't have made the incredible pleasure he'd made her feel up if she tried. She would never forget the way he made use of his every movement to make sure she would remember him, remember where he'd been, where he'd marked and played with her, seeking to dominate her completely.

She dragged out her shower in the evening longer than necessary, touched and fucked herself on her favourite toy until she could no longer think straight, her desperate moans echoing off the walls, indulging in the delicious memories of Turner fucking her into that state of bliss she was now chasing, blurring them with hopeful fantasies but nothing could come close to the way he handled her body, no toy stretched her as roughly, no orgasm she evoked in herself was a match to the mess he reduced her to, held her down and took her mercilessly.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, surrounded by a blissful scent of her rich body lotion and wrapped up in only the silk gown – one of the few things in the suite she'd grown to love – removing  her towel from her head to let her hair fall down her back, seeking to put on a soft set of lingerie to sleep in and maybe continue soothing her desperate desire for now, the blur of her delight's afterglow was interrupted by the deep sound of someone clearing their throat, making her freeze in her step, the heavy smell of sweet cologne lingering.

On the edge of the end of her bed, one leg resting on the other, one arm propped on the silk sheets sat Kane, shiny merlot suit, fresh tan, scratching at the stubble on his chin, regarding her inquisitively. “Evenin', bella” he drawled, pushing himself forward and adjusting his sitting position, elbows resting on his knees, folding his heavily jeweled hands.

She swallowed hard, the nonchalant expression on his face, how confidently he conducted himself despite the situation fuelling her to not show any trace of discomfort or surprise. It was more his casual demeanor with which he carried himself that irritated her than anything else that made her not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her thrown off.

“Well, fook” he continued. “Natural fookin' beauteh, aren't you?”

She raised her eyebrows at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest, her breasts threatening to spill over the loose tie of the robe. “Kane, what are you doing here?”

He licked his lips. “You're comin' out wif meh” he declared with a shrug of his shoulders. “And you'll wear this.”

Her eyes followed the nod of his head, gesturing to a dress spread out beside him on the bed and she tilted her head to side. “That's a work dress.”

Miles shrugged, looking back at her, patient, unimpressed, held her gaze until she relaxed her shoulders and stepped forward to pick up the dress, the white white fabric sheer, see-through everywhere except her bust and crotch, completely backless and held together only with a series of thin diamanté straps, a large slit at the side of her thigh that with like any pole-dancing dress allowed the right amount of space to move while also leaving up just the tiniest bit of her body up to imagination. The neckline was low, the dress tight and suggestive.

“Be right back” she stated before retreating to the bathroom after picking up a thong from her drawer, leaving the door ajar when he already spoke again. “Got quite a collection in tha' drawer there, dun't you?”

She rolled her eyes, scolding herself mentally for being surprised because if he'd gone through her work dresses, he'd also gone through the other stuff. It wasn't like she'd expected any privacy anyway, she was positive that every day when the suite was empty, someone did a security sweep, so this was really no different.

“Are men so dissatisfactoreh teh you?”

She smiled to herself, pulling on the dress and adjusting it on the curves of her body before she began to brush her hair. “For the most part.”

A low chuckle was audible from the other room, a shift on the bed. “Were gunna go eat at one of Al's restaurants, you're 'ungreh, reyht?”

“Sounds good” she called back, stepping close to the mirror and beginning to take care of her skin before starting on her make up. “I'll be ready in a few minutes.”

She heard a huff from him, then he spoke before she could question his reaction. “Never fail teh amaze meh, do you?”

She lined her lips, applied powers to all the right places. “Scusi?”

“Are you sayin' tha' all of … you just 'appens?”

Jade laughed, sprayed her face and combed her hair to fall straight down her back, then stepped out, taking immense pleasure in the way Kane's indifferent expression morphed into one of utter fascination, but refused to let it show, reveling in the feeling while walking to her close and pulling out a fur shawl and pulling it on, effortlessly transforming the suggestive work dress into a tasteful evening look. She was now secretly hoping that she would see Turner, that this was the nature of Kane's visit and she quickly glamourized her look with a rose gold necklace and several rings.

“Now weh match, bella” Kane announced, pointing to her, then his own look, his white shirt matching her dress, the fur the colour of his suit.

“Don't get too excited” she said as she picked up her small bag and walked past him, her heels clicking on the floor and she pushed the door open, holding it out for them, smiling to herself when Miles jumped to his feet and crossed the room, holding his arm out for her.

The way to the restaurant took only slightly longer than it would have to the club and Jade tried to memorize the way but before she knew it, they were sat at “Al's usual table”, located right by the window, the second floor of the building hovering right over the ocean by the harbour, the two security guards Kane had taken to the car with them close by. The chairs and tables were dark wood, the music soft and mellow and the inside of the restaurant bright, tiny lights all over illuminating the room in contrast to the dark skies outside, the crescent moon reflecting in the water below the horizon.

Kane waved a waiter over instantly, not bothering even picking up his menu. “Two of me usual, yeh?”

Jade held back a comment, deciding to just go with whatever he was doing, she had enough money, she wasn't a picky eater, but before Miles could patronise her meal order, she opened the menu, flicking through it.

“It's on me, by the weh, get anehfin' you want, bella...” He chimed in, interrupting her studying of the menu and he smirked when she looked up, giving her a wink. “Wha' a proper vero gentiluomo does on a date.”  

She raised an eyebrow at him. “This is not a date, Kane.”

Miles chuckled, giving a slight shake of his head, looking out at the view and scratching at his chin. “Nah, tha'd beh too easy, innit? Not wha' you're after...”

She licked her lips, too curious to deny him the satisfaction of asking. “What do you mean?”

“Datin' meh” he responded, looking back at her. “Would beh too easeh for you. Wouldn't beh after Al if you wanted easeh.”

“Well, you know all about that, don't you?”

The glint of playfulness in his eyes turned into amusement and he leaned back in his chair, giving a chuckle. “Reyht...” he said.

Jade shut her menu and put it down abruptly, waving to the waiter herself now. “I'd like the Bay Eel” she announced, repeating the name of the dish she'd found at the far end of the menu which was not coincidentally the most expensive as well.

Miles sucked in a breath, but chuckled, gave her a look of approval, smug and as if tipping his hat to her. “And I'll 'ave the lobster frittata, per favore. And would you 'urreh wif our drinks?”

“Yes, Mr. Kane, they will be with you in just a moment” the waiter assured him before excusing himself.

Miles gave a nod, then focused his full attention back on Jade. “I 'eard ya did a good job today” he said, leaning forward over the table with his elbow resting on the top.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Cut the crap, Kane” she sighed.

“Wha'?” He asked, tilting his head to the side and looking back at her, confused. “Wha' do you mean, bella?”

“Oh, please. You're not telling me you don't have ulterior motives. What could have possibly made you decide to spend the evening with me instead of Turner?”

Miles blinked a few times, staring back at her. “Well, Al's in San Marino.”

Her eyes widened, her posture faltering and she couldn't conceal her surprise this time. “He's away?”

Kane nodded, shrugging matter-of-factly. “Joost for a few days” he said.

“What's in San Marino?” She asked, unable to keep her curiosity to herself now.

“Business” he responded. “He's … oh, alreyht!” He called, interrupting himself when the waiter brought their drinks, placing a colourful cocktail in front of them each. “Let's 'ave it.” He picked up his cocktail and lifted the glass over the table.

Jade lifted her own glass and turned it to figure out its contents. “What's this?” She questioned.

“It's a Candeh Kane” Miles smirked proudly.

She stared back at him blankly, inhaling slowly. “Candy Kane?” She repeated in monotone, but it didn't wipe the excitement of the boyish face staring right back at her.

“Cin cin, bella!”

She caved and let out a breath, moving her glass to meet his and staring back into his eyes before taking a sip, grimacing instantly. “That is...” She swallowed hard. “A very fitting name.”

Miles grinned, raking his fingers through his short hair. “So” he drawled. “D'ya ever dance for meh?”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well, have you ever been to my club?” She asked.

“All the fookin' time” he said, an expression of exaggerated offense spreading across his face. “Lana's me favourite.”

Jade couldn't help but smile, nodding. “Yeah, she's lovely” she said, once again realising that she had been too worried about going out publicly to see her friends at the club.

“Sheh makes sum bloodeh good cappuccino as well.”

She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Wha'?” He smirked.

“Seems everyone in this city has either slept with you or would like to.”

Kane cackled, adjusting the gold watch around his wrist as he held her gaze. “Is tha' wha' me reputation is?”

“Well” she said. “That and the stories about you and Turner.”

He waved it off, shaking his head. “Well, weh've been over tha', 'aven't weh?” He asked, discarding the topic before Jade could even respond. “Fookin' shocker 'bout Vittorio, weren't it?”

