#and do strange things to your insides like turn them bioluminescent

[nexus-nebulae]

i think terraria shimmer tastes like chalk and cough syrup. btw

[whereserpentswalk]

You work with people from other dimensions for a living. While you can travel to other dimensions, it's much easier to just connect your computer to computers from other dimensions. You end up finding out about a lot of strange places, alternate earths where things are diffrent in ways you could never imagine. Most people don't even know other dimensions exist, but to you it all feels so normal, so very distant but so very normal.

Because the company that you work on interdimensional technology for needs to outsource some of its dimensional work you end up very quickly having to contact people from other dimensions with a similar skillset to you for one project. And since it's easy to contact them you end up talking to them afterwards.

There's this one girl you end up messaging a lot. She seems so nice and sweet. You talk a lot about programing, and mathematics and magic (which are all very closely connected fields), she's one of the only people who seems to really understand the beauty in it the way you do. She's obviously from a very diffrent culture, and you never sent eachother images, but you like eachother a lot.

You end up messaging this girl more and more. She's the first to comfort you when one of your freinds turned on you, she was the first to support you when you came out to your parents, even though she didn't fully know what coming out was. She messages you "I love you" in the mornings sometimes. And even though she's far away, further way than anything in the universe, you understand her so well. You've seen her art, drawings she's done of buildings and structures around where she lives, they're like nothing you've ever seen before.

You start to talk about being in a romantic relationship. It's hard but you decide it's what you should do, almost what you have to do. You want to be her girlfriend, you want to know how it feels to hug her, for her to rest her head on your breasts on a warm summer night, to be inside eachother, to touch in a way you don't get to touch. But you can still message eachother, it's just one small contact but it means so much. You want to move in with her, it might never happen but there's something inside of you that wants to wake up next to her every morning.

Eventually you decide to build a portal to eachother, so you can see eachother, and if all goes well, you'll actually move in. You both need to talk to a lot of people, and get help from a lot of programmers and spellcasters from several dimensions, but it's done. The money that was supposed to let you move into a bigger apartment ends up going to a doorway sized portal, stored one of the few buildings in the city that can store such things. You need to get a ticket to go, even though the portal is yourse it needs people to operate it. But you can go. And if all goes well, you'll live together.

When you get to her dimension the first thing you feel is fear. It's dark, you think your underground, only a few bioluminescent organisms light the way. The city you're in is wet, and cold yet humid, everything is made of either moist steel, or dark wood that's covered in some strange layer of material that feels like wet cardboard. The creatures here aren't human at all, they're all strange bug like and fish like beings.

You eventually go to your girlfriend's apartment. Afraid of what you'll see. It's completely dark inside, and decorated like no human would ever decorate anything. When you see your girlfriend for the first time the horror breaks the love you want to feel. Her body looks humanoid, though she's so thin you can see her ribs, and pale in a way only corpses are useally pale. Her face was almost pretty, but her eyes were one solid pinkish color, and her moulth was just a tiny hole, like a jawless fish, it couldn't move at all. And massive fleshy tentacles came from her back, four of them, with razor teeth at their ends, for chewing her food outside her body so that her tiny slit of a mouth can lap it up. You both just stand there, you realize that this is the girl you love, you realize you look as horrifying to her as she does to you. You begin to weep, and she doesn't understand what your eyes are doing.

You spend the night in her apartment. There's no way you're moving in together. You're not sure what this means. You don't want to look at her at first, but eventually you do. You realize if you have to go back to your world you do want to spend time with her. Your languages work so differently that you still need to use computers to talk to eachother, but you can talk to eachother. And you tell her that you're sorry, that you still want to be together.

You let her hug you, and comfort you, her body is so strange, but it becomes less scary when you fully realize that it's her your looking at, that that's who you've messaged all those nights. Despite her eyes and mouth her face is pretty, and though her body is much thinner then you expected she still moves gracefully. You let her touch you, every way she wanted to touch you, let her tentacles wrap around your body. She shows you her computer setup, and her favorite video games, and she even gets to introduce you to some of her freinds, and her little isopod like pet who really likes being pet by you. You can't help but feel uncomfortable in her dimension, but you feel safe with her, and despite everything you enjoy being held and touched by her. At the end of your stay you make love for the first time, you don't have the same genitals as her species, but you make it work. You fall asleep in her arms, and she would do the same to you, but her kind does not sleep.

When you go back home, because you do have to go back home, you don't tell many people, even people who know about dimensions, what happened where you went. But you still message her a lot, and when you can you visit her, and very rarely she'll visit you. Your mother would never approve, and no priest would marry you, but you can't help but fall into the feeling of her body next to yourse.

[same-pic-rick-roll]

Art by Brain Engh, sourced from All Your  Yesterdays: Extraordinary Visions of Extinct Life from a New Generation of Palaeoartists. Koseman, 2017.

Diamantinasaurus in Caves

Sauropods are the iconic “big plant eater” dinosaurs with their long necks and tails. In the past, most sauropods

were reconstructed as slow, swamp-dwelling titans which could not even stand up properly on land. Later on, additional discoveries and new theories of dinosaur evolution revised our image of sauropods. No longer consigned to the swamps, they were seen as fully-terrestrial animals. Ultimately, however, this view also turned into a sort of orthodoxy. Sauropods are now drawn as sleek, unadorned land-dwellers with monotonous regularity.

With this one image of Diamantinasaurus, a sauropod dinosaur that lived at the end of the Cretaceous, California-based palaeoartist Brian Engh has challenged the conventional wisdom of how these animals are represented, on multiple fronts.To begin with, we see the animals in an otherworldly cave, with strange geologic formations and colonies of bioluminescent bacteria that light the ceiling like stars. Engh does not suggest that these animals lived in caves, but caves undoubtedly did exist in the world’s past, and some animals, no matter how ungainly, may have entered them to obtain salts or other necessary minerals. In today’s Africa, elephants visit similar underground caves in order to obtain salt. By picturing the large sauropods inside a cave, Engh successfully draws attention to the fact that in nature, animals often do extraordinary things and venture into unlikely places.

A second extraordinary detail in this picture is the restoration of Diamantinasaurus with keratinous “whiskers” adorning their faces. This is a speculative feature never before illustrated in such animals, yet it is not any more or less-likely than a traditional, reptile-headed reconstruction.

Engh explains;

“My Diamantinasaurs exhibit keratinous defensive spines, display spines along their back, and specialized elongated quill-like scales on their faces, which serve as whiskers to help them navigate caves and dark forests at night.”

The true nature of sauropod integument may never be known, but considering that other dinosaurs have been discovered with protofeathers or spiky filaments, it won’t be surprising if in real life, these animals bore structures that would make this reconstruction tame in comparison.

[llamagoddessofficial]

Okay okay, this idea's been haunting me with all the siren asks, so I gotta throw it out here. Do you know the Subnautica game's premise, where you crash land on an ocean planet? Imagine MC, the lone survivor of a terrible crash on an alien ocean world, struggling to survive and find resources... and on their ventures into the deep attract the attention of some dangerous, intelligent skelly leviathans that take a liking to this cute little creature. Decide to show the morsel some mercy, since it's clearly struggling to do even basic things such as hunting or defending its self. And MC just going "???" when these big scary skeletal predators appear to be helping them rather than hunting them Even if you're not familiar with Subnautica, I thought this might be a fun fit with the skelly siren theme! :)

I

Fucking

LOVE SUBNAUTICA

I hope you're happy anon I've been thinking about your ask obsessively for the past two days. Welcome to sansnautica bitches

Mc crash lands in the beautiful blue alien waste... she has no defence but her sharp mind, no offence but a small knife, and most importantly no way out. She has to learn to survive before this planet learns to kill her.

Sans: Sans shares the blotched black and white colouring style of his Earth counterpart, but not much else. His most notable trait is his four eyesockets. Everything on this new planet is bioluminescent, and Sans is no exception; the black parts of his body can become freckled with a blue glow, blending him into the landscape. He can also move the lights- 'rippling' the glow to very convincingly mimic sunshine casting across the sea floor.

As per tradition, he meets Mc first. Where she crashed is juuust inside his territory... so he’s the first to check out her escape-pod-turned-refuge. He visits at night, when he’s most active, and at first he’s a menace... tapping and scratching on the walls, his ominous dark shape circling her home, so long as the sun is down she’s trapped indoors with no help and no escape. Lots of very, very long nights huddled in her pod while various terrifying, otherwordly sounds filter through the walls.

... But after a few days, she starts finding dead animals in the morning, outside her pod. Usually unceremoniously dumped on the only part of the shelter that’s above water. Is it a threat?

(... It's Sans seeing how terrible she is at catching fish, and deciding he needs to intervene. He can't just let her starve...)

Red: Also has four sockets. He resembles a shark, but borrows the reaper's colour scheme and mandible-like mouthpieces he can use to grab at prey. Like everything in his world he can light up his body beautifully and intricately but he mostly uses large, wide, bright bioluminescent patches dotted across his body that resemble the glowing fruit of the giant seaweed in his home territory. He occupies the looming kelp forests, where the towering plants and murky water disguise his massive form; where all he needs is one burst of immense speed to catch any prey stupid enough to wander in. Like, for instance... a cute little creature he’s never seen before, who seems to be desperately searching for metal.

... He really likes metal. He’s pretty possessive of it. He scavenged his gold tooth himself- he likes to decorate himself and his nest with the flashiest shards. But what he really likes is pretty things. And, heh, a sweet treat like her? Wandering completely unknowingly into his territory, so small, so easy to see, so easy to stalk?

Well... now, he's got something else he wants to add to his collection.

Skull: He, at first, seems like the most 'normal' looking of all the apex predators. A skeleton with two sockets, the lower half of a giant squid, no suckers, the underside of all his tentacles always glowing a beautiful hypnotising rainbow of pastels that's difficult to look away from. In fact... the only strange part about Skull seems to be his immense size, and the small vertical line on his chin running from the bottom of his mouth all the way over his mandible.

... He has two mouths. The one on his face is for smaller food, for communicating, singing and breathing- the small line is because it splits open into thirds to allow him to spit clouds of glowing corrosive acid. His ribcage isn't just a ribcage; it's actually his second mouth, reserved for larger prey.

He normally stalks the dark far edges of the reef, but after the main ship crash he's started coming further and further into the shallows, encroaching slowly on Sans' territory, picking off the escape pods full of survivors that don't require him to encroach TOO far and get in a fight. He's the only thing Sans and Red fear. Mc meets him when she follows a distress signal out to the rim of the shallows... for him, spotting her swimming through the serene emptiness, it's love at first sight- and she only escapes his 'love' by wedging herself into the furthest end of a cave and waiting for him to get frustrated and leave.

Before, he was only entering Sans' territory for small periods of time, and not going that far in... but now? He's searching for her. He's on the hunt. And if he sees her again, he's not going to stop.

[gamerbearmira]

Something for Housebroken Au where at some point, A younger Mariano got lost in the woods while going out to try to get some inspiration for the poems he writes, and he ends up running into the lost Madrigal children. At first they don’t react well to him but rather than tell everyone what he say, he starts coming back every now and then with gifts for them and to hang out because even though they aren’t fully human anymore, they’re still important and they deserve a friend who can keep a secret.

Hello hello!

So with all the housebroken asks, I think I'll finish this one! I started it, but stopped because I realized I still didn't even a concept of where the kids would have lived. But! Now, I do, so let's go :)

-----

Mariano thought he was rather responsible. He always respected and helped his mom. He helped around town, and he likes to think he's a relatively kind and friendly person.

So how did he end up in this situation?

He was just walking! Looking for inspiration for his poems---nothing out of the ordinary, this was a regular thing for him. He'd go out to the forest and just look around, admiring the scenery.

But he just had to explore this burrow. He just had to go in. And now he was stuck. Whatever, who rather than whoever lived here came back. Or maybe they never left?

He had walked in originally because he saw smoke. Going inside he saw that a fire had just been put out. Next thing he knew, he was tackled by a girl with 4 arms and a boy with scales.

At the moment, he was sitting next to who he realized was Luisa, who had bear-like features, but in all honesty, she was bigger than any bear he had ever seen. She was laying next to him asleep, but every time he attempted to leave or even move, she would wake up and growl at him. All he could do was sit there.

As he looked at the three, he realized something. It took him a second, but he figured it out: these were Madrigal's kids! He remembered years ago seeing them like this, but much younger. It had been...what...six years?

He had noticed Luisa almost right away. As for Mirabel and Camilo, he had to think back a bit in order to match a name to a face. He didn't think he'd see them again after all these years. But it made him wonder---Where was Isabela and Dolores? And...maybe even Antonio?

As if on cue, he saw two blurs enter the room. He held his breath as the girl next to him moved. They all seemed to greet each other (in a way that he didn't understand; they weren't speaking English or Spanish. In fact, they weren't saying anything at all.)

Suddenly one of them was in his face. He squinted hard under the dim light of the candles and bioluminescent mushrooms litered about the room. His eyes widened.

"Isa...bela?" he asked. "I-Is that you? Why are you here, what happened? You need to come back, your parents will be so-" he was cut off when her clawed hand slammed over his mouth, sending him into the rock wall behind him. He felt his arms hit the wall, warm blood running down his arm, soaking through his sleeve.

"You. Quiet. Why come?" Isabela asked sharply. Mariano was confused. Why was she talking like that? And her voice sounded so...hoarse...unused even. "¿POR QUÉ VENIR?"

"I-I didn't mean to! I was just walking through the forest and...and I just came here I didn't know you all lived here!" Mariano explained in a panic.

"You..." Isabela was about to say something else when a baby's cry rang out from one of the hallways. As quickly as she had come, she had left along with Luisa to one of the rooms.

Mariano sat for a moment, clutching his bleeding arm. For a moment he just attempted to take in his situation. As he did, he felt a tug on his arm. He looked to the side to see Mirabel sitting next to him. "Wha..."

"Hurt. Bad. I heal," he watched her gently take his arm with two hands, while the other two seemed to rip open a plant. It was so strange to him. She turned her head towards Dolores who seemed to be helping Camilo with something. Mirabel simply made a noise and Dolores was by her side, mango in hand.

Mariano watched in awe at how she so easily peeled the skin of the fruit, no knife to be seen. She placed it in his hand, ears twitching whenever he moved. "Take it. Go." Dolores looked towards the entrance.

Mariano slowly stood, easing away from them. As he backed away from the group, he saw Isabela and Luisa emerge from one of the hallways. In Luisa's hand (her hand was so big that she could hold a whole child,) was a toddler; no older than one. That must have been Antonio.

"Um...thank...you?" Should he even thank them? He might as well...they could kill him at any moment. "Um, I won't tell anyone I was here. Or that you're here!" he quickly backed out of the den, rushing out of the forest.

Once he was far enough, he stopped to catch his breath. Taking a bite out of the mango, he thought for a moment. They seemed...interesting. A bit animalistic, literally, but interesting. "Maybe I should bring them something..." He knew where they lived now. He had memorized the path, it was only about a mile away from the village.

Yeah. He would do that. After all, everyone needed a friend! And he could keep a secret for them too!

-----

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Mariano my main man, my homeboy.

[skyeventide]

this scene was written for the 2021 trsb fic Moonspark (on AO3), but trying to divine how to make mithril make sense on a chemistry level took me a lot of research (and many friends’ invaluable help, since I know fuck all about chemistry). I passed through radiation and bioluminescence and crystalline microstructures and three different fields trying to find something that was relatively sensible.

of course, we don’t have the chemical properties of a metal that doesn’t exist. all the more reason for me to play with it, and I’m reposting it separately cause this scene was one of those that I set out to write the moment I started the fic.

                                                          ***

« You offered, Lord Celebrimbor, with a generous heart, to share your lore. You ask me now what I should like to take with me for the return journey; you say you give gifts without deceit. Then I ask this only: that once, before we depart from your halls, I may see the making of the moon runes and carry this knowledge with me. »

This Gimli wants of him, standing as he grips Legolas’ arm again, the day after. There is a light in the dwarf’s eyes, a desire to see this marvel unfold, though his shoulders are slightly bent, burdened by the invisible weariness of his years.

Legolas remains silent, asking for nothing, and Celebrimbor bows his head slightly, acquiescing. « I should be glad to show you the craft of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain. Its making with Narvi was my pride. »

Changed into grey work garments and a sturdy apron, he leads the two to Formenos’ northern side, at its ground levels, patiently to account for Gimli’s slow steps: there burn the forges, old and new, great smithies tucked under a colonnade, the pillars large and strong, the ceiling’s vaults darkened by the smokes, and the breeze shudders in, fresh as the dew. Many of his people toil there under the warm, intense eyes of Huorelendë, and make metal casings for the stained glass, handles for the new windows and doors, hinges, beams, and many other small things for a life to rebuild; and in the furnaces, terracotta and bricks are cooked, while the masons cut the stones in the wide back garden.

Having claimed one of the adjoining rooms, Celebrimbor tells her to bring him the mithril; he tells her that he would be delighted to have her assist. Gimli sits down almost by dropping on the chair; they cannot know the pain of his bones, but Celebrimbor cannot imagine that Legolas does not feel it regardless. As ever do they feel it when those of the mortal races pass from their bodies.

And Legolas moves from wall to wall, as if the rigid shape of them did not sit right with his understanding of how the world works.

Huorelendë brings a cup of white powder and a basin full of water. The one is poured in the other, and the powder slowly begins dissolving.

« Silver salts », Celebrimbor says, under Gimli’s watchful eyes.

