#the crabs as usual did not react i wish to be them they are so blissfully unaware of things at all times

[fabdante]

People enjoy this one (a true story I saw happen before my eyes)

art only blog - insta - inprnt - redbubble (image description in alt)

[clownhousemargarita]

Can you do a zooble x shy male reader

"A bunch of nothing." -- Zooble.

------- Summary: You adore your partner, and all you want to do is kiss them. But you aren't sure how.. Pairing: Zooble x MALE! Reader Warnings: A little angst, identity issues. Enjoy. --------

Ever since you got here, your head felt like it was constantly spinning. Whenever your brain decided to have a lovely reality check, you found yourself dizzy, unable to focus your eyes. You weren't sure how to react to anything, nothing could have prepared you for this. But, you had to do what you can. You found yourself trying to make comfort in people, someone who didn't show so much of the same emotion as you so it balanced out well. You couldn't stand Jax, he was a little shit. Pomni had found her cure in Ragatha, and you knew Ragatha couldn't handle another person to fall into a mental void with. Everyone else you seemed to find no connection, except for... "Zooble!" The objectal mess turned around at the sound of whatever their name ever was. You waved at them, a worried look always had been plastered on your face. They hummed at you, finding you a better guy to talk to then whatever Gangle had been crying about. "Do we have to be out here?" You asked, fidgeting with your fingers. They didn't even feel like fingers. What did fingers feel like again? "Dunno, I'm pretty sure we have some f&%k a$$ adventure that Caine's going to put together soon." They said very monotone. As they usually do. You hummed, your back that naturally hunched over beginning to hurt. Somehow. They pondered for a minute, before speaking. "If we run away right now, I don't think he'll find us." Zooble whispered, their non symmetrical eyes squinting at you. You're face flushed happily, nodding quickly. You took their crab hand, rushing away from the group and wherever Caine would appear. Once you two had gotten far enough away, Zooble spoke, "Dude, I'm tired. I think." They groaned. You giggled, finding some colorful blocks to rest against, dropping the room idea. "What was Jax talking to you about?" You asked, breathless. Zooble shrugged, "I have no idea, I zone out when he talks to me." You laugh, shifting to lay your head on Zoobles' lap.

Their eyes had changed, you had studied their distorted face to understand when they smiled. It's hard to tell your partners emotions when they were a bunch of 3D clay. "You know what I wish?" You begin, looking up at them as they did the same to you. Their eyebrow perked up. "That I could kiss you." Their eyes went wide for a moment, before letting out a quiet huff and turning away from you. "Major bummer." They muttered. "I'm serious." You whine, shifting to your side. "I am too. It's a bummer." They shrug, still not making eye contact with you. You sat up from their lap, now sitting on their lap instead of laying on them. "Can I help you, sir?" Zooble tilts their head, clearly now frustrated. "Why'd you get angry?" You asked softly. "Because, what am I supposed to do about that?!" They exclaimed, leaning into you angrily. You sat silent for a moment, usually you were a shy guy, but around Zooble you found yourself to be a bit more bold because you knew they wouldn't judge you like you feared. You leaned in, kissing what would be considered their cheek. "Did you feel that?" You ask, it was clearly a dumb question but a curious one. "I should slap you." They leaned back against the wall, their face flushed like you haven't seen before. What you meant by, 'flush' it was more that the triangular face they had had went from pink to red. You ignore their remark and lean in to kiss another part of their face, eventually spiraling to kiss all over their face. Their odd hands found themselves at your waist. "I know you look messy but I love kissing you." "I have no mouth." "Improvise." "I'm a mess." "We all are, I don't even remember my real name." "Yeah, but, I'm a bunch of nothing." "You're still something." "Not like you." "Because you're not me, you're you." "I don't know who I am." "I...don't either." You both sat in silence. You felt Zoobles grip on your waist become tighter. You leaned in once more and kissed where their mouth would have been. "Not much we can do about that." Zooble nodded in agreement. "Thank you." You hear them mutter. "Thanks for letting me kiss you without getting actually slapped." Zooble chuckled, which you barley ever heard. "You stopped me before I could."

[daedalmirage]

POST-TRIAL 3.1 | “ GNAWING AT THE WOOL OVER MY EYES ! ” | SIR GAWAIN | 🚒 |

Keizo -- not Gawain -- had had a lot of time, the year before he was marked.

Quite a lot of it was spent moping. More of it was spent killing beers with Nakano, staring at a ceiling. Much more was spent waiting near a phone, hoping for a call from one -- but receiving another.

And being grateful.

And yet, not an insignificant amount of time had been spent thinking about the concept of the crab bucket.

The idea -- as Nakano had put it -- is that crabs can be stored in a bucket, while fishing. You can pile the crabs up to the top without worrying, because if one crab tries to make an escape -- away from certain death-- His doomed brethren, sensing his freedom, will use their awful claws to drag him down back with them. Together forever. Wallowing in shallow water until they're all killed.

At the time, he had scoffed.

But now, trapped -- watching one, two of them jump down his throat -- and then too many vote without thinking; voting to kill a woman who did nothing not in their name; voting to kill a woman who was fulfilling a duty; voting to kill a woman who would have put herself on the sword to save any of them--

Just as they had voted for him, the first time it counted. Just as they had always been willing to jump to the easiest conclusion, to sacrifice the people they believed, in their hearts, were lesser than they were.

Manako had killed, so she had to die. They had not killed -- so they were innocent, and deserved to live. They deserved to live because they wanted to live. They were entitled to it.

And if they didn't get to live, they would drag any other person down with them to their own watery grave.

His finger is tracing the mark.

(He almost hopes -- in his own crab heart -- that Daisy never tells them the cure. But he knows that's not right.)

(He's just angry. Patronized by sniveling pups, desperate to retain their own hides -- and dressing that up as a moral stageplay. Twisting themselves in knots to appear better than him, all to justify keeping themselves as safe as possible, until they're dressed up for the slaughter.)

(Because they had voted for him, when they thought he could die. And they're desperate to keep the punishments off of themselves. Because they don't deserve it.)

(As if they were not all culpable.)

(The crabs, desperately clawing at each other -- acting as if their bucket wasn't being dragged to the flame to cook them alive.)

It was Keizo -- not Gawain -- who appraised Banri and Jesse with an unwavering eye. Speaking nothing. His chin jutted -- his smile twitching, every so often, with disgust.

And it was Keizo -- not Gawain -- who didn't react to Manako, or Summer, or Daisy -- because at that point, their fate was sealed by people who were desperate for an answer that would keep them wrapped in a blanket, swaddled until someone came to kill them. And then they would die -- their faces one of shock.

And it was Keizo -- not Gawain -- who sighs when he sees the vote tallied.

...

(But, well.)

(Such was their lot, here.)

And eventually... he tries....

A smile.

"...Well. Shoulda known better than t'full circle it, Rayster. Shoulda just voted f'myself again, yeah...?"

.....

And he moves without thinking -- while Daisy's talking. A roundabout way.

His hand clasps Ray's shoulder. With love. With affection. And his voice is low to her, before she shakes her head.

And he makes his way to Daisy -- before he--

Quickly--

In their usual way.

"C'mere."

And he scoops her up from over her chair -- Kei, this time, rather than Keizo -- pulling her into a bridal carry -- too tight.

Before he sits back down, still holding Daisy. Maybe a whisper near her -- too low for even Stormy to hear.

...For a time.

Before he looks to Manako -- his eyes soft.

"I'm real sorry, Manako-san. I... tried. An' -- seems like... some of us played t'the tune, too... just wish it had been more.  But I'm real grateful, t'y'all who followed my lead, there...."

.... And his eyes go to Tezuka, to Franz, to Benkei.

"...As f'the rest of you... I ain't gonna pretend I understand y'positions. But I hope y'all can live with your choices. My conscious is clear."

(Crabs and cowards, all of them.)

(But him too, he supposes.)

[masoqueen-official]

October of paperhat (inktober) 2021

Day 26 - Heat

"𝕀 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕀'𝕞 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕟, 𝕀'𝕞 𝕤𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣."

Sorry for taking so long I was binging villainous crack xDDD you know how it is

Guess who got 30 fucking shark teeth when they though nothing would happennnn (like omg i was almost about to give some away- I WAS HOLDING AT LEAST 300,000 YEARS IN MY HANDS PEOPLE-)

But more about that later...

I did it! I actually made this one beach themed and a literal representation- jesus christ, the amount of times i re-did bh's eye (i redid his mouth once lol) HhuhajIiJjm, pMmm

My dad actually gave me some inspiration for this one and i said, "y'know what you actually gave me an idea for half of this thanks-" he basically said something about an aura around a person, but i think this works better. XD

Flug doesn't even know how to react anymore and bh is just like: "I may hate shorts but I'm notgoing to look stupid ✨" i also apologize for the filter pff idk

You also see how i snuck in that shark tooth canister and bag to compare to what i did? Yeahhh

I was thinking about giving him some fancy device to aid him in the sun but i was braindead so you get teeth instead-! Fun huh?

Speaking of fun, here's the other part-

The beach i went to was casperton(?) in Venice, Florida (calm down calm down i wanna go to) since we loaned some gear. And I gotta tell ya', it's as pretty as pretty can get that's not tropical blue water but instead has a bunch of seaweed *shivers* (i don't like touching seaweed)

((I'm about to loose my shit because the paragraph i typed is gone and I'm going as fast as i can GODDAMN IT so you get the simple simple version))

- Active decaying pufferfish and crabs were cool (it was)

- big scoop of "masochism give me strengtHhhh" and a sad washed away pile except it wasn't sad because big tooth was there :)

- CLEAN ASS SANDDOLLAR YAYYYYY

- i think that was it

- we thought we found 2 megladons but the first one (which i fohnd for the record U_U) looked like a rock so i got rid of it and the other one we kept because my dad was so confident and i was like okAy Then

- there was also black (grey) sand which was c o o l but woosh erosion got me like 😩 In the ocean

- also you know that feeling when someone has a lot of something or is rly popular in so,e public place or doing something usual and you're like m a n i wish that was me, well walking around with -30 something teeth might do the trick XD

- oh yeah and while we were heading out we (me, i did) noticed so many teeth in the concrete (cuz they put shells in stuff in them there) and it was such a tease, especially because one tooth was sticking out and you could feel it but it was stuck 😭😭😭

ANYWAY

I WROTE

A LOT OF STUFF

SO HOPE YOU LIKED IT Gtg now BYEEEE

(oh yeah and the sand pic i drew next to a flug sand pic on anpther day lol)

[thotsforvillainrights]

~Pivitol~

Summary: Emotions are rising and so is the heat. Kai finally takes the time to explore some of the touchier topics of dating...literally!

Chapter: 13

Warnings: Suggestive content (finally). Making out happens as well. There is sex talk in this chapter. You have been warned!

After his little phone call he could feel the guilt sink into his system when images of you and Pops crossed his mind, but mostly you. He was used to defying Pops under the pretense that the old man didn’t know what was best for the benefit of the Hassaikai, but he was not used to doing it to you. You guys hadn’t even had your first argument yet and things still felt very fresh in the relationship. If you knew what he was doing right now...Nevermind that. He pushed the guilt away and called some of his men to his office to collect the briefcase and distribute the drug to the lower rung of the Hassaikai. Kai would play this game out just like he had planned it. Have his lower men distribute the drugs and bring the money back in for exactly one week. Having his pawns do it and risk their own lives with the law was nothing of concern. Although he was changing in terms of respecting his people more often, he was still going to play this out just like he planned. After a week...just one week...he convinced himself. “One week and I’m done.” He mumbled on his way through the halls and back up to the top to see you. 

When he entered he began searching the halls and found you in Pops room, wiping off the counters and making the bed. “Angel, how’s it going?” He sat on the edge of the bed and smiled beneath his mask at your look. “Now Kai, I lose track of time as much as the next person but I know for a fact you don’t work for that short amount of time down there.” You teased him as he scratched the back of his neck. “Ignore all of that. I’m on a 15 minute break and I wanted to come see you. It’s lonely down there after all.” He pat the spot on the bed next to him and watched happily as you gave up cleaning to sit by him. You test the waters of the moment by laying your head on his shoulder. He tenses for maybe half a second but immediately relaxes afterward. While you suck in the peaceful silence, he pauses to peer down at you. Suddenly his head is swarmed with the same thoughts he’s been getting.

How soft are those lips? What does a real kiss feel like?

I want to be closer, I need to be closer.

I should’ve let her/him/them sleep in the bed with me last night...

“Kai?” He paused his thoughts to listen to you as you moved and looked up at him. “I really hope I’m not taking things too fast by asking this but I was wondering if maybe...like possibly if you...I mean I...” Your words were a jumbled mess coming out but they were so much more clear in your head. You silently wished he had a mind reading quirk instead of the overhaul. “I was wondering if you felt comfortable with me in terms of touch?” You started the conversation off with that instead of what you really wanted to ask. You’d be able to work your way up to the question that way. “Comfortable in terms of touch you ask?” He paused and pondered for a bit before looking back at you with bright and slightly upturned eyes (indicating a smile under that mask). “Well I suppose I can say so. In the history of forever, I’ve only let 4 people touch me to my knowledge. They were my mother, father, Chrono, and Pops. Now you’re one of them as well I suppose. I...when I am around you it’s hard to explain how I feel. I’ve never felt this way before about anyone in my entire life. No childhood crushes, no teen pining, nothing. For a while I thought I could live my whole life like this, and I probably could have if I didn’t meet you. But now that I’m with you, things are different. I look at you and I see purity, not filth. With you not having a quirk I suppose that adds to the whole thing as well. I guess what I’m saying is, you’re in my bubble right now and you’re still alive because I haven’t killed you yet...so yes. I’m comfortable with you and I’m getting more comfortable the longer I spend with you.” He poured himself out in full honesty and it felt like a weight was off his chest. 

“Then Chisaki, would you mind if maybe I did this...” Before he could react you leaned upward and placed a quick peck on the tip of his beaked mask. He paused feeling heat rise with himself. He reached up and gently rubbed the mask where you kissed it before removing the thing and revealing his bare face to you. “Just like that but...can you do it...on my lips?” He looked away as he asked this. Jumping right into it was still very new but he’s been wondering for a long time now what a kiss would be like. There must be a reason people do that right? You nodded a reached up to gently hold his face. You turned his head to face you and took a second to admire those soft eyes and the twinkle they seemed to hold for you. You closed your eyes as he took note of it and did the same. He silently wondered if he was supposed to keep them open or not but he would just follow your lead. As soon as your lips touched base with his, a zip of electricity ran up his spine and he instantly melted. You pulled back after a few seconds and gauged his reaction to the closed mouth kiss. He slowly reached up and touched his lips gently before mumbling a soft ‘wow’ and making you laugh lightly. “Is there more? I’ve seen it before. The other kind of kissing that people tend to do, Angel. Kiss me like that please.” He reached down without a second thought and grabbed your hands to give them a gentle but eager squeeze. “Kai the other kind of kiss leads to making out and I’m not so sure you can handle that.” You chuckled and he scoffed. 

“Please, I’m a grown man in case you forgot.”

“Yeah, and you’re just now having your first kiss in case you forgot.” You fired back and he looked down at his lap with a blush. “I’ll give it to you if you really feel like you’re ready.” You added on as he rubbed your hand with his thumb. He looked up at you in anticipation and mentally sighed in relief when he saw you close your eyes as you leaned in . He followed your lead and did the same. The zip of electricity from earlier was NOTHING compared to the intense fire that erupted in his gut from the way your tongue swiped across his lips before poking and prodding at them for entry. He complied and just about passed away from simply feeling your tongue make its way inside of his mouth. He decided to do the same and let himself explore the damp cavern before the two tongues wrestled for dominance. And then he did something he never thought about happening. 

He moaned.

It was quiet, but still loud enough for you to hear. You quickly pulled back in fear that you might be overwhelming him. While you checked his expression for any dismay, he was busy trying to make sense of the fog in his head right now. The heat wasn’t as intense now that you pulled away, but it was still burning nevertheless. He felt tingly, hot, and desperate for something he really didn’t understand. Most of all, his body reacted in such a way that a part of him was prominent that he only usually saw in the morning when he’d just be waking up. Before you could ask him if he was alright, he immediately captured you in another kiss, this time taking the lead himself. You felt yourself falling back gently onto the mattress beneath you and blissfully letting him take over. The kiss got more heated when he reached down to suddenly grip at your thigh. Positions shifted and you mindlessly found yourself wrapping your legs around his waste as he released another muffled moan into your mouth. Unfortunately you both had to pull away from each other tom breath and so he could also gather himself. “I...need some time.” He quickly spoke as he gathered himself and jetted out of the room, leaving you alone and confused about what just happened. Hopefully you hadn’t upset him an any way.

He quickly stepped down to the entry of the below base and pulled out his cellphone to call Chrono. “Meet me in my office right now. I don’t have time to waste.” He hung up the phone quickly and locked himself in his office until Hari came. By the time the man knocked on the door, Kai was trying to calm the turbulent waves in his mind. He moved to unlock the door and motioned for Hari to take a seat on the couch. Kai took a seat at his desk and stared at Chrono for a bit until the silver haired man spoke up. “Uhhh...Overhaul you good? You wanted to see me or something?” Kai let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, then he began to explain everything to Hari. Right now it wasn’t boss and worker...it was best friend confiding in best friend. When finished explaining, he paused and looked at Hari for a moment. Chrono chuckled and removed his bulky plague mask to show his expression. “Wait till Pops gets a load of this. He’s gonna lose his fucking mind.” Chrono laughed before having to dodge the stapler Kai threw at him. “This is no laughing matter! I called you in here for advice and you had better not breath a word of this to Pops or I’ll have your ass on the 5 o’clock news as a homicide case, you blockhead!” Hari simply laughed at his friend/boss’s empty threats as he reached down to pick up the stapler. “Look man, between you and me I’d have to say this is long over due. You’ve waited way too long and now look at you. You’ve got to manage your emotions sure, but I promise once you get bit by the sex bug you won’t be able to get out of it without going in...if you catch my drift.” Hari teased as he placed the stapler on Kai’s desk and sat in the chair to be much closer. 

