#so far he could literally be a fish it would change very little of the show

[milfbro]

I feel like the dragon prince writers have no idea what to do with Terry. They got a canonically trans character to date their sexy dark goth evil leading girl antagonist and he basically only exists to prop her up. He's literally the Flounder

like. do we have any idea why he decided to help her destroy his homeland at all?????? why is he even here

[the-travelling-witch]

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐔𝐏 𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃

summary: when you ask about your boyfriend's home, you get more than you bargained for; but considering it's him, you don't mind, right?

pairing: jade x gn! reader

warnings: fluff, a little suggestive, nonsexual nudity; i’m suffering from a serious case of eel on the brain so you must suffer with me; can’t stop thinking about bioluminescent eel brothers and just mixed that in with jade’s ceremonial robes home screen lines

twisted wonderland masterlist

“I’m captivated by the human custom of changing clothes to suit the occasion,” Jade hummed as deft fingers tied your previously crooked tie and then straightened out the collar of your uniform shirt. “It reminds me of fish who change their scales to match their environment.”

“That sounds like an interesting ability to have,” you chuckled as you combed the long black strand of hair behind his ear, mesmerised by the way the ambient light of the nearly empty Mostro Lounge reflected in his heterochromic eyes. Even with him sitting down and you standing between his legs, he was tall enough to where you were nearly on eye-level. “I’ve never really thought about it, but I guess mers don’t really wear clothes then?”

“It depends on the mer, really, though accessorising is far more common than what you humans would consider clothes. Those in brighter waters seem to enjoy bejewelling themselves for outings, though it doesn’t serve much of a purpose in the deep.” Jade smiled, though this smile lacked the usual nerve-wrecking edge it held when others were around. When he was satisfied with his work, his hands slid down to rest on your waist. 

“On top of having to learn how to walk, having to wear all these layers of clothing must have felt really restricting,” you said, your hand mapping the path from his jaw down to his shoulder to play with the lapels of his blazer. “Though I have to say, you do look very good in your school uniform.”

“Fufu, you flatter me, my pearl,” the merman chuckled. “Even so, you look much more lovely in anything you wear. I’m still not accustomed to clothes with excess fabric. My people aren’t like aquarium fish with their long tail fins, after all.”

“I’m still in awe you managed to pull off this transformation of body and habitat so gracefully,” you thought out loud. “If my living conditions changed so drastically, I would’ve felt like a fish out of water… Quite literally, I guess.”

“Admittedly, those first months were rather rough, that’s true. But the world above the Coral Sea holds so many new experiences, I do not regret my decision.” His hands gently squeezed your sides at that, his eyes never leaving yours. Faintly you wondered whether his people could enrapture humans with just their gaze or if it was your own heart which rendered you defenceless against him.

“I’m also glad you came here, Jade,” you confessed, voice coming out barely above a whisper. This time you couldn’t stop your palms from cupping his cheeks between them as he brought you just close enough to where Azul couldn’t reprimand him for indecency. “Would you mind telling me more about the differences you experienced? I want to learn more about your home, too.”

“Gladly,” the moray smiled at you and it warmed your heart despite the hint of sharp teeth showing through. “Let’s see… Ah, I enjoy looking up at the stars, especially when out in the mountains. It’s a very different feeling than from the ocean and it makes me forget the passage of time, even though I have no particular interest in astrology.”

“Sounds like a date in the making, if you ask me,” you grinned knowingly. Every so often, Jade pestered you into switching clubs to the mountain lovers club and while you had yet to relent, you did join him on hikes frequently.  

“I will hold you to that,” he promised, eyes crinkling at the edges as if he had gotten just what he wanted. Knowing him, he probably had been gunning for exactly that without you noticing. “Now then, what else did I find astounding when I first came here? Most of it are probably minor things to you, like sneezing, cracking your joints or getting a sunburn. Still hearing the first two was very alarming initially. Azul and I thought Floyd had broken a bone.”

“To be fair, sometimes it does sound like something went incredibly wrong when someone cracks their spine or neck,” you shuddered, reminded of the sounds Ace and Deuce had produced in the past which had you halfway to the nurses office already. “A sunburn must have been a nasty surprise though.”

“That it was,” Jade sighed. “There’s hardly anything worse than drying out for a merman, so we didn’t spend much time in the sun anyway. But to learn that a human’s skin is so easily burned by something they need for their health… Speaking of sunlight, considering it does not reach the depths of my home, everything seemed excessively bright up here too in the beginning.”

“Woah, maybe I underestimated how cold and dark your home is, by my standards at least. Like, no sunlight at all? I’d probably freeze,” you laughed, goosebumps forming under your blazer and shirt at the mere thought.

“Hm, I guess it must seem so to you. When I first learnt about the summer temperatures at land I also thought it wouldn’t be bearable,” Jade chuckled, a spark of mischief in his eyes that you couldn’t place yet. “But an environment devoid of light gives way to many new possibilities in which life can evolve. Sure, you have to always be on guard for what’s lurking around the next corner but you also get to appreciate the colourful glow of bioluminescent fish and plants.”

“The first part sounds terrifying, to be quite honest.” You knew he only ever brought these things up to get a reaction out of you but you still wondered what his life was like to be able to say it with such a calm expression. Instead, you chose to focus on something more pleasant. “Though the bioluminescence sounds beautiful. Back home there were beaches where algae turned the sand and waves a fluorescent blue, so I wonder what it would look like underwater.”

“Would you like to see?” Jade asked, one hand sneaking from your waist to intertwine his fingers with yours. Anticipation was almost tangible in the air, yet you couldn’t figure out why for the life you. So despite the hairs on your neck standing on end, you nodded. Immediately, Jade had risen to his full height and was pulling you along through Octavinelle’s winding hallways.

“Jade! Where are we going?” You laughed, not expecting the sudden switch up. Though that was probably on you; despite hiding it much better than his brother, Jade still tended to do only what was fun to him. 

“Oh, you’ll see,” your boyfriend smiled conspiratorially over his shoulder, eyes twinkling like a kid’s on Christmas. He was seriously cute when he got excited about something, even if it meant finding yourself at the end of his teasing more often than not. Considering he was very fond of growing all sorts of things in his terrariums, perhaps he had managed to raise some sort of luminescent plant and this was a ploy for him to gush about his terrariums? 

Confusion set in once more, however, when you walked in a different direction than his room. Sure, you didn’t know the structure of Octavinelle all too well but you’d think you’d find the one room you had visited most in the dorm. Wracking your brain in order to figure out what was happening in his, you almost bumped into the moray as he came to a halt in front  of one of the many doors. You had never been here before, so you braced yourself for any- and everything as he twisted the doorknob.

The first thing you noticed was the smell of salt and the humidity in the air. Then you noted how you couldn’t see anything in the pitch black darkness. As if he heard your thoughts, a small, dim light flickered on above, revealing tiled floors leading up to a large pool. Of course Octavinelle would have a pool of this size. 

Following Jade to the edge of the pool, you peered into the water to find only your reflection staring back at you from the water, the lack of light turning it from clear to near intransparent.

“Seems kinda of irresponsible to cultivate plants or fish in a school swimming pool, don’t you think?” You voiced your doubts as you remembered why you came here in the first place. “How deep is this thing anyway? I can’t see anything in there.”

“Who said anything about fish or plants?” Jade’s chuckle reverberated around the room from behind you and when you turned to see what was so funny, you saw him neatly folding his uniform blazer before starting to unbutton his shirt.

“Wait, hold on.” You held up your hands as you tried putting one and one together, just to end up at three. “Not that I particularly mind where this is going but what’s happening right now?”

There was a shit-eating grin stretching across Jade’s lips and revealing his sharp teeth as he shrugged off his shirt, sauntering over to where you were standing as he slipped his gloves off. 

“Didn’t you say you wanted to see bioluminescence for yourself?” At his newfound proximity, you quickly averted your eyes from his swimmer’s body, to feign at least some form of decency, which seemed to amuse him even more. “Have I never told you that my people possess a form of bioluminescence ourselves?”

“You conveniently forgot to mention that.”

“An oversight on my part, my apologies,” Jade hummed, a hand placed over his heart, sounding not sorry at all.

“That aside, it’s not like I brought any swimwear,” you sighed, looking at his eyes and decidedly nowhere else. “Nor can I breathe or open my eyes in saltwater.”

Out of thin air, seemingly, Jade procured a small phial of shimmering liquid; the same one Azul had given to you when you went to the Coral Sea. At his unreadable smile, you raised an eyebrow but nonetheless took the potion from him. “How much of this did you plan out?”

“Fufu, do you really think I would carefully steer a conversation a certain way just to give me an excuse to bring you here?” When your answer was a resounding ‘yes’, he grinned even wider. “I see, this is the impression you have of me.”

“Also, this still doesn’t solve our first predicament,” you reminded him, yet already finding your resolve to deny him weakening. Damn the effect he had on you.

“I can’t see the predicament you speak of at all,” Jade mused, hands landing on your hips again as his fingers pinched the fabric of your uniform. “Perhaps this is a good chance for you to experience how a merperson would feel, swimming freely without any restrictive layers. You were so eager to learn earlier.”

“Jade Leech, are you suggesting I go skinny dipping in a public college pool?” You only received a closed-eye smile as a response as his hands tugged more of your shirt out of your pants. “I can’t believe you. And I can’t believe myself for going along with this…”

The vice housewarden was more than okay with undoing his former handiwork and helping you out of your tie, blazer and shirt. When it was time to remove the rest of your clothes, he left you to your own devices to do the same. For a second you contemplated leaving on your underwear but decided against it at the thought of having to walk back to your dorm with it either soaked or missing.

A splash behind you drew your attention as you draped your last article of clothing over the back of a chair you had found and you chugged down the potion, then ambled over to the pool’s edge again. Dipping your toes in, you breathed a sigh of relief when the water wasn’t too frigid, yet still settled for sitting down and hanging your legs in first.

After a minute or so of acclimating to the temperature, you wondered where your boyfriend had gone, unable to see anything in the dark water. Just then, a cold hand wrapped around your ankle. Despite knowing what -or rather who- it was, you still jerked your leg upwards, but it wasn’t like you got very far, Jade’s strength keeping you exactly where you were. A pair of mismatched eyes stared at you from right under the surface before Jade’s head emerged and broke through the water’s surface. 

“Looks like I caught myself a pearl,” he mused before gliding his webbed fingers up your bare claves, sending a jolt up your spine, but not from the coldness. Crossing his arms over your knees, he laid his head down on them so he could look at you properly, his bare chest resting against your legs. If it weren’t for the long shadow of his tail moving right under the water’s surface, he would have reminded you of an overgrown housecat.

“Oh no, whatever shall I do now?” You played along, running your hand through his wet, teal hair and gently caressing the fins where his ears would be. Sighing under your touch, his long nails absentmindedly traced over your thighs, careful not to  hurt you. “Please don’t eat me.”

Cracking his left eye open at your teasing, he pressed a lingering kiss above your knee, his teeth lightly gracing the skin there as he pulled away. Definitely not enough to hurt in any way, but enough to remind you of the danger he could pose; a notion that sent adrenaline racing through your body for all the wrong reasons. He winked at you, maybe as a promise for later. “We’ll see about that.”

As he parted from you, he pushed himself up in a display of awe-inspiring core strength and pulled you against him by your waist and thighs, taking you with him as he slowly sank under the surface again. Your hands tried finding purchase on his shoulders, yet continued to slip over the slick covering his skin. Jade, however, had no difficulties holding on to you.

On instinct you had closed your eyes and held your breath as you submerged but the careful caress of a thumb over your cheekbone prompted you to open them and take a tentative lungful of air. Just as back in the Coral Sea, the sensation was weird and unfamiliar but you didn’t drown, which you noted down as a pro.

Whatever you wanted to say died on your tongue as you looked at Jade. Bright spots glowed on his chest and the stripes running over his ribs glowed in an equally stunning teal. Backing up so he was a good arm’s length away, you studied the rest of him, finding that the stripes over his hips as well as clusters of spots on his arms and fins all seemed to be luminescent.

“You’re so beautiful,” you whispered, more to yourself than to him, yet he still pulled you flush against his torso again. Without much hesitation you started tracing the constellations you could reach. “They’re like stars.”