She then carries a block of mithril, its colour as silvery and yet more beautiful, and together she and Celebrimbor retrace old steps, as if with strange sorrow. Gloved, they put a tall vase of acid on the fire and immerse the lingot in it, ‘till it boils, and in boiling the acid turns red and orange as the most beautiful of sunsets, bubbling up as the clouds, its gas coating the glass vase, then extracted through the hooded chimney-like hole, made so many ages ago by the hands of his own grandfather. Huorelendë pours water, the mithril dissolves away entirely, its sunset glittering, and at last Celebrimbor speaks a word of heat, eliciting a great vapour.

When it fades, sucked away and spat outside through the ceiling hole, the glass vase has a crystal inside. It gleams with silver-blue beauty, a salt shard-like.

Gimli leans forward from this chair and whispers, « Mithril nitrate. »

Celebrimbor smiles.

This new salt, they pour into the water basin, then add a bar of copper. As it darkens in the solution, they all sit and speak of Narvi, of Narvi’s cousins, of his apprentices, those whom he adopted, and the guilds of Khazad-Dûm, of Durin the Deathless, and all the while the copper blackens and dissolves into silvery shapes like frost upon the ground on a winter’s morrow. And those too flicker, eaten away as glitter, into apparent nothingness. But the water turns as blue as the high heavens, aglow.  

Legolas, who circles the basin, suddenly says, « You unmade it! A bar of metal, and you unmade it. »

« We merely changed it », Huorelendë answers. Then beams. « It shall return under another form. »

And Gimli laughs with a low rumble, so fond that Legolas may only sigh in answer.

« Why don’t we bring in berries from the dale, as we wait? », Celebrimbor suggests, his hands sliding down the leather of the apron, feeling it known, familiar, softened by loving use.

And wait they do, as the last of the copper turns to frost, and frost to nothing, while the azure water glisters with star-like sparkles. The Lord of Ithilien plucks red currants and juicy brambles from the plate they are served, and though they speak more of the woods of Endor, as if to balance the music of the forges with talk of trees, they do not touch again upon the choice to stay or leave, nor upon the Rings of Power, or the Ring of Durin, or the others of the Seven, one of which Huorelendë had crafted. They dance their way around it, omissions for which Celebrimbor, briefly, feels something not unlike gratefulness.

At last, Huorelendë stands and moves by the basin, then takes a vial from the great many they recently lined on the carven stone shelves, and droplet by droplet, like a stalactite giving beads of itself to its twin on the ground, she adds to the solution, and in adding she stirs.

« There », she says under her breath, proud as a mother, « it returns. »

Each new drop of the sulphuric acid, its smell pungent in their noses, gives the copper back its colour, dark green swirls as the clouds of Manwë’s worst moods. Thus the water muddies; thus, all the dissolved copper, growing heavy with the burden of its oxidation, falls to the bottom of the basin, and the now bluish yet clear water atop shines like the unborn children of Varda.

Celebrimbor exhales and stands from his small chair. It is as if something precipitated in him as well, mirroring, and perhaps what sunk to the bottom of his spirit is an absence. For one may forget betrayal, one might even forgive it yet, one might take the shattered pieces it left behind and weld them into a whole again. His bones, which were cleansed with tears, which he unearthed, he may take and inhabit anew. But grief which comes from love unsullied opens a nest in one’s heart — and it is hollow.

And if what he welded is a chain of rings, the empty nest of his grief is made of mithril runes and moonlight.

He circles the basin slowly, under the eyes of Huorelendë, and Legolas, and Gimli, seeing again, for the first time since his death, the radiance of Ithildin in its making.

He reaches out, his outstretched fingers sliding almost against the water, where he knows minuscule crystals of mithril float in suspension, responsive to sounds and commands. So he reaches into that primaeval space of creation where word is sheer power, and where things exist as their names. « See it answer », he says, the glitter in the water trailing after the path of his fingers without hardly even being touched. « See it follow me. Speak your spells as you draw with it, and it shall react to those only. Trace it under the waxing moon, and it shall shine under no wavelength but the very same. » He straightens. « And so forth. Now, Huorelendë, let us filter it. »

The cloth that they use is fine as spidersilk, off-white, the colour of old snow. Cup after cup, they pour the water from the basin on top of the cloth, stretched on the mouth of another vase, gathering the copper on top of it, letting the brilliant mithril-water through. Celebrimbor disturbs the copper residue with a spoon, pours more water on top of it, for even in the remains the silvery crystals might hide, too small to be perceived even by his sight.

Their hands follow the known patterns of arts other called lost.

Celebrimbor has heard that in this age, few remain who know how to craft the blue lamps of the House of Fëanáro. He supposes it is his duty, then, to teach them again.

Filtered and diluted, the solution curls and turns, and its silent currents of stardust twist and spin, milky as Tilion, as a spray of quicksilver, a broth of firmament.

Celebrimbor briefly takes Huorelendë’s hand and squeezes it. There is a scarred weapon-slash on her forearm, its edges frayed – she hadn’t died, and she yet carries Eregion on her skin.

Then he turns to his guests. « It shall now rest, so it may concentrate with its evaporation. Then we shall mix it with glass paste or silicates. » A smile. « A vial of ink for you to take away, and the knowledge of its making. I hope, Gimli son of Glóin, that you deem it a fair gift. »

« I couldn’t guess a fairer one. »

Celebrimbor tilts his head. « And does Legolas Thranduilion ask for nothing? »

« Oh, I wouldn’t know! I only came as a courtesy, after all. »

[sritzthefirefly]

The Not-so French Mistake

Pairing: Slight Dean x reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Language

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. Any and all comments on this are appreciated. I’m sorry for any grammatical errors that I might have made. This is my first fanfiction (as a one-shot, I've written a few earlier in poetry form) so please go easy on me.

“You are going to die.”, he states nonchalantly, as if three men entering your house and telling you that you are going to die is an everyday occurrence.

“I…WHAT?!”, I shout, my eyes round as saucers.

Well, today was a seemingly normal day. Until the seemingly normal day wasn’t as seemingly normal as I thought it would be.

                                2 hours earlier

“Hey, I’ll be leaving now”, my best friend said as she packed the small handbag she always carried around with her.

“Don’t forget the pickle jar and then come back 15 minutes later telling me you forgot the one thing I reminded you about”, I shouted to her from the top of the stairs.

She turned around to pick up the jar from the centre table when her eyes landed on me and she whistled. I pulled the drawstrings of my silk dressing gown tighter as I walked down the stairs.

“Ooooh, would you look at that, someone’s looking good. So, are you going to sleep after I’m gone, or are you going to have some company tonight?”

“I…..I just can’t……not so soon after...ummm……I know I’m stupid but I just wanted to feel good about myself”

She closed the few steps between us and hugged me tightly.

“Hey, you know he’s an asshole. His words don’t count, ok? No guy has the right to make you feel bad about yourself”, she said, pulling away.

“But he…….”

“No missy, you listen here, he’s an idiot who doesn’t deserve you. He should feel lucky he’s not in town or I would’ve kicked him so hard in the balls that impregnating a woman would’ve been a foreign concept to him.”

I gave her a small smile.

“Thanks for hyping me up, love. I’m now going to have ice cream and cry my heart out to sad rom-coms.”

“Bitch, you hate rom-coms. You’re just going to binge-watch Supernatural and you’re not telling me that because you won’t admit that you’re obsessed with the show”.

“Okay, okay whatever……Aren’t you getting late for your train?”

 She looked at her watch.

 “Oh shit! Bye, see you later.” she said as she ran out of the door, slamming it behind her. I sighed to myself and walked over to the TV, switching it on.

“Self-care time for me now!”, I said to myself, as I opened the fridge to get my favorite ice-cream when suddenly, the doorbell rings. I immediately turned my head towards the centre table and sure enough, the pickle jar was there.

Shaking my head, I picked up her precious jar and walked over to the door, pulling it open.

“I knew you……..”, I stopped short when I saw who was standing outside.

There, standing on my porch were, none other than, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.

And then I woke up.

Yeah, if only it happened that way.

I knew I was looking like an absolute fool in front of them, opening and closing my mouth like a fish, my eyes wide and my breath short as I stood there, taking in the two handsome men adorning my doorstep. They were dressed in their Sam and Dean outfits -plaid, over layers of plaid- it seemed like a scene straight out of a set.

“Hi! You’re Y/N right?”, Jared said in his usual husky voice while Jensen stood beside him, strangely staring at me with something akin to awe in his eyes.

“W…what? I…uh…yeah…I…I am Y/N”, I somehow managed to choke out.

“You’re awesome”, Jensen Ackles breathed out with a sigh with literal heart-eyes in my direction. He cleared his throat and blinked twice and then seemed to step out of his reverie. He gave me a small smile and looked me up and down with a small smirk and I blushed furiously. Wait, was Jensen Ackles checking me out?!

Okay, so there were either of these two things going on- either I was dreaming or I had completely lost my mind. But since I had already pinched myself and well, that damn pinch did hurt, so the situation pretty much tilted towards the latter side. I mean, Jensen Ackles knows me and he thinks I am awesome?!

“Yep, definitely not a fan”, Jared whispers somewhat sarcastically to Jensen to which he replies under his breath with a “Shut up, Sammy!”

I would have paid more attention to what Jensen said had I not had my whole focus on Jared’s last words.

“Ummm…..excuse me? No offense but I’m standing right here and you can rest assured that I am 100% a fan, of both of you. If you don’t believe me, ask me anything about Supernatural.”, I say, crossing my hands across my chest.

“Wha-Supernatural? Like the book Supernatural? You have that here too?”, Jensen asks seemingly surprised.

Alright, is this a game for their show? I thought to myself, utterly confused and dazed. They seem to know my name and well, address too and that can be the only logical explanation as to why Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are here, on my doorstep. But I couldn’t see any cameras nearby. Maybe they were hidden? Maybe I was meant to be taken by surprise? Oh shit, did I just challenge them right now? Was this being filmed? My mind rushed with a million things- ‘Oh god, I must be looking so stupid right now, acting like a blobfish instead of doing anything!’

I opened my mouth to say something, anything at all, when Jared cut through. 

“Ummm I’m sorry, Y/N, but it’s not really a good idea to be standing outside and talking. I promise we’ll explain everything. Can we please come inside and talk?”

“I….uh…..yeah sure. Come inside please.”, I was about to ask what their deal was but changed my mind when I saw Jensen nervously looking around and then back at me, pleadingly. 

I closed the door behind me as they settled on the plush red sofa. I walked across the room and sat on the chair facing them.

“Y/N”, Jared started. “There’s no easy way to say this but I’m Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean. Like, from Supernatural.”

“Ummm…. I’m aware? Despite your contrary belief, I told you I was a fan.”, I said, confused.

“You’re our fan?!”, Jensen asked, somewhat stunned. “Haha sweetheart, am I living my dream!”, he added, his emerald eyes twinkling.

I stared at him through my eyelashes.

“Hold up, quick question, are you a Dean girl or Sam girl?”

“Dean, not now…..”, Jared sighed.

“Dean girl!”, I blurted out, immediately blushing deeply. Jensen’s entire face lit up and I hurriedly added, “No offense to Jared here.”

“Jared? You mean Jared Pada-whatshisname?”, Jensen asked incredulously.

“Padalecki, Dean”

“Son of a bitch! Fake us lives in the same universe as her!”

I started laughing and the both of them turned towards me quizzically.

“Ummm what is this? Some spin-off of The French Mistake?”, I asked.

“The French what?”, Jared looked at me, his eyebrow raised.

“That’s not important right now. Y/N, I know, it’s hard to believe us right now, but we are not your TV actors-we are not Jensen and Jared. I am the actual Dean Winchester and he is my brother, Sam Winchester. The trickster, the archangel Gabriel, owed us a favor and he let us travel into your universe.... Sweetheart please, you have to believe me. I umm uh, I have been a-”

I stood straight up from my chair, angrily.

“I’m sorry but what kind of prank is this? Going to people’s houses and-”, I started angrily when suddenly the entire room got spontaneously flooded with an immensely bright light.

“Cover your eyes!”, a deep, somewhat robotic voice filled the air and I immediately did so to lessen the risk of my precious peepers being completely burned out by an unknown source of dazzling light in my seemingly normal house in the middle of a seemingly normal (absolutely weird) day.

Slowly, the light faded.

And there stood Misha Collins-

No, that could not possibly be Misha. Unless Misha had suddenly evolved to be able to exhibit bioluminescence or had sprouted long black wings from the back of his trench coat or had learned to hover like a bee in mid-air. No, definitely not Misha. 

That means, this must…this must be-

“Holy mother of God”, I gasped out.

“I….am….not….the….I am the son of God”, he said, walking across the room to sit beside Jar-no, no......Sam.

Holy shit! CASTIEL?! That means that all this time, Jens- Dean, had not been lying. I collapsed on my chair, my mind, not being able to form a single coherent thought. Dean leaped up from the sofa and rushed to my side.

“Darling….darling, look for yourself, that-”

“He is Castiel.”, I said, boring into Dean’s green eyes, they brought me comfort. “I believe you…… Dean.”

A look passed between Sam and Dean and Dean immediately held my hand and squeezed my palm as an act of reassurance as he beamed at me.

Sam got up from his chair and smiled at me, “Thanks to Cas here, you believe us. At last. I thought you were two seconds away from throwing us out.”

I snorted. A really ugly snort through my nose. In front of three delicious-looking men, especially Dean, who was somehow still looking at me like I was God’s gift to mankind. Hah, no wonder I was single.

I cleared my throat to relieve the awkwardness and continued,

“Well, in my defense, you guys were acting real creepy.”

Yeah sure, not even in my wildest dreams would I actually throw Jensen and Jared out of my house, no matter how creepy they act, but they didn’t need to know that.

“But how…why……..”, I started asking the questions bothering me.

“Umm well, yeah, about that…”, Dean started, gulping.

Castiel walked over and looked at me with downcast eyes.

“You are going to die.”, he stated nonchalantly, as if three men entering into your house and telling you that you are going to die is an everyday occurrence.

“I…WHAT?!”, I shouted, my eyes wide.

                                        Now

“CAS!”, Sam and Dean both exclaim at him at the same time.

“She was asking.…..”

“No Cas, not like that!”, Sam tells him prickly.

“Please tell me what the hell is going on! Why….How am I going to die? What’s happening?!”, I say, hiding my face with my hair.

“Darling, promise me you won’t freak out.”, Dean says, staring straight into my soul. “You are a character from a book in our universe. My favourite book. And trust me, this...you…. I am a huge fan of you. Have been, since I was a child. Now you see, few months ago, we stumbled into your universe when Gabriel pranked us. And then I saw you. I met you. The real you....just….perfect….And I just wanted to.....I mean..... I came back...I came back because…..”

“Because?”

“I know everything. I know how the book ends and I have come back here to save you, darling.”

Tagging -  @thatmotleygirl @msmarvelouswinchester @athenapotter @mvdeanw​ @bts-spnlvr12​ @holylulusworld @jensengirl83

[subbing-for-clones]

She Who Walks the Line Between Part 4

Maul x GreyJedi!Reader

Word Count: 3103

WARNINGS: Child abuse, night terrors, fluff

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       Six weeks had passed since your ship went down and Maul 'rescued' you. Thanking him with a kiss to his cheek that neither of you mentioned after that night. Since he was rebuilding muscle that used to be there rather than starting from scratch, he built himself back up fairly quickly. Especially because you were constantly nagging at him to eat if he didn’t take the initiative to do it himself at least three times a day. His face was fuller and his arms and chest much more prominent under his trademark deep v tunics. His thighs were also thickening up quite nicely you thought often to yourself. His eyes still glowed gold but it was a honeyed glow like a sunset, so much softer than they once were. No longer bloodshot and raging.

    Some days he would push his progress much too far and require soaking in an unbelievably hot bath. You would’ve been almost frightened if he hadn’t told you his core temperature was much higher than yours. You always offered massages to which he would try to turn down but you never really let him refuse. You could tell he wanted them. His entire demeanor would change if you only brushed against him let alone actually dedicated time to rubbing the strain from his muscles. Whatever horrors he dealt with as apprentice to a Sith Lord he had no comfort to turn to before, that much was apparent. Followed by a decade of forced solitude, you always made him melt with ease.

    He was a worthy sparring partner to say the least. Despite having new legs, he was incredibly nimble. His muscle memory was powerful at worst, awe striking at best, but he was still easily flustered which was his downfall. Every. Single. Time. Just recently you dodged a swing of his crimson Saber by dropping into a split and throwing your head backwards. The sight of it caused him to lose his footing. One of the goats bleated at him like she was laughing which of course sent you into a giggle fit of your own as you stood back up to your feet clutching your sides.

    Today you two would be doing something different though, assuming he would accompany you, which was a safe assumption. The two of you sat at your small table by the kitchen drinking caf, Maul was eating waffles you had freshly cooked while you flipped through an encyclopedia you yourself had written on the planet.

"What are you looking for?" He asked, trying to see what you were reading from the other side of the table.

    Leaning back in your chair you took a long drink of your caf, finishing the mug with a sigh. "Well, there's a particular ocean species that lives here that migrate through this side of the planet once every few years. If I remember right, because I can't find my notes..." You stood and walked to refill your cup. "If I remember correctly, they should be passing right by us today or tomorrow or… sometime soon. Honestly I don’t know why I write anything down if I can’t look back on it when I need it.”

Maul suppressed a smirk. He had come to realize that with all your brilliance and various talents you could be unorganized and forgetful. Just the other day he caught you frantically looking for a seventh goat, having to remind you that you only had six. Six goats, seven chickens, one rooster.

    Still wearing your dangerously short sleeping shorts and with your back to him, Maul had a moment to admire your legs without threat of you noticing. "What creature is it?" He asked while eyeing a scar on your inner thigh he hadn't noticed before following the curve of your backside.

