#i love when games add underwater exploration!! ^^

[gio-cosmo]

how about 1, 16 and 25 for the video game asks ^_^)/ !!!

Yayy!! 🎉 I just answered 1 in a previous ask so I’ll skip over that one :P

16. Single player, multiplayer, or both?

Both!! It definitely depends on the game lol. In games like Splatoon and Mario Kart, I’m always playing multiplayer, but I can’t really think of many other games I play multiplayer in…sometimes I let people join my world in Genshin, but that’s pretty much the only other multiplayer experience I can think of lol. Most of the games I play tend to be exclusively single player.

25. Favorite environment in a game?

Yk how lots of people tend to complain about water levels in Mario games?? Well I love water levels!!! I love swimming around and seeing fish everywhere omg…so fun. As someone who doesn’t like swimming or being submerged in water irl, it’s nice to be able to witness underwater environments via gaming instead :P

[unluckiestmember]

how abt headcanons for the arcane women on a beach date? :0 feel free to add/remove anyone ^^

Coming right up!

Arcane X Beach Date with Reader!

Characters: Powder/Jinx, Violet "Vi", Caitlyn Kiramman, Ekko, Viktor, Jayce Talis, Mel Medarda, Sevika, Ran and Vander

Warning: Some slight suggestive themes and mild cursing. But pretty much SFW.

A/N: Aww, summer is practically over! I hope you guys had fun this summer and stayed safe! Whatever is next in the future, I hope we all have a great time and look forward to the rest of 2024! We only got three more months until Season Two guys, I know we can do it even if it feels so far. So let's hang in there!

Powder/Jinx

“Hey, hurry up and look over here, toots! I’m about to pull off the biggest cannonball!... Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine- Now watch me!”

At the beach, Jinx is absolutely going to do everything under the sun, whether it be legal or illegal! She might not be the best swimmer, but she loves getting in the water, especially jumping in and getting her adrenaline going. And you better expect her to get you involved in a water fight! Just don’t expect her to play fair, girlie has a bunch of mechanisms she can make into weapons for your game and she’s not afraid to use them!

Sand castles are requested and being buried in sand is a must. A date at the beach with the Loose Cannon feels more like a hangout than a lovely day together in the sand, but don’t get it wrong. Jinx loves spending time with you at the beach and will sneak some kisses to your cheek or slam her lips on yours. She’s pretty sure your beach date is probably one of the best days of her life and it’s all thanks to you.

Violet “Vi”

“This is the perfect weather for a nice swim, babe. Hey- Race you to the other side. Last one there is buying ice cream!”

When you invited Violet to a date on the beach, she was more than ready, she was beyond excited! She is a perfect balance between playful and romantic, always flirting with you in regards to your swimsuit and even sneaking some seductive touches along your body. And right when she’s done or is about to kiss you, she’s quick to trick you by running away gleefully waiting for you to catch her or messing with you.

She’s not exactly the best of swimmers, but is willing to learn and get her feet wet just for you. If you both aren’t having fun talking to each other and exploring the beach side by side, then guests of the beach better expect to see a happy couple making out in the sand or getting affectionate. Peering eyes or none, a beach date with Violet is all you could ever ask for and more.

Caitlyn Kiramman

“Ahh, isn’t this absolute bliss, my love-... Did. Did you just splash me? Oh, you’re gonna pay royally for that.”

Caitlyn has been to the beach quite a lot in the summer with her family and always loved spending time on the coast. So when you asked her on a getaway there, she was immediately on board. During your date, she makes sure you are all okay, rubbing sunscreen on you and checking if all your equipment is accounted for. Caitlyn is more on the quieter side, having a picnic in the sand with you or laying in the shade and just catching the breeze.

But do not let this fool you; She can be playful and accept your requests to swim, especially since she’s a pro at it, or just play in general! She’ll always be open to exploring underwater with you or even making some sand castles together! When it’s time to go, Caitlyn almost doesn’t want to leave, but at least she has a sweet memory and new tradition to share with you.

Ekko

“You’re right, we all needed this vacation. Everyone’s happy and you’re happy, so I’m fine. Wanna take a swim with the others?”

Ekko has never been to the beach before. He’s only heard stories from Pilties that passed by the undercity and seen pictures of it, but has never set foot on one, and neither has the Firelights. Whenever he needed a swim or a getaway, he would just find a local lake or river to satisfy him and everyone else’s needs. So you can imagine his surprise when you set up a little vacation for him and his allies on the coast!

The leader of the firelights is beyond happy the entire time you’re by his side and showing off the beach to the firelights, engaging in small games of volleyball or tag with the young ones. Of course it’s still a date for you two, so he’s sure to give you all the love and care you could ask for when the kids or Scar aren’t taking up you two’s time. But even then, it is all in all a fun experience to share, whether alone or with the freedom fighters.

Viktor

“Aye! How is the water so cold? Maybe you should swim on without me… Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch-. H-Hey! Fine, I’ll join you, let’s just take it slow.”

It had been years since Viktor had stepped on a beach before you asked him on a date there. The once feeling of sand in his feet made him raise an eyebrow and the wind touching his skin had him a bit nervous with his body out. From the looks of it, you were sure at first that this would be a hard time to enjoy together…

But after a while and a bit of convincing to let loose with some encouragement, the scientist finally let loose a little and enjoyed all of the beach with you. He may not be able to swim, but walking in the water, holding your hand and feeling the small waves crash into his ankles? Now that was a piece of absolute heaven. And exploring uncharted territories with you to find the most beautiful of caves was beyond delightful. He would have to remind himself to come to the beach with you more often.

Jayce Talis

“What’s up? Are you admiring my muscles?... If you’re looking at them dry, I can’t wait to see how you’ll look at them wet. Now come on in!”

All it took was one date to find out that Jayce practically belonged on the beach with you! There he acted like such an excited child in his trunks running immediately into the water with your hand in his to feel the waves wash over you two. Don’t expect to do much outside of swimming unless you need something from your personal belongings, and even then Jayce will go grab it for you and head straight back in!

He isn’t much of a goofball swimming with you outside of small moments of teasing, but he does get quite handsy and flirtatious, holding your waist and pulling you close to kiss you. Everyone can practically put together that you are his with how affectionate he is around you. And he doesn’t care either because he doesn’t mind putting you on the pedestal where you belong. It’s a chill date, but a nice date regardless.

Mel Medarda

“Mmm, we needed this, sweetheart. A day away from the nagging, pointless fighting and having to meet expectations? It’s absolutely worth it.”

A beach date with Mel has got to be one of the calmest dates you’ll ever have in your life. Mel isn’t much of a swimmer, preferring to just walk down the coast with you. But even then, she spends most of her time sunbathing and simply taking in the ambiance around the both of you in relaxation. For some it may be boring, but for her just being near you and practically doing nothing is heavenly.

Of course she won’t be a prude though. Sometimes she’ll take a minute and collect seashells to take home with her as souvenirs. And if you do want to swim around or really utilize the beach, she will let you and simply watch you having fun lovingly from the sidelines. That is unless you want her to join you, then just ask and she’ll be right by your side enjoying every second with you.

Sevika

“Ran is challenging me to volleyball and I was wondering if you’d want to be my partner?... Thanks babydoll- Hey, Ran! Get ready to get your ass kicked!”

Sevika doesn’t go to the beach unless it’s with a group of friends. Only then with them and you as company is she gonna have the time of her life! Outside of work and in the sand, the muscular woman is a lot more relaxed and a bit playful with everyone, including yourself. She’ll do whatever you’d like as long as it means you both are enjoying yourself.

Want to play a few games? She’s all for it. Want to just kick back and take in the sun and the waves? She’s cool with that too! Nothing is off limits for the Right Hand of Zaun, and I mean nothing. Because if you feel it’s not exactly a date, then Sevika has no problem taking you somewhere a bit more secluded and showing you a great time~. At the end of the day, you’re sure to look back on your time with your girlfriend at the beach fondly and can’t wait for the next one!

Vander

“We should try and make this a tradition. You, me and the kids, come down to the beach every summer. They’d look forward to it every year. And so will I…”

Everytime you and Vander go to the beach, it is usually with the kids as an annual family outing. Yeah, the both of you have to babysit a bit and deal with the mindless teasing of the sumprats when you both get intimate, but you enjoy yourselves regardless. You love when the Hound of the Undercity plays tag with his adopted children, even dragging you in for the ride and getting a good adrenaline kick from it all.

You two always leave the beach excited for the next time around the following year with tired kids needing to be laid down. He makes sure to let you know how grateful he was to spend time with you and everyone else, nuzzling into you and whispering how much he loves you. Though you miss those days, you never broke that tradition, even when the world fell apart. No matter what, you always come back every summer to the beach to keep the memory alive…

If you got any requests for Arcane or X-Men '97, send them my way!

Likes and retweets are always appreciated! I love you all, stay hydrated and have a good day! <3

[owl127]

I love your sports fics!! Can you write one (preferably in the Clexa universe) where Lexa has to get off before the game or else she doesn’t play well because she’s all horny. Im indifferent as to if it’s another locker room based fic, or it could be Lexa and Clarke are rooming together at an away game and Lexa keeps waiting for Clarke to fall asleep so she can mastrubate and Clarke ends up hearing and helping her out. Also I love the football world but whatever

(Ao3)

You have a routine. It is a meticulous process, though parts of it are spontaneous. The candles, the warm bath, the classic music, they all play the perfect part in relaxing your muscles and mind, preparing your body for the battle to come. You will demand perfection from yourself tomorrow at the game, so when you can, you take your time to prepare.

The water is borderline scalding as it fills the ostentatious hotel bathtub. The team went all out with the reservations, and you are grateful for the extra leg room. Your phone chirps lightly to Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto as the vetiver candle hits its earthy undertone. The fluffiness of your robe rubs against your exposed skin as it falls to the floor, leaving pleasant goosebumps over your things and arms. It’s perfect.

You’re halfway into the tub when a loud knock resonates from the bathroom door, making you slouch water on the pristine white tiles.

“Yo, Lexa!” Clarke, your loud roommate for the night, knocks again as if you didn’t hear the first time she almost brought the door down. “I’m going to get smoothies with the girls. Do you want to come?”

Why would they want smoothies right after dinner? Tall players like Clarke seemed to have an endless appetite. “Lexa?” Clarke’s large, goalkeeper hands smack the door again, and you finally respond, “No, thank you! Have fun!”

Clarke grunts an affirmative, and you wait until the bedroom door closes with a far away thud. Laugher and heavy steps die down the hallway, and the air calms. You trace the water with your fingers, drawing invisible patterns in the rose-scented bath. Music plays quietly, and finally, you relax. You let your eyes close, bundling up one of the many available white towels behind your neck, taking a deep breath.

You wake up with a high note from your phone, surprised at the song. You must have napped, the water lukewarm on your skin. The rustic, golden faucet squeaks as you open it to fill up with warm water. It falls next to your feet, almost too hot, but you enjoy the small torture, the decadent warmth. Your feet rub together while you stretch, the towel around your shoulders sliding down to soak into the tub. It must have been at least a thirty-minute nap with how stiff your neck is. Long fingers run over the tight ropes of your muscles, and you sigh at the pressure. Your fingers linger, the touch initially soft, but growing in pressure and expansion, exploring your collarbones, ribs, until they brush your breasts underwater, and you bite your lip.

It’s not unheard of, you argue with yourself to detox your association of pleasure with guilt that was hard coded into your brain. It’s not unheard of for sexual pleasure to be used for muscle and mental relaxation. So when you’re in the mood, you add an extra step to your pre-game routine.

You wait for the music to change from the boisterous major chords to the intriguing minors, which escalates beautifully. The water is a couple of degrees higher, the turbulent sound of the stream mixing with the song. You open part of the cold water and switch inside the tub so the thick stream hits your neck, with the velvety touch like a warm, large hand on your skin. It’s irrelevant to dwell on thoughts of large, freckled hands, or the day you found out your team’s starter keeper had freckles on her hands at all. Always hidden in her colorful gloves, you remember the moment in the break of dawn of the training room when long, freckled fingers curled around the chest bar to press an unsurprisingly heavy set. But you block these recurring thoughts because Griffin is a colleague at best, an annoying teammate at worst, and you have no intention of unbalancing team dynamics like that. So you do not think of the warmth of large hands on you as you close your eyes and touch your peaked nipple. Instead, you search through your memories for the audiobook you listened on the way to the away game, the trashy sapphic novel of girls fucking in a car. Faceless, fictional characters are safer than the thought of Griffin’s dimple, so that is your focus as you feel yourself slick between your folds. Sometimes you wonder if you would make more noises with a partner, but by yourself you are quiet, biting on your lips as you spread your legs as far as the tub allows you. The built up steam helps in your fantasy as you remember the rough voice in the audiobook begging, “fuck me hard, babe.” The music swells and so does your clit, and you feel the rush of an approaching orgasm, your toes curled on white porcelain, the water’s touch warming up your nape, and then—

“Lexa?”

You grunt to swallow the moan threatening to slip through. “You alright? You’ve been in there for a while.” Griffin’s voice is low and concerned, her large knuckles touching the wood softly as she knocks. “Lexa?”

“I’m okay,” you force out, croaking the words above the music and the shame burning your chest. “I’ll be right out!”

“Okay.” Some shuffling, and the creaking of mattress coils from the bedroom.

You slump down into the water and turn it to cold.

Something brings you back from unconsciousness, and you blink in the barely lit room. There is an undetermined source of light to your left, so you turn to face Griffin’s bed. Unsurprisingly, the goalkeeper fell asleep watching some show on her tablet, and the mix of lights take over the bedroom as your eyes adjust. Clarke sleeps soundly, her headphones lost inside a wild mane of sun-kissed blonde hair. You don’t want to stare, but the single source of light is right in front of Clarke’s face, dancing with hues of red and blue on her freckled skin. Your cheeks are warm, and maybe the light wasn’t the only impulse waking you up. Part of you wants to blame the impromptu tub nap, but the growing warmth in your lower belly claims you’re up because of other unfinished business. You watch Clarke, but not because you want to, but yet to judge how deep asleep she is. The woman snores quietly, a delicate expiration every time her lungs empty the air against her loose curls. Her mouth is slightly open, surrendered to sleep, and her limbs are scattered over her queen bed. You judge she’s dead to the world, and wonder if you can get away with touching yourself very quietly and very quickly. Since you are known for your efficiency, you ignore the rising alarms in your mind and shove a hand between your sleep shorts. Thinking of Clarke while touching yourself right next to her is too much, so you turn your back to her and close your eyes, focusing on the sensation of your fingers gliding through your folds.

