#Shay's WIPs

[shay-creates]

Writblr Intro?

I have never done a writblr intro, so here we go.

Hello! You can call me Shay. I'm a writer and artist living in the US. Welcome to my art and writing blog!

About me: I'm 25, asexual, transmasc, nonbinary (he/they/it), and unsure where I fall on the romantic spectrum. Tag and Ask game friendly! Asks and conversation encouraged. I'm more scared of you than you are of me, so it may take me a bit to respond. I never know what I'm doing at any given time, so I'm very sporadic in talking about or making anything related to stories or art. I follow/follow back using Shay-Puppity (my main account).

I'm creating my world "Exalos" through stories and art, filling the world with my beloved characters (distant sobbing and screaming). I mainly write in the genre of fantasy with a smattering of mystery, horror, romance, and slice of life. Many of my characters are LGBT+ and the world they live in has no drama surrounding that.

I'm currently focused on my WIP titled "Dread Secrets," but I have several other stories in various stages of development. Dread Secrets is my first time planning with the intent of actually writing and finishing the story. Volume of projects not indicative of me being put together, it is quite the opposite.

Characters tagged by using- OC: Character name (Ex- OC: Celesto)

WIPs tagged by using- Shay WIP: Story title (Ex- Shay WIP: Dread Secrets)

Art tagged by using- Shay's Art

~My WIPs~

This part will be edited as I work on these stories, so there'll eventually be more information to read here.

Dread Secrets (current main project):

Genre/Rating: Medieval Fantasy, mystery, action, romance, adventure, not young adult

TWs: blood, gore, violence, mental/psychological/emotional abuse mentions/vague depictions, slight body horror, war, war refugees mentions/depictions, deaths, murder,

POV: Xiang, Neph, King Ansellus Kestrel, Celesto, Mystery Plotter

Summary: (WIP intro link)

Fifteen years ago, King Ansellus Kestrel of the kingdom Wisea made a last stand against the Dread Queen Celesto, his first love, as the benevolent kingdoms banded together to lay siege to the aptly named, Dread Kingdom. Against all odds, Celesto was beaten. Turned against by the Ancient of the Dread Forest, an unstable Celesto's final moments saw her body transform into a dark and twisted tree that screamed angrily into nothingness without a sound.

They had been in love, Ansellus willing to give Celesto anything he could give her. In four short years, their perfect life together fell to shambles as Celesto betrayed not only Ansellus, but friends and even her own goddaughter, Hibiki, who, even now, clings to her father to feel safe.

Xiang, a student of Prophis, attempts to aid a friend who is cursed to sleep with Grim Twilight Ivy growing around and from his body. His good intentions are rewarded by having a similar curse placed on Xiang himself. A strange mark over his heart and plagued by nightmares of being hunted by the Dread Queen Celesto in the ruins of the Dread Kingdom, Xiang leaves the ancient towers of Prophis to find a way to break the curse before succumbing to it himself. He is given a protector in the form of Malianna Ash, a half-immortal from the fiery Kingdom of Rosha.

Neph, a half-immortal in their early twenties, lives comfortably in the independent city of Rudrian with caretakers Sasha and Bryn Creek and their soft-spoken friend, Celine. Neph longs to gain recognition so they may ascend to immortality in the hopes of reuniting with their immortal mother in Elorial, the realm of immortals. They seize their chance after rescuing Xiang after the Prophis student is separated from Malianna by the crowds. Through the use of incessant nagging and a sprinkle of charisma, Neph manages to join the two strangers on their quest. Celine, who has always been at Neph's side, joins the group to aid them as both a healer and strong nature magic user.

What secrets hide in the past? Will Xiang be able to lift the curse from himself before it's too late? What dreadful secrets hide within the ruins of the Dread Kingdom? Did Celesto find some way to survive and lay low all those years ago, or is the curse the doing of someone else?

Progress: semi-complete timeline, Character illustrations done

Cast: Xiang, Malianna Ash, Neph, Scy Drakenscale, Phelan Noctus, Lorne, Kubo Hibiki, No Eiko, Celine, Scorch (Malianna's unicorn), Flit (Malianna's magic pigeon), Celesto Krone/Kestrel (Dread Queen), Felix Kestrel, King Ansellus Kestrel, Queen Tianna Kestrel, Artos Oak, Kubo Mai, Ling Yazhu, Bao Mingmei, Bao Yating, King Snydus Ash, Silas Ash, Draco, Dissonantia, Bryn Creek, Sasha Creek, Leandra Ash, Xaver Ash, Ferna Krone, Obelus Krone, Imposa Kestrel, Mightrus Kestrel, Ling Chao, Bessarion Thorne, Characters

Gods/Ancients/Primordials of note: God of Memories, God of Sanctuary, God of Guardians, God of Passion, God of Vengeance, God of Lore (Lorne), Ancient of Wisdom, Ancient of Knowledge, God of Dreams, The 11 Immortal Villains (See: Corruption of Heroes), Ancient of the Dread Forest/Forests, Primordial of Death, Primordial of Life

Song association: Guns For Hire by Woodkid + What Could Have Been by Sting and Ray Chen.

Excerpt: Nothing written yet. :3

Tinnitus:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: fantasy, modern setting, dimension hopping, coming of age, suspense, adventure, series, not young adult

POV: Gong Jiahao, Soul Warren, Maddox High, Taeil, Fable Book, Kace Asher, Zhang Remy, Nym Cardinal

Summary: something goes here. Idk if each character gets a book or if characters share a book or whatever, but they do all get some POV. There will be some angst. Also there's a mysterious person who is trying to make a deal or contract with each of the characters. Idk what contracts yet, but there's shenanigans. Also a dumb and campy fight scene because it's dumb and makes me laugh. (They're using the power of dance and music to fight and distract a fucking dragon, it's so dumb. Dumb fight scene go brr.)