The moray was glad you couldn’t see his face from your position for an uncharacteristically genuine expression of shock decorated his face. Nobody back at home had ever complimented him so genuinely without any ulterior motives. Yes, he had been the one who instigated this little stunt but he hadn’t factored in that you always managed to tug on his heartstrings in the end. At first, he had been a little wary, wondering what you thought about his merform, especially after he had chased you around the sea like this before, but he realised he shouldn’t have worried.

“And you flatter me yet again,” he chuckled instead, tone and expression back to his usual show of amusement. Still, he looped his long tail around your middle once as his hands wandered over your curves and stroked along your skin that was so much more delicate compared to his. “Should I perhaps be wary that you are lowering my defences for nefarious reasons?”

“Ah and here I was hoping you wouldn't notice,” you sighed, fingertips brushing over the bright spots littering his tail as you held his gaze, his yellow eye almost glowing against the darkness that surrounded you. “Despite all the warnings I’ve intended to steal from you. This, to be precise.”

Maybe it was the fact it was just the two of you down here and the rest of the world was forgotten, that drove you to be so straightforward and sappy. But the rhythmic beating of his heart underneath your palm dispelled any feelings of shyness or awkwardness at the -frankly cliché- confession of affection. 

Not that Jade seemed to mind either. Before you caught up to what was happening he closed the gap between you and pressed his lips against yours. Perhaps taking the potion earlier was inconsequential after all as Jade moved with the intention of robbing you of all air anyway, the webbed fingers on the back of your head keeping you exactly where he wanted you. You cursed your lungs for burning with the need for oxygen, never having yearned for gills as much as in this moment, if it meant you could keep kissing him for just a second longer. Before he parted from you completely he bit down on your bottom lip, not enough to draw blood but just so to leave it tingling from his attention. 

“What a silly little darling,” Jade mused, tracing the shallow indents of his teeth with the pad of his thumb as he drank up the expression on your face. The coil of his tail around you grew just a tad tighter, yet still careful not to hurt you, as a sudden wave of possessiveness washed over him. “Everybody knows you can’t steal what’s already yours.”

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[maopll]

Could I request Kaeya, Diluc, Childe and Zhongli's (separate) s/o laying them down on her lap and playing with the boys' hair when their exhausted?

Put your head on my heart

#genshin impact !

⌗:, a/n: its boutta feel like heaven once I scratch their heads I'm being dead serious...hopefully there's no dandruff...

⌗:, pairings: khaenri'ahn, weird grown up, snezhnaya's greatest toymaker, fossil w/ gn!reader (separately)

⌗:, note: I wanted to post smth before I went to school so pls take it with a grain of salt (low effort work)

— ୨୧ KAEYA

"Ahh...that's feels great" Kaeya mumbled drowsily against your lap.

"You're having real fun by having me at your beck and call huh?" You playfully said as you pressed one spot on his forehead a little harder.

"Ow ow ow gently I'm very feeble" He smirked while looking you with half his eyes closed. It looks like the exhaustion really creeped up to him. He's not one who easily shows through his demeanor how much overworked or even exhausted he is.

To others he may seem like how he usually does but the slight change in his personality spoke words to you. The past week he became sluggish and even fell asleep at the most odd places.

Thus you took it upon your hands to lay him down on your lap and forcibly make him achieve that deserved slumber that he really needed.

"It's not right to overwork yourself so much Kaeya..." your voice sounded like one of worry. Kaeya knew how you felt and...he can't really disagree with you. "I'll be careful next time lovely"

"Oh, you better! you're trying to shave years of my life here with how much you're overworking yourself!" You smack his head. He laughed, seeing you worry so much, and said "aww I'm sorry," all while having a shit eating grin on his face as he smothered your face with his kisses to make you stop worrying. "You have my oath as a knight, my dove" he says so while sealing the words with a kiss on the back of your hand in quite the knightly fashion.

— ୨୧ DILUC

It's way past midnight. The workers and the Maids of the Manor are enjoying the honey heavy dew of slumber while you paced back and forth in your own room's veranda as you stared far into the vineyards to even catch a glimpse of your lover. It's not unusual for Diluc to return late, but it's even more unusual when he hasn't come back after the clock struck 2 a.m.

"Where is he?" Your worries grew like a rapid fire. You tried to calm your nerves by telling yourself "it's alright..." when your ears perked up with the creak of the front door. After some time, you saw Diluc emerge from the shadows with his red hair looking particularly vibrant under the moonlight.

"Gosh, you had me worried there dear..." you strode towards him. "Yes...it looks like I kept you awake and worried for a long time? apologies..." as he sounded those words, his voice grew tired and low as his eyes nearly closed from how drowsy he was. You frowned at this sight of him. So you held his hand gently and guided him towards your bed to let him get that well deserved rest since he looked as if he would flop flat on the ground if you did not let him fall on the bed sooner.

You guided his head towards your lap and ruffled his red locks gently. "I'll help you sleep quicker, Diluc. So just close your eyes now" with a peck to his forehead, you put your hands softly over his eyes. "Thank you...love"

— ୨୧ CHILDE

"Childe...I don't think this is that right place to do this..."

And yes it wasn't. He decided to go out fishing in Dragonspine with you because he said, "I miss the way me and my family used to fish in Snezhnaya" all puppy eyed and stuff. You're always the one who says yes to anything he says but maybe...maybe this time you should've said no...

"But babe I'm tired! won't you let me rest my head on your lap?" so he said when he is literally a harbinger. Him running out of stamina and being exhausted? impossible that's something that will happen in an alternate universe. He just needed a sorry excuse to feel the warmth your thigh emitted because he just couldn't get enough of those.

"Childe I'm not saying that you can't lay on my lap but we are out in the middle of nowhere in adeserted frosty mountain!" You screamed to him while he just jumped up with excitement, "Oh look! I caught a Snowstrider! Great catch!"

"Oh my archons...are we done yet?" you said impatiently because the cold was getting to you. "Aww but I was thinking about catching a few more...alright let's go home now"

You noticed the tone drop in his voice. Looks like he really missed those eventful days of his. So with a sigh and a forgiving smile on your face you agreed to his whims, "Nevermind it's alright, you can fish as much as you want we can go after some time"

Oh what a sight it was when his eyes literally sparkled with joy and the way his ears perked up hearing your words of affirmation. "Thanks babe! Watch me catch the biggest one for you!"

Oh it's going to be a long day...

— ୨୧ ZHONGLI

The vibrant kites were visible from the small window of your house. Lantern Rite comes every year with a new surprise yet even before the preparations are completed before the event, the hustle and bustle of the people as they scurried to prepare meticulously for the biggest event was a joy that could never eb expressed in words.

So here you were. Atop a hill overseeing the entirety of Liyue Harbour with your lover resting on you lap as you played with his hair as soft as the silk flowers and as fragrant as qingxins.

"Do you like the view Zhongli?" you quietly asked, keeping the comforting silence that prevailed amidst the two of you. "As always. Mortals and their customs have never ceased to amaze me." He hummed lowly as you scratched that one spot of his head. He had those areas on his head which felt better than the other places because...he's a dragon after all.

He looked up at you through his lashes and spoke, "Once the Liyue Harbour is decorated, let us visit Mount Aocang to give those old friends a little greeting." You smiled at how much he cared for those who lived along with him. "Sure let's do that"

[abrakuxas]

Should I do a part 2 with Lilith, Mal, Gnarrk Karen and Duela?

Hey, it's the Teen Titans!

My iteration of the fab5 with both Donna's costumes

Current headcanons of this version:

- Dick Grayson | Robin (14): mostly the same but I'd say he kinda forced Bruce to accept him. Bruce kept saying he would deal with Zucco with his billionaire influence but Dick would not accept it, telling Bruce he can and would escape the mansion to take revenge. When Bruce noticed Dick would end up in the same path as him, he decided it would be best to guide him through it and that having an adult around to help him do it right is better than letting him do it alone with no training and Dick would 100% do it alone if necessary.

- Wally West | Kid Flash (14): I'll be honest, I don't think I have any relevant or little difference in my head for Wally. Mostly because I haven't read him outside of Titans comics and I think he's cool there. He starts off a little annoying but then he drops off and as Flash he is just a great friend to Dick and everyone so idk?? Not enough knowledge about him.

- Garth | Aqualad (13): My immediate headcanon for Garth is him already being able to use hydrokinesis. I feel like he'd be the youngest and least experienced of them along with Donna as both of them came from other places and are still learning about other cultures and all that. He has particular beef with Roy who mocks his whole dependency of water thing but he comes to learn that Roy is just trying to feel better about his insecurity as Garth is not only capable of doing magic but also being raised underwater means he is actually very very strong while Roy feels shooting arrows makes him the weakest member of the group so messing with the youngest kid, the fish out of water makes him feel more powerful. I'd say Garth and Donna would be easy friends as they know about each other's culture far more. Garth is also the wisest and calmest of them, I'd say but when he does get angry it's a very scary thing as his magic powers are no joke.

- Donna Troy | Wonder Girl (14): Donna Troy is a mystery. She's not the only child in Themyscira as Amazons here are quite capable of having children with each other (hello, DC comics, you don't need to make them r*pists if your canonize trans Amazons. They can literally just have women centered pregnancies without magic or abusing men for it), but Donna was adopted by none other than Queen Hippolyta. As far as she knows, Wonder Woman saved her from a burning building but after never finding her parents and sensing something different about her, she decided to take her back home where they found out Donna is not only quite similar to Amazons, but quite similar to Diana specifically... But Donna is NOT an Amazon, nor a clone. Donna was created by the Titans of myth, from clay to life, just as Diana once was, she was named Troia by them as she was designed to work similarly as the Trojan Horse, infiltrating the Amazons and eventually growing into their champion to destroy the gods and free them from Tartaros. What they did not expect is that Donna would follow Diana's footsteps and go to men's world in her younger years where she would meet her best friends and learn not to be a warrior but a human girl. She is a great fighter, of course, the strongest of the team, she became fast friends with them and even thought at first they could even be demigods: Aqualad had power over water and came from Poseidon's Atlantis, Kid Flash ran like Hermes, Robin was a strategist as Athena and that Speedy boy? His bow and arrow and handsomeness could only be taken from Apollo, right? It took a while for Donna to learn about humanity and teenagers but she fell in love with that world, even developing her own sense of style and fashion, changing a lot from the Amazon warrior into a teenage girl. A superhero teenage girl. (Maybe I'll develop this more with her transformation into Troia later down the line)

- Roy Harper | Speedy (15): My biggest headcanon is that Roy's mother (who as far as I know we have no info about) was Navajo and died in childbirth. Roy's dad raised him until dying saving Brave Bow and Brave Bow took Roy and raised him knowing who his mother was. I'd just like to make him a little bit less of the white guy raised by natives trope that lots of golden age comics did for some reason. Well, Roy here was not much different, eventually being adopted by Ollie and training with him and Dinah. In the Team, Roy is the rival to Dick. He is flirty, a showoff and wants really bad to be a badass not only to impress Donna but to come on top of Robin as he feels GA and Batman are rivals and so should they as the only regular humans on the team and at points he even denies being part of the Titans, only being at the same place at the same time. After his insecurities and anxieties take him to a dangerous path and conflict with Ollie, he learns to warm to the Titans as friends and family after they take care of him and don't judge him, trying their best to help and understand him.

What do you guys think? :)

[sikyulioness]

Heyyyyy, I love your stories. ❤❤❤❤

The first and second ones make my heart ache 🥺🥺.

Anyway, can you write a Jinwoo x reader where the reader is a cat that Jinwoo picked up and raised, then suddenly one day the cat turns into a human???

HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY!!✨

✨Of course here you go I hope you like it✨

My Master, My Love

A Solo Leveling Jinwoo x Reader Story

---

It had started with a storm.

The rain had been relentless that night, drumming against the pavement as a lone figure hurried through the streets. Sung Jinwoo, now hailed as the world's strongest Hunter, barely flinched at the downpour. What was a little rain compared to the dungeons he had conquered?

But then, something made him pause.

A faint, pitiful sound—a meow.

He turned toward a dimly lit alleyway, where a tiny, shivering cat huddled against the wall, drenched and weak. His brows furrowed. The rational part of him told him to move on. He wasn’t exactly a pet person. He had a sister to take care of and a life filled with battles.

