EDIT: caught some errors that somehow escaped me.
Hey y'all, it's HolyMaiden24. I want to say that I did this for those who wanted Only a Voice to have more shipping, but this DOES NOT have to be regarded as canon if you want Moana and Maui to have a platonic relationship instead of a romantic one. In fact you can ignore this one shot if you want, just PLEASE don't leave a negative comment because I wrote this.
If you wanted more shipping and chose to read this, then you know that I am also a shipper myself based on my A/Ns and here is where I can kind-of-sort-of get into that part of the fandom.
Ok, let's continue...
When I started writing Only a Voice, I had intended it to be a platonic focused story out of respect to the relationship between Moana and Maui in the original film and because I wanted to do something unique with the Little Mermaid that I've rarely seen before (in which it is more focused on friendship than romance).
The fact that I refuse to ship Moana with Maui unless she is older than her canon age was another reason why I have been keeping the relationship platonic (except for that one little tease in chapter 4. You know, the one where Moana thinks Maui is attractive *laughs*). Look, I have a moral code in my writing where a pairing will not happen between a May-December romance unless both members are legally age appropriate or at least the gap isn't too wide for it to be too weird (if the younger one has a normal crush, then that's ok.) Here I decided to bend the rule just a little so that Moana is allowed to have a crush (whether she realizes it or not) yet there is still that uncertainty of the future lingering over both their heads. Especially with Maui who at this point could either stay as a mortal or run out of time and have to go back to being a demi-god.
This little story takes place sometime during chapter 7 of Only a Voice, so read that fan fic up to that chapter or else some things may not make sense. For those of you who read the chapter, this takes place sometime before Maui had three days left.
Solo
She opened her eyes to find herself upon her boat, which was somehow out upon the vast ocean where no trace of land could be seen for miles around.
"How did I-?" She looked around but there was no sign of Motonui or the cave that this boat was supposed to be hiding in. Even her own clothing seemed a little different than usual; in fact, there was something peeking out from the folds that caught her off guard. She lifted her skirt up just enough to reveal that her legs now had delicate, yet carefully detailed tattoos that finally showed that she had come of age and was now a woman.
Moana let out a sigh of happiness as she heard bird cry out over her head; perhaps this meant that she would get to travel upon the ocean as a Chief after all. She looked around and, upon seeing that the waters were calm, she quickly went to one side of the boat and leapt into the ocean where she could swim to her heart's content.
She stayed as close to the boat as possible and when she had a hold upon it, she ducked under water where she held her breath. It wasn't often she got to swim this deep in the water and when she opened her eyes she wanted to see how deep the ocean really went, but she was forced to move her hair out of the way as it flowed out around her in its own unique dance.
As she moved her hair out of the way, she could see a huge shark that was not even five feet away from her. She panicked and froze in place as she locked eyes with the great beast while she recalled that sharks could be dangerous if you got too close to them or if you had an open wound.
Instead of making any move to attack her, the shark only looked mildly offended at Moana's terror and rolled his oddly human like dark brown eyes at her. Come to think of it, this shark seemed rather goofy looking compared to the one shark she did get a glimpse of. That other shark had passed away and had somehow came upon her shores, which was how she was able to see it without getting eaten in the first place. That shark was scary to behold and yet this one didn't seem interested in eating Moana.
When the shark moved towards her, Moana shut her eyes in fear as she tried to hurry and get up to the surface, but the moment she was able to take a breath upon doing so, she felt something smooth against her stomach and it started rubbing back and forth upon her skin.
Moana almost let go of the boat as she felt herself laughing at the ticklish sensation and it took her all her might to not let herself sink. Apparently the shark decided to be funny and nuzzle her in the stomach with his great head instead of eating it.