The AC and the faraway, muted noise of Clarke’s discarded headphones combine with soft gasps that insist on leaving your pursed lips, but your bet is that nothing will awaken the goalkeeper. You try, you really do try to think of anything but the woman asleep next to you; you think of the smut books you indulge yourself into when the need strikes, or memorable past lovers, but those damn freckled hands keep coming back, and you feel yourself getting wetter at the thought.

Maybe just a peek won’t hurt.

You turn around on the mountain of pillows in your bed, snuggling close into the multi thread sheets, your skin hot against the soft fabric. Clarke remains immovable, chest rising and falling softly under a cotton shirt you want to touch, her nipples poking it and begging for your mouth. You lick your lips at the mere idea of your mouth on Clarke’s skin, soaking through your panties as your fingers struggle to find space in your haste. The hand spread on Clarke’s stomach twitches; the fingers shaking for a second, and you wonder how those fingers would feel inside your mouth, or inside of you. One of your own fingers complies with the idea, and you muffle a moan on your pillow. You got your fill, so you should turn around and finish this by yourself, but your eyes continue to take, take, and take, cataloging every detail of the magnificent creature that is Clarke Griffin. Her hands, the strip of pale skin under the messed sheets hugged tightly over a hipbone, the long line of her neck sneaking into her strong jawline, the dark into her eyes as she stares at you with such intensity you might—

Fuck.

The colorful hues of Clarke’s tablet reflect on open, alert eyes. Her lips part and she arches an eyebrow, watching, judging your moves; the sudden freeze of your hands under the sheets, the air that feels heavy as you gulp a loud breath.

You want to say something, and you want to disappear, suspended in between as Clarke’s eyes take your entire body up and down once, twice.

Her mouth twists to one side, a shadow of a smirk. She caught you.

You wonder if moving to Germany and buying a new identity would solve your problems. But any thoughts of identity theft and a recluse life in Berlin evaporate as Clarke deliberately slips one of her hands inside her pajama bottom. It is a purple string shorts sitting loosely on her muscled thighs, stretching to accommodate the largest hands you’ve ever wanted to be inside you.

She doesn’t move, though. Eyes as dark as you’ve ever seen them stare at you, waiting. Her headphones pool around her neck, and you notice how her nose flattens with a harsh exhale. She’s waiting for you. Silently, she lets you know that it’s your call.

You manage to convey a small nod, and it grows in vigor as you give consent. Your foggy brain can’t offer more than that desperate nod, and you hope Clarke understands. Clarke smiles, small and sweet, unbefitting of what you’re on the precipice of doing, and then bites her lips and plunges right in. You don’t hold your moan this time and she gasps, dark eyes shutting as her hands explore what your mouth desires.

You’ve never done this before. God, you almost never masturbate, but this? Touching yourself as you watch your crush’s hand move under unspeakable purple shorts, her breath catching every time a whimper escapes you; you must be dreaming. It’s the conclusion that keeps you going, that brings your hand to renewed gusto, that brings you closer. Fuck, you’re going to come watching Clarke touching herself.

You make a wish then, a small plea for one day for it to be your hands touching Clarke.

“Lexa,” she breathes because of course Clarke would ruin this with words. “Lexa, fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Or maybe not ruin this. You moan again as you fuck yourself with two fingers. You think about how thicker and longer Clarke’s fingers are, and how they would fuck you silly instead.

“I can make that happen if you want,” Clarke says, and you realize words were possible even in your frenzied state. “You’d look so good taking me.” An indescribable noise leaves your mouth, and you will die swearing you didn’t, but you whimper at Clarke’s words, nodding, touching, feeling. “Yeah, baby, let me hear you come,” she continues speaking because of course there’s no way to make her stop talking once Clarke is on a roll. Midway to the race for pleasure, you notice that in truth, you enjoy it. You like Clarke’s voice urging you on, telling how beautiful you look while you touch yourself, how wet you make her. “Lexa,” her voice is high, and you snap open closed eyes to watch as Clarke’s face contorts in bold pleasure, and can she, is she—

“I—I’m going to come for you,” she says and closes her eyes, hands lost in her sheets, and you cannot do absolutely anything else but follow her.

You come moaning Clarke’s name as she shudders on her pillow. There are few things you are sure of in your life, and that you will never forget Clarke’s face at the frozen moment of utmost pleasure is one of them. It does not simply push you to your own orgasm, it barrels you down the cliff like a runaway bison herd, and you meet pleasure in a new, flashing light, your tight muscles spamming in bliss, your toes pushing against the sheets, your mouth muffled over white linen.

Your breath is loud and wet as you slowly come back to yourself, your heart desperate and loud in a rib cage that doesn’t seem able to hold it inside. For a moment you almost forget you didn’t reach this alone, but reality and shame crash on you as a tired voice asks, “Lexa?”

Heat warms your cheeks. You clear your throat and face Clarke, watching the pink in her face blooming to her neck. “Yeah?” you say, gauging her reaction, doubt creeping in as endorphins fade from your bloodstream.

“Was this okay?” It is not always that Clarke Griffin has a small voice, but it’s how she asks you, shy and unsure, and you want to untangle the knot between her eyebrows.

“Yes.” You’re the captain. It’s your job to show certainty, even when you have no idea of what to do.

“Do you,” Clarke says and pauses, moaning softly as she takes her hands out of her shorts. Your eyes follow the wet digits, eagerly taking her in as she licks her own fingers in deliberate fashion. After your affirmation, the shy girl is gone. “Do you want to do it again? I can come over.” Her eyes dart between your beds. “If you want.”

You are sure of another thing now: you, Lexa Woods, are in trouble.

[justanotherbirdbrain-blog]

may i receive your rant on why every videogame ever chooses to have columnar basalt in places basalt should not be, like in unsuspecting caves or just dotting beaches with no volcano in sight... because god, that gets me going.

Let me preface this rant by saying, I love when videogames at least try, like I can look at a rock and actually say, "hey that's columnar basalt and not *generic rock texture*" (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's texture shortened my lifespan). So generally speaking, if I can tell at least vaguely that someone googled photos of rocks when creating a game I am more happy than not, but!

My GOODNESS! I think I could extend this rant to just videogame cave systems in general! Like, caves are only formed in limestones and marbles (And some limey sandstones and salt deposits), BUT for some reason we are mining and finding Rubies? Emeralds? Metals? These caves they are depicting are clearly just supposed to be these natural caves and not abandoned mines, which would give them some leeway to put whatever desirable gemstone or ore they wanted in the game, but they don't choose that for some reason, and it is beyond me why!

And can we talk about how all of these caves got there in the first place? Like limestone only forms in marine environments! Are you telling me that the entire continent you designed was underwater to the extent to have a spiraling cave system forming at least every ten miles of trail explored (Skyrim I am looking at you)? And how acidic is your rain? Are we experiencing an industrial evolution? I CANNOT, also in what situation are these random massive quartz crystals in otherwise fine-grained material forming? Like one, Who would actually leave that laying there? No one. And two, how is this forming? Like are you trying to say this formed after the cave was created or what? If that's the case the more likely mineral would be calcite or gypsum.

My little bird brain can't wrap my head around what they are trying to do here! (The second image is from ESO and I give it a lot of lenience and to be fair they are trying to depict these are geodes that are surrounded by a massive basalt but they are also showing stalactites and stalagmites which aren't in basalts so it still gets points docked).

But yes! Seeing inaccurate geology, columnar basalts included can take you out of a game so fast, same with the imaginary ores that are kind of based off real metals. I think I would be more ok with completely fake names, because then at least I wouldn't have anything to associate it with.

That being said! I will end this rant by pointing out videogames that when either I was playing or my fiancé was playing I was pleasantly surprised by the geology/accurate textures.

ESO- elder scrolls online, I know I just docked it points above, but genuinely they do an amazing job depicting different rock types to the point that on their islands they have limestones. with. fossils. I nearly cried. Of course they still have random metal seems everywhere but it is an MMO and resources are necessary so I can ignore that as long as they keep making accurate landscapes.

Titanfall- I will just add an image because it will speak volumes

like does that shale/siltstone have ripple marks in the middle right hand side? beautiful. amazing. perfect. chief's kiss. (Apex also does a decent job which is a battle royale game that takes place after the Titanfall games, the textures aren't as good obviously but you can definitely tell what kind of rocks are at each map)

3. Horizon Zero Dawn- the graphics in this game are just genuinely impeccable and it takes place in the US but after the collapse of civilization. In a lot of ways, I think it made it a bit easier for the designers, but they still did an amazing job depicting the rocks accurately! I believe there is a Youtube video which compares the actual locations to the videogame locations.

some obviously tilted sedimentary rocks

sandstone arches

@cosmic-tuna please add more games if you know any!

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Hello there fellow Worldless Fan!

Got any fun headcanons or theories?

Hello hello! (Gosh y'all are so welcoming, I love it-)

Hrmmmmmm. I don't have a ton of headcanons (yet), but I can certainly come up with a few, lol. Mostly for the personality of our beloved duo.

Edda:

Strikes me as the more "professional" of the two (I mean, look at her idle-). However, this is more true early in the game, while we're still chasing Aven.

That said, when actually revving for a fight, she's more akin to a chihuahua in my head. Smol, but Will Fight You. Also true early on, and just takes on a more chaotic undertone as you progress and she has someone to Protect.

She has impulse control, and half the time knows something is a bad idea, but will do it anyway if she's riled up enough. This also tempers out a (very) little bit, and shifts from "I'm gonna do it anyway" to "Let's see if I can scare the living daylights out of Aven."

Has a serious playful streak, once she get's comfortable. Especially when dashing hither and thon and sprinting across water (Aven refuses to accept any challenges to a race after getting fooled once). I like to think this surfaces after merging with Aven, and that beforehand she was too focused on being "professional" to indulge. Aven gets her to chill a bit.

Aven:

The more casual, even-keel of the two, but early on also a bit chaotic compared to Edda's markedly militant undertones.

Also the more playful by default. He seems like he would have a good sense of humor.

That said, I also envision him as being a little more reserved up-front, given that after the initial awakening, he opts to run rather than fight. I always pictured that as a mix of fear, calculation, and reservation, with emphasis on the reservation since something very new just happened, and he needs to process that before he tries fighting the other participant in that.

(Edda: "He asked for no pickles.")

I also envision him as the rest of Edda's impulse control when her inner chihuahua wins out. This is also the part where he develops grey hairs every time she decides scaring him with a stunt would be fun.

Both Edda and Aven have their aggressive streaks, but where Edda has the aforementioned chihuahua vibes, Aven is more of a porcupine/cactus - he prickles at you, and glares at you, but would also like to deter you from starting the fight if he can, and if he can't, he ain't instigating.

Less of a personality note, but that scarf of his is somehow immune to water (joking off of how in-game it continues to flap underwater, and doesn't get soggy and weighed down), and Edda is jealous. (I would like to think that at least once she snags the end of it to use as an umbrella.)

Some other miscellaneous stuff:

Aven would 100% braid Edda's hair if she lets him (which she might, later on).

As much of a fuss as he makes of it, he doesn't actually mind her using his scarf as an umbrella (even though it doesn't work very well).

Aven is the one who likes taking time to explore, and encourages Edda to slow down and enjoy things (I base this largely off of how Edda has faster movement).

The fight with Angel? Yeah, Aven ends up taking back-seat for that one, and not even because he wanted to, but because Edda has found a Groove and he's not sure he wants to interfere with it.

A similar notion is true of fighting Demon, if for...different reasons. (Basing that both on the angst potential, and on the fact that I pretty much only used Aven for evasive maneuvers and fire in that fight.)

Anyways, that got long-

I will add more as more comes to me, and knowing me it will eventually, lol. Hope you enjoy the headcanons!

[pulpandgristle]

SCP-6013: The Leviathan of the Aegean

Art by Valdevia

We are alone in the empty. Stars stare down, past the air, past the water, into me, my eyes, my skin. We know our place. It is here, always was. One of six who drink from bleeding fire, tumors in meat like a string of oily pearls. But there is only one. One to gestate us. This world is our Adytum. I will not let them kill it again.

Genre: Body horror, sci-fi, interactive fiction, xenofiction, wet, underwater yearning

Length: Approx. 17,000 words

Time to Read: An afternoon, probably

One-Sentence Summary: When the Foundation's contempt and biomantic rituals collide, a transgender linguist has to make a choice: do her duty to the world, or embrace the new, greater self that only a Sarkic superweapon can create.

SCP-6013 was my entry into the SCP-6000 contest way back in the summer of 2021. I'd been debating whether to write something for the site for quite awhile before that point. When I finally decided to give it a try, all of the advice I got said that it was best to start simple. So, naturally, I ignored it completely and wrote a conlang video game over the course of about three months. I had no experience on the site, no experience with CSS or Wikidot and no one brave enough to stop me. Now the SCP Foundation is stuck with me forever.

I wouldn't have been able to make anything that I've done for the SCP Foundation without the talent of fellow author and goop enthusiast @the-metaphysician. All of his work is scored with this meditative and dark undercurrent that I aspire to replicate with every word. Sarkicism has always been my favorite part of SCP's massive universe, and he's almost singularly responsible for its most iconic articles. Being able to add to Metaphysician's repertoire with SCP-6013 brought me so much happiness in an otherwise dreary time of my life. I look forward to making his creation even more wretched and captivating in the future.

The beautiful artwork at the top of this post, which depicts SCP-6013 in all her vast, undulating glory, is a commission from @valdevia. He's an incredibly talented artist and a super chill guy, and I have several more articles in production that make use of his work. SCP-6013 also contains a gorgeous sketch piece from the artist @demo0on on Twitter (that one's a spoiler unfortunately).

SCP-6013 is part sci-fi horror, part gay awakening, part puzzle game, all disgusting. It is a demanding undertaking, a pit of viscera explored in exhaustive detail and hideous depth. If you need something big to sink your teeth into, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

I hope that it changes you.

[abirdietoldyou]

ANOTHER CRAB'S TREASURE: A Cod-damn Masterpiece

Total Hours: 37.9 Achievements: 32/32

Another Crab's Treasure is the second game from the Seattle-based studio Aggro Crab. Officially announced in 2022, this gem has been on my radar for a WHILE.

And I couldn't be happier to write this.

As said in my Steam review, heads up, it's my first official soulslike.

Another Crab's Treasure throws you fin-first into a colorful underwater adventure that flips the script on everything we've ever known a soulslike to look like. As someone with no real experience with the genre other than what I've seen from fellow content creators, I was immediately drawn in by the silly cartoonish world and all it had to offer. It was a breath of fresh air that put my 116 minutes on Elden Ring–all spent in character creation–to shame.

But don't let the cute shell fool you. This game has enough heart(kelp) to tug at the strings of even the most fortified- Sorry to all you thimble users out there.