Yet, before he even realized it, he was crouching down, reaching out to the trembling creature.

“Hey there,” he murmured.

Golden eyes peered up at him, filled with a strange intelligence that made his chest tighten. Without thinking further, he picked you up, cradling your tiny form against his warm jacket. You didn't resist—too weak to protest, or maybe... maybe you had already decided to trust him.

That night, you became part of Sung Jinwoo’s world.

---

At first, you were simply a stray he had taken in, a small, quiet companion in his vast, powerful life. Jinwoo wasn’t particularly experienced with pets, but he learned. He learned that you preferred fish over chicken, that you liked perching on his shoulder even when he was working, and that you had an uncanny ability to sense his moods.

When he came home from exhausting raids, covered in wounds and blood, you would curl up beside him, purring softly as if trying to heal him in your own way. And maybe, in a way, you did.

“(Y/N),” he sighed one night, watching as you batted at the pages of a book he was trying to read. “You’re spoiled, you know that?”

You just blinked at him, tail flicking as if to say, And whose fault is that?

Jinwoo chuckled, scratching behind your ears. “Yeah, yeah… mine.”

He never regretted picking you up that night.

---

Then, one day, everything changed.

Jinwoo had gone out for a quick errand, leaving you lounging on his bed. It was an ordinary day—until an unbearable heat spread through your body. You tried to move, but a sharp pain wracked your limbs. It felt like something inside you was shifting, breaking apart and reforming.

And then—

Silence.

When Jinwoo returned home, he immediately sensed something was off. His senses, honed from countless battles, went on high alert. There was someone in his apartment.

A faint rustling came from his bedroom.

His shadows coiled, ready to strike, as he slowly pushed open the door—only to freeze.

There, sitting on his bed, wrapped in his blanket, was a girl.

A very, very familiar girl.

Golden eyes. Soft (H/C) hair. A slight tilt of the head that reminded him so much of—

“(Y/N)?” The name left his lips before he could stop himself.

The girl blinked, then smiled.

“Welcome home, Jinwoo.”

And just like that, his world flipped upside down.

---

Jinwoo wasn’t an easy man to shock. He had faced monsters, kings, and literal gods. But seeing his tiny, fluffy cat turn into a breathtakingly beautiful woman? Yeah, that did the trick.

For the first few hours, he could barely function. His mind kept replaying the absurdity of it. You, now human, had laughed softly at his reaction, hugging his blanket around your frame as you patiently explained.

You didn’t know how it happened, only that one moment you were a cat, and the next, you weren’t. You weren’t human either—at least, not entirely. There was something… other about you. Something ancient.

Jinwoo, despite his disbelief, couldn’t deny it. After all, he had seen far crazier things in his life.

But even as he struggled to understand, one thing remained the same.

You were still his (Y/N).

Still the one who curled up beside him when he was tired.

Still the one who looked at him with unwavering trust.

Still the one who made his lonely world feel a little warmer.

And that realization hit him harder than any battle ever had.

---

Days passed, then weeks. Jinwoo adjusted—somehow. He learned that you were just as mischievous in human form, stealing his hoodies, teasing him mercilessly, and still insisting on perching in his lap like you were still a tiny feline.

“You do realize you’re not a cat anymore, right?” he grumbled one evening, as you comfortably made yourself at home on his lap.

You grinned up at him. “Old habits die hard.”

He sighed, but his hands instinctively went to your hair, fingers combing through the soft strands. Just like before, you leaned into his touch, a content hum escaping your lips.

Jinwoo’s heart did something strange. Something dangerous.

He ignored it.

Or at least, he tried to.

But then there were the little things—the way you always waited for him to come home, the way you instinctively reached for his hand when you were nervous, the way you whispered his name like it was something precious.

And Jinwoo, the strongest Hunter in the world, found himself utterly, hopelessly weak.

One night, as you curled up beside him—just like old times—he finally gave in.

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you against his chest. You stiffened slightly in surprise, before melting into his embrace.

“Jinwoo?” you murmured.

He buried his face in your hair, exhaling softly. “Stay.”

A pause. Then, a smile.

“Always.”

And with that, Jinwoo finally admitted what he had known all along.

You weren’t just a stray he had picked up.

You're no longer just his cat.

You were his home.

His love.

And he would never let you go

Till death do us part

---

The End.

[sapphicseasapphire]

Thanks to your Mer Legend and Mer Ravio I'm on a Mer kick, how would the other boys look if they also had Mer tails. Like Wild as Child of the Mountains but also a Mer. Also as a shapeshifter could Twilight make himself a Mer if he wanted to?

Want to know a silly stupid little fun fact? Before this became the Cryptid au, it was originally supposed to be a Mer au. I only got as far as designing Wild and Sky before I changed my mind though haha! So like, not Child of the Mountains, but I do have a Mer Wild design.

(These drawings are old and they’re not very good haha. Ignore that Wild’s Zonai arm is on the wrong side)

Yeah I got to Sky and then thought the idea was stupid and completely scrapped it but you must know that I LOVE drawing Merpeople and literally do it all the time. There may come a time where I draw the Cryptids as Mer just for fun because I Love Drawing Mer, but that probably won’t happen any time soon since I’m still in my silly goofy little art funk and am dying.

To answer your Twilight question! Twi cannot shapeshift into other Cryptids, only animals that he’s seen before. So he can’t be Mer, but he can be a fish haha! To swim around with Legend and Ravio and Wind.

[longing-for-rain]

Playing Soldier: How Sokka’s Arc is Misunderstood

Katara: Ever since Mom died, I’ve been doing all the work around camp while you’ve been off playing soldier!

There seems to be this idea among certain fans that Sokka acted as a “father” or “older brother” figure throughout the series, but this is a very shallow read that neglects Sokka’s arc and the intricacies of it.

While yes, on the surface, Sokka is literally the older brother of Katara, I think her description of his role at the beginning of the series as “playing soldier” is spot-on accurate. I also think it’s significant that this is said directly after the audience is introduced to Sokka’s misogyny, another key part of his mindset at the beginning of his arc. These things are very much related, and I don’t think this gets discussed enough. Misogyny isn’t a minor character flaw; it’s a toxic mindset that influences how a person acts.

You see, much like the fans who perceive Sokka as the authority figure of the group, Sokka himself perceives his role this way. He holds himself as the protector and leader of his tribe, despite doing hardly any of the real, tangible, day-to-day work to support the tribe in comparison to Katara. He’s the man, so in his mind, this means he holds the authority and that his ideas and tasks are inherently more important. We even see this in the opening scene—he ignores the fact that Katara has pretty much already caught a fish using her waterbending because his way is correct, he’s more important, he’s the man, then he messes up and disrupts Katara in the process. And then, promptly jumps into a sexist rant against her blaming her for ruining his moment.

Before someone jumps on my back about bashing, I’m not. I’m addressing how Sokka’s canon character was in the beginning. There cannot be growth without a suboptimal starting point. I’m addressing the fact that initially, Sokka has a misogynistic attitude which fuels his idea that he’s the leader and the most important person despite…not doing a lot.

What we do see Sokka doing is very much what I would describe as playing soldier—just like Katara accused him. He ultimately is just a kid, he has no idea how to actually lead, so he’s emulating behaviors he’s observed.

This is pretty blatant in the show. His “soldiers” and “watchtower” are a bunch of kids and a snow fort. He quite literally is playing. It seems silly at first, but we see the tragedy in this when a real threat actually arrives.

This is Sokka’s moment. His first real test. He dresses up in full regalia, prepared to fight and defend his tribe as the great protector he’s professed himself to be. And then…he gets effortlessly swatted aside by Zuko. He’s so little of a threat that Zuko doesn’t even need to firebend to defeat him.

Because, at this point, all Sokka had ever done was play soldier. He hadn’t faced a real threat, and as a result, could do absolutely nothing when one arrived. He’s fortunate that Zuko lacked the cruelty of other Fire Nation commanders like Zhao and kept his word that he cared about finding the Avatar only. If it was Zhao? Sokka and many of the villagers would have been killed.

However, despite this initial humiliation, Sokka clings to this idea that he is the “leader” and should be listened to by virtue of being the oldest…and being male.

I do like the Kyoshi Warriors arc and believe it’s significant, but “Suki beat the sexism out of Sokka, he’s all better now!” is far too simplistic. It’s not realistic at all for a deep seated attitude like that to change, and it continues coming up throughout the series.

There are many incidents of this throughout the series. For example, in B1E10: Jet, where Sokka demands that the group travel on foot because he’s the “leader”…and promptly leads them straight into a Fire Nation army camp. It’s the same theme of the very beginning—Sokka puts himself into a role he isn’t prepared for, and makes a blunder. He’s still playing soldier.

While, again, often played for laughs, this behavior is fairly consistent with Sokka. He has his moments, but more often than not, we see him trying and comically failing at his supposed role of protector and provider.

Meanwhile, as I’ve discussed in much more detail before, it is Katara who is truly carrying the group, despite Sokka generally having a dismissive attitude towards her and the work she does for others.

However, on some level, even Sokka himself recognizes that Katara is truly the one serving the parental role.

Sokka: I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture. (B3E7: The Runaway)

This is closer to the end as well, and even though it isn’t particularly explicit, I do believe that Sokka gradually learning humility gave him a compelling arc to become the person he was at the end in comparison to the insecure misogynist in the making he began as.

It’s gradual, but I think the best representation of it is in the Sokka episode: Sokka’s Master.

Sokka: And I know one thing for sure: I have a lot to learn.

This is what ultimately convinces Piandao to accept Sokka as his student, and narratively it is significant to Sokka’s character. In order to truly grow and develop true skill, Sokka has to acknowledge that he isn’t the person he has been holding himself to be. He has to acknowledge that he isn’t his father. He has to acknowledge he’s been…playing soldier.

And that’s the beauty of Sokka’s arc, to me. Because he wasn’t a father figure, despite the fact that he was very clearly trying to emulate his father. He was forced to grow up too fast, but he wasn’t parentified like Katara. He tried and failed to assume that role and this made him insecure.

Sokka’s arc isn’t about parentification, and it’s certainly not meant to show that he actually was a father figure. No; Sokka’s arc is learning that he has his own worth because of who he is, not from trying to measure up to someone else. He finds his own unique identity and skill set in a world of magic and benders. That’s an insightful and interesting arc, and feeding into Book 1 Sokka’s delusions that he truly was a father figure looking out for everyone else really overlooks that.

[lovelettersfromluna]

‧͙⁺˚*･༓★ Seven Wonders ‧͙⁺˚*･༓★

{Ellie Williams x Reader}

Summary: They say to beware of the woman who sings within the seven seas…but what if Ellie just can’t help herself?

an: okay, so this request was so good I literally couldn’t even respond to the ask, I just had to jump on and start writing it. So! This is for the sweet anon who asked for a mermaid/siren!reader x Ellie fic! Ellie is a sweet little sailor in this one because I said so. I took inspo from the little mermaid and aquamarine! Thank you again to the anon for this request!! I hope you enjoy baby 🖤 (not proofread apologies for an errors)

Warnings: 18+!! Smut!! Angst! Reader grows legs when she’s on land, oral (ellie and r!receiving), lots of kissing, spanking, reader is a mermaid/siren, sailor!ellie, mentions of drowning, sad towards the end im sorryyyy. Let me know if I missed anything pleaseee.

Ellie's favorite place was the water.

Ever since she had been a little girl, she would follow her father onto the docks as he loaded up his boat, and there wasn't a trip that he made that she wasn't going on when she turned old enough to join him. Her father even called her his little fish for quite a while, until the nickname made her groan in annoyance.

She loved it so much, that she followed in her fathers footsteps the second she got her first job. Sure, taking the fish that the guys pulled in from the docks to the local markets wasn't the best job, but she was officially in line to become a great sailor herself.

And that was exactly what she did. She worked her way up all the way until she had her very own boat, and she was her very own boss.

Ellie's father was a sailor, his father was a sailor, and his father's father was a sailor. She practically had salt water running through her veins.

She enjoyed the calmer months, when there weren't many fish to catch and she was able to spend the entire day on her boat, drifting along in the warm waters until it became too dark and she had no choice but to haul ass back to the docks.