"Wha–what are you–?!" Moana couldn't stop laughing. "Ha–stop it! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Wh-why are you tickling me?! You–you're supposed to be a great and powerful creature of the ocean!" She tried to push the shark's head away, but he still persisted in tickling her with his head. She had a hard time keeping herself afloat and it got to the point that she tried to hold onto the shark for dear life, yet the creature continued on with the nuzzling. "What is wrong with you?!" She giggled.
She finally slipped back under the water and the shark finally stopped his 'assault' on her and gave her an odd smirk that seemed hauntingly familiar to her. She watched as it came towards her again, but this time the shark chose to nuzzle her on the cheek in an oddly affectionate manner before he swam off.
"Heh," Moana laughed one last time as she broke through the surface again. "What a funny creature." She mused as she struggled to crawl back up the boat. She almost made it, but then she felt the shark come back to tickle her foot with one of its side fins before she accidentally kicked it in her bout of laughter. "Stop it, you dummy!" She shrieked with a laugh before she tried to get on the boat. To her surprise, the shark swam under her and raised her up to the boat when she found herself riding upon it. She didn't know why the shark decided to be a gentleman (Or was it gentleshark?) all of a sudden, but she appreciated it.
"Oh, uh, thank you." Moana began as she was able to get on the boat this time. She turned around to try to see the shark again, but he seemed to have vanished back into the water. She shrugged as she made her way to the center of the boat and dripped water everywhere, but she didn't care as she sat down in a spot where the sun could absorb the water off of her.
She closed her eyes so that she could experience the sensation of the sun against her skin and the boat rocking underneath her where she sat. The rocking made her tilt at an angle until she felt herself hit against something that felt like a person's arm.
She didn't bother to question why there was someone on the boat beside her and when the arm shifted out of the way, she felt herself collide against the person's body, which seemed to radiate with a pleasant warmth. The owner paused for a moment before they slowly lowered their arm so that it could get behind Moana, but she gently grabbed the arm and maneuvered it so that it could be wrapped around her middle.
At that point she didn't care who was on the boat with her but she enjoyed being in his company and when she lowered her own arm over his own, she could tell that there was some muscle on him, which made him feel quite powerful. He didn't even move an inch, nor did he seem to protest she raised her other hand to feel the upper part of his own. As much as she enjoyed the warmth of the sun, she enjoyed the warmth of the man's body as well as his embrace.
Moana let out a sigh of content as her fingers slowly stroked the arm of the stranger–if being in a relationship with someone could involve something as simple and yet so comforting as this, then she would like to have more of it. She could see herself doing this as many times as possible with the person that she would choose to give her heart to.
It was the laughter of a child that woke Moana up and she found that she was not on a boat but in her grandmother's fale with a bunch of children that seemed rather interested in her for some strange reason. Even her grandmother just stared in confusion at Moana for a reason she couldn't fathom until the old woman's slightly opened mouth turned into an amused smile.
Oh yeah that was right, she was supposed to help her grandmother out but she fell asleep since she didn't get quite enough sleep last night in addition to being on her feet all day. Unfortunately she was still stuck on the island and still had some time to go before she could finally get her tattoos, which was really unfortunate. She had been so convinced that the dream had been real, including the embrace of the mystery man who had been beside her.
She almost got up until she realized that there was something from the dream that apparently did become a reality as she was laying against someone's body and she had a hold on their arm, which was wrapped around her middle.
At the same time, Maui just stared out into nowhere with an incredibly wide eyed look as he was forced to acknowledge the fact that the Chief's daughter decided to hook his arm around her in her sleep and had tried to cuddle with him like he was someone very dear to her (and judging by how she reacted that whole time, that someone was not meant to be a friend or a family member). He didn't want to look anyone in the eye and especially not the girl's grandmother who thankfully seemed to find the moment funny instead of looking as if she was about to whack him a hundred times over the head with her cane.
Moana looked at the arm and recognized the strange scaring upon its surface under her fingers, as well as the hand that was three times larger than her own. With a dawning realization, her eyes widened as she looked up and saw who it was that she decided to cling to as if he were her lover. When her mute companion looked down with the same exact expression, it took her a few seconds to realize yet again just what exactly she had done to him.
