#ill still maybe write a more in depth fic exploring the idea though if people are interested

[foggysirens]

okay so im thinking about luke (again) and for some reason all im wondering about is if, growing up, he knew what he looked like. because stick with me here, just imagine a young luke, six or seven and he’s staring at his own warped face in the metallic refection of water barrel or in the belly of a droid. the mirror in the homestead has been broken for ages and owen and beru can’t spare the credits to replace it. think of him just looking at the hazy vision of himself and wondering if the blond flop on top of his head bears any resemblance to that of his birth mother. if the flecks of dirt on his cheeks that beru calls ‘freckles’ are something he got from his birth father. imagine an older luke now, ten or twelve, sitting in front of aunt beru as she brushes his hair back from his face as she tells him what colour his eyes are, how his stomach flips and his hand turn into fists because how can she says he’s handsome when he can’t see for himself? imagine an even older luke, fifteen or sixteen, and owen finally lugs a busted old mirror through the door. the frame on it has gone from varnished gold to faded copper, shadowed in the corners and cracked across the bottom, but it’s real. imagine him sitting in front of it for hours, picking apart the pieces of his face and finally, for once in his life getting a sense for who luke skywalker actually is. imagine a luke who is now a young man, newly nineteen and owen and beru surprised him with a gift, a true relic of the past. a photograph. the truest capturing of one’s visage, of one’s soul. an image of the three of them together, one that luke proudly places in his room. imagine again, days later, luke stumbling home to find it all gone. burned and gone are the mirror, the photo. owen. beru. imagine the soot blowing into lukes face, covering his freckles, clinging to him, and how for a moment he must wonder if his hair has gone from blonde to black with it. imagine further, if you will, how he never cares to know. never looks to see even when he gets to echo base and there are suddenly mirrors in every fresher. he doesn’t need to see. he can feel it, the ash that sticks to him, even after he scrubs his skin pink and raw. he knows the luke skywalker that he looked at in the mirror back on the homestead will not be the one he sees this time. because that luke is gone and will never be again and he can’t stand the thought of looking in those perfect, shining mirrors, because he knows the image he’ll see will be warped anyways.

[myaekingheart]

20 [Fanfic Writer] Questions Game

Thank you so much for tagging me, @lemony-snickers! This is tons of fun, I love answering these kinds of big questionnaires 😂💕 Also putting mine under a cut because there’s a lot of questions and I like to ramble. 

Also gonna go ahead and just tag whoever wants to do this! 😅💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

As of August 27, 2021, I have a total of 77 works on my AO3! 

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Funny enough, I was just looking at this, specifically, earlier today and kind of laughing about it. Right now, my total word count across all my works is 1,148,941 😬 

3. How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

Apparently 12, but some of them I don’t really consider “big” in my fandom repertoire. Naruto is my greatest fandom with a total of 60 fics so far, followed by The Chronicles of Narnia and Rise of the Guardians. The rest are ones I either did crossover fics with or just did one-off little pieces with--The Incredibles, Tangled, Brave, How to Train Your Dragon, Arthurian Mythology, Disney Princesses, Fairy Tales and Related Fandoms, Back to the Future, and Frozen. 

4. What are your Top Five fics by kudos?

The Scarecrow and The Bell (Naruto) - 470 kudos The Day Kakashi’s Mask Slipped (Naruto) - 139 kudos Sunflowers (Naruto) - 92 kudos Sakumo the House Husband (Naruto) - 81 kudos Someone to Lean On (Naruto) - 67 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to respond to comments, because I like to acknowledge when people respond to my work. I cherish comments like nobody’s business, especially when they’re kind and reactionary. I just really love seeing/hearing what people think of the way a story is progressing, or what they thought of a one-shot. Comments keep me going especially when it comes to longfic so I want to be able to let readers know that I do in fact see their comments, that I’m acknowledging what they’re saying, and that I appreciate them. Plus, it can be kind of fun to tease upcoming events in a fic through responses to people’s comments, too. Because I’m mean. 

6. What fic have you written with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Hothouse (Rise of the Guardians/The Incredibles; Jack Frost x Violet Parr; American Horror Story AU). This was the first multi-chaptered fic I ever wrote to completion and I honestly cringe when I remember it exists both because it’s so poorly organized (and full of nasty plot holes) and because I just went ham on the gore factor. It definitely has a really bittersweet and heartbreaking ending to it, too. 

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I think I’ll definitely have to say Temptation. The story itself was kind of a ride, and it’s only the first installment in a series, but it follows the plot of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe but remixed due to the presence of an original character, but the ending is still roughly the same as the original: they defeat the evil, the Pevensies are all crowned kings and queens, happy days. Reading the last few paragraphs of the last chapter honestly still gets me all up in my feelings. 

8. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I used to be more of a crossover writer due to one of my main ships being a crossover ship. They weren’t super crazy, though, because they were both CGI-animated films. The craziest crossover I’ve ever written is an in-progress/unfinished multichapter piece, Kakashi, Enchanted, that sees our favorite Copy Ninja get kamui’d into the Disney princess dimension and has to help the likes of Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel on his journey to find a way back to his own world. It’s a super weird premise but definitely one of my more lighthearted works and fun to revisit when I need to decompress. 

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t think I’ve ever received hate so much as I’ve received criticism. The closest I ever got to hate on a fic, I think, was someone left an overly personal and mentally disturbed comment on a chapter of my main fic that made me convinced they needed to seek therapy and deal with their own personal issues rather than take it out on a fanfic about animated ninjas. 

10. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Maybe 👀 I’m super vanilla when it comes to smut, though. I think the wildest thing I’ve ever written in smut is breeding kink. 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, and I hope I never will. 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet! I had someone ask to translate a one-shot of mine in Russian but I never got a response back when I laid out my terms and conditions. 

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not! I used to do paragraph-style roleplay which was kind of like cowriting fanfiction but writing is so personal and sacred to me that I don’t know if I could ever actually cowrite a fic with someone. I like brainstorming with other people, but writing for me is more of a deeply personal and independent endeavour. 

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh god, this is a tricky question because it depends on fandom. I absolutely love New Dream (Rapunzel x Eugene, Tangled) and have for the past ten years, and my love for them as only grown since watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. I don’t write or even really read a ton of fanfiction for them, though. I’m also still highly dedicated to my favorite crossover crackship, Frostfield (Jack Frost x Violet Parr, Rise of the Guardians/The Incredibles) and to this day, if you search for that ship on AO3, I am the sole provider of every single fic about them so far. I’m not as active with them as I used to be, but they got me through some really rough times back in the day and still mean so much to me. A lot of my favorite ships across fandoms, though, are honestly canon x OC ships of mine because I am a self-indulgent bitch who needs to project. So Peter Pevensie x Eilonwy (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Kakashi Hatake x Rei Natsuki (Naruto) are really important to me and I’ve poured so much of myself specifically into their stories. I think it’s safe to say Kakashi and Rei is my all-time favorite ship across all fandoms, though, just because of how much their story means to me. The Scarecrow and The Bell is my magnum opus, my pride and joy, and I’m sure it will be my biggest fandom footprint of my entire life. I’ve dedicated the past three years to this story and these characters and I intend to continue doing it until it no longer brings me joy (which I hope it always will). There’s just so much I could say about this story and Kakashi and Rei’s relationship but I don’t think we have enough time or space in this post for that 😅 Just know that they mean the world to me and I will always hold them in the highest regard as a beautifully messy, flawed, passionate, soulmate-y ship that I love with all of my heart 🥺

EDIT: I also feel obligated to tack on some of my absolute favorite Naruto ships because I may not have written for all of them (yet) but they still make me unbelievably happy or I find them really compelling and enjoy the idea of exploring them: 

Naruhina is precious happy sunshine and The Last honestly felt like a wonderful Disney princess movie to me, it was so cute and the romance was so on-point, Naruhina just makes me so incredibly happy and I love them with all my heart. 

MinaKushi also gets me all up in my feels and I adore them with every fiber of my being. Their romance also gave me Disney princess movie vibes which I love, their story is just so damn sweet as is their character dynamic and I am still so heartbroken that they never got to be a happy family with Naruto because you know what? It’s what they deserved!

SasuSaku is so compelling to me and I really feel like we were cheated out of seeing their relationship develop and evolve postwar in the same way The Last did for Naruhina. They’re my favorite angst ship and while I don’t think they were written that well in canon, I love the possibility and potential of them together and am excited to explore them more in-depth in my own writing. 

NejiTen is just too cute, I really love the way Neji and Tenten’s personalities compliment each other? I don’t have much else to say about them except that I really love them together and think they have so much untapped potential that I also can’t wait to explore in more depth in my own writing. 

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Paper Hearts and Impromptu Bookmarks, probably. I love the premise of this story a lot and I have so many interesting ideas for it but at the same time, it also feels kind of cheap and cringey to me, in a way? It takes all of these ideas I probably would have had if I had been into Naruto when I was a kid and kind of compiles them all into one big story. Kakashi and Aiko’s relationship and story is still really important to me and I want to continue it someday but for right now, I just haven’t had the motivation or desire to write any more of it. I think I’m just so overwhelmingly preoccupied with writing Kakashi and Rei’s story that I can’t imagine writing any other Kakashi x OC fics right now. 

16. What are your writing strengths?

I want to say that I’m really good at capturing complex emotion? I don’t know, I write a lot of angst and mental upheaval in my fics which can be really difficult to try and capture, but I think I do a decent enough job of it? And just writing difficult subjects in general. I think it’s really important to address difficult topics such as mental illness and relationship difficulties and everything but I also want to try and write those topics in a way that is both authentic to the experience while also still tasteful. I don’t want to drive readers away with heavy subject matter but rather present a situation that feels real and authentic while also still being digestible. I may not be doing a very good job of that during the current arc of my fic that I’m working on, but I’m trying haha

EDIT 2: I also want to add onto this to say that I’m really proud of my organizational techniques for writing longfic. It’s not necessarily a strength in terms of the prose itself but it’s something that’s taken me years to really get a grasp on and find a method that works perfectly for me and so far, it’s been extremely helpful and beneficial to me. I don’t know where I would be now as a writer without these essential tools in my pocket. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I do a really bad job of the “show, don’t tell” thing. It can be really hard to balance descriptive prose with straightforward writing that moves things along. I don’t want to dwell on mental dialogue to the point where you lose track of what’s going on, but I also don’t want my stuff to read like “Character A did xyz. Character B said abc. They went to 123″, whatever. Another thing I struggle with is sentence variation. I always fall into the same patterns when I’m writing prose and I get really self-conscious about it because I don’t want to sound repetitive or disrupt the flow of the writing. One of my favorite things about prose is focusing on the cadence of the words, I think it’s one of the most beautiful things about writing in general, but it can just be really difficult to get a good grip on that. I’ve been told in the past that I apparently have a really good grasp/control of the language or whatever but sometimes I just find that really hard to believe when I look at my work with such scrutiny. I think one of my biggest pet peeves with my own writing, too, is feeling like I start all of my sentences the same five different ways. I’ll read other people’s works and they’ll write sentences like “Glass-blue water lapped against the shores of a deserted beach as a lonely woman gazed off into the distance” and I can just never figure out how to realistically write sentences that start like that in the context of my prose and it drives me fucking crazy, like I’m definitely jealous  😅

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve never really thought much about it before, but I think there are pros and cons! For bilingual/multilingual readers, I think it can be a really enriching reading experience because they know what’s being said in both languages. For people who only know one language, however, unless a translation is provided, I feel like it can be really alienating. I think the best use of that for both worlds is using it as a means for miscommunication humor. Other than that, I think it can be a slippery slope that depends on what kind of reader you are and how it’s written. 

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Chronicles of Narnia! My very first fanfiction was a Narnia fanfic that I barely remember except that it laid the basis for Temptation and my Narnia fanfic series as a whole. I never posted this first iteration anyway, but I remember it was 2008/2009 and I wrote a solid 80 pages (which was wild for me at the time) and had gotten halfway through remixing the events of Prince Caspian when my computer crashed and I lost absolutely everything. I’m still heartbroken that it’s gone forever, not because I’d want to go back and read it necessarily (since I’m sure it was actually hot garbage) but at least for nostalgia’s sake. Either way, like I said, this long-lost fic laid the basis for the very first fanfiction I ever posted, the first published (and never finished) iteration of Temptation back in 2011 on deviantART and the since-defunct Figment. I fell out of the fandom around 2012/2013 and left the story alone for a while before ultimately deciding to completely redux and rewrite the story when the fixation swung back around again between 2016 and 2018. 

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Despite the fact that it’s still in-progress, definitely The Scarecrow and The Bell. This fic just genuinely means so damn much to me and I will cherish it for the rest of my life because of how much it’s given me, how much love and passion and time and even parts of myself that I have poured into this, and also just how expansive of a story this is. Not only does it touch on some very dark and heavy topics, but I’ve also created so much of my own characters and meta for this story that it’s almost an entire universe in and of itself. I’ve just contributed so much additional world-building and created so many new OCs to fill important roles in this story and in Rei’s life, and they’ve all become so deeply important to me as they’ve developed further over the years. I’ve come up with so many interesting ideas for everyone and their lives, which are all slowly becoming so rich and varied. Not to mention that it’s my most popular fic to date as well as my longest fic at 632k and counting. I’ve really just genuinely poured so much of my heart and soul into this story, it’s my absolute favorite thing I’ve ever done and I really mean it when I say that I will cherish it for the rest of my life. 

[zed-36]

@ 18: the questions weren't actually that strict! you could interpret them however you liked :) that said, im curious what you would add to the story? i love reading ur ideas and interpretations of the characters n stuff!

oh no prob, i did enjoy thinking of what i could change without adding anything new (i will talk too much if i dont contain myself) BUT since you have asked...

ill share these ideas as a general change to the series as a whole (WR and Acceleracers- also i will call Acceleracers AC for short if i need to).

There is a lot i feel needs to change- but two major points are lore (and direction of it in the story) and characters.

The lore of the series is all weird due to what changed between WR and AC, but its also too surface level. its for kids, its probably why its not so expansive. but it does leave a lot of confusion to me and while i would have to spend much more time to fully “rebuild” the world, i will give some ideas on what i would see changed.

One, at least making it make sense all the way through. i think Acceleracers had the best ideas but it shouldve been expanded on in WR- WR barely touched on actual Acceleron lore. Overall i would like to see the Accelerons 100% remade from the ground up. i LOVE aliens and alien society but i feel all we know of them is they race. and thats its. and sadly AC wasnt seen through to where we may have seen a bit more. but they need to be redone, with lore also point to exactly why the drones woke up when they did, what their drive is, etc. Why is Gelorum the way she is too, very important lor aside from characters. I wouldnt want the series to become a huge Lore Dump but there are moments where they intended to drop lore and they just. dont really do that, at least not well. Imagining the series with more extensive lore would obviously see it being longer than what it is, which i think makes sense. in the end if i was to properly write out all lore it would be a huge rebuild of 1) the Accelerons as an alien society, in depth 2) the full origins of the Drones/Gelorums (how they ended up where they did, what makes them how they are now and 3) a more cohesive plotting of events that would lead to lore revealed. also developing what “Scrim” and “clyp” were, along with the actual depth of Silencerz and how far back they go has been on my mind a lot. scrim and clyp just vanish from lore but in my headcanon backstory for Gelorum, i mention how those things existed too. if anyone has more specific questions on lore tho i can answer those individually! its just a lot to go over lol.

The characters though, oh god where do i start. not gonna touch on every individual (feel free to ask about someone and how i would rewrite them/change them), but theres a lot i would want to see different.

Theres some good ideas in the series that are just not explored much, or the actions dont feel like they have impacts. And many characters have literally zero backstory to go off of... Everyone needs at least some kinda origin in mind, doesnt have to be said but knowing where they come from is one key detail that i think is nice to drop some times. characters referncing locations, where they went, etc... its little but its good to have. In the WR comics, most of these characters do have origins! but theyre completely forgotten in the movies it seems. it would have been cool it WR tied together some of these ‘really good drivers’ and maybe they were in the same races together or something. there are 35 people and none of them seem to know each other at least not in detail- other than Vert and Alec who are clearly friends. Kurt Wylde was written to have done some “illegal” modifications in a race, what is someone there knew him? what if it brought up tension/suspicions? Things like that, its all part of where they come from and its a shame the movies just dont connect them very well.

I think theres some specific characters i will give examples to ‘rewrtiting’ and most of it is AC focused!

Kurt & Markie..... i love them, really do! but after WR i just did not like where they went. i get it, kinda ironic for Markie to become such an opposite. buuuut it was a bit much to me. first off, i would actually expand on the “crime” and that would 100% change the outcome of the two. the period between WR and AC shouldve gone different and in turn, i think wouldve changed up MM and Teku completely! i want to imagine Kurt is trying to get away from bad habits after WR but, perhaps has a really good deal with someone who had also gotten him into illegal car part business in the past. he is tempted and ropes Markie in with the idea they could do so more secretly but are caught, and while Markie is nervous and young he spills all the beans, but none of that evidence goes to Kurt and he stays silent, managing to get out of it. However instead of Kurt going to Teku and Markie going to MM.... Kurt tries to join Teku in the idea of joining a less rowdy gang, but Vert believes full Kurt let his brother take all the blame- so they dont allow him in. He goes for MM, which takes him easily but this team’s energy really doesnt help him. In turn, Markie leaves jail and Vert is swift to allow Markie into Teku because theyre friends! and it helps keep Markie in a better place, not wanting to get back into bad stuff. The important thing is tho, this switch up wouldnt result in super harcore, asshole Kurt. i feel like instead, he would be in an awkward place of wanting to improve himself but MM’s rebellious attitude coaxes him into worse attitudes. AND... very much an oppurtunity for Gelorum to manipulate him once more, as the accelechargers are much more important to acquire, with multiple, we’d loop back again. in the end though! i could imagine the story would still bring in the same scenario- Markie gets taken by drones, Kurt saves him, they rekindle and Kurt also comes to realize he shouldnt give in to the ways he used to practice.

i think for AC, in order to find more interest in the characters,  a switch up with the teams would be neat. Markie and Kur swapping was always on my mind, but i have thought about Teku!Taro. I think it would’ve been cool to throw in an background guy from WR into MM... like Harrison Lau. some more familiar faces would bring interesting dyanmics considering their backgrounds. and it think it wouldve fleshed out the teams a bit more in places they lacked.

Another thing i think is clear is there is lots of unexplored potential. Like dyanmics i express with Markie, characters like Lani, Karma, Tork, etc... oh there is so much i would add for them. Karma has a weird thing with being mentioned to look like Gelorum, and her prefectionism too but it was never touched on. What if it caused conflict? What if it made her question their morals? Or with Tork- i would honestly just rewrite how he tackles Tone’s death and the resolution, that whole thing in movie was weird and messy and made no sense to me imo. Lanu had something going for her but she felt so disconnected from the WR characters in AC, which is a shame! oh there are so many to go over lol. i hope to tackle some of these loose ends in the fics i have in mind but yeah... there is so much to say about changing these characters!!

[leio13]

I was Tagged!!! Thrice!!! (Holy Cow...)

I’m back with 33 more questions to answer! I was gonna make a joke last time about it being the ultimate get-to-know-me post, but I guess not. Good thing I held off on that joke, huh.

1. Post the rules

2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

3. Write 11 questions of your own

4. And tag 11 people

First, I was tagged by the lovely @missmizpah! Thanks, Emily!

1. Opinion on nuts?

Nuts are alright. Honey nut roasted peanuts though are more than alright. They are some good stuff.

2. Favorite book genre?

Hmm... I don’t really have a favorite genre. I’m really picky about books and a lot of other things honestly but my pickiness applies to all genres. I just like books with complex characters really.

3. Worst injury/illness?

I don’t actually get seriously injured that often; however, there was this one time I dropped my metal water bottle on my thumb. It hurt like hell and there was some blood under the nail. No big deal, right? That’s what I thought too. And I don’t really remember the transition that well, but in a few days, the area under my thumb nail was a navy blue and swelling out under the nail. a lot. It was probably one of the grossest things I’ve seen. good thing my mom took before and after pictures before they drained it. Don’t worry though. I won’t be posting those here.

4. What attracts you to someone platonically?

Er... kindness, loyalty, respect, AKA the really cliche stuff, and uh, chivalry, I guess. Treat me like a princess (for some reason) and you’re halfway there!

5. What was the last dream you had?

I had an interesting dream about Ouma from NDRv3. I went to his house which was more of a shack since his single parent family was super poor. His dad said that Ouma was actually a good boy (I have doubts). Ouma owned a crap ton of rainbow shark plushies (he really liked sharks apparently), and some bad dudes who were pissed at Ouma chased us back to the school (which was apparently a safe place that we wanted to be at). I skipped some details, but that was basically it. Also, keep in mind that I’ve only seen up to the death of chapter 2 (haven’t even started the investigation yet), so I kind of just made these details up in my dream and don’t spoil me. Orz.

6. Are you someone who eats cough drops like candy?

I haven’t had cough drops since I was in eighth grade and thought was I was having an asthma attack and my inhaler wasn’t working. In hindsight, it was a panic attack, but I recall the cough drop working a bit strangely enough. Anyway, I don’t really eat cough drops, no.

7. Native language?

English.

8. What size shoes do you wear?

Size 8 apparently. I think some of my shoes are a 7 1/2 though.

9. What is your current hair length?

Around my shoulders.

10. One habit you’re sure is specific to you?

I don’t know if I have any habits that are specific to me. um... I don’t really like the part of the utensil which you stick in your mouth touching anything besides me, my plate, or a napkin, so I tend to hold utensils in my mouth (knives excluded, duh because they don’t go in your mouth). It’s kind of a habit now, I guess. Does that count?

11. How far would you swim out into the ocean?

Negative feet. I’m not going in the ocean. There are things in there that I want nothing to do with such as seaweed, angry crabs that I could accidentally step on, sharp rocks or shells, sharks, jellyfish, etc.

Next, @excitable-nugget‘s questions! Thanks a bunch, Gnugs!

1. If you could have one sense enhanced, what would it be?

Definitely not taste. Tastes are wonderful (or some of them at least), but I’m already picky as it is, so I don’t really want more tastes to discriminate against. Touch probably wouldn’t be such a good idea either since I get startled easily and tongue (one picky dude, I tell you) is actually pretty sensitive to food textures too. Smell wouldn’t be bad except sometimes when I’m sick, everything smells like vomit, so I don’t really want to risk that being enhanced. Overall, I’m gonna go with sight (yes, I did skip hearing. I didn’t have much to say about it). Better vision in the dark could be pretty lit. Might also help ease some of my night paranoia. 2. Can you link your hands behind your back with one over the shoulder and one under? (like this)

One way. I can do it with my right hand reaching over. Kind of freaked me out though. I wasn’t ready for my hands to meet like that even if it was the goal. 3. Favourite colour to wear, or your favourite colour in general?

Favorite color to wear? Black. I just own a lot of black. Favorite color in general? Orange. 4. What was your internet pseudonym when you were 12-14?

It was Leio13. I’ve been Leio13 for as long as I’ve been on the internet. 5. What’s your favourite meat-based dish? If you don’t eat meat, what’s your favourite dish in general?

My favorite meat dish is steak. It’s just sooooo good. 6. Would you rather be known as wise or strong?

Probably wise. I used to think I was super smart as a kid, but now I feel pretty average and/or stupid/incompetent, so it would be nice for that feeling to come back. 7. What’s your favourite physical feature about yourself?

Probably my hair even if it knots excessively when no one wants it to. 8. Would you rather explore the ocean depths or space?

The ocean is such a vibrant, beautiful place! I love underwater images and would love to see it in person, but it would have to be in a submarine or something because I’m not going out there with only a wet suit protecting my flesh. 9. What’s your favourite snack food?

This is hard... I eat so many snacks. Hmm... I’m feeling ritz bitz. 10. If you could make one thing from fiction (e.g. a character, a place, a food, a machine) real, what would it be?

I don’t really have any deep answers here, but I think Odasaku (as he is in Bungou Stray Dogs) and his orphans being real would be really sweet. They’d be such a cute family. #familygoals 11. Is Australia real or just a conspiracy?

Australia? don’t know her.

Finally, I was tagged by the wonderful @chom-raaa! Thanks, Chomra!

1. Heroes gone bad or villains becoming good?

How could I choose???? They’re both so fantastic!! Wonderful character development opportunities abound with both!! ...that being said, while I appreciate the psychology of both of them, I tend to side with the good guys, so if all you wonderful villains could join the side I support, I guess that would be better.

2. Did you ever get in trouble in school? When was the last time and what was it about?

er... I don’t think so. No wait. One time, we were playing a game in class but my friend and I got out, so we were chatting on the sidelines even though we were supposed to be paying attention to those still playing (this was an ice breaker game). Anyway, the teacher said something about being quiet, and my dense self took it as “you can continue talking but quietly,” so I did. The teacher had to yell again for it to click with me. This was in like 5th grade, but I’m still disappointed in that me. I wasn’t that dense normally in fifth grade.

3. Hot drinks or cold drinks?

cold drinks. 

4. Any siblings? Older/younger? Would you have it any other way?

I’ve got two amazing siblings, both older than me! I don’t really think I would want it any other way. I’m content with what I have now.

5. You most prized possession?

My technology and anime merch maybe? 

6. What’s a fandom trope that makes you uncomfortable?

hoo boy. Where to begin??? I hate slave AUs (can’t really understand why you would like them). As you probably already know, I dislike smut, so the appeal of A/B/O universes is beyond me entirely. er... sexualizing characters? calling out the soukoku fandom: Chuuya always seems to be the more sexy one who other dudes and Dazai are always eyeing and lusting after. Like, can we appreciate the guy for more than his looks and impeccable fashion taste?? uh... also, Fyodor being depicted as some dude who is dead set on destroying soukoku (usually by the means of torturing Chuuya in some way to hurt Dazai which by the way is just... no.). I’m pretty sure Fyodor has better things to do??? Like kill all ability users?? Er, sorry. Not sure if you wanted specific fandom tropes or not, but uh, yeah.

7. What do find attractive in a fictional character?

BLAZERS!!

If you meant personality wise, I like passionate, kind characters, and also the mysterious, probably misunderstood type.

8. If could bring a character back to life but sacrifice another character in return (major-ish characters for those fandoms with a big cast), who would you choose?

Bringing back Odasaku, sending Fyodor to hell where he belongs. Of course, I wouldn’t actually because as much as I cry over the events of the dark era, I know that these things needed to happen for Dazai to end up where he is currently.

You know what? Better idea: still bringing back Odasaku but killing Lovecraft. The dude should’ve died after Chuuya destroyed him. I’m still bitter about his survival even if his parting scene was hilarious.

9. Long fics or short fics? In terms of both reading and writing?

I’m typically hesitant to read long fics because I have difficulty keeping up or finishing things. I bet there are a plethora of interesting long fics out there that I haven’t clicked on because I fear my motivation might die before I finish them. Likewise, it takes me centuries to write long fics, but I do really admire the art! Creating a complex story that spans over chapters is an epic feat that should not be underestimated. That being said, I do love short fics too! Short fics that still fill me with intense emotions are an equally epic thing. Like, how do you get so many feels in so little words???

10. Are you content with who you are?

haha nah. There are a lot of things about me that I wish were better. For one, i wish my motivation actually existed. I’m so unmotivated to do anything, even the littlest of things. Even things that I know would be fun. I just can’t convince myself to do them... Orz. Er... There are more things, but I don’t want to make this super sad. You came here for memes, not angst! Maybe not, but anyway...

11. What is holding you back from getting what you want?

I don’t know what this thing I want is referring to, but I’d bet 5000 imaginary monies that its my motivation or anxiety that’s interfering. 

Thanks for the wonderful questions, y’all! <3

Now, it’s my turn!

er... actually, I’m not feeling any creative question vibes, so if I tag you, please refer to the questions of the last time did this meme (psst! over here!). Without further ado, I’m tagging @haruki-00, @dusttodawnn, @melrw22, @bandaged-chessmaster, @ai-san-arts, @4nimenut, @96percentdone, @monokumamastermind, @sadtiredbaby, @wymoup-nox, and @yesterdayohhowimissit! As usual, only do it if you want, and do it if you want but you weren’t tagged.

[tell--your--world]

In today's world of formal education, the first thing you might be wondering is, who am I to give writing advice? What are my credentials? Do I have a degree in English? Have I taken creative writing courses? Am I a published author? No, no, and not exactly. What I do have is a college ready score on my GED, eleven years of writing experience, and a great deal of positive feedback - as an author of fanfiction. I can imagine many of you are getting ready to back-click now. You might be thinking fanfiction isn't real writing, or that those who write it are too lazy or unimaginative to create their own worlds. Well, let me ask you something. What happens when an author writes a sequel to one of their own books? They already have their characters developed and their world established. Does that mean the sequel takes no effort to write? Of course not! Stories don't start with characters and worlds. They start with ideas. Characters can give you ideas, but they aren't the story. Let's say our hypothetical author was curious about a minor antagonist from their first book and wanted to know more about him. All we know from the original material is that he was an avid follower of the main villain, and was left devastated by the death of his master. Assuming the author is skilled at building characters, they already know why he was so loyal to the villain and why he took the loss so badly, even if it wasn't mentioned in the story. Maybe the villain saved his life once, and they eventually became friends. The author might start wondering what that friendship looked like and how it developed, or perhaps why the villain saved him to begin with. Wondering about the characters generates ideas, and finally the author decides to write about them. But what if the world established by the original material doesn't have the characters and locations required by the new story? The author has to create new ones, or further develop old ones. If it's the latter, they need to keep the characters close enough to their portrayals in the first book that readers can recognize them under different circumstances, especially if they had enough scenes to develop clear personalities. If they go with new characters, they need to be as interesting and believable as the original cast. These are only a few of the things an author needs to do to write a new book in a preexisting world, but the point is, no one calls them lazy for building on material they already have. Quite the contrary, many fans will love exploring the world and its inhabitants in more depth. The only difference between this and fanfiction is that the fanfic writer doesn't own the original material - the creation process is exactly the same. If you remain unconvinced, feel free to hit that back button now. I can't stop you. But if you're willing to read on, let me tell you a bit about myself and my development as a writer.

My first foray into writing was a story for Super Mario World at age eleven. Each chapter was two to four handwritten pages, and the quality was about what you would expect from a kid who didn't want to waste time figuring out where paragraphs went or how words were spelled. But I had fun, and although I eventually lost interest in that first story, I didn't stop writing. I couldn't - the ideas wouldn't let up. The next five years were a flurry of creation. I dabbled in both original works and fanfiction, though I rarely wrote more than a few pages before losing interest and moving on to the next idea. I wrote my own bios for video game characters, came up with new villains for them to fight (and wrote bios for them too), and even outlined plots for the imaginary games the villains would appear in. Backstories were a special favorite, to the point where, at age sixteen, I finally gave up the present day to write about my favorite character's youth. I still consider that story to be when I truly started writing, despite the years preceding it. Before then I rarely used paragraphs, freely mixed upper and lower case letters, and was generally lazy about how I wrote. But when I started work on this one, I promised myself that I would break those bad habits. And I did, though it would be more accurate to say they just fell away. By the time I finished the first chapter I was cringing at the sight of things I had written just days earlier. Syntax isn't the only reason I consider that story to be the true start for me, however. Humor had always been my default genre because that was what my one-person audience enjoyed. But after a few light-hearted chapters, my writing “voice” began to develop. And it was dark. The story slowly became more serious until I found myself writing about mental health issues and abuse. I was a little unsettled, but continued to write whatever came to me. I also began reading about psychology and mental illness, and applied what I learned to my story. I had discovered research.

Sixteen chapters in, just when my main character hit rock bottom and I was transitioning into the part of the story where things improved, my audience of one declared the story “too depressing”. It had never occurred to me until then that I was supposed to “control” the story and make it turn out a certain way, and it wasn't a good lesson to learn. I tried to make the next chapter more like the beginning of the story - to “fix” it - but the results were jarring at best. I experienced true writer's block for the first time, and the story died soon after. I didn’t stop writing, but I did keep subsequent works to myself. Because even though I didn't want to continue that first story, the theme wouldn't leave me alone. All of my new ideas contained elements of abuse, mental illness, and general powerlessness. I played around with plots and finally settled on one that was more action/adventure than psychological drama. It didn't come as easily as its predecessor, but it still flowed well. I was pleased with it. Then I discovered my former audience reading it, despite my previously telling them they weren't allowed. At first it didn't matter: they said it was the best thing I'd ever written, and that I'd gotten much better. So I let them continue reading and kept writing until, once again, it was denounced as “too depressing” just as things were about to improve. I'm sorry to say I made the same mistake a second time, and tried to force a more cheerful chapter before giving up entirely.

But there's a saying that the third time's the charm. Not long after that disappointment, I became enamored with a different series and began to write about that instead. The first few attempts were false beginnings, more to get a feel for the characters than anything. But it didn't take long for an idea to come, bearing the same dark themes as the previous stories. Once again I began writing, but this time I didn't keep it to myself. When the first chapter was ready I added a warning for dark themes and posted it on a couple different fanfiction sites. I couldn't believe the results. This time around the story had no lighter beginning - it was bad right from the start. Yet no one complained. No one said it was too depressing. Instead people expressed concern and sympathy for the protagonist, and said it was well-written. I'll admit, I was ridiculously pleased. The next chapter received the same results, and so did the next. My audience now was vast, and it liked my twisted little story. So I wrote more. Humor, romance, horror, angst, drama. Whatever the genre, people enjoyed it. Over time I learned how to use humor to make the serious moments more powerful, how to convey emotion through the characters’ actions, and how to cut out unnecessary words to make the narrative flow. My writing style and voice continued to develop, and the praise went from merely “well-written” to “amazing” and “fantastic”. I can't guarantee that this blog will teach you the same lessons. Maybe you've already learned them. Maybe you like your style as it is and don't want to change it. Or maybe you feel like you're doing something wrong, and my blog is just another in a long list that you've visited in search of answers. Whatever your skill level, experiences, and reasons for being here, all I can do is offer advice and hope it helps. And if you're still sceptical because my experience comes mainly from writing fanfiction, consider this: the entry you just read wasn't fanfiction. Judge my abilities as you will.

*

If you're curious about my fanworks or want a better idea of my abilities as a writer, you can find my fics on the following sites: just remember that older stories and chapters don't reflect my current writing style, and are slated for editing. My AO3 account: http://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkDecepticon My fanfiction.net account: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4428055/ If you wish to support this blog on Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/darkstarofchaos

[miss-scientia]

Noctis x Mermaid!Reader

Okay so here is that fic I’ve been working on that no one asked for! :P No but seriously, it was just so nice to be able to write something again! I’ve been writing this all day actually, and it’s not very well proof read or anything so I apologise if it’s not great grammar, and it’s not up to my usual standard. Things take so much longer to write when you’re ill. But anyway, this idea just came to me one day and I had a burning desire to write it so here it is! I hope you like it! (I’m such a sucker for mermaids and cliches. Oh and Noctis of course).

WC: 3515 SFW Noctis x Fem!Reader

Part One

Rock crunched beneath the sole of his boot with every step. Rocks and uneven flooring were things this cave had an abundance of, that was for certain. Noctis ran a hand through his raven hair, pushing the strands out of his eyes as he looked down, doing his best not to trip up.

“Whose idea was this?” Prompto grumbled from somewhere behind the prince, also trying not to trip up on the uneven floor. Ignis sighed and answered his question with the same answer he gave every time.

“I believe it was Noctis’.”

“Tch, you guys are acting like this is worse than climbing the Rock of Ravatogh.” The accused answered, rather sullenly. He was also starting to regret suggesting that they check out this cave. So far there hadn’t been anything in it, treasure or daemons, and he was feeling rather grumpy about it.

“I don’t understand what’s up with you all.” Gladio called cheerily from the front, sounding like he was having a whale of a time. Which the big guy was. Navigating over rough terrain was like a simple work out for him, and in comparison, was finding it a breeze. Looking back, he was met with three withering glances, causing him to chuckle deeply at his friends.

“There’s nothing here big guy.” Prompto protested what they were all thinking, and even Gladio had to nod in agreement with that.

“It is true, and there is a rather alarming lack of daemons. We have encountered none as of yet, which is unthinkable in such a secluded place.”

Noctis found himself nodding along with the strategist. However, although this cave was secluded, it wasn’t dark like the daemons needed. The rocky walls, ceiling and even floor around them seemed to emit a soft, gentle blue shimmer. It was like the rock itself was glowing.

Not what the daemons are comfortable with.

“Eh, problem guys.” Gladio’s gruff voice pulled the prince out of his speculation, and he looked up to see the problem his friend had mentioned. And he almost groaned.

“A dead end?” Once again, Prompto voiced the shared thought.

“Ah… it seems there truly was nothing here.”

“Hmm, but I could’ve sworn…” Noctis mumbled, feeling slightly confused and disappointed. When he had stumbled upon this cave, he’d had a gut feeling that there was something here worth their while. That feeling had been why he was so eager for them to explore it in the first place, but the shimmery blue, rock wall they were now facing left him hollow.

I was so certain…

“I guess we turn back.” Gladio stated, his tone not questioning, only accepting the obvious.

“Hey, wait!” Prompto’s voice sounded like an echo as he crouched down to examine the rock wall and floor closer. “There’s a thing here! Looks like some kinda manhole cover… I’m just gonna lift it up!”

Grunts and heaves of effort which involuntarily escaped his lips echoed as loud as before, as the blonde struggled to lift the cover. It was the same shimmery blue as the rest of the cave, but clearly didn’t seem to be made of rock.  Noctis was impressed he had spotted it, it blended in so well with its surroundings.

“Now, why would there be a manhole cover here…?” Ignis mumbled thoughtfully, so quiet that if the prince hadn’t been stood so close by, he’d have missed it. Though truth be told, Noctis had wondered the same thing. Was it to stop people coming in? Or maybe to prevent something getting out…?

Even with these thoughts however, it was too late to stop Prompto; Gladio had taken pity on him and helped him lift the cover to the side. With the obstruction gone, it revealed a darkened hole in the cave floor. It was still made out of that same rock, however, this tunnel seemed to be very smooth. Almost like…

“People can go down here?”

“It would seem so.” Gladio answered Noctis’ question, inspecting the revealed tunnel closer. Instead of plummeting straight down, the tunnel seemed to curve slightly, making the drop not too steep. “Seems like it’s made for people to walk down.”

At once, three pairs of eyes turned to face Noctis. He looked at each of them, and they all recognised the determined, curious look reflected in the ice blue pools. Prompto groaned unenthusiastically.

“Scrabbling around underground… again. Fantastic.”

But Noctis just smiled, knowing the blonde would come along regardless of his moaning. Returning his eyes down to the tunnel, his curiosity burned. The odd feeling in his gut was back, telling him there had to be something down there. Slowly he walked to the edge, kneeling down and swinging his legs over the entrance to the tunnel.

“After you your highness.” Gladio chuckled, and Noctis slid off the edge of the tunnel. There was a short drop, then his feet came into contact with the jarringly smooth floor as he landed with a quiet thud.

“Everything okay?” Prompto asked as Gladio was the next to settle over the entrance. But just as Noctis opened his mouth to reply, his feet slipped out from under him, unable to stand properly on the smooth surface. Instead his yelped, butt coming into contact with the floor and suddenly he was sliding down the smooth tunnel.

Wait, we were wrong. It isn’t a tunnel at all, it’s made to be like a slide!

Noctis picked up speed, the dip of the slide progressively getting steeper. He could hear the shouts of the other three over the wind.

They’ve come after me.

But as Noctis continued his descent, he quickly approached three tunnels. Unable to change his route, Noctis ended up sliding through the far-right tunnel. He couldn’t slow himself; his hands unable to grip onto the smooth surface, his boots not providing any friction. Before he could start to panic, he was suddenly thrown roughly from the smooth tube like slide, rolling out onto the familiar rocky flooring. Finally he came to a stop, edges of the rocks digging into his arms. Coughing, Noctis pushed himself up off of the floor, standing up right to look at the ‘tunnel’ he’d just slid down.

I suppose that was the express way down.

He was filthy, covered in dust from his impromptu landing. He was also, Noctis realised, on his own. Had the other three followed him, they would have joined him by now, mere seconds behind him. But no one else turned up.

They must’ve been sent through one of the other tubes…

“Ah great.” Noctis groaned, kicking a rock half-heartedly with his foot.

Well, might as well try and see if I can figure out where I am.

The prince turned, resolving to try and meet up with the others. But as he turned, that thought was put out of his head for the moment.

“Wow…” He breathed, stunned. Noctis had found himself in a large dome shaped pocket of the cave. About a third of this was the same rocky floor as the cave had been above, and the other two thirds… pure water. A huge, calm lake spread out in front of him, the water casting reflections onto the blue shimmery rocks, giving the rocky dome an almost ethereal glow. It was much lighter here.

Enraptured, Noctis stepped forward slowly, making his way over to the lake in sheer disbelief. It was a beautiful sight to behold, prettier than any lake found out in the real world.

Huh, real world. It’s just that this seems so… unbelievable.

The prince mocked himself as he finally came to a stop at the lake’s edge. The water was a beautiful blue, all calm- Noctis’ eyes suddenly caught a movement from his peripheral vision. Like lighting his ice blue eyes locked onto an area of water, slightly in the distance…

There it was again! A gentle ripple in the otherwise calm waters. At once, Noctis could feel his palms tingle in excitement.

Just imagine what kind of rare fish are in here, in this secluded lake.

His eyes lit up at the prospect, and he summoned his rod at once. Just like a kid in a candy store…

Waiting, Noctis watched the waters again. He was cool, calm, focused. In his element.

There!

Noctis cast his rod near the faint ripple of water, eager to entice whatever lay below its depths. All thoughts of escape or rendezvousing with his team mates were gone as he concentrated, focusing only on the catch…

The rod tweaked.

Already? I wasn’t expecting this to be a quick deal!

The rod moved again, this time with more force, nearly pulling the prince into the waters. Noctis gasped, digging his feet into the rocky flooring, tightening his grip on his rod.

Whatever it is… it’s big. He’d never felt a force like it in all his time fishing. A jolt of excitement ran through his body, he had to get his hands on this!

I knew there was something here!

Eagerly Noctis reeled in the line, careful not to let the fine line snap. Whatever it was wasn’t thrashing about as much as the prince expected, and soon something came to the surface before he’d even finished fully drawing in the line. Just breeching the surface, there was a little patch of… hair? It looked like wet hair to Noctis, and he couldn’t help but flinch a little.

Just what the hell have I caught…?

He continued to reel it in, the patch of colour coming ever closer.

It is hair!

But he was too invested to stop. He reeled until it was closer, and more hair broke the surface of water… lots of it. He could see, buried somewhere in the twists of the never-ending hair, his lure was well and truly tangled.

It… it wasn’t a fish who bit on the lure…

Noctis gulped. With slight uneasiness, he reeled until the mass of hair was just beneath him. There was so much of it, the locks drifting in the water, that whatever it belonged to was obscured from his vision by the sheer amount of it.

“Well, I need my lure at the very least.” He spoke out loud, trying to convince himself to put his hand on this mass of hair. There was a dread building up inside him, but he was really trying to ignore that part. Surely there was no way it could be a… a body.

Suddenly, at the sound of his voice the mass of hair jumped and recoiled, attempting to retreat to the further away area of water. Noctis could feel his rod slipping from his grip, his attention having been diverted for a second. In shock, he grabbed hold of it, pulling to stop whatever it was floating away.

“Hey!”

Noctis watched, as the mass of hair started to rise out of the water… His mouth dropped open, and he nearly let go of his rod in surprise. Out from the water… came a human torso. Followed by two human arms, struggling at the hair still covering the face.

H…human? Noctis’ brain faltered at the sight, watching the human with an impossible amount of hair struggle to free itself. A lock of hair was pushed out of the way by a searching hand, revealing the face… her face.

“A girl…?” Noctis stuttered, bewildered. Again, the girl reacted to the sound of his voice; freezing up and lifting her [e/c] eyes to stare at him wearily. At once Noctis registered the sheer panic in her eyes, and instantly felt terrible.

“Hey…hey it’s okay. I’m sorry, I thought you were… never mind. Here, let me help you.” His voice softened at once, and he gestured to the girl. She still regarded him suspiciously, and so Noctis did something he thought he’d never do. Slowly, so as not to frighten her even more, he laid his rod on the rocky floor beside him.

[e/c] eyes watched his movements closely, as if waiting for a trick. However, we her eyes returned to his… the gentle kindness reflected in them quelled her fears. Almost shyly, the girl swam back over to the edge of the lake and towards Noctis, using her arms to pull her closer.

Noctis gulped, sliding to his knees carefully as she came closer. Hesitantly, she offered her main of hair to him, and blocking out any thoughts of worry, he gently grasped the lure in his fingers. He sucked in a gasp, not wanting to alarm the girl but… her hair was so soft. Slowly he unwrapped the tresses from the lure.

“Wow, it’s really stuck in there, huh?” He breathed, afraid of raising his voice. She seemed easily startled, and the last thing he wanted was to be pulled into the depths with her if she pulled away. There was no response, so he continued with his bizarre task until finally…

“There we go.” Noctis sat back, opening his closed fist to show the girl the lure was now out of her hair. She gazed up at him, a curiosity that resonated with his own reflected in her eyes. Gently, she lifted a hand toward the lure, and with her fingertips brushed along its surface. It was like… she’d never seen a lure before.

Noctis simply watched her, holding his breath, enraptured by this strange girl of the lake. As she played with the lure in his palm, her eyes wide with fascination, Noctis took this time to actually look at this girl. Her skin was beautiful, unblemished and invitingly soft looking, an almost translucent [s/c]. The ever-lasting mane of hair fell down her back and her chest, as if enveloping her. Which was luckily, Noctis thought, as he realised she was bare from the neck down.

Pink tinged his cheeks, and he was suddenly glad she was so interested in what lay in his palm.

Okay, so why is there a beautiful, naked girl in a strange lake hidden deep in a secluded cave?

Before he could voice his question however, a movement once again caught his eye, not too far away from the girl… a ripple in the water… a fish tail…?

And then it suddenly clicked in his head.

“Woah!” He gasped at the realisation, the shock sending him backwards so he once again fell on his ass. At the sudden outburst, the girl – mermaid – withdrew her hand and recoiled back. Within seconds she was under the water, the only evidence of her ever being there at all, the breaks in the water she left in her wake.

Noctis was scrambling to his feet again in a hurry.

“Wait! Wait I’m sorry I didn’t mean that!” He called, but there was no answer. His eyes skimmed the lake, but he couldn’t see her at all. Like she was a figment of his imagination.

“Please come back I… I was just startled, that’s all.” He pleaded awkwardly, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. However, still no reply.

Noctis sighed heavily.

“Please? You were scared of me at first too… I honestly didn’t mean to startle you.” After another pause, Noctis hung his head. Scared away probably the only mermaid he’d ever see.

Typical. Real smooth there Noctis. He admonished himself. Ugh, what do I even do-

A slight sound interrupted his thoughts and he looked up. In the middle of the water, just peering out above the surface, there was those [e/c] eyes watching him curiously. He couldn’t stop the surprised smile that lifted the corners of his lips.

“You’re curious too huh?” Once again he lowered himself to the floor, this time sitting cross legged at the edge of the lake. Slowly the mermaid swam up to him, and finally lifted her head out of the water until her chin was free. Her little fingers reached out of the water, and tentatively curled over the rocky edge by Noctis’ feet.

He gulped. He could barely believe this was happening. A mermaid, here?

“Sorry that I scared you. It’s just, I’ve never seen a mermaid before.” He uttered. Although she didn’t speak, her eyes seemed to say she accepted his apology. A small smile graced her lips, causing Noctis’ heart to race in his chest.

I think that means… she accepts me?

For some reason, Noctis found that he felt it was important that she knew he meant her no harm.

“So… uh, h-have you been here long?” He almost cringed at the sound of his voice; awkward.

How do you even start a conversation with a mermaid?

Fortunately, she seemed oblivious to his awkwardness, and nodded her head. Noctis sucked in another gasp. She’d answered him, clearly understood him.

This is… surreal.

“Ah… I-I see. Uh, nice place you have.”

Excellent. He almost groaned aloud. This conversation is crashing and burning.

The mermaid watched him, tilting her head inquisitively. More accurately, she was watching as a pink hue blossomed over his cheeks. Lifting one hand, she put her palm to her cheek and frowned. And then, without warning, she lifted that palm and gently pressed it against Noctis’ cheek, lifting herself further out of the water.

Noctis froze as her hand came into contact with the warming skin of his cheek. He could barely register what was happening, unable to do anything about it. Her palm was surprisingly soft, cupping his cheek with such tenderness he couldn’t remember ever feeling before. His breathing stopped, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the strange creature before him. Beautiful, innocent, inquisitive. His heart raced once more, pounding oddly against his rib cage. Her touch wasn’t cool like he expected, but warm. Really warm.

Maybe that’s my face. His brain so helpfully reminded him of the blush deepening on his face. She was close, so ridiculously close. Seemingly unaware, she’d pulled herself out of the water so far that he could see where her stomach connected to her tail, her skin ever as translucent, contrasting against the brilliant colour of her tail. Her features were soft, kind, inviting. Her eyes impossibly big, lips looking incredibly soft…

Gulping hard, Noctis gently pulled his face from her touch, only a fraction. With the loss of her touch his head cleared slightly, but he couldn’t fully shake the enthralled feeling that has overcome him. She tilted her head again, asking him a wordless question as she once more pointed to her own cheeks.

She wants to know why my skin went red… oh boy.

“Uh, it’s called a blush… it happens sometimes…” Shaking his head, he moved swiftly on. “Anyway, I know that you can understand me, but… well, can you talk? Or are you just shy?”

Sinking back into the comfort of the water again until it rested just above her chin, she shook her head.

No. She can’t. I wonder why…?

Before he could voice the question however, a familiar voice called, not too far away.

“Nooooctiiis! Are you here?”

Prompto.

His eyes flickered to hers hurriedly to see the familiar panic within them.

“They’re just my-”

“Hey Noct, c’mon.” Gladio’s rough voice was next, their footsteps coming ever closer.

With one last shake of her head, the mermaid ducked under the water and disappeared, swimming away under the depths of the lake.  Noctis didn’t have any time to say anything, or move to stop her. One minute she was there, the next she was gone.

Just as the prince stood up, the familiar faces of his friends walked into view.

“Noctis, there you are. You have had us on a very merry chase.” Ignis shook his head, but was pleased to see the prince well and safe.

“Noct! Where have you been man? We looked-” Prompto stopped short as he saw the rod next to Noctis. His blue eyes flashed back up to the prince’s face, then he rolled them in exasperation.

“Really? Here?”

“Dedication.” Gladio muttered approvingly, also spotting the fishing rod.

“Didya catch anything good? I’m starving.”

Noctis’ eyes flickered swiftly from the lake, back to the faces of his friends. He wasn’t quite sure what compelled him to give the answer he did, but he was certain it was the right answer for now.

“Nah. There’s nothing in there.”

“Not surprising. There’s nothing in here anywhere.” Prompto moaned. Ignis adjusted his glasses, his eyes lingering on the prince a moment too long.

“While we were searching, Gladio managed to find a rope to climb out of these caves on. Seems like others have been here before us. Shall we depart, since there is nothing here?”

Noctis couldn’t swear by it, but he thought he heard an odd strain on the last part of his sentence. Almost like he was trying to say something.

Am I being paranoid?

“Sure, lead the way.” He nodded, as casually as he could manage.

As his friends filed out of the dome shaped pocket, Noctis turned to have one last glance at the lake. He was surprised to find he felt disappointed as the still waters looked back at him.