Jade tensed slightly, realising that Turner must have told him about their conversation in the car but deciding instantly she had to be sure before she would share. “What do you mean?”

Kane shrugged. “Well, 'e won't beh out of the 'ospital anehtime soon” he said absently, looking out at the ocean again. “Were a louseh shag anehweh.”

Her eyes grew wider at his words, glad he hadn't noticed her surprise and she took a sip of the awful cocktail to hide her reaction. She was unsure now if he'd meant to share new information with her, or if he'd assumed she already knew but then again, she was allowing herself to jump to conclusions, there might not have been a connection and she was too prideful to ask in case she was wrong, trying desperately to change the subject herself now, relieved when their food arrived and she dug right in to avoid any more conversation until his mind would have drifted as well.

The restaurant had become more busy, she could sense a view heads turning to watch them, certain that no matter who people were looking at, it was because of their association with Turner, but she tried to not allow herself too much speculation once again, instead focusing on the spectacular view, the rich flavour of the food, finishing the cocktail dutifully before calling the waiter over again, ordering a glass of cognac.

“You not put off yet?” Kane asked, swallowing and licking his lips, his shiny eyes fixating on her face once again.

“Put off by what exactly?” She questioned.

He shrugged. “This fing you've gotten pulled inteh. Can beh intimidatin', reyht?”

She leaned back. “What do you actually know about me, Kane?”

A smirk played around the corners of his mouth and he shoved in some more food, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “More than you fink, bella. And anehfin' I dunno I can easileh find out.”

“Or you could ask me” she shrugged, welcoming her drink when the waiter brought it over and taking a big sip. “I'm not a huge fan of rumours.”

He cackled, shaking his head. “Reyht” he drawled. “Is Al satisfyin' ya then?”

She blinked, parting her lips, then blinking again, pondering with a good response. “Scusi?”

“Well, 's not too late teh jump on the Kane train, bella.”

Jade huffed, couldn't suppress a small laugh, shaking her head at him again. “Has that line ever worked?”

He rolled his eyes. “I'm not tryin' teh get in your pantehs, luv. Joost tryin' teh 'ave gal talk wif ya.”

“Well, Kane” she said, licking her lips as she swallowed the last of her food, intrigued as she leaned closer to him over the table. “Why don't you tell me about the last time you were satisfied?”

[ace-octo-pix]

This is... going to be a bit long. sorry, mobile users. The ocs are listed by team!

SPLATOON 1 TEAMS

ROKA/OLIVIA/AGENT 3. A bit of a lovable goof, with caring too much for her little inkling body. Fierce in battle. Yes, she gets the scar in the OE arc, but the OE arc goes a bit differently in the story due to... reasons? yeah, reasons. She goes missing for a full year and that’s when Akim takes up the Agent 4 handle.

MINT TEA/PAIVA. A bit of a gossip, but also a wall of support. Wants to cheer everybody up, but is hiding issues of her own. Close friends with Roka. A possible ship with roka, as well. She’s the second leader of the team, and the only one in contact with Roka, right up until her disappearance. Oops. Literally the only one with a picture like this.

GLASSES/HENRIETTA. I did not know that the splatoon manga glasses was known as glasses, and this is awkward. and also full moon is a thing and AGH. anyway glasses. Seems to be a sarcastic little piece of shit, but honestly it’s just a front to her inner core. Of someone who likes to snipe and have fun. Wonder what caused her to be like that? hm.

Bandanna/Daphyne. She exudes an aura of edge, an aura of Not Caring... but she really does care... a lot more than she lets on. Will Fight anybody who disses her pals. Honestly a teen girl at heart. Loves black.

RETRO/AKIM/AGENT 4. A bit of a prick, but the kind of prick you know doesn’t mean his words. He’s kind of skilled in battle with his roller, which makes this W O R SE !! a big fan of music, and gaming, and also being gay. he makes jokes about that a lot.

SPECS/MARK: you know the stereotypical nerd? stays in a bedroom most of the day, tinkering around with stuff? That’s Specs! He likes to play video games with Retro, and... oh, look at that, another ship. Wow. Analytical!

SUNNY/GWEN. Similar to another person, she appears to not care, while caring a lot. Apathetic seeming, but able to come out of her core to care. Probably has a lot of interests from her girlfriend...

RAINY/SARAH. She’s fueled by a firey passion most of the time, but it tends to fizzle out quickly, and that’s how she and Sunny met, basically. Not pictured is the Traditional Headband she wears. Yes, she and Sunny are girlfriends. yay matching outfits.

PAINT! Er, she looks... not like this as much? Her gloves cover her fingers, and her hairstyle is the enemy octo hairstyle! In the ‘first game’ aka the first arc, she actually wears the paintball mask which covers her whole face, and also mains chargers. She just switched to brella in the second game. Shy, kind of nervous, but willing to put her foot down when push comes to shove. Er, she also has to be pushed to that point. Poor girl.

FISHFRY. A super out-there kinda kid. sorry, some ocs don’t have much personality. He will Protecc Paint with his life. Probably does research and field expeditions for her.

PEAKS. Proud of her role in battle, and probably the first one Paint trusted with the secret of her being an octoling, and the one best fit to break the news.

VECTOR. Full Attacc mode. Fueled by battle, loves to battle. Whenever Paint is taken off guard, she’s probably the one there to back her up.

ZEKKO. Leader of the Marksmen. Sorry there isn’t much about him. he’s definitely gay tho? Loves bothering the other players with his gun.

PANEL. A bit of a nerd, though he hides it behind his huge blaster.

SQUIDMARK. Reclusive? shows little emotion, but its definitely there.

CHECK. Loves the feeling of his hair. Probably more muscly than you would gather from his shirt.

SATIN. Loves this style and doesn’t get why people laugh at her scuba mask. knows what she’s doing in battle, but... not much outside of it.

CANCEL. Tends to ignore the outside world for her daydreams, even in battles, and still does well?? how does this team function

Ah, this is how they function. PARKA. Aka the straight person- well, they’re nonbinary and are hiding their ponytail in that hat of theirs. The person who sets the team straight and directs them in the right direction. Beakons help.

Zink. Just as odd as the rest of his team. He says his headband helps him, when it very clearly doesn’t. Or maybe it does and its just a hidden condition. Who knows? He’s just a bit bizarre.

BERRY. Leader of her team, she’s Suspicious of everything, and fierce in battle. Loves being Warm....

Olive. Er, he has the wrong ink color, and his eyes are blinking. It’s better like this instead of the WRONG PIECE OF HEADGEAR. Suave and cool, and yet constantly bickers with Berry. Ah, sibling culture. Super strong. A bit of a brat, but he won’t press on Berry’s anxious triggers. That’s Just Rude.

JELLY. Sometimes called Baby because of just how precious she acts. Will kick people if she has to.

SHRIMP. AKA... well. You know that headcanon that Pearl, Emperor, and Prince are siblings? Well, Shrimp’s their cousin. He’s got the short genes. He tries to compensate for it by being loud, and is often jokingly called Pearl’s cousin. Likes telling tales. That are often mostly true.

SPLATOON 2 TEAMS

HOOK/ATA/AGENT 8. A soft and kind soul, friendly and loves to talk more than take action, but when she takes action... whooo. she knows how to take action. If she’s angry, you don’t want to be around. Mostly quiet. Another possible ship with Roka.

YAMAGIRI/ADRIAN. Confident, and a bit cocky, but it’s mostly only a bit of exaggeration: he loves to stick to his ideals, and truly believes himself to be carrying those out to the best of his ability. Stupidly loyal to his friends.

TOOTHPICK/NOELANI. Two words to describe her: mom friend. Caring, worrying for everybody that crosses her vision, analytical to a stupid degree. Strong, so she can help throw her friends into a food cart so they can EAT FOOD. 

OCEANIC/VICTOR. A soft-spoken octoling, but is willing to do whatever it takes for his friends to Remain Happy, happy to shoulder their burdens. Hides his emotions under his big ol’ hat, though if you look under it, he’s probably a blubbering mess. Whenever angered, his voice seems to drop octaves and inflection. That’s terrifying!

BLOCKER. Oh my god, he’s a party animal. Oh my god. He likes doing memes and tricks, and, you know who this should remind you of? Aloha. Anyway, Blocker’s well known for his tricks with his brella, and his excellent dance skills... which also aids him in battle!

FUGU. He has a Big Ol Crush on Blocker, and I don’t think Blocker’s noticed yet. Oof. Kind of quiet and likes to observe before hopping into things, useful for a blaster with such a short range...? Awkward, but he’s trying to get better.

SEA SLUG. Constantly on the go, constantly moving, she’s gotta Go Go Go!! Hyperactive, probably can be seen stimming. Has an attachment to her gun.

LEAF. Seemingly hard-boiled, constantly huffing about something or other. She’s- she’s a Rider Tsundere, that’s all I can describe her as. Her friendships with Blocker the Party Master and Sea Slug have definitely Lightened her up. Still a little bit of a grump?

