#i fear we have jumped the shark with how to be a human being

[dialdrunk]

i really hate to say this but glass animals have fallen off incredibly hard 😔

[tiredandoptimistic]

No but listen. Abed sees Britta as "Britta Bot" while everyone else describes him as cold and robotic. People assume that his problem is being distant and lacking empathy, but that's Britta! We see it every time that Abed has a breakdown, she stops treating him as an individual and instead defaults to what she thinks is the appropriate response. It's all therapy talk with no understanding of who Abed is as a person or what would actually help him, because as soon as he starts displaying symptoms he stops being her friend and becomes a person she must help by picking the correct responses out of her psych textbook.

I am not saying this out of hate for Britta! I love Britta! I just think it's really interesting that one of the things she struggles with most throughout the series is her inability to be empathetic, and no one sees it but Abed. Her focus on political correctness and activism seems emotional, but it's more often about her wanting to do The Right Thing (which she sees as a monolith) than her actually feeling invested in helping individual people.

What's especially interesting is that Abed characterizes her weakness as "no faith in herself or friends," which implies that one reason she's so focused on doing the correct thing is that she doesn't trust her genuine responses to help anybody. She's afraid of making things worse, so she goes with what she's been told she should do in high stakes situations (like her friend hallucinating stop motion dolls or lava floors). In season one especially she always baby-talks to Abed, because her brother works with autistic kids so that's how she thinks you talk to autistic people. She's trying so hard to be accommodating, but it's from a perspective of "I know The Correct Way To Talk To Autistic People" rather than "let me learn how to best connect with this person." It could be called robotic, following her memorized paths for interactions even when they're clearly hurting people she cares about.

Then there's Abed, who does have some troubles with empathy which often show up when he manipulates people around him in order to achieve his goals, (ex: "Introduction to Film," "Contemporary American Poultry," "Anthropology 101"), and is always seen as cold and distant, safely removed from thr situation. He leans into that intentionally, acting as though he's "not in this scene" or giving logical trope-based reasons to avoid facing his fears (like when Troy wants to move in with him and Abed calls it "jumping the shark"), but deep down he's incredibly emotional. He's the one who willingly risks his life in "Epidemiology," he and Troy give up their bedroom for Annie, he lets his friends matchmake for him because he knows it's important to them.

Even when he is being all supposedly logical, it's often because he doesn't want to acknowledge his own feelings and feels safer acting as though sitcom tropes are the only thing making him act that way. In the argument about living together, Troy was right that they could just not put a line of tape down their floor, Abed knows that real life is different from TV and doesn't always escalate to the most dramatic possible conflict, but he doesn't want to say that he's afraid of Troy getting sick of him so it's easier to use shark jumping as an excuse.

They're such interesting foils; Britta who flaunts how much she cares to conceal how insecure she is about not caring, and Abed who puts up his lack of investment as a shield to protect him from how deep his emotions run. I don't think it's accurate to describe either of them as robots, but that metaphor really does ping off both of their insecurities about not performing humanity correctly. They both just want to do the right thing and help people, even if they get it wrong sometimes.

[fallout-fucker]

Fallout 4 really coulda made the 'Living by the sea' vibes so terrifying. Of course, people know of mirleurks and stuff. But what about the things they don't know about. The fear of the unknown.

We know that sea life was also affected by radiation. We've seen the size of a mirelurk queen. We know that sharks exist from the corpses.

So. How do we know megalodons aren't back in the Falloutverse. Or krakens don't exist. Sea life enlarged and at an unimaginable scale, unknown to the survivors of humanity as they lurk beneath the waters.

What if Sole had been told not to cross the ocean to Far Habour. What if there's a reason that, after 200 years, no one has brought back voyager boats and sailing the oceans to reconnect the world. What if they know better. Or maybe they realise they don't know anything at all.

What if Sole set up a nice base at Spectacle Island, and is confused when Hancock refuses to see it. Sole jokes that he's paranoid, but he reminds them he grew up on the waterfront. He helped his dad fish when he was younger. Boats don't scare him. The water doesn't scare him.

"It's what's in it," He explained coldly. He sat down in the sand, shotgun in his arms. Sole asked him to elaborate, he said he couldn't. "You wanna go after the Institute, fine. I'll help. That's an unknown I can handle. But, I ain't getting in that boat, and neither should you."

"I'll...Ask someone else."

"Can it be Danse?"

Sole thought he was being dramatic but quickly realised that none of the companions were keen to travel across the water.

There was that time Sole once jumped off the Prydwen and into the deep sea, so far from shore, only to hear a guttural noise around them. They couldn't see anything. The water dark blue, and filthy, almost black from when the world was scorched. But whatever it was, it was large enough that its voice vibrated through their entire being. They convinved themself it was a whale. They know whales don't sound like that.

On the days Sole is at the castle, they like to look out at the ocean. Or did, until today when they saw a large boat in the distance become capsized. They almost sent their own boats out to help, but Preston placed a firm hand on their shoulder. His eyes told Sole everything he wouldn't. Preston's not the type to let people die. So, Sole turned the radio up so none of the other soldiers could hear the distant screams for help and distress calls. And to drown out their own guilt, watching as the last fisherman attempted to swim desperately to shore, only to be dragged down below the waves. Sole didn’t look away until the boat finally sank. When they did, their eyes landed on the East Wall, which was under reconstruction from when the mirelurk queen had emerged. Sole wonders if that was even the largest sea creature out there.

When Sole's getting ready for bed, Preston knocks at their door gently. "Even I can admit when something is a lost cause," There was a guilt dripped into his tone. A silent apology to the fallen men. "I'll tell our guys to stay out of the water for a few days. We can rely on the nets for fish."

"We should set up a limit for how far out our boats can go."

"We will. Tomorrow. For now, get some rest." He's halfway to closing the door when Sole speaks again.

"I jumped off of the Prydwen once..."

"Excuse me?"

"I was fine. I wanted to go into the water. I did."

"Excuse me?"

"I couldn't see anything. But I heard something. I felt the sound go through me. I think it was a whale."

"Think or hope?" Sole doesn't say anything. Preston gets his answer regardless. "Was it close to you or do you think it was fine?"

"Think or hope," Sole mirrors. "I don't know. It was large."

"That seems to be a theme with the ocean."

"...Is that why no one has tried to cross the ocean again in 200 years? I thought...I thought there'd be pirates again out there. Or something. That massive wooden ships had made a comeback somewhere."

"I can't say. For all we know, maybe people have tried." Sole doesn't want to think about the connotations of that.

"No one wanted to go to Spectacle Island."

"I'm sure it looks nice but...To be honest, neither would I. I'm Sorry."

"It's fine. I get it now...I don't think I do anymore, for a while...John wouldn't get in the boat."

"Hancock...Is a smart man. Sometimes."

"Sometimes? You're saying that to the person that jumped off of the Prydwen."

"True, you do make Hancock look like Einstein."

"Thank God people still know Einstein," Sole mumbles. "John's smarter than he let's on."

"He once showed up to my door, drunk, asking if I thought Nick had a penis. Then, if he did, if it could be classed as a vibrator. I refused to answer or ask the context for why he wanted to know."

"...On that note, goodnight Preston."

"Goodnight, Sole."

Sole stares at the ceiling as they try to sleep that night. The sound of the waves crashing against the walls keeps them awake.

[spiderh0rse]

freeman's mind notes part two, e6-e10.5. under cut, long. formatting is different this time. will carry on in this way.

e6

"safety's off" sir. Sir you've just said it was a Glock. You fool. You absolute buffoon.

"clip" IT IS A MAGAZINE

I cannot respect a man who watches Die Hard this much. I just can't.

love how he reacts to the houndeye teleporting in. Flat "No."

mimics houndeye noise :>

heard Gman movin around on the catwalk above

electricity doesn't do a ton to him this first go around but does hurt and seems to paralyze him for a moment. Muscles seizing and all that

rescinds his disdain for everyone who died. Admits it's a bit difficult to live under the circumstances

"white men in armoured hazmat suits can't jump" SIR

[underwater mumbling] sounds pretty damn frantic. Genuine fear of dying by his own hand. I'd wager he thinks he's the only one that could do it.

bounces back quickly!

just goes and shoves some words together. For fun!

dislikes the ammo being covered in blood. Considers leaving it behind because if that

impacts still hurt. High impact reactive armour this is Not

e7

simian instincts strike again

has seen star trek

"maybe i should've been a bug" well I can study you like one. How's that sound

Kafka's Metamorphosis mention! It's Gregor Samsa that actually turns into a bug though, so. May not have read it.

knows who Shiva is! Not sure of her origin but she does show up in ff7, which is within his range to know about

bullsquid acid tastes like dead caterpillar

yog'sothoth :>

held his mouth open in the canal. Dude.

mouth cancer...

hates puns.

Black Mesa gets money from the dept. of defense

slur count one

is this hl source? Do the crates sway in the ported version?

correctly figures out the useless crate pit room

hates elevator music

e8

audio inconsistent :(

bug murder D: I love bugs.

shouting and breaking stuff in grad school did not help him

says grody. Like a loser.

threatens a man's life again. Doesn't seem to mean it.

calms down easily enough by breakin things

wants to blow up the building. He won't know it but it will be. Your will be honored, sir

came home to a guy impaled on his window's insulated glass. Explained that to the police.

"kind of like glass in a way" fragile and lacking a smell? got it

"GYAHH" high pitched scream!

has been hit by many tasers over dates.

pepper spray is worse.

first instance of sonic damage (gun in air vent)

some guy named Jessie would electrocute himself on his bed and end up paralyzed for an hour for fun. Sounds fun tbh

Steve Irwin... Rest in peace and let's kill all sting rays now

does ask a cowering scientist if he's okay

somehow doesn't see the shotgun in plain sight waiting for him

doesn't always know when he's thinking out loud

e9

peppered steak just like OFF

visibly contemplates shooting a regular bug

actively admits he was considering cannibalism. I can get behind that. Cannibalism win.

"pew!!"

roleplays as a teacher who hits kids with crowbars

wants to be a medieval knight so bad

no vent sharks for us! fan blades instead

afraid of muppets

has whistled Twice now

has seen Jurassic Park.

wishes he could shoot electricity through his hands

has probably seen James Bond

already theorizing about Xens makeup

more bothered by a barnacles death coating him in blood and potentially jamming his gun than being choked

shot in the ear :>

whistles in time with the turret. Echolalia real

doesn't want to look gay. Too late. Even if we assume base Freeman model he does have a ponytail.

slur count two.

HEADCRAB SLAUGHTER PARTY

sounds like he likes coffee and doughnuts

e10

starts off with silly noises and repeating the word "coffee" on loop

Chainsaw noise with his mouth

jason vorhees wannabe

would love to spread bloodborne diseases via hug

has a collection that a human skull would fit right in with. Bones in general? Skulls in general? Human skulls? Doesn't matter, Eddie mention! As of him getting more skulls in cheap.

wants his funeral to be full of explosives and planes

he is not a gerbil.

feels he's only sure of his actions when killing things

watches Jackie Chan movies

and the Addams Family!

gman sighting.

thinks the guy diving through the window is cool. compares him to his own grandfather? neat!

unlike stark can do a pull-up in his suit

cannot break the vending machine glass. has change on him, though. Dorito time.

[spade-riddles]

I just realized something very interesting about the surprise songs last night. Everyone was expecting her to sing a folklore song in honor of folklore’s 3rd anniversary and at first it seemed like she completely ignored it but upon further inspection I think she actually did acknowledge it by repurposing old songs. To be more exact, I think message in a bottle and tied together with a smile allude to 🎃 anon’s 8th and 9th messages which have a lot of allusions to folklore. Here are some parallels I found:

Message 8:

•Hold on, baby, you're losing it, The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go // Your ship is docked too far out to sea. You’d swim to it, but the waters are infested with sharks. Your life raft is long deflated…in one swift motion, you replace the solid boards beneath your feet with rushing deep blue water

•And no one knows, That you cry, but you don't tell anyone, That you might not be the golden one // You’re a selfish asshole. So much of your fear is your own. You wince at your cowardice like it is a gaping wound. You so often find yourself unable to meet your own eyes. You scramble into shadows like a black cat. Scared, even, of being scared

•I think her diving into the stage after the surprise songs could represent her jumping into the aforementioned shark infested waters and being tossed out on waves (evermore, cardigan mv). It makes sense why midnights would directly follow this if we look at messages 8-11 which describe how after being attacked by sharks she made it back home and reunited with her lover at 3am (i.e. after midnight). I think the setlist, cardigan mv, and 🎃 messages all tell the same story.

