#mostly thinking about species headcanons and funny stylization

[cordycepsbian]

toasted marshmallow and grilled salmon

[quinloki]

Nothing particularly awesome happened today, Daylight Savings has messed up my sleep so bad I'm currently functioning on a mere 4 hours sleep. When speaking I can barely put words into a sentence but writing has always been my forte so hopefully this is far more coherent. Yesterday I tweaked my masterlists and organized them proper, so that made me happy.

No one really interacts with my stuff on Wattpad which is fine, because the exact same works are doing GREAT on AO3. My Arlong collection has been viewed over 240 times, has 11 kudos, and has received 2 comments from people. Rabid Devotion has 3 kudos and has been bookmarked once with only 50+ views, Better Mousetrap has 170+ views and 2 kudos, while Slinktober isn't slated to be updated/finished until July and yet it has 55+ views and 3 kudos. It has more kudos than Mousetrap and more views than Rabid. So that's happy stuff. And I do get views and likes here on tumblr, more so than on Wattpad—that's my worst showing despite being my preferred writing platform. Go figure.

Anyway, I thought I'd follow your little OC template you provided in your request post for good stuff while you recuperate from a trying day. As always, I am here to try and provide. Also as always, this runs egregiously long.

Tell me more about an OC? -:- if you've told me about them before: Do you have new art of them? Have you made new lore? Discarded anything/changed something?

I'm going to gloss over the fact that you asked about OCs and just focus on giving you more about Arlong and my self-ship Keiko. I am working on my OCs but I find them to be exhausting because I'm not to a place where I can create originally again, I'm still healing from writing hurt. I'm getting a lot better but the mojo just isn't there yet, so the majority of them have been indefinitely shelved. Especially the two snake-like OCs (Lon Lon & Modeus—though I did add a little more to him than her).

I have no art of Arlong yet, and I have NOT tried drawing Arlong in my cartoon style, though I guess I could now that I think about it. He'll look awful but I headcanon the man has no artistic skill whatsoever, so I could easily pass the drawing off as his handiwork instead of mine. I think it'd be funny if Arlong's drawing skills were on the same level as Luffy. He'd never admit to it because he hates Luffy which is why I think their levels in art should be equal.

Now that I know Arlong is a sawfish and not a sawshark, I have one more thing to goad him with besides being an amphibian and a separate species from the fishwomen. Clearly, I enjoy tormenting the man. This is, in fact, along the same vein of how we met.

I keep changing the official story of how we met until I can find one that makes the most sense. What stays the same each time is that Arlong and his boys are the first fishmen I'd ever seen. I also am functioning on my self-insert as having been semi-isekai'd (that's the trope where you die in your world and end up in another, right?). Except, I didn't exactly die. I like the planeswalking thing of MtG so I just work off of that more or less.

Anywho, I thought I'd share the story of how I met Arlong and how I at the very least piqued his attention enough to not get killed right off the bat. It started not with a hello but with a "can I touch you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a Touch

"Can I touch you?" I held up my hand to show I genuinely meant touch in a I-want-to-understand-something sort of way and not the I-want-to-touch-for-X-amount-of-berries sort of way. I mostly just pointed to his arm with the stylized fish tattoo to really drive home the point that this was a non-sexual request on my part.

The fishman laughed down at me, literally. "And why would I let a puny human girl touch me, a superior fishman?"

"Curiosity?" I don't know why I'm answering with a question, I am curious. It's not a question but the way in which he responded made me feel oh so small. Puny indeed.

He raised an eyebrow, "curiosity you say? And what is so curious about us, hm? We're not circus freaks put on display for you girl, get lost before I lose my temper and explore a curiosity of my own." The eyebrow fell as he switched from condescension to threatening. He stood straighter to punctuate that he was significantly bigger than me and besides being tall enough to probably step on me, he certainly could bite my head off.

I don't know why, but the whole exchange hurt. My hands fell to my sides, my shoulders sagged, and I had to bite my lip to keep the tears that were welling up from falling down. I hate crying in front of others and I sure as hell wasn't going to cry in front of this jerk. I lifted my chin to keep my head high, I wasn't going to let him bully me but I needed to heed the threat at the same time.