“Sex bug. Didn’t they teach us this stuff in biology class in high school? That’s a disease. Lice or something right?” Kai questioned but Hari just laughed at him. “Dude no, what the fuck? You’re talking about crabs and no, it’s not that! It’s just a metaphor man. Listen, all I’m saying is this: The reason you’re so overwhelmed right now is because you’ve waited a long time and never experienced any of this. That’s why you literally popped a boner up there just from making out. You found somebody that lights your fire yknow? Somebody that gets you going. Now that you feel it for them, it’s not going to leave you alone until you have sex with Y/N got it?” Hari explained and Kai shuddered at the thought. “Got condoms? I have one in my wallet I can give you.” Hari spoke up again and Kai only shuddered more before looking at him in annoyance. “You don’t have to worry about that at least. The old crone has been leaving them hiding in all my stuff lately. There’s one in my desk right now but...I’m not so sure now is the right time to push for this type of thing. I mean I really want it but I feel like I should do some research first.” Hari looked at him with a bored expression. “Bro it’s not rocket science. Just put your thing in the hole...or get something put in your hole. Yada Yada yknow? I promise you its not that difficult, but if you really wanna research you can always get online and watch some po-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH HELP, CARRY ON WITH YOUR DAY!” Kai held a hand up and stopped his childhood friend from delving into the subject any further. Hari simply laughed and shook his head before standing up and preparing to exit the office. Before leaving he paused and looked back at his friend with a teasing smirk. “I’d research fast if I were you. The walls are thin and you don’t wanna have your first time while Pops is here. You should do it while the old man is gone still.” Then Hari left Kai to drown in his emotions like a good friend would do:)

[twisted-imagines]

Hello! I know someone has done a similar request to this on another blog but I was curious on your interpretation: how do you think the Leech brothers and Azul would react to having a crush or a SO that REALLY likes seafood, maybe even a particular fondness to eel or octopus dishes? (My personal favorite is squid n salmon 🐙🐟) Feel free to do whatever format you think would work best for this request!

I personally don't eat seafood much so it may be inaccurate, but I had fun with this one~ Scenario part is about eating their animal counterpart🤭 My attempt at comedy. Why did it turn to horror with Floyd though?

Maybe someday I will stop to just randomly go MIA. Maybe.

Octavinelle and a s/o who loves seafood

Jade Leech 🐬

"I promised you the sight, here it is, [Y/n]."

You pant heavily, supporting yourself with hands on your knees, for a minute all you can think about is calming down your breath, but a burning pain in your throat severely hinders your attempts to. Somehow a guy who was born in the sea and never left it before a few years ago can climb higher and faster than you, and you've lived your whole life with your legs. You feel like your skull is squeezing down on you, putting an immense pressure on your brain.

"My my, someone really needs to exercise more. How about joining the Mountain Appreciation Club, [Y/n]? We could do mountaineering more often and build up your stamina?"

You are about to tell him that he'd better kill you now than make you suffer another climb, but once you lift up your head up words die in your throat. Jade sure kept his promise, the sight before you is majestic.

He told you there is a lake somewhere behind that hill and that flora and fauna there is diverse and rich, but what he didn't mention is just how beautiful it is. Untouched, lush greenery, flowers of all colors of rainbow scattered across all the glade that sway to the wind, strive to reach the sun. The horizon is just a straight green line, with mighty trees towering over a pristine blue lake in the middle of this small haven. You can't look at the water for too long, bright sun rays it reflects blind you immediately.

You notice that your head no longer hurts and you can freely breathe in the fresh air, clear of foul smells that people bring when they flock together. But here it's just you, Jade and wild inhabitants of this sanctuary.

"It's beautiful."

"I expected you to enjoy this place. I'm glad my prediction was right. Feel free to explore it, I've made sure that there're no creatures that might hurt you. Before the sun starts to set, enjoy yourself."

You leave your gear and backpack behind and stride forward, having half a mind to take off your shoes and feel for yourself spangled with dew, glistening under the sun bright green grass. You briefly turn to Jade who is still standing behind, seemingly not turned his gaze away from you. He sends a small smile your ways and nods his head encouragingly as if knowing what thought visited your head. You are positive you've never felt so close to nature and to Jade too.

You can't possibly notice, you're already way ahead, touching the water with your leg, retreating when you realize it's too cold for you, keep trying anyway, but the smile does not leave Jade's lips, it grows wider the more he observes you. He can't tell you yet, but the feelings he harbors for you make his heart sing, they are not like anything he's felt before. Oh, how he wishes he could go out with you like this, spend time together without any care in the world, see you smile and look only at him. But things like confessions and relationships need careful planning, he can't possibly let himself be sloppy when it comes to you. Jade is patient, he can wait until that time comes.

"[Y/n], there are lots of different plants and fungi, unique to this area. I go search for them, can I leave setting a camp to you?"

"No problem, go do what you need to do, Mushroom Boy.”

He can't even be mad at you, what a lucky human.

When a noise of someone's footsteps adds to the singing of birds, with cicadas whining and creaking of a bonfire near you mixed in, you know that's it's your companion who's finally returned. Although you stay focused on your task, heat from the fire makes it tempting to turn away,but you just raise your voice to greet him.

"Took you long enough, Jade! I've had time to set camp and to fish! Look, I caught all of these myself!"

Jade approaches you from behind, ready to apologize for his absence, but before he can the sight in his peripheral vision takes away his speech. The fish you have caught and skewered to put above the fire is certainly not what he expected to see. Not what he has ever wanted to see you do.

"[Y/n], I humbly request you to put this poor thing aside or go eat it somewhere a few meters away from me or I might not forgive you for slaying technically one of my kind."

You force yourself to stay in place before you can possibly turn and face himself. You're not ready to look death in the eyes. And the day was just starting to look great, how miserable.

• If his brother at least has a bigger pet peeve than cooked eels, Jade hates seeing eels being prepared as food the most. Like always, you can't tell from looking at his face, but he's furious on the inside. He can't police what you eat and it's not like few humans consume eels. Still, he doesn't want his s/o eating his animal equivalent, even though it can't possibly have the same self-awareness or intelligence that he possesses as a merman. If you insist and don't try to at least hide it from him, expect some petty Jade in the days following. You don't want to comply and listen to his wishes? Then neither does he, he will find a way to annoy you while staying as classy as ever.

• But when it does not concern eels or their distant relatives Jade is all about you exploring sea cuisine, he himself will never miss a chance to partake in some seafood as well. He smirks when he learns that you also share a common love for octopuses. You understand, right? Not only they are tasty-looking while alive, but cooked and seasoned they're just the best. Cue a distressed Azul hiding from both of you in his VIP room.

• When Monstro Lounge was still new Azul really needed someone both skilled and trusted on the kitchen, Jade became both. He will gladly cook something for you and his cooking is amazing. His dishes and how they taste is everything you've ever wanted from your dinner. Can he also cook for you in the morning and in the evening? Jade says that he should have a very important reason to stay with you for the whole day and to live with you... If your fixation with seafood, sea creatures, and the way he prepares them makes you think about becoming more serious about your relationships, particularly starting them or bringing them to a new stage if you two are not quite there yet, Jade won't mind. He always reminds you he's there for you whenever you may need him.

• If Monstro Lounge menu is to undergo a change you're one of the first to taste any new seasonal dish, made by either of brothers, however, Jade usually prefers to take care of you himself, no matter if you're at the cafe as his friend, quote-unquote crush, of just as a customer. If he has to appeal to your taste buds first for you to consider him a suitable mate Jade will try his best for sure.

Floyd Leech🦈

"Thank you, Rook, I really appreciate it!"

"Don't mention it, Trickster! My humble persona is always ready to help you and hunting just happens to be my specialty. Until later!"

Capricious male from Pomefiore runs away faster than you can question whether fishing and hunting are the same, but at least he helped you out. Your boyfriend doesn't get along with him at all, but to your thought Rook is not a bad man. Or maybe you just have a thing for flamboyant people.

You reminisce about how you recently commented on the college's cafeteria lack of fish dishes you loved so much, only for the male to overhear it and offer you a whole basket of different sea dwellers today. You aren't sure if some of them can be even found in locations of NRC or near it, not to mention actually having it be caught and delivered to you. And for a small price of "remembering his good deed". Shady deals are pretty much a part of your life at this point, but you are sure this particular one won't sit right with Floyd. Well, not like he should know about it anyway.

You get to the task at hand, it is preparing all the goodies that you got. Clams and oysters, crabs and lobsters, mackerel, salmon, squids, and several other creatures, some that you don't recognize at all. You know you will be having a blast both preparing all of this and then eating! Your evening promises to be amazing.

"Oh, it smells so good! [Y/n], is there any tuna? Say there is!"

"I believe I see some! We're having a feast today, Grim!"

With an excited mewl following you to the kitchen you place the basket on the countertop with a small thud. It's cold to touch and permits no smell that fish usually gives off. You're as unfamiliar with magic as one can get in this world and Rook knows about it just as well as the next Heartslabyul student. Pretty considerate of him to cast some cooling spell on it. But you will be doing everything with your own hands from this point, just like you always do. Apron in place, sleeves of your shirt rolled up. When fleeting Ramshackle dorm somebody left the knives too, you take the one that you sharpened prior. Time to get started!

"[Y/n]! It's the best! My lovely, tasty tuna! Let's dig in!"

Salmon's pale orange meat easily pierced by a fork, an alluring aroma of spices surrounds you, you place it in your mouth and it basically melts there, leaving a unique aftertaste. You've missed it. You are no chef, but your skills are enough to cook the dishes you've eaten countless times already. It's due to thank Rook for the amazing evening. Nothing can make it better at this point.

"Shrimpy, I'm home! Did you miss me? I missed you~ What a tasty smell-"

Faster than you can take another bite, Floyd bursts into the dorm, making a beeline straight to the kitchen, lead by the scent of your cooking. You've forgotten, haven't you? Elated about the perspective of finally partaking into your favorite dishes once again after the long while, you forgot about inviting your boyfriend altogether. Caught red-handed; or more like open-mouthed. Floyd stops right before the dining table, watches intently first your dinner, then you. You slowly put the food back on the plate, your nervous chuckle fills the awkward pause, before your unexpected guest stars to talk again.

"Whatcha doing here Shrimpy? Eating? Why not come to Monstro Lounge? Why not welcome me?"

Hit with the string of questions, put under the pressure by the deadpan gaze he is giving you while still upholding that carefree smile of his, you hurry to the cupboard to bring Floyd a plate. The male has already leisurely taken his place behind the table. Back turned to him, you don't feel like you can be rescued from this situation, or at least pardoned from giving him some sort of answer. You know pretty well how badly Floyd handles separation and boredom, since entering these relationships you've become his first and most welcome relief from both of those feelings. Being excluded from your life is rather upsetting for him.

By the time you sit back the grey cat, your only other companion in the dorm is nowhere to be seen.

"I was just about to call you. It's been a long time I have eaten any of these, got a little carried away. Sadly, Monstro Lounge has little of things I like, and I already tasted everything I could."

Listening to your rambling with a placid smile, Floyd hasn't said a thing, only hummed twice, commenting on how he is usually the one preparing you all the dishes at the cafe and now it is his turn to taste your cooking. You hope that the sigh you let out is not visible, the stress instilled by the awkwardness of the situation you got into is slowly draining from your body, making your movements lighter, calmer. A hard contrast to Floyd, who seemingly didn't move one inch in his seat, continuing to observe you.

"And where did you even get all of these tasty creatures from, Shrimpy?"

You hurriedly bring some piece of meat from the variety of dishes you prepared to your mouth to and bite into it, your words muffled and hurried. You did nothing wrong so why does it feel like an interrogation?

"O-oh, my friends gave me this basket, I'm very grateful to them-"

You don't manage to finish your sentence.

"Ah, Shrimpy~ Lying to me, not welcoming me to dinner and now eating one of my kind...

You really want to get at me for something, don't you?"

• Perceives you eating eel dishes as a personal attack, Floyd will make you stop at any cost if he sees you eating one. He's peeved at the sight and starts to think back to things he could have done to you that made you angry with him, or reasons for you to trying to start a fight, you're basically eating him! He doesn't fear a Shrimp like you, but the sight is unnerving him.

• But Floyd does share your fondness for seafood, it's the only food he has eaten for most of his life after all! Monstro Lounge has a wide variety of fish dishes and he will gladly prepare anything to you as long as it's in their stock. And he's a pretty great cook too! And utterly the worst to eat with, he'll annoy you so by taking away your utensils and feeding you himself until you'll eventually either lose a nerve or burst from embarrassment. While Floyd generally loves eating what you prepare, he especially looks forward to you cooking sea creatures, not only for the taste but also to see how a land dweller usually eats them, what kind of recipes you have.

• Will cook some squid or octopus at Monstro Lounge, just before the closing, a time during Azul always goes out of the VIP room to supervise the cafe, and then share it with you, praising the taste and smell all the while, looking at his friend straight into the eyes, searching for a reaction. Encourages you to do so too. It will not end without furious Azul chastising laughing Floyd, and depending on if you like to join your boyfriend in his pranks, then you too.

• If you did something to upset him, but not enough for him to argue with you, expect to see Floyd order a handful of shrimps and eat them in a simultaneously gross and intimidating way. Does he want to threaten you? You don't know if you should be scared that he's eating "you", angry that he wastes food instead of talking with you or amused by his childishness.

• If you happen to be somewhere near the lake or sea, where there are sure lots of fish, Floyd will hunt some for you. Two birds with one stone: he gets to see you happy and hear you thank and praise him, and he can spend some time in the water, trading human legs for his dear tail and fins. Fishermen hate him, he catches what he needs, but all other fish swims away, scared.

Azul Ashengrotto🐙

"It sure is busy during this time of the year."

You have to grab your boyfriend's hand tighter, afraid to lose him in the raucous crowd that is so hell-bent on pushing you from side to side. Merchants touting passers-by to look at their stands, food stalls and crowds that get drawn to them, why would you want to get a picture with this monkey, no, children happy to ditch their parents and go run amok and you don't want to get started on the unbearable heat, today is unusually hot. Most of your vacation with Azul has been calm and relaxed, you greatly enjoyed yourself, resting under the shadows, once or twice nearly lulled into sleep by the tranquil sound of waves hitting the shore. The most action you got was when you showed off your new swimwear to Azul and when you had to catch the sandal that almost got taken by the sea, so this commotion is tiring you exceedingly fast. The only upside is that Azul is still by your side, his company definitely the best part of this small getaway you have.

"It is, yes... But it is to be expected, especially from the main street. Wavecrest Neptunalia is one of the few holidays that merfolk and humans share and come together to celebrate, each on their own land. It's a festival dedicated to praising the sea so there bound to be a lot of "sea gifts" for you to eat too."

He goes on a little rant about the origin, customs, traditions, and so on. You only know just how stunning he looks. You get little chance in the college to see him wear less fabric or express himself so freely, you don't even have that much time to be with him at all, damned be responsibilities of dorm leaders, extra curriculum and other crap. Doesn't Azul not handle hot weather well himself? He's a bit red in the face, and a few loose silver strands have stuck to his forehead, but otherwise, he seems very upbeat. You like that look on him.

When he expectantly turns in your direction you do not show you've been preoccupied with looking at him, rather than listening, although some parts did get through to you.

"You sure did your homework, Azul."

"I always do my homework- Ah... Yes, it's our first trip and you would have no way knowing about it, I wanted to give you the insight."

Isn't he the most adorable and loving man in the whole Twisted Wonderland? To you he is. He may have his own hang-ups, but you love him whole, you can't not to. You smile warmly at him and squeeze his hand, he may overheat if you try to do more while in public, you can deduce as much from the way his face reddens profusely at such small gestures.

"I appreciate it, thank you."

To turn back your head to the street, just in time to notice the sign of some rather intriguing looking restaurant. Perfect, you get to hide from both people and less than nice weather and also eat!

"Well then, you mentioned "sea gifts" - I want to try them, let's find someplace to eat! This one looks interesting."

The interior is styled with a lot of sea motives, the main attraction, a huge barracuda skeleton, hanging from the ceiling. You notice Azul looking around, in the end being pretty unimpressed, humans design and decoration abilities did not meet his expectations. Despite that both you and he find yourself shocked by the diversity the menu is offering. You make a mental note to make sure you walk out of this place on your two, and not rolled out by Azul in a form of a happy, big ball.

"Dear, you know what to order, I must excuse myself. Don't get bored."

He sends you a smirk, before disappearing into the general direction of the restroom. But look at this menu, they even have a separate page for every creature, crazy...

By the time Azul returned you have already made an order, waiting time passes unnoticed, you're too engrossed into your chat, discussing with Azul nothing in particular, you believe you could enjoy being silent with him. You don't mind it when your boyfriend goes quiet when your first dish is served to you.

"Octopus carpaccio, huh, [Y/n]."

You look shocked, like a guilty puppy. Only a sigh follows suit from him. He did forget octopus was nearly the first in the list of your most favorite seafood. You sure do love his kind, no matter the form they come in, he's the prime example. Azul catches himself on the thought that all people dear to him are either octopuses or love to eat them, no in-between. He wonders whether there's some kind of odd curse cast upon him. His businessman smile takes place on his face.

"How about a deal? You won't notice me eating this fried chicken later and I'll pretend this one never happened too?"

• Azul is unfortunately used to be the butt of jokes about eating his animal form, all credits to Leech twins, he's also well aware of how popular octopus dishes are in general among people, mer or not. He's rather chill with you liking to eat something made of his animal counterpart, but no matter how distanced he feels from his merman form he gets nervous at the sight of you eating those dishes, of anyone really eating them before him, and he gets more agitated if you taunt him with it. His hands are full with two eels, he doesn't need you teasing him too, no matter how lighthearted it is.

• Is it deep-fried? Yes? Then Azul loves it. No? He won't see the allure, even if you try to convince him otherwise. He eats his vegetables, but not without a feeling of disgust, he would rather have something less "grass-like", so he understands when you express how much you love seafood, and he's happy as long as it's healthy for you. For that reason he will either feed you at Monstro Lounge or in a really trustworthy place, goes in hand with his little quirk of going out with you to different restaurants and cafes.

• Please, don't tell him that his merman form looks tasty, he will get scared, it's not a joke. If he finds a pot to hide inside first you'll have to persuade him to leave it and then make it up by paying him countless compliments, apologizing is a must too. No, you can't take a bite! Maybe from his human body, but not this one. You don't like human flesh? Oh, mighty sea, help him.

[yhs-silly]

Kneel

They were on their way home from school, Sam and Taurtis were just messing around and swinging off the lampposts, the usual. Grian seemed a little grumpier then usual, maybe he'd gotten a low grade on his test, he wouldn't say. But he was adamant that they had to get home as soon as possible, so when Sam and Taurtis started doing their checking both ways gag he was ready to snap.

He groaned and pushed them aside. "You guys are idiots! There are never any cars on this road!" He rolled his eyes and stormed into the middle of the road and stood there with his arms out, glaring at the duo. "See! There's nothing here! I'm perfectly sa-afe..."

