#I tried to make the gills a little different

[meo-eiru]

DUDE I JUST PLAYED THROUGH THE GAME, WHY IS IT SO SADDDD😭😭😭

and why is he hot

Starling went through quite a few redesigns through the entire development process so let me talk about it a bit :3

It all started with this notes app drawing I made with my finger

Right from the start we knew his tail would be made out of tongues but figuring out how many and placed how was quite hard, I really had to girlmath my way thru

This was the first actual drawing I made of him. The story wasn't complete yet but I went ahead and designed something anyway. Here he was definitely "scarier" and his scar was also placed differently. He had gills on his neck but as you will see I changed their location to under his arms later on. We were actually considering not giving him a tongue of his own so I wanted to make his mouth terrifyingly big and empty.

Here I tried giving him bigger eyes like a fish. This was when his playful and childlike personality had started shaping as you can see from the expressions. I definitely liked this direction better but it also wasn't perfect just yet so I went ahead and did a few more changes

I slowed down on trying to figure out his design a bit after that and instead focused on how his sprite would look. He is a merman after all, he can't just stand straight like a lot of the other visual novel characters. This stage was PAINFUL.

These were the first ones I sketched, we ended up deciding we liked the 3rd one the best.

I carried that 3rd one over to another canvas and started playing around with how we could place his tail, we started entertaining the idea of having him sit on a big rock

This is when his pose really shaped up. The animated Little Mermaid movie was actually a big inspiration, I sat and rewatched the entire movie and studied how they animated her tail

And after that I finally finalized his design. We decided to change the end of his tail to be more eel like for aesthetic purposes (normal tail shape looked weird with tongues)

And for anyone wondering this is what Maelyn looked like at first. Since the story wasn't complete yet I thought it'd take place in a more modern setting and designed her with that in mind but we decided to have the story take place in 1800s so I changed the design based on that. I did a lot of research on glasses and corsets to make the design as accurate as I could.

Yes glasses! We didn't use the sprites in the main story but Maelyn does wear glasses and looks very pretty in them if you ask me. You will be seeing more of it in the bonus episodes!

[libraryofgage]

Mermaid/Pirate Steddie Six

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

This fic was line-jumped! If you'd like to learn more about line jumping, please see this post

Anyway, thank you line-jumper for your patience, I know this was a little late orz but I hope you enjoy it!

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

---

“Why do they look so weak?”

“Do you have more of these?”

“Can he really not breathe under water?”

“Does he understand bubble patterns?”

“He’s not the worst swimmer.”

“I could probably break his ribs with one tail swipe.”

“Please don’t break my mate’s ribs.”

Of all the words echoing in the water around him, those last few are the ones Eddie gets stuck on. He perks up as the curious hands of adolescent merfolk poking and prodding at him pause. From the determined expression on Steve’s face as he tugs Eddie closer, he definitely meant to say that.

“Seriously?” Robin asks, curling around Steve’s other side. Her hair floats across Eddie’s vision before settling, and bubbles rise from her fluttering gills. “You’re already mated? How did that even work?”

She glances down as she asks, and Eddie follows her gaze to Steve’s tail. It looks normal to him. His wound has healed, leaving only a faint scar behind. If anything has changed, it’s that the inexplicable splashes of orange across his scales make sense in the water. They glimmer and shine like gold and silver coins in the wavering sunlight that manages to break through the surface. Eddie is hypnotized by them, and it takes a conscious effort for him to look away.

Steve’s flush tells Eddie something important has been alluded to, and he’s starting to get an idea of it. “Robin! Not in front of the guppies!” Steve tells her. She cackles in response, bubbles bursting from her gills as she curls around Steve’s right side and flicks his forehead.

“But we already know about that stuff,” one of the guppies, Lucas, says. A few bubbles rise from his gills, too, and Eddie is starting to wonder if they’re important when Robin and Steve pause to study them. 

Another one, Dustin, nods and places his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. He pushes up to float above him, holding tight so he doesn’t end up floating away. Somehow, this results in Dustin’s tail smacking against his back a few times, but at least it doesn’t hurt. “Yeah,” Dustin says, “You taught us during the last cold tide trip. Remember? Joyce and Hopper got together and started talking about more guppies, so then Erica asked what they meant and you got all red like a lobster as you tried to explain it.”

“Teaching you about reproduction and discussing…recreational enjoyment are very different things,” Steve says, his firm tone undermined by his flustered look. 

Eddie taps Dustin’s hand, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows in a curious expression when Dustin looks down.

“Oh, do you wanna know?” he asks.

“No, he doesn’t,” Steve says at the same time Eddie nods. When Steve glares at him, Eddie grins, salty water rushing into his mouth. He doesn’t mind too much, especially when he points at his throat and Steve’s glare immediately melts into fondness and concern. He leans in, kissing Eddie and pushing more air past his lips. 

“We are just teaching Eddie about reproduction,” El says when Steve pulls back. She pushes under Eddie’s arm, wrapping her tail around his leg to stay in place. With her there, Dustin’s tail is no longer hitting his back, and Eddie hesitates before patting her head. 

Between her, Dustin on his shoulders, Steve holding him close, Robin practically wrapped around Steve, and the rest of the guppies surrounding them, he’s starting to realize how touchy merfolk are. Or maybe this is just Steve and Robin and their guppies. He’ll have to ask later.

“Why are you making such a big deal when it’s boring?” Max asks, huffing as two lone bubbles rise from her gills. “Two merfolk decide to have a kid. One fertilizes the other, they carry the egg for a while and birth it. After that, caretakers watch the egg until it hatches. Simple.”

Yeah. Eddie has so many questions. He can’t ask any of them now, though. All he can do is nod along, forcing his expression to remain serious as he listens. Max seems to like the attention, her gills fluttering again and letting a stream of bubbles rise to the surface as she perks up.

“Man, it sounds boring when you say it like that,” Mike tells her, grinning as he turns to look at Eddie. “So, anyway, dicks an--”

Robin laughs as she smacks her hand across Mike’s mouth, using her other hand to ruffle his hair until it’s floating wildly in the water. “All right, all right, let’s stop before dingus goes belly-up,” she says, pinching Mike’s cheek when she pulls his hand away.

He huffs and sticks his tongue out at her. “Eddie asked,” he says.

“Eddie didn’t ask anything. He can’t talk, and he doesn’t make bubbles,” El says.

“No, like, he used his face.”

“Oh.”

As they talk, Eddie tugs on Steve’s hand, pointing to his throat again. Instead of immediately kissing him, he glances up at the surface with a frown. It’s not like Eddie was actually running out of air, so he doesn’t tug on Steve’s hand again. “How about we go up,” he says, looking at Robin. When she just looks confused, he adds, “You could see Eddie’s ship.”

“Really?!” Dustin and Will ask, both of them looking at Eddie hopefully.

Eddie considers for a moment, figures the guppies can be entertained by his crew if they get too bored, and nods once.

“Yes!”

----------

“They have so much energy,” Eddie says, carefully setting Steve on the bed before collapsing into it next to him. He rubs his fingers together, feeling how wrinkly they are after spending most of the day in the ocean. They still haven’t smoothed out despite being on the ship for an hour already.

Steve hums softly, reaching over and taking Eddie’s hand. He laces their fingers together, rests their hands on his stomach, and says, “They liked you.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell between Mike trying to drown me and Erica trying to bite me,” Eddie says, squeezing Steve’s hand.

The drowning attempt had happened when they surfaced. Mike had grabbed Eddie’s ankles and yanked him back under, grinning as Eddie yelped and swallowed half the ocean in the process. Somehow, Steve had managed to both kiss Eddie some air and smack Mike upside the head with his tail.

The biting had happened while trying to get all the guppies onto the ship. It involved nets and ropes and straining muscles, but they’d managed. When Eddie was getting Erica untied from the ropes, she’d leaned over and snapped at his shoulder. Robin saved him in time by yanking her back, refusing to hear her excuse about Eddie smelling like “really fresh krill” and her being hungry.

Things had been chaotic between getting the guppies and Robin settled, figuring out food, and keeping them entertained so they wouldn’t destroy the ship out of boredom. Eddie had never been so relieved as when they’d started nodding off in a giant tub they secured to the mast.

“They were just…testing you. A little. It’s normal when caretakers introduce a mate,” Steve tells him.

“What, are they making sure I’m sturdy?”

“More that you can handle them if you join the pod,” Steve explains. “Caretakers don’t leave their pods. If they mate with a merperson from another pod, that merperson just joins it. Guppies are overprotective and want to make sure mates deserve their caretakers.”

“That’s kinda sweet,” Eddie says.

Steve nods in agreement, shifting around some until he can turn to face Eddie. The bottom of his tail curls around Eddie’s leg, a heavy weight that he finds reassuring. “How do you feel?” he asks.

Eddie can hear the questions lying beneath. Did he like the guppies? Did they manage to scare him away? Is he going to end their courtship?

“They’re cool. I like them,” Eddie says, the words spilling out so he can reassure Steve. He feels something light and happy bubble in his chest at Steve’s smile. “I am wondering about something, though.”

“What?”

“How, uh, how does all of that…work?” Eddie asks, his face burning as he gestures to Steve’s tail, focusing on the general area Robin had looked at before. Despite the embarrassment of asking, he can’t help the heat that simmers through him at Steve’s knowing smile.

“Are you interested in theory or practice?” Steve asks.

“Practice. I am so, so, so interested in practice,” Eddie says, throwing an arm around Steve’s waist and tugging him closer. “But I wouldn’t mind a little theory so I know what I’m doing.”

Steve laughs, pushing against Eddie’s chest lightly. When he lets go, Steve sits up, gesturing for Eddie to sit behind him. Once they’re settled, Steve is nestled between Eddie’s legs and Eddie is resting his chin on Steve’s shoulders. “There’s a slit,” Steve says, taking Eddie’s hand and placing his palm on a patch of scales just below his waist. “When a merperson is aroused, it opens to provide access.”

Eddie swallows, nodding as he feels the cool slide of Steve’s scales under his palm. He glances at Steve and moves his hand, brushing his fingers over the area until he can feel where the slit is. It’s a slightly raised line, barely noticeable if he weren’t looking for it.

“And, uh, how does it work? For two mermen, I mean,” Eddie says.

He feels more than hears Steve hum, the vibrations pulsing through him from where Steve is resting against his chest. “Well, it doesn’t matter much,” Steve says, reaching up to tug on a loose strand of Eddie’s hair. “You humans have a word for it, I think, but all merfolk have the ability to carry or fertilize. It really just depends.”

“Oh,” Eddie says, biting the inside of his cheek as he presses his palm flat against Steve’s scales again. “So, which…I mean, what do you…you know, prefer?”

Steve thinks for a moment, twirling Eddie’s hair around his finger. “Anything that feels good,” he finally says, tilting his head back to grin at Eddie. “How about finding out what does?”

Not for the first time, Eddie thinks, perhaps, the merman in his arms will be the death of him. It’s a good thing he doesn’t mind one bit.

------

Tag List! (tags are full, please follow #high seas steddie)

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@m-owo-n, @newtstabber, @cartercaptainofthemoon, @spectrum-spectre, @a-little-unsteddie

[amerricanartwork]

Look at that! The little creatures are back! And there's two new ones this time!

Hey, what brings you guys around here—

Oh. My. God. This little blue one is so cute!! And those little frill things are so pretty!

What's it carrying, though? Come here so I can get a closer look!

Whoa! Calm down, purple one! I wasn't gonna hurt your little friend here!

See, it's alright!

Though I must say, you two are quite the interesting pair! I'd love to get to know you more! Both of you, feel free to stay as long as you'd like!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At long last, a new update to Rain Wool is here! And to hopefully compensate for the very long time it's been since my last addition to this project, I've decided to showcase TWO new figures this time!

First up is everyone's favorite little wet goober, Rivulet! And I must say, this one's been the hardest so far! Like I mentioned in a previous ask, it was quite hard to find a suitable blue color for Riv, in the sense that it both matched the in-game sprite as closely as possible and looked nice with a pink color that fit for the gills (which was also a bit hard to find). Then, on top of that, actually felting all six gills and attaching them to the cheeks was rather tedious. However, the end result was definitely worth it! Rivulet's gotta be my favorite Rain Wool figure so far; it's just so cute, I wanna hug it every time I see it!!