"Uh–" Moana gapped. "Uh–I–uh..." She slowly crawled out of his grasp and under his arm, even as he lifted it up for her to escape. "I am so sorry." She cringed with a whisper to the man before she quickly shot off and out of the fale while he turned to watch her go.
'O...k, then, that just happened.' Maui couldn't help but say, even if he couldn't at that point and the laughter of the children in the fale would have downed it out anyway. He had times where a fan or two may have tried to do something similar, but he was pretty sure that the kid did that unknowingly since she genuinely looked tired out in addition to wearing that look of surprise when she realized what she did. Not to mention that she never made any indication of showing any secret crushes towards him, especially considering how things had been so rough at the start of their strange friendship.
Meanwhile Tala just laughed to herself. If Moana's parents were secretly starting to be concerned about her finding a husband in the future, then they didn't have to worry anymore because it looked like she already found a potential suitor. She didn't blame her granddaughter though, since the man was actually productive and not shiftless like some of the younger men on this island (not to mention that he was a handsome looking fellow, so Moana already lucked out for her future in that area). And if the lack of his voice was doomed to be permanent, then who cared? They both seemed to get over that pretty quickly.
While Moana may have remembered the man who rescued her all those years ago with a fondness and she praised characters like Maui with a genuine respect, Tala preferred that Moana would have someone of flesh and blood who could love her back over any passing memory or tale. Someone who would genuinely love Moana for who she was, who could see beyond the fact that she was destined to become a Chief, and who would not try to tie her down like her own father. Tala doubted she would live long enough to see that happen, but if Moana wanted to find love in her future, then it didn't matter who she chose as long as it was someone who could recognize her true inner beauty like Tala did.
"Oh gods, why?" Moana cringed as she held her face in her hands and felt herself blush. "Why did I do that?! Now he'll think that I have a crush on him!" Worse yet, a handful of gossipy children saw it too, in addition to her own grandmother. She would have rather been caught with Heihei on her head for a whole day then what she had just done.
Moana didn't have much experience with romance except from what she observed through her own parents and maybe a handful of couples who tried to keep their privacy. The idea of having a significant other was nice, but she wasn't jumping to get one any time soon (especially when she was either so busy or else no one really caught her fancy). Of one of the few times she could even scratch the surface of that, it had to be with a man who she barely knew, who was almost old enough to be her own father's age, and who she not only had acted like a spoiled brat around for a certain period of time but he even saw her as one if his past actions had been any indication.
Oh yeah, that reminded her–she was not recognized as a woman yet, which meant that another layer of painful awkwardness had been added to that moment.
She hoped to the gods that this would not spread. If the gossiping would be one thing, then she would otherwise have to worry about how her parents would react to what she had done if they took it the wrong way.
Maui had to give himself some alone time as he rested in his fale and tried to carve a spearhead. He must have made more than he needed to, but he needed something to do as he tried to figure out just what exactly happened back in Tala's fale.
Was there something that the kid wasn't telling him or was at least trying to hide?
Looking back, the cuddling thing was a little adorable, but if Moana had just been maybe five or so years older than her current age then Maui wouldn't have minded returning the gesture. He respected some of the rules that the mortals had set in place and the last thing he needed was to face a set of angry parents. It would have been one thing if it was a normal crush from a teenaged girl, but there was something about that action that made him a little concerned for another reason.
"Infatuation doesn't count." The warning in regards to connecting with a human rang in his head and for once he was grateful that it was there in the first place. He didn't know if Tamatoa set that up to make the whole turning into a human thing harder than it should have, but if the crab caught wind that a mortal teenager tried to get cozy with Maui in her sleep without meaning to do it, he would probably not shut up about it for many decades.
