#gem of the kelp forest

[montereybayaquarium]

Welcome to the raft, Opal! ✨

We asked, and you answered. 

🗳️Thanks to nearly 30,000 of you who voted in our online poll, we’re otter-ly excited to introduce our newest southern sea otter, Opal. 

🦦Our team is already hard at work training Opal to join Ivy, Selka, and Ruby on exhibit. 

💙They describe Opal as smart, sassy, confident, and protective–an otter that watches out for her raft. 💎 We can hardly wait for you to meet this gem; stay tuned for updates on the timeline for her official debut!

In addition to enchanting visitors and showing off for the exhibit live cam, Opal has a big part to play in the conservation of her species. Opal may act as a surrogate mother to orphaned sea otter pups as part of our sea otter surrogacy program. Though Opal was deemed unreleasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after she was rescued as a stranded pup, she may give young pups a second chance by teaching them the skills they need to survive in the wild, like grooming and foraging. 

Our work with sea otters has a real impact on their survival—and the vital coastal habitats they call home—as the two are inextricably linked. The sea otter is a keystone species, which means that the health of sea otters is a good indication of the health of other species and ecosystems nearby. 

By releasing their adoptive pups back into the wild, our sea otter surrogate moms help restore California’s treasured kelp forests, keeping them healthy and thriving!  Learn about the history of our Sea Otter Program and how protecting this beloved species has enormous environmental benefits for California’s coastal ecosystems.

[giuseppe-yuki]

i promise

daniel ricciardo x mermaid!reader

w.c.: 4.9k

warnings: curse words, mildly graphic violence/abuse, fluff with angst

summary: ever since you were a young mermaid, your father only had one rule, and one rule only- don’t go near the surface.

picture credits from pinterest :)

ever since you were a young mermaid, your father only had one rule, and one rule only- don’t go near the surface.

again and again, from before you could barely swim, your father would remind you and your sisters of the horrors that were above the gentle waves that you called your home- giant flying objects that whistled, great iron beasts that launched boulders, nets that scooped your fish friends into the great unknown, and the worst one, humans that hunted your species for fun. you recall curling underneath your weaved seaweed blankets trembling with fear when your father told these stories, imagining how these monsters could even bear to do such horrible things. your sisters, however, only laughed at you for being a scaredy fish, and instead begged for your father to tell them about the famous sirens that dragged the evil humans to their death.

afterwards, when all your sisters were sound asleep, dreaming their silly dreams of having their names scrawled in the books of myth with the famed temptresses like pisinoe, thelxiepeia and aglaope, you hugged your father tight and promised to never, ever, go to the surface.

you kept your promise from when you were little like an oath. in the mornings, after your father went to work treating the local sea life, you and your sisters swam out from the secret opening behind the kelp forest that was the entrance to the hidden cavern that you called your home. they always told your father they were out hunting for new accessories and jewelry, but you knew better. the minute you passed the long green strands of seaweed concealing your home, your sisters would flip their glittering fins and swim up, up, up. they would linger at the surface, with just the tops of their heads to their eyes peeking out, studying, waiting, for just the right moment to push an unsuspecting sailor into the water. meanwhile, you opted to dive lower towards the sandy floor towards the shipwrecks that littered the ground. there, hidden underneath the crumbling floorboards and in the broken cupboards, hid shiny gold coins and colorful rocks that you were so fond of.

when the water darkened and glowing orbs twinkled like distant fish scales above, you would swim your way back to your home, alone.

in you and your sisters’ shared bedrooms, you would carefully place your day’s work- several rings or a pretty pearl necklace, next to your growing collection. your sisters would swim in moments later, giggling about how they almost successfully drowned yet another vile man. to their own collection, they would add yet another golden compass, hand knife, or scrap of cloth. and when your father swam in, giving each one of you a hug and asked about your day, you would excitedly tell him about the gems you found while your sisters lied through their teeth about all the little sea creatures they visited. internally, you scorned your sisters for lying to your father. you would never do such things- you were obedient and a good daughter, after all, weren’t you?

of course you were. that’s why, on your father’s birthday, instead of following your sisters to the surface to try and hunt down a sailor for a trinket, you decided to swim to the lush beds of oysters next to the shore to collect pearls for a pretty little necklace. everyone knew that these specific oysters, albeit a teensy bit closer to the surface, held biggest, shiniest pearls that the ocean world has ever seen.

you sling your kelp-weaved bag over your shoulder as you weave your way through several schools of colorful fish towards the oysters. you even wave a ‘hello’ to emmy, the giant whale shark that you had grew fond of over time. emmy uses her echolocation to send a ‘hi’ back. the swim is brisk, and you arrive at your designation in no time- a spread of shiny gray-black oysters sat on a seabed of waving green kelp. tiny bubbles flow out of their shells, drifting towards the mysterious blue surface world.

reaching your hand out, you take one, then two oysters carefully and place them into your bag. honestly, you would probably need at least ten to make a decent necklace for your father. oysters number three and four plop gently into your bag after brushing away a few pesky blue crabs that had decided to infiltrate your serious harvesting session.

you are about to reach for a fifth oyster- a ginormous one that was guaranteed to house the centerpiece of the necklace, when suddenly, a weaved web descends upon you.

almost immediately, you drop your bag. fear flashes through you- hot and sharp. you hurriedly kick your fins, propelling yourself away from the net, but all it does is for you to knock sand everywhere and scatter the once-peaceful colony of oysters throughout the shallow bed. before you know it, the net ascends up, up, up towards the only place your father had said not to go- the surface.

the first thing you notice when you are above the calming waves of the place you call your home was how cold it was. gusts of air cool your sensitive skin, making you tremble. the sky, now clearer without the frothy waves of the ocean distorting it, looked strangely pretty. as you are dragged unceremoniously through the strangely dry sand, you look through the holes of the net to find an expanse of white sandy beach, littered with purpley-pink seashells. it is framed by rocky cliffs that are lined with stringy seaweed-like plants.

you come to a stop.

footsteps sound behind you, a thump-thump sound that makes your heart race. you try to turn in the net, but the rough fibers restrict your movement by digging roughly into your flesh.

“wow! looks like i caught a fat fish!” a voice exclaims.

it sounds masculine, a deep rumble with a slight lilt of an accent. a soft rustle above you sounds as the being untangles what you assume to be the top of the net.

when you feel the strands of the net fall away from around you, you whip around, as fast as you can.

to your surprise a man stares back at you with deep whiskey-brown eyes that are wide in surprise. his curls stick out every which way a worn brown tricorn hat, and his slightly parted lips are framed by a slight stubble.

you can’t help but look down. his toned chest peeks out his dirty linen shirt, and his muscular arms are frozen, still holding the damp net. he wears a rather ragged pair of trousers that are rolled up, showing off his legs. legs… legs!

he was a human.

a shrill scream erupts from your throat, and you leap back towards the surface of the ocean.

“please!” you cry, desperately trying to claw your way through the sand that coated your wet skin. “please…don’t hurt me!”

the mysterious man immediately drops the net, hands raised in a gesture of peace, a concerned look crossing his face. he looks as shocked to see you as you are of him.

“hey! hey! it’s okay!” he shouts. “i won’t hurt you now- i promise!”

true to his word, he backs up away from you, simultaneously yanking the offending net away behind his back.

you glance at him wearily, your father’s warnings and stories bouncing around your head. he had always told you that humans were evil, greedy creatures that would stop at nothing to capture your kind.

but now, looking at the human man standing in front of you, for the first time, you started to doubt your father.

yes, he was a human, but did it really matter? he was pretty, and you liked pretty things. your horde of glimmering gems and jewels at home would vouch for you. how could a gorgeous being like him ever do any wrong?

the man in front of you hesitantly opens his mouth.

“i’m- i’m daniel,” he says, reaching a hand out for you to shake before changing his mind and rests it awkwardly to his side. “i’m sorry i called you a fat fish earlier…i didn’t know you were a-“ he gestures vaguely to your shiny tail- “mermaid.”

you brush the guilty thoughts of what your father would think away from you, and instead, scooch closer on the hot sand towards daniel.

even when the setting sun the paints the both of you a luminous orange hours later and you both lie at the edge of water, you still continue to chat idly. it’s honestly mostly daniel talking, but you don’t mind. his voice is enchanting in a way, like how you assume the sirens that your sisters always dreamed to be would sound to sailors in the water. your fingers swirl shapes in the sand as daniel continues to tell you how one of his silly shipmates named lando broke their captain’s most beloved magnifying glasses after he knocked it off a table.

“…and then, lando just leaves the mess hall as if the max’s magnifying glass wasn’t just broken in like, four pieces on the ground!” he says, moving his hands animatedly.

you giggle, fins flicking a little bit of water into the air, but you aren’t listening to his story, and instead, studying his face.

noticing your stare, daniel lets out a laugh and a toothy grin that you have come to be familiar with quickly. “what? do i have something on my face?” he asks, tilting his head in question.

”well…” you say teasingly. leaping up as best as you can, you place a kiss on his cheek before diving into the waves in front of you.

when you emerge from the foamy tides, daniel now stands, stunned, one hand lightly pressed to the place where you pressed a kiss.

you can tell his face is dusted with red, like the smooth coral near your home. there’s no doubt that yours is too.

“it’s a goodbye kiss,“ you explain. “because i have to go- it’s getting dark. it was nice talking to you, danny!”

you wiggle your fingers in a goodbye and are about to dive back into the water when daniel lets out a shout.