And next up is the quiet yet deadly messenger, Spearmaster! This one was a bit easier to make than Rivulet, though dark-colored slugcats are always a bit of a challenge for me. Visually, it's the same as Nightcat in the body, with the main difference, of course, being that thick spotted tail. It was a bit of a challenge to gauge just how thick I wanted the tail to be, but once it seemed satisfactory, placing the spots was pretty relaxing, and I like the way they came out in the end!

And, like my last two figures, I made little props for these guys as well! Again, I tried to make things matching their characters and stories. Using the same mini bamboo skewers with some hot glue and white ink, I made three of Spearmaster's special white spears, while some black and blue wool was used to make a little rarefaction cell for Rivulet.

That's about it for now, though. I hope you enjoyed seeing these two new figures! I'm pretty excited myself, not just because they both turned out great, but because I now only have two more slugcats to make!

Stay tuned for more Rain Wool: Downpour! I'll see you next time!

[crazy-pe3p]

been thinking about c!scott and his relationships with others lately throughout the life series

the flower husbands, they were never married. but scott still cares, he sill holds on tight to it all, he hasn't stopped caring. he never left the flower valley, but jimmy's forgotten it completely until scott brings it back up to him. scott did everything he could to keep jimmy safe, did everything for jimmy. his attempted deal in limited life, an attempt to see who jimmy held close to his heart, for just the slimmest chance that maybe, just maybe, jimmy still cared for him more.

mean gills… an odd and unlikely pairing, after scott and martyn were constantly at each other's throats in every series prior, yet they worked so well. yet scott, despite all the trust and care he had for martyn, was eventually stabbed in the back. he knew it was to happen anyway.

then there was impulse. and gem too, though despite how much she cared for both her scotts and was a great leader of the team… impulse hits a little different to me. the way he kept himself from harming scott, even though it would have helped with achieving his new task, unlike gem, who lept at scott once he was no longer giving them gifts.

joel is a peculiar one, and i don't think i have to speak much about him. always, always after scott no matter what, possibly aware of his ability to just survive, and unwilling to let him win again. or maybe just because he doesn't like c!scott. who knows. i, a scott viewer, don't.

there's pearl, of course. started off good, then in double life, things had just flipped. maybe it was from his experience with jimmy, getting close and then being distant in the next game, that when he found out it was either his closest ally from the previous game or his enemy, he went a bit cold. maybe he was expecting him and pearl to split and distance from each other, just like he and jimmy did. their relationship wasn't romantic but it was just as close of a relationship, just platonic. maybe he realises, as he stays friends with cleo in limited life, that it's not always going to go wrong, and as he tries to grapple with this, pearl retaliates with a slightly similar relationship to theirs from the season prior (double life). things seem to be lightening between them though, as more seasons pass.

it feels like sometimes, "outsiders" treat scott just a bit better than his old teammates did. he keeps giving and giving and giving and every now and then he takes, not enough to make up for what he gives away. allies, not the close allies/teammates but other teams who are simply allied with whatever team scott's a part of, support him a little more. compliment him. they give back and try not to harm him. so do scott's newer teams. (kind of.)

i don't know. maybe it's just me but this is just how i feel (looking from a character perspective) about them…

[sunflowersandsapphires]

Lack of Focus

pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader 

summary: Matt comforts you when your forgetfulness seems to be ruining your life.

warnings: swearing, weepy reader, period mentions, Matt being adorable, reader's no good very bad day

a/n: this is heavily inspired by my own life last month where my unknown disability gave me such intense brain fog on my period that I thought I’d somehow gotten brain damage.  Thankfully, it’s passed but what the FUCK y’all. That has never happened to me before and it was terrifying. So here is a little emotional hurt/comfort based on that! Also it takes place in the "In All the World" verse, but it can be read as a standalone. As always, please reply/reblog/DM me feedback!

w/c: 3.7k

Elbows planted firmly on your wobbly desk, you tried to ignore the way the large gouge on the left side dug into your exposed skin. You could feel the splintering fiberboard prickling your flesh, but you were too exhausted to adjust your posture. Your body felt heavy, as if you’d been transported to a different planet overnight and hadn’t quite adjusted to the intense gravitational force. Invisible strings attached to every cell that composed you, anchoring your movements to a far away point, making it difficult to even sit up straight.

Lifting your chin from atop your clammy hands, you strained to reach the coffee cup that you’d stupidly left on the far corner of the desktop. The minuscule weight of the mug made your hands shake, your strength sheerly depleted even though it was barely 8:30 in the morning. The watery coffee slid over your tongue, leaving the gritty residue of undissolved powdered creamer behind. You were used to crappy break room coffee, but it tasted especially bitter today, like a poor consolation prize for a contest you hadn’t entered.

In a word, you felt…groggy. Which made no sense, since you’d been sleeping ten or more hours a day the whole week—if you included your frequent naps. Your period-exhaustion and raging brain fog were apparently in cahoots this month.

The heat wasn’t helping either. New York was currently jumping between excessive, brutal sun and pouring rain. Each day felt like a Greek myth, Apollo and his father battling it out in a wretched display of strength, leaving you and the other mere mortals of Long Island to cope with the muggy weather until their spat was over. Walking through the streets felt more like swimming, given there was so much water vapor in the air you practically needed gills to process oxygen every time you stepped out of your apartment. Nearly suffocating on the 15 minute walk from your apartment to work surely wasn't helping your inability to think clearly.

With a massive sigh, you hauled another box of sheet music into your lap, thumbing through the pages of crumpled and coffee-stained paper. The district had been especially aggravating this summer, trying to appease the school board with promises of low budgets and high rates of success. As much as you’d love for that to be your reality, you had yet to decide on a starting piece for either of your choirs, and the fall musical was barely on your radar. Your mind was plodding through quicksand, grappling for steady ground. The last thing you needed was added pressure from a handful of men who refused to understand the importance of the arts, let alone your career.

Fingers rifling over the blurry text of one particular song selection, you paused, considering the technical skills you’d need to rebuild with your students after their summer break. Removing the pages from the box, you set it aside to ponder further, turning your attention back to the endless stacks. Before you could feel too proud, having stepped incrementally closer to actually  accomplishing something today, a shrill buzzing sounded from your desk. 

You jumped at the noise, losing your grip on the heavy box which toppled to the floor, spewing its contents across the grubby tile of your office. “Shit,” You cursed, snatching your phone up to answer it as you bent down to gather up the sea of scattered papers. The former organization system you’d meticulously sorted them into was nothing but a distant memory. Add it to the growing list of “to dos”, you thought miserably.

Swiping absently at the screen of your phone, you crammed it between your ear and your shoulder, trying to uncrumple the ancient cardboard box that had collapsed during the fall as you greeted whoever had disturbed you. “Hello?” Your tone was less than upbeat, and you could hear a small, slightly-miffed scoff across the line as the caller came to that realization as well.

“Hi, sweetheart. Is everything ok?” Your hands froze around fistfuls of paper, embarrassment clawing at your throat as you registered your boyfriend’s voice. 

“Hey, Matty. Yah, I’m fine. Sorry for sounding like..that. It’s been a tough morning.” You explained, messily gathering the papers into your lap as you fell into a criss-cross position on the floor. 

“I can tell,” Matt chuckled sympathetically. “Are you still coming?” 

Forehead scrunching with confusion, your brain valiantly attempted to decipher the question’s meaning before you eloquently asked for clarification.

“Huh?”

Staring at the walls of your office dumbfounded, your posture became less relaxed as Matt explained what he’d meant. “To the coffee shop? You promised to meet the three of us for breakfast.” 

“Oh god.” You absolutely had. Matt had been moping all week about his busy schedule and the resulting lack of time you’d spent together, so you’d readily agreed when he’d suggested coffee. He’d even been sweet enough to schedule it on the one day that you didn’t have any early meetings so you wouldn’t be too rushed after meeting him. “Oh Matt, I’m so sorry.”

“You forgot.” His response was patient, but even over the tinny speaker his hurt was obvious. Your eyes stung as you pictured his face falling, silently conveying your failure to his coworkers. 

“I’m so so sorry, I’ll be there as soon as I can. It’s the little cafe off of 7th and 42nd?” Clambering to your feet, your voice was slightly choked as your throat constricted—your disappointment and frustration squeezing it like a vice. 

“Hey, it’s ok, love. It’s almost 9:00, we have a meeting with a client in 45. If you’re all the way across town—“

“I’ll barely get to see you anyways.” You finished his thought, eyes falling shut as your hopes of not missing another activity were dashed. This wasn’t the first time this week something important had slipped your mind, despite being on your calendar. You’d already had to reschedule a dentist appointment, scramble home fifteen minutes late to meet with a student for a private lesson, and you’d filed the application for a grant three hours too late because you’d misread the instructions. The constant mistakes were quickly spiraling, leaving you to wallow in confusion and despair as your brain fog only grew. “I’m s—“

“Don’t apologize, sweet girl. It happens,” Matt reassured you. He was disappointed, you had no doubt about that, but he wasn’t angry. A wave of gratitude for Matt’s endless compassion crashed into you swiftly, nearly bringing you to your knees. Your tongue felt heavy, cheeks dampening as tears began to fall. “I was just worried something had happened. It slipped your mind?”

“I don’t know what’s up with me, Matt.” You whimpered, dropping heavily into your squeaky desk chair with a shaky exhale. “I know my mind has never been a ‘steel trap’ but..I’m starting to think something might be wrong.”

Your voice broke off on the admission. Bringing a knuckle to your mouth to bite down on, you refused to sob into Matt’s ear over the phone. He didn’t deserve that after you’d stood him up.

“I know. I’m sorry the past few weeks have been so hard. Do you have plans tonight?” Matt asked softly, voice laden with concern. Even through the phone, his voice bundled you up in a comforting warmth, a layer of protection between you and the world. He was eternally patient with you, loving you endlessly despite your recent bout of ditsy-ness.

“Not sure I’d remember if I did,” You chuckled humorlessly.

“That’s ok, sweetheart. Anything on your calendar?” Acknowledging your frustration, Matt tenderly redirected you—trying to keep your mind from wandering without blaming you for it. God, you loved him.  

“Let me check.” You sniffled, drawing the phone away from your temple so you could flick through your schedule. “Not after 4:00.”

“Ok well I should be done here around 6:00. I can come over for dinner, if you’d like.” Your lips formed a tiny smile at Matt’s loving persistence.

“Yes please. Can we meet at yours instead?”

“Of course! You can go straight to my loft after work, if you feel like it. You can use the spare I gave you.”

“Are you sure?” You suddenly felt a bit timid, being handed so much trust after letting everyone down for over a week.

“Absolutely, sweetheart. You know how much I enjoy you being there. Besides, I’ve missed you like crazy.” His voice was a rumble, making you feel far more loved than you thought you deserved at the moment.

“I miss you too, Matt. I wish my stupid brain would’ve remembered coffee so I could’ve seen you earlier.” Your vision shifted as saline flooded your waterline, tears wobbling as they fought to escape.

“I’ll just have to make it up to you tonight.” Matt purred, definitely waggling his eyebrows even though he was not in your line of sight.

Laughing in surprise, you felt heat rush to your face. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one that needs to be making it up to you.”

“Agree to disagree, sweetheart. We’re going to go open the office, but I’ll see you tonight. I love you.” He lingered over the last three words, tone dipping into pure reverence—the exact pitch that made your stomach flutter as he revealed just how much he cared about you.

“I love you too, Matt. Apologize to Foggy and Karen for me? Tell them I owe them at least three bagels a piece.”

“Three? That’s a pretty steep fee, love. I think I can talk ‘em down.”

Shaking your head with a giggle, you bit your lip. “Thank you for looking out for me, Matty. I hope you have a good day.”

“You too, angel. Call me if you need anything, ok? If I can���t talk right then, I’ll call back when I can. But I’m here if you need me.”

“Ok. Thank you.” Listening as the line disconnected, your heart clenched with disappointment as reality set in—you had an entire day of work to get through before you got to see your partner. Gaze dropping to the haphazard stacks of sheet music draped over your knees, you groaned, hefting them into your arms and dumping them on your desk to organize. Hopefully your sluggish mind could handle the repetitive task without too much issue.

Meandering up the stairs at a snail's pace, each bend of your knee took intense concentration. You were ready to keel over and pass out, letting the guilt and frustration and embarrassment that had amassed over the day fade into oblivion as if it had never happened.

