#I NEEDED TO GET THIS DONE BEFORE MERMAY ENDED

[forgwater]

Off the Deep End and into the Abyss

Idea: Since it’s mermay, I thought I’d write something for our favorite shady sea creatures from NRC! It would seem that when the octatrio make an appearance in their merfolk form it’s usually tied in with pirates or the little mermaid and I want to try something a little bit different and write them as the mafia merfolk they were always meant to be! Hopefully I manage to translate my idea properly!

This is more or less the prologue. This piece sets the scene.

I might make this a proper AU and add the other dorms too. So, feel free to inquire!

Summary: You take a job with one of the local gangs to transport some goods for them. The madol they were offering for the finished job was an offer too good to refuse. What makes this even better is that you’ve done this before! worked with these people before, rowed your boat this rout before. It was gonna be so easy! It was supposed to be easy! It was supposed to be uneventful! Now you’re in deeper trouble than you were before… Let’s just hope you can escape in one piece… Oh, and! Good luck.~ you’ll need it.

Reader is gender neutral

WARNINGS: swearing, mafia stuff, yandere tendencies. Feel free to tell me if I missed anything

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“Load that crate up!”

Whoosh

“Is the coast clear?”

“Don’t just stand there! Move! Damnit!”

Splash!

“Careful! You idiot!”

Creak…creak….CREAK!

“These damn boats are too fuckin’ loud!”

“…you’re too loud…”

“Care to repeat that?!”

“Easy!”

Sigh

If there’s one reason you’re gonna get caught is because of these bastards and their ‘whisper’ shouting!

swish…swish…

It’s quiet.

swish...

The boat is gently moving though the water as you settle to remind yourself why you put up with all of that.

‘One more job and I’m done.’ you reason with yourself ‘Just this one and it’s over!’ The madol are piling up right in front of your eyes! You can almost taste the sweetness of victory! You’ll be living the good life for a while after this job!

It’s all gonna be so worth-

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

H-huh…?...

“WHAT IS THAT?!”

“IT CAN’T BE! NO!”

“IT-IT’S THE SEA DEVILS!”

No… this is not possible! You checked! There were no merfolk sightings! What-

SLAM!

....CRreaaaAK...!

“…No…” gulping down your anxiety, you turn.

Only to come face to face with a mismatched gaze. Bemused and thoroughly entertained at the hell being unleashed all around the both of you. Your breath stills at the sight of the creature’s teeth. So dangerously sharp they’d have too easy a time tearing into your flesh.

A strong cold touch followed by cutting, claw-like nails digging into your arm stops you from moving away. You wince and the merman... laughs. His grin parts and-

“Awwwww~ you really thought you could get away?~” he coos and leers “You know, it’s kinda rude to show up unannounced on someone else’s turf.”

Wait-! he’s-... he’s leaning too much on that side-

“Let G-“

Crreeeaaaaaak!

“So stay and make up for it!”

SPLASH!

Water fills your senses and you kick and thrash but he’s not letting go. You try to free yourself, to swim away... and somehow, finally you break the surface.

Gasping for air and desperately clawing at whatever you can you try to speak again: “I-“ cough “I SAID-“

“Oya~ What is going on here?”

The agonized screeches of your fellow humans die out as your breath leaves you once more when you face the mirrored image of the first merman.

‘No.. no no nonononono no no no NO!’ This can’t be happening! You’re imagining things! The canal was clear! There are no merfolk here! You checked damnit! The others checked! This… this just- When- when did they arrive?!

“Hehehe~ look at them Jade! They’re trembling! Don’t they look like a cute little shrimp?! Hahaha!”

“Fufufu~ Floyd! You’re being quite rude to our new friend. Can’t you see they’re experiencing trauma? They’re probably in… shock.”

“Now who’s the rude one?”

Kick!

“Owww! Jaaade! You said Shrimpy here was in shock!”

“Fufufu, my mistake.”

In response to your protest, ‘Floyd’ tightens his hold on you as ‘Jade’ fixes you with his sharp eyes and begins to speak: “Don’t loosen your hold on them, dear brother.~ We have to escort our lovely companion onto dry land once more. Azul’s waiting.”

‘Azul’…?...

What- what are they planning?! Why would they keep you alive? Why bring you on land? This… is not good…. This is probably worse than if they tried to drown you!

You begin your erratic movements again. Hopefully you can hit a sensitive spot. Hopefully-!

You can’t let them drag you whenever they please!

If you could just-

“I thought we went over this!” Floyd hisses, annoyed tone carrying through the cold night. “Jaaaade...! Can’t we just knock them out for a few minutes?!”

“I don’t think Azul would be too pleased with that.”

“Awwwww! C’mon!”

“We are supposed to bring them back conscious.”

“Where are you taking me?!” your voice comes out frantic “What do you want from me?!” Jade stares at you for a second before giving you a sly smile.

“Ah, but what fun would it be if you knew?~ That’ll just ruin the surprise.” So, he’s not gonna give anything away, huh….

“Yeah! Just be patient, shrimpy!” This is not good. This is not good at all!

.......

....You might as well let them take you back to land… maybe you can shake them then.

They’re merfolk. If they want to get on dry land they’ll have to crawl. ‘I can outrun them’ you steel yourself.

… But there’s someone waiting… can you dodge them too?

You go with the flow and allow your captors to carry you over without much resistance. You have to conserve your energy.

The mermen keep sharing glances. Are they onto you?

You gulp. The bite of the icy water is catching up to you.

Has the water always felt this cold…?

No. You can’t let that distract you… you have to get away the moment you touch the ground.

As the three of you get closer and closer to the water’s edge, a silhouette begins to make itself clear.

“…You’ve been quiet for a while…” Jade’s remark is followed by his claws lightly pressing themselves into your arm, the sensation demands your attention… but it also demands you face the merman first.

“…Just thinking…”

“About what?’ Oh… he doesn’t miss a beat, does he.

“…This and that.” you try to deflect.

“That’s boring.” Floyd joins the conversation. “Tell us what you’re actually thinking.”

Like hell you’re gonna do that!

“Who’s that on the bank?” you question.

“...Oh! That’s Azul! You gotta meet him!”

“They don’t really have a choice in that matter, Floyd.”

This is the guy they mentioned before! You have to learn more. It could come in handy.

“…Is he your boss?”

….

The mermen share a look.

“Not exactly.” Jade answers first. “We work with and for him.”

“He’s got fun ideas.” You can feel the shrug in Floyd’s voice.

Well… this... is an interesting arrangement…

“Ah! We’re almost there.” Jade calls to Floyd, who suddenly comes to a halt.

What are they doing now....?....

Jade brings out two vials, the glass glistens in the moonlight and the liquid moves back and forth. The merman uncorks one and helps the other drink before repeating the action for himself.

What… what did they just drink?

“Hold on tight, shrimpy! We’re getting you back on land.”

And with that you are once again being all but dragged towards the waiting shadow.

You’re getting closer…

And closer…

Closer!

The moment Floyd’s grip lessens you bolt!

The thud of your shoes echoes though the dark night and your clothes cling to you. But you don’t stop running.

Your heartbeat’s loud in your ears and the adrenaline is running high. Maybe you can do it!

You can escape!

You can-

“Having fun?~” Floyd’s voice feels like a punch in the gut. All air leaves your lungs but you don’t dare stop, nor look at him.

HOW DID HE-?!

WHEN-?!

“If you stop running, I promise I won’t break too many bones!” HE’S MAD!

HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT?!?!

Maneuvering away from Floyd’s hands you end up bumping into something- someone else.

Jade.

“This has been quite the impromptu run… although not unexpected.” He gives you an all too polite smile.

Oh… maybe you shouldn’t have run…

The two mermen… now human looking, catch you with practiced ease.

They’ve done this before.

“Now, shrimpy, it’s time you faced your punishment.” Floyd… he sounds too cheery for this line of work. He stands on your right side.

“It is time to face your crimes.” Jade’s chillingly calm voice rings from your left.

The silhouette you’ve seen before steps in front of you. He sighs and then he begins speaking:

“Well then! Now that that-“ he gestures vaguely “stunt is done, I believe we should be formally acquainted.” He points to the mermen flanking your sides and continues “These are Floyd and Jade Leech. My business associates. They also happen to be twins, if you didn’t figure that out before.”

The twins let out their greetings and then the white haired man resumes talking.

“My name is Azul Ashengrotto. I run the Octavinelle Mafia and you have been smuggling goods on my territory. How do you plan to pay for-“

“I didn’t know! I got all the info I could! This is considered neutral ground! And water!” you protest.

“Ah… I see your mistake.” Azul smiles and brings a hand to his chin.

“Do you-“

“I just so happen to have acquired this territory this very morning. Legally as well.”

…what…

…legally?...

Your face drops, together with all your hopes. But the man continues undeterred.

“Since I am quite gracious and us here at Octavinelle practice benevolence, I have come up with an idea that will benefit us both.”

So… was… this was planned… wasn’t it?

“I have drafted a contract for you to sign. Nothing big. You’ll be working for me until you pay all the money you have made by dealing on this very route. Ah!-“ he stops you before you can even begin “since you are the only one alive all the charges get transferred to you. I eagerly await your cooperation. You’ll be coming tomorrow to sign all the legal paperwork. Jade and Floyd will fetch you and bring you to the Mostro Lounge, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. You’ll start working immediately after.” Azul leaves no room for you to argue.

He then turns to leave, the twins following after releasing you.

“And don’t think about running away and skipping town." the man clears his throat.

"We’ll find you again no matter where you try to go or hide. You belong to Octavinelle now.”

.....

Good luck getting out of this.~

#twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twst azul #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #twst jade #floyd leech #twst floyd #azul ashengrotto x reader #jade leech x reader #floyd leech x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twst x reader #yandere twst #yandere azul ashengrotto #yandere azul x reader #yandere jade leech #yandere jade x reader #yandere floyd x reader #yandere floyd leech #twst wonderland #disney twst #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #33 | 07.26.23

Hi everyone!

It's only been a month (per usual) since the last devlog. But it feels like so long ago! Very weird that last devlog I hadn't even released Intertwine yet. But here we are, back with another one!

Before we get into things, I want to extend the biggest thank you to everyone who has played and supported intertwine!

if you havent played yet, here it is. this is me on my knees asking because i am quite proud of it and what our team accomplished in two months!

in the almost month it's been out, we stand at almost 15k total plays and 200+ reviews which is so crazy to me. i never would've expected that kind of reception for our little game and when i say it has been so motivating for alaris!!! u dont even know!!!

thank you again for all the kind words---i know you are all Sick of me talking about it but i don't know how else to express my gratitude <3 it means so much to me ;_;

I wanted to make sure I inserted an official section for it in the Devlog just to really thank you all for the support. But with that, I shall get into the updates!

But not before a quick belated happy birthday to Fenir!

Writing

I posted it earlier this week, but I HAVE!!! THE MOST EXCITING NEWS!!! At least for me.

I FINISHED DRUK'S FIRST DRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all know how long this has been in the making. I've been talking about his route for what feels like an eternity. Evidently, it's Very Normal to experience burnout, struggles with motivation, creative ruts, etc. etc. at this point in development. The initial and final stages of development are easier because your motivation is up. In the beginning, it's like Wow!! This is Fun!! And towards the end, it's like Wow!!! I actually Fckn Made It!!!!

And so the middle part of development, aka the stage I just entered with Druk's route, is the slog.

Now that I've overcome that initial hurdle, while I'm not near the end of development, I do feel like I will have a better handle of progress on the following routes since I have a better set of expectations and tools on how to get through this stage (compared to when I initially started Druk's route, and I was like what are all these Feelings?? Why am I Struggling so much??).

That being said, WE ARE OVER HALFWAY DONE WITH THE SCRIPT! It currently stands at 200k words including the demo, and with how each of the routes have been shaping up, we have about 150k left to go. Wow!!!!! It is crazy to know I've written that much for Alaris, and this feels like such an exciting milestone to know that I'm over halfway there for the script!

We also have just about wrapped up Fenir's developmental edits, so that makes Kayn and Fenir's foundational versions of their routes done (all that would be left at this point is line tweaking and/or revisions based on beta feedback)!! Overall, this was a really exciting month for writing updates, and I'm so happy to feel back on track with Alaris development <3 I also finished my dissertation proposal in case anyone is keeping track of that HEEHOO

Art

Most of my attention for art was (un?)fortunately on Intertwine this month AGAIN. I really had anticipated being able to dive right into Alaris and irl work this month after Otojam ended. But the reception to Intertwine made it so I needed to dedicate some time to "marketing" artwork aka the artwork I like to make when reaching certain milestones of support (e.g., 1k downloads, etc.). Obviously these aren't necessary, but I like to show my thanks and appreciation in some way, and the artwork is what feels best conveys my gratitude.

Because we hit milestones relatively quickly, I ended up having to make those pieces faster than I anticipated prior to release. So I spent the first half of this month mostly on intertwine "promotional/apprecation" artwork. Near the tail end of this month though, I've prioritized Alaris artwork and have made progress on both the Kickstarter physical rewards and some CG sketches!

sneaky peeky of pretty mermay Aisa

Vui continues to hit it out of the park with the backgrounds. Most of them are spoilers at this point. But I do have one that isn't too bad of a spoiler! And because you all have been so supportive and patient with me, I show hehe

vui and his bg mastery: a preview of the dragon springs

The demo mentions dragon springs (I..... think......... LMAO), and here is a preview of what those dragon springs can look like. Wonder what the context will be in which we visit them, teehee! I'm in love with the way Vui brings the fantasy world of Alaris to life. I am so grateful for him ^^

Market Research

My wrist was feeling ~delicate~ this month due to Otojam crunch and then post-release pieces. So I don't have any actual art pieces to showcase this month for market research. I did play Otojam games and started Cupid Parasite (ryuki and allan my beloveds). But crescence's wrist needs to relax LOL. So no art pieces more than necessary for this month!

