#tumblr better not deep fry the quality again

[tis-i-bi-oxirito]

The Loyal (?) Knight and the Rogue (?) Sorcerer

[sir-dahlia]

Serial Designation J Redesign :D (note, this not me disrespecting Liam's design, this redesign was purely for fun)

i decided to make her a little fancier! i thought adding the jewel would help balance out the colour scheme a bit, but i think a light blue would be better???

i also added the murder drones logo to the back of her suit, since that would help differentiate her from regular drones a bit.

and yes i did change the hairstyle again in the bottom right expression comparison

(click/tap for better quality!) (thank you Tumblr for deep-frying the quality)

[netheritenugget]

how does one deep fry memes. it’s for scientific purposes

Ok so!  It’s actually really fun and pretty easy to do.

You can use almost any photo editing app, from Photoshop, to the built-in editing software of your phone.  But you must be able to do two things: one is that you must be able to "save as” or “export single layer”/“export as” an image as a .jpg file.  If possible use a program that allows you to dictate the quality of the copy, but if not, that’s ok.  You can work around it.  The other is the ability to apply filters/change the saturation and contrast of the image.

Here’s how I made the Technoblade meme (more or less):

(eyestrain images below the cut)

We start out here with an already low-quality, small .jpg screenshot.  But you can use any quality, size, and format of image as long as you save it as a .jpg file later.  It’s just easier to make .jpg artifacts pop on a smaller image than a bigger one, and that’s what we want.  Remember, quality is of the utmost importance, in that there will be none whatsoever once we’re done here.  It is at this point, before you start frying, you’ll want to made modifications like eye lasers, text, and emojis.  I’m not gonna add any because I can’t be assed.  Save the eye-bleeding color filters for the end, it’ll look better.

Onward!

↓ ↓ ↓

Once you have made your desired edits, just click the “save as” button and select “.jpg” from the file type options if they’re given.  You have made a copy.  Now take the copy and open it up in your editing software.  “Save as” again, and now you have a copy of a copy.  Repeat step 2 until your image starts accumulating an acceptable amount of jpg artifacts, which are those rainbow-y stripey squares and bars on the image.

If you actually know how to use a more complicated photo editing software (for example, Photoshop) check to see if it allows you to export files, it may also gives you the option to change a quality setting. I reccomend setting it to around 30%, that seems to be the magic number, and export a few generations of copies.  It takes fewer generations than “save as”-ing.

Next!   ↓ ↓ ↓

I posterized the image, and saved it as another .jpg copy.  If you do not know what posterization is or how to do it, you can skip this step, but I think it makes some of the colors look funnier and I like that.

Please remember that it may take many generations of copies before the image looks this degraded, if you’re using software that doesn’t allow you to control the level of compression (the shittiness) of your jpg images.

↓ ↓ ↓

Sharpening the image makes the jpg artifacts on the image more prominent.  Very helpful.  This is yet another copy.

↓ ↓ ↓

Now you make the image brighter and more colorful.  Slap a filter called “Vivid” or “Pop” or something on it, or adjust the brightness and saturation yourself.  Here’s where I had basically stopped, when I made the meme I posted.  It looks awful.

But we can go further beyond.

↓ ↓ ↓

Here I lowered the brightness of the image and upped the contrast.  Now it looks even worse (better).  But please note that while it does look more fried, it also loses details and other information that are useful in telling what it’s a picture of, such as the Technoblade’s IGN above his head.  So just be aware of information your image might lose when you’re mangling it.  Same goes for if you posterize it, Technoblade’s name could have been very easily lost by making it the same color as the background.

But I’d like to explain about how .jpg files actually work a little bit, because I feel it’s important as to why making copies of copies is important.

A .jpg file is a not a “lossless format”.  It is a format that is supposed to compress the file size of an image by sacrificing just a little bit of quality.  In other words, takes up less space on your computer but sometimes doesn’t look as nice as other formats.

But a smaller size is good, in some cases.  For websites and online media where loading speed is important, jpg files are usually used.  In fact, Tumblr converts any .png files (without transparent, see-through elements) uploaded to the site to .jpg files, to speed up how fast they load.  You may have heard the term “jpg artifact” before and know those are the rainbow squares in low-quality .jpg images, yes?  That’s the file compression.  Generally, if you’re making an image, you’d want to save an original or a copy you’re going to keep modifying as a .png (because .png files don’t decrease quality), and if you were to make lower quality copies that you probably won’t be editing directly, you’d save them as .jpg files.

So, imagine: what happens if you modify a .jpg in photo editing software, and then “save as” a .jpg that was already a .jpg?  Well you’ve just seen what happens: you get more jpg artifacts on top of the jpg artifacts that are already there, because the software can’t tell what is an artifact and isn’t.

That’s what tends to happen with memes that are edited and shared over and over again.  They are saved and re-saved as .jpg files because that’s the file type that tends to be favored/uploaded to the web on social media.  So the quality goes down over time the more it is shared.

And with a little tweaking, boom!  Deep fried meme.

That’s all I have to say!  If you want to stop further jpgification, you can always save the image as a .png file.  Tumblr will turn it into a jpg again anyway when you post it, but that’s out of your hands.

Happy frying!

[annakie]

Patchy

A little under two years ago I made this post, a chronicle of Patchy, the outside feral, turned inside kitty who took ten years to learn to love being petted.

Today we got some bad news.

TW for pet illness under the cut.

Patchy’s always been a bit of a puker, usually oh, say, once a month or so she’d have a good puke for no reason.  I’ve had other cats that are pukers so it’s not that surprising.

In the late winter/early spring I started to notice more frequent pukes.

I’d decided around that time that I needed to find healthier food for my cats, with Leela, the oldest turning 16, Fry turning 11, Pemily turning 7 and Patchy turning, I don’t know, 12 or 13.  No way to really know.  They already got decent food, but I did my research and had started looking at Blue Buffalo, American Journey and Dave’s canned food. 

Patchy had been on a mostly canned food diet since she went to the vet back in early 2020 and had a bunch of teeth pulled.  Also, as a note, Patchy’s brief flirtation with hanging out in the rest of the house ended after like a month.  She and Fry fought too much, and eventually he claimed the rest of the house is his.  He also still thinks the master bedroom should be his, but, Patchy defends that territory well if anyone else encroaches. (The door just stays closed most of the time.)  I really wish they could have all gotten along, I loved having Patchy out, but both Fry and Patchy agreed it wasn’t going to work.

The food she’d been on was pretty junk-food-ish though, which she did love and eat. But I wanted everyone on more or less the same diet and the highest quality food I could readily get them.  So I bought a lot of cans of different kinds of food, and kept a list of which ones seemed to be hits and misses. (I still have a dozen cans of the kind nobody liked -- Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon -- I’ve been meaning to take to the city shelter).

Around halfway into this experiment I noticed Patchy puking more, so I decided to try to stick with her favorite kinds, which, I thought was helping.

But once I was fully vaccinated this year, it was time to get all the pets to the vet.  I noticed Patchy had still lost some weight, I thought it was due to switching around her food too much earlier, and tried to stick with the things I felt she really liked.

Then, of course, Leela got sick, spent two and a half days in the pet ER and almost died back in April, and then it was like... yeah we’re done being afraid of COVID, we’re done waiting.  It’s time to get them all their checkups.

My regular vet was doing COVID restrictions so no pet owners inside the clinic back then, so they took Patchy (and the others) in without me.  I thought Patchy had lost some weight, but Dr. B. sounded alarmed when he called me with how much lost she’d lost in the last year, about five pounds.  He wanted to do some bloodwork for Patchy, and I said of course go for it.  

He called back, sounding much calmer and was like “her bloodwork couldn’t be more perfect.  Let’s try switching up her food, get her on some sensitive stomach food and let’s see how she’s doing in a couple weeks.”

So two weeks later it did seem like she was doing better, I called Dr. B back and he said to bring her back in a month.

It was my plan to take her back next week when I had some PTO coming.  I admit, later than planned... my last couple of months have been mucn more focused on Leela... who, thankfully, continues to thrive.  But feeling like my time with her is running out, she’s been my main area of concern.

The last few days though, Patchy has really not been eating well.  Sometimes she does OK, sometimes nothing at all.  And then puking every day.  I swapped her back even to a few cans of the Junk Food (Whiskas) I still had laying around.  She’d eat it... and then puke it up.  And also she... stopped sleeping with me.  I thought... well, it’s summer.  It’s probably too hot to cuddle.  But she stopped laying on the bed.  She stopped coming up for pets when I come to bed and hang out for awhile specifically to spend time with her and pet her.  She runs under the bed again when I come into the room.  It’s like we regressed to three or four years ago... just two weeks after our two year anniversary of getting to pet her.