After missing your morning coffee date, and ruining a week's worth of office organization, your day had not improved. Your murky brain had managed to sort the piles of sheet music into the correct songs, but it had taken every drop of your energy. In an effort to perk up before your hours of meetings, you'd thrown back a few more cups of coarse break room coffee—which tasted disgustingly similar to pond water as the day progressed. Each forced swallow stung with the reminder that your forgetfulness had cost you a decent latte and a much needed outing with your boyfriend.

Even four cups of the bog water masquerading as your beloved caffeinated drink couldn't solve your boredom when the administration started rambling on about test scores and parent satisfaction. Graph after graph flashed before your eyes, blending into a drab collage hung on the walls of your brain. When you hadn't shown enough enthusiasm for the new district mandates surrounding attendance and compulsory study hall, your principal had chewed you out—scolding you for not being a team player, for putting your own interests ahead of the success of your students. It took every ounce of resolve you could muster not to burst into tears right there at the conference table.

Finally, they'd dismissed you and you'd gathered your things to leave—only to be caught in a downpour on your walk to Matt's. Though your things were protected by the thick fabric of your messenger bag, you hadn't brought any form of poncho or jacket, so you were utterly soaked when you reached his building.

The fates were clearly determined to drag you down. And, given the exhaustion seeping out of your every pore and the harrowing tightness in your abdomen, you were ready to submit to their malevolent will. You wanted to curl up in a ball and hibernate for a week. If nothing would go right, what was the point of squandering your energy day in and day out to achieve mediocrity?

Bottom lip trembling as tears rolled down your cheeks, you stumbled across the landing to Matt's door—sticking your spare key into the lock and wiggling it. The damn thing didn't budge.

”C'mon!“ You muttered, fresh tears beading in the corners of your eyes as you jiggled the key furiously. ”Open you stupid—“ As you pushed at the small piece of brass with your fingers, it slipped from your grip, your hand smacking against the door frame with the residual energy.

A sob escaped you, your frustration boiling over when your psyche was presented with another obstacle. Yanking the key out and dropping it to the floor, you slid down, back against the cool wood, your sopping jeans squelching as they hit the floor. With a heaving breath, you brought your shaking hands up to your face, trying to soothe your frazzled heart before deciding your next move.

Inhale for 7. Out for 11. Just like you told your kids when they got jittery on the night of a big performance. It wouldn't fix your mood, but it could help you get a grip.

Staring down at the offending hunk of metal on the carpet, your brain flickered with realization. It wasn't the right key. Your own apartment key and Matt's were the same color because you'd made copies together, but the bows were shaped differently. The key to your apartment had a rounded head, while the spare to Matt's had a pointed one. He'd suggested the difference in design to help him keep the two separate.

Heat creeping up your neck, you shoved the damn thing back in your pocket, pulling out your lanyard and singling out the correct key in the line up. 

Your legs shook tremendously as you clambered to your feet, barely functioning enough to keep you upright as you hauled yourself into Matt's apartment. With every step into the loft, your soggy flats squished with your weight, surely leaving a trail of sweat and rainwater behind you. Dropping your bag against the wall where it wouldn’t be a tripping-hazard for your boyfriend, you scrubbed at your clammy cheeks with a fist, padding into the bedroom.

It was quiet, beyond the sliding door. The brick walls and insulation muffling the New York ambiance into a gentle hum, barely noticeable over the buzz of the central AC. A soft, manufactured breeze whirled around you, raising the hair along your limbs. Your damp clothes did nothing to protect you from the temperature change, the frigid air sliding right through them, latching on to the thin layer of moisture against your skin.

With numb fingers, you fumbled for the buttons on the back of your top, ripping off your drenched blouse and replacing it with one of Matt's warm hoodies. As soon as you had shoved your arms into the garment, your discomfort began to fade away. It smelled distinctly of Matt, rather than the stale stench of wet cotton you'd been carrying around. Unzipping your pants, you stripped out of those as well, replacing your underwear with a pair of clean boxers. Mental breakdown stalled for now, you lifted the comforter strewn across the familiar mattress and sunk into the silk sheets with a fatigued exhale.

You were out like a light.

Matt’s lips quirked up at the sound of rustling sheets, his fingers still tapping away on his laptop. Momentarily pausing, he tuned in to your vitals, listening carefully as you roused. Your heart rate picked up, an almost imperceptible sigh leaving you as you wriggled about in his bed.

With a pitiful groan, you untangled yourself from a cocoon of his sheets, ambling out of his bedroom on heavy feet. He was pretty sure you thought you were alone–the tiny gasp as you opened his bedroom door confirming his suspicions.

“Matty?” Your lilted voice was dipped in precarious optimism. Baring your teeth with the tiniest smile, you readily accepted his lifted arm as an invitation to snuggle in beside him on the couch. Setting his laptop and headphones aside, Matt engulfed you with his arms, grinning into your hair as you went limp against his chest with a pleased hum.

“Hi, sleepyhead. Did you have a good nap?” You pouted at his teasing comment, grumbling against his chest. He chuckled, cradling the back of your head so he could plant a kiss on your crown. “I'm not judging you, pretty girl. I'm glad you got some rest. Seems like you had a bad day.”

“How did you know?” You mumbled, rubbing at your eyes as Matt adjusted until you lay steadily across his lap.

“You missed breakfast and you hate the school's coffee, your clothes in my hamper are drenched, and I ran into Mrs. Gomez who warned me of an amateur burglar outside my apartment earlier.” There was a soft slap of skin against skin as you dropped your head into your hands with a moan.

“I was hoping I wouldn't have to relive that particular detail.”

“Sweetheart, if you wanted to spend time with me, you could have stopped by the office. No need to commit a petty crime to get my undivided attention.”

“Ma-att” You groaned, jabbing him weakly in the stomach with a knuckle.

“I mean, I'm sure Foggy would agree to take your case, but seriously it would save a lot of paper if you–” He broke off into a genuine laugh when you shoved off the couch, pouting profusely he was sure. Chasing after you with ease, he caught you by an elbow, angling you back towards him so he could gently kiss your lips. “Sorry, sweetheart. But the image of you trying to break in was too adorable to let slide.”

“That's mean, Matt. Kicking your girlfriend when she's down. Bullying.” You glowered, your arms loosening from their tight cross over your chest as he peppered your head with soft kisses.

“Mmm you're right,” Matt murmured, lips brushing over the bridge of your nose. “I'm sorry to bring it up. Do I need to worry about any broken locks or windows?”

He could practically hear your exaggerated eye roll. “I didn't break anything. I have a key.”  You grumbled, not seeing the humor in the experience.

“What happened, angel? Did you leave it at work?” His question was genuine, but his teasing smirk seemed to push you over the edge.

Tears pooled in your eyes as your chin dropped to your chest with embarrassment. “It just took me a few tries to open the door. I did manage to remember the one thing I needed to get into your apartment.”

You didn't mean for the comment to sound so snarky, but you weren't really in the mood to be picked on. Matt's banter usually cheered you up, enticing you into joking right back with him. Today, though? The idea that Matt expected you to have forgotten another important thing was far too realistic to be humorous.

“Hey,” Matt tutted sympathetically, his amused grin morphing into a slight frown while his brow furrowed with concern. “I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to upset you.”

“I'm not being oblivious on purpose, Matt. I don't know why I'm like this right now.” You sniffled, hastily wiping away the tracks of moisture forming on your cheeks.

“I know, sweets. I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to poke fun.” Swaying you from side to side as if he was comforting a fussy infant, Matt stroked your scalp as he shushed you. It would've been easy to see the change in his behavior as offensive, but Matt's small repetitive movements and hushed tone were comforting, so you leaned into what he provided.

“I'm tired, Matt. I'm so tired and I'm trying so hard to remember everything but I..I can't.” Lips quivering, you squeezed your eyes shut as another wave of tears pooled in them.

“I know, love. I know you're trying.” Matt assured you, scooping you into his arms and settling back on the couch. “It's just been a bad week. It'll get better.”

“What if it doesn't? What if this is how I am now?” You worried aloud, the hormones clouding your brain triggering a fresh surge of anxiety.

“Then we'll deal with it.” Matt shrugged, speaking as if this was the only possible outcome.

“I love you.” You whispered, nudging your nose into the hinge of Matt's jaw. His throat rumbled under your cheek as he echoed your declaration.

“I love you too, angel. Always.”

“Even when I'm scatterbrained and overly emotional?” You asked timidly, your own discomfort with your unusual period symptoms skewing your expectations.

“Without a doubt, my love.” Matt craned his head to kiss your hairline, frowning as you shuddered into the touch. ”Still tired?“

You nodded against him with a frustrated sigh. “I don't know why, I feel like all I've done this week is sleep.”

“You had a tough day, sweetheart. That would wear me out too.” Matt reasoned, tugging a knit throw off the back of his couch and tucking it around you securely.

“But I want to spend time with you,” You groused, the edges of your words muzzy as sleep tugged at your consciousness.

“There’s plenty of time for us to spend together, ok? Just rest. I’ll wake you when food gets here.” 

“You ordered food?”

“I did,” Matt murmured. “I wasn’t sure if you’d eaten today, so I ordered Thai and pizza. Whatever we don’t eat tonight, you can take for lunch tomorrow.” 

“Thank you, Matty.” You whispered gratefully.

“Anytime, sweet girl. I love you.” Repositioning so you were sprawled against his chest, the two of you fully horizontal, Matt rubbed circles into your upper back, lulling you into a peaceful slumber.

Taglist: @marytheweefrenchie @cheshirecat484 @siampie @xxdrixx @gracethyomen @ignore-mp3 @silas-aeiou @screechingphantommaker @spiderstyles04 @paradox-brody-chase @msjb2002

[lovelytsunoda]

F1 DRIVERS AS CHARACTERS FROM MAGIC MIKE

aka the best shitpost that has ever shitposted from lovelytsunoda on tumblr

JENSON BUTTON as DALLAS

He’s been around the block a few times. The seasoned veteran that holds our group together. Semi-retired, Jenson is now the touring MC and the owner of the club where our favourite boys perform. He’s still got it though, and that’s evident by the women that hang off him like shirtless white dudes are going out of style and they’re desperate to grab the last one. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and just how to please a woman. Looks incredible in a cowboy hat.

LEWIS HAMILTON as MIKE

He's got dreams, visions of a life where he can put his male stripper days behind him. Despite himself, he takes a new young talent under his wing, while he prepares to leave and create a humble new life for himself. Ladies everywhere know his name, and he's always the title performer. The other dancers are jealous of his street cred and wish they could all be him. There will never be another Lewis.

LANDO NORRIS as ADAM

He’s young, he’s eager and he’s attracted by the idea of swimming dollar bills and all the chicks he could possibly want. Lando Norris is green in the gills and needs someone to take him under their wing. Enter Lewis Hamilton. Lewis teaches the kid everything he knows, and eventually The Kid becomes a bigger star than he is.

CARLOS SAINZ JR. as BIG DICK RICHIE

Do I really need to explain this one? Ladies man with two sides: romantic and scandalous. Insecure about the size of his package, as it tends to scare the ladies away. Lover of MILFs. The ideas man of the group, tired of doing the same routines over and over again. No fashion sense at all. when he finally gets laid, you know damn well everybody is going to hear about it (and it might be with a middle aged mom).

CHARLES LECLERC as TITO

He's like a hyperactive puppy with a heart of gold. Brings a certain kind of swagger to the stage, but is easily distracted offstage. Has tried (and failed) to create different products and startups, but thinks whatever hairbrained idea he has come up with next is the one. Wants to go on Shark Tank. I love him your honour.

FERNANDO ALONSO as TARZAN

He's been in the game longer than some of the younger dancers have been alive. Nobody is sure why, but the ladies love him. A sweet and gentle soul who would do anything to go back in time and settle down with the one who got away, Fernando has more depth than expected.

OSCAR PIASTRI as KEN

Thinks they should 'stop giving women what men think they want' and start 'asking women what they want'. Certified sweetheart, the ladies love him. Will give you a lap dance while serenading you with love songs that stopped being popular in 1986. The baby of the group, sometimes it takes a few tries to be taken seriously. And did I mention women love him?