And that's exactly how she found herself here, her boat slowly bobbing from side to side along with the calm waves of the ocean, the shore miles away from her, the closest human being too far away to bother Ellie for any favors or to borrow her precious boat. She was resting on the bow, her hands resting underneath her head as she hummed a gentle tune to herself, drifting in an out of a light sleep.

But then Ellie realized, she wasn't humming...that noise wasn't coming from her.

She frowned as she sat up, the warm sun slowly setting, making the world grow darker and darker around her. She blinked her eyes a few times, adjusting to the sudden change in brightness. For a moment, she almost thought she had drifted back to shore, the sound of a woman humming so clear she'd swear there was someone on the boat with her.

But Ellie was so far from the shore, she could barely even see it.

She sighed, figuring that it was merely her mind playing tricks on her. She brought her wrist up to check the time, settling on staying out on her boat for an hour or two more before she had to go back in. She laid back once more, resting her head against one of the pillows she had and closing her eyes.

And then she heard it again.

This time, it was closer, clearer, and Ellie knew she wasn't losing her mind this time. She heard it, clear as day, the soft melody of a woman humming, followed by a soft giggle.

And Ellie was sure it was the sweetest melody she had ever heard.

As if in a trance, Ellie was standing up from her spot on the bow, and moving to stand near the railing of her boat, searching the dark waters for what it was that she heard. Had someone been swimming? She didn't recall hearing any splashing from the shore, perhaps they were coming from a nearby boat? Only, Ellie was the only one out on the water this late in the day.

She continued to scan the waters with her eyes, searching for any clues to what it could have been that she heard. Suddenly, a flash of silver rippled through the water.

Her eyes widened when she saw it, and she felt her boat wobble a bit, paired with the sound of something hitting it from underneath, and she heard the giggling from the other side.

Ellie rushed towards it to see what it was, only to see another flash of silver thrash through the waves a bit more harshly this times. She quickly reached into her bag, grabbing her flashlight and shining it into the water.

"Hello? Is..is someone out there? I..I can help you! Do you need a raft??" She called out, but here was no answer. The only thing she was able to hear were the waves crashing against themselves.

Ellie frowned as she looked around, realizing that it had only grown darker and darker with each passing second that she was out on the water. She gave the open waters one last look before she decided it was time to pack up and get back to the shore.

͙⁺˚*･༓★

That night, the only thing Ellie dreamt about was that song.

The melody played in her head over and over again, making her toss and turn in her bed. She could see the ocean, dark and grey as the clouds above her swirled, thunder and lightning casting over her as the wind blew on her face. She stood at the shore, her eyes searching for the melody that grew louder and louder the longer she was there.

She began calling out, for help, for the person to show themselves, for anything…

And suddenly, the voice that had been plaguing her mind had a face to match with it.

Emerging from the ocean was the most beautiful woman Ellie had ever seen, her body dripping with water, the droplets on her body sparkling like diamonds. As she slowly walked towards Ellie, the beautiful song continued, and Ellie felt like she couldn’t move. Because suddenly, the beautiful woman had her naked body pressed up against Ellie’s, her arms wrapping around her neck before she was pressing a cold, wet kiss to Ellie’s lips.

Ellie woke up in a panic, gasping for air as she sat up in her bed, her hands gripping her chest and her loose t shirt, trying to find something that could help her ground herself, help her remember where it was that she was.

When she calmed down a bit, she looked over at her window, the harsh sound of hard rain rapping on her window like pellets of metal. She frowned further, because the clouds in the sky looked identical to the ones in her dream.

She sighed softly, her hands rubbing over her face. It wasn’t until she tried getting up from her bed that she realized her pussy was soaking wet.

͙⁺˚*･༓★

The following day, Ellie was determined to find answers.

She was rummaging through her grand fathers old chest, the one her father had insisted she take in with her when she moved into her current house. She almost refused it, knowing that it wouldn’t do anything but clutter her space and create more of a mess, however her grand father had quite the collection of books on anything she could think of when it came to being a sailor. From how to train yourself for diving, to the mystical creatures that plagued the waters.

Ellie was really fucking glad her dad made her keep the chest.

She was sat on her couch, a large stack of books surrounding her as she flipped through quickly, her eyes scanning for specific words that could help her.

Giant squid, kraken, serpents…

Siren

The word made Ellie freeze, her eyes scanning over it multiple times. She could practically feel the chill running up her spine. Her fingers delicately traced over the word, her lips parting gently before she uttered. “Siren…” softly.

And as soon as she said it, a loud crack of thunder practically shook through her entire house, making her flinch.

She swallowed nervously before she brought her attention back to the book, eyes scanning over the description of the sea creature.

When Ellie was a kid, she remembered sitting on the floor of her grandparents house on days much like the one she was experiencing today. Dark and stormy, the waters too rough to go out on and explore. She had no choice but to get in her comfiest pajamas and let her grand father bring the stories of the sea to her.

He would tell her everything, and at the time Ellie wasn’t totally sure which were stories he’d experienced himself, or if they were fairytales passed on throughout generations of her family. As she grew older, she has just written them all off as just that, stories passed down for the enjoyment of the children that were around.

But as she sat in her living room, staring down at the description of a siren, she couldn’t help but recall the story of the beautiful sea women that her grand father told her about.

He told her they’d first come to you in the ocean, never revealing themselves to you until they were ready. It would be followed by vivid dreams of these beautiful women, using their powers to keep you connected to them long enough until they could come to you once again in the real world.

And finally…they would lure you into the ocean, and you’d become another one of their prey.

Ellie’s grand father warned her and her cousins to never fall prey to these women. To cover their ears and close their eyes if they ever heard mysterious humming. Of course, Ellie never believed in any of that stuff. Her grand father was simply trying to scare them enough into never going out on the waters alone or staying out too late.

However, her she was, a fully grown woman, going against the wishes of her grandfather. She was packing up her bags and willingly walking out into the storm.

The storm that you had caused.

͙⁺˚*･༓★

Ellie had never seen a storm as bad as this one.

Not a single soul was outside, let alone out on the docks. The boats lined up were rocking back and forth, and Ellie had to put her hand up to her face to shield it from the harsh wind and rain that was hitting her body, making it hard to walk forward. It was almost like it was pushing her back towards her house, begging her to go back home.

But she couldn’t, all she could think about was that song, and that face. She couldn’t let it go.

She finally made it out to her boat, cursing under her breath as she struggled to bring her rope and anchor. Once she did, she was moving inside her boat, starting up the engine and driving out of the dockside onto the water.

And as soon as she was, the waves were crashing against her boat. Ellie was quite the experienced sailor, having made her way through several storms. However, she had never made her way through anything like this. The sky almost looked like it was caving in on itself, but Ellie couldn’t even come to her senses to care, the only think playing over in her mind was the beautiful face she saw and the sweet melody she heard.

She kept going, her boat making its way out further and further into the water, her eyes searching for any trace of silver that she had saw the night before. She frowned, pushing the lever on her boat and forcing it to go faster.

Her boat climbed over the waves like they were mountains, forcing it to crash down every time she toppled over one. Ellie could hear multiple things inside of her boat falling, even a few things breaking, but she couldn’t stop.

Especially not when she saw that familiar glimmer of silver in the sea again.

When she saw it, she was laughing like a woman gone mad, and she was pushing her lever higher to go faster regardless of the fact that it was already at the highest setting. She was on a high speed chase now, trying to follow the rippling figure she saw speeding ahead of her.

She almost lost her mind when the creature jumped out of the water, large sparkling tale on full display for her before it dove down.

A particularly sharp turn from her boat to follow it was her first mistake, because going against the harsh waters so abruptly almost made her boat tip over, but she didn’t seem to notice, because she continued with her erratic movements. She continued driving her boat at full speed to follow the figure.

It wasn’t until her view was blocked by a large wave, swallowing up her boat completely and submerging her underwater that her intense gaze on the creature finally broke.

“Oh fuck!” She screamed out before she was completely consumed by the cold, harsh, salty waters around her.

She tried to swim, to keep herself alive long enough that she could make it onto shore. But she was too far, and she knew that. She could feel herself slipping as she thrashed about in the cold waters.

Her eyes grew heavy, and her lungs grew tired, and the last thing she felt before she passed out were arms wrapping around her waist, and the beautiful face she had seen in her dreams looking down at her.

͙⁺˚*･༓★

You knew you shouldn’t have done it. You knew you should have left her alone. You could have just gone for any other fisherman along the coast, one that was harassing the poor orcas or polluting the water with their big stupid boats.

You could have gone for someone who deserved it…but you just couldn’t stay away from her.

The pretty sailor had caught your eye from you were but a small mermaid. Watching her with her father, learning how to sail and how to tell the fish apart. He taught her to appreciate the ocean with so much care and love, it brought you to tears multiple times.

It’s why you stayed within these specific waters for so long, to stay close to her. You learned early on that her name was Ellie, and that she loved the water just as much as you did. You both grew together, watching as the girl turned into a beautiful woman right before your very eyes.

Before you knew it, it was your time to begin hunting. Hunting for unsuspecting sailors and fisherman on the docks, using your powers to lure them into your underwater home and ravage them, forcing them to stay with you forever.

But you couldn’t, not when Ellie was so pretty to look at.

You had gone on quite some time without interacting with her at all, knowing just what your song would do to her. As much as you wanted her, wanted her attention, you didn’t dare use it on her in fear of what it would do to her.

But one day…you just couldn’t ignore your urges any longer.

You just…wanted to play with her, only for a little bit. You knew your Ellie was strong, you knew your song wouldn’t do much to her. You knew she’d be able to fight it. You just needed to see those green eyes staring into your own, looking for you, searching for you, wanting you.

Oh how you regretted it now.

Because the ocean was rough, and you could see the girl making her way into her boat and rushing through the rough waters to make her way to you.

She was putting herself in harms way because of you.

You knew she wouldn’t stop, not unless something made her stop. So, you lured her out to the sea, as far as she had to go until the waves would gobble her up and force her unconscious, giving you enough time to dive into her boat and save her, and pull her onto shore to a spot where someone would find her once the storm passed.

And that you did, you pulled her onto shore, grabbing her face and making sure she had enough air in her lungs to keep her alive until it was over.

Before you could leave her though, you couldn’t stop yourself from staring, only for a little bit. Your fingers delicately traced her face, smiling softly as they traced along her pretty lips. You’d never seen her this close, you had never been able to touch her like this, and you knew this was your only chance.

So you leaned in, pressing the most gentle kiss to her lips before pulling back..

What you didn’t expect, where for her hazy green eyes to be lazily blinking at you, still out of it, but there.

It shocked you a bit, but you simply pressed your hand against her eyes to close them before she could see you any further. You leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her ear before you whispered.

“You’ll be home soon…I’m sorry Ellie…” you mumbled, and with that, you made your way back into the ocean, leaving her on the shore.

͙⁺˚*･༓★

When the storm passed, the people of Ellie’s town slowly emerged from their homes. It didn’t take long for someone to catch sight of her body washed up on the shore. They were quick to take her in, bringing her back to her home after a doctor made sure she was okay, cleaning her up and getting her into bed.

She was extremely out of it, only mumbling a few words to the people that brought her in.

She was exhausted, and her mind was filled with this overwhelming fog that she couldn’t sense. Like she had experienced something that she couldn’t remember, something that she was waiting for had happened, but she couldn’t fucking remember it.

She couldn’t get out of bed, the girl far too tired to get up and go out on the water. She hoped that getting more sleep would help her remember what the fuck had happened after she drowned, how the fuck she had ended up on the shore…

She huffed softly as she tossed in her bed, when suddenly she heard something rummage in her house.

She frowned, sitting up a bit as she looked towards her door, staring for a moment to see if she heard something else. But she didn’t, and she figured something bad just fallen over. She groaned, rolling over and tugging her sheets further over her body.

But then, she heard the knob to her bedroom door jiggle.

And then open.

And when Ellie sat up once more to look towards her door as it opened. She felt like she was dreaming again, because there she was. The sea woman from her dreams was walking into her room, fully naked, dripping from head to toe with water. Only this time, her face had an expression of worry instead of one of mischief.

You were there, standing in her doorway. You were the woman Ellie was dreaming of. You were the woman that Ellie was chasing in the ocean…

You were the woman that she saw when she drowned, and you were the woman that had pulled her onto shore and kissed her when she had barely enough air in her lungs to survive.

