#kelp garden

[annasinthewalls]

Take me home

[chaodads]

Kelp hours

[fionacle]

pvz: you unlocked a new plant!

me: cool thanks, anyway

[cletusthurstonbeauregard]

[frenchygv]

June has been designated Worldwide LAM Awareness Month (WWLAM) by the Worldwide LAM Patient Coalition. WWLAM brings together the global community in a collaborative effort to educate the world about the signs and symptoms of LAM, raise funds to support women living with LAM and share our global achievements to inspire researchers and clinicians to optimize therapies and find a cure for LAM. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (lim-FAN-je-o-LI-o-MI-o-ma-TO-sis), or LAM, is a rare and progressive lung disease that affects women almost exclusively and has no known cure. LAM is characterized by an abnormal growth of smooth muscle cells, especially in the lungs, lymphatic system, and kidneys. Abnormal growth of these cells can lead to loss of lung function, accumulation of lymph-rich fluid in the chest and abdomen, and growth of benign kidney tumours. When you breathe, oxygen passes through the airways to tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, where oxygen transfers into the blood through tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The LAM cells (abnormal smooth muscle cells) cause blockage of the small airways and damage the lung tissue, reducing airflow and oxygen absorption in the blood. Scientists are working to understand the mechanisms at work in the lung that cause the formation of cysts and lung destruction.

It is estimated that for every million women, three to seven will have LAM. However, a 2023 study of four European countries suggests the prevalence is at least 21 cases per million women– substantially higher than prior estimates. All races are affected, and women with LAM have been identified in more than sixty countries. The average age of women at the time of diagnosis is approximately 35 years old. Most women with LAM have had symptoms for several years before ultimately being diagnosed.

To learn more about LAM and to donate, visit The Lam Foundation. You can also help spread awareness by sharing this post. Thank you.

Source: The Lam Foundation.

Junio ​​ha sido designado Mes Mundial de Concientización sobre LAM (WWLAM) por la Coalición Mundial de Pacientes de LAM. WWLAM reúne a la comunidad global en un esfuerzo colaborativo para educar al mundo sobre los signos y síntomas de LAM, recaudar fondos para apoyar a las mujeres que viven con LAM y compartir nuestros logros globales para inspirar a investigadores y médicos a optimizar las terapias y encontrar una cura para LAM. La linfangioleiomiomatosis, o LAM, es una enfermedad pulmonar rara y progresiva que afecta casi exclusivamente a las mujeres y no tiene cura conocida. LAM se caracteriza por un crecimiento anormal de células del músculo liso, especialmente en los pulmones, el sistema linfático y los riñones. El crecimiento anormal de estas células puede provocar la pérdida de la función pulmonar, la acumulación de líquido rico en linfa en el pecho y el abdomen y el crecimiento de tumores renales benignos. Cuando respiras, el oxígeno pasa a través de las vías respiratorias hasta pequeños sacos de aire (alvéolos) en los pulmones, donde el oxígeno se transfiere a la sangre a través de pequeños vasos sanguíneos llamados capilares. Las células LAM (células anormales de músculo liso) bloquean las vías respiratorias pequeñas y dañan el tejido pulmonar, lo que reduce el flujo de aire y la absorción de oxígeno en la sangre. Los científicos están trabajando para comprender los mecanismos que actúan en el pulmón y que causan la formación de quistes y la destrucción pulmonar.

Se estima que por cada millón de mujeres, entre tres y siete tendrán LAM. Sin embargo, un estudio de 2023 en cuatro países europeos sugiere que la prevalencia es de al menos 21 casos por millón de mujeres, sustancialmente más alta que las estimaciones anteriores. Todas las razas se ven afectadas y se han identificado mujeres con LAM en más de sesenta países. La edad promedio de las mujeres en el momento del diagnóstico es de aproximadamente 35 años. La mayoría de las mujeres con LAM han tenido síntomas durante varios años antes de ser diagnosticadas.

Para obtener más información sobre LAM y realizar una donación, visita The Lam Foundation. También puedes ayudar a crear conciencia compartiendo esta publicación. Gracias.

Fuente: The Lam Foundation.

[wolken-himmel]

In which Floyd's transformation potion wears off, causing him to be stuck in his eel-merman form in a large tank.

Now (Y/n) has to entertain him.

Request by anon.

You had always admired the Mostro Lounge's interior design. Large tanks that lined the walls, some that connected to the vast ocean outside the building and allowed little fish and other creatures to pass through. You used to spend a lot of time watching all these adorable and innocent creatures swim past the glass facade. But now, all of them had been chased away by a vicious predator.

Floyd.

You exhaled and watched as he terrorised the last remaining guppies until they fled the tank. The large eel-merman was left alone in the tank, now bored out of his mind. There were no more little fish to torment. So he turned to you, who stood outside the tank and watched him swim around. He flashed his teeth at you, you poor little fish.

"Shrimpy!" he cried out once his head penetrated the surface of the tank. His arms were resting on the upper edge of the tank, the water from his skin dripping to the ground. He shot you a sly smile. "Come a little closer. I don't bite."

You wrapped your arms around yourself, making sure your blazer was still dry. Despite his pressing gaze, you didn't move a centimetre. "I don't wanna get wet. You splashed Azul when he gave you your lunch earlier."

Floyd let out a groan at your reply. "Shrimpy, don't be such a guppy!"

His words caused you to quirk an eyebrow. "I'm not a guppy. I have good reasons not to trust you," you said, a tad bit of playfulness lingering in your voice. You chortled softly, knowing better than to come closer to him.

"What?! I'm as innocent as those little spikeballs from the Heartslabyul garden, the ones you like to cuddle! I deserve appreciation too, don't I?" the merman whined, as if your words had offended him. He pulled his arms away from the ledge of the tank and sank to the bottom of the tank, so he could face you properly. His long tail curled around the floor as he glared at you, the glass wall being the only thing separating you two.

You shrugged softly. "Who says you won't pull me into that tank if I get closer."

"I would never. I swear on Jade."

His words drew loud laughter from your lips. You almost doubled over from how intense the wheezes were that shook your body. "You'd swear on your own brother?" you asked and held your stomach in pain. As your laughter faded out into chuckles, you gazed around the empty Mostro Lounge. "I hope he didn't hear that..."

Floyd chuckled along, but his laughter quickly turned into grumbles of annoyance again. "Come on, Shrimpy. I'm bored!" he complained again and swam circles in his tank. It was large enough to allow for vast movement, but it was empty of any entertainment. "I wanna walk again, poke your side and annoy you."

You chuckled and crossed your arms. "Yeah, you're a real menace. Maybe it's good you're stuck in that tank for a few hours," you teased him. Unable to help yourself, you stuck your tongue out at him.

Floyd clutched his chest dramatically and sank to the bottom of the tank, where he remained motionlessly. "Shrimpy, you're so mean to me..."

Laughter spilled from your lips, and you couldn't help but tap your finger nail against the glass wall. "Stop it, Floyd. You're so dramatic."

"You're breaking my heart..." the eel-merman whined before regaining life again. At the speed of light, he shot up from the ground of the tank and zoomed off into a dark corner.

You brought your face closer to the glass, your eyes scanning the vast tank. The back was littered with large stones and tall kelp plants. Even though his tail was long, he somehow managed to easily hide amongst the flora of the tank. A worried feeling made itself apparent in your stomach. "Floyd? Where are you? Come out again," you yelled out nervously.

Did your playful banter go too far? Did you actually manage to insult him.

Your head began to spin with thoughts of how hurt he must feel. Feeling awful, you desperately searched for any sign of life from him. But your eyes never managed to see past the plants and rocks in the tank. He was nowhere to be found.

With each passing minute of your fruitless search, guilt and dread weighed down your conscience. You began to feel bad about what you had said to him. Any attempt of calling out to him was met with awful silence. With Floyd gone, the empty Mostro Lounge became eerie and lifeless.

Your guilt got the better of you, and you climbed up the ladder that led to the upper ledge of the tank. Your eyes scanned the crystal clear water, but even from up there, you couldn't manage to find him amongst the kelp. With your hands tightly gripping onto the ledge, you leaned over the tank.

"Floyd... I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said," you murmured softly. "Please come out again. I'm worried about you..."

You're met with silence again. He still seemed too hurt to reply you. Or that's what you thought at least. With all the feelings of guilt that plagued you, you didn't notice the threatening shadow that approached you from below. Your torse continued to lean over the ledge, desperately trying to find your friend in the tank.

That was until a webbed hand shot out from the water and grabbed your arm. A scream escaped your lips as you were pulled into the tank with ease. Your body toppled over the ledge and plunged into the water. Strong limbs and an even stronger tail constricted most of your panicked movement.

Your clothes felt heavy and your eyes burnt as you were finally able to open them. You came face to face with a mischievously grinning Floyd. He held you tightly, but making sure your head remained above the water. An unsettling giggle escaped his lips. "I never was mad at you. I just needed you to feel guilty and come closer to the tank so I could pull you in."

You glared at him, but your anger was only half-hearted. "You sly eel..."

