#were doing underwater now folks

[snowballseal]

Breathe

Zayne X Reader

Summary: Trying to cope with losing Caleb and your grandmother, you throw yourself into work and push yourself to the very limit, only to break at the end of a particularly bad day. Thankfully, Zayne is there to get you through it.

Word Count: 2953

Warnings: dealing poorly with grief, depression, anxiety, what could be considered a panic attack, this is all hurt comfort folks, Zayne calls you good girl cause it's CANON and I can't get over it

Enjoy

---

One person can only take so much before they break. And the harder they try not to, the worse it gets.

Your day sucked. First you were late to the team meeting because you spilled coffee - piping hot you might add - on yourself right before leaving. Then, you and Xavier got into a stupid fight - he thought you were pushing yourself too hard. A part of you knew he was just concerned, they all were, but as soon as those pitying eyes turned on you, you could feel yourself bristling like an angry street cat.

You were fine.

Was it that wrong that you just wanted to work? You hate being home alone, which happens often since Zayne has to work extra hours, what with the increase in wanderer attacks. Not seeing him has already made you a little grumpy. But even worse, is the deafening silence of that apartment. Every time you’re alone, every time it gets just a little to quiet, you can’t stop your thoughts from drifting to Caleb and Gran- 

So you work. You take extra hours, cover shifts, field the reports nobody wants to do, even if it means you stay up all night, even if it means you skip a few meals. At least then you don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to deal with the nightmares. Maybe if you throw yourself into work, you might be able to outrun the storm creeping on your horizon.

And that’s how you ended up messing up on a mission. Pushed to your limits, your mind was foggy and your body just. wouldn’t. move.

You hadn’t gotten out of the way fast enough. A stray energy blast narrowly caught your shoulder, sending you careening into the nearest wall. The impact sent your head spinning, your vision going blurry for a second too long. You could hardly make out Xavier’s face when he kneeled beside you, telling you to stay down, that he could handle it.

A bitter taste had filled your mouth when he said those words.

You were utterly and completely useless. And that thought seeded itself somewhere in your chest, wrapping tight around your ribs until you couldn’t breathe.

Jenna sent you home after that, with a stern command to rest. You wanted to argue, tell them you’re fine, but your shoulder was screaming and the look she gave you when you opened your mouth was seering enough to shut down the most experienced hunter.

So you threw your jacket over your shoulders and stormed out of the office, trying to ignore the way your team’s gaze followed you, not even bothering to hide their concern. You could feel it burning on your skin all the way home. And that was only the beginning.

Now you find yourself laying on your couch, staring blankly at the television, the volume turned up too loud, just to drown out the thoughts swirling like a storm in your head.

You hate it. This feeling. Like you’re stuck underwater, trying so hard to reach the surface, but everything you do just drags you deeper and deeper. Your muscles are burning for any relief, but you can’t let yourself stop. You’re too scared to let yourself stop. Because if you do-

“Are you aware that listening to the television at this volume could cause damage to your hearing?”

You jump at the sudden calm voice that speaks behind you, flipping around to come face to face with a rather unamused Zayne. Quickly, you snatch the tv remote, turning it down until it’s barely a whisper in the background.

“Zayne! I thought you were working late tonight,” you chirp, the waver in your voice almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

Zayne’s eyes narrow, making you shift uncomfortably. Sometimes it feels like he can see right through you, right to the very core of your being.

“Things were not as busy as expected, so I decided to come home early and make sure you eat a full meal,” he explains, voice calm despite the way his gaze burns through you.

Skin prickling with unease, you jump from the couch, forcing a playful laugh, “What are you, my doctor?”

“Yes.”

Right. You awkwardly shift around him, heading towards the kitchen, “Well, then I guess we should start dinner, huh? What do you want?”

“You are also home early.” It’s not a question, merely an observation, but it makes your throat go dry.

Sometimes having such an observant boyfriend is amazing. You love Zayne more than anything, love how attentive he is, but in moments like this, you feel like a creature under a microscope. Every single flaw and action under his sharp scrutiny. There’s nowhere to hide, and all you want to do is run.

“We have some leftover moo shoo pork,” you hum shakily, hands unsteady as you pull it from the fridge. “And I could make some rice, I think it’s up he-”

Forgetting about your shoulder, you reach up to one of the cupboards. Pain shoots up to your fingers like electricity, searing back down your spine. You inhale sharply, momentarily paralyzed as you clutch it to your chest, eyes squeezing shut.

Zayne is there in an instant. His fingers ease over your taut jaw, his skin cool to the touch. He doesn’t say a word, but you can practically feel his concern in the way he barely touches you, like he’s scared you’ll break. It makes your chest tighten.

“I’m fine,” you breathe, gritting your teeth.

“You’re injured,” he counters, voice still irritatingly calm, “Why don’t you let me-”

“I said I’m fine,” you bite out again, this time with a little more force, “I’m perfectly capable of making dinner. I’m not useless.”

Zayne pauses, partially taken aback by your words. They feel out of place, and he can tell you didn’t mean to say them when you glance away, cheeks burning a vicious pink. His brow furrows, confusion flickering over his features.

“I wasn’t suggesting you are,” he says, each word measured carefully, like the wrong ones could set you off.

And now you feel guilty. God, you can’t do anything right today.

Biting your tongue, you grab the rice with your good arm, stepping around him to busy yourself at the counter. Not that setting up the rice cooker takes up much time. Soon enough you've nothing more to do, bracing yourself against the counter just to stay upright. The silence that creeps between you is unbearable, thick enough to cut, especially when you can still feel Zayne’s eyes following you so closely.

“God, this is so stupid,” you huff out, false bravado broken as your voice warbles, “I’m fine. I can handle it. I’m a hunter. I’m supposed to handle it. I’m supposed to- I’m supposed to help people. Not-”

You bite off the rest, fingers digging into the counter. The pain in your shoulder distracts you, keeps the tears at bay. You can’t cry. Not now. Not-

A hand traces lightly against your waist. You tremble at the gentle touch, a lump forming in your throat as his arm circles around you. Zayne pauses for only a moment before pulling you back into a rare embrace when you show no signs of moving away. He presses his face against your hair and holds you like you’re the most fragile thing in the world, like you’re made of the thinnest ice, which is how you feel.

Tears blur your vision. You take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to hold it all together. Until-

“It wasn’t your fault, (Y/n).”

His voice is so quiet, so certain.

And you break.

You don’t know what sound leaves your body at that moment, but you’re sure it’s ugly and broken. Your entire body trembles in his hold, but he doesn’t waver, simply holds you tighter as everything spills out.

It’s so much. So much weight, so much grief, your throat is raw in seconds from crying. Every breath is like knives, until suddenly, you can’t breathe.

It’s like your lungs are full of sand, your chest spasming as you fail to take in air. It hurts. It all hurts.

“Darling, I need you to breathe,” Zayne’s voice speaks urgently at your ear, and you want to, you need to, but all you can muster is a pathetic whimper and shake your head. Before you can blink, Zayne has you turned around and lifted onto the counter, slotting himself between your legs. He catches one of your hands, pressing it firmly against his chest as his green eyes bore into yours, a hint of desperation pulling at his features. “I know you can. Be a good girl and copy me, alright? Can you do that?”

You nod shakily, trying to focus on him and not the burning in your chest. Zayne takes a deep, exaggerated breath, his chest rising against your hand. You try to do the same, your body shaking with the effort.

“Now breathe out.”

His chest falls and you once again copy him, the breath leaving you shakily. It takes a few repetitions until your breathing comes to any normal pattern, and Zayne silently tracks the time in his head. He traces your wrist gently, subtly checking your pulse to see how your heart is doing. It’s racing, but still within a normal range, which is enough to ease his firing nerves a little.

Not that this is over.

“‘m sorry,” you hiccup softly, gasping down breathes, fresh tears spilling over your cheeks. “God I’m sorry, Zayne. I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean to snap at you, and I just, I-”

The doctor hums, tone stern, making you fall silent. He traces his fingers against your cheek, the cold of his touch welcome against your overheated skin. He carefully wipes your tears away.

“I accept your apology. It is very common for people dealing with grief to lash out at those closest to them. I am merely thankful you trusted me enough to let me help you through it.”

You sag into his touch, lips wobbling. To most, that wouldn’t be comforting. But for you, knowing Zayne, it’s like finally having a hand to hold you above the water. He’s unmoving, unyielding in the way he loves you, all of you. Even like this.

“I trust you with my life, Zayne,” you whisper and lean forward to press your forehead against his chest.

“Then I assume you’ll allow me to examine your shoulder.” It’s not really a question, but you nod anyway. Zayne leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to your hair. “I will go get the first aid kit. Please take off your shirt if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, I ask that you change into something that will give me access to do a thorough exam.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“That’s my good girl,” he hums approvingly, a ghost of a smile in his voice.

Your heart jumps a little at that and you’re thankful for the curtain of hair hiding your face. It’s not often Zayne indulges you with such soft praise and you can’t help but soak it in, especially now. Your eyes flicker shut when he presses another kiss to your head, the touch lingering before he disappears to go retrieve the kit.

Sighing softly, you set to work on trying to get your shirt off. The nerves have settled back in your chest, not sure what to expect. You haven’t looked at your shoulder once since the fight, dead set on ignoring it as long as you could. Which was stupid. If the pain tells you anything, it’s probably pretty bad.

Bad enough that you can’t actually get your shirt off. You’re able to slip one arm out, but wince when you try to lift your bad one. So you're stuck like that, half undressed. Which is how Zayne finds you when he comes back, medical kit in hand.

He glances at you, dark brow raising a fraction. If he’s amused, his face doesn’t give it away.

“Will you um, will you help me?” You ask, voice quiet, “I can’t…I can’t lift my arm.”

Zayne’s lips press into a thin line. He nods, setting the kit aside. You can’t help but hold your breath as his fingers brush against your knee, slowly tracing up your thigh, jumping to your waist and brushing against your ribs, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. His touch is unbearably soft, and your heart squeezes as you watch his face, noticing the way his brows twitch as he works, and how focused his gaze is. Every movement is calm, self-assured. You hardly have to move as he lifts the shirt over your head, sliding it down your injured arm.

 And once it’s off, his hand returns to your waist, thumb brushing tenderly over your ribs. His eyes stay focused on your shoulder, and yours stay glued to his expression, catching the smallest flicker of shock.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” You ask, biting your cheek.

Zayne carefully schools his expression, but you can still see his disapproval in the tight set of his jaw, “You should have gone to the hospital immediately. I am surprised your team let you walk away with such an injury.”

“They didn’t know,” you mumble, trying to defend them at least a little bit. It really was your fault.

“So you hid this injury from your team?” He doesn’t hide his disapproval this time. You flush, looking down at your lap again, though that’s hard with him settled right between your legs.

“I didn’t…” The words get caught in your mouth. It’s so silly now, you know that. Your team would never look down on you for being injured, but- “I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle it. I just, I didn’t want to seem…useless.”