He trailed off at the sound of a car horn, turning to face the speeding car, his face falling in horror.

Sam's hands tightened around Taurtis's arms, Taurtis hadn't even realised he'd moved to rush into the road. He just went still and just stared, with wide, tear filled eyes as the car came closer and closer.

Grian was right, there were never any cars on the road. It was very rare that a car came down the road, and if it did, it was usually at night- and always speeding. That was the unwritten rule; speed past the school zone, with luck you might hit one nof the crazy kids. The other towns around were never fond of the academi students, not used to such diversity, neurologically or otherwise.

Ironically, it was most likely the least mad of the students being hit, all the others looking on, glad it wasn't them. The acidemi students were never known for their empathy, only a few students really cared for the Brit. Those that did care already had tears welling in their eyes at the sound of flesh against metal and the grinding of the breaks as the car came to a halt.

The guy driving the car didn't even get out, he just sat there in a state of shock as Taurtis and Sam raced over to Grians side. Taurtis had tears spilling freely down his cheeks and even Sam was panicking, Sam gently lifted Grian off of the floor and checked his vitals. He was still alive, but struggling.

Okami had seen the whole thing go down and had called and ambulance as soon as she'd heard the car, it didn't take long for it to turn him. Sam threatened the emergency response team to let him and Taurtis ride with Grian in the back.

They were so worried, Taurtis had begun sobbing uncontrollably, this was just like before, just like with...

Salex.

Why did everyone he love have to die? Why was it always a car? He pauses, did he love Grian? As a friend of course, he's one of his best friends... he's still hung up on Salex...he hoped and prayed beyond his belief that Grian would not follow her. He couldn't loose someone else so close to him, he wouldn't know what to do.

Sam wasn't as affected but he was still terrified of loosing Grian, he'd never really dealt with a death close to him since his mother passed. He watched as Taurtis fell to his knees, sobbing. He felt so awful, if it wasn't for his and taurtis's insisting that the road wasn't safe, then Grian would be safe. For once Sam didn't feel pleased with being proved right, he wished he was wrong. For once he wished it had been Grian who was right, he could just see Grian's triumphant smirk, the sparkle in his eyes at the idea of being right.

Sam had noticed how much Grian reacted to a little bit of positive reinforcement, he'd used it to get his way before, but now all he wanted to do was tell Grian just how highly Sam valued him. Grian deserved to glow like he always did when praised, Sam was just scared he'd never get the chance.

After a while Grian got better, he still hasn't spoken but the doctors had said he was free to leave. One their way home, Sam and Taurtis had done nothing but pamper and adore him. It was the least they could do for him, but something was off with Grian, his behaviour wasn't normal.

Taurtis was worried about him, he hadn't said a word to either of them since he'd gotten out of the hospital. Sam wasn't as worried, but it was clear he was concerned by how little he'd been mocking Grian lately. But neither of them seemed to be getting through to him.

He's been taking naps lately, it was almost all he did. He never did any of his work and Okami was on the brink of pulling him aside for a quiet word. Everyone was growing increasingly worried about him, they figured he had gained some sort of brain damage.

This all culminated in that one night, Taurtis had stayed up late gaming. Sam was asleep and Grian was probably also sleeping, or so Taurtis thought. He'd turned his head at the sound of footsteps to see Grian standing there, clutching the mop like a staff. He glared intently at Taurtis, a strange fire behind his eyes that made Taurtis shudder.

"Taurtis." Grian's voice was rougher, darker then his usually was. Even his posture seemed heavier, he held himself in a higher sense of pride and power then the anxious, drawn back Grian that Taurtis knew and loved. "Remove yourself from the magic mirror, I require your counsel."

Taurtis was slightly confused, but he'd played enough fantasy games to understand what Grian meant. He switched the tv and game crab off, concerned as to how Grian seemed.to have forgotten what a tv was. He shifted to the side and patted the sofa next to him, with a gentle smile. "Ok Grian, what do you need buddy." He was really happy that Grian was finally speaking again, although those subtle changes did worry him.

Grian didn't sit down however, he continued to stand and just stare at Taurtis expectantly. "Well?" He began to tap his foot. "Stand."

Taurtis was surprised but did so without thinking, watching in confusion as Grian nodded in approval and moved to take his seat. Grians posture while sitting was also more confident Taurtis noticed, how hadn't he noticed before? He goes to sit down but Grian raises his hand to stop him.

"No, kneel." Grian spoke with a command, more adept at control then Sam. But Taurtis wasn't just going to obey, he just frowned at Grian in concern. Then his eyes widened at Grian put the mop to his shoulder and forced him down, Taurtis would've been impressed by Grian's control on the mop if he wasn't currently being forced onto his knees. He stares up at Grian in concern as the blonde nods in approval.

"Grian..? What the hell..?"

Grian raised his eyebrows a little at that, smiling gentle. "Oh? Is something the matter Taurtis? I must admit, I am also a little thrown off by our predicament but it is alright, you have your king to guide you."

Taurtis frowned deeply, king? Grian wasn't a king? He now had concerns about Grian's sanity, he had to play this carefully. He just quietly nods, smiling up at him gently. "No, nothings the matter Grian. You said you wanted to talk about something?"

Grian smiled back and nodded. "Ah yes, it was actually about this predicament... I'm unsure as to what happened but these clothes aren't mine? And I've never seen such powerful magic then there is here, it rivals even the likes of me... that's another thing. I've found myself unable to perform spells recently, I attempted to harness the power of this strange looking staff but it doesn't seem to like me."

Taurtis just nodded. "Alright...well what do you want to do?"

"I wish to return home, is that not obvious?" Grian scoffed. "My kingdom needs their king."

Taurtis nods and slowly and cautiously gets to his feet. "Okay...so I think the best thing to do right now is go back to bed and figure out what to do in the morning."

Grian nods and stands. "That does seem like the ideal plan, I trust you to gaurd my chambers?"

Taurtis just nodded in response, watching Grian head back upstairs. His knees where shaking, he sat on the sofa, feeling horrible.

Tears bunched in his eyes as he thought about how his poor sweet friend had completely lost his mind, Grian was supposed to be the responsible one! Now he seemed to believe he was some magical fantasy king... Poor guy was always a nerd, Taurtis figured that he must've latched on to a favourite fantasy story as a coping mechanism after the accident.

He felt so bad for poor Grian, he didn't ask for this, the poor guy didn't even understand what was going on. He felt the hot tears run down his face and looked down at his shaking hands, he realised that he had to tell Sam, he had to.

He slowly got to his feet and crept upstairs silently, knocking gently on Sam's door. "Sam? Sam wake up."

Sam eventually came to the door, looking sleepy. "Taurtis..? What's wrong?" He was surprised to see how worried Taurtis looked, he instantly also began to get worried.

"It's Grian." Taurtis spoke quietly, as if he was afraid of disturbing said blonde. He speaks slowly and carefully. "He's gone mad...he thinks he's some sort of wizard king..." He sniffles and wipes some tears away. "I'm just so worried about him..."

Sam felt his heart pang, he didn't know this feeling, it was almost guilt, almost responsibility, but it was neither- and it certainly wasn't pity, Sam knew what it was like to be the mad one. Only thing is, Sam was never really mad, just not normal. He nodded slowly, brain working harder then it ever did before at this time of night, heart hammering in his chest just like that day. "Alright...so what do we do?"

They made eye contact, the best thing to do would be to call the authorities, tell a teacher, get him to the hospital, to do something. But they both knew they couldn't do that, they didn't have the heart. Taurtis slowly began to speak. "Well...his delusions aren't tha-"

Sam put his hand up to stop him. "No, we can't go along with his delusions, that wouldn't be fair on him." He sighs and hums in thought "Is there really anything we can do..? I think he might be fucked."

"Don't say that!" Taurtis squeaked, quickly lowering his volume quickly. "We have to do something, we can't just leave him to his delusions." He was getting choked up again, Grian might not have died, but Taurtis still felt that he'd lost him.

They barely slept that night, simply discussing what they could do. They didn't really come up with anything that hadn't been said before, but eventually they decided they'd treat his delusions like how a parent treats a child's fantasies, playing along to a certain point.

And so they did, they managed this for around a week, but unfortunately people began to notice that Grian was behaving strangely. Eventually, Okami pulled the trio aside to talk to them.

Sam was glancing around and making sure there were exits, Taurtis was wringing his hands and glancing at Grian every five seconds. Grian himself had his arms crossed and was glaring daggers at Okami for being so rude.

Okami sighed softly and smiles at the boys. "Now, I'm sure you know what's going on. But none of us do, so could you please explain why Grian is behaving like that."

Grian scoffed and begun to speak, before Taurtis gently shut him down and spoke instead. "We're sorry Sensei, he's just a little banged up from the accident still..." He shrugs and smiles awkwardly.

Sam glances at him nervously, Okami frowns and then Grian speaks up. "What accident? I am not 'banged' up? Taurtis what are you talking about?"

There are gasps from both boys as Taurtis glances at grian nervously and Sam quietly hisses. "Grian, shh!"

Grian glares. "Don't you tell me to shh!" He stomps up to Sam and gets real close, getting up on his tippy toes trying to look intimidating.

Okami sighs and looked concerned. "Grian, sweetie, what do you mean 'what incident?'? Do you not remember what happened?"

Grian looked at her in confusion, his face a mixture of confusion and annoyance. He goes to speak when Taurtis steps in and clears his throat.

"Sensei? We're so sorry for trying to hide this...but he's gone mad."

"I am not mad! How dare you!"

Okami pauses and looks at Grian, seemingly looking for something, but whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it. She sighed and gently put her hand on Grian's shoulder. "Grian, sweetie? Can you calm down for me? Try and explain what you think is going on."

Grian began to speak, about a magical kingdom he rules over and how Sam and Taurtis were loyal to him. Okami turned to the boys and mouthed at them to go and fetch Rowan.

Taurtis's heart was hammering in his chest, that was so impulsive of him, but at least Grian was going to get the help he needs. He looks at Sam, seeing the obvious pain his friend was trying to hide, he sighed. He never expected to have to be the normal one, it was too much pressure for him. But if that was what it took to keep his best friends safe and happy, then that's what he would be.

It was Taurtis who explained the situation to Rowan.

It was Taurtis who comforted Sam as Grian was taken away.

It was Taurtis who knelt besides the bed that night, and for the first time in all his life.

Taurtis prayed.

[lovemesomesurveys]

survey by xxbieberburnham

A - Accidents Have you ever been in a car accident? No, thankfully. 

Do you have a lot of scars? Yeah, numerous scars. 

Have you been in a fist fight with someone? Nope.

Have you ever seriously hurt someone by accident? No.

Have you ever had stitches? Yes, several times. 

B - Beauty Would consider yourself beautiful? Not even a little. 

Are you self consicous of how you look? Extremely. I’ve gotten even worse these past few years. 

Do you wear a lot of make up? I haven’t worn any makeup in the last four years. 

Would you ever consider getting plastic surgery? Nope. 

What do you think makes a person beautiful? There’s physical features, but it’s the inside and who they are as a person that really does it. It’s more than just looks.

C - Consequences What is the longest you've been grounded for? I think it was 2 weeks.

What would you do if you became pregnant? I’d be terrified, confused, freaked out... I’m a virgin and I also can’t get pregnant, so...

Do you ever think about how your actions affect people? Yes.

What do you think is the worst punishment someone could give you? Take away my loved ones.

What is one thing you wish you didn't do because it wasn't worth it? Ignore things that I didn’t think would end up causing a lot of problems for me.

D - Dealing When you're mad at someone how do you show it? I’m short with my responses, my tone, and I’m distant. I’m not going to initiate conversation or any interaction. 

Name a time when you had to be strong. I gotta keep going despite how much I’ve been struggling these past few years. I don’t feel strong at all, though. I feel very weak. 

Have you ever dealt with divorce? No. I’ve never even been married.

When people don't accept you, how do you react? Hm. I don’t really know.

Have you ever lost someone to death? Yes, I’ve lost a few loved ones. 

F - Family Is there anyone in your family you don't talk to? Yeah. There isn’t any beef or drama or anything, I just haven’t seen or talked to some family members in quite a long time. I have a big family and I was closer to some than others and also life just gets crazy and people get busy with their own thing and times goes on. I haven’t seen or talked to a lot of my family these past few years because I’ve just been a hermit crab and distant from everybody. I don’t want to see anyone looking and feeling how I do. :/

If you had to choose: friends or family? My family always.

Do you have any siblings? I have two brothers.

How often do you spend quality time with your family? I spend a lot of time with my parents and brother. We live together and we’re also quite close.

G - Growing How tall are you? Do you wish you were taller or shorter? I’m like 5′4. I do wish I was taller.

Do you think you've grown up in the past year? No.

Do you think you're mature for your age or still childish? I don’t feel like someone in their 30s. 

Are you scared to think that one day you'll turn 30, then 40 & 50? Well, I’m 31 now. I cried when I turned 30, not gonna lie. And the way these years fly by 40 isn’t that far away and that’s scary. And then 50... and what scares me about that as well is the fact that I’m not the only one getting older, so do my parents. I don’t like to go there in my thoughts cause that really scares and saddens me. 

Do you believe you still have a lot to learn? Oh, most definitely. A lot.

H - Hope Love - real or not? It’s definitely real.

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? I’m definitely a pessimist.

Do you believe in fate or that everything happens for a reason? I do believe everything happens for a reason.

Do you believe that after we die, your spirit is still alive? I believe the spirit leaves the body. When Jesus returns we’ll be resurrected and believers in Christ will be given a new body and go to heaven. 

What gives you hope when you just feel like dying? My family keeps me going.

I - Idols Who is your idol? My mom.

What makes this person an idol to you? She’s the most hardworking, loving, caring, generous person I know. She has a big heart and does so much for everyone else, always putting others first.  Has this person done anything good to help other people? Absolutely.  Does this person have good style? Yes. She always has new clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry and gets complimented all the time. What does this person do for a living? She’s a manager at Walgreens. J - Jokes Tell me an inside joke between you and your friends. I don’t have friends.

Are you usually the person to make people laugh or the other way around? Ha, definitely not me. 

Do you cry when you laugh hard? Yeah. I haven’t laughed that hard in a very long time, though. 

Do you get in trouble for laughing or talking in class? No, I never did.

Are you good at making jokes? No.

K - Knowledge The prupose of school: learn, hang with friends or cause trouble? Uh, to learn obviously. It’s good for the social aspects as well.

Do people refer to you as dumb, smart or average? People say I’m smart, but I just feel I’m very average. 

What kind of grades do you usually get? I always got As and Bs.

What is your favorite subject to learn or talk about? English and psych.

L - Love Are you currently in love? Nope.

Do people around you show a lot of love? Yes.

Is love worth it? Worth what?

Do you hate it when people say "I love you" & they've been dating for a day? Uh, that’d be concerning.

Does it take a lot for you to say you love someone or is it just a word? I don’t take those words lightly and just throw ‘em around.

M - Money Do you believe money makes the world go round? It’s all revolved around money.

How much money do you have on you now? A little.

Are you saving up for anything? Nothing specifically.

Would you rather win 1 million dollars or find true love? This sounds bad, but I think I’d take the money at this point in my life. It would be a huge help and advantage for my family and I.

On a scale 1-10, how important is money to you? I can’t say it’s not important, I rely on it for a lot of things.

N - Nothing to lose Would you ever go on a game show? No.

Do you play the lottery? I have a few times, but not regularly.

Ever been to Las Vegas? Nope.

Have you ever made a bet and then lost? I’ve never made a serious bet.

Do you give your all in a relationship? Yes. Even when we’re not in a relationship. I was devoted and invested in Joseph and we never officially dated. I put my heart completely out there and was rejected.

O - Openess How long does it take you to open up with someone? It takes me awhile. I have a really hard time with that, even with people I’m close to.

What does it take for you to fully trust someone? If I feel comfortable talking to that person and they haven’t given any reason why I couldn’t trust them.

Do you trust people too easily? I wouldn’t say that. 

Are you comfortable with everyone? No. And these past few years I don’t feel comfortable around people except for my family. I’m very self-conscious, embarrassed, and ashamed of myself. 

Do you tell your parents and friends everything? Not everything.

P - Positive Is your outlook on life positive or negative? I’ve had a very negative, pessimistic, bleak outlook these past few years. It has felt even worse lately

Have you ever had a moment with someone & it didn't end positively? Yeah.

Do you agree with: best to have loved than never loved at all? Yes.

Do you see most things as negative or positive? I think I’ve made it quite clear.

Has anything bad happened but something good came from it? Yes. Hey look, some positivity coming from me. Wow.

Q - Questions When faced with a problem, do you solve it on your own or ask for help? It depends, but admittedly I don’t go to others for help a lot and I should.

Do you like to take quizzes? I like surveys.

If you could ask the president one question, what would it be? Meh.

When someone does something wrong do you ask them about it or let it go? It depends, but honestly probably more likely to let it go.

Do you own plaid shorts? No. Or any shorts.

R - Respect How do you show respect for someone? By listening and being there for them, being polite, being kind... 

What can someone do to lose respect for them? Be rude, mean, arrogant, selfish, etc. 

Do you respect your parents, teachers or authority? I do.

If you're disrespectful to your parents, whats your punishment? I wasn’t a disrespectful, bad kid, but sometimes kids have an attitude and if I did they would tell me it wasn’t acceptable to talk to them that way.

If someone is mean to you, are you mean back? I’m sure I’d be short and snippy and then just not interact with that person anymore.

S - School If you're still in school, what grade will you be going into? I’m done with school. When will you graduate high school/college? I graduated UC back in 2015.

After high school, what do you plan on doing? I went to community college.

Do you like or hate school? I got very overwhelmed, stressed, and burnt out quite easily, but there were aspects I did like. 

Have you ever been expelled or suspended? Nope.

T - Temptation Have you ever done something wrong but inside it was okay? Some things didn’t feel so wrong.

Has anyone ever pressured you to smoke or drink? I have felt pressured to do those things.

Did you ever cheat on someone? No.

Do you give into temptation easily or are you independent? No, I wouldn’t say I do.

U - Unique Do you do a lot of things because your friends are? I’ve felt that way with some things.

Do you follow trends or do whatever you want? I like what I like and it may happen to be trendy or it might not be. I don’t like things just because they’re “in.” 

Do you give in easily to peer pressure? No.

What makes you different from people your age? A lot of things. I feel very behind in my life at 31 compared to others I know my age and even younger.

V - Value What's the most expensive thing in your room? My laptop.

What's more valuable: your life or the ones around you? My loved ones.

What's something you value? Not because it’s expensive but it means a lot? Time spent with family.