Your struggling is met with carefree laughter from his side. "That's what we're known as. Smart, sly and slippery!" he exclaimed smugly and swam around the tank with you. A bright smile was plastered onto his face, akin to that of a child that had just received a present.

"I should have known this was just another one of your ploys," you murmured in dismay.

Floyd pressed you against him until you could only wheeze out your complaints. "You're like a rubber duck! So easily squeezable and cute," he cooed playfully.

"Hey, let me go!" you cried out with red cheeks.

His laughter turned louder, until it filled the entirety of the Mostro Lounge. "Sorry, no can do, Shrimpy. You're my little rubber ducky until I get my transformation potion."

"Azul! Hurry up with the potion!" you yelled out at the top of your lungs.

Before you could say more, Floyd pulled you underwater to shut you up. After a few seconds of having his fun, he pulled you up again. A giggle escaped his lips at your disoriented state. He merely soothed your strangled whines by pulling you closer, his arms circling around your waist.

An eerie smile decorated his face as he patted your head. "Oh, he can take his time. I don't mind...."

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 9

(Submitted fan-art of Jade in the monster AU. All credit goes to artist who requested to remain anonymous)

Warnings; yandere, platonic and romantic yanderes, multiple yandere characters, my monster AU, tears, hurt/comfort, blood, injury, furious yanderes, forgiveness, Unicorn, Kelpie, Faun, Selkie, Bakeneko, Dragon, Cervitaur, Vampire Bat, Raiju, Gnoll, Crow,

~~~~~~~~

One of the first things you noticed as you slowly came back to yourself was that it was fairly bright where you lay, shadows occasionally flicking over your vision before the light returned. The next thing that came to your attention was the soft sound of crying. No, soft was not the right word. This was sobbing, heavy and heartbroken.

"Please, don't say she's dead. Please. I'll do anything. Please!"

You recognized the voice somewhat, not overly familiar as to be able to place it upon first waking, but you did know it was a voice you have heard before. Another voice tried to speak, but you couldn't hear it over the sobbing and almost nonsensical apologies mixed with pleads. Somewhere in your mind you recognized that you had to fully wake at some point, but your limbs felt heavy and almost immoveable.

"I'll do anything... Just, please... Please bring her back..."

As your eyes slowly slid opened, you were looking up at a familiar face stained with countless tears. He didn't look the way he usually did, the corners of his mouth still red and raw with the way they had been torn to accommodate the fangs he previously had. His golden crown had been knocked off of his head and his golden horn had a dark black spider-web crack near the tip.

"Riddle, she was already wounded before she got hit with a direct blast of magic. Humans don't have magic and their bodies can't take that kind of strain-"

"I won't be the one to kill the last Human! I can't be... I can't be the one to have killed her..."

Your dominant hand slowly lifted, reaching up to that tear streaked face and resting against his puffy cheeks. The brush of your hand on his face made his eyes fly open with shock as he stared down at you.

"Riddle," your throat felt scratchy and dry, "why are you crying?"

His tears began anew but this time in a mixture of relief and joy as he held your hand to his chest. Your head turned slowly to look around you and you realized you were laying in the Heartslabuyl garden. It looked like very little time had passed since that last magical attack had hit the stunned and overblotted Riddle.

"You're okay! I'm so sorry, (Y/n), I should have been the only one to never hurt you, but instead I overblotted and almost killed you.... Your arm, it... Don't move, okay? Just stay still..."

You vaguely registered what he was talking about as your head slowly turned towards your arm. The axe no longer dug into it but you were very clearly still wounded as Trey kneeled next to you, using magic to staunch the bleeding. It was surprising to you to see the Kelpie, his side equally wounded but somewhat wrapped with what you could only assume was kelp. A faint green tint to the usually white fur was certainly a curious concept as you had honestly assumed he was just a white horse called a Kelpie.

The three of you were on the ground and certainly looked like you had been through Hell and back. While you contemplated what had happened you noticed the sound of footsteps running towards you. You didn't have much time to wonder who was running before a familiar face entered your sight, his blue hair ruffled and light blue eyes wide with stress as he was looking over his shoulder.

"They're over here! Hurry! She's really hurt!"

Deuce was stressed as he waved over those you assumed were there to help you, the sheer worry in the Faun's tone almost made you worry. You were actually feeling quite alright despite the injury and you vaguely wondered if it had anything to do with the magic Trey was using.

"Professor Divus, quickly! I can only use 'Paint the Roses' to keep the pain at bay for a little bit longer before I run out of magic."

The familiar and extremely concerned face of Professor Divus came into view as Deuce moved away to give him space to work. He easily took over with his magic and gave Trey a moment to rest after the battle. Even as Divus kneeled quickly at your side Riddle refused to let go of your hand.

"My poor pup..."

Divus cooed at you gently as he summoned several tinctures and tonics, setting them up quickly by your side. Trey's magic faded away as the Kelpie held his side, now turning his attention to his own wounds and trying to treat them. Without the soothing impact of Trey's magic, you began to feel the full brunt of the pain in your arm. It was agony.

Pain shot up and down your arm as if it had been cleaved in two and you couldn't bring yourself to actually assess the damage given it had been deeply injured by the large Axe. As tears began to form in your eyes, Riddle only seemed to become more distressed. He quickly tried to soothe you, petting your face and arm as if that would stop the pain you felt burning inside of you. More tears formed and Riddle only seemed to become more distressed as he tried to keep you calm despite what had happened.

"Where's Grim? Where's- Where's my boy? Where is My Grim?"

Your voice hitched and whimpered as your emotions began to run wild, trying to look around to find your faithful companion. The longer it took to find him, the more you struggled to move and even tried to stand so you could locate the soft creature.

"He's right here, Human, it's okay. Your Grim is right here."

You almost felt like you had been drugged as you saw your soft companion seemed to be floating over to you. He was clearly wriggling in whatever held him up, reaching out his little paws to you and even trying to flap his little ruined wings to get to your side faster. As Grim was set down next to you, he scampered directly to your side and cuddled against your body. The little critter held your arm with his paws and mewled as he pressed his little body against you as if trying to let you know he was still there and he seemed to be crying.

"Don't die. Please don't die... I have no one else who cares... I- I don't have anywhere else..!"

You tried to move your hand to pet the little creatures, but found yourself unable to pull away from Riddle. The Unicorn in question refused to let go of your hand, still pressing it against his face and muttering apologies.

"You're still terrible at making friends, Riddle."

An almost amused voice spoke now and the space where Grim had been floating seemed to ripple and form as a cat-boy dressed in all white appeared. He had pink hair with faint teal stripes throughout, golden eyes, and two cat ears atop his head. Lazily waving behind him was a tail that split two-thirds of the way down into two separate ends. You had no idea who this was.

"Leave me alone, Che'nya..."

"That's no way to greet an old friend who just saw you turn Feral and who saved your precious 'King of Hearts' from your magical temper-tantrum. You almost singed my uniform."

"What?"

"What, did you honestly think she would have survived a blast like that? That was enough magic to crack your horn."

Divus didn't seem to take note or notice the conversation between the newcomer and Riddle as he moved to try and lift your body to sit up. The newcomer was quick to move behind you, helping the Selkie sit you up and lean you against the stranger's chest. The sound of a bottle being uncorked drew your gaze to Divus as he held the potion to your lips, letting you drink it down at your own pace instead of forcing you to drink it. The moment the first bit of the potion settled in your stomach, you began to feel significantly less pain from your arm.

"Aww, aren't you just adorable? I did want to stop by and meet you when I saw Cater's selfie with you on Magicam, but I didn't think all this would happen when I did. I know we Bakeneko are often considered to be bad luck, but this is just ridiculous."

His smile curved up at the corners making a cheshire grin that reminded you quite a lot of cats from your world and even of Grim who had now moved himself to your stomach. The little cat lay with his chin on your stomach and his torn little ears drooping as he watched you with those big blue eyes. It felt wrong to see him so sad when he had been a fairly positive influence on your life and always seemed to make you smile when you got too deep into thought. Still, between the two cats- the one on your stomach and the one behind you- you began to feel a little more at peace despite the situation.

"The name's Che'nya. I'm a Bakeneko, and you are a Human~ didn't think I would be saving your life today, but I will happily take a plate of Trey's strawberry tarts as a thank you gift."

"You're welcome to them, Che'nya. You know, you don't have to show up to our unbirthday parties just to get some of the tarts, right?"

"Yeah, well, you Night Raven boys don't really like us Sword Academy types. Wow, Riddle really almost chopped you in half, Trey."

"It isn't that bad or that deep..."

As Trey talked to Che'nya, Divus had gotten started on your arm, which you could now see thanks to being propped up against the grinning cat-man. The axe had done serious damage and you vaguely worried what would happen to the limb, but to your surprise it almost looked like it was slowly stitching itself back together with every tonic added to it. Part of you was morbidly fascinated by the injury, but another part of you didn't really want to look given the grisly appearance.

It was while you were observing your arm that dark clouds began to form overhead, rolling and growling with the low sound of thunder. The sound made everyone look up and Divus cast a nervous glance towards Riddle. Riddle just continued to mumble and hold your hand, almost as if here were in some kind of trance.

