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lunali-moon · 7 months

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Sunken Heart AU

Jon loved the sea since childhood, but his grandmother did not allow him to become a sailor since his parents died in a storm. Having grown up, become a researcher and met Martin, living happily with him in their small cottage by the sea, he no longer had the need to rush to the sea. Why then did he sink? Martin grieves for the drowning of his loved one when he begins to hear strange singing from the sea waves at night.

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papermoonloveslucy · 1 year

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CURTAIN UP!

Lucy On Stage ~ Act 2

Lucille Ball’s dream was to appear on Broadway. That dream become a reality in 1960, but ended prematurely. if Lucy couldn’t be on Broadway, Broadway would come to Hollywood – on Lucy’s new TV show “The Lucy Show.”

THE CHARLIE CHAPLIN SKETCH

“Chris’s New Year’s Eve Party” (1962) ~ When Lucy’s daughter’s New Year’s Eve party is a dud, Lucy and Viv revive it with their silent movie sketch featuring Lucy as Charlie Chaplin. Not exactly a full scale show, it is still performed for an audience - Chris’s teenage friends.

Lucy is joined by Viv as a flapper, Harry (Dick Martin) as a waiter, and Eddie (Don Briggs) as the thug. The entire presentation is done without dialogue to honky tonk piano music.

“VOLUNTEER VANITIES” / “ANTONY & CLEOPATRA”

“Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (1963) ~ After the Danfield Volunteer Fire Department’s charity revue “Volunteer Vanities” is cancelled, Lucy stars as the Queen of the Nile opposite Professor Gitterman in “Antony and Cleopatra”.

For the aborted “Volunteer Vanities” the women sing an original song called “Hello” to the tune of “Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" which is a traditional vaudeville and music hall song. The song's first known public performance was in the 1891 revue Tuxedo. Joining Lucy and Viv in the “Vanities” are Mary Lou (Hazel Pierce), Frances (Mary Wickes), Audrey (Mary Jane Croft) and Colleen (Renita Reachi).

Professor Gitterman (Hans Conried) says he is scheduled to do excerpt from his readings from Cyrano de Bergerac for the Danfield Literary Society. He is referring to Edmond Rostand's 1898 stage play. Gitterman (who also directs) says that Lucy needs to project so that the people in the back row who paid $4 can hear her.

Viv is assigned the roles of Mardion, Diomedes and Fulvia. She notes that Fulvia dies before the play begins and says the combined speeches of Mardion and Diomedes amounts to “Hark!” “ Begone! and “Fie!” Professor Gitterman mentions that he did some 'improvements' to Shakespeare, so although Viv seems to be exaggerating about the paucity of dialogue, the characters’ lines may indeed have been greatly reduced.

“ANNUAL BOY SCOUT SHOW” starring Ethel Merman

“Ethel Merman and the Boy Scout Show” (1964) ~ Lucy and Viv recruit Ethel Merman to star in their sons’ Boy Scout Show and the group discovers that there’s no business like show business!

LUCY: You’d think she was the biggest star on Broadway. VIV: She is.

The show tributes vaudeville, silent films, talkies, Broadway musicals, radio, and television. It consists of the following acts:

Sherman (Ralph Hart) does an acrobatic dance routine

Jerry (Jimmy Garrett) tells a joke

Merman, Lucy, Viv and Mr. Mooney sing “There’s No Business Like Show Business” from Annie Get Your Gun

Lucy does a plate balancing act (a repeated gag)

Mr. Mooney and Viv sing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” (originally to be sung by Mr. Mooney and his wife Irma, had she not had to go to Trenton for the birth of their grandchild)

Lucy, Mr. Mooney, and Ethel Merman perform a silent movie sketch about a husband leaving his wife for another woman

Viv, as Shirley Temple, sings “On the Good Ship Lollipop” from the 1934 film Bright Eyes

A tribute to 1920s stage musicals features Lucy, Viv, Ethel Merman, and Mr. Mooney

Mr. Mooney is a radio host presenting a lady saxophone player (Lucy) from Altoona, Pennsylvania playing “Glow Worm” (badly) from Paul Lincke's 1902 operetta Lysistrata

A tribute to “The Ed Sullivan Show” and its showcase of variety acts

Ethel Merman sings “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy

Everyone joins in for a reprise of “There’s No Business Like Show Business”

“THE FOUNDING OF DANFIELD”

“Lucy and Arthur Godfrey” (1965) ~ Lucy and Viv convince the star to headline in the Danfield Community Players production about the founding of their town.

The show is to benefit the children's wing of the hospital. The two-act musical melodrama is set aboard a riverboat in the South. It stars Godfrey as Daddy, Lucy as his daughter Lucybelle, Viv as dance hall girl Bessie, Mr. Mooney as wealthy landowner Conrad P. Field, and Vinnie (Max Showalter) as the Honest-But-Poor Piano Player. The songs for the show-within-the-show were written by Broadway veteran Showalter, Bob Lees, and Peter Walker.

LUCYBELLE: You want me to play hankie-panky with a Yankee?

“THE ART OF PANTOMIME”

“Lucy and Mickey Rooney” (1966) ~ Mickey Rooney takes out a loan from Mr. Mooney's bank to open an acting school. Lucy and Mr. Mooney each wangle free acting lessons, which culminates in a silent movie sketch.

MR. MOONEY (to LUCY): What in the name of Bette Davis makes you think you can act?

To impress Rooney, Lucy lists her acting credits: Mr. Roberts (in a 1948 play of the same name), MacBeth (in Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name), Julius Caesar, and Captain Hook in Peter Pan. She fails to mention her experience playing Cleopatra for the Danfield Community Players!

In Rooney's acting class, Mr. Mooney (wearing a pink table cloth as a toga) rehearses Mark Antony's famous speech from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

Lucy revives her Charlie Chaplin impersonation with Rooney as “The Kid”. The Players Showcase also includes Mr. Mooney as the Grocer and Sid Gould as a Keystone Kop.