“wait!” he yells, hurriedly patting his pockets.

you hesitate, turning back to his figure on the shore.

from his left pocket, he draws out a beautiful patterned handkerchief.

“for you,” he states, extending his arm towards you.

when you grab the soft material from his hand, you swear you feel an electrifying buzz that flows from him into you.

god, how were you going to hide this from your father?

cursing yourself for forgetting the time, you practically dash home through the kelp forest and into the secret entrance that led to the cavern you called your home. your sisters are home already, carefully wrapping various items, like a gold compass and silver eyeglass in shimmery jellyfish-paper.

selkie, one of your older sisters, approaches you with an smile when she sees you float in.

”well? where’s your gift for father?” she asks, eyes trailing over you to see if you had brought anything special in.

quickly, you reach to your side for your kelp bag full of oysters. however, it isn’t there.

fuck.

it was probably still sitting on the oyster bed, abandoned, after daniel had mistakenly reeled you in with his net.

you scratch your head.

”well, i- er…”

selkie wrinkles her eyebrows, perplexed. “where were you all day, then, if not finding a gift for father?”

your other sisters look over, temporarily pausing from wrapping the stolen knick-knacks from the sailors.

”let me guess,” your other sister, marina, says from the messy table. “you went to go peek at the hot mermen down by the underwater cove, weren’t you? and then you lost track of time?”

if only she knew that you were looking at a gorgeous man, just not one that lived in the sea.

“no!” you screech, cheeks feeling a little warm from the thought of daniel in the sun. ”i wasn’t! i swear!”

your sisters laugh, fully convinced they had caught you in a lie. suddenly, selkie stops laughing and narrows her eyes at you. her slender arm reaches out, quick as a swordfish, and snatches daniel’s handkerchief from your hand.

“what is this, dear sister?” she says, holding it up to the algae light source at the top of the room to study it better.

panicked, you snap your hand towards the valuable cloth and try and rip it out of your sister’s grasp, but she is quicker. the cloth flicks out of her hand in a perfect arc and is caught by marina, who had stopped cutting the jellyfish paper. your other sisters stop what they are doing and crowd in as well, wanting to catch a glimpse of the fabric.

“give that to me!” you exclaim, pushing your sisters aside to take back daniel’s handkerchief. they had no right taking it away from you.

marina lets out a gasp before you are able to reach her.

“this…this is a human handkerchief!”

whipping her head towards you, she raises her eyebrow and smiles at you in amusement.

“so, you’ve finally broken your silly little promise to father huh?” she balls up the material and throws it at you. “did you finally get the guts to go up to the surface and steal something special for father?”

“yeah, and she didn’t even succeed in getting anything either- all she stole was a piece of cloth,” one of your other sister interjects.

you ignore the giggles of your sisters and sniff angrily at marina before picking up the fallen handkerchief from the ground shoving it into a chest on your shelf of shiny treasures.

that night, you give your father a small necklace made of the rubies and diamonds you found on the sunken shipwrecks. it is a far cry from the pearl necklace you had promised to make him, but he thanks you appreciatively and gives you a big hug. after dinner, he makes a big speech about how he is so thankful for such kind, obedient, and beautiful daughters, and you feel just the teensiest bit guilty for lying to him for the first time ever. however, the thought of daniel’s smile wipes it all away, and you fall asleep that night with his handkerchief tucked under your sponge coral pillow.

when day breaks, you often find yourself traveling upwards towards the forbidden surface in the same direction as your sisters. while poke their heads up near the massive wooden ships with plenty of sailors to prey on, you instead glide your way towards the bed of oysters. daniel is always there, in his scraggly linen shirt and brown tricorn hat, when you pop your head out of the bubbly tides. when the sun above him creates a halo around his head of curls and he smiles at you with twinkling brown eyes, you swear he must be an angel of some type. you both talk about every topic in the book, about daniel’s shipmates on his fishing boat, about your silly sisters and their siren dreams, and about life in general. and when the sun sets, like the first day, you press a kiss to daniel’s rough stubble, and he gifts you with a new trinket for your collection. as time goes on, your usual collection of gems and jewels are overshadowed by the many items from daniel. your sisters question you from time to time, but you never answer them. daniel was a secret- an oath- that you vowed to keep to yourself forever. your sisters could never appreciate daniel the way you did.

it’s just like any other day when you swim out of the secret entrance, past the seaweed forest with your sisters. like always, they drift towards their normal spot near the big mighty human ships and bob in the water, watching as the little sailors on the boats raise their sails and tie their ropes. taking a sharp turn, you leave them there as you head towards the oyster bed towards danny. when you pop out of the lazy tides of the water, the familiar muscular figure of daniel is standing there on the sand, like he always is. he gives you a smile and a wave, making your heart leap in your chest. you waste no time in gliding towards the shore and pulling yourself onto a low-hanging flat rock near the water.

danny practically leaps through the dunes of sand to take a seat next to you, not caring that the right sides of his linen shirt and brown trousers grow a little damp from the water on your tail. carefully, he undos the laces on his worn-out boots, before tossing it aside and sticking his feet in the cool water of the ocean.

a minute of comfortable silence passes over your figures on the rock. even without looking, you know his eyes are trained not at the endless expanse of ocean in front of you, but rather, on you.

”what?” you question him, without breaking your gaze on the beautiful surface world.

daniel doesn’t flinch from being caught staring. instead, he just smiles, eyes crinkling.

“you know, you do kind of look like a siren sitting on this rock,” he declares, not hiding the way his big brown eyes rake over your body appreciatively. you see how his gaze lingers on your glittery tail for a slight moment, probably admiring the sheer rainbow scales.

your cheeks heat up, unused to compliments from men (a human one, at that).

“well, you better be careful, danny,” you joke, using your fin to splash some water at him, “i might just lure you in with a song and drag you into the waves to drown you.”

he laughs, using a tattooed hand to shield himself from some of the bigger droplets. “well,” he admits, “i might just let you pull me in- how can anyone resist your pretty wiles?”

to that, your cheeks flush even more, and you become a little shy, looking at daniel timidly through your long lashes.

it’s weird to think about it- a year ago, an offhand mention of coming into contact with a human would have sent you into a frenzy. what if they captured you? what if they hurt you? you can’t help but feel silly at your past thoughts. as if your danny would ever do that.

”oh! i forgot,” he says quietly, reaching into his pocket. “i have something for you.” from the depths of his pant pocket, he pulls out a silver ring set with moonstone, a beautiful cloudy white gem that sparkles in the midday sun. gently, he places it in your lap. the jewel is shaped like a perfect circle, reminding you of the glittery white pearls that your sisters often wore in their hair.

“d’ya like it?” he inquires, eyes scanning your face for your reaction. “i found the gem, and asked my mate yuki to set it in this ring, especially for you!”

especially for me? this was just another reason why danny was better than all of the rather plain mermen down below the waves. when had they ever made a pretty ring- just for you?

you slip the ring onto a finger to find that it fits perfectly- not too tight and not too loose. in a burst of emotion, you reach up and cup the side of daniel’s face and pull him into a deep kiss.

when you pull apart a minute later, with flushed faces and swollen lips, daniel looks at you slyly.

“i take it that you liked it?”

you whistle a sweet tune as you do a flip in the water, leaving the oyster bed and daniel behind. you can’t help but keep glancing at the ring on your finger. it now glowed red, sparkling in the rare reddish rays of the setting sun that penetrated the water, a polar opposite of the pearly white from hours ago on the surface. when you reach the ships, you swim barely below the surface, teasingly flipping your tail into the air once in a while. he loves me, he loves me, you giddly repeat to yourself. a sudden thought of you leading your father to the surface to meet daniel flashes in your mind and it sends a shiver of scandalous delight through your body. you giggle to yourself quietly, but that’s when you hear it.

an awful scream, one that sounds awfully like- selkie.

you pop your head hesitantly above the water, alert and on guard.

like you predicted there, a distance away, was selkie. she was being hauled up into one of the towering ships by her tail. to your horror, your sister flails uselessly against the side of the boat as a grinning sailor pulls on the rope wrapped tightly around her body, hefting her up one pull at a time. your eyes meet your sister’s just as the evil sailor pulls her onto the deck of towering ship, effectively cutting off any possible chance of you communicating to her.

what the fuck?

you don’t even have a chance to react before you find yourself leaping through the water towards her. what the hell just happened? your sisters had to be around here somewhere. how could they let selkie get captured just like that?

when you reach the boat, the absence of the rest of your sisters is obvious. you only see marina bobbing half-hidden underneath the surface, face streaked with tears. even if she looked like she was in visible distress, you can’t help but reach toward her roughly, shaking her.

“what are you doing hiding under the surface??” you demand. “didn’t you see? selkie was just captured! we have to get father, and- and- everyone, and save her!”

marina pushes you away, face contorted with obvious fear and anger. “don’t you understand?” she yells, “they took father and everyone else, okay?? if i go up there, they’re gonna take me too, and they’re gonna take us and chop us up and sell us and-“

unable to continue the sentence, marina breaks into uncontrollable sobs.

you aren’t even sure how to even begin to comprehend your sister’s sentence. father…? your sisters…? how…?

before you can react, a brown net blocks the line of vision of where your sister was. it yanks upwards with surprising speed, pulling the blurry shape of marina with it.