"Well, they don't have a name, from what I know anyway but they look a lot like the Purgill that live in space. Not nearly as big cause, you know, space is a lot bigger than the ocean here." You stirred cream into your brew and sat back down crossing your legs.

Now he leaned back in his chair, shoulders shaking lightly with a silent chuckle, “you know I did know space was bigger than the ocean here.”

You playfully pointed your spoon at him in a mock warning before smiling and continuing.

"I'm gonna go down to the beach and see if I can find them. They're one of my favorites on this planet. We're nearing the mating and migration time of a few species actually so wildlife is gonna be more apparent around here."

"I'll have to flip through that book of yours and study up." He smiled at you.

"Well you're lucky you have someone like me who knows this planet pretty damn well. Even if I can’t find my notes." You flashed him a returning smile and stood. Your hand ran over his scalp affectionately as you made your way to your room to get dressed for your adventure.

 ~~~~~

      Maker, did she realize exactly what she did to him he wondered. He swore he could still feel her touch after she had left. He was indeed lucky to have her, not just for her knowledge of this strange world. A now familiar knot grew in his belly once again, the same one that never failed to show up when she touched him. He wasn't sure what it was.

    He stood and cleared the table, washing the dishes from their breakfast in the sink. The first time he did this she had actually flustered almost embarrassed 'thank yous' saying she had meant to do them herself. Since that moment he made it his job. After all she did everything else for him. He ran fingers over his hearts down to his belly and gripped where the invisible knot formed. Most of her books were educational, breeching just about every topic at least fundamentally. She did however have a small collection of fiction. One of which he had read that held a romantic theme. Was this what love felt like? Happiness? Is this what Lord Sidious had kept from him his entire life? Or was it simply admiration?

    Not ever having felt anything like it before he couldn't say but one thing he did know for a fact. He hoped against all hope that in a way he'd never 'fully recover' fearing once the scale she talked about was perfectly balanced again she'd send him away and continue her life of solitude. She had sought this out. She had chosen this life. This planet, purposefully unpopulated with sentient life. As far as he knew and saw she was the only person here.

    His brows furrowed and as if she could sense his distraught increasing, he heard her call to him. "Darling," she mewled just loud enough for him to hear. Possibly too quick he made his way to the door of the fresher where he heard the water running. Darling he thought, he had never heard her call him that before, he was sure.

"There’s a pack hanging from the door, could you fill it with snacks for us? It'll probably be a while on the cliffs." He silently carried out her will, obsessing over the name she had called out from the shower. Thoughts of her naked body dripping with warm water, calling out to him filled his mind. He had to physically shake his head to focus. Just as he finished packing the last Meiloorun she entered the room wearing her usual training garb, barefooted as usual when she dressed in it.

    He watched as she added her encyclopedia and another small notebook to the pack along with a pair of electrobinoculars and a blanket. Swinging it over her shoulder she beamed at him obviously excited to see this strange creature.

    Once they were out the door she started sprinting calling out "race you!" Maul smiled and gave her a few more seconds head start greedily watching how her body moved so gracefully before taking off after her. Allowing himself to fall into the role of a hunter once again. This however being the only prey he ever really wanted to catch. This was his element. This is where he was most comfortable, chasing, hunting. His legs propelled him forward while his arms pumped at his sides, feeling the wind push him onward towards his goal. It was a long race but her speed never let up, she was incredibly fast but not so fast that she could escape him. Just before she reached the cliff's edge preparing to jump, he darted in front of her and caught her in his arms, spinning from the velocity alone. His arms latched tightly around her waist and hers wrapped around his neck pulling his face to that sweet spot just below her ear.

    They sat like that for what felt like only a second but also an eternity before a shaking hum rang through the air. Remembering what she had come for she pulled away excitedly.

"I thought we would be early but maker we made it just in time!" He released her and she jumped off the cliff, falling 200 feet before using the force to slow her fall lowering her safely to the sand below. Maul followed suit and met her where she stood, her toes wet with the tide rolling in over the sand before pulling back out to sea. Salt was heavy in the air but he could still smell her. Making her way back to the rock and clay cliffs she laid out the blanket and took a seat, spreading out her books and setting the food to the side. He joined her, sitting where he hoped wouldn't be too close.

    Before his mind could roam too far, she gasped and pointed to the sea clutching his arm in excitement. Breaching out of the depths a giant creature almost took flight but just for a moment, calling out in a singing hum. They had massive heads and rounded teeth with four tentacles that trailed behind them. They were all painted in the same deep blue but had uniquely shaped and colored markings. Unlike their space brethren they didn't have bioluminescent streaks on the inside of their tentacles.

    Maul watched in amazement as the creatures sang to one another, jumping and diving back down below like they were dancing for Y/N and his eyes alone. Looking through her electrobinoculars with one hand and sketching furiously with the other in the smaller of the two notebooks, never taking her eyes off of the Sea Purgill, she was entranced.

 "Have you ever seen such a beautiful, mysterious creature," she inquired utterly enthralled.

    Now he was watching her, smile plastered on her face, cheeks rosy with excitement and salt flecks sticking to her hair. "I can honestly say no, I have not in all my life witnessed such a beauty." She closed her notebook and put away the electrobinoculars, pivoting her head to look into his eyes again; softer than she had ever seen them.

    She scooted closer to him so their hips touched and leaned her head against his shoulder. Cautiously, he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer and rested his cheek on the top of her head. Together they sat like this for hours, not moving, not speaking, simply watching the mighty creatures frolic through the waves on ahead.

~~~~~

    You didn't want to move from this spot. He hadn't touched you since he pulled you from your crashed shuttle yet you found every excuse to make fleeting contact with him. Now, with his strong arm wrapped around you, hand gripping your waist, your head nestled into his chest you could hear his tandem hearts beating. Beating hard, it both soothed and excited you. Falling for this tattooed warrior was not on your original agenda. Falling for anyone at all was never something you craved or saw yourself doing. Not because of the same reasoning as the Jedi you had tutored under. No, you didn’t fear attachment. It had always just looked like a distraction or a nuisance.

    Yet you found yourself falling for him nonetheless. Selfishly you had hoped that the scales would never again be balanced because once they do, once he is completely and utterly healed... he would leave. Wouldn't he? Why would he want to stay here on this unpopulated world with you and you alone? He had been forced into his solitude while you had searched for yours. You no longer craved silence; no longer did you wish for the seclusion of this lovely planet. All you wanted was to listen to the velvety melody of his voice, to feel the almost impossible heat he radiated.

    If you asked him to stay, would he? If he would ask you to leave with him, would you? You didn’t think you could leave. Not with the war raging across the galaxy. This was the only place where you couldn’t hear every scream of every person torn from life by mindless violence that wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place. Feel every tear through the fabric of the force every time a Jedi either fell to the dark side or was killed. You can’t leave, and if you can’t leave for him; how could you ask him to stay for you?

    The sun was starting to set and the creatures' appearances became less frequent. A realization dawned on you. Sensing your change Maul lifted his head to look at you, brows furrowed.

"The night of every migration a storm follows these beings. We should head back, whether it's rain or snow or wind it will be brought down on us soon." You watched him stand and extend a hand to you, taking it, he pulled you into a tight embrace. Both arms around you securely he whispered a thank you, lips just brushing against your ear. You didn't ask him what he was thanking you for, simply returning the hug with an equal fervor.

    The two of you quickly packed up, leaping up the cliffs and making your way back home. Just as the cottage was in your eyeline the dark sky opened. Temperatures plummeting, snow fell from the heavens with a savage determination. Running now, you locked your animals in the barn and cranked up the heat. Power was hard to come by here with only the infrastructure that you had installed yourself, allowing only one heater for your homestead. Giving it to the animals was an easy decision.

    Maul took your hand and ushered you inside, 6 inches had already stuck to the ground and your exposed skin was cold to the touch. Your bare feet no exception. He lit the hearth himself to take the chill off the room and wrapped you in a warm blanket. Before you could even think to ask, he brought you a hot cup of your favorite tea. He glowered over the fact that you still shivered.

    He took your blanket and gathered you up into his arms, draping the blanket around the both of you. Holding your freezing feet in his hand. The heat he put off was almost burning against your form but you were more than grateful, sinking into him. You both fell asleep in each other’s arms but the dreams you had that night weren't your own.

 A darkly hooded figure stood tall above a scarlet whimpering child. Tears streaked the red and black face of the young boy until the figure spoke. "Did I say you could eat yet?" He asked calmly but with venom in his tone. "N-no master I'm sorry I'm just... so hungr..." the boy was cut off when bolts of electricity shot out of his master and punished the boy. He screamed in agony, his cells burning. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE FROM ME APPRENTICE!" eating in front of the starving boy he screamed and continued to shock him. "YOU WILL KILL AND EAT WHAT YOU ARE HUNGRY FOR!" The boy still screaming managed to reply. "Yes master... I'm sorry master... Forgive me... PLEASE." He begged. He was attacked until his body started smoking "WHAT ARE YOU!" His master demanded as he finally released the child. The boy's claws dug into his forehead until he bled, sobbing. "I said WHAT ARE YOU?" his master demanded, shocking him again.

"I AM HUNTER... I AM FEAR... I AM FILTH... I AM NOTHING!" Screaming in torment he fell over, silent. He was tossed out carelessly onto a burning terrain surrounded by fiery pits of lava.

    You awoke first, tears falling from your own eyes and you looked upon the man that lay next to you. He was still asleep but he was shaking, whining, nails digging into his own arms. You took his wrists and begged him to wake up.

"Maul... Maul darling please wake up!"

     His eyes shot open blown out in fear and snarling, sitting up ready to kill until he focused on you. You softly pushed him down on the couch so he rested on his back. You leaned over him, wrapping your legs around his waist and running your hands soothingly over his body. Peppering his face in kisses whispering "you are safe... you are cared for... you are my joy... you are cleansed... you are everything." Tears welled in his eyes threatening to spill over. He gripped you with bruising fingers as if you would disappear should he let go. "I have you... you're with me... he can't find you here.." you continued to sooth him between tender kisses.

    He looked up at you with those shimmering gold eyes, one hand entangling in your hair, he pulled your lips onto his with a desperation. He needed proof that he was in fact awake and not in a different dream. You brushed one of your hands against his cheek and gripped the back of his head, horns between your fingers and deepened the kiss. He slightly opened his mouth in a pleasured moan; eyes rolling back. Taking it as an invitation you glided your tongue over his teeth and against the tip of his tongue which he immediately responded but not the way you expected. He broke the kiss and pulled your body even closer to his as if to turn the two of you into one. For the rest of the night, you held one another, he had never been so thankful for his night terrors.

[vegalocity]

The Tinkerer (Red Groom AU)

It took me a hot second to decide who i wanted to be Miracle Max because there was no way I WASN'T gonna put that scene in this AU

I decided on Syntax bc the other spiders haven't shown up yet and so why not

--

The house was little more than a glorified workshop; there were shelves of research notes and half finished odds and ends puled up on an open wall near the back, and Xiaojiao was unsure of whether they should be approaching the front door or coming in through the workshop area. Especially since the front door had a very clear 'No Longer In Business' sign hanging from it.

All the same it seemed like Sandy had all the confidence in the world in this 'Tinkerer' as he was known. As his usual grin didn't waver as he shifted his grip on the Not-Monkey King's body and approached the front door. Xiaojiao fell into step beside him of course, and upon Sandy's polite knock stationed herself between her friend and the question of what will be coming next.

A small peek window opened and Xiaojiao was suddenly making eye contact with a pair of very bright green eyes, nearly bioluminescent in their vibrancy, surrounded by a pale purple complexion not unlike the late Spider Queen's.

“We're closed.” The Demon stated firmly.

“Are you The Tinkerer?” She asked in reply.

The demon at the door snarled with a mouth of sharp teeth. “I was. And thank you for reminding me of what that wretched Prince did to my reputation, Why don't you throw a handful of dirt in my face while you're at it! Scram.” he shut the peek window. And Xiaojiao was far less polite when she knocked.

“I said beat it! Or I'm calling the brute squad.” The Tinkerer opened the little window again and glared her down, but Sandy leaned in at the offer.

“I'm on the brute squad.” he waved.

“You are the brute squad.” The Tinkerer agreed.

“Look, we heard you were one of the best healers in the region with your experiments and we're in desperate need.” Xiaojiao tried again.

“What part of 'was' did you not understand? Past tense. I'm Not in that business anymore. Besides-” He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Why would you want a disgraced tinkerer to have a look at whoever you've got in mind anyway? I might kill them.” he said that last part in a mocking tone, clearly imitating the Prince in the false posh accent. The only thing stronger then The Tinkerer's sarcasm seemed to be his bitterness.

“He's already dead?” She tried one last time, and this time the Tinkerer seemed interested. He leaned forward a bit to peer at the Not-Monkey King.

“He is, hm?” He paused for a second, eyes flicking into nothing as he thought something over, before eventually shrugging. “Sure, bring him in. I'll take a look.”

The little home indeed was as small as the door implied, and in the living space there was in fact an extra door that lead to the outside workshop area.

Scanning the room for anything flat enough to lay the Not-Monkey King down on, Xiaojiao eventually started to clear the table of books—and there were many books in this house.

“Careful with those!” The Tinkerer chided but as she turned to hand them off instead of a more average demon aggravated and ready to take the tomes from her, she was met with a pair of metallic prongs infront of her, not dissimilar to the legs of a spider demon, and peering to the side a bit she saw that indeed, they were sprouting from The Tinkerer's back.

...Huh... Spider Queen had let on that she was the only spider demon in the area, to think there was another of her kind so nearby without her knowledge before she'd died... The Tinkerer's spider legs sprouted from his back which WAS a little odd since she'd always been told the hips were the usual area for spider legs, but he was using the other pair to better arrange the table for Sandy to put Not-Monkey King down onto it, so it didn't seem like they were a hindrance. She placed the books in the spare two prongs and said tomes were carefully deposited on an empty chair.

The Tinkerer strode over to the body and hemmed and hawed for a moment. “Well I've certainly seen worse.” He continued to prod at the body, and the running clock began to hold over Xiaojiao's head.

“Sir we're in a rush here-”

“Never rush a scientist, Miss.” The Tinkerer responded evenly. “Nothing makes an experiment go wrong quicker than rushing the scientist.” He fretted over the body a little longer, and his attention was on the corpse still as he spoke again.

“So how much is this worth to you both?”

“All we've got is Sixty-five.”

The Tinkerer scoffed. “I never work for so little.” He paused for a moment, considering. “Except for that one time, but that was a very noble cause.”

Xiaojiao thought fast “Sir this is a noble cause.” Though no one ever said she was any good at improvising. “His wife cannot leave the house after the accident, children on the brink of starvation-”

The Tinkerer was unmoved. “You're not a gifted liar, are you?”

Fine, if she couldn't make this happen with sympathy she may as well tell the truth. “I need him to help me avenge my father. Murdered these last ten years-”

“Your first story was better.” The Tinkerer cut her off with a scoff. “Probably owes you money, doesn't he?” he turned away from the body to rummage through a crate of strange looking devices. “Now where did I put the- Ah.” He pulled out a pump looking thing. “Well if you're not going to be giving me a straight answer I'll ask him myself.” Her thoughts spluttered for a moment.

“He-... He's dead he can't speak-”

The Tinkerer chuckled. “Oh, so now you're the expert, miss?” he shook his head. “No, your friend here is only mostly dead.” He began to turn a few knobs on the device before gently prying the Not-Monkey King's mouth open. “There's a very distinct difference between mostly dead and all dead you see.” He began to turn the crank on the device and slowly the Not-Monkey King's chest began to inflate. “If he were all dead there'd only be one thing to do.”

“What would that be?”

The Tinkerer smirked “Go through his pockets and see if there's anything worth selling. But Mostly Dead, is Slightly Alive. So there's far more options.”

Soon enough he stopped turning the crank and lifted the device from the Not-Monkey King's mouth. After handing the device off to Sandy, whom helpfully carefully set it back inside the box, the Tinkerer leaned in close to the body.

“Hey! Hello in there! Hey- What's so important? You got anything here worth living for?” he then placed both hands and two of his spider legs onto the Not-Monkey King's chest and pushed.

At first the wheezing noise didn't sound like much of anything, but then Xiaojiao was able to make out-

“'True Love'! You heard him!” She leaned forward to examine the body herself for a moment, but other than the faintest moving of his words, the Not-Monkey King remained still. And peeking back up at the Tinkerer he looked pale, mauve skin suddenly more of a sickly lavender. “You couldn't ask for a more noble cause than that, sir.”

“Well Miss, true love certainly would be a noble cause of all noble causes.” He agreed, before blinking once and shaking his head. “But that's not what he said! I've been hearing mostly dead groans for the better side of thirty years now, and I know 'To blave' when I hear it.” He waved a hand dismissively as he turned away from her. “And since you seem like those whom may not know 'To Blave' is an archaic way to say 'to bluff'. So here's my read on things, you lot were gambling on something or another and he was cheating so-”

“Oh for the love of- You CanNOT be serious, Syntax!” a raspy voice piped up, and emerging from one of the small rooms was another spider demon, this one looking far more traditional, with the obvious mandibles and four green eyes instead of The Tinkerer's two.

“Huntsman I am in the middle of something can you just-”

“You're in the middle of making yourself look like an obstinate fool that's what you're in the middle of!” The other spider, Huntsman, approached and grabbed The Tinkerer (Syntax apparently) by the arm. “What kind of coward has my brother turned into that he can't even say the truth when he refuses to do what he poured his life's work into?!”