“THE TAMING OF THE SHREW” / “THE BRICUSSE-NEWLEY SONG BOOK”

“Lucy in London” (1966) ~ In the stand-alone special, Lucy Carmichael travels to London, with Anthony Newley as her tour guide.

Lucy stars as Kate in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew filmed on location at Great Fosters, an English country manor from the Tudor period located in Egham, Surry, just outside of London.

Her tamer is actor Peter Wyngarde as Petruchio, although we never hear or see any actual Shakespeare. But the costumes look great!

At the end of the special, Lucy finds herself at The Scala Theatre on Charlotte Street, off Tottenham Court Road. There she is audience to Newley (a West End and Broadway veteran) in “The Bricusse-Newley Song Book”. The one-man show is presented with lights, scenery, costume changes, and an orchestra. He first sings “Fine Day in London” then “Gonna Build a Mountain” (from The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd). He follows with “Once in a Lifetime” from Stop the World - I Want to Get Off and “Nothing Can Stop Me Now” also from Greasepaint. During “Look at That Face” (Greasepaint) he sings directly to Lucy. He ends the medley with “This Dream” (Greasepaint).

The special takes on a dreamlike quality with Lucy on stage doing a pantomime in a spotlight. The very end of the show, still on the Scala stage, Lucy sings about her “One Day in London”.

“A SALUTE TO AVIATION”

“Lucy and Carol Burnett: Part 2″ (1967) ~ After graduating from flight attendant’s school, Lucy and Carol Tilford (Burnett), participate in a graduating class musical revue in tribute to the history of aviation. The revue also features Buddy Rogers and Richard Arlen, stars of the very first Oscar-winning film, Wings (1929).

The show musical revue features:

Lucy, Carol and the flight attendants sing “Over There” (1917) written by George M. Cohan

Rodgers and Arlen sing “My Buddy” (1922) with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn

Lucy, Carol, Mr. Mooney, Arlen, and Rodgers sing “How ‘Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree?)” (1919) with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young

Lucy, Carol and the flight attendants (as flappers) dance to “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (1967) with music by Jimmy Van Heusen from the film of the same title

Lucy, Carol, and a male soloist sing “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941) with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Mack Gordon

Three male tap dancers sing “Alabamy Bound” (1924) with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva and Bud Green

A bride and groom performe “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” (1933) from the film 42nd Street with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin

Six boys and girls sing “Toot, Toot, Tootsie” (1921) written by Dan Russo, Ernie Erdman and Gus Kahn for the Al Jolson musical Bombo

Lucy, Carol and the ensemble perform “Hey, Look Me Over” (1960) from the musical Wildcat with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. This version has specially written lyrics to suit the setting.

The ensemble performs “The Army Air Corps Song” (1917) written by Robert Crawford

“SPEAK EASY DAZE” starring Joan Crawford

“Lucy and the Lost Star” (1968) ~ Lucy and Viv discover Joan Crawford has no furniture and believe she is broke so they arrange to star her in a show so that movie producers will offer her work.

The charity show is written by Lucille Carmichael and presented by the Good Samaritan Players. It is never clear if The Good Samaritan Players are an actual group or something that Lucy and Viv made up to protect Crawford’s pride.

Lucy plays Rusty, Viv is Cuddles, and Crawford is Cynthia, the new girl at the Speak Easy. Mr. Mooney plays Scarface, a gangster.

The show opens in a speakeasy with dancers performing to “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” a song written in 1921 by Eubie Blake for the Broadway show Shuffle Along. The band briefly plays “Ain’t We Got Fun” by Richard A. Whiting, first performed in the revue Satires of 1920. The last song is “The Charleston” by James P. Johnson, which originated in the Broadway show Runnin’ Wild (1923) and became one of the most popular hits of the decade.

CURTAIN DOWN on ACT 2

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ourflagmeansbts · 5 months

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Source (Season 2 - October 9th 2023)

filmandy: Random notes on the climax from Our Flag Means Death season 2 episode 3 I read the first 3 episodes on my flight to NZ. I was very jealous of the storm sequence in Ep2 that @nathanielgoodman got to shoot with @dvidjenkins. I was bummed it wasn’t one of my episodes… but then I read the climactic scene of episode 3. I had no idea how we would shoot it, but I was bubbling with excitement. The Kate Bush song was in the script from the start, which is always a wonderful tool. It provides the sense of tone, pace and emotion. Performances. Both @taikawaititi and @rhysiedarby do a surprising and impressive amount of work in this piece. It’s hard not to drown with your legs wrapped together, let alone swim across a pool, land on a mark, then deliver an adorable, love-filled smile. Yet Rhys did exactly that, over and over. Taika, conversely, had to be pulled downward, expelling air on the way, then pause, mid-water tank, and start acting. He gave options, hit every beat and also didn’t drown. Both of them blew me away. @andrew__deyoung and I worked with a wonderful- and amazingly fast- storyboard artist, Martin Bailey, to hash out every beat and shot of the underwater sequence. What can one say about @gypsytaylor’s absolutely amazing, completely perfect and utterly beautiful merman tail? Her work is stunning across the show. @kinascollay was our underwater camera operator. He has a fantastic eye, is part fish and had a contagiously relaxing energy. He gave me an incredible level of confidence as we shot the sequence. @jaketomuri and his stunt team are the cream of the crop. I could watch their work for hours on end. There’s a lot to be said about what they pulled off this season. Much of our crew had come off Avatar 2 and has spent full days, weeks, months in the water. I think we gave @coraaaaaaay flashbacks.

#ofmd #ofmd bts #our flag means death bts #our flag means death #s2 #taika #s2e3 #video #andyrydzewski #2023

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dashofmonsters · 4 months

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Dreamers & Delusions- Pt. 1

Male Merman x Female Reader

You didn't like the idea of moving to another state and having to have a new life, but you hated the idea of staying even more so. There was nothing left for you but misery and you were just so tired of it.

