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gamerwoo · 4 years

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Seventeen headcanon: Joshua as Nani and David’s son

from this svt as disney characters’ kids hc i did

a/n: i think there’s a second lilo & stitch or something like that but this isn’t based off of any of that since i haven’t seen it. but i think experiment 002 is in the series sooooo i guess it is kinda based off the series too

warnings: josh x female reader, hybrids, a small mention of death in the very beginning, mentions of bullying

So at first, Nani wanted Josh to be raised not knowing anything about aliens or experiments

It’s her first kid and she wanted him to be,,,,,”normal” for lack of a better word

But of course, that was very difficult, and Joshua ended up knowing about aliens around the time he was 2 or 3

David’s honestly impressed they even got that far tbh

“That’s all still a part of him,” David explained. “The aliens and the weird stuff, that’s just how his family is. We can’t keep him away from it.”

He even got his own experiment as a “pet” when he was about 5 or 6

Mrs. Hasagawa had passed away, and the experiments that she thought were ‘cats’ needed a home

Josh picked out experiment 002 aka Doubledip

He was a cute and essentially harmless (other than the fact that Joshua grew up basically sharing every single food he ate with Doubledip like ice cream and lollipops and stuff)

Josh nicknamed him DD and Double D, and they’ve been together ever since

As a kid, Joshua was super close with Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley

He absolutely adored all of them and always wanted to go hang out with them despite Nani being lowkey upset about it

“It’s fine, they’ll keep him safe,” David would always remind her. “They’re ohana after all.”

However, there reached a point where Joshua got bullied kind of like Lilo did

His norm wasn’t necessarily the norm for everyone else

No one else believed in aliens or experiments

No one else had the same thoughts and ideas that Joshua did

No one else was interested in the same things Joshua was

He knew he had to say DD was his dog, but he didn’t think that he would have to be a completely different person just to fit in

But that’s what he did

Instead of focusing on aliens and experiments, he focused on surfing

Thankfully, he was raised learning how to surf, but now that was his #1 interest

He stopped visiting his aunt and Stitch as often

The only real connection to his ‘weird’ side was DD because how could he just give up his childhood best friend?

Well, other than Seokmin

Seokmin was always the only person who ever knew what Joshua was truly like, and he even tried to stop Josh from changing himself to fit in

“I can literally grow a tail!” Seokmin pointed out. “I talk to a dolphin on a daily basis! I’m the king of weird, and I’m still a prince!”

“Yeah, but that’s normal in your kingdom,” Joshua pouted as he sat out in the ocean on his surfboard, talking with Seokmin. “Here, it’s not. Normal isn’t experiments and aliens and spaceships.”

So despite his best efforts, Joshua just became as average as possible, which he would have to see when they hung out on the beach and went for walks together

But in the ocean, Josh could say and do whatever he wanted without being judged

Like feeding Pudge the fish’s offspring

So since becoming less weird since he was a kid, Joshua got more friends, including the girl who worked at the froyo place he often hung out with Seokmin at

And pretty much everyone calls him Shua

Her name was Mali and she feared the ocean despite living a five minute walk away

He usually spends most of his time there so that’s how they met

He’s basically just a regular

And it’s at that froyo shop that Joshua’s life starts to change

“So y’know Seungcheol?” Seokmin asks

“Not really,” Joshua shrugs. “I just know you talk about him and he’s a prince of some other kingdom.”

“Right, well he’s having a birthday party this weekend, and I can bring a plus one. Since I don’t have a princess or anything to bring, I wanted to bring you.”

“Really? Why not like, one of those girls lined up to date you or whatever? What are they called?”

Joshua obviously isn’t royalty so he doesn’t know much about these things

But it’s fine because Seokmin doesn’t know anything about experiments or surfing either

“I don’t want to bring a date, I want to bring my best friend!”

“I thought your best friend was Kipper.”

“I can’t bring a dolphin on land, barnacle head.”

Cue Josh flinging his damp towel at Seokmin’s head and going, “Not cool, bro.”

And Mali sighing behind the counter about how, “We really need a sign that requires you to wear a shirt in here.”

So skip to Seungcheol’s party

Admittedly, Joshua is pretty nervous

He keeps trying on different clothes but all he really owns are shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, flip flops/sandals, and sneakers

He’s a surfer dude okay, he doesn’t really need to dress up for anything

“DD, does this look okay?”

DD simply ignores him and continues to lick the bowl of candy Josh keeps for him

David and Nani have to help him find something decent to wear

Although David insists he should wear something super fancy since Seungcheol is royalty

“So...is he a lion then, or...?” he keeps asking

And then Joshua has to explain for the hundredth time that he’s kind of a lion-human hybrid thanks to magic stuff and yadda yadda yadda

Tbh, Josh doesn’t even get it

Seokmin finally picks him up, and they go to Seungcheol’s kingdom for the party

With David still asking questions even after they leave because he doesn’t understand this magic concept

And yet he understands aliens

Sort of

Josh is used to acting normal to fit in, but now he’s trying to act Extra Normal TM

But god he’s so curious because he’s never really been outside of Hawaii so he can’t help but just look around in wonder at all the sights and the people

And then Seokmin asked, “Do you wanna meet Seungcheol?”

“Like...the prince?” Joshua stammered

“You do remember that I’m a prince too, right?”

“Yeah, but-- DD!”

Joshua suddenly spotted his experiment trying to eat the cupcakes

He didn’t even know DD went with him, but he assumes the little experiment hopped into his backpack before he left

“So much for acting normal...” Seokmin mumbled under his breath before running over to help Josh with his little problem

Now, 002 wouldn’t be an issue, but his name is Doubledip

Essentially, all he’s going to do is lick all of the food before putting it back

If you couldn’t tell, that’s disgusting

So DD is loose at the party of a royal, and it would be all Joshua’s fault that the food is ruined

So the urgency to collect DD and get him back into Joshua’s backpack is very, very valid

Well, and the fact that Joshua wants to come across as normal as possible

Thankfully, DD only licked 5 cupcakes and 3 mini hot dogs wrapped in croissants before Joshua managed to stuff him back into his backpack and handed him a bowl of pretzels to keep him occupied

And it was as Joshua was zipping his backpack up that he accidentally bumped into you

You lived in Seungcheol’s kingdom, but you were one of the people who actually quite liked him

Since Seungcheol is Kovu’s son and Kovu was considered bad before, there’s some controversy over him but that’s another story for another time

You wanted a drink and he accidentally backed up into you

You spilled your drink a little but at least it didn’t get on your clothes

You both spun around and began apologizing even though you didn’t really do anything so you weren’t sure why you were apologizing

“I-I can get you a new drink!” he stammered

“It’s really fine,” you assured him with a polite smile.

But you’d never really seen either of them around, and you figured you should mingle a little since you were here, right?

“You guys aren’t from around here, are you?” you asked.

The one behind him stepped forward and smiled brightly, “Nope! I’m Prince Seokmin, the son of King Eric and Queen Ariel.”

“Oh! It’s an honor to meet you!” you bowed to him before looking expectantly at the one who’d bumped into you.

“That’s just Shua,” Seokmin shrugged. “He’s from Hawaii.”

But y’know what, just Shua from Hawaii was kinda cute

And he thought the same

Plus, you just seemed normal and that’s what he wanted

You were just wearing some jeans, a nice shirt, a cardigan, and a beanie

Compared to all the royalty and important people here, you were like a breath of fresh air

“Hey, Seokmin!” a new voice called

And Prince Seungcheol strolled over and grinned at the other prince he called his friend

“Oh, I see you’ve brought a friend -- and you met _____!”

Seokmin introduced the two and then the four of you continued to make some small talk

You were just thankful that Seungcheol didn’t say or do anything to blow your cover

He eventually walked away to greet other guests, leaving the three of you alone again

But you continued to talk

Seokmin kinda took the hint that he was a bit of a third wheel at this point and left to find someone else to talk to

He’s a prince and he knows other princes so it’s fine

He mumbled something about wishing someone named Wonwoo was there but you didn’t pay any attention to it

You talked about where he was from, what he did for fun, what his family was like and stuff

He may have slightly bullshitted and/or left out some things but it’s fine

You also talked about you and what you did and your family

You may have also slightly bullshitted and/or left things out but again, it’s fine

Eventually, Joshua asked if you wanted to dance since you’d been standing at the snack table just talking this whole time

And since Seokmin was a great wingman and took the bag with DD in it, he was safe to do whatever

So you agreed and the two of you danced and talked all night

And you were so worried when the party was over that you wouldn’t see him again

But he asked if there was any way he could see you again and your heart fluttered

And you said you were sure you could make that happen

You had to figure out what surfing was, anyway

But after that was all over and you went home and the butterflies had died down just enough for you to think about something other than your growing crush on Joshua from Hawaii

You remembered that you weren’t exactly who or what he thought you were

And now you had to keep that hidden from him

And you weren’t sure how long you could do that

And when Joshua was on the way home with Seokmin, who was happily talking all about how he got to see Hansol again and he finally got to meet Hyunggu and everything

DD popped out of the backpack with his bowl of now salt-less pretzels

And Joshua remembered that you didn’t know what he was really like

Or his family

And now he’d have to keep that a secret from you, too

So fast forward to the next weekend, and you were planning to visit him

Joshua was doing his absolute best to like, hide everything

Make sure Lilo, Stitch, and any of the others won’t be around

Make sure his cousin won’t be hanging around

Make sure DD is at Lilo’s

Meanwhile, you had to make sure you looked normal before you left

Which was basically just wearing normal bottoms and wearing a hat

So when you arrived in Hawaii, Joshua was there to eagerly greet you

Though he didn’t really seem it on the outside

He’s the stereotypical surfer dude so he’s just very chill overall

He basically had the whole weekend planned out

Most of it consisted of teaching you how to surf

“I actually hate the water,” you admitted as he walked with you down the beach toward the water

He chuckled, “Well, then you’ll hate surfing. It’s in the water”

So instead of surfing, he compromised and made sand castles with you on the beach

He said something about wanting to show you the joys of fresh coconut milk so you offered to climb up and get one

“Nah, it’s cool,” he chuckled. “It’s high up anyway.”

