#also god fishing is so fun to me in this game. i'd use the water farms more if they didn't have such little space for everything else gkhgl

[spark-circuit]

was fishing on the pier in the forest and Leah (who i hadn't talked to yet, i'm replaying and have to talk to everyone) walked up right next to me and started sketching lmao. i know that's just her schedule, but it was nice and friendly in a way. she ended up watching me for a little longer before heading home at night. the bestiesssssssss.

[respectthepetty]

The Loyal Pin - Episode 9

I love that this episode started with one color-coded brother being so happy after a night of partying.

And the other one losing his color because he is internally freaking out trying to convince himself that Anin basically had sex with her best friend on the lawn for everyone and God to see because she was drunk. Keep telling yourself that lie, dear brother. I used that excuse in college too. Alcohol just makes people gay . . . er. Sure, Jan.

But we all know Anin is sexing up her girlfriend, SOBER, so now it's time for a color-coded beach trip, so TV can lie to us again that sex in the sand is romantic and not torturous. However, the skin is awfully soft after rolling around it in for a bit, so I guess beach sex has its perks beyond, you know, it being sex.

But the heteros do not understand the queer agenda and immediately start wrecking Pink Person Pin and Blue Beauty Anin's beach sex plans.

However, Ueangfah is color-coded yellow, and Pranot is in shorts, so even though it's looking bad for the lesbians, the bisexuals are thriving, and the bisexuals are ME!

Shesus Christ! Nevermind, nobody is doing well now that Kuea has shown up IN BLUE! This is actually why I stopped writing this recap because I was livid when I saw this mediocre man wearing Anin's color. The audacity of a cis hetero man will never stop amazing me. It's cool that he picked up that Pin likes her love interest in blue but he missed one important factor in that equation. HE NEEDS TO BE A GIRL! All that money, yet he can't buy a damn clue.

Yet the girls are still trying to Live, Laugh, and Love under these terrible color-coded conditions!

But Aon is playing these color-coded games too in order to get Anin's attention and wearing versions of pink and purple throughout the trip. Basically the love rivals are waging a strategic color-coded war, and if I wasn't so pissed off at them, I'd be really proud of the wardrobe department for acing this assignment and earning its paycheck.

But I AM pissed because these rivals are doing the most to get in between the ladies and make color-coded fetch happen when IT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN, GRETCHEN!

One of them even decides to go as far as DROWNING to get attention! This is like the extreme version of "instigating a fight so his hands can be on you" but because we are dealing with lesbians it's "drowning in the beach trip so her lips can be on you." And I know she didn't do it on purpose, but the structural sexism in this scene with all the men refusing to give her CPR because it wasn't proper is why feminism is for EVERYONE! There is nothing inherently sexual about lips touching lips, yet even when SAVING A LIFE, everyone made that shit sexual (INCLUDING PIN!) and I'm looking at a show set in the 50s (60s?) and feeling like it's about 2024, so now I'm pissed about it.

And this is how I know Aon is not showing her true colors because unlike everyone else who has a consistent color, she is flip flopping like those fish she almost drowned with in the water.

But it doesn't matter because now that Aon is out of commission, the girls can get a moment together to try to make beach sex happen. Spoiler: It doesn't happen because Pia is not about that "Be Gay, Do Crime" life (fun fact: public sex on a beach is illegal in most places, like Thailand).

Which means the beach sex is on hold AGAIN because the color-coded brothers must make sure they throw a party (which Pranot does not plan and it's probably why everyone hates it!), and it also means that the love rivals are at it again with the color-coded shenanigans starting with Aon, in purple.

And now Kuea enters in blue.

But my sunshine Ueangfah is looking hella fine and doing her best to bring a smile to Anin's face who is pressed that Pink Person Pin is dancing with Kuea even though it was her own color-coded brother WHO IS A PRINCE that keeps forcing Pin to do this little song-and-dance, literally. I'm gonna grab my girl Ueangfah and head out because she deserves better and by 'better,' I mean me.

Pranot is judging this entire shitshow safely from his seat because 1) he did not plan any of this so this is not his shitshow, and 2) unlike these other men, he knows better than to get in the way of lesbians and beach sex, so he makes sure to keep his ass seated and not ask none of them to dance instead opting to down this awful wine that he knows damn well does not pair well with the food. He is a king among peasants.

But because of the hard work of Prik and Pia, the real VIPs here, the color-coded girls in love finally get beach sex!

AND A PROPOSAL! A sand version of the pink sasa bunny that Anin gave Pin with A 💗 P on it holds the ring that will forever tie Anin to Pin's heart (and will cause them a lot of problems, but those are tomorrow's problem, not today's).

The girls' skin is soft (from beach sex). They are glowing (from beach sex). And they are practically engaged! All is well and they can now live happily ever after.

That is until this Blue Bastard pops back up.

He instantly clocks the ring on Pin's finger and instead of minding his own business, he apparently will make it everyone's problem because the man is determined to marry a lesbian who doesn't love him nor want him, and I am once again standing in front of y'all screaming that feminism benefits everyone including men who think they need a wife to be complete.

