#oh fuck me it was a dark little mermaid story what was it called......

[snickerdoodlles]

10 and 17 for the book asks? <3

<333

10. the worst book u have ever read?

oh man, which one to even pick. i recently skimmed part of A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, which was just. so boring. so annoying. i'm ridiculously irritated by the claim that robotic anything is forever. i haven't read the whole thing but i want to chuck it in the bin. ugh.

anyways, for a terrible book i have properly read thru -- i read this book 15 years ago and had to go plug in enough key phrases to google to remember the title (ty reddit!) but the book How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier. its a YA novel that came out in 2008, and i am still so annoyed at this thing all these years later. the book premise is this society where everyone has a fairy that comes with a like...perk? special benefit? idek. the main character is this brat with a "best parking spot" fairy and like. the book premise is weird and quirky and whatever, i'm usually down for that, but it equates the main character, who just doesn't feel special and is annoyed by people always trying to get her to come with them for the parking spot perk, and her problems to be just as bad as this other character's situation. the other girl has an "all the boys like her" fairy (this girl is extremely isolated, is constantly harassed, doesn't think she will ever be able to form a genuine connection with anyone, etc) and i'm still a little bit outraged that this book genuinely claims that a girl not feeling special is equivalent to the extreme loneliness and harassment this other teen went through her entire life. there's a lot of other issues in this book, but that one takes the cake.

17. a book to get u out of a reading slump?

if i'm in a reading slump, i usually go for either stuff i read a lot growing up, short story anthologies, or something short i won't take too long to get through even if i put it down. right now i'm reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, and right before it i read the novella Lost in the Moment and Found (from the Wayward Children series) by Seanan McGuire, because guess who's in a reading slump right now rip @.@

[[ book asks ❣️ ]]

[late-to-the-fandom]

Renathal and Sire Denathrius for the ask game?

Thank you for the asks! @mysdrym I answered the Renathal one here

Renathal

1: Sexuality headcanon - Perfectly pansexual. He has the capacity to be attracted to anyone (I assume this is what Blizzard wants to be canon based on how outrageously he flirts with your character whoever/whatever they are)

2: otp- Renathal/the Maw Walker, and I'm really 21 stories past apology at this point.

3: brotp - Renathal/Theotar because every Prince needs a jester that can tell them what's what without fear of retribution.

4: notp - Renathal/Denathrius. If you’re calling someone your father/son, it’s gonna be a no from me for anything sexual.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head - I think my first headcanon I ever had for Renathal was his mortal soul envy (he's the only Venthyr who doesn't have one and that worries him) that spawns his "little mermaid" style collection of mortal stuff he fills Darkwall Tower with.

6: favorite line from this character - in the game? I adore the line “There is no possibility of defeat - oh is that not exciting?” But I have probably listened to his Hearthstone Pirate’s Day greeting now more than anything else 😂

7: one way in which I relate to this character - oldest child perfectionist issues

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character - So you're just gonna ... run straight the fuck at Denathrius? That's ... that's the WHOLE plan? That’s not a plan. That's not even a pl.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? He is a problematic cinnamon roll; like a cinnamon roll that has a secret chili powder center. I think people want him to be all cinnamon roll but let’s not forget that he is the Dark Prince and that Venthyr canonically torture souls and condemn them to the Maw. Like, more Gary Oldman Dracula than Luke Evans Dracula.

Denathrius

1: sexuality headcanon - In spite of what I may write later, in my current series I definitely have him as entirely uninterested in all romantic and sexual relationships, but definitely willing and able to use both to manipulate others (Renathal)

2: otp - Denathrius/Denathrius. Only loves himself. Would fuck his clone.

3: brotp - Denathrius/Zovaal but only in the sense that they are both using each other to achieve an end. Each thinks they ultimately have the upper hand in the partnership (and since Denathrius is the one who survives I guess he was sort of right in the end; still crossing fingers for him to be top billed villain a couple expansions down the line)

4: notp - see Renathal's notp. Still applies. I respect everyone else's right to ship this if they want but anything that even smells like it might have walked past someone else smoking incest one time is going to be a no from me always.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head - My top headcanon for him will always be that he has a cult leader management style in which he prevents uprising by making sure no one in the realm (read: Renathal) has an intimate relationship (platonic or romantic) that doesn’t center around himself. All Revendreth relationships must revolve around Denathrius, and he purposely stirs the Harvesters against each other to keep them from figuring out his true plans and banding together to depose him.

6: favorite line from this character - “Crawl to me on your knees,” because sometimes evil hot. Still evil though.

7: one way in which I relate to this character: I, too, tend to be holding a wine glass in all my pictures.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character - His inability to close his shirt over his massive tits is triggering for me (and the many times I have also been unable to button a shirt for this same issue).

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? In my current series (and canon): Straight up problematic all the way around. In my secret Denathrius WIP, I give him a lot more grace and liberally sprinkle him with cinnamon to help him go down easier 😅

[vinxwatches]

2.1 "puss in boots will eat a raw eggplant" they had to know, right? oh, everything appears rendered with the animation, no more pre rendered backdrops? or at least less so? again with the good character design: that is a baby dragon, not the mother you're going to have trouble with. ...why do these kids want lard?

random ass song. "like a baby with a moustache, or a princess also with a moustache" i have honestly no idea what the fuck this means. called it, that's good character design when from it you can predict future events.

2.2 direct reference to the last episode? that's new, and a good sign for things to come. i love a continuing story line. i swear that cabage looks earily similar to the skyrim cabbage. i get it: both 3d renderings of cabbage, but this is eerily similar. i get not wanting to set up a different cave, but i notice that this is the exact same cave they just fell out of. cloud hiccups, obscure joke to bring back but absolutely hilarious. and also the donkey eared bandit? and Dulcineas hatred of Jack stays fun.

2.3 big fan of the songs, even if i truly don't get them. new area unlocked with the new season? oh, mermaid. really interested in that design as there are so many direction to take it. and they took it in an interesting way... but the initial thing they do with it is... less so. entirely dark scaly, with a fish mouth with those thin little teeth, bulled in nose, and very large eyes. not conventually beautiful (nothing a monster fucker would say no to), but a unique take while still within the standard design. however puss tries to run away in a way of "she ugly" which is... very dull. what definitely makes this... worrisome is that she appears black coded (her fun take of hair tends to look kind of like dreadlocks, she has dark scales) and then making that character act ugly is... well lets just say i hope they have a good idea with this. oh, and she's evil. oh, and she has a mood disorder (she said it not me). fucking hell she is so toxic. and it's not discussed enough. yea, this is the first truly bad episode. like show would be better without this one in it.

2.4 episode of facing your fears. right in line with the last with. or maybe less so as this one seems to focus on facing that you have fears (i can tell you from experience that that's something good to talk about, even if it is to no one). puss is afraid of bees (why? they don't want to sting you. hell even wasps are fine) but has to get it out of the orphanage. but it's set up like a horror scene, just to add to the vibe puss is in, nice. oh, Pajuna has not come here to settle down, she's still in dark business. ok, i love this character design. kind of witch like, the hair that's basically an extension of the almost witch hat. the dress but way shorter with pants under them (undoubtedly also because cloth physics are something they try to avoid), marking on the face, it's all kind of... what if a witch was born in the year 2000(i have no concept of age, you know what i mean)? quickly looking it up and it appears she's the youngest of a group of witches. which is absolutely no surprise with her design. have i mentioned the designs in the show are great yet? brilliant way to further the message. to avoid being stung he had to be calm, so he has to beat his fear to be safe. though i think the episode would have been better without the last little conflict, though i guess the purpose of it was puss running into the same house now with a tone of been with no fear.

2.5 ah, the episode of "don't teach them to be like you, teach them to be them better". or maybe not. more an episode of "don't forget the substance among the prettiness". though the first message is literally said.

2.6 building directly of the last episode again? nice. enemies only come from outside, not within? i really hope that's a message that's shown to be false, because that shit prevents you from seeing the rise of things like nazies within the in group. nice version of the "we have a problem in the cockpit" "what is it?" "it's a small room in the front of the plane but that's not important right now". wait... omg this is a literal owl house. "there's something you think is weird?" yea with Artephius that's a scary concept. you made me feel for a building. that's impressive. well done. and ending with a prophecy of doom? nice.

2.7 somehow i never noticed that building was painted like a van gogh. oh. Dulcinea gets to wield the other, evil, sword... will this end with an epic Puss vs Dulcinea fight? or is she truly incorruptible, but perhaps pretend to be corrupted to satisfy the sword? will it fall in the hands of the big bandit, being an upgrade for him?.

lets also take a moment to appriciate the practicality of the evil sword. it's largely a scimitar, but has spikes like fire going up on the bladed side. aesthetically cool, but incredibly impractical. except that for most of the blade those are filled in with metal, making it a not serrated edge. only at the very bottom are those spikes actually spikes. while this does mean slightly less cutting potential the isn't a part that usually sees any actions. it's also structurally weaker, but it's a magic sword to that's unlikely to be a problem either. and instead it provides 2 spots an opponents sword could be caught in. so long as the blending of material and thinness in the lower blade don't produce problems it's a perfectly practical sword despite looking extremely fancy, magical, and evil.

omg, 6:40 in. Dulcinea holds the sword aloft, then lowers it, obscuring her face for a split second. in that split second her eyes go from regular blue to glowing red. AAAH it's so cool (yes i'm and edgy bitch). "you know this forest isn't the only think that's dense" sick burn from the sword. ... you ATE a person that was turned into a mouse before. no the fuck this mosquito is not the first thing you killed. but oh no, she's not incorruptible (also neat little faun design... why is he german?). while it may not make sense i love (cat) eyes becoming more slit like when they are evil/hunting (big round eyes are actually taking in more light so see more so are the eyes they have before attacking). also love that she cut the feather of his hat. it's in part it's probably a cost saving measure (less cloth physics, which is probably why he doesn't have a cloak either), but it's also him receiving a cut. damage. sure he gets banged up, but this is physical, see able damage. the drip of blood from the last wish that death deals him.

2.8 the prophesy of doom comes with an eclipse? somehow OSP is always perfectly relevant (ignoring all the times it isn't)

wait... how many people left? every adult goes out to adventure so they can have their boring lives back?... this may backfire. also not subtle foreshadowing is not subtle.... well hello heracless/zeus looking fucker. Tyrannus, god of thunder... so apparently gods are a thing? el mocho gets an eclectic guitar riff? epic. also love that the characters in the story by the kids talk with their own voice actors, but speaking like the kids. so when one kid talks they constantly say "did you know". damn, pickleboy has some good burns. he's scared of the all father? so i guess less zeus and more thor. also the not subtle foreshadowing is used interestingly. now i thought he point of this episode was "don't worry, these kids got the homefront while the adults are away", but they return at the end of the episode. so will future episodes go back to those adventures? or is that over and done with?

2.9 nope just over and done with... damn. colour me surprised. shows like this love their treasure hunts. the mole king was dumped... first question that should be asked, but wasn't for the sake of the plot: why? first through: oh neat new area. second thoughts overwhelmed by furry lesbian thoughts. Puss correcting pronouns... not what i expected, but surprisingly not cringe. also there's some assuming that all cultures are the same, but for a kids show that's... generally fine. it's odd that pretty and handsome are gendered. don't get me wrong, i want to be called pretty and not handsome in line with the arbitrary gender assignment they have, but it is odd.

2.10 speed reading... such a fake thing. on the one side it's nuts that the piece of treasure puss stole disappeared. on the other it's so thematic for it to be the final missing piece. damn, Dulcinea is moving beyond her book? character growth. so in a dnd game i'm playing a dragonborn armourer artificer who punches people a lot. i'm saying that because this villain is stealing my stick and it's weird. damn, desperation in Puss, punching the ground, being stopped by his friends. effective powerful moment. OMG the wizard Sino has returned. no that's not the omg thing, the omg thing is that OMG Artephius is Sino. at least i think. also this Sino that returned is probably fake. this Sino is not correct. is it his fault? partially (who makes a spell that's this easy to break?), but did he do it knowingly? no. he didn't chose to do anything wrong, and when he learned he did something wrong he vowed to correct for it. what moral judgement can be made against him? DAMN that cliff hanger.

2.11 do not question... well that's how you know he's evil. ah, the german satyr tells a proper german folktale: one that ends incredibly dark for no good reason. I KNEW IT ARTEPHIUS IS SINO! (all he said was "i used to have a robe just like it" but i'm 100% convinced now) "i would leave me if i could" damn that's a mood. OMG IT'S THE MOUSE! also nice to see the sphynx in action finally. you have only beaten one of us... ominous. also honest to god twist villain. What is a Blood Wolf?! omg how big is that thing!?! just OMG look at this. the city that's the central location for this show is ON IT'S BACK!!! AND THAT'S THE END OF THE SEASON!!!

the adventure's of puss in boots

1.1 9 years old, tv show, but not bad in animation quality (at least from the . definitely themes that the last wish touch on as well (of course that'll be the strongest point of comparison). love that the fight in episode 1 ends with a massive bluff "i can't defeat all of you, but i can defeat one. so which one of you will die?"

1.2 travel through different horrific lands. "yes, my friend, this is going to suck". the kingdom of darkness: just a dark screen a noises of people stumbling, and then doing it multiple times. the humour is spot on. that's a damn cool sphinx design, and telling us something about the character while not being overly obvious while in 3d show based on a movie? now that's surprising. sad that she's not in the next one, probably never to return, which makes the quality of design even more surprising.

1.3 you know, it takes some skill to make a funny "i hate my wife" joke, but they pulled it of. "i can never say no to a woman" "please pay your bar tab" "no" have i pointed out that this show nails the humour yet? puss vs ninja's? funny. but apparently not enough. puss vs teenage overly buff ninja pigs? now we're talking. also this show loves being dark in it's humour. how how the mean lady is apparently often crying. i wonder if that'll ever get depth, or is ever mentioned again instead of just being one dark joke.

1.4 "what's it like inside your head?" "wet and bloody".... i mean you're not wrong. at this point i'm just trying to convince people to watch the show because the humour is great. "it's not scary, it's just a bag stuffed with old dolls' heads" so many blink and you'll miss it jokes. why does dismemberment follow me everywhere? seriously what the fuck is up with that? why is it suddenly everywhere? at least it's clean and well cared for. this old guy be horny, in a kidshow. how is this a 2015 show? "you are crazy. but this is not new information" "nope". also recurring villain maybe?

1.5 standard episode: life here is too boring and an interesting old friend comes to steal the hero, but turns out to be a villain. will they play it straight (probably, he's designed as a villain), or will they do something more interesting. way too deep a thought for a short scene: so the orphanage is putting on a fake adventure, the costunes are brought out, and the buys very shortly argue over who gets to be a princess, until it's revealed that everyone who wants to can be a princess. here's what makes it so interesting: there is no joke outside of "the intrinsic funniness of buys wanting to be princesses". now while this could of course be setup for transphobic jokes later this honestly feels like it's just scene setting, just quaint town life, and the opposite of transphobic. i'm sure we won't see a trans character in this show (probably the closest being a queer coded villain) but this is nice. a simple message that everyone gets to be a princess if they want. again very cool monster design. like i want to steal this for my dnd game good. kind of a giant geko with a huge mouth and a lure like some fish have but with a fake pretty lady looking thing instead. my point of comparison is the kong-fu panda tv show which has the issue that it was extremely limited to always using the same assets. this show keeps bringing out amazing new designs every episode so far. also the message is damn strong. also neat that the standard plot was only really plot setup, it's never actually part of the plot, it never really comes into play. and for a boring plot now following up can be the best thing. the joke is that everyone wanted to be a princes. nothing about gender, just everyone wanted to be the same thing, nice. seriously, how come i never heard anything of this show? 2015. i'm pretty sure i watched some cartoons in 2015. did it never make it's way on dutch tv? i mean i've also never seen anyone talk about it online, something i think i'll have to correct at some point.

1.6 softpaws? nope, just a black cat. also the return of the sphinx which makes me happy. interesting that we get the more visually interesting sphinx sister first. so i've been watching a lot of TBSkyen and now want to kind of do a visual interpretation video like he often does on these two sisters. how the firsts inks and piercings make her read kind of Egyptian, alongside the naked cat stylings, while also indicating individuality and complexity, and how the lack of those in her sister suggests that she's simpler, which is true. one tells riddles, the other just tries to kill you. fuck why is this show so full of great dnd ideas. many magical fountains, each with different effects, like reverse gravity, talking backwards, and needing to say a word to undo it, which is hard with talking backwards, or induces fall damage after falling upwards for a while. fuck it, list time: fountain of invisible spiders, fountain of nausea, fountain of fire, fountain of itchy feet, just a regular fountain.

1.7 this serious continues to confuse me in a positive way in not making transphobic jokes. girly scream from the cowardly mayor? ok, that's prime setup right? sure, but they don't make the joke, it's just a scream that doesn't match the character design, but that's part of the general joke of the character: he's a coward who often hides in a barrel, but he's a huge buff dude who wouldn't even fit in the barrel. you get what i mean? puss doesn't burst in saying "i'll save you my lady" and then haha is a dude. he just bursts in to save someone. another standard plot: convince someone they are brave by pretending they defeat something, they they get overconfident and find real trouble and learn to reign it in or fully return to the status quo, wonder how they'll do it. damn, they did the getting too confident straight, but put enough good jokes in the scene to not make it awkward (hard to avoid), not to see if they can do the rest well. making Dulcinea (the female polite cat) do it because puss is too tired helps. "it's ok buddy, i'll read it to you" "you're a cute friend" subversion of expectation and cute as fuck, these are the joke i love. oh no, the man travels with a shadow over his face in spite of physics, he's definitely evil. surprisingly polite to those he thinks unwell though. and the standard plot continues. going with the "hopes and dreams dashed, but then shows bravery for reals". yep that's basically exactly what they did, with one funny in concept but sadly meh in execution fightscene. this isn't an episode you watch for the end, you watch for the jokes which are amazing.

1.8 human shrek is on the cover of the romance novel. blink and you'll miss it and i love it. oh no, puss ate xanathar's fish, and is now hunted by a Sinnamon smelling golem. this is so stupid in the best way. classic way for things to gain a soul too, it's neat. and damn does it make for a neat episode.

1.9 "let me gaze upon your golden booty" "i am uncomfortable" yes i'm still trying to get you to watch the show. oh a dust devil, neat. and that it's a demon is accurate to how people used to think about them (to my knowledge the origin of djinn). i think that was the first reuse of an asset i noticed (if you ignore the bandits): a sceptre that was broken in a previous episode. this is not a negative, just impressive that it took this long to use the same asset for a similar thing. also love that Dulcinea's arc so far is getting angry, but not like in a bad way.

1.10 excalibur? ok, this is an interesting take. generally not the angle of a reluctant hero (fun dnd PC backstory?). and the classic puss being pretty lost when he can't be the hero... starts to feel a bit overdone, but how many things can you do with him? also the animation touches are very nice. is this a story about cheating? because it sounds like a story about cheating, and with someone not getting over their ex. also this episode has some crazy good action. also this sword has a problem with asparagus.

