#because. of the grip on the sword looking like fishnets. obviously

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: you are a mermaid and you save a handsome man from drowning but little do you know it’s not his first rodeo when dealing with mermaids. seonghwa, a former prince, is currently hongjoong’s first mate and boyfriend. hongjoong is the captain, the pirate king of the most savage crew across the seas. and you want nothing to do with them. not because they’re pirates, but because they’re humans…

ship: mermaid!reader x prince/pirate!seonghwa x pirate!hongjoong

genre: little mermaid!au, pirate!au, romance, angst, fantasy

warnings: kidnapping, water deprivation (?), swearing, manipulation, eavesdropping, jealousy, betrayal (?), i think that’s it, but pls let me know if i missed anything triggering!!!

author’s note: sorry for the huuuge hiatus, i’ve been working on other things and also uni has been really hectic, i hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!

word count: 2.5k

chapter one ☠️ chapter two ☠️ chapter three ☠️ chapter four ☠️ chapter five ☠️  chapter six ☠️ chapter eight ☠️chapter nine  ☠️ chapter ten ☠️ chapter eleven ☠️ chapter twelve ☠️ chapter thirteen ☠️ spotify playlist

You were trapped inside a fishnet. Everything was so dark and dry you couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t tell exactly where you were, all you knew was that Soojin was nearby and she was screaming in a panicked way.

“Relax, Soojin, we’ll get out of here,” you tried to comfort your sister.

“HOW?” she cried out. “WE’LL DIE HERE!”

You attempted to not freak out and focus on what you knew. Someone had thrown fishnets at you two and you were now left without water. Which meant that this wasn’t Hongjoong’s ship. No matter how much he hated you, you knew that Seonghwa would never let Hongjoong do anything like this. But you were still positive that this was a pirate ship. What you couldn’t find out was who had taken you two and why?

Fortunately (or not), your questions were answered soon enough, as a tall figure approached, holding up a torch that lit up the front part of the ship, giving you a chance to examine your surroundings.

“Where did you get the ring?” the man asked Soojin as he pulled it out of her finger.

Soojin gulped nervously and even though you both knew it was Yeosang that given her the ring, to your surprise, she lied.

“I found it. Now will you let us go?”

The tall figure laughed darkly.

“No. Because you’re lying, you little thief.”

Shit. You were in big trouble.

“Let’s see how a week without water will do you,” he hissed. “Pathetic mermaids.”

“Wait,” you yelled after him, intending to tell him the truth rightaway. You couldn’t risk dying over this. But before you could open your mouth again, Soojin dug her fingernails into your hand, preventing you from speaking up.

“ROT IN HELL,” she screamed at the man as he was walking away.

“Oh, darling, I’m already in it.”

Once he was out of earshot, you struggled in the dark to focus on Soojin’s features.

“Why did you lie to him, Soojin?” you hissed in frustration. “You don’t owe Yeosang anything!”

“If I told him the truth, he would go after Yeosang!”

“And you’d rather die than let anything happen to your sweetheart, is that it?” you sighed.

“Yes, I’d die happy if I knew he was safe.”

“What about me, Soojin?” you groaned. “How is this fair? I don’t want to die here to ensure some human will live.”

“You won’t die. You said it yourself. We’ll get out of here,” Soojin tried to sound hopeful.

“If we don’t, I’ll haunt you in the afterlife,” you vowed threateningly.

“I deserve that,” she chuckled sadly.

🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️

You couldn’t tell how much time had passed. You felt so tired and hopeless and as if you were minutes away from drawing your last breath. Soojin was in a similar state. Your initial idea to claw your way out of the ropes had proven to be futile. Not only was that impossible to achieve, but the lack of fluids was weakening your bodies in such a way that you no longer had any idea if it was day or night. You promised to yourself that if the tall man who’d trapped you here appeared again, you would tell him everything about Yeosang. You didn’t want to die and follow Soojin on her suicide mission. But no matter how much time passed, the dark figure didn’t return. You were done for. And despite how badly you hated humans (pirates, in particular) in that moment, you still wished you could see Seonghwa once more. Let him know that you didn’t blame him for Ariel’s death. That the real monsters were the sea witch and his parents for separating him from his loved one in such a cruel way. But you couldn’t even do that. Couldn’t even hear his voice again…