Zayne clicks his tongue, but he doesn’t say anything else. His fingers graze lightly against your shoulder and you wince, a low hiss passing between your teeth. Murmuring an apology, he moves to grab a few things from the kit. The silence returns as he sets to work, though this time, it’s not so uncomfortable.

Your head feels a little clearer now. You’re not through it, that’s for sure, but the pain from losing Caleb and your grandmother lingers a little less sharply. Zayne’s words from before repeat like a mantra in your head, and for once, you can feel yourself almost accepting them.

It wasn’t your fault.

There’s nothing you could have done. You can’t change the outcome of that day in the same way that you can’t change the color of the sky. That doesn’t stop how deeply you feel their absence, though.

“I miss them so much,” you admit, mostly to yourself.

Zayne pauses, already wrapping your shoulder after applying some medicine and deciding that the hospital could wait until tomorrow. He finishes pinning the bandage down before shifting back, eyes trailing over your face. You look up at him, exhaustion gleaming in your wide, (e/c) eyes. It’s like looking at a sad, little puppy. He breathes out a low sigh, brushing a few rogue hairs from your face.

“Your grandmother and Caleb were kind, caring people,” he says slowly, thoughtful, “It is right that you should miss them. It is not a sign of weakness to feel grief.”

“I know.” You reach for his hand, desperate for some form of contact. He gives in without hesitation, fingers brushing against your jaw to hold your face. You turn, nuzzling into his palm with a sigh. His touch gives you the comfort to continue, “Sometimes it just feels like if I let myself sit with it too long, I’ll be swallowed whole. And that…scares me. A lot.”

A pause. You keep your face tucked against his palm, enjoying the way he pets you as he thinks. Zayne has never been the strongest when it comes to emotions. With everything else he likes to distance himself from them to stay objective, so you know he needs the time to figure out what he wants to say. 

“I suppose…” he starts, and you glance back up at his face, catching the serious gleam in his eyes, “if it gives you any comfort, I would like to remind you that I will always be here to bring you back from whatever depths you fall to. Even if risking your life is your choice of coping mechanism.”

He pinches your cheek ever so lightly, and finally, finally, a smile pulls at your lips.

“I’ll work on it, I promise.”

He doesn’t look like he truly believes you, but Zayne nods.

“As your doctor, I would deeply appreciate it if you would.”

Eyes dancing with a bit of mirth, you lean forward, pressing a loving kiss to his cheek. Zayne catches you before you can pull back, fingers curling along your jaw as he draws you into a deeper kiss. It’s slow, his lips slanting perfectly over your own, like a well-rehearsed dance. When he pulls away, you can’t help but sigh, leaning your forehead against his chest again.

“What on earth would I do without you, Zayne?”

He presses another kiss to your hair, voice a low, teasing murmur, “You would likely die from an untreated wound.”

And just like that, you’re laughing. Zayne smiles, relief washing over him at the sound. 

You’ll be alright. He knows that today was just the first step, that grief is complex and differs from person to person, and you might have another bad day like this, but he doesn’t mind that. Not now that he’s finally by your side and can take care of you.

Nothing could drive him away.

---

I literally started this game 11 days ago and I'm so down bad for these characters, it's shameful. Anyways! Hope y'all enjoyed!

Feel free to send requests!

[phantomrose96]

Small Nation

It is a very good time for the small nation with all the world's people. It's the economy, really, that's good. And this is good for everyone. Jobs are easy to come by, and they don't even work you that hard. In fact if you wanted to take some time off because your kid was just born, they'll let you do it. This is good since so many people are having 4 or 5 or even 6 kids. And having plenty of jobs is good too since those kids need money to live and grow. And the economy, well, that makes it even better. Because the people know if they invest $1, they get back $2. And if they invest $2, they get back $4. This is all great for buying things your baby needs, like a house to live in, and an education, and stuffy little animal toys.

It's a very good time for the small nation with all the world's people because they haven't even had winter in 3 years now. Which is the longest anyone has ever seen them not have winter, even the really old folks. People used to die in the winter. Homeless folks, mostly. But there aren't many homeless folks now. And there's not much winter.

This is happy for everyone except, understandably, the company that makes the gas to heat people's homes. The economy is good and they really deserve some of that good, too. But it's hard. It's a hard time to be a company making the gas to heat people's homes when there hasn't been a winter in 3 years now. But the politicians are good, and they work something out, and there are in fact plenty of reasons they can come up with to buy and burn the gas that used to heat people's homes.

There might have been some politicians who didn't like that much at first. Just seems a little wrong, you know? But they go into rooms with oil executives who say things like "I knew your father," and it's a very meaningful conversation. They all knew each other. The families. And they talk in a bubble with really incredible food and, really, it's the economy that makes this all possible you know? They've got working folk who are good fathers and good mothers who'd need to be let go if the gas to heat people's homes doesn't get burned anymore. So they find things that work. They burn the gas.

The small nation with all the world's people doesn't get on airplanes anymore. That one was a real loss, for the airline industry. There were some really good mothers and fathers who got let go from their jobs when there wasn't anyone telling the planes where to land anymore, or anyone putting tags on bags anymore, or anyone needing to serve beverages in the sky anymore. It was really very sad, for all those reasons.

But there was just nothing the small nation with everyone could do about this. There was nowhere left to go. If you got on a plane and flew to somewhere else, you'd land underwater. If you got on a plane to somewhere else, the heat would hurt your skin and your eyes and your children's eyes. If you got on a plane to somewhere else, the hurricanes might just knock your plane out of the sky.

But it's a small sacrifice, really. Everything you could need is already in the small nation with all the world's people. And as long as you stay there, you'll never have to think about anyone else in the rest of the world.

[yuri-is-online]

Jade desperately googling and reading threads about mer x human pregnancies before he even dates yuu.

It differs from species to species, usually fem mer x male human results in viable pregnancies, there are a two articles about eels and humans, but none about morays.

His hope is dwindling, and the general consensus about deep sea folk relationships with humans isn't very good.

I HC that male mer x female human pregnancies don't last very long. After the sperm makes contact with an egg, it'll need a few months of growth before it's expelled from the body and put into the sea. Those kinds of couples usually have one child at a time, it depends on the number of available eggs.

Modern day people in twst have aquariums that are made to hold the clutches in a safe environment away from predators. The aquariums can be used both underwater and on land. After 'hatching' the babies are translucent, they are kept in the aquariums until they gain colour. Once they have enough colour they are let out.

The smallest aquariums need to hold at least one human adult, so that a parent can interact and communicate with their clutch during the growing process.

I think I read a post/fic with a similar headcannon to this? Long long ago, perhaps even before I even downloaded Twisted Wonderland. I don't fully remember... but it is something I have been thinking about a decent bit ever since you sent this ask because it raises so many questions.

I think it makes the most sense in human x mer relationships for one or the other to take a transformation potion and move onto the land/into the sea. In these cases pregnancy/egg laying would go as it would "normally" but what you're suggesting made me think about what would happen if a couple got it on raw in their normal forms and not transformed. Would that result in a viable pregnancy? If it did would it produce the sorts of offspring you are suggesting or would it result in some sort of hybrid child, barely held together by their own magic?

The aquariums are a good idea, the story seems to suggest that Jade and Floyd had other siblings once but they didn't make it. Their mother's obsession with checking up on them and teaching self defense makes a lot of sense if you think of that... she lost most of her babies, she wants the two she has to remain safe (i bet she's going feral rn, let Mama Leech into the enclosure S.T.Y.X. she'll put Malleus in his place ٩(๑`^´๑)۶) My question is whether or not that would interfere with the development of the eggs, especially on land. The deep ocean is very cold, recreating that on land could be problematic. With how few merfolk seem to bother with land (Azul mentions not many people bother with the free program in Book 6) there likely wouldn't be much of anyone thinking up a solution to this problem so few people have.

But Jade has that problem. Or will, he's sure of it but that's a minor detail- point is this is a problem he's actively thinking about. It keeps him awake at night, Jade strikes me as someone who would do a lot of research about this. It's part of how he loves, pouring through a pile of scientific articles that was slim to begin with but feel irrelevant now. None of these help him understand his chances because he is from the deep sea, Jade might be hardened towards the death of his siblings but he thinks of his own children and a rage unlike any he's ever known begins to stir in the pit of his stomach. Later, much later when he is explaining this all to you he will brush it off as him considering your human sensibilities, but the truth is written plain on his face. This little aquarium he has made was a solution painstakingly crafted with help from his own obsessions. It's the most important terrarium he has ever made because it will contain the most precious of all life forms, ones he watches grow in awe as he coos softly. These children were wanted long before they were ever born, their parents loved them to the point of invention and every second up until they hatch and forever after.

[tellnotalespod]

List: Queer creatives to spend your money on instead half-arsed pride merch from Target 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We're all aware by now that when you buy pride merch from one of Those Companies, your money is just going to a CEO who half-heartedly told someone to slap a rainbow on it and call it a day. So why not use that money to support an actual queer person who’s working hard to make art?

I've collected a(n incomplete) list of queer creatives who would benefit from your support this Pride Month - this is fairly limited in scope, as it only includes creators who responded to my call for links (or whose links were sent by friends & fans). It is also, for that reason, fairly audio-drama-heavy, but not exclusively so! It includes sections for crowdfunds, online stores, ttrpgs, and ko-fis and patreons for creators of a variety of different art forms.

The list is long, but worth a look through. Have a browse, see if anything appeals, and if you'd like to add any links, please do! Share the list around, shout out your friends and peers, boost your favourite artist, and vitally, self-promo is strongly encouraged!

Crowdfund campaigns:

Starting off strong with Forged Bonds @forgedbondspod — A queer, myth-bending audio drama retelling of Aphrodite and Hephaestus's love story.

This one takes pride of place as the inspiration for this post. Pine is working SO hard to make sure their cast gets paid regardless of crowdfunding outcomes, even if that means paying out-of-pocket. Help them avoid having to do that by supporting a truly kind and wonderful creator. (Crowdfund ends in a little over two weeks!)

We've also got a tight time-sensitive crowdfund for Waiting For October @monkeymanproductions — an upcoming queer supernatural audio drama series from the creators of Moonbase Theta, Out.

At the time of posting, they only have 13 hours left on their crowdfund, but they're 93% there! Help them cross the threshold and tell what I'm sure will be another gorgeous and wild story.

And for the horror lovers, a new crowdfund from The Morbid Forest — a deep dive into all things grusesome!

They are hoping to fund their fifth season, and it's looking to be their biggest yet. A lot of what they're asking for will be used to pay guest authors they're bringing in for the new season, allowing platforms for up-and-coming writers. Help them make this a reality!

All three of these creators also have Patreons you can subscribe to instead of (or in addition to!) their crowdfund: Pine Tree Pods, Monkeyman Productions, Morbid Forest

Buy yourself a little treat:

Saph the Something creates ethically handmade clothes made with vintage materials by a non-binary queer individual, with an emphasis on non-default clothes for non-default people.