1.11 uhm, that's not what sphynx looks like. where are her inks and piercings? did they accidentally use the wrong model? "well, technically medicine is the best medicine, but laughter is cheaper". wait what!? the cow barlady used to be an assassin?! also is this an episode about racism? like this could turn sour quickly. also what i think is clever but also semi noticeable is a cost cutting measure (honestly i've been noticing it for a while): if things don't move they aren't actually rendered in 3d, instead a single render is made of them and then it's a flat image that animation is rendered on top of. now this makes total sense to do: it's a lot less rendering so everything will be faster, which is a necessity if it's a tv show with tv show budget with 15 episodes. it allows for backgrounds that are relatively detailed unlike other 3d shows which are very often very plain. but if things look slightly off to you this may be why. damn, mature talk about wanting to do things but not doing it. this show is crazy. also damn that's one evil mouse. at least the sphynx petrified is the correct model.

1.12 that's just a god damn goblin. like literally called a goblin. and visually think dnd goblin... wild. also this is just about racism. mostly a pretty standard episode, but pusses unwavering belief is nice. and if a new person joins the cast that would make it even better.

1.13 earlier today episode? can always be fun. oh, Dulcinea gets to have puss' standard problem: feeling like he's no longer needed, and thus no longer him, thus problem. "i'll even write all of the stories myself. i will use all of the words. so many words!" and suddenly puss is talking like fucking trump. when puss thinks Dulcinea may be in legal troubles he'll immediately start helping her out, because pull aint no snitch lol. well now this episode conflicts with the last wish. Puss being against wishing stars here but going after it then? well, there is of course desperation

1.14 mother Mary the cat? so it'll be a puss' pride episode. the episode didn't have any big fightscenes, so instead the focus was put on the final dance. odd, but really fun.

1.15 a curse of bad luck turning puss into a black cat, that's just neat. wild that i had nothing more to say about it despite it being the last episode of season 1. oh well, on to season 2 i guess.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 98: Reading, Nervous, Unabashedly, and Shy

Harry was unabashedly obsessed with Draco Malfoy.

He'd decided that he was Harry fucking Potter and he could like whomever he wanted to like and to hell with what everyone else thought.

Draco Malfoy was sitting in the corner of the library, reading a book that looked like it was older than time, and Harry couldn't stop staring at him. The sun was streaming in and catching in his blonde hair and turning it gold and with the dust motes drifting around him, he looked ethereal.

"Are you listening to a word that I am saying?" Hermione asked him.

"No," he said honestly.

Ron snorted and Harry glanced at the two of them in time to see them both rolling their eyes.

"It's not my fault," Harry protested. "He's just so..." he trailed off, looking back over at the other boy who was lost in his book, "pretty," he said helplessly.

"So you've mentioned," Hermione said.

"About a hundred times," Ron added.

He groaned, "But it's not just that, is it? He's also all," he shrugged, "Soft." He paused, "Different than he used to be, you know. And he's running that group to help muggleborns acclimate to the Wizarding world-"

"We know," Hermione interrupted.

Ron nodded, "You've told us a hundred times. Just go ask him out."

(Read more below the cut)

Nervous energy filled up every inch of Harry's body at the thought. "I can't."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Walked up bold as brass to Voldemort, though."

"I had to," Harry replied. "Besides it was either confront him or die anyway." He looked back over at Malfoy and sighed.

"Nope," Hermione said, slamming her book shut. "I'm done. I'm not watching this for another moment."

"I had to watch the two of you for years!"

She shook her head and shoved her parchments in her school bag, "Not my problem. Lunch, Ronald?"

He gave Harry an apologetic look but quickly packed up and followed Hermione out, leaving Harry sitting alone at their table.

Unfortunately he could never be alone for long. After a few minutes he could sense that a handful of people were starting to creep closer and he was not about to do that. He picked up his things and moved across the room as quickly as possible, before he could lose what little nerve he'd seemed to muster and stopped in front of Draco's table. "Err," he started, then immediately wanted to kick himself because he sounded like and idiot. "Can I sit here?"

Draco didn't move an inch and he waited a beat before trying again.

"Err, Draco?"

The other boy's head snapped up from his book as though Harry had awoken him from a dream. "Sorry," the boy said, looking around in confusion, "Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah," Harry said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck and dropping the papers he'd been holding. "Bugger," he grumbled, bending down to pick them up and promptly banging his head on the table that Draco was sitting at. "Ow fuck!" he hissed, dropping the rest of his books, rubbing at the spot on his forehead, and contemplating just bashing his head against the table again out of sheer frustrated embarrassment.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked, and when Harry looked up he saw that the other boy was hovering anxiously by his side.

"Fine," Harry grunted, "Just my pride."

Draco laughed, "Well, if that's all."

Harry mock glared at him and carefully bent down to pick up his things. Pale fingers brushed over his as Draco bent down to help him.

"Sorry," Draco said, snatching his hand away from Harry's quickly and Harry's stomach sank.

"It's fine," he said once he'd managed to gather up his things. "Sorry to have bothered you."

"It's no bother," Draco said quickly before Harry could fully turn away. "Was there something you wanted?"

He turned and took a deep breath, "I was asking if I could sit at your table?"

The other boy's brow furrowed, "You want to sit with me?"

"Right," Harry said, "It's stupid. Ron and Hermione just left-" he started before shaking his head, "People don't-" he rubbed a hand over his mouth, "I thought it might be nice," he finally settled on. "But you're right. It's stupid. I'll just-"

"You're welcome to sit with me," Draco said. "If you wanted to?" he added. "Like not because you felt like you needed to save me from being alone or-"

"What?" Harry said. "No. You looked totally fine being alone," he said. "No, it's me that's not fine being alone. Not that I can't-"

"Harry," Draco said, the corner of his mouth turned up in amusement. "I would very much like it if you joined me."

His heart beat a little quicker, "I would like that."

With a little nod, Draco returned to his seat and Harry slid into the seat across from him. "What are you reading?" Harry asked.

"Don't laugh," Draco murmured, looking up at him.

Harry crossed his heart and put on his most serious face.

"It's an old book of muggle fairytales. They're ghastly and fascinating," he said. "Like this one," he said, gesturing to the page he was on, "The Little Mermaid."

"Oh, I know that story," Harry said, eager to find some common ground, "A mermaid gets her voice taken away by an evil sea witch in exchange for legs," Draco nodded with a pleased little smile. "And then she tried to get the prince to fall in love with her but the sea witch enchants him, then her father has to come and save the day."

Draco frowns, "No. The Prince marries another girl and she's told she can keep her legs if she kills him. She doesn't and ends up being turned into sea foam."

"What?"

"I know!" Draco said, "I told you they're ghastly."

"What else?" Harry asked.

"There's a story about a Princess who sleeps on a pile of mattresses with a single pea underneath that turns her black and blue."

"The Princess and the Pea," Harry nods.

"There's one about a girl who has to serve her step mother and step sisters," Draco said.

"Cinderella."

Draco nods, "You've heard it?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "It's a classic. Basically all muggle children know it."

"They tell you a story about girls cutting off their heels and getting their eyes pecked out by birds?"

"What? No!" Harry laughed. "They tell you a story about a commoner becoming a princess because the prince matches her slipper to her foot."

"But what about the step sisters cutting off pieces of their feet-"

"Ew! No!" Harry protested. "That's disgusting."

He nudged the book across the table, "You don't know your muggle stories as well as you think."

"Alright," Harry said, "What's the next one?"

Draco looked down at the book and flipped a few pages, "Sleeping Beauty," he replied. "Do you know this one?"

He nodded, "Long story short a girl is cursed, pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and falls into a deep sleep, and is then awoken by true love's kiss. Maleficent gets killed in the end."

"Well, let's see if you're right."

Draco started to read aloud and Harry listened becoming more and more horrified as the story went on.

When he finally reached the ending Harry couldn't help but say, "Wait," he shook his head, "The author called it a happy ending for her to end up with the guy who was married to someone else and impregnated her while she was asleep?" he asked incredulously.

"I told you!" Draco said, "These stories are ghastly."

"Disgusting," Harry said.

"Quite." Draco closed the book and stretched a bit.

Harry asked, "How long have you been here?"

He shrugged, "I came here after breakfast."

"It's nearly 5:00," Harry said.

Draco nodded.

"Would you," he started, then swallowed, "Maybe like to get dinner with me?"

A shy smile crept onto Draco's face but he nodded.

"I feel it's only fair for me to tell you that I like you."

He laughed softly, "I like you, too."

"No, like I like-like you." Harry clarified.

"I feel the same," Draco replied with a grin.

"Oh," Harry said.

"Yes, oh."

"Good. That's..." he trailed off, too giddy to find words, "good."

Draco laughed again and they started packing up their things.

"I think I know what our first official date should be," Harry said as they started off toward the Great Hall.

"Oh?" the other boy asked, his shoulder bumping casually against Harry's as they walked.

"I'm taking you to watch all of the Disney versions of those stories. You deserve to see happy endings for those."

Draco hummed in agreement, "Yes. Happy endings would be lovely all around."

And a few years down the road, when Harry proposed he was sure to tell Draco (for the first of many times) that he was his happy ending.

------------

Day 97: Mine and Dark | Day 99: Risk

[yejiroh]

Siren Scales & Village Tales

•••

For @chaoticyuna 's Summerween event!

Siren Gojo with a female reader.

Word count: 2.3k

TW: large bodies of water, bullying, blood.

•••

“The water was always murky by the bog trees, billows of dirt and sod and other bits always falling into the water by the pounds. Further down the dirt road that passes through the swamp, and you’d find a well, then a town.

“A merchant’s town, children waddled through the puddles that filled the pit holes- it wasn’t a rich area, despite all the good business. In the center of the town, a big fountain captured the sun’s rays during the golden hour- usually around 5 in the afternoon.

“Now, back to the well- it’s kind of important.

“The well, around 3 feet wide, was built of what was now crumbling bricks- terribly small, but just big enough to fall down; should you be unlucky enough.

“But there was also a rumor- as there is in every town and village. And, like other rumors that resided in other towns and villages, it was that of the supernatural. But in this case…

“Sirens.

“Sirens were fish tailed peoples with webbed hands and glowing eyes. It was said that if you ever heard one singing, you’d be inclined to bring yourself forward, to take their hand and fall.”

“Fall?”

“Yes, fall. Fall down the well, they would tell you. However, once in a blue moon, there’s a survivor, one who crawls their way up from hell and back to the siren as if they were addicted to their voice; coming back every day while the sun is still up, just to leave crying their eyes out as the sun comes down.”

“Why only during the day?”

“Well, no one knows. It’s just something that happens. Like a law of nature.”

***

“Don’t you think it’d be better to just relax once in a while? It wouldn’t hurt you, I promise.”

Despite all the reassurances of saying a story was a story until proven otherwise, better safe than sorry. And the only well in a 15 mile radius was this one. 

Curse them for being so cheap. 

Your hands burned from the rope as you dragged the bucket up, clear water sloshing around spilling out some. 

“Nanami, with all due respect, you are the last one I want to hear the word ‘relax’ from.”

Gravel bits dug into the souls of your shoes, some chunky enough to feel even through the rubber. It kind of stung. 

“Y/n, I’m going to be frank with you; mermen? They don’t exist. Neither do griffins, or hydras, or any of that fairy tail nonsense you’re always babbling about. It’s just us two, and old Mr. Gakuganji down the road.”

Sighing, Nanami adjusted his glasses, not bothering to wait for you as he loaded the last gallon onto the wagon, getting ready to go. 

***

People surged forward, coins and paper money grasped in hands before thrown at you two, grabbing at the jars of the well water. It was always like this, the town coming up to the well water like it was their life sustainer, and maybe for some, it was. 

“Y/n! Welcome back! Did you see anything unnatural today?”

A mocking laugh, a tall man tore his shirt off- Aoi Todo. Behind him, the Zen’in twins chuckled.

“Actually Todo, I haven’t. BUT, I do have something else to note. That well water you’re drinking? It hasn’t been boiled yet.”

Watching his face contort, a smile is set on your face as Aoi began to hurl, tiny worms and water with last night's feast falling onto his feet.

“Y/n! What the hell! Did your siren buddy put you up to this?”

“What happened to them not being real?”

It was the same conversation everyday. And, like everyday, you was met with a horrible answer.

Todo scoffed before spitting onto the ground, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

“No man is every gonna want you, you stupid woman.”

“And if I don’t want to marry?”

***

As the hours passed, dusk came, bringing the stormy clouds with it- but it wasn’t yet raining. A ripple in the lake waters caught your eye- maybe a fish, but the fish weren’t in season, so it was unlikely. 

You shouldn’t have been out after curfew- there were rules for a reason, yeah, but what was the harm? Especially after dinner, where you’d only had time for stale bread; chewing down the more than stale pieces was troubling. 

The sands of the lake were dry, like all the water had been taken from the ground, pooling into the lake. Odd.

“A  law of nature? But that's so…”

“Boring? Stupid? Illogical? Aye, it is.”

Kneeling down, you dipped your fingers into the water. There was something missing from the story the elders told you, you're sure of it; no matter how many times you waved your hand in the shallows, not a single ripple- only from that tail you saw earlier. 

Something rumbled, whether or not it was the stormy clouds or your stomach, you didn’t bother to check. 

Dipping your feet into the water, a sigh of relief escapes your lips- a breath let go you didn’t know you were holding. 

Another roll of thunder- but something caught your eye; the tail again. 

It was only for a moment, but you could make out the colors and fin shape. Various shades of blue and silver and yellows, shifting in the light, and the fin, large and (almost) pillowy. 

It hit the water, disappearing once again. 

“Stran-THE HELL?

Digits quickly grabbed your foot, webbed and slimy, pulling you under before you could scream. 

Something pressed into your mouth- maybe seaweed? Bitter and salty, whatever it was was quickly shoved down your throat, forcing you to swallow. 

As clear as the water was on the top, it was far too dark and dirty underneath. The vice grip that had pulled you down was now dragging you deeper, the breath you were saving long gone with the swallow, your eyes began to close. 

‘Count the digits!’

A tiny raise of suspicion, you felt around for a limb, feeling up before coming to your wrist. 

Forcing your eyes to open, the tears that pricked at your eyes were quickly swept away with the current.  

Head feeling light, panic was soon replaced with adrenaline, and you raised your legs, knees to your chest, before kicking out hard. Your feet hit the thing holding you, and it let go quickly, allowing you a chance to escape. 

Already out of breath, you swam up as fast as you could, finally breaking through the water’s surface. You sucked in a deep breath, coughing violently as you wiped the water and dirt out of your eyes, hurrying to the land. 

Behind you, waves crashed, and the water of the lake that seemed crystal clear was now red and thickened. The air became heavy with the scent of iron, and soon the entire lake shifted up, sands and all, dragging you up with it.

“Now, now, it's not strange, is it? I think it’s quite the opposite. Normal even.”

You found yourself in the palm of a hand- or, in the webbing between fingers that curled in, as if to cradle you.

Finally getting a good look at the thing in question, it didn’t take long to put two and two together; the fish from the beginning, the thing that pulled you under...and now…

“I’m Y/n, what the fuck are you, and what’s your name? Also, you’re hot.”

And it was true. Big glossy blue eyes that seemed to be lashed by the purest white doves feathered around,the hair, just as white as the lashes, seemed to trail deep down, and looking down, you leaned over it’s thumb, holding it tight as you peered down. Purple scales glimmered all the way down. 

Two fingers grabbed your collar, picking you up, bringing you to face an eye. 

“You’re a funny little thing- I could just eat you up”-it opened its mouth, biting the air before laughing”- “I am Gojo. You’ve heard of me, yes? I’m a Siren...but I guess the more accurate description would be to say that I am this lake. And thank you, Y/n. You’re much too kind, considering I was about to drown you. Here, let me brush you off.”

As Gojo patted you down, your insides churned; it was much too fast, and to be frank, it was more like you were getting spanked. It didn’t help that dust clouds rolled off you. 

“Y-you-ow-’re a -OW-guy?- STOP THAT HURTS!”

Gojo laughed, smiling as you coughed and waved your arms.

“A guy hmm...I suppose I am. You’re quite big for a fairy. And what the hell are you doing near a lake with no wings?”

“Fairy? I’m a human. There’s a whole ass village down the road through the forest.”

“Human? Oh...Ohh, yeah that makes a lot of sense.”

“Are mermaids- sorry, sirens- -lake dudes?”

“Lake dude, siren, doesn’t matter.”

“Right. Are y’all supposed to be this huge?”

 Gojo gasped, a webbed hand on his chest and mouth hanging open before promptly putting you down, laying down himself as his lower half dissolved into water, the pit that was the lake somewhat there again.

“Big? You think I’m big? I’m just a small lake! You flatter me Y/n!”

Propping himself on his elbows, he rested his face in his palms, looking at you with a smile. 

“Eh, it wasn’t for flattery- just curiosity.”

“Still...well, now I feel bad. I was gonna eat you.”

“Eat me?”

“Yeah.” Gojo scoffed before looking down, glaring at the ground. “There’s this human who calls himself Todo- a real-

“Pain in the ass? Insufferable? Obnoxious? Egotistic? A liar?”

“YES EXACTLY- you know him?” Gojo put his head down, and you watched in interest as some of him crumbled to sand before promptly climbing up onto his nose.Tapping it lightly, you let out a out a small “oomph” as he rose up, eyes on you. 

“Yeah, I know him. He’s actually why I’m here now- kinda. The fucking jerk kept messing with me, talkin’ about how, ‘Oh, Y/n, did you see anything weird? A siren perhaps?’ and yeah, the fucking town laughed at me, but it’s okay, cause the well water he drank hadn’t been purified ye-”

Gojo interrupted you, waving his hands around in the water before bursting into laughter.

“The WELL? Not the one by this place I hope? Oh god, thank Yaga y’all purify that!”

Joining in the laughter nervously, you asked why, which sent the siren bawling into more laughter,forcing him to place you on his head so you wouldn’t fall off.

“Oh, oh my gosh- stop tugging my hair Y/n- that well water is connected to this lake- me! Y’all would have been drinking my piss and body had you not purified it! And I can’t have a pretty thing like you melting from the inside out and drowning in your own blood because of scales or something!”

“So...what I’m getting at here is...Todo is going to die if he hasn’t already? I mean, he spit it out, but he still drank a bit-”

A sudden burst of wind, you tugged Gojo’s hair again, holding on so tight your knuckles turned white. 

Gojo hummed, deep in thought before exhaling slowly.

“Well- no pun intended-, I believe he’d turn into a fish. At least, that's what happened to the last guy who did that. Man, he was a crazy one. Called himself Get, going on and on about how everything he consumed he could turn into. Weird shit, Y/n.”

“Turned into a fish but could shapeshift?”

“Ah yeah- you guys know magic and stuff is real right? Anyways, my body, as you can see, is basically this entire lake- not like a lake god or something. Once I die, this place will have never existed. Back to what I was saying, I have a strict ‘no-no’ policy. A little spell just so I could get more dinner. And, I don’t think anyone would want to just be a lake their whole damn life.”

“Huh...that makes sense.”

“Yeah. “

“So…”

The two of you paused for a moment, and you couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly; to think that sirens were only bloodthirsty monsters- well, he did try to kill you, and it was true that they were beautiful, but the fact that you were literally sitting on the head of one now- one who claimed to be small- it was entirely laughable. 