Pia and Prik pick up what I'm dropping off, and are backing up their girl in this battle for Pin's hand as they wear blue . . . and orange . . .

And this is where some of y'all really lost your minds because Anin wore yellow thinking it might have been connected to my babygirl Ueangfah, but have no fear because I offered a Wild Ass Theory way back in the second episode.

As the color-coded girls in love age and inherit more adult responsibilities, I think they will incorporate another color.

And those colors are the ones that belong to their mothers.

The girls have been living in a nice little bubble in Pine Palace, but Anin is a princess and Pin is not, so the expectations for their positions in life are coming at them quicker than they want to believe. Pin's mom has mentioned several times that both girls must marry, and Anin's brothers have made similar comments, so even though the girls are growing closer, I think harsh reality is already sneaking into their plans and the colors might be telling us that.

So I think the girls need to be careful or they will turn into the mothers, and because I think Pin's mom is a lesbian who vowed to be the perfect woman rather than love someone else after status tore her and her girlfriend apart, the truth might be closer than I realize, and her color-coded story is similar to the girls in more way than one.

But the colors could all be meaningless, and I could just be crazy. Who knows, you know?

[marisverse]

Maris cast, or at least anyone interested in answering.

If you were given elemental powers, which element would you pick (and why, if you feel like elaborating)?

Elements aren't limited to the classical western/eastern elements, even though they count. But you can pick "weird" elements as well.

Hikaru: Lightning, obviously, that's kind of my thing. I mean, my name itself means light, but in practice I'm a lightning user, just like Pikachu. Also we have a Light and Darkness user in Loaño, just want to throw that out there.

Naota: Hmm, Juniper isn't here but I get the feeling she's wood or plant elemental. But I can't say for sure. Any thoughts Juniper? @fluffybunnybadass

Fletcher: I like birds so I kind of want Wind but also I kind of feel some attachment to Darkness for no particular reason... so maybe that?

Ham: Hmm Water, Wind, Electricity combo. I don't care if three feels unfair, that's what feels right to me. No particular reason really.

Justin: Honestly, I feel like I'd be a Non-Elemental type. Like a Normal type in Pokémon. Just don't feel much affinity either way.

Aron: I'm Darkness all around, guess we're going some overlap. But unless you want us to all get really weird, it's only natural.

Erica: Grass type all the way. I love plants.

Naota: Well if we're all gravitating toward Pokémon types I want to be a Fairy. Maybe. Either that or a Cat Type. Cat Type works. I just vibe with those options.

Ham: Oh, maybe I can be Dragon then.

Yukari: Hmm, Insect maybe? Or Light~ if we break back away from Pokémon. Oh maybe I can be Astral, like in Cassette Beasts.

Montana: Hmmm, really no clue.

Alicia: Me neither.

Yuu: Time. In several Tales of games, Time is an Element. Or at least one of the games features Time as an Element. Even I don't have perfect memory.

Montana: Oh I like Time.

Alicia: Same.

Yukari: Wait, wasn't there also an Elemental Element in Eternia? I mean, other than a dumb sounding name that might be fun.

Yuu: Yes, it had an association with Space, as in spacial magic. Might be perfect for the teleporting Horse Holder.

Naota: Oh that does work, I was thinking maybe Wind, but Space works too. Or maybe Fighting. I mean, nothing. It'd be her call anyway.

@wingedcatgirl

Sonya: I... feel like I have an association with Darkness at this point, though I am not particularly fond of it. You know what, I pick Bubblegum. I'm a Bubblegum type.

Naota: Bubbles are cool- oh maybe I can be Peppermint Elemental. Or a dual type. Peppermint Fairy.

Carmen: Oh this all sounds fun. I think I want to be either Fairy like in Pokémon or borrow from Cassette Beasts and be an Astral Type.

Daichi: Just gonna be boring and say Earth.

Daisuke: I'm a fighting type.

Arc: I feel like the obvious answer would be Water type. I mean, two of my 'aumakua are se creatures. But I don't know if I vibe with it that much.

Owen: If Inari was here he'd probably sya Fighting type. Either that or he'd try to come up with something super cool. Like God Type. I myself feel like leaning toward Psychic Type.

Mr. Aldaine: I like fishing, so I have to say Water.

Roxanne: Is there a Healing type specifically, I want to Heal people. Err that's usually Light based I guess. I just want to heal people.

Velicia: Wow this team seems unbalanced. I guess Fire just ro round things out maybe? I don't feel particularly attached to any to be honest.

Ms. Li: I pick- Balance.

[historixally-accurate]

forward rolls into your inbox :3

good evening.....morning.....teehee....(i am assuming you are seeing this at 9am, which in case....hope you are enjoying your breakfast! and also. wow, that is a healthy sleep schedule for an SG student newly lavishing in the freedom of the holidays.) im rewlly happy you dont mind me rolling into your inbox every day. i love doing it. seriously. like you said, it feels like using Singpost and writing letters. its part of why i love tumblr and its askboxes.

saying that youre struggling with MOE past year papers/different school papers is so damn relatable. i'm just grateful im not in pri sch anymore where teachers woukd be dispensing that shit like water at the water cooler. LMAO

youre a kazuha liker huh? my friend is too. so as a birthday present, i drew kazuha with weed on the class whiteboard once for their birthday. i knew next to nothing about his lore but their expression of utter despair was worth it.

