#if i could colour her i totally would but i genuinely dunno what colours would fit her??

[cherrylight]

i actually have MORE pictures of her but i like these two the best !

um. ok. shes also a sona + a self insert! (shes a self insert for 🍒 actually giggling)

her names ashley! i love her so much. shes the reason i started to also go by ashley too! im not really on good terms with gender like almost at all and i go thru so many spirals about it but... she really has been helping me a lot lately with that sort of thing too (along with my other sona too dw) so she means a lot to me <3 i hope you love her just as much as i do!

[ please be nice to me about this if you do decide to rb ! ]

[evakuality]

Mia, episode five

1.  One thing Druck is super good at is these aesthetic shots.  This whole opening bit reminds me of the scene with Amira when she’s praying in her room.  Lots of beautiful shots of the room, curtains and stuff, which are just super pretty with a few hints of colour.  I dunno, this is just an aesthetic I like and I appreciate that Druck caters to me.  Mia is so cute, too!  Like both the way she looks and also how kind she is.  She still doesn’t really like Alex a lot (though you could see in that montage from the previous night that she’s warming up to him) but she still feels like she should leave things looking nice.  These little post-it notes are sort of cute too, and you can see that she thinks they’re sweet.  I don’t like this Bjorn though.

2.  Interesting that we get a clip specifically one week later.  I have no idea how that must have felt while this was live, and I’m really glad that I didn’t have to live through these long gaps in any of the things I did watch in real time.  This one was reasonably low key though, so maybe the wait wasn’t as agonising.  If you didn’t know who Bjorn is (I’m assuming the Niko character) then nothing in the last couple of clips would have felt all that alarming.  But Mia’s so flirty here - that one conversation at his house must have really charmed her.  Pity we didn’t really get to hear a lot of it because he still hasn’t charmed me!!  And actually that ‘show a montage of how things are going while a song and/or other conversation plays overtop’ is a huge thing Druck does, I think.  I feel like in some cases (Matteo and David after their first pool kiss moment, for example, or Hanna and Jonas breaking up) work quite well.  But here, I think we needed to hear more of Alex to actually believe that Mia would be this flirty with him.  For me, this is too big a turnaround from her very cold manner with him at the piano and an actual proper look at that conversation might have helped.  But also, I am super biased because William and so maybe a more reasonable person might like it okay.  This bit with Linn is weird.  Genuinely creepy, and I’m not sure why they’re setting her up to feel like this.  Maybe some sort of hint of the creepiness to come with Bjorn (I’m assuming it’s coming, anyway).

3.  I don’t get this bit with all the pictures at the school.  I assume it will become obvious later but I’m not sure what exactly they were trying to do with this.  You’d think they run the risk of having the whole Abi chaker clan thing shut down - if this happened in my school there’d be so much trouble.  A groups of kids once put post-its all over one teacher’s room and they got in SO much trouble for it, and that wasn’t obscene like this is.  This thing here seems so targeted at the Abi thing, using their plan specifically, that it feels like someone outside the group wants them not to be allowed to run their theme.  Or someone in the group who wants a different motto maybe.  I don’t know, but it feels very mean and very specifically directed at this group of people.

4.  Hmmm, I’m with Leonie on this one.  I’d be giving Carlos the super evil stare too.  It may be ‘funny’ to some of these people, but given that there are younger kids at this school (I assume, right?  They still have classes running for the smaller ones at the end of Matteo’s season, allowing their prank to go ahead) this is sure to go down really badly with the school itself.  I’m rolling my eyes at the ones who are outraged that the school is considering reporting it - what did they expect?  Also, surely they can figure out who was doing it - people were literally throwing handfuls of the pictures over the stairs.  Surely they could work out who it is.  It’s pretty clear that Alex still thinks this is funny and I’m losing patience with him.  Every time it seems like maybe he’s getting less gross he goes and acts like this again.  Bleh.  I’m not often rooting for Leonie and feeling for her, but wow today I really am.  This is shitty and she has a right to be angry.

5.  Ew, Alex, why are you stalking Mia again?  She’s made it pretty clear she’s not happy with you.  Turning up out of the blue like a creep isn’t a good way to go about winning her over again.  His ‘we were drunk, what can you do?’ is so... stupid???  They’ve lost money from this, the school is really angry, they could easily have some pretty bad consequences and he’s all ‘meh, it was a drunken prank’?  I know money isn’t an issue for him, but there are issues here beyond the money.  I’m also kind of annoyed that everyone keeps suggesting she’s upset because she’s jealous.  I’ll be really annoyed if the show carries on this way - this isn’t just a silly little prank, and people have every right to be angry and annoyed.  Diminishing it to jealousy isn’t cool.  Is Leonie also jealous?  The people who are angry and upset they’re being blamed and their money has been taken?

6.  I do love scenes where the whole girl squad is together.  They make me happy and I miss seeing them together so much.  But OMG, Alex is blackmailing Mia again????  I mean I guess it worked the first time so why wouldn’t he?  But this is seriously shitty behaviour.  Honestly, in clip one I was mildly starting to warm to him with the post-its and all, but he’s managed to speed run right back into ‘asshole’ category.  This was the problem in the og as well - William was such an asshole, that in order to make him likeable, we had to see a much more genuinely villainous character.  Alex is still super dislikeable and so we need someone ‘worse’ to make him look palatable, which I assume is coming.  We’re halfway through - we should like him by now.  I dunno.  Maybe some people do?  But he still has done nothing to make me think he’s nice or someone who Mia might be attracted to.

7.  Oh a long Friday clip?  Almost half the episode?  I guess it’s going to be a rough one for Mia then.  More reflections again - her whole face in the mirror now, but it’s surrounded by graffiti.  I’m always fascinated by the way mirrors and reflections work, and it’s fun to see Mia slightly obscured in her mirrors even now.  It’s not as disjointed as it was at the start but it’s not a fully clear reflection either.  I may not like the way Noora/Mia’s story goes but I do like some of these things which show the progress.

8.  I feel kind of sorry for Jonas, because that break up wasn’t his choice.  But seriously, he seems to be blaming this on Hanna a bit and like ????? He chose to make her feel small and unworthy through her whole season.  She’s allowed to try to figure herself out outside of him and his wants and needs.  Eh, I know he’s hurting and all, but that’s actually his issue and he shouldn’t be pushing it on her.

9.  This scene with Mia and Alex bothers me.  He still seems to have no idea why she might find his actions (selfish and self-serving and filled with blackmail) offputting.  ‘I fixed it, so we should totally be together now’ is such an immature and childish take on this.  These types of guys need to grow up and learn that they can’t just buy and/or coerce their way into whatever they want.  I like the way they decide to have Kiki walk past just as Mia has to choose whether to say she doesn’t want Alex or not.  It adds a poignancy to it and Mia obviously chooses to stick by her friends.  I do wish it felt more conflicting, like if Alex genuinely had changed or had shown he has depth or something it would be a bigger ‘wow she’s rejecting him for her friend’ but instead he’s still such an unpleasant character that I don’t care.

10.  I’m not sure why Mia does the brushing off of the makeup - I feel like it made more sense when Noora did it (I mean I watched it once a very long time ago so who knows, but my memory is that it was her way of trying to reject being ‘pretty’ and having guys liking her because it was messing her up).  With Mia, I don’t understand.  Someone help me out?

11.  I still don’t get what Mia sees in Alex.  Again, I know I have a really big bias against him because of William and I know it was always going to be tough for him to be someone I care about.  But even so, this feels like a huge whiplash when she says of course she likes him.  I’d get it if we’d seen any of his development, but every time he took a mini step forward he shoved himself right back into dislikeable territory.  Once again, I mourn the actual conversation between Mia and Alex.  This all feels far too fast, and the fact that this is suggesting his blackmail is all good is very worrying.  All the post-it notes in the world can’t make me think he’s nice enough to want to kiss.

Overall, I didn’t really like this one.  I feel like the pacing is still off; I don’t believe the speed at which Mia has fallen for him and honestly it hasn’t been very long since Kiki was with Alex and had her heart broken.  The fact that Mia even saw her and told him she doesn’t like him only to turn around immediately and change her mind is strange to me.  Mia has always come across as a caring person who tries to do the right thing and help out her friends.  That she has apparently no qualms at this point is difficult for me.  They’re acting the hell out of this, but I can’t buy it.  Unfortunately.  Sadly, because this is based on a very flawed original, I don’t think it’s going to make me enjoy these two.  There are things that I’m interested in seeing as we go forward but most of those have zero to do with Alex.

[justimajin]

Something Smells Fishy 

› Pairing: Taehyung x Reader 

› Genre: Fluff & Angst, Crack (a very nice dose of it) - part of Bangtan Boardwalk’s fic event 

› Words: 14.1k

› Summary: Summer is finally here and vacation is on the rise. Spending some quality time with your friends and having a joyous holiday is something you’re definitely looking forward to, but a sudden turn of events proves you otherwise with the addition of a surprise guest that you’re not exactly keen on seeing. You suppose it could be worse, worse than having to lose two of your precious limbs and growing a ginormous fish tail out of nowher- wait WHAT?!

› Warnings: pg13, not much aside from fish jokes

The sound of wheels rolling against the wooden floor resonates through the dorm. 

Your giant black suitcase has been tightly packed and filled to the brim, nearly appearing on the verge of exploding soon enough. There’s a pair of peach coloured sunglasses resting against the bridge of your nose with skin that glows from sunscreen overuse and a straw floppy hat perched on top of your head. Dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts, the adventure you’ve planned is pretty obvious at this point. 

That’s right. You’re going on vacation. 

And you won’t be alone this time. 

The red SUV is parked along the sidewalk, sunlight highlighting it’s sheer capacity. You smile when a head of blonde sticks out from the window, her arms erratically waving at you. 

“Y/N!!” She hurriedly unbuckles her belt and pushes against the car door, welcoming you with open arms. “I’m so glad you could make it!” 

“Me too Eunha.” A hand tugs at your suitcase and you release your grip, letting her prop it up into the back of the car. She squeezes it in with the rest of the luggage, gesturing for you to open the peripheral door. 

“I think Sunyi’s still sleeping back in there.” She remarks with a smirk. You frown, brows knitting together as you go to yank at the door handle. Inside, you find her passed on a handful of snacks - presumably ones Eunha probably grabbed for all of you. 

Eunha circles behind you, her hand pounding against the roof. “Hey! Sleepyhead! Wake up!” 

You chuckle as she barely stirs and Eunha apologetically smiles, “I swear she totally wanted to meet you.” 

“Uh-huh.” You lean over and rip open one of the bags, letting the scent fill through the congested car. Within moments, Sunyi’s eyes flutter open and she’s staring back at you like a child being offered a toy. 

“Really?” Eunha scoffs as Sunyi grabs the bag, scarfing down the contents. “That’s all it took?” 

“What? I was hungry.” Sunyi defends, but her eyes land right on top of you and instantly she’s lunging for you, bag all forgotten. “Oh my gosh, Y/N!!” 

Eunha sighs as you hug Sunyi back, glancing at her watch, “Well kiddos, we got approximately an hour to get to our destination. Are we picking up the guys too?” 

“Is that even a question?” Sunyi counters. You settle down into the passenger seat as Eunha takes the wheel. The engine roars and she applies pressure on the accelerator, reversing the car out. 

“I dunno, ever since lover boy came into the story we haven’t been able to hang out as much.” Eunha honestly adds much to Sunyi’s reluctance. 

“Sorry about that guys…” 

“It’s alright.” Eunha waves it off, putting on her sunglasses, “As long as you and Hoseok aren’t sucking face every five minutes while we’re trying to talk, I don’t really mind.” 

“What?” Sunyi’s eyes are narrowed, offense written all over her, “We do not suck face every five minutes.” 

“Hm, keep telling yourself that hon.” 

“What?” Sunyi interjects again, turning to you this time, “Do you seriously think me and Hoseok are like that, Y/N?” 

You wistfully smile and shrug, “I’m afraid I’m with Eunha on this one.” 

Eunha laughs and Sunyi whimsically deflates in the back, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I can’t believe my friends hate my boyfriend.” 

“If we hated him that much, I wouldn’t be driving to his place to pick him and his friends up.” Eunha points out, but a vibrating sound pulls Sunyi out of it. 

“Speak of the devil~” She sing-songs, flicking out her phone with giggles. You and Eunha simultaneously sigh, aware that she was going to be out of reach for a while. 

“So what’s been going on with you, Y/N?” Eunha asks, shaded eyes still trained on the road, “Last time we spoke, you were pretty busy with finals.” 

“Eh, just the usual.” You shrug, stretching your arms and leaning back on your seat, “Aside from college being a nightmare, not much has been going on.” 

Eunha hums, “I’ve been looking forward to this though, we haven’t gotten together in so long and I’ve been needing a decent vacation for a while.” 

“So you’re okay now..?” Eunha cautiously says, her voice barely making out from Sunyi’s loud one in the background. 

A sad smile flickers on your lips for a brief moment, but it vanishes just as quick. 

“Of course I’m okay.” You smugly smirk, raising a brow, “What did you take me for?” 

“I know, I know.” Eunha scoffs, so used to your triumphing vibe, “I just get worried. We hadn’t heard about you in so long and then you said you didn’t want to come-” 

“I was just busy.” 

“I know.” Eunha glances at you, “But I still need to ask.”

You hum, acknowledging her concerns. 

“Well I can assure you I’m fine now, Eunha.” You playfully grin at her, warmth spreading through your features, “I’m just looking forward to spending a good time with my favourite girls after so long.” 

Eunha smiles at your confidence, but it’s broken by Sunyi’s high pitch. 

“Aww, of course I love you baby! You’re my hopeful sunshine! My darling cutie patootie!” Sunyi coos loudly, sounding more like she was talking to a child instead of her boyfriend. You and Eunha warily exchange an odd stare, right before the two of you burst out laughing much to Sunyi’s protests. 

“Hopeful sunshine? Darling cutie patootie?” Eunha enunciates sarcastically, gawking at Sunyi from the rear mirror, “That’s a lot of words for a guy who spilled his coffee on me, Sun.” 

The memory of the incident causes you to chuckle. “You guys are just jealous!!” Sunyi huffs, resuming her phone call. You assume Hoseok asked her about the random ruckus in the background because she goes on to explain that she was in the car with the two of you. 

“Jealous?” Eunha snickers, “Of what? That I don’t have a boyfriend who spills coffee on my friends?” 

“Didn’t you go on a date with one of his friends?” You bring up, recalling her sending you a picture of him, “What was his name? Junghyeon…?” 

“Jungkook.” She corrects, “He was alright. I think I could see him more as a friend than someone I wanted to date.” 

“Fair enough.” 

“I think he’s actually coming too.” She adjusts her position, looking at her rear mirror, “Hey Sun, which of Hoseok’s friends are coming with us?” 

“I’ll ask right now!” She exclaims, sweetly repeating the question to her boyfriend on the line. You and Eunha patiently wait for an answer, but silence is all that greets you. 

“Sun?” Eunha cranes her neck back for a moment, “Who’s coming?” 

“Y/N…..” She whispers, voice cracking. You twist around as well, brows furrowed at her meek tone. 

“What?” 

“Uh, well you see…” Her eyes fall onto the ground, “Hoseok was surprised to hear you were coming. I think it was because we made this plan before you confirmed so he didn’t know and-” 

“Sun, what is it?” You ask sterner this time, her pale expression drawing concern out of you by the minute. 

“H-He’s coming.” Sunyi gets out, “I’m so sorry Y/N, I wish I knew before, I-I would have said no.” 

“What do you mean he’s-” Your words die out at her guilty expression and you silently eye Eunha for a moment, who has annoyance etched onto her features. A heavy silence enters the car, and long gone is the surreal joy. 

Eunha’s lips twitch. 

“Y/N, you say the word and Hoseok will tell him not to come.” Sunyi opens her mouth as if to counteract, but the stiffening of your shoulders renders her unable to suggest anything. 

“No, it’s okay.” You state, “You guys didn’t know if I was going to come until last minute so Hoseok probably didn’t think twice to invite him.” 

“Are you sure Y/N?” Sunyi presses on, “I can still ask if it’s uncomfortable.” 

You shake your head. Although the onslaught of new information did take you by surprise, you can’t simply brush away that he was closely associated with Hoseok. 

You look at Sunyi with a smile, “Nah, it’s fine.” 

“O-Okay.” 

Sunyi sinks back into her seat and Eunha focuses back on the road. Sunyi eventually ends up falling asleep midway through the drive and Eunha occasionally chimes through with pieces of conversation for you, but you can barely respond as your eyes narrow down on the bits of scenery passing by your window. 

You hadn’t been expecting this, at least, expecting it on a vacation that you ultimately decided would have been in the best interest when it came down to clearing your mind. But you would be foolishly lying to yourself if you were prepared to face him, since he was basically summer personified and regardless to say, a deep wedge in between you and your vacation.

The ride to Hoseok’s place is exhausting long, so the moment you set your eyes on the familiar house, a deep sense of relief cascades through you. 

Hoseok is standing outside by the time Eunha pulls in, his hands energetically waving you over and a cheerful smile painted on his lips. He wears a bright blue beach shirt that has imprints of a sunset, and brown cargo shorts with matching sandals. His black hair has been pushed back with a sheen of hair gel, oddly giving him the mixed appearance of a frat boy and a tourist at the same time. 

You keep that opinion to yourself when Sunyi jumps out of Eunha’s car in enthusiasm, reaching out to hug him instantly. Although you and Eunha have always had your fair share of making fun of the duo, moments like these draw a genuine smile from you at their display of affection.

“Y/N! Eunha!” Hoseok greets you with a friendly smile. You return it and he gestures for all of you to follow, “The guys are inside, I’ll just call them out.” 

Eunha nods and sits down on Hoseok’s red suitcase, huffing as sweat starts to accumulate at her temples. You laugh when she begins to exaggerate her breathing and starts dramatically fanning herself, your laughter only being cut short once a man in a black shirt and similar cargo pants pops out. 

“Hurry up guys, we’re going to be late!” He shouts behind him, placing his large bag onto the ground with a scoff. You narrow your eyes at the size of it compared to the suitcase Eunha was sitting on, an interesting military design covering the exterior. 

He looks up, eyes immediately widening at the appearance of your group until his sight halts at Eunha. 

“O-Oh hi...” You raise an eyebrow at his sudden shyness, only able to fully connect the dots once your eyes land on Eunha’s bashful expression. A huge smirk crosses your lips and Eunha glares at you, but that simply serves to increase it. 

“Hi.” She warmly replies, catching him by surprise. Before you can experience any more awkward air, another person runs out of the house. 

“Sorry Jungkook! My bag’s zipper got stuck.” He pouts, sight landing right onto you. He’s dressed in purple hoodie and black shorts, bright orange hair poking out from underneath the hood. 

“Hi!” He reaches out his hand for you to shake, “I’m Jimin.” 

You smile and take his hand before he goes around introducing himself. Jungkook does the same towards Sunyi and you have to admit, Hoseok’s friends don’t seem so bad. 

Sunyi grins at you like she can read your mind, ecstatic that something’s worked in her boyfriend’s favour. You roll your eyes, just glad that you’ll be spending your vacation with some decent people. 

“Let’s go, we need to hit the road already!” Hoseok’s voice chimes from afar and he emerges out into the driveway. Judging from Sunyi’s averted eyes and Eunha’s surprised ones, you can already assume who the last friend to leave the house is. 

You turn around at the sound of deep laughter, heartbeat spiking up and rapidly thudding against your ribcage. Your eyes come into direct contact with the familiar shade of blonde hair and sun-kissed skin, only now he also has pink shades on and his hair has been pushed back with a headband. There’s a faint marking of red and blue at the side of his neck, your eyes enlarging at the realization that the markings formed into the shape of a butterfly. 

It makes him look drastically gorgeous and to see him appear like that in front of you now, makes you sick to your stomach. 

You watch as he stops laughing at Hoseok, lids dropping down and face contorting back to normal. You watch as his vision lands straight on you and how all the joy in his expression moments ago, contorts into utter surprise. 

You wonder if there’s a nearby bush you can hide yourself in. 

Sucking in a sharp inhale as he draws closer, a strained smile is plastered onto your lips, “Hi...” 

“Hey.” He playfully smiles, hands stuffed inside his short’s pockets. Compared to you, he doesn’t appear to be as frazzled, just merely intrigued. “I didn’t know you would be here.” 

The surprise is apparent in his voice too, “I was a last minute addition.” You clarify and he hums, sending an understanding smile in your direction. The air becomes mute between you for a split moment, right before Jimin comes rushing forward. 

The orange haired boy scratches the back of his head, “Taehyung, can you help me load the suitcases into the car? Hoseok’s going to check into the place soon.” 

“Oh yeah, sure thing.” He follows Jimin to Eunha’s car and Sunyi quickly grabs your arm soon after, ushering you closer to the group. 

After contemplating how long it’ll take to arrive, you decide on getting into the two cars and making your way over. The place you’ve chosen for your vacation is actually an area of land that Hoseok’s family has owned for several years and occasionally rent out to people in need for some time off. Sunyi has originally suggested you all visit there together at least once, but both yours and Eunha’s schedules were always too far off from ever actually making plans. 

Needlessly to say, you’re pretty excited. The opportunity right now is perfect for all of you and although the trip has taken a turn of events you’re not particularly fond of, you’re simply here to relax first and foremost. 

Slipping into Eunha’s passenger seat, her car consists of you along with Sunyi and Hoseok in the back. Jimin and Taehyung are with Jungkook in his black SUV, closely following behind. 

Hoseok has his phone planted against the side of his face, his lips pursued. “That’s strange.” 

There’s a crease in between his brows as he stares at the device.

“What is it?” Sunyi wonders. 

“The call’s not connecting.” He tries again, but the call cuts off, “I need to confirm that we’ll be arriving soon, but it’s like they don’t even have a signal.” 

You peer behind you as Hoseok continues to fiddle with his phone until Sunyi offers to try calling through hers instead. Hoseok takes the suggestion and tries again, but the attempt ends up failing as well and the distress is clear on his features. 

“This is so weird.” Hoseok scorns, scanning both of their phones. You assume that the connection problem has something to do with the line cutting off completely, so another idea sparks in your mind. 

“It's family owned, right? Why don’t you try calling your parents?” You propose, “They’ll probably know what’s going on.” 

Hoseok hums, “That’s not a bad idea.” He places a call in his own phone and patiently awaits. The sound of a woman resonates through the phone and Hoseok instantly recognizes her. 

“Hey Mom, it’s me.” He confirms, “Do you know what’s been happening at the lodge? I’ve been trying to call to check in but no one seems to be picking up.” 

You and Sunyi patiently wait for an answer, but Hoseok's dejected expression soon surfaces. 

“Oh...I see…Alright, thanks for letting me know.” He deeply sighs as the line cuts, facing the two of you with regret in his eyes. 

“Sorry guys, but the area’s been closed down because of a recent drought.” 

“What, really?” Sunyi asks right away, and Hoseok nods. You and Eunha let out a collective sigh. 

“Well that sucks.” She chimes, briefly looking back at the Hoseok and Sunyi, then you. “I guess the only thing we can do is turn around. Vacation time is over, folks.”

“Argh! I was so looking forward to this!” Sunyi rants and you groan in agreement. 

You’ve only started on this trip and it seems like whatever needed to go wrong, has gone wrong. You wonder if being around Taehyung is already bringing you misfortune again, but that thought clears up once your eyes fall upon a vast expanse of water. 