”NO!!” you shriek, desperately trying to grasp the net before it pulls away. alas, you miss it by a centimeter, and it lifts up, up, up, out of the water. you don’t even think before leaping out of the water, catching onto the net with one hand, your last hope of rescuing your sister. she peers down through the holes of the net with teary eyes, but makes no attempt to move, as if accepting her fate.

no, no, no, you think desperately, tears blurring your vision. you ignore the burn of the rope cutting deep into your fingers as you use your free hand to slash at the net while it swings in place, too heavy for one sailor to lift. your nails breaks a few strands of the hard rope, but truthfully, you and your sister both know it’s no use. above you, a sailor with blue watercolor eyes peeks over the railing, spots you dangling there, and laughs. the ribbons of his sailor’s hat shake as he laughs, and a gold-lined brooch, with a grotesque image of mermaid in the center, shines brightly, as if taunting you. he disappears back behind the railing, and the footsteps of several other sailors slap across the deck before the net begins slowly lifting upwards again. you know you can’t keep this up for long. your strength was slowly fading from clutching to the net.

reaching up, you attempt to hack at the net holding marina one last time when she slips her hand through one of the holes and squeezes your hand.

“go,” she says, strangely calm, eyes meeting yours. “go and save yourself. it’s too late for me, okay?”

you start to refuse, words clogging your throat as your emotions overwhelm you. it’s not too late, you want to say, i can do it! i’ll break the net and then i’ll save you, and then- and then- i’ll get on the boat, somehow- and then i’ll save father, and then selkie, and then everyone else, i swear! i can do it! please!

marina snakes her hand onto your shoulder, and pushes.

against your will, your grip falters on the net and you fall down, down, down, back into the ocean.

and when you swim back towards to surface, wanting to tell marina to come back, come back, please, she has disappeared over the edge of the towering ship.

the salty tears that you cry disappear in the ocean around you as you flee like you never cried at all. the fish around you swim gleefully, as if you hadn’t just had your father and sisters ripped from you. the orangey-reddish glow of the setting sun continues to filter through the water, and the calming red glow now taunts you. the seaweed on the bottom of the ocean floor waves side to side in a calming rhythm, but all it does is remind you of the front door of your secret home, that you once shared with your sisters and father. emmy, the whale shark, blows a bubble ring at you in hello as she swims by. you don’t know why, but you punch the bubble ring, as hard as you can, shattering it into tiny bubbles, causing emmy to swerve away in fear. it’s weird, how fast your life can change. one minute you were sitting with daniel, one hand in his curls and his lips glued to yours, and the next you were- wait. daniel. he could help you! he was human, wasn’t he? he could talk to the evil sailors and convince them to release your sisters and father! they’d listen to him- he’s so nice and charismatic, he’s bound to be able to persuade them.

daniel was sitting on the beach where you had left him half an hour ago, when you approach the shore, drawing shapes in the sand. he seems surprised to see you, but immediately jumps up from the sand and waddles into the ocean. his boots and the bottoms of his pants become drenched with seawater, but he continues deeper into the water until he meets you in the middle.

smiling from ear to ear, he starts to say, “you missed me so much that you came back?” in a teasing tone, but his face immediately drops into a concerned one, once he realizes the droplets of water on your face are not from the ocean, and are in fact leaking from your eyes. he immediately opens his arms, as if inviting you in.

you swim into his arms, hands clutching to his muscled shoulders for dear life.

“hey baby, what’s wrong?” he asks, patting your back in an up and down motion comfortingly.

as memories of the traumatic kidnappings of your family flash through your mind, you begin to sob even harder. you are sure that your steady stream of tears could fill an entire ocean, at this point.

daniel doesn’t pry, like the kind-hearted person he is, and continues to run a hand gently down your back until your sobs have quieted down to occasional hiccups and you are ready to tell him what has happened.

he carries you gently to the upper shore, and sits with you, chest deep in water, while you tell him the events that occurred after you left- selkie being hoisted up onto the boat, marina getting caught in the net, the sailor with the brooch laughing at you, and marina pushing you away. when you finish, you grasp his hands, and plead with him to save your family from whatever awful fate was awaiting them on the ship, fresh tears rolling down your face.

he agrees almost immediately, and assures you, tomorrow- tomorrow, we will go, and i will save them for you, i promise, i promise.

and you believe him. the sun had set, and there was nothing you could do in the dark of night. all there was to do was to wait for tomorrow. so, when your quivering body calms, curled in deep sleep by the rocking waves of the shallow water and the comforting embrace of danny’s arms, he reaches up, and adjusts the collar of his linen shirt, making sure the gold-lined brooch, with a little mermaid engraved in the center, is still hidden. he then reaches down and gently slips the moonstone ring off of your finger and slips it into his pocket for next time. his work here was done. now all he had to do was to wait for max and lando to come haul you into the ship, and then they could go to the next location. he smiles, looking at your peaceful body entwined so willingly- so trustingly- against him, and can’t help but laugh. mermaids were so easy to trick.

a/n: i think i am just incapable of giving my fics good titles ;-; someone save me and help me give this one a better name please 🙏

[113457]

Here are the twelve hidden eggs around Jamaa for the egg hunt that was just announced!

Exact locations below, but here are some quick hints: Eggs can be found inside and outside of buildings. Two lands contain two eggs, and eight contain one each, and one of those is underwater!

Each egg is a den item that you can buy for one diamond.

Jamaa Township: Colorful Spotted Egg in the Sol Arcade right above the Astronomy Shop; and Rainbow Glitter Egg in the rafters of the Alpha Headquarters.

Coral Canyons: Brightly Striped Egg hidden in the bend of the waterfall itself.

Crystal Sands: Woven Pattern Egg right behind the Bahari Bay sign.

Lost Temple of Zios: Galaxy Egg on the Mystery Emporium's shelf; and the Diamond Egg in the Forgotten Archive to the right of the big book pedestal.

Sarepia Forest: Speckled Egg behind the Summer Carnival sign right by the spawn point.

Mount Shiveer: Wrapped Present Egg behind the bench next to Gem Breaker- only the bow is visibile!

Appondale: Geometric Pattern Egg in the Conservation Museum, next to the Museum Shop.

Bahari Bay: Ooh, an underwater egg! The Twisted Swirl Egg is in the lower left corner behind some kelp.

Kimbara Outback: Polished Stone Egg outside Gabby's Animal Hospital.

Balloosh: Decorated Chocolate Egg in the center of the circle of stones at the lower right corner of the map.

[xaytheloser]

HII thought i could yeet another cookie oc at u so this is bakestone cookie :]

shes a buff tank paladin and a sweet butchie with a big heart, as big as her muscles. i ship her w/ financier for self-indulgement too >:)

move outta the way Financier I wanna smooch /silly

I HAVE SOME OBSURE OCS I WANNA SHOW YOU RAAAAAAHH

Emerald Cookie!! (she/her) she's a gem mermaid (woah crazy), and she lives on land in the Creme Republic!! she's also very GAY and loves kissing WOMEN!! she has a girlfriend called Buttermilk Cookie, she used to live with Buttermilk Cookie and her brother, Crème fraîche Cookie, but due to certain events (Crème fraîche Cookie actually was in love with Emerald Cookie oooh dramaaaaaa-), she moved out, luckily, she managed to make a decent living for herself, and still has some financial aid from Buttermilk Cookie, going by the alias of Kelp Cookie :33

Apple Pie Cookie!! (he/him), deadass I made him SOLELY to ship him with the dragon cookies- Apple Pie Cookie lived alone in the forest with his mother and little sister, who were sadly slaughtered one day when he was out looking for firewood.. he later became a paladin, hoping one day to help find his family's killer and bring them to justice. also he's trans teehee :3

I HAVE SO MANY OCS TO TALK ABOUT IF YOU'LL LET ME /NF OFC

[diamondcrownacademy]

DCA Info Part 19: Coquille Dorm 🐠����🌊

Coquille (コキール寮, Kokīru Ryō) was founded on the Adventurous Spirit (冒険好きなの精神) of the Secretive Mermaid Princess and is inspired by the world of The Little Mermaid. Students of this dorm excel in Archaeology and Music.

Dorm Founder: Ariel

Known in-universe as the Secretive Mermaid Princess (秘密の人魚姫) or the Mermaid Princess (人魚姫).

Dorm Crest

The dorm crest features an emblem with a purple outline and light blue interior. The interior's background features bubbles and a silhouette of Ariel, with her pose being based on a pose she does in a promotional poster for the original 1989 film. The middle of the interior features the dorm's name and the bottom of the interior features a purple shell. On both sides of the exterior emblem, there is peach colored coral and green kelp grass.

Dorm Leader: Cerule Oceana

Coquille's current dorm leader is Cerule Oceana, the princess of the Serpent Royal Family who's a lover of shiny things and desires independence.

Dorm Fairy: Marina

Marina (マリーナ, Marīna) is Coquille's dorm fairy and vice dorm leader. She is described as being a good singer. She enjoys singing based on her current mood. She is often seen with a lilac shell that swims away so quickly leaving bubble trails. The shell is actually slippery and is difficult to grab onto. Marina gets easily distracted and a bit naïve but that's her charming point. Her singing always puts people in a pleasant mood.

Her current appearance is reminiscent of Cerule's desire to see the world but due to her being sheltered by her overprotective father, there wasn't much to do. She always dreamed of wanting to wander off to unknown places to seek thrills and see beautiful things.

