#the Tritons do not have a good time in this AU sorry boys

[zillasafe]

Poor Clark doesn’t have a day so he gets to share with Emmy for now. Anyways here’s a fh!Clark character sheet!

More info below!

In a way, the Dungeon had its hooks in Clark long before he even stepped foot within its halls. Something about the Cube of the Depths called to him. Considering the Cube was found in America, no one made the connection that it could have originated from the ancient ruin of a dungeon in England. Not until Clark studied it, anyway. The realization that the Cube was connected to the Dungeon could be considered divine inspiration… And so Clark got a research team together, acquired the Cube, and set out to the Dungeon to see what they could discover. He had no way of knowing what was about to happen. The Dungeon had been combed over by archeologists and deemed perfectly safe. Unfortunately, bringing the Cube of the Depths within the Dungeon’s vicinity would create a time bubble of sorts, plunging the Dungeon and all who drew near back in time to when it was at its most dangerous. Clark and his team were no match for the suddenly hostile environment. The prison guards swiftly dispatched most of the team and imprisoned the rest to keep as playthings.

By the time Layton and co. get to the catacombs, Clark is the sole survivor, and he’s barely clinging onto life. He’s horribly wounded and completely unresponsive. It takes extensive healing magic from Layton (something he just learned) and lots of cuddles from Luke to get Clark to finally come around. He’s incredibly skittish and frequently needs to take breaks to recompose himself. Despite that, he’s quick to jump on Layton’s need to uncover more knowledge and encourages them all to keep going. Layton and Emmy are a bit too lost in the sauce at that point to find that strange, but Descole does. Clark’s child is there with them, shouldn’t he want to get out of this place as soon as possible?

Once the crew gets to the Ancient City and Ma’habre, Clark gains more confidence and fervor. Something is driving him forwards. The New Gods, seem interested in —or maybe intimidated by him. They mention a prophecy that seems to center around Clark, and seem more focused on preventing him than anyone else from progressing. Well, except for Nilvan. Unlike the others, she encourages the group to continue and does not stand in their way. For some reason, she’s vaguely familiar to Clark. He sort of remembers dreaming of her a long time ago…

Here’s a lil bonus doodle that didn’t make the cut. Like Luke, Clark is very fond of Moonless!

[wasyago]

some rambles about gillion trans headcanons and other stuff

im realizing that i write these posts because i have no one to talk about riptide with, so this is like a monolog that is meant to be a dialog? sort of? the point is, the thought process is unpredictable and this is just everything that goes through my head and not like a structural point or anything and some things are random and not uhhh pretty(?). i dont even know why im writing these disclaimers, no one cares probably?

anyway. so, if gillion was a trans man, how would that work?

did he know from the young age, before the elders even, that he was a boy? was it just an obvious thing for him and his family? was he loved and accepted? and when the elders took him away, did they accept him as well? did they even see him for a kid/a person he was, or did they only think about the prophecy and didn't care what gender The One was? when gillion got older, did he get his top surgery inside the walls of the palace without anyone questioning him or looking down upon? or did he have to sneak out? probably definitely not sneak out, im not sure gillion ever left the palace or seen the world outside much. did he even get top surgery?

that's an interesting question to me actually, because if tritons (in this campaign at least) hatch from eggs, do females even have bigger boobs? technically no, right? do they even have boobs? i mean, they do have chest muscles and stuff, but do they have nipples? the one time i drew gill without a shirt i didn't draw him any, so im gonna say "no" for now. sorry im huge bore when it comes to these types of questions, i don't even know why actually... is it weird?

uhh what was i talking about... so i guess yeah, if female and male tritons don't have that different of a body structure, gillion probably didn't even need a top surgery to begin with. and maybe he didn't experience much in terms of dysphoria, which honestly? good for him, he had enough going on already...

but if gillion wasn't trans before the elders? if he was fine with his gender, he was only five after all, he had better fiveyearold things to worry about. what happened after he was taken away? was it his own realization, just at an older age?

or was it forced on him by the elders? (its definitely a darker concept and would be out of character for the elders, but as an alternative universe I think its interesting as well). because "the chosen one", the hero of the prophecy, the one who will decide the fate of the world and who will protect the undersea, in the eyes of the elders could've only be a man (if they were misogynistic). and when they come to this family and they see a 5 y.o. girl, what can they feel except disappointment? they will try anyway though, because what are they supposed to do? and if they need a man for a prophecy they will get him one way or another...

again, a darker concept, and i think i like it like an au better than a headcanon for the main campaign. because it's ooc and brings up slightly different topics from the original.

at the end i think i wont headcanon gill as trans? (although who knows, maybe I'll come around eventually, we'll see) maybe as nonbinary or a secret third thing though. gillion to me doesn't feel like a "man" man, his gender is "a guy" i don't know how to explain it hdgsbbs (maybe im just projecting idk o_o)

I love it when people hc him as trans tho, its very sweet!!!!!!! and i believe he does have the top surgery scars in the official art? so like, pop off king lets go???? (actually i just checked and no he doesn't, but im gonna think he does anyway)

im a little scared to re read this post and i think i'll delete it later probably, but uhhh yeah... again, just rambling and thinking out loud (not out loud but you get what i mean. writing all this down or drawing something really helps me to think and figure things out, so that's why)

[saint-sebastian-coded]

Do u have any good pjo related ao3 fics to recommend? You’re teddydora, right?

 yes it is. okay sorry this took a while to answer school is terrible. idk what your personal tastes are so this is just general and this kinda goes into hoo as well sinces theres a good amount of overlap but here: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24856003

this is possibly my favourite series in the whole fandom. it’s bianca focused and a fix-it timetravel fic

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24697924

this is a gods focused oneshot of what happened when they got medusa’s head in tlt. it’s hilarious

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438777

this is angsty but good. triton and percy being bothers. also major character death. oneshot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317647

kinda percabeth but focused on poseidon and athena. v sad. major character death. oneshot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4318452

horse boy percy. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24807616

very sad very angsty. percy being king of atlantis when poseidon and co except amphritrite disappear. over 50k words. updates semi regularly

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23540722

percabeth au where percy was a god from ancient times. very well written. completed too

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781341

timetravel fix it fic. excellently written. updates semi regularly. over 800k words

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23495773

triton and percy being brothers. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437855

princess diaries au featuring percy as mia and triton as the grandmother

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25147315

genderbent percy with wlw percabeth. very cute ngl i want more wlw percabeth. oneshot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26834125 

oneshot of juno being one with feral percy

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348038

the song of achilles x ruegard oneshot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25836118

high fantasy ruegard au. happy ending. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981642

percy finding out a *bit* too much about his birth. very funny. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26851273

meg and apollo pre toa travelling across america. so good. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2776094

jercy where percy and jason spend hanukkah together. jewish percy. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689422

if sally replaced rachel in botl. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26474734

percabeth in a post fall of constantinople au. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336784

percy as a prophet. updates semi-regularly

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25178044

chb playing spoons. very funny. oneshot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13212684

reynabeth soulmates au. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20132749

zartemis angst. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702484

extremely angsty and is tagged with dead dove do not eat but very well written. about percy haunting luke if he died in tlt

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24976435

introspection on drew tanaka. comepleted

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27932530

percabeth mortal au where they’re finally meeting up irl as online friends. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021171 

my favourite hp crossover with fem!harry as a child of poseidon. updates semi-regularly

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28022547

annabeth celebrating hanukkah with her family. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470861

my favourite zartemis fic. oneshot but its 30k words. popstar au

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28488312

triton making a huge sacrifice for percy. angsty. oneshot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7847500

princess diaries au of annabeth as mia, completed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26446273

jercy where jason moves in with percy after he and annabeth call it quits. got me into jercy. completed

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572088

if amos kane adopted an orphaned percy. still updating

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989069

introspection on octavian. completed

[101flavoursofweird]

ok but au where Luke and Arianna are happily married with kids. omgg what if they have a boy named Hershel Devan(Desmond+Evan) Triton and a girl named Loosha Aurora Triton? Actually, what are your headcanons on this alternate universe? How big is their wedding? How many kids? What do they name their kid(s)?

I should mention, the AU I’m currently writing (Ready Now) will end after PL3, possibly with a short epilogue chapter. While Luke/Arianna is very much the main ship in that fic, they won’t be going much further than friends/cute teen romance… Mainly because I can’t write romance to save my life.

But! Future AU is good! I can definitely see Luke and Arianna naming their kid after Hershel— that’s amazing! And LOOSHA AURORA TRITON, YES. They would name their daughter after two good friends they’ve lost.

The other kids would be like, “Loosha? What kind of name is that?”

Arianna the chief marine biologist just pulls out a photograph of Loosha— “EXCUSE YOU. Loosha may have been a manatee but she was my best friend and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her sacrifice!”

Desmond, I’m not so sure about… It depends if Arianna knows that Desmond was Descole and how she feels about forgiving him…

I’m sorry, but Descole was involved in Evan Barde’s death (accidental or not), or at least, the proceedings after Barde’s death. Des was quite happy to destroy Misthallery to find the Golden Garden, the only cure for Arianna’s illness. And, not to mention, Des killed Loosha. I’m not sure if this was his ultimate INTENT, but it certainly sounds like it when he says things like, “Now for the GRAND FINALE!” And, “The TIME HAS COME!” He did not hold back when he was fighting Loosha with that giant robot. And I know you could say Loosha was just an animal and she kept getting in Descole’s way, but she still meant so much to Arianna. If Loosha had died from her injuries before revealing the Garden, Arianna very well could have died too. (Targent could have come along and done the same thing to Loosha, but still, Descole got there first.)

But then again… That was pre-Azran Legacy Des. Des, after he’s had his life changing field trip with the Bostonius crew, chooses to save Luke’s life at the Azran sanctuary. He chooses to sacrifice himself with his friends to prevent the end of the world.

I think Luke would tell Arianna that, but I’m still not sure if Arianna would want to honour Des by naming their kid after him…Honestly, kind of gives me Snape vibes.)

But please don’t let that ruin your headcanon for their kids’ names! Desmond didn’t have a chance to redeem himself to Arianna in canon, but who’s to say he wouldn’t in a future AU? This is an interesting discussion point though and it’s something I’m hoping to address later in Ready Now— how Des tries to make it up to Arianna.

ANYWAY- Wedding! Misthallery Wedding! Arianna would rather have a quiet ceremony with their closets friends/relatives, but Luke just has SO MANY FRIENDS that they end up having loads of guests. There’s not enough room for everyone in the town hall so it extends out to Misthallery’s plaza.

The Black Ravens want to help organise the wedding for profit for their good friends, Luke and Arianna. The gang decorates the whole town.

Crow promotes himself to Best Man, much to Tony’s dismay.

Originally, Flora wanted to bake the wedding cake but she’s happy enough being Arianna’s Maid of Honour.

Wren and Sockets’ mum bakes the wedding cake. Marylin supplies the fruit for dessert and punch.

The music is organised by Janice and her singer friend, Naiya.

Brenda INSISTS on arranging the outfits, with input from Emmy.

Luke insists the local animals (Toppy’s descendants, Keats etc.) attend the wedding, so Clark gathers all of them together.

Tony does Arianna’s makeup. Flora does Arianna’s hair up with ribbons.

Layton is the one who gives Arianna away.

Luke and Arianna would have a long honeymoon travelling to lots of different places abroad.

If they wanted kids, I could see them adopting two. Arianna especially wants to make a difference is some orphaned kids’ lives, so they wouldn’t have to suffer loneliness the same way she and Tony did.

Again, these are just personal headcanons!

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 12-18 July 2020

Here’s this week’s roundup!

Remember to give your content creators some love! And join in on the events at the bottom!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

@anaranesindanarie​

Man Lion Thing Dude (Ch. 11) https://archiveofourown.org/works/22449241/chapters/61250557

Mature

Trowa Barton/Duo Maxwell, Triton Bloom/Duo Maxwell

Duo Maxwell, Triton Bloom, Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Relena Peacecraft, Dorothy Catalonia, Rashid Kurama, Catherine Bloom, Original Trowa Barton, Treize Khushrenada, Zechs Merquise, Lady Une, Sister Helen (Gundam Wing), Maxwell Shinpu | Father Maxwell, OC's, Original Characters, Hilde Schbeiker, Lucrezia Noin, Solo (Gundam Wing), Long Meilan

Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Were-Creatures, Angst, Alternate Universe, Supernatural Creatures, Family Problems, Arranged Marriage, body guards, mentions of torture, Smut, Wizards, Magic, spells

Duo Maxwell is estranged from the last of his remaining family who are demanding that he return home for an important announcement. Meanwhile, Duo has been having strange encounters with 'wild' animals, all of whom seem to be hunting him.

@bobo-is-tha-bomb​

Bad Publicity https://archiveofourown.org/works/25358377

M/F, Heero Yuy/Reader

Heero Yuy, Reader, Hilde Schbeiker

Romance, Drama, Reader Insert, Alternate Universe

You stared, eyes wide with horror, at the front page’s headlines. You quickly made your way to the kitchen, sitting down at the table to scan the article’s content.

@chronicwhimsy​

Strangers (Ch. 7) https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357013?view_full_work=true

Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell, Background Quatre x Relena, Background Heero x Trowa - Character

OC - Oliver McGann

Long Lost Twins, this was meant to be hijinks but then I got reminded these boys have Issues, Pining, Duo is a stressed-out jerk who needs a holiday, Post-EW, Frozen Teardrop can do one, sex in later chapters

If you said the word "brother" to Duo Maxwell, he'd think of the other pilots.

If you said, "no, your long-lost brother" to Duo Maxwell, he'd think of Solo and be very confused.

If you said, "no, your twin brother you were separated from at birth, and he's now working with the Preventers as a lawyer" to Duo Maxwell, he would go and punch his doppelganger.

Duo Maxwell isn't good at dealing with things, but unfortunately this particular thing isn't going to go away that easily.

@doctormegalomania​

Your Body’s Poetry (Ch. 21) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20438891/chapters/61448776

Mature

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Original Female Character(s), Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Original Male Character(s)

Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Sally Po, Relena Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Hilde Schbeiker

Past Relationship(s), Slice of Life, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence

Long after the wars, long after peace is established the Gundam Pilots discover one immovable fact: Relationships are hard work.

@duointherain​

Beneath: Leprechauns and Clovers (Ch. 8) https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/623591090469191680/fic-beneath-leprechauns-and-clovers-8

Note: I am taking wild liberties with Irish lore. 

“I sorry,” Duo said, genuinely sorry he couldn’t give them what they were asking for, “but I don’t speak Banshee.  I barely speak fucking proper Earth English and fuck does that piss folk off sometimes. Why can’t I just kill him? He can’t fuck Rey if he’s dead.”

Beneath: Leprechauns and Clovers (Ch. 9) https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/624032787912114176/fic-beneath-leprechauns-and-clovers-9

Note: I’m doing Google’s CSSI this summer and one of the cool things they gave us was like an hour long lecture by Dr. Adia Gooden on unconditional self-worth. So that’s where the good advice comes from in this chapter. Link at the bottom. 

Fingers on his forehead, thumbs on his jawbones, Duo applied pressure and tried to force back the confusion and irritation. For one thing, he was very, very tired of being outside of his body. This shit wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be real, but there he lay on the hearth, hair undone like some maiden in a story with the defense rating of an unattended pastry.

@lifeaftermeteor

LAM!Verse https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/624025327508832256/private-island-location-redacted-fiji-south

Private Island [location redacted]

Fiji, South Pacific

12 August 211

“You’re in my sun,” Quatre said with a grimace, his eyes still closed, to the shadow looming over him.

Respite https://archiveofourown.org/works/25361758

F/F, Lucrezia Noin/Sally Po, Sally Po/Lady Une, Lucrezia Noin/Lady Une, Lucrezia Noin/Sally Po/Lady Une

Romance, Slice of Life, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Post-Canon, Post-Series, Post-Endless Waltz, Non-binary character, Non-Binary Noin, Polyamory

Noin, Po, and Une take some time away from their responsibilities and daily lives to take a much-deserved romantic retreat out into the woods.

Pride https://archiveofourown.org/works/25361545

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Post-Canon, Post-Series, Post-Endless Waltz, Fluff, Pride, Gay Pride, Short & Sweet, Slice of Life, Asexual Character, Asexual Duo Maxwell

Duo has only recently come to terms with his asexuality. It took him a long time to understand it, and even longer to embrace it as inherently part of himself. To celebrate, Heero takes him out onto the streets for New York City’s Pride.

Yoiko

Ai no Gekisen (Ch. 12) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7947910/chapters/61463575

Explicit

Gundam Wing, Ai no Kusabi

Zechs Merquise/Heero Yuy

Zechs Merquise, Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton

Rape/Non-Con, dark themes, Sexual Slavery, Bondage, this is not BDSM because there is no consent, Spanking, Public Humiliation, Public Sex, Literal objectification, Aphrodisiacs, Chastity Device, Non-Consensual Drug Use, stress positions, Threats, no actual incest happens in this story

"Given your condition," Zechs said, opting for amusement, "I can't really ask you your name. I think I'll name you 'Heero.' "

katopiyo

Answers https://archiveofourown.org/works/25370617

Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner, Duo Maxwell & Quatre Raberba Winner

Post-EW

Duo and Quatre try to kill time on the shuttle back from the former pilots’ and the Preventers’ annual Christmas bash.

