#fishtank setup

[sleepinglionhearts]

Once again wishing I had the time and energy for a proper aquarium setup

[cappurrccino]

a perk to being a school librarian would be being able to get your summers off and still getting paid

[yoshistory]

*puts everything unsightly away* ahhhh finally *nothing is out*

[sailing-on-a-puddle]

A FishTank Day Out

Loosely using the prompt at the Aquarium, but since that has passed I’ll also include brothers relaxing because they don’t get a day off very often!

This is based on a day out my family and I went on last month, although we never saw any Thunderbirds. The venue was the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway which is at the bottom of Lake Windermere in the Lake District, UK, and there happens to be an aquarium at the lakeside end of the line.

I thought at the time it would make a great Virgil and Gordon day out, so for FishTank week I’ve turned it into a fic with some pictures at the end.

_____________________________

Thunderbird Two flew in over the top of the lakes and mountains. Unfortunately, there was low cloud and only the top of the mountains were visible from above. Nevertheless, Gordon had brought up a holographic image of the lakes below that he couldn’t see and was excitedly telling Virgil that only Bassenthwaite Lake was technically a lake.

Virgil smiled about how excited Gordon was. They lived on an island, they were used to being surrounded by water. But this water was different and full of different aquatic life. He’d known Gordon would do this, and thankfully the holographic map of the physical geography didn’t show the places he’d planned for them to go.

Virgil landed Two in a field several miles away and configured a pod to take to the car park. He’d learned many years ago that taking Two to car parks in tourist destinations wasn’t popular. When on rescues you could park anywhere you liked, but when you turned up with it as mode of transport there was lots of moaning about noise, rocket boosters setting fire to things and taking up 50 parking spaces.

A couple of minutes and they arrived at the car park.

“Er, Virgil, we’re not at the lake yet.”

“Nope.”

Gordon looked round to see the two rail lines behind him, and then he realised what the various sheds and buildings around him were.

“Virgil, have you brought me to another steam train?”

“You didn’t complain about the last one.”

“Well, that had the Harry Potter station, and there’s lakes, Virgil. We could be there, now, doing water things. I’m a FISH, Virg, and you’ve brought me here instead.”

Virgil smiled at him . “All in good time, we’re going to the lake, which is your thing, on a lovely piece of engineering, which is my thing.”

Right on cue, the train came in. Gordon was then subject to a full running commentary about how the wonders of this particular locomotive and railway setup. Something about side and saddle tanks maybe? Aren’t saddles on horses? His brother loved this technology that was over 100 years old, and although Gordon didn’t really understand the difference beyond this locomotive was red and the last one was black, he was delighted to see his engineering brother so happy.

Gordon had to admit it all looked very atmospheric on this cloudy chilly day, especially when the locomotive emerged from the tunnel to run round the train. Virgil took a photo with the intention of sketching it later.

They boarded the train and it set off on the journey, slowly making it’s way through the countryside and woods. Twenty minutes later the train pulled into the Lakeside station, and when Gordon got off his excitement reached fever pitch.

“Virgil! VIRGIL! There’s an aquarium!”

“Yup.”

“Can we go? Can we go? Pleeeeease?”

“If I said no, would you listen anyway?”

“Lalala, I can’t hear you and we’re going to the aquarium!”

Virgil just laughed at him, put his arm round his shoulder and they both skipped to the aquarium door. If anybody did stare at either of them they didn’t notice, they were used to that anyway.

Now the roles from earlier were reversed and Gordon was talking continuously about everything in the tanks. Half the time he didn’t even need to read the signs, he knew exactly what it was. Something about an Axolotl? Was that something Alan talked about from Minecraft? Virgil did read the signs and listen, but mostly thought about how all the colours and shapes and took photos. He’d sketch, or maybe paint those later too.

After a couple of hours or so, when Gordon wanted to go round the aquarium for the fourth time to see what else he could see Virgil left him to it. He went and sat on a bench outside facing the lake, picking up a coffee for himself and some neon slush thing for Gordon from the cafe on the way.

A boat was just leaving the jetty, and the lake looked very atmospheric with the low cloud hanging in the cool air. Virgil once again regretted not bringing his art supplies but took a picture anyway.

He realised he’d been humming and daydreaming when his thoughts were interrupted by Gordon jumping over the back of the bench with a brightly coloured soft toy fish from the shop.

“You done?”

“I think they’re closing. I was the last one in. Are we going home now?”

“Yup. Thought we’d get some pizza to eat on the way home.”

“Sounds good.”

They picked their seat on the waiting train to take them back to the pod. Virgil produced some cake that he’d also picked up from the café, and Gordon’s eyes lit up and he started to eat it in a way that would have incurred Grandma Tracy’s wrath.

“Virgil?”

“Mmm?”

“Thanks for bringing me today.”

“You’re welcome, thank you for coming with me.”

_________________

Here's some of the pictures Virgil took, which are actually mine. Virgil would be a better photographer than me!

And a bonus one, the black locomotive in the Harry Potter Station Gordon references (Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, photographed last year)

[immoralimmortals]

A Song With Ten Names

Chapter 29: Falling Behind

Chapter 1 ☆ Next chapter ☆ AO3 ☆ Featured song playlist

Summary of chapter: Is it the sun and the moon, or is it the moon and the stars? What if it's all three Kisame's looking for?