You can find Saph's physical goods on xaer ko-fi (including a GORGEOUS loose-knit subtle trans flag tee)! Or support xem on Patreon for early access to content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more

For prints and pins of some truly stunning art, visit Survival of the Artist's ko-fi!

If you love gorgeous, unsettling underwater horror, you're going to absolutely love these prints

Eeler's Choice @eelerschoice is offering their season 1 soundtrack on Bandcamp!

Eeler’s Choice is a maritime horror fantasy podcast that serves as a reminder that the ocean never gives back what it takes unchanged. The music is GORGEOUS and if you love sea shanties, folk music, and eerie ambient instrumentals, you'll love this album.

They also have merch on sale, the logo sweatshirt is one of the best things I own

Pyon is an afro-latino freelance artist, writer, designer, and indie game developer

He is currently working on a visual novel magical girl project, @magicalwarriordiamondheart and you can buy prints, plushies, apparrel, charms and more from their store (or support him on Ko-fi!)

Xan Larson is an Illustrator, Comic Artist and Content Creator with a specialty and marked enthusiasm for mythological creatures of all kinds and all cultures.

She offers a huge range of treats on her website, including art prints (& original paintings), resin art, and books

Dylan Birtolo is a writer, a gamer, and a professional sword-swinger

Dylan has a huge number of books on offer, primarily fantasy, including anthologies, novellas, and novels.

TTRPGs galore:

(these also fall under the little treat category, but there were so many that I felt they needed their own section)

Sunken Rust are a game company run by married couple Dave Eisinger and Jazz Eisinger, and they offer a range of absolutely delightful TTRPGs, ranging from a wholesome GBBO-inspired micro RPG, to a solo journaling game about exploring an abandoned mansion.

Tea Witch Games is run by Anna Landin, a queer Swedish illustrator, comic artist and game designer. She offers games that run the gamut from sweet and cozy to weird, sad and spooky.

K. Petker offers games from wonderfully unique perspecitves including heroines of the princess council, children facing the apocalypse, and cats protecting their humans from the supernatural.

Christine Prevas is a writer, designer, PhD student & erstwhile librarian offering TTRPGs that range from two-player steamy horror to theatrical tragedy, and more.

Unseeliejess is a game designer and social worker, and my personal favourites from her offerings include Oops! All Draculas! and multiple sapphic-focused TTRPGs

Thoughty is run by Beau Jágr Sheldon, including innovative TTRPGs in a range of formats, as well as some games that break away from the table entirely.

Riverhouse Games includes a ton of fun concepts, including a micro-game about cleaning your kitchen and a game about telling your hot gay (dragon) boyfriend you love him. They also offer a guide to writing your own RPG!

E. Chris Garrison is the proprietor of Chris's Compendium of Free RPGs, one of the oldest game repositories on the web. They are also the designer of Saving People / Hunting Things, a TTRPG inspired by monster-of-the-week style television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Supernatural. They also have a ton of fantasy, supernatural, and sci-fi books on offer

Handsofblue offers a campy horror game about awful people and a serial killer, and a solo knitting game

Drazillion is an award-winning narrative designer, writer, and artist, offering a huge portfolio of games with a strong focus on queer narratives and themes. You can also support her on Patreon

Patreons & Ko-Fis:

Finally we have some ways to directly support the creators you love or their ongoing projects!

Soul Operator @souloperatorpod is a multi-genre fiction podcast, created to highlight solo ttrpgs.

If you haven't listened yet, you absolutely should - this show will rip out your heart and you'll be grateful for it. Support them for behind-the-scenes content, exclusive short stories, and more

Divine Rodentia Studios @divinerodentiastudios is releasing a new fiction anthology audio drama, Sixth Door to the Left

This is some truly intriguing and wonderful storytelling, and you can support them through the development of their upcoming project, The Loser's Game.

YamiKakyuu @yamikakyuu is a writer, photographer, amateur digital artist, and horror podcast enthusiast.

Supporting them will help an up-and-coming voice actor invest in decent equipment (a huge barrier to so many incredibly talented VAs breaking into the industry!)

Daisy McNamara is an *incredibly prolific* podcaster, the co-creator of Eeler's Choice and Waterlogged, and has contributed his talents to so many more

Daisy has made such a huge contribution to the audio drama world, so if you've listened to any podcasts to speak of, you've probably enjoyed some of her work. Your support can help him make ends meet and continue creating!

And finally (because I fave a few pals who'd kill me dead if I didn't do a bit of self-promo), I'm Leanne Egan, the creator of Tell No Tales, an audio drama about ghosts and the people who refuse to hunt them. While there is currently no way to support the show financially, my debut novel, Lover Birds, releases soon!

As a bonus, if you're in the UK, you can pre-order it from a North-West-based queer indie bookshop too!

[fireheartwraith]

Hello everyone. Climate change and lack of infrastructure has cause severe floods in the south of brazil and thousands of people are displaced or missing. If you can help, please do, especially those who use dollar or euro. You don't know far your money can take us

This tweet has a video showing how absurdly fast the water rose. Image if this was your home, completely taken by water in under three minutes. Imagine if you had children, elderly, disabled people living here. What would you do in this situation? What can you even do?

Most of the state is now underwater, and the parts that aren't don’t have power or water. Getting prescription meds and other necessities like hygiene kits and food is difficult because capitalism sucks. The military police are protecting supermarkets because the people are hungry and taking the food. Mind you, the food will spoil anyway. But god forbid people don't go hungry.

And in the midst of this chaos, public transport still isn't free. People are charging to rescue folks. So people can only be rescued by helicopter because of the currents. There are people debating whether or not they should leave pets to die.

And the government has done basically nothing. It is the government's fault, everyone knows this. The money that was supposed to go to preventing something like this simply doesn't exist. The people organizing rescues are distributing resources are the people themselves. Influencers have been doing more to the cause than the government at this point.

Some people were bringing up Madonna because the flood hit the night of her show, and they were saying the money she received should have gone to the affected people. And so she donated 10 MILLION reais. It is utter madness. There are bodies floating in the water people have to wade through.

If you can do something to help, please do

Here's a link to donate to an ngo that is feeding the displaced people

Paypal: Fathiele14@gmail.com

Edit: Floods are also displacing people in the northeast, literally on the other side of the country. The situation is dire. Remember, you are closer to being a climate refugee than being a billionaire. If I find where you make international donations to help Maranhão I'll share it here

[hxjikonn]

(Artist: @/wrt_428 on twtr)

Octavinelle trio x GN!Reader who loves exploring the ocean

☆Staring☆: Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, And Floyd Leech

TW!! Just some foul words and cusses (all in a light hearted manner though nothing serious)

Synopsis: Octavinelle trio reaction to GN!Reader who loves to dive under the sea to explore.

Azul Ashengrotto

Was weirded out by you. As in “I’m gonna keep an eye on this odd human who like to go down the ocean to play with fish just incase”

He met you at a beach at night (and no not the romantic “beach at moonlight love at first sight” thing) he was looking for coins for his coin collection…and you…you just dived into the water

He didn’t care at first cuz you were just one human, but he noticed it’s been too long since you’ve went down. He thought you drowned😭

Slightly concerned he went after you but then saw you just swimming around following a group of sea horses

He kinda sorta just watched you play around, lay on the sea bed, collect a few shells and rocks you thought were pretty

You occasionally came up for air, and when you do he hides behind big rocks thinking you wont notice. (You did.)

Neither of you made a move to approach each other though. Untilllllll you found a pretty shiny coin.

Azul gasped (underwater?? Idk if you can do that but whatevs) you heard it and for the first time you actually made eye contact with the human octopus guy

Azul thought you’d be afraid of him so he started scaring you that he was a sea witch and that he’d curse you if you don’t give him the coin.

Your dumbass (yes I’m calling you out) laughed…underwater…and you were waayyy down to get up the surface without drowning.

Azul thought he scared you too much (he’s sorta dumb too lol) so one of his tentacles grabbed you and swam up as fast as he could.

Long story short, after you vomited the gallon of sea water in your system, you thanked him and gave him the coin, he was happy but didn’t try to make it obvious (it was very obvious)

You started looking for him whenever you went diving since that day, he was lowkey waiting for you everyday too and is sad when you dont come

When you do come you ask him tons of questions about his tentacles and use them as your personal chair, or cling to one of them when Azul starts swimming just because it’s fun

He acts annoyed, but he really enjoys your company. Even finding ways for you to stay underwater longer so you could stay with him more often

He tries to keep you near shore, he wants to show you around more but you’re a small human. Perfect prey for big underwater predators.

Helps you collect shells and rocks, thinks it’s endearing that you have the same hobby as he does.

And ofc Azul isn’t azul without his contracts, practically sales talk you to make a contract with him so he can make you breathe underwater

Not because he’s worried you accidentally drown or anything no totally not that /sarcasm folks *wink wink*

It’s because according to him “he wants to make you his coin searcher so he can complete his coin collection” (it’s already complete, he has like 25 complete albums just of coins…)

You never agree though 💀💀💀 I guess Azul just has a human to watch after now so they wont drown

——————————————————————————

Jade Leech

Would be fascinated by you. Bro would “observe” you for hours…

When he found you, you were laying on the sea bed…eye closed…star fish pose…he thought you were a dead body 😭😭

“Floyd forgot to clean up his mess again…” he said to himself…thinking Floyd prolly went on a squeezing spree again

He approached you, because he was gonna pull your body up shore so the other humans can deal with. But when you opened your eyes and saw the long wiggly worm fish man you freaked out

You freaked out so hard you inhaled water 💀 And it took him a few seconds to realize that you weren’t dead…but you were about to be if he doesn’t get you up

He did though, really quickly too. You thought you guys were gonna jump through a different dimension due to how fast he swam.

Once you were up, and you got the sea water you inhaled out of your system, Jade was still watching you…just staring at you with half his face still in the water, his unblinking eyes are the only ones that are surfaced…

You were scared outta your damned body but you still thanked him for saving your stupid ass.

You were more scared when he talked. 💀💀💀

“HOLY SHIT YOU CAN TALK?!!?” “yes. ^^”

He started asking questions about why the fuck you were laying down where he found you cuz tbh who wouldn’t???

You explained to him that you just like to stay underwater and explore, and that you can hold your breath for a long time so it doesn’t bother you that much

He apologized for scaring you and offered to take you to different parts of the ocean when you go diving again…

You agreed of course, and after that he’s stuck to you. Fascinated by the human who loves being underwater.

When he takes you to places, he doesn’t really go exploring with you, he just follows along, watching you curiously look at everything

You two made a signal where you blink two times to tell him you need to go up for air, and he would swim you up and wait for you to catch your breath before swimming back down

He lets you cling onto him when he swims cuz he knows you have fun when you do that.

He keeps you away from danger too, he can fight but he rather not considering you’re a fragile little human who he might put at risk when he fights off predators who’d want to eat you.

Thinks it’s cute that you play with fishes, so cute he almost buys you a collar with “Jade’s pet human” written on it 😭

Is sad when you have to go home, he understands you need to go back to your home up shore cuz your a human and you get tired

But he ALWAYS asks for an extra hour, if you’re tired, you can use him as a bed…underwater…where he’s close to you.

