#yes I was singing the little mermaid songs while making these

[spaceratprodigy]

Thank you for the tag @captastra 💖💫 (+ a picrew shared by @darkfire1177 💕)

> used this meiker and this picrew <

Faith (the Outer Worlds | she/her)

Iris (Fallout 4 | she/her)

[gatitties]

Kid pirates and Whitebeard pirates with a singer!reader who specializes in soft vocalizations? (the best example I can think of is Lana Del Rey's Salvatore) maybe reader sings for the crew during celebrations or sings to them one on one if someone in the crew needs something to help sooth them !

─Kid Pirates & Whitebeard Pirates x singer!reader

─Summary: the discovery of your voice was a ray of tranquility for these crews

─Warnings: none

nah this is so cute 😔🫶🏻

─ It's quite unusual to have a moment of calm in this crew, with such an explosive and impulsive captain and a crew that would follow him to hell, fights and celebrations were almost daily.

─ Of course, you were part of that stupid brutality, however you do not indulge in the frenzy that most people carry here.

─ You like to sing, whether you were born with a good voice or you tried hard enough to get to the right pitch, it was a hobby that required calmness and silence, two things that were quite unusual in this crew.

─ And probably no one noticed if it weren't for Heat overhearing you once by chance, he's one of those who appreciates calm from time to time just like Wire.

─ So at the next party, a drunk Kid approached you, urging you to please them with some song, because someone had told him you had a pretty voice.

─ You didn't feel like it was the right time, when they were making bets, juggling things on fire and absurd challenges, even Killer told you that it wasn't a good time because no one would listen to you.

─ But Kid's insistence made you go up to the improvised stage, that is, two boxes and a couple of barrels, asking for silence didn't help much so you just started with your thing.

─ Ignoring all the background noise you focused on using your vocal cords correctly, as it was quite important to reach the soft tone you liked.

─ Everyone became quieter the louder you sang, until they were completely silent just to hear your voice.

─ For you it was a simple warm-up, but for them it was something they had never heard before.

─ You received a cheer from drunks that made you laugh at how silly they looked, as well as the stupid things they said to you about being related to mermaids or something.

─ From that moment on, they ask you to have your rehearsals, which were previously solitary, in the stern so that everyone can appreciate your singing, it doesn't bother you knowing that they really enjoy it and it provides a little peace within a crew of bloodthirsty people.

─ Killer will ask you to help him in the kitchen from time to time, he likes it when you hum while you prepare everything, it makes the time go by faster.

─ Kid will also ask for it when a project is not going the way he wants and he needs to de-stress, something sweet and soft always manages to calm him down, at least that and a glass of whiskey.

─ Heat and Wire are like your groupies since they appreciate calm the most, that and you were stuck with them on most of the ship's chores, and you inevitably end up humming to kill the boredom or at their request.

─ It's not that loud of a crew, yes, they have a lot of unnecessary parties sometimes, but overall it's pretty quiet, also because most of the crew have other ships besides the Moby Dick.

─ Marco was the one who discovered your love of singing, he listened to you while you were showering one night, and although he didn't pressure you to make it “public” since you hadn't had a chance to give a concert yet, he was like a proud mother ranting about how pretty it was your voice.

─The next few days you have Ace and Thatch begging to hear something because they were bored and Marco couldn't stop commenting on how well you sang, so it was your first private audition.

─ These two slept like babies after you reached the softer tones of the song, no one had ever blessed their ears like that.

─ Absolutely everyone knows that you have the most beautiful voice on the planet (according to Ace) after that, so the people you are closest to who were unaware of this side of you asked you for a demonstration.

─ Of course Whitebeard already knew this before anyone else, only that he wasn't going to force you to do shows for the crew if you didn't want to share your hobby, you only started to bring out this side of yourself when you gained more trust with everyone and felt comfortable.

─ Then you started singing more often with the crew acting as an audience, you always received applause even if you were just warming up your vocal cords.

─ Marco now takes the medications that are harmful to your throat very strictly, he doesn't want your voice to be ruined by being so pretty.

─ Ace and Thatch, your number one fans, probably the founders of your fan group, have a board in the kitchen with photos of you as if you were one of those famous singers that appear in the newspapers.

─ Sometimes you and Izo perform to entertain the crew, he dances and you sing.

─ You usually leave the ship to go work in some bars, since you like it, it doesn't hurt to make money from your passion if you can.

─ When someone spends a lot of time away traveling on missions, you are one of the first people they visit, all the fatigue seems to go away when they hear your voice.

─ Thatch will also ask you to help him clean up the mess in the kitchen because he knows you'll start humming while you two clean, making the task much more enjoyable.

─ You better start to believe you are a superstar because Ace will spread the word so much that he has a friend who sings like angels that your reward poster will be forgotten compared to your rumors.

─ This great family is proud of you and the achievements that you set for yourself, whether as a pirate or as a singer, whatever path you end up choosing, they will be there for you.

[medra-gonbites]

Baldur's Gate 3 Companion Head Canon Disney Animation Edition

I think most people of my generation (I'm fairly old I suppose) and culture have a favourite disney animation film. Herego, of course I tried to guess which one it would be for our favourite weirdos.

My favourite is in there. Is yours too?

Lae’zel | Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Much like her, Stitch landed on a planet whose inhabitants won't let her murder and destroy stuff as she wishes. But she got attached and now you cannot get rid of her. Ohana means family and family means she’ll get you to that goddamn crèche.

Shadowheart | The Fox and the Hound (1981)

A story about adoption and friendship; what's not to like. Especially the friends to ennemies back to friends bit; weirdly relatable for her. Some scenes make her cry so much she needs to pause and cast restoration on herself. At least, there is a happy end.

Gale | Tangled (2010)

Yearning for something more while cloistered in a tower and being saved by a charming doofus. That's Gale right there: surrounded by sassy pets and singing by the window while brushing his luscious hair.

Astarion | Cinderella (1950)

He hates that he loves it. It’s practically his life, what with the terrible siblings and sadistic mother. Except he wouldn't need rats and mice to make a stunning dress… And he'd probably eat them… But safe from that, essentially the same.

Karlarch | Big Hero 6 (2014)

A tale of friendship, grieving and forgiveness. Being part of a little group of wannabe heroes for whom one would give everything; yeah that's what she's talking about. She might not be white and round but Baymax is her and she is it.

Wyll | The Little Mermaid (1989)

Save someone despite ones own safety? Check. Signing a very unbalanced contract that guarantees one would be screwed over? Check. Daddy issue. Check. Songs. Check, check, check! It's like he wrote the damn thing.

Halsin | Bambi (1942)

He's sad that there are no bears in this one, but other than that it's an accurate depiction of what he's seen in the forest while in wild shape (yes, even the ice skating bit! Rabbits do that).

Minthara | The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

It's gritty, dark and twisted. She loves the music and takes great pleasure watching Frollo tumble to his death in a lava pool. Good smiting is good smiting

Jaheira | 101 Dalmatians (1961)

In a sense, isn't she responsible for a bunch of puppies and trying to save them from being skinned alive? Yes. Yes, she is.

Minsc | Ratatouille (2007)

He almost sued when he watched it the first time because he felt plagiarized: That's how he cooks with boo (except boo uses the hair on his back).

Gortash | The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

There is engineering, scheming, and disguise. Although to him it's a drama because the villain, the suave and manipulative Rattigan, who's the hero in his eyes, dies tragically and prematurely without carrying out his masterplan.

Orin | Aladdin (1992)

I have no explanation but I just know it's Aladdin.

What do you think? Any other character and their favourite Disney you can think about ?

[project-sekai-facts]

who sings the songs n25 writes in canon? do they all sing them, or do they have vocaloids sing them, or something else? and for the other groups, do they canonically write their own songs, and where can they been seen doing so if the answer is yes? thank you! will you marry me

niigo sing the songs they post online, one specific example of this being mentioned is Ena's The Best Angle 3* story.

for the other groups: While they also do covers, Saki writes original songs for Leo/need starting from the Unnamed Harmony event, and Ichika writes the lyrics starting from the Knock the Future!! event. Ichika also does some DTM for the group, starting in Echo my melody (she's a vocaP technically lol). No seek No find and Parallel Harmonies are other events that have a focus on Saki and/or Ichika writing songs.

I guess we're meant to assume MMJ does covers, I don't recall them ever actually saying that but they don't get their own songs until 1.5 years into the game's run so... Riho writes an original song for them in the Connecting Painful Hope event.

VBS does covers (indicated by Rettou Joutou being plot relevant in the main story), and Toya starts making original songs for them starting from Walk on and on. The first concerto also focuses on this.

WxS... I don't actually know. Nene adlibs a song in Mesmerised by Mermaids, and she sings pre-written songs when they perform existing plays that they didn't write themselves. Tbh most of what we see from them are productions of existing works, and sometimes adaptations bc childrens' entertainers, so the songs are presumably mostly pre-written. It's referenced here and there that the others sing sometimes too, but Nene does the heavy lifting.

I'm an entity on the internet who has given out so little information to a point that I'm like the glowing guy from the I forgor meme I am not marryable

[loubombshell]

Imagine Nikolai being drunk.

Nikolai Lantsov x Fem!Reader

It was a beautiful evening. The sun started to set, turning the entire sky into a beautiful red while the ocean reflected the color. A refreshing breeze blew trough y/n's hair, making her take a deep breath from the salty taste of the wind. Her eyes followed the wind, that filled their sail. Most of the time a Squaller was responsible for the wind, carrying them around the ocean, but right now they had enough of it to sail on their own. Y/n sat on a bench near the railing just enjoying the view and the sound of the waves.

A shadow walked up behind her and sat down next to her, one on her left and one on her right. The girl turned around and looked at Tolya and Tamar joining her.

"Do you need anything from me?" She asked with a little smirk.

"Don't act like we just come around when we need something." Tolya scoffed.

"The last time you talked to me was- wait let me think." Y/n put a finger on her chin, pretending to really think. "Oh yes! It was when you lost your sword and thought Nikolai added it to his weapon collection." She chuckled about it.

Tamar laughed a bit about the conversation and put a hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"You're not completely wrong. It's about Nikolai, he and the whiskey got pretty close to each other- like really close." Tamar told her honestly and Y/n sighed a bit about it.

"On my way." Y/n added and made her way under deck. She didn't hear him singing old sailor songs, which is a good sign.

So far, so good.

The creaky door opened, revealing Nikolai's chambers. There was a desk, with different maps either drawn by him or getting ripped from a book. The lamps hanging from the ceiling swayed to the left and right with the rhythm of the waves, that were hitting the ship.

In the middle of it, Nikolai stumbling from left to right also with the direction of the waves. Y/n had to bite her lips a bit, trying to hold her laugh, she came in and closed the door behind her.

Nikolai turned around by the sound of the closing door, looking at his girlfriend standing in the room too, he let out a drunken smile.

"Y/n!" He raised his arms happily. "The girl of my dreams." He chuckled and walked towards her. "Whoops." He let out when he swayed pretty much to the left side.

"Princess of my Kingdom. My leading Star. Fire of my love and-" Nikolai called her and put both of his hands on her shoulders, as soon as he reached her.

Y/n crossed her arms infront if her chest and raised her eyebrows up. "Are you finished?" She stopped him.

"-and my little mermaid." He smirked and tapped her with a finger on her nose.

The girl was charmed by his words, even if he won't remember them the next day. She wanted to keep a straight face, but after his last sentence she lost it.

"I hope you know, that alcohol isn't good for you and your body." She told him honestly. "You're not going to get older than 40 when you keep doing." She added.

"Are you saying you're going to miss me in a few years then?" He smirked.

"Of course dumbass. I want to see your beautiful face in wrinkles." Y/n joked smirking.

Nikolai looked horrified to her and touched his own face.

"Oh no! I never thought of this." He admitted.

Y/n laughed even more about it. "Come on, let's get you to bed." She took his hand and lead him towards his bed.

"You could've just said so many minutes ago." Nikolai smirked but Y/n couldn't take him seriously with his drunk face. She just shook her head with a smile and pushed him into bed, helping him to take off the shoes and threw them into some corner of the room and sat down on the side of his mattress.

"Are you going to sing for me now?" Nikolai asked with a smirk and looked to her.

"If you want me to wake a shark up, sure." She told him smirking. She was a terrible singer, but she had her qualities elsewhere.

Nikolai chuckled a bit about it. "I can teach you, I'm a great singer." He smirked arrogant. "Do I get a goodnight kiss?" He leaned on his elbows.