Her interactions with him beforehand seemed to be of someone who looked up to him and not out of an innocent crush... Ugh, he wanted to drop this because it was too weird to think about. Besides, he liked the way things were now. If the kid wanted to try the cuddling thing again when she was older, then maybe it would be ok; he couldn't blame her if she did, considering how awesome (and insanely good looking) he was to begin with.
That is if things worked out a certain way.
Romance was not an easy part of life when you are practically immortal and there weren't that many out there that had similar luck. Honestly, if he had met a woman who was able to match wits with him and be able to keep up with him... if she didn't mind it that he had to leave for days on end or (even better) had a sense of adventure and fun and would join him once in awhile... and she was brave, kind, and also faithful to him and him alone, then that would be a woman worth trying to court.
Sadly he would be only a little lucky if he did meet that sort of woman. It could take him centuries to find someone like that and if she was a mortal then it would likely end in tragedy if she didn't realize what she would get herself into.
Around the time the sun began to set, Moana walked around an area of the village with Talia, who was discussing the crops, but Moana felt that her mind drifted elsewhere. Her eyes darted towards the ocean and she was finding herself longing to be out upon it for what felt like the millionth time.
She never thought too much about romance, but she found herself wondering a little about what would happen if she did find someone. As long as they didn't love her for being an heir to an island and its village and they could let her go out into the ocean, it would be a nice start. She was curious as to who the man in her dream was supposed to be if it wasn't her companion and especially if it were someone she would be with as an adult. On the other hand, she was curious about the strange shark in her dream and she wondered why on earth it chose to be so affectionate with her. What did it symbolize? Was the shark also supposed to be the man in the dream? Was the man supposed to be powerful, something to be feared, but had a fun side like the shark? Or perhaps it was a sign that the man loved the ocean as much as she did and would allow her to sail like she always wanted. Then again maybe she was reading too much into it and Moana was not a romantic by nature.
She would have slipped into another day dream had she not heard her name be called out.
"Wait, Moana really did that?"
Moana stopped Talia and turned to a couple of girls who were sitting near some bushes and were also facing the ocean, unaware that Moana herself had heard them. "Yeah, my little brother told me about it and gave me a demonstration." The other girl chuckled.
"She really cuddled up to the mute guy in her sleep?" The first girl snorted. "Wow, either she didn't get enough sleep or she must really like him."
Moana felt a sickening dread in her stomach as she realized that the two girls were among those who were known to not keep their mouth shut that well. They also had a tendency to notice flaws in other people and it was something they discussed when they thought no one could hear them. Still, Moana could not bring herself to turn away and she held a hand up for Talia to wait as she quietly approached the bushes.
"Maybe she does!" The second girl laughed.
"You really think so?" The first girl chuckled. "I heard he tied her up to a tree to keep her from getting away one time. That doesn't sound like good husband material to me if she plans on going that far. That is if she gets lucky and he hasn't left this place yet or if she gets bored with him when she's ready for marriage."
"Yeah, well now they seem to be more open to each other." The second girl added. "Or at least Moana is since he really can't say much for himself."
"But do you think Moana actually fancies him? I mean we don't even know where he came from. He could be from a rival island, he could be planning something–maybe he's not even human!" The first girl cracked a laugh. "Maybe he's a monster or something far more horrible than that. Maybe he's the eel reincarnated to go after the mother's daughter!"
"Oh gods, that would make a good continuation to that tale! Moana would better watch her back if that's the case!" She then whispered something very suggestive (and not worth repeating to a child) to her friend in regards to that, which caused her to burst out in laughter.
The joke at both her and her mother's expense caused Moana to stiffen up in the anger that was already developing inside her. Unfortunately it did not end there as the girls continued to question the mysterious man. "Actually, what is the deal with the scars on his body?" The second girl asked. "Its not like he just got burned everywhere, its like in specific places. He probably angered his tribe and they punished or tortured him. Maybe they took his tongue out and that is why he can't speak."
"No, we have to go back to the non-human thing." The first girl countered. "I mean look at him, no normal man is built that way! I'm pretty sure my dad's arm is longer than his own!"