I will send some love to my besties over at Ravenstar Games though! If you haven't heard, they have a game currently in development called Lost in Limbo. It looks sick as hell, and the team is unbelievable talented and hardworking. This month to celebrate Barbie, they were able to sneak this promotional piece in, even while working on their Master's ((Do you see...... a familiar group of people..... heh))

Alaris x Lost in Limbo x Barbie the collaboration of the century

That's all from me for now. Thank you again for all the support and love on Intertwine! I've truly cherished all the fanwork, reviews, kind messages, etc.

That being said, while it was a bit of a struggle getting back returning to the Alaris world initially (I was literally like what.... was the plot of this again... LMAOsazodujf), it's been so rewarding to return to my OG gang. The intertwine release and return to Alaris work has also been strangely sentimental since it's reminded me how far I've come in the two years I've been in this dev Thang. As always thank you for your continued support (and for supporting Alaris since it's inception when I was a Wee Dev), and I look forward to bringing you more updates in the future <3

See you all next month, and stay safe!

#devlog #alaris

[vylad243]

Au where Vox's demon form is also aquatic maybe saltwater croc or shark...(probably a shark as they have gills and can breath underwater)--still has a T.V head, but the rest is built for Swift swimming and underwater attack which is also adopted to his electrical powers. After the failed extermination Valentino keeps pressing Velvette and Vox to press an attack on the other overlords (especially Rosie) --now Vel and Vox aren't stupid, and Vox knows Val will stop pressing Vel if he disappears for a bit and besides as long as his work gets done, no one will care, right?

Vox's vacation lasts about a day before Velvette texts him with a message that Angel Dust is asking her where he (Vox) is at, and why the hell is Val forcing poor Angel Dust to be his go between. Vox swishes his tail, Vark swimming alongside him. He sarcastically texts back: "Tell him I'm dead and it takes six months for me to reform from total body inhalation. Everything is running on backup power so everyone better be on their best behavior! There's only so many generators."

Velvette OF course tells Angel Dust, Who of COURSE panics and races back to the hotel, screaming for Lucifer, asking him if he has another tech demon.

Lucifer: "Why the hell would I need another tech demon? I have Vox, he does excellent work. Sides, most of the tech workers end up in Heaven... I only got Vox because of that hit and run he did...." *sees everyone at the hotel looking at him.* "500 people died in that hit and run, thank you! Anyway, what's wrong with Vox?"

Angel Dust: *shakes Lucifer.* "BECAUSE VOX IS DEAD! HE'S BEEN DISENCORPARTED! VELVETTE SAYS IT'LL BE SIX MONTHS BEFORE HE'S FULLY BACK!!"

Lucifer: o.o "Oh Dad...I have to make an ANNOUNCEMENT!" *Goes to put Pride on lockdown.*

Charlie: "Uh...Al?"

Alastor: *radio static.* "WhO KiLlEd HiM?!"

Angel Dust: "Velvette didn't know. She told me he was in his penthouse last, you could search for clues there." *a dark grin stretched across his face.* "Maybe ask Valentino? He was pretty pissed at Vix the other day...."

(Meanwhile, Vox swimming peacefully.)

This is honestly a good idea for Mermay! Radiostatic week for mermay anyone?

Vox would be so unaware and happy until Velvette is spam texting him

#vox hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel #anonymous

[local-diavolo-anon]

For fun i am going to give some infos on the ✨️ domestic mermen aus ✨️ i want to draw for mermay

Because why not

Also this is a "the celestial boys x y/n" kind of au

Moon is an halfmoon blue betta fish

Sun is an orange and yellow fancy goldfish

And Eclipse (he is a thing) is a common pleco

The story goes that because of an error of a new employee in a fish shop, Moon and Sun ended up in the same tank

Moon instantly tried to fight sun necause who the crap are you and why are you in my home

Sun, being a fancy goldfish, is just a dorky, goofy guy and didn't really got that Moon was trying to throw hands, and tried to befriend him

It kind of worked, surprisingly even to Moon, who realized this new fish was akin to a golden retriever and most definitely not there to fight

Adoption time.png because how have you survived in your own (Moon fully ignored Sun has ever only been around to similarly dorky and goofy fancy goldfishes before who had no fighting instinct whatsoever)

By the time anybody noticed a fancy goldfish was missing from their tank, Moon refused to have anybody take Sun from him

Like, he bit the employees and tried to hide Sun in the rocks (he got l Sun stuck a couple of times as well), and to avoid either of them being hurt, they were labelled as "Sold as a Pair"

Later Sun also tried to whoo Moon, which also worked

This is where Y/N comes into play

They walked in searching for a new betta and found the two clowns right there

Took them both home because why not, their home tank can fit both of them, even if some minor accomodations have to be done

Despite how diffident Moon was at first, with some time he warms up to the dry giant that occasionally brings them food and pets them

No warm up needed for Sun who instantly decided the pets were the best thing ever

Y/N really fucking loves their fishes because despite Moon biting them at every feeding time, they are still extremely cute and funny

At first Y/N thought Moon was bullying Sun or something and were worried, but Sun enjoys being spun around the tank so there is that

Moon also hides in the algae forest and Sun tried to do the same, promptly getting bapped in the face by Moon each time in a whack the mole kind of show

Later Y/N got then two separate tanks connected by a tube so each of them got their own spaces and habitats

Moon fits in the tube, Sun is too chonky and can't get in there, this is on purpose so he doesn't end up stuck in the many decorations Moon's tank has

This is where Y/N also got Ecplise

He lives in both tanks and being a Pleco, cleans around the glass

Neither Sun or Moon are that friends with him because he is a weirdo and licks the rocks

He ain't evil or anything, he is just weird

and being way bigger than either of them, Moon never tried to throw hands only once and failed because Eclipse was just that big

#fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf eclipse #fnaf #domestic mermen au #me talking #this is the first au i share lol #i hope y'all enjoy it as much as i do #i will post colored drawing of them soon #maybe some sketches as well #idk tho #fnaf sb #fnaf daycare attendant #not an ask #i forgot several tags lmao #sun x moon #sun x reader #moon x reader

[petitelepus]

A free reign mtmte mermay bot x reader of your choice. I know you do fantastic work.

Minimus was a perfect servant, or that is how he wanted to think about himself. He would get up early, prepare himself, get ready, and rush to serve the royalty.

You were a shark princess, a member of the royal family and he was just one of your many little servants. What set him aside from others was his tremendous strength.

He could alone bring you your huge plate that consisted of wild fishes, caught by handy octopus Mers. That was his normal morning, bringing you your breakfast and taking care of your every want or need.

With due time, it became a rumor around the palace that you appeared to favor Minimus over other remora Mers.

Minimus would always say and correct that the rumors were false and that there was nothing between a servant like him and royalty like you.

One day, Minimus was preparing your after-bath dinner, but another servant came to him, looking fearful.

"M- Minimus...!" The Mer panted and the green little Mer looked at the other Mer in shock, "What, what is it?"

"It's the princess!"

"What about them? Are they alright?"

"She- She wants you!"

"Me?" Ah, he must have meant your dinner, "Ah, I see. I'll just get the fish prepared and-!"

"No!" The other servant shook their head, "She wants to see you now!"

"But isn't she-?" Minimus blinked as he realized why the other servant was so panicky. It was your bath time, a time when female remoras would help you bathe.

The male swallowed nervously and left his position to join you in the royal baths. Once there, Minimus noted that you were already done bathing and gone. You must have moved to your quarters.

So that is where Minimus headed.

There you were, relaxing. As soon as he made it, your head whipped around.

"Minimus." You turned to look at the Mer half your size and he bowed out of habit and because of his respect for you. "Milady."

He raised his head enough to look at you. yet he was still avoiding direct eye contact. "I heard you especially requested me?"

"I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t important." You stated and Minimus nodded as he bowed again, "Of course, milady."

A silence fell between you, only to be broken by your sighing. Minimus grew worried, "Milady, is everything alright?"

"No." You said as you sighed, "We had a meeting today."

Ah, the royal family meeting. You hated those, mainly because as the youngest member of your family, you had very little authority over the things that took place in the kingdom.

"Please, cheer up milady." The green Mer tried to cheer you up, but you sighed even louder.

"Let's be honest Minimus. I'm not the firstborn so I don't get anything but a fair title and place in the palace."

"That's not true, milady. You-!"

"Would be married off to someone to strengthen our kingdoms' union, but that honor is reserved for my older siblings."

Minimus frowned, knowing that what you said was true. You were the youngest out of 8, so it was highly unlikely that you would get much when the King would pass.

Like you said, you would have a title as a princess and you would have a home here in the palace where you would never have to work and you could live your life sweetly without worries your older siblings would have.

"Well...!" You finally smiled a little, "At least I get to do is to decide who I will marry."

"See, milady? Things aren't that bad in the end."

"Well, there is one problem." You groaned, "The Mer I have my eyes on is unaware of my feelings for him."

"Can I help you somehow?" He asked and you pouted as you turned to look at him.

"I like you Minimus." You blurted out without blinking an eye, "I like you enough to take you as my consort."

Minimus froze. He stared at you for a good moment before he felt his face starting to burn and turn red.

"M- Milady!" He stuttered in shock, "Please reconsider! I am nothing but a humble servant, a remora! I can't offer you the life you deserve!"

"You are my best and favorite servant. You know me better than anyone else." You pointed out, but then you became quiet as if you were deep in thought.

Minimus hoped that you were reconsidering, but then you looked at him again and grinned, "Is it a problem?"

"Huh?"

"Is me being a princess a problem for you?"

"No, milady, but-!"

"Then let's leave this place!" You suddenly shouted with a huge smile and Minimus blinked his red eyes, "Excuse me?!"

"Yeah! Let's go and form a new pod!" You smiled, showing off your razor sharp triangle-shaped teeth as you swam to the green Mer who was only half your size, and grasped his hands.

"Let's go on a journey and let me prove my love for you!" You were so excited and Minimus knew from experience that when you would get excited over something, you would get extremely stubborn also.

Finally, he sighed and nodded, "Very well, milady. I accept your proposal."

"Jay! We are going on an adventure!" You cheered happily and Minimus watched you swim around your suite in excitement. He doubted that you would actually leave the comfort of the castle...

Or so he thought, but there he was with you but the palace's doors, being sent off on a journey by your father, the king himself.

"Look after my daughter, Minimus. She can be a handful." The king nodded at him and the former servant and now your mate, nodded shakily, "Y- Yes, your highness."

"We will be alright Father!" You said happily and the huge shark king nodded as you grasped Minimus and bolted into the vast sea, hungry for adventures and eager to have your love with your new consort to bloom.

#cybertronianbunny #transformers mtmte #mtmte #transformers #minimus ambus #ultra Magnus #Reader #Merformers #AAAAAAAHHHHH #THIS TURNED OUT MORE LIKE MERMAID STORY #I AM SO SORRY #WHY DID I WATCH THAT LITTLE MERMAID TRAILER????? #PLease forgive me #I WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT ONE PIECE

[void-chara]

almost forgot the due date for @simplepotatofarmer's 4k follower event was approaching so i speedran drawing doomsday trio mermaid au in 4 days, yippee! just in time for the end of mermay too woah. also i did not forget that the due date was may 31st i just forgot that time passed and the day was getting closer lol. i probably could have finished it in even less days but ive been busy taking care of the new puppy my family got so i havent had much time to draw because that creature needs constant supervision. anyway ignore the lack of faces i did not want to draw them. also just in general ignore how messy it is. i was trying to get it done, not make a masterpiece.

rambling about ideas below the readmore

SO honestly i dont have much in mind? ummm. just. doomsday trio. i NEED more doomsday trio stuff. maybe they are exploring or somnething? also i have a vague idea for phils backstory which is that before he met either of them he was some sort of sailor or something and somehow he met a deep sea goddess (kristin) and they were sooo inlove and then he died for some reason drowned probably and kristin was like nooooo dont do that :( and she revived him and made him a merman so he could stay with her yay! so he is alive now but he still kinda looks like a corpse lol. also the reason he is bigger than the other two is because mermaids grow throughout their whole life(tho more slowly as they get older) and he is like immortal or something as a result of kristins meddling. im not even really That much of a philza enjoyer idk why hes the only one i have a backstory for it just came to me in a vision.no need to include any of the phil backstory in the fic i just thought it was fun. anyway uummmm. Yeah! they are having a time just hangin out and vibing. do whatever u want for the story really

edit: OH i also wanted to mentionthat i didnt plan for dreams tail to look so much like ariel from the little mermaid But after noticing it i really like it! he is sooo disney princess. also the little mermaid was one of my earliest fixations and mcyt stuff is one of my latest so thats fun. anyway yeah the colors are like exactly the same as ariels tail and it wasnt intentional but i like it

#hey loyal write this #mcyt #ph1lza #technoblade #dreamwastaken #doomsday trio #dream smp #...i forgot to put my art tag on this #well. better months afterwards than never. #chara makes things

[noffy96]

Kustard Mer fic

It's finally here! managed to get it done before MerMay ended, so technically a Mermay entry even if it wasn't intended that way. (also was supposed to be short, but apparently, i just can't)

But anyway everyone. Enjoy

Can't Stay

Word count: 7,726

Chapter 1/1

Summary:

A creak sounded behind him, and he straightened his back. The weight of it was more hesitant than he was used to, but still, undeniably it was Red.