If there was a fire in your house/apartment what would you grab? Oh man. I’d want to grab as much as I could. Definitely my laptop, phone, medicine, and medical supplies but I’d really try to get as much as I could.

Do you think the past or future is more valuable? Hm.

W - Wishes If you had three wishes, what would they be? Good health, financial stability, and... I don’t know.

Would you rather wish yourself to be happy or others? I want happiness and the best for my loved ones. They truly deserve it.

Do you believe that wishes come true if you really believe? You have to put the time and effort in. And even then it might not happen. 

Have you ever had a wish come true? I’ve wished someone would bring me coffee and they did, ha.

Do you find wishing on things to be a waste of time? I don’t make serious wishes.

Y - You Are you more independent or social? I’m definitely not social. I’m independent in that I’m a hermit crab and like my alone time, but I’m dependent quite a bit on my family.

What's something that makes you mad when you see it? Abuse towards children.

Do you have potential to do anything you want? I don’t feel like I do. :/

Do you believe people are born a certain way? In some ways?

What color are your eyes? Brown.

Z - Zest Are you currently happy with your life? No.

When change occurs, do you get scared? Yes.

Do you like to try new things or meet new people? I’m so boring and basic and not adventurous at all, nor am I outgoing or social.

What is the most motivational thing on earth? Money, probably.

Do you have a motto? Nah.

Last questions Do you hate how the letters on the keyboard aren't in ABC order? I’m so used to how it is I can’t imagine it being any different. It’s never bothered me, actually.

Do you drink water? Yeah, kinda have to. I don’t particularly care for it, though.

What did you have for breakfast? It’s only 5:56AM, but I know I won’t have breakfast today.

Do you like convertibles? Sure.

Do you like the American or British way of spelling words? I like the British spelling for some words, like “grey.”

What colors are on your country's flag? Red, white, and blue.

Can you skateboard? Nope.

Do you like long hair? Yeah.

Do you like Fiber One bars? I’ve never tried them but judging from the name I doubt they would be favorites of mine. <<< Yeah, I’ve had no interest in trying them. Healthy snacks like those never taste good to me.

What does your sleeping bag look like? I don’t have one.

Do you like to save your results after a survey? Well, I post them on here. It seems kind of pointless to take them and then not save it. 

Do you like Sour Patch Kids? No. I don’t like sour stuff. If you could have your own show, what would it be about? I wouldn’t want my own show.

Ever rode on a jet? No.

[suckitsurveys]

Do you know anybody who is ambidextrous? My dad is. He writes left-handed but does everything else right-handed. Have you ever been 4-wheeling? Nope. What’s the weather been like today? It’s currently 77F and rainy. What was the last exam you sat for? Like I remember that. Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? Possibly?

Do you currently have any unread text messages, and who from? Nope. Speaking of text messages, what colour is your cell phone? It’s blue. Do you live anywhere near the woods? Yeah, there are some forest preserves near here. Would you ever consider a career in the tourism industry? That might be fun? When was the last time you used q-tips? A couple days ago. How does your hair react to humid weather or rain? I’ve never noticed a difference honestly. What’s your favourite flavour of iced tea? I LOVE the green ice tea from Starbucks, which is Teavana Jade Citrus Mint. It’s got light hints of citrus and mint. SO yummy. Do you understand music theory? Maybe? I don’t know what counts as music theory.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Like 6ish. Are you expected to act professionally at your job? Uh huh.  Infomercials: entertaining or stupid? I don’t find them entertaining. What’s your favourite brand of energy drink? I don’t drink those. Do you have (or have you ever had) acne? Yes. Why did you click to take this survey? I wanted to do one and this one caught my interest I guess. If you have glasses, have you ever smashed them? Yeah. How do you get new music? Buy or download or what? I just use Spotify. Have you ever sent someone an abusive text message? No? Not intentionally, anyway.  Do you require a lot of time to do things or are you quick? Depends on the thing. What will be the next concert you attend? I don’t have any planned as of now. Turn the nearest television on, what’s on? We don’t have cable, so if I turned it on, I would have to choose something to watch. How often do you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed”? Eh. Can you rap? Nope. What do you usually order when you’re at McDonald’s? That’s one of the few fast food places I don’t have a typical order. I do always get fries and root beer, though. Are there any textbooks near where you are right now? Yeah, on my book shelf I have a couple of books I used in college. What’s the time? It’s 1:43PM. How’s your body temperature right now? I’m content. Do you use Celsius or Fahrenheit? Fahrenheit. What was the last thing you got a really good deal on? They had this 8 for 88c deal on a bunch of different items at the grocery store. At the end of my trip, I saved over $55. Have you ever studied any ancient societies? Yeah, for school assignments. Do you like to wear long, dangling earrings? Sometimes. What was the last reason you took medicine? I had a headache, Do you exercise regularly? I try to. What is your coffee of choice? (flat white, cappuccino, etc.) Lattes. Do you pay any attention to your country’s politics? For the most part. Are you feeling worried about anything right now? Sure. Are you a gossipy type of person? I can be, sure. When will your next meal be, and do you know what it will consist of? I’m going to have a snack in a bit but then for dinner we are making cilantro lime chicken soup. What’s your opinion on your in-laws, if you have any? On my husband’s side, I love my mother-in-law. She’s really nice and funny and we agree on a lot of things. I don’t have much of a relationship with my brother-in-law, but he used to not be such a nice person, so I am cautious around him. He has a really awesome little kid though. My sister-in-law is super sweet but she lives really far so we haven’t seen her in ages.

As for my brother-in-law from my sister’s side, aka her husband: I fucking hate him more than anything on this planet.  Have you seen your best friend today? I’ve seen Mark today, but not my other best friends. I wish! What can you smell right now? Nothing. Any important birthdays coming up? My sister’s is in a month. Fireworks: yay or nay? I love fireworks in a controlled setting. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? I’m going to work out after work and try to get some chores done before dinner. Then Ellen and I are supposed to video chat. How about tomorrow? Any plans? Work, work out, chores, dinner, maybe go for a walk. Do you know how to do your own laundry or does someone else do it? I do it on my own. If you could eat or drink anything right now, what would it be? I’m good right now. What colour are your headphones? Purple. Think of the last long car trip you had, where did you go? Define long.

Do you have a Twitter account that you use regularly? Yes. I don’t really use it regularly though. Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! Not in person, I don’t think. What was the last movie you saw at the theatres? In a drive in, Hocus Pocus. Are there any new movies that you’d really like to see? Probably. If you could play one instrument flawlessly, what would it be? Guitar. Do you overthink a lot of things? Yepppp. Is there anybody you miss but can’t see again? Yes. When was the last time you had a hangover? It’s been a while.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the KH Trios zine! I got the pint-sized trio and wanted to play with  my favourite Disney movie (Lion King!) and homesickness.

…

…

…

…

Sora burped as he lay down on the soft, dewy grass. The long blades tickled the fur on his back and his burp sounded more like a wheezy roar than it ought to. Rubbing his belly with a paw, he sighed happily from the feeling he only got after overfilling himself on a good meal. It was a slightly uncomfortable feeling, like he wanted to burst through his pants, but luckily he wasn’t wearing any for once.

 “Sora!” Donald quacked as he slowly landed on the ground. Despite transforming into a different bird, he still sounded oddly duck-like, as though that was the one characteristic that magic couldn’t change. Then again, he was still a bird; maybe they could all make that sound.

 With a satisfied grunt, Goofy lay down on the grass next to him. It was a probably a mistake for a turtle to lie on his back. Sora would just have to roll him over later. “That was soooo good, gosh darn it.” He burped softly. “Oh grawsh, I’m stuffed.”

 “Goofy!” Indignant, Donald stomped a foot. Smaller than ever, it didn’t have the desired effect, the noise hardly louder than a cricket’s chirp. He flapped his wings, fuming. “That’s disgusting!”

 “How?” Goofy burped again and covered his mouth with a foot. Or well, he tried too anyways. As a turtle, his limbs were far too small for him make any of his usual movements. His slow reactions only made Donald angrier as time went by. “Oops, sorry.”

“You two…” Giving up, an irate Donald sank down in the grass too. He grimaced. “I can’t believe we ate that.”

 “I know!” Sora closed his eyes, remembering the nest of slimy, slithering insects that they’d just feasted on. Insects! He could just picture Riku’s and Kairi’s reaction to it. If he was still human, he’d probably have reacted the same too. But he wasn’t, so when he had stared at that treasure trove of bugs earlier, he salivated instead of running away. By now he was used to changing as he travelled through worlds, used to the new laws of every universe twisting and contorting his body to belong. Mermaid, Halloween monster, undead pirate—he’d experienced a lot of things while travelling yet this was the strangest so far: he was a lion.

 A lion cub, to be exact. As if to make it even odder, Goofy and Donald had transformed into a turtle and bird respectively. From one set of talking animals to another. If he tried to thinking about it too hard, he was going to get a headache. Rubbing his belly once more, he focused on dinner instead. “They tasted so much better than I thought, though.”

 “Yeah.” Goofy nodded his head in agreement, stretching his spindly legs above him. “They taste just like chicken.”

 Donald looked at them, giving them a flat stare. “Chicken?”

 “Oh.” Sora opened his eyes and looked back at Donald. Chicken. Duck. Strange bird. Maybe that hit a little too close to home. Grinning sheepishly, he tried again, “Fish?”

 “I don’t think it tastes like fish—” Goofy disagreed, cutting off only when Sora elbowed him in the side. “Ouch! Sora, that…” He trailed off as he noticed Donald’s death glare. Slow to catch up, he whispered, “Why’s he angry?”

 “Chicken?” Sora whispered back. “Think it’s a relative?”

 “I don’t remember any chickens,” Goofy muttered, scrunching up his face as he thought about it. “His uncle, his nephews…” Holding up his feet, he tried counting on them, but he could only get so far with only three toes per leg. “Nope, no chickens.”

 Well, that dashed that theory. Sora shrugged carelessly. “Maybe it’s a bird thing?”

 “I can hear you two, you know!” Donald growled angrily, and that was a new sound. Maybe that came with the new body. “I ought ta—” He groaned, rubbing his belly. “I’m too full to get angry.”

 “Like that’d stop you,” Sora countered, chuckling. Goofy started laughing too and after a moment’s hesitation, Donald joined in. Their laughs echoed in the cool night air. A nearby river gurgled cheerfully, as though wanting to take part too.

 Sora lazily scanned his surroundings once more. Around them was paradise, a series of hills covered in leafy trees and sprawling plains. The blazing heat of the day had died down by now. A soft breeze stirred through his fur. All sorts of wild animals roamed about, though maybe it was wrong to think of them as just animals. They might not wear clothes like Goofy or Donald, but they talked all the same. Travelling had really changed his perception on things and he’d be forever staring at books, listening to stray cats, wondering if there was a secret world hidden in a forgotten corner.

 Sora ran a tongue over his sharp canines. Even now he could feel the keyblade as he bit onto the hilt, swiping at his enemies with the flick of his head. “Guys, it’s really weird fighting like this.”

 “No kidding!” Donald scoffed and if he could, Sora knew he would have crossed his arms by now. “I can’t even use my staff properly.”

 “Aiming is hard,” Sora agreed, his tail twitching back and forth slowly as he remembered fighting heartless two times his size. And those were just the grunts—what’d happen when he faced something big?

 “Gwarsh, I don’t know.” Goofy rocked back and forth on his shell as he thought about it. “It’s not that bad.”

 “You just have to spin your whole body!” Donald grumpily shot back. “And your entire body is a shield!”

 “Well, if you put it that way…” Goofy hummed before nodding. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s pretty easy!”

 Donald let out an enraged squawk. “For you!”

 Sora tried not to laugh again. If only so that Donald’s rage wouldn’t be directed at him. He raised a scrawny paw to the sky. It didn’t quite feel the same as raising a hand, even if the limb was the same. Would there be another world like this? Where they changed bodies entirely? Part of him hoped so. It was just too much fun, finding entire worlds that made his head spin. There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to the rules of the worlds he’d been to and it’d take a greater mind than his to figure it out.

 Riku probably could have.

 Sora lowered his paw, feeling guilty. Like every world before this, Riku and the king were nowhere to be found. Part of him was thrumming, ready to abscond, to find that gate that would bring his friend home and stop all of this trouble. It’d probably be faster, quicker, to just keep bouncing from world to world until they found the one thing that could stop it all.

 There was only so much travelling one could do before they wanted to see the journey end.

 Looking up, Sora stared at the night sky. Countless stars glimmered in the sky above, looking nothing at all like the paopu fruit at home. Actually, now that he was looking, nothing above him looked the same. Sora studied the heavens, at the stars that numbered almost as much as the sand at home. There were no familiar constellations above him. There weren’t the real ones that Riku tried to teach him: Vega, Cyrus, Ursa. Nor were there any of the ones Kairi made up: the shark, the pinching crab, the raft. Staring up at the sky, Sora felt adrift, untethered, like he was on that raft Riku insisted they’d make and was floating through the sea alone.

 There was nothing he’d recognized up there. “Hey,” Sora asked, still searching for a star from home. “I’ve never seen this sky before.”

 “Of course you haven’t!” Donald snapped, snorting scornfully. “You’ve never been here before!”

 “No, I mean…” Sora wanted to rub his neck but his limbs didn’t work like that anymore. He settled for flicking his tail. “I don’t recognize any of the constellations.”

 “You know constellations, Sora?” Goofy asked curiously.

 “Kinda. Riku taught us.” His ears flattened as he remembered the long-ago nights on the island, when he and Kairi would lie on the sand exhausted. Riku, ever at work, would sit in between them, forcing them to stay awake while he pointed out constellation after constellation.

 Why Kairi had asked, worn out.

 In the sea, we have no landmarks but that. Riku had tapped them both on the arms, making sure they didn’t doze off. It’s so you can find your way home.

 All that hard work was for naught. Sora stared at the sky hopelessly. There wasn’t even a single star that reminded him of home. He could never find his way back.

 “Oh.” Goofy looked up now to, cocking his head left and right before gasping. “Gosh, I can’t recognize any of them either!”

 “What do you know about constellations?” Donald asked derisively, rolling his eyes. “You can’t even read a map.”

 “Hey, that’s—” Goofy cut himself off, unable to argue. “Max likes the stars.”

 “Max?” Sora asked, raising a brow. That name was new.

 “Max!” Brightening up considerably, Goofy grinned. “He’s my son. Gosh, I can’t really show you now, but I have some pictures in my pockets. You’ll love him, he’s the sweetest, bestest, greatest.”

 Sora stared at Goofy. If he had fingers, he’d have pinched himself. For now, he settled for, “You have a son?” His incredulous outburst was echoed by a secondary one behind him and Sora turned around to stare at Donald. Raising a brow, he asked, “Wait, you don’t know?”

 Donald flushed a beet red. “I…no, I do know it’s just…” He gestured at Goofy with a wing. “What part of that looks like he has a son?”

 “You didn’t meet him yet?” Goofy looked surprised. “But I brought him to the castle and everything.”

 “I know that! I just…” Donald stayed a bright red, stumbling over his words. “I just keep…you know, he’s your son. I forget that.”

 If Goofy was insulted, he didn’t let on. Instead, he clapped his feet eagerly. “When we get back, you guys should meet him!”

 “Yeah,” Sora agreed readily. “Definitely.”

 “Gwarsh, I wish I could show you his picture now…” Trailing off, Goofy stared at the stars. “Oh!” Excited, he started pointing his foot at the sky. “He looks like that!”

 Sora looked up at the stars, raising a brow. “Like stars?” Did Max have freckles or something?

 “Uhh, how do I—okay, if you look at that really bright red one, and then at the blue one next to it.” Goofy moved his foot, connecting the stars in the sky with imaginary lines. Sora squinted, trying to find the ones he mentioned. “The green one there, that other one, and that’s Max!”

 “I…” Sora frowned, biting his lip. Maybe if he cocked his head or squinted, he’d be able to see it. Rocking side to side, he tilted his head but the stars remained the same.

 “I don’t see it,” Donald declared. “I see a teacup.”

 “Really? Max doesn’t look like a teacup, I think,” Goofy replied uncertainly. “Maybe the witch cursed him too?”

 “No, dummy!” Donald chided him and pointed a wing above him. “The stars over here look like a teacup.”

 Sora really couldn’t see that either. However, if he connected the three stars in a row with a few other more scattered ones, he could almost make out a familiar shape. “I see a paopu fruit,” Sora announced.

 “What?” Goofy’s moved his head back and forth, trying to find the shapes. “Gwarsh, there are a lot more stars here than I thought. There’s one that’s shaped like a cake. Maybe we could have a tea party with your teacup!”

 “Stars don’t work like that,” Donald rebutted, but his usually harsh tone had softened considerably. “I see an ice-cream cone. My nephews love ice-cream.” There was a wistful edge to his voice, a rare softness that was uncharacteristic of him. “And Daisy’s bow’s there too.”

 “They must be with Scrooge then.” Sora pointed above him at the oval-ish set of stars he found. “That looks like one of his coins.” He could already hear the clink of gold, see the brim of the older duck’s top hat. The triplets must be hard at work with him.

 “And maybe Queen Minnie’s with Daisy,” Goofy suggested cheerfully, caught up in it now. “They could go to the tea-party.”

 “With Aerith and Tifa!” Sora agreed. He stretched out on the grass, craning his head back further to see even more stars. Even more familiar faces. “They could take a break and maybe Kairi could join them.”

 “And we could have ice-cream,” Donald chimed in, enraptured as he stared up at the sprawling tapestry above. “With Pluto and the King!”

 “And Riku,” Sora added, not wanting to leave either of his best friends out of this. It wasn’t hard to find a set of stars that looked like his best friends. As usual, Riku had the grumpiest expression and Kairi was smiling. “It’s going to be a big party.”

 “Yeah.” Goofy chuckled, beaming brightly as he turned to Sora. “You know, after we’ve found the King and Riku and stopped the heartless, we should throw a welcome back party. It’d be really fun!”

 “We could have it at the castle,” Donald suggested, sounding enthusiastic for once. “It’s really big and we have the fair outside anyways. Then we could invite everyone.”

 A party. Sora lit up. He could see Riku, Kairi, Tidus and everyone there. It had been ages since he’d seen them—what did they even look like anymore? What did he talk to them about before? By now, that was impossible to remember. They could spend the whole party catching up, until they were as close as they were before the heartless were released. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

 It was strange. His homesickness washed over him, pushed aside by promises of the future. Sora glanced at his two companions, unable to stop smiling. It was almost impossible to get sad with these two around. Even now, he couldn’t stop thinking about the party, food and balloons pushing away fears and worry.