Progress: vibes and vague ideas, character concepts concepted

Characters: Primordial of Chaos, Gong Jiahao, Zhang Remy, Soul Warren, Fable Book, Nym Cardinal, Maddox High, Kace Asher, Ace Siren, Mirroh, Pavel Nox, Jung Taeil, Rune Siren, Neph, Xiang, Runais, Xadrian, Phelan, Mirroh Characters

Song association: Illusion by Ateez

Excerpt: Nothing written yet. :3

Heir of Chaos:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: fantasy, modern setting?, medieval setting?, dimension hopping, mystery, series, not young adult

POV: Deimos Muse, Song Kwan, Adriel Sky, Warrick Red, Zhang Remy

Summary: Something goes here. You read that right! Remy is a POV here too. This story and Tinnitus are intertwined with reoccurring characters and that mysterious person is here too. Don't ask me how I plan to write these two stories, I just know they are intertwined.

Progress: vibes and vague ideas

Characters: Deimos Muse, Zhang Remy, Warrick Red, Song Kwan, Adriel Sky, Primordial of Chaos, Lucas String, Mirroh, Shen Saint, Gong Jiahao, Soul Warren, Fable Book, Nym Cardinal, Maddox High, Kace Asher Characters

Song association: Frost or Crown by Tomorrow X Together

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Corruption of Heroes:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: medieval fantasy, mystery, action, not young adult

POV: Kallista and/or Shysie

Summary: A fantasy story that follows the formation and eventual fall from grace of the Eleven Immortal Villains of the Dread Forest. A time when the citizens of Rusa and Centuros were ruled by Dissonantia Krone and her husband Draco Krone, before the two rulers became God of Chaos and Discord respectively. When Rusa and Centuros were constantly in a closely tied battle without bloodshed or animosity. Before the Dread Forest gained its name and the Ancient of Forests was worshiped by both Rusa and Centuros. When the Primordial of Life had curved horns upon its head and Immortals walked the same earth as mortals. How the mighty fall. How the Eleven Immortal Villains came to be (they're mentioned and may cameo in Dread Secrets). We've got Kallista, Shysie, twins Faraph and Gwin, brothers Leucis and Valrus, sapphic throuple Echo/Nyssa/and Whisper, sapphic couple Vasha and Eilla, and Lux as characters.

Progress: vibes and vague ideas, character concepts concepted

Characters: Lux, Shysie Crimson, Kallista Rose, Gwin Snow, Faraph Snow, Echo Song, Vasha Alice, Eilla Alice, Whisper Song, Nyssa Song, Leucis Bard, Valrus Bard, Dissonantia Krone, Draco Krone, Anarvale, Thronk, (more characters to come) Characters

Song association: It Seemed the Better Way by Leonard Cohen or Hunt You Down by The Hit House and Ruby Friedman

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Finding Family:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: slice of life, medieval fantasy, comedy?, pg/pg 13

POV: Pangari, Fintan, Demarcus, Amphon, and/or Yvonna

Summary: A fantasy, slice of life story about a family of Gods in the Immortal Realm. Amphon, God of Blacksmiths, and Yvonna, God of Seamsters, adopted three young Immortals who’ve ascended to godhood. Fintan, God of Flames, is often sleeping in Amphon’s smelter, his blonde hair and skin stained with soot and ash, and he only leaves the home if it’s for his twin sister, Pangari, or adopted brother, Demarcus. Pangari, God of Shadows, is a bubbly and kind-hearted young woman with bright eyes and light blonde waves. She spends as much time as she can with her family, often dragging Fintan out of the smelter to go on walks. Demarcus, God of Artisans, is dutiful and is often working hard on a new blueprint or helping his adopted father design a new sword or gift for Yvonna. This is a story about found family and the bonds that are formed by accepting each other and protecting each other.

Cast: Amphon, Yvonna, Pangari, Demarcus, Fintan, Bunsom, Lorne

Progress: vibes and vague ideas, some characters concepted

Characters

Song association: Family by Mother Mother

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Shadow of Doubt:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: Mystery, thriller, psychological thriller, horror, Crime, mature

POV: Kit Tong

Summary: something goes here. There's a single part that I will legitimately cry while writing, it's the only thing I know will happen and it makes me sad. Great character moment though. Kit has a cat named Milo and I love their cat, it's the beacon of light in the bloody dark. That's all I've got so far. One scene and the MC has a cute cat. That's all you really need though...right?

Progress: vibes and vague ideas

Characters: Kit Tong, Kim Jae-soon, Ito Genji, Sunnie Lee, Zander Blight, Freddie Smith, Mik Forest, (more characters to come) Characters

Song association: You'd Be Paranoid Too by Waterparks or Saints by Echos

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Background of Love:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: romance, comedy, slice of life, BL, GL, fantasy, modern setting, series, not young adult

POV: Elio, Tia, Season, Wins, Rowan, Mingi, Jun

Summary: something goes here. One of the MCs is probably the main MC because he's aro/ace and everyone around them is falling in love left, right, and center so it's like he's in the background if that makes sense? I haven't decided if that character is going to be called Season or Elio. This is the story with the most gay focus of any of my stories.

(old summary for some context: This story follows three couples as they pursue love. Elio has had feelings for his childhood friend Rowan for five years with the other not noticing and soon developing a crush on someone else. Elio decides to stop his feelings for Rowan, no matter how difficult, and allows his friends Dom and Dai to set him up with a temporary boyfriend Mingi. Once Elio decides to move on, Rowan soon discovers how much Elio has done for him over the years and abandons his crush to pursue Elio. Tia, friend of Elio and Dom and Dai has caught herself pining after her neighbor across the street named Mian. Despite all of her bravado and confident air, she can’t bring herself to talk coherently around Mian. No longer being pursued by Rowan, Wins begins to spend more time with Jun since they have many of the same interests. Jun stops spending time with Wins, putting Mingi first as the latter might have developed feelings for his temporary boyfriend. Can Amais, God of Love, help his heartless or will the God have them figure it out for themselves?)