So this afternoon we went to the vet.  Getting her into the carrier sucked.  I tried nice methods, then I had to scare her into the closet by running the vacuum, and then pretty roughly grab her.  I have scratches and a pretty deep bite on my thumb which either maybe hit a nerve or is infected, may have to go to the doctor for it tomorrow. (Yes, washed it thoroughly with soap as soon as I could.)  I also hated betraying her trust that badly, but it’s for her own good.  But it was rough.

Dr B. wasn’t working so I saw one of the other vets.  I liked him. Also COVID restrictions are gone so I got to go inside. But after talking to him for a few minutes, going over her history and what changes I’ve made, he spent a long time rubbing her intestines (Patchy was perfectly behaved, at least.)   Then he looked concerned.  Then he said let’s do an ultrasound.

A few minutes he came back in and showed me her scans. 

Lymphoma.

I was a bit stunned for a second so I missed a bit of the technical speak he said next, but it came down to the best thing we could do is give her some medicine that may buy her more time.  It doesn’t sound like Chemo or Operating is even really an option.  I’m going to call back tomorrow and see if Dr. B or the vet I talked to can talk me through it a little better now that I’ve had a chance to digest.

If I can get Patchy to take the medicine, and if she responds well to it... she may have 3 - 6 months left.

If she won’t take it, or if she doesn’t respond, it’s at this point, a matter of her comfort and quality of life.  So... weeks.  And I’m worried about getting her to take the medicine, especially since she won’t even come let me pet her and we just had a huge trust betrayal today. I don’t know if I could take her spending her last few weeks hating me, especially if the medicine doesn’t work.

The vet also told me that... I didn’t do anything wrong.  And we did the right thing six or so weeks ago by changing her food and seeing if a few other things worked. Especially with how good her blookwork looked.  He barely felt the cancer today, he said six weeks ago Dr. B wouldn’t have been able to feel it at all.  And for this particular type of lymphoma... there’s not a lot to be done, anyway.  That made me feel better, at least.

(As a really dumb side note, after I got her home, I sat down to eat dinner and watch an episode of Star Trek to take my mind off of all of this since I’d been crying since I found out, paid my bill, and drove home, stopping at a drive through so I didn’t have the mental load of cooking.  And I’m in the middle of my rewatch of Enterprise.  I bet any trekkies reading this can guess what episode was next in my rewatch because yep I’m in season two and A NIGHT IN SICKBAY started playing, of course, so obviously I NOPED THE FUCK OUT OF THAT EPISODE.  For the non-Trekkies.... the Captain has a dog on board, an adorable beagle, Porthos.  The dog gets sick and almost dies and spends his night in Sickbay.  He does pull through.  But the ONE episode centered around a beloved pet getting sick and almost dying... and that’s the episode that fate decreed I was supposed to watch tonight. I did not.  I don’t know if I can watch it anytime soon.)

So now for the next few weeks I will spend my time being grateful that Leela is alive and thriving and pray she keeps doing so -- I will continue to give her extra love and care and attention, and also I will need to do the same for Patchy.  I can’t even do it at the same time because Patchy will not come out here, and will not allow Leela in her room. 

I am low-key freaking out that there’s the possibility of the nightmare scenario happening to me again.  In winter 2016, after months of being sick, I woke up on Christmas morning and my 16-year-old cat Jim had died overnight.  It was terrible, and traumatic, and I had to deal with everything all alone because anyone who could support me was... well, it was Christmas morning and my family was all out of town, too.  Posting about it on Tumblr... actually really helped me, since it’s the only place I felt like I could talk about it.

That Christmas was on a Sunday.

Wednesday morning I woke up to hearing my dog, Cebu, moaning in pain.   I rushed him to the vet, but whatever happened overnight, it was too late, maybe there wasn’t anything we ever could have done even if I’d been awake when the puking started.  The vet said the kindest thing we could do was put him to sleep.  And we did.

Also I just, JUST now realized that the vet who helped put Cebu to sleep was the same vet who I saw today about Patchy.

But I lost two of my pets within 3 days of each other.  I was very lucky that my job let us have the week between Christmas and New Years off that year.  I had a few days to pull myself together, and I needed it.  It took months to recover totally, though.  Every once in awhile I think about that week and I still cry, though.  I miss them both so much and they both had deaths that were less than ideal.

I remember thinking then “I have like, five years of reprive.  Leela will be sixteen in five years, and that’s when I have to start to worry again, when I have to be ready to say goodbye again.”

I thought then that even after that I’d have two or three years until Patchy would leave me, and two or three years past that until Fry.  And then five more years with Pemily.

Right now I’m realizing that I will likely lose Patchy, very best case in six months, but possibly before July is over.

I need Leela to keep thriving.  I don’t know how I would handle losing another two so close together again.

Patchy is... she’s the one who chose me.  I chose my other cats.  Fry and Pemily I plucked from the backyard when they were tiny kittens and brought them inside.  They didn’t have a choice.  Leela I adopted from a rescue, she didn’t have a choice.  Patchy chose to stay.  She chose to stick around when she realized I’d feed her.  It took years but she learned to trust, she chose to come inside when it was cold, when it was hot, when it was storming, and when she was pregnant.  She chose me to help raise the last litter of kittens she’d ever had.  (My entire Rescue Kitties tag is full of adventures in finding, raising and usually adopting out strays. Lots and lots of posts about Patchy and her final litter.  Been awhile since I’ve done it, though.)

I used to joke that Patchy was my roommate, not a pet.  She ate, drank, did her business, and kept to herself for a long time.  Don’t get me wrong, she was a very good, quiet, considerate roommate and I loved her.  But it wasn’t until that wonderful day she let me pet her that I felt like she was my pet. 

I loved having her just hanging out living in the house since 2014, but the last two years especially have brought me such joy.  I’ve tried to never take Patchy’s trust in me for granted.  It was EARNED.  Every small step forward was a milestone to be celebrated. I worked for every bit of trust and love Patchy has given me, and have been rewarded.  And it was worth it.  Every minute.  Every long, patient year.

Even now I’m telling myself... without me, she would have died years ago.  Probably violently, or starved, maybe frozen to death.  Getting to die of cancer brought on by older age is not something that most feral cats ever get to do.  Getting to become an inside kitty where she’s loved, and comfortable for the second half of her life was something remarkable, brought on by her wiles and will to survive for so many years, bolstered by the food I left out for her.  She’s had this much time, this much life, this much comfort and love that she would have never had otherwise, and that’s something to be happy about.

I’ve watched dozens of ferals come and go through my neighborhood throughout the years.  I feed them, I work on seeing if I can get them to trust me enough to let me TNR them, but even those that I have, I don’t keep seeing for much longer.  There’s one right now, I jokingly call him Patchy’s Boyfriend.  He still won’t trust me and never has fallen for the trap when I’ve tried.  But he’s there most nights when I feed him around 11.  He’s getting terribly thin despite the quality food I leave out.  I’ll miss him.

But none of them were Patchy.  None of them became what she is to me. None of them survived long enough to adapt and decide to live another life.

Also?  I wouldn’t have Pemily without her.  Pemily is literally Patchy’s Granddaughter and that is one more thing I love Patchy for.

I feel guilty sometimes, both because I don’t spend nearly enough waking hours with her I feel, but I have three others who need me, as well. One who’s time is growing short, as well.  And they don’t get to sleep with me, she does.  What a joy it was all winter when I would wake up and she’d be sleeping on my chest.  I’d get a bit annoyed when she’d sleep with her backside to my face and her tail would tickle my face and wake me up.  I’m a side-sleeper half the night and she hated that it was harder to get comfortable on me that way.  She still doesn’t want to have my hand just stay on her, she wants pets and skirtches, no long-form touching.  That’s ok.  I sleep better with her weight on me.

I don’t know what the next few weeks or months will hold, but at least pet-wise, it’s going to be rough.  I’m going to wrap this up and give these three out here a good pet, then go hope Patchy comes and asks for love, too.  Tomorrow is one more day with all four of them, and for that, I’ll be grateful, for every remaining day.

[skaylanphear]

Cry of the Siren

Summary: Marinette considers herself a different sort of pirate, what with her having morals and a just cause. While Adrien doesn't much fit into the expectations his people have of mermaids such as himself. Backed into a corner by an arranged marriage, he leaves his home behind to brave the open sea, only for a dire injury to leave him stranded on human shores. And so when Marinette finds him and hauls him aboard her ship, he finds himself trapped in a world far removed from his own.

But perhaps the sea carried them together for a reason. Fate, after all, is never clear-cut, nor easily read.