Fanart/Crafts/Photo Manips:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/623923080739340288/i-really-need-to-take-up-art-again-gundamwing

WuFei Chang, fanart

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/623975050404642817/went-in-and-made-a-water-color-version-i-dug-up

WuFei Chang in color, fanart

@cynfinnegan

https://cynfinnegan.tumblr.com/post/623545925500010497/a-couple-more-gundam-wing-memes-this-time

Relena Darlian/Peacecraft, memes

@gundayum

https://gundayum.tumblr.com/post/623787099348402176/here-have-grown-up-hilde-in-a-god-damn-wedding

Hilde Schbeiker, fanart

@gwfrozentears

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/623589386981949440/the-others-gundam-pilots-i-love-duoooo

WuFei Chang, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, & Duo Maxwell, fanart

@janaverse

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/623375597101596672/i-am-duo-maxwell-is-done-and-contains-as-much

Duo Maxwell, edit

@lemontrash

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/622889139332956160/gundam-wing-art-party-had-a-voice-chat-party

WuFei Chang, fanart

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@cuteciboulette

https://cuteciboulette.tumblr.com/post/623474633219424256/cynfinnegan-super-robot-wars-dd-no-relena

@cynfinnegan (for the original game trailer)

Ok so I might have gotten a tiiiiny screen cap heavy here on Heero and most of all Duo…

(Also, the Gundams are so damn cute!!)

Here is Heero & Wing

https://cuteciboulette.tumblr.com/post/623475306697801728/cynfinnegan-super-robot-wars-dd-no-relena

And here’s Duo & Deathscythe Hell (for whom and which I had to make a selection because I took 20 cap of DS, 12 of Duo + all 6 “avatars” variations).

https://cuteciboulette.tumblr.com/post/623628937542680576/i-cant-remember-if-i-ever-own-this-sheet-of-gw

Gundam Wing Stationary page

@janaverse

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/623994461266034688/every-activity-in-the-household-is-up-for-grabs

Duo Maxwell, Sims, screencap

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/623555650802401280/duo-is-thinking-about-a-what-to-do-next-b

Duo Maxwell, Sims, screencap

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/623552160137953280/heero-playing-refuge-and-dodging-arrows

Heero Yuy, Sims, screencap

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/623551604048723968/i-titled-this-one-holy-crap-poor-duo-because-it

Heero Yuy, Sims, screencap

Head Canons:

@jinsai-ish

https://jinsai-ish.tumblr.com/post/623456882470928384/random-thoughts-on-gundam-wing-and-coffee-not

Random Thoughts on Gundam Wing and coffee

Fandom Discourse:

@lifeaftermeteor

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/623926733835583488/worldbuilding-in-the-ac-univere

World building collection on AO3

Quotes:

@helmistress

https://helmistress.tumblr.com/post/623998635640815616/duo-goth-clowns-are-just-mimes-quatre-my

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

Quatre & Duo

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/623557208176754688/trowa-i-dont-really-like-this-mission-peer

Trowa & Heero

MoodBoard/Aesthetics/Playlists:

@lifeaftermeteor

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/623995934438752256/respite-lifeaftermeteor

Noin/Sally/Une compilation

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/623995413604810752/pride-lifeaftermeteor

Heero/Duo compilation

Calendar Events:

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, July 24th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/623987548985966592/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-july

In need of SUMMER & FALL/AUTUMN prompts!

@gwoc-october

GW OC October 2020!

Help pick out prompts! https://gwoc-october.tumblr.com/post/621130082429337600/hello-gundam-wing-folks-thats-right-gw-oc

@seasons-of-gundamwing

Summer of Hilde!

Needs more prompts! https://seasons-of-gundamwing.tumblr.com/post/622567839387271168/summer-of-hilde-prompt-call

@thisweekingundamevents

Events Calendar

https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/624053314842230784/event-calendar-update

If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates! We’ll add them to the Calendar and reblog your notices to get the word out!

[sailorchiron]

Merry Christmas @tasyfa !

I loved the prompts of sunlight, ribbons, and poetry!  I confess I forgot to check for your response to my anon ask...  I decided to do a moodboard of a bookshop au, and had so much fun with it that I actually wrote a fic to go with it!  I hope you have a happy holiday season filled with joy and Malex!  

Sunlight, Ribbons, and Poetry | Read on Ao3

When Michael Guerin parked his beat up truck in front of Chapter and Verse, he wasn’t really sure what he was doing, or what to expect. All he knew was that Isobel loved poetry, and he loved his sister, and he was determined to get her a better Christmas present than Max for once in his life.

Chapter and Verse was a popular book store downtown, next door to Uncommon Grounds, which was universally known to be the best coffee in town. According to the barista he’d unsuccessfully flirted with two weeks ago, it was because the owner had connections for an expensive Italian roast that was usually too pricey for small town tastes. Also according to the barista that turned out to have a boyfriend, Chapter and Verse was well known for carrying a wide selection of poetry as well as fiction and nonfiction, and for having antique and special editions as well as new books. Seemed like a no brainer to pop into the quaint store and grab something pretty for Iz, but there was a problem.

Michael knew absolutely nothing about poetry.

He had some vague, foggy memories about studying poetry in high school English, but math and science were his things, not poetry and literature. He had no idea what to get. None.

The bells on the door chimed cheerfully when he went in, and he had to admit that the store was absolutely charming, with sun streaming in the front window and tall, dark wood shelves crammed with colorful volumes. The scuffed wood floor was broken up by old oriental rugs, and the counter sporting the cash register was an antique relic of days gone by. Michael noticed a hand painted sign hanging from the ceiling pointing the way to Uncommon Grounds, and sure enough, there was a door connecting the two businesses that he’d never noticed before. He looked for other helpful ceiling signs, and followed the one to the back right corner labeled ‘Poetry.’

He walked up and down the aisles for a few bewildered minutes, completely out of his element, and not having a single clue what to get. Some of the clearly antique books were beautiful, but what if they were poems about like death or something? Isobel was a romantic and wouldn’t want depressing, morbid poetry. He was starting to get nervous about finding anything, and considering a Target gift card for Christmas, when he decided to find an employee to help him.

Aaaaand, didn’t see a single soul. In fact, it was strangely quiet in the store. Am I the only person in this entire building?

Michael was on the verge of just leaving when he spotted someone in a little alcove with a colorful rug and walked over. French doors were propped open into what was a little reading nook, and sitting on the floor with a cup of coffee and a book was the most beautiful man that Michael had ever seen. He just stared for a minute. Messy dark hair, a little attractive scruff, neck that was begging for his lips, elegant hands, a face you’d definitely write home to mama about. The gorgeous man had kicked off his shoes and a crumpled apron was on the floor next to him. He was engrossed in what he was reading and hadn’t noticed him standing there trying to keep his tongue in his head. “Um, excuse me?”

Michael had been unprepared for that pretty face and his jaw might have dropped open.

“Yes?”

Fuck, his voice is amazing. “Um, do you work here?”

The beautiful man raised an eyebrow and glanced at the apron...then the coffee.

“Oh, you’re on your break, sorry, I’m just completely lost.”

“It’s okay.” He stood up. “What are you looking for?”

“Romantic poetry?” He watched subtle signs of disappointment in the gorgeous clerk. “For my sister! She’s just a really romantic person and I think she’d like love poems.” He watched the man’s face brighten. “Maybe an antique or really pretty book?”

“Sure. I’m Alex, by the way.”

“Michael.” They kind of looked at each other for a minute. He was struck by just how pretty Alex’s dark eyes were.

Alex, for his part, was internally screaming. Who needed a lunch break when someone that sexy wanted help looking for a book? He’d been momentarily crushed by the request for love poems, but the hurried explanation that it was for a romantic sister led him to believe that Michael might be interested. He shook his head to break the tension. “What kind of things does she like? Just in general, not specific to poetry.”

“Um, flowers? Korean dramas, aesthetic photography, huge parties, girly clothes, and make up?”

“How old is she?” Alex laughed, amused by Michael’s exasperated tone.

“28.”

“I was totally picturing 16, okay, revising my poetry ideas.” He led Michael down a narrow aisle. “Does she have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“Not right now.”

“Hmm…” Alex pulled the step stool over to the shelf he wanted, cognizant of the fact that he’d been so taken by amber eyes and springy curls that he’d forgotten to put his shoes back on. “Does she like to make grand gestures?”

“Oh god, yes, that’s Isobel to a T.”

“Wordsworth.” He pulled out two books. “Antique or new edition? I have both for this collection.” He held out the old book, black with elegant silver scroll work next to a smaller paperback with a picture of the sky.

“Definitely the antique. What kind of poems are they?”

“Wordsworth basically started the Romantic movement in England. Here, let me read you a poem.

“The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers — Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

“Not romantic like lovers, but romantic, like grand and expressive.”

Michael just stared, entranced by that beautiful voice reading poetry so passionately. “I love it.”

“There are other good ones, too. Here, hold this one.” Alex handed the book to Michael and stepped down before walking down the aisle. “This is another Romantic poet, Keats.

“Bright star! Would I were steadfast as thou art-- Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like Nature’s patient sleepless Eremite, The moving waters at their priestlike task Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores, Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask Of snow up on the mountains and the moors-- No--yet still steadfast, still unchangeable, Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast, To feel for ever its soft fall and swell, Awake for ever in a sweet unrest, Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, And so live ever - or else swoon to death.”

“Uh, that’s dramatic.”

“Would your sister like it? Or is it too dramatic?”

“I think she’d like it, actually. She’s kinda dramatic herself.”

Alex laughed and handed the antique book, bound in red leather with faded gold lettering, into Michael’s careful hands. “Does she like Shakespeare? I just got a really nice edition of his sonnets and those are mostly romantic.”

“I have no idea, but I’m game.” Michael decided he’d basically follow Alex anywhere in the store for the chance to just bask in his presence.

The book was a new edition, not antique, but it was bound in deep rose leather with a fanciful design of roses in gold, pink, and green on the cover. The pages were gilded, and it had a ribbon bookmark. “Sonnet 116 is my favorite.”

“You have a favorite?” Michael blinked. He hadn’t considered that ordinary people had favorite sonnets.

“Well, yah, I’m in here all day selling books of poetry, some of it is bound to stick.”

Michael laughed softly. “What’s your favorite poem of all time?” Not that he’d know it, but he mostly wanted to keep talking to Alex until he could guide the conversation to exchanging phone numbers.

“That’s impossible to answer, because poetry is so dramatically different from era to era. That said, I like early American poetry more, like Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson, than Romantic poetry.”

“I have to confess I’ve never heard of them. Or if I did, I totally forgot.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at him. “Here, I’ll read you a Whitman poem.” He walked back into the alcove where Michael had found him and picked up the battered paperback he’d left on the floor.

“PASSING stranger! You do not know how longingly I look upon you, You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me, as of a dream,) I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you, All is recall’d as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured, You grew up with me, were a boy with me, or a girl with me, I ate with you, slept with you--your body has become not yours only, nor left my body mine only, You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass--you take of my beard, breast, hands, in return, I am not to speak to you--I am to think of you when I sit alone, or wake at night alone, I am to wait--I do not doubt that I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you.”

“I really love that,” Michael admitted, touched by the words. “That’s what so much of life is, just passing by a stranger and wondering if he’s your soulmate.” He hoped that ‘he’ would ensure that Alex knew he was very interested in him. “It’s beautiful.”

Alex smiled, feeling a connection to Michael. “One of my favorites.” Michael really has the most beautiful eyes.

The door bells chiming broke the spell that was keeping their eyes locked. Alex realized that his break was probably long over, his apron was on the floor in the reading room, and he was in his socks. The last thing he wanted was to walk away from Michael. “Which book do you want to get?”

Michael blinked. “Um, I think I’ll get all three. It’s Christmas, she can have three pretty books.”

“Alright.” Alex started walking to the cash register. Now that there were other customers, he couldn’t just hang out with Michael, no matter how cute he was. “I keep forgetting it’s almost Christmas.”

“How can you forget?! There’s Christmas shit everywhere!”

Alex laughed. “I think it’s because my family doesn’t really do much. We don’t even have a tree.”

“Oh, that’s no fun.” Michael was hit with pure, genius inspiration. “We’re decorating our tree tonight, you should come over.”

“What, really? Wouldn’t that be awkward for your family?”

“No, man, the more the merrier. My family loves guests. Especially my sister.”

“I don’t know.” Alex was sorely tempted, he really wanted more time with Michael. “Hey, do you want me to gift wrap these? We have some really pretty wrapping paper and ribbons.”

“Oh, that would be fantastic.” He watched Alex slide behind the counter and start ringing up the books. None of the books had barcodes, they had handwritten labels that Alex was carefully removing. The wrapping paper was really pretty, it was deep blue and shiny with dark pinecones frosted with white glitter. Michael was impressed with Alex’s wrapping skills, he couldn’t do that well if he was given explicit instructions. The ribbons were red satin, and he stacked the three books and tied the long ribbon around all of them. “That looks beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Alex answered, compliment warming him.

Michael had to look away to keep from staring into Alex’s dark eyes, and noticed a rack of postcards with words on them. “What are these?”

“Oh, little poetry quotes. They’re hand lettered.”

“Are you an artist?” Michael smiled.

“Oh, no,” Alex denied, waving. “I’m not an artist, I didn’t do those. I’m a musician.”

“Really? I dabble in guitar.”

“I play, too.” Michael was getting more and more attractive.

Michael reached the decision that this was fate. “Hey, you’ve got glitter on your face, here.” He held out his hand and Alex leaned in for him to brush the sparkles off his cheek. His fingers lingered, and before he knew it, they were moving together, eyes slowly closing as their lips met in a sweet, sweet kiss.

Time slowed down and both Michael and Alex forgot it existed.

Until someone cleared their throat and they pulled apart, surprised that they’d gotten so lost in each other. Alex was immediately flustered, and Michael was grinning so wide that his face almost hurt.

Alex put the books on the counter. “I’m so sorry, I want to keep talking but I have to work,” he apologized. “Can I get your number?” He patted his body. “Fuck, my phone is in my apron.” Which was on the floor in the reading room. He grabbed one of the postcards and scrawled his number on the back. “Text me, I’d love to come over and decorate your tree.”

“I’ll see you tonight then.” He just smiled into Alex’s eyes until they both jumped when more throat clearing interrupted them. He grinned and winked at him, then headed out the front door with his festive package and a phone number.

In the truck, Michael looked at the postcard and immediately added Alex’s number to his phone. He sent a quick message of his name and a heart emoji, then flipped the card back over. It was a Walt Whitman quote.

“We were together. I forget the rest.”

[thdorkmagnet]

Under the Sea (Star is Ariel AU)

Sorry I for the long absence everyone!! I was sick last week and just didn’t feel like posting anything and I’m really only now feeling 100% my old self!! I’ll try and get the rest of these posted as regularly as I can again. Thanks for the patience!!

Summary: A series of one-shots and multi-chapters proving why Star Butterfly should be considered a Disney Princess, as Star and company take over the roles of all your favorite Disney Princess characters! (Starco inevitable)

Check out my other stuff on Fanfiction! 

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. The Little Mermaid belongs to Disney. All rights go to their respective owners.

The sound of crashing waves and seagull's calls filled the air as the large fishing boat cut it's way through the foamy sea. Dolphins, eager and happy, followed after the ship, practically gliding across the blue waves, easily keeping pace with the fast-sailing ship. They chittered and squeaked up at the boat as a group of sailors hauled a large net onto the deck, which was filled to the brim with dripping, flopping fish, all of the chattering creatures hoping for a handout. The sailors all but ignored the clear beggings of the sealife below as they went about their work.

One lone soul though was watching the dolphins playful behavior with a smile, the teenage boy getting quite a bit of entertainment out of the friendly sealife. A fish somehow wiggled free of the net, landing at the boy's feet, still flopping wildly and he took a quick look around at the other sailors, who were all too preoccupied with their work to notice him. The boy carefully picked up the dying fish and held it up where the dolphins could see and pointed at it with a wide smile. The reaction was instant, the aquatic mammals chittering excitedly. He quickly tossed the fish overboard and the dolphins went into a mad dash for the handout, trying to shove each other out of the way, until eventually it ended up in one of their mouths, the particular dolphin swallowing greedily while the others watched him in jealousy.

The boy laughed until he felt a hand on his shoulder and he cringed turning to see Manfred staring at him, with a raised eyebrow. “Sire, you know if you keep giving them handouts, they will just keep coming back,” he said with disgust, leering down at the creatures below.

“Yeah, but I want them to come back,” the boy explained, looking back over to them with a smile.

Manfred rolled his eyes, saying, “Oh, Your Highness, you still have so much to learn before you take the throne.”

With that the man thankfully left and the boy sat down on the boat's edge with a tired sigh, looking down at the ocean again. The dolphins had left and he was already missing their presence, one of the few tolerable things on this trip. He stared at the waves for another minute before turning and heading back to his cabin, his brain wandering as he tried to imagine what it would be like to a dolphin, living life free of responsibility and without a care in the world, able to explore the vast ocean with no one telling you what to do or how to live. It must be nice.

...