"Th-thunder? Why here? Why now?"

Grim mewled, curling up tighter on your stomach and even moving to try and slide under your uniform jacket to shield from the approaching storm. In your desire to comfort him, you actually managed to remove your hand from Riddle's grasp. In response, the Unicorn let out a stressed noise and tried to catch your hand once more so he could keep holding it for his own comfort.

"Who dares harm my hoard?"

The voice was a low rumble of menace and rage and it seemed to carry over the entire dorm as students- who had been trying to clean up the now destroyed garden- all began to cower. Some even fled to the interior of the dorm.

"I think that's my cue to leave. Sorry, Human, I'm not keen to be toasted by a Dragon today. Remember you owe me tarts for saving you."

The cat-man behind you quickly faded out of view, the support of his chest also leaving from behind you. Divus was quick to take the place of the Che'nya, letting you lean on his broad chest as he subconsciously moved part of his fur over you, shielding your wound from the wind which had begun to pick up. Shadows blotted out the sun and green lightning began to arch from cloud to cloud.

"The perpetrator will pay dearly for this sleight."

You somewhat recognized the voice, though it was dipped in more venom and rage than you had heard before. From the entrance to the garden walked a furious Malleus Draconia, flanked on either side by his faithful guards. Lilia was perched on Silver's back and seemed to be searching for something as he glanced around the ruined garden. His wings spread, taking one mighty gust to lift him up into the air as he coasted on leathery wings to where you lay.

"(Y/n)," the Bat called as he landed, moving past Riddle and almost shoving the distraught Unicorn to the side as he took his place next to your uninjured arm, "we were just about to come look for you when your collar sent out a distress call."

You hummed, vaguely thinking about the loose collar- affixed to you by that damned Crow- that sat around your neck, wondering who else it contacted. Lilia glanced over your body and frowned deeply when he noticed your mangled arm, Divus still attempting to shield it from the debris being thrown around from the wind.

"Malleus, calm. You can be as angry as you wish, but your temper is causing more harm to (Y/n). We can't treat her wounds if you insist on creating a storm."

Malleus, Sebek, and Silver were quick to join you, almost completely disregarding the equally injured Kelpie and the upset Unicorn that caused all this fuss. The wind calmed significantly, but the thunder overhead was just as loud and almost seemed to be happening more frequently. Malleus' eyes smouldered with rage, but softened to concern as he took in your current state and your wounded arm.

"Crewel, what is your assessment?"

"It's badly damaged. I do think we can fix it with consistent care, but it will have to be wrapped and carefully monitored. We should consider ourselves lucky he did not sever the limb."

"Tell me who did this and I will see that his punishment is swift."

You spoke now, still resting a hand over Grim who had successfully made it under your uniform jacket.

"Not now... Malleus... please?"

"No. Even if you ask, I cannot forgive such an act so easily. The blot levels in the air are nothing short of someone going Feral and they need to be dealt with accordingly."

Even as you tried to argue, Malleus was not keen to listen. Lilia moved you so Divus could return to his work on your arm, letting you instead lay against the smaller Bat who wrapped a wing around your uninjured side in a kind of hug. Were it not for the odd headspace you were in thanks to Divus' potion, you would have laughed at the way you were moved from person to person in such a short time.

It was odd to you to not feel any pain seeing as your arm was still quite injured, but that must have been the whole purpose of the potion. Leave it to the Selkie to master a pain-relieving potion he would only use on the Human he considered to be his pup. The Selkie in question finished wrapping your arm, taking a moment to check over you one more time before moving onto Trey.

"I'm the one who hurt her."

The almost sorrowful voice of Riddle spoke now. His eyes were red from crying and he looked near despondent as he hung his head in shame, refusing to move from where Lilia had shoved him. It vaguely interested you to know the little Bat was much stronger than he looked, but you vaguely recalled shoving the Unicorn to the ground as well though those memories were more than a little hazy as to the how and why of the matter.

"I'm the one who hurt Trey. I'm the one who overblotted and went Feral. All of this is my fault... and I accept whatever punishment you deem fit, Malleus."

"You- the Unicorn that was so enamored with my Human he demanded she be taken from my care- did all of this?"

Malleus made a wide gesture to the ruined garden, his eyes glinting poisonously at the clearly grief stricken Unicorn. Riddle just let his head fall lower, the tears resuming their path down his flushed cheeks. He felt like he deserved whatever painful retribution Malleus decided on and he would accept it one hundred times over to repent for his abominable actions.

"Malleus, please-"

You tried again, cutting off with a slight wince as the vague sensation of pain stopped you from sitting up. Though that potion did away with much of the agony you felt, there was still a lingering pain in your body any time you tried to move it.

"No, (Y/n), I deserve this and worse for what I've done to you, to Trey, and even to Grim. I cannot be forgiven for such a crime. I deserve to be beheaded."

"Well I don't want you to be beheaded."

"Please-"

"No. You're damn right you fucked up. You thought you were the best choice and that you knew what was best for me even though I am the only one who could possibly know what is best for me. You messed up. But no one is dead, right?"

The Unicorn refused to meet your gaze, the potion doing more than just removing your pain as it also seemed to remove your filter.

"... No one died, but I almost killed everyone and even Grim. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have-"

"Wait," Sebek spoke now, his voice thick with confusion, "(Y/n) stopped you? How did she possibly do that?"

"I don't know how she did it," Riddle shook his head, "but she threw me back onto the ground and blocked my axe with her own arm. I didn't even see it was her until I was getting back up and saw what I had done."

During this, Malleus was carefully inspecting your injured arm. He turned it gently and you even saw his forked tongue flash out from time to time past his lips, gathering the scent of the bandages and wound. The storm somewhat quieted as he explored your injury, humming a soft lilt that was oddly soothing despite coming from the large reptilian man.

"I warned all of you that first day just what Humans in extreme distress are capable of. You threatened the life of someone she considers to be her family, she retaliated. You're actually lucky she was injured and didn't turn that axe on you. I have seen the kind of strength a distressed Human posseses when defending family. I have seen a dead woman walking who refused to go down because her family needed her. I have seen Human men missing limbs still slaughter their betters to give their family a chance at living. Humans are weak, but never underestimate the sheer strength of will a Human has to defend their family."

Lilia hummed, resting his chin on your shoulder as he spoke. As Malleus placed your arm over your stomach, Lilia's other wing wrapped around you to fully embrace you in the warmth. Grim crawled out of your jacket, purring as he gently bumped his head against your chin.

"My Hooman is my family too. I don't want anyone hurting her again."

"Nor do we. It is not a good thing she had to use such strength, it can be harmful to exert that much force on muscles not made to perform such acts."

You were much more comfortable in the warm wings of the Bat but you were still worried for Riddle because of Malleus' threatening aura. The Dragon was actually much calmer now though he was still furious someone dare to harm a member of his hoard. As a Dragon, it is his instinctual duty to protect his hoard from danger and he would not allow such acts to go unpunished.

"Rosehearts," the low growl sent shivers down your spine, "after further consideration of your own remorse and the pleas of my child of man, I have decided your penance. You shall not be permitted to any time alone with her and whatever time you do spend in her presence must be monitored by another Housewarden until it is clear you will not overblot again."

"But I deserve so much worse for-"

"I don't recall telling you that you had any say in what I deem as appropriate punishment."

Riddle quieted himself with a nod of submission, looking away from the intense eyes of the Dragon. You had genuinely expected Malleus to be angrier, but apparently he held your opinion in rather high regard as he decided to not slay the Unicorn for his actions. Maybe the Dragon did see you as more than a pet.

"Furthermore, the next time it is Heartslabuyl's turn to guard her, you will be forfeiting that honor to Diasomnia until you have proven to be in control of yourself."

"But I- okay. I understand..."

It was then you decided to speak up, still feeling more than a little loopy and cozy thanks to the tandem potion and wing-hug.

"For what it's worth, Riddle, I don't forgive you, but I don't think I hate you either. Try to hurt Grim again and I will hate you, but I don't hate you right now."

~•§•~

"I hate him so much right now..."

You frowned deeply as you whined, holding your arm and staring at the kitchen. You could try to make something with one arm, but it was going to be difficult. There was little chance you were going to let Lilia cook as Silver had near begged to be spared such a fate, so you had to figure something out. Part of you deeply resented the many ruined pastries as you had been so excited to try them when you saw them sitting with such organized disorder on the table.

"What a waste of good food."

You continued muttering angrily as you moved around the kitchen trying to gather ingredients. The general plan was to make something simple and quick so you could rest your arm- per Professor Divus' strict instructions- but feeding seven was a lot of work. Four portions for your four guards, one for you, one for Grim, and one for the inevitable return of the Gnoll Ruggie. He was likely camped out somewhere near your dorm at the moment, just waiting for that good smell to bring him in.

Lilia sat nearby, petting a now content and very relaxed Grim who was curled up next to the Bat. He had offered to cook only once and now let you continue the process as you insisted and he decided not to interfere further. Sebek was trying to be helpful and wound up doing far too much, grabbing the pots and pans from you any time you tried to lift one and you were starting to become irate. A dull throbbing ache in your arm only took even more from your quickly thinning patience.

