#shallow parts of the lagoon

[canisalbus]

i live in venice (not exactly but close enough) and while we dont have many beaches here many people instead just go directly into the shallow parts of the laguna! its so shallow that its basically like a sort of beach in the middle of water? many ppl esp that live there take small boats and get to those parts (at least from what ive seen when i was passing by on a boat). im not sure about it being a thing historically but maybe machete and vasco could do that too instead of a normal beach?

.

[these-posts-arent-real]

Oh StarClan... your dash has turned into warrior cats again.

#sorry <3 #this one has parts that are based off of that #one post rhats like "if there were cat-people #do you think calico tboys would try to dye over their patches"

2 notes

🔁 🍲 ex-thundrclan-kipper Follow reblogged

🍲 ex-thundrclan-kipper Follow

Me & Night (my mate)!!!

🏞 trouttail-prefers-bass Follow

:O Kip's mate has finally been revealed!!! And his name is Night? Cooool.

🍲 ex-thundrclan-kipper Follow

Yeah haha. Technically his full name is Night Hunter, Bringer of Darkness, but it feels so weirdly formal calling him that, so I usually stick to just Night.

#life #kittypet #collar tw #cw collars #id in alt text

8,504 notes

🛤 carnation-stem-02 Follow

I find it really funny when I see cats on here vaguepost about big blogs. Like cmon mouse-brain everyone here knows who you're talking about. Just say their name.

#this is about that one mommy blogger shitting on kipper the kittypet #btw #in case some of you couldnt tell #would be funny if it wasnt so stupid

12 notes

🔁 🐍xviper-the-fagx reblogged

🥬 rxttencatmint Follow

Hahaaaaa.... my mother found out ive been slowly dyeing my ginger patches black...

🪺 robbbinpaw Follow

Why would you do that??? Being a tortie is so cool, I wish I had ginger patches! They're so pretty, why do you want to get rid of them???

🥬 rxttencatmint Follow

Uhm. Gender dysphoria??

Like. I know cis male tortoiseshells exist but they're so rare that most cats take one look at me and go "oh, tortie, must be a girl" and that hurts.

🪺 robbbinpaw Follow

OH STARCLAN im so sorry Rot i wasnt even thinking about you being trans, I probably sounded really insensitive... I do understand what you're saying now.

Didn't even ask, how did your mom take it? Does she know why?

🥬 rxttencatmint Follow

You're fine <3 I get it. And no, she uh.. has no clue why I did it, she thinks I'm in my "emo phase" or something.

🐍 xviper-the-fagx

Uhh unrelated but what do you use to dye your fur?? Asking for... science...

#"science" meaning i am also a tortie tboy #well technically i'm calico but ykwim

46 notes

🔁 🦋 lalala-bluegaze Follow reblogged

🦢 gentlesong-momof17 Follow

I can't be the only one here who thinks it's unfair to allow kittypets on this site. Posting pictures of themselves and their mates inside of the twolegplace, influencing the young kits on this site to abandon their Clans... surely everyone else sees the problem with this as well.

This is Clanblr, not "Kittypetblr". This was specifically made as a space for Clan cats to connect, not for kittypets to push their lifestyle on us.

They're going to convince our kits to abandon their home and their belief in StarClan just for a more secure life.

#EXACTLY #I only recently found out ex-tc Kipper was a kittypet #it was so upsetting to me because i've always loved his wood-scratch art #to find out he's a clan-abandoner was so saddening

2,447 notes

🔁 🐍xviper-the-fagx reblogged

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

The recent drama surrounding Kipper the Kittypet is sad and I hate that he's being bashed just for existing, but it's also incredibly stupid. I believe the cat who wrote the original post said something like, "it's CLANblr, not KITTYPETblr," and then something about belief in StarClan and I just... do you even realize how many Clanblr mods are non-Clan and/or don't believe in StarClan?

To name a few, @s-t-a-r-burning is former WindClan now rogue & openly an atheist, @theshadowhaseyes has been a kittypet his whole life, and @ssuunnrraayy-p has made zir entire blog about how ze travels from one Clan to another & doesnt consider zimself a Clan cat. Those are all mods. "It's clanblr no-" shut up. Just shut up.

245 notes

🧷 name-lists-by-theme

Theme: Water

as always, these work as either part of your name, but they are intended as the first part!

-Abyss

-Bay

-Bog

-Cove

-Creek

-Current

-Dew

-Fog

-Lagoon

-Lake

-Marsh

-Mist

-Pond

-Pool

-Puddle

-Rain

-Shallow

-Sleet

-Spray

-Splash

-Storm

-Stream

-Torrent

Keep reading

383 notes

🐱 berrrrry-o Follow

I think a lot of cats put way too much emphasis on the parts of the warrior code that dont matter, and forget the parts that do, like "feed elders and kits first" and "never neglect a kit in pain or danger"... I feel like those are significantly more important than "a warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet," but maybe that's just me.

#berry yaps #I'm irritated by the kittypet drama going on on this site

16 notes

🔁 🛤 carnation-stem-02 Follow reblogged

🔲 sag3-chas3s-squirr3ls-deactivated

I feel like we don't talk enough about how SkyClan got chased out of their own territory during a time of crisis rather than all of the Clans trying to make room for everyone...

I mean, seriously. I know it's taught to all SkyClan apprentices, but I've talked to some of my friends from other Clans and they just. Didn't know that. They were never taught that the other Clans allowed SkyClan to be chased out due to territory loss.

🔲 sstep-xoxo-deactivated

:/ im pretty sure the whole thing about skclan being kicked out of their territory is just a conspiracy theory

🔲 sag3-chas3s-squirr3ls-deactivated

Imagine trying to tell a cat that they don't know their own Clan's history 💀

#ohh i finally found it again #that 1 fucker trying to say that skyclan's history is a "conspiracy theory"

20,056 notes

🌱 dirtdigger-23 Follow

:/ I do not like being stuck on the wrong site.

[girlrotterr]

Milk Of The Siren.

captain!abby x siren!reader Summary: Captain Anderson is among the most skilled, effortlessly navigating countless ships. Yet, even the finest sailors aren't immune to the lure of sirens' hunger. a/n: new series for you angels!!! super excited for this one!! (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠) ⇢ part two𓈒ㅤׂ 𓇼

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ˳༄꠶ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

A human laid before you, unconscious.

Her milky skin glimmered under the soft moonlight, her body reflecting the silvery glow. She was drenched, her clothes soaked through with seawater. Sand was plastered around her face, sticking to her skin like a constellation of freckles.

what a disturbance..

It was already past midnight, the only illumination coming from the moon and stars above. Their light dancing on the surface of the water, and the gentle glow of jellyfish drifted the sea. You had sought this place for solitude, yearning for some time alone. The cave lagoon was your sanctuary, a place where silence was a constant companion and disturbance was a foreign concept.

But now, that tranquility was shattered. The human's presence was an intrusion into your sacred space. This lagoon, with its crystal-clear waters and echoing silence, had always promised peace. 

You emerged from the water, your movements graceful and deliberate. Your sleek, iridescent tail shimmered, casting ethereal patterns on the cave walls as it parted the waves. Each movement sent ripples across the surface, water cascading down your body. Your hair, the color of the midnight sea, clung to your back,  your eyes. deep and mesmerizing, locked onto the human with irritation. 

The soft sound of waves lapped against the shore, the only noise in the otherwise still night. You hovered over her, studying her face. She looked peaceful, almost serene, despite the obvious turmoil that had brought her here. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, and you could see the faint pulse at her neck, a sign of life amidst the stillness.

Hovering down, you brushed a strand of wet hair from her face, feeling the softness of her skin. She was fragile, a stark contrast to the strength you felt coursing through your own body. This human had no place here, in your sanctuary, disturbing the delicate balance of your world. But there was something about her, something that stirred a feeling you couldn't quite name.

You took a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air, and let it out slowly. 

───────

"Captain Anderson," Isaac said, shaking Abby's hand in a formal greeting.

Abby returned the handshake firmly, "Isaac," she replied with a nod, taking a seat opposite him. "What brings you to seek me?"

Isaac smiled, a hint of admiration in his eyes as he leaned forward. "You've earned quite the reputation, Captain. Your skill and courage on the seas are well known,." He paused, leaning back in his chair. "I have a proposition for you. We have a cargo that needs to be sailed out to Europe, and I can think of no one better suited for the job than you."

Abby's expression remained composed, though inwardly, she felt a flicker of intrigue. Sailing across the Atlantic was no small effort, even for someone as experienced as herself. "Europe, you say?" she mused, tapping her fingers thoughtfully against the arm of her chair. "That's quite a journey..."

Isaac nodded. "Indeed, it is. But I have every confidence in your abilities. The cargo is valuable, and I trust only the best to ensure its safe passage."

Abby inclined her head, acknowledging the compliment. She had earned her title through years of hard work and determination, rising through the ranks from a young deckhand to a respected captain known for her sharp instinct. Her ship, The Siren's Call, was renowned not only for its speed but also for the loyalty of its crew.

"As always, Isaac, I'm honored by your trust," Abby replied finally, her tone reflective of the weight of the responsibility he was offering. "When do we sail?"

Isaac smiled, relieved by her acceptance. "The Siren's Call leaves at dawn. I'll have the crew and provisions ready."

───────

Abby stepped aboard The Siren's Call at the break of dawn, greeted by the familiar salty breeze. The crew bustled about, preparing the ship for departure.

As Abby made her way to her quarters to stow her belongings, she felt a hand clap down on her shoulder. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with Ellie Williams, a fellow hunter and friend from her days ashore in jackson. Ellie's auburn hair was tied back, her piercing green eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Well, well, if it isn't Captain Anderson herself," Ellie teased, flashing a mischievous grin. "Off on another grand adventure, are we?"

Abby chuckled, giving Ellie a playful shove. "Always."

Ellie nodded knowingly. "Oh, I know all too well. Heard you're sailing for Europe this time. Quiteee the journey"

Abby nodded, "It'll be a challenge, no doubt. But Isaac trusts me to get the job done."

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Isaac, huh? That old son of a bitch is at it again!" She leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Any chance you'll find a European lady out there?"

Abby rolled her eyes with a smile. "Not likely.”

Ellie laughed, her laughter echoing through the corridor. "Well, you let me know if you change your mind. I've got some contacts who could arrange a meeting."

“I'll keep that in mind.” Abby shook her head,  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to prepare."

Ellie grinned, stepping back to let Abby pass. "Don't forget to send me a postcard!"

With a wave, Abby continued on her way, her mind already shifting back to the tasks at hand. She settled into her role aboard the Siren's Call, overseeing final preparations and ensuring everything was in order, she couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. 

The sea was waiting. 

───────

As the Siren's Call cut through the Atlantic waves, Abby kept a vigilant watch, her eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of danger. The journey had been smooth thus far, the ship sailing true under her expert command. But just as the sun began its descent toward the horizon, a haunting melody began to drift through the air.

At first, Abby dismissed it as a trick of the wind, but soon, the melody grew stronger, more intoxicating. It was a song unlike any she had heard before — ethereal and enchanting, weaving through the air like a delicate thread. A chill ran down her spine as she realized what it was: 

The song of sirens.

Glancing around, Abby saw her crew entranced by the music, their eyes glazed over, their movements sluggish as they were drawn toward the source of the melody. Panic surged within her as she fought against the mesmerizing tune, her hands tightening on the wheel to keep the ship on course.

"Keep steady! Fight it!" Abby shouted, her voice cutting through the enchantment like a knife. But the sirens' song was relentless, its allure growing stronger with each passing moment. The Siren's Call began to veer off course, its sails catching the wind erratically.

The ship was now beyond her control, rushing dangerously through the waves. The laughter of the sirens echoed hauntingly in the air, mocking their victory. 

“Captain, we're losing control! The ship won't respond!"

"Damn it!"  Abby gritted her teeth, her mind racing for a solution. 

She knew the tales of the sirens, their irresistible songs luring sailors to their doom upon jagged rocks. Abby steadied herself against the wheel, trying desperately to steer away.

But it was to no avail. 

The ship's structure collided with rocks, splintering wood and tearing sails. The world began to whirl as Abby was thrown overboard, the icy waters enveloping her in a shock of cold. Debris and bodies floated around her, the cries of her crewmates drowned out by the relentless roar of the sea. With a desperate stroke, she struggled toward the surface, fighting against the pull of the sinking ship.