 Not that there was anything to fear. With Donald and Goofy, he could do almost anything. They’d save the world and have the best party ever. Sora looked up at the stars again and this time, he didn’t feel as lost in the endless balls of light above him.

 It’s so you can find your way home.

 Riku had been right. Sora could always find his way home, no matter how unfamiliar the stars were. All he had to do was squint a little and his friends were there, watching him.

[whatshername-please]

Out of the Water - Chapter III

Synopsis: You were very proud to be a mermaid, thank you very much. You didn’t want to be where the people were. Actually, you’d rather avoid it. Defending the merfolk was the biggest goal in your life… well, it was until you meet a certain pirate… it seems that your family really had a thing for humans, after all. Not that you’d ever admit it…

Pairing: Harry x reader

Word count: 3564

Part 3 of ?

Warnings: none? Possibly grammar mistakes? Also, some cuss words

A/N: English isn’t my first language, so I’ll probably mess up some tenses, grammar and stuff. Go easy on me, please. Feedback is always appreciated.

_________________________________________

“Maybe it’s contemporary art”

You pointed at the destroyed painting on the floor which made Mal stare at you in disbelief. Ok, maybe now wasn’t the best time for light hearted jokes.

Thus, it was probably better not to say anything about the curtains being all torn up since no one took notice of them…

Ben’s castle was not very different from the rest of Auradon: dead silent and a wicked atmosphere hovered in the air. Well, it was until everyone started searching for the king.

Everyone was calling for Ben but that made absolutely no sense, you thought. If Audrey had gone to the castle, she’d have turned Ben to stone or something, making impossible for him to answer. All the noise would just draw her attention, if she didn’t already know you were there which was very likely, by the way.

Really, why couldn’t she set Ben’s clothes on fire, break his favorite clock, shave his eyebrows? It’d have been so much easier to deal with.

Humans always had to make everything more difficult, hadn’t they?

You had gone through the whole the castle and found no one and also Dude had lost the track of Ben’s scent, the best option now would be to go back to Auradon Prep since it was the last place Audrey was seen at. But of course Mal wasn’t entirely convinced that the castle was empty and you were checking the last room left: it was a large hall full of coats of arms, vitrals and armors.

Why were there so many armors? Questionable decorating choice, if someone asked you. And unless Ben was hiding inside one of them, he wasn’t there either. Coming to Ben’s castle had been a completely waste of time.

“Hey!” someone called you, way too over-excited. “We weren’t properly introduced yet, I’m Gil”

The muscular boy extended his hand smiling widely at you. You shook his hand, presenting yourself.

“Are you a princess?” he asked. While Harry called you a princess with disdain, Gil appeared to be genuily interested in you, then again, he was fascinated by everything in Auradon, from the leaves on the trees to the berries in the bushes.

“I am” you answered him.

It seemed to be physically impossible, but his smile grew even bigger than before.

“I’ve never met a princess before. Your highness” he bowed and then looked at you with gleaming eyes “Have I done it right?”

Gil looked very proud of himself and it broke your heart. It was infuriating to think how many wonderful kids were stuck and forgotten on that Isle. For 20 years no one thought or cared about them, even now most people believed that the Isle’s inehabitants were dangerous and past redemption. You dared King Beast to look in Gil’s eyes and say he was a criminal who deserved to be punished for the rest of his life.

“Yes, you did. But you don’t have to do it, really.” you said and he nodded in agreement. Ok, you decided, out of Uma’s friends Gil was your favorite.

All you wanted to do was to find Audrey and go back home, but what was an already difficult task in itself was getting even harder because of Uma and Mal incessant bickering. You tried to ignore when Mal said she wandered what fried octopus tasted like. One thing that never entered humans’ head was that mermaids and fishes were friends, one day you were hanging out with a squid or a crab and suddenly they were fished and eaten by some unfeeling human. Sebastian still had nightmares about the time he got trapped inside your uncle’s…

Oh, wait. Did that armor just move?

Shit.

Everyone noticed it too, excepting Uma and Mal because they were too distracted fighting with each other.

“Girls!” Harry yelled “We have a situation here”. You wished you had a phone to take a picture of Uma’s face at this moment. She looked outraged by the audacity of Harry to cut her off.

At least now everyone was completely aware of that all the armors in that cursed place were moving towards you and ready to cut you all into tiny pieces. Drawing back wasn’t even an option since you were completely surrounded, the only chance you had to get out of this mess would be to fight.

WHY WERE THERE SO MANY ARMORS? If you survived this, you’d have a long talk to Ben about interior design.

Good thing everyone was optimistic about defeating them because, by your account, you were way outnumbered… not that Uma and Mal seemed to care since they were quarreling again. Evie was the one who got fed up with all the nonsense and stepped in and, while she tried to talk them into their senses again, you took the comb from your hair, ready to make it assume its true form. If Fairy Godmother didn’t have a rule against magic… or weapons being unnecessarialy used, you wouldn’t even bother changing your trident into a hair comb. You looked super badass carrying your trident around like the bitching sea queen you were…

Would be….

Whatever…

“Will you really brush your hair now, princess?”

That.

Mocking.

Tone.

Again.

You could either punch him right now or wait for an enchanted knight to do it…. but you had a better idea.

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he saw the comb that had been in your hand the moment before become an imponent trident. You watched with delight that ridiculous smirk on his face change into a shocked face. It always amazed you the look people made when they realized that your cute hair pin could make someone bleed to death, and Harry Hook did not disappoint you.

That would answer his question about your fighting skills.

The jerk.

But you had no time to think any further about Harry Hook and his pesky presence, the knights were near and you had a battle to face.

————–

It was official, you hated the human world and the ridiculous armors they used as house decoration. If Belle and the Beast (did he even have a name or his name was really Beast? Whatever…) hadn’t decide that every single corner of that castle needed to have a knight’s suit, you wouldn’t have had to be dodging swords attacks coming from every single angle that you could think of. It didn’t matter how hard or fast you hit them or that they were too heavy to react because they were enchanted. They could be slow to strike, but they neither got tired nor hurt, so you could attack them as much as you wanted and it didn’t make any difference, you were just scratching the metal. They were many and you were only 8, this wasn’t a fair battle, at all

“We need magic to defeat those things” you shouted to Mal while hitting a knight right in his chest, he stumbled a little but regained his balance fast enough. At the same time that you avoided another hit, you caught a glimpse of Harry who was close to you and unaware of the armor approachinh him from behind.

C'mon Harry, turn around…

Gosh, you had to do everything.

The knight striked again, but you avoided the blow. Taking this as a cue, you ran towards Harry and, as you did so, you managed to knock down the armor that was ready to attack the pirate. The sound of metal hitting the floor made the boy turn his head, he saw the armour laying on the floor and gave you a surprised look; either the boy didn’t expect you were able to fight or he didn’t expect that you would put yourself at risk to help him.

“You can thank me later” you said already attacking another hellish knight.

Thank goodness Mal had heard you and decided to use her magic against the cursed armors and before you could blink, the knights stopped moving and fell in the middle of the room.

It was about time.

Everyone was celebrating the victory, there were no more Uma’s crew or Mal’s gang, all of them were friends and, well… it ended as fast as it started. In one second they were cheering and laughing and in the other they rememrebed they didn’t like each other. The friendliness lasted two seconds, it was a new record.

Both gangs walked away from each other, Uma and her pirates stood on one side, and Mal and the VKs stood on the other. Celia and you decided to stay away watching them from afar.

Evie, who seemed determined to make everyone to get along, proposed an icebreaker and it took all your willpower to not to laugh at your friends’ faces upon hearing this. You have never heard so many groans or seen people looking away so fast in your life: Uma was probably deliberating all the choices she did in her life and looked like she could use a drink, or five, while Gil was just confused. Carlos and Jay were clearly unconfortable and would prefer to sleep forever than to go through this, and the only reason Mal didn’t shut Evie down right at the spot was because she dind’t want to hurt the girl’s feelings. And Harry…

It was a surprise to you when he didn’t come up with some ironic comment. Actually, he looked rather astonished when Evie complimented him and it appeared he was about to reply her before Uma cut him off.

And then she and Mal restarted their usual bickering.

Maybe the icebreaker wasn’t a bad idea, after all.

“Summer School?” Harry laughed “No wonders she wants revenge”.

Not that you’d ever say it out loud, but the pirate had a valid point.

Finally, they decided on following Uma’s initial plan to the joy of the sea witch’s daughter. Apparently, Audrey was still in Auradon Prep, so the girls would go and check her room for clues, and the boys would look out for Ben.

Everyone was ready to leave, but before the team split you spoke up.

“Actually, I’m going with the guys, ok?”

“Why?” Mal questioned you, raising an eyebrow.

“Because if Audrey shows up it’s better that at least one person knows how to use magic” you explained.

“No, the amber is the only thing that can defeat her, you wouldn’t stand a chance” Mal was clearly annoyed that you were holding them back, but you ignored the whay she glared at you and went on.

“Even so, I may be able to hold her off with my trident. You, Uma and Evie got brains, strenght and magic. Jay, Carlos, Gil and Harry, on the other hand….”

Your eyes lingered on the boys in front of you who, you knew for a fact, would kill each other in the first opportunity.

“Too edgy” you pointed to Jay.

“Too pure” and Carlos.

“Too bubbly” Gil.

“Too…” you looked Harry up and down and shrugged “Honestly? I can’t even describe him.”

Mal went silence for a moment, deliberating whay you had said, while everyone else was staring at you with a look you knew too well. It was the famous “I can’t believe she actually said that” face.

“Fine, you proved your point” Mal finally declared and the ofended look on Jay’s face almost made you laugh. You’d have to apolize to him later… But right now you had a king to find before Mal snapped at you again.

You and the guys left the castle and followed Dude, who had detected Ben’s scent.

“I’m not edgy” said Jay with a pout, looking too adorable to be taken seriously.

“Didn’t you almost break your arm trying to learn R.O.A.R just for the sake of beating Chad? Or what about that time when you got into a fight with a guy twice your size because he said the only reason you won the tourney game was because everybody on the other team was scared to come near a villain kid? ” you asked him.

“Hey! You were encouraging me!” he reminded you, laughing about the incident.

“I was not” you denied, putting your hand on your chest in a mocking manner “How dare you to suggest I’d ever do something like that”. You tried to make a serious face, but broke into a smile in a matter of seconds as you remembered that day. "Did we punch him, though? I can’t recall".

“No, Carlos stopped us… he is too pure” the VK teased, and Carlos didn’t take it kindly. As he passed by the both of you, he hit Jay’s arm hard enough to make his friend yelp.

“Come back here, Carlos” Jay called and ran after him “I was only joking”.

You giggled.

Humans, what dorks.

Minding your own business, you kept walking silently. Your friends were ahead, making sure to not lose Dude from their sight. Things appeared to be safe, at least for now, so you decided to change your trident into its pocket version, and with one quick motion of your hand, it became a hair comb again.

“How do you do that?” it was Gil who asked and he seemed utterly puzzled by your trident.

“Oh, it’s magic.” you said while Gil observed with narrowed eyes you place the enchanted comb in your hair, the boy was staring so intensively at it that looked like he was wainting for the comb to burst into flames or something “It’s no big deal, really”

“Yeah, you’re probably used by it, right? But we don’t have magic on the Isle…” he looked down, ashamed of being impressed by something that was so ordinary to you, and you felt terrible. You didn’t mean to upset him.

“Oh no, I mean… I just never really thought about it…” you tried to explain.

“Of course you didn’t, why do people in Auradon would think how their lives are perfect?” Harry, who had been oddly quiet, spoke. However, if he were expecting you to ague with him, he’d be disappointed. The pirate could get on your nerves but you couldn’t be a hypocrite and deny all the privileges you had just because you were born on the “right” side of the barrier.

Of course Harry didn’t know that was how you felt about the barrier and took the lack of a response as an confirmation.

“How nice it must be to have everything, huh?” he tried to sound cynical, but you could hear the hurt and bitterness in his voice.

“King Triton has a trident too, you know.” Gil said absently, ignoring completely the tension between Harry and you “It was on the Isle two years ago, we almost got it”

“Yeah I know. I nearly killed my cousin when I discovered she messed up with grandpa’s trident” you remembered like it was yesterday. Your cousin Arabella decided she wanted to prove her worth by summoing a storm using your grandfather’s magical trident. If this wasn’t reckless enough, she also lost the trident that ended up on the Isle. Thanks to Mal and her gang the trident was recoreved before your grandfather noticed it was gone.

What a day.

“Wait, your grandfather? Are you…?” Gil’s eyes widened when he realized who you were.

“Yeap, King’s Triton granddaughter, that’s me.” you finished his sentence, very proud of being who you were.

“Then you are a mermaid!” the blond boy’s eyes moved to your legs and he frowned at them, as if he couldn’t understand what they were doing there “If you are a mermaid, where is your fishtail?”

You chuckled and explained. It wasn’t the first time someone asked you that, but you didn’t mind. Actually, everytime you had the chance to brag about being a mermaid, you did it.

“When I need to be on land I turn into a human”

“Uma is Ursula’s daughter, did you know that?” it amazed you how Gil was capable of saying anything in such a light manner. Most people would be very cautious about speaking of the former villain of someone’s family in their presence but not Gil, he definitely didn’t mind bringing the subject up.

If you knew that Uma was the sea witch’s daughter? IF YOU KNEW THAT. You have been talking about this girl for years and, in the past months, you literally hid her in your room. YOU DID KNEW THAT.

This was what you really wanted to say, but instead you laughed it off “I think I’ve heard her name a few times”.

“Is it his trident?” it was Harry the one making a question now and, for the first time, he seemed genuinely curious and not just being sarcastic or cunning.

“Oh no… it was a gift from him, actually. It’s not as powerful as his, though. But it’s good enough” one thing that never ever bothered you was to talk about your life as a mermaid. If someone ever decided to write a tale about you, people would stop thinking that every mermaids’ wish was to become human.

You just loved being a mermaid and nothing would ever change that.

“What can it do?” he inquired, taking a closer look at the comb in your hair. He was wondering about the damage that could cause, no doubt.

“It can control water, for the most part. But is also good to beat the shit out of my enemies”

He smiled.

Harry Hook had sincerely smiled at you.

Maybe people were right, maybe you were born on the Isle and were switched at birth with some kid from Auradon. It would explain your talent for befriending villain kids.

You have never made friends easily, better saying, people didn’t want to be friends with you because of your reputation of being temperamental and moody, which wasn’t entirely true. You just didn’t care about being on the spotlight or doing what people expected you to do. Did you have to to sing along with woodland creatures just because you were a princess? Your area of expertise was marine life, for crying out loud. Squirrels and mice freaked you out! Once, a guy asked you on a date and thought it would be a good idea to go to a sea food restaurant!

You weren’t moody, humans were the ones who had the emotional range of a barnacle.

Also, a lot of people in Auradon were too self-absorbed, they thought everyone had a lovely happy life like them. Everytime you brought the Isle up they said you were overreacting and that it couldn’t be that bad. You wondered if they could see the black clouds that covered the place or if they even remembered that all Auradon’s leftovers were sent there.

You tried to be patiente but sometimes -well, most of times- you could not help yourself and ended up speaking your mind. At least from now on, you could claim that you have never cursed anyone out of spite.

Thanks, Audrey.

“If we’re getting to know each other, I have a question for you” you said to Harry who arched an eyebrow, curious about what you were going to say “Is your accent real?”

He blinked in confusion, not sure if he had heard you right.

“Yes! What kind of question is that?” he was perplexed by what you asked. Harry wasn’t used to people commenting on his accent and the times someone had said something about it, it was always to make fun of him - and Harry always made sure they learned not to do it again. So, he didn’t know if you were serious or simply mocking him.

“I don’t know. I believed you were being dramatic, to be honest. The eyeliner, the coat… The accent could very well be part of your pirate aesthetic” You didn’t want to sound rude or anything, you honestly imagined the accent was only him being theatrical, but since he didn’t answer right away (not even a ironic remark), you added quickly “It’s a lovely accent, it suits you”.

At first, you expected him to shut you down or tell you to fuck off. However, as he didn’t reply anything, you thought you really had offended the boy. You were ready to apologize (you could be the sea bitch, but you weren’t rude…). Instead, he bursted into laughter and you frowned, not understanding what was so funny to make Harry Hook laugh like that.

That boy was completely unpredictable.

“It’s not an aesthetic, lass. I’m a pirate” it was the first time since you met that Harry seemed so amused and it wasn’t at someone’s expanses. “Why did you think this?”

“Well, you do walk around carrying a hook” you pointed to the sharp object he kept holding since the moment you laid your eyes on him.

“And who are you to judge? You have a magical trident in your hair.”

It was your turn to laugh, maybe Harry wasn’t that bad.

“Fair enough, I can’t argue against it” you agreed with him,

Upon hearing your words, his mouth twisted into a smug grin…

“I knew you would warm up to me, princess”

Yeah, you took back what you thought seconds before, Harry Hook was insufferable. You huffed in annoyance and walked away from him and his pompous attitude.

Humans were never worth the stress.

[blankdblank]

Next Caller Pt 12

…

“I don’t know..” that was the reason Thorin gave for showing up at your house before your radio shift. Fully dressed up post shower all you had to do was grab your bag and lock the door behind you accepting the to go mug of cider. It wasn’t even raining, a perfectly cool morning he offered you a drive to work and small talked about what Roac had claimed the weather would be like, none of which giving reason to show up offering a ride.

All the same a wave and a promise to see you later was given and collectively a deep exhale was given in your parting off to your respective shifts. Smirking from the front entrance where she was waiting, Mal asked, “Was that Thorin?”

“Yup.” Taking a sip of your drink still reeling from the sudden company.

Your puzzled expression had her turn to join you for the walk to the lift with BamBam in her bag napping after his morning bottle. “And? I assume that meant he might have spent the night?”

“What? No. He just showed up. Brought me this, even said he didn’t know why he came to offer me a ride.”

Mal’s lips pursed a moment, “Well maybe he was here to catch a glimpse of the fabled Bunny.” You rolled your eyes and from her pocket she passed you a card your brows furrowed looking over. “Dain gave me this. Apparently his cousin Gorgo and him have been looking for Miss Bunny for five years now about a book? I mean I know about the show, but a whole book?”

Smirking at her weakly you replied, “I wrote a series. Spent a lot of years on my own daydreaming, but nobody ever took any interest in it just ignored it. I just sent it to the one company and got a letter of rejection from every Elven publisher out there, all 247 of them. Only sent the draft to the Durins for clearance on their name, knew they would ask for it. He seriously said they’d been looking all this time?”