You play as Krill, a charming crustacean forced to part ways with his beloved shell by one of the most evil things to plague the tide pools. Taxes.

Armed with nothing but an old discarded dinner fork and the power of Moon Snail Shells, you start on a quest to find your way home.

Testing the Waters: The Shallows

The Shallows is the game's starting area, with enough small crabs and minnows to put my local pond to shame. Here, players get their first chance to explore this game.

If you're like me, this would mean gathering every shiny thing lying on the ocean floor- And not that I blame you! This game is a crab trap full of them. Sadly, this excitement could lead to our little crab friend beheaded. Literally!

Tucked away in the world of Another Crab's Treasure are a handful of optional bosses you can beat before you even encounter the main boss of an area, one of which is dangerously easy to run into here. But have no fear, my crustacean friend. Walk far enough away, and you're free to get back to exploring!

Overall, The Shallows is the perfect starting ground for new and experienced players to learn the mechanics needed for the long journey ahead. From gorgeous Slacktide Castle to the mysterious Moon Snail's cave, The Shallows offers so much that even in the end, you'll be back.

The (Crab)Meat of it All: New Carcinia

New Carcinia is the gateway to everything the game truly has to offer. Even when you've progressed far past it, the area is a shopping hub PACKED with NPCs and stores that make it impossible to avoid. It's a gorgeous trash-built haven split between two levels showcasing one of the game's prominent underlying issues.

All it takes is one unlucky step on one of the many receipt bridges or getting too close to the edge, and suddenly, you're on the lower level.

A stark contrast to its bright and cheery upper level, the lower level of New Carcinia is where our cheery and colorful game takes one of its dips into the serious side of things. It is home to some of the most important characters you meet, each with their unique take on life mirroring the trials they've faced thus far.

The game EASILY juggles deeper topics while maintaining its lighthearted and cheery exterior throughout most of it. Despite its occasional treads in murky water, the story of Another Crab's Treasure is one to encourage you to look on the bright side.

When There’s a Will, There’s a Wave: Bosses

While the colorful and cheery world of Another Crab's Treasure is an impressive creative feat, the bosses that fit in it are just as incredible.

The way the team perfectly tied every arena to the unique themes of each boss adds so much more to the already charming level design. From a sushi boat housing the bane of my existence to a LITERAL throne room, you can tell they spared no expense when it came to showing every enemy the love they deserved.

Arenas aside, the bosses themselves are a force to reckon with. The game houses 18 bosses–five completely optional–for Krill to conquer on his adventure. Each boss has a weapon more unique than the last, including but not limited to tea infusers, hair driers, and even toilet brushes. On the optional side, Krill is up against bike locks, a caged monstrosity reminiscent of a Resident Evil monster, and the fists of the Grovekeeper.

These bosses are in no way impossible, but here is where "let's try this again" becomes a mindset rather than just a phrase. As someone who has dodged many Unblockable attacks and rolled into even more Aggro ones, the trip home will not always be as easy as slipping into the nearest current and being done with it. Another Crab's Treasure is a game that makes you work for your victories while making them all that much more memorable.

Besides, how many of us can say they fought an eel shooting bread out of a toaster and lived?

I Shell Never Leave: My Final Thoughts

Going into this blind as someone who had never touched a soulslike was an EXPERIENCE. It was so easy to find myself getting sucked into the world and all its little problems that, despite my regular schedule, I consistently found myself putting in 9+ hours each stream. I couldn't put it down, even with how often I saw the death screen.

Regardless of how much I had already seen between the developers' TikTok page and all the trailers that had come out, I would never have expected to get so hooked so fast. Barbed Hook-ed even.

What started as a silly little adventure about paying your taxes led to one about pollution, corruption, self-discovery, and the message of doing what is right–for the sake of others AND the planet we call our home.

A message so powerful that I couldn't help but cry as the credits rolled and my chat and I closed the cover on such a beautiful story.

Today, over two months later, I STILL find myself replaying it, never being able to move on from a silly little adventure I had in a world bigger than myself.

So, my final verdict for you, my dear birdwatcher:

A Krill-ion/10

Despite becoming the Queen of Soft Locking, Another Crab's Treasure is a microplastic gold mine of heart and soul. And my game of the year.

Here is a game I don't see myself shelving anytime soon because, in my own words:

Thank you for stopping by for the Raven Report!

[aikoiya]

LoZ: BotW & TotK - Ideas for Future Games in the Wild Series

I've mentioned before how I would've loved to see the Mogma return as people living in the Depths, but I'd also love to see the return of the Twili, Minish, Yeti, Deku Scrubs, & Skullkids.

Maybe expand the number of sages. Mogma of Earth, Minish of Forest, Yeti of Ice, & Twili of Shadow. If not the Twili, then just make Paya the Shiekah Sage of Shadow like in OoT.

Also, put in emeralds & have them related to the wind. Maybe make the gem blade-shaped like Diamonds & Amber to indicate that, when fused to a hilt, it works like the Eightfold Longsword? Also, it adds +15 to attack.

Also, Light Dragon parts & Diamonds provide Light Damage which is more effective against Dark Enemies such as Gloom & Malice enemies. Also undead enemies.

Onyx for Shadow, which would be effective against Light enemies.

And Sandstone for sand, a.k.a. Earth. Which would be very effective against electricity.

Maybe Moonstone for Twilight which is a merging of Light & Shadow. Since it is part Light, it would also be effective against Dark & undead enemies.

---

Maybe even learn that there's a different race of Zora living in the Necluda Sea (maybe ones more like the old versions of the Zora) based off the ones from Termina & the River Zora had no idea. I can see Sidon being eager to make them allies.

And a different race of Goron still living in the Depths of Gorondia. Their look would be inspired by the Luminous Stones in the series.

Like this fanart right here:

Not mine, but it's super cool-looking!

---

I'd also love to see the Keaton make a reappearance. If not as a character with riddles or puzzle or side quests, then as just something mentioned in myth & legend. Possibly relating to the Sheikah.

Speaking of myths, it'd be nice to hear about legends regarding diefied characters such as Jabun/Jabu Jabu, Valoo, the Goddess of the Sand, the 3 Golden Goddesses, ect. Also the Minish because they were part of Hyrule's myths too. And a mention about the Kokiri too! Like, again, it doesn't have to be part of the main story, just mentions.

It'd also be cool to see them in environmental storytelling.

I'd also be up for more Ruins of old temples.

Which, BTW, I wish there was more involving the Kakariko Graveyard. In that, I wish there was actually something there. Like, there's nothing! It's so small & I didn't even know that BotW/TotK Kakariko HAD a graveyard until recently when I just sorta stumbled across it in TotK! Like, was it also there in BotW & I just completely missed it??

---

Also, just bring back the Helm Splitter, Back Slice, Mortal Draw, & especially the Fatal Blow.

---

OOO!! And Darknuts & Iron Knuckles! I think they'd both be great additions to the Wild Series' Beastiary! Especially as enemies with really good ai.

You could even go pretty damn dark with the whole Iron Knuckles possibly being corrupted Gerudo thing.

---

Also a footwear slot & accessory slots. Footwear not having any defense, but effecting mobility. Like, you could use it to reintroduce things like the Pegasus Boots as running shoes of sorts, Flippers for swim speed, & Steel Boots for added weight in water. As well as new things like Climbing Boots for climbing. Things like that.

As for accessories, you'd get a crown, earrings, & necklace slot. That way, you can have an Accessory Set Bonus.

Also accessories that increase things like rupee amount. Like a Satori's Blessing Crown, Blupee Earrings, & a Bubbulfrog Necklace which you can get by completing a questchain in Gerudo Town with the Jewelry Lady. Aisha I think?

Also, the Wild Outfit's Set Bonus should be something like increasing item drops "Wild Bounty" for the initial perks & item drop rarity, "Wild Boon" or something for the actual Set Bonus. Because, as Hero of the Wild, BotW & TotK Link goes item farming A LOT. So, why not lean into that?

---

Also, I know that I've said it before, but I just wanna reiterate. I would LOVE to see underwater exploration & an actual in-game explanation that old Zora Armor were better. Then they go on a main quest to find a way to upgrade the Zora Armor by maybe going to Tanagar Canyon (where I think the Zora lived for a while during TP) where you discover the ruins of the TP Zora Domain. And there you find murals describing the Twilight War & the Zora's place in it. As well as a tablet in a room hidden behind the throne that describes how to make, like, a magical Kakashi-style fukumen face mask made from frog skin.

Because frogs use their skin to filter oxygen from water. A euryhaline frog like the Rana cancrivora specifically because it can survive in both fresh & salt water. I think I'd call it the Aquaskin Frog or something. It'd just be like any of the other frogs running around in BotW & TotK, just very rare. Like Tireless Frogs.

This art actually is mine & I'm very proud of it!

Anyway, this upgrade would make it so just swimming normally doesn't use up stamina, but, like, dash swimming does & even when you run out of stamina in the water, the mask makes it so you don't drown & you just swim normally to recover stamina like when you stop sprinting on land. Also, when dash swimming, instead of it being in short bursts, it works like dashing on land.

Also, it'd have 2 modes. Surface swimming & underwater swimming & they'd function differently. In order to go from surface swimming to underwater swimming, either you dive from above water or you hit the Dive button while swimming on the surface.

Also, being able to use spears & all Zora weapons in water unless Link's wearing something like the Steel Boots. No other weapon types can be freely used in water. But maybe in order to do so, Link has to train with the Zora to learn how first? As such, fighting underwater has very different animations.

I also like the idea of Link getting a sort of Chain of Return attached to a gauntlet device where he hooks a spear weapon to a chain & he can throw the spear in the water then press a button to drag it back to him.

Could be a feature of the Clawshot in fact!

---

Also, bring back special magical equipment & a magic meter like in the old games. Specifically the clawshots & instruments that do special magic songs. And not the magitech "magic through a sciency filter" sort of magic like in the last couple games.

Legit full-on magic with spells. And shut it with this "power" bs & not even bother to tell us what kind of power. If you're gonna do that, just call it flipping magic, dude!

And, if the power wheel were to return, I'd have the equipment as part of the power wheel, but do it like the Ratchet & Clank games do their weapon wheel & make it so while in the wheel, you can switch between powers & special equipment by flipping the right stick back & forth.

As a matter of fact, some of the equipment that I'd personally put in there would be whichever instrument is featured, clawshots, a hamaxe (hammer/axe), a shovel, a bow, & maybe a bug net & fishing rod.

Like, you can still just walk up to a bug & catch it, same with fish, but using the net or rod to do so gives you more at one time.

Oo! And maybe due to being able to use spears underwater, it could allow for spearfishing!!

Also, to keep the whole changing weapons thing, you have to upgrade your equipment like in Skyward Sword, which would require you to collect drops.

I might even put in a consumables wheel, half being for food & the other half reserved for elixirs & potions. Elixers can be made by Link, but Potions can only be made by alchemists, hearth mages, or herbalists. Because I really wanna make bottles special again!

Anyway, the wheels would act as a sort of quick select thing for when you're in mid-battle.

At the same time, I kinda wish you could fuse things to the bows too.

---

I also really liked how Malanya & weapon fusion was done! So, I'd like to keep them both.

But, I guess that I'd like to expand on it! BotW had this mod called Second Wind where Link could learn some basic metallurgy & even some weaponsmithing! Which, holy crud, I wish was canon!

---

I'd also have more recipes. Especially settlement or species or region specific recipes. And more sidequests involving learning said recipes & teaching it to people or just bringing it to them.

Like, I feel like Lurelin & Goponga Village would make Bouillabaisse. But Lurelin uses Porgy while Goponga uses Bass.

Also, sometimes multiple settlements specialize in the same recipe, but use different ingredients.

Like, Tough Pumpkin recipes originated in Kakariko, but Sunny Pumpkin recipes are unique to Hateno.

Maybe have recipe-seeking questchains?

---

Oh my gosh! And do you know what I'd freaking love??? I'd l♡ve to see the Gerudo with agriculture!

Like, did you know that so long as you have reliable access to water, you absolutely can grow food in the desert!

A bunch even!

Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, corn, wheat, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, figs, dates, grapes, radishes, carrots, sweet peppers. All these things can be grown in the desert so long as water is available!

There's also a planting method that's supposed to help with this. It's called the straw grid method where you create a sort of fence of straw around a crop & it helps to keep the wind & sand off the base of the plant.

It can even be used to begin a sort of de-desertification process, but it'd take a lot of backbreaking work.

Like, obviously, things can grow there! BotW even had a sidequest where a little Vai named Dalia grew some Wildberries in a lot inside Gerudo Town!

So, it's even possible in-game!

I just... I wanna see the Gerudo thrive! Like, fuck all Ganondoofus' excuses about "the wind bringing death."

Egypt was once the greatest empire on earth & they were situated in the desert! And you know why they were able to thrive there?? Because of the Nile River, which brought them water!

So, wtf aren't the Gerudo at least as powerful as Hyrule in BotW & TotK??? Even in TotK's past, where we don't know if that perpetual hoodoo spring had been there at the time because, if nothing else, I can 100% guarantee that the flipping Gerudo Highlands were there! Like, yes, a lot of things can change in 10,000 years... But not a whole motherhubbing mountainchain! That shit doesn't just show up!

Also, the Highlands' very existence as well as the knowledge of the fact that the desert had once been green until it dried up, suggests that the Gerudo Desert was never just a desert. It's a Rain Shadow. And, if that's the case, then this would mean that, the entire time, the Gerudo could've been using the snow that collects at the top of the Highlands to sustain themselves. It would mean that they could've been using the snow that forms there to help them produce their own food & not have to rely so heavily on Hyrule & other possible countries for sustenance.

Which, don't get me wrong. I, as much as anyone, understand that if the thought doesn't cross your mind, then the information might as well not exist. I understand that, just having 2 pieces of information in your memory is useless unless they collide & they connect to produce a logical conclusion. I get that because that "oh my gosh, why didn't I think of that before, I'm such an idiot" feeling has hit me more times than I can count.

But, at the same time, you'd think that SOMEONE would realize this!

... Which, just as I was typing this, I realized, maybe they did? Maybe that's where the infinite water from the hoodoo actually comes from?

... Is something like that possible? Actually... Is it possible that it comes from that river in the cave on Meadela's Mantle?

Also, bring back the equestrian archery from OoT!! Bring back those Gerudo Horses & maybe bring in War Boars & Sheep.

I mean, the Sand Seals are cute, but I want more!

Like, what kind of pets do you think the Gerudo would have?

Personally, I hc Sand Cats, which are both their companions & deadly hunting/tracking buddies.

Also, why the absolute fuck are the little girls wearing crop tops?!?!

Put them in feminine thoubs or something!

