potassiumboron

~I'm drinking coffee on a trampoline~
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Posting Speed
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3pm - 1am (GMT / BST)
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  1. Beginner
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  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Nonbinary
  4. Transgender
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Genres
Monsters, supernatural, fantasy, romance, criminality, slice-of-life (modern or set in past, usually with some twists)
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Percival couldn't help the feeling of dread that crashed over him the moment he arrived in front of an admittedly beautiful, old building a week ago. Under any other circumstance, he would genuinely be happy wandering the grounds of the grand estate, soaking in the silence that came with being so far from society, out in the snowy wilderness of the German mountains. This was his idea of perfection, and he bemoaned the fact that he arrived at the beautiful building, in these beautiful surroundings, unable to really enjoy them. He had planned to the moment he arrived, having decided that this whole idea was utterly useless. He barely believed his father's ramblings about strange creatures, so while being sent to school in an entirely different country was a little irritating, he was determined to make the most of it by soaking up the surroundings and the peace and quiet--

Until he was ushered into the school by an excitable teacher, eager to introduce the new student to life at the prestigious academy. That wouldn't have been that horrifying, and it wasn't... until he took notice of the large, ram-like horns curling outwards from her forehead. It was meeting her that made him realise that his father was, in fact, correct; the place was full of monsters and creatures, not a human in sight. He would have run away if possible, but the fact he had no transportation away from the school stopped him doing so-- as did the fact his father would be beyond furious if he didn't stay for those few months capturing sufficient evidence.

Percival's first week in the Academy had been... difficult. He was a human among monsters, totally out of his depth dealing with creatures he'd only even seen in fictitious movies-- but he'd managed to hold himself together surprisingly well. He forced a smile to those that approached, and murmured the bare minimum in answer to their questions. Inevitably, he distanced himself from everyone else as best he could. He did that among humans, so it was expected he do the same among these... monsters.

Yet, his solitude over that week had an undesired effect. Percival wasn't left alone as he preferred; he became suddenly popular among others in the school for his brooding, mysterious silence. Nobody knew much about him other than his name, where he was from in Scotland, and the fact he was apparently a merman, and the fact he told them so little only made them eager to pursue him for more information. Not an hour went past without someone approaching him, or simply glancing over at him and gossiping to their friends. It wasn't at all what he wanted, but at least they weren't suspicious of him. He'd expected to be found out the first day of his arrival, so to have lasted a week without suspicion cast upon him was little short of a miracle.

On his 8th day at the school, Percy was already sat in class, arriving predictably early from his private bedroom to soak up the silence while he could. He avoided breakfast purely because of the attention he seemed to gather, and yet, while he was starving and really could have done with a big breakfast, he'd gladly skip food until lunch if it meant avoiding the troublesome monsters for a little while. The moment a few of them turned up to class, though, his peace was effectively over, and he didn't hesitate to audibly sigh and vocalising that annoyance.
 
The first week of school was always the same for Rene. He had been doing this for five years and while other students graduated, he was always a constant. Because of that consistency, and because of the fact that his parents were well known and idolized, it was no surprise that people flocked to him. He was used to eagerly chatting to other students during lunch in the courtyard, simply discussing useless things like the human world or about news in their secret society.

When Percival first arrived, the Russian was... suspicious. He had met mermaids before, and there was often signs of their true form - whether it be gills or scales, or strange eyes - but this boy was void of all of that. He had never met a human before, though his grandfather often told horrifying tales of how dangerous they could be and how vital it was to stay hidden. The moment he would mention his suspicions, he'd be scolded and told that 'merpeople look different in all countries' and that he was being too judgemental. That was alright, he declared, and let the alleged 'merman' drift from his mind. He was just another student who seemed to give nothing that he wanted, so why care?

It was only when it began to affect his friends did he really get angry. His lunch group dwindled down from 20 at maximum to 3, (granted, they were his best friends), he grew nervous. He soon found out the reason was this mysterious, brooding merman. So what, he's quiet? There were plenty of quiet monsters and he often picked on them. The fact that Percival just so happened to avoid being made fun of and instead skipped right to popularity was incredibly annoying.

Now, his first reaction would be to confront this new guy, but through some convincing from his friends, he chose to keep in the background a bit. He watched Percival from afar, despite sharing a few classes, and soon found out his pattern of intentionally skipping breakfast. He also noticed just what the other ate and decided to use that to make a proper breakfast for the other. Maybe it was in his genes, but while he wasn't brilliant at, say, chemistry, Rene was one of the most clever people you could meet. So, with a plate of food he managed to smuggle out with food he knew the other would eat, he made an effort to slip into the classroom early instead of lounging about first.