Meanwhile far below the fast-moving ship, deep deep below,  beneath the blue waves and lapping tides, father down than any human could go, lay an underwater world full of mysteries yet unsolved, creatures and places that no mere land dweller had ever laid eyes on, a treasure trove of wonders that went unappreciated and unnoticed to the world above. And in a particularly dark corner of this oceanic world, lay a far less pleasant and calming part of the sea.

A graveyard. Where sunken ships had met their demise at the hands of the oftentimes harsh ocean surf and storm. Here, in the dark, dreary waters, where little sunlight was able to touch, lay the sight where an unmeasurable number of souls had come to their end before being put to rest in Davy Jones' locker, a bloody collection of broken masts, tattered sails and shattered remains of what were once fine, sailing ships.

But this cruel fact did little to dissuade the two young mermaids who braved the underwater cemetery, swimming swiftly through the dark waters. One was blond with long flowing hair, bright blue eyes that sparkled with curiosity and innocence and hearts on her cheeks. She had a couple of pink shells braided into the top of her hair, acting as a headband of sorts, as well as around her chest. Her tail was long and slender, the thousands of green scales catching the low light making it shine, the end of her tail pink, matching her shells and cheeks.

The other mermaid, who was in the lead, had short white hair with a streak of green. Her face was freckled beneath a pair of shimmering sea-green eyes that sparkled with confidence and a pair of yellow seashells on her cheeks. She also wore a necklace that matched her cheeks perfectly and a light blue cloth around her mid-section. Her tail was light blue at the top but slowly grew a darker shade all the way down its length.

“What do you think we'll find this time, Jackie?” the blond one asked her friend, trying not to show how out of breath she was from trying to keep up with her fast-moving bestie. Jackie had the reputation for being the fastest swimmer in the ocean, oftentimes proving this title by racing against other sea creatures who were dumb enough to challenge her. So far she had yet to lose.

“Don't know,” Jackie responded nonchalantly, making sure to slow her pace a little to make it easier on her friend. “Maybe a snarfblat or another thingamabob?” she supplied.

“Ooooh,” Star said in wonder. “Either of those would be good, but y'know I kinda hope it's something new.”

The two swam for a few seconds in silence, before Star suddenly squealed with delight, not realizing just how close to Jackie's ear she was, spotting the unchecked ship they had scouted out a few days ago up ahead. The blond yelled loudly, “Look there it is, Jackie!”

“Yeah I can see it, Star,” Jackie responded with a chuckle, not caring about the slight ring to her ears, she was used to it by now having the overly excited Star as her friend, and she couldn't help but smile at the blond's infectious joy. No matter how many times the two came here to scour for human items, Star was always beside herself with exhilaration, acting like it was her first time.

Star adored the humans, loving anything and everything to do with them, collecting any trinkets she could find from their world and even studying them from afar. Jackie was fine with her friend's hobby, despite the rules against it, and often tagged along with her, but honestly wasn't that interested in the similar race from above. She mostly joined in because Star insisted she come, even making the argument that it was no fun without her bestie by her side.

Still she couldn't pretend it didn't put a smile on her face whenever Star spoke about the humans, her bubbly excitement intoxicating and impossible to resist.

“Well what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!” Star said impatiently as she swam forward nearly matching Jackie's own quick speed. Jackie grinned before slowing her pace enough so that they were now side by side each other, feeling her own heart start to race in anticipation.

Once the two reached the destroyed wreckage of what was once a beautiful sailing vessel, the two easily slipped inside the small window of the ship and into the broken, decaying interior. The water was musty within, green algae covering the fractured and fading wood. Despite this, the ship was mostly intact, in comparison to most of the shipwrecks the two mermaids had explored in the past. It was as if the ocean waves had captured the ship in a moment of time and refused to let it go.

“Wowww!” Star squealed, instantly swimming deeper into the dark and cramped space, her eyes exploring every inch of the ship's lower decks, until she was no longer in Jackie's line of sight. A second later, Star screamed in joy, “Jackie, get over here, I think I just found a skeleton!”

The speedy mermaid, just shook her head and followed after, not saying a word as she looked around with mild interest.

But neither of the two noticed the large, dark shadow that passed by the port hole the two had entered into a moment earlier, before following along the length of the ships exterior, looking for a way in.

…

The two explored the ship for a while, navigating the maze of rooms below, searching for anything that caught their eye or intrigue. The two eventually came across a large chest, highlighted by the large unbroken window in that area, light somehow creeping into the murky interior. Star eagerly threw open the trunk without a second thought. The room lit up golden as thousands of dazzling coins reflected in the water around the two.

The blond looked inside for a few seconds before slamming the lid back down with an unamused expression. She let out an annoyed sigh as she leaned against the chest. “Uhh, another one,” she complained, with a roll of her eyes. “That's like the fifth one of these we've found.”

But Star quickly spotted something else that caught her instant interest, abandoning the chest for the greater treasure. It was a small piece of metal with three little points on it, reminding her of her mom's Triton.

“Wow, what is it?” Star said in a sing-song voice, her shimmering eyes almost reflecting the shape of the object perfectly, as she slowly approached the small, metal object.

“Beats me,” Jackie said as she watched Star pick up the piece of metal, running her hand along the smooth frame.

Star turned back to her friend as she stuffed her find into her purse. “Buuuuttt, we know someone who will,” Star pointed out, excitedly.

Jackie nodded and was about to respond when a shadow fell across them and she frowned in confusion. “Is it just me or did it just get darker in here?”

The two mermaids slowly turned in the direction of the light source, the light from the window being blocked by a large shape which Star and Jackie instantly recognized by its top dorsal fin and rows of sharp, dangerous teeth, which were opening wide as the overgrown fish prepared to strike.

“Shark!” Star screamed, before the glass shattered and the deadly predator barreled into the sunken ship with his prey. Star and Jackie dodged around the sharks gaping jaws, heading back the way they had come in a hurry.

The shark followed after, wiggling its large body through the tight spaces, chomping and destroying any weak, algae-covered wood that blocked its path like it was nothing. The two mermaids swam like their life depended on it (which it did) Jackie easily taking the lead and leaving Star to follow after her trail of bubbles. The blond pumped her tail up and down as fast as she could, panting heavily, as she heard the shattering of wood and low growl of the approaching predator ever behind her.

Suddenly though, Star felt something getting ripped off her shoulder and she looked back to see her purse hanging off a lone nail, the dangerous shark's snapping jaw fast approaching her treasured items. Star panicked, screaming out, “My purse!” before doing the unthinkable and actually began swimming back toward it and the predator.

Jackie, hearing her friend's scream, looked over her shoulder only to feel her heart drop as she watched the blond's suicidal dive. Jackie instantly reversed course, swimming back over to her friend as fast as her body and adrenaline would allow. Just as Star recovered her purse, Jackie grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way, causing Star to cry out, but allowing them to just barely miss being eaten alive as the shark's jagged teeth made contact with the spot they were just in a second later, destroying everything there with a mighty snap.

The two quickly swam the short (if not claustrophobic) distance to the port window, both easily squeezing through the tight space, leaving the shark trapped below. Still, Jackie refused to release her hold on Star for a single second, dragging her behind her while trying to put as much distance between her and the deadly predator.

The blond looked back just in time to see the shark break through the wall of the ship, not even slightly dissuaded from his pursuit of his future meal. “Jackie!” Star started to cry in panic, but her friend quickly interrupted her.

“I see him.” she replied shortly, her eyes busy scanning the dark ocean around her for something to help them escape. Normally she could outrun a shark no problem, but with Star weighing her down she wasn't sure if they could escape or not. Which meant they needed another way out and fast!

That was when she spotted a giant anchor half buried in the sand and a plan began to form in her mind. “I've got an idea!” Jackie exclaimed. “Split up and lead him over there,” the white-haired girl continued, pointing out the place in mind. Star followed her finger and then gave a short, determined nod.

Jackie released her hold on her friend's arm and the two quickly took off in opposite directions, confusing the shark who looked between the two for a couple of seconds trying to decide which of the two would be an easier meal. Once he realized that the blond one was slower than the other, he quickly charged after her, his slick body cutting through the water like a knife.

A tingling feel in the back of her neck informed Star she was being followed and she looked behind her to see the shark gaining. She let out a small cry of panic, before picking up her pace with every ounce of energy she had left, overworking her tired tail in the hopes it would be enough to escape. She swam toward a sunken ship, maneuvering though the wreckage in an attempt to confuse the shark. But as she did, the shark crashed into the ship's side making the whole thing creak and groan as it fell to its side, nearly crushing the blond mermaid under its weight.

It did, however, kick up a cloud of sand that filled the ocean water for a moment, blinding the predator completely, who began snapping his jaws wildly in hopes of catching something. Star managed to swim out of the foggy area and made her way toward Jackie who was waving to her wildly. But as the dust resettled and the water became clear once more, the shark was finally able to see the mermaid and it shot toward her like a missile.

“Star, look out!” Jackie cried in warning and Star turned just in time to see the shark about to swallow her whole. She screamed and bolted to the side, the jaw's missing her by mere inches, but also managing to snatch her purse, ripping it off her shoulder. The blond watched in horror as her possession hung from the shark's sharp, deadly teeth and without even thinking she let out a yell, charging toward the deadly predator.

The shark actually stopped short in shock, as the foolish mermaid swam right up to him and grabbed onto the purse, pulling and tugging against it in an attempt to free it from his jaws. “Let go of it!” she hissed, her voice strained. “It's mine!”

Jackie just face-palmed, giving her friend a disbelieving look, unable to tell if she was either really brave or really stupid... or both. The shark, recovering from his initial shock, growled and began to actually pull back against her, getting into an odd tug-of-war with the stubborn mermaid, who refused to let go, keeping a firm grip on her prize.

Jackie, seeing this, reacted quickly she grabbed the end of the thick rope that once hung from the anchor beside her and swam over to the shark's swaying tail. She did a few loops around it, before yanking the rope tight around his tail and the shark let out a growl of surprise. The second his jaw opened Star was able to finally yank her purse free, flung back a few inches and sending her tumbling for a moment. But as she regained her bearings, she let out a shout of victory, “I got it!” She help up her purse triumphantly, but her elation was quickly overshadowed by the pure fear as the shark was now right in front of her, a deadly leering in his eyes, that told her she had made him angry.

“Uh oh,” Star squeaked, as the jaw opened its mouth to attack, but Jackie had just finished tying the final knot and in the spam of seconds, swam around the shark and pushed the mermaid out of the way of the deadly, snapping jaws. She and Star continued on, the predator making chase, that was until the rope around his tail went taunt, yanking him backward and holding him effectively in place.

The two paused, watching as the shark struggled to free himself, snapping angrily at the water, trashing around like there was no tomorrow, causing a cascade of bubbles to swirl around as he upset the flowing tide around him. Star and Jackie panted and let out deep sighs of relief at having avoided being eaten alive, the latter punching her friend hard in the shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?” Star asked, rubbing at her sore limb in annoyance.

“That's for putting your life intentionally in danger... twice,” Jackie replied, surprisingly calm.

The two began swimming side by side to the surface, leaving the dark murky waters and forgotten graveyard behind them. Star let out a scoff and rolled her eyes, saying, “I was fine, I had it handled.”

“Oh really?” Jackie commented with a small smirk. “Cause if I hadn't done anything I'm pretty sure you'd be in that shark's digestive system by now.”

“Well, you did, so it's all good, right?” Star stated, her own naive logic as endearing as much as it was frustrating.

Jackie let out a small sigh, before saying, “Just maybe try to use your head next time or else that hobby of yours will end up getting us both killed.”

“Now your starting to sound like my mom,” Star said, grinning playfully. The two began to giggle, as they continued their ascent, unaware of the furious roars from the predator below them.

…

When the two surfaced, breathing in the salty sea air, they instantly began to look around for the large rock that housed their human expert. They found it quickly, but once they had swam over to it, they realized it was empty. “Where is she?” Star asked, her hands on her hips.

“Knowing her, it could be anywhere,” Jackie replied with a roll of her eyes. A form surfaced from the water suddenly and the two turned to stare at the black-haired mermaid, wiping her dripping bangs out of her face. She wore a fishnet woven into a beanie of sorts over thick black hair and a pair of skull and crossbones on either cheek. She had on some sort of soft yellow material over her top, her dark green tail slapping the waves carelessly. She had a net full of what looked like a bunch of kelp slung over her shoulder and she lugged it over to her home. She either didn't seem to notice the two there or was simply ignoring them, but Star decided to take the initiative and say hello.

“Hey Janna!” Star greeted cheerfully.

The girl's brown eyes landed uncaring on the two, as she threw the kelp onto the rock. “Oh it's you two,” she said emotionlessly.

“Yeah, ha, it's us!” Star agreed, ignoring the girl's careless behavior. “We brought you some more human stuff...” Star held up her purse for Janna to see. “And we were hoping you would... y'know, tell us what it is, like you do.”

“What's in it for me?” Janna asked, hauling herself onto the rock and leaning comfortably back against the bulky net.

Before Star could answer, Jackie quickly cut in, saying, “C'mon Janna, is that really necessary?”

The dark-haired mermaid shrugged, retorting,“Hey, if  you don't want to pay up, find someone else who knows about humans.”

“But you're the only one!” Star exclaimed in exasperation.

The girl smirked widely, before saying, “Exactly.”

“Look, we almost died to get this stuff-” Jackie tried, but the topside mermaid was having none of it.

“Not my problem,” she said. “I'm just trying to run a respectable business up here, which you two keep getting in the way of by constantly interrupting me.”

“What business? You're only up here because you got yourself banished trying to steal the Triton,” Jackie shot back.

Janna raised a finger in the air, correcting the white-haired mermaid, “No, being banished just meant I couldn't be in Atlantica anymore, ... I chose to come live topside because the ocean is dumb and boring.” She looked over to the blond. “Which I'm sure you already know, considering you keep coming up here.”

Star twitched nervously, her hands fiddling with the strap of her purse. She would be lying if she said she wasn't bored of the same old place, hence why she had taken such a strong fascination with the surface world. But she also knew that her mother would never allow her only daughter to leave Atlantica, especially to move to the surface, a place she despised with every fiber of her being. No matter how much she wanted to, she was stuck where she was at.

Still that didn't stop her curiosity any, making her venture outside of her mother's established boundaries, breaking the rules in the hopes of satisfying her overwhelming need to know more. She knew her mother would not approve of her coming to the surface, of her collecting human things, and most certainly would be opposed to her speaking to the banished mermaid traitor. But part of her wanted to be rebellious, to for once live outside her mother's suffocating rules and regulations to keep her safe and just... be herself.

“I just... want to know...” she said softly and Janna nodded in understanding.

“Hence, why you're here.” She held out a waiting hand, saying patiently, “Now, my payment?”

Star reached into her purse and pulled out a shiny, gleaming pearl handing it over to Janna, who eyed it meticulously, tapping a finger against it, before grinning widely. “Okay then, lay it on me, princess.”

Star handed over her bag to the other mermaid, the girl digging around inside it and pulling out the small fork. She examined it closely, while the two waited patiently for her explanation. Well, Jackie waited patiently, Star was jittery as she stared at her wide-eyed, fiddling with her wet and tangled hair.

Janna tapped a finger to her chin, trying to think of a good name for the object, before saying simply, “Dingelhoper.” She tossed it back to the blond, who caught it with ease, staring at it as if it were the most priceless treasure ever made.

“Dinglehoper,” Star muttered wistfully.

“What's it do?” Jackie asked, cocking her head to the side as she stared at the small, metal object.

“Straitens your hair out,” Janna replied instantly, digging around in the purse again, before pulling out another metal object twisted into a couple of loops. Another paperclip? she thought, raising an eyebrow. That had to be like the ninth one they had found this week. How the heck did they keep ending up out to sea? Star looked up, noticing the object in the her hands.

“Oh yeah, I found another thingamabob back on the ship too, want it?” Star asked, giving her an earnest smile. “I got like twenty at this point.”

“No thanks,” Janna said, before stuffing it back into the purse and handing it back to the blond royal. “Don't really need it.” She lifted the pearl back up, studying it closely. “This baby is all I need to get by.”

“What good does a pearl do you?” Jackie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Observe,” Janna replied, holding the shiny object up, as a dozen seagull flew in out of nowhere, dive-bombing the pearl, squawking loudly the same word over and over again, “Mine! Mine! Mine!”

“Turns out, seagulls are attracted to shiny things!” Janna shouted above the loud, obnoxious birds, while Star and Jackie covered their ears, cringing openly. “And with it I can get them to bring me all kinds of food.” She held out her other hand, keeping her eyes on the two mermaids. A second later, one of the birds dropped a hotdog onto her hand, her smirk never leaving the two. She lowered the pearl out of sight and just like that, the birds scattered, leaving her alone again. Her hair was now even messier and covered in feathers but she didn't seem to notice this as she took a bite of her food, giving the two a knowing look.

“Well that's... one way to get by,” Star said hesitantly, while Jackie just stared at the girl incredulously.

Janna shrugged, simply replying, “Hey don't knock it until you try it.”

…

Deep within the shiny gold city of Atlantic, where all mermaids dwelled and in the very heart of its esteemed castle, a certain member of the castle staff was swimming back and forth just outside the throne room, while another watched them in disinterest, the former muttering to themselves in worry. “I can't believe she just disappeared like that,” he continued his quiet rant. “Does she just not care about my job, about how much trouble she was gonna get in or get me in for that matter?!”