---

Also, Fierce Deity backstory revealing that Zelda is the reincarnation of Hylia, Ganondorf is Demise's hatred, & Link is the Feirce Deity.

And make the Fierce Deity a god of war, protection, heroes, music, the forge, the moon, & death. A fierce, powerful, & vicious god with a heart as pure as gold, but solemn & melancholic due to the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. (Which actually has some canonical evidence suggesting it might be true, as in Japanese, the Fierce Deity is called a Kishin & the lore behind these figures is interesting to say the least. In fact, the Japanese Kishin are evidently inspired by the Buddhist Pāla.) Maybe he was the one who created the Sheikah in the same way that Hylia created the Hylians? This would suggest that his true name might have "Shei" in it.

I remember reading a fic somewhere where this was a thing & Hylia, Fierce, & Demise were all the children of the 3 Golden Goddesses who created Hyrule.

Demise, son of Din was the first given responsibility to care for Hyrule, but he became an evil being. Next came Fierce (not his actual name), who was the son of Farore & had been a kind, sweet, gentle soul, but in order to protect Hyrule from the evil in the hearts of men left behind by Demise, he had to forge himself into an instrument of war & punish those who commited acts of evil.

At his core, he was still the gentle, sweet boy who loved nature & music that he always was, but now much darker, far more traumatized, & more tired than before. Something happened & then Hylia, daughter of Nayru, was made the new patron deity of Hyrule.

Even after that, Fierce continued to dedicate himself to protecting the innocent, Hyrule, & specifically Hylia. In fact, at one point, he & Hylia were married.

Then, Demise returned to conquer Hyrule for himself. Fierce fought & defeated him, placing the seal upon Demise that we remember from Skyward Sword, but Fierce was gravely injured & had given up his godhood in the hopes of using the Triforce to end Demise once & for all before dying & been reborn as Skyward Sword Link as a result.

It was a really good story!

I can't remember who wrote it.

---

Now, while I don't consider Ganondorf being the villain as well as a Gerudo to be racist (as someone has to be the villain), I do think that it would be nice if the games had villains/antagonists from the other races as well. Including Hylian. Like Vaati was a Minish & the original Yiga were Sheikah. Those were both interesting twists!

And I even kinda headcanon that Byrne from Spirit Tracks might've actually been Sheikah.

So, it'd be cool to have some more of that variety so that it's made clear that evil is something that can come from any race.

I mean, we get a good deal of antagonism from a few of the elderly Zora in BotW, though not to the extent of being villains, but it felt a bit too short lived. However, that seems to come back again a bit with Muzu & I'm actually kinda pleased with the fact that he reacted almost instinctively in that way in TotK because that just means that this sort of thinking is probably very ingrained. Which is actually how bigotry tends to work irl.

Which indicates that he has some very ingrained racism despite having admitted that he was wrong last game.

Which, while an awful thing, is realistic! Some people are just gonna be racist assholes & you can't change that! XD

Sure, maybe you were proven wrong, but you've still spent years thinking that way. So, obviously, for a good while, you're first instinct is going to be to think that way again, even if it's a knee-jerk reaction.

---

Also, if not the upgraded Zora Armor, then the reintroduction of the magical transformation masks from Majora's Mask, but specifically with the Zora Mask turning Link into the old Zora design which would spark curiosity from the other Zora.

Then, add a Rito Mask & make the Korok Mask turn Link into a Korok. Also, the Deku Scrub Mask.

---

Also also, water should hurt Fire-Breath Lizalfos just as much as ice does. And Electric Lizalfos should have an elemental weakness.

Maybe the Earthwake Technique is especially effective against electric enemies.

---

Also, why THE EFF can't I pet the dogs or play fetch with them Nintendo?!?!

---

Also, I'd give Hyrule more of an alcohol culture, especially Gerudo & Lurelin who'd be famous for their cocktails. I've even made up a bunch of drinks & stuff for them. That, plus some extra fruits & stuff.

For the ingredients you don't recognize, please go to my LoZ Wild Masterlist at the bottom of the page & go to the New Ingredients post under Lore.

Hyrule At Large Alcohols:

Courser Mead (Energizing) = Courser Bee Honey. - Hyrule's most common & cheapest alcohol. Despite how cheap it is, its actually pretty good. Made in Hyrule Castle Town, Mabe Village, Hateno Village, & Ordon Village.

-

Kakariko Alcohols:

Umeshu (Sneaky 1-2) = Kakariko Plum (Sneaky), Cane Sugar, Hylian Rice, & Silent Shroom. - An alcohol made in Kakariko from plums. Typically drunk during Kakariko's Hanami Festival. The Silent Shroom is meant to act as the koji that the Japanese use to make their alcohols. Koji being a sort of fungal yeast.

Satori Sake (Hasty 1-2 & Hydrating) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Hylian Rice, & Rushroom. - Made every spring when the Satori Trees bear fruit. The Rushroom is meant to act as the koji that the Japanese use to make their alcohols. Koji being a sort of fungal yeast.

-

Hateno Village Alcohols:

Courser Mead . = Courser Bee Honey. - Hyrule's most common & cheapest alcohol. Despite how cheap it is, its actually pretty good. Made in Hyrule Castle Town, Mabe Village, Hateno Village, & Ordon Village.

Satori Mead (Hasty/Energizing) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating) & Courser Bee Honey. - A honey wine made from Satori Cherries to be sold at Hanami.

-

Terry Town Alcohols:

Satori Liqueur = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Zonai Corn (Mighty), Sugar, & Sundelions. - Made for the Hanami Festival.

-

Mabe Village Alcohols:

Courser Mead (Energizing) = Courser Bee Honey. - Hyrule's most common & cheapest alcohol. Despite how cheap it is, its actually pretty good. Made in Hyrule Castle Town, Mabe Village, Hateno Village, & Ordon Village.

Mabe Bourbon (Mighty 1) = Tabantha Wheat & Zonai Corn (Mighty). - A rich, smooth, & citrusy alcohol made with at least 51% Zonai Corn.

Satori Bourbon = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Tabantha Wheat, & Zonai Corn (Mighty). - A bourbon made for the Hanami Festival. Hyrule Castle Town often pairs up with Mabe for it's production.

Mabe Village Cocktails:

Chateau Romani = Lon Lon Milk, Mabe Bourbon (Mighty 1), Akkala Cinnamon (Hasty), Cane Sugar, & Chickaloo Tree Nut. - Named after the eldest daughter of the original owner of Mabe Village's Lon Lon Ranch. A reference to Majora's Mask.

-

Deya Village Alcohols:

Deya Moscato (Energizing & Hydrating 3) = Deya Peach (Energizing & Hydrating), Cane Sugar, Sweetvine Grape (Hydrating), & Shock Fruit. - A sweet, fizzy Rosé wine made of delicious peaches & Deya's most famous product. Wonderful when paired with deserts.

Satori Moscato (Hasty 1) = Satori Cherry (Hasty), Cane Sugar, Sweetvine Grape (Hydrating), & Shock Fruit. - A sweet, fizzy wine made of Satori Cherries for the Hanami Festival.

Deya Village Cocktails:

Karina's Blessing Daiquiri (Hearty & Amorous) = Deya Peach (Energizing & Hydrating), Lovely Rose (Mighty & Amorous), Valiant Gladiolus (Mighty & Amorous)/Sweetheart Orchid (Hearty & Amorous), Rama Lama, Deya Moscato (Energizing & Hydrating 3), Cane Sugar, & Ice Fruit. - Made with ingredients from all around southern Hyrule. Made in tribute to the Goddess of Love & Passion. Often served during the evening on Bondsday.

-

Tabantha Village Alcohols:

Tabanthan Vodka (Hearty/Spicy 1) = Tabantha Wheat & Hearty Radish or Tundra Potato (Spicy). - Can use either Radishes or Potatoes. Either way, it's a very strong alcohol that'll surely warm you up.

Satori Vodka = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Tabantha Wheat & Hearty Radish or Tundra Potato (Spicy). - A type of Vodka made for Hanami. Rito Village often teams up with Tabantha Village for its production. The Gorons & Shadow Hamlet also make their own version of a Satori Vodka & the first time this happened it was like walking into a party where some other chick is wearing the same dress. They were like, "Well, SOMEONE'S gonna have to change," but all parties involved were too stubborn & now it's a full-blown rivalry.

Tabantha Village Cocktails:

Bloody Hilda = Hylian Tomato, Tabanthan Vodka (Hearty/Spicy), Spicy Pepper, Shock Fruit, & Rock Salt. - A reference to Link Between Worlds.

-

Goron City & Shadow Hamlet Alcohols:

Dodongo's Blood (Scorching 1) = Warm Safflina, Hearty Radish, Fire Fruit, & Hylian Rice. - A very, very strong, burning sort of vodka made in the Shadow Hamlet.

Satori Vodka = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Warm Safflina, & Hylian Rice. - Shadow Hamlet's version of cherry vodka. Goron City tends to pair up with Shadow Hamlet for its production. The Ritos & Tabantha Village also make their own version of a Satori Vodka & the first time this happened it was like walking into a party where some other chick is wearing the same dress. They were like, "Well, SOMEONE'S gonna have to change," but all parties involved were too stubborn & now it's a full-blown rivalry.

Goron City & Shadow Hamlet Cocktails:

Cinder Ale (Scorching 2-3) = Fire Fruit, Gleaming Ginger (Sunny), & Dodongo's Blood (Scorching 1). - Favored by Gorons & Shadow Hamletans.

-

Zora's Domain & Goponga Village Alcohols:

Cascade Wine (Rapid 1 & Hydrating) = Splash Fruit & Swift Violet. - Wine brewed from Splash Fruit. The Swift Violet doesn't nullify the effects of the Splash Fruit due to the 2 having Effect Synergy.

Satori Wine (Hasty & Hydrating 2) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Cane Sugar, & Splash Fruit. - A wine made of Satori Cherries for the Hanami Festival. Zora's Domain typically aids Goponga in its production.

Zora's Domain & Goponga Village Cocktails:

Aqua Vita (Rapid 2-3) = Cascade Wine (Rapid 1 & Hydrating), Swiftsail Lavender (Rapid), Cane Sugar, & Splash Fruit. - A sangría made from Cascade Wine from Goponga. Zora absolutely love it!

Aqua Vita Frogría (Rapid 3 & Hydrating) = Ice Fruit, Cascade Wine (Rapid 1 & Hydrating), Swiftsail Lavender (Rapid), Cane Sugar, & Splash Fruit. - A frozen Aqua Vita. Zora absolutely love it, especially in summer!

-

Ordon Village Alcohols:

Courser Mead (Energizing) = Courser Bee Honey. - Hyrule's most common & cheapest alcohol. Despite how cheap it is, its actually pretty good. Made in Hyrule Castle Town, Mabe Village, Hateno Village, & Ordon Village.

Ordon Moonshine (Mighty 2) = Zonai Corn (Mighty), Mighty Thistle, Valiant Gladiolus (Mighty & Amorous), & Cane Sugar. - Only available in Ordon & only for residents. Has a very complex flavor profile.

Ordon Whiskey (Mighty 1) - Zonai Corn (Mighty) & Tabantha Wheat. - The most common adult beverage in Ordon.

Satori Whiskey = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating) & Zonai Corn (Mighty). - A whiskey made from Satori Cherries for the Hanami Festival.

Ordon Village Cocktails:

Spiked Apple Cider = Apple, Fall Seasoning, Cane Sugar, Acorn/Chickaloo Tree Nut, & Ordon Whiskey (Mighty 1) - Ordon's favorite fall drink. Beloved & deeply nostalgic. Commonly served at Ordon's Harvest Festival in fall & is a very popular drink all over Hyrule around that time.

Spiked Golden Apple Cider (Mighty 3) =  Golden Apple, Fall Seasoning, Cane Sugar, Farore Hazelnut (Lightningproof), Mighty Thistle/Valiant Gladiolus (Mighty & Amorous), & Ordon Whiskey (Mighty 1). - The best version of Ordon's favorite fall drink. Beloved & deeply nostalgic. Comes in short supply due to how rare Golden Apples are. Commonly served at Ordon's Harvest Festival in fall & is a very popular drink all over Hyrule around that time.

-

Gerudo & Ealiyah Town Alcohols:

Ealiyan Spiced Whiskey (Spicy 1) = Tabantha Wheat, Warm Safflina, & Spicy Pepper. -  A warming whiskey made for winter.

Wildberry Wine = Wildberry. - Wine made from the Wildberries of the Gerudo Highlands. A winter drink.

Fudkarràck (Spicy/Chilly/Electric 1) = Any Safflina & Tabantha Wheat. - A Gerudo alcohol brewed from Cool Safflina & Wheat from the Gerudo Highlands.

Màlàkshedeh (Chilly/Icy 1) = Cool Safflina, Desert Queen (Chilly/Icy), & Oasis Honey (Recovery)/Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery). - A very special Gerudo alcohol that is delicious & sweetly spiced. It is inspired by Shedeh, which was the most precious wine in Egypt. Màlàkshedeh was originally only reserved for the Chief's family, but since Riju's decree, other Gerudo are allowed to imbibe it, though only on important holidays. Is very difficult to brew, which was a large contributor to why it was originally so exclusive. While technically any Safflina will work, Cool Safflina is recommended as it doesn't conflict with the Desert Queen.

Sàtrï Shedeh = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Warm/Cool Safflina, Oasis Honey (Recovery)/Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery), & Frostbane Blossom (Spicy)/Desert Queen (Chilly). - A precious, springtime, honey spirit brewed for the Hanami Festival. Gerudo Town typically teams up with Ealiyah Town to produce it. They tend to switch between the 2 recipes they use depending on what's most abundant that year. - Inspired by Shedeh, which was the most precious wine in Egypt.

Ealiyah Town Cocktails: (Ealiyans invented the Daiquiri)

Noble Pursuit (Electro 2-3) = Palm Fruit, Hydromelon, Voltfruit, Rock Salt, & Electro Fudkarràck. - The original recipe. Can technically be made with any Fudkarràck, but Electro Fudkarràck is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit.

Shockonana (Stormy/Charged 2-3) = Shock Fruit, Korok Leaf, Cane Sugar, & Electro Fudkarràck. - A relatively new cocktail only made after the Upheaval. A sweet & sour drink with some serious zing & a nice fizz on the tongue. A favorite among young adults. Can technically be made with any Fudkarrack, but Electro Fudkarrack is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit. (A reference to Limonana which is a Middle Eastern mint lemonade.)

Hot Toddy (Energizing) = Ealiyan Spiced Whiskey, Oasis Honey (Recovery), Shock Fruit, Korok Frond, Fall Seasoning, & Zonai Cofégranos (Energizing). - A good drink to start the day with.