YOU MADE YOUR PLD LOCKSCREEN TALKINGMIME?!?!?!?!? thats kinda genius too. i woukd scream and panic if i saw this in public btw. and flounder in panic and joy like a pathetic fish. blub

Im still pretty new to mcsr in general, but i actually followed an unusual pipeline into it: unlike most people being introduced via couri or feinberg, i actually entered via 21mustard.... more specufically the vid about his online friend trying to find him again. i like 21mustard and zylenox :3 and emerald (ithink), fein, mr lewis fulham, poundcake, fyroah and ofc mr mime. im still exploring though. im charmed by k4's mic peaks. it took me ages to strart putting names to faces and then voices...

as for my own speedrunning, i unfortunately do not play any noteworthy speedrunning games. however, i am currently trying to speedrun Minesweeper! its going pretty well.

as always, i hope youre doing well, whenever youre reading this. - sgmcsr anon

GOOD MORNING.. I'm replying to this a little too late (it's 12pm), but IDGAF LETS ROLL!!

I love opening inbox and answering asks, it's like. you get a silly letter every single day to answer and. i get why the people in the past really fucked w this... it's really awesome. anyway.

about MOE and exams, ohh thank god I'm not in primary school anymore, that PSLE grind was HORRIBLE. having to do like. what, 20 page papers for math (paper 1 or 2 alone!!) and all of them being really difficult questions really fucked w my brain... at least papers now are semi tolerable and I can do them 🤷 I remember in primary school my science teacher handed us like.. 5 past year papers to do over June holidays, and I was COOKED. anyway

about genshin, LMAOOOO FUCK THATS HILARIOUS... I'd be terrified too if I saw kazuha smoking a blunt for my birthday like. the aura that exudes. holy schmoly

about talkingmime, YEAH.. my PLD lock screen is actually that one silly art piece of everyone who played pico park, and on my home screen is a small talkingmime doodle... I am normal, totally! I must be normal! fun fact, my phone lock screen is silverrruns. Hehe. this photo specifically

yeah. Hehe. and my home screen is a really pretty nEmerald drawing... :3

about speedrunners THOSE ARE A BUNCHA GOOD PICKS... k4's mic peaks are legendary.. yay. NEMERALD AND FYROAH.. ohh. I love them very muchie. I even drew them. they're so skibidi to me.

about speedrunning, minesweeper speedrunning is verg cool. I've always wanted to learn how to play minesweeper... but it's always so scarrryyy... I should learn how to play it one day, on skibidi..

IM FINISHING THIS AT 1 34 PM. IM STUCK IN MATH TUITION RN. I love your singposts , thank u sg anon have a skibidi day

[yeets-ix]

@sonic-oc-showdown

✨- "Impact" just sounded cool for a guy whose deal is punching so hard it makes shockwaves TBH - the name was decided before he even became a cowboy.

🌼 - He's a BIT older than Sonic, 16-17. Doesn't really act like it though when he's not in his "Sheriff" persona.

🌺- In my brain movies, he's got this one outlaw dude who he's always butting heads with and trying to catch, whose relationship with him is also VERY gay-coded. He's a mosasaur because I'm a secret paleo-nerd. Gotta give him a better name than "Tyler Saurus" tbh

🍕 - I'm going to defy my source pages and say "Onion rings." He also really likes them on a good, fresh-grilled "cowboy burger."

💼 - He's the sheriff! He basically just applies that to being the protector of his island. There isn't any "police" or anything, considering it's a small island settlement. He just likes being "sheriff."

🎹 - He's a surprisingly exquisite cook! A SHRIMP FRIED THAT RICE. Although pincer-hands can make certain recipes more difficult... dunno if that design element is gonna stay tbh. Maybe he also collects dried seashells, considering the star on his cowboy hat is meant to be a dried sea star.

🎯 - He's got a really keen eye for detail, not just because he can see more colors. Almost photographic memory if he wants to have it. He's also come up with a surprising amount of uses for shockwaves, whether firing them underwater to heat things up, or using them to propel himself through the air - maybe he can even go at super speed by just PUNCHING BEHIND HIM.

🥊 -He loves INTERROGATING people, because he's GOOD at it! He hates doing stuff at night because he's freakin' terrified of the dark. He's also insecure about his freckles, so he wore a bandana at first to look more intimidating.

❤️ - This is where we start getting into bridging today with five years ago - parts I'm not sure about! Probably some really fun cowboy LARP with his BFF/brother figure Archer the Fish.

✂️ - His dad just disappearing from the island when he was just BARELY old enough to process it.

🧊 - He wasn't always a cowboy. He was originally a more laid-back, neutral character who didn't have a drawn design - he'd randomly pick whatever side he agreed with more in any conflict. His MS Paint cowboy design was created in a sudden eruption of motivation (I get those) long before I ever actually dedicated myself to Sonic art. He is also in desperate need of another redesign, something simpler with fewer colors.