“Awww, relax Johnny,” Ponyhead, a blue seahorse and close personal friend of Star, said to the worrisome dolphin. “You worry too much. Must be from breathing in so much surface air.”

The dolphin ignored the comment, before complaining, “But Star has gone too far this time! She knew how important today was and after I spent weeks, with little to no sleep, preparing my most thrilling presentation of ocean safety yet, and she has the audacity to run away from home to go treasure hunting!”

Pony rolled her eyes, before scoffing, “Geez, your complaining is giving me a headache. Look you can still give your dumb presentation as soon as B-fly gets back.”

“But I don't have that long!” Johnny angrily exclaimed. “I'm expected to go out there any second and if she isn't here by then than my whole career as safety manager for the castle is over!”

“Uhh, I don't see what the big deal is?” Pony pointed out, with an uncaring roll of her eyes. “So the girl has a little freedom for herself, so what?”

“The big deal is if my new safety implications can't even keep Star here and out of trouble than how can I expect the Queen to take me seriously!”

“Your a porpoise in a suit, I think that ship has long since sailed.”

“This isn't a joke, Pony!”

“Hey, I'm only here cause I promised my girl that I would cover for her so she could go and live a little reckless for once, making fun of you is just added bonus!”

Johnny growled, before turning back to the entrance that led to the throne chamber and gulped loudly. He was so gonna end up fired. Or electrocuted by the Triton. Or banished from Atlantic forever. He could almost picture it now, him standing in front of a judge after a terrible and tragic accident had befallen the princess and him being sentenced to the Great Barrier Reef Prison or worse...

If Star didn't get back soon, he was gonna be in deep trouble.

“How much longer can your boyfriend stall?” he asked, worriedly.

“Ah don't worry about him, Seahorse can put a whole school of fish to sleep. He's even more boring than you.”

Johnny glared at her, saying suspiciously, “I'm starting to think you are the bad influence in Princess Star's life.”

“Hey, Pony!” a cheerful voice suddenly called and the two swerved to see Star and Jackie swimming up and Johnny let out a relieved sigh, muttering, “Oh thank kelp.”

“Hey B-fly!” Pony called enthusiastically. “Get any good finds from that shipwreck!”

“Pony, shhh,” Star reminded her, putting a finger to her lips, both her and Jackie quickly hushing her. “Top secret, remember?”

“Oh yeah, right,” the seahorse quickly said, giving her a sheepish look. “My bad.”

“Where have you been, young lady?” Johnny scolded and Star gave him a confused look, raising an eyebrow.

“Uhh, we're the same age,” she pointed out.

“Don't change the subject,” the dolphin continued. “You were supposed to be back here an hour ago!”

“We got held up,” Jackie said simply.

“And anyways, I'm here now so what's the big deal?” Star asked, unconcerned with Johnny's lecture, swimming forward and into the throne room, the dolphin following after her as he continued his rant.

“The big deal is if you hadn't gotten back in time, I could have been fireeee-” his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the Queen's regal and biting glare, so busy educating Star he hadn't even realized they had entered the throne room. He visibly froze and if they hadn't been underwater would have been noticeably sweating, chuckling nervously.

Moon's inquisitive eyes jumped between both her daughter and servant, before returning to Seahorse, who was droning on about a decreasing in pearl population or some other such nonsense, when the queen interrupted. “Thank you Seahorse for that... interesting lecture, but now I would like to speak with my daughter if you don't mind.”

“Of course, happy to be of service, You Highness,” Seahorse said in the same monotones drone that she had been listening to for the last hour an a half, nearly driving her mad and wonder more than once the implications of using the powerful weapon positioned in easy reach from her throne on one of her subjects. He bowed, before starting to swim out of the room when he caught up with Jackie and his girlfriend Pony, who were watching quietly from the entrance.

“Hello darling!” he greeted Pony Head, his tone and infliction never changing in the slightest.

“Sup, Seahorse,” she replied, almost uncaring, more focused on the drama between mamma and daughter that was about to take place, but Seahorse didn't seem to notice or mind.

“Did I do a good job?” the appropriately named Seahorse asked, his voice never losing its empty, business-like tone that was off-putting to nearly everyone. And if that didn't do it then his unblinking, blank stare and forced smile could make anyone uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I mean only because of my brilliant planning and stuff,” she got a cocky look at that statement. “You were just as boring as I was hoping you would be, maybe even better.”

“I aim to please,” he said simply, his fake smile widening almost creepily.

Meanwhile Star was staring into the reprimanding gaze of her mother. “Star,” her mother began and Star let out a mental sigh. Here we go.

“Where have you been?” she asked, her eyebrow raising in that condescending way she hated. “You were supposed to be back an hour ago.” Johnny sucked in a breath, looking like he was about to pass out. He couldn't believe she had noticed. Of course she had noticed, the queen saw everything. Oh man, he was so going to be fired.

Star stayed calm, though, as she merely shrugged and said, “I was just out hanging with Jackie and we lost track of time, no biggie.”

Moon's eyes narrowed. “There is a 'biggie' here, Star. A proper princess is punctual at all times. How can you be expected to run a whole kingdom if you can't even arrive on time?”

Star crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving her mom a stubborn look. “So I was a little late, it's not the end of the world, mom.”

Moon let out a long sigh. “It is when you are in charge,” she explained, sounding exasperated with her daughter. “You will be queen someday, you need to learn the right way to behave.”

“Oh what, like you. Dad told me all about how you used to be reckless and irresponsible when you were my age.”

“Don't change the subject, Star!” Moon shouted, quickly losing patience for her daughter. “And yes, I was that way and I had to learn the hard way what it takes to be a good leader. I just want to spare the same thing happening for you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Star muttered bitterly.

“Now then,” Moon continued, ignoring her daughter’s behavior. “Tell me, what exactly were you doing that made you so late?” Moon asked, her eyes searching and Star froze up for a second. This caused Johnny to pale immensely, his already uncomfortable look multiplying tenfold, as his eyes jumped frantically between mother and daughter.

“Just... doing stuff with Jackie,” the princess replied as calmly as she could.

“And that would be...” her mother pried. “I mean if it was interesting enough to make you break one of your duties as a princess, then it must have been very important.” The way Moon emphasized the last word, Star began to worry that she had already figured out the truth. She would have to be very careful with her answer.

“Oh you know, just-”

“Searching for seashells!” Pony quickly interrupted, positioning herself between her bestie and her scolding mother.

“Pony what are you doing?” Star whispered worriedly and Pony confidently answered, “I got you girlfriend. Just leave it to me.”

“Seashells?” Moon repeated skeptically.

“Yeah but not just any shells,” Jackie quickly cut in, joining in on the lie. “They were for a necklace Star was gonna make for your birthday.” She paused before quickly adding, “Uh, Your Highness.”

Moon's eyes widened in surprise at this, turning to her daughter. “Is this true?”

“Uhh-” Star said, until an elbow from Jackie, made her blurt out, “YES! Of course it is mom. That's, uh, that's why we had to keep it a secret from you, so we wouldn't spoil the surprise.”

They all gave the queen innocent grins, all hoping she bought the lie. For a few uncomfortable seconds, Moon said nothing and the three began to mentally panic, until she finally responded, her face and voice conveying how unsure she felt in this situation. “Well, I'm... sorry that I spoiled your surprise.”

Star chuckled awkwardly, waving an arm in the air. “Aww, it's fine, mom. I'll just find another gift for you. No big deal, it's all good.” She could tell she was starting to ramble and feeling increasingly awkward, she sought out an escape goat from the situation, quickly blurting out the first name that came to mind, “Right Johnny?” The blond turned to the dolphin, who had staying oddly quiet the whole time. His mouth was sealed shut, both flippers over it and his body was shaking as he seemed to be struggling to hold the truth in. Star saw her mother's suspicious glare and quickly tried to make light of the moment, “Uh, haha, yeah. Anyways, I should probably be heading back to-”

“Star went to the surface!” the dolphin finally blurted, startling everyone. “What?!” Moon cried in concern, while Star and the others all shot him a death glare. “Johnny!” they shouted.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! My conscious got the better of me!” Johnny cried.

“Starrrr,” Moon began in a warning tone and the princess whimpered in fear.

“Uh, bye mom, we'll talk later, I got princess lessons to do!” Star quickly shouted, trying to quickly escape the room, but her mother's scolding shout, stopped her in her tracks. “Star!”

The girl slowly, guiltily, turned back around to face her mother, the look of pure anger and disappointment on her face, enough to make even the most evil of creatures cower in guilt. It was a look that Star dreaded and one she never seemed to be able to avoid, still that didn't mean it didn't sting every time she had to look at it.

“Come here,” her mother demanded and Star slowly obeyed, approaching her mom with a lowered gaze.

“You know that you can't go to the surface for any reason, it's forbidden!”  Moon began, her tone sharp and her gaze stony. “You could have been seen by a human, you could have compromised our entire world!”

“Yes, but I didn't,” Star argued. “I was really careful, no humans saw me, I swear! And anyways I was only up there for like a couple of minutes!”

“That doesn't matter, Star!” Moon shot back, her anger rising to new levels and Star visibly flinched at the tone. “You could have died! Murdered by those barbarians!”

Star had to bite her lip to keep from blurting that not all humans were barbarians and that she had no right to judge a bunch of people she had never even met before. “You think that is what I want to see happen to you, Star!” Moon added, her voice cracking with emotion, the fear in tone obvious now. “To see you dying at the hands of those vile humans!”

Star felt a tinge of sympathy and regret, but it was easily overshadowed by her anger and she quickly snapped back, “I'm not a little kid anymore, mom! I can make decisions for myself!”

“Not when you are purposely breaking rules made to keep you safe!”

“Well, it's a dumb rule anyway!” Star crossed her arms stubbornly in front of her chest. “Just because some humans are bad, doesn't mean all of them are.”

Moon let out a long sigh, burying her face in her hands. She didn't say a word for a moment and when she did finally speak again, Star could hear the exhaustion in her voice, “Star, those rules exist to protect us. Whether it is right or not, we can not take that risk. It is for the good of the kingdom that we remain separate. To protects our world and keep any one of us from ending up dead in some fishing net, do you understand?”

Star hesitated before sadly answering, “Yes, I understand.”

“Then I want you to promise me you will never go near the surface ever again, are we clear?”

Star opened her mouth to argue, but her mother's gaze narrowed and she harshly repeated, “Is that clear?”

Star rolled her eyes with a huff, before saying, “Yes, mom.”

“Good, then you may go,” Moon said dismissively. “Permitted that you stay safe and keep out of trouble.”

Star didn't even reply as she turned her back on her mom and angrily swam out of the room, her posse of friends following right after.

Moon leaned back in her throne once she was alone again, looking utterly exhausted and lost. “Ugh, what am I going to do with that girl?” she asked herself, worriedly.

But suddenly, her attention was drawn to the sweating Johnny, who was still watching her wide-eyed. There was an awkward pause between them, before the dolphin quickly chuckled nervously. “Um so about my suggestions for safety-”

“I'm afraid that your services are no longer required,” Moon curtly responded and Johnny looked panic-stricken. He quickly threw himself at the queen's fins, bowing low and begging wildly, “No, please, my queen! I swear I can make it up to you! Just give me another chance to prove my worth to you!”

Moon gave him an annoyed look, before the begging became too much and she finally said, “All right. I will give you one more change.”

Johnny's face brightened at that. “Oh thank you, Your-”

“If you can keep my daughter out of trouble and, most importantly, away from the surface,” Moon continued, and Johnny's mouth dropped open against his will.

He quickly shut it, though, saying, “Um, well, I was thinking maybe I could just... give a few lectures on how to-”

“Do you wish to remain as a member of this staff or not?” Moon asked in annoyance and Johnny quickly swallowed.

“Y-Y-Yes, Your Highness, I very much do,” he said softly.

“Then I suggest you hurry and catch up with my daughter. She did get quite the head start while you were busy ogling.” Moon looked away from the porpoise, staring off into space, signaling that the conversation was over. Johnny paused only for a second, before making the very smart move of bowing and leaving the queen to her thoughts.

Though he let out a very loud groan the second he was out of earshot. Great now his entire future career depended on one reckless, headstrong teenage. What else could possibly go wrong?

…

Star swam huffily through the streets of Atlantica ignoring all the friendly merfolk waving to her, too angry with her mom to notice anything else. “Ugh, who does she think she is?!” Star yelled, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration.

“The Queen of Altlantica and your mother,” Seahorse instantly replied and Star shot him a glare.

“Not now, boo, can't you see the girl is ranting,” Pony quickly reprimanded him.

“Oh, my apologies,” her boyfriend quickly replied blankly, before going silent.

“Look Star, I know her thinking is flawed but she is just trying to look out for you,” Jackie supplied, putting an hand on her friend's shoulder.

“Yeah, but I don't need her too!” Star exclaimed back. “I can take care of myself and besides, humans aren't the monsters she says they are.”

“What did you call me?!” an angry barracuda who had overheard part of the conversation quickly shouted, turning to glare at them.

“Nothing, mind your own business!” Pony snapped, which only managed to enrage the dangeous and deadly fish all the more.

Jackie put an arm up between her friend and the fish, giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, sir. We weren't talking about you, we swear.” The barracuda still looked skeptical so Jackie quickly added, “And may I just say that you have very fine and lovely scales.”

The fish glared for a few more seconds, before his face melted into a smile, which was still terrifying to look at, but at least they no longer had to worry about him attacking them now. “Oh, well, thank you. No one ever says that about me.” He looked genuinely happy and slightly embarrassed and he quickly cleared his throat saying in a gruff voice once more, “Ahem, carry on.” He then swam past the group and they watched him go, before Jackie sighed in relief. She gave Pony Head a glare, asking in annoyance, “What was that, Pony? Were you trying to get yourself eaten?”

“Ahh, whatever I could have taken him,” Pony replied with her usual Pony smugness that was one of her many annoying trademarks.

“Actually I think you would have been eaten alive, dearest,” Seahorse said and Pony shouted at him, “What did I say about interrupting the moment?!”

“Guys, can we please stay focused on my problem,” Star reminded them with slight annoyance and they all turned to her in surprise.

“Oh yeah, sorry, guess we got a little off track there, girl. That is my bad, B-Fly,” Pony quickly admitted.

“So what are we going to do now?” Jackie asked, giving her royal friend a long, questioning gaze. “I mean, you promised your mom you wouldn't go up there anymore. Are you going to do it anyways?”

Star let out a long sigh, swimming forward with an unsure and troubled look. She was about to respond to the mermaid when, another voice quickly cut in, “Oh look at that, if it isn't, Little Miss Perfect.”

Star groaned, dreading talking to the owner of that voice, who she recognized in an instant. Brittney Wong. Great, as if she didn't have enough problems to deal with. She slowly turned to glare at the mermaid before her, who stood there in the same cocky, holier-than-thou pose that she always had and Star held back rolling her eyes. It was no secret the two had been rivals for years and never got along in any regard whatsoever. It wasn't like Star hadn't tried, in the beginning she had been friendly and optimistic as she was with everyone, believing the two would become close almost instantaneously. But this hope was dashed as Brittney's stuck-up attitude caught Star by surprise and began to slowly push her away.

She didn't understand why the mermaid was so bitter and hateful toward her, but the more and more Brittney pushed the more angry Star became and she quickly began fighting back, using the rejection as fuel for the fire inside her as she bit back every comment with equal disgust and vexation as the snob. Since then, their confrontations had only gotten worse with time.

“Oh, Brittney, it's you,” Star began calmly, keeping a forced smile on her lips. “From your voice I was sure a seal or something was wailing at us for a handout.”

The black-haired mermaid glared at the grinning blond, scoffing as she said distastefully, “Well my voice can't be as bad as that outfit, what's the deal, princess? Did mommy not teach you how to stylize your shells?”

Star crossed her arms but it was Pony who quickly retorted, “Ha, like she'd taken fashion advice from someone who wears make-up underwater. Like seriously, what's that about?”

“Yeah, Brittney, what's that about?” Star repeated, equally mocking as her friend and she quickly gave Pony's extended fin a high-five.

“Not to mention, her choice in braiding her hair in shells that went out of style exactly 2.5 hours ago,” Seahorse added and Pony let out a loud gasp.

“Ooooh, good thing we are underwater, because that was a harsh burn,” the blue seahorse snapped, with a cocky grin.

Brittney seemed to be growing more and more angry by the second, her entire body shaking as she tried to fight back the intense hatred she felt. “Why don't you freaks stay out of this?!” she quickly shouted and Pony's eyes quickly narrowed, a furious snarl on her face.

“I better not have just heard those words come out of your bratty, snobby face,” Pony hissed, Jackie having to hold her back to keep a fight from breaking out.

Brittney just smirked arrogantly, flipping her hair as she swam over to Star, who looked the angriest she had ever been. If there was one weak point you didn't touch, it was Star's friends. “Honestly, Star, I don't know why you hang around these losers, are you that desperate for friends your willing to hang out with a bunch of bottom-feeders,” the snobby girl said, tutting sarcastically, feigning worry.

“I hang out with them because they're real friends, something you wouldn't know about considering you don't seem to be able to make any,” Star shot back.

“How sad,” Brittney continued, seemingly ignoring the royals last comment. “You know, everyone around here talks about you. Says that you've got a thing for humans.”