“Thought you be gone by now Asshole”

He couldn’t help the sad smile that came over his face as he heard the other's gruff voice. His soul leaped in excitement and trepidation.

“I will be soon, the year isn’t over just yet.”

He heard a scoff and heard the other kick away some sand, it landing in the water and making soft splashing sounds.

“So got a cab coming the second the year is up. Never took you to be that punctual”

or

Sans is a Secret Mer that has been living on the land for a year. Today is the day he should return home. As he sits at the dock. Red finds him and is trying to get some answers about why is leaving. Will he be forced to reveal his secret?

--link here to AO3--

or continue below the read more line

He stares out over the water, towards his old home. The lowering sun chasing away the blues of the sky, turning into a soft yellow glow. His bare toes just touched the water with each sway of his legs. He should have left already. Left and not turned back, it would have given him time to get things ready for Papyrus's return. But he had promised himself he’d be here for a year, and he wasn’t gonna skimp on the last day.

Yeah, if he keeps telling himself that he might start believing it. Who knew that so much could change in a year He hadn’t expected much from it. Something new sure. New experiences to tell when Papyrus returned from his trip around the world.

He could still recall Pap's face when he told him, that he was going to live topside for a year. Papyrus had dropped everything that he had been holding and then began swirling around him in a flurry of bubbles. Equal parts excited as worried.

Papyrus had for so long tried to nudge him to do something for himself, instead of just taking care of him. And don’t get him wrong, he loved taking care of Paps. It’s the best job in the world. But he got the desire to spread his wings and fly.

Or well fins and swim, He laughed softly at his own joke. Papyrus would scream in indignation if he heard it. He hoped that Papyrus's travels had gone as wonderfully as his own time here. If the few scant messages he received were anything to go by, It had.

He glanced behind him to the Island he called his home for the past year. It had been a crazy idea, to live topside. Figuring out how legs worked took a while and what would and would not trigger a transformation. But he settled in nicely. Managed to get some lodgings with the help of the old turtle monster Gerson. Allowing him to stay in an old cabin at the edge of town, if he helped out in said town.

He did some odd jobs for a while but turns out he is pretty good with a trombone and was able to bring in some customers at the bar at night.

And it was while doing that job that he met Red. He was of the main people handling deliveries coming from the mainland. Would make the track 3 times a week, traversing the old bridge in his rusty old car. Coming with supplies to fix houses or little trinkets. Things you wouldn’t buy in bulk but needed for a quick fix.

If Red was on the island, he stayed the whole day. And after a week or so of being stared at when he was playing at the bar. Red had waltzed up to him after a set and offered him a drink. The grin he wore was sharp, and his eyes too bright. He was being seized up and he knew it. But he wouldn’t let the asshole get to him. And was he glad he took the offer?

Red was something else, Harsh, brash, Loud. And a downright asshole. But also incredibly funny. His jokes always leaning towards the crude side. But he was also brutally honest. He wasn’t bullshiting anyone or anything it was referencing to see.

He began looking forward to seeing Red. They started hanging out and helping each other with their odd jobs. Then two months later, Red had asked if he had been to the city on the mainland, and when he said he hadn’t. Red had all but dragged him to his car and shown him around.

He met the guy's brother, who looked an awful lot like Papyrus. If Paps ever decided that spikes and leather were the hot new fashion. But the guy was fun. Hard around the edges like his bro. But good.

He sighed deeply looking down at the water again, Watching the ripples his toes formed. Would he ever return here? He doubts it. It’s strange, he never thought he would miss this. He had missed home and swimming around as much as he could when he first arrived. The way the sun would feel in the water when he lazed around. The thrill of chasing some prey.

But now...now he knew that he would miss the things here on land as well. The way the sand would feel between his bones. The wind whistled through his skull when standing at the cliffs. Dancing around after way too many drinks with Red at the festival.

He hadn’t intended to stay, that is why he never told anyone what he was. And besides, what would happen if people found out? He had heard the stories and saw the survivors. Of mer having been forcibly taken, experimented on. Some had escaped, and most had lost something of themselves.

The townspeople were kind, he didn’t fear them. If his secret got out, he doubt they would tell. But tourists aren’t so easily trusted. He would have to leave, and Red. Red who he had begun to see as a true friend.

He found more things to like about the more days passed. That when the thought of kissing him crossed his mind. All he could do was bury his head in his arms and groan. Because of course, of course, nothing could ever be that simple could it? But it was not his feelings that made him stay quiet. No, it was the other larger thing

Red was afraid of the ocean.

When on the beach, Red stayed far away from the shore. When walking near the cliffs having Sans as a buffer between him and the water. At first, he thought Red just didn’t like getting wet. And yeah, clothes plus water equals a ruined day.

But it wasn’t until later in their friendship that he found out the truth. When a storm suddenly kicked up, when they had been walking on the cliffs, they both got hit with a huge wave of water that nearly dragged them towards the ocean. It had been both their quick thinking that prevented them from tumbling down.

But the downright terror that had been in Red’s eyes. The way he swore, it wasn’t anger, it had run so much deeper than that. He was also glad that just being splashed with rain and water, even that huge of a wave didn’t trigger a transformation.

Much later he asked once, tentatively, why Red feared the ocean. He had done so after a few drinks, but not too many. Red had gotten this look. One that was a combination of anger and sadness.

“It tried to destroy me when I was already down” Red had said. He had subtly clutched his hip. Where he knew was a big nasty scar. It hadn’t been much of an answer, but he didn’t pry further. Felt wrong to do so, he had the feeling Red normally didn’t even tell people that much.

If Red knew that he was from the ocean. That he was part of this thing that had hurt him so badly. Would he look at him the same? And even if he could look past that. He knew he couldn’t give up his life below. Not with his brother still there. He had a promise to keep, to look after him, even if Paps was getting older.

He also just loved his life in the ocean. Despite living topside now, he made trips back to his old home. There is a part of him that would never be able to let this go.

Red could stand the walks near the beach and on the cliffsides. But he could never ask that of him To confront a fear so deeply rooted. That wasn’t fair. To either of them.

And of course, the longer he kept the secret the worse he felt for it. Just a nice feeling of guilt on top of everything else. Slowly building and building.

He stretched lazily, cracking the magic between his bones Slowly leaning back, eyelights scanning the clouds.

As he thought of his last conversation with Red a few days ago. When he told him he was gonna leave by the end of the week. How his face turned from disappointment to frustration when he couldn’t answer where he would be going. Or that there was no way to contact him…maybe ever.

Red had been so bright, so good to him this last year. He wishes he could have had it till the end. But this was how it was gonna go. He couldn’t tell Red and Red would push against that answer. The trust they build over the year shatters with each refusal.

It had been hard to stay indifferent and calm during that conversation. When the frustration had turned to anger. And Anger to betrayal. That one hurt the most, cause it was. Wasn’t it?

He wanted to trust Red, yet he couldn’t. But he had managed to stay calm, Just saying he was sorry. But Red wasn’t having it. Red had stormed off. The door of his cabin slammed shut as he did and shouted that he hoped to never see him again.

It wasn’t until he heard the car start in the far distance and drive off. That he let a couple of tears fall, It had hurt, but it was for the best.

Now he sat here, in the last few hours. Having said his goodbyes to the people in town, his stuff was in a bag next to him. Bigger stuff is hidden in a secret cave to pick up later. All he had to do was slip off the dock and swim home.

He rubbed his chest at the thought. Soul softly aching as he thought of everything he would miss. He remembered the first time he had watched the sunset here a year ago, so similar to this one, of no more seeing the light dancing across the sky every day. Thinking of how the low light would fracture on his friend's face, as they stumbled out of the pub. During the local festival. Of how the golds and oranges of the morning sun had made Red look that much more beautiful.

If he had ever come close to kissing him. It had been in that moment, Red eye lights gentle, and a smile on those ever so sharp teeth, Like he had been content with his life. Like all had been well. If he hadn’t drunkenly stumbled over a loose cobblestone and faceplanted them both on the Town square’s floor. He just might have confessed his love.

A creak sounded behind him, and he straightened his back. The weight of it was more hesitant than he was used to, but still, undeniably it was Red.

“Thought you be gone by now Asshole”

He couldn’t help the sad smile that came over his face as he heard the other's gruff voice. His soul leaped in excitement and trepidation.

“I will be soon, the year isn’t over just yet.”

He heard a scoff and heard the other kick away some sand, it landing in the water and making soft splashing sounds.

“So got a cab coming the second the year is up. Never took you to be that punctual”

He didn’t answer, he hadn’t intended it to be so on the dot. Not from the outset. But maybe…just maybe he had hoped, that if he stayed. He could see him one more time.

He turned his head to look at Red. He was standing at the beginning of the dock. Closer to the water than he had ever seen him. His shoulders raised like he was trying to hide in the fluff of his jacket. The big bulky jacket looked like it had been put on in a rush. His whole appearance was a bit sweaty. The same look as when he had done a day full of jobs in the sun.

He only smiled gently and turned back to the ocean. He had gotten one last look, and his hands trembled. That would have to be enough.

“So that’s it? You are not even gonna say anything”

He stayed quiet. Red would get frustrated and leave again. When he saw there would be no budging. His fingers trembled slightly at the thought of hurting Red all over again with another refusal. But this is how it’s meant to be.

“You really are just gonna sit there, and what..say nothing. You can’t ignore me forever!”

Oh how Red was wrong about ignoring him, it was the farthest thing he was doing. He was listening to every word, even though they stung. Cause they might be the last he would ever hear.

“You are a fucking coward Sans. If I knew you had been I would never even have bothered with you”

He knew, and he grabbed the wood beneath his fingers. He hadn’t known when he accepted that drink, but he learned it quickly enough. He could have stayed distant. He didn’t Red had been too enticing to stay away from.

“You are not gonna tell me when you leave. Fine I’ll just stay here till your cab comes, you aint leaving without me saying a few words to your face”

He heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Turning his head slightly and seeing Red now sitting cross-legged on the other side of the dock. Blocking his way out, or at least so he thought,

He titled his head straight again. The sun had turned orange, the scene would be called beautiful by many. And he would try and enjoy it if it were not for the eyes boring into the back of his head.

“I’d just swim”

He said it loud enough to be heard, and even without looking back he knew the way the other would freeze. He heard the barely contained gasp.

“As if someone would let you get into their car dripping wet “

He chuckled, trying to fill it with mirth and not sound too hallow

“Not if I warned them beforehand, and agreed to pay extra” There were some soft curses spoken behind him.

“So you choose this place, knowing I would be afraid,” There was a dry disbelieving laugh. “You are evil you know that. You bastard, I don’t get what angle you get out of torturing me. But-”

“Never” he broke him off. The word tumbled out his mouth before he could stop them, as he continued on. “I would never do this to torture you, not everything is about you.”

This was the first place he’d come to. Where he first transformed into a full skeleton monster when he dried off. This is where he would end it, this chapter of his life. This one year of a glorious experience.

Poetic? Maybe but it was a bookmark. An end that was slowly crawling closer, one that he might have to sidestep to lose Red on the island before he could return. Keep up his ruse of being a normal monster for one last time.

He had to, cause what if Red wasn’t as good as he thought he was? What if he told him, and he would be followed? or chased? He’d be putting Papyrus in danger.

The silence stretched on as the sun continued to set. He heard Red shifting and tapping behind him. As well as little angry growls and murmurs. But he didn’t turn back around. Red might be stubborn, but he himself was even more so.

“I’ll figure out what’s going on you stubborn fucking asshole”

He raised his browbone even if the other couldn’t see it. The other voice had been…gentler. It held a determination in it, that made his soul skip a beat.

“This ain't like you, I dunno what’s going on, or what kind of threat you are under that you feel the need to go MIA.”

He sighed, it was sweet that the other worried. It was kinda breaking his heart. He had to break off that line of thinking. Red shouldn’t come looking for him.

“Is it really so hard to believe that I want this for myself”

He heard red Scramble up, magic crackling in the air

“For Fucks sake, YES, you absolute moron. You hang out with someone day, after day. And then out of the blue go. Yeah after this you’ll never see or hear me again. Something is going on. And I don’t care what it is. I am gonna fix it! I dunno if it has to do with before you came here. That something from your past is catching up to you. But I can fucking help okay?! You talked about having no one left but your bro. I know what that is like, and it fucking sucks okay. So if you need someplace safe to stay. I can fucking help. You aint alone Sansy. We…we’re” Red seemed to halt in his angry spitting tirade for a second

“We’re friends right?! Don’t those help each other, I get you are not able to give me details. But let me help you”

Fuck this was spiraling out of control so fast. He had hoped he could just slip away and be a ghost in Red's memories someday. One that he would look back on fondly, if with a bitter ending.

Yeah…that’s right...Then why had he stayed here? Why had he sat in this one spot waiting for Red to find him? He knew why, He started at his reflection in the water. Because he loved Red and didn’t want to do this to him. Didn’t want to leave him hurt, wanted to soothe the pain if he could.

Cause he doesn’t hate him, but this was becoming more and more of a mess. Red had gone eerily quiet for a few seconds, maybe waiting for a response, and he was thinking. Trying to find a way to respond. For Red to spot thinking he was being persuaded by what…the mafia? It almost sounded like that was what Red was thinking.

But also find a way for Red to just leave, the only way to do that. Would be to open up every single wound he had learned over the past year. Completely tear into the other, but he doesn’t think he can.

“Is…is it your brother?..is he the one that is…?”