You saved her. You saved Ellie’s life.

Ellie stared at you for a long time, and for a moment you realized that this was a bad idea. You realized that you had shaken Ellie up far too much within the passed few days. You belonged in the water, and she belonged on land and you had no right to mess that up.

Ellie almost died because of you, and now you were at her house and you didn’t know why because you were only fucking her life up further.

You were turning around to leave, but Ellie was already up on her feet, towering over you as her large hands grabbed your wrist without another thought.

“You…it’s you. You’re real…you’re fucking real” she mumbles almost mindlessly. You open your mouth to say something, to explain to her what happened and why she did what she did.

But before you can even do that, her lips are on yours.

Because all Ellie can think about now, is how good your lips felt pressed up against hers in her dream, and she wants more of it. Her strong hands grip your naked hips, pulling your wet body so it’s pressed up against her own, and she groans at the feeling of your hardened nipples pressing into her t shirt.

You moan softly, and Ellie is over the moon because not only is your voice just as sweet as it was when you were singing for her, but it’s even sweeter when you’re moaning for her.

And she’s all you’ve ever wanted. From the moment you set eyes on her when you were both children, you knew she was the one for you.

Ellie moans into your mouth, and you’re gently pressing your hands against her chest to push her back towards her bed. The back of her knees hit her bed, forcing her to sit down. She spreads her legs a bit, just enough for you to stand between as you continue kissing her passionately, your hands lacing through her hair and keeping her close to you.

Her hands roam your body, feeling and squeezing your soft skin. She brings them to your ass, giving it a firm squeeze before she forces you to straddle her lap. You moan softly, pushing her back to lay down as your body lays on top of hers.

“I’ve wanted you for so long Ellie…” you sigh out, and Ellie doesn’t for a moment wonder how you even know her name, because she’s too caught up with how good you feel against her. It’s like you’re the only thing she’s ever wanted, and she had no idea that she did.

You’re kissing down her body, soft lips pressing against her neck and her chest, pushing to her t shirt so you can kiss her rib cage. You hum once you settle between her legs, tugging at her boxers and leaving her bottom half naked, and Ellie is sure she’s died at this point, because you start lapping at her soaked cunt and she feels like she’s going to cry.

Her bottom lip is tugged between her teeth, and your naked body as dried off from rolling around in her bed. Your soft hands are gripping her thighs and she has to prop herself up on her elbows to watch you, your lips wrapping around her clit and sucking harshly, your skilled tongue eating her up completely.

“Fuuuuck….such a good fuckin’ mouth you’ve got on you baby…that’s it…suck on my fuckin’ clit” she moans out, her voice rasping and dripping with lust. You whine against her, flicking your tongue faster against her clit as your hips desperately rut against her mattress, searching for some sort of friction that you desperately need.

Ellie’s head falls back, and you swear you’ve never seen something prettier. Her lips are red and swollen from all the biting, and her tattooed hand is laced between your hair as she keeps you close, practically grinding onto your face, her abs flexing as she grows closer and closer to her release.

“Fuck yeah…so fuckin pretty with your face between my legs baby…my pretty fuckin girl…fuck I’m gonna fucking cum…you’re gonna make me…ahh fuuuuck” she cries out, her words so filthy they make your cheeks burn red.

You can’t even focus on how vulgar shes being, or the fact that she’s claiming you as her own…as her girl. Because her pussy is weeping onto your tongue and you’re whining into her because you’re realizing that this all was really worth it.

Ellie breaths hard as she watches you between her legs, eyes zeroing in on you as you give her slow and lazy licks, cleaning her up and helping her ride out her orgasm.

Ellie groans, her strong hands reaching down and pulling you up with ease. She has you on her lap again, her lips kissing you slowly and passionately, tongue lapping against your own, keeping you close.

Shes warming you up so much, your insides burning in a way they never have as her tongue works against your own. She lays down, keeping your body pressed against hers. Just as you’re enjoying the kiss, your hips rutting against her own, she’s pushing your body up her own, causing you to frown in confusion.

She pushes you up so your legs are hovering over her mouth, your thighs on either side of her head, and you realize what it is that she’s doing.

Ellie flattens her tongue out onto her chin, gripping your hips and pulling you down so that your soaked core is pressed against her. The second she tastes you she’s groaning, and her strong hands are forcing you to grind down on her wet tongue.

Your eyes roll to the back of your head, and you feel like you’ll explored the second her tongue is working against your pussy.

“Ellieeee….f-feels so good…mmm…h-ahhh! Don’t stop” you moan out for her, your back arching, head hanging back as you roll your hips, your pussy humping against her tongue.

A harsh spank lands on your ass, and Ellie is massaging the skin to soothe the burn her handprint leaves. You moan loudly at the feeling, your eyes opening and looking down. You nearly gasp because Ellie’s eyes sparkle like the ocean, they’re so green and bright and they’re staring up at you like her life depends on it.

And you know you won’t last long.

“Mmmm yeah…right there Ellie…right…there…oh!” You moan loudly, and it’s the last thing you say before your back is arching almost painfully, and you’re cumming all over her tongue.

Ellie moans with you, her own pussy throbbing as she stares up at you. Her hand is gripping your ass and your waist as she forces you to ride her face slow and hard, wanting you to feel every little flick of her tongue that she gives to your cunt.

You whine, and Ellie knows it’s too much. She sighs softly before she pulls you off of her face and back down to lay with her on the bed.

You both lay there in silence, Ellie’s hand tracing small shapes into your naked back as she pulls you close, the both of you tangled up underneath her soft blankets. They smell like sea breeze and pine, and you can’t help but smile as you cuddle into her.

Ellie isn’t sure what to make of the situation. Because the siren that she had been following for the last few days was in her bed, the two of you slowly drifting in and out of sleep as you lazily kiss one another, giggling and laughing together as if you’d know each other for your entire lives, and she doesn’t question it.

Because she feels like she has known you for her entire life. She feels like you’re the missing piece to her puzzle. And everything just feels right when you’re pressed up against her in her bed.

The day goes on that way. The two of you in bed enjoying each others company, and before Ellie even realizes it, the sky is growing darker, and she realizes she’s spent the entire day in bed with you.

Your eyes are closed, and your breathing has evened out and Ellie figures you’ve finally fallen asleep. It doesn’t surprise her since you two had gone many rounds after. She smirks softly to herself at the fact that she’s tired you out.

But she can’t help but frown, because she doesn’t know what any of this means.

She leans in gently, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. “Please stay…don’t go…” she mumbles, pulling away and eyeing you for a moment longer before she presses another kiss to your lips, pulling you closer and closing her eyes to fall asleep.

And you’re not asleep, once you realize she’s asleep you’re crying, because you know how this has to go, and despite Ellie knowing barely anything about you, she knows too.

The next morning, Ellie wakes up to an empty bed.

She frowns as she gets up, looking around her bedroom before she looks around her house, thinking you might be in her bathroom, or in her shower or her kitchen.

But you’re not, you’re nowhere to be found. And Ellie’s heart sinks.

She knew you’d be gone, she knew deep down that it was all too good to be true. She knew that this was a crazy, fucked up situation that she had almost no power in finding her way around, to keep you there with her, to keep the feeling that you gave her.

When she returns to her bedroom, she finds a note on her bedside table. Written on the front is her name, so neat and delicate she’s sure it must have taken hours for it to be written.

When she opens the letter, she can’t stop herself from frowning once again.

‘My Dearest Ellie.

Im sorry our time together was short, I do wish you and I were more similar. I wish we came from the same worlds, and perhaps we did in another life. One where we were the same and could be together.

I will cherish the times that we had together for the rest of my days, and I do hope you’ll never forget me.

I will always be close by, my dear Ellie. I always have been’

At the end of the note, your name was signed. And Ellie mumbled it so softly, it was as it it were a secret. She frowned softly as her eyes scanned over the note over and over again, and she looked into the envelope again, noticing that it wasn’t empty.

Inside, there was a small pearl necklace. The pearl was in the faint shape of a star, and her thumb traced over the delicate piece of jewelry before she sighed, looking out onto the clam waters, searching for any trace of you.

But she found nothing. You were gone, and you left a small piece of you with her to remind her that it was all real.

That you were real.

͙⁺˚*･༓★

Not a day went by where Ellie didn’t think about you.

Not on the days where she met her father for dinner, not on the days she went on dates with other girls, hell, she even thought about you on her fucking wedding day.

She has continued looking for you for some time, believing that you would one day return to her, and there was some way for you both to be together. But she never found you, she never saw the pretty ripples of silver thrashing through the water again.

She tried moving on. She found a wife, got married, they even had a kid together. A little boy who was Ellie’s clone. He loved the water so much, begged his mom to take him out on her boat early in the mornings before school and in the warm summer afternoons.

But it was all done with you in mind, the pretty siren that had stolen her heart and never returned to give it back. She kept you with her wherever she went, your pearl necklace resting against her collar bones from the day you had left it with her.

Ellie had truly lost hope that you’d never come back, hoping for simply a glimpse of you to remind her of the girl she loved dearly.

It wasn’t until one day that her small son came rushing into the house, tugging on Ellie’s flannel shirt as she washed the dishes, eager to bring her outside….

To see the pretty woman in the sea.

Ellie almost dropped the plates on the floor with how quickly she moved to go outside.

And as soon as she was there, she saw your pretty eyes peeking at her from behind one of the large rocks, giving her a sweet smile and a small wave.

And all she could was wave back, smiling happily as her eyes welled up with tears.

[tagsecretsanta]

From @such-a-random-rambler

From @such-a-random-rambler to @lenle-g

Gordon’s already waiting by the space elevator landing pad, as close as is safe while the hydraulics hiss and clunk into place, anchoring to the planet once more. When John stumbles out of the elevator a few minutes and a few safety checks later, Gordon is right by the door with a grin and a couple of oxygen tanks at his feet. 

“Welcome back, how was the journey?” 

John just about manages not to trip over the elevator door frame getting out – that first step always catches him unawares – and Gordon hovers a hand under his elbow just in case he needs to prevent John taking a tumble off the platform. Again. “I’ve had worse. What are you up to?” he nods to indicate the equipment on the floor. “This isn’t the gear room.” 

“True, but the chances of me getting you there and back are slim, so I bought it to you!” 

John rubs a hand over his face, already feeling his thoughts slowing under the pressure of ‘normal’ gravity. “Please use words of one syllable, and explain exactly what you���re talking about Gordon.” 

“You.” He points at John. “Me.” He points at himself. “Reef.” He points at the scuba gear. 

“Tomorrow, maybe, I need-” 

“Now.” 

“Now?” 

“Now.” 

“I’ve literally not set foot on the planet yet Gordon.” One foot was still in the elevator, so that counts as far as he’s concerned. “Maybe once I’ve adjusted to -” 

“It has to be now. The weather is perfect, it’s two hours until sundown and the tide will be just right by the time we get there.” Gordon picks up the equipment and jiggles it in John’s face. “Come ooooon. Have a little fun before the gravity gets it’s teeth into you.” 

It’s been a long rotation and John’s anticipating the mother of all headaches to land in about four hours, once his body realises the change in gravity is permanent and his blood pressure bounces like a yo-yo. Twelve hours sleep and several pints of the most awful electrolyte shake known to man would sort it, but by then it would be too late for sunset and the meteor shower and he’d be on the way to the mainland to pick up the gifts he’d ordered. 

It was now or never.  

Or rather it was now or next year, maybe, when the chunks of rock and ice dance in the sky again. 

“Alright. Let’s get geared up.” 

Gordon cheers and punches the air, dragging John – gently, with due consideration to his wobbliness and a helping hand – along the walkway and through the maze of tunnels. There route is long and convoluted enough to be confusing to a stranger or invader, and could take them to various parts of the island, but they both know where they’re going well enough to do it blindfolded. Gordon chatters the whole way there of course: about the latest addition to his fish tank and his plans for his own shore leave, and a dozen other things that don’t seem important enough to call up to the station for, but are the glue that keeps a family together. 

The tunnel spits them out in the dockhouse that protects their two small motorboats for very local journeys around the island and nearby. One of these would get them to their destination in a few minutes, but Gordon had arranged something a lot more strenuous. And dangerous. And fun. 