Star rolled her eyes. “Whatever Brittney, you must be pretty gullible to believe a bunch of gossip,” Star scoffed, trying to dodge the question as best she could. “Did you also believe that crab that said we were going to be invaded by jellyfish last week?”

“Oh please, you can't seriously think I'm that stupid,” Brittney retorted.

“Coulda fooled me,” Pony suddenly snapped and the bratty mermaid ignored her, as she tried to swim around Star, who quickly turned her body with her, trying to hide her purse behind her back.

“So where you heading off to, princess?” Brittney asked, intrusively, still trying to get a good look at what was behind her fellow mermaid's back. “And what's that you got behind your back? Some secret your ashamed to let everyone see.”

“None of your business!” Star snapped. “Now if you'll excuse me, I've got better stuff to do than stay here and be picked apart by you!”

She quickly swam past her and Jackie followed, moving so she was blocking the purse from the others prying eyes. Pony and Seahorse followed swiftly after, the former shooting the first a mocking, superior grin which only further infuriated the black-haired girl. She crossed her arms, watching her rival swimming away as she muttered under her breath, “I will find out whatever weird thing your hiding, princess. Just you wait.”

…

Johnny panted wildly as he swam through the underwater streets of Atltantica, his eyes searching for any signs of the blond princess anywhere, but for some reason she was no where to be found. “Oh man, oh man,” Johnny muttered to himself as he continued his frantic hunt for the missing mermaid, his mind jumping to the worst possible scenario. “This is bad. Where is she? What if she already went back to the surface. If the queen finds out she'll have my head!” The dolphin groaned covering his face with his fins in frustration and worry. But as he removed them, he miraculously spotted Star and the others swimming out of the city and into deeper waters, a black-haired mermaid watching them go in disgust, before flipping her hair and swimming off in the other direction.

Johnny almost laughed out loud in relief as he quickly followed after the girl. He did his best to match their quick pace as they got further and further away from the safety of Altlantica, but he was finding it difficult to keep up with them his cushy job in the palace leaving him out of shape for most physical activities. He quickly began to fear he would lose sight of them altogether as they made odd twists and turns as if trying to lose someone tailing them, the four disappearing out of his sights for a couple seconds at a time before he found them again. And when they disappeared around an outcropping of rocks on the ocean floor, not emerging after several seconds (far longer than any of the previous times), he panicked and swam forward with frantic vigor.

He peeked around the edge of the rock, watching the princess and her friends and whatever scheme they were up to this time. Probably with the intention of getting me fired, he thought bitterly. The princess did a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching, before her and her white-haired friend tugged a large boulder up and out of the way, revealing a hidden entrance, Johnny gasping in surprise. Pony and Seahorse wordlessly swam inside, followed after by Jackie and then Star letting the rock fall back into place. Johnny propelled himself forward with all the energy left in his body, just barely managing to squeeze past the rock and into the large cave hideout of the princess. He let out a sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with his fin, before trying to swim forward. Only to be jerked back sporadically and he turned back to see the end of his tail caught in the large rock. He began pulling and tugging on his tail trying to free his trapped limb, grunting quietly so as to not alert Star to his presence.

But just as it grew an inch free and Johnny almost let out a squeal of delight, the rock moved, crushing the limb more and making the dolphin cry out in pain, his loud voice echoing around the room.

Jackie's head jerked back toward the way they had come, hearing the eery scream bouncing around the walls of the cave and she asked, “Did you hear that?”

“Eh, it was probably nothing,” Ponyhead replied nonchalantly.

Jackie shrugged before following after her friend. The four entered into the main part of the cave, a large open space, lit by a small hole above, letting the filtered light pour into the area, lighting it with an otherworldly glow. Every inch of the cave was covered in trinkets from the race above, human items of all shapes and sizes coated the walls and sandy floor, the princess's vast collection from years and years of exploring and scouring every sunken ship she could get her hands on scattered about the large open space, displayed in their full glory. Jackie gazed around in wonder for a moment, quite impressed with the vast treasure trove. No matter how many times she saw it, it never lost it's grandiosity.

Star didn't seem to feel the same, not even gazing at the items as she simply reached into her purse and pulled out the small dinglhoper she had received and setting it in place with two similar looking objects, one flat and the other rounded at the top. She let out a long sigh, as she gently pocked one of it sharp tips absentmindedly, thinking to herself, her face sent into a deep frown that was so unlike her.

“So, what are we gonna do now?” Jackie asked, sitting down next to her downtrodden friend.

“I don't know,” Star said sadly. But there was slight venom in her tone as she added, “Mom is just being dumb and overreacting like she always does.”

“Maybe it will blow over in a few days,” Jackie suggested, though it sounded weak coming from her. They both knew that wasn't true.

Still, Star allowed herself to cling onto the foolish hope for a moment, responding hesitantly, “Maybe.”

“Aw, who cares what your mom thinks,” Pony suddenly chimed in. “It's your life, B-Fly. I say you do what you want. So what if you break a few laws? It's not like you haven't done it before.” She gestured around the room with her snout, the thousands of illegal trinkets glimmering in the faded light.

“That's true,” Star said softly, clearly considering her friend's words. She let out a loud groan, falling back and onto the sandy floor. “Ugh, she just doesn't get it!” the blond exclaimed in annoyance. “She wants me to stay underwater and away from the humans but, I don't get how the surface can be so bad when they make all this cool stuff.”  

“Yeah, like this thing, whatever it is,” Pony said, moving closer to a small box with a handle in the side.

“Oh that's a surprise box,” Star explained.

“What's the surprise?” Pony asked, gently nudging the handle, which began turning on its own, provoking an off-key jingle.

“It would seem it produces some kind of music,” Seahorse said, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I can see th-” Pony was cut off, as the box suddenly sprang open, as a small puppet attached to a spring jumping out and startling the cocky Ponyhead, who released a loud scream.

“That's the surprise,” Star said as her and Jackie laughed at the panting Ponyhead.

“Yeah, okay. I knew that the whole time, that's why I played along, to y'know cheer you up and stuff,” Pony quickly said, clearly trying to cover up the embarrassing moment.

Star swam over to the box, closing it up once more. “See, humans make all kinds of cool things. Things that mermaids and fish can't make.”

Star picked up a nearby object, a gun with a hook in it. “Like this thing.”

“What's that do?” Pony asked.

“I have no idea,” Star admitted, setting it back down. “Or, or how about this?” the girl quickly grabbed another object, a small pocketwatch. “Look at this gizmo, see? We couldn't make something like this in Atlantica.”

“Or how about this?” Star said, gesturing to the painting in front of her, one with a woman warming her hands over a small flame. “Humans can make fire, for crying out loud! Why can't we make fire?!”

“Cause we live underwater?” Pony said, now decked out in as much jewelry as she could wear, stealing it off the shelves when Star wasn't looking.

“Or, or what about-”

“Star,” Jackie said, silencing her friend as she put a hand on her shoulder, knowing she could go on forever if she wasn't stopped. “We get it. We know you love human stuff.”

Star let out a loud sigh. “I just wish I could go up there, y'know? See all the wonders of the human world, instead of being stuck down here with the same old boring ocean.”

Jackie nodded. “I know,” she said, understanding clear in her tone.

“Well then do what you want B-Fly and don't tell your mom!” Pony shouted enthusiastically. “If she doesn't find out than what is there to worry about?”

“Yeah,” Star said softly, deep in thought. But her voice was stronger as she said again. “Yeah. Yeah!” she practically shouted. “It's my life I can do what I want!”

“You go girl!” Pony yelled in support.

“Who cares about the rules?! This rebel princess makes her own rules!” Star cheered, jabbing a finger at herself.

“Technically speaking, the princess does have slight authority for making decisions in certain circumstances,” Seahorse pointed out.

“Which I'm pretty sure doesn't count in this case, right?” Jackie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That would be correct,” Seahorse droned out.

“Well still, promise or no promise I'm not giving up going to the surface. It's just too important to me,” Star declared with a finality, crossing her arms determinedly in front of her chest. But it switched to a bright smile as she couldn't help but squeal over her decision, glad she didn't have to give up on the one thing that made her happy. “Oh man, if mom could hear me she would be so mad,” Star said with a small giggle.  

“That is correct!” Johnny shouted as he swam into view, making his presence known. The others all gasped in shock at seeing him floating there, Star exclaiming, “Johnny?! Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Your mom told me to keep an eye on you, so I followed you here,” the dolphin explained.

“Well it's not what it looks like,” Star quickly blurted out, trying to cover her tracks as best she could. “We were just... um, getting ready to throw all these human things away, since I won't be going to the surface anymore, right guys?” She turned to them for help, her eyes pleading for them to play along.

The others obeyed, quickly nodding in agreement, but Johnny just continued to glare at them, saying, “Save it. I heard what you were talking about.”

Star let out a short, awkward chuckle, before asking, “How much did you hear?” She was poking her fingertips together sheepishly as she waited for a response.

“All of it,” Johnny said with narrowing eyebrows.

“Oh,” Star muttered in defeat, visibly deflating.

“And you should be ashamed of yourself, going behind the queen's back like that,” Johnny scolded, waving a disapproving flipper at them.

“Only because mom is being stupid and making a bunch of dumb rules,” Star argued, crossing her arms childishly in front of her.

“She is trying to protect you, again if you had just followed my previous rules we wouldn't have this problem. All you had to do was listen to me and everything would be fine, but noooo, instead you had to be rebellious and do whatever you want so-”

Star, Jackie and Pony shared a look, knowing they had just lost him to the rant for who knows how long, as he swam back and forth around the cave, overemphasizing his speech with wild gestures from his fins. They all tuned him out as he droned on about every single security measure he had ever implemented in great and excruciating detail, only Seahorse actively listening, watching with interest, even nodding every so often.

“This is gonna take forever,” Pony groaned in annoyance, rolling her eyes.

“Hey at least he isn't busting us to Star's mom,” Jackie pointed out.

Suddenly, the entire cave went dark and the three girls looked up to see their only light source covered up by some large shape at the top of the waves. Star gasped. “A boat!” she exclaimed in joy. Ships almost never sailed this far out to sea, so seeing one intact was quite the rarity for her. “Oh man, we have to go see it!” The desperation and need shimmered in her eyes as she looked back over to the still-distracted Johnny, who hadn't noticed a thing as he carried on with his rant.

“Come on, at this rate the turd won't even notice we're gone,” Pony pointed out and Star nodded in agreement. Besides, who knows when her next chance to see a ship up close would be. It was worth the risk. Star and Jackie easily slipped past the dolphin, making for the exit, Pony stopping to rip her boyfriend away from his mindful observation before pulling him after the others, Seahorse never blinking or breaking gaze from the dolphin until he was out of sight.

Johnny after a moment, finally wound down, finishing up the speech he was currently giving to the treasure trove and trinkets, way off topic from where he had started from as his rambling came to a close. “And that's how to avoid being stung by an angry, vengeful jellyfish. Any questions, You Highness?” he looked over to where the four had been only to see empty water and he panicked, looking around the room frantically. “Your Highness? Star?” But when he received no answer and came to the quick realization that he was alone, he groaned in defeat. “They ditched me,” he whined in disgust before quickly swimming out of the cave after them.

Once back in open waters he spotted the four instantly, seeing them heading up to the surface where a large and familiar shape cut through the waves, as well as unfamiliar bright flashes of  multicolored lights, which colored the ocean in its hue with every few second bursts. “Oh no,” Johnny groaned in worry. “Princess, stop!” he tried to plead with her only to get an exited and unconcerned response, as the girl shouted joyfully, “Come on, Johnny! You won't want to miss this!”

Johnny just cringed knowing he had no way to stop the headstrong teenager. “This princess is gonna get me killed,” he observed. But, because it was now his duty to do so, he followed after the four, dreading what they would find topside and just hoping it didn't lead to any of them tapped in a net or on a hook.

…

The moment Star surfaced, she became enchanted by what she saw, her eyes glittering as she watched the bright explosions in the sky, her mouth gaped open in shock and awe. The others surfaced around her, also seemingly captivated by the fireworks, all except Johnny who was watching the whole thing nervously.

“Wow, they're beautiful,” Star murmured in whispered wonder.

“Yeah really pretty,” Johnny said, though his voice lacked any enthusiasm or emotion toward the sight. “Can we go now?”

“Wait a minute, we just got here,” Star insisted, swimming closer to the boat.

“Stop, princess! Come back!” the dolphin shouted after the mergirl, holding a fin out uselessly as if trying to will her back, though he was too frightened of the boat to move closer to it himself.

Star meanwhile, put a hand against the smooth wood and let out a small giggle. She couldn't believe this was really happening to her. After all this time, she was finally able to see a real boat up close, well one that was in one piece that is. Suddenly she could hear a janky tune above and her gaze and interest was immediately drawn upward, where she could almost hear the exited chatter of the human's over the loud popping of the fireworks.

Johnny just continued to groan and fidget with worry, his eyes darting around in paranoia, as he begged the girl, “Star, please, what if someone sees us? We should just go home already.”

“Aw relax, J. You worry too much,” Pony said nonchalantly.

“Yeah, Star is a big girl she can handle herself,” Jackie added, reassuringly.

But Johnny was having none of it, putting his flipper down as he commanded, “No way! I am not losing my job over this. I am taking the princess back to Atlantica and that's final! And once I tell the queen, she'll-”

“Fire you,” Pony finished for him and the dolphin visibly froze. He hadn't thought about that.

“I mean you did let the princess come to the surface, after all,” Jackie pointed out.

“Only because you guys ditched me!” Johnny loudly defended himself.

“Yeah, can't wait to hear you talk your way out of that one,” Pony said with a roll of her eyes.

Johnny was visibly unsettled by that. What was he thinking? He couldn't tell the queen about this. She had said that this was his last chance and if she found out he had already failed his task less than an hour since she assigned it... well, he didn't want to think about the consequences. “Oh my gosh you're right,” he admitted with horror. “I can't tell the queen about this, she'll kill me!”

“Yeah so just don't tell her and it can be our little secret,” Jackie suggested with a shrug.

Johnny quickly nodded. “Y-Yeah, okay. We'll just leave and pretend like none of this ever happened.”

“That's going to be pretty hard to do,” Seahorse suddenly spoke up.

“What, why?” Jackie asked in confusion.

“Cause Star is currently climbing the ship,” Seahorse explained.

“What?!” the others shouted, whirling around to see that the boring fish was right, Star was currently scaling the side of the boat, using her arms to pull her now useless tail up the length of the boat.

“Star, get down from there?!” Johnny screamed, but Star ignored him, only hearing the playful laughter and infectious music above, drawing her in closer and egging on her curiosity. When she finally reached the side, she hauled herself up enough that she could peer over without being seen, her tail resting on a convenient slab of wood beneath her. From there she could only watch in awe as the humans danced around the ship, laughing and partying it seemed, while others played some sort of collection of instruments, most of which Star didn't recognize at all. The blond also didn't recognize the tune, but after a moment, found herself humming along with it, its upbeat, janky notes catchy and impossible to resist.

She studied each human closely, watching their movements, particularly from their legs and feet, their weird motions they were making foreign and yet intriguing. But as her eyes roamed over the crowd of happy-go-lucky sailors she spotted one in the crowd who looked unhappy to be there, even in the midst of his fellow partying men. He was a young boy looking no older than 15. Right at Star's own age, she realized. He had brown hair and eyes along with tanned skin. He wore a fancy looking white suit, complete with cape and tight restrictive looking black boots. Star also noted with interest that he had a small little dot on his left cheek that was absolutely adorable.

Who was she kidding, all of him was adorable, he looked so handsome in his outfit and Star felt herself blushing at this train of thought. He was the first human boy she had ever seen before and she found there was something about him that seemed to draw her in. But at the same time, for as cute and interesting as he was, she also noticed just how sad and alone he looked standing all by himself, his eyes studying the crowded deck with disinterest. Star didn't understand why he didn't just join in on the fun, but for whatever reason, he simply rubbed at his arm absentmindedly, before quickly stopping himself and looking around as if afraid someone had seen him.

He kept his posture stiff after that, continuing to watch the celebration he seemed to be left out of and Star felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. She wished she could go over and comfort him, but that simply wasn't a possibility, not unless she wanted to reveal her identity to the entire boat. So instead, she just followed him with her eyes as he made his way around the eager partygoers and over to the edge of the boat, leaning against the railing with a deep sigh, now directly over where Star was perched.

The mergirl sucked in a breath as the handsome boy unknowingly hovered over her, she felt her face beginning to break out into a sweat over how close he was to her, almost able to feel his presence through the thick wood. She looked down below where Johnny stood mouth agape at the sight and looking on the verge of passing out. Jackie had dunked beneath the surface to avoid being spotted, but Pony was winking at her and giving her encouraging, meaningful smiles to tell her that the boy was cute and she approved which only made Star's cheeks blush lobster red. She risked a look up and instantly caught sight of the boy, his eyes gazing sadly down at the ocean, but despite this the chocolate brown orbs were magnificent and engaging as Star found herself having trouble looking away from them.