He stood up lighting quickly and turned around

“Don’t you even dare finish that sentence, my brother would never ever do anything that results in other people getting hurt, you hear me.”

Red eyes widened and then a grin started forming

“There you are..” Red said, and what the fuck was that supposed to mean. How could Red even suggest, even think that Papyrus would even think of doing something. ..

Good god he didn’t want to think about it, he had told Red countless stories about his bro, it is surprisingly easy to substitute the mer-stuff for normal-monster stuff.

Red had crossed his arms and looked very self-satisfied with himself. “I knew you were putting up a front”

His own eyes widened at that declaration.

“I ain't letting you go that easy, something is happening, and I am gonna figure out what. I don’t care how many necks I have to break, but they are gonna be sorry when they realize who they are messing with” Red cracked his knuckles angrily. Looking itching for a fight. And dammit that shouldn’t make his soul swoon, but it did.

But he also started panicking. Cause this was bad, really bad. At this rate Red was gonna throw everything at it, to help with this perceived thread. Red knows people, if he got wind he was out in the ocean. The people there..his brother.

Fuck it, that can’t happen. But Red wasn’t gonna stop. He knew that. There would be nothing stopping him. Not when Red was seeing something so clearly going wrong. And he couldn’t contradict that. The only way he could was….

Show him...

Fuck no bad idea...But what choice did he have at this point? Red would not stop, everyone would be at risk. That stubborn refusal would stop at nothing, not even his own fears, Red would be on a ship terrified out of his mind. Some of those people could be shady, they could hurt his brother.

Red would not follow him if he knows, but it would hurt Red. A final act of betrayal, of that he had been lying to him all this time, about what he was. Where he belonged and where he longed to be. He hated it. But he saw no other way, he just has to dash off quickly when Red realized. Don’t let him think too much about it.

Show him, let it sink in, and swim away.

Fuck this was a bad idea, but he turned around and dove into the water anyway, Hearing a shout of his name. The water felt like home and within seconds his legs transformed into his bright blue tail, the shorts he’d been wearing tearing to sheds. It was sad, he had hoped to keep them as a memento, but he had more importing things to deal with.

Looking back up seeing his back still on the dock. Well, that was one good way for Red to get a good look. He quickly swam to the side, turned around, and propelled himself with enough speed to launch out of the water.

He heard a surprise gasp, as his hands grabbed the straps and pull it with him in the water. Landing in it with a heavy splash. The bag became heavy in his arms dragging him down a bit. But he quickly corrected it and swam back up. One last check to see if Red had seen everything. And then he would leave.

He let out a gasp as his airways didn’t like he kept going between the water and air. Once he was able to see he noticed that Red had walked closer, and was now in the middle of the dock.

Had…had he tried to come after him?

His gaze quickly landed on the other's face, to be met with the widest eyes he had ever seen. The shock was plainly written on his face, and only shock, no anger. None at all, his soul gave a hopeful leap. But he tried to stomp it down.

Suddenly those eyes were focused on him. Eyelights a dark red, even in the orange light of the setting sun. They were burning, and fuck he had to go. Flee and never go back. But he couldn’t look away not from him.

Then he heard thumping, Red was barreling forward. Wait…? What?! what was he doing!? Red was getting closer to the end of the dock and all he could do was stare, instead of flee. Then Red dove off the dock, straight at him.

Everything else happened in a quick flurry of movement. The force of the dive had sent both of them beneath the water, he felt two hands grab his shoulders roughly and pull him towards Red. He dropped the bag and grabbed onto the other's hips, and then there were teeth pressed harshly against his own.

His own eyes widened even further, he couldn’t see anything through the flurry of bubbles around them. He could feel the magic of the rough kiss against his own teeth. It was screaming, Mine Don’t let go Keep him close STAY! Maybe he should have fought it and demanded an answer. But that desperate kiss pulled him under. And he started pressing back just as harshly. He didn’t know what was happening, or why it was happening. But Red was kissing him. Red was also digging his fingers into the top of his humorous. Sharp claw-like fingers leaving thin white scratches. Their shirts had filled with air and were trying to rise to the top before the air escaped and started to lay heavily on the bones trying to drag them down further.

Then a tongue lapped at his teeth and he opened without hesitation. But only when he felt bubbles from between them as their tongues kept meeting. Did his mind catch up to the situation

Fuck Red needed to breathe, he needed air before they ran out, He pulled away from Red, fully intending to slap a hand over his mouth and let him keep whatever air he could have left. But then he realized that the texture under his hands had changed. He was no longer touching bones.

What he was touching felt smooth to the touch, yet he could also feel individual scales give way under his fingertips. He looked down and saw a tail moving in counter motions with his own..always drifting slightly to the left.

There were side fins just below his hands…or there should be. Where the nasty scar on Red's hip was, There was just a stub, like it had been violently ripped off by something sharp.. The other side fin was also torn, There were gashes and scars all over him.

Some looked like those he saw others had suffered from man-made tools, others looked like other mer got that had gotten into huge territorial spats and left one party for dead. Yet somehow they survived.

Some of them seemed to be treated by human hands, and others like had done them himself The color of the other's tail was slightly off too. Like it was supposed to be brighter. Like his own light blue, but it was a dull reddish-grey. And a lot of things started clicking into place.

He looked back up into the other's eyes. The emotions stared back at him. Was such a mixture, of relief, annoyance, anger, and happiness but also. Fear. A terror that he only had seen once before slowly creeping in and overtaking him.

Another realization hit him. The way Red clung to him, had changed, it was subtle. But Red was clearly using him to keep himself on eye level. Like he was having trouble.swimming upright. The other's breath quickened, as Red’s gaze left him, and he stared around. That the full realization of what he had done was setting in.

He warped an arm closer around the other's middle, pulling him against himself, and swam both of them up. Coming up beneath the floorboards of the docks, until he found the one he was looking for. A large rock under the water stood against the wooden pillar. Red grabbed onto the wooden beam with one hand and rested against the rock beneath him. While he still floated in front of him, helping to steady him by holding onto his other arm.

Like this, they were hidden from view from anyone else in the low red lights of the setting sun at the horizon. Staring at Red, who was clearly uncomfortable, and afraid, but seemed to not be near the point of panicking anymore.

He brought a hand up to the other cheek, feeling the water slide over the rough bones,

“That was incredibly stupid, are you okay?”

Red let out a dry laugh, and his red eye lights small pinpricks.

“Couldn’t let you get away now…could I?.... asshole…” his next laugh was hallowed as he started towards the ocean, and he quickly guided the other's gaze towards himself.

“Hey no..eyes on me”

No need for Red to confront more than necessary, let him focus on something else. Anything else?

Another laugh, and then those scared little pinprick lights were boring into his own. But he wasn’t planning on letting go. Wasn’t gonna leave his best friend in this state. Answers could wait.

A hand came up to his own face, and he felt magic starting to dust at his cheeks. The smile on Red's face became less abstract terror and more disbelief fondness.

“Fuck, you are real aren’t yah.”

He paused, and then

“As pufferfish are round yes”

Red gave another punched-out laugh “Fuck, haven’t heard that expression in ages.” He felt his own teeth tug into a small smile, chest easing with each steading breath that was taken. Red’s thumb caressed the corner of the said smile, and he felt himself being tugged closer.

And then he was kissing Red again. This time it wasn’t a flurry of emotions, it wasn’t desperation. It was just them tugging each other closer, heat slowly building. Trying to answer the questioning magic. They seemed to whisper instead of scream this time. Questions like: Is this okay? Are you real? You feel safe I can’t believe this... He tried to answer every question. Red hand moved to the back of his head, slowly pulling him in deeper and deeper. Mouths opened once more to let their tongues dance together again.

There was a distinct lack of sea salt in this kiss. And he could faintly, very faintly taste those hard cherry candy sweets the other liked to munch on so much. Letting out soft breaths and gasps the whole time, his fingers traced over the other's cheek, as Red’s face slowly heated up beneath it. At the same time, Red was holding onto the back of his neck, with a gentle pressure that was making his already fast-beating soul, sing louder.

The sudden sound of a car door being shut, along with some muffled voices made them break apart. He glanced around the pole they were leaning against. At the top of the beach was a fish and bird monster gathering some fishing supplies from the car.

He recognized them as regulars at the bar. He looked back at Red seeing the other's eyes had gone back to pinpricks.

“I know a safe place” he whispered quickly. There was no way those two would overhear them over the waves, but he didn’t want to risk it. What were those two doing anyway, going fishing at this hour? “But it would be a bit of a swim, you up for it”

He received a glare in return

“Don’t need you to use the kiddie gloves on me, I can handle myself” Red angrily spat. He held onto the other's shoulders gently but firmly

“Never said you couldn’t. But you are shaking…so…do you trust me”

Those words felt a lot more loaded now. His secret was out, but in return….red had done the same. But that didn’t excuse anything. Part of their friendship was on a shaky foundation. And Red…red didn’t trus-

“Yeah…” His eyes widened. Now was not the time to overthink. “I’ll grab my bag and we go…”

Red gave a stiff nod, eyes flickering towards the car on the beach. He gave a nod, and quickly dove down, seeing his bag, and grabbing it. Making a quick 180 turn back, towards where he saw the dull red tail.

When he got closer, Red lowered himself under the water, Still, a tremble going through his body. But staring hard at him, as he struggled to keep himself balanced.

Red clearly hadn’t swum in a long, long time. Or that might be the missing side fin or both. “What’s the plan”

Even though the tail had been clear evidence, seeing red speak without problems underwater is what sealed it. For a brief moment, he had been filled with panic. But he stomped it out.

He held out his bag, “Wear this, and hold onto my back, I think that is the fastest way” He saw the other stare at his back then at him wearily, giving a tense nod, Roughly grabbing the bag and putting it on, as he turned around so Red could hold on.

The hands that settled around the ribs just below his shoulder blades were surprisingly gentle compared to how he handled the bag.

“If we need to stop for whatever reason, just pull alright?” “Sure…” was the curt response,

He gave a nod, and started moving, Slowly speeding up as he went down deeper. It felt like Red was trying to keep up, but every time he made a slight turn, he could feel Red's body being dragged by the currents. The hands' grip grew tighter and tighter by the second. As he scanned around for the cave entrance. It was harder to spot in the dark. But luckily it didn’t take too long.

“Where the fuck..” Red mumbled as they entered it, the passage luckily wide enough for both of them to fit through.

“Careful, tight corner up ahead” He felt Red pull himself closer to him, but still let out a swear as they turned said corner. Seems like his tail still scraped against the walls

“Sorry” he mumbled, and he only got a grumble in response, the small cave tunnel opened up into an underground lake, and he slowly surfaced. He could feel red looking around seeing all of the stuff that he had kept in his cabin on the shores, and then up at the sky where some last rays of red light were coming in.

“How the fuck did you find this place”

“Being an idiot and still not knowing how to walk in my first week”

“So you slipped on yer ass?” he could hear the grin on the other teeth

“More like fell face first into the water” And Red laughed, it was such a good sound to hear after the near panic he had been in for a while. And they reached the rocky edge

“There are some towels and clothes in the corner over there, “ He raised his hand from out of the water to point at the indicated corner.

“ You can use those” He finished as the other monster let go of his back, and held onto the edge. He saw Red set both hands on the edge to start lifting himself up before he stopped and turned around

“What about you?” Red asked subtly clutching at the backpack he still had

He ran a hand over the back of his own skull

“I…I gotta get back to my bro..” He said slowly. He had no intention of going back on his word. He would go meet Paps. but as for his intention to stay down in his old home…well..there was a shaky revelation in front of him that complicated matters to the millionth degree

Red Started into his eyes for a bit and then let out a sigh eyes averting “I…understand”

For a moment they both just hovered, then Red let out an even deeper sigh

“Sorry…by the way…for making you…ya know..”

He turned his gaze back confused, but Red still had his gaze averted. His brow bones furrowed trying to grasp the other's meaning before it slowly hit him.

“Oh…I…it’s fine…i mean…well..” He let out his own frustrated grumble

“I am glad I told you…” he settled on.

“Didn’t give ya much of a choice” Red still looked kinda dejected

He gave a helpless shrug. "Not like I was giving you much to go off. You cared, that means a lot you know"

Reds brown furrowed deeper. "Yet, you are still leaving"

He felt himself freeze and said steely "I made a promise"

They both stared each other down, for a few moments and then Red closed his sockets with a weary sigh. “And you wouldn’t be you, if you didn’t keep it” Red stated

At those words, he felt a slight flush cover his cheeks. And rubbed the back of his head awkwardly “Yeah, guess not”

Red heaved out a sigh and turned back around, and with some trouble heaved himself up on the shore. He swam a bit closer, with a heavy chest.

“You…gonna be okay?” He asked hesitantly, Red didn’t look back, and for a moment he thought the other wouldn’t answer as he dropped the bag on the edge with a heavy thud. It would be an appropriate response after everything. But then he heard lowly “Managed so far”

Red wasn’t anything more slip, no more feelings, no more information. His hands dug into the rocks of the shore, as Red dragged himself towards the corner staring at the towel for a moment, Before drying off his tail.

“I’m sorry” After everything, Red deserved at least that much, and he saw him freeze up “About…well…a lot, just…I never intended for all of this to happen. But…it did. And I could have done a lot of things better. I know it probably doesn't mean much but - “

“-It’s fine” Red cut him off still not looking at him. His eyes trained on his tail with a sort of disdain he couldn’t understand. It made his heart ache. Part of him wanted to reach out, part of him was afraid that saying the wrong thing would make him disappear forever.