🍀 - I wanted a cool yet down-to-earth OC who would seamlessly fit into the game/comic world, and I wanted a Sonic OC based on a cool real-life animal with some kind of superpower of its own. Then someone on a Discord server suggested I make him a cowboy, and... here we are.

🌂 - He's a Western guy. And he's going Yeehaw Mode.

💚 - Impact is crusty cis... and very much bi. I originally intended for him to have a crush on Knuckles when he was trying to be more connected to the outside Sonic world, but now he's got that mosasaur toxic yaoi guy, so...

🙌 - He's got his brother/"deputy" Archer, an... archerfish who uses a bow and arrow and maybe SOME hydro kinetic powers. Or he just built a special bow that shoots water arrows... hmmm. I did conceive a couple of OCs around Impact - I wanted his island to have a little culture like Spiral Hill. Dunno how that will hold up.

🍎 - His dad was a pig. I'm probably scrapping his old backstory, but his biological dad SUCKED. Archer's parents, while we never really see them, are chill and Impact loves them.

🧠 - I like how out there he is, while still being grounded. I'll admit - I've conditioned myself to be iffy with crazy OP Sonic OCs. Your hedgehogs and Black Arms and chaos gods are all cool, really, but making one of my own just isn't my style. I'd rather make cool obscure animals into fun Mobians with outlandish powers that could be used for small but cool stories. That's just me.

✏️ - I literally dusted him off from when IDW was new to submit him. I barely remembered he exists. He's just my first "serious" Sonic OC not made for a specific story, and my "flagship" one. Can you tell by how much I'm struggling to remember and add as I write this, that I need to workshop him a LOT with my new ideas and understandings?

💎 - He might graphically lose an arm/hand down the line... and get a cool upgrade to replace it. He'd also DEFINITELY go down shooting in the Metal Virus. But him just straight-up dying, I... eh. He doesn't get favoritism immortality, I'll go with that.

💀 - He's so fucking scared of the dark oh my lord, he sleeps with a nightlight and doesn't want to dive in deep water where he can't see the bottom. Stick him, Sonic and Tangle in an underwater cave and cities will burn.

🍩 - BAD OLD LORE TIME! HIS ARCHNEMESIS WAS MIMIC! And guess why... Impact's dad killed Mimic's mom and then drove him off the island just for being her son! That's why Impact's dad left! That's the beginning of Mimic's entire spiral into villainy! I may KINDA keep this around, since it would make sense with all the sea creatures on an island and Mimic's possible country accent, but... wow.

🎓 - First made him when IDW was new, partially inspired by Tangle, and connected him to Mimic basically when Mimic was first revealed/accepted by the fandom (we literally guessed his name)... so, 5-6 years lol

🍥 - Somewhere between 15 and 18... I had some crappy CRAPPY OCs beforehand when I didn't quite even understand Sonic. Impact is my first genuinely good one.

Ask Game for someone’s OC(s)

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

💼 - What do they do for a living?

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

🎯 -What do they do best?

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

[whispersxwhimpers]

of course!! id love to take you, and that's so true actually oml. the moon is always gorgeous !!

i'm glad that it explains that :0 that's actually really adorable? oh my god i love that sm 😭 i used to have a couple fish as a kid, but... as with any kid, they didn't last very long LMAO it didn't help that they were those carnival goldfish either, it was so sad TT i'd kill to get fish again sometime honestly. do you have any pets right now?

ooh a lot of anime i see!! harley quinn being your favorite is fair, i have the fattest crush on her oml 😭 and agreed about her and ivy!! your love for water types is so valid, and vulpix and the eeveelutions are some of my favorites as well ^^

my interests? hm, the only anime i really like is my hero academia and pokemon, i also really like arcane and scooby doo... oh subnautica!! i love subnautica, stardew valley, fortnite, minecraft, umm... gosh i'm way more into games than tv, so i'm racking my brain for tv shows i've seen and loved 😭 oh!! helluva boss! i love helluva boss, i really can't think of anything else that isn't a game... you named more tv shows, so i'm not sure if i should be naming them too?

honey, you had me caught from the moment i saw your eyes, but if you wanna sing for me too i won't complain~

– 🩶

When are we going? 🤪

Awww!! I hope you get a fishy again soon!! I do! I have 2 cats! 🥰 My sub/best friend who lives with me has 3 cats and a dog haha 😂 I love them all so much. I'm very bonded with one of my cats Xiao, she loves to climb on my shoulders and lay there 🥰 I tell her all the time "Pspsps, don't tell the others, but you're my favorite!" 😂😂😂

Harley Quinn is so gorgeous haha, so is Pammy 🥰 Who are some of your favorite Pokémon? 😊

Oooo I love Scooby Doo! Also I've been meaning to watch My Hero, I heard a favorite of mine died recently and I've been torn up about it.

I love Minecraft and Fortnite! I don't game much as I used to, but I'd play those, Genshin Impact, Apex Legends, Fall Guys, Among US, and whatever story based game I'd wanna play at the time. I really love Kingdom Hearts, Life Is Strange, and Tekken. Jackbox games are also super fun if you have the right crowd haha!