Y/n rolled her eyes with a smirk and leaned towards, wanting to give him a little kiss to the cheek but in the last moment her turned his head and she kissed his lips instead. The girl didn't pull back, she stayed like this for a few seconds before ending the kiss with a smile.

"You taste like alcohol, idiot." She pushed him back into the pillow with a smirk and stood up again.

"You're not going to join me?" Nikolai asked her.

Y/n shook her head laughing. "Goodnight, Nikolai." She closed his door and walked over to the little cabinet with his liquors in it, she grabbed every bottle and walked upstairs again with the many bottles drowning every single one in the Sea.

[moshpitgamma]

Can a feral Clay simp please get some headcanons of Troll mermaid (Troll maid? Idk-) Reader, Gender neutral preferably.

The little mermaid hyperfixation is showing with this one-

Ngl it took me a second to understand wth I was writing but I gotcha bae(Kinda made the reader like a techno troll but only the anatomy part ig🤔.Hopes that ok!!)😝🫶🏾🤍

(Yes Double Upload)

Clay x Gn! Mer-Troll Reader|| Headcannons

——————————

📚The first time he saw you he 100% got spooked and yelled (Threw his book at you)

📚That was the first time yall interacted but now you guys are happily dating (got too lazy so skip to the dating Headcannons 😌)

📚Will try to find an inventor troll to build you a makeshift tank in his pod so you guys can be closer

📚Has funny nicknames for you:Nemo, Ariel, his wife/husband/spouse, and his little swimmer

📚(This man can’t swim for shit) If you offer him help or want to teach him he will get scared and wait a little while before giving a chance

📚Likes to read to you while you’re in your tank

📚Had to clean up spills of water when you got too excited in your tank and a little came over the top

📚When he introduced you to his brothers they said y’all should recreate the little mermaid scene for where Ariel saves Eric’s life from drowning (I haven’t watched it in a long time😭)

📚If you can breathe without water like the techno trolls, he carries you around to show you around the pop village.

📚Teaches you to walk on your fins like the techno trolls

📚Has viva and poppy make you custom clothes to fit your physique

📚Cuddles and traces the patterns and shapes on your tail when he’s stressed and needs to relax.

📚If you sing to him he’ll call you his personal siren

📚Once you figure out he was in Brozone, you’re gushing about how he was your favorite and how you owned every album.

📚If anyone talks shit about you, you’re putting them fins to work and he’s ready to throw hands right then and there

📚If you decide to join his sad book club, he’s there to dry your tears and make you feel better

📚If you surprise him with a matching green jumper (but one that fits you and your tail) he is falling in love with you again and is ready to put a ring on it

📚Will ask you things about your home and your people

📚Clay will ask you to take him to your home and will want to know everything about it

📚Once he gets to see your home he is astonished to how everyone is unique and different at the same time

📚Wants to marry you asap after you learn to walk on your fins for yall anniversary

📚Loves when you find cute trinkets and give them to him as a gift (keeps all your seashell necklaces and accessories you gave him)

📚If you are a different genre Mer-Troll he is willing to learn your music and surprise you with singing your favorite song

📚If you glow like the techno trolls he calls you his little glow stick. And kinda gets annoyed at how bright you glow at night but loves how warm it makes you

I hope that’s what you asked for and if it’s ok☺️🫶🏾

[themultifandomgal]

From 2010- Start Of The Take Me Home Tour

2013

Part 29

23rd February- London O2

“I got this, everything will be fine” I say to myself in the mirror while my hairstylist/makeup artist Erin is putting my hair half up after spending the last few hours doing my hair and makeup

“Of course you’ve got this. Your going to be fine”

“It’s just the last time I was on tour Alex…”

“I know, but he would want you to carry on doing what you love. He’s here with you, I can feel it” Erin says finishing up “and we are done” just in time as well as there’s a knock on my dressing room door. Charlotte walks in with my clothes rack

“Time to get dressed, 5SOS have just gotten off stage”

“Ok thanks” I give myself one more look in the mirror, take a deep breath and let it out “everything’s going to be fine” I say one more time to myself before taking my pill and washing it down with some water. I take my first outfit from Charlotte and get dressed, meeting up with the boys back stage

“5 minutes” I hear a stage manager yell

“Alright?” Harry asks

“Hmhm” I nod smiling, but I’m honestly so nervous, more than I was during our first tour.

Soon enough I hear the intro to the tour and hundreds of screams. The start of Up All Night begins and we walk on stage. Annoyingly my inears aren’t working so I have to take on out so I can actually hear Harry before the chorus. I notice Louis also doesn’t have his in so while Zayn is singing both Louis and I quickly run off stage to see if the techs can fix the issue.

“Hello!” Harry shouts into his Microphone “we are One Direction and it’s and absolute pleasure to play for you today” as Harry talks Zayn hands me a water bottle “thank you so much f’being here”

“Thanks” I say to Zayn opening up the bottle and taking a sip of water

“We can see everyone!” I hear Harry shout

“Want to say that any louder?” I say to Harry

“Oh shush” Harry sticks his tongue out at me so I stick mine out back

“So mature” Zayn says shaking his head “so the next song we’re going to do, I’m not sure if any of you know it, it’s called One Thing”

“Come on O2. I tried playing cool….” Liam starts while Harry and I are dancing stupidly making Zayn laugh

“Shot me out of the sky. You’re my kryptonie. You keep making me weak, yeah frozen and can’t breathe” 

“Somethings gotta give now, cause I’m dying just make you see that need you here now cause” I point to the audience who shout ‘you’ve got that one thing’

“Let’s here you O2!” Liam shouts.

“Everyone having a good time?” Niall asks “good stuff. Right the next part of the show is the most important part of a One Direction show. Let’s look at Twitter. Ok so we’ve taken in some of your questions and we’re gonna answer them here and now in the O2 Arena”

“Where’s cookie? YN I think this one’s for you” Zayn says. The boys all look at me waiting for an answer

“She’s with my friend Emma while where on tour. When we’re in Birmingham I’ll get to see her” I reply to the question

“Ok this one’s for me. What’s your favourite song to play on the guitar?” Niall reads “I think it’s a remix of what makes you beautiful and I’m sexy and I know it”

“Which Disney movie do you prefer?” Liam reads of

“YN will watch any” Harry laughs

“Hey I have a favourite”

“Don’t we know it Nants ingonyama bagithi baba” Niall sings

“And is Cookie is in the building you know she’s getting lifted up”

“Ok well what about you boys?” I ask

“There’s a few classics aren’t there, but I think I’ll have to go with the Lion King as well” Louis says

“Yes!” I run over to him and give him a high five

“Zayn I know your a man who likes cartoons. Talk to me” Liam says

“Tarzan”

“Good choice. Harry?”

“Is Dumbo Disney?”

“Is dumbo Disney?” I scoff “yes of course it’s Disney”

“You do fancy the little Mermaid though don’t you?” Liam teases

“I think it’s your turn” Harry dodged the question

“Mines more of a Pixar movie. It’s toy story” we finish up the Twitter section and continue on with the concert.

By the end of the night we are all exhausted. I get dressed in a pare of sweats and a jumper. I take out my contacts and place my glasses on. I grab my stuff and head out of my dressing room and knock on the boys’ door which opens in no time

“So that’s where my hoodie went” Harry says letting me in

“Oops” I shrug

“Are they my sweats?” Louis asks

“Maybe” I shrug again. Louis raises his eyebrows at me “ok fine but they’re more comfortable”

“Well now we know what to buy you for your birthday” Niall jokes.

[nqueso-emergency]

What the hell do they think happened in the karaoke scene?!? Do they think Buck, drunk and rowdy, chose "What I Like About You" and serenaded Eddie while holding strong eye contact, "Pure Country" style? Did the entire club go silent as Buck poured his heart out into this one song, this single shot at glory? And then Eddie looked back with tears in his eyes as he realized that yes, yes, Buck is the one? And then tight camera shot as their faces are within an inch of each other, and maybe they're going to kiss, there's a crab behind Eddie's shoulder singing "you know you want to, look at him you know you do"? But then somebody drops a tray full of glasses and the moment is ruined, and Buck remembers he has an almost-boyfriend and Eddie remembers he's straight and they both agree to never mention it--smash edit to Chimney's hotel room and then the episode unfolds as it did, complete with Buck sucking Tommy's face off in the hospital?

Fucking hell! I scared children with the laughter that came out of me while reading this 😅 a fucking 'Pure Country' reference with a side of 'The Little Mermaid'??

Helppp

Seriously though... I don't think you're far off from what their delusions make them believe.

Unfortunately, Tim said different:

That Eddie line!! He must be in love with Maddie 😭💀🤡

[songwings]

Deaf AU, or: Why Miriam Is Deaf and How This Changes Very Little

(Shard) Ok so! We've only posted art of this AU thus far but i feel compelled to ramble about it, so here we go. Also disclaimer that while this could be any sign language, we're more familiar with American Sign Language and the deaf culture in the United States, so that's what I'll say for this post.

The basic premise is that Miriam is deaf (born that way) - and not much else changes, besides a few things:

The mode of communication between her and Kiwi, and later Audrey (sign language.)

Kiwi already knows some ASL, there be deaf and hard of hearing residents in Langtree!

Audrey loses her hearing and becomes deaf over the course of the game's story, thanks to her very loud sword.

This AU manifested as a result of us seeing Miriam's loneliness and the isolation that seems to be inherent to being a Scary Witch - that's the same for deafness! You might not believe it, but many people see deafness as something horrifying and look away and ignore it. Witches seem to have this exclusive, closed-off culture in Chaandesh - particularly Mohabumi, where Miriam barely feels at home despite being around what should be her own people. That's a very familiar feeling to us and we felt like it'd be nice to explore in her character.

Act 1:

The AU centers around Miriam being deaf and Kiwi is annoying by singing to her until she notices them and tells them she's deaf. Funny doodles from Rostrum.

Here's how Rostrum thought it'd go in Acts 2-5.

Act 2:

The introduction goes just the same, with everyone fingerspelling their names first, then Miriam and Saphy giving their sign names. Kiwi doesn't have one yet - they know enough ASL to communicate well with the witches but they weren't given a sign name back in Langtree. Art and sign names by Kyka.

In the caves, Miriam will warn Kiwi about the trolls, but doesn't hear the troll when he jumps up right behind her and roars. Kiwi is bowled over, but I thought it'd be funny if Miriam just stayed right there, completely immune to the troll's auditory screaming.

"i can explode him right here"

"NO MIRIAM!!! let me try singing!"

"i have magical powers and i'm not the one getting bowled over by some screeching kiwi."

She just narrowly misses the troll's attack with a visual warning from Kiwi and lets the bard sing to him.

Later into Act 2, Miriam does everything just the same - yes, even getting a ride with the Coffee Pirates. Just because she's deaf doesn't mean she can't communicate with like, a pen and paper, or basic gestures recognizable to the Delphi locals.

Act 3:

Not much changes, either. (Miriam in regular Wandersong is always annoyed with singing in this act, anyways.) Though for ease's sake, the mermaids would know sign language, so they could teach Miriam the Overseer song in order for her to reach Kiwi in the collapsed Chaoscape. We haven't exactly decided yet what the songs would look like if they aren't exclusively spoken songs, but the mermaids would teach Miriam a different version that doesn't involve singing.

Also she'd shake Kiwi by the shoulders instead of yelling at them to wake up. This is just how deaf people wake up :)

Act 4:

Essentially the same. If we go with characterizing Peter as a nice guy, he'd know some ASL already and would sign to her on that date as opposed to playing music. Ooooor depending on how a balalaika works, he might show her how the instrument feels to play, and that might be Miriam's first introduction (in-game) to instrumental music.

(The deafness doesn't really make her feel any worse than she already does in-game. I imagine Ira, Kiwi's mother, would be very curious about her deafness and ask her to teach the old lady a few signs.)

She would definitely enjoy playing the drums in the factory strike.

Meanwhile, Queen Order's castle. We meet Audrey. She's losing a little of her hearing at this point and is angry at the two for blocking her way. I haven't decided yet if she already has prior knowledge of ASL or not (leaning towards "no" but learns after she sees Miriam). She fights Miriam and actually can't speak to her, if she doesn't know ASL, but at least recognizes that she is deaf. After they finish fighting she yells and storms off - Kiwi would interpret for her after, I think.

Act 5:

Part One - Rulle

Night Sky

(Shard) I realized from this point onwards (after watching a playthrough) there's dialogue on the broom. I'm pretty sure you need at least one hand to steer a broom, but you can also sign with one hand, so let me just draw how I think that conversation would go.