It was then a gentle knock came at that side kitchen door and you nearly screamed in rage from yet another uninvited guest. Lilia was quick to answer and you were caught off guard by the voices you heard.

"It is only fair the remaining tarts left in the kitchen come here. Besides, she needs to cook her meals but can only use one arm, I'm not great beyond the bakery, but I can still help in the kitchen."

"It is my duty as the one who caused the harm to rectify my mistake or at least help where I can. I understand if I should be turned away."

You walked over to the doorway behind Lilia, surprised to see Riddle and Trey standing there. Now that you were lucid and not in a magic induced stupor, you were actually able to take in the full brevity of their injuries.

Trey's side was wrapped up in a bandage but he seemed to be in good spirits despite it all. That green you thought you saw in his coat was gone and he was back to that immaculate white. He seemed to be gingering a leg but still stood holding a covered tray.

Riddle was back in his dorm clothes, crown and all, despite looking much worse for wear. His horn was now shorter than before, the cracked point having been filed down to the non-cracked section and the cuts along the corners of his mouth were bandaged. There were still sections of his hair and tail that looked like they had been leeched of color, an almost black tinted gray from his time overblotted. The gold of his hooves and horn had lost some of their shine.

"Riddle, you need to rest. Being up and about won't help."

"But I need-"

"You need to lay down somewhere."

"I can't. Not when you and Trey are up and working."

"Come in, the both of you."

You sighed as the two trotted their way into the dorm, Trey having to duck to get through the door. He set the tray down and turned to smile at you as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work helping you in the kitchen. Honestly, you could have kissed him in that moment for the absolute relief you felt at having another pair of hands in the kitchen. Taking a quick look at what you already gathered, a quick idea came to you that involved much less work for you and a good way to utilize Trey's bakery skills in the process.

"Ever had a meat pie? Kind of like making a fruit pie but savory. I can get the filling together if you can make the crusts and tops for the individual meat pies, just make sure to use less sugar. I'm sure there are tins around here somewhere."

"I can absolutely do that. How many am I making?"

"Well, there's going to be ten of us if the evening plays out the way I think it will."

"How do you figure?"

"There's usually one or two extra visitors during meals here so may as well make extra. If not, I can always have more later."

"Fair enough."

You already had mostly gathered up what you would need to make a decent filling for these pies, so only a few things extra needed to be grabbed. Clearly, you were now in a much better mood thanks to having someone to help who wouldn't burn down the kitchen. It was as you were contemplating cutting the vegetables that Silver quietly stepped in, dicing the vegetables and meat into fine cubes that would go well in the dish. There was very little you actually had to do other than get the rest put together and soon the delicious aroma of the baking pies could be smelled through the entire dorm.

Riddle had tried several times to help, but you made Sebek bring in one of the oversized couches from the main dorm common-area. You had recalled seeing the furniture and wondering just what would need a couch so large. Now that answer was quite obvious as Riddle lay on the couch, almost immediately passing out once he got comfortable. Silver picked up the blanket that he kept across his back, laying it over the exhausted Sophomore and let him sleep.

As the aroma of the pies got stronger, the inevitable whining and scratching came from that side door. Ruggie was back and he was seeking more food to feast upon, ever hungry and yapping in excitement at the prospect of another meal. You vaguely considered just trying to cook a bunch of things and having the Gnoll be your taste tester. He certainly wouldn't mind the free food.

"Got it~"

Lilia sang as he hopped down from the counter he claimed as a perch, opening the door for the eager Gnoll. Ruggie followed his nose right to the large oven and his tail began wagging incredibly fast as he snorted against the side of the oven.

"Careful, Ruggie, it's hot. When they're done cooking we have to let them sit for a bit or they could burn you."

"Okay! When? Is it soon? They smell so good, I want one now."

"You can't have one now, but you can lick the bowl if you really want to."

He didn't need any invitation beyond that to begin lazily licking the bowl the filling had been in, eager to get all the food he could. You would have laughed at the way he so happily feasted on the scraps if you weren't so tired. Even as you leaned against the counter, you somewhat considered laying on top of the Unicorn and taking a nap as well.

Somewhere in your thinking another presence made itself known in that you were suddenly grabbed and pulled into a tighter than comfortable hug.

"My little chick, are you okay? How is your arm? Have you been taking care of it? I flew over the second I got back. I was meeting the Royal Sword Academy Headmage when your collar pinged. Divus told me what happened. Where is that damned Unicorn-?"

"Quiet. He's sleeping. I'm not fine- but it could be worse. You will let Riddle sleep- he is exhausted- or you don't get a pie."

"... Pie?"

You frowned as the Headmage thankfully released you, still staying rather close as he examined your injured arm. His feathers were ruffled and it almost looked like he had flown to where you were as soon as he received news of your condition. Somewhere in the back of your mind you wondered how he got in the dorm, but he was the Headmage and odds are had access to all the buildings on campus.

It was then he actually seemed to take a deep breath, humming out curiously and noticing Ruggie who still had his nose close to the door of the oven. Ruggie was not keen to move from his spot but he begrudgingly allowed the Headmage to approach the oven. He took a quick peek inside and seemed to like what he saw as his smile returned and he forgot all about the sleeping Riddle.

"Oh? It has been a while since I last had a good Human-cooked meal... Very well. Since I'm just the vision of kindness, and your forgiveness is nothing short of inspiring, I can forgive Mr. Rosehearts for now. He is clearly still feeling the lasting effects of overblotting but hopefully he will learn from this and avoid such extremes in the future."

You rolled your eyes at the way the Headmage praised himself but you were happy to know Riddle was at least able to keep sleeping. When the pies were ready, you would wake him, but he needed the rest right now. Trey constantly checked on the pies and once they had a good golden crisp, he got them out of the oven. It made you glad Trey was present as he kept the hungry Gnoll at bay until the pies were cool enough to eat without scalding anyone.

"Riddle?"

You were gentle as you woke the Unicorn, he had been sleeping deeply and seemed almost confused when you woke him. The slight snort that came from him made you chuckle somewhat as you offered him the warm meat pie.

"But, I don't deserve-"

"You will eat that pie and shut up about being deserving or I will force feed the entire thing to you."

There was a look in his eyes as if he felt he didn't deserve the nice meal, but his hunger won him over rather quickly as he took several slow bites and savored the meal you and Trey had made.

Ruggie scarfed the food down in seconds and now lay on the tile of the kitchen, his somewhat distended stomach spoke volumes to how content he was as he basked next to the residual warmth of the oven. Grim was quick to join the Gnoll and the two you felt most responsible for in the dorm clearly enjoyed their meal. Even Crowley was making happy cawing noises as he ate the pie.

"I must say, I was curious how these pies would taste, but you were right, (Y/n). They're delicious."

"See, Trey? Even if you're used to making sweets, you can make something savory with those same bakery skills and just a little less sugar."

"I would love to learn to make more, if you would allow my curiosity."

Crowley's wings fluffed out, making both you and the Kelpie pause the conversation to look over at the odd bird-man. He had cleaned his plate and was licking his fork for whatever bit was left on the splines.

"(Y/n), my precious little chick, how would you feel about teaching some culinary classes once your arm heals up?"

[fantasykiri5]

Small subtle things I think would make the pale garden biome stand out a little more:

- FOG!!

- I know everyone’s saying this but the place NEEDS some dense grey fog, it’d be super eerie AND super pretty! It’d give builders a cool reason to build within the biome too!

- Idk if it’d be done using the existing fog code the game has and just making it much closer to you, or if it’d be done using the blindness effect in light grey instead of black, with a like 10 block wider radius and either no or a slower pulse effect, but either could work 🤷

- Like one other mob

- Also quiet and weird, but not aggressive and spawns during the day. Just like some Thing wandering around. Maybe something floaty similar to an allay? Idk

- Just some sort of wandering thing that doesn’t really care abt you very much

- Not a lot of them either, just one here or there I think. A lil’ somethin’ yaknow?

- Add small patches of glow lichen to the generation.

- Just like on tree trunks and the ground and shit. Some subtle, patchy lighting in a grey color scheme 👍

- Let’s the player see a little bit, lowering the need for torches that would lessen the spooky vibe, but on its own would keep the eeriness I think.

- Would be good specifically in tandem with fog, because fog would drastically lower visibility, so lichen would be helpful in balancing it back out a smidge.

- Gravel in the soil makeup

- Okay so not like replacing ALL the grass with soil, but some patches could be neat. Just to break it up a little more.

- The crunching sound from walking on it would also be fitting, and it’d make it feel kinda like a spooky zen garden path, which would help with the name!!

- A little clay could be nice too maybe, it’s also a nice crunchy walk sound, but that might be a little much to figure out terrain-generation-wise

- Maybe a subtle waving animation on the vines?

- Kinda like the one on kelp

- Slower and smaller though. Just a very gentle sway.

- They could also use a little bit of fluffing up, I guess? Partial transparency maybe? Idk how well that can be done in Minecraft to idk BUT I think the hanging moss could maybe to made to look juuust a pinch wispier, to closer match the real-life counterpart! It’d help the spooky vibe too.

- Some wind sounds