“I’m a great climber!” you reassured him

And then you climbed up a tree and got him a coconut

But then he had to open it himself which was a whole struggle by itself

And then he brought you to his favorite place to go after surfing: the froyo shop

“Make a new friend, Shua?” Mali smirked

“Be nice. This is _____, she’s from Seungcheol’s kingdom. You know him, right?”

“Kovu and Kiara’s kid, right?”

You noticed that Mali joked around with Joshua a lot, but it was very lighthearted

You liked her

He had to work that night but he invited you because he worked as a fire torch performer (dude fuck if i know the correct term) at a restaurant

Which also meant you got to meet his parents, David and Nani

“So you’re the girl he’s been talking about so much,” David grinned as he went to shake your hand

And then Nani gently whacked him in the shoulder and reminded him, “You weren’t supposed to mention that,” in a hushed tone

Which you heard

David only shrugged and gestured to you, “Well she’s blushing, isn’t she?”

Overall, you thought his parents were great

Though, they did seem a little strange

Then again, who were you to judge?

David would start to say something only for Nani to quickly cut him off

You decided to not think much of it

You did have to admit, watching Josh twirl fire around without burning anything or himself was impressive

Why did he have to seem so perfect?

Afterwards, he joined you guys for dinner

Nobody let the alien thing slip, so overall, he thought it went pretty good

He was really sad to see you go but you promised you’d come back again soon

And you did

The two of you actually saw each other a lot

And feelings on both sides only continued to grow

He did finally have to introduce you to Lilo and Stitch and DD, though

He knew he couldn’t keep them hidden forever, and besides, everyone still fell for the dog thing when it came to the two experiments

Well, Doubledip was originally supposed to be a ‘cat’ but whatever

And Josh just made Lilo swear to not talk about aliens or mention anything weird

“I really like this girl,” he explained to her, “so don’t mess it up”

“You know, I’m fantastic with girls!” Pleakley chimed in

Joshua quickly shook his head, “You and Jumba aren’t invited”

So eventually, you had met all of Joshua’s family

Well, he called it ohana and explained what it meant, and you thought it was really cute

He was happy to find that you did buy the dog story, and you really liked DD and you got along with Stitch

Tbh he was most worried about Stitch

DD gets along with pretty much anyone, but Stitch isn’t so easy

Things were going super well, so he was ready to ask you to actually be his girlfriend

He brought you on a nice picnic on the beach where the two of you first hung out

And he had everything laid out and the two of you were starting to eat, and he was going to ask

But then he heard his name being shouted from down the beach

Lilo was out and about with her daughter and Stitch

And Stitch was very excited to see you

He bolted down the beach toward you and jumped on you, knocking you back onto the blanket

And also knocking your hat off your head

Out popped your fuzzy white round ears

Stitch pulled back and looked at you, head cocked to one side

Joshua just froze and stared at you

Because you weren’t technically human

You were from Seungcheol’s kingdom, so you were an animal that used magic to stay human

That magic turned you into a human/animal hybrid, just like Seungcheol

But instead of being a lion, you were a lemur

It was why you wore hats to hide your ears and jeans and skirts to hide your tail

It was why you didn’t like water

It was why you could climb trees so well

You weren’t normal

And now Joshua knew that

“I-I gotta go,” you quickly stuttered out, grabbing your hat and scrambling to get up

“_____--”

You shook your head, jamming your hat back on your head to conceal your ears, “Save it, I already know what it is.”

“B-but you’re-- What are you...?”

“I’m a lemur, alright?” you huffed, tears pricking your eyes because you knew Joshua was not going to want anything to do with you

Even though you were a human and could stay human, you couldn’t get rid what you really were

It was weird, and people didn’t like weird

“You don’t have to say anything about it,” you continued as you tried your best to keep from crying, “because I already know you’re going to say I’m weird and you won’t want anything to do with me. So I’ll go and I won’t bother you again. And...I’m sorry for not telling you.”

And then you ran up the beach, not looking back once

Joshua sighed and dropped his head, closing his eyes as he rubbed over his face with his hands

Stitch just looked up at him and said, “Oops...”

Heartbroken, Joshua walked back home alone

Nani and David knew what he was planning, so they were so excited for him to get home

But seeing him with a frown as he threw the half-empty picnic basket on the counter before going to his bedroom without a word, they knew something was wrong

“I’ll take this one,” David told her before going to Joshua’s room

David knocked softly before entering to find his son face down on his bed

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” he mumbled into his pillow

“Did...she say no?”

“I didn’t even get to ask, dad,” he sighed, lifting his head to look at David

“Did something come up?”

“Stitch tackled her and knocked her hat off and she...”

How was Joshua supposed to explain this?

He could deal with aliens and experiments, but human animals were something he hadn’t dealt with before

Would his dad even believe him?

“What? She got a weird haircut or something?” David chuckled

“She had fuzzy animal ears,” Joshua finally told him straight-out. “She’s an animal that’s human by magic.”

“Ah, right. That stuff you explained before. Y’know, Nani had to tell me how that worked like, seven times before I really got it.”

Joshua just let out a groan and dropped his head back in his pillow again

David sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, “Who are you to judge? You keep an experiment as a pet -- and worse, it licks everything you eat.”

Joshua pushed himself to sit up and sat beside his dad, “That’s not it, dad. I still like her, it’s just--”

“I thought you wanted a ‘normal’ girl, though?”

He just shrugged, “I like her. But she ran away before I could tell her. Besides, I’m way weirder...”

“Then if you like her for being a little different, why can’t you be okay with yourself being different?”

“A little?”

“Do you think being an animal is only a little different?”

And it’s that talk that caused Joshua to go after you

He packed up the photo of his ohana that he kept on his nightstand

And he packed DD

And he left for Seungcheol’s kingdom

You were obviously just as upset, if not more, back home

The silver lining was that you could wear your usual pants which had a hole cut in them for your tail to comfortably stick out

You wanted to spend the next day just sulking

But you ended up being called to Seungcheol, claiming there was someone who needed to talk to you

Joshua got Seokmin to bring him to Seungcheol’s because he realized he had no idea how he’d find you

And walking into Seungcheol’s throne room, Joshua was the last person you expected to see

“Sh-Shua? But...w-what are you--”

“I like you,” he blurted before you could finish what you were saying. “I like you with your ears and your tail because you’re still you. But before you say anything, just... These are things you should know about me, too.”

He opened his bag, and out popped DD

“Double D isn’t my dog. He’s an alien experiment from outer space, and the only thing he knows how to do is double dip foods, and lick things before putting them back. He’s stupid, and I love him”

Then he pulled out a framed picture and handed it to you

You looked it over and saw it was Joshua, Nani, David, Lilo, Lilo’s two kids, Stitch, DD, and some...things you didn’t recognize

“That’s my whole ohana. It’s not just the people I let you meet.”

He told you all about the aliens included in the photo, and you listened, glancing between the picture and him

And when he was done, you just stared at him because honestly, you didn’t suspect him to be anything but normal

But for some reason, maybe because he could relate to you, you liked him even more

Neither of you were considered ‘normal’ so didn’t that make you an even better match?

“I just...wanted you to know that before you decided to never speak to me again,” Joshua concluded

You weren’t sure what to say even though you knew exactly what you wanted to say

You just didn’t really know how to say it

“This is the part you tell him you still like him, too,” Seungcheol whispered in your ear

While Seokmin was Joshua’s wingman, apparently Seungcheol became yours

“I like you, too,” you told him with a sheepish smile, feeling your cheeks heat up

Joshua’s grin matched the brightness of the sun

“So...you wanna go out sometime?” Joshua asked

To which Seokmin whispered, “You’ve already done that before. Just ask her to be your girlfriend, kelp-for-brains”

So he does

And you accept

The next time you visit, you properly meet his ohana

Jumba and Pleakley definitely take a little getting used to but you do think they’re pretty amusing with the way they bicker

“They’re like an old married couple!”

“Don’t say that in front of Jumba, though”

You visit him all the time

So often that sometimes you just spend weeks there at a time

You eventually work your way up to being able to sit on Joshua’s board while he surfs

He makes sure to only go on baby waves so that way you don’t fall over or get wet

You befriend Mali at the froyo shop, and despite roasting Joshua sometimes, she always says how cute the two of you are

And the two of you live happily ever after

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wakandascrystal · 5 years

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ᴅᴇꜱᴛɪɴʏ ᴇʀɪᴋ x ʙʟᴀᴄᴋʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

a/n : i wrote this at 3 am, please ignore any errors, will fix up later

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You really did not want to be here.

The air was cold and you were hangry and the girls you were with were so focused on taking pictures they didn't even noticed you had turned your back on them. You didn't feel comfortable in the black and white one piece Miny had put you in. You wanted the mini dress you had packed that would cover your stretch marks and other problem areas but she bullied you out of it. Okay bully is a strong word. Miny just wished you had more confidence in yourself.

But that confidence was not going to start in the middle of the Puerto Rico with a tight one piece on. You didn't know the other 3 girls they were Miny’s friends and you didn't hit it of with them the whole 5 days and 4 nights. They didn't get your humour or hospitality. You didn't like how frequent they commented on your dark skin like it was some kind of disorder you had and that you are so brave to be living your life with it and it seemed like Miny was more their friend on this trip then yours. She only showed you love when you were just about to to leave. They were loud, obnoxious and self centered. You quickly learned that but there were 2 days and 1 night left. You were going to stomach it and try to enjoy yourself.

“Okay that's it. I'm going to eat. Im starving.“ you got up and pulled the bunched up material out of your ass.

“What are you talking about. we still taking pic for the gram....anyways you're the one who keeps complained about being fat“ Tiff said while she carried on posing

Your heart dropped

“I know... it's just that its been 6 hours. If i dont eat something i'll faint. just carry on i'll be back.”

You wrap yourself around with your towel you were ripped from before the photoshoot situation.

You left the rented yacht with your wallet and ordered some fish and chips. Sat on the balcony and ate were the girls wouldn't see you.

You were 24 years old and it still felt like high school. Made to feel different and odd. You wanted to leave and go home to your warm bed and your book and read up on african legends and how they used to rule the African plains. You were intrested in weird things and you didn't really fit in. You wanted to see your real friends who didn't judge you and throw your insecurities in you face every 5 seconds but that wasn't going to happen tonight.