When you moved to the west coast to live with your grandmother things seemed different. For the first few months there you felt like you could finally breathe, but that was short lived. Little by little things started to get worse.

First your grandmother kept making little snide remarks about your lack of interest in you not wearing make up. Then your job at the local diner had you working double shifts on the weekend. Your ex blasts some stupid shit about your break up all over social media and two of your close friends ghost you. Oh and then you discover a beautiful little slice of beach.

The last one wouldn't be so bad you tell yourself, if it wasn't for the same old stalking creeps who bother you at work. The only bright side was the mean mugging merman lifeguard who was built like a fucking god and had the attitude to back it up. In short, he's an asshole. But you know the difference between the good, the bad, and I'm just doing my job assholes and he's a weird mix of all three.

At first going to the beach was like free therapy for you. You could relax and get away from your judgmental grandmother and the creepy customers from the diner, it was like heaven. But just like moving here, things got worse over time. Somehow your three stalkers found your slice of heaven. Somehow you couldn't get far enough away from them. Somehow the beach became another slice of hell.

So you decided to sit as close as possible to the lifeguard when you wanted to lounge or swim out as far as possible. And that seemed to work, until today.

"Come on, I'm just asking you to have dinner with me," Kevin hovers over you, his arms crossed like an indignant child.

"For the last time man she's obviously not interested in an asshat like you. She'd rather go for drinks with me," Martin chimes in, his overly tattooed body stinking of cheap cologne and lack of deodorant.

"You two are fucked if you think she's going with either of you. She needs a real man, someone who can take care of her," Sam pushes the two aside and kneels down next two you. "Ain't that right sugar?" The accent, nickname, and bad breath nearly combined has you retching.

That response unfortunately spurred an impromptu fist fight. Kevin and Martin started wailing on Sam and then Sam the fuckboy threw punches filled with sand and Martin got punch so hard he moaned which made Sam hit him below the belt and the-

"I SAID ENOUGH!"

The scene died immediately. The nearly seven or eight foot tall merman lifeguard prowled towards the three idiots and parted them like they were curtains. Sam was the first to flee followed by Martin and Kevin who kicked up a ton of sand as the skedaddled towards the parking lot.

Mr. Asshole lifeguard stares you down hard now, his yellow eyes burning into you.

"Why is it whenever you're on my beach those three headaches are sure to follow?" he asks, very very pissed off.

You've had a similar question come up at work whenever those three would cause a ruckus on your shifts.

You roll your eyes, "Unfortunately some guys don't understand the definition of the word 'No'."

"So that means they have to follow you around like a group of parasites trying to latch at fresh meat?" he asks.

His question throws you off so much and the image it implies makes you giggle.

He's a merman from another realm who's acclimating, I should cut him some slack.

"That uh isn't too far from the truth but in all honesty, they're trying to bother me so much that I eventually have to say yes just to get them to stop bothering me," you explain.

The lifeguard crosses his arms and looks to the ground in serious contemplation before looking back up to you.

"And is this normal courting behavior," he asks.

"Unfortunately it is for some, but it's bad and wrong. For me it's annoying and I get no peace. They bothered me at work and now they bother me here when all I want to do is relax," you sigh, feeling oddly relieved to have gotten this off your chest albeit in an educational way.

"I see," he nods. "So you are not attracted to those parasites?"

"Not. At. All." you nod back.

"Noted," he grimaces and turns to walk back to the guard tower.

"Hey wait! What's your name?" you call out.

"It's Tao," he says, stilling walking towards his destination.

You smile and shout your name back to him but instead of dismissing you like you thought he would he waves back before ascending up the tower.

