#and learning the sailor moon ropes

[poukimart]

stranger sailors chapter two sneak peek, aka: will doesn't know mike and tuxedo mask are the same damn person

[cheerfullycatholic]

The Wreck of The McIntosh

If you work on the water for long enough, you start to see things. If you decide to stay on the job afterwards, you start to accept them.

I was young when I joined The McIntosh’s crew, a cargo ship transporting logs from Canada to Michigan over Lake Superior. The other men on the ship told me their ghost stories at night, but I never believed them until I started seeing things for myself.

The McIntosh is named after the man who designed her, Fredrick Vaughn McIntosh. He spent the last half of his life making her the fastest, most efficient ship on the Superior. Stories say he loved her more than his own wife, Marianne. The first night she set sail after her completion, Fredick died on the bow. They say the crew found him with a glass of wine still clutched in his hand, head turned toward the sunset. When I saw him for the first time, standing in the same place he died, watching the horizon, I hadn’t realized who he was. When I questioned how he got on board, he just smiled and said, “Isn’t she a beauty?” before fading away. I was terrified, running to the bridge as quickly as my legs could take me. Everyone laughed after I told them what happened.

“He’s harmless, don’t worry too much about him, yeah?” The captain said, patting me on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” another crewmate said, “it’s that old weeping widow you gotta worry about!”

The crew burst out laughing again as I demanded her story. Twenty years ago, one of the crewmembers, a man named Henri Tautou, died during a storm on their way back home. A wave hit the side of the ship and the giant cedar logs came loose, sending him into the water. His wife, Angela, so overcome and distraught with grief, snuck onto the ship and jumped overboard, joining her husband at the bottom of the lake. Some say you can still hear her moans of agony during storms, late at night, and if you’re not careful, she’ll take you with her to their watery grave.

After a while, the ghosts that haunted the ship stopped scaring me. What I saw on the Superior is a different story.

When you hear sailor stories, they’re usually about beautiful women singing their siren song, but all I ever heard was screaming. The first night I heard it, I ran to the side of the ship, searching frantically for its source. In the distance, illuminated by the full moon’s bright light, I saw a figure standing on top of the water, reaching their hands out towards me. I only got a glance before hands were pulling me back, my name being cursed.

“You must never pay heed to the demons of the lake, boy!” A crew member, an old man with an angry face only ever called Haggard, yelled as he roughly pulled me below deck. “They’ll swim off with your soul, do you understand!?”

Despite Haggard’s warning, I was intrigued. Any moment I could spare, I was at the bow, gazing into the water. I learned that there was a whole world under the surface. Humanoid creatures with fins and long, stringy hair would inspect the boat, banging on the metal with stones to listen to the echo. Some would spot me and wave with their pale, webbed hands. Others would screech and dive below the surface, never to be seen again.

Occasionally, Fredrick would join me. He did and said the same thing each time, like a broken record, perhaps reliving his last moments on earth. My Ma always warned me about meddling with the dead, but I didn’t consider it meddling. I never spoke to him, we just watched the sunset, and he’d say his line; “Isn’t she a beauty?”

A year and a half into my time on The McIntosh, I started smuggling extra food onboard to feed the creatures. The merpeople had their own language that I couldn’t understand, but they learned my name, and I theirs. With a basket tied to a rope, we’d pass each other trinkets. They loved most dearly the jewelry I would bring them, and I adored their shells and agates.

The creature I was most taken with was what I could only describe as a mighty dragon. The first time I saw her, I thought I was dreaming. I was gazing over the side of the ship, like I usually did, when a darkness overtook the water. I had looked up, thinking a cloud had shielded the sun, but that wasn’t the case. The great mass in the water was longer than The McIntosh, its sleek, scaled head, peering up at me from just below the surface. I stared back in absolute shock, horror, and wonder, pondering if this was my last moment on this earth. However, she only stared at me, her shining, amethyst eyes piercing my very soul. I gave her that name, and told her as much. She looked wholly unimpressed, seeming to roll her eyes at me before swimming off. Yet, she came back the next night, and all of the ones after. She became my closest friend, and I loved her, but the time I would spend at the bow had been noticed by the crew, and they were unhappy.

On the third night of The McIntosh’s last sail, I stood at the bow, a pistol in hand.

“You can’t hurt her, she’s peaceful, and my friend.”

“That thing is a beast! You’ve brought death onto this ship, and if you don’t move aside and let us take care of it, you will be cut down, too!”

The crew yelled in anger, torches and petrol cans in hand as I pleaded with them, but they were too overcome with fear to understand that the lake and its creatures weren’t what we thought they were. For so long we lived afraid and unwilling to accept the world as it is. In that moment, I worried that it was too late for change.

“Amethyst, you must leave. Never return to the surface!” I cried behind me, at the beautiful sea dragon in the water below. With a look as sorrowful as she could make, she disappeared into the inky depths, and my heart sank with her.

“You were never meant for life on the water, boy,” Haggard growled, moving to the front of the crew. “I knew that as soon you stepped on deck. You’re weak. You got no guts.”

So overcome with grief, I didn’t act quickly enough to stop him from driving his filet knife into my stomach.

As if a siren went off, all around us, the lake wailed in agony. I saw the crewmembers cover their ears against the noise, before a large, black mass shot out of the water and landed on the ship as I went overboard.

As I sunk deeper into the lake, icy, webbed hands stroked my face and hair. Through blurry eyes, I saw the merpeople gathered around me, weeping as they pulled the knife from my stomach. The pain faded as I looked up at a great, yellow light on the surface; fire encasing the sinking ship as the crew jumped into the water, dodging debris and spears as the creatures of the lake attacked.

Amethyst swam under me, allowing me to rest on her back, as my eyes slid shut, and water filled my lungs.

[dyrewrites]

Before Deluca -- they ruined my plans again

I remained in bed, coiled around warmed—but still deliciously cool—skin, until Lucient’s breathing eased enough to tell me he slept. The sun was high, burning painfully in my veins, and I wanted its gaze on me.

Of course, that was not my only reason for gingerly untangling from that beautiful man and scooting out of the bed. We needed to figure out where we were, and find something to eat besides ourselves.

However, even a careful study of them told me I couldn’t read the charts, and while I knew how to use a compass it wouldn’t matter much without a point of reference...and I didn’t know how to find that either. I’d have to let Lucient work out where we were, at night, by the stars as I’d suggested—even if I hadn’t made it in good faith, desiring only to keep him on me, it was a good suggestion.

But I could find food, in a manner of speaking. I knew how to fish and fish had blood, so perhaps—like any men stranded at sea—we could survive on what we could catch. Though that required something to catch them with, and there had been no poles in all the drawers or cabinets we checked.

So I went out on deck, seeking sun and, well, anything really that might allow me to lure and catch something pulsing with blood.

Bright, blue, and seemingly endless with the horizon hazing in every direction, the sea distracted—as she often did. Nothing broke the blended blue of sea and sky; no strips of land, no distant sails, no rocky fingers or cavernous, fiery eyes.

She had to have brought us there, recollection yet drowned in sweet ecstasy, I knew she had to. Storm or not we would have seen a ship the size of the Royal Moon on the horizon, its sails at the very least. Yet we were well and truly nowhere, our sails down—though we hadn’t lowered them. But there were no mountainous women about, smiling and studying.

And I would use that as an excuse not to put the dried shirt and breeches on. Bright as it was, burning inside me, the light of the sun felt as a hot caress on my skin and I basked in its touch, its heat, as I folded Lucient’s clothing up—setting it just inside the cabin—and searched the deck for fishing gear.

A thin compartment tucked into the bow held what I sought, if not in the shape I expected. The Hunter had clearly preferred a more violent approach to catching her meals than most sailors. It was a spear, or perhaps a harpoon—depending on how one looked at it—with a length of rope on the end. Far too long that spear, too wide it’s head, for small fish and I wondered then what things like that...that wolf-woman ate.

Hearts, they eat hearts and the word is ‘werewolf’, treasure, Lucient informed me, voice gentle in my thoughts, and thank you for the clothing.

“The sun is up,”I warned as I caught his figure in the cabin’s doorway, “but I may have a solution to our hunger problem.”

“Oh yes, fish,” he smiled at me from the door, clothed in shirt and breeches, “I heard you fretting.”

Trying one of his moves, I sped to the door and lifted him up—certain to step inside the cabin, to keep him safe—and laughed as he gasped and giggled before I asked, “Did I wake you, my love?”

“No,” he lied but with my raised brow, he smiled and told the truth, “You did, but I don’t mind, I need to decipher the charts. You didn’t find anything to help out there, did you, treasure?”

I set him down, but didn’t let him go, kissing his forehead instead, “Nothing useful for learning where we are, but I may know how we’re here.”

“There was a storm, wasn’t there,” he asked, eyes heavy, voice tired, “and we drifted, surely.” Shaking my head, smile too wide, I needn’t say anything before he sighed, “the Isle. We gave her a gift, she may have been trying to return the favor. Though why she didn’t just put us on our ship, I don’t—”

I took his cheeks in my hands and he swooned with my heat, and again with my lips on his, drawing me into a deeper kiss before I could pull away, “Never mind that, we’re here and she’s nowhere to be seen. But the charts can wait. You need to sleep.”

He scoffed and started to turn away, to refuse, and I brought him into another kiss, sinking into that cool tongue. And as he gripped the back of my neck, fingers digging into my hair, I picked him up again, savoring the quick snap of his legs around me. Carrying him the short distance to the bed, crawling with him until he was flush with the pillow, I laid him down and pulled free. He whimpered and pawed for a moment before he figured my plan and narrowed his eyes as I wrapped him in the blanket.

“Bête,” he muttered, snuggling into it, heavy eyes unable to keep open.

“Yes, but I am your beast, my love,” with another kiss to his forehead I left him to the bed and called back from the door, “and I want you to rest.”

As I left the cabin, closing it behind me, that rich, smooth voice caressed my thoughts, I love you.

I love you too, I sent back before demanding, now sleep.

Keep you thoughts quiet and I will, he teased, but no more followed.

Still I waited by the door for the heavier breaths of slumber before returning to the sun, the spear and the plan.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Blood and sand - Chapter Three

He had to get out of this. His knack would only help half of this problem, and he had to get untied. Had to get away from here. Had to—

“You might not be worth it if you can’t get through a few simple ropes,” said a stranger’s voice, a chipper voice, and John Luke went stiff as a board in fear.

Nothing followed.

“Hello?” John Luke managed, voice cracking.

“Mm, no, no good,” said the voice, and the wet, slightly sticky footsteps circling did not make anything better. “‘John Luke?’ No, no, no. Just Luke. We already have a John. Are you trying to confuse people?”

Written for the @malevolentmadnessmixup. Art by @aktrashpanda.

>>>>READ ON AO3 OR BELOW<<<<

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Chapter Three: A Progressive Complication

The Dreamlands fit him better than any where John Luke had ever been.

He made his way. He used his knack, and raised money like that easily enough. He heeded the warning about slavers, and kidnappers, and looked for a way to bring Parker back to life.

John Luke was eleven years and six months old when he learned about the Games, and he knew at once this was the opportunity he’d been looking for.

He sat with other travelers in a small, one-room cabin in the mountains of Leng, sheltered from a storm, bundled within an inch of his life against the cold. He’d heard there was some kind of god up here that answered questions, but so far, he hadn’t been able to find them. “One wish?” he said, muffled through his scarf.

The guy talking (one of Dagon’s, if the bulging eyes were any indication) nodded. “Yepperoonie. Win the Games, get a wish. Anything.”

“Anything,” repeated a big guy across the table, whose arms were more scar than skin.

“The King in Yellow, man,” said Dagon’s offspring. “The King in Yellow.”

John Luke hadn’t spent six months in the Dreamlands to be unaware of that name, but all the cautions he’d heard paled in comparison to what was on offer. “Where are the Games?”

Alan the fish-man grinned. “Fuck if I know.” And he laughed.

Fine. John Luke would find out somewhere else. He sipped his hot tea, waited out the storm, then left Leng behind to find his answers.

#

John Luke was twelve when he found both answers and warnings in Celephaïs.

“Oh, Carcosa moves,” said one kindly barmaid whose sore wrist he'd helped, “but you don’t want to find it. It isn’t safe for anyone these days, especially not mortals.”