Clearing your throat, you crawled over, leaning down to come facing his eyes once again, poking his forehead.

“Say...Gojo, you wouldn’t mind eating Todo if he turned into a fish right?”

“Hmmm...not really. Why?”

“Just asking. I’ll drop by here tomorrow, yeah? It’s getting late, and I gotta make sure no one took my dumplings.”

And with that, you said your goodbyes, promising to meet again, you with your vial of well water and siren scales, and Gojo with a gold coin.

“Payment, my dear. Nothing is free in this life, you know. Hopefully now you’ll have some better village tales to tell now.”

[allensimpsforcorpse]

𝙹𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚂𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚛 𝙱𝚘𝚕𝚍 | c.h

Pairing :: Corpse Husband x GN! Reader

Requested :: Anon

Summary :: Corpse just wanted someone to be with this lonely summer night, he didn't expect that someone to be a mermaid but he's not complaining

Warning/s :: Swearing, hand injury, blood, angst in the end

A/N :: I hope you guys like this, especially to the Anon that requested this! This honestly turned into more like a short one shot rather than a drabble and it's a little rushed so I hope that's okay! Taglist (for all my future Corpse fics and my one multi-chaptered fic) and Requests are open

navigation

Corpse sighed as he lays on the cold and wet floor of the cave he found earlier that day while looking for a place to stay out of the birthday beach party. It was getting too crowdy for his taste.

Don't get him wrong, he'd love nothing more than to celebrate Poki's birthday along with the others, his friend deserved a fun and happy time but with his phobia? He doesn't do well with parties. Especially one that has a lot of people invited. The thought of being around so many people at once makes his skin crawl, so after a quick excuse, he left the party and walked around the beach, eventually finding the cave in which he is currently laying in.

A growl of frustration left his mouth as the sinking feeling won't leave his chest. He usually loves being alone, just him and his sometimes not so nice thoughts. But right now?

He feels so fucking lonely.

It feels like he can't stand being alone now but at the same time, the thought of going back to the party full of too many people partying scares the shit out of him.

My heart is pierced by Cupid

I disdain all glittering gold

A sudden soothing voice echoed from further into the cave, passing into his ears and swirling in his head, calming the previous tormenting feeling in his chest.

Who was that?

With his silent desperation for company, Corpse couldn't resist the temptation and curiosity to find out where that voice comes from. Standing up from his place, he ventured into the dark cave, the echoes of the voice and the small moon light from outside as his only guide. He hopes he wouldn't misstep and fall into the pool at the end of the cave, it looked pretty deep when he found it earlier that day.

The echoes of the voice stopped but even with the deafening silence, he marched on, determined to see who was blessed with such an angelic voice. He felt his hand slip on the sharp rock that he was gripping but he felt no pain, the sting wasn't there even as he can barely see the shine of the blood dripping from the wound on his palm. He decided to ignore the injury for now, he can just treat it once he gets back to the beach house later.

Steadying his feet on the rocky and slippery ground, he looked up and couldn't stop the gasp that left his mouth. Was this real? Or did he actually slip earlier and hit his head hard enough that he's hallucinating? To be honest, the latter seems more logical and believable for him because there is no way this could be real.

Lounging on the raised platform in the middle of the pool was the most gorgeous person (creature?) he has ever seen. Silky short/long (hair color) locks, piercing (eye color) eyes that seems to glow brightly in the dimly lit cave, smooth (skin color) skin that are devoid of scars, and a glistening (tail color) tail, half of it still submerged in the dark waters, gently swaying as the merfolk was completely relaxed.

Corpse has heard of the legends of the beach, hell, he even narrated a story all about it once in his channel! He didn't expect it to be true-

"Oh? What brings you to my little nest? It has been many moons since I've seen a human venture in here."

The same soothing voice came from the creature, yet their mouth didn't move. Their lips still in the same inviting soft smile, eyes watching his every move. Their voice seems to echo in his head and that should have triggered something in him! His anxiety, his flight/fight response, anything! But for once, they're quiet. And Corpse honestly doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing.

"Would you continue your song?" he's surprised at how steady his voice sounded, with how dazed he feels at the moment, he was pretty sure he would've slurred his words. A gentle laugh left the creature's mouth, their eyes glinting with amusement. They like this human.

"For you, little one, I will. If you'll take off your mask"

Corpse did so immediately, practically ripping the mask off his face and throwing it in the pool. The merfolk let out another melodic laugh, pleased at how eager the human was at hearing their voice.

There is nothing can console me

But my jolly sailor bold

At the last note, they reached out their hand towards the awe-struck humans. Corpse observed the hand, it was smooth and fragile looking. Their nails were sharp and dark. It didn't scare him, like nothing about this whole scenario was scaring him.

Without any further hesitation, he reached out and-

"Where's Corpse? Has he been found yet?" Valkyrae, or Rae for short, read out loud. She was streaming at the moment, playing Valorant alongside her friends and having a good time.

Well, trying to have a good time.

"No, he still hasn't been found yet. It was a hard search, we have no clue on where he could be other than his mask that we found in the cave somewhere on the beach." She sadly explained, her heart breaking as some of her missing friend's fans showed their despair in her chat.

She understood how they feel. Of course she does, the man was her best friend for goodness' sake!

She can still the moment they realized he was missing so vividly, it's been months since then but it feels like it just happened yesterday. She remembered Sykkuno desperately asking her for confirmation that Corpse has just fallen asleep in the beach but her silence answered him. She remembered how Toast never stopped trying to call his cellphone that day, only to find his phone dead inside his bag that was left in their room.

Randomuser: there is a legend in that beach yk, that a mermaid lives in that same cave and if it likes you, itll take you with it

Rae sighed as she silently read that comment, she and her friends has been getting those comments a lot ever since the announcement of Corpse going missing was posted. She didn't believe it, it sounded absurd! A mermaid, really? It's just a stupid urban legend that in no logical way can be true!

...right?

A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading this! I actually got invested to this request and I'm wondering, would you guys like to see this as a fic? Just a 3-5 chapters long fic?

Vote your decisions here! (Ends at the start of June EST)

Taglist: @apple-slice-of-your-laifu-blog

[adorethedistance]

British. Handsome. Charming. - Harry Styles x Reader Retail!AU

Sorta requested.

Warnings: Swearing, suggestive situations, I say titties like once

Words: 2108

Summary: When your coworker calls out and leaves you alone for a graveyard shift, you unintentionally enlist the help of a certain British, handsome, and charming retail employee from next door.

A/N: Hello this is my piece for @meetmeinfleetwood​ ‘s “to lovers” fic challenge! I put my ‘to lovers’ trope as Coworkers Harry and Y/n but I’m kind of riffing off of that trope because I wanted to do employees at different stores in the same section of the mall.

“So, Ziva just called out...” I hear my manager Kelly break the news from behind me. A groan threatens to escape my lungs but I fight the urge as best as possible to save face in front of customers. This is the third time Ziva’s called out of her graveyard shift in the past two weeks. Tonight, we were supposed to unpack the new shipment of holiday tees, gag gifts, and decorations. On a normal night, I can handle floor set by myself, but the added challenge of holiday items and displays is a different story.

“If I take another lunch right now, I can stay and help with the floor set.”

“No,” I wave her off, already dreading the exhaustion that is bound to set in, “Go home. You’ve already done your full eight, I can fly solo for tonight.”

“Are you sure?”

“Go before I regret letting you!” Kelly smiles with the tip of her tongue peaking through her teeth. She thanks me for freeing her and I finish straightening the last of the yellow champion hoodies on the rack in front of me.

“The boxes are on the left side in the backroom.” Backroom… got it.

Working at Tilly’s was supposed to be my high school job. At the end of Junior year, I opted for a minimum wage position to earn some extra spending money. If I’d known I would be attending the most local university in this godforsaken town, I would’ve picked a better gig; one that pays more. Or at least one that doesn’t schedule me from 7:30PM to 3AM.

The store closes at ten but the other four ish hours are for rearranging the entire floor layout. I have to redistribute the table full of graphic tees strategically around the store to make room for the holiday items we just received. With someone else’s help I could expect to be finished by 12:30. Maybe 1. Ziva calling out wasn’t part of the plan however, so I don’t expect to be finished early at all. If anything, I might have to rush to finish before my shift ends.

Not to mention I have a prose analysis final draft due tomorrow by midnight. Ziva better have some damn good excuses when she gets back.

Readjusting the waistband of my favorite jeans against my body, I head to the dressing rooms to double check for any stragglers. Upon finding myself alone, I go lock the front doors and flick off the glowing “open” sign in the front window. Hopefully time will fly faster than it has since I got here. I should’ve asked Kelly to grab me a coffee or a coke to get me through the rest of the shift. Maybe I should do some coke to get me through the rest of the shift.

Okay. What did Kelly say?

Backroom... Was that all? I hesitantly prop the storeroom’s door with the small, tan, rubber wedge before trying to take in the overwhelming mess of the backroom. The room has painfully bright overhead LED lights illuminating my path; the brightness is mirrored off the polished concrete floors under my feet. Considering there’s no holiday bullshit directly in front of me, Kelly must have given me more directions than just ‘backroom’. Graphic tees, sunglasses, jewelry. Nothing.

In my most goddamn genius idea yet, I search the top of the self of the storeroom to see the holiday boxes sealed and intact. Lovely. I can graze the surface of the top shelf with my fingertips just enough to get them dusty, but not enough to pull down any boxes.

Fuck.

This is what we have a ladder for, but we lent it out to the Zara next door. I don’t know what time they close but intuition tells me it's soon. Figuring I have nothing to lose, I dash out of the back room and unlock the front door to round the corner into Zara. Right as I exit the store, I run into someone hard enough to lose my balance, but not hard enough to take the other person down, thank god.

“Woahhh, you alright there?” British.

I look up to the face of the person I collided with. Handsome.

“I’m so sorry, I need to get to Zara.”

“I’m afraid you’re too late for that.” The handsome stranger’s statement catches me off guard and the fog of my rushed mindset disappears. Charming.

“What?”

“Jus’ locked up, I’m afraid.” I look at the completely dark storefront, and then back at the stranger. His gleaming green eyes catch mine and, cliché-ly, I’m rendered breathless by the exquisite nature of his face. Employee.

“You work at Zara,” I state dumbly.

“That, I do. And you work…?” Dropping my eyes to my worn work shoes, I’m suddenly overwhelmingly shy about working at Tilly’s.

“Tilly’s, next door. We lent you guys our step ladder and I need it back.”

“Shit,” the man smiles softly, nervously scratching the back of his neck. “I have the key to the store, but I don’t have the key to the supply closet where we kept it.”

“Dammit.” When I pull out my phone to check the time, I groan at the loss of another ten minutes. “By any chance do you guys conveniently have a step ladder that isn’t in an inaccessible closet?” The beautiful man laughs at my question and shakes his head no.

“We don’t, but I am pretty tall, maybe I could help?”

“You’re not that tall.”

“Taller than you.” My teasing is cut short by the man’s quip and I lead him into the store with conviction.

“Basically, I’m supposed to reconfigure the entire floor layout around the table for all the holiday merch, and the shipment came in but someone brilliantly placed them on the top shelf of the back room.”

“Which is why you need the step ladder from the closet that I can’t open. Gotcha.”

“If you could just get those three boxes from the top shelf right there that’d be wonderful.” After clocking the boxes in question, he nods wordlessly, and slips off his nice coat, no doubt a piece from the store next door. Underneath, he’s wearing a grey button up of which he begins rolling up the sleeves to. The action made me stop breathing for a second. His forearms are littered with tattoos of various drawings, one in particular catching my eye.

It’s a two dimensional mermaid figure with no seashell-bra, her skin transitioning into scales only after exposing her pubic bone. In the fluorescent lighting of the store, it’s clear as day that this is quite possibly the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. What’s he doing working at an outlet mall?

Zoning back in, I see he’s already hard at work. With a box no doubt full of gag gifts on his shoulder, he speaks again.

“I’m Harry by the way.”

I return the gesture and he smiles when he hears my name.

“Pretty.”

Returning his attention to the second box, he reaches up to slide the box closer to the edge of the shelf. When he does so, the hem of his grey shirt rides up to reveal a tiny strip of his toned abdomen, where two mirrored stems of fern leaves are tattooed in strikingly black ink.

I blink quickly a few times to redirect my focus, and divert my attention to the floor where he’s set the first box. This leads me to notice the brown suede chelsea boots he’s wearing. Black coat, grey shirt, brown shoes. Interesting.

“Oh shit!” I hear him mutter in a hushed voice. Looking up to the top of the shelf, I see that the last box has already been opened. Harry is balancing it between both limbs, his shoulder, and his head, but any movement would cause the contents of the box to fall out.

I rush forward to help. Moving the flaps of the box back over the top, I reach across Harry’s body to move them. Then, to keep them shut I place one palm on top of the seam, and use the other hand to support the bottom of the box. It isn’t until I stop moving that I notice the position I’ve put us in. I’m reaching up as far as I can to secure the top of the box which has placed the entire front side of my body to the back of his. I’m painfully aware of how my hips are pressed against his ass, and he must be painfully aware of the way my titties are pressed against his upper back.

“I’m gonna move backwards so it’s off the shelf. Just hold the top in place until I have it right side up again, yea?” I nod dumbly in response before realizing he can’t see me.

“Yeah, got it.” And with that he begins to back up little by little, moving at a pace slow enough for me to consistently adjust. The box is almost intact, but I’ve run out of space from standing behind Harry, and I have to maneuver myself around him whilst keeping the box shut. I cringe before doing what I have to do, and shuffling around the side of Harry’s body, my frontside pressed against him the entire time.

Finally, it’s over and we can set the box down on top of the other two. Harry stands up straight again and dusts off his hands. He adjusts his jeans, pulling them back up his hips, and I have to keep myself from staring once more.

“Anythin’ else I can do for you?”

“I don’t think so? That’s pretty much all the heavy lifting I have to do tonight.” He nods understandingly and… dare I say disappointed? I’m probably just projecting.

“Are you alone tonight?”

“Yeah, my coworker called out, but it’s fine. My boss Kelly got most of the work done earlier when she unpacked a lot of the boxes and folded the shirts into piles, so…”

“I could help.”

“You don’t need to do that. You’re already off and I’m sure you’re exhausted and-”

“I want to.” I guess I wasn’t projecting.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. That way you can go home earlier.” His smile is soft and lopsided until we connect eyes, in which case it brightens to reveal his pearly teeth. I fall shy under his gaze and avert my eyes to the concrete floor below us. My cheeks are radiating at about 1000° and I hope he doesn’t notice.

“Thank you,” I say, more flustered than I would have liked. Why am I getting so nervous? He’s just a retail employee at Zara.

A gorgeous employee at Zara.

“I don’t mind staying back... Spending more time with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Since I already know what you do for a living, what are your hobbies?” He ignores my question.

“I don’t have much time for hobbies. I’m only part-time while I’m in uni.”

“No way, what are you studying?”

I proceed to tell Harry all about my major and my career aspirations post-graduation and post-retail. I enjoy telling people about my dreams and yet, Harry’s the first person I’ve met in a long time that’s shown any interest in me and my dreams. The way he nods attentively despite having to fold misconstrued t-shirts and holiday sweaters, ignites a fire in my stomach that warms my heart. They way he asks hyper specific, prompting questions to learn more about my plans contrasts the fire inside me by sending chills down my spine.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What are your dreams?” Harry stops folding for a moment and exhales a conflicted sigh.

“I’m not too sure at the moment. I’m content at Zara for the moment, and I haven’t decided what’s next. I do write music though.”

“You do?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“What kind of music?” He stops to think again, a bit less conflicted than before.

“It’s like, indie-folk-pop-rock ish.”

“Indie-folk-pop-rock ish?” I can’t contain the laughter spilling from my lips over the mountain of folded t-shirts.

“Yeah. A good bit of variety, really.”

“Well, it’s nice you have something to be passionate about.”

“Judging by how you talked about your dreams for an hour, I wouldn’t say I’m as passionate as you are about your studies.”

“Passion isn’t a competition. It’s what moves you forward as an individual.” It’s Harry’s turn to laugh at me.

“Okay, Gandhi.”

“Hush! I’m allowed to be philosophical.” His laugh draws into a closed-mouth smile, from humor to an adoration of sorts.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.” I unintentionally mirror his affectionate smile.

“Promise?”

***

A/N: This was absolutely one of those fics that, the longer I stared at it, the more I hated it and cut it down so here’s what’s remaining before I destroyed the whole thing. It’s def a puff piece and not an in depth fic but nuance is not my friend right now so, sorry about it :(

Taglist: @curlybrownhairedboys​ @meetmeinfleetwood​

[seokmingiggles]

transmarinus.

(from beyond the sea)

Prompt: "I like the way your hand fits in mine."

Pairing: Lee Seokmin x female reader

Genre: fluff, slight angst, slow burn, mermaid!au, kinda magical overall(?), probably set in the same universe as Ponyo.

6.03k words

Warnings: some alcohol consumption (everyone is of legal age), swearing, the reader has a phobia of the ocean, allusions to drowning (nothing explicitly mentioned).

Beyond the sea, within the sea—both are places you have no desire to explore. You have lived nearly your whole life with an intense fear of the ocean, yet something about it keeps haunting you.

Alternatively, in which you are afraid of the ocean, yet Seokmin shows you that you no longer have to live in fear.

A/N: I don't have much to say about this little passion project; perhaps that Seokmin is one of my main bias wreckers in Seventeen. In my notes prior to determining a pairing for this fic, I had written: "All three have this kind of magical wonder to them that I want to capture," about my possible choices of a protagonist (you’ll find out the other two contenders later on). I hope I have captured this feeling. Furthermore, there are some loose ends for a possible part two if I feel the desire to continue this au. Enjoy!

The lyrics (bolded) are from Somewhere Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin.

•• Somewhere beyond the sea,

You've never liked the ocean: the seemingly endless dark depths and rushing currents that could pull you below. No, rephrasing your thoughts—you are afraid of the ocean. Sure, it can be pretty to look at on a calm and sunny summer day, and sure, the sea breeze admittedly feels pleasant brushing through your hair and clothes on occasion, but you refuse to give in to its temptation, to even go near it if you can help it.

Somewhere waiting for me,

It can be lonely sometimes, being the only one of your classmates growing up who refused to go swimming on field trips to the beach nearing the end of the semester. You often found yourself alone and listening to the fun they would be having in the shallow tides: a shimmering, azure blue. You learned to bring things to accompany you when your friends would prefer to enjoy their time swimming. A book and a beach towel resting on the silky sands was often your set-up. Not much has changed since then.

My lover stands on golden sands,

You've become better over the years at handling your fear. When before, you used to hesitate to even step foot onto the sand, now you have become comfortable with the squishing feeling between your toes. However, boats are another story. Your mom once took you on a cruise when you were a child, and honestly, you enjoyed it. Well, for the most part, only until the last night of the tour. Frankly, that's the trip that made you develop your fear of the ocean in the first place. Since then, you've refused to step foot on any watercraft. It's a bit ironic, really. You've grown up on a decently-sized island apart from the mainland—the only way to get across is by a ferry. You're not sure if you'll ever be able to regain your trust with the water.

And watches the ships that go sailin'.