Laid out in a perfect arrangement typical of Gordon is two sets of scuba diving equipment: spare oxygen tanks and toolbelt of essentials and fins. No wetsuits, because no standard wetsuit can serve as well as their International Rescue uniforms and getting John out of one and into the other in his wobbly state would just be an effort in frustration. 

Gearing up is swift and efficient thanks to many hours of relentless drilling, and it’s not long before they’re completing the final double checks of each other’s set up, and – sharing a grin – they step off into the blue. 

John doesn’t think of himself as an impulsive man by nature, conveniently forgetting he’s as prone to a rash decision as the rest of them, and jumping into the ocean half an hour after descending from space could be considered rash. But there’s a sense of peace that can be found here that’s well worth any stern talking to he’ll get from Scott. 

He and Gordon turn in unison, orientate themselves, and set out with strong, even strokes in the direction of the reef that borders the west of the island. Gordon’s in his element, of course, moving with an easy confidence of someone as much as home in the water as on land. 

An outside observer would note that John’s not far behind, keeping pace with the Olympic swimmer without much difficulty, his movements smooth and graceful. He’d completed hundreds of hours in the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Labatory training for zero gravity maneuvers before he was ever allowed out of the atmosphere. The hostile environments were similar enough that John found the buoyancy of the water a familiar comfort after time up on Five. Or at least so opposite that it went all the way around to become almost the same again. 

Or something. He’d tried to explain it to Gordon once, but Gordon had had too much to drink that night and John not enough, during the year John had spent more time in the water out of the two of them. When Gordon had spent his time in a hospital bed. 

They don’t talk often talk about that time when John was better at swimming than Gordon, though John does like to remind his brother every so often that’s he’s not the only one who’s one awards for under water work, (‘Yes, my gold rank certification does count actually, Gordon’) by pushing in close, hot on his heels.  

The keep near to the surface, where it’s not too dark -  even with the sunlight fading fast -  but deep enough to be protected from the buffeting of the surface waves, and make fast progress towards the small rocky outcrop that’s the only solid surface between the island and the reef. 

At this time of day it’s barely above the waves, it’s craggy surface pocked with what are currently small tidal pools, but will soon by hiding places for the smaller reef dwellers once the sea claims it again. 

One after another they heave themselves onto the rock, lifting themselves easily from the clutches of the water on arms strengthened by hard work and long days. John pulls his helmet off and pushes the hair back from his face where it clings to his forehead that’s damp from the exertion. 

“Do we need to look at your training schedule? I almost caught you there.” John jokes. 

“Almost caught me?” Gordon raises an incredulous eyebrow, very like one of his older brothers. “Not likely. Your technique’s not bad but could use a bit or work if you want to up your speed. It’s not like you get much time to do any proper strength training when you’re floating about all day.” 

Floating about all day! 

John quashes the flurry of indignation at the suggestion that all he does is float about because he knows he does more than that, and doesn’t need any outside validation. And because he knows that Gordon knows that. And because Gordon’s half smile shows that he knows that John knows all of that. 

“And imagine if I had trained – you might actually have a race on your hands.” he grins back. 

“Take it seriously and it would be a serious race.” Just like Gordon could be a natural in space if he could remember that there is no right way up.  

 Gordon puts their helmets gently on the most even part of the rock, almost huddled together like penguins, where they would be most protected from being washed away by a rogue wave. Best not to have to explain to Brains why they need replacements. 

They settle on the edge of the rock, shoulder to shoulder, legs dangling into the water. They face west, for an uninterrupted view of the sunset painting pinks and purples across the sky. It’s just dark enough that the stars are starting to appear, revealing themselves as darkness spreads above them. 

The have a small window; maybe half an hour while the sun is still creeping down, and the tide is still low enough to sit and a chance to see -  

“There!” John shouts and points as silver streaks across the sky, shortly followed by another. The meteor shower will only just be visible in this part of the world – it will be much more impressive elsewhere – but nowhere else will it be timed with dusk in a cloudless sky. Nowhere else can this particular celestial event be observed from the middle of the ocean, two different but similar infinities stretching before them. 

“And another!” Gordon joins in with the joy, spotting one that’s low, sneaking it’s way to the horizon until they rain down all around. John recites the facts of this particular meteoric event; the composition, the vectors, the academic careers of the astronomers they are named after. Though Gordon’s heard it all before he doesn’t interrupt any more than John does when Gordon’s found a particularly exciting piece of marine research. They both know that the seeing is enhanced by the knowing, and knowing isn’t worth anything without feeling.  

Colour slides into darkness. The flashes of light across the sky diminish. The ocean rises until it’s lapping at their knees. The magic fades, but the companionship remains. 

[garuye]

PIRATE MERMAN AU IS SO GALAXY BRAIN THO--

I'm trying to imagine what the other Phantom Blood characters could be in this au. Perhaps Speedwagon is a fellow pirate in Erina's crew and the two of them keep playing Robin Hood with the wealthy ship merchant Dio? Who later tries to capture Jonathan? Would be funny if his "rejecting his humanity" moment was turning into a merman instead of a vampire lol.

Since Zeppeli is a mentor of Jonathan imagine if he was a merman too. Perhaps the other Hamon masters like Dire and Straizo are similarly mers.

Also: what if Jonathan's dog Danny was a seal?

YOUR BRAIN IS SOO HUGE I love fellow pirate Speedwagon!! I'd been imagining Dio as a literal Siren, still adopted into Jonathan's family, but him being ship merchant and being an opposition to Erina and Speedwagon is so incredibly sexy. Also puts the poor fucker back in more or less the same growing-up situation, which is fantastic (sorry Dio)

The Hamon-users being merfolk is on the money, I'm obsessed. I was thinking that Jonathan being a merman would probably not change his affinities much, and it would be interesting to see him put his archaeology into underwater-application. There could totally be a stone-maskish something-or-other that could cause mer-transformation. Maybe the "siren who lures sailors to death" type of malevolent merfolk is what comes from it lol. Maybe Jonathan or someone in his family unearths the mask from the ruin site of an old shipwreck and as he's studying it, eventually Dio comes into possession, bam, now the guy can sing songs that kill people. Instead of dying in the sun he just straight up can't survive above water. There is so totally something there.

ALSO FISH HAMON TEACHER ZEPPELI IS GREAT IN PARTICULAR FOR THE REASON OF: "He launched into the air from sitting position!!!1!!" Can be translated directly to fucked up behaviors with his tail, and there is no version of this thought process that is not funny as fuck. Does his tail do a squish and sproing like Tigger. Does he launch himself 10 feet above the ocean surface. Does he do some fucked up little swim that is whimsical and uncanny.

I very woefully have too little knowledge to imagine the finer goings-on between Erina, Speed, and Dio, but you must know it fucks so severely. And I may or may not be obsessed now with the dynamic this would create between Erina and Speedwagon. Holy fuck they'd be so cool. I need them interacting. How much do I need to pay for someone to write a fanfic

But far more importantly than everything else,

JONATHAN'S DOG DANNY WAS A SEAL

[differenteagletragedy]

Baxter is a daaaaaaaddy part 2: Holiday Edition

So I really had a very good time writing about Baxter becoming a father, and since Thanksgiving is coming up in the US, I decided to write another part with Baxter, MC and their daughter. Because reasons.

Takes place when Baby Ward is 4. She broke her arm when Baxter took her to the park and now it's a new reason why he hates himself. You know Baxter.

Part one here!

"Daddy, can I have marshmallow?"

"Not yet, Penny," you answered from the passenger seat of Baxter's car as he drove to your parents' home in Sunset Bird. "They're not just marshmallows, they're part of the casserole."

"I asked Daddy," your daughter replied, the sass in her voice unmistakable.

You were about to turn around to talk to her, but Baxter chuckled and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a bag of miniature marshmallows.

"Daddy!" Penny cheered, throwing her good arm in the air and patiently waiting for him to fish out a few and hand them back to her.

"Seriously?" you asked him.

"It's Thanksgiving," he smirked, shooting you a quick glimpse. "If my girl wants to be thankful for marshmallows, far be it from me to stand in her way."

"She has you wrapped around her finger, you know that?"

"Like mother, like daughter."

You smiled and took the hand that he laid in your lap.

Your little family of three was heading over to celebrate the holiday with your moms, but it would be a full house. Liz had flown home for a few days, and Cliff always came over. Cove was coming too, and he was planning on bringing Xavier -- the two had gotten close over the years since Jude and Scott's wedding.

When you arrived, you saw Cove's car and texted him to come out and help carry things -- as always, Baxter had made several dishes to bring over. He and Xavier came out soon after, and after quick hugs, you started bringing the food in while Baxter gingerly unbuckled Penny from her car seat and carried her inside.

"Did your mom tell you I had a pink cast too when I broke my arm?" Cove asked Penny, gently nudging her.

"How did you break your arm?" she asked.

"I just had a little accident when I was little like you," he answered.

You saw Baxter bristle a bit. He still blamed himself for being the one taking care of her when she'd fallen and broken her arm. No matter how many times you told him it was just an accident, he still beat himself up over it.

Xavier noticed the slight change in his demeanor too, and they leaned past Cove to talk to Penny.

"I hope you save room for dessert!" they said cheerily.

Penny gasped and her eyes widened. Cove may have been the biggest fan of Xavier's baking skills, but your little girl was a close second.

When you got inside, you saw that everyone else had beaten you there. Liz and your mom were setting the table while Ma and Cliff were finishing up in the kitchen. Baxter put Penny down, and she darted towards the counter. Before you could catch up to her, she found a platter of Xavier's cookies and snatched one up.

"Let her have a cookie," Baxter smiled, taking the dish you held and finding a place for it on the table. "Just one cookie won't hurt."

"Is Baxter spoiling the baby again?" Liz asked as she approached you for a hug.

"Literally every second of every day ever," you replied.

"I say spoil them while you can," Cliff said, joining the conversation. "They're only little for a little while, and they turn out OK in the end."

Cove smiled smugly, and Penny yelled, "Thank you Grandpa Cliff!" before stuffing another cookie in her mouth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After dinner, everyone chipped in to clean up -- or almost everyone. Penny had brought toys, and she, Cove and Liz were in the living room playing princesses.

"Cove looks pretty cute in a tiara," you told Xavier, who was helping you wash dishes.

"He looks pretty cute in anything," they responded, giving you a big smile.

Before you could say anything else, you heard a sharp squeal coming from the living room. You instinctively dropped what you were doing and ran over to see what had happened, as had Baxter.

Penny was clutching the arm that was in a cast, tears welling up in her big brown eyes. Liz was already kneeling down next to her, holding her hand, while Cove looked on nervously.

"What happened?" you asked, kneeling beside Liz.

"It hurts," your daughter whined, holding up her broken arm to you.

"We were dancing around and she bumped her cast against the coffee table," Liz explained. "I think it scared her more than anything."

"She really didn't hit hard enough to do any damage," Cove agreed, looking over to Baxter. "We wouldn't have let her get hurt."

There it was -- that same bristle as before. Cove didn't notice, his attention going back to Penny, but you and Liz shared a look.

"Hey, listen," you said softly to Penny. "Are you all right?"

"No," she whimpered.

"Are you hurt or did you get nervous?"

Penny looked at you and then up to Baxter, who offered a stiff smile.

"Nervous, I think," she answered.

You checked her over and talked to her more to make sure she was really fine before standing back up, satisfied that the situation had resolved itself. She went back to playing, and when you turned around you saw that everyone had moved over towards you to make sure everything was OK.

When you moved towards Baxter, he took a small step back.

"I believe I'm just going to step outside for a quick breath of fresh air," he said, smiling weakly. "I'll be back in two shakes."

You moved to follow him, but Cliff held up a hand.

"Let me," he told you quietly. "I think I know a thing or two about what might be bothering him."

You stayed put as Cliff followed Baxter outside. Catching a glimpse of them through the window, you saw them begin a conversation.

"Mommy, will you play too?"

"Of course."

As the four of you played -- the seven of you, once Xavier and your moms finished up in the kitchen -- you kept an eye on the window. You saw Baxter wipe at his eyes a few times but since Cliff had such an earnest expression on his face, you decided not to interrupt them.

Once you glanced over and saw them hugging, Cliff clapping a hand on Baxter's back and smiling.

