#not swampy fishy!!!

[theloveinc]

Not me being surprised catfish tastes like bottom feeder

[swampycreatures]

i made a lil guy

[guinevereslancelot]

i need someone to hold a gun to my head every time i consider an unnecessary purchase fr 🤡

[autumnslance]

offering the other your coat

(Bet you all thought I was done with or had forgotten about these intimacy prompts...Now on Ao3)

He had quickly built a fire and given everyone time to dry off, except for Alisaie who kept diving back in to search until her brother made her stop, and Aeryn herself when she finally emerged, looking oddly dazed but unharmed after a quick check by both Alphinaud and Urianger. Now the chill mountain air of Il Mheg cooled further, hinting at nighttime past the endlessly oppressive Light above. Only a hint of a cold breeze could make it past the stagnancy. Were they in Coerthas, it would be a cutting wind, mayhap even a gale.

Thancred missed weather. Even the bad types.

“Here,” he said, shrugging off his coat and dropping it over Aeryn’s still-damp shoulders. There hadn’t been time to let her finish drying before they had to move on, especially if the Fuath were not done with their games. “Your Thavnairian blood can’t handle this cold,” he tried to tease.

It used to be so easy to joke between them. Five years was a long time.

She looked at him even as she pulled the coat closer. “What about you?”

“I’m fine,” he lied. He was mostly dried, and his chest armor and the shirt under it did help. He was a little chilled, but it was nothing like the shivering she was trying to hide. Even in Coerthas, she had not reacted so strongly. 

—

“Here,” he said, shrugging off his coat as they made their way back through the tunnels to the surface. He winced at how dirty and tattered it still was, even with a few hasty spells from their comrades. Maybe when they returned to Twine more could be done.

Aeryn didn’t protest when he dropped it over her slim shoulders, shivering again. Her face seemed ashen and her eyes glassy, since battling the Lightwarden. “Thanks, but what about you?”

“I’m fine,” he lied. “Could do with a little less weight at the moment, really,” he continued, giving a grin somewhere between jaunty and pained. Insisting on continuing to protect the others so soon after his battle with Ran’jit had not been the wisest course, and both Ryne and Y’shtola’s looks indicated he was going to hear quite a lot about that in sharp detail, but it had also been necessary.

As was this, as Aeryn didn’t stop shivering, but did relax slightly, holding his coat close, and granting him a soft smile. She would be all right.

—

He wrapped her slim form in his coat and lifted her into his arms. Aeryn trembled as the Light wracked her. Under the sweat and blood of battle, she seemed strangely pale. Strands of white marred the midnight of her hair.

“Thancred—” Ryne began as they trudged out of Vauthry’s palace to the mountain path.

“I’m fine,” he lied. They were all battered, bruised, and weary after fighting their way through the hordes of sin eaters and against the Lightwarden himself. They were all still better off than whatever Aeryn was going through.

Urianger wouldn’t look at any of them, and that would have to be a discussion once they were safe and their wounds tended. But for now, Thancred kept his coat close around Aeryn and willed her to hold on as they descended.

—

The seabed was damp and cold, the darkness murky and difficult to see more than a few yalms distance. They had left the Ondo and made it through the initial set of twisting caverns, and now had to cross an open space—some deep ravine, filled with corals and limp fronds of strange plants and so much more swampy, sandy ground—to another cave that would lead to the depths and the lights their fishy friends had spoken of.

Could they swim, things might be much easier, but not all of them shared the Kojin blessing, and Bismark’s breath now held malms and tonzes of water at bay.

There was no starting a fire, so the Scions huddled close as they rested briefly before continuing. “Here,” Thancred said, draping his coat around Aeryn before they collapsed onto the damp ground.

“What about you?” she murmured, speech slightly slurred.

“I’m fine,” he lied. “With you on one side, Ryne on the other, and the twins at my back.” He put his arm around Ryne as she snuggled in, watching Aeryn.

Aeryn made an indistinct noise he wasn’t certain was agreement or protest, but she kept the coat. He put his other arm around her, trying to will her shivering from the Light’s ravages away, while ignoring the quiet, tearful shaking from the twins pressed against his back and between his fellow archons.

—

Morning dawned cool and clear over the Crystarium. Thancred slid out of the bed and padded to the washroom, yawning. The scent of coffee brewing wafted across the apartment, and he debated how soon and how circumspect he should leave.