“You have no idea what you're talking about-”

“You head him,You know what he said-” Huntsman turned to the two of them and were it not for the sadistic gleam in his eye Xiaojiao would have thought he was honestly trying to help them. More likely he just wanted to see his brother squirm. “He's turned into a coward ever since the prince fired him! He's been stuck in a rut for months now!”

“Hey! You said you wouldn't bring that up! You swore you'd let that drop!” The Tinkerer's voice went shrill with anger, and the smirk on Huntsman's face widened, showing off his far more pronounced fangs.

“What? That you got fired? You got fired!” and then in a routine Xiaojiao would more expect out of a play than from a pair of fully grown brothers, Huntsman began to chase Syntax around the little room, loudly crowing 'Fired' over and over again while Syntax made vague noises of distress. Eventually Huntsman got hold of his brother again, and this time he maybe actually looked concerned.

“What would mother say if she saw you puttering about like this?! You know how much she went on about 'True Love' and all that ilk! And Sure Goliath was the only one who ever believed her, but you don't even have the decency to say why you won't help?!” Syntax had his hands clapped over his ears and seemed to be trying to loudly tune Huntsman's words out. “What, one good for nothing Prince gives you the boot and you don't have a reputation anymore?! Where in the world did your Spider Pride run off to because sure as anything else it ain't here anymore!” Wait he meant THIS prince, right?

“This man is Red Son's lover!” she cut in. “If you heal him he'll stop at nothing to stop the Prince's wedding!”

That gave both spider brothers pause, and something sparked to life behind Syntax's expression, he took a step away from his brother and leaned over the Not-Monkey King's body to lean in close to Xiaojiao.

“Hold on, hold on. I heal him and the Prince suffers?”

Xiaojiao leaned in and shot him as big a smirk as she could muster. “What's more humiliating than having your groom run off on the day of your wedding? He'd be mortified.” Syntax smiled back at her, and cackled.

“Now that is a noble cause.” a pair of his spider legs rummaged through the bin again before pulling out a set of adjustable glasses. “Give me the sixty-five, I'm on the job.”

“You're welcome.” Huntsman sarcastically called out before sitting down in a nearby chair and crossing his legs.

Sandy seemed to take an interest in him, wandering over beside the spider and striking up conversation, but Xiaojiao had her eyes on the Tinkerer, and her hopes.

–

“So that's gonna heal him up?”

“Something along those lines. He'll be more alive than he is now.” By this point all three of them were leaned in watching The Tinkerer put his last touches on the cure pill.

“Huh, chocolate coating and everything” Huntsman chiming in every so often for color commentary. “Of course you're enough of a petty bastard to pull out all the stops for revenge.”

“You should wait about fifteen minutes so everything's got time to settle.” Syntax continued as though he hadn't spoken, finishing up the pill and sliding it into a leather pouch. “Oh, and don't let him go swimming for awhile, about an hour or so.” He handed the pouch to Xiaojiao whom quickly slid it into her pocket, and Sandy lifted the body beneath his arm again.

“Thank you so much for this Tinkerer.”

Syntax rolled his eyes. “Just make sure someone sees the Prince suffering so you can send me a letter detailing it.”

And then they were off.

“Don't die!” Huntsman called out as they left.

“Have fun storming the castle!” Syntax added on.

–

“Think it'll work?”

“Do I look like a miracle worker to you?”

–

But soon enough they were at the mouth of the mountain entrance. A small wall the only separating Xiaojiao, Sandy, and their only hope from what was supposed to be about 30 demons.

Key word, 'supposed to'.

“Xiaojiao there's at least sixty men there.”

“What?!” She hissed and poked her head out the side to confirm Sandy's observation. And sure enough-

“I could probably take about ten on my own, how about you my friend?”

“Twenty, assuming we're fighting to incapacitate.” Sandy added on very carefully.

“Damn it all.” She hissed. Before glancing back down at the body. “Well, no matter, we've got him. He'll think of something.”

“Has it been fifteen minutes?”

“We can't afford to wait any longer. The wedding's in half an hour!” She shuffled with the body until he was propped up against the wall and took the pill out.

It slid down his throat quickly and concisely, possibly aided by whatever swallowing reflex remained in his mostly-dead state.

“How long do we have to wait, before we know the experiment works?”

“Your guess is as good as mine-” A voice between them interrupted Xiaojiao

“I'll tear you both apart! I'll take you both together-!” Sandy covered the Not-Monkey King's mouth to cut off his desperate threats.

“I guess not very long.”

“Hey, glad to see you awake!” She went for the friendly approach, he seemed sympathetic to her plight when they were about to duel after all-

When Sandy uncovered his mouth the man remained quiet. “Why won't my arms move?” he finally settled on.

“You've been mostly dead all day, friend.” Sandy calmly explained, Xiaojiao quickly adding on that they'd taken him to The Tinkerer to heal him up before Sandy cut back in.

“You know I feel kinda bad just calling you 'The Man in Black' in my head, but now that we know you're human it feels kinda weird to call you Monkey King too, so do you happen to have a name for us to call you by?”

The man paused again glancing between the two of them. “... Who are you two? Are we still enemies?” He glanced behind him. “Why am I resting on this wall?” but the his expression hardened over. “Where's Red Son?!”

“Okay I can explain-” Wait- “...No there's too much. Let me sum it up, but Sandy's right I'm gonna need that name first.”

"Xiaotian. Now tell me.”

“Well Xiaotian, Red Son's marrying the prince in about half an hour, so what we've got to do is break in, stop the wedding, steal your fire demon back, and make our escape. After I kill the Six Eared Macaque.”

Xiaotian's expression tightened and his fingers began to twitch nervously.

“I'll admit that doesn't leave a lot of time for hesitating.”

“Oh hey Xiaotian! You just wiggled your fingers!” Sandy chirped. “That's great!”

“I've still got something resembling the immortality Monkey King loaned me I guess.” Xiaotian agreed. “What are we facing against?”

“One mountain entrance, guarded by sixty demons.” She grabbed hold of his shoulders and lifted him just enough that his head lolled back and he could see the gate.

“Okay, what do WE have?”

“Your mind, my sword, Sandy's muscle.” …. well that sounded pathetic now that she said it outloud-

“That's it? That's pathetic."... but he didn't have to SAY it-

"Maybe if I had a WEEK I could think of a plan but this?” he shook his head slightly.

“Hey! You shook your head too! You're getting better!” Sandy was clearly nervous, with how bright and sunny he was trying to be. Xiaotian tilted his head to the side just enough to turn to see him.

“Your strength, my mind, and her sword against sixty men to stop the love of my life from getting married and then assassinated by a power hungry tyrant-to-be and you think a little head jiggle is worth celebrating?” He hissed and Xiaojiao was about to throw out a hand in Sandy's deference, but as usual the implied insult did little to dampen Sandy's hard earned chill.

“I mean I'd hardly consider it asking for a lot to have a little more to work with! if we had a wheelbarrow that would be something!”

Wait...

“Sandy what did we do with that Wheelbarrow those demon twins had?”

“I think we just left it there after they ran off.”

Xiaotian's expression pinched. “Why didn't you mention that earlier?” But nonetheless she could see the gears beginning to turn in his head. “Ugh... Maybe if we had a dark cloak I could do that plan but-”

“Yeah no, sorry about that, friend.” But Sandy it seemed had other ideas.

“Will this work?” a long dark cloak was pulled from behind him.

“W-... Where did you get that?”

“At the Tinkerer's! That Huntsman guy said it was made for his brother but it was too big and it fit me, so he said I should just take it!”

“Alright alright. Long Xiaojiao was it?”

“Just Xiaojiao is fine.”

“Can you pluck one of my hairs for me and hold it up?”

“Uhhh?”

“Trust me.”

So she curled a finger around a strand of hair and plucked it from Xiaotian's head before holding it up before him.

He blew gently on the piece and directed her to toss it forward.

There was a shower of golden sparks and the hair had turned into a staff much like the one he'd been wielding when they'd met.

“Alright help me up and I'll explain things.” It was a bit of a struggle, Xiaotian had to be sandwiched between Xiaojiao and Sandy “Can one of you attach that to my back?” Sandy reached down and did so.

“You can't even lift it!” Xiaojiao huffed.

“Yeah but they don't know that.” Xiaotian countered, and... she didn't have a counterargument. “So it's going to be a mess when we start this whole thing, one problem after another-”

“I'll say.” She huffed. “I've got three off the top of my head, when we're inside how do I find the Macaque, when I'm done with him how do I find you again, and when I find you again how do we all escape?”

Sandy whom had been basically holding Xiaotian's head up for him during this exchange, tilted the man's head to rest against his chest. “Come on Xiaojiao, lay off the guy, he's had a hard day.”

“Right, Sorry.”

Sandy bobbed Xiaotian's head in an approximation of a nod.

“Hey Xiaojiao?”

“What is it?”

“I hope we win.”

[d1nob0nes]

i’ve spent like 5 minutes doing homework and need a break so uh. c!foolish and c!jack manifold friendship idea that was brought up in twitter groupchat that i also want to share and develop on here. it’s long so uh. under the cut ig. might turn this into an entire fic at some point

starting with the deep sea afterlife idea from @the-king-of-lemons , jack comes back and he’s got all these “friends” that he made in the ocean, all these funny looking and colorful and beautiful fish and squid and creatures. he misses them. he wants to go back to that peacefulness, the momentary calm from the constant war and conflict, the gentle lull between the pain of dying and the pain of being revived. so he figures some shit out. does some math. 

one day foolish is out late. it’s getting dark, he doesn’t want to go through the nether to get back home, so he strolls down to the hotel to stay in the room jack has rented to him. jack greets him and walks him into the lobby, and foolish notices a new door off in a corner. it’s metal, almost like a vault door, with a keycode and spinning wheel. he points it out. “hey, jack, what is that?”

“oh, that’s a project i’ve been working on,” jack replies with a grin. “you wanna see it?”

“sure,” foolish says, shrugging, because it shouldn’t take long. but when jack leads him over to the door, unlocks it with his body hunched over the keypad, it swings open to reveal a long, dark, sloping hallway that descends into darkness. there’s a minecart off to the side, perched on rickety-looking rails, and jack gestures to it. “after you.”

the trip downward is terrifying. there’s no lighting, the rails are shoddily-made and crooked, and foolish swears that a few arrows are shot their way when they fly past cave entrances. the worst part is coming to a stop--jack sticks out his arm, a flash of silver in the darkness, and grabs onto the stone walls, making a horrible screeching noise that echoes through the passage as the minecart slows. they slam to a stop in a small room, lit by a singular torch, and jack’s already out and walking around before foolish realizes the minecart is still.

“here, put one of these on,” jack says, and a heavy bundle of metal and plastic hits foolish’s chest. “you’ll need it. otherwise, your head will explode.” he grins cheerfully at foolish and starts dressing himself.

the diving suits (at least that’s what foolish thinks they are--they’re held together by willpower and hope, as well as a bit of tape and some sort of glue) are heavy, clunky, and huge. jack stumps over to a little doorway, one that opens into a rickety elevator, and says, “you’ll have to turn sideways to get in,” before shuffling inside. the elevator car dips when foolish steps in, and he has to bite back a curse.

the second descent of the night is equally as terrifying as the first. the elevator car struggles downward, dropping several feet at points and halting at others. jack just stands casually, tapping his feet, humming some song. when the elevator finally stops, hundreds and hundreds of feet down, it’s with a grinding, screeching thud.

“we’re here!” jack declares, his voice muffled by the helmet. “hold on, lemme open the door--”

he yanks and pulls at the metal door, heaving until it jerks open. foolish steps out onto a rough, uneven stone floor, turns to his left, and stops.

there’s a massive, massive glass wall, stretching up into shadows. behind it is dark, barely lit water, strands of strange looking plants, and fish. tons of fish, of all shapes and sizes and colors, darting around each other and dancing behind the glass. some glow, some flash strange colors, and foolish swears he sees the tail of a shark whip by before disappearing into darkness.

“cool, innit?” jack declares. there’s a weak strain of pride in his voice, a subtle shake, but he stands straight and tall with his hands on his hips. “took me a while. i didn’t sleep much, but i got it done.”

“what--” foolish starts, but then jack is running up to the glass (running as best as he can in the massive pressure suits, at least) and pointing. “look, look,” he calls. “this is my buddy, this is long lad. i couldn’t think of a name for him, being the stringy fuck that he is, but look. he’s a bigfin squid.”

foolish can’t see much, other than several long, ghostly pale tentacles drifting through the water. jack is beaming inside his helmet, and he darts across the tank to point at another creature. “this, this is bella. she’s a giant isopod. i read up on these things, y’know, when i came back, to figure out what all my buddies were.” jack watches the pale, bug-like thing tumble off a rock and land gently on the muddy floor. “isn’t she pretty?”

“jack,” foolish finally spits out, “how--what--why did you make this? where the hell did you get all these animals?”

jack’s smile fades a bit. “well, i died, right?” he glances at foolish, almost shamefully, then turns back to the glass. “and wilbur, wil had his train station purgatory. tommy was in a void of some sort. me, well--i actually died. i didn’t have a ghost hanging around, or some sadistic fuck with a book ready to pull me back. i actually died then.

“everyone has a different afterlife, apparently,” jack continues. “my headset says some weird shit, and that’s something i’ve heard from it, and i believe it. my afterlife,” he says, turning to look foolish in the eyes, “was the deep sea. i was laying in the silt, in the dark, for a while.”

“oh,” foolish says. 

“i missed them, a lot,” jack adds on. his voice is rough, cracking, angry. “i had nobody to welcome me back to the living. nobody noticed, or cared, that i had died, and they were my companionship. they kept me company, and it was nice, and it was peaceful.” he gestures weakly to the glass wall, to the swarms of fish and shadows that shift through the water. “i wanted to replicate it, i guess. hence the big jack manifold aquarium.” he laughs, and it’s so full of hurt and pain that foolish grimaces.

there’s a moment of silence between them, as they stand in the weak blue light watching the sea creatures swim. something with a long neck, bioluminescent and flashing, moves slowly between the seagrass. a sperm whale covered in barnacles drifts out of the shadows, then retreats.

“i think it’s pretty awesome,” foolish finally says. “this is really cool.”

“you think?” jack laughs, and the tension and sadness lifts slightly. “hey, look at this one. i call him big bastard, because he tried to take a bite out of me a few times.”

there’s a massive shark swimming by, slow and steady, and foolish squints at it. jack’s going on about it, talking about how it dive bombed him in the afterlife, how it’s such a bastard motherfucker and jack hates it but in an endearing way, and then something sparks.

“jack,” foolish says, “that’s my great grandma. that shark.”

“what?”

---

yo if you made it this far thank you for reading :3 the deep sea creatures coexisting in a tank, as well as the descent and pressure stuff, are very scientifically inaccurate so apologies !! uh yeah lol haha whip nae nae i hope you liked it. anyway back to my homework and twitter i go bye

[youarejesting]

Wash out.2 (special)

Banners: @purpleskies1999​ Pairings: Dolphintrainer!Taehyung x SharkDiver!Jin,  Mer!Jimin x Reader, Scientist!Namjoon x MerKing!Jungkook, Mer!Yoongi x Mer!Hoseok. Words: 1k Genre: Mystery, Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, little bit of Action, Slice of life, Enemies2Lovers, Friends2lovers, Social media au, Fake Texts, Fake Subs.

Summary: Taehyung and his best friend Y/N are Dolphin trainers at Wash Out; Marine Wildlife and Theme Park. When the nerdy marine biologist and resident veterinarian Doctor Kim Namjoon goes missing; the two friends form a ragtag team with Taehyung's rival Seokjin and a…. Fish?

Namjoon swallowed the pills hoping he would be able to keep them down, they were a fast-acting anti-nausea medication. It wasn’t his fault, he just had trouble getting out on the ocean waves without feeling painfully seasick. 

He placed his things inside the locker and everything else he needed was placed in the waterproof ziplock pouch attached to a lanyard around his neck. Before heading out to the dock, the group headed out and to the end of the bay where there were some sharp rocks that tended to catch sick and injured marine life. Between the rocks, the rock pools were quite deep, so it could be anything from a shark or a Jellyfish or a broken surfboard. But, they responded to the call as they always did, and they would care for the animal or just clean out the pools of debris.

The boat was in motion and as such was not causing Namjoon any stress, it was only when the boat stopped and was rocked gently by the waves would it stir in his stomach. He hoped they would never reach their destination, though the hope was short-lived as the boat slowed to a stop and the swaying felt more like churning. Namjoon, saving himself from heaving, jumped into the ocean and swam to the edge of the rock pools looking in, he began inspecting the creature. It was dark and he couldn't really see but, he soon noticed it was a human.

Grief consumed him, "It's a body," Namjoon reported seriously, "this poor young man had most likely drowned and was washed up during the high tide into the--" 

It moved, that couldn't be, his eyes must be playing tricks on him, the man was now facing him, his features were delicate and his eyes seemed to watch and follow Namjoon's movements. Namjoon again passed it off as a trick of the eye and the reflection on the water, or even the froth of the waves, until the thing blinked. Hands reached in to grab the body and that's when he was smacked with something in the face, whatever it was, it was fierce and he felt as if he was going to blackout. 

He had no strength to move under the water, but he was also intrigued by the two figures swimming towards him. The first took his left hand, his reddish hair glowing faintly as the sun broke the water and left small beams of light shining on the two gentlemen. The second smaller and blonde grabbed his right hand and they swam so fast. Namjoon was starting to feel like all the oxygen was being sucked out of his lungs but just as he felt himself seeing black he broke the surface. 