"Oh great, Dad adopted another kid," Cove quipped, coming up beside you.

Soon after, they came back inside, and not long after that, you decided to leave -- it was almost Penny's bedtime, a fact made apparent when she fell asleep before you left the neighborhood.

"You OK?" you asked when you were sure she was out.

"I am," he replied, once again putting his hand in your lap.

"What did you and Cliff talk about?"

He considered the question for a moment, then said, "He talked to me about being a father."

You waited for him to elaborate, and eventually he did.

"I believe you've noticed that I've still been feeling guilty about Penny's accident," he began, his eyes focusing on the road but his hand gripping yours tighter. "Cliff told me he felt the same way when Cove broke his arm. That he'd always felt so protective over him from the moment he was born, and how that's never gone away, even now. And how ... devastating it can feel when you fail in protecting your child."

You wanted to cut in, to tell him again that what had happened wasn't his fault, but you felt he was in the middle of something important and you decided against interrupting.

"I'm sure it also won't come as a surprise for you to hear that I've often worried about being a father ... that I'd fail," he continued, his voice quieter. "I never had a great role model for that, you understand. I've read all the baby books, all the parentings books I could find, but there's only so much the written word can express when it comes to matters like these."

He glanced at Penny in the rearview mirror and said, "I love her more than life itself. I would die for her with no hesitation. I fully plan on dedicated the rest of my days to making sure she and you have everything you ever want or need. But I ... I do sometimes fear I'm not good enough. That's what Cliff talked to me about."

"Did he help?" you asked.

"He did."

"Good."

The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence, his hand in yours. You could write books about how good Baxter was, and you definitely never let him forget that you thought he was the most amazing man in the world, but sometimes when he got like this, it was best to let things sit for a bit before singing his praises.

When you got home, you climbed out of the car as quietly as possible, and Baxter unbuckled Penny, trying his best not to wake her. You unlocked the door and held it up while he carried her inside, and she didn't wake up until he laid her down.

"Daddy," she said sleepily, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly when he tried to let her go.

"You're in bed, sweetheart," he whispered, gently placing her arms at her sides and kissing her forehead. "Go back to sleep, we'll play in the morning.

"I love you is all," she said before cozying up under her blankets and shutting her eyes again.

Baxter turned around again, smiling ear to ear. You both left your daughter's room, shutting the door softly behind you.

When you were in the hall, he wrapped his arms tightly around you, pulling you in close and giving you a long, deep kiss.

"What was that for?" you asked when he pulled back a bit.

"I love you is all," he answered, resting his forehead against yours.

[soporificlily]

I can't sleep and my mind is plagued by elden ring lore...

so....

(very long)

(i think) Marika ascended to godhood in an attempt to save her people, but she became imprisoned by this divinity and lost her own indivuality and free will under the command of the.. what's it called ugh- the the the space gods or whatever. and so she shattered the elden ring in protest or in an attempt to escape or something?? and where did radagon come from? why is this kind of splitting into two from one happen? Trina splits off from Miquella, as Radagon came from Marika. But why?

Also why was Godfrey and those who became Tarnished stripped of their grace? why would they be banished from their home? did they commit some sort of blasphemy against the Erdtree/Golden Order/Fingers or whatever? why were they called back?

Did Marika manage to extend grace back to the Tarnished with the purpose of using us to free her from her divine prison? Why else would a literal god have us come back to the land we were banished from with the purpose of becoming Elden Lord, which requires us to collect all the runes to put the Elden Ring back together, which in turn necessitates the killing of all of Marika's children. She must have known that they wouldn't just give up the runes willingly. Why is Radagon the one fighting us? Was he created by the Outer Gods that sent the Elden Beast as a counter for Marika's rebellion?

aaaaaaaaah

also, Ranni! Why did she kill Godwyn? I assume she cast off her Empyrean body to free herself from the divine responsibilities that came with it. The predestination of sorts to continue the Order's will. She wanted to be free to do what she felt was right. To give the people of all lands the freedom to live their lives free of the influence from divine beings. As far as I understand. But why did this path require the death of her half-brother? I saw someone's theory being that she had to kill him because he'd be her consort, but... idk I can't remember all the details. I guess maybe he wouldn't go along with her plan. but if she killed her physical body anyway then why would Godwyn being alive matter?

AND WHY DID GODWYN BECOME A FISH?

what is the connection between death and fishness?

I mean, not literally a fish but... he grew a fish tail. or like, a merman tail. and his face got all weird and he has blowholes. like a whale or dolphin. he became some abomination that spread to all corners of the Lands Between. Why tho? he's so big too. like physically.

maybe other fans of the game will think these questions have obvious answers. maybe I could think about it a bit more. maybe it's late and these thoughts are tormenting my mind like a cyclone ravaging the landscape of my thoughts, throwing everything in all directions.

I just love this game so much, and my partner is trying to sleep and I'm just feeling chatty and wanna ramble but she wants eep. she knows nothing of elden ring. maybe I know too much. I know so much yet so little.

How did Marika even have children? was she allowed to leave the weird pocket dimension inside the Erdtree at some point?

maybe she could still feel love.

or was it just a matter of maintaining a lineage or uhh yk how royalty would have kids just to have heirs to the throne. Maybe she was influenced into having kids so that whatever outer will or whatever could maintain and secure it's control over the Lands Between and the Elden Ring.

why is the elden ring even able to be destroyed. I guess would there ever be a need to pluck a rune out of it? change the rules of reality a bit? it seems kind of... risky, to have divinity and control over reality/the world/all of life somewhere in the material world where potentially anyone who was determined and skilled enough could reach it and enact their own will upon it. yk, how we can have different endings based on the allies we make. It's like, okay, here's god and I can just kill all of her children, and then her, and set fire to all that is holy in order to put together this all-powerful artifact that can then change the future of literally everyone and nature itself to whatever I want.

I want everyone to burn down and *incinerate all that divides and distinguishes*, ultimately returning everything and everyone to a singular matter, that being some sort of idk ashes? hot, melty thing? or I can just idk, help this witch take away all magic and divinity from the Lands for like a thousand years? orrrrr continue the Golden Order and just kind of return things to how they were before the Shattering. or whatever the other endings are. Something with Those Who Live in Death. I only did that ending once. oh and how about cursing everyone and their kids to become abominations who live tortured existences for all of eternity? cuz why not I guess.

what even is the frenzied flame and where did it come from? three fingers as opposed to two, wha-

(also, no thoughts of SOTE because haven't played it yet) (no monies)

okay, maybe I should stop now.

I'm shutting up.

Goodnight !

[teriwrites]

Below: 'On the Run'

My Live Reactions to Reading Through My 2011 Novel, pt. 5

"My name is Raevin," the girl who had helped us smiled, and offered us a couple hotdogs each.' that's the FIRST LINE for this convergence

Nick's two personality traits: always talking, always eating

'It was like heaven, sitting in front of a fire with a couple bags of hotdogs.' BAGS??? how is Raevin storing these?? Where did she get them?? Was she carrying them the whole time????

"He's trying to make an army," Raevin explained. "He wants to take out the U.S. government and end up taking over the world. You know the typical villain thing." typical villain thing, of course!

Was there a time jump?? Why is Kristen acting like she's always been on the run???

Raevin: I keep my second power a super secret

Also Raevin: oh btw here's my second power, teens I literally just met

(Her superpower is traveling back and forth along her own timeline)

Lea claiming she only has one power, despite just having seemingly healed Nick's ankle like two chapters ago

Cop randomly generates in this middle-of-nowhere field, immediately gets Wrecked by a gaggle of malnourished, mistreated kids, aka early glimmerings of ACAB!Teri

"I hear Auburn's one of the biggest, if not the biggest city in Alabama." It ranked 9th in 2011

"The police there are clueless people that just wanted to get decent paying jobs and availability to guns." ACAB!Teri strikes again

'Raevin swiveled her head back towards us. "I once thought he was the strongest, bravest man ever. When I was five that changed." i caaaaan't lmao

'Mr. J could probably make a fish want to be his dinner.' fish have come up exactly 1 time in this whole conversation. it's in this sentence.

Raevin's first childhood best friend broke his ankle, got mauled by a loose bear, and Mr. J's mercy killing him is what traumatized her the most

Clearly, the best and easiest way to travel across the state is to pretend you're a part of a circus so you can disguise your 16-year-old new friend in so much heavy clown makeup that he can pass off as 25 and rent a car for the 14-year-old you've just met to drive all of you down the interstate. This is entirely logical and will work perfectly

There's a store in this small town called the 'Happy Clown Store'

The other teens: asking genuine questions about how Ben doesn't have a license or any paperwork denoting him being 25 Raevin: "That's where my old pal Gina comes in. She's excellent at forgery, and it barely costs a penny. You see, because it costs so much, she's causing a monopoly in the area. That way, she gets a lot of money for very little work." (if anyone can make literally any sense of that, Please let me know)

"Okay, so that's three laws broken so far," I counted off on my fingers. "Let's see, we've attacked guards, attacked people, and attacked a police officer. Now we're going for our fourth: forgery. I bet we can break twenty laws before the month is over." that's absolutely how laws work, Kristen, great job

Why is the most comprehensive dialogue all coming from the antagonist?

'Bill got to his feet and crouched over, brushing the dirt off his knees. It took him several minutes to catch his breathe again.' i hate it when i can't catch my breathe

"Sir, is that what all this is about? This is all about getting the dreamer?" Bill asked. Mr. J turned to him and dropped his binoculars, which fell onto his chest. "What else would this be about stupid?" Mr. J demanded. "We've been looking for a dreamer for years. Why should we give up the dream now? How could you even think that we're going to give up just because the dreamer is a young child? Young child or not, this dreamer could finish our army. We would march into the government and take control. After the USA's ours, we could quickly move on to take over other countries. We could be world rulers Bill, with that dreamer! And without her... we would be just like every other villain and we would be made fools of." No good speaker could argue with that speech, much less Bill. (I take it back about the comprehensive dialogue)

Okay apparently it's been several days since they left??

Introduction to another one of Mr. J's cronies: Trinity

(I thought Trinity was the one they were trying to extract in the first place, and I thought she was Bill's fiance whoops)

Trinity seems to have mind reading powers, too?? Also she's 19, which means she was intended to be like 27 lol

IS MR. J FLIRTING WITH A 19-YEAR-OLD

Okay I don't think he is but fucking Yikes on Bikes if that's where this goes

Still acting like Auburn is some huge city (Auburn had a population of about 55K at the time)

Referencing the smaller city of Decatur as a pit stop (Decatur was the larger city at the time of writing this)

Raevin's forger friend 'Gina' apparently is now named 'Amy', with no explanation

'He didn't remember any of his friends anymore, but he did, however, remember the taste of fast food.' honestly, Nick, I get it

He was in the compound for Five Years

"Thank goodness I stole all that money from the bank." After catching our widening stares, Raevin added, "Just kidding. I've been saving up so that I could leave Mr. J ever since I was five." phew! also what kind of money is a five year old making??

'No news is good news right? Well, that's how it felt right now. Unfortunately, we had a lot of news coming our way at the moment.' pfft

'My stomach gurgled for about half an hour, but then I fell asleep. It's kind of hard to hear a stomach's growling if you're asleep.' pfft pfft

Finally a little tension between Raevin and Kristen, as Raevin naturally leads them around and Kristen struggles to give up control

'I guess she didn't think I was capable of anger.' honey, nobody doubts that you're capable of anger

They decide to break into a hotel and realize that they can't pick the locks into a room. Because the locks are electronic. So they steal pillows and blankets from the front desk and decide to sleep in the hallway.

There is no backlash for this. It goes off perfectly.

'My view of Raevin kept getting more and more twisted and tied in knots. She seemed like a nice girl, but then she suddenly turns all brilliant criminal. I didn't know what to think of her.' well that's too bad, because personally, i love her and think she's never done anything wrong

'I dreamed of a beach I could vacation on, even if Auburn was in Alabama.' Kristen(/Teri), there are beaches in Alabama... it borders the Gulf of Mexico...