“Who the fuck knows? He’s crazy,” said one drunk guy, whose black eye John Luke had tended, and who was then hushed and dragged off by his friends.

“I wouldn’t go looking, if I were you,” said a grizzled old sailor with six eyes, who otherwise looked perfectly human.

"Is that so, sir?" said John Luke, trying to help the old sailor's gout.

“Something went wrong about twenty years ago, kid," said the guy. "Hastur’s lost it. I really wouldn’t go, if I were you.”

“I have to,” said John Luke, because he did, and because he knew it couldn’t be as simple as no one knows, or there would be neither Games nor rumors.

He liked Celephaïs; it had everything San Francisco didn't, including clean water and streets, friendly strangers, and a magnificent lack of racialism, at least toward John Luke. Nobody cared here that he had almond-shaped eyes. Nobody cared about the color of his skin. And no one cared that he was a child; he could make his own way, manage on his own.

Someone here would know where Carcosa was. Someone would tell him. He paid for his tea and stepped out into the empty street.

The moons were stunning, four of them full, light dancing on the dark ocean waves. John Luke stood at the top of the cobblestone hill, surrounded by fancy lawns and distant fancy residences, and watched the waves, and wished Parker could see it all with him.

He wanted to show his brother everything he’d learned. He was sure Parker would be proud of him. Maybe they didn’t have to go back to Earth. By now, John Luke’s knack had become a true talent. It earned him money, and while it also put him in danger of slavers (he’d been warned so many times), he was sure he could keep his head down and manage to build an entire life here. Parker was so smart, and so strong, and he would love it here, too. They could work together, and build the kind of life that—

“That’s him,” he heard, low and mean.

And he was grabbed.

John Luke shouted. He struggled. He kicked and bit, and a sack went over his head, pulling tight, pressing his hood into his face, and he knew he wasn’t suffocating, but he was, and his cries did not escape the sack over his mouth, and the rope around him was so tight it bruised. He screamed.

And was suddenly dropped onto the uneven paving stones, getting the breath knocked out of him, and then came sounds.

Bad sounds.

Worse sounds than threats of slavers, worse than his own pained cries. Tearing sounds, and screaming sounds, and popping-wet-flesh sounds, and they were worse than his fear, worse than nightmares, worse than anything he’d ever heard in his life.

(Though there was that one time the horse-drawn ice-truck had gotten into that horrible accident, and the horses screaming and the smell of blood were so much the same as this.)

And then came nothing.

Nobody grabbed him. All was silent except for his panicked breathing. What had happened? Where were the slavers, or whoever they had been?

He had to get out of this. His knack would only help half of this problem, and he had to get untied. Had to get away from here. Had to—

“You might not be worth it if you can’t get through a few simple ropes,” said a stranger’s voice, a chipper voice, and John Luke went stiff as a board in fear.

Nothing followed.

“Hello?” John Luke managed, voice cracking.

“Mm, no, no good,” said the voice, and the wet, slightly sticky footsteps circling did not make anything better. “‘John Luke?’ No, no, no. Just Luke. We already have a John. Are you trying to confuse people?”

Those footsteps… He couldn’t help imagining bare feet on blood, in viscera, in gore, and being called the wrong name (which the guy shouldn't have known anyway) did not help. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t get free. He couldn’t even form the words help me through his tight throat.

“Yeah… maybe this was a waste of time,” said the man as if to himself. “Tell you what: get free in three minutes, or I kill you, and all your problems will be solved. And… go!”

He meant it. The man meant it. John Luke (Just Luke?) knew the man meant it.

He lost seconds to terror.

Parker.

Parker wouldn't give up. He never gave up. John Luke (Just Luke—actually, he sort of liked it) thought fast, and used a cauterizing spell to burn through the rope.

It hurt. It hurt so badly, but burns were something he could heal, so he just had to hold on until the rope snapped clean through. He was crying as he sat up, burned, scared, but proud of himself, regardless. He pulled off the hood and winced to his feet.

“Not bad. That was almost entertaining,” said the man, and there he was: squatted, perched on the neat stone fencing like a gargoyle. Blood dripped from his feet and stained trousers legs. He was a white man, tall and narrow, and his eyes gleamed like bright light on fresh blood. He pointed at Just Luke with one finger, skin or something worse sticking out from his fingernails. “You… I dunno. I don't really like kids, you understand, and you’re not that interesting? But he won’t think that. No. In fact, I think your goal might just fuck them both up. Create some friction? Split their focus? You feel me?”

Just Luke stared. He would have replied, manners and self-preservation merging in his head, but he was a little distracted by the environment.

It looked like the slavers had exploded. Shreds hung from gas lamps; chunks clogged gutters. No, they'd exploded after the worst had happened: six skins—complete, looking ready to be blown up like balloons into people again—lay draped on either side of this guy on the fence, hands and feet neatly turned the same directions.

Nobody was alive. There was no spark to fan back into flame. He would have tried to heal them, if there were, no matter how wicked they were, but they were dead. In spite of reason, his throat tightened, and his eyes filled.

“Ugh. Fucking kids,” said the man, and snapped his fingers. “Focus. I'm saying this once.”

“Yes, sir,” Just Luke mumbled because it felt like he had to say something or he might be skinned, too.

The man snorted. “No, because now you’d know it was coming, so… something else. I’m thinking laminectomy, personally, but anyway: The games are in Mhor.”

“Mhor?” said Just Luke in a tiny voice.

“Ya.” The guy shifted, weirdly bird-like, weight moving from barefoot to bare foot on the bloodied fence. “There’s a caravan leaving from the port at the Naraxa River in two hours. Sky ship; not like the ones going to Serannian. This is… not as nice. But if you buy a ticket, they’ll get you into the Eastern Desert. And if you survive the trip, and don't get stabbed or infested by something more interesting than you are, or, I dunno, just plain beaten to death, you'll reach the Last Lonely Inn. The Butcher goes there.”

“The… Butcher?” said Just Luke, drawn in, held by this guy’s animation, his words, his awful, hateful eyes.

“He’s the guy who picks folks up for the games, gosling,” said the guy. “Not the most interesting of Dennises, but he serves his purpose. All you have to do is survive the ride.” That smile was pristine, shockingly white against the gristle and gore everywhere else. “I suggest you do it. If you don't, you probably won’t see me again, so there’s that… but I guaran-fucking-tee you will never get your brother back. You thought running away to the Dreamlands was your big life-changing choice? Oh, no, no, no. This is it.”

Just Luke trembled. “Wh… why are you telling… why did you do this?” He couldn't quite say saved me because this didn’t feel saved.

“Bored,” said the man, shifting his weight again. “No little divorces lately, but as anyone can tell you, kids are great at causing divorces, capisce?”

Just Luke did not capisce.

The guy sighed. “This is what I'm reduced to. Pitiful. Look, just try to grow up a little quicker, would you? You know, being less obvious than a foghorn, maybe? Stop flashing your knack? Or you definitely won’t make it to the Games, and your bwuver stays fucking dead. Ciao!” And he vanished. Poof. Gone. Not a sound. Not a puff of smoke.

How had he known all that? What the fuck was he? Some kind of… flesh-eating fairy godfather?

For some reason, Just Luke thought of the nián shòu, the child-eating dragon kept at bay on the New Year with fireworks and costumes and the color red. This being had no problem with the color red, so. Probably not.

And just Luke was standing here in the middle of carnage, splattered with death. He dared not be found here. Breath hitching, he took off at a run.

#

Two hours was long enough to toss his old cloak and get a new one. Long enough to get a ticket, to buy a real knife, bigger than the tiny folding one he’d taken from uncle Xi’s dresser. Long enough to scrub blood from his trouser and shoes, and finally, to board the ship.

It was a bad idea, said his gut, but he had no other leads.

Celephaïs was nice. It had a lot of nice people. Well, nobody nice rode this vessel. The sailors (flyers?) were rough and smelly. The other passengers were rough and smelly and violent, and had three fights and one murder before the ship even got into the air.

Just Luke would have helped—his knack drove him, sometimes, like a need—but this was a decisive kill, dead before the body hit the deck. They tossed the body overboard when below changed to wilderness.

Just Luke did not try to go down into the hull where the others stayed. He huddled on deck, behind the nets securing cargo, and over the next three days, watched the green and beautiful Dreamlands below wither to brown and ugly wastes.

[chapter four] [masterpost]

[spooksverse-asks]

Finally got these guys' official refs done(technically finished this the other day, but didn't have time to upload before work)! :D After first sketching their concepts a few months ago(minus Zaira, who was already made), I finally got around to figuring out everyone's colors and especially in the boys' cases, their personalities and such!

I hope you like them! ^w^ Here is all of their bios again, just-in-case!

================================================

- Zaira Oldest child and daughter of Mai and Callum. She's a kind of awkward and nerdy girl, but she is very passionate with a big heart and energetic nature when she's in her element. She has some slight healing powers as inherited from her dad, Callum, though is nowhere near his level of power. In terms of regular talent though she can play the saxophone, specifically tenor sax, as she's a pretty prominent member of her school's marching, wind ensemble, and jazz bands. Despite her more Chinese heritage, even if she herself is only a 1/4 Chinese, she's actually a huge fan of Japanese culture. She's a bit of an otaku in that aspect, having gone to quite a few anime and cosplay conventions, with her favorite manga/anime being Sailor Moon. Aside from her siblings she is quite close with her cousins too, especially Vera as they have similar interests in magical girl and romance animes and often go to conventions together. - Hannah Second child and daughter of Mai and Callum. She is a kind-hearted and total firecracker of a girl, who always tries to help out with any problems but tends to get in more trouble with her reckless nature and random powers. These powers are inherited from Callum, being luck-based but more random, with her also being able to summon things that can be helpful in whatever situations she is in. She is a very outgoing and honest person, always up for a fun adventure, but she is not without her own insecurities. As a younger child a lot of them were centered around her dyslexia, as she had a lot of reading and learning difficulties that made it hard for her to feel like she was on an even learning field with her peers. Though she has received plenty of tutoring and help since her diagnosis to perform better than she had before, there are still moments where she struggles and feels like she can't measure up to her classmates' levels. - Porter Third child and oldest son of Mai and Callum. The only child seemingly without any sort of powers, but he tries not to dwell on that fact too much. Comes off as the most responsible and "sane" one of his siblings, often acting as the voice of reason that tries to pull them back when they go to far with something. Generally regarded as a good, studious "golden child" by his peers and adults alike, but truth be told he has a quiet wild and rebellious side deep down. Always bottles up his more negative feelings inside, causing him to come off as quite scary when he finally does unleash his emotions. Gets along greatly with his "Aunt" Alana, as she also knows what he goes through is like and often encourages him to just be his own best self. Perpetually exasperated by his cousin Korey's antics, often having to calm himself from starting a fight when all the cousins are hanging out together. - Westley "Wes" Youngest child and son of Mai and Callum. Being the youngest in the family and quite sickly as a child, he was often coddled growing up which has caused him to become quite an anxious young lad. He is more of a people-pleaser and always craves other peoples' approval, becoming so stressed out when things aren't going good and often forgets to advocate for his own interests. He has learned overtime how to relax and take care of himself, primarily getting a lot of his thoughts out through journaling and creative writing. He has inherited his mom's love-sensing abilities, having a fine-tuned and almost psychic ability to know when love is around or notice the slightest of change in someone's love. Often gets roped into shenanigans with his sisters as they try to use their powers together to help people, and his cousin Vera as she finds his useful for her match-making. Ironically for him, despite have love powers he has no interested in romance for himself, identifying as ace. 

[ficbrish]

Black Spot (aka Shenko Pirates) Chapter 5

"You dance to it anyway" [AO3]

Rating: Explicit, 18+ only

Tags: Prompt Fic, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Enemies to Lovers, Pirate Captain Shepard, Navy Admiral Kaidan Alenko, Renegade Shepard (Mass Effect), Renegade Kaidan Alenko, Biotic Shepard (Mass Effect), Some Plot, POV Alternating, Eventual Smut, Shameless Smut, Oral Sex, Rough Sex

[[TW/CW: Food, sex references, itty bit of suicide ideation]]

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[All Chapters]

The sand was cool when they silently crawled back to their shelter under the moon’s watchful gaze. A feeling more complicated than shame kept their eyes apart, their lips shut, and their bodies side by side. Wrapped in an animal heat that escaped from their skin and found each other, they slept later into the day than intended.