Dorm Living Quarters

• The Coquille dorm living quarters is submerged underwater like the Octavinelle dorm of Night Raven College. The exterior is built on a formation of cliffs with an endless kelp forest below. At night, it is lit by large pearls placed in giant clams, jellyfish and glowing sea slugs. There are coral beds everywhere and along with it an abundance of sea life. There have even been dolphins and seals who stay for a bit and interact with the students. The bedrooms have shell beds, the bottom half is fixed with a soft sponge while the top is held up by sticky kelp and some barnacles. The building has spires with cone shells serving as the roof of the towers. There are giant clams attached to the towers that act as balconies and extra rooms. No one knows how those clams got to such impossible size but it provides a good design to the building. The hallways are very wide and the rooms have an opening for fish and other mermaids to swim through if they don't bother to use the entrance.

• Connecting to the building there is a walkway that leads to a dome in the shape of a massive hollow clam. This is the underwater building called, The Pearl Dome (パール・ドーム). This is where students sing and even hold parties. There is a large crystal cone on the roof that acts as a chandelier.

• Nearby the main building there is a large tower with a shell as the entrance, this is the Pearl Salon (パール・サロン). This is where the students go to have their hair done and be decorated in beautiful shells, gems and pearls. They allow students to try styling hair as long as they have proper basics learned, and post it on the cork board so that other students might like the style others have created. The staff there are a species of sea fairies, each one resembles a sea creature, they're like the dorm fairies in a way. They love to chat with students and they work in a smooth pace with not one mistake in the years of service. The sea fairies are ruled over by a queen, the queen resembles a seahorse but she's much larger and has a crown made of spiral shells. She keeps an eye on her sea fairies while also running the salon. Students don't know her real name but they call her, Madame Trixie (マダム・トリクシー). She is such a diva and loves a good gossip, she often likes to chat about boys with the girls.

Etymology

The dorm's name derives from the word "coquille", which means "shell" in French.

[betaorionis-fr]

Mazarine #57092335, Vast, Lonely Ocean Depths. (her bio has the slightly shorter version of that statement fic I posted earlier)

[image: A female Imperial dragon in shades of dark blue and pale pink, with Abyss Starmap, Phthalo Bee, and Phthalo Opal. she has an accent: 'Cross the White Waves' by Ambulocetus, white lines depicting waves and whales over her wing, a stream of bubbles flowing down her neck. She is wearing gold-linked jewellery with blue gems on her tail and neck, and white silks on her arms and feet. On her back is slung the “Current Catch” fish net, you can see the harpoon peaking out around her shoulder area. she is also wearing the Greenskeeper Treeshroud, which on her resembles a kelp forest covering her back. /end id.]

[nerx-tech]

A Geographic History of the People

Independent Republic Cities

A string of lakes and rivers on a relatively isolated northeastern peninsula is the main home of humans. Perhaps early people developed extensive trade because of the connected lakes providing quick transport of goods and people between even small settlements. Now there are 4 cities - Veristade, Seristade, Lavistade, Penstade - who (they tell outsiders) are equal and independent administrations. In reality of course the headland is a hotbed of rivalries and intrigue as each tries to one up the other. Very small remaining forests exist in a delicate state of the these fierce competitors trying to use them for themselves without completely destroying them.

Flat Sands

A mostly desolate area just south west of the peninsula, constantly eroded by endless hot winds. The aptly named hamlet of Oasis provides a breather for those travelling across, along with outposts near the twin coasts.

Bay of Chooms

A warm bay of fish so plentiful that boats move through them like sludge. It cuts into the continent’s eastern shore.

Freeholds

Many hamlets and farms dot these lands. Although looked down upon for their simple lives, the people here are content to live this way, tucked between breathtaking mountains, forest, and sea. This is the largest mass of land within the continent and takes up the full south eastern quarter.

Mountain Hold

A somewhat mysterious dwarven city in the mountain, height of their culture and provider to everyone else of gem and ores. A fascinating trail though the mountain range starts here - (mostly) above ground roads and underground dwellings (largely roadside inns) allow peoples to traverse the otherwise impenetrable landscape. It is just east of the centre of the continent, with the train heading west.

Jeese and Jeese River

At the centre of the continent and end of the dwarven trail is the city of Jeese. Although built in dwarven vernacular this is a cosmopolitan city. Every kind of creature finds a comfortable home, from underground halls, to sunny houses carved into the side of the Jeese Mountain, to riverside mound-houses. The wide river is famous for its yearly salmon runs and many ferry services for getting across.

Foglands and Mushroom Shield

Wet, foggy plains surround these 2 strange settlements. This cartographer unfortunately cannot tell you much of them as I left when I realized that they both happily count goblins among their inhabitants. They hinted at underground settlements although I cannot see how that is possible with the relatively soft ground. This area is reached by going north after leaving the dwarves trail (Players may discover underground caverns held up by giant hardwood-like mushrooms and dangerous dwellings within them)

Thamberland

An entirely forested island home to 2 elf ‘tree forts’ - Silvate and Warstona. Inhabitants grew trees over centuries shaped into pleasant (for the stout-hearted) homes. This large island site northwest of the mainland.

Soft Shoals

“Islands” that sit below the water’s surface instead of above, providing sun warmed hard ground for the gilled and finned people living here. Several house boats offer quarters and markets for others. Kelp and coral products are the main exported resources. This is the most western point of the map.

Goblin Blight

A dangerous “city” of goblins in the marshlands. The deltas, shores, and wetlands provide enough resources for the small mean creatures to thrive despite and unwillingness to cooperate even among their closest kin. The nearby craig bluffs and lone Craig Mountain even provide ore for their rudimentary weapons. The delta is on the westernmost part of the continent and the Blight its self is on the western coast.

Lacarno Beaches

A series of long beaches provide a pleasant stop on the one’s journey. The laid back inhabitants (fish and land dwelling) mostly live in fishing villages. Warm - despite its southerness - due to warm currents from an unknown source. (Players may discover underwater thermal activity).

Mayne Island

Despite being the largest island, Mayne island is crowded by mountains, sea, and forests, leaving little room for the people. Due to the cold southern climate they wear heavy skins as clothing, making their makeup hard to discern. Their buildings are likewise ambiguous in nature.

[laresearchette]

Thursday, February 13, 2025 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: CASSINO IN ISCHIA (Paramount+ Canada) NEXT LEVEL CHEF (CTV2) 8:00pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA AMERICAN HEART BANDSLAM BROKEN RAGE CRASH MONSTER’S BALL MY FAULT: LONDON THE NEXT THREE DAYS NHL COAST TO COAST A SINGLE MAN SUITE FRANCAISE

CBC GEM THE NATURE OF THINGS: SHARED PLANET: FORESTS

DISNEY + STAR SHUFFLE OF LOVE: A DESCENDANTS SHORT STORY

NETFLIX CANADA COBRA KAI (Season 6: Part 3) DOG DAYS OUT THE EXCHANGE (Season 2) (KW) LA DOLCE VILLA

2025 INVICTUS GAMES VANCOUVER (TSN) 1:30pm: Daily Show - Day 5

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF (SN) 6:00pm: USA vs. Finland

PWHL HOCKEY (TSN5) 7:00pm: Frost vs. Charge

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 8:00pm: Warriors vs. Rockets (SN1) 8:30pm: Thunder vs. Timberwolves (TSN3) 8:30pm: Heat vs. Mavericks

DOUBLE THE MONEY (CBC) 8:00pm: It's the semifinal and teams must double $4,000 in three weeks; one team hosts party bus tours, another trades liquidated stock and others organize food, drink and music festivals and wellness social networks.

CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING (CTV) 8:30pm: Growth

THE NATURE OF THINGS (CBC) 9:00pm: Shared Planet: Forests: Forests are essential for life on our planet, but humans are cutting more down every year; these inspiring people are reshaping how we live and work in Earth's forests, sharing space with wildlife.

WATER WORLDS (APTN) 9:00pm: Due to warming oceans, 95% of kelp forests on Canada's West Coast have disappeared over the last seven years; scientists are now seeking genetically resilient kelp varieties to restore these vital ecosystems.

FAKE (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm: There is a shift of gears as a different angle sheds light on Joe's whereabouts throughout the relationship.

PAMELA'S GARDEN OF EDEN (Home Network) 10:00pm: Heart of the Property

PRINCE HARRY & THE CANADIAN HEROES (CBC) 10:30pm

CANADIAN REFLECTIONS (CBC) 11:30pm: Operation: Stuplloyd*; Dad and the Fridge Box

[ensenadaexcursionsandtours]

Top Must-Do Ensenada Tours for First-Time Visitors

Ever wondered what it’s like to zip through rugged terrain, sip world-class wines, and dive into crystal-clear waters all in one day? Well, buckle up because Ensenada, a gem on the Baja California coast, offers exactly that and more!

Wine Country Wonders

Ensenada sits at the heart of Mexico’s wine country, and a tour through the Valle de Guadalupe will knock your socks off. You’ll taste award-winning reds at boutique wineries, learn about unique grape varieties thriving in the region, and enjoy farm-to-table lunches with panoramic vineyard views. Don’t worry about driving — most tours include transport, so you can sip worry-free!

Thrilling Off-Road Adventures

Want to get your heart racing? ATV Ensenada tours deliver an adrenaline rush like no other. You’ll zoom across sandy beaches and rocky trails, take in breathtaking coastal views, and feel the wind in your hair as you conquer challenging terrain. For even more power, try a RZR Ensenada tour. These side-by-side vehicles pack a punch and let you tackle tougher routes.