Moments later, Abby's head broke through the surface, gasping for air as she scanned the scene…

The Siren's Call was rapidly disappearing beneath the waves, its masts jutting awkwardly into the sky before vanishing into the depths. The sirens' laughter echoed in the distance, a cruel reminder of their deadly allure.

“no...” Abby weakly whispered as darkness crept on the edges of her vision.

───────

“Ngh..” Abby jolted slightly awake, her eyes fluttering open as she groaned softly.

You instinctively backed away, giving her space to gather herself. She looked around, disoriented and clearly in pain, her body stiff and bruised. Confusion clouded her expression, and her gaze struggled to focus on you through eyes still adjusting to the dim light.

You remained cautious, observing her cautiously as she blinked. 

"What has brought you here?" you asked, your voice tinged with a hint of anger. The disruption she had caused to your sanctuary was annoying enough. 

Abby didn't respond immediately, her eyes still trying to focus on you. She seemed caught between fear and fascination, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she struggled to find her voice. The bruises on her skin stood out starkly in the moonlight. 

"There is no place for you here, human," you snapped, your tone firm. 

The rules of your world were clear — humans were outsiders, their presence a disruption to the delicate balance of your existence beneath the waves. 

"You're... one of them," she whispered weakly, pointing a trembling finger in your direction. Her voice trembled, her gaze fixed on you.

Yes, you were one of the creatures of the deep, Your kind had legends woven around them—stories of enchantment and danger that humans whispered. For centuries, your kind had existed in harmony with the sea, guardians of its secrets and mysteries.

But Abby's presence had disrupted that harmony.

A debate stirred within you, a conflict between duty and desire. On one hand, your instincts urged you to follow the rules of your existence—to remain hidden, to protect your kind from the intrusions of humans. But on the other hand, there was a temptation—an urge that whispered of a different kind of need.

Abby's voice broke through your thoughts, her plea tinged with desperation. I don’t mean to intrude.."

Her words hesitated, exhaustion and pain in every breath. You could sense her vulnerability, her body moving with fatigue as she struggled to maintain her composure. The moonlight bathed her in a soft glow, casting a shadow that danced across her features.

In that moment, you saw her not just as an intruder, but as a fragile soul in unfamiliar waters, seeking refuge from the storms. A flicker of empathy stirred within you, a longing to ease her suffering and offer her safeness Yet, there were potential consequences—disrupting the balance that kept both your worlds apart.

With a conflicted sigh, you made your decision. "I will return," you said.

Abby's eyes widened slightly, a mixture of hope and fear flickering across her face. You could see the relief in her eyes, but you knew your reasons for helping her were far from kindness. If she recovered, she would leave your lagoon, restoring the peace and solitude you so cherished.

You slipped back into the water with effortless grace, your body merging seamlessly with the liquid embrace of the lagoon. The cool water flowed around you as you swam deeper, your mind racing with thoughts of what resources you could gather to help. Food, water, perhaps some herbs to tend to her wounds—all necessary for her recovery.

The underwater world welcomed you, its familiar sights and sounds a comforting balm to your conflicted heart. Radiant creatures lit your way, their soft glow illuminating the path through the darkened depths. You swam swiftly, your movements a blur of silver and blue as you navigated the corridors of your aquatic home.

First, you headed to a nearby kelp forest, where you knew you could find nutrient-rich seaweed. With practiced skill, you harvested a generous bundle, tying it together with a strand of your own hair. Next, you sought out a freshwater spring that bubbled up through the ocean floor, filling a small, hollowed-out shell with the precious liquid.

Eventually, you made your way to a hidden grove where medicinal sea herbs grew in abundance. You carefully selected a variety of leaves and stems, each one known for its healing properties. The weight of your decision still hung heavy on your heart, but the act of gathering these resources gave you a sense of purpose, a way to channel your inner confusion into something useful.

With your resources secured, you turned and began the journey back to the cave. The moonlight still shimmered on the water's surface as you emerged, carrying the gathered resources in your arms. Abby was where you had left her, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady. She looked even more fragile than before, a difference to the strength you could sense within her.

You approached quietly, setting the bundle of seaweed and herbs beside her.

"I have returned," you said, your voice a whisper. Abby's eyes fluttered open, and she looked at you with a mixture of gratitude and lingering fear.

Gently, you handed her the shell filled with fresh water. "Drink," you said, guiding her hands to the makeshift vessel. Abby complied, sipping the cool water with obvious relief. You could see the color returning to her cheeks, a sign that she was beginning to regain some of her strength.

You showed her the seaweed. "Eat." you instructed, tearing off a small piece and offering it to her. "It will help you recover." Abby hesitated for a moment, then took the seaweed and began to chew, her expression softening as the nourishment began to take effect.

You turned your attention to her injuries. You crushed the medicinal herbs between your fingers, releasing their healing juices, and gently applied them to her cuts and bruises. Abby winced at first, then relaxed as the soothing properties of the herbs took hold.

You backed away, observing her. Abby's eyes met yours, and for the first time, there was a spark of trust in their depths.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the gentle lapping of the waves.

You stared at her for a moment, torn between your desire for solitude and a new connection that could bloom. Her presence was a disturbance, yes, but also a reminder of the world beyond the sea, a world you had long ago distanced yourself from.

You nodded, “The sea will watch over you."

Abby finally began to take in her surroundings. The beauty of the cave lagoon struck her with a sense of awe. Moonlight filtered through the entrance, casting a silver glow over the water. The walls of the cave were adorned with vibrant corals and sea plants, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that felt both magical and serene.

Her gaze shifted to you, the mythical being who had both frightened and saved her. You were a creature of ethereal beauty, your scales glistening in the dim light, your movements graceful and fluid. There was an undeniable allure to you, a magnetism that drew her in despite the fear that lingered in her heart.

But with that awe came a profound conflict. The sirens, your kind, were responsible for the tragedy that had striked her crew. Abby’s thoughts turned dark as she remembered the screams, the chaos, and the horror. Her shipmates, her friends, had been lured to their deaths by the enchanting songs of the sirens, and now here she was, under the care of one of those very beings.

How could she feel anything but hatred for the creatures responsible for so much pain? And yet, as she watched you move with such grace, as she felt the gentleness in your touch, she couldn’t deny the complexity of her feelings.

You noticed her conflicted expression, the way her eyes flickered with something you couldn’t quite place. 

“You helped me...” Abby spoke, her voice tinged with suspicion and curiosity. “Your kind... they killed my crew. Why didn’t you just leave me to die?”

You hesitated,  “I seek solitude,” you replied, “Your presence here disrupts that. If you heal, you will leave, and I will have my peace again.”

Abby’s eyes narrowed slightly, but there was a hint of understanding in her gaze. “It’s for your own sake.” she murmured, more to herself than to you. “Well, if that's the case, thenn you will have to help me leave." 

"I have helped you enough," you replied, your voice tinged with reluctance.

Abby's expression hardened "I can't simply swim to land," she insisted, her voice growing firmer. "I need to construct a boat—a small one, quick to build yet sturdy enough to carry me and the supplies I'll need until I reach safety."

You grumbled to yourself, the request catching you off guard. Helping Abby construct a boat meant prolonging her stay—something you had hoped to avoid. 

Reluctantly, you nodded. "Very well," you conceded, your voice resigned. "I will gather what you need."

A faint smile tugged at Abby's lips, teasing and amused. "Good," she replied, her voice teasingly soft. "I suppose I should rest now. It'll make you grumble less."

Perhaps you should’ve eaten her.

[dvchvnde]

EXCERPT: JOHN PRICE, WINTER SOLDIER AU.

You're still getting used to the sight of him—bare faced in patches: the beard shorn off into a mere shadow of what it was before; a choice he'd made for himself after scrubbing down in a long shower, refusing any help or medical aid—and he doesn't make it any easier for you in these brief, uncomfortable stages of acclimation you suffer through.

Hands lashing out into dead air. Fingers catching, unyielding and firm, on your skin. Nails—split and jagged; regrown in patches after being ripped off over and over again (for hree years, is the mocking whisper snaking along the nausea when you look at the pinked-tinged beds)—burrowing into your flesh. Anchoring you in place as he bends down, moulds his frame around you. Malleable shadow eating you whole.

Indomitable.

John Price was always an intimidating man.

Towering. Broad. Gruff. Surly. Mean old man was often thrown around amongst the new recruits, ones too scared to voice what they really thought:

Miserable fucking bastard.

His weight thrown around like an extension of himself—all raw, barely contained anger trembling out through the cracks. Lashing thick, brutal lines across his forehead. In the sharp, downward tug of his mouth tucked behind a bed of brunt umbre hair.

He was difficult to deal with on a good day, even when he'd offer that mocking smile of his. A parody of geniality—lips split upwards like a crocodiles maw.

(come, come, put your hand inside this beasts jaws; he won't bite—)

As fucking if.

You've only known him in pieces. Patches. Barely enough to make a whole picture, but you could still fill in the empty spaces with that grizzled anger of his that seemed to roll off of him in waves.

(no wonder he burns so hot—it's all that fury.)

Mostly, he'd come to dress you down in front of everyone watching. Snapping at the sight of your desk—organised chaos a true oxymoron (and for the most part, that seemed to be what he thought of you: a moron)—and how you handled files, and how you waltzed around like you owned the place—

and do you, sweetheart? do you own this place, mm? is that why you never listen to a goddamn thing i tell you?

All-in-all: a miserable fucking man.

And one made of sharp, brutal contradictions. Paradoxes layered over each other. Sealed with fury—of the righteous, pragmatic kind—and reinforced with an utilitarian core. Forlorn hope in the distinct shape of a man, one always readying himself for a pyrrhic victory (but a victory, nevertheless).

Easy, in hindsight, to deal with when you knew how to navigate the frothing gyre of anger and juxtapositions that made up the man who brute force, physicality, to get what he wanted.

By sharp contrast, the version of him who stands before is more enigmatic than the mangled mess of savagery and labyrinthine defenses. Almost unknowable. Unfathomable.

Even more so when he lifts his hand—scarred up, still blistered and bruised from fighting his way through fire and kin to get to you—and presses those mangled knuckles to the swell of your cheek, as tender as a man like him could ever allow himself to be, and runs a soft, shallow line down the side of your face. Eyes—still that same, dizzying blue—darken into liquid sapphire as he stares at you. Inexplicably soft. Lids crested. Half-mast in pleasure as if staring at your face was relaxing. Comforting.

Something swirls in those deep, endless lagoons. Some implacable emotion—all at once too much; too heavy—frissoning over his feature. A paroxysm. You can't catch it. Can't define it.

It's unquantifiable. Unknowable. And yet—

You know, instantly, that John Price would never look at you with something this archaic, this intense, brimming up like geysers in the endless spill of blue that can't seem to look away from you.

This man is not John Price.

But when he pulls you into a kiss—one softer and sweeter than you'd ever imagined the infamous captain could ever be capable of—you let him.

In fact, you kiss back.

And you'd really rather not think about what that says about you.

[ranticore]

finally forced myself to draw the Odd Sirenians i did a poll about aaages ago since askers had them on my mind today lol

of these only the shortstrider is considered to be an actual hybrid, the rest are just natural variations of body shape/type within the same species. except the sea zeta, now so distinct as to no longer be able to hybridise with regular zeta.

i wrote about shortstriders before but their morphology & what traits from either parent will express themselves is completely random. you could have one who almost entirely resembles one parent, or one that looks like a perfect blend of the two, or one with uneven traits like having disproportionally long legs or big wings. most cannot fly, lacking the muscle for it, and also can't hop well either.

inland swamp phocids are the smallest phocids, only a couple of metres long. they live in the shallow water swamps and marshes of the interior western continent. their very impressive plant manes protect their skin from becoming too dry, as they rarely have access to water deep enough to fully immerse themselves. as with other phocids the plants need to be woven in and carefully maintained, but it's far more accessible to these guys because they barely have to do anything to get a nice growth going

river selkies are a similar sort of direction, an inland subtype but for the very dry eastern continent. they live around the few rivers that cross the dry bowl and they are teensy tiny. polar selkies are the largest of their kind.

the longwing is only odd on a technicality; the form is very alike other longwings (tail-less, quadrupedal, four wings etc) but unlike the vast majority these guys can plunge-dive. there is a large population of them in the western coast of the western continent where the sparse land rises into tall cliffs and spires. they do not have to be ultra-light to fly long distances and so can make use of heavy waterproofing oils (applied by hand).

the aquatic zeta is still a marsupial (the fur is short enough to show off the pouch) and still needs to be on land otherwise baby will drown. they do have longer gestation periods than their terrestrial cousins, to minimise the time spent with a baby in the pouch, but when the kid is born they have to haul out and stay out until that baby can swim. they usually pick caves or sheltered lagoons with underwater entrances, in some of the remotest parts of the world. their population is likely only in the few thousands by now.