“....is that a beach?” 

Blinking, you point towards the grey sand covering the land, the black-blueish water next to creating waves. There’s small teal specks glittering in the water, something that makes you wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you. 

Hoseok and Sunyi hum in acknowledgement and Eunha raises an intrigued eyebrow. “Why don’t we check it out?” 

“I don’t know…” Eunha whispers, “I’ve never seen this place around here before.” 

“Yeah and that water...” Sunyi narrows her eyes at the way it appears sparkling dark blue in the middle of the day, “Looks sorta of creepy…” 

“It does.” Hoseok whispers, sounding in disbelief. Lips thinning, your eyes stray around before they land on the large house near the shore. 

“Look! They even have shelter!” You point out, though your group still seems a little unimpressed. “How about we at least go down there and have a look, hm?” 

Eunha frowns, her hands tightening on the steering wheel, “Okay, but tell the guys too.” 

“Roger that.” Hoseok confirms, presumably calling one of them as he lifts his phone to his face. You observe the water again, honestly not seeing what all the fuss is about. 

“I guess it does look pretty.” Sunyi mentions and Eunha hums. 

“I really don’t want to drive all the way back, so I don’t think there’s any harm in checking it out.” 

You smile, glad there were on board with your idea. Truthfully, you were prepared to set up a tent right here and now just for the sake of getting a vacation, so you’re not really on par for questioning the place at the moment. 

~

It’s actually quite decent. 

After Hoseok explained the situation to his friends, they all agreed with you in at least seeing what it had to offer. And as it turns out, it’s a lot better than you would have initially imagined from far away. 

The house is warm and cozy, right next to the salty shore. They rent out rooms on a daily basis and the original ominous appearance of the ocean ends up being a purpose, the “unique theme” of the place that’s meant to draw in customers, as the generous owner remarks. You end up leasing three rooms in total - one of your trio and two for the guys - and everyone is content with the notion that their gracious vacation wasn’t on the loss of being cancelled due to a mere drought. 

Hoseok in particular, is ecstatic with the idea and this shows with his constant cheerfulness in his interactions with Sunyi, to the point where you eventually have to drag her into your shared room for some much needed rest. All of you settle in for the night, planning on resuming your blissful vacation in the morning. 

The crisp sun rises bright and early, a clear blue sky greeting you. All your friends are dressed in their swimming attire, ready to enjoy the most of the beach as they can. 

Hoseok runs and dives head first into the bluish waters, plunging into it through a huge splash. Instead of floating, he ends up sinking into the water and resembles something akin to a dead body, an action that has Sunyi bursting out laughing until he finally manages to poke his head out. 

Jimin and Jungkook are together, engaging in what you suppose to be a water splashing fight that Jungkook inherently seems to be winning. Eunha passes by them, keeping her head out of the water and spinning around to face you. 

“What are those two even doing?” She laughs, clearly watching in with you. You shrug from afar, finding shade underneath a giant tree and keeping your feet dipped in the chilling sea. “You sure you don’t want to come in? It’s really nice.” 

You shake your head right away, raising your legs, “The water’s really cold, I’ll come in once it gets warmer.” 

Eunha hums, “Okay, I’ll be here so just let me kno-” 

Her voice cuts off and all you see is a blur of water splash by you, two concerned faces emerging. 

“Y/N, are you okay?!” Jimin hurriedly questions, kneeling down at your thoroughly soaked form. You clench your teeth, preventing them from chattering in the midst of the freezing cold water sticking to your skin. 

“I’m fine.” You get up, attempting to shake off all of the excess water droplets as you do. Eunha pops out from behind you, holding onto your arm. 

“Here, let me take you inside.” 

“It’s alright.” You wave her off, “If I sit in the sun, my clothes will dry up.” 

“Are you sure? You might catch a cold, Y/N.” 

You shake your head, pointing towards the blazing sun, “It’s hot enough out here to cook an egg out here, I’ll be good.” 

Although wary, Eunha lets you get out of the shade into the warmth of the sun and slowly heads back in the water. Jimin pesters you with some apologies but you don’t take too mind with it. Truthfully, it was probably not the best decision to sit right beside a huge body of water if you didn’t intend on getting soaked. 

The decision ends up being a great one, since you can already feel your skin beginning to dry within minutes. However, that’s when you feel a shift in the sand, a heavy weight flopping conveniently right next to you. 

Taehyung is dressed in a blue beach shirt and colourful shorts, his peach pink shades still resting on the bridge of his nose. He looks like he’s just woken up, hair a bit disheveled and eyes lowered. 

The sound of a shutter catches your immediate attention, and you notice him squinting his eyes and sticking out his tongue as he continues to snap away images of the large body of water with his camera. 

“You still take pictures?” You reminiscence in a joking manner, the words blurting out without thought. Immediately, you contemplate if striking up a conversation was such a good idea, but you suppose it can’t do much harm if you’re going to be spending so much of your vacation with him. 

Though, you truthfully don’t expect him to twist around and place his camera down on the sand. 

“Well, you know me. Have to carry my memories around somehow.” He retorts with a smirk. The action draws a smile on your lips, his voice mimicking your playful manner. 

You point towards the water. “Don’t accidentally drop it though, it won’t be a great price to pay.” 

“I guess that’s when I’ll have to go fishing.” 

“You can barely swim.” He raises an eyebrow at you from that, “What? Those were your words.” 

A pout surfaces onto his lips, immediately correcting you in defense, “I’ve improved.” 

“You want to test out that theory?” Gesturing to the large body of water in front of you, Taehyung immediately hugs his camera closer to his form. 

“You’ll have to save both me and my camera if you really want an answer.” 

“Is that a way of saying you still can’t swim?” 

He frowns, “It’s a way of saying that I’ll need...some assistance. Just in case.” 

“Assistance in what? Drowning?” 

“No!” He immediately protests, “I can still float pretty well.” 

“Hm, sure.” 

Taehyung sighs, already knowing that you haven’t been fully convinced just yet. As a result, when the waves slowly push the water closer to you, he dips his feet into it for a split moment. He grins at the immediate result, cheekily glancing at you. 

You roll your eyes at his supposed accomplishment and he laughs, raising up his camera again to continue taking pictures of the scenery. The gesture seemingly spreads a genuine smile on your features, something you couldn’t have imagined he still had the ability to do. 

Your smile instantly drops and that sick feeling begins to swirl in the out of your stomach again. You get up with a deep breath, calling it a day and heading back to the cabin. 

Yet in the midst of your action, you don’t notice how Taehyung’s no longer capturing pictures of the rare waters. Instead, his camera remains on the ground, his gaze following your disappearing form. 

~

“I think you should just go for it.” His friend leans back in his chair, currently in the midst of eating through a take-out box. “Be honest with her.” 

Taehyung rolls his eyes, “Like that’s going to actually work.” He picks out a piece of Jungkook’s fried chicken and sighs. 

“I think Jungkook’s right, Tae.” Jimin plops down next to him, “You said it yourself, you felt like this was a chance to fix things, right?” 

Taehyung lets out another sigh. He did say that, but that thought only sparked within him once news broke that you would be joining them on this trip. Initially, he assumed that it would be a bad idea, that there would be too much friction between the two of you and it would cross the limit of being unbearable again. But he can’t help but think about running into you at the beach and how you clicked right back in, like nothing had ever been wrong between you. 

It’s made him consider a lot of things, one of which he wonders how he can outright declare that he’s still in love with you, how he thinks fate is on his side for once and telling him to set things right now before it’s too late. 

��Maybe you guys are right…” 

“Of course we are.” Jimin quips, cheekily smiling as Taehyung pouts. 

“I’ll at least apologize to her…” He urgently declares, already snatching up his grey hoodie and throwing it over his head. He quickly peers at the window outside, the sun having already set and a dark forecast slowly beginning to take over the sky. 

“Good luck Tae!” Jimin exclaims, watching him hurry out the door. 

After spending a majority of your first moments in bed twisting and turning with no luck of falling unconscious, you find yourself strolling along where the ocean water meets the dry sand. The cool breeze passing by gives off the salty scent of the ocean and the night sky makes the area’s unique appearance even more entrancing from broad daylight. 

Leaning down closer to the splashing waves, your eyes attach onto the way the bright algae glows within the waters, appearing like fireflies fluttering underground. You reach out to faintly touch a piece, observing the way the teal orb glows brightly within your hands before getting swept up by the currents once again. 

You smile, letting your hand splash around in the water. 

“Mind if I join you?” 

Your breath hitches and you nearly topple over into the giant seaway, but an arm quickly grabs onto you before you do. 

“S-Sorry.” Taehyung stutters, sheepishly staring down at the ground, “I didn’t mean to-” 

“It’s okay.” You simply say, having steadied yourself thanks to his help. You continue to play around with the water, a little unsure at what to say with his sudden appearance. 

He eventually speaks up, but it's with a suggestion that has your brows raising. “Do you want to go swimming?” 

“Now?” 

He nods, pointing over the dark waters, “I didn’t get a chance to swim this morning.” He gets up, swatting away remains of the grey sand from his shorts and reaches his hands out for you to take. 

You shake your head, “I really don’t want to.” 

“Aw come on!” A giant pout crosses his lips, voice raising up a pitch, “You’re still no fun!” 

Your mouth drops wide open, offense written all over your features. Gazing back at the water, you suppose it would be better than to swim during the hours of hot sunlight, so you opt out for getting up as well. 

“Okay.” You point an accusing finger at him, “But for your kind information, I am tons of fun.” 

Taehyung smiles at you like you’re going to have a hard time living up to that statement and that only fuels your need to prove him wrong. You’re dressed in a simple sundress and you suppose it should be enough to swim in, but by the time you turn around Taehyung’s already taken off his shirt and diving head straight into the waters. 

“I thought you couldn’t swim?!” You shout in disbelief, rushing to meet him halfway into the body of water. It’s cool temperature immediately spikes a trail of goosebumps down your arms and legs, but you bite back the shivers when your eyes come into contact with his smug expression. 

“Told you I could at least float.” He giggles as you come closer, huffing against the resistance that surrounds you waist down until you finally reach him. He points towards the pit of the sea once you do, drawing your attention to the sparkling algae that has begun to spiral around your feet. 

“Wow.” You whisper, eyes racing in pure awe as they begin to collect. Taehyung smiles, scooping up a handful while you’re occupied with gazing at the bright lights and left unsuspicious. Before you know it, he’s tossed them onto you and they stick to your wet strands of hair. 

“What the-?” As you attempt to get them out, Taehyung loudly laughs. “Can you stop laughing and help me??” 

“Sorry.” He still giggles once he reaches out and takes one out, “I thought they would look nice on you.” 

“I’m exactly not sure what part of luminous algae you thought would look nice on me.” You pout as he continues to pluck and unwind them from your hair, but then he grins. 

“I meant in a pretty way.” He takes out a piece that’s managed to get behind your ear, leaning forward. You suddenly blink, realizing he was inches away from you and that even though the water was icy cold, your temperature has only spiked up. 

“Y/N?” Taehyung questions, wondering why you’ve suddenly shriveled up as he flicks the last piece away. You peer up at his eyes and that’s when it hits him. 

The perfect opportunity. 

He opens his mouth, about to spew everything on his mind before he loses his chance. 

Lightning cracks. 

You and Taehyung immediately push away from each other, heartbeats racing at the sudden sizzle left in the sand far from you. Staring up at the sky in terror, the clouds begin to swarm together and that’s when Taehyung grabs onto you, shaking your form instantly. 

“We have to get out of here!” He yells, but another flash strikes through the sky and is followed by a series of bulleting raindrops. It doesn’t take you another moment to nod at his words, following through with getting back to land as far as possible. 

Taehyung lets go of you.

It happens so fast that you can barely register it, whipping around to see Taehyung miles apart from you. He shouts something across from the water, but by the time you pick up on what he’s trying to say to you, his entire body plunges right into the water. 

“TAEHYUNG!” You scream, fiercely pushing against the water to get to him. The rain falling from the sky obscures your vision, but you keep going until you reach the spot he was sucked away at, glancing back and forth for any sign of him. 

“TAEHYUNG!” You yell out again when you fail to locate him, diving straight into the deep waters. The salt stings at your eyes and your blood runs thin at the lightning above honing down on you, but you discover a familiar face buried by the depths of the ocean and you don’t think twice in grasping onto his arm.

Holding onto your escaping breath, you propel your legs back up higher and gasp once you make contact with the surface. Taehyung’s form limps against your body for a moment, but your grasp on him instantly loosens. 

“Wha-” You breath, blinking away your clouded vision. A rumble of thunder echoes through your ears, yet the rain starts to slow it’s rapid pace, falling down gently on top of you until it completely comes to a halt. Glancing up in confusion, the dark grey clouds start to drift away from each other and eventually, leave the night sky all together. 

You shake your head, ignoring the pulsing sensation pounding through in it and blink your eyes again to find Taehyung. It’s easy to spot him this time, but his leaning bareback faces you instead. 

“Taehyung!” You shout in relief, arms splashing closer to him. He raises up a hand, leaving the other left to cover his face. 

“Don’t!” 

You freeze mid-way, hands dropping down. 

“T-Taehyung?” 

Tilting your head, he doesn’t budge. Although the rain has stopped and the lightning isn’t buzzing above your head anymore, you have to hold onto your arms to stop them from shivering. You attempt once more to get closer to him, but the throbbing in your head rapidly increases and before you know it, you’re the one sinking into the water this time. 

You can barely hear Taehyung when he shouts for you, you can barely feel him grab onto your trembling form and pull you out of your water, you can barely register being in his arms, slowly losing consciousness bit by bit. 

Among all this, you can barely make out the shining blue tail that sticks out of the water as he desperately swims back to shore. 

It’s still pitch dark by the time you come to. 

Your eyes flutter open at the sound of the tides continuing to push against the shore, mind spinning from the fabricated recollection of events that went down. Your very first instinct is to harshly cough, bubbles of congested water forming up from the seam of your lips. 

A hand gently touches your back, warily patting it as all water makes it way out. You heavily breathe, shaking away any remains of drowsiness. 

“T-Thanks Taehyung.” You manage to get out, shifting in the sand to face him. His hand instantly comes over to shield your eyes, his voice wavering. 

“W-Wait.” He stutters, “Don’t-...Don’t freak out.” 

You frown at what he could have meant at that, but then his hand drops down and your eyes widen into large saucers. 

You open your mouth to scream.

“Y/N!” Taehyung pleads, sighing when you pause mid-way, fear filling your eyes by the minute. His lips set into a firm line, and he gazes at you with desperation. “Please, just…” He raises up his hands, “Just calm down.” 

“W-What?” You breathe heavily, “W-What happened to y-you?”

He stares down at the palms of his hands in dismay, “I-I don’t know…” 

You gulp, nodding. Truthfully it’s difficult to believe what you are seeing before your eyes. 

Because right in front of you is Taehyung, but not Taehyung at the same time. 

His blonde hair has been completely coloured into a deep sapphire shade, the ends of it longer and curling at the nape of his neck. His eyes are no longer the warm brown hue you’ve become so familiar with, but now a striking green that almost appears cat-like. Along his neck, arms and torso are small strange teal aligned pockets, all of which trail down to his waist which has the most notable change. 

A long aqua blue coloured fish tail has completely engulfed the portion his legs used to once take up. 

It’s almost overwhelming for you to completely register. He lappears so strikingly different that you wouldn’t have recognized him hadn’t it been for the familiarity of his tone or touch. 

“Taehyung…” You whisper, having finally accepted reality. He seems to notice that you’ve calmed down, relief etching onto his features. “H-How did this all happen?” 

“I’m not sure,” He sighs, “One second I’m trying to grab you and get out of the water before the lightning hits us and the next, I’m being pulled down into the bottom of the ocean.” 

“When I came back up...this is what I looked like.” He stares at his hands again, unable to properly understand what he was either. 

You nod, eyeing his tail again, “You used that to swim…?” 

He hums and moves it for a second, causing you to flinch. There’s specks of gray sand starting to stick to it, presumably from him having to use it on land, “Surprisingly it helped me get back faster.” 

“I see…” You get up, dusting the sand off of yourself. You step closer to him, examining it further. 

“Don’t stare at it like that.” 

Your eyes widen, “Why?” You reach out to touch the new limb and he instantly flinches, moving it away from you. 

“Because it’s weird!” He flaps it around in the sand for a while, “I don’t even know how to properly use it, for all I know I could just-” 

He’s too late in explaining because the motion he’s used has managed to slap you across the face with the tail. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t-” This time it hits your legs and you fall down onto the sand, resulting in Taehyung becoming even more apologetic. 

“Okay, okay! Just stop moving for a second!” You protest, raising up your hands against it. Taehyung freezes the tail in mid-air, staring at you like he was on command and awaiting further directions. 

“I think we should focus on how to get you out of here.” You pinch the bridge of your nose, squeezing your eyes shut, “The others will be awake in the morning and I think trying to explain that you’re part fish is going to be a lot harder than it is.” 

“How do we do that?” Taehyung desperately asks, peering up at you from his spot in the sand. A thought sparks inside your mind, but you stare at him in dismay. 

“I have an idea...but I don’t think either of us are going to like it.” 

~

“I’m surprised Y/N.” Taehyung proclaims, “This is really romantic.” 

You can barely make out a clear answer, huffing and wheezing at the same time. Leaning against the wall, you attempt to catch your breath. 

“Hm? Y/N? Can you hear me?” Taehyung tilts his head and leans closer to you, but you jerk your head up and scoff at him. 

“Give me a minute, will you?! You’re not exactly a box of feathers!” 

“Well that was kind of harsh.” Taehyung pouts, reclining onto you and resting his head against your shoulder. You tighten your hold on him, careful not to let go of his new slippery side that’s been a pain in your rear for the past fifteen minutes. 

“I will leave you here and then you’ll have to flap your way back to your own room, you fish!” 

Taehyung gasps like you’ve just sworn at him but then you purposely loosen your grip on his tail and he instantly freaks out, “Alright! Just get me back in one piece!” 

“I’m trying.” You huff again, taking another step on the enormous spiraling staircase. You didn’t realize him and the guys wanted the top floor of this place so badly, and unfortunately it’s a decision you’ll have to pay the consequences for now. 

After an exhausting trip of losing your footing a billion times and having to repeatedly catch your breath, you make it to Taehyung and Jimin’s shared room. Fortunately, Jimin’s completely passed out by the time you do make it up there and you attempt to keep that way, watching your step as much as you can. 

Unfortunately, the man currently whispering in your ear is not helping much. 

“I can’t sleep here! What if Jimin wakes up in the morning and discovers my tail?!” 

“It’s better than taking you to my room that has three people staying in it!” You harshly whisper back, plopping him down onto his bed. Though you forgot how stubborn Taehyung can be, especially when he refuses to separate from you and as a result, drags you on top of him. 

“Ow!” You scold him, glaring down at the huge smirk he holds. The position you’re in doesn’t help the situation much either and you attempt to get yourself off considering the fact that you’re sitting on top of his scaly tail.

However, that’s when Taehyung’s bright green eyes narrow and for a second, you suck in your breath. You know he looks considerably different now, but you haven’t been able to pinpoint why he almost feels like a different person at moments, especially when he stares at you. 

There’s something incredibly alluring about him, something you haven’t figured out until you realize you’re leaning closer to him and hovering right above his lips. You snap out of it right away and by the looks of it, so does Taehyung. 

With a quick goodbye and a rough toss of a blanket over his head to cover up his strange appearance, you rush out of his room and shut the door. Spinning around, a hand presses against your racing heartbeat and you swipe away the sweat that has built against your temples. 

“You really expect me to wear that?” 

He points to the lengthy black skirt you’ve managed to rummage out of your suitcase, a floral design lining the edges. He’s seated on the side of his bed, already dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt that covers the imprints in his skin. 

You hum, “How else are we going to cover that?” 

You gestures towards the large blueish-green tail that sits on the ground, spread out and already taking up a large majority of the floor beneath his bed. 

Taehyung deeply sighs, letting out a groan before reaching out his hands in dismay. “Fine.” 

You smile once he takes it, attempting to balance himself enough to put it on. You immediately reach out and let him steady himself using your shoulders, helping him tug it on. 

“How come I got a fishtail and you didn’t?” He whines, growing frustrated with the utterly useless tail to have on land. You stifle back a laugh and he glares at you. “You’re enjoying this way too much.” 

“I’m not.” You truthfully admit, aiding him in tying the two connecting strands of the skirt. “I just didn’t think I’d see the day where you’d be wearing one of my skirts.” 

“It beats being half-naked.” Taehyung retorts, glancing down at his tail, “Even though the naked part doesn’t even look human.” 

You sigh and roll your eyes, close enough to helping him finish dressing. A low knock captures your attention and you freeze, whipping around at the door. 

“I-Is someone-” You’re too late, because not a moment is spared as the door comes barging open. You catch a faint hint of orange tucked away in a white hoodie and you step in front of Taehyng right away, unease crossing your features. 

Jimin pokes his head in, “Hey, I-” Your voice dies out when Eunha and Sunyi step in behind him, closely followed by Jungkook and Hoseok. 

“Oh.” Eunha says, staring at you and Taehyung. To be quite honest, the situation itself does seem strange - you’re standing in front of Taehyung and covering him up as he struggles to tug on one of your skirts in your room. 

You have no clue how to explain any of this. 

“Y/N?” Sunyi peers at you from behind Eunha, confusion maring her as well. You anxiously smile, quickly whipping up a flimsy excuse. 

“I-I was just helping him! You know, w-with finding some clothes because...uh….he lost his suitcase!” 

Eunha nods and you let out a low sigh. Taehyung emerges from behind you, a questioning stare in his eyes. 

“What brings all of you here?” 

“Woah.” Jungkook exclaims, “What happened to you??”

“What do you mean?” Taehyung questions, clearly having forgotten the striking colour his hair is and the shifted hue of his eyes. 

“U-Uh he’s been trying out a new hair colour! And has contacts!” You throw a glance at Taehyung with a nervous laugh and he turns into stone, finally realizing the error in his appearance. 

“Okay…” Eunha mutters, warily staring at Taehyung. Hoseok clears his voice, answering the former’s question. 

“We were going to head over to the beach again.” He points towards the window, “You guys down to swim?” 

You and Taehyung exchange a glance and for a moment, you could have swore you saw him visibly gulp. 

“I-I think we’ll pass guys…but thanks for the offer!” 

“You sure?” Eunha steps forward, concern on her. “Y/N, is everything okay?” 

You bite back the truth, “Yeah! I’m going to just stay back with Taehyung, so I’ll be fine.” 

“Really?” Sunyi asks, peering at said man. Something twinkles in her eyes and she places a hand on Eunha’s shoulder, bringing her away. 

“We should listen to Y/N, Eunha.” She appears baffled with Sunyi actions at first, but then the latter winks and she lets out a soft “Oh..” 

Eunha shrugs with a smile, “I guess we’ll leave you to it then.” 

You nod and one by one they exit the room. Once the coast is clear, you let out an audible sigh, pressing a hand against your chest. 

“That was close.” You turn to Taehyung, “We need to be careful.” 

He’s sitting on the bed now, arms crossed and a huge pout on his lips. 

He looks like a child that's sulking. 

“What?” 

“I miss my legs.” He moves his tail for a moment before letting it flop back down onto the ground. 

You sigh, growing weary already, “Let’s just see if there’s something we can do here.” 