That had been what he had intended not mere minutes before…but still... It hurt. It would always have hurt. He wanted things to work, wanted more of Red. Red had fucking kissed him,

Holy shit Red had fucking kissed him. It had been harsh and forceful, and overwhelming. Everything that Red is. And he had loved it, he wanted more of it. Didn’t want to give up anything, didn’t want to choose between his life up here with Red, Or down below with his brother. He wanted both.

But fuck he thought he had seen Red scared before It had been nothing to that look in his eyes that he got when his gaze had drifted to the horizon line. Just stark terror, even without looking at his face directly now. He could still the ghost of it.

“I am the one that jumped in, you didn’t drag me…” Red mumbled.

That was true, but it still didn’t sit right with him. He looked at the rough rocks of the cave, towards the entrance where the beginnings of moonlight began to show. He had been here so much, but never did it ever feel this small, this oppressive.

“That doesn’t change the fact I have been a fucking asshole” Red seemed to let out a chuckle, but it was cut off soon so he could not be completely sure

He felt the corner of his own smile quirk up. Staring At the other back he finally said what was on his fucking mind. Damm the concequeses. He had no idea how to fix, or resolve this. But Red was smart. Maybe they could do it together

“I don’t want this to be the end…” The words were barely louder than a whisper. But he might as well screamed with the force Red turned around. Eyes boring into him, and within those fiery red eyes he could see hope,

“You think, that isn’t what I wanted?” Red narrowed his eyes “You think I go even near the beach for just anyone”

He felt another flush cover his cheeks. “I don’t think you ever do anything unless it is for yourself”

Red’s mouth turned into a grin “ Ya got that right, so watta you thinking sweetheart”

His face flushed even darker, and Red’s grin widened. It wasn’t the first time Red had called him sweetheart. But after well, everything, It seemed to hold a lot more weight. And Red seemed to love the reaction he was getting, cause he dropped the towel, dragged himself back over to the water's edge, and laid down, Lying on his front, and staring him right in the face with a lazy grin now that they were on eye-level.

A part of him wanted to push himself up and kiss that smug look off his face. He didn’t Red’s ego is big enough without him knowing how much he could get under his skin by a simple action. His gaze never left Reds despite the flush

“Someway to keep meeting, I can’t just stay…my bro…” “Is too important…I get it” Red’s eyes were gentle, if frustrated. “Contact is hard….no way to communicate underwater for long-distance” Red mumbled and he gave a nod in response

“Like setting up meetings would work…but what if something happens, I couldn’t let you know anything was happening..” He said And Red brow furrowed “It is better than not seeing you at all…” he mumbled gruffly, and he had to fight another flush

That was true, but it still felt very risky, A good way to be prone to miscommunication. Espeasily if something really bad was happening on either end.

“Are there…any devices divers would use if they get in trouble?…that send off a beacon with their location, either of us could activate it if we can’t make it” Red suggested, wondering out loud

“...couldn’t anyone intercept that…I don’t want to bring the others near my home in any danger”

Red’s frown turned deeper, understanding crossing his eyes.

“I could hack it…” “You could get in trouble “ “I ain't supposed to exist among the monsters, yet they never caught on. Besides this is worth it”

He reached out a hand and wrapped it around Red's wrist. “I really don’t want you to get hurt because of me” Red leaned forward and gently knocked their foreheads together. He wonders if Red remembered that being a sign of affection in mer-culture.

“How about this, for now…we just set up a next meeting, gives us both some time to think of solutions yeah? And I think I held you up long enough.”

His soul still churned in his chest, but it sounded acceptable. The lingering fear probably didn’t help Red’s thinking abilities. . “Alright” He breathed out, he waited a sec, then hoisted himself up the rest of the way to drop a chaste kiss against Red's teeth. When he pulled back and sunk back into the water, it was Red who had a blush covering his cheeks.

Red scrambled up into a sitting position, Tail having turned back into legs while he lay there, and hid his widening grin behind his hand. It made him wanna leap out of the water again. He didn’t… But it was a nice feeling.

“So how about we meet up, in a month? That gives me time to settle things back home with my bro”

Red took another moment to shake the soft smitten look on his face, back to the regular asshole he always knew.

“How you gonna know a month has passed,” Red asked.

He chucked and pointed up, to where they could see the moon appearing between the cracks of stone.

“It’s half a moon today…I will be here on the next one “

“And with here, do you mean…” “The Island, also the cave…but. I think meeting in front of the bar would suffice”

Red nodded and stood up. His bulky jacket was hiding his currently bare pelvis. He flushed and looked away at that realization wich made Red bark out another laugh.

“Then i guess…this is goodbye…” Red said, but it didn’t feel him with dread as he had feared. No there was a glimmer of hope. Hope for both of them, that they’ll find a solution that’ll work for them.

“Not goodbye, it’s till we meet again” Red laughed. “Poetic, get out of here you asshole, you got a brother waiting on you, tell him I said hi” “Tell yours the same” “Sure”

He grabbed the bag Red had dropped, put it on, and pushed himself away from the shore “You can tell him…by the way..” Considering what Red was….Edge should be too, it would be safe. And Red gave a surprised stiff nod. Red opened his mouth a couple of times…but no sound came out. Then a frustrated huff.

“Same… “ He stared at him shocked, “....you sure?” he asked completely blind sighted Red gave a nod… “Don’t feel like you have to” He stated just in case that wasn’t clear “I don’t …honest…”

And he gave a nod himself, as Red finally put some pants on. They had said their goodbyes all they had to do was leave. But instead, they just stared at each other. Slowly Red got closer to the water again, and he swam up to meet him. Red sat down on his knees, and he put his hands on either side of it.

Then Red’s hands were on his cheeks pulling him further up, as he used his tail, to lift himself up and kiss Red one last time. Hands let go of his face after a moment, to warp around his waist instead, to keep their chest flush together, his own arms holding on tightly on the other's shoulders.

Forming a tongue and pressing it against the others sharp teeth, Red opened up with a little groan. Red still tasted of sea salt, but that addicting cherry flavor was also back, And it made him wonder what Red tasted of him. But gravity was getting stronger, and as he felt himself tip more backward, and Red lean more forwards, he quickly let go before he dragged the other into the water again.

The shift in weight caused Red to drop him, but luckily stayed above water himself, if not getting a tiny bit splashed. He surfaced quickly, eyes meeting again.

There was some sort of understanding between them. Next time, they talk about that too. For now..they just enjoy what they had. He pushed himself away from shore once more, lest he be tempted into another kiss.

Red held up his hand “See ya later, Sansy”

He gave the other a small two-finger salute of his own “Later…..Sweetheart”

And he dove back into the tunnel they entered, not looking back to see how Red reacted. Something for them both to remember. As his hand game against his mouth, his face flushed in a slight blue

Nah, Red had done that for him. But for now, he tried to focus on getting back home. Happy knowing that returning was not only a possibility. But ineffable at this point

#noffy's writing #noffys writing #noffy's fics #kustard #undertale #undertale sans #underfell sans #sans x red #sans #MerMay #mermay 2023 #mermay #Sans mer

[lilbittymonster]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @crackinglamb, tysm 💜

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

Currently 33

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

110,421

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Currently writing for Final Fantasy XIV, but I have also written for Borderlands 2, Fallout 4, and Critical Role

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Only A Thought Away - Critical Role, Widomauk, Soulmates AU.

This Is Home - Critical Role, Widomauk/Fjorester/BeauYasha, Domestic slice of life.

I Will Endure - Critical Role, Widomauk, background Yashagard, Canon Divergence.

Forgiveness - Critical Role, Genfic, a bit of catharsis that still ended up happening in game just not the way i first envisioned it.

Boy, Oh Boy - Critical Role, Genfic, modern au.

All of these were done for a discord event several years ago.

5. do you respond to comments?

I do, I make an effort to respond to every one I get. Only exceptions being a couple "moar plz" "when's the next chapter?" type ones that I just deleted.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Extinguishing the Last Light, my worst end Lightwarden AU where the Scions fail to defeat the final Lightwarden and the First continues to drown in Light.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Walk to the Water, a 10k Borderlands Gaingel MerMay AU

8. do you get hate on fics?

Not yet, but if anyone tries it they've got another thing coming :)

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I've written plenty, I've only posted the one E fic though. Mostly gay elf porn.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, though I'd be fine with it as long as I'm added as a co-author with a link to the original English.

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

I have, I was doing a pretty large scale Critical Role rp fic with four other people. It disintegrated from some interpersonal tensions and one person leaving the fandom entirely but I still think very fondly on it. Before that, I was doing a Borderlands OC rp with a friend.

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

You ask me, a bisexual, to make a choice? Lol. Lmao, even. I do not have a One True Pairing, I have learned the mature art of multishipping like a goddamn adult.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

OOF well this is a tie between Sometimes Goodbye and A Thistle's Thorns, both being all but abandoned due to fandom drift and loss of motivation. I found the original outline I had (thankfully) written out for Sometimes Goodbye, and I have started another BL2 playthrough, but FFXIV has eaten my life at this point so idk if I'll ever come back to it properly.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Show don't tell, detail descriptions, I have been told my characterisation through dialogue has been consistently on point (which is a relief), worldbuilding

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Finding a good place to end. if left to my own devices I will Just Keep Rambling. That was actually one of the reasons I kept my FFXIVWrite entries so short. I needed to get over the hump of just letting things end.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I haven't had this particular problem yet, but I will once I start writing stuff for Stormblood, because Kitali is multilingual.

When I'm reading it, though, I prefer to just have a dialogue tag indicating which language is being spoken and then either a bold, italics, or both to show what's being spoken in what language. It saves me the trouble of scrolling back and forth and back and forth from the notes at the end of the chapter or trying to remember what was said where exactly and in what context.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Borderlands 2

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

That would be Dragoon Age: Origins, the telling of Kitali and Estinien's first clash which I definitely did not just spend the last hour or so rereading nope not me

Tagging: @captainsparklefingers @screamingvikings @ir0n-angel and anyone else who wants to take a shot, I have lost track of who writes and who doesn't lol

#tagged

[neoncherryblossom]

Make Me Write Tag Game

@writeblr-of-my-own left this an open tag so anyone can join in if they want! (I'm also going to include fanfic because I really need to work on some of those.)

Rules: Make a 24hr poll listing the titles of every WIP you want to work on. (It’s fine if you only have one, still make a poll for the vote count). Whichever WIP title gets the most votes, write 1 sentence for every vote received.

WIP Descriptions under cut!

Gently tagging @sehnxsucht, @angelasscribbles, @loopyhoopywrites, @vsnotresponding and honestly anyone who wants to join!

(Exerpt: It’ll take him weeks to forget just how eagerly Nox tore into the skin of those men, months to forget Typhon’s crazed laugh as he zapped them, again and again, even if they had long since stopped moving. Typhon would've never done that Before. Would've have ran before their bodies hit the ground.) An Original Vigilante WIP where Cessair, after a heist and a talk with an officer, starts to doubt whether or not this whole thing truly is worth it. Typhon has other things to say.

2. Glitching Away and Holding Tight: A Metal Sonic Redemption AU (you can read it here) where after Metal attacks Sonic seemingly accidentally, Sonic decides to have Tails fix him because Eggman didn't show up.

Except, Metal Sonic doesn't have any memories intact.

Except, Metal Sonic doesn't hate him.

(The plot- not the character driven one- was a bit too complicated so a friend helped me simplify it a bit. Hence, I have to fix the outline.)

3. New TOH WIP: This'll be a late MerMay thing.

Darius, froze, before he slowly tiptoed closer to the thrashing, crying, ripped netting, lightly yanking off a thread.

The effect was immediate.

A cry as the net was peeled and Darius met eyes with a water demon, tears rolling down its baby fat cheeks, a tail, gills, claws, but what looked like witch ears in front of 7 gills of varying sizes surronding it's head- not a mane he realized as he took a step back-blood leaking onto the sand.

"Huh," and the strange girl tilted her head, seemingly intrigued as her older sister yanked her back, the demons cries growing louder as it thrashed. "I think it needs our help."

(A child Darius meets Eda and Lilith, who then meet a merEber. Shenanigans ensue.)

#writing #writer's tag game #make me write #writblr #the owl house #sonic the hedgehog #Glitching Away and Holding Tight #original wip #mermay #but late

[hobimo]

Green on the Horizon chapter 3 preview

hello if u have missed my previous posts here i have finished chap 3 and im getting into chap 4 but im not pleased with them so i have decided to lock them up until may where i will reassess them once they have fermented enough and Developed Flavour and post them both for mermay.

Until then please keep reading to see the first scene of chapter 3 below! I’m pretty happy with it but when u see it next it might be tweaked a bit idk. thanks for your patience :)

The stories have always depicted dragons as benevolent gods. As wise. As merciful.

The sound of water breaking disturbs the crew and Seokjin so much that he flinches before the dragon’s huge tail slams down onto the deck directly in front of him. Seokjin feels the ship lurch and sink further into the water under the dragon’s weight. Easily as tall as him, the scales are so large and green and wet with water he can see his own terrified face reflected in them before they disappear into the huge white tuft of fur at the end, just like a lion’s tail.

Red spines peek out through the fur, long enough to impale Seokjin with one swipe.

When Seokjin dares look up at the beast, its vermillion eyes are narrow and cruel.

Its lips pull back as their gazes meet, vicious. Beyond the torrents of water falling from the dragon’s huge, serpentine body, the deck is completely silent. Seokjin feels cold the more he stares at the creature, frozen still as its red eyes bore into him. It’s so large it blocks out the afternoon sun behind it; an eclipse realised.