His clothes and gear were all easily found, aside from his coat. That was on the balcony—Aeryn had donned that instead of a house robe, sipping her own overly sweet and pale with cream coffee as she watched the sunrise.

Thancred picked up the mug of plain black brew waiting for him and joined her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Need this back?” she asked, teasing with the slightest touch of anxiety, expecting him to slip out immediately, as he might have before the First.

“I’m fine,” he replied, and she smiled and leaned against him as he meant it.

[foggynitefic]

Drop Them Bones Chapter 9: Hard and Fast

This one's a doozy...

Hard and Fast

To be sure of, without a doubt, without debate History: In seafaring times, the term ‘hard and fast’ was used to describe a vessel that was beached on land and unable to be moved. [Don’t lie. Absolutely none of us thought it meant that. None of us.]

So, funny thing. Since posting Chapter 8, I had a wonderful long weekend in Manhattan, followed by the worst stomach flu I’ve gotten in at least a decade. Then, after a few weeks recovering from that, I partially dislocated my knee and sprained my MCL. Full damage assessment still TBD in a couple months, but I have a care plan for now.

What I’ve posted as Chapter 9 was supposed to be ten pages max plus additional scenes, and then this happened. So, I have 6k words of Chapter 10 already because I split Chapter 9 in half, and I’ve had the final scene in Chapter 10 (originally intended for Chapter 6, hah!) written for the last three months…

I currently have 9 more chapters planned out, but as this adventure has shown me, that’s more like guidelines. This chapter would have been out sooner, but reference above, and in retrospect, this chapter’s title also describes me in seafaring times right now…

Notes

At least I’m recuperating and back to excessive research spiraling:

If you have the equipment, time, and inclination, you too can om a gator nom. I have only ever outsourced my gator dining experience to trustworthy restaurants, because I’m happy to compensate people accordingly for their labor and gator meat is fucking expensive to have shipped up north.

I’ve mostly encountered alligator fried or in etouffees in restaurants, and if you can’t source alligator or just think they’re too cute to eat (look at them faces!), they do taste like a fishy chicken, but less swampy than frog, and have the consistency of a pork chop. So, imo, you can substitute either white chicken meat or pork to about the same effects in all the recipes except the whole smoked gator. Alligator meat is very lean and easy to dry out, though (flashbacks to straw-like fried, breaded nonsense on that one trip to Florida…) The Daily Beast has an article from 2019 that goes into more detail on taste, etc. I’m not going to link to any of the butchering videos I watched to make this fic, but if you’re interested, deermeatfordinner on Youtube has a good one.

And yes, in true Louisiana fashion, the state government does have an alligator cookbook available in PDF for free. The final page notes that funds for it came from both Florida and Louisiana, and the most approximate publication date I can find for it is 1994. Its text, graphics, and ingredients definitely look like something from the 80s or 90s…

I was not tracking that discarded crocodile and alligator fat can be used to produce biodiesel at competitive prices…

I went down a lot of interesting 1700-1800s sailing history that involved the provisions given per day to British Navy sailors, how much salt was needed to brine 100 lbs of meat, and how the brining process actually worked (floating eggs and meats, oh my!) The average alligator yields about 40 lbs of meat, so all the proportions and weights for applegators came from multiplying that by three, then adding on more layers of fat than an alligator would have because applegators can also go out in the deep sea. Yes, I know this is a fanfic for fantasy pirates on an imaginary planet. If Oda-sensei can say they’re all stronger because gravity, I can make chonky applegators.

Curing meat Wikipedia article; Quora entry (of all things) on sailor provisions; Colonies, Ships and Pirates blog; and an NIH paper with some science of curing meats; plus a definition of pellicle; and some historical pre-refrigeration context.  Salting meat Wikipedia article and smoking meat Wikipedia article. And of course, once the fancy bougie restaurants start using salt water, it’s cool again.

If you don’t have a smoker at home, here’s a stove-top smoked salmon recipe that could work with any type of fish (though, I don’t think a sweet cure would really go with white fish).

How to dehydrate food without a dehydrator ideas

Making a ground oven: I actually learned about this technique back in anthropology of food, as it’s one of the oldest cooking methods that we know of, and I’ve always wanted to try it. Darn you, local fire ordinances.

Random fandom trivia: If you’re a fan of 911 Lone Star, you may remember the first (I think) season episode of a family ground cooking in their backyard and their racist neighbor being a dick about it then getting a righteous comeuppance from the team. Is it over the top justice? Yes. Is the drama hilarious? Also, yes.