Author's Note:

Hey, so like...see the Itachi x Kisame tag? You see it, amidst all the reader x akatsuki ones? Yeah I meant it. You're getting that this chapter. I'm bi and queer and polyamorous and I'm making it everyone else's problem.

*Clap* It's polyamory time, baby!!! I'm still exploring this aspect of myself, personally, so I hope I wrote it okay and yall enjoy. The song for this chapter is Falling Behind by Laufey.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Moved out to a new city

June is dawning down on me

And all that I can find

A sickly romance in the air

Lovers stroll without a care in sight

Ooh, this can't be right

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

He had another dream last night.

Ethereal, pearly white. Soft sheets wrapped around her body, protecting her modesty. Bright eyes both innocent and knowing, looking up at him as he sits across the bed. He reaches forward to hold her thigh and she allows, letting cloth slip off to reveal a bare shoulder. Her chin tilts down both seductively and with shyness, watching a hand with a red ring that appears behind her to help. There are soft coal eyes looking through thick lashes.

The swordsman of the mist isn't entirely sure where the line crossed between sleep and daydreams. At some point he realizes he is sleeping on his stomach, arm stretched as if wanting to hold someone beside, but alas, that space will never be filled. Kisame watches his own knuckles curl around the linens, a sigh of acceptance escaping his throat.

Knock knock.

Itachi is there, speak of the devil. Kisame swears he looks at him with the same eyes as in his sleep...but he knows better. How selfish of him to want the exemplary of two genders when neither are fit for the likes of he. All the same, he tries to smile for his best friend once he drags himself out of bed and opens the door. "Morning, Itachi-san."

The Uchiha blinks, murmuring a "hn" as he does sometimes; sickeningly enamoring of him. "We should spend time with her this morning."

Kisame blinks. There is no other “her” to spend time with, so the assumption is clear. And yet... "Sure. But...is there a reason for today in particular...?" He receives a shake of the head. Black locks of hair always look so soft, almost like the harshest of conditions could never weather its beauty away. Maybe blood makes a great conditioner, the shark jokes to himself.

"No reason." The Uchiha whims are so much more flighty than you'd expect, merely under a veneer of grim attitude; Kisame knows well the whimsy Itachi holds back. He knows, too, that all the same there is most definitely a reason. Ah well. Not his place to question.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Touched the ocean, fell right in

Stepped outside and burned my skin

My life won't go my way

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The fishtank is set on a counter somewhere in the depths of this mansion, a regal setup of dark colored wood with flourishes of carvings about it. A mighty fine place for a little fish meant to be eaten. She feels like that sometimes; might be why she’s spent her first moments awake holding her chin on top of folded arms and staring inside. The woman has no idea what kind of fish it is, but perhaps it doesn’t matter. It’s enough to help keep her mind off of things, hoping and wondering if such an animal can feel happiness and safety. This is the state Kisame finds her in, outside looking in seeming to be still sleepwalking, as she’s been the past week-so. But her mind is more awake, thanks to the escapades of someone with purple eyes and someone else in an orange mask.

The tallest Akatsuki cocks his head once done dipping it underneath the diminutive entryway, taking in the traveler’s presence before it’s interrupted by his large, disruptive self. She’s so sweet, sweet as...what did she call it? Cotton candy? Whatever it was that was merely sugar spun so fast it's thin like gossamer. It’s almost a shame to interrupt her. “How is it doing, Takara-hime? Think I did good enough for it...?”

The moment she sees him, hands reach out, asking for him where a voice struggles. What a blessing. He leans down to his ward and abides. The woman certainly has a real knack for asking for him after these wonderful, terrible dreams. Her hands tenderly take his, thumbs stroking the knuckles with what he remarks as anxious energy. He smiles at her, as he always does.

“Ah, good." Her actions are returned by Kisame in much the same way Itachi's are; you need not speak to communicate, sometimes. "So...how are you, Takara-hime?”

A twitch of a smile herself before it falls, a silent equivalent of promising she’ll be okay even if she’s not quite yet. A shadow falls in the entrance of this nook, Itachi haloed by morning sunlight from a hallway window.

“You should eat, Takara-san.” Dutiful as always, Kisame notes of the Uchiha. Usually it’s him that’s more sickly, but the one occasion Kisame so much as caught a cold had his partner practically crawling on him to make sure he got rest and food. Somehow a man has such a bleeding-heart that sometimes he’s heartless; the enigma of Itachi is endless. Though the kindness isn’t lost on her, the traveler shakes her head; she is not hungry. “Tea then,” Itachi decides. The two shinobi lock eyes for a second. They often talk without literal words, knowing each other’s body language so well, but to the swordsman there’s a tinge of...something. Something he can’t entirely pin down.

Regardless, the instruction unspoken is to stay with her while he goes. A pleasure and a temptation, the kiri-nin finds, as the soft hands tug his a bit more. Oh, this is horrible; the man grits his teeth to concentrate on the real world versus fantasy. He wants to kiss her so bad, lay her on his mattress and hear her beautiful voice moan his name—

"K-K-Kisame...?"