The worry in your eyes evident making Mal pat your shoulder fondly to calm you, “Gorgo had, apparently Dain just got involved when the show started. But Gorgo has been digging and fuming for years it seems.”

“Gorgo, I think Gloin, my realtor is her husband. Makes sense they kept saying we’d get along.”

Mal chuckled, “Well you’re going to love this next part. The guys think you and I work with Bunny.”

“With?” Your brow inched up and she nodded, “My name means Bunny, I have a bunny tattooed on my foot, my old neighbors called me the Bun, I mean-,”

Mal chuckled slinging an arm around your back, “Our Darling Durin boys. Either way, you’ll give her a call?”

“I’ll probably give it to Ecthellion, he’s been the one trying to work my book deals. That way it can be official and he can sniff out all the details for me.”

“Good idea.” After a pause for you to wait for the booths to empty from the show before yours she asked, “How big a book is it?”

“Well the first is just over 2000 pages.”

“Two-!” Her voice cut out when she realized how loudly she’d said it and she whispered, “2000?”

You nodded, “Been working on it a very long time.”

No kidding.” Across her lips a smirk eased and she asked, “About Thorin-,”

“I have no clue.” Making her giggle to herself in your sip, “I get one cup of tea and now I’m halfway drowning in Durins.”

“Barely two weeks and they love you.”

“I mean this in the best way possible, but they’re almost like the furniture in Beauty & the Beast in Prince Adam’s castle. Like I’m the first person they’ve seen outside the clan in decades.”

“Fitting comparison, because they also want you to cuddle up to a giant furry grump of a cinnamon roll.” With a sigh you smoothed a hand through your hair hanging around your back and shoulders and she asked, “You ok?”

“Just tired, kept waking up. Triple checked my locks and found out the clicking I heard was my roomba maneuvering around a door stopper. So odd being in a house alone.”

“I’m sure your grump wouldn’t mind coming to protect you from the clicks in the night.” She said with a giggle.

“You laugh but I’ll have you know waking up with a colony of crabs climbing into your hut is terrifying and that was the same click. Painful little things.” In a glance up at her you caught her concerned stare and shook your head, “I’m fine, doesn’t happen often, just, things do pop up from time to time, maybe I’ll put one of those stick barriers down around it on the floor so the roomba won’t hit it.”

“Who thought such adorable things could be so unsettling in the dark.” At that you let out a soft giggle and she sighed, “I wish I had a roomba. But Mao would no doubt hate it.”

“He would no doubt lie on top of it and hover across your apartment, and you know it. Probably time it to get to his food at meal times so he doesn’t have to walk.” Making her chuckle with you as you watched the group in the booth packing up at their signature sign offs. A note from you however had Ecthellion on his way to a meeting nodding after your show grinning to himself at what you had written to share with him as to what you had been told.

.

Mal on your way down again asked, “Off to see Thorin dear?”

Giggling to yourself you replied, “Promised to check in with Bilbo first though.”

“Ooh, how is it feeling?”

“Good, not itchy anymore, I think I did good taking care of it.”

“Well just think, right in time for the warmer end of spring so you can show it all off in a bikini.”

You rolled your eyes, “I haven’t been swimming in three centuries. Never even owned a bikini.”

Mal smirked, “Then we’ll just have to buy you one. Boys keep talking about their family home, with a pool.”

“I highly doubt-,”

“Oh you’re coming, no telling how Thorin would mope and pout seeing me there and no you.”

“Enjoy your lunch with the boys. I’m off to be ogled and showed the art of the brew.”

Checking her phone she turned to meet her beaus before visiting Dain and you turned to head for the tattoo parlor. It didn’t take long and with a grin Bilbo inspected your arm under the uv light allowing you a fully mirrored view of the final effect back in the private room. Pulling your flannel back on over your partially sheer polka dot coated tank top you were off as he answered Frodo’s call wishing you a lovely rest of your day. Smirking to himself wondering what Thorin would get into after hearing about his early drop by your home to drive you into the station and his brooding self afterwards at the shop.

Almost as if you had taken hours the now bustling shop gave you the hint that your usual calm place to relax was now the hot spot. From behind the counter you caught Dwalin’s eye and his point to your usual hop requiring table as a sign to just sit and they would bring you your drink. Wading through the departing people discarding their used mugs into the wash bins on the counter by the door you found a way to your table and hopped up easing your book out of your bag flinching your eyes from Thorin. A tempting slide of a Dam’s hand up his forearm drew you back to a focus away from the Dwarf locked in a flirting triangle of women.

You should have given terrible reviews was your first thought, one you quickly squashed but all the same had you not given such raving reviews there wouldn’t now be women realizing your grump was appealing and amazing and well in need of a good blush across his cheeks to accent hose stunning eyes of his. Just as if you were slapped you recoiled tucking your feet up into the foot rest on the stool and burrowed back into your planning.

Each room with items listed, some still not detailed as to which style or appearance you would want but listed all the same to choose later. Beside them estimated price ranges. Not essentially told he wasn’t interested you ignored the painful thought of just being the friend and pitied party once again. It wouldn’t be new to be seen as not worth the while with all your emotional baggage. Unknowingly they would only make it heavier by drawing you into their circle without ever being more than a friend and employee. So off you focused resting your palm in your chin propping an arm on the table to keep your face from easing to the table completely keeping you from stealing glances up at the women still lingering through Thorin’s next two orders taken sipping their drinks at the counter shortening space for the others behind them.

Noticing your reaction Balin on his way back from swapping the mug bins eased up to Thorin pinching him in his side earning a glare that melted at his whisper, “Fix Pear’s drink. Take a break.”

Thorin wanted to roll his eyes but one glance at you and he caught the clear flicker of an emotion showing there was something wrong. Dwalin said behind him you, “We got your pictures cheat sheet on the drinks. Go on.”

Two mugs in hand he eased past the tables of women assuming he was coming to see them again and disappointment was clear at his claiming the stool across from yours setting yours down lifting your gaze. “Nice breasts.” It was a muttered comment but your brows inched up and he bit his lip and rumbled out through your curious grin reacting to his instant blush, “I meant shirt,” his fingers traveled across his pecs, it has a nice design on the dip. “Really, accentuates... How’s the house going?”

“House is fine, and you?”

“I’m fine, when I’m not, pointing out features of our breast customer.” Again your smile inched wider and he gave off a huff, “I didn’t. I don’t, your breasts are fantastic, only rivaled by your legs and I’m going to stop talking about them right now.”

“I don’t know, all that talk about my upper half, my lower half might take it a bit personally.”

All he did was furrow his brows and lift his mug for a deep sip, “You’re eventually going to run out of tea you know.”

Reaching out he claimed your book saying, “Ooh, you’ve priced things.”

“For future reference and budgeting.”

His eyes rose to yours and you could see the fix it in his gaze instantly rising again, “You’re stopping?”

“Well it’s not like my money is endless and the house certainly won’t float away if I leave most of it empty for now.” Taking a sip of your mug mentally drafting your usually honest and appealing review to be typed up on the train.

“Certainly we-,”

“No.”

His brow inched up, “No?”

“Your family has helped me find and paint my dream home I am not squirreling away furnishings off their purses just to fill it as well. It will get filled, Captain save an Elf.”

“I am not saving anyone.”

“Really? So you just always welcome complete strangers into the fold often how you have with me?”

“You’re different.”

Lifting your mug again you asked, “In what way?”

“You, are.” Your brow inched up and he asked, “That’s the only reason, funds?”

“If I get to the hotel and find I’m getting a raise I’m going to quit and come back here flick your nose,” Making him smirk and shake his head looking down to turn the page.

“The mattresses at least..”

“Mattresses, for frames I don’t have yet, for guests that won’t be coming any time soon. My family won’t be available till summer if they could come out.”

His eyes looked you over again and he asked, “Nothing else? Today, you seem,”

“Kept waking up. Just a bit tired. My roomba kept hitting the door stopper in one of my rooms. Took me forever to find what that clicking was. It’s different being in a home. My flat was just one room, didn’t take long to know what a noise was.”

Dwalin coming up to the table with a refill for Thorin said, “Surely if you need a roommate-,”

“No,” you giggled out, “Surely I pester my Mug Dealer too often at times, why make him bunk with me too.”

That had Thorin puffing up in a deep inhale and Dwalin asked, “Set prices for your next shopping trip?”

Thorin, “Putting it off a bit.”

Dwalin scoffed and you said, “Even with Belly’s found fortune for rent I couldn’t afford all this. It’ll take time. Most are just vague ideas at best anyways.”

Dwalin, “At least the mattresses! You have to have a place,”

“I don’t get guests. Past your family dropping in I haven’t had guests in ages.”

Dwalin, “Well we can change that. Let us help you fill it up and you’ll be chalk full of guests in no time on your days off to brighten up that social life of yours.”

“My social life suits the needs of my friends, I am a very low maintenance friend no need to drop a hoard of gold to fix up my place.”

“Just, you looked a bit down when you sat down, just want to pep you up and that trip with Dis had you grinning.”

“Just a bit tired, but I have it on good authority my breasts look fantastic,” Thorin exhaled and lifted his new mug in the start of Dwalin’s head turning to face him, “But nowhere near as tempting as my legs.”

Dwalin said to his cousin half amused and half stunned, “Who let you out of the house today?”

Thorin lowly muttered above his mug, “I didn’t say tempting.”

“No but your eyes did.” Making him cough a little when his sip tried to go down the wrong way in your spreading smirk. “Either way, things are looking good, no doubt you’ve heard my show got a possible book offer from Gorgo no less.”

Thorin, “Yes, Dain mentioned that Mal sent the word on to Bunny.”

Unable to help it you smirked as Dwalin said, “No doubt Bunny is thrilled.”

“Not as thrilled as the Countess would be.” You replied before taking another sip of your drink. “You guys seem busy.”

Dwalin swatted his hand, “Should have seen it an hour ago.”

Thorin, “People cramming in to hear the tail end of the show.”

“Bet they loved the butcher.” You teased.

They both said, “Hated him.” Making you giggle to yourself.

“Just wait till you read about him he’s not half bad.”

A few more customers walking in took Dwalin back to the counter and Thorin turned your attention back to the book still halfway wishing to goad you into letting him pick you out another gift. Though before long he was claiming your mug and his own heading back to the counter stealing a final glimpse of your bouncing path out the view of the front windows. When he turned to face forward Dwalin didn’t even have to say anything Thorin blurted out, “I was trying to compliment her shirt.”

Dwalin and Balin both said, “Uh huh.” Watching him head to add the mugs to the sink.

Ignoring your confusion on the puzzling grump you sent off your latest review to their social page for the shop and settled back through the train ride wondering if he would be popping up again first thing in the morning to give you another weather report.

.

All the way through your shift you wondered how Ecthellion had done in speaking with Gorgo. Once your cart was checked back in again to its cubby you turned hearing your name. With a spreading grin you eyed Tili asking, “Miss Pear.”

“Hi.” Before you could stop yourself you said, “I will warn you I did promise Thorin to flick him on the nose if you gave me a raise today.”

In the deepening of her grin and dimples she replied, “For his safety we will simply wait on that then. As for today I was wondering how are your weekends looking for the rest of the month?”

“They, look fine, do you need me to pull some extra shifts?”

Tili simply turned on her heel saying, “I’ll keep you posted, have a good day.”

“You too...” shaking your head as she left you muttered to yourself, “Up to something, clearly...” after changing you shouldered your bag making your way down through the lift and out to the usual path to the station again. Leaning against a column you sighed waiting for the train staring at the wall behind where it would be only to turn your head seeing the hesitantly approaching Dwarf with a familiar shade of blue eyes who flashed you a friendly grin and stepped closer.

“Pardon me, Miss Pear is it?” Your brow twitched and he said, “You met my brother Gloin and nephew and, well a good deal of my cousins.”

“You’re not here to demand I accept an offer of furniture are you?”

That made him chuckle to himself and step closer, “No, not in the least, merely spotted you leaving the hotel same as me and taking the same train. Figured there can’t be many green curly haired lasses around.”

“I suppose not.” Hastily you wet your lower lip and asked in another glance his way, “Travel this way often?”

“No, not really. Vili’s got a friend repairing my car, went to meet up with him for progress earlier, taking the train back to my room at Balin’s until it’s repaired then I can head home to Iron Hills in style.” His hand motion of driving off into the distance made you chuckle to yourself.

“Are you part of the retail Durins then?”

“I’m a therapist of sorts actually.”

“Sorts?” You smirked back and stepped off the column at the arrival of the train.

“Well, we’re called Youms we work mainly with, auras and past traumas along with lingering emotions and fears with injuries. Also mix in some massage techniques and touch sensitivity and such. It’s very, broad a term.”

“I sort of have an idea what you mean. Met one once, few centuries back.”

“Oh? How did that go, did he help you?”

“We shook hands and he flinched.” Dropping Oin’s grin, “Then his receptionist couldn’t find any openings for four months, told me to come back then.”

“And?”

“Their lease was up, got a bigger place farther down town. It was a friend at work’s idea to go. So I didn’t take it personally.”

Oin sighed settling in the seat beside yours saying, “To have such a reaction in your hand it must have been very troubling for you to be brushed off like that.”

Expecting his next question he was trying to word you held out your hand over his leg palm up, “I’ve had worse reactions to people just seeing my face. I’m used to being brushed off.” Across your palm his fingers traced certain curves and lines, “Can’t get a sword without breaking a few hammers,” his eyes rose to meet yours, “That’s the phrase I believe.”

“It is,” around your hand his folded and his thumb pressed into your thumb joint gently and couldn’t help but grin, “These hands have broken earth and have a feathered guard.”

“Planting helped. My birds have helped.”

Down your joint his thumb traveled to press into the fold of your wrist causing a pooling of blood to shape into a heart, “Someone is loving you.” Weakly you giggled and were ready to refute that only for him to say, “Such new feelings, confusing, yet to be named.” His eyes met yours, “A love you have not faced before. Just keep floating, love will flood in with the waters.”

“Waters?”

“Some people build bridges, others build dams, now which they build is determined by what path we are meant to follow. You have a dam, not a bad thing, Dams bring patience, strength, power, to conquer water, next to impossible for some. Water is all of life, you have been building, but water is coming, good, bad, the impossible and love.”

“And this love, what do they bring, a bridge?”

Oin chuckled soothing his thumb a bit farther down your forearm feeling your heart pounding contrasting your calm expression, “Fish.”

“That like, a babies reference?”

“No,” again he chuckled he said, “For each other you build your worlds and lives, empty fields and houses, streams and lakes all empty. Your One enters and life begins anew. Good, bad, uncertainty, everything is fish.”

“Nothing to flinch from then?”

Again he chuckled to himself and cradled your hand a moment giving it a kind pat. “No. Some cannot help others. Some do not need help. But trust me that flinch in no way stated you were beyond help had you sought it out yourself.”

“Thank you.”

“If you do require help however I always have openings.”

“I couldn’t afford you,” You replied in his release of your hand feeling a zing in your wrist meaning you were thinking of that incoming love of yours.

“You’d be surprised.”

Softly you giggled replying, “I have gotten enough bargains and deals with your clan to fill a lifetime.”

Smirking to himself he said, “If you need my services, simply tug on the tether my clan has set then and you’ll find my number.” The answer made you smirk while he did the same feeling you ease a bit knowing it was all your say if he would help you, to first find his number and set the appointment after.

.

Three rings and through the line Gorgo’s voice sounded post bout of texting with Dain, who had taken a break on the search to ready Truffles for meeting BamBam and adjust her that it was just a visit and he wouldn’t be coming to stay until his leg was healed. Of course leading to a lengthy debate with the Giant Mortar Boar that she could take care of the cub that relented only in hearing he was still on formula and hadn’t been weaned just yet. “Venture Publishings, Gorgo speaking How May I help you?”

“Yes this is Ecthellion, co-owner of Lonely Mountain Station. I was given your card by my client Bunny who wished for me to see what sort of deal if any you were wishing to offer.”

Inching up in her seat she started stating her pitch, “All of us here truly love her story, I myself have been trying to uncover just who had written the initial draft offered to publishers years prior and my clan for approval of using our family name. We are willing to offer a very handsome advance of 10k to possibly coax a few more chapters at least to continue work on the prior novel she had intended for publishing. We would be willing to offer a year timeline for something completed for publishing.”

“Ah, well then I’m not quite certain we are on the same page for this offered deal.”

In her seat she tucked her legs silently tapping the cap of her pen onto her notepad, “The advance is not enough? I assure you if there have been other offers we will beat them.”

Ecthellion smirked replying, “No I don’t believe you understand my meaning. The novel you are asking about from that particular draft was completed years ago.” Gorgo puffed up in anticipation, “To a stunning 2555 page novel, with I believe the seventh in the series currently in progress. All of it with the exception of three pages to make small revisions on is fully ready for print. The latter ones considerably shorter, however the first is cut as much as it could be without dissolving the storyline and setting. If you are willing to accept a fully completed novel with four movements to be published as a unit then perhaps I could give you time to conference and adjust your offer and discuss furthering the process to head towards publishing?”

“2555 pages?” She barely managed to whisper out to herself then she said after clearing her throat, “We will have to conference for the specific details, however we are interested, please consider this as close to binding of an agreement until a contract can be agreed upon.”

“Trust me I have no doubts on us coming to an agreement to suit everyone involved. Though I must be clear on one thing, Bunny requires her privacy and will be publishing under the pen name Bunny, so if you would not mind passing that on and assuring that all contact goes through me.”

“Of course. We understand perfectly.”

“I will pass on the word to Bunny and we will wait for you to contact us again.”

“Thank you,” she said writing out his contact information he supplied and then hung up after his own parting thanks.

Up out of her seat Gorgo rushed to the office on the end of her floor, on the other side of the door she opened the Head Manager sat flipping through a stack of papers on her desk and removed her glasses to look up at Gorgo through the closing of the door behind her.

“2555 pages.”

“As much as I am appreciating the enthusiasm for context I am going to require a few more details for this to work.”

“Bunny’s book-,”

“She’s expecting an advance for a nearly 3000 page book?”

“No advance, no writing schedule for parts-,”

“I don’t follow.”

“She wrote 2555 pages in the past five years, plus her agent or lawyer that contacted me says she’s working on the seventh book in the series!”

The manager straightened up, “She’s written that, plus six more books?”

“Yes! He’s giving us time to adjust our proposal.”

“That, that would take quite a while. Printing alone we could discuss but to get an agreement on publicity alone, the press tours-,”

“Oh, Bunny is wishing to remain anonymous.”