☠️☠️☠️

Seonghwa’s POV

We were on a journey across the sea with no specific direction when suddenly, we ran into Mingi’s ship by accident. I wondered if he noticed us and if he would attack us. It had been a while since our last encounter when that bastard cut off Yeosang’s right hand. It had also been a while since the last time I talked to Y/N. I missed her and I was so mad at everyone standing in the way of our friendship. Imagine my surprise, when I spotted a large fishnet hanging from Mingi’s ship, tied up to the figurehead, tall enough so as to not touch the water. I squinted in order to see better and soon enough, realized that whatever was inside, was too big to be a regular fish. No. Fucking. Way. Were those mermaids? I didn’t know what came over me, maybe it was my gut feeling, but I knew I had to save them. Even if I didn’t know them, I couldn’t have another mermaid death weighing on my conscience. I hurriedly rushed to talk to my fellow mates and tell them what I’d seen. We had to make a decision quickly or else Mingi’s ship would sail away and then, it would be more difficult to trace him.

“Guys, I think Mingi’s trapped a couple of mermaids inside a fishnet!” I screamed.

“What? We have to help the poor creatures!” Yeosang replied, backing me up. I gave him a thankful wink.

“I agree,” Wooyoung added and pointed towards the fishnet that was still in our field of vision. “Look! That asshole is not letting them touch the water!”

“Oh, no, that’s horrendous!” San exclaimed. “I’ve heard that mermaids can’t last long without water.”

“All the more reason to save them,” I insisted.

“I don’t think this is a sensible idea,” Hongjoong argued.

“Please, whatever your ridiculous vendetta against mermaids is about, it can wait,” Yeosang complained.

“It’s not just about the mermaids, Yeo,” our captain responded. “The last time we fought Mingi, it didn’t end well,” he purposefully stared at Yeosang’s missing hand, as if to remind him. Yeosang gave him a dirty look and took his sword out, skillfully managing it with his left hand, as if to prove a point. “Mingi is too powerful and dangerous, if we confront him, we may risk losing not just a hand, but our lives.”

I pulled Hongjoong aside and whispered in his ear.

“Do you want them to know that you lied to Mingi? That you told him the mermaids killed the sea witch?”

“I did that to protect you,” Hongjoong hissed.

“Nonsense. You did that selfishly because you wanted to get rid of Y/N. Be very careful what you say next.”

“Come on, guys!” Wooyoung urged us to cut it off. “Mingi’s ship is getting away!”

“Yeah, make a decision already!” San groaned.

“It’s your call, Captain,” I addressed Hongjoong. “Choose wisely. You might gain something if you stop us but you’ll lose something far more important.”

“Are you threatening me?” Hongjoong furrowed his brows. “Don’t forget who’s in charge, Hwa.”

“I haven’t forgotten anything. It’s you who forgot how to show compassion to those in need,” I reminded him. “You saved all of us. That’s why we’re loyal to you. Why can’t you help us save these mermaids, too? Would it really kill you if you tried?”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

“Fine. But if one of you gets hurt, it’s not on me, it’s on you, Hwa. Remember that in case things go wrong.”

“We can take care of ourselves, thank you very much.”

And with that, we pulled out our weapons. It was time to attack Mingi’s ship and get those poor mermaids out of these fishnets.

☠️☠️☠️

Hongjoong’s POV

This was a terrible idea, but Seonghwa put me in such a position that it was impossible to refuse. We hurriedly threw ropes with hooks at Mingi’s ship in order to get on board. The plan was that Yeosang and I would confront Mingi ourselves, while Seonghwa, Wooyoung and San cut off the fishnets and free the mermaids into the sea. I knew that it was a big risk, but a part of me also knew that I was partially responsible for this happening. If I hadn’t been so petty to tell Mingi that the mermaids were to blame for the sea witch’s death, we wouldn’t be here right now. As we were looking for Mingi, I was surprised at how relaxed Yeosang seemed. Honestly, I admired him for his bravery.

“Hey, bastard!” Yeosang yelled as he stormed into the captain’s cabin. “Face me, you coward!”