Message 9:

•You are sitting on a beach, cold and windswept. The sea is dark and angry before you. The sun sets in muted colors. You finish scrawling on the parchment. Your pen dries up as you reach the end of a story in 11 parts. None of it makes sense anyway. You're sick of having to dilute everything so far beyond recognition. But a story told through metaphor is still a story told. Even the great poet Sappho is survived by stilted fragments and mistranslated lyrics -> This message pretty clearly describes how she felt while writing folklore back in 2020: the parchment paper which she’s mentioned in her betty speeches, the sun setting in muted colors (august to illicit affairs transition representing gray folklore following the failed lover era coming out which would’ve been daylight), the part about metaphors diluting the truth and Sappho’s story surviving all these yrs later is literally the definition of folklore

•And you're tied together with a smile, But you're coming undone // The flawed, scarred, angry, grateful, nonsensical heart. The one that hides deep inside glittering ballgowns. The one that questions everything, but mostly it questions if the world it has grimaced through so many smiles for would love it for what it truly is

•A message in a bottle is all I can do, Standin' here, hopin' it gets to you // You roll the parchment, slipping it into an empty wine bottle. You may have told the story inside out and backwards, and it may well sink to the bottom of the sea or fall on deaf ears. It may wash up on a sunny beach in Florida, or a rocky shore in the northwest. Either way, someone somewhere will know about that recipe card. And the warm safety you cherish within your fence. And the heist that stole more from you than you ever planned on stealing from the museum. And most importantly, they will know about the human heart // Lost in your current like a priceless wine // Her clinging onto the “folklore” piano in the cardigan mv representing how writing folklore was a coping mechanism and lifeline for her

She said that she picks songs that are related in some way and this is the only connection that really makes sense imo

[lintpuzzle]

In sharp contrast with olesia.love’s rejection of yugioh’s themes of friendship, clyde-side’s fic ‘keep the light shining’ embodies yugioh’s themes of friendship and human connection more powerfully than the original.

You’d think that’d be impossible to do considering, well, the everything about the original yugioh.

But I remember coming from the show as a little kid wondering why Tristan even exists as a character. He starts out as Joey’s bully lackey character and then when Joey turns good, he stays at about the same level of relevance, to the point that Duel Monsters didn’t know what to do with him, and we got a whole arc of him turned into a robot monkey.

This picture kills me. “Tristan as a robot monkey.” Jumping the shark if I’ve ever seen it.

Why should I care about Yugi’s friendships with Honda if the show can’t even bothered to care about Honda? （ーー；）for god’s sake, even when they manage to turn his robot monkey voice into a human one they STILL don’t believe he’s the real Tristan, like how’s that for the power of friendship?

Thus, even though the Fanfiction for the show I read as a 5th grader didn’t make any sense (there’s no canonical explanation for the amount of hikari yami group fics I read as a kid), they were in spirit of what the show was missing: the natural chemistry, banter, and dynamics of the actual close friendships the show was championing. My first taste at a queer friend group, before I even understood what that meant. (Notice that Tristan is NOT included in the Yamis Hikaris.)

Thus, it was a genuine shock when I came out of Keep the Light Shining with a genuine respect for Honda as a friend Yugi’s outside of Joey. He’s just such a cool respectable guy!

And the best part is that the fic leverages the elements already present in original Yugioh to do so: the horror of prolonged isolation.

Yugioh’s season 0 is this perfect corollary to the phrase, “Don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” Friendship for both Yugi and Yami Yugi in season 0 embodies “Don’t know what you’re missing till until you’ve got it.” Neither of them have had a single friend before, and the show manifests this as Yugi attracting preternatural amounts of cruelty from complete randos and a supernatural bloodthirstiness in Yami Yugi.

This prolonged isolation thus is what drenches season 0 in its terrifying atmosphere, and the companionship and connection the two reach in Death T makes for a surprisingly natural explanation for the more family friendly nature of Duel Monsters’ Yami. Friendship in season 0 means more than just inspiring speeches, it literally changed the tone of the entire show! From terrifying murderous Aesops to a 4Kids Dubbable merchandising machine, from cruel bullies to heartwarming companionship.

Similarly, IM OBSESSED with the isolation and fear throughout Keep the Light Shining. It’s oppressive, anxiety inducing, and depressing. An anxious people pleaser’s worst nightmare come to life. A haunted lighthouse with fatal rocks ashore, and SPOILERS nobody who could help because you were too scared to put your foot down when your boss backtracked on giving you a partner, and now you’re all alone on an island that means you harm.

All by yourself in dangerous waters.

And yet, there are still life rafts. Moments of light peaking behind the clouds, if you will.

It’s frankly fantastic how the fic captures the all encompassing paranoia of being all alone at a scary place, and then contrasts that with the simple comfort of just being around other people. The island feels almost normal when Joey’s taking lunch with Yugi, the fear of a poltergeist is nothing to the warmth of sitting with Marik and Ryou by a roaring hearth, blanketed by their soft reassurances and bickering, and even the poltergeist becomes a source of comfort—he’s proof that you’re not alone.

And Tristan somehow FITS RIGHT IN!! He’s not Joey’s knock off lackey, he’s the coast guard to your unknown waters! A quiet in the storm, his gentle professionalism is a balm to Yugi’s nerves as Yugi struggles with the protocols of terrifying storms and shipwrecks. Somehow, nothing is more comforting than opening that intimidating radio in the middle of nowhere and hearing Honda’s calm voice on the other end. HONDA! The most useless character in Yugioh!

It captures exactly WHY a friendship calmed down the wrath of a 3000 year old spirit, what made Yugioh so endearing in the first place! And while the original is great, this fic’s portrayal is so visceral. The power of friendship is not a speech that saves the day; just your friend’s presence is enough to keep us sane!

[lil-ms-darkness]

Seras Victoria dating headcanons - this one is spicy, minors DNI

Seras is likely pansexual, in my eyes, and is hypersexual

After all the trauma she has been through, Seras either could have gone the sex repulsed route or the hypersexual route, and I believe she would have leaned into her sexuality and embraced it with open arms. 

Because she is hypersexual, she loves to show her affections through touch and PDA. She will loop her arm around yours and just stand there with a half lidded, wide smile like a love sick puppy. 

When you’re in the bedroom, she’s very experimental. She will try anything and everything without judgement of your preferences. (If you ask for a strap-on, she will be drooling while tightening it with haste)

I imagine she’s very much a switch, but for an AMAB partner she’s much more of a dom and for an AFAB partner she’s more of a sub. 

Bonus: I do picture her enjoying to ride AMAB partners, and pinning down an AFAB partners wrists when she’s feeling particularly dominant that day. She loves to lick your throat, no matter your gender identity. If you’re human, expect many a throat kiss, nibble and lick. 

HOWEVER, if you are human, she is extremely hesitant to bed you the first time. In her line of work, there’s danger around every corner, and if something were to happen, it would certainly be nice to have the safety net of being able to turn you. This, however, spiraled into a deep panic for Seras, and there was a time where she avoided you throughout the mansion because of it. 

It was Integra who commented on her behavior, and when Seras revealed why she had been distant from you, she took a deep drag from her cigar.

“You care deeply for them, don’t you?” Integra asked slowly

“More than anything.” Seras had replied

“Then be with them. You are a monster, now, Seras, fear is a luxury we at Hellsing cannot afford. And besides, you may become even more untamable without them in your life.” Integra hid her smirk with her cloud of smoke she breathed out.

Seras is very serious about protecting you, because she hadn’t been able to protect Pip. 

Oh yeah, did I mention that? Pip talks mad shit in Seras’ head about you and how she makes goo-goo eyes at you from time to time.

“Ma cherie, I am surprised your eyes are not burning yet with how you ogle them.” He mused in her mind,

“HUSH!” She cried out with a fervent blush

Pip does his best to give you two space when you have your more intimate moments, (unless of course, you want him to join in the fun.)

Since Pip and Seras’ relationship is much more complex, Seras enjoys the simplicity with you. So, she leans into the domesticity of it all with you.

She enjoys talking with you while the two of you walk around the mansion, or sometimes she will walk with you to the store. If it is during the day, she wields her protective umbrella.

She will bake you sweets randomly (whether the sweets are actually edible is another story.) and will surprise you with small gifts. She will take you to places you enjoy, and could listen to your voice for hours. 

If you are AMAB, she will jump on your back and loop her legs around your middle, doesn’t matter where you are (of course, if you’re uncomfortable with PDA, she’ll keep this to when you arrive to your room or hers). She will put on red lipstick just to leave a mark on your cheek and watch you as you try to wash it off with a devilish smirk on her face. (She’s still Alucards creation, nobody is safe)

If you are AFAB, she will shower you with anything and everything you need during the dreaded shark week. Ibuprofen, heat compress, ice cream, snacks, cuddles, you name it and she’s got it. She’ll never forget how miserable she was during those weeks while she was still human. Having a heavier flow had been the worst (I also headcanon Seras had endometriosis. Irrelevent, I suppose, but there you are). 

If you are genderqueer/nonbinary/gender noncomforming, she will hold your hands in hers and, if you’re comfortable with it, will help you with anything you do in your dressing routine to help you feel more comfortable. (Binding? She’ll help you with your binder. Want a packer? She made you one! Larger breasts a desire for you? She busts out padding from one of her bras) 

She loves to show you as much affection as possible, and after a hard day, she will rub your aching muscles. 

Enjoy books? She’ll pick up two copies of the newest release in the genre you enjoy, one for both of you and make it a little book club. 

Moonlit walks? Oh hell yeah, count her in.

Skinny dipping? Her cheeks burn and the grin makes her cheeks hurt worse.

Over all, she just wants someone to make her feel free. To love her wild side, as cliche as it sounds. 

And there is no doubt in my mind that if something were to ever happen to you, she would go through every gate of hell to see you again. And the person who hurt you would meet a much more grizzly fate than Zorin Blitz.

A/N: Well, I didn’t expect to write this so soon after my first one, but I got some ideas and well, here we are. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I hope you enjoy it. Seras is best girl and deserves all the love. Alright, I’m gonna go read fanfiction, bye!

- Ms. Darkness

[jambenvs3000f24]

Describe your current relationship with nature. How has this developed/evolved? Who offered you “a sense of place,” as described in our textbook?

Nature conjures up images of something different for every person on the planet; whether its rolling mountains, dense forests, or vast plains. Nature is something we humans have started to become disconnected from and it saddens me to no end. I’ve always been in awe of the world we live in, the series of events that had to happen for each living organism to come to be. I soak up nature documentaries and videos (highly recommend PBSEons, and Minuteman’s Green Sahara on Youtube by the way) like a sponge never ceasing to be amazed by its weird and wonderful ways. Nothing keeps me sane like going for a walk through a wooded area, away from the ceaseless sounds of cars and people, where birds sing and wind hums. But let me go back to the beginning.

Growing up I spent summers at my grandparents house on Westport Sand Lake. I remember being really little when I was terrified to go swimming in the lake for fear some massive sea monster would get me, which wasn’t helped by my Papa convincing me there were sharks. I also remember him taking me on the four-wheeler through the forests telling me what different types of trees he could see and what their wood was best used for, telling me what different bird calls he could hear trying to teach me to identify them too. He taught me to fish, and the importance of only taking what you are going to eat. He was a game warden back in the day and knew the importance of keeping populations healthy. He was my tour guide to nature in the summers, a “sense of place”, he made the world feel so big and beautiful. The best summer by far was when we got to watch bald eagle fledglings fly for the first time. He helped me figure out how to hold the binoculars to my eyes so I could watch them jump from their nest near the old dam. I held my breath as they fell before flying off.

Then I got older and stopped wanting to spend summers with my grandparents, I chose to spend it with my friends in the suburbs, but we still played in the creek littered with trash, we still ran through the small patches of forests we had. I watched the old farmer fields we used to play soccer in get turned into a parking lot. That’s when I started noticing winters were getting shorter, rain became more likely than snow, the geese were staying for longer. In my lifetime I’ve watched climate change, pollution, and human greed destroy the planet I fell in love with back at Westport Sand Lake.

I guess that’s when I started to feel a responsibility to protect the planet, we are just as much a part of nature as dirt that we will return to it when our time is up. But when all is said and done I come back to lakes. I’m not scared to swim in lakes any more because of monsters that might bite my toes, but from toxins we dump into it and expect the ecosystems to deal with. I’m still in awe of the beauty of the world we are a part of, but it’s clouded by the fear that it won’t be beautiful much longer.

[chloe-spade]

The Little Leeches Act Two: Introductions

Riddle had a dream last night. It was more of a memory than a dream, but it still haunted him when he awakened the next day.

💔

Riddle was by the dock, watching another ship sail into the distance. He never liked going on boats ever since his father turned out to be lost at sea, or in other terms, dead. He was only 12 at the time, but he never grew out of that fear of the ocean. It was a haunting experience to hear your mother sobbing in her room about her husband's shipwreck and after that day, shipwrecks have been a constant curse around the kingdom, 50% of ships come back after an expedition.

Riddle was smart enough to not be by the docks all alone, but one day he heard splashing underneath the dock one day. Though confused, Riddle checked to see an unusual tail underneath it, caught in the net that had fallen due to a storm prior. He couldn't reach the docks as he was scared to fall in the ocean but then he heard sobs of pain from underneath. Riddle was shocked, thinking it was a kid in danger. He did the unthinkable, he jumped in.

He saw a mermaid, crying due to the fear of being caught by a human. He looked at Riddle with eyes that begged him not to scream to the world about him. Riddle didn't. He sank and began to untangle the net from the mermaid's tail, shocking the mermaid. When he grabbed the net and moved it away, the mermaid rushed away, leaving Riddle alone under the dock. Riddle was stuck floating and tried to swim but due to lack of experience, he found himself sinking, losing air as he sank. He accepted his fate until a pair of hands immediately wrapped around him and swam up. Riddle took a massive breath when he resurfaced and looks back at the mermaid that saved him.