Rummaging around the area, you seek to find anything that you can occupy yourself with for the next couple of hours. Although you had declined the offer of joining your friends for the sake of Taehyung’s situation, a part of you is growing increasingly dismayed with the fact that you have to do this in the first place. 

You were supposed to be on vacation - but now you’re stuck with the person you didn’t want to be with and have no hope of being able to relax. 

“I hate this.” Taehyung states from behind you, somehow being able to communicate your collective thoughts with only three words. You let out another sigh, revealing a stack of cards you found near Jimin’s suitcase. 

Taehyung’s still in the same state, brows furrowed and bottom lip jutting out. 

“I can’t promise it’ll get better but at least we made it back in one piece.” You offer, throwing the card stack onto his bed and flopping down beside him. “Now play a game with me before my mind explodes from boredom.” 

That luckily seems to bring a smile out from him and you begin to shuffle the cards, but then a slimy texture touches your legs and you immediately back away. 

“Can you put that somewhere else?” You gesture to his tail that brushes against you, but Taehyung innocently shrugs and grins. 

“It’s attached to me, there’s nothing I can do about that.” 

The more he smiles, the more you glare at him, “Fine, but maintain some distance at least, fish.”

He scoffs at the sound of the nickname you’ve adopted for his situation, but thankfully obliges so that it’s not all over the place. 

~

After having countless card game sessions with Taehyung (to which he won most of and you had to endure a plethora of his cheeky smirks as a result), the rest of your friends finally make it back. You’re pleasantly surprised to find out that Eunha and Sunyi took the liberty of bringing food as well, since you were worried that if you left to go eat something Taehyung would find some way to slip out of his bed and bounce around on the ground from his lack of being mobile-

That wasn’t supposed to be a pun. 

“We brought sushi.” Sunyi says, setting the trays down on the picnic table at the terrace of the cabin. It’s a nice place to dine together, small fairy lights brightening up the high roof and clearing out the now darkening sky. 

“I hope that’s okay.” Eunha hesitates, but you shake your head. You weren’t truly a huge fan of the dish since it was essentially rice wrapped up in vegetables and meat, but at this point you’re so utterly famished that you can’t bring yourself to care. Reaching over to grab the remaining bags, Hoseok and Jungkook come over to help you and you’re soon having dinner underneath the lights. 

However, that’s when Jimin pops up. 

“Hey guys, has anyone seen Tae?” He twists around, “He wasn’t in our room when I left.” 

“I think I saw him sitting down at the reception.” Jungkook mentions, “I thought he was going to come soon.” 

“Oh.” Jimin says, pursuing his lips. You raise an eyebrow at the information, already rising from your seat. 

“You guys keep eating. I’ll go see if I can find him.” 

“Do you need any help?” Eunha questions, but you shake your head. 

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”

Eunha nods and sits back down into her seat as you scurry off. You quickly climb down the stairs from the terrace, heading into the reception hall. 

Peering back and forth, it’s entirely empty. The appearance throws you off and for a moment, you assume it would be best to turn around and search elsewhere - but that’s when you hear a low groan. 

You swivel around, opening the door to a nearby room. 

Your eyes land on Taehyung right away. 

He’s on the ground, appearing to be struggling with lifting himself up from the edge of a table that he has a threatening tight grip on. At the sound of the door abruptly opening, he looks up, eyes widening. 

You rush over in an instant, holding onto his arm and helping him up. Guilt overtakes your features when you realize that you had completely forgotten about him up until this point, but Taehyung fortunately seems to notice your remorse. 

“Hey, don’t look so upset. I was actually doing fine until I accidentally got pushed into this room by some couple walking by, so it was kind of my fault for getting stuck.” He casually explains, but you freeze in your tracks and stare at him. 

“Your fault…?” 

“Yeah?” He stares at you, not really understanding why you look so concerned. You shake your head, focusing on getting him out right now instead. 

Making your way back to the terrace, Taehyung halts you in your steps. “Wait, how am I supposed to..?” 

He gestures to how you’re basically carrying him like a dead body, his whole weight limping onto you and the amphibian parts of him lazily dragging against the ground. His point does stand to reason and you suppose you didn’t really think this through before coming to aid him. 

Your eyes narrow onto his hands, an idea suddenly popping into your mind. 

“Should we just hold hands then?”

His brows raise, like he hadn’t been expecting you to offer that out of all things. When his speechlessness takes too long, you reach out and grab hold of him right away. He nearly slips and tightens his grip on your arm, leaning half of his weight onto you. 

“N-no one’s going to get the wrong idea, right?” Taehyung quietly laughs, but you’re more focused on the way that this position puts a lot more pressure on you. So you merely nod in response, trying your hardest not to collapse against having to hold onto him like this. 

Unfortunately, you forget the crucial fact that you’re walking into a room full of people aware of the history between the two of you. It draws out an array of spiked brows and agape mouths, but you nonchalantly help him sit and flop down next to him, nearly sinking from the sheer relief of not having your shoulder and arm be broken off. 

You eventually engage in conversation with Eunha and Sunyi, who persistently keep eyeing the man sitting next to you occasionally in between. You wonder if you should clarify to them the actual situation that’s been going on, but you think you’ve spoken too soon when a scream from behind you spikes up the hair on your body. 

Whipping around, Taehyung has his hands on either side of his face and he glances at the food in front of him in hysteria. 

You grab onto his shoulder instantly, “Taehyung, what’s wrong?” 

“H-HOW COULD IT BE?!” He picks up a roll of sushi, eyeing it in horror, “HOW COULD THEY DO SUCH A THING?!?!” 

“What are you talking about??” 

“THIS!” He gestures to the entire table, scrambling away from it and you at the same time, “They’ve cut them up into tiny pieces and wrapped them up in rice?! It’s horrible!!” 

You’re prepared to ask a million questions about his absurd reaction, but then you catch a glimpse of what exactly he’s referring to and suddenly, everything begins to make sense. 

The sushi has seafood in it. 

Taehyung looks like he’s on the verge of crying, fear filling him at the prospect of just sitting at the table. 

“H-How could they…YOU WERE A FAMILY OF FIVE! Now you’re here and your brother is too! How could they put you two beside each other when one of you has been fried?!?” 

You wince as he whispers towards one certain dish, not really distinguishing between the pieces so easily until he mentions it. However, that’s when you catch a glimpse of the entire table, the faces of your close friends informing you that you weren’t really doing such a great job at keeping his situation under wraps. 

Quickly reaching out, you begin to collect the seafood contained ones. You then turn around and hand them over to a confused Eunha, asking her to take them away because of Taehyung. Although you get many questions thrown at you from the reason and why Taehyung was acting up so much, you simply state that it was a result of a really bad allergy and that the food needed to go. 

More like I’ve-turned-into-a-fish-and-now-seeing-them-as-food-is-sad allergy, but you decide to keep your mouth shut about that personal opinion. 

Thankfully, Eunha reacts faster to your request that you had expected and all the seafood filled sushi is long discarded of. You then focus your efforts on trying to calm down Taehyung, who seems to respond to your eventual suggestion of seeing alive fish later at the shore to calm himself down. 

Taking a deep sigh, you slump down in your seat. It was getting harder and harder to manage this and you were beginning to wonder if there was even a way out of it, because so far the situation has just remained hopeless in front of both of your eyes. 

“Great to see you’re all having fun out here.” 

You turn towards the entrance of the terrace to see a middle-aged man in a tourist shirt and shorts, a pair of sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He warmly smiles, standing at the front of your table. 

He introduces himself, “My name is Minho and I run this place. I thought I’d drop by to see how you’re all liking it so far.” 

Taking turns introducing your group members, Jungkook offers for him to settle down next to him at the table and the man cheerily obliges, darting questions back and forth about your stay. He’s surprised to hear that you weren’t originally planning on coming, instead derailed by your foiled vacation plans. 

“Yeah, we thought it was pretty weird looking at first but then we took a closer look and it turned out to be nice.” Hoseok explains, laughing a bit, “Honestly it seems better then where we were originally supposed to go.” 

“It’s a special place.” The man remarks tenderly, eyes crinkling, “Beautiful, but full of mysteries and wonder.” 

“Mysteries and wonder?” Jimin repeats and Minho hums. 

“Have you folks heard about the legend?” You shake your head and he looks genuinely surprised, as if the information should have been prior knowledge. “Well, let me tell you that you haven’t even begun to understand where you are just yet then.” 

“Many years ago, this place was inhabited by a couple.” Minho speaks in a low storytelling tone, “The man and woman loved each other very much, and were hoping to spend the rest of their lives by the sea together.” 

“However, one day the man left to go fishing and never came back. The woman was left all alone and in worry, prayed every night for his safe return.” 

“Ultimately the man never returned and his body was later discovered in the sea. It was presumed he had drowned and the women fell into a deep sorrow, feeling betrayed and abandoned by the one person who said he would never leave her.” 

“The moon heard her call and was vexed by her desperate pleas of his return, so it cursed her to roam the corners of the very place he drowned in - the sea.” 

The entire table is dead silent and Minho drops the one fact that has your eyes widening. 

“They call it, the legend of the mermaid.” Minho turns, pointing to the intriguing appearance of the sea, “That’s why the water is darker and the sand has turned grey, because it’s believed her anguish still remains deep within the ocean.” 

You and Taehyung make eye contact in an instant and Jimin tugs at the man’s sleeve. 

“D-Does that mean this place is cursed?” 

The man chuckles, “Of course not! It’s just a legend! Didn’t you hear me say that before I told you the story?!” 

“It’s an interesting legend, I didn’t know this beach could be so meaningful.” Eunha remarks and Minho smiles at her. 

“Ah, see! She gets it!” 

Eunha returns his smile and Minho continues to reassure Jimin, who still seems startled with the new information. Meanwhile, you gaze at Taehyung, wondering to yourself how much of that story was truly a mere legend. 

“I swear, you only care about yourself!” You spit out, “If you didn’t want to live together then why did you say yes??” 

“Because you wanted it!” He shouts back, “I wanted you to be happy! I’ve always wanted you to be happy!” His once warm irises are dripping with spite, “But as of recently, living with you has turned into an actual nightmare.”

There’s a tense, held silence looming in the air. You’re in a similar state as him, the exhaustion keeping a dreadful grip on your bones. 

“How else am I supposed to talk to you then?” There’s hoarseness in your voice, soft before it spikes up, “You never tell me anything and act like everything is okay all the time! I can’t know if you don’t talk to me, Tae!” 

He shakes his head, appearing defeated. You’re expecting something, some hidden spark of hope that you can manage to work this out. But that immediately shatters once he reaches for his bag. 

A deep exhale leaves his lips, like he’s grown tired for too long. 

“I can’t take this anymore, Y/N.” 

“W-What?” You watch him grab his shoes, placing them onto the ground to slip his feet into, “So that’s it, huh? You’re not going to try to fix things with me and instead just run away?” 

“No, I’m not.” He glances up at you, a seething glare in his eyes that takes you aback, “I’m going to break up with you before I do.” 

You can only stare as he grabs his jacket on his way out, the door harshly slamming behind him. Water unconsciously begins to well up in your eyes and you slump down onto your knees, left completely alone in the room. 

“Taehyung?” 

“H-Huh?” He blinks, body unconsciously rolling over to you. You’re tucked in your bed, leaning down to see sleeping on the make-shift bed you’ve made on the ground for him after he had called you and complained he wasn’t able to properly sleep. 

“You were mumbling in your sleep.” A low yawn passes by your lips and you rub your eye, “Are you comfortable down there?” 

“Kind of. It’s been difficult sleeping like this.” He shuffles around a bit. 

“I’m sure it’s not too bad if you try sleeping on your side.” You lie down, facing him, “Just let me know if you need an extra blanket or two.”

“It’s not that....” He mumbles, letting out a sigh. 

You raise an eyebrow, “Then what is it?” 

“This.” He admits, turning to look at you. The moment dips into a steady silence and you uncomfortably shift, wondering why he was simply just staring at you. 

“I don’t get it.” 

“This.” He points to his eyes, “I don’t have eyelids anymore.”

“What?” You jump out of bed, shifting closer to him, “How do you not have-” 

Your eyes land right above his foreign green orbs and sure enough, the skin has become transparent. “I can’t close my eyes when I sleep anymore, so I just stare at the ceiling until I pass out.” 

“Wow that’s….” You have no clue what to say to that.

“It’s okay, go back to sleep.” Taehyung whispers, “I’ll have to wait until I can fall asleep again.” 

“Alright…” You bring your blanket backup to cover yourself, but occasionally your eyes drift over to Taehyung. It’s a little unnerving to find out he doesn’t have eyelids anymore and is practically a fish at this point, but you decide to let the thought slip away when you begin to ponder on more recent events. 

Namely, the legend. Although Minho had told your group as a way to draw out more meaning from the place you were at, you wonder if there was some way to figure out how to get Taehyung’s human appearance back from it, such as a gap in the story. But the most you can come with at the moment is simply retrieving the man’s body back for the mermaid to realize she wasn’t abandoned, but you have no clue how that’s going to help Taehyung. 

Maybe throwing him into the sea again and waiting around for a thunderstorm to take place would be more effective…

Your absurd thoughts are caught off guard at the sound of a low cough, “If you’re really having a hard time sleeping, I can just take you back to your room, you know?” 

He doesn’t answer you and you contort your brows, rolling over in bed, “Taehyung?” 

The very first thing your eyes land on is how he’s crouched down, lifting himself up on his shaking arms. You immediately throw your covers off and slide down, grabbing onto him. “Taehyung!” 

A chain of rough coughs greet you again and your eyes flicker when he begins to harshly gasp. Searching around, you notice that his usual crystal blue tail has dissolved into the shade of lime green and how the small openings on his ribs have begun to rapidly open and close. 

Your eyes widen and you catch a glimpse of the window for a moment, eyes surveying the ocean. Quicking grabbing a hold of Taehyung’s arm, you loop it over your neck and tug him up with a grunt, letting him rest his weight on you. 

“Hold on Taehyung.” You hastily get out of your room, heading out the hallway. The spiral of staircases tests your patience greatly on the way down, but when Taehyung’s head lolls to the side and he becomes completely unresponsive, you don’t give it a second thought. 

The moment your feet meet the grey sand again, you attempt to accelerate your speed. The extra dead weight doesn’t help in that matter, but nonetheless you rush towards the water and hold your breath. 

The icy temperature immediately spreads over your skin, drenching your cozy pajamas in an instant. You hurriedly poke your head out to the shore and look down towards the water, feeling Taehyung's limp hand sink down and slip away from your grasp. 

He lets out a loud exhale moments later, panting once he’s able to meet the shore as well. He glances in your direction, a look of surprise and relief flooding him immediately. 

“H-How did you know...?” 

You softly smile, “I assumed staying on land for too long doesn’t help much with your situation.” 

“Thanks.” He deeply breathes with a grin, pushing back his sapphire hair. You whirl around, about to head back before it gets too cold until you feel a jerk on your wrist. 

“Wait.” 

You turn to face him, “What?” 

“I-I don’t want to be alone here.” He whispers, quiet enough for you to barely hear it, “It’s scary.” 

Your lips form into a pout, thinking he was being absurd for a moment. However, your eyes begin to roam around, taking in how it’s pitch black outside, making the water appear more like ink by the minute. Save for the light sounds of the tides, it’s also dead silent. 

“Fine - but I can’t stay in the water for long, it’s freezing.” You honestly reply, your shoulders already starting to tremble. Taehyung nods in agreement, swimming over to you in an instant. You don’t expect him to encase his arms around you right away, pulling you flush against him. 

“Hold your breath.” He reminds you and you timidly nod, hoping he doesn’t notice the way your complexion has tinted rose. Luckily he doesn’t when he dives into the water, swimming at a speed that you barely get up to alone with your legs. Your eyes watch in fascination as his long tail moves in unison with his body, lighting up the dark ocean with it’s bright blue hue. 

Taehyung ends up taking you to a landscape of rocks near the shore, a place you wouldn’t have else found if you tried swimming there all by yourself. He hastily gets you out of the waters, letting you inhale as much air as possible just like you had done with him in the sea, before he remains at the edge of rocks and watches you settle into the small opening.

The temperature has subsided and is a lot better than the waters below you, but Taehyung seems to be at ease right in the centre of it. In comparison to before, now you can get a broad view of the ocean and all the little ripples that pass by the dark tides, the moon illuminating each and every wave with a pearly hue. 

“Ah-choo!” You sniffle, covering your mouth. Taehyung spins around, eyes widening. 

“Are you cold?” He immediately asks, but you shake your head. 

“I’m alrig-AH-CHOO!” 

Taehyung grins, “Doesn’t sound like it.” He latches onto the edge and lifts himself up, half of his blue tail still remaining in the water. Taking the bottom of his shirt, he tugs it over his head and places the soaked material onto the side, facing you. 

“W-What are you doing?” You immediately ask, but he glances at you in confusion. 

“What? I’m a lot warmer when I’m not wearing wet clothes.” He extends his arm and gently pushes you closer to him, “Now come over here, will you?” 

You pout but eventually oblige when a third sneeze leaves your body. It’s a little strange to be snuggling up to him like this after so long, but old habits eventually sink in once Taehyung places his hand firmly against your waist and your rest your head against his shoulder. 

You watch the tides hit against each other, roaring louder as the wind around begins to pick up. Unconsciously you loop your arms around Taehyung, not noticing the small smile that tugs on his features as you do. 

Eyes drifting over to the radiant moon, a question sits at the tip of your tongue. “What did you think about the legend Minho told us? The one about the cursed mermaid?” 

“I thought it was sad.” Taehyung confesses, “Instead of trying to help the mermaid with her grief, the moon made her suffer for the rest of her life.” 

You hum, “She never got to see the man again and ended up stuck in the place that took his life.” A cascade of shivers runs down your body, “I wonder if the legend could help us get you back to normal.” 

“I highly doubt it.” Taehyung stiffly chuckles, “Maybe after this vacation is over, I’ll spend the rest of my life in the ocean too.” 

“Please don’t.” You whisper, not wanting him to live out the same unfortunate fate, “The woman was cursed because the man’s death left her all alone. I don’t want you to feel the same.” 

Although you can’t see it, a soft smile casts itself onto Taehyung’s lips. It remains even as your lids begin to droop down, your head occasionally tilting to the side. When it completely lolls over, Taehyung separates from you, gently placing you against a smooth patch of rock that you instinctively curl up on at contact. 

He lowers himself into the waters, shoulders poking out as he glances up at the bright moon shining down on you. Pivoting around, he watches you completely get lulled into sleep by the comfortable sounds of the ocean ripples, a fond gaze running deep in his sea green eyes. 

Months later after breaking up with you, Taehyung returns back to the apartment the two of you once upon a time shared. There’s a clutter of open suitcases and things covered in bubble wrap, presumably you’re doing after you declared to him that you’ll be moving out soon and that he should begin packing his own things as well. 

It’s strange for him to enter an apartment that has countless memories woven into it, from the way he was so used to sharing his time, his room and even his bed with you. Now the apartment falls short of all of that, remains of what could have been left behind when he opens the door into the bedroom. 

Your things are all gone. Long removed and tided away. It’s just his own belongings that remain within the four walls anymore, seemingly the only thing left occupying the room. 

He’s all alone now, abandoned underneath the moonlight that peeks through the once joint window. 

~

You wake up the next morning to see Taehyung peering at the rising sun, a deep crease in between his brows. It takes you waving your hand erractively to draw his attention away, his eyes beaming up at your sudden awakening. After asking you if you were okay to go into the waters in pajamas again, you loop your arms around his neck and hold on for dear life once his head dips into the ocean, swimming back to shore at a racing speed. 

Meeting up with the rest of your friends, Eunha and Sunyi take the liberty of persuading you into swimming with them, not adamant about you refusing after last time. With one concerned look at Taehyung, the latter smiles and tells you to carry on after finding a giant blanket and spot in the grey sand to keep himself covered. 

However once you’re in the water, you can already see him sulking from a mile away. 

“Why don’t you come in?” You ask, swimming over to where he’s seated. The pout on his lips only grows more from your request, dejectedly shaking his head. 

“You know that’s only going to cause a lot more problems if I do.” 

“Then maybe we can come back during the night.” His eyes light up and you smile, “No one will be able to see you then, right?” 

He nods with a grin, “Okay.” 

You stay for a moment until Eunha calls out for you, sending a small bye in Taehyung’s direction. He tells you to have fun on his behalf and you happily oblige, racing over to your friends. Hoseok ends up bringing out a beach ball he stored in his car, tossing it over in your direction. 

You grasp onto it, raising it up high before launching it Sunyi’s way. She passes over to Eunha who then hands it over to Jungkook, before throwing it to Hoseok. 

Unfortunately, he barely hits it and it lands far behind him. 

“I’ll get it!” You instantly volunteer, hurriedly splashing against the water. In the midst of retrieving it, you notice Taehyung gazing in your direction and wave back at him, a soft smile on your lips. 

That’s when the throbbing begins. 

It starts off as a small pulse, but a sudden sharp ache shoots up your right leg and it completely stiffens. You gasp as the feeling intensifies, akin to someone wrapping their hands around your leg and twisting it as harshly as they can. 

Your hands slip off from Hoseok’s beach ball and before you even know it, you’re sinking straight down into the pit of the ocean. 

Water fills your lungs at an alarming amount and you attempt to kick away at the water, but it only results in a cascade of agonizing pain to run through your leg. You feel yourself slipping away bit by bit, barely any sunlight reaching you as the ocean continues to swallow you whole. 

A hand grabs onto yours right away. 

You squint against the cold waters to see a blue tail swimming closer to you, a shade of bright sapphire emerging and hurriedly lifting you up. Once you meet sea level, you wheeze and gasp, coughing out all the water that luckily bubbles out of your system. 

Taehyung keeps an arm against your back as you do, but your eyes grow alarmingly wide once your vision clears up. 

“T-Taehyung?” You promptly question, eyes flickering over him in concern, “You’re in the water, if anyone sees-” 

“I don’t care if they see me.” He interjects, “Are you okay?” 

You nod and his shoulders sag in relief. 

“Thank god.” He breathes, hugging you close to him. You’re a bit taken aback from how he tightly grasps onto you, as if letting go was the last thing on his mind. 

“Taehyung….” You whisper, slightly breaking away to look up at him. You keep forgetting how alluring his appearance has become, his sea green eyes and sapphire hair never failing to captivate you every single time. 

He sadly smiles, fear-filled eyes boring into yours, “I didn’t want to lose you a second time.” 

Your vision unconsciously glosses over and before you know it, you’re looping your arms around his neck and roughly pressing your lips against his. He seems stunned by the sudden motion, but immediately reciprocates as you begin to move your lips. 

It’s not somber, like how it was saying goodbye for the last time. It’s neither bittersweet, like how it was dumping precious memories into a suitcase and leaving the place you once tenderly remarked was your home. It’s instead reciprocal, like how it felt when you first fell in love with him. 

You part from him and he flutters his eyes open, as if still trapped in a daze. But once you pass along a genuine gaze in his direction, his rambles begin. 

“I-I’m still in love with you. Ever since we broke up. I’d never thought I would get the chance to see you again but then you showed up on this trip and I-” You lean forward to kiss him again, catching him off guard for the second time. 

“You’re not the only one who’s still holding onto feelings.” You smile and he returns it, “I’m sorry for what happened between us, I think I just got too invested in trying to live together that I didn’t realize how big of a step that was and ended up rushing you without thinking.”

“I’m sorry too.” Taehyung professes, guilt weighing down deep in his green orbs, “I used to always hate when we fought so I never took it seriously, but I didn’t realize how much that hurt you in the process. I should have just been honest with you and told you I wasn’t ready.” 