VALTTERI BOTTAS as TOBIAS

He may not be a good stripper, but he's the number one supporter (and the driver, and the DJ). When Jenson fucks off to Monaco, it's Valtteri who takes over as MC. Will totally win an impromptu drag race because he is just that bitch.

YUKI TSUNODA as ANDRE (magic mike xxl)

Certified sweetheart. Will put on his little fedora and suit jacket and make up a song about how wonderful you are. Because sometimes, the shy girls in the audience need a bit of love and attention as well. Even if his music career were to take off, he'd probably still keep stripping because he loves making pretty girls smile.

[auspicioustidings]

Mermen au with mer TF141 and researcher reader trying to learn about their. . .biology :Dd Or them trying to bring progressively bigger fish trying to woo and then Ghost ends up bringing you a fucking orca or some shit,

...I had to look up the reproductive cycle of several marine animals for this I hope you are happy.

Deductive Reasoning

Words: 1.3k

CW: ...light fish porn (?)

It was just fascinating. It would have been dreadfully difficult to not talk about this every chance you got and thus break your NDA if not for the fact that you never left this secure little island base. You were permitted to, but why would you want to? You were speaking with living, breathing mermen almost everyday.

4 of them, although they had alluded to their being more out there. These 4 were a... well that was the question wasn't it? Only one shark did not make a shiver, only one seal did not make a herd, only one walrus did not make a rookery and only one mandarinfish did not make a shoal. Was there a collective term for mermen? You were told you were now the leading researcher in the world for this new species, so perhaps that meant you got to decide.

Or maybe you'd just ask. They spoke to you sometimes, or at least made noises. They seemed to understand each other at least which was intriguing on its own.

It had been Soap you had met first. You had been basically abducted and hurried to this island facility where they had captured a real life merman. You were enamoured immediately by the furious thing in the tank. Half seal, harbour seal you thought. Top half looked all but human (skin must be different to allow for underwater living and ah, yes, you could see gills), hair in a mohawk (which suggested someone had cut it to look like that, who? Was it a ritual? Did they have community? Was it an emulation of human culture? Perhaps some mating strategy?), eyes somewhere between human and seal (his physicality was a similar story, he was built strong and thick, a healthy layer of fat over hard muscle).

You perhaps felt a little bashful looking back. You had been so wildly excited, asking a thousand questions and going into chaotic science mode that it took you a whole 16 hours of straight observations and notes to realise there was a creature of higher intelligence being held captive in a tank. You did, of course, apologise profusely. He clearly did not understand what you were saying, but the emotion was human enough. Bemusement.

Soap had come about because he was slippery. Well, actually he wasn't, but the story was that he was slippery. Because if the military knew you had actually been helping him escape you were probably going to get disappeared. It was lucky the facility at that time wasn't as high security, you had gotten away with it.

You had met Gaz right there on the coast when Soap went slicing through the water. You thought looking back that Price and Ghost had probably been there, just out of sight. They had come for him. Gaz was a magnificent thing. His tail was the same pattern as a madarinfish, bright orange with gorgeous blue markings. You had shown him a tin of irn-bru once with a grin and learned then that Soap could laugh. He had come right up to you and after some form of exchange with Soap had been playful, showing off his tail and holding his hand out to you. You had been existing on caffeine and noodles so hardly your fault you took it, getting dragged into the water.

Oh how thrilling an education you received in the courting practices of Dragonets! He had made quite a show of displaying his fins, including a gorgeous dorsal fin on his human looking spine. You knew you simply must see them again if only to study why Gaz's eyes were more human while Soap's leant towards seal like. He was certainly the most expressive of them. His name had only come about because you had tried every other one and he made his disdain for them very clear. By the time the merman had been rubbing what you would call his ventral fins against you, Soap had grabbed you and soundly deposited you back on shore. Just in time too for the soldiers to find you because the doctor later told you that you were in the early stages of hypothermia. Totally worth it actually.

You talked the powers that be into allowing your pet projects to free roam, after all they kept coming back to see you. Over the course of a year the facility was upgraded and a channel added from the sea to an indoor pool that would allow for better study. Soap and Gaz didn't run on a schedule exactly, but they seemed content to swim in every so often and let you poke and prod. Fascinating that they should both be half human but their other half was so entirely different. Soap was half mammal, retractable penis something he was very proud to show off anytime he was in the observation pool. Gaz was half dragonet, and while you tried to put a clutch of eggs in the pool to see if he could fertilise them he had only raised an eyebrow at you and tried once again to pull you in. Tough luck, you had learned your lesson about going into the water with them when you had met Ghost.

It had been the middle of the night when he swam into the pool. Silent, you hadn't heard him (that's where that name had come from in the end). So unsuspecting were you that you were too near the edge and his hand had snaked around your ankle, one sharp pull dragging you in after you fell to the ground (hardly avoiding a broken nose). It wasn't only his tail that was shark, he had a sharp set of teeth that he sank into the meat of your shoulder without much ceremony. His claspers had been strong as hell holding you there, the only thing likely saving you his frustration at your clothes. He must not have understood the concept very well because he released you and dove, pawing at your trousers to try and figure them out. It was an endless source of fascination for him anytime he visited after. He would lean his arms on the pool edge and just stare at your legs, tracing the outline of your body with his sharp eyes. It only seemed fair to let him look since you spent an inordinate amount of time staring at him. He was sleek and muscular, every inch an apex predator in his prime.

It was a contrast to who you would say was the leader of their group. The merman who had saved you from Ghost that first time you met him, who had ripped him away from you when his teeth had sunk into the meat of your thigh through your trousers. Price had hauled you out of the water with ease. He was part Walrus, huge and soft with a layer of blubber similar to Soap's that hid considerable strength. Of all of them his animal half was most pronounced, his canines elongated into tusks and his hair thick and whisker-like around them.

As a scientist you could not possibly play favourites. Price was absolutely your favourite. He would be still and patient with you when you were working with him. He would gently run his fingers over whatever parts of you were in reach. When you babbled excitedly he seemed to listen as best he could.

If you had taken more than a moment to really look into it, you might have realised you were not the only creature conducting research. If you had used some deductive reasoning, you probably could have anticipated that fateful day you were dragged into the sea, never to be seen by the human military again.

[nat-20s]