I'm going to walk away and have a word with their parents later. Moana tried to chant to herself as she felt her anger rise. I'm not going to punch them in the face.
"And how the heck did he get so huge? I don't know if you could get your arms around him! Plus his hands don't look normal either–the fingers look way too small. I doubt you could hold hands with him if that's that Moana wants."
Don't get mad, don't get mad, not it's not worth it, not worth it not–!
"I'm amazed he didn't crush Moana on accident!" The second girl laughed.
NOT WORTH IT, NOT WORTH IT, NOT–
"You know, come to think of it, doesn't his face remind you of her pet pig? It's kind of scrunched up and weird looking if you ask me. He's not exactly what you'd call handsome, like–"
At that point, something inside Moana snapped. It was not often that she would allow it to do so (such as when she argued with her father) but hearing these two throw out so many insults was taking it too far and she couldn't stop herself.
"Oh, so you think he looks like my pig?!" Moana yelled out in fury.
Both girls turned around to see the future Chief walk so fast towards them that she looked like she was close to running and they cursed when they realized that she heard what they said.
"You know, I almost pity people like you!" Moana stood her ground as her hands became fists when she stood right at the bushes. "If all you see in someone is their flaws, then you can't see what it is about them that makes them amazing to be around! And yeah, he's not perfect and I won't deny some of the things he did, but I choose to see beyond appearances and look past flaws that I can live with, which is better than anything you could possibly imagine!"
"Oh and one more thing." Moana couldn't help but smugly rub this in their faces. "I think he is well built for certain tasks that most people wouldn't be able to accomplish. You've heard of how fast he was able to climb a coconut tree and he is pretty good at scrimshaw and making spearheads compared to some of the others on this island." She then added with a smile. "And when I saw his face for the first time, I thought he was rather handsome looking. Yes, even more so then some of the other men on this island. If you got a problem with that, then I don't have anything more to say to you." With that, Moana spun around on her feet and headed back into the village with Talia looking on with an impressed smile.
"Wow, uh, you're going to make things a lot different when you take over your dad's position." Talia turned once to see the two stunned girls watch them go off before glancing back to Moana.
However, Moana felt a sickening dread in her stomach as she realized she just admitted a secret that she thought she could contain ever since she first laid eyes on the man and this one would probably come out too if she wasn't lucky enough.
That night, Moana found her companion watching the ocean from a spot somewhere slightly away from the village, but not too far away. Pua was not with her like usual but she did find Heihei who she had chosen to pick up and pet for awhile and the rooster submitted to the comfort. Perhaps the bird did have moments of intelligence after all as he seemed happy with her petting his feathers and he didn't try to escape.
"I wonder what would happen if you sang to the ocean." Moana couldn't help but comment as the man continued to watch the ocean, but he turned his head when he saw her come towards him. "If the ocean could sing back, would it be elegant and soothing like a woman's, or would it be mighty and deep like that of a man? Perhaps it is both or maybe it has a tone all of its own." Moana sat down on the ground near the man and listened to the waves in the distance. It was joined by the sounds of the gentle night breeze and Heihei's occasional staccato notes that made his clucking noises.
They both sat there for a while to ponder that question.
Moana glanced back to the man before her and examined him a bit more. It was true that he seemed unusual in size compared to most other men and she could not forget that his hand was large enough that it was able to cover her entire head and more. A little part of her wondered if her fingers would even be able to reach the gaps between his fingers if she wanted to hold onto his hand.
She had no idea where on earth he got his scars, but it didn't hide the fact that they were on a body that was extremely well built. It looked like it was the body of someone who could make you feel safe if they held onto you and if she only had an idea of what it was like to have his arm around her, she could only imagine what it would be like to hug him or be hugged back. She didn't know if she'd be able to get her arms around his body or not, but she would figure it out.