You share a mutual look with each other, something you don’t think you could have ever done when you were together. Taehyung hovers over your lips again and you flutter your eyes shut, but he freezes mid-way. 

“Taehyung?” You ponder, but his hand instantly reaches out from the water to cover your eyes. You catch a glimpse of blonde hair and suddenly you’re taken back to the night the two of you got caught up in a storm. 

“A-Are you-?” 

“Don’t.” 

His hand leaves your face, falling down to your shoulder. You slowly open your eyes, peeking out to see his sapphire hair and green eyes replaced with his familiar blonde shade and warm brown eyes. The corners of your lips curl in astonishment, but before you can say anything, Taehyung spins you around. 

His grip tightens on your shoulders, “The others will be here soon to find you, but don’t look down and get me some clothes asap.” 

Frowning at his instructions, your eyes suddenly light up and you’re swimming away, “Right!” 

As you leave, Taehyung sinks back into the water with an exasperated sigh. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Eunha asks, her hands resting against her hips. Sunyi sits on a chair next to her, munching down on a bag of chips in her lap that she had managed to steal from Hoseok. 

Pausing your packing for a minute, you swivel around with a sigh, “I’m okay Eunha, it was just a cramp. Taehyung managed to save me before I drowned so I’m alright now.”

“Oh yeah! You guys are together now, right?” Sunyi exclaims, resulting in a small smile to stretch on your lips. Eunha’s eyes widen and she places a hand on your shoulder. 

“Really? Are you serious?” 

You nod, “We made up during our time here. I guess this vacation was all we needed to resolve our old problems.” 

“Oh my gosh, this is amazing!” Sunyi smooshes the two of you into a hug, “I think this is the first time all of us will be in a relationship!” 

Your brows furrow and you drop the shirt you were folding, “All of us?”

Your gaze automatically meets Eunha and she suddenly grows bashful, pushing back a lock of her hair, “Ah, well you see....” 

“You and Jungkook finally got together?” A smirk crosses your lips and Eunha’s mouth falls agape, gaze falling to the ground. 

“W-Was it that obvious?” 

“Huh?” Eunha looks up to see Sunyi counting and passing you a couple of coins like it was the most normalest thing ever. 

“What? Seriously?!” A scoff leaves her lips, “You guys betted on whether me and Jungkook were going to be together?!?” 

“Hey, it was a fair deal.” You point out, grinning at Sunyi, “Which I definitely won.” 

Sunyi rolls her eyes, counting out the rest of your coins. A low knock draws you out of your thoughts, raising your head to see Taehyung leaning against the doorframe with a smug smile on his face. 

“All packed?” He asks and you nod, planting your suitcase onto the ground before scurrying over to him. 

“Just need to dry out our towels and find Hoseok’s shoes, but otherwise yeah.” 

“If that’s the case then….” He peers into your room, reaching out his hand for you, “Do you guys mind if I steal her for a while?” 

“By all means.” Sunyi says, both her and Eunha sending you sly smiles. You pout in response, but let Taehyung lead you away. 

He brings you outside near the shore, now easily able to walk along the grey sand with his bare feet. However, that doesn’t seem like the destination he has in mind as he brings you closer to the edge, near a rocky shore you recall snoozing for hours along. 

“You want to go back?” You ask in surprise, letting him reach out for you once he jumps down from a high leveled rock. He catches you as you jump, humming. 

“Even though we went there in the middle of the night, I want to go back one last time.” He pauses, turning around and smirking at you, “You know, without a tail and all.” 

You giggle, “But I thought it suited you.” 

Taehyung raises a brow, appearing offended, “Really? Last I recall, I was being called a fish left and right.” 

“You didn’t have eyelids.” You protest, but then Taehyung draws uncomfortably close to your head and blinks rapidly. 

“What are these then, huh?” He very obviously points to his now present lids and you laugh, pushing him off from you. 

“Okay, okay! You have eyelids now!” You clap your hands together, “What a miracle!” 

He shakes his head with a smile, carefully leading you to the spot he found that night. You peer around, noticing how the sunlight forecasted onto the shore in a way that brightened it even more compared to the moon. 

“It’s breathtaking.” You whisper, swiveling to look at where the shore meets the ocean. 

“It is.” Taehyung remarks, “I think I’m going to truly miss being part fish.” 

You lean closer to him, “Well, if you’re really going to miss it that much...I could toss you into the ocean right now and pray for a storm to take you away.” 

Taehyung places a hand on his chest, pretending to be teary-eyed, “You would really do that for me?” 

You snort, “Of course.”

Kneeling down, you dip your hands into the icy waters for one last time. Taehyung joins you, playing around harmlessly and then somehow accidentally splashing you with some of it. 

You scoff as he laughs, but you soon get your revenge in the midst of his laughter, to which he mumbles that he probably deserved that. You chuckle and he smiles, shaking the water droplets out of his hands before helping you up as well. 

“We should get going.” You remind him, “The others are probably waiting for us.” 

Taehyung hums, but it’s not long before he freezes and his content expression completely falters. 

A shaky hand is placed on your arm, drawing out your oblivious attention. 

Taehyung points to the ocean, where a pair of two green eyes are staring back at the two of you. 

Your eyes widen and you stagger back, nearly bumping into him if he hadn’t immediately caught you. The green eyes catch the movement, drawing closer to you. From afar, the long strands of sapphire hair flowing in the water and the blue tail shimmering within the ocean gives you a slight glimpse of exactly what you’re dealing with, but it seems like an afterthought once both you and Taehyung scream in unison. 

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of this place!” Taehyung shouts, racing away to get back to the steep rocks that lead back to the cabin. The green eyes continue to watch as you scurry after him immediately.

“Don’t leave me behind!!” You plead, following after him as quickly as you can. Along the way you managed to slip on a slippery rock, resulting in Taehyung lifting you onto his back so you can get away faster together. 

From a distance away, the girl with the green eyes submerged in the ocean chuckles. 

[amydancepants-peralta]

For the most recent prompts, no. 35 with peraltiago?

I’d love to!  🌟 Here’s a little something for 35: “Your stray red item turned my whites pink.”

love, in full colour 

Today was turning out to be a pretty great Sunday for Amy, as she stretches her legs out on her boyfriend Jake’s surprisingly comfortable couch and presses play on the documentary he had so sweetly recorded for her.  Weekends off had always been a favourite of hers, but if there’s anything that the past nine months has told her, it's that weekends off when you’re dating Jake Peralta are just so much better.  

She had woken up this morning to Jake’s familiar sleepy cuddles, morning stubble scratching against her skin and sending tingles up and down her spine as his arms wrapped around her waist, convincing her in approximately 2.3 seconds that sleeping in definitely wasn’t such a bad thing (especially when it eventually leads to … other things).  It had been a long week; made all the longer by a perp that had decided to play cat and mouse with the detectives of the nine-nine, and even after they’d stumbled out of bed and toasted bagels for breakfast, Amy genuinely didn’t have any desire to have a day any more productive than TV, blankets, and (most importantly), Jake.  

It had been close to half an hour ago that he’d slipped out of the apartment for the second time, basket in hand as he’d headed back down to the laundry room to collect the washing he’d put on earlier.  Rebuffing her offers of help with a swift kiss to her lips, he’d simply reminded Amy of the program ready and waiting for her, throwing out a “Love you!” as he’d headed for the door, and honestly if Amy’s Sunday hadn’t already been looking great, that moment right there just absolutely topped it.  

(It’s been months since they’d started saying it - those three little words that had seemed so terrifying but actually were up there with her favourite phrases ever - but they still managed to spark a tiny ball of happiness inside her every single time the words came out of Jake’s mouth.  She supposes that this is what love is, really - sour candy flavoured kisses and laughter in the darkness - and she’s so thankful that she found it in Jake.)

The documentary has been playing for ten or so minutes before Amy’s index finger begins hovering over the pause button, one part still interested in the manufacturing process of the world’s oldest brass instruments, and one (slightly louder) part feeling strangely empty without her boyfriend’s warm chest to rest up against.  (Even though she knows he would spending the entire program playing on his phone, there’s something about his presence that just makes everything … better.)

Amy’s still in Consideration Mode when she hears Jake’s key slide into the lock, and it’s ridiculous how big her smile begins to get, but as she tips her face up to catch his eyes her lips falter on their ascent.  

There’s an obvious air of frustration surrounding him as he skulks past her, holding the plastic basket close to his hip as he heads towards the bed on the other side of his loft-style apartment.  It bounces slightly against the recently remade duvet as Jake dumps the contents onto the mattress, his frustrations quickly bubbling to the surface, and without hesitation Amy forgoes the remote control, standing quickly to join her boyfriend by his bed.  

“Everything okay?”

He nods, letting out a soft grunt as he half-heartedly starts folding the newly cleaned clothes, and honestly Amy is trying not to pay attention to his folding technique, but her fingers are just itching to take over.  There’s still a slight pout on his face, small enough for her to pick up on, and it takes precedent over any Kondo-like techniques that she might be dying to demonstrate.  “You sure?”

Jake gives her another nod, followed quickly by a shrug.  “I mean, there’s one little problem with the laundry that I don’t know how to fix, but … it’s no biggie.”

“A problem with your laundry?”

“Yeah.”  He sighs, balling up the t-shirt in his hand before dropping it back into the pile, using his free hand to run through his hair, which has just started to get long enough to curl.  “Turns out there was a stray item of yours that was in my laundry.  I mean, there were a few things, and that makes total sense, but there was one item in particular - a red item, actually - that I think might be the culprit.”

“The culprit?”

“So … I might not have noticed have been paying close attention when I transferred everything to the dryer, and well …”  he lifts up a pair of socks, similar to the ones he wore to bed last week except now they were a deep pink, and Amy tries her best to stifle her giggle.  “There’s like … another three pairs just like it,” he adds with a mumble.    

“But!  May I present to you, detective: the guilty party.”  Transferring the socks to his left, his right hand digs through the pile before pulling out a lacy red bra that Amy may have recently bought purely on the knowledge that it was one of Jake’s favourite colours on her.

(To be fair, he might have told her that all of the colours were his favourite colours on her, but she’s definitely seen a positive response to the colour red in the past.)

“Alleged guilty party, thank you very much,” Amy begins, grinning to take the edge off of her response.  “Plus, you didn’t seem to mind that bra so much last night, if I recall correctly.”

She reaches for the offending item, and Jake’s fingers tighten around the lace, holding her bra close to his chest, and she giggles at his reflexive response.  “Despite my flinging it across the room, I can confirm that I did - and DO - indeed love it.  Almost as much as I love the person who was wearing it.”

Her cheeks begin to turn the same colour as the socks in her boyfriend’s hand, and Amy cocks her head to the side.  “I love you too, babe.  So … what’s the problem you can’t figure out?  If it’s the pink you’re worried about, a bit of bleach will get that right out.”

“Huh?”  He lifts his hand up, glancing at the item that Amy is pointing to.  “Oh.  Nah.  I don’t care about the colour.  You and I both know that I would rock this pink.  I can already tell it’s going to highlight my ankles in the perfect way.  Really accentuate my curves, you know?  I just ..”

Even before they were something more than partners, Amy could see through Jake’s ‘make a joke to conceal how I’m really feeling about something’ technique, and today is no exception.  Taking the smallest of steps closer to him, she softens her voice ever so slightly.  “Jake?”

His shoulders slump to the floor, and his right hand releases her lingerie.  “I just … I feel so stupid.  I’m trying to be the perfectly domesticated boyfriend, a responsible adult who cleans up after himself and doesn’t leave empty pizza boxes everywhere.”  His eyes drop to the floor briefly before flicking back up to meet hers, and the sincerity in his gaze cuts Amy to the quick.  “You know, the kinda guy that doesn’t need supervising in the laundry room, or whatever.”  His hand closes tightly around the socks before dropping it back into the pile, and when he looks back up at Amy she can see the disappointment stretched across his face.  “And obviously, I completely failed.  I wasn’t going to say anything, but .. I dunno, I guess maybe I don’t want to keep things from you or something.”

In all honesty, Amy’s not entirely sure what she was expecting Jake’s answer to be, but it definitely wasn’t that.  She stands still in front of him for the longest minute as a result, mouth open slightly as her mind races to absorb his response.    

He takes her silence as a request for more information, and shuffles his sneaker covered feet against the floorboards.  “It’s just … I know that people think that you’re way too good for me.  And to be fair, they’re not entirely wrong.  I was just hoping that I could find a way to bridge the gap a little … try and make it a little less obvious that I’m punching well above my weight.  And then I couldn’t even do the damn laundry right.”

At any given moment, Amy could present to any asking stranger a million reasons why Jake Peralta was the man that had captured her heart, and the notion that the justification was coming from her very own boyfriend was making her soul ache more than a little bit.  

Anybody that thought he wasn’t good enough for her could go jump in the Gowanus Canal, for all she cared.  But the thought that Jake considered it to be true?  Nuh-uh.  Not on her watch.

She moves closer to him, close enough to smell the oddly intoxicating body wash he uses - the one that always seems to get her pulse racing, but she suspects that it’s more due to the user than the product itself.  “Jake.  You specifically ordered dinner last night from the Chinese restaurant that was exactly thirty-five minutes away from your apartment, knowing that I would be over in twenty and you wanted to give me a chance to settle before the food arrived.”

“That, and they do the best dumplings.  But yeah, you’re right - mostly the time thing.”  

“I woke up this morning on a cloud of a mattress, one that you bought purely so that I would be able actually sleep when I stayed over.”

Jake’s mouth twists to one side, and after a beat he folds his arms across his chest.  “I just wanted you to feel comfortable … with the added bonus of you staying over more often.  Although I have to admit, once you’ve realised you have a dumpster mattress, it’s actually really hard to ignore the springs that dig into your back in the middle of the night.”

Amy’s smile grows bigger, reaching out to rest her palm flat against his chest.  “And then you made us both bagels, with extra cream cheese - something that I know you don’t normally have in your fridge, which tells me you went grocery shopping just in case I stayed over.  Not to mention the documentary on brass instruments that you ‘happened to see scheduled and just recorded’, because you knew I would want to watch it eventually.”

“It actually looked pretty cool,” he mumbles, shrugging his shoulders in an attempt to make it seem like a lesser deal than it actually was.  

“And don’t think I didn’t notice the freshly cleaned sheets, and the space you’d made for me in your bathroom cabinet months ago.”

“…. Are you … journaling all of this somewhere?”

Letting out a soft chuckle, Amy shakes her head.  “My point is, you are rocking the boyfriend role, babe.  Seriously.  You have been so sweet and attentive, without ever getting too much, and honestly I’ve just had the best time with you.  I hope you know just how much I appreciate it … how much I appreciate you, and how great you make me feel whenever you’re around.  Seriously, you should feel my heart sometimes, I feel like it’s going to beat right out of my chest.”

He still has a slightly wary look on his face, but as Amy wraps her arms around his shoulders, crossing her wrists behind his neck, Jake’s hands wrap around her waist in automatic response.  “I love you, Jake Peralta.  For everything you are, exactly as you come.”

A slight blush begins to wash across his cheeks, and oh, how she just wants to kiss this ridiculous notion right off of his lips.  “I love you too, Ames.  You’re just … the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”  His grip on her hips grows a little tighter, and his voice lowers.  “And I’m sorry if all of this sounded totally stupid, I just … want to make you as happy as you’ve made me.” 

“Mission accomplished, babe.  You’re everything I want, I don’t give two hoots what anybody else thinks.”  Punctuating her sentence with a soft kiss, she rests her hands on either side of his neck and raises her eyebrows suggestively.  “Now, why don’t we take care of this laundry so the bed is nice and clear, and then I can show you just how much you are the right person for me.”

“Noice.  Just checking though … that doesn’t mean ‘throw everything to the floor so that I can immediately ravage my super-hot boyfriend’, does it?”

Cocking her head to the side, Amy grins.  “You should definitely trust your instincts on that one.”

“10-4.  We’re going to fold the heck out of this laundry.”

*

It’s a several years older Jake Peralta that fishes into his sock drawer one early afternoon, desperately looking for those just thick enough socks that he hasn’t seen in months but is sure he hasn’t thrown away.  They’re tucked up right along the furtherest edge of the drawer, in a position that Amy’s engagement ring had once also called home, and he grins when his fingers wrap around the hidden treasure.

They’re a little less pink these days, having been through the wash several times since their re-colouring, but he can still make out the slight tinge when he holds them up to the light.  Pulling them on with vigour, he makes his way back out to the living room to join his wife and son - knowing that both are looking forward to the start of their midday movie session - and also just as eager for some much-needed Family Time.  

“Okay, made it,”  Jake announces, lifting up the bag of candy he’d snagged from the kitchen as he’d passed, “and I brought snacks.”  From his left, his son Mac looks up from his position snuggled into Amy’s side, and upon clocking Jake’s sudden appearance he beams (the kind of smile that just makes Jake’s heart soar, every. time.), scrambling in his clumsy toddler-esque style to climb onto Jake’s lap, wrapping his arms around his father’s neck in the very best way that his still so chonky arms will allow.  Casting the bag of snacks to the side, Jake whispers “ready to watch the movie, little man?”, reaching out to tweak Mac’s button nose (a thankful inheritance from his mother) when he nods.  

Turning his head further to the left as he wraps his arms around his son, Jake catches Amy’s eyes, noticing them sparkle as she takes it all in.  Shuffling ever so slightly, Jake moves an inch to the left so that his left arm can rest on his wife’s legs, and she curls her fingers around his with one hand as she presses play on the remote with the other.  

His crossed feet plonk onto the coffee table in front of him, and as he glances briefly at his socks before turning his attention back to the movie, Jake cannot help but think of the younger version of himself that had felt so insecure about his relationship with Amy.  She is, after all, the love of his life (a fact that perhaps he hadn’t been ready to acknowledge back then, but one that was true within weeks of them dating all the same), and he was hers.  Maybe if he’d been able to see that, he wouldn’t have taken the little things like a pair of newly coloured socks so hard.

Amy’s fingers squeeze his gently, and after glancing at her from the corner of his eye, Jake picks up on the fact that she’s just noticed his choice in attire.  It would appear that the pink tinge is just as noticeable to her and it is to him - a fact that makes his heart more than a little bit happy - and when she tugs him a little closer he closes the gap between them, pressing his lips against hers in a chaste but loving kiss.

He cannot deny the smile that is growing on his face as they both pull away, returning their attention to the screen in front of them but keeping their fingers linked all the while.  This right here, was everything that he needed - and undoubtedly, everything he deserved - and he genuinely cannot wait to raise Mac together with Amy, and show their son just how amazing the world can be when you always have love on your side.  

[skaliciascribbles]

Disruptions Have Consequences

Moon Blossom week - A welcomed guest Moon Blossom au belongs to @somebodyalreadytookthis2

“What do you think of our new teacher? I think she’s kind of neat,” Dream leaned over the edge of the couch he was lounging on to stare at his brother.

Nightmare looked up from the book he was trying to read. “I dunno, she gives off this strange aura.”

“It’s probably that foreign magic she knows! I’m excited for her lessons. I can’t believe somebody in the court managed to get some highly regarded foreign mage to come teach us about other lands and magic.” As he spoke, Dream’s eye lights turned to stars that got a bit fuzzy around the edges as he spaced out trying to imagine just what they were going to be taught.

Nightmare huffed a small laugh at his brother’s behaviour and shook his head. His brother always was more willing to look at the positives in something. He, on the other hand, couldn’t shake that something was wrong. Despite this, he knew how to play along and be cordial and polite. All those years of strict discipline in manners weren’t for nothing, and he shuddered at the thought of breaking them now.

In light of this, he gave a small wistful smile to the book he knew he was about to be pulled away from. “If you’re so excited about their presence, then why aren’t you getting ready for the banquet that’s to be held in their honour this evening?”

A loud gasp filled the area in which the brothers were seated. “I totally forgot that was tonight!!! Nighty, why are we still sitting here?! We don’t have a moment to lose!!” The golden prince was to his feet in an instant and was quick to urge his brother to do the same. A vague sigh left Nightmare as he marked the page he was on and placed the book down for a servant to clean up later. With how much energy his brother was radiated, he felt it probably best to not try and remind him that they’d had lunch not long ago, and instead just went with what made him happy. The genuine smile on Dream’s face was worth the hours of fussing his brother and the servants in charge of their clothes were going to be doing.

It’d been a few weeks, and Nightmare knew he was a bit early for the lesson with the newest teacher he and Dream had. However, with Dream off probably watching the guards train and fantasizing about some heroic adventure, he was on his own and had nothing better to do than try and get an early peek at what they were going to be doing. The strange woman always had something interesting to share with the boys at least.

“Magistrate?” He asked as he knocked on the door. Apparently that was the word for teacher in her language.

He could hear things moving on the other side of the door before his the beaked wyvern appeared, staring down at him. “Ah, princeps Nightmare, you’re early.” Her head slid out into the hall to look around. “Where is your gold self?”

“Dream’s busy at the moment, but since I was free I was hoping it wouldn’t be much of a bother if I were to come to investigate what the plans for our next lesson were,” Nightmare responded, having gotten somewhat used to the strange quirks of his teacher’s way of speaking mixed with the accent she carried.

Wandering eyes returned their focus onto him, and his teacher’s head tilted back and forth faintly as she thought about something. After a moment her eyes flickered as she nodded. “I was hoping to do this with both brothers, but if I must do both princeps separately, I certainly must try.” Her head receded into the room, which Nightmare was only now was realizing was dimly lit. His brows furrowed faintly, but he kept himself from appearing too judgemental. Offending his teacher could mark the reputation of not only himself, but of his family and kingdom as well. “Come in, come in,” she ushered. One winged arm wrapping around him as he entered, and Nightmare couldn’t quite shake the thought of it being as though to hide him from view, or perhaps the room instead.

Inside the room was a strange sight, unlike anything the young prince had ever seen before. Candles that had obviously been burning for quite some time were placed on odd surfaces, and the furniture had been pushed about haphazardly to make way for strange lines and runes to be drawn in every direction. The bizarre markings even climbing up the furniture and walls, some even reaching onto the ceiling. It all seemed to lead back towards a central part of the room, like veins unfurled to spread nutrients or roots growing erratically to seek them out.

Something made a hissing noise, and his teacher pushed the door closed with a kick as she rushed off to tend to whatever it was. Not sure what else to do, Nightmare stepped carefully over lines and around the runes that looked oddly familiar, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember where from. In fact, all of this gave him a feeling as though he should recognize it, and he knew he must have read about something similar in one of his books.

“Drink.” A glass of a teal glowing liquid with large black spots floating about inside was pushed into his hands. Seeing as he’d had magic enhancing and boosting potions in the past to help test him, he figured it was just another one of those and took a sip to get a taste. “All,” his teacher’s voice was firm as she fussed with the placement of items around the room. He complied, tipping back the glass to drink as much as possible. A collection of something sweet and soft gathered in his mouth, not rushing down with the rest of the liquid.

If not for the strange pang that came from what he recognized as his magic reserves, he would have stopped to question it more. Instead, his mind was turning inward to try and investigate the strange feeling. That feeling wasn’t right. Unlike the expanding feeling that enhancing and boosting potions might offer, it was like his magic reserves were suddenly starved. Shrinking and being eaten by whatever he just drank. Panic settled into his bones as nothing came when he tried pulling at it for even a simple light to gather in his palm. His knees shook when he tried to move his legs, not cooperating with him in his want to react to this. Nightmare blinked heavily as his vision swam, making it take longer than he should have to notice the way the lines around the room were lighting up the same colour as the potion he’d drank with the colour crawling in towards him. Muffled noise filled his skull and the sweet taste in his mouth was growing.