“Y/N come bitch we're going to the club the one down the road. Get your black ass here. We need to get changed.“ You sighed lifting yourself of the bench and throwing away your trash away.

Back at the hotel you decided on a red sparkly dress but when you left your room to fix your hair in the bathroom Tiff was wearing the same one.

“Is that what you're wearing“ Cam asked sarcastically

“Shut your ass up... if that's what she wants leave her“ Miny defended you.

“Nah its just that ...you know Tiff wore it first. Thats all im saying “ Cam carried on fixing her braids

“What's the problem. It will be like yall twins or someshit.“

“Dont fuck with me Miny I look nothing like her.“

You bit your lip. It was a coping mechanism. if you felt a greater pain then the words wouldn't hurt.

“I'll change. Its okay.“

You left the crowded bathroom for your bedroom and practically ripped the dress off. You took a deep breath and you changed into a off shoulder black bodycon. You looked good but you didn't feel good. You paired it up with your black Fila’s. You did a light beat and a strong liner and lashed up and waited for the girls to finished. You were a bit over walmed when they joined you. They looked good. even you could admit that. You didn't bling yourself up like that. You looked simple. maybe even basic compared to them

At the club no one had gotten the memo that it was not a regular club club. It was a latin dance club. Like real Latin. Like out of a movie. People were dancing like it was strictly come dancing. The samba and the chacha, you name it. It was hot, so were the boy. The idea of getting drunk and going home with someone sounded amazing. You needed an outlet for the pent up frustration in your chest. But it seemed like no one was checking for you at the moment so maybe to get drunk first. You went to the bar and bought yourself a drink and a couple more. the girls joined you after they had danced a few times with some guys. You thought about asking a guy to dances with you but you didn't want to stoop to that level. That would have been to sad and rejection isn't something you're good at recovering from. So you drank some more.

“That was crazy. He almost swang my ass up into the roof“ Cam laughed while she tried to calm down

“I saw girl you almost died but i thought i was coming to throw my ass in a circle to some city girl but i like this too? Y/N you good? You been drinking since we been here“

“Oh me i'm okay I dont do well with heights.“ Miny laughed at your joke while the other 3 were confused.

“What the hell does height have to do with you being a bore?“

“She said that the guy almost through he into the roof and i'm afraid of heights. It was a joke Tiff. “

You shake your head and zoned out when they carried on talking amongst themselves. With your black straw in your mouth your eyes wounded around the bar area. Your eyes meet with a guy, you looked away. He was sitting about 4 stools away from you leaning back . You looked again and this time he smiled and you smiled back. He was handsome. 10000% out of your league but his smile was warm and cute. He had dreads and a tropical shirt on but most importantly he had dimples. Your one weakness. He nodded at you twice and you already knew the drill it wouldn't be the first time.

You turned to the Tiff who was next to you and tapped her shoulder.

“I think that guy is calling you?” You took a big sip from your straw again

“Which guy?“ she asked

“The one down the line.“ You specified.

You could see how big her eyes went when she realized who you were talking about. You saw how she flirted with her eyes and pushed her braids back with a big smile.

You wish you had that in you.

“They got nigga’s like this here ..let me go talk to zaddy”

She left the girls in pursuit of melanin, they spoke for a bit and you stole glances at them. If you couldn't get the guy at least you could live vicariously through the girls who would.

He's acting too cool. look at him not even smiling at her. How can you smile at me and not the girl you want. Fuck boys. they are everywhere. Girls like nice guys as well. oh my drink is almost finished. oh yes focus the handsome guy. oh wait she's coming back. she looks mad why?

“You must a blind bitch cause he was calling you“ She said through her teeth

“What do you mean. Why would he call me?“

“I was asking myself the same question? He didn't even give me the time of day? Did you take something of his?“

“No I was here the this whole time.“

“Well you must h-“ she stopped talking for a second then started panicking “oh shit he's coming here act natural ladies “

“Beautiful you gonna just ignored me and send you lil friend“ You blinked at him making sure you aren't dreaming.

“You still ignoring me baby girl.“ He cocked his head to the side

You were confused by the warm feeling in your chest and stomach.

“You can't call me Baby girl. i dont even know you...“ You shouted out the first thing on your mind. All 4 girls face palmed themselves

“Its cool. I get it Ma. Im Erik Steven and you are?“

“You want to know my name? Why?“ This had never happened to erik before. if he asked for a name he got it and most times even more.

“Why dont I we dance for a bit and maybe i'll tell you why?“ He extends his arm that was filled of what seemed like tribal markings. That fascinated you. You ran your hands over some that showed out his shirt but he didn't move his arm away.

“You like them Princess?”

“They are so....I study Ancient and Tribal African Studies and some tribes they .......they value a man who has these types of markings. Sort of like the more you have them the higher your ranking is in society. I've never seen anything like this before .Who are you Erik?”

Erik expected you to blush over them to seem edgy but he wasn't expect that type of analysis and that made him more intrested in you as well.

#Erik Killmonger #erik x reader #erik xreader #Erik #killmonger #killmonger fanfiction #black panther killmonger #black panther

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astrologista · 6 years

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(@chiscribbles4smiles and @starxapple with this post compelled me to want to dig this mess up from my drafts........ i wasn’t gonna post it because as a Psychological Analysis I think some of this is definitely REACHING......... or iunno....... i wrote it a long time ago when i was In A Mood but i can prove that Varian needs a mom using psychological evidence so deal w/ it y’all)

(This is a very speculative analysis but if you like those, read on.)

So if you notice how Varian reacts when he sees his father frozen in the amber, his initial reaction is disbelief. He's saying "no, no, no" over and over, hoping it's just a nightmare, that if he voices his denial enough, he'll wake up and this won't be real. He's refusing to believe it's real, begging for it to be undone, that if he just doesn't acknowledge it in these first moments of shock, maybe it'll all just go away. But seconds tick by and his dad doesn't answer him, only silence does. It slowly starts to sink in for Varian that this is real and no one is coming to help him or clean up the mess, not this time. On the subtitles Varian actually says "Dad!" and then when that doesn't work, "Daddy..." His voice changes a bit, too, becoming higher and more childlike, and choked up with tears. Which, if that don't break your heart, I don't know what does. In moments of extreme stress and trauma, it's not uncommon for children or teens to regress a little so that they can feel a little safer by returning to an earlier frame of mind. Varian desperately doesn't want the weight and responsibility of this situation to be on his shoulders. His dad has usually tried to bear the brunt of the blame for his mistakes. But even though his dad's not able to do that right now (ironically tragic), Varian still goes into this mode of regressing and responding with uncontrolled tears instead of immediate anger at the Princess. He's tired, he's given everything he can give. He really does sound like the terrified child that he is at that moment. He doesn't know what to do and would very much like for someone to show up and hug him, tell him everything will be ok and help him fix the problem.

But let’s like, consider this. It can be said that children move on from their mother's guidance to their father's once they reach a certain age. Mothers are the first teachers, who provide the basis for sustaining and prolonging life. They teach you how to eat, provide the nutrients, and take care of your physical hurts and just calm some of your fears as well, and SO much more, giving you the basic primer on how to live your life. It's not that hard to make your Mom proud as long as you're good to her and learn how to use a spoon at the appropriate age. She loves you for nothing, as you are. But once you move on, it can be a long road from mother-love to father-acceptance. Not because fathers are inherently bad or highly demanding, they just tend to value different things in addition to those survival skills that your mom taught you. For true father-acceptance, you must do things worthy of recognition. Talk. Walk. Act like a human. Show moral character. Work in the field, perform feats of strength. That is how you show your worth as a good son. So many things a mother wouldn't require, but a father might really care about.

Varian makes inventions because that's what he does, hoping his father will at last be impressed with him. Finally, he can gain that father-acceptance he so craves. He needs to see that "pride" in Quirin's eyes to feel that he's worthy of being loved. That get-for-free, endless outpouring of mother-love is no longer in Varian's life for whatever reason. And Varian is just a very sensitive little dude. He thrives on love. And nowhere better is that shown than in the picture hanging in Quirin's room, when both his parents were there with their attention entirely on him. Their love, entirely available. There was nothing he had to do to earn it. It simply was. And to Varian, that is his gold standard. Look at his cute smol face - bliss.

With the loss of mother-love, it's no surprise that Varian went just a little bonkers with the loss of his father. Research shows that when people go without physical / emotional affection for long enough, antisocial personality traits actually can manifest, whether temporarily or perhaps permanently. The onset of which can induce panic, irrational behavior and even temporary psychosis...

If you REALLY want to get theoretical, Raps and Cass provided a tiny bit of that mother-love and in Eugene's case, a little father-acceptance, enough to keep Varian wanting to hang around them. Like a drug, he soaked up the fact that they gave him even the time of day. That's how desperate he is for attention, because attention leads to love and acceptance, and those things make Varian feel safer and more secure in the absence of his mother. (And it’s so depressing to me that he feels he has to do so much just to earn a little scrap of love.) The loss of a mother in general is just very damaging, especially to someone who's sensitive to other peoples' rejection such as Varian. When developing, children sometimes are rejected by their peers or others, making the outside/external world seem unsafe. But they can use their mother as an anchor point to make that outside exploration less scary. That way, even if others reject or mock them (which in Varian's case is a lot, everyone in the village seems to exclude or just dislike him what with his inventions trying to kill them on a regular basis), at least they have someone who genuinely loves them to come home to. An anchor point, a person whose consistency and stability makes the world safe and encourages confidence. Varian needs that and only that, but it was taken from him, for whatever reason. (If we ever find out that there’s a character responsible for that loss... *takes out a bat* i just wanna talk.) Desperate for love, he'll attach to anyone who will listen or shows the slightest bit of interest or kindness to him. Raps, Cass and Eugene have all given him little mini-speeches on how compassionate and smart and unique he is, but it's barely enough. It's like getting a few bread crusts when you're starving for a three-course meal - it'll give you something to keep from going off the edge, but it's never going to fill that void. And he has to practically beg Cass to give her little speech, prompting her with "I was just trying to make you see something in me... something special... I was just being dumb." Most likely a subconscious fish-for-compliments move, but it gets the job done and he gets what he needs - a little validation.

Like others, I just find it kind of gross how far Varian has to go for love. If the people would just take a chance to get to know Varian, they would see that fundamentally, he is (well... was...) basically a harmless kid. Reckless, overconfident, excitable, yes, but he never wanted to hurt anyone. If anything, he only wanted to help them.