Wherever he was it was night time, it was dark but there was a glow like a thousand stars on the walls, and the two men threw him out of the water and onto the ground and climbed out, this was the moment Namjoon noticed they had fishtails. "Mermaids" He muttered, receiving two glares. "You don't like that term, I am sorry?"

They stood up naked making Namjoon turn red, they wrapped themselves in silk that glistened like the sun on the waves. The redhead draped Namjoon's hands with a piece of similar fabric and he let out a, "oooh so soft..." at the cold watery feel as it touched his skin, before it tightened, binding his hands together. "Oh. I see."

There was a strange clicking and he turned to see the blonde returning his thin legs shaking as if he had just run a marathon and would collapse any second. More importantly and taking up his entire attention span was the clicking coming from two very large and deep blue crabs, They were the size of a miniature pony but twice as stocky, he came closer slowly and began patting the shell of the crustacean with a prominent grin on his face.

He was lifted onto the crab and he almost passed out, this creature was majestic and he was overjoyed with being this close and seeing such a gargantuan version. "You are big boy aren't you, you are so perfect, you are doing amazing"

The two who were leading and sharing a crab were sitting sideways and watching him patting the creature and speaking gibberish, they shared a look and rolled their eyes, heading through the place, there were lanterns filled with crystals that gave off a large green glow and the walls were covered with a blue bioluminescent slime, that seemed to come from snails that were traveling around the large cave painting the walls there houses glowing brightly lighting the whole place.

It was like a scene from a fantasy movie but all Namjoon could think of was studying each organism and creature and looking into their lifestyles. He knew there was so much to learn. He touched the wall and his fingers were covered in the thick glowing slime and he grinned and played with it slowly. 

Namjoon was glad for his notebook and phone, as he would be able to document some of the creatures and sights he saw. He was going to take out his phone from the pouch, and snap some photos when the crabs stopped and he felt the fabric around his hands being pulled. Thanking the creature with a friendly grin he followed after them into an ornate room with big arches and intricate carvings in the crystal pillars that all glowed.

The room was round and directly across from the entrance was a small platform with a tall ornate throne, it seemed to be made of hard crystals but lavished with the soft silk fabric which made it seem quite comfortable. 

Upon the seat was the most beautiful young man Namjoon had ever seen fabric wrapped delicately around his waist a little lower than Namjoon was comfortable with, it showed off the man’s deep adonis belt. His chest and arms were also muscular and Namjoon counted at least six elaborate necklaces and three armbands, the latter looking as if they would snap if he flexed his bicep. His hair was a little shaggy making his features look softer and more androgynous. 

Namjoon was stopped and the men beside him began speaking, in their language, it was melodic, slow, and higher-pitched. Namjoon wondered if it was because they had to communicate underwater that the pitch was raised to cut through the water, he wondered if they had some sort of sonar in their bodies.

The young man on the throne listened to his subordinates, his eyes trailing over Namjoon’s form, making him feel nervous. Many people thought he was funny looking and dressed oddly, they thought his personality was dull and his hobbies and interests were too eclectic to be relatable. He was just waiting for the man on the throne to look at him with the same level of displeasure as others do when they first meet.

But it never happened instead the young man stood from his perch and walked towards him, stopping a few inches shorter than himself Namjoon smiled at him and held out his hand. The young man looked at Namjoon’s hand intrigued but waved him off and he was guided into another chamber and was made to sit in a room that he could only liken to a prison cell. 

Namjoon had been there for what felt like half a day but according to his phone was only a few hours. The young man returned, handing him something wrapped in a leaf, Namjoon took it and frowned, it was seafood and he didn’t particularly like seafood especially since he had met so many nice sea creatures that day he couldn’t stomach it. 

He handed it back shaking his head and the man frowned and tried to demonstrate eating it and handed it back. Namjoon tried he really did but the moment the raw fish touched his lips he vomited in the corner.

The man sighed placing down the leaf of food and rubbed Namjoon’s back in wonder, he looked at Namjoon’s build and tried removing his shirt making Namjoon blush but reluctantly removed his shirt. 

“You all seem to trust skinship, so I will cooperate with your customs” He removed his shirt and dropped it to the floor beside him. The young man’s eyes were big and made him seem so innocent when he looked at Namjoon’s broad chest. He seemed to measure their builds making Namjoon chuckle. “Our builds are quite different, you all seem quite small and lithe for agility when swimming. If you think my shoulders are wide, you should see my best friend, he has very broad shoulders.”

The man in front of him adopted a deeper voice while scrunching his nose playfully. Namjoon rubbed the back of his head bashfully, he must stick out like a sore thumb, a big burly guy with a deep voice amongst these elegant lean creatures who were sweetly spoken.

He lowered his head in a greeting and said something and Namjoon lowered his head and repeated it making him laugh his face lighting up. This perhaps king was cheeky, he liked to play games, or at least this was the impression Namjoon got from him.

It was going to take a while for the two to communicate properly without understanding but the king hummed and kissed him on the lips surprising Namjoon. When the two finally pulled away from the kiss the young man laughed again and said. “I hope now you can understand me, my name is Jeon Jungkook, I am the King of the Merpeople”

“What!?”

Tags: @backinblack1967  @miriamxsworld​ ​

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[pinepickled]

How about something Gen? Team Minato gets lost in a forest ans have to find each other. Sensei strategizes. Kakashi summons a tracking dog, rin follows the rivers but Obito gets Very Lost and perhaps stumbles upon something he shouldn’t. Maybe a sleepy Old Forest god? Shenanigans are always fun! Hopefully everyone gets home safely 😄 no pairing or just pre-relationship crushes please

Oooh, this is a very fun prompt Ana! I don't write gen often so this will be good practice, and hopefully it's up to your taste! No pairings as requested and Obito-centric.

He got lost in the woods and met a strange man who could do strange things.

Obito was a strong and brave ninja, he knew that for sure. Who else could claim the esteemed Uchiha name and sharingan while also being part of the yondaime's team? No one!

But that didn't change the fact that when a mission went wrong and he was separated from the rest of his team, he got a little scared. Just a little, don't be mistaken, Obito was still calm and in control, it's just that being stuck deep in a forest in the middle of the night would unnerve anybody!

Plus, out of the entire team, Obito had to admit- he was the least prepared to be lost. He'd been following what looked like wolf tracks for the past hour, hoping they belonged to Kakashi's summons and not an actual wolf, but he knew this logic was flawed. It wasn't like he could look at the stars and know exactly where to go like Minato-sensei, or just float down a river and somehow end up at his desired destination like Rin, so following wolf tracks it was.

Obito stopped for a rest and water, his breath coming out in puffs, the cold air bringing a flush to the boy's cheeks. He was tired and slightly injured from the fight that had separated the team, so he couldn't keep going for long. For all Obito knew, he could have been going in the wrong direction deeper into the forest and gotten himself in even more trouble than he was in before. The little Uchiha sighed in frustration.

"Whatever!" He said, turning his nose up. "I'll just keep going! No one and nothing can stop this ninja from completing a mission and going home!" He announced, giving himself an extra boost of energy with his words. He took off running in the direction of the wolf tracks, speeding through the forest as he used tiny amounts of chakra to make himself go faster. The full moon lit his way, and for just a moment, as Obito saw the trees thin, he'd thought he'd really made it!

But life could never be so fortunate.

Instead, he stumbled upon a clearing with a river snaking through it, fed by a small waterfall. Obito sighed and approached it, figuring it was time to try out Rin's method instead of Kakashi's. He was reluctant to step into the water- Minato-sensei had said that some rivers had poison in them that you couldn't swim in, and there were bioluminescent mushrooms going all up and down the banks of the river. Wild mushrooms were signs of poison, right? But Obito had never seen a wild mushroom that glowed in the dark in the forests near Konoha, though. He must have strayed further than he'd initially thought.

Obito sighed as he continued to look around. There were small fish and frogs in the water, seemingly unbothered by the glowing mushrooms. Fireflies floated aimlessly over the water, occasionally landing on beautiful red lilies that grew from the bushes near by. The entire clearing was filled with tiny wild flowers, and Obito absentmindedly thought to pick some for Rin. The boy looked further up the waterfall, and nearly fell over in surprise. Someone had been meditating on a rock in the middle of the pond the entire time, and Obito hadn't even noticed!

The man was tanned with chestnut brown hair, and he was wearing traditional clothing. Despite the cold weather, the man was meditating in a simple tan yukata, the folds of the robe open slightly to expose a muscled abdomen, as though the frigid air didn't affect him at all. The meditation was probably working, then. Figuring that Obito had already wandered too far off to find his way again any time soon, especially when he was cold and hurt, he strolled up the river and sat down to meditate near the man.

It would normally bore the young nin to death, but as his ribs throbbed in pain and his dry lips forced air in and out, he found he could do nothing but focus on the quiet. He closed his eyes and listened to the rattle of his own lungs, quietly wishing Rin would float down the river and patch him up. Obito didn't know how long he'd stayed like that, meditating in silence with the man, but a while later the rustling of cloth snapped him out of his meditation.

The man had gotten up and was wading through the water, the moon shining down on the water from where it sat at it's zenith. Obito stayed put as the man walked off, and startled when a hand patted his shoulder.

"Aren't you coming?" The man asked, golden eyes looking curiously down at the young nin. Obito stared blankly at the man before shrugging and getting up. Maybe the man knew a way out of the forest. Just as they began to walk toward the tree line once more, the man dragged Obito closer to his body.

"Oh my, you're freezing! Come on, come on, let's get inside." The man said. It wasn't so much that Obito was cold as it was that the man was oddly warm, so warm Obito had to double check the air around them to make sure it wasn't summertime. His own body was overcome with a strong, thick chakra, the kind that called back to springtime and the unstoppable force of nature, and in minutes Obito was warmed as well.

Obito reluctantly stuck to the man's side, trying to look tough even as he was warmed by the man's chakra, but his facade dropped when a cottage erupted from the ground right at their feet. The young nin nearly fell backwards, however the man's arm was strong and held him upright. He chuckled, turning Obito's face beet red.

"Sorry for scaring you. Welcome to my humble abode." He said, voice dripping amusement. Obito tried not to pout as the man opened the door for him. It truly was a humble abode, the kitchen and living space all in the same room, cozily pushed together, with a narrow hallway likely leading to a bathroom and bedroom. In the kitchen was a pot of stew on a low fire, it's aroma of meat and onions and all the good stuff filling the air. Obito's stomach rumbled pathetically, and the man cooed.

"Ah, hurt and hungry? I feel like I've found a stray kitten. Come, come." The man mused, gesturing the young nin closer into the kitchen space. He was sat down at the small table and poured a hefty bowl of stew, the man sitting opposite of him with an even bigger bowl. Obito cautiously took a sip. It was delicious, beautifully seasoned and the perfect temperature, and somehow it tasted like home.

"Thank you for the soup and stuff. What's your name?" Obito asked. The man waved off his thanks, golden eyes staring mirthfully at the young Uchiha.

"Hashirama. What's yours?" Hashirama asked. Obito blinked a few times.

"Like the first hokage?" He asked. The man nodded brightly.

"Exactly!"

Obito continued to stare at the man before shrugging. Coincidences happened, and although the first hokage was described to be tan with brown hair, that description matched 90% of the men in Konoha.

"I'm Obito Uchiha!" He said. Hashirama's eyes twinkled.

"An Uchiha, I thought so! What brings you so far from home then, little Uchiha?" He asked. Obito shrugged, not sure how much of the mission he could talk about.

"Was just out with my team and got separated and then lost." He mumbled, swallowing a few more mouthfuls of the soup. Hashirama made a sympathetic expression, nodding.

"Poor thing. Let me get something for that rib of yours, you can stay the night and return in the morning." He said, standing up and disappearing into the hallway. Obito had finished his stew fidgeted for a bit, looking around for any clues as to where he was. All of the decorations in the cottage were reminiscent of fire country, but fire country was humongous so that wasn't really helpful.

There were a few photos on the desk near by, and Obito peered at them curiously. There were photos upon photos of Hashirama holding various plants and animals, as though he'd raised them himself. There were a few photos of a man with white hair and red eyes being embraced by Hashirama, and some more still of a woman with red hair holding a little blond girl. Obito vaguely thought that the red haired woman looked a lot like Minato-sensei's wife, but the thought was short-lived. The genin spotted a photo tucked behind one of the pictures of Hashirama, this time holding a peach. Obito didn't want to take it out for fear of offending his host, so he only craned his neck to look at it.

As soon as he saw who was in the photo, he ran back to his seat and tried to look as polite and not-terrified as possible.

The man in the photo was unmistakable, especially to Obito, and the implications of who that was were too much for him to process. Hashirama came back from the narrow hallway holding medical supplies and some clothes. Obito smiled nervously and lifted his shirt to allow the man to work, hoping that he wouldn't be able to feel the genin's heart pounding through his ribs.

"So uh, have you ever lived in Konoha, Hashirama-san?" He asked, trying to be subtle about it. Hashirama smiled brightly and nodded.

"Oh yes, I was quite involved in the village for many years, and only moved out recently for my retirement." He said. Obito's mind drifted to the white haired man in the photo, and he felt his stomach turn over. If Obito was right, then that had to be...

"Where you friends with the Uchiha?" He asked. It took an effort to keep his voice light and airy, and Obito was sure Minato-sensei would have been proud of him.

"Yes! Myself and the Uchiha were at odds for a while, but now we are the best of friends." Hashirama replied. Obito giggled. With a swipe of chakra, some medicine, and a swift wrapping of the bandage, Obito was free from the man's ministrations. Despite how nervous Obito was at interacting with the Hashirama, he could sense no malicious intent, and Hashirama looked as though he was enjoying their awkward conversation. He was handed fresh clothes, but something in Obito's gut told him not to stay long.

"I'm sorry, Hashirama-san," He started, trying to be as polite as possible, "But I really need to get back home, my sensei is probably worried sick. Could you please just point the way?"

Hashirama blinked blankly at Obito for a few moments before smiling in defeat and nodding.

"Sure, I understand. You've made this old man a little sad, though. It's been so long since I've spoken to a living person." He said, golden eyes looking wistful. As Obito turned those words over in his head and studied Hashirama's face, an old Uchiha story drifted across his mind, but for the life of him he couldn't remember.

Hashirama led him to the door and handed him a packaged bowl of the stew. Whenever Obito looked back at what he'd said that day he could never explain the urge to blurt it out.

"Can't you just talk to Madara?" He asked. Hashirama looked completely taken aback, eyes blown wide in surprise, before he guffawed. That was who had been on the picture behind the peach, the former head of the Uchiha clan, one of the greatest shinobi in the world, who had Hashirama's arm around his shoulders and was smiling brighter than the sun.

"If I could, I would! Now get out of here, go defend that village I love so much." Hashirama said, chortling as his hand pushed Obito through the open door. The genin lost his balance and fell into what seemed to be an endless tunnel of darkness, the only light being the soft golden glow of Hashirama's eyes.

Then he crashed into a head of white hair and got cursed out by Kakashi all the way back home.

[cordria]

Flowers

Danny skulked into his house through the back door with the intent of avoiding his parents. He’d had an extremely wonderful day thus far - no homework, no ghosts, a decent grade on his math test, and even a compliment from his science teacher on the project they were working on - and he had zero desire to run into someone who could ruin his winning streak with a reminder about chores. 

It was for nothing, as his mother was sitting at the kitchen table. Danny’s shoulders drooped. 

“Hi Sweetie,” she said. “How was school?”

“Fine,” Danny muttered, toeing off his shoes and dropping his bag near the door. “I’m going to-” he stopped, realizing there was someone else at the table with his mother. He blinked at the strange woman. “Hello.”

The woman had a kind smile with large dimples, an oversized nose, and a large black curly hairstyle. She also looked vaguely familiar. “Hello.”

“Danny, this is Katie. She and I were good friends in college.”

It clicked in Danny’s mind. The woman was in a lot of his mother’s pictures from college. “Hi,” he repeated. Taking advantage of the fact that his mother was chatting up an old friend (although ‘friend from college’ made the little hairs on his neck stand on it - that phrase never seemed to bode well), Danny edged around the table with the idea of vanishing up to his room.

“She’s a botanist,” his mother continued, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Danny wanted to not be here. “Katie was just passing through after picking up some specimens, but she’s agreed to stay for a while and help me with an experiment I have going. She had a unique idea for it.”

“Sounds fun,” Danny said. He was nearly out of the kitchen.

“She’ll be staying in Jazz’s room.”

Danny hesitated. Having another scientist actually in their house meant he’d have to be careful to toe the line for a few days. “Okay…”

“Can you clean Jazz’s room a little before you relax?” His mother sent him a smile. “Make sure there’s nothing lying around?”

“Oh, Maddie,” the woman said, waving her hand, “I can do a bit of cleaning. I just appreciate the offer! Let the young man go do his thing after a long day.”

Danny was about to nod and agree with that sentiment, when he remembered Jazz sucked at hiding things. Like notebooks and photo albums full of secret-breaking information. “Ah… I can clean. Jazz is a neat freak anyways, it’ll only take a minute.” 

“That’s sweet of you.” Katie sent him a huge smile. “Thank you.”

“New sheets and things too, please,” his mother added. “I know Jazz keeps her room clean, but it’s been almost a month since someone was in there. They’ll smell dusty.”

Danny waved his hand and took the chance to escape the kitchen. He trotted up the stairs, sending a quick text to Tucker that he’d be late logging into their game.

Jazz’s door was the second on the left, and the door was already open, a suitcase sitting on the bed and a coat draped on the desk chair. Danny felt something odd at seeing these strange things in his sister’s room, but he shrugged it off and glanced around. He knew about the notebook and the photo album. Now where did she hide them?