...yeah, this wouldn't work with ASL. For so many reasons. It's akin to being in the driver's seat and turning your head around to see the other person signing in the backseat. While balancing precariously on a broom that you yourself are steering. While the other person has to practically lean sideways so you can see them. While you are less than a foot apart. In the dark moonlit night or while the sun is glaring at you.

Talking on the broom is a no-go.

...but I really don't want these conversations to be missed out on, so I'll say Kiwi convinces Miriam to land a little sooner so they can talk while walking to their destinations. Also, maybe a flame or light spell so they can actually see each other. Though it'd still be hard to talk.

Frontier Inn

(Shard) My wingmate skipped over the border towns part in hir earlier notes! I'll fill in this part.

The deaf witch would gesture for a pen and paper, but the innkeeper would be confused and speak to Kiwi first. They would interpret for Miriam and redirect the talking to her and it should go on the same from there, albeit with that bit of inaccessibility in mind.

Also, she has to be shaken awake after sleeping on the floor.

Lumber Town

In the forest just before, Miriam wouldn't notice the quietness - but she would notice the absence of the animals. Just pointing out how this is kind of a trope in horror, that something is going to be silent before it's scary, but it would not be scary to Miriam. Until she sees the ghosts.

Xiatian

(Rostrum) Lightning strikes are LOUD.

At this point, Audrey's hearing loss becomes noticeable to her and she finds that she struggles to understand people. She remembers the silly bard and witch using those weird flappy hands during her fight. Out of sheer spite she tries to learn the local sign language, but has to ask Eyala to basically give her the knowledge the same way the Dream King did for Kiwi, so she's ready and actually excited to sign with Kiwi and Miriam when they arrive in Xiatian.

and next time they see her in Rulle Miriam is like "wait YOU know how to sign??? HOW MUCH TIME DID WE SPEND IN CHISMEST"

Audrey's like heheh it's no biggie i want to be accessible to everyone <3

But in truth she's losing her hearing - and is half freaking out about it - and that is possibly why she trusts them to get the Potion of Power then and there. She sympathizes with Miriam. she's still arrogant though lol At the King's palace, the King might be a little suspicious of Kiwi interpreting for Miriam, but not as suspicious as he is of the witch herself. Interpreters can't be at all that uncommon in royal settings as they do need to negotiate with other countries. But Miriam would feel a little left out by the ghost singing through Kiwi - it depends on how the Spirit Language manifests and whether or not that's visible to deaf people. (I like to think it might be. But if Kiwi is the medium for the ghosts to speak through...)

... For a long time, we struggled to write this part where both Audrey and Miriam would learn the song. In the end, Vesta said this is how it would go:

(Vesta) Audrey is losing her hearing and tells the King to sing louder. He does. She says there has to be another way. The King sends her away and she's like RAAAUGHHH! Miriam follows her still, evading the palace guards.

Audrey stomps and Eyala appears. "Bestie, there IS another way!" She teaches her a different version of the song, with sign language, maybe, or a dance, but I like sign language better. It should be ASL poetry.

(Rostrum) And Miriam is able to memorize this after following her! Again, and unfortunately, the sunset sky scene doesn't happen. Though there might be a different scene where Miriam flew up to that "???" place Mask was at, with all of the butterflies, and is found tending to Kiwi when Kiwi wakes up and Miriam explains to her what's going on.

It's two days now.

Sky Temple (Sun Overseer's Song)

Instead of using a piccolo at all, Miriam has to sign the song that was given to Audrey. And instead of telling Kiwi to not listen too closely, she'd ask Kiwi to turn away so they can't see her awkward signing. Whether or not Kiwi actually does this is up to your imagination.

Part Two - Chaandesh

Before I go on ahead, a reminder. Chaandesh - and especially Mohabumi, and Miriam's reactions to feeling left out as a witch - that's the part that made us relate so strongly to her. And that is what inspired this AU.

One major difference in Chaandesh in this AU - though I don't think it changes the game very much - is that many witches do know ASL there, so some of the NPCs would sign to Kiwi! There would be a sizeable Deaf community in the city of witches especially. This isn't to say that all witches are deaf, but I wanted to point that aspect out as large Deaf communities do exist in most cities in reality.

And it'd also contribute to how left out Miriam feels, out of both the witch and deaf communities. It's difficult to get information about either if you just aren't part of them.

Mystery Forest

I'll say Vivian and Sandra know sign language, and would recognize that Miriam is deaf and sign normally to her. Everyone fights the monster and things go on as usual.

In the following sky ride scene where the Spell Squad flies them to the ferry... this IS the one scene where they could sign because someone else is flying the broom! Unfortunately there's very little dialogue in this scene.

The Ferry

I just want to point out this huge nugget of dialogue:

"This whole kingdom… feels like a big club, that I was never invited to."

The inspiration for this whole AU. This one line sparked all this. I'll explain more because I'm actually watching a playthrough just so I can get this AU as accurate as possible, so...

When Audrey appears, she'd probably talk in simcom, which is essentially a variant of ASL where you both sign and speak at the same time. Some might consider it offputting, but she'd be skilled enough at it - and she'd sign SO dramatically!

Mohabumi

Only going to speak on scenes where I think Miriam's dialogue OR actions would change.

In the academy, when Kiwi sees her struggling on the broom... I mean, there's no way she can both sign AND re-learn how to fly on the broom. For hilarity, I say she falls the first time Kiwi gets her attention, and more sensibly, hops off the broom every other time Kiwi talks to her there. I don't think the conversation about music would change at all.

The Crater...

... we've thought about this so many times but it's only now that I actually see the conversation that I realize we don't need to rewrite this at all. It's strange, because before this game, and ESPECIALLY before this part, we just didn't like music. We didn't know what it meant. We didn't know how it could motivate people and be compelling. It felt like a big club that we weren't invited to. Sound familiar?

It's hard to describe how the game changed our feelings on music. In some ways they stayed the same - it's still a little exclusive, but it felt like it opened our eyes to how influential it really could be. The emotions behind playing an instrument, or singing, or dancing. And dancing is a physical form of music! It reacts to vibrations! So Miriam would feel right at home here no matter what her hearing status is. The drumbeats of Manny's music, and potentially the speakers amplifying the music in general, would reach Miriam if this was a loud enough space. In that moment she'd feel like she belonged, being brought back to home where music too was played with drumbeats.

Broom Ride

This necessitates its own section because it's an important conversation and it breaks my heart that, again, in this AU it can't be had on the broom. But I want to give this conversation justice because it hit close to home for us.

Miriam: "It was weird being in a city of other witches. I thought it'd be a place where i fit in. But I didn't."

Kiwi: "That just means you're special!"

Miriam: "Well. Maybe... I don't want to be so special. I've been special my whole life. Around Delphi, me and Saphy were the only witches. I never knew someone else like me. And I guess I still don't.

It doesn't feel good to be different like this. I feel like I'm just messed up. And I'll never fit in anywhere."

Exactly what being deaf or any kind of disabled feels like. It feels like a very specific part of being autistic, too... we're autistic so we know this well.

Kiwi: "We're outsiders... together!"

Sky Temple (Eclipse Duet)

Another strange part of this AU we've thought about for a while! We imagined them dancing, or signing together, or such... but if the order of events demands that Miriam learned the signed version of the Sun Overseer's song, and Kiwi learned the spoken version of the Moon's...

I think the way Kiwi sings by pointing their hand, Miriam could see it visually and perhaps her own hand movements would even mirror Kiwi's. Or the other way around. I think Kiwi would make an effort to visually convey the nature of their half of the song to Miriam, strengthening the harmony... the same way the moon reflects the sun.

The Eclipse

Miriam gets hurt. She obviously can't hear or see Kiwi, so Kiwi would shake her in a desperate attempt to wake her as Audrey walks up - and Audrey at this point has lost a lot of her hearing, but I guess if Miriam is unconscious, there would be no reason for her to sign as she's only talking to the bard. Albeit by now, her speech is inflected with numerous gestures to emphasize her points.

Kiwi is angry enough to raise their voice. It's not enough for Audrey. Either she doesn't hear them and turns around to pay attention to them, or she never does because she never picked up the habit to pay attention to the things around her. When you grow up as a deaf person, your senses overcompensate for the one you never had or lost - this AU's Audrey doesn't have that advantage just yet.

When they carry Miriam down from the Sky Temple... there's no way you can sign to someone while carrying them at the same time. So that little snippet of conversation doesn't happen.

No other changes. Also, this part breaks my heart, I want you to know this.

Act 6:

Audrey's Introspection

Miriam isn't here, and technically this AU is all about her and how her deafness affects small details in the game. So if this AU was only about that we'd stop here and skip ahead to Act 7.

However, Audrey is deaf by this point. And she has to contend with that while ALSO dealing with a singing bard.

In her first appearance in this act, I think she'd monologue with her voice. She wouldn't hear Kiwi's complaints as she drinks the false Potion of Power and collapses in that same hilarious way. When they're in the cave, she continues speaking with her voice until she falls to her knees contending with her mortality.

The bard tries speaking to her at first. Then they sign to her. Audrey looks up and signs back. "Not without my sword. And hearing."

(Brief author's note: I gave Eyala the sign name of "EYE-la." This is a very fun sign name and she would introduce herself with it when she discovered Audrey was losing her hearing and taught her sign language.)

The conversation in the cave goes roughly the same... Audrey seems like the sort of person to shrug off even losing her hearing, thinking that's what she has to do to be the hero. It matters a LOT to her, deep down inside - Eyala told her it was necessary, that she wouldn't need her hearing in the end anyways - but it stings to gain a disability in exchange for being the hero, doesn't it?

Is it a blessing or a curse that she doesn't hear the wails of the Overseers and monsters she slays? That she can't hear the Bard's songs anymore?

But then, Miriam simply being there disproves all of that. She's another person who doesn't necessarily connect with music in the traditional sense. It took her a long time to truly feel comfortable with music as a foundation of the world. Being deaf doesn't make you ignorant to the world, after all... it makes the world ignorant to you. Being deaf her whole life means Miriam's had to grow up fighting to feel like she fits into the world at all. She carved out her own path in life.

The Beast

Theoretically, the Hero and Bard could sign to each other even at that distance where Kiwi is on the cliff and Audrey is down on the platform above lava. If you have good sight, ASL goes a long way.

Act 7:

I like to think this is when Miriam gives Kiwi a sign name after they both return to Langtree. Unfortunately, I still haven't thought of a sign name for the bard, so that's on hold for a while.

Kiwi wouldn't have to interpret for the fairies, I think they can speak any language they need to communicate in. And that includes sign language.

We neglected to say what the spirit language would look like to Miriam who has been trained to understand it, but I think it'd be symbols. Literal visual symbols. Up in the air. Since it's mentioned that Kiwi speaks in strange symbols, which is a visual element, I think Miriam can see or sense the symbols and understand. Which also means she understands what the Dream King says as his last words.

The boss fight goes on as usual. Audrey signs VERY angrily to them after having her sword taken - with aggressive body language, faster signs that the bard and witch just barely pick up.

The Choir

... I'll be honest with you, we agonized over this particular scene for a long time. In the original game, the highlight is Miriam singing in front of everyone.

A singing Miriam would undermine this AU. It isn't vocal chords that deaf people most naturally turn to for communication - it's hands. I don't think a deaf Miriam has any reason to use her voice to sing here, even when she can use her voice.

So a change I'm making here in order to make myself feel more comfortable with this scene is that more of the crowd would dance - in fact, I think all of the people of the world would harmonize in their own way, be it with their voice, an instrument, dancing, or whatever other funky way they like. Thusly, Miriam dances in the end. It shouldn't be only singing that saves the world.

It's sad that the creators of this game didn't put in other means of singing, or explain how deaf people would harmonize with a worldwide auditory song, but that's okay. I know how we can harmonize in our way.

...

And that's the end of this long-winded post about how Miriam could be deaf and that'd change very little about the story. Also, I'm very tired from writing half this dang post and I hope it makes sense to people who aren't deaf.

I hope you enjoyed reading! And don't be afraid to ask questions if you're curious about this AU!

- Rostrum

[museofreverie]

Chapter 05 ⋆ Under The Tree

WAYS OF FREEDOM┊Pairing: Eren Jaeger x Modern Fem!Reader ┊2nd POV

In which a chronically online Gen Z that went through the pandemic goes to the Attack on Titan Universe and tries her very best to change the ending with an "I can fix him" mentality.

⋆ CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 8k words

⋆ WARNINGS: manga spoilers, toxic parenting, mention of suicidal thoughts

← prev chapter ┊ next chapter →

𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏.