No child should ever live in a society where they have to feel like everyone in their town rejects and/or hates them, and that their only parent is distant. The point is, there's not enough love left in Corona for someone like Varian, who craves and needs response and confirmation that his Dad is proud of him. That validation literally means the difference between his physical and mental health and not - it is enough to make or break him. It's basically the one and only thing he cares about, returning to that time when his family was whole. With adequate mother-love and father-acceptance, Varian could be his best self. He could be very well-adjusted and would probably not have as much maladaptive thinking as he does. He'd be less defensive, more genuinely confident and act more maturely, probably. He’d still be his excitable, lovable self, but with so much less toxic thoughts running through his mind. And he'd be more open to suggestions about how to improve his alchemy. In What the Hair he just came off as insecure and unwilling to change his experiment. But with genuine confidence instilled by his parents' support, he'd probably forgo his pride in the interest of making safer and smaller inventions. He wouldn't feel like he has to prove anything, because he'd know he has as much love as he needs waiting at home. With Varian, everything in his mind and body is out of balance (which is ironic for an alchemist), so it's not surprising that he is such a mess or causes so many disasters...

People might disagree with me on this one but I honestly think Arianna is / might be the key to Varian's redemption. He claims to still be seeking the father-acceptance, but to come back from where he is, he first needs to take a step back and get the purest and most unconditional mother-love - HUGS FOR DAYS YA FEEL ME? - to know that he is still worthy of being loved. He did kidnap Arianna because she was the weak link, but in a way, it may not be that much of an accident, and more of a reaching-out for that mother-love from Rapunzel's mother, on a subconscious level (or not. “i want a mommy so i’m stealing one. no one will stop me...”)

No wonder seeing Rapunzel and both of her parents embrace set him off. That pretty much symbolized everything Varian was trying to get to... but couldn't.

tl;dr someone get me adoption papers NOW so I can adopt this child

#varian #you little icarus you. you just flew too close to the sun #I LOVE MY BOY #look at all my hyphenated words you can tell ive been reading too many cognitive science papers #IM NOT FREUD BUT....#*points* that kid is STARVING for more than just food #y'all know it's real. getting psychological now

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vomiting-out-words · 6 years

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Twilight Princess - Surprise Part Two

Session Two - May 30th, 2018

Lakebed Temple, Master Sword, Gerudo Desert, Arbiter’s Grounds, and Snowpeak Ruins.

Session One - Session Two - Session Three - Session Four

All cozy on a chair in the living room, let’s begin where Link has been left at, the bottom of Lakebed Temple; the third dungeon and the one I fucking hate the most due to really shitty controls when in the water with the Zora Armor; thanks a lot partly inverted controls. I try really hard to not wear the Zora Armor in this dungeon, mainly because there is no point for it until like the boss fight and like as your getting boss key. Other then that, it’s pointless, and Link’s regular tunic does better at protecting him then the armor. My suggestion is really only to wear the armor when you truly need it, even if you think Link looks cool, it’s terrible and you’ll eat through hearts like crazy, maybe even a few games over’s.

Another thing about this dungeon; there’s a lot of running back and forth, also all the falling if Link doesn’t grab the lever to turn the stairs. It’s time-consuming, and you get really turned around if you don’t pay attention. It’s too much after such simple dungeons, with a very straightforward layout. I think the only thing that was good about the Lakebed Temple is the design of it, the color palette suited the place. Some of the enemies seemed out of place due to their color design but it was perfect. And the puzzles could be too if there was more of them. The mini-boss fight was simple, made getting the Claw Shot worth it, but did nothing to help with getting the boss key, which was like fifteen minutes to get due to finding the right rock to blow up and not touch the jellyfish or get eaten by monstrous clams. That was when I was seriously finished with this dungeon due to its bullshit controls.

Thankfully, it was a straight shot to the boss room, where you think you might be fighting a jellyfish with an eye, but you get Morpheel; a giant lobster, eel which is easy to fight once you’re past the first stage. With final the Fused Shadows, Midna and Link head back to the Lanayru Spring… Only for Zant to show up, be a real prick by trying to kill Midna. You almost think you need to fucking do the Tears of Light again, but nope, just need to rush off to Hyrule Castle, and get to Zelda, while making sure Link doesn’t die due to shitty controls. Managing to get to Zelda with a few minor scares, Midna decides to give her dying wishes. The scene really drags out, losing whatever feeling it was going for, right up until Zelda magically disappearing to save Midna. The only thing you get out of that entire scene was Link needs to get the Master Sword to break the damn curse on him. The strangest thing out of that though is Midna’s personality did a 180, but near deaths like that can do that, and the revenge for Zelda. With that junk out of the way; pretty much just warp to the Forest Temple where you run into Flower Monkey, who is being chased by fucking puppets that could actually haunt my nightmares. So, as Link, you head over and behold the person you find is none other than Skull Kid. Not sure if this is Skull Kid from the previous games, but it is Skull Kid who fucks with you. All the player can do is follow the brat around. What makes it so interesting is the fact that they bring the mechanic from Ocarina of Time to listen to how loud the music is by each path. Though Skull Kid kind of acts like a boss in the way, but more of a puzzle and a key to the Master Sword. He’s easy, and makes the transition into the second half of the game smooth, along with the nostalgia boost of Skull Kid. Now actually in the Sacred Grove, you got to howl to awaken the two Guardian Statues; they look more organic than anything else in this game. Well, awakening these guys causes a puzzle.

This puzzle has Link in the middle of floating blocks, two of which are special, where you need to place the Guardian Statues, who are position at either end of the heart-shaped grid. I cheated and used a walkthrough for this part, considering it’s just a mess to figure it out on one's own and you can literally be doing it for three hours if you aren’t careful or tactful. With that mess out of the way, Link heads inside to retrieve the Master Sword, which literally could have been gotten at the beginning of the damn game. Now with the sword in hand, Link has the ability to change between "Beast” Wolf and human. At this point, you can do some serious running around if the player wishes to do so, if you think you're ready, then head to Telma’s bar where you meet these people that she mentioned before in Kakariko; There is Shad, Ashei and to everyone’s surprise; Rusl, Colin’s father. There’s another in Lake Hylia who head off to meet. Forgetting to mention before, Midna asks Link to help her find the Mirror of Twilight, the only way now to get to Zant. On this tower at Lake Hylia, you meet Auru, who tells you that he has a feeling that all the bad things that are currently happening in Hyrule are coming from Gerudo Desert; which holds a prison, which held the worst kinds of criminals. With a letter from Auru, Link goes down Fyer; who runs this canon to go back up to the Great Bridge of Hylia, but with Auru’s letter, Fyer sends Link to Gerudo Desert. Here, you can get the piece of Eldin Bridge that went missing back into place before heading back towards the prison. Before you can get in though, you need to deal with a Bulbin encampment. Either you can try to stealth it or can just go ham; normally I just stealth it because the Bow and Arrow is my jam, yet this time I bring pain and carnage. Get a key, open the gate to ride a hog, only to need to beat the shit out of big daddy Bulbin for a third time, because not getting knocked off a damn bridge, twice, isn’t enough. Jumping on the hog after the Bulbin decides to burn Link alive. Break gates and Link is at the entrance of the prison; Arbiter’s Grounds.

This is where my favorite dungeon comes in. Though Arbiter’s Grounds is my number one favorite out of this entire game, mainly due to the fact that it brings the “Beast” Wolf factor into these next few dungeons, making it an interesting component by adding it in now though it would have been better if it was brought into the game sooner than pass halfway through the game. Now, introducing this component, you have to steal back the flame to get into the main part of Arbiter’s Grounds. This takes some running around, but it can be done pretty quickly if you stay in beast mode for the majority of this part. A good tip for this dungeon is spending most of your time as a Wolf because Link doesn't sink into the sand as quickly. But getting to beat up huge Poes is really fun, kind of wish the other Poes were like this rather than their really childish imp design. Once done with this, you pretty much go to the mini-boss; which is the only fight you really get to do as a Wolf. The wonderful item you are gifted with is the Spinner, which takes you; the player, straight to the boss key and to the boss. All Link has to do is hit Stallord with the Spinner. The battle is pretty quick and fun. The cutscene after the fight with the Sages is really interesting due to the fact that the designs for them are different but very fitting for the design of the game. We also get the first look at Ganondorf; and the Sages somehow didn’t realize that Ganondorf had the Triforce of Power, also the fact that Zant broke the Mirror of Twilight, meaning Link and Midna need to run around Hyrule once again to get the three missing pieces. With this new information, head back to Zora’s Domain.

Link learns that there has been a monster going to the Domain rather a lot lately. Yet it always heads to Snowpeak with a Reekfish. If you go to the first bit of Snowpeak, Link runs into Ashei, who gives him her notes about the monster. Show some of the Zora’s the notes, then they point the player to Kakariko Village, where Prince Ralis is currently. The only person who knows how to catch Reekfish. Use Midna to warp to the Village.

Link finds Prince Ralis at the Zora’s Bartual Site, where Link got the Zora Armor. Show him the notes, and Ralis will give his earring to use as a hook. Return to Zora’s Domain and start fishing, which might take a bit due to the fact that fishing is an interesting pastime in this game. Just hold your arm really high up in the air. Once you catch a Reekfish, it’ll land on the floor, change into Wolf Link to learn the scent of the Reekfish. Follow the scent through the Domain and head to Snowpeak. With the scent Link will see a huge beast, triggering a small cutscene with Yeto, a very kind Yeti that invites you over. The best part of trying to get to the Snowpeak Ruins, you snowboard on ice. Adds just a nice little bit of fun from the questing. Yeto brings Link in to meet his wife; Yeta. Who hasn’t been feeling well lately due to a mirror that Yeto brought home for his darling Yeta. So, Yeto locked the mirror piece in their bedroom. Yeta goes out of her way to try and remember where the key was placed while Yeto cooks.