La Bufadora Blowhole

Nature puts on a show at La Bufadora, one of the largest marine geysers in North America. Watch as waves crash into a sea cave, shooting water up to 100 feet high. You can browse local craft markets for unique souvenirs and sample fresh seafood at nearby restaurants. Most tours include stops at scenic viewpoints along the way — perfect for those Instagram-worthy shots!

Snorkel with Sea Lions

Dive into the crystal-clear waters of the Pacific and swim alongside playful sea lions in their natural habitat. You’ll spot colorful fish darting through kelp forests and learn about local marine ecosystems from expert guides. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner — many tours cater to all skill levels and provide all necessary gear.

Craft Beer Crawl

Ensenada’s craft beer scene is booming. Hop on a tour to discover local brews, visit microbreweries tucked away in unexpected places, and learn about brewing techniques from passionate beer makers. You’ll taste a wide range of styles, from hoppy IPAs to rich stouts. It’s a great way to mingle with locals and fellow travelers alike!

Final Words

This place packs a punch when it comes to unforgettable experiences. From wine tasting to wildlife encounters, there’s truly something for everyone. These tours offer a perfect mix of adventure, culture, and natural beauty. Ready to make your dream a reality? Check out Ensenada Excursions for top-notch Ensenada cruise excursions that’ll make your trip unforgettable. Don’t just visit — live it to the fullest!

[superbloverwhispers]

Discovering the Underwater World: Scuba Diving Spots in Carlsbad, California

Introduction

Carlsbad, California is a coastal city known for its stunning beaches, picturesque views, and vibrant marine life. But did you know that beneath the surface lies a hidden world waiting to be explored? Scuba diving in Carlsbad offers a unique and exhilarating experience that allows you to discover the underwater wonders of this beautiful destination. Whether you're trusted roofing contractor services an experienced diver or a beginner looking to take your first plunge, Carlsbad has something for everyone. In this article, we will explore the top scuba diving spots in Carlsbad, California and uncover the secrets of the underwater world.

Why Choose Carlsbad for Scuba Diving?

Carlsbad is a haven for scuba diving enthusiasts due to its diverse marine ecosystem and favorable diving conditions. The city boasts crystal-clear waters, mild currents, and an abundance of marine life, making it an ideal destination for underwater exploration. From colorful coral reefs to fascinating shipwrecks, Carlsbad offers a wide range of dive sites suitable for all skill levels. Whether you're interested in observing marine life up close or exploring underwater caves and canyons, Carlsbad has it all.

Discovering the Underwater World: Scuba Diving Spots in Carlsbad, California 1. La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Cove is undoubtedly one of the most popular scuba diving spots in Carlsbad. Its pristine waters are home to a variety of marine species, including sea lions, leopard sharks, and colorful fish. The cove's rocky reefs create an enchanting underwater landscape that divers can explore at their leisure. With its calm waters and excellent visibility, La Jolla Cove is perfect for both beginners and experienced divers.

2. The Point Loma Kelp Forest

The Point Loma Kelp Forest is a must-visit dive site for nature enthusiasts. This underwater forest is teeming with life, thanks to the towering kelp plants that provide shelter and food for countless marine species. Divers can explore the kelp forest and encounter sea otters, bat rays, and even the occasional dolphin or seal. The vibrant colors and intricate patterns of the kelp create a surreal underwater experience that will leave you in awe.

3. Wreck Alley

For those seeking a more adventurous diving experience, Wreck Alley is the place to be. As the name suggests, this dive site is home to several intentionally sunk ships that now serve as artificial reefs. These wrecks attract a plethora of marine life, including octopuses, eels, and schools of fish. Exploring these sunken vessels offers a unique opportunity to witness history while enjoying an unforgettable dive.

4. La Jolla Shores

La Jolla Shores is a versatile dive spot suitable for divers of all skill levels. Its sandy bottom makes it an excellent training ground for beginners, while its proximity to the La Jolla Underwater Park offers experienced divers a chance to explore deeper waters and encounter more advanced marine life. From exploring underwater caves to encountering leopard sharks during their migration season, La Jolla Shores has something for everyone.

5. Farnsworth Bank

Farnsworth Bank is a hidden gem located off the coast of Catalina Island near Carlsbad. This dive site boasts breathtaking wall dives that descend into the depths of the ocean. Divers can expect to encounter vibrant coral formations, playful sea lions, and an array of colorful fish species. The shee

[noisycowboyglitter]

Catalina Island, California: A Romantic Retreat for Couples

Catalina Island, a picturesque gem located just 22 miles off the coast of Southern California, is a truly unique and captivating destination. This idyllic island offers a serene escape from the bustling mainland, with its rugged landscapes, crystal-clear waters, and charming seaside towns.

Buy now:19.95$

Visitors to Catalina can indulge in a wide range of outdoor activities, from hiking through the island's lush interior, exploring its diverse marine life through snorkeling or scuba diving, to enjoying leisurely days spent on the beach. The main town of Avalon is a delightful hub of activity, featuring a vibrant waterfront promenade, quaint shops, and delectable seafood restaurants.

Beyond the bustling town, Catalina's natural beauty shines through in its verdant canyons, secluded coves, and rolling hills, which provide endless opportunities for adventure and relaxation. Whether you're seeking a romantic getaway, a family-friendly vacation, or a chance to immerse yourself in nature, Catalina Island is a captivating destination that offers something for everyone.

Buy now

Catalina Island, a picturesque gem off the coast of Southern California, is home to a diverse array of marine life, including some truly adorable fish species. Snorkelers and divers exploring the island's crystal-clear waters are often delighted by the sight of vibrant, playful fish darting through the kelp forests and coral reefs.

One of the most captivating "cute fish" found around Catalina is the Garibaldi, a striking bright orange damselfish that is the official marine mammal of the state of California. These charming fish, with their chubby bodies and curious personalities, are a favorite among visitors who marvel at their vibrant colors and interactions with other marine life.

Buy now

Beyond the Garibaldi, Catalina is home to a variety of other endearing fish, including the vibrant California Sheephead, the playful Opaleye, and the whimsical Spotted Burrfish, each with their own unique features and behaviors that captivate those lucky enough to encounter them.

Finding the perfect gift for the avid fisher in your life can be a challenge, but there are many exceptional options to consider. Some of the best gifts for fishers include high-quality tackle boxes or organizers to keep their gear tidy and accessible, polarized sunglasses to reduce glare and improve visibility on the water, and versatile multi-tools with fishing-specific functions. For the tech-

Buy now

savvy fisher, consider a GPS-enabled fish finder or a waterproof camera to capture their adventures. Personalized items, such as custom-engraved fishing tools or apparel featuring their favorite fish species, also make thoughtful and appreciated gifts. No matter the budget, there are countless practical and creative options to delight any passionate fisher.

[fishrpg]

2024-05-27: Isle Zone 19 (Tropical, Very Humid)

A small island is divided unevenly by a natural channel that flows through the island.

Aiyros Island (Small Island, Uninhabited, RES)

Dense kelp forests are visible below the surface of the clear waters offshore. A channel running roughly north-south has been worn away by the crashing waves on the eastern third of the island. Numerous species of migratory birds reside in the trees here, but a tolerance for brackish water is required to thrive. The island is not necessarily out of the way, but its lack of fresh water sources has made it a stop of last resort for most travelers. For those that are willing to look closer, small amounts of gems and minerals can be extracted from the rocky soil.

[saltminerising]

am definitely biased because i'm a veteran water flight member and i'm a sucker for our aesthetic (yes even the eyes feel free to fight me) and our weird loser absent deity, but goodness gracious me, so many of the entries for wavecrest are just... completely stunning. like, my broke ass is willing to buy gems to buy 'em if they don't win; that's how pretty they are. kelp forest king, i'm particularly eyeballing you~

[dapandapod]

Kelp Forests and trinkets

Hello lovelies!

My brain is very empty but it is Mermay and I had to! Because somfte! Please enjoy!

Oh, and Kuri I love you, thank you for Beta reading, you are a gem!

On Ao3 here    For the @thepassifloradiscord Merweek

Normally, Geralt would roam in the Kelp Forests of old. He enjoyed the sunlight filtering down from the surface, the broken off rays of light shimmering between the kelp's thick leaves. 

It is not without its dangers, but that is why he is there, to guard their little reef. His folk rely on him to keep the dangers at bay, and he does so to the best of his ability. His body wears the scars to prove it; bitemarks, and sometimes even claw marks from surface creatures.

Usually, it is not so bad. It heals up fast enough when he is allowed to rest back home. But one of his side-fins took a bad beating a few years back, and every now and then it pains him. It is healed, as well as it can be with being torn into pieces, but sometimes when he makes a sharp turn, or when he gives chase after some pest trying to eat his family, he feels it for a long time after.

The Kelp Forest is calm. Their stems sway in that soothing way of theirs. Dancing, Jaskier called it once, and Geralt thinks that, yes, maybe they are. At least when Jaskier sings to them, they do.

That is how they met actually.

Geralt was patrolling the outer edges of the Kelp Forest, when a voice reached his ears. Distance was tricky sometimes, but it sounded close. Geralt had followed it, only to find Jaskier singing to himself as he sat on the edge of a big rock formation, his scales glittering in the sunlight.

At the time, Geralt had been pissed about it because the singing had attracted a rather large shoal of Razers, a small but sharp toothed fish that were too nosy (and hungry) for their own good.