The boy just stood there silently for a moment, before he rubbed his eyes tiredly with the palms of his hands, muttering under his breath, “What am I even doing?” He started to walk away and Star sat up so she was peering over the edge again, wanting to follow his every move, when she noticed with concern that he had turned around. His eyes lit up as he spotted her and the mergirl felt her heart stop, whether that was from being found out or being noticed by this boy of all people Star didn't know. “Whoa, be careful!” the boy cried, racing over to her, fear and concern on his face. The blond briefly contemplated ducking back out of sight but she was frozen to the spot so it wouldn't do her any good at the moment.

He continued to shout as he reached her, saying, “It's dangerous that close to the edge! You could fall!”

Star finally seemed to recover, ducking enough out of sight that only her head was in view to him. “Oh, um, thank you, but uhhh, I'm fine.”

“No, your not,” the boy insisted holding out a hand to her. “Here I'll pull you up.”

Star started to instinctively reach for his hand but stopped herself, shaking her head freeing of any distracting thoughts and saying, “No, really I'm good, just pretend I'm not here and you didn't see anything.” She chuckled nervously, hoping the boy bought it and just left her alone.

Instead, his eyebrows just pinched together in the cutest way and he looked over at the other sailors, who hadn't paid him any mind, before getting down on hands and knees and asking in a soft whisper, “Are you a stowaway?”

“A what?” Star asked in confusion.

“Did you sneak onboard this ship?” the boy asked, instead.

“Ohhhh,”the blond said in realization, before hesitantly replying, “Uhhh, sorta,” She looked down at her tail with a grimace.

“Well, don't worry your secrets safe with me,” the boy said softly, a small smile on his lips.

“Secret, what secret? I don't have any secrets,” the mergirl replied way too fast.

The boy gave her a confused look. “Uh, about you being a stowaway.”

“Oh rightttt. Yeah let's go with that.”

The boy gave her an incredulous look, but didn't press her on her odd behavior instead saying, “I'm Marco by the way.”

“Star,” the girl said softly, her cheeks growing red once more.

“Star,” Marco repeated, testing out the name on his tongue. “I like that. It's really pretty.”

Star giggled nervously, trying to hide her face from view. “Oh, psh, stop it!” she mumbled in embarrassment. She was about to say something more, when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a familiar form over by the buffet table. She felt her heart stop as she realized that Janna was stealing food out in plain sight and she made a tiny little eep noise.

“What, what is it?” Marco asked, starting to turn to see what she was looking at.

“No, no, nothing,” the girl nervously exclaimed, grabbing his face and keeping him from looking in that direction. “There's nothing to see.”

She watched as Janna caught her eye, shooting her a wink before diving overboard without being spotted. The mergirl let out a sigh of relief, glad that her friend hadn't been caught, that could have been a disaster.

“Uh, can you please let go of my face?” Marco spoke up and Star looked back over to see that she was squishing his face with her hands and she let go with a gasp.

“Oh, uh sorry,” the girl said, her cheeks flushing bright red. What was she thinking? She was acting like a total doofus in front of the first human she had ever met.

The boy didn't seem too upset though, just giving her a long look. “What was that all about?” he asked, an eyebrow slowly raising.

“I was just, uh, trying to keep you from being tempted by all that food over there, ha ha,” she chuckled nervously, hoping he bought the weak lie.

Marco didn't say anything for a moment, though, finally muttering, “You are a strange one, Star.”

“Good strange or bad strange?” she asked, looking at him hopefully.

He smiled. “Definitely good,” he replied, earning a smile from the blushing girl. He leaned against the railing of the ship with a far-off look. “In fact, your the first good thing about this trip so far.”

“Why? This place looks like so much fun,” Star blurted out, looking around at all the dancing humans with longing, wishing she could be one of them.

“Maybe for someone who actually belongs here,” Marco muttered sadly. “I'm only here because I'm expected to be. No one ever really asks me what I want.”

Star let out a long sigh, propping her elbows on the deck and leaning her head on her hands. “Yeah me too. My mom is always telling me to do this or do that, but she never really listens to what I want.”

“Sounds like we're in the same boat,” Marco said, before the two began giggling at the accidental pun.

“Yeah, guess we are,” Star whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The two continued to talk for a while, just chatting about their life and all the responsibilities that were being constantly thrust upon them. Star quickly discovered that Marco was actually a prince and that this whole trip was to celebrate his birthday, despite the fact that he hated sailing and had been virtually ignored the whole time only to be scolded or reprimanded by someone named Manfred. Star found herself enjoying herself the longer they talked, the boy so easy to talk to and so opposite what her mother had told her that humans were supposed to be like. He was nice and very fun to be around and she found herself wishing this moment would never end and she could just stay by this human boy's side until the end of time.

“You know, if you don't mind me saying, when you put your hands on my face, they were really pruny,” Marco suddenly mentioned out of nowhere.

“Huh, that's strange,” Star quickly said, trying to cover her shock.

“Like really pruny,” the boy continued. “Almost like you live in the water,” he added with a laugh.

The girl's eyes went wide and she let out a quick, fake laugh, feeling sweat dripping down her face. “Yeah, that, that's crazy,” she said with a halfhearted scoff. “I mean, we humans don't live in the water, hahahaha.”

Marco gave her a suspicious look, able to tell she was hiding something. “Uh, right. We human's sure don't,” he said, forcing the weird phrase out of his mouth. He tried to shrug off her off behavior and instead commented, “You must really do a lot of swimming, though.”

“Me? Oh yeah, I swim all the time,” she said, still with an awkward edge to her tone.

“And you must love the ocean to wear seashells in your hair,” he added, pointing to them with a little smile, the girl quickly trying to cover them up with her hands.

“Yeah, I uhh-”

Before the girl could stutter out another answer, there was a roar of thunder behind them and they both turned to see the sky quickly growing dark, already nearly black, out of nowhere. “Wh-What's that?!” Marco asked in worry and Star just sucked in a breath.

“Oh no,” she muttered in terror.

Above their heads, the lookout yelled to the rest of the unsettled crew, confirming Star's fears. “Hurricane acomin'! All hands secure the riggin'!”

Rain began pattering the deck of the ship, as panicked sailors ran around trying to tie up the now uncooperative ropes down with little success. Marco stood up, a look of anxious determination on his face, as he turned back to the girl he had just been talking to, offering her a hand. “C'mon, we need to get somewhere safe, before the storm finishes blowing in.”

Star looked at his hand eagerly before reluctantly shaking her head. “I'm sorry, Marco,” she said, her sad eyes not meeting his. “I can't.”

“What, why not?” Marco asked.

“Your Highness!” a voice interrupted behind him and he turned to see Manfred, wobbling over to him on the unsteady deck. He grabbed the boy by the arm trying to forcefully pull him away. Marco fought the grip, trying to reason with the small man. “No wait! Hang on, there was someone who needed my-”

But as he looked back over to the spot Star had just been in, she was now gone. He felt fear and confusion pinch his chest, wondering how she had suddenly disappeared but hoping she was alright.  “Star?” he muttered softly.

“Oh dear, he's seeing stars,” Manfred said in worry, clicking his tongue and continuing to drag the boy behind him. “I really must get you below decks. Come now, Your Majesty, it will be safer there,” Manfred insisted and Marco followed numbly, his head still spinning with unanswered questions and fears.

…

Star dropped back into the water with a splash, ignoring the questioning gazes of her friends and the panicked rant from Johnny, keeping her eyes on the ship and hoping it would be okay, her thoughts and fears solely focused on Marco. The waves were quickly growing higher, slapping against the boat as if trying with all its might to knock it over and sink it. The sturdy vessel held strong though, fighting through the ocean and trying its best to keep coarse through the rough wind.

Star and the others were nearly being dragged away by both the waves and wind but Star fought tooth and nail to stay close by the boat, wanting to see what happened to the desperate crew. She kept her eyes on the ship as she forced her body through wave after wave, fighting the sinister current with every ounce of strength she had, ignoring every limb that was aching and begging her to stop and let her rest.

Meanwhile, the ship didn't seem to be doing much better as it was suddenly lifted up on a particularly large wave before being slammed back down into the water, making the whole ship shudder and groan, threatening to fall apart at any moment. Flashes of lightening and blinding rain filled the sky and the sound of thunder seemed to echo from every direction.

At some point, a lightening bolt must have struck one of the masts, because the boat was slowly being engulfed in flames, even the drenching rain unable to put out the fire, as it eagerly ate away at the wooden vessel. The sailors promptly gave up on saving the boat after that, the men quickly abandoning ship as they loaded themselves into lifeboats and quickly dropping themselves into the crashing waves below, to avoid being licked by any stray patches of fire.

As Star neared the ship, panting heavily and nearly blind from the rain in her eyes, she searched for any signs of Marco, fear clenching her chest as she watched the once proud sailing ship being reduced to ash and fire, and she silently prayed that her friend had made it out okay. Which was why she nearly cried in relief as she finally spotted Marco being led over by someone to the last lifeboat, looking safe and unharmed.

But to her horror, just as Marco went to get into the boat after the man, a sudden shuddering from the ship knocked him off his feet and caused the lines holding the lifeboat up to snap, dropping it in unceremoniously into the ocean. The man screamed the prince's name but could do nothing as the ship was easily carried away from the boat.

Marco lay unmoving on the deck, knocked unconscious from the hit to his head, as the steady but growing flames came nearer and nearer to his oblivious form. Seeing this, Star began fight with vigor against the unforgiving tide in a desperate attempt to reach the boy before he was burned alive. But she never got a chance as the ship suddenly exploded, a bright and expansive burst of light as the remnants of whatever fireworks were left were found by the flames and simultaneously ignited, tearing the ship apart in a hot breath of beautiful destruction. Any previous feelings of curiosity or delight for Star were now replaced with empty horror as she watched what was left of the ship sink into the sea to join its other destroyed brethren.

Finally seeing up close and personal what caused the wreckage she had spent most of her life exploring made her sick and she knew after this her days of exploring the tragic sights were now over. But for right now she didn't care about that, as she dove underwater, swimming through the debris now floating to the bottom of the ocean, looking for any signs of Marco, her heart pounding in her ears as she continued her desperate search. She pushed past broken masts, damaged boxes of goods and other items, ignoring their content or worth as she panted wildly, looking for the first human she had ever met.

At last, she found him, his body caught in a rope as he was dragged down into the depths below. She quickly swam to him, nearly hugging him in her relief, but knew she had too little time for such things, he was in danger of drowning. So instead, she quickly untangled the rope from his frail body before wrapping her arms around his frame and lifted him back up to the surface.

The moment her head broke through the waves, she saw that the storm had begun to die down, leaving the ocean a dark blue as the sound of thunder rolled away from the pair. Star made sure Marco's head was above water but bit her lip not sure which way land would be. But to her relief, Janna suddenly appeared, shouting out to her, “This way!” and pointing off in what Star guessed was the direction of shore.

Janna began to swim toward that and Star began following along as best as she could, struggling with the human boy's heavy form weighing against her. She wasn't used to swimming with a partner, much less an unconscious one, making her movements klunky and awkward as she nearly dropped his head into the water several times, struggling to keep his head resting on her shoulder.

She felt her body fill with relief as Jackie appeared beside her, grabbing hold of one of the boy's arm and helping shift the weight so it was equally distributed between them. Even Pony and Seahorse pitched in, each lifting a leg above the ocean surf, balancing it on their heads as they helped carry the human to safety. Star smiled at each of her friends, touched by their kindness as she and the others much easier followed the dark-haired mermaid, who turned back every few seconds to make sure they were keeping up with her.

Johnny just nervously watched the whole thing a short distance away, his face full of worry as he kept pace with the young group of underwater rescuers and their determined mission to save the poor, unsuspecting human prince.

…

The sun began to rise on the horizon, bathing the world in light once more and casting a beautiful glow off of the water's surface. The gentle sound of the now peaceful waves hit Star's ears as she leaned over the dripping wet boy laying against the sand, his eyes still closed, as she admired his adorable face up close. She gently brushed the hair out of his eyes, as she hummed thoughtfully to herself, glad to see the boy was relatively unharmed despite the traumatic experience not too long ago. He looked so pale and fragile in that moment, nothing like the stories she had been told by other mermaids trying to scare her away from the concept of humans altogether and she felt a surge of pride as she realized she had been right all along about them. They weren't dangerous killers they were just people, capable of either good or evil. And in this moment, Star could easily see the good written all over the boy's face as she studied him closely.

“Star, is he dead?” Jackie asked, out of nowhere, interrupting her thoughts and she looked over to see her and the others watching her waist deep in the waves.

The girl looked back over to Marco, a sudden fear in her chest. How had she forgotten to check that? He was just in an explosion after all and had more than likely swallowed a lot of water. Her voice shook as she replied, “I-I'm not sure how to check.”

“Step aside,” Janna said, as she crawled over to the girl, pushing her out of the way, as she observed the boy. Star waited for her to check his heartbeat or something, but she instead gave him a little smack on the nose and Star let out a scream, grabbing onto the mergirl's arms to keep her from hurting him again. “Janna! Why did you do that?!” she demanded in anger, but a soft groan from below the two brought their attention back to Marco, who shifted a little in his sleep, his eyes scrunching up in the cutest way.

“He's alive,” Janna confirmed, smugly. “You're welcome.”

Star dropped her hold on the girl, letting out a huff as she retorted, “Was there no other way to check that?”

Janna just shrugged. “Thought that would be more effective,” she said with no ounce of remorse in her voice and Star sighed before her eyes returned to the boy's face. She was now able to easily pick up on his breathing, as he began to relax once more and she smiled, her cheeks turning red.

“Well at least he's okay,” she said softly, her hand unknowingly cupping his cheek and she felt him subconsciously move into her touch, letting out a smooth breath. The girl watched him with growing fascination and love as she felt his soft skin beneath her fingertips, making her shiver. She began to hum softly to herself some unknown song coming to her in that moment as the world faded away and all she knew or saw was the boy before her, the human prince who had captivated her from the moment she laid eyes on him and she once again wished this moment lasted forever.

The others didn't say a word or if they did she was unable to hear them as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud lighting up Marco's face as he gently opened his eyes, small and unfocused but still a beautiful shade of brown. He seemed to spot her in that moment, a hand reaching up to touch hers and she smiled at him again, as his eyes began to widen in realization. He opened his mouth to say something but there was a shout from farther down shore and Star whipped her head over to see the same man from before walking toward her, shouting out Marco's name every few seconds as he searched for him.

Star knew she had to go as she cast one last look at the boy, before forcing herself away and back to the water, where she ducked below a second later and now safely out of sight.

To Marco, it was as if she had suddenly disappeared, one second looking into her stunning blue orbs, the next just gone... leaving him blinking in the blinding sunlight. He sat up with a loud groan, his body feeling like it gone through a blender as he looked around for any signs of his rescuer. Had it been Star? he wondered to himself. It had to have been, it was the only thing that made sense. Somehow the stowaway had swam him to shore all on her own. Although it seemed illogical, there was no mistaking that sweet, infectious smile and those bright, startling blue eyes. It had been Star, he was sure of it.

But where was she. He cupped a hand over his eyes to shield them from the burning sun as he stared off toward the horizon, the light reflecting off the waves nearly blinding him again. “Star?” he whispered under his breath, barely hearing a voice calling out his name.

He felt a hand grip his arm, pulling him to his feet, and he let out a groan nearly falling back onto the sandy beach. Hand to his head, trying to alleviate the headache that was beginning to surface, he turned to see Manfred looking quite relieved to see him. “Prince Marco, thank goodness your alright,” the servant said, but Marco was barely paying any attention to him, still looking around for Star. “We've been searching all over for you, many of us feared that you had been lost to the storm.”

“D-Did you see that girl?” Marco asked suddenly, surprising Manfred.

“Girl?” he repeated with concern, his eyebrow raising slightly and Marco knew he must have thought he was crazy.

“Yeah the one who saved me,” the young prince continued. “She- She was just here a moment ago. Did you see where she went?”

“Your Majesty, there was no one with you,” Manfred said slowly.

Marco shook his head, refusing to believe it. “No, no, I know she was here. I saw her.”

“So a young girl just appeared in the middle of the ocean and carried you all the way back to shore, before vanishing into thin air again?”

Marco opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it knowing that he still couldn't tell him that he knew for a fact Star had been on the ship with him. So he instead shrugged and said softly, “Yeah, yeah, I must have just imagined her.” But he couldn't keep his eyes from returning to the sea as if hoping she would somehow be there.

Manfred clicked his tongue disapprovingly, before saying, “You probably just swallowed too much sea water.” Marco tried to ignore the man's belittling tone as he hoisted his arm over his shoulder, using his weight to help him walk as they headed back to the castle. “Now come along, Your Majesty, let's get you into some dry clothes.”

Marco said nothing, allowing himself to be led, but keeping his gaze on the water, his thoughts still bouncing around his mind out of control as he tried to make sense of the blond stowaway and her heroic rescue.

…

Star peeked out from the rock she was hiding behind, watching the whole display with a growing sadness and longing unlike anything she had ever felt before. She kept her gaze trained on Marco's form as he was led away, his eyes still clearly searching for her and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to go to him.

Johnny, at this point was hyperventilating, going on and on about how stupid and dangerous all this was, about how they had to keep it a secret, about how no one could know what had gone on, especially the queen, while the others tried futility to calm him down. Star just tried not to roll her eyes. Duh, or course they weren't gonna tell her mom she would have a heart attack if she knew what Star had done. But she didn't regret it though, considering it the right thing to do, despite every merman or mermaid disagreeing with her on that point. Saving Marco had been the right thing, she just couldn't allow him to drown. And as for talking to him beforehand, well...