Tries to send subliminal messages to Azul for him to turn you into a fish already so Jade can keep you with him and you never have to leave.

——————————————————————————

Floyd Leech

Thought you were trying to find creative ways to die 😭💀

He wasn’t in a good mood when he found you, he wanted to squeeze the life out of you for trespassing in his territory

But then he saw you dancing with jellyfishes… “what in the spongebob squarepants are they doing?” He thought.

Saw you get stung a couple of times and expected you to get angry at the jellyfish but you didn’t, it hurt sure but when you got stung you just rubbed it and continued on

You were happy with what you were doing which is what made Floyd more curious, he silently followed you around after that, he didn’t bother hiding from you

In fact you notice him following you, and look at him a couple of times thinking he wants to eat you, but he doesn’t even make a move, just stares

As much as he was curious about you, you too were curious about him. So one time, you saw his tail poking out form behind a rock….you touched it…he was shocked so his first instinct was to strangle you thinking you were some guy tryna pick a fight with him…you passed out 💀

When you woke up you were up shore…instead of the sky though, you saw a couple of dilated pupils staring back at you…

“Uhhh hi?” You blinked at him a couple of times

He thought you died, he was happy you didn’t cuz he was amused by your guts to touch his tail like that knowing you could probably die

He asked if you were okay before squeezing you into a tight soul crushing hug claiming that your “his human” now

He asks you lots of questions and you try your best to answer each one, still shaken up about the near death experience you had just went through

After that he waits for you at the beach everyday, he wants you by his side all the time from then on

He clings on to you all the time when you’re underwater, wraps himself around your little body, does the swimming for you since he thinks you’re slow carrying you with him

Gets bored when you collect shells and rocks but still tries his best to be patient since you looks so cute and small just searching the sea bed for them

He doesn’t see value in the things you’re collecting but when you gave him a green rock he kept it on his shelves at home always looking at it and smiling

His mood cant always tolerate your rock and shell collecting so takes you to a ship wreck to collect shinier things.

Scares, kills, beats the living shit out of any predator who tries to harm his little human companion

He has his mood swings and the first time you encountered that you didn’t know how to handle him, he ended up hitting you with his tail hurting you in the process

You got hit so hard you thought flew across the Pacific Ocean…(I was being sarcastic on this part😭🤚🏻 y’all in replies are sending me💀💀)

When you swam up badly hurt he followed you realizing what he did and rushed to help, but you were already running out the beach when he got there

Floyd was upset the whole week, you didn’t come back and he was afraid you never will come back ever again.

When you did though he squeezed you (gently) trying not to hurt you even more he kept apologizing and for the rest of the day he was just wrapped up around you not letting you go

Doesn’t ever snap at you when he has his mood swings ever again.

Possessive of you, doesn’t want you to meet others like him cuz he thinks you’d make a lot of friends and leave him behind

“Mine.” “Floyd no.” “Floyd yes.”

A/N: This was fun to make, laughed a lot while writing this. Again…I did not proofread this I never proofread 💀💀 I’m lazy like that

Edit A/N: THX TO THAT REPLY TELLING ME THEY CANT STING OML I’M STUPID😭 I changed it though dw :D

[cacodaemonia]

Fic Self-Recs

Fic authors self rec! List your favorite five fics that you've written, then tag at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

(Yes, this was originally an ask game, but I know some folks, myself included, have closed asks due to spam, so I guess it's a tag game now ����)

Thanks for the tag, @elismor! These kinds of things are always so tough, haha (also, it could be kind of cool if there was an art version, since most of these tag things are focused on fics...)

My Heart's Red Muscle - (E, for one smut scene) I think this is probably my best fic, and also one of the longest. Cyborg!Waxer has no memories of his life before he came online. Paired with ARF trooper Boil, who doesn't seem to know what to do with him, Waxer has no idea how to fit in among clones when he's so very different. As he makes connections with those around him, he and Boil try to figure out who he might have been—and more importantly, who he is now.

Kinktober 2022 - (E, obviously) Set in the giant Open Skies AU. Where's that Trojan Horse smut post... Yeah so the fic is basically this for Waxer/Boil 😂

We Could Breathe Underwater - (T) What if shiny Waxer and Boil were both a bit Force-sensitive, and—oopsie, created a Force bond?

Interference - (T) Set in the RCAU/Open Skies AU, but it can be read as a standalone. It follows some OCs and canon characters as they figure out what Krell is up to on Umbara. The problem is that Torrent Company and Waxer's platoon are already on a collision course...

Fading Light and Cooling Space - (T, but heed the tags on this one) After Boil suffers through the horrifying events on Umbara, something nudges him to steal a strange necklace from Krell's body that teleports him to an even stranger place (and time?).

The last two fics are a bit older, so I'm sure they have a lot of room for technical improvement, but I still like them overall.

No-pressure tags: @lizardberries @theproblemwithstardust @come-chaos @valkeakuulas @whiskygoldwings

@marbled-polecat @petrifiedforests

[satureja13]

It didn't go unnoticed by the First Order HQ that something was going on again at Batuu. It had cost Lt. Agnon a lot to cover the Masters obsession with this Boy, Jino... and he'd only been partly successful. And since then, HQ is keeping an eye on them. They can't afford another incident with the Master being blinded and unable to keep up his duties here. Agnons last hope is this bunch of scoundrels...

But it seems Sai already lost all his hope...

Jeb, quietly so Sai can't hear them, he's already worried enough: "He's still stunned. And we can't help him."

Kiyoshi: "Maybe it is for the best. He'd only freak out and scare Ji Ho over the Bond." Jeb: "Hm." They decided to let Vlad be. He looked quite happy. As if he was thinking of good memories with Ji Ho...

Lt. Agnon is supposed to be on duty here - but that doesn't mean he has to watch them all the time, right? So he and the droids tried to stall the Master and Jino's departure... And he made sure to loudly communicate with the TIE fighter crew about the Master's plans to bring Jino away from Batuu...

Dammit! They have to do something or Ji Ho will be kidnapped! This Hondo guy had claimed the 'Escape from Batuu' book was just fan fiction. But until now, everything had turned out as true. Except for the meteorite stuff. But the Boys already experienced the connection between Val and Jino and Vlad and Jo Ho...

Sai noticed Lt. Agnons absence from the guard room. He and the droids were busy with - whatever stuff First Order personnel is busy with... So Saiwa started to scan their holding cell...

Their magic might be blocked down here in the cells - but Saiwa has his own kind of 'magic' - his hacker skills. There is a camera in each of the cells. And this camera sends the recordings - somewhere. And so Sai started to redirected this 'somewhere' to Batuu's orbit - to Great A'Tuin II. Gladly the communications are fully functional again and Sai hoped he could reach Rubyn, Kesuke or Dayn so they could help them out of here! Before this Master brings Ji Ho somewhere else - or them to the prison planet ö.ö'

And really - the huge monitor at Great A'Tuin's bridge crackled to life. But it failed to conect with Rubyn, Dayn or Kesuke. It seems only Lenny saw Saiwa in the prison cell down at Batuu...

And maybe two other certain members of the 'crew' ^^'

Lenny: "Mreau!" Malfoy: "Batoook!" Skully: "Right, we are going to get those Boys outta there!"

They met at the 'meadow', Skully adjusted the camera. Skully: " 'kay - looks good so far... "

Skully: "Malfoy, a bit more to the left - no! My left! Aaaand action! - or whenever you finished your bowl, Lenny..."

Just a little later at Oga's Cantina at Batuu: DJ R3-X: "Guys! It's Lenny!"

And so Lenny, Malfoy, Axl, the axolotl and Skully started their broadcast to get the Boys out of prison. Because who else is going to feed them and clean up after them?

The folks at the Cantina started to make plans. Of course they are going to assist Lenny, the Legendary and his friends!

Cora, the traitor: "Dammit! We're screwed!" Vanel: "Ach, I shouldn't have listened to you! I'm out! Here's your money back. We stand no chance against Lenny!"

In the background of the broadcast, Skully was playing 'Fairytale of New York':

'It was Christmas Eve babe In the drunk tank An old man said to me, won't see another one And then he sang a song The Rare Old Mountain Dew I turned my face away And dreamed about you'

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues (Makes me cry every time I hear/watch it)

Outtakes

Oblivious Jino...

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[tyrantisterror]

At Sea Without a Map Pt. 7

The sea monster shoots you a skeptical glance, waiting for you to start the conversation. You know roughly the topics you want to broach, but not the specific questions you want to ask. As the awkward silence wears on and her skeptical glare gets more concerned, you decide to organize your thoughts in an unconventional way.

"Four questions about our fight... three about who and what she is... two about where we are... and one about other humans, I think," you mutter to yourself.

"What was that?" she asks.

"Nothing!" you say, too hastily for her to believe you. "So, um, I guess we should talk about our, um, fight last night?"

She frowns and nods her head. "Yeah, it got a little ugly, didn't it," she says as she leans back and shoots you a charming, sharp-toothed smile. "But don't worry, I forgive you."

"Fuh - forgi... You forgive me? You forgive me?" you splutter. "You tried to eat me!"

"Yeah, and you tossed a net on me and ran me over with your boat," she answers calmly. "Overall, I think you got the better of that situation."

"You tried to eat me!" you reiterate. "I only fought back in self defense!"

"And I only attacked in hunger," she says, tossing her long hair back. "We both did what we did to survive, and I don't see why we have to make a big deal about it."

"I can't believe this," you mutter is frustration. "Are you at least sorry?" you ask. (East Questions Left: 3 of 4)

She narrows her serpentine eyes as she looks at you. "No. I mean, I'm not happy about it, as you seem like a nice enough person, and I was touched by your concern for my well-being, but human sailors are a staple of my diet. I am built to hunt your kind. I'm not going to apologize for my biology."

It's a frustrating answer you want to argue against, but you don't see an angle at the moment to do so. "Well, can you promise not to try and eat me again?" you ask. (East Questions Left: 2 of 4)

Her eyes drift towards her tail, which has shrunk considerably in size since your confrontation the previous night. "I don't think I actually can," she says. "I hunt your kind by luring them close, sinking my hooked claws into them, and dragging them underwater to drown. The sheer muscle provided by my tail is what makes it such an effective strategy, and our tussle left me so beat up that I had to consume most of its mass to recover. Trying to drown you now would be a lot riskier, so no, I don't think I can eat you."

A look at your face makes her smile nervously and add, "But I can tell that's not the answer you were looking for, so, uh... I promise not to try to eat you, specifically, anymore?" She flashes another sharp-toothed grin at you. "Even when I grow the rest of my tail back. You can be my special exception!"

That wasn't the answer you wanted either, but it's probably the best you'll get. "Are humans even that nutritious, anyway? Surely there's better prey you can chase." (East Questions Left: 1 of 4)

"Humans are among the largest and most nutritious things I can catch at full strength," she answers. "There are plenty of larger sea creatures, but I'm not built to hunt them. I don't have huge jaws or big, meaty claws, you see. I eat what I can get, like anyone else."