That had the manager letting out a sigh, “So that is simplified and I’ve seen her media accounts all in the millions followers wise so posting there, radio spots could be recorded and paper press to advertise everywhere. Maybe we could even get the team of actors from the radio show to narrate some of not possibly all of it.”

“If we could manage to have a good supply fairly soon on a price equal to size and not too gouging we could dominate the summer market and possibly have Bunny books out every year for a decade if we manage it wisely. And it is ready for publication?”

“He said she has three pages to edit but past that it’s edited and print ready.”

She nodded and pulled out a fresh notepad saying, “Let’s get these details hashed out then.”

Pt 13

@himoverflowers​, @theincaprincess​​, @aspiringtranslator​, @sweeticedtea​, @ggbbhehe4455​, @thegreyberet​, @patanghill17​, @jesgisborne​, @curvestrology​, @alishlieb​, @jogregor​, @armitageadoration​, @fizzyxcustard​, @here2have-fun​, @lilith15000​, @marvels-ghost​, @catthefearless​, @imjusthereforthereads​, @c-s-stars​, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore​, @mariannetora​, @shesakillerkween

Hobbit/LotR – @abiwim​, @jotink78​, @pastelhexmaniac

[boywivlove]

| When Lightning strikes |

Pairing: Briefly mentioned Kim Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Apocalypse AU | Angst

Summary : Kim Taehyung is broken, after a successful supply run turns sour, a loss that no one could have seen coming hits him hard. As he is forced to take shelter from the storm and the dead in an abandoned shack, his thoughts are of the rest of his group waiting for them to come back. Taehyung reflects on the people he’s lost and the last time he saw you, letting thoughts of you overwhelm him. Determined, he will brave the storm and take down anything in his way for a chance to hold you and his family in his arms again. Even just for a minute.

Song inspiration | the Lightning Strike | Snow Patrol.

Warnings : Mentions of major character deaths | mentions of murder and violence | Descriptions of gore | swearing | Strong language

Word count : 3k words.

Author’s note : I finally did it. I finally wrote something somewhat worth posting on here, this idea came from a song fic summary game with @ddaenysus​ and @jhspetitegf​ last night and I thought I may as well make something of my ideas. Be aware this is ANGTSTYYYY.

It can be hard to see clearly in a storm, especially at night. Vision was limited enough but adding harsh winds and harsher rainfall? That just makes things utterly inconvenient. The flashes of lightning were his only saving grace at this moment in time, lighting his surroundings for the faintest of moments that Taehyung dare not close his eyes for even a second, his life depended on it. He was alone, injured and depending on lightning of all fucking things. The rain mixing with the blood that has stained his clothes and skin, giving the air that familiar metallic aroma. 

Running through the underbrush he could hear them, the now familiar snarls and groans he had been forced to become accustomed and aware of since the world went to shit. His hearing was his saving grace at this moment, his vision not accustomed to the harsh rainfall of the particularly harsh storm. Those guttural growls and faint shuffling of dragging feet telling him where not to run and the lightning momentarily letting him see the swallowed lifeless faces getting closer to him as he ran. However long he seemed to have been running for though, luck seemed to have thrown him a lifeline here. A cabin. A small, rundown looking shack that looked like it could have been a small little rest stop for people camping or hunting in the wooded area. Taehyung got to the side of the shack, trying out the door with no luck, but seeing a window he took his chance and used the battered looking pipe he had to break through to his possible piece of salvation. He quickly made work to making sure there wasn’t any of those things lurking about in the tiny space. Luck was on his side in that moment. Using the strength he could manage with his bruised and bloody body, he managed to move a long empty shelving unit to block the now broken window, sealing the only entry those dead heads could use to get to him. He sat in silence for what seemed like the longest of times, in the dark of the hut just listening. All he could hear was the patter of the heavy rainfall and the occasional rumbles of thunder. The lightning setting the room alight for seconds at a time.                          

Only when he was sure he was safe for that moment, Taehyung set to work on setting up his resting place for the night. He lit the spare candles he had in his travel pack, he had to admit Jin had good `this will come in handy later` moments. He set them up on one of the wooden tables and used one of the others to place upon the door. He didn’t trust a locked door not to break should a group of hungry rotters come knocking. Once his little nest was set up he went through the green backpack, the once vibrant grass green was now covered in rips, tears, grime and now, fresh blood. He retrieved the small red pouch, took out the tiny travel sewing kit and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol. He then set to work on the rather nasty slash running across his abdomen, not deep enough that he would bleed out then and there, but not shallow enough to warrant just winging it and leaving it unattended either. He threaded the needle and set the needle over the flame. This wasn’t gonna be the best medical care in the world but when needs must.

With each stinging stitch he was only just becoming aware of how numb he was, he ran his cold fingers over his stomach, nothing. Yes, he had been in the freezing cold of the shittiest storm he had seen since the world went top side, his skin beaten with freezing winds and his clothes were drenched. But this numbness was different. It was a numbness of different circumstances. The numbness you get when you get bad news, like the death of someone you know. The numbness that you don’t realise until your brain finally processes it. With each stitch he wished he could feel something. But feeling the slightest bit of anything would only open the floodgates to everything he felt in the past 24 hours. Thinking back now on how things were looking like things were settling into something hopeful. How could he have been so stupid.

 24 Hours earlier

The night air was cool and crisp, mixing with the wisps of smoke from the small campfire the group had made for their meals. The menu tonight consisted of cans of mixed vegetables. The water they had left was rationed between the group as they silently savoured their mouthfuls. Hopefully the scavenging run to the gas station they passed on the road would be kind to them, their supplies getting thinner by the day. The team was set, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook would go on the run, while the rest would stay back and keep the camp safe. How they had avoided the dead so far was a mystery but they weren’t going to question the good luck they’ve had so far. But at the same time they couldn’t get too comfy, they always kept moving, never staying in the same place for too long. They had seen what happens when you do that, the people who thought they could just hunker down and not take precautions, and they weren’t going to bring bad vibes onto the group by thinking about the what ifs. Taehyung sat going over the supplies they would need to look out for during the scavenge, Jin piping up every so often about canned crab, making the group smile and sigh in unison. Taehyung then looks to the person across from him, she was sipping her water as if it was the sweetest nectar, catching his eye, her lips upturned in the faintest of smiles, her cheeks warming slightly as she focused back on Namjoon and the map they were overlooking. He held his gaze for the slightest moment, thinking back to the night before, the feeling of your hair in his fingers, your hands caressing his cheeks, and his lips between yours.

Post supply run

The three were walking the path they came, their backpacks were full with the spoils of a successful scavenge. The gas station had been pretty much cleared out of most stuff, but in some wondrous miracle, whoever came before left canned goods, those usually gross fruit granola bars that sit by the till that no one usually touches were now highly coveted and worth more than gold. They even found an overturned vending machine and with a little elbow grease, it opened to reveal bottles of water, and to the boys delight, candy bars galore. The high they were feeling knowing how the group will be able to fill their bellies with the glorious taste of sugar gave them the energy they needed to make the 4 hour track home.

They decided on the walk as it would be better to not draw attention, and while it was Jimin who complained about the possible walk of shame back, coming home empty handed, watching him savour the sweet treat with a spring in his step made Taehyung feel like he could walk on water. He thought about the supplies they had gathered. Water, canned veggies, canned fruit and granola and candy bars. The gas station also had a little apothecary like pharmacy section which they managed to salvage some bottles of pain meds, bandages, the little things that make a big difference to your survival. One thing Taehyung couldn’t wait to showcase to the group, that Jin would more than likely so anything to have a share in, canned crab. The boys had already started screaming all the ways they could make the hungry man their personal servant. 

The small group had stopped to rest for a moment, taking the time to take some well deserved sips of water. Jimin and Taehyung set to the task of evening out the load of the packs for each member, equally sharing the load until they got home. Jungkook took watch, better to be safe than sorry, they came so far and accomplished so much in this one day then they had in weeks, things were looking up, but you can never be too careful, never. 

it all happened in a split second, one second that changed the game entirely. Looking over to the two finishing the supply sharing, Jungkook was looking to the treeline, and the small group of deadheads that had come across them. It was only when the one closest to him let out the ever familiar growling they had always been so watchful of, that he quickly turned around. A matter of seconds is all it took. Jungkook wasn’t quick enough to notice, and it was only when he felt teeth tearing into his upper shoulder did he react. The scream of pain and surprise ripped through the area like a gunshot, alerting the other two men. Taehyung and Jimin could only look on in horror as Jungkook ripped himself from the grasps of the corpse, his right side now stained crimson and his eyes wide with fear and disbelieving. In his shock he couldn’t bring himself to raise his baseball bat, giving Taehyung cause to react, bringing his rusted pipe down on the monsters head, making short work of it. Seeing more of them, the group made for a hasty retreat, grabbing their packs, Jimin grabbing Jungkooks and Taehyung grabbing Jungkook himself, they made a b-line for the trees and to anywhere but there. 

It had all happened so fast, how could their luck have changed so quickly. 

After they got a safe distance away from the deadheads, they set their injured friend down at the base of a tree, his face had lost its colour, his skin clammy and stained with his blood, which was still spilling down his side with no signs of stopping without proper medical care, the bitch had got him deep. Taehyungs body was tingling and cold. He was shakily rummaging through his pack for the medical supplies they had found when he heard the wheezing words of his friend, 

`I,, I wasn’t, pa-aying attention,,,Im sorry`

The look in Jungkooks eyes was that of a child that had crossed the road seconds before a car comes speeding past. The look when scolded by parents. His lips quivered as he silently contemplated his actions. Jimins eyes shone with unshed tears as his friend scolded himself. 

 Present day

The stitches were not in anyway a medical marvel, but in times of desperation, they were a step to stability. Taehyung set the needle down and wiped his newly stitched skin with rubbing alcohol, the sting was barely recognised in his head. Taking a can of soup out of his pack, pulling the top to open it and stills his hand. He looks at the dried red liquid smeared onto his skin, his knuckles had split open, mixing his own blood with the blood on his hand, he then looks at the second pack on the floor. The blood on the pack that also stained his hands. The blood of his friend.

5 hours earlier     

The two are silent, walking with a heavy weight upon them both. They had left him. They had left their friends body under the tree they set him down to rest. Jungkook succumbed to the blood loss in the end, his wound already turning black and the blood starting to dry and crack around the teeth marks. Jimin and Teahyung were adamant in not abandoning him, that they were gonna get him back to camp, they weren’t stupid, they saw what happened when you got bit. Jungkook wasn’t stupid either, he could already feel the fever setting hin his bones. He shakily handed his pack to them, telling them he will rest for a little, and join them later at the campfire, his way of saying goodbye they guessed. But what could they do? taking him back wouldn’t be practical, he wouldn’t be able to stand on his own, and when he did eventually pass from the infection, it would only be a matter of time before he came back, and turned his cold dead eyes on them. Jungkook had made his mind up, he tossed jimin the backpack, and gave the two a smile, his eyes spilling tears, his breath staggered and his lips quivering. The last thing he sees his the teary faces of his friends as he closes his eyes and rests.his limbs becoming heavy and his breathing slowing.

They didn’t say a word when they walked. what could they say. there was nothing they could say that would bring their friend back, Jimin turning every so often out of habit, as if expecting to see him, catching up like he promised. 

it was hours later when words were uttered. a question was raised that brought the pain of it all to the surface. 

`what do we, how do we tell the others…`

It seemed like they forgot for a moment the others back home, Jungkook was the youngest of the group, the others had all taken to him like a younger brother, Namjoon especially, had been close to Jungkook, watching out for him when he could, an extra sweater when it was cold, sneaking him his own water and food when he wasn’t looking. As they contemplated how to break the news of their youngest friends death, Taehyung thought back to you again, a memory of you he now cherished every detail of, you were so motherly to Jungkook. Wrapping your red scarf around him and zipping his jacket up to his chin, scolding him about the complications of getting colds when living outdoors, Jungkook getting bashfully grumpy at being victim of your mother hen act. A fleeting memory that Taehyung would now hold in his heart with all the other small memories of mundane things. 

The sun was getting low as the skies darkened, the clouds bringing a fitting miserable darkness to the pair as they made their way home. At this point they just wanted to get back and be with their family, sharing in the grief and loss they now had welcomed. The quiet was interrupted by a booming roar of thunder. But the choking sound that followed was what brought Taehyung out of his thought, turning to his remaining friend, he felt all feelings leave him. What he thought was thunder, now identified as a gunshot.

 present day 

He looked at his hands, his cold, bloody hands. The blood that belonged to not only him, but two of his best friends. in the space of a day, he had lost two precious people to him, akin to brothers. His family. 

The gunshot came from the treeline, Jimins neck spurting blood and choking him as he fell to the ground, Taehyung was cold. He falls to his knees and grasps at his friends neck, trying to stem the bleeding with no avail. Why the fuck was this happening. He thought of nothing that could jinx the luck they had, why was everything falling apart in front of him. first Jungkook, and now, now Jimin. His friend died quicker than Jungkook did, Grasping Taehyungs hand as he did, the bullet wound filling his mouth and lungs with blood that suffocated him quickly. his blonde hair now dip dyed crimson. Tae just sat with him, an utter loss at what he could do, he wasn’t a doctor, he had no idea beyond basic common sense to stop bleeding. He just sat, the only thing he felt in the minutes he sat there was the cold barrel of a gun pointed into his neck as the owner demanded any supplies he had. He was numb.

His tears dropped into his hands, making the blood of him and his friends mix with the other guys blood, Taehyung couldn’t really remember how it had happened, he remembers the gun, he remembers standing up. He remembers the knife that slashed into his abdomen, the cold sting of the newly open wound. But beating him with his bare hands, he couldn’t remember, it was only when rain started to fall onto him did he snap back to reality, seeing the two dead bodies on the mossy ground at his feet. 

He sat in the dimly lit shack for what seemed like hours, his mind just replaying the moments before his friends deaths, his friends bright smiles before they were taken from this world so cruelly. His knuckled stung with the reminder of his blind rage, of which he was unforgiving. He felt nothing at this point. His mind just recalling memories of before the new uncaring world took people he loved dearly from him. He thinks to the rest of the group, he thinks about you. That night at the campfire. The setting sun behind you gave you the look of a golden halo, a burning effigy burned into his mind and making tears he thought he ran out of run down his face. He thinks to you and the others, worried about the three of them, and leaving to find them and meeting your deaths in manners just as cruel as Jimin and Jungkook. And it’s when he thinks of your deaths, he feels something, a pang in his heart. He wants nothing more to be with you all, he wants you to hold him, to comfort him and tell him everything is going to be alright. Wanting to hold you in his arms and feel your lips on his again, even if just for a minute before you or he are both ripped away from the world like everyone else.

The smell of rain on grass is fresh and clean, a scent that has been long since forgotten as the smell of sweat, mud and occasionally, but more recently, blood, has replaced the smell of cleanliness. the rain is still heavy, but the light is a saving grace, everything clearer now morning light has come. Taehyung emerges from the confines of the shack as the light of the sun rising hurts his eyes for a moment as he adjusts. 24 hours in a cabin with nothing but himself and his thoughts. It changes you. You reach places in your psyche that you never would contemplate going. He thinks to his friends, living and departed. He thinks of you, and he commits himself to the task of getting home. He will get back to you all. He isn’t alone, he realised this in the late hours of the night as he thought of his friends. He would prefer the bright smiles of his friends to be beside him, but the silent vow he made to himself set him in his newfound purpose. He will do anything to keep you all safe, and the memory of his friends alive. A vow he made to himself along with the vow of getting back to you.

Before the storm ends.

➶➶➶ fin➶➶➶

[metalgearkong]

Jedi: Fallen Order - Review (PS4)

11/24/19

Developed by Respawn Entertainment

Up until now, Electronic Arts has taken the wrong direction with their exclusive Star Wars license. So far they created not one, but two awful Star Wars: Battlefront games, both overstuffed with microtransactions and unethical loot boxes. Sure the graphics, sights, and sounds of Star Wars were present, but when the entry fee was $60 and the base game had so little to it, I wasn’t a fan. Jedi: Fallen Order is an answer to all the rightful criticism EA has taken, and they have finally funded developer Respawn Entertainment to make a dedicated single-player, offline, action/adventure game that Star Wars fans have wanted for years. Jedi: Fallen Order is an enormous step in the right direction with the Star Wars license, and shows the potential on what a lot of money and talented people can create when backed by passion.

This is yet another game taking place place between episodes III and IV, a few years after Order 66 and the fall of the Jedi Order. I don’t know if the Force Unleashed games are still considered canon, but I certainly hope not. We play as Cal Kestis, a young Jedi Padawan who survived the purge, and has been hiding out for years as a scrapper taking apart old ships from the war. The Empire has established itself firmly as the dominant superpower of the galaxy, equipped with all the classic Star Wars stuff I love, such as AT-ATs, AT-STs, Stormtroopers, and TIE fighters. A few additions include the Inquisitors, apparently Dark Jedi not following the "rule of two,” who seek out and kill the remaining Jedi in hiding. I guess they come from a TV show or something, but I’ve never watched any of those. Accompanying them are Purge Troopers, who use electro-magnetic melee weapons and can be a struggle to take down. I think the Purge Troopers should have just taken the role of the Inquisitors because I think it would be way cooler to know that the only experienced Force-users left alive now are Obi-Wan, Yoda, the Emperor, and Vader.

The gameplay could be described as a combination of Uncharted exploring, and Dark Souls combat (although it more so reminds me of 2018′s God of War, also inspired by Dark Souls). I didn’t give this game enough credit in the beginning. I decided to play the game on the hard difficulty option, but a few a few hours, I bumped it back down to normal mode. I underestimated the combat and how tough even simple enemies could be. Encounters involve locking on to one enemy at a time, and timing attacks, parries, and dodges. Even low level bad guys can take down your health, especially because they usually appear in small groups. I quite enjoyed fighting members of the Empire, especially basic Stormtroopers, but fighting creatures was much more annoying. Space bugs, space rats, and space crabs feel like a chore to kill as they leap backwards and avoid your lightsaber strikes, and its often harder to read their telegraphs. 

Coming across a squad of Stormtroopers is always where I had the most devilish fun. I appreciate how the game gave the troops a lot of personality. You can hear them chatting to each other before a fight, and they make sarcastic comments as you slowly dwindle their numbers. Laser bolts can be reflected back at the shooter, making ranged combat pretty easy. It’s when the game mixes melee enemies and ranged enemies where it gets a little more tricky and engaging. Every melee trooper is a Scout Trooper and I found that a little hilarious and inconsistent compared to a Scout’s role and ability levels from the films. I didn’t realize they can stand toe-to-toe with a Jedi using their electric sticks and block plenty of lightsaber strikes before being killed. I also liked the detail that when an AT-ST is defeated, you then get to brutally execute the pilot as he scrambles out and fires his pistol as a last ditch effort before his merciless death.