Art by @salty-french-fry (sorry the quality is so bad--tumblr sucks. Hopefully we’ll have a better quality pic on AO3 in a few days)

Read on AO3

Chapter I

"Grandfather, when will mother and father be back?" Standing in the crooked doorway, the young girl frowned, her hands balled into fists around her dirtied skirts. Before her, a small man with salt and pepper hair and a finely-trimmed, pointed beard was observing a map, which was laid upon a thick, wooden table.

Turning his attention to the girl, he smiled. It was a warm smile, if not somewhat restrained, and was invitation enough for the young girl to approach him.

"They'll be back in due time, young Marinette," he assured, reaching out to her as he did. She took his hand when she met him, allowing him to pull her up into his lap. "Your mother is a very important woman and she has much to do."

"But what about Father?"

"Well, your father must help her."

Pooching her lips in a pout, Marinette twirled her finger inside the fastens upon her grandfather's jacket. "I would like to help too."

"And what help could you be?" he asked, smiling wider as he did. "You're only five years old."

"I'm seven!"

"Seven?! Why, I had no idea."

She cast him a rather flat look. "You're lying, grandfather."

"And why would I do that?"

"To distract me."

He chuckled. "You are still much too young to be of help to your mother."

"I can't understand why. I take care of you well enough."

He laughed again. "That you do."

Humming, she seemed to slump a bit in his hold, quite forlorn despite their cheery conversation.

"What does Mother do, when she and Father leave?"

The grandfather seemed to contemplate the question for some moments, seriousness overtaking his countenance. And though there was a certain degree hesitation in the way he pursed his lips, he ultimately gave in despite whatever objections were raised inside his thoughts.

Resituating Marinette upon his lap, he looked her in the eyes and was relieved to see the same steadiness in her expression that her mother had possessed at the same age.

"She has gone out to find that which we have lost," he started. "Our family line is special, do you know that?" Reaching out, he took Marinette's hand and flipped it palm-up, so he could run a gentle finger along the visible veins of her wrist. "And our blood is the key."

"Our blood?"

"A long, long time ago, one of our ancestors came upon a magic jewel. And inside that jewel was the very power that created the entire world. But there was also a spirit, and that spirit was afraid of what would happen if her power fell into the wrong hands. Sensing that our ancestor was of pure heart and mind, she tied herself to her, and through her, all her children and their children's children. All the way down to us. And because this spirit was the most powerful of them all, other spirits soon gathered to her, granting power to our ancestors and any who they deemed worthy. But!" He held up a knowing finger. "Soon, other people started to hear about these powers, and they wanted it for themselves. Afraid of what would happen, our ancestor gathered all the spirits together, swearing to hide them away and protect them."

"A guardian," Marinette replied. "Like you. And Mother."

"Yes. But the jewels—the spirits—couldn't stay hidden forever, and some of them have been lost. By the time the magic box that hid them was passed down to me, only nine of the jewels remained. But they were some of the most powerful, and I knew that if I didn't keep them safe, they'd fall into the wrong hands. So your mother and I—when she was yet younger than you—took a boat all the way from China and around the world, to a place where we could live safely with the jewels.

"But greed exists all over the world, though I tried to fight it. The jewels were stolen, and so now we must find them all, before someone uses them to do great evil."

"So Mother is looking for these jewels?"

"She is. She must."

"How does she know where to look?"

He smiled. "Because of our connection to the most powerful jewel. You can't feel it now, but when you're older, you'll learn how to sense that connection as well."

"I will?"

"Yes. As is your mother's responsibility, and as it is mine—and as it was all our ancestors before us—you must learn to use your abilities to find the jewels, to guard them, and to only use their power when wrongs must be righted and justice served."

"And then I'll be able to go with Mother and Father?"

He smiled. "Yes, I would certainly think so. It's in your blood, Marinette. You are a guardian, and so you must never rest—not until all the miraculouses have been found.

"That, my child, is your destiny."

Gasping, Marinette surged up in bed. Breathing heavily, she blinked against the thick weight yet lingering in the back of her head, the dream—or memory—seeming to shift away as swiftly as it had come. Yet, even as the exact images and words faded, the general purpose remained. Like a brand yet hot upon her flesh, she could feel the echoes of it all up and down her body. All the way down to her bones.

She would not be able to return to sleep, not this night. Blinking a few more times, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness before she tossed her blanket aside and threw her legs over the edge of her bed. Clad in only her loose-fitting linen shirt, she toed forward to the table in the center of her quarters, retrieving the breeches hung over the back of a chair before slipping them on. Tucking her shirt clumsily inside the band, she barely bothered to tighten them before stuffing her feet in her worn leather boots and marching out the door.

Accustomed to the layout of the brig and the motion of the sea, she quickly made her way through the dark. Just down the main deck, before rounding the stairs and heading up into the chilly night.

Salty sea air assaulted her full force, but she was so accustomed to it after years at sea that she hardly registered the feeling. Ignoring how the wind tossed her hair about, she headed across the upper deck to the stairs that led up to the forecastle. Once there, she headed to the upper right side, to the thick, wooden banister lining the bow of the brig. Leaning out, she took a deep breath of the salty air and closed her eyes.

The feelings inspired by her dream yet lingered, but they were fading fast. So fast that she feared she would be unable to dissect them. But such a thing was not unheard of, despite it causing her some annoyance. Though she had worn the ladybug earrings for 'years now, her connection to the miraculouses as a whole waned in and out, much as the tide did.

It was her job to make the most of whatever she happened to sense, no matter the time of day or night.

"Captain?" The voice had her popping her eyes open again, turning her head over her shoulder. There stood Alya, her best friend and quartermaster of the brig. "Is everything alright?"

Turning back to the sea, Marinette pursed her lips. "Someone has come across a miraculous. Two, I think, based on the heaviness of my dreams."

Alya came up beside her, crossing her arms over her chest as she frowned. "Then someone has beat us to them."

"We didn't have any leads," Marinette said, doing her best to hide her bitterness. "It was only a matter of time."

"Perhaps they will become known to us, then," Alya reasoned. "Much as Luka did. The miraculouses are drawn to each other, are they not? To you?"

"Drawn in, yes, but to what end we can't know." Sighing, Marinette stepped back from the banister. "We will have to keep a keen eye out—there's no way of knowing whose hands these miraculouses have fallen into, or in what… manner… they may make themselves known to us."

"You think it could be that Hawkmoth has found them?"

Pursing her lips, Marinette turned her attention back to the sea. "Let us hope that is not the case, else we will find ourselves at a grave disadvantage."

One that could prove near impossible to overcome.

oOo

Adrien was bored. Which wasn't really new, per se, but it was certainly tiresome. He knew he had a responsibility—stay inside, primp his appearance, don't get hurt. All these things would guarantee an advantageous mating. He was lucky, after all, to be as blessed with such beauty, much as his mother had been. He'd create beautiful children, no doubt, and his privileged upbringing would make him a doting father and a quiet, obedient partner.

"Blah, blah, blah," Adrien muttered, slowly sinking down in front of his full-length mirror. His qualifications for being a good mate seemed to run continuously through his head these days, but not because he had any interest in thinking about them. Alas, everyone he knew seemed to be reminding him, excited about the fact that he'd reached mating age and would soon be leaving for a new home with his future wife.

He had to be careful not to let his tail get dingy, and keep his fins sparkling at all times. He should wear more jewelry, to draw attention to himself when he was out in public. The more notice he drew, the more potential mates he'd have interested in him at the ceremony.

"Maybe I don't want a mate," he muttered, looking his reflection up and down as he did.

Aside from being male, he did indeed look very much like his mother. Soft blonde hair, bright green eyes. He was stronger than she had been, despite everyone constantly chiding him for being active when he should have been prioritizing a thin, smooth physique. Yet, his father had never stopped him taking up physical activities, so long as he'd remained within their home when he'd practiced them. He had a few more muscles where most didn't as a result, which made him a little less "desirable."

His tail and fins more than made up for that, however. Long and of a vibrant green that matched his eyes, his tail was the longest of any other siren—or long-fin—his age, while his bright, yellow fins shimmered in much the same way golden jewelry did in the water. His tail fins were dual layered and fanned out generously when he bothered to go to the effort, as could the two sets of pelvic fins that flared around his hips and the single set of fibular fins sprouting out beneath them. The bright yellow did fade to dark green at the very edges, but the dual color-scheme only made him "all the prettier."

Truth be told, however, Adrien didn't much care that he was considered the prettiest siren of his generation. Or that his quiet demeanor was one of the main personality traits people talked about.

He didn't hate that he was a siren, but he didn't enjoy it either. Sometimes—like that very evening—he'd find himself staring in the mirror, wanting nothing more than to reach down and rip his pelvic fins right off his body with his claws. Maybe shred his tail fins even. It'd be painful, sure, but if he was marred and scarred, no one would want him. He wouldn't have to worry about how dirty he got or how much jewelry he wore or if he had enough suitors. He could be like the plain sirens that married lower class merrows—short-fins. His mating ceremony wouldn't be a big deal and there wouldn't be any worry about offers being made because he'd be more worried about not having any.