Kaidan rose first, untangled himself from his nemesis, and tended to their long-extinguished campfire.

It was even longer before he heard Shepard stirring, which felt like a nightmare and a dream following him into the daylight.

She sat up, blinked, and looked at him. Her face was the same as it always was.

“I think some sand lodged itself up my asshole,” she said, stretching, “Find any in yours?”

Kaidan let out a deep sigh. Then smiled, “Just a little bit.”

She laughed and it rang through him.

“I have fish,” he offered.

Shepard noticed their breakfast roasting on the fire. Her hands rushed to her knife, “Did you take my—?”

“Didn’t touch it—Well, not since… Now get over here and eat!”

“How did you catch those?”

“I grabbed them.”

Shepard glared at him suspiciously, just like the other mornings here. Kaidan wondered if those expressions of hers he’d learned last night were genuine or just other masks.

She took her usual spot across the campfire and snatched her fish-on-a-stick. Her chewing was grudging, but her mouth was closed.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said between bites.

“I didn’t take your knife, Shepard. I wouldn’t touch it unless you let me.”

She finished chewing, “Thanks.”

Kaidan took the other fish off the fire just as it started to burn. He was ravenous, but it was too hot to touch.

“Here, pass it to me.”

He handed her the stick. She sliced his fish down the middle with her knife and passed it back. Bits of meat stuck out, steaming. Kaidan was able to nibble on it as it cooled.

“Thanks.”

She nodded and chewed.

It tasted like burnt rope but had some sweetness to it. It was also hard to eat, full of little bones to navigate. Still, it was breakfast.

“Can’t believe you caught these with just your hands.”

“Well, what do you do? Stab them?”

She looked at him like he was stupid, “Yeah!”

“Under the water? It’s easier to catch them than stab them.”

“No, it’s not. Besides, the blood can always attract a bigger fish.”

“Yeah, and sharks.”

“Like I said, bigger fish.”

“But you can get sick eating shark.”

“Sick is better than starving.”

“We have fish though.”

“Small fish,” she licked her fingers, “I’m still hungry.”

“We should really do something about that, huh?”

Kaidan ate his small, steaming breakfast carefully, “I think I could kill someone for a bit of bread.”

Shepard inspected her pile of bones. She cleaned off whatever was left and put away any that would be useful.

She chuckled, “Spoken like a true man of the Alliance.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know, I’d accept that from you if you were just a mere sailor, but you’re an Admiral, Admiral. You’re not just part of it, you’re responsible for the whole thing.”

“I have my orders and I follow them.”

“Yeah, but you don’t ever question it?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Shepard, but questioning things doesn’t make one an Admiral.”

She laughed, “I think you accidentally just made a joke at your own expense.”

He frowned, “What’s so wrong with the Alliance?”

“What isn’t?” her laughter tapered off into something bitter.

Blood pounded behind his ears. Kaidan needed her to stop talking just as much as he needed her to go on.

Silence took over for a while.

Then Shepard said, “Can’t believe a Navy man, who didn’t even know about coconuts, can catch reef fish without any tools.”

He did know some things about coconuts! Thankfully, he heard how that sounded before saying it out loud.

A dangerous smirk eventually bloomed on her lips, “I guess it does make some sense more I think about it. You are pretty good with your hands.”

He blushed and almost choked.

*                       *                       *                       *                       *                       *

There was something very wrong with that beach. It transformed into something sinister when the sun went down. When it cooled off and the stars came out, putrid impulses started to fester.

That had to be it. There was no other explanation.

They were as eager to separate as they were to find more food. Shepard sent Kaidan to the sea after breakfast to fetch more fish while she went into the jungle to find something more substantial.

“Cursed,” she muttered out loud, finally alone. She felt less exposed in the shadows under the trees.

The robust sunlight was unrelenting.

Kaidan introduced his feet to the surf and rinsed off his hands. The cold seawater was a relief for the heat and nothing else.

He sighed and got salt in his eyes as he tried to wipe the memories from them.

When he turned around, he saw impressions in the sand where it happened.

“Oh god…”

The wind hadn’t been particularly strong, and they’d been far enough away from the tides, so their disturbances remained like snow angels. It wouldn’t be obvious to just anyone, but whenever Kaidan looked over, he saw explicit images.

The largest impressions were made by Shepard writhing under him. Every thrust ground her ass further against the sand, until the dry layers peeled back and they felt wet earth. He’d placed his shirt underneath her so the friction wouldn’t scratch up her skin.

“Why do you care if Shepard gets hurt?”

“Because I’m not the monster you think I am, General.”

Udina just laughed at him. Replaying that moment in his head years later still made the hair on his neck stand up.

His memories returned to those two smaller spots under the bigger ones. His knees had taken purchase there to get deeper inside.

The skin on the back of her thighs rubbed against his chest as he pumped into her. She’d screamed his name.

Not Admiral. Not Alenko. Not “Sir”…

“Kaidan!” Shepard cursed it out loud as she walked through the forest, like his name was something bitter stuck on her tongue, something she could spit out.

His affections had been rough, which she liked, but didn’t expect from someone like him.

“Stupid name,” she muttered and stomped.

But he wasn’t just rough. He was attentive and present in a way she’d never—“Who the fuck does that?!”

She felt bow-legged as she moved, but her stride was the same as always. There was a soreness and an ache in her center, like he was stuck there.

“This is bullshit!”

She could still feel his hands traversing her thighs. He’d even kissed and sucked her ankle when it rested near his face. And then he made that sound…

Shepard stopped and flopped back against the nearest tree. Maybe if she slit her own throat right here and now it would stop her from being even more of a fool.

And if she did die right here, would he still deliver her corpse to the Alliance authorities?

She laughed bitterly, “Fucking idiot!”

Kaidan was grateful for the frigidity of the sea as he splashed some into his face, “This is ridiculous.”

The tide was low enough for him to walk out to the reef. The deepest water only came up to about mid-thigh.

He couldn’t get the taste of her out of his head.

Maybe no one would ever find them. That would be—

Nothing good ever happened when he gave into that part of himself.

Kaidan sighed deeply and got into position. He watched his hands under the clear water, jumping around and distorting even though he held them still.

He had big, rough sailor’s hands.

Shepard shivered when they reached her most sensitive spot. His scent sunk into her as her face nestled into his neck. Ghosts of those senses haunted her nerves. Heart skipping, she could feel the wet slip down her thigh as she stood there frozen against the tree.

Just lie, she thought as her hand dipped under her belt, You’re a good liar.

Everything would be fine. It was just an itch, and itches could be scratched. An itch didn’t have to turn the world upside down and ruin your life.

Right?

That’s what this was. Surely, just a scratching.

*                       *                       *                       *                       *                       *

Kaidan gave up when he saw Shepard arrive back at their camp. He sighed and walked out of the water.

“What the fuck?! No fish?”

“Great. So you’ve already forgotten about breakfast? Wait, hold on—I don’t see you bringing anything back either!”

She put her hands on her hips in the most irritating way possible, “I guess we both wasted our time then?”

“Yeah,” he said, jaw tight.

The day was almost gone, and they still needed water.

“I’m thirsty, so I came back.”

Hands on his hips, Kaidan agreed, “Yeah.”

Getting away from the beach was its own relief.

Shepard carved markings in the trees on their way to the water. They knew the path, but this would leave no doubt.

“Could’ve done that yesterday, if you’d’ve let me have the knife.”

“I was hunting.”

“Still!”

“And if I recall…” she teased, “I did sort of let you have it last night.”

He had no more criticisms to offer.

They’d carried some coconut shells and bananas in their leaf buckets and set up a temporary camp by the water to boil and drink as much as they could before the sun began to set. The fire they made was large enough to fit four coconut halves on it at once.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wake up earlier.”

She chuckled, “Woke up with enough time to fish.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess.”

“But you didn’t wake me.”

“I… uh…”

Why was she blushing instead of teasing him? It made Kaidan stutter a little more until they gave up on conversation entirely. Sure, they talked when they needed to, but that was all.

Half the water went into their buckets to take back for the night. The other half they drank hot, as fast as they could tolerate. When the sun suddenly got too low in the sky, they packed up their camp and left.

*                       *                       *                       *                       *                       *

Sunset was already turning to shadow when they made it back to the scene of their crime.

Their evening spent by the fire was horrendously long. It was a race against time when they were in the jungle, but now that they were back on the beach, there was just too much of it. They sipped water to avoid talking, like resentful old men at a pub. Both leaf buckets were emptied before they risked lying down in their shelter.

The night promised to be even longer.

Last time had been more comfortable, but tonight they settled far apart. It was only bearable before because whatever was wound tight between them had been released. This morning sprung it back into place, and all the time they spent awake pulled it more and more taut.

They felt pressure on their chests.

Then the night was cut short by sudden, pouring rain. It came in fast and heavy, collapsing the pitiful roof of their shitty shelter almost immediately.

“Fuck!” Kaidan exclaimed.

Shepard just laughed bitterly.

They were quickly soaked through with warm rain that loudly smacked as it crashed to the ground. Their fire was out, and clouds covered the stars.

His damp hands found her slippery leg. They felt their way up until he grasped her wrist. She grabbed his face awkwardly with her other hand as she attempted to orient herself.

“Trees?” she shouted over the rain.

Their breathing was shallow, the water covering their faces. It was like they were swimming in rough currents.

Kaidan nodded, but Shepard couldn’t see, so he just led them further from the beach. They stepped carefully into the trees, holding onto each other’s hands like a lifeline.

There was a break from the downpour under the leaves. It wasn’t completely dry, but there was less to feel and hear.

“Roof’s fucked.”

Her remark was closer to his ear than he thought it would be.

“Told you we needed to do something about that.”

“We got distracted.”

“Yeah.”

“Hungry and thirsty, I mean.”

“Yeah, I know that,” he said, “I know that.”

“Yeah.”

Their breathing was less like gasping and more like panting under the protection of the foliage.

The thrill of the dark, and the rain, and the unseen dangers made their blood course. The moment was so present; there was only life and death.

Her voice was so close, “Try to see me.”

His heart was beating on his tongue. He squeezed her hand and pulled her towards him until he felt the life stirring under her chest.

“I still can’t see you,” his voice was rough, “but I can feel you.”

It was like they were blind-folded. Face to face, the shade consumed them.

Her chest rose up and down four times, pushing and releasing against his.

Four times. Then she said, “We can be anyone in the dark.”

He felt something hot suck the water off his neck.

Kaidan’s hand reached into the darkness until it found the bark of a sturdy tree. He pressed her back against it. She threw her arms around his neck and leapt onto his waist.

“You can have anything you want,” Shepard promised as he pulled down his pants and got into hers.

They shivered from chill and then relief. Their faces hovered close until their mouths almost met.

She whispered into his ear, “Anywhere but there. Remember?”

He nodded, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

The stars came back out before they stopped. Shadow pulled back, and their vision adjusted. Slowly, as the storm passed, their expressions were revealed to each other. Chest to chest, hip to hip, head to head, they stayed against that tree for hours.

[Next Chapter]

[All Chapters]

[poetryslvt]

The Sadly Shipwrecked Sailor Son

There was once a sadly shipwrecked sailor son who worked aboard a boat.

He worked for his frantic father who wore the captain's coat.

The sadly shipwrecked sailor son had quite a busy work day,

He had but one good friend aboard, a sneaky stowaway.

Sneaky as they be,

They were caught eventually.

The sneaky stowaway was dragged before the cunning captain.

He called for death but the sadly shipwrecked sailor son was there it so happened.

He was able to convince the cunning captain’s actions falter,

For when the cunning captain faced the sadly shipwrecked sailor son he was just a frantic father.

So, instead the cunning captain conjured up a ploy.

He would make the sneaky stowaway a crafty cabin boy.

Rejoicing with a few drinks for together they could stay.

The crafty cabin boy was the sadly shipwrecked sailor sons bestfriend, ally, and his shiny ball and chain.

Some years past,

And opportunity arose at last.

The sadly shipwrecked sailor son was sent to sail with his utterly uppish uncle.

He took along the crafty cabin boy so together they could wreck trouble.