ARROW. Dependable. You can depend on him to tell you when you’re doing some Bad Shit, Stop That.

HOTHOUSE. A... a bit of a flirt, and a good punster. two things that shouldn’t be combined into one girl.

TACKLE VISOR. Keeps their face hidden purposefully, which hides their non-standard hairstyle. Rough and tough, a sneaky little bastard. You know, despite the TACKLE VISOR on their head.

MATCHA. A silly little guy. The oblivious one that somehow still manages to cooperate with Hothouse’s jokes anyway. May be faking obliviousness...

HICKORY. Such a casual guy. Him and Blocker are probably pals. Party pals. Would drink your soda on accident and then apologize.

DO-RAG. oh my god, look, it’s a lesbian. She loves to show off, and is super strong. Could probably lift her teammates above her head. Actually can’t see much without her glasses, they’re made for her weird-ass eyes.

REDLEAF. He looks like the type of guy who hyperfocuses on everything and has to be told to back off, but he’s not trying to be creepy. Soft. Would memorize your food favorites and cook it for you.

CLAMS. He. he loves being super fancy. Not because he thinks he’s above others, he really, really loves the aesthetic of it! He and Do-Rag fight over which splatling is better sometimes. And then help each other score dates.

EGG. Super silly, has probably eaten a raw egg whole on a dare. Easily dared into things, though this means she’s very resilient. Can and Will say silly things just to confuse people.

CARROT. Helps out with Egg’s jokes. Has shoved an entire carrot down her gut before. Egg and her were actually friends before they both traveled to the surface. They are... bad influences on each other.

RAINBOW: He’s a casual gay. I- uh. He’s super fun in battles, and is often the one daring Egg and Carrot to do things because he loves putting it on whatever the octo media is. Loves sandals, hates his toes feeling constricted.

CANARY. Oh my god this is a swamp gremlin. You know the meme versions of agent 4? that, times like 100. Jesus. This team is crazy.

SEASHELL. Doesn’t use the deco because her teammates described what the burstbomb and carbon did to people and she doesn’t wish to cause people harm....

JADE. he’s blue ba due be- i mean. he’s a good singer, but still learning the ropes of his new weapon.

DEEPSEA. A friend. The dad friend. Will tell jokes to make you feel better, but always a shoulder to lean on. Always will wear silly clothes too.

FORGE. ..... a guy of few words.... kind of like skull. doesn’t really talk much, but evidently is a good prankster and loves spicy things. Will tuck you into bed and then doodle on your face.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Embrace of Fate:  Chapter 2

Yubel stared at the door. Like all those in the palace that they’d seen so far, this one was well-made and sturdy. If there was any noise outside, they couldn’t hear it very well. That would make sleeping a bit strange – after all their years of travel, Yubel found they were more acclimated to the sounds of nature or those that could be heard in a wayside inn than to absolute silence.

But they would get used to that. Yubel steeled their spine and turned around to view the room.

This is in the royal palace. It’s going to be beautiful. They expected that. Kuragari held a reputation all over the known world for how magnificent the architecture was, one almost as strong and well-known as their famous grapes and the wine made from them, or the fact that His Highness the Prince held the power of the Gentle Darkness.

What they saw when they finished turning put every mental image that they’d formed of this place to shame – not that they’d had many since Yubel hadn’t ever thought they would stay in the palace to begin with. But here they were and here they would stay because of all the people in all the world, they were the Prince’s soulmate and he was theirs.

Yubel still couldn’t totally wrap their head around that. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale, and Yubel tried to convince themselves for years that fairy tales were just that and not the sort of tales that came true.

Slowly they took a step forward, eyes moving from piece to piece and sight to sight. On all four walls hung at least one tapestry and one painting, each one being of some beautiful natural scene. On the floor spread out a thick rug, shaded in dark cream shades of white. Opposite from the wall with the door in it stood a wall with a wide window, that still had room for the painting – this one of a sunrise over a mountain – and a tapestry – this one depicting the ocean and the shore. What shore it was Yubel didn’t know, but it was beautiful regardless, a shining expanse of cerulean and sapphire.

In all their travels, Yubel hadn’t ever seen a bed as big as this one. Up to three people could have slept in it, with possibly room for four if all four were very close to each other. A touch revealed the sheets to be of finely made satin in shades of deep green jade, and the mattress and pillows were so soft that Yubel wondered if they’d somehow conjured a cloud in there.

On the table next to the bed they found a silver-backed mirror, matched by a silver hairbrush and comb, along with other odds and ends that could be used to tidy one up. A little searching revealed a wardrobe full of magnificent outfits of every type – not just the exquisite gowns one might expect from a room set aside for a prince’s soulmate, but sturdy doublets, tunics, trousers, and boots, which Yubel would far prefer to anything else if they had any choice in the matter.

There were chairs there as well, quite well cushioned, and Yubel sank slowly into one, still trying to understand all of this and not having a great deal of success.

It’s real. They slowly stared at the mark on their arm: a row of numerals all reading zero. The time had run out; Yubel and the prince – Juudai – had met one another. The numbers would stay like this until they touched one another, at which point they would become whatever the bond-mark between them would be.

Slowly Yubel traced the numbers with one finger, before tugging their sleeve back down over it. They would talk with Juudai about that soon. They had to – they were soulmates and Yubel came all this way to find their soulmate, they weren’t going to just run off into the night and never see him again.

Besides, Yubel thought, they didn’t know him very well yet. They’d heard stories about soulmates whose souls fit together flawlessly and yet whose personalities grated like two knives against one another. Sometimes such combinations stuck it together to work it out and other times they could not bear to be around one another.

I’ve talked to him for less than five minutes. I’m not going to leave just yet. Despite how plush and strange and comfortable and odd all of this was, Yubel refused to give up. They’d been committed to finding their other half for all these years. Nothing had changed except for knowing what he looked like and his name and that he was the prince of a major kingdom and the incarnate force of life itself.

And when Yubel considered that, nothing of it mattered at all, not compared to the fact that Juudai fit into them in all the ways they'd never thought anyone ever would, and Yubel wasn’t certain how to feel about that at all. No one had ever told them that being soulmates meant the other person completed you when you hadn’t even known you were incomplete to start with.

Words of their mother and father returned to them: to try their best, to learn to know their soulmate, to treat them like a person and be treated like one in return.

Being soulmates didn’t by any means force the bonded folk to stay together. If Yubel chose to walk away or if the Prince did, then while people would ask questions, they could still do it. Nothing and no one could stop them. Though the thought of what those warm brown eyes, so clearly thrilled at the sight of Yubel, might look like if they chose to leave cut into Yubel’s heart so very deeply.

Yubel pressed their lips together before nodding to themself. It would require time, effort, and everything else that a relationship that wasn’t between soulmates required. But they would see this through to the end, no matter what the end turned out to be.

Juudai leaned back in his chair, admiring the empty plates in front of him. He wasn’t certain of how many he’d cleared, only that there were a lot of them, and everything on there had been delicious.

I hope Yubel ate. Had anyone told Yubel that they could ask for whatever they wanted to eat? He would have to check on that.

Later, though. When he wasn’t so tired that he wanted to just close his eyes and go to sleep where he was. That sounded pretty good, he had to admit, though the idea of laying down was equally appealing. He just wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to move.

“Juudai?”

He raised his head up a little to see his mother peering at him from the door. She nodded towards him in greeting before moving over.

“I wanted to make certain that you’re doing all right.” Queen Kaien’s gaze dropped down to his arm where the counter rested at zero. “Have you thought about what’s going to happen?”

Juudai blinked, tilting his head. “I’m going to go to sleep? I guess Yubel is too – could you make sure they have something to eat? I didn’t think about that before.”

“Of course. But that’s not what I meant.” Kaien moved over to sit in the chair nearest to him. “When are you going to solidify your bond?”

Juudai blinked again, then shrugged. They’d brought that up before, but his mother more than once asked him the same question after he’d had a little time to think about it. Besides, now that he’d eaten, he could think about it. “I guess whenever Yubel wants to. They’re still new around here. And we do have to get to know each other, remember?”

From the first moment he’d realized this was his soulmate, Juudai wanted nothing more than to take Yubel’s hand, to hold them and never let them go. Only he knew how rude that would be and his parents raised him to at least somewhat think about other people.

That didn’t mean that he didn’t want to do it. He just wanted Yubel to want it as much as he did.

Kaien nodded. “You’re right, of course. But what about your announcement ceremony?”

Juudai groaned, slumping down into his chair and grumbling under his breath. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you do.” Kaien turned a very stern look on him. Juudai called this one Stern Look Number Seven, This Is A Necessary Thing. His parents had a lot of stern looks that he’d seen over the years. At least he didn’t get this one all that often. “You don’t want anyone else turning up trying to make false claims, do you?”