I've been meaning to watch Helluva Boss ;-; I need to catch up on so much, I'm an alien hahaha

You could name off anything you like 😊 even if your thing is sniffing crayons, I'd tell you to go off hahaha, lemme know how dandelion smells 😂😂😂

Hehehe I do like to sing, even tho I can't 😂😂😂 especially when I clean

[angrelysimpping]

Stuff said/happened at work

Alex: The woman who spent half an hour giving me tips on how to raise chickens.

Avery: The semi-regulars who will come in five minutes to close, dressed very fancy, to buy wine.

Bailey: Making wildly violent threats over minor annoyances (as jokes!)

Briar: Love Shack being a part of the store playlist in general but also specifically the fact that I've never heard it playing before 9pm.

Eden: "I'm gonna pull a Kaczynski...Walden! I meant Walden!"

Great Hawk: The kids who brought in a baby turtle || The mother coming in a week later, recognizing me, and apologizing that they hadn't brought the turtle today

Kylar: "If you sprayed me with water I'd run away like a cat, on all fours while slipping and sliding."

Leighton: The man who seemed incredulous that I had read 1984 and started to quiz me on it || The regular none of us like and can't remember the name of, so we've started calling him Albert Fish.

Remy: The person who brought in the pet fish they just bought to go shopping with them.

River: Coworker insisting we play a "fun math game" together (it was not fun).

Robin: A coworker calling us therapy buddies because we go to therapy on the same day || Telling coworkers I love them because of silly, tiny things

Sydney: "I'm not going to judge you. We are past that point. You have already been judged." || Collecting the religious pamphlets that get hidden around the store and comparing them with my coworkers like trading cards.

Whitney: "What was that! Where you just possessed by the spirit of a stereotypical douche frat bro?!"

Wren: "I'd eat God's pussy."

[hawksugarbaby]

Tokoyami x reader- Big city, small pond

Fluff + Nature took back the earth AU combined with fantasy AU

You didn't take a breath before sinking back down from the side of the moss overrun pavement into the flooded road, deepened after many years of abrasion and sinkholes popping open intermittently. Deep enough for anything to swim in at least, though clementine traffic cone's still floated and drain covers for manholes had rusted and chipped away at the side. Litter still filled the bottom of the sinkhole but had all seemed to collect in the deep abysses. Metal benches were still bolted to the floor but had new river weeds and algae wrapped around each section of the skeleton but it was a wonderful place for anything to sit.

Your gills split open on your neck and you walked the depths of the "river" the reflection of miraculously working street signs for takeaways that greedy humans reopened over and over no matter how many times mother nature reclaimed the earth. Your finger's brushed the scales of an orange carp darting past you and you kicked your leg's out, turning them to an iridescent (f/c) fishtail, ending and transforming to human at the hips, your skirt clung to the tail under the water and your flowy t-shirt billowed out when you moved sharply, turning a corner or halting quickly to watch something.

Your tail kicked up rocks and dust which swirled in the water and settled at the bottom again as sediment. You scoffed at a human dropping a paper wrapper into the water that turned too much and landed on the floor, a few balls of red and white paper landing on your arm then tumbling off.

You popped your head up feeling a lily pad drooping down over your hair and covering your right eye. "Hey!" you shouted but the human was on his knees looking into the water in annoyance "Excuse me! I don't appreciate your wrapper dissolving in my river!" you shouted and he lifted his head, ruby eyes fluttered to you pulling the lily pad off your head, flopping it back onto the water where it drifted further away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to drop it, I was trying to find it now" he sighed in annoyance at the knowledge it was gone. He sat cross legged at the side and tilted his head looking at you. "Mermaid?" it was definitely supposed to be a question but it sounded more like a surprise than curiosity. You rolled your eyes and repeated his word in a mocking tone "oh mermaid? No. I'm not a mermaid, I'm a nymph obviously. How would you like it if i just assumed you were a crow!" you crossed your arms, your tail fins swishing back and forth impatiently. "I suppose I'd be most irritated" he scratched the back of his neck and hung his head.

You sighed swimming closer to the edge and rested your forearms on the kerb next to him. "It's whatever. Not like you city folk would know a difference anyway. Mother nature did all she could to reclaim the earth as hers and you still poison us with your plastic and oil and deforestation" you listed the minimum amount of things humans had done yet it was still enough for him to feel a guilty punch to the gut. "I'm sorry for what my species did to the earth" he spoke on behalf of a race that didn't care. The human race. But it was nice to hear an apology for once instead of someone claiming it wasn't their fault.

"My name is tokoyami fumikage" he held out his hand and you took it, the web's between your fingers stretching out slightly and you analyse him curiously "(y/n) macdonald." he nodded and smiled at you politely "You have a very nice tail" he said unsure how to continue your conversation, it wasn't like he could just ask you to get up and join him for a dinner and get to know you, though honestly he wasn't sure how nymphs worked, for all he know maybe you could? "Thank you. It's my favourite colour!" you grinned swishing it behind you and hopping on the edge on the path with all your strength.