Star felt her cheeks flush furiously as her eyes remained trained on his figure, being practically dragged by the small man. The burning longing insider her only seemed to be growing more and more intense as she began to crave to see Marco again. She began to hum to herself again, finally recognizing the song as the one that had been playing when she and Marco met.

And at that very moment, like the crashing of a wave, Star came to a decision. She wouldn't let this be the last time she saw Marco. She would find a way to see him again, no matter how long or what she had to give up, she would see the human world in all its glory, with Marco by her side. She didn't know when or how but still she knew she would succeed. She had to. And so from the deepest depths of her soul, she promised both herself and her first human friend she would find a way to become a part of his world, no matter what.

[millicent231-watt]

(Free!) Remote Beach - Mermaid!Reader x Haru

Anime / Crossover: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

Songs: None

Request: None

Modern AU: No

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

I open my eyes to the bright sun. "Ah." I wince at the light that seemed to pierce my eyes. I cover my eyes and sit up on the rock I was sunbathing on. "Nothing quite like a long sunbathe on a beautiful Spring day, eh Scila?." I say as I look over to my best friend. "You got that right." She lets out a long, peaceful sigh before closing her eyes, and sinking back down. "You did a great just finding this remote beach, Y/N. We can't sunbathe if there are too many people around, even if we are hiding behind a rock."

"WHAAAA?" I hear a boy's voice say, rather loudly, considering we heard from the furthest rock from the shore. Scila and I both jump at the sudden screech and carefully peer over the top of the rock. We gasp as we see a group of 4 men sitting on the beach peacefully. "Are those humans?" I ask with a twinkle in my eye and a smile on my face. I've never seen them before! They don't have a tail! "Y/N, you know mermaids aren't supposed to go near humans!" Scila reminds me, I scoff at her. "Just because we're not supposed to go near them doesn't mean we shouldn't." I say before jumping into the water quickly. "Yes, it does!"

I lift my head out of the water and flip my hair out of my face. "Y/N!" My friend groans as I give her a slight, mischievous smirk. "Scila, I want to know more about humans and people..... don't you?" I ask swimming closer to her. "When I was little maybe, but now I've matured. I expected you to do the same." She jumps into the water with me. "I'm going to the castle to watch the ceremony. If you want to have fun and be safe, I suggest you come as well. If you don't then I'm afraid I can no longer be friends with someone as reckless as you." She turns around and swims back home. I roll my eyes and scoff at her, turning my attention back around to the humans. Wow... I gawk in amazement as I peak my head around the corner of the rock, my head the only thing visible.

"Haru-chan, that's cruel!" I hear the blonde haired boy complain, his friend's reaction makes me giggle. "I already said no before Nagisa." His stone-cold expression was quite amusing. "Come on Nagisa-kun, stop bothering Haruka-senpai and eat your food." The blue haired man says while adjusting his red-rimmed glasses. "Okay, Rei-chan." The bubbly one says. "Haru." Humans have more than one name? The man with the black hair, who I now assume is 'Haru/Haruka-senapi/Haru-chan', turns to face the man with the olive-brown hair. He hands Haru a cylinder of some kind. What's that? I wonder before he pulls up something on the top and begins to drink from it.

As I continue to inspect them, one more person runs up to them. "Guys! Guys! Look what I found!" She ran over to the 'guys' with her hands clutched gently to her chest and her crimson hair flowing from side to side. I wonder how many of them have fallen for her, she is cute after all. I softly grab a piece of my black hair and look at it from over my shoulder. "I wouldn't stand a chance..." I mumble to myself. "Huh? Who's that?" I hear the girl say and I flick my head around to see her pointing to me in the distance. I gasp and quickly jump back in the water, hiding under a few feet of water.

I hear muffle yells and soon enough a few little splashes follow. Oh no... I try not to move to much while trying to see where they were. I let out my breathe I was holding in. Thank Triton, they're just standing in the shallow water. "Where'd she go?" I hear one of them ask. Don't come here.... please... "Maybe she can't swim..." I hear the girl ask, soon followed by a loud splash. I gasp again and try to slowly move further away. I eventually find myself behind another rock. I peak around the corner and see the black haired man looking around for me under the water. He's beautiful.... I think to myself as his hair gently floats around his face. He swims back up to the surface and takes a deep breathe before coming back down, swimming further out then before. He's amazing.... it's like he's a merman but with legs. His head flicks around desperately, looking for any sign of me being alive. His stoic face shows a sad expression as he swims back up to the top.

"No sign of her. She must've drowned before we got to her." I can hear the pain in his voice. This is a horrible idea... Something compelled me to swim back up to the top. Luckily the waters dark here, they won't be able to see my tail. "Umm, where you looking for me?" I ask shyly as my head emerges from the water. "Good, you're okay. We figured when you didn't come back up, that you had drown." The olive haired man says smiling at me happily. "I'm Makoto, by the way. This is..." "I know who you are." I blurt out before thinking. "How?" I blush a little before looking down at my relection. "I...I heard you mention your names before." I hear a chuckle from Makoto. "Okay, so you already know Rei, Nagisa and Haru?" I nod my head.

We talked for a little while about my health and well-being, but I couldn't concentrate properly because Haru was starring at me the whole time. "I don't buy it." He says simply as he swims closer to me, causing me to swim back a little. "Wh...whatever do you mean?" I say, obviously sounding flustered. "You holding your breathe for that long. I don’t buy it." He says swimming closer and I gasp as my back hit a rock. "I...I'm just really good at it th...that's all." I smile at him but he reaches into the water and grabs where he thinks my legs are. I yelp out in surprise and shiver slightly. "D...don't touch there..." I manage to say from my hitched breath. "Why not?" He asks sternly and I start to pant. "I...It's sensitive.." He lets go and swims back a little. "I knew it..." He says as he stares at me in awe. "Knew what?" I hear Nagisa ask and I sigh. Guess I can't hide it for much longer.

I push myself up onto the ledge of the rock, finally revealing my blue tail that seemed to shine when hit with sunlight. "You're a mermaid?" I hear Rei ask as if he we doubting me. "YOU'RE A MERMAID!" I hear Nagisa yell happily as he jumps up and down, splashing water all around. I giggle a little at his actions. "And you're a human." I say happily. "Yeah, but there's nothing special about us humans." I shake my head at his remark and push myself back into the water. "Not to you maybe, but this is the first time I've..." "HEY! MAKOTO-SNEPAI! IS SHE ALRIGHT?" I hear the girl yell out. Oh yeah, she can't see me. "You continue talking, I'll go get Gou." They all nod their heads and I turn to Haru as he watched Makoto swim off.

He really is beautiful... I wonder... NO, no, no, no. You can't think like that Y/N. I mentally slap myself out of my thoughts as Makoto comes back with Gou. "Oh, thank god, you're okay." She says as Makoto props her up on the rock. "GOU-CHAN!!! GUESS WHAT?" Nagisa yells running over to her. "What? And it's Kou!" She finishes angrily. "SHE'S A MERMAID!" He yells, a little too loud for my liking. "Keep it down Nagisa. You're too loud and you're scaring her." Haru says defensivly. "S...sorry, but yeah she's a mermaid." I look over to Gou, sorry, Kou. "Really?!" She says, almost jumping off the rock. I smile and flip the end of my tail out of the water. "SUGOI!!!" She says happily. "Can I touch it?" I blush and shake my head nervously. "It's a very... uh... 'sensitive' place for us mermaids, if you get what I mean." I say hoping, no, PRAYING she would understand. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"Welp, I better get going. I gotta find somewhere new to live." I saw before turning around. "New?" I nod my head at Rei's question. "You see, mermaids have a very keen sence of smell, so as soon as return to the kingdom they'd be able to tell I interacted with humans just by smell alone. It's forbidden to converse or even be near a human." I shrug my sholders at them and say my goodbyes. "You can live at my place." Haru say abruptly. "Wha...what? I...I couldn't possibly...." I feel his hand on my shoulder. "We've already driven you out of your home, so it's the best I can do." I see a slight blush crawl up on his cheeks. "O...okay....i..if you're alright with it." I stutter like a blubbering idiot.

"Great idea Haru! But how are we going to get her back to your house without anyone seeing her tail?" Makoto ponders for a while until he run back to the beach. "Here. Wrap this around your tail." He hands me a long blacket and I do as told. "Let's go!" Nagisa runs off happily and I'm picked up quickly and carried to a car. "Let's go home, okay?" Haur asks as he lies me across the whole of the back seat with my head resting on his lap. "Okay..." I say happily before driffting off to sleep.

[layton-fanfic-library]

Hi! Can you please highlight some Luke x Crow fics? It’s always a struggle to find them.

Hi, anon! Sorry to hear you’ve been having a hard time finding fics. (I feel your pain shipping a rare pair…) 

First off, let me point you towards @trriton (AzureMist on AO3), the Lord of Lucrow fics. Canon compliant, AUs- you name it! My favourite is their most recent one, Lies They Told Me

As well as them, we have:

Samcybercat’s - Defining Home - Luke returns to Misthallery as an adult and ends up discovering that life has changed a lot for Crow while he’d been gone. Crow/Luke. 

Also by Samcybercat is one chapter from their fiction ‘Number One Apprentice’ that has a chapter with Luke becoming Crow’s ‘apprentice’! Not tagged as ship, but it’s cute. 

Seventh Sunset’s - In The Name of Business - Crow has always found his relationships and actions to be almost solely buisiness related, save for his friendship with Luke Triton. However this view changes when a small event happens that seems to shock them both, and soon the two men are forced to look at what their friendship is becoming, what they want, and what defines the line between buisiness…and something more.

Trainer Wes’s - The Boy and the Bird -  The Black Raven, the very symbol of death troubles Misthallery. While many fear it, even hate it, there is one who does not. He only wishes to speak to the bird. What happens when he is allowed to? What will arise from his actions? Slight Luke x Crow. AU. 

Spadder101′s - The PL Dystopia AU - “The Government is watching. You will do as you are told. There is no rebellion. Everything is normal. What we do is for the good of the people. Do not disobey. There will be punishments for those who do."A collection of all the things I’ve written for the dystopia AU for PL. I’ve posted it on Tumblr, and now I’ll post it here. I’m on Tumblr as Trans-Clive-Dove, and my commissions are open! https://trans-clive-dove.tumblr.com/commissions there’s my info page so check it out!!! (Crow/Luke is tagged… please read the warning tags)

traumtraeger’s - Worry and So Long, Farewell

If there are anymore out there, please feel free to add!

[burr-ell]

when suddenly i saw you

notes at the end

Alright.

Let's do this.

Her eyes scanned the room at a rapid-fire pace, in search of her next target. Only the best would do for this one, as always. Her standards were high, and those who could meet them were a rare breed indeed. It would be worth it, though, in the end. Her efforts had never failed her.

She turned, and her gaze fell upon a young man directly next to her. She raised her eyebrows, momentarily betraying her surprise, but the look passed as quickly as it had come. Found you.

She grabbed her pencil and set to sketching.

He was in a really nice pose, slouched over the bookstore's café bar on a stool, all loose arms and gently sloping back, his long black hair almost artfully draped over his face. She was big enough to admit that, once her gesture was done, she took her time carving out the features of his face, the time she spent studying him enough for her to take in the sharp angles that smoothed out into subtle curves. His eyebrows seemed to be set at a resolutely downward angle, but there was nothing inherently harsh in his eyes, which were an unusual shade of indigo. He didn't seem unfriendly, necessarily—just driven, focused on the textbook in front of him, which seemed to be for an introductory physics course.

Her pencil moved, almost unconsciously, down the paper to rough in the folds of his plaid button-down, but she kept being drawn back to his face. He had an air about him suggesting that he probably intimidated most people, but Allura wasn't bothered by that. In looks, perhaps, he was human, but she'd traveled the universe enough with her parents to recognize a part-Galra when she saw one.

A part-Galra who was currently closing his book and bringing up his bag to put his belongings away.

Nononononono no no "No!"

The boy looked over at her, startled in the middle of dropping his book into his bag, where it fell with a loud thump. "What?"

Allura felt her blood chill. I said that out loud I said that out loud I said that out loud—"I'm so sorry, I just—I was in the middle of drawing you and you moved."

The boy raised his eyebrows. "Sorry. Are you an art major?"

"Well, no," Allura admitted, "I'm political science and intergalactic cultures. My father thought it'd be a good idea for me to take an art class, though, and one of our assignments is to keep a life-drawing sketchbook throughout the semester."

"Oh, okay." He sat down, unzipped his bag, and pulled out his book again. "Just tell me when I'm in the right pose again."

"I—what?" Her eyes widened. "You don't have to do that—"

He shrugged one shoulder. "It's not a big deal."

"Oh. Well, um…thank you."

Conscious of the fact that people tended to have places to go when they packed away their belongings, Allura did her best to work quickly, and she'd finished the hand she'd already roughed in within about two minutes. "That's good," she said.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yes, it's all supposed to be done within a few minutes anyway." She smiled. "Thank you; that was very kind."

He closed up the book again. "Not a problem."

She took a look at the cover. Yep, introductory physics. "So are you a physics major?"

He shook his head. "Aerospace engineering. I'm Keith, by the way."

"I'm Allura." She extended a hand, and he took it and shook. He had a firm handshake, which was a pleasant surprise. She had encountered many Earthlings, and many of them had never quite perfected the art.

He smiled. (He had a nice smile.) "Yeah, I kinda figured. It's not that hard to recognize Alfor's daughter."

She frowned. "How do you know of my father? Do you travel to the Altean system often?"

Keith raised his eyebrows. "Your dad's the pilot of the Red Lion, isn't he?"

"Oh. I mean—yes, he is." It surprised her; had her father been a famous actor, more people might have taken notice, but she'd used the fact that most people outside of the Altean system didn't recognize the Red Paladin's daughter to her advantage in selecting a university. War heroes rarely attracted the glamour that celebrities did, even if they led a planet if it was far from where others would have heard of them. "Most people here don't seem to notice, to be honest."

Keith considered this. "I guess it makes sense. Olkarion's in a totally different galaxy, and most kids at OU might not recognize an Altean at first glance. Is that why you came out here?" he added shrewdly.

Allura raised her eyebrows, surprised but not displeased. This boy was sharp. "Yes," she answered. "I wanted to go someplace where I wouldn't get special treatment because I'm the daughter of King Alfor, so I could concentrate on my education." She tipped her head to one side. "You're from Earth, I assume?"

"Yep. My dad's full human, but my mom's Galra. She was actually part of the coalition that made first contact with Earth and started settling there when she met my dad." He smiled fondly. "I heard all kinds of stories about Voltron. The Red Lion sounded like the coolest one."

"It is," she blurted out, stopping herself from adding I've ridden in it. She doubted that bragging about being able to hitch a ride on one of the ships that regularly kept peace throughout the universe would endear her to many people.

"Yeah, well, you're biased," he said with a small laugh. "But I really wanted to go into space travel. I'm actually here on the International Spaceflight Merit Scholarship from Earth."

"Really?" Allura had heard talk of scholarships like this, but getting into Olkarion University on a scholarship competed for by the inhabitants of an entire planet was hardly an easy feat. "You must be an excellent pilot."

Keith shrugged. "I mean, sure, I'm good, but so are a lot of people. That's why I wanted to come here, so I could be challenged and train with the best. I dunno if you can ever really stop getting better at something, y'know?"

Allura smiled. "You certainly sound like a Galra. Zarkon's always saying things like that."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." He smiled. "So what are you wanting to do?"

"I want to become an intergalactic diplomat," replied Allura, unable to keep the pride from her voice as she lifted her chin. "I want to help keep peace between planets, and lead my own people to understand and accept other cultures. I do enjoy piloting, though."

"Nothing like it in the whole universe." His smile became fond, his eyes sparking with energy. "But I think being a diplomat is a good job to have. Planets need self-assured people leading them."

Allura let out a small huff through her nose before she could stop herself. "I don't hear that a lot. Most people seem to get turned off when I say things like that."

Keith frowned. "Why would they?"

Allura sighed. "I don't know. I think some people are simply surprised that someone so young is so determined to do something so important, and I think they think I'm being too idealistic and that I'll give it up later when I see how hard it is."

"There's nothing wrong with knowing who you are and what you want," Keith argued.

"Exactly!" said Allura. "I know how cultures that seemed so peaceful can end up at war with each other, and there need to be people to de-escalate the situation and resolve differences before it can turn violent, and if they do fight, there need to be people who can negotiate fairly."

"Well, yeah, definitely! And who'll be able to do it if nobody has confidence in the people who want to do it just because of how old they are?"

"Story of my life," Allura remarked with a roll of her eyes.

Keith opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a tritone beep from his pocket, and he pulled out his phone. "Oh, it's my roommate. I forgot I need to help clean out our dorm." He stuffed the physics book haphazardly into his backpack. "It was really nice to meet you, Princess."

"Just Allura is fine," Allura said automatically. She said it to everyone, but she somehow really wanted Keith to avoid using formalities with her.

Keith paused for a second, pressing his lips together, then nodded, a small smile on his face. "Alright. Nice to meet you, Allura."