To show his sincerity, Seokjin had foregone even his usual rope knife. He is completely defenceless before the dragon, its maw big enough to bite him clean in two. From above them, the dragon growls something awful, so loud and intense it makes Seokjin’s bones tremble under his skin, the very air heavy like water as he grapples for a rope, just to stay on his feet. He can barely breathe through the weight of it, hitting his chest so hard he doesn’t even know if his heart can beat under the pressure.

Every painting, every sculpture, every story Seokjin has ever heard or seen, pales before the dragon before him. Does not capture the weight it carries, the sound of it, the predator’s gaze. For the rest of his life, all legends will be ruined for him, no tales of dragon mercy will ring true. This is a beast that wants Seokjin dead, and it is happy to wait for his sweat to wash away the stink of snake wine before it strikes.

One day when he dies, this dragon will peer down and watch which realm his soul goes to next with those same crimson eyes.

From the corner of his eye, Seokjin sees Jimin duck behind the main mast, tip-toeing to the bow of the ship.

Right. They had a plan. And Seokjin has to do his part.

The dragon pries one talon out of the wood, splinters flying, and then lowers it down one step further, the maw of razor-sharp teeth inching closer. Its neck is so long that even with its talons halfway down the mast, it can curl up like a cobra, looming over them. Just its neck alone must be the same length as the mast itself, thicker than it where it meets its chest, before thinning again, the rest of its snake body writhing as it adjusts its posture on the wooden beam.

“Dragon King!” Seokjin shouts, barely audible through the dragon’s growling. His voice sounds scratchy and raw, not clear like it should be, but he doesn’t dare stutter, not here. He will force the words out with his whole body if need be. The dragon’s growl intensifies in response, eyebrows twitching and furrowing, clearly displeased. It lowers its head inches further, the feathery edges of its whiskers almost touching the deck.

The killing intent is almost enough to make Seokjin’s legs give out, but he grips the rope until his knuckles turn white and clears his throat. He can’t give up now, not after everything he’s done. Not when they’re finally getting close to making the impossible a reality.

“I will not talk more than necessary,” Seokjin grits out, and the dragon’s red-scaled lips pull back further, all of its white teeth on show. “I want to borrow the power of your yeouiju.”

There’s a hitch in the growling, the dragon clearly surprised, and it opens its mouth. From between its fangs, it extends its tongue, pink and slick like a dog’s, suspending the pearl before him like a taunt. The jewel is huge, so large Seokjin would need both hands just to hold it, pearlescent and so full of magic Seokjin can feel it, like he has never felt magic before. A tangible presence, power so concentrated it could corrupt anyone with a touch. Seokjin’s hands itch to reach out and snatch it before the dragon can hide it away again, even though he knows better. The temptation digs under his skin like a parasite, urging him with a ferocity he didn’t know existed—take it. Take the pearl. Kill the dragon.

He drags his eyes away from the stone to the dragon’s red gaze above, and feels like choking on seawater. Those eyes are narrowed and waiting. Baiting him. Luring him right up to its teeth, like an anglerfish.

“Yes. I need its power just for one task,” Seokjin continues, and the dragon’s eyes narrow further, retracting its tongue and the yeouiju back into the safety of its mouth. “There is a ship that sails between the mainland and Tsushima island, manned by the ghosts of those murdered by their crews at sea. I want to revive someone, using your yeouiju.”

The dragon’s eyes widen, its surprise startlingly human, before they narrow even further, growling viciously again. It’s jaw opens an inch, enough to see the way its tongue and lips pull back, worse than any dog or tiger, wood creaking and ship swaying as its weight shifts, preparing to pounce on him.

It won’t. The smell of the wine hasn’t faded yet.

“I only need it for that one thing,” he continues. There is a shadow moving on the main mast, beside the dragon’s curled body, and Seokjin forces himself not to look. “I have no intention of stealing it from you. If you would be willing to lend me the jewel—”

The dragon snaps warningly, lurching out to bite through the air in front of Seokjin, so close the rush of air stings. The snap of its jaws is terrifying, so loud and close Seokjin is scared one of his own bones has snapped. The growl changes and sharpens with a hiss in the back of the beast’s throat, its white beard swaying as it shakes his head, licking its chops.

He misspoke, then.

“I have no intention to use the jewel for anything else,” Seokjin insists, the dragon growling so loud and close he can barely hear the words come out of his mouth. It’s approaching him, enraged even to the point of enduring the smell, it seems. “I swear on my life.”

For a fleeting moment, Seokjin lets his hopes mislead him. He almost thinks the dragon will be as benevolent as the legends claim, that it will be moved by his plea, or that perhaps it will use the jewel in its mouth to divine the truth in his words.

But like all else, the tales pale before the dragon.

The look in its eyes is so furious Seokjin expects it to begin swearing at him, to curse his bloodline for generations—but it does no such thing. Like an animal it climbs one step further down the mast, until the deck is within its reach, its neck coiled up to stay just far away from Seokjin that the wine’s smell doesn’t reach. And then it growls lowly, before jerking its head away from him. The meaning is clear, even to Seokjin: his life is worthless.

And then it begins to rain. The dragon watches him, eyes wide and perfectly still, as the rain begins as nothing but a few timid drops and develops into a downpour within an instant, the harsh sunlight fading and replaced by gloom. The blinding reflection of the sun on its scales is replaced by a buffeting wind that kicks up salt and spray onto the deck, whipping the white mane around the dragon’s head furiously.

“I ate the swallow purposefully to lure you here,” Seokjin bites out, his words lost to the wind but the dragon hears him just fine, roaring at him as wood splintering under one of its talons. Its tail whips away from him, slapping the water so hard spray hits the deck and stings Seokjin’s skin. “It was not my intention to offend you. We had no other option. The yeouiju is our only hope.”

When the dragon opens its mouth and hisses, it’s like staring down the gullet of a crocodile. The force of its breath is enough to sting his skin, and instead of smelling foul, it smells only like the harshest ocean wind.

“The fortune teller foresaw you would help us!” Seokjin snaps, desperation turning to frustration. The dragon recoils violently at this, rearing up so much so that even its front talons leave the wood, suspended only by its body wrapped around the beam. “So tell me, what must I offer for your jewel to be used this once?”

The dragon’s eyes blaze, and when it tenses up a little further, Seokjin knows it is going to pounce on him, ignoring the stench of wine and snapping him up. All of this for nothing. Summoning a god just for it to deny him, to cast him aside.

The shadow on the mast drops from where it had been holding onto the halyard, falling right beside the dragon and grabbing halfway down its green whisker. The dragon shrieks in pain as its head is wrenched down, and Jimin’s feet hit the deck with barely a sound. Seokjin watches with horror as the dragon’s red eye swivels to see who has grabbed it, before it roars and throws its head back.

It’s exactly what Jimin wanted, Seokjin realises. Jimin manages to kick his legs just enough that when the dragon hauls him back up in the air, Jimin swings right under its chin and can hook his heels in the battens of the sail, enough to drag himself right onto the top of the dragon’s head. Jimin’s snarl is so ferocious Seokjin can see the slash of white teeth even from here, as the man grabs one of the dragon’s antlers and uses that strength of his to pull the whisker tight enough that the dragon’s jaw is wound shut.

“Now!” Yoongi shouts, and men on either side of the deck pick up a coil of rope and throw it high, over the dragon’s neck and head. Together, the crew grasp the slick ropes, wet from the downpour, and winch them down. The dragon thrashes and struggles, roaring and hissing in the back of its throat, shaking its head violently to try and dislodge Jimin, who holds firm.

Its weakness is that dragons are benevolent. Seokjin hadn’t understood it, but as the dragon’s eyes frantically search around it for somewhere to flee, Seokjin sees the exact moment it realises it cannot escape without throwing the crew overboard, possibly killing them. That it’s trapped.

With one final heave, the men pull the ropes tight, and the dragon’s head pressed down into the deck. Jimin doesn’t move from the top of its head, wrapping the whisker around his arm like a rope. Its lower body writhes and struggles, trying to pull it free of the rope, but one of them has been secured behind its antlers and can’t move. Its tail slaps the water, swipes the side of the boat, those red spines nailed through the wood, but not even that can save it.

Jimin stands on the captured dragon like a demon, the wind whipping his black hanbok around him, eyes feral. “I told you I could do it,” Jimin says, grinning despite how heavily he’s breathing. All the muscles in his arm jump as he adjusts his grip on the antler, knuckles white. “Go on then, Siren Captain. Make your demands.”

The dragon growls as Seokjin approaches, no less threatening even now that it is restrained. Its snarls as best it can with his jaw wrapped shut, its eye furious and human where it glares back at Seokjin. It throws itself against the bindings, trying to at least hit Seokjin, but Jimin yanks on the whisker so it can’t budge.

“You’re trapped, Your Majesty,” Jimin taunts it, his voice cutting through the ringing in Seokjin’s ears. “Better to give in and listen.”

The dragon growls, struggling again, but its head doesn’t move. Tentatively Seokjin approaches, placing one foot down after the other until he is close enough to speak directly into that red eye.

“Forgive me,” he whispers, low enough that Jimin hopefully will not hear. The dragon’s eye rolls from Seokjin, up to try and see Jimin perched on its head, and finally all the fight leaves it. Its huge eye closes, and the rain stops immediately, the wind abating, the clouds immediately beginning to fade.

“Dragon King,” Seokjin says again, even more daunted by the silence than the lashing rain. His voice comes out far quieter, and the dragon barely blinks open its eye to look at him. “I need the power of your yeouiju for a task. I simply need you to allow us to use your jewel just once. If you can agree to that, we will release you.”

The dragon simply looks at him for what feels like an age, the intensity of its eye never lessening, until it makes a small noise and sighs, eye closing again. Seokjin hopes he is right to interpret it as acceptance. He will have to take the risk, gesturing for the men to release the ropes.

Park Jimin does not.

The air floods with heat, energy so intense and otherworldly that Seokjin stumbles away. Before their eyes the dragon begins to shrink, its tail evaporating where it pierces the side rail of the ship, its twisted torso around the mast disappearing into salt spray. The ship springs out of the water as the dragon’s weight sinking it disappears, and its head shrinks and warps into the shape of a human.

Jimin does not release the dragon even as it becomes a man pressed onto the ground beneath him, Jimin’s hand fisted in his head of white hair.

“Park Jimin,” the dragon-man hisses, hair fading from blinding white to the shiny black of a young man, the last part of his transformation. His hands come up to grab at Jimin’s arms behind him, fingers digging in. “You—”

“Accept the deal,” Jimin snaps, yanking on his hair. The dragon’s answering snarl is as powerful in the air as it has been when he was a hundred times the size he is now. Jimin isn’t fazed, pulling roughly on his hair again as he yells, “accept it!”

“I accept!” The dragon yells, yielding, his eyes finding Seokjin’s where Jimin keeps his face pressed to the deck. “Now release me!”

Jimin drops his hair unceremoniously, picking his feet up and stepping away from the prone man. Yoongi lingers at Seokjin’s side, staring in wonder and horror as the dragon pushes himself up, his free hair spilling over his shoulders, naked and human, betrayed only by the vibrant vermillion of his eyes.

“Fetch him clothes,” Seokjin orders, his voice shrill even to his own ears. When the dragon stands, roughly grabbing at Jimin for support, Seokjin is startled by how tall he is. Perhaps not quite his height—he must be the same height as Seokjin, not even as tall as Namjoon—but rather how small Jimin looks beside him, almost a head shorter, and yet the dragon moves away from him as soon as he’s steady on his feet, as if it pains him to be close.

The dragon king is as striking as a man as he was as a dragon, his face easily belonging in a mural rather than on a live person.

“What shall they call you?” Jimin asks, and Seokjin itches to hit him at the mocking tone he uses. Even at this distance between Seokjin and the dragon, an easy six paces, the air thrums around him with dangerous power.

“You push your luck, Park Jimin,” the dragon snaps. He turns to Seokjin with a grimace, vitriol in his eyes as he inclines his head. “You may call me Taehyung, Kim Seokjin. Siren Captain of the Southern seas.”

“And crew,” Jimin jabs. When Taehyung snarls at him, his teeth are fanged and sharp.

“And crew,” Taehyung bites out. Jimin grins at him, apparently unbothered by the dragon’s anger.

“I will remain with you until the moment you require the jewel,” Taehyung explains. “I cannot leave it in your care. I will not lift a finger to help or protect you or your crew. You should have made me agree to that while you had the chance. Be warned, Kim Seokjin—everything you barter for in this life, I will personally ensure you are robbed of it in the next.”

The threat from a dragon puts salt in Seokjin’s bones, but he sets his jaw. He was never naïve enough to expect he could pull this off unscathed.

“So be it.”

Jimin snatches the clothes the crew bring out, and throws the outer layer of the hanbok over Taehyung’s shoulders, leaving him to dress himself. Seokjin is almost embarrassed at the shabby clothing they offer the dragon king, averting his eyes. He can see Yoongi keeps watching him, expression unreadable, hand tight around the hilt of his sword to hide how his whole arm shakes.

Namjoon hovers near the poop deck, unsure whether to approach, so Seokjin gives up and waves him over. Namjoon is strong, physically and in spirit, but he lacks the disposition that makes a truly strong fighter—the cruelty. He is too kind, too gentle, and it makes him too scared. No matter how these three years after Jungkook’s death have affected him, Namjoon was never prepared to kill a dragon, if it came down to it. He shuffles behind Seokjin like an anxious puppy, enraptured by the presence of the dragon.

“It’s good we didn’t die,” Namjoon mutters, and the bark of laughter that comes out of Seokjin shocks even himself.