None of these answers have been particularly comforting, so you decide to get the very heart of this matter. "Can I trust you not to hurt me?" (East Questions Left: 0 of 4)

She cocks her head to the side, the coils of her many locks of hair bouncing in the process. "You barely know me, and I barely know you. I don't think either of is at a place where 'trust' can come into play yet."

"Fair enough," you say. "Let's get to know each other, then. What's your name?" (West Questions Left: 2 of 3)

Her yellow eyes peer at you for a moment, studying you closely. "My name is Calibani," she says.

"Calibani? What, were your folks a fan of Shakespeare?" (West Questions Left: 1 of 3)

"Not to my knowledge," she says. "I never met my parents, much less saw them shake any spears. I was alone when I hatched. What about you? What's your name?"

There's no answer to that question, or at least none you can recall. You've been alone so long that there's been no need for it, and as you try to remember, you draw a blank. "Sailor," you say. "I'm a sailor."

"Kind of on the nose, isn't it?" she says with a small laugh, her nose scrunching a bit as she smirks. "Like calling a fish Swimmy or something."

A part of you wants to laugh too, but you decide to focus. "Are there others like you out there?" you ask. (West Questions Left: 0 of 3).

A soft plap fills the air as her finned tail idly strikes the floor. "Hmm... other sea monsters in general? Oh yes, lots. Others of my kind, specifically?" She thinks for a moment, her face tense with concentration. "I don't know. There might be? I'm the only one of my kind I've ever seen, but it's a big sea out there."

"That's a point," you say. "This is a big sea. Where exactly are we, right now? The Pacific? The Atlantic?" (North Questions Left: 1 of 2)

You feel a chill run down your spine as her big, yellow eyes stare at you with a mix of concern and disbelief. "We're in the Sea of Monsters, of course. So-named because it is a monstrously large sea, and because its denizens are all quite monstrous themselves." She leans in closer as she elaborates, "You know the dread you get when you see the ocean in its enormity, and all the strange horrors it might hold in its deepest depths? That's where we are, deep in that dread. Take every sea monster you've heard tales of, and imagine every variation of them you can, and you will not only have a good idea of what you can find here, but also only have a small fraction of what lives within these waters. Do you get the picture?"

With a lump of fear in your throat, you nod slowly. "Ok. Ok, ok, ok. So... um..." You scratch your head and try to figure out how to phrase your next question. "Why can't I remember anything from before I came here?" (North Questions Left: 0 of 2)

Calibani regards you with pity. "I have no idea, sweetness, but you have my sympathy."

"What about others of my kind?" you blurt out. "You say you prey on sailors, so you must have seen some. What do you know about other humans out here?" "South Questions Left: 0 of 1)

Her face scrunches up in an apologetic frown as she reluctantly answers, "Not much? Every now and then a boat comes into my hunting grounds. Usually there aren't many of your kind - a handful at most. I wait until one is alone, then approach and lure them into the water. I generally don't stop to make small talk, as I assume you don't make small talk with whatever it is you eat." She gives you another apologetic frown and shrugs her shoulders. "I wish I could be more help, but I don't actually know a lot about your species beyond ways to hunt them."

Despair overtakes you - not in a dramatic way, but in a slow, sinking feeling, like you're being dragged slowly into the water, air leaving your lungs in small bursts, darkness surrounding you as the light above grows more distant. This is the first person you've met and she's told you almost nothing useful. You sink down in your chair and hold your head in your hands.

Calibani notices your grief and, despite herself, catches some of it second hand. "Listen, I'm going to try and get some fish to eat," she says quietly. "Maybe we'll both feel better with some food." She casts a guilty look at you and adds, "Plus there's an island to explore, right? You humans love dry land, don't you? Maybe it'll be good to stretch your legs!"

She waits for a response, but you don't give her one, and so the sea monster quietly walks upstairs and leaves you alone in the cabin of your ship. A while after she leaves, you pull yourself out of your funk enough to take action.

You consult your compass:

[chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct]

Ok, I've not seen it here but why are so many people on like TikTok and Twitter saying that the people in the Appalachians who didn't evacuate for the hurricane got what they deserved? I genuinely don't understand. People typically evacuate TO the Appalachians to avoid hurricane weather. All we got were flash flood warnings, which happen and are typically pretty easy to get over and recover from. And it's not just the fact that we don't get hurricane warnings, when things started to look worse we were told to stay put. And even for the few people who were told to evacuate, 30 minutes to an hour before they got hit, when you live in a place where people typically go to when they evacuate, where do you go? How do you know how far is far enough to be safe?

Let's take Asheville, a day trip from where my brother and his family live. It's underwater. A place 300 miles off the coast and 2100 feet above sea level. Ashville is one of the places people typically go to to avoid hurricane weather.

The damage in the Appalachians from Hurricane Helene is absolutely devastating. I have lived in Virginia my whole life and have never seen anything worse than a few flooded fields and raised creeks, this was not that. I've never seen the schools be turned into shelters. I'm almost 20, and I know that isn't a long time when you look at everything from before but that's still a good chunk of years. I don't recognize a lot of places anymore.

People's houses have been washed away, there are people dead and missing. Most people didn't have cell service for days and the first thing they see when they get back online to maybe see how folks are doing or get the news is people saying they deserved what they got. Entire towns have been washed away, bridges and roads are literally gone. They're not just underwater or damaged, they're gone. a damn broke and water had to be released into the already flooded rivers to stop others from breaking.

The land and infrastructure of the Appalachians isn't made for this. In most places the water has nowhere to go. It's too much for the ground, which is mostly clay, to soak up and in most places, like the valley my house sits in, the mountains form bowl-like shapes that keep the water from flowing out.

The wind was so bad we had a small twister touch down at my house. I joked with a few friends how it was a polite windstorm because it stayed in the road but stuff like that is literally terrifying. It threw something that knocked one of my windows in and I had to hold it up by myself. Our house is surrounded by 100 year old oaks and pines. If the one that fell had fallen to the left instead of the right, I'd probably be dead because it would have landed in my bedroom. One of our generators started leaking in the middle of the night and as my dad got up for work at 2 am he had to check to see if my mom, who had fallen asleep in the living room, was still alive because you could smell the gas which carries carbon monoxide. And that's just our personal experience. I feel absolutely awful for those that had it worse.

The Great Smokey Mountains, America's most visited national park, had 13.3 million visitors last year. Judging by everything that's been said online I doubt half of those people sympathize with what the people that live in that area are going through. As I said, we get flash flood warnings but nobody prepares you for this level of flooding! I guess it's easy to sit back and criticize the people that are literally suffering right now when you aren't affected at all. I can say I have never criticized people who got caught in a disaster nor have I met people who do so this is all so bizarre to me. It's crazy that the bar is so low and people can't even get across it. Hardly any sympathy and even less aid.

I really hate to put all of this here but I really need to get it off my chest. This was supposed to be a short ramble but seeing how completely unsympathetic people are being made me so angry.

[mariabtsos]

Unsinkable ||j.jk|| Chapter 9

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Description: The 1910s are the peak of passenger ships, it was also the peak of classism, Jungkook is a third class immigrant from Korea, and you are a first class “prisoner” not wanting to go back to a life of strict standards. Once you meet Jungkook, life seems worth living, but when tragedy strikes, will you guys make it out to live the life you planned?

Genre: One-shot, Titanic AU, poor/artist!JK x rich!f reader, angst, fluff, very slight smut, forbidden love.

Warnings: ANGST, major character death, descriptions of drowning or being stuck underwater, mentions of coma and it's effect (Brain Death wasn't discovered until 1968), ending of life supporting measures, grief, amputation of a limb.

AN: This is the second to last chapter, next one will be the final one, it will include a source list with excellent channels and educational sources for you to inform yourself about the Titanic and how everything played out according to history if you are not aware of the actual story, even if the 1997 film is somewhat accurate, there's things it got wrong that even I didn't know until my research for this story.

Word Count: 1.7K+

Thank goodness both Yoongi and Jungkook were being sent to the same hospital, Taehyung and Jimin arrived an hour or so after you, you made sure to give their names to the nurses so they could come see you, since you had to be admitted due to your knee, and the horrible frostbite on your nose and fingers.

You’d been put in the same ambulance as Jungkook, and although you were so happy to see him, his state made your heart shrivel up. His eyes were shut, and he looked so pale, you could still see some little spots of frost on his hair. He was still breathing from what you could tell, and you wondered if he could still hear you.

You tried reaching for his hand but the EMT stopped you, explaining that they had to take his temperature and then wrap him up in wool blankets, given how cold he was to the touch. All you could do was talk to him.

“We made it, Jungkook! We're almost at the hospital, you just have to hold on for a little longer,” you felt yourself tear up, why had this happened this way? You were supposed to be running off together right now, with Jimin, Taehyung, and Chris in tow. How had it all gone so wrong?

You were separated once you made it to the hospital, they had to take him for some tests and you to get your knee and ribs taken care of. The pain was unbearable, you hadn't realized how bad your knee was hurt until they set it back in place, then again, the doctors said that you had just reached normal temperature. Maybe you were too cold and too worried about Jungkook to care.

You were given crutches and pain meds and sent on your way, the hospital needed the beds.

“Ynie?” You saw Taehyung standing in the waiting room, tears in his eyes. You were so grateful they had made it to the hospital, and you didn't hesitate to give him a hug.

“Tae, thank goodness you're here!” He hugged you tightly, and soon after Jimin hugged you as well, the baby in his arms was now swaddled and had a little beanie, “did they tell you when Jungkook might be waking up?” the latter asked as you pulled away, you simply shook your head.

“I hope it's soon, did you guys see Yoongi? Is he okay?”

“We know he's awake, and we know he was screaming, but so were a lot of other folks,” Jimin answered. It was like he called on something, all of the sudden more screaming was heard. It wasn't just victims in pain anymore.

You saw a woman with one of her children down on her knees screaming. A bigger family hugging a pair of small children, a man quietly sobbing in the corner, and so many others. You were so lucky to still be alive, to have the one you love still be alive. You felt horrible for all of them.

“That big family over there, aren't those Martha's kids?” Jimin nudged Taehyung, who immediately made his way to them, followed quickly by Jimin.

You watched as they talked to them all, the kids immediately hugging Tae’s legs, his face contorted a bit as he kneeled down to be at the children's level, they hugged him tightly. You realized quickly that their mom probably begged for someone to take them up to the lifeboats, or maybe she'd managed to get there before they launched and she put them in there first?

Did you see her floating body when you were in the water with Jungkook? Had she been one of the first screams to dull down, or one of the last ones along with you? You assumed it was the latter, you hoped that's what it was and not that their other family had to come get them because they had no one else left.

Taehyung and Jimin sat quietly next to you in the waiting room, the dread you felt was unbearable, almost like the same dread you felt just a five days ago, when you boarded the ship that was now thousands of feet underwater, you wondered if there were alive toward the end, and you shivered at how horrifying, dark and lonely that must’ve been, going down with a ship and seeing nothing but darkness during your final moments.