AT THE TENDER age of six, people already asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. It was only a mere question—a harmless one.

          What do you want to be when you grow up?

          "I want to be an astronaut!" You told them without much thought, wanting to reach the stars at such a young age.

          "I want to be a mermaid!" You declared, a smile so wide it can reach the deepest parts of the ocean.

          "I want to be a teacher! Oh! I want to be an artist!" Young you had said, proud of your first drawing full of scribbles.

          "I want to be a doctor!" You had said after treating your dolls as your patients.

          "I want to be a singer! A popstar!" You told your parents while singing parts from a song you heard in Hannah Montana.

          "I want to dance, mama! I want to dance!" You told your mother after you showed her a twirl and some moves you saw in Dance Moms.

          You wanted to be so many things.

          And so at the age of eight, one of your dreams came true. Your mother had enrolled you to attend ballet classes and later on, signed you up for contemporary dance.

          "It will be for your own good," she had said. "So make us proud."

          Every week, you attended ballet classes and recitals to showcase all that you had learned. In each practice session, you would push yourself further and further—going beyond what was expected of you.

          You wanted to make your mother proud. And so when she told young you that she'd sign you up for a dance competition, you didn't have any choice but to say yes. This will make her proud, you had thought. This will make her like you more.

          Throughout the whole process, your mother has always been encouraging and supportive, and she pushed you to try your hardest. She even went so far as to set up extra tutoring sessions to ensure you were ready for the competition.

          But you were just a child, and so you were bound to make mistakes.

          On the other hand, your mother didn't like it.

          "I'm so disappointed at you, Y/N!" she yelled and spanked your back.

          Failure was not an option for her. It was no secret that your mother prided you for your dancing and dancing only unless you aced your studies or else she'd think you're a failure. She was a very busy woman with little time for such things that did not pique her interest. You remembered trembling at her words, the weight of it crushing you and leaving you crying—feeling hollow and hopeless.

          You were just a child. Why weren't you allowed to be one?

          You grew increasingly exhausted from trying to please everyone around you—especially your parents. You knew this was not healthy, but you just couldn't help it. Your relentless need to make your parents proud drove you into a frenzied state of mind that blurred the line between reality and delusion. Your anxieties consumed your every thought, becoming more and more unbearable with each passing day. Your obsession to make your parents proud continued until it became unhealthy. You worked hard with dancing; practicing and honing your craft each day while trying to balance it with your studies. All of this continued as you grew up. You wanted to be the perfect child they always wanted. Something they could control.

          But not anymore.

          Growing up in your home was no easy feat. As much as you longed for a loving family, it felt like something was always missing. Some constant arguments and struggles seemed to never end. While there were moments of love and joy, the feeling of tension lingered in the air. Despite the ache in your heart, you kept pushing forward, hoping that one day all the pieces would fit together.

          You were just a child.

          However, as time passed, those dreams grew more limited—more practical, making it impossible to fulfill them all. Growing older and more astute about the world made it seem like it was fading from your control. The hard truths of life were beginning to sink in: some responsibilities needed to be taken care of first before pursuing your passions.

          Those dreams compiled themselves and got more and more—until you couldn't reach them anymore.

          And so here you were, years later—not knowing what to feel about facing the outside world again. You stood hesitantly outside of your door, the heavy weight of your backpack draped over one shoulder as you cautiously surveyed the street that basked in the darkness of the early morning. The streets were emptied as everyone was in quarantine. This used to be a lively neighborhood. For months, the world seemed to stop due to the pandemic. But little by little, people learned how to cope and fight it.

          You exhaled a deep breath as you fixed your mask, doubling it with another layer to ensure you won't catch the virus. You didn't want to be paranoid about it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

          "You ready?"

          The owner of the voice caught your attention. It was your dad. Both of your parents had filed a leave at their work for this. He was packing everything you have in the rear before turning on the vehicle.

          You shrugged, not having the energy to answer at such an early hour. You called for your dog and motioned them to come inside the car with you. Once inside and the air conditioning was turned on, the car smelt of lavender and leather that made your eyes roll.

          Damn it. You forgot you have motion sickness. You said your prayers mentally to not be nauseous throughout the car ride.

          Just try to fall asleep, you told yourself, petting your dog beside you to calm your nerves. As the car drove, you slowly plugged your earphones in and felt the vibrations of the music slowly melting away your anxieties. Your eyes instantly followed the trees and houses that zoomed past while imagining yourself as the main character of a coming-of-age film and humming to the music:

Salt air, and the rust on your door

I never needed anything more

Whispers of "Are you sure?"

"Never have I ever before"

          Enthralled with the melody of the song august which was fitting for a road trip, you lost yourself in a dreamy trance that made you forget you were experiencing motion sickness. Before long, you had drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

          The raysof sunlight arrived, piercing the horizon and creating stripes of orange and yellow on the leather inside of the car as they bounced off the windows. A few hours already passed. Your father's gaze shifted between the road ahead and the rearview mirror, where he could just make out a glimpse of you and your dog dozing off in the backseat. He then cast an anxious glance in the direction of your mother's seat, which is to his right. Apparently, she had become preoccupied with playing Candy Crush on her phone.

          Your father gulped. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he tried to find a way to start a conversation without any arguments. He cleared his throat. "Look, are you even sure it's safe already?" he said, his voice laced with concern.

          Tasty!

          Your mother only stole a glance at him, still playing Candy Crush.

          "I did my research and yes, it is," she replied. "My sister contacted someone to allow us to enter the perimeter — don't worry, we're taking extra precautions. I've brought tons of face masks and alcohol with me."

          "How about the house? You know it's been a while."

          Her shoulders tensed, her hands halting on touching her phone. She exhaled a sharp breath. "I know."

          She looked at him again. "That's why I hired someone to sanitize the entire place before we arrive. Mom didn't — she — she didn't—" her voice trailed. She tried to compose herself with a deep sigh. "Well, the doctor said she didn't get COVID at her place."

          Her vision blurred by the tears that started to form in her eyes; her mouth hung slightly ajar but no sound escaped. Her eyes trailed the familiar welcome sign outside her window that indicated all of you were nearing your destination.

          "I feel like it's my fault."

          Your dog's soft snores blended with the songs playing on the car radio.

          She continued, "If we were careful, then she could have been here with us—"

          "It's no one's fault," your father immediately cut her off. "We didn't know how dangerous this virus would be and how fast it would spread. We didn't even know about Mom's whereabouts when she told you she'll leave for a while during the height of this pandemic."

          "We should be safe here. I checked the news earlier, and it said that there are no cases around here. No cases. Zero. If only I listened. . ." Her eyes glanced at your sleeping form in the rearview mirror. Her head shook sideways trying to block out the thoughts that ran in her head. Clearing her throat, she tried to change the topic. "I don't know what's going on with her."

          "With whom?"

          She turned her head to your father, a look of disbelief now evident on her face. Her head pointed towards you and she lowered her voice. "With her."

          Oblivious about her situation with you, he continued to ask. "Why? What's the problem?"

          She stared at him.

          "Unbelievable," she said and face-palmed herself, turning off her phone. "What's the problem you say? Well, first of all, I'm trying so hard to be a better parent here, yet it's so obvious she tries to ignore me. There. That's your problem."

          "Oh."

          "Oh? Oh? That's all you can say? Oh? She talks to you more than me. You talk to her."

          "Why me?" he replied, his brows furrowed. "You know I'm busy with work. You know out of the two of us, it's me who needs to go outside and go to my workplace or else I'll lose my job and the place closes down. You do it. She'll listen to you if — you know — you don't scold her."

          At this, your mother scoffed at him. "And then, what? Do you think letting her talk back at me just because I scolded her for something solves the problem? No! Next thing I know she's trying to act like those kids who disrespect their parents and think it's cool. Well, I don't want that! She should know how to respect me. Kids nowadays are unbelievable, you know? She needs to be disciplined."

          Your father scrunched up his face. "That's not how you do it."

          "Then you do it!" she bellowed, remaining stubbornly remote. She wanted him to shoulder this burden too. After all, two of their children had already left for college, stuck in their dorms, and might take their time to come home. You were all they had left.

          Your father winced. He immediately checked up on you if you were still asleep. His shoulders slumped. "Alright, alright. I'll try."

          His focus returned to the road, the car slowing down as he pulled up and parked near the familiar house. "We're here."

          As he was about to wake you up, he witnessed you stir in your sleep, mumbling something he couldn't understand. He gently shook your shoulder and called your name. No answer. Another shook. Still no answer. He tried adding some force in shaking your shoulder.

          "Y/N wake up!"

           You jolted awake, heart racing and eyes wide in terror.

          "Huh? Where am I?!" you demanded, disoriented and confused.

          "Whoa, easy there!" said your dad, trying to calm your nerves.

          "Wha—" you looked around, fear running deep inside of you. Your actions stopped as your eyes caught a glimpse of your dyed hair. "What the—?"

          "Hey, you okay?"

          You dragged your attention away from your dyed hair to focus on the voice that spoke. Your chest rose and fell with rapid breaths and you tried removing your mask. "Dad? Is that you? But I thought I was in—"

          "Looks like you had a pretty bad dream just now," he said, his voice filled with concern. "C'mon, get your things. We're here already."

          You sat there staring into space while your parents got out of the vehicle. Dream fragments and images flashed in your head like still frames from a movie.

          This dream was different from the past one that had a pattern.

          Light. Worm. Tree. Silhouette. Bomb. Blood. Green Eyes—it was supposed to be this. You had been sure. The same dream had plagued you for more than a week; like a wave that keeps coming back to the shore.

          But this new dream—it felt different.

          Everything about it seemed to be a blur. But it was. . . peaceful.

          Yes, it was peaceful in a way that calmed you from the constant dread your previous nightmares gave you. Those gave you a headache that wouldn't go.

          You were curious to know if you would be happy or not that your previous dream had been replaced already.

          It still gave you a headache though.

          With this, you fiddled with your necklace and gazed at the view outside the window. Tears threatened to spill at any moment. Your lips—which usually curled into a soft smile—were downturned into a deep frown in an attempt to control your feelings.

          It's been a while, and you were finally back.

         

The familiar bell hanging over the doorway, adorned with seashells you collected as a child from the beach nearby, chimed as you entered. Inside the house, your father searched for the switch and turned on the light bulb, casting an orange glow over the place.

          Memories flooded back into your head, as you took in the sight of your late grandmother's house. Everything was the same as you remembered it. Yet, you know it'll never be the same again.

          "Good to be back, isn't it, Y/N?" said your mother, trying to settle down.

          You nodded and did not speak.

          "Hey, answer me when I'm talking to you," she warned.

          A tight-lipped smile formed on your face as you sprayed alcohol around you. "Yes, it is, Mom."

          Her eyes rolled, tired of your antics. "Just go to your room. You know where it is. Take a shower or whatever before you go back when I call you. We'll start in a few hours."

          You obliged and took your things. As you looked around the living room, photographs of you and your relatives were still framed around the walls. Every summer and during the holidays, your family would come over to visit your grandma. A light chuckle escaped your lips at some of the photos—one of them was about a photo of you together with your siblings and cousins dressed in swimwear, laughing on the beach. One of your younger cousins had a tantrum and was caught crying in the picture because your brother pranked them.

          Ah, those were the good times.

          The old piano tucked away in the corner caught your eye and you came closer to see it. Its keys were slightly yellowed with age but still seemed to beckon with a haunting melody as you reached out to touch the keys. The image of young you trying to mimic the fingers of your grandma as she played each note on the piano filled your mind. You remembered sitting next to her, being in awe with your siblings. But you then frowned, recalling how your grandmother stopped playing as she grew older and the lines on her hands became more noticeable.

          And the piano became nothing more than a decorative piece in the house.

          You gently touched more keys, not caring about what tune it produced. The piano may have been old and slightly out of tune, but it held so much sentimental value to you. You looked around the house one more time, your lips trembling.

          This home was full of memories.

          You reminisce about the times when one of your relatives often played the piano before and all of you would gather around to enjoy the melodious tunes. You hear the laughter of your cousins in the room where you always do your sleepovers. You hear the noise of your aunties laughing about talking shit about other people when they visited during the holidays. The smell of melted butter and fresh-baked pastries used to waft your senses in the kitchen where your grandma used to cook. The atmosphere was always warm and welcoming.

          It was home.

          But now, it's empty.

          And you haven't seen some of them for over a year.

          When you took the stairs, you noticed something that made your steps halt and your stomach twist.

          You were met with the sight of your dog that kept on sniffing the chair where your grandma used to sit.