As it was, he'd likely have too many, and he'd ultimately have to pick one of them.

"What are you groaning about now?" It was Plagg who asked. He was some kind of tiny, demon-like creature that claimed to be a "kwami." Adrien didn't know what a kwami was, but supposed they must all be small creatures with disproportionately large heads.

Plagg claimed that he resembled what humans called a "cat," but as Adrien had never seen a cat, he couldn't much relate.

The kwami had appeared from a ring Adrien had found, and that he now wore at all times.

"It's my mating ceremony tomorrow," he explained, sinking fully down onto the ground. Laying atop the cold stone, he twisted his tail around his body and glared side-ways at his own reflection.

"What's that?" Plagg asked, swimming up so he could stare directly down into Adrien's eyes. It was a regular thing, Plagg invading Adrien's space.

Not that he minded.

"I'm eighteen now," he said, turning so he could stare blankly up at the domed ceiling of his bedroom. "It means I'm old enough to be mated. And because my father is so highly regarded, it's important that I pick someone suited to my status."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Plagg decided. "I bet there'll be plenty of girls with fins prettier than yours just dying to get with you."

Adrien cast the black kwami a curious look. "Doubtful. Why would another siren be allowed to mate with me?"

"Is that not how it works?"

Adrien curled his nose. "No. I'll be paraded around like some… pretty trinket. All the female merrows will be swarming just to get a look at me, and I'll have to smile and pretend like I'm enjoying it."

"Wait, so…" Plagg twitched his head to the side thoughtfully, "it doesn't matter that you're a boy?"

"Why would me being a boy have anything to do with it?"

"That's just how humans are," Plagg explained, shrugging his tiny shoulders as he did. "It's their women that have to look pretty and pristine in order to be married off."

Adrien scowled. "Boy or girl doesn't matter. I'm a siren—a long-fin; a soft-fin. It's in the title—I'm soft. And pretty. And delicate. And demure. A fine prize for some warrior female to keep tucked away in her home to care for her eggs and prepare meals and, ugh, just… be bored for the rest of my life." Except when his wife was there, because he'd be expected to serve her and do as she said and submit himself both body and mind.

He didn't want to submit himself. He was…

Afraid.

"Huh, okay. I guess I get it," Plagg replied. "Well, can't you just refuse anyone you don't like?"

"No," Adrien muttered. "My father has already received three letters of purpose from upstanding families whose daughters are interested. They're all in line to be future mertriarchs. One of them might even end up leading the whole clan. It's a great 'honor' that such important merrows would be interested in me. It's because I'm so 'beautiful.' The perfect ornament for someone's home. If I refuse them all, it'll come off like I'm some stuck-up brat, which will diminish my prospects and could even hurt my father's reputation."

"Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place, kid."

"I don't want to be mated…" What if he ended up with a wife that, while wealthy, was… cruel? He knew it happened, even if it wasn't much talked about. Sirens were expected to mind their mates. His wife would have the legal right to hurt him, even kill him if she so wanted. His life didn't mean anything more than the value of how pretty he could look beside her. And the number of both strong and beautiful babies he could provide.

Some sirens hardly ever left the home because they were constantly incubating eggs. Some weren't allowed to leave even if they weren't.

He'd be expected to consummate their union after he chose a mate. By doing so, he officially became his wife's responsibility. Her property. He'd be marked by her for life, both societally and physically.

Just like his mother had become his father's property.

And if he refused a mate, he'd inevitably end up homeless. When his father died, all his assets would go to the closest living merrow in their family, and Adrien would have nowhere safe to go.

"But you don't have a choice," Plagg determined.

"No, not really," Adrien agreed. Pushing himself up off the ground, he glided up through the water to his pod, which was nestled in the upper corner of the room. Curling up inside of it, he set his focus on the thin windows on the opposite side of the room, which gave him a view of the city beyond. It glittered this late in the evening, aglow with the hazy blue light of blooming crystals.

"You must have some freedom," Plagg said as he swam up beside him. "You found me in that ship wreck."

"Sneaking out in the middle of the night once every few weeks isn't freedom."

"True…"

Popping his lips, Adrien created a small bubble, which he then used his finger to carefully push up toward the top lip of his pod. The pod itself curled around and above him, creating a soft sort of indent where he'd been gathering bubbles for some time. While archaic in modern day, sirens had once created attractive bubble nests in order to draw in mates. Adrien was expected to be good at the skill despite its uselessness, and so he'd been creating a patch of bubbles all his own for about a weak.

Well, longer than that, really, but every few days he got frustrated at the sight and destroyed them all.

"You're going out later tonight, right?" Plagg asked.

"I want to." It could be the last night he'd ever get to leave the city. His father was oftentimes away on "business," and so it was his assistant Nathalie—another short-finned merrow—that was tasked with keeping watch over him. But merrows weren't exactly known for their child rearing abilities. So long as Adrien minded his business, she didn't much care what he was doing. Which made it easy to sneak out once he'd pretended to go to bed.

His father was home as of that night, which made the whole ordeal riskier. Yet, given the circumstances, it seemed a risk worth taking.

Just a little longer and he'd head out. It'd be strange seeing a siren out alone this late at night, so he had to wait until most of the mer-folk in the nearby homes had retired to bed. But once out of the house, it didn't take him long to reach the outskirts of the city. His father being a recluse that didn't like to be near too many others had some advantages in that respect.

"Do you… plan on taking Pollen and I to the surface?" Plagg asked.

Adrien frowned. "I told you, I've never been to the surface."

"But if you're mated, you might never get the chance again."

A reminder that Adrien didn't appreciate. He hadn't known Plagg long—he'd only found the ring that housed the kwami about a month beforehand—but he'd become somewhat protective of his secret treasure. He didn't want to give up his miraculous, even if it wasn't really meant for him to have.

"Listen, kid, I don't mind being down here," Plagg continued. "Aside from the fact that you don't have cheese, I can't really complain. But fact is, we don't belong down here. We weren't created for mer-folk."

"I know…"

"I like you, Adrien, and it's nice not having to worry about… all the things I'm supposed to be worrying about. But if I don't get back to the surface, the whole of the human world could be turned upside-down."

Adrien managed a small grin. "We'd never know down here."

"While I appreciate that sentiment, my partner would have a different take on the matter."

"Your partner, huh? Who's that?"

"Don't change the subject."

Adrien sighed. "I'll try, I guess. But… like I said, I've never been to the surface. We're not supposed to. It's dangerous."

"I didn't think you were the type that'd balk at the idea of danger."

Adrien cast him a flat look, before deciding they'd waited long enough. "C'mon," he said, beckoning to the little kwami as he swam toward the top of his bedroom. "Chloe won't wait forever."

It wasn't exactly hard to sneak out of his room. It was expected that he'd never do such a thing, so it wasn't as though he'd ever been locked in. All he had to do was shift the cover to his sunning window aside—a large, circular opening that usually had a smooth slab of stone fitted inside it—and swim out.

It took him less than a minute to do so, his tail curling close to his body as he slid the stone back into place. He wanted to keep as low a profile as possible, knowing his bright colors could catch even the dim light of the blooming crystals and give him away.

Securing the stone in place, he was soon slinking down the back side of his father's multi-teared mansion, it's many rounded, stone roofs providing him adequate cover as he ducked in and out of the shadows. A few of the windows were aglow with crystals—namely his father's study—and so he actively avoided swimming nearer to those.

Soon enough, he was headed along the ocean floor just beyond the mansion. As quickly as he could, he swam into the garden of colorful anemones, which would hopefully shield his shimmering tail from anyone watching.

It was once he was through the garden and on the other side that he felt a bit of relief. His father truly did live right on the outside of the city. All he had to do was swim up the steep side of a shadowed cliff and he'd be out of the gorge where the city was generally hidden from anyone that might bother coming this deep down into the waves. At the very top of the cliff was a stretching shield of coral, which he carefully maneuvered his way through before finally coming up and out "into the open," so to speak.

"Took you long enough!" Chloe hissed as soon as he shimmied his way into sight, checking only quickly to make sure he hadn't scratched himself on the sharp coral.

She was laying down upon some bare sand between reefs, her blue eyes glaring as Adrien came to hover above her. Much the same as him, she was a siren. A beautiful siren, much as he was. Long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, her frame thin and lithe as was to be expected. Her shimmering yellow tail was nearly as long as his own, though she possessed only one set of pelvic fins. They were yellow, to match her tail, while her fibular fins started out yellow and faded to a deep, dark blue at their ends. To match her tail, which shimmered with hints of green and yellow despite its dark blue hue.