Unable to keep himself up, the prince fell to his hands and knees, noticing after a moment of staring at it that he was above the place where all the markings met. Fear made his chest tight, and he couldn’t tell if the cold tingling across his bones was also part of that, or just another side affect. His bones also felt strangely sticky, and he could feel something sliding out of his sockets. A weak shudder shaking his unsteady attempt to keep off the floor.

A loud bang had Nightmare’s hands slipping from under him, causing him to, unfortunately, tip over. Everything became vague blobs of colour for a moment, and he squinted at the bright light from the now open door. The blue colour from around the room began to fade as voices screamed, though he couldn’t make out the words. It felt like somebody had shoved cotton into his skull through his right eye, making it even harder to see out of that one than his left.

With the last dredges of his strength, he managed to push himself up enough to lean away from where he was laying to cough. The sweetness in his mouth vanished. His shoulders shook as he registered a feeling of choking for a moment, but then it was gone. His chin felt went, but he didn’t have the awareness left to care. He let himself fall back to the floor, away from where he’d coughed though he couldn’t think of why that might be important.

He felt something warm touch him, only now realizing he felt cold. A vague moaning noise passed through his teeth as he attempted to curl into himself. His body ragdolled as somebody shook him, and a comfortingly familiar voice sounded nearby. If he wasn’t alone, then maybe it was okay to just take a short nap. His eyes felt so heavy.

When Nightmare eventually woke up again after being unconscious for a few days, he was met with a tired-looking Dream who leapt at him and began to sob. Both brothers were happy to be with each other and glad the other was okay, and Nightmare’s relief for his brother’s safety only grew when he was informed that the teacher who’d done this to him had been banished from the kingdom, as they’d been using a forbidden type of magic. He was never told what it was, but he had been fine with it since he’d thought that was the end of it. Sure, he’d been put through something scary, but he was fine now and at least him being there alone meant Dream was safe, even if Dream had been the one to find him under the influence of whatever had happened.

Things just couldn’t be that easy though. It didn’t take long for him and others to begin to notice something was strange with him. He could be fine for weeks before suddenly he’d feel as though in just a blink he’d go from one place to another with no memory of the time in between that was missing. It could range anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, but at some point, he even lost days to his strange affliction, and apparently nobody had been able to find him during that time.

The greatest healers from across the land were gathered to try and figure out what was wrong. They were meant to treat it. However, none of them could find anything wrong with the prince. He seemed perfectly healthy, which made the strange blackouts even odder.

One late night, he was sneaking about the castle just to try and work off some of the anxiety housed within him so he could sleep. By accident, he stumbled across some private court meeting that was made up of just his parents and a few select members who he knew had been informed about what his teacher had done to him. They spoke in hushed voices, as if scared that they’d be heard despite the fact that this meeting was so well hidden. Urgency and fear were thick in the air as he watched them, but there was also this resigned look about the room, as if they all knew something they didn’t want to admit. He’d been curious, but was willing to leave it at just something strange until he managed to catch his name in the quiet din. That made him pause and strain harder to listen. He didn’t catch much more before he had to scurry off before he was noticed, but it was enough to know that they’d been talking about him and his condition. The adults knew something, and they were hiding him from him. Surely they’d tell him if it was important though, right?

Late at night, a demon wandered a moonlight forest. Locals were scared of the supposedly enchanted woods, and he wanted to know why. It was to his pleased surprise that he came across moon blossoms dotting along a trail through the trees. Too curious about the strange discovery, he followed it.

A smile stretched across his face as his single eye flashed for a moment in delight. A twisted old castle lay abandoned in a hauntingly beautiful scene. Moon blossoms grew plentiful here, even climbing some of the more ruinous walls of the building. This place would be his. He would rule as a proper king over his lawless brethren. It was only fitting that a prince, quietly shunned and attacked by the world would take up the mantle of the demon king.

His laughter could be heard from beyond the forest, where the people tucked themselves further into their homes for the safety they hoped to find there. Little did they know that nowhere was safe from the demon king should he have a desire to go there.

[lanamemories2]

Startled by the sound of his door opening, Lana turned after making her last adjustments. She’d been hanging his birthday gift by his window, a prime spot for the breeze to stir if the latch was undone. Strung up on a homemade mobile, one she’d recruited the help of various minions to make, dangled twelve separate origami animals, each a different colour. All had a personalised message from one of Dom’s friends, if you spread the paper flat to read them.

Ducky’s said ‘cool guy :)’ and was folded into a bear. Navy white pinstripe. 

Philly’s only had a little goblin doodled on holding a fistful of socks. The paper was an expensive kind, white with mint and lilac glitter. Folded into a caterpillar. Lana liked this one because caterpillar’s have butterflies inside them and she feels the magic in Philly is sourly overlooked by the general population -- she’s the most likely person Lana knows to sprout wings and fly away.

Viktor’s was far too explicit with a recurring mention of cock. It could not be included in the gift.

Maggie’s was a wolf. Lana drew a little smiley face below the snout that wasn’t quite fitting, but it felt friendlier, that way, more Maggie -- paired with a dainty floral paper, too. It had a quote written on from Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “She rested her head against his and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self-affection. He made her like herself.” It finished with “love you, Maggie x”. 

Marlowe’s was a tiger. Flame orange, eye catching. On it, it said: ‘anyone who's put up with my shit for almost four years deserves a medal of some kind... like pinned to their lapel and personally engraved and everything. i got outbid on ebay so I don't have a fancy medal to give you...so instead i'll just say, you're a good guy dom evans! and I hope you have a fucking awesome birthday man. if anyone deserves only good things its you :)‘.

Rosa’s was folded into a monkey. Pink paper, in the end, because Rosa makes Lana think of love and blushing and sunsets. ‘dom i can't believe you're 23 today, you're an old man now!!! when i was just an embarrassing 12 year old and made those happy 15th bday shirts for you i was so obsessed with you because a small part of you thought you were an angel on earth and you'd come to protect me but it's nice to know now that we can protect each other. i'm still going to wear those 15th bday shirts for the rest of the week so everyone knows, i think your life is the most celebration worthy thing in existence. and if you want to know i am, in fact, hoping that i never marry so that by the time i'm 35 we can just run off together, preferably with franklin in tow, and have a worry free life, it's what you deserve. i love you forever dominic james evans!!!‘

Kasey’s was a fish in a pastel shade, sweet like a ripe peach. ‘Happy birthday Dom, you're the best of the best!!‘

Jude’s was a sloth. Deeper blue. Lana hassled him to write Dom one despite the fact they aren’t even particularly close. On it, he wrote: ‘Dunno you that well but you seem alright. Lana’s pacing as I write, clearly riled her up enough. Saw your ass in full view, high definition. Was decent. Good work soldier. Back to the trenches. Happy birth and shit.’.

Gunner’s was a dog. She did her best to capture the essence of a golden retriever with yellow paper, given that this was his family pet’s breed. Notably, she drew a very large dick onto the origami between it’s legs -- assuring Gunner Paxton’s legacy wasn’t overlooked. ‘in first year i had a hard time making friends and you saw me struggling in the caf when i sprained my wrist so you offered to help me cut up my food and i thought it was weird but it was the first time a stranger showed me care in such a specific way now i always feel cared for with you and it's nice so thanks for being you and happy bday‘.

Jack’s was a lion. Below the paper mane Lana wrote ‘NOT UGLY’ in small, block font, almost fashioned like a collar. The paper was faded black and white, referee striped -- tribute to his time coaching little league. Unfolded, it says: ‘dearest cousin Dominic, you are my favorite cousin even when you peed on me that one time at the beach because you said it would keep the jellyfish away. thank you for always throwing the football around with me and even being okay with it if i threw it too hard and it hit your nose and made it bleed and we had to tell my dad you tripped over a rock. happy birthday let’s get fucked! Love Your Best Friend, Jack Hall :P’.

Will’s was a shark, folded from paper slicked to look like an oil spill, gleaming in the light -- dark and technicolour, all at once. Lana drew sunglasses over the eyes. ‘sorry i tried to dye your hair purple that one time. you're kind of great even if statistically you shouldn't be since you're an RA. that's fucking bizarre of you, by the way. you seem to be one of those people that's genuinely good which is also fucking bizarre but i figure if anyone around here deserves a good year, it's you. happy fucking birthday don't die xoxo‘

Marla’s was a pigeon. Oxblood red. She wanted a vicious city-dwelling creature that feasted on the flesh of abandoned McDonald’s fries. ‘you are more worthy than a thousand plates of ikea meatballs. you can seize life by the balls. the meatballs. extended meatball metaphor. you are a leaf floating on an amber river. you are a cherry blossom caught in a ceiling fan. if auras existed yours would be INCREDIBLY fucking sexy. you will live a long life and father approximately 333.3 children.’

Noah’s was a sky blue dog with a doodled strand of wheat from it’s mouth. ‘hey man happy birthday :) not to get all sappy but im really grateful to know you. don't know if luck is real but if it is, hope this brings you some of the best of it there is’. A drawing of a little four leaf clover after the message.

There was a thirteenth string without anything attached and Lana almost took it as an omen of how unlucky it was, her opening up in this way, how much she’d come to see it as a curse. But she held it in her hands, anyway. A swan as white as the Betta fish she’d pointed out as him at the aquarium. Wishing star white. Whiter than an angel. The most Dom paper she could think to fold it from, when she woke up and realised she’d been dreaming about him. 

“Hey,” she breathed with a laugh, cat burglar caught with the ruby in gloved hands. By all practical accounts, she’d broken and entered. “Charmed my way in. Wanted to, um... Was meant to be a surprise, like, an in and out job, and... I told some other RA Gunner left his inhaler here and he went all crazed, like, Action Man, whipping out a master key. Totally Oscar worthy. Should probably... let him know Gunner isn’t dead, later, but. Wanted to give you your present. It’s, um... I mean, it’s everyone,” came as she sifted gently at Philly’s caterpillar, smile bubbling to the surface. “I got them all to write you stuff. It isn’t, like, crazy, or anything, but.” Lana wet her lips, excitement overflowing -- she couldn’t seem to smother her smile. “This... is mine.” That did it. It faded as her eyes dropped. She pinched the swan delicately in both hands, then, blood rushing in her ears -- it provided amusing contrast, the coy blush in her cheeks with the devil horns she’d slid into her hair, a costume nobody had asked for. “Kinda wrote it... a while ago. It’s -- I don’t know,” she second guessed, laughing again at how dumb she was sure she sounded. Gestures like this always scared her, when she really meant them, felt like far too much. “You can read it, if you wanna.” @domfm​

[seraph-novak]

Talk to Me

Summary ~ TJ confides in his mom about Cyrus (based on the recent texts where Cyrus talks about meeting TJ’s mom).