Jaskier, the idiot, apparently did not yet know what it meant to be out in the open like that. While singing in itself is an innocent activity, and usually a good strategy for placating whales or even sharks, it can be a bitch when his folk were unable to read their surroundings and attract attention such as that.

They were not in mortal danger, but would have been had Geralt not stepped in and not only shut Jaskier up, but pulled him into the relative safety of the kelp. After that near-death experience, he took to following Geralt, watching his every move, *singing* until Geralt finally relented and admitted they were friends.

It took even more time for Jaskier to nestle himself into the reef, but no time at all to make sure that there was a place for him in Geralt's home.

Living together came surprisingly easily; his family took to Jaskier like algae to a bone.

And since then, they have been living like that for years. The cave system Geralt had chosen was perfect for inhabitants more than himself. Maybe he had hoped one day to fill those rooms with life, despite the aching loneliness when he originally chose it. Maybe Jaskier had already known, and that is why it was so easy to slip into Geralt's life, once he found the door.

This time, he is making the rounds on his own. It is a longer route this time because his brother, who would usually meet up with him halfway, had to stay home. 

Eskel mentioned something about a 'hatchling' that needed his help in the message sent earlier, but Geralt knows full well it's because said 'hatchling' is in fact a full grown mer who had been courting Eskel for a full year already.

If he had the guts to do it, Geralt would probably attempt courting too. Sometimes when he is on patrol, he would spot something Jaskier would like. A pretty shell, smooth sea glass, sometimes even a pearl.

He has a little pouch of things he has found. He has only once ever given Jaskier something from those treasures. The smile Jaskier gave him stayed with him for days.

A few days later, he would be the one who let someone else take patrol. Geralt had made up his mind just the night before. Yes, he and Jaskier live together, do pretty much everything together, but there is one thing he is missing. 

The one thing yesterday had given him a taste of. Jasker had fallen asleep while clinging to his arm, his lips pressed against Geralt's shoulder. And Geralt would do anything to get that again.

So this morning he sent Roach with a message, the little sea horse speeding off to Eskel's home. Payback for flirting instead of working, he thought, as he collected another armful of seagrass.

Jaskier won't be back for a while yet, so he should at least have an hour or two to finish up the first step of his plan. When he decides he has enough seagrass, he settles into a nook in the cave wall, weaving the grass together so it becomes thick and soft. Perfect to nest on.

It takes some time, some swearing, and some more gathering of sea grass when he butchers a few too many to keep going, but when he is done, he has new, bigger bedding for his nest.

There is just about enough time to put it into place when Jaskier returns, calling down the halls to announce his arrival. It makes Geralt's blood pump with nervous energy, and before he can change his mind, he rummages through his hidden bag of courting gifts, and picks out a shark tooth.

As per usual, Jaskier bursts into the room, telling Geralt about his day, arms waving and fins swirling with expression. Sometimes, Geralt feels like he could watch him speak forever.

"What's that?" Jaskier interrupts himself, mid story, finally picking up on what Geralt is hiding in his hands. 

Geralt feels his face heat up, and he offers up the little treasure to Jaskier with an open palm.

"Found this when patrolling," Geralt mumbles. "Thought you might like it."

Jaskier's smile is blinding. He picks it up, the very tips of his fingers brushing against Geralt's palm. There is no reason for that to send a shiver through him, down to his tail fin, but it does.

Jaskier studies the tooth this way and that, holding it up in the light as he asks what kind of animal it came from, if you can tell the creature's age from it, what this spot right here means, would this be better as a knife or as a necklace, and so on.

Geralt answers all of his questions, and when he quietly offers it to Jaskier as a keepsake, he is rewarded with a kiss on the cheek. As much as he had decided that today would be the day asked Jaskier to be his, he can't fight off the nervous grumble at that.

Jaskier just smiles and swims back to his own nest to place the gift somewhere safe until he has decided its fate.

As soon as the other mer is gone, Geralt finds his little bag of treasures again. This time, he chooses three very small pearls he found. Rolls them between his fingers, feeling their smooth surface, letting them ground him.

He wonders if he can give them to him just like that? Or maybe he should save them, give the pretty rock instead, the one that glitters when turned.

Before he can make up his mind, Jaskier returns, words exploding out of his mouth again with ideas for the tooth. It has Geralt smiling, glowing inside with how his gift was so well received and with so much enthusiasm.

He doesn't notice himself floating closer until Jaskier turns silent, looking up at him with quiet wonder.

"Geralt?" he asks, quietly for once, eyes big and questioning.

"If I told you I picked you dozens of courting gifts, but lacked the courage to give them to you..." Geralt starts, but trails off. The naked hope on Jaskier's face, it catches him off guard somehow.

"Yes?" Jaskier whispers, inching closer too.

He blushes, even his gills turning a pretty pink, and Geralt just wants to reach out and touch him.

"If I collected them to give them to you... would you accept them?" Geralt braves, and when Jaskier's smile wavers, when his chin wrinkles and his brow furrows, Geralt thinks for a moment he read it all wrong.

"Can I show you something?" Jaskier whispers, and when Geralt nods, Jaskier reaches for his hand.

He is guided out of his own room and down the hall, to where Jaskier has his nest. He should be used to Jaskier's tactile nature, but he still isn't. It always surprises him when Jaskier reaches out, when he offers reassurance or seeks comfort.

As soon as they are inside, Jaskier lets go and swims up to one of the upper shelves. His nest has always been a mess, full of things that Jaskier finds interesting and beautiful, his ornaments and instruments strewn about the room, mixed with the little corals growing here and there. Jaskier returns with a sheath, and inside it a whale bone, carved into a knife.

It is beautiful, if a little crooked, but wonderfully decorated with runes and carvings.

"Where did you find this?" Geralt asks with wonder.

"Lambert helped me make it. Or, well. He made it mostly, didn't let me near any of the sharp objects."

Geralt snorts and Jaskier smiles, coming closer and pointing out the finer details on the knife.

"Yennefer helped me with this bit. Said it would help keep you safe. And this one, Ciri put it there."

Geralt admires the handiwork, recognizing the runes and symbols. The one Ciri had put on it was a charm to lead him home.

"And this one?" Geralt asks, pointing to an inscription along the top blade.

"If I told you this is a courting gift, would you accept it?" Jaskier whispers, mirroring what Geralt had asked before.

Gently, Geralt sheathes the knife and puts it down. Then he reaches forward, cradling Jaskier's face in his hands, leaning forward.

"There would be no higher honor," Geralt whispers, and Jaskier's face crumbles again. He looks devastated, and Geralt doesn't understand it, but then the mer is throwing his arms around Geralt's shoulders, pressing close.

He tucks his head in under Geralt's chin, the hands that had been cradling him now holding him close instead, and Geralt finally, finally feels whole.

"Beloved," Geralt whispers, and Jaskier makes a pained sound and presses closer.

"I have had that knife for months," Jaskier admits into Geralt's collarbones, lips grazing the sensitive skin there.

"I have collected courting gifts for years."

They stand there for a long time, just holding each other. Then they hold each other while lying on Jaskier's nest, barely fitting together even with their tails curled around each other.

"I had another question for you," Geralt murmurs into Jaskier's hair eventually, and the mer looks up at him.

"I... uh....made my nest bigger...."

Maybe it is too soon to ask? It feels soon, but also oh so very late. But Jaskier is smiling at him, adjusting them so that he is looking down at Geralt, bracketing him in between his arms.

"Would you share it with me?"

Jaskier kisses him. Soft and lingering and warm and perfect, one of his fingers slowly dragging along Geralt's cheek bone. When they part, Jaskier is giving him another of those blinding smiles.

"There would be no higher honor," Jaskier replies, leaning in for another kiss. Geralt melts into it, losing himself in Jaskier, in the sensations of finally, finally being close the way he has always wanted but never dared. 

Too scarred or too broken to think someone like Jaskier would ever want him, but here they are. It has barely reached midday, but it is hard to do anything other than hold each other close and trade kisses.

Eventually, Geralt's stomach growls, and they have to get up and get food. Now that it is allowed, Geralt can't stop touching him.

Brushing their fins together, resting a hand on Jaskier's lower back, thumbing away food from the corner of Jaskier's mouth... He can't stop.

They wrestle, which dissolves into cuddling, into kissing, and it is like all those years of waiting has led them up to this. The first touch is tentative, hands exploring and kisses deepening. 

When Jaskier presses closer, presses them together, Geralt can't help the low moan slipping out.

"I thought the courting came first," Geralt teases, but Jaskier won't have it. Not entirely, at least.

"I have spent years courting you in my head. I want this. Please."

Despite those years of mental courting, it is too early for the final step. Maybe this will all fall apart in time, maybe it will turn out they won't be able to stand each other within a few months.

Jaskier just laughs when he says it, and Geralt doesn't believe it either. But for Jaskier, he wants this to be done right.

Day by day passes as he empties his courting bag. Trinkets and gifts and findings are given, and Jaskier accepts each and every one. 

Until Jaskier is gone for two full days, returning with a golden ring for Geralt.

The inscription matches the one on the knife, and what Geralt had called him that first night.

Beloved.

Geralt still makes his rounds in the Kelp Forest. He doesn't hesitate to pick up the treasures he finds now. He brings them home to his husband, his mate, presenting each and every one as a gift.

Jaskier calls him a romantic. Geralt calls him home.

[foxgloveblue]

pale in a liminal moon 🌙 chapter 19

Pairing: Grian/Scar

Tags: selkie AU, steampunk AU, enemies to lovers, slow burn

Summary: The masquerade begins.

