#mermaid's tongue hype train

[wildflowercryptid]

spoilers & speculation for the mermaid's tongue demo below the cut!

okay, i need to talk about this bc it's making me go batty. i was looking through the demo again, ( mostly to grab screencaps bc i might update the wikia if someone doesn't before me, ) and i already found something i missed in my first playthrough.

i'm really gonna have to remember to thoroughly look over the clues in this game bc i didn't check the back of the her painting at first. and well...

hey, that symbol looks familiar.

yeah, i think the stonetops are going to be important to this game's plot. we're getting more freya family lore, baby!!

[flowerfan2]

Affinity - Ch. 5 (10.05)

McDanno, A03

A continuous story of season 10 episode codas.  Steve may describe their relationship as a dysfunctional marriage, but at some point, will he and Danny take a closer look at what it really could be?   

Chapter 5

You’re taking Charlie trick-or-treating near your house tonight, right?

Danny tugs his phone out of his pocket, squints at the text, and writes back.

Yeah, my neighborhood has the best decorations.  And Ms. Tanaka on the corner gives out whole candy bars.  Why? 

Danny pokes his head into Charlie’s bedroom to check on his son’s progress while he waits for Steve to respond. Charlie is still deciding between the Superman costume that Rachel bought for him, and a vampire ghost contraption that he insisted on creating with an old sheet and magic markers about twenty minutes ago.

 Probably nothing.  But we caught a case with a guy who broke out of a basement cell. Potentially very dangerous and unstable.  Nowhere near your place, though.

 Sure, I buy that.

No, really.  Ask Max if you want.

“Danno, I’m ready now!”  Charlie announces.  Danny assures him that the blood drops and fangs drawn on the sheet draped over his head look extremely scary, and they head outside, plastic pumpkin in hand.

Danny can catch up with Steve later. He’s not falling for his escaped basement monster joke.  For now he’s going to ignore Steve, and focus on Charlie.

That’s been his approach all week, ever since Steve kissed him.

Not just with Charlie, of course. Danny has, in no particular order, focused on (1) badgering Tani about her mermaid costume; (2) taking Quinn out to lunch to try to get himself to stop thinking of her as the enemy; (3) hassling Grace about midterms that she should be paying more attention to; (4) making sure that if he was paired up with Steve on a case they had another member of the team with them; and (5) also Charlie, who had a very important Lego club meeting on Wednesday after school.  

 All of this was designed to help him put things in perspective.  That perspective being that whatever Steve was up to last week after Danny hit his head was just about being a good friend and partner – work partner – not anything else.

 Danny’s not sure it’s working.

 That night last week, feeling Steve press a kiss to his cheek, Danny had felt something blossom in his chest that was far, far too dangerous to think about.  He can’t go down this road, not now, and really, not ever.  Not unless he wants to risk what he has with Steve.

But what if…? his treacherous brain keeps asking.  What if it wouldn’t ruin what he has with Steve?  What if this is something Steve wants?

 Steve had clearly thought Danny was asleep.  Does it mean that Steve has romantic feelings for him, but doesn’t want Danny to know? Or does it mean there’s nothing to know?

 Danny wishes he had been brave enough to tilt his head, to catch Steve’s warm lips with his own.  To see if Steve would have continued the kiss, lean close with just the right amount of pressure.  Slowly open up for Danny, letting him in, trading soft kisses and flickers of tongue until their hands started to wander, bodies pressed close…

 Danny closes down this train of thought abruptly.  Unfortunately it’s a train that keeps coming around, like it’s circling a Christmas tree, insisting on chugging itself into Danny’s mind over and over and over.  But he cannot be having these thoughts about Steve. His best friend.  His male best friend, who has shown no interest whatsoever in any male partners for the ten years Danny has known him (except you, a voice in his head whispers… maybe he’s shown an interest in you).

 The whole situation makes him dizzy, and not just from the blood rushing to his nether regions.  So Danny tries as hard as he can to focus on non-Steve things. End of story.

 It should be easy enough not to think about his partner tonight, since he’s keeping busy trick-or-treating with Charlie.  Except nothing about Steve is ever easy.

 His phone vibrates again, twice in a row, and Danny sighs.  It’s not as if he can ignore Steve’s texts.  Steve is his boss, after all (and right there, right there, is another reason nothing can happen between them.  As if Steve had any respect for the rules, which he doesn’t, but Danny does. Usually.)

 Can you believe Max is visiting with his son?  Wanna talk to him?

 Danny, you there?

 Danny gives up and calls Steve, trailing behind Charlie as they walk to another house, this one with cute little pumpkins on stakes lighting their driveway.

 “What is it?  I’m out with Charlie, can it wait?”

 “Hey, you didn’t tell me you were going as Oscar the Grouch.  Thought Charlie was too old for Sesame Street?”

 “Ha ha, very funny.”

