#Of course I also shaded his face it looked weird without shading!

[mangawatercolors]

Got bored so I did a thing... Kinda wanna make more...

[yueliie]

Well, Hello! I recently started to follow you, but I wanted to ask you a request, like what you did with 'Your tears'.

Like could you do a Wind Breakers boys reacting to seeing again childhoodfriend! Reader? (and with a reader that had a similar case of Mitsuri, like having to much strength and being judged by that) (and specially with Sakura, the others you can decide them)

Of course if you want, have time and if you don't mind!

🎐.お茶 — a girl gotta be strong, ya know? ft s.haruka, k.mitsuki, s.hayato & n.akihiko

୨ৎ — ↻ SYNOPSIS : wind breaker boys' reunited with childhood friend!fem!reader who is pretty strong!? ୨ৎ — ♯ GENRE : fluff, fem!reader ୨ৎ — ↠ NOTE : I see sakura, i'm gunnin' for that—ahem, thank you remontea for being my first customer<3 I'm so happy to know that you are interested in my format haha! It's an odd mix of headcanons + scenario/imagines? so headscena? wait that sounds weird..I think I might have gone overboard with this one cuz childhood friends trope AND big eater like my girl mitsuri?? I'm sold and now you're my favorite customer, congrats 👏 4 characters are my limit cuz it would ruin the aesthetic and limitations of how many pics I can use in one post huhu but if I get many requests for part 2 of this, feel free to let me know! also my first fic with kiryu and nirei, hope they aren't too ooc! I'm not confident in suo's part the most tbh with you all TT ୨ৎ — ♪ REMINDER : reblogs & likes are appreciated, its help to motivate me, thanks for your support~ ୨ৎ — ► ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : a girl gotta be strong, ya know? ft s.haruka, k.mitsuki, s.hayato & n.akihiko

MASTERLIST | REQUEST BOX | RULES | TAGLIST

🎐.お茶 — sakura haruka

۫ ꣑ৎ It was early in the morning, sakura was on his way to school when he bumped into a situation...a girl taking down a group of delinquents all on her own.

۫ ꣑ৎ He was stunned, he thought his eyes were tricking him, there is no way a girl could beat guys twice her size...

۫ ꣑ৎ But then, the young woman wearing an apron was crying while shaking hands with her savior and that was when, he realized it was you...?

"Y-You...why are you doing here?" Sakura flinched when your head snapped towards him, eyes widened and he heard a little gasp from you before he started choking on air when you suddenly pounced on him without warning, and successfully trapping him within your arms.

"Saku-chan!!"

"G-Get off me or you're goin' to succumb—"

"Oh!" You got off with a sloppy smile "... sorry, it's just been so long, I didn't know you went to school here!"

"Yeah...so what about it?" He grumbled, averting his eyes from you.

You looked at him with a blank stare. In response to that, his face heated up, a soft pink decorated across his fair skin, agitated he asked with a stuttering voice "W-What are you lookin' at?"

"Nothing...how should I say it?" You hummed softly, eyebrows frowned, deep in thought but then you snapped your fingers as if you just realized something "It's could just be my imagination... but I feel like you've gotten softer? Normally, you would look at me in the eyes"

You looked down at your shoes, fidgeting with your hands "...do you perhaps not like the way I am now...?"

"...Huh?" His brain malfunctioned for a second there before the shade of light pink turned crimson red in a matter of seconds "W-What!? Who says that, huh?!?!"

He turned around and immediately ran off towards the direction of his school with you following right behind him "Ah, wait up!!"

🎐.お茶 — kiryu mitsuki

۫ ꣑ৎ Kiryu was on his phone when he stumbled upon you, helping an elderly couple carrying around a bunch of heavy industrial plastic crates filled with fresh vegetables and whatnot.

۫ ꣑ৎ At first, he was impressed by your strength, not many girls your age could do that, then he saw you almost tripping over a pile of rubbles...he approached you intending to help you around the store.

۫ ꣑ৎ But when he did...you looked shocked?? Do you know him? He doesn't remember someone as pretty as you in the past though...

"Uh..." You averted your eyes, the soft shade of pink revealed itself on your cheeks, twisting a strand of hair as you mustered up the words to question him "Are you... perhaps Kiryu Mitsuki by any chance...?"

"Yes that's me, have we met before...?" Kiryu asked, tilted his head in question with a sweet voice that is enough to make anyone melt upon hearing that voice of his.

"U-Uh! I'm (name)..." Your voice cracked, biting your lips nervously, brushing some strands of hair behind your ear "...(surname) (name), we used to go to school together...uhh—"

"You're that (name)??" He looked at you with widened eyes, surprised but soon after, his expression melted, his half-lidded eyes looked at you with so much depth of emotions; adoration, bright and beautiful.

If looks could kill, you would be dead by now because you felt that brief moment of your heart just froze up and dropped yet that alluring stare of his is sucking you in, taking your breath away just like how you would expected from a beautiful scenery and right now, he is THAT gorgeous view...why is this guy so attractive?

"(Name)?"

You snapped out of your thoughts when you saw him waving his hand in front of your face, you make eyes contact with his soft green ones.

Flustered being caught staring at him, you tried changing the subject "Y-Yes?"

He pointed towards the direction of a cafe, he asked in that same honeyed tone "If you're finished with work...we could talk over there?"

"Sure...?" You were still in a daze when he turned towards with a smile, ugh...that smile is dazzling. You couldn't find the words to say anything back when he took a hold of your hand and muttered out a quiet let's go then.

You looked down at your hand intertwined with his, its remind you of the old days wherever you go, he is always holding your hand...its never fail to make you feel safe even if you know that you can defend yourself and at the thought of that precious memory, you smiled.

🎐.お茶 — suo hayato

۫ ꣑ৎ It was early in the morning on a weekend when Suo entered the saboten bakery, a store that was famous for their pastries and he was only simply there to buy a cake as usual.

۫ ꣑ৎ Being notified of his arrival, a voice called out from the kitchen "Good morning, Fresh pastries will be ready in just a moment!"

۫ ꣑ৎ Your head peeked out behind the kitchen wall, carrying a tray filled with freshly baked goods but then, you make an eye contact...

"...Eh?" You blinked in disbelief with your mouth wide open, dumbfounded and Suo was all smiling, finding the situation pretty amusing at how much your expression resembling that of a goldfish.

"Suo?!" You gasped, almost dropping the tray to the floor as you turned around, flustered by the fact that your childhood friend saw the messy state you were in, "I-I'm sorry for the mess, I'll—"

"No, no it's fine...really" His chuckle was light, and yet it was deep, laced with a hum of amusement at the matter. His smile never once fade as he stared at you, barely concealed fondness tangible in the warmth that softened his features.

You avoided looking him in the eye, your face flushed red with skin lightly dusted with flour and cream, soft (colour) hair slightly tousled in all directions. You were a hot mess.

"So... how may I help you?"

"Oh, I'll get that and..."

You nodded lightly, using the sliding door to the cake display counter and pulling the frozen goods out before packing them in a pretty small box.

Then you make your way back to the cashier, pressing some buttons and with a smile, you asked "Would that be all?"

"Wait, just a second..." He paused, looking at you with a smile but you don't feel good about that smile of him at that moment though...

Then it happened, his thumb touched the corner of your mouth as that thought crossed your mind, and you flinched upon feeling that lingering warmth stay there for a brief moment.

You looked up to see some whipped cream on his thumb "Shh, stain" He whispered with half lidded eyes, looking so smug with that self-satisfied smirk of his before he licked the cream off "Mhm, it's sweet..."

"Wha...." You stared at him, horrified and in response to that, he laughed and this time; he sounds bright and joyous.

"Well, I'll see you later then" He was still smiling while waving goodbye, he was already on his way out of the store and when the sliding doors slammed shut, dead silence follow suit...

And what if it was on cue, you started freaking out once your brain finally registered what just happened a moment ago.

🎐.お茶 — nirei akihiko

۫ ꣑ৎ Nirei was walking around the town when he heard loud voices in the distance, out of curiosity, he followed the sound to a back alleyway.

۫ ꣑ৎ There, it was a small group of men backed two young girls into a corner, one girl was shivering with tears in her eyes and the other girl was glaring daggers.

۫ ꣑ৎ He could barely recognize you but he immediately knew it was you from the way you talk, you haven't changed from the last time he saw you...

"My friend isn't interested" You bluntly stated that fact, your friend clutched tightly onto your shirt as you stared at the group of three men with a blank expression "Didn't you learn from school that no mean no?"

"Haaah? I was talking to the other chick but..." His eyes looked down and up, taking in the view before him "...well, you aren't half bad yourself"

"Ew, gross" You looked at him with a disgusted face, crossing your arms above your chest "It's no wonder why you don't have a girlfriend... can't get any ladies so you just decided on picking a girl right off the street"

" What did you say, bi—" He was cut off when he was thrown towards the other side of the alleyway. In the blink of an eye, the other two was given the same treatment, being turned upside down and laying across the dirty flooring, unable to move their bodies.

"Are they dead?" You poked at them with a random stick that you found laying on the ground, upon seeing the movements of their chests rising and down, you let out a sigh "The heck? They're fine?"

"A-Amazing!!"

"Huh??"

Your eyes snapped towards the newcomer and upon seeing that familiar fluffy hair and the way he pull out a notebook from his pocket "...Aki? Is that you?"

"Y-Yes!?" He squeaked, probably didn't expecting you to recognize him right off the bat.

"What are you doing here...and what's up with that flashy get up??" You questioned him with concerned eyes.

Well... Guess he has some explaining to do.

© yueliie 2024. do not steal, copy, repost, edit, translate or use my works.

[starleska]

The Nightmare Picnic - Wally Darling x Reader

You're a brand new resident in the wonderful Welcome Home Neighbourhood, and it's the perfect day for the picnic! But your dear friend Wally Darling doesn't seem to be enjoying the fun. What will happen when you decide to try and cheer him up?

content warnings for: eye imagery, scopophobia, hypnosis, impossible physics, Eldritch, and unreality. go in assuming that Wally is a weird little guy, and you’re both terrified of and kind of enjoy that fact! 😉 you can also find this fic on my AO3. i hope you enjoy!! 

The day you learn how to love Wally Darling begins like any other.

It is a balmy day, the air soft and thick and dizzy with butterflies. The sun shines with relentless cheer, and nary a cloud can be seen in the sky. Such a day in the Neighbourhood cannot be spent languishing inside, and all your new neighbours think the same way. So, which lovely activity did they decide upon? Why, a picnic on the grass, of course!

The organisation of the event is efficient and cheerful. In no time, the lush meadow surrounding the outskirts of the Neighbourhood is replete with cosy blankets to lie on, fun games to play, and a plethora of delicious foods contributed by each neighbour. Luckily, you’d baked a whole tray of cupcakes the previous day, with the intent of handing them out when bumping into your neighbours going about their daily business. The cupcakes were a huge success; even the ever-curmudgeonly Frank, who always has something to complain about, graces you with a begrudging, “It’s good, I suppose,” when you hand him a vanilla cupcake topped with a green-icing butterfly.

'I needed this,’ you think as you look around at your new friends. You’ve only been a resident of the Neighbourhood for a few months, but in that time you’ve grown so close to its colourful cast of neighbours as if you’d known each other your whole lives. Right now, they’re dotted across the meadow, smiling and laughing without a care in the world: Howdy’s busy putting together an impossibly long string of daisy chains; Eddie and Sally peer into an origami fortune-teller and giggle at the results; Frank leans over a bush, studying a caterpillar, and Julie and Poppy clap and cheer whilst Barnaby entertains them with a juggling act.

It’s a gorgeous scene. Today, your heart is warm.

A small flash of yellow catches your eye. Of course, it’s an incomplete picture. You take in Wally, who sits cross-legged under the shade of a verdant apple tree. He’s holding an apple between both hands and staring at it intently, as if willing the fruit to communicate with him. It’s an odd expression - you aren’t used to seeing Wally in a state of concentration.

“Hey, Wally!” you call.

Wally looks up at you and smiles. He beckons you over.

“Hello,” says Wally, in his simple way. “I’m happy to see you.”

Oh, what a beautiful voice. Every time you hear Wally speak, it’s like the gentle lapping of his syllables sweep away your worries in a single wave.

As you get closer to Wally, you notice a few strands of his deep blue hair turning flyaway and giving in to the heat, curling away from the otherwise-immaculate pompadour and escaping the death-grip of his hairspray. He’s a little dishevelled elsewhere, too; Wally’s neckerchief is coming loose, and though he’s long since abandoned his cardigan, a stray button on his shirt remains stubbornly popped. You find yourself grinning. Wally takes such pride in his appearance that you never get to see him a little less than perfect.

“Same to you!” you say. “Aren’t you hungry? All the food’s down with the others.”

That unusually pensive look on Wally’s face deepens. He turns his eyes back to his apple. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” You rummage in your backpack and pull out a chocolate bar. “You’ve got to eat, bud. You not feeling so good?”

Wally takes the treat from you and examines it for a moment, as if the bar is a scientific curiosity. “That’s very nice of you…but this doesn’t work for me. You should keep it.”

When Wally hands the bar back, your fingers touch for the briefest moment, and a shiver works its way up your spine.

You don’t know when this… thing you have for Wally Darling began. Despite the countless nights you’ve spent desperately trying to focus on something, anything else, your thoughts inevitably return to the little yellow puppet-man and his catlike smile. There’s a strange magnetism to Wally which befits his profession as a television host; everything from the delicate way he handles his paintbrush, to his ridiculous affinity for apples, leaves you with a little more fondness than before. Wally has so much affection stored in one small body, and when you first met, you wondered how any person could love so much all at once.

But now, when you look at Wally, you understand.

“If you’re sure.” You pop the bar back into your bag and sit on the ground in front of Wally, mirroring his cross-legged pose. “The offer’s still there.”

“It’s tempting,” says Wally, now turning his apple over and over in his hands. “I’d like to know what would happen, if I tried. But Barnaby told me it isn’t worth the risk. I trust him to know.”

You have no idea what he’s talking about, but the look on Wally’s face is so uncharacteristically brooding that you don’t feel it’s polite to pry. Wally’s always been the drifting sort: those large, dewy eyes of his are perpetually lidded, and always seem to be gazing at something no one else can see. But Wally’s inattentiveness is usually matched with an infectious, excited kind of energy, bursting with nonsense and love.

Today, he almost looks sad. The idea makes you feel sick.

It occurs to you that this may be a personal issue, and Wally doesn’t know you well enough to discuss it. So you ask, “Do you want me to look away?”

Wally’s fingers still. To your surprise, the apple actually drops from his hands and rolls into the grass. You’ve never seen Wally mistreat an apple before - there must be something seriously wrong.

“Actually,” says Wally, now looking at you properly, “I’d like to try something.”

He gestures for you to shuffle closer. When you do, Wally reaches forward and takes hold of your forearms. You make a surprised noise, but Wally squeezes you, and fixes you with a smile full of reassurance and warmth. A rush of heat leaps into your cheeks, and you’re suddenly reminded of an interaction you had with another neighbour not too long ago.

It was only a week after you arrived in the Neighbourhood, and you were finally moving the last of your belongings into your home. All of your new neighbours had graciously donated their time to help you in some fashion, and you were overcome with gratitude. On that final day you were more than capable of doing the rest of the moving yourself, but your closest neighbour - the excitable Julie Joyful - volunteered to help with the last handful of delicate items. At first, you were unsure - Julie is a lovely girl and incredibly fun to be around, but so spirited that you feared for the safety of your items. But a good twenty minutes of allowing her to help with the least fragile of your boxes allayed all your fears: Julie moves with the grace of a ballerina, and the two of you soon had all your boxes stacked in your living room.

Burnt orange sunlight poured through the window, streaming soon-to-be-dusk and casting the wooden floorboards with a vibrant glow. You take a moment from the heavy lifting to look out the window. Across the lawn, you can make out a couple of your neighbours engaging in some game. Upon closer inspection, you realise it’s Wally and Barnaby, the former laughing and tossing a series of colourful balls for Barnaby to catch.

You watched as Wally swung his arm and threw a few of the balls a surprising distance, letting the large, spotted dog race off to retrieve them. Wally put his hands on his hips, as if exhausted by the exertion. He turned - and locked eyes with you. Wally’s face broke out into a huge grin, and he gave you a hearty wave. Feeling horribly embarrassed, you waved back, trying to ignore the painful squeezing of your heart. You’ve only known Wally a week, and yet you’re utterly charmed by everything he does.