As always, all likes/comments/reblogs are very much appreciated. Thanks for reading! ♥

~~~~~

Coming home is like slipping into his own skin again. As soon as he steps through the front door, he’s greeted by a cloud of chicken-scented steam wafting from the kitchen, where his mom is busy dicing onions and humming to an old jazz song playing on the radio. Just the sight of her is enough to put him at ease; he can already feel his anxiety-riddled thoughts retreating to the back of his mind as he joins her at the kitchen counter, instinctively picking up a clean knife and starting to slice the carrots she’s laid out for him.

“You’re home late,” his mom muses, flicking him a brief, questioning smile. “Hanging out with friends again?”

TJ shrugs. He isn’t exactly sure where Kira falls on the friend spectrum, given the fact that all they really have in common is basketball, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s been hanging out with her a lot lately. That’s what Cyrus seems to think, anyway. Ever since their conversation in the park a few days ago, he hasn’t been able to shake off the feeling that something has changed between him and Cyrus, and just thinking about it is enough to give him a stomachache.   

“Alright,” his mom says, thankfully taking the hint. She tucks a strand of dirty-blonde hair behind her ear and passes him a bowl of potatoes to peel. “There was a boy here to see you, by the way. Didn’t give me his name though.”

All at once, TJ’s brain short-circuits, his fingers almost snagging on the peeler as he slams it down on the counter. His hands are shaking as he turns to his mom, a bright blush staining his cheeks. Just the mere possibility of Cyrus coming to his house to see him is enough to make him giddy with newfound hope for the future of their relationship.

“What did he look like?” he asks, not even trying to mask the eagerness in his voice.

His mom huffs a bemused laugh. “Um… Dark hair, dark eyes? A little on the awkward side, but in a sweet way.” She chuckles. “He accidentally told me to ‘get home safe’. Poor kid turned redder than a tomato.”     

TJ grins, absently rubbing the back of his neck as the scenes plays perfectly in his mind. “That definitely sounds like Cyrus,” he says dreamily.

“Wait a second!” His mom throws her hands in the air. “I didn’t realise I’d been talking to the famous Cyrus Goodman.”

“Mom…”

“How does he know where we live, pray tell?”

She’s got her hands on her hips, a knowing smirk playing on her lips as she waits for him to explain. It’s such a typical, motherly sight, and TJ can feel his chest flooding with warmth, despite the blush creeping up his neck. His mom is such a dork, and he loves her for it.

“He might’ve come over a couple times,” he mumbles.

“Might’ve, or has?”

“Has, okay?”

“And why wasn’t I made aware of this?”

“Because I didn’t want you to attack him with a bunch of weird, overly-personal questions?”

His mom gasps, feigning offense as she slaps a hand over her heart. “I would never!”

“Sure.” TJ rolls his eyes.

“And what is that supposed to mean, young man?”

“It means I know you. And I know that you love to wiggle your way into my friends’ lives and make it your personal mission to not let them get bored of me and ditch me, like everyone else does.”

At that, his mom winces slightly, her features softening with a thin layer of guilt. “Oh, baby… That’s not true.”

“No point pretending otherwise.”

“You have friends.”

“I have Cyrus.”

“Is that who you were hanging out with today?”

TJ grits his teeth, those anxiety-riddled thoughts burrowing their way back to the surface of his mind. If he could have it his way, he’d hang out with Cyrus every day for the rest of his life. But lately, there seems to be an invisible wedge between them, keeping them apart at all times. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think they’d had some kind of argument. But, other than the awkward mishap on costume day, which Cyrus has insisted he’s fine about, TJ can’t recall any recent bumps in their relationship.

“No,” he says, pointedly focussing on the potato in his hand. “That was Kira. She’s just some girl I met a few weeks ago.”

His mom pauses, her interest freshly perked. “A girl, huh?”

“Don’t even go there.”

“What? I was just –”

“It isn’t like that, okay? We’re just friends!” He tosses the peeler back into the bowl, tearing a hand through his hair with a grunt of frustration. “Why does everyone automatically assume we’re a couple or something? Like a guy and a girl can’t be friends without there being some weird, ulterior motive…”

“Woah, there,” his mom says, raising her hands in mock surrender. “Can I have my head back, please?”

TJ deflates. “Sorry.”

“Who else assumed you were a couple, anyway?”

“Cyrus.”

“Ah…”

“He keeps telling me he’s happy for me and stuff, like Kira and I are in a serious relationship or something.” He shudders. “It’s like he’s not hearing me when I tell him we’re just friends.”

His mom nods, her hands neatly folded on the counter. She’s regarding him with narrowed eyes, her lips slightly pursed, and TJ can tell she’s about to say something deep and profound. His mom always gets this strange, faraway look on her face whenever they’re about to have a ‘big talk’.  

“Why do you not want Cyrus to think you’re a couple so badly?” she asks, sounding genuinely intrigued.

TJ shrugs impatiently. “Because we’re not?”

“Is that really the only reason?”

“I dunno…”

“C’mon, baby. Don’t think I can’t read you like a book.”

It’s the look in her eyes that finally breaks him, the gentle, imploring look that’s begging him to open up and be honest with her. No one can chip away at his walls like his mom can. Not even Cyrus, and that’s saying something.

“Everything’s so confusing,” he says, relenting with a sigh. He pushes the bowl of potatoes away and turns to face his mom, letting her know he’s about to dive into some pretty big stuff. “Ever since I started hanging out with Kira, things with Cyrus have been… off. At first I thought it had something to do with the bad blood between Kira and Buffy – that’s Cyrus’ best friend – but now I’m thinking maybe it’s something different.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, the stuff with Buffy and Kira happened a while ago. And Cyrus isn’t the kind to hold a grudge.” He presses his lips together, recalling the sight of Cyrus walking away from him and Kira without so much as a second glance. “But if there’s something going on, why would he come to my house?”

His mom lifts a shoulder. “Maybe he wanted to hang out, just the two of you?”

“But I text him to meet me in the park the other day, and he completely ignored me! How am I supposed to keep up with all these mixed signals?”

“Were you alone in the park?”

“I –” He freezes, an image of him and Kira laughing on the swings flashing before his eyes. For some reason, it makes him feel dirty, like he’d somehow cheated on Cyrus by going on the swings with anyone but him. “I was with Kira.”

His mom tilts her head forward, shooting him a withering look. “Well, there you go.”

“But… I don’t understand what he has against her?”

“Have you considered the possibility that he might be a little bit jealous?”

TJ wrinkles his nose, practically giving his mom a double take. “Why would Cyrus be jealous of Kira? He’s my best friend. She’s just some girl I hang out with sometimes. They don’t even compare!” He huffs, feeling his frustration quickly rising. “He has absolutely nothing to be jealous of.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know that?”

“What? How could he not know that?” He scoffs, his thoughts turning cloudy with confusion. He’s stuck on the insane idea that Cyrus possibly doesn’t understand how important he is to him, or how he cares about him more than anyone (besides his mom, of course) on the entire planet. “Cyrus is… I mean, he’s… God, mom, he’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met! He’s kind and funny and a total nerd and –” He cuts himself off, a furious blush burning his cheeks as he realises what he’s saying. Out loud. To his mom.

“He’s my best friend,” he concludes quietly, turning away from his mom’s penetrating smile.

A moment of silence passes, the ghost of his words still fluttering in the air. TJ deliberately clears his throat and goes back to peeling potatoes. He can feel his mom’s eyes on the side of his face, quietly studying his profile with that wise, all-knowing expression she wears sometimes, usually when she’s sussing him out. She really was right about the whole ‘reading him like a book’ thing; he’s never been able to keep stuff from her for too long.

“He sounds like a very good friend,” she says eventually, her words incredibly soft.

TJ exhales a long, shaky breath, letting a potato roll out of his hand as he slumps against the counter. “Yeah, he is,” he whispers numbly. It feels like a confession. “He’s the best.”

“Have you ever told him that?”

“Huh?”

“Have you ever told him how you feel?” At his responding flinch, she rewords the question. “Have you ever told him how important he is to you?”

TJ stares down at his hands, absently picking at a loose piece of skin on the pad of his thumb. He must’ve caught it on the peeler after all. He squeezes it until it stings, watching a bead of blood roll down his wrist, then drops his forehead against his arm. When did his life become so messy? He doesn’t feel equipped to deal with all of these perplexing emotions.

“I thought he already knew,” he says, lifting his head to meet his mom’s eyes. “How could he not?”

His mom reaches across the counter and grabs both of his hands in her own. Her messy ponytail is spraying wisps of straw-coloured hair all over her face, clinging to the corners of her mouth and falling across her ocean-green eyes. When it comes to his looks, TJ takes after his mom in every regard. From their soft colours, to their gangly limbs, to their lightly-freckled skin; there isn’t a speck of his absent father to be seen in him, and TJ wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Maybe he needs a little persuasion,” his mom suggests, giving his hands a quick squeeze. “It wouldn’t hurt to put your feelings into words, would it? Let him know how special he is to you.”

TJ swallows roughly. “Mom, I…”

“It’s okay, baby.”

“I’m scared.”

“Of course you are.”

“I feel stupid,” he says, laughing wetly as he wipes an arm across his eyes. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing,” his mom says, not an ounce of reluctance in her words. She sounds exactly like Cyrus, which makes his heart clench with longing. “There is nothing wrong with you, do you hear me?”

He nods. “Yeah, mom. I hear you.”

“Good.”

“There’s stuff I wanna tell you, I just…” He trails off, his stomach doing that weird drop-in-the-elevator thing as he stares down at their joined hands. He knows his mom will love and support him no matter what, but now doesn’t feel like the right time for that particular conversation just yet. Maybe he needs to figure things out for himself first.

“Hey.” His mom taps the bottom of his chin, motioning for him to look back up at her. As soon as their eyes meet, he relaxes. “I know, baby. And when you’re ready, you can tell me all about it.”

TJ smiles. “Thanks, mom.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“But, what about Cyrus? How do I fix things?”

“You want my honest opinion?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow. “Talk to him. It may seem amateur, but that’s what you’ve gotta do. Talk to him, and tell him the truth. As much as you’re willing to give, at least.”

TJ considers this for a moment, mulling the possible outcomes over in his head. On the one hand, Cyrus could turn him down. He’d be undoubtedly nice about it; things would be awkward for a few weeks, then TJ would slowly start to move on, and they could go back to being friends again. Things could certainly be worse. But on the other hand…

“I don’t wanna lose him,” he says, giving his mom’s hands a desperate squeeze as a wave of raw panic washes over him. “I can’t, mom.”

“You won’t,” she tells him, sounding unshakeably sure of the fact.

“How do you know?”

“You care about each other. That much is clear. And as long as you stop running from those feelings, and start being open with each other, that’s never gonna change.” She leans forward and pinches the bridge of his nose, just like she always used to do when he was little. “Now… Go call him.”

TJ hesitates. “But, the cooking –”

“I’m giving you the night off.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” She shakes her head fondly, her hands returned to their usual position on her hips. When she reaches up to kiss his cheek, TJ remembers how much taller he is than her now, and his heart pinches with a sad kind of nostalgia. It’s been just him and her for so long, but now things are slowly starting to change… And here she is, telling him it’s okay. Always putting him first.

“I love you, mom,” he says, not even caring how lame he sounds.

His mom beams up at him with wide, glistening eyes. “I love you too, baby. Now go make that damn call.”

TJ grins. “Okay.”

He’s halfway up the stairs when he hears the radio being turned up again, more of that tinny jazz music drifting down the hallway, carrying the soft hum of his mom’s voice all the way to his bedroom. Even when he’s sitting on his bed, his thumb hovering over Cyrus’ number on his phone, he can hear the staticky sound of Frank Sinatra gushing about the stars. He takes a deep breath, grounded by the sounds of normalcy slipping beneath his bedroom door, and makes the call.  

Cyrus answers on the first ring.  

The End.

[chubbyooo]

Blurred Lines: Cursed Past Chapter 44 - Dress Sense

so the spinoff is finished and as a result we’re back to the main story and headin back to Gacen and Ash 

Gacen and Ash do a favour for Amy and talk about their situation

Ash was confused Gacen had said they were going shopping but as far as she could tell they were still floating in space, he’d been gone for a few hours normally she would go find him but she wasn’t looking forward to the gala so didn’t mind if he was distracted. She no longer had her military ranking so couldn’t use being a soldier as an excuse to not dress up, she didn’t know the first thing about it and didn’t really want to. But it was necessary to fit in especially considering Amy’s mission, Ash thought back to the galas the republic used to throw hopefully this gala wouldn’t be as interrupted. The gala was being thrown on some rich persons planet called Cantonica no doubt the target was some bigwig executive or business man. 

From outside the door she heard some shuffling “Ok Ash are you ready” Ash frowned did he already have his outfit. “I SAID are you ready?” 

Ash walked up to the door turning on the lock “sure I’m ready” promptly she heard a wumph as Gacen crashed into the closed door

Ash couldn’t help but grin “oh very funny Ash come on open the door” Ash chuckled to herself unlocking the door.

A few seconds later Gacen came prancing through the door, he was wearing a ridiculous red suit with tailcoats and a black and red top hat. He twirled into an elegant pose “soooo what do you think” Ash frowned at him trying to stifle laughter

Ash raised her eyebrow “I think you look like a nexu tamer” Gacen scrunched up his face “is that seriously your outfit?” he glowered at her nodding

Gacen brought a box into the room “I guess not everyone has my impeccable taste” he put the box down

Ash frowned “what’s this” she had a hunch she knew but was hoping it wasn’t that

Gacen gave a devious smile as he lifted the lid “it’s dresses of course this is what I meant when I said shopping” Ash peered into the box which was full of dresses

Ash chuckled “dare I even ask why you have this” there was certainly a wide array of options to choose from

Gacen laughed “ah well that’s a good story me and Risha took a job to smuggle these to some crime family but oh no we ‘lost the shipment’” Ash sighed of course “needless to say Risha liked a lot of the dresses so we created a clever lie and I won many boyfriend points it was a win win” Risha certainly seemed eccentric 

Ash rubbed her forehead “and I have to wear one of these?” Gacen frowned he seemed at least sympathetic

“well not if you really don’t want to but it’d help you fit in, it’s just those Risha didn’t take so the selection isn’t perfect” Ash appreciated his concern but he was right she’d stick out like a sore thumb without it and their job was to blend in

Ash looked away “I uh I’ve just never done this sort of thing before I don’t wanna embarrass myself” Gacen chuckled 

he gestured to himself “Ash first of all you really have nothing to be embarrassed about but also you’re gonna be next to this I don’t think anyone will think you’re the one embarrassing yourself” Ash chuckled that was fair

Ash smiled “yes I was wondering where Gacen went Marching band conductor do you know?” Gacen chuckled good he did know how ridiculous he looked

Gacen began rooting around in the box “okeeey let’s see what would you look good in ooo what about” he pulled out a big poofy pink dress and raised an eyebrow “this?” 

Ash glowered at him “I’d sooner see you in that than me” Gacen grinned

he looked at the dress “I bet I could pull it off” he began rooting around again “ok that was my one joke serious now how do you feel about golds and silvers?” Ash sighed in no universe did she want to sparkle

Ash rubbed her forehead “no part of me wants to shimmer Gacen” Gacen nodded continuing to root around

Gacen turned to look at her “uh short or long?” Ash eyes widened why did she have to choose she didn’t wanna look exposed

Ash blushed “uh I guess long” Gacen nodded rooting around a little more before he stopped 

Gacen nodded “here we are” he pulled out an elegant white dress that went over one shoulder “I think you would look amazing in white” Ash looked at the dress it didn’t look awful

Ash held her arm “uh I dunno Gacen are you sure” Gacen frowned at her he seemed to be losing patience

Gacen brought the dress over “ok it’s this or the pink one take your pick” Ash’s eyes widened, she quickly took the dress and headed to change fine she would wear it.

She held it up in front of her it didn’t look so bad to be honest Gacen was definitely right about the colour. It looked a little small though she chuckled it’s probably not built for athletic people still it seemed better than the other options. She put the dress on and looked in the mirror she felt very awkward but she looked ok not awful and to be honest that’s all she needed. It was a little tight but still fitted the only real problem was the bottom of her legs sticking out but still could be worse. 

She put her jacket back on and walked back out to Gacen, she walked in and he gave a clap beaming at her.

Gacen grinned “told ya it wouldn’t be so bad you look awesome, girls better watch out Ash you’d knock em dead” Ash folded her arms she appreciated him being nice but still felt weird

Ash looked away “well uh thanks but let’s just get this over with” Gacen nodded gesturing for her to take his arm, Ash gave him a long glare so Gacen relinquished the gesture.

later...

They arrived outside the event in good time Ash looked at the other guests, a lot of their outfits were either a lot less ‘elegant’ seeming kind of low budget or way too elegant with frills and side bits she’d never understand this culture. She could see Amy waiting near the entrance wearing a red jumpsuit dress and waved as they walked over.

Amy smiled “well well well you two certainly made an effort it’s nice to see you looking so pretty Ash” Ash felt herself blush as Amy turned to Gacen “and I wasn’t aware you knew the leader of the local carnival” Gacen sighed

he folded his arms “you guys are just jealous of how good I look” Ash had to admit Gacen certainly fit in wether or not that was a good or bad thing was yet to be seen.

Amy raised her eyebrow “uh huh” Ash couldn’t help but chuckle “as I told you just blend in and if anyone asks I’m uh on the can” they both nodded at least this wasn’t complicated. 

They made their way into the event and Amy quickly broke off from them to do her ‘business’. Ash turned to Gacen “So what now failed magician we just wait around” Gacen seemed to brush off the comment

Gacen smiled “well I know where I’m going I’m heading to the buffet table galas always have them” Ash followed him to the buffet table and was suddenly hit with a huge wave of deja vu looking down at Gacen filling his plate had she done this before?

Ash chuckled “woah Gacen I’m getting crazy deja vu right now” Gacen smiled at her seemingly understanding what she meant

Gacen chuckled “well this is like the mirror image of when we first met” Ash’s eyes widened it totally was “I remember you thought I was an ass and that the smuggler program was a waste of time” Ash frowned that did sound right

Ash folded her arms “and you thought I was an uptight soldier yeah I remember” Gacen chuckled as he began to eat

Gacen frowned “then cipher nine totally crashed the party the prick” Ash chuckled that was certainly correct “over 7 years later and we’re doing the same, well with a few differences” Gacen seemed to sway slightly as he talked

Ash smiled “yeah more things change more they stay the same right?” Gacen nodded “what did change though I used to hate you” Gacen raised his eyebrow

“same as most people Ash I badgered you until you opened up to me and ya know broke you out of that uptight soldier shell” Ash nodded that seemed accurate she had to admit having a good laugh was useful and the old her wasn’t the sort of person she wanted to be again.

Ash surveyed the room “I guess you’re right” she turned to Gacen who was taking a swig of alcohol “ya know I heard Darth Nox was part of the team that crashed that party” Gacen spat out the alcohol coughing for a few seconds

he tried his best to compose himself “oh yeah? that’s interesting” Ash frowned maybe she shouldn’t have pushed that she had said she’d wait until they found Risha Ash just wanted to be sure.

That spit take was pretty much proof “um yeah just interesting it was so high profile, you ok there Gacen?” Gacen continued to cough for a couple more seconds

Gacen hit his chest “yeah I’m good just some booze went down the wrong pipe don’t uh worry” he took a few deep breaths “uh um you know that gala was my first date with Risha” Ash wracked her brain she did remember seeing Gacen with a woman that day clearly she hadn’t committed it to memory properly through.

Ash smiled “huh no kidding” Gacen nodded eating more of his giant plate “how are you feeling about uh all this then?” Gacen frowned 

“I uh I’m feeling ok about it I’m not so confident in the uh leads but it’s like you said it’s better to get it done and know than worry about it any more” Ash nodded this must be tough especially considering his dependancy but she was glad he wanted closure.

Ash hesitated “and uh how’s the well booze situation” Gacen sighed looking at Ash seriously

“well it’s a little better but it’s not something that’s gonna be ‘fixed’ I’ve always drank in moderation but normally I had something to hold me back but after Belsavis I well I didn’t that’s I think why things got so bad” Ash nodded she understood somewhat but it did genuinely seem like she was getting her friend back so who was she to judge his methods “shit the only thing that stopped me from drinking myself to death was the threat of you leaving, I uh really couldn’t lose anything else so thanks for setting me on the right path” Ash smiled she was glad her meddling hadn’t been too destructive “but I dunno maybe if we find Risha things will get better who’s to say” Gacen smiled Ash didn’t want to push him anymore and it seemed like her trust was somewhat working, the distraction of the Risha mystery also helped. Gacen grinned “but for now I have seafood tray with my name on and I want me some king prawns” Ash chuckled she felt she could go for seafood too. 

As they made their way over Ash saw Amy shuffle over to them quickly “Ok guys did anyone ask about me?” Ash completely forgot about that luckily no one had asked.

Gacen slapped his forehead “oh yeah that’s what we were here for” Amy frowned at him

she sighed “great thanks guys” Amy looked around frantically “well on my cue we’re leaving” Gacen gasped looking upset

“but I was about to get some seafood” Amy gave him a puzzled look “fine what’s the signal” Ash saw Gacen begin putting seafood into a bag of course he brought a bag.

suddenly the lights all dimmed and flickered off Ash heard from the darkness “THAT” from Amy as she felt her grab Ash’s hand. They quickly dashed out of the gala, Ash wasn’t gonna even ask how a power cut helped her kill her target bounty hunters always had their methods.

Soon they were at the spaceport as Amy caught her breath “awesome that went off without a hitch thanks guys” Gacen smiled 

He picked some seafood out of his bag “hey we got free food out of it not too bad if you ask me we should do this more often” they both chuckled while Ash folded her arms

Amy smiled “it’s certainly been fun thanks eccentric clown and Ash you were great too” Ash nodded Amy was certainly something but she somehow hoped it’d be a while until they met again. “alright see ya” Amy headed off leaving Ash and Gacen in the spaceport

Gacen turned to Ash “sooo back to the hunt for my wife” Ash nodded she hoped that’d somehow be less weird than this

Ash smiled “sure thing” Gacen began eating more seafood “did you have to bring a bag?” Gacen chuckled as he stuffed his face

he grinned “would it really have been like me if I didn’t” he had a point not a good one but a point...

[maxamillionbillion]

I took this down to edit it, but here it is again, slightly improved!

Burnt Popcorn (Ash/Larry)

The microwave beeped, loud and shrill, announcing that the popcorn was done. Ash marched into the kitchen from the living room already scolding them, “Guys you’re supposed to watch the popcorn. If you just let it go the whole time it’ll get burned!”

“So why is there a ‘popcorn’ button, then?”, Sal asked in genuine confusion.

“Dude, chill. There’s like a ton more in the pantry, and it doesn’t even smell like we burned it”, Larry pointed out.

“Oh, wanna bet?”

Ash smiled slyly and pulled open the microwave door. Just like she knew it would, the smell of burnt popcorn and sticky butter filled the kitchen. She laughed a triumphant huff at Larry, who turned a little red the way he always does when she proved him wrong.

“That actually smells pretty rank”, Sal said unfolding his legs and shifting to sit up straight in his chair.

“Maybe, I should take care of the snacks and you guys can finish setting up in there.”

“Yeah, better do that before we set off the fire alarms. C’mon Sal, it’s your turn to pick the movie anyways.”

Ash turned back to the microwave as they left the kitchen. The bag was soaked through with Extra-Ultra-Mega-Movie-ButterTM and black in places where it started to burn. She took note of the colours, tans and browns, yellows and blacks, and even the places where it was still white. 'Why is there a popcorn button', she thought as she tossed the bag into the trashcan.

Settling onto the middle section of couch between her friends, Ash passed a bag of expertly popped popcorn to each of them and turned her attention to the movie. The opening credits were already scrolling by as the camera panned over black and white graveyard. She knew immediately Larry had overridden Sal's movie choice in favour of an old horror flick. It was Night of The Living Dead for the millionth time. Of course, Sal was sick of it too. Not that it wasn’t good, but Larry had got it on VHS for his last birthday and if someone didn’t pick something fast enough, he’d already have it in the VCR before anyone could object. This was the fourth screening this month.

Somewhere around the scene with the little girl killing her mother in the basement, Ash noticed that Sal and Larry had sunk off the couch and into the floor. Sal was balled up, knees to chest and leaning into Larry… It was like that a lot lately. Larry and Sal had gotten close so fast, and somehow she always found herself behind them. It wasn’t ever just her and Larry anymore and sometimes it felt like it was just Larry and Sal and she was just around. She sighed quietly and tried to just let it go. It wasn’t fair to blame Larry for having other friends… Attempting to put the whole idea out of her head, she looked back to the movie, analyzing it with an artist’s eye. She tried to look for meaning in camera angles instead of imagining it in seating arrangements.

The end credits finally rolled across the screen and Larry shifted, gently substituting a pillow for his presence underneath Sal, who was out cold. He crawled over to the TV and hit the button, shutting it off. They were in almost total darkness, except for the glow of the digital clock on the VCR. Larry stood, and reached for Ash, clumsy taking her hand in the soft green light.

“C'mon”, he whispered. Larry pulled her off the couch and she followed him to his room. Once they were through the door he flipped on the lights.

“I guess Sal is already toast, but it feels like a waste to not at least stay up as late as we can”, as he spoke, he rummaged through the drawer under the little TV in his room.

“Most definitely”, she agreed, secretly glad for the one on one time with her best friend.

Larry found whatever he was looking for and moved towards the grey door at the back of the room and Ash fell in step behind him. They usually snuck out back to the tree house after Lisa had fallen asleep to stay up extra late without worrying about being loud. Larry pushed open the big metal door and the sticky summer air hit them like a wall. Crickets faltered mid chirp as Larry and Ash stepped out into night.

Instead of heading for the treehouse, Larry stopped abruptly as soon as the were on the small concrete walkway that wrapped along the back of the building. Ash all but walked into him as he turned back to face her. She watched him pull something out of his pocket, but didn’t realize what it was until the lighter clicked and lit up his face. He was lighting a cigarette.

“You smoke now”, it was more statement than question and tinged with judgement.

“My dad used to sneak out here and smoke every once in a while… I found his lighter in his stuff.”

“Oh”, she suddenly felt bad about her tone before.

“Do you… uh. Do you want one?”

“No, thanks”, she declined gently ,” I’d be too nervous that somehow my parents would just know, y’know?”

They both laughed a little awkwardly. Had it really been so long since it was just them? So long that she didn’t know if she was supposed to fill the silence, or just let it be?

“I can’t believe it’s the last weekend before high school”, Larry exhaled his words with smoke, filling the gap with small talk before she had to.

“Tomorrow’s the last day. Then we go from being the big kids to the underlings again…”

“I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Oh c’mon! You have a year on me and Sal. You can’t be nervous!”

“I’m not. I just feel like… maybe I wasted this summer. I dunno.”

“I know what you mean. I felt like…”

“Like what?”

“Like this weekend was supposed to be special, and then… it wasn’t.”

“Special how”, Larry asked through smoke again.

“I just… I dunno,” Ash stalled, but then the truth came tumbling out of her mouth like an avalanche of words, “ it’s like… The very last movie night before school, before high school, and it was just, always our thing, and I’m not saying I’m mad or jealous, but it’s our thing and now Sal is always around so now it isn’t our thing and we didn’t even watch anything weird, and we didn’t do anything special”, she trailed off but before Larry could respond she continued, “ I just feel like there was supposed to be so much more to this. So much more to happen, something more to change! It feels like something huge is changing Monday, but nothing happened at all!?”

They were silent for a minute and Larry finished his cigarette. Then they were silent a minute more. Finally Larry broke the silence.

“It’s… still our thing, y’know… and sure, Sal is there sometimes, but it’s still ours. “