Poking around at the books on the bookshelf, Danny noticed what looked like a glass suitcase sitting on the ground. Pausing in his search for the notebook, he knelt down and studied what was inside. The glass was tinted, like sunglass lenses, and the objects inside were blurred and hard to see. They looked something like plants. Which made sense, since the woman was a botanist. Kinda weird, though, keeping them in such an odd container.

Danny left the plants to continue searching for anything secret-revealing, spending nearly fifteen minutes and not finding anything. “Perhaps she’s better at hiding things than I thought,” he muttered, slinking to the hall closet and getting a new set of sheets. “Or maybe she brought them to college.” It took only a few minutes to get the new sheets on the bed, new covers on the pillows, and to dump Jazz’s in the laundry. He lingered a few more minutes, eyes drifting over the room, trying to think of anywhere else things could have been hidden.

Feeling confident his secret wouldn’t be revealed, Danny headed towards his room. Tucker was waiting.

“Danny!”

He stopped, one foot in his room, and let his head fall back. He debated pretending not to hear his mother’s call. Twenty more seconds and his noise-cancelling headphones would have been on and he’d be surrounded by the sounds of an alien world. But his conscience tugged at him. “What?” he yelled.

“Need your help for a moment!”

He groaned, twisted on his heel, and slumped down the steps. Making sure every hint of his body screamed ‘I don’t want to be here’, Danny slunk back into the kitchen. “What?” he asked.

The kitchen table was now covered in paper. Graphs and charts and pages full of numbers were everywhere. His mother looked up with a grin, seemingly oblivious to his posture. “Katie has a terrarium up in Jazz’s room. Can you grab it please? And then, down in the lab, we’ll need some equipment. The portable lab kit will do, I think.”

Really? Danny thought as he headed back upstairs. Couldn’t do this yourself? 

But after those couple annoyed thoughts, he did start to wonder what was in the terrarium that they’d need the porta-lab. Slipping back into Jazz’s room, he knelt down next to the terrarium and studied it a little closer. 

There were five plants inside. They weren’t potted like a normal plant - their roots were dangling in the air, and the plants were suspended in the middle of the terrarium by glass rods. Two looked something like orchids, one looked like some sort of vine, and the other two looked like tiny trees. They looked like very normal plants, other than the lack of soil. 

He shrugged and grabbed the terrarium, hauling it downstairs. “Here,” he said, setting it on top of the mess of papers. 

“Thank you!” Katie chimed, reaching forwards and pulling it closer. 

In a hurry to get back to Tucker and his game, Danny took the stairs to the basement two at a time. The portal was humming calmly. He headed straight to the self where the porta-lab was kept, snagged it, and headed back up the stairs. It joined the terrarium on the table.

The glass door was open and Katie and his mother were peering inside. Despite the desire to run upstairs and get into his afternoon fun, Danny lingered, curious.

His mother dug through the lab supplies, pulled out a huge pair of gloves, and handed them over to Katie. “Perfect,” the woman whispered, reaching into the terrarium with gloved hands, and slowly releasing one of the plants from the glass rods holding it in place, and pulling it out of the terrarium.

Danny felt himself tensing, waiting for something bad to happen. Maybe it was a ghost flower, like those blood blossoms. There had to be a reason for the lab supplies and the strange, tinted glass. It’d be just his sort of luck, too, after such a good day.

But it was a normal plant. Six long green leaves. Limp white roots dangling from Katie’s gloved fingers. A small but pretty white flower hanging from a stem.

Danny was almost disappointed. “What is it?” he asked.

“Dendrobium pacificum florid,” Katie said with a smile. “A rare and quite expensive orchid.”

“It’s just a plant,” Danny said.

Katie glanced at him. “What were you expecting?”

Danny sent his mother a confused glance. “You’re doing a project… on a normal plant? No ghost… anything?”

Katie laughed. “Ghosts? Are you still on that, Maddie? Jack and Vlad too, I suppose.” 

Maddie’s smile twisted into a small frown. “There’s potential-”

“Yes, yes,” Katie interrupted. “I heard all about it many times in college. God, it’s hard to believe you three never gave that pet theory up.”

Danny could see his mother’s hackles rise. “It’s not really a pet theory anymore, if you’d follow the news.”

“Of course, dear,” Katie said, her smile indulgent. Then she turned to Danny, ignoring the look on Maddie’s face. “And we’re not doing an experiment on the plant. We’re doing an experiment on it’s genetics.”

Still with a frown on her face, Maddie nodded. “Vlad sent-”

Every muscle in Danny’s body tensed.

“-along some rather interesting data he said he’d collected and Katie’s an expert in biogenetic engineering, especially when it comes to plants. We’re hoping to see if we can recreate some of… this,” she waved her hands at the messy stack of papers, “in a plant.”

“Uh-huh,” Danny said, trying not to sound too interested. But with Vlad involved, he needed to know what this experiment was about. “What are you trying to get the plants to do? Grow fangs and attack Da... uh… someone?”

Katie laughed. “No. We’re trying to translate a unique bioluminescent trait into the plant. Like what a firefly uses to glow.”

“A… glowing plant?” Danny asked.

His mother sent him a tight smile. “Yes.”

Danny looked down at the porta-lab, at the ghost equipment and the beakers that still had traces of glowing ectoplasm clinging to them and the sensors, and put two and two together in his mind. “Will this glowing plant be able to… float?”

Katie leaned forwards. “Floating is impossible, but the bioluminescent trait caused some sort of odd gravitropism. It was the interesting part of Vlad’s research, one of the reasons I agreed to this.”

Danny blinked, glancing at his mother in hopes of a translation. 

Maddie’s smile was sharp. “It’s a bioluminescent plant with odd gravitropism, Danny. Not a glowing plant that floats, of course. Ghosts are a… silly pet theory.” 

“Ah,” Danny said.

“I’m more interested in studying the gravitropism to be honest,” Katie said, turning the plant around and around in her hands. “Bioluminescence has been done before, of course. This plant has just the right sort of genetics for what I’m seeing in this data. Fortunately it’s flowering. Unfortunately, it’s such a slow grower it’ll be years before the pollen and ovules we’re modifying will be large enough plants for good study.” 

“Think about it,” Maddie said, leaning forwards and poking a finger at the papers, “a way to create organisms, living beings, with… bioluminescent and odd gravitropism.”

Danny didn’t particularly want to think about it. He didn’t want his mother figuring out how to create plants that could glow and float. A half-ghost plant. He felt the hair raise on his neck at the idea of his mother realizing that a half-living, half-ghost creature was possible. 

Surely Vlad didn’t want her to either. What was the man thinking?

“I’m going to… go,” Danny said. “You guys play with your plants.”

He ducked out of the kitchen, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he headed up the stairs. He went through his blocked number list, found the one he wanted, and hit ‘call’. “Hi, Vlad,” Danny said when the phone picked up.

“I’m busy, Little Badger.”

“What’s with the data my mom’s looking through?”

Vlad scoffed. “Merely theoretical information. I’m hoping she can help me solve an instability issue I’m working through.”

“Theoretical, huh?” Danny slumped into his room and shut the door. “You’re not planning on her using any of that information?”

“Maddie doesn’t have the skill, interest, or technology to actually do anything with the data I sent her. It’s not even the complete set of data. I’m just using her analytical skills to find a mistake. It’s harmless, Daniel.”

“You remember Katie, from college?”

“No.” A pause, then, “The flower girl? Black hair, big nose?”

“You mean the botanical biogenetic engineer? Yes, that one. She’s sitting at my kitchen table, looking through your ‘merely theoretical information’ and planning an experiment with my mom.”

There wasn’t a response to that.

“Hello?” Danny said after a long thirty seconds of silence. He pulled the phone away from his face, realizing he’d been disconnected. He couldn’t help but smile. “Well. That was rude.”

When the doorbell rang just a few minutes later, Danny glanced out the window to see Vlad’s limo double-parked outside. Setting his headphones over his ears, he finally logged into his game. It’d certainly be interesting to watch Vlad try to talk the information back out of his mother’s hands, but Danny was ready to tune out the world and play his game.

[kittysuicoffee]

The Octonauts and the mirror pool

*warning this story may contain dark themes viewer aggression is advised*

Into the cave

It was a nice and sunny day the Octonauts were on an island they discovered a couple of minutes ago. They decided to explore it and see what kind of undiscovered plants or animals that live on the island as they walked throughout the big forest, they noticed a cave it was big and dark they couldn't see anything inside if it. " we should go in and explore it mateys!" Kwazii said excitedly the other Octonauts looked at captain barnacles on his input. Captain Barnacles give it some thought and nodded his head " I see nothing wrong with it. We just have to go back to the octopod get some supplies than we go off and explore it."

Kwazii jumped with joy after hearing that and was the first to head to the octopod direction the other rolled their eyes but laughed following Kwazii all the same. When they made it back to the cave, they went over the check list to make sure they had everything before heading in after double-checking the list. They made their way into the cave. After walking for an hour, they stop at a two-way entrance " hmmm. Okay gang we're going have to split into two groups." Captain Barnacles said to his fellow Octonauts who nodded " okay kwazii, peso you are with me Dashi you go off with Shellington and Tweak okay?"

" yes Captain" Dashi said walking to where Shellington and Tweak were standing " I guess we be taking the left path and they be taking the right?"

Captain barnacles nodded "oh and if you see anything interesting or get into a tough situation just call me. Okay.” Dashi, Shellington and Tweak nodded. Then they went their separate ways. After a while of walking captain barnacles gotten call a call from Shellington asking them to come back and take the right path they had found something interesting and would like them to see it. Captain Barnacles turn to Peso and Kwazii letting them know that Shellington and the others found something, and they have to turn back.

" I wonder what Shellington found?" Peso side out loud to himself than the other " me too matey whatever it is. It have to be worthwhile for us to go all the way back for. What do you think captain?" Kwazii said looking at Captain Barnacles. Captain Barnacles was silent before he spoke " I don’t know. Maybe he saw a strange looking plant or an animal that was never seen before. Either or we should go check out." That was all they said until they get to Shellington side of the cave.

" they’re here!" Dashi said waving at Captain Barnacles, Peso and Kwazii they looked a bit tired after a long walk to get to where Shellington and the other were at. The cave tunnel was quilt long longer than the other one they were in earlier and didn’t ever reach the end of their cave yet. Shellington turned from what he was doing to stand next to Dashi " glad you made it.” Shellington said “yeah sorry about that Shellington this cave is a bit long." Captain Barnacles said Shellington nodded “come on than let me show you what we found.” Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, Peso and Dashi followed Shellington.

" hey Shellington, where is Tweak?" Peso asked noticing that the green bunny was not with them.

" oh, she left to get the vegimals so they could see it as will." Dashi explained Peso nodded.

" hey Shellington, why is that pond glowing?" Kwazii asked looking at Shellington. Shellington smiled at him excitedly " that the strange thing I wanted show you all!"

Kwazii looked furrowed his brow in confusion while Peso looked in awe at the pond a question popped into captain barnacles head "hey Shellington why is the water glowing?" “that the mystery captain I don’t know why it is glowing. Normally this phenomenon would happen near land.”

“a phenomenon?”

" yes, this natural phenomenon called bioluminescence."

" bio what’s it?" Kwazii asked.

"bioluminescence is a phenomenon that happens in the sea where a algae bloom or plankton is in the water. But it will most likely happen when waves break or there is a calm warm sea condition. But I never seen them glow in a cave where the condition is usually cold and damp! This is exciting! I was collecting samples when you guys arrived."

" hmmm this is an interesting discovery."

" that not all of it!" Dashi exclaimed she walked up to the water turn back to the others "come look at this." The other expect for Shellington walked up to dashi to see what she was talking to all of their surprised they could see their reflections in the water it was perfect it was like the water was made of of glass. "Whoa..." Peso said in awe he had never seen anything like this before Captain Barnacles turn to Shellington " Shellington how it this possible?"

Shellington Shrugged his shoulders " I don’t know that why that happening ever captain. I was thinking it was man made maybe. Before Captain barnacles could ask more question, he heard multiple foot steps he turned to see tweak and the vegimals.

" we're here!" Tweak exclaimed loudly as she and the vegimals came to the cave all of them looked curious wondering what was so interesting to bring them down here for.

" hey what you guys doing?"

"Looking at our reflections." Dashi said turning to look at her green bunny friend " reflections?" Tweak asked walking up to them " that pretty cool.” Sharchini walked to where Tweak, Dashi, Peso, Kwazii and Captain Barnacles the young vegimals looked down into the reflecting water curiously she put her hand into water she moved it around a little bit weird “Shellington you were saying it may be handmade?” “yes. There are way to make a reflecting water. Another thing about reflecting that they are not very deep.” Sharchini pulled her hand out she stand up and looked at her father and Captain Barnacles. Shellington looked at her his brow furrowed “is there something wrong Sharchini?” she continued to look before turning back to face the water without warning she jumped in. everyone looked where Sharchini was “di-did she just jumped into the water?” Peso asked everybody turned to look at Shellington who didn’t show any reaction than Sharchini pop her head out of the water Shellington let out a sigh holding his chest “Sharchini you gave me a heart attack…” Sharchini blinked then mumble an “sorry” “umm how deep is that water?” “deep…” Sharchini said she turned to face her sibling she pointed to Halibeet and beckon her come Halibeet walked to the edge of the water and stopped she turned to face Shellington “dad is it okay if I go in and take some pictures?” shellington hesitated “I guess so you only have five minute.” “hour.” “what?” “give all of us an hour.” Shellington looked at Halibeet and turned to her siblings “are all of you planning on getting in?” the vegimals looked at each other than Carpika spoke up “let’s just kill one bird with one stone. Salepeño.” Salepeño smiled showing her shape pointed teeth she cleared her throat “dear sibling if anyone is not in the water in the next five seconds someone will have do the dishes for the next two months!” “I am not doing the dishes for the next two months!” Grouber exclaimed and just like that he was the first one in “were you joking or being serious?” Barrat asked their sister “nope!” “well than come on Tunip! I am pretty sure you don’t want to do the dishes!” Tunip looked at their sibling and was about to say something but Barrat grabbed them and run into the water soon after the others followed “thank for giving us an hour daddy!” Charchard said giving Shellington a hug before jumping into the water “I didn’t say for an hour I said five minute!” but it was to late all the vegimals were already in the water “Perchkin you’re planning on doing the dishes?” kwazii asked the last vegimals who wasn’t in the water Perchkin opened her eye to look at Kwazii “no.” with that Perchkin also stood up and walked to the water and jumped in.

Shellington sighed Captain Barnacles put his hand on Shellington shoulder “don’t worry Shellington hopeful they won’t take long.” “I hope so…” without warning a scream come and the sound of water splashing both Captain Barnacles and Shellington was covered in the water “KWAZII WHAT THE HELL!” Tweak exclaimed loudly having she was cover head to toe in the water both Peso and Dashi swam out the pond except for Kwazii “Kwazii are you coming?” Kwazii shook his head “why?” “a demon with eight leg!” both Dashi and peso looked at each other “a demon with eight legs?” “he mean this?” Shellington asked holding a small black spider in his hand Kwazii nodded Shellington sighed he crush the small insect in his hand than wipe his hand off with the napkin “there it go-” Kwazii jumped out of the water can give shellington a hug a wet one “thank you Shelly-I mean Shellington!” “no problem Kwazii you can let go now…” Kwazii let go of Shellington blushing a little bit. “Dad! Dad look!” Shellington turned to look at his daughter “yes Halibeet?” Halibeet got out of the water to show the picture that she took she handed Shellington the camara and he took it looking at the pictures Shellington eyes went wide so did Kwazii “Captain you got to come look at this!” Captain Barnacles came over to look at the picture “its huge!” “yeah! There were about five well more like six, but it was really really small but underwater cave down there, but I didn’t go in there because I’ll get lost but it’s neat!” “really Captain is it okay we come back here to tomorrow so we can explore it?” Shellington asked Captain Barnacles give it a thought “yeah we can go tomorrow if the others are okay with it…” Captain barnacles turned to the other who nodded “yeah I am fine with that.” “me too Captn.” “yep!” Captain Barnacles nodded “okay Halibeet go get your sibling so we can get ready for tomorrow.” Halibeet did a salute “aye aye captain!” with that she jumped right back into the water…

After a couple of minute all the vegimals came back up Tunip had some of them in their hair Shellington began to count them “where is Sharchini?” “she hind behind a rock.” Maccoli said “which one?” Tunip asked “the one that was close to the small cave.” Tunip nodded turn back to the water and using their hair to get their young sibling it only took a couple of seconds to pull sharchini she had a strange looking fish in her hand “Sharchini where did you get that fish from?” Shellington asked Sharchini pointed to the water and said, “small cave” and she was about to eat it “put. It. Back.” Sharchini give Shellington the puppy face eyes but he didn’t budge he give her a look she sighed dropping the fish back into the water “how many did you eat?” “one” Shellington sighed and turned to look at Peso “Peso could you check her stomach for anything else that she had eaten down there?” “of course, Shellington.”

Captain Barnacles clapped his hands “okay everyone we should get going we have a big day tomorrow!” with that everyone left the cave.

All the Octonauts were in the octopod they had to shut the octopod down for the night because a huge storm come out of nowhere “it doesn’t make sense I check the weather before going to the island it was supposed to be a clear day!” Dashi said looking though her tablet for any indication for the change in the weather “dashi its fine sometime the weather can be unpredictable hopeful the weather would clear up by tomorrow.” “that won’t be possible Captain…” Captain Barnacles furrowed his brow “what do you mean dashi?” “I mean that the storm is going to last a few days from now.” “you mean we have to cancel underwater cave diving!” Kwazii exclaimed Dashi nodded “we have to go there when the storm is over.”