A tug on your arm brought you back to the present: it’s Julie. She bats her long eyelashes at you, a knowing smile on her face.

“You like hiiiiim, ” she teased, her voice all sing-song.

“What?!”

You grabbed Julie by the shoulders and yanked her away from the window, as if Wally could somehow hear you both through sight. “No! I don’t know where you got an idea like that-”

“It’s okay, sweetie. You don’t need to pretend.”

Your face felt like it was on fire. You’d always been the careful type, ensuring your innermost thoughts and feelings stayed stuffed as far down as possible to keep you safe. But the Neighbourhood bred a kind of emotional honesty with which you were totally unfamiliar. Everyone is so exuberant, always wearing their hearts on their sleeves - some of them even literally, as plenty of your new neighbours wore outfits stitched with cute little hearts! Keeping a secret in the Neighbourhood felt wrong…even a secret crush on the silly little artist whose smile lit up your insides.

So, you give in. “How did you know?”

Julie giggles. She fishes in the pocket of her dress, and pulls out a daisy.

“I know a lot about flowers,” she explained, as she twirled the stem between her fingers. “What kinds grow in different meadows. How much sun and water and love they need to grow. They show it in their petals, and how they lean. People are a lot like that too.

“When you arrived, you looked…wilted. Like you’d been kept out of the sun for too long. I could see it, but didn’t want to ask why. I think everyone else could, too…and we all wanted to help a new friend who lost their colour.”

“You’ve all been so lovely to me,” you said, by way of thanks.

Julie nodded. “Sure we have! And it worked, for a little bit. But for a flower at the end of its days, even fresh soil, plenty of sun and lots of water can only do so much. Your petals seemed faded for good. And that’s okay. I just wanted you to be happy - whatever that looks like for you.”

You swallowed. “You see a lot, for a gardener.”

Julie smiled. “When you care for flowers, you learn to listen to their needs. Sometimes, you’ll have a flower who has everything in the world…but they’re still curling up, and shying away from the light.”

She pressed the daisy into your palm.

“Wally brings the colour back to your petals,” said Julie. “Do yourself a favour. Don’t hide from your sun.”

Another squeeze from Wally brings you out of your recollection. You suck in a deep breath, facing this new reality of Wally holding you, his fingers pleasantly warm and fuzzy.

“Close your eyes,” says Wally gently.

For anyone else, you would’ve paused - but for Wally, you comply immediately.

Slowly, you feel Wally’s hands slide down your arms to your hands. He threads his fingers through yours and holds them firm, so tight that you start to feel your blood thrumming from the pressure. Your hearing, sensitive now your sight is compromised, picks up the distant chatter of your neighbours, as well as the friendly sounds of nature at play. Your skin tingles, sweat-slicked from the heat and the nerves.

“I have a question,” says Wally, his voice wonderfully calm and soft.

“Yes?”

“Why do you eat?”

“Uh…” What kind of question was that? Wally is admittedly prone to posing questions that only a truly strange mind would think up, but this one is so baffling, you’re thrown entirely for a loop. “...So I don’t die, I guess?”

“Ha ha ha ha!” Wally’s unique, halting laugh almost startles you into opening your eyes. “You’re so funny. Okay. Do you know why I eat?”

This time, it takes you a little longer to answer. A simple enough question, surely with the exact same answer? But Wally’s voice has taken on a teasing, knowing edge - a sound you recognise from when he’s setting up a punchline. The question must be a trick. So you rack your brains, trying to think of all the times you’d seen Wally eat: where he was, what he was eating.

With your eyes still closed, you reach a strange realisation.

“I…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat.”

A soft chuckle from Wally. “That’s right. You haven’t.”

Wally’s grip on your hand tightens. Strangely, a weak, static noise buzzes to life, seemingly from inside your skull. You shift, trying to locate the source, but Wally holds you in place. As the noise grows, the sounds of your friends fizzle out and die. It’s as if you’ve been placed on an invisible train and are moving steadily down the track, away from all the familiar sounds of your Neighbourhood - but you can’t feel the rumbling of the track, or hear the whistle of the wind.

“But…maybe you should.”

With Wally’s words the temperature noticeably drops, and gooseflesh breaks out on your arms. You shudder, wanting to open your eyes but finding that you can’t: your eyelids feel impossibly heavy. You’re stuck in place, pinioned to the grass (which you can no longer feel) as that buzzing sound inches up by the decibel, a nasty, steady crawl which leaves your brain awash in a sea of noise.

“Open your eyes.”

You do so.

And you can’t make sense of what you see.

The sky is gone. The tree is gone. The meadow is gone. Every detail from the Neighbourhood’s comforting landscape has evaporated, leaving nothing behind but a grayscale emptiness which fuzzes in and out like television static. Even the awful buzzing sound abruptly falls away, leaving your ears with nothing but the distant sound of an unseen tide.

Wally still sits in front of you, his hands grasping yours, but it’s like he’s sitting on nothing at all: somehow supported by a cushion of emptiness. It’s like the texture of the world has fallen out of reality.

Seized by vertigo, you tighten your grip on Wally’s hands. “What’s happening?!”

“Don’t worry,” says Wally. “You’re safe.”

“There’s nothing here,” you whisper. “Where is everyone?”

“Back Home,” says Wally. “They can’t see us right now. They’re not ready.” His smile turns coy. “But I think you are. Watch this.”

Wally reaches over and rustles in your backpack. Your heart crawls into your mouth; although you can see Wally’s hands in front of you, you can somehow still feel his hands holding both of yours, keeping you locked in place. You try to look down and make sense of this impossibility, but your eyes are stuck, glued to Wally’s face. You can only watch, terrified, as he takes out your chocolate bar and locks in his gaze.

Without warning, Wally’s eyes flare open, heavy lids drawing back and revealing the full size of his large, black pupils. Wally’s stare travels steadily down the chocolate bar, a focused intensity searing from his eyes like a laser. Somehow as he stares, bite marks are chunked out of the chocolate, as if some great invisible person is taking enormous chomps out of both the bar and wrapper. In seconds, the chocolate is gone.

Panic grips your chest, and you start to hyperventilate. The world tilts, and you’re scared you might actually puke. Wally blinks, his eyelids half-blanketing those pupils once more, and he looks at you with concern. When his eyes connect, your chest convulses with panic: a type of terror you’ve never experienced before threatening to claw its way out of your body and devour you whole.

“What happened?!”

“Oh, don’t be scared,” says Wally, his voice floating and cloudlike. “This is just how I eat.”

“How - did you - do - that?” you gasp.

“I’m not sure. I’ve always eaten this way.” Wally inclines his head in sympathy. “I am sorry if I’ve made you afraid. I usually only eat when others are blinking. That way, I don’t interrupt them. I don’t want to be rude."

You suck in a huge gulp of breath. “Wally, this is…impossible,” you manage. “I want to leave - I want to go Home-”

“You can’t.”

Wally shakes his head mildly from side to side, but his eyes seem to stay still, locked into the centre of his face. No matter how much you strain to move, those incredible eyes remain right in front of you, always at the same distance, never looking away - and never blinking. In your peripheral vision, you see Wally’s hand reach up towards your face. He cups your cheek. The sensation of feeling three arms belonging to a two-armed person on your body sends a rush of nausea through your throat. Wally strokes your skin with his thumb.

“You understand me so well,” says Wally. “You see me, don’t you?”

“I don’t understand.” Another wave of dizziness rises up, pushing behind your eyeballs. The sensation is the same as the pressure of allergies arising on a high pollen day - yet you can no longer smell the flowers of the meadow. You try again in vain to rip your gaze away from Wally’s, but you can’t - and you’re finding it harder and harder to keep your eyes open.

Wally’s thumb stops, resting in the dip of your cheek. “I love my friends, but they only see one part of me. The part they want to see. But you…”

His thumb trails to the edge of your lip.

“...you see all of me.”

You’re split in two. Your brain, the logical part of your thinking, is screaming at you to do anything - to move, to scream, to run as fast as you can into the nightmare emptiness and beg for help. But the other part of you - your traitorous, emotional heart - douses the runaway fire of your fear with the intoxication of Wally’s touch. You find yourself leaning into his hand, savouring how perfectly his cheek cups your palm, and the slight fuzz of his thumb teasing your lip.

“I do,” you whisper. Suddenly, your body relaxes, and you slump forward. You feel very tired. The panic which gripped your body only moments ago is now quashed, flattened into a fine layer of dust by the weight of Wally’s impossibly black eyes. Now your nervous system is nothing but the aftermath: the feeling of fight-or-flight chemicals settling into your bloodstream, leaving you weak and sluggish.

Now, Wally’s eyes are not a source of terror. They’re a blanket you wish to curl up beneath, and never wake up.

“I think you’re special, you know,” says Wally. “The way I feel when I’m around you is…different, than with the others. You’re the absolute most.”

Wally’s words settle over your brain like a dream. You watch, your eyes heavy and drained, as Wally brings his hands up to his chest and forms the shape of his heart with his fingers. You’re no longer scared of the physical contradictions of Wally holding your hands whilst signing his affection. It seems in this reality, Wally can have as many hands as he wants.

This is why Wally’s next question confuses you so:

“Do you think if our friends saw me like this…they’d run away?”

Wally’s words are becoming harder to process. The world around him tunnels. Even though you’re sure that you’re fixed in place, sitting on some immovable, textureless cushion, Wally’s eyes grow larger, encroaching evermore on your limiting field of vision. The longer you look, the more of Wally’s scleras are swallowed by his expanding pupils. Those blown, void-black pools seem to come with their own gravity, and you’re slipping into their inconceivable pull, ready to be strewn and stretched and ripped apart by their physics.

“Oh, Wally,” you try to say, but your tongue slackens, and his name comes out as, ‘Waaalllllyyyy.’ “We love you so much. You can’t make us run away.”

Wally smiles, and you think it’s the saddest thing you’ve ever seen.

“How I wish that were true.”

Suddenly, Wally’s eyes shift just the slightest bit to the left. The effect is like unsealing a pressure chamber. For a moment you are released from his eyes, and your brain and body scramble as one, free-falling and bracing to break against the ground with a hypnic jerk. However, Wally realises his mistake and grabs you by the shoulder - another impossible arm - and forces you to look back into his eyes.

“Shh. Don’t strain yourself. The more you resist, the worse you’ll feel.”

You blink rapidly, trying to reorient yourself in space. Wally’s touch grounds you again, holding you steady in this non-existent space. You try to reply, but your mouth now hangs open, jaw useless. Saliva collects in a pool under your tongue, but Wally still keeps his thumb at the edge of your lip, now rubbing soothing circles against your flesh.

“We don’t have much time,” says Wally. “But…thank you for this. You can’t know how much I appreciate you.”

The warm flush of his approval works its way through your unresponsive body. Your muscles contract, dopamine and serotonin coating your insides and bringing your fingers - still interlocked with Wally’s - into a sudden contraction. You force your mouth into a speech-ready shape, fuelled by his words and his touch and the sheer paradox of his being, and you try so desperately to say, ‘Wally, I love you- ’

But then he looks away.

The spell is broken. Like flipping to another television channel, the world around you snaps back into place in one vivid bound. All the colour, sounds and scents of the Neighbourhood re-enter your senses in one huge burst, and the force of it almost knocks you over. Wally - who is still holding your hands, just like before - keeps you steady, crushing your hands together like he would rather die than let go.

“Hey, you two!”

Looking away from Wally feels like ripping off a plaster. Your eyes alight on Julie trotting up the meadow’s slight incline, clutching a hotdog in one hand and a cooler in the other.

“Eddie wanted me to tell you we’re packing up,” Julie chirps. “Looks like a thunderstorm is coming.” She looks down at your hands, still intertwined with Wally’s, and grins. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Just some good old-fashioned fun,” says Wally, his voice impassive and gentle.

The ability for words has deserted you. You stare back at Wally, searching desperately for something supernatural in the darks of his eyes. Wally looks normal - as normal as a small, yellow puppet can - and his eyes are back to their half-lidded, sleepy-looking state. It takes a couple of nudges with his foot for Wally to bring you back to earth.

Wally lets go of your hands, and you can feel the blood pumping in the spaces between your fingers. You try standing up, but your legs are weak and wobbly, as if you’d just run a marathon while sitting in one spot. They would’ve collapsed beneath you, but Wally catches you before you slip. He hauls you up and loops his arm around yours.

“Just hungry,” Wally says with a smile. “Let’s get you Home."

Julie leads the way down the small embankment, with Wally supporting your timid, uneasy steps. You soon reach your neighbours, now busying themselves in tidying up the remnants of your picnic. Upon seeing you, they all crowd around, asking if you’re okay. Barnaby remarks that you look terribly pale, and Sally offers to bring you a drink. However, Wally shoos them off, admonishing them in a familial sort of way. He reassures them that you’ve just had a small fainting spell, and need to get some rest.

Now free of the others, Julie, Wally and yourself make the way home - and you’re thankful it’s only a short distance. When you finally reach your porch you want to fall over onto the steps, but Wally keeps you held upright: a firm, reassuring presence at your side.

“You need to tell us if you get this again, okay?” says Julie, looking at you with worry in her eyes.

“Okay,” you say, giving a weak nod.

“Thank you. Feel better soon, okay?”

Julie gives you and Wally a final glance over. Having determined you’ll be more than fine in Wally’s care, she bids her goodbyes and skips off to help the rest of your neighbours.

“Ha ha ha,” laughs Wally. “Julie is a good friend. I’m lucky to have her in my life.”

You look sideways at Wally. He catches your eye, and dips his head in a nod. “I feel the same way about you,” he says.

The question is implied in his voice - a little waver at the edge of his words.

“Wally…I don’t really understand what happened today,” you say. “But…I know it doesn’t change how much I like you."

The beam that dawns on Wally’s face is so wide, it almost cracks in two. “Thank you,” he whispers.

You can’t help but return the grin. “Thank you for being vulnerable with me.”

Wally lets go of your arm, and turns to face you properly. He reaches up one hand, and then hesitates, his eyes flickering back and forth between yours as if pondering a question.

Finally, Wally leans in and gives you a small, gentle kiss on the cheek. You inhale sharply, your arms hanging limply by your side and your fingers curling into questioning shapes. His mouth is plush and downy, and the impression of his lips sends a toasty-sweet feeling rocketing through your body.

When Wally pulls back, his yellow skin is dusted pink about his cheeks.

“Always know,” he says softly, “that I love you very much.”

Then, he’s leaving. You watch in stunned silence as Wally’s back retreats into the distance, making his way to join the throng of your neighbours. A slight rumble in the distance makes you look up: a cluster of thunderclouds gather at the edge of the Neighbourhood, fat with the promise of rain.

You touch your lips gently, and smile. Then, you retreat inside the safety of your home…with the warm memory of Wally’s kiss playing in your mind, and static still buzzing in your fingers.

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

I like. Have not played a single Hoyo game so it is quite shocking to see people take deeper looks into the games and their themes to uncover just how DEEPLY racist Hoyoverse is.

When I say racist I mean like. Painting this fantasy, ideal, "aesthetic" world that only wears the face of multiculturalism, while explicitly making it so all the heroes and good characters are white, while making the enemy characters typically with a darker shade of skin. Like just. In fucking Genshin. Look at the Hilichurls. They've literally got pitch black skin and masks, and despite having their own culture, are constantly and consistently treated nothing more as "pests". Like just. I swear to god there are so many "Hilichurl" like examples of weaving weird racism into video game enemies in the wider media sphere, but I digress.

What really gets me is like. I saw some shit from fucking Honkai or whatever where there is an entire character who was born black, but bleached her skin out of shame. Like. What. Also this is all second hand, so forgive me for getting details wrong, but doesn't she just. Keep hating herself for her skin color and her heritage? Also the way her mother is drawn is just like. Somehow both a racist and transphobic caricature rolled into one. Like they illustrated her in a way that doesn't feel done in good taste. It fees like they want to evoke a sense of confusion and maybe disdain. Perhaps they wish for you to sympathize with the girl who bleached her own skin (???) and like. What the fuck is this writing HOW DO PEOPLE JUST NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THIS??????