You shuddered.

After what felt like hours to you, a doctor finally came out “Relatives of Jungkook Jeon?” The man called, he butchered your lover's name so horribly, but you didn't care at the moment, you stood up faster than your brain could realize and Taehyung ended up having to hold you up since you forgot your crutches.

“I'm his wife, is he okay? Can we go see him? Will he be discharged soon?” your mouth was moving faster than ever as you asked the questions.

“Mrs Jeon…” the doctor took a deep breath, you'd seen the look he was giving you before, you and your mother got that look when your father passed away. You started breaking down. “We did all we could but he seems to be in a deep comatose state and he can't breathe on his own,” he explained. You felt your knees buckle under you.

“Do you want us to stop life saving measures?”

How can this be? You both made it, you both got taken out of the water, he made it to a hospital. Why was that not enough? Why did his life have to end? You couldn't go on without him, you could go on, you were supposed to run off together.

“Mrs. Jeon?”

How could they ask you such a thing? You weren't going to kill the one you loved, who would do that? Surely there was something they could do, Jungkook would pull through, he was going to come back to you and they would have to, they were doctors afterall, if they couldn't save Jungkook then who could they save?

You suddenly felt faint, and all you heard Taehyung and Jimin yelling your name.

Where am I?

That was your first thought as you floated through the bright void you found yourself in. It wasn't like that for long, morphing into what seemed to be Jungkook’s hospital room.

“Hey darling,” hearing his voice made your knees buckle again. You turned and ran toward him, he was awake and smiling, you jumped into his arms and he hugged you tightly.

“What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here,” you were confused.

“What do you mean? We're supposed to leave together?”

Your lover sighed, the pain in his eyes was something you hated seeing. “This is my stop darling, I won't be able to join you,” he explained, and you felt yourself break all over again, “Remember what I said in the water? You need to live, make each day count, and one day we’ll meet again okay?” he held your face in his hands, “it’s okay to let me go, just don’t let them bury me okay, my body being in one place forever is not like me at all,” he wiped the tears streaming down your face.

“I’ll never let go, I will live for both of us Kook,” you bid farewell tearfully as his hospital room door opened. At the last second you felt him pull you, giving you one last kiss before what felt like a gust of wind pushed you out of the room.

And then you woke up.

You were still on the ground, Taehyung was holding you and the doctor was checking your pupils with a small light, “Are you okay? You scared us half to death, Yn!” Jimin sounded frustrated but relieved, you attempted to get up, but the doctor and Taehyung held you down, encouraging you to do so slowly.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered as they helped you up, Jimin handed you your crutches, and the doctor placed his hand on your shoulder. “It’s okay Mrs. Jeon, I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you better news, I’ll let you think about it and you can let one of the nurses know what you’d like, and they’ll let me know.”

Once he was gone you let Jimin and Taehyung know about what had happened, about your…dream? That’s what it had to have been. You told them what Jungkook told you and they were nothing but supportive, letting you know that whatever decision you made they’d be by your side. So you decided to let him go. It wasn’t the easiest decision, and the last few minutes of Jungkook’s life were the most painful you had ever felt in your short 18 years of life. You sobbed as they listened for a heartbeat or for any breathing. “Nurse, let it be on record, time of death is 20:25,” he put his supplies back into his coat pockets, “I’m very sorry for your loss Mrs. Jeon.”

Taehyung held you and Jimin rubbed your back, as he had his baby in his arms, you sobbed until your head hurt. The only good thing about this was that Yoongi did pull through, his right leg had to be amputated due to how broken it was and the damage the frostbite had done to it. It was a few more weeks before he was fully discharged, and thankfully a lot of first class passengers had come together to get accommodations for less fortunate survivors, Ms. Molly ended up finding Tae and Jimin, and you hid behind a pillar with Yoongi, who begged to not be seen by anyone you knew, whilst they spoke.

“Have any of you seen Yn? Or Jungkook?” she asked with a concerned look on her face. “We think they died in the water,” Taehyung sounded somber. You peeked to see the woman who had been so motherly to you, for a split second you thought she caught a glimpse of you.

“Oh…” the older woman’s voice shook, “well, I’ll give you this, I had set it aside for Jungkook, he was a wonderful young man and he deserved a better start here, you should be getting checks as well shortly with some compensation and Mr. Ismay has arranged for transportation for you and…anyone else who traveled with you,” she said a little louder. She whispered a last take care of her, before she walked away. They did end up getting $950 each, totalling a good $1900. You all set to travel up to northern New York, you wanted life away from the busy city for now, but you will ensure to live life to the fullest. For yourself and for Jungkook.

[sammisafetypin]

All of the Ways That Glass is Fucked

Wanted to write up some meta on Glass before the winter solstice hits and whatever horrific things that’re going to go down happen. Mainly, in all the ways that they are royally fucked in regards to their deal with Aster and the warning signs are already written on the wall.

Let’s start with Episode 13, The Hot Spring. There’s a lot to be said here.

Firstly, we’re being reminded very bluntly that the Springs are not all kind. Glass says that they’re usually the “most benevolent” of the Folk, which is a pretty dangerous assumption to assign — especially since, as they correct themselves in the presence of Oak and Ivy, not always.

Oak and Ivy explicitly want Glass to stay longer so that they can torment them. Glass is being propositioned to stay longer with the Folk, expose themselves longer to Their ways. In Oak and Ivy’s case, they’re just bored, but the fact that specifically Spring Folk are trying to get Glass to spend more time with them seems like a thinly veiled metaphor. Glass even notes the pleasant smell that pulls you in.

After all— magic changes people. Oak and Ivy make this point very clear, even if it’s for the sake of trying to scare Glass. The theme of “this will change you” is not exclusive to their words.

How long will Glass truly be human? Capable of interacting with humans normally? What will happen when the magic inevitably “changes” them?

Well, Episode 13 is full of warnings. All three of the encounters in the episode are people who have willingly forgone their humanity for one reason or another. Silver’s underwater town, Copper’s Trash Hunter—

(Trash Hunter specifically noting getting ‘kept as a pet’ as a worse fate doesn’t bode well in my chest.)

— And of course, the most blatant warning of all, Sad Chris. A person who willingly gave themselves over to the Folk and does whatever they say, to the point of self-destruction. Apparently, they used to think they were smart— better than the Folk’s tricks. Clearly, they weren’t. The beauty of the Springs immediately tricked them.

These screenshots also show Ivy and Oak repeatedly comparing Sad Chris and Glass. We’re obviously meant to think about what is similar and different between them. And while Glass is much smarter about how they interact with the Folk, they are still very similar in that they’ve given themselves over to one in some way. And Sad Chris’s fate?

Well, it isn’t pretty. Doomed to forever be tormented by the Folk because they’re just that damn obedient.

Now, this is a good time to say that I believe Aster is well-meaning. I don’t think they’re going to start making Glass drown themselves for fun or anything. However, I do believe that they don’t understand humanity on humanity’s level. They’re inherently above it, which sort of skews your morals some. I believe they view Glass less like a human and more like their special little songbird. And I don’t know how long it will be until the cage comes crashing down around them. We pin butterflies because they’re beautiful, right? We forget that they can feel pain too.

Late in the episode, the gang discusses humans who chose the apocalypse, or otherwise gave themselves up to the Folk.

“A lot of people didn’t ’give up’ on purpose.” Sounds a lot like Glass. They’re not purposefully giving up, they think what they’re doing is reasonable and safe. But we, the listeners, know that it isn’t. Not to mention Glass here saying their 10-years-past self would only physically recognize them. So you are changing, huh?

There is also the distinct possibility that Aster really is completely and utterly harmless. I doubt it, but I won’t put it out of the realm of possibility. Even so, a relationship like that is doomed to be torn apart by the world they live in. Ivy and Oak seem very eager to find out who gave Glass magic — and I don’t want to think about what they would have done if Glass forked over the answer. Crueler Folk are not going to just let Aster play tea with humans, and humans aren’t going to just let Glass give themselves over to Them.

Also, Oak and Ivy seem very amused by Glass’ denial that they’ve been “spoken for”, which only leads me more to believe that they’re far deeper into this than they think they are. They’re in a deal and giving away writing that comes from their heart. They’re, in essence, feeding parts of their heart to Aster in exchange for magic. Functionally, as far as the Folk are concerned, Glass belongs to Aster. Let’s not forget the hymn from the episode where Glass first made the deal — Tonight You Belong to Me.

But let’s not take the Folk’s word for it. Let’s take a look at the human side of things in Episode 15, The Haven Underground.

Well, actually, I want to take one quick pit-stop at Episode 14, Left Behind. This is by and large an Amber episode, so there’s not much to say about Glass, but one bit at the very beginning does tip me off.

Hey Glass, why are you making excuses for something horrible the Folk did? Why are you trying to argue ‘maybe they liked it’ about something objectively horrifying? Surely this won’t mean anything later.

Anyhow, Episode 15.

Firstly, Glass displays a lot of concern about being caught as connected to the Folk — and not just that, but seems fearful that the Underground is capable of hurting the Folk. Not Glass, the Folk. They’re concerned about Aster, not themselves.

(Side note, I love Seventy Eight so much.)

This is where I bring in something that might be a bit dramatic, but I want you to stay with me here. I’m going to preface this with the fact that I do not think Aster is necessarily abusive, at least not in the traditional human sense. They literally have not done anything yet.

All that said, I think that the writing is intentionally showing us warning signs of an abusive relationship as a way to say “hey, abuse or not, this isn’t good”. Does that make sense? I hope it makes sense.

The first sign, then, being that Glass is placing Aster in a position of higher importance than themselves. They feel excessive concern for Aster while seeming minimally worried about their own consequences for being attached to a Folk. Glass has started to put Aster on a pedestal and put themselves at its base— which deeply worries me. They need to be valuing their own safety if they’re going to survive. They can’t be putting all their worry into the safety of a Folk that, likely, can handle Themselves.

Then, the cards are asked to be handed over. First of all, we get another warning sign — lying about the relationship. Glass does this quite a bit, so I won’t screenshot every instance, but they repeatedly lie about Aster to both strangers and their friends, because they know that the relationship would not be approved of. Obviously not every hidden relationship is bad, but in synergy with other warning signs, it feels more like ‘hiding a toxic partner’ than, like, ‘hiding that you’re gay’ or something.

Secondly, their resistance to handing the cards over. Obviously they wouldn’t want to give up their divination tool — but I think it’s more than that. Those cards connect them to Aster. To have them taken away would screw up the deal — and maybe even make them lose their access to Aster. They obviously can’t have that— they’ve become attached. So attached, that they physically can’t let the cards go.

Twelve has to pry the cards from Glass’ hands. And I don’t think it’s just Glass being stubborn on purpose. I think a part of them has become inextricably linked to those cards because of the deal. I think it may have actually been physically painful to hand them over. If we consider the cards as equivalent to Aster themselves, the attachment is becoming physical and painful to remove.