Hydromelon Daiquiri (Chilly 3 & Hydrating) = Ice Fruit, Chilly Fudkarràck, Hydromelon, & Splash Fruit (optional). - Made with Ealiyan Gerudo bartending techniques, who are often hired in Gerudo Town to be bartenders & it's absolutely extremely popular in Gerudo Town, especially in midday when it's hottest. Can technically be made with any Fudkarràck, but Chilly Fudkarràck is recommended. The Splash Fruit is both optional & expensive due to it being an import, but it makes for an even better & more effective drink. Very hydrating which is perfect for desert living. Zora love it too!

Spiced Pineapple Shrug (Spicy 2-3 & Hydrating) = Spicy Pepper, Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Spicy Fudkarràck. - Very popular both in the Highlands & the Desert. However, the fact that they need to import the Feron Pineapples from Lurelin means that the drink tends to be more expensive. Tabanthans & Ritos also tend to greatly enjoy it.

Chieftain's Resolve (Stormy/Charged 2) = Shock Fruit, Desert Queen (Chilly/Icy), Rock Salt, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Electro Màlàkshedeh. - A very special occasion sort of cocktail meant only for celebrations. Was made in honor of Chief Riju & Sir Link's success against the Gibdos &, later, the Demon King. Electro Malakshedeh is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit.

Sàtrï Slush (Hasty 1) = Ice Fruit, Sàtrï Shedeh, & Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating). - Not very popular in Ealiyah itself, but Ealiyan Gerudo are often hired in Gerudo Town to be bartenders & it's absolutely extremely popular there, especially in midday when it's hottest. Only available during spring.

-

Lurelin Alcohols:

Rama Lama = Any Milk & Cane Sugar. - A sort of rich cream rum.

Rama Hua Pāma (Hydrating) = Palm Fruit & Cane Sugar. - A rum made with palm fruit.

Rama Alani (Enduring & Hydrating) = Lurelin Orange (Enduring & Hydrating) & Cane Sugar. - A rum made with oranges.

Rama Paina (Spicy & Hydrating) = Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating) & Cane Sugar. - A rum made with pineapples.

Rama Satori (Hasty & Hydrating) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating) & Cane Sugar. - A rum made of Satori Cherries to be drunk at Hanami.

Lurelin Cocktails:

Dirty Banana = Mighty Banana, Rama Lama, & Zonai Chocolate (Spicy & Amorous). - A cocktail made with Mighty Bananas, & Zonai Chocolate powder steeped in a Cream Rum.

Kalima ʻAlani (Enduring - Half○ & Hydrating 2) = Lurelin Orange (Enduring & Hydrating), any Milk, Rama Alani (Enduring & Hydrating), & Rama Lama. - Sort of an orange cream cocktail. Fantastic just before a hard day's work.

Kalima ʻAlani Daiquiri (Enduring - Full○ & Hydrating) = Ice Fruit, Lurelin Orange (Enduring & Hydrating), any Milk, Rama Alani (Enduring & Hydrating), & Rama Lama. - A frozen Kalima ʻAlani. Fantastic just before a hard day's work. The Ice Fruit are imported from the Gerudo Highlands & Tabantha regions.

Lurelin Sunset (Hydrating 3) = Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating), Lurelin Orange (Enduring & Hydrating), & Rama Hua Pāma (Hydrating). - Named after the most beautiful view in Hyrule & inspired by a Miami Sunset cocktail.

Paina Colada (Spicy 3 & Hydrating 3) = Palm Fruit, Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating), Shock Fruit, Ice Fruit, & Rama Hua Pāma/Rama Paina (Spicy & Hydrating). - Just a Piña Colada, but Paina instead because Paina is Hawaiian for pineapple.

---

I have the idea that the Shiekah holiday of the Hanami Festival is sort of a Hyrule-wide undertaking. Like, it originated in Kakariko, but it has spread to be a Hyrule-recognized holiday. As such, each village harvests the nearby Satori Tree at the beginning of spring in order to make their own version of a Satori Spirit for the Hanami Festival which takes place over the last 3 days of spring. The best yield is offered up to Satori as thanks for allowing them to use his trees' cherries.

---

Also, I'd make it so when at home, you can cook in bulk & have access to more complicates cooking methods. Such as the making of 2nd Tier Ingredients. Meaning ingredients made from other ingredients.

Quite a few 2nd Tier Ingredients would allow you to condense recipes by replacing multiple ingredients with a single one. Thus allowing you more room to work with.

I'd also make it so that the more you cook, the more experienced you become at cooking, thus the more ingredients you can use. Therefore increasing the number of ingredients from 5 to 6, then 7, & eventually 10.

LoZ Wild Masterlist

[yourdrugisafartbreaker]

You know, after playing Placid Plastic Duck Simulator for a bit, I think I pretty clearly have a favorite. It’s my Submarine Duck, Mariner.

I don’t know enough words to fully explain it, but I can tell you that Mariner is a cultural icon. I see them, I have to go, “Oh, hi Mariner!” Everyone loves Mariner. Mariner, as expected of a Submarine Duck, can go underwater. This will add to the “Oh, hi Mariner!” moments because they are just going around in the water. Plus, they’re one of the faster ducks, as they have a rudder to boost them around. In addition, whenever Mariner comes out of the water, they will often do a sick trick or roll or jump of some sort. This makes Mariner a thousand times cooler, although you run the risk of whatever happens if they get out of the pool. They could get stuck somewhere, or they could leave the confines of the pool and explore elsewhere and disappear. Of course, when this happens, I reassure myself that it was just a silly little Mariner moment. (And then, I immediately reset the game, for I can’t live without Mariner.)

[alch13]

Mapping

As a new campaign is coming up for me (Ofcourse as the Dungeon Master, what do you expect), it is time to come back to the horrors of world maps. While some may like it, some may be good at it, i suck at it. So i decided to compile a few things that i think might be useful to people who also have no idea what they are doing.

Once again, I am no professional. So this is just how i personally do it. I do not have some TTRPG mapping degree from Matthew Mercer Academy.

Software or physical.

I run TTRPG's exclusively online, as my friends can't come together for a myriad of reasons. However others may come out of their basements to play in person, there is no 'correct' way of play. Therefor, depending on your situation, physical maps may not be useful to your players. I personally do not recommend drawing a map on paper and then taking a picture for online play. Instead consider scanning the map and then sending it, as maps require decent quality to be read and understood. When playing in person, honestly consider simply drawing a map on a piece of paper. Players LOVE props, so having a physical map can really improve your gaming experience!

2. Online software.

There are hundreds of apps and sites made for mapping. However there are a few things i've seen crop up a lot. Simply using a drawing program, even something like Paint, is honestly fine! If you don't need magnificent detail and looks, just scribbling some stuff on Paint can do wonders. It's a game about your imagination, so it's in my opinion completely fine to simply say "In universe, this map looks way better". OR, simply say that the map maker really is just kind of bad at his job! But even then, plenty of awesome, good looking maps have been made in art programs. No need for expensive equipment. Another program i personally use is Inkarnate. 'Inkarnate' is a free site you can use for plenty of map making. My friends and i use it all the time, and if you're good with it you can make stunning maps. There is also a paid option if you wish to get more out of this site. While it takes a fair bit longer then the drawing method, you can get a lot out of this site. There are ofcourse a lot more programs, but for specifically world mapping this is what i use.

3. What to add.

There are two main distinctions I use when drawing maps: DM maps and PC maps. DM maps are for the Dungeon Master only. They include all information, even the areas that are hidden or are not accesible yet. Giving this map to players is similar to spoilers, so keep this one to yourself. A PC map, is a map with the information that people in the world itself would know. It still includes lakes, forest, mountains and known towns. But maybe not the hidden underwater city on the bottom of the lake. This means that the party can freely inspect this map, and maybe even get a few clues to secret sites, but still need to explore to find interesting things. Besides that, the important things to always add is: towns, rivers, roads, forests , mountains and other landmarks. With these things the party has plenty of information to be able to navigate the world you have crafted.

4. Is it really needed?

I would honestly say that a world map is not always needed. If the party is not going to a whole other continent, why make a map of it? Regional maps is where it becomes tricky. While a map can really help with the PC's understanding the world, it can also be limitting. Once you send the map to them, it can be hard to change or add things to it. If you wish to add an entire town halfway throughout the campaing, you can still do that if there is no map. However if there is a map you are limited to the things that are on it. Unless ofcourse the map is false, or missing information. The last two can ofcourse be interesting plot hooks for your campaign, however it is something to be kept in mind. Maps are a tool, not a necesity.

I hope this was helpful, honestly i am just using this to kill some time until my classes restart in a month or two. I might make a follow-up at some point for locational maps and battle maps, however it's not like i plan these things. Also, be aware that there are MANY tutorials on Youtube for map making. So if you wish to learn more, I recommend looking there.

Have a good one!

[a-bonafide-genshin-fan]

fide's fontaine experiences + opinions!

right so fontaine recently released and i figured i'd make a little compilation of all the stuff i've done!

This is a very long post, so i'll be adding a keep reading just so this isn't a massive block of text!

firstly, the actual region itself (not story related so no spoilers)

i immediately got hydro before i even started the quest bc i'm a little adventurer who doesn't do what the game tells me

i'm very excited and impressed with the region thus far, all of the areas look super pretty and i adore the underwater sections, though the combat did take me some time to get used to

i very much enjoy the fact that most of the underwater enemies require you to attack them first, really makes it fun to traverse underwater without being chased by some random hillichurl every five seconds

additionally, once again, the enemy desgin of this game is top tier, like i cannot stress this enough, genshin design is wonderful

from the land enemies, my favourite by far are the doggos, i love them so much. i was in vc with a few friends when i was exploring and we all starting gushing about the dogs. they are so cute

as someone who adores transformers, seeing such lovingly designed robots in my second favourite piece of media was such a treat, bit of a shame that i have to fight them though

i also love the environmental worldbuilding. the fact that the court of fontaine has several buildings and structures crumbling into the water really sells the idea that the water levels are rising and it is actively having an impact of the structural integrity of the city and its surrounding regions

i very much like the fact that the two robots bosses (i forgor their names), require you to ask an npc to fight them. and the fact that their fight is a dance just makes me so, apoirjapoghdpsfaog, like i love bosses like that, that have a story behind their fights, that aren't just throwing punches but fighting with such elegance. add that their robots and mwha! chefs kiss

i also find it interesting that part of the region has a massive dragon skeleton, similar to inazuma, i'm very excited to find out what happened to it

right so onto the actually story itself, i will be spoiling some majour parts of fontaine's main story quest so readers beware!

first furina. i'm iffy on her. on the one hand, the idea of an archon who is less of a god and more of a mascot for their respective ideal (in this case justice) is very interesting to me. on the other hand, god is she a little bitch. but that doesn't mean i hate her! i think her annoying personality and general lack of ability to read a room work towards establishing her as the face of fontaine, a country that defines itself by showy clothing and the performance of both the opera and the trial. i think it's very neat that hoyoverse is willing to make a character like this, particularly a female one considering many of the women in this game, as much as a i love them, have very similar personalities in terms of how they interact with both the traveller and other npcs in the game.

also i think that compared the other archons, furina seems... i don't know a bit absent. she's very showy and her people, while adoring her performances don't really hold that much respect for her. she's a performer, fitting in perfectly with the themes of her land and i find that fascinating but at the same time it makes me wish that there was more interactions between characters (and regions as a whole) between each other. none of the game's areas feel like they exist as an interconnected world. like, is fontaine's rising water levels affecting liyue and sumeru. i know that the sea is technically an inland lake so the surrounding cliffs would likely protect those regions but still, that would affect trade and business and a bunch of other stuff. just a thought

like i said earlier, i was in vc with a few friends while playing through the story quest and we were all so confused through the first act of the game. i definitely think that it's one of genshin's weaker opening story quests. i found it rather odd that we, the traveller, were selected to be lyney's lawyer. like??? the traveller does not have any qualifications to be doing this. just because they have saved several nations (mostly via combat) does not mean they have any qualifications to be defending someone in 1. a court of law, and 2. a court of law in a country we just arrived in. that was weird

i do not have much of an emotional attachment to lyney and lynette. i think they are very interesting characters but i do not care about them in the same way that i do, someone like, yanfei or venti, characters. i do find their story rather interesting though, being raised in the house of the hearth and thus being part of the fatui. i also think that the traveller has every right to be upset with them over that reveal though, especially since they are defending lyney in a court of law. that is key information that should have been provided at the beginning.

regarding childe though. i find it strange that people are saying that the traveller was being too harsh with lyney and lynette while being to peaceful with childe. from what i can recall, the traveller has somewhat reconciled with childe and has known him for quite some time in comparison to the twins, whom they met only a few days prior. personally childe is one of those characters that i think is overhyped by the fandom (like hutao) but i enjoy him quite a bit. he's a headstrong individual with a strong personality and a very loose set of morals. so i'm interested to see where his story will go in the following updates since he got put in jail lmao

also the fontainian legal system is a clown show. no not a clown show, it's an entire circus. it's so silly. the fact that so many people were clapping or shouting during the trials of lyney and marcel made my blood boil. like these are murder trials, show some goddamn respect for the victims you pricks, people have died. the blatant lack of respect from furina for both the victims and the accused, along with the fact that lyney had literally no reason to commit those murders, is one of the reasons why i tend towards disliking her more.

neuvillette. god neuvillette where do i start with you my dear. firstly, one of my friend's wants his coat so bad, she threatened to seduce him and then steal it from him so that was a joy to listen to whenever he showed up on screen. i also like his personality. he's so autistic, you can rip that headcanon out of my cold dead hands before i give it up. i actually really enjoy him, he serves as a nice character foil for furina, providing a calm to her otherwise bratty personality. very good narrative foil! i also like him just by himself. his lack of understanding towards humans and their emotions is something that i, an autistic with a trouble towards understanding their own emotions relates to heavily. also he just looks visually neat. even though he and furina are both very blue, he has a lot less stuff going on in his design. furina is very loud, lots of accessories and so much noise, but neuvillette is very quiet and sleek.

i didn't really find navia to be all that interesting to be honest. i like her story and that's nice and all but she feels forced. i do not enjoy the fact that she simply barged into the traveller's case. i would have enjoyed her simply offering to help and then have the traveller turn her down. then upon being shown the box by lyney, have navia tag along and offer some advice when paimon expressing being stuck. then let her become their partner. act II feels weird because this continues the trend of the traveller helping other people with their problems when they really shouldn't have to. i do like the idea of the traveller helping simply because they want to help, it's my personal interpretation of the game and why they help so damn much, but i do not like the fact that game basically gives you no options to say no.

if it were up to me, i would have the traveller and navia have their little lunch date and then they would go near the fountain. upon having the little hallucination the traveller would wake up and paimon and be really worried. then i think we should see navia emerge from the opera house and then the robots would have attacked. upon being caught up in the cross fire, only then would the traveller feel motivated enough to help, because now their life has been threatened and so has paimon's.

other than navia i really enjoyed all of the characters! even navia herself has a really unique design, though i do wish her upper body wasn't so cluttered design wise, her exposed shoulder's + collarbones would have worked better with a full lace shirt covering her skin rather than just bare skin. it breaks up her palette too much in my opinion.

i was a little surprised at how little a role arlecchino has played so far. like from the trailers it seemed as though she'd be front and center but i do enjoy the idea of her bailing childe out of prison and i do like the fact that she does not seem actively malevolent.

oh do i hate the legal system. like citizens of fontaine, please get a better system than an a.i. who gets to make all the decisions. you're archon is a fucking ipad baby with a god complex and should not be allowed within 20 yards of the building if her accusations thrown towards lyney having anything to say. part of me (the yanfei main part) really wants a dialogue line from by babygirl talking about how much a clown show fontaine's legal system is compared to liyue's.

the idea of the primordial sea is really neat, however, i do hope and beg and pray that we'll get an actual explanation as to why its effects only work on those born from fontaine.

i'm so happy marcel got dunked on. my friends and i were all rooting for his demise the entire time he was in the fountain

anyways i'm rambling so much rn! but i really do like fontaine so far despite my gripes with the legal system being absolute dogwater. i'm very excited for the rest of the region to be released and the continuation of the story. thank you for coming to my ted-talk!