•

"I dare you to go skinny-dipping."

"Oh, hell no. That's a hard pass."

"Really, Gyu? You think she'd do that?"

"You're gross, dude."

"What? Do you want me to go instead?"

"Not really. None of us need to see that."

Being friends with Mingyu, Jungkook, and Hansol—your best friend—is a recipe for no dull moments. You four have a tradition; you'd all take a trip to the Jeon family cabin near the island's peninsula as a way to start your summers. You've all been going for the past few years since your final year of high school, continuing the tradition into your college years.

It's where you find yourselves now, splayed out in drunken messes (some more than others) on the semi-private beach. To your right, there's a small fire pit in the center of your beach chairs. A cold drink is in your left hand to counter the heat in your cheeks from the flames.

"Sorry, (Y/N), I'm an idiot," Mingyu admits after finally realizing what he'd dared you to do. "You don't have to go into the water."

"I wasn't planning on it, but thanks," you reply and take a sip of your drink.

The four of you stare at the fire beginning to diminish. Orange embers glow in the ashes.

Hansol swirls the remains of his beer bottle around. "Why do I suddenly want to go swimming now?"

"Dude, no. It's nearly midnight, and you're drunk," Mingyu retorts, "None of that is a good combination."

The younger boy is about to quip back, but suddenly, a loud splash interrupts his thoughts, heard near the row of rocks separating this property from the next.

The tallest boy stands to try to see the source of the noise, but it's much too dark. "Okay, you're definitely not going swimming now. I don't want to be responsible for your death."

The splashing continues. It isn't as loud as the first time, but it's more constant as if something is struggling by the rocks.

"I'll go check it out," Jungkook puts his bottle down and slips on his sandals, already heading closer to the water.

"Not by yourself, you're not," Hansol is quick to jump to his feet and follow the elder.

You remain seated, and luckily, Mingyu remains at your side too.

•

Somewhere beyond the sea,

Seokmin adores the ocean. Well, he sort of has to since it's been his home for nearly nine decades. He loved playing in the currents with his brothers when he was younger—and now—appreciating how the colour of the water changes the closer he gets to the surface. The ocean makes him feel free. It's like he can go anywhere or see anything. Seokmin can't say he's ever felt love before first-handed, it's not a feeling he can define, but he considers the ocean to be the closest thing that he loves.

She's there watching for me,

He has breached the surface before. It isn't a forbidden action to his people, but it is to be taken carefully; however, there are different rules when you're one of the sons of the merking. There are countless cautionary tales of merfolk who have been spotted by sailors, more on what happens when they get too close to shore. Merpeople are supposed to live for centuries as they slowly age, but most of those tales abruptly cut their lives short. Seokmin feels like the only one who isn't afraid of those stories and wants to see for himself what would happen if he met a land-dweller. He's optimistic that they're not as cruel as the fables portray them to be.

If I could fly like birds on high,

Seokmin is a graceful swimmer. With decades of practice, it's a given talent. He used to struggle when maneuvering through the waves, especially when compared to his two brothers. Yet, with great perseverance and will, Seokmin trained himself to become better. Much stronger and significantly more elegant—he can now soar with ease through the water, quite speedily, too. In his younger days—what would be equivalent to teenagehood in humans—Seokmin would travel for days across the wide ocean, simply feeding his desire to explore.

Then straight to her arms—

Being a part of the royal family means Seokmin is eligible for arranged marriages. Soonyoung, his elder brother coming up on a century old, is already engaged to a beautiful mermaid, Tzuyu; the boy suspects he's next as the second-eldest in their family. Seokmin knows it's to benefit his kingdom, but he also knows that the chance of being in line for the throne is incredibly slim as the second brother. All he wants is to find someone he loves as much as he loves the ocean.

I'd go sailing.

•

"No way," Hansol whispers, breaking the silence between him and Jungkook as they've reached the rocky barrier.

Sure enough, the splashing sound is caused by distress. A boy, looking to be around Hansol's age, is stuck between a few large rocks that have fallen from the wall. It's shallow enough that his torso remains above the surface, but the position looks painful, nonetheless, with one of his arms twisted beneath the collapsed rocks.

"Here," Hansol approaches the stranger slowly, "we can help you."

The boy has a fearful look in his eyes as the human approaches. It's only when Hansol has rolled the legs of his joggers up and is wading into the shallows that he notices the lack of legs the panicking boy has, or rather, the glimmering tail he has instead.

He shrugs off the unusual sight and tries to move the rock, but it's much too large for Hansol to budge by himself, staggering slightly on the uneven ground. He calls Jungkook over to aid him, and the two of them together are able to lift the stone out of the way, freeing the trapped boy.

The stranger slips away and back into the depths before anyone could say anything.

"You saw him too, right?" Hansol asks his friend, pointing out to the vast sea and trying to find some evidence of what was next to him moments ago.

"Yeah," Jungkook is nearly speechless, drying his hands on his shirt.

"He didn't even say thank you."

•

"I fucked up. I fucked up big time!" The youngest brother rants to his siblings upon arriving back to his home safely.

"Alright, Chan, it's time to calm down now-"

"No, Soon, you don't understand! This time was different." Chan continues to ramble, "I would have really been in danger if I was stuck there until morning. The rising sun would suffocate me, no doubt. My precious sixty-one years would be down the drain in an instant!"

“So dramatic,” the eldest chirps. "It's a good thing that those humans found you when they did."

Soonyoung has heard enough of Chan's stories about always venturing off to the shore. He's somewhat jealous. Lately, the eldest has had to spend more time planning for his wedding and preparing to become the next-in-line for the throne. He wishes he could join his brother on an adventure like they used to a couple of decades back.

"Please, Seok, you'll listen to me then, won't you? You're a hopeless romantic."

Seokmin isn't sure if he should be offended by his brother's comment.

"And what if I am?" he asks with his hands fidgeting in his lap. "What does that have to do with this?"

"You're the one who enjoyed exploring the most years ago. I know you've done your share of people-watching before." Chan ponders, then adds more quietly, "Well, and also, the boy who first approached me was kind of cute."

"Oho, does our Channie have a little crush on a human?"

"Great, now you're listening, hyung."

Seokmin sits back and listens to his brothers playfully bantering. He admires them both fondly, sometimes wishing he could be as responsible as Soonyoung, or as free-spirited as Chan. Instead, Seokmin becomes more reserved around his siblings, despite not considering himself to be shy. But the three are well-balanced when they're together.

Noisy, but well-balanced.

"Why do I feel like I need to see him again?" Chan asks Seokmin as they're lying in their shared bedroom. Their older brother has a room to himself, being the next-in-line.

"Maybe you really do like him," Seokmin suggests, not quite knowing what to say. He's never before been enamoured by a particular human, nor any merfolk for that matter. "You're making me curious now. It's been a while since I've seen the surface," he sighs, struggling to remember what dry sand looks like.

"Then you should come with me!" Chan doesn't hesitate to suggest, "I can't guarantee he'll still be there, but it's worth a shot. Right?"

Seokmin hums in thought. As much as he would like to comply with his brother's request, part of him knows how they're not supposed to venture to the surface so freely. Especially with it being so close to Soonyoung's wedding, nothing detrimental should happen to them before the upcoming celebration.

"Besides, I should probably return... this... whatever this is."

Seokmin eyes the strange-looking object with a puzzled expression.

"You know, Chan, it's not very nice to steal things that aren't yours."

•

"Are you sure you checked your suitcase?" you ponder, trying to rack your brain of other locations the missing sandal could have gone. "What about by the hose in the back? Maybe you left it there after rinsing the sand off them."

"No, I've gone through my bags twice already, and I don't think I bothered with the hose last night," Hansol replies. "I have a feeling they're on the beach somewhere. Although, I can't remember if I walked up the path in bare feet or not."

"You were quite drunk, Han."

"Oh, hush. We're on vacation, aren't we?" the boy lifted his eyebrows at the question. "I'm allowed to get drunk. Anyways, will you come with me down to the beach? It's not like my shoe could have walked away on its own," he snickers at his joke, "it's bound to show up somewhere."

You try to ignore the rising uneasiness in your chest. "Do you really need me to go with you?"

"Two sets of eyes are better than one, (Y/N). And I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. You don't even have to step foot into the water or even go close to it, for that matter."

You sigh and reluctantly agree, slipping on your own pair of sandals for the short walk down to the beach. You know Hansol would have asked one of the other boys to venture with him near the water, but Jungkook and Mingyu had left to get more groceries (and drinks) for tonight, so you were the only option.

"Where did you find the other shoe?" you ask as you scan the area around the fire pit. "Isn't it strange that you only lost one?"

"It was outside the front door. But as you said, (Y/N), I was quite drunk last night."

You giggle at your friend's comment, adding, "Maybe a bird flew off with it this morning," and continue to scan the sand.

"Wait, now that I think of it, I don't think I had that other shoe after we went to the rocks," Hansol considers and begins to walk to the familiar barrier.

The short wall looks smaller in the daylight, but you know the rocks are unstable despite their compact appearance.

You cautiously follow the boy as he ventures closer to the tide.

"You and Kook never did mention what you saw last night over here," you state, trying to create conversation to distract you from being so close to the water.

"Didn't we?" Hansol tries to recall, "I guess we didn't. Maybe because we knew that you and Gyu wouldn't believe us."

"Believe what?"

"Believe-"

You and Hansol turn the corner at the first large rock.

"-that."

Your stomach drops at the sight. There are two boys in the shallows; one is casually sitting and looking around, while the other is floating on the surface.

His rosy, fish-like tail is hard to miss.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Chan exclaims upon seeing the familiar figure, now sitting upright like his brother. "I believe this is yours."

The mermaid holds up Hansol's lost slipper while sporting a beaming smile on his face.

You're in shock. You've read about mythical creatures when you were a child, as most kids do at that age, but never have you thought that their existence is real. Let alone that you would ever come face-to-face with one.

"Thank you," Hansol mutters and carefully approaches the younger male.

Chan introduces himself along with his brother, and Hansol does the same with himself and you.

But you're beginning to panic. The feeling is bubbling up in your throat, and you don't want to break down. So instead, you excuse yourself and run back up the pathway to the cabin.

You miss the way the older merman's eyes remain on your figure as you retreat away.

•

It's far beyond a star,

Seokmin feels strange. It's not the first time he's seen a human-being that close, let alone speak with one, but there was something odd about your behaviour; the unusual feeling seems to stem from seeing you.

"Did you see the way she looked at us?" the second-eldest speaks, recalling your tense expression.

It's near beyond the moon,

"Why? Do you think she's pretty? That would be convenient because I still think Hansol is pretty. I thought he was charming in the moonlight, but now, I can say he's even prettier in the sunshine," Chan hums, repeating the boy's name for the nth time upon their return home. "I never knew humans could be so lovely."

I know beyond a doubt,

"No," Seokmin begins, "I mean, yes, she was pretty too, but she looked afraid of us. Of... me. Didn't she?" He pauses. "I've never had someone be afraid of me before."

Chan glances at his brother's concerned expression. "She was probably just surprised, Seok. Maybe she hasn't seen a merperson in-person before."

"Maybe," Seokmin mumbles, not entirely convinced.

The merman's peculiar feelings about you only fester as the days pass by. When Chan would return to that same beach almost daily in the hopes of seeing Hansol again, Seokmin would remain at his home.

He is strangely impacted by you. Not that you even said a word to Seokmin that day, but the way you reacted threw him off.

He longs to know why you ran away.

My heart will lead me there soon.

•

Not that you needed it, but you now have yet another reason to avoid the ocean.

Hansol ends up journeying down to the beach every time he sees the familiar crimson tail splashing in the shallows from the large cabin window facing the ocean. The other two boys have begun teasing their younger friend about his new fishy pal.

You have tried to express your concern about Chan to Hansol, explaining that he may be dangerous, but your friend has only dismissed your worries and encouraged you that Chan isn't a threat.

"He's a fun guy to talk to. You're welcome to join me down on the beach sometime, (Y/N)," Hansol says as he slips his notorious pair of sandals on. "Actually, Chan has been asking about you lately. If you're doing alright."

You look up from your bowl of cereal with a confused expression. "I don't think I even spoke a word to Chan. Why would he be asking about me?"

Hansol shrugs. "Apparently, one of his brothers has been worried about you. I'm assuming that's why he keeps asking, but that's all I know."

You remain puzzled in your seat at the kitchen table as Hansol closes the front door behind him, wandering down the familiar rocky path towards the water.

"Is (Y/N) coming?" Chan's posture perks up at the sight of the boy approaching.

He shrugs his head, "I don't think so. I'm sure you know by now how apprehensive she can be. Stubborn, too." Hansol takes a seat in the sand. His shoes are off quickly once again as he dips his legs into the water, the gentle waves lapping up to his knees.

Seokmin frowns. He's been accompanying Chan on his near-daily visits in the hopes of seeing you again. With all of the stories Hansol has been telling about the human world and his friends, Seokmin has convinced himself that he wants to properly meet you.

Just to make sure she's doing alright, he tells himself. There's no other reason.

Seokmin takes pride in helping people. As the middle child, he'd often take it upon himself to sort out his brothers' issues, especially on the rare occasion he found them arguing. A mood maker, his mother told him in his youth when she'd noticed the way he always seemed to strive to help others feel better. So when Hansol briefly mentioned your fear of the sea, there's nothing that the boy decides he wants more than to help you see that the ocean isn't something to fear.

However, it is a difficult task to accomplish when you wouldn't even venture down to the beach anymore.

There's part of Seokmin that feels guilty about your recent reluctance. From what Hansol has said, it seems like you were making gradual progress in becoming comfortable near the water. In fact, you hadn't always been afraid of the ocean. Yet, it all seemed to backfire the moment your eyes landed on him and Chan.

It makes Seokmin feel even more responsible for your fear.

•

It's raining today, a stark contrast to the previous perfect blue-sky, sunny weather that you've all been experiencing for the past week on your vacation.

You're the first one up this morning, making your way quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen to make some coffee.

You examine the horizon as the aromatic drink brews. The rain is only spitting down now, but you have a feeling it will pick up later with larger clouds slowly rolling in. It looks like the sun is trying to peek out from behind, although unsuccessful in its attempt.

You pour yourself a cup of coffee when enough fills the pot, hearing the sizzle onto the element when you impatiently remove the container as it continues to drip.

Making your way to the dining table nearby, you take a seat in front of the large window, holding your mug between your hands.

The coffee is too hot to drink right now.

Your mind begins to wander as you wait.

•

(Y/N), age seven.

You wake to a faint ringing sound.

"Mom?"

No response.

You shuffle to the edge of the bed to turn on the lamp. As your eyes adjust to the sudden brightness, you're met only with an empty room.

"Mom?" you say louder, just to once again, unsurprisingly, be met with nothing.

Maybe she's still at the party on the deck, you think to yourself. That would explain the sound. Maybe it's from the music.

You slip out from beneath the duvet and make your way to the cabin door.

You take a deep breath, not knowing why you're so nervous, and open the door.

There's no music. It's an alarm.

You suddenly feel the ship lurch to the side, throwing you off balance and into the side of the doorway.

"Mom!" you cry out, for someone, anyone.

You don't want to be alone.

Tears are prickling beneath your eyes, and immediately, panic rises to your throat.

"Are you (Y/N)?"

A young male rushes down the hallway in your direction.

You nod your head in response, not finding your words.

"Your mom said you'd be down here, come on. She's already up in the rendezvous spot." His nametag says Seungcheol.

You accept his outstretched hand and follow him as he hurries down the corridor back the way he came.

The boat sways again, but Seungcheol stands his ground, keeping you steady on your feet too.

"What's happening?" your voice crackles.

Seungcheol continues to guide you through the interior of the ship. "There was an unexpected storm suddenly. Captain didn't even see it on our radars, it came out of nowhere. We're taking precautions and gathering everyone in the lounge while he works on getting us to shore."

The two of you make it above the cabins where the wind and rain are pelting down stronger than you've ever seen before. You're having a hard time keeping your balance on the rocking boat, your hand slowly slipping out of Seungcheol's grasp.

A giant wave hits the side of the ship, effectively removing your small hand from Seuncheol's as you're thrown to the side.

You scream as the wave seems to drag you away and pulls you off the edge of the ship.

You hear someone else yell; maybe it's your mother, maybe it's Seungcheol, but before you know it, you are doused in the cold ocean.

The instant your body falls into the depths, you're frozen, petrified, unable to move. You try to struggle your way to the surface, but your clothes weigh you down, only making you sink further below.

Your lungs burn. Trapped in the darkness, you can barely see the moonlight above anymore.

You succumb to your watery grave, eyes closed and arms wrapped around your small figure in a final effort to gain warmth.

Suddenly, you are hit by a feeling of serenity like your mother is cradling you once again. You lean into the tender touch and begin to drift away into unconsciousness.

She belongs to the sea.

You seem to hallucinate a raspy voice hiss out the strange remark.

And then you're gone.

•

Each time you see the familiar grey, gloomy clouds in the atmosphere brings you back to that one fateful day from your childhood.

You know something else happened to you after you fell into the water, but you can't for the life of you recall what.

You know you somehow made it back to the shore safely in one piece. Could it have been that kind staff member who collected you from your room? Or perhaps your mother who dove in after seeing you fall overboard?

You've kept that day to yourself; the only one who knows the full story is Hansol. Not even Jungkook nor Mingyu are aware of all the details; they only know the gist of the origins of your fear of the ocean.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Hansol's voice brings you back to reality. He's come from the kitchen and is currently standing next to you. Now brought back to your senses, you feel the slight sting from the hot cup of coffee resting between your palms.

"Nothing," you mutter out, removing your hands from the ceramic. You keep your gaze out the window at the hazy horizon; the tide seems to be rising with the weather getting progressively worse. "Are you seeing Chan today?"

"No," he answers, taking a sip from his cup. "Not that I know of, at least. I doubt he'll come if it's raining like this."

The wind looks like it's beginning to pick up. You can hear it howling on the other side of the windows.

"Right, of course."

The boy takes a seat across from you. "Are you sure you're doing okay?" he pushes, "You know you don't have to stay here for the full two weeks with us, right?"

"I know," you reply, "I've just been feeling more anxious recently, but I'm not entirely sure why." You take a sip of your coffee, burning the tip of your tongue slightly. "But I'll be okay."

Hansol's concern for you doesn't waver despite your words or the smile you’re presenting.

"Some storm, huh?" Mingyu's voice is heard from the staircase as he treks down to the main floor. His hair is still damp from his shower.

Hansol makes a noise of acknowledgement and takes another sip of his coffee.

Mingyu prepares a cup of coffee for himself. "Do you think the water will rise all the way up to the deck?"

You involuntary freeze at the thought.

"No, it shouldn't," Hansol says confidently.

And it doesn't, but it does come close. As the rain continues to pour, the entirety of the rocky path becomes submerged beneath the saltwater.

The sound of the storm keeps you awake as you lie in bed that night, picking at a loose thread on the duvet cover. You think you can feel the cabin sway with the heavy wind, but you blame it on your imagination.

She belongs to the sea.

You blame your imagination for the husky voice you hear too.

The sea.

The shutter on your bedroom window flies open; it's certainly not your imagination this time. You immediately stand up and make your way to the adjacent wall to close it, only to see just how high the tide has risen since you've retreated to bed.