Words: 2,936

previous chapter || next chapter

ao3 link || masterpost

The teeth were silver and sharp, the edge of them cutting through the pale, delicate skin of his fingertip to reveal the wellspring of vibrant blood underneath.

Scar withdrew his hand, expression not changing as he examined the tiny cut. It was rather strange that the mask was so deadly – why bother to make it so sharp, so realistic? Especially considering that the rest of the mask was purely ornamental.

He ran his finger over the lacquered surface, inadvertently smearing red across the black and white of the orca’s face. The patterns were highlighted by swirls of silver, almost wave-like in their shape and detail.

It was undeniably beautiful. And yet Scar’s eye kept returning to the teeth. The sharp smile that cut through, gleaming deadly in the light. 

Scar huffed in frustration, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping away the scarlet stain. He had already delayed the inevitable quite enough. He could stare at his mask until dawn once more broke, but that wouldn’t solve any of the problems of the night. 

He raised the mask to his face, staring across from himself at his lavish vanity as he slowly tied the ribbons behind his head, completing his transformation. It was no longer Scar that stared back, but a stranger, complete with a gleaming smile. 

Scar got to his feet, admiring his suit in the mirror with the same dispassionate gaze as he had looked at his mask. It was rather subtle for one of Joe and Cleo’s creations – an almost-normal tuxedo, with the same swirling, silver wave pattern woven into the fabric of his long tailcoat. The only spot of color came from his cravat pin, a tiny, dark red gem that gleamed at the base of his throat.

Scar swept his coat behind him, grabbing his cane and quickly exiting his cabinet onto the long mezzanine overlooking the grand ballroom. He did not pause to look out onto the revelry below, though his eyes naturally drifted down. It was a grand swirl of colors and sounds, lavish costumes and merry conversation blending into an overwhelming, formless blur. 

Above them hung the pale facsimile of the kelp forest. Even at his brisk pace, Scar could see people’s gaze turned forward, admiration plain on their faces. A few scant weeks ago, Scar might’ve felt the same way – might’ve looked at the glittering statues of sea life and silken strands of faux seagrass and felt impressed at both the beauty and wealth that the display conveyed. But now it felt almost… pathetic. A desperate attempt to capture something un capturable, a cheap recreation of a perfect memory. 

Scar scowled under his mask, forcing his gaze to turn away from the ostentatious display. He couldn’t worry about that right now. Clearly his own dissatisfaction with the display wasn’t reflected by the guests, who seemed perfectly content with the near-garish look of the scene. And besides, he had more important things to worry about.

He continued as the mezzanine gave way to an enclosed hall, making a beeline to Grian’s bedroom. He wanted – no, needed to talk to Grian before they made their appearance on stage together. The idea of running through a script that was now weeks old together, one that perpetuated the terrible, truthful lie that had gotten them into this whole mess, was unbearably painful. They needed to at least come to some kind of peace beforehand, or Scar wasn’t sure that he would be able to get the words out.

By the time that he got to Grian’s room, the sounds of the party were muffled and distant, though still reverberated through the bones of the manor. Scar inhaled sharply, then let out every ounce of air in his lungs – preparing to dive. 

He knocked, calling out “Grian? Are you decent?” 

Silence. Scar drummed his fingers against the head of his cane nervously. 

“It’s… I understand if you don’t want to talk to me. But I think we really, really need to. So I can know what’s been going on with you. With us.”

Silence again. 

“I’m coming in!” Scar warned. “So if you don’t have your clothes on, you should… I don’t know, do something about that. If you want to, I mean.”

With the twist of a knob, he pushed the door open. 

The room was dark – none of the electric or gas lights were on. Scar stepped in, squinting into the deep night. “Grian?” 

Nothing moved. Nothing at all, in fact – there was no rise and fall under the covers, no rustle of movement from the en suite, nothing.

He wasn’t here.

Scar swore, turning quickly around and heading back the way he came. He could be anywhere, honestly. The manor was massive, and Grian had no shortage of hiding spots. There was absolutely no way that he could check them all before they were slated to give their speech. 

The speech! Scar froze in his tracks. There was no way that Grian was planning on hiding throughout the entire party, right? This was, after all, the event that predicated his future freedom. He certainly wouldn’t just give that up, no matter how upset he was at Scar. 

His talk with Grian was vital, but so was keeping up appearances. Void, there was literally no point to this party if not to showcase his rumored relationship, reassure his social circles that nothing untoward was happening. 

With a well-practiced flick of the wrist, Scar pulled out his pocketwatch, flipping open the silver cover with a flourish. Half past nine. Only half an hour before he was slated to give that all-important speech. And Grian knew that. 

He couldn’t be far, then. Would need to be somewhere where he could keep track of the time – the garden was out, and he couldn’t imagine Grian going to the kitchen or dining room. The library, perhaps? One of the studies?

Or perhaps he was hiding in plain sight.

Scar hurried back to the mezzanine, practically running to the edge of the balcony as he peered over. This time, his eyes flew over the crowd, desperately attempting to pick out – out what, exactly? Joe and Cleo had refused to show him their design for Grian’s costume, some kind of joke about seeing the bride before the wedding. He could be any of the colorfully clad figures below. 

There was no way around it. Scar would have to go into the crowd itself. 

He bit his lip. He had specifically not wanted to do that. Despite his mask, his distinctive cane and leg braces made his identity rather obvious. He would no doubt be flocked by all manner of socialites and investors, hopefuls wanting to take a ride on his long, long tailcoat. 

But what other choice did he have? Keep moping in his cabinet?

He turned away from the sight of the crowd, mood only souring further when he realized that if he took the elevator down, he would exit onto the stage. The grand entrance that he performed every year. One that he was not actually ready for.

And that meant that he needed to take the stairs. 

Scar hated stairs. It wasn’t the same annoyance he had experienced in his younger years, when stairs presented a complete barricade, but they were still quite the arduous task. Furthermore, he couldn’t exactly take his sweet time getting down. He had a very definite time limit. 

Steeling himself, Scar headed towards the rarely-noticed entrance to one of the double spiral staircases. It was at least nice and wide, with the steps being relatively shallow. Certainly easier on him than most stairs, but the long passageway still seemed daunting to him.

Gripping the stairwell tightly with his free hand, Scar began the slow descent down the wooden steps. His heart was pounding – not with exertion, but with nerves. If he slipped, the awkward angle of walking down steps meant that the automatically locking braces might not be able to catch him. He would just need to be careful. 

As he pushed past the first leg of the staircase, he emerged beyond the enclosed section into the open air of the grand ballroom. From here, the ceiling decorations hung mere feet from him, their fakeness all the more glaring upon close inspection. Even the grand copper tree that the staircase snaked around seemed flat in this moment, the glimmer of electric light on the metal truly paling in comparison to the beauty of the natural sun. 

Even still, he determinedly fixed his eyes onto these paltry imitations, refusing to look at how many more steps he still had to go. He continued his stare even as he heard a shift in the dull roar of merriment – there was an edge of confusion, of intrigue. People had seen him. People were watching him walk down. 

Scar was suddenly, acutely aware of how sweaty his palms were. He should… he should stop. He should stop, wipe off his hands, take a moment to calm himself.

And yet the idea of letting go of the railing… 

Surely he had to be close to the bottom. Surely there wasn’t much more left.

He dared a glance down. He had never been afraid of heights, but he had a sudden, intense lurch of vertigo.

There were so many upturned faces, so many more which had yet to notice him. All covered, painted over with glittering precious metals and jewels, animals, moons, devils – all witnesses in potentia. Scar knew, logically, that they were just curious onlookers. And yet, in the moment, he could conceive of them only as malicious watchers, just waiting for his downfall. 

Scar simply gritted his teeth. It didn’t matter what they thought. He just needed to get to Grian. 

He pushed forward, faster now. He was stumbling a little bit, but his grip was as tight as he could manage. 

He could feel the tremble of his knees as he pushed them harder, willing his legs to not give out on him. He had so little time. He needed to find Grian, he needed to just talk to him, just tell him how he really felt– 

And then he was at the bottom of the stairs. He realized, distantly, that his breath was heavy, coming in labored pants. 

He was standing next to one of the guards he had hired for tonight, the woman positioned next to the chain that roped delicately blocked Scar’s path forward. It was, of course, to deter any curious party-goers from poking around in his private chambers, though at the moment, its only purpose seemed to be blocking his path. 

“Mr. Scar?” The guard called uncertainly, her face partially blocked by the plain blue half-mask that all the staff wore. “Is everything alright?” 

Scar opened his mouth to say that yes, everything was fine, could you please move that chain so I can get into the party – but nothing came out. He was just breathing.  

His eyes flitted over the crowd. People were definitely staring now. His vision flickered over the sea of masks, expressions unreadable. Their finery glinted cruelly in the electric light, the glitz almost blinding in that moment.

And then something caught his eye. Something decidedly out of place. 

His breath hitched as he took in the strange sight. One of the guests was pushing towards him, apologizing as they bumped into the gathered crowd – they were causing a miniature commotion of their own, eyes turning away from Scar to complain, then freezing when they saw what they were wearing. 

A potato sack. On their head. With little holes cut out for eyes.

An unbidden laugh bubbled out of Scar’s throat, an edge of hysteria cutting into the tone of his voice. There was only one person that would wear something like that to his party – well, only one person who would actually be let in. 