- Idk if this is already in the list of ambient noises there but a little gust of wind or some shaky leaves would add to the atmosphere.

- maybe it’s on purpose and it’s supposed to be super still though, so maybe not. Depends how still they want it to be 🤷

Everyone says “something actually rewarding to make me want to go there.” I don’t agree! It seems like it’s just supposed to be An Experience rather than part of the main game progression. It’s just for fun!

Personally I REALLY like it, the blocks all look really cool, the Creaking looks really spooky, and honestly it feels like the perfect small update to either work on or outright release right around Halloween time, just that it’s not quite at that last little polish stage yet, which makes sense because it’s not being released yet!

[serpentface]

INTRO TO THE SOPHONTS

There are eight distinct sophont genuses and/or species in the known world of the blightseed setting. above are examples of each to show overall difference in anatomy and size.

note- terms like 'genus' 'species' 'subspecies' have no meaning in-universe, and do not necessarily have a role in the formation of cultural groups and identity.

Yotici

Yotici are large marine grazers. Their place on the tree of life is an offshoot of very early fish, all of whos modern representatives live in alternating generations, with a sessile asexual stage that resembles a plant, and a long-living reproductive phase (shown here).

The sessile phase appears in the form of 'gardens' that grow from a seabed where eggs were lain. The reproductive phase begins when tiny yotici (yotlings) develop and emerge en-masse. Yotici do not actively protect yotlings until they begin to speak, and many will die within their first year. (though they provide passive protection by allowing their yotlings to school around them, and through the shielded garden environment)

Their sessile young, however, are closely guarded. Yotici are ecosystem engineers that modify their environments to protect their gardens. They build enclosed and controllable environments with coral, rocks, mangroves, shipwrecks, etc, in shallow waters. They manipulate their environment via their 'tentacles' (actually highly modified genitalia, very dextrous and present regardless of sex).

They have likely domesticated more species than any other sophont, both as an unintentional byproduct of their ecosystem engineering and through intentional breeding. Their most important domestic animal is the garden shark, a species of bullhead kept to protect their sessile young from predation by invertebrates and other small animals.

They primarily eat sea grasses, certain corals, kelp, and occasionally shellfish, crustaceans, and other small animals. They require large, healthy expanses of seagrass to be sustained, and will readily kill or drive away competition. They also take an aggressive stance towards predation, generally being highly aggressive until predators recognize them as a threat leave them alone. This includes encroaching landdwellers- yotici territories utilized by land dwellers are often sites of conflict. Peaceful coexistence in the same waters requires the creation and maintenance of treaties and pacts, historically rare due to difficulties in interspecies communication.

They have aesthetic sensibilities, and may decorate themselves by allowing barnacle growth, or via scarification. 

Yotici exhibit no sexual dimorphism and near-ubiquitously do not construct gender. Their genitalia-arms no longer have a sexual function, and they reproduce via group spawning.

The most basic social unit of the yotici is the pod, related individuals who hatched in the same garden and maintain it throughout their lives.

-----

Human

Humans are upright bipedal apes. They are notable among midsized mammals for lacking protective fur, making them vulnerable to both sun exposure and the cold.

There is only one species of human, sole survivors of a once broad family of upright apes. Humans came into behavioral modernity as mobile plains dwelling hunter-gatherers- a highly efficient mode of living utilized to the present day. They are omnivores, capable of adapting to a wide variety of diets and thus a great variety of environments.

The first humans likely developed south of the now inhospitable equatorial Deadlands. Known contemporary populations exist mostly within the eastern and northern parts of the supercontinent.

Humans exhibit modest sexual dimorphism, less pronounced than other apes but with some unique display features such as permanent breasts and bright lips. They can reproduce year-round, and typically bear one child at a time. Childbirth is very dangerous, and many young and mothers die in the process. Their young are completely helpless, and may take over a year to even begin to walk.

The most common basic human social unit is composed of reproductive pairs and their families, though there is tremendous variety in how they form groups.

-----

Elowey:

Elowey are primates, most closely related to lemurs. They average around the same height as humans, but are heavier. They are capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion.

Two relatively distinct subspecies of elowey are known to survive, though with significant gene flow between the two. Southern elowey (pictured here) are larger on average with bigger guts and more exposed skin, and northern elowey are smaller, with denser fur and slight aquatic adaptations.

Elowey are omnivores, but better adapted towards plant eating. Southern elowey can subsist entirely on plants and digest much tougher plant material than humans with their large guts. Northern elowey rely more heavily on meat, especially during the winter months. The gene for lactase persistence is widely found in northern elowey and largely absent in southern populations.

Elowey have a strong sense of smell. They have two sets of scent glands, which at their most basic communicate territoriality and identity, but the social implications are far broader. 

They come from highly territorial ancestors, and most individuals become stressed and uncomfortable when living in dense populations with unrelated elowey. This discomfort is lessened towards members of other species, though they are still prone to social claustrophobia.

Elowey lack significant sexual dimorphism, with nonreproductive females being indistinguishable from males (aside from genitalia, which is brightly colored in males). Reproductive females go through a pronounced estrus, and hormones from pregnancy induce permanent bodily changes, mostly in the form of longer fur and greater muscle mass.

The most basic social unit of elowey is a reproductive pair, their young, and nonreproductive siblings/family. Typical families only have one reproductive pair at a time, and the presence of a reproductive female actually suppresses the fertility of other females. They give birth to 1-2 young at a time, which are helpless for a couple months until they begin to walk. 

-----

Caelin and Delkhin:

Caelin and Delkhin are two closely related drakes (pterosauroids of this setting), with locomotive forelimbs (wings) and manipulative hind limbs.

Both are obligate carnivores who supplement their diets only occasionally with plant matter, and as such large populations can only be supported by ecosystems with massive herds, or intensive animal agriculture. Both have ancestors who scavenged on the dead, with active hunting being a byproduct/driving factor of sapience.

Males develop large, colorful wattles, and all possess the ability to create booming songs with their gular sacks (though the calls of males average louder). Females are typically smaller than males in both species, and have dull coloration

The two are closely related enough to produce young, but their eggs are often inviable and the young are rarely fertile. In spite of this, there is frequent gene flow between the two and hybrids are relatively common.

The sex of offspring in both species is determined by incubation temperature, with profound societal implications- often sons are intentionally limited.

The pre-sophont ancestors of both reproduced in lek based mating systems, which remains an influence on modern social behavior. The basic social unit of both caelin and delkhin societies is the lek, typically one (sometimes more) breeding males, several females, and their offspring. 

Caelin:

Caelin are about the size of egrets, and capable of powered flight. Their ancestors followed herds of bison, aurox, horses, and khait to scavenge on the dead and dying, which developed into more active management and domestication.

There are a few subspecies of caelin, though most are indistinct from one another (aside from the very small polar caelin).

Caelin are the most widespread sophont of all, having settled anywhere in the world that could support them, though the areas with highest populations are the great steppes of the west. There are few populations historically existing in human-dominated areas, as they tend to compete for food resources.

They are capable of a unique mode of subsistence, scavenger nomadism. Scavenger-nomads fly from place to place seeking dead or dying animals as food sources.

Delkhin

Delkhin are flightless and significantly larger than caelin, standing between 3-5ft in height and weighing several times as much as their relatives. They possess a small horn jutting from the back of the skull, larger and colorful in males.

There are few populations of delkhin outside of Cynozepal and the western grasslands. Their reliance on meat and relatively large size keeps their populations at a low density with great difficulty adjusting to other regions.

Delkhin have notched beaks and strong necks that allow manipulation of larger and heavier objects, and their 'hands' are deft at handling smaller ones.

-----

Qilik

Qilik are roughly turkey sized protobirds. Their ancestors glided, but modern qilik have lost much of their gliding ability as their wings were re-repurposed for manipulation. Their hands have two mobile fingers and one mostly immobile claw.

Qilik would be considered a genus rather than species. There are several species + subspecies of qilik, with the most distinct species being the plains qilik (which are larger, with long thin tails and smaller wings) and the forest qilik (which are smaller, with fans on their tails, broader wings, and are better climbers). More isolated populations have more derived features, such as the small and nocturnal cave dwelling qilik of the deadlands. All are interfertile with significant gene flow between most.

Qilik are omnivores and primarily insectivorous. Their ability to survive on insects makes them one of the least competitive for resources with other sophonts, and as such qilik populations commonly overlap with others and may be indigenous to the same areas.

Most populations are native to forested regions with a high density of insects.  Those who have taken up animal husbandry spread to the plains and eat a more meat-based diet.

Qilik have sexual trimorphism - large, dull colored females, smaller, brightly colored males, and larger, dull colored 'feminine' males (faeder).