—And he's awake, purple tinging his cheeks. She's trying to mime for something, arms and hands gesturing, surely, but make no sense. He raises a brow and gives an amused, confused, lopsided grin. "What? What's up, princess?" Is it bad to call her that if that's what he dreams of saying on top of her? Frustrated with herself, she asks for his hold once more. Tentatively, it moves towards her, gradually guided to slip under the strap on her shoulder. What is she doing...?! Breath hitching, the shark sees a vision of himself pulling it off and pressing her onto that daybed just behind her—

...Wait. This is...familiar.

...

...

Oh.

"You remember that..?" To this the woman nods, smile back on her face. Kisame smirks harder. "Yeah, I still have the stuff."

A moment later, the gift of the florist reenters the traveler's life, first time since the day knight and ruler met. Something about how they already had the awkwardness, in one way or another he admitted to thinking of her that way— sensually— and she shrugged it off...it makes it easier for her to interact with him right now. Tobi and Hidan especially...love them, of course, but there's a toll on her spirit, especially after discovering the throws of battle. She needs peace, and there are two who give it to her in abundance. A happy accident that Kisame and Itachi are the ones who spend most time with her today.

Honestly...Kisame especially. His eyes don't put you to sleep.

Point is, she trusts him with this, with one request. The lotion she hasn’t felt since the day it was opened releases the same scent with a crack of the lid. Kisame has no idea what the hell is in it...but it is nice. But it reminds him of her, so of course it does; perhaps the pleasure is inevitable. There’s been a couple of times he opened it up again just for that reason. A part of him wants to offer the jar to her, but he can tell from the look in her eyes: it’s him that she wants, just as before. Fingers dip into the milky salve, other hand brushing back her hair off her shoulder. So trusting, so trusting. She shouldn’t trust him, but she does. What is he to do but try? Her eyes soften the second skin is on skin, a slight bob of her head as serenity finally finds a place for her once more. She hums and her eyes close shut, trusting him to do whatever he shall like as she sits on the edge of the silky daybed.

Dutifully, the knight massages. One hand becomes two, encasing either shoulder so small in his palms. She hums again. Her voice even so small now is still so pleasant to the ear. He isn’t prepared when he gets more:

“Daffodil.”

He grunts questioningly. There’s the most sincere smile on her face, much more sincere than his will ever be. The woman repeats what it is, the perfume of magic her friend from the flowers sent her way:

“Daffodil.”

He grunts again, almost hoping it’ll make her speak once more. Her voice is beautiful. She takes his hand, interrupting the massage, and she urges it back into his own space. Disbelieving, it isn't until the traveler places his own fingers on his own neck that he gets it; she wants him to try it, too. “Yeah? That’s what this is, huh...?” If she talks back, he can’t hear. The world seems whiter, more like the bedsheets he wants, and a devil on his shoulder tells him something, as she beams so perfectly up at him with the scent of narcissus surrounding in the air:

Tell her.

It would be the perfect moment to.

Look at her: Radiant and soft and arms forward to touch you. Your princess, without a single doubt, is happy with you. Say it. Make her yours.

...

...

...But he can’t. It wouldn’t be fair, not when she’s like this, only just reconnecting with reality and clinging to him meanwhile. And besides, when she’s fully “awake” again, if she ever will be...then she’d never want him like that. Kisame must hide not only his lust but his love. That’s only what is right. He couldn’t protect her, after all, from the outside world. Who is he against what’s within the tailless beast? Who would want a monster like him but someone equally disturbed, wrong in this world?

He isn’t as good at hiding his feelings as he thinks he is. The upturn at the corner of his lips fades and weary eyes don’t blink as the woman looks back at him. Her lips part, trying to find what she very much wants to say—

And then Itachi walks in, three cups of tea on a tray. Kisame sees her seem to forget him entirely, approaching the Uchiha with delight and gratitude upon her face. The woman hands him a cup and he knows where his place is in the food chain.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Bossa nova in my room

Hope that I'll find someone too to love

Because...

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Maybe the saucer and the teacup are made for each other.

This is the sort of phrase that repeats in Kisame’s mind, watching from the back porch as the lady sits outside on the swing, his partner behind. Even from this angle, he catches glimpses of her smile, seemingly even brighter with Itachi around. How strange it is, a human manifestation of darkness and crows and a blood red moon bringing sunshine when he walks in. Always has had a knack for it, really… But it’s the first time he’s seen it happen to someone besides himself. Girls chase Itachi, yes, something about Uchiha genes or pheromones, who the hell knows. But it’s not the same. It’s not the same way he spellbounds Kisame, he’s always told himself. And the longer he looks at Takara, the more he sees the same in her. Joy, actual joy, not merely a chase nor a fling nor candy for the eyes. She loves him. Kisame has a hunch Itachi may love her too. That might be the something hiding in his eyes...

He sinks more into the hold he has against his knees, pressed to his chest as he watches them under golden autumn leaves, a grumble under his breath. Oh, what a failure... He couldn't protect her. He's not good enough. What can he do to make the longing stop? But he doesn't want it to; he wants this suffering, even if nothing else. How selfish. Does she know it hurts him to ask for him like this, insist he join as a third wheel under sunshine, that all these days in domestic bliss are but a blur? No. Surely not. Too sweet. Too sweet...