"Ah... you're the new kid, yes?" He questioned curiously, his Russian accent thick as he wandered in. His tail swayed behind him as he walked before taking a seat on the desk beside the human. "I'm sorry that I couldn't formally introduce myself. Usually, I'm on the welcome committee but it seems the others got to you first," he explained before offering one hand for a shake and the other to set the plate of food down. "I'm Rene," he explained, forcing back all urge to mention his parents. "It's nice to meet you."
 
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All he really wanted to do was be left alone. He hated interacting with fellow humans, mostly because he didn't have a great tolerance level for the amount of bullshit people tended to spout. However, lingering around literal monsters made him appreciate his own species all the more. It was one thing dealing with someone from his old school babbling on about the latest serious of some exploitative talent show, but it was another having to look at kids in this school without letting the fear show on his face. Some of them he could deal with. The vampires were relatively easy to look at without flinching (assuming they didn't smile and show off their sharpened fangs), and he was somewhat comfortable around the actual merfolk who only really were themselves in water.

However, coping around the various unsubtle monsters was a task he wasn't sure he could deal with for the next few months - and like them, Rene was difficult to be calm around. He wouldn't exactly blend into a human society, and his appearance obviously made Percy uncomfortable. He didn't label himself at all rude or judgemental, but to be thrown into this school like he was, it was of course difficult to adjust to the existence of the monsters around him. But he had little choice other than to try his best.

"Rene," he repeated quietly, eyeing the other boy as he easily recognised him from a few of his classes. It was hard not to notice Rene when he was bright blue, after all. Eyeing the food he'd placed down, he calmly forced a smile and turned back to his notepad, quite happy to leave the conversation there-- until the long silence and Rene's refusal to budge became overbearingly difficult to ignore.

"Is there something I... can do for you? Am I in your seat or something?" He murmured again, this time not bothering with the forced smile, or letting his eyes leave the page. "I... was reading, I don't really want to talk right now, if that's alright--"

"Why weren't you at breakfast? I was stuck with Meredith and I told you, I think she's creepy. Her mother literally turns men into stone, I don't want her around me-- not without you. She likes you. She hates me. If I end up a statue, I'll blame you-- Oh. Oh. Is this why you weren't there for that long. Busy chatting up the newbie, hm?" Cooed Sylvan, the spider-hybrid being another of the monsters Percival didn't necessarily enjoy being around. Sylvan wasn't entirely subtle, and nor did he ever strive to be. He was perfectly happy with his appearance and his personality, and, unlike Rene, he was quite happy to babble about his famous mother to the human.

"I'm Sylvan-- you know, Arachne's son. I'm sure I don't need to explain further. Go on, you two carry on your little conversation, I'll be quiet," he beamed, sitting himself down on the floor with a playful glint in his eye, still smiling to himself as he fiddled in his makeup bag to finish perfecting himself. "I mean, I'm not rude, and I don't want to burst in and interrupt, so... go on, you can carry on with the newbie, Rene~"

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Sylvan!” He scolded, his cheeks changing from blue to purple, indicating his blush. Despite that, he lounged back calmly as his tail swayed behind him. Leaning back enough to take in his friend, What with his body being so flexible, it was normal for the boy. Shooting the drider a smile, he eventually aimed that smile to Percival. While the smile hid behind rage, it appeared genuine to literally anyone else around. When he noticed the other not even shake his hand, Rene set his head in his hand, simply observing the other’s rigid body with a raising brow.

“... you like books?” He confirmed quietly as he skimmed the lines he saw from his seat. “Classical literature, then? You seem very distant, I’m sure this is all overwhelming for you. Have you checked out our library? My mother is a huge fan of literature so she put extra funding into expanding its size. You’re from Scotland, yes? We have plenty of books in English, naturally, but we do have some Gaelic books as well for the nymphs. From what I can tell, you haven’t left your room much...”he commented with a worried frown, his fingers absently tracing a few scratched made by a werewolf during a particularly stressful test.

“Look, I’ll leave you to your studies. I just wanted to assure you that this might be a bit overstimulating and that I’m here to help,” He cooed smoothly before getting up to wander to Sylvan’s side, his lip pouting. “Did you get something to eat?”
 
Managing a 'yes' and a few incoherent mumbles beneath his breath, it was admittedly a surprise to him that Rene was this... welcoming. He had heard a few gossips about the boy, after all, from gushing admirers of him and his parents - but he hadn't had Rene down as someone he would want to ever befriend. He didn't want to befriend anyone, but he often thought whether he would like them if they were human... which was useless, admittedly. Their appearances might be strange, but it was their personalities that honestly dissuaded him from opening up, even a meagre amount. They were either too loud, too idiotic or too narcissistic for him to deal with, and a change in appearance was hardly going to alter his judgement.