[legendofzoodles]

LU Deepest Fear Headcanons 2

Here are lu fear headcanons that I couldn’t fit in the last post. These are more like worries or less intense fears that the chain have (apart from the Wind fanfic idea at the bottom. If this has been done pls let me know in the comments). 

The link to part one is at the bottom with a few others. 

Warrior doesn’t inherently have a problem with women. He’ll show off a bit when he feels like it, chat them up and even playfully flirt. It’s the persistent ones who take the flirting too seriously and won’t take no for an answer that make him uneasy. There’s also a certain...’type’ that he’ll avoid even if they don’t even so much as look his way.

Warrior and Twilight have had bad experiences with fire. Our Captain had that fight with Volga in the first stage of HW which gave him those burn scars and Wolfie was chased out of his own village by people he knows and loves who were wielding flaming torches and pitchforks (not an in game thing, but it’s how I’ve always imagined it).

In BoTW you can’t go underwater. This may change come BoTW 2, but can I interpret this as Wild not liking to keep his head underwater for extended periods of time? Either due to something traumatic before the Calamity or as just a lighthearted quirk of his (like if for whatever reason he doesn’t open his eyes when swimming underwater).

Legend shuts out Koholint Island in his memories. It’s existence really confusing, because I myself don’t know it was real or not (tbf I haven’t finished Link’s Awakening). Therefore, I’ll headcanon that Legend doesn’t really know what the deal is with Koholint either. As a reasonable, logical and (thanks to his experiences) slightly cynical person, he’ll lean towards it all being a dream and the island not actually being real. But there’s unsureness in that conclusion, and that constant back and forth is what tears him up inside.

Time is still a little freaked out by Redeads and the undead in general. His experience exploring the Shadow Temple messed him up a little. Seeing the horrific acts the Sheikah committed under the orders of the Royal Family, would have made him realise that they are not the perfect rulers he thought they were. He’d have a distrust of the Sheikah and probably saw Sheik in a new light until they were revealed to be Zelda which just messes up thing further to him.

Wind has had to deal with Redeads too. And those terrifying zombie-like things have a less than savory habit of wrapping themselves around you and biting into your skull. That would traumatise the dickens out of anyone! I headcanon that he has scars from those encounters, maybe even bald patches from scar tissue, and since those aren’t fond memories he hides them as to not have to tell/remember that story. Not to mention that nightmare inducing awful scream! Time has had...well time, to move past this and so probably isn’t affected, but LU takes place a year or so after WW and PHG for Wind, so it’s still going to be fresh in his mind.