That sent a shudder all through him. Enough that he’d had to deal with the Soulmate Party to start with. He didn’t want even more people pestering him now that he’d found Yubel. And he really, really didn’t want people trying to bother him about Yubel.

“I’ll talk to Yubel about it,” he said at last, grumbling. “We’ll figure it out and let you know.”

Sometimes Juudai really wished that he wasn’t a prince. There were all those rules about what he could and couldn’t do and people had to know things about him that he wasn’t all that sure that he wanted them to know. If he’d been an ordinary person then no one would care if he’d found his soulmate or not. But since he was Prince of Kuragari…

Kaien nodded approvingly. She glanced at the pile of dishes with a hint of amusement across her lips. “I see you’ve had a good dinner.”

“I was hungry!” Juudai defended himself. “I didn’t eat anything at the party.”

How could he have when so many people stared at him and stared at their arms, so eager for that moment when their counters would turn to zero?

“I noticed.” Kaien’s lips curved upward for a few seconds. “I’ll check on Yubel. You go get some rest.”

He nodded. He stretched a little, yawning and closing his eyes. The idea of moving wasn’t all that great right now. Then his mother’s hand touched him.

“Get in your bed, Juudai. You don’t want to sleep in your chair.”

“I don’t?” Juudai dragged his eyes open and wished almost at once that he hadn’t. Getting up would be so exhausting! But he shoved himself to his feet regardless. His mother told him to and he wasn’t going to not listen to her.

“No, you don’t.” Kaien nudged him a bit closer to the bed and Juudai fell in, pulling the blankets up over himself. Part of him wanted to remain awake, to bounce back up and go see Yubel, introduce them to the customs of the palace and show them around.

Instead, he closed his eyes and absolute exhaustion wrapped it self all around him.

Kaien watched for the few moments it took for Juudai’s breathing to even out and deep sleep to enfold him. She tucked the blankets in around him, staring for a few seconds at the series of zeroes on Juudai’s arm.

How long will it take? She wanted matters all settled; she knew that they would be in time. But Juudai took things at his own pace. He always had.

She glanced at her own wrist; the mark she shared with her husband shone back at her. His shield and her sword, together as they’d been since the first moment that they’d met.

We touched within moments. I knew. I always knew, even before we met each other.

She wanted Juudai to know that kind of happiness. She knew that he would. He’d met Yubel. But until that bond flared into full life it wouldn’t be quite the same.

Carefully Kaien stepped out of the room, closing the door behind herself. She crossed the hallway and tapped on the door over there. The door opened after a few moments and Yubel peered carefully out of the opening.

They blinked as it dawned on them who stood out there, then the door opened all the way and Yubel bowed low and respectfully. It wasn’t the style Kurgarian knights bowed in, but Kaien wasn’t going to complain.

“Your Majesty,” Yubel murmured, eyes cast down. “What can I do for you?”

“To begin with, may I come in? We have a few matters to discuss before it gets much later.”

Yubel nodded quickly, stepping back and closing the door once Kaien entered. Kaien glanced around; they’d kept the room as neutral as they could while they waited for whoever Juudai’s soulmate would be appeared. It would get more personal the longer than Yubel lived there.

“How long have you been waiting?” Kaien asked, taking one of the chairs. Yubel glanced at her, still drawn up a breath away from attention. “And you can relax.”

Yubel’s tension edged just the faintest bit. Kaien decided this would get better as they got to know each other. For all intents and purposes, she was Yubel’s mother in law, regardless of any official bindings or the lack thereof.

“I started this way a few years ago. I didn’t know I’d be coming here, though.” Yubel fidgeted, worrying at their lower lip. Before they could say anything else, their stomach rumbled, as loud and clear as Kaien had ever heard Juudai’s.

She smiled at that. It wasn’t difficult to already see ways the two of them would fit together.

“I’ll have food brought. Is there anything in particular that you’d like? Kuragari deals in quite a bit of seafood.”

Yubel slowly shook their head. “Whatever you like, your Majesty. I’m not picky.”

Kaien observed them for a few moments before nodding. “Yes, you wouldn’t be, would you?” Yubel traveled the world for years to find their soulmate, eating wherever and whatever they could. Kaien suspected once they’d left their homeland, food that Yubel was familiar with became far more difficult to get.

Yubel ducked their head even farther. Kaien made a note to find out just where Yubel came from and what sort of food it would be likely that Yubel would be used to.

But for now, she rose and stepped to the door, calling for a servant. One of the benefits of being Queen included being able to have one’s orders carried out almost at once. Right now, that would be very useful.

Waiting for that, she turned back to Yubel. “We’re going to need to announce you and Juudai are soulmates. Preferably as soon as possible.” Her lips quirked. “There are those who would attempt to claim that their particular chosen candidate is Juudai’s ‘true’ soulmate, through whatever means they could use to make it seem plausible. But once the announcement is made and the bond sealed, that won’t happen.”

Yubel’s eyes hardened, hands tensing into fists. “Is that why we – he – was attacked earlier? Someone trying to claim that he’s their soulmate?”

Oh, this is good. Kaien kept her features as composed as she could manage.

“To a degree, we think. Those we captured refused to admit to anything.” Kaien’s lips turned downward. “It may take some time but we’ll get what information that we can from them. But in truth, I suspect their true goal was to make certain that Juudai didn’t live long enough to meet you – or that you didn’t live long enough to meet him, if that failed.”

Yubel tilted their head, confusion in every gesture. “How could they stop that?” Their hand rested on the cycled down counter. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“It is, but it’s not likely.” Kaien chuckled. “Philosophers have studied soulmate marks and the intersection of fate and the timers for as long as I can remember. For as far back as history keeps count, in fact.”

Yubel nodded, eyes lighting up a touch more at that. “It’s the same where I came from. No one knows how it is, but everyone has an opinion about it.”

“That they do. And my opinion on this is that where you and Juudai are concerned, more than just your timers brought you together.” Kaien had spoken to no one about this. Perhaps Yubel was the right person. “You know of what Juudai is, I presume.”

Yubel nodded. Kaien continued. “We know little of how sentient the Gentle Darkness is when it’s not in human form, but we do know that it does things. It sent us Juudai, for one thing. But I’ve considered that the Darkness sent you as well – the one to love him. His soulmate.”

For a few moments Kaien thought Yubel stopped breathing altogether. Then they nodded, hands clenched harder and head held up high. “I wouldn’t even need that counter to do that.” A sort of strained laugh fell from their lips. “Though I don’t know how I would have found him if I didn’t have it.”

Kaien chuckled, leaning back and running one hand through her hair. “Neither do I. But I don’t think it matters. You did find him and he found you. We’re going to announce it in a few days.”

Yubel’s gaze dropped down. “How long do we have to get to know each other?”

“As long as you need. Being announced doesn’t mean that you have to change that. Though I’m certain that rumors will say you’ve already bonded to one another.”

Before Kaien said another word, a knock came on the door. Yubel opened it to reveal one of the servants. Kaien recognized him; that wasn’t a surprise, either. Only servants actually vetted for years were allowed to enter the royal section of the palace.

The moment the servant saw that she was there, he started to bow. Kaien gestured them to stop and set the food on the nearest table. Now wasn’t the time for bowing. More than that, she wanted Yubel to get both food and sleep as soon as possible.

And she wanted to learn as much about Yubel as possible.

Juudai knocked hard at Yubel’s door, trying so very hard not to squeal. He knew he shouldn’t; it would be terribly rude to squeal at the door of one’s soulmate. At least he thought it would be, so he didn’t try.

But as soon as Yubel opened the door, blinking sleep out of their eyes, he grinned the biggest grin that he’d ever grinned in all of his life.

“Hey! Are you ready to go for a walk – uh, would you like to go for a walk? With me?” Juudai rubbed the back of his head. He wanted to be polite. He wanted to make a really good impression. He didn’t think he was doing the best job of it, but he tried regardless.

Yubel stared at him for a few moments before they nodded. “I’d love to, Your Highness – Juudai.”

Juudai hadn’t ever thought of how his name sounded when his soulmate said it.

“Could you say that again? My name, I mean.” He shifted, eyes dropping down and then raising back up to them. “Please? I like it when you say it.”

Yubel said nothing for a few moments, then a smile broke across their lips. “Juudai.”

Juudai shivered all over. “Thanks… uh, that walk? Please?”

“Just a moment. I need to put my shoes on.” Yubel glanced at the rug-covered floor beneath them and their bare feet. “I like the rugs.”

“Me too!” Juudai practically squealed at that, looking forward to moments when they could wiggle their toes together in the rugs, maybe by a warm fire. Juudai hadn’t ever looked forward to winter so much in his life.