One tear did manage to slip down my cheek as I glared back at him before turning silently on my heel and briskly walking away. I didn't look back once. If I had, I'd have seen how he tilted his head to the side with an expression caught between anger and confusion.

I don't know what they were doing on the island, I'd gone to great lengths to ensure I didn't run into any of them all day long. Day turned to night and night turned to morning. A new day that I hoped would pass without issue. That turned out to be a futile hope. I had been spying on the beach since dawn broke, to ensure the intruders weren't there before heading down to look for shells or other odds and ends that washed up during the night.

I'd been traipsing through the sand for only about twenty minutes when I shadow fell over me and loomed for several feet beyond mine. Well shit, guess I have company after all.

"You now it's dangerous to keep your back unprotected with fishmen around. I could have killed you multiple times." Judging from the low rumbly voice, it was the same fishman from yesterday. The sharky one.

Keeping my back to him I answered, "I have no doubt since I'm such a lowly and puny little human girl." The word feels like acid on my tongue. Girl, as if I were a mere child and not the adult that I was. Just one more way for others to strip me of my own agency and keep me low in the hierarchy of life. I didn't feel so low before these fishmen showed up and within twenty-four hours I was starting to believe the lies people mutter as I walk by.

I heard him sigh behind me whether in anger or exasperation I couldn't say. Suddenly the shadow got shorter and shorter which did nothing more but make me curious about him all over again. I turn to see why his shadow retreated. The sharkman squatted down, now balancing on his toes and his arms resting on his knees as he undoubtedly scrutinized me. Even squatting down he was taller than me and I was not short by any means. Okay I was, but this is the Grand Line, everyone is taller than they are in the other four seas. In any of the four Blues I am tall but on the Grand Line I'm tiny and this guy was making me feel even tinier.

"I will permit you to touch me just this once." He stared at me head on with an almost passive expression. I have no clue what's going through his head or what his game is, but he seems calm and this is my golden opportunity.

I reach for the arm with the tattoo and hesitate for a few seconds, trying to anticipate if it's a trap or not. Deciding it's not I continue until my fingers touch his arm. First my fingertips because I don't really know what I'm doing or what I expect. He's not really reacting, just watching in silence. Meanwhile my mind is racing, why did he change his mind? Why is he so calm now? Is he going to kill me afterwards?

Despite my panicking thoughts, I continue my quest for my answer to the question only I knew. My fingertips move forward and my fingers are now fully connected with his forearm; my fingers gliding up and down the forearm then side-to-side. I trace along the tattoo as well. I'm sure he must think me insane at this point as this is clearly not normal behavior for anyone, human or otherwise.

He simply continues to stare and doesn't say anything. But I do. I furrow my own brows at the contact and quietly sigh under my breath, "well that's disappointing." I totally forgot whose arm this was. I totally forgot he was literally right there, could hear me, and that just yesterday threatened to kill me publicly. He didn't even try to hide his hostility. Yet here I am, insulting him, to his face, with no witnesses for my murder. Genius Keiko, real smooth. Way to keep your lifespan going.

"What do you mean, disappointing? What were exactly were you expecting little one?" I don't know if this was a step up or down from girl but I'll take it for now because he's not killing me yet. In fact, he still hadn't so much as twitched.

I, maybe carefully, maybe bravely—I no longer know where I fall in terms of adjectives and adverbs—look him in the eyes, his beautiful icy blue eyes (get your head in the game Keiko, you could be mere seconds from being headless and he still wouldn't have to move his arms to do it). "Don't take this the wrong way but you're the disappointment here."

I'm a dead woman. That's it, this is where it ends for me. I may as well just strip out of my mortal coil myself and hand it to him.

He raises a single eyebrow again, and with just a hint of mirth to his voice prolongs my inevitable demise, "how have I disappointed you?"

"Look, I don't know anything about fishmen. This island doesn't have any books on them and until yesterday I'd never seen one before. You're as foreign as foreign can get for me. Based on how the locals were screaming, you must be the shark. Yes?"

He finally smirks and has an expression that is semi-readable. Amusement. I'm amusing him. Well, at least I'm not offending him as that ends in death. Though amusement could also end in death but for now, I'm still breathing and that's a good sign.

"Yes, I'm the shark. Arlong the Saw and I am a sawshark fishman."