I need a short story where the chain encounters Redeads again. Wild acts all confident, telling them what to do- with Time and Warrior watching him proudly- and gets all hyped to fight them. However, upon hearing their scream he freezes up in terror and completely breaks down mentally while the others go ahead with the plan and protect him. Only for for him to spring into action when it looks like one of the chain are gonna get their heads chomped on. Then they talk it over and he shows them his scars (maybe Time has scars like that too and shows those), allowing him to start moving past it. -someone please write it or I will myself

~~~

As always, thank you for reading! Might add more to this in the future.

Age headcanons Height headcanons (and more) Deepest fear 1

[hufflepuffwritingstuff2]

9 for the mermaid ask game, please :)

Hi blackrosesandwhump! Thanks for requesting this! Here you go!

Whumpee swam through the depths, eager to explore this part of the ocean. They loved to find things like seashells and bits of coral to add to their collection at home. Sometimes, a ship would pass by and would drop something human-made, and Whumpee especially loved finding these items.

The sight of something glittering caught Whumpee’s eye. They swam toward it, their tail sparkling in the water. When they got close enough, they could see that they had found a gold coin. It had some monarch’s face printed on the front, and a symbol printed on the back. Whumpee smiled and set the coin inside their bag. They wondered if there were any more coins scattered about. Sure enough, Whumpee saw a glint in the sand and found another coin. Then another a few feet away. Whumpee followed the trail of little coins until they reached the mouth of an undersea cave. Whumpee eagerly swam inside, hoping to find more treasure. It was proving difficult to find anything, however, as the cave was pitch dark and completely blocked off from the sun above the water. Whumpee dug around in the sediment, feeling around for any human artifacts. A growling sound made Whumpee freeze mid-search.

“Hello?” Whumpee asked.

The growling only grew louder; Whumpee slowly backed out of the cave, clutching their bag tightly to their person.

“I-I was just leaving,” Whumpee called, “sorry to bother you!”

Whumpee turned and swam as fast as they could back to the entrance. Just before they could swim out, something coiled tightly around their tail. Whumpee cried out as they were dragged back into the cave. In the darkness, Whumpee could just make out something swimming closer. A faint glow emanated from inside the cave, and Whumpee finally saw what had grabbed them. A giant, glowing octopus-like creature, with tentacles as large as the masts of a ship, one of which was wrapped around Whumpee’s tail.

“Look, I’m sorry for trespassing,” Whumpee started nervously, “but I honestly didn’t know anyone lived here, and I- woah!”

The kraken had taken a swipe at Whumpee, who had managed to dodge at the last second. Whumpee clawed at the tentacle wrapped around their tail, trying desperately to get free. As Whumpee struggled, the kraken wrapped another tentacle around their arms, rendering them completely useless.

“Help!” Whumpee screamed.

…

Caretaker loved free diving. It was the best way to find underwater treasures. Caretaker had just found a shiny gold coin when they heard someone screaming. It was odd, how could anybody scream that clearly underwater? Caretaker followed the sound of the screaming until they reached the mouth of a cave. There was a faint glow coming from inside it, and the screaming only got louder as Caretaker swam closer.

“Somebody help, please!”

Caretaker swam as fast as their legs would allow, when they came face to face with something they had only read about in their books. A giant octopus-like creature, its tentacles coiled tightly around what looked like a person, were it not for the fact that there was a tail where their legs should be.

“You!” the person yelled, “help! Please!”

Caretaker jolted out of their thoughts and sprang into action. They swam up to the person and pulled on the tentacle wrapped around their arms. With some pressure, the tentacle loosened just enough for them to get their arms free. Caretaker then moved down to their tail and did the same thing. Once the person was free, they grabbed Caretaker’s hand and bolted out of the cave. Caretaker had never been dragged anywhere so fast.

Caretaker’s lungs screamed for air; Caretaker was good at holding their breath for an extended period of time, but every human had their limits. Dark spots danced across Caretaker’s vision as their lungs burned with a lack of oxygen. Caretaker tapped the merperson on the shoulder and pointed up. The merperson cocked their head to one side, then their eyes widened with realization. They dragged Caretaker through the water up to the surface. As soon as they broke the water’s surface, Caretaker gasped for air. The merperson guided Caretaker to shore, where they both promptly flopped on the sand.

“Th-thank you,” Caretaker managed to say.

“Don’t mention it,” the merperson answered, “You saved me first.”

“My name’s Caretaker, what’s yours?” Caretaker panted.

“Whumpee,” the merperson said.

“Nice to meet you,” Caretaker replied, “what was that thing back there?”

“You mean you’ve never heard of a kraken?” Whumpee asked.

“Well sure, but I thought the kraken was a made-up creature.”

“I wish,” Whumpee said, “they’re quite the nuisances. Very strong tentacles. They can drag entire ships down to the depths, and they don’t take kindly to merpeople either.”

“What did you do to make that one so mad?” Caretaker asked.

“I kinda stumbled into its home unannounced,” Whumpee answered sheepishly, “…I was looking for treasures.”

“Funny,” Caretaker said, “I was diving for treasures myself.”

Caretaker was finally starting to catch their breath. They sat up in the sand and helped Whumpee do the same.

“So, uh…” Caretaker started, “do you live around here?”

Whumpee laughed, a melodic laugh that made Caretaker blush.

“I live a few miles out to sea,” Whumpee answered, “and you?”

“I live in one of the seaside cottages,” Caretaker said, “…are you gonna be okay?”

“I think so,” Whumpee replied, “…I should probably get going though.”

“Yeah, yeah, me too.”

Caretaker got up to leave as Whumpee slid back into the water. Whumpee was almost fully submerged when Caretaker turned back.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to meet up again?” Caretaker called, “maybe we could exchange some of our treasures that we found?”

Whumpee turned and smiled.

“I’d like that.”

“Same time tomorrow then?”

“Same time tomorrow,” Whumpee agreed.

With a flick of their tail, Whumpee vanished beneath the waves. Caretaker stared out at the sea for a little longer before turning and heading back to their cottage. Tomorrow was going to be a great day.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Ok now for the healing gaming experience: They play Minecraft on easy mode and make farms and prank each other and stuff

Initially getting warped into Minecraft after the he of the Terraria game they're panicking like "WHY ARE WE IN ANOTHER GAME OH GOD NO NOT AGAIN-" but the first night goes by fine. And then so does the next night. And the next night.

They're honestly scared, waiting for when shit starts to happen. Do the Phantoms spawn on easy mode? Cause if so, that's probably what gives them that spook.

I can imagine once they start to settle into this and get used to it, they would actually really get into it. Like Monty and Bonnie start building stuff, Roxy frequents a skeleton grinder and has an infinite amount of bones to chew on as well as getting really into redstone and minecarts, they'd all love the exploring aspect, Foxy insisting they live on the beach and he sails for hours and hours, fishing and exploring all day everyday. He builds aquariums and the others help him make giant maps for the walls of the base Bonnie and Monty are building. Freddy gets really into agriculture and starts farming and Sunny has a flock of sheep dyed different colours and loves making banners and stuff. Moon is the one making grinders for the infinite bones and is most up for exploring caverns. DJ Music Man does so much noteblock stuff and the tiny Music Men love helping him with it. Chica gets into making elaborate animal farms and she and Freddy keep a constant stream of cakes coming. Freddy also gets really into trading with the villagers and someone has to stop Roxy from taming every single wolf she sees.

Bonnie takes to building water sculptures and Monty makes a golf course with ice and snowballs. Roxy builds secret doors and a minecart train system and rollercoasters. Sunny makes fairground games and decorative banners. Chica builds animal farms and has a hoard of lamas. Freddy adopts a shit ton of cats to guard the place and has big farms of wheat, beats, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, melons and there's probably another one I'm forgetting. Foxy builds aquariums and is always sailing and making maps, ensuring everyone has a compass pointing back home. Moon explores the caverns often with one of the others and shares what they find, creating mob grinders with spawners and what not. DJ Music Man builds a giant disco hall with jukeboxes and noteblocks, the lil Music Men helping him mostly but always helping the others out too.

They start to play more and more, making snowball guns, castles, treehouses, underwater hideouts and all sorts. And if you add mods? Yeah they're never running out of stuff to do.

Also in light of my earlier out of context horse joke, Roxy is the first to find out what happens when you sit on a horse but also the first to tame one. She is so damn happy when Moon finds a saddle in a mineshaft for her. They all get horses and race them for funsies. Oh and Freddy gets to have a bunch of bees! And he won't eated them like his plushie did! Monty is the one that gets a trident and starts flying around in the rain with it too. He adores the dolphins and is determined to find out how to raid the ocean temples. He also has a hoard of cats while Foxy has a bunch of birds.

All of this definitely makes the Plex seem tiny after they all go back.

[vgwater]

what are some of your favorite video game waters? i like literally any pixel ones no matter what game, even if ive never played them,,

Pixelated water is one of those things that can be really challenging, so you end up with really clever work. This is the work I seem to appreciate the most.

Games that focus themselves on water end up with really fluid, heavy-feeling animations that feel complex and real. There's so much going on in that texture up top, and the background color manipulation is a traditional way to make us feel underwater. Make it blue, give us a gradient to add this seemingly endless depth. It takes a lot of work!

Kirby games get a huge spotlight here because there's barely any animation or background manipulation at all. That texture up top must be 3 or 4 frames at most, and the option to not change the color of the background gives us this illusion that we're looking at crystal-clear water. Don't you just wanna take a sip??

(source of image) And then we have the opposite end the spectrum, where the animation is just incredibly complicated and must have used some sort of rendering program to make the water animate that way onto the background, yoshi, and mario. Just so cool. I have no idea how the SNES could handle Yoshi's Island with all that stuff going on.

(source of image) Then when you dive into the 3D waters, new tricks (& variations of old ones) arrive to give us the same illusion. There are plenty of early n64 and playstation games that just use the 1-texture-and-slowly-move-it-over-empty-space trick. Which doesn't look bad!! I really love how the simple trick really makes it look like moving water without using up a bunch of memory trying to animate heavy, fluid water like in games more focused on water environments like Wave Race or Chrono Cross.

Then, with the advent of the gamecube and new methods of animating in 3 dimensions, Wind Waker kind of takes the cake in water animation for me. Cell-shading absolutely everything in the environment somehow makes the water look like the most realistic thing on screen. It uses simple tricks with highlights and shadows depending on the movement and speed of the water and it's simply beautiful. It's obviously not on-the-nose realistic water you'd find in games like Uncharted or Tomb Raider, but for what it's worth it's so satisfying to look at and somehow totally believable to me. Even in the more realistic games, you are free to walk up very close and see the animation seams in the rivers and shores. But in Wind Waker, it's coded to always look good. Other special mentions and shout outs are all the games on Snes which animated water usin' Mode 7. Any water or beach themed games like Dead or Alive XTreme, Final Fantasy X, Ecco, Wave Races, Subnautica, Bioshock, etc. I forgot to mention Super Mario Sunshine simply set a new standard in how 3d rendered water physics oughtta work.

So essentially my answer is: Favorite video game waters are the ones that are the most ingenious about animating it. Wind Waker, Yoshi's Island, and I specifically love the water in Paper Mario & Kirby Air Ride. Crisp 2-D animated water in 3-D environments is another challenge that yields some really satisfying results. Me and my brother also used to think the Mario Golf/Wii Golf water animations were something to behold. That memory was a driving inspiration behind making this blog in the first place. Thanks so much for asking!!! This was really fun to explore. I'm not doing much research beyond what I've seen and played personally, so if I'm missing on big details it's simply because I'm unaware of them! So please reach out and talk to me about this!! Always more to discover under the sea...

(please follow me on twitch or youtube thank you!!)

[witcher-and-his-bard-archive]

Drown In My Desire

also on ao3

written for the Monster March prompt list prompt: siren pls see ao3 for the full list of tags, this is... something edit: some formatting got fucked up and I had to make some adjustments, sorry if there are any wonky bits now 😅

Geralt is barely off the boat back from Skellige when he hears about the contract. There's a lone Siren causing trouble along one of the trading routes; drawing the ships closer until they wreck on the jagged rocks of the bay. The fishermen complain loudly about it as he disembarks and as soon as his feet hit dry land, Geralt makes straight for them. It's basic Siren behaviour, likely to be an easy job and then back on his way.

The men are offloading barrels and Geralt keeps out of the way as he approaches the one giving orders.

"Heard you've got a Siren problem," he says and the man straightens up to look him over.

"Aye, we do. You're a Witcher, right? You'll take care of it for us?"

"What are you offering?"

"Godsdamn anything at this point. Things wrecked six shops, we've lost 11 good men, countless hours of labour... Name your price, Witcher, we'll pay it."

"Five hundred," Geralt suggests.

"Fine by me. Bring back proof of the kill and you'll get your coin."

"Agreed." Normally, Geralt would request half in advance, but he's dealt with Novigradian merchants before and they're reputable and trustworthy most of the time. Plus, this is a simple contract, probably not even worth the 500 he asked for.

He stays to get the rest of the details from the merchant, then heads into town to rent a room at the Kingfisher. He won't be in town long, but he may as well have somewhere comfortable to sleep when he inevitably comes back cold and wet.

Geralt bribes a local fisherman to take him out to the bay or as close to it as possible - no one will go right in any longer. They moor on the far side and Geralt disembarks, thanking the man and paying him a generous fee for his service. He didn't have to bring him out here, and many other men wouldn't dare go this far.

He hears the song immediately and it makes him pause. Geralt has heard the Siren song before, has even fallen under its spell in the past, and this is not it. This is a Siren, for sure, and he is singing, but his song is... sad. Geralt frowns as he makes his way over the swell of the hill, the beach sprawling out before him in a wide arc.

It's sandy, devoid of rocks and debris but the tide is down and large, jagged rocks break the surface of the water. Waves roll up gently onto the shore and Geralt scans the shoreline, looking for any sign of the Siren. The song is coming from the far side of the small bay, but he sees nothing.

Readjusting the belts across his chest, he makes his way down to the beach and across the sand.

He spots him shortly, tucked under a shelf of rock out of the sun, curled around himself. Geralt thinks at first, that he may be injured, hence the despair in his song, but as he approaches he recognizes a sense of desperation in the tune. Approaching further, he catches the creature's interest and he looks up at him, his confusion a mixture of desperation and fear and resignation. Geralt looks him over as he approaches, not trusting the Siren not to jump out and attack. He knows well enough they're crafty and wouldn't stop short of setting a trap in dire situations.

But when Geralt is within a few feet, the Siren still makes no sign of wanting to hurt him. If anything, he looks miserable to have been discovered and Geralt does a quick once-over for injuries. There are none visible, but as the Siren unfurls himself, stretching out to his full length, Geralt pauses.

He doesn't know a lot about Siren anatomy past what a sorcerer will pay for what, but he's seen enough pricks in his life to know one when he sees it.

Jaskier whines internally and shuts up as soon as he sees the figure approaching. He was trying to attract... well, not him. Not a Witcher. He needs someone to solve his problem, not to be killed as the solution to someone else’s. But maybe that would be better than going through this every five years out here alone. Maybe the Witcher will be kind and put him out of his misery and then- well, at least he wouldn't be stuck here on his own like this.

But the man approaches and doesn't do anything. He just looks, walking closer until Jaskier could nearly reach out and touch him. Slowly, as non-threateningly as he can, he uncoils himself to prove he's not a threat. His cock aches and he's reminded of the fact that it's very blatantly on display, but that's the least of his problems now.

"You're the one who's been wrecking ships?" the Witcher asks and well, yes, Jaskier assumes that's his fault.

He's seen the wreckage washing up on shore, seen the men floating lifeless amongst the waves. He tries to help, but in this state, it's impossible to do much before the burning need overtakes him again and he's rendered useless.

"I didn't-" he starts, but he doesn't think a Witcher will care whether he meant to or not. He just wants a companion, wants someone to help ease this ache as his own attempts aren't helping any longer, he didn't mean for the humans to get in the way.

"Didn't what?"

"Didn't mean for them to get hurt." Jaskier doesn't look at him, but the Witcher is quiet for some time and then,

"It’s... a mating song?" he guesses and something in Jaskier’s stomach twists uncomfortably that he could figure it out so quickly. Jaskier avoids his eyes looking instead at the way the sand coats the toes of his boots.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Jaskier's head snaps up at that and he looks the Witcher dead in the eye. He's never heard of a monster being given a chance to tell their side of the story, to redeem themself. The Witcher drops to the sand, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his thighs.

"I-" Jaskier starts, unsure if this is some sort of twisted game. "I just- I was hoping someone might be nearby to hear-" he feels pathetic, his only consolation the fact that the Witcher doesn't know that he came here willingly, he left his family willingly to go out and explore the vast oceans and now he’s miserable.

"How long have you been here?" the Witcher asks, "you've never caused problems before now."

"Before now I wasn't-" he rolls his eyes in frustration at himself, slapping his tail against the sand. "Sirens," he starts again, "go through cycles. I'm in heat and I'm alone and every attempt I've made to reach out has only ended in ruin." Jaskier scowls at his own confession.

"I tried to help," he adds solemnly, "I just... I can't focus, I don't have the strength to pull them to the surface- I tried," he persists, "but I'm not much use like this." His cock aches and he groans at the timing. "I hardly think that deserves a death sentence." He wraps his tail protectively around himself, hiding the evidence of his situation.

"Not here to hurt you," the Witcher explains, "just here to keep people from dying. I could... help?"

Jaskier starts at the offer, his wings snapping tight against his back. "What do you mean, help?"

The Witcher huffs a light laugh and Jaskier tries not to be too hopeful. He's never strayed beyond his race, though he knows many who have and if he were to, well, the Witcher isn't awful to look at. In fact, Jaskier thinks, taking in his shining golden eyes and shock-white hair tied back in a loose bun, he’s quite lovely.

"Now, I know you're not stupid," the Witcher says, almost sounding amused. "The offer’s there. I'll help if you stop with the singing."

Maybe it's the need coursing through him, or maybe it's the fact that no one has ever been so kind to him before, or maybe there's just something about this man's smile that makes him weak. Jaskier agrees.

"Not here," he says. "Can you swim?" The Witcher cocks an eyebrow at him. "I'd prefer not to have to do this out in the open where anyone could just wander upon us. I do have some sense of decorum."

"Where are we going?"

"Home," Jaskier says simply. "It's not far." He shifts in the sand, sitting up and gesturing out toward the sea. "A human could make the swim, surely a Witcher can as well."

"Fair enough. I'm Geralt, by the way. And I can swim."

"Jaskier."

He squirms in the sand, trying to force his cock to withdraw, but it's no use. Geralt rises, kicking off his boots and removing his gear, tucking it away into a crevice in the rock. He bends down, scooping Jaskier into his arms. It's a shock and Jaskier is helpless to do anything but wind his arms around Geralt's neck and hold on, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the way his cock juts out obscenely, betraying him.

Geralt walks into the waves, releasing Jaskier as soon as the water is up to his waist. He holds his breath, lets Jaskier take his hand, and follows him down beneath the surf. Jaskier feels marginally better out of the sun and sand, in the cool water, but not much. He swims quickly, eager to return home and get on with... whatever Geralt has in mind to help.

He ducks into the narrow tunnel, dropping Geralt's hand and gesturing for him to follow behind. He does, and Jaskier leads the way back to an underwater cave. Glowing coral grows near the ledge of rock, where the water gives way to open air again. It gives off a little light, but Jaskier can see perfectly well and he knows Witchers have night vision.