Yubel left the door open and Juudai peered in curiously to see if they’d made any changes yet. So far he didn’t see anything, except for a single bag that he’d never seen before. The bag was worn out, with stitched places marking where holes had been, and a few worn spots that hadn’t yet been mended. It hung over the back of the chair, and he thought it was about half empty.

Yubel tugged on a pair of boots that looked as battered as the bag itself, though not with any holes that he could see. They didn’t look like the ones that he’d seen them wearing the night before, which were set over by the flickering fire.

Yubel also didn’t wear the outfit that they had the night before, instead wearing a tunic and trousers, faded and patched, and Juudai thought it fit them so much better than the fancy outfit as well.

Together the two of them headed down the hallway. Juudai’s hand twitched every now and then toward them, but he managed to keep from touching them. He wondered if he should get a pair of gloves; that would probably help make sure they didn’t touch before Yubel wanted it.

But for now they stepped outside into the expansive royal gardens. Warm sunlight spilled all over them and Juudai managed not to twitch at the feeling. Light didn’t bother him all that much but he still preferred the darkness.

Yubel’s hand twitched closer to him. He caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

“You can have whatever you want here,” Juudai told Yubel. “Clothes. Food. Anything you want for your room.” He rubbed the back of his head. “What would you like?” He would give Yubel everything that he could. He couldn’t even imagine something that he wouldn’t give them.

“I wouldn’t mind some new clothes,” Yubel admitted. Juudai nodded; he would talk to his parents about it as soon as he could.

For right now what he really wanted to do was just walk with Yubel.

Aodh watched as Yubel and Juudai made their way through the gardens. He suspected they didn’t see him or Kaien at all. The two of them sat across a marble table, sharing a light snack together, and discussing various small matters pertinent mainly to the two of them.

The two of them and their son, in all truth. And his new soulmate.

“What do you think of them?” Aodh asked, eyes tracking the two, who remained so close to one another and yet who didn’t touch, regardless of how much they clearly both wanted to.

Kaien sipped a hot cup of tea. “I think that Yubel is exactly what Juudai needs. Someone even fiercer in his defense than the most skilled or loyal bodyguard that we could ever hire.”

Aodh nodded. He’d suspected as much from the moment he’d seen Yubel’s attack on those who tried to hurt Juudai the previous night. He wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if Yubel managed to claw their throats out.

He also wouldn’t have cared if they had. Juudai needed someone like that to protect him until he’d matured, in every way that he needed to.

Should I ask them? He’d barely been properly introduced to Yubel at all. What he knew was that they were his son’s soulmate and how fierce they were. Yubel would be suitable; he didn’t doubt that at all. But would it be fair? Would it be right to ask them this?

Kaien’s hand rested on his and he looked toward her. She knew what would be going through his mind. She knew what he worried about as intimately as he did. They’d never uttered a word of it towards Juudai or anyone else. How could they?

“Give them time,” Kaien said. “Let them bond, let them know each other. Let them have what time they can together before it all has to change, Aodh.”

A smile tugged at his lips but he didn’t really feel like smiling when it came down to it. “They’ll likely have forever together. Different forms but the same heart – the same souls.”

Kaien’s gaze shifted to the barely visible forms parading through the garden paths. “I know. But there isn’t any need to rush anything. Is there?”

Aodh sagged back into his chair, letting his weariness show as he so seldom did. “We can wait. But not forever. I’ve heard all manner of rumors and last night didn’t make it any better. The Light is building an army, taking people from all over. Even a few of our own have shown the signs.”

Kaien drew herself up. He would have to show her the reports; she was far better at strategy than he was. Juudai’s power would be able to hold off the Light of Ruin’s advance, but only if it were matched to the power that protected him. He had been born with a sword; now he would need his shield.

To Be Continued

Notes: Next chapter has their first kiss, Juudai’s pledge of eternal love, and Yubel becoming a dragon. Not necessarily in that order.

[gothogami]

A Rainbow Tattooed on my Skin

This is the memoir I wrote for my english class about going from being ashamed of my sexuality to being openly queer.

☙❧

Like an artist molding clay, my family’s words shaped how I felt about something that I had hardly discovered and how I viewed myself. The way they spoke was if being gay was horrible and disgusting, almost as if gay people were some sort of criminals or diseased animals. I’d wondered if what they said was the truth, those nasty words my family spoke about gay people and the slurs that left my stepfather’s mouth. Slurs that I would become far too acquainted with as time went on. They laughed as if what they were saying was harmless and just a funny anecdote being shared between friends. I continued to draw in silence, listening in on their conversation, oblivious to the fact that I had something in common with the people they were discussing. Of course I had yet to realize, blinded by society's ideals of how love should work; the fact that I should be fawning over boys. Yet as I listened in on their conversation, a knot of anxiety made itself known in my stomach. That anxiety would be something that clung to me, following me everywhere I went like a nasty bug. A voice in my mind would repeat harsh words to me, convincing me that those words were the truth. You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re gross. You’re a monster. Even I began telling myself that they were true, reminding myself that I was terrible and gross because of something that I couldn’t even control. Over and over I repeated those words. Anytime I let myself have any sort of feelings for girls, even for just a moment, I reminded myself I couldn’t. I denied any feelings I had and drowned them in the depths of my mind, denying their existence. If I ignored them, they didn’t exist. I could never tell anyone what I felt for other girls because I feared that they would act the same way my family had. I was so afraid of others’ criticism and opinions that I began to deny something uncontrollable about myself, pretending like it wasn’t even there; like it was a figment of my imagination. I hated myself for something that I couldn’t change no matter how hard I tried; despite the fact that I often told myself otherwise. I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Pretending to fit this picture perfect image of what society thought was acceptable.  All I wanted was acceptance. Unfortunately I didn’t realize at the time that I would find it and I would find it in those I had never expected to.

☙❧

I vaguely recall the first day I really began to realize I wasn’t like the other girls around me. Our sex-ed program had just started and the teacher explained to us that this was probably around the time we would start really feeling attraction towards the opposite sex. Not until that day had I really realized that feelings I had for girls weren’t exactly “normal”. Anxiety began to grow like a weed in my mind, wrapping itself around every corner and filling any empty space it could find. As I got through the rest of my day while shoving those thoughts to the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think ‘What if I do like girls? What if I’m not normal?’ I tried so hard to ignore it yet it was almost impossible when every moment that I wasn’t busying myself with something else, the anxiety spilled out into the empty space and echoed to me the ‘What ifs’ over and over again. Anytime I was sat alone and had nothing else to busy myself with, those questions would slither in and echo to me over and over again. It wasn’t long before it caused me to cave.

I was sat at the island, pushing my dinner around my plate in an attempt to make it look like I’d eaten.. The anxiety made it impossible for me to eat without feeling like it was going to come back up in a matter of seconds. I did my best to swallow down food, to make it seem like everything was perfect and I was happy. Every bite just made a bigger and bigger lump in my throat and made me feel more and more nauseous. I glanced towards my mom, thinking about possibly telling her what was bothering me. She always knew the right thing to say and how to comfort me; at least I always hoped she did. There was no way I’d be able to with my stepdad there, though. It was far too risky. I knew what he was like; I already had an idea in my mind of how he would act. A small amount of relief washed over me as he mentioned needing to go to the store. Waiting for him to leave just allowed the anxiety to fester and grow more. It rooted deeper in my brain and stole away more of my strength. When he finally walked out the door, a heavy silence fell over the room. My mom looked over at me, there was no doubt she knew something was askew. She can always sense it, it’s like we are connected. Two halves of one soul. Without warning, I rushed over to my mom’s side and broke into tears.

“Mom... I think I might be bisexual.” I choked out between sobs, terrified about what would come next.

“What makes you think that?” She said, yet it sounded more like an accusation in my mind. I lied about why I thought I was into girls and she comforted me. Yet her comfort only made me deny it more.

“Jade, you’ve always loved boys. Ever since kindergarten.” She assured me. She was convincing me that I was just like everyone else, I was straight, I liked boys. Looking back at this moment, I really wish that she would have told me that it was okay if I was into girls and guys. Its funny how one little thing that someone says can change your perspective or change things completely for you. Just like that.

After that day, I continued to use the advice my mom had told me to convince myself that I wasn’t into girls. It wasn’t really a comfort but rather just another way I could deny who I was.

Self hatred. So much of it built up inside me, I felt ready to break. I was trying so hard to keep myself together. I was wrapped in string and plastered in bandages. The wall I’d build in my mind to keep me from thinking about my sexuality was slowly breaking too. It was wearing down and I was too weak to build it stronger. I knew at some point I would have to face these feelings, yet it was like a fear I was too scared to confront and conquer.