"Y-you saved me," Riddle coughed.

"You saved me, so I saved you," the mermaid spoke, "and you look interesting." He spoke, swimming around Riddle.

"I am?" "Yeah! You are a human!" The mermaid laughs, "and I wanted to thank you for saving me. I'm Floyd."

Riddle stared at the smiling mermaid at him, introducing himself so causally. His heterochromia eyes gleamed with joy and interest, and a toothy smile that was showing an unusual kindness.

"R-riddle," Riddle whispered to Floyd.

"Hmm," Floyd hummed, "I can't remember that. How about Goldfish? Or Goldfishie? Hm, I like Goldfishie more!" Floyd smiles.

"It's not Goldfishie," Riddle clarified, "it's Riddle. But nonetheless, why are you here? Shouldn't mermaids stay deep in the ocean?"

"I mean," Floyd pouted, "yeah, but I wanted to go up here because well, look!" Floyd shows Riddle a bag of what Riddle could describe as utensils, equipment, and jewelry. "This is a…thing for my human collection!"

"Human collection?" Riddle questioned, "You collect them? How come? We don't have anything worth collecting."

"That's because you are a human. But to someone like me, it's all new and I wanted to see more, see humans up close. That's why I was here, I wanted to see humans for the first time." "And…well, you seem to have met one."

"I did! I met Goldfishie!"

Riddle sighs, already thinking that correcting Floyd would be a waste of him as he wouldn't see him again afterward. "That's great but can you help me to shore? I can't swim in the water." Riddle asked.

Floyd smiles and helps Riddle to the beach's shore, sitting on the sand. It gave Riddle a full view of Floyd, teal scales covered his body from head to tail, sharp teeth resembling those of a shark and colored eyes that Riddle swore glowed when under the dock.

"So…what brings you to land?" Riddle questioned, "Aren't you supposed to be in the sea?"

"Well, yeah," Floyd chuckles, "But I got bored and I heard humans so I followed them here. Seeing them up close is such a dream come true. You wouldn't believe it."

"It's…strange, to see a mermaid up close," Riddle admitted, "but you look nothing like how they look in the various books I've read. Do they all look different?"

Floyd grins and lifts his tail, "Yep! Eels, salmon, pufferfish, octopus, the whole bunch! Many merfolks are incredibly different and are from all seven seas."

Riddle nodded and glanced at Floyd's tail once again and noticed a bad bruise where the coarse rope was. He immediately took the tail and begins to wrap his collar ribbon and begins to wrap the bruise tail with it, in hopes it'll make it less painful. Floyd watched with confusion then astonishment, and grins at Riddle.

"Wow.."

"This is just until you get better," Riddle spoke. Floyd smiles and hugs Riddle, catching the redhead off guard but hugged back.

"I should get going," Riddle whispered, "Mother would freak out if she finds out I'm here by the ocean." Riddle gets up and looks back at Floyd. He didn't want to leave Floyd alone but the sky was turning dark. But he did have one last question in his mind.

"Would it be alright if you visit more?" Riddle awkwardly asked, "Uh, I think we should be able to communicate more. It might be risky but I'm willing to take that risk."

Floyd's eyes lit up and he showed a big grin. "I will!" Floyd cheered, "I'll see you soon, Goldfishie!!!" Floyd grins as he returned to the ocean, the waves removing any sign of him on the beach. Riddle looks at the sea and looks down and just smiled to himself.

💔

Riddle could only stare from the sea from his window to the exact location where Floyd sat that day, resting underneath the sun and warm on the sand. It was the brink of dawn, and he was sure most are not even awakened yet, so he was alone with his thoughts and his guilt. He looked at the sea again and how it sadly reminded him of Floyd, the mermaid he shoved away like an old memory, all because he had fears for him. It was silent for a while, letting Riddle's thoughts echo in the empty halls.

A flute began to play, waking Riddle from his guilt to see Trey by the ocean shore. It wasn't uncommon to see Trey there, according to Julius, but it does catch Riddle off guard most of the time.

"Does it still bother him?" Riddle asked himself, "It's been a week now. Little does Trey know that the voice he's looking for is underneath the waves, where they belong."

Trey continued to play but found that fruitless, especially in the morning.

💔

Where did he go?

Where can he be?

When will he come again?

Calling to me?

Calling to me…

Calling to me…

💔

Riddle wished he knew how to fix a problem of love, but it would be a failed attempt no matter what method he tried. He never saw Trey so entranced and in love before, even when they were children. This was the first for Trey.

💔

💔

Somewhere there's a boy

Who's like the shimmer of the wind upon the water

Somewhere there's a boy

Who's like the glimmer of the sunlight on the sea

Somewhere there's a boy

Who's like a swell of endless music

Somewhere he is singing

And his song is meant for me

And his voice It's sweet as angels sighing

And his voice

It's warm as a summer sky

And that sound

It haunts my dreams

And spins me 'round

Until it seems I'm flying…

His voice!

Hearing the melody made Riddle think of Floyd again. Or most precisely, the love he has for Floyd, even after that day. It was the same love he could hear in Trey's voice. It made his eyes teary at the thought of what he had done. The guilt was gnawing at his heart, ripping it in half.

💔

I can sense his laughter

In the ripple of the waves against the shoreline

I can see him smiling

In the moonlight as it settles on the sand

I can feel him waiting

Just beyond the pale horizon

Singing out a melody too lovely to withstand

And his voice

It's there as dusk is falling

And his voice

It's there as dawn steals by

Pure and bright, it's always near

All day, all night

And still, I hear it calling…

His voice

💔

Riddle stumbled back onto the bed, looking back at his window. He felt trapped, suffocated in his room, just thinking about Floyd. He made a mistake and he knows it now, but he'll never take it back, with Floyd being gone forever.

💔

Strange as a dream…

Real as the sea…

If you can hear me now

Come set me free…

Come set me free!

💔

💔

"Wake up!" Shrieked Shore. Azul groaned, getting up, and looking up at Shore.

"Will you not?" he groaned, trying to lift himself from the makeshift mattress.

He looks over at the boat, remembering the previous night. He hoped it was a dream, the previous night. But feeling the wood and watching the men around them reminded him that everything was real, the deal, his aunt, and the fact that they are in the land above.

"Awake?" asked a sailor, "Best to. We are nearing the kingdom, and we should be able to dock soon."

"Thank you," Azul yawns and looks over at the sleeping twins. Azul sighs and starts to shake them awake, getting silent groans from the duo before forcing themselves up to look around.

"Good morning," Azul greeted, "I'll have you both know that we are still on the boat, in the human world, and we still have legs. Now we are approching the kingdom."

Floyd gasps as he lifts himself to see the kingdom from the distance, silently gasping and cheering.

"Careful," the sailor laughed, "We should be nearing it any moment." The Sailor stopped by the stocks as a carriage arrived. The trio watched how they began to dock the fish that they caught, and much to Azul's dismay, they were transferred to the back so they wouldn't get caught by the guards and the queen.

"Ugh, fish even feel slimy on land," Azul muttered to himself.

What made it worse was that they were covered by an already-soaked tarp, which already made Azul want to scream at the twins for even considering going on land. After a few minutes, they began to ride up to the castle. Floyd, incredibly excited, took the tarp off and begins to look around the people, the land, and feeling the sun.

💔

Look at the sun and the sky and the sand and

The sea behind me

Look at me, suddenly I am on land, and I'm free

💔

Floyd got up to feel the new view of land he's never seen before, ignoring Jade and Azul's efforts to put him down. Nothing was getting him down unless a bump happened.

💔

Don't mind me as I

Climb for the first time

Jump for the first time

Trying to stand but this gravity's pulling me down

💔

Floyd pouted as he fell onto the fish, glaring at his new legs.

"Forgot that gravity exists, hmm?" Azul teased, making Floyd pout more. They got back into the tarp as they reached the castle entrance, allowed by the guards to ride inside. Floyd, Jade, and even Azul were shocked at how big the castle was now they were inside it.

"It looked so small in the distance," Azul mumbled to the duo.

"Good morning, your highness," The sailor spoke, "Today's a great day, hmm?"

"Yes, it is! Got any the fish?" Laughed the king.

"Many for you and the royal family, sire."

"Fantasitic!" The Sailor got from his carriage and began to whisper in the king's ear, Azul's best guess was to alert The King of their presence. The King gave a look of understanding and nodded his head, and walked over to the tarp.

"Don't worry, new guests," he spoke cheerfully, "I am delighted to show you around and get you back to good health. First, let's get you nice and warm."

With the guidance of the king, the trio were led to the kitchen, where a nice warm fire was waiting for them. It caught the attention of Floyd as he grabbed Jade and rushed towards the flames, trying to examine it. Jade, on the other hand, was just staring at the humans around them, uncomfortable.

💔

Look, it's a fire, it's warm and it glows

And it lights this chamber

Let me admire it—, ow, get too close and it bites

I came too close for the first time

💔

"Floyd!" Azul gasped, "You shouldn't put your hand in it.."

Floyd just stared at his hand in amazement, feeling the heat on his fingers, and not just his fingers, his entire body felt warm.

💔

Burned for the first time

Everything's clearer and brighter and hotter

But now that I'm here like a fish out of water

I'm trying to stand but this gravity's pulling me down

💔

Floyd tried to get up once again, but a strange pain caused him to collapse onto the floor. His vision was blurred but was kept standing by the strangers around him. Jade rushed over to check on his twin, and he didn't like how dizzy he looked.

"Oh dear," The King sighs, "Don't you worry, my friend. Your brother is just having a strong reaction to being in heat for to long."

"…i thought it was overexcitement…" Azul mumbled. Jade tried to get Floyd's attention, but nothing seemed to work. Even pulling on Floyd's face wasn't working.

"Hey, hey," a maid spoke softly, "we will take care of him, sir. Just a cool bath and a perfect bed will set him straight, my dear."

Jade stopped for a moment before letting the maids take his twin to the washrooms, with another pair leading him to another washroom, separating him from Azul. He watched how they carefully tend to him as soon as he entered the bed, looking around the room. That's where his thoughts to began to wander. So much so that he begins to submerge into the tub he was in, letting the water surround him like it used to.

💔

Are we only food for slaughter

Is this life on land?

Well, he was lonely underwater

Come on, Jade, time to stand

💔

Jade gasped as he felt the air return to him. He had forgotten that he couldn't breathe underwater anymore and that he would drown if he went under for a few more minutes. "Is something the matter?" asked a maid. Jade shook his head and sighs to himself. Bathtime was over and he was transferred to a bedroom, as they began to clothe him, ignoring any silent protest he had.

💔

Squeeze in the shoes and the corset, it's tight

And the seams are bursting

Some people choose this, I guess it's alright

Are my dreams adjusting?

💔

Jade gasped as a gown was draped over his head, stealing his eyesight from him. He wanted to move away but the corset was granting him limited movement, but somehow, it became less painful.

"Poor thing," he heard a maid sigh, "he must be so confused about everything."

"We should be glad to have a generous king, and he lets him stay here. Such a sweet man."

Jade was grumbling to himself, now completely ignored by the maids. He didn't need all this pampering, and all of these dazzling jewels, when he can just find some in the ocean. He just stared at the mirror, trying to be comfortable, but nothing was convincing him that anything was alright and fine. He wanted to just be back in the ocean, but he had a nagging feeling of comfort. Why? He had no…well, he supposed there was a human he was interested in but this wasn't about him.

"How's one of our guest?" The king asked. "Adjusting." The King smiles as he walked in, looking at Jade.

"And you?" he asked Jade, "Is this room suit your liking?"

Jade made an awkward smile, messing with his new dress. He nodded his head, trying to avoid any conversation.

"Hmm, why do you seem familiar to me?" The King pondered, "like one of my son's portraits of this mysterious man..who looks like you. Wait a darn moment-! You two! Get Trey this instant."

The Maids rushed out, leaving Jade alone.

Jade gasps as Trey was mentioned, the prince he saved. He didn't want to believe, that the person he saved would recognize him, but a large part of his heart begged for it. His heart begged for Trey to see him as the same mer who saved him on that day, and that he fell in love and wanted to learn and be with him. He didn't want his heart clouding his judgment.

💔

As I wait for the first time

Here for the first time

Now for the first time

He's coming through those doors

Up the stairs

💔

Jade began to walk around his room, trying to keep calm about the situation that he was in. He was going to meet Trey again after so long, after a long battle against mind and body for what he wanted.

💔

From the shore

From that moment

And he'll smile

Like he knows

When I say—

💔

Jade gasped as his back was now against a man. He stumbled away to look at the prince, Trey. He had a smile on his face, very different from Jade's embarrassed one.

"Hello," he greeted, "you must be one of our guest."

Jade gulped and nodded, trying to bow towards him. "My father wanted me to meet you," Trey smiles, "I'm Prince Trey, or well, just refer to me as Trey. If you are worried about anything, just come to me, and I'll be happy to show you."

Jade took a step back and nodded.

"Trey!" called a butler, "Your father and mother request you at once."

"I'll be there in a moment." Trey looks back at Jade, "Again, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Trey left, leaving Jade with mixed emotions. But he did feel dread when he looked at himself again.