"I'm here at our regular time," Adrien said calmly, not bothered by Chloe's shortness of attitude. They'd grown up together, being from the same social class. She was the daughter of the current clan leader.

"Always making me wait," Chloe continued, puffing the sand into a cloud as she temperamentally pushed herself up into the water beside him. "You're lucky we've been friends for so long, else I'd be more offended."

"I suppose you're right," he agreed, beginning to swim further away from the cliff edge, Chloe soon falling in beside him.

"Good evening, Adrien." It was another kwami that greeted him, this one with blue eyes, a bright yellow body, and black stripes all over. She also possessed a scarf of yellow fur around her neck and two black antennae, which reminded Adrien of some of the fish that swam around at the bottom of the gorge.

"Hello, Pollen," Adrien replied, happy to throw the tiny kwami a smile. Pollen formed from the comb miraculous Adrien had found alongside his ring. Supposedly, the comb resembled a "bee," which was a land creature of some kind. But much like cats, Adrien had never seen a bee before and so couldn't verify.

She belonged to Chloe for the time being, as she'd claimed the comb when they'd come across it while investigating a ship wreck the month prior.

"Please don't tell me we're going too far out," Chloe was soon complaining. "I'm already tired and you should be getting your beauty sleep. You can't look all puffy tomorrow for your mating ceremony."

Adrien shrugged. "I don't really care about that. Besides, we have to go somewhat far. We have to get Plagg and Pollen to the surface."

A statement that had Chloe coming to an abrupt stop.

"What?" she asked, her expression having dropped into unease.

"Once I'm mated, we don't know what could happen," Adrien reasoned, turning back to her as he did. "I might never be allowed out again. We have to get them to the surface while we can."

"Or we could just not do that," Chloe rebuked smartly.

Adrien cast her a disapproving frown.

"Clearly the humans aren't looking for them. Why does it matter?"

"They don't belong here, Chlo."

"The surface is dangerous. What if there are humans up there? Or a ship? Do you know what humans do to mermaids like us? They'll catch us and string us up for our fins."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "That's all just children's stories to scare us."

"How do you know?" she asked, following him as he continued on despite her protests. "You've never been there. You've never seen it. There's a reason no one is allowed to go to the surface. We're mermaids—we don't have any reason to go up there."

"I'd like to see it," Adrien admitted. "It'd even be interesting if we were able to spot a human or two."

"Adrien!"

"I'm just kidding. Now, come on."

Despite her misgivings, Chloe continued, the two of them swimming on for some time. Until they were far enough away that even when they swam upward, into the expanse of open ocean, no one would be able to see them from the city.

"I don't know about this," Chloe said as they came to a slow stop, their attention trained up toward the surface. Truth be told, they really weren't all that far away. Perhaps two-thousand feet or so. Mermaids required sunlight to live, just as humans did, even if it was considerably less. Their city had to be within decent range of the surface as a result, even if it was well-hidden beneath a crown of coral.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Adrien reasoned. "Just look—no ships, hardly any fish." Just the vague shimmer of the moon far, far above their heads.

"But what if a ship is nearby?" she asked, sinking down into the sand as she did. Her yellow tail curled protectively around her body, giving away the height of her anxiety. "How fast do they go? What if we can't get away?"

Releasing a light sigh, Adrien sank down beside her, curling his tail around her own comfortingly. "You don't have to go if you don't want. I'll take the miraculouses up to the surface myself."

Curling her nose, she cast him a rather dubious look. "Alone? Why in the world would that be better? Or safer?"

He shrugged. "I didn't say it would be, but…" Looking up, he turned his attention to the surface again. "Who knows what could happen after tomorrow. I don't know, I guess… I guess I want to see it."

"See what?"

"Just… anything, really. The sky, the moon. The sun. I may never get the chance to see anything again after tomorrow."

Chloe frowned. "Do you really think your mate will be that bad?"

"Perhaps. I don't want to be what they think I should be. I just want…"

He couldn't articulate exactly what he was feeling, but Chloe seemed to understand nonetheless. Even if she wasn't dreading her future as much as he was, she knew his anxiety. Many other sirens did.

"You've got to have some good prospects," she reasoned. "They can't all be bad."

"There are three already trying to get ahead with my father," Adrien replied. "They've sent letters, and even gifts." He almost laughed. "And not a single one of them bothered to get in contact with me directly."

"Who were they?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask." It wouldn't make a difference anyway.

"I bet one of them was the Rossi family," Chloe said flatly. "Lila's been all over you for months. I get so tired of her hanging around every time we try to go anywhere."

Adrien hummed in agreement.

Lila Rossi was a high class warrior merrow. Her parents were well-respected border commanders and close friends with Chloe's father. She was popular, strong, and was already well-respected among the guard despite her young age.

Personally, Adrien didn't much like her. She was pushy and altogether too forward, and didn't think too highly of sirens in general, based on her attitude toward others outside of him.

"There'll be someone better," Chloe decided firmly. "You'll see. It'll all come together in the end." Taking a huffing breath, she apparently settled her nerves before reaching out and taking Adrien's arm. Together, they started to head upward, remaining close as they kept their focus on the glaring light above.

It was only when the ripples upon the surface began to come clearly into view that the two of them slowed, Chloe once again becoming uneasy as Adrien peered critically through the water, looking for any possible threat. Outside of the occasional wandering fish, however, there was little worth taking note of.

"C'mon," Adrien encouraged quietly. "We're almost there."

Nodding, Chloe stuck right beside him as they closed the remaining distance, Adrien hovering only a moment just below the surface before clenching his fists and thrusting himself up out of the water.

The night air was shocking. Cold and brisk, it was somehow sharper than breathing air through the water. His gills fanned as he took a deep breath, unaccustomed to such dryness. Though it was dark, the glare of the moon was sharp and intense, both Adrien and Chloe shying away as they blinked, attempting to adjust.

For a moment, Adrien was certain his throat was burning, his mouth feeling all too dry. He nearly dove back under. But the longer he remained above the surface, the easier it became. Until he was able to blink away the harsh light, his eyes adapting as he reached up and pushed his hair out of the way.

"What are those?" Chloe asked, Adrien following her gaze upward to the night sky.

It was steady and smooth, the moon round and bright against the blackness of the heavens. And all around it, tiny lights sparkled, twisting and twirling in unending patterns that Adrien couldn't even begin to follow.

"They're stars," he eventually realized, a grin spreading across his lips in the same moment. "Like in the old stories."

"They're so much smaller than I'd always imagined."

"They're beautiful."

For some moments, they simply floated, taking in the sky they'd never seen and likely never would again. Until, finally, Adrien's gaze fell to the horizon.

"I don't see any land," he eventually said.

"We're too far away," Plagg explained, having settled onto Adrien's shoulder.

"Well, how much further is it?" Chloe asked shortly.

Plagg threw her a glare. "How would I know?"

She growled.

"Which direction do we go?" Adrien found himself asking, though the question was more for himself than the others. Twisting in place, he tried to get some kind of idea, but the ocean stretched on for miles in every direction.

"What's that?" It was Pollen who asked, the other three looking ahead at where she was pointing her tiny paw.

Squinting, Adrien could just barely see it. A shadowed silhouette bobbing up and down upon the waves.

"Adrien." Clinging to him, Chloe crowded close. "That's a ship. We should leave. Now."

"It's so far away we can barely see it," he reasoned, attempted to squirm a bit out of her hold. "Besides, a ship means we can find land. It had to have come from somewhere, or is going somewhere, right? If we follow it, maybe—"

"Follow it?" Chloe baulked. "Adrien, what are you thinking?!"

"We don't have to get close. Besides, humans have poor eyesight at night. They'll never see us." He was trying to pull away, Chloe's well-sharpened claws digging more deeply into his arm as a result. "C'mon, before we lose sight of it."

"Adrien, no!" Chloe begged. "Let's just go back!"

"We have to get Plagg and Pollen to shore." Finally yanking his arm from her hold, he swam a bit in the direction of the ship. "It'll be alright."

Turning, he tried to cast Chloe a reassuring smile, but she just shook her head.

"I promise it'll be okay, Chlo." He held out his hand to her. "You'll see."

For a moment, it looked like she might reach out, but her nerves inevitably got the better of her. Shaking her head, she pushed back in the water before diving back under, taking the bee comb with her.

"Chloe!" Adrien called, ducking back under as well. But she was already swimming down the way they'd come, her yellow tail dimming as the shadows closed in around her.

For a moment, Adrien hung in the water, uncertain what to do. He watched Chloe until she disappeared, before turning to look in the direction of the ship.

If he didn't follow it then, he could lose track of it. And then he'd never find land.