Now you must be dreaming.

The sea level appears to be just below your window. Being on the upper floor of the cabin, that's more than concerning.

"(Y/N)?"

You back away from the window at the sound of your name spoken from the other side of it.

A vaguely familiar mop of damp brown hair appears outside your windowsill.

"Seokmin?" You squint your eyes at the face you see in the moonlight. Panic laces your voice, "What the hell is happening?"

Yeah, you really must be dreaming.

The merman reaches his arm through the threshold of your window with his hand open for you to take.

"Do you trust me?"

Every part of you screams no. No! You've lived your whole life in fear of the ocean and what resides within it. Taking this creature's hand would contradict your entirety.

"Please," he adds.

You feel yourself being drawn towards him, one foot after another taking you closer until your hand brushes against his. His fingertips are pruned, a sensation slightly rough against your smooth ones.

When he closes his hand around yours, you hear the rain abruptly stop.

Everything becomes silent, like the drops of water have stopped with time.

"It's okay," Seokmin whispers, warmly smiling at you.

Before you know it, his lips connect with your forehead.

And you suddenly remember that night you fell into the abyss.

•

The instant your body falls into the depths, you're frozen, petrified, unable to move. You try to struggle your way to the surface, but your clothes weigh you down, only making you sink further below.

Your lungs burn. Trapped in the darkness, you can barely see the moonlight above anymore.

You succumb to your watery grave, eyes closed and arms wrapped around your small figure in a final effort to gain warmth.

Suddenly, you are hit by a feeling of serenity like your mother is cradling you once again. You lean into the tender touch and begin to drift away into unconsciousness.

She belongs to the sea.

You seem to hallucinate a raspy voice hiss out the strange remark.

And then you're gone.

No, you think you're gone, but the burning sensation in your lungs is alleviated.

You open your eyes once more to find your small body enveloped by another being. It has a tail: a long, dark violet tail extending beneath you. Your fear hasn't left you completely, but the way you're cradled so carefully eases you.

"It's okay," a gentle voice whispers, causing you to look up to meet a pair of brown eyes and a warm smile. "You're safe."

"What's happening?" you hear your voice ask for the second time that day, unsure of how you're able to speak beneath the water.

"Your father wants you home," is the boy's response, "but I've tried to tell him it's not your time yet."

"My... father?"

You can't picture a face to the name you speak. Each time you've asked your mother about him, she's only said how he was a wonderful man. Was.

"Yes, (Y/N). Sorry about the storm. He gets emotional when thinking of you." One of the merman's hands supports the back of your head to his chest as he dashes through the water. "It's because he misses you."

"Are we going to see him now?"

"No, not yet. One day I'll find you again, and we will see him. Together."

Before you know it, your heads break through to the surface where the weather is much clearer than before. Your rescuer moves slowly towards the beach near the dock, continuing his hold on you until your feet can touch the ground.

You cough up some of the water that infiltrated your lungs before asking, "May I know your name?"

The merman smiles once more, the apples of his wet cheeks reflecting the moonlight. "You will, one day, little jellyfish."

•

Your eyes open only to find you still stood by your window with a familiar set of arms around you.

You take note of his purple tail extending below.

"You," you whisper, taking a step back from the windowsill to get a proper look at the boy residing on the other side, "We've met before."

Seokmin chuckles at your realization, "Yes, many years ago."

"You saved me."

"Kind of," he ponders. "You wouldn't have drowned; your father wouldn't have let that happen. I only made sure you wouldn't sink to the bottom of the ocean."

"Right, my father." The title still sounds alien from your mouth. You gesture to the flooded outside, "Did he do this too?"

Seokmin sheepishly scratches the nape of his neck, "Word may have gotten around that you were visiting the oceanside. You know how excitable Chan can get."

You smile at the idea of the youngest royal brother bragging about seeing you. "If my father's a merman, then why am I human?"

"Who said your father's a merperson?" Seokmin counters, "He's less of a merman and more of a sorcerer who resides within the waves."

"No shit."

The boy giggles at your remark.

"But if I technically come from the sea, then why have I been so afraid of it?"

"Are you still afraid of it now, jellyfish?"

You open your mouth, about to say your habitual response, but only to find yourself lacking one life-long phobia.

"No," you furrow your eyebrows.

"It was a spell I placed on you, back when you were a child," Seokmin fiddles with your hand; his is now dry. "It was to prevent you from returning when you weren't ready."

"Am I ready now?"

"My goodness, so many questions."

But Seokmin takes the time to answer them all for you.

You pull up a chair to the window as he remains in the raised tide.

That night, you learn that you're less human than you originally thought. You're not a merperson like Seokmin and his brothers are, but you do similarly come from the ocean.

Your father had unexpectedly met your mother one summer's day, the two falling in love faster than either party had expected. You weren't necessarily planned, but the two were ecstatic, nevertheless. Your father had to return back to the depths—his home—leaving your mother alone for the rest of her pregnancy. Yet, after she had you, she was significantly less lonely. She seemed to have the whole ocean supporting her, despite her lover unable to return to the surface.

When you were an infant, you were drawn to the water. Perhaps you could hear your father calling out to you for you to return home at sea with him, where he thought you belonged more-so than on land.

Seokmin had placed the spell on you to give you the opportunity for a normal youth on the surface. He recalled the way he so strongly loved being free of stress and confinement before his royal responsibilities became more prevalent and only wished the same for you.

Practicing magic under your father's teaching made Seokmin create a spell strong enough to last for over a decade.

He refrained from telling your father what he'd done that night when he found you. He knew how powerful the man was; a tsunami or hurricane could have easily been a product of his emotions.

Although now, the spell has worn off. Once more, you find yourself inexplicably drawn to the water and arguably even-more-so to the boy with his hands encased in yours.

"Will I get to meet him one day?" your eyes examine the way Seokmin's thumb grazes across your knuckles, tracing every crest and trough on your skin.

"Yes," he says, "though only when the tides lower again. I don't want him flooding the entire island out of happiness."

You hum out an "Okay" and catch the beginnings of the rising sun in the distance, illuminating Seokmin's already-glowing silhouette.

•

We'll meet beyond the shore,

"(Y/N), could I try something?"

Seokmin's ears are tinted a pretty pink as he examines your form sitting in the shallow water.

You shift your attention from feeling the silky sand beneath the waves lightly lapping against your ankles and to the merman sitting next to you. His hair is slowly beginning to dry from being in the summer sunshine.

We'll kiss just as before,

Seokmin takes your hand tenderly and brings it to his lips. It's a gentle touch, but the act sends a flurry of butterflies straight into your chest. The boy smiles brightly, his eyes slightly crinkling at the corners, and laces his fingers between yours.

Happy we'll be beyond the sea,

"I like the way your hand fits in mine, jellyfish."

Your eyes meet Seokmin's, who are trained on the pair of your intertwined hands.

"I like it too," you admit, smiling as his gaze lifts and meets yours.

He slowly leans in.

And never again I'll go sailing. ••

[curiousscientistkae]

oh yeah since I have new peeps here is a rundown of myshe ra kiddos +finally adding some i never talked about. Ages are just to show gaps between kids, they are not "canon". Under the cut stuff. I uh....ramble

Glimmadora:

Harper-20, eldest daughter/child. Born Feb 1st. She/Her, Demi-Bi. Heir to Brightmoon, gets called 'AJ' (Adora Jr) a lot by Glimmer since she looks and acts a lot like Adora. Has shoulder length two toned blonde hair (top half light like She-ra, bottom darker like Adora) with sparkles at the edns, sparkling purple eyes shaped like Adora's, tan skin like Glimmer, glasses, sometimes wears a hearing aid in her right ear. Has cream/purple wing markings on her back that later will turn into feathery cream wings with purple tips.

Sound based powers (cause my brain was like light and sound) but still can create light stuff they just make sounds also. Also can turn invisible. Being unable to control the powers as a toddler, she lost her hearing in her right ear. Everyone in the family knows sign language.

Smart af, witty, as the eldest of all the kids can be protective to a fault, anxious, wants to not fuck up and be a great queen. Will overwork herself and is a perfectionist, though can be forgetful. Is a great shoulder to lean on/be listened to.

Grows to 6' (she got them angella genes (who is alive in this au, not micah) and athletic build like Adora. Named to match the 'er' at Glimmer's name, her sound powers, and the Lyra constellation. Glimmer was the one to have her.

Mira-13, youngest daughter eldest twin. Born July 9th. She/Her, Lesbian, about 5 mins older than Micah. Powerless Princess. Got her great aunt and grandpa's hair color, pale skin (same as Adora), ice blue eyes shaped like Adora's, freckles on face. Usually has hair in ponytail held up by that butterfly pin from princess prom. Also almost always has a red cloak around her. Called 'Mimi'

Born with no magic and not connected to the moonstone (long story short in my au, First Ones cannot use magic without help or it will kill them. Mira got the most FO genes thus she cannot use magic. Whole ass idea i need to explore). Tries to make up for it with fighting skills. While she doesn't show it a lot, she hates the fact she is powerless and will not grow wings either.

Clever, rebellious, loves to explore. Can have a temper to her, wears her heart on her sleeve. Natural born leader. Butts heads with her mothers the most and has run away a few times (once for a very very long time heh). At the end of the day, she doesn't want to be in the shadow of anyone/wants to make her own mark.

Grows to 5'6", chubby build like Glimmer. Named to match the 'ra' in Adora's name and the 'Mi' in Micah's name. OG she was going to have healing powers before I got rid of that so it was also sort for Miracles. 'Mira' is a star, one that is an actual shooting star. Adora was the one to have her

Micah-13, youngest child only son. Born July 9th. He/Him and They/Them. Demi-Boy. Bi, about 5 mins younger than Mira. Has spell powers. Messy, chin length dark purple hair (the same shade as the bottom half of Glimmer's hair), sky blue eyes with sparkles and shaped like Glimmer's, freckles on face. Light tan skin (between his sisters). Has purple wing markings on back and later will get purple feathered wings. Called MJ (Micah Jr) or Mickey

Like his grandfather, great aunt, and Ma before him, he can use spells. Struggles with it but eventually learns he is best at defensive ones. They look up to many of the guards in the castle and wants to be one when he grows up.

Quiet, soft spoken, nervous boy. Def keeps his twin sister from doing something totally stupid. Trusting, sometimes too much, can hold grudges if wronged badly. Tries to see the best in others. Named to honor his grandfather, they want to live up to them and be a great sorcerer

Grows to 5'11, more avg/a bit stocky build. Named to match the 'Mi' with Mira and as Micah is dead in this still (i made them a long time ago) after him. Adora was the one to have them.

Scorpia's Kid

Onca-13, only child of Scorpia. Born May 4th. They/Them. Non-binary Pan. Magicat/Scorpion. OG a scorptra kid but Catra no longer with Scorpia. Has medium length snow white hair, usually in a small pony tail, light brown skin, amber eyes (only iris has the color not the whole eye). Cat fangs and white cat tail. Has those scorpion shouler pads and venom their fangs (not as strong as their mother's) and blue blood. No fur. Called 'Onc' or by Scorpia her 'Lil' Kitling'

Has electrical powers like Scorpia. Venom will only make the part they bite numb, does not fully knock anyone out. Is quick on their feet.

Laid back, quick to adapt, resting bitch face, can be a little lazy, sometimes acts without thinking, and easily distracted. Before growth spurt, they were small and grew a hatred of being seen as always needing help. Just a gentle giant really.

Grows to 6'3, strong build like Scorpia. Named after the latin species name of the Jaguar.

(i so need to work and the following kids more rip)

Bowfuma

Robin-18, eldest son/child of Bow and Perfuma. Born March 20th, He/Him. Gay. Dark brown skin, dark brown, short hair, dark brown eyes. Wears glasses. Has plant powers. Called Robby. Heir to Plumeria.

Plant powers are a WIP kind of, might be like Perfuma or a little dif but is connected to the Runestone. Knows some archery but prefers a crossbow.

Self assured, he knows who he is and what he wants to do, fair-takes both sides of an argument into account. Is the least likely to cause shit. Can be messy and hates when his things are moved. Procrastinator.

Grows to 6', lean build. Named after both Robin Hood, the archer, and the bird

Eliza-16, only daughter. Born Sept 15th, She/Her, Aro/Ace. Dark brown skin, dark brown hair in two braids, dark brown eyes, freckles. Needs glasses but wears contacts. Powers allows her to talk to animals. Called 'Liza'.

Also connected to the runestone, Eliza and talk to animals. She actually started to talk to them before speaking to her parents. When she talks to them, to others it sounds like she is making the animal sounds.

Passionate and loves animals. While her cousin Mira puts her energy into trouble, she puts it into being outside and building things or helping her mom and dad. Hates being stuck inside. Can be whimsical. Loves to be challenged and doesn't back down from stuff, even when maybe she should. Can be a bit dense.

Grows to 5'8", lean build. Named after Eliza Thornberry.

Ash-15, youngest of their siblings. Born Nov 23rd. He/She/They genderfluid. No real label-uses queer. Medium brown skin, medium length, wavy blonde hair, dark brown eyes. Freckles. Has no powers but does not mind it at all.

Unlike his younger cousin, Mira, Ash does not care they do not have powers or are not next in line for the thorn. They are happy to just learn from their father or others. Kind of a jack of all trades.

Has a big heart and a love for all life. Once she is set on something, she sees it through to the end. Very observant of the world and what goes on in it. Can be impatient and doesn’t always take things seriously. Jokes way to often. Free-spirit

Grows to 5'10", thin build like his mom. Named after the type of tree which you could use to make a bow.

Seamista

Newt-18, oldest and only son of Sea Hawk and Mermista. Born Dec 11th, Trans Man He/Him, Pan ace. Dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, short blue hair. Has no runestone powers but can still turn into a merman when in the water.

Newt was next in line for the throne but stepped down, not liking the idea of being a king. He likes to spend time at the beach, swimming, and enjoying being in the sun. Usually keeps his sisters from killing each other.

Hard worker, does not usually slack off, does hate being in the spotlight. Humble. Good at reading emotions. Can lose track of time easily. Has his mother's dry sense of humor. Will faint at the sight of blood

Grows to 5'7", build like Sea Hawk. Named for the salamander that is associate with fire. And with it being an amphibian and transitioning from one stage to another, kind of works there also.

Sandra-15, oldest daughter. Born Mar 7th, She/Her, Pan. Medium brown skin, brown eyes, dark long brown curly hair. Has water based powers (still a WIP whoops). Can turn into a mermaid when in the water.

After her brother stepped down, she is now the heir to her kingdom. Still working a bit on her powers but is connected to the runestone. FIGHTS with her sister all the time.

Very much a girly girl, loves pink, skirts, sparkles, all that jazz. Takes her role as princess seriously. Dutiful and punctual. Hates messes, likes things to be neat. Does not like things randomly being dropped on her.

Grows to 5'8", Mermista's body build. Nickname is Sandy and is called that the most. Named cause yeah....sandy.

Yamuna-12, youngest child/daughter. Born Apr 13th, She/Her, Greyromo/sexual Lesbian. Long blue hair though will dye it many colors, usually orange, light brown skin, brown eyes. Water powers. Cannot fully turn into a mermaid when in the water, just gets webbing and gills.

She can control the temperature of the water around her, freezing it or boiling it at will. Is a great sailor

Pure Sea Hawk child, pretty much his clone. Wild, hyper, will set shit on fire. Takes pride in everything she does. Will blurt out things without thinking and can be pushy. Doesn't like to be told to do things. Zero filter.

Grows to 5'2", small body build. Named after one of the largest rivers in India.

(these guys are VERY WIP so not much to them)

Ada-Entrapta child, on the younger end. Adopted, trans woman, het. Does love robots and what not, helps their mom out a lot. Probably can run on little sleep and still be fine. Name was given to me by my good friend Dorku named after Ada Lovelace, a mathematician and first computer programmer. Very close with Onca

Luka and Felix-Catra's sons, adopted. Both magicats. Catra moves away from everyone and wouldnt really come into focus until much much later when Mira runs off. Luka and Felix idk ages yet but are only a year apart in age. Luka means light (he is one of Catra's lights now) and Felix is a cartoon cat. Would become close friends with Mira later on

(im too lazy to proof lmao and free to ask questions or change stuff up lmao god)

[yukipri]

Marco’s Bauble Part 7 - a One Piece Mermaid AU Text Story

I ended up spending most of this past weekend setting up the Mermaid AU on AO3, so I do hope y’all will check it out over there!

Please note that on AO3, this Marco’s Bauble story is going under the title On the Courtship of Monkey D. Luffy. I didn’t really know where this series was going when I began writing it, and “Marco’s Bauble” was most definitely a starting point, but it’s expanded well beyond that now, as you’ll probably see in this update ^ ^; I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll rename all the parts on Tumblr or not.

BUT in the meantime, I’ll continue posting updates in advance here on Tumblr (and on Patreon even further in advance ;D), so here’s an update for this week!

In which Sabo confronts Koala.

Continues off of, and should be read after:

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 1

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 2

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble Part 3

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble, Part 4

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble, Part 5

👒🐟Marco’s Bauble, Part 6

~~

Hmm, Koala thinks. So this probably counts as a "kabedon."

A kabedon, according to the young new recruits who'd explained it to her, is a situation in which one person, ideally tall and attractive, leans over a second, ideally smaller person, boxing them against a wall with their arms, essentially pinning them in place. Koala thinks it sounds like menacing posturing, but the recruits insisted that if done by the right person, it's a terribly titillating scenario, the kind you'd find in romance stories.   

It happens to be the situation that Koala finds herself in now, with her back against the side of Merry's cabin as Sabo looms over her, effectively blocking all exits with his arms braced against the wall on either side of her.

Sabo, Koala grudgingly thinks, probably not only qualifies, but is likely the recruits' very definition of tall and attractive.   

Right now, he's doing that thing where his eyes are half-mast, dark and unreadable as they peer down at Koala through the curtain of blond locks that have fallen across his face. It's a look that Koala knows has half of Baltigo swooning, and she's heard people call it Chief's Sexy Look.   

Koala feels very strongly that those are a poor choice of words, because from personal experience, she knows it's a look that's usually followed immediate, brutal interrogation that often ends in screams and excessive bloodshed. 

"Koala," he breathes, in that voice that has stolen the hearts of half the Revolutionary Army, and has convinced more than one unfortunate soul that perhaps, they might survive this encounter after all.   

But Koala knows better.   

Because his next words are, surprise surprise, "What are you hiding from me about my Luffy?"

He smiles then, and it looks misleadingly gentle, and Koala can see why strangers may mistake him for a benevolent princely gentleman.   

But Koala knows Sabo. And all she sees is the manic sadism behind the oh so very fake expression.   

She cringes, because no, there is absolutely nothing romantic or exciting about this situation at all. All she feels is Doom.   

"Hmm?" she says, keeping her hands behind her back so he can't see them twist. In these situations, Koala's more than well aware that the more she talks, the more she incriminates herself.   

Many who observe their partnership are under the impression that Sabo's just the overpowered guy who beats people up and destroys shit, while Koala provides intel. And while it's true that Koala has intel, Sabo's the one who often personally extracts it from their most stubborn sources.   