💔

Realize the price that you paid with your voice

As he turns from you

Those sacrifices you made were a choice

That you can't undo

💔

Jade stumbled onto the porch, looking out the window and to the ocean that was so far from his reach. He just wanted to sink and disappear.

💔

Lost for the first time

Scared for the first time

Gravity feels like an undertow pulling me down

💔

Jade took a small sigh and rested against the pillows, trying to fall asleep. His door opening caused him to look at the person. Azul.

"How are you…holding up?" Azul asked, walking over and sitting by him. "I heard that one of the prince's came around?"

Jade looked away and just nodded, not denying Azul's claim. But he didn't want to think about it, and his refusal to think about it was quite obvious.

"Jade, you shouldn't mope," Azul huffed, "We are only here for a week and we need to make this week count. So you get on your feet and let's explore." Jade rolls his eyes and gets up from the porch. "And no more mopping. People will notice."

Jade took a breath and put his hand on his chest, smiling his usual smile. Even when it's fake, Jade knew how to calm himself down.

💔

Floyd wandered the halls, completely bored. He was awake for an hour when the maid left him alone, but it gave him time to successfully sneak off. He knew that people would catch him if he was found, but like in the sea, he was very sneaky about his movement, avoiding anyone who was nearby. Floyd would call it a special gift that he uses it his advantage. But he heard footsteps nearby so he went inside the nearest room he was close to. What luck, Floyd thought to himself. He took a moment to look at the room. His eyes widen as he looked at so many items crowded around the room, reminding him of his own grotto.

Though, it was stuff found underneath the waves, like special rocks that held so many secrets. One of the things was his bag of items that he left in heartbreak.

However, the footsteps were closer, causing Floyd to find a hiding spot behind a massive pile of human stuff. The footsteps entered the room, stopping for a moment. Floyd's eyes try to look at the stranger, though it was difficult because of the stuff clouding his vision. But he watched as the stranger began to take his bag and look into it. He took out the red shell he wanted to gift Riddle, and held onto it. He watched how the stranger walked to the shelf Floyd was hiding behind. He leaned down to try to hide but his eyes met with the familiar grey of…

Riddle.

Riddle stumbled back and keep the shell in his grip, clearly startled by the stranger.

"Who are you?" he demanded, "get out! Why are you here?"

Floyd walked out, undecided if he were to act aloof or jump onto Riddle in happiness. However, Floyd didn't have to do anything as he felt Riddle's arms wrapped around him into a strange hug.

"Floyd," Riddle spoke softly, "…it's really you? I'm not hallucinating, am I? Please tell me that this isn't my guilt for finding ways to harm me more…I already regret everything…please." Riddle's pleads ended with a small sob.

Floyd quickly immediately wiped Riddle's tears and smiled at him, a smile that Riddle could easily recognize. "It's you!" Riddle gasps, looking up at him, "What…your on land..and you're human?" Riddle stepped back to take a look at Floyd, surprised. "What happened to you…"

Floyd thought for a moment but nothing came to mind, just like nothing came to mouth.

"Floyd? Why can't you tell me?..Are you still upset at me?" Floyd looks around, now finding any way to tell Riddle about his current condition. A book about sea monsters caught his attention and he took it, before trying to find a page that could resemble a sea witch but he couldn't read human language.

"Floyd? What are you doing?" Floyd huffed and sits down on a chair.

"Oh, I see," Riddle took the book, "..are you trying to tell me something?"

Floyd nodded and looks into the book again. He pointed at the words he could recognize, starting with the sea.

"Sea? That's the first word."

Floyd nodded and tried to look for his second word, but nothing came up. So he tried to think about it and looked at a new book. A book of fairytales he remembered Riddle mentioned. Happy, he took the book and pointed at the witch of Hansel and Gretel, giving Riddle the second word. "Witch? Sea witch?" Riddle put together but his expression turned serious.

"You went to a sea witch? The ones that you describe are dangerous if encountered?"

Floyd sheepishly nodded.

"But she would've took something..right?" Floyd sighs and rubs his throat. "…your voice? You gave the sea witch your own voice for…legs." Riddle stopped for a moment before looking back at Floyd, "Because of me. You did all of this..because of me."

Floyd didn't want to admit it, because he can already tell that Riddle was very guilted ridden from what happened.

"It is."

Floyd had to nod. But he took Riddle's hand and held them within his, a small reassurance that Riddle needed.

"I..I'm so sorry about that I said. It was just an attemped to keep you safe but I…I felt so lonely without you trying to call me when you find something new. I mean.." Floyd grins. Riddle's face began to turn red, stammering over his words.

"We should get going," Riddle bubbled, "Dinner starts in five minutes and I don't want to be late."

Floyd gave Riddle a knowing look.

'Same old Goldfishie,' he thought to himself as Riddle leads him to the dining hall.

💔

"Those visitors seem to be interesting," Julius spoke to Trey, "being found from the ocean itself. Maybe it's a sigh, Trey, my boy."

"A sign?" Trey questioned. Trey looks outside and into the ocean, remembering his savior's melody in his once again. He took a moment before answering. "I'm not sure I get it, Father," Trey spoke.

"Well, considering that those two look quite similar to your drawings, I would assume you recognize at least one of them," Julius grins, "Especially the calm one, he had that vibe you have previously told me."

Trey took a thought. Did he feel that vibe from them? He only met one of the unnamed visitors and they seemed nervous and standoffish, so Trey wasn't able to form anything yet. But maybe due to the small amount of time, Trey hasn't been able to take his time. Footsteps took Trey's attention.

"And this is the ballroom, Floyd," He heard Riddle explain as he walked in with the same visitor. Or was it another?

"Ah, Riddle, you seem to have met one of our guests," Julius smiles, "It's nice to see you two get along. And you," he looks at the guest, "are you also having a good time?"

"He has a name, Father," Riddle intervened, "his name is Floyd. Floyd Leech."

The guest known as Floyd makes a toothy grin as he bows towards them.

"Don't forget us, Floyd," spoke a new guest.

Two new guests walked in and Trey's eyes were immediately transfixed on the guest that slowly followed the first. He was the guest that Trey was introduced to, but he had an air to him that Trey somehow recognized as a nice and calming air.

"Oh, that's fantastic," Julius laughs, "Trey, this man is Azul Ashengrotto, and he will be our main man. Isn't that great? Trey, my boy?"

Trey has been distracted, and everyone knew it. But he couldn't stop staring at the old guest in front of him. He noticed a patient smile and soft eyes that made Trey's heartache. He's very elegant, standing with a poise that could rival even royalty, Trey thought. He carefully walked over to the guest and bowed again.

"Hello again," Trey greeted, "It is nice to see you again. I'm afraid we haven't gotten the time to actually know each other. Let me reintroduce myself, I am Prince Trey, but please, my guest, you can just refer to me as Trey. And what is yours?"

The guest's silence has become more silent as no sound was produced when they think. But his eyes went to a jewel on Trey's coat and touched it carefully.

'Is it a sign?' Trey thought to himself.

"Are you looking at my jade?" Trey asked, "It belonged to my mother and…what is it?" The guest smiles as he pats the jewel on the coat once again and points to himself as if to send a message. "Jade..your name? Is it Jade?"

The guest nodded.

"Oh, ok…Jade," Trey beamed, "I like it. It's very beautiful."

Jade smiles and bows.

"For all the hassle, you could've just introduced him," Riddle whispered to Azul, "Especially since it seems that they both can't talk."

"And why would I be so cruel to interrupt such a beautiful romantic moment between them?" Azul questioned. "It seems you do not know the sort."

"About romance? Doubtful," Riddle sneered, "Just what happened to them? And I need answers and a real one. Why does Floyd have legs, and why is he with the both of you?"

"I suppose telling you wouldn't be a breach of contract," Azul pondered for a moment, "But how do I know you would believe me?"

"I already know of the deal," Riddle spoke up, "Floyd was able to translate it to me earlier but I need more insight about sea witches and the extent of the deal. This is dangerous from what Floyd has told me, and now…you are all here, so I do deserve a different perspective."

Floyd looks at Azul, nodding that it was ok to tell Riddle, even when Azul has doubts.

"Alright," Azul conceded, "My aunt is the sea witch that gave out the deal. For an entire week, Floyd and Jade must get their respective love interests to kiss, a kiss of true love." Riddle's face began to blush at the mention of true love's kiss. He always found it as a strange custom, strange but lovely to young Riddle. But now, he was flustered now he was on the receiving end of it all.

"Continue," "But if the sun sets on the 7th day, the end of the week, they would…and this wasn't even mentioned by my blasted aunt, but they will transform into," Azul took a hesitant breath, "sea foam. They no longer exist and will just be her pawn for all eternity."

"But isn't that equivalent to death?" Riddle asked, "They just.."

Floyd took Riddle's hand and took a small squeeze, calming Riddle.

"Regardless, I won't let that happen, but we need to be discret," Riddle sighs, "My mother will find out one way or another that you aren't from here, so we must be on our guard." Loud clicks of heels echoed in the halls, causing Riddle to flinch.

"I suppose that's your mother?"

"Yes."

"And I want to make sure our guests have nice rooms during their stay." Queen Icabeth Rosehearts ordered, walking towards the dining area with a maid beside her."And a nice tour of our kingdom."

"Yes, your highness." The Maid answered.

"Thank you," Icabeth smiles."Now everyone, sit down. Food is on the way."

As ordered, everyone sat down by the dining table as appetizers were given around and tea was poured into lovely tea cups. Though the trio were surprised by how hot it was and easily burned their tounges.

"Now I am aware that only one of you can talk. Am I right?" She asked Azul, sipping her tea, "Must be quite the struggle to deal with that."

"Yes, ma'am," Azul answered. "I do thank you for letting us stay." "Although I do need some answers. Your predicament is odd to me. You have survived a shipwreck from a storm, and you drifted here. Just the 3 of you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Our sailors have perished during the storm." Azul spoke with fake sadness.

"Oh, that must be hard." Julian sighs, "I have sorrow for them."

"Please do not worry, we will prepare a memorial once we get back to our kingdom of Novaselic. But knowing how shaken we are, we request a week's stay. Will that be alright?"

"Of course," Julius consoled, "Take the time you need to grieve."

Julius then looked at Riddle. "Riddle, you seem to know one of our guest very well, do you two have some form of histroy?"

Riddle takes a small sip of his tea before answering, "We have met and have been sending letters to each other since then. However, I did not expect them to visit on such a notice. Floyd can be reckless like that, so I don't know what I was expecting."

Floyd grins.

After a moment, the food arrived and the feast began, with Azul carrying the conversation for three but it was easier that way. Though he was uncomfortable with the thought of eating seafood, what was more disturbing was that Jade and Floyd ate without much hesitation.

During the dinner, Floyd looks down at the dinglehopper, gasps at it, and begins to hold it. He smiles and starts to brush his hair, unaware of the odd stares that he was getting.

"Floyd!" Riddle gasped, taking the fork, "What are you doing?!"

"Riddle, you know we don't yell at the table. Especially when we have guests." Icabeth lectured, eating her food.

"Sorry, Mother."

"Floyd, please put it down," Azul ordered and Floyd pouted putting the dinglehopper down.

"People in Novasolic are an odd bunch." Muttered Icabeth.

💔

Floyd silently yawns as he rests on a fluffy bed, gasping as he sinks into it. He begins to jump onto the bed, looking over at Azul. Azul smiles."Comfy?" Floyd nods happily, getting up from his bed to start brushing his hair with the dinglehopper once again. But he couldn't help but go back to the bed once again, holding on to the pillows.

"You seem so calm down, considering your situation," Azul mutters, sitting by Floyd's bed, "but rest now, Floyd, you defiantly need some rest for tomorrow."

Azul watches as Floyd slowly began to sleep. He smiles and puts a blanket on Floyd before leaving his room to his own.

Jade, on the other hand, was watching the sea waves swish slowly as they glowed with the moonlight. He remembers those nights when he and Floyd watch the stars above the sea at night. Barks got his attention as he looks down. Shortcake was barking at Trey as he was playing his flute. It made him smile at the beautiful tune. Jade got up from his bed and walks over to the patio, listening more. Shortcake saw and began to bark at Jade, alerting Trey about his presence.

"Shortcake has taken a liking to you." Trey chuckles, settling her down and petting her. "That means you're special. And I agree with her, I think you're very special, Jade."

Jade blushes and looks down. He lets out a silent yawn.

"Get some rest, now. Tomorrow is going to be a big day." Trey recommended, "Town is not easy to be in when you are incredibly tired." Jade nodded and waved goodbye, walking back inside.

"I'm sure it's him, Shortcake," Trey hummed, "He's just..so extraoridinary and I need to make sure if it's really him, voice or no voice. We just have to wait." Trey looks back at the balcony and walks back inside the castle, with Shortcake happily trotting behind him.

[tomorrowsunrise]

(@just-your-local-weirdo-blog) Sharks are nice! I agree! But, because a) I was a shark biologist for years and b) I am a perfectionist, I’m going to take the liberty of correcting you on a few details.