So it's Mr. Tao, mean mugging asshole lifeguard and crusher of parasites.

~~~~~~~~~

Things seemed calm for the first few days after Tao broke up the fight between the creeps. They didn't pop up at the diner nor at the beach but you still kept close to the guard tower. Well as close as Tao allowed it. He gave you a strong lecture that you needed to sit at least seven feet away from the tower for safety reasons.

Your grandmother even relaxed on her remarks for a little bit but moved from makeup to your weight. Something about working with food adding some extra pounds. It was a new hurt, but you'd numb to it eventually.

Getting numb was your specialty at this point.

And somehow finding new ways to bother Tao, though that was more unintentional. At first it was the sitting too close to the tower, then it was swimming without suntan lotion even though it was cloudy. Then it was not having an umbrella for shade which he oddly enough provided one for you a day later along with a lecture and a half. It would have been super annoying to anyone else but you found it oddly cute.

He'd henpeck at some of the parents over their kids running amuck or scold some of the too rowdy teenagers but no one could say that this guy didn't take his job seriously. No one got hurt or even so much as sunburnt under his watch.

Until they came back.

You had worked a long ass shift Sunday and all you wanted was to go to the beach and lounge. It was a short walk from your grandmother's house and you always enjoyed tuning the world out on that little trek.

It wasn't sunny but it wasn't too cloudy either. It was the perfect day to take a nice beach nap, watch a couple episodes of your favorite cooking shows, and maybe bother your favorite lifeguard for a bit of suntan lotion that you seem to keep forgetting.

You saunter down to the beach and lay out your favorite tie dye towel and stretch. Scanning the scene you notice that it'll be a very very calm day, that is since it's a Monday after all.

As you're about to walk over to the guard tower a familiar and annoying voice stops you.

"Hey babe, it's been a while!"

Ughhh Sam.

You ignore him and keep heading towards the tower. You hear him run towards you so you pick up the pace but are dragged back as he catches your arm.

"It's fucking rude to ignore someone talking to you," Sam spins you around and holds you in place.

"Like you'd fucking listen you fucking parasite. How many times do I have to say no or I'm not interested for you to get it through your thick fucking skull you goddamn idiot!" you yell at him, hoping Tao will hear.

Sam shakes you before jerking you around, "A pretty thing like you shouldn't be talking like that, come on and be sweet."

You start kicking your legs and land squirming violently before headbutting Sam as hard as you can right into his nose. He curses but doesn't let go so you decide to go to bite his hand until you're suddenly being ripped out of his arms.

Thinking it might be Tao you turn to smile only to be assaulted with that nasty cheap cologne smell. You grimace and try to pull away from Martin only to get yanked away by Kevin.

To his credit, Kevin doesn't hold on tight and he actually turns his back to the others before they try to continue their game of tug-a-war with you.

Sam kicks Kevin in the shin but somehow Kevin is able to stand long enough to push you in the direction of the tower. Without saying anything he turns and decks Sam in the face. You're frozen in horror for a moment then turn to run to the tower only to be met with a brick wall called Tao.

"I see the parasites are back on my beach," he seethes before looking you over. He looks furious.

Before you have a chance to say anything he stomps over and grabs Sam by his neck and hoists him in the air. Kevin and Martin fall back on their asses before scrambling to get out of the way.

"When someone says no, they mean no. It is not an invitation to continue your inappropriate courting behavior," Tao tightens his grip around Sam's neck.

"F-fffuck you fish boy. I will get you fucki-ing deported for this! I saw er first," Sam grits as he flails about, face turning all sorts of shades of red.

Tao tosses him to the ground like a ragdoll and before Sam can catch his breath, Tao holds him down by just a foot alone. He kneels down till his knee is almost digging into Sam's throat and says something that makes that asshat still.

You feel your heart still when Tao turns to you and beckons you over. Taking little steps at a time as your feet feel like lead you come to a stop next to Tao and Sam.

Sam is pale as a piece of printer paper.

"Tell her," Tao snaps at Sam.

"I-I-I am sorry. I won't bother you here or at the diner again. I promise you'll never see me again," Sam stutters and shakes like a leaf in a hurricane.

"And?" Tao presses.

"I-I'm a lowly parasite unworthy of your time and presence," he cries.

Tao nods then looks to you, "Anything you want to add?"

You're taken back by the soft look on his hard face. His eyes look worried even though his expression is still pissy offy.

You shake your head and cross your arms to hold yourself.

Tao moves off of Sam and forces him up and threatens to call the cops if he ever shows his ugly face on his beach again. Sam quickly scampers away, tripping several times as he makes his way to the parking lot.

There's a strange numbing feeling building in your chest that is suddenly washed away when Tao gently touches your shoulder.

"Come on, let me go look over those wounds," he nods towards the tower.

All you can do is follow him silently, still shocked about what just happened. You're so used to just going with the flow, dealing with whatever life gives you and fighting when you can. You've never had anyone come to your rescue. Not once.

"I have something that will clean the cuts where they got you with their fingernails and some band-aids. Unfortunately there will still be some bruising from when they were tugging at you," he says, a tinge of regret in his voice.

He leads you to the steps of the tower an has you sit down while he climbs up and grabs his first aid kit. You silently let him fuss over you as you try your best not to cry. Even though it's his job it's the first time anyone has treated you with this much kindness in a long while.

"Thank you," you mutter, finding it hard to speak.

Tao sighs and rubs some more antiseptic ointment on your arm, "I had thought my last conversation with those three would have been the last. Those males really are thick in the skull... I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you still came to my rescue," you try and smile but a stupid tear slips down.

Tao stills his hand, "Did that hurt?"

You shake your head, "No no, just uh got some sand in my eye. I'm fine."

He glares at you but sighs, "Alright then. Try and stay out of trouble and for the love of the goddesses please tell me if those parasites bother you again, in fact tell me if anyone bothers you while on my beach."

"Why?" you ask, feeling a bit strange that he'd go that far for your safety.

"Why?" he repeats, almost not sure of himself. "Because I like peace and you come here bringing chaos, more so than the kids whose parents are stuck to their devices or the teens who shoulder fight in the ocean."

"You mean chicken?" you ask, trying not to laugh.

"Whatever it's called! You humans have a major lack of self preservation and it's a wonder you've lasted this long," Tao stands, sounding frustrated as hell.

You dust yourself off and stand up too, "Well it's a good thing you're here then Mr. lifeguard... Because if it wasn't for you-"

You cut yourself off when the realization finally dawns on you. If it wasn't for Tao, things could have gotten a lot worse, you could have been hurt or dragged off the beach.

"If you weren't here, I might have been hurt a lot worse than just some bruises and cuts," you finish.

"If I got to you sooner you wouldn't be hurt at all," he replies, his face riddled with guilt.

"Yes well, what happened happened but you still saved me so stop blaming yourself for something that was out of your control dammit, " you kick some sand in his direction making him roll his eyes.

"You are too forgiving and far too kind for your own good," he shakes his head.

Too forgiving? No, he did nothing wrong. Too kind, maybe. You always hated confrontation when you could avoid it so you just smiled through things and mustered on. What was the point in getting upset when anger never solved anything.

"You might be right about the kindness thing, but forgiving," you pause to laugh. "I wouldn't say I'm forgiving at all, probably more spiteful if anything."

Yeah that felt right but not in the correct way. If you were going to prove a point it was usually in the worst way possible.

"Noted," Tao raises a jet black brow. He has such an interesting look with his tan skin and white hair with black streaks on one side. It was like if a Hollywood action star and a kpop idol had a baby or something. He has black bands on his arms that start right after his shoulders and stop right above the elbow. His hair is slicked back most of the time but right now it's messed up from his one sided fight with Sam.

"So uh, I'm just going to go back over there and do what I was going to do and relax," you give him your most nervous goofy grin.

Tao, in his ever so Taoness just nods.