In other words, what Sabo wants, he usually gets. It's usually a comforting thought, but not today.   

"Hmm?" Sabo parrots back, eyes lazily tracing over her face, and Koala frantically tries to keep her expression neutral as he searches for an opening. 

It's like when they were children, Koala thinks, when they played interrogation games with each other as assignments for Inazuma's class. Except this time, it's not Koala's grade on the line. And while Koala knows that her partner would never actually hurt her, he's also very capable of making life pretty miserable for her if she doesn't spill.   

And right now, she has a secret she'd really, really like to keep away from Sabo.

The secret being, y'know, the fact that someone proposed to his dearest baby brother.   

And even though it's extremely unlikely that Luffy understands the significance behind the gesture, she considers the gift hers, which, for all points and purposes...means she accepted.   

Koala does not want Sabo to find out about this, from her, at least right now, before she has more information.   

But, Koala glumly remembers, she's never actually managed to win any interrogation games against him.   

"You know," he says, voice deceptively light, and Koala wants to groan because here we go. "Luffy and Ace mean the world to me. They're not just my past, they make me who I am. Even when I didn't remember, they were with me, and I was with them. They're everything to me."   

Koala won't break. She tries to look for an opening without shifting her eyes, but Sabo's not an amateur and there are no escape routes.   

"It would truly be terrible, if something happened to one of them, something that should be stopped, that I could have prevented if only I had known."   

He's poking her defenses. He wants her to say, you're blowing this out of proportion, it's not that big a deal, or maybe you're overthinking this. Possibly even lie, I'm not hiding anything, or even counter, what makes you think I'm hiding something?   

Koala knows better. Those are all traps, all openings that he'd pounce on, and she's seen him rip people apart for falling for them. Koala won't give him the chance.   

He leans in close, and whispers in her ear, voice low and dark in a way that would make his fans cry, and his enemies cry too but for an entirely different reason. "You wouldn't know something that'd prevent me from fulfilling my duties as Luffy's older brother, now would you, Koala?"  

Well, Koala thinks snidely, depends on what you consider your brotherly duties, and whether they include homicide and starting a war with an Emperor.   

She says, "Mmm."   

Sabo, or rather his mouth, smiles. His eyes are a void. Koala's not used to be on the receiving end of this particular stare, and she isn't enjoying a moment of it.   

"Alright. If that's how you want to be. Let's figure this out together, now shall we?"   

Sabo's voice is calm, exaggeratedly patient, like a therapist. He never talks to Koala like this, but Koala still recognizes this particular tone, and cringes as she realizes which interrogation pattern he's chosen. It's one she's ill equipped to counter at the moment, and he no doubt knows it.   

Koala braces herself. Blank face, she tells herself, even breathing. He's using his stupid over-powered Observation Haki to keep track of your pulse.

"Well," he begins, "I know it's already about Luffy, because you're more nervous about me talking about her than Ace." It's stated as fact, and Koala blinks rapidly to moisten her eyes because she knows the real deal's starting now, and she'll have to avoid blinking when it might give her away.   

"And it must be something you found out during your Fishman Karate sessions, because you don't have any other time together, at least when I'm not watching."   

Koala isn't remotely surprised that he's monitoring everyone; after all, she's been doing the same. She wants to sigh but keeps it in.   

"It's probably something physical, because Lu can't keep secrets if she thinks of them as secrets, so it might have been something you saw...a scar, or a mark on her body? No? Then an object she has on her...Ah, there we go."  

Fuck you, I didn't give you any tells, Koala thinks indignantly, but she knows that expressing any annoyance will only confirm his guesses, and continues to refuse to speak.   

"You've been going to the kitchen more often than usual, but not during meal times, or even prep times, but rather lulls...times that you have no business in the kitchen, and times where only cooks are present, cleaning up or otherwise doing tasks that don't require their full attention...the perfect time to chat."  

Maybe I wanted a snack, Koala thinks, but keeps her mouth shut, because Sabo already knows when and how she snacks. This interrogation really isn't fair.   

"And as for the cooks in question...well, if it were Sanji, I'd just ask him myself, but you knew I wouldn't do that, right, Koala? You know I could get it out of him, so if it was him, he wouldn't know anything of value. But I don't think he's involved at all."   

Sabo looks at Koala expectantly. Koala stares right back at him, though her eyes feel very, very dry.   

"So the question now is, why would my dearest partner want to protect Thatch, Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and temporary first cook of the ASL Pirates?" Sabo talks as though he's asking himself, but he isn't, and Koala's not fooled. She keeps her face blank. "I doubt it's a personal thing, after all, his intentions towards Luffy couldn't be more obvious, he announces it at least once a day. And given my partner's obvious little lesbian crush, it doesn't seem in her best interests to help him, no?"   

This does get a reaction from Koala, and her breath leaves her in a whoosh. Fine, make it personal. If he's figured out this much, it's only a few more steps till the answer, and at this point what does it matter. Koala glares, relishing freeing her face from its mask, and for a moment Sabo's back to his usual self, giving her a cheeky wink as though to say told you so. But then Interrogator!Sabo is back, because he's not quite done yet.  

Whatever. She tried, alright. It's not like she owes the Phoenix anything. She leans back against the wall, bringing her arms in front of her chest, and scowls, hoping her expression projects exactly what she thinks of Interrogator!Sabo at the moment. Sabo likewise drops his arms, because he knows she's no longer going to escape.   

"You're not protecting Thatch himself, because if you were we could solve it here, and it never needs to get out of hand. So you're protecting someone connected to him. The fact that you're being so stubborn, tells me that it's not just a personal thing, but something that could cause an incident, that would likely affect the Army. Which means, obviously, a Whitebeard pirate.   

"But I don't think it's just any Whitebeard pirate. They're someone high profile enough that it would be a big deal if I were to confront them, possibly jeopardizing any potential future alliances the Army forms with them, or drawing the eyes of the World Government. Which, they're already watching us, which makes me think it's gotta be someone even bigger than Thatch..."   

Which, of course doesn't leave much.   

"It could very well be old man Whitebeard himself," Sabo says, but he's shaking his head. "But something tells me it's not. And I know that some very interesting little blue birds have been stopping by the Merry, likely with letters for Thatch, but possibly also with unsolicited deliveries for my baby brother..."  

Your baby brother, chill with your possessiveness, does rubbing it in feel that good? Koala sniffs.   

"And as for why it's a big deal...you wouldn't be so secretive over a crush. Everyone on the crew has a crush. That can be dealt with. This is a few steps beyond, something you think would make me mad, right, Koala?”

Sabo pauses a moment, but it's for dramatic effect, because Sabo knows that Koala knows that he already has an answer.   

"So tell me, Koala. What did Marco the Phoenix give Luffy to try to claim her as his bride?"   

And well, there you have it.

"Bravo," Koala says dryly. "I see you're qualified for your position, Chief. I'll be sure to inform the Boss."   

Sabo tips his hat, and even though she allows herself to relax, Koala keeps her eyes trained on her partner.   

He's taking this calmer than she expected, to be honest. Interrogator!Sabo still hasn't fully faded from his face, but he's no longer giving off sadistic vibes, and has that little frown that tells Koala he's still sorting through his thoughts. His ability to remain composed is likely affected by the fact that they're still in Paradise, and the Whitebeard Pirates and the New World are still quite a ways away.   

Which is good, because it means Sabo can't just impulsively cause a massive incident on the spot. But it's also bad, because it means he's got more time to plot, and Sabo can come up with some pretty devastating things if given the opportunity.   

"Sabo, I barely know anything myself, and neither does Thatch," Koala says, finally willing to speak. "I'm working on getting more information. Don't plan anything rash yet. It could all be a misunderstanding."   

Sabo slowly nods, still quiet. Koala sighs.   

This might be a good time to bring up a certain topic, she realizes. She'd been thinking about it for a while now, but had wanted to give him more time.   

She first thought about it when the night after he regained his memories, she sees Sabo slip away from the Merry to pursue the ship that's transporting the slavers who tried to sell Luffy at the auction house. The slavers have already been passed in the hands of Army agents, all of the enslaved have been freed and are on their way to safety, and Luffy's back with her crew. Their job should have been over.   

Sabo comes back before dawn, accompanied by Ace who had likely transported him with Striker. He seems calmer than the night before, but Koala doesn't miss that his gloves are still damp from recently being washed.   

There've been other incidents too, in the short period they've traveled together. Koala's seen Sabo dangerously close to snapping (and actually snapping) more during the past few weeks than their entire decade together. And on one hand, it's understandable, but on the other...   

"You know," Koala begins, as gently as possible. "she's no longer the child you left behind. She's an adult. Even if this ends up being nothing, she may still find someone, one day. What are you going to do then?"   

If Luffy's in physical danger, protecting her is one thing. But what if it's something that she chooses?   

The change is subtle, but Koala notices when the last of the Chief of Staff fades from Sabo, as his head tilts downward ever so slightly. And all of a sudden he reminds Koala all too much of the tiny, battered child who stared at himself in the mirror when he thought everyone was asleep, touching his scars and asking, Who are you?

"I can't lose her, I can't lose either of them," Sabo says quietly, and he overlaps completely with the lost child, and ah, Koala thinks, because she gets it.   

That child, that self who was missing for so long, is back now, inside Sabo where he always belonged, where he always existed but couldn't be recognized. That child now takes up so much space, too much space, and still hasn't been fully reconciled with the adult that Sabo's grown up to be. Simpler, childish emotions and desires that feel too vibrant and raw, clashing with the adult's more weathered world view, aggravated further by all the darkness that Sabo's seen in their line of work.   

Sabo's less concerned about Ace, Koala knows, because even though Sabo loves both his brothers, Ace is like his other half. They don't protect each other, but function seamlessly as a single unit, a unit with one priority that stands above all else.   

Luffy.   

Luffy, who as a child, Sabo was able to protect from anything and everything in their isolated microcosm. Luffy, who as an adult, Sabo knows all too well is more vulnerable than ever, as proven by the very situation in which they reunited.  

A gilded glass tank, hidden away behind dusty curtains, with a dark, motionless shape crumpled at the bottom. Chains, chains, and chains upon bruised skin, and bubbles rising from parted lips, getting smaller and smaller as she slowly fades...

That was bad enough, but Koala doubts Ace or any of the others know exactly what the fate of a captured mermaid is, at least in the way that Koala and Sabo do.   

Koala understands, she really does.   

But she also knows the importance of freedom, not just to Sabo, but likely to Luffy and Ace as well.   

"Would it be losing her?" she asks, and child!Sabo flinches.   

"We vowed to be free," Sabo says, and he still sounds lost, like he doesn't know what the word means anymore. "And we will be." His hat shadows his eyes, and Koala can't imagine how they look at that moment. "But I don't want her to go where I can't follow."   

"Then follow," Koala says, because what else is there to say? "Follow, if that's your freedom. But you can't stop hers."   

"I know."   

She couldn't have known how Sabo would take her words.

~~

Part 8, we see more of Thatch.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

As always, any comments are immensely appreciated and help motivate me to create more for this AU! ;A;

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

[therealvikingstrash]

For the meta asks for writers, I wanted to ask for numbers 2, 4, and 6. 😀

Aww, hello there love! 💕

Well, let's get into it, shall we? 😏

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Hmmm, let's see, I have one of two post-apocalyptic writing project's that I can talk a little about one that's really heart-wrenching and the AU of a movie. Not saying too much on what movie it is though xD only two people know about it *cough* Mar, Eva *cough* and I think those who like the brotherly fics I write, will love that one (hopefully) 😋 It features a lot of female characters we didn't see enough of in the show and who I really love. Also planning on making some art for that one, so it'll really be a bit until I'll post it ^^ Would hate to spoiler it.

Aaaand, I know this is kinda only about writing, but since I'm also an artist and am very set on creating digital art for @underragingwaves absolutely enthralling fanfic homeland, heartland (to anyone who hasn't read it yet: GO READ IT and comment/kudo for fucks sake! The pairing is super fucking cute and her writing awesome!) So, I guess that could be called a big project too 😅 The first drawing I managed so far is A Mermaid Named Cari, if anyone wants to check it out 😊 there's a drawing in the making that will be split for tumblr and AO3, because the NSFW version would probably get banned from tumblr 😅 It entails Ubbe and Cari 😋

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

This one took me a bit because I never really think of stuff like that, but I settled on:

"We're Shieldmaiden, Gunnhild," Amma said, her chin resting on top of the Queen's head. "We will stand together against the enemy, shoulder to shoulder behind the shield wall, be it real or imaginary. I'll be there with you."

- Icy Winters and Soulmates, my short Gen story centered around Amma and Gunnhild. I'm proud of Amma being able to voice the depth of their companionship as shieldmaiden/women where nothing can get between them. I like how my Amma prioritized Gunnhild's sorrow over Hvitserk's drug issues and emphasized that she would always be right there with Gunnhild, be it everyday problems or war(and how Bjorn's actions are the enemy in this case), through thick and thin she would stay with her.

It was something I really wanted to write, since we didn't get enough of those types of relationships depicted on screen in the show. It was always either implied or very short-lived (think the Aslaug-Helga-Siggy friendship that went awry). So yeah, little bit proud of myself for finally writing it down 😊

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

Don't have to think about that one too long: Hvitserk. He's so chaotic as a character and confused when it comes to making his decisions, he's such a wildcard that it's fun to write him. The first impression of him might be "oh, he's sweet" but there's an underlying darkness that can be brought out by specific actions of other characters or when he simply feels that way. I just really love him 😂 (Sorry, Ubbe babe, but your brother has that chaotic vibe I love to write. You're still the number one everywhere else lol)

My second favorite to write is obviously Ubbe, my big hearted good boi number two and the third Ivar, because with him I can unapologetically let out the crazy without explaining too much, it's just canon for him to go batshit or be mean.

-

I'm game for the rest of the numbers if anyone wants to have a go!

[jaskierswolf]

Happy Birthday to my dearest Disney Spouse @dani-dandelino! You’ve been such a rock for me and I absolutely adore you ❤️ I hope you enjoy this little modern Jaskilion AU that I wrote for you! 🥰

Thank you @funkylittlebard for beta-ing!

____________

The thunder rumbled outside the window, the rain hammering down on the pavement as headlights flashed intermittently. Storms had never been Dandelion’s favourite so Jaskier had insisted they build a pillow fort as a distraction. That was how Dandelion found himself caught under a mess of couch cushions and blankets, his head in Jaskier’s lap. There were fake tea lights stationed around the cramped space, lighting up the den with flickering orange light, fairy lighting pinned into the cushions above their head. It was cosy, made even cosier by their matching onesies. Jaskier had a tiger, and Dandelion had been forced into a lion version. Normally, he preferred to wear something a little more refined and he’d never really seen the appeal of onesies, but Jaskier had pouted at him and he’d been putty in his hands, and he had to admit that it was comfy.

The fort had been a good idea.  He could barely make out Jaskier’s face in the dark, but he could see enough to know that his boyfriend was smiling down at him.

“Sweetheart?”  

Jaskier’s hands didn’t stop running through his scalp, and his boyfriend hummed under his breath. The same song that had been playing at the restaurant where they had their first date. Dandelion wondered whether his boyfriend remembered.

“I love you, dearest.”

“I love you too, dear heart,” Jaskier replied, a soft happy sigh to his voice.  “Did I tell you about the incident at the dog park today?”

Dandelion smiled, Jaskier had told him twice already, but he knew that the actor was trying to distract him from the storm, so he shook his head. “You know, I don’t believe you have?”

Jaskier cackled. “It was fucking brilliant, I was out walking Roach, because Geralt’s out of town on for an interview, and Valdo bloody Marx just strolls up to be with that rat that he calls a dog…”

Dandelion closed his eyes, focusing on the soft tenor of Jaskier’s voice, listening to every cadence, every hitch in his breath. He knew the words by heart at this point, but Jaskier’s voice soothed him. It washed over him like waves lapping at the sand, constant and ever-changing. The heat of the sunrays against his skin, warming his soul right down to the tips of his toes. Dandelion would be able to pick out Jaskier’s voice from even the largest of crowds. He was so attuned to the melodic tenor that had become the soundtrack to his life, that Dandelion could hear Jaskier long before his boyfriend came into sight.

The actor was a natural-born storyteller, they’d often joked that the brunet had to sit on his hands to stop himself from waving them around like he was trying to land a plane. He was funny, flirty and brilliant. Dandelion was completely smitten. They’d met on set, as most people in the industry did. Dandelion was the writer and showrunner for a rather delightful show about monsters and monster slayers, heroics and heartbreak. Jaskier was playing a charming young bardling and Geralt, his witcher friend and love of his life.

Dandelion had been completely blown away by the natural chemistry between Geralt and Jaskier, but once they’d wrapped Jaskier had texted him out of the blue and asked if he’d like to get dinner. Apparently, he’d been pining over Dandelion since day one, and when Dandelion had assumed he was laughing with Geralt over some flirty inside joke, Geralt had actually been teasing Jaskier about his crush.

The blushes had all been for him.

That had been three seasons ago and now they were living together in their studio flat in London. It was a luxury that Dandelion had never expected when he started writing as a child and later on as a teen starting to write, some honestly questionable, fan fiction… and now here he was, a showrunner and lead writer on his very own TV show with his cute actor boyfriend.

It was beyond his wildest dreams.

“Lion?” Jaskier’s hand brushed against his forehead, sweeping the hair from his face. “Are you even listening to me?”

Dandelion grinned sheepishly and repeated back a random part of the story, but by Jaskier’s pout he knew he’d gotten it wrong. “I’m sorry, darling, I was just so lost in thought about your beauty and your voice is so ethereal, so radiant, so….”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Flattery will get you everywhere,” Jaskier giggled. “Ooh shall we watch a movie?”

Dandelion rolled over and sat up so he was pressed against Jaskier’s side. Jaskier giggled and wrapped his arm around Dandelion’s shoulder. He was always astounded by how strong the actor was under the puffy costumes he wore on set, with arms almost as muscular as Geralt’s, broad shoulders and thick thighs. God, he was so weak. Dandelion himself was tall, taller than both Geralt and Jaskier, but he was slender like the flower he named himself after.

“The Lion King?” he asked, trying his best to sound pathetic and whiny so that Jaskier would give in. His boyfriend preferred The Little Mermaid, but it was stormy and Dandelion was stressed so really they should get to watch his favourite film.

“Hmm,” Jaskier replied, sounding a little too much like Geralt for Dandelion’s liking. It was a rather annoying habit that Jaskier had picked up having spent so much time on set with his co-star, honestly without Dandelion’s smooth words in his mouth, Jaskier was a bit of a mess.

“Oh come on, Jask, my darling, light of my life and—”

“I’m not pretending to lift you up like Simba.”

Dandelion grinned and launched himself at his boyfriend, knocking them both to the ground. “Pinned ya!” Dandelion giggled, rubbing his nose against Jaskier’s.

Jaskier made a show of rolling his eyes but pulled Dandelion into a kiss. It was nothing they hadn’t done before but it still had his heart racing and the world seemed to spin.

The world really did seem to spin as Jaskier flipped them over, knocking the electric tea lights flying and one of the blankets of the roof caved in around his boyfriend’s shoulders. Dandelion giggled and took advantage of Jaskier’s distraction as he tried to free himself from his blanket cage. Their positions were flipped again and Dandelion pressed a kiss to Jaskier’s forehead.