Mingi was obviously taken aback by Yeosang’s recklessness and it took him a while to find his sword. While he was frantically looking for it, I grabbed him by the collar and hissed.

“You betrayed us and cut off Yeosang’s hand, Mingi. You’re not getting out of this.”

“What’s your problem? I thought mermaids were our common enemy, Hongjoong,” Mingi exposed my secret and I loosened my grip on him, ashamed by my actions.

Yeosang didn’t seem fazed at all, he simply pointed his sword towards Mingi’s neck.

“You had it all wrong, Mingi,” Yeosang informed him calmly. “The mermaids didn’t kill the sea witch. It’s humans you should be scared of,” he added, without specifying too much and attacked.

I was frozen in place for a couple of seconds, which was enough for Mingi to regain his composure and defend himself.

“You knew?” I whispered to Yeosang as the two of us charged faster against Mingi.

“I may have overheard your conversation,” Yeosang replied coldly.

“Why didn’t you tell us you knew all along?” I asked as I tried to hold Mingi off.

“Why didn’t you tell me yourselves?” Yeosang countered and disarmed Mingi.

“Go ahead, then! Kill me already,” Mingi incited us.

“No,” Yeosang refused. “I want you to live with the consequences of your actions,” he dropped the sword and once again took that damned ring from Mingi. “Tie him up, Hongjoong.”

“Why are you suddenly giving the orders?” I complained but pulled Mingi close as I wrapped a rope around his wrists.

“I literally have one hand, how am I supposed to tie him up?” Yeosang groaned.

“That’s fair.”

☠️☠️☠️

Yeosang’s POV

“Soojin!” I cried out in relief as soon as I saw her back into the sea and freed from those terrible fishnets. I jumped into the water and kissed her. “Are you alright?”

“My love, what happened to your hand?” she inquired worriedly.

“Mingi, that bastard who trapped you, cut it off,” I informed her. “But don’t worry, Hongjoong’s currently taking him as a prisoner to our ship.”

“I don’t understand,” Soojin whimpered. “I didn’t tell him anything about the ring, why would he come after you?”

“I know you didn’t, my brave girl,” I reassured her and hugged her. “I’m just glad you’re okay now.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Honestly? I’d like to say I was destined to find you, but the truth is we ran into Mingi’s ship by chance. Seonghwa saw the fishnets and realized whatever was inside seemed too big to be fish.”

“What did you just call me?” Soojin joked, pretending to be offended.

“No, I just meant that…”

“Relax, I was only teasing,” Soojin laughed. “Thank you for saving us, darling. Another minute without water and I probably would have died.”

“I’m happy we came on time, then,” I smiled at her and pressed my forehead against hers.

☠️☠️☠️

Seonghwa’s POV

The minute the mermaids were free from the fishnets and back into the sea, I realized we had saved not just any mermaids, but Y/N and Soojin. I jumped right after them, not even bothering to check if Mingi had been successfully captured and soon enough, Yeosang joined me to talk to Soojin, quickly informing us that Hongjoong had taken Mingi back to our ship and he would no longer be able to harm anyone.

“You’re safe now,” I hugged Y/N and whispered words of reassurance in her ear, immediately forgetting all about our last encounter and the fact that she might need more time to accept what she’d learned about me and Ariel. The only thing that mattered was that she was okay. “You’re alright.”

“H-how did you know we were t-trapped?” she stammered.

“It was by accident.”

“Thank the fates,” Y/N sighed. “We wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”

“Did Mingi hurt you?”

She shook her head.

“Other than the no water thing, no, he didn’t.”

“Good. I would have killed him but…”

“No more death,” she spoke gently. “I’m beyond happy to see you, Seonghwa. I missed you terribly.”

“So did I, dearest. Does that mean you’re willing to forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Y/N replied. “I can no longer bear being parted from you. Not even for a minute.”

Her words broke my resolve to respect her boundaries and remain loyal to Hongjoong despite what he’d done to me and I kissed her. To my utter disbelief, she kissed me back, her fingers holding onto my hair for dear life. When I finally pulled away, we were both out of breath.

“I’m so s-sorry, I shouldn’t have.”

“No! I wanted you to.”