His hair was so wild and yet she wanted so badly to touch it and run her fingers through it because it seemed so different than the others. She couldn't tell if it was coarse or if it was much softer than her own.
And then there was his face. True, it was not normal because of how differently proportioned some parts of his face were compared to most others. Yet he had very fascinating eyebrows that were entertaining to watch sometimes and his eyes were a wonderful shade of dark brown. If he couldn't say anything or remained still, she swore that she could see everything about him within those eyes. She could see someone who could be fierce, cunning, and even fun loving, yet she could see hints of some sort of pain that he wanted to hide at very rare times. She had no idea what it could be, but she would never force it out of him if he wasn't ready to reveal it.
She wouldn't change a thing about her friend, but if there was a way to give him his voice back, she would like to know how. She almost regretted wondering about what the ocean would sound like if it sang when he himself could not. If he sang, then what would it sound like? Maybe it sounded deep, but not too deep, and it probably had a warm, pleasant quality about it.
Her eyes moved down from his own eyes and for some reason they became drawn to his lips, which were rather nice to look at. It would be interesting to kiss those lips because they looked like they would feel good against her own. It was almost like they were begging to be–
Wait.
Wait.
What did she just think again? Did she just think about kissing him?
...Oh no.
Moana hoped to the gods that her companion didn't see her blush and she quickly looked away while Heihei made a couple of clucks that sounded like laughter as if he was somehow able to sense what she had just thought. Was she really attracted in that way to the man after all? The same one she rescued, got into too many fights with, and had tried so hard to convince herself that she was too young for? What was wrong with her?
Maui glanced back to see Moana looking away from him and he wondered if she was still thinking about earlier. It was too bad he couldn't tell her 'Hey its ok, I'm flattered and all. It's normal to have a crush on Maui and you wouldn't be the first. I'd rather wait a few years to move onto something beyond the friendship area if that's what you really want. Provided that the mortal thing ends up permanent of course.'
"I'm really sorry about earlier." Moana finally turned back to face him, although he saw a light blush on her face. "I guess I need to get more sleep and I did get caught up in a dream, but I didn't realize I was holding onto you at that time. It was a weird dream to begin with since there was this shark that tried to tickle me with his head and fins instead of eating me."
Moana watched as the man's eyes lit up and he was trying his hardest not to laugh but he still smiled at the image she gave him. "I swear it wasn't the shark I was trying to hold onto!" Moana managed to laugh and this time the man was visibly chuckling at her. "But the way he was acting, you'd think that he would of wanted it! He already had quite a big ego to begin with!"
She sighed and tried to smile. "I hope this doesn't change anything. I still want to learn how to control the boat and how to be a wayfinder and I like how well things have been between us so far after all we had to go through at first. I promise I won't do anything like what I did in the fale again if it made you feel uncomfortable."
While he wasn't able to give her a straight forward answer, all Maui could do was hold a hand up and try to say 'It's ok' with a smile. Even though his words didn't come out, Moana was able to tell what he wanted to say and smiled in relief. "Thank you for understanding." She turned back to the ocean and the sky. "Its a beautiful night." She commented as she ignored the troubles of that day and listened to the waves. She eventually began to sing a melody that Maui never heard before but he could tell that it was a song from her soul and it resonated with the ocean's roars as if her passion was a part of it. There were some parts that she hummed, but when she sang, it was of her longing to be on the ocean and to know what lay beyond it as well as below it.
If he could, he would of sang too but just not something like that song and probably not as good as the kid sang. He knew for a fact he could carry a tune, but it wouldn't sound as pretty as the girl's own voice.
Eventually time passed and the song ended, yet Maui continued to watch the waves as he came lost in his own thoughts and tried to think of what his future would be like if he did stay as a human. After some time, he finally turned to see that Moana had collapsed and fallen asleep while the rooster had gone off to who knew where. The girl already looked deep asleep, but she seemed peaceful at the same time.