They grew from bumbling boys to mighty merry men.

With their age grew their bond; together they would tend.

They learned a lot along their far and winding journey.

But the salty sea had other plans so she cast upon them her fury.

A great big storm would so form in mid to late may.

A storm so strong it made godless men get on their knees and pray.

The halls were ripped right from the sides of the boat.

The wind strong enough to pull men to and fro.

The crew was done for, the boat really stood no chance.

It raged on for days and dragged the scraps from Iceland to the western coasts of france.

Only two bodies were ever found,

Two young men strung together by rope hastily bound.

The men were fished up and to land they were carried.

Upon a hidden beach together they were buried.

Nowadays if you find yourself led to the cost by the mournful moon,

You may be able to spot a sailor’s soul sing his cryptic cabin boy a tune.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

By PoemsByPoppy

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

[weirdlet]

4 and 10 for Glory?

Ooooh-

4. Do they have any scars or tattoos? (good way to get into literal backstory)

Let’s start with the obvious- he has very finely done but deliberately left visible top surgery scars, done with magical healing. On top of that, he has an ornate star/sailing chart tattooed over his chest, with a Renaissance Faire woodcut style sun and moon on either side. There are plentiful other small tattoos elsewhere, not all of which have been defined- but there may well be some land or flying creatures tattooed on his feet, the way my dad talked about navy men getting.

On his right bicep is the logo of the White Sails mercenary group- Glory was recruited basically as part of his parole, so this is a combination ‘yellow ticket of leave’ and mark of the legion.

He has a few lashes across his mid back from learning the hard way as a cabin boy, and a collection of fine nicks, scars and rope-burns on his hands and forearms from fishing and handling ropes and general sailoring and fighting. Since getting thrown into the deep end of this campaign, he’s been pierced through, knocked down, and magically healed a number of times, including the time he was run through by a manticore, woke up in the court of Glasya, daughter of Asmodeus, and irritated the hell-queen so much that she threw him back like a too-small fish (as he tells it- she was really chucking fruit at him when the Revifify scroll hit). He’s intent on at some point getting a teasing pinup of her on some part of his arm or back.

10. What objects do they always carry around with them? (What do they need for their normal, day-to-day routine? What does ‘normal’ even look like for them.) 

(this will be the fourth time writing this out, I have given up on trying to do this in mobile, it keeps whisking away without having saved and I am ready to chew glass)

Rather than go through the full non-exhaustive bookkeeping of what an adventurer has on their character sheet, I'm going to go with the specific ideal things Glory would have on his person.

His sword and knives- the one for slashing and stabbing, a couple of the others for off-hand attacks, fish-gutting, rope-splicing, general cook-work and minor surgery, you know, the basics.

His net hammock and the tackle to hang it; it's the only way he can sleep comfortably with his wings/lifelong sea legs.

Contrary to popular belief, Glory does not wear every SINGLE coin that he owns at all times- but he likes to keep an assortment of gold and silver chunky bangles and armrings on, a selection of earrings, horn-tip caps and strings of coins around his waist and hips. Easy to spend, trade, put on and take off. 'Wearing your wealth' is a big part of his culture as both a sea-brat from the shadier side of Mintarn's floating market, and as a notorious pirate.

Sharpening, sewing and repair kit- a lot of his downtime is spent in upkeep on his gear, his friends' gear, etc. Nothing will look brand new or perfect, but it will function as it fades even as it approaches Ship of Theseus levels of restoration.

A fine-toothed, pretty comb that used to belong to his mother- one of the paste jewels has popped out, but it's a very well-carved bit of ivory.

The Bandoleer of Holding that holds his restorative potions and/or alchemist's fire at the ready- when he has them [IF I HAD THEM!!]

His flute/panpipes- good for long watches and late evenings.

[mysticbard]

Daughter of the Sea

She was falling. No, not falling: sinking. With icy water squeezing in around her, holding her and pulling her down into its cold embrace. The salty waters stinging her eyes like unshed tears. She couldn't breathe, and it hurt trying to hold on to the last drop of air. 

The light was fading. She was sinking deeper into the darkness around her. A shadow of where she came from was still there, where the sea met the sky, illuminated by the taunting moon which smiled at her.

She didn't struggle. She didn't try to swim; she knew it was futile. She could feel the bite of the rope holding her legs together and pulling her deeper into the sea. The weight of the anchor, too much for her, but still weighing nothing compared to the emptiness she felt at what was happening to her.

She was going to die here. The last of her air left her in a torrent of bubbles as she screamed, not in fear, but in an all consuming rage. She wanted them to suffer. Suffer like she had due to their lust and fear.

As the salty water entered her lungs, she reached for the fading light and cursed all men. She cursed their lust, and their arrogance. She cursed all men to fear the sea. May She test all who dare brave Her waters, and consume all like the ones who defiled her.

The light left her eyes as she continued to sink further into the icy black waters. No warmth remained in her limbs.

She could still feel the water pressing in on her, when suddenly she realized that if she could still feel: she was still alive. As she had looked to the last of the light; as the darkness of the depths had swallowed her, she had begun to change. Her bare legs, that had been tied together were no longer legs, but one sleek and flowing limb. The rope continued to sink unheeded, pulled by the anchor, even as she had slid right out of it. 

She reached her hands down and felt the texture of her naked skin. As she slid her hands down, just under her navel, skin gave way to a glossy, silk-like texture. It felt like the eel her father had brought home when she was a little girl.

She wished she could see, when she realized her eyes were closed. Slowly, she opened her eyes to discover she could see even in the limited light reaching through the waters from the moon. She had a tail. It was as black as the waters beneath her. She drifted in the water for a while in wonder.  

She experimentally moved her new limb, which felt boneless, so she could feel the fan-like protrusion at the end. It felt of the finest silk, soft and delicate. But she somehow knew it was stronger than it looked.

A flash of movement caught her eye, and she turned her head to see that her hair was affected by the change as well. Her once common brown was the same inky black as her tail. It floated around her like a cloud and she reached up to run her fingers through the soft strands. 

She was alive. She almost laughed and a smile spread across her face, before she realized that no, she had died. Her smile quickly turned into a frown as determination filled her. The woman she had been was no more. In that woman’s place was a monster all men would learn to fear. As she swam to the surface she decided: the Sea had heard her wish. All men ruled by lust would perish by the very waters that rebirthed her. My response to a post I saw years ago with the prompt: I want someone to write a book where mermaids are the women thrown off ships when sailors got afraid because having a women on the boat is bad luck. And as they sink to the bottom, legs tied together, they change slowly until they can breathe, until they can use their tied up legs to swim. And they drown sailors in revenge, luring them in by singing in their husky voices still stinging from the salt water they breathed. I unfortunately did not save the user, just the prompt, so if anyone knows who it was, please let me know, I want to thank them for one of my favorite short stories I have written to date.

[ye-local-simp]

Hi 👋🏽 may I have a TWST match-up

I’m 5’3 and an Aries as well as an ENTP. I have extra curly hair and my style is skater and street .I’m a relatively calm person except when provoked. I’m the type of person who gets annoyed at the smallest things. But I am very loyal and try to help my friends and others when given the opportunity. I’m seen as temperamental sometimes which is kind of true

I love playing video games such, as mortal kombat, Smash bros, and Call of Duty. My favorite animes are Sailor moon, Fruits Basket, And Fairy Tail. I also love listening and dancing to 80s music and I’m a theater kid. I also practice all kinds of martial arts and im very into learning self defense. I have a big family so I’m usually caught babysitting my siblings.

I get paranoid very easily and I hate horror movies. Sometimes if I watch a trailer or anything like that in he fear and anxiety keeps me up all night . But I love superhero movies and the Godzilla franchise. And I adore baking and cooking. And making hot drinks like tea and hot cocoa. But at other times I’m very lazy and will make ramen. I struggle with not feeling good enough for people. So I try to outdo them to prove myself. That situation applies with anything honestly

Also I’m very physical so I love doing things like playing dodgeball or jump roping. And Art like spray painting or simply splashing paint around. I also kin Miu Iruma from danganronpa and Reki Kyan from Sk8 the infinity. And yes I’m fatherless 💀✋🏼

You will be matched with....

Floyd!!

-As a merman, he really wants to explore all the hobbies a human could have like the rollerskating and jump roping.

-He definitely loves to play dodgeball with you and jump roping , art spraying and splashing paint around Since he finds it so fun especially with you around and he may invite some others to join too.

-He also likes ditching the Monstro Lounge work to play video games with you since he definitely likes video games and maybe even anime or help you with hobbies.

-Since he is so tall, he often likes to offer to be your training dummy when you practice self defense or martial arts because he is strong and could actually take some of your blows but its only when he is in the right mood.

-If you are a good babysitter, well you now got yourself a new kid to look after 😃.

-He is also one of the people who thinks it's cute when their partner gets mad, but he will stop it if you show signs of distress. Yes, he is annoying and kind of a sadist but he doesnt want you to leave him because of his actions so he does end up apologising to you with Jade's help.

-Since he is a huge prankster and teaser, he does put your paranoid personality to use and scare you but he will apologise with cuddles later and offer to stay with toy until you are asleep if you got that scared.

-Since he works at the monstro lounge, he does sometimes eat free food but he does go to your dorm when he finds out you baked something Since he loves your cooking and sometimes he feels like he wants something different to what the Monstro Lounge usually serves. In return, he does sometimes give you free food at Monstro lounge when Azul isn't looking and that secret is safe with Jade.

-The issues in the relationship would be his mood swings and pranks. Sometimes his pranks are too annoying and it can be infuriating and his mood swings may make you feel upset since he may turn away things that you wanted to do. But if he finds out how upset you are, he will do it for the sake of you. For the pranks, he doesnt show signs of stopping the pranks but he will help you recover from the shock or scares.

[stutteritinyliving]

This boy is growing sooo fast! It's crazy that just 5 months ago he was a little foal full of spunk and energy. Now he is a big yearling, enjoying life with his pasturemate Caspian, who has definitely gone back to colthood with the young boyo.

These days they are racing each other more than they are doing anything else. Silly boys!

But this morning I had to bring him inside as he will have his vet check soon. He needs his vaccines and such. But when I walked him past Opaline's stall he began acting up. He has definitely entered stallionhood!

"No Rolly, no!" I told the young soon-to-be-stallion, as Opaline made angry faces at him. She was definitely maturing slower and definitely not in heat at the moment!

"Do you need help?" Ismael laughed from behind the grey mare, currently trying to brush her, when she began kicking her legs at Rolly Joger, "Wooooah, girl. Easy!"

"Do you need help?" I shot back at him with a laugh of my own.

"No, no I'm good! Woah!" he told me then turned back to the mare to try to calm her down. Teenagers rolling eyes

"Come on Rolly. The lady doesn't appreciate your charms," I said in a serious tone, and pulled the rearing stallion-to-be past Opaline's stall.

Getting further away from the young mare, he calmed down like a charm.

"Good boy, Rolly!" I told him, scratching his forehead, while holding the rope tight to prevent further enimty between the two youngsters.

It was a good thing that he was able to calm down around mares. He had to be able to do that, if I want to keep him as a stallion. If he can't he cannot stay stallion, and will be gelded. But then again, his sire was an hormon bomb as a youngster too, so I am sure he will calm down.

"Easy girl!" I heard Ismael tell the young mare, as she kept kicking her legs. He had exited the stall just to stay safe. Opaline definitely had a temper! Especially around young stallions-to-be not knowing their place. After all she was 5 months older than Rolly.

Seemed like he got her calmed down in the end.

"Eeeeasy…" he told her softly, as she leaned in for a cuddle.

I just shook my head. Ismael didn't have any experience with youngsters, but he would learn. He had a good instinct when it came to horses, even the young ones.

"I'll put him in his stall now, Ismael. Please tell me when the vet gets here!" I said to him, then lead the young colt towards his stall in the other end of the barn. The furthest end.

"But you are a good boy!" I told the colt softly, as I sat down on the straw covered ground.

He immediately lowered his head towards me, so I could give him a good scratch. Yes, this young colt would definitely be a fantastic riding horse, when he got older. I was sure of it! And as he was sired by Hera Cole's star show jumper BOE Sailor Moon, I am sure he will be a perfect show jumper himself.