i know it's a little late, but everyone please enjoy this soft and sappy new year's fourteendonna fic!!! Also on ao3, if you prefer!

~~~~

As per New Year’s tradition, The Doctor and Donna were the only two members of the household that were awake past midnight. This year had been different than last, because at least this year Shaun had given a rather sleepy “woo!” and kiss to Donna at midnight, before promptly once again passing out on the couch. Sylvia and Rose had made no attempt to make it that late, the two of them staunchly morning people. Donna had to assume that that particular quality skipped a generation, as she had never once gotten out of bed before 10am of her own volition. Granddad had tried, bless his heart, but it was barely 9:30 before he gave a little wave and apology, heading to his room.

She would take it to her grave, but she sort of adored these quiet moments where it was just her and The Doctor. There was a sense of guilt about it, wanting to bogart his time for herself. However, this was both a: the only time that The Doctor would actually talk and b: something that Donna was about 78% sure he enjoyed just as much as her. It didn’t hurt that they were currently leaned up against the kitchen counter, pressed shoulder to shoulder, slowly nursing their sparkling apple cider. Donna would swear that she had a pleasant buzz in the back of her head going on, despite no one even bothering to buy champagne this year. Half of them couldn’t have it, and the other half didn’t actually want it. What a ridiculous, brilliant family she had.

Maybe it was the fact that it was one am, or that it was New Year’s, or just that she felt remarkably loose-limbed, but she simply had to break the silence. “So, spaceman, this is your second new year’s day with us. How’re you feelin about it?”

The Doctor turns to face her directly, pointing the gold sparkle 2025 glasses (that were physically incapable of looking anything other than deeply silly) he was wearing straight at her. There’s a moment, so brief she almost misses it, of contemplation, before it’s replaced by a too big goofy grin. “Oh, I’m just dandy.”

For that, she nudges him with her elbow. “Come off it, it’s only us. How do you actually feel about all...this?”

She waves in the general direction of the house, and makes the assumption that he gets she’s not talking about the furniture. His smile decreases to something more honest and his eyes, well, she hates to say that they twinkle, but they sort of do. “Good. Mostly. Yeah.”

Reasonably, she shouldn’t needle. Reasonably, she should leave it at that, enjoy finishing her cup of sugar that claims to have vitamins, and get them both to bed. Behaving reasonably wasn’t what made her and The Doctor best friends, though. Instead, she decides to change tactics. “When’s the last time we went stargazing?”

The Doctor’s expression morphs to the kind of concern that’s usually reserved for life-threatening situations. Or when she says she’s going grocery shopping without him. “Donna, we went out with Granddad last night? You’re not having memory-”

“-No, dummy, I mean proper stargazing. TARDIS, open sky, no atmosphere type of star gazing. ”

The crow’s feet around the corners of The Doctor’s eyes curl up, prominent enough that Donna can see them even with the obstruction of the glasses. If they weren’t in the middle of a conversation, she’d probably stroke them with her thumb. As it is, she simply listens as he lights up, saying, “Oh! Not since we had the run-in with the giant Artemisians.”

“God, that’s right. It was nice to have a breather, you know, after a giant shrimp tries to drown you.”

“I keep telling you that they didn’t understand the concept of not having gills, there truly was no ill will there.”

“And I keep telling you, a lack of ill will is worth sod all when a giant shrimp is trying to drown you. Unconventional methods of saying ‘hello’ are significantly less friendly when they almost kill you.”

The Doctor has the gall to roll his eyes at her, and she wet willies him. “Ey!,” is all he gets out before she sets down her drink down behind her, grabs a thermos, and sets out for the backyard. The Doctor scrambles behind her, even willing to take off his little party hat and absurd glasses before he goes.

Perhaps more confident than she should be, considering the TARDIS’s temperamental nature, she struts in, fills the thermos from the hot cocoa tap that appeared one day, and starts inputting coordinates. The Doctor quickly catches up, putting his head on her shoulder to watch what she’s doing. “Shouldn’t I take over from here?”

“Nah, she likes me better anyway.”

A gasp of hurt comes out of The Doctor. “She does not!”

“Really? Because the TARDIS has always taken me where I want to go. If that’s not a sign that I’m her favorite, I don’t know what is. Isn’t that right, ol’ gal?”

The lights of the TARDIS walls flash brighter, and Donna can feel a slight hum in the base of her skull. She can see The Doctor pouting in her peripheral vision, but nevertheless he hugs his arms around her waist and says, “’Spose it’s only fair, considering you’re my favorite too.”

Donna wrinkles her nose at that, but can’t quite hide her smile as she fiddles with a few knobs. “Sap.”

“Only for you.”

“Okay, first off, that’s not even true, second, double sap! At this rate you’re going to become a whole damn tree.”

The Doctor only responds with a little “mmm,” and snuggling even closer. All of which is very sweet, but reaching for the last lever she needs is a bit difficult with a 6 foot alien doing his best octopus impression. If this had been their first go around, she would’ve shoved him off. In this incarnation of, well, whatever they are, she simply does her best stretch while having a hyper-intelligent limpet attached to her.

Donna expects the typical moan and groan of the TARDIS, but apparently “Up” is a fairly simple task for her to complete. It’s mere seconds before they’re between the moon and Earth, and Donna’s ready to step out. She half walks, half drags The Doctor all the way to the TARDIS doors before he lets go. There’s a slight shiver that goes through her at the sudden lack of warmth, but the contents of the thermos will quickly amend that.

Pushing the doors to the side, she reveals exactly the view she had hoped they would get; the Earth at night, lit up in the intricate networks of humanity, and stars surrounding them. As The Doctor comes to stand next to her and look, she fondly thinks of their first night together having shared this exact same view a few billion years removed.

Quickly, she sits down, and pours herself some cocoa. She hesitates for a moment, thinking about how she’ll have to piss like a racehorse if she drinks too much, and then immediately decides she doesn’t actually care.

The Doctor immediately follows suit, and they simply watch the world for a few minutes, passing a cheap plastic cup between the two of them. After the cocoa needs refilling, she takes in The Doctor’s full body contentment, and almost, almost doesn’t interrupt it. Nevertheless, she asks, “Mostly?”

“Hmm?”

“You said things were good, mostly. What’s the not good?”

The Doctor turns to stare at her for a moment, then teasingly says, “The stargazing is a trap, isn’t it?”

Donna scoffs. “Of course not! The stargazing is because it’s a great view. The hot cocoa, on the other hand.”

The Doctor gives a bit of a laugh, then sets aside the empty cup in his left hand. He uses his right hand to take hers, then goes back to staring at the universe surrounding them. “It really is good, Donna. I didn’t lie to you when I said I’ve never been so happy, and that hasn’t changed. If anything, it becomes even more true with each passing day. I just,” The Doctor lets out a breath of a sigh, “I’m a bit worried is all. Not...not about anything major. Logically, I know that other me is doing his best for the universe, and who better to hand the keys off to? But. Well. I fear I’m losing myself. And worse, I fear that I don’t know if that’s a bad thing.”

Donna gives The Doctor’s hand a quick squeeze, a reassurance as she asks, “How do you mean?”

The Doctor give his her full force attention then, somewhat to her surprise. She had expected him to look anywhere but her. Instead, his pupils are darting back and forth, scanning her as if her face holds the answer to her own question. “Donna, I don’t feel like a time lord anymore.”

He turns away again then, taking a slow, deep breath before continuing, “I know that I am one. I know, fundamentally, that I am not a member of the human race, and that being a time lord isn’t about fulfilling a role, it’s more a state of existence. But it feels like a role, and one that I’ve quit. Retired from. Passed on to the next generation.

Even without whatever Tecteun did to me, the centuries, the lives I lived before I found you again, they seem distant. Like everything happened to someone else. Only the past year and half feel…”

The Doctor trailed off, and Donna found it shockingly easy to finish his thought. “-real?”

“Yeah.”

Donna places her head on the door frame, the forever night sky twinkling in front of her, and tells him, “I think I know what you’re getting at. It’s as if, I dunno, for fifteen years there was a woman named Donna Noble who got married and raised a child and bought a house and scrapped together a decent life for herself. She was strong, but she was also so sad, missing someone who didn’t exist. I’m grateful to that incredible, heart-broken person. She did a lot of things right, and some things wrong, and she dug up the space for the roots I’ve now placed down. But she doesn’t feel like me. It’s..it’s as if I suddenly woke up, when I got my memories back. I know it’s not true, I know that those actions, those memories are all mine, that I was never truly asleep. I don’t know her mind, though. I don’t thinkin the same way she does, I don’t act like her, I don’t even entirely sound like her. Maybe that’s how it feels for you, too?”

Donna thought she was sharing in a mutual understanding, but when she looked at The Doctor, he was devastated. “Donna, I am so sorry-”

“-Leave off! We’ve hashed that out a good ten times already, and that is not what this conversation is about.”

Everything about The Doctor was tense, but she watched him slowly force the stiffness from his body. “Yes, yes, I know. I am, but. I think that’s...pretty much exactly how I feel. Funny how that works. Same wavelength, for the two of us.”

“Sure, though, me feeling like a different person than the one in my memories isn’t quite as literal for me.”

The Doctor gives a “what can you do?” shrug, and goes quiet. There’s an..expectation in the air, at least she thinks there is, that if this conversation is to resolve, she has to be the one to do it. “The psychic paper says ‘John Noble’ by the way.”

“Huh?”

“When you flash your near universal fake badge. It used to list your name as ‘John Smith’, dumb fake name by the way, but now it says ‘John Noble.’”

He immediately looks down, poorly attempting to hide his face and his honest-to-god blush, and ohhh Donna wants to tease him about it so very badly. “Well, I, that’s as such. The psychic paper responds to the minds around it, so, that’s just. Yep.”

She grins, mostly sincerely, and shifts to lean on him. “I like it. Suits you. And, in light of it all, would it be so bad? You don’t have to, obviously, but. What if you didn’t have to be capital ‘T’ capital ‘D’ The Doctor, last of the time lords, the oncoming storm, whatever? Would you like to just be him, John Noble, regular bloke?”

“Regular? Eugh, makes me sound like a digestive system.”

He gets an elbow for that, and she amends, “Fine. Human then. Wanna join us down there on big blue ball in front of us?”

“It’d be wrong. Wouldn’t it? Yes. Right?”

It’s her turn to shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’m admittedly biased, but I think being human is rather nice, actually.”

“In that case. I think I’ve already joined you, haven’t I?”

“I think you have, Dr. Noble.”

“Oh, that does have a ring to it!”

Donna removes her hand from The Doctor’s so that she can hug his arm and watch the world continue. In a bit, she’ll have to get up, input the coordinates back home, and get some sleep. For now, though, she simply whispers, “Happy New Year, Doctor.”

“Happy New Year, Donna.”

[deantfwinchester]

Gingerly

Pairing: No-Outbreak!AU, Joel x Teacher!Reader, same timeline

This one is set not long before the events of "A New Chapter" - before Reader & Sarah pick out Halloween costumes :)

Summary: Early mornings in the first trimester present a new set of challenges for the growing Miller family. Joel does his best to find remedies for their dilemma.

Warnings: pregnancy, so many euphemisms for vomit, so beware

A/N: this one isn't very long. it's lowkey a prequel to the one I'm posting next. Very similar stories at two different points in their lives. <3

Word Count: 1.8k.

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You’re spending longer than usual this morning hugging the porcelain. It didn’t take long after discovering your pregnancy for the morning sickness to kick in, and it’s a killer. This is happening more often than you’d like, but at least it’s over pretty quickly most days — just a little eviction of last night’s dinner to make room for breakfast, apparently. Isn’t this kid supposed to make you hungrier? What’s their deal?

Today’s a little different, and you’re left retching long enough to impact your punctuality to work. Gotta send a text to some coworkers to get your class covered. You hate it, but it’s not exactly a willpower game at this point — this kid wants all of yesterday’s food GONE, but your stomach is putting up a fight. Unfortunately, you’re the one losing.

Joel’s wandering anxiously in and out of the bathroom, worrying like hell. He’s going back and forth between sitting with you and rubbing your back —he’d pulled your hair up for you after the first evacuation — and checking on Sarah, making sure she gets ready for school. He’d hovered for a while until the two of you heard Sarah come downstairs, and you insisted he go get her some breakfast, just please don’t tell you what it is. He’s in and out as Sarah eats, and she pops in to check on you and tell you she made him sit down for a minute and eat something too. You shoot her the most grateful smile you can muster on the green-around-the-gills visage you’re sporting at the moment. He’s got a full day ahead as well, and you’d been worrying right back… from your position on the bathroom tile, at least. 

When they’ve both finished breakfast, Joel returns to your side, waiting until the last possible second to leave before Sarah’s late for school. You assure him it’s not a big deal, you’ll be okay in a little while. He knows this, and that it’s normal, but it breaks his heart to leave you there on the floor.

“How ‘bout I drop Sarah off and come right back? Tommy can get everybody started at the site, and I’ll just stay long enough to get you to work,” he questions, placing the back of his hand to your cheek to check your temperature again “just to make sure that’s all it is!” before sighing and tucking some loose hair behind your ear. You shake your head slowly, trying to minimize the nausea. 

“There’s not really anything for you to do, sweetie. As much as having you here with me afterward makes me feel better, we can’t both be late to work every day for the next month. Maybe longer than that. I’ll probably be fine by the time you get back anyway. Just be a wasted trip.” You huff at the end, hoping the nausea is reaching its end for this morning and you can get up and get ready to leave.

Joel looks at you with a pained expression and cringes at the word month. Just seeing you dealing with this the last few weeks has been agonizing for him — he doesn’t even want to imagine how it feels. 