And Itachi...the swordsman sees the barest smile on his lips a prize. Itachi...after everything...we are always parallel, aren't we? Never going to cross. Beauty, indeed, is to be put on the highest shelf outside of his grasp, as best deemed by fate itself. His hands are not gentle, after all. They will fumble, Takara the teacup and Itachi the saucer. Ironic, given how tall he is. But...Itachi at least can fend for himself; the crow will survive on his own, however unhappily. Takara...

She needs someone.

So maybe the saucer and the teacup are made for each other.

...One piece of porcelain gently tugs the sleeve of the other. A careful palm goes behind her back, stilling the swing. A hum in the back of her throat, the traveler points behind. She points to Kisame. Other arm slung in his cloak, Itachi turns his head to follow, evaluating. No, Kisame tries to promise with his eyes alone, he’s no rival for you. If it’s you she wants, it’s you she’ll have. But the something in his black eyes persists, sharper than before. Maybe it isn't love after all...? The stare is interrupted as the woman gets up from the swing, walks over, and she takes a blue hand once again.

“Eh?” It’s obvious what she wants— for him to get up— but she still doesn’t get it. “What’s up, princess?” Stop calling her that, his own mind says. But he can’t help it. Words still fail her, so she insists with a tug for him to rise to his feet. Standing up becomes walking, and walking becomes following. He follows her all the way up to Itachi, whom he gives an awkward quirk of the corner of his mouth. She persists even still—

“What? On…?” Oh. Well. Uh… Well. What choice does he have? The grown ass man does as told; he sits on the swing.

“Okay...like this?” Imagine him months ago, being told he’d be more than happy to humor the childish whimsies of a girl from space. He’d laugh in his own face. Even more so when he’d mention she wants to push him on a swing. Who is he to deny it, though?

It’s a bit pathetic, to be honest. He feels her hands but he hardly moves, but she keeps trying. Oh, sweetheart, he thinks, you needn't try to do such a thing for me; you were having such fun yourself. I don't need a turn. These thoughts stay inside, lest his denial hurt her more. A grunt of frustration, rare before but unheard nowadays from her—

“Takara-san.”

The hands leave his back. Another pair come up, holding his shoulders; Itachi’s touch sends electricity down his back, and the voice behind his ear does not help. “Care for a push, Kisame?”

Purple stings his cheeks and Kisame’s head dips in embarrassment and seething bittersweet irony. A chuckle. Then a laugh. “If that’s what the lady wants!” How ridiculous...but he’ll do it. It must mean a lot that Itachi will for her, too, just because it's asked for. Certainly that is proof that he loves her...

Kisame imagines himself young, younger than days of bloodshed and regret and so many lies. He feels a grip strong and a tug soft alike upon his back and wonders if there was any way things could have turned out different.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The sun's engaged to the sky

And my best friend's found a new guy

I'm only getting older

I've never had a shoulder to cry on

Someone to call mine

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Cicadas: some say they sing, some call it screaming. Either way, they fill Kisame’s mind from the cracked open window in his bedroom. Maybe it’ll keep him up; he wants to stay up. He wants to either never sleep again or sleep forever, and he cannot have both and make it out of this with heart intact. Another pale dream and he’s a goner, most assuredly and could never look Itachi or Takara in the eye, the only people still alive that give him the time of day. He rubs his temple—

Knock knock.

An exhale. Who the hell could that be…?

The door cracks open and it’s the woman’s turn at his door, garbed in her nightgown and a nervous hand to her chest. Worry wells up immediately in his own. “Princess…?” She somehow looks even smaller.

“I…” she quivers, and her head tucks deeper down into her shoulder. “I...I…” There’s no choice but for the man to wait, see if she can find her words. What could be bothering her…? What did he do wrong today? Kisame tried so very hard to leave her alone whenever possible.

“I’m sorry.”

His heart stops.

“W-…”

And she walks right into him; before big blue arms can hold her, it becomes abundantly clear that smaller ones are climbing around Kisame instead. He is being held, at least as well as one so small can try. “I’m sorry.”

The repeated phrase makes him frown. “What’s there to be sorry about, princess? You didn’t do anything wrong.” But she did, most certainly she must have:

“You’re scared,” she says into his ribcage, reverberations cutting straight in. “I don’t want you to be scared.”

“Takara..." Oh, good gods above...what has he done? What has he done to do this to her?! "You have nothing to be sorry about...!” Stinging, stinging. Kisame thought he already got all his crying out of the way, back in the early days of her safe return where she hadn’t enough wits about her to notice his red eyes. They prickle the edges of his gills now, forcing the top of his cheeks to press up lest tears fall down and make things worse. “It’s me. It’s me that should apologize. Don’t be sorry.”

“Why?”

Why?

“I failed," he answers easily, and his palm cups the back of her head much the same way. "My mission is to protect you. I had the gall to promise you you’re worth protecting. And...and you are. You are." The swallow in his throat tastes like oversteeped tea. "But in the end...I…I...” Maybe he is scared after all.

There isn't really a way to excuse this in a way that'll make him happy. She has to try another route. Desperate fingers try to massage his shoulders, best as they can blind and without daffodils. "Y-...you get to try again."