Progress: vibes and vague ideas

Characters: Elio Santiago, Rowan Winters, Kim Mingi, Huang Jun, Xu Mian, Tia Amor, Season Light, Takara Haru, Dom Wong, Dai Angsan, Wins Michaels, God of Soulmates (Amais) Characters

Song association: Fake Protagonist by Getsunova or Lose (english version) by Wonho

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Misfortune:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: fantasy, medieval fantasy?, mystery, suspense, comedy, romance, not young adult

POV: Runais, Xadrian, and/or Lykos (maybe Mirroh?)

Summary: something goes here. Everyone else is having a bad time but Runais and Xadrian are just chaotic dumb and chaotic dumber and I love that for them. This story kind of absorbed another WIP idea I had called "Deja Vu" and I'm not mad about it. I like this story a bit more.

Progress: vibes and vague ideas, some characters concepted

Characters: Xiang, Neph, Runais, Xadrian, Lykos, Mirroh, Primordial of Chaos, Malianna Ash, Scorch, Flit, Phelan, (more characters to come?) Characters

Song association: Seraph by DPR Ian or Who Are You by Sam Kim

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Love Afterlife:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: medieval fantasy, romance, GL, not young adult

POV: Tahari or Nocturne/Aqualise

Summary: something goes here, but I know it's sapphic. The location is the afterlife and I do think I'm clever. Because...they...they find love...in the afterlife....so...love...afterlife.... A sapphic tale between the God of Death and an Immortal Spirit.

Progress: vibes

Characters: Tahari, Nocturne/Aqualise, (more characters to come) Characters

Song association: ???

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Demon Eye:

Moodboard Goes Here

Genre/Rating: fantasy, action, dark fantasy, romance, not young adult

POV: ??? I don't have any characters thought up yet, no names or anything. RIP

Summary: something goes here. It feels really cool in my brain, cool fight scenes go brrr. Cool character concept vibes go brr too.

Progress: vibes

Characters

Song association: ???

Excerpt: Nothing written yet :3

Deja Vu:

Moodboard Goes here

Genre/Rating: fantasy, modern setting?, dimension hopping, mystery, not young adult

POV: Pavel Night

Summary: (technically scrapped) A fantasy, mystery, suspense. Living under the same roof to save money with his six friends, Pavel has had the luxury of having a room to himself thanks to winning a long game of rock, paper, scissors. His ideal world is flipped when one of his friends, Lucas, asks if a friend of his could move in. Though Pavel doesn’t know the friend well, he trusts Lucas’ judgement of character and agrees to let the friend share a room with himself since it’d be easier than Malia moving her things out of one room and into another. As soon as this friend, Mirroh, arrives, Pavel feels a strange distrust of the stranger. Mirroh keeps to himself unless he’s with Lucas, and seems to settle in well enough. But when an accident leaves his friend Shen dead and Ambrose in critical condition, strange things begin to happen. Mirroh’s personality becomes stranger and he seems to know when something bad is about to happen, though he doesn’t seem to lift a finger to stop it. What’s stranger is Pavel wakes up to find himself back to the day of the first accident that began it all. What can Pavel do to prevent the accidents? Does Mirroh know something and is keeping it a secret? Who is the stranger that confirms that Pavel should not trust Mirroh? Should he listen to the stranger?

Progress: Technically scrapped, vibes, vague ideas, 5 chapters written

Cast: ???, Lucas String, Mirroh, Shen Saint, Ambrose Saint, Malia Shield, Pavel Nox, Rune Siren, Ace Siren, Pavel Night

Song Association: ???

Excerpt: ):

[lunarmoves]

indirect continuation of this sun kiss drabble

you were being tailed for quite some time now.

you noticed by accident—a strange shadow in the corner of your eye as you made your way through the pizzaplex after hours for your nightly tasks. it was gone almost as soon as you'd turned your head to look at where it'd been. at first you figured you were just seeing things—maybe the shadows cast by the bright neon lights were playing tricks on you. maybe the late hours walking around the massive mall were making you tired.

but when you started to feel the prickle of your hairs standing straight—the burn of a gaze watching your every move—you realized exactly what you were dealing with. or rather, who.

"moon, why are you following me?" you sighed out sometime halfway through your shift, stopping in your trek to the arcade room to fix a few broken machines. hands placed on your hips, you looked up at the ceiling and tried to make out any odd shadows or faint gleams of metal. but when moon didn't want to be found, well... you could spend your entire night looking for him and you wouldn't be able to catch even the smallest of glimpses.

you waited patiently for a few moments, surveying around you in case he'd reveal himself. "moon, i know you're there." silence, complete and utter silence. you gave him another minute, then let out a huff. fine, if he wanted to mess with you tonight, whatever. it wasn't like you weren't used to it.

just as you took another step in the direction of the arcade, you heard it. the faintest, faintest jingle of a bell somewhere to your left. your head snapped in that direction, eyes moving from the polished floor of the pizzaplex to the darkest corners of the ceiling. there was a supply closet not too far from you, its door closed. you squinted at it suspiciously for a moment, then turned to make your way back t—

"boo."

you yelped—of course you fucking yelped—and swung at moon's upside-down face out of instinct more than anything. he was directly in front of you—nearly nose to nose in a way where you only really saw the redness of his eyes swallowing you whole. he dodged your punch easily, lifting himself up into the air with his wire so that your fist passed harmlessly under his dangling hat.

you exhaled harshly, your heart pounding away in your chest and your ears. it felt like you'd gotten the life sucked out of you. "you—!! gah! stop doing that!!" you huffed and straightened up to glare at him. you didn't think it was all too intimidating in his eyes.

he chuckled, a low thing that always made something in your gut feel strange, and said no more. only watched you from where he hung upside down in a pose reminiscent of a past spiderman movie. you eyed him, waiting to see if he'd say anything else. but when he didn't—his head clicking side to side ever so minutely—you frowned.