[tinydefector]

Lazing Lagoons

Merformers AU

Jazz x reader

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: None, Absolute fluff.

Jazz masterlist

Full masterlist

Ask are open, please make,e sure to check my full masterlist and read my rules.

There will most likely be a part 2 to this

_____________

a human stands off to the side of the large outdoor rescue lagoon taking water samples, swirling them in little jars as they write down notes. They slowly step into the water in the shallow end taking coral samples and checking the few Rays which swim closer wanting a treat. The loud sound of water splashing has them tensing up "Don't even think about it!" They call over their shoulder.

A large webbed hand stops mid grab for fish in the bucket on the ledge of the pool.

The large silver and grey Mer surfaces, bright opal like optics flicker to the human as the Mer flashes a grins impishly, razor sharp denta flickering in the low light of the overhang. He swishes his long shimmering tail through the water as he drifts closer to the human who stands there looking mildly unimpressed. "Aww c'mon! Can't blame a mer for tryin'!" He calls back to them, energetically splashing tiny waves at their back.

Surfing nimbly through the shallows, Jazz zooms closer to observe their work on the coral, chin perched casually on crossed arms as he peers over the large reef bed, resting against it while he watches them with the tiny samples. "Whatcha got dere? Find any pretty shells? Ooh lookit dat lil crab!" His gaze darts around watching the crustacean quickly disappear before it becomes a meal.

A sudden flash of movement draws his attention a small silvery fish darting past. Jazz lunges with a playful growl, coming up empty handed as his prey slips through his fingers. Popping back to the surface, he beams unrepentantly at the human's stern glare.

"Aw don't lookit me like dat! Mers gotta eat, ya know!" Jazz swears with a wink and finger gun, before slipping silently back under the water to resume his hunt. In truth he wasn't that hungry but whenever he snuck into the lagoon he took his opportunity to try and snag a fish or two before getting scrolled.

They roll their eyes as a smile falls onto their lips. "You know the carnal isn't there for you to come in here you know, it's so the reef sharks have access to the ocean, and doing ocean releases." They state as they slowly move back to the bucket. Jazz waves a dismissive clawed hand, tails lazily keeping him afloat. "Psh, dem sharks ain't never around." fins flared and pearly teeth flashing. The human huffs out a reluctant chuckle, knowing full well he's the reason for the reef sharks' absence. “Uh huh, Sure you're not just spooking them to steal their fish?” They shoot back, refocusing on labelling samples, but can't help shooting sly glances at the spirited mer.

Jazz notes their amused smiles and beams, pleased as always to coax more positives from the typically stoic human. He swims lazily nearer, laying chin atop dripping arms as big opalescent optics peer owlishly up at them as the work. "Ya know, if yer ever feelin' adventurous enough for a swim with lil ol' me, Betcha ain't never seen the ocean reef like we merfolk do!" The offer, as always, hangs temptingly in the air.

They grab the bucket of fish and begin emptying it into the water, the small fish dart off in different directions into the reef, it makes Jazz's fins flare as his optics narrow as if on the hunt. "Don't eat them, they aren't for you!" They shoot back at him when he begins eyeing some of the colourful mix of reef fish, they splash water at him which earns a loud whine of a thrill from him.

"Awww c'mon, one lil fishy ain't gonna hurt nobody! But you're right, you're right..." he concedes with a sigh. Drifting back closer to the human who continues To watch him to make sure he didn't try and eat the fish meant for the reef.

"You know I swear I'm the only human who has issues with mer trying to get into pools, I swear if I ever told anyone about you they'd want to study why you're so interested in getting in here, bet Seaworld would pay me good money for you as an exhibit" they state in a huff, it was all talk, they would never do that, Jazz was a rather sweet mer, had surprise and scared the crap out of them the first time he ever showed up wanting to steal fish. It had shocked them even more when he had spoken to them.

Jazz at least has the good grace to look abashed at the chiding, schooling his handsome features into an expression of utmost innocence. Flashing a roguish grin, he swims lazy circles around the human, listening with keen interest as they speak. At the mention of study and dissection, his bioluminescent markings flare in alarm.

"Oh no no, we don't be wanting any a' dat study nonsense! Merfolk got our secrets ya know." He waggles his optic ridges. Boldly, he loops an arm around slim waist, drawing them close as a small collection of thrills and clicks leave him.

"How 'bout you just keep ol' Jazz your little secret, hmm? Then we can have all kinda fun exploring together without no pokin' and probin'." He rumbles softly, staring up at them with such optics that shimmer in blues, Greens and purples, it really did give the illusion of Opal in some ways.

After a moment, the human sighs, they flick him softly and turn away from him to put the bucket up. "So what can I do for you, and why are you in the lagoon? Did you drag yourself across the walkway to get in here?, did anyone see you?" They ask with arms crossed.Jazz rubs his forehead ruefully where the human flicked him, grin turning sheepish. Clearly his antics have piqued their curiosity or worry.

He swims a lazy loop in the water, gleaming dorsal fin cutting elegant lines through the water. "Well ya see, I MAY have spotted ya workin' over here and got a lil curious is all." He winks roguishly. "As for why I be here specifically..." Jazz casts a finned hand grandly about the enclosure. "Let's just say a certain lil reef shark was gettin' a bit big for his fins and I decided to, eh, relocate him elsewhere for awhile. No harm done!"

He flashes them a cheeky smile. "An' drag myself across the walkway? Psh, please. With these babies?" Jazz flares his tailfin proudly, fins flowing with iridescent light. "I'd put Aquaman himself to shame! Naw, I just slipped myself on through the current gates when the tide was changin'."

They glare at him " Jazz if you have broken the ocean grate down there in not going to be happy" they state while staring him down. Jazz holds his webbed claws up defensively, fins fluttering in placation. "Now, now, no need to be gettin' all ornery! I wouldn't do nothin' to compromise the barrier, I promise, I have claws i pudit back in place."

He flashes them a pleading look, big opal eyes widening in a manner he knows is hard to resist almost like cat eyes. Circling closer, Jazz gently grasps their wrist, feeling their pulse pound rapidly against his palm. He rumbles low in his chest. "All I wanna do is spend some time with ya."

Gingerly, Jazz lifts their hand to his faceplates, nuzzling gently against their fingers as his biolights dance an invitation. "Whaddya say? Slip in wit me, just for a lil while." Jazz gazes at them pleadingly, hoping his charm can sway them. They let out a sigh as they walk deeper into water. The lagoons were too shallow for a mer his size to be in there too long but he could still swim rather well throughout the lagoons Of the rescue facility.

Jazz's face lights up with unrestrained delight as they move deeper into the water so he didn't have to rest against the bank, willingly engaging with him. With chirps and whistles, he zips energetically around the shallow pool, fins splaying gracefully to manoeuvre his bulk through the tight space.

Jazz makes the most of it, launching up to momentarily breach the surface before slipping smoothly back beneath in a shimmer of chrome and azure. He circles ever closer to the human, radiating calm invitation. "Ain't this fun? Don't gotta go too deep ta enjoy the splash, eh?" Jazz grins, His optics practically glow with joy to have their focused attention.

"You're a pest you know" they state with a barely kept smile. As he slowly drifts closer.

Jazz merely chuckles softly at their halfhearted insult, spark soaring to see the smile they try to conceal. "Aw, but yer smilin' so I must be doin' somethin' right.” They nearly yelp as Jazz pulls them into the water only to land against his chest laying across it as the mer floats peacefully in the pool.

His grin flashes his sharp teeth up at their surprise face as strong arms encircle their waist, drawing them fluidly into the water. Jazz makes sure to keep their head above the surface, securing them safely against his broad frame.

"Oops, lil accident there!" He trills innocently, though his optics glitter with delight. Jazz gently cradles their back, letting them adjust to the cool embrace of the water. "See? Nothin' to worry about with lil ol' Jazz around." He rumbles soothingly, running webbed fingers in slow circles across tense muscles until he feels them begin to relax.

Floating was as easy as breathing for him, he held the human close yet loose, waiting patiently for panic or anger. They let out a grumbled sigh as they relaxed against his frame. One hand hangs over his shoulders in the water as they lay their head up on his shoulder as they both just exist. Floating in the pool as Ray's and fish swim around the lagoon.

In truth they did enjoy his visits, but they fretted over him getting caught by others. They doubted anyone at the refugee would say anything but they didn't want to risk him getting caught, money could make people do alot of things and they didn't want to risk Jazz's safety or his pod.

Jazz's whole frame practically vibrates with subdued joy to feel them sinking into his embrace. One hand rises from the water to gently cradle their back, holding them securely as his claws trail soothing patterns across their back. He nuzzles their head fondly, inhaling the soft scent as his optics close briefly in contentment. Floating here in peaceful stillness.

They cuddle into him. "Do you want me to come swimming with you tonight?" They softly inquire. When they speak, murmuring that tender question, Jazz's spark practically swells until he fears it may burst from his chest. Slowly opening his optics, he peers down at them with such caring and gratitude, it's plain for all to see how deeply he cared for this human and how much they meant to him.

"Ah would be the happiest mer in all the sea if ya did," Jazz rumbles softly, servo coming up to gently cradle their cheek. Leaning in, he presses a chaste kiss to their forehead with a tenderness that belies his brutal strength.

"But only if it's what you truly want. I'd never force ya or put ya in danger, you gotta know that." Pressing their heads together, Jazz cradles them as if the most precious of gems. All he desires is their happiness.

The hum softly against him. "I finish my shift in half an hour, if you can sneak back out without getting caught ill meet you over by the jetty in the mangroves" they mumble softly as they sit up against his frame. "I still have to feed the eels"

Jazz practically vibrates with barely contained elation, optics glowing fiercely as he gazes up at their darling face. All he can do is hold them tenderly and nod. Slowly releasing them to stand, Jazz watches with eager affection as they exit the pool. "I'll be waitin' for ya where the water meets the land, babydoll." He rumbles softly, spark thrilling at the thought of going swimming with them.

Surfacing silently, Jazz offers one last wave before slicing smoothly through the water back down the ocean gate to the reserve's channels, back out to the open sea. Here, under the dusky sky, he lets his joy ring out for all to hear in a joyous chorus of whistles and clicks. Stealthily, he slips into the mangroves' shadowed crevices, ready and waiting for them to finish their shift.

_________

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[ja3hwa]

Jongho | Blue Lagoon

「Synopsis」 : You head out to sea in hopes the storm hadn't hurt your lovers. But what you are met with was more than expected.

「Word count」 : 2.0k

-> Genre: Smut. Fluff. Fantasy. Adventure.

Paring: Vampire!Pirate!Jongho x Siren!Reader

[Warnings] : Swearing. Pet name. Blood. Bodily fluids. Blood drinking. Sir kink. Blowjob. Throat fucking. Dirty talk. Nudity (Sexual & Non-Sexual). Let me know If I missed anything.

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The cave was warm compared to the freezing storm out at sea. Yunho gave the all-clear when he jumped from the deck to the sand bank. He made sure the anchor was set so they wouldn’t float away, also giving the grounds around them a once over just in case something else decided to pick the same cave as a place of refuge from the hell-bent storm. Wooyoung shouted about getting dinner started making everyone head for the lower deck, sensing their stomachs empty and in need of Wooyoung’s cooking.

Jongho however stayed on the stern deck, looking out to the waterfall that had an opening in the cave roof, making some rain pour in with a loud trickle. He noticed little lagoon pockets, most of them looked shallow but he knew all too well that they were indefinitely deep, making a cave system right beneath their feet. Some blue glowworms gathered on the wet roof, lighting up the cave, making him suddenly see a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He turns and stood up from his slouched position on the railing, trying to get a better look at the figure in one of the small lagoon pools. Maybe it was something to fear or something that could harm the ship, but he suddenly saw a light mixer of colour painted on a long and elegant tail. He knew exactly what he was looking at and it made his heart skip a beat.