~~~~~

True to his word you never saw Sam at the diner again or Martin, but Kevin did come by ever so often. Kevin was less on the creep side now, apparently very very sorry for his behavior and how he made you feel uncomfortable.

It didn't excuse what he did even though he tipped extra now to make up for it whenever he did come in.

Your grandmother though started to get worse again. From your make up, to your weight, and now your resistance to wearing booty shorts to catch a man's eye.

"I'm not going to wear it and that's final. I told you time and time again I'm not comfortable wearing shit like that," you raise your arms and try to stomp off.

"You ungrateful bitch are you afraid of looking like a slut? There are models and actresses who wear this! Are you slut shaming them," your grandmother shouts at you as she practically walks on your heals.

"God no! I just don't want to wear! Can we just drop it please," you beg her.

"I'll drop it once you try it on and walk outside in it for awhile," she tosses the shorts at you and crosses her arms.

"FUCK. NO." you crumple them up and toss them back at her feet.

"You're supposed to humor me remember? That was part of our deal for you to live here," she crinkles her face and slaps your arms.

You crumple back a bit and bite your cheek as you curse yourself for ever agreeing to live with her.

"Not at the expense of my comfort. I'm not your fucking dress up doll," you say through your teeth.

"You're insufferable, fine we'll make a trade deal. Don't humor me, but you owe rent now. two hundred a month. I believe that's more than fair," she throws up her hands and kicks the shorts to the side.

"Fine, that's fine. I can do that much," you exhale in relief. "I gotta get ready for work ok?"

"Yes yes and... I'm sorry, you know I get hot real easy. It's why I'm alone. I just don't want you to be. I just want you to be happy and well," she sighs and picks up the shorts.

"I know," you respond, the numbness starting to set in at her very stereotypical response.

"I love you," she coos as she forces you into a hug.

You give her a limp hug so she won't have something else to bitch about and tell her you love her too.

She's always like this after you two fight, so loving, so caring like she used to be when you were a little kid. She's changed to much after granpop cheated on her. No one saw it coming, they had such a great relationship but that was just what they showed everyone. In private, they both ran hot and your granpop was no saint. He cheated since the dawn of their marriage, he just didn't get caught until ten years ago.