Sharks don’t have bad eyesight! Most species have eyesight that is (on average) about 10 times better than human eyesight, and they can see through water. Additionally, sharks have been on Earth longer than dinosaurs, and are some of the most well-adapted predators on the planet. Very few species of sharks have been known to attack humans, and those that do are almost always large-animal predators. The attacks on humans are probably not “mistaken identity” cases. Most of these bites are likely investigatory bites, where the shark is attempting to figure out if it can eat the human. Sharks don’t dislike the taste of humans, per say, but they do dislike how bony we are. Seals and other normal shark food have lots of fat. As a species, we do not. Sharks also generally dislike food that fights back. Occasionally, human-shark incidents are defensive attacks, characterized by jumping out of the water and swimming up from underneath. Even more rarely, and typically in the open ocean, sharks will eat humans as a food source. To be clear, that is very unlikely.

Generally sharks do not bite humans. The chances of being bit are much higher for people that spend lots of time in the ocean. If you’re terrified of sharks, don’t swim at dusk or dawn, in murky water, at night, in areas with lots of seals and other prey animals, or in areas known for sharks. Or avoid the ocean altogether. Your loss if you do. Better yet, don’t fear sharks. They are beautiful and incredible animals. Admire them for that.

Sources are here:

-love from woods

🌊🏊Sharks are nice!🏄

Since its summertime and people are gonna be hitting the beach to swim and/or surf, i decided to make this informative shark post. In the media sharks are portrayed as mean bloodthirsty and vicious creatures. Such as in movies like “The Shallows” and “Jaws”. But are sharks really that vicious? The answer is no. No they are not. Sharks are really nice and sweet creatures. I am a surfer and have been bitten a couple of times by sharks but i still know the truth… sharks aren’t evil creatures. You may be thinking “but you’ve been bitten by one! How can they not be evil!?” Well the answer to that my bro is simple, its all a misunderstanding. You see, sharks dont have great eyesight. They are blind as fuck. So they rely on other senses to find food. They see the silhouette of us surfers on our boards and they see it from a below angle and they think we kind look like seals, their favourite meal (as seen in the pics above). So they take just a nibble to see what the fuck we are. Once they realize we aint a seal, they go away. Why? Sharks HATE the taste of human meat. We disgusting af to them. Thats why the majority of shark attacks are just sharks bitting once and then leaving. They just wanted to know what the fuck we are bro. Its a case of mistaken identity. A misunderstanding. Have there been shark attacks where the shark bites more than once? Yeah. But thats rare and it only happens if the shark is either (1) feeling threatened or provoked. Or (2) very hungry. Like, i mean STARVING.

Sharks just wanna eat but they dont wanna eat us. Its just a simple misunderstanding. As you can see in the photos above, people can swim with sharks and nothing happens. Its totally fine my dudes. So there you have it, sharks are homies, not hostile.

Sources: Jaws- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)

The Shallows- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shallows_(film)

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/shark-attack.htm

MORE INFO: The likelihood of being attacked by a shark is thought to be 1 in 11.5 million, and only 4 or 5 people in the entire world die each year from shark attacks.[1]. If you’re still nervous about meeting one of these ocean predators, check out these guidelines to help you further minimize the chances of an encounter- http://m.wikihow.com/Avoid-Sharks-While-Surfing

PLEASE REBLOG THANKS MATE

[honeysunai]

Hostess| Kyoya Ootori x reader

Part four - We lost Honey!

Pairing : Kyoya Ootori x reader

General rating : Fluff, enemies to love vibes

Word count : 2k

Summary: As only heir to your family you are bound to an arranged marriage with the third son of the powerful house Ootori. His cold behavior is only a mask for you to uncover when you stumble into music room number three.

Hello everyone! Thank you so so much for being a part of this story with me, you are amazing! I only received love and support from you guys and I really appreciate it. Part five will be posted later today and again, thank you for being so patient with me.

You didn’t plan anything on your Saturday evening, you were going to do some homework as well as play some cello. Tamaki decided otherwise… Haruhi wanted to spend some time together as a team and so Tamaki decided it would be great to have some vacation at the Ootori water park… Kyoya told you it was a resort for wellness, but you just thought it was a lame excuse to build a waterpark. 

And there you were, in a bikini, reading a book on a lounge chair. Technically you were not disappointed with the place, it’s spacious and very modern, they even have imported trees from around the continents to make the ambiance more tropical. It feels like you’re in a real jungle. Kyoya mentioned a zoo as a part of the resort, you’ll have to visit it before you leave. 

Speaking of the devil, you haven’t talked about that kiss last night. It was rushed, passionless and somewhat boring, but you did it for him. You couldn’t bring yourself to explain your action to him or why you did it, you’re not sure of how you could bring it up.

Haruhi, sitting next to you, asked questions about your book, which you gladly answered. 

“So hear me out! I’m this magical world, you have humans and faes which are kind of badass for most of them and then there’s this one human girl who slowly falls in love with one of the Lords of the fae realm—” You kept rambling about your book as if it was a personal friend of you who experienced the entirety of the book’s plot. When you were done she smiled at you.

“Would you mind if I borrow it when you’re done with it?” She asks and you nod. It was a copy that you’ve read so many times that the spine cracked and showed white creases. If she damaged it, it wouldn’t bother you as much as if it was a pristine copy. 

Splash! 

The water was cold on your legs and you yanked your book away. “Come play with us y/n!” Honey and the twins shouted for you to come over, but you were fine where you were. 

“Water parks aren’t my thing.” You tell them honestly. Hikaru rolls his eyes and, he and his brother, splashes you one more time resulting in your upper half of your body to get wet, including the book…

They splashed your book? White creases and tears in your books were fine… But drenched in pool water, it was unacceptable! When you looked back at them with death behind your eyes, they shivered in fear. 

“You bastards!” You shout throwing the book at them and proceed to jump in the water to fight them. You climb onto Hikaru’s back and make him fall backwards with you. Up to Kaoru… you grab him by the wrist before he swims away and yank him underwater with you. As you both three are dragged by Mori above the surface you shout once more. “You two owe me a new copy!”

“I didn’t know goblin sharks were part of the resort now.” Kyoya snorts behind you. 

“Who are you calling goblin shark you stupid clown fish?!” You grab the collar of his shirt and yank him in the water with you. 

“You–!” He yells before slashing everyone in the pool. That’ll teach him not to call you a goblin shark!

He gasps for air when his head is above water and gives you the death glare and you can’t help but laugh. He’ll make you pay for it, that is certain! Surprisingly he snorts and pats your head lightly before he pushes it harder so you go underwater once again. When you come back to the surface all of the boys except Honey left the pool, which was your cue to do the same as the others.

“Stop!” Haruhi comes running with a towel and almost shoves you back in the pool. She quickly wraps it around you, she was panting and now everyone was looking at the both of you. “You– Um– You lost your.” She trails off and you look down your chest and notices that your bikini top wasn’t where it’s supposed to be anymore. You turn to Honey and his face is bright red as he holds your bikini in his hands. Oh shit! 

“I’m sorry!” Honey almost cries as he tries to swim back to shore to give you back what’s yours, but a big whirring sound is suddenly heard and the water slowly starts moving in the direction of the jungle dragging the blonde boy with the current. In which, the current of the water was now faster. 

“Forget about the bikini! Swim Mitsukuni!” You yell over the sound of the water splashing everywhere, but it’s too late… He’s gone. “Kyoya, do something!” You almost begged. You didn’t even know how big this place is and where he might’ve gone. 

As he opens his mouth a hissing sound is heard and you pray to god that it was an angry cat. You snap your neck to the side and you see a couple of–

Alligators.

Out of all the animals in the world… Why did it have to be alligators?

Mori grabs both of yours and Haruhi’s arm and yanks you in a gazebo away from the deadly animals.

You had to turn your back two seconds before Mori and Haruhi left the gazebo as if they were veterans ready to take on those alligators and whatever lies in that jungle. You wanted to bang your head against the wall for the lack of bravery you had and that you wished Mori and Haruhi had! Because you knew they were after the small blonde, they were going to rescue him.

But you, you were all over the place. You were pacing around the place mumbling to yourself and giving death glares at Kyoya. Finally you snapped at him.

“So you didn’t plan to tell us about the new ‘petting zoo’?”

“I told you when we arrived, but you didn’t listen.” He brushes you off and picks out his phone to dial a number.

“You forgot about the ‘alligator’ part of that zoo.” You slowly turned toward your fiancé and pursed your lips. “Because that’s a big deal, isn't it?”

“I said that I already told you.” He grunts.

“You also said it was safe for us, Kyoya.” Your voice grew loud, loud enough for the twins and Tamaki to go on their merry way far away on the gazebo’s pathway to another part of the resort.

“You’re still in shock, would you please calm down? We’re safe here.” You can see his eyes roll and you scoff at his demeanor.

“We lost Mori, Haruhi and Honey! I know this is a stupid waterpark, but there are alligators on the loose thanks to you stupid security system our friends are in danger!” Our friends… Your friends. Were they friends now? Yes they were. You wouldn’t have made a whole fuss about their disappearance if you didn’t care for them.

“My stupid security team? How about you try to calm down– where are you going?” You were already leaving the gazebo to join Haruhi and Mori in the deep jungle. Sitting here arguing with four eyes over there wouldn’t help you. You could outrun a few reptiles… right? 

“I’m going to find my friends!” You shout back.

“I’m calling security, just stay here.” His tone was angry, was he angry with you?

“I’m going whether you like it or not!” You were confident you would be able to get through the pool area like Haruhi did before you and not get lost in this huge place. His strong hand grips your wrist to stop you and almost yanks you backwards. You turned your head to face him and he was as pissed as you were.

“I said to wait for backup, they will retrieve our friends.” He was so close. Both of your gazes were challenging the other to see who would give in first and to your surprise, you said quietly giving into his command. “Okay.” Then you regained consciousness and snapped out of his hold on you. “That’s no way to treat a lady!” You punched his arm and he rolled his eyes. 

“What do you know about being a lady?” He finally snorted and your blood boiled a little.

“More than you, that’s for sure!”  You truly wanted to feed him to the carnivores down the long stairs of this hellish gazebo.

“Just stay here.” He says calmly. “I’ll deal with it, we’ll find our friends and we’ll go home.” He promised. Kindness sparkles in his eyes and you smile which leaves him confused. “What?” He simply asks.

You wanted to tell him that his kind words soothed you and made you trust him in his ability to find your friends, but all that came out of your mouth was : “You truly look like a clownfish from up close.” He snorts and brushes the top of your head. 

“Idiot.” He whispers.

You finally decide to join the twins and the prince of the Host Club far away from that idiot of a fiancé of yours and notice Kaoru sitting all alone on a bench near the ledge of the wooden bridge you were walking on. It feels odd to see him without his brother, but it’s the opportunity you need. You need to talk to f with either Hikaru or with a guest.him about the kiss now or else he’ll try to evade your question and run off.

“Kaoru?” Your voice is almost a whisper as you reach for him slowly sitting by his side at a respectable distance.

“The one and only.” You could hear the grin in his tone, but he never turned to face you, he only faced the vast space in front of the both of you. 

“You can’t keep avoiding me forever. Friends tell each other things, but you keep avoiding my questions when I try to speak with you.”

“We’re not friends, you and I.” These words hurt you deeply. 

“Right…” You bite the inner walls of your cheeks because he had you speechless. You were about to confess how you felt about him not wanting to explain himself, but what he said struck you like lightning. He was right, just because you got along didn’t mean you were friends.  “But why did you make a scene by confessing your profound love to me, kissing me and then asking me if Kyoya was watching?” You sounded desperate for an answer. He sighs and finally turns to face you. 

“I suspected that you two were engaged, I just wanted to confirm my theory. No one likes when what’s theirs is with another guy.” 

“Are you saying that you wanted to see Kyoya jealous over you?”

“Sort of. It’s not every day you get a chance to.” He snorts loudly.

“You didn’t think I had a say before you tried your theory?” In your mind you were livid, but you kept your composure. 

“My apologies, but if I had asked you would’ve probably denied it because I’ve heard something going like : ‘ we should pretend to be bachelor and bachelorette.’ It’s not like you tried to hide it at first.” He chuckles. “You were drooling when you first saw him at the club.” He thought he knew everything about the two of you, but he was in the gray area between the truth and his delusion. He thought you were head over heels for Kyoya since the first time you saw him at school, but he was wrong… You were just surprised. 

“You wish.” You chuckle. “Look, I want us to be friends, Kaoru. I like you and your brother– not in that way– but I really enjoy your company. If one day you’d want to be my friend, I’d be glad, but in the meantime… Do you want to wait for rescue with me?” He looked around as if waiting for you was a crime and smiled at you, truly.

“Sure.”

You both stayed there in a comfortable silence. You saw three trucks filled with armed guards head inside of the jungle. This felt like a James Bond rescue movie, except that you were the random civilian that was on the side… Which you were glad about! Thanks to Kyoya’s persistence, otherwise you would’ve left your safe spot to go into uncharted territory. 

You were so out of it that you hadn’t realized that Tamaki was calling out your name with a hand on your shoulder and Kaoru left the bench you were sitting on. 

“I tried to find spare clothes for you everywhere, but since we’re the first ones to be in this place, there’s nothing.” Tamaki sighs. You didn’t even know he disappeared to help you out. “I should’ve brought more clothes so if anything like this happened, I would’ve been prepared to help you out.” Your heart melted at Tamaki’s words and you stood up from your seat to wrap your arms around him. He quickly grabbed onto your towel which was slowly getting loose and hugged you tighter. “Careful!” He gasps as you bury your face in his chest hiding the tears falling down your cheeks.