With Yeta trying to remember where the key is, Link ends up running around the ruins looking for this key, Link ends up with food items instead. His first food item ends up being an Ordon Pumpkin, you have to pass Yeto to get back to Yeta, and he smells it, shoving Link rather brutally to get it. Now, the soup is a little stronger, so Link can fill his bottles and gain more hearts from it. I’m kind of surprised that Link doesn’t lose hearts when Yeto shoves him, it would have been entertaining. Now, Link will travel around the ruins once more, gaining a rather slow, yet powerful weapon; the Ball and Chain. Like you can react quickly with it, but it’s kind of slow, especially when you need to defend yourself or move out of the way. After requiring this item from the mini-boss, behold, Link finds Ordon Goat Cheese. Bring that back to Yeto, once again shoved, with a stronger soup. On Link’s third attempt to get the bedroom key, Link actually finds it, after some really bullshit puzzles that make you want to pull your hair out or snap the game’s disk in half over your knee.

Returning to Yeta with the key in hand, she’s suddenly feeling a lot better and offers to take Link to the bedroom. The quickest way to deal with this is just to rush on ahead, and let Link chill at the door to wait on Yeta. Good time to go to the bathroom or anything else. Make sure that Link has full hearts, and your battles are filling with Yeto’s soup or have a couple of fairies on hand because this boss fight is actually pretty hard. Once in the bedroom, Yeta is looking into the mirror, admiring herself. And this is where shit gets really fucking creepy. Yeta gets all fucking Exorcist in the cutscene that makes this entire thing part just a fucking horror movie. Yeta transforms into Twilit Ice Mass: Blizzeta. Like mentioned before this boss fight is kind of hard due to the fact that Link must use the Ball and Chain for the entire battle, which is powerful, but since it’s slow on the return once thrown. So, timing is key and you gotta work quickly. When this battle is over Yeto comes rushing in, knocking Link out of the way to be really mushy with Yeta.

A perfect way to stop for the night, seeing as I knew that shit was about to come at me within the next couple of hours for the next day. I kind of needed to be mentally prepared or I would fucking scream all the curse words that I could think of.

#twilight princess #legend of zelda #legend of zelda twilight princess #review #words #post #review post #part two #sessions #long post #Link #Zelda #Midna #player #game #video game #game review #video game review #salty

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awesimz · 7 years

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Episode 1: New Beginnings and Bitter Disapointments

Welcome to my brand new Sims 3 Challenge: The Amazon Challenge. Some of you might recognize my username or maybe just my style of legacy storytelling from the Iridescence Legacy, which unfortunately now has so many damn problems (corrupt save file, deleted photos from both online and off) that there’s really no salvaging it anymore. And on my last generation too - I was so convinced I was going to finally finish one, but alas, lol. Anyway, I decided to move from LJ to here because of the BS anti-LGBT TOS they’re implementing, but it was probably a good idea anyway as tumblr seems a bit more popular with the simming community nowadays :)

Anyway, let’s dive right in, shall we?

Meet our Founder, Xena. Yes, I know Xena was not an Amazon but listen, I am obsessed anyway and besides, she was fucking tall enough to be one, lol. Regardless, our tribe leader Xena has a much different personality anyway, and is a brave and flirty diva who is both a perfectionist and athletic. Her LTW is Perfect Mind, Perfect Body.

Oh yes, and she is also a werewolf, and the tattoo on her back is representative of her royal bloodline and position as the head of the pack tribe. As such, a heiress must also be a werewolf that has the most ‘approved’ traits listed on the challenge. That means someone who might become heiress can also be knocked from their rank by a younger sibling that is more worthy than the previous.

But moving on, no tribe would be complete without at least one male slave to do all of the dirty work so our Warrior Princess Queen never has to lift a finger to do literally anything, lol.

Xena: Hello, I am interested in speaking to your owner. Is she around?

Thornton: I’m sorry... my what? Xena: Oh, nevermind. I don’t know why I bother to speak to the help anyway, you all end up having a lower IQ than a bloody moth.

Xena: Hello, I am interested in procuring your male servant for the purposes of furthering the betterment of my Amazonian Tribe. Morgana: You... mean my husband? Xena: If that’s what you kids call slaves now a days, sure.

Morgana: Wait, so you mean to tell me that you would take my annoying husband off my hands and leave me with his immense fortune? Yeah, yeah... I can picture that happening.

Morgana: Yup, actually that sounds absolutely perfect. Have at it, and tell him to not bother saying goodbye because he was nothing more than a sugar daddy anyway. Xena: Lovely. Pleasure doing business with you.

Xena: Alright, Daor, now that I’ve shaved those awful sideburns off your face and put you in an outfit more fit for a slave, I now require you to build me an abode. Get to it! Daor: Wait, what? Daor? My name is-- Xena: I’m sorry, did I stutter? I’ll call you whatever I damn well please, now do what I say before I decide you’re not worth my effort and procure a different slave!

Don’t get too attached to this shit - I end up moving them to a different town eventually since originally I wanted them in isla paradiso but my game was acting weird. I eventually fixed the issue though, but we’ll get to that later.

Since I don’t allow my Tribe Leader to work because honestly, a Queen should never have to work a day in their lives lmao, and since slaves can’t work either, they’re pretty effing poor and I make Daor collect shit on the regular just so they can make a little bit of money, haha.

He seems to enjoy it though. Ah, the simple pleasures in life.

Xena found a friend as well! I decided he is now the tribe’s mascot and named him Guapo, lol.

Daor is working on his gardening skills as well because, again, they are poor as fucking dirt.

He also fishes, but he kinda sucks at it. I mean honestly, how is that tiny thing supposed to feed anyone? Ugh. Men.

Anyway, an Amazonian Tribe isn’t complete without more women, so I sent Xena out to scour the town for their first recruit, who ended up being easily impressed, a natural cook, ambitious, and a daredevil who had commitment issues.

Xena: Hello there, you look utterly helpless and in need of a direction in life. May I interest you in joining my Amazonian tribe? Lesbianism is not required but heavily encouraged - just not with me because let’s face it, I’m way out of your league right now it’s not even funny.

Random Woman: Oh wow, I’m super flattered; I’ve never been a lesbian before! By the way, my name is– Xena: Why do people keep trying to tell me their names? No, I don’t care. Your name is Euryleia now. Learn to love it, because I don’t have time to listen to incessant whining over tribal names.

Xena: By the way, you’re going to have fix... all of that if you ever plan to move up in rank. We are vain by nature, or maybe I’m just a superficial bitch by nature, but either way. You’re going to have to go get yourself a job though, because we can’t afford your damn gym membership right now.

Euryleia: I will go get a job right away then, Mistress! Xena: Good. I like people who can take direction. Also people who call me mistress. That will be allowed to continue, by the way.

So Euryleia went out and got herself a part time job, as that is all that is allowed at her rank. The money is still shit, but at least it’s better than nothing.

He is literally the worst slave ever, lol.

As punishment for burning the food, I made a starving Daor stand way in the back and watch everyone else eat the food that he finally managed to make halfway decent.

Xena: You know what would be better than this place? An island. Euryleia: I agr-- Xena: I’m sorry, did I say I was asking for opinions? I’m just musing right now, so eat your food and stay silent.

I took pity on Daor and let him eat a mushroom, even though he looks like he’s trying to smoke it, haha.

The next day the two Amazons hit the gym so Xena could work on her LTW and Euryleia could attempt to lose a little bit of weight so she could move up in rank at some point.

Xena: Oh stop whining, it’s not that difficult! Euryleia: But Mistress, my legs are not cooperating!

Who the fuck just leaves their newborn baby on the floor of the gym?

Xena: Actually, that’s not a bad id--

No, that is not how you’re going to get rid of your male children. Hush.

GUYS GUYS IT LOOKS LIKE ARGO! (people who have never seen xena are probably like wtf are you on about but trust me this is awesome, lol)

Xena: So I’ve been thinking about moving somewhere with some sun 24/7. Thoughts?

Euryleia: Oh yes, Mistress, I adore sun!

Xena: Good, cause honestly the thought of having to buy you all outerwear so you can survive the winter didn’t sound like a fun idea to me. We leave in the morning.

Yeah, I put a lot more effort into this lot. I won’t show you the insides of the houses though, as I totally prioritized the outside over the inside right now, lol. Everything is pretty bare and minimal.

Guapo finally got a cage though!

And Daor gets... a tent. Lmao.

Xena: I have to say, Euryleia, I commend you on your progress. You have lost a significant amount of weight and as I am a vain asshole, this is something I care greatly about because I only give a shit about people’s appearances and not who they are on the inside.

Euryleia: Oh thank you, Mistress, I am flattered! Does that mean you might consider me as a potential mate or, better yet, an occasional fuck buddy because commitment is for old people and religious folk? Xena: ...Don’t push it.

DAOR HOW ARE YOU THIS FUCKING USELESS JFC

At least Xena’s brave enough to put it out.

Xena: That’s right, I’m just your everyday hero. With fantastic guns.

Xena: I am so sick of you! One more misstep and I will drown you in the sacrificial well! Daor: But... we don’t have a sacrificial well. Xena: I. Will. Build. One. Daor: *gulps*

If we could ever afford it, anyway.

Moving on though, another thing that a tribe needs is heirs, and for that we need a disposable piece of man meat.

Xena: You look like you have decent enough genes, how would you feel about a one night stand to get me pregnant with a female heiress for my Amazon tribe that you would have zero commitment in raising?

Harley: No strings attached sex? I’m in!

Xena: Good, I like men that are compliant. Meet me at your house in an hour.

Lol this house screams dude bro.

After their rough and tumble in bed, I sent Xena off to hunt as a werewolf because honestly, they’re still poor as hell and need stuff to sell, lol.

She didn’t find anything though, so I decided maybe the scuba skill might help. However somethings weird with my game and I realized that even with a high enough skill she can’t go actual scuba diving as all my community lots just say ‘community lots’ without names for some reason? If anyone knows how to fix it, help would be appreciated. Also some of the unoccupied houses say community lots too. Idk wtf is up but I’m sure its some kind of mod conflict *sigh*

...Appetizing. On the plus side though, a baby is on the horizon!

Euryleia: Oh Mistress, our first tribe daughter, I’m so excited! I’ll start preparing right away for her birth!

Euryleia desperately needs to move up in rank, so I sent her to the library to learn some skills so she could end up being a Provider instead.

Euryleia: Mistress! Since you and I are now friendly and I have enough skills and the personality to become a Provider for this noble tribe, I was wondering if you could promote me? If you do, I’ll be sure to get a career ASAP so we can start making some real money in preparation for the baby!