“I know, it’s just…”, she let the words hang in the air not sure how to finish.

“Just what?”

“It’s just…”, but she still couldn’t put it into solid words. She looked at Larry dead on, under the harsh moon light. Cigarette smell still lingered, and the little nub of filter was still between his fingers. The bugs still chirped quietly. 'Now or never', she thought and before Larry could push her to finish her sentence, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. Her first kiss.

His lips were soft, but he tasted like ash and popcorn butter. Whatever first kisses were supposed to be, she was pretty sure they weren’t burnt popcorn and best friends. She pulled back just about as fast as she had gone for it. Larry just looked back at her, and watched as she turned as red as he had ever seen her. Again, before he could speak, she explained in another flurry of words:

“Maple told me that she kissed Chug last weekend, and y’know, they’ve been best friends for ever and we’ve been best friends for ever and now Maple and him are dating, so now she has a boyfriend already and I know it’s silly, and I just felt like something was supposed to happen, so I just wondered… “

“And?”, Larry pressed.

“And I think we are just best friends forever”, she replied gently, but not totally sure she hadn’t just over thought herself into a mistake.

“We are always best friends forever”, Larry confirmed, pulling another cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, and took a drag, taking Ash's hand with his free one, “we promised, remember?”

“Mhmm”, she agreed, all doubts and jealousies melting away at Larry’s sincerity.

He gently squeezed her hand twice before letting go, and Ash moved the conversation along as he smoked. She talked to him about how she was worried that him and Sal and Todd would all have different classes, and about how she had gotten into the advanced art class.

He decided it was best not tell her he would’ve kissed her back if she’d just lingered a little longer or how bad it stung to hear that they were still just best friends.

[thylacritical]

This chapter was ridiculously long compared to previous ones, so the read is gonna be long too OTL

Beginning of the chapter and already hitting a bump. The Kanheri Caves are real, so good on you for including a real place I guess. But, why change the name then and act like there’s only one? More on this later.

The super important Seal that the villain wants and is the literal reason for the tiger’s curse... yeah they just leave it on her bedside. No need to protect it or anything. It’s more important for our heroine to make googoo eyes at how pretty it is.

This is probably just me but lowkey this feels like part of her “not like other girls” shtick. Dunno how to explain.

W h y  d o e s  s h e  l i k e  l i s t s  s o  m u c h

fingered anyway who does this

Popular belief? I’ve never heard anyone say Shoushan stone is jade or genuinely believed that they were Phoenix eggs. Also, it’s called Shoushan stone after the specific type of carving done in the Shoushan village, that’s not the name of that type of stone... and “Shoushans”?? Ugh.

We get it, you’re eating mango

I feel like this sums up one of Houck’s major writing issues. “The drive was uneventful” *proceeds to describe said drive anyway*

So first of all, she prefaces the dialogue with a synopsis, which is totally unnecessary. You really don’t need to say “I started talking about my parents” and then talk about your parents. The bit about her mum is alright but following that... what? How the hell is this dialogue? It sounds like an 8 year-old’s answer to a “Tell Us About Yourself!” activity in school - except this is even worse because she supposedly said this aloud. I could even suspend my disbelief if this was some speech she wrote and say, okay, maybe she’s just not great at writing, but no. She speaks like this in a fucking conversation.

Also, note this. Note how she spends half a page talking about generic shit like how she liked to read and that she ate pancakes on holiday, but then Houck skips over what could have been a meaningful and emotional reflection on her parents death and synopsises that to just “I felt alone when it happened”. Even the more personal parts of this were already mentioned earlier (the chocolate chip cookies) and integrated better into the text (though not much better).

Jesus, she’s having better luck seeing animals in a wildlife reserve than I do at the zoo. I could maybe understand if this was some ~untouched piece of nature~ or something where the animals have never seen humans and don’t fear them but... she explicitly mentions tourists later on? Do they just appear all over the place in plain view because she’s Special (TM)? Was the author trying to show off her knowledge bc wow porcupines! Monitor lizards! Spotted rhesus monkeys! See, I know what lives there! I do my research! It’d be funny if that was the case, considering she included rabbits, animals which aren’t even found in India. Maybe she thought they were the same thing as hares, which are found there  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Another thing: I’ve brought this up before but I’ll say it again... why does she know all this? I’m a biology student who lives in fucking Malaysia where teak is native, and yet I couldn’t ID a teak tree. This girl is from Oregon and has never mentioned an interest in nature before meeting Ren, yet she can tell what a teak tree looks like and finds spotted rhesus monkeys of all things familiar? The only time she showed glimpses of interest was back in I think Chapter 3

Soo she watched late night Nature Channel and read a couple of National Geographics. Which I’m betting she never even paid much attention to in the first place since she doesn’t know white tigers are a colour morph, not a species

and can’t even identify a male tiger

even though she’s seen him up close (not to mention jumping around) and I’m pretty damn sure he would not have been neutered, or he’d be a sad prince indeed.

A+ description

Can we talk about this nickname for a second? There’s a lot about Ren that doesn’t make sense, like the fact that he knew about modern fashion trends and doesn’t speak in an archaic way, but this stuck out to me particularly. I think it’s because even if he wasn’t centuries-old, I just can’t imagine someone who didn’t grow up in America (or maaybe the UK?) shortening someone’s name like this.

Buddhism originated in India you absolute clown. Also Buddhist and Indian aren’t mutually exclusive identities? I mean “Isn’t it strange that we’re looking for an American prophecy in a Christian settlement?” sounds dumb as hell lmao

1) Going back to the fact that Houck clearly looked up the Kanheri Caves and just changed the name... literally the wikipedia page tells you what goddamn languages were inscribed on the stone. Did she just stop at the name? Why use a real place when you can’t go beyond step 1 of the research? Why does she only say stuff like “Indian currency” and “Indian writing” when they have names, not to mention there’s so many different Indian languages smh

2) Hieroglyphics? Hieroglyphics? Bye. 

Sulfur doesn’t smell. Sulfur compounds tend to smell almost sweet or of rotten eggs. Acrid or bitter would be better used for the smell of burning.

Girl who cannot tell the obvious difference between a male and female tiger: ah yes... the exoskeleton.... mandibles

cOnVuLsIOns

She said these like, a few sentences apart. We know you were lucky! You don’t have to tell us 3 times!!

How does one manage to make the prospect of drowning sound so boring? The whole chapter is like this btw, since this is their first real “adventure”. I wish I could put it all up because it’s truly a feat to make booby traps, poisonous spikes and giant bugs such a slog to read about that it’s taken me two days to just read this single chapter.

Idk about you but if I was actively drowning, I don’t think I’d be this introspective (even though she wonders what it would feel like to drown here, just before this passage she mentions not having any more air so yes she is in fact already in the process). I would imagine repeatedly just thinking “I can’t breathe, I have to get out, I need help”.. oh wait, I don’t need to imagine because I’ve almost drowned! The panic cancels out this kind of thought because self-preservation takes over. My incident was far more sudden than hers, I’ll grant her that - I stepped onto a pool cover (I hadn’t come across one before) and went straight under, then got tangled in the plastic, so I was totally disorientated and thinking “what just happened? I’m stuck I can’t breathe help”. But still! The room wasn’t filling so slowly that she could just stand around and pontificate. Let alone be concerned that SOMEONE ELSE who she met DAYS AGO would feel guilty about HER death.

She almost died and yet while she’s still coughing water out of her lungs, she’s fucking laughing about the fact that a wet cat looks like a wet cat.

Collapsed lungs???

Are you sure about that?

Considering the entrance to the cave literally shut and she was afraid they’d be trapped for a while... she’s got her priorities straight!

Why is she suddenly all sarcastic and making shitty “jokes”? They just narrowly escaped drowning and now she’s sassing Ren at every turn when she never acted that way before? I know some people cope with jokes but she’s just... not given any impression that she does before now. And this is really terrifying, out of the ordinary stuff! You’d think she IS an Indiana Jones-type and just waltzes into trapped caves every day with how blase she is about the whole situation.

Not to mention the fact that seeing a tiger turn into a man doesn’t make her question her sanity out loud, but seeing a real-life phenomenon like a sinkhole opening up does. Okay. 

“I just hope you don’t plan including me” she says, as if she can just sit tight on the other side of the chasm and die in the cave while he escapes.

What kind of dumbass plan is this? If he can clear the gap easily as a tiger, why not just have Kelsey ride him? He never tried clearing the gap halfway as a tiger and halfway as a dude, so he has no idea how well that’ll go. This just seems unnecessarily complicated and dangerous. And I know people tend not to think well under pressure but... surely riding is the obvious and less complex answer?

35 words and not a single comma or dash or ANYTHING to break the sentence up. And this is supposed to be fast-paced and exciting.

Low-key I find this kind of skeevy. If this was banter between an already established couple, fine, but she’s known him for like a day? Maybe two days tops? I don’t like it man. Actually... holy shit could this be why he wanted to change into a man halfway across the jump? As an excuse to hold her? Yikes.

1) Damn Kelsey! Back at it again with the complaining!

2) You’re not allowed to be happy when you avoid dying? Okay.

3) What teenage talks or thinks like this? “I could practically hear him chanting to himself I’m a man”” what?? And what’s this “all men from every century are the same” comment about? Ah yes, the annoying trait that all men just have to have, being glad that they didn’t die.

A mini lightning storm was occurring between my hand and the stone. Occurring. Yknow this is inspiring me to make a bonus section.

“We get it, you own a Thesaurus”:

*collapses*

[cavaliant]

Time to actually articulate my issues with the Fandom FE wiki’s Reinhardt page ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ This is like...obviously coloured by my own interpretation of the game so pls don’t kill me lmao. All bolding is mine.

(Also, disclaimer: since I don’t feel like deciphering the original script rn, this is based off Serenes, as well as this LP, with all the possible lost-in-translation things they may entail.)

“A paragon of professionalism and honor among Friege's knights, Reinhardt is an honorable leader who understands the horrors of war.”

Does he understand the horrors of ripping countless children away from their families to sacrifice to a dark god tho??? Like. It’s entirely possible that he was helping Ishtar free the children in secret since he was so close to her. But it’s also possible he was in the dark and/or turning a blind eye. We don’t know because it’s never confirmed either way onscreen; all we DO know is that when Olwen brings up the child hunts being deplorable all he does is say he doesn’t want to lose his only sister. He doesn’t endorse them, but he doesn’t condemn them in that convo either. It’s even lampshaded ingame:

Regardless of whether he endorses it or not, he isn’t really...confirmed to be doing much about it onscreen either, unlike other characters from Friege such as Ishtar, Olwen, Fred, Amalda, etc. So...not really sure on that honour bit for now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-----

“He holds immense respect and love for his sister Olwen, with his own doubt only serving to improve his impression of her despite her siding with the enemy, with him observing that she has chosen the path of good.”

OH YEAH SURE giving her a sword to kill you with and basically encouraging your YOUNGER SISTER to murder you (he doesn’t even fight back) but ALSO not bothering to tell anyone else on his side to like you know...maybe look out for his little sis out there...maybe like...don’t kill her...totally fine...much love, very respect, wow.

-----

“In spite of his common sense, Reinhardt, similarly to Camus, loves his motherland to the point where he will disregard what he may believe is the right path, in favor of continuing to serve his friend Ishtar, and his motherland of Friege, until his dying breath.”

1) What common sense. I dunno man he seemed pretty desperate to get his sister back to the side of the motherland despite his “common sense” telling him it ain’t right.

2) It’s possible to say he’s too loyal to Friege to join you but he never really...gives much indication that he’s doing this for his country specifically. I know it may be a product of not getting the time to give a massive speech about his undying love for his country or something but from the way he talks I always got the impression he was doing it more for Ishtar (who happens to be part of Friege) and, after she sends him away, because he didn’t know what to do next. 

Like if Ishtar defected from Friege, I’m 100% certain Reinhardt would have defected too instead of telling his sister to murder him (which isn’t at ALL helpful to his supposed goals of serving Ishtar and/or respecting his sis).

-----

“He even regrets fighting against Leif's army, requesting forgiveness when he enters combat against them.”

When you fight Reinhardt in Chapter 22 he says, “This was meant to be… Forgive me…”. His sword version in FEH also states, "Leif is the enemy. However, being here—another place, another time—may allow me to tread another path."

Since the quote from the wiki focuses on his Thracia lines, I’ll focus on those as well. It’s possible for his request for forgiveness to be made out of genuine regret. However...going “sorry please forgive me” and then killing people doesn’t!!! Excuse you!!! From what you did!!! Does he do anything afterwards to make up for it? No!!! Beyond the sword he gives to Olwen, he doesn’t do shit about his “fate” of fighting his sister and the Liberation Army.

Maybe he really felt sorry and caught between a rock and a hard place! But at the same time, it also seems like he’s dodging responsibility for his actions. “Meant to be”, my ass. Was it just the “whims of fate” that led him here? No! Ishtar made her choices, and Olwen did the same. And he chooses to remain as he is, unwilling to betray Ishtar but unwilling to stain his own hands with his sister’s blood (though he’s certainly willing to kill her comrades, guess it was just meant to be!).

-----

“He holds immense respect for Ishtar (out of appreciation for her skill with thunder magic) as well as Saias (for his tactical prowess), and it is revealed that he has seen the former as more than a friend. It is never known how he feels about Julius beyond the typical jealousy, due to his code of honor preventing him from objecting Julius's order to separate him from Ishtar.”

MAYBE he’s feeling a bit resentful of Julius for separating him from his mistress, but what he actually says is:

Rinehart: “Yes, she has, but I chose to stay because I’m worried about my sister. Besides…Lady Ishstar has no need for me any more.”

Cyas: “She told you that herself?”

Rinehart: “Yes. She said that since she is with Lord Yurius, there is no need for me to worry about her…”

And then the subject turns to Olwen. So sure! Maybe there’s some salt and jealousy simmering there under the surface. Maybe he hates Julius for sending him away from the side of the person he’s been serving faithfully ever since she was young. You could take these lines that way. You could also just as easily not. You could just as easily take it as him just being gloomy and lost now that he’s suddenly been tossed out of a position he’s presumably held for years now, unable to protect one of the people he cares about anymore.

As for the “more than a friend” bit...it is implied by an NPC soldier (who mutters about Reinhardt “running to the queen’s side in a time like this” and is then told off by his commanding officer) and by Julius himself that Reinhardt might have romantic feelings for Ishtar. However, I’d also like to point out that rumours about lady-and-knight relationships probably aren’t uncommon in Jugdral, and that Julius himself has a highly personal stake in the matter.

If anyone’s jealous, it’s Julius, forcing Ishtar to tell her male bodyguard not to hang around her anymore on the pain of death (Reinhardt’s death that is). Regardless of whether Reinhardt actually had feelings for her or not, you get the feeling that Julius just doesn’t want any men hanging around his fiancée, particularly Reinhardt who has been close to Ishtar for a long time. And again, Reinhardt never actually says anything explicit about how he feels about her. So while it’s possible he does love her romantically, I wouldn’t call it canon beyond a shadow of a doubt.

-----

Anyway yeah I don’t think Rein is an evil person but he sure as heck ain’t a poor bb paragon of virtue who just happened to be forced to stay on the wrong side ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I love him, but I also want y’all to know he’s a fucking trash man so please don’t baby him on this blog! Call him out! Judge him! I support u...

[essentiallychaotic]

I was tagged by the always marvelous and delightful @acynicandanidealist ^-^ he tagged me forever ago but as I have often mentioned I am the literal worst at doing these in a timely manner. Which is ironic bc I love doing them, ah well, such is life ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

a - Age:

25. Bc I am terribly old. And also terribly young. It’s a strange space to be in.

b - birthplace:

Montana USA. In what was probably a fairly small town.

c - current time:

13:34. I should be writing my thesis. But I hate it. So I’m watching Practical Magic and drinking tea instead because I love those things.

d - drink you last had:

That would be tea. As mentioned before. I also had a smoothie today. Should probably drink some water at some point as well.

e - easiest person people to talk to:

Uuummm... my mom probably. She just gets it, ya know?

f - favourite song:

Too many. Probably.... Rebel Love Song by Black Veil Brides, or Beautiful Pain by Andy Black. If you are now wondering the answer is yes, I was emo as crap in high school, and continue to be the adult version of my pop punk, alt rock, emo self. It’s my happy life. Also As the World Falls Down by David Bowie. Cause I gotta mention Bowie.

g - grossest memory:

I stepped in dog poo once as a kid. That was pretty gross.

h - horror yes or horror no:

Horror no. I’m a wimp. A friend of mine had me watch a horror movie once bc he was like, this isn’t that bad, and it was awful. I made him watch The Decoy Bride with me afterwards as brain bleach so I could sleep.

i - in love?:

I love all my peeps and people I claim as family. Not currently in love romantically. Dating is crap, and tbh I’ve been moving around so much the last few years it hasn’t been worth it to me. So yeah.

j - jealous of people?:

Nah, I mean I get envious sometimes, I think we all do, but I’m not really a jealous person.

l - love at first sight or should I walk by again:

I mean love carries a strong implication of knowing the other person to me, ya know? Like I guess it’s possible? But I think it’s more like a knowing that you have to talk to that person or you’ll regret it your whole life, not actual LOVE, more like, the possibility they are the person you’ve been waiting for. I don’t know if that makes sense but yeah...

m - middle name:

Jene.

n - number of siblings:

One brother, he’s a year younger and totally hilarious, definitely one of my best friends.

o - one wish:

For the world and people to be healthier. I don’t mean like, eat carrot sticks and run a lot healthy, I mean genuinely emotionally healthier. I just want every kid to have a happy childhood. To get to be kids, ya know? Cause I think that’s important. And our world just isn’t there yet. Which is hard.

p - person you called last:

Ummmm.... I just looked it up. It was my mom. I needed her help remembering something and I was in Washington.

q - question you are always asked:

“how are you?” It’s generic, but people don’t ask me a lot of questions if I’m honest. Dunno why. Maybe bc I tend to rant. That might be it. I’m just angry about the state of the world lately and I don’t know how not to be.

r - reason to smile:

My dogs demanding a lap and cuddles. Good books. Friends. Tea. Practical Magic. Sunshine. And rain. There’s lots of good happening.

s - song you sang last:

Probably somethingby Bowie. Cause I was listening to an 80s playlist yesterday. I haven’t sung anything today so I can’t really remember.

t - time you woke up:

9 am bc of my alarm. And the fact that I am supposed to do thesis work today. It’s a struggle.

u - underwear colour:

.... pink and grey striped

v - vacation destination:

Anywhere. Where my friends are honestly is at the top of my list. Which means I’ll have to brave Florida this year. But also means I’ll be able to go to Disney(world/land) (i can never remember which is which) with an expert cause he knows how to navigate the park like a pro so that could be good. Also Las Vegas. I have a lot of friends there.

w - worst habit:

Pain in the ass perfectionism. Still trying to learn how to let myself just be human. Just be young and figure it out. It takes a lot of work. I expect too much of myself. It’s not fair to me. Also when I get truly, deeply bored I get grumpy and snipey. Which isn’t fair to anybody.

x - rays:

Only for my teeth. Them wisdom teeth tho.

y - your favourite food:

Bigos. It’s Polish hunter’s stew and it’s amazing. Also Sourdough pancakes. And my mom’s new york cheesecake. Really anything my mom bakes.

z - zodiac sign:

Aries.

I’d like to tag @skittles-pixie @anpanmanslaps @starsandamorphinetoast @newsicals @wanttodrawmothsfrommemory if you guys want to do it and anyone who wants to do it this is me tagging you ^-^

[pinksweatergettingbetter]

alright so we’re back with chapter three - the Great Witch

-

i wonder how much of their memories Nick and Maya have actually recuperated 

the whole thing seems a little dodgy...

-

“This bench looks like a torture tool– shall we try it out on you, Nick?”

why is Maya so bloodthirsty in the game?? i mean she’s mischievous, but...

-

ahhh their widdle walking sprites are so cuuuute!

-

hang on– is that a picture-picture of Barnham with his dog?? if so, that should raise a lot of questions...

also why is the only person who *doesnt* comment on the painting Phoenix? he’s the art major.

-

you know, ive seen plenty of Phoenix X Barnham, and Darklaw X Barnham, but I’ve never seen any Phoenix X Darklaw 

i wonder why...

maybe Ive just never come across it

-

“Mr Wright, are you alright?”

(no response)

he's dead guys the fucking dog killed phoenix wright 

-

luke: I can talk to animals maya: haha omg cool! phoenix, laying in a pool of his own blood: hurgle

-

wait did maya just call Barnham adorable by proxy 

-

things layton likes: puzzles, stone lanterns 

-

oh fuck i forgot about the puzzles

also what the FUCK muffet

-

Patty: I believe in your Phoenix

Phoenix, trying not to cry: cool cool cool

-

aww. its nice to have a moment to just talk about feelings, especially between the sidekicks. 

...

...dont go into the forest you little fuckers

-

maya likes helms..??

-

“I used to come here with Nick. He’d carry the water pots, and I’d cheer him on!”

that reminds me, theres no plumbing. in fact, since its the middle ages, theres not even any outhouses. maya and phoenix have canonically shit in the streets

-

DOGS AND CATS, LIVING TOGETHER–

-

its 12:30 on a school night and I've spent over an hour trying to help a dog deliver mail 

oh maya solved that one! thats the first AA solve of the game. ...er, to me.

-

i dont understand how piccarats work

like, the previous puzzle was 30 piccarats and it was ridiculously easy. this one’ twenty and ive already lost ten points

maybe its to do with how my brain works– the 30 one was a pattern/colour puzzle, and I'm an artist. this one’s about directions, and I'm ASS at directions.

-

darklaw what are you WEARING

you look like a skimpy medieval furry

seriously what is with the metal skirt on bare thighs 

is that supposed to be comfy 

-

man these backgrounds are so beautiful 

-

why did she specifically tell Maya to be wary of witches

-

“You certainly both love your food. Personally, I’d just like a little more sleep...”

amen bro

-

oh fuck

Drosselmeyer wants to see Layton. dont let him brainwash ya!

-

“So this is the deathknell dungeon? Looks more like solitary confinement to me.”

considering the fact that she can see out the door, i doubt its solitary nick. solitary is a sealed box from hell.

-

Maya: you were just scared that nick would fuck up like always!! because he's an enormous fuck up haha!! Espella: i... no, i think he's really great

Phoenix: ...hey can i change assistants please

-

OH HO

CLIFF HANGER 

-

one does not simply

visit the storyteller

-

“come to think of it, during that parade, the storyteller did seem to be held in high esteem by all the townsfolk...”

guys have you not realized that youre literally meeting god yet???

ah see Layton’s got it

c’mon luke keep up

-

pfft they think Layton’s a hatter 

just wearing a tophat does not a hatter make 

-

ah the knights garrison

this is where Chucky stopped playing on his second third-space save 

I wonder why...

-

“And so the travellers finally arrived...”

yeah well first of all??? if you wanted me to get in there faster maybe dont make your door a fucking puzzle maybe 

fuck you old man you aint shit 

(btw i managed to solve it accidentally in the recommended 4 turns by pressing 3 random buttons and then realizing id somehow succeeded)

-

Storyteller: [farts suspiciously]

-

Storyteller: you guys are bad because you stopped me killing children

Layton: 

-

“OOPS”

DUFLUS SHFLS 

LUKE ITS OK 

I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO BE MAD

-

Espella: it’s true... that the towns folk look at me in a different way

well for one thing youre a different art style than most of them without being anything usually associated with said art style 

-

oh ok that i was not expecting 

she’s,,, jesus???

-

Maya spitting truths here 

-

wait hang on a second 

first of all– “the great witch is just a character of myth” yeah well EVERYONE is a character, Espella

also, she says she came to live with Patty 5 years ago... which is also what Phoenix and Maya said

when their memories all got altered to include phoenix and maya, does that mean they like, had a whole growing-up-together for five years roster of memories?

13 y/o Espella and Maya meeting, bonding over stuff, wondering why only Maya had to make bread and Espella didnt 

Phoenix–– hell, in the time frame, he’d be ‘Pheenie’ being their older brother. Acting like his 25 y/o self, or harkening back to those days and acting accordingly??

and how shitty it must’ve been when they realized none of it ever happened.

-

“Were these things... My memories?”

well probably not considering im pretty sure that tiny kid being flown over was you

-

i feel bad for nick’s... wherever is getting bitten, but this does lend credence to my headcanon that animals hate phoenix so 

also the inquisitor office theme needs to chill the fuck out

-

“Exactly what are you doing over there on all fours”

dont do that 

“He just sits back and lets his dog bite people, err... I mean, me”

he’s lucky nobody flips the fuck out and bites back. i suppose nobody would dare if they knew it was his dog, but still. not very responsible.

-

“Dr. Delduke” eh

well now

-

“He was no witch.” “Why?”

“HE was a man.”

( Welp, can’t argue with that. )

hey!!! equality to witches!! boys can be witches too!!

-

“Maya... can you get this mutt away from me? I can’t feel my leg.”

“Aww... So soon? I was hoping he’d use you as a blue chew toy just one more time.”

ok, seriously, what is UP with Maya? I can’t remember her ever being this violent in the original series. Like, she hit Nick over the head with the shichishito that one time, but she wasn’t constantly wishing harm on him??

-

as much as i appreciate seeing a tiny maya model i fucking hate the cloud puzzle fuck you for doubling up on it

-

oh i lucked into the answer awesome

this seems to be a running theme...

-

every time someone looks at the bell tower, they always comment on the bell never being heard. it must be foreshadowing.

-

wow Jean is very short

...also I'm calling it now, HE DID IT

-

hmm Greyerl’s voice actress is a little more noticeable than Luke’s...

also OH OK. the fucking bell tower just MANIFESTED OUT OF PURE FLAMES

THATS COOL

-

“He reacted in a moster peculiar way. Unlike others who saw it, he seemed unsettled, as if he was truly afraid of something” 

oh i dunno, maybe the DEMON BELL TOWER???

-

Maya: only YOU can fuck up that badly, nick!

ok... genuinely, utterly, seriously, why is Maya so malicious in this game? She does tease Nick a lot throughout the series, but its usually in a more playful or goofy manner. A lot of the things she says in this game seem sort of unnecessary or weirdly hurtful... especially since phoenix hasn’t done much to warrant any of them.

-

hmm

well, I know what happens to Maya

but what the hell is he doing to Nick?

also I do hope there’s a reeeeeaaaaally good reason for all this...

-

layton flings out his arm to shut luke up skdgkafajkf

-

wait why did the owl bring them that

-

“Luke, my boy... We have the need... to rent a steed.”

LAYTON

oh and they fucking did

-

“You think that’s bad? You should see Nick try and do the laundry– Now that’s a major blunder!”

see that seems a little more in character somehow

especially since its something that seems like he would fail at.

still, weirdly insult heavy...

-

hey hey 

100 coins

-

“in an alchemy sense”

shouldn’t that be an ‘alchemical’ sense?

-

“I guess you’re more suited to small, dark, damp places.”

is that a reference to the mushroom thing??

-

phoenix, in someone else’s abandoned basement: oh no their house plants are dying :( ill water them 

this man??? is pure??

-

“Well well well. If it isn't a well.”

NICK

-

“Come to think of it... I haven’t noticed any plumbing here in Laborynthia.”

HA 

I WAS RIGHT

THEY SHIT IN THE STREETS

-

“As things stand, Mr. Wright is in serious danger!”

uh the story said Maya would die, not Phoenix. It said he’d be cursed, but Maya would be tried and burnt. You should probably be more worried about her...

-

great witch: sup guys I'm gonna fuck shit up

game: the following is too horrifying to look directly at; here, have some shenanigans with Luke and that other bard Bardly was complaining about.

-

“Birdly”

fuck you perhaps

-

NO

WHY IS EMEER THERE

NOO

-

also hi Layton you’re looking a bit uh 

a bit 

...well this hardly makes any sense