He assumed Rene was the latter; too narcissistic for him to like and warm up to. However, this meeting did take him back from that initial judgement, because rather than boasting and showing off to extreme lengths, he seemed relatively polite and the fact he brought a plate of food highlighted how observant he was without asking too many questions about why breakfast was constantly skipped. He appreciated that, as was then emphasised by him slowly taken a bite from the toast.

Not that Sylvan noticed. He was far too busy smoothing his foundation out to take any further notice of the human at the table. He only tore his attention away from his hand-held mirror when his friend finally approached, sitting back with a grin. Like the centaurs and nagas in the class, he didn't have a seat to sit on because he didn't really need one-- and like them, he sat right at the back to give himself as much room as was necessary. It often meant he had to sit away from Rene, regrettably, so the little moments before class started where he could talk to him were vital; vital enough for him to stop his focus on his makeup, at least.

"I had breakfast, of course I did. Had two platefuls, because my mother demanded they 'feed me right'. I was annoyed you didn't show up, but I can see why now," he smirked, his eyes briefly glancing to the front of the class, where Percy sat. "...I didn't have you down as the merman type. God, they're so boring, Rene. There's no fun to be had with a merman."
 
“I’m curious. Everyone seems to love him and I want to know why,” he replied quietly as to keep Percy from hearing. His own stomach growled, having put all of his energy on getting this newbie food instead of some for himself, which was a big sign of how serious he was right off the bat. Eyeing Sylvan’s makeup critically, he couldn’t help but smirk.

“What, have you been working on your makeup? You’ve finally stopped looking like a clown,” he murmured teasingly as he leaned back, stretching his arms wearily. “Ugh, I’m exhausted. I don’t know why they have me on for such an early class, they know how hard it is for me to get the proper 15 hours of sleep. I don’t know how yoI can wake up all eager to get to class like this, I barely got to show off my new turtleneck,” he explained as he childishly waved the oversized sleeves of his equally as large sweater. Letting his eyes drift towards the alleged merman, he offered a growing smile.

“It might work, though. I might get his attention by being cute, yeah~?” He cooed as he absently nibbled on his sleeve with his catlike fangs. “I’m pretty cute, let’s be honest. “
 
Despite scowling at the clown comment, Sylvan did let it slide surprisingly easily as he rooted in his backpack for a cereal bar he usually kept handy during lessons when he got peckish, though he was happy to hand it to his friend to ease his hunger instead. Had anyone else poked fun at his earlier attempts at makeup (he was 12 when he first started, and was hardly good back then), he would have not only pinned them to the floor with two of his legs, but gone as far as to tie them up somewhere in a web. He was immensely proud of how he looked, with that pride being characteristic of his species, so to have it insulted was a great insult.

But he did let Rene get away with it. First of all, he knew it was a joke anyway. Rene had always advocated for him to be truthful with who he was and how he wanted to represent himself, so he was hardly going to tear him down now he had the confidence to make himself up like this. Secondly, Rene was easily his closest friend, so he'd accept things from him he wouldn't from anyone else. He'd known him for years, well before they even attended the school, with his own mother being a regular at the events and dinner parties Rene's parents threw.

"I still don't see why you're bothering, by the way. He's new. People get excited about a new face. He'll blend into the background eventually. Don't skip breakfast for him, Rene, he isn't that cute," tutted the drider, adjusting his position to try and get comfortable, though it wasn't easy on the stone-cold floor. He did often bring a blanket with him, but he'd forgotten that day, too occupied in wondering where Rene was. "And don't leave me alone like that again. Since the others all started fawning over him, there's been less and less people at our table-- I don't need you following their suit and gushing over him either, alright? I will not be left alone, my mother would have a heart attack if she thought I was alone."
 
“It was one breakfast, relax,” he replied, waving the other’s concerns off casually. “I mean, have I ever been the type to fawn over people? Usually they fawn over me, Sylvan! Call me selfish but I don’t deserve this social rejection. I’m like you, I can’t be alone, Sy. I... I gave you, sure, but you can’t spend time with me all the time. If everyone else leaves me, then what?” He huffed, his eyes rolling as an attempt to soften his genuine anxiety.

“Seriously, I’ll make it up to you by buying you a nice lunch, yeah? You know I care about you - especially when you give me food,” He cooed before taking a huge bite of it, purring in content. “You’re too good to me. If this all falls apart, you better not leave my side. I will actually cry.”
 