They use a technique in this chapter that I based off a New England clambake set up. Mainly, a pit on the beach with seaweed, hot rocks, and a wet sail over top, covered with sand. General bake concepts and times came from here (if you can read it through that horrible font…)

Sustainably harvesting seaweed.  Modern Farmer has a pretty informative newsletter I’ve been subscribed to for a couple years – It’s an interesting read if you’re into agriculture news (food-related technology, regulations, innovations, etc.) and like to know more about your food supply chain.

I didn’t know how to make sausage before. Behold, basic sausage tutorial!

Recipes bludgeoned in the making of this chapter:

I have never cooked gator meat or a whole pig, but here are recipes that sound like horrifying fun:

Whole Smoked Gator

But also, whole pig ground cooked

Kalua Pork  

Alligator Jerky

Songs: 

[gone-fish-mode]

unhinged 30 days of otherkin: 15

15. how do you make your room/home/surroundings more suited to your kintype

i don't, not really. i do have a lot of weighted items (3 blankets, an eye mask, and a stuffed animal) that put a lot of pressure on me the way I'd imagine water would. and I have lots of swampy green items, but not enough for it to stick out. Also subtle fishy decor.

I don't know if I'd want my room to totally be like my kintype? maybe. who knows. But I would like there to be more green.

[termagax]

a while ago i was playign around with the idea of retirement age fishhook where ds continues to get more and more fishy until its just impractical for them to be on land most of the time. and they get a little shack on some coast or maybe like a swampy riverbed or something and just kind of hang out forever. and every time i think about them in terms of "guys who werent supposed to live this long" i think abt it again

[writerbeemedina]

Fantasy Location Idea

Fixed up this fantasy location I wrote for a prompt in class a few years ago. :] Feel free to expand or borrow!

Nestled deep within a boggy bayou somewhere far away is Soakdin – a tiny dock village in the middle of the murky waters. It had a couple of houses, a family-owned tavern (today’s special: deep-fried crocogator eyeballs), and a trading post. It isn’t much, but it’s home. Not to any human, but the waterkin: two-legged creatures with webbed hands and feet; fins for ears; slits for nostrils; yellow fishy eyes; tiny, needle-like teeth; and scales for hair.

The place doesn’t receive many visitors, unless travelers are hopelessly lost; this village isn’t on any map. And besides, even if it were, it isn’t exactly an attractive tourist destination. Thick, slimy algae crawls up the wood. Clouds of mosquitoes thick as smoke could strike at any moment (which made tasty snacks for the waterkin). The food is revolting. And the inhumane, monstrous appearance of the creatures deeply unsettled people who had never seen anything like them before.

It’s safe to say visitors weren’t exactly keen to come back – at least, the ones that the waterkin didn’t eat – but eager to wash away the memories of what they experienced, what they saw. Desperate to escape the swampy terrain, to be back on dry land where the trees don’t whisper their darkest thoughts, where the water doesn’t conceal spying creatures.

[neechees]

Have you eaten goose before? If so how is it?

I forget if I've eaten specifically geese before, but I've had duck and personally I don't like it, but I know many people do. I can only imagine geese and duck taste pretty similar (maybe like the way lobster and crab taste pretty similar, but not exactly the same).

So, to explain duck instead, it's very aromatic and like, swampy? Almost fishy? (I also don't like fish lol). It's a dark meat. Kinda hard to explain.. but it probably tastes something like that

[memphis-menace]

Siren!Elvis Headcanons

Disclaimer: Okay so just because I drew him, doesn’t mean my headcanons are the be all end all, okay? If you write about him, feel free to make up your own stuff about him, use this stuff about him, whatever you want! That’s the beauty of fandom! This is just how I personally think of the lad when I doodle him.

Disclaimer #2: There will be mentions of animal traits and geographical/topographical shit. I do not claim to actually know anything or claim it as fact. I am making this up, not aiming for accuracy. He’s a sexy water monster, I don’t think “accuracy” applies here.

Once again, @venus-haze has some AMAZING work out regarding her interpretation of him, and hopefully there’s more coming and I can’t wait to eat it up!

Alright, onto my version.

Okay so right off the bat, my version of Siren!Elvis ain’t exactly a fish. That interview that mentioned crocodile eyes took hold of my soul so. The boy is gator based. 🐊

Lives in a swampy/marshy river type area. Look I don’t know terminology I just know what I live by.