Tamaki clearly noticed your sadness and gently brushed your hair as you cried silently. This has been too much. This whole thing with Kaoru, the kiss with Kyoya, the Ootori family in its entirety, losing three people who you care about… It was too much to keep inside and you finally let go. Tamaki’s kindness definitely helped to let it all go and it felt so good. It felt so good to have someone, a friend who looked after you even when you didn’t ask for help, that you definitely needed. Tamaki Suoh is really a prince even when we’re not acting at the Host Club.

“Thank you.” You whisper and he chuckles.

“You’re welcome.” He smiles.

“May I speak with y/n?” Kyoya’s deep voice is heard from behind and you quickly wipe your tears away as Tamaki does a check up on you. You nod and he walks away from you and your financé. “Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I’m fine.” You answer truthfully and he smiles. “About Kaoru–” 

“He knows that we’re engaged.” He says at the same time as you.

“He knows– What do you mean ‘I know’?” You gasp.

“He told me a week ago.” He’s being nonchalant with that information.

“And you didn’t plan on telling me?” You wanted to punch him so badly.

“It’s way too funny to see you fluster when you try to talk to him and he just ignores you.”

“Now you’re just mean.” You cross your arms and pursed your lips in annoyance. 

“My apologies.” He smiles. “While we’re on the subject, about the dinner date–”

“Oh my god! They are safe!” You yell and almost jumped over the ledge as you saw Honey’s blond hair shining through the green leaves. He’s followed by Mori and Haruhi! He waves at you with your bikini still in hands and your face drops. You wished he hadn’t kept it, now this is just embarrassing. 

You grab Kyoya’s hand and rush over to them not caring about his question he was going to ask you.

At the end of the day you all went home safe and worn out from your dangerous vacation. As you dropped on your bed, one of the house maids knocked on your door and you let her in. She was holding a medium size box which she handed to you before leaving. You read the note attached to it and laugh, it read : “An apology from the Hitachiin twins and the Ootori family. -Yours truly, Kyoya” Your heart couldn’t help but beat faster at the way the note ended with “yours, truly”. You had to remind yourself that he doesn’t want a romantic relationship whatsoever, he was just being polite. You open the box and your cheeks warm up instantly. It was a special edition of the book you lost to pool water earlier, signed by the author...

It was hard to try to not like Kyoya at that moment. 

— 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬

✧ @gay-noble @vanicogh @hopeless-romanticnamed-s @idktbhloley @p1nkliquor @hellokittykuroo @batboob @kisskissshutmydoor @lemonrolls @hoku-killer @sunukissed @jessiegerl @lunalily19 @i7zha @asrainterstellar @arimoony24 @simp-lythebest @fan-g0rl​ @randobeetlehouse​​ @glomp-me @yeeyeebabe @maackiimoo @kaelysian @noendingtolove @luminaaz @thewendyslogo @eri0-0 @arielbillyboy16 @aangsupremacy​ @yuriklol​ @lillunna @lostsomewhereinthegarden @chocorenchin  @sukcama @bratb1tch @topmeyelena

[writingdotcoffee]

#247: Learning How to Fail

I’m back after a short break. Thank you for sticking around!

Young humans are exceptional at failing. We spend our first years doing things wrong, and that's how we learn everything. When we enter the traditional education system, things flip around. Instead of being encouraged to fail, we're taught to avoid it. School wants you to be consistently average, not ask stupid questions, take no risks.

And like that, most of us spend years being trained to avoid failure at all costs. Some people develop an existential fear of failing. The shame that they associate with failure will hold them back throughout their entire lives.

Learning to Fail Again

Developing a healthy relationship with failure is essential if you'd like to write or pursue art in any other form of art. This is not to glorify failure at all. It still sucks. Being rejected or ridiculed really sucks. Nobody enjoys failing, but those are the stepping stones.

The part that sometimes doesn't make sense to our brains is that the way to avoid failure is to seek more of it. The more you fail, the more likely it is that you'll succeed.

Trust me: it's much harder than it looks.

Failing Like a Pro

There's a lot of nuance to this. You can fail in many different ways. Only certain types of failures lead to the results that you're looking for.

Failing to write a "good" story helps. You wrote a story. It's not great. You took a risk and learned something.

When you fail to finish anything at all, that's a problem.

That’s why some writers collect rejection slips. It shows them that they’re moving forward.

Calculated Risks

Taking the right types of risk is essential. If you risk too much, you will get crushed. What's the point of jumping into a tank full of sharks when you have no idea how to defend yourself?

When it comes to writing, there are many small risks that you can take that have a negligible downside. You can always decide against publishing a specific story if you hate it. Worst case, you will be rejected.

Failing is a Skill

It might not seem like it, but failure is something that you can learn. Eventually, you'll learn to work through the fear. It won't cripple you the same way it once did.

Unfortunately, the only way is through.

I'll meet you on the other side.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Radek 👋. I’m a writer, software engineer and the founder of Writing Analytics — an editor and writing tracker designed to help you beat writer’s block and create a sustainable writing routine.

I publish a post like this every week. Want to know when the next one comes out? Sign up for my email list below to get it right in your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE

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Past Editions

#246: Your Art Is Like a Journal Entry, May 2022

#245: Writing + Headspace, May 2022

#244: Making a Mess, May 2022

#243: Write the Worst Story You Can, April 2022

#242: The Art of Writing a Scene, April 2022

[kayla-crazy-stuffs]

I finally finished this :]

Here you go @squishys-soft-stories

Tw: Fearplay, injuries and safe/soft vore

George calmly looked out to the sea. It was a good day for a boat ride, so he took his father's old boat, making his way out to the sea.

They had told him many stories as a child about how giant mers lived deep in the ocean that devoured humans, not only for food but for fun.

George didn't know whether to believe what he was told since adults liked to scare children so they paid attention to them.

But the thing was, did mers really exist? How big were they? Did they really eat people? George snapped out of his thoughts when he finally got far enough from shore, so far that he was no longer visible.

He spent a while reading a book that he brought. He also took a little bath but he soon got out of the water when he noticed that there was something that seemed to be stalking him.

He looked at the water seeing several figures that were circling letting him know they were sharks when one jumped almost managing to bite him.

George let out a startled cry reaching for a harpoon he had brought just in case something happened. He didn't want to hurt the sharks but he had to defend himself somehow.

So he took aim and when he was about to shoot, one of the sharks pushed his boat causing him to miss with the only ammunition he had. George cursed to himself, but was surprised when all the sharks scuttled away.

Apparently something had scared them, but what? His eyes widened in fear as what had supposedly scared the sharks away emerged from the water.

George froze in fear at the sight of him. It was a mer. A huge mer, which George would only be the size of his middle finger by comparison. The mer had light brown hair to blonde, green eyes and quite a few freckles.

He seemed to be holding something between his fingers, his eyes widening at what it was. He looked at his face confirming his suspicions when he saw a cut on his cheek.

By missing his shot at the sharks, he seemed to have hit this big mer, who seemed pretty pissed off about it.

"So... are you the fucking bastard that shot me!?" he growled as he bared his sharp teeth. The hand dropped the small ammunition reaching for George, holding him in a tight fist. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you! It w-was an a-accident!” George yelled, hoping the mer would believe him.

That only made the mer frown angrily. "Do you really think I'm going to believe that?!" he responded by tightening his grip on the human even more. “I swear, please! I was just trying to keep the sharks away from me!”

George cried out in desperation, he could feel his foot was in a strange position, so if the mer pushed harder, he might break it.

But the mer didn't seem convinced by his words, as he continued to squeeze until a crack was heard. George let out a cry of pain as his ankle was broken by the mer, while his eyes widened in sudden concern as he slowly opened his hand.

He placed the human, tears streaming down his cheeks, in the center of his palm. "Shit! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, ugh… I didn't mean for this to happen, I just wanted to scare you, not hurt you!”

George looked the mer in the eye, he didn't seem to be lying, but he didn't have to trust himself. “Okay, okay, I get it! it's your territory! I'll go away and not bother you anymore!" George said as he tried to get out of the mer's hand.

Suddenly, the fingers curled around him, preventing him from moving any further. “Huh? Leaving? ,while being hurt? No, that's not going to happen. But we can't stay here either…” the mer said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay, I'm going to take you to my place to treat your ankle, but in order to take you I need to do something that will probably scare you, but I promise you'll be safe."

“And why should I trust you? You didn't believe anything I said and now you want me to believe you? After you broke my ankle?” George replied, annoyed at the mer's words.

“Look I know I was an asshole for hurting you, I just wanted to scare you, I wasn't really mad, well a little yes since you hit me in the cheek with a harpoon, but I really didn't want to hurt you."

The human sighed knowing that he was not going to change the mer's decision. "And... how did you intend to take me?"

"Uhh... Apparently this is something humans don't have so you'll find it a bit scary at first but... I'm taking you to my storage where I can only place you by swallowing you."

George shuddered to hear that the mer wanted to swallow him, but he seemed to be sincere so he allowed him to do so. "Okay, just... make it quick, please..."

The mer nodded, bringing the human to his mouth. He coated him in saliva gently, being careful with his ankle. Shortly afterward he slowly tilted his head back, swallowing softly.

Dream dove into the ocean as he felt the human slide into his storage stomach. He stroked in circles where he could feel the small body.

The human returned the gesture by settling against the stomach shortly after.

Dream smiled softly. They might have started badly, but he could feel that they could get along in the end.

[inamindfarfaraway]

Things I Like About Pixar’s Luca

The atmosphere and aesthetic of both the human town and the underwater one are endearing and immersive. They’re both delightful settings, instead of being compared in opposition to each other. It’s truly a gift that sea monsters can experience both worlds.

The sea monsters (calling them monsters sounds rude - sea people? Sea folk?) make a concept that’s been done over and over again seem new. The attention to detail like each head fin becoming a lock of hair; the vivid colour schemes that mirror those of sea creatures; that only the wet parts of their bodies transform back to normal; the gorgeous animation of the transformations, with the water wetting and drying naturally. I never thought I’d be admiring the pattern in which water dries on someone’s back, but that’s Pixar for you.

The prejudice isn’t portrayed in a one-note ‘humans are inherently bad/judgemental’ way, but realistically. The townsfolk are afraid of sea monsters the way you’d be afraid of sharks - as unintelligent, feral animals. Like with sharks, the violence toward them is largely unprovoked and disproportional, since they hold no ill will of their own toward humans unless it’s reactionary and are content to stay out of their way, but you still get where the townsfolk are coming from. Especially having built fear and superstition of these ‘creatures’ deeply into their local culture and everyday lives. But they all get to know and trust Luca and Alberto as people, not just the Marcovaldos. For example, we see some of the kids cheer Luca on in the background as he does cycling training, and snicker when he insults their persecutor. The boys are children, like any other children. So when they transform in public, it’s shocking, yes, but they still move and talk and act the same way because they’re the same people, clear as day. Not monsters, not even animals. They feel fear and love and anger just like humans do. They’ve been living among them for, what, several weeks? And not hurt anyone. Then the Paguros appear and they are so viscerally parents, reuniting with their son. That’s a lot of hard evidence in the sea people’s favour, on both a rational and emotional level. Humans are on the whole very empathetic and love anthropomorphizing and connecting with non-human creatures; plenty of us would jump at the chance to welcome a species of confirmed equal intelligence. Neither the prejudice nor the acceptance feels unnatural. Even the happy ending acknowledges some will never accept them, but some will. That’s how it always has been and will be, in every society.

Luca is a strong, likeable protagonist. He’s relatable, the naive everyman next to an incredibly vibrant deuteragonist and tritagonist, but still has a lot of personality. He’s funny and adorable. I love his gradual arc of overcoming his multiple self-limitations. I love the way his ideals and desires evolve naturally as he starts to find himself and mature. First he wants to escape his problems, to be free and independent without really understanding what it means. By the end he’s putting in the work to repair and maintain his relationships with Alberto, Giulla and his parents. I love him realizing that although what he has with Alberto is wonderful and liberating and he needs it, it isn’t the only thing he needs or wants from life and the surface, that he shouldn’t put his friend on a pedestal or have to sacrifice his long-term happiness to please him. As someone who keenly enjoys learning, I love his blossoming zest for knowledge and discovering his own interests. Good luck in school, Luca! This is set in the 1960s, right? Oh, you’re gonna go insane when you watch the moon landing.

Give him ALL THE HUGS.

“Land monsters!” Yep, that’s humanity alright.

Huh. Walking really is just falling forward on one leg and catching yourself with the other over and over.

“Goodbye. Forever.” [Three and a half hours later] “See you tomorrow!”

I can understand thinking the stars are fish. They’re small shiny things in a big blue/black expanse that appear to swim away with the dawn. But Alberto saying with complete conviction that they’re specifically anchovies, of all fish, is so funny.

The boys hear a sailor be passed by another, wave at him and call to him, “What’s wrong with you, stupido?” They come to the completely logical conclusion that the phrase is a human greeting.