And his heart flips and races thousands of miles per hour. A moment, and finally his smile is real again. "You're very kind."

"No..." He needs to know; how does she get him to know...? One response, and it is desperate:

"I love you."

A simple answer that should tell him everything he'd ever need to know. Breathless. Disbelief. Maybe— no. No. She wouldn't understand, comprehend the way his heart works like no one else he's met before, and therefore he picks the safest meaning for himself out of these words. He scruffs her hair, trying to mix away the teardrops that managed to escape him before she notices. "Much too sweet, Takara-hime..." He swallows again more of his shame and denial of fate, and though he wants to blame this on a loose tongue, the next phrase is calculated. "I suppose I love you too."

But she understands his love better than he thinks.

“You...make me...feel safe. I want...to make you feel safe...too… Can I stay...tonight?”

And how can he say no to that?

It makes him nervous, and it doesn't help that she has no worry of it, of a grip that can kill around her delicate little waist and teeth that can rip so close to her skin as the princess in white moves her fingers down to curl around his own. Each touch...it is, indeed, clear that she's more worried about him than herself, even after all that's happened. She guides him to the bed, lays down first, and reaches out to him. He more so watches himself wrap around her than feels it being done. She smells like daffodils, hard to ignore with his face right in her neck as he climbs in, space so small he's nearly on top. Even so close, all he can wonder is if the lady with the perfume craved her, too. Maybe she did, bestowing a gift so intimate, so perfect to know only when you're nearly melting into the same skin.

"I love you," she says again. The hair on the nape of his neck is stroked, and almost like a switch, he immediately feels his eyelids weigh down. "I'm sorry."

And for once, he can't tell her not to be, not when it hurts so much to be with her like this when it isn't what she wants, surely not in the same way he does. Warmth swathes her again and she falls asleep, head in his bare chest and a scared man's arms around her sides. His own eyes are closed...but...but...

The last thing she thinks of is how she's sorry that she can't explain better what it means when she loves someone, unable to ask if he's like that too. They'd have more in common than he thinks.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Everybody's falling in love and I'm falling behind

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

There’s no way he can be allowed to fall asleep in the same bed as someone else. The fight must be won. These cursed fish eyes need to stay open. No dreams, not with her so vulnerable like this, he so much an animal of carnal desire. 

He starts slow, as soon as her breathing slows and stays that way, hips backward first and then oh so carefully arms slip away. She shivers like he was keeping her warm and his heart aches. The smell of rain is outside, from the crack in the window and he follows his instincts to the ocean in the sky.

Bare feet step on wet, musky earth, the decay of leaves speeding with the rainfall. Kisame’s chin tilts up, sharp teeth peeking out from slightly parted lips as he lets the precipitation hit him, blend in with whatever saltwater may or may not be left upon his face. What does he feel? More importantly, what should he feel…?

“Kisame.”

The named man gasps. Only a few people get to see Itachi without his Akatsuki cloak; it’s almost like it’s a part of him. But here they are, the hypnotist no longer covered up by the bulky black and red, dressed instead in grays much like that his irises carry much of the time. Well trained, Kisame waits, but unlike usual, Itachi...doesn’t command. Not even with his gaze. There is no clear instruction, and so he hums in growing confusion.

The dark-haired man barely, oh so minutely purses his lips...and he steps forward, joining the shark in nighttime rain. “You’re not well.”

Kisame’s not, but he can’t admit that. “Not any worse than usual,” he shrugs. He avoids Itachi’s stare, the something is still there, still unreadable and therefore bothering him. “You’ll get sick if you stay out here, you know, Itachi-san.”

“I could say the same of you.”

…

“You know that’s different,” the swordsman rebukes, quietly under the hiss of falling drops of rain.

“Kisame.” Itachi could say his name and ask for anything, and Kisame would do it no questions asked. Murder, theft, arson...—

He asks not for these things right now. In disbelief, the man feels a weight press into his side.

“She’s worried about you.”

Ah. Of course. Of course he’s just thinking about her. It’s as Itachi should be; no one else is so well suited to protect a princess as a prince is. But still...that doesn’t make sense. “I gathered as much.”

“Did you?” Itachi challenges, voice soft, gaze still asking for his. “Then why not do something about it?” The beast frowns in disdain.

“...You know very well I can’t indulge what I want.” Three layers to this— three layers at least, two people and one the creeping desire of chaos and death with a sword in his hand. He can’t have his cake and eat it too; he can only pick one. ...And two of them would have to pick him back. That leaves only one sure choice.

Kisame doesn’t notice he’s gritting his teeth until Itachi tells him to stop doing that.

“Relax, Kisame.” And a word, one he’s not used to: “...Please.”

…

The Uchiha is unwavering even as the rain hits his skin, no twitch, no shrug, still as a statue. He's being serious; no mere pretense of it this time. “Promise to take care of yourself, Kisame. Lighten the burden on your shoulders.” In surprise, the named man finally looks back—

His black eyes are so handsome, glittering in the dark like this. It's like stars and the night sky. They’re the same eyes in his dreams, and Kisame’s heart flutters as it knows not what else it can do.