Finally, I did. I told my best friend. The only person I trusted completely. I told her that I thought I might be bi. Yet even as I typed that out to her, I felt shame and self loathing. I felt like it was so wrong of me to be that way; wrong for me to even think I might be that way. Her answer was unexpected. She told me that she thought she might be as well. She comforted me and told me that she’d still care for me if I was. For the first time, I felt like maybe I wasn’t horrible or gross. Maybe it really was okay that I was into girls. I thought to myself. A little bit of the wall I had put up broke away. I was allowing myself to think about it and to not just deny it as soon as it surfaced in my ocean of thoughts.

Over time, I found more and more people who were like me and who accepted me for simply just being me. Despite all this love and kindness, I still found myself pushing back. I still needed to hide it, because what would my family think? What about the people at school? My other friends? The shame and fear just wouldn’t leave.

I was so scared about someone finding out and telling everyone the truth. It was terrifying to me. At a young age, I had dealt with bullying and I didn’t want to deal with that again. The things I was bullied for before were all things I could change about myself. Clothing, hairstyle, etc. Yet this was something I couldn’t change. I didn’t want to admit it but deep down I knew it was the truth. I knew it was something that I couldn’t hide forever because eventually I would want a girlfriend, I’d grow older and want to marry a girl. Just like everyone else, I would want my happily ever after. This was the point when I decided I need to tell someone the honest truth. It was eating me away and I couldn’t keep it hidden much longer. I came out to a small group of close friends around the beginning of eighth grade. I mustered up all my courage and told myself that today was the day. If they didn’t like me for who I was, I’d just have to deal with that. I can find new friends if I need to. I told myself, my anxiety spiking at thought.

I let the two words slip out in a moment of silence and waited for the inevitable. I waited for the bad words and the hate, but it didn’t come. They accepted me with arms opened wide. I had never felt so safe and happy. I was accepted by them; they didn’t care and they loved me for who I was. That was a real turning point for me. The moment I realized that it wasn’t so bad and that there would people who would accept me, I just had to find them. Sure I still hid it from just about everyone but my close friends knew. That was enough, there was no reason for me to tell anyone else. If I didn’t come out to anyone else, there wasn’t a chance for rejection. Despite the fact that my first coming out experience went well, I couldn’t help but still feel scared. The fear and the anxiety, it was still there. It had never really left. It just went away briefly and returned stronger. It was like I was fighting a battle that I was ultimately losing. I was so drained, mentally and emotionally, because of this. I just wanted it all to stop, to go away.

Gradually, I let myself feel accepted. I allowed myself to come out another group of friends; friends who were unfortunately toxic and their opinions of me had always terrified me. It was rather unexpected. I just blurted it out. Their reaction was even more unexpected; not completely terrible but also not picture perfect. Their surprise was somehow unsettling. The questionable looks and things they asks embedded itself under my skin.

Then my worst fear came to life. The thing I had been trying to keep from happening. Maybe it was for the better but I didn’t think that way in the moment. Someone told the truth about me and it wasn’t long before it spread through the school. People asked me questions, often in an almost accusing and harsh manner. Some questions were so uncomfortable; things that you wouldn’t just go up to someone and ask. People went from being simple acquaintances to disliking me simply because of who I was. I was undeniably scared of what they might say and what they might think.

Little did I know, that would be the least of my worries. My family’s reactions were so different and completely mortifying. To my mom, it was no big deal. She reacted the same way she would if I told her wanted to dye my hair. It was as simple as any conversation. Our day continued as it would normally because that’s just what it was. Normal. It’s not unusual to be gay, it’s just uncommon but completely normal.

My stepdad’s reaction was of the exact opposite nature. He told my mom to point me in the right direction, to make me be straight. Then I officially came out to him. He completely disowned me and told me ‘I was making the wrong choice’. I was gross and I was wrong. His words sliced through me like daggers, leaving wounds that could not be seen on the surface. Wounds that cut deep into my mind, leaving scars that held memories. Horrid memories. Tear stung my eyes and rolled down my face, leaving trails in their wake. Despite my efforts to put up a shield, to protect myself and fight back, I was useless. All I could do was sit there and take it all in. Every attempt I made to defend myself was drowned out by the yelling or silenced by my own sobs. My throat felt like it had closed up and I had gone mute. To this day, I can still recall that moment. I can recall the screaming and the nasty words. One of the worst moments of my life. It is something I have never forgiven him for; something that I will remember till the day I die.

While my mom’s side of the family was completely accepting and praised me for being so brave, my stepdad’s family yet again tore me down. Some even stopped talking to me and began ignoring me because of the “sin” I was committing.

Over time, I slowly began to realize that it didn’t matter all that much what anyone thought and it was completely okay for me to be gay. Liking girls was nothing out of the ordinary and nothing to be ashamed of.

That’s when I finally completely came out, I wasn’t scared about what people thought. I cut my hair and braced for the comments. People didn’t like it and I wasn’t surprised. People don’t like anyone that is too different from them. Society pushes the acceptance of diversity and yet, there is a boundary for what is okay and what is not.

The comments no longer bothered me like they would before. I shrugged them off and even laughed at them. They rolled off me like water off a duck’s back.

Freshman year, I really began to embrace it. I was so comfortable in my own skin. No one could tell me who I could and couldn’t be. I still got called names, people ever changed my last name on paper to slurs. I didn’t allow it to bother me because I was happy with myself. I loved myself and still do love myself for who I am.

I talked about it freely, came out to an entire class at one point with no hesitation. I spoke about it because it’s a part of me. I included it in group discussions and related it to things because it was as much a part of me as the color of my skin or the way that I laugh. I’ve grown so much due to this experience. I’ve changed and matured. My self confidence grew so much.

During the summer I even attended my first Pride Festival. There was an overwhelming feeling of love and happiness. I made so many amazing memories with my friends, smiled and laughed and met people who were just like me. I was allowed to unapologetically be myself there and that really taught me that I should embrace that and be myself all the time. Loving girls is apart of me just like the fact that I love to dye my hair or I love exotic pets.

I’ve come so far and now I am completely openly gay. Sure there is still fear for what people might say when I come out, it always makes me a bit nervous, but it’s far easier than it was before. It’s easier because I know who I am and I’m not ashamed for it. Love is Love. Love is beautiful and amazing. I know that. I know that there is nothing bad about loving someone. There will always be people who will judge me for who I love. People who will glare at me for simply holding my girlfriend’s hand. People who whispers and point. There will always be someone who has something to say but that doesn’t mean I have to hate that part of myself. I know who I am and they can’t change that.

In the beginning, I was so defensive about who I was and I hid a part of myself away because of shame. I was blind to the fact that there were people who would accept me and love me because there was nothing for me to be ashamed of. Then suddenly, I was no longer blind. My eyes were open and I could see the truth. Self acceptance and love washed over me like the sun’s rays and I realized that I am perfect just the way I am. I don’t need to change. I shouldn’t be ashamed, I should be proud. I am not gross, I am beautiful. I am not a monster, I am just me.

[my-abibliophobia]

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Cartoon (1996) Quotes

Hadji: You know, this might be a good time to change your position on the possible existence of the ghost of Black Jack Lee. Jonny: An eighteenth century ghost who knows how to sabotage twentieth century electronics, but is too dumb to ice this outboard? I don't think so, Hadji. 

Benton: When you locate the Ivory Web start with an extensive photographic survey. Jonny: You got it, Dad. Benton: And I suppose it's useless to add: no heroics. Hadji: A quite hopeless exhortation, Dr. Quest.

Jonny: If those were ghosts I'll eat my sneakers.

Race: Saved from a renegade submarine by a giant squid. Who'd ever believe that story? Jonny: If we don't tell anyone, no one will have to believe us. Benton: I think that's the right decision, Jonny. I'd hate to see the creature which saved us dragged out from its home and cut to pieces in the name of science. We will simply seal the files on this one.

Jonny: How long can we keep paddling? Hadji: Easier paths have led to darker places. Jonny: Well what kind of answer is that? Hadji: We're in the middle of the Indian Ocean, paddling vaguely westward, in the hopes that we might reach Africa. What kind of answer do you want, Jonny? We can only keep going as long as we can keep going. Jonny: That's not the answer I was hoping for, Hadji.

 Race: Nice night for a sail. Man, I wish I was a kid again, Benton. Benton: I thought you were, Race? I hadn't realized you'd ever grown up. Race: Thanks a lot. 

Benton: You know your watch ended an hour ago. Race or Hadji will take over if you're tired. Jonny: Are you kidding? I wouldn't give this up for anything, I'm living a dream, Dad. Benton: Searching for a lost submarine in an area where there have been reports of sea monsters for as long as man has sailed the oceans. I believe you're right, Jonny, we are living a dream.

Jessie: Now we're really up a creek. Jonny: Yeah but we still have a paddle, Jess. Two actually, our dads. Jessie: They're on the other side of the planet!

Jessie: (after crashing a plane with Jonny) How many hours did you say you've flown with my dad? Jonny: Eeh... even monkeys fall from trees. Jessie: What's that supposed to mean? Jonny: Ask Hadji, it's one of his.