You kicked your tail out and they transformed into legs dipping into the water and creating ripples around your calves and he stared amazed at your split appendages, skirt still hugging your thighs nicely and your t-shirt stuck to you like a puppy with abandonment issues.

"The difference by the way. This is the difference between mermaids and nymphs. Mermaids are usually really rude too" you explained, picking a string of riverweed from your leg and flinging it into the water to drift along the shore or sink to the bottom. He hummed in response since he couldn't agree or disagree, for now he would stay a neutral party unwilling to get on your bad side again. "I see. How did you end up here anyway aren't nymphs supposed to be out in like... rivers and lakes?" he queried and you sighed looking at the murky water sadly, missing the feel of your own river. "Uh, when mother nature decided to shift stuff around and the big tsunami flood thingy came it flooded my river and we all ended up somewhere different. Maybe it was on purpose but I ended up here" you swung your legs in the water tapping the stone ground with your fingers.

You missed the smell of earth surrounding your crystalline lake running off into smaller streams and your favourite river for finding pebbles in. you missed the fluffy flax seed that stuck to you when you were drying off in the long grass by the bank and that floated on top of the water for fish to pop up and suction down into their stomach. You missed your friends mostly, almost sisterly bonds between all of you now severed and spread across all of japan.

"I miss home really. For all I know my friends could be home waiting for me" you exhaled deeply and tokoyami sadly glanced at you wondering how far your legs could take you. "What if I helped you get home?" he asked and you jumped excitedly. "You would really help me! Don't you have school or friends or anything? Are you sure you can help?!" you blabbered for a minute or so about how inconvenient it would be and how you didn't know how far you would have to go until he stopped you. "My school is on break right now so I have about 2 months off before I need to go back. Most of my friends are going to look for a cause of the reclamation too since half our school is unusable since it started so I have no qualms helping you"

You jumped up and down giddy and dove back in the water splashing him with water that rolled off his feathers, soaking the choker on his neck and you apologised. "I'm just so excited to go home! Thank you so much!"

And so began your long journey to your home. You passed hundreds of abandoned buildings crumbling to nothing with vines twisted up the sides and supersized branches through the shattered windows, ivy had crawled up the walls of every structure you passed and you talked aimlessly along the way. "So mother nature is-" "a goddess inside the earth" tokoyami nodded at your explanation and looked around in understanding. One of her creations had destroyed the other, the necessary one, and she was proving that humans were expendable. "I'd be pissed too if my home was being filled with gross plastic." you giggled and smiled thankful that someone finally took you as sane, you were tired of truth seekers who didn't like the truth they gave them. They had too much blame on them so they went to find something else.

A month flew by quickly, you spent as much time swimming along streams that you could but of course not every path was filled with water, so it was a long journey for someone who wasn't used to walking barefoot on the actual ground for huge periods of time.

"What are your friends like?" Tokoyami asked, pushing a bish out the way for you to crouch through and you hummed, "caring. They care about a lot of things like climate change, obviously, but also silly stuff like um the best wood to carve you and your significant other's name in, or which leaves are the shiniest at golden hour. We have to make up fun little games or we'd just get bored" you smiled and he chuckled. They sounded similar to you, pointing out tiny details on your quest like spiderwebs covered in dew hidden in the grass, or perfectly round stone's that were shiny in the sun, it made sense you wanted to get back to them so badly.

The trees opened up to an empty circle of grass and a circle not much smaller of water, flowing over the sides of the bowl into the grass and streams wound along into their own segments of the forest. "Home... i'm home! I'm home i'm home i'm home!" you cried jumping up and down and sprinting into the gorgeous blue water and immediately your legs changed to your (f/c) tail, glowing in the sun as you floated on your back and soaked up the water. "Come in come in!!" you shouted while waving at tokoyami.

You had taken rest stops at old hotels and decrepit houses to check for water and of course food and sleep but there was enough civilization along the way to keep you going. But tokoyami hadn't had a bath, a real bath, one he didn't have to fill with a showerhead, in a month and god he wanted to relax desperately.

He peeled off his sticky t-shirt and hung it over a tree branch dipping into the water and relaxing immediately. "This is surprisingly warm" he muttered watching you splash around joyfully and sunk under the water. It was so clean he could keep his eyes open and watch you dip in and out of the water bouncing like a dolphin.

You swam over to him and he sat back up shaking the water out of his feathers and you smiled hugging him tightly "thank you for taking me here. I wish I could help you get back home but I don't think i'd make it back here myself. You sighed and he shook his head. "It's okay, I have other ways of getting home. I don't have to leave right now. I'll stay for another fortnight but then I probably have to go" he looked at his phone glad he had data and could contact hawks at the click of a button.

In 14 days that went by like rapids over rocks tokoyami had to say goodbye and hawks picked him up from your spot on the way back from a mission. 2 of your friends had also found their way home so you weren't lonely and tokoyami had promised to visit. "Okay and be safe home okay! I hope I see you soon!" you shouted as hawks lifted him into the air and he nodded in a silent agreement and waved.

"See you soon (y/n)!" he shouted back and you jumped in a wave as they disappeared into the bright blue sky reflected in your lake.