Lea wasn't stolen from her parents, her parents gave her away! Yikes bro

'It took me a couple of hours to get comfortable enough to sleep. It was almost like it was too comfortable for me to be comfortable.' bro that's such a real thing though

"I guess that I was a bit of a flirt back then. It's hard to even imagine being like I used to be. I got in trouble because of this one boy who was obsessing over me. I got into so much trouble because of some stupid idiots back then." Ben snorted into his pillow. "You were a flirt?" he smirked. "I can barely imagine you thirteen, much less a flirt. All I see is Kristen who is always getting angry at people who get in her way. You'd make a fine villain for a story you know." (you didn't get in trouble because that boy had a crush on you, you got in trouble for breaking his brain for liking you! also honestly Ben summed it up pretty well lol)

Nicole (Kristen's cousin) POV!

'At first sight, most people would have thought she was a regular girl who got caught in the middle of things. On the contrary, she was a girl who made other people get into the middle of things.' love that for her

A QUARTER of the inmates in this prison are 'in here because of her'?????

How??????

'Everyone she had ever held a grudge against was in here, even when she had been a very small child.' honestly go off evil little queen

Either Nicole has made a Lot of superpowered enemies, or this implies there are Tons of people in this prison who don't even have superpowers at all, which is honestly an interesting take

Oh, super chill, her superpower is to REMOVE HER SOUL FROM HER BODY

She's just casually waltzing around the entire prison compound, watching the scientists freak out about the breakout

Apparently she hates Kristen and wants to bring her back

Heavy implication that she's the reason Kristen was brought in in the first place????

Immediate cut away to Trinity/Mr. J/Bill

"How much longer until it is the right time [to unveil your plan]?" Trinity asked coldly. "I'm guessing about a million years. You'll still be around won't you?" go oooooff, she's been with Mr. J for like one day and is already sick of his shit

They're sitting on a hillside overlooking a city/town of over 50,000 people and Mr. J's upset that he hasn't spotted 5 specific people yet

And we end the chapter with the three - no Martha in sight anymore ig - overlooking Decatur, trying to figure out where our main cast has holed up

Ending Thoughts

Wow. Well, we've definitely come to the part of the story where I think the threads of the plot are loosening a little bit. Random time jumps, setting jumps, characters appearing and leaving and being renamed mid-chapter. I don't think I have too much to say about this chapter. Nicole's snippet was a bit of a surprise, I thought her role factored more into the second book (which I did start, but never got through). I also forgot that she's kind of another antagonist, but I think her role was always more in the gray between the two. I guess we'll find out! Also, Trinity is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Her absolute no-nonsense takes on Mr. J's ridiculously cartoonish view of world domination are a 10/10 Also also! Raevin is reading as way less of a dark horse than I remembered. She's just kind of a classic 'teen with a dark backstory', but otherwise she seems to be less of a loner and more of a chill figure than I was expecting, which is really cool! Kristen's still nuts, ofc, but I do love her for that

[born-to-riot]

My precious gremlin, what a change it would be for you to shackle me instead! Your yappage does indeed spark joy, so I’m looking forward to the reveal and you can have me any way you want me!

Your taste in pairings are very much aligned with my own. Thank you for spilling them all out for me, it does wonders in helping me flesh out a piece that you will enjoy this solstice.

1. My characters are sluts, so I enjoy a wide range of ships, but none of them will find an easy journey to their happy ending. Azriel/Cassian, Azriel/Eris/Cassian, Azriel/Lucien, Azriel/Lucien/Elain, Azriel/Helion, Eris/Tamlin, Eris/Nesta, Eris & Elain, Helion/Lady of Autumn, Helion/everyone everywhere all at once, Lucien/Elain, Lucien/Vassa/Jurian, Elain/Band of Exiles, Lucien/Rhysand, Lucien/Tamlin, Lucien/Andras, Lucien/Tamlin/Andras, Tamlin/Rhysand, Feyre/Tamlin/Rhysand, and Lucien/happiness will all scratch an itch for me.

2. I have NOT listened to EPIC the Musical, though I assume you would highly recommend it. I’ll look it up so that I can really know what you like. What do you enjoy about it?

3. I love writing enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, happily never after, sad smut, pining, hurt/comfort, secret mating bond, unwanted mating bond, jealousy, possessiveness, protectiveness, and whump.

4. I would need to have Lucien with me if I were stranded on a deserted island. We could hunt, fish, forage, and fuck. He’d be able to provide fire and light in the dark, and he can heal. He’s a survivor.

From my understanding, you would agree with me on my answers. We are definitely a match made by the Mother (thank you, mods)!

-🎅🏼

hello my delicious Santa! I have to say your message came at a perfect time, it brought light into my day, brought wind into my sails, and brought wetness to my folds (jk... unless) (jkjk don't take me seriously) (but...you did say I could have you any way I wanted you) (ok now I'll move on)

While we've not yet had much time together, I've already decided I would ride or die for you based on pure vibes alone

I'm sure I would enjoy anything you have in mind, to be honest, I can't wait to see what your evil genius lends you! (TBH I'm surprised you've made sense of anything I have said as I have no idea what I want so kudos for that)

NOW YAYYYYY you answered my questions (which thanks for doing, you didn't have to). I tried not to ask anything damning because tbh I love a good surprise. Also you're doing a great job as I literally have no idea who you are (BUT I LOVE YOU)

oh right your answers to my questions

I love how wide your range is, faes are immortal of course they are sluts. I'll have to ask you after the reveal to rec me some pics as I admit I haven't ventured too far outside of Azris (I just LOVE them so much). Also what good is a story without any pain (don't get me wrong fluff is GREAT) but when you have characters that are so damaged and complex, there's part of me that likes to watch them break and build back up stronger. true love isn't easy

also HELION EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is the most VALID SHIP IVE EVER SEEN

2. I do recommend it. I am and have always been a mythology fan (thank the anaeid, the oddesy, rick riordan and 6th-8th grade latin class) (fun fact: I am terrible at spelling and my autocorrect hates me). EPIC is a musical detailing a version of events of Odysseus' journey back home after the Trojan war (I think) (basically it's a musical version of the Odyssey). AND THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD, I just love the continuity with obvious themes (such as ruthlessness is mercy, sometimes you have to be cruel for the greater good, etc) and the underlying musical motifs (each character is represented by their own instrument, with the gods and monsters/magical beings having a more electronic sound compared to mortals) and ITS CONSISTENT. so long story short, if you like mythology and good music ID HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I also am by no means an expert on this musical as I have discovered it only a little over a month ago but it's just GOOD. Basically, I find details and continuity sexy.

3. I see by all your writing preferences that our TASTES OUR QUITE SIMILAR. Incase you couldn't tell, I have ADHD and so specifically the secret mating bond and happily never after made me thing of this one idea for a Beron/helion fic I wrote down a while ago. I don't think I'll ever write it but I figure I might as well share the idea with you since you seem to enjoy that type of thing: Okay so what if Beron and Helion were mates once upon a time and they never accepted the bond because of duties or something (I mean we thought Beron was bad imagine Beron’s father) but the two still did stuff right but then they love each other but they don’t enough to run away from their imminent duties as heirs so they don’t outright reject it until one of them is about to become heir right (I know the magic doesn’t work like that like they wouldn’t be able to tell but maybe it’s during a war and they’re like there’s a possibility that one of their fathers would die blah blah blah so they do it then and they can let the pain of rejection fuel their fighting in the war) and do then Beron becomes high lord and eventually Helion becomes high lord (we’re ignoring the age thjn) but then beron gets engaged to the lady of Autumn (political marriage) and like Helion and Beron meet up one last time the night before the wedding, bittersweet. But the day of the wedding, Helion is surprised because he feels another mating bond snap and when be looks at the altar he sees that it’s not to Beron but to his new wife. He is so thrown off and flooded with guilt but eventually Helion’s happy that the mother has given him another chance at love but he feels so guilty because what are the chances? And Beron? Oh poor guy he’s always smarter than people give him credit for and he knows Lucien isn’t his, he knows Helion’s features intimately, he misses them dearly and he grows bitter and hateful that his wife gets to be mates with the man he had to give up for his duty. In fact he’s so upset it drives him mad and cruel and that’s how he turns into a monster. And Helion hates him too, he hates the man that Beron has become because he knew that deep down inside there was once a good man in there and Helion had to live with the fact that it was definitely his fault in part that the evil part of Beron took over. I don’t think I’ll ever write this specific Helion/beron fic, but if I did I’d end with Helion thinking about how he hopes that once Beron passes the mother will forgive him and take away the rot in his soul planted by Helion. Maybe she would allow him to be the person he could have been, the person he would have been had Helion not fucked everything up.

idk, kind of tragic but the notion of "what makes Beron into Beron" is always a query I'm willing to ponder

4. FINALLY, question 4. LUCIEN IS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE (I know you asked me before about what other characters I'd like to be featured, so just so we're clear, LUCIEN IS WELCOME AND WANTED). I have to admit though, in regards to the deserted island, the slut in me wants Tarquin by my side. Though I'd go to Lucien's island as well

ANYWAY I feel like I've yapped long enough. Thank god my yap page brings you entertainment.

Always a pleasure to hear from you my devout Santa!

Look forward to next time!!!!

(hope you had fun with the questions)

[bedoballoons]

What's your favourite thing/moment about your anons?

Figured answering this one during new year's would be the best time, so let's have a little memory moment!!

Fairy anon: I honestly think you unanoning is one of my favourite moments, just because I was so excited to finally see your blog and I believe you were the last one I didn't know. I also loved hearing about your school life, talking about the drama and of course your how's everyone doing today's. Love you bunches!! <3

Donut cat: My favourite moment with you has to be when you first mentioned liking feet, I was so shocked and I could not stop laughing. You are so funny donut cat and of all the posts I've seen, you're the only one that's literally made me cry of laughter. Never change!

Sleepy anon: Fish.

(okay but fr, that has to be one of the best moments ever)

Broccoli anon: I can't really pick one specific moment because you've had alot of good ones so instead I'm just going to say that my favourite thing about you is how kind you are. How you always keep messaging in the server even if you don't always get answers. It keeps it alive and I think you for that <3

Mushroom anon: I loved seeing your phone case and how cracked it was, or when you showed me the mushrooms you found like you are such a unique person and I feel so lucky to have met you! I'm sorry you're no longer in the server, but please know you're always welcome to join again or just chat with us in private too

Fox anon: I know you're not here anymore, but my favourite thing about you was always how many asks you'd send in, even if I couldn't write every idea you had you'd send them in and I could read them, get inspired. Missing you greatly :(

Lucky anon: Not really sure where you went, but I already know my favourite moment with you was when you first started messaging in the server. You have such a sassy side and you weren't afraid to say some things, honestly hilarious. I hope you don't disappear forever :p

Ramen anon: Bro, I don't think we've ever been this close. This year has been so fucking full of ups, downs, super highs, and rock bottoms, but I wouldn't change a damn thing. I love you man <3

Bananon: My favourite moments with you bananon were the times I was telling you to get into horny jail. You'd always get away somehow, use donut cat as a escape or get clever with wording. I also really enjoyed calling with you too, it was alot of fun to talk!!

Starstruck anon: Obviously talking about your rom-com like life. I hope you're doing well with your date and that my post about autism helps you out! If you want more details or help you can ask away. (I'll do my very best to help you anyway can)

Sparkles anon*⁠.⁠✧: We haven't had a lot of moments so far, but I more then enjoyed meeting you and I can't wait to make some!! Think my favourite thing about you currently other then the fact you're so nice, is that you're different. You have no emojis, just emoticons.

Umbrella kitty anon: ☂️🐱 (Does umbrella kitty work for you?) I would say my favourite thing about you is how creative you are with ideas. Ive loved every request you've sent in and I eager to write more of them for you too!

Pancake anon: Where have you gone hmm 👀 Talking about Heizou...because we all know he's kinda...

Princess: I saved you for last hehe. I knew yours was gonna be a long one love, because I plan on answering both sides of this ask for you. My favourite thing about you is your smile and how you laugh when we are talking about stupid things. The little nose scrunch you make when you smile really wide.

As for favourite moment, maybe it's when we laughed so hard talking about nothing but bubble wrap or I jump scared you with my voice while you were playing Minecraft. It could also be when you accidentally burned our house down or when I first heard you voice. There's to many to choose from...

[quinloki]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a Touch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Could you be more specific, little girl."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Tell me your name."

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

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

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

I’m happy to hear about them all ^_^

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

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