“this is very interesting.” Inkling said he was looking though the photos that Hailbeet took of “it very fascinating Professor Inkling.” “I wonder if these underwater caves lead into any open oceans?” “maybe the plan was to go back but sense this storm came we have to postpone it when the storm is over.” Professor Inkling nodded than he felt something pulling at his shirt he turn to be face with Hailbeet “can I have a hug grandpa Inkling?” “of course, you can!” with that Inkling went to put up Hailbeet to give her a hug but quickly put her down she looked at him confused Inkling cleared his throat “umm Hailbeet before I give you a hug and you take a shower real quick? That also go for your siblings.” Hailbeet blinked and smelled her clothes is gaged and nodded quickly going to tell her sibling to take a shower as well. Shellington looked at Professor Inkling in confusion “sorry Shellington but your daughter smelled like something died.” Furrowed his brow than smelled his clothes he gaged as well “dear lord something must have died in that water!” everyone looked at where Shellington and Professor Inking was they looked at their clothes and smell them they all had the same reactions “the water didn’t smell like this!” Kwazii exclaimed coving his nose peso came back up and looked at everyone in confusion “what happened up here?” “Peso matey don’t smell your clothes!” Peso was more confused by this “okay than? well umm Shellington Sharchini has a stomachache form eating that fish but I give her some medicine for it. She’ll feel better in the morning.” “my poor baby girl!” “I hope she feel better… oh Shellington you said have some samples from the water?” Shellington nodded worry on his face he went into his bag to pull out the sample but gasped the water sample was completely black “ is that the sample?” Shellington nodded he pull off the cork of the test tube and smelled it he drop the tube on the ground, and it smash on impact Shellington threw up on the ground “Shellington!” Kwazii ran over to Shellington patting him on the back peso was right behind him “I- I- -I’m okay…” shellington said wiping his mouth but that just made it worse he nearly gag again. “are yer sure?” “y-yes…” everyone looked at the black water on the group “I’ll get something to clear that up.” Tweak said going to get the mop bucket “no I got it.” Shellington took of his lab coat and place it on the ground to clear up the mess he made he was careful the to cut his hand as he pick up the glass. He sighed “we all have to take a shower…” “I agree! All right Octonauts lets get out of these clothes.” With that all the Octonauts went to take a shower.

Captain Barnacles was drying his hair he was the last one to take a shower the other Octonauts had to wait awhile for the vegimals to get done. He cleared the mirror of the bathroom to look at his reflection he blinked his reflection looked off he rubbed his eyes and blinked again his reflection show him “huh…” with that captain barnacles left the bathroom to head to bed…

Captain slowly blinked away his sleep he sat up something felt off he turned to look at his alarm clock the time read 12:30 in the morning he furrowed his brow he looked around his room it was dark he went over to dresser where is lamp was he push the little button on the lamp and looked again he froze he saw himself but it wasn’t him it was like staring in a twisted mirror the mirror barnacles had a wide toothy smile his teeth were shape and it had stained of dry blood on them his eyes where the same as the captain but this left eyes was a dark blue his pupil was a dark red his left eyes was colored a milky blue like his it even had the scar that was over his eye but it was longer his hair was simpler to but it had a ponytail at the end of it. His mirror self was wearing a blue tank up and teal shorts from wear captain was sitting he was cover in scars his neck his few scars on it his left on has a big scar and looked like is arm was stitch up. “hey buddy it so nice to finally meet” his voice come out, but it sounded manic “wh-who are you?” “well that a stupid question! I am you silly!” captain barnacles shook his head “no your not!” “hey, want to see a trick!” before captain could say anything the other Barnacles pulled off his head black blood begin to ooze out the smell hit captain barnacles like a rock, and he gaged “you have a strong stomach but that not what I wanted…” an idea come from mirror Barnacles “here catch!” without warning he toss his head to captain Barnacles he screamed.

“I worried Peso…” “him and Sharchini are fine Kwazii I give them some medicine they be better by morning.” “I hope so.” as they walked in the hall way of the octopod, they heard a scream they both looked at each other in fear “Captain!” when they made it to Captain Barnacles room he was hyperventilating “Captain clam down its us me and Kwazii!” Peso said holding onto Captain arm “Captain what happened?” Captain pointed at his deck they Peso and Kwazii look in that diction, but they didn’t see anything “Captain what is it? We don’t see it.” Captain didn’t say anything he listen as his other self-laughed “now that what’s I was looking for!” he continued to laugh he sighed wiping the tear form his eye “let me explain something for you Barnacles. You are the only one that can see me not anyone else.” “I am you the you could had been if your ‘friends’ didn’t pick the path they were on now.” He hopped on Captain Barnacles bed moving closer to him unlit they were faced to face the smell was unbearable his mirror self-smell like rotting flesh it made him want to throw up “you think your life is perfect but while I am here.” A dark chuckle came, and Captain looked on in fear “I am going to make you life hell.” Captain Barnacles fainted.

(finally done with chapter one of my au! I hope ya like it feedback is always nice!)

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Saved by a Nightmare.”

I wanted to write something short and quick today, but this is what happened instead. I hope you all like. I knw you wanted to know more about the Bran and what happened to Ket

He was alone.

Finally!

He said that, but what he didn’t know is that he had actually been mostly alone for the past five years. After his traumatic experience some five years earlier, he had requested a transfer to a mining station on an unnamed planet in an unnamed system  on the very outskirts of andromeda.

He had not come up for air in those five years.

He had not seen a sole or the suggestion of another sole other than the glowing bioluminescent coating that he left behind to brighten up the tunnels just a bit.

He was technically supposed to be down here mining precious metals, and of course every day he sent up a token care of rocks and waste through the main shaft just to make him think he was actually doing something. He was not, in fact, doing anything at all really except slowly excavating his tunnel deeper and deeper, this increasing the likelihood that he would never see another living being for the rest of his life.

And so there he rested at the bottom of the deepest shaft amid a pile of rubble contemplating his own thoughts.

A pastime that was not really recommended because when he went into his own thoughts he often spent much of that time bitterly contemplating the last few years and what had led him here in the first place.

Ket was famous, and he had spent the list five years trying to make himself anonymous once again.

Why was he famous?

Because he had been the first alien to have ever met a human.

He was the first alien species humans had ever come in contact with, and because of that chance meeting he would probably have emotional scars for the rest of his life. When he closed his eyes at night he often watched, as if in slow motion as the dangerous creature with its too sharp teeth and strange churring growl chased him through mases and tunnels, never giving up, never ending pursuit until Ket wa exhausted and lying helpless on the floor.

He saw the thing in his dreams.

Jumped at every noise 

And cowered at the very thought.

He had been just a pup then really, but the meeting had scarred him for life.

He had asked to come here only months after the encounter and hadn’t come up for air since. The outside world was lost to him, and he knew nothing of it except for the horrible humans which were now probably waiting for him on the surface, ready to eat him.

A part of him wondered if the strange predator creatures had taken over the galaxy yet, and maybe he was the last one of his species left trapped down here in the dark.

Ket didn’t watch the news, or seek any information about the horrifying creatures that had turned him into this. It would have taken him less than half a day to crawl from his tunnels and go ask, but the thought of leaving his safe, protective confines, just make him sick to think about.

No, he would stay here where it was safe.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, when suddenly a low rumbling tremor rose up through his body.

He sat up and looked around as the cave shook and pebbles danced on the floor.

What was going on!

He turned in a tight circle pressing his ear against the wall.

Oh hell!

The tremor had destabilized his tunnel. He could hear it through the rocks.

What was happening! He tried to move, but as he shifted he felt the tunnel rumble slightly.

On no….. On no, this wasn’t how it was supposed to end, he was going to die down here, and there was no one to come save him. He hadn’t submitted a report in weeks….

In reality years.

No one was going to be ale to find him!

He sat there frozen in shock as another tremor rocked his tunnels. WHat was happening!

*** “Mayday mayday, Omen one this is mining facility 46A13 requisition immediate assistance.”

“Copy that 46, Omen in root to your position, please stand by.”

“And how do you plan on dealing with a tunnel collapse, Admiral. That's not exactly our area of expertise.” Sunny walked beside him, her long even strides eating away the distance as they made their way down towards the hanger.

“I have no idea but we are going to find a way.” They rounded a corner and the Admiral dropped to one knee for a quick moment offering his hand to a small fluffy figure who climbed onto his hand and allowed the Admiral to rest him on his shoulder, “Lord Avex, I am glad you could make it. Have you been briefed.”

The small, colorful, and pig eared creature tapped his foot on the Admiral’s shoulder.

“I think, if we remove one of the Vrul shield modulators, and unhook one of the laser mounts we might be able to make something functional for a rescue mission.”

“How dangerous is that going to be taking two high powered objects into a cave?”

“On a scale of one to ten?”

“Sure.”

“A twenty.”

Admiral Vir grunted and rounded the corner to where a group of marines werve suiting up in armored spelunking gear.

“Don’t the mining companies have equipment for this kind of thing?” Sunny asked, “I would assume they would be ready for any eventuality like this?”

“You would think that.” Adam said, walking over to joining the others, “But they are actually a little less prepared than you might think. The Bran have been mining manually for a long time, and they usually don’t need precautionary measures because they mine so well, of course this planet had also not shown any seismic activity up until now either, so I guess we can all be wrong about something.

“Lord Avex, talk to your men about getting the equipment ready.”

The fuzzy creatures bobbed its head, which looked more like it’s entier body, and rolled down the Admiral’s arm like a ramp, plopping to the floor and then dashing off into the darkness.

Adam pulled on a hard hat and tested the light.

“I still don’t see why they would send you. You guys have to experience in this sort of  thing.” Sunny pointed out 

Adam secured his hard hat and looked up smiling, “If I didn’t know any better I would say you were worried about me.”

She crossed both of her arms, “I AM worried about you, you big idiot. You seem to have this thing for running into dangerous situations with only half assed plans.”

He just smiled, “Not entirely half assed, we are going to be hooked up to camera feeds leading up to some of the diggers who are going to give us instructions.”

“Then why don’t they do it themselves?”

“The bran aren’t exactly known for their bravery, Sunny.”

She stared at him with narrowed eyes, “And sometimes, I wish that you weren’t known for yours either.”

“I’m flattered, I really am, but I have to go.” he reached out a hand, paused and then drew it back, stepping away while awkwardly clearing his throat, “Anyway, keep the crew out of trouble while I am gone will you.”

Sunny had no time to say anything else as Lord Avex returned at the head of a small army of his fluffy companions carrying some random parts that they were able to attach to Adam with some warning that this was going to be very dangerous.

Lord Avex would be accompanying him to make sure the machine didn’t self destruct at any point.

Sunny did not find that particularly comforting.

The humans on the other hand suited up like it was just another day for them, setting up and loading onto the drop ship without so much as a backward glance. 

Adam flew one of the ships down, lord Avex claiming the copilot seat.

The world they landed on was tidally locked with it’s star leaving on side completely cold and the other side overly hot. They landed on the band between light and dark where it was bearable, and  made it to within the Bran’s atmospheric bubble, which was the one piece of technology they were actually known for.

Upon arrival they were briefed on the situation.

Less than an hour ago there had been some sort of seismic activity below the surface of the planet. The jolt had been enough to destabilize many of the tunnels. Fortunately for them large groups of Bran had been able to make their way out due to their superior mining skills, but there were still a few trapped inside due to cave ins.

No bran was willing to go back down there to help their comrades, but the Tesraki overseers had had the brilliant idea to look for a group of creatures stupid enough to try themselves.

At least the Tesraki seemed to care about their people, which  wasn’t often the case with the furry businessmen.

Most of the workers were stuck on upper levels, and would be relatively easy to get out.

But there was one.

“I am going to be honest with you Admiral, we aren’t entirely sure the bran is still alive down there. No one has seen him in nearly five years. We are only sure that he lives because, occasionally we get sent up a cart of useless rubble from one of the deeper shafts. Generally I would say he is a gonner and just leave him there, but, we have to try all of our options before we resort to abandoning one of our people.”

Adam nodded, “I have a Vrul strength shield and a Celzex designed laser. Will that be enough.”

The two Tesraki looked between each other in quick contemplation before one of them nodded, “The laser, for sure, but I don’t know how well a shield would stand up to the entire weight of a mountain crushing you, we can only hope that we can navigate you down there fast enough and quietly enough not to disturb the tunnels too much.”

“I will go with you to work the laser.” Lord Avex announced, and Adam didn’t argue. He knew the little creature would be offended if he questioned his honor. Celzex may have been insufferable egoists most of the time, but no one could deny their sheer bravery, or perhaps stupidity, but that was something he could admire at least.

He was a human after all, and had practically written the book on competent stupidity.

They were led across open ground under a dark sky, where massive floodlights were being shined down on the multiple tunnel entrances.

They walked a ways into the darkness of the first mine shaft where Bran were still fleeing for cover.

From there each of them was paired with a handler, who would give them instructions on their way down.

Adam was paired with the team lead since he was going to be going deepest. Lord Avex sat on his shoulder.

The Bran stared at them as they walked inside, shying away from the much taller, much scarier looking humans.

Looking at them brought back memories of his first alien encounter, a memory that was both fond and embarrassing considering he was pretty sure he had driven that particular alien to madness.

He had tried to find Ket before, to apologize for freaking him out, but by the time he had gotten around to it, the Bran had already gone to ground. Oh well, maybe one day something would happen, and he would get his chance to apologize 

“Can you hear me.”

“Yeah I've got it.: He said, adjusting the sound on his implant.

“Now the entire cave system has been built throughout with audio relays, so we shouldn’t lose contact, but if we do, keep moving forward, and whatever you do, try to keep control of your feet and don’t let them touch the side walls.” 

“Yes sir.”

The Bran had mostly cleared out of the front entrance leaving it open for Adam and the group of marines to begin their descent down into the darkness. He looked over at the marines in admiration, never had he had the opportunity to work with such a brave group of men and women, and he looked up to them every day.

They started breaking off halfway down the shaft to their different areas, until Adam was the last one still walking down. At this point the saft was still big enough for him to stand at his full height, and floodlights on the walls were still giving him a good view of where he was going. He had gone down some distance by the time he reached the end given two passages to chose from.

“Left.” he was ordered, and he stepped inside, gingerly making his way across the floor and trying not to touch the walls.

Lord Avex rested on his shoulder controlling his head mounted light.

The tunnel grew smaller and smaller as he went, and he found himself crouching along the way.

Lord Avex moved around back and clung to Adam’s harness.

“See the cracking in the cave above you,”

Adam looked up and did, to his chagrin, see a web of hairline cracks spidering across the ceiling, “Yeah.”

“Those are kept in check by the shoring up along the walls, and you don’t have to worry about them. Cave ins are going to be our biggest concern, now take the next right.”

He did as told,and had to duck under a low opening before continuing his way down. By way of instruction he made his way deep into the ground, sliding down ropes, and climbing through caverns with the ease of a creature that could only have been Bran or human. As far as he knew the Bran were the only other creature that had ever been designed for climbing besides humans, though he was finding that that kind of climbing was a bit different. Humans had originally found their homes in trees, while the Bran had always been cave dwelling creatures.

He found this out pretty soon as he tried to fit his shoulders through a very small opening, slithering forward and trying not to disturb the rock too much.

He was glad he had never been claustrophobic because even he was feeling a little closed off, he could hardly imagine what someone with a fear of being crushed would feel at a moment like this.

“How are you doing down there Admiral.”

He was huffing and puffing rather heavily as he army crawled through the next section of tunnels, lord Avex waddling ust before him.

“Good, good If these caves get any smaller I might not be able to fit though…. Shoulders too big, and there better be a place for me to turn around or otherwise I’m well and truly fucked.” He said that as a joke but a part of him was definitely panicking at that possibility.

“The Bran always build turnaround areas into their tunnel, Admiral, you are going to be fine. Anyway you are approaching the next section. This is a part no one else has been in as far as I know, so we are going to have to play it by ear.

That also was not entirely comforting, but he was going to have to work with it.

He hurried forward , as much as he could and slithered into the vertical shaft going downward. 

This was scary as hell, but he kept control and didn’t panic crawling his way deeper and deeper into the caves.

At one point he was coming round a sharp corner some hour down into the dark when a soft rumbling rolled through the stone.

He felt his heart jump into his throat and the rocks swayed around him.

For a moment a spot of true panic colored his thoughts. He was going to die down here…. After everything that had happened….

“Hold on, must be an aftershock.”

He gritted his teeth and kept his head lowered, hand hovering over the control for the shield. He had no idea what would happen if he engaged it this far down, and he didn’t really want to find out, but soon the tremor passed, little fountains of dust falling onto his head. Up ahead the fluffy Celzex was no longer so colorful, matted with dust and gravel.

“Are you ok Admiral.”

“Alright.” he grunted. “A little bit shaken up is all.” He began crawling his way forward again.

Based on our sonar readings, you are getting close. The rock is much less stable down here, so you are more likely to run into cave ins.

He followed as instructed, moving forward and examining the rock below his hands. 

As they said would happen they found a caved in part of the tunnel just up ahead.

“You’re going to have to use that laser to dig around one side and create a new tunnel, you will want to avoid the weakened areas of ceiling, so move back a few feet and go through the right hand side”

Before him, the little Celzex move into position ready to fire the weapon, now turned mining equipment.

The laser was bright red and almost blinding in the darkness, and he only had his gloved hands to scoop away discarded rubble, which he gently pushed up the tunnel praying nothing would be distrubed.