Gritting his teeth in resolve, he burst back up above the water, looking again to the horizon where he could see the shadow drifting further away. Satisfied he knew what direction he needed to head in, he slipped back beneath the surface and took off through the water.

It was a long, strenuous journey from then on. Not wanting to lose track of the ship, he swam as fast and hard as he could, occasionally vaulting up out of the water and back in so he could make sure the ship was still there. The hours wore on, the ship only seeming to grow minutely closer all the while. He was beginning to feel a bit tired, but was thankful he'd always retained an active lifestyle.

It was probably a good thing Chloe hadn't come—she wouldn't have been able to keep up.

It was well into his third hour of travel that the sky to his right began to lighten. Which unnerved him slightly, but didn't deter him. And he grew only more determined when he finally spotted a strip of what must have been shore bulging up out of the water.

The ship was closer now—so close that he could see spikes protruding up out of it, creating "T" shapes with what looked like giant fins hanging down to catch the wind.

Supposing that was quite close enough, he monitored his speed, keeping an eye on both the ship and the land as it grew nearer.

Soon, he could see that the land was, in fact, a striking line of cliffs, water splashing violently at their bases. The ship seemed to be headed directly for them, which Adrien thought rather strange. The ship couldn't reasonably go through the cliffs, could it? Maybe it could fly over them?

Curious despite the danger, he decided to swim yet closer. Soon enough, the ship was gliding through alcove and disappearing behind a rocky outcropping. Which didn't help Adrien any. He couldn't just leave Plagg close to the shore—he had to get him to shore. Certainly the ship was somehow accessing the land, but he couldn't know how if he couldn't see it.

Careful as he approached, he kept himself mostly below the water as he swam, only keeping his head up enough to be able to see over the water's surface.

Soon enough, he was approaching the alcove, his heart beating faster as the looming shadows stretched out to meet him. The sky was bright with the early morning now, the sun warming every surface it touched. It was almost so bright it was painful, but Adrien kept going nonetheless.

Careful to be as quiet as possible, he slowly swam around the rocks into the alcove, only to come to a startled stop once he was around the bend.

The ship was right there in front of him. It'd halted in the water, sheltered beneath the cliffs like a fish hiding at the base of some seaweed. And for a moment, Adrien's nerves nearly got the better of him. He almost turned tail and swam away as fast as he could.

But his curiosity proved to be more powerful, causing him to gape some when activity upon the ship became visible. He could hear voices—human voices—and see their silhouettes moving about upon the ship. There weren't many of them.

Maybe, if he could reach the ship, he could leave his ring on it. That was kind of like reaching the shore, right? There had to be a place he could safely stash it.

Ducking down beneath the water, he approached the ship from underneath, which seemed to make it appear all the larger. It was a bulging, dirty thing, covered in barnacles and other sharp bits that he'd have to steer clear of. He wasn't sure what it was made from—some brown material that was clearly discolored. He swam up and down the length of it, and then completely around it (at a distance, of course), hoping he'd spot some place to leave the ring. But there was nowhere safe. If he simply left it in a batch of barnacles, the humans would never find it. And then it'd likely be lost at sea again.

Gathering his courage, Adrien swam a little closer to the surface, until he could just vaguely see through the water to the inclining sides of the ship above.

Just as something came crashing down into the water on top of him.

Surging back in surprise, Adrien shook himself, realizing quite quickly that an entire barrel of discarded fish remains had just been dumped on top of him. Picking off the pieces that had stuck, he curled his lip and swam a bit further down the length of the ship.

It was only when he stopped again that he realized the voices upon the ship had grown louder.

Peering up through the water, he felt his skin grow cold at the sight of one of the humans jogging down the length of the ship, pointing down at the water—at him—as they did.

He should leave. He knew he should.

What was the humans saying, he wondered.

Despite every warning sign, Adrien slowly turned his head on its side, just enough that he could raise one ear above the surface.

"Oh my god, look at that…" The human was speaking. And, oddly enough, Adrien could understand him. They spoke the same language? There seemed to be a slight accent difference, but it was still easy for him to catch every word. "I can't believe I'm seeing this."

Supposing there was no reason to pretend as though he hadn't been seen, Adrien turned his head until his eyes were above the surface again. He then quickly narrowed them into a glare as he stared up at the human.

"Hey, there," the human continued, waving weakly at him as he did.

It was indeed a human male. He had short, brown hair, and browned skin. Though Adrien couldn't be sure, he decided that whatever was covering the human from the neck down had to be clothing of some kind. Like Chloe's thin shawls, though much heavier and of sturdier make. He wore a blue tunic from the throat down with white sleeves. That was the extent of what Adrien could see, as the ship's edge got in the way of the rest.

"Hey, did you follow us here?" the human asked. Adrien refused to answer, instead remaining exactly where he was. "It's okay, I won't hurt you."

Adrien did not believe him.

Reaching down, the man rubbed his fingers together, as if trying to beckon Adrien closer as one would a pet fish. "Come here, Catfish. It's okay."

"What the hell are you doing, Nino?" Another voice came up behind the first human, Adrien slinking back a bit as a result.

"Look, Alya! Look!" The first human was pointing down at him again, clearly excited as his comrade came up beside him.

She was far more intimidating than the man in blue. She glared down at Adrien through one amber eye, the other covered in a patch. Her long dreadlocks were pulled back in a high ponytail, the loose ends fading from dark brown to white at their tips. She was wearing some kind of orange colored vest with white linen underneath. A single orange necklace hung around her neck, shaped like a hollowed bubble with a pointed tip.

"Well, I'll be damned," she said, leaning forward over the edge of the ship in order to get a better look at him.

"It must have followed us in here," the first human—Nino—explained. "It has to be a real mermaid, right? Look at its ears!" He held his hands out from either side of his head in a pointed fashion, as if mimicking the shape of Adrien's long, pointed ears. "Man, what Luka wouldn't give to see this."

The other human—Alya—grinned, but it wasn't the sort of grin Adrien liked all that well.

"We should catch it," she decided a second later.

Adrien darted even further back.

"Don't scare it, Alya!" Nino said sharply, appearing quite disheartened as he looked back at Adrien. "We're not going to catch you," he guaranteed. "Don't listen to her—she's out of her mind."

"Hey!"

"We promise not to hurt you if you come here." Once again, he held his hand down as if beckoning to some sort of daft animal.

Not appreciating the gesture, nor the other human's attitude—and confident that he could get away from them at his distance—Adrien dared raise his head fully up out of the water, a disapproving frown pulling at his lips as he eyed them.

Nino gaped. "Wow…"

"Hey, Cap! Come look at this!" Alya had turned, seemingly calling to another on board. The thought of even more humans made Adrien nervous, and he nearly dove back down into the water and swam away. But before he could, another appeared at the edge of the ship.

The sight of her had Adrien freezing, his own lips parting in wonder.

She wasn't a large, intimidating woman. Not in stature anyway. Yet she seemed to exude confidence nonetheless. She wore a long, red coat, the front of it decorated with all sorts of ties and buttons.

Her own gaze caught Adrien's, her vibrant blue eyes widening as her red-tinted lips parted in much the same way his had. Reaching up, she removed the strange, triangle-shaped hat that was sitting on her head, instead holding it against her chest as she watched him.

She had lovely, long hair—black, but sparkling with purple and blue in the morning sunlight. It contrasted with her pale complexion, seeming to bring out the color of her eyes all the more.

Around those very eyes appeared to be a mask of some sort. Adrien couldn't tell if it was a natural feature or not, the red that stretched from one side of her face to the other, black spots interspersed throughout.

He also found that he didn't much care one way or another.

Rather, he decided that she was absolutely beautiful.

"It's a mermaid," Nino said again, sounding all the more excited.

"That's a siren," the red woman corrected, her voice clear in the same way the air had been when he'd first breached the water. "You can tell by his ears. They're fanned, like fins."

"Aren't they all the same?" Alya asked.

"Sirens are far rarer than the other variety," the red woman corrected. Setting her hat down on the edge of the ship, her gaze turned curious. "What are you doing so far from home, pretty one? It'd dangerous, being this close to shore."

Clamping his mouth shut, Adrien found himself quite caught up in her gaze. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, his skin tingling from his fingers down through the tip of his tail. Despite himself, he drifted a bit closer, if only to get a better look at her.

"Don't come closer," she warned. "You shouldn't be curious about humans. Go home. You'll only get hurt if you stay here."

"Or worse," Alya tacked on.

But he didn't want to leave.

The red woman—apparently dissatisfied with his reaction—released a short sigh, before she pulled something from her hip. It was some kind of red, spotted circle. Not that Adrien got a very good look at it. A moment later, it was snapping out into the water in front of him, the splash startling him backwards.

"I could catch you in seconds," the red woman lectured. "Now get out of here!"