Xena: ‘Money’ is the magic word, Euryleia. You have my permission.

So Euryleia went downtown and got herself a job in the Culinary Career, since Daor sucks at making food anyway so it’d be good they got someone else to do that chore, lmao.

Xena: Good lord, it feels like my insides are being torn to shreds!

Xena: Wtf? This isn’t what I ordered!

How disappointing, lol. This is Aeolus though, and his traits are easily impressed and excitable. Don’t get too attached.

Xena: Harley? Get the fuck down here, we have a problem. Also bring some tools; I’m going to need you to help my slave build a sacrificial well.

Euryleia: Mistress, I know you aren’t fond of boys, but maybe we shouldn’t... you know, kill it? It’s still a baby, after all. And Harley still has decent genes, so maybe you should give him another chance? You could still get a beautiful girl out of him and if you don’t...

Xena: If I don’t, then I kill them! Euryleia: I meant maybe you could just banish all of them from the tribe, but I of course will not argue with your judgement, oh divine one.

Xena: That’s right, I am your God. Worship me.

Xena: Alright look, you fucked up. You fucked up royally. BUT you still have decent genes, so I’m going to give you another chance to give me a baby girl.

Xena: Because if you do not, I will drown you in the sacrificial well I will soon have built and all your sons go into slavery. Understood?

Harley: But... what happened to no strings attached? Xena: That was if you managed to give me a girl, which you did not. Now, you are in charge of that disgusting thing inside and will live here as a slave until I bear my next child. If it’s a girl, you and your son go free. If not... well, I already covered that.

Xena: Now, get the fuck inside and impregnate me the proper way before my patience runs out.

Will their next child be a girl, or will Harley’s lifespan be shorter than expected? Stay tuned to find out!

#the sims 3 #ts3 #legacy challenge #amazon challenge #simblr #legacy: soturi

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Sydney Is for the Birds. The Bigger and Bolder, the Better.

SYDNEY — The bushy pair of laughing kookaburras that used to show up outside my daughter’s bedroom window disappeared a few months ago.

The birds simply vanished — after rudely waking us every morning with their maniacal “koo-koo-kah-KAH-KAH” call, after my kids named them Ferrari and Lamborghini, after we learned that kookaburras mate for life.

And here’s the odd thing: I missed them.

This is not normal, at least not for me, but Sydney has a rare superpower: It turns urbanites into bird people, and birds into urbanites. Few other cities of its size (five million and counting) can even come close to matching Sydney’s still-growing population of bold, adaptable and brightly colored squawkers.

“We’ve got a lot of large conspicuous native birds that are doing well and that is very unusual globally,” said Richard Major, the principal research scientist in ornithology for the Australian Museum in Sydney. “It’s quite different in other cities around the world.”

The reasons — some natural, others man-made — are fascinating, and we’ll get to them. But lest anyone doubt Mr. Major’s assertion, at a time when the bird population of North America is suffering a steep decline, compare a typical day of avian interactions in Sydney with anywhere else.

Morning here begins with a chorus. Relentlessly chirpy, the noisy miner blasts the alarm before dawn alongside the screeching and flapping of rainbow lorikeets, parrots brighter than Magic Markers and that argue like toddlers. And of course, there are the kookaburras, with their cackles carrying across neighborhoods declaring: “This is MY territory!”

A walk to the car or train may require dodging attacking magpies — in spring, they swoop down on your head to protect their young — and rarely does a week go by without seeing a sulphur-crested cockatoo, or a dozen, spinning on a wire like an escaped circus act.

Even the local scavenger is extraordinary. As grubby as any New York pigeon but much grander, the white ibis, known here as a “bin chicken,” is a hefty, prehistoric-looking creature with a curved beak.

It’s a remarkable mix.

Even as ornithologists point out that some small birds are struggling in the city, they note that a generation or two ago, Sydney didn’t have nearly as much avian diversity as it does today, nor as many flocks of birds that have mastered what city living requires: competitiveness, an obsession with real estate and the ability to adapt.

Why so many birds are thriving here is increasingly a subject of international study. Scientists believe it is due in part to how Sydney was settled — relatively recently, compared with many global cities, with less intrusion into wildlife habitats.

The luck of local terrain has helped. Sydney’s rocky coastline didn’t lend itself to clearing land for agriculture, which slowed development and left lots of native plants untouched. Australia’s early leaders also set up large national parks near Sydney, protecting bushland for animals of all kinds.

But making the city a bird capital was probably not on their agenda. The British colonialists in charge hated the sound of Sydney’s birds enough to import songbirds like common starlings to soothe their tender ears.

Today, some early examples of those imports, from the 1860s, are stuffed and tagged in the Australian Museum’s collection room. When I stopped by one recent morning, Leah Tsang, the museum’s ornithology collection manager, sifted through the white metal cabinets containing the taxidermy archives to show me the supposed improvement sent from Europe.

The juvenile starlings in the tray looked small, dark and … dull.

A few cabinets over, Dr. Tsang showed me her own favorite bird — the princess parrot, a lovely Australian specimen of soft pastels, in pink, blue and green.

If the young starling’s feathers evoked the lackluster mood of a Benjamin Disraeli portrait, the princess parrot was Elton John.

“I had one as a pet when I was a kid,” said Dr. Tsang, 40, who sported some bold plumage herself, a shock of electric blue hair in a ponytail. “Its name was Cheeky.”

She told me she came to birds late in life, at least as a career. She worked in technology for nearly a decade before ditching it for the birds.

“You want to do something that fulfills you and makes you happy,” she said, standing near a display of little penguins (yes, balmy Sydney has penguins, too). She paused, and later told me she worried about sounding like a cliché.

But there’s no need to ashamed of bird-loving. Not in Sydney.

That afternoon, I went for a walk in the city’s Centennial Parklands with John Martin, an ornithologist with the University of New South Wales who is working on a project looking at how Sydney’s cockatoos have adapted, learning to open garbage bins and knock on windows to ask people for food.

We stopped near a wetland in the park’s center. In less than an hour, we saw 20 species of birds — and old friends, Ann Birrell and Carol Bunton, who are park regulars.

They surprised me with their knowledge of not just kinds of birds, but individual ones — two owls that had nested in an oak; a tawny frogmouth they had gotten to know; and the corellas flying overhead, pecking, wrestling and mating in the trees.

“There are ménage à troises,” observed Ms. Bunton, a retiree walking with a cane, nodding toward the corellas. “We’re interested in their behavior.”

Dr. Martin walked us over to one of the ponds where ducks and other birds gather. He pointed out a white ibis with a yellow plastic number tag on its wing. “That’s Lennie,” he said.

Lennie had been tagged as part of a study aiming to understand why Sydney seemed to have so many of these so-called bin chickens. The public sees them as a nuisance, but according to Dr. Major at the Australian Museum, they only started to appear in Sydney in the 1970s.

Researchers eventually discovered that the white ibis loves carbohydrates, making it a match for a city of fish and chips. But the big birds were also refugees of a sort; they had moved to Sydney because their natural wetland habitat further inland had been dried out by drought and heavy-handed water management.

“We’re not sure if it’s climate change or not, but what we do know is that the coast has always been a refuge,” Dr. Martin said.

Sydney is not ideal for all. Tiny birds like the superb fairy-wren, with its bright blue markings, seem to be declining because they need brambles and weeds to hide in, and urbanization tends to cut that away.

But for larger and more territorial birds, Sydney is quite comfortably home.

At one point in the park, we walked by a group of parrots with bright pink heads. They were galahs, which has become slang for lovable doofus. They didn’t make a sound, nor did they mind me getting within inches of them.

Many of Sydney’s birds seem to like their human neighbors. Scientists have determined magpies can form friendships with people. Cockatoos are highly social too.

I was wondering if the same was true for kookaburras, and then, as I was finishing this article, Ferrari and Lamborghini returned. They showed up just before dark and took their perch near my daughter’s window. They nuzzled. They screeched their unique good night and good morning. It’s quite a racket. But we’re hoping they stay.

Sahred From Source link Travel

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ericjuneau · 7 years

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Reprise (Chapter 21) [Frozen/Tangled/The Little Mermaid]

CHAPTER 21: Good to Sea

"Okay, I think I got it this time," Rapunzel said. "Andrina: blond, purple tail. Alana: also purple, black hair, loves gardening. Aquata: blue tail, brown hair. She's the oldest."

"I thought Attina was the oldest," Elsa said.

"Well, that's... the way mermaids give birth, it's kinda... complicated. That's part of the reason they're all sharing the queenship," Ariel said.

Rapunzel grunted. "Ooh, you made me lose my place."

"Sorry. If it's any consolation, I can only remember three: Attina, Adella, and Arista," Elsa said.

Ariel giggled. "If you can split them between the two of you, there won't be a problem."

Rapunzel laughed. "Give me a break, can't you? I'm exhausted. I've never swam this much in my life."

"That's because you're still swimming like a human," Ariel laughed. "Keep your arms down."

"We are going to be so fit when we're back to normal," Elsa muttered to Rapunzel.

A school of silver fish swam by. Each bowed its head, as much as a fish could bow, and said "Good day, Princess Ariel."

Ariel smiled. They still remembered her, even after all this time.

"Good morning," Ariel said.

A couple of thick-lipped groupers passed by. One was distinctly male and another female by its pink coloring.

"Good morning, Ariel. Where are you off to?" the male asked in a snobbish voice.

"The palace. I... I've got some new friends to introduce."

"Oh good. While you're at it, see if you can't get your sisters to get along. Those biddies are burbling better than a bloated blowfish."

Ariel kept swimming, now more nervous. The palace was the best place to hide from Arcius. It was protected, they had allies. Daddy always said no matter what, she could always go home.

But Daddy wasn't there anymore.

She forgot about it as Elsa started crimping her tail instead of undulating and she began meandering upward. Every once in a while, Elsa or Rapunzel would get off track and she had to pull them back. Still, they managed to get to the palace gates. The castle's foremost guard, a seahorse, met her at the entrance.

"Princess Ariel? You're back! I thought you joined the human world."

"I had," Ariel said. "But, well... things have changed for now. In the meantime, I can still go to the palace, right?"

"Right. I'll tell your sisters at once."