"what's wrong?" you asked bluntly. his head cocked to the left. "why have you been sulking around me all night?"

moon grumbled something indecipherable. "wasn't sulking."

"was too. what gives?" you pressed further, crossing your arms across your chest. he looked away, avoiding your gaze, and you knew something was bothering him. "you hadn't done that in a while. i thought we were past the 'stalking' part and on the, y'know, 'hanging out like friends do' part."

he only hummed shortly and turned his faceplate to look somewhere off to the side—at the door of the closed storage closet. your foot tapped against the smooth floor for a bit, waiting once more to see if he'd say anything. he didn't.

"moooon, c'mon use your big boy words." you approached him, popping back into his view so he wouldn't have any choice but to look at you. "i can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." your words were gentle like a soft, spring breeze.

there was the slightest flicker of his optics as he glanced at your face. then he made a low sound—a groan of sorts—and seemed to struggle with saying something. your patience knew no bounds, so you were willing to wait however long it took for him to spill those pesky feelings of his. but when he only fell silent once more, you decided that this wasn't going to go anywhere.

"okay, fine"—you threw up your hands and turned on your heel so you could return to your actual job—"you don't wanna tell me, that's fine. i'll just go back to—"

you barely got a few steps away before your words were cut off by the back of your shirt being tugged on. your head craned back just in time to see moon flip himself down from his wire—landing nimbly on his feet, quiet as a mouse. and then he was dragging you towards the supply closet.

"hey! moon what—" you were crowded into the closet with little flair, tripping and stumbling over yourself no thanks to moon's tight grip on your shirt. the door closed behind you with a small snap. and suddenly you were in darkness, illuminated only by the soft glow of moon's ruby eyes. you blinked widely in the hopes of getting your vision to adjust faster.

your foot accidentally kicked a bucket somewhere to your side, sending it rattling onto the floor. it was cramped in here, especially with moon's lanky figure pressing against your front. his hands gripped tightly along your upper arms. you could feel shelves stocked with cleaning supplies pressing uncomfortably into your back. there was hardly any room to move.

you felt small—overpowered. caged in with the only exit blocked off by an unrelenting robot.

you stared up at moon with what you hoped was a flat expression, his face and upper arms just barely visible to you in this absolute void of a closet. "what are you doing." it felt like you couldn't speak any louder than a whisper for fear of breaking something you could not see.

moon's gaze trailed over your face, cataloguing every feature, before it landed on— on.... your mouth suddenly felt like it was stuffed with cotton, dry and unpleasant.

"you..." he suddenly spoke up in a quiet, raspy murmur, leaning himself down further into your space. it allowed the strain on your neck to abate slightly. "you and sun..." you slowly nodded your head, maybe as a way to encourage him to continue when it was obvious how hesitation lined his voice. "...you gave him a kiss."

your heart picked up its pace, thrumming in your ears. you did give him one some time ago—saved only from his strange pestering when the daycare's lights had switched off and you were able to escape during his painful-sounding transformation into moon. you hadn't seen him since, too rattled by his intense insistence. it made you feel... weird. "i did. and?"

"i... would also like one." the words came out in a rush—like he was forcing them out in a hurried exile.

something burned ferociously at the sides of your face and neck. you wondered if he could hear how erratic your pulse was. you hoped not.

"is that why you forced us into this dinky closet?" you whispered, refusing to let yourself sound anything but casual. like his request wasn't causing something torrential to swarm around in the pit of your stomach. you were suddenly reminded that their dual A.I.s allowed them both to see what was happening no matter who was in control. that moon had been watching sun demand a kiss from you before. and that sun was watching now.

you swallowed heavily and moon's gaze followed the bob of your throat in a manner that made you suppress a shiver.

"yes," was his simple, hushed reply. closer and closer, his face was but a hair's breadth away from your own.

your breaths bated. you closed your eyes for a short moment in a vain attempt to collect yourself. his request was simple. you didn't need to make a big deal out of it. it was just a kiss, and he was just a robot. it didn't mean anything. the words became a mantra in your head.

you exhaled, low and slow. "okay." an agreement that weighed more than you realized at that moment.

curiosity is not a sin, you reminded yourself. but yet— you were being forced to face something you knew would have repercussions. you only hoped it wouldn't be anything strong.

after bolstering yourself with as much courage as you could, you raised yourself up on your tiptoes to close that minute distance between you and moon. to press a gentle kiss to his forehead and hope that it would be enough for him.

but moon— moon had learned from sun.

and before you could realize what he was doing, he shifted himself forward in a rather fluid manner—towards you. so that your lips would land soundly in the middle of his static smile instead of where you'd intended. something leapt up in your chest.

you weren't sure what you'd expected. fireworks and confetti? the soft plushness of another person's lips pressing back against yours? had your mind been tricked into thinking it would be something familiar with his facsimile of a mouth? but no, there was just the cool solidness of a metallic smile. it was like kissing a wall—immovable and unyielding.

and yet... and yet it wasn't.

for the grip moon had on you was tight. tight tight tight. unwilling to let you go. his hands had shifted so that one pressed hotly (hotly? your hazy mind registered distantly) against the small of your back while the other wrapped around your shoulders. and he held you so fervently. like he could press you into him and meld you both into one. like he was scared to ever let you go.

and that was enough, you think, as you lose yourself not to a kiss, but to a hold. that was enough.

[botanicaxu]

Special Chinese new year outfit for Shai and Nikaro this year XD They’ll appear in the celebratory art I’m doing now!

[surroundedbypearls]

I made some edits using lyrics from Folklore, which I listened to a lot while writing To Catch the Sea. Here's a link to part 1 which was more of the relationship-songs, while these four I relate to Adam and Shay more as individual characters.