“Pinned ya, again,” he said, trying to mimic Nala as best he could. He even gave Jaskier his best doe eyes.

His boyfriend pouted up at him, bottom lip quivering, fringe knocked almost completely off his forehead, so Dandelion really couldn’t help pressing another kiss there. It was just so large.

“Stop it,” Jaskier grumbled and swatted him out of the way so he could mess with his fringe.

“Never, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you too, dear heart.”

“Do you love me enough to watch The Lion King?” Dandelion teased, brushing a thumb along Jaskier’s cheek. “My gorgeous, beautiful boyfriend.”

“I love you enough to watch nothing but The Lion King for the rest of my life, darling.”

Dandelion’s breath caught in his throat. The rest of life was a long time… that was, well that was a big commitment and… “That almost sounds like a proposal.”

“Ah, umm, well..” Jaskier stammered, his face flushed a deep red, dipping down beneath the zip of his tiger onesie into the thick chest hair that was only just visible.

Dandelion pulled back, sitting on his ankles, still straddling his boyfriend’s waist. “Jaskier…”

“No. No, no, no… it’s not. I wouldn’t….”

“Oh.”

“No! I mean… not like that, umm… I. Well, I had a plan?”

Dandelion felt his eyes go wide as his entire world stopped, narrowing down to just this wonderful idiot beneath him. “A plan?” he squeaked.

Jaskier stammered and stumbled over some nonsensical words until Dandelion leaned down to kiss him, hands cupping Jaskier’s face, brushing along the line of stubble that was starting to grow. His boyfriend melted into the kiss and hummed happily, fingers landing on Dandelion’s thighs.

“I love you, my dear,” Dandelion whispered against Jaskier’s lips, “and I would watch nothing but The Little Mermaid with you for the rest of my life…. if you asked.”

Jaskier scoffed. “You wouldn’t.”

Dandelion cocked his head. “Metaphorically speaking.”

“Oh… Oh… Oh shit, fucking cock. Wait here!” Jaskier all but shoved him off of him, and Dandelion went flying into the remaining cushions and blankets, knocking their pillow fort to ruins.

Dandelion was left, stunned, in the middle of the living room. He shielded his eyes from the sudden bright lights, having adjusted to the dark of the pillow fort. The room suddenly felt very dark and very empty. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, twirling the ends between his fingers. “What the fuck just happened?”

Jaskier was clattering about in their bedroom, a familiar stream of curses followed his boyfriend. It was usually endearing but there was an anxiety in Dandelion’s chest that seemed to weigh him down, taking away the colour that usually filled his life. He groaned and buried his face in his hands.

He’d ruined everything. Jaskier was packing his suitcase. He was probably already calling a cab, maybe booking a room at a hotel.

A loud clash of thunder made the building shake and Dandelion squeaked, throwing a blanket over his head. “Fucking, bloody storms, fuck!”

A hand on his shoulder startled him. He felt Jaskier’s legs wrapped around him and suddenly there was a second person under the blanket. Blue eyes lit up in the glow from Jaskier’s phone torch.

“Hey?”

Dandelion swallowed. “Sorry.”

“I just had to find something, I couldn’t do this without it.”

Dandelion chewed at his lips and pressed his forehead to Jaskier’s, breathing in the honied chamomile scent of his shampoo. He’d been overdramatic again. He should have known, but sometimes it wasn’t always easy.

“Dandelion, I. Umm… well I never learnt the speech I had prepared, but… will you watch only The Lion King with me for the rest of my life?” Jaskier whispered, his voice cracking at the end, and Dandelion felt a tear trickle down his cheek, only then realising that he was crying.

Even in the dark under the blanket Dandelion could see the open ring box in Jaskier’s hands. He wasn’t kneeling on one knee, legs still around Dandelion’s back as they sat opposite each other in the ruins of their blanket fort.

“Only if I can watch The Little Mermaid with you?”

“Metaphorically speaking?”

Dandelion laughed, a sobbing mess of a laugh, and he pulled Jaskier into a kiss, wrapping his arms around Jaskier’s neck. “Yes, you stupid idiotic fool. Bloody hell.. Yes.”

“God, I love you,” Jaskier whined and crashed their lips together once more.

[rosepetalwings]

Oh I'm More Than Glad To Talk About Deeprune

ok so lets run through the au in sections

DEEPRUNE

Story:

The cast are now all mythological mermaid/siren creatures.

The Light World is the epipelagic zone (and upper half of mesopelagic zone) of the ocean and live in ignorance of the strange creatures that look as they do in the twilight below...

Dark World is mid-mesopelagic and below, full of frightening sea creatures those so blessed to live in sea reef coral homes could never hope to fathom... and should never hope to meet.

One day, one of the 4 kings of the ocean basins drew help from a powerful, unknown force and imprisoned his peers at the bottom of the deep sea trenches... And to this day, he rules his little area, biding his time for the day the Dark can take over the Light.

That is, of course, unless a very human looking siren, a sea crocodile tough girl, a bioluminscent jellyfish(?) fluffy boy, and a villainous... cloaked hybrid thing can fulfill a very familiar prophecy...

Locations:

Light Zone

Hometown - A bright and cheerful coral reef with a good amount of merfolk in the community.

School ‐ Building constructed out of stone and hidden amongst normal marine foliage and coral. Normal congregations of school akin to what the land-dwellers (or terrans, as the merfolk might call them) do for their own children.

Hospital ‐ Made in the same way as the school and serves the same function as its land counterpart. The hospital does have different instruments to serve its marine patients, however.

QC's diner - Hidden under a rock shelf and is more of an open seating arrangement. Fan coral serves as a sort of decorative barrier to keep the seating plan from being too open.

ICEE's p"e"zzeria - Incredibly conspicuous and placed between the brightest coral on the reef for the attention-grabbing colors. High visibility means free advertising, no?

The Graveyard - In a clearing among the kelp forest, there lies a set of engraved stones covered in algae. It's especially quiet there. Peaceful when you focus on the sunlight filtering in through the kelp stalks.

The bunker - Placed just before the continental shelf begins to fall off into complete and utter darkness. The merfolk in town warn their children to never near that area.

Dark Zone

????? - A craggy mess of rocks on the outskirts of the continental shelf. The light begins to grow strange here for whatever reason...

Castle Town - A shipwreck amongst the craggy rocks in the dark where a strangely kind shadowy figure lives.

Field - A seemingly endless stretch of ocean in which a Lightner's vision alone cannot be used to find one's way in the dark, lest they be horribly lost until the end of time. Or lest they stray further down, where it grows darker, yet darker...

The Scarlet Forest - Not really a forest, per se. More a jestful remark over the collection of sea creatures that have evolved to have a red tone to their skin as camouflage in the watery depths. The creatures are so very frightening and strange with their sharp-toothed open maws and flashy photophores. Strange to think how normal this all is down in the depths...

Great Board - The inlets and caves that checker the continental slope and house very many deep sea merfolk. Very many large tunnels dug out to house many of the population and keep them interconnected as a society. Alas, this stationary grouping also makes them vulnerable to the power of kingly apex predators.

The Castle - Hidden within the depths of the Mariana Trench. None of the Board have seen the castle in such grave depths and lived to tell the tale. None but a strange barreleye and his hyper young ward...

Characters:

Lightners

Kris - A mostly human-shaped siren, save for fishy bits, including but not limited to, gills and an iridescent shine to their hair. Always sneaking off to play tricks on unsuspecting beach goers. Kind of a quiet kid but their mischievous grin says it all for them.

Susie - A rude, rough-and-tumble kind of sea crocodile gill girl that does not appreciate nautical wordplay. She will appreciate your lunch money, though.

Noelle - The most nervous kelpie you'll ever meet. Easily provoked but she's very sweet and intelligent and perhaps she's a shade dorky, but it's through that dorkiness she'll find a way to make you smile.

Asriel - Sweet and effortlessly loveable and smart and talented capricorn brother to Kris who's just gone off to do independent study in a different sea basin! He's coming back to town next week; Kris seems a little downcast as of late, though...

Alphys - Marine iguana teacher at the reef's local school. Please don't ask her for her reviews on neat human media she's managed to salvage, we'll be here all week.

Undyne - The undying undine on everyone's minds! ...Because she's likely tried to tackle you for minor offenses like littering or jay-swimming in the humdrum life of this little reef town. She's somewhat of a vigilante, working by her own judicial metrics and warning the reef of any terran sightings or other such troubles. Not much to report on though, these days...

Toriel & Asgore - The capricorn divorcees. Haven't you heard; the news has spread all over the place! What a shame too, they looked just like the perfect reef family...

Sans and Papyrus - The strange brothers that just moved into the reef... Coelacanth merfolk with mottled, skeletal appearances. The shorter brother "runs" the reef market. ...If you can get a fin in the door, anyway. The taller one hasn't made much of a public appearance in town yet; hard to comment on him.

Darkners

Ralsei - The prince of the prophesy, as well as the bringer of Light to the Dark, as symbolized through his charmed hat and cloak, to make him appear as though he is but a jellyfish that sways with the currents. Seems to be as soft in personality as a jellyfish's bell though.

Lancer - A hooded, mischievous figure that's always up to no good. It's kind of hard to tell what he is, with his short, stubby tentacles and furry, webbed paws, but he's kind of too adorable and personable to care much about it. Popular vote's on dumbo octopus though.

Rouxls - A vigilant barreleye with his haunting eyes always to the sky in search of tributes to pay his king or danger from which to protect the child of a royal bloodline he's been entrusted to care for. He's ditzy and kind of an asshole, but deep down, he's got a good SOUL... that glows through his transparent chest.

Seam - Ah? Looking for wares? Seam's will definitely have something to cure what ails you. The old anglerfish sits behind the shop counter, items lit only by the faint light of small jellies and the wisened shopkeep's lantern-like forehead protrusion. Go for the low prices and stay for the enchanting tales.

Jevil - A laugh sounds in the dark before you could ever approach his cell. He's nothing but needle teeth smiles when he explains to you the nature of the game. Numbers game. Must be a couple of sharks to have gotten down there in the first place. And this freed jester wouldn't have it any other way - sharks to goblin shark.

King - He is, by all accounts, imperceivable. He is larger than life and covered in shifting, writhing appendages that do not keep the shape you once thought them to be, no matter how hard you attempt to keep your focus on any point of his form. He is Leviathan, and the fact that you are before him means that you are incredibly fucked.

Knight - [REDACTED]

PREVIOUS DRAWINGS

Rouxls and a mysterious man

Unmasked Lancer

okay... i think that's about it! don't be afraid to ask for more clarification on anything, i know i gave general overview/musing blurb of... kind of everything i could think to describe! hope this is fine!

or ask me to infodump on another of my AUs! ;3c

[afterhoursfic]

Concept; Eskel, on a contract to get rid of a sea monster. Turns out it’s egg-laying/incubating season for the sea monster species. 👀

Eskel/sea monster oviposition...?

Warning: non con, dub con, monster fucking, oviposition

So it’s more merman than sea creature but yeah I read the short story before writing this and now you have this, hope you enjoy :D

.

Geralt had told him of the city of Bremervoord, of the contract with the mermaid, how there were a whole variety of merpeople and sea creatures, big fish that could wield weapons, and well, Eskel became curious. His whole life he had been left with drowners and sirens, a pain in the ass to deal with, but boring all the same in just how common they were.

So, he didn’t speak of his plans, just headed towards the town where he has greeted rather warmly everything considered and brought to the Duke who gave him the contract of helping them clear the sea shelf for the treasures underneath.

Now he wasn’t stupid, Geralt had told him in great detail just how much of a fucking bad idea that was and Eskel had absolutely no intention of taking on the contract for the suicide mission, he was interested in other things though, merpeople, well mermen seemed an innocent enough predilection.

He knew about the Duke’s own love story and even followed when he went to go and meet his love on the sea rocks. Of course, the Duke knew nothing of it, but he could feel the mermaid’s eyes on him and after the Duke had left her for the night, she called out to him in her soft singing voice.

“Witcher”

In the dimmed light he could see the sharp teeth behind her smile, and the thought of them pressing into his neck was enough to send a shiver through him, but he just blamed that on the chilly sea air.

“You are a handsome one” If Eskel could blush he would be, instead he just averted his gaze, a hand going to scratch at his scars as he cleared his throat from the lump that formed “You wouldn’t be here about the sea city, would you? You don’t look like an idiot”

“No, no, I’m not suicidal” He winced at how grating his hoarse voice sounded, not only in elvish, but musically as well, he’s sure a sheep could do a better job than him “I came here for…”

When his silence went on for several long moments the mermaid's smile grew softer as she looked at him “Oh you are shy aren’t you, but I can’t fault you a bit of curiosity, do you want a closer look?”

She beckoned him over with a finger that had more pull on him than a siren’s song, and in truth he was curious, so he joined her on her rock and yelped when she gripped his wrists pulling him off balance as she put his hands on her waist.

Tentatively he felt the skin along her hip and down to the tops of her tail, a lot softer than he ever expected, and he couldn’t deny she was beautiful, but she saw his hesitation just as much as he felt it.

“Normally I would be offended, but I’ve got a friend who could use your… help” He quirked a brow at that and he enjoyed hearing her laugh over the crashing waves.

“What’s a sea creature going to need a witcher for?”

“First off, he doesn’t like the term sea creature, merman will do, and it’s more what you can do for him”

He didn’t even have a chance to ask what that would entail before he was being pulled and thrashed until he fell into the ocean. Immediately he felt the cold take his breath away and then the burn in his lungs as the current kept him under.

He was faintly aware of dark blurs against the waves and hands ripping at his clothes, but it’s not like it made a difference to his situation, it was like a force was keeping him under the waves and Eskel didn’t even have the chance to panic because he didn’t have the breath to do so.

It was just as his vision was beginning to turn dark that strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him in this and that direction until suddenly, he was choking and coughing up water, desperate for air as he (they?) broke the surface.

“I saved your life witcher, by your customs that entitles me to the law of surprise” The deep voice in his ear coupled with the razor teeth grazing down his jaw should terrify him, and true he is frozen, but a part of him is trying to hold down the desperate noise that wants to escape his throat and to stop himself from pushing back into the creature’s hold. “I claim your first brood witcher”

The comment was so unexpected Eskel couldn’t help but laugh, rough and throaty as the sea salt scratched his throat “Anybody ever told you witchers are sterile?”

The comment earned him a snarl and the creature? Merman? Bit into his neck, he felt his blood, hot against his skin from the chill of the sea spilling down his neck only instead of trying to escape, trying to fight his way out of the creature’s hold he leaned his head back against its shoulder and moaned, earning a musical laugh from the merman.

“I think you misunderstand me Witcher” He felt firm hands move to his stomach, and stroke it almost tenderly but clearly with intent, but he didn’t truly get the picture until something blunt and thick was poking at his hole.

It was too little too late at this point, not that he could do much anyway, he was stranded in the middle of the sea with a merman, and no doubt the mermaid close by in case he does get away. Off in the distance he could just about make out the rock he had been pulled from, but it meant nothing now, he was sore and cold and way out of his depth in the ocean, so he had no choice but to let the merman hold his legs open as what he guessed was his cock teased his hole.

The only upside was the merman pressed against his back at least kept away some of the chill from the ocean, he wasn’t warm by any means and it should put him off, make him sick at the prospect of what’s about to happen, but here it doesn’t, and he’s ashamed to feel the curl of arousal in his gut at the prospect of the monster slipping its cock into him.

There wasn’t much ceremony to it, he wasn’t even given a finger or two to stretch on, one minute the creature is teasing its cock on his ass, his rim, the small of his back, and the next it’s being forced into him in several harsh thrusts that he can do nothing against.

He does hiss and swear and probably grips the merman’s arm around his waist too tightly because then there are sharp teeth at his neck, adding to the pain wracking through his body, but even still he feels the shiver of arousal, not the cold like he wants, but a deep-seated hunger to just be used and helpless.

The merman does just that and wastes no time before it’s fucking into him, using nothing but the water around them as slick and the friction and the pain starts to take on an edge that would make his cock twitch if the sea weren’t so fucking cold. It was its own torture being unable to get hard and the merman seemed to notice as well and laughed at him over his shoulder where he could just get a peek of green skin and even greener curls framing his face.

He can do nothing when a firm hand grips his cock and roughly strokes it, he can feel the edge of pleasure, can feel something like an orgasm building but his cock is still limp, and the merman just laughs as it gives a rough thrust to his prostate once and again and again.

“I know witchers are sterile, but impotent as well? How disappointing” He can hear the mirth in its voice, made worse by the song it speaks with, and he growls dangerously back in challenge.

“Take me back to land and I’ll show you how impotent I am” It was meant to be threatening but his voice turned breathy as the merman instead gripped his hips to start moving him down and onto his cock like he was nothing but a toy, and he had to bite his lip to stop his moan at the fact, but given how the merman just laughed it didn’t work.

“At least buy me dinner first witcher, that’s if you can get off my cock” The words confused him up until he felt something bumping against his rim with every thrust, growing bigger and bigger and Eskel felt his eyes sting with tears as it was pushed into him before roughly being pulled out again.

The next time the merman thrust in he clenched his hole hard, gasping at the feel of the creature’s cock snug inside him and so fucking big, not even including the bulge that stretched him out even more and had him trying to move his hips closer and then farther away just to try and get comfortable, used to the feel of it until the merman held him still and ground his dick even deeper into him with a contented hum.

“As a wolf witcher I would figure you would be used to knots, what a shame” Eskel couldn’t hold back his curse when he heard it was a knot, nor resist the temptation to try and grind it even deeper into him, forcing his hole to stretch wide around it and he knew he would relish the burn of pain when he rode Scorpion tomorrow. “Seems you like being full, witcher, good because you’ve still got to carry my brood”

Again, he felt a hand stroke his stomach, and maybe if he were of more sound mind the thought would terrify him, cause some sort of spike of adrenaline which will get him to fight his way free. He wouldn’t get free, but at least he’d try to escape and not just open his legs like a common whore, and yet that’s exactly what he did when he felt the first rush of eggs into him.

They weren’t big, but they weren’t exactly small either, they were somewhere in between, that filled in every gap and yet felt heavy inside him. He knew the reason of the knot as he felt another rush of eggs add to the first, the merman shivering and groaning behind him with every small, small thrust that forced more eggs into him, and he even clenched around its knot, both to feel it split him open and to stop any eggs from escaping the clutch of his belly.

He didn’t even realize how big his belly had gotten until he felt the first searing cramp in his gut, he was too busy with his head leaning back on the merman’s shoulder, letting out small, frustrated groans as his hand futilely tried to work at his soft cock as more and more eggs were pumped inside of him.

One of the merman’s hands rested on his stomach, feeling it get bigger under his hand, much to the pleasure of the creature because it sounded so desperate when it tried to grind a little harder and further into him, whispering desperately ‘just a few more’ and ‘almost there’ before he felt several more eggs slip into him, as if the merman was trying to plead with himself to force every one of his eggs into him.

The thought of that did actually make his cock twitch, of someone, something, so desperate to breed him, to mate him had him clench around the creature’s cock again, grinding and letting out small pleas of his own, only to groan as he felt a few more eggs force their way into him.