“No such thing as a wasted trip when it comes to you, darlin’. ‘S my job, you know that,” he responds, with a sympathetic smile, and continues before you can rebut. “But alright, I’m goin’. Promise you’ll text me if you’re feelin’ any worse?,” he lifts a pinky to you, and you hook yours right back, turning your cheek when he tries to kiss your lips. You chuckle at his disappointment when his own lips meet your cheek.

“Gross, you do not wanna kiss me right now,” you laugh through. He begs to differ but understands your reluctance. He tells you to hang tight for just a minute before he finally leaves, and returns with an armful of supplies. Next to you on the floor are a water bottle, some plain crackers, some tylenol, and something with bubbles to settle your stomach. 

He asks you to “please try and eat a little somethin’ before you leave, baby”, to which you nod and assure him you’ll do your best, trying to get him satisfied as possible and light a fire under him before Sarah’s late for school. He bends down, kisses the top of your head, squeezes your shoulder, and heads out the door to meet Sarah in his truck. 

______________________________________________________________

Joel's texting to check on you around the time you get off the floor. You’re nibbling the crackers he left and trying small sips of water like he asked — which he’s reminded you of again — but you’re struggling with it.  He calls you as you’re packing your things to leave. 

“Hey sweetheart, how you feelin’? Get any of those crackers down for me?” he inquires.

“I’m fine, just about to leave. I ate a couple of them, and I’ll bring them with me,” you respond, trying and failing to keep the exhaustion from your voice. He pauses for a moment.

“Level with me, baby. You don’t sound up for it, you sure we don’t need to talk to the doctor? I can come home, we can go today, I’ll just—” but you cut him off before he can spiral any further.

“Joel. You’re sweet, and I know you’re worried, but it’s not any worse than normal. It’s just sticking around longer today. Yes, I’m still a little,,, blech,,, but it’ll be gone in a bit. I’ll make some tea before I leave, that’ll help,” you affirm. He lets out a sigh that tells you he’s not convinced, but resigned to the fact you’re going to work regardless. Soon enough, he arrives at the site and asks you to keep him updated, which you promise and wish him a good day and an “i love you” to get you both through the day. 

______________________________________________________________

You get to work right before the switch to 2nd period, still not feeling great, but stable enough to drive there safely and get your kids started on something to keep them busy. Today’s a good day for a documentary, a worksheet, and a dark classroom. The kids will thank you for it anyway, but somehow still need something every three minutes. That’s at least one thing that won’t be unfamiliar when the baby arrives — even though you have high schoolers. 

You shoot Joel a text, letting him know you got to work okay, and that you’ve chosen something to help you take it (slightly) easy today. You hope this message will ease his mind so he can get back to work as well.

Joel responds with a brief message in the affirmative, but he’s still worried sick. He’s seen you deal with this each day for the last couple of weeks, but this morning your voice was shaking and your face was ashen. What if this isn’t just today? What if it’s getting worse? He's afraid you’ll end up dehydrated or won’t bother to eat enough at work. You struggle with remembering lunch on days you feel good, he knows you won’t even bother today, and it’s eating at him while he works. 

He decides to surprise you at lunch time with something filling that won’t upset your stomach, and that’ll entice you to eat. He wants to make sure you’re fed today, and that there are some more options at the ready — for your sake and his own. He does a little research and stops by the grocery store to grab an array of plain foods and a bunch of liquids. By the time he leaves there are multiple types of crackers in tow, applesauce packets, a few bone broths, some of your favorite juices and teas, a bag of ginger candies plus a jar of ginger gummy vitamins, and more. He’s no technology wiz, but the man can google up a storm when the need arises. 

He rolls up to your classroom’s back door when he knows it’s time for lunch and texts you, grabbing his things and stepping out of the truck to meet you. You walk out to find him with a big bottle of cold gatorade and a takeout bag hanging from his fingers. You muse that the pretty big gatorade bottle looks normal-sized in Joel's large, gentle hands. You don’t even take anything from his grasp before you lean forward into his chest and wrap your arms around his waist. He smiles, and wordlessly puts his chin atop your head before wrapping his free arm around you, rubbing lightly up and down your back.

Neither of you has to say a word for him to tell you’re still not feeling 100%, and he’s whispering sweet things while you stand there in his embrace. You hide your face in his chest trying to quell your tears before they start. You know him well enough that this gesture doesn’t exactly surprise you, but he’s so thoughtful that his kindness moves you every damn time. It’s not something you ever felt before Joel, but he’ll never stop trying to get you accustomed, and you know that.

You look up at Joel like he hung the moon, memorizing every warm shade in his bright eyes, hoping your own reflect the appreciation and admiration dancing in your chest. He holds you tight and sits you in the passenger seat of the truck before pulling out the takeout boxes and cracking open your gatorade. The cool, lightly-flavored liquid soothes you in a way water hasn’t quite accomplished today — doesn’t even matter that neither of you knows what “Glacier Freeze” means, it’s effective. 

You lean against his shoulder while you both eat lunch, talking to each other and the baby. Joel laughs and praises you for putting on a movie for your kids before recounting the events of his morning. He shares everything he learned from his research, and even more he heard at the grocery store from a couple of older women who saw him contemplating the ginger options by the prenatal vitamins. You imagine him staring intently at bottles in the pregnancy aisle of the Health & Beauty section and laugh, thinking of how his concentration and concern would’ve made the old ladies he spoke to melt. You’re surprised he didn’t get a cheek pinched at this rate. 

You sit together until the school bell breaks your reverie and you have to kiss him goodbye. He hands you an already prepped ziploc baggie of even more shelf-stable snacks he bought to keep in your desk to settle your stomach as needed. You grin at him again, shaking your head.

“Joel, this is too much trouble. I can’t believe you did all of this just this morning!” you exclaim, before he scoffs and responds. 

“I told you — no such thing as a wasted trip for you, baby.”

[thehypnone]

Hyp my good sir, may I ask for a desperate Phantom

ehehhe i remembered this hc that i mentioned once so here you go, just a little related thing

gill licking, hand jobs

There is something in the air tonight. Obviously; everyone is on edge.

A horny edge, all the ghouls and Papa are pent up for no apparent reason. They are all professionals, though, and they can—mostly—keep it in their pants during a show.

It’s slightly different with Phantom.

He’s still new and he’s rightfully compared to a perpetually horny teenager who, in fact, can not keep it in his pants.

For whatever reason, tonight he has his eyes on Rain. He was all but attached to his hip throughout the ritual, even skipping some parts of the choreo to stay close to the water ghoul. It’s not that serious, nobody will be upset with him for it, but it was noticeable.

Especially when Phantom tried to shove his face into the crook of Rain’s neck and failed—growling when their helmets kept him from actually getting to his neck. Rude piece of garbage.

Rain, though, knows well enough what the quintessence ghoul wants. If he thought Dewdrop and Swiss were insane about his gills, Phantom outranked them by far. Ever since he was...well, introduced to that part of water ghoul anatomy, Phantom was insane.

So there Phantom was, horny and trying to get his mouth on Rain’s gills during the show. Nothing especially shocking.

Now that the show has ended, the poor quintessence ghoul is whining and pawing at Rain, begging him to get rid of his damn helmet and balaclava and unglamor already.

“Batsy, gimme–gimme a second,” Rain grunts and finally rips the balaclava off of his head, throwing it carelessly onto the greenroom floor. Phantom lets out another loud whine and clings to the water ghoul as he unglamors with a shudder.

The moment the frills of his gills reappear, Phantom tackles him and throws them both onto the stinky couch. Better it than the floor. Before Rain can even notice what’s happening, Phantom has his mouth latched on his neck—tongue prodding into the slits as he suckles at the delicate flesh of his fins.

“Fuck, Phantom,” Rain moans, feeling his cock twitch in interest. Phantom’s own was hard rock for the better part of the last hour, and he whimpers at finally getting what he so desperately craved.

The quintessence ghoul is perched atop Rain’s lap as he passionately makes out with his gills, and it’s Rain who takes care of other unnecessary pieces of clothing covering them. He pulls off their vests and opens their shirts before unceremoniously shoving his hand down Phantom’s pants and wrapping his long, elegant fingers around his cock.

He moans obscenely and it reverberates through Rain’s whole neck. It has no right feeling this damn good, but it does, and the water ghoul waits no more to put his other hand on his dick.

“There we go, batsy,” he moans. Phantom only clings to him tighter and shoves his tongue so far down Rain’s gills that he can taste the inside of his throat. The water ghoul chokes.

[sugashook]

wade goes "i need you" and he literally grabs logan and is very clear and consistent on it, like i need you, all the time. i think logan needs that clarity and certainty and forwardness..honesty, someone to push him and need him. someone with transparent emotions that will get him out of his head,

and wade needs someone to be there for him no matter what a stable rock. it's like logan's no longer a puzzle piece for war, he's extremely important in wades world, his other half at the moment perhaps (bark)

wolverines entire thing is that he can take great beatings and come back seemingly fine and unaffected its like a very strong closed off person, a fortress that protects his emotions. i think he feels good having people to protect.

but that's also a bad thing because being really strong and feeling like you can take all the bullets you took in your life and bounce them off while at the same time suffering in silence seemingly unaffected by what happened to you is harmful to your psyche. and seeming this way to others as well is even a bigger issue, especially with logan who has the base need to be with people and be there for others.

and for that he NEEDS someone to dig deeper and pierce through his perfect disposition he is NOT easily open and easy going like wade he needs someone to see him and give him a chance and fight for him! wade will make way for himself in someones life, logan will go deeper into himself.

others could see you perfectly "unscathed" all the time and if they don't understand you or try to understand you and how much you can be dealing with complex emotions inside, they will grow resentful,you'll be rejected and treated badly.

wade is very fragile on the other hand, sure he regenerates, but the scars of his trauma are visible and harsh on him, he knows it , everyone knows it.

that's why he's so repulsive to others, his life beat him so hard that he can't control himself with his emotions and it weirds people out, they don't understand it and they get mad,upset,etc.

even scared just by looking at him, you survived trauma, but it shows on you how it affected you and it makes ME uncomfortable, that's pretty scary, you're different and you don't fit in anywhere. they judge him in the opposite way that logan is judged. your overwhelming presence is unnerving to me.

thats why wade hides with his suit his entire face, and the blood. dont notice me,my wounds, and the wounds i give to others. while logans suit screams "notice me!! i'm not okay!! i want people to see me!"

when he regenerates, wades body generates bad body tissue from his skin to his core. and the scars of all that trauma add new trauma so he's constantly re-traumatizing himself and it layers on. he doesn't get stronger or bounce it off himself, bad things such as trauma are just bad they create more bad and he's made out of all the bad things that happened during his life sort of, so he needs a lot of external support.

cause he has no strength left! all the trauma and SLS (shitty life syndrome) is like up to his gills. but he is very joyful and positive despite the harshness of life.

he is a little positivity clown bouncing around in wolverines fortress of solitude.

wolverine can sort of take attacks from life and endure and wade can attack life more easily, he's a positive, up beat, go getter. he loves the world and sees hope in it when there's none. and when the world doesnt love him back ,it crushes him and he cant take it. he doesn't understand how anything he tries he gets hurt by. but he never stops trying :)

logan shuts himself off from the cruel world with his perfect skin and metal bones, but the world has shut off from him as well. wade keeps being hurt and open to the world just like his open wounds and scarred body. even though the world hurts him through his openness.

[crow-ur-beloved]

various jrwi headcanons because the worms in my brain (potential autism) wont shut up. no real plot spoilers except for one, but its marked :]

the suckening:

shilo is like vampire immunocompromised, which added to the pile of reasons his mom used to keep him inside the castle because she didnt want him to immediately get 37 different diseases and Die. (if vampires can have allergies then id like to think they can also get sick. i dont actually know if thats possible in the vtm system but i dont care they can in my heart)

genderfuck/genderpunk afab emizel. i feel like thats the only label he'd use, if he had to have one. i dont think hed label his sexuality because he wants to be an enigma. but he Definitely likes men.

bizley said in the qna something that can Only let me think of shilo as aromantic. maybe aro And ace... i dont remember what he said exactly aughhgh i wish i did...

shilo fidgets with his hands like all the time. his mother and uncle tried to get him to stop and sit still because it wasnt very princely and whatnot but my boy needs a fidget toy. i think hed go craaaazy with an infinity cube

i feel like me saying arthur bennett is a bisexual doesnt even count as a headcanon like i think thats just a given. i feel like itd be more surprising if i said i thought he was straight. all beautiful beautiful vampire men have to be lgbtq. its the law actually

arthur never officially broke up with mary. mans just Left one day without warning. probably left a note that said "sorry. -arthur" on it. i doubt he had it in him to say goodbye to her face or his reasoning for it (he thought hed inevitably hurt her because of what he is and what he did to the people he loved in the past, because bad luck seems to follow him everywhere... oughh he makes me ill). he definitely used finding a new lead on anya somewhere else in the country as a good reason to dip. at least, as good a reason as it couldve been for him.

maybe controversial but i 100% think arthur and magnus had a one-night stand at the beginning of their relationship, before magnus met jerome, and they never talked about it again and pretend it never happened. cannot explain how real this is to me.

riptide:

ftm chip who 100% innately knew he was a dude since the moment he could think. like when the black rose pirates picked him up, he got confused when they started referring to him as a girl at first. probably never got The Talk from them, so was Very confused when he hit puberty. Reuben reluctantly helped him steal to pay for top surgery.

since tritons live at the bottom of the ocean, they would have eyes that are far more sensitive to light to allow them to see better since little light gets all the way down there. gillion was Immediately blinded by the sun when he surfaced and still gets headaches from how bright it is in the oversea, but they've gotten better the longer he's been up there. tritons are built to adapt to all kinds of conditions, so his eyes have slowly been getting a darker bluish-purple the longer he spends above the ocean; they were originally more of a light blue-grey.

in tandem with the last one, chip thinks hes either going crazy or a bad friend because he Swears gill's eyecolor is different than last week but how could that be possible, thats not just something he can do, right? why would he be able to do that???

if gillion gets knocked onto his back without warning he does that thing that sharks do where they get paralyzed for a bit when they get flipped upside down. its scary because he can see everything but cant do anything. he also definitely forgot to tell chip and jay about this fact and scared the Shit out of them the first time it happened around them.

gillion can also change his sex like some fish can. its the reason he can lay eggs. i think this makes it safe to say genderfluid/nonbinary/generally trans gillion tidestrider is highly possible and even probable in this headcanon. what im saying is t4t fish n chips.

not to headcanon all my favs as trans but i cant help it. it is the highest honor i can bestow upon them. anyways. mtf jay ferin. ava always knew and was the first person jay came out to. jay was also 100% named jayson after her father and went by jay most of her life anyway as a nickname and just decided to stick with it instead of picking anything else. may was always very openly-supportive of her. jayson was as supportive as a generally strict, overbearing, unsupportive-in-everything father can be. jay totally came out to him and the first thing he said to her was something like, "as long as it doesnt interfere with your navy training," and may promptly kicked him under the table and made him say something nice.

kiras trans too btw. she came out before jay and helped jay discover she was trans. and that she liked women.

(spoilers for 109 and beyond) chip can't entirely remember what he looks like. everytime he focuses on the illusion of hiding that hes practically just a skeleton now, it changes just a bit. freckles in the wrong places, the wrong shade of orange for his flame tattoos, too much light in his eyes, too much muscle on his arms. jay notices it but cant bring herself to say anything. she knows the illusion is meant to keep everyone from worrying, but, everytime she sees something off about it, she just remembers what he really looks like underneath, and that somehow feels worse.

blood in the bayou:

all these bitches gay as hell. kian is pan. rands got a lot of internalized homophobia. rolan probably too. its the 80s, man.

apotheosis (haven't finished it yet so idk how true these'll be lol):

agender rumi. godbless.

also rumis a theater kid. he got the lead in every musical he auditioned for because he could literally just shapeshift. theyd make up a new identity and appearance for every role and get to know everyone on the cast and then mysteriously drop off the face of the planet as that person when the production was over and nobody would know it was them.

peter has actually tried All Kinds of things. weed. yoga. multilevel marketing schemes. you name it, big chance hes done it at least once and didnt like it. he doesnt know how he ends up in the situations to try it, either.

[wasyago]

YAGO!!!! GAHFRHRHAHARHAHRHRF IM BACK (Design Detail Anon back << i dont know what to call myself LOL) I HAVE MORE WORDS

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BIOLUMINESCENT TRITONS?!!!?! Obviously Gillion's eyes and coral already glow cause of his funky scrungly squelchy magic BUT what if... he had little glowing freckles... scales? im not fully sure how fish people work.

Your designs for Gillion and Edyn already do an amazing job of separating their underwater biology from humans like Chip and Jay (thinking of the glossy skin, the tails, and the yellow sclera/slitted eyes)- like it's very easy to tell by looking at them that while they are People they are very much FISH People. Which of course sounds pretty obvious but I mention it because a lot of triton art I see usually just looks like a blue person with gills and fins, if that makes sense.

But to expand on my original question- both Gill and Edyn are from the trench, and, in my logic, adjacent at the very least, to other deep sea creatures like anglar fish and some squids. They already have darkvision but the image of them having little hidden patterns when they get super deep in the ocean is... so cute...

im realizing after Ive written all of this that it kinda stopped being a question and started being a ramble so I do apologize :']

(on another note I love your caspian redesign it does a really sweet job of incorporating literal elements of water into his features *smooches him* **respectfully***)

OMG!!!! i love all your thoughts this is so cool thank you for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and thank you!! i tried very hard to make caspian look like a water spirit and not an ocean creature and still make him interesting visually...)

you know, now that you've said that the trench is deep under water im realizing that it's something i didn't actually think about. like, i remember hearing Gill say that he's from the trench, but it never actually registered in my brain that trench = deep and dark. everything makes so much sense now oh my god.... finn saying "why did they keep this from us" about the sun, because the sun simply doesn't reach to where they live...

i dont know why i imagined the capital as this bright white sunny coral reef when it should be dark and mysterious and harsh with no sunlight. bruh. it makes so much seeeense. and all the talk about strict rules for safety and foodchain and danger, because they're literally so deep there's a lot of giant spooky creatures.... hold on im having a worldview change.... oh god....

considering all this... YES bioluminescent tritons!!!!!!!!!!!! i imagine they don't glow too much, since while tritons are pretty smart they don't have a lot of natural protection from predators and attracting attention would be suboptimal. but they do have glowing parts for um... reasons. idk, they're magical creatures in a magical world.

i imagine their stripes and eyes and hair and underbellies all emit a glow in low lighting, and in complete darkness only the stripes are visible. and every triton has a unique stripe pattern or color so they're all different like that.

idk how it actually works. like, if they glow in any darkness or only in the darkness under water (although it wouldn't make a difference since they're always wet) or only when they're very deep or if they can choose when to glow or when to not, but its still a very cool detail!!!!!!!!!!! glowy fishy people yayyy

[everettswritings]

hi hello yes i am in desperate need of ler!black pearl cookie pls pls pls pls (no rush thank u) - @g1ggl3-c4t

You’re so real for that. So undeniably real. Order up! (Kink/NSFW accounts DNI!)

As a young mermaid cookie, you’ve always heard one particular tale: the one of White Pearl Cookie. According to legends, she was one of Crimson Coral Cookie’s sisters who fell for a land lover long ago and lost her pearl to him. To your understanding, once ago your kind didn’t have to hide this deep and far within the seas, once ago you called a giant city your home, but the tragedy of White Pearl Cookie had changed that.

Today, you finally decided to quench your curiosity and investigate. You snuck out while no one was looking and started swimming to this lost part of the ocean.

It took a few days, and the journey was no easy feat, but finally you were at the edge of a cliff that dropped into a deep abyss of sunken ships and remnants of the past. The waters were murkier here; it was hard to see and hard to breathe, that’s how polluted they were. You could hear maelstroms thundering above the water, disturbing it and making it swirl and swirl sickeningly. You felt a pang of regret coming here… something tells you to turn back, but you needed to see this through! You gathered your courage and swam downwards, watching carefully for the debris that still floated a little under the water.

Suddenly, you felt something brush against your tail. The familiar feeling of scales against scales.

“You’re a far ways from home, aren’t you?”, hands grabbed at your shoulders and an unfamiliar voice sung into your ears, “Are you lost?”. You turned around and gasped, the White Pearl Cookie from the legends was right there before you! But… she wasn’t at all like she was described. Rather than shiny pink scales, they were a deep black that only sparkled just the tiniest bit, and rather than pure white dough she was gray. Her eyes were also different, they held no warmth to them and looked more like a shark after its prey than gentle merfolk. Your voice was caught in your throat stubbornly and no words left, but she seemed to take pleasure in that. “No need to be so scared. I’d say you’re too tiny to make for a decent snack.” She said, cackling right afterwards as she began to circle you. You should’ve listened to that voice from earlier, you should’ve turned back while you still had the chance.

Suddenly, you felt her hands digging into your sides! “Doesn’t mean you can’t make for a nice plaything, though. It’s so lonely down here.” She cooed, meanwhile you were struggling to hold your laughter back. Finally, you caved in with a squeal and gave her what she wanted from you. “M-Miss White Pearl Cookie! Hahahahahaha! Hahahaha! Let gohohoho! Hahaha!” You tried to plead, feeling her fingers brush up just below your gills, “That’s not my name anymore, plaything! I’ll let you go if you can guess what it is now.” She said, making this into a twisted little game. You started to laugh even harder, she wouldn’t let up for a second! But how were you supposed to guess the name she went by now? You felt her tail intertwining with yours, it was clear by now she wouldn’t let you go now.

“Hahahahaha! Hahahaha! G-Gray Pearl Cookiehehehe?” You guessed, she shook her head and her malicious little smile grew wider, “Nope!” She replied simply as she moved to tickle the space where your tail half and your cookie half met. You squealed again and started laughing even harder. Damn that spot! You had to really think now, but it was hard to when you were giggling nonstop. The polluted waters didn’t help, in fact, it was even more incentive to guess and escape as soon as possible. “Deep Sea Cookie”? “Hollow Pearl Cookie”? Those were your next guesses and they were both wrong, the other mermaid laughed at them, “Wrong and wrong again! I thought a fellow mermaid would be smarter than that?” She teased as she started tickling your little death spot even harder. You wheezed, “I-I can’t breeeeaaathee!” You exclaimed “P-Please let go! Hahahahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!” You tried pleading again, but she wasn’t going to listen- you had to play her game and win.

Your guesses tangled with your laughter, and each one was wrong. Your face was red and a couple tears had already begun leaking from your tightly squeezed eyes, bubbling upwards and popping. You were beginning to feel lightheaded, your lungs and your mouth hurt, and you were almost ready to cave in. It really did feel like you wouldn’t win this game. However, you opened your eyes and through your fogged up vision you noticed something; upon her forehead there was an empty black gemstone. Maybe that was it? “Hehehehehe- hahaha! Hahahaha! Black P-Pearl Cookieee?” You put in your final guess, and finally you were let go! “Aww, you got it right!” Black Pearl Cookie said, unwrapping her tail from yours, “I had faith in you… Actually, I didn’t. I guess you’re free to go now, but-“ you didn’t even wait for her to finish her sentence. As soon as you heard the word “free”, you swam away as fast as your body could allow.

Black Pearl Cookie remained there, pouting, “Rude.” She stated “And to think I was going to be nice to them! Ugh… It’s like every day I relearn why I don’t trust cookies, or even merfolk.” She monologued to no audience other than her own. She sank back into the shadows with disappointment, but oh well. She could probably just sink some more ships later and add to her collection.

End of fic! Honestly I’ve been thinking about writing stuff with my OCs, but I should probably prioritize requests as of right now. It feels like my inbox is always full, but I don’t mind it, I like making y’all happy. Have a good one 🫶

[mythica0]

Ok, I kinda feel greedy asking for this.. but that Poseidon x Amphitrite fix was so good I just HAVE to have seconds! X3

Can we maybe get a Part 2..?

What if Poseidon got into a massive Lee Mood? Because, he keeps thinking back to that one night and how nice it was, and.. he wants more of it. But he'd sooner get stabbed in the face with his own trident before he ever admits that!

But with nothing else working to quell this annoying feeling he soon realizes he doesn't have a choice. So one night imagine Poseidon's just sitting there beside his wife, mumbling and stuttering over his words, blushing like an idiot and making 0 eye contact as he struggles to make this request as indirectly & vaguely as possible. But Amphitrite's able to catch on surprisingly fast, and she's more than willing to grant her husband's wish. He just has to ask~ 😉

The whole prompt is basically Amphitrite teasing the hell out of her husband, and this time, she's a lot more ruthless (get it~?) in her attacks (i.e. lots of upper body tkls, gill tkls, neck kisses & belly raspberries).

(P.S. Out of slight curiosity, since I know everyone has different visual descriptions for Poseidon in their stories- does your Poseidon have gills on his sides/ribs or his neck? Sometimes I get a lil confused while reading. 😅 Which specific artist's version of him (AnniFlamma's, Neal's, Gigi's, aulith's, Willows', etc.) are you envisioning when you write him?)

Stupid moods

🎂: Epic the musical

🧁:Poseidon

🍫:Amphitrite

Summary: after a sweet night of tickly cuddles, Poseidon finds himself craving more, much to his dismay.

A/N: this is soooo cute absolutely!! Also, this is a sequel to Sweet Lovin’ so read that first! Not sure I like the ending, but whatever.

Happy new year and Enjoyyyyy!! :D

(P.s: my version/picture his gills are on his neck, and because I’m an artist I imagine my own design!:3)

Stupid moods

Poseidon was irritated.

The previous night, his loving wife have given him a night of cuddles, which ended up with him being gently tickled until they went to sleep.

And now he wanted more. And he hated it.

He felt all buzzy and fizzy, like a soda can that had been shaken. And it was so. Annoying.

All day he tried to ignore it. Pretend it didn’t exist.

All day he yelled at his brain to stop.

But it just wouldn’t listen. Pictures and daydreams flooded his head without his permission, and it was getting difficult to focus.

Obviously, he could just ask his wife to help him, but that was so embarrassing he thinks he might actually rather be skewered by his own trident.

So on the day went, this stupid mood growing and growing with every minute it went unsatisfied.