The sea was calming around your body. It’s quiet and peaceful compared to the world above. You took a large inhale, letting the gills on the side of your neck filter the water inside your system. It was comfortable, familiar. You missed being underwater, but you loved the surface world as well. You missed your tail every day, but not as much as you liked your legs. It was lonely in the sea. Being an outcast from your home because of your special ability. Being a shifter. A rare form of Siren, a mermaid crossbreed. In other words, an abomination. Something that shouldn’t exist, but I guess your parents didn’t get the memo about that.

You navigate the ocean with ease following the scent of the destiny―the ship Yeosang was aboard―. The smell of wet dark spruce, a hint of honey and chard coal, the scent you loved whenever you stood on the deck of the beautiful vessel. You look up to the break where the water meets the opened air, seeing rain dancing on the face of the big blue. It’s getting heavier, you thought, worried the boys might be in trouble, but when you spot teal blue light bubbles, you knew there is a cave system nearby. Maybe they took their ship into a cave?

Swimming through the small crevasse you try your best not to get your large tail suck. But luckily you were just able to wiggle yourself through. You see thousands of lights from glowworms in your blurred view. The surface. Your hands are the first to exit the water feeling the warm air on your cold fingertips. You close your eyes cutting through the water's face before taking a sharp breath of oxygen in, feeling your lung fill with air as your gills close and seal up against your skin from the loss of water around them.

You open your eyes, looking around the large structure, rubbing your eyes in order to clear your vision. A skip in your heart makes your worried nerves finally calm down, seeing the ship sitting out of the storm. Safe. Placing your arms on either side of the lagoon pocket trying to pull yourself up and after a small attempt you got up, twisting your body so your butt could sit on the ledge. You look around the large hollowed rock structure, suddenly grazing on a figure heading in your direction.

“Shit.” You flopped your tail out of the water, placing a hand on your chest before whispering an enchantment allowing you to shift from your tail to your human legs. You prepared to try and explain to whoever was heading your way why you were naked in a cave but before any excuses come to mind a sigh left your lungs as you spot who it was. “Jongho…”

“Hey there Honey. I thought it was you.” His soft voice and kind smile made your heart flutter. He knelled down to your sitting form not dropping his graze from your face. Such a gentleman. He opens a satchel that rests on the side of his hip, pulling out some clothes for you to dress in. He spoke of keeping clothing for you in the past once you told him about you being a shifter. You found it sweet that he and Yeosang were wanting to care for you so much. You always felt love with their protection.

You take the long shirt from the kind male, smiling with a small thank you leaving your lips. Pulling the cloth over your head to take notice that he finally dropped his view, looking at all of you now that you are covered. He let out a gulp as if he wanted to say something. But he couldn’t seem to find the right words.

“You okay Jong?” You tried to get up so you could stand with him but your legs wobbled and your knees buckled making you fall forward. Luckily Jongho caught you.

“Careful honey. Don’t want ya hurtin’ yourself.” He chuckled wrapping his arms around your soft waist, his fingers diving into your plump skin with care. His face was suddenly inches from yours, feeling his heart rate spike from the distance. Time froze as his red eyes glowed while they gaze into your teal ones. You lent in closer, hoping he would seal his lips against yours but he pulls away instead.

“Why are you here Sweetheart?” he whispers, making you let out a huff while rolling your eyes slightly.

“The storm… I wanted to….” You felt a lump in your throat overthinking basically setting you up for failure but yet here you are. Wanting to make sure he was safe. That they were all safe. Jongho gave a small kiss on your forehead, closing his eyes for a moment, taking in your scent that has lingering hints of sea salt.

“I get it…” His lips trail down from your forehead, the crease of your eye, cheeks, jaw and neck. You took a sharp inhale, letting your fingers slip into his belt loops to pull him closer to you. He placed open mouth kisses down your neck until he finds the right spot making you groan softly. A hunger was brewing in his gut, letting his fangs graze your jugular.

“Are you going to bite me, sir?” You teased suddenly feeling your head starting to spin. He just chuckled in response, licking a long strip up your neck before letting his fangs pierce your flesh. You let out a gasp, hands flying to his chest, scrunching the fabric of his blouse. Your blood trickles into his mouth letting him taste the sweet iron twang on his tongue. You felt lightheaded, trying your hardest to keep your body upright. He finally breaks his fangs from your skin. He watched the blood spill out of your neck, dripping down to your collarbone. Fuck, you are so beautiful when covered in blood.

“Baby…” He went to speak but you wasted no time in pushing him against the large flat rocks that lay beside the lagoon pools, making him lean back with a widen stance of his legs. You grinned while you watched him wipe your blood off his chin. You drop to your knees stalking over to your lover. He watched you with a sly smirk, feeling his cock twitch at your excitement. You really got horny from him drinking from you? Yes… You pull down his briefs and took his cock out quickly. Wasting no time in giving him a lick from his base to tip, flicking your tongue on his slit. Jongho let out a soft moan from your action. You lick him like that for a moment, getting him wet and sloppy. You wrap your hands around him and started jacking him off at full-speed. The filthy sounds of him getting wet and you pumping him echoes in the one side of the cave. The feeling made him close his eyes for a moment to just get lost in the pleasure before they popped open when you swallowed him.

“Honey─” He gasps, his hands flying to your head instinctively. His fingers curl as he felt your head move up and down at a quickened pace. He hums deep in his chest making you dig your nails into his thick thighs before pulling off him with a pop.

“Jongho please,” you moaned. “Can you please..use me.” You pressed kisses all over his cock, occasionally licking it from base to tip. Jongho cursed under his breath and took a hold of your head with both hands. You hum excitedly while he sighed deeply, looking at you as you open your mouth as your permission.

“Damn,” he whispers and with one more low curse, he slid himself in your mouth. Your throat muscles immediately hugged his hard cock tightly, and he felt them moving as you swallowed. He groans, hips moving back and forth slowly at first, giving you some time to adjust, but after a small tap on his thigh that he could translate as a go-ahead he picked up his pace. Soon, he was fucking your throat at a pace that could count as fast,

“You want me to use you, huh?” He rasped. His breath was coming out in pants. You swallowed and hummed around him. “Alright, baby, here it comes.” He tightened his hold on your head and thrusts in. He could feel you struggle a little, throat muscles spazaming and after a couple more seconds of having you there, he pulls your head off, and you gasps wetly and loudly. Your face was a mess, but holy shit did it turn on Jongho more than he ever got before…

“You look so ruined, Fuuck,” he curses. You moan and bent your head to take him in your mouth again, making him thrust in and out of you a couple more times before keeping himself buried there for a moment. He felt you gag softly, nails digging into his thighs, but he didn’t pull out, didn’t move, he just kept your head on his cock. The gagging intensified a bit, the spasms of your muscles following. Just when you dug your nails painfully deep, he pulls out. The gasp you let out was louder than the first one.

“Sir, shit,” you whispered. Your voice, horses and your face was painted with tears. Jongho clenched his jaw and buried himself deep in your throat making you moan when he did. Immediately, you start to swallow around him as you snake a hand to grasp his balls. He gasps when he felt the tight grip you had on them, doubling over, but not pulling out this time for a breather. You fondle his balls, holding them tightly, pulling on them and swallowed around his cock. You heard a strong thud before Jongho let out a punch sound and a choked moan, and he came down your throat. When he finally pulled out, he watches a string of saliva follow, connecting your mouth and his dick together.

“Holy shit,” he pants, breathless. You just smile making his heart flutter. “You’re gonna be the death of me.” he laid down on his back, letting the cold rock cool his body temperature.

“You love me.” You giggle using the lagoon water to wash your face and neck, letting the salty water tend to your wound.

“Of course I do.” He replies.

-

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[wardenofthecoast]

Re-imagining Western Tamriel

A while back, I made a map of biome map of Tamriel, based on A) Tamriel being as tall and twice wide as India B) a normal earth size C) wind coming from east heading west. @elbiotipo has also made a post, covering Cyrodiil, Skyrim and parts of the rest of the continent. I'm working on a little something, so I wanted to discuss western Tamriel, High Rock, Hammerfell, and the Summerset Isles. It won't be as in depth (because my environmental knowledge is more broad/shallow) but it will also include some possible cultural influence changes.

Summset Isles.

Let's start this one with a fun fact: High Elves were black. Or at least had a much darker skin coloration than we know them today.

Now that that's out of the way, my biggest inspiration for what the Summerset Isles would look like is: the Philippines. Much like the country, Summerset's mountainous eastern regions and the fact that monsoons would be westerly means a much wetter environment, while the west would remain (relatively) dryer. However, being a much more uniform landmass, Summerset would likely see harsher arid environs in its interior than the Philippines. I'd see monsoon tropical forests, savannas, montagne forest and scrubland to be the dominant environments. Auridon, being the "barrier" island would face much harsher storms but would also be much more lush,

Boat in blue Lagoon in Coron island, Palawan, Philippines. Close to Kayangan Lake. Maks Ershov

Another feature surrounding Summerset would be its corals, which are constantly mentioned in the canon and would make sense given it is an island in the tropics. Barrier and fringing reefs would surround the isles, and many Altmer sailors have learned how to avoid the atolls that surround their home. The coral would also create a unique architectural style similar to Coral Rag in our world, which is limestone made of coral found commonly in the Caribbean, United States and east Africa.

The west wing of the Parliament of Barbados (1872) is constructed of local coral rag.

Alinor would definitely have a pink hue to its buildings. As for the description of glass and insect wings, while not have any premodern historical basis that I know of, it wouldn't be insane to consider the high elves figured out the use of glass bottles/glass bricks in their architecture, and found a way

Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew, built by monks

Of course while major cities and areas of the upper class would have the stone and glass look, the lower caste areas would likely rely on wooden architecture, similar to the found in islands nations, reliable, cheaper and useful when your home is constantly battered by storms.

Being separated from Tamriel, it would be interesting to see what offshoots and unique species exist on the island. Lemurs, mouse deer, koakas, kiwis, I could see the Altmer having an extremely strict invasive species program, preferring their wildlife to be human friendly and without natural predators. Birds already are highly important in Summerset, and the Philippine eagle and other tropical birds are mighty majestic. Plus, I could see feather cloaks being a huge status symbol.

Rice is the food dejour of Summerset, with a mixture of pisciculture and wild caught fish (which one is seen as for the lower castes changes per the century). However fruit forests and farms are widespread, and in the interior the conditions are just right for grape wine production, and indeed most large scale fertilization products from fish sauce to fruit wine occurs far away from the upper castes, due to it being seen as beneath them to oversee food. However the highly stratified society is also highly organized, farmers live and die by their terraces assigned to them across the mountainous eastern landscapes, which are then brought to the western shores of Alinor and other cities. As for nonfish animal farming, I think its relatively rare, mainly chickens and waterfowl, not due to a lack of ability but due to viewing cows/pigs as dirty or foreign animals, on the same level as dogs, cats, and rats. Again this is less out of preserving a "unchanged" state of nature as wood elves would want, and more about preserving a "pure" aka ALTMER state of nature. Though I'm sure a few pigs and cows exist on the isles due to the Empire's presence.

Hammerfell

Now this might seem simple - it's very much inspired and would make sense for essentially a North African-esque environ and cultural influence to be ascribed to the entirety of the province, but I think there are three specific regions and I'll dissect them, the NW coast, the Southern Coast, and Eastern Interior. Overall I'd say the big difference is the coasts being controlled by the more secular/liberal forebears while the interior/eastern regions being more controlled by the conservative crowns faction, similar to how Oman was once split into two, a sultanate and an imamate.

The southern coast is most likely facing a similar monsoon season as the rest of southern tamriel, but these "cold" monsoons are less frequent, leaving longer and more intense periods of drought, until the cooler summer months brings fog and rain. A giant transformation of the coast happens as greenery springs across it. How far this effect occurs would be up for debate and how mountainous the regions area, but one can assume it wouldn't go too far.

Salalah during Khareef Season (June to September)

The south's population would primarily be on the coast, relying on the monsoon, fishing and trade to survive. Expect there to be Redguards but also Imperials, High Elves, and other immigrant populations tied heavily into the shipping industry. Overall, the south of Hammerfell would be similar to the Arabian Peninsula, famed for being a trade hub between cultures and having a proud sailing tradition.