 “I thought so.”  Steve’s voice turns serious.  “But really, there is a very angry guy roaming the streets tonight. Worse than you before your coffee.”

 Danny pauses, putting a hand on Charlie’s shoulder and looking around for anything out of the ordinary.  He doesn’t see any costumed kids older than about middle school age, and the parents tagging along don’t look like they’re hyped up on anything but sugar.

 “It’s quiet here.  Not even any obnoxious teenagers.”

 “Okay, just keep an eye out and let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary.”

 It’s a funny thing to say on Halloween, but Danny gets it.  The case may be bothering Steve more than he’s letting on.  “You need me to come in?  I can drop Charlie at Rachel’s-”

 “No, Danno,” Charlie whines, appearing in front of him with a pleading look on his face.  “Stay with me, you promised.”

 “You’re fine, Danny.  Everyone else is here.  Have fun with Charlie.”

 They hang up, although Danny feels a little pang.  <i>Everyone else is here.</i>  Even Max.  At least Quinn isn’t wearing some kind of sexy soldier costume tonight, if she sticks with what she bought while she and Danny were having lunch earlier in the week. Although Steve will probably appreciate the Top Gun outfit just as much.

 Danny sighs and trots to catch up to Charlie.  They hit a few more houses, but before long, Charlie is flagging.  He looks up at Danny with bright eyes, and Danny crouches down next to him.

 “I don’t feel so good, Danno.”

 Danny feels his son’s forehead. It’s a little warm, and Charlie’s eyes are bright.  “It’s time to head home anyway, bud.  You already got more candy than I ever did.”  He takes Charlie’s plastic pumpkin from him and nods appreciatively.  “Tons more.”

 “More than Grace ever got?”

 Danny grins, and slings an arm around Charlie’s thin shoulders.  “Definitely more than Grace.”

 Back at home Danny takes Charlie’s temperature.  He’s barely got a fever, but he’s thoroughly wiped out from all the excitement.  He doesn’t even protest when Danny gives him some Tylenol and puts him to bed.

 It’s only afterwards, sitting on his couch checking over Charlie’s candy, that Danny remembers Kamekona’s party. He had planned to head over there with Charlie for a little while after trick-or-treating.  He sends Kame a quick text with his apologies.  Just something else he’s missing tonight.

 Danny helps himself to a mini-Snickers and clicks on the television.  He tells himself that the team probably isn’t going to make it back to the party either, not with the cases that sprung up tonight.  Maybe he and Steve can stop by later in the week to meet Flippa’s mom while she’s visiting.

 Danny channel surfs idly, getting up to hand out candy every time the doorbell rings.  The pace of trick-or-treaters eventually slows, and Danny gets sucked into a show about a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost who are roommates.  It reminds him of the basement escapee Steve warned him about, and he takes a minute to do another check on his windows and doors.  Even though Tani texted him that the guy was found, you can never be too safe.

 He’s on his way back to the couch when the doorbell rings again.  It’s Steve, wearing a creepy mask and making a hooting noise that is probably supposed to be scary.

 “Come on in, you dope.”

 “How’d you know it was me?”

 Danny doesn’t dignify this with an answer.  “Want some candy?”  He holds out the plastic pumpkin to Steve, who takes it on his way to the couch.

 “Thanks.  Got any more beer?”

 Danny retrieves two cold beers from the kitchen and joins Steve, who is methodically picking through Charlie’s take and setting aside all of the Butterfingers.  Steve knows Charlie doesn’t like them.  The two of them had debated the merits of various candy bars a few weeks ago when Steve got him going by suggesting to Charlie that he hand out bags of pretzels instead of candy.  Charlie was not in favor.

 “Why aren’t you at Kamekona’s?” Danny finally asks, when they are settled in front of the television, the next episode of the ridiculous roommates show starting up.

 Steve barely finishes chewing his latest Butterfinger and frowns at Danny.  “I heard Charlie was sick.  Figured I’d better keep you company.”

 “That was very thoughtful of you,” Danny says, as Steve returns his gaze to the television.  

 “Besides, just because our guy didn’t turn out to be a monster, it is Halloween,” Steve says.  “You never know what might happen.”

 Danny swallows hard, and tries not to read anything into Steve’s comment.  Charlie is sleeping in the next room, after all.  And Halloween isn’t exactly a romantic holiday.

 But then Steve stretches and slings his arm over the back of the couch, practically around Danny’s shoulders, and slides a little closer to him.  Danny smiles and leans into Steve’s warmth.  He almost forgot Steve’s love for scary date movies.  Maybe something is happening tonight after all.

[twitchtipthegnawer]

Mchanzo and Crewt?

OH BOY THANK YOU I’M SO HYPED! I hope you don’t mind that I… flipped the script on some fanon with this? I wanted to use it as a bit of a writing exercise.

who’s the werewolf and who’s the hunter

McHanzo: Jesse McCree is a hunter who was trained by the best of the best, Gabriel Reyes. But he’d never seen a werewolf like Hanzo, one so poised, so - beautiful.