Also. There is of course ZZZ. The issue here is more what people have already mentioned and something I don't feel like fully relaying. Which is the sort of heavy emphasis and inspiration from Hip-Hop and Rap culture, but without any black characters actually in the setting. Ben Bigger is like. Legit the blackest character there, problem is that he ISN'T HUMAN. Like it shows that they would sooner create an anthropomorphic bear, a fantasy character, than a black character that actually displays their culture in a proud way. Not really my place to say all of this, since others have said it much better than I ever could. Last thing I would say is that the Black edits of the characters (especially Ellen Joe), make the character designs leagues better.

To cap off this messily organized tumblr post and rant, it brings me to my biggest issue: erasure. The fact that when you search up Tighnari, you only get that dogshit anime boy, hell, the issue even still persists somewhat when you specify for Al-Tighnari. I am not well read on who Tighnari is, but even skimming past a description of that man is truly breathtaking. He sounds like a very well traveled, very wise man who likely had a sizable impact on the world. Thing is. When you search up Tighnari you don't see this man anywhere. When you bring up Tighnari, it is unlikely people actually recognize who the man himself was. Instead you have this character, who's skin is as white as a sheet, actively acting like a shroud being thrown over an old cultural icon. His design has been criticized endlessly for how little it lines up, but that's not the point. The point being is that Tighnari in Genshin has uprooted knowledge of the original in the public eye. This is but one example, and doesn't even BEGIN to touch upon the absolute shitshow that is Natlan. However, people have already exhaustively described what is wrong with it so I digress there. Oh and I said I would close this out but like. Fucking Star Rail or whatever has a character with Dark Skin who has "shacklebreaker" as one of their main skills and like. This is some J.K. Rowling type racism. Like what. What the fuck?

Look what's really important here is that I am just so fucking taken aback by learning the extent of it. I always bore a minor grudge against Genshin, but the clarification, and the knowledge of how deep this shit goes... just makes me realize this. There is no longer any confusion about how this got so popular, because racism is excusable in general fandom spaces. Racism isn't considered a dealbreaker to many people, and that is the root of the issue I believe. How general online fandom communities and people as consumers are just so unbothered by racism that they will just not criticize it, pass it off as normal, and will actively engage in racist tendencies, rather than making any effort to better themselves and to be more tasteful in what they choose to support financially, and what they choose to consume.

[robinhobiii]

beautiful | oblivious! k. sy

summery : soonyoung just speaks his mind without putting a filter on. And so, his words were causing y/n to turn into a blushing mess.

No one really talked to y/n since she was so shy. She has one friend that was her neighbor, but she goes to a different school. And lot of the girls in her class were a bit stuck up. Always feeling the need to put other girls to make themselves feel high and mighty.

Y/n was also a victim of that. Since she dressed very modestly and didn’t wear revealing clothes, a lot of the girls would call her a nerd. It didn’t help that she wore glasses. She didn’t feel that ugly but after constantly hearing their words, it makes her uncomfortable to look at the mirror sometimes.

. . .

“Wow, did you see what y/n was wearing?! She’s wearing short sleeves. Tch, she wants the boys’ attention so bad.” One of the girls with the unmatched foundation said.

Y/n mentally rolled her eyes at that. She’s one to talk. If she wasn’t so shy and more out spoken, it would’ve been over for everyone in this class.

Soon it was lunch time and after people ate, they made their way back to class to pass time. Soonyoung was yawning for the nth time that day. He was so bored and just wanted to take a nap after class ended. He was aimlessly listening to the guys and girls talk about whatever, not really paying attention.

Then y/n walked in. The girls started to whisper a little before snickering. Y/n of course ignored them.

“Soonie, who do think is the most prettiest girl in this class?” One of the girls with an obnoxious shade of pink lipstick said.

“Huh?” Soonyoung’s as he was snapped away from his day dream.

He looked around as the girls eagerly waited for his response.

“I think . . “ he looked around again before his eyes landed on the back of y/n’s head. He felt that familiar feeling of butterflies in his stomach but he didn’t know what that meant. So, naturally, he just went with what his gut felt.

“I think y/n is the prettiest girl here.”

Silence.

Utter silence.

Y/n was a taken a back. Her face was red hot as she slowly turned her head to meet Soonyoung. His tiger like eyes already staring back at her.

One of the girls scoffed. “Huh?! Her??! She’s so ugly and really weird. How could you even think that?!” She said irritatedly.

“I don’t think she’s ugly. I think she has beautiful eyes and her hair is very pretty when it moves in the wind. Ooh and she has the sweetest smile.” He said nonchalantly.

The girls were glaring daggers at y/n and she quickly looks away. Before anything else could be said, the teacher walked in.

. . .

Once they were dismissed from the last class, she quickly made her way out. She didn’t want to deal with all those girls. She was able to make it out and walked to the park. It was still very sunny and all the elementary kids were also making their way to the park.

She said on the bench underneath the shade and basked in the warm spring air. It’ll be summer break soon, and she won’t have to see anyone again.

Two more months.

She finds herself muttering the time left in class to help her calm herself from those rude girls.

She took glasses off to gently rub the bridge of her nose. Y/n tilted her head up slightly and closed her eyes for a moment before open them up again. Her eyes took in the clouds and used her imagination for what the clouds could resembled.

“Wow, y/n, you really are beautiful.”

Y/n slightly jerked back in surprised and looked down to see who said that.

It was Soonyoung.

“W-what?” She said as she was trying to cover her face and move away.

Soonyoung only moved forward and grabbed her wrists softly pushing them away from her face.

“I always thought that you were beautiful with your glasses but I think your beautiful eyes glisten better without the glare of your glasses.” Soonyoung was in awe with how her beautiful was even more beautiful.

“Soonyoung-shi, you’re too close.” She whispered out as her face was beet red.

He didn’t reply either because he didn’t hear her or didn’t really care.

“It’s like your glasses were protecting your beauty because it’d be too much for anyone to handle. I can’t believe I got witness y/n’s true form.” His hand gently brushed away the baby hairs from her cheeks.

That was able to snap y/n out of the trance she was in. Her gentle hands push him away and she stood up and put her glasses back on.

He looked at her and said bluntly “go out with me.”

“W-what?”

“I said go out with me?”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit direct?”

“I was always told to not beat around the bush. So, I want you to go out with me”

Her already hot face heated up more.

“Soonyoung. . I’ll have to respectfully decline.”

Soonyoung’s eyes widened, making him resemble more of a hamster now. “W-why? Why is that? Please tell me.”

Y/n took a deep breath to calm her poor heart.

“It’s just that I don’t know you well enough to go out with you. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. That’s totally valid.”

There was a moment of silence as she can practically hear Soonyoung thinking.

“Okay, how about this. . can we be friends first?”

She smiled softly before saying “only if you want to be.”

“Yes! Yea! Of course!” He said urgently as he nodded his head eagerly.

“Okay then, let’s be friends.” She said as she smiled at him.

He returned the smiled and replied “I’ll make you feel those same butterflies that you make me feel. Then you’ll be mine.”

“You’re really straightforward. I don’t know how I’ll deal with this.” She felt herself melting more and more by his direct responses.

He only smirked before walked up to her and standing right in front of her. He brushed her hair behind her ears and finally said.

“Get used to it because I’ll make sure that it’s known that you’re going to be mine.”

[nightmaretimemachine]

THE SERIES

: THOUSAND YEARS

Gun Park x Fem!Reader

ㅤㅤㅤㅤPart 1

ㅤ " Remember me "

A/N : I didn't know that the Progolue would get this much likes, thank you sm! I'm actually surprised 😭 but as promised here the part 1 that you guys are waiting for!

And yes english is not my first language. I'll be telling you guys the same thing til chapter 4 or 5 HAHA

Gun is a bit ooc sry.

—

Is was a bit weird for a foreigner from Japan to move in to South Korea, but you did it anyway.

Thankful for your childhood friend, who has taught you some Korea when you told him that you wanted to go there someday.

But sadly all the memories of him fades away when you were recovering in the hospital for 3 months.

You did tries to ask your parents about the young boy, but they know nothing about him. The only thing they told you was that he was dangerous, and you should stay away from him.

That, make you want to meet the boy more.

It's been 5 years now, since you now to South Korea all by yourself, but of course your parents often sent you some money for you. They were worried, but they wouldn't stop you from your dreams.

Surprisingly you got in one of the fashion school that you wanted. You also got a part time job easily, a cashier in the small convenient store not too far from your school.

The boss there was a bit creepy but you didn't think it's was a problem at first.

Now, let's focus on the present shall we?

You were walking back to your apartment while talking to the young man Daniel. He dumped into you one day in the library and when he was about to apologize, you speaks up the apologies first and quickly got on your knees and help him with his books.

From that day on you became his personal tutor, you didn't mind being the tutor. You always have a kind heart and soul after all.

But today was different, since the moment you met that tall man who looks.. Familiar in some way. Naturally you would talk about your day and what you're going to make for dinner.

You ended up being quiet til' you stepped in your apartment. Daniel was worried but he knew he couldn't push you too much, so he just texted you to make sure you're ok.

And when you answer that everything was alright, he sighs in relief.

You don't really know why you chose to be a cashier at night shift but.. You did, so here you are, in your cashier outfit working at night.

It's was bored for most of the time

Until the door opened up and your eyes lit up in excitement. Finally a customer!

" Welco– " Oh.

It's him

Your words caught in your throat when the tall man look over to you. Even with his shade on you knew he was looking right into your eyes.

You quickly look away from embarrassment when he finally walk toward you.

" May I uh.. Help you? " You tried again, this time you force yourself to look up at him. But when he only respond with a low chuckle that slips from his mouth. You were about to speak again but then he open his mouth once more.

" You're as beautiful as the day I lost you " The man said.

And you freeze. Not before you felt your face heat up, not only from those sweet words but also how sexy it sound coming from him.

You quickly clear your throat and finally speak up.

" I'm sorry but.. You might get the wrong person " You let out a small laugh before you glance back to meet his eyes.

He's just.. Stared, and that stared make you nervous, maybe it could even make any woman knees weak.

But when he suddenly came up to you and grabbed your wrist without any warning, your body react on it own by slapping his face with your full force.

And then the silence filled the air.

Your eyes widened in shock from what you did. And his glasses were now on the ground. You were about to shout out an apologize before another chuckle left his mouth and his now revealed eyes meet with yours.

He finally got to see you clearly, not just from behind that stupid glasses he likes to wear so much.

And you. You knew you should be scared, you should runaway, but instead. You felt like those eyes we're drawing you in.

" S– Sorr–.. "

" It's okay " He said.

Gently letting go of your wrist before he crouches down grabbing his glasses, as his dark gaze glance up to you.

" I should have ask you properly " He said before walking towards you even more.

You stood there. Still trying to contain all your thoughts what just happened but then he handed you a black card.

Giving him a questioning like last time before he raised his eyebrow. You slowly grabbed the black card before you start to read it.

Gun Park

Yamazaki Yuzuru

XX-XXXX-XXXX

You're eyes widened before you shot your head up to ask him a question, but.

He was gone.

You sighs in disbelief, you didn't get to say sorry properly.

Well, now that you got his contacts you may as well try to say it to him properly through your phone? Yeah, maybe you could do that.

You simply kept the card in your pocket before she continues to do your night shift like usual.

But there's one problem.

You couldn't stop thinking about him.

You know it's weird, you just met him! How could you felt something like that for someone at first sight.

Yeah yeah, a lot of people might believe in love at first sight but you don't. You know there's something wrong. Something.. familiar.

After your night shift. You went back to your apartment and took a nice shower and making yourself a warm meal from your mother recipes.

Card in your hand, and your phone in the other. You have been staring at your phone for the last 30 minutes now. You don't know why you were scared but you are.

And finally! You called him.

...

...

...

" Hello ? "

" H–Hi! It's uh.. " You said your name.

Your heart were beating so fast you thought you were going to fast out.

When you didn't heard any answer, you try calling his name.

" Sorry, I didn't think you would call " and gosh.. The way you say his name. He could felt his heart skipped a beat.

" Oh– sorry, am I interrupting anything? " You asked, worried that you might call in the wrong timing.

But when he said that it's was okay, you simply sighs in relief.

The night went on by you and him. Gun. Talk all about the things that you wanted to know.

Even though he wanted to tell you everything he remember. All those memories that you guys made together in your childhood days. He couldn't. Maybe letting you find out by yourself might be the right way.

So, he lied. He lied about how you look like his childhood friend that he lost. He lied about everything he could, not wanting to make you feel any guilt for what happened 6 years ago.

And you believe him, even if you didn't want to. But you did.

Eventually it got late and you forgot about your school for tomorrow, you quickly glance at your alarm clock on your desk.

" AH! I have school tomorrow! Uh- I uh.. See you later? " You said, feeling a bit bad for leaving him in the middle of the conversation.

But when you hear him chuckle and slightly giving you a confirmation that it's was ok and you should get rest.

You chuckle softly before thanking him.

As you were about to press the disconnect button. His voice murmurs out.

" Would you like to have dinner together? Tomorrow? "

Your eyes widened as your face heat up from just thinking. This gorgeous man is asking you out?!

" S–Sure " You said. " What time? "

" I'll pick you up after school "

Oh yeah. He knew what school you were in, you forgot about that.

You gave him your last confirm that you accept his date. And finally hitting that disconnect button. Laying your head and your body down on the soft mattress, gently closing your eyes. And doze off immediately.

You couldn't wait for your date night tomorrow.

( AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY BATTERY IN AT 5% WHILE WRITING THE LAST PART NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO )

[familyvideostevie]

First kiss with Steve happens in the rain 🌼

you got it baby! thank you for requesting and being patient <3 | first kiss, friends to lovers, 0.9k

The picnic goes off without a hitch. All of your friends come and bring an assortment of snacks and games and it's a lovely afternoon.

It's also a typical afternoon in your life of being in love with your best friend -- plenty of staring at Steve when he's not looking, feeling his eyes on you when you look away. His hand ghosting over your elbow, his fingers lighting up your entire body when he hands you a sandwich. It's stupid and everyone can see it and you know that one of these days you're going to have to do something about it.

But mostly it's a nice day. Being with Steve and your friends makes you happy.

It's only once they leave that the clouds roll in. Everyone else has wandered off, Eddie taking half of the kids to the Arcade and Nancy and Robin dropping the others off. Steve stays behind to help you gather the last of the items you'd brought and drive you home, because of course he does. It's always like this -- moments alone where you wonder if today will be the day that you fess up, that he asks you about the lingering glances, that you decide to kiss him. If today will be the day you ask for what you want so very badly.

Maybe the universe hears you because the clouds darken and then the sky opens, cold rain making you gasp and shocking you into stillness. "Holy shit," you call into the now empty park. You've only got the picnic blanket and a basket and bag of cups to bring to his car, but you can't move.

"Hey!" Steve calls. He's jogging back towards you on the grass. "C'mon, you're getting soaked," he urges, reaching for your elbow. You step away from him not in avoidance but because you're trying to at least shift the blanket to cover the things that really shouldn't get wet.

"It's just water, Steve," you say. Rain drips from the tip of you nose, your eyelashes, the ends of your hair. It's a little late to avoid being soaked at this point, so why try? You expect to turn around and find him back in his car, shaking his head at you. You're pretty sure he'll give you whatever spare clothes he can find in his trunk and drive you home to dry off, because Steve is just like that. A caretaker at heart, and just a little softer with you than everyone else.

But when you turn around he's still there, hands on his hips and his lips turned up at the edges. His shirt is already a shade darker and his hair is flopped over his forehead, water running in rivulets down his own face. "You're so weird," he says, but it sounds like a compliment. It sounds fond, affectionate even. The storm in your chest begins to rival the one in the sky above you.

"You're used to that by now." You take a step into his space and reach slowly, hand shaking just a little, to brush the soaked strands off of his forehead. It doesn't do much good since it's still raining, but you can hear how he inhales when your skin touches his. Nothing that hasn't happened before -- you've touched Steve thousands of times.

But here, in the rain, it's different somehow. It's electric. "I am," he says. He swallows and drops of water run down his throat, over his adam's apple. Your eyes follow and you realize your hand is still on his face, gently cupping his cheek.

"Sorry," you say, pulling it away but he catches your wrist, fingers warm and firm around your pulse point.