Hadji: If my beliefs permitted me to be a betting man, I would wager that we are very adjacent to the object of our search.  

Jonny: Come on, we'll take the fire escape! Hadji: Would there be an elevator perhaps? 

(Hadji is lying among the ruins of a scaffold that just fell apart around him) Jonny: Hadj, we're going out on the roof! We'll catch you later! Hadji: "Oh are you okay, Hadji!? Not hurt or anything my friend?" Oh no, Jonny, I am absolutely fine. Several iron pipes have played big noise from my neck upon my head, but fortunately I wear a turban.”

Hadji: The question is, whether to die by ice or knife. Jessie: Uh-huh, the question is, how not to die at all.

Jessie: We gotta dump the cage! (Jessie starts climbing down the outside of the cage.) Jonny: Careful, Jess! Jessie: Ugh, I never understand why people say that, it's like, what, am I stupid enough to take an impossible risk? Hadji: But indeed, you are taking an impossible risk. Jonny: You gotta hand it to her, Hadj, she's pretty cool.

(Jessie and Race pull them over the top of the cliff) Jessie: I thought you guys would be lighter?! Hadji: Ah, you see, we are heavy with wisdom. Race: But are you smart enough to figure out who set that trap?

Jonny: No sense in burning gas. We've been going around in circles for hours. We're lost. Hadji: One is never lost, Jonny. One is always where one is supposed to be. Jonny: Do you know how smug that sounds?

Hadji: You know, Jonny, there is no guarantee that our air boat still works. Jonny: As you once told me, fate aids the courageous. Hadji: I also said, never estimate the value of tiger skin until you have caught the tiger.

Hadji: Get back! It's against my religion to be eaten by reptiles!

Hadji: I will never understand the Western need to impose their will on large and dangerous animals.

Race: How do you think I got my nickname; Race. Jonny: That’s not your real name? Race: Nope. It’s Roger. Jonny: Roger?!

Race: I just wish the doc were here, he has a knack for solving global threats, usually without blowing everyone up.

Surd: Very clever, Mr. Bannon. Race: I'm no twisted genius, Surd, but I do my best.

Benton: And remember- Jonny/Hadji: No heroics. Benton: Have I become that predictable?

Estelle: This family attracts danger like a lightning rod. Jade: Yeah - fun, isn't it?

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

Most of the Characters Reactions To Floyd Almost Eating Syn

Heartslabyul

Riddle - Disgusted and appalled once he finds out about Floyd's antics, he tries to bring this to Crowley - Already doesn't like Floyd and wants to use it as an opportunity to try and enforce some kind of safety while hoping to get the eel off of campus - It doesn't work, of course, and he tells Syn that they're always welcome to seek refuge in Heartslabyul - Once they're eaten a few times, he realizes that the prank incident just opened the door for more harassment and tries to ensure they have access to growth potions to at least make sure they're not entirely caught off guard

Ace - Doesn't believe Floyd when he brags the day after the prank that Syn tasted really good - But when he does find out it was true, he's more than a little grossed out - Ready to hop to Syn's defense with Deuce - Finds himself becoming curious as time goes on and has very mixed feelings about that

Deuce - Grossed out and ready to fight Floyd next time he sees the eel - Gets beat up immediately - Still willing to try and defend Syn, much to their worry - Doesn’t feel the same curiosity Ace starts to

Trey - Feels waaaaay too guilty for technically being the catalyst to this whole thing - Wants to make apology pastries for a while, but resists because now he's paranoid that somehow the shrinking potion will be slipped in again - Ensures that the 'Drink Me' potion is still in the cabinet before making anything for a week and eventually makes apology pastries to Syn (they don't eat them, but Grim does) - Also kind of grossed out, lmao

Cater - I know some people like him as a pred with Magicam posts about being a pred and stuff, but you cannot convince me - Would definitely be unnerved a bit and ask Syn if they're alright - But is probably the first one of the five to relax a little as Syn continues to come out of these situations unscathed - ‘See, they’re tough’ just trying to keep the others from flying off the handle

__________________________________

Savanaclaw

Leona - Doesn't really pay attention to rumors, so doesn't even find out about the whole thing until Ruggie talks a bit about it - Says he doesn't really care but absolutely finds himself becoming a bit curious (All of the half-animals do, lmao) - Still doesn’t act on it because he’s too lazy to try and pursue them

Ruggie - As Leona’s eyes and ears, he’s heard all about the rumors involving Floyd and Syn - Thinks it’s their fault for getting too chummy with with the Octavinelle trio - After all, both the savannah and the ocean have very similar ‘eat or be eaten’ philosophies

Jack - Thinks it’s wrong to just eat a classmate, even if the prey ends up safe - Not to mention he still doesn’t like the under-handed tactics of the Octavinelle trio still - Since he’s shown to have a soft spot for MC, absolutely becomes a bit protective of Syn because ‘there’s no sport in hunting something that can’t fight back’ - Won’t admit he kind of cares, and doubly won’t admit that the wolf side of him kind of feels a bit curious

__________________________________

Octavinelle

Azul - Doesn't condone Floyd's behaviour and was appalled in the moment, but what's done is done - Tries to apologize about the eels behaviour because he kind of fears that Syn's other friends will make a ruckus about the whole incident (he gets flashbacks to when they got Leona on their side) - Is annoyed and exasperated when they get eaten by both Floyd AND Jade, but is at least glad the eels don't hurt them - Won't admit that he slowly becomes curious himself after Floyd accuses him of just being jealous that him and Jade are 'enjoying Little Shrimpy' and not him

Floyd - Of course he's delighted that he got the opportunity in the first place - Would have absolutely taken it all the way and eaten Syn if Azul hadn't walked in - Is very upset when Jade's actually the one to proper eat them after being the first to get a taste

Jade - Surprised when he walked in on a tiny Syn after following Ace and Deuce to the VIP room, but immediately got Floyd to tell him everything once the two brothers were out - Quickly found himself becoming curious and finding his predatory side intrigued - Absolutely takes advantage of Syn being wary of Floyd and not him

___________________________________

Scarabia

Kalim - Doesn't really understand it, but he's not one to judge what his friends do if that's how they (Syn) want to pass the time... even though Syn tells him that they don't really want to - Finds it gross and weird but willing to support Syn, saying that 'any friend of yours is a friend of mine!' - Considers it weird bonding between the eels and Syn despite them being adamant that Floyd/Jade just enjoy their suffering

Jamil - Thinks it’s unsanitary - Has to try and help Kalim understand that it’s not Syn’s choice of passtime - Gives up after five minutes - Finds that the control aspect might be appealing but wouldn’t want to ruin the amicable relationship between Syn and him

________________________________

Pomefoire

Rook - While the thought of eating something alive doesn’t intrigue him, he can relate to enjoying the thrill of the hunt - Might try to trap Syn at some point just to see how easy it is - Shocker, it’s very easy, and he’s a bit disappointed but supposes most of the fun for the eel is probably derived from the actual consumption

Epel - Is also willing to fist-fight Floyd, but Syn convinces him not to since they don’t want to drag people into it - Doesn’t like standing off to the side but respects their wishes

________________________________

Diasomnia

Malleus - Oblivious boy - Doesn’t even know about the rumors because he’s so reclusive, so no one really bothers to inform him about anything, just like the ceremonies - Either finds out from Lilia or from Syn themself

Lilia - Thinks it's a bit weird, but he's lived generations - He's seen things WAY more malicious and gross - Honestly, kind of amused since he also finds spooking mortals fun, but usually just by showing up nearby upside-down - Probably would enjoy questioning Syn about it at some point, just to see them struggle on how to answer

[readbookywooks]