The northwest region of Hammerfell has similar geography to North Africa. Sentinel itself is most likely in an oasis, where water from the rare rains or whatever condenses in the Dragontail Mountains collects in an aquifer underneath. To meet growing needs, engineering feats of irrigation either dig deeper or collect rainfall itself, or even an extremely early version desalinization. On the coast, the presence of the ocean helps moderate extreme temperatures, while the high altitude of the mountains provides an escape from extreme heat. Fishing, pastoralism (primarily horses, goats, donkeys and camels) and falaj irrigation systems in the mountains are the primary source of agriculture, especially for villages to self sustain, while larger cities like Sentinel rely on trade to meet its needs. Near Dragonstar, the vegetation/geography becomes similar with tangier, as the mountains and proximity to Skyrim/High Rock create a secluded mixed culture that I wouldn't be surprised if had more ties with itself than any overarching government. I'd look at Afghanistan's mountains for inspiration.

The eastern regions, especially those without a coast, would be drier but due to high elevations causing cooler temperatures, so you get some greener pastures, with a bit of terracing for agriculture. I've already covered this, but very much afghanistan/iran in geography. Again, not much different than whats already in game, just much more fertile than expected.

High Rock

High Rock is going to be little different, similar to Hammerfell I'll seperate into three regions, the Lilac Bay (and related islands), the northern coast and the eastern interior). To be honest, I'm running out of steam and High Rock might be the least interesting overall.

The Lilac Bay would most likely be similar to the northern Mediterranean states, I'd say likely Greece, Spain and Italy, with hot summers and mild winters, instead of the heavy inspirations it takes from France and the UK, in fact the temperate climate would only be found on the slopes of the mountains facing towards the bay. This is where a key feature of High Rock's lore, its fractious nature, comes into play. A rocky landscape makes it difficult to traverse, and easy for individual cities to rise into prominence without a unifying power, with some exception (with enough will and socioeconomic conditions, there's a way). As High Rock progresses, you'd see more like Italy with kingdoms/republics surrounding cities, like Venice or the Papal States.

Meanwhile, its northern side I think would be similar to the Pacific edge of the Americas, such as Chile and the US. Cool oceans lead to a lack of rain, and the mountains means less storms coming from the south (barring the gaps between mountain ranges, such as north of Wayrest). Here, fishing and ranching are the most common food sources, and I'd suspect there would be a strong independent streak compared to the more metropolitan south. For water, it would be interesting if they relied heavily on groundwater and more specifically - springs. Just to make things more interesting and provide a bit more flavor (beyond the non-existant or just: its spooky theme northern High Rock has now).

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. Did I include this because I think it matches High Rock's climate or because its pretty? Both.

High Rock's eastern region is more forested in the south, closer to the Lilac Bay, but soon becomes much more mountainous, this is where we'd get three unique cultures - the Reachman, the Orcs and a hybrid of Redguard, Breton and Nordic culture. Defined by relative autonomy and constantly shifting borders, one would consider them sort of unique/demi-province.

Now I do think there are ways to spice up Bretons in general, making them more than just bland europe 2, especially when the Imperials have the same thing.

1 - Taking inspiration from Baltic nations. A group of nations famously close to islamic cultures (in our case the Redguards), also with a famous water body, feels like an appropriate source of inspiration, and would allow a European flair that isn't sanded down or done a thousand times.

2 - Mexico - I alluded to this before, but I feel like its not a far reach (ha) to take inspiration from Mexico/SW UZ, in geography but also in cultures both indigenous and colonial, which makes some sense since a key part of High Rock is their mixed ancestry and being subject to colonial rule. Its just a personal tasts tho in the end.

3 - Make them dress slutty again. Healer of akatosh needs his tiddies out for the magic to work.

[candywife333]

Sexy Snakey

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME

OFFICIALLY THE START OF 25 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

ONESHOT

Pairing: enormous serpent hybrid j-hope (mythical creature with *cough cough* 2 Ds) x chubby botanist reader

trigger: dub-con , smut

This lagoon felt super eerie as I ventured further into a small clearing filled with trees. Fireflies zipped past me as I almost stumbled on a rock. What was this place? As such, this forest seemed desolate in the evening when I came to study certain flowers.

Though I was used to looking for different species of flowers in the evening times, something about the atmosphere today in this tiny lagoon unsettled me. I felt the cold breezing rushing around me, flicking my hair back and forth, occluding my vision partially.

The torquoise waters of the lagoon entranced me. As I got closer to peek at what could possibly inhabit the clear waters, I saw a tail? The tail of something lay in the waters. I panicked slightly, breathing in shallow pants as I approached the surface of the water.

A dark green tail of some creature ,bearing the width of my torso was waving around in the waters below. Now I was really getting scared. I should probably run away back to my cottage before something bad happened. I knew the forest wasn't the safest place according to villagers around the area, but I had never had issues before this.

As I turned back around to walk back to the cottage, barely holding myself from sprinting back in haste, I heard a voice. "Hi, darling", a dark voice purred. Pivoting back to look towards the lagoon, I saw something I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams.

It was a man. At least that's what it looked like. A man with a wide grin showcasing two rows of super long teeth (literally looking like hypodermic needles) built to tear into the flesh of unsuspecting prey. His arms and face and torso were all tan, a normal skin tone for humans. Yet, the fearsome part of his appearance was the blue green iridescent scales tapering waist down below him, extending into a long thick serpentine body that I could even see trailing down below the transparent waters. My eyes opened wide, trying to process this phantasmagorical view. I had to leave. And be fucking quick about it.

I started slowly walking away further and further from him. This creature was by no means normal and I did not want to die before I could celebrate Christmas this year. Yep, forget about me coming to the forest to look for my plants anymore this coming new year. Looks like it was a death sentence entering these premises.

The snake man continued grinning reassuringly, his teeth glinting in the weak evening rays of light. "Don't be scared sweetheart. I won't bite". He smirked, "At least, not till you beg me for it". He crooned in a sinister manner, "Why don't you come back and spend some time with me? Let's get to know each other better".

I felt like hyperventilating. A snake talking to me? Weirdest shit considering I don't even indulge in psychedelics. This must be some weird ass dream. But my snark kicked in as I mocked him, "Oh, come closer to you so you can snap my body in half, or choke me to death with that massive appendage and then consume me? That's what you consider getting to know each other"?

I was just a few seconds away from belting the vicinity. His responses stopped me in my tracks. "I wouldn't do that if I were you sweetheart. Riling me up like that when I can already smell your arousal tainting the air".

What?!!! I checked down at my panties in confusion, and surely enough I did feel drenched. As I stood there paralyzed in bewilderment, a green tail reached over and yanked me into the water.

I yelled, startled and terrified that this thing would now eat me alive. I wouldn't see another see another Christmas, or my mom, or dad, or Boo my calico cat. I was doomed. The creature warbled out in a sweet tone, "Stop flailing so much sweetheart. I will give you what you want no matter what".

He ripped off my clothes with his agile hands as I was bound , rendered immobile by his serpentine tail. His slippery tail curled around my bare skin, coating me with a viscous film. Ewww. What the hell? But before I could gag in disgust, it started feeling pleasant. The surprisingly warm temperature of the lagoon water lapping around me, as his tail curled around me, imprisoning me in it's embrace, yet at the same time carressing my stomach and inner thighs pleasantly. The tip of his tail curled around my right nipple, and as I yelped, the tail tightened around my nipple gently squeezing it.

It felt so good for some reason. He continued in this manner for another minute. Before I knew it, I could feel the friction of his scaly tail tip massaging my labia. It felt so good as he rubbed his tail up onto them, teasing the tip between my lower lips. I could feel myself getting wetter, not able to hold back my moans as he proceeded to rub his tail onto my clit.

I tried to be quiet, not wanting to give him an inkling of my arousal but his grass green eyes flashed in anger as he trilled out, "You better let me hear what is mine. Don't hold back darling, if you know what's good for you".

His hypnotic eyes narrowed into tiny slits, his forked tongue flicking out to lick his lips as I mewled out curses , not able to hold back anymore. I must've been quite a sight, legs open wide with my wet slit out to the crisp air, with a thick tail rubbing up frantically over my slit. He gripped the sides of my plush waist in his warm big hands, squeezing my flesh as he shoved his forked tongue into my mouth.

I lost my senses as he advanced the tip of his tail into my dripping pussy. Wrapping my thick thighs around his trim waist, I kissed him back. The scaly tail caught on the walls of my heat, pleasantly scraping against them.

Then suddenly, he pushed my back down onto a small bank of grass in the middle of the lagoon, opening up my thick thighs with his insistent hands, lavishing my clit with attention from his forked tongue. I felt a shiver go up my spine, heat pooling in my lower stomach as he continued to lick and suck. I could feel him nibble around my lower lips with his teeth very lightly. Moaning out of confusion and lust, I arched my back up to meet the attention of his mouth. Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed at my own enthusiasm, I attempted to resist , trying to close my legs, but he wouldn't let me.

He clicked his tongue, droning in a syrupy tone, "We can't have that much shyness now sweetheart". He trailed his long finger through my wet folds, "You are such a treat darling. So wet and warm, ready for the taking. I want to feast upon you, till you lose your senses". His warm breath fanned across my pussy as he encompassed his lips around my bundle of nerves, suctioning it as though he wanted to devour all of it in his mouth.

My slick trailed down his chin as he continued to lick languidly around my fluttering hole , spearing the opening with his long index finger.

I barely blinked when he rapidly replaced his finger with his long ribbed member, sinking it into my tight warm heat. The other member pleasantly rubbed itself across my clit, triggering an explosive orgasm, making my vision go white and my mind blank.

Slowly entering his other member into my heat alongside the other one, I winced, loudly crying out in pain. His hands squeezed my breasts as he pinched my nipples between his index finger and thumb. The pain slowly turned to pleasure as both his members strained against my walls , prodding at my cervix. The delicious stretch made me wrap my arms around his neck, filling his face with my tits that he sucked into his mouth. "Bear it sweetheart. Have to breed you and make you full with my babies".

I processed what he said, trying to shift away from his length that was pounding into my heat, horrified at what he was saying. I was not ready for a bunch of snake babies!!!! He gripped the nape of my neck firmly as he shoved his forked tongue into my mouth further, nipping at my lips and then soothing it with his saliva. Continuously stroking the pudge underneath my belly button, his eyes deviously glinted as he murmured, "Escape is futile". He kissed my brow as he plundered my pussy, kneading the sides of my stomach, confidently smirking, "Good try though sweetheart".

[randomwriteronline]

I care if an au or not, Sidorak/Roodaka where the duo are like an evil couple but Roodaka actually likes that dumbass.

The plan was very, very simple.

At the right time: get rid of the fool.

That was it.

Couldn't have been any easier. Truly, it was kind of embarrassing - for him of course, because he was so insignificant in the grand scheme of things that the end of his life was little more than a footnote in her plans, but also for her, because for a Vortixx of her cunning this lack of strategy was frankly laughable.

But she didn't want to expend her energies on coming up with something more complex when she was already so many steps ahead of him; and so she had endured the stupid arrogance with which he tried (failing) to hide his fearful respect of her and his yakking about having played such an important part in her schemes, and she had pretended to enjoy his talks of joining his side much closer as queen of the Visorak like she hadn't been unofficially covering that role ever since the Makuta had first assigned the horde to the two of them, and had faked the slightest interest and deference just so that silly little infatuation he couldn't disguise from her keen eyes would keep on blinding him to her machinations even just a little more.

At the very least, despite being a disastrous egocentric attention hog, he did have enough sense in him to recognize her as the one superior in brawn and brain between the two of them.

And yes, it was... Pleasant, to know he was attracted to her.

It made her sound so disgustingly shallow - like the specter of a lagoon half drained by toxic waste. But it wasn't as though Vortixx were very keen on paying attention to something as trivial as their bodies, with how similar they all looked! It was just not a detail one ever expected to draw any attention!

But that idiot had met plenty of her kind already and would very much keep seeing plenty more, and still continued to stammer specifically when she traced the edge of her chin with a finger when deep in thought, staring intently while holding his breath like he was being subjected to some new kind of torture. And it would have been a lie to say that it didn't make her feel... A little pleased. Mayeb even a little proud.

A little flustered.

Bah. No way. How perfectly foolish.

If she went down this line of thinking she'd risk turning too soft to get him out of the picture.

Which was never going to happen, of course.

Because she was the Visorak queen.

And Sidorak's.

Technically.

Not yet.

Formalities and whatnot.