"What for?" Steve's eyes bore into yours. You shiver but it's nothing to do with the chill slowly seeping into your bones. He drags your palm back to his face and settles his jaw into it. "Are you cold?"

You shake your head but his small smile turns into a frown. "You're shivering," he says. No, you think, I'm shaking because this feels like something important.

"I'm fine," you say, so softly you're surprised he hears you. His hand slides from your wrist to cover your hand with his own, taking a step closer so that your toes touch in the wet grass beneath you.

"Bet the stuff is getting soaked," he rasps. His other hand settles on your neck, right above the hem of your t-shirt.

You try to remember to breath steadily. "We should get it in your car." Your own voice sounds about as wrecked as his. He nods and his nose brushes yours.

"We should," he says. You close your eyes. Steve's breath is hot on your lips and his thumb traces your bottom lip. "Can I--"

Before he can finish you surge forward blindly, missing his mouth and catching the corner of his smile before he gently adjusts you and slots your lips together properly. If you had any thoughts to spare you'd laugh about how cliche this is -- a first kiss between friends in the rain, like something out of a movie or a romance novel.

But as it is, every cell in your body is screaming Steve's name, relishing in his touch, his warmth, his kiss. His tongue sweeps across the seam of your lips before he pulls back and tugs you into a hug. You're both breathless, wet, and laughing, giddy on the possibility that now dominates the air between you. You nose as his neck, wrapping an arm around his waist, and smile.

"Now we can get in the car," he says into your hair. You can feel his own grin as you nod.

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, masterlist here!

[miamochi-writes]

hihi! can you write vash being with an artist and them needing to finish a commission since they're running low on money and ends up pulling multiple all-nighters, not really taking care of themselves and vash like forces them to take a break? (college is killing me rn :,)) thanks !!

A/n: Ooo I can sort of relate to this, just mainly the all-nighters :’) Also hope you don't mind Vash giving the reader some much needed TLC ❤️Enjoy!

A Break from Perfectionism

“Ugh, why does the chin look weird?”

“Now the eyes aren’t leveled,”

“Hands are the worst to draw!"

"Why do they still look wonky? They shouldn't look like this!"

You kept muttering to yourself as you tried to sketch on your drawing pad. You were limited on supplies, so this drawing had to be perfect. You already used up most of your supplies at the last town with your previous commissions. You already spent most of your double dollars to restock on the set of charcoal sticks and sketch paper you used. Just like clothes, art supplies were expensive to buy in No Man's Land.

However, you managed to get one commission that would cover all your future expenses. One of the townsfolk noticed your portfolio and wanted a portrait of themselves. When they told you how much they were willing to pay, you nearly passed out from the amount of double dollars they held out in front of you. Of course, you couldn't say no to this commission and promised to work on it immediately. Usually, you would have finished this commission quickly since it was your only one. The only problem is, your perfectionism was getting in the way of making any progress. You needed this commission to be perfect. One second it would look great at a glance, but after five seconds, you would find a flaw upon closer inspection. Thus, you would fix the mistake with some erasing, sketching, or shading until you were satisfied. This process would repeat itself until you lost track of time. You were currently working on the face until you heard someone come inside your room.

“Y/n, you there?” A familiar voice asked. You didn’t need to look up. You recognized that voice from a mile away. You couldn’t afford to look away from your sketch as you were shading in the shadows of the person you drew.

“Yeah I’m here, what’s up Vash?” You asked as you started finishing up the last shade of the cheek. It wasn’t good, nor terrible, but it would do for now. After all, you were going to fix it again for the umpteenth time.

“I’m just checking in on you. How's it going with the artwork?” Vash asked as you could hear him walk closer to you. When Vash first asked about seeing your drawings, you were such a nervous wreck about him seeing your work. Now, you've grown used to him seeing your portfolio after you started dating each other. He was your muse whenever you had an art block. The way Vash expressed himself and his little mannerisms were perfect for you to draw.

"Wow, that looks amazing Y/n! This is probably your best one yet!" Vash complimented as you sighed.

"Thanks, I wish I could see this the way you do. It's not nearly finished. There are so many things wrong with this piece that I need to fix. The shading is all wrong on this part, and the face looks wonky at certain angles," you whined as you looked at the sketch again and started zoning in on all the flaws. The more you looked at the piece, the more you felt the urge to crumple up the paper and start over.

"Hey, don't be so harsh on yourself. You're a great artist, and everyone knows it. Why don't we take a break from this and work on it later?" he suggested, putting his hands on your tense shoulders.

"Vash I can't! I have to keep working on this. I need to finish this soon. I promised this person I would have it ready before we leave in a few days!" you argued.

"Y/n, you need a break. This isn't healthy for you. Besides, when was the last time you took a break? Did you even eat?" Vash persisted as you thought about how to answer those questions without worrying him.

"Uhhh...I took a mini break when Meryl checked in on me sometime ago. And I had a snack not too long ago," you answered vaguely. Before any of you could answer, your stomach growled loud enough for five seconds. Long and loud enough for Vash to hear. You immediately turned red at that moment, cursing your stomach and its terrible timing.

"Y/n, when exactly did you last eat something filling?" Vash asked. When you looked at him, you saw his glasses were glinting at you. This was not a good sign, as you knew he was dead serious if you couldn't see his pretty blue eyes anymore.

"When we all ate together?" you answered quietly. You then felt two strong hands on your waist. Next thing you knew, your feet were no longer touching the ground. Vash was carrying you over his shoulder with his prosthetic hand. It was at this moment, you knew there was no escaping your boyfriend if he had you in his prosthetic grip. You knew how strong he was with that arm in particular as he adjusted his grip on you.

"Vash please! I promise to take a break and eat later! Just please put me down!" you begged.

"Y/n, I can't believe you haven't eaten a proper meal in days! You're not leaving my sight until you eat and rest," Vash argued as you whined in defeat. Vash took you out from your room as you were covering your face in shame. You felt embarrassed being carried like this, and it didn't help people were going to see you and Vash like this.

"Wolfwood, make sure Y/n doesn't go in this room unless I say so. We'll be back later," Vash requested. You then saw Wolfwood waiting outside your room and placed his weapon in front of your room. He told Vash he'd watch over the place as you were in complete shock. Now there was no way you could sneak back into your room and continue working.

~*~

Vash brought you down to the hotel's dining room. You were a blushing mess when you saw a couple of people lounging there. It wasn't every day that Vash carried you over his shoulder, let alone in a public space where people could see. He finally set you down at a table for two where Meryl and Roberto sat. They then left once they saw Vash as the both of you took a seat. You could see two plates of freshly cooked Thomas meat in front of the two of you.

"Vash, is this for me?" you asked as he nodded.

"How? This must have cost a good chunk of our funds!" you added, feeling bad just looking at this meal.

"Y/n, you deserve to eat a warm meal. Plus, I don't mind spending money on you if it means sharing a meal with you like this. I haven't seen you in days since you started working on that piece," Vash explained. Oh how a wave of shame washed over you. You didn't realize how much time and energy you spent working on this commission. When you thought back to how Vash checked in on you earlier, you didn't even bother to look at him.

"I'm sorry Vash, I didn't mean to ignore you like that. I got so invested in working, I didn't realize how much time passed. I'll make it up to you somehow," you apologized.

"No I understand, just promise me to take breaks every now and then okay?" he replied with those sweet blue eyes that held so much love and kindness for you every day. You nodded your head and began to dig into your meal. The meat was succulent and tender with each bite you took. Your mouth was overwhelmed with flavor as your stomach was finally getting fed actual food.

"Vash this is so good! Thank you for getting this," you chimed as Vash smiled at how content you were.

"I'm glad you like it! Eat as much as you can, you need all the energy you can get for later," he replied before taking a bite of his meal. You didn't realize how hungry you were until you finished everything on your plate. Even Vash managed to wipe his plate clean as there were no scraps left behind. Once you were finished, Vash led you to his room while holding your hand with his warm cybernetic arm. Once you entered, he locked the room and led you to his bed.

"Y/n, when was the last time you slept? Be honest," Vash asked. Guilt-ridden, you averted your e/c eyes from your boyfriend. You already knew you didn't get a wink of sleep when you saw your dark circles in the reflection of your silverware earlier. Vash exhaled as he knew more or less the answer to his question. He then pulled you over to him as he held you close. Vash then caressed your cheek as his blue eyes locked on to yours. His eyebrows were furrowed with a small frown apparent on his beautiful face.

"Please take better care of yourself next time. I know I'm not great at taking care of myself, but I don't want you catching my habits too," Vash spoke. Your heart sunk as you rested your hand on his right cheek.

"I'm so sorry Vash, I will. The last thing I want to do was worry you. But you better take care of yourself too. We both can't be neglecting ourselves or each other. Promise me we'll both take better care of ourselves and each other?" you offered as Vash nodded with a smile growing on his face. His eyes gleamed as they crinkled from his smile that you loved ever so much.

You then kissed Vash gently on the lips as he pulled you closer to him. He rubbed small circles on your back as you melted into the kiss. Once you pulled away for air, Vash stared at you in such adoration as he slowly brushed his thumb on your cheek.

"I missed you so much Mayfly," he said as he laid down and pulled you with him. You loved it when he called you by your nickname. That name never failed to warm your heart as you showered Vash with butterfly kisses.

"Aw I missed you too my angel. I wished I was commissioned to draw you instead. I love to draw your beautiful face any chance I get," you cooed. Afterwards, Vash's cheeks were turning slightly pink as he wore a shy smile on his face before covering his face with both hands. He was a blubbering red mess the first time he heard you call him that. When you explained why you called him that, Vash nearly passed out from the overwhelming love and compliments you showered him with. When you first met him, you mistook him for an angel, because there was no way a human could look that pretty 24/7. When he saw your portraits of him in your sketchbook, he was in awe of how you drew him. How you perceived him in all your work was how Vash wanted to see himself in the mirror. Whether it was him smiling, laughing, or gazing, you always drew Vash in all his beauty. Plus, you always left little comments about how ethereal he was in your work that he practically melted. That nickname always turned Vash into absolute putty in your hands.

Vash then snuck a peak at you with his beautiful eyes as you chuckled at how childlike he was. He then grabbed your wrists and started massaging them slowly. All the pain building up from all the late night sketches and awkward positioning of your wrists was finally alleviated.

"How's that Mayfly?" he asked as he continued massaging you from your wrists to your hands and lastly to your fingers. Every little rub and massage he did brought so much relief to you. Your muscles and joints were slowly relaxing with each touch. You had no idea you were so tense earlier. If it wasn't for Vash, you probably would have gotten carpal tunnel syndrome much earlier. Once Vash finished, he planted kisses on both hands.

"How did you know?" you asked him.

"You were stiff when I first saw you today. Plus, your movements were rigid when we were eating earlier. Did my massage help?" he asked as you kissed him once more.

"More than you know," you replied as Vash brought you to his chest and kissed your lips and cheeks.

"Good, you deserve it after working so hard," Vash added. He then caressed the back of your head. He then slowly and gently ran his fingers through your hair. Furthermore, he rested his other arm on your back as you rested your head on top of his right chest. You loved hearing his heartbeat as it always calmed you down.

"Can we stay like this for awhile Angel?" you asked him.

"As long as you want Mayfly," he answered.

"Good, I think I'll take a quick nap on you if you don't mind," you added.

"Go ahead. I'll be right here. Sweet dreams my Mayfly," Vash wished as he planted one soft kiss on your head. Your eyes slowly got heavy as you drifted off to the sweet bliss of sleep. Once Vash made sure you were asleep, he slowly rested both his arms on top of your back and stared fondly at you. Oh how he missed having you in his arms these past few days. Vash loved and adored you every second. He knew how much this commission was stressing you out when he realized how important it was to you. Vash isn't the type to bother you while you work, but after not seeing you for days, he mustered up all the courage he had to knock on your door. The blonde was touch starved for days and missed seeing his favorite person. After all, you were his safe haven in this cruel world.

~*~

You woke up to see the sun setting. You looked to see Vash sleeping next to you as he held you by the waist. The minute you moved, Vash slowly stirred since he was such a light sleeper. Then those beautiful eyes slowly blinked at you as a smile crept on his lips.

"Sleep well?" he asked as you nodded.

"Good," he replied as he pecked your lips. Vash looked at the window and realized the time. He then walked you back to your room and allowed you to go back to work. Except, you would have to sleep with him later tonight, which you happily obliged. Wolfwood moved his weapon away as you walked inside. Once you settled in, you looked at the sketch you did and started redrawing the areas that bothered you. Once that was done, you started shading and outlining the prominent features with your charcoal sticks. Then, you started adding little touchups to the smaller details. Finally, you looked at the outcome of your work. You couldn't spot any mistakes after giving it a good look. Finally, you were done with this piece!

You immediately grabbed your things and ran to Vash's room. He was excited to see you once you knocked at his door. Once you changed clothes, showered, and brushed your teeth, the both of you got comfortable in each other's arms in bed. Despite how stressful the past few days were on you, you were grateful to have Vash intervene and take care of you. After today, you were not afraid to take a couple of much needed breaks. Especially if it meant Vash would be spending time with you during those said breaks.

@daschstuff @bunnigrimm

[thoughtsandbones]

It's been a long time

FIRST TIME WRITING A FANFIC - Since i was on LiveJournal (years ago)

Simon 'Ghost' RIley x F!MedicDoc

WARNINGS: Mention of death, blood, fluff and angst?

Song inspo: Think - Kaleida (Love John Wick <3 and Atomic Blonde <3)

I grew up with the OG MW2 game, so there are some references to the old one, so kind of a mix of both the OG and the new timeline...

All rights reserved to the rightful owners of Call of Duty Modern Warfare.

(FYI: bold sentences... are like this... are supposed to describe redacted data/info to the plot... ;] .. )

MASTERLIST

Part 1

Back again here. That's what you thought when you actually landed at the base. You're trying to calculate how long it has actually been. The years. The months. The days. The hours. The minutes.

Why? Because time is represented by numbers. And a weird number observer you were. Numbers are always assigned to occasions, incidents, blood pressure, mL of drugs, minutes to save a life, seconds wasted.

You furrow your eyebrows. You don't care about the wrinkles forming. Not anymore. You part your lips, and suck in some air.

The tightness of the black boots yet to be broken in like you were once.. were just painful and added pain of sore feet and legs from getting back into training was just a cherry on the icing.

The pain is just temporary... You think to yourself whilst you close your eyes and inhale for 4 through the nose, hold, and slowly breathe out for four, controlled, of course... and gradually open your eyes.

You should be grateful for this chance.

You take in scene before you. Base. Outside Berkshire... mid August...

The sky above is pale shade of blue with hints of orange as the sun sets in the west. It is surprisingly warm and nice today. Minimal clouds. As you look down you see the trucks on the grey charcoal tarmac, smooth and a few cracks here and there.. Buildings behind, patches of green..? Wow.

You couldn't also ignore the soon to be glaring floods lights surrounding the perimeter of the base. Without these, the views of sky where even more phenomenal. The stars. The realisation that there is a sort of weird chaos also going on out there too. The storm of Jupiter must be a sight to see you wonder..

"Corporal Kaur!" You hear a man shout from the left of you.

You break your gaze and see and old man from where that shout came from. Face still stern. Eyebrows still furrowed.

Captain Price.

You recognise that moustache and boonie hat from a mile away.Next to him where to other men, one bulky and tall, donning a half a skull over his face and wearing all black and the other shorter, still tall. but what was most noticeable was the hawk. Both of them staring at you.

You briefly stare back. Your new COs you assume.

You start to walk over to them, carrying your pack, and duffle over your right shoulder.

Back again. Back here facing death again. That's what you think. Over and over as you stride until you reach your old Captain.

You place your pack and duffle on the ground.

"Captain Price" you say, giving in a salute, heels slamming together. Your back straightening automatically when your right arm swung to the tip of your beret. Palms facing out. Always.

Muscle memory is a wonderful thing.

"At ease Corporal" Price says, giving a slight chuckle. His body turns to the two men beside him.

"This is Lieutenant Ghost" Price said as he gestures towards the masked man.

You put out your right hand for a hand shake. The lieutenant just stares at you, eyes cold and calculating watching you.

You raise your head curtly and trying to suppress the smirk from appearing. I'm watching you too you think to yourself.