          You strode towards your pet, your grip on the strap of your bag tightening. Your dog tried digging around the chair, the sniff slowly getting aggressive, and they looked at you like something was wrong, with those huge eyes.

          Your face softened. "I know, buddy. I miss her too."

          The thought of your grandma still brings a twinge of pain to your heart. Your dog had been your constant source of comfort ever since her passing. They were a gift from your grandma, after all. You remember the moment your grandmother told you the tale of how she found your beloved pet which now you treat as your own child; a stray dog she found when she took a stroll in the forest near the beach. And when she saw you giving the dog the affection it deserved, fondness crinkled on her face.

          You tried calling your dog's name to come with you upstairs yet your dog only jumped at the chair, circled the seat, and positioned themselves like a donut to sleep.

          You almost cried at the scene. You cannot even fathom what life would be like without your beloved pet who provides you solace.

          You had to stop your tears from escaping, so you blinked and sniffled. "You can stay here for a while, okay?"

          As you left with a heavy heart, you continued your way on going to your room.

          Upon entering, you were greeted by the sight of your childhood room, filled with the items you had gathered throughout your years of living there. The plushies and keychains placed on the shelves, the vintage jars and cookie tin of your mother that had a sewing kit inside on the bedside table. The fake flower arrangement that was at least twenty years old still hung on the wall. The vintage wallpaper that decorated the interior of the room.

          It was all still there.

          You mumbled, "Good to be back, indeed."

          You turned on the fan, and to your amusement, it was still working and still loud as ever. It wasn't that bad during the day, but it used to creep you out when nighttime came due to the loud noises you heard—the nonstop chirp of a cricket, the extremely loud ticking of the grandfather clock—yeah, those used to bother you.

          You attempted to settle down by placing your belongings close to the table and you lay on top of the bed. You stared at the ceiling. You're only going to stay here for a few days for the memorial. Weird. It felt weird to be back and knowing you had no one to bother that would tolerate it in this household anymore. Your breath caught in your throat as you struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. You tried to keep your composure, but the tears came anyway.

          I miss you, grandma. I miss you so much.

          The weight of missing her hit you like a ton of bricks. You wanted to scream, to cry out all the pain and sorrow that was building inside of you. But instead, you could only rub your chest in small circles, trying to ease the ache that seemed to suffocate you. Emotions swirled inside you, each one vying for dominance. Was it sadness? Grief? Regret? Or perhaps all of them at once? You didn't know, and that was what scared you most. In this moment, you were caught amid a raging storm within yourself, unsure of how to weather it.

          You held your breath and pressed a trembling hand to your mouth, trying to muffle the sobs that threatened to escape, careful not to let your parents know of your situation. You didn't want them to know that it still hurts. But your chest heaved with each suppressed cry, and tears still streamed down your face.

          You wished you could still go back to the way it was before when life used to be so simple.

          Blinking rapidly, you tried to get rid of the tears. You were sure they were going to stain like they always did, so you took the time to stare at the ceiling. You became numb.

          I want to kill myself.

          But a moment later, you found yourself finding fanfics to read on your phone to pass the time. Your mind had completely forgotten about your sudden breakdown as your blood boiled with frustration about the poorly written fanfic you saw on Wattpad, cursing the reader-insert character for their one-dimensional personality.

          Stop being so dumb, Y/N!

          Your eyes rolled, having second-hand embarrassment to the 'reader' of the story as you cringed at their actions and dialogues. The Y/N slander from the Wattpad comments amused you a lot since that was the only thing you loved about that app. Like what was even the point of calling the story a 'reader insert' when it was Western-centric and felt not very inclusive of people of color? Not everyone had blue orbs, and blonde hair, and was not like other girls.

          Whatever bruh, I'm gonna read smut, you told yourself as you scrolled through your Wattpad and later changed to your favorite site for spicy fics—Ao3. Later on, you find yourself giggling and kicking your feet because of the smut you were reading. You even had to pause by fanning your face with a hand before looking at your imaginary camera. I need him so bad. I need him to rail me.

          "Damn, I think I need a break," you said, tapping your chin with a finger. What if I try on some makeup before I take a shower? You thought for a second before your head bobbed at the idea. You searched for your makeup pouch inside your bag to try out some makeup looks you found online; you started experimenting with different eyeshadow colors and shades of red lipsticks as music blasted from your phone. When you were doing your eyeliner, however, you let out a frustrated hiss as the brush slipped and smudged, causing your eye to sting.

          "Ow, ow, ouch." You hissed. Why is it so hard to perfect my eyeliner?!

          In an attempt to achieve a winged eyeliner, you reached for a Q-tip to fix your mistakes.

          "Okay. . . Just. . . a little. . ."

          There!

          After several attempts, you finally got it right and you admire yourself in the mirror with a small squeal of excitement.

          Damn, I look good.

          You found it fun to do this before taking a shower occasionally. What? It was fun and satisfying.

          You were about to add mascara to your lashes when all of a sudden, someone barged inside.

          It was your dad.

          He held his hands behind his back, slowly walking inside your room with that signature dad stance.

          You froze as his eyes looked around the room before meeting your gaze. Your hand remained suspended in the air, unsure of what to do next.

          He stared at you.

          You stared at him.

          "Food's ready downstairs," he said and cleared his throat. He plastered an awkward smile on his face when the only thing you did was blink your eyes.

          You blinked again. Your dad rarely visited your room back in your house, let alone announce food was ready due to the conflict with his work schedule these days.

          "Um, thanks Dad," you replied, setting down the mascara and turning towards the opposite of him and turning off the music in your phone, embarrassed of facing him with all the makeup on your face.

          He cleared his throat again, shifting on his feet. "So. . . How is school going?"

          You looked at him skeptically. Well, this was awkward.

          "Um. . .Okay, I guess. . ?"

          He chuckled nervously. "Just checking up on you, that's all. Since, well — um, look — I know it's hard for you, especially since you're growing as a young lady already—"

          "Dad!"

          "—but just know that your mom and I are here for you," he said, pointing a finger at you, "remember that."

          Still a bit hesitant about where this conversation would go, you nodded your head.

          "About last week. . . Well, your mother told me all about your conversation. . ." he sighed. "She's still your mom."

          It was awkward silence once again before he broke it.

          "We both know your mom could get a bit crazy with all that nagging sometimes. . ." the words left his lips with a teasing smile. His finger then pointed at you sharply, his voice dropping to a whisper, afraid of being overheard, "But don't tell her I said that."

          Despite the underlying tension, there was always a sense of playfulness between them that kept things from getting too heavy. The air between the two of you changed with your inside jokes and you both burst into laughter despite the seriousness of the moment.

          "Okay, okay," you said, "I'll just take a shower and then head downstairs after."

          "Have you tried going to the beach again?" he asked.

          "Not yet," you said, "but I'll. . . I'll try later."

          After that, your dad left without closing the door.

          You let out a sigh of relief that you didn't realize you were holding in.

          That was crazy, you thought, before closing the door.

          Droplets of water trickled down from your damp hair after you took a shower, leaving wet trails on your bare skin as you stood in front of the fogged-up mirror, wrapped in a towel. The warm shower seemed to melt some of your problems away together with your makeup as you changed into a summer dress you brought with you.

          You decided it was time you went out for a walk.

          The delicate white summer dress you picked was crafted without sleeves, elegantly draping down to mid-thigh. Its adjustable straps allowed for a customizable fit, while its lightweight fabric provided you some room to breathe. It felt soft against your skin, the perfect blend of smoothness and weightlessness. It seemed to float around you as you made a twirl in front of the mirror, like a cloud on a summer day.

          You were in the middle of wearing your signature necklace around your neck when a notification from your friend popped up. You clicked on it and your eyes went wide when you read the words.

my bestie

hey

Feel like kms rn bc of school

I DONT WANT TO do homework anymore

U still alive?

lmao should I just look for a sugar daddy or not?

i luv u

thanks for everything :)

          It was only sent minutes ago. Your fingers hastily clicked on your phone's keyboard. You immediately knew it was a cry for help.

You

WDYM?????

HELLO???@!76@@^#*#

GURL U BETTER NOT KILL YOURSLF

I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU

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

but fr pls don't do it :(((

Im here for you

Pls i don't want to lose another person whom i care about again

Pls pls pls dont even try

TALK TO ME PLEASE

I love you bro

          You waited for her reply. You tried ringing her phone, but a few of your calls became missed calls.  Anxiously, your leg constantly bounced as you waited and waited. You then saw those three dots that indicated she was typing something and it skyrocketed your anxiety.

my bestie

HEYYY

Sorry about earlier just had a breakdown

lol

U know just the usual stuff

IM GOOD IM GOOD dont worry besfran

          You released a deep sigh of relief. Oh, thank god.

You

THANK GODDDDD u almost gave me a fright tf :((((

          You lowered your phone to your side, feeling its weight in your hand as you continued to carefully fasten your earrings onto your earlobes, the medium-sized silver hoops glinting in the soft light of the room.

          You took a deep breath and composed yourself before leaving the room with your phone, making sure to close the door behind you. As you descended the stairs, you could already hear your parents' voices getting louder when you reached the bottom of the stairs.

          You hesitated for a moment and overheard snippets of their argument.

          "You have no idea how hard I worked for this family!" exclaimed your dad. "And you'll just — you'll — you'll even sell this house just because you think I'm not providing enough for us?!"

          You stilled. Sell. . . the house. . . ?

          "We have no choice! We need the money more than this. This house is of no use to us anymore! Mom is gone!" shouted your mom.

          Gasping for air, you burst into the kitchen whilst your heart pounded in your chest.

          "What did you say?" you exclaimed incredulously. "You'll sell grandma's house. . . ?"

          The both of them immediately stopped when you appeared.

          It was as if you had been punched in the gut with the news. You couldn't believe what she had said.

          Your mother sighed. "Look, Y/N—"

          "You have no right!" you said, the tone of your voice rising in disbelief. Tears blurred your eyes, and your hands started to shake from the intensity of the moment. "Grandma won't allow it—"

          "And how would you know? Do you think you're smarter than me?" she scoffed, "I know what's best for this family!"

          "—This is all we have left of her! And you'll just sell it?" You reacted with indignation, your voice cracking with raw emotion.

          "Don't talk back at me!" she fumed, pointing a finger at you. "My decision is final and you will respect it. Besides, you are too young and naive to understand why I'm doing this."

          "But this is not yours to sell!" you protested, your lips trembling from shouting. Your fists clenched at your sides with the anger coursing through you threatening to boil over as you fight to defend the precious memories of your grandma.

          Your mother walked up to you with a scoff and you were now facing her. "Why are you so stubborn?! You simply think you know how the world works, huh?! I'm not going to tolerate this kind of behavior from you, Y/N. You should be showing more respect, and I am so tired of your attitude. Your siblings weren't like this to us."

          The words cut deep, a constant reminder that you were never good enough. How could she compare you to your siblings? You wanted to scream and lash out, but instead, you remained composed on the surface. Inside, a storm raged as you struggled between wanting to make them proud and hating their unfair expectations. Why couldn't they just accept you for who you are? It was a constant battle within yourself, torn between wanting their approval and resenting their judgment.

          Your mother's voice rang out, sharp and venomous, as she berated you with insults and curse words from your native tongue, each syllable leaving you trembling in fear.

          "You hear me?" she exclaimed, changing back to English. "You—Hey, don't you dare roll your eyes at me!" she screamed, her face contorting with rage. "Act like your age!"

          "That's enough," your father intervened, trying to ease the tension between you and your mother. "Y/N, just get some food and go back to your room."

          You noticed the shift of the conversation and you struggled to maintain your composure, the guilt slowly starting to eat you up. This was supposed to be a day dedicated to your grandmother, and yet, your mother dared to do something like this. How could she? You weren't done yet.

          "I'm so disappointed at you, Y/N," she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

          Her words cut like a knife, slicing through your heart and leaving it bleeding. Her disappointment seeps into your bones, weighing you down with the heavy burden of unmet expectations.

          "You have so much potential yet you're wasting it! You're ruining your life—!"

          "YOU ARE RUINING MY LIFE!" you seethed, eyes blazing with fury.

          Your words echoed in the kitchen, silencing both of your parents. You stood there, chest heaving and tears streaming down your face.

          "I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" your father roared.

          And with those words, you flinched like you always did whenever your father screamed.

          Then, you felt the sting of your mother's hand across your cheek—a physical manifestation of the pain she had caused you emotionally.