He turned back to the guard, feeling strangely steadied by the presence of his friend. “Everything is fine.” he finally answered her. “Just needed to deal with a bit of a, uh… situation.” 

The guard glanced to where he had gestured, stiffening in surprise as she took in the ridiculous getup. “Would you prefer if I dealt with it, Mr. Scar?”

“No thank you.” Scar reassured. “But I would appreciate you letting me pass.”

“Oh, of course!” she exclaimed, turning around and fumbling with the release mechanism. As she worked, she leaned in closer. “Are you sure about this, Mr. Scar?” she mumbled. “I can throw out the bum if you need me to.” 

“Positive.” Scar laughed. “That ‘bum’ is one of the greatest engineering minds of the nineteenth century. He just… doesn’t have much room in his brain for anything else.”

She looked dubious, but nevertheless undid the mechanism, stepping back to allow Scar through. 

“Mumbo!” Scar called as soon as he was through. “You’re finally here. I need to talk with you.” 

At Scar’s words, the crowd finally parted a bit, allowing the lanky man to push through without so much difficulty. Up close, he looked even more ridiculous – the potato sack was actually printed with a logo, which featured a large, stylized potato right where he had cut out the eye holes. In effect, he actually looked like some sort of potato man. 

“You… you do?” He sounded understandably confused. “I just came over since I saw you coming down, and…” 

“Not here, my good man.” Scar clapped him on the shoulder. “Somewhere a little more private.” 

“Oh, uh… Did you want to go back upstairs?” 

Oh, void. Anything but more stairs. 

“No, no.” Scar waved his hand dismissively. “Just tuck away with me for a moment?” 

He didn’t wait for Mumbo’s response, instead taking the man’s arm and practically dragging him away from the crowd. He pointedly ignored some of the staring of his fellow socialites, who were no doubt tittering at Mumbo’s appearance. 

He didn’t stop until they had once more crossed over a chain barricade, lingering in a dim hallway far from the swelling crowd of the party. 

Before Scar could say a single word, Mumbo burst out “Scar, I’m sorry!”

Scar raised an eyebrow. “About your ridiculous getup?”

“No! I mean, well, I’m sorry about that too. I… I forgot it was a masquerade.”

“How? It’s a masquerade every year!” 

“I know, I know.” Mumbo groaned. “I’m such a–”

“Potato head?” Scar suggested.

“Well… I was going to say spoon. But, uh, I guess that works too.” Mumbo scratched his neck sheepishly – or perhaps the rough hemp of the sack was just making him itchy. “So you, uh, didn’t ask me over here to tell me off…?”

Scar folded his arms. “Well… no. I just wanted an excuse to get out of the crowd. But it sounds like there’s something you want to get off your chest.”

Mumbo wrung his hands. “Uh, I thought you knew, since you called me away. But. Um. I’m sorry about my automobile.”

“Your what?” 

“My automobile?” When Scar just stared, Mumbo let out a sigh. “You know… that experimental, human-driven carriage thing I was working on?” 

“Oh.” Scar… vaguely recalled Mumbo telling him about it. It had sounded rather ridiculous – people with enough wealth already had access to self-driving carriages, powered by an engine and driven by an automaton. Why would one want to once more become a driver? “What… what about it?”

“Well… I’ve finished the prototype, but I still needed to take it for a test spin. So I brought it here.”

Scar continued to stare. “And why is that a problem?” 

Mumbo winced. “Uh… your valets didn’t know how to drive it, so… I had to park it. Um. On the front lawn.” 

“You what !” Scar exclaimed. “You parked on… Mumbo. If you have crushed any of my flowers, I swear on the void…”

“No, no, no flowers crushed!” Mumbo waved his hands. “Probably.”

“You… okay. Okay, okay.” Scar inhaled sharply, steepling his hands. “I can’t worry about this right now. Mumbo. I need to find Grian. If you help me, I promise I will totally forget about this garden-ruining thing.” 

“I didn’t ruin the garden!” Mumbo insisted, then paused. “Wait, you’ve lost Grian?”

“‘Lost’ is a strong word. Look – he’s almost certainly in the crowd somewhere. I just need to talk to him before our speech in…” Scar opened his pocket watch. “Twenty-three minutes. Shit.” 

“Is it urgent?”

Scar bit his lip. He could, technically talk to Grian after their speech. Nothing was stopping him. Void, it would certainly be easier without the time constraint.

And yet… he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to get up there with Grian, forcing him to stand by his side without resolving any of the tension between them. He almost didn’t want to force Grian to stand by his side at all, but he needed to save his reputation. All of this would be for naught without the speech. 

Scar straightened his back. “Yes, it is.” 

Mumbo sighed. “Well… okay. What’s his costume?”

“Oh.” Right. Costume. Scar tilted his head. “Uh, I don’t know.”

“Then how am I supposed to find him?” 

“Hair? Body type? Voice? Just look and ask around. I’m not expecting a miracle.” 

“But if I don’t find him, I won’t be forgiven for parking on your garden?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” 

“You are… insufferable.” He sighed again. “Okay. Okay, okay. I guess this is only fair. Considering.”

“Damn right.” Scar nervously checked his watch again. Twenty-two minutes. Twenty-two minutes to find Grian. Twenty-two minutes to try and resolve this horrible void in their relationship. Twenty-two minutes to bring them back together. 

[cardworksartblog]

Hi. Here are some weird slugcat (or weirdcats lol) adopts i made, im gonna be posting them to deviantart soon. Theyre priced at 1200 DA points/1500 flight rising gems and the treasure equivalent. If you want first picks on em before i post them to DA dm me lol

Also i have little lore snippets for these guys btw. They were made by the same iterator who made feather and frog, and as such they live either with Silent Catalogue/Sunny in her can or in the territory outside of it. I'll be making a post abt her once i. Actually design her lol

Armoured Digger -

With its hard as stone backplates and claws specialised for digging through the tough dirt of its territory, this slugcat is quite the hardy variant made by Sunny. It lives a fair stretch away from the tropical areas where most of the released weirdcats live, at the edge of the iterator's reach. Its territory borders a gigantic stretch of unlivable desert, and it has learnt how to cultivate many tubers to make up for the lack of prey available.

Gem Keeper -

This rather vain weirdcat is the scourge of the local scavenger tribe that Sunny watches over, living in a cave near the tropical coast that is slippery, dark and smells of brine. It has a rather curious obsession with keeping a manner of shiny objects, unfortunately picking pearls as one of their favourites. The strange protrusions on this slugcat can glow, often in mesmerising patterns, but if threatened can flash blindingly bright. It will sneak out at night and blind scavengers who threaten it if caught stealing pearls.

Seagrass Mimic -

This odd rivulet-deriven morph is quite the apex predator of the reefs, lying low in kelp beds and waiting either for stray sealife to swim over it, or for a terrestrial being to swim above it and send sounds down to jt. It will swim up towards the surface silently, before latching onto its prey and injecting a small amount of a paralytic toxin it got from eating many types of deadly sealife to aid in dragging its prey down and drown it before feasting. Due to the toxin secreting from its skin when threatened its both poisonous and venomous.

Thermal Lurker -

This weirdcat lives in the sulfuric volcanic vents around Sunny's can, being rather calm and unbothered by most creatures due to the blistering temperatures its skin produces. The outer layer of its skin is nearly always hot enough to melt metal, but strangely its underbelly is pleasantly warm. This volcanic friend is on peaceful terms with the local scavengers, being quite happy to fetch them sulfur from its den for their explosives in return for food and companionship. It also aids them with refining their spears to be much more powerful via helping them melt down seaglass to make a primitive sort of glass spearhead.

Cocoa Confectionaries -

One of the many of Sunny's experimental slugcat morphs who exclusively lives within her can in the containment enclosure, this weirdcat is not too different from the normal slugcats, physically. It lacks the short, smooth fur needed for them to slide though pipes however, and gets stuck trying to go through them due to their thick, wool-like fur. Its rather well mannered and is a loving companion towards Sunny.

Cookies N Cream -

A morph that is derived from a slugcat adapted to snowy enviroments, this weirdcat has surprisingly silky fur and is quite capable of sliding through pipes. Although, due to the threat of overheating in the tropical enviroment that surrounds Sunny's can, it is kept inside of an enclosure that mimics a snowy area akin to a pine forest with an array of other snow-based weirdcats. It enjoys hunting prey with a group of its landmates, and has been observed setting up traps and helping come up with hunting strategies that make use of their enviroment.

Snow Runner -

A frosted weirdcat whom has a unique coat that allows it to blend into powder s ow near-perfectly. This odd slugcat is rather shy, and surprisingly fast and good at running across snow due to being much lighter and smaller than an average slugcat. It will hide in drifts of snow, waiting for prey to come close enough for them to strike, before pouncing lightning fast and wrestling their prey. If their meal escapes, they will give chase and aim to exhaust it via travelling close behind and keeping pace for an extended period of time thanks to their extreme speed and stamina.

Peach Fuzz -

This weirdcat roams near the Armoured Digger's territory, and has collected a small pack of yellow lizards who follow its lead under every circumstance. It took a different approach to the Digger's way of survival, and instead opted to hunt the gigantic vultures who circle around the arid borders, via baiting them to come down via breeding vulture grubs, and then ambushing them with its pack of lizards. It quickly goes for their masks, ripping it off and clawing the vultures eyes out and letting it clumsily fly off, keeping track of it so when it lands to rest or succumbs to its wounds, Peach Fuzz and the yellow lizards can swoop in and take finish off their meal.