He didn’t even try to fight it when the merman took over stroking his cock, rough and hard and should be in no way pleasurable, and yet, still soft he managed it with a low cry, shaking in the creatures hold whilst it started to move him again, it’s knot having gone down enough for it to start fucking him again, yet his protests of too much, too soon, too full went unheard as the creature grunted as it fucked into him, desperate for its own release.

He felt it come, somehow burning hot inside of him despite the chill of the sea and the wind whipping at them, more and more of it until he felt he was going to throw up with the taste of its come on his tongue, and even then there was more until he was truly stuffed full.

Its knot had grown again and was lodged deep inside of him to prevent anything spilling out, even then the merman couldn’t help grinding against him, or maybe that was him? It didn’t matter, all he knew was that even freezing his balls off in the ocean he felt content for the first time in years.

He didn’t even realize they were moving till he was almost face first into the rock he had originally been on with the mermaid, for a fleeting moment he felt a twinge of sadness that this was it, he’d expel the eggs at some point before going to some other bigoted village to fight another monster.

Only the merman seemed to sense his distress and immediately moved a soothing hand on his belly before leaning down closer to his ear “Now this just won’t do, witcher, I’m gonna fuck you again for the whole village to see so all my eggs catch before I’m done with you”

Eskel couldn’t help his shiver, definitely from the words, not the cold, he wasn’t going to lie to himself now when he knew next year, he’d make the exact same journey so he could get into the exact same position at the end of a merman’s cock.

[sol-luminosus]

So, this idiot had also officially lost her old AO3 account (Under the name Haesal) so uhh, I gotta queue again for an invite.

I'll be posting stories here for a while 'cause I have no self control

Title: Creep

Fandom: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

Pairing: Tsunene/Tsukanene

Genre: Romance/Darkfic (err, still unsure with this one)

Rating: T

Chapters: 1 (One-shot)

Summary: You're so fucking special. I wish I was special.

Yugi Tsukasa was perplexed.

The unsettling, pseudo innocence his golden eyes carried were fixed straight from the corner of the hallway he'd chosen to shield his presence from.

Away from knowing souls—both from spiritually gifted humans and supernaturals.

It's not as if it was necessary for him to hide. He was after all, malignantly powerful. If anything the thought of cutting up and gutting anyone unfortunate enough to stumble upon what he was doing sent an uncontrollable rush of frenzy in his head, making his fingers twitch involuntarily and a wide, unhinged grin to split on his face.

Tsukasa's expression then suddenly lulls to a look of empty surprise, before adamantly shaking his head and settling for a Cheshire cat smile to break on his features.

'Can't be having those thoughts right now, Tsukasa. Amane might discover you.’

The very object of his concern was floating leisurely a few good feet away, hovering above a girl with silvery billows and a boy of dirty blonde hair.

That's right, there was entirely no need to conceal himself.

But he had to be careful. Oh so very careful in the surroundings of his territory; the one his precious older twin, The Honorable No. 7 had complete dominion over. Amane wouldn’t have batted an eyelash at sensing him being too close for comfort and would have whipped out that knife of his in an automatic effort to protect and defend.

That delightfully sharp knife.

The glint in Tsukasa’s tawny eyes darkened with incomprehensible glee.

Really, how could he forget?

Amane after all, looked the most beautiful and picturesque he's ever had when he was pushing that very knife down his throat and into the crevices of the bone connecting his neck and body.

The look of abysmal despair and frantic guilt scrunching up and contorting his features was a memory Tsukasa would forever want to be carved out in his head and embedded in his memories.

Indeed, his brother is truly fascinating and something he would make sure he owned even in death.

His stare then wanders and lands on the girl closely beside Amane. The very reason for his uncharacteristic spying had veered in his head as he watched her keenly, noting every emotion that took hold of her features from frustrated, to sad then annoyed, then to that of agitated frustration from what seemed to be a conversation between his brother and the other boy he couldn't care less for.

Yashiro Nene, a girl with a relationship to Amane mirroring that of his affiliation with Sakura.

For the longest time since being reunited with his dearest twin, Tsukasa had been thoroughly confused.

As if he had been presented and stuck with a puzzle with no means of solving in the form of a girl whose luminous, ruby eyes conveyed her feelings better than she would ever have put them into words.

He sure knew what was considered attractive in the opposite sex, that’s for certain. He’d seen them all from the magazines Amane had been keeping and was so frightened and embarrassed he'd found from underneath his beddings all those years ago. Sure, they had different definitions of 'pretty', but Tsukasa was every bit confident in what he fancies. Sakura for one, is a good testimony of that. Tall and slim with a perfectly dainty face and a regal demeanor to boot—she’d reminded him of the princesses in story books he'd always found so interesting and captivating since he was a small child.

That isn’t to say that Nene was an eyesore, however. His wide-eyed peering had shifted to intense study, zeroed in on the girl in his thoughts who seemed to have calmed down since what looked to be a friendly argument from her little group of 'friends', as they'd amusingly call it.

Her lengthy hair in a metallic color was eye-catching and fun to trace as the hue deepened to a shade that reminds him of waves frothing and foaming at the sea—something which would probably have been romantic if she was cursed to turn into a mermaid and not a fish, of all things. The small, rounded shape of her face that ended in a tiny edge of a tip for a chin was pleasant-looking in his opinion. And those irises; filled-in in the color he favored the most were always illuminated and twinkling in the frames of an eye shape which vaguely reminds of a little deer.

Cute and charming, but that was all there is to it.

Right beside those traits was pure, gullible vulnerability and a one track mind sort of thinking that he admitted, was fun to toy with but couldn’t have kept him entertained in the long run.

Compared to Sakura, who was every bit unperturbed and nearly unreadable that uncovering what's going in that head of hers was a barely tiresome and fun day-to-day activity, it had absolutely made no sense to him.

Even for someone like Amane who seemed to like playing nice with humans and supernaturals, the unexplainable attachment to the girl was a bit of a stretch.

Especially with those oddly shaped ankles.

They simply looked too much like the radishes in the soup their mama used to cook for supper and he sure wouldn’t want his radishes anywhere else other than in a bowl of food.

That was until he’d ventured in the Painted World, however. He'd seen it all unfold in his very eyes through the point of view of the audience. How she'd looked at his twin with emotions so strong and indescribable that he was certain, he just wouldn’t be able to decode even if he'd tried hard enough. Her heart had been out in the open—overflowing and seeping into the colors of the fabricated realm with a feeling he could’ve sworn was familiar to him, albeit vaguely and even sickeningly bitter in his tongue.

As the prettily, yellowed sheen of the false moon bathed the both of them, her naïve yet resolute declarations of going to the moon with Amane had his features set in a blank expression. The only thing that ran in his head, was how he couldn't seem to focus on anything else other than the person whom he'd previously only thought, was nothing more than a dying girl starved of the clichés of school romance and caught in between the affairs of supernaturals.

That very same girl was now right in front of him, situated in between his twin and another who seemed to adore her with fervor, as if her very spot in between them had been fixed and prearranged for her even before the three of them had ever met.

And it simply didn’t seem to sit well with Tsukasa.

It was then when his mood plunged to an inky state, that she'd suddenly smiled with that face glowing and radiating with the immaculate innocence of happiness overtaking and capturing her features.

His eyes had caught a rush of surprise for a split second, before a slow, vast smile that seemed to tremble as his lips curved had formed on his face along with a darkened look of pleasure eerily bouncing off from his irises.

‘Ah, I get it now.’

His questions and befuddlement have been cleared, only having nothing but maddening elation driving and making itself known in his senses.

She was exactly like what Amane used to be.

Young and defenseless; a dreamer filled with thousands and probably even millions of dazzling stars in the field of her eyes that if she put her mind to it, he was sure she could easily reach one by one with that undying determination reflected in her soul.

Something which he didn’t quite like.

A valuable innocence that Tsukasa wanted nothing more but to take.

He had to have her all for himself—keep her nice and away from anyone else's eyes. He'd have her all lovely and dolled-up with the help of Sakura's meticulous hands, dressing Nene in the finest layers of ribbon and lace adorned dresses.

Just so he could preserve her.

A desperation to hold on to that elusive innocence,

To keep it as perfectly tangible in his grasp for as long as it would let him

—in case he accidentally shatters her much like what he had done to Amane back then.

His eyes had been obscured by his choppy bangs as he angled his head slightly low in an effort to stifle with his palm, an uncontrollably giddy laughter verging to maniacal that had escaped his throat.

In that split second he’d lost control, he'd watched Amane's back stiffen and straighten at the sense of fear and inexplicable danger. Tsukasa could only stare on with newly-found, wicked interest, having the delighted grin stretching his lips fixed in place and never fading.

‘Oh, things could wait.’ He watches for a while as his twin cautiously pivots his head from side to side, having all hilarity and good cheer dissolved from his face as he attempts to confirm if the presence he'd felt had been correct.

“Tsk tsk, classic Amane. Finding treasures and never willing to share them with me.” Tsukasa mutters playfully in the wind before disappearing in the dark and retreating for the time being.

He steals one last glance over to his brother's assistant, the stroke of unconcealed apprehension then clouding the glimmer of those beautifully bloody orbs for eyes.

“But remember, dear Amane, I always get what’s mine.

Lego House: (Same verse/Hananene version)

[nachotrash]

MORE INCORRECT QUOTES WITH MY MOOTS

ft: @catchmewiddershins @lilikags and @paradise-creator // no haikyuu boys this time

Pauline: No more making fun of me when I misuse dated cultural references, alright? Are we cowabunga on this? Wid, sighing: Fine. We're cowabunga.

------------------

Pauline: We're having a baby. Shiyu: Oh, congradu- Wid, slamming adoption papers onto teh table: It's you, sign here.

---------------

Pauline: Why are there little handprints all over the walls? Shiyu, whispering: Why are there little handprints all over the walls? Wid, whispering: Because I have little hands. Shiyu: Because they have little hands.

------------------

Wid: I was born for politics. I have great hair and I love lying.

--------------

Lili: Life keeps fucking me and I can't remember the safeword.

---------------

Wid: Pros and cons of dating me. Wid: Pros. You'll be the cute one. Wid: Cons. Holy shit, where do I begin-

(cons. you're the smart one😔)

----------------

Shiyu: Sure, you're verified on twitter, but are you verified in the eyes of god?

-------------

Pauline: Theater kids are just choir kids who joined forces with the band and strings kids.

-------------

Shiyu: Did you just call me a shrimp, you asshole?! I'm still growing, dammit!

(*lipbites in 166 cm*)

--------------

Wid: I don't dab. I stab.

(nOw WhEarE HAvE i SeEn ThIs BeFoRe)

----------------

Shiyu: I scare people a lot because I walk very softly and they don't hear me enter rooms. So when they turn around, I'm just kind of there and their fear fuels me.

(t-pose to assert dominance)

---------------

Shiyu, as a child, reading their school assignment out loud: I love my library because... Shiyu, mouthing words while writing: I love reading, fuck you.

(lmao baby nacho really be bold)

--------------------

Shiyu: The ‘how the fucks’ and 'why are you so dumbs’ don’t matter. All that matters is that I have a new gun.

------------------

Lili: It's not ugly, just aesthetically challenged.

----------------

Pauline: The last time I went to an urgent care clinic, I checked off 'excessive crying' on the symptom list, and then the nurse got really confused and said that was meant for babies.

--------------

Pauline: All of your existences are confusing. The Squad: How so? Pauline: Your presence is annoying, but the thought of anything bad happening to any of you upsets me.

(we are the squad now)

---------------

Lili: Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer extortion. The X makes it sound cool.

---------------

Wid: Real life should have a fucking search function, or something. Wid: I need my socks.

------------------

Pauline: New year, same me. Because I'm perfect.

(yes yes you are how dare you)

------------

Shiyu: Yeah I'm LGBT. Shiyu: cuLt leader. Shiyu: God hates me personally. Shiyu: cowBoy hat. Shiyu: *sniffles* Trying my best.

(my asexual ass be like;)

-------------

Wid: *plays shreksophone* Wid: Woo. Wid: Time to listen to this on loop for all eternity. Shiyu: ...Genius coping mechanism my friend

---------------

Shiyu: Treat spiders the way you want to be treated. Pauline: Killed without hesitation.

----------

Pauline: The next time I open up to someone, it'll be my autopsy.

---------------

Pauline: Sometimes, I don’t realize an event was traumatic until I tell it as a funny story and notice everyone is staring at me weird.

-----------------

Pauline: I hate Lili. Shiyu: "Hate' is a strong word. Pauline: I have strong opinions.

(oh no)

----------

Wid: How does that even work? Shiyu, mocking them: hOw dO yOu UsE a cOmPUteR aNd KnOw wHaTS GoiNg oN iT DoEsNt mAke SeNSe?! Wid: Your face doesnt make sense.

(...fair enough)

------------

Pauline: Get in, loser, we’re committing vehicular manslaughter!

-----------

Pauline: My stomach growled super loud in French. Pauline: I would like to clarify, my stomach did not speak in French. It growled during French class. Shiyu: Bonjour. Lili: Le growl. Wid: Hon hon hon, feed me a baguette.

(reminds me of the 'ill speak french between your legs' tumblr legend and im wheezing)

------------------

Shiyu: *tapping fingers on table* Lili: *taps fingers back furiously* Wid: …What’s going on? Pauline: Morse code. They’re talking. Shiyu: -.-- ..- .-. / - …. . / -.-. ..- - . … - Lili: *slams hands on table* YOU TAKE THAT BACK!

-----------------

Shiyu: For self defense reasons, I'm going to pretend to be a burglar and you guys have to act wisely. Wid, Lili, & Pauline: Okay. Shiyu: If you don't want to die, give me all your money. Wid: Bold of you to assume I have money. Lili: Bold of you to assume I don't want to die. Pauline: Bold of you to assume I can die.

(pauline is a goddess. goddesses cant die)

------------------

Lili: If I punch myself and it hurts, am I weak or strong? Wid: Strong. Shiyu: Weak. Pauline: An idiot, is what your are.

(as long as you dont flinch or scream youre strong. unless you get punched in the gut by someone like ushijima ofc)

--------------------

Shiyu: Those darn tall old people. Wid: Darm em' indeed. Pauline: Don't worry, they'll be gone soon enough. Lili: *sharpening knife* Yes. Dead. The Squad: Lili: Hahaha. Lili: ...Is this self-destructive behaviour?

-----------------

Wid: Oh god, they texted you ‘hi.’’ punctuation only means one thing, Pauline. They're mad at you. Pauline: No, it's Shiyu. They're just being gramatically correct! *meanwhile* Shiyu: And then I used a period so they'd know that I'm mad at them. Lili: A period doesn't say 'I'm mad', it says 'you're dead to me'. Shiyu: I stand by my choice.

------------------

Wid: What do we think of Shiyu? *pause* Lili: *sighs* Nice pal. Pauline: I think they're gay.

=------------

Wid: Where is Shiyu? Pauline: I'll do you one better, who is Shiyu?? Lili: Here's a better question, why is Shiyu?

(i dont know man. ive been trying to figure it out for the last few years)

--------------

Wid: On the count of three, what’s your favorite cake? Wid & Lili: One, two, three- Wid & Lili: Chocolate cake, peanutbutter frosting, and chocolate chunks! Shiyu: Our turn, Pauline! One, two, three- Shiyu: Vanilla! Pauline: I’ve never had cake before. What is cake?

----------------

Pauline: I am darkness. I am an power. I am your worst nightmare. I could kill a man in more ways than you can imagine. I am the night. I am fury, I am a weapon, I am- Wid: A doll. Shiyu: A cinnamon roll. Lili: A sweetheart. Pauline: Pauline: ...stop it.

(cant deny the truth bby)

---------------

Wid, Pauline & Shiyu: *screaming* Lili: *runs into the room* What's wrong, Shiyu?! Wid: Wait, why are you asking Shiyu that when Pauline and I are also here? Lili: Because Shiyu wouldn't scream unless it's an emergency. You two scream whenever you have the chance.

(i mean... its true )

-----------------

Pauline: What’s wrong? You look 10 seconds away from ripping someone’s throat out. Wid: Fucking Shiyu and Lili were trying to invoke one of the minor gods again last night. I didn't get an ounce of sleep, thanks to their bloody chanting.

(manifests dvalin cause i wanna ride on their back and fall off)

-------------------

Lili: Wake me up- Wid: Before you go go Shiyu: When September ends Pauline: WAKE ME UP INSIDE

(cant wake up- WAKE ME UP INSIDE)

--------------------

Shiyu, watching Pauline & Lili panic : What's going on? Wid: Pauline is having a midlife crisis and Lili is just having a crisis.

--------------

Lili: *Gasp* Pauline: wHAT?? Lili: What if soy milk is just milk introducing itself in Spanish? Pauline: *inhales* Wid, in another room with Shiyu: Why can I hear screeching?

(shiyu: same shit different day)

----------------------------

Shiyu: Christmas is cancelled. Wid: You can't cancel a holiday. Shiyu: Keep it up, Wid, and you'll lose New Year's too. Wid: What does that mean? Shiyu: Lili, take New Year's away from Wid.

--------------------

Pauline: So, are they your friend or... Lili: They’re like Wid, but if Wid was ordered to be around you. Pauline: Oh, so Shiyu. Lili: Precisely!

(if its about how annoyed i always look then you ahve a point)

----------------

Wid: You’re just being paranoid. Again. Pauline: When have I been paranoid? Wid: Um, when you first met Lili you thought they were an undercover cop…? Pauline: No one has a wart that big, I thought it was a surveillance camera! Wid: And last year you were sure Shiyu was a mermaid! Pauline: They hate wearing shirts! COINCIDENCE?! *Later, when Pauline’s theory is proven wrong* Wid: Do you have anything to say for yourself? Pauline: I still think Shiyu is a mermaid.

(id gladly be one)

--------------------

*Wid drunkenly wanders around the manor and Lili is drunkenly giggling* Shiyu, completely sober: *sighs* Well, looks like it's just me and you against the wold, Pauline. Pauline, going to their room: Nope, just you. *shuts door*

----------------

Wid: We need to distract these guys. Lili: Leave it to me. Lili: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss. Pauline & Shiyu: *immediately begin arguing*

(*pulls out dictionary*)

------------------

Police: You’re under arrest for trying to carry three people on a single motorcycle. Shiyu, with Wid and Lili behind them: Wait, what do you mean THREE?! Police: Yes…three. Shiyu: Oh, my God— What the fuck!? Police: Wha- Shiyu: Pauline FUCKING FELL OFF!

----------------------

Wid: What is love? Pauline: An emotional minefield. Shiyu: A neurochemical reaction. Lili: Baby don't hurt me.

(BECAUSE FUCK EMOTIONS)

--------------------

Pauline: I currently have 7 empty notebooks and I have no idea what to put in them. Any suggestions? Wid: Put spaghetti in it. Pauline: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you. Lili: Put spaghetti in it. Pauline: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you two. Shiyu: Put spaghetti in it. Pauline: I am no longer taking suggestions.

------------------

Shiyu, pointing to the wall: What color is this? Pauline: Gray. Lili: Grey. Shiyu, turning to Wid: Now tell them what color you think it is. Wid: Dark white.