“No person is property,” the Uchiha assures, unbelievably. “I know we spoke before...about how no one could love the likes of us.” He said it. He said the word. Love. He’s never said “love” before—! “...But if you feel it, perhaps you should try. Whatever you feel...it is fine. It’s fine so long as it is wanted.”

Kisame’s own eyes are shaking in his sockets. “Itachi...but...you...—?” Who is he talking about? Him and her? Him and her? Him and...him…?

Itachi won’t answer that. As Kisame responds in silence, the crow realizes the shark still needs time to think, and perhaps he too does as well. It’s a lot, to realize one has affection left in their husk of a body after all. Hope hurts if you let it in all at once, instead of trickling in, sort of like the difference between drowning a flower and watering it every day, same amount given in the end with another result. As such, the touch leaves the knight. Kisame feels so warm that he swears there’s steam coming off of his face.

The rest of moon's hours, he waits for the princess to wake up, hands to himself and a heavy heart confused if it’s guilty or not. The next morning, the clouds are tinged pink and purple as the storm fades to the distance, and she tells him that's what cotton candy looks like. Itachi shows up in time to agree as if he knows, too.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Everybody's falling in love

Everybody's falling in love, oh

Everybody's falling in love but me

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[frozenfischer]

Email from: Wingdings Gaster

The email itself is empty save for his rather elaborate signature and a single attachment, which is a photo of a rather large fishtank, looking somewhat out of place on top of one of his metal lab tables.

Seems like he has most everything, with the gravel covering the bottom, a few plants of some sort, a skull (it was too dumb to resist) and sunken skip hidey holes, the filter, and the food beside the tank. And, of course, the fish itself.

Email from: Alexandria Fischer

Oh, that's a really nice setup you got there for the little guy. You really went all out, didn't you? Probably the luckiest fish in the fair that day.

Do they have a name yet?

[d-structive]

Today I was stupidly stressed, so I made this. Found out it's a SUPER relaxing activity. I guess it's because these things are very similar to fishtank setups (which is the fun part, really...).

Is not perfect, but I feel I'm slowly getting somewhere with these... I wish I had some small fern or crawling plant to add, but no luck in finding them in shops and online they cost A LOT... And I like cheap. Pretty much I bought only the jar and the center-peperomia baby plant (for a total of 8 bucks). All the rest, is stuff I either had at home, or stuff I found around while walking my dog. (In case somebody wanna try...It's super easy.) That's it. That's the post. I'm gonna try doodling something now. Bye.

[vulcanette]

I clicked on jun yoshizuki’s fishtank setup video and started laughing and just had the best feeling of kinship with him and with all of the other insane people in this world who have boiled driftwood in their kitchens

[kingofaquariumsyt]

Do NOT use a strong Filter for #bettafish Tanks! #fishtank #setup

[pichlive]

this setup is like what i'd make for my fishtank

[anonanimal]

more witch from mercury thoughts post ep 18

what if all the stuff people have projected onto suletta comes true: if she's really an enhanced person, if she's really an orphan, if she's the thing sophie felt in the data storm. all this could become true depending on how the plot goes, e.g. if prospera dies, well, she'll be an orphan then

i concur with what others have said that it makes sense for them to explore having multiple pilots in one mobile suit as a way to dilute the physical load of piloting, pacrim style

this redditor is right...words i hate to say... if the show is leading us toward the conclusion that delling rembran is a good guy somehow i'm going to kill. jk there's no way we're getting "delling actually good guy" reveal because even the best possible version of delling is still a man who was president of a huge quasi-governmental coalition of weapons manufacturers that have been actively, directly engaged with destroying the earth and oppressing its inhabitants. also on the personal level there's the whole dueling game arranged marriage thing. delling redemption arc maybe. he and guel can start a redeemed character support group

ep 18 was more suletta suffering + setup and oooooh my god this trip to earth is going to go so bad. the way prospera said "take aerial?" not even trying to pretend she doesn't want miorine to take aerial. it's gonna be so bad. no miorine you can't show up to this conflict that's older than you and just ask everyone to get along without bringing something material to the table. miorine has been shown to be smarter than expected so maybe she's actually winning at 5d chess against prospera but let's be honest. i doubt it. she's still just a kid. the very position she's in right now, she was manipulated into. prospera scheming with shaddiq who wants to be president of the group + this trip is going to be sabotaged to tank miorine's chances. but that's not the only motivation, polling or early voting or whatever those numbers were showed shaddiq was going to win anyway. he doesn't need to ruin this just to win, he needs to inflame the earth-space conflict as part of his overall plan which is apparently to destroy the benerit group. not sure how this peace talk turning into a bloodbath will help prospera with quiet zero but i'm sure we'll find out

i really thought whatever was left of eri's consciousness loved suletta, this ep raises so many questions. was she also doing a shoo the dog to suletta or...what? WHAT IS GOING ON. the way prospera asked eri for her opinion on what to do with suletta was s c a r y don't tell me eri is calling some or all of the shots. or is prospera manipulating her by letting her think she has a say

secelia being behind the haro confessional pffffffft utena black rose arc anyone?