"Sooo..." one of your sisters sidled up next to you and you blushed "don't even! I know what you're going to say" you shoved her away and she laughed at you teasintly.

"Soo..." hawks started and tokoyami rolled his eye's "no hawks"

[whatgaviiformes]

Hey! I wondered if I could be cheeky and ask for a combination of 2 Olympic prompts? I'd really like a combo of victory for one brother (maybe Scott?) and loss for another (maybe Gordon) on the same day (if not in the same event). To be honest, any pair of brothers would be fine. And I know this is kind of detailed and complicated, so I am more than happy for you to refuse, or only take part of this to work with. Thanks!

Only if I can be equally as cheeky and combine events 😊 And it's funny you ask, I had just been talking to @the-original-sineater about a similar concept a few days before this prompt came in, and so I hope you don't mind, but I asked her if she didn't mind joining me as a co-writer on this one. The result has been a true passion project for the two of us - we've had a hell of a lot of fun working together. I sincerely hope it shows, and that you enjoy this story. Thanks to you both for the continued inspiration. 

@katblu42 I also know you are having a rough go of things at the moment, so this story comes to you also with sincere Thunderfam hugs and well wishes.

The full story is up on Ao3 here: Faster, Stronger - Together

Or you can continue to part 1 below, and I will link to her post of part 2 at the end.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Faster, Stronger - Together (Part 1)

Scott braced on the edge of the pier. Toes curled around the lip, knees bent. The death throes of the typhoon that had passed through two days earlier made the water grey and choppy.  It wasn’t the best conditions to race in, but it was the Olympics. You took what the gods gave you.  But that made him want to hit the water even more.

“Hey Scooter! On your left!”

Scott glared to his left. There was only one person in the group of 50 that dared to call him that  and with that goad. “Watch it FISH, I know where you sleep.”

His younger brother Gordon just laughed at him.

“Frigging fish.” He turned his gaze back to the water and waited for the starter’s pistol. Olympians tended to run in families. But having two brothers in the same event? In the same games? Uncommon, if not actually rare.

There was a chuckle to his right. “Little brothers are the bane of our existence, yes?” Denis Vallee of France was Scott’s primary competition, after Gordon. They had both had younger brothers in the games, but Denis’s had the good taste to be a fencer.

The pistol sounded before he could answer, and Scott dove into the water. The shock between the warm, nearly chewable air and the cold, storm churned water was enough to make him gasp. He shook it off and swam 1500 meters of the crawl.

Unless you were a little shit named Gordon Tracy. In which case you used the god damn butterfly . Used it, led with it, and was smug as hell about it. Anyone else saying anything like that about Gordon, in Scott’s presence, found out in a big hurry not too. Scott was the only one allowed to badmouth Gordon, his privilege as a big brother.

Still, this water was utter crap. He let a swell throw him forward. You had to pace in the  Triathlon. 1500 meters of swimming, 40 clicks of a bike race, and 10 more clicks of running. It was a hard race to begin with. But in these conditions? It was brutal.

The first buoy and boat were in sight, marking the first turn. He kept as tight as he could to it. Anything to shave precious tenths off his time.

He could feel the lactic acid build up in his legs as they made for the second buoy.  That was the turn that would take them to the headland and the bikes. God, his arms were burning. The chop made an already hard swim tougher. He had to post a good swim time. It wouldn’t be a great time, but as long as it was good, it would be okay.

The water was changing, calmer, a little warmer. They were in the headland's lee now. He could see the curve of the beach when he turned to breathe. It was only a dozen or so more strokes before his fingers hit sand. He got a leg under him, pushed upright and started to run for his bike.

He could see Gordon ahead of him. Denis was to his right, pushing through the water.

17 :23:41 That was Scott’s time. He could build on that.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eight laps.

The irony was not lost on him that it was Scott who taught him how to ride a bike in the first place. They’d raced back then too, converting the acres of land on their family’s wheat farm into an obstacle course, even as Gordon found his balance on two wheels and his muscles filled out to challenge the length of Scott’s legs.

Being the eldest, Scott had the advantage then.

He was still a force, and Gordon knew not to underestimate his brother’s stamina at his age, the old man (and only Gordon was allowed to say that; privilege of being a younger brother). Scott may certainly start in the chase group after the swim, but he’d make his way forward into the leaders by the end of the cycling race.

If he had any chance at winning, Gordon had to work smarter.

Triathlon was about endurance across the three events. His disadvantage was that he was strongest in the swim, and the swim being the portion of the event that took place first allowed his competition plenty of opportunity to catch up to his scores.

Gordon knew his best chance to stay in the race was to give himself the head start, and while he could dominate the event with the crawl, every time he pushed his hardest through the swim using the standard stroke, he always burned out in later events.

The butterfly had been his secret weapon.

He’d been perfecting his approach to the triathlon event for months. The butterfly worked almost every muscle group, all pecs, and core, and deltoids, and trapezius, leaving his legs less drained and better reserved for the cycling and the run.

He knew what people would be saying about his change in swim strokes, how arrogant it might make him look. But Gordon knew his body.

And he knew Scott.