Ever since that happened you tried to keep yourself better guarded so you wouldn't have to hurt like your grandmother. Unfortunately you're a hopeless romantic with a record of getting your heart broken very easily. That's part of the reason for the drastic move.

~~~~~

"Fuck I hate these dead shifts," you groan as you clean your section for the third time this evening.

"Enjoy it while it lasts sweetheart. Once summer hits, you'll be begging for a dead shift," Denise says as she lounges against the door to the kitchen.

"I know, I barely survived the ass end of it," you roll your eyes.

Working here was a breeze to be honest, but working under Mikey the shift manager was hell. He loves playing Russian Roulette with shifts, especially close to holidays or birthdays. Jessica bitched him out so bad in front of everyone that if he scheduled her on her birthday or her son's birthday one more time she would burn this place to the ground.

Needless to say when your ex-wife raises hell to a full diner, you listen.

You've stuck onto her like glue ever since, you needed an angel here.

"Any plans after you cut out," she asks.

Oh yeah, you have plans. Change and skip your happy ass down to visit your favorite lifeguard. You can't help but smile at the thought.

"Mmm you do have plans," she grins back and wriggles her drawn on brows.

"It's not like that," you roll your eyes.

Yes Tao is attractive but you hardly know him. He's nice and predictable. Safe and just wants things to be at peace. He's someone you respect for that for sure, but you can't see yourself crushing over him. It would ruin the faint friendship you've slowly but surely built with him.

"It really isn't it. He's like you. The only other friend I have here and I don't need more than that right now," you explain.

She gives you a sad smile and nods, "I know baby girl, you're still resetting from all that bullshit."

Jessica is the only one who really knows your situation as you spilled your heart out to her a couple weeks ago after she took you out for drinks for your birthday. She held you and patted your head as you ugly cried for a solid hour.

"How about you, anything new and exciting," you quickly change the topic and Jessica beams.

"Oh you know, just a little date with Mr. Perfect," she grins.

"This will be date number five Jes, you're really serious about him aren't you," you tease.

She crosses her arms and tosses her hip a bit and smiles, "Listen, if you asked me a few years ago if I ever saw myself dating a wild fae with a beard that would make every biker in the states jealous then I'd say you're crazy. But here I am, about to go on my fifth date with my wild man and I'm as happy as a bee in a bouquet."

She goes over her past dates with you until Mikey interrupts saying that you both need to get back to work. His interference was cut short by Jessica poking him in the chest and lecturing him about how there's no reason for the diner to be fully staffed during a dead shift and got the both of you off hours early.

"There will come a day when neither of us have to come back to this shithole ran by assholes. Just assume that if I never return that I got swept off my feet to the fae wilds to have crazy hot wild fae sex everyday," she laughs as she shimmies into her leather jacket and lights a smoke away from you.

"And if I never return, assume that I magically saved up enough to start my own restaurant," you smile back.

That's been the big dream. A small tapas style restaurant that catered to humans and the fair folk. There are so few establishments opened that cater to their palettes and it's not fair. Food brings people together and you see it as a great way to mix the fair folk into your world. Problem is, you don't know a lot of fair folk aside from Tao.

Suddenly the lightbulb in your head goes off.

"That's it," you say under your breath before hugging Jessica goodbye and running towards the beach.

I can ask him what he likes to eat and start from there. This is doable! I just hope he doesn't mind playing a million questions.

~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Tao, are you up there?" you shout as you round the tower.

Without so much as a word Tao drops with a sandy thud.

"What did you forget now? It's too dark for sunscreen and too warm for a shawl. Water perhaps?" he guesses and turns to climb back up the tower but you quickly stop him.

"No no, none of that. I uh um... What do merfolk like to eat?" you ask.

"Why do you want to know? Is a male courting you or something?" he asks back.

"What? No no. It's just that one day I want to run a restaurant that serves food for the fair folk and you're the only one I know so...," you shrug to him and he blushes.

This big ass god like brick wall just blushed?

"Ah, I see," he clears his throat. "Well in that case I can create a detailed list of ingredients and dishes that suit a saltwater diet."

"That... That would actually be amazingly helpful. Wow... Thank you!" you grin but then remember that thing about courting.

"So what was that thing you meant when you asked if I was being courted?" you raise a brow.

Tao's eyes go wide and he has this nervous look on his face that you've never seen before. "It's uh, customary for the males of my kind to present a feast to a female they are courting. Usually a female has many suiters and picks whoever has the most impressive spread the privilege to continue courting her."

"Oh, that's interesting. I haven't heard much on mer culture and traditions so this is new to me. I'm sorry if the question made you uncomfortable," you apologize.

"No, no. It's just that no one has asked or even seemed a bit interested in my people's ways. They're just interested in me," Tao waves up and down to himself.

"Well if they were truly interested in you, they'd try to get to know you," you cross your arms, upset for him.

Tao nods and you can tell he's thinking really really hard about something until he shakes his head.

"How can you tell if someone is wanting to get to know you for reasons other than trying to get me to their... uh what is the human word for nest again," he snaps his fingers trying to think.

"Bed?" you ask.

"That's it, how would I know," he repeats.

"Hmm, that can be a tough one. Some people will really put in a lot of effort to make you think that they care when they just one a night of fun. Some will check in on you everyday till they finally get you into their bed and ditch you when they're done," you explain.

Tao looks disgusted, "And this too is normal behavior?"

"For the people who just want a good time and don't give a rats ass about someone's feeling, yes," you grimace.

"Is this from your personal experience or observation," he asks.

Tao's famous curveball question hits you right in the gut. You look away from him and hold yourself for a moment as the numbness builds.

"Yes," is all you manage to say.

"I am sorry. It seems my question was insensitive," he bows.

"It's fine, you're just curious. I'd rather help you not make the same mistakes that I had to. You're like the only other friend I have here," you admit.

Tao looks shocked when you say that, like you slapped him with a wet towel.

"You consider me a friend?" he finally asks after a long moment of silence.

Shifting a bit in the sand you bite your cheek and nod, "You're the only guy friend I have. I feel safe when I'm at the beach and you don't make me feel uncomfortable at all. I just... some things are hard for me to talk about ok?"

He nods and although his expression doesn't change much, there's a brightness in his eyes you've never seen.

"Is that ok? I mean if it's against your culture I understand it can be o-"