The seahorse beckoned to the royal page--a white sailfish who would deliver the message before they were halfway there.

"Ariel," Rapunzel said. "What about our ship? It's still docked on the island, isn't it?"

"I hope Arcius isn't petty enough to destroy it. But we can't simply return," Elsa said.

"I know," Ariel said. "I can ask some whales to tow it out of there, and then... where should we put it?"

"Can't drag it down here with us," Rapunzel said. "Kind of defeats the purpose of a boat."

"How about your castle's port?" Elsa asked.

"What would Eric do if a ship sailed into his port with no one on it?" Rapunzel queried.

Ariel snapped her fingers. "I know the perfect spot. There's a cute little grove on the north side of the promontory. And the cliff has a little crook inside where the boat can go."

Ariel communicated her desires to the seahorse, who nodded and said he would carry out their orders straight away. At that time, two walruses arrived to escort them through palace. Elsa couldn't help but grinning at their sashes and little hats.

A set of trumpet fish stood on each side of the large golden archway to the interior.

"Announcing, the return of her royal majesty, Princess Ariel."

Elsa and Rapunzel marveled at the architecture of it all. All around, merpeople swam in and out through the portals dotting the golden towers. There were no such things as doors. When one didn't have to worry about rain or wind or cold, shelter didn't mean as much. Maybe that was the reason everyone seemed so happy.

At least until they entered the royal chamber. Six figures lounged around at a kidney-shaped table. Some looked bored, some furiously scribbled on seaweed-colored scrolls. Each had a dour, petty expression.

"Ariel?" Adella asked.

"Ariel!" Arista said.

Four of them swam up from their seats to embrace her. The two at the ends, Attina and Aquata, were the last to rise. Ariel became the center of a hug sandwich.

"I missed you."

"We missed you," said one with a bright yellow tail. "Who are your new friends?"

"I will tell you all about it, I promise. This is Rapunzel and this is Elsa." Ariel gestured to each in turn.

"Are they okay?" Alana asked. "They're kinda... falling."

Elsa and Rapunzel were slipping to the floor. The two realized and fluttered their arms to stay up.

"We're okay, just tired," Rapunzel said.

Ariel never realized how exhausted they would be as new mermaids if they were too tired to stay afloat. "It was a really long swim. Can we give them some guest rooms to rest in? And food?"

Andrina nodded to a nearby servant, who took their hands in each of his fins.

"I'll catch up with you later." Ariel waved to them as they drifted down the hall.

"What are you doing back? Why did you have to take the trident?" asked Alana.

"I expect you'll return it when you're done," Attina said. She and Aquata stepped out from opposite sides of the table. They looked the most queen-like of all--respectable, serious, and weathered.

"I just need to borrow it for a little while longer. We found out there's some terrible-"

Aquata put her hand on her hip. "Who were those two?"

"They swim so awkwardly," said Attina. "Are they from Atlantica?"

"Well, not really..." Ariel said. "They're from... very far away."

"Ariel..." Aquata crossed her arms and tapped her fins. "If you always lied this badly, it's no wonder Daddy was always yelling at you."

Ariel sighed. "All right, they're human."

"Human?" Some gasped. "You brought humans down here?"

"That's what you wanted the trident for?" Adella asked.

"No! Not at all," Ariel said. "I didn't even know them when this started."

"So not only are they human, they're strangers," Attina said.

"If you would just listen-"

"What would Daddy say?" asked Aquata. "All he wanted was to keep our world safe and secret. If humans knew about us, our whole kingdom would be at stake. Our lives would end."

"Didn't you learn anything, Aquata?" Ariel said. "Humans are not bad. I mean, not all of them. They're just like us."

"But no one the surface knows that there are mermaids still, right?" Attina asked.

"Yes. That's still true," Ariel said. "And my friends have promised to keep the secret."

"Secret or not, the more people that know, the more chances it has to slip out," Attina said.

"Why are you acting this way?" Ariel asked. "Don't you trust me?"

"I guess I just don't know who you are anymore."

"I became a human. I married a human," Ariel said. "The whole reason I'm going through this is to get back to him."

"But you were born a mermaid," Aquata added. "You can't change that, no matter how you feel."

Ariel flexed her fingers around her trident.

"I'm afraid we have to get back to business. The Mermaid's Ball is just a day away, and there's still a lot to do." Attina gestured back to the conference room.

"The Mermaid's Ball?" Ariel's eyes brightened.

"Uh-huh," Andrina said in her squeaky voice. "It's going to be the best one yet. Are you going to come?"

"I-"

"It would be great if we were all there. All seven of us together again," Adella said.

"Don't worry about what they said." Arista waved her hand back. "You're still part of our family. And your friends are invited too."

"Okay," Ariel said. "I'll be there."

"You?" Aquata said. "You missed your own debutante concert because you were off exploring. Don't count on seeing her, girls. She was willing to never see us again so she could become human. Don't fall for the same thing twice."

Andrina turned back. "But-"

"Are you coming?" Attina yelled, already halfway back.

Adella, Alana, Arista, and Andrina followed Aquata and Attina back into the hall. Arista looked behind her as the doors shut and made a pitiful wave.

Ariel remained motionless, still gripping the trident. Her lower lip quivered. She swam off into the long hallway, to the fading blue haze at the end.

Someone knocked on Elsa's door. She pushed herself off the spongy bed and floated above it, next to the window... door... portal? The castle was built like Swiss cheese. It was so weird to think she could just swim out her window to leave. Maybe this was what a goldfish felt like, swimming through a giant stone castle full of holes.

Even if the gravity was different, day and night were mostly the same. A dark iron blue haze blanketed above. Down below, ambient light from glowing plants and bioluminescent fish kept the kingdom from pitch blackness.

Another rapping reminded Elsa about the knock. With a few twists, she righted herself and pulled down the giant calico scallop door.

Rapunzel stood there. "Hi. Can you sleep?"

Elsa shook her head. "I don't want to sleep. This world is too amazing."

"I know," Rapunzel squealed. "I'm having too much fun." She swam in a hoop, bubbles trailing her. "This is like a dream. I think it still might be."

"Maybe we died in the fall."

Rapunzel stopped swimming. "Elsa! Don't be so gloomy."

"You're right. If we were dead, the food would taste better."

"Yeah," Rapunzel said, holding her stomach. "I've never had kelp pasta before, but it was kind of bland and salty."

"I prefer the regular cucumber sandwiches. Not sea cucumber. It was presented well, though."

"And it must be full of energy. They don't eat any fish. No shrimp, no cod, no carp. But I haven't seen anyone with an ounce of fat. Swimming all day does wonders for the body." Rapunzel leaned in. "You want to go exploring?"

Elsa peeked out her door. Dead quiet from hall to hall. There might be unknown dangers lurking, but when would she ever explore a mermaid kingdom again?

"Let's do it," Elsa said.

The two of them swam out into the silent castle. Crab shells and starfish spotted every wall. Conch and spiral shells jutted out of gate points. Everything seemed to glow with an ambient effervescent twilight. And she had no idea where it was coming from.

The grand hall was bigger than Arendelle's opera house or Corona's theater. And explorable from top to bottom. Elsa smiled as she dragged her fingers across the rippled ceiling. The long table was irregularly built rock, like most things here. Against the wide wall was a balcony, with giant clam shells for lounging sofas.

"Look at these," Rapunzel said. She let herself fall into one. "They're huge. And so smooth."

Elsa looked out onto a seaweed forest as tall as trees. "Everything's so colorful. It makes my castle look like so drab."

They even had a gallery--art framed with strips of golden hydrozoa. Rapunzel marveled at the shades of blue within landscapes of sea volcanoes, sunken ships, and coral reefs. How they painted down here, they'd never know.

Rapunzel could have stayed there forever, but Elsa led her onward. They found some private rooms, possibly servants' quarters. If they were, every maidservant and steward had nothing to complain about. Every bed was as fine and plush as theirs.

They stopped at a door with a golden starfish on it. It was the first door they had seen in the palace, not a carved aperture.

"I wonder what's behind here," Rapunzel said. The thought didn't cross their minds that it was somewhere they weren't supposed to go. After seeing the grand hall, the trophy room, the balcony, it had to be something majestic. Rapunzel opened it.

"Oh," she said. "It's a closet."

A dustpan made from a scallop shell. A broom with thick tangly seaweed for bristles. Bottles made from nautilus shells.

"See? Even the closet is staggering," Elsa said.

They meandered to the lower levels where more industrial activities took place--metalwork, manufacturing, carpentry. Tools and unfinished pieces of stone lay in unorganized piles. The material was all too spiraled or gnarled or striped or tubular to recognize.

Then they came upon the treasury. A mountain of gold lay in a cave-like room. No guards, no doors. Just a carved out hole, like a burrowing animal had left it behind.

Elsa and Rapunzel dared not go inside, but they poked their heads in. Their lips puckered at the sight of it all--humongous pearls, candy red rubies, sea foam emeralds, arctic sapphires, and a beach's worth of silver and gold.

"That is... It's... there are no words..." Rapunzel said, swallowing.

Elsa nodded in silence. If anything was a dream, this was it.

"Have you noticed something?" Elsa asked. "There is no armory. No war room. No dungeon."

"Maybe we haven't found it," Rapunzel said.

"Maybe they don't need it. All I've seen are patrolling guards. And those are probably protecting from giant squids and killer whales."

Rapunzel bit her lip. Was Atlantica that perfect? Did they really have no war? No opposing nations bearing down on them, pressuring them into competition?

"I guess it would be hard to defend your castle when you can move all around it. You could just swim over the top and drop down."

Under the water, a siege army would have no meaning. Walls had no meaning. In such a culture, did that make war obsolete?

The two of them flutter-kicked up a ramp to the main floor. Elsa mused that in the human world it would be a staircase, but fish had no need for stairs. A little more sober, they wandered through decorated corridors.

Elsa stopped. "Do you hear that?"

"Music," Rapunzel said.

They followed the sound, until they found a magnificent dance hall. Mermaids, mermen, and fish of all kinds were decorating with streamers, ribbons, cut-out stars, and other party implements ornaments. The jazzy, soulful melody came from a corner, where a small red crab was conducting a five-piece band.

He held his hands to his ears. "No, no, no. Dat's all wrong, all wrong. Ace, have you been practicing your scales like I tell you?"