Mating occurs seasonally, and most individuals lack any significant sex drive out of season. Hens typically mate with multiple males and mating pairs do not form permanent bonds.

The most common social unit is same-gender (or hen/faeder) flocks which are interdependent but live primarily homosocial lives, with hens/faeder doing most work while groups of males care for children. Their social systems are highly plastic, however, and great variety exists.

-----

Talking crows

Talking crows are crows. They produce language and have complex societies, and can intelligently communicate with other sophonts via mimicry. They may give the impression of being child-like or 'animalistic' to other sophonts, as they struggle with large numbers and certain abstract concepts (and live overall similarly to their non-sophont corvid relatives) but excel beyond any other at cognitive mapping, memory, and navigation.

They do not differ significantly in anatomy from other crows, though notched beaks and flexible feet allow for more deft manipulation of tools. Because of their appearance and relative isolation from other sophonts, they are often interpreted as supernatural beings or 'talking animals'.

-----

Archin

Archin are sapient ant colonies. The only known extant population of the species occurs in the Red Rock Archipelago far southeast in the world-sea, and has been isolated from other sophonts for the majority of its history.

Rather than an individual animal, archin consciousness and personhood exists in the collective. Archin consciousness is an emergent property of colonies, with individuals being somewhat akin to cells composing a brain. 

They are not a hivemind in any literal sense, rather they use the same methods of chemical and touch communication as most other eusocial insects (only highly specialized and with enough plasticity to communicate abstract concepts and understand language).

A single archin has more complex cognitive ability than most ants, and most vertebrates for that matter (better memory, complex motor skills, problem solving) and fully functional as an organism, but is not sapient on her own. Individuals are also very large for ants- about an inch long, with strong jaws capable of deft tool manipulation,

Archin colonies are composed of ‘units’ of 50-100 ants, each unit being functionally an individual personality. A single archin lives about a year, but a unit can survive and retain memories for decades. A unit usually has a set job within the colony, but their role may shift throughout their life. They will usually choose a 'name', and identify themselves with chemical and some visual signals.

A full colony (~1000-3000 individuals) blurs the lines between a person, family, and tribe. It can function as one broad consciousness, but cannot ‘think’ quickly and efficiently as a unit.

Each colony has one queen, who functions as the womb of the group. Her lifespan determines the lifespan of the colony, (up to 60 years in a healthy individual), during which time she will lay eggs yearly. The queen is no more or less intelligent than any other individual archin and contributes little to the collective consciousness, but her importance to the colony's longterm survival makes her uniquely valued over any other individual.

Drones (reproductive males) function as the sperm cells of the group, and are used to forge alliances with other colonies. They die upon mating and contribute nothing to archin consciousness, though their reproductive value makes them the second-most protected individuals in a colony.

Individual archin instinctually reject 1:1 inter-colony communication, which is necessary to not interfere with their consciousness. When parts of different colonies combine, it can lead to units becoming confused and disoriented, or 'mentally ill'. This may be resolved into rogue units, who roam apart from their colonies until they die (or are successfully divided and restored).

Consciousness does not extend beyond a colony. However, due to the highly plastic nature of archin consciousness, it is possible for colonies who lose their queens or suffer great loss of population to perform mergers with other colonies and form new identities. Relations between colonies vary- each has allies and enemies. Allied colonies may form 'nations' and even have forms of governance, though this is near-universally decentralized.

While their mode of consciousness is quite alien to other sophonts, coexistence, communication, and even friendships are possible. A unit is functionally a person with their own personality, with likes, dislikes, curiosity, favorite foods, aesthetic sensibilities, etc. Archin also exhibit highly abstract thought and have forms of religious sensibility.

[thehollowwriter]

Warnings: Murder, implied mutilation, handling and disposal of a body, general crimes ansbdnddj Word count: 1258

Summary: When the lights at the edge of the kelp forest start flashing, Silas knows he has a job to do. (Aka I introduce everyone to Silas' other job)

(Pls reblog and leave a comment ❤️)

Lights

There were few times Silas Clearcove felt the need to be discreet on his own property. In a sprawling kelp forest, hours away from other signs of civilisation, there was little need to worry about prying eyes.

When those familiar flashes of light, three short signals, went off in the far distance, though... it was better to be safe than sorry.

Every night at 10:30 like clockwork, Silas would gaze out across his land at a very specific place, waiting. When nothing happened, which was often the case, he'd turn and get ready for bed.

Tonight had been no different. Silas had fixed his eyes upon that lonely land in the distance, tapping his claws against his side, until he saw those little flashes.

Silas drifted out of the rocky cavern he called home and turned away from the stone path that stretched from his garden into the quiet forest.

With every flick of his tail, the light of the lanterns faded to give way to darkness. It was so dark, most others couldn't see an inch in front of their face.

Where he was going, there were no lanterns, no markers to guide his way. All there was to see was an endless stretch of sand and rock and kelp in every direction.

That was fine. Troubled as his memory was st time, Silas knew very well where he was going.

His wards, carefully crafted runes and spells encircling the entirety of his property, pulsed gently to inform him of the stranger on the edge of the property.

Silas saw little use in the lights used to signal him since the powerful magic protecting his home would let him know all he needed, but, well, they insisted.

Silas came to a stop just short of the edge of the forest of kelp. There, in front of him, were a pair of piercing yellow eyes shining in the dark.

The other merfolk, a gulper eel, didn't move an inch further from where they floated. They wouldn't dare. Not without a lantern, or without Silas' permission. The wards did not take kindly to strangers, and they knew it well.

Silas tilted his head to the side at the eel and silently held out his hand, across the boundary of his property.

The other narrowed their eyes before handing over a black bag that, until now, had blended perfectly into the dark.

It was large, bigger than Silas himself, and heavy. It was long, too, and Silas couldn't help but sigh at the thought of dragging it all the way back from whence he came.

"Becareful with that," the eel rasped. "This one didn't have a very pleasant time. Things got... messy."

They grinned, a sick and twisted pulling of the lips that showed of rows of gleaming, sharp pearly whites.

Silas didn't react. He simply bowed his head in a silent goodbye to his deliveryman, then began the swim towards the centre of his kelp forest.

He didn't go home, though. He swam past the entrance and around the side, through the garden that sprawled on behind it, even bigger than in the front.

Silas swam through the seagrass and coral and kelp and sargassum until he came to a cave, not unlike the one that housed his abattoir.

Silas heaved the bag onto a table carved from the rock, the decades old injury in his tail crying out in pain and sending shock waves to the rest of his body.

He took in a sharp breath and waited for the pain to subside, then opened the bag, pulling down the zipper and staring down down at his newest project.

Glassy, lifeless eyes, stared back at him from a face that barely resembled a person. The rest of the poor soul didn't far much better, gashes and bruises marring deathly pale skin like a blight.

Silas didn't ponder what this one did to be brought to such a violent end. He didn't care. It was no business of his, no, his business lay in making this unfortunate lump of flesh disappear.

The stagnant silence of the kelp forest was interrupted by the sound of a bone saw striking at its target, worked away by wrinkled and nimble fingers.

Silas' joints were aching by the time he finished and placed his bone saw down to clean later. He wondered if, perhaps, he should request that they do all the hacking for him beforehand, as time was not very kind to his body. He couldn't imagine doing all this for another seventeen years on top of his regular work.

Silas scooped up his newly acquired selection of parts and drifted back out of the cave and across the garden to where a single brain coral sat still and waiting in the dark.

It was a huge, sprawling thing. A pretty orange and yellow boulder brain coral that would leave avid farmers of coral green with envy at the size. It stood out amongst the mostly green garden, bright, bold, and beautiful.

"Evenin', Gillian." Silas grunted, holding up what was probably an arm. "Got some supper for ya."

The absurdly large brain coral, naturally, did not respond. At least, not with words. What it did do was slowly ripple and move, shifting around and opening up until there was a large hole in the centre. A mouth of sorts. Silas could probably fit inside, not that he was stupid enough to try.

One by one, Silas tossed the pieces of the poor soul that had incurred the Leech family's wrath into the gaping maw of his beloved pet, waiting a few minutes in between each piece.

It took some time for every piece to be discarded. Whoever this was certainly wasn't small, and Silas would not choke out Gillian by shoving it all in at once.

When the last remaining parts were finally gone, Silas patted Gillian's side, and the coral slowly closed up once more.

"Good boy." Silas said, then returned to the cave to clean off the bone saw. There, technically, wasn't much to be done, as blood didn't really stick underwater. However, Silas knew better than to leave it at that and spent the next twenty minutes or so scrubbing and brandishing with soap and magic until the deadly blade was spotless.

Satisfied, Silas slid the bone saw back into its place in the little cave, and left to finally return home.

It was midnight when Silas shut the door behind him, and he tried not to think about how a few years ago he would have been done by at least eleven. There was no point in mulling over it. He couldn't do a thing about time.