Originally, he sang more traditional siren-y songs; mostly just very melodic, wordless tunes. But as people started building residences and moving near his territory, he heard their music - blues, country, rock n’ roll - and decided he really liked it, so his siren song adapted accordingly.

So, being more reptilian than fishy, he doesn’t have a tail. He has semi-webbed clawed hands and feet, and a gator tail to help propel him through the water. He has scales covering his skin in certain places, mostly his back and arms? I’ll try and draw a reference for what I envision one day I’m not good with description there’s a reason I doodle instead of write fanfic 😭

Now yes, he does eat people. Come on, that’s like. The whole “siren” shtick. HOWEVER, if you should catch his eye as something other than food… 👀

Under no uncertain terms, this fella is a YANDERE. Once he’s set his sights on you, it’s over. You’re his. Prepare to be sung into submission, so to speak.

That being said, he knows that realistically he can’t keep you in the swamp indefinitely - humans are not made for mostly aquatic living. So you can stay at your house, but you better visit him every day or there WILL be a tantrum and his tantrums get bloody

Also his eyes do that reflecty/glowy thing, so if he finds out where you live and you wake up in the middle of the night to see glowing blue eyes by your bed looking at you, don’t worry it’s just Elvis, checking on you.

He may try and eat your pets but if you really reiterate to him that you don’t want him to do that he’ll concede and leave them alone.

However, don’t tell him of anyone you’re getting close to that he may consider a rival. The next day you’ll hear about a nasty, mangled, half-eaten corpse found floating down the river 😬

On the flip side, probably don’t tell him about people who are upsetting you. Unless you’re cool with a pile of bones being left on your porch. Cause like, you know how cats bring you dead animals as a gift? Yeah Elvis will do that. And will get extremely huffy if you throw them away or get rid of them; they were a gift! So what if it’s a liability and if someone finds out you could get arrested on suspicion of murder? He’ll eat the cops, don’t worry!

Fair warning, he will eat you if you try to break up with him or cheat on him. So if you’re starting a relationship with him, it’s gonna be your last one. One way or another. So proceed with caution.

He can also do that scary ass hiss/growl that gators do. Because it’s cool and I say so.

Now if you wanna hear him damn near purr, gently scratch the scales along his spine when you cuddle him. He’ll practically melt.

Now, mans got some sharp teefs. And unfortunately, biting is a love language for him. He’s not being mean or trying to hurt you, he just has to mark you up so people know you’re taken 🙂

Now when it comes to sexy time, you deadass may want to get him a muzzle because hoo lord you may end up in a hospital. He can’t always control his chompers when his hormones get high. He’ll feel bad afterwards and try to help you with the bleeding 🥺

Like most gators, Elvis will eat anything, especially if it’s something you made. Because he can’t fathom that you would take time out of your day to cook something to and bring it to him, when he’s perfectly fine eating raw meat. So it’s super special to him when you bring him food you made. It could be a deep fried boot and he’d eat it happily as long as you made it for him.

Eventually he learns (via siren magic because again, this is fantasy and I can do what I want) how to mask his reptilian features and look human, so he can spend even more time with you! Ain’t that great? :) He’s watched the humans around him for quite a while, so he knows how to behave like one when he needs to. You just need to buy him some clothes. 

This will be updated, but this is what I got for now. He’s basically a big ol puppy with some less than safe eating habits and a unique way of lovin’

He is a g8er boi he said see you l8er boi

[spookychiptune]

hehehe demosona

this is Gill he's based on like. swampy fishy things and also he's gonna bite you

still no tablet unfortunately so mspaint+mouse doodles are gonna be the content for a bit

[mourgexistence]

Fantasy AU Mer Al Headcannons

Ok first of all he's got two . . . you know 😖😖😅

He can live in both fresh and salt water so he mostly hangs out in rivers in small ponds

HE HAS THE SHOP

But it mostly has junk that he found at the bottom of the ocean and sells fishy food stuff

He would definitely use hooks as jewlery and trash as makeshift clothes

Like he would rap fishnets around his tale because he thinks he's smecksy

I like the idea that his parents died either during a shark attack or they got killed by poachers

So he got some trust issues

I think he met the listener in a swampy place

And they always meet there

Listener would definitely bring small bake goods for al

They would be super small but it's the thought that counts

He would swim with his head out of the water so listener can sit on his head

He often sheds his scales

And gives them to lister

Merpeople are very rare too so they often stay away from the shore

But that doesn't stop al

Even though it's extremely dangerous he sunbathes often

He just gets on a rock and lays there for a while

Idk if in this AU merpeople can get legs by drying out or naw

But if he found out he can get legs he would just live of the surface

That would be cute if he had legs and the listener is trying to teach him how to walk

'Alphie, it's just one foot after the other.' 'IM TRYING BOO!'