“Yes,” Seokjin agrees, dragging his eyes back to Jimin and the dragon, who has tied the hanbok around his waist. A dragon, on board Seokjin’s stolen vessel. All to use its power to bring Jungkook back to life. He can only hope that the dragon vowing not to protect them means he won’t also harm them, too tired for much else.

Dragon trapping. Another one of Park Jimin’s frightening abilities.

Yoongi’s warning to stay on his good side echoes in Seokjin’s mind. At least for now he finds Seokjin entertaining enough to stay on board, to offer his help. They are almost done.

“Now we only have to find the ship itself,” Seokjin reminds both Yoongi and Namjoon, and it feels like years since he has seen them smile so sincerely. It probably has been.

“We truly did it,” Yoongi mutters. “It feels like a dream. Jungkook will come home.”

#bet u thought it was abandoned didnt you #HA #special thanks to pov u are a heartbroken mermaid playlist on yt #really got me feeling bad that i wasnt writing this fic and now look at me #i think chapter 4 is gonna be significantly shorter than the others #bc there's only so much i can put in it other than the climax tbh #that being said PLEASE tell me if u want jinmin smut #i mean chances are im gonna write it anyway #but any requests guys any ideas u would like to put forward #bc im kinda scratching my head abt it #anyway hope u enjoyed the preview #hoseok also appears in chapter 3 but at the end so u guys will have to wait until may to see him #anyway pour one out for sharlie she has been in my dms telling me i can do it for Months #this fic exists bc of her everyone say thank u

[crystalninjaphoenix]

MerMay 2023 Day Eighteen A Proposition

Night was beginning to fall in the lagoon. It was dark enough that the glowing phytoplankton in the waves were visible, but not so dark that they were the only source of light. Jack and Sam were returning home from a long day of exploring, and both of them were about ready to call it a night despite how it was earlier than their usual bedtime.

It had been three days, and nobody had figured out a plan to rescue Chase. Stacy and the kids were temporarily camped by Marvin’s lake so they could update the merms on what’s going on in their search. Apparently, Stacy had “e-mailed” that Ollie human who’d helped them out last time, but he hadn’t responded. She was starting to get worried. And the merms weren’t making much progress on their end, either. They couldn’t gather information about TridentCorp the way Stacy could, but they were all trying to help in their own ways. Marvin and Jameson were spending all their time searching through spells for one that could help, and the others were exploring the ocean looking for any sign of TridentCorp.

Jack hadn’t found much today. There hadn’t even been any human boats around. He was used to that, being an explorer by trade. Some days you just didn’t find anything. But it was more disappointing this time. Nothing to help Chase. Nothing of any use at all.

Maybe he would find something new tomorrow. He and Sam swam over to their rock pool home—but stopped in the entrance.

There was someone already in there.

“There you are!” Anti gasped, and lunged at him. Jack couldn’t help but flinch and swim away from the sudden movement, but Anti wasn’t at all troubled by his sudden backing up. “I need you to talk to your mage friends for me.”

“Wh-what?” Jack was confused, and honestly? A bit freaked out. Sam swimming circles around his head didn’t help. “Why are you in my home?”

“I was looking for you.” Anti swam closer, and Jack swam back. “I need you to talk to your mage friends for me.”

“Wha... hold on.” Jack shook his head. The two of them were hovering out in the lagoon now, surrounded by faintly glowing currents. “Marvin and Jameson? Why do you need them?”

“I had an idea,” Anti said vaguely.

“What idea?”

“That clownfish friend of yours got caught by humans, right? Chase?”

“Wait, how do you know that?” Jack was just getting more and more confused.

Anti hesitated. “That’s not important right now. I just know that. And I know I owe you guys for getting me out of that place. So I had an idea. I could get Chase out.”

Jack blinked. “You... want to help?”

Anti didn’t say anything. For a moment, he looked almost laughingly uncomfortable. Then he folded his arms and glared. “I want to make us even. So if I get Chase out for you, that’ll do it.”

“Okay. I’m following you.” Jack nodded slowly. “But why do you want to talk to Marvin and Jameson?”

“No, I’m not going to talk to them,” Anti corrected. “You’re going to do it for me.”

“What?! But—don’t you know where they live?” According to what the others had told him, Anti had been in the river leading to Marvin’s lake at least once before. “Can’t you go do it yourself?”

“...well...” Again, Anti looked uncomfortable. He refused to make direct eye contact with Jack. “They... won’t listen to me. Because... of everything that happened.”

Jack blinked. “I’m sure that if you really want to help Chase, they’ll listen.”

“No, they won’t. After what I did? They’re not going to do anything for me.”

Jack tilted his head. “Do you... regret it?”

Anti didn’t answer. He seemed a bit confused. “Regret?”

“Yeah. Do you wish you hadn’t done any of that?”

Anti’s expression shifted, now thoughtful. “It definitely didn’t help anything. Made a lot of things worse. And you all...” He trailed off. “I think I do.”

“Well, then, you should start out talking to them by apologizing,” Jack advised. “And then say you want to make up for it and you think you could do that by helping to rescue Chase. I’m sure they’ll hear you out after that.”

“Wait, no, I’m not talking to them!” Anti insisted.

“What if I went with you?” Jack asked. “As support. Or... a mediator.”

“A what?”

“You know, someone who keeps a fight from breaking out and makes sure both people feel heard and understood.”

Anti stared at Jack like he was speaking a human language he’d never heard. “...fine,” he finally said. “I’ll go if you go.”

Jack smiled. “Great! When were you thinking of going?”

“Now.” Anti watched as Jack’s smile faded. “Is... is that not good? Don’t all you friends want to get your other friend out as soon as possible?”

“We do, it’s just... been a long day for me,” Jack said. “A lot of swimming. Tell you what. Meet me here early tomorrow and we’ll go then.”

Anti nodded slowly. “Alright. Tomorrow. Early. Alright.” He stared at Jack silently. Then, without saying another word, he turned and swam away.

Jack watched him go. As soon as he disappeared from sight, Sam bonked Jack on the shoulder. “I know, I know, you’re worried,” he said to her. “But it’ll be fine. I think he really does want to help. Or... clear whatever debt he thinks he owes us.” He glanced back at the spot where he’d last seen Anti. “And we don’t have any other ideas so far. So... worth a shot, I say.” He pet Sam, running a finger along her top fin. “Sounds like we’ll have an early start tomorrow. So let’s get a good night’s sleep.”

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #septic eye sam #antisepticeye #brigid writes fanfiction #mermay snippets

[tickletricky]

Tidal Waves

CHAPTER 3, PT. 1/2

A/N: Oh boy, this took a while, mainly because I had to research tropical fish. By the way, this fic likely isn’t ending at the end of Mermay, because uhhh I do what I want :) Also a group of merfolk is called a roup (pronounced ‘roo’ like a french person saying the last syllable of ‘kangaroo’)

Summary: Moon takes a fun little trip by the directions that Sun told him to go to meet him, only to realize Sun’s warm-watered friends are there too, and they’re dragging him into an underwater frat-party. Shorter than before, so this chapter is divided up into two parts :) 

Content: No tickles, nursing shark, Percy not Jackson but still pretty gay, new characters. Lots of fucking fish. 

---------------------------------------0--------------0-------------------------------------

The ocean could be lonely. All of its residents knew that. Regardless if you were without a pod, or a social circle, or were just a misunderstood species, it was not kind. Distrust was bred amongst families. Generation upon generation taught the same coldness to its offspring, with no redemption in sight for the wilderness. But that didn’t mean that everyone could simply do without kindness. Especially those who were starved of even ‘ficial niceties, like those shared in the warmer waters’ social circles…

Another reason that Moon wanted to move to warmer waters. Considering the rumors around his own species, it was unlikely he would be welcome. But moving was not his concern today. Nor was hunting. Or exploration. No, he could not stop thinking about his last encounter with Sun.

Never before had he been caressed like that. It was his choice to stop him. He could’ve told him to get off — bitten him, harassed him, done anything to deter him. And he didn’t. If he’d lived it again the way he was dreaming of right now, he wouldn’t have done it any other way.

Underneath Sun’s charming, warm smile, he’d felt like there was nothing wrong with the world. And the more he thought about it, the emptier his heart felt — the more he had the sensation that the cold and harsh gusty currents were seeping past his scales into his very insides.

Without much thinking about it, the young shark started his journey up the warmer currents. He felt like a salmon beginning its journey upstream — knowing Sun's hangout spot for quite some time. Perhaps out of desperation, he’d remembered the directions all this time.

… Is this what friends think about? Sharing time together away from prying eyes? He smiled stupidly at the thought, not having realized he had slowed to a crawl and intruded on someone’s hunting space until he heard a sarcastic voice through the water. “Planning on going anywhere, anytime soon?” A nursing shark resting below him swung her tail. “You’ll scare my catch.”

“Ah- yes. Sorry, I should leave you to it.” She lifted her head up, leaning her cheek on her hand. “Not necessarily. I’m curious what a toothy thing like you is doing — heading upstream, it seems? Why don’t you take a seat?” Her kind tone betrayed her eyes, which contracted into wary slits as Moon sank politely onto a nearby reef, letting his caudal fin rest upon the ocean floor. “I’m… heading into warmer waters,” he answered, watching her expression change by a tick. “Into the lake?” She questioned with a tilt of her head, shifting her body underneath her. “Surely not?”

The nervous lack of response from Moon told her everything she needed to know. “Well, then, aren’t you a lucky sort. Have you got some sort of friend in the lake?” Her accent, if described by a human, was posh, but gentle like a Moomin. “I suppose you could say that. He’s never really told me if he lives in it.” “I see. Well, do be on your way then. Far be it from me to keep you from a friend in the lake.” The nurser smiled gently, yet showed her teeth — Moon took it as a sign to leave, pushing himself off the seafloor quickly and listening to her mumbling in the rapidly-fading distance about how sharks needed to stay in their own spaces, which he thought was quite hypocritical.

Up the currents, into the narrow space of the river flowing out of the lake, he pushed him onto a searock, getting tired of pushing against currents and completely collapsing until he heard a familiar voice, felt a familiar touch. “Hey there moonflower!” Sun sang, his shiny, golden-orange scales finally making themselves visible in the last of the evening light. “Didn’t expect to see you around here, no siree.” His friends muttered amongst themselves in the distance about the shark that was about to enter their lake — and it didn’t sound like ordinary gossip.

“Come in, come in! The night’s just about to get started!” Sun gripped his arm carelessly, and the waters seemed to still between them. He couldn’t think about anything but what was happening, his tail pushing him through the water thoughtlessly. And then, he was suddenly greeted by a group of tropical fish, who looked cheery until seeing him — which was a sight he was frankly used to.

“Hey Sun! Knew you wouldn’t be la- Is that a shark? Oh, Sun, come on. You can’t just let anyone in. You’re gonna kill the fun.” An azure-shaded discus spoke, followed by several comments of the same volition from a clownfish and two guppies.

“I already know him, don’t worry!” Sun, already close at Moon’s side, brought him into a sudden embrace and watched him freeze up. “He’s very fun to play with.” The merman centered in the roup chuckled, dispersing the mumbling with his own voice that seemed to grab everyone else’s attention with ease. “Alright, alright. That’s enough. No more of that, we’ve got a guest.”

Moon, taken aback, floated there idly and twiddled with his webbing, unable to find the words to speak. “The name’s Percy. And you, friend?” He couldn’t believe the pretty words that just slipped out of Percy’s mouth, the ones that made something warm light up inside of him like a new lantern. Quickly clearing his throat, he forced his name out of his throat. “... Moon, my name’s Moon.” The words tumbled out of his mouth in a slight stutter, more than he had anticipated or wanted, but Percy’s smile stayed still. “So now I know both a Sun and a Moon! What a nice coincidence for ol’ Perce here. Tell you what, stay with us tonight. We’re all mers here, right?”

For someone who was assumedly not any sort of predator, Percy was sizable. A green chromis with seemingly pristine scales that were further illuminated by the moonlight, and being just half a foot larger than Moon; but the very fact that he shared a similar height caused a sort of foreboding to stir in his gut.

Moon blinked, and then nodded, uttering a quiet ‘thank you’, glancing towards the exit, but it was too late; one of the two guppies here grabbed his arm, feeling his toothy scales scratch up their palm, but they didn’t seem to care. The little luminescent plankton already began to light up the deep water of the warm lake with brilliant yellows, greens, and blues…

Tonight was about to be busy.

#sun x moon #fnaf sundrop #fnaf moondrop #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf sb ship #fnafship #fnaf mermay #fnaf mer au #my works

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #34 | 08.27.23

Hi everyone!

Another month has flown by, and we are already entering the month of September soon! It's crazy it's already Fall......... Hope you all have been doing well <3

Since we're getting into the latter half of the year, I wanted to sit down and talk to you about the usual monthly progress as well as do a check in on where Alaris is sitting. This is a longer one, so without further ado, let's dive in, shall we?

Writing

We continue to move forward with writing. But it's extremely refreshing this month since I've Finally moved into Etza's route! Already, the route is feeling relatively different from the past three routes I've been writing---not necessarily because the past three routes are repetitive, but moreso because Etza's route (and the Fae ones moving forward) is very different regarding plot content. I can't say much more than that because then we start getting into spoiler territory. But it's been exciting since Etza, Kuna'a, and Aisa have always been the "final stage" of writing for Alaris to me.

I'm aiming to have Etza's first draft done by the end of next month. We'll check in next month to see my progress, but that's my goal at least! I also wrapped up the finishing touches for Druk's route this past month and moved his onto developmental editing, so we are just moving into New Stages all across the board yay!