Also he is such a sweet boy, though still a colt, and he will surely act up a lot, until his hormons gets to ground level.

Later in the evening we saw that GE Rosebank, who has been in her stall all night, because she was pregnant, had given birth to a baby colt completely silently. And she really had been silent, because we have all trotted up and down the halls of the barn, and we haven't heard a single pip from her stall.

So everyone please welcome EIEC Akeystone to the stable! His sire is Dove's stallion Apache Sunrise, and he is SUCH a beauty!

[angelholme]

M4M&I — Day 12 : Doctor

So it turns out that you learn a lot of things later on in life that make you go “Huh — so that’s what that meant”

When I was a kid (and, if I am honest, even now) I was a huge fan of the Tintin books. I admit I never read them in the original French, because I was a kid and I am pretty sure very few children — at least very few children in the UK — read comic books in French (well — graphic novels in French) because very few children in the UK learn French that early on in life.

But I did read most of the in English, and they were quite a lot of fun. Whether they would stand up to modern life is…… questionable, but this was thirty years ago, maybe thirty five, and I was a child, so quite honestly I wouldn’t have cared and thirty five years ago society was a lot different.

The stories were mostly entertaining, if a little overblown in places — Red Rackham’s Treasure, The Black Island, The Seven Crystal Balls and (sorry about this) the one with the meteorite were all pretty good, but the two that I think I liked the most were the two set in space — one was called Destination Moon and the other one I am not sure about (you would think I would remember).

Anyway — they were somewhat entertaining, and I ended up reading and re-reading them but it turns out that a lot of the references completely passed me by.

I mean some of the more obvious ones I got — Captain Haddock was obvious, but his reference to “blistering barnacles” was not one I initially understood (not knowing what a barnacle was, obviously).

And it took me a while to understand why Professor Calculus was called Professor Calculus — I mean I knew why he was called Cuthbert (well — I am guessing that was his name) but I didn’t know what Calculus was because it would be another five or six years before I would learn what calculus was.

The song “Doctor, Doctor” was sung by “The Thompson Twins” — a band in the eighties — who were named after the two detectives from the series (Thompson and Thomson — who I am pretty sure were possibly the inspiration for the two FBI agents from Die Hard), which is where the idea for the post came from.

But the other idea was triggered by me driving up to work, because I was listening to the radio and I heard something about boats. I was only sort of half paying attention, but I heard the word “marlinspike” — which is used in marine rope work — and it was only the second time I had ever heard that work before.

The first time I had heard that word — the only other time in my entire life I have heard the word — was in the Tintin comics.

I just assumed the name of the manor house that Captain Haddock lived in was Marlinspike because the manor houses people live in had weird names. I had never known — until today — that it was named after something that related to him being a sailor.

So, as I said, you are never done learning things.

[sadprosed]

𝑺𝑪𝑬𝑵𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑶  𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺.

↬   OF  MERMAIDS,  MASQUERADES  AND  MAGIC.

scenarios  inspired  by  various  settings,  encounters  &  magic  tucked  between  pages,  fashioned  by  the  author.  tw  for  drowning  mentions.

+   feel  free  to  change  pronouns  /  roles  !

MERMAIDS.

‘  beyond  the  winds  and  past  the  shores,  strange  magic  lurks  about.  ’

‘  will  you  go  to  the  lagoon  with  me  ?  it’s  unsafe  to  go  alone.  ’

‘  they  say  a  siren’s  call  alone  can  drown  a  man  before  she  swallows  him.  ’

‘  quick  !  cover  your  ears.  ’

‘  what  did  you  imagine  as  you  heard  the  song  ?  ’

‘  i  can  feel  a  voice  like  claws  sinking  beneath  my  skin.  ’

‘  one  can  pray  to  the  ocean,  but  the  waters  answer  in  strange  tongues.  ’

‘  careful,  or  we’ll  hit  the  reef.  ’

‘  the  sea-folk  are  flighty  as  their  fins,  and  illusive  as  shimmering  scales.  ’

‘  i  should  like  to  find  myself  a  sailor  fit  for  a  feast.  ’

‘  sometimes  i  wish  there  was  more  than  the  endless  waves.  ’

‘  do  you  see  that  ?  there,  beneath  the  surface  ?  ’

‘  that’s  no  fish,  and  no  woman  either.  ’

‘  what  lies  off  the  edge  of  the  map  ?  ’

‘  the  sea  has  monsters,  but  beauties  too.  ’

‘  i’ve  heard  that  merfolk  make  bargains,  and  trade  in  the  ocean’s  magic.  ’

‘  i’ve  never  seen  a  pearl  like  this  one.  ’

‘  the  ship  will  go  down  if  we  don’t  turn  about  !  ’

‘  what  is  that,  out  there  on  the  rocks  ?  ’

‘  won’t  you  listen  to  my  song  ?  ’

‘  mermaids  love  shiny  things.  keep  a  careful  eye  on  yours.  ’

‘  if  we  hide  in  the  kelp,  we  might  see  them  as  they  pass.  ’

‘  i’ve  heard  the  tales.  to  catch  you  means  to  gain  a  granted  wish.  ’

‘   i’ve  never  seen  your  likeness,  only  heard  the  myths.  ’

‘  come  with  me,  beneath  the  sea  and  foam,  and  be  mine.  ’

‘  some  of  us  live  in  the  ocean,  others  in  rivers  and  streams  and  even  trees.  ’

‘  falling  in  love  with  a  human  is  an  old  tale.  tell  me  a  new  one.  ’

‘  so  you  gave  up  your  fin  for  legs  ?  ’

‘  soon  i  will  be  nothing  but  seafoam.  ’

‘  what  is  a  heart,  but  an  ocean  of  secrets  ?  ’

‘  you’d  let  yourself  be  undone  and  remade  for  someone  you’ve  never  known.  that  is  not  love.  ’

‘  let  your  dreams  sink  to  the  depths.  they’ve  done  you  no  good.  ’

MASQUERADES.

‘  i’ve  never  seen  so  many  unfamiliar  faces.  ’

‘  he’s / she’s / they’ve  been  looking  at  me  all  evening.  ’

‘  would  you  do  me  the  honor  of  a  dance  ?  ’

‘  neither  of  us  need  know  the  other  tonight.  i  prefer  the  mystery.  ’

‘  your  choice  of  costume  is  rather  extravagant.  ’

‘  what  fun  would  it  be,  if  i  took  this  off  ?  ’

‘  i’m  certain  we’ve  met  before.  ’

‘  i’ve  always  longed  for  a  night  like  this.  it’s  something  out  of  a  dream.  ’

‘  won’t  you  come  away  with  me  ?  there’s  a  balcony  just  outside.  ’

‘  i’m  inclined  to  think  we’ve  never  met  before,  and  perhaps  will  never  meet  again  after  tonight.  ’

‘  you  look  like  you  know  how  to  waltz.  care  to  ?  ’

‘  i  must  stand  up  with  someone  this  evening,  and  i  don’t  see  why  it  can’t  be  you.  ’

‘  would  you  stop  staring  so  intently  ?  what  do  you  think  to  find  ?  ’

‘  i’ll  stop  bothering  you  if  you  agree  to  dance  with  me.  ’

‘  please  take  it  off.  i  want  to  see  you.  ’

‘  i’ve  never  been  to  a  masque  before.  ’

'  it  seems  our  attire  makes  opposites  of  us.  ’

‘  i’ve  never  seen  a  more  hideous  costume  than  that  one.  ’  

‘  i  can’t  stay  much  longer.  you  see,  i’m  not  supposed  to  be  here  at  all.  ’

‘  you’ll  never  know  who  i  am.  ’

‘  people  like  you  always  make  a  fool  of  me.  ’

‘  oh.  i  thought  you  were  someone  else.  ’

‘  i’ll  give  you  three  chances  to  guess  who  i  am.  ’

‘  the  next  time  i  offer  you  my  hand,  you’ll  get  more  than  a  dance  from  me.  ’

‘  i’ve  wanted  to  dance  beneath  stars  like  these  for  as  long  as  i  can  remember.  ’

‘  what  do  you  look  like  ?  ’

‘  that  look  in  your  eyes  tells  me  all  i  need  to  know.  ’

‘  you  won’t  like  what  you’ll  see.  ’

‘  i  recognize  your  voice.  ’

‘  you’ll  know  the  truth  before  the  night  is  up.  ’

‘  i’ve  heard  the  darkest  of  dances  are  the  best  for  falling  in  love  to.  ’

‘  you  don’t  know  it  now,  but  we’re  friends  already.  ’

‘  can’t  we  pretend  a  little  while  longer  ?  ’

‘  it’s  when  the  party  is  over  that  we  learn  to  know  each  other  most.  ’

‘  happily  ever  after  can’t  come  so  easily  as  a  single  night  dancing.  ’

MAGIC.

‘  i’ve  caught  you.  you  have  to  undo  the  spell  for  me  now.  ’

‘  think  carefully  before  asking  for  something  well  beyond  the  reach  of  mortal  power.  ’

‘  i  think  i  know  a  spell  for  that.  ’

‘  i  can’t  help  you.  but  there  are  people  in  other  worlds,  in  the  moors  and  hills  and  trees,  that  might.  ’

‘  you  must  gather  the  necessary  ingredients  for  such  a  potion.  ’

‘  true  love  is  never  the  answer  to  the  riddle.  not  when  so  much  as  life  and  death  is  at  stake.  ’

‘  i’ve  found  and  made  my  way  here  by  right.  you  can’t  deny  me  the  answers  i  seek.  ’

‘  be  warned:  monsters  hide  between  the  trees  and  whisper  in  magic  tongues.  ’

‘  it  always  makes  a  fraction  of  sense  to  be  careful  what  you  wish  for.  ’

‘  i’ve  been  turned  into  an  unsightly  creature,  and  i  need  a  way  of  turning  back.  ’

‘  not  all  magical  stories  happen  in  castles,  or  cottages  in  the  wood.  ’

‘  preposterous.  magic  and  sorcery  do  not  exist  but  in  the  minds  of  superstitious  fools.  ’

‘  get  back  from  that  cauldron  !  it’s  dangerous.  ’

‘  i  don’t  mess  with  things  like  candles  and  the  stars  and  the  moon  after  dark.  it  never  ends  well.  ’

‘  i  am  something  ancient.  my  name  has  been  forgotten  by  mortal  mouths  and  is  found  only  in  their  oldest  texts.  ’

‘  not  all  fairy  helpers  are  kind,  and  not  all  villains  are  ugly,  or  even  cruel.  ’

‘  if  you  want  my  help,  you  must  earn  it.  ’

‘  is  this  something  i  could  learn  ?  ’

‘  i  don’t  want  to  be  ordinary,  and  i  don’t  care  what  the  risks  are.  ’

‘  you  think  to  put  a  curse  on  me  ?  i  will  spend  my  life  defying  it.  ’

‘  stay  back,  witch,  and  keep  your  spells  from  sneaking  past  your  lips.  ’

‘  you  must  chain  a  magician  in  more  than  metal  or  rope  if  you  wish  to  stop  them.  ’

‘  that’s  a  parlor  trick.  show  me  real  magic.  ’

‘  only  you  can  break  the  spell.  it  is  something  you  are  meant  for.  ’

‘  fate  is  nothing  but  an  illusion  placed  in  our  heads,  that  we  might  follow  the  words  of others  and  not  our  own  intentions.  ’

‘  whatever  has  brought  me  here,  i  cannot  turn  back  now.  ’

‘  soon  the  clock  will  strike,  and  nothing  more  might  be  done.  ’  

‘  magic  requires  taking  in  order  to  give.  it  will  keep  demanding  parts  of  you.  ’

[ficbrish]

WIP Wednesday

[17May2023]

This is from chapter 5 of my Shenko pirate AU, Aaarrrrgghh! There be a Black Spot upon yer Soul

5 ("You dance to it anyway.")

Oops! They fucked!

The sand was cool when they silently crawled back to their shelter under the moon’s watchful eye. A feeling more complicated than shame kept their eyes apart, their lips shut, and their bodies side-by-side. It was the first night they didn’t wake up every fifteen minutes or so from the chill. Wrapped in an animal heat that escaped from their skin and found each other, they slept later into the day than intended.

Kaidan rose first, untangled himself from his nemesis, and tended to their long-extinguished campfire.