She always kept that nonsensical notion at a distance, but there was no harm in indulging in the absurd picture it painted - giving her access to whatever chambers the Steltian had previously had all to himself without arousing any suspicion, permitting so many new and exciting ways to get him out of her path to total control... She had no need to disguise it either, since she would have inherited the power from him anyways, but what lousy excuse for an assassination doesn't have a subterfuge or two?

And while she indulged in these silly thoughts, Sidorak presented her plans as proudly as if he'd made them himself (which he always did), but slowly forgot to put his name in front of hers to get as much of the merit as possible.

Oh, he still included himself in her schemings of course. He had to look good, as a king and all.

He was still arrogant, and egocentric, and pompous, and a perfect imbecile; but Roodaka found him a little less eager to throw her under the Ussal crab, and ever more infatuated.

His offers for her to occupy a throne by his own were getting less formal, almost hopeful. He'd started to heat up when she grasped his snout in her hands (why'd she start to do that, by the way? Because seeing his eyes widen and a dopey grin spread lopsidedly on his face was somewhat endearing?) and she'd started to enjoy his renewed attentions and more vocal appreciation of her cunning brilliance.

By now she had him twisted around her claw. She was still planning to get rid of him, of course, but new possibilities had opened up: smitten as he was she could have easily puppeted him around to do her bidding without her needing to lift a finger, and she could have used him as bait or perhaps a distraction in case some hotheaded idiot thought of taking the horde from them... She could have laid back in total safety, pulling the strings from behind him without ever having to worry for her safety! He was so confused by his attraction that he had even agreed to let her do most of planning in his stead, since she was such a tactical genius, and he would have posed in the front to carry out her instructions just like a devoted king should...

Hm.

Hm!

Well. In the end, he might have been more useful alive than dead.

Roodaka came to that satisfactory conclusion with a pleased hum and a big smile, snuggling her snout further into Sidorak's neck. The Steltian hummed back fondly in his sleep as his arms gently tightened around her, which caused a flustered buzz to flutter within her heartlight.

She stared into the dark for a few more minutes.

Ah, cripes.

Turns out infatuation is a two-way street.

[bigdumbbambieyes]

alluring 🥀✨

Steve had been warned not to swim at night.

But, it can’t be helped. The heat of the day seeps into the evening and leaves Steve sticky with sweat in his bed, tossing and turning and hoping that sleep would come, but it couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

So, he slips out of his window and goes to the shore.

It’s the middle of the night but the moon is bright and full and round above him, reflecting off of the waves as he walks down the shore alone. It’s peaceful, but he’s still hot, so he heads to the small lagoon he goes to whenever he needs to cool off during the day.

Surely, it should be the same at night.

When he arrives, it’s quiet, and the water glows green and blue from algae. It’s gorgeous, he has to admit, and he quickly undresses as he eyes the still water.

He enters slowly, sighing in relief as the cool water soothes his hot skin, promising comfort and relief the deeper he goes, until the water laps at his chest.

Taking a deep breath and holding it, Steve dunks himself underwater.

When he surfaces, he isn’t alone.

He yelps, like a startled animal, and stares wide-eyed at the other in front of him.

A man, like him, with long blond hair that’s wet from the water. It spills down his shoulders and spreads in the water like golden ink, his face young and handsome, although the longer Steve looks, the more he realizes that the other isn’t human.

Those eyes tell him otherwise. Shimmering like the glowing algae, framed by long lashes, Steve sees the bottom of the ocean in that pupil-less stare.

“Um,” he mutters, struck with fear because he knows about mermaids, knows that they should be avoided, but a sense of calm washes over him the longer he looks. He starts to think that being dragged to the bottom of the ocean wouldn’t be so bad if this creature were the one to do it.

Full lips spread into a small, curious smile and the Mer tilts his head, eyeing Steve with interest, but he says nothing. He doesn’t move, either.

But, he does start to hum, low and soft. It’s alluring and Steve finds himself wading closer, lips parting in awe as his eyes flit across the man’s face. The closer he gets, the clearer he sees the pearlescent scales on the Mer’s skin, the necklaces made of pearls and shells and sea glass, a fishhook pierced through the lobe of a pointed ear.

And the creature speaks like a song, soft and soothing to Steve’s ear as he threatens, “Come any closer and I’ll drag you to the depths.”

Steve stops, just inches away, and the Mer smirks. He lifts a webbed hand from the water and trails his fingertips across Steve’s cheek, touching gently, like this is his first time seeing another creature, too.

Steve lifts his own hand to touch the Mer but the creature is quick to swim away with a slap of his tail at the surface, splashing Steve with saltwater, even laughing in glee as it stings his eyes.

“Jerk,” Steve huffs, wiping his eyes with both hands, and when he lowers them the creature is gone.

Fear strikes him for a moment, thinking that the Mer has gone underwater to take him, but minutes pass and nothing happens. The lagoon is still and peaceful, the sound of waves distant and soothing.

Steve can’t deny the disappointment he feels as he finally leaves the water. Not that he was wishing for a watery death, but this is the closest he’s ever been to something so magical and he wishes it hadn’t ended so soon. Does the creature have a name? Where did he come from? Is this lagoon his home? Does he go here every night?

After redressing and exhausting his mind with unanswered questions, Steve glances at the water again and spots the creature there, wading in the shallow depths with an interested expression on his face. He gives Steve a smile before slipping underwater again, out of sight, leaving Steve with an ache to know.

I’ll come back tomorrow, he decides, searching the water before looking up at the glowing moon, I promise.

[etoilesombre]

im intrigued by "swimming" !!

For the WIP ask game (swimming also requested by @b1uetrees) ty for the asks y'all. this has actually been in my drafts forevvvvvvver so I'm copying this from the LAST time it got requested in an ask game. Honestly I should just post what I have, because mostly all that is left to write is the sex and believe it or not I'm kinda burned out on that. Anyway, this is most of a draft.

This was something i started for an event a couple years ago but ended up doing a different prompt, and never picked this back up. but the prompt was basically 'swimming lessons for Silver to learn to swim again after he loses his leg, with either Flint, Madi or both.' i went ot3

[context: basically they are all drinking and hanging out in maroon village one night during s3-4 break, and silver makes a self-deprecating comment about not being able to swim and flint is like 'that's silly of course you can, we'll try it sometime' and tipsy imperious queen madi goes 'why not now?' and takes them night swimming] [madi and flint are already doing better with each other, don't ask questions this is happy verse]

The trail is short, only a few hundred yards to a place at the top of the lagoon on which the settlement sits, where it is fed by a waterfall so that fresh waters meet the incoming tide. They are well out of sight of the camp, though the glow of the great bonfire is visible over the trees, and the distant, exuberant  sounds of Maroon drums and pirate fiddles are still audible. It feels like the entire settlement is Madi’s home, and she has taken them from a grand party into a quiet, private chamber. 

Cliffs rise up to form the back of their little cove, the sound of the water spilling over the precipice musical as it tumbles over rocks and down into the calm lagoon, like the sound of the warm summer rains that fall here. But the mossy bank onto which they emerge slopes gently down toward the water. Clusters of night blooming flowers perfume the air. 

“This is a good place,” Madi says, stopping. “Shallow here, and by the rocks, but it’s deep enough to swim properly nearer the cliffs.” 

Flint has come this far, but now he feels flustered, awkward as a school boy. He’s not going to go *swimming* with Silver and the Princess, it's a stupid idea. Why did he come? 

Although the water does look appealing. In truth he loves to swim: the solitary rhythm of it, the power of the sea, exhausting himself until returning to the ship is a challenge that demands everything of him and leaves no room for thought. 

But this is different. 

Silver looks between them expectantly. Flint thinks he doesn’t feel quite comfortable with this, either, but clearly he would follow Madi to the ends of the earth, so he awaits her signal. 

She kisses Silver on the cheek, takes a drink, and hands him the wineskin. Then she undoes her belt and pulls her shirt out of the loose, flowing trousers she wears, and Flint doesn’t know what he thought was going to happen---he’d been trying desperately not to think of this part---but he didn’t truly expect that she would calmly undress in front of them both. 

“Now, wait a minute…” 

“Don’t worry, Captain, your precious British modesty is not in danger.” She’s teasing, but he wonders if she knows him enough yet to realize the depth of the challenge there, and suspects she might. “When it is your turn to undress, I shall avert my eyes until you are in the water.” 

Silver, goddamn him, is *giggling.* Certainly he doesn’t seem protective of Madi, which stings a bit. Flint isn’t sure he wants to be quite *that* unthreatening, though he does value the implicit trust. 

“This… is not what I was expecting from the evening,” Silver breathes, appreciative, as Madi’s garments fall away one by one, then seems to remember that he probably shouldn’t be watching so blatantly. He helps himself to a healthy swallow of the wine and hands it to Flint, who takes an even longer pull because fuck, he needs it. 

“Nor I. She’s not an easy woman to refuse, is she?” 

“I can hear you, you know,” Madi says cheerfully, stepping out of the rest of her clothing. She is turned mostly toward the water, revealing the graceful curve of her back and hip, and she casts a look back over her shoulder directly at Flint. “What I am about to do, do not attempt it. I know where it is safe. I will meet you.” 

Flint watches in disbelief as she saunters off to the cliff face and begins to climb lithely up. He has an urge to shout at her to stop; doesn’t she know that drinking and climbing waterfalls is a good way to get killed? He’s lost men to this kind of stupidity and she doesn’t need to show off. 

Hell, when had he become a clucking mother hen? He forces a deep breath and watches the bunch and pull of her muscles, much stronger than he’d realized, appreciates the economy with which she moves.  

“Goddamn,” breathes Silver next to him, face full of awe, and of course it isn’t Flint she’s trying to impress. She stands poised at the top of the cliff for a long moment, then, without warning, she dives. They both gasp. It’s not really that high, perhaps twenty feet, but for an instant she is perfectly suspended in the air and she looks like a bird in flight, arms outstretched, silhouetted against the sky. Then she turns her body gracefully in the air, brings her hands together above her and slips head first into the water with barely a splash. 

There is a moment of absolute stillness. Then she breaks the surface, laughing. “Come on then!” she calls. Silver moves first, removing clothing without further hesitation, and Flint sees no choice but to do the same. They don’t look at each other. At least, he very studiously does not look at Silver, and it's only from a corner of his eye that he sees Silver strip completely, as Madi did. He’d thought they could at least keep the dignity of their undergarments, but Silver is giddy and unthinking, naturally eager to be naked with his lover, and Flint refuses to be the prude in this situation, so he lays his clothes aside. 

In fact, he is so determined not to look at Silver, not even to *think* of looking at the newly bared expanses of his skin, that it takes him some time to notice that Silver has sunk to the soft bank, all happiness drained from his face. He has removed the peg from his left leg and is staring into the middle distance, coming to terms with his own set of inconvenient realities. 

It makes Flint’s heart ache, and without further thought he goes to where Silver sits and offers him a hand, because Silver will sit there all night rather than ask. Flint’s limbs are still loose and heavy with the wine, his thoughts syrupy slow, or else he probably would have hesitated a great deal more before putting his exposed prick at the same level as Silver’s face. As it is, he doesn’t see the tableau they create until it's too late, and then he can’t *stop* seeing it. He is not, thank God, fully hard, but he’s not exactly soft either; this evening has been full of suggestiveness to which he is not immune, and Silver is sitting so close before him, it would be so easy for Flint to bury a hand in his curls and guide his mouth forward… *fuck*. 

“Come on, up,” he says gruffly, like he would if they were training and he’s once again knocked Silver on his ass. That snaps Silver out of his reverie; he clasps Flint’s forearm and allows himself to be pulled to his feet, thankfully without looking at him too closely first. He wavers a bit, then throws an arm over Flint’s shoulders and allows himself to be helped out into the placid water. 

It truly is a perfect spot, the water barely cool against Flint’s skin, the gradually sloping bottom made of soft white sand, and he tries to focus on the way it yields beneath their steps, on the shine of the moon, the distant rolling of waves from the ocean, on anything other than the weight of Silver’s arm around him, the nearness of him. The way they’re carefully not looking at each other. They’ve lived together for months now, seen each other undressed from time to time, and it hasn’t been a problem. Perhaps Flint has glanced, but he has discipline. And it has been incidental, momentary, nothing like the intimacy of supporting Silver’s weight as they make their way deeper, feeling the tickle of long black hair on his own shoulder, smelling Silver’s scent, the salt of sweat and something sharp and wild beneath it, which he would be able to tell apart from a hundred other men. His pulse quickens. 