"Great, nice to meet you Arlong. Now, as I was saying, and again I mean no offense, but for a shark you're an utter disappointment."

Arlong, as he's apparently called, leans in close to me and it's only now that I see why he's called the Saw. His nose is razor sharp, all he'd have to do is twitch to either side in rapid succession and he could cut my head off. It's like he has a sword growing out of his face, I wonder what a narwhal fishman looks like? I bet they'd resemble a humanoid unicorn with gills. Focus Keiko!

"Could you be more specific, little girl."

That wasn't a question, that was a statement. He definitely took offense. I quickly retract my hand from his arm but he's faster. Arlong catches my wrist with his webbed hand, another feature I hadn't noticed earlier. He continued to stare intently at me as if he were trying to see my very soul. For some reason, I felt almost naked under his eyes.

I tried twisting my hand out of his grasp to no avail so I have no course but to talk my way of the jaws of death. "I truly mean no offense. It's just, your skin. It feels like mine."

Arlong narrows his eyes, "of course it feels like yours, it's skin. I'm a fishman. Humanoid. I have arms and legs as you do, fingers and toes too. Why would I not have skin as you have?"

Maybe he was getting angry or maybe I just really confused him. Might as well own up to my question. I didn't want to ask the question direct in case it was a truly stupid one, but now I either elaborate or I die what may be a very painful death. Though I must admit, if this man is what my death looks like, damn. Way more pleasant than an unknown creature is black robes with a scythe. This guy may be scary but he was also attractive. There could be worse ways to go if I had time to think about them.

"Do fishmen not live in the sea?" Not my question but now I was getting confused at his confusion.

"In a way. We live on an island that's underwater, why?"

"An underwater island? I don't know how to process that. That's beside the point anyway. My point is you have human-like skin but you're supposedly a shark. Shouldn't you feel like a shark instead?"

Arlong finally stopped glaring at me and burst out laughing, while still holding my wrist, though he did loosen the grip a little bit. He certainly wasn't trying to break my hand but he might have bruised it. "You thought I was going to feel like sandpaper?!"

I looked down at the sand, blushing from embarrassment. "Well yeah, because you're a sawshark." Shit, my eyes are watering again. I hate that crying is my body's go-to-reaction for nearly everything. It's partly way I live outside the village, one can only take so much harassment.

Arlong's laughing slowed and he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. "You really haven't encountered a fishman before then. No, sharkmen do not feel like sharks because we aren't sharks. We're more akin to mammals just as humans are. We have skin and hair and our women give birth to live babies just as humans do."

I cannot lift my head, the tears won't stop so I just stare at the sand and listen to what is turning out to be a very educational lecture. Arlong decides to continue when I don't respond, "unlike humans we have webbed fingers and toes as I'm sure you've noticed by now. We have gills on our necks for breathing underwater and lungs for breathing on land. We command the water but even we have to be careful in the Grand Line. She is an unforgiving landscape."

I quietly nod in understanding. He finally lets go of my wrist and tilts my chin up, forcing me to look at him through blurry, watery eyes. "You're very unusual for a human, you didn't fear us when we arrived yesterday. You approached with curiosity and a desire to understand us. No human has done that to me or my crew." Arlong proceeded to wipe my tears away as he finally stood up. "Perhaps we'll have another conversation on another day."

"Does this mean you aren't going to kill me?"

He chuckles, "No little one, I'm not. I only ask for one thing in return for today's lesson."

It's my turn to tilt my head to the side in confusion, "and what's that?"

"Tell me your name."

And just like I did when they first landed here yesterday morning, I smiled. "My name is Keiko."

"I look forward to tomorrow's question, Keiko." Arlong left me on the beach grinning like a smitten schoolgirl. I got my answer to my question, and while it was a truly disappointing answer—I wanted him to feel like sandpaper, I didn't die and I may have made a new friend.

I love Keiko - and I should’ve been more clear, but OC to me kind of covers any flavor of original character - self insert, reader type, OC as commonly referred to, etc.

I’m happy to hear about them all ^_^

I love this story! Her question, the progress of the tale, the interaction. You may make a fan of me yet (for Arlong, I mean, I already love Keiko.)

I’m just about off to bed for the night, so I don’t have much else to say, but thank you so much for sharing this, and please try to get some more rest too! Damn time change is such a pain >.<