Adam's songs:

mirrorball

epiphany

Shay kicked up sand. “Were you sad to leave home?” “I was.” Adam wasn’t sure he’d ever spoken that aloud before. “Yeah, I was. I think I’ve made better friends here, and I’m glad I met them, but I was sad. I didn’t want to leave.” The air was clearing his head, the remnants of the alcohol’s poison floating out of him into space. “I knew I’d have to, though. I always knew.” “I thought you didn’t come here for training until you got tested.” “I know, but…” He watched Shay shred a long stem of grass into tiny pieces. “My grandpa was a dragon, before…well, it’s hard to explain. He got sick.” That was the best way he could put it into words. “My dad wanted to be a dragon too, but he never showed signs of the spark. All I heard growing up was how I would become one. It’s not something you can force, but that was what they meant. They were trying to, like, manifest it or something. They wanted it so badly I accepted it had to happen to me. And it’s not like the war is ever going to end. It’s been going on for hundreds of years. I won’t make a dent in it. I don’t even like calling it a war. It’s just the way things are. And I’m just in it. I’m stuck in it.” He wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow; a chill breezed around him. “Maybe that doesn’t make sense.”

Shay's songs:

this is me trying

my tears ricochet

Without looking at Adam again, Shay trailed down the slope to where his father waited for him. Adam sat still and watched them turn away. What would Shay’s father think of him kissing a boy? And a dragon, no less? He couldn’t even imagine his parents’ reaction, were they the ones to catch them. He feared the worst when he saw how Shay’s body shrank, how he curled up within himself when his father looked at him. It was an unnatural, grotesque stance. Was it fear on his face? He didn’t see what else it could be. Seeing fear on a face like his was a strange sight to behold. Shay’s father grasped him by the chin, dragged his face up to look him in the eye. Before he had time to even utter a word, Adam saw a flash of white teeth, the beginnings of a snarl, Shay’s face turning cold, becoming empty. Adam understood it; the appeal of drawing himself in, hiding behind a blank face until it was safe to show himself again. Almost like playing dead. But Shay looked more alive than ever. Poised, like a manticore. He wasn’t hiding. He was waiting. Like the night before when Aurick had him cornered backstage. How often did he wear that expression?

TCTS playlist

More on To Catch the Sea here! Leave a comment or an ask to be added to the taglist.

[mirrortouchedsea]

(CW for Suicidal Ideation)

Hinata’s breath was heavy as he landed the final move of their act. The tinny music playing from their speakers went quiet and the audience clapped politely. It was always the same song and dance as the crowd moved on with their day. A few of them tossed some yen their way but otherwise it was time for them to regroup for their next performance. Yuta knelt down by the hat with some coins and bills sticking out of it, counting their earnings thus far. 

“Hey aniki! We might be able to eat well tonight! There’s like 3,000 yen in here!” Yuta exclaimed. The idea of a filling dinner made Hinata’s mouth water. Oh what he wouldn’t do for even warm noodles not from a cup. 

Hinata turned to grab the iPod from its place on the speaker, choosing the next song to play. He put the phone back and turned the volume up a little more to play over the evening rush. The music started and he and Yuta moved in unison around their little stage, taking in the crowd. There were some regulars that Hinata recognized, the businesswoman who was perpetually tired but always stopped for their performances and a few kids who looked up at them in awe as their parents were trying to usher them away. There were always new faces too, of course people traveled across the country all the time or took new trains or moved cities, but there was something different about the boy with the bright red hair at the back of the crowd. His sky blue eyes pierced straight through to Hinata’s heart and made him stumble when their gaze connected with his own. 

“Hey, aniki focus! We’re almost done, don't fail on me now!” Yuta whispered, carefully shielding Hinata from the crowd as he regained his footing. Yuta was always so quick thinking. Hinata got back to his position and finished up the routine, eyes looking for that boy he had spotted earlier. He half hoped the boy would come talk to them afterwards while they were packing up for the evening, but when he finally saw that shock of red hair, it was moving away with the rest of the crowd. 

Hinata sighed, disappointed. Maybe that boy would come back someday. There was something about him that drew Hinata in. 

Someone bumped his shoulder, drawing him from his thoughts. “Hey, aniki, are you alright? You seem out of it today.” Yuta’s hand rested on his shoulder and Hinata couldn’t help but smile. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around, the older brother checking in on the younger one? 

“Hey hey everything’s fine Yuta-kun, don’t worry about me. I was just thinking about that delicious dinner you’re treating us too~” He playfully pushed back on Yuta, the red haired blue eyed boy all but forgotten now. 

“Hey! It’s technically our money so I’m not treating you to anything!” Yuta scowled but the smile in his voice was obvious to Hinata. 

“Hehe, then dinner’s on me! Say ‘thank you aniki!’” 

--- 

It was a week before Hinata saw the red headed boy in their audience again. He had all but slipped his mind, but those striking blue eyes were impossible to forget. Yuta was introducing their next performance which allowed Hinata to take a better look at the older boy who had made his way to the middle of the audience. He was tall and what Hinata could see of his outfit seemed ill-fitting at best, along with a headband holding his hair away from his eyes. 

Hinata scrambled to his position as the music queued up and let his instincts take over. Every so often he found himself glancing at the red haired boy, trying to see what he thought of their performance, but his face revealed nothing. 

Why was he so focused on this one boy? It’s not like they didn’t have strangers who watched them sometimes, and none of them had caught Hinata’s attention quite like this boy. He really couldn’t be much older than Hinata, maybe 17 at the oldest. Was he an older brother too? The boy’s eyes made contact with Hinata’s and it took everything in him to not look away. 

Once again however, Yuta snapped him out of whatever trance he had been in and everything was forgotten. 