"I'm your Sergeant; Soap MacTavish" the hawked man said, in a strong Scottish accent. He brings up his hand for a handshake, grinning hard.

You shake his hand. Soap grinned a bit harder.

"Soap and Ghost." You say turning your head to Price after shaking Soap's hand, you see him in the corner of your eye elbow Ghost and gesture towards you with his hand, you couldn't catch what he was saying as Price started giving you directions and something else he

"The team know you're here as their new medic. The infirmary, somewhat set, thought it was best left to the expert to order whatever you need. You remember where it is?" Price said. "I have to go to the hanger, catch up later" He saids, patting you on the shoulder.

"Thank you sir" You reply.

Yes. The team's medic. Not actually part of the team. Not anymore...

Not able to linger on the past for a second longer, you see Soap move towards your pack and duffle.

You grab your pack just before he does.

"I've got it, don't worry" You say, and this time you remember to smile, with teeth, a soft smile that a younger you adorned each day.

Soap laughs gently, and looks at your face, that smile broke your stern face from before, a kindness washed over your face Soap thought.

After picking up your pack and duffle, swinging them both over and onto your back. You stare back at the two men, and smile again.

"Well, I am going.. to get settled" You say to them "Nice meeting both of you" you said as you turn.

"We'll walk ya to the infirmary" The lieutenant said gruffly. You detect an accent, maybe northern?

"Yeah, that way we can get to know you on the way" Soap chimes in, grinning again

Fuck sake, not this already you think to yourself.

You turn to them, and force a smile, this time no teeth, nostrils flare, you hope they don't notice the force of it. Ghost does. Ghost raises his head, eyes widening slightly.

You did not like that Ghost thinks to himself. He crosses his arms across his chest, slightly puffing it out.

He looks at you whilst you relax your face as you looked at him do his little chest puff, your eyes widen, slight glare to the ground and then back to the familiar stern look, he lets out a light huff. Amused at the expressions coming and going on your face. He could've sworn there was hint of pink spreading across that brown skin.

"Price said you've worked here before" Soap continues, trying to ease the tension that was stirring between the three of you as the three of you walk across the tarmac, amidst the other soldiers and trucks driving past.

You stare again at Soap, trying to ease the furrowed brows, but they seem glued to their position. The back of your mind still processing your surroundings.

"Years ago. In my early twenties" You reply to Soap

"Wait, so how old are you now?" Soap asks

You look at him and smile slightly. People get so bewildered when they find out that you're a lot older than you look. Given that your face has hardly a wrinkle, no grey hairs, smooth and "fair" skin (for an Indian) that your mother loves to praise you about after years of her nagging of using SPF 50 daily, especially during winter.

"32" You reply

"Steamin' Jesus" Soap exclaims "You don't look a day over 25" he added

"Yeah, it's annoying getting ID'd when getting a drink though" You say back. You realise the two men are beside you, Soap on your left, and Ghost on your right. Glaring at you still, watching your movements. You're stuck in the middle. A rock and a hard place.

You feel the tension creep to your shoulders. You roll your right shoulder to ease the tension. It doesn't help. Not with the added weight your pack and duffle. You then take duffle off your back, and see Soap on your left raise him arm, again gesturing for him to help carry your stuff.

You raise your left hand and tell him again its okay. You've carried heavier. You've carried limp bodies for longer. You hold the duffle on your right hand, Ghost moves slightly further to make room. You take note and swing duffle, smooth and controlled.

The three of you head straight to building 2. You notice the building as been redone slightly since you were here last, a fresh slick of paint and new doors.

Soap runs up to the doors, and opens them for you, and gestures you through with his right hand. You nod and give a weak thanks.

"We have to keep you sweet" he says "Right L.t?" Soap says, nudging Ghost.

Ghost grunts disapprovingly.

"Why?" You turn to him, letting out a deep sigh. Laying the duffle and pack down on the ground. Suddenly the jet lag, the sore feet and legs hit you harder and you feel like you could just melt into the floor. But you couldn't do that.

"Well, you are our new medic, and you'll be patching us up after missions, so need to keep you sweet" Soap says in a chirpy manner.

"That's her job Johnny" Ghost said, voice rough

You smirk, reaching in your pack for a folder containing your documents and forms.

"Actually..." You start but then remember that even Price said your job role to your face. Medic.

"Actually?" Soap questions

"Nothing" You said, opening the plastic folder and retrieving your forms, you look up and see Soap with a puzzling look on his face and Ghost just coldly still staring.

The anxiety is kicking in. You feel it creep across your chest and swarming it's way to your arms and legs.

You pull out the forms needed and held them in your hand, in between Soap and Ghost, unsure who would take them

"Filled these out as requested by Captain Price" You say

Ghost reaches and grabs the papers, eyes weaving left to right from top to bottom across the forms. You see Soap try and peak and he notices a lot of thick blacked out information. His brows furrow and a curious sheen glosses over his eyes as he looks back at you.

"Most of this is redacted" Ghost says those cold eyes still on the paper. "Like your file" His eyes flicker to yours, hoping to catch you out.

But you stare back. Redacted like your face you think to yourself.

"Captain Price surely would've let you know why" You say curtly

The two men looked at each other. Ghost turned his head towards you, Soap still eyeing Ghost, and then peaking at the paper a bit closer.

No forename, no information of her previous time here... Was Ghost right? Soap thought

"Was hopin' to get somethin' outa' you" Ghost said brightly

He folded the forms into four and put them in his back pocket. He then bent down slightly and picked up your pack and duffle before you could. His eyes wondered up and down your body and your stare turned into a glare when you realised what he was doing.

You felt like he could see through the clothes that covered you. You tug the sleeve of your jacket, rolling your shoulders forward, trying to become smaller. And this man made you smaller. Not by his sheer size, but the way he just looked at you up and down.

"Need a hand Lt? Soap says, breaking the silence again. Hoping to at least try and carry the new medic's stuff.

"Nah, I got this Johnny" Ghost sighs, readjusting the grip on your pack and duffle and swinging them over his shoulder. "Let's show her the infirmary" He said walking off, leaving behind a bewildered Soap and yourself.

You follow the two men, wanting this to be over so you can lie down and sleep. And take the damn boots off. Your feet becoming numb with every step as you follow your commanding officers..

As the three of you reach the door of the infirmary, Ghost drops your pack and duffle from his shoulder to his side, still not letting go and places his left hand in his pocket and takes out a key and unlocks the door.

He looks down at you and you look up at him, you smile weakly, furrowed brows still and try and peak into the infirmary.

Ghost doesn't break his gaze from you, he moves from the doorway and gestures you to go in.

You go in first, the room a warm golden yellow, the light is turned off. The big windows let the last of the sun's rays into the room.

Golden hour.

It's so beautiful you think to yourself and as you move through the room to the window staring at the sunset.

"Best view on this side o' the buildin'" Ghost says, approaching you as you watch the sunset, he gently places your pack and duffle next you.

"It really is something" You say, smiling brightly at the sunset

Ghost sees the shift in your expression in the window, and looks down beside you, your eyes, they appear softer and warm. Not like the ones he experienced earlier.

"Johnny and I will get your room key" Ghost says turning to Soap who was about to take a photo of the sunset with his phone. "C'mon sergeant" as he walks past him and leans against the doorway.

You turn to look at them, Soap desperately trying to take a photo despite the sighing coming from Ghost as he watches him take endless photos of the "sunset". He saw Soap sneak a picture of you.

"Thank you Lieutenant Ghost and Sergeant Soap" You say, struggling to comprehend these codenames. Ghost you kind of get, given the mask. But Soap? There has to be some kind of gay connotation you think as you remind yourself of the saying 'Don't drop the soap'

The two of them turn to you, Soap smiles and Ghost just staring.

Soap eventually makes his way out past Ghost, and walks out.

"Meet you at the Hole Lt, need to take a piss" Soap whispers as he passes him.

You and Ghost lock eyes as he holds the doorknob and begins to just it close, you make your way over, ensuring that he will actually leave and not linger (like a ghost).

"Thanks again for carrying my stuff" You say, trying the fill the silence and encourage this man to leave.

Ghost's grip tightens on the doorknob, and brings the door closer.

"You are most welcome" He says

You smile again as you edge closer to the door. Leave dammnit

"Ruhari"

The smile on your face disappears, the mouth drops open slightly in an O. Eyes widen in shock.

You see Ghost's eyes wrinkle, a sign he's possibly smiling under that skull mask.

Got ya He thought as the took in the shocked face and closed the door leaving you bewildered on the other side.

[tsukiiro]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Gold Saucer date spoilers below

Something I noticed after watching the following part of the scene.

After Cloud asks Tifa about her talking to Aerith, she replies with "Not yet". Then, the camera changes position instead of staying in the same place which I thought was kind of weird. Watching Japanese version of the scene made me think there's more to Cloud's question than meets the eye!

Of course I do think there were multiple reasons why he asked, e.g.:

they're finally alone so he can ask Tifa without anyone interferring and he probably remembers Tifa wanted to keep this between them, as she asked in Nibelheim)

he wanted to break the silence and since he's not the best conversionalist he chose a this topic

But I believe he might have also used the topic to investigate Tifa's feelings. It seems like he wanted to say something since when they got onto the gondola and now he can try to steer the subject towards their bond/relationship.

In English version he says:

Notice how the camera changes position so that when Cloud starts talking about feelings, it shows Tifa in the foreground.

[It can mean lots of different things e.g. us not seeing Tifa's face might be a visual metaphor of "she doesn't want to tell him the real reason for not speaking with Aerith because it'd hurt him and his mental state would get worse". So this camera angle might be a way of telling the audience that there are still some issues between Cloud and Tifa which need to be resolved but it's not the right time to do it now as they can't be 100% honest with each other - Tifa can't share her memories which contradict with those of Cloud's and he can't access his true memories because of what's happening to him due to Sephiroth's control (among other things). But I digress.]

Now, let's take a look at Japanese version.

He says "I wonder if [she] still likes [him]." but since pronouns are not necessary in Japanese language, unless given context, we don't know who's the subject and object of the sentence. If this sentence was taken out of the context and asked out of the blue, you could interpret it as "I wonder if you still like me".

Only after a short moment he adds another sentence to explain what he meant by liking. To translate it literally he says: "Aerith, about Zack". So he provides information about sentence subject (Aerith) and sentence object (Zack).

I know that it's how Japanese people talk and they sometimes add more context after the sentence is formed as if they remembered what they wanted to say. I know there's nothing special about Cloud's way of speaking, but camera work here draws your attention to it, as if it wanted you to think about Cloud's intention behind his words. It also seems like he's expecting some kind of reply and what Tifa replies with doesn't seem to go according to his plan. He looks confused and you could tell there might be plenty other reasons behind it (and I do believe there are like e.g. Cloud who doesn't understand what other reason, beside it being a touchy subject, Tifa might have to not talk with Aerith), but the flow of conversation tells me Cloud wanted to be "subtle" by starting a topic related to love/feelings and it backfired.

I'm not saying he didn't want to know if Tifa told Aerith about his memories related to Zack. Of course he did. But we need to also look at the romantic undertones of the gondola date, especially since Cloud acted as if he wanted to say something to Tifa, which is a nice twist to Tifa's GS date from the original game, where she was the one who tried to confess.

I may be wrong but it's interesting how camera and spoken lines relate to each other and create an opening for various interpretations. It's definitely worth taking a closer look at this scene as it presents Cloud and Tifa's dynamic in different shades and forms.

[walrus150915]

Hey it's been a while I posted here right

I have my own reasons for that (school) SO UMMM SORRY FOR NOT BEING HERE THAT OFTEN!!!!

The meal I made for you today has been cooking in my head for a while actually but the reason I post it now is bc I saw a post of one artist I follow who drew genderbent Goldenheart and!!!! Let me say!!!! My hand slipped

How I think Ballister and Ambrosius would look as women (let's go lesbians let's go)

I am deeply sorry for messing up Goldenloin's armour, I confused two shades of yellow😭

Basically no changes except the facial hair?? Oh yep and Ballister's a hijabi😎

I have thought about whether I should make Boldheart wear hijab but the idea to draw it as an upside-down shield (shield is Ballister's symbol according to the artbook) won me over😭 plus I made it look like his own hair shape from the side!

Drawing Ballister's face without his moustache was a challenge tbh😭😭 his facial hair is what completes his look and he looks weird without it

This little thing I made grey in the drawing? It's not hair, it's the first fabric under the brown one. I wanted it to resemble Ballister's haircut but also like not really

Now, to Ambrosius ig???

Nothing too complicated, it's basically him but with bigger chest and some resemblance of hips (have you seen my man? His cake so small it isn't even a cake)

I also like the idea of longer hair but like. You can't take away lesbian's undercut, she will collapse to the floor and dissolve

Idk guys imo if Ambrosius were a woman he'd be a soft butch or something ajzjajjeje😭😭😭

These lovelies together bcuz of course. Nothing is as lesbian as chopping your lover's arm off

(If you think about it, original Goldenheart is already yuri enough)

So ummm yeah that's the end of the post. I have a fic to finish and a long night to spend, hope you enjoyed! <333

[bleucaesura]

STOLITZØ - ELEVEN

While Loona stormed around the apartment, tearing drawers open, rifling through papers, and swearing, Octavia was in the tiny kitchen boiling water for tea. Stolas stood awkwardly rooted in place where he’d come through the portal.

He felt unsure of how Blitzø would feel to find out that he had been in his home. Especially when Blitzø hadn’t been there himself.

I’m here out of worry. Anyone would do the same. It’s not weird…. It’s NOT weird.

Stolas allowed himself a peek around the room. He noticed the photos on the walls.

He almost forgot he wasn’t alone until Loona slammed her bedroom door - as indicated by the “do not enter” and “Loona’s Room” signs on the door - and started screaming at someone on the other end of the phone. Stolas hazarded a guess it was Blitzø’s colleague Moxxie.

Octavia handed her father a “Boss B*tch” mug with hot tea inside.

“Loona says Blitzø had a hard childhood”

Stolas was startled and looked down at Octavia.

“What do you mean?”

“I asked about the pictures because I was curious too.” Octavia gestured to the photos. “Why he’s scribbled out of every image.”

Stolas’s heart clenched. He looked back to the photos on the walls.

Why would anyone want to destroy his beautiful face like this?

Stolas didn’t notice Octavia watching him closely.

“Loona hasn’t told me much. But I guess he had a sh*tty dad and lost his mother when he was a teen.”

Stolas felt his heart break for Blitzø. He desperately wished he could hug him at that moment.

“He’s the one who took himself out of all the pictures”

Stolas nearly spilt his tea.

“What? Who did?”

“He did.” Octavia pointed at Blitzø’s blacked out face next to Loona’s in a frame.

Stolas stared at his daughter in horror.

“Bli… Blitzø defaced himself in all these photos?” Stolas stammered.

Octavia nodded.

But why?

Stolas didn’t have time to wonder before Loona came thundering out of her room

“Can you portal us to I.M.P? Mox and Millie will meet us there.”

“Yes. Of course”

“I just gotta grab some sh*t and we’ll go.” Loona stormed off.

“Dad?”

“Yes Via?”

“I hope he’s ok.”

“Me too sweetheart. Me too”

“Here” Loona tossed a cellphone at Stolas. “When we find the sh*thead he may need ANOTHER phone, so here’s one of his backups. It might also be helpful in finding him.”

Stolas looked at Loona confused.

“Go through it?” She and Octavia looked at each other as if they were silently saying “I mean DUH!” between the two of them.

Stolas turned a bright shade of red and started to bluster “I couldn’t possibly! That would be such a violation of his privacy!”

“Come on, Dad!” Octavia snatched the phone out of his hands and started swiping through it. “Get over it already.”

Stolas squawked in horror and tried to grab the phone back from Octavia. But this quickly turned into a very fun game of keep-away until Stolas was face down in the carpet, legs in the air and out of breath.

“Dad?”

“Mmf?” Stolas mumbled from the floor as he fumbled to get himself upright again.

“You really should look at this”

Octavia handed Stolas the phone. She pointed at the photos app. Stolas saw there were very few photos inside, maybe only two dozen or so. He was surprised.

Stolas opened the app. And then he almost dropped the phone.

Octavia cupped Stolas’s hands as he held the phone, making sure he had a proper grip on it before letting go. He smiled at her through tearful eyes and thanked her.