Usually, Silas would check on Finn once he finished with "business." Take a peek into his son's room and make sure he wasn't struggling to fall asleep or experiencing nightmares again.

But... Finn wasn't here. No, he was away at school, the same school Morrigan attended, learning new things and, hopefully, making new friends.

Silas swam to his room and rested on the edge of his bed with a sigh. His lamp flickered, casting shadows on the wall.

What would tomorrow bring, he aondered. Hopefully not another "job", this one left him feeling exhausted. But he couldn't complain, could he? He signed up for this, quite literally.

With a slow exhale, Silas reached over and turned off the lamp. His room was plunged into a deep, comfortable darkness, and he let calm overtake, just for tonight. He could rest now.

-End

...........................................

A/N: I hope you guys liked this one! Sorry if it seems a little wonky or weird, I'm trying to get back into writing, and I've had a lot on my mind. I also didn't really know how to end this.

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @jovieinramshackle

@galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00 @krenenbaker

@offorestsongs @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @inotonline

@1dont-really-know @kazumify @minteasketches @elysia-nsimp @skrimpyskimpy

@casp1an-sea @offorestsongs @tixdixl @poisoned-pearls @the-trinket-witch

@ramshacklerumble @ghostiidasponk @thegoldencontracts @the-banana-0verlord

@cloudcountry @skriblee-ksk @twstinginthewind @lumdays @theolivetree123

@natsukishinomiyaswife @authoruio @jewelulu @raguiras @honeynclove @moonyasnow

@skibidibabygirl @paperclvps @quartztwst @yuizenihaswriten @devosin

[chaodads]

[dissonantharmony]

@ceretweek day 3: connect/companion

(yes i know ceret week ended in july. yes im still posting this 5 months late anyway)

how could i not do heartduo my beloved this year...eret and tommy have a great dynamic in the few times they've properly interacted, and their similar experiences with dream make them perfect for talks about the Horrors together <3

this comic also comes as a fic!! you can read the fic version under the cut :D

“He knew how to make you feel all… small, ‘n shit.”

Tommy’s voice cuts through the quiet sounds of the garden. Puffy had apparently told him connecting with nature was good for him, and he’d barged into Eret’s castle practically demanding to use their garden for the “low, low price of this weed.” Eret holds it in their hands now, the texture of the kelp flat and smooth against their fingertips, all while wondering why on earth Tommy had chosen to drag them down with him as he sprawled out in the grass and started rambling about things they didn’t quite follow.

“Pardon?” she mumbles.

Tommy tosses her a side-eyed look. “You know. He’d…He’d always be happiest when you’re alone. Like he’s the only thing you’ve got, and you’ve gotta depend on him for shit. Like a—like a bug or somethin’.”

“Parasite,” Eret finds herself supplying.

“Yeah!” That look again. Like he knows something Eret’s not quite in on. Or maybe she is.

There’s a rustling on Tommy’s side, a gentle lull in the rambling, and Eret finds herself speaking to fill the silence.

“He always—He always wanted to be the most important thing in the world to you. Like you’d live or die without him. Everything you say is just his words, everything you do and every choice you make is just what he wants. Like—like to him you’re just a p—”

She cuts herself off, throat tight. The noise of Tommy turning to look at her reaches her ears.

“Prey?”

“Pet.” She doesn’t turn to meet his gaze. “Puppet, maybe.”

“Entertainment.”

Something strikes in Eret’s stomach, cold and heavy. “...Yeah.”

Silence falls over them once again.

“I think,” Tommy announces after a while, “he was only there to watch.”

“Sit there, look pretty,” Eret recites in reply.

“Jee-sus Christ…” Violent twisting sounds and a loud, drawn-out sigh. “What a fucking dickhead.”

Eret doesn’t reply. His hands toy with the kelp, twisting it into knots over and over with minutely-shaking hands.

“Stop thinking so damn loud.”

“Wh—Ow!” A force hits the side of Eret’s face, wide and coarse. He sits up in indignation to stare at Tommy, who threw…Oh. He threw a flower crown at him.

Dandelions. Eret has weeds in his garden, apparently.

“Put it on, bitch.”

Eret puts it on. It fits perfectly, better than the crown Dream gave him ever did. His gaze turns to Tommy and the dirt around him, torn up and littered with the roots of dandelions.

“Did you get all the roots?”

Tommy glances at the mess around him. “Maybe? They’re strong fuckers, though. They’ll bounce back. Better than ever.”

Eret meets his eyes, uncovered white staring into icy blue, and they think they get it. They offer a wry smile and start tugging up the dandelions on their own side, recalling Tommy’s lessons on making flower crowns from so, so long ago.

“Yeah. We will.”

[spookyfluffy]

q!Jaiden referring to Bobby Fields as perfect over and over again, insisting that "It's not sad here" and creating it as a place where she gets to relive that same happy day with her son and Roier. "They're good memories, the only memories."

Fiercely insistent making it align with her delusion: Only three chairs are allowed, everything is made from the trees in the fields, the treehouse is the same wood as Bobby's treehouse, no kelp decorations. "We can live that day every day! It doesn't have to go away!"

Slowly healing and finding her place with the rest of the islanders. Allowing others to see her home. Creating a garden for Cucurucho, being comfortable enough to allow his safe space to coexist with hers.

q!Jaiden's healing displayed by her being able to look at Cucurucho in the eye and saying "Do you really want perfection? Sometimes things can just stay good. You don't want to chase perfection, you'll ruin what you have."

q!Jaiden realising that living in the past only allows you to miss out on the present.

Only to be brought back to the Federation to reclaim her past once more.

[shoggothslime]

What kinds of merpeople the Termina Contestants would be

(already shared these thoughts on twitter, might as well share them here too)

Pav's a lionfish because they're invasive, they move their spines in a way that's similar to peacocking, and they have venomous stings.

Marcoh's a mantis shrimp because they punch the shit out of their prey. Simple answer.

Daan's a moon jellyfish because of Blank Soul, how they're the most common jellyfish for others to pluck out of the wild for a pet (but often kill them due to them needing specific tanks), and... moon and all... :3

He'd also be really cute as a jellyfish. I'm biased.

Abella's a giant pacific octopus because they're incredibly smart and strong. Also the red reminds me of her hair and it'd be fun to imagine her using all her octopus arms to tinker with stuff.

Olivia's a leafy seadragon because of how they blend themselves into the plant life they make their homes. Mermaid Olivia wouldn't be able to swim strongly but I like to think of her grabbing onto plants to help move herself around in kelp forests. :D

Levi's a spotted garden eel because they live in these little sand holes (trenches :3c) and are rather shy. They can however get used to certain presences such as people in aquariums. I recommend looking at the Sumida Aquarium story.

O'saa is a yellow boxfish because yes yes yellow mage, but these fish also can release deadly neurotoxins into the water which is basically hurting if you think about it.

Samarie is a gulper/pelican eel because I was obligated to make her a deep sea fish and it reminds me of Dysmorphia. Also she'd be a cute eel mermaid.

Tanaka is an oarfish due to them being known for being found dead or dying in shallower waters before earthquakes or tsunamis. Literally the opening kill as a fish. So sorry Tanaka lol.

August is an Orca because of their hunting tactics being so brutal and said hunting tactics being passed from parents to children in a pod, making different pods having different tactics and cultures. Like how Rag's influence can be seen in August.

Karin is an orange-lined triggerfish because of how territorial and aggressive they are despite their appearance. They often catch new salt water tank owners off guard by how willing they are to throw down.

Caligura is a goblin shark because it's a deep sea fish that feasts upon bottomfeeders. I also refused to let Caligura be a fish that even I could find cute. :3

Marina is a clownfish because the anemones are kind of like a warding sigil and she's a silly billy among the horrors at times. :3 They are also one of the tropical fish to be able to change from male to female. They are also my favorite childhood fish. Someone had to be one.

And finally, Henryk is a blue angel because despite how they look, they will poison the shit out of you and it will be painful and suck so much. Not worth touching.

[malobo-wolf]

Found Family AU:

Barnius' Prologue

(Trigger Warning // Blood and Injury with one of the panels)

Barnacles had been alone at the Octopod for a while as everyone else was needed for a mission in one way or another.

Kwazii is with Calico Jack treasure hunting,

Peso is with Natquik giving checkups to all his penguin family back in Antarctica,

Dashi is cave exploring with Ryla,

Shellington is on a research expedition with Pearl,

Tweak and Bud is repairing Ranger Marsh’s station in the Everglades,

Professor Inkling went out with Min to map out an area somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest,

Tunip and the Vegimals are helping Selma tend to her plants,

And Paani is researching water samples from the melting glaciers in Iceland accompanied by tracker who’s birdwatching.

After their report, none of them seemed to be in need of any assistance, this left Barnacles with nothing to do in the Octopod especially since most of the crew won’t be back for at least a week. Out of boredom and feeling like he needs something to do, he decides to go out on patrol.

On his way back after the patrol, the Gup-A accidentally gets its lamp tangled with a fishing line, unable to stop in time, he heard a snapping sound and decided to surface and investigate. There he found a polar bear who has a striking resemblance to him, only differing from the eye color, The polar bear too was surprised to see him.

The two polar bears introduced themselves to each other with Barnacles finding it uncanny that even Barnius’ name sounds similar to his. Noticing Barnius’ mannerism, he was overly welcoming and optimistic as if he was the first person he’d talked to in years. Barnacles tried to apologize for breaking his fishing rod which Barnius immediately forgave him for and said that he could always just repair it. Still feeling guilty, Barnacles offered to give him some kelp cakes and fish biscuits until Barnius could fix his fishing rod.