He was not going to let Scott beat him; he was going to win the hell out of this race and the butterfly was going to be what helped him do it. He was one of the fastest swimmers in the world, and it still gave him a hell of a solid lead with his time coming in at 16:59:12 for the full 1.5 kilometers.

And then he had no time to think, removing his cap and replacing it with a helmet for the biking portion.

Just practicing cycling alone and on flatland he could complete the 25 miles in 55 minutes on average. The 40 kilometers of the Olympic standard was just shy of that length, and with one lap almost complete, he knew those few uphill slopes could slow him down.

He stood on the pedals and leaned into the last curve of the track.

Seven laps.

As wide a lead as he had, he knew the competition would catch up eventually, but hell if he was going to make it easy on them. His guess was they’d catch up three laps in, and then the goal from there would be to stay in the group of leaders, even if he slid a bit further back. He could regain the ground he needed at the run.

Six laps.

The air was stifling and muggy, and it didn’t help the heat he felt in his lungs as he pressed his feet faster into the circular rhythm.

Gordon felt heavy, but controlled breathing against his neck.

That was the other reason he tried to get ahead. On the swim team he competed with lanes cleanly defined, and victory was about speed and skill alone. In the triathlon, the athletes were basically on top of each other, so close, too close.

Aw shit.

Vallee was on his tail.

Five laps.

The breakaway group was a pack of nine from what Gordon could feel around him. There were two right behind him, and six leading at the front, with Scott and Vallee fighting each other to push into first, other names like Tvedt and Balazs and Ricci weaving in and out behind them.

He was maybe milliseconds behind, but those milliseconds mattered.

Just keep with the group, Gordo.

Four laps.

Around him were chants of “USA!” They weren’t for him; they were chants for Scott, who’d taken a solid lead. It made him proud. From the back of the group, he still felt the thrill of the chase and the support of his countrymen invigorate his tired muscles, as they pushed through the fire and pressed forward.

Three laps.

The two competitors behind him fell back towards the peloton. He didn’t know how far behind they were, but it left him last in the breakaway. It made him feel like he was losing.

But he wasn’t.

He wasn’t losing.

He was okay, this was okay.

Breathe.

Two laps left.

Honestly, he was falling a bit behind too.

The back of Scott’s shoulders were red and flushed. Gordon should definitely have been focusing on himself and his own frantic pedaling, but he wasn’t able to stop thinking that Scott was pushing too hard.

Hell, they all were.

And, shit, everyone was still cheering .

Final Lap.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Virgil moved Kayo’s hand from his hand to his forearm. He didn’t want it broken. Which is what would happen if she kept squeezing.

Alan’s leg was bouncing so hard the chair he was sitting was dancing in place. John only looked calm. He was leaning forward, elbows on thighs, hands locked together. The white of the knuckles betraying his emotions.

Virgil had a stress ball in his other hand. One that might not survive this race if things kept up at this pace.

As much as he appreciated the support of their community in donating the high school’s gymnasium to livestream the event, the cheerful laughter of the townsfolk around them grated against Virgil’s skull. While it was a celebration for their town, it was incredibly nerve-racking for the Tracy family and their closest friends.

Supporting one brother in an event? Easy. Having two competing in the same event? Well, that was the hell of Solomon’s choice, wasn’t it? Scott had always dreamed of winning gold in the Olympics and had dedicated his life to training for the triathlon. But then, even though Gordon had already had his go on the swim team four years prior, he’d put so much of himself into training for the triathlon since - living and breathing cycling, running, and building up his endurance.

And there could only be one gold. No matter how they sliced it, they’d be celebrating with one brother...and mourning with the other.

Gordon’s old high-school swim team had gone wild when the second youngest pulled out the butterfly, darting immediately into the front of the pack, even with the more difficult stroke. Water was his element, and apparently he wanted everyone to know it.

The bike club had started yelling the minute Scott hit his bike. This course was where Scott could shine. Like Kansas, it wasn’t flat either. Scott was the master of the short hill and his friends knew it.

All Virgil could focus on was the flush on both his brothers’ faces. There wasn’t much one could do about a typhoon. Nature set her own schedules, but running a race in the remains of one? With humidity in the 70 percent range and no sun to help dry it out even a little? It worried him. It worried him a lot.

They watched as Scott powered through the last turn, and slammed into the transition area so fast he was running when he left the bike. The racers had a precious two minutes to change and start the running section. The last section.

Scott’s elapsed time was a solid one hour thirteen. Vallee’s was one hour thirteen and fifteen seconds. Gordon was at one hour fourteen and twenty seconds. Striking distance for the top three. Which would be the best outcome possible as far as Virgil was concerned. Each brother getting a medal. It would lead to some trash talk over the family dinner table, but they could live with that. Scott and Vallee burst out of the transition area at the same time. They were running side by side. A shot that the broadcaster seemed to take great delight in showing. They were so well matched they seemed like one runner.

Gordon was a bare heartbeat after his big brother. Ten kilometers, five out, and five back. This just might be the longest forty minutes of Virgil’s life.

He clenched the stress ball tighter in his hand. And watched with bated breath.

END OF PART 1 - Continue on SinEater's blog here.