          You reached for the cheek she had slapped, and you couldn't breathe properly. You looked at your mother, the cold, vacant look in her eyes offered no solace, only a deep-seated anger that seemed to grow with each passing moment after she cursed you again in her mother tongue.

          It was then that you realized that you were never your father's daughter. It was never his anger coursing through your veins. No. You were your mother's—a complete broken reflection of her rage.

          And she will never know how much her daughter had bled—All because of the wounds she left inside you, cutting you deeply. It hurts. There has been no warmth that you receive from her. Only rage. And it will grow and grow until it eats you—until you become exactly like your mother.

          Because in the first place, how could a mother even be full of bitterness and resentment toward her daughter?

          You were just a child. You didn't need to be dictated to what you needed to be when you grew up. You only needed to be loved.

          But now you are sixteen; and nothing but a shattered reflection of your mother, broken and battered from the endless cycle of trauma she inflicted upon you. Your rage burns like an inferno, fueled by the desire to break free from her grasp and end the generational trauma once and for all.

          Even if it meant breaking yourself in the process.

          "I'm sorry that I can't be like my sister — or — or like — like my brother who you basically forced to study medicine and become a doctor one day. I don't want to be like that, Mom. I'm sorry I can't live up to your expectations and now. . . I end up becoming a failure in your eyes," you breathed out, tears welling up in your eyes as you spoke, knowing that your words would only add to the rift between you and your mother. The pressure to follow in your siblings' footsteps slowly suffocated you.

          "I tried my best to make you proud. I really did," you said desperately, your voice croaking. A tear fell from your eye and you tried to offer your mother a painful smile. "But turns out it wasn't enough."

          Your mother became silent.

          Breathe, you told yourself and balled your hands into fists.

          You needed air. You needed to leave.

          Now.

          And without thinking, you left the house with your dog following behind you.

          Your feet pounded against the pavement as you sprinted down the road towards the shore. Soon, the familiar sound of crashing waves and the soft crunch of sand beneath your toes filled your ears and your breath came out in ragged gasps.

          You had finally reached the beach, a place where you felt truly free.

          After removing your flip-flops, you collapsed onto the warm sand, panting and exhausted whilst the voice of your mother echoed in your mind.

          The softest whisper of a quiver, a barely audible breath of sorrow left your lips. Your face now became a landscape of emotions, like a stormy sea of sadness that could not be contained any longer. The tears were a raging current, ready to burst through the levee of your eyes. Your focus shifted towards the sand beneath you—You took the time to feel the sand before you stood up and took a few steps in the water to feel the waves that lapped on your feet like a soothing massage. The water was cool as it touched your skin, and you continued to go in the water until it reached your waist and you laughed for a fleeting moment at the feeling of walking on pebbles underneath the water.

          Your eyes instantly closed at the serene feeling and you breathed in the salty air, letting the gentle rhythm of the waves wash away your worries, lulling you into a sense of calmness as you stretched out your hands, fingers splayed like the wings of a bird. The salty breeze seemed to work on carrying the weight of your troubles and dissipating them into the vast expanse of the sea.

          You desperately wished to be gone.

          Your desire to disappear at the moment was palpable. Perhaps in another life, it would be simple and all of your dreams would come true.

          Your delicate eyes opened to stare into the vast blue sea before you slowly brought out a finger and pointed it at the horizon.

          At the notion, your hand clutched your stomach as uncontrollable laughter bubbled up from within you.

          "Tatakae? More like Tatacaw!" you said between laughs, as you remembered that Eren meme.

          It was weird how everything seemed to remind you of Attack on Titan even if you just had an intense argument with your mother minutes ago. 

          Still, you cringed at yourself and laughed.

          For a moment, you relished the feeling of being in the water, its gentle waves allowing your body to float before you went back to sit on the sand again, droplets of water trickling down your hair and dress, not caring if it ruined it, and you took the time to ruminate over your life. Hell, you even forgot to wear a mask. Well, now you didn't care. Nobody was at the beach. Only you. So a gentle hand of yours then moved in slow, rhythmic strokes over your dog's soft fur. The warmth of their body radiated through your cold fingers, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and contentment wash over you as you looked at your pet. You looked at your dog who was now beside you.

          You smiled. "I'm glad I still have you."

          Lost in thought, your eyes trailed back to the picturesque sea and lingered on the wavering line where the sky and the sea met miles away.

          Your vision started to blur.

          At this point, you just didn't care anymore.

          The intrusive thoughts floated in your mind, but you desperately tried to ignore them. After all, you were already drowning under the pressure of becoming a perfect daughter even without being in the water.

          You don't even know who you are anymore.

          Your choked sobs got louder and for the second time, you allowed yourself to feel and release the pain you'd been keeping inside you.

          "You know what?" you said to your dog who had their eyes closed. "I used to tell everyone that I would live here and grow old. No work. No stress. Just a peaceful life in a small cottage house. . ."

          ". . . But, I'm not even sure if I'll live long enough to fulfill that dream."

          For a sixteen-year-old, life sure had fucked you numerous times already.

          To feel so deeply. . . was it a blessing or a curse?

          You still had so many dreams to reach; so many dreams to fulfill. But the hope in your eyes is slowly fading as your dreams slip through your fingers; the reality setting in that you won't be able to reach them all.

          Your eyes are stinging already as you think about what they always asked you when you still didn't know the world was wide enough.

          What do you want to be when you grow up?

          The answer was—You don't even know!

          You wanted to be so many things. But right now, you find comfort in knowing that you are okay with just wanting to exist at the moment.

          You don't know what to be when you grow up because your future isn't set in stone. You're alive! That's what matters right now.

          Even though there were moments you wished to greet death faster.

          You looked up and squinted your eyes. I hope you're looking over me, grandma. Always.

          You were grateful for this ephemeral trip to the beach. But your euphoria was cut short when in an instant, your dog's body tensed up and their ears perked, sensing something threatening in the distance.

          You tried to whisper cooing words to them but without hesitation, they bolted towards the trees nearby with fierce determination. Your eyes widened and your heart jolted with fear as you called out their name numerous times, but it was drowned out by the sound of their relentless sprint and your dog continued to ignore your desperate cries for them to stop. It was unlike your dog to act like this. What was even happening? This wouldn't happen in the first place if you only brought a leash for them. You sprinted after them, knowing the imminent danger that lurked within the ominous forest ahead that you hadn't explored yet the entire time you visited this place. Even when your pet reached deep into the treacherous depths of the forest, you were unable to stop running just so you could protect your pet from any harm that comes to them.

          Your phone was clutched tightly in your hand as you sprinted, the cool air whipping past your skin and filling your lungs with each ragged breath. The wind tousled your hair and sent shivers down your spine as you ran. The sound of your pounding footsteps echoed in your ears, drowning out all other noise.

          But then you stopped.

          I'm gonna die.

          Your imagination went wild as you gazed at the start of the trees in front of you; the trees stood tall and straight, their trunks thick and high, musty and smelling of old wood. At this, you took a deep shuddering breath whilst the sound of your flip-flops crunching on the damp leaves that are stuck underneath them filled your ears.

          Run! Your mind shouted. Run, Y/N!

          But then the other part of your mind screamed, You're going to die! Don't go! This is how they end up in horror movies!

          Instinctively, you hugged yourself for comfort.

          That damn dog! You gulped. This is it. There's no turning back now.

          And with great trepidation, you sprinted  after your dog on the trail, the wind whipping through your hair as you dart through the forest. Your eyes frantically scanned the trail ahead and ducked under a low-hanging tree branch amongst the large trees that followed, narrowly avoiding a collision.

          Faint glints of sunlight shined through the thick canopy and filtered down to the forest floor, illuminating the fog in the distance.

          Pinecones and acorns scattered over the ground here and there, with wood beetles bumbling across rotten logs that had fallen. The fog had now clouded your vision, yet you tried your hardest to peer through the mist and watched out for glimpses of any sound or movement.

          You could no longer see the beach this far.

          The hairs on your arm stood up as you walked deeper and deeper, still having no sign of your dog anywhere. The trees now loom over you and the air smelled like the forest floor, with a slight note of decay as moss climbed up trunks and most of the forest. The birds have stopped chirping from the apprehension surrounding you—a creak here, a snap there. The sounds seem to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

          And this scared you.

          Fear rose in your throat, and you struggled to keep your courage. You'd gone too far to turn back now.

          Your heart hammered against your chest as your head snapped towards the direction where you heard your dog's frantic barks echoing through the air.

          "There you are!" you cried, relief flooding your body.

          The moment you were approaching your dog, it seemed as though their barking was aimed at the tree that dominated you and the entire forest. A knot formed in your throat, and cold sweat prickled across your skin as you gaped at the tree in front of you for two things:

          One—it was the most enormous tree you'd ever seen in the forest; bigger and taller than the rest that could not compare to its height as the dense fog covered the top of it like a veil.

          Two—it resembled the tree from Attack on Titan a lot. Like, a lot. The huge hole — opening —or whatever really — was in the middle, serving as an entrance to go inside. Moreover, it looked like the one you saw in your dreams. Except this was real, and not made of light.

          You didn't know how to react.

          Not wanting to take your situation seriously and deciding to maintain equanimity, you opened your phone to take a video of the enormous tree with a nervous chuckle while your other hand desperately tried to keep your dog under control.

          You couldn't resist taking a video for proof, before leaving the forest behind.

          Oh, the fandom would go crazy about this one, you thought, proud of your sudden discovery.

          However, the familiar rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, causing you to frown and glance at the darkening sky. It was only a matter of time before the rain started pouring down.

          Moroseness filled your body; this ineffable experience would be cut short due to the weather. This is not how you imagined this day would end.

          As you clicked the shutter for the last time, something caught your eye. Your head tilted to the side and saw something and found words etched into the bark of the tree—which, in fact, was placed at the side of the terrifying entrance. Curious, you stepped closer to inspect it.

          Turns out, it wasn't something. It seemed like. . .  like words of some sort. Like scribbles of another language you did not know of.

          You found it cool though.

          You checked the time on your phone.

          1:39 PM 

          You hastily took a picture of it before signaling to your dog you would go back to your house. But before you could even take a step, the sky opened up and unleashed a torrent of rain that pounded against your skin like bullets, blurring your vision and drenching you in seconds. You stumble forward, and then to your back, trying to grasp onto your dog as you both battle against the fierce downpour to reach shelter.

          But as the idiot you are, you slipped in the muddy water and lost balance.

          Fuck!

          Before you could catch your breath, panic surged through your veins as the musty scent of earth and decay wafted your senses from the opening as you slipped into its depths.

          A deafening scream echoed through the air as you plummeted into the dark abyss beneath the gnarled roots of the ancient tree. The sensation of falling engulfed you, stretching time as you descended further and further into oblivion, the darkness almost closing in on you and suffocating every sense.

          I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA—

          With a sickening lurch in your stomach, you braced for impact while the darkness swallowed you whole.

          As you fell. . . under the tree.

To be continued . . .

← prev chapter ┊ next chapter →

[bokettochild]

"Can you imagine Legend singing "under the sea" from the little mermaid?"

-Isa

As a child who grew up surrounded by music (and I do mean surrounded) Legend can't exist without it. So, while he's not the type of person to just bust into song, at least not something so cheerful and silly, he is the type of person who get's random music in his head all day, and since he (unlike some of us) doesn't have to worry about being attentive to what other people are doing and about talking to them, he sings all the time.

Working on a set? He's singing.

Painstakingly making a new sword after Wild broke their prop swords again? He's singing.

Standing around draped in silk and ribbon while Styla uses him as a dress form? He's singing.

There is no radio in the opera house, they have Legend, and if he stops singing, that's when people get worried. Flora calls him a canary for this reason, and the others (who don't already have pet named for him) picked it up.

So to answer your question, yes, he would sing that. He'd probably not even realize he'd started singing it at first, just half mumbling the lyrics while working on one of his thousand of projects, but Ravio 100% is jamming out in the background to it.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

blood on your altar

Fandom: DC Comics, Titans (fab five), Aquafam, Arrowfam

Summary: Roy Harper is haunted by a strange sight he witnessed while on holiday by the seaside.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Roy Harper, Garth, Oliver Queen, Hal Jordan, Dinah Lance

Relationships: Roy Harper/Garth

Additional Tags: Cannibal Mermaid AU, Sacrifice, Cannibalism as a Metaphor, Secrets, Angst, Romance, Horror, 1950's AU

Chapter One: Stained Glass

I watched the thing, meat in its teeth, blood dribbling down its chin as it growled and moaned. Wretched thing. Beautiful thing. Blood drunk. Red drunk. Like wine. My strange beast slurped flesh off the bone as it became more of a man and less of a thing. Claws became fingers. Dark reflective scales like abalone shells became flesh. Its eyes were man's eyes. First, they were bright candles behind amethyst stained glass windows, and then... Dark and dull indigo like a boy's. He wiped the blood from his lips, pretty and pink, before lying on his back in the sand. He spread his arms and legs in a shameful display, unashamed of his nakedness. He writhed pleasurably as the waves lapped at his bare skin. I gripped the fabric of my jacket, swallowing the lump in my throat as I watched my boy-creature. 