Ever since that event, Barnacles would often visit Barnius in his boat and getting to know each other more and more, and since the rest of the crew wouldn’t be back for a while, this was Barnacles’ routine until they return. During their time together they realized that apart from their identical appearances, they also share the same hobbies and generally have a lot in common and their only other difference that separates them is their personalities, with Barnacles being more confident and serious while Barnius is more timid and mellow.

Barnius expressed how he’s been having trouble with food lately as there aren’t many fish or islands to gather food from. Barnacles shares the same problem with his crew that although they have the garden pod, it would be nice to have more sources of food just in case, especially since the food they make is both needed by them and the creatures they encounter as well. They have a solution, however, there is currently a problem they’re trying to resolve. Though Barnacles immediately changed the subject.  Noticing his discomfort, Barnius dropped the subject as well.

After a week passed, the crew eventually finished all their missions and returned to the Octopod. Thankfully, throughout their missions, nothing came up that would cause an Octoalert. but unfortunately, something else was upon them. From the storm tracker, Dashi mentioned that a huge storm is moving quickly towards their direction, Barnacles noticed that it would also mean that Barnius will be hit by it, and even if he moves now, he won’t be able to outrun it. Taking the Gup-A, he rushed to Barnius’ boat.

It was a little late by the time Barnacles found Barnius, his boat was thrown ashore by a huge wave and was broken in half. He found Barnius not far from the destroyed boat, heavily injured but awake. Barnacles immediately picked him up, calling the peso and the rest of the crew to prepare the medical bay. From there, Barnacles brought Barnius to the Gup-A and rushed back to the Octopod. Barnius, feeling safe in the Gup-A with Barnacles and unable to tolerate his injuries, lost consciousness during their travel.

Due to losing consciousness Barnius doesn’t remember much, regardless he’s still grateful for Barnacles rescuing him. After a few weeks, Barnius eventually recovered from his injuries, he’s still a bit lost on what to do since with his boat gone, he doesn’t have any other place to live in. Barnacles kept reassuring him that things would be alright and that he had an idea for where he can live but he’s keeping it a secret for now, claiming that he should fully recover first. During his time in the Octopod, Barnius got to meet new people in Barnacle’s crew, they kept him company until he fully recovered.

One of the Octonauts that approached Barnius was professor Inkling. Professor Inkling revealed that he was the founder of the Octonauts, and wanted to inquire on whether Barnius is interested in joining them. Surprised, Barnius couldn’t hold out his excitement, however, he was immediately overcome with worry explaining that he didn’t think he had what it takes to become an Octonaut. Inkling reassured him that he does have what it takes and that anyone can become an Octonaut as long as they put the effort into become one. With that Barnius accepted, happy to not only have a renewed purpose but also have new friends that he can work with.

Barnius was surprised when he saw the ship he was going to be working on from now on, it was huge, it was as big as the Octopod, if not bigger. Barnacles explained that they originally intended to just have his boat repaired, but now that he’s joining the Octonauts, they thought that it would be a great idea to make him the captain of their new ship, the Octoark. When he asked about his boat, Barnacles said that it was in the Octoark’s launch bay which shocked Barnius even more thinking that his boat which he considers large can comfortably sit inside the ship. When Barnius expressed his worries about being the captain of such a large ship, both Barnacles and Inkling reassured him that he’ll do fine especially since Barnacles plans on becoming his mentor to teach him how to be a captain.

With that said Barnius was not able to keep his emotions hidden, his happiness poured in, and he pulled both Barnacles and Inkling for a hug, thanking them for the opportunity they gave him. Both Barnacles and Inkling also showed their happiness for having Barnius be a part of their team. And from here on out the Octonauts have two captains, one above and below the ocean waters.

Resolving some (Possible) plot holes.

The Octoark was planned and started being built before Barnius even arrived.

The Octoark has a large farm and was the solution to their food problem as well as other facilities needed by the Octonauts.

Before Barnius arrived, the Octoark was crewless although some roles can be taken by the vegimals and some of the Octoagents, the main problem was it lacked a captain.

Barnacles, being the only captain at the time was also the only candidate, however he didn’t want to be transferred to the Octoark since he’s too attached to the Octopod (hehe barnacles pun). Hence his discomfort with talking about it. Barnius was the solution to his problem, he just didn’t know it yet until he joined them.

This is my first time writing a story, recommendations on how I can improve are welcome.

[firefly-ghoul]

BEACH DAY WITH THE GHOULS + COPIA!

I have been so excited to share this! It took waaaay longer than expected the write. I’m so sorry for the long wait but here it is!

Rain

This fish is running to the water as soon as they arrive at the beach. He is so excited to be at the beach seeing how he in a saltwater ghoul. He also brought his surfboard with them, eagerly anticipating riding the waves. After he gets his fill of surfing he heads to deeper waters. He dives down and just chills on the sea floor for a few minutes. They find all sorts of stuff on the sea floor like kelp, starfish, urchins, crabs, fish and sea anemones. Eventually he returns to the shore with many shiny stones. He gives everyone these little stones

Phantom

Phantom Is just digging giant hole. Not a small one inch deep hole, it’s one that you can full on climb in. Phantom’s got a shovel and a dream of finding treasure and that’s all he needs. And the shovel isn’t one of those dinky little plastic shovels He actually stole one of the real garden shovels from the ministry. Phantom does eventually have to stop digging for treasure after copia got on to him about the giant hole being a safety hazard. He sulks for a few minutes before joining Sodo in making a sand castle. His off getting buckets of water whenever sodo needs some for the castle mote and building material such as shells, sea weed, and rocks.

Sodo

Sodo is here for one thing and one thing only, and that is to build the perfect sand castle. He has a tiny shovel and a bucket beside him, and his focus is unparalleled. He even built a big mote with the help of phantom. Soon he and phantom noticed cirrus and mountain building a sand castle not too far from them. The second sodo sees them the competition is on. He starts making a hole ass sand kingdom. The war is vicious as the two sand kingdoms fight vigorously.

Cirrus

Cirrus originally was swimming / floating with the other ghouletts sitting in matching tubes, fruity drinks in hand, Just chitchatting. But then out of the corner of her eye she noticed sodo and phantom making a sand castle and thought “I am going to go cause chaos”and immediately got to work. Cirrus now is building an elaborate sand kingdom with Mountain who she somehow convinced to help her. She lays out the plan for their kingdom and they are determined to outdo Sodo and Phantom.

Mountain

Don’t get mountain wrong he loves beach trips, he really does! He however doesn’t like all the sand that sticks to his skin. He does enjoy seeing all the other ghoul having a blast. Eventually though the sounds of the beach make him sleepy. he closes his eyes. He listens to the waves cashing against the sand. The sounds of his pack mates excitement, the birds chirping. But soon his peace is interrupted when cirrus walks over where he is lounging. She asks him to help her make a sand castle. He tries to turn down her offer until she uses his weakness against him…forehead kisses! so after that he reluctantly joins her in the sand war. After an hour and a half of non stop kingdom building they get bored.. yeah they get bore! It’s the mont anticlimactic end but you can’t blame them they don’t have that good of a attention span, it’s lucky they even made it this far. but eventually they come to a truce. And after the all that hullabaloo mountain finally can take his peaceful beach nap.

Aurora

She starts out the day tube floating with the ghoulettes until cirrus left to start some drama. The rest of the group dissolve not long after that to do there own things. Aurora ends up doing all kinds of crafts. She brought paint with her and is painting on sea shells that a given to her and, ones she finds. She’s making cute little sun catcher with sea glass, sea shells, and driftwood. Aurora also makes some seashell candles with the help of sodo once he’s done with his sand war. She’s got him to heat up the wax while she put wicks in the shells. Ones she crafts till her harts content she gets in the water again and starts playing Marko polo with the other ghouls.

Cumulus

Cumulus brought a hand full of books and has layed out a beach towel in the perfect sun bathing spot. She made sure to bring a horror mystery book that cirrus lent her earlier that week. She lies on her towel, occasionally glancing up to enjoy the view. She especially loves listening to an ocean waves as she reads. After she fishes the book she goes and takes a dip to cool down. She later joins Aurora in collecting sea glass and shells, contributing tidbits she finds interesting to Aurora's crafts.

Swiss

Swiss is playing volleyball with anybody who joins. Multiple ghouls throughout the day play a couple of games before needing a break from the direct sun. All except sodo (when he joins him) who is enjoying the sun just as much as Swiss. Once he gets bored of volleyball he’s running to the water and challenging anyone to a chicken fight. Eventually he convinces sodo rain and cirrus to join him. Rain on cirrus shoulders, and sodo on Swiss’s shoulders. It was a vicious battle but eventually he and sodo won three out of five. They both were super obnoxious about their win the rest of the day.

Copia

Copia is siting on his beach chair under his umbrella relaxing with big shades on. Every now and again a ghoul will come bring him a trinket and he’ll obviously act like . He’s got a pile of shells painted and not, sand dollars, sea glass, driftwood, pretty rocks and a couple small fish rain hunted for him. He also has a trash bag full of plastic and other litter the ghouls had picked up. He periodically look up to make sure the ghouls haven’t gotten them selfs in to trouble. And he most certainly will have to get the ghouls out of trouble, be it phantom and his treasure hunt, or rain catching to many fish. But overall copia would say is was a successful beach day