“You did?”

“Of course! Seonghwa, I like you so much. And even though it hurts…I think Ariel would have wanted you to move on and to be happy.”

“Well, you make me happy.”

“Right back at you,” Y/N smiled fondly.

For the briefest of moments, we were in our own little world and I had forgotten all about the rest of the world with its problems. But then I made the mistake of looking away from her and I saw him.

☠️☠️☠️

Hongjoong’s POV

I couldn’t exactly interrupt them. I didn’t deserve it after all. I mean, not after being so harsh to Y/N, not after telling the secret about Seonghwa’s past to Y/N, and certainly not after lying to Mingi about the mermaids’ non-existent involvement in the sea witch’s death. I felt like a piece of shit for hurting them and yet, I couldn’t look away, either. It was no longer jealousy I was feeling. I knew I had it coming. It was so strange to me when I realized I felt perfectly calm to watch them embracing and kissing. I was even enjoying this, in some perverted way. And then Seonghwa spotted me. Soon after, Y/N did, too. I was so embarrassed that I had been caught observing them that I immediately turned around and started walking towards the inside of the ship, anywhere that would ensure avoiding them like the plague. They didn’t bother to yell after me and I was thankful for that. I was in no mood to explain myself or talk to them or anything. And despite the fact that she’d taken him away from me, I was glad that she’d survived. No creature deserved to be left without water for so long and I could only imagine how much worse such an ordeal would be to a mermaid. In any case, I was relieved that Mingi was in one of our cells now. Coming here wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Two lives were saved and we had finally defeated him. Our former friend, who was also our enemy and now, our prisoner. When had life gotten so damn complicated?

To be continued…

#ateez #seonghwa #hongjoong #yeosang #mingi #seongjoong #seonghwa x reader #ateez angst #ateez x reader #soojin #(g)i-dle #pirate au #mermaid au #writing

[fatewhims-blog]

             OKAY  , let’s get this show on the road !!  I’m gonna be taking this point by point, so bear with me ! 

ROLE.

           The transition from the middle to final act of the game is Sae’s most pivotal moment, & it’s important to bear in mind that through it all, she never underwent a change of heart. It’s a separate post for another time, but to keep things simplistic, we know this is obviously true by the execution of the Thieves’ plan & the simple point that her treasure was never stolen ( or even firmly identified ). It’s also important to note, however, that we never actually see the destruction of Sae’s Palace --- we do know, though, that she clearly changes her stance & gets a solid grip on her behavior well before the story ends. The sudden nature of what happens between her final moments in that interrogation & depositing the MC safely at Leblanc can easily account for this, & certainly worked in the favor of the Thieves’ master plan; this  DOES NOT  mean that she didn’t face her Shadow internally like almost every other member of the party did prior. The only difference being that we weren’t granted a front row seat to the catalyst that brought her to that point, nor the confrontation with her inner self; the actual experience was as painful as any other awakening, but fully internal & entirely self-imposed. Think... A long, mature inner conversation with oneself & your past destructive behaviors, but with one splitting headache.

           Because Sae’s actual interaction with the Metaverse was incredibly brief, & most of the details are difficult to pry from teenagers & manage to actually comprehend, it isn’t something she would initially bring up. There’s no sensible way to mention ‘excuse me, I’ve gained a persona’. It would become obvious, however, whenever she would next encounter Morgana --- as she now fits one of the requirements necessary to hear Morgana speak. Once it’s known & established that the elder Niijima is a persona user, her involvement is entirely up to the MC ; much like Kawakami is available upon request, the MC may be prompted whenever they call a meeting to also request Sae’s direct aid. Otherwise, she simply has the additional experience & understanding that a fellow persona user would have of their methodology & overall situation. 

APPEARANCE.