"Why would I leave your side? You're the most famous kid at this school, it'd be social suicide to leave you," he remarked with an easy smile, even if, quite obviously, he was playing around with him. He wasn't friends with him purely for the attention it got him (though it was a nice perk of the friendship nonetheless). He had been friends with him before he even understood his parents were so powerful and famous in their community. The only time he'd consider dropping the friendship was if Rene did something appalling to him, and he doubted that day would ever come.

"Oh, chill out, would you? People love you, they're just preoccupied with this merman guy," he shrugged casually, rooting in his bag for some lipstick and, when that had been applied, he finally rested back with his can of soda, sipping at it through a straw. "...He is cute, though. For a merman, I mean. They're usually so not my type but meh, he's alright. I suppose that's why he's popular, too. A guy with a good jawline like that is gonna get attention, Rene. That's how it works."
 
I’ve got a good jawline,” he grumbled childishly as he ran a hand through his hair with his claws. “I’ve got an amazing jawline, right? I mean, I know I’ve got a boyish face but I’m trying to work on that. Hmph.” He huffed, his cheeks turning that same purple as he tapped said claws on the wooden desk.

“... I dunno, something is up with him,” he declared in a whisper as he watched the other. “He hasn’t visited the lake once, and I noticed he isn’t taking any swimming courses. I mean, it would be an easy A for him, right? Okay, let’s say that he isn’t taking it to, like, pressure himself but don’t mermaids feel better in water? Wouldn’t he want to take a dip in the lake, even once? It’s weird, right? Am I just crazy?”
 
"Maybe he's got a shit body? I don't know, Rene. I just think you're focusing too much on him. Maybe he's the first merman who's scared of water? Oh, that'd be cute. Look at Dracula's kid. He doesn't drink blood, says he's vegan. It wouldn't be ridiculous if Percival or whatever his name is is scared of water," he shrugged, his brows furrowed as he cast a glance at the tall boy in the front, immediately disregarding the first suspicion of is. Percy was fully clothed, but he could tell he was in good shape-- but then again, that didn't mean he couldn't be self-conscious. There were plenty of reasons he might not want to go swimming, despite seemingly being born to be in water.

"All I know is I'm not going to be swimming. I can take a dip in the pool, in the shallow end, but I haven't got the body for it. I'd drown in seconds," he declared, if only to change the topic. He usually had no problems gossiping about someone, even if they were stood a mere foot away, but it was rather awkward to do so when he really had no problems with Percival. He had had one interaction with him and that wasn't enough of a motive to start blabbing about him when he was sat just feet away. Sylvan might be a narcissist and his own biggest fan, but he wasn't mean. Not intentionally, anyway.

"They told me I have to take one sports class this year. They said it could be tennis or something easy, but really, I have no intention of breaking a sweat, it's ridiculous," he tutted, his German accent growing stronger in his disgust at his predicament. "You should tell the Principal that I should be exempt from physical activities. I could snap one of my legs in half."
 
“You could take gymnastics,” he suggested teasingly as he stretched out once again, whining softly when he heard a crack. Rolling his eyes, he carefully ran his hand up one of the hairy legs, the soft fur always being soothing to pet when he was distressed and it was clear he was just that.

“I’ll stop mentioning him,” he declared after a moment, though that was a lie, sort of. He’d happily stop mentioning it to Sylvan, a smile growing. He eventually had to leave the other’s side when the teacher entered, though, and offered a pout before changing his seat to beside Percival, though chose to not but the other despite wanting to.
 
Despite not wanting to converse any more than he needed to, the human couldn't help but glance to his side when noticing Rene approach again and roll his eyes, deliberately doing so to catch his attention.

"You must think I'm deaf," he began slowly, his lips pursed as he returned to his literature, even if he couldn't really focus on the words. He had been listening to the conversation that had taken place behind him-- though he had only picked up on a few phrases and words. Fortunately, he was unaware of the length of suspicion, but had heard about the queries into why he wasn't taking swimming classes, and it was inevitably something he had considered before arriving at the school. If he was pretending to be a merman, he couldn't go swimming or the truth would be revealed.

Fortunately, he had time to prepare an adequate enough lie.

"I don't swim because I had a horrid incident when I was younger that... scared me. I don't need to go into detail, but I dislike it. I enjoy a bath and that's when I can be myself without worry, but pools and lakes? I don't do that. Is that alright with you and your buddy?"
 