The entire time they’re at the Haven, Glass is twitchy and looking at everything as a reason to leave right now immediately. That isn’t to say that they’re wrong, as we learn the Haven is bordering on a cult in its behaviors, but I also don’t think this is just Glass’ good intuition telling them the place is no good. I think they’re also upset that they can’t get to Aster in this Folk-proofed place, and bitter about the cards being taken.

Yeah. And what “plenty of Them”, Glass? At least in the podcast proper, we haven’t met any of Them who are completely benevolent besides Aster. Unless I’m forgetting something, which I very well may be. But it sounds like Glass is making excuses for Them again.

This line also harkens back to the deal. They want us to keep thinking about the precarious situation Glass is in, especially without their cards.

No comment on this one.

This one is, uh�� not pretty. Glass is starting to turn against their friends in favor of the cards and, in turn, Aster. They claim that Amber just wouldn’t understand, and seem to imply it’s something wrong with Amber specifically. That they’re the judgmental one. They even openly admit the cards are more than having the magic — the cards represent their connection to Aster. They cannot stand to lose that, and the others just don’t get it. I’d like to point again to my ‘abuse warning signs as a conduit for whatever-is-going-to-happen-to-Glass warning signs’ theory.

There’s a whole argument that happens here that I’m just going to highlight as it goes along. Consider, again, that Glass has admitted that this is about more than just the magic.

“I don’t want it to go away.”

“I might get hurt, but what if I don’t?” What if I’m special? What if the danger spares me, specifically? Another thing you’d hear from someone getting into a dangerous relationship.

“Might never have the chance to try again” — To what? To use magic? Or to see Aster?

“Maybe They are.”

Aster is worth the risk. They bluntly say it. Aster is worth doing something incredibly dangerous for. Glass has become completely attached to Aster and will gladly do something dangerous because of them. Remember how I said Sad Chris was a warning?

“You wouldn’t have understood.” Again, Glass leverages that the others ‘just wouldn’t get it’, insinuating that they are special somehow and won’t get hurt doing this. That the others are lower and stubborn and refusing to understand. They continue to sabotage their friendships in the name of defending their relationship with Aster.

And of course, “Maybe it’s more than just the magic, Amber.” Here is an admittance — it’s not about the magic. It’s about Aster. It’s about being special to Them. It’s about their special relationship that nobody else can understand except them and Aster.

And when Glass can’t find the cards, can’t find the thing that connects them to Aster, they panic. This isn’t about the magic, self-admittedly. This is about not knowing what Aster will do if the bargain is screwed up. This is about not knowing if they’ll be able to keep being Aster’s special human.

And with the cards lost for good? Glass is hollow. They feel absolutely empty without that feeling that they’re special. They don’t care about anything else, they care about the cards— they care about Aster.

The deciding factor for everything, I think, is how Aster reacts to the loss of the cards. If their personality is how I believe it to be, I think they’ll be understanding enough, but may push Glass towards a different form of divination so they can keep the deal. If they do react aggressively, that will be a very interesting situation — but not one that I think is going to properly change Glass’ mind. I think it’s going to take a lot more than that to make them realize this is all a terrible idea.

In summary, all of the signs are flashing red that Glass is becoming irreversibly attached to and dependent on Aster in a desire to feel special and valued by Them. We are being warned repeatedly that if this continues, Glass will change irrevocably, and not for the better — they may very well “give up” without meaning to. They’ve started to push away their friends, lying to them and even becoming angry with them for not ‘getting it’, in favor of Aster. They’re already doing something dangerous for a Folk, and who knows what else they could be talked into doing? Again, I don’t believe Aster is malicious, but I do think they’re going to trap Glass eventually — perhaps even physically take them away from the waking world.

My personal theory is that Glass will not die, but will be ‘taken away’ eventually, or otherwise be lost to the Folk. Maybe even willingly, if they keep coming away from their friends. They’re Aster’s little songbird, and eventually that cage will grow around them. All of the warnings are there, and Glass isn’t hearing a single one of them.

[evolutionsvoid]

Climbing over boulders or scrambling across rock fields is certainly a time where you need to be careful and attentive. I know it isn't like climbing a mountain or trying to traverse a canyon, but even small actions like this can have some dire consequences if things go wrong. Slipping and falling is a pretty mundane thing, probably something that happens to everyone sooner or later in day-to-day life, but even dropping a few feet can do some serious damage. Lose your footing while traversing the rocks and you can bust your headcap on the stony ground or twist a root. And when you are out in the wild, any injury has the potential to be life threatening. But of course, I don't bring this up because I worry about people taking a tumble when scrambling over rocks. I say this because there is more to pay attention to than your footing! This is the wild after all, which means you probably aren't alone out there! Holes and gaps that look like fine handholds could hide serpents and other critters that may attack if you start blindly groping around inside. Such animals are not obvious to spot, as plenty like to blend in with the stone and earth. So watch your hands and feet, and pay close attention to your surroundings, because in some regions that "boulder" you are about to climb on may not be too happy about you stepping on them!

When walking along a rocky coastline, this is advice you certainly need to follow, as not every stone is what it seems! In one region, the rocks could be hiding a creature called the yazaimondako, and that is not something you want to anger! The yazaimondako is a type of coastal octopus that spends its life on the line between land and sea. Often they are where the tide comes and goes, spending half the day underwater and the other half high and dry! It may be hard to see their cephalopod nature because...well first off it would be because they look like a rock. The yazaimondako's "head" or mantle is greatly enlarged and sits above the rest of the body. Its skin is thick and bumpy, helping it survive the harsh sun and rough waves, but also using a dull coloration to make it look rock-like. When the yazaimondako hunkers down, hiding everything under its mantle, it would be very easy to not notice them and think you were looking at a simple stretch of coastal rock!

The other reason why some folk would find it hard to believe this is an octopus is because they say it doesn't have eight arms! When the yazaimondako is hunting for food, all you can see is one lone tentacle! What happened to the other seven? Well, they are still there, it is not like someone cut them off. It is just that six of its tentacles have changed radically compared to the tendrils we know, now stumpy flat appendages. These six limbs are designed more for clamping down onto the ground and keeping the yazaimondako rooted, as this cephalopod prefers a more sessile life. If it does need to move, these little limbs can let it walk across the coast, though it isn't exactly fast. Though they may seem stubby, they are strong, and help keep the yazaimondako from being knocked about by the waves and keep it sturdy when on dry land. "But hold on, Chlora" you say, "you only said six became stumpy legs, where is the seventh?" Why, the seventh one is right in front of you! You probably already seen it and just didn't realize! What I mean is that the yazaimondako does not have just one normal tentacle, it has two! Two of its appendages remain long and dexterous like any other octopus, but this species prefers to use one at a time! It will have one tentacle out while it hunts for food, while the other remains coiled up and hidden beneath its mantle. These limbs will switch from time to time, typically when one catches prey and reels it in, the other will unfurl to take over hunting duty!

So how does a yazaimondako hunt? Well, I am sure you guessed they are an ambush hunter, going off their disguise and tendency to stay still. That is the correct answer, as the octopus sits upon the shore and pretends to be just a regular old rock! They like to position themselves near pools of sea water, where fish may get trapped during low tide. They will then extend a single tentacle out and slowly probe the water, feeling around for food. These limbs will often dance and wriggle in a way that tricks fish into thinking it is prey, luring them closer. When one swims too close, the tentacle attacks! A hidden barb is unleashed and spears the unsuspecting piscine! In moments, a powerful paralytic venom is injected, and prey's fate is sealed. The barb of the tendril will hold the fish like a fisherman's hook, allowing it to drag the dying prey back to the waiting body. Food is brought to its hidden beak and devoured, while the other arm (holding a fresh supply of venom) will unfurl and resume the hunt!

As you can see, the yazaimondako is essentially a fishing octopus. It sends in a living line and hook and waits for something to take a bite! But unlike real fishing, there is little fight to be had once prey is hooked, as the venom is a potent one. It is this same weapon that makes mistaking them for a rock a very bad idea! Try climbing over top one, and you can be sure a venomous tentacle will come lashing out! If you are injected, you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible. The venom will start taking out your limbs and eventually move to your organs, meaning death when you lungs stop working. Honestly, your survival relies on other people being around to carry you to a healer or medic, because unless the doctor is sunbathing nearby, your muscles aren't going to work long enough for you to run back to town. There are treatments for this venom, but they must be used quickly. It is a race against the clock before the venom shuts down your entire body.

With a clever disguise and potent venom, it should be no surprise that this species has some fatalities under its belt. Most deaths occur when tourists go climbing on the coastal rocks, not paying attention to what is around them. Though these octopi are big, their guise is a good one and someone too distracted in goofing off won't notice this more squishy looking stone. However, even with the dangers they possess, the yazaimondako is a bit of a delicacy! Supposedly, their two long tentacles are quite tasty, and the species is hunted for such a prize. As long as you remove the paddle that holds the barb, the meat is safe to eat. I had the pleasure of trying it once, and indeed it is pretty delicious! Local legends say that these tentacles are so tasty that that is the reason the yazaimondako hides itself as a stone! The story claims that a giant octopus came to the shore for a nap, but wound up leaving itself vulnerable to hungry humans. When it finally awoke, it found that it only had one tentacle left! The others had been chopped off and eaten! Thus, the octopus learned to hide itself as a boulder when it came to shore to nap, that way no one would see it. And its anger in being mutilated in such way was concentrated to the one remaining limb, which now spells the doom of any fool who wakes the yazaimondako from its nap!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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

"Yazaimondako"

A creature design that came from a brainstorming session with @Lediblock2 . How to make the tales of a one armed octopus into a viable species? Make it the convergent evolution of a cone snail!

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #26

Alright folks today we're reading PKNA #21: Tyrannic!!! and um totally unrelated question but do you guys remember the Pangea Project?

Shoutout to the PBI for inviting PK for a meeting and not telling a single one of their security guards that he would be showing up, it really demonstrates the efforts of a highly efficient organization that DEFINITELY knows how to communicate with itself and can be trusted with our public safety!

babygirl

you guys he is so SMALL I can't get over it

Oh don't worry pal, I have READ Earthquake (this is the part where the camera cuts to me holding a big foam finger and wearing an oversized t-shirt that says "#1 PKNA #4 Earthquake fan")

lol he is SO fucking grumpy that they wanted Uno, I can't help but giggle

Seriously Uno we REALLY need to have a talk about how to cheer people up cause this is not it 😭

Donald I'm sorry that you're feeling insecure over losing to the most highly advanced and intelligent piece of technology ever created but also you were fighting a losing battle to begin with

am I supposed to take this guy seriously cause he has a fuckin rat tail at the back of his head

"just a scientific project" come on bro be fr 😭 you were going to obliterate millions of people

PANGEA PROJECT WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK BABY!!! ROUND 2 THE WEST COAST WILL FALL!!! 💯🔥

I gotta say "Frostville" is like. The least menacing name I could think of for an evil enemy base. It sounds like a quaint little winter village not the place where we plot to make the west sink underwater.