doesn’t Layton appear not long after this? also, it’s easy enough to prove Maya’s not a witch; just hand her the staff and ask her to politely turn Layton back. 

that or just cry on him real quick; worked for Ash

-

bweuuuhhh dont cry luke pls

luuuuke

its ok luke magic isn’t real luke

...though from what I’ve heard of your universe, someone could have used Science to turn him into gold and that could be totally real so

just 

c’mon in for a hug lil guy

also see yuh all next time for part... four? i think?

[nadinewritess-archived]

Headcannons: Hamliza

Ship: Hamliza (Alexander Hamilton x Elizabeth Schuyler)

HC’s: Their First Date

A/N: You all really liked the last Hamliza headcannons I did and someone said they’d really like to see their first date and what am I here for if not to deliver more sickly sweet, fluffy as cloud headcannons about these two dorks. I got a little carried away and this is a lot longer than the last one (oops) but I hope you enjoy, okay, without further ado, let the fluff begin.

- Okay so, it’s been a few days since they met and they’ve been texting non-stop. - Eliza is all flustered and squealing and covering her face as she texts Alex. - Alex is grinning like and idiot and his hands are shaking from nerves and also excitement. - It’s late on a Friday night and Alex suggest meeting up for coffee the next morning, Eliza replies immediately with, ‘that would be wonderful, what time?’ and Alex has to take a moment to remember how to breathe because OH MY GOD SHE SAID YES. - He quickly texts a time and she agrees to it and they’re both grinning like idiots and as soon as they bid each other goodnight their both jumping around and yelling for joy. - Their both really cute and dumb okay. - Really cute. - The next morning Eliza is beaming and oozing happiness, she got up early and has already done her make up, has on a cute outfit, has made an amazing breakfast for herself and is watching the minutes tick by with eagerness. - Angelica and Peggy are not morning people. But anyone’s day can brighten after a flash of Eliza’s smile and as they both drag themselves into the kitchen they feel their moods change just by Eliza bidding them good morning. - They ask what she’s so happy about and she excitedly tells them about getting coffee with Alex. 

- Angelica rolls her eyes and continues to make herself a coffee. - Peggy on the other hand gets hyped up and grins at her big sister. - “Oh like a date?” - Eliza suddenly freezes, her face flushing. - It is a date isn’t it. - Suddenly Eliza is pacing and freaking out because she has never been on a date, definitely not a coffee date, is she wearing the right clothes, is her make up okay, what if she says something dumb- - Angelica puts her hands on Eliza’s shoulders and reassures her it’s going to be fine, her clothes are cute, her makeup is on point and he’ll probably be the one saying something dumb no her smart little sister. - Cue Angelica and Peggy hyping Eliza up before she races out more ready and excited than before. - Also cue Angelica and Peggy talking about what they’ll do to Alex if he hurts Eliza.

- Meanwhile at Alex’s apartment. - He’s taken twenty minutes coming in and out of his room with different outfits and asking John if he looks okay. - John tell shim he looks fine in everything and is getting very Tired. - “Alex, I love you man, but if you don’t just pick a stupid outfit already i’m going to throw you out in your underwear and you’re just gonna go like that.” - “Okay! Okay! I’ll just wear this, I guess, I dunno, is it-“ - “Alexander.” - “Okay, okay.” - He goes back to his room and grabs his wallet, his phone and his keys. - After standing around trying to make sure he has everything he needs he glances at the clock and nearly falls over. - He wasn’t watching the time and has five minutes to get to the coffee shop or he’ll be late. - Well done Alex. - He runs out and john calls out a ‘good luck’ without turning away from the tv. - After running down streets and jumping over a car hood looking like a madman Alex makes it to the coffee shop, somehow before Eliza. - He sits in a small booth and takes a moment to catch his breath, he smooths his hair out with his hands and straightens his collar. - He hears the doors open and turns to look, he once again falls silent. - Eliza walks in with a soft smile, a glow to her cheeks as she looks around. - His eyes meets Eliza’s and Alex can swear his soul has left his body because he is staring at AN ANGEL. - Eliza feels her heart flutter in her chest as she takes Alex in as he stands to greet her. - Their both acting like dumb shy teenagers and everyone’s just watching them with knowing looks because how can you not their adorable. - Alex orders their drinks and then they sit at the booth, Eliza plays with her hands and Alex can’t help but admire the adorably shy smile on her face. - Her very pretty face. - Her very, very pretty face. - He clears his throat and says she looks beautiful, because he’s smooth like that. - She giggles and Alex can feel himself melting into the leather booths seat, how can a human being be this adorable without trying, HOW? - She says he looks very handsome in a very shy way, with a timid smile and shining eyes and Alex is just done, okay, he is down for the count, he is helpless, hopeless, powerless, he just cannot WITH THIS WOMAN, he is feeling very weak in a way he never knew he could and he LIKES IT. - Eliza is feeling the butterflies, her heart s soaring and they haven’t even begun to have a conversation, their hasn’t even been any flirty banter and their already both screaming on the inside. - They eventually do start to talk back and forth, the coffees arrive and they sip them in between talking. - Alex starts to talk about things and sneakily pushes some questions in their, like about favourite flowers or colours, or preferred time of days or what animals she likes. - He is a sneaky boy and is totally not mentally writing down what she says back, because that would be lame. - Eliza is less sneaky and just asks what he likes and Alex cannot contain his happiness at how she genuinely cares about what he has to say and isn’t getting annoyed at how much he loves to talk. - Almost everyone else has told him to shut up if he begins to ramble. (admittedly his friends do it in a more caring joking manner but it still kinda hurts) - Eliza doesn’t, she actually asks him to keep going because she thinks what he’s saying is I n t e r es t I ng. - She thinks he’s interesting. - Alex’s brain is overloading and malfunctioning and he cannot get over how much he is enjoying being in Eliza’s company. Just talking and drinking coffee and learning about each other. - He can’t remember the last time he has felt this comfortable and has been so open with another human being. - Maybe with John but even then he still kept a lot held back. - But talking to Eliza, wow, the way she took everything he said in and how he was hanging onto every word she spoke and just- no to sound corny or anything, but it was magic. - Eliza was ecstatic, she didn’t often get to have conversations like these, where the other person listened and actually cared about what she had to say. - (I could go on and on about how they feel about just talking to each other but i’ll move on) - They finish their coffees and Alex suggest walking around the park, because that’s a thing people do on dates right? - Eliza is happy to oblige and they make their way to the nearby park. (a convenient park near a convenient coffee shop) - They talk about this and that, looking at ducks and swans in the pond, Alex throws in some of his A class jokes and grins as Eliza genuinely finds them funny. - They walk around some more and oh hey, a very convenient ice cream stand, it’s early in the morning but it’s always time for ice cream. - Alex offers to get them ice cream and who says no to ice cream, let’s be real, Eliza says yes and Alex gets chocolate while Eliza gets vanilla. - They find a bench and both enjoy their ice creams, Alex makes some more lame- great jokes and Eliza laughs once again; careful not to drop her ice cream. - Alex stares at her all heart eyes and because he’s an idiot and you know this would happen, he goes to have some more of his ice cream but he smears it on the side of his face. - Because that’s what happens when you don’t pay attention. - Eliza sees this and bursts out laughing, Alex gets very flustered and embarrassed, claiming he totally meant to do that, ice cream is good for your skin okay. - Eliza, feeling bad for laughing and hearing his embarrassed ramble smears some ice cream on her cheek as well. - It’s a very cute sweet moment and they’re both just smiling at each other with ice cream on their faces and everyone around them thinks their a bit weird but it’s cute okay, their cute. - (how many times do I call them cute?, I can’t help it their adorable dorks) - They clean their faces and finish their ice creams and eventually wander out of the park. - Coffee dates normally end at the coffee shop but Alex and Eliza do not want it to end. - Their so lame guys. - So they walk and talk, this time the conversation leers onto their jobs. - Alex works at a big company and Eliza is a English/History teacher at a local middle school. - Eliza is fascinated by Alex’s work and Alex admire/respects what Eliza does as a teacher. - Alex also really loves watching the way Eliza’s eyes light up as she talks about her students, she even talks about the disruptive or ‘bad’ kids in a positive way. (she is such a mum guys okay, she loves kids and she’s good with them, she’s just Good) - Eliza loves watching the fire and passion erupt in Alex’s eyes as he talks about what he does, and his part time writing, oh yeah he’s writing a book and Eliza is immediately asking questions about that. - He’s talking about how he started it a year ago and how it’s a really long novel and he keeps telling himself as he’s writing that it’s the last chapter but it never is. (#relatable) - Eliza is just amazed and tells him that’s amazing and that he’s amazing. (he nearly falls over when she says that) - Alex is very proud of his writing (as we all know) and he’s over the moon with joy. - “When it’s done i’d love to read it!” - “What really? I mean, yeah! Yes, you can be the first to read it, that would be, cool.” - Alex is dying, Eliza is amazing, he cannot. *insert Alex mentally screaming here* - Alas all good things must come to an end and Eliza gets a text from Angelica, family emergency, and Eliza feels her heart sink. - She doesn’t want to leave but a family emergency is a family emergency. - She sadly tells Alex she has to go and he feels his own heart sink, they’re both way to sad about ending the date, they can have another one whenever they want but are they thinking about that right now? No. - Then Alex has a wonderful idea to extend the date further and offers to walk her home. - Eliza says he doesn’t have to and it’s a back and forth, ‘i want to’, ‘i don’t want to take up your time’, ‘Walking a lovely girl home? I could not think of a better way i’d like to spend my time’. - Persistence is key. (and Eliza wanted him to anyway she’s too nice to ask) - So they’re both walking to Eliza’s house, talking about meaningless things, just trying to soak up the others company for as long as they have left. (they’re acting like their never going to see each other again, tell me their not cute dumb dorks) - Eliza steps closer to Alex as someone walks by her and because of this her and Alex’s hands brush against one another. - *cue both of their heads exploding* - They both become very blushy and awkward and they laugh nervously and Eliza brushes her hair behind her ear and stares at her feet while Alex looks at the sky. - It’s quiet for a moment. - Alex glances at the red faced Eliza and then down at her hand. - He’s done worse than hold a person’s hand before why is he so nervous contemplating about taking hers? (because Eliza is an angel and mortals do not simply take an angels hand) - He takes a deep breath, mentally puts on his big boy pants and reaches out to take hold of Eliza’s hand. - Her hand!!! Is so!!! Soft!!! - Eliza’s face is as red as a tomato, she is internally squealing. - Also his hand is so warm!!! !! !!! And her hand feels so tiny in his!!! !! - It’s very cute, neither of them are talking, their holding hands, their both grinning like they just had a buttload of happy gas, walking down the street, it’s just cute. - They eventually get to Eliza’s house, and they stand at the gate for a moment, neither letting go of the others hand. - “So....” - “So.” - “This was fun, more than fun, fun is an understatement; it was amazing, would you like to do it again sometime maybe?” - “Yes! I’d love to! I mean, that would be lovely.” “Great! How about, next Friday? Is Friday good?” - “Friday sounds wonderful!” - “Great! Friday it is then!” - Their both giddy idiots. - They finally let go of each others hand and before Eliza disappears behind her gate she kisses Alex’s cheek quickly and rushes into her yard and up the steps before disappearing into her house. - Alex stands there with his mouth hanging open, starry eyed and heart hammering in his chest. - He grins and starts to literally jump with joy, he’s not walking, he’s bouncing; he’s mentally cheering and thanking whatever being graced this world with that wonderful angel. - “She kissed me, she kissed me!” - He is shouting this at strangers, he is shouting this at dogs, He is shouting this at babies, he is shouting this at every living being in his visual range. - That old lady walking towards him, pulled in for a small happy dance before he’s bouncing down the side walk again. - That small child innocently standing outside a store waiting for their guardian, spun around around and left spinning and laughing as he continues on his way. - He’s more than happy and he’s going to let everyone know it.

[anakins-27th-lightsaber]

So I found you and the jegulas ship by accident and after a couple of your wonderful fics, I am now in love. Would you mind ever so terribly writing a jegulas fic with a jealous James?? The reason why he is jealous is up to you, but preferably they could currently be in a relationship. As long as they have some kisses at the end😉😉 thank you so much love, keep writing, you're amazing❤️❤️❤️ (also hope I'm not asking too much or anything, take your time with this 😁😁💜💜)

Thank you, that’s lovely, and so are you! Here’s a little drabble for you, hope you like it💚❤

Invidia

For the first time in a while, James was feeling alright, and he had finally been able to forget about all his troubles. He was sitting by the window in the library, with the warm, red autumn sunlight dancing on his skin, and tickling his nose so he had to wrinkle it and sniff.The pale Slytherin boy who was sitting beside him briefly glanced at him, one eyebrow raised in concentration, then went back to absorbing all the contents of the leather bound book he was reading, a tiny smile curling his lips now.James was trying his very hardest to remain remotely quiet. He had so much energy and he was finding it hard to concentrate today, even with Regulus around him. The younger Black brother had turned out to be an ideal partner in crime when it came to sitting calmly together, just reading, without it being awkward; James had never had anything the like with anyone before. With Sirius, Peter, and even Remus, shutting up for more than two minutes in a row made him uncomfortable. Regulus was different, although he wouldn’t know how. Huffing in impatience, unable to focus on his potions book any longer, the Gryffindor let his gaze wander, and it stopped upon the other boy. Fascinating, he was; his red pouting mouth, his ever-raised left eyebrow, the noble, royal air surrounding him, and still, innocent, adorable little things about him that softened his character entirely, like the loose strand of hair that he would always forget about when putting his hair up into the tiny bun he had liked to wear lately, the curly baby hairs at his ears, and, above all, his tiny pale freckles that he might not even be aware of. Or the knowledge his stiff posh accent had been softened by a lisp when he was a child. At least Sirius said so, claiming it traumatised his ears forever, which would cause his younger brother to roll his eyes and shoot back. He was so witty, sharp tongued - and James wanted to know him better; he was perfectly aware the little boy he’d helped smuggle into the Gryffindors’ dormitory at Christmas in their second year, that little boy had grown up. Grown up, most likely, to be an amazing person.“Oi”, he whispered, “Reggie. You got some spare time later? Sitting by the lake, or going for a little broomstick race? I bet you can’t beat me -”“I would”, Regulus breathed, “but I’m helping out a classmate with her astronomy project -”“Oh, so it’s a girl”, James wiggled his brows knowingly, unable to figure out why something inside him had started to sting a bit.Regulus gave him a deadpan expression. “She’s likeable, you know”, he shrugged. “You’ve seen her with me before, she used to tutor me in history until I got the hang of it. Scottish? Red curls?”James swallowed. “Um, dunno. Is she - pretty?”“Most people think so.”“And - you?” “Can’t deny it”, the Slytherin smirked.“That’s cool”, James nodded. “And - her name? What’s her name?”“Um, Marianne. Leicester. She’s a Slytherin, too. I’m sure you’ve seen her before.”“I guess”, James pressed through his teeth, not knowing why he was suddenly feeling so nauseous, but he chose to ignore it. “I’m happy for you.”Regulus smiled, making his barely visible freckles dance. “Me, too”, he said.For some reason, this felt like a punch in the gut to James. Performed by someone with quite a nice right hook.

*

James Potter had never seen this Marianne girl before, he could have sworn, but suddenly, she seemed to be all around him. And boy, Regulus hadn’t been exaggerating, she really was good looking, with a bouncing, curly ponytail, porcelain skin, and her chestnut coloured eyes were just so - so awake. She was captivating. And she even began haunting his dreams, with Regulus Black, who was, so adorably, half a foot shorter than her, snogging her stupid, and it was driving James round the edge, and he was as cross as two sticks whenever they popped up in his mind. He couldn’t concentrate on anything and failed his potions paper he had attempted to study for, and he had no idea why.To Sirius, the matter was quite simple. “She’s fucking bomb”, he drawled, underlining his statement by slamming his fist onto the table. “But don’t worry about Reg, mate. She’s way out of his league.”‘But what if he likes her’, James would have blurted if he hadn’t realised what he would have been saying before it was too late. And that was weird. He tried to convince himself the reason why he was hoping Regulus wasn’t falling for her was that he didn’t want him hurt. Which was sort of true, just - not like that. All he wanted was to protect his best mate’s sibling, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?!

*

“You okay?”, came a hushed voice from his right. James didn’t turn to look at the Slytherin boy, just shook his head nervously, tipping over his inkwell in the process because he’d accidentally moved his elbow. He forced himself to face Regulus’s little frown, which was cute beyond all measure. The latter cleaned up James’s mess with a flick of his wand and raised his eyebrow.“What is it?”“How’s it going with Marianne?”, James asked, and he hadn’t wanted to make it sound pointed at all, but it came out pretty aggressively.Regulus looked a bit taken aback. “Well - she’s a good friend, as you might have figured out, as we keep hanging out-”“Sure, 'friend’”, James repeated sharply.“Yeah”, the Slytherin hissed, “my best friend, actually. She’s a very bright witch and has a gifted mind and I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. Any questions?”“So why’re you not spending any time with me? Am I just the idiot you study with?”, he shot back more heatedly than intended. Something had been painfully sweltering inside him for quite a while, and now he was prepared to release the flame, and although it was giving him a bit of a bad conscience, it felt relieving.“Oh yes, indeed, you are an idiot. You’re the only person whose presence I even tolerate when you’re around me while I’m studying. You don’t even know me enough to know how much that means -”“How am I supposed to get to know you when you’re spending all your time around perfect little Marianne?”, James seethed.The two boys glared at each other for a while, each determinedly trying to not even blink; it was childish, but somehow necessary.Until at once, Regulus’s glare was replaced with a suave grin. “Wait a minute”, he said slowly. “You are jealous.”“I’m not!”, James blurted out, catching a disapproving look from Madame Pince.“Oh yes, you are. You’re into Marianne, aren’t you?”“I’m not!”, James hissed.“Oh yeah. Totally, you totally are.”“I hate that girl!”The younger one frowned. “Pfft, sure. You haven’t even spoken to her. Been busy trying to kill me with your glares -”“They weren’t meant for you!”, James spat. “You’re really cool! You’re an adorable little muffin, how would I be mad at you -?”He was taken off track when Regulus snorted and tried not to burst out laughing. “You’re so ridiculous, James. But I’ve got you figured out.” And at that, he slammed his book shut and strutted off.“No, you haven’t!”, the Gryffindor called after him.All he got from Regulus in response was a smug look over his shoulder.And all he knew was, he definitely wasn’t jealous of the younger boy to get to hang around with Marianne. For a spilt second, the thought crossed his mind that he was just disappointed because Regulus might like her and she was a girl - which was enough to help him figure out why he’d been so obsessed with the Slytherin, and why he really liked his best friend’s little brother that much - and it all suddenly made sense, although he couldn’t really believe it, because he’d figured out his own emotions and it had been so simple, and yet - it was so hard. Still - now he knew. And it was making him feel all queasy.

*

When James headed off to make his way down to the library the next day, hoping to find Reg there, the boy was already waiting in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait, beaming at him, and he hadn’t brought any books. He responded to James’s puzzled look with a slight nod of his head, indicating the Gryffindor to follow him.“We’re going to the lake - unless you’re eager to be beaten in a broomstick race?”, he panted running down the staircase in front of James.“Maybe later”, the latter smiled. “For now, I need to relax -”“Quite out of shape for a future star chaser, aren’t you?”“Oh, shut it!”, James laughed, clutching at his stinging hip.They made their way down to the tall old oak tree beside the Black Lake, where Regulus spread out his coat on the ground and let himself fall onto it, inviting James to do the same.“I didn’t realise how desperately you wanted to spend some time with me”, the younger one mumbled, a soft blush tinting his white cheeks. “You’ve got so many friends and I’m just-”“You’re great”, James cut him off. “You’re special. You’re the only person I can be quiet and calm around and just not talk without it being awkward. It’s comfortable. Even though I love talking, and I like talking to you. But we don’t talk when we’re studying. Which is alright -”, he quickly added, “- but I’d love doing something else time after time. Because you’re way more to me than just someone I study around.”Regulus huffed. “Is that why you’re jealous of my friend?”“That”, the older boy huffed, “and another thing.”“You know”, the Slytherin said quietly, “I’m not even - that into girls. Perhaps just a bit. I don’t know. The only thing I’m sure of is - your presence is something I like being in. Quite like being in.”“What kind of 'quite’? Does it mean kind of, or rather, or very?”“It means quite”, Regulus said slowly. “Sorry if that surpasses the capacity of your single brain cell.”James laughed and shoved him playfully. “Shut it, you idiot!”“You shut it”, Reg laughed.“No, you shut it -”“How do I shut you up?”James wiggled his brows. “Oh, there is a way”, he smiled. “We’d both not be able to talk too much.”“Does it include lots of physical contact and kissing?”“If you want it to?”“Good”, Regulus grinned, “because I’m a bit cold. Since we’re sitting on my coat.”“It’s keeping our arses warm”, James argued jokingly.“Which is equally important, of course.”The Gryffindor chuckled, loosening his red and gold scarf a bit and starting to drape it around the Slytherin. “May I?”Regulus just smiled, and as they were both wrapped in James’s scarf, lips touched, and Regulus’s lips were soft and red and his breath was warm, and his body, pressed against James’s, fit like a missing puzzle piece under the faint warmth of the tender autumn sun.

[honeycut-a-blog]

OOC GUIDE!

NAME: marina GENDER: cis female EYE COLOUR: dark brown HAIR COLOR: black RELATIONSHIP:  yes! i live with the love of my life, my beautiful gf i’ve been dating for the past 4 (5 in december!) years. she’s my best friend and i could go on for ages about her and how happy she makes me but uhhhh we actually met through homestuck rp back in 2012, can you believe that shit??  ZODIAC: capricorn. but like, a really stressed one that doesn’t have any control over anything and is kinda okay with it. i’ve also had someone in the past straight up tell me “i thought you were gonna be shitty cuz ur a capricorn but turns out ur ok”, so like, don’t be that weird person.

FAVOURITE COLOUR: black. i own a ton of black. but i also like dark red a lot.  FAVOURITE SEASON: fall FAVOURITE FLOWER: i ... like flowers that look cool to touch i guess. i dunno. i can’t be trusted with flowers. my intrusive thoughts immediately tell me to eat them whenever i see one FAVOURITE PLACE: the pumpkin patch!!! haven’t been to one in a long-ass time but i feel really good when i’m there. FAVOURITE HOLIDAY: halloween FAVOURITE VIDEO GAME: KH 358/2 days ... and animal crossing.  FAVOURITE BOOK: i really like the promise falls series by linwood barclay. LAST SHOW YOU WATCHED: iron chef showdown ( alton why are you bald ) ( BALD-TON? ) but before that, i just got done binge watching all of stranger things!

WHAT’S YOUR HONEST OPINION ABOUT YOUR MUSE?: i think it’s really easy to say that i like her a lot. i mean, you can see that pretty clearly with any muse anybody writes. i’m always looking for ways to develop her, and i really focus hard on trying to portray just how flawed she is   ---   you know, beyond the whole “distant jaded hero” thing that i don’t think is actually a real flaw.

hawke’s got a lot of personality weaknesses, way more than strengths, and i want to make it hard for her to be genuinely liked, because she’s such an asshole and not in a way that’s entirely charming. i want people to feel comfortable having their muses get irritated with her and express that with her if they feel the need to. hawke is definitely an intentional button-pusher with very little censorship and i want that to bug people. i really like writing like that, i really like working with her and trying to understand why she is the way she is; how her story and her trauma would shape her, how it effects the little things, the day-to-day things. i’m trying to do all that while also trying to let her heal and not entirely cut herself off from people; because she doesn’t want to be cut off, not deep down. but with the way things are, it’s kind of like she’s setting herself up for failure all the time while also being completely controlling over every situation as to prevent that. 

so, overall, i think she’s a very hot mess, and not just because she was sort of thrust into a very harsh world; she’s a victim of bad circumstances, yeah, but that doesn’t mean she has to be the way that she currently is. she let herself fall to those tragedies repeatedly and still lets the past heavily effect her, which shows that she’s not nearly as strong as people think her to be, if at all. i think she’s got the potential to be a really good person, because she’s got a good heart, but she needs to scrub off her baggage and learn to open up more. 

WOULD YOU DATE YOUR MUSE?: probably not. i mean, hawke is a beautiful woman and a total catch in the sheets, but like i said, her personality is just way too much and would be too exhausting / overwhelming for me. she would make me constantly nervous. i’m also not a patient person, and if people don’t treat me right from the beginning, i don’t waste my time. it takes a lot of working with hawke before she shows that sweeter, more doting side, and i just wouldn’t have the temperament to get that far.  

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE KINDS OF THREADS?: anything that’s plotted out, and anything that isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill starter scenario. i like drama, i like angst. i like anything that will give me a chance to bring out the anger in hawke, or at least get to show her humanity and how she reacts to a disadvantage, or a personal failure, or anyone calling her out, because she’s very dry-humored and mellow most of the time ... so anything that can actually get under her skin is well worth it and makes me excited to write about!

oh, and i’m also a huge sucker for sexy shit too.

ARE YOU A SELECTIVE ROLEPLAYER?: yeah. i care about your writing first and foremost, but i also get picky with oc’s (inquisitors and wardens included) who have no info pages on their muses, or like ... muses who are kind of a carbon copy of one another, you know, the ones where you just feel like you’re following the same character over and over again. 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSE (IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE)?: HMMM ... i really liked this one oc i had who was a lazy, unkempt genius and musical prodigy. he had the mutant power of being able to stop time, which he used mostly for taking naps before he had to go to his part-time job. he was in his late 20s, but because he stopped time so much, it added up and he was actually a few years older. he was also pretty depressed and didn’t really have a future, nor did he really want one. i never actually got to write him, though  ---  i’d only set up the blog with very little info on him before the drama kicked off and i was turned off from him for a long time. 

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE FANDOM?:  my gf, as always. she’s gotten me into the past 3 fandoms i’ve been in because we always do things together, or if she’s into something that i’m not, then i try to brush up on it so we can share that together. she got me into dragon age and i started with inquisition. she then said DA2 was her favorite because she loves anders, and i played it, starting off as a male hawke the first few times   ---   when it came time to make a blog, i actually couldn’t decide if i wanted to rp as garrett or marian hawke. i knew in my heart that i loved the idea of marian a lot more, and i would be way more into writing her and developing her, but i also knew that ... you know ... sexism, and that garrett would be a lot more of a hit with the community and the well would probably never run dry. i stuck with my gut and picked up marian, and y’know, it hasn’t been the best, and there’s still a lot of characters or situations i’ve completely missed out on or haven’t gotten to write out yet because things are slower with female muses. people are a lot less interested in them.

but i also kind of don’t regret it ... cuz i love her a lot and she’s really helped me broaden my horizons with what tropes are usually associated with women, how to defy / go beyond those, and overall how to deal with writing a retired hero not-so-typically. so! worth it. 

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF STAYING WITH THE FANDOM FOR A LONG TIME?: i wanna say yes, because i love writing hawke and i love meeting new people and i love writing hawke meeting new people, but, y’know. hard to say for now. been here over a year already, so... possibly!

TAGGING: anyone who wants to. :*