“A traumatic experience... in water?” He confirmed slowly, his head tilted to the side curiously as he rummaged through his bag to tug out a textbook ans notepad, where a pen sat right between the spirals. The cover and back were covered in surprisingly beautiful doodles and some words in Russian, most likely simple things like his name and room. He preferred to write in his initial language, naturally, and it also meant he could write little quips and secrets, much like a diary.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he whispered with a growing frown, his eyes locked on the notebook as he began to doodle. “I mean, I’m sure it’s upsetting. Your species revolves around water, so... I mean, the only place my parents can live is in the tundra so if something traumatic happened for them, they’d be - Ah, how do you say it? Ah, yes, fucked.”
 
"Precisely why I don't want to talk about it and why I dislike you gossiping about me behind my back. If you have an issue with me, tell me face to face. I've heard you're pretty confident, so cowardly gossiping about me when I'm a foot or two away from you is... not very smart. I haven't got an issue with you-- I barely know anyone," he pointed out, his eyes silently glancing to the teacher and relaxing once noticing she seemed to be one of the more human-looking monsters in the place. It at least made it easier for him to pretend like he was at a normal school with... normal people, rather than some monster-ridden school in the middle of nowhere.

"...Thanks for the breakfast, anyway. I don't... like people crowding around me when I'm trying to eat so I thought it was easier to skip, but... it's... considerate of you, I guess."
 
“It was worth missing breakfast to help out a new student,” he explained, desperate to not mention the ‘hardship’ he suffered for getting this stranger food. “I don’t mean to sound rude but you look like you’re struggling to make friends here and I just wanted you to feel comfortable. I... apologize for being rude,” he whispered softly, his tone genuine as he avoided gaze with the Scot. Pursing his lips, he did turn back to offer a smile.

“If it helps you adapt, I have no problem getting you breakfast from now on,” he suggested, his accent thick as he tapped his pen against the paper impatiently. “I used to be like you and it took me years to adjust. I understand you won’t be here with us long, so...”
 
"I'm only here a few months, yeah. It's... nice, though. Just because I'd rather not join in and make loads of friends doesn't mean I hate it here. This place is... it's pretty famous in our community, right?" He pointed out, having sat silent and taken in a lot of talk around him of how 'great' the school was in the community, and how it overshadowed any other school of its kind. He may not openly get involved in the conversations, but he wisely chose to listen in and soak up whatever he could. It proved useful when he actually had to talk to someone like Rene, after all.
 
“You act as if you didn’t already know that!” He replied, his eyes immediately sparkling as he offered a wide smile. While they weren't his parents by definition, he took pride in knowing his mother and father made the academy as lovely as it was. While they had started building when he was around 8, they continued some reconstruction after he entered the academy. He was able to see glimpses of how it was before and, not to toot his own horn, but he saw it as much better.

"You're from Scotland, right? Это так абсурдно - that's ridiculous. I thought we were well-known in the UK, at least, that's what my Ded said," he insisted, completely unaware that a part of his English slipped briefly. "Your parents must be wealthy, or at least well-known, to have found this place, right? We aren't smack-dab in the middle of a human town."
 
"They're not exactly in your parents' league, but they're... wealthy. Not famous, but wealthy. I think that's a better description? My parents are able to mingle in human society without standing out, so they made their money in that world. My father owns a security company, so... he made his millions and sent me here. Said his experience at a human school wasn't one he wanted me to repeat," he murmured, quickly cutting off before he babbled on further. He had perfected his false background countless of times with his father, having sat with him for weeks before his arrival at the school in preparation for questions, to which he then had the answers-- or if he simply wanted to relay some false information to seem genuine, and not false.

That said, he didn't want to continue to talk any more than was necessary. It was hardly characteristic of him, after all.

"...It's nice here. I'm just not... sociable much. Doesn't mean I dislike you or... this place."
 
"Why would they want that? Humans are disgusting. They're the reason we're in this stupid place on top of a mountain. I know I've grown up in the tundra all of my life but for once I'd like to be able to dip a finger in a nice ocean, lounge on the beach. No, instead I'm forced to keep my interaction down to everyone here rather than branching out and meeting new people," he grumbled bitterly, his tone hushing both from the somewhat controversial words and the general sound. Sure, almost every creature detested humans but it wasn't really supposed to be talked about to seem like better people - 'humans hate us but we don't hate them!'

"You're a merman, right? Have.... Have you been to any nice places?" He questioned curiously, his cat-like eyes widening out of curiously as he held his head in his hand. "I would love to go to Paris. I've heard there are some beautiful sights in Paris. The only view I get is of the frozen lake, and that's... it. I would love to travel the world, maybe go to the States...."