           Sae maintains the motif of the Phantom Thieves quite well, even if she doesn’t quite consider herself “one of them” --- moreso an ally or accomplice than a cohort. Her appearance changes only slightly to mirror this, showing an acceptance of her shift in perspective as well as her role without fully losing the individuality of her shadow self. Her thick eyeliner remains intact behind a small, thin eye mask, which only serves to make her eyes even more difficult to find now that they’re their usual shade; the small line designs are so naturally exaggerated that they still stand out beyond the outline of her mask, resembling long eyelashes ( & to the observant player, similar to Joker’s design ). The main components of her shadow’s wardrobe --- the dress with a plunging neckline & fishnet to match --- are also still present. The dog collar around her neck is gone, symbolic of how she now feels unrestrained by the harsh demands & cynical nature of her career; the tattoo on her back now resembles the tattoo she has in the “real” world ( X ) --- both because it is her real body & because her distorted emotions / view on reality are now in check. Her flamboyant “flapper” hat is also gone, replaced with a headband that looks strikingly similar to the design of Leviathan --- complete with spikes reminiscent of her dog collar as well as the spikes jutting out of Leviathan’s mask ( pictured below ). One could compare it with the headdress the Sta.tue of Lib.erty wears on Elli.s Island.

MELEE & RANGED WEAPONRY.

                 Although she still wears a garter on her visible leg, her ranged weapon is actually a rocket launcher --- one of the numerous weapons seen on Leviathan’s “arm”. Like Noir’s grenade launcher, it can hit multiple enemies at once. As opposed to the clunky, machete-like, bloodstained sword Leviathan wielded, her melee weapon is a hoplite sword --- a short sword also referred to as a xiphos, advantageous in ancient times for piercing through an opposing force’s shield wall technique to slash an unexpecting member of the front lines. Both are upgrade-compatible, of course, but are highly effective on their own --- moreso than most starting weapons --- to compensate for being available at such a late stage in the game.

PERSONA(S). 

               Her “starting” persona is technically Leviathan, as its what her skills are based off of. Her initial skills are heavily focused on Almighty spells, support spells, & gun/physical damage; skills used by shadow Sae include Megidola, Gatling Gun, Severing Slash, Heat Riser, Desperation, & Berserk Dance.

               Her ultimate persona is the one she uses as soon as she’s available to the party, as her confidant is already maxed. Her ultimate is  THEMIS  , generally referred to as the ancient Greek goddess of divine justice. In reality, though, Themis was such an integral part of Greek society that it became its own term:  

Themis is untranslatable. A gift of the gods and a mark of civilized existence, sometimes it means right custom, proper procedure, social order, and sometimes merely the will of the gods (as revealed by an omen, for example) with little of the idea of right.

               This illustrates perfectly the conflict Sae herself often faces between what is good & right & proper for society, & the actions she must carry out to preserve her career or appease her superiors. With the awakening of her ultimate persona, however, she has decided to be an enforcer of what she knows to be just --- & more importantly, she has reevaluated what “her” justice actually is. 

               Her final skills are megidolaon ( severe almighty ; all foes ), berserker’s dance ( severe almighty ; all foes ), desperation ( insanely boosted attack, severely dropped defense ; self ;  cannot be negated ), riot gun ( severe gun ; all foes ), cripple ( passive skill, strengthens gun attacks by 50% ), heat riser ( increase one ally’s attack, defense, & agility for 4 turns ), dekaja ( negates all buff effects on all foes ), & counterstrike ( 15% chance of reflecting physical attacks ). 

               Upon deciding to ask for her help within the metaverse, the following abilities immediately become available: baton pass, follow up, harisen recovery, endure, protect. She also possesses some abilities exclusive to her: “interrogation talk” is a skill that allows Sae to aid in shadow negotiation, reliant on intimidation. “Roulette time,” the skill used to force the party into a high-stakes game during her boss fight, becomes "jackpot” --- if an all-out attack is initiated & concludes a successful ambush within the first three turns, a percentage of SP & HP will be rewarded back to the active party. The percentage is at its greatest, 7%, if this is done in one turn. If the active party is discovered / is instead ambushed themselves, however, a percentage of HP ( 7% ) will be deducted at the start of a battle from each active party member. Much of Sae’s style, both as a boss & a teammate, is very much high-risk, high-reward. 

#it's 2am... i am pleased with this... goodnight #i hope i don't wake up in the morning and look at this like 'what did i do' #♠ ／ HC. #♣ ／ I PREFER THE TERM 'ACCOMPLICE' : the persona user. #I STAND CORRECTED IT IS 3AM GOODNIGHT