When he heard Shepard stirring, it felt like a nightmare and a dream following him into the daylight.

She sat up, blinked, and looked at him. Her face was the same as it always was.

“I think some sand lodged itself up my asshole,” she said, stretching, “Find any in yours?”

Kaidan let out a deep sigh. Then smiled, “Just a little bit.”

She laughed and it rang through him.

“I have fish,” he offered.

Shepard noticed their breakfast roasting on the fire. Her hands rushed to her knife, “Did you take my—?”

“Didn’t touch it—Well, not since… Now get over here and eat!”

“How did you catch those?”

“I grabbed them.”

Shepard glared at him suspiciously just like the other mornings. Kaidan wondered if those expressions of hers he’d learned last night were genuine or just other masks.

She took her usual spot across the campfire and snatched her fish-on-a-stick. Her chewing was grudging, but her mouth was closed.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said between bites.

“I didn’t take your knife, Shepard. I wouldn’t touch it unless you let me.”

She finished chewing, “Thanks.”

Kaidan took the other fish off the fire just as it started to burn. He was ravenous, but it was too hot to touch.

“Here, pass it to me,” Shepard offered.

He handed her the stick. She sliced his fish down the middle with her knife and then passed it back. Bits of meat stuck out, steaming. Kaidan was able to nibble on it as it cooled.

“Thanks.”

She nodded and chewed.

It tasted like burnt rope but had some sweetness to it. There were also a lot of little bones to navigate. Still, it was breakfast.

“Can’t believe you caught these with just your hands.”

“Well, what do you do? Stab them?”

She looked at him like he was stupid, “Yeah!”

“Under the water? It’s easier to catch them than stab them.”

“No, it’s not. Besides, the blood can always attract a bigger fish.”

“Yeah, and sharks.”

“Like I said, bigger fish.”

“But you can get sick eating shark.”

“Sick is better than starving.”

“We have fish though.”

“Small fish,” she licked her fingers, “I’m still hungry.”

“We should really do something about that, huh?”

Kaidan ate his steaming fish carefully, “I think I could kill someone for a bit of bread.”

Shepard inspected her pile of bones. She cleaned off whatever was left and sorted out any useful ones for making tools.

She chuckled, “Spoken like a true man of the Alliance.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know, I’d accept that from you if you were just a mere sailor, but you’re an Admiral, Admiral. You’re not just part of it, you’re responsible for the whole thing.”

“I have my orders and I follow them.”

“Yeah, but you don’t ever question it?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Shepard, but questioning things doesn’t make one an Admiral.”

She laughed, “I think you accidentally just made a joke at your own expense.”

He frowned, “What’s so wrong with the Alliance?”

“What isn’t?” her laughter tapered off into something bitter.

Blood pounded behind his ears. Kaidan needed her to stop talking just as much as he needed her to go on.

Silence took over for a while.

Then Shepard said, “Can’t believe a Navy man, who didn’t even know about coconuts, can catch reef fish without any tools.”

He did know some things about coconuts! Thankfully he heard how that sounded in his own head before saying it out loud.

That dangerous smirk eventually bloomed on her lips, “I guess it does make some sense more I think about it. You are pretty good with your hands.”

He blushed and almost choked.

[aaesuki]

growing pains

pairing: suna rintarou x reader

cw/tw: fluff, little bit of angst

wc: 4k

summary: suna had always been a little shit, but you loved that little shit regardless.

A spark from the handheld firework jumps onto your hand and you quickly drop it while screeching. The figure beside you cackles at your misfortune and puts out his own firework.

“Stop laughing at me, Suna. It hurts,” you whine. He only wheezes harder, dropping onto the ground, clutching his stomach. Your face burns in embarrassment and you lightly kick him in the leg. Wiping his tears, he sits up with a content sigh.

The summer heat beats down yet it was already late into the night. The lights from the traffic and cars in front of the house flash by, drawing moving shadows beneath your feet. Suna nudges you a little too hard with his elbow, forcing an annoyed groan out of you.

“You excited for middle school? We’re gonna be grown ups.” His eyes sparkle with enthusiasm at the thought of the freedom that came with middle school.

“You watch too much TV, Suna. Middle school probably isn’t as great as Sailor Moon, you know? We won’t be saving the Earth anytime soon.” You use the snuffed out firework stick to draw random shapes on the ground.

A chubby hand reaches for your stick, tugging it out of your hand. “It won’t be boring with you here. You always manage to get yourself into tons of trouble,” he says, adding to your nonsensical drawing. You snicker at his deformed drawing. Standing up and brushing his pants off, he whines at your teasing. You look at his pretty, red face (he always flushed easily) and make another remark about his ugly...whatever that was supposed to be.

The summer before middle school, being the child you were, you had thought Suna would stay with you forever. Your world was tiny, only filled with the people in the house behind you and Suna, your bestest friend, as he had proclaimed. And with a smile on your face, you pulled out two new handheld fireworks from the plastic bag and lit them up.

With middle school comes pimples, outgrown clothes, and the sudden need to know everything about Suna’s crushes. Though he insists he doesn’t like anyone with a face void of emotion, you see how he eyes the pretty girl in the fourth seat in the second row, right beside the window whenever he comes by your class for lunch. Everyday after school, you report back to him about what your classmates said she likes and doesn’t like.

The summer crickets sing their songs as the little elementary schoolers race down the streets. To think just some years ago they were Suna and you. Nostalgia was such a wonderful thing. Sometimes you wished you and him hadn’t grown up so quickly.

“Suna,” you sigh, “if you like her then just say so! You are making this much more difficult than it needs to be!” Another two summers and the streets were still hot enough to bake shit on the sidewalk.

“I told you I don’t like her,” he scowls while pulling on his shirt. “Stop being so annoying.”

You groan and wipe the sticky sweat on your forehead. Your face contorts into disgust, flicking your sweaty hands in the air. “If you don’t tell her now, she might die of an incurable sickness and next thing you know you’re roped into a dramatic shoujo manga.”

Yes, you have often forced Suna to read your new favorite shoujo manga every month. Witnessing the story of young love filled your heart with fluff and marshmallows, though Suna would only critique everything he hated about the male lead.

“That shoujo shit isn’t real. And I already said I don’t like her.” With his back on your kitchen floor, he attempts to whack you in the head. Annoyed, you swipe at his sticky hands before collapsing next to him from exhaustion. This summer heat was really sucking the energy out of your asshole.

“We only have one year left. If you don’t do it now you’ll regret it. And if I’ve learned anything from reading shoujo manga, regret is the thing that kills. The male lead will be standing on a street, wondering where he went wrong when—boom!— a car crashes into him and a dramatic montage of him flipping through the air plays for five minutes.”

“If getting hit by a car and getting isekai’d into a new world is enough to get away from your annoying ass then I’ll gladly take it,” he snorts with that ugly cackle of his.

You extend your leg and kick into his stomach. “It’s not like any anime girl would want you when a perfectly handsome male lead is there,” you grumble. “You’re ugly.”

“No, you.”

“No, you.”

“No, you.”

“Shut up, Rinrin,” you tease, mocking him with the nickname the pretty girl gave him.

He flushes a bright pink, exacerbated by the heat, and tackles you. Reaching for your ticklish spots, he shows no mercy in making you squirm from discomfort. After you shove your foot in his face, the two of you are left heaving in a pool of sweat on the cold kitchen floor. He quietly calls out your name and you answer in a grunt.

“I think we’re moving.”

One more summer later, the excited chattering of third year middle schoolers are spread throughout the school. You were finally moving on to high school, unfortunately without Suna. Today was the day his presence would grace this loud city.

You stared up at the bright pink sakura trees above the bench you two were sitting on. “Aren’t they supposed to be falling down and fluttering into my hair? That’s how anime usually works right?” You tried desperately to keep your mind off of his eventual departure. To think that your best friend since the womb would no longer be by your side every day stung like a blistered lip in soy sauce.

He looks at you with a deadpan expression. “You really are an idiot. I need to leave soon. Mom says I have to double check I packed everything before we leave for Hyogo.”

Of course, it was inevitable to not address the elephant in the room. If you didn’t know better, your childish, selfish self would’ve thought that he wanted to get away from you. “Did you pack Mr. Crocodile?” Mr. Crocodile was a stuffed toy Suna won for you at a summer festival years ago but you had given it back after feeling guilty when he didn’t win anything else. “He might haunt you if you leave him under your bed.”

He looks at you incredulously but nods, his head tilting to lay on your shoulder. You fight the urge to push him off when his smooth hair tickles your neck. “Suna, your hair— itchy—”

“I like you,” he mutters quietly.

You’re shocked still before you sigh in disbelief. “No you don’t.”

Suna laughs one last time before saying, “I’ll miss you.” You nod your head, not trusting your voice to speak as hot tears race down your face.

What do you want to do once you’re out of high school?

Despite only being in your second year, the pressure of graduation slowly consumed your thoughts. Now that you’re taking the time to really think about it, you realize that you don’t really have any hobbies. Back then, it’d just be whatever Suna was into, switching from art to fishing to board games. With him gone, everyday was just filled with studying and motionlessly watching TV.

Shoujo manga no longer brought you happiness or fluffy feelings. All it did was remind you that you were in love with your best friend who was miles away from you and probably didn’t even like you back. Seeing couples, even if they were fictional, being all happy and carefree only brought out bitter resentment. Suna was right about shoujo manga being unrealistic.

A little jingle from your phone distracts you from your thoughts. Two messages from Suna. It’s a video capturing the two twins—who you’ve gotten a lot of pictures and videos of—smacking each other to the ground with Suna staring into the camera with his signature smug face. You let out a breathy laugh and begin to type a response.

I miss you. No, no that won’t do. You press backspace until there’s nothing left in the little box. You pondered and pondered. Someone all that time away from him took away all the words you wanted to say. Lol. Wish I were there to see it in person. Your melancholic face stares back at you in the black screen of your phone. Since when did talking to Suna become so difficult? Another notification from Suna pops up on the screen.

Visit me.

So now it’s winter break and you’re lost at the subway station. From your phone, Suna’s muttering directions that you don’t understand because the sounds of office workers and students are too loud. Twenty minutes pass before Suna and the twins find you scared out of your mind next to a gift shop.

Suna had always been a big kid but now instead of being a round circle, he’s a lanky rectangle. Not being able to see him mature into what he was now kind of made you jealous of the people at school. Was he one of the popular kids? Well, he was in the volleyball club and they're pretty popular. Your face twists into a scowl. To embarrass yourself even further, the first words that come out of your mouth are a sarcastic “Wow…”

He bursts out laughing with the twins looking at each other in confusion. “What’s with that reaction? Are you surprised that I turned out this handsome?” He continues chuckling to himself, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

“Actually, I think you got uglier,” you retort, not willing to admit he had really (emphasis on really) grown into his features.

“Sunarin, you never told us your friend was so pretty. Why didn’t you ever show us a picture of them!” The blonde one whines. His brother shakes his fist in agreement. Suna kicks both of them and tells them to shut up. There is a sort of bitterness that comes with seeing your friend being happy with other people. You really didn’t have anyone one back home and witnessing him laughing so carefreely with the Miya twins got your gut churning. Before your tears can form out of frustration, Suna pulls you to his side, wrapping a long arm around your shoulder, and asks you where you want to go first. The arcade? The cafe? Maybe the beach?

You really don’t know. What do friends do in their free time? You had long forgotten the feeling of picking a random location and having fun regardless. What does Suna like to do? “Oh, can I watch you play volleyball?”

The school gym smells like a familiar kind of weird, but reminds you of your own school’s gym. Funny how they all smell the same. A group of boys shout their greetings as they slowly pile into the gym. They eye you curiously and warily, like you were a potentially dangerous dog. You awkwardly nod your head and tighten your grip on your bag. They all look so scary.

The sound of squeaking shoes against the gym floorboards becomes louder as Suna jogs over. “I seriously didn’t think you would want to see us play after coming miles from Aicha. You could always just rewatch the videos I send you.” He looks at you from the corners of his eyes. He’s painfully aware of the increasing tension between you two. Of course, it was natural for friends to drift apart if they weren’t always together but it still feels disturbing.

“I guess, I just wanted to see you in your natural habitat,” you laugh, “Never would’ve thought you’d like volleyball so much when you despise moving.”