Art

Most of my attention was actually on art this month though! Specifically, on finalizing Kickstarter merchandise so I can ship it out. I finished the updated Mermay prints as well as the character postcards.

they r beauty they r grace

I will have some extra prints that I'm happy to send off. Obviously, you will have to pay for them LOL. But if you're interested in any, I'll have an extremely limited stock. Patrons will get first dibs, so if you are interested but aren't subscribed to my Patreon, I'd recommend getting on that for this upcoming month since I will not be restocking the Mermay prints ever again!

We also continued to get backgrounds from Vui. These are spoiler territory, so I will not be showing them this month teehee. But they're beautiful per usual Vui fashion!

Check-In

Now that we're in the latter half of the year, I wanted to talk to you all about overall Alaris progress and some more specific parts of development.

As of right now, we have about 210k written for Alaris (including the demo). And the end estimate is about 350k. For art assets, we have 20 CGs out of an estimated 48 CGs finished and/or sketched out. For BGs, we are on background 18 out of 25. The GUI is for the most part finished, save for some small finishing touches. And we have 6 out of 8 original tracks completely done.

If it's not clear, Alaris will definitely be a 2024 release rather than an end of 2023 release, which may be disappointing news for those of you eager for Alaris. But realistically, even if I make absolutely cracked progress on the assets from now until the end of the year, I would still need time to polish the full game, especially considering how long it took me to polish intertwine for Otojam, which was significantly smaller. And that's excluding my team members, who I don't want to force into a crunching position. All that being said, I hope to get some playable content to you all before the end of the year, namely the updated demo and maybe Kayn's beta build!

I wanted to take a moment to mention one thing concerning the updated demo. As you all may know from past devlogs, I've updated many of the assets for the enhanced demo. Initially, I had wanted to release the updated demo quite a while back, but there was one set of assets that ended up getting held up in production. For full transparency, since I've talked about the updated demo for a while but haven't been able to show much more progress beyond that, I wanted to touch on (generally) why it's been held up, mainly because I don't want you all to think I'm just Not Delivering on it!

My GUI artist is the same person who made the Alaris logo (re.Alice). She's wonderfully talented, which is why I wanted to work with her for the Alaris GUI as well! As many may know, sometimes life happens and so without getting into any specifics, this is what has been holding up the enhanced demo since I haven't been able to update and code in the new GUI.

Based on recent updates from Alice, I'm hopeful that I'll be receiving the new GUI this upcoming month, and I'd love to release the updated demo (T e n t a t i v e l y) in October! Of course, when the September devlog comes around I'll be able to update you all more concretely. But I wanted to communicate where things currently (and have been) standing since I've been wanting you all to experience the updated demo so badly but didn't want you all to feel like I've been forgetting about it/dropping the ball on it/etc. etc. etc.

Thank you, as always for being so patient and supportive of me! As we head into this final half of the year (jesus), I hope the progress I've been making behind the scenes for Alaris will start to come to fruition through the enhanced demo and some playable beta builds of the individual routes <3

Market Research

I did ~some~ market research this month, but it's honestly been pretty sparse, mainly because my usual market research time was actually replaced by Jam Time this month.

Specifically, if you didn't get the chance to check them out, I helped with two games this month for a 10 day jam. I think they're both pretty top-notch if I'm allowed to humbly brag since the teams behind them were very talented!

The first is Oblivisci Memorias

After receiving a mysterious request, you create a potion meant to erase memories. But the process is a grueling one, and as you add ingredients to your potion, you may find yourself reminiscing on memories you thought you had long since suppressed.

And the second is Titan Arum

Alone, you find yourself catsitting in your family's new house as they traipse through Europe. But incidents slowly signal to you that something's... off about this house. What story exists behind its walls? And more importantly, are you brave enough to uncover it?

#alaris #devlog

[bonesandthebees]

Strings of fate chapter 9!!

Goodness I am so late. I need to catch up with your updates. A new chapter of glass and your Mermay fic (congrats on the 3-year streak btw!)

But anyway I am here to sing my praise to you Bee so get ready!

I love how you described the missing piece in Tommy's life. He doesn't remember Wilbur but there is still a sadness that lingers with the loss of him and the life he lived as Wilbur. And I like how Tommy describes it as a bother lol

Tubbo and Ranboo are very understanding. It's sweet to see them try and help Tommy sort out his dream situation. Even though what Tommy is telling them sounds a bit strange they still try to provide possible explanations. Like Ranboo suggesting that Tommy's unfulfillment comes from his mother's absence.

Jack and cellphone Niki lets gooo!!! I savor every rocket duo moment you give us. I love them so much<3

It's a bit sad that Tommy doesn't recognize Jack. It was more deja vu than anything for him. It's alright though. I'm sure they will have plenty of time to get to know each other! And this time Tommy won't need to impersonate Wilbur:)

Techno too! Ah yes. Bedrock bros. It never fails to make me smile. Just the mental image of this calm, sarcastic dude interacting with a kid that excessively curses and threatens to punch his face is just so funny. And then Tommy just thanks him after! It's wonderful

I'm so proud of Tommy! He got accepted into the university he wanted most!

But despite that, he still feels like he is missing something. Something important. or perhaps...someone????

And then of course he sees Wilbur. Ughhghdhdh gosh Bee!! This is when it hit me that strings is finally coming to an end.

I like how your ending is different from the movie's. Don't get me wrong I still think it was a good way to end the movie. It's just that yours feels a bit more complete with the boys talking about their dreams and the missing pieces in their lives.

Oh and the relief! They found each other and it's so satisfying! They hug and get all the sweet sappy stuff that we all love out of the way before falling back into their natural banter and insults.

brothers <33 i could not agree more

thank you so much for this fic bee! i know how difficult it was for you to push through and finish it! we appreciate all the hard work that you put into writing it<3

now im off to get caught up on the new stuff you've posted! you're amazing as always!!

-🧭

compass anon hello!!! yes I have been busy with posting lately lol I'm going out of town next week so I'm trying to get my posting in gear because I'm definitely not getting any writing done while i'm gone

(it's very surreal to think that I now have a 3 year streak of mermay even if the first one only counts on a technicality like wtf how has it been that long)

describing the missing part of tommy's life as very challenging because tommy couldn't be too specific about it but at the same time his subconscious knows exactly what happened so it could be specific? kind of? it was a very hazy space to work with and that made it fun to write about tommy's mindset after everything

tubbo and ranboo are just trying to make their buddy feel better so he doesn't run off to the abandoned ruins of a city that got destroyed by a comet again

yeah jack and niki lets gooooo!! unfortunately yeah tommy couldn't recognize jack, but he'll definitely get to know him and niki both all over again now that he's found wilbur and wilbur will no doubt introduce him to his friends and family. everyone in their respective circles are gonna have deja vu meeting the other since they were literally impersonating each other for so long lol

I had so much fun writing that bedrock bros bit the two of them have the best banter

even though everything is going right for tommy he's still missing something... someone...

yeah I didn't want to make the ending exactly like the movies. while I love the movie with my whole heart, and I understand why the end is the way it is, I do wish we'd gotten slightly more. just an extra five minutes or so to see mitsuha and taki talking to each other. again, I understand why they didn't and I don't think it's a flaw on the movie's end at all, but it was something I knew I didn't wanna do for this fic. I wanted to give the brothers a more tied up sort of ending

I didn't want them to completely remember each other because I feel like that would just defeat the purpose of forgetting in the first place. but I wanted to get that deja vu "have we met before?" kind of vibe, and the knowledge that something happened between them in the past even if they can't fully know what it was. it doesn't matter if they can't remember everything, because they know they're the other half they've been searching for for so long. the brothers have found each other and that's what's important.

tysm i'm so glad you enjoyed!! I seriously got to a point where I almost abandoned it several times so I'm very glad I didn't, especially bc now I get to see all your kind words about it!! so ty guys <3

#ask #compass anon #strings of fate

[celestialmango]

🤗 Here's a virtual hug, I hope you feel better soon, anxiety sucks big time. Take the time to rest, recover and de-stress. I've seen multiple accounts I follow on Tumblr super stressed and anxious lately. If you need to take a long break and relax by watching YouTube and playing games, then go for it! Just don't make yourself I'll (I hope I don't sound preachy, just don't like the thought of content creators feeling they have to do stuff to keep us entertained 🥺 I'm a big boy, I can wait)

Have one back.

Even if I'm just taking a break I'm at least going to be posting something like random chatter because of my own feelings about content creators, I get worried about them if there's straight up radio silence. I get scared about if they're okay or not and I would rather not worry everyone like that. I still plan/want to get at least two more mermay fics out before mermay is over, on this week and one next but it may be slow going and the last mermay fic may end up getting posted after mermay.

I'm actually about halfway done with one of the two but as I said, slow going.

#mango answers

[willow-frog]

A/n: this is mostly motivation for me to finally learn how to spell Uraraka’s name, because I swear it takes me like 7 tries each time. Also can we talk about how a jellyfish is perfect for her. Like it literally looks like it’s floating half the time, it looks harmless, but it’s pretty dangerous. Like literally her!

Mermay masterlist here

~You were out paddle boarding one day when your arms eventually got tired and you got ditched by your friends. You thought it would be best if you rested for a bit. You found a fairly small cave that was easy to access. The cave was shaded nicely and it was cozy enough for you to rest in for a bit.~

NOT PROOFREAD

After a while you finally made it to the shore, there wasn’t too much to see. It was the same old beach you have visited since you were a freshman in high school. You decided you would just wait for your friends here, and you guys could find a shaded place to sit together. After around 30 minutes of waiting you eventually received a text.

F/n: hey sorry me and r/n got tired and we decided to swim to the closet part of shore and ended up leaving

F/n:I was going to tell you sooner but I guess I forgot

F/n sorry lol

You read the text and didn’t respond. ‘Whatever, I still need to give my arms a break. I can worry about that whole mess later.’ You thought to yourself. You shrugged your shoulders and picked up the oar and rope tied to the paddle board. You started to walk around, looking for a place to rest for a little bit. F/n and r/n had most of the supplies like the towels, chairs and the umbrella. You had the food and sunscreen with you at least, so you’ll still be able to enjoy the beach by yourself.

There wasn’t a single speck of shade anywhere near you, so you ended up walking for a long time. After a while of walking you eventually didn’t recognize where you were, but you did find a small cave. As long as you were getting out of the scorching sun you didn’t care where you ended up. Besides your phone was over 90% so even if you couldn’t find your way out alone your phone could help.

Without a worry in the world you plopped down in the shade and laid back against one of the cave walls. ‘Honestly kinda shocked there was no one in here. At least I get this all to myself.’ You thought while relaxing your muscles. There wasn’t much to do but there also wasn’t much to be done so you rested your eyes and let the sounds of the ocean fill your mind. It was peaceful and before you knew it you were dozing off.

After a while you were fast asleep and you were unaware of what was happening around you. In your unconscious state you were obvious to the glare you revived from the water.

‘Who do they think they are?! Coming into my home and making a mess!’ The mermaid thought with a huff. She was going to get you out of there and clean up. But first you would have to wake up. After all, a little shock never killed anybody.

She started to move close to you unconscious form, the closer she got you began to look kinda familiar. It took Uraraka coming face to face with you to realize who you were. She knew you! You would always come to the same spot on the beach after paddle boarding to get there. You would sit under an umbrella for shade and you always picked up after yourself.

You even picked up trash other visitors left. You kept her family's side of the beach clean, she always wanted to thank you for that. She got lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice when one of her tentacles got a little too close to you. You jolted awake after experiencing the shock treatment and smashed your head into hers.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to!” Uraraka exclaimed while waving her arms around. In her panic she accidentally smacked you in the face. “Oh no! I’m so sorry! I promise I didn’t mean to!” She yelled once again. This time she opted to hide her face in her hands.

After regaining your senses you tried to reassure her that it was fine. “Hey if it was an accident then it’s fine. No harm done.” You reassured her while giving her an awkward pat in the shoulder. After a while of uncomfortable silence your eyes started to wonder, that’s when you realized the source of your mild burn. Replacing the girls legs were weird stringy things.

It kinda looked like she was eating a dress at first, so that’s probably why it took you a while to notice. “I’m Y/n it’s great to meet you, but what exactly are you?” You asked her. Her eyes widened, she forgot to hide her lower half in the water. “Umm, well… you see there’s…” She Freire to explain.

“Ok I’m a mermaid.” She said with jazz hands and a meek smile. She looked anxious so you pulled her into a hug, albeit an awkward one but not an unpleasant one. She hugged back pretty fast and you honestly thought your ribs were going to break. “Wow you’re really strong.” You weezer out.

She panicked a bit and let go of you, almost throwing you down to the floor. “Seriously how’d you get so strong?” You asked, amazed. Her face exploded in a red hue and she mumbled out a few things along the lines of swimming against the current and living fairly far down in the water made her strong.

The sunlight was slowly disappearing from the cave. “Oh I’m sorry but I have to go.” You said while packing up your stuff, and looking at your phone. “I can maybe come back tomorrow, it’ll probably be earlier if you want to hang out more.” You suggested. “Yeah, sounds great!” She chirped out.

Her eyes widened for a second. “Hold on, wait here!” She said before diving into the ocean. It wasn’t too long before she surfaced again. Her fist was balled up like she was holding something. “Here I want you to have this. It’s a thank you for keeping my family’s beach clean.” She said shyly, handing it to you.

You grabbed the item and looked at it. “It’s a siren's locket. It helps the person who wears it breathe underwater.” She said with a smile. “I’m sure my parents would love to meet you.” She said. “Your family sounds lovely, I’m sure we can plan something soon.” You said, returning her smile.

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