He slips up onto the stony cave floor and offers a webbed hand to Geralt as he breaks the surface. To Geralt's credit, he only seems a little out of breath as he's hauled up out of the water.

Jaskier flops back on his side, watching the way Geralt rises to his feet, tugging his soaked shirt off and wringing the water from it. His trousers remain in place and Jaskier finds himself disappointed, curious to see what's hidden beneath. But this isn't a fun romp for the sake of it; this is an agreement, Geralt is simply doing him a favour.

When he seems pleased with the state of his shirt, Geralt lays it out and lies down next to him, lining his body up with Jaskier's. He's... stunning up close and it takes more of his effort than it should not to simply reach out and touch him just for the sake of it. He remembers fucking other Sirens, the touching, the press of bodies - he misses it, and he finds himself wishing this was something more than a simple favour. But that's selfish; Geralt is already offering him so much, for so little in return and nothing, even, for himself.

"You'll have to walk me through it," Geralt says with a smile, "I've never fucked a Siren before."

"Oh. You can just... touch me?" Jaskier says and Geralt reaches out tentatively, slipping a hand over the swell of his hip.

"Like this?"

Jaskier nods. It's not exactly what he wants, but it does feel nice and he's not about to try and direct. Geralt's hesitation is short-lived and he slides his hand up Jaskier's chest, brushing his thumb over a nipple and Jaskier's breath catches. He watches the movement of Geralt's hand as his fingers press into his skin, warm, despite the swim through cool water.

He shifts slightly, leaning up on one arm and pressing back down, over the swell of Jaskier's hip and he tugs him forward before abruptly before dragging his fingers up the length of Jaskier's swollen cock. He's slow, but delicate like he's learning his way around, but it feels incredible and it's hard for Jaskier not to just thrust up into the touch and take the pleasure from his hands.

Geralt's fingers slip over the ridge at the base of him, curling around him beneath it and squeezing as he pulls up over it.

"What is this?" he asks. He sounds intrigued, curious, and Jaskier can't help but indulge him.

"'S hard to fuck underwater," he hums, moaning as Geralt's fingers reach the tip of his cock. One dips into the slit, pressing against it, and Jaskier whimpers. "Keeps me from... slipping out." The noise Geralt makes in response is hard to determine, but it sounds interested. He moves his hand back down to squeeze around the ring.

His fingers slip over the swell of skin, pressing against it and running his thumb along the edge. He likes it, Jaskier realizes. It prods at something inside him and he presses his hips forward encouragingly.

"Does that feel good?" Geralt asks and Jaskier nods, pressing his forehead against his arm to keep from moaning out loud. He wants to show his appreciation, wants Geralt to know he can do as he pleases with him, but he doesn't want to push too hard.

Geralt’s light touches grow bolder, pressing more firmly, jerking him quickly and firmly and as Jaskier whines and squirms beneath him, Geralt grows more confident. His fingers slip down, pressing between the folds of his sheath, pressing right down to the base of his cock and within. No one has touched him like this before, the sharp jab of a Siren's claws not conducive to pressing inside.

Something warm spreads through his chest and he finds himself pulling away, embarrassed by how vulnerable he suddenly feels letting a stranger touch him this way, a Witcher no less. Immediately, Geralt withdraws his hands and the look on his face implies worry.

"Sorry," he blurts, then softer, "tell me if it's too much."

"No, I just. No one's ever-"

"I'll stop."

"No," Jaskier says again, a little too abruptly. "No, it was good, it just... caught me off guard." Geralt doesn't wait to be told twice, but his fingers move more slowly as they slip back into place at the base of his cock. Jaskier gives a little thrust on encouragement and Geralt presses his palm against him, giving him something to rut against while he explores.

Jaskier rocks against him, burying his face in his arm as the need takes over. Given an inch, he's no longer able to control himself, so needy for it that he's invited a perfect stranger into his home to fuck him. But Geralt doesn't seem to mind his desperation, doesn't mention it. He picks up quickly on Jaskier's most sensitive spots, going back to rub over them, pressing his thumb beneath the swollen ring and Jaskier's mind goes blank with the pleasure of it.

He's never noticed how sensitive it is there; the use of hands in Siren coupling is rare and limited to squeezing and jerking, not prodding and rubbing like Geralt does so easily. It's hardly Jaskier's fault that he can't contain himself in the face of this new, wonderful sensation.

The swell of his climax creeps up on him slowly, his mind too preoccupied with where Geralt's fingers are and what they're doing. It's not until Geralt wraps around the base of him, pushing as far into his sheath as his fingers with reach, that Jaskier realizes how close he is. His hips jerk hard and Geralt's other hand shoots out to steady him, holding him close as Jaskier writhes against him.

There's not much else he can do like this, just squirm and try to press as much of his cock against Geralt's palm as he can. Otherwise, he's under Geralt's control, letting him do what he wants, take him apart as he will. Geralt's thumb presses along the underside of his cock, pressing up toward the tip and Jaskier jerks hard as his orgasm washes over him, spilling over Geralt's hand and up his arm.

His hips twitch, cocking slipping easily against Geralt's arm with his own spend to slick the way. He'd be embarrassed, coming so quickly with so little stimulation to anything but his cock, but Geralt hums, sounding very pleased.

He continues touching him, fingers slipping through his spend and using it as slick, rubbing down the full length of him and rubbing against the slit at the tip.

"Good?" he asks and Jaskier can only nod and whimper, still struggling to catch his breath.

Geralt leans in, pressing his nose into Jaskier's neck abruptly and Jaskier shifts onto his back to allow him better access. He likes the warmth of Geralt's breath on his neck, the soft press of his lips and the occasional flick of his tongue against his skin. Geralt says nothing as his kisses become firmer, pressing down the column of his throat and down his chest.

His hand remains on Jaskier's cock, stroking slowly as he kisses down the length of his body, not even pausing as pale skin gives way to shimmering scales. He seems unbothered by it and Jaskier likes the feeling of his lips on his tail. Geralt doesn't release his cock until he's moved fully down the length of Jaskier's body, straddling the end of his tail.

Geralt kisses around the base of his cock, not touching it but for the barest brush of his cheek as he passes. Jaskier holds his breath in anticipation, arching off the bed with each kiss that gets closer to where he wants it. When Geralt's lips finally press against him, he lets out a strangled groan and arches off the ground, hands immediately and automatically groping for Geralt's shoulder.

Geralt kisses up the length of him, teasing the tip with his tongue before moving back down again. Jaskier wants his mouth, wants to feel that wet heat around him, so different than the cool touch of one of his own kind. It wouldn't be the first time he's had a mouth around his cock, but he's used to sharp teeth, to slow and cautious strokes. When Geralt gets his mouth around him, he's anything but.

The moment Geralt's lips wrap around him, quick and eager, sliding his tongue over him and pressing his lips in close, holding him tight as he sinks right to the base. His tongue presses in where his fingers had been and Jaskier knows now that he likes exploring, likes discovering what makes Jaskier squirm and taking advantage of it. And he's incredibly good at it.

His fingers that had, up until now, been happily settled on his hips, push up to brush against his skin. One hand remains, seeking out the smallest part of his waist and settling in the dip as the other moves down again. Jaskier's foggy mind suggests that he intends to wrap around the base of his cock, but Geralt gets distracted somewhere between. His fingers pass over Jaskier’s slit and he pauses. Slowly, Gerlt lifts his head, licking up the length of Jaskier's cock and looking at the opening beneath his fingers.

"Can I?" he asks and Jaskier nods.

This is... new. He knows for women it can be pleasurable to be touched this way, but he's never had anyone do it to him. As a child, they told stories about men who fucked each other like this, the way they fuck women, but Jaskier had been young and naive and passed them off as nothing but stories. He'd never found anyone who wanted to touch him that way and had assumed, like most things children talk about, it was a rumour.

But Geralt's fingers tease the opening and sparks rush over his skin. Jaskier's cock throbs and he pushes himself up to watch. Geralt catches his eyes for a brief moment, before dropping back to his work and pushing inside.

"Oh," he breathes, "you're wet." Jaskier squirms, as his body gives way to Geralt's finger, quickly joined by a second.

As with everything, he moves slowly at first, pushing deep and rubbing into him. It feels good, much better than Jaskier could have expected and then Geralt bumps against something inside him and Jaskier cries out, digging his claws into Geralt's shoulder.

When he realizes what he's done, he releases him quickly, but Geralt seems unfazed and he's smiling when he meets Jaskier's eyes again.

"You like that?" he asks and Jaskier lets out a breathy, yes. Geralt grins at him and ducks down to wrap his lips around the tip of Jaskier's cock.

Geralt's fingers work in time with his mouth, picking up speed as Jaskier's groans become more frequent, less controlled. It doesn't take him long like this, with his cock slipping down Geralt's throat and Geralt's fingers constantly pressing against whatever that is inside him that feels so fucking good.

He comes with a gasp as Geralt thrusts up into him again and Geralt makes no attempt to keep him from pushing his cock deeper into his throat. If anything, he seems glad for it, and when Jaskier slumps back against the ground again, Geralt pulls off his cock with slow precision, careful to wrap his lips tightly around the head. Jaskier's eyes drop shut and his chest heaves, but he's aware of Geraly lying back down next to him.

"That felt... good."

"No one has ever touched you like this?" Geralt asks lightly. Jaskier waves a clawed hand at him in response. "Mmm, understandable. But you liked it?" Jaskier huffs a tired laugh and turns to face him.

"Very much."

"Can I?" Geralt asks, already sliding slick fingers along his waist.

"Please."

Geralt rises to his knees, straddling Jaskier's hips for a moment before dropping to the ground on the other side of him. He presses right up against him, slipping an arm under his neck and holding him close as his other hand presses flat against Jaskier's stomach, sliding downward. He crooks two fingers, pushing inside him and seeking out that same spot again.

He finds it with ease and when Jaskier jerks hard, Geralt pulls him in against his chest. He drops his forehead to Jaskier's, breathing hard against him and Jaskier shuts his eyes, letting the pleasure wash over him. Geralt thrusts into him, quick and precise, then slows to tease at the opening, fingers slipping slowly in and out, and Jaskier can't decide which he likes more.

When he's quick, it punches the breath out of him, leaves him mindless and aching for more, but then he slows, gently caresses and rubs into him and it's like a slow fire burning within him, gradually burning brighter. His mind goes blank, foggy with lust, and he wraps himself around Geralt's shoulders, drawing him close. Even with Jaskier wrapped around him, he never falters and before long Jaskier is writhing again, his tail slapping hard against the floor as pleasure courses through him.

He's overwhelmed, so entirely encompassed by pleasure that he can't do more than cling to Geralt and whimper until, at last, he comes, his cock untouched where it spurts over his hip.

Slick drips from his slit, mixing with his come and Geralt pulls out slowly, swiping his fingers through it and sliding them around Jaskier's cock. He cries out at the first touch, oversensitive from multiple consecutive orgasms, but it still feels good underneath the sensitivity and he can't bring himself to tell Geralt to stop.

When Geralt finally lets him go, Jaskier flops onto his back and stares up at him. Geralt is watching him, his eyes dark but bright, and he smiles. Unthinking, Jaskier reaches up, wrapping one hand around Geralt's cheek and tugging him down toward him. At the last second, he realizes what he's doing and hesitates, but Geralt closes the distance, pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss.

It doesn't last long and Jaskier has to keep himself from nipping at his lips when they part. Geralt presses up close and for the first time, he feels the hard line of Geralt's cock beneath his trousers and it makes his breath catch. For a moment, he just stares at him, enthralled by the idea that Geralt is turned on by this.

"You're... aroused?" he asks and Geralt huffs a soft laugh.

"I'm fine."

"Could I touch you?"

"Mmm, if you like."

Jaskier grins, shifting onto his side and pushes Geralt over. He laughs and goes easily, watching as Jaskier spreads a hand over his chest. He maps out the planes of his chest, pushing clawed fingers through soft chest hair before dragging them lightly down toward the hem of his trousers.

He rakes his eyes over the jut of Geralt's cock, but doesn't touch, afraid of pushing too far. A favour, he reminds himself, Geralt is doing him a favour here. So he slips his hand back up to his stomach, mimicking the way Geralt touched him at first, exploring the little dips and rises in his skin, careful not to catch his claws.

And when he looks up to him again, Geralt is watching him. Something in the way he looks at him makes Jaskier's chest tight and he dips down again, catching Geralt's lips in a kiss. Geralt kisses back with enthusiasm, wrapping an arm around so he can pull Jaskier on top of him.

Both hands move down, cupping the swell of Jaskier's tail and rocking him slowly forward. Jaskier's cock, still sensitive, presses against Geralt's through the rough fabric of his trousers. He hisses at the drag, but Geralt moans at the friction and the sound goes straight through him. This time, Jaskier does it on purpose.

They find an easy rhythm between the two of them and even with Geralt's trousers in the way, the sensitivity soon gives way to pleasure and Jaskier ruts against him, kissing him hard despite the lingering fear that he'll bite too hard. Geralt however, seems unconcerned. He's got one hand buried in Jaskier's hair, the other pressing between them, fumbling with the buttons on his trousers. It takes him a moment, but he gets them undone, finally pulling his cock free and Jaskier groans as he ruts against him.

Geralt is hot, his cock even more so, and Jaskier basks in the warmth, pressing himself closer, even with Geralt’s hand still between them. He's sure he could come just like this, happy to rut against him, but then Geralt's fingers are pressing against his slit again. His fingers come away slick and he winds his hand around Jaskier's cock, stroking him slowly.

"What do you need?" he asks and Jaskier whimpers.

"What you did before," he breathes, "could you... do that again?" In an instant, Geralt flips him onto his back again, dragging his fingers up to his slit, but Jaskier stops him. "Could you... with your cock?"

"Oh. Fuck, yeah."

Geralt shifts, pushing his trousers down and kicking them off before pressing up close again. He pulls Jaskier into a deep kiss, his hand sliding away to bring his hips closer. He ruts against him, pushing through the slick and come and when he catches on Jaskier's slit, Jaskier lets out a little gasp and grasps at Geralt's shoulders.

Geralt pushes forward pressing into him and Jaskier holds his breath as he stretches open on his cock. Geralt's eyelids flutter as he settles and then he rocks forward, slowly at first, just short little thrusts that leave Jaskier aching, pushing himself onto him, wanting more.

And Geralt gives it to him. He sinks deep, hooking a knee over Jaskier's hip to hold him close as he ruts, his cock pressed firmly against that spot that makes him wild. Jaskier bucks and whines, his own cock slipping against Geralt's with every thrust. He delights in the feeling of Gerslt inside him, of his warmth and the stretch of his cock, sliding into him and filling him wholly.

He's surprised to find Geralt as breathless as he is when he looks up at him and he can't help but tip forward and nip at his lower lip. Geralt groans and kisses him hard. He pushes him onto his back so he's straddling his hips and when he sits back, Jaskier's cock presses between his cheeks.

He rocks his hips, suddenly overwhelmed by the heat around his cock and Geralt shudders as he pushes back against him. His eyes flick up to Jaskier's and he licks his lips.

"Can I try something?" he asks and Jask nods enthusiastically.

Geralt withdraws immediately, pressing his fingers into Jaskier's slit. When he withdraws, he reaches behind himself, and Jaskier burns to know what he's doing, but the slick fingers wrap around his cock, and Geralt sits back on him. Jaskier groans low as Geralt's body engulfs him, heat seeping into every inch where they touch and he reaches out, fingers digging into his thighs, so careful not to leave scratches.

Geralt rocks back onto him, taking the full length of Jaskier's cock and grinding back against him. He rolls his hips and squeezes around him, pulling right up to the tip before dropping back down the length on him. Jaskier is breathless, helpless to do anything but squeeze Geralt's thighs and bite his own lip.

Tentatively, he wraps one hand around Geralt's cock, slipping webbed fingers over the head of his cock. Geralt moans softly, sliding one hand over Jaskier's and guiding it down. Jaskier nearly stops breathing as the head of Geralt's cock nudges against his slit and then he's sliding in again, filling him up even as he squeezes around Jaskier's cock.

It's so much. Jaskier's body sings with the twin pleasures of being filled so wholly and sinking into Geralt himself as he shifts his hips up.

"Fuck" he groans and Geralt drapes himself over his chest, kissing the moan from his lips.

He finds a rhythm, a careful balance that keeps them joined in both places and Jaskier has never felt such overwhelming pleasure in his life. He meets Geralt's thrusts, thrusting in deep as Geralt sinks into him and it's hardly surprising when he finds himself creeping close to the edge. Geralt's thighs shake around him and he wants to hold out, to make Geralt comes first, but Geralt reaches up, nipping at the sensitive skin over his throat and the pleasure that zips through him is too much.

His hips snap up hard and Geralt kisses him through it, deep and hard, his whole body arching against him. He follows shortly, burying himself deep in Jaskier's body and rutting into him urgently. The moans and pleas that drop from his lips do nothing to ease Jaskier's persistent erection, but as Geralt slumps against him, Jaskier feels the exhaustion creeping in.

Geralt, too, seems tired and Jaskier withdraws reluctantly, mourning the loss of Geralt's body around him. His cock remains stubbornly hard, still unsheathed, but the aching desperation wore off some time ago and he flings himself into the water, quickly rubbing himself down to prevent waking up sticky and uncomfortable. A moment later there's a splash as Geralt rolls off the ledge next to him.

He swims closer enough for Jaskier to reach him and he makes a point of wiping Geralt down first before wrapping a hand around his cock and sliding slowly. Geralt's eyes drop shut and he winds his arms around Jaskier's neck with a soft, shuddering moan.

"How long does this usually last?" he asks and Jaskier shrugs.

"Anywhere from a week to six."

Geralt gawks at him. "Six weeks?"

"On and off," Jaskier huffs, amused. "I don't swim around with an exposed prick for six weeks. And besides. It's usually two, though it is much more in much more... concentrated bursts."

"Meaning I should stick around?"

Jaskier's heart thuds heavily at the suggestion which is, realistically, ridiculous. He's known Geralt for all of a few hours and under normal circumstances, the man would have just killed him. But the idea of keeping him close spreads warmth through his chest.

"You don't have to," he says anyway. "You kept up your end of the deal. I'll be quiet."

"Mmm," Geralt agrees, nosing at his neck, "but it'll get bad again. What would you do with no one here to get you through it."

"Are you..." Jaskier starts, hesitant. "Are you saying you want to stay?"

"Maybe not exactly here," Geralt shrugs, "I'd appreciate being warm and dry part of the time. But I don't intend to go far. Maybe I'll camp out on the beach."

"Will you stay for now?" Jaskier asks hopefully.

"Yes."

Jaskier doesn’t acknowledge the way his heart clenches a little. He shouldn’t want Geralt to stay, shouldn’t care what he does with himself now that he’s fulfilled his end of the bargain, but as they finish cleaning up, he seems happy to be there.

Once they're both clean and Geralt has managed to pull another orgasm from him, they settle on the ground, Jaskier curled up around him. His cock rests perfectly against the cleft of Geralt's ass and he has to be careful not to move too much, lest he work himself up again. He spreads one wing out over Geralt, using it as well as he can to keep him warm.

“You should go back,” Geralt says quietly and if Jaskier didn’t know better, he’d say he sounded almost disappointed, “leave here and find more of your kind so you don’t have to suffer alone next time.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Jaskier admits, “but I like it here.”

“Mm,” Geralt hums sleepily, “guess I’ll just have to come back then, hm?”

Five years later…

The need returns, just as it always does, creeping up slowly and then hitting him all at once, but this time it's worse. This time he has the memory of his Witcher, soft and sweet touching him and kissing him and working him through it. And the memory only serves to make the need stronger.

But he made a promise.

So Jaskier holes himself up in his cave and deals with it as well as he can on his own and when that quits working on the first day, Jaskier swims to the surface in the hopes of coming across some other passer-by who might be willing to risk their life to fuck a Siren.

But when he breaches the surface of the water, there's a figure on the beach, moving oddly. He keeps low in the water, just his head breaking the surface and when he gets closer he realizes it's a man taking off his boots. It takes a couple of seconds to register as the man strips completely naked, but as he gets closer, as Jaskier swims further, he recognizes him. There's a swell of something warm and pleasant that settles in his chest and his heart beats just a fraction too quickly.

Geralt came back for him.