(Just a personal touch Alphie is a pet nane I think is cute)

Him and seth were definitely together for a bit

I feel like they met after Jesse left and when seth found out he was sad/mad

He ran till he fell into a deep pond

He was very close to drowning then Al found him and saved him

Just like Ariel and Eric

But its not a really good happy ending

Idk how but they fell out for sometime but they are still friends

I love the idea that Al is SUPER PROTECTIVE with fariy listener

Because they so smol

Like they accidentally got eaten by a fish

Al would definitely hunt that fish down and rip it open in a matter of seconds

It's a win win situation he save boo boo and he get lunch

He definitely scared listener once because he had blood all over his face after he ate a fish

I like the idea of his eyes rolling in the back of his head when he eats food

Like a shark boi

the reason merpeople are rare because they mostly get poached by elfs for there scales

And they same goes with fariy too because if there wings

So that's something they share together 😅😅

He probably shares a makeshift home with the listener

A small cave by the coast that they have spruced up together

Cottagecore with beachy vibes

Hell yeh

Ok thats all the headcannons I can think about with this boi. I'll do more with the other boys soon.

I love this AU AND IM BREWING WITH IDEAS FOR THIS WORLD!

[gordonthegreatesttracy]

For today’s adventure Parker jr took Virgil, swampy, Bradley and I into town and we had a Maccies

Which we didn’t share!

But Parker jr refused to buy me the water balloons 😒

I love this bag!

and we went for Costa

And took a tour of the cricket ground

And then we went for a walk along the river. And there were so many fishies 🐠. It was brilliant.

Then it started to rain so we came home for food.

@janetm74 @drileyf @vegetacide @rachfielden-xo @inertplanetary @cg29 @tbirds @ak47stylegirl @godsliltippy @mrmustachious @misssquidtracy @soniabigcheese

[cultivatedmemes]

Five senses starters

Smelled

🌧️ Rain on hot pavement

🍊 Freshly peeled orange

🌊 Salt on the breeze

🎃 Sickly sweet of something rotten

🌼 Musty earth and damp leaves

🧺 Clean linen

🍎 Cinnamon and cooked apples

🔥 Smoke and ash

Touched

🍬 Sticky fingers

🍵 Warmth from a mug

🗡️ A blade beneath the chin

🤝 Hands clasped tight

🧦 Wet socks

❄️ Nose pressed against a cold window

🧱 Stone worn smooth with time

🏞️ Chill of a stream on a hot day

Tasted

🍋 Lemon curd

🌱 Swampy and mossy

☕ Roasted coffee

🍞 Something burnt

☃️ Fresh snow

🐟 Salty and fishy

🩸Copper

⚡Lightning

Heard

📺 Muffled television from another room

👟 Footsteps creaking on wood

💧 Water dripping in a bucket

⏲️ The insistant ding of a timer

🍂 Dry leaves crunching underfoot

🦗 Crickets chirping in the dark

❤️ A heartbeat

🎶 Music in unexpected places

Seen

☀️ Dust hanging in a golden ray of sun

🚪 A door with a hundred tiny, intricate carvings decorating it's frame

🔮 Blood spattered on a cracked mirror

♨️ Heat blur rising in waves

🎁 A box with rusted hinges

🌨️ Footprints in the snow leading only one way

🌲 A structure tucked into the trees, half consumed by nature

🛡️ Shining metal, almost blinding

[wheremyscalesslither]

Cw: eating animals

.

.

.

.

Ive had alligator before and i was notttt a fan- it tasted like a fishy, dirty-reptile-enclosure-smell. But now im wondering, does farm raised alligator taste different from wild caught alligator? Is it possible that captive alligator, given their likelihood to be fed more red meats, would taste less fishy-swampy? Tbf i have no idea how much diet affects meat taste.

[ashleabechaz]

A Swampy Moss coloured Koi Boi for your viewing pleasure!

This handmade Felt Wall Hanging is a one off artwork coming next week!

So excited to finally release these Fishies into the world 👁