It took them a good hour to work through the new tunnel despite the laser, and when they did he was surprised to see an open tunnel glowing with a strange bioluminescent film.

“Something has been living down here.” he muttered kind of glad he was wearing gloves as he crawled into the tunnel.

Getting close Admiral.

***

Ket lay in the rubble ready to die, he knew it was coming, new his life would soon be at an end. Oh how sad it was that it should be so early.  Stuck underground in the darkness for the past who knows how long…. Probably no more than a year or so.

Either way he was going to die here, and no one would come to help him. Bran weren’t brave, they didn’t come to your aid.

Bran were cowards at heart and he knew that most of all.

No one was coming for him.

Of course that is when he heard the strange scraping up the tunnel.

He sat up lifting his head and staring into the darkness. WHat could that be!

He was the only one here and had been the only ne here for as long as he could remember. Was he going mad, Where were those sounds coming from!

He pressed back into the wall. 

Maybe that hadn’t been an earthquake, maybe there was some sort of giant worm crawling through the depths of this planet finally coming to eat him. Oh the depravity! Couldn’t he just be left in peace!

The scraping sounds grew louder and louder and louder, and he watched in shocked terror as a shadow jolted forward in one of the upper bends.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere for him to go, and even as he thought that the tunnel began to shake again. He held on for dear life, eyes closed praying that death would take him quickly, for he did not want to know what was around that corner. The shaking soon stopped and the figure started moving again.

Ket watched, in mesmerized horror as the thing poked its head around the corner.

Bulbous head, bony shoulders, long spindly arms and bony digits. 

Ket began to scream, scream and scream as loud as he could as the creature born of his nightmares scuttled out of the darkness and came crawling towards him. It made some of its same guttural gurgling noises, the ones that had haunted his dreams, and he pressed himself back into the wall screaming and screaming and screaming.

It had come for him at last to devour his heart.

It reached out and grabbed him by the snout, cutting off his scream.

The ground around them began to rumble as the creature gripped him with iron hands, the pale white of its eyes glistening wetly through its dust smeared face.

“Shut UP, shut up shut up, do you want this whole damn thing to come down on us.”

He certainly had not expected to hear his own language, and his attempted screams cut off in a confused gurgle. The rumbling died down a little.

The creature made a gesture with one hand, “Ground team this is Admiral Vir, I have the last survivor and am bringing him up now.”

What…. Wha?

What was going on.

The creature's white teeth glittered in the illumination of his tunnel just as wet and gaping as before.

He was so scared he could hardly move, but shocked as well as the creature from his nightmares pulled him forward and hooked a harness around Ket’s body clipping it to a loop on a harness that encircled the creature's back legs.

“Now do what I do, and you might just live.” The creature hissed at him, still, disconcerting in his own language.

In a daze, Ket followed after as his nightmare dragged him from the collapsing tunnels. Trickling runnel of dust poured down around them from cracks in the ceiling above. It was made pretty clear early on that this creature had not ever been meant for the caves, despite Ket’s memory      of one of it’s kind chasing after him through the underground. It was too large, meant to walk upright on thick sturdy legs, but till it climbed with the ease of any Bran.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t scared.

Memories from that night not so long ago, or it seemed to him, kept racing through his mind. Flashes of glowing green eyes and flashing white teeth champing at his heels. The sound of its revving hunting cry as it raced through the darkness. But now he was being towed along behind it as the tunnels rocked around him.

“Shit shit shit shit.” Came the muttering up ahead, and he looked to see that there was another creature riding on the thing’s back. It stared at him with very wide white eyes.

“Lord Avex?”

“Yes?” The creature responded, sounding much less concerned than the predator.

“What happens if you die here?” it was a very blunt and morbid question, but the creature didn’t seem to mind. 

“I will be honored for centuries having died in a heroic manner.”

The predator made an incomprehensible grunting noise.

“Admiral, the cave system has been compromised and the tunnels are collapsing. Get out as fast as you can, I repeat as fast as you can, if there is a cave in you will want to be closer to the surface because we might be able to reach you. 

They were talking like they expected a collapse, which wasn’t really all that comforting.

The predator went very quiet, but sped up to the point Ket was being dragged along behind.

All around them the tunnels were shaking.

Dust filled the air clogging their vision as the beam of light fractured off dust motes.

They passed a point he had not gone further than in five years, and the predator scrambled up the vertical climb as easily as a Bran would, he scrambled on hands and knees dragging the two of them along. He was almost able to walk in a crouch now, but the tunnels were beginning to cave in around them, rocks falling from the roof and smashing against the ground. The Preditor  ducked and pulled to the side grabbing ket around the middle and the strange fluffy creature in the other hand. The tunnel was wide enough for him torun now.

Ket could do nothing but watch.

The predator probably could have escaped if it dropped him, but it refused to do so, adjusting him even as it ran so it could keep better hold, clutching KEt to it’s chest. Its breathing was ragged, labored and panicked, but still it refused to let him go.

He thought he could see light.

And then.

“Its coming down!”

The predator pulled to a stop and threw himself to the ground.

The cave rumbled and roared as rocks egan to fall around them. Ket looked up only to see the underside of the human’s chest and belly as he hugged the two smaller aliens in the leah of his body against the falling stone. He heard the cave ceiling fracture and then felt a pulse of energy around them.

The Last thing he heard was a scream and then a crushing weight.

***

Ket woke unable to breathe, or barely able to breathe, all around them there was a dim glowing of a blue purple nexus, and as he looked he watched the nexus quiver under the strain.

Overhead the predator was curled in around them in a tight ball pressed up against Ket and the strange fluffy creature who was blinking confusedly in the dark. 

The predator wheezed as the nexus flickered, holding the two aliens' protection to his chest, pressing his back against the nexus.

“Admiral, are you alright?” The fuzzball asked

“How long will the shield hold?”

“It depends on how many tons of rock we are trapped under.” The Celxex said mildly.

Ket was surprised they were alive at all, based on their original depth he would have said a couple thousands tons for sure.

They were dead.

He glanced up at the predator, nothing more than a dust painted face and two glowing whtie orbs in the dark. This predator had died trying to save him, was dying trying to save him.

It seemed odd that his life was going to end like this.

He looked up at the human and in that moment, in the glowing of the nexus lights he saw the green of its one working eye.

He would have known that color anywhere.

“You!”

The predator looked down at him in confusion.

What? “You…. You’re… that thing!”

“Did a rock hit this one in the head or something.” The one called Lord Avex asked.

But the predator eyed him ,sudden recognition crossing his face, “Ket?”

The creature made that same strange revving noise that made ket pull back in shock.

“Sorry, Sorry, I am just a bit surprised to see you here, I tried to find you to apologize but…. You had already vanished by then.”

“Apologize?” He was so confused 

“Yes, I was a bit enthusiastic upon our first meeting. They say I scared you half to death. I promise it was an accident. I never meant it that way, I just get a bit out of hand when I am excited.”

This was news to Ket

He wasn’t entirely sure how to take it.

“Ok ok you two kiss and make up already.” Lord Avex jumped in

The predator grunted, “At least when I die I will have that off my conscience.”

The Nexus flickered and shrunk.

They folded forward on themselves just slightly. Pressed uncomfortably close.

Wheezing fill the hot and muggy confines of their bubble. 

The were going to die son.

The nexus continued to grow smaller and smaller until they were curled into a ball with the predator around them, pressed to the point of not being able to breathe. He felt the human’s belly rise and fall with his labored breathing.

They were about to die

And then, The nexus expanded slightly.

The human relaxed, and as minutes wore on the nexus continued to grow until with an eruption it burst up through the rock and dark night sky appeared above them.

The nexus flickered and then died, leaving them all lying on the stone gasping and covered in  dust.

Paramedics ran forward to where tey lay with shocked yelles describing how they were still alive.

Ket stared at the human as he was attended to by aliens and others of his kind.

No one seemed to find it odd.

It became clear to Ket in the next few minutes that he had missed a lot.

Bu he hadn’t missed, his once nightmare, becoming his now savior. 

[sonderthroughthestreets]

Moon Jellies

For anon, a sobbe aquarium first date fic (I’m so sorry this is late!)

Also I’ve never been to an aquarium, much less on a date in one, so sorry if this sucks. Also sorry for any mistakes. 

Any more prompts are welcome!

Robbe was a nervous wreck. His palms were sweaty, his head was racing, and his heart was beating a million miles per minute as he stared at himself in the mirror. He smelled his wrists to check the cologne and then shook them out to relieve a bit of the nerves. He blew out a breath as he ran his fingers through his hair one last time, trying to get all the curls and spikes just right. This is ridiculous, he thought. It’s just a date. No. It was actually more than that. It was his first date with Sander. Something he couldn’t have ever dreamed of actually happening a week ago.

Just last week, they had been laying on Robbe’s bed, ankles and heads at opposite ends of each other, talking about school, assignments, friends, places and somehow they’d ended up on the topic of sea creatures and aquariums.

“Do you know that jellyfish don’t have a brain?” Sander asked. There was a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile forming across his mouth. Robbe looked at him.

“You don’t have a brain,” he playfully and lightly kicked his shoulder, a smile playing on his lips too.

“Ok, but seriously, they don’t have a nervous system, like people don’t even know how they move!” he continued.

Robbe shrugged. “They are beautiful though,” he said, looking up at the ceiling.

Sander sat up, now fully engaged in the conversation, his thoughts running.

“They have four feeding tentacles, they can sting you so bad, they have five stomachs and they’re 97% water. Is that not impressive?” he asked.

“I guess,” Robbe smiled at his enthusiasm.

“You guess?” Sander scoffed, tilting his head. “So what impresses you, Ijzermans?”

Robbe tried to ignore how his tone made his heart flip in dizzying cartwheels. Tried to not let the sound of his last name coming from him drown him. Tried not to say, you.

“Not much. Right now they sound like the kind of thing I’d be reading about in my biology textbook,” he shifted his legs and slumped further into the bed.

“But you like reading your biology textbook,” Sander smirked.

“I don’t know, they sound kind of scary. Whimsical little things at the bottom of the ocean that we don’t know much about. Like you said, we don’t even know how they move.”

He could feel Sander’s eyes on him, wholly green, sparkling with intent. Robbe couldn’t take it anymore and finally looked at him questioningly as if to say, what?

“They drift through the current” he finally said. “That doesn’t mean they know where they’re going but...” he kept his eyes on him. “Do you wanna go see them?”

“What?”

“There’s an exhibit at the aquarium that I really wanted to see and they’ve got- well you- I mean - we don’t have to-“

“We?”

Robbe couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Yes we. If you want to that is” Sander smiled. He was suddenly kind of sheepish, but his eyes never left Robbe’s. And Robbe in his abrupt state of confusion could never have imagined Sander like this, all nervous and anxious. He and Sander had been spending a lot of time together over the past few months and he could never tell when his energy changed if it was because he was Sander or if it was because of an effect Robbe had on him. He couldn’t even imagine that he could ever have any sort of effect on him at all. He realized it had been a while and he needed to respond.

“Yeah,” he grinned, nodding his head. “Yeah, I want to.”

“It’s a date, then,” he reached over for his phone, scrolling through his calendar. “We could go Wednesday after school. Half day, right?”

As Sander tapped to go to the aquarium’s website to buy tickets, Robbe stared at him. His eyes shifted over his bleached hair, his endearing eyes, his black Bowie shirt, and the way he looked so nonchalant now, seconds after being anything but calm. And Robbe didn’t know where his courage came from but he wanted to take advantage of his last sentence to say,

“When you say date, do you mean like a date date?” he asked.

Sander froze. He slowly looked up from his phone, licked his lips and asked, “Do you want it to be a date date?”

Robbe breathed in. There was no turning back now.

“Yeah. Do you?”

“Yeah,” Sander’s lips curved upwards.

And now Robbe was standing in front of the mirror feeling very self-conscious and not at all like the Robbe that asked him out. Or was it Sander that asked him? He couldn’t tell but he’d be here very soon and all he could think about was what do you even wear to an aquarium? He opted to wear his dark green hoodie and jeans. This was casual anyways and he didn’t really feel like a dress shirt would be appropriate for the occasion and just when he felt like maybe he could change, he heard the doorbell ring. Shaking his hair one last time and grabbing his phone off the counter he went to greet Sander.

“Hey,” said a smiling Sander.

“Hi,” said a smiling Robbe.

“You look good,” Sander’s eyes drifted down. It vanished Robbe’s doubts and he looked at Sander too, in his white shirt and black leather jacket.

“So do you.”

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

They started with the sea turtles and then would make their way to the stingrays. Sander had said they’d go through the whole aquarium and he was saving the best one, the jellyfish of course, for last.

He was so excited, he was practically vibrating at the front doors. There weren’t as many people inside since it was a weekday and Robbe figured that probably made Sander beam even more whenever he looked at him.

As they walked around each exhibit, Robbe felt like he’d never seen such beauty and iridescence. Seeing how the lights made all the creatures glimmer in the water and how the curves of the glass above them engulfed them into the sea made Robbe feel the strangest sense of calm. He watched in their respective exhibits as stingrays and sea turtles and beluga whales swam by, their slow movements synchronizing with his heartbeat. It felt as if time stopped and when Sander grabbed his hand, he looked to see him staring at him with such sincerity, the crinkles in his eyes prominent from his smile. Robbe sighed.

“I can see you like it,” he felt Sander’s breath on his cheek.

“Yeah, it’s really great.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“The jellyfish?”

“Mmmmhh,” Sander hummed in agreement. “But first, lets check out that one,” he nodded to another area in the corner, a more hands-on and interactive exhibit.

Robbe and Sander stood near the tank in front of them inspecting the oddly shaped starfish. Sander nudged Robbe.

“Touch it.”

“No.”

“Touch it.”

“No.”

“Touch it.”

“No! You touch it!” Robbe giggled and shoved him lightly. Sander reached out and ran his fingers over one of its arms.

“It’s soft,” he said. Then suddenly, “Ahh!” as he pulled his hand out of the water. His finger had bumped a sharp rock and he shook the water off his hand as he inspected it. “Can you kiss it better?” he asked Robbe.

Robbe shook his head, chuckling as he lifted his hand to his lips and kissed it lightly.

“Actually my lips hurt, can you kiss them better too?” Sander smirked.

“I don’t kiss on the first date,” Robbe wrapped his arms around him.

“Mmmmh, maybe on the next one then.”

And then finally, finally, they made it to the jellyfish exhibit. Sander’s pace picked up faster than Robbe’s as he let go of his fingers to run up to the glass. Robbe followed, watching. He looked up to the bioluminescent creatures, neon colours of pinks, purples, blues and yellows, and stared in awe. Seeing them in his textbook was one thing, but seeing them in person, right in front of you, floating around like some strange, other-worldly thing? It wasn’t scary, it was...breathtaking.

“Aurelia aurita,” Sander broke his trance. “Or more commonly known as moon jellyfish or the common jellyfish, moon jellies if you will,” he made a face, laughing. “They’re found in most oceans but mostly the Atlantic. No nervous system, no muscles, they feed on plankton. They live a simple life” he finished. It sounded exactly like what Robbe had read in his textbook. He thought he was the science nerd here and he wasn’t expecting Sander to be so knowledgeable in all this.

“So,” his lips etched up. “Why jellyfish?” Robbe asked. Sander took a moment to watch the creatures slowly float by.

“My mom said I used to draw them all the time when I was a kid. Then I got obsessed with them and as I learned more about them, I think I got really interested in the fact that they don’t have brains. At least not in a complicated way like some animals and humans do.”

He looked lost in the water, eyes in a daze and Robbe almost regretted asking the question. Sander took a seat on the empty bench placed for viewing the fish. Robbe followed.

“Do you remember how I told you about my thoughts? And how they don’t stop sometimes?”

Robbe nodded. They’d gotten quite close the last few months.

“Well, I think I like jellyfish bc they don’t have brains to have any thoughts. They can just drift wherever the current takes them,” he said. “But sometimes they can sting you and I- I don’t want to do that.”

Robbe thought back to their conversation a week ago and how he had called jellyfish scary. He had no idea Sander felt like that. He didn’t know if Sander even meant it like this when they were talking then. He thought it was just about the sea creatures. And maybe it had been in the beginning.

“Sander,” Robbe immediately took his hands in his, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. “You’re not a jellyfish. You’re you.” He shifted closer, touching his knees to his. “And I really like you.”

“I really like you, too,” Sander touched his forehead to Robbe’s. After a long moment of just sitting still like that, Robbe whispered,

“Can I kiss you?”

“I thought you didn’t kiss on first dates,” Sander chuckled softly. “Yes.”

Robbe softly pressed his lips to his. Though the exhibit was practically empty, he was thankful to keep it short and sweet, still basking in the taste, lightheaded from the fact that he was here with Sander. And as their date came to an end, Robbe left feeling content and grateful that he agreed to come to the aquarium with him. And the best part was Sander holding his hand throughout it all, excited and giddy to look at all the sea animals. Once they walked back to Robbe’s door, Sander felt reluctant to let go of his hand.

“I had a great time today,” Robbe said.

“Me too.”

And before Sander knew it, Robbe was pulling him in for another longer kiss, kissing him in ways he couldn’t at the aquarium.

“See you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Sander lingered a bit longer until he let go and headed out.

“Remember!” Robbe shouted as Sander turned back. “You’re not a jellyfish!”

“I could be! Am I not pretty enough?”

“Beautiful!”

Sander gave him one last smile before he disappeared around the corner. Robbe finally closed the door and his cheeks hurt from grinning so widely. Today didn’t feel real but he was so glad Sander let him into his world. One thing that he knew for sure was that this was the best first date ever and that he couldn’t wait until the next one.