"No, it's alright. I just didn't think a human would want to be friends with me," he run his hand through his hair and stares at the ground.

"Well, I mean you do mean mug just about everyone you talk to but I know deep down you're probably just being on your guard and it's hard to be nice sometimes," you tell him.

"I see, so not being expressive keeps people away? Hmm what could remedy this without me having to give up my uh... mean mug," Tao cocks his head and crosses his arms.

"I'm not sure. Most people tend to like it when you're more welcoming and less upset looking all the time. Is your stoicism like some cultural thing?" you ask in turn. Turns out Tao is playing a million questions with you now.

"Yes. Typically we're only expressive with close friends, family, and our mates. They're the only ones who are supposed to see your true face," he replies.

"That actually sound reasonable and nice," you smile.

"Do humans not have something like that," he settles against the tower later, full into the conversation now.

"Yes and no. Some of us rely more on friends than family and vice versa. Some will rely on their mates alone if their family or friends aren't available. It can be all sorts of combinations really," you shrugs and lean against one of the pillars holding up the tower.

Tao looks up thoughtfully before his gaze settles out towards the ocean. There's a comfortable quiet between the two of you as the sun sets behind a cluster of grey clouds.

"Looks like rain," you comment.

"It's been smelling like a set of storms all week. Probably about to usher in some cold weather," Tao sniffs the air and sighs.

"Not a fan of the cold?" you shift in the sand and turn a little more towards Tao.

He shakes his head, "I grew up in a much warmer climate. If it ever got too cold we would sleep in our clusters or migrate. I can't do either here so I've just been adding more layers to my nest with every paycheck I get and buying the warmest clothes that fit me."

"I gotchya. I like some good mild weather myself. Not too hot or cold. By the way what will you do once winter hits? Beaches are usually closed once winter hits," you ask, realizing you might have to find another safe haven of sanity during that time.

"I'm not too sure, I haven't given it much thought," he admits. "At least I have a little time to consider a winter job so I don't have to hibernate."

"Yeah that would be... wait what?"

Part. 2>

#monster boyfriend #monster x girl #monster x human #monster x reader #monster lover #merman #Tao the merman #merman x reader #monster romance #merman boyfriend #monster love #merman x female reader #monster boyfriend oc #monster bf #slow burn #slow burn romance

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stranger-rants · 1 year

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I love Merman Billy. There's so much potential there. I think more people should write and draw him being a merfolk! There's so much you could do with it. The ocean is big and full of secrets! Totally recommend this beautiful book: A Field Guide to Mermaids by Emily B Martin:

The bioluminescent mermaid on the above page is how I envisioned Billy's mom when she's in full form for my Mermaid AU.

In Fish Out of Water, this is the overall plot:

Billy and his mother are more like shapeshifters. Billy's mom comes from the deep ocean, and her body can adjust to the pressure and the darkness. She is bioluminescent and so is Billy. Their bioluminescent skin attracts prey and repels predators, ...and also attracts mates.

Billy's dad was a "fisherman" let's say who rescued Billy's mom once and they fell in love, or so she thought. She became trapped in an abusive marriage, and spending extended time away from the deep ocean was making her sick. She tried to leave, but Billy kept her "anchored."

Billy doesn't know a whole lot about his abilities, but he does know he's different and he's experimented over the years while trying not to get caught by Neil. Neil moves them to Hawkins to keep him away from the ocean, and it's then that Billy starts to get sick, too. He's really trying to survive to graduation.

Of course, he's going to get wrapped up in the Nancy and Steve breakup drama along the way. Steve and Billy will have to rescue each other, and Billy might find that he's not as alone as he thinks in the merfolk department - not Steve, though! Steve will have to grapple with being in love with a fish.

Merman Details for this AU:

Billy won't shift completely because he's nowhere near the deep ocean, but his skin still shimmers in water with flecks of blue and silver. His skin will pulse with deep purples for the above mentioned reasons, but that's rare. His legs wont fuse into a tail unless he's in deep water for a while. His abilities activate more so at night because it's dark and reminiscent of his mother's true home.

Billy's "illness" manifests in autonomic nervous system problems. He feels tired and dizzy. He needs to drink a lot of water and consume a lot of salt and meat. His ears are sensitive to noise and his eyes are sensitive to light. He sweats a lot. He passes out a lot. Being away from the ocean makes him sick, and the lakes and rivers (and quarries) of Hawkins only do so much for him.

That's why I consider it a little less "traditional" but there are so many other merfolk interpretations that are fun. I just love the deep sea. Uh, what else? Oh, yeah. Billy is besties with sharks. Yep.

#mermaid au #billy hargrove #harringrove

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pomeg-glitch · 2 years

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happy mermay! go fish

[ID: two coloured sketches of characters from The Magnus Archives as merpeople, stylized like playing cards. The first features Jon, a thin merperson with freckled brown skin and long, greying dark hair tied in a ponytail. His pupils are white with gold irises and black sclera. His arms are tinged dark and scaly towards his hands, which are clawed and covered in rings and jewellery. He wears a braided gold choker and gold glasses, and has sharp ear-fins. His tail is covered in brownish-grey scales, ending in numerous frond-like fins reminiscent of an ornamental fish. White stylized eyes surround his head. He glares to the side. The edges are outlined with gold. The second features Martin, a chubby merman with bluish pale skin, short cerulean hair, and large, black eyes with white irises. He has dark, pointed markings on his chest, and sharp ear-fins like Jon’s, one cocked upwards like he’s listening for something. His hands have smaller claws, and webbing between his fingers. His skin is dappled and patterned, best seen in his tail, which has no scales and is reminiscent of a seal or other pinniped. Stylized clouds curl around his body. The edges of his image are lined with silver. End description.]

#the magnus archives #tma #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #mermay #described #my art #didn’t feel like lining but apparently did feel like colouring and shading and lighting #bare upper body

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lunali-moon · 7 months

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👀 Idea of jonmartin sunken sailor/merman and grieving lover AU: Jon and Martin live together in a small town - a fishing port, but one day Jon disappears, going to sea and his ship sinks, but Jon survives, becoming a merman 👀

#I think about these two too much #I can't stop with these AUs #tma #the magnus archives #tma au #tma podcast #jonmartin #tma jmart #jmart #sunken heart au #teaholding #tma shitpost #shitpost #podcast #magnus pod

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fruitviking · 8 months

Note