I knew it was wrong to watch the way I did, but the blood in my body rushing south only encouraged my voyeurism. I continued, guiltily watching my creature amid a lustful act, his now-human hands poking and tickling his loins, then flapping it back and forth, then as if he'd figured it out, he began to stroke and squeeze and gasp. I couldn't bear to look away. Hungry, dreadful, sinful curiosity captured me. It swallowed me whole, making parts of me long for a man in ways that I'd never imagined. I watched until he dribbled, then spurted alabaster white onto pink-blue flesh. Cold flesh from the looks of it. Then something changed. His man eyes flashed back to their stained-glass amethyst, shining brightly in my direction. I hid behind a boulder, holding my breath. I dropped to my knees and peeked around the corner, watching him crawl to the ocean. Cover his nakedness. Cover his acts. He glanced in my direction, still unable to see me while I hid again. “Who's thir?” he shouted. “Who's thir?” It was a strange accent, but not completely unintelligible. I didn't move. I didn't breathe. 

I stayed there until his honey-sweet voice stopped calling. By that time, he was already inside me. His eyes, his voice, his flesh. His chin was soaked with blood. Every little detail seeped into my brain and my heart, and I couldn't stand it. “I willny haert ye…” 

I crawled on my hands and knees until I bumped into Ollie’s shins. He groaned, bracing himself as he crouched. “Having fun down there?” Ollie asked. I couldn’t stand up. The creature burrowed into my mind, chilling me to the bone. Ollie extended a hand. He worried about me. It wasn’t without reason. He took me out of California to clear my head. Dinah and Hal suggested a trip to the seaside would improve my health. 

“Did you hear someone yelling?” I asked. Ollie shook his head as he pulled me to my feet. 

“It’s getting late, kid… Let’s go inside,” Ollie suggested. I followed him up the carved stone steps to the house. The faded pale green-grey house with its old beat-up hemlock green shutters. The windchimes blew around, singing hollow wood songs in the cool night breeze. Ollie asked me to go inside and shut the inner shutters to prepare for the coming storm. As I stepped inside the house, the boy-creature’s face faded from my memory. Seeing him felt like no more than a strange dream.

Dinah sat beside the radio with a glass of wine. She hummed to the radio’s tune. It always calmed my nerves. I sat on the floor by Dinah’s feet, and Ollie sat beside her. “What spooked you, Roy?” Hal asked. He noticed. I must’ve looked ill. “Were you out on the beach tonight?” 

“Don’t fill his head with all those ghost stories, Hal,” Ollie warned him. Dinah took a sip and smiled. 

“Awww, come on, Ollie. I wanna hear it,” Dinah replied. She kicked off her shoes and threw her feet over Ollie’s lap. He discreetly ran her thumb across her calf.

“Tell your story, Hal,” Dinah smiled. 

“You must beware of nighttime swims in coastal towns and cities. There are women… Women who dwell in the waters like fish. Some are as vicious as they are lovely. They swim to the surface at night, luring men in—.”

“Are they all women?” I interrupted. Ollie and Hal squinted at me. Dinah smiled and raised her glass. 

“Yes! Do the mermaids have meddling merfathers?” Dinah teased. Ollie playfully nipped at her. 

“I guess there could be male creatures… I could imagine male creatures of that sort are in short supply, though,” Hal answered. Ollie scoffed. He was neither superstitious nor interested in fantasy. “I’d imagine they’re much more dangerous and desperate than their female counterparts. Without the ease of allure, they might rely on speed and force to catch their prey, hiding underwater and dragging their poor victims beneath the waves to tear them limb from limb.”

I covered my mouth. “It’s only a story, Roy. Cut it out, Hal. You’re scaring the poor kid senseless… It’s getting late,” Ollie announced. It was his way of telling me to go to sleep. I left the room and bathed. I sank into the warm water and shut my eyes. My mind strayed to the gore and sweet hunger of the dark-haired thing. I lathered with soap as my hands strayed to my privates. I imagined his bloodstained lips kissing me all over. They couldn’t hear me over the radio. So, I moaned freely. I could almost feel his skin against mine. The warm bathwater was the entire ocean. His skin must’ve been soft like a woman’s. It felt more natural than anything I’d ever experienced… But it didn’t feel common. No. 

I could only feel this way in passing. Soon, it’d be nothing more than a dream to me. I spat white paint onto my speckled canvas. I shuddered as I thought of him doing the same. He writhed shamelessly, almost glowing under the moonlight as he delighted himself. The creature bore himself into my skull and wouldn’t leave me. He was ceaseless… And I was insatiable. I knew someone would worry if I took too long, so I collected myself, dressing in my robe and pajamas before hiding away in bed. 

Ollie was right. The storm set in after I laid down. The wind and rain shook the outer shutters, and thunder shook the house. I loved listening to storms when I didn’t have to go out in them, but something about this one seemed strange. I had a dreadful feeling wash over me as the kisses I imagined turned into bites. Devastatingly sharp and taking chunks out of my skin. I didn’t fight back. I didn’t want to. That’s what frightened me most. I would’ve let him eat me whole if he wanted to. I fell into a deep sleep, so deep I didn’t want to wake up. 

I couldn’t remember dreaming. So, I could’ve been dead… Or perhaps… Perhaps my boy-creature was a dream as well. 

[writebackatya]

i wanted to ask, why beauty and the beast as your favorite disney movie? do you have any specific memories with it?

There might be some childhood bias but man I do love the Disney Renaissance era. I was born near the end of that era so I did have a certain fondness. Mind you I have vivid memories watching both Tarzan and Mulan in theaters and the rest on VHS and DVD with my siblings

For the longest time I’d say Aladdin was my favorite Disney movie of all time and I think it might be the one I watched the most, but when I was in my teens Beauty and the Beast became my favorite because it’s just the best in my humble opinion

I love everything about it!

The music numbers are wonderful! The Disney Renaissance in general has a lot of wonderful music!

Every movie from that era I will admit have some bangers. The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan; all great stuff! But I admit all of them have song or two that just don’t really do it for me as much as their others. Doesn’t mean I hate them though. (The only songs I genuinely hate out of these movies are Les Poissons from The Little Mermaid and A Guy Like You from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

But Beauty and the Beast! Every song is a banger and not a drag and moves the story forward! First you got it’s opening number: Belle! I just love it’s energy and how it introduces its main characters! It’s so good it gets another reprise and you don’t know how often I’ve sung “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere” in public. Twice. Once at work

And Gaston!? An amazing villain song. It’s so ridiculous, makes you wanna sing along and do all the voices, and it captures our villain’s scummy ways so well! And the reprise!? So good! Just love how sinister it becomes while still being so jovial!

Be Our Guest!? Yes please! The supporting cast in this movie is so good and this song is a great showcase of these characters, specifically Lumiére and Cogsworth! Lumiére with his excellent showmanship and Cogsworth just slowly getting into while being on the end of a lot of slapstick! Don’t worry, Mrs. Potts will get her time in the spotlight soon but we get a small taste of her singing talents in this one!

And how about Something There!? Whenever it’s a beautiful winter day this song will always play in my head! And it’s funny to think that one of the previous scenes before it was the Beast fighting off those wolves in the snow! When all of that was kinda scary and he was still seen as somewhat of a threat! But look at him now! Birds love him! He has a gentle side! And he sucks at snowball fighting! It’s funny! Oh and his voice! So damn good! And Belle’s singing is still just as beautiful as ever

If we’re talking extended edition I do really enjoy Human Again which is a great addition to the soundtrack! The beast’s servants deserve their own song singing about what they want

And now. The main event. The titular song. Beauty and the Beast sung by Mrs. Potts herself!! God this song is so beautiful! Angela Lansbury’s voice is phenomenal; it’s so loving and caring and soft! (Also absolutely great blend of 2D and 3D animation in this scene! So well done!)

Funny to think about that the final song (besides the reprise) is the Mob Song. But yeah! This song is damn good too! Like I love the Beast but this fear mongering song is such a banger and shows Gaston’s manipulative side so damn well. And let’s not forget the servant’s side as they head into the final battle! Good stuff!

I love all the characters in this movie! Belle is a great protagonist, the Beast has development that you just love to see happen, Gaston is the most fun villain to ever come from Disney, and the supporting characters are great at stealing scenes

I remember there was a time on the internet where everyone just seemed to have this whole “Yo! Fuck the Disney Renaissance movies” and just had a whole bunch bad takes such as Belle being a horrible person, Gaston is a good person, the infamous Stockholm syndrome take. I guess that pushback just made me love it more. Not to say the movie shouldn’t have its critics but i just felt those arguments were always weak and either ignored details from the movie or just added something that wasn’t in the movie

In the 8th grade, I was in my school’s musical of the Disney version! I played Monsieur D’Arque (the asylum guy) and my big solo moment was “He’ll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wonder free”. I was friends with a lot of the leads already so this musical was a lot of fun for me

And recently on my trip to Disney World I got to eat at the Beast’s Castle

So yeah. I love this movie. It’s my favorite. But I admit there is some bias to it but who cares!? There’s always bias when it comes to opinions

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 239

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 Go Go! 40 - “Take Back Urara's Singing Voice!" Date watched: 7 January 2024 Original air date: 23 November 2008 Screenshots Precure Metamorphose Gallery | Sky Rose Translate Gallery Project info and master list of posts

dramatic wind for effect

Urara has the chance of a lifetime to get closer to her late mother. So of course, Shibiretta conspires to prevent this. Let’s dig in!

The Plot

Urara is preparing for a very special audition: it will be the same show in the same venue as her late mother’s final performance, which left a big impact on young Urara and inspired her to become an actress in the first place. She approaches this with a rare seriousness, saying she HAS to pass. She primarily opens up to Syrup about the significance of this to her, but when she tries to sing a song, she can only cough. Suddenly, she and all the other main cast find themselves trapped under the sea, turned into mermaids and sea creatures.

At Eternal, Shibiretta was spying on Urara and concocting a plan. Anacondy visited her office and the two rivals butted heads, so Shibiretta sprang into action, sucking the girls into the story of The Little Mermaid and capturing Urara’s singing voice in a seashell. The witch offers to return Urara’s voice in exchange for the Rose Pact, and surprisingly, the girls seem to be willing to make this trade, but Urara refuses because their mission to the Cure Rose Garden is bigger than her personal life.

Nozomi convinces her that they can get the Pact back, so they give it to Shibiretta, who predictably double crosses them and refuses to return Urara’s voice. Cococtopus spews ink all over her, and Syrup grabs both the Rose Pact and the seashell with Urara’s voice in the commotion. Then Precure and Milky Rose transform, losing their mermaid tails.

In the course of the battle, Shibiretta tries to steal back the pact by attacking Syrup with the Stingray Hoshiina’s tail. He drops the seashell, nearly losing Urara’s voice, but Coco and Nuts manage to save it. Cure Lemonade then uses Prism Chain to grab the Hoshiina and swing it around before throwing it into the cliff face, and the team finishes it off with Rainbow Rose Explosion. Shibiretta flees and the story world fades away.

Urara performs her song “Twintail Magic” for her audition. Washio later shows up at Natts House to deliver the results. He looks sad at first, but then reveals she passed the audition and got the part.

Urara talks to Syrup alone and redeems the free ride coupon he gave her in episode 18. While flying, he says that the open sky feels nice, and admits that he may have experienced this sensation before…

The Analysis

What I Liked

It’s an alright episode. I enjoyed Urara’s strong determination, watching her work for her dream, because of the personal significance to her.

On the other hand, Urara’s unwavering willingness to sacrifice her personal dream for the greater good is very powerful and mature, it shows that she understands the big picture.

Urara has several flashbacks to recount her journey up to this point, including her singing debut at the mall. I also appreciate the payoff to the free ride pass she got in episode 18.

Urara and Syrup continue to develop a unique closeness. They’re a common shipping couple, though I think they come in last place behind the other three major ships of the series (Nozomi/Coco, Komachi/Nuts, and Karen/Kurumi) and their bond is still portrayed as very platonic, with no romantic signifiers.