Also-- did I miss the part where PK told the PBI about Uno being an AI? Cause I know he usually tries to keep it a secret but at this point I have a hard time keeping track of who knows what about Uno existing

he might be stupit

WEREN'T YOU JUST COMPLAINING EARLIER THAT THEY WANTED UNO'S HELP INSTEAD OF YOURS??? Careful what you wish for kids now his ass is getting sent to the arctic

Love that Donald doesn't even have a mask anymore in this uniform he's just wearing like... blue eyeliner

Ok how does Fairfax ALSO know about Uno I swear to god there was no reason for him to figure that out

YEAHHHHHHHHH wait I mean NOOOOOOOOOOO

How does bro STILL think he's doing a good thing here, did he miss the part where the super evil government of evil bad people pulled up like "hey we like your research because it is evil and bad"?? He's still just here like yayy I'm gonna save the planet :) NO YOU'RE NOT

hey is that a guy frozen in an iceberg on the right there or-

What is his problem why does he have so much beef with California? I mean Calisota.

No yeah literally what reason did they have to let him go they were trying to shoot him in the face like 3 minutes ago

OKAY WAIT that's cute this ending is cute. And I guess we're just fully okay with the PBI knowing Uno exists and now having a photo of his face in their records...

Would you guys hate me if I skipped reading the Burton La Valle bonus comic this week cause god. I do not care about Burton La Valle 😭 I tried to be strong I'm sorry but also I don't think anyone else cares either so... nothing of value was lost. Bring back Trip.

ANYWAYS I like this comic! And it might be entirely because I really like Earthquake and this is just a sequel to that story but STILL!!! I will say that I feel that Fairfax gets pretty watered down here (and for the rest of the series) and he's never quite as interesting as he was in Earthquake when he was convinced he was working for the greater good. Like yeah, in this story he still sort of thinks he's doing the right thing, but he's also just fully given in to being a bad guy. We lose some of the nuance he had before but I do like seeing him again. I don't really care about Belgravia but I do think it's funny that one of PK's enemies is just An Entire Country.

And hey now that I think about it, isn't it kinda funny that this story is about a submarine named Tyrannic that starts rapidly sinking underwater and losing pressure? Y'know it calls to mind a certain other recently famous submarine that might've had a really similar sounding name... maybe something to do with that giant boat that famously sunk y'know like maybe li-

[ghoul-foolery]

Dirty Windows | 9 | Nora x Hancock

A Fallout 4 Soulmate AU

\\

Fic Summary:

Hancock never thought he would find his soulmate. Once a common occurrence, soulmates turned into a bit of a rarity after the bombs dropped. It was to be expected when there was an influx of people getting shot in the face on a daily basis. So when Hancock discovered that he had a soulmate he was ecstatic; all of the people in the Commonwealth, and he was one of the lucky few.

Too bad his soulmate didn't want anything to do with him.

When Nora thought for sure she was going to die too, the pain stopped – and then there was nothing. Nothing but the emptiness. Nothing but the grief. Half of her soul was suddenly gone forever. She was dropped in the middle of the ocean, drifting among the waves with no land in sight. Then just as suddenly she had been cast adrift, she found land. The hole was filled the moment it had been created. As she gripped Nate’s vault suit and begged him to open his eyes, Nora found herself battling with the horrifying realization that she had another soulmate; that some stranger had taken Nate's place.

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After coming down from the worst of his hangover, Hancock took a little time to clean up his office. Cleaning in general was one of his least favorite past times, but it was an easy enough task that allowed him time to think while he kept his hands busy. The entirety of the office was introduced to a broom. The mess that had accumulated was both revolting and impressive. Old inhalers and syringes were tossed, empty pill bottles were set aside for later use. The overflowing ashtrays were emptied. Old liquor bottles were sent down to the Third Rail for cleaning and eventual reuse. It was all menial work, but Hancock felt rather accomplished once he was finished. To punctuate the end of his cleaning spree, he opened one of the windows in the office to blow the stink out.

Hancock celebrated with a cigarette, and a bottle of water. Dragging his desk chair to the window, Hancock plopped down with a heavy sigh. Kicking his feet up onto the windowsill, he enjoyed the occasional breeze as he finished his smoke and sipped at his water.

While he cleaned, Hancock mulled over a number of things. He thought about the town; how he would have to get some of the building projects moving so folks would have a place to stay. The gate around Goodneighbor would have to be reinforced soon, and it would be a decent opportunity to give a few people a job so they could earn some caps. Maybe he could pay someone to mop the statehouse; he sure as shit wasn’t doing it. His thoughts flit from one thing to another, only to inevitably return to her.

Hancock felt like an asshole, but he couldn’t help but think that all of it could have been avoided had she just said something – anything. He thought he was an understanding guy. It would have chafed a bit, but he would have been more sensitive to his soulmate’s plight. There was nothing saying they had to be romantically involved. They could keep it strictly platonic if that's what she wanted. None of that really mattered though, considering the fact that the woman was wholeheartedly unwilling to give him a fucking chance.

Regardless, he had a terribly persistent urge to offer up an apology.

After stomping out the cigarette in the now empty ashtray, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He prepared to get yelled at again, he prepared himself for the wave of sadness and bitter anguish.

Another deep, steadying breath and he reached out for the bond that connected his soul to hers. The sounds were murky at first, as if he was underwater, but then he processed a pitchy ringing echoing in his skull that seemed to be punctuated by the sound of gunfire. Hancock knew on instinct that his breathing immediately matched hers; heavy, labored, panicked. His hands began to tremble as if he was suffering from withdrawal. His emotions went absolutely rampant. The connection was established when he was calm, and collected, and as soon as the link was in place he was bombarded by the feeling of terror. Fuck, he hoped he could get control of this shit soon.

A small box of ammo settled over the vision of his office. Wood, concrete, and rubble surrounded him. Smooth, trembling hands desperately tried to reload a pistol magazine. There was active gunfire all around him, people yelling in the not-so-far distance. Bullets whizzed, chipped away at the ground a few feet in front of his soulmate’s face.

The panic overcame Hancock, and he found himself yelling, “What the fuck — are you trying to get yourself fucking killed, lady?!”

The woman yelped her surprise. Her fingers fumbled the bullet and it shot from the magazine and clattered to the debris covered floor. There was a distinct sound of creaking floorboards paired with aggressive, rapid footfalls. The woman scrambled to get the magazine back into the gun. The mag snapped into place, but she struggled to chamber a round. Trembling fingers tugged at the slide, but her grip was too weak to crank it back.

And what was a gun without a bullet in the chamber?

Fucking useless.

Pain erupted in his scalp, as hair he didn’t have got gripped and pulled with breathtaking force. The face of a man swam into view, all rotten teeth and wild eyes. Blood was smeared around his eyes like it was war paint. The breath was knocked out of Hancock as his woman received a punch to the gut.

He coughed and gasped, “Shoot him! Shoot him in the fucking head!”

Another punch and a pitifully breathless scream – and then he got a first person view of the woman rearing her head back and slamming her forehead into the bridge of the man’s nose. Pain radiated between his eyes. As the man yowled and stumbled back, the woman shrieked and lifted the gun. Adrenaline gave her mercy, and the capability to rack the slide on the gun. She took aim. The first shot somehow missed. So did the second. The third shot went right into the man’s neck and he dropped to the ground. She sank to her knees, gasping and trembling like a leaf in the wind as the man proceeded to gasp and choke on his own blood. Hancock watched; he heard more yelling from her end of the connection, laughter and taunting.

“Hey,” he rasped, taking a deep breath and taking back control of his rampant emotions. He wasn't scared, he told himself. This was war, and war was fucking easy.  “Search his body.”

She didn’t move.

“If you just keep sittin’ there, yer gonna die, do you hear me? Is that what you fuckin’ want?”

No response, but he was suddenly seeing the dead man's body in his vision.

“Check his body,” he urged again.

The woman crawled forward, staying low, and he watched as her small hands patted the man down. She took a slow, deep breath, sniffling.

“He’s-he’s got a knife,” she whispered, pulling the weapon free. It was a small fold-up knife, rusted beyond belief but it could be of use. “And he had a, um…” she took another deliberate breath, trying to calm herself. “I think he had a pipe or…Immgonna be sick.”

Hancock scoffed. He wasn’t sure when he had gotten to his feet, but he had taken to aggressively pacing the length of the room. He could still see from her perspective, but it was as if he adjusted the opacity enough that he wouldn't walk into a wall.

“You ain’t got the time for that,” he growled. “You got yerself into a goddamn mess. Unless you see a way to run out of this one, you need to ready yourself for a fight, you hear me?”

She dry heaved. He did not feel sick, he insisted to himself as his stomach rolled. He was fine.

“He’s got nothin’ else? Absolutely nothing?”

Even as her stomach lurched, the woman patted down the man’s pockets again. ”Bottlecaps.”

“You can come back for those later. Now, okay… Listen.”

A bullet whizzed by and she shrieked, dropping flat to the ground near the man’s corpse.

“Listen!” He yelled, hoping to grab her attention over the sound of gunfire. “I can help you, but yer gonna hafta trust me!”

”St-stop yelling at me.” It was a weak response, but even then it still tugged the briefest of smiles onto Hancock’s otherwise worried features. She had a little bit of a fight in her.

“Trust me,” he urged. “And do everything I say.”

Another heaving gag, and then a weak response, “Okay— okay.”

“Good girl. I want you to sit his body up. We are going to use our new friend here to draw fire.”

[violetomnivore]

Fresh Catch

its come to my notice that a lot of ppl missed out on these MerMay bits I did last year so here a repost

Okay so for this mermaid AU All those years ago Gotham never got built so where it should be sitting is actually still the original fishing village. Flotsam pop ~11,000. The township as it is now sits on the rocky shoreline. The bridges were never built so the islands are basically not inhabited and still filled with suspicious largely unexplored underwater caves. Rumors that supernatural creatures lurk in the dark waters there.

The township of flotsam is the home of Kent & Kyle fishing Co. Clark Kent 41 carries on his adopted parents' business. A few years ago after the passing of his wife he took on a Business Partner Selena Kyle 38, Clark believes that Selena is a bit shady but good hearted. He hasn't caught Selena doing anything illegal yet, but she is Smuggling a little on the side. Together they have two boats ( The Lois, & Fatkitty) and a pair of crews made up of Clark's sons ( Conner 20, Jon & Jordan 16), and Selena's strays ( Roy Harper 24, Jason Todd 20, Stephanie 18)

There is a second village hidden in the caves under the isles. Its population ( ~100) is made up of Mermen/ Mermaids and ruled by King Bruce 45. Among his royal family is Dickie 24, Cassandra 20, Tim 18, and Damian 15. For the safety of his people King Bruce has always has strict rules against association with the surface folk. ( Even if there are a few he watches from a distance himself ) Dick has always pushed back against Bruce's Hypocritical Rules. He likes to swim close to the surface and play pranks on the fishermen boats. Sometimes his younger brothers sneakily follow him.

Okay that's my brain rot. Sorry. Too bad I'm rubbish at putting together actual story.