She snapped the circle back out again, Adrien finally overcoming his awe enough to dive into the water. Darting downward, he turned to look up just as the weapon was retracting. For only a split second, he considered staying, but then common sense finally got the better of him.

She'd said she could catch him, which was warning enough. Despite how his heart dropped down into his stomach, he lingered only a second longer before he turned tail and glided deeper into the water, swimming back the way he'd come.

-----------------

So there’s Chapter 1. It’s posted to AO3 as well (skaylanphear) and will be updating first on my Patreon (skadako).

Hope you guys enjoyed the first installment!

[tinkdw]

The future - and it is showing us this loud and clear

This episode was amazing. After flailing and basically shouting all day I am so happy and so excited that I joined tumblr - the quality of posts today has been excellent, both humorous and inciteful and I LOVE YOU ALL :)

I hope its ok I’m going to tag a few great posts in this to reference as I don't want to go over stuff other people have already meta-d about so excellently!

This episode, titled the future, seems to me to be Dabb basically telling us what he wants for the next part of the show, the “better way” that he wants to take it.

So here are my main bullet points that I will expand on a little below and link those excellent posts to where relevant:

A. Sam 

Sam is clearly portrayed again, recurrently as the researcher, the “brains” of the operation (before you say ‘Dean is so clever though!’ I’m just pointing out Sam’s love of the scholarly side of things and how this is where he fits). Sam’s endgame must now be to head up the MoL/hunter network in this respect.

B. Sam and Dean 

They work so well as a team here, Sam putting a tracker in Cas’s phone while he’s distracted by Dean, researching v whatever Dean was doing (maybe making a pining mixtape along the lines of “all by myself” and “I miss you” “please come home”, BUT they are shown as different people, with different interests, skills and relationships - with Cas for example, & not codependent. Again hammering this home in this episode. THANK YOU DABB, GLYNN & BERENS.

C. THE RECURRING AND CONSISTENT NARRATIVE OF DESTIEL.

This whole episode is one big love fest. We went from one ‘wow I can't believe they just did that!’ to the next to the next with hardly enough time for us to catch out breath! WHAT WAS THIS EPISODE?!

OK, so we have :

1. My Romeo & Juliet / Gaze up Trope Balcony Meta.

2. The Mixtape Meta, another EXPLICIT romantic trope by @drsilverfish.

3. The Dean “keep it” parallels, the first one that came to my mind was Arwen (another human+ / eternal being who decided to relinquish immortality couple):

Aragon: this belongs to you. Arwen: keep it, it was a gift… it is mine to give to whom I will, like my heart.

But also all the other ‘gift’ tropes, the standard romantic trope that when a couple breaks up you return the gifts.... I think Cas wasn’t sure he was going to be forgiven, after Dean’s outburst in the war room, so he goes to return the cassette, but Dean does forgive him nearly instantaneously, which actually makes it even worse that he has to steal the colt straight after...

5. The difference between Sastiel and Destiel again emphasised, more and more this season. I don't think I even have to detail this, just, basically the whole episode shows this.

6. This magnificent gifset by @magnificent-winged-beast which shows the difference between Dean’s angst at actually watching the colt get destroyed and the potential killing of Cas...

Slight aside - Performing!Dean. 

This magnificent gifset that shows Dean’s facade coming down, he doesn't even attempt to make it sound less ‘gay’ when he tells Sam that Cas came to his room, played him and took the colt from his secret hiding place under his pillow, he even looks down before he says it like he KNOWS how it is going to sound but says it anyway. 

source: @yourfavoritedirector.

And Sam doesn't even flinch. YES THANK YOU DABB, GLYNN & BERENS!

4. SO...WHY is Dean still doing everything he did for Cas during this episode and still defending him to Sam even though he appeared pissed and Cas repeatedly betrayed him?

Well, in 12x12 Cas said “I love you”, clearly understood by Dean (and Sam to be directed at Dean). There was no real reciprocation though from Dean, other than Dean family-zoning him and Sam’s fantastic “we are doing this for you, Cas”. 

So regarding Dean, Cas is hurt and believes it isn't reciprocated. Now Dean is pissed and still using the WE card at every turn, so what is a celestial being to do? Cas assumes this is the end, that there is no hope, he returns the mixed tape. BUT Dean says no keep it, this is NOT the end. 

Cas understands that this is therefore not the end, but it is complicated. He explains that he wanted to “come back with a win for you.... for myself”. He wants this for Dean and for himself, this is very important, everything he is doing now and in the future is NOT all about Dean, there is his own agency and morality involved here too.

For Cas, when it comes to it, he wants this reciprocation of his love of course, but right now he has bigger fish to fry and really he wants to protect Sam and Dean and save the world. 

Now, going back to the “what the hell is wrong with you man?” followed by an awkward silence.... and where Cas then goes to return the gift. Yes, Cas feels that he has said his piece in 12x12 and is rebuffed, but meanwhile Dean is struggling with what Cas has said and everything else that is going on. He has a lot on his plate, not only Cas but his own personal history, his deep seated issues that he is clearly working on this season (see all the performing!Dean facade crumbling meta going around), his issues around his mother, the BMoL, Lucifer, the nephilim.... I mean that is a lot for an emotionally healthy person let a lone DEAN WINCHESTER.

Dean is trying to say / show how he feels he’s just rubbish at it, but he's getting better!

“We?” “Yes dumbass, WE.” This is his forgiveness. And it is betrayed just moments later. But does this stop him trusting Cas again? NO.

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. For their dynamic, to show that they still do ultimately trust each other.

EVEN AFTER EVERYTHING DEAN STILL DEFENDS CAS TO SAM!

Oh, and I just need to add how desperate I am for Sam to turn to Dean soon and just say “No, Dean, this is between you and Cas, stop bringing me into this”. PLEASE I SWEAR I WILL BE GOOD! I mean, how repeated, consistent and out of place it was (I mean, not only to shippers, I think anyone would think it was out of place the way it was portrayed in their personal conversation in Dean’s room) - this has got to be addressed, no?!

 5. A better way

So. What does this mean moving forwards?

Well, firstly, I have moved from being 85% sure Destiel would be endgame to about 95% sure. Lets be real. This episode cements this. Whether you like it or not, it’s happening.

So, what is the better way?

Overall, it seems that Dabb wants to move things forwards. And his key points all season are Free Will, breaking from past repressions and negative influences, moving forwards with what the characters choose and want for their endgame and for sure now endgame Destiel.

I have in the past speculated about quite a lot of stuff, some right and some... still to be seen and some not right, but the overall arc speculation that I saw foreshadowed since early season 12 is RIGHT ON TRACK.

Now, the question is will Dabb go backwards and go to the old, standard SPN ways where probably Dean and Cas will be separated, Cas will be wrong again in his trust in the nephilim - it WILL be evil (rehash of s6 and s8) and he will need to be ‘broken’ from the mind control by Dean in a stronger crypt scene etc etc etc.

Or will he move forwards, onto a “better way”? Will we get another s11 ‘happy ending’? Where it appears all good but there is still stuff going on behind the scenes for s13... Or maybe a not so happy ending but that ultimately will be resolved happily? 

Maybe the baby has it’s grace removed (so glad this is an option it was driving me insane that they hadn't mentioned it by now!) OR it’s not evil at all! it’s the ANTI-anti-Christ, it chose Cas because he is Lucifer’s mirror in that he LOVES Humanity. I mean, the whole point of the show is agency, free will and not being forced to follow the result of your parentage / past ....especially this season with Sam and Dean’s arcs....

Maybe human!Cas, potential hunter Daddies, Cas staying at home calling Dean while he's out on MOTW hunts with Sam being all “Dean there’s poop everywhere, I’m sorry it got on your favourite shirt, but please please come home this is so hard!” “OK babe, don't worry, we’ll be back tomorrow, the case was a milk run!” when actually Dean nearly died and Sammy saved the day and.... etc because really? what are we supposed to think from that motel scene? With Cas smiling all cute and using the world “righteous” when talking about the kids future guardian?! (and Kelly survives if we are going to be extra nice).

Maybe Lucifer will die / be dealt with and it is the MoL that are the big bad next year.....aiding the overall future arc of TFW as leaders of the MoL/Hunter collaboration (Chuck I hope so).

Or will it be a mix of the two?

Well my money is on that it will be a mix....  

DABB IS SHOWING US THE FUTURE Y’ALL. AND THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT.