While I am not advocating for it, it is a good thing that the Precure series features topics such as absentee parents or even deceased parents sometimes, and how the characters are affected and shaped by it.

The underwater forms for the mascots are funny. Coco becomes an octopus, Nuts is a pufferfish, and Syrup is a sea turtle.

What I Didn’t Like

I know that I said in episode 38 that I appreciated Shibiretta as a villain for the originality of the fairy tale worlds, and that’s true here to an extent, but it still has the problem of the writers and characters not taking full advantage of the setting. The girls are only mermaids for a few minutes and they don’t do anything as mermaids they couldn’t have done as humans. They don’t have to figure out how to swim with fish tails, they don't meet any other mermaids, there’s nothing to it. Yes, Shibiretta taking Urara’s singing voice is a parallel to the original story, and she spells that out explicitly for the younger audience members that may not be familiar with the story, but they don’t need to be mermaids for that. The only advantage of her storybook world is that the girls are stck there until they defeat her.

When the girls transform, they stop being mermaids, which seems like a real missed opportunity in my opinion.

The girls’ mermaid outfits are all identical patterned dresses, just colored in their respective theme color.I wish they’d been more unique. They didn’t have to be in seashell bras, they could have even been in their normal civilian clothes. It arguably would have been less work when making their control sheets to draw their usual tops and then have mermaid tails instead of legs, than redesigning them all in the aquatic dresses they had.

Yes this is petty, but I wish they had used a vocal-only version of Urara’s song for her audition scene. I know they want to get people to buy the single, but it breaks the world a little bit that she starts singing a song with a backing track in a room where she clearly doesn’t have a boombox or anything to sing along to.

Miscellaneous

The story of The Little Mermaid involves a mermaid who makes a deal with a sea witch to become a human, in exchange for her voice. At the end of the story she dies and turns into sea foam, but because of her good deeds she earns a soul and makes it into heaven. Obviously the 1989 Disney movie is the most famous adaptation, which deviates significantly from the story in the last act. It also got a live action remake last year, which I have not seen. However there are numerous other adaptations of the story, varying in their faithfulness to the narrative.

The only elements kept in this episode are the undersea setting, the presence of mermaids, a sea witch, and one mermaid (Urara) losing her voice, though here it’s only her singing voice and not her entire voice.

This is the first appearance of Washio, Urara’s manager, in a while.

We see Kurumi in mermaid form during her pre-transformation stock footage. None of the others get this luxury.

This is the first time the concept of Precures and mermaids are mixed. It will not be the last. I think there’s more episodes where the precures are trend into mermaids somehow, and then of course there is the mermaid-themed Cure Mermaid in Go Princess, and then finally an actual mermaid becomes a Precure in Tropical-Rouge.

I didn’t mention this in the plot recap, but at one point Nozomi gives Urara a bead bracelet that Rin made, and Urara is still seen wearing it and clutching it tightly for encouragement during her audition. So it’s a nice little nod there, and also a casual reminder that the bead maker exists. We’ll get another reminder of that next time.

There is an animation error when Urara’s mermaid form is shown off in full: the bottom of her tail cuts off above the bottom of the frame, leaving a gap.

Milk does not appear in her fairy form in this episode.

Conclusion

It’s an okay episode for Urara’s story but I wish she had been given more time to do her thing. I also wanted more in the setting of The Little Mermaid. The episode tried to do a few too many things but didn’t make the most of its ideas.

Next time, on Precure Daily: Rin has to contemplate the true nature of accessories and why people choose to wear them, and also maybe go on a date with Mucardia!? Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 kettei

[faegoddessog]

 Seventy Two Hours of Bliss Ch. 9/41

Chapter 9: Dreams that Spill Into Reality

Chapter Warnings: Explicitly mature content, 18+ only, weird dream with anal and cunnilingus, unprotected PIV (play safe ya'll!)

Series Masterlist

Series Summary:

You are neighbors with Austin Butler on the Gold Coast of Australia just prior to shooting Elvis. You become just friends because he is taken. However, after he is single again, you both find out just how attracted you are to one another and things get unrelentingly hot.

SERIES WARNING: Explicitly mature content, 18+ only,  here there be lemons.

Authors Notes: I started writing this while remodeling my kitchen, so that informed the slightly quirky narrative. It starts slow, but once it heats up, it is on fire. I have tried to pull facts from RL as much as I could, but obviously there are some assumptions and flat out dreamy wishes  involved here. 

Chapter 9: Dreams that Spill Into Reality

On the drive back you have a lively discussion about god and sex and the oppression of sexuality in both men and women.

He puts on your favorite up beat Elvis songs like ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, “A Little Less Conversation’, and ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and you both sing at the top of your lungs. It is hard to differentiate Austin’s voice from Elvis’. He is so ready to make this movie.

You pick up some take-out, drive to the beach and eat as the sun starts to go down. You start talking favorite movies and Austin is shocked to find out that you have never seen East of Eden and insists that you go back and watch it immediately.

Curled up together in your bed watching on his laptop, he makes little side notes to you about James Dean’s performance and about how they filmed it. His childlike enthusiasm is adorable. As the film ends, you can’t keep your eyes open. You roll over and are asleep before you know it.

You are in a warm natural pool next to a waterfall, you can't touch the bottom. Austin glides up from beneath you, the water bulging up over his head just before he breaks the surface. He pulls you to him, hungrily kissing you. You wrap your legs around his waist. He pushes you up against the cave wall, hands come out from the wall and hold you there legs open.

Austin backs away as a dark haired mermaid slithers between you and starts to feast on your pussy. Her dark, exotic eyes watching you as her agile tongue draws shapes around your slit. Austin is watching and stroking his cock.

“Fuck her with your tongue,” He commands.

A second, impossibly long tongue comes out from her mouth and starts to plunge in and out of your pussy. Suddenly he is behind you, rock wall gone, pressing his cock at your asshole and grabbing your tits. He tilts your head up and kisses you impossibly deep.

“Please Austin, fuck me, please,” you hear yourself saying while his dick slides into your ass, your pussy filled with mermaid tongue. You are about to come….You are so filled.

It’s dark and warm. You feel fingers gliding on your wet pussy.

"Please fuck me, please Austin, fuck me,” you hear over and over, an echo bouncing off the walls. Are you still dreaming?

“Come here,” intones a deep, sonorous voice as you feel weight on top of you.

You open your legs, wishing the mermaid would come back and lick your pussy more. You feel his rigid shaft slide deep. You whimper.

“That must’ve been some dream, you are dripping,” says the whispering in your ear, “tell me about it.”

This dream? Right? You start talking in incomplete sentences. Mumbling about mermaids and extra hands and two tongues and his cock in your ass. All as he is moving in and out of you, his hips rolling.

“How did it feel, my cock in your ass?” asks Austin's voice in your ear.

“So good, stretched, pussy full of tongue, gonna cum so hard," your hips are rocking up to meet his down stroke.

“You gonna let me fuck you in the ass?” asks the hot lips on your ear lobe.

“God yes", your sleepy dream brain getting hotter, partially wondering why he isn't in your ass now like he was in the pool. Dreams are weird.

“Mmmggnh,”his aroused growl rumbles from his chest to yours, as he starts moving faster. God it feels so good.

You try to reach down between you to get to your clit, you need some stimulation there to get you off. Before you can worm your fingers between you, he sits back on his knees, pulling out of you, the covers falling off him. You whimper at your sudden emptiness. Are you awake now?

There is the faintest of lights coming through the windows, allowing you to see him. Knees spread wide, he is looking down on you, chest heaving with desire. His eyes are dark and lustful looking down on you. His jaw clenched, messy hair and his phallus, satyr-like, standing up long and hard with need. He seems to be surrounded by a wild, fae energy. It is powerful and demanding.

Are you awake? dreaming? both?

He pulls your hips up onto his lap, directing himself at your swollen, wet pussy. He slides into you, the angle easily hitting your G spot.

“Omigod” you inhale, eyes popping wide open, back arching, fists full of bedsheets. Yeah, awake.

Never taking his dominant, shadowy gaze off yours, he grips your hips, pushing and pulling you on and off his cock in time to his thrusts. There is no preamble or going slow. He is riding you like a galloping horse, your pussy the saddle, your hips the reins. You feel deliciously impaled, the head of his cock rubbing on that spot that makes you see double.

You have lost all time and place in this seemingly dark rite, fueled by the energy of your dreaming. You can’t stop what feels like the shattering of your soul on the fulcrum of his cock.

Your moaning, keening wail as you cum, clenching down on his shaft, drives him almost feral with need. Hunting his orgasm, his speed increases as does the grunting and groaning from his throat. Finally, he pulls out and pumps his cum all over your belly and pussy. Hot streams on your cool skin, dripping down your sides. God it feels so good and heightens the next wave of your orgasm as you rub it into your pussy, thrashing on his legs. He falls down next to you, gathering you in his arms, careless of the sticky mess all over you. You are shaking and shivering in aftershocks, eyes rolling back in your head. Still having mini orgasms as your pussy clenches, unable to catch your breath.

“Hey baby, shhhh” He is whispering in your ear with some concern. “Breathe, that’s it now.”

He holds you close and murmurs a string of calming words as you gradually come down from your ethereal high, breath getting more even, body calming down.

You slip into a calm dreamless sleep with him wrapped around you.

[jaeellec]

This is not the soundtrack, this is a playlist I made comprised of songs that reminded me of or felt like the story. Some show up in the final, some don't. A lot of these are actually cut! But that doesn't make them feel any less like Wandering Star to me.

Go ahead and give a listen: YouTube | Spotify

Track list below the cut!

True Colors - Richie Kohan, Faux Fix {YouTube Playlist Only} Main trailer music; feels so much like Wandering Star it hurts.

When It's Cold I'd Like to Die - Moby Feels just so vividly like Carmen and her story. Really wish I could convey how much.

This Is War - 30 Seconds to Mars I have a bitchin' amv in my head for this one.

Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea - MISSIO Stripped version used in episode 3.

Put Your Head On My Shoulder - Paul Anka Actually used for a scene in the camp!

Some Things Last a Long Time - Lizzie Grant/Daniel Johnston Couldn't decide which version to put on the playlist so one is on Spotify while the other is on YouTube.

Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes - Perry Como Still debating if I'll use this in a scene or not. Because the lyrics? C'mon on.

Fire Up the Night - New Medicine

Happiness Is A Warm Gun - Joe Anderson/Salma Hayek Makes a tiny acoustic/background appearance.

Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival Cut song for castle siege prep at the beach camp.

Ho Hey - The Lumineers Cut camp song.

Time of the Season (Mono Version) - The Zombies Cut camp song (maybe)...

Say Yes To Heaven - Lana Del Rey

Counting Stars - OneRepublic Important, uncut camp song!

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Lorde Trailer 2 music

Dancin' (feat. Luvli) (Krono Remix) - Aaron Smith Used for Carmen's "name game". Also, I have a little promo music video in my head to this one.

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Dark Paradise - Lana Del Rey

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass The very first thoughts I ever had about Wandering Star were to this song

Misery - Maroon 5 Reminds me of Carmen and Law for some reason??

No Surprises - Radiohead Another Law one. May use it

I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers Just feels like some of the story to me. But like...alot...Reminds me alot of the Heart/Kid Pirates

Knee Socks - Arctic Monkeys Cut song, but the vibes...There's one part in particular...

With You in My Head - UNKLE

High On A Rocky Ledge - Moondog This one I just HAD to have in Wandering Star the moment I heard it in Our Flag Means Death. Brook will sing some of it

Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Bioshock Infinite) - Courtnee Draper {YouTube Playlist Only}

Still Here - Digital Daggers

Coming Undone - Korn There is an episode of the same title

Celeste - Ezra Vine Cut song for the "bar incident" scene. Liked the lyrics, but not the sound for it

Come Out and Play - The Offspring

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring pfft...there's def not a cut lapdance scene to this song...

Lost at Sea - Lana Del Rey Does show up. Super important. Major moments - 'dress drop' scene.

Do You Feel It? - Chaos Chaos

Mermaid - Skott

Saturn - Sleeping At Last This one hits hard....really like it

Stars - fun. A certain character's theme song

Paradise - Coldplay Really good fit for the story - just feels like it

Song To The Siren - This Mortal Coil Yeah...This is another major one. It always shows up for Carmen. Even in Gundam it played for a key moment. It feels so much like her and will show up on her own playlist

Black Bird - Evan Rachel Wood Debating on whether to use this song or the one above for a major moment. They both just fit so well and hit so hard

Kingdom Fall - Claire Wyndam Wandering Star end credits