oh and el5n just telling nika and norea everything lmfaooo i'm so looking forward to whatever the house arrest three do next

i'm gonna revise my idea that eri died soon after the vanadis incident and say based on her appearing a bit older than four in some instances like the opening or ending (can't remember which), and most tellingly the flashback where prospera is slumped over comatose eri while apparently-suletta is in a bassinet, she'd lived for a few years after. and there was a brief time suletta was alive while eri was. which means prospera started the cloning shit before eri had even died. so it wasn't just prospera going crazy with grief trying to bring her back, but maybe anticipating her death and getting started on some kind of replacement body / key to raise the mobile suit's permet score. since it's confirmed all the gund-bits are clones, and there was not enough time for prospera to give birth to 13 children, prospera had access to sufficiently advanced cloning tech to grow them in fishtanks or whatever. it's possible suletta wasn't a clone and prospera artificially inseminated herself with nadim's frozen sperm...somehow...but come on. eri did say "you're all repli-humans" with no buts

prospera got help with the cloning from notrette right...suletta a clone just like those tomatoes...miorine's dead mother continues to haunt the narrative

oh god suletta please don't take "you were a key and we don't need you anymore now that the door is open" to heart and decide to find a way to...close the door

miorine's so good at keeping her business face on i almost forgot delling is still in a coma. mio do not make this ill-advised trip to earth, go sit by delling's side and cry or something. please. anything but what's about to happen

[dineshbdinesh]

fish tank , Tubelight fish tank , unique fish tank , fish tank Idea , fish tank making , creative time , creative ideas,How to make a Fish Tank? #Fish #FishTank #TubeLight Please watch: "Fish Aquarium Dinesh" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbmwKrAh82E --~-- ▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Hey guys! about this video This video clip for how to make aquarium setup using old tube light Watch more to learn about don’t forget to like and subscribe this video! Press Bell button🔔 ▬ More Videos ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ► Molly fish gender identification https://youtu.be/eF7hH76FihA ► All about Molly fish https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkqVw__WQqAxGUHsn-X--zXxH0OgNv2Yn ►amber_flowerhorn_food https://youtu.be/zjORXqFVM_k ►imported_of_flowerhorn_fish https://youtu.be/sHCp5P0kKzY ►imported_fish_sale_in_bangalore https://youtu.be/E1k90IV7bAE ►minimum_tank_size_for_flowerhorn https://youtu.be/x_h2lYiURQw ►how_to_train_your flowerhorn fish in tamil https://youtu.be/8jnutoEfFvg ►flowerhorn vs arowana https://youtu.be/zfGxgadKLHU ►flowerhorn competition https://youtu.be/1g-GM0uKGjY ►how to choose flowerhorn fish in tamil https://youtu.be/-CsfmSTRRfw ►Guppy fish breading setup https://youtu.be/49nP81gc8GE ►Molly fish breeding setup https://youtu.be/ckGUD_k7QAc ►Guppy fry grouth update https://youtu.be/krxpgq9dpzk ►Catching guppy fish https://youtu.be/2jz8LycNXH4 ►Guppy selective breading https://youtu.be/TI3uk0C1Huc ►molly fish full information https://youtu.be/GBlkpR-c1hM ►guppy fish care food https://youtu.be/fwqdiiv71UU ►guppy fish gender identification https://youtu.be/LMghoNCNZkA ►All about guppy fish https://youtu.be/1EX_gcb1CRI ►top 5 betta fish in tamil https://youtu.be/HdGKMa-ZjkA ►imported betta fish https://youtu.be/5D6zxapM8oE ►betta fish diseases and treatments https://youtu.be/EQhpTL4aQoM ►betta fish for sale https://youtu.be/R7Id08nRfi4 ►betta tank mates https://youtu.be/W0m8dL1MMEo ►unique betta fish aquarium https://youtu.be/MocXwNpMw6Q ►betta fish history in tamil https://youtu.be/TN-q1kh09-4 ►betta fish care in tamil https://youtu.be/GO-2RNd1vqg ►Ammizing betta fish facts https://youtu.be/A7I-NOny8cE ►betta fish not eating food https://youtu.be/LrXhFFQKqho ►how to train your fish to jump https://youtu.be/5z9CDvJxhWg ►betta fish breeding in tamil https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkqVw__WQqAyqltqlWUeirqM8lM6uwke8 ►betta fry care tamil https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkqVw__WQqAxxaYveKGbGXzk7SzEktv3Y ▬ Social Media ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ► Check my website / blog: fishaquarium4u.blogspot.com ► Add me on Instagram: https://ift.tt/rIvdGiD ► Add me on Facebook Page: https://ift.tt/FMDL5lZ ► Add me on Facebook group: https://ift.tt/AWJgBIl ► Add me on Telegram: https://ift.tt/ZC7HvTc ▬ About us ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Dear people, Greetings for the day... This video is for knowledge purpose and kindly support us for more Subscribe and follow to my channel to get complete knowledge in fishAquarium hobby ▬ COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'Fair Use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research, Fair use is a permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing, Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Thank you Fish aquarium dinesh by Fish Aquarium Dinesh

[carefree-atsea]

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

carefree's room back at the construct is cozy and cluttered curios, paperwork, and laundry. she has a corkboard covered in photos of friends, events, and pretty things she's seen on the job. she has a large fishtank that takes up more room than it should.

the dorms are all single studio apartments, but share a large communal kitchen. each convention's dorm setup is meant to inspire a certain kind of psychology. in the void engineers' case, familial bonds, but with enough space and privacy to make up for the lack thereof on voidships.