“Yeah, well it just brings a special feeling to me.” You watch as he fiddles with his fingers. Compared to the smooth soft skin from his childhood, they were now calloused at the palms from practice, showing his dedication to his pride and joy. There’s a slight smile on his face, just small enough to express his passion. A feeling of nostalgia and relief washes over you. He may have grown two feet taller but he was still that little chubby boy from three years ago.

A beat of silence passes before you lay your head down onto his shoulder. “I miss you.” You try to etch this moment into the back of your eyelids: the shouts of the other members fading into the background, the smell of the cologne you shipped to him for his birthday, the warmth from his thigh passing over yours, his erratically beating heart, the feeling of calmness.

What do you want to do once you’re out of high school? You want to stay by his side. Maybe you’ll even have a ring on your finger and when he serves, he’ll smile up at you in the stands and you’ll giggle out of embarrassment and pride—

“I have a girlfriend.”

Jolting up from surprise, you nearly fall off the bench. “Oh. Uh, that’s nice, I guess,” you nod. All your dreams were crushed with such a short and simple sentence. You ought to be happy for him, right? He’s having the time of his life here. He has a group of friends. He has a girlfriend that probably loves him as much as you do. Does she treat him right? Is she pretty? But before you can ask, the captain calls him over.

Your eyes are not on the game. In fact, they’re stuck on the floor as you wallow in guilt and self-pity. How foolish had you been? Of course he’d be happy here. He has everything here while you were left with nothing.

You feel guilty for being jealous. Jealous of his girlfriend for being able to kiss and hold him every day. Jealous of his friends for being able to watch him flourish. Jealous of him for having his life all figured out. Were you a bad person for hating him a little bit? Probably.

As the day goes on, you keep a guarded expression on your face. Nothing really sticks, all the conversations go in one ear and out the other. The taste of your lunch tastes bland, your eyes are tired, and your face is swelling up from your shameful thoughts. Before you know it, you’re waving goodbye to the three figures as the blur out of sight. On the train ride home, you silently cry to yourself, trying to keep the sobs in.

Later, when you’re back at home staring at the ceiling of your room emptily, you find out from Osamu that Suna didn’t and still doesn’t have a girlfriend.

Another year passes with minimal contact with Suna. You stare down at the career sheet in front of you with an intense ferocity. You had been dreading this moment since you entered high school and you still feel humiliated for not having any idea about your future. University was definitely a requirement (unless you wanted to get your ass beat by your parents), but what was after that? You had heard your classmates excitedly discuss college life, all the parties, mixers, and possible romances, but none of those really appeal to you.

Tapping your pencil on your wooden desk, you sigh exhaustively and lean back into your chair, stretching your limbs. The counselors at your school were also no help at all though it was partially your fault for not doing research into fields earlier. Sports? Nah, that was definitely out of the question. Baking? Not unless you wanted to learn everything from scratch and possibly burn down your kitchen. Premed? You’d rather not have the life of a person in your very irresponsible hands.

Ugh, this is way too difficult. Why have kids decide what they want in life when they barely even know how to do integrals? You flip the career sheet over, tired of the bold, black letters mocking your cluelessness. A moment of contemplative silence passes. You finally decide on calling Suna, though it feels tense after not contacting him for so long.

He picks up on the third ring with a monotonous greeting. “Suna, what career do you think I should pursue?” There’s a grunt of confusion on the other end and you can hear the beeps and boops from a video game in the background.

“Um, I don’t know. What do you like?”

“I don’t know. What do you think I like?”

“I thought you were calling me for help, not giving me a quiz on how much I know about you.” You hear him yell at someone in the background before he sighs and apologizes. “Artist? I know you like to read manga.”

“Suna, do you want me to be homeless? I wouldn’t be able to survive on a mangaka’s paycheck.” You didn’t know what you expected, but it was definitely worse.

“Kindergarten teacher?”

“I hate children.” He cackles into the phone. “I”m so lost. Can I just freeload off of you? I’m sure your athlete’s paycheck is more than enough for two people.”

“Hell no. I’m going to buy a house with a hot tub and a pool.”

“What’s the point of a hot tub if you already have a pool? Actually, what’s even the point of a pool? You don’t know how to swim!”

“I do know how to swim. I'm just a little slow at it!” He yells in embarrassment. Sure he only knew how to do breaststroke but it still counted.

You huff out of your nose in annoyance. “You’re so lucky. I wish I were a talented athlete.”

“Sometimes, I wish I weren’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nevermind. If worst comes to worst, I guess I can let you freeload, but you’ll have to buy me chuupets every month.”

The two of you go back and forth on his freeloading terms until the sun shyly waves goodbye in a short-lived painting of vermillion.

“Do something that helps people. You’re always selfless and put others before you. It’s your only redeeming quality after all,” he snorts.

“You were definitely not of any help. Fuck you.” You hang up the phone with a mumble. In the box of your career sheet, you write ‘high school counselor’ in hesitant but confident letters.

Despite already having a career in volleyball, Suna still decided he wanted to experience college life. When he was assigned as your roommate, he complained although now he should be glad he was the one to find you on the floor of the small kitchen in an unnatural position, drunk out of your mind. He could hear your loud cries all the way from the front door. You pause your pitiful wailing to look up at him when he asks what’s wrong and then go back to bawling your eyes out.

He drops his backpack onto the floor and lifts you onto his lap, rocking from side to side in attempts to comfort you. When you’ve calmed down enough, you start babbling to him about what had been bothering you ever since the first day of college.

“I’m so ugly, Rin! There isn’t a single good quality about me. I look terrible and my personality is terrible. God, I don’t even have friends other than you. I’m so useless! You’re a professional athlete and I’m barely understanding what my teachers are saying in class!” A mix of snot and tears run down your face and the dizziness from your labored breaths tickles in the back of your head.

He whispers into the top of your head, “Why do you hate yourself so much?”

“Because everyone else does. No one bothers to talk to me outside of homework. There must be something wrong with me,” you cry, another wave of tears rushing to your eyes. Suna hugs you helplessly as you list all your insecurities to him, each one hurting his heart more and more, one right after the other. After you tire yourself out, you stare aimlessly at the kitchen cabinets.

“Rin,” you say, catching his attention, “kiss me.” He looks at you with a face of surprise and hesitation. You have to repeat yourself two more times until it finally sinks in. He leans in and kisses your cheek, your nose, and your eyes, noticeably avoiding your lips.

You laugh that giggle of yours he’s been in love with for 21 years and point to your lips. Your face is hot from the wine and your tried tears carve streaks down your face but he’s blushing so endearingly down at your figure. He shouldn’t be doing this. You still have school tomorrow and god knows if you actually like him back but before he knows it, his lips are on yours. His arms are around your shoulders pushing you in, into him until there’s no more space left between your body and his.

He pulls away in anticipation, afraid of what you’ll say next.

“Again.”

And he’s kissing you two more times when you plead for more. Again. Again. Again. You ask for more and he gives you more, whispering ‘I love you’ between each one. The night is cold but he feels so warm. Your hands grip onto his shirt, pulling him in for another one. “One more,” you keep begging until the two of you are passed out on the cold kitchen floor, drunk and happy.

Suna was hoping you’d forget everything, although he knows you remember everything even when you’re drunk, and his fears are confirmed when you’re knocking sheepishly on his door the next day. He tentatively invites you in and there’s an awkward silence between him in his chair and you on his bed.

“So, about yesterday,” you start, “Well, there’s no easy way to say this, but I’ve liked you since we were in our second year of middle school.” You hold your breath in suspense and meekly look up at him to see him holding his red face in his hands.

“Me too,” he breathes quietly. A silent ‘Ah!’ escapes your mouth and next thing you know, you’re rolling around in his bed, giggling like a little school girl.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Rin?,” you huff, “I spent all those years in agony wondering if you liked me back. I even started to hate Your Lie in April because of you! Do you know how hard it is to hate Your Lie in April?”

“You’re one to talk! I lied to you about having a girlfriend in high school because I wanted to see if you’d get jealous but all you did was nod! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Atsumu,” he groans, flopping down on top of you. He stares at you lovingly, his heart is beating out of his chest, his entire body feels like he’s on fire, but oh he’s so elated. You pull on his ugly bangs and giggle.

“I love you, Rin.”

“I know,” he cackles and you punch him in the arm, cheeks puffing out cutely.

“Say it back! Say it back, Rin!”

“I love you too,” he sighs but he’s smiling so wide.

The day before you leave for your honeymoon, Suna insists you visit your parent’s house one more time for the sake of childhood memories. Your parents happily agree, proud to see their little baby getting the life you deserved. You tell him there was nothing interesting to remember there. After all, you two were just little bumbling idiotic children with dried snot on the top of their lips and little coins clinking in little pockets after a summer festival. He leads you to the back of the house, where you two had played with handheld fireworks. On the ground were your name and his inside a heart in little Suna’s very ugly handwriting.

[jjungkookislife]

Quarterly Fic Recs 2021 #2

Hello! I’m back with another rec list! Here are fics I’ve read, loved and thoroughly enjoyed in the second quarter of 2021! They are all very wonderful fics! Each story has its own genre, warnings (and are mostly 18+), so please take that into consideration before reading. If any authors would like me to untag them, please let me know. Enjoy!

Yoongi

before i leave you @hollyhomburg

summary: Yoongi Disappears- leaving behind a shattered pack. 8 months later, Jimin finds Yoongi in an H-mart of all places.

Hoseok

heart-on @junghelioseok

summary: my boss is always telling me how perfect her son would be for me and she promises he’s coming to the next holiday party and don’t worry he’s heard all about me too and ALSO there’s this dude i slept with once a couple of months ago and sometimes he still sends me dick pics when i ask him to at 3 in the morning cause seriously dude’s got a good dick

Jungkook

charmolypi @njssi

summary: Work and pleasure should never be combined — or so the saying goes. But you were never really one to follow the rules in their entirety and neither were the ones around you. Love, lust, interest. Five people. In the workplace. What could go wrong? Everyone just wants to get something, after all.

when you least expect it @johobi

summary: You’re in love with your childhood friend, Taehyung. The problem is, you treasure your friendship with him far too much to ever risk losing it. Oh, and he’s quite the Casanova. At your wits’ end with feelings you can no longer hide as diligently as you once did, you ask him to set you up with someone, anyone, in a last ditch attempt to avoid a heartbreaking conversation.

wherever there is you @jeonstudios

summary: you’ve been drinking, haven’t you?

instant gratification @dovechim

fuckboi@jungkook x cheerleader!reader

haze @yyooni

summary: So you’ve fucked the biggest fuck boy on campus. It’s a one and done. One night stand. A wham bam thank you ma’am. So why does it happen again?

OT7/Multiple Members

because i’m yours @minniepetals

summary: you should have known they’d never let you go after gathering the courage to ask for a kiss

blazed @ironicarmy

summary: Your friends try to cheer you up during Christmastime, but things go south once Hoseok appears with a mysterious brown bag.

Seokjin

one step @cutechim

summary:  attending an ex’s wedding is never easy, but you might just have the perfect remedy—if you can pluck up the courage to take it.

platonic @joheunsaram

summary: Finding a new method for stress relief, you rope in your bestfriend/fwb to try it out with you.

show me yours and i’ll show you mine @ktheist

summary: you’re a horny bunny yet kim seokjin always seems to manage to slide out of your grasps like a fox every time.

Yoongi

before i leave you pt. 7 @/hollyhomburg

summary: Pack omega kim Seokjin knows how to handle things when they go south (or alternatively you get triggered, Yoongi has a panic attack, and it’s a good thing the pack is there to help)

Hoseok

risky business @yoonjinkooked

summary: The person who invented smart glass office walls knew what they were doing. Your secretary fucks you stupid in the office.

snapshot @xjoonchildx

summary: after a day at the beach, hoseok has some surprises in store for his longtime love

keep me warm @ppersonna

summary: camping is always a great time when you’re with your friends, but even better with your boyfriend, hoseok.

it’s you @jinpanman

summary: An accidental confession throws your years-long friendship with Hoseok into disarray.

Namjoon

love bytes @stutterfly

summary: It’s been a year since you first met Kim Namjoon, the passionate, talented English professor at the local campus. He’s always been clumsy and aloof, but he’s on a whole new level in terms of “technologically incapable.” One call to IT was all it took to pull you into his life, and with it a whole string of friendships full of flirtatious banter and undying support.