He pointed at a manta ray wearing sunglasses and holding a fishbone guitar.

"Just like always, Sebastian." He demonstrated a pentatonic lick. "I just don't feel comfortable with the instrument. I should be playing bass."

"Ink Spot," Sebastian said. "Only an octopus drumma cud be rushing and dragging at de same time."

The cepahalopod in the back shrugged all eight of his shoulders. "Why does it always gotta be the octopus playing drums? I can play other instruments too. Like sea cello, harmonica, trumpet..."

"We got a trumpet. But he keep running out of steam. Puffy!" Sebastian looked at a blowfish holding a trumpet.

"I'm calling myself P. Guppy now."

"Dese kids today," he muttered to himself. "Your bass is not soundin' as sharp, mon."

"It was a fluke. You can't blame me. I was up all night practicing." To demonstrate, he blew on his horn, ballooning into a sticker-laden sphere. The bright brass sound deflated into a squeaky trickle.

"And Diva Sea Lily, you're off key."

A beluga whale with black trim on her fins swung her hips. "I'm under a lot of pressure here. I don't sing as well without my autotuna."

Sebastian wiped his forehead. "Why don' we take a break for an hour?"

The band put down their instruments, making discordant sounds, and wandered away. Sebastian glumly sat on the edge of the platform. "Dis is going to be de worst Mermaid's Ball yet."

"Mermaid's Ball?" Rapunzel exclaimed.

Sebastian looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were we making too much noise? Or not enough? It's not perfect yet, but we'll be ready in time or my name's not Horatio Thelonius Ignatius Crustaceus Sebastian. Tell de princesses we not gonna rest until every note sings out-"

"Whoa, whoa," Elsa said. "We're not mad. We were just looking for where the sound was coming from."

"We've never heard anything like it," Rapunzel said.

Sebastian wiped his brow. "Oh. I tought de princesses sent you for to spy on me."

"No, we're just... we've never heard of the Mermaid's Ball. But your music sounded wonderful," Rapunzel asked.

"Well, it's like I always say. De key to any event is that you got to create... de mood. Mermaids thrive on music. It brings everyone closer together. Everyting got life and harmony from music."

Elsa and Rapunzel recalled the times they caught Ariel humming to herself. "We've noticed."

"De Mermaid's Ball is one of de biggest parties Atlantica has all year. Next to de Party Gras, de Soundsational Extravaganza, Memorial to de Royals Day, the bi-annual Tidal Gala, and... we have a lot of parties, I guess."

Elsa sighed. "This place is a utopia. The people are so happy and content. There's no war, no hard work. All you do is have parties."

Sebastian nodded solemnly. "Atlantica didn't always used to be dis way. Ten years ago, de king banished all music from de sea kingdom. He was in mourning for his wife."

"Wow, I can't imagine a world without music," Rapunzel said.

"How would you even enforce that?" Rapunzel asked.

"He couldn't. Not for long. In fact," he whispered, "I was one of de biggest rascals dere was. You ever heard of De Catfish Club Band? I was de leader."

Elsa and Rapunzel shook their heads.

"No? How about Dizzy Crustace? De hottest performer in Eel-lectric City?"

Elsa and Rapunzel shook their heads again.

"Boy, you two must be from a different ocean. Where you swim in from?" Sebastian asked.

"No, we're from... um, up... up..." Rapunzel stammered.

"Up north. See the tail?" Elsa thrust out her ice-blue tail with the snowflake pattern on the fluke.

Sebastian shrugged. "Anyway, dere were underground clubs everywhere, playing music all night, sneaking in and out. After ten years de king finally come around. Before dat, he be mopin' all day like de sea slug. All he do is take a morning walk with his daughters and dat's it. Dis bossy governess would watch de girls. And I be out negotiating with de sprat and de smelt."

"He sounds like... kind of a tyrant," Elsa said.

"No! No, no. It's... I guess it's hard to explain." Sebastian shrugged. "He made me his royal court composer. I created all sorts of award-winning songs. Without me, music under de sea wouldn't be what it is today."

"What we heard sounded great," Elsa said. "The music in my kingdom is mostly somber violins. I can't wait to see what this ball is going to be like."

"Dis will be my biggest concert since de king died. It must be."

"Why?" Rapunzel asked.

"Everyone's unsure about the future. Atlantica spent so much time fearing humans, now no one's sure what to think. The princesses do more fightin' than rulin'. So dis Mermaid's Ball has got to be the best dat it can be. It seemed to all start when Ah-ree-el left. Dat girl was the sunshine in de ocean. Everywhere she went, she left a school of joyfish behind her. We shared so many adventures."

"But she's here right now. She came with us. Didn't you know?" Rapunzel said.

"She's back again? In de palace?!" Sebastian leapt off the stage and swam in a circle. "Well, why didn't you say so? Hey, did you hear? Princess Ariel's back!" he said to the others posting decorations around the hall.

"We know already. I just saw her in the courtyard," said a merman hanging a banner. "Jeez, come out of your shell once in a while."

"Dis," Sebastian said, "is just de kind of boost dis kingdom needs. It'll put de flush bock in everyone's fins." He swam off to find wherever his band. "Hey, guys, come back! We haff to practice twice as hard now."

Elsa turned to Rapunzel. "In the courtyard? She's not asleep?"

"Like we're supposed to be?" Rapunzel replied.

"I hope nothing's wrong. Let's see if we can find her."

After a quick swim around the castle, they found the courtyard. Situated at the rear, it looked much like a human one. Cement walkways wound through plots of sea anemones, coral sculptures, and tall statues. It was twice as big as either of their courtyards, and three times as lovely.

Ariel was sitting on a bench next to a patch of tall swaying seaweed. They spotted her red hair right away.

"Hey, guys," she said in a cheerless voice. "What are you doing awake?"

"We couldn't sleep," Rapunzel said. "It's too exciting down here. So much to see and do."

"But that can't be your reason. This is your home," Elsa said.

Ariel sighed. "It used to be. Everything's different now. This used to be Alana's garden. She loved gardening. It was the most beautiful thing in the courtyard. And with her pet sea turtle and all her other fishy friends, they loved it. One day there was a seaquake and the garden was ripped apart. But the next day, all her friends rebuilt it out of wildflowers and coral blossoms. It was dazzling." Ariel waved her hand through the sargasso and sighed. "I can tell she's not tending it anymore. The servants are taking care of it."

"Maybe she has a lot of work to do," Elsa said. "Being queen is tough."

"The six of them are sharing the queenship and they still can't get it right?" Ariel asked. "Alana loved beauty. She made her own skin cremes. She always said 'we daughters of Triton must look our best'. I bet Aquata doesn't do water sports anymore. Andrina doesn't joke anymore. Adella doesn't think about boys. They said they don't even know who I am anymore. I don't know who they are either."

"Are they mad because you went to the surface?" Rapunzel asked.

"But that was your choice, " Elsa said. "You had ambition to be more than a princess. You saw what you wanted and went for it."

"But I never thought about what I was giving up," Ariel said. "I was so fascinated with the human world, I never thought about what I was leaving behind."

Elsa and Rapunzel sat down beside Ariel. "You knew what you were doing. You knew that you'd never see your family again when you made that deal. But now you can!"

"It doesn't feel right," Ariel said. "When I made that bargain, I knew it was a sacrifice. Being here again seems... wrong. Like I'm violating some rule."

"My mother said," Elsa said, "the past is what makes you who you are now, but you don't have to let it define your future."

"That's the thing!" Ariel looked up with pleading eyes. "I don't know which is my future. Is it here? Is it on the surface?" She sighed. "I wonder if I should never have become human at all."

"No," Rapunzel scoffed. "You'd be miserable if you hadn't. Think of what you'd have missed out on. Like horse rides."

"And snow. And crocuses," Elsa said.

"And guitar music. And bonfires," Rapunzel said.

"And tall forests. And giant fields full of wheat that go on forever," Elsa said.

"And meeting a bunch of ugly guys at a pub and singing about your dreams," Rapunzel said. "Or maybe that's just me."

"Everyone in my kingdom wants me to learn more about being a queen. It's terrible. It means staying at home, researching, making orders, doing nothing fun. I might as well stay locked in a barrel of sea water."

"You know what? We can worry about all this later," Elsa said. She surprised herself with how optimistic she sounded. "We're still safe down here, right?"

Ariel brushed her bangs from her eyes. She sniffled and nodded.

"So while we've got time, is there anything we can do to figure out how to deal with Arcius. We need to find more about this 'grain of time'. It's the key to his power."

"Oh! The letter!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "You should check if you got a letter. Like the ones we got."

Ariel perked up. "I could ask Dudley. He's the court clerk. Handles all the important documents." She took the lead, swimming off in an arc. Rapunzel and Elsa kept up as she entered the golden palace again.

They followed her into what looked like a library archive. Rows of cubbies stretched back as far as the eye can see. An old sea turtle lay on the floor, snoozing in a basket. His thick gray eyebrows twitched, which, somehow, the reptile had.

"Dudley? Dudley?" Ariel said.

The sea turtle opened his eyes. "Eh... what?... oh..." He yawned. "Prin... cess... you..."

"Dudley, have there been any letters for me since I left?"

"Let...ters? ...no... not... since... your... wedding.... Eh... when... was... that?"

"A year ago."

"Ariel," Elsa asked. "Is this place like a library?"

"Maybe there's material about Arcius or his magic or anything like that?" Rapunzel asked. "It's a long shot, but if the human libraries don't have anything, maybe you do."

"There wouldn't be anything about Temeris, but... ooh! I know. Dudley, listen."

"Eh... what-"

"Can you look through the archives for any information about 'sands of time'? I know it sounds poetic, but I think it's some sort of magic artifact. It can be used to change the past."

"And it's very small," Rapunzel said.

"And very rare," Elsa added.

"Sands... of... time? ...I... don't..."

"Great, thanks Dudley. You're still the best clerk Atlantica ever had." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Well..." Dudley's cheeks flushed red.

"Come on," Ariel said, swimming away. "While he's doing that, we have a ball to get ready for."

#Ariel #Elsa #Rapunzel #Frozen #Tangled #The Little Mermaid #Disney #fanfiction #reprise #fan fiction #fanfic #crossover #disneyprincess #disney princess

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