This is hell. 

He is almost able to resist, but when they are thigh deep in the water he forgets himself and steals a glance. Silver’s cock hangs heavy between his legs, also half full. Flint has known Silver is a well-made man, but to see something of the extent of it, of what it would be like to— He swallows hard and quickly looks away. Silver’s attention is, unsurprisingly, focused elsewhere. Flint follows his gaze.

Madi, true to her word, is ignoring them entirely, cavorting under the waterfall like a proper nymph. She stands on a little rock ledge behind the fall, letting it obscure her like a veil, then dives through it into the deep pool before climbing back up. Sometimes she swims to the bottom, as if fetching treasures. 

It’s jarring to see her like this. It's true that the Maroons don’t seem to particularly value concealment of the body; it’s perfectly common to see women with their breasts exposed, and in some of the ritual dances, men, heavily painted, appear with their genitals uncovered. Which Flint has paid no mind. It only means that this isn’t necessarily significant; people have their different customs and there’s nothing untoward here, it is only being so shaped by the conditions of his own repressive nation which makes it seem so to him. 

Except Madi is not unfamiliar with their customs. She knows exactly the significance of what she is doing. Had they been alone, it would have been either a seduction or a strange play for power. But her lover is here, and Flint can’t figure out what she’s trying to accomplish. 

He’s not ready to let himself consider the obvious. He wants it to be true too badly, and doesn’t trust his muddled mind to read the situation correctly. 

Maybe she’s merely young and drunk, and wanted to go swimming. 

The water is to their waists now, a bit above. He extricates himself from under Silver’s arm, though he still holds on to it, steadying him. Silver looks at him for the first time in what feels like forever, and his wide eyes are so full of tender, fledgling hope. There is no color in the darkness, but he knows the exact shade of blue they���d be, paints it over them in his mind. 

“Will it really work?” Silver asks, and he’s never sounded so vulnerable. 

“Course it will. It's mostly saltwater, you couldn’t sink if you tried.” 

Unbidden, Flint remembers sinking. He’s never told Silver, but he was still conscious when he fell. Conscious enough to know that, shot and beaten as he was, to stand a chance of reaching the surface he would need to struggle out of his heavy boots and coat at least, and then remembers seeing an empty bay where the *Urca* should have been, and realizing he had killed Gates for nothing. Conscious enough to let himself sink instead of fighting. He remembers feeling hands on him, pulling him up before everything went dark. 

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. Trust me.” He squeezes Silver’s arm, then lets go. 

Silver wavers, manages an awkward hop or two, and then plunges forward. Instinctively he steadies himself with his arms so that although it’s shallow he is half treading water; he founders only for a moment, and then he discovers the trick of propelling himself forward, slicing through the water with his arms and pushing his foot off of the bottom. 

In moments he has made his way to deeper water, and when he regains his footing it rises partway up his smooth chest, lapping at him just under where dark nipples are pebbled. He can stand easily now, the water balancing and supporting him. He tests his newfound abilities, moving a few easy, floating steps, and a broad smile spreads across his face. It's like watching the breaking of dawn, or the sun emerging after a long and terrible storm. 

“Captain! I--- I can…” Silver dives under the water and surfaces laughing and full of wonder, rediscovering his former grace.  He’s only a few paces from Flint, close enough to see that he’s almost vibrating with excitement. “It’s so *easy.*”

There’s a breathless moment between them, a moment when recklessly he imagines Silver will embrace him, but neither of them moves.

“I know,” Flint says softly. “I should have thought of it.” He’s glad for the darkness, hopes it will conceal the tears pricking at the back of his eyes. He aches with all of the things he should have done for Silver, should have considered, should have given him in return for his terrible sacrifice. His eyes cut to Madi, who in the short weeks of their acquaintance has shown Silver more of love and joy than Flint has known in years. She’s lounging on a rock shelf a few feet above the deep pool, watching with an almost proprietary air of approval. 

Silver follows his gaze and brightens even further. 

Madi dives back in and swims to them without breaking the surface, popping up just in front of Silver. 

“Madi!” he cries and picks her up, delighted, and tries to spin with her, but her added weight changes his balance in the water and they topple sideways, splashing under the surface, only to emerge laughing and sputtering. Madi shrieks in feigned reproach and Silver catches her in a firm embrace. It's like watching the play of puppies. 

Until it isn’t. Until she takes hold of Silver’s face and stretches up to kiss him, and his hands slide down her back, out of sight under the water. They shimmer in the moonlight, pale against dark, her delicate form pulled flush to his broad, muscled one, a perfect image of lovers from the dawn of time 

The kiss deepens, and Flint turns away. He shouldn’t be here, is intruding and doesn’t want to be able to picture what he can’t have. Silver seems to realize it at the same time, breaking away from Madi and speaking to her softly, casting a sidelong look in Flint’s direction. Flint tries to act as though he finds the view of the jungle enthralling.

“I don’t think your Captain objects,” Madi says, her voice pitched to carry. Her eyes find Flint’s and hold them, as if they share a secret. Her words are heavy with implication. “You don’t object, do you Captain?” 

Fuck. She knows. 

The weight of the realization descends on him, the danger, and he can’t force enough air into his lungs; he’s been trapped into this and will be exposed for exactly what he is because *she knows.* “I--- I don’t know what---” He stammers foolishly. 

Silver is just looking back and forth between the two of them, bemused, his hand still resting on the curve of Madi’s spine. 

“Answer me,” she says in the affected, imperious tone she has been using to play with him all evening. His frantic mind catches on that, puts information in order. She knows, and what has she done? Skillfully engineered this absurd situation. He meets her eyes again. They’re warm and reassuring, despite her tone, waiting for him to see it. 

This isn’t a threat. It's a fucking invitation. 

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Meddling Mar Monday

(From a bit later in the story)

The waters surrounding the coastal desert were cool and green, and so undisturbed within the cove that beyond the breakers everything took on a breathtaking clarity. Colorful fish darted back and forth after food, while poisonous eels floated serenely in place beneath the dock, enjoying the shade. Deeper down, the light that filtered through the waves colored the world a watery blue, disguising brighter colors.

Jak kicked his feet and spiraled down to the edge of a slightly sickly coral reef. It seemed to span the entire mouth of the cove, turning it into more of a lagoon. Just beyond, the depth dropped sharply. Jak stared down into an abrupt expanse of dark water and couldn't shake the feeling that something was staring back. He would have expected that to frighten him, or at least unsettle him. But somehow, Jak wasn't afraid. He swam backwards a foot or so, and eagerly scanned the depths for a glimpse of larger animals. He knew he'd seen something from Damas’s tower. Was it watching him now? Was it bigger than even the various species of Lurker Sharks?

Jak had glimpsed the Colossal Shark Brutter kept at the fish cannery once. He'd been overwhelmed by the sheer size of the fish. The idea that creatures so powerful and vast still swam in their waters in spite of everything was really sort of humbling. Brutter kept it in captivity simply because he could think of no way to safely release it without mass casualties. Jak wasn't even sure how he'd caught the thing in the first place.

An orange jellyfish drifted along behind Jak, and its tentacles briefly grazed his shoulder. A jolt of pain, not unlike electricity, shot down his arm. Annoyed, Jak shook the limb out, sending the oblivious jelly tumbling away. Well, they couldn't all be harmless, he supposed. Shrugging off the pain as he always did, Jak made a leisurely climb to the surface to suck in another lungful of air, then dove below again to immerse himself in the jewel colored world beneath the water. A glint of metal caught his eye, yards away, and he grinned. There we go.

When he was a kid in Sandover, there were always orbs washing up on the shore from sunken Precursor cities and research stations. Surely, the Wastelanders couldn't have found all of them.

While nowhere near the tens of orbs he and Daxter used to scoop out of the shallows, the orb Jak found encrusted with barnacles was worth perhaps thrice as much as it had been when he was Mar’s age. Satisfaction filled his chest as he examined the sand-scoured weight. This would at least give them a start on buying enough food and water to last the week. Jak carefully slid the orb into the pouch he'd made out of his scarf, taking care not to damage the two small conch shells and three cone shells he'd already picked up. An orb wouldn't do him much good if it smashed his rent payment, now would it.

Though he was reluctant to leave the lagoon, Jak knew his supply of air was finite. In his dark form, he could've stayed under for far longer. But he was not ready to let these people know about that part of his life. Even if the ocean did seem like a safe place to release dark eco buildup.

When Jak waded out of the surf, his fingers were wrinkled and his hair was a mess, but he couldn't have cared less. It was as if months of tension had uncoiled and drifted away in the lagoon, leaving him lighter for it. Humming cheerfully, Jak wrung seawater out of his tunic and bent down to pick up his boots. A glance upward made him pause.

Mar was still with the six kids who had been playing with catapults on the shore, but now they were all clustered together, staring at him.

"What?" Jak asked self-consciously. His mood was beginning to deflate.

The oldest child there, roughly twelve or thirteen, pointed at the water.

"You went to the edge of the reef!"

Confused, Jak looked to the one-armed teacher for explanation. She looked as startled as her charges, but also a little impressed.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," she said after a second, "But then, Seek here says you're new to Spargus, so I guess no one told you about the reef."

Jak laced up his boots and stood, brushing off sand. "Oh. Well, I didn't touch it, if that's what you're worried about. It doesn't look that healthy."

The teacher -- Korah, Daxter would later tell him -- grimaced.

"Yeah, that's our fault. Last generation didn't understand the damage yellow eco residue can do to coral. Took a couple years to pinpoint the shells ejected from the turret as the problem."

She shrugged.

"It's healing at its own pace. But that's not what the kids are concerned about. They thought you were going to go over the reef."

Jak actually laughed, surprising himself.

"Into dark water before I've had a chance to get a headlamp? Right. I'd want to be able to see what's down there."

A boy about Mar's age grimaced comically. "That's not allowed! You'll get eaten!"

"No I won't."

"Yeah you will!"

Jak boldly tousled the kid’s already messy black hair.

"I'm not afraid of sharks."

Korah cleared her throat.

"It's not sharks you have to watch for."

She pointed out towards the small island Jak had spotted past the reef. "That's Mother and Child Island. We don't swim there, and we don't take motorized boats there. The sounds attract the Scylla."

Daxter left off playing some kind of marble game with a little girl and cringed. "Uh...you mean the beastie on the edge of old maps? The "here there be monsters" Scylla?"

"I thought those were made up!" Jak looked just a little too eager.

"Nope." Korah shook her shaved head. "She's real, alright. Don't know how many of her kind there are out there, but she likes this coast for the smaller squid that hang around, and the occasional swimmer."

Daxter's fur puffed out. "Jak, if you try to take me past that reef, I'm gonna unionize."

Jak shaded his eyes and stared at the water as if he could see the colossal squid.

"So has anybody fought her or chased her off before?"

Korah's tone turned sharp. "Don't even think about it, newbie. Not only is that a fool's errand, it would unbalance the ecosystem."

Another one of the two older kids nodded. "The Scylla eats the squid and smaller sharks so they don't come bother us. If there's no Scylla, something bigger will move in."

Intrigued, Mar asked, "Bigger like what?"

The girl bent slightly to look him in the eye. "Ever seen the Colossal Blue shark?"

"No," answered Mar, and at the same time Jak and Daxter answered, "Yes!" With wildly different levels of enthusiasm.

"Yeah." The girl tossed auburn hair over her shoulder and straightened. "The Scylla keeps the Colossal Blues out of the area. Teacher says we give her her space, and she gives us ours as long as we don't swim past the reef."

Reluctantly, Jak agreed that the rule made sense in context. But now he really wanted to see the giant scylla.

[neonponders]

A Merman themed part 38 for @wrecked-fuse ‘s pocketverse 🧜🏻‍♂️ ~ marine biologist!Steve x shark!Billy with his pilot fish guppies 🍣

Part 37 (merman!billy pt.1)

Part 36 (main plot)

Part 31 & 32 (werewolf!Billy chapters haha)

( pt. 7′s art 🎩 ) ( pt. 9′s art 👀 ) ( pt. 14′s art 💨 ) ( pt. 19′s art 🦇 ) ( pt. 20′s art 🍳) ( pt. 27’s art 🦦 )

~ on ao3 ~

• • •

“Deep breath...good! Other side.”