It was thicker than any normal staff, mainly because of the carvings that covered it from top to bottom. They were actually quite indistinct, but gave the impression that if you could see them better you would regret it. Albert brushed himself down again and examined himself critically in the washstand mirror. Then he said, 'Hat. No hat. Got to have a hat for the wizarding. Damn.' He stamped out of the room and returned after a busy fifteen minutes which included a circular hole cut out of the carpet in Mort's bedroom, the silver paper taken out from behind the mirror in Ysabell's room, a needle and thread from the box under the sink in the kitchen and a few loose sequins scraped up from the bottom of the robe chest. The end result was not as good as he would have liked and tended to slip rakishly over one eye, but it was black and had stars and moons on it and proclaimed its owner to be, without any doubt, a wizard, although possibly a desperate one. He felt properly dressed for the first time in two thousand years. It was a disconcerting feeling and caused him a second's reflection before he kicked aside the rag rug beside the bed and used the staff to draw a circle on the floor. When the tip of the staff passed it left a line of glowing octarine, the eighth colour of the spectrum, the colour of magic, the pigment of the imagination. He marked eight points on its circumference and joined them up to form an octogram. A low throbbing began to fill the room. Alberto Malich stepped into the centre and held the staff above his head. He felt it wake to his grip, felt the tingle of the sleeping power unfold itself slowly and deliberately, like a waking tiger. It triggered old memories of power and magic that buzzed through the cobwebbed attics of his mind. He felt alive for the first time in centuries. He licked his lips. The throbbing had died away, leaving a strange, waiting kind of silence. Malich raised his head and shouted one single syllable. Blue-green fire flashed from both ends of the staff. Streams of octarine flame spouted from the eight pouits of the octogram and enveloped the wizard. All this wasn't actually necessary to accomplish the spell, but wizards consider appearances are very important. . . . So are disappearances. He vanished. Stratohemispheric winds whipped at Mort's cloak. 'Where are we going first?' yelled Ysabell in his ear. 'Bes Pelargic!' shouted Mort, the gale whirling his words away. 'Where's that?' 'Agatean Empire! Counterweight Continent!' He pointed downward. He wasn't forcing Binky at the moment, knowing the miles that lay ahead, and the big white horse was currently running at an easy gallop out over the ocean. Ysabell looked down at roaring green waves topped with white foam, and clung tighter to Mort. Mort peered ahead at the cloudbank that marked the distant continent and resisted the urge to hurry Binky along with the flat of his sword. He'd never struck the horse and wasn't at all confident about what would happen if he did. All he could do was wait. A hand appeared under his arm, holding a sandwich. 'There's ham or cheese and chutney,' she said. 'You might as well eat, there's nothing else to do.' Mort looked down at the soggy triangle and tried to remember when he last had a meal. Some time beyond the reach of a clock, anyway – he'd need a calendar to calculate it. He took the sandwich. 'Thanks,' he said, as graciously as he could manage. The tiny sun rolled down towards the horizon, towing its lazy daylight behind it. The clouds ahead grew, and became outlined in pink and orange. After a while he could make out the darker blur of land below them, with here and there the lights of a city. Half an hour later he was sure he could see individual buildings. Agatean architecture inclined towards squat pyramids. Binky lost height until his hooves were barely a few feet above the sea. Mort examined the hourglass again, and gently tugged on the reins to direct the horse towards a seaport a little Rimwards of their present course. There were a few ships at anchor, mostly single-sailed coastal traders. The Empire didn't encourage its subjects to go far away, in case they saw things that might disturb them. For the same reason it had built a wall around the entire country, patrolled by the Heavenly Guard whose main function was to tread heavily on the fingers of any inhabitants who felt they might like to step outside for five minutes for a breath of fresh air. This didn't happen often, because most of the subjects of the Sun Emperor were quite happy to live inside the Wall. It's a fact of life that everyone is on one side or other of a wall, so the only thing to do is forget about it or evolve stronger fingers. 'Who runs this place?' said Ysabell, as they passed over the harbour. 'There's some kind of boy emperor,' said Mort. 'But the top man is really the Grand Vizier, I think.' 'Never trust a Grand Vizier,' said Ysabell wisely. In fact the Sun Emperor didn't. The Vizier, whose name was Nine Turning Mirrors, had some very clear views about who should run the country, e.g., that it should be him, and now the boy was getting big enough to ask questions like 'Don't you think the wall would look better with a few gates in it?' and 'Yes, but what is it like on the other side?' he had decided that in the Emperor's own best interests he should be painfully poisoned and buried in quicklime. Binky landed on the raked gravel outside the low, many-roomed palace, severely rearranging the harmony of the universe.[8] Mort slid off his back and helped Ysabell down. 'Just don't get in the way, will you?' he said urgently. 'And don't ask questions either.' He ran up some lacquered steps and hurried through the silent rooms, pausing occasionally to take his bearings from the hourglass. At last he sidled down a corridor and peered through an ornate lattice into a long low room where the Court was at its evening meal. The young Sun Emperor was sitting crosslegged at the head of the mat with his cloak of vermine and feathers spread out behind him. He looked as though he was outgrowing it. The rest of the Court was sitting around the mat in strict and complicated order of precedence, but there was no mistaking the Vizier, who was tucking into his bowl of squishi and boiled seaweed in a highly suspicious fashion. No-one seemed to be about to die. Mort padded along the passage, turned the corner and nearly walked into several large members of the Heavenly Guard, who were clustered around a spyhole in the paper wall and passing a cigarette from hand to hand in that palm-cupped way of soldiers on duty. He tiptoed back to the lattice and overheard the conversation thus: 'I am the most unfortunate of mortals, O Immanent Presence, to find such as this in my otherwise satisfactory squishi,' said the Vizier, extending his chopsticks. The Court craned to see. So did Mort. Mort couldn't help agreeing with the statement, though – the thing was a sort of blue-green lump with rubbery tubes dangling from it. The preparer of food will be disciplined, Noble Personage of Scholarship,' said the Emperor. 'Who got the spare ribs?' 'No, O Perceptive Father of Your People, I was rather referring to the fact that this is, I believe, the bladder and spleen of the deepwater puff eel, allegedly the most tasty of morsels to the extent that it may be eaten only by those beloved of the gods themselves or so it is written, among such company of course I do not include my miserable self.' With a deft flick he transported it to the bowl of the Emperor, where it wobbled to a standstill. The boy looked at it for some time, and then skewered it on a chopstick. 'Ah,' he said, 'but is it not also written by none other than the great philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle that a scholar may be ranked above princes? I seem to remember you giving me the passage to read once, O Faithful and Assiduous Seeker of Knowledge.' The thing followed another brief arc through the air and flopped apologetically into the Vizier's bowl. He scooped it up in a quick movement and poised it for a second service. His eyes narrowed. 'Such may be generally the case, O Jade River of Wisdom, but specifically I cannot be ranked above the Emperor whom I love as my own son and have done ever since his late father's unfortunate death, and thus I lay this small offering at your feet.' The eyes of the court followed the wretched organ on its third flight across the mat, but the Emperor snatched up his fan and brought off a magnificent volley that ended back in the Vizier's bowl with such force that it sent up a spray of seaweed. 'Somebody eat it, for heaven's sake,' shouted Mort, totally unheard. 'I'm in a hurry!' Thou art indeed the most thoughtful of servants, 0 Devoted and Indeed Only Companion of My Late Father and Grandfather When They Passed Over, and therefore I decree that your reward shall be this most rare and exquisite of morsels.' The Vizier prodded the thing uncertainly, and looked into the Emperor's smile. It was bright and terrible. He fumbled for an excuse. 'Alas, it would seem that I have already eaten far too much —' he began, but the Emperor waved him into silence. 'Doubtless it requires a suitable seasoning,' he said, and clapped his hands. The wall behind him ripped from top to bottom and four Heavenly Guards stepped through, three of them brandishing cando swords and the fourth trying hurriedly to swallow a lighted dog-end. The Vizier's bowl dropped from his hands. 'My most faithful of servants believes he has no space left for this final mouthful,' said the Emperor. 'Doubtless you can investigate his stomach to see if this is true. Why has that man got smoke coming out of his ears?' 'Anxious for action, O Sky Eminence,' said the sergeant quickly. 'No stopping him, I'm afraid.' Then let him take his knife and – oh, the Vizier seems to be hungry after all. Well done.' There was absolute silence while the Vizier's cheeks bulged rhythmically. Then he gulped. 'Delicious,' he said. 'Superb. Truly the food of the gods, and now, if you will excuse me —' He unfolded his legs and made as if to stand up. Little beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. 'You wish to depart?' said the Emperor, raising his eyebrows. 'Pressing matters of state, O Perspicacious Personage of —' 'Be seated. Rising so soon after meals can be bad for the digestion,' said the Emperor, and the guards nodded agreement. 'Besides, there are no urgent matters of state unless you refer to those in the small red bottle marked “Antidote” in the black lacquered cabinet on the bamboo rug in your quarters, O Lamp of Midnight Oil.' There was a ringing in the Vizier's ears. His face began to go blue. 'You see?' said the Emperor. 'Untimely activity on a heavy stomach is conducive to ill humours. May this message go swiftly to all corners of my country, that all men may know of your unfortunate condition and derive instruction thereby.' 'I . . . must . . . congratulate your . . . Personage on such . . . consideration,' said the Vizier, and fell forward into a dish of boiled soft-shelled crabs. 'I had an excellent teacher,' said the Emperor. ABOUT TIME, TOO, said Mort, and swung the sword. A moment later the soul of the Vizier got up from the mat and looked Mort up and down. 'Who are you, barbarian?' he snapped. DEATH. 'Not my Death,'said the Vizier firmly. 'Where's the Black Celestial Dragon of Fire?' HE COULDN'T COME, said Mort. There were shadows forming in the air behind the Vizier's soul. Several of them wore emperor's robes, but there were plenty of others jostling them, and they all looked most anxious to welcome the newcomer to the lands of the dead.