“Are you really okay aniki? You’ve been out of it a lot recently…” Oh how it pained Hinata to see the concern on Yuta’s face. Nothing was even really wrong per se, but Hinata was distracted nonetheless. 

“I’m fine, Yuta-kun. Geez, can’t your older brother have some peace?” His mouth ran faster than his brain and he immediately regretted it. Yuta’s face flipped through several emotions; hurt, confusion, exhaustion. It wasn’t like him to hide things from his brother, so why was he doing it now? “Whatever, let’s get some dinner. My treat~” 

“It’s our money!” 

--- 

The boy continued to make appearances at the twins’ performances on the street, becoming something of a regular but disappearing before Hinata could flag him down. Hinata wasn’t even sure what compelled him to want to talk to the older boy, but he wanted to say something. He had even noticed that the boy seemed happier and his clothes fit a little better, not like they were just the first thing he grabbed out of a donation pile. 

Finally, after almost a month of trying to say something to the boy, Hinata saw him walk up to their hat on the ground and drop a few coins into it. 

“Thank you!” He said, walking up to the boy. “Hope you enjoyed the performance!” 

The boy froze as if he wasn’t expecting to be greeted like that. There was a slight flush to his face. “I-it’s nothing, don’t worry about it. You uh…you were great?” The boy seemed unsure of how to reply, though Hinata was happy with the compliment nonetheless. Maybe… 

“What brings you here? I mean--agh, sorry! I just mean…I noticed you don’t have a regular schedule?” The words were practically falling out of his mouth and Hinata wasn’t really sure what they were doing. “Like you show up a few days in a row but then go three weeks without stopping by at all!” He was just digging a bigger grave for himself! Great! 

“Ah uhm…I’m not from around here.” The boy scratched at the back of his neck. Maybe Hinata should back off. 

“O-oh, yeah of course. Duh. Are you visiting family or something?” 

“Not quite. I really should get going though. See you…later?” 

“Yeah, see you later.” 

“Hey Aniki, are you coming or not? The food’s gonna get cold!” 

“Coming!” 

---

It was almost a month before the boy appeared again. In the time between, Hinata had come up with a million different ideas for what his life was like. Was he a delinquent who skipped school to hang out on the street with gangs (how scary! But he looked strong enough to fit in)? Or was he a runaway from a city far away, somewhere Hinata only dreamed of visiting like Okinawa? Maybe he had a bad relationship with his dad and ran away, a thought that Hinata hated to admit had crossed his mind more than once. Or maybe he just passed through the city on the way to somewhere else. That seemed to be the most likely option, especially if he couldn’t come very often. 

When the boy did finally show up again, Hinata had to hold himself back from practically jumping him after the performance. Something looked…different about him though. His eyes seemed more tired? Like he hadn’t been sleeping well. Hinata thought of a fight he had with his dad a few weeks ago that made it hard for him to sleep and thought maybe this boy was the same as him in that regard. 

Hinata decided to wave him down after the performance, hat in hand (they had done pretty well! It felt heavier than normal and even without counting everything, they’d probably have enough for breakfast too). 

“Hey! You look tired, are you--did you want to get something to eat?” Please say yes please say yes please say yes--

The boy’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. Did Hinata mess up? Oh he overstepped and now there really wasn’t any chance of getting to know him. Why was he so interested in talking to the boy anyway? Hinata had been asking himself that for a while now and he still had no answer. 

“I…I can’t. I need to go.” The boy turned and ran off before Hinata could ask more. He just kept messing up, didn’t he? Maybe he really was just a burden to Yuta and their dad and the restaurant owner. He shouldn’t have been born and Yuta would’ve been better off--

“Aniki! Sheesh, get your head out of the clouds. How much did we make?” Yuta grabbed the hat out of Hinata’s hand and quickly counted out the coins and bills. “Woah! We could eat a whole five course meal with this…” 

“Think with your head a little Yuta-kun. We’ve got breakfast paid for if we don’t blow it all tonight!” 

Yuta nodded before handing the hat back to Hinata. “So, my pick tonight?” 

--- 

Hinata signed the note, trying his best to keep the tears from dripping on it and smudging the ink. After his blunder with the red haired boy, he hadn’t shown up to their performances for over two months. Hinata was certain that he had messed up and was too forward. He didn’t even know the kid’s name! Why did he think the two of them could ever be friends? 

And on top of all of that, Yuta had become more and more distant from Hinata, as if Hinata just existing was dragging him back from his full potential. Yuta would have been better off as an only child and maybe Hinata deserved this life. Thirteen years living with their father, who had treated them as nothing but monsters, blaming them for their mother’s death and everything bad that had happened since, Hinata had resolved to run away. He’d make his way to the mountains and maybe he’d find someone willing to help him or maybe he’d slip into an endless sleep. 

Dear Yuta-kun, the letter had started. I’m sorry that I’m leaving like this, but I know that I’m just a burden to you. I’m sorry for that. I wish I had more to say but I just want you to be happy and maybe father will treat you better without me. I love you. 

The other letter, already folded and placed on the table, was much shorter, addressed to his father. 

Dear Father, I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better son. Please don’t take this out on Yuta-kun, it was my decision. 

The less words he spent on that man, the better. Hinata folded Yuta’s note and placed it on top before quietly exiting through the front door. 

---

Everything was cold. Hinata slumped against a tree, head between his knees in a last ditch effort to keep warm. Sleep should come soon and he could painlessly move on, at least that’s what he hoped. He barely registered someone approaching him, but didn’t look up. 

“Hey.” The voice was vaguely familiar, but where did he remember it from? A warm hand shook at Hinata’s shoulder. 

“‘M fine.” The words were barely a whisper. The other voice grunted before walking away. It was another minute before Hinata felt something drape around his shoulders and a cup shoved in his hand. Whatever was in it was steaming, warming his fingers. 