[peanutscratch]

1 - 150

Incredible I did literally bring this on myself tho1. Who was the last person you held hands with?I honestly don't remember... Probably a friend from school or something.2. Are you outgoing or shy?Generally outgoing but it's draining... 3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?School friends, but I've been meeting up with lots of people from back home or who graduated recently so it's been nice!4. Are you easy to get along with?YeOr so I've been told :P5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?I'd hope so? I assume so. 6. What kind of people are you attracted to?Cute people who are funny and who think I'm funny. 7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?Pfft no. 8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?No one in particular... 9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?Not really but idk how to initiate a conversation about sex ever. 10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?My friend Sydney a few nights back11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?👍12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?OH time for recent faves:- Jam Jam by IU- 最爱雨天 by Men Envy Children- 告白气球 by Jay Chou- 如果我们不曾相遇 by 五月天- Wild Heart by Bleachers and Sara Bareilles13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?Not really... At best it feels weird at worst it makes me feel uncomfortable. (people like touching my beard though? Which I'm actually more ok with :P) 14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?Ye. It's all about being the right person in the right place at the right time. 15. What good thing happened this summer?Got to hang out with people!! Got to do a cool project in Boston!! 16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?Lol probably not... 17. Do you think there is life on other planets?Yes. Undoubtedly. Definitely and with 100% certainty. 18. Do you still talk to your first crush?I barely remember who my first crush was. 19. Do you like bubble baths?Nah I only take showers these days. 20. Do you like your neighbors?They're fine. 21. What are you bad habits?Blaming myself and taking responsibility for things that aren't my fault.22. Where would you like to travel?Everywhere. All over Asia. Especially Japan, China, Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, everywhere. 23. Do you have trust issues?I trust myself. 24. Favorite part of your daily routine?Lunch! 25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?I'm pretty comfortable with my body but probably my figure. Would like to be more fit. 26. What do you do when you wake up?Try to get out of bed, take a shower asap. 27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?Neither, I really am pretty comfortable with my body. 28. Who are you most comfortable around?Most of my close friends. 29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?Don't think so. 30. Do you ever want to get married?Sure. More than that I want to raise a family tho. 31. Is your hair long enough for a pony tail?Nah. 32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?What. I'm not really big on celebrities...33. Spell your name with your chin.Jnhfzh (I tried) 34. Do you play sports? What sports?Lol sports. What's up sports it's been a while since we last met huh... 35. Would you rather live without TV or music?I already live without TV.36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?Constantly. Sometimes you gotta pick your battles. 37. What do you say during awkward silences?I don't. That's what makes it an awkward silence. 38. Describe your dream girl/guy?I like them and they like me. 39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?Gimme those ethnic grocery stores yes pls!40. What do you want to do after high school?Lol. 41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?Mostly yes. Very few things are completely unforgivable in my book... 42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?Thinking about something. Or recharging. 43. Do you smile at strangers?Sure, especially if they smile at me. 44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?I think space would be less scary. 45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?Knowing I've got stuff to do. Potential. 46. What are you paranoid about?Losing people I love. 47. Have you ever been high?Nah. 48. Have you ever been drunk?Yeah. It's not for me. 49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?Probably not... 50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?I don't usually wear hoodies? Probably black and red51. Ever wished you were someone else?Yeah, me except I have a better fashion sense and can speak like 40 languages52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?I wish I kept up speaking my mother tongue when I was growing up so I didn't have to struggle to relearn it now. 53. Favourite makeup brand?N/A54. Favourite store?Barnes & Noble55. Favourite blog?I really like those blogs that post creative coding gifs56. Favourite colour?Probably blue57. Favourite food?Pasta58. Last thing you ate?I made stir fry today for dinner! 59. First thing you ate this morning?Some rice bowl thing with tofu 👍👍👌👌60. Ever won a competition? For what?Don't think so? I did win a science fair in high school with lifesavers tho. 61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?Nope62. Been arrested? For what?Also no63. Ever been in love?Yes. I'd like to think so anyway. 64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?Lol don't even remember it... 65. Are you hungry right now?Nah too late 4 food66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?Same Friends Same Friends! 👉67. Facebook or Twitter?Fb68. Twitter or Tumblr?Tumblr69. Are you watching tv right now?Never 70. Names of your bestfriends?Steven, Winston, others71. Craving something? What?More hugs... 72. What colour are your towels?Mostly dark blue or teal72. How many pillows do you sleep with?2 ✌️73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?Nah74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?Honestly idek if I own any xD75. Favourite animal?Snek🐍🐍76. What colour is your underwear?Grey today77. Chocolate or Vanilla?I used to be hardcore chocolate but nowadays I'm really feeling vanilla. 78. Favourite ice cream flavour?Birthday Cake!!!! 79. What colour shirt are you wearing?Purple! 80. What colour pants?Burgundy 81. Favourite tv show?Yo I just finished this top quality anime it is called Flying Witch everyone watch it. Mob Psycho 100 is good too. Pls Watch Car Boys. 82. Favourite movie?Car Boys. 83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?Have not seen either but probably the original. 84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?Haven't seen either but probably mean girls. 85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?The mean girl? 86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?That turtle who's like "gnarly cowabungas dude" or w/e87. First person you talked to today?My roommate Jack88. Last person you talked to today?Steven89. Name a person you hate?I don't have time to hate people that's a lot of effort. 90. Name a person you love?Myself. 91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?Lol usually also myself 92. In a fight with someone?Nah93. How many sweatpants do you have?I don't even know if I own one pair of sweatpants94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?Like 1 MAYBE. 95. Last movie you watched?I Think Kiki's Delivery Service? 96. Favourite actress?Idk I don't watch things :P Maybe Tara Strong? 97. Favourite actor?Lol do those McElboys count 98. Do you tan a lot?I Am South Indian. 99. Have any pets?I have a brother? 100. How are you feeling?Yeah101. Do you type fast?On phone ye on computer not really 102. Do you regret anything from your past?Not really? 103. Can you spell well?Ye. I choose 2 be Like This. 104. Do you miss anyone from your past?Most friends from high school... Probably gonna miss more once I graduate college huh... 105. Ever been to a bonfire party?Nope :0106. Ever broken someone’s heart?Yeah. Sorry I'm an asshole sometimes, it's not intended I promise. 107. Have you ever been on a horse?No but I have been on an elephant 108. What should you be doing?Sleeping fuck109. Is something irritating you right now?Yeah the fact I stayed up to do this instead of sleep 110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?Lol yeah but it's still always just a crush so You Know. 111. Do you have trust issues?Deja Vu (heart is speeding) 112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?I don't really cry in front of others... I can't even remember the last time I did. 113. What was your childhood nickname?Some of my relatives used to call me Nitu-kutti114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?Ye, hell I'm in Boston right now! 115. Do you play the Wii?When I'm home but honestly n64 all the way116. Are you listening to music right now?Ye actually 117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?No #vegetarian118. Do you like Chinese food?👍👍👌👌119. Favourite book?Don't really have one... 120. Are you afraid of the dark?I've got realer things to worry about these days... 121. Are you mean?I don't think so? Not intentionally at least 122. Is cheating ever okay?Lol no it's so easy to not cheat just break up with person a before going to do things with person b. 123. Can you keep white shoes clean?Lol I can't keep white anything clean124. Do you believe in love at first sight?Sure why not125. Do you believe in true love?Absolutely. Not in exclusive soul mates but definitely in love and romance. 126. Are you currently bored?I'm doing this aren't I127. What makes you happy?Podcasts, drawing, friendship, languages128. Would you change your name?Probably not, I like it but also idk what I would change it to :p129. What your zodiac sign?Aquarius ♒130. Do you like subway?I like taking The Subway. But no. 131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?Probably fuck it up horribly but somehow stay ok friends after a while in the end132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?You definitely already asked me this133. Favourite lyrics right now?"Oh, it's such a long and awful lonely fallDown from this pedestal that you keep putting me onWhat if I fall on my face?What if I make a mistake?If it's okay a little grace would be appreciated" - Idle Worship - Paramore134. Can you count to one million?I guess? But I'd rather not xD135. Dumbest lie you ever told?Dunno probably when I tell people I'm on my way somewhere when in reality I haven't even gotten out of bed and then get called out for being late :PP136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?Closed137. How tall are you?6'1"138. Curly or Straight hair?Both are cute but straight probably looks better on me139. Brunette or Blonde?Either140. Summer or Winter?The opposite of what it is currently141. Night or Day?Night142. Favourite month?I love holiday season so december 143. Are you a vegetarian?👍👌✌️144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?Milk145. Tea or Coffee?Neither unless it's that good good Thai Iced Tea146. Was today a good day?Ye! 147. Mars or Snickers?Mars by a mile 148. What’s your favourite quote?Idk... I'm quite partial to "when nothing is going right, go left" 149. Do you believe in ghosts?Not really but I like the concept 150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?"When they see things go well for someone else, they credit the environment: 'Joan really was lucky today; she just happened to be standing there when the boss came by, so she got all the credit for the project work.'" - The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman