#mainly just two oc i made up to the song i cant decide and worked off that

[sarcasticscribbles]

hey there! I thought of an idea for an area affected by the fears, but I’m not sure what type of fear it would belong to.

The basis is a house that seems regular at first, but the longer someone is inside it, the more obvious it becomes to them that the entire house is a living organism. The walls are soft and warm and pulse along to a heartbeat. The potted plants scattered about are just exposed veins that recoil when touched. The flooring is the skeletal system. The victim would eventually get assimilated into being part of the meat house. Another bit I’m not quite sure of is an owner that is actually rooted to the house, almost like some type of tumour the house developed.

Obivously, it would be part of The Flesh. But I feel like it kind of bleeds into another fear for some reason. What do you think?

OH I REALLY LIKE THIS IDEA Hm yeah I feel flesh is def the main, and kinda getting stranger vibes almost as a secundary? (Façade, something appearing one but is another) If anyone else have a take on this pls leave a reply

[wildfangz]

@liliithvatore tagged me in that simself thing thats been goin around DAYS ago but here it finally is! also thank you for the tag this was fun :-]

I tag @slythersim @thelurgoyf @seoulchii @weicyn @solitasims @daisydezem @raha-plays-the-sims if they want to do it & anyone that just wants to do it in general! message me and I’ll even @ u directly if u want. 

anyway lets DO THIS shitload of questions under the cut u’ve been warned!!!

1. what is your name?

julian

2. what is your nickname?

jewel, jules

3. birthday?

oct 26th

4. what is your favorite book series?

percy jackson and the olympians will probably always own my heart & soul

5. do you believe in aliens or ghosts?

yes & yes. tho i do think a lot of alien sightings and conspiracy theories and what not are bullshit

6. who is your favorite author?

maggie stiefvater probably? also cornelia funke but its been years since ive read anything by her so i cant be sure BUT i loved inkheart & the thief lord so much

7. what is your favorite radio station?

ummm when i listen to the radio at all i kinda just switch between two rock stations and our popular music station.

8. what is your favorite flavor of anything?

blue raspberry !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tasty and i love a blue tongue

9. what word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful?

cool. or bitchin’.  i play it simple

10. what is your current favorite song?

hands like houses - revive

11. what is your favorite word?

roulette and inhibition which i never get to use either as much as i want !

12. what was the last song you listened to?

emarosa - givin’ up ! its a bop!

13. what tv show would you recommend for everybody to watch?

the new she-ra on netflix its so good. and gay

14. what is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down?

moana. its also like the only movie i dont have trouble getting thru despite how many times ive already seen it

15. do you play video games?

16. what is your biggest fear?

idk... being inherently unlovable i guess n ending up alone? also spiders !

17. what is your best quality, in your opinion?

im fairly open-minded and laid back. Unless someones being like, purposely nasty or something I generally don’t get defensive or aggressive. also a lot of little quirks that piss others off dont bother me im very u do u as long as its not actually harming anyone and ive had people tell me this makes it easier to open up to me so thats probably my best quality....

18. what is your worst quality, in your opinion?

....at the same time though i do get very sensitive when faced w/ criticism even if its of the fair variety when its not phrased really gently for various reasons and i dont like that. especially since I have a tendency to not even talk to people about it. I’ll just immediately start distancing myself. also other than that i think overall I have a really high tolerance lvl but if you cross that line I hold a grudge like a motherfucker

9. do you like cats or dogs better?

cats! dogs are good too but cats are a lot easier for me to handle...and quieter generally but even when they’re loud cat sounds dont get to me quite as much as barks do

20. what is your favorite season?

autumn but im starting to really like summer for some reason? wack :/

21. are you in a relationship?

nope

22. what is something you miss from your childhood?

the lack of responsibility, probably. that sounds real bad lmao but for me its like...I know I’ve grown in various ways over the years but I also feel like so many of my experiences, my trauma, my mental health has held me back and I don’t think I’m mentally where I should be for my age. so all the responsibility of adulthood is just..really overwhelming for me sometimes, even though ive been given a pass from certain aspects of it and the rest is pretty simple its the idea!!!!

23. who is your best friend?

my ex

24. what is your eye color?

25. what is your hair color?

26. who is someone you love?

my mom

27. who is someone you trust?

not really anyone rn unfortunately...would like 2 work on that

28. who is someone you think about often?

are my OCs a fair answer because i am always thinking about my babies.....

29. are you currently excited about/for something?

my favorite webcomic (that also has two of my all time favorite characters in it) just came back!! the artist disappeared back in 2015 like the day after I binge-read the whole fucking thing & i was so disappointed but its BACK and 2018 has been redeemed

30. what is your biggest obsession?

sims probably! i could talk about anything relating to it for hours

31. what was your favorite tv show as a child?

there were so damn many its hard to even think and figure out the most notable ones...i really, really liked teen titans though?

32. who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone?

my ex, again

33. are you superstitious?

not terribly so but somewhat. I take certain things as signs and I mean I do believe in astrology & such to a degree

34. do you have any unusual phobias?

i used to be afraid of mirrors but thats all i can think of and its not even a thing anymore...the only other thing is tornadoes but i dont think its unusual. but it definitely sucks for me ‘cause i live in tornado alley!

35. do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?

behind it....like taking pretty pictures and dont like ppl capturing my image 2 film

36. what is your favorite hobby?

sims.....also singing!!! and drawing!!!! video editing!!!!!!!!! the works

37. what was the last book you read?

The Dream Thieves....havent finished it though because last time i went to read it a spider was lying in wait and im traumatized

38. what was the last movie you watched?

coco i think???

39. what musical instruments do you play, if any?

drums, various other percussion instruments, and violin mainly

40. what is your favorite animal?

ferrets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

41. what are your top 5 favorite tumblr blogs that you follow?

uhhhhh @bratsims @liliithvatore @cabsim @wildlyminiaturesandwich @keysims pls dont feel bad if i didnt include u these were just the first to pop into my head and ive been following some of them since I first made my blog!! and have kept up with their stories completely and enjoy them etc check them OUT !

42. what superpower do you wish you had?

shapeshifting!!! dysphoria? gone. ugliness? gone. want to morph into a fucked up clown and scare people when they realize all the classic clown features are a real actual part of my face? possible!

43. when and where do you feel most at peace?

chillin’ at the pool in summer during the part of the day when no ones there.... swimming is always relaxing 2 me then i love just resting under the sun and drying off afterwards especially since we have a little pond nearby and i can hear the water! its nice

44. what makes you smile?

always and without fail? interacting with anyone i have a crush on. i’ll look like a dope the whole time

45. what sports do you play, if any?

i used 2 play basketball a lot. Like not seriously but it was a thing

46. what is your favorite drink?

dr pepper and monster energy (original flavor) pumps through my veins at this point. we love a carbonated beverage

47. when was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody?

two years ago for my ex and I’s first year anniversary... I never got it mailed but I did at least take a picture of it (with included caption because my handwriting is atrocious). i was very up front about being a romantic and see heres the PROOF

48. are you afraid of heights?

nope! very excited by them actually

49. what is your biggest pet peeve?

i cant stand passive aggressive behavior. my stance is either get over it or quit acting like a bitch because otherwise im just going to ignore you thats the scorpio way (in all seriousness I really, really do recommend not putting up with it and ignoring it until they decide to be up front with you. it can be exhausting constantly reading into conversations and its not healthy for you or them. if they have something to say they need to learn to talk about it properly, and that lack of social skills is not ever on you)

50. have you ever been to a concert?

yep! i think about....six or so? i love them...which is really funny im autistic and EVERYTHING about them should freak me out and they do in other circumstances but at a show i just live for it

51. are you vegan/vegetarian?

nope! ive thought before id like to go vegetarian...but i couldnt do it with my health problems. also i love shrimp too much

52. when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

ive always wanted to do something creative! when i was rlly young I thought a lot about singing and acting and writing in particular...all things im still interested in.... also i wanted to be a dictator ages 4-7 because i told my mom i wanted to be president of the world and make people do what i say and she said “honey thats a dictator not a president”. i then made that known at school and that turned into a situation!

53. what fictional world would you like to live in?

pokemon universe or bust. 

54. what is something you worry about?

never being able to do things i want to do or catching up with others because of my disabilities

55. are you scared of the dark?

yes but a reasonable amount i think

56. do you like to sing?

yes :]

57. have you ever skipped school?

yes i used to play sick a LOT and as my parents caught onto it id even go all out to convince them. i was good at school but i hated it so much

58. what is your favorite place on the planet?

dunno! malls maybe i love shopping and looking at material objects i wish to own

59. where would you like to live?

oregon! portland in particular thats been my dream for a few years now

60. do you have any pets?

a cat! he lives with my dad & grandma though...hes grown up there and likes going outside so I felt bad about taking him with me when i moved out but anyway this is him hes fat and stupid and i love him his name is coffee

61. are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

night owl because my rhythm is all fucked up but in my heart....an early bird...if i get a good nights sleep i’ll be up early yacking your ear off and so excited for the day

62. do you like sunrises or sunsets better?

sunsets are prettier...but sunrises feel more refreshing

63. do you know how to drive?

nope ! im gay !

64. do you prefer earbuds or headphones?

headphones. better sound quality also discourages people from talking to me slightly more

65. have you ever had braces?

nope! but i need them

66. what is your favorite genre of music?

post-hardcore maybe?

67. who is your hero?

every trans person living their truth and being open and loud about who they are past present & future. the worlds not particularly kind to us and our existence alone is considered a radical act, so its always given me hope to see others refusing to pretend to be someone they’re not in this environment and I’ll always have mad respect for that

68. do you read comic books?

i read manga and webcomics...ive always wanted to get into superhero comics but the amount of issues and different versions is ridiculous and makes it inaccessible 2 me 

69. what makes you the most angry?

i mean its hard to pinpoint what makes me angry the MOST...but a contender is definitely how some people feel free to treat others with cruelty and think its their god given right to deny or attack someones existence in some way, & how acts of kindness, even the most basic are branded as liberal bullshit or whatever....it goes against everything i was taught growing up

70. do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?

real book! electronic device can be easier but....rough on the eyes after a while and nothing beats the real thing for me

71. what was your favorite subject in school?

language arts...at least when we did creative writing stuff

72. do you have any siblings?

two older sisters & an older brother that passed away years ago but. still my brother u kno

73. what was the last thing you bought?

mocha frappe baby!!!!!

74. how tall are you?

5′4″

75. can you cook?

a little bit....not as much as id like to though but im learning

76. what are three things that you love?

storms, cheesy breadsticks, and cat purrs

77. what are three things that you hate?

unnecessary rudeness, being talked down to or generally treated like im stupid, grapefruit which is the worst thing on this list

78. do you have more female friends or more male friends?

female i think?

79. what is your sexual orientation?

im the big bad promiscuous bisexual your parents warned you about

80. where do you currently live?

oklahoma. gofundme campaign to get me out

81. who was the last person you texted?

my friend jojo! just Now!

82. when was the last time you cried?

yesterday afternoon but im a changed man now thats behind me. i will cry about different things soon

83. who is your favorite youtuber?

the mcelroy brothers. also super best friends play. matt, pat & woolie are all great tbh

84. do you like to take selfies?

depends on whether i feel ugly or terribly dysphoric that day or not

85. what is your favorite app?

ummmm....love live school idol festival ive been playin for years its an addiction

86. what is your relationship with your parent(s) like?

dad = bad mom = okay. theres some issues that strain it but its not too bad

87. what is your favorite foreign accent?

i have no idea what the fuck australians are talking about half the time but i dig it anyway 

88. what is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit?

Italy, Greece, Germany, Japan, Mexico, various other states (ive only been out of state three times. twice to texas and then once to kansas. for five minutes)

89. what is your favorite number?

6!! 26 also

90. can you juggle?

ive always wanted to but alas.... :-[

91. are you religious?

i suppose...but im rlly not into organized religion

92. do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting?

space probably theres so fucking much of it man!

93. do you consider yourself to be a daredevil?

not to brag but sometimes i eat my mcdonalds hamburgers cold from the fridge so you can figure that one out yourself B)

94. are you allergic to anything?

pecans. not deathly allergic though so catch me eating turtle pie anyway! 

95. can you curl your tongue?

nope :[

96. can you wiggle your ears?

nope :[

97. how often do you admit that you were wrong about something?

usually as soon as i realize....unless someones being real smug and annoying then i might be stubborn about it

98. do you prefer the forest or the beach?

ive never been to the beach but i love her!!!

99. what is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?

probably that you have to look at your accomplishments differently when you’re disabled or just struggling, to not be so down on yourself because its a fact that what might be a mole hill to someone else is a mountain to you and you have to judge yourself accordingly. Like maybe you weren’t able to clean the whole house, but washing the dishes and tidying your desk doesn’t usually get done but you did it. That that should be celebrated because while it would also feel good if you did more, you still did something and thats great all things considered.

100. are you a good liar?

sometimes, really depends what im lying about and if im like....into it at all. If my guts against it for whatever reason I’ll have trouble

101. what is your hogwarts house?

i always get slytherin or hufflepuff! usually with like 1 point difference

102. do you talk to yourself?

i am talking to myself right now as i fill this out

103. are you an introvert or an extrovert?

extrovert mainly! i used to think i was more introverted but now i think a lot of exhaustion when theres any comes from me just going the extra mile and actively trying to read people and pick up on social ques.... if I just chill im fine

104. do you keep a journal/diary?

nope...ive tried but i just cant keep up with it so i do the next best thing. shouting into the void on the internet to a bunch of strangers

105. do you believe in second chances?

depends on what you did the first time. Some people just don’t deserve taking that risk imo...but i can be a little guarded so maybe thats a bit too harsh

106. if you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?

turn it in, unless there was no identifying things in it & it was found somewhere kinda random. Then I’d maybe hold onto it unless my gut challenged that

107. do you believe that people are capable of change?

absolutely. i mean thats all we do throughout our lives is change and evolve...that being said I think extremely drastic changes are maybe not entirely impossible, but extremely rare, and the residue of the former self usually sticks around in some form

108. are you ticklish?

yes, dangerously so

109. have you ever been on a plane?

nope

110. do you have any piercings?

one day hopefully!

111. what fictional character do you wish was real?

asra from the arcana.....even if he wasn’t my boyfriend thats just a dude u could chill and eat some pomegranates with u know. Before I downloaded the app my friends kept telling me he was made for me and he really was he ticks like everything on my Favorite Characters Feature List except villain but he has that particular allure & attitude i like so much in villains so thats not a single point off hes perfect

112. do you have any tattoos?

nope...one day! hopefully!

113. what is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far?

accepting my genderqueerness and bisexuality definitely. Self Love hasn’t been perfected just yet but that was such a huge step in the right direction

114. do you believe in karma?

yes! she doesn’t get shit done as much as id like however

115. do you wear glasses or contacts?

glasses. not contacts yet because my eye doctor is a bitch

116. do you want children?

I do....just not sure if id be a good parent. Its really important to me if I had a child itd be for the right reason and I could raise them well in a healthy environment & be able to take care of all their needs yknow

117. who is the smartest person you know?

probably my friend jojo

118. what is your most embarrassing memory?

one time i looked outside and the sunset was really pretty and i wanted to get a photo of it so i walked out.....and stood like right by the street so there weren’t trees in my way...and then i realized mid-pic 1) i am not wearing pants & my shirt is full of holes 2) id been depressed for days so my hair was a tangled mess. I tailed it back inside so i didnt even get a nice pic it was blurry!

119. have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

120. what colour are most of you clothes?

black i didnt even have to think about that one

121. do you like adventures?

they are pretty swell

122. have you ever been on tv?

a few times when i was little. always photobombing the news reporters 4 what i thought would eventually lead 2 fame & fortune

123. how old are you?

21

124. what is your favorite movie quote?

this is technically lyrics to that lil song in moana at the end but

“ They have stolen the heart from inside you. But this does not define you.”

hits me hard every time! emotional impact? i know her

125. sweet or savory?

sweet!!!!!!!! gotta balance out my bitter somehow

[superjumpintomyheart]

Love [Pearl x Marina]

In which Pearl has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she knows how to love others, but not herself. Slightly angsty but some heartwarming fluff at the end to balance it all out. 

-

For the first time in almost her entire career, Marina was tired of hearing the same techno beat coming from her turntables as she tried to create something fresh to go with Pearls new rap. The key was all wrong and the timing was off, there was one note she couldn’t decide if it needed to be sharp or flat, so needless to say, she was getting rather frustrated. Writing songs usually came to her and her partner naturally, but today was just an off day for the octoling. She sighed and shook her head and looked to Pearl who was on the other side of the sound booth, headphones secure on her head and paper in hand ready to give it another go. But the motion Marina had given her told her they should call it a day now.

Pearl nodded somewhat disappointedly and exited the soundproof recording room, coming out to the other side where Marina was sitting with all the equipment. “I can’t get this one right, nothing is matching up with your rhymes, I think I should scratch the whole thing and start over tomorrow,” she sighed and put her head in her hands.

“Keep the base of the beat,” the inkling commented. “That part sounds good, it’s the fillers that are killing it.”

“I know, I’ve scrapped the fillers three times today though, and nothing has come out right.”

Pearl looked down for a moment, trying to think of what other options they had. “Don’t scrap anything you have now then, we’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll see what we can do about it.”

Marina nodded and stood to her feet, turning off her equipment as she did so. Off the Hook was blowing up in the music industry, they were idols in Inkopolis now, and there were bound to be some octarians down in Octo Valley who were a fan of them because of Marina’s presence. She was glad she could bring some of her culture to the music they wrote, and a lot of that came out in her beats, so getting it just right was something that could quite often be difficult. Finding the perfect balance between inkling music and octarian music was a challenge. Pearl usually ended up being her saving grace, so she figured that she was right, and a good nights sleep would help get her back in the game.

“Let’s go home then,” she said once everything had been turned off and saved. “Can’t wait to lay down after all this.”

“You’re excited to lay down? I was sitting in a stool the whole day, my back is killing me!” Pearl complained, bringing a hand behind her to rub at her lower back.

The taller girl laughed softly, covering her mouth a little as she did so. “Let me rephrase, I’m excited to lay down with you.”

Pearl gave Marina a fond smile, when they were in the studio, they were music partners not romantic partners. But once they got out and the stress of creating just the right sound for their band was gone, they were able to just enjoy each other like regular couples could. It made her happy when they got out after a hard day like this and her usually reserved girlfriend would express her frustrations but claim that Pearl would help her through it just with some simple actions or words. She felt needed, loved, important... words she didn’t hear too often. She must have really gotten lucky to get a girl as sweet and loving as Marina to be hers, someone who could make her feel special without having to say it.

���I am too, ya sap,” the inkling responded. “Got enough energy in that supposedly exhausted body to super jump home or do you need me to carry you back the long way?”

Marina rolled her eyes at the joking question, “I’m fine, Pearlie, don’t worry.”

The pair walked out of the building together and super jumped back to their penthouse, which did take a lot of energy out of them, but they planned on going straight to bed. Once they were inside, Marina slipped off her boots and removed her headphones while Pearl took off her shoes, heading to their bedroom to finish undressing.

The room was obviously a mix of their two styles, pink and teal accessories displayed along the top of a dresser, a Squid Sisters poster hung next to a window (despite them both knowing Callie and Marie personally, the two still fangirled over them whenever they released new music or announced an event), and various other things. Somehow, it fit perfectly together, as if their differences were what made them so special to each other. And maybe that wasn’t too far from the truth.

As Marina sat down on the end of the bed, Pearl stood in front of her between her legs, her hands gently pushing aside the octoling’s tentacles. It was almost uncharacteristic of her to be so... soft, but she knew it was what her girlfriend needed when she got down about something.

“Don’t worry so much about it babe,” she whispered and gave the DJ a short yet sweet kiss on the lips. “It’s gonna work out, it always does.”

Her hands moved down from Marina’s shoulders to the zipper on her top, asking silently if she could help undress her. It wasn’t meant to be taken in the wrong way, she meant it as a completely innocent action, they were both too tired for anything else. When the taller girl gave a bit of a shy smile and a nod, Pearl undid her zipper and slid the leathery material off her shoulders and arms. It would get thrown into (or near) a laundry basket along with the rest of their clothes, and get washed over the weekend.

The octoling lifted her hips off the bed to allow Pearl to slide off her shorts and leggings, which left her almost completely nude save for some underwear. Pearl grabbed her oversized pink and cream colored hoodie from the closet behind her and pulled it over Marina’s head. While it was oversized on her, it would just fit loosely on her girlfriend.

“Good?” She asked, to make sure she didn’t need anything else.

Marina nodded softly and smiled, “Can... I help you too?” It was a simple request, one that she shouldn’t have gotten flustered over, but she couldn’t help the teal tint that spread over her cheeks. After all, she had done it before multiple times, but seeing her Pearlie like that, it never failed to get the ink in her body flowing.

“Don’t even have to ask, Mar,” she teased lightly.

“I like to make sure,” the other girl replied, looking down slightly before she reached up to slide the zipper down Pearl’s dress. Once it was unclasped at the bottom, she pushed it off of her shoulders and, again, couldn’t help the blush on her cheeks. Before she got too shy, she finished undressing her small girlfriend by pulling off her leggings and tossing them aside as well. She had to stand up from her position on the bed to look for something of hers that Pearl could wear to sleep in, even though they slept right next to each other, the inkling liked to be surrounded by Marina in every way possible—which meant stealing quite a few sweatshirts and other things of hers.

After doing a brief scan of her more comfortable clothing items, she pulled out a black to teal gradient sweatshirt (with no hood, since the last time she let Pearl sleep in a hoodie, she woke up complaining about a sore neck from sleeping on it wrong) and helped the smaller girl get into it. Marina kissed the crown of Pearl’s head, “There,” she said in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper, “all done.”

They both chose to sleep without pants or shorts on most nights, it always got too hot between the two of them, and between cooling off and cuddling, they both favored the latter. Besides, neither of them minded the extra skin on skin contact, it felt nice and like they were more connected to each other in a way. So, with each other’s clothes adorned and their eyelids droopy, they crawled into their decently sized bed and turned off the lamps on the sides, sending the room into darkness.

“Marina?” A soft voice asked a few minutes after settling into bed.

“Yeah Pearlie?”

The inkling cuddled into the octoling’s side, “Do you think things will ever get better, the people’s opinions of me?”

Pearl had always been fully aware of the hate towards her, how she was ugly and nothing more than a Callie wannabe. How her raps were terrible and Off the Hook would be great if it was just Marina, and some days stuff like that really got to her.

Marina turned her body to allow herself to wrap an arm around her girlfriend, pulling her in closely, “You cant ever make them stop completely, some squids just won’t change. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that. But... if you find the people who like you for you, all that hate, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“What if those people don’t even exist?”

“Well, I can tell you now that they do exist, even if it’s just one person,”

Pearl smiled and scoffed, “I don’t think you count Mar.”

“I’m your girlfriend, I should count the most,” She retorted, bringing a hand up to play with the smaller girl’s tentacles.

“Okay,” the rapper sighed, “so you count the most, but you’re still just one person. Everybody else... they love you, all our fans are here mainly for you and your beats. I bet if we took out all of my parts in our songs people would say our music is so much better, they would rather listen to you spin turntables for sixty minutes rather than listen to me rap for three.”

Marina frowned, not sure how else she could prove that people really did love her and her raps. Sure, a lot of the inklings (and octarians) liked how Marina looked more than Pearl, but she heard plenty of good things about the rapping portions of their songs. Color Pulse, Ebb and Flow, Acid Hues, all those songs wouldn’t be the same without Pearl’s voice on them. She shook her head lightly, “I’ll prove it to you one day, people do love you, right now let’s just get some sleep.”

Though her thoughts were still filled with hate, Pearl agreed and let herself relax in Marina’s arms. It felt like hours before her breathing became steady and her eyelids no longer fluttered open, even the octoling had fallen asleep before her. As her mind started to clear and she felt herself drift off, she sighed and whispered to her sleeping lover one final sentence before she fell asleep.

“I wish you could, Mar. I really wish you could...”

-

It had been a week or so since their conversation about Pearl had occurred, and she seemed to be doing okay. Nothing was off when she was announcing stages, she still waved hi to fans that passed by their window, and she hadn’t brought it up again during their free time. Marina was still worried about her though, how could she not be? Even now as she was playing a round of turf war to try and ease her mind, thoughts of her girlfriend still floated in and out while she splatted the enemy team with her Splat Brella.  Speaking of Pearl, she usually joined in to play with Marina, but she had opted out this time, saying something about wanting to get a new pair of Duelies before she went in.

When the match ended and the results had been displayed, the octoling set out to find Pearl and make sure she was alright. But as she exited the lobby, she was stopped by a girl inkling with light blue tentacles that were tied up in a bun.

“Hi Marina, so sorry to bother you but I’m such a big fan of Off the Hook and I was wondering if we could take a picture?” The girl asked timidly, which reminded Marina a whole lot of herself.

“Oh, uh sure!” She said with a shy smile. “What’s your name?”

“Parker,” she replied. “I know it kinda sounds like a guy name...”

Marina couldn’t help but frown at that, “N-no your name is... really pretty I think, it’s unique.”

The inkling wore a hopeful grin on her face, as if she hadn’t ever heard something like that before, and the singer wondered what kind of good she had just done in her heart. Parker pulled out her shell phone and turned it sideways to fit them both in the picture, she smiled and Marina did her and Pearl’s signature pose with a smile as well. The picture was snapped and the girl checked her library to make sure it had come out alright.

“This looks so amazing! Thank you for letting me snap that pic,” she put her phone away and turned to the pop star. “Where’s Pearl?”

Marina looked out across the square, “I was actually just going out to find her, I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“Oh, I was really hoping I’d get to see her,” she replied in dejection. “I like you guys both, but I think her rapping is so cool, I want to write my own rhymes like that one day, your band is such an inspiration to me.”

“Really?” The DJ said with excitement, “Pearl’s rapping has inspired you that much?”

Parker laughed nervously, “Well, you too—Off the Hook wouldn’t be the same without either of you guys—but Pearl drops the sickest bars and I’ve loved her raps since your debut concert.”

“Cod, Pearlie would love to be hearing this right now,” Marina mumbled and grabbed her weapon she had just been using in the last round of turf war and started to make her way to Sheldon’s shop. “I’ve gotta go, but it was really nice to meet you, if I see you again I’ll introduce you to Pearl!”

The blue inkling waved at her idol, “Tell her she’s my favorite if you can!”

The octoling waved back and gave a thumbs up, bee-lining for the place she hoped she’d find Pearl. When she walked in, she only saw Sheldon polishing a few different guns.

“Marina! Good to see you, what kind of weapon are you looking for?” He exclaimed and put away the stuff on his counter.

“Oh, well, I’m not looking to buy today... I was just wondering if you had seen Pearl lately,” she questioned.

Sheldon shook his head, “Haven’t seen her, I would have remembered if such talent entered my store.”

“Clam it,” she muttered, “thank you for telling me, I’ll see you next time Sheldon.”

“See ya around!”

-

Marina felt like she had looked everywhere, her friends list told her she wasn’t in a match, she checked all the shop owners to see if they had her stop by, she even asked Murch if he had seen her in the square. But, all of it was to no avail. She decided to head back home and check if she had just come back instead of playing at all, and she could have sworn her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she unlocked the door.

The living room was empty upon her first glance into their penthouse, as was the kitchen and dining room area. She headed down the hallway to where their room was and quietly opened the door. Inside, sure enough, there was Pearl—a sleeping, tear stained, exhausted Pearl. The blinds hadn’t been shut, which lead Marina to believe her girlfriend had been in here crying and accidentally cried herself to sleep. Her heart ached at the sight, the inkling still in her pajamas from the night before and the blanket draped only halfway around her.

Marina tiptoed to the window that still had sun peaking through it and closed the blinds, sliding a teal curtain over it for good measure. Immediately, the room was a lot darker and more pleasant for sleeping, so she slipped off her shoes and shorts (a different pair than the ones she usually wore, all her current clothing was her turf war gear) leaving on the short sleeved shirt. She fixed the blanket so it was covering all of Pearl’s body and slipped into bed beside her. Just the octoling’s presence was enough for her girlfriend to roll over into her arms, even asleep she craved the attention.

“Oh Pearlie, my precious Pearlie...” she whispered and held her girlfriend close. “If only you knew how much they loved you.”

It felt like forever until Pearl woke up, but Marina had stayed in bed with her the whole time she was napping, she wanted to be there when she woke up. The pink inkling shifted once she started to wake up, confused by the weight next to her. Her eyes peaked open and found the dark skin and tentacles of her partner, she wasn’t there before she fell asleep...

“Marina,” she said and the octoling shook her head.

“I know.” She stated simply.

Pearl didn’t know what else to do besides shrink back down into the bed, as if she was suddenly exhausted again. Her reason for staying home was to get out all her stupid feelings without worrying her girlfriend, but she screwed it up and made her worry even more. What was she supposed to say to that, sorry? No, there wasn’t an excuse for her actions, she was trying to push everyone out and deal with it on her own, but none of that ever worked out, she should’ve known better. Marina was probably mad, disappointed, upset, she hadn’t said anything else and the tension was killing her. She was pondering if she should’ve said something more when the other girl’s voice spoke up.

“There’s a girl, big fan of ours, light blue tentacles and a messy bun with the freshest gear I’ve seen, her name’s Parker, she wanted a picture with me today. After we took it she asked where you were, and she told me all about how your rapping inspired her to write her own. I went to look for you and she told me to tell you that you’re her favorite.

“When I stopped by Sheldon’s place, he told me he would have remembered seeing you come in because you’re so talented. For cod’s sake Pearlie, even Murch was telling me how much he likes your spin on the songs. People. Love. You. I don’t know how else I’m supposed to get that into your head, all those squids are just immature and trying to poke fun at you. So please... believe me when I say I love you, believe me when I say other people love you too. Do you think I would have been able to make it on my own here as an octoling without a partner like you? I couldn’t even imagine it, and all of this... the success, the songs, the fans... they aren’t just here for me. I can guarantee you that.”

Pearl looked up at Marina who’s eyes had glossed over with tears, and she felt so... so stupid for letting this all get to her. She was starting to think that Marina was right, people did love her, but she had gotten caught up in all the bad things people were saying, she didn’t stop and open her eyes.

“Mar,” she tried again, her voice cracking slightly. But she didn’t continue, she couldn’t, the tears had returned to her and before she could stop them, they were spilling over her cheeks like waterfalls. She tried to keep her sobs quiet, she always hated the sound of her own crying, but it reduced her ability to breathe clearly and Marina was gently wiping the tears away with the pad of her thumb and she couldn’t keep back her feelings anymore. She let herself gasp and shudder and cry like she needed too, all while in the safety of her girlfriend’s arms.

Pearl didn’t say anything else, all that was needed to be said was said. So as her tears turned into stains and her gasping turned into quiet, shaky breaths, Marina began to sing quietly to soothe the inkling. Their own songs were a little too upbeat for the moment, so she decided to sing the Squid Sisters’ song Fresh Start. It seemed fitting for the moment, and it was slow and melodic, perfect to relax to. She sang the melody for the most part, only dipping into the harmonics when she felt it sounded nice or for effect. She lengthened the song with some improvised Octarian singing as well, it was mostly just a translation of the original version but she added in her own stuff as well. Pearl had always enjoyed her singing, and if she couldn’t sleep she would ask her to sing to help her fall asleep, and while the goal wasn’t sleep this time around, relaxation was.

“I’m always here for you, Pearlie,” Marina whispered when she was finished with her song, not sure if the inkling was even awake to hear her. “Always.”

-

The rest of the day was spent cuddling in bed and lounging around the house, all means to record were put off until tomorrow when they had free time after work. Marina had advanced quite a bit on the song she was having trouble on a while ago, it still didn’t sound quite right, but she wasn’t concerned about it too much that she needed to record at that very moment. Her only concern was Pearl and her mental health, her physical health too, but not as much. She didn’t ask or mention any more of what had occurred earlier, she just hoped her words made a deep enough impact to help the inkling see what was really going on around her.

Pearl on the other hand, didn’t like the silence that Marina was giving her. The extended periods of time without talking made being in her mind unbearable, especially with all the thoughts that were bouncing around in there. But she couldn’t start up a conversation herself, if she opened her mouth, all her thoughts would spill out into words and she didn’t need to deal with any of that right now. She just wanted noise to fill the silence and her girlfriend to kiss her until she forgot everything bad about the world and herself. That wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it? Once again, she was afraid of trying to speak, but... maybe she didn’t have to.

As the pair were laying in bed together about an hour or two after their talk, Pearl wiggles herself free from the octoling’s arms and the blankets surrounding them. Her bare legs were hit by a burst of cold air, but it didn’t bother her enough to put pants back on, especially since she’d just get right back into bed.

She didn’t glance back at Marina when she walked over to grab her phone from its place on the dresser, but she could sense there was some confusion coming from her. With her phone in hand, she set up their wireless speaker and connected her phone to shuffle through various songs by all their favorite artists (yes, including themselves). She’d be able to adjust everything from their bed, but she made sure that the volume was at an appropriate level and that they started on a good song.

When she set the phone down on the table next to her side of the bed and crawled back under the covers, Marina simply looked at her with those big, innocent eyes and offered her arms to cuddle into. But when Pearl shook her head, the DJ cocked her head to the side slightly.

“What’s all this for?” She asked, but didn’t receive an answer immediately. The inkling looked like she was debating something, but it was hard to tell what was going on in her mind lately.

The answer, when she did finally get one, was not what she expected. Instead of an explanation, Pearl had just tilted her head downwards and pressed her lips firmly to Marina’s. She wasn’t complaining, just a little confused, but if this was what Pearl wanted then she’d be happy to give it to her.

Her tentacles curled up and swayed slightly as they kissed, indicating that her ink was definitely pumping a little bit. Not too much, but the element of surprise was what had really got her. Pearl began to shift her body so it was now on top of Marina’s, her small frame resting on her girlfriend’s much taller one.

“Just kiss me,” the inkling muttered as she separated their lips momentarily. “That’s all I need.”

“You could have-“ before she could finish her sentence, Pearl was back to locking their lips and Marina swore she felt a smirk on the girl’s face through the kiss. The spontaneous make out session seemed to brighten Pearl’s mood a little, like the kiss was the best medicine for her.

“Next time you’re sad, could you tell me where you’re actually gonna be? I was worried about you,” Marina told the inkling, looking into her eyes as they both took a moment to breathe.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just—“ didn’t want you to know how I was actually feeling. “I just wanted some time to think.”

The rapper couldn’t keep the eye contact, she felt strange and uncomfortable under her gaze, so her golden eyes darted off to the sides and looked down, anywhere but the blue and pink eyes staring back at her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told her girlfriend, maybe it was just in fear of how she would react, or something to that extent. Despite feeling bad, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about her feelings to anyone at all, she had never been the type to be open like Marina was. It was just the way she was raised, she learned to deal with things on her own, including her mental health. She had been able to take care of herself, she didn’t need to rely on other people to get better.

“That’s okay, just tell me next time okay?” Pearl nodded.

A broken bone will heal on its own, but without something to help it properly heal, the injury only gets worse.

-

After a concert Off the Hook had just performed, the duo were out signing CDs and posters and anything else the fans had for them. They were able to take pictures with some and make quick small talk with others, hearing stories about how they came to love the band and their music, most of them saying they had loved them ever since the debut concert. As they reached the end of the line, a girl with light blue tentacles tied into a bun approached them.

When Marina recognized the inkling, she gasped and ran to hug her, “Parker!”

Parker smiled in shock, surprised that her idol had remembered her from that one day in the square, and her other idol was standing no more than five feet away from her. To say she was a bit star struck was an understatement. The octoling let her free from her embrace and turned to Pearl, waving her hand and motioning for her to come meet the fan.

“Pearlie, this is Parker, probably your number one fan besides me.”

The inkling waved a shy hello to the rapper, blushing a vibrant blue and fiddling with her CD. She glanced up every now and then to try and make eye contact, but it was quite the challenge as she choked out her words, “Um, I really, really look up to you guys—you especially because I want to write my own raps and you have been such an inspiration and influence to my writing and style, I just wanted to say that you’re my favorite rapper in probably the entire world.”

Parker laughed nervously at the end, but she did mean every word she said. She loved Marina as well, but knowing the octoling encouraged her to tell Pearl she was her favorite took a bit of the nerves away from her. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to feel like she didn’t like the other equally, so the support was a big help.

“Well kid, I’ll tell you it’s tough out here in the music biz,” Pearl replied casually, hoping to lighten the mood. “But don’t let it get to you, I... I let it get to me and things didn’t turn out so well. You have to stand your ground, and I bet with your rhymes you’ll be taking our spot in no time.”

“Really? You think I’ll do that good?” The inkling asked, her eyes full of hope as she looked up to the pop star.

“Sure you will, one day when you make it big, we can do a collab together and drop the freshest lines Inkopolis has ever heard.”

Outside, Pearl was her usually calm, collected, laid back self, but on the inside she was freaking out. It was so refreshing and reassuring to hear something like that, she was an inspiration, she meant something to somebody. She glanced at Marina, who was beaming at the two inklings, her tentacles curling in excitement.

“Would you mind signing this for me then?” Parker pulled a pair of studio headphones and a marker out of her backpack. “I use this when I’m recording, so I thought it would be cool to have my idols sign it, for like... good luck maybe?”

Pearl took the marker with a smile, “it’s no problem squiddo, I’d be happy too, and I’m sure Marina would too.”

After she signed her name, she passed the marker to the DJ so she could sign on the other side, adding a little heart along with her name. Cod, with their current status those things could go for a lot of money online, but she got the feeling the blue inkling would keep them as her own treasure forever.

“Hey, I heard last time you got to take a pic with Mar, but not me, so let’s make up for that right now,” Pearl offered, receiving agreement from the other two.

They passed Parker’s phone to a security guard who was nice enough to take the picture for them, and posed for the camera. Parker was in the middle, Marina to her right and Pearl on her left, both of their arms around her. They were all smiling as bright as the sun, and happy as could be.

They took the photo and a few more just for good measure, and bid farewell to Parker, who had to get back to her place before it got too late. As the inkling walked away, Marina couldn’t hardly contain her excitement anymore and hugged Pearl tightly while spinning her around. “I told you! I told you they loved you, baby!” She exclaimed, probably a bit too loudly if they still wanted to keep their relationship secret.

Pear laughed and hugged her back, “Okay, okay, Marina you gotta quiet down, there’s still a few fans around.” She warned her of the bystanders who were fairly far away, but most likely still in earshot. Even if they weren’t, it was still a good idea to be quiet just incase the paparazzi was around.

“Right, sorry,” the octoling apologized and let her lover out of her grasp. “But this is what I was talking about, people adore you, you just have to find their voice in the crowd.”

“I really would like to see Parker again sometime, maybe hear some of her raps too,” Pearl said with a smile as they made their way to the backstage area and their dressing rooms.

“Should’ve gotten her friend code,” Marina commented.

“Clam it, I didn’t even think about that,” the rapper sighed at her lack of thinking ahead, oh well, they’d hopefully see her again one day in a turf war or another concert.

Once they were ready to leave, they thanked the staff and crew members for all their hard work and super jumped back home together, absolutely exhausted for the night. Pearl went straight to their bedroom to get undressed with Marina following just a few steps behind. They look less time getting dressed this time, practically dancing around the room together as they avoided getting in the other’s way. Once they were ready for bed and they had curled up with each other under the warmth of their blankets, Pearl kissed her girlfriend’s cheek.

“You think we’ll finally get that new song done tomorrow?” The inkling asked hopefully.

“I think so, we just need those final recordings done and we should have ourself a new hit.”

There was silence for a moment while Pearl debated on speaking her mind again, sharing her feelings still wasn’t her thing. After a few minutes of convincing herself to squid up and just say it, she whispered—just in case Marina was already asleep, “Thank you for showing me what love really is.”

And after a minute with no response, the rapper figuried the octoling was sleeping and did her best to fall asleep herself. That was, until she heard an equally soft voice whisper, “You’re welcome Pearlie.”

She was so in love with Marina.