“Yeah, I’m kind of an expert on human towns.” “Have you ever been to the human town?” “No…”

How the Vespa picture is symbolic of Luca and Alberto’s friendship. First a rough sketch, it becomes coloured and more detailed during their time on the island. The addition of the telescope and Alberto’s unwillingness to understand it shows the cracks from Luca branching out, the rip shows the schism and finally it’s taped back together.

The scenes in Luca’s imagination. They capture the wonder of his mind and illustrate his thought process.

His grandmother being supportive of his curiosity. Just in general, she’s cool.

The casual reveal that she goes to the town every weekend, and the elderly sisters live there full time. Though the younger generation is bolder and more open about it, these different people have always existed in ‘normal’ society, because they are normal and deserve to live as such. Interpret that how you want.

Uncle Ugo. “You can’t stop it. If you open your mouth, the whale carcass will get in. Very good, would recommend…”

Giullia is amazing. Brave, passionate, clever, funny. Staunchly devoted to her ideals. Quirky in her own way (she swears with cheeses!), yet also the more boys’ down-to-earth guide to Portorosso and human life. Her vendetta against Ercole and never once considering giving up her fight against his “empire of injustice”. Her love of astronomy equal to Luca’s. That she has her share of insecurities, but is nonetheless confident and secure in herself enough to want to win the race purely to prove she can. I see a lot of myself in her - or who I want to be - and would love to be her friend, so the implication that she didn’t have any real friends in Portorosso before the boys and may not have many in Genova either is heartbreaking. Her worry she’s too much is very relatable. Does anyone else get autistic vibes from her? I very much do.

Give her ALL THE HUGS.

“I didn’t quit, they made me stop.”

The narrative and characters don’t dwell unnecessarily on Giulia’s parents’ divorce and separate living situation.

The Underdog’s friendship. Have I mentioned I adore dynamics built on outcast solidarity? Because I absolutely adore dynamics built on outcast solidarity.

Ercole is a refreshingly good archetypical bully. No tragic backstory, no rushed redemption. Just a pompous, immature teenager who derives pleasure from the suffering and subjugation of others. He’s petty enough to order his lackeys to slap each other “with contempt” for him and ruthless enough to enthusiastically attempt to murder two children just because they’re different. Despite his simplicity, he’s never quite unbelievably evil. The murder thing is a little jarring, but it’s a very fast and reckless decision, he doesn’t seem to comprehend the true consequences of it. Some people are like that - worthy of being called “land monsters”.

The Underdogs fracturing his reign of tyranny even before he gets his proper comeuppance, with it demonstrated from his first scene everyone else in town already can’t stand him, they just can’t defy him effectively.

Luca and Alberto’s friendship is cemented and broken by the sea at sunset.

While everything about them makes much more sense in hindsight, Giulia doesn’t even suspect Luca and Alberto were sea monsters until she sees the latter transform. She meets two runaways who have no (at least by land standards) formal education; no knowledge of the most basic societal customs, like money and eating with cutlery; think the stars are fish; are paranoid about getting wet; and won’t tell her anything of their pasts or families. And she just rolls with it. Hey, weird kids gotta stick together!

On the same note, her not bearing any prejudice toward them after the reveal. She doesn’t even seem that angry they lied to her. She’s grown up listening to Massimo and the other townsfolk’s anti-sea monster sentiments, but her sole thought is to be concerned for her friends’ safety.

The scene that reveals Alberto’s father abandoned him explains so much without a lot of spoken explanation. Show, don’t tell and all that. The lack of any adult supervision in Alberto’s life was already suspicious - given he spends his days stealing from murderous humans, jumping off of tall structures and staring directly at the sun he’s obviously in dire need of it - but there’s something so cold about his father just… leaving. We never hear his personal reasons for it, because there’s nothing reasonable about this. And we don’t hear anything about a mother. Alberto’s entire character is put in perspective. No wonder he was possessive and controlling of Luca. He’s been alone for so long, friendship, respect and admiration are gold dust to him. No wonder he’s constantly telling his fears and doubts to shut up. You realize that every second of every day his dad doesn’t come back, he has to tune out the constant worry that he’s a nuisance. A burden. A waste of space. Why else would your own father not even want you? Any minute now Luca will see you’re just dragging him down and leave too -

Give him ALL THE HUGS. And his dad ALL THE PUNCHES.

Which makes Luca telling him, “Silenzio, Bruno!” really powerful. Oh my God, what if his dad’s name is Bruno? This implies he was emotionally and verbally abusive before he walked out.

Luca’s parents are flawed and make mistakes that contribute to the rift between them and their son, but are still well-intentioned and only want the best for him, and are willing to admit their faults and change. I’m always a fan of realistic good parents and nuanced parental relationships in fiction.

Massimo is such a good dad! I like that they set him up to be the cliché ‘gruff, intimidating father’ and ‘scarred, bitter disabled person’ but he’s loving, sensible, wise, kind and fair. He’s introduced extremely dedicated to sea monster hunting. Yet it becomes apparent that’s a manifestation of his protectiveness of his family and community, not bloodlust or ambition, so of course he chooses peace and the expansion of the town’s community in the climax. You can tell Giulla’s modelled her heroic values on his. His missing arm is accepted and acknowledged as a part of his identity, but it’s shown how he lives with it fine and it doesn’t make him a tragedy or an ultra-competent martyr.

Machiavelli! Fluffy baby. Chunky cat. Very good boy. Who’s a good cat? You’re a good cat! Yes, you are! Yes - [clears throat]. His rightful suspicion of the boys and them gradually winning him over with fish is hilarious.

Technically, there’s no rule that says a sea monster can’t win the Portorosso Cup!

Though isn’t given much focus, that Giulia isn’t the least bit annoyed Luca and Alberto win instead of her. Winning and dethroning Ercole was her drive every summer for the last five years. But she’s nothing but proud of her friends. It’s that security in her identity again. This is a prime example of why I admire Giulia.

In the end, the real Vespa was the friendship they found along the way.

Massimo adopting Alberto! So sweet and cathartic.

“You got me off the island, Luca. I’m okay.”

The music throughout. Especially when the theme kicks in at the end as the train moves away and the sun breaks through the clouds.

The pictures in the credits of each fish boy thriving in his new life and the Underdogs keeping in touch!

Alberto gushing over Massimo’s knives and being told he can’t handle any -> Massimo giving him a knife for his birthday in the credits.

Kittens! I thought Machiavelli couldn’t get any better and I was so wrong.

Oh, Massimo’s wife is a dog person. No wonder they divorced.

A lot of the fandom ships Luca and Alberto, and yeah, the chemistry is definitely there. Giulia is Luca’s BFF and Alberto’s sister. But if you want a romance, these two boys would work very well together as a couple. Since they’re children and fish people, would their ship name be Guppy Love?

Please watch this movie. It’s ‘for kids’ in the best sense of the word; for the child inside all of us, however old we are on the outside. It’s warm and funny and beautiful. It addresses difficult subjects in a mature way and has valuable lessons that don’t feel preachy or forced. This movie is like a supremely delicious chocolate sponge cake: light, fluffy, sweet, just grounded enough in its richness but not weighed down by it, simple without lacking anything.

But what does the handshake phrase mean?!

[mlm-writer]

Baby Shark Do Do Do Do Do Do (John Constantine x GN!Reader)

Pairing: John Constantine (LoT ver.) x Gender Neutral Reader Rating: General audiences Words: 1065 Summary: You find a baby shark and you want to keep it. You just gotta convince your boyrfriend. Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but this is for fluffgust.  Tags: Domestic fluff, comedy and I changed King Shark’s origins because I can. 

John called your name as he opened the doors to his place. You told the creature in the bathtub to be quiet with a finger to your lips as you slowly backed away from the bathtub. The young creature smiled at you and splashed in the water. You told him to cut it out as you left him in the bathroom. With still-wet feet, you rushed down the stairs to jump into your boyfriend’s arms. 

John’s face was always so forlorn, but you never missed the glint in his eyes and tug on his lips whenever he saw you. “Johnny,” you cooed as you hugged him. John kissed your temple. “I did not make dinner. Can we go by the drive in?” John gave you a look as he slowly let you go. 

“If I remember,” he started as he circled you now, “there were still groceries left and you, my wonderful partner, have been home majority of the day. So…”  He stepped closer to you until your chests slightly touched. “What have you been up to all day?” 

You grinned up to him and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Don’t you wish to know, demon boy?” John scoffed as his hands landed on your hips, but the raise of his eyebrows told you he was buying none of your seduction tactics. You huffed and retreated, crossing your arms over your chest. “Do you still love me or what? I used to be able to seduce you with a little shoulder before we started dating.”

John laughed and pulled you back into his arms, swinging you from left to right for a moment. “Before we started dating, I just wanted to shag you, love.” You gasped dramatically and hit his chest, but before you could retaliate, there was a loud crash from upstairs. “Stay here,” John said reflexively as he let go and walked to the stairs. 

“Wait, no, John, I can explain,” you said as you ran after him, making him stop dead in his tracks and turn towards you. His face of both betrayal and disbelief got you confused for a second, but you quickly caught onto how it sounded. 

“If I go upstairs, what or who will I find?” He asked, his hands disappearing into the pockets of his trench coat as he shifted on his feet. There was a frantic knocking on the door and you smiled awkwardly at John, before walking past him. You rushed to the bathroom door and opened it. A little shark-like creature with legs fell through, looking at you with what you could only discern to be fear. 

“Oh Baby Shark, I did not abandon you,” you cooed as you picked him up and held it close. Holding Baby Shark like that made your clothes wet as well, but you couldn’t care as he snuggled into your neck. “No need to be scared, it is just daddy Johnny.”

You eyed John, trying to read his expression. He looked like he was doing some high school level mental math. Poor Baby Shark was so scared of John, he clung to your shirt and you shushed him like you would have done were he a normal baby. 

“What is that?” A valid question from John. It took him a while, but he had settled for a very valid question. Unfortunately you had no answer for it and simply shrugged. “Where did you get it?” 

You held Baby Shark close as he seemed to relax in your arms. “I got him from a fish tank left in an alleyway. He was cold and alone and scared.” 

“Him?” You held out Baby Shark, revealing the baby penis between his legs, before holding him close again. “Ok him then… can you please give him some pants?” You chuckled and went inside the bathroom. John stood by the door as you put a towel around Baby Shark’s waist. “You plan on keeping him, don’t you?” 

You pouted at John and hugged Baby Shark. “Please Johnny, he has no home and he is so cute.” 

“Do we even know what he eats?” “Well he is part shark, part… human I guess… Fish should do.” “Do we need to keep him in our bathtub?” “I can buy a fish tank, but he seems to do well without being in water as well.” 

John sighed and rubbed his face. “Fine, but if he bites me, I am throwing him out.” You thanked John as he left, probably to make dinner. You put Baby Shark in a towel and went to town with thread and needle to make some weird toga that covered him up. He was not pleased with it, but until you bought him clothes, he was going to have to do with it. 

When you came down John had made dinner with the ingredients left in the fridge. There was a third plate on the coffee table, warming your heart with the sight of it. “I have a can of sardines in the cupboard, but let’s see if he eats fried rice first.” You put Baby Shark in front of the table and handed him a spoon, hoping he would know how to use one. Both you and John watched with anticipation as you sat on the couch with your plate on your laps. Baby Shark took the spoon, scooped up as much rice as would fit on it and shoved it in his mouth. You were scared for a second that he was going to swallow the spoon as well, but when you saw him taking a second scoop, you let out a breath you did not know you were holding in. 

After dinner, Baby Shark lied across your lap, watching the movie that played on TV with the both of you. Admittedly, it was way too violent for a child, but Baby Shark seemed unbothered. Eventually you had a weird shark hybrid sleeping in your lap. When the movie ended, John was the first to get up. He lifted Baby Shark up and held him like a baby in his arms. “I’ll see you in bed. I’ll put this little critter in the bedroom across from ours, a’right?” You smiled up at him and nodded as you stretched. When you eventually went upstairs, you caught sight of John through the crack of the door, tucking in a sleeping Baby Shark. 

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 12 - Bad Surprise [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Sometimes plans have to change.

Series Masterlist

Every job required something from people, and your job was no different.

Being a spy was not a conventional profession, everyone knew that. You were expected to be on the move all the time, be a good liar, be a good fighter, be whatever the job told you to.

And most important of all; never show fear, which you were usually fine with. You had learned long ago how to keep your calm in times of crisis. You had even managed to keep your calm facade when your last mission required you to play Russian Roulette with a target in order to keep your cover.

But this? This was something else.

Bucky cleared his throat to stifle a laugh as he looked down at you.

“Is it just me or are you using me as a human shield against a peacock right now?”

Your eyes snapped up at his for a moment before you turned your gaze to the peacock again, taking a subtle step to Bucky’s right to keep him between you and the animal.

Coming to the zoo was his idea, and you thought it could be a fun experience. You had never been to a zoo before, and it would count as one of the old times dates, so you were almost giggly by the time you got there.

Right until now.

“I think peacocks don’t have souls.”

“Alright.” Bucky sipped his coffee while you tried to ignore the fear bubbling at the pit of your stomach, eyeing the peacock that walked around the area behind the fences.

“I’m serious,” you insisted “What if it attacks me?”

“It’s not going to attack you Y/N.”