Bosses range from the aforementioned AT-STs, as well as large indigenous creatures found on different planets. Each world, from what I could tell, also has an optional, semi-hidden boss. These didn’t draw my attention much because they’re basically clones of other tougher creatures, only with a greater damage output, higher speed, and more health. You do get experience points for defeating enemies, but I lived happily without taking down these frustrating side-bosses. The most blatant rip-off of the Souls-like formula is the fact that when you rest at meditation spots (save points), it resets all the enemies in the level. This makes more sense in a game with tighter gameplay, such as Hollow Knight or Dark Souls, but there’s not as much of a need for experience points, and the gameplay isn’t reliable enough to warrant farming XP from regular enemies over and over again. I nearly gagged when the game warned me that meditating resets the enemies around you. I’m sick of seeing this mechanic, especially if it isn’t necessary.

I wish the gameplay was a little tighter and snappier. Enemies telegraphy their attacks well enough most of the time, but if an enemy is about to do an unblockable attack, the game doesn’t let you react quick enough to go from blocking to dodging. Many times I’d be blocking or trying to parry, and when an unblockable attack was coming, I couldn’t quick-step to the side fast enough. This means your reflexes not only have to be good enough, but you have to give the game a head start because it takes some time to go from one thing to another. This would happen often enough to get me frustrated. Another annoyance was Cal falling to the ground when the block meter isn’t depleted, and getting hit repeatedly as he’s trying to get up. I get that you can’t block forever, but you shouldn’t be “stunned” when the block meter isn’t empty yet. I don’t know if some of the clumsiness was intentional, but I would get pissed off during tougher fights because I felt like I was fighting an enemy as well as the mechanics.

This all has to do with combat, but I found the traversing to be more reliable. Respawn Entertainment definitely borrows heavily from the Uncharted and rebooted Tomb Raider series. Cal can’t do a lot at first, but as he remembers powers over time, you unlock more abilities such as Force push, Force pull, wall running, double jumping, and more. Sliding down icy or muddy slopes is always fun, especially when combined with other traversal obstacles such as gaps and the need to wall run at the beginning or end. If you die in combat, your brought back to a meditation point, but if you die while adventuring, the game resets you quickly and with a small loss of health. The animations were great as well. I really did feel like a character in the Star Wars universe climbing rocky terrain, jumping over ledges, climbing, and all sorts of stuff like that. It gave the game a cinematic feel even during gameplay. Same goes for combat which can be a little imprecise, but at least looks great. It’s funny, however, that a lot of what prevents Cal from going to new places is the game, is him simply not “remembering” how to do something, especially when he will recall one of his skills out of the blue.

One of the greatest strengths of the game is also it’s greatest weakness: the level design. Each planet you visit has its own interconnecting environments, of which short cuts can be unlocked so you can loop back around easier in the future. The map is also extremely helpful as it gives you a 3D view of the environments, shows where you haven’t explored, shows where places are locked, and shows things like meditation spots. But there isn’t one bit of fast-travel in the game, so when you find yourself deep in a tomb or canyon, you have to hike your way all the way back to your ship. Granted, the developers have tried their best to make the way back interesting with new enemies or new ways to get back to the start, but when some of the environments are as large and twisting as they are, it can be a grind to get from A to B sometimes. Regardless, I’m impressed with how big and detailed each location is (my favorite being the lush jungles of Kashyyyk). It also gives you reminders of places you can re-explore once new abilities are unlocked.

The story itself is one of the worst aspects of the game. While the settings and storytelling itself can be quite good on regular occasions, the overall plot is extremely basic. When Cal is forced to use his powers to save his friend during an industrial accident, he draws the attention of the Empire and the Inquisitors. The game becomes a race between you and the Empire to find a hidden list of Force-sensitive children left in the galaxy. This list (Holocron) has been hidden by a former Jedi who simply has put it in a difficult place to get to simply as a test, so that anyone who finds it would be “worthy” or something. We don’t necessarily see the Empire taking steps to find this list, but they pop in and our during cinematics when it’s convenient for the game. It’s basically an excuse to hop between a handful of planets and get slightly further and further as we unlock new abilities (a la Metroidvania). We spend a vast amount of time in deep tombs, putting Lara’s recent adventures to shame. It got old after a bit, even if the graphics and designs were gorgeous. I also think the game had one or two many giant ball puzzles.

The acting can be hit or miss as well. The most annoying character was Cere (Debra Wilson), one of the members of your small crew, who is a former Jedi Master, but has cut herself off from the Force. I think on a technical level, Wilson plays this character like a seasoned actor, but I found Cere’s character to be like one of those teachers or supervisors who is more dramatic than she needs to be. Cere comes off as condescending and a bit self-important, making excuses for herself while holding Cal to a very noble and high standard. She just comes off as endlessly melodramatic, and I don’t see a lot of need for her to have been a former Jedi, especially because she’s nothing but a co-pilot, quest-giver, and expositioner.. Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) is a very vanilla hero who isn’t too bright, but is very altruistic. He has to have everything explained to him, even though I think he could have easily been telling other characters information, rather than being so clueless as a Jedi Padawan. Monaghan does a pretty good job playing him, I just thought the character itself was a little bland and typical.

Instead of the main Inquisitor chasing you around (called the “Second Sister”) I think being pursued by Darth Vader would have been way more fun. How much cooler would it have been to be hunted by THE Darth Vader, him doing exactly what his job was during this time period? Another inconsistency that irked me was that Cal is a Padawan, yet he’s proficient in single blade, staff, and double lightsaber combat. I know this makes the game more “fun” but it doesn’t make sense to me that a teenage Padawan is an expert in three forms of lightsaber combat, each of them needing nearly a lifetime to master. I was annoyed I could switch to a lightsaber staff at any time with no background or explanation for it. I would have liked it much more if the story and game stuck to single blade combat, and not felt like it would have been too basic or boring for most players. But I think the larger thing to blame is the Star Wars canon and Force-using, lightsaber-using people don’t get much of a technical explanation on how much the Force aids you or how much training you need to do on your own.

It may not seem like it, but overall I am actually pretty happy with Jedi: Fallen Order. Not only does it eschew the practices EA has become notorious for, but it’s a game in a genre I really enjoy. Aside from some combat imperfections, flat story, and average characters, I had a lot of fun exploring this game at every turn. Finding chests with cosmetic collectibles and playing with the Force powers kept me going from one corner to the next. I also enjoyed the music which was done by composers Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab, instead of relying too much on the famous John William tracks (although they are heard far and few between). They evoked a Star Warsy tone and atmosphere without outright copying existing works. I loved moments like my first AT-ST fight, or climbing and piloting an AT-AT. Most of the set-piece moments were exciting and unique for a Star Wars video game. It certainly has its blemishes, but definitely not things that couldn’t be ironed out in a future sequel. I really hope Respawn Entertainment and EA continue on this path of coming up with semi-original stories with their Star Wars license and make single player driven experiences.

7.5/10

[shinsoukokuvalentine]

Soft Like Down

(Broken sleep schedule + writer’s block are to blame for this delay, but I wrote this all in a day, so that’s good. Means I can still write fast. Along that note, ya’ll ever heard of selkies?)

194/365: Soft like Down

Seeing a man on the beach is not a rare sight. Fishermen are the most common, with swimmers being second. But Ryuunosuke has never seen someone simply standing there, staring, as if the ocean itself is something deeply sad.

“What are you doing here?”

The young man on the beach jumps. He appears to be a peasant, with worn, thin clothes, and a blanket of sheeps’ wool wrapped around his shoulders. But his face appears almost ethereal, with hair like moonlight and eyes like sunsets.

“I’m…” the man stammers, as if he’s unused to speaking, “I’m… Watching the sea.”

Ryuu shoves his hands in the pockets of his long coat, scowling slightly.

“I can see that,” Ryuu mutters. “I wonder why, though.”

The man appears to curl in on himself, bunching his shoulders and looking to the sand beneath his bare feet.

“I can’t go in,” he admits. “I can only watch.”

Ryuu stares at him, but he says nothing else. He leaves the stranger, turning back to the village, walking to his house on the cliff overlooking the sea.

Whenever he looks, the strange man’s there. He never seems to leave, watching the ocean, gripping the shawl over his shoulders. He sometimes stands, sometimes sits. Always in the same spot, just above the tide line.

For the first few times Ryuu passes him on the beach, the stranger barely looks at him. But the days pass.

“Why do you come out here so often?”

Ryuu looks up. The stranger looks straight at him, bicolor eyes wide and curious. Ryuu grunts after getting over his initial shock.

“I could say the same to you,” he mutters, going back to his work. There’s a moment where neither of them speak, but the sound of the waves drowns out any thoughts they might have shared.

“If you tell me your name, and why you’re here,” the stranger says, crossing his legs as he sits in the sand, “I’ll do the same.”

Ryuu turns to him. The stranger’s round face portrays nothing but innocence.

“I’m gathering shells,” Ryuu says after a minute, “and crabs.”

The stranger tilts his head. “For eating?”

Ryuu pauses. “... Yes,” he says hesitantly. “For eating.”

His lie seems to satisfy the stranger, who tilts his head to the side.

“And your name?”

Ryuu grunts. “Ryuunosuke,” he says.

The stranger gives a small smile, and for a moment, the sorrow that had been overshadowing him for days fades away.

“I’m Atsushi,” he says.

Ryuu stops, sitting down beside him, tying his bag and setting it in the sand.

“And why do you come out here, Atsushi?”

Atsushi’s sorrow comes back immediately. Instantly, his face falls, and he wraps the blanket tighter around his shoulders.

“I stare at the ocean,” he says slowly, “because I can’t go in it.”

Ryuu follows his gaze when he looks back to the ocean again, waves frothy, fishing boats floating on the horizon.

“Why is that?”

Atsushi takes a deep breath. “I need my coat,” he murmurs. “If I go in the water without my coat, I’ll drown.”

Ryuu pulls his gaze from the sea, looking to Atsushi. “So you were cursed?”

Atsushi gives a small, humorless smile. “Not exactly,” he sighs. He doesn’t explain further, and it’s up to Ryuu to continue the conversation.

“Did you lose your coat?”

Atsushi stiffens. “No,” he practically hisses, taking Ryuu aback. “It was stolen. The man who took it will destroy it if I don’t serve him,” he snaps. He grips the sand at his sides, probably leaving red marks on his palms. “He’s trapped me here.”

Ryuu frowns. He looks back to the sea, his mind already planning what he’ll do that evening.

“Would you do anything to get your coat back?” He asks. Atsushi nods.

“Anything,” he repeats.

Ryuu narrows his eyes as he stands, grabbing his bag, pulling his dark hood over his head.

“I’ll meet you here again tonight,” he says. Atsushi barely seems to notice, giving a vague nod and watching the sea wistfully. Ryuu stalks back to his house on the cliff, calculating which of his crabs and shells he’ll use in tonight’s potion.

“Atsushi.”

Atsushi picks his head up. Moonlight dances on the waves and on his hair, so much so that Ryuu has to remind himself not to be distracted.

“Ryuunosuke,” Atsushi smiles, standing to greet him. He walks from his usual spot, treading across the sand to him, coming to stand in front of him with a gentle smile on his thin lips. He frowns suddenly, sniffing the air. “Why… do you smell like smoke?” He says.

Ryuu’s lip twitches. “I took care of things,” he muttered. He didn’t kill anyone, no; he felt as if Atsushi would disapprove of that. But burning a kidnapper’s house to the ground didn’t fall outside his personal code of ethics.

Atsushi stares at him, confused, until Ryuu pulls something from beneath his cloak. It glitters in the moonlight, and its soft texture feels almost like down.

Atsushi audibly gasps. Slowly, he takes the cloth from Ryuu, his own wool blanket dropping into the sand.

“This is your coat, right?” Ryuu asks. Atsushi can only nod, his open mouth breaking into a smile.

Suddenly he bursts out laughing. He throws the cloak around his shoulders, whooping with joy as he turns on his heel and runs to the ocean. Ryuu finds himself reaching his arm out, as if asking for a goodbye, but Atsushi’s already jumped into the water, diving beneath the waves.

Then silence. Ryuu’s eyes widen, and he rushes into the water himself, waves flowing up to his knees and soaking his cloak.

“ATSUSHI!” He cries.

He freezes in place. In the moonlight, white coat glistening, a seal leaps from the water before diving back beneath its surface. The next instant, Atsushi’s torso emerges out of the ocean, still laughing, soaked except for his coat, which remains dry despite being surrounded by the sea.

Ryuu can only stare as Atsushi runs and splashes up to him, tears of joy slipping from his eyes. He grabs Ryuu’s cheeks and kisses him before he can react, and his lips taste like salt.

He breaks away an instant later, beaming like a miniature sun at night. Then he’s gone once again, diving into the water. In his place, a white seal leaps down the trail that the moon has left on the ocean.

Silent, watching the seal until he’s out of sight, Ryuu stands in the ocean. He can barely hear his own thoughts, but one thing rings clear.

He wishes with all his heart to see Atsushi again.

[bd-bandkanon]

so I’ve been playing this game called Kenshi and it’s ruining my life I guess?

I did a short 'noob fail’ playthrough with the Wanderer start and a boring random dude I called “Tiddlywinks”. Within 24 in-game hours he broke both his arms trying to fight without weapons, got beat up by hungry bandits, and then got eaten alive by blood spiders, so that didn’t go over well...

But then I started a new game with the Nobodies start. I got to have five characters, though they started out in the horrifically unforgiving desert called Venge, which has broken skeletons (robots) wandering the sands and giant flesh-scorching lasers shooting from the heavens. These guys were my characters. They survived thus far, and have each developed their own array of skills, and as I kept learning about the lore of the game I also began to build on each of their backstories... So here they are in order of appearance I guess lol

-

First there’s the Greenlander Fujin, a twice-traitor to her former factions and the daughter of a high-ranking samurai. First she freed a bunch of slaves and ran away from her home in the Empire-owned city of Heng, then she joined the Dust Bandits and, after some time, abandoned them as well. All she wants in life is a ‘family’ of her choosing. Seems like she’s got what she wants now-- and she’ll do everything in her power to protect them. 

With a Plank type weapon as her go-to and heavy armor to soak damage, Fujin is definitely the tank of the team, but also the fastest for reasons I might explain later...

-

Then we have the Scorchlander twins, both escaped slaves of the Holy Nation and both actively in search of a place they can call home, free of influence from uncaring factions and safe from the dangers of the wild-- like Fogmen for instance. So Mongrel is out of the question. Ares is a vigilante at heart and will be quick to free any slave from their shackles if she sees them, and Vass is constantly prodding the land hoping there’s a place suitable for living. 

Vass is both fast and an excellent dodger, preferring the sabre but capable of martial arts if need be, and Ares is a sharpshooter. (It’s fun to aggro enemies with Vass while Ares bumps them off from a long distance)

-

This next one is pretty long: Leer is a Hive Worker Drone, which are usually dumb and flimsy-- but he’s kind of a rare gem. Stolen from his Hive shortly after his conception by a skeleton named Kite, Leer was raised and educated in Black Desert City, a town run entirely by skeletons in the barren region of persistent acid-rain known as the Deadlands. There he was brought up differently from his Hiver kin, excelling in subjects that even Greenlanders don’t have access to. He was happy there-- until one day Kite vanished, never to be seen again. Leer set off in search of his mentor, but such sudden exposure to the outside world was quite the shock to him. People degraded him for his race, judging his intelligence by it, and used his physical weakness against him. He was a target for everyone and everything, subject to assault and abuse from all angles. It was only a matter of time before he employed the company of two scorchlander twins and a very large woman to protect him on his journey... but deep-set feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt lead him to set his own goals aside in favor of theirs. He truly wishes to be useful to his friends, but at the same time he also wants to be reunited with Kite. Despite all this, despite EVERYTHING, Leer is the brains of the group. A strategist suited for warfare, he has so far orchestrated the most successful of the group’s battles, has prospected the regions, has done all the research-- and very recently he gained the alliance of about 27 damaged skeletons... Very soon people will have to call him Commander Leer. 

On the actual gameplay side of things though, he really IS the best prospector and researcher of the five. I don’t know how I managed this. But I like it. Not to mention he’s pretty formidable with the naginata and other such polearms, though for a while he did tend to have to switch out to katanas because he is indeed squishy and his left arm was quite the target. But now it’s gotten to the point where barely anything can get more than one hit in on him, and that’s not just thanks to his skeleton army.

-

And now for the one we’ve all (just me actually) been waiting for: Ghost. (I briefly considered renaming him Geist because I discovered there’s a canon character named Ghost in the game, but Ghost just suits him better.) Discovered by the group in a ruined lab in Venge, they reportedly witnessed a bunch of skeleton Thralls (headless broken skeletons) working on him. The group wasn’t sneaky enough though and got attacked by these Thralls-- just in time for him to wake up. Just like that, the thralls left without a second notice as if they’d been called away, leaving the four alone with Ghost who quickly got to patching them up. Upon questioning, they discovered that Ghost didn’t remember anything from before he awoke-- not even who he was. It was Vass’ idea to give him the name Ghost, and with nowhere else to go, he chose to accompany them out of Venge and onward. Not long after, problems began to arise. He’d have violent attacks wherein he’d be overtaken by pain and black out. When he’d come to, small memories from his past would become revealed to him. But many of these things wouldn’t add up. As if he’d been in two places at once... Worse yet, he was soon to find that there’s a strange inconsistency with Skeletons, how their memory reportedly degrades over time thus leaving the past in shadows, and yet the way they react to his own plight... Very distressing, one might say. Either way, it’s this plight of his that inspires the group to venture to places they would otherwise never attempt to travel, and uncover things no man should ever see. He’s a driving force, almost as if he’s meant to lead them... somewhere. Who knows where. Only time will tell.

Ghost’s stats are the best out of all of them, all things considered. Mainly relying on katanas, with a hand in ranged weapons as well, he’s more often than not the last one standing. He’s even taken on entire hordes of enemies while his companions lay helpless. In short, he’s a freaking badass. It’s wise not to mess with him, even if you think you have him outnumbered. (But I wouldn’t put him up against a group of crab raiders...)

One final note, I actually had to rework Ghost’s design because honestly? I can’t draw the canon design for the typical skeleton without making it look janky as all hell. So I came up with something --- close, but definitely not the same.

But now that I’ve finally got all that down on paper I can finally go to bed I’ll probably talk more about this later goodnight bye