Crewt: Ma always told Credence that werewolves would rip him to shreds if given the chance. But this one is just watching him, calm and almost gentle, and what kind of wolf has red and curly fur anyway?

who’s the mermaid and who’s the fisherman

McHanzo: The river was far away from any cities or towns. That was why Hanzo liked to fish there; it afforded him rare peace and quiet. But today he hears someone singing an unfamiliar, twanging tune, and he can’t help but think of how it would feel to let his long hair flow in the water.

Crewt: Newt is more thankful than ever for his patience right now. He’s been trying to coax the shy creature from his hiding space for over an hour, first with soft words, and now with simple, silent company. Finally, he sees a pale, webbed hand reach over the edge of the rock. It’s covered in old scars.

who’s the witch and who’s the familiar

McHanzo: Most witches didn’t haveta worry about their familiar flat-out disagreeing with them. But Hanzo wasn’t fucking budging, no matter what Jesse tried. “I don’t give a damn about dignity,” McCree growled as his patience ran out. “We need to get the spell done, now.”

Crewt: I don’t know if I can do it. The words hovered on the edge of Credence’s tongue, wispy-thin and weak as the rest of him. Newt seemed constantly amazed by his familiar, but Credence was certain any day now he’d let his partner down.

who’s the barista and who’s the coffee addict

McHanzo: “I’m sorry,” Hanzo said, sure he’d misheard. “Are you denying me service?” He’d been cut off at bars before, but never at a cafe. And never by a barista who he had, frankly, found ludicrously attractive for months. That may have contributed to his recent increase in coffee intake.

Crewt: Sure Newt felt like he was nearly buzzing out of his skin, but he needed to pull another all-nighter. Zoology wasn’t an easy major, and biology wasn’t an easy minor, and finals weren’t going to take themselves. The back of his neck prickled, and he turned to see the mousy barista looking at him. “Um, I’m sorry,” he said. “But do you need some help with your flashcards?”

who’s the professor and who’s the TA

McHanzo: Never in his life had Hanzo seen someone with worse work ethic. Jesse could tell by the way Hanzo glared every time he passed back sloppily edited student essays.

Crewt: Crushing on a professor as a student was absolutely wrong. But what about as an assistant? What about when you were old enough to go to his house for late-night brainstorming, and got to see him happy and drunk…

who’s the knight and who’s the prince(ss)

McHanzo: The view from the window never changed, until one day Hanzo spotted someone unfamiliar on the edge of the grounds. He should have raised the alarm, but he stranger looked so interesting. Hirsute and rough.

Crewt: “I don’t need rescuing,” Newt explained. “This dragon species is rare, and I’m studying it, not being held hostage.” He watched the poor knight hunch inwards, and even though he couldn’t see a face through the helmet he knew whoever was in that armor was feeling more than chagrin.

who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent

McHanzo: He couldn’t hide his surprise when he saw Hanzo for the first time. Mighty young to be a father was putting it kindly. The family resemblance was also negligible; Genji was a joy to have in class, bright and boisterous, and Hanzo was nothing if not serious.

Crewt: Modesty’s ability to carefully guide even the shyest of students out of their shells made much more sense the moment Newt met her father. His heart ached just seeing the man. Clearly, whoever Modesty’s mother had been, she hadn’t been particularly careful to leave her ex-husband whole.

who’s the writer and who’s the editor

McHanzo: How on earth did this man manage to become a professional author? His stories were rife with grammatical errors, slang where it was entirely unnecessary… and yet, Hanzo had to admit that some of the scenes he’s edited have made him sweat bullets.

Crewt: “I-I’m sorry,” Credence stammered as he handed over the manuscript. “But the writing is still too, um…” Obtuse, his brain supplied, but he didn’t want to say it. Newt’s love of technical lexicon was adorable, if not exactly convenient.

[wildflowercryptid]

You got me into Detective Grimoire and Tangle Tower and now we're getting The Mermaid's Tongue!! aaaaaaa!!! When do you think we'll be getting it? I hope it'll be earlier half of 2024 because I'm so excited for it!!

aaaa it makes me really happy knowing people have gotten into detective grimoire through me, it's such a good series so i'm glad it's getting more eyes on it! i think it's really cool that a lot of the recent attention the game has gotten on tumblr seems to be a result of word of mouth / artists getting into the game, ( i actually deiced to play tt because someone i already followed kept sharing allie's hawkshaw au and that got me curious about the game. ) hopefully, the fandom will be even more active soon thanks to a new game coming out. i'd love to see that!

as to when i think it'll come out, i'm also hoping for an early 2024 release since i'm impatient and want to play it as soon as possible. still, there's a lot of work that goes into creating games and i obviously don't want them to rush it out so i'm willing to wait however long it takes for them to polish the game. i'm thinking late spring / early summer at the earliest or early fall at the latest.