The littles rolled over in the lagoon between Steve’s hands. He had to use magnified bifocals that dentists used in order to see their gills expand between their tiny ribs, but they looked clean and healthy. “You guys look beautiful.”

“Heh, hearw that, Biwwy?” the blond fish said proudly, “Bewtifuwl.”

“You think so, Stevie?” his own asked, swimming over his palms excitedly.

“I say it every time,” he confirmed. “Now let me see those teeth.”

There really wasn’t anything he could do if there were something wrong with their teeth. They were simply too small for dental care, so Steve hoped they had the perks of sharks and that their teeth could grow back if they fell out. As things were, he held a micro cotton swab for them to at least brush some of the fish smell out of their mouths.

Speaking of sharks, he thought to himself and turned -

Billy lounged eerily close to him. Within kissing distance. My turn? he asked inside Steve’s head, and caught his body when it sagged under the weight of his siren’s song.

“Biwwy,” the littler Billy groaned.

“Stevie can’t take carwe of us if he’s sweepy,” little Steve seconded.

“Use yourw out-here voice.”

Big Steve mumbled, “Do you have one of those?”

Billy hummed something like a laugh in his throat...not in Steve’s head. His brown eyes widened as Billy’s large, clawed hand adjusted the baseball cap on his head. Steve didn’t like the thought of sunscreen steadily seeping off his body into the water when he was with these guys, so he’d donned the hat to protect his face. Every time he wore it, the guppies laughed and laughed, calling him a funny looking bird.

“Fix his beak, Biwwy, and wet him see you,” little Steve coached.

“My turn?” Billy repeated, this time out loud. It was the same voice that he swamped Steve’s brain with, but something about hearing it on the air tickled Steve’s ears.

“Yeah. Uh. Yeah,” he stammered, fixing his crooked glasses. Billy poised an arm in the shallow sand, holding himself on his side as he inhaled and spread his ribs and gills wide. When Steve declared, “This side’s good,” he rolled over while the littles swam around his head, sometimes holding onto a lock of hair for anchorage.

The strip of green fluttering out of Billy’s gills was not hard to find. Steve ducked an arm under Billy’s waist, as if he needed the help staying up. “You’ve got some seaweed on this side. It should come right out.”

With impressive speed, the littles swam over to see. Like a tug-o-war rope, they grasped the end and Steve kept an eye on Billy’s gills -

“Wait. You’ve got a couple of seed pods stuck in there. Just breathe normally for a sec.”

Steve’s floating tool bag drifted a little in the mellow surf, but its dumbbell anchor kept it close. Steve found his long tweezers and warned, “This will probably itch. Big breath this time.”

He followed the green line all the way to the small golden pods, doing his best to play Operation and not touch the metal tweezers to Billy’s gills. The effort totally failed when his ribs closed around the tweezers because the pods brushed against the soft, frilly gills. At least Billy didn’t smack him with his tail this time.

“I got it. Pull,” Steve narrated, and could hear the muffled war cry of the littles underneath the water as they got the debris out of their shark. “Good job. Everything looks great.”

Billy rolled onto his stomach...and swam a lazy circle around Steve and his pilot fish. Steve’s brows furrowed since this usually meant a shark was hunting. Then in a fast, graceful turn, he caught Steve in his arms and tackled him under the water. Even down below, he could make out the littles’ laughter clear as a bell.

“Heh heh, check up’s all done!”

“Swim with us!”

“Check up for Stevie!”

Steve kept calm so he could hold his breath a little longer. His pink shirt ballooned around him and he smiled at the tickle of the littles swimming around his ribs. He did come up to put his glasses and soaked hat in the tool bag, staying topside long enough to whip his hair off his face and earn the littles singing in the spray, “Wain! Rain wain!”

Steve took his tool bag back to the beach. He gulped down some water pressed on his skin to test how far he was burning, and then grabbed his goggles, flippers, and snorkel. He checked the time on his diver’s watch and finished the impatient circle Billy swam.

“You wook so siwwy,” small Billy said, knocking on the goggles lens.

Steve emerged just enough for the top of his face to be above water and shoved the goggles over his hair. “I can see you better with these on.”

“You can’t see us?” small Steve wondered.

“Up here, I can. If the water’s directly on my eyes, you’re blurry. I don’t know where to kiss otherwise.”

Small Steve screamed with glee as Steve trapped him in another lagoon of his hands and kissed his head. It was short lived, though, as Steve jerked back and rubbed one of his ears. “Wow. You have pipes of your own.”

“Hey!” small Billy demanded as he jumped in a clean arc over Steve’s fingertips to join the lagoon. “What’s goin’ on in herwe?”

“Kissy fish!” little Steve sang.

Small Billy blushed pink all the way to his tail. “What! I didn’t know we were pwaying!”

“Head start,” Steve caught off guard, smooching his blond head.

Why a fish needed such thick lashes, Steve didn’t know, but his eyes batted dreamily until he recovered with a feisty, “You pway dirty! Biwwy! Attack!”

“Wait a min--” Steve started, but the shark was already on him. Billy had difficulty separating uses for his lips, teeth, and tongue, so they all blended together on the bend of Steve’s neck and shoulder. He winced, but let Billy tackle him into the water, taking his time swooping back up to the surface. Steve knew there’d be a red crescent on his neck later, as if Billy licking the wound wasn’t confirmation enough. 

Billy had far more skill in swimming without kicking up sand; Steve let himself get handled since his flippers caused more disturbance in the water. Gingerly touching his neck to gauge the damage, he estimated it would be a hell of a bruise but the skin breakage didn’t feel too bad.

Donning his goggles once more, he said, “Let’s swim.”

Steve often wondered if Billy could do more than talk directly inside his head. Sometimes he looked at Steve as if he’d heard an internal idea, or smiled at whatever emotion Steve felt. He wore that smile as he swam in tandem with his pilot fish. It was beautiful how they knew his movements as he did them; they were so little but flitted around his head or shoulders like they were a part of him. Chatty little jewels who sometimes swam into the cloud of sandy blond hair to rest or hide.

Steve had been taking lessons in free-diving. He could hold his breath in repeated six minute increments, but eventually he did need to resign to snorkeling above the littles as they explored shells and the occasional rock.

Steve had a vague idea of where Billy lived, but he’d never asked. He left the opportunity open with prompts like, “Show me something,” and, “Where is your favorite place?”

Billy had taken him to a rocky shore - far too much trouble for tourists or even natives to get to - that hosted a beautiful reef. Regular black-tipped reef sharks had been there, swimming in their calm way and paying them no mind, but Steve did take note when the littles hid within Billy’s hair. Sometimes Steve was closer, so they went inside his t-shit. However much they liked the reef, it wasn’t safe enough to live full time.

Billy did not take Steve there today. Probably because the last time they’d gone, a barracuda had swum too close. He hadn’t seen any quick movements that might’ve suggested hostility in the fish, but Billy had snatched it and ripped its head off in one movement. Steve knew the predator and prey part of nature meant that an ecosystem was thriving, but it had been a humbling encounter.

It was with this memory floating through his head that Steve removed his flippers and started trudging through the shallows to the beach.

“Bye bye, Stevie!”

“We’wll see you tomowwow?”

He turned around to smile at the little ones, but it faltered at the solemn look on Billy’s face. As both a question and a promise, he nodded, “I’ll be here tomorrow.”

Then, in full force, he heard, Bring a boat.

Steve didn’t know how he was still standing, much less with the wherewithal to blurt, “Boat?”

A quiet boat, Billy confirmed, and then all Steve had was the blur of silver and all the greens and blues that reflected off of him, and he was gone.

[taylovelinus]

look I know I’m literally preaching to the choir here, but it drives me insane how many heterosexual women allow themselves to date the most mid men on the face of the earth. all the incel talk about how women only date “chads” is patently, provably false if you happen to know any actual het women (and is simply projection on mens’ part). women who could literally be runway models regularly date men who look like the creature from the black lagoon. and yes, looks aren’t everything, beauty fades over time, 100% agree. but it just bugs me so much precisely because most men would consider marrying a woman they didn’t find physically attractive to be INSULTING to them.

think about all the movies and tv shows you’ve seen where the protagonist is an average to below-average looking guy, who always ends up winning over a shockingly gorgeous woman by the end of the story, usually because of his humor or wit or other personality trait (so most 2000s romcoms lol). how many movies can we name where a conventionally attractive man pines over and wins the affections of a woman not considered conventionally attractive? (besides Shallow Hal, which debatably might not even fit into this category, and of which I’m sure many thinkpieces have likely already been written, so I won’t write another here.) how many where a conventionally unattractive woman is herself the protagonist? I doubt we could name very many of either. it’s so ingrained in our culture.

men feel entitled to date an attractive woman, that they are owed it, and most would find the notion of partnering with and marrying a woman they find unattractive to be genuinely demeaning to them. yet I know SO many women who date (and are marrying! and having sex with!) the most neanderthal-looking men just because he’s “good enough”. and like I said — looks aren’t everything. it’s true, and I know and agree with that, even if it sounds contradictory with this post — it’s just my point is that the VAST majority of men would NEVER do that for you. no matter how kind, intelligent, funny, capable, hardworking, accomplished, empathetic, or thoughtful you are, at the end of the day, if he thought you weren’t attractive or “fuckable”, he wouldn’t be with you.

het women, PLEASE raise your standards and keep them high. if you don’t find him sexually attractive, you don’t have to be with him. you don’t have to justify it to anyone. you can reject anyone for any reason. you don’t have to settle just because you’re afraid you won’t find anyone else. it is better to be single than to settle, EVER, for ANY reason. if he doesn’t check EVERY one of your boxes, don’t waste your time. life is beautiful and wonderful and fulfilling without being partnered with a man. you don’t need to settle. there is joy and success and fulfillment outside of relationships.

[eopederson]

Fresh Flows Across Iceland

"Lava poured from a volcanic fissure near the town of Grindavík, Iceland, in spring 2024. The eruption, which began on March 16 and remained active over two weeks later, was the largest in a string of four volcanic events on the Reykjanes peninsula starting in December 2023. 

The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of the ongoing eruption on March 30, 2024. The natural color scene is overlaid with an infrared signal to help distinguish the lava’s heat signature. The active part of the fissure and the origin of a volcanic plume are apparent. While the eruption was still active at this time, additional satellite and ground observations indicated it was likely waning. 

The eruption began at 8:23 p.m. local time on March 16, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) reported. A fissure nearly 3 kilometers (2 miles) long quickly opened in a similar location to the February 2024 eruption. Hundreds of people at the Blue Lagoon, as well as a small number in Grindavík, were evacuated within about 30 minutes of the eruption starting. 

In the days that followed, lava flowed toward infrastructure such as water pipes and roads, the town of Grindavík, and the ocean. Human-constructed barriers of earth and rock diverted lava away from town, although a flow extended across one road. Officials were initially concerned that lava would reach the coast and cool rapidly upon contacting water. This could have posed additional hazards such as the production of hydrogen chloride gas, but the flow stopped short.

This Landsat image comparison shows the recent changes on the Reykjanes peninsula. In September 2023 (left), the area was quiet volcanically. By February 10, 2024 (center), three separate fissure eruptions had occurred. The footprint of new basaltic rock grew in March 2024 (right) as new lava spanned nearly 6 square kilometers (2.3 square miles), according to the IMO. 

Like the eruptions that preceded it, the spring 2024 event was effusive, not explosive. Effusive eruptions tend to emit minimal ash, and their plumes typically contain water vapor, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other volcanic gases. 

This eruption did not disrupt air travel, but sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions were hazardous locally at times. Workers evacuated the power plant north of Grindavík on March 18 due to gas pollution, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service reported. The SO2 emissions from this eruption were forecast to drift across the United Kingdom and northern Europe, according to models based on satellite observations, but at an altitude too high to affect surface air quality. 

Unlike the other recent eruptions in this region, the springtime event stretched out over weeks rather than a couple of days. The reason for the relatively prolonged eruption may be that magma now has an easier path to the surface, experts suggested in news reports. Others think that magma is no longer accumulating in the shallow magma chamber beneath the area and that this eruption could be the last in the longer cycle. 

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann."

And to think we were there in September about the time the first photo was made! The main road connecting Grindavik to the remainder of Iceland has been cut in two places. According to their website, the popular tourist attraction Blue Lagoon is closed due to "unfavourable air quality" but is scheduled to reopen tomorrow 11 April.

Wish I could hop on a plane to see this in person, but other obligations preclude such a trip anytime soon.