Allura smiled. "Nice to meet you, too, Keith." She paused awkwardly as he zipped up the bag. It shouldn't be a hard question to ask, and it was one she had indeed asked of many people, but somehow it seemed so much more insurmountable a task with this boy. She forced her mouth open. "I—could I have your number?"

Keith looked startled. "Er—sure, I guess. Y-yeah, okay."

"I, um. I thought we could maybe get together for coffee or—or something. If—if you'd like." She held up her own phone, the reinforced glass feeling a lot heavier than usual in her hands.

"Yeah," he said, taking the phone and fumbling to tap in his number. "I—sure, sounds good. Here, I'll give you my phone—"

"Oh, yes, of course."

They exchanged numbers, then handed the devices back to each other. Keith shouldered his backpack and turned. "Bye, Princ—Allura." He waved to her as he walked off.

"Bye, Keith." Allura returned the wave, then realized she was still standing and sat back down hastily.

She turned back to the sketchbook, which had been laid forgotten on the table. It was open to the drawing of Keith, and she felt warmth blossoming up her arms. Tearing her eyes away from this page would take some doing, and it had nothing to do with the quality of the sketch.

basically this is a smörgåsbord mish-mash of aus, including but not limited to “what if zarkon and honerva never went mad on quintessence”, “what if the original paladins were alive during the modern age with the current paladins”, “what if earth knew about aliens and there was a whole international confederation and, as part of this, institutions of higher learning were built on several planets where students from everywhere in the universe could attend so going to college off-planet ain’t no thang”, “what if keith’s parents were both still in his life”, and “what if allura took an art class”.

[wannaonestars]

the little mermaid au! ong seongwoo

the following scenario is based on the traditional storyline. please keep note that there are many different versions of the story, and not just the disney one.

ok so you’re the mermaid/merman (your preference) who adores humans bc like it’s so cool they have legs?? the idea of having legs and being on land just FASCINATES you and you’re sneaking around the shores to watch humans

and one day you’re just swimming on the surface and saying hi to the cute seagulls when you notice the sky turning dark and the clouds getting shady so like it was basically time to go

but just then you notice a ship floating like nowhere cLOSE to the shore

even though mermaids were always called a myth and you’d get chewed out if anyone saw ur tail you’re like…I need to save them >:((

and so you swim over to save the poor souls when suddenly rain just started POURING and the winds picked up out of nowhere and then you saw a body fall into the sea

you’re like oh shIT and suddenly accelerated in water to save the poor soul

you eventually find him and you get rly alarmed bc he isn’t struggling or anything he’s just kinda lifelessly sinking

you grab him and basically turn into an underwater jet bc you’d never swam so fast no not even when your mermaid mom told you dinner was ready

getting him to shore was so difficult because 1) the human was heavy and 2) you had no legs so you had to crawl to get far enough onto land

the dude (seongwoo if y’all didn’t realize yet) still wasn’t moving and you were panicking like??? he shouldn’t be dead yet

you do the mermaid version of cpr which was to….press your lips against his to suck all the seawater out of him

a minute later you start getting dizzy because you’re getting too dry so you had to crawl back into the sea…and you proceed to go back home but you just…couldn’t get that man out of your head….

meanwhile a princess from a different country visiting seongwoo’s found him collapsed on the beach and shook him awake and seongwoo’s like…what happened??

let’s call the princess rika like that snake from mystic messenger

anywaYS

rika told him that she “”saved”” him from drowning and he’s like…oh and that’s what she ends up telling the his father aka the KING and rumors spread around the palace like crazy like everyone was like damn they probably gonna get married now

meanwhile on yOUR END you were swimming towards the sea witch’s domain to ask for a pair of legs because after being on land and feeling the frustrations of being unable to stay for too long you REALLY wanted to become a human

the sea witch asks for your voice in exchange which was…a huge price

your singing is like the only thing that anyone’s ever praised you for so giving it up would be the same as tossing away half of your identity but…u know what, in the human world no one’s gonna know u anyway  

so she casts a spell and gives you the legs u wanted and then shoots u out of the sea

after you get to shore and struggle to get the hang of walking for like 7 hours you pick up some rags to cover yourself bc that stupid witch didn’t give u any clothes

you just want to explore the village and ur getting looks bc wtf ur wearing some dirty rags with sand all over and wobbling like jello but u don’t rly care

suddenly you find a boy aka sEONGWOO in a quiet part of the area just…dancing and you were like!!! oh my gOD that’s amazing how can his legs and arms move like that…

and without thinking you start…singing a melody to go along with his movements and seongwoo snaps his head around and is like??? holy moly what but a split second later he breaks out into this wide grin and just keeps dancing and going along to your wordless song with a contemporary style

you’re a little weirded out urself bc weren’t u supposed to lose your voice??

the witch from her chamber: SHIT I FUCKED THE SPELL UP

anyways ur like lol whatever my win and when u end your song seongwoo approaches you and is like…hey, who are you?

let’s pause for a second and imagine seongwoo with a long sleeved white collared shirt with the first few buttons not buttoned and like windswept black hair

anyways ur like holy triton he’s hot and you tell him your name and he starts questioning where u live and stuff and why you’re dressed like this and when you’re unable to give him a proper answer he’s like…hey do you wanna come with me? bc he figures that you might be an abandoned child

he smiles that prINCELY smile of his and says “you sing really well. i’d love to have a performance with you again.”

and then he calls his horse over to give you a ride back to the palace

listen…if u thought seongwoo driving a car was good pls imagine prince seongwoo riding a horse

when you guys get to the palace rika dASHES towards seongwoo and swallows him into a hug and you’re both like?????

rika: bABE!!! father agreed to our marriage!!!!!!!!!

seongwoo: what

rika: it’s in two months!!!!!!!!!

seongwoo: wHAT

he’s so confused because his father literally nEVER discussed this with him and then a few seconds later when he finally understood the situation he immediately pushes rika off and sprints to his father’s study to argue

seongwoo: father?? why am I suddenly hearing news of marriage????

father: well, she did save you from drowning

seongwoo: I doubt it wtf her clothes weren’t even WET…like the most she could’ve done was shake me awake dad

father: ridiculous. I believe her claims like i’ve known her for three dayS seongwoo that’s enough for me to be able to tell that she’s an angel >:0. you’re already a young adult my son you need to find a partner soon so unless you can find a better option than rika then this marriage is gonna continue.

ten minutes later seongwoo comes out upset and annoyed and without saying anything else he just leaves for his room

you follow him bc like :((( poor bab. his door wasn’t locked so you just enter and ask if he’s okay

seongwoo smiles a little and just says “yeah…” but you knew he wasn’t

you: hey…it’s okay to talk to me about it

and tbh??? you’re literally the first person who’s ever shown any hint of genuine care for him without any motives…all seongwoo remembered from his childhood was getting spoiled silly because no one dared to get on the king’s bad side

and he tells you how he’s frustrated with all these decisions getting made for him and that he has absolutely no interest in an arranged marriage with someone who he doesn’t even know and for a whole half of hour he kinda just spills to you his entire childhood and the little things that he had been annoyed with but never had anyone to tell

and then he just exhales bc like that was sO much that he just dumped on you…and this is the point in which seongwoo unconsciously develops a special bond with you

and then he lets out a little laugh and ruffles your hair and is like lol sorry…let’s get you some decent clothes to try on ok? and he calls some maids over to get ur shit together

while changing into these weird (BUT EXTREMELY PRETTY) new clothes you realize that he was the boy you saved…but who would believe you?? you couldn’t be like hey guess what i’m the mermaid who saved u but i became a human last night

like the ppl here seem stupid but not that stupid

when you meet seongwoo again at the balcony with your combed hair and pretty clothes seongwoo was like oh my god…..they look gorgeous

he didnt say that tho like this is still ong mcongity the ongth ongster seongwoo

so he just winks and said “you’re gorgeous but….well, now ur next to me buddy ;)”

you shove him a lil and he laughs and then he asks u if you could sing for him again

and he just dances to your music all night long with an expression of pure bliss and at some point he grabs your hands and makes you dance with him hehe

cue ur dumb mermaid butt falling and tripping like 99 times but seongwoo enjoys it so much that he just laughs and pretends to fall with you

the next few days is just you and seongwoo singing and dancing like whenever y'all pass by each other in the hallways he makes the uGLIEST expression and just moves his arms and legs like an octopus and that always makes you giggle so hard bc that actually reminds u of ur octopus friends fredrick and joseph back at sea

he didn’t give a flying flick about wedding preparations and always avoided talking about it by grabbing you and fleeing to the town square to perform in front of whoever wanted to watch

rika always got livid whenever she hears that both the prince and u disappeared and would stay up as late as she could to “talk about it with her future husband” but u know what seongwoo doesn’t give a flying flick about her either so it’s just “yeah yeah” before he leaves again

you two get so much recognition and love from the townspeople they’re adore the performances so much and just get drawn to y’all like they’re in a trance

it’s so much fun!! some people even joke that u two are perfect for each other lmao

seongwoo: folds his ears to hide the blushing red tips

and then it gets to the point where!!! the king!!!!! asks you two to perform for the visiting countries!!!!!!!!!

it’s such an honor but honestly you feel so pressured bc like what if your voice cracks???? but seongwoo notices your nervousness quickly and so he walks over and grabs your hands and squeezes them and just says

“i believe in you.”

and your heart just MELTS bc…seongwoo had the softest and most gentle look on his face when he said that

“i really, truly, absolutely, definitely, totally—”

“stop,,,,right there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,” like dammit seongwoo DONT RUIN THE MOMENT

and then he takes your hand in a much more elegant manner and leads you onto the dance floor…where the two of you perform with every fiber of your being

once your song and his dance and the thunderous applause ends seongwoo turns to you with this grin that stretches across from one end of his face to the other and u rly can’t resist smiling back as widely as he is

a short while later you two are at the balcony again laughing about stuff when suddenly seongwoo goes “you know…I really wish that this could go on forever…like, just you and i dancing and singing together until my bones break”

you don’t know what to say to that bc his expression is so serious like he doesn’t look like the usual joking dude who eats ur slice of pizza when ur not looking

and suddenly u feel seongwoo leaning closer to you….like his face is INCHES away from yours and u can feel his breath on your skin…….

“if you agree to it…i can ask my father to stop the wedding so that….you and i can be together instead…”

you’re like sweating right now bc??? what is he saying???? and for a few seconds you can’t tell whether that loud thumping sound was coming from your chest or his

“you’re the first person who i’ve been able to confide in and talk to…I don’t care what your background is, I—actually, what am I saying haha this is embarrassing, never mind—”

“yes”

his eyes pop wide open and he’s like??? what?????

you make this embarrassed lil smile and just go,,, “i’m willing to spend the rest of my life with you, ong seongwoo.”

seongwoo’s entire body just flares up and this burst of joy EXPLODES within him and he’s absolutely unable to contain it so he suddenly pulls you into a bear hug and spins you around and around

and he’s laughing like…after over twenty years of being treated like a he could never be a normal person and enduring the fake kindness being thrown at him for self benefit he finally found happiness and it’s honestly the BEST feeling that he’s ever experienced

and you’re laughing while in his arms but the you suddenly say “"hey…but what if i’m a mermaid?”

he almost drops u like wHAT

but then a second later his wits take over bc hey he’s ong mcongity the ongth ongster seongwoo

and he makes this playful grin and is like “it was my childhood dream to marry a mermaid”

this is probs gonna be like the longest scenario I ever write… anyways, thank for reading this far LOL I hope you liked it!! this is probably 100 times more cliche and stupid than it already was in my head but lmfao i’ve always kinda wanted to put twists in original fairy tales. maybe i’ll do this for other members? idk, we’ll see how much inspiration I can get ٩( ᐛ )و 

[instantangelstudent-blog]

What More Could I Possibly Want? (Part 1) (Dick Grayson x Reader)

Dick Grayson Hogwarts AU (Part 1)

Dick Grayson x reader

Prompt: we stumble into the mirror of erised together. we look into it. neither of us know it’s anything special. we just see our reflections

 Age 5

You giggled, gripping onto your father’s back as tight as possible as you whizzed across the sky on a broomstick. Everything seemed so small, almost as small as your little pinky finger, the one you used to make your promises to your mother.

Soon, a green field appeared beneath you speckled with little white circles like clouds in a green sky. Your father gracefully landed the broom in the field and you hopped off, straightening the skirt of your yellow dress like you had seen the lady do in the painting that hung above the fireplace.

Grabbing your father’s hand, you walked through a magnificent arch made up of all kinds of flowers. Your eyes held wonder as you took everything in. You never knew so many people existed!

“Papa, where’s Mommy?” you asked, tugging at the bottom of his coat. He smiled as he sat you down on one of the chairs and explained that she would be standing on the stage soon with the bride and the groom. You smiled, dimples already prominent in your cheeks. You were going to turn into a stunning woman one day, your father knew.

A rather large man, with a billowing black robe tapped on your father’s shoulders. You craned your head upwards and you were shocked to see he looked like one of the princes in your storybook.

“You look a lot like Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid,” you said as you stared at the man with a large smile. You plucked a flower that was growing next to you and gave it to him. The man shot you a small smile as he tucked the flower away in his robe.

Your father propped you up on his waist, kissing your forehead. “Darling, this is Papa’s friend from work, Bruce Wayne,” he said to you, “Bruce, this is my little ray of sunshine, (Y/N).”

“Hello Mr. Wayne,” you said, flashing the Prince-like man a large smile, “where is Ariel?”

Mr. Wayne chuckled. It was a beautiful sound, like waves crashing against a rock on a summer day.

“Well, I haven’t found her yet,” Mr. Wayne began, “but I do have someone else for you to meet.”

Your eyes widened. Maybe he would introduce to King Triton? Or Sebastian the Crab. But you were disappointed, when instead a pair of periwinkle blue eyes peeped out from behind Mr. Wayne’s robe. A scrawny boy, a finger shorter than you scrambled out.

“Hello, I’m Dick Grayson,” he said in a squawky voice, looking anywhere but towards you and your father.

 Age 10

You sat near your window, drawing shapes in the fog that covered it. The pitter patter of raindrops was the only sound that was heard as you created elaborate storylines on your window panes.

 You spotted the top of the hot pink umbrella that your mother liked to carry moving through the driveway. You scurried down, almost tripping over your own feet as you rushed to the door.

You gave your mother a huge hug and pulled her into the living room as she struggled to balance the jute bags in her arms. You looked at her with wide, expectant eyes. Grinning, your mother took out the muggle candy you asked for. You squealed as you said thank you, clapping your hands in excitement.

Your mother placed her hand on your shoulder, silently urging you to calm down as she explained she had a surprise for you. Your grin practically stretched to your ears. She placed a heavy looking jute bag on the table in front of you and urged you to take a look.

Clumsy as you were, you toppled the large bag and its contents spilled onto the table. You froze, marveling the sight. On the table, were sprawled several books, all of different shapes and size, some blue, some yellow, some purple. It was your very own rainbow in the middle of the storm.

You hugged all the books to your chest, tears gleaming in your eyes. You loved books. You loved the fantasy and the adventure and the alternate universes that you so desperately wanted to be a part of.

A knock sounded at your door and your mother left to open it, leaving you in your trance as you eagerly read the synopsis of each and every book as fast as possible.  You were so caught up in the book that you didn’t notice the blue-eyed devil enter the room.

You felt a sharp tug on your pigtails as Dick Grayson sat down, shooting you a bright, gap-toothed smile to you. You scowled at him, rubbing your head. You gave him a light shove.

“Don’t pull my pigtails Dickie,” you said, shooting him a glare.

“But isn’t that what boys do to the girls they like?” he asked, with an adorably confused expression.

“Who ever told you that?” you asked as you gave him an incredulous look.

“I heard some muggles talking about it on the train,” he said, cheek reddening as he looked away in embarrassment, “I’m sorry.”

“Dickie I know you like me,” you said pulling him into a hug, “you’re my best friend. I like you too. You don’t need to hit me to show that.”

 He returned your hug, his heart fluttering in his chest, his cheeks turning red for a very different reason this time. You let go of him too soon for his liking as you pointed excitedly at the new books your mother had gotten you.

You pulled up a book and trotted over to the fireplace, Dick following closely behind. He decided to show off the new move he learned from his father the other day, a cartwheel, but it didn’t quite go as expected.

He stumbled over the end of the rug, effectively knocking over the bag of candy and dissolved into a mess of limbs and candy as a resounding thud erupted in the otherwise silent living room. You turned around abruptly, immediately dissolving into a fit of giggles as you saw your best friend twisted into a human pretzel.

“Stop laughing and help me up,” he pouted, trying to untangle himself from the straps of the bag.  You couldn’t help but think how adorable he looked with his bottom lip jutting out. Managing to contain the peals of your laughter, you knelt next to him, hurriedly picking up the candy bars.

“Please don’t be such a clumsy dodo when we go to Hogwarts,” you teased, nudging his arm as you both sat side by side, reading Hogwarts: A History. Dick just waved you off, too engrossed in dreaming about your future. Your future with him.

P.S This is probably going to be a three part story because once I began I practically couldn’t stop writing this. I really want to make this a good story. How do you guys like it so far? 

P.P.S THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OVERWHELMING RESPONSE ON MY LAST FIC. I DID NOT EXPECT EVEN 1O NOTES LET ALONE 82?! THANK YOU SO MUCH.