Stolas looked at the first photo in Blitzø’s album. The first photo of so few photos. And Blitzø had even favourited it…

It was a selfie of the two of them in bed. Stolas was fast asleep curled around Blitzø and Blitzø had taken a photo of them without Stolas’s knowledge. But what made this the best photo Stolas had ever seen of Blitzø, was Blitzø’s smile. Small, drowsy and genuine… A smile he’d never seen on Blitzø before. Stolas’s heart was doing crazy flips inside his chest.

I didn’t know he could make this sort of face around me. Is… Is it BECAUSE of me?…

“You see it now?” Loona asked. Arms crossed, eyebrow cocked and lips pursed.

“I.. I uh” Stolas was flustered. “I’m sorry… But, see what?… Exactly…?”

“The f*ck?…” Loona looked at Octavia. “How the f*ck are you so smart and your dad is such an oblivious dumba**?”

Loona immediately turned heel to face Stolas and threw up her hands after realizing what she’d said. “Ah… Ha! Yikes… Yeah… All due respect and all that Your Majesty.”

“Loona. Dear. Call me Stolas, please.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “And I'm pretty sure I can be an oblivious dumba**, can’t I Via?”

“Keep me out of this, please!” Octavia called from the kitchen.

“Well. Enough of this. Do you have what you need Loona, dear?”

She nodded.

“You're ready, Via?”

“Yup”

Stolas clapped his hands together and opened them wide to reveal a portal.

“Ladies first”

*****

[dr-futbol-blog]

Sanctuary, Pt. 8

They arrive at Atlantis. It's a little unclear as to how this happened, as they are standing in the gate room and Proculus had a space gate meaning that they must have arrived via jumper (it's of course possible they brought her in through some intermediary gate for wanting to keep the location of Atlantis a secret). However, it seems like McKay and Teyla are both on the welcoming committee so whether or not they all arrived on the same jumper is not stated. What ever the logistics, McKay appears to have calmed down some. Or at least he is on his "best behaviour," and has changed his pants and shoes for the occasion. And he's still placed strategically between them, facing Sheppard.

Notable here is that Weir does the same thing Sheppard did to her earlier, offering her hand in greeting. She is learning about Sheppard, at least so much that his gesture was not a special gesture just for her. She also made physical contact with one of her Abbots before leaving, seeming to calm him down with her touch. We are made aware of the power of touch through these gestures.

As Weir explains to her that she has to undergo a medical examination as standard practice, Sheppard looks at McKay. His look is trying to communicate a lot of things. He is apologetic, giving him the same puppy dog eyes that he sent Weir's way when she was trying to talk him into leaving Pegasus for earth in Home (S01E09). Only, there's a hint of something genuine in his eyes like he actually is sorry for something. He is also trying to communicate to him that while he would rather not, he is having to do this. He gives McKay this look before he locks eyes with her because he feels guilty about having to do that, and having to do that in front of McKay. He actually pauses before he can bring himself to look at her.

And this is the fakest of fake smiles that he gives her, just barely drawing up the corner of his mouth which one can again compare to the real smile when he was thinking about McKay on the planet. It seems to be a half-hearted apology for them having to put her through the invasive medical examination.

They have the following exchange:

Weir: Perhaps you'd like a full tour. Chaya: I would love that. Teyla: Major Sheppard has already promised to do so. Weir: Of course he has. Sheppard: Of course I have.

We're meant to interpret Weir's comment as indicating that she finds it obvious Sheppard has volunteered to show this sexy alien around. But based on the several previous episodes, Weir has no reason to be thinking this is the case. If anything, she might mean that Sheppard seems to have a tendency for bringing strange Pegasusians to their doorstep with a shocking disregard for security. If she's doing anything, Weir is throwing shade at the fact that Sheppard has again made decisions and promises without consulting her. Of course he has. Just like he volunteered Beckett to accompany them to the Hoffan planet without consulting her previously.

The whole exchange is weird because Sheppard's response makes it sound like he hadn't even promised to do this. Like Teyla volunteered him for the task and he was now having to do it against his better judgement. But more likely, his response is merely an apologetic "message received" to Weir. This is important, he's doing this for a reason. This is a military matter. If there's more fallout coming, they can hash it out later.

This is not the face of a man chomping at the bit to show a hot woman around the digs:

McKay has to look away from Sheppard. He can't watch this. He can't watch them. But no matter how much it's killing him inside, he still has to offer to join them on the tour both to show Sheppard that he can master his emotions and behave but also to keep an eye on her. He doesn't like this one bit, not the least of which is because his poor self-esteem is telling him that of course a woman like that would be much more interesting than he is, of course he has just imagined there was anything developing between himself and the Major. Sheppard has made it obvious that he doesn't want Rodney's company, and this exchange only reinforces that belief:

Weir: Please, if you'll follow me to the infirmary… McKay: Maybe I should tag along, in case you have any questions— Sheppard: I think I've got it handled, Rodney. McKay: There are a lot of systems you know absolutely— Sheppard: Got it covered. McKay: Fine.

First of all, Sheppard was never going to show her any strategically meaningful systems or Ancient technology. He's trying to let McKay know that it's really not needed. Showing her what they've got was not the point, it's convincing her that they are worth co-operating with. And second, it's obvious that Rodney can't be around to see what he's having to do to secure their co-operation. Not for his own sake but also because doing it in front of McKay just makes it harder for him to do it. It's awkward enough as it is. If he allowed himself to think about it at all, he'd be disgusted with himself and the last thing he wants is for McKay to be disgusted with him.

But McKay is dead wrong in thinking that Sheppard doesn't want or need his company. He has to tell him as much but at the same time, he tries to comfort the man with a touch. To show him that he is important. That they have a connection. That he's important. Due to the importance of touch throughout the episode, this also marks him as Sheppard's choice. He's the one Sheppard touches.

Like, their behaviour is so far from that of buddies, friends, or co-workers that I don't know how any of this makes any sense if you interpret them in those kinds of contexts but there's really no reason for this touch. A team leader is not going to go out of his way to touch a team member. If there is a heterosexual explanation for the need to touch someone just because they're there and you're passing them by, Sheppard would like to hear it.

Next, Beckett examines Chaya in the med bay, and their exchange is interesting. Note also that Sheppard is not hanging around there for it like he can't let her out of his sight or can't wait to be spending more time with her. And yet the way Beckett views her is an important contrast to Sheppard, given that he also possesses the genuine ATA gene, albeit one much weaker. He tells her: "Well, my dear, it seems you're just as lovely on the inside as you are on the out, if health is synonymous with beauty."

She's in perfect health and he thinks she's perfect when it comes to looks, as well. He finds her attractive right off the bat. And while she's using him to gather intel -- to find out how much these people know about the Lanteans, and to her surprise they seem to know quite a lot (even about ascension) -- they have a good rapport, and she might well find him attractive, as well. Not as attractive as she finds Sheppard, but pleasant. We can also contrast the way Beckett looks at her to the way Sheppard does. It's not that he's head-over-heels in love with her, but he keeps his gaze on her firmly, he clearly finds her pleasant to look at. His eyes follow her naturally, he's not calculated or faking it. He's not performing, having to force himself to look at her, look her in the eyes.

She touches his shoulder as she passes, and we are invited to compare this to the touch that just happened between Sheppard and McKay. He sure seems pleased to have received this touch.

Sheppard comes to pick her up. His entrance can only be described as awkward, comically so. He actually stops at the door frame like he's hitting an invisible barrier because that's how much he does not want to come in. He stays on the outside of the room because he is not drawn to her. She is drawn to him.

Even as he pretends to be the gentleman and offers him her arm to take her to this grand tour of Atlantis, what he actually does is turn his body away from her as she approaches. He's playing the role of a smooth operator, of Prince Charming, but at the same time, allows her to touch only the coarse fabric of his uniform (the uniform itself is a role he puts on every day that lets him hide who he really is). Relevant for what happens later is also that it's Sheppard guiding her to walk through the door, here. He beckons her and she walks through the door voluntarily.

This man, who often walks sideways if not entirely backwards to be able to face McKay, who twists his body into a pretzel to turn toward McKay as they walk somehow manages to turn his entire body away from this woman as he leads her out of the med bay.

Body language is sure doing a lot of the talking in this episode.

Continued in Pt. 9

[trickstarbrave]

wip whenever

i got tagged by @boethiahspillowbook so here are some wips. art and writing are both okay!!! idk who hasnt been tagged yet so. anyone who reads this and wants to can consider it a tag

first up:

i started shading azura!!! still needs some more work and tweaking. but i rly like her expression (again pardon the nerevar gore he is kinda dead)

also a lil bit of writing!! its not much but. heres from moon and star

moraelyn is such a weird figure. most of the stuff we get is a novel from daggerfall. what the fuck is a witch-king. why are they riding on akatosh. whatever im just gonna make his shit up myself

Of course word would get back to Almalexia. Of course it would. Nerevar hadn’t expected anything less, though he was a bit surprised at how quickly she summoned him. 

At least this time it wasn’t in front of her throne in chains. That he didn’t enjoy whatsoever. 

Ayem gave him a beaming smile the moment he walked into the meeting room. She wasn’t alone--there were several guards present, as well as a chimer in armor emblazoned with a rose motif, alongside a few guards wearing armor that definitely did not belong to House Indoril.

“My, I see you really were named hortator of House Dagoth.” She referred to the necklace he was wearing, the collar emblazoned with the seal of House Dagoth. When Voryn first showed it to Nerevar he honestly thought it was a… Personal gift of sorts, until he revealed it was the necklace House Dagoth presented to all of their hortators. 

“I am.” Nerevar answered. “If you want to talk more about that though, Voryn should probably be present.” A few guards looked flustered seeing how casually Nerevar called a noble by his first name. The man in the rose armor also shifted slightly, gasping as though offended. Almalexia, however, continued to smile politely. 

“It isn’t for that.” She remarked, motioning for Nerevar to take a seat. Hesitantly Nerevar did so, sitting across from her. 

“What did you need then, your Majesty?” 

She hummed softly, closing her eyes as she seemed to be thinking over how to say it, the smile never leaving her lips. 

“You are quite the asset in war, Nerevar Mora.” She began. “You were able to rescue the head of House Dagoth with very few men. Not to mention I know just how well you can handle yourself in combat from experience…” 

“Is there another mission you wish to send me on?” He asked, keeping his face neutral. At his question her lips curled up into a polite, politician’s smile. 

“House Mora has once again requested the liberation of their home city, Ebonheart.” Ebonheart… A city that as the nerevarine he never got a chance to visit. Honestly he wanted to; it had a rich history, not just from the first era either. At that, the man in the rose armor removed his helmet, revealing long, flowing white hair and a serious expression. Honestly, he looked like he’d rather not be there at all. 

“I am Moraelyn Ra’athim.” He said, his eyes looking over Nerevar skeptically. “The nords ousted my clan from our ancestral home, the seat of power for the Mora clan.” He then cleared his throat slightly. “If you are truly the man who her Majesty claims you are…” Nerevar’s eyebrow twitched at the doubt in his voice. “... I would like to ask for assistance from you and your men to liberate my home.” 

Moraelyn looked like he was being degraded having to ask Nerevar for help. If Almalexia wasn’t present, he would have rolled his eyes. He didn’t need to act like asking was just as painful as pulling teeth. 

Instead, Nerevar turned his attention to Almalexia. She wouldn’t have called this meeting without good reason; Ebonheart hadn’t been liberated yet, for good reason. It was the current seat of power for the nords. It would be a risky move attacking them where they would be the strongest. Then again, based on what Voryn has been saying, Wulfharth hasn’t been staying in Ebonheart much at all. Three of his sons have instead taken up residence in the large, nordic style manor that was constructed, and were managing supplies and soldiers. 

Almalexia’s polite smile had shifted to one laced with danger. Almost snake-like and cunning, venom behind her teeth. Not directed towards Nerevar--not this time. Unlike so many times in his past life, he knew this one was not meant for him. Instead she looked eager for battle, forced to stay behind. 

“If you can do this,” Almalexia began, “House Indoril will also name you Hortator.” 

There it was. 

The rest of the room went deathly silent. No one had been Hortator of more than one house--but she wasn’t asking him to throw aside his position with House Dagoth. Instead she was giving him even more power, now the backing of two Great Houses. It was already bold enough that he was named Hortator of House Dagoth without being a proper member of the house; but Hortator of two major powers? 

Nerevar steeled himself, his facade not cracking. 

“If this is what you will ask of me,” Nerevar gave a polite smile back. “How could I refuse?”

[saradrewitt]

SARAH JACKALOPE I DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP WITH LEARNING HOW TO DRAW A TERZO EMERITUS PLEASE GET BACK TO ME

Hi! I’m so sorry this took a bit to answer!

FULL DISCLOSURE I am literally the worst person to ask because the way I do it always changes but I appreciate your trust in my inconstancy! I also have a hard time drawing him or the other papas for that matter without a reference. I can try to help the best way I can. here we go, I really hope this helps!

So the number don represent the order but just what I'll explain. First always consider the shape of the face I know this is just the sketch but we always start somewhere. 

(1) Take a look at the basic jaw structure my style always make it longer than it should be but in this case I'm taking in the fact that while I made this tutorial I was looking at a photo reference. (2) Then the ears. (3) The basic middle line mark. (4) Two lines are of course for the eyes and you must realize that our eye level matches the tip of the ears show in the picture for remember that. (5) What I personally do when I draw noses it just help with a realistic measurement of the brows and the nose size. if we’re looking at this through a stylized realism way, remember that the distance between the eyes is matched by the size of the nose. this is not the case for some people but look at refs of people’s noses and see that the size of the eyes is the same size of the nose.(6) The first initial circle is the base, but remember that that won’t be the size of a head. so expand it a little bit so there is extra room to get that hairline and detail when we get to that part (I ended up not paying attention and ngl Terzo ended up with a big ass head but shhhhh I warned you)....

I went ahead and did some detail work but this is what we’ll be seeing when I draw them. from pictures you can see the age lines and it’s really just a matter if you want the detail or not, done people can do that with little detail and make it look good but my style is in constant crises all the time so this is how I do it. you can also why I have the base sketch on top of my “lineart”.

So Terzo’s hair specifically is weird in my opinion. I normally have a part I go off from when I draw hair but his just has to be weird. Either way, when I draw his I go down from the middle and just make it both have that volume and fluff he normally has. (Agin in the end result I polished it up so his part is that square like formation seen in pictures).

Okay now the fun part, the papal makeup! The deep pink lines are the base sketch I usually draw up so when I color and shade it can be adjusted if needed. It also helps me know that proportions are somewhat realistic but with a small hint of my style as well. Idk I'm still in a style crisis as we speak and it’s gotten a lot worse since I've joined this fandom. 

When I think everything looks good I work with the black and color it. I normally like using our black when I work with lineart to give it that ink look. I called this blunt lineart (and shading cuz like I said my style is very inconsistent). Now if you’re working digitally I do this type of coloring on a layer on top of this sketch so when I low the opacity I can see if my placement is correct (again just of needed). if I think I got most of it correct that’s where I go I with my next step. 

Wow, it’s looking like Terzo now, look at our sweet boy with the rbf, Blessimo!

So in these next few steps I just add the white and added purple wrinkle likes that were cover by the blunt lineart. You can make those line grey or white depending on your style but I like adding his colors when I draw him digitally so that’s an option. Once I have everything done I just against as needed then move on.  

Lastly I finish up the lineart, work on some shadow work and add color, for sketched I don’t really do that but in this case I placed a color pallet I usually work with (it’s still gonna be inconsistent as I go) but this is usually what I do when I draw him. honestly to god my methods and process changes but I at least hope this was a helpful guide.

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 4: Merms

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs | Read MerMay Stories

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

Bro lands somewhere completely unexpected, but also, beautiful. He's landed on a beach, looking out over a wide expanse of blue-green water. A bay? A lagoon? Something like that. Behind him are tall trees with vibrant green leaves. A forest. To the left and the right, at the far ends of the beach, are tall dark rocks--tide pools and little alcoves full of water. There are no people around. Or... even any signs of people. Where is he?

Bro blinks and pushes himself up, looking over the landscape with widening eyes. “…what the fuck? This-this isn’t home??” He has to admit it is beautiful but, “Where the fuck is this?!”