And finally, it reached a point where Poseidon couldn’t take anymore. If he didn’t do something about this dumb craving now it was going to be a problem. He didn’t really have much choice, unless he wanted to live with this annoying, insufferable buzzing for the rest of his immortal existence.

So, when he climbed into bed with his wife, ready to relax and then go to sleep, he attempted to ask. But it was still incredibly embarrassing, so he stuttered and blushed and really struggled to get the words out.

“Hey, darling?”

Amphitrite looked over curiously. “Yes, my dear?”

“Can you- uh.” He failed to say it directly, needing to find work arounds. “Can you do the- the thing?”

Amphitrite tilted her head a little in confusion, and Poseidon was looking anywhere but in her eyes. This was quite out of character for Poseidon, so Amphitrite was reasonably curious. “I’m sorry?”

“Y- Y’know, the thing. The one you- the thing you did last night?”

At these words, Amphitrite’s eyes widened in realization, a small, fond smile gracing her features.

“Of course honey. But.” She paused for dramatic effect. “I want you to ask. Directly.” Her voice was soft and gentle, but also teasing, making Poseidons already intense blush even worse.

“Uh- I-“ he stuttered a bit, still incredibly flustered and embarrassed.

“Well, if you want something you have to ask for it! It’s only polite.” She teased again, clearly enjoying the lighthearted chance to mess with him.

He stammered for quite some time, but eventually managed to spew it out, the words quick and tumbling as if he was trying to rip it off like a bandaid. “Pleasetickleme!”

As he finally succeeded, Amphitrite smiled and pushed Poseidon down so he was lying rather than sitting. “Of course, my love.”

She leaned down to whisper in his ear, her voice low and teasing. “Your safe word is trident. Use it wisely, because once you say it, I’m done.”

Once he nodded, she pulled back, putting on an uncharacteristic sort of tickle monster persona. “You know, since you asked, I’m not going to be merciful.”

Poseidon tried and failed to mask the excited shiver that he felt at the words.

“You’re going to be a hysterical, breathless mess by the time I’m through with you. No matter how much you beg me to stop, I won’t. I am free to do whatever I want to you, and no matter how bad it tickles, you can’t do anything about it.”

Her voice was sinister and mischievous, in a playful sort of way, not genuinely evil by any sense of the word. That teasing lilt, full of a playful kind of mischief, sent butterflies racing through Poseidon’s tummy, excitement zipping along his spine.

“Are you ready, darling?”

He gave a small, sheepish nod in response, and without any further words, Amphitrite started to rake her claws over his ribs, a fast, gentle motion that left him no chance to hold back his giggles.

“Ehahahahaha Oho myhyhy- ehehehe!”

“Haha, such cute little giggles, my dear~” Amphitrite teased, cooing in a way that made Poseidon blush all the more, his face turning a light pink.

Poseidon squirmed slightly under the hold, despite not wanting to get away. It was overwhelming. It was torturous. It was exactly what he wanted.

She scratched and scribbled at his ribs, pinching up and down the bones. Poseidon squirmed and giggled, unable to stop himself from laughing as that fizzy feeling fully exploded into a ticklish, tingly sensation of butterflies in his stomach.

“Eehehahaha ahaha- ihihi- ehehehee!” He was unable to get words out, not knowing what to say, or wanting to put in the effort to speak clearly through his joyful, bubbly giggles.

Amphitrite cooed, leaning over her husband teasingly as she raked along his ribs. “Tickle tickle tickle~”

Poseidon erupted into a much deeper blush, and as much as he hated to admit it his giggles grew a little more frantic at the teasing.

“Nohoho-! Dohohont dohoho thahat!”

“Do what?”

“Sahahay thehe wohord!”

“Oh? What word? Tickle?” She smirked, feigning ignorance.

“Yehehehehes! Thahat wohord!”

“Hmm.. I don’t think you’re in any position to be making demands, my dear. Besides, it’s such a fun word, isn’t it?” She grinned playfully, moving up to scratch at his armpits as she began to tease once again.

“Tickletickletickletickletickle! tktktktktktk!”

Poseidon let out a small, giggly squeal. “Eehehehehe nohohoho!”

Amphitrite smirked, speeding up the scratching, to which she got frantic protests.

“Ahahahahaha! Whyhy- hahahahahaha-!”

Amphitrite huffed a laugh. “Every time you say ‘no’ or ‘stop’ or ‘don’t, anything of the sort- I’ll make it worse.”

“Whahahahahat?! YohOU cahahant doho thahat!”

“Actually, I very much can. Remember, you aren’t in control here, darling.” She emphasized the endearing nickname, making her voice low and teasing. Which, of course, caused Poseidon’s blush to double in size.

“Aww, how cute! You’re turning all red~ is my teasing getting you all embarrassed and flustered~?” She cooed slightly, which only intensified the mentioned blush.

“Nohohoho-! Dohohont tehehease!”

Amphitrite immediately increased the pressure on the touch, turning it into drilling. “What did I say about protesting, hmm~?”

Poseidon’s laughter grew in pitch, frantic but still joyful. “AhahahahahHA-! Ohoho myhyhy gohods thahat TIHIHICKLES-!”

“That’s the point, honey~”

Amphitrite trailed her hands down his sides, a light, teasing touch, leading all the way down to his hips. Once she reached the spot, she squeezed and then drilled into the divots of the bone.

“GYahahahahaha! Nohohoho-! PlehehehEASE-!”

“That’s more protesting, darling~”

Getting the implication of the teasing words, Poseidon frantically protested, only digging his grave deeper.

“Nononono- dahaharlihing plehehehehease-!”

Amphitrite ignored the protests, continuing to drill into his hips and also going up to pepper tickly kisses all over his neck.

At the new, more gentle touch, the sea god scrunched up, his giggles becoming more bubbly.

As much as he was protesting, Poseidon was having the time of his life right now. It tickled so damn much, and he loved it.

While still sprinkling kisses all over his neck and ears, Amphitrite moved her hands to scribble at his belly, making sure to use her claws for extra ticklishness.

“EE- ahahahahaha- dahaharlihing-!” He erupted into louder laughter once more, squirming uncontrollably. He arched his back slightly, which only increased the pressure of the nails on his tummy, making him laugh even louder.

“Yes dear?”

“Ihi- ehehehehe-!” Poseidon had to cut himself off from protesting, knowing it would only make it worse for him.

“Ahh, you’re learning. Let’s see if I can get you to protest some more~”

The words sent shivers down Poseidon’s spine, a frantic, giddy nervousness settled in his chest and stomach. Amphitrite removed her hands from his tummy, and started to blow raspberries there instead.

“EE- nohoho- ahahahaha-!” Poseidon failed to stop the fruitless pleas that spilt from him, squirming around and laughing loudly as his tummy was assaulted with ticklish sensations.

“Hehe, there we go~ now I get to make it worse~”

“AhahHA- PlehehehEASE- myhy lohoHOVE-“

She ignored his pleading, starting to add nibbles with the raspberries on his tummy, using her claws to trace his ear fins at the same time, the conflicting feelings of harsh versus gentle driving him crazy.

“AHAHA- ehehahahHA- ohoho myhy- pleheheHEASE-!”

Amphitrite decided to let up for a moment. “Ah, fine. I don’t want you to give up just yet~”

She stopped the raspberries, and started to just gently trace along his sides, making sure to tease at his ribs, drawing swirling patterns along his skin that left him in a fit of bubbly giggles. He was a little embarrassed to say that he melted at the touch, the gentle shapes relaxing him.

“Aww, look at that. You’re turning into a little puddle of giggles~”

Poseidon didn’t bother to deny it, a few contented hums mixing with his warm giggles. Amphitrite waited until his eyes were closed and he was super relaxed, then she suddenly stopped the tracing.

“Whaha-“ Poseidon’s confused protests of why she stopped were cut off by a scream of laughter as she blew a massive raspberry over his gills, using her hands to scribble and scratch at the gills in the other side of his neck.

“AHAHAHAHA- OHOHO GOHOHODS NOHOT THEHEHERE PLEHEHEHEEASE!” His laughter immediately grew loud and hysterical, his shoulders scrunching fruitlessly to try and block the sensation.

He protested frantically through squeaky, loud laughter despite not meaning any of this. It was absolute torture, complete and utter insanity. And he loved it.

His face was flushed from laughter, tears falling from his eyes as his stomach quivered and trembled from all the laughing.

“Oo, looks like this is a lovely little sweet spot, hmm~?” Amphitrite’s teasing made Poseidon’s already flushed face even redder, his cheeks feeling like they’re on fire from the warmth rushing to them.

“AHAHAHA MYHY LOHOVE- AHAHA- PLEHEHEHEASEE!” He struggles to speak through his laughter, gasping for air in between the loud, joyful sounds.

Then Amphitrite moved both her hands to scratch at his gills, even wiggling slightly underneath to the insides. And just when Poseidon thought it couldn’t get any worse better, she added raspberries and nibbles to his tummy, especially over his navel.

Poseidon couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All he was in that moment was just pure, complete, joyful laughter. All his thoughts could say was ‘it tickles, it tickles, it tickles!’ It was so maddening, so amazingly horrible. As much joy as this was providing, Poseidon really was struggling to breathe now, his stamina running low and his sides starting to ache from the workout, his limit thoroughly reached.

“TRIHIHIDENT-!”

As soon as the magic word was said, Amphitrite stopped. Poseidon panted with leftover giggles, feeling intense lingering tingles over his gills. He had a feeling that he would be struck by giggles just at the thought for weeks to come.

“Aha… Wohow..” he panted out, going to wipe his eyes from the tears, but Amphitrite got there first.

“Are you okay, my dear?”

“Yeheah… I’m Ahalright. Juhust.. neheed a minute.” He giggled, taking deep breaths to try and get the air back into his lungs and the warmth in his face to cool down.

“Was it everything you wanted?”

Poseidon’s brain was so thoroughly turned to mush from the maddening feeling that he couldn’t even think straight enough to be embarrassed, just giving a sleepy hum. He was exhausted after that.

“Would you like some water?”

“Yehes please..” Poseidon answered quietly, and Amphitrite stood up to go get him some.

Poseidon found that he couldn’t stop giggling for the life of him. He still felt it. It was as if it was so intense that it was burned into his nerves and it wouldn’t go away, leaving happy, giddy feelings lingering along his gills.

Short after Amphitrite returned with a glass of water, handing it to him. “Drink slowly, love.”

He just hummed in agreement, sipping off the water for a while as Amphitrite gently rubbed her hand along his stomach to try and ease the leftover tingles.

“Okay, let’s go to bed. I’m guessing you’re tired after that, huh?”

Poseidon hummed as he set down the now empty water glass. They cuddled up in the bed, and Poseidon gave a contented, sleepy hum.

Sleep didn’t take long to descend upon him, and he fell asleep in the comfort of Amphitrite’s loving arms.

———THE END———————————————————-

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🤸🏼‍♀️🤸🏼‍♀️*jumps into the asks* HI it's me again🤸🏼‍♀️🤸🏼‍♀️

🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️

😇😇💋

YAY! Hi!

120 for or 1k for 🧜🏼‍♀️ - whatever I hit first:

---

“It wasn’t me that almost drowned,” Buck says. “Even though they think that. I can’t drown. I think? At least not easily. But, uh, no… It was Bobby.” 

“Bobby?” Eddie asks. 

“He was trying to rescue the last living passenger on the plane,” Buck says. “Her leg was pinned. The plane was beginning to sink.”

Eddie purses his lips. Like he’s imagining the whole picture. 

“They weren’t going to make it, Eddie,” Buck says. “I tried to go back for him… But I wasn’t strong enough, and… And Bobby was going to die, right there. He was in a really bad place, then. He wouldn’t have saved himself.”

“Oh,” Eddie whispers. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah,” Buck says. “It was… It was different.”

“So, how did that end up with your sprouting a tail?” Eddie asks. 

“When I thought he was going to die, and there was nothing I could do, I just started wishing,” Buck says. “I wished he would be okay. That I could save him somehow. I remember specifically thinking, I can’t lose Bobby, I’ll do anything, give anything.”

Eddie furrows his brows. 

“And then,” Buck continues. “I was in a lot of pain and confusion and… And then I was this.”

He motions at his tail. 

“And you saved them? Bobby and the passenger.”

“Yeah,” Buck says. “I saved them.”

“And he has no idea?” Eddie asks. 

“No one does.”

For months he’s been entirely alone in this. The better part of a year. 

“Wow,” Eddie says. “That must have been scary.”

“It was,” Buck says. “I didn’t know how to change back. Took me close to a day. I was frantic.”

Frantic actually doesn’t begin to cover it. Buck had been terrified. Completely confused. He was all alone. No idea what had happened to him. No idea if he could ever shift back. He’d had to hide after rescuing Bobby and the passenger, because he knew he couldn’t be seen in this condition. He’d panicked for hours and hours until his body just quit, and he passed out. When he woke up, search and rescue was looking down at him, and he was completely human again. Clothed and everything. 

He still doesn’t really know anything about himself. All he knows is that with enough practice, he has some control over himself. But it’s hard. Exhausting and hard and confusing. Especially changing back or resisting change once he’s in the ocean. But not changing? Not allowing himself time every week or so to shift? Not only does it drive his brain crazy, but it hurts his body as well. He needs the ocean. Sometimes, now, it feels like it owns him. 

“My turn to ask you a question,” Buck says when he sees Eddie thinking a little too hard.

“Right,” Eddie agrees. 

“What made you think I was trans?” Buck asks. “Not that I am bothered by the assumption. I’m really not. Just, there’s a big jump from transgender to merman.”

Eddie sighs. “I think there were just a few coincidences, and I wanted to be right. I was really hoping…”

“To find someone like you?” Buck asks. Eddie nods. “Yeah. Me too.”

“You just said enough things that made sense,” Eddie says. “That you know what it’s like to feel different. That you had to leave a bad situation at home to find yourself. That you don’t feel in charge of your own body.”

Buck thinking about it for a second.

“Oh, yeah. I can see how you’d think that.”

“But the real kicker were the gills,” Eddie says. “I saw the way you hide yourself to change, like me. I saw what I thought were chest scars. I guess I thought that was solid evidence.”

“Chest scars?” Buck asks. 

“From top surgery,” Eddie says. Eddie runs his hands along the lines of pectorals, over his shirt. “Makes it pretty obvious, if people know what they’re looking at.”

“You hide them?” Buck asks. 

“Well, yeah,” Eddie says, like that should be obvious. Buck doesn’t know why it’s supposed to be obvious, though. He doesn’t know enough about anything.

“Hmm,” Buck says. “But aren’t scars kind of bad ass on men?” 

Eddie’s cheeks go pink. “Not these ones.”

“Why not? Is that a rule?” Buck asks. 

Eddie’s lips tightened. “It’s just different.”

“I guess I don’t know enough to argue, but I think it’s still cool,” Buck says. 

Eddie shrugs, blush deepening. “My turn to ask.”

“Go for it,” Buck agrees. 

“Why do you chest gills stay but your neck ones don’t?” Eddie asks. 

Buck touches his neck absentmindedly. The tissue there is always sensitive when he’s like this. “I don’t actually know,” he admits. “I don’t always fully change back. Sometimes a scale or something is left behind. The chest gills always are.”