“Drink.” The voice said. And he did, the tea was very, very bitter. That voice… 

Hinata looked up, meeting a pair of bright, sky blue eyes. That’s where he recognized the voice from. Did he…live? In the mountains? The boy seemed to recognize him too. He was wearing a headband and what looked like very warm clothes that Hinata wished he had. Hinata finished the tea, trying not to focus on the flavor. It helped at least, in warming him up a bit. 

“Why are you here?” The boy finally spoke again. It sounded like he was unsure if he should be mad or concerned, or both, but he offered Hinata another cup of tea, which he accepted if only to warm his fingers up. He pulled the blanket closer around his body. 

“I…ran away.” Hinata looked downward, as if admitting this out loud was a cardinal sin. The boy gestured for him to continue. “I guess I just…I was dragging my brother down. I’m not really talented at anything like he is and I’m the reason our dad sees us as monsters. He shouldn’t have to deal with a brother like me.” Hinata wasn’t really sure why he was spilling this so easily. The boy was a good listener though, hanging on every word Hinata spoke. Was he shaking? He’d never admitted this out loud before and it felt oddly freeing to say it to someone. 

He waited for a response, anything to chase away the uncomfortable silence Hinata had created with his confession. He really fucked up, didn’t he. He should have just kept that to himself like he always did instead of burdening a stranger like this! 

“I…” The boy started, barely audible above Hinata’s racing heartbeat. “I’m glad you’re alive.” He sounded unsure of his words. Was he just trying to be nice? Of course he was, how else do you respond to a kid telling you something like this? 

“You don’t have to pretend.” 

“I’m not. When I saw you singing and dancing…I think I realized something--” The boy cut himself off, the suddenness of it making Hinata look up. A moment later he heard his brother calling out from the woods behind him. 

“Aniki! There you are!” Yuta tackled him to the ground, squeezing Hinata like he might just blow away in the wind if they weren’t careful. “You scared me! I can’t believe you’d do something like that!” 

Tears pricked at Hinata’s eyes again. “I’m sorry, Yuta-kun. I’m really sorry.” He buried his face in Yuta’s jacket. His nose started to run, from the cold or the tears he couldn’t tell. 

“You aren’t a burden to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you around Aniki!” Yuta pulled back, hands gripping Hinata’s shoulders. “Promise you won’t do something that stupid again.” 

Hinata wiped the tears from his eyes, sparing a glance where the boy had been. It was as if he had never been there at all and Hinata had just hallucinated the whole interaction. He looked back at his twin brother. “I promise.” 

“Now let's get you home and warmed up. Where’d you get this blanket anyway? It doesn’t look like one of ours.” 

“I…” The boy had been real, and he told Hinata he was glad he was alive (even if his explanation was cut short by Hinata’s brother rushing in). “I guess I just found it. There must be people living nearby or something.” 

--- 

The chatter of the night club died down for the night as everyone was getting ready to go home. Hinata’s feet were sore from running around, but it was satisfying to be back in a restaurant like this. It reminded him of his childhood working for the Chinese restaurant with Yuta. 

Rinne, the leader of Crazy:B who had wanted to get closer to Hinata, and by extension 2wink, slid a drink down the bar. It looked like a horrible mix of syrups and club soda, but one sip was all it took for Hinata to drink it all down. 

“Great job tonight Hina! You’re a real natural at this stuff.” Rinne was washing the other glasses behind the bar now as Hinata finished the rest of his soda. 

“Yuta-kun and I used to work in a restaurant so it comes pretty naturally to us!” 

“That so?” 

“Mhm!” Hinata slid the empty glass back to Rinne, who quickly dumped the ice and washed it before tossing the towel over his shoulder. The entire week they’d been working the club together, there had been something bugging Hinata at the back of his mind. “Hey, Rinne-senpai…did you ever watch our shows?” 

“Huh? ‘Course I have, vice prez wants us to work together so I’ve seen a few of ‘em.” 

“That’s not what I mean. I mean like…back when Yuta-kun and I did street performances.” 

Rinne paused for a moment. “Why’re you askin’?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing. You just reminded me of someone who used to watch them.” 

“Well I’m sure whoever it was is proud to see you singin’ and dancin’ on stage.” Rinne had come around the bar and stood next to Hinata, ruffling his hair. “Let’s get goin’ or I’m never gonna hear the end of it from Niki-kun.” 

[grmpgm]

did a silly little #dtiysexbang w/ the lovely @shays-shitposts! if anyone wants to join we’d love to see ur take!! :) 💙💙💙

[rosemine24]

wasting away, screaming, vomiting, trying to finish this (i did this to myself)

[aminotvxq]

Three pieces I'm working on right now 🦆🦢🐦‍⬛

[crochetpiece]

Gonna speed run a dragon plushie for my work secret santa in 3 days. Wish me luck

[shay-creates]

Playing around in a new drawing program and decided to try working on a wip from wayyyy earlier this year (or sometime last year...idk) where the goal is to design a puppet for if I decide to do youtube again... I am, once again, finding myself to be attractive.

Just a WIP, so I'm going to continue playing with it but hello handsome. :3

[lunarmoves]

after watching hw2 and seeing that one game where you have to train the endos, it got me thinking Thoughts...

like, okay. imagine you were hired in the early early days of the pizzaplex. when sections of it were still in the final stages of being completed and polished up for the grand opening to the public. and your task was to help train the endoskeletons so that they were "people-friendly"—fazco's exact words. a bit strange, but whatever.

a simple enough job, relatively speaking. you weren't the only one assigned to the task, so that helped matters more. your first endoskeleton was to be the theatre bot.

now, you'd dealt with AI models before. but fazco's AI? it was on a whole other level... and not in the way you'd expected.

you nearly die on your first day.

you wanted to quit immediately after—their method of training was unorthodox at best and their endoskeletons were fucking insane. but you were contractually bound. so you had to keep going—fazco could ruin your life if you didn't. and if they were offering you some extra hush money... well, who were you to deny?