Everything is quiet and still, or as quiet and still as a beach and forest can be... until there's a splash over to the left, near the rocks. Bro can see someone grab onto one of the rocks and hoist themself out of the water. They're sort of far away, but it looks like a man with brown hair. He leans down close to the water, like he's looking at something still underneath the surface.

Bro is freaked out, frantically pulling out his phone to see if he can call Alt or Jackie. Something definitely wasn’t right here! He jumps slightly and almost drops his phone but manages to grab it before it slips into the water. He looks at the sound of the splash and sees the man. Not wanting to miss his chance- Bro flies over and lands a bit away so hopefully he can approach without startling them. 

“H-Hey! Can I ask ya something?” He shouts out, trying to sound friendly.

The man looks over at him, startled. And now that Bro is close, he realizes that something is off. There are... are those... fins? Poking out from behind his ears? That's definitely a long yellow dorsal fin going down his back. And his forearms are covered in blue and green scales. 

Bro skids to stop and stares with wide eyes, his jaw falling open. “W-What the fuuuuckkk….??” 

Before the man can respond, something shoots out of the water, grabs him, and pulls him back into the water. It happens too fast for Bro to really see what grabs the guy other than that it's green.

Bro shouts as he sees the man get dragged under water. He skids to the edge of the rocks and looks around frantically. Then, against his better judgment, he kneels down and then shoves his head under the water- trying to find any proof of what he just saw.

Underwater is blurry, of course, but Bro can make out what looks like two creatures fighting, both of them different shades of green. The darker-green one notices him and lunges forward, but the other pushes that one away. This whole time, there's a sound like... dolphin chatter? 

Bro blinks past the harsh burning of the water and tries to focus on what he can see-they’re- fighting? Why can’t he understand them??

Suddenly, Bro finds himself pushed back out of the water. While he recovers from this, the man--man?--from before stares at him, head and shoulders out of the water, looking worried.

Bro gasps as he’s pushed out and then blinks comically at the man- merman? That pushed him out. He waves, “uh…. Hi?”

The man waves--showing that there are more fins on his wrists. "H-hiii," he says. And then... then he makes some strange sounds. Random vowels interspersed with clicks, whistles, and chirps--in other words, the dolphin-like noises. 

Bro blinks in surprise at the new sounds and then holds up his hands. “Ahhh fuck- I can’t understand you… but- holy shit… you’re a merman…!” He laughs and pushes his bangs out of his face, blinking in disbelief. “I… I don’t know why I can’t believe this- I’ve seen weird shit before but- this!” 

Another head pops out of the water behind him. Someone else, with green hair, green-tinted skin, and glowing green eyes. There are fins behind his ears like this first... guy. The new one scowls and glares at Chase.

P

Chase tilts his head at the other figure. Huh… that green in his eyes almost looks familiar. “Um… you might not be able to understand me but um- I’m Chase! …and I’m so fucking lost.” 

"You're not Chase." Now that--perfect English--comes from the green-tinted one in the back. 

Chase blinks and then points at himself, "... Yes I am! I'm Chase- Chase Brody! Who the fuck are you-" Then he pauses and looks surprised, "Wait- you spoke English! Oh okay brilliant maybe you can-" 

"I don't know what sort of--of ssshhhit you're trying to pull--" The one in front turns around and splashes the other one, chattering in a harsh tone. The green one splutters and responds snappily in the same chatter. 

And the two of them have a quick back and forth. Then the green one sinks in the water. "...How did you get here?" he mutters, grudgingly civil. 

"Uh... well.. that's... complicated. But um... I came from another.. universe...?" Bro says. ...Why does the grumpy green one kinda remind him of Alt?

"Universe...?" the green one repeats, understanding the word but not the concept. 

The other one smiles at him. He points at himself "Dak." And then back at the green one. "Antee." 

Chase's eyes widen as he whispers. "...no way-" He stares straight at Antee- now clearly seeing the resemblance in the face- despite the green tint and scales. 

The green one protests in the chattery language, but the other one splashes him again and says something that asks like a question. 

The green one sighs. "Jack wants to know if that's somewhere far away, and how you got here if that's the case."

Bro slightly shakes out of his surprise and then nods, "Uh... yeah. R-Really far away. And uh- we got here by... magic mostly. A bit of tech- but mostly magic. My brother's a magician."

Jack's eyes light up. He chirps and chatters something, grabbing Anti and shaking him slightly. Anti rolls his eyes. "We know magicians," he mutters. "Didn't know humans could use magic, too." 

"Y-Yeah he's really good at magic! Best magician I know at least," Bro grins. 

Jack asks something. "He wants to know if your brother came with you." Anti interprets.

Bro quickly nods, "Yeah! He's... probably somewhere around here... we tend to get separated when we come to new places."

Jack and Anti look around. The lagoon is clearly empty of people. "Well. Good luck looking for him," Anti says, and starts to sink underwater. 

Jack makes an offended whistling sound--like putting voice behind a gasp--and grabs him, pulling him back up. "Look, if he's human then his brother is human, and probably on land! We can't help!" 

Jack slumps, then perks up again, asking something. Anti rolls his eyes. "Alright, Chase Brody. Why don't you use your metal slab to call your brother, then?" 

"Fon," Jack adds. 

"Your phone."

"Oh! Well... I could try? Wasn't sure it'd work here but- Guess they do exist here! That's handy-" Chase laughs as he pulls out his phone, trying to see if he can reach Alt.

It looks like cell reception doesn't translate between universes, but there is a tiny, tiny bit of WiFi that he can use to send a text. 

Anti swims a bit closer as Bro messes with the phone, trying and failing to hide his curiosity.

Chase curses as he takes the phone away from his ear and studies it- trying to send a message: Alt! I'm at a beach near a forest- where are you? Did the TRVLR glitch? Are you okay??? ...probably overkill but- just in case.

The text takes longer than usual to go through, but it does eventually. And now, they wait. 

----------- 

Alt lands on a solid surface, and Jackie lands right next to him. They've arrived on a... boat? Yes, a boat floating out on the water, with a distant, pier-lined coast in sight. They sky overhead is a bright blue, contrasting against the endless dark blue water all around them. A table (and two chairs) sits on the deck, pushed up against the metal railing, its surface covered in burgers, fried chicken, French fries, ice cream--basically any fast food you can think of. 

Alt groans and curls up as he lands on something solid, finding it hard to breathe momentarily. 

"Alt!" Jackie cries out and goes to help him up. 

Alt blinks at him in confusion. "J-Jackie? Wait... no.. what??" He looks out at their surroundings, his stomach dropping. "T-This isn't-!" 

"What the hell?!" a young man, leaning over the boat's railing, jerks backwards. "Where did you two come from?!"

Jackie and Alt both jump as they hear the young man. Jackie scrambles to say something and just blurts out, "Uhhh... from the sky??" 

Alt gives him a confused 'are you serious' look.

The young man laughs. "Yeah, right. Okay, where were you guys hiding? There aren't many spots on here. You know that trespassing is still illegal if it's on a boat, right? Cause this is my boat, and I didn't say you could be here." He frowns. "Why are you guys here, anyway?" 

“O-Oh fuck uh- sorry sir, we didn’t know!” Jackie tries to say, holding up his hands. “I was trying to make a joke- we uh… god this is gonna sound crazy but we couldn’t actually control where we landed? It’s uh- magic and shit. We uh… came from another universe…?” Jackie grins a wide nervous smile, looking very uncomfortable. 

But as they talk, Alt notices something. Some of the fries from the table have fallen onto the ground. And a hand reaches up from the side of the boat and grabs some of them.

Alt gets distracted from trying to diffuse the situation as he sees the hand reach up. His eyes widen and he glances at the man before hurrying over to the side of the boat to look.

"Another universe? Yeah, sure. You can at least try to--hey!" The man tries to grab Alt as he hurries over but barely misses. 

Down in the water beneath the boat are three--people? They're clearly not normal. One wearing a cap has orange fins behind his ears and white and black stripes across his chest and arms. One with a bag has blue-green tentacles poking out of the water around him. And one in a sleeveless woven hoodie has a dorsal fin sticking out of his back. That one chokes on the fries he hurriedly shoved in his mouth while the one with the tentacles shoves the other two underwater. 

"Uh--don't mind that!" the young man rushes over, pulling Alt back. 

Alt’s eyes widen and he wants to shout but he gets dragged away. 

"Those are, uh, my friends! We're--practicing for a--a stunt show! R-really real costumes, huh?" The man laughs nervously. 

Alt looks back up at the young man and gapes at him. “…mermaids- those were mermaids!” 

“What??? Lemme see lemme see!” Jackie says excitedly, running to the railing to look over.

"No! No no no, those weren't mermaids!" the man protests. "They were just--dressed like mermaids!" 

As Jackie peers over the side of the railing, some of the spray from the water hits his face, as it's splashing a lot. But there definitely seem to be both human-like limbs and fish-like tails under all that splashing. Briefly, the one in the hoodie breaks away from the struggle and waves at Jackie, allowing him a closer look at him. Long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, sharp teeth bared in a grin, and scars across his eyes. Yet, somehow, he looks familiar. And then a tentacle wraps around his chest and pulls him underwater again.

Jackie stares at the water and then the hoodied man before he pushes away from the railing. “H-Holy shit…!” 

Alt whips around at the young man, “Don’t try to trick me! I know what I saw! No costumes are that realistic! And an illusion wouldn’t hold up with all them moving like that-“

"I--uh--uh--" The young man pauses, clearly mentally scrambling for an explanation. Then he suddenly switches tactics. "Did you know this all along?! I-is that why you snuck aboard?! W-well, I'll have you know you have no way of proving it! E-everyone's gonna call the pictures photoshopped if you post them!" 

“Hah?!?” Alt says. He glitches slightly in anger and presses up against the young man, “You got sea water in your ears, kid?! We just told you we didn’t mean to come here! I don’t even know where the hell we are! I couldn’t care less about proving anything!” 

The young man's eyes widen as Alt glitches. His mouth falls open and he's at a loss for words. 

Again, the hoodied mermaid pulls away from the struggle. He grabs the edge of the boat and smiles. "H-h-hayy," he says to Jackie. "Yoo.. luck... layk mmme."

Jackie startles as the hoodied merman pulls himself up towards him. He bends down and cocks his head at him, looking confused for a second. But then it clicks and he gasps, pointing at the merman. “OH MY GOD!! Alt! ALTTT!! ITS ME AS A MERMAN!! I FOUND A MERMAN JACKIE!!!” 

Alt glitches again and glares at the man before glitching over by Jackie. His eyes widen. “Yo- what the fuck…?”

The man stands there, stunned, while Alt and Jackie move to talk to the merpeople. 

The mer-Jackie makes a startled sound when Alt suddenly glitches next to Jackie, jerking backwards and into the water. Then he looks excited, turning back to the still-splashing part of the water. And he makes some strange sounds, like dolphin speech interspersed with human-made vowels. Whatever he says, it gets the other two to stop fighting. The one with the cap swims over next to Jackie, looking back up at the two guys curiously. The other one stays where he is, just his eyes poking out of the water, darting back and forth between the guys on the boat and the merms in the water.

Jackie shakes Alt’s shoulder excitedly. “Look dude look!! A merman me!!” 

“I am looking dude- I still don’t believe it-“ Alt breathes. He kneels down by the edge again, tilting his head at the merms curiously. When he notices their strange way of speaking he knits his eyebrows together and then tries to see if he can cast a translation spell.

The mer-Jackie and the cap merman make an "oooo"ing sound at Alt's magic. They turn to each other and chatter. 

"--was--" 

"I--was--maybe?" 

"I--humans--not--use magic?" 

"--don't know that. Maybe they--know magic--forgot?" 

"Maybe we should ask Marvin later." 

The spell really struggles with this language, even more so than Glasish when they visited that fantasy world before. But it gets there eventually. 

"Well go on, Chase!" mer-Jackie says, shoving the other one. "Talk to them in human! Ask them about their magic!" 

"It's called 'English,' Jackie. They have a lot of languages." 

Alt honestly was afraid it wouldn’t work at all- but he seems to relax as it starts to make sense. He blinks then laughs and waves at them both, “Actually- it’s okay. I can understand you both now.” He grins. 

“What??? Alttt why’d you leave me out??? I wanna hear! Your doppelgänger isn’t even here!” Jackie whines. 

“Oh yeah- right… sorry Jackie-“ Alt says, quickly casting the spell on Jackie too. Then, Alt studies the capped merman. Is this one really Chase?

"Oh, you can?" mer-Jackie blinks. "Alright, how many fingers am I holding up, then?" He holds up three fingers. 

“3!” Jackieboy says excitedly, pointing down. Alt gives him another done look. 

The one in the back swims over and smacks the other Jackie in the back of the head. "That makes no sense! Idiot." 

"Owww! Don't be mean, Schneep!" 

Chase laughs. "Well, um... hi?" He waves. "We don't... usually see humans using magic like that. O-or looking like a broken computer."

Alt blinks back down at Chase and smiles, “Well- 1) cool that you know about computers! Didn’t think a merman would know that- 2) I’m a special case~ not many magicians like me exist! Anddd 3) we’ve never seen real life mermen before!” 

“Much less mermen that are us!!” Jackie grins, bouncing on the railing. “This is insane! It’s me and our friends as fucking mermaids, dude!!!” 

“Man Jackie you are bringing so much energy into these trips-“ Alt mumbles, rubbing at his ear.

Chase laughs, a sound that's sharper and more chittering than a human laugh. "Most merms don't know about computers, but I'm special. Oh, that's what the general term is, by the way, 'merm.' I-I know you guys tend to default to just mermaids but that's only for women." 

“Oh! That’s helpful to know!” Jackie says, “Mermmmm- heh- that’s fun to say! Merm merm merm merm-“ 

The one in the back--a mer-Schneep, it seems--eyes the two guys suspiciously. "Are you sure they can be trusted, Chase?" he mutters. 

"Schneep, they can hear you," Jackie points out. 

"It's fine, Schneep, I-I think they're different," Chase says. 

Alt hums, trying to ignore Jackie still saying merm over and over, “I know we look strange but- we know other people who look like you, and they’re our friends.” 

"Ollie?!" Chase calls. 

The young man walks over, looking over the railing. "These guys... are cool?" he asks hesitantly. 

"They're cool," Chase agrees in English. 

"O-okay." Ollie nods.

At the name, Alt’s eyes widen and he whips around, finally taking in all the features of the young man- he feels his breath get taken away ,a flush coming to his cheeks. “O-Oliver…?” He breathes.

"Uh... yeah? That's what Ollie is usually short for." Ollie laughs a bit. 

Alt is just staring at Ollie like he’s looking at a ghost. This is the first time they’ve seen someone else outside their friend group in another universe. He never thought he’d see a copy of his boyfriend?? This was super duper weird- and Alt can’t stop his cheeks from turning red. “U-Uh yeah… right… s-sorry… you just.. l-look like someone I… know.” 

"I do, huh?" Ollie smiles a bit. "I-I hope it's someone you like. It, uh, probably is." He doesn't want to comment on the obvious blush.

Alt makes a squeak at this. 

"Um... so... h-how'd you get on the boat? I didn't even notice you guys." Ollie asks.

"I think they just appeared," Chase says. 

"Appeared?" Ollie glances at Alt, confused. "Uh... sorry, I-I'm still getting used to the merm thing, people appearing and, uh, glitching around... is a bit much." 

Alt eventually shakes himself out enough to answer. “Uh yeah we.. just kinda do that… cuz of m-magic! Which I do- and used to get here- w-with this device.” He pulls out the TRVLR to show them. “But uh… we weren’t supposed to be here. I was sure I plugged in the coordinates for home.” 

As Alt looks over the TRVLR, he notices something. After tinkering with the settings between adventures, he'd found one that makes the current universe code show up in the top left corner. This... isn't the code for their world. Instead, it reads UA-0501019MM. 

He blinks and then narrows his eyes at the universe code. What the heck?? This isn’t even close to their code!

Meanwhile, mer-Jackie is joining in with his human counterpart repeating "merm merm merm merm." 

Schneep rolls his eyes at that and looks at Alt. "Who are you, then?" he asks. "Your names?"

Alt looks down and then lightly smacks Jackie to get him to stop. He gestures at Schneep then at Jackie. Jackie blinks then looks back at Schneep and grins, “I’m Jackie! Jackie Mann!”