'I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable about any of this, curly.' Maui couldn't help but say to the girl who wouldn't have heard it. 'I'd rather be friends with you for the time being, but there's way too much at stake on my end of things and its pretty likely it wouldn't work out in the end. You'll probably have a lot of suitors to deal with as time goes on but hey, if you find someone that you find yourself going head over heels for, they better consider themselves lucky.'
Maybe... maybe if he stayed human and he was around when she was a little older, he'd consider taking their interesting relationship in another direction. For now, he wanted to see that she got her wish fulfilled while he was still around since there was no telling what would happen when the final sunset would come and force him to go back to the life he knew. Whether or not she would have wanted him when she was ready for a deeper relationship was her own choice and he would not force it on her.
With a smile, Maui went over to the girl and carefully picked her up in his arms. He acknowledged that she was a tiny little thing compared to him but she felt a little heavier than she should have been than if he had his full strength. She should have felt as light as a feather, but oh well that didn't bother him. As if she sensed that someone was holding onto her, Moana shifted her position a little and tried to get closer to him and went still when she seemed to be touching him. Either she was looking for his body heat for warmth or she was genuinely seeking some sort of comfort in the embrace, but he didn't mind it.
Maui let out a voiceless laugh and, after he adjusted her in a more comfortable position, he carried the sleeping princess back to her fale where she would probably continue to dream whatever she had been dreaming about earlier that day.
Though he was going to try to remember Moana's description about the shark since that would be really hilarious to do to someone in the future.
Shark nuzzling! XD Actually 'sharknuzzles' would be a cute screen name, even though I'm not a huge fan of sharks myself. So like I said, you can consider this canon to Only a Voice if you want, though I imagine it would cause you to look at things a little differently.
Moana's little confession to the girls does NOT count in making Maui's change be permanent. Remember that not only does she have to see and accept him for who he is, but she actually has to either demonstrate or say something along those lines that also shows that she would want him in her life and he has to be present for that. Its kind of like how the kiss from the Little Mermaid had to be genuine/the kiss of true love.
I love how Moana and Maui struggle with the age gap issues like I did and Tala is all 'Eh, whatever it looks like Moana already found a potential future husband' which is probably what some of you were thinking of. That or you were thinking 'Sha, la, la, la, my oh my, look at the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl' in a Jamaican accent. Or in a New Zealand accent if you were thinking of Disney's OTHER singing crab. I could totally see Tamatoa doing that to mess with Maui's head.
As I said numerous times, I hated that I had to get rid of most of Maui's tattoos but something about leaving these scars behind appealed to me. I also mentioned how appealing his character design was in the film since its not often we get characters like him (I'm still upset over the fact that the concept art for Tangled showed that Flynn would have been a little on the large side instead of what we did get). Of course, it was a design that was met with controversy and it took me awhile to warm up to Maui's design at first. So not only did this probably make this one shot seem similar to Beauty and the Beast, but now as I think back to Moana's argument, it reminds that 'Oh yeah, who was considered the 'Sexiest Man Alive' the year the movie came out again?'
*Sighs* Well if Maui wasn't Moana's love interest in the film than at least he's one of the best Disney male leads in a film (the cave thing at the end of 'You're Welcome' aside).
I almost did an 'Eros and Psyche'/original Beauty and the Beast thing with the dream in which Moana would have dreamt of the voice of the man who saved her as a child, but I think it would have taken away the impact of a future chapter for Only a Voice, no matter how much I want to give Maui his voice back for real. Speaking of which, I would love to see a Beauty and the Beast or an Eros and Psyche AU for a MoanaxMaui fan fic in the future (considering that Maui is a shapeshifter and all).
So, its been awhile since I revisited this fic and I have recently posted the last chapter of 'Only a Voice.' I said that I would promise a special epilogue to the shippers. It will be awhile before I get to it, but once I do then you must know that you should avoid reading it UNTIL you finished 'Only a Voice' since there will be major spoilers. I promise this will become a two-shot pretty soon….