that didn't mean you had to like it, though. you were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

the theatre bot was strange in that it was three AIs combined into one endo. that meant you had thrice the amount of work to do. you spent many nights trapped in that odd room that looked like some kind of playroom, trying to teach the model how to label certain items without getting egregiously injured in the process.

but it was rewarding, seeing its progress. you couldn't help the pride you felt once you were finally able to insert its personality chip and train that as well. you'd gotten so used to the silence of the endo that the sudden loud boisterousness with which the bot surprised you with was quite the shock. at least its counterparts were quieter.

they still had quite a bit to learn in terms of their duties and how to interact with humans. you taught them, patiently and meticulously. they were… fun, honestly. eager and willing to be their best and make shows entertaining for the kids.

before you knew it, you were green-lighting the three so they could finally leave the dingy training room and take up residence in the newly finished theatre. your next task was to train the endo that would become monty gator. you thought that was the last you would see of the theatre bot.

you were wrong.

there was something you had not accounted for while you were training them. something that hadn't even crossed your mind, really: their wild attachment to you.

and well… they weren’t exactly willing to let you leave.

[torvocomics]

WIPs from the old commission, the lack of HD is due to the fact that I lost the original images of the process and only the ones that I had uploaded to FB remained.

[surroundedbypearls]

The breeze had died down. Adam watched how Shay’s damp hair curled at the back of his neck, around his ears. Adam wanted to run his fingers through it, to see if it smelled like the sea, or like the flowers growing in the greenhouse. Now. Shay’s fingers gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him forward. Fire ignited in his cheeks, a tidal wave spilling into his chest. He felt Shay everywhere, in the air around him, in his skull, in his ribs, beneath his lungs. Shay stared at him, breath catching, cheeks flushed like roses. “Is this okay?” Adam nodded, numb. His hands trembled as he reached for him, touching his shoulders, then the sharp angles of his jaw, his cheeks, to thread into his hair, and pull him in.

I made some edits using lyrics from Folklore, which I listened to a lot while writing To Catch the Sea. Some songs lean a little more Adam or Shay adjacent, but a lot of them suit in general. These songs/edits are linked more to their relationship over them as individual characters:

august

illicit affairs

invisible string

hoax

peace

the lakes

cardigan

I split these into 2 posts so part 2 coming soon!

TCTS playlist

More on To Catch the Sea here! Leave a comment or an ask to be added to the taglist.

[mirrortouchedsea]

Ah, the hospital. Shu always hated the hospital. So…sterile, so clean. It was for the health of the patients, obviously, but it wouldn’t kill them to add some color somewhere. A nice painting would do wonders, especially in this room. He’s…not really sure why a child was in this wing, a place usually reserved for the elderly. Children’s rooms in hospitals tended to be brighter, more colorful. Everyone deserved that. 

Reaping children was a hard job, even for someone immortal like himself. A life cut too short by illness, violence, or sheer accident was always a tragedy. Nobody liked to do it but Shu volunteered for it every time. It was painful, but he wanted the children to be in a comforting presence as they passed on. Something he hadn’t been granted in his own time. The girl on the bed was sick. She wasn’t due to die for a few days yet but he thought he could spend a few days with her before then. At least, for part of them. Death never waits, after all. 

Shu often comes in during the early hours when visiting the sick children. If they’re awake, they may be able to see him, talk to him. He smiles and laughs at their bad jokes, listens to their woes. It is easier to move on with someone you trust by your side after all. 

He comes in around 2am to visit the most recent addition to his list. She has a few weeks yet but her condition is terminal. When he makes eye contact with her, she curls up in her hospital bed. Maguro Mikejima, the name on her files read. He smiles. 

“Hello, Maguro.” Children, he had realized, were more responsive to their first names. “I’m not here to hurt you.” 

She uncurls slightly, though still eyes him with a wary look. “W-who are you?” 

He kneels by her bedside. “You can call me Shu. How are you feeling?” 

“Are you one of the doctors?” 

“Something like that.” 

She relaxes. “My brother told me not to talk to strangers but…if you’re a doctor then it’s okay.” Shu takes note of a small stuffed toy sitting next to her on the bed. 

“I just want to make sure you’re feeling okay. Are you having trouble sleeping?” 

“Mmm…I dunno. Sometimes I guess, like right now. It kind of hurts to breathe.” 

“I see…” Shu raises a hand and looks at Maguro, waiting for a sign that he could go on. She nods, somewhat hesitantly, but it’s enough. Shu places his hand on her forehead and channels his energy into her. It was a temporary solution and his magic could only make things easier. It wouldn’t work on the underlying problem. She should be fine for the rest of the night at least. “Does that feel any better?” 

“Mmm!” She hums happily. 

“Good. I have to go now, but I’ll see you again soon, okay?” He held out his hand in a pinky promise, another thing he realized children liked. 

“You promise?” She wraps her own pinky around his. 

“I promise.”

[sipsteainanxiety]

wip poll game!! 🕺🕺

rules: make a 24-hour poll with the names of your wips, let it run, then write one sentence for every vote the winner got!!

thank u for the tag @willowser!! kiss for u!! (i voted for ur dragon bkg hehe <3) i'm also hoping this will kick my ass into gear for writing LMAOO

no pressure tags!! : @auraxins @namodawrites @shibaraki @coopigeoncoo @earthtooz + anyone else who wants to!!

[starswallowingsea]

Kanata would just offer Kaoru a place to close his eyes and said he would protect him from the bad dreams, “if that is what you ‘wish’.” 

That’s how Kaoru slept the last month of the summer: long naps on the beach with Kanata stroking his hair and calling him a good boy. It was a strange habit that he had, but Kaoru didn’t mind. 

It reminded him of his mother, and that was all he needed to relax to the touch. 

He never had a nightmare while sleeping on the beach.