“It could,” you said, “It looks like it wants to attack me.”

The peacock fanned out its feathers all of a sudden and let out a squawk, making you jump out of your skin.

“Fuck!” the curse left your lips and Bucky’s eyebrows rose, an amused grin pulling at his lips.

“Sorry!” you said quickly, “Sorry, I…I don’t trust peacocks.”

“You got mugged in a dark alley and got shot, and a bird is where you draw the line?”

Correction, you were once held at gunpoint by the Italian mafia and peacocks were still where you drew the line.

“That’s not a bird.”

“….Peacocks are birds.”

“No, that’s the devil looking like a bird,” you said, “In-in bird shape. Bird shaped demon.”

“Okay, how about we see some other less threatening animal?”

“Let me check—oh my God Bucky they have sharks, I love sharks!” you said, waving the brochure in his face and he pulled his brows together.

“Sharks fall under the less threatening animal category?”

“Of course they do!” you said, looking at the brochure before looking around, “I think the aquarium is over there, let’s go.”

You grabbed his hand to entwine your fingers with his as you both started walking towards the huge blue structure.

“So I feel like I shouldn’t ask because I know you can’t exactly tell me the details,” you said, “But you’re not going on another mission soon, are you? This week?”

“I don’t think so,” he said, “Why?”

“I’m kind of planning something.”

He tilted his head, “What are you planning?”

“Not a club, relax.” you said, “Although I find it quite ironic that you’re this unstoppable brave superhero with super strength who gets intimidated by dancing.”

“I’m not intimidated…” he grumbled under his breath, making you giggle.

“Whatever you say,” you sang, and reached the entrance of the huge building and you pulled your hand out of his.

“Excuse me sir, is the aquarium still open?” you asked the security guard by the door and a small smirk appeared on his lips.

“Yes but it is closing in ten minutes sweetheart.”

Sweetheart?

Jesus Christ….

You smiled politely at him, batting your lashes.

“Oh—“ you took a look at the sign, “I just want to see the killer shark and we’ll be out. In five minutes. Please?”

He eyed you up and down but seemed to snap out of it when Bucky cleared his throat behind you as if warning him, making the guy gawk between you two.

Even you had to admit you seemed like a quite unusual couple. You were wearing a short white sundress with ruffled sleeves and sweetheart neckline with your hair loose while Bucky looked as if he was there to kill someone, a complete opposite of you with his dark jeans and black leather jacket as well as leather gloves.

You didn’t even have to turn your head to know that he was glaring at the guard before the guy shifted his weight, then stepped aside.

“Enjoy.”

“Thank you!” you said, grabbing Bucky’s hand as you led him inside. He followed you without any objections whatsoever, in complete silence as the sight of blue filled your vision along with many fish swimming behind the glass.

“You don’t even see it, do you?” he asked softly and you pulled your brows together.

“Hm?”

“Does anyone ever say no to you?”

You approached the label by the glass, “You do.”

“Do I?”

“All the time,” you nodded, still reading the label but your head shot up when you felt him tug you by the hand. A giggle escaped from your lips as he turned you around so that you could look up at him, then wrapped his arm around you to scoop you up, making you squeal.

“Bucky!”

“All the time?”

“Put me down!” you said, your laughter echoing in the empty aquarium halls and he tilted his head.

“Not until you explain yourself,” he teased you, “All the time?”

“Sometimes, sometimes!” you said quickly, “Very rare times I might add!”

“Mm hm, I thought so.”

“If you drop me, I swear to God—“ you started but was cut off when he pulled you into a kiss, making you wrap your arms around his neck. He took a step with you still in his embrace and you gasped as you felt your back hit the thick glass, but every single protest you could think of seemed to disappear from your mind as you lost yourself in the kiss. You raked your fingernails over the nape of his neck, making his grip around you tighter-

Then someone coughed.

Bucky pulled back instantly and you turned your head to see another rather annoyed technician leaning on her hip, watching you with her brows raised.

“Aquarium is about to close,” she said, pointing at you, “Take it elsewhere.”

Bucky put you down and you tried to fix the skirt of your dress, trying to look presentable.

“Sorry!” you said as Bucky mumbled an apology beside you as well, and the technician shook her head and walked away, talking about how she wasn’t getting paid enough for this. You covered your face and let out a whine but Bucky chuckled, causing you to lower your hands to stare up at him.

“Why is this entertaining for you?” you exclaimed and he held your wrist, gently steering you to the exit.

“Come on.”

“We can never come here again, ever.” you insisted as you followed him outside. It didn’t escape your notice that he bumped his shoulder into the security guard’s quite hard, almost knocking him over on your way out and your jaw dropped.

“That was mean!”

“Nah, he had it coming. Are you hungry?”

“But you could get in trouble. Besides, he was a nice guy—“

“Uh huh, a nice guy who was ogling you.”

You pulled your brows together, pretending to be confused, “Oh I’m sure you misunderstood.”

He tilted his head and pulled you closer to wrap his arm around your waist, then brushed his lips against yours, making you sigh.

“Bucky, it was mean and you can’t just kiss me to distract me—”

“I can try,” he murmured to your lips before kissing you again and you looked up at him when he pulled back with a grin.

“Fine,” you admitted, still pouting. “I’m hungry. Starving actually, let’s eat something.”

��                                                   ***

You were finding it harder and harder to convince yourself it was time to go home after every date with Bucky.

Scratch that, you were finding it harder and harder not to invite him upstairs.

But of course, you would have to report it back to the General and discuss the further strategies with him and for some reason, it felt more of a betrayal than this whole thing.

Surprisingly enough, it was something you wanted and not something you would will yourself to do because of the mission. There was no denying it, he was an attractive guy and you really liked spending time with him and you kept having dreams about him and whenever you were with him you had this lightness in your mind, as if you were a different person.

A better person, maybe.

You shook your head at your thoughts and left your apartment to knock on Keith’s door.

“It’s me, open up.”

You heard footsteps before he opened the door and a boyish smile pulled at his lips at the sight of milkshakes in your hand.

“Jesus, finally!”

“I made it at home, can’t promise it’s good,” you said as you walked past him into his apartment and stepped into the living room, “What are you watching?”

“James Bond,” he grinned at you, “Hey, have you ever tried milkshake with gin?”

“No?”

“Me neither, let’s try it.” He said, taking the big glasses from you to pour gin into them. You sat on the couch and took a look at the screen.

“How many times have you watched this again?”

“Like a hundred,” he handed you your glass and you took a sip.

“Not bad,” you commented, putting your feet up on the coffee table. He sat beside you, keeping his eyes on the screen.

“What did you do today?”

“Had a date.”

“With Barnes?”

“Yeah. At the zoo.”

“He took you to the zoo?” he asked and you nodded.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“And peacocks are fucking scary,” you muttered, “And hey, we learned that Bucky is the jealous type.”

“The guy was dating people back at 40s, I could tell you that much myself.” He snorted, “Chloe says you went on a mission with Julian?”

You slipped a little on the couch, “He’s an asshole.”

“I know. Is he really that bad in bed?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “Nah as much as I hate to admit, he’s pretty good. Unfortunately.”

“So top or bottom?”

“He goes either way to be honest, that comment was more about me.”

“About you?”

“Yeah, I like to be on top.”

“Suddenly everything about you makes sense,” he murmured and you took another sip of your milkshake.  

“Don’t try that with Barnes though, the guy is from 1940s. He’s probably used to missionary only, you don’t want to give him a heart attack,” he wiggled his brows, making you scoff.

“Shut up.”

“Chloe is right, maybe you should go full on vintage on that when the time comes.”

You turned to look at him.

“Speaking of Chloe,” you said, “Anything you would like to tell me?”

Keith’s grin faded slightly and he shifted his weight, “Like what?”

“Bringing her coffee, taking her out to the field…” you trailed off, “What gives, man? I thought we had a deal.”

“We never had a deal,” he defended himself, “You slammed me back during training years ago at the academy and told me not to even think about it when you saw me looking at her.”

“No,” you shook your head, “Five years ago, in Ireland. That undercover job, the one that almost got you killed? We made a deal.”

He swallowed thickly, looking down at the milkshake before taking a sip. “Y/N…”

“Keith, you can’t,” you insisted, “She deserves a normal life, a normal family and kids and a dog and stuff.”

“I know,” he ran a hand over his face, “I know.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re a spy,” you said, “You said it yourself, spies die like flies.”

“Not all of them,” he said, “General is still alive. He has a family.”

“Yeah, one in a hundred,” you said, “Face it. That’s a very low possibility for us.”

“You don’t think you’ll get to grow old and have a family and all that?”

You pulled your brows together.

“No,” you said, “Of course not. I’m probably going to die in one of these missions.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“Keith, I can’t have any of those,” you said, “I can’t. I…it’s impossible.”

“Don’t you want to?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” you muttered, “I made my choice ages ago.”

“Y/N,” he sat up straighter, “Do you want to?”

With a very bad timing, your imagination went overdrive and a strange scene flashed before your eyes. You laughing in Bucky’s arms, watching two kids playing in the garden-

You shook your head, trying to shake off the thoughts.

“I could never have that,” you stated simply, “You might love Chloe and you might also be lucky enough to have her love you but…it’s not the same with me.”

“I’d say Barnes loves you.”

A bitter smile pulled at your lips and you bit inside your cheek, taking another sip of your milkshake.

“He loves someone who doesn’t exist,” you managed to croak out, “He loves my cover. He could never love me.”

                                                           ***

Spending the night at Keith’s and drowning your sorrows in gin and milkshake meant that you would have a killer hangover the next day. Unlike Keith, you didn’t have the luxury to sleep until the noon, seeing that you had a cover job to keep so for the whole day until noon, you walked around like a zombie.

Coffee helped though. Just a little.

Thankfully it was a slow day at the shop. After serving a couple of people, you had nothing to do other than seriously considering sticking your head in the freezer to get rid of the hangover.

“Long night?” Tara asked as she walked past you to put the straws into the cup and you nodded, groaning.

“Remind me not to drink, ever.”

“I make that promise to myself every Monday, does not seem to work.”

You chuckled, “Have you ever tried to mix gin into milkshakes?”

“No?”

“Don’t,” you shook your head as you helped her to move an empty milkshake container into the kitchen. “It’s a terrible idea and I’m experiencing the consequences of that mistake right now.”

“That sounds like a fun night though.”

“Fun night, terrible morning,” you let out a laugh as you walked out of the kitchen but as soon as you did, your eyes caught the sight of the man in the shop. Your smile was wiped off your face as the familiar anger filled your system.

Jesus Christ, this day sucks.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” you asked and Julian had the audacity to shoot you a grin.

“Whoa cute outfit,” he said, eyeing you up and down, “Holy shit I didn’t even know I was into this whole thing, I’m having an epiphany.”

You looked over your shoulder to see if Tara was still in the kitchen, then turned to Julian.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was craving milkshakes,” he stated, “Hey, would you recommend Lavender Macaron?”

“Get the fuck out of here.”

“I think I’m gonna go with Lavender Macaron, makes me think of France,” he said, “Fun times.”

“Fun for you maybe.”

He shot you a look, “Come on Y/N, we didn’t leave the honeymoon suite for two days. That was the greatest-“ he lowered his voice, “Mission I’ve ever had.”

“You’re putting this entire operation in—“ you started but stopped talking as soon as Tara walked out of the kitchen. Julian raised his brows for a moment before smiling at her and you went under the counter to grab his arm.

“Y/N, is everything okay?”

“Just peachy,” you said as you dragged him out of the shop, and he heaved a sigh, following you.

“No I’m serious…” he said with a chuckle as soon as you both stepped outside, then motioned at the uniform, “This is something else.”

“Why are you here?”

“I heard that it was good, I did not think it was this good.”

“I’m seriously two seconds away from punching you.”

“How come you never dressed up like this for me when we were dating?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” you insisted and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I was around.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want,” he said, “Your shop has good rating, although I’m beginning to believe it has less to do with milkshakes and more about the waitresses.”

“Julian I swear to God—“ you started but you were cut off when someone cleared his throat, making both you and Julian turn your heads. Your stomach dropped as soon as you saw Bucky watching you two with a frown and you withdrew your hand from Julian’s arm.

“Bucky,” you breathed out, “Um-hi.”

“Hi,” he said without taking his eyes off Julian, and you could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

He was trying to decide whether he was a threat to you.

“I didn’t…I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I figured I could drop by,” he said, crossing his arms, “What’s going on?”

Fuck.

Fuck, you had no idea how to turn this around. Thankfully neither of you had said anything about the mission, so it was more than likely that Bucky just knew you knew each other, but other than that, your cover wasn’t blown.

“Nothing! Nothing at all, he’s just—“ you stammered, trying to come up with an explanation, “He’s um—“  

“Oh come on Y/N, don’t be one of those secretive people,” Julian said, “You hate secrets. You’re Bucky, right? I heard about you.”

Bucky just raised his brows, his glare on him unwavering but even if it was quite chilling, Julian was a trained assassin just like you were, so he was used to it. Instead he curled his lips, looking between you before offering him his hand.

“I’m Julian,” he introduced himself, shooting you a grin as if you two shared an inside joke “The evil ex-boyfriend who’s gonna take her from you.”

Chapter 13