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

Oh boy here we go!

A Study in Saltwater

My first foray into multi-chapter Holmes fic! The "Holmes as a merman" idea seized my brain earlier this year and wouldn't let go until I finished writing it over the course of two months. It was so much fun incorporating the fantasy elements with a queerplatonic Holmes and Watson pairing!

Watson is a Time Lord

A work in progress! It started as a joke about there being two actors playing Watson in the Granada Sherlock Holmes series and SPIRALLED. It's a collaboration. It's ridiculous. It's angsty. It's heartfelt. It's everything I love about fanfiction. The way @jabbage, @jeremys-come-to-bed-eyes, and I can just pop up with an idea one day and all bounce off each other until one of us is like YES I MUST WRITE THIS NOW. We're having the BEST time.

Those Who Listen

I am very proud of my entire Nonverbal Sherlock Holmes series of fics, but this one stands out to me. As a hearing person with a deaf partner, I have spoken BSL and SSE for over a decade (still learning!) and I wanted to explore the barriers of communication through the lens of this fic. It came out so well! Plus it has fluffy QPP Holmes and Watson. What's not to like?

The Practicalities of Vampirism in the 21st Century

Moving away from Sherlock Holmes for a moment, I'm very proud of this Magnus Archives fic in which Jon is a vampire trying to navigate modern London. Martin stumbles upon him feeding one day, and in sharing the secret they both start to realise what they're really feeling for each other.

(PS it has a sequel but I haven't touched it for months. Shush.)

Somewhere Else, Farther North Than You Remember

(Zooey Deschanel voice) It's a crossover! Hello from the Hallowoods meets The Magnus Archives, post episode 200. Jon and Martin wind up in a mysterious forest in northern Canada, inhabited by ghosts, monsters, and people who are just trying to live. This...also hasn't been touched for months. Sorry.

But go listen to Hello From The Hallowoods it's a queer horror podcast and it's BRILLIANT

#fanfic #my fics #fic recs #sherlock holmes #the magnus archives #hello from the hallowoods

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dannyreviews · 1 year

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Rolling Stone Magazine Top 200 Singers - The Omissions List

Once in awhile, I’ll do a music themed blog post and boy do I have a post for you. Rolling Stone Magazine opens 2023 with a list that no one asked for. Their 200 Singers list is an all time low for the once flourishing magazine. When you include auto-tuned singers like Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Lana Del Ray and dull as dishwater singers (again, my opinion) like Morrissey, Courtney Love, Michael Stipe, Bono, Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder, you lose credibility in my book. Here are the singers of different backgrounds, genres, and vocalizations (in alphabetical order) that Rolling Stone failed to include on their inept list:

Jon Anderson

Julie Andrews

Paul Anka

Tina Arena

Charles Aznavour

Michael Ball

Jimmy Barnes

The Bee Gees (Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb)

Pat Benatar

Tony Bennett

Andrea Bocelli

Jay Black

Colin Blunstone

Michael Bolton

Gary Brooker

Jack Bruce

Eric Burdon

Maria Callas

Eric Carmen

Paul Carrack

Enrico Caruso

Shirley Cesar

Peter Cetera

Eric Clapton

Petula Clark

Joe Cocker

Nat King Cole

Phil Collins

Perry Como

Burton Cummings

Bobby Darin

Sammy Davis Jr.

Neil Diamond

Judith Durham

The Everly Brothers (Don and Phil)

John Farnham

Dan Fogelberg

Marie Fredriksson

Art Garfunkel

Judy Garland

Vince Gill

Ian Gillan

Lou Gramm

Daryl Hall

Johnny Hallyday

Morten Harket

George Harrison

Russell Hitchcock

Noddy Holder

Mick Hucknall

Billy Joel

Brian Johnson

Tom Jones

Eddie Kendricks

Carole King

Johnny Maestro

Steve Marriott

Dean Martin

Michael McDonald

Meat Loaf

Ethel Merman

Klaus Meine

Liza Minnelli

Jim Morrison

Anthony Newley

Harry Nilsson

Luciano Pavarotti

Gene Pitney

Leontyne Price

Maddy Prior

The Righteous Brothers (Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley)

Paul Rodgers

Sam and Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater)

Neil Sedaka

Bon Scott

Beverly Sills

Carly Simon

Paul Simon

Levi Stubbs

James Taylor

Frankie Valli

Sarah Vaughan

Anthony Warlow

Dionne Warwick

Ann Wilson

Carl Wilson

Steve Winwood

Robin Zander

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kissandships · 4 months

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Maggie: I thought these pictures were supposed to be of famous people. Who’s Ethel Merman?

Gracie: never heard of her.

Brighton: how about Mary Martin?

Maggie: beats me

Brighton: hey, hey, how ‘bout this one? Groucho Marx

Maggie: oh, he must be Marky Mark’s grandfather!

#I love this bit #it hurts my soul as a classic movie lover #but the marky mark line makes me crack up #the nanny live blogging #the nanny #maggie sheffield #Brighton Sheffield #Gracie Sheffield

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d4rl1ngpuppy · 5 months

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ִ ࣪𖤐⋆｡˚🎸༘⋆𖦹✮🎧⋆✧˖°

Hello !!

ִ ࣪𖤐⋆｡˚🎸༘⋆𖦹✮🎧⋆✧˖°

××

My name is Puppy <3 (any prns)

I'm a yandere writer who was off Tumblr for a while <3

××

🫀..

My ocs are...

Maxwell, the merman

Martin, the classmate

Viktor, the mad scientist

Icarus, the puppyboy

Bo, the incel

Casper, the ghost hunter

Mortimer, the siren

Alejandro, the dragon

Xurl, the orc

°•°

Requests open (now including nsfw) <3

°•°

Dm me for inquiries <3

#☆..Puppy rambles !!

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elementalgod-aj · 8 months

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Anthro Allies Remastered (Part 2)

now for the first vertebrates before us mammals

Cephalochordate

Wyn (Lancelet)

Oxi (Amphioxi)

Tunicate

Hydrant (Sea Squirt)

Vagile (Larvacea)

Fen (Salps)

Sub-Flame (Pyrosome)

Fish

Lagoona (Eel/Fish Hybrid)

Josiah (Hagfish/Lamprey)

Chomps (Piranha)

Fugu (Pufferfish)

Mikayla (Mermaid hybrid)

Whirlpool (Merman hybrid)

Fossil (Coelacanth/Lungfish)

Sea Shocker (Ray Hybrid)

Ichi (Chimera fish)

Thatcher (Shark Hybrid)

Amphibians

Pads (Common frog/Bullfrog/Goliath frog)/Mutant

Zookie (Poison dart frog)

Balzo (Tree frog)

Mangrove (Horned Bullfrog)

Croaker (Toad Hybrid)

Daisy (Caecilian)

Poly (Rubber Eel)

Rigid (Newt)

Axanthic (Salamander/Axolotl)

Echo (Siren/Olm/Amphiuma)

Reptiles

Veo (Komodo Dragon/Monitor Lizard)

Ivy (Sand Lizard)

Clyde/Pygment (Chameleon)

Viridian (Skink)

Rancor (Gila Monster)

Anahera (Tuatara)

Takeo (Gecko)

Nori (Iguana/Marine iguana)

Draco (Dragon Lizard)

Chole (Softshell/Terrapin)

Beckett (Box/Pond Turtle)

Rave (Snapping Turtle)

Mechel (Big headed Turtle)

Flyta (Sea Turtle)

Bartolomeo (Tortoise)

Lu-Hyen (Caiman/Gharial)

K.Roc (Crocodilian)

Roxy (Alligator)

Herik (Viper/Cobra)

Neveah (Constrictor/Serpent)

Birds

Nimbious (Bird of Prey)

Maverick (Bird of Prey)

Felifa (Owl)

Jaxon (Sea Bird)

Valentina (Serima)

Stalks (Stork/Crane/Shoebill/Heron)

Terpsicore (Flamingo)

William (Paleognath)

Harper (Game fowl)

Martin/Frozan (Penguin)

Mallie (Water fowl)

Loco (Cuckoo)

Evelin/Evening (Corvid)

Colors (Parrot)

Rumba (Cardinal/Canary/Tanager)

Sonnet (Song Bird Hybrid)

Yashi (Woodpecker/Toucan)

Recorder (Drongo)

Tiffany (Oxpecker)

Zennon (Hummingbird)

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(For More Information About The Earthdemons, Neo demons, The Anthro allies , the O'Kong family and more of theses characters as well as updates please visit the @the-earthdemon-hub for more)