"Jackie! Like me!" Jackie says. 

Jackie beams, “Yeah! Just like you! We’re like- the same person but from different worlds!” 

Alt raises his hand, looking timid. “‘M Alt… Alt Brody. But um… I-Im also known as Anti.”

The three merms glance at each other when Alt mentions his name. "We know an Anti," Schneep says. "That is funny. Names are funny." 

“Yeah… figured you would,” Alt mutters.

"Different... worlds?" Jackie repeats, uncertain. 

"Oh, like another dimension?" Chase asks. 

“Uhh yeah! I think that’s the same thing!” Jackieboy says, grinning. 

"What the fuck do you mean, 'dee-men-shun'?" Schneep asks. 

"Uhhh... it's hard to explain. It took me a while to get it." 

"Wait, you mean you guys weren't kidding about being from other universes?!" Ollie gasps. 

Alt laughs, “Nope- weren’t kidding at all. Where we’re from- mermaids don’t exist.” 

“As far as you know!” Jackie points out, “What if they’re just like- lurking so low we never see them? Like a giant squid! We’ve barely explored the ocean bro!” 

“Your wife is rubbing off on you,” Alt chuckles. 

“Hey! I have a fascination with the ocean outside of my wife too you know!!!” 

And shortly after, Alt's text tone goes off. The glitch then jumps slightly as his phone buzzes. He switches out the TRVLR for his phone, checking the message. Alt! I'm at a beach near a forest- where are you? Did the TRVLR glitch? Are you okay??? 

“Oh well- texting works here at least… that’s nice.” Alt comments. 

"Oh, your phone messages." Schneep nods. 

Alt looks back at Jackieboy. “Chase is on a beach somewhere-“

"I'm not on a beach, I'm right here," Chase says. "Or--do you know a Chase like we know a Jackie and Anti?" 

Alt blinks at Chase and then laughs shaking his head, “Yeah, we have a Chase too. He’s my older brother.” 

"Brother?" Chase repeats. "I have a couple siblings, but we don't really keep in contact. Maybe I should reach out to them. I think they all still live in the school we grew up in." 

Alt blinks, “huh- you might be one of the first Chases I met that actually has siblings too.” 

"A lot of merms have siblings," Chase says. "But you kind of drift away from them. In the ocean, at least. Everything's so big. It might be different for freshwater merms." 

“That’s so interesting…” Alt replies. 

"If your friend is on a beach, I can try to take you guys there," Ollie says, still barely grasping the idea of these visitors being from another world. "I mean, I can't really take you anywhere, but if it's nearby."

Alt can’t help but smile at Ollie- even if it feels weird to look at him for too long. Stop trying to heat up cheeks! “Uh- t-that’d be awesome if you could. He’s said he’s one the beach near a forest- does that sound familiar?”

"Oh!" Jackie's eyes light up. "A beach near land with trees? Is it the beach of a lagoon? With big brown rocks at the entrance and some deep tide pools?" 

Schneep looks at Jackie and frowns. "Do you think he found where Jack and Anti are?" 

"Yeah, I do!"

Jackie and Alt exchange looks. Alt seems uneasy for a second but- it’s not like they’re saying anything bad about this other Anti. He sighs. “If your friends live over there… then that’s probably where he is. We get drawn towards people we know when we drop into these worlds.”

Jackie blinks. "I don't think I'm really understanding this thing about worlds and 'oo-nee-versus' but we can take you there! Ah-lee can follow us in the boat!" 

"We are sure about this?" Schneep mutters. 

"I'm curious, at least," Chase says. 

"Come on, come on!" Jackie dives back underwater, swimming over to the prow of the ship. His dorsal fin sticks out of the water as he goes, highlighting that yes, he is indeed a sharklike merm, as opposed to Schneep's tentacles and Chase's more traditional fishy shape. 

Jackie laughs in surprise and delight as he sees mer-Jackie swim. “Oh my god!! He’s a shark!! That’s so cool!!!” 

Schneep grins at Jackie's enthusiasm. "Yes, Jackie is a yellow shark. Chase is an anemonefish and I am a great ocean octo." 

"Lemon shark, clownfish, great Pacific octopus," Chase says. "You guys have different words for us. Oh, and we're going to Jack and Anti, who are a discus and an electric eel." 

“That’s so sick!! You’re all so different!” Jackie says excitedly, “In cartoons and shit- all mermaids look the same!!” 

Chase laughs. "Oh yeah, we've seen some of your cartoons. We know. But it's fine, don't worry. I think it's great, actually!" 

"Well, if we are going, you should message your brother," Schneep says to Alt. "So he is not waiting and not knowing."

Alt blinks and then nods and texts Bro back: Hang tight bro- we landed on a ship and found help. Coming to find you. All safe 

Then Schneep looks at Ollie. "Can you follow us?" 

"No problem." Ollie gives him a thumbs up. "Try to stay slow, though. You guys are really fast." 

Alt hums in thought, shrugging his backpack off and starting to skim through the pages. He wonders if he has any spells that can help… Because… These guys know about magic- and there’s one other person from their world who’s left unaccounted for.

And with that, he and Schneep go join Jackie at the prow, and the boat heads off across the ocean. 

-----------

 Magnificent does not appear anywhere familiar. Or even anywhere he would want to be. He lands on a small beach. This is on the edge of a large body of water, surrounded by thin trees. Judging by the lack of salt smell, it's not the ocean, but an especially large lake. And one that people know about, since there's a small area with a picnic table and trash can nearby.

Magnificent rolls onto his stomach, growling against his binds and hoping he can get away from those pesky-! Wait- this… isn’t their universe. As Mag thinks this, Alt’s magic breaks apart, freeing him. He quickly teleports to his feet and dusts himself off. Then he hisses and scrambles back as he sees his close he is to the water. Fucking water- as much as he doesn’t want to lean too heavily into cat stereotypes… he can’t stand large bodies of water. And getting wet. But… new universe… what magic could lie around here..?

Well... there are pros and cons to him reaching out with his magic. Pro, there is a great deal of magic nearby, strong and deep and rippling with power. Con, it's clearly under the lake.

Magnificent starts to brighten as he senses the magic- then his face quickly falls as he sees it’s under the lake. He curses up a storm, kicking at the sand and basically throwing a fit. Once he lets out his rage he breathes and then braces himself before jumping into the water. He casts a quick spell to make sure he can breathe and see, while cursing whoever left this magic down here. He’s not a great swimmer but he pushes forward, aiming to follow the pull of the magic.

As Magnificent sinks through the lake, the light becomes dimmer, but fish become more plentiful--though they all scatter whenever he gets near. And as he starts to reach the floor of the lake, he notices something strange. Some of the plants are glowing. They give off faint magical signatures, but aren't really worth his time. There are also... glowing starfish? But those live in the sea, not lakes. And yet here they are, scattered about, getting closer together as the pull of magic becomes stronger. He comes to a spot clear of any plants, and finds something strange. A structure made of pillars and slabs of stone, most of it having no walls except for a single attached room. What is this? Some sort of ruin?

Magnificent swims past most distractions, eager to get a boost and then get out of this lake. But… the starfish are odd. And so is this… structure. Curiously, Mag swims towards it and tries to peek inside.

But then he runs into something coming out of the structure. It’s not immediately clear what it is, but as it makes some sort of chirping whistling sounds, the details sink in. It’s… a merman. That’s the only word for it. The bottom half is a silver tail with glints of yellow and blue, the upper half is mostly human (wearing a dark green cape) but has silvery fins trailing from the upper arms, and the face… is startlingly familiar. The merman trails off, fully taking in Mag’s appearance as he takes in his. Then his eyes widen in fear and he swims backwards, making a loud whistling noise.

Magnificent’s eyes widen and his jaw falls in disbelief. A merman… he thought those only existed in fairytales! And well, unfortunately, he knew this thing’s face all too well. But, the mad magician tries to put on his most charming smile and tries to back up, looking apologetic. “My apologizes, noble merfolk! I was just… searching the area. Did not mean to intrude~!”

But it doesn't matter how kind or apologetic he seems, the merm turns and darts into the structure, whistling and chattering loudly. Once inside, he grabs something from a shelf carved from rock and puts it on his face--a mask with four bits of orange sea glass embedded in the forehead--and starts rummaging through round stones on the shelves.

Mag’s face goes from cordial to dangerous in an instant. He growls and then darts to follow the merm into the structure. Once he sees him he lashes out to try to grab him by his wrist.

But the merman's wrist slips out of his grasp, the skin less grippy than Mag expected. He looks at the magician with wide eyes and grabs tight to one of the stones. Strange symbols carved on the surface light up with seafoam green light. And that's when Magnificent realizes. The power he'd felt--it wasn't one big source, it was a lot of sources gathered together. One of them being this merman. And many others being the little round rocks he was looking through.

Magnificent growls, his own eyes lighting up with magic. Then, he pauses as he reads the room. Oh… okay. He grins, then tries to grab one of the stones for himself.

The merman notices what he's doing and tries to stop him, going to smack his hand away. 

Mag is stopped and he yells out in frustration as he slapped away- but he manages to lash out again and grabs the merm’s hand. He laughs sinisterly, digging claws into his flesh. “Don’t worry, little fish… this won’t hurt a bit~!” And he tries to drain the merm of his magic.

The merm shrieks and manages to backpedal his way out of Mag's grip, tail pumping hard to push him through the water. But not without Mag's claws scraping down his skin--and not without some of his power being stolen. It flows into Magnificent like the water that surrounds them, bubbly as the seafoam its green color is named after. It's only a fraction of what the merm had, but it's something. The merm looks at him in horror, then turns and swims out of the structure.

Magnificent laughs, studying the magic as it flows through his veins. He laughs as the merm runs, going to scoop some of the power stones up for himself. Curious little things… worth studying he thinks. Hmm… should be off that little anomaly of him? Or capture it to see what it could explain about the magic here? …or- he could do both. He grins and then rockets after the merm, quickly trying to see if he can teleport to cut it off.

He’s surprised to see he can but grins menacingly as he appears in front of the merm, reaching out to try to catch him.

The mern shrieks again, ducking down to swim under him. And as it chatters, something happens. 

"--the--trying--me!--my magic! Where--you?!" Huh? The sounds are starting to make sense. 

Mag yells in rage and tries again, trying this time to throw out strings to catch it.

But the strings alone get pushed away by the currents of the merm moving. He circles around the structure to the more solid part--and something pops up from the other side of it. A person, just their head poking above the ceiling of the structure. He has brown hair and a thick mustache. His eyes widen as he sees Mag, then he looks at the other merm and makes weird gestures. The merm hurries towards him.

Magnificent is getting tired of this chase- he rockets back down and then conjures up a net with his magic, whipping it out towards his look-a-like.

The merm is too focused on reaching his friend to notice the net. It wraps around his body, pulling him to a stop. He shrieks. "No! You--! Let me go!--help!" 

Whatever magic Mag absorbed must be translating the chatter. 

Magnificent laughs and starts to pull the magic back towards him. “Well! That was a fun chase, Marvin.” He spits out his name. “But I’m afraid playtime is over, little fish~” 

The other merm dives forward, hurriedly trying to pull his friend out. This one is very different than the other, with strange wings attached to his arms and sides. A ray of some kind, maybe.

Magnificent finally takes notice of the other merm and he laughs, floating above him. “Now now little one- you can run along~! I’m sure I have no need for you~” He sends out a wave of magic, trying to push the Ray merm away.

The ray clings to the net but the magic pushes him away and he goes flying over the structure. "No! No! Jameson!" Marvin shouts, struggling. He looks back at Magnificent. "Wh-who are you?! How do you know my name?! Can you--can you even understand me?!"

Magnificent laughs, “Yes I can~ and since we can now hold a conversation… I think you will be such a good source of knowledge for me. So- why don’t we get to know each other, Marvin? You can call me Magnificent.”

"Magnificent? S-stupid name for a h-human." Marvin tries to smile smugly, but there is clear fear under the mask."I don't--I don't know what you could want. I just live here, I don't know anything a-about your human stuff."

“Oh my dear child, I am no human~” Magnificent laughs, showing off his fangs, “I am something so much greater.” 

 "Not human, huh? Th-that would explain how you're down this far and still breathing." He tries for a smile again but doesn't even manage a smirk this time. 

Magnificent tightens the net and brings Marvin close to his face, going to use his claws to turn his back and forth by his chin. He chuckles, tilting his head like a curious predator. “Why that’s okay, little fish. I think I will find what you know sooo much more interesting. Like- how these stones work- for instance? Or how you got your magic?”

Marvin swallows a lump in his throat. Tiny slits on either side of his neck open and close in miniscule motions."I--My magic, it--it's something I was born with, a-a lot of merms are, though most don't do anything with it. A-and the stones, they store power. You pour some of yours in and pull it out at later times."

Magnificent tsks, “It’s that trivial? Hm…” He twirls some of the strings of his magic with a thoughtful expression. “You said a lot of …merms- have magic? Where could one find a bigger source of that?”

Marvin opens his mouth to answer--and then realizes that it's probably not a good idea to give this guy what he wants. So he shuts his mouth. "I don't know."

Magnificent’s expression darkens. He grabs Marvin harder by the chin and forces him to look up at him as he whispers, “Are you lying to me, kitten?” His eyes start to spiral with magic as he chuckles, “I don’t think you should lie to me, Marvin. Because- I believe I can actually make use of you~ don’t you want to be useful to me, Marvinnn~?” He tries to pump the mark full of his influence.

Marvin blinks, confusion momentarily snapping him out of fear. "What d'you mean, 'chishin'?" he mutters, terribly mispronouncing 'kitten.' But then the spirals appear, and he gasps, closing his eyes immediately-- And before Mag can do much more, something slams into him from behind.

Magnificent growls, “that doesn’t mat-!” He gets cut off as he’s slammed into, dropping the net with Marvin in it. He growls and whips around to blast magic at whatever hit him. 

The magic hits his attacker point-blank--the same ray merm from before, who now gets flung into the ground. A cloud of sand flies into the air from the impact. "Jameson!" Marvin gasps, struggling to break free of the net.

Magnificent is quick to scoop Marvin back up and magic builds up behind him- making an even stronger spiral. “Enough games! You will help me find stronger magic or I’ll find bigger fish to fry after making you dinner! You will obey me!”

Marvin glances from Jameson to Magnificent--and freezes upon seeing the spiral. It flickers in his eyes. "I-I-I... n-no, I-I can't..." he says quietly, his struggles growing weaker and weaker. "I-I... Don't... hurt Jameson... please. I-I'll do... whatever you want, just... don't..."

“Is that all? Then of course, little fish… I won’t harm, Jameson. All you have to do is help me~” Magnificent giggles quietly.

"O... kay..." Marvin slumps entirely. "I'll... help." 

Jameson watches this happen in horror, frozen in plaze.

“Very good~” Magnificent grins. He snaps and the net disappears from around Marvin. “Grab whatever you need for the journey, Marvin. Then, you can lead me towards where this power is, hm?” 

"Okay." Marvin turns and swims into the structure. "We're going... to the ocean. Magic is stronger in deeper waters." He's grabbing a woven bag and filling it with things: a couple power stones and some kelp packages. 

Mag glances at Jameson, his eyes glowing unnaturally in the water.

Jameson tenses, and then abruptly turns and dashes away, keeping close to the sand. With the speckled pattern on his back he quickly blends into the ground.

Magnificent snorts with a smirk. Good. This Jameson was a coward. He wouldn’t get in the way then. Looking over himself he hums in thought. If he’s going to be down here… he needed a better way to swim and also not attract too much attention. He snaps and a burst of magic swirls around his legs and transforms them into a sleek black tail- resembling the tail of a pacific black dragon. He flicked the long eel-like tail and grinned as it lit up slightly green. Perfect. He abandoned his normal attire to have a material like his cape drape over his chest. Now- hopefully he wouldn’t draw too much unwanted attention…

Marvin stops, staring at Magnificent transform with shock. "S-so easy...?" he mutters, sounding in awe. "That tail... like a deep dweller." He shivers at the thought of them, then the hypnotism takes hold again. "Are you ready to go?"

Magnificent grins, “Yes. Lead the way, little fish~” He makes a sweeping motion like a showman, gesturing out towards the rest of the water.

Marvin nods. "Yes. The river to the ocean is this way." And he starts swimming, leading Magnificent there.