Your dating situation has been drier than the Sahara for years now, and you’ve wasted too many lonely nights drinking alone, so you try your hand at Tinder. But you’re not getting any bites. When the group finds out, they are more than willing to help–even Namjoon, though he finds it increasingly difficult to deny that he’s hopelessly smitten. You consider their opinions on potential Tinder dates while fighting off feelings you never knew were brewing for the caring soul who becomes the home you never had.

out of my league @/ppersona

summary: Kim Namjoon was never supposed to find out about your years-long hopeless crush on him. And he most definitely was not supposed to find out about it in front of all your coworkers in a company-wide meeting.

so this is love @jinpanman

summary: “So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of. So this is love.”

problem solved @sugasbabiie

summary: Namjoon helps you with more than math problems tonight.

love is @hxseok-honee

summary: they say that love is supposed to transcend time and space and that it knows no limits. but putting an ocean and thousands of miles between two people won’t make things any easier, will it? 

Jimin

potent pink @dntaewithluv

summary: The first time you see Park Jimin you’re instantly entranced by him. And it turns out he lives in the apartment next to the one you’re moving into, so even better he’s your hot neighbor. When the previous tenant confesses to you that he was the best hook up she ever had, you’re that much more intrigued. The first time you meet him, however, you’re deciding immediately that you hate him and want to stay as far away from him as possible. Jimin is determined to be a constant in your life though, and he definitely is that. Both a constant flirt and a constant pain in your ass. Is a ruined second impression enough to prevent you from ever giving him a second chance?

Taehyung

hush, yeah? @kithtaehyung

summary: the innocent accident that started it all

unfinished business @/dntaewithluv

summary: Besides wanting to catch up with some old friends, there’s only one reason you found yourself agreeing to attend your 10 year high school reunion. The boy you were in love with back then is going to be there, and you’re determined to finally make your move. Except, unfortunately, it turns out that Kim Seokjin is very much happily married. Kim Taehyung, however, is very much single and feels like he has something to prove to you after you turned him down all those years ago. One night is all it takes to make you realize you made the biggest mistake of your life.

under the covers @jessikahathaway

spy!au

darling @bloomsuga

summary: “go to sleep, darling.”

as endless as the stars ^

summary: he waited 160 years to meet you again, and now that he has, he’s not letting go. or: “i love you as deep as the ocean and as endless as the stars”

dirty dishes @jaysdimples

summary: when your boyfriend can’t seem to keep his hands to himself so he stirs up a little trouble in the kitchen while everyone else is a few feet away in the next room

devotion @/sweetbunnykook

summary: You and Taehyung were inseparable once. When you come back to your hometown after three years, fate pulls you back to him. And this time, Taehyung won’t ever keep his eyes off of you.

Jungkook

commercial break; twelve @1kook

summary: Anyway, if it was up to Jungkook, Kim Doyeon would not be a member of the Engagement Ring Committee.

tease @adonis-koo

summary:You came with the intentions of your best friend landing a job as a stripper. You never meant to catch the eyes of the king stripper of the establishment- Jeon Jungkook, yourself. With what was supposed to be a harmless way of paying off college debt faster you find yourself falling into a very odd and passionate relationship with your new mentor. Between infidelity, passion and jealousy there’s never a dull moment at Cherry Bomb.

jock!jk @angelguk

summary: going raw with jock jk

evolution of a lover’s heart @jeonstudios

summary: the rules are simple: first one to take the virginity wins.

euphoria @btssavedmylifeblr

summary: At the end of your life, you are given one day to live again with the man you loved. A lifetime’s love story told in a single day.

idealizations concerning real life relations @venusiangguk

summary: jungkook loves to be loved, but he doesn’t love in return.

relax @itsbuffsanta

summary: jk is antsy after the concert, so you help him relax.

employee of the month @/dntaewithluv

summary: Sometimes it truly amazes you how much of an idiot your boyfriend can be. But you also find it impossible to say no to him. Even when it involves letting him fuck you at his work on the same day that he gets awarded employee of the month…

ego 08 @suga-kookiemonster

summary: what’s a girl to do when her sweet, innocent baby lab partner isn’t quite so sweet and innocent? well, he’s a grown-ass man, and you’re about to learn that the hard way.

only you 10 @sweetbunnykook 

summary: Jeon Jungkook, your wedding photographer, helps you escape on your big day upon learning about a secret your groom-to-be kept hidden. You soon fall for this young, passionate photographer. However, you underestimated just how much he was willing to reciprocate that love. Maybe, you think, he’s loving you just a little too much.  

lunchbox lovers @jiminrings

stem major!koo x cold senior!y/n

crunchyroll & rail @/1kook

summary: Never mind the fact you really like Sailor Moon, or that you really want to pay attention to every little detail; the moment becomes Jungkook and his big smile and his red cheeks and the tiny box he produces from within his pocket.

only for you @jikookiekosmos

summary: It’s the night before your wedding and you should be happy…but a fight with your fiancé leaves you second guessing everything. A visit from the blue-haired boy of your dreams is just what you need to make it right.

lillies @dewykth

summary: “… white lines, pretty baby, tattoos, don’t know what they mean, they’re special just for you…”

bluekooberry @kimtaehyunq

summary: Your adoring boyfriend, Jungkook, surprises you with a brand new hairstyle before your trip to visit him for the weekend. He’s excited to see you, feed you, and give you exactly what you want.

bad reputation @noteguk

summary: in which you have to deal with some strange emotions for the first time.

not yet @bratkook

summary: jungkook feels the pang of guilt in his gut when you spot your recent ex out with his new girl, and what better way to make the jerk hurt than to have him believe you were now dating him, the neighbor he had been insecure about your whole relationship

incoming: elite chatboy @kookingtae

summary: welcome to Elite Chatroom, a sex chat company with a wide variety of services such as text messaging, phone call, and video chat. you signed up online for the most basic text service plan not knowing what to expect, but you certainly didn’t think you’d end up actually liking the man behind the screen.

ineffable @euphoria-vmin7

summary: your best friend Jeon Jeongguk has always been amazing and deserved the best, so you’ve hid your love for him. But unbeknowsnt to you, there may be feelings that could change everything between you two…

touch @gardentulips

summary: when you tease and please one another

Multiple Members

friendly fire @kpopfanfictrash

summary: The dynamic: Hoseok; your friend and previous fuck buddy. Jungkook; Hoseok’s roommate and subject of your massive crush. The scene: determined not to drunk-gush about your crush any more (to his face), you decide to seclude yourself from all campus parties. Until, of course, Hoseok guilts you into a favor. Things spiral from there.

the boys are back in town @/dntaewithluv

summary: Getting stood up by your date definitely hadn’t been on your agenda for the evening. Also definitely not on your agenda: bumping into Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook. Together. On the same exact night. It’s been a while since you’ve seen your two best friends, as well as lovers on multiple occasions, from your high school and college days. A chance meeting, some drinks, and a trip down memory lane is all it takes to reignite the attraction between the three of you. Old habits die hard, but these two? They just might be the death of you.

ruin you @taegularities

summary: “His eyes hold unfathomable darkness that lures you in, captures your very soul, steals any air you are trying to draw. And you know without a doubt that you’re on the path to utter and irrevocable ruination.”

ruin you (once more) ^

summary: Taehyung and Jungkook can’t keep their hands off you. Not even in the elevator.

Seokjin

kairos @luffles424

summary: When your financial aid falls through for your last year of school, you fear you’ll have to drop out and postpone your degree. Until Taehyung gives you a suggestion to make a lot of money, quick. His idea can’t possibly end well, can it?

appetence @luffles424

summary: appetence (n.) - an eager desire, an instinctive inclination; an attraction or a natural bondIt’s time for Seokjin’s rut. Are either of you prepared for this step?

tiny lights, tiny lies @ggukcangetit

summary: you aren’t sure when exactly your best friend’s brother went from being an oddly annoying set of broad shoulders to the shoulders you frequently fell asleep against.

Yoongi

the little things @kimtaehyunq

summary: When the present isn’t exactly enough for you right now, Yoongi is here for you through it all. He makes sure you know you aren’t alone and that it’s ok to feel alone.

cyberslut @kimnjss

summary:  he has no idea who you are… up front, you’re sweet and innocent - but in reality you’re the exact opposite. running your own nsfw account, where your favorite topic is his hands.

yoongi drabble @joonsgalore

life guard au

Hoseok

benefits @cutechim

summary: you and hoseok have taken the ‘friends’ out of friends with benefits, but exclusivity has its own perks.

Namjoon

namjoon drabble @lovetrivia

summary: You’re a hot girl on Twitch and Namjoon is an absolute simp.

Jimin

baby fever @writtenwhalien

summary: Jimin wants another baby, and much to your delight, he’s determined to give you one.

jimin drabble @/1kook

best friend au

small hands jimin drabble @lavishedinjimin

established relationship au

silk and lace @sunshyngal

summary: Min Nara is the newly dumped fiance to the Crown prince of Korea, Park Jimin. She’s not overtly upset , because at least now she can live her life without the pressure of the monarchy hanging over her head. Besides , Nara has a very dirty little secret. While she spends the day as the perfect high society girl with an impeccable pedigree , her nights are filled with lacy lingerie and webcams.  Ignored by the man she’s meant to marry, she revels in the greedy lust of strangers on the internet. It’s her way of saying ‘fuck you’ to a system that sees her as nothing but a toy, molded for the future King. Park Jimin doesn’t know the first thing about his supposed fiancee. And he has no intention of learning either. He knows just what debutante girls are like and he has no patience for the kind. Besides, his girlfriend of three years, the elegant and independent Irene is everything he would ever want in a wife . Or is she?Because in the secrecy of his office , after the day’s work is done , Park Jimin has a very scintillating vice that he likes to indulge in : the beautiful camgirl who calls herself the Temptress. Jimin can’t get enough of the girl’s lush thighs wrapped in silk, the pretty pink of her nipples in see through bralettes and the glittering temptation of the jeweled plugs she likes to stuff herself full with.Jimin thinks she embodies  everything he can never allow himself to have as a Prince : filth, sin and decadence , all wrapped up in Silk and Lace.

Taehyung

nip it in the bud @opaljm

summary: You’re not sure how you ended up here, but maybe a shitty ex and a horrible breakup had a hand in what placed you in front of the tattoo parlor. It was already a nerve-wracking experience, but what you never expected was seeing that the owner and artist giving you nipple piercings was your older brother’s best friend you hadn’t seen in ages. to make things even worse, he got fucking hotter.

taehyung drabble @joonsgalore

sugar daddy au

peanut @jungxk

summary: the making of peanut.

Jungkook

pretty kitty @venusiangguk

summary: you’re jk’s baby, his toy, and now his pretty little pet.

heavy metal @hisunshiine

summary: You come home from a trip to find your fuckbuddy has a… hole-y surprise.

devour @bloomsuga

summary: my sweet angel… i am going to devour you

grain of sand @jungkookiebus

summary: Blind since the age of 18 from a genetic disorder, Jungkook walked through life as if he never lost it, but on one fateful day seven years ago he literally almost runs into you. He fell in love nearly immediately. Fast forward to the present and it’s just another day in your quiet life with him by your side.

under the oak tree @mingoyeob

summary: as the eldest daughter of a duke, it’s your duty to marry at your father’s will. yet you didn’t expect to be marrying jeon jungkook, a knight of low status, especially when he departs for an expedition without another word after your first night. when he comes back three years later, this time as a renowned hero, how will you be able to face him and how will things change between you and your new husband?

jungkook drabble @1kook

dilf!jk

commercial break: thirteen ^

summary: Because for as much shit as you let him get away with, Jungkook is certain you’ll draw the line today.

sh. @wwilloww

summary: How could you say no to a month away in the mountains with your friends after six months of grueling quarantine?

jungkook drabble @lavishedinjimin

daddy!jk

OT7/Multiple Members

the end @jimlingss

summary: It’s been a habit of yours to vent in the form of love letters. There’s six in total. They’re kept secret, hidden in your closet. But on your 30th birthday, what you least expect is for each letter to become reality. All done by the whacky ghost of Christmas future trying to grant your birthday wish.