[catboybiologist]

Okay. So this is a pedantic distinction with a fun and interesting answer, with some connections to other fun facts, so I find it fun to write about. I think a moment that drove home that this was a slight misconception that people had was a time I talked about the Monterey Bay Aquarium's deep sea exhibit. A lot of people were confused that the tanks aren't pressurized. They're literally just normal fishtanks, albeit at the proper temperature, salinity, etc, but pressure wise, you can see the open top of the tanks if you look up through them. And the fish inside are fine! While they don't have blob sculpins there, they do have many other bony fish that come from the same depths. Many other aquariums have similar setups. So how is this possible, if blobfish "explode" when they come to the surface?

If there's one way to summarize the key takeaway here, it's this:

Air is compressible and changes volume depending on pressure. Water does not. This includes the water inside your cells.

So let's imagine that we're at the surface of the ocean, and we will a plastic bag with seawater, and completely seal it. Then, we dive down, taking the bag with us. What will that bag look like at the bottom? Well... pretty much the exact same. It'll be the exact same volume, exert the same pressure, etc. Now imagine that we take the bag down empty, fill it with water at the bottom, and take it to the top. What will it look like? Well, also the exact same. Even though the water at the bottom was at pressure, water is incompressible, and so the "pressurized" water occupies the same volume as the water at the surface. No expansion, no explosion.

What this functionally means is that there's actually very little adaptations required to live in the deep ocean for pressure. Do the dark, cold, limited food, and thousands of other harsh conditions of that environment have to be adapted to? Sure. But not really the pressure. Many fish freely move up and down in the water column over depth and pressure changes regularly.

(disclaimer: there are also some adaptations to pressure that deal with complex 3D protein structures, and how rigid they are. But these wouldn't cause any problems with decompression- they're more equivalent to adding a steel beam or strut to something to fortify it, and just make things molecularly more rigid for protein protein interactions. But it has nothing to do with the "explosion". They're poorly understood though.)

So what's the problem then?

Well, remember that air is compressible. Now lets redo that bag thing, except inflate the bag with air at the surface. We'll bring it down to depth, and the bag will deflate and crush. The pressure on the bag will compress the air (good old PV=nRT) and it will occupy less volume. We bring it back up, and the bag re-expands.

Now lets do something slightly different. Lets take the bag to the bottom, and fill it with air from a SCUBA tank. Tank air is compressed beyond what the ocean will compress it to, but once released from the tank, it will expand to match the pressure of the surrounding water. Let's fill the bag with that at the bottom, and then bring it to the top.

Now the bag bursts.

This is what's happening to the poor blob sculpin. Every bony fish has a gas-filled swim bladder used to regulate its buoyancy. As they swim up and down in the water column, they're able to release this gas and replace it with metabolic processes, allowing the swim bladder to have a dynamic amount of gas in it and never burst. If, however, you yoink it from the bottom of the ocean and drag it up without it ever having time to properly offgas.... the gas in the swim bladder expands outwards to the only place it can go. In this case, that's the surrounding tissue of the fish, leading to the traditional blob corpse we all know about.

So why was this post's wording wrong?

Well, a blobfish does have enough structure to exist without pressure. There's nothing about it that needs constant pressure. In theory, you could collect a blobfish from the bottom of the ocean, bring it up really slowly, let it equalize appropriately, and keep it in a tank at surface pressure. In fact, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (as mentioned previously) and California Academy of Sciences developed a decompression chamber to do exactly that:

While its physically hard to use at the depths that blob sculpins live at (most notably bc they use human divers for this), there's no theoretical reason why that approach wouldn't work on them.

There's a couple of other fun facts related to this. Notably, there are lots of fish that live at incredibly variable depths, but follow particular temperatures. Rockfish off the California coast tend to follow the depth that gives them the right temperatures, and some of the same fish you can find at the surface in Monterey are deepwater prize catches in San Diego.

Additionally, only bony fish have this problem. Sharks, who regulate their buoyancy with liver oils instead of gas swim bladders, freely move between depths without worrying about gas regulation. Crustaceans as well, which is why deep sea crab fishing doesn't result in exploded crabs.

The dangers of SCUBA are also almost entirely because of this principle. There are very few problems with descending and high pressure on its own (with a couple of notable exceptions), but decompression of previously compressed gases during the ascent can easily be deadly.

This is all a bit pedantic, but its a little misconception that many people have that I think its fun to clear up a little.

Gym teacher: You have no body tension! You need to train more!

Me who doesn't have enough bone or muscle to provide my body with structural support without the pressure of the deep sea:

[hey-scully-itsme]

i take great joy from knowing that stephen maturin would lose his shit if he could see my fishtank setups

[waitingonthewind]

less than a year ago i took a photo of the rushed setup i did of a fish tank to house the feeder fish we'd just bought for our turtles, and looking at it compared to the tank now is so objectively funny like

its also worth noting that One